On 50, and the 5 K.

Well, folks.  Here I am.

20 weeks after I started TurboFire. 

50 pounds lighter than I was 20 weeks ago. 

Actually, 53 pounds lighter.

Believe it, baby.

It’s been quite a trip.  Almost all highs.  A few lows.  And originally, I thought I would address those “lows” in this post, but you know what?  To hell with it.  Why put the negative in the spotlight when, overall, I’m feeling absolutely fabulous?  Dwelling on the comments of a very few in the past week or so now seems silly in retrospect.  I don’t want to give them their due.

I want to focus on the positive.

And you know what, guys? 

I feel amazing.  Healthier.  Happier.  Shinier.  More confident.

I’ve had a few friends and family members even tell me I’m glowing, and honestly… I FEEL like I’m glowing!!

Here’s the really cool part:  Back when I started this gig, staring down the barrel of a 20-week intense cardio work-out schedule, at close to the heaviest weight I’ve ever been, I admit to feeling daunted and thinking, This is going to be really frigging hard.  Do you REALLY want to do this?  Are you SURE you aren’t just happy being fat?

And I’m here to tell you today that, while it’s been a lot of hard work, looking back now… you know, it really wasn’t that hard.

It takes a high level of commitment.  An unwavering mindset.  A dedication to doing whatever it takes to get there.

But looking back on it all, it actually doesn’t feel like it was all that difficult.  Dare I say…it almost feels like it was kind of easy? Once I got on the right track, everything became routine.  Sure, there were days when I dragged my ass through work-outs that seemed next-to-impossible. Days when I wondered, “Am I EVER going to be able to do those jumps and sumo burpees?”  Days when I felt like I would never see results.

Now, though, I can see the results, and this amazing feeling has made it all worthwhile.

The key pieces to the puzzle have been TurboFire, Shakeology, and support from my coach Jared, and my amazing family & friends.  I told you all about them (and a few of my other tips & tricks) back in my I LOST 30 LBS post.  I haven’t changed my strategy much since then, other than ramping up my intensity bit-by-bit.  I’ve continued to work out six days a week.  I have a Shake every day.  I still drink water like it’s my job.  I find myself staying accountable to my schedule, as well as my food and exercise diary.  I’ve steered clear of junk and booze as much as possible.  I still don’t eat after 7 PM. 

Why change what’s working, right?

To be honest, I thought the weight would be harder to lose after I hit that 30 lb. mark, but I’ve been shocked at how it’s continued to fall off – if anything, it seems to be dropping faster now.  Chalk that up to a high metabolism, I guess?  Whatever it is… I’ll take it!!

So, the 20-week TurboFire schedule has come to an end.  And now, what’s next?  After bragging (let’s face it, that’s what I’ve been doing. bragging.) last week about reaching my 50 lb. goal, that has been the most popular question from my friends. 

So?  What’s the next goal?  Where do you go from here?  Are you done now?

No, I’m definitely not “done” now.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned over almost 30 years of battling weight problems, it’s that this is something that is never “done”.  It’s always going to take work.  I can’t reach my goal and just quit, and go back to my old ways.  It just doesn’t work that way.

So what IS the next step?  The next goal?  I can tell you that it’s not so much centered on weight-loss specifically this time.  I mean, sure, I’d like to see if I could lose some more weight.  I’m still far from skinny.  Would another 20-25 lbs. be nice?  It would be a flippin’ dream.

But overall, I’m happy with my current weight and size.  And I’m okay with being here for a while.  I dropped fifty pounds fairly quickly, and I don’t think it will hurt to just stay here for a little while.  To just maintain this for a bit.

That being said, I know I’m more likely to succeed at maintaining if I have another goal in my cross-hairs.  So this time, rather than working towards a specific number on the scales, there are a few other things that I’m going for. 

I started this next phase by creating my own four-week schedule - still including TurboFire, but adding a few new elements - with several new goals in mind.  One being a flatter stomach.  Despite all the lost weight, I’m still carrying around quite a bit of flab in my mid-section.  I don’t remember when I last could’ve said I had a flat stomach.  Maybe Kindergarten?  Seriously.  I have ALWAYS had a muffin top of varying degrees.  So I have some big-time work to do on my abs.  I also want to work a little harder on building lean muscle and toning up.  I have wayyy too much  flappy skin  goin’ on here, folks.  I’m going to be spending more time with my resistance bands and weights.

But perhaps my biggest goal of all right now is training for a 5K.  I’m officially registered for the Army Run 5K on September 22nd (thanks to my friend Brenda for signing me up, even though I didn’t even realize it until  last night! haha!) – so now I kind of have to take this running thing seriously.

I started my Couch to 5K app last night.  And I survived.  In fact, it felt awesome.  I can’t describe the exhilaration I get from running.  Even just the 60-second spurts that Day 1 of the app had me doing last night were such a rush.  I was flying high when I finished last night.

Running a 5K was one of those “pie in the sky” long-term goals that I harboured in my heart when I first started this program 20 weeks ago.  I doubted I’d ever get there.  Now?  Now it feels entirely possible.

This place that I’m in right now?  It’s a wonderful place to be.  A place where I can actually consider running a 5K?  It’s a place that I have dreamed about.  A place that makes me feel so good inside.

I can’t wait to see where these next steps take me…

Thank you to everyone once again for your support – my blog friends, you have been awesome cheerleaders and I can’t tell you how much it means to me!  I love you all!!!

And now, because I’ve been asked for “Before & After Photos” – check these.  (And NO, Mom, don’t worry, they are not the underwear pictures!!!!)

Before

After 30 lbs.

After 50 lbs.

Alrighty, gang… Let’s hit the ground RUNNING!!! :)