A few pictures from our Belfast and Paris trip! More to come soon...

We are back from Belfast and Paris! It was a wonderful trip and there is much to share however my time this week is limited as my parents are coming in on Thursday to watch Michaela as we head out for our date night to see Yanni in concert and then on Saturday morning watch the Ironman Texas which is coming here to The Woodlands, Tx. I am VERY excited about this as it truly is a dream of mine.

I have several videos and photos to post as well as some before and after shots of our 2006,2008 and now 2011 visits to Paris and the changes I have made between these trips. It is amazing to see the difference!!!

Here are a few photos for now........

Feeding the birds at the Louvre 

Michaela soaking in the beauty of Paris with her little baguette! 

Mommy and Michaela at Jardin du Luxembourg 

Daddy and Michaela at Jardin du Luxembourg 

Versailles, so lovely there! 

Michaela wanting Daddy's latte over her bottle! 

Heading out for a run in Paris, my dream come true! Future training for the Paris Marathon I dream of doing someday soon! 

Running past the Eiffel tower. 

Our late night, jet lag Escargots! Michaela is in her pj's! :) 

A few memories from Belfast, Northern Ireland 

Our little angel sleeping on the place to France

Sleeping on the plane from Birmingham, England to Belfast

One of the great shopping areas of Belfast, Victoria center. Loved this place! 

Belfast City Hall 

Leaving Belfast to head to Paris!!! 

I am making progress but I still have a long journey ahead of me!

Happy as can be after weighing is this morning! 5/5/2011...a day I will NEVER forget! I reached a major personal milestone today and I also have now lost 32 pounds since Jan 1st and over 40 lbs since December which is the month I decided to really get into gear and make 2011 the best year yet! So far so good!!!  The last time I remember weighing this amount was October of 1995, I was 18 years old. 

 

I am shaking my head right now dreading posting this next photo but as I stated on FB today I want to look back and see how far I have come. I took this photo this morning after weighing in and seeing another drop of 1.8 lbs. It is coming off slowly but I am so happy with how things are going. 

I NEVER have posted a flexing photo of myself as I think I just look plan silly and I HATE my arms. I do not think you guys understand just how hard this is for me but I am going to be brave, just as I did on FB and post this so my friends can see and encourage me to keep working hard. Whenever I get down on how I arms or belly looks I always think at least I have arms! Seriously, it is a blessing. 

So as of today I only have 10.2 lbs to go to reach my new goal weight and hopefully tone my arms up more! I feel there are many TRX sessions in my future this summer to reach my goal but I am ready!!! 

 
5/5/2011. Size small shirt from VS and size 4 pants from Lululemon. Changes are taking place but I still have a long way to go. I CAN do this!! 

I did have another fun shopping trip to LuLulemon today! That is my reward store!!! I got a super cute pair of pants for my upcoming trip, black capris TOO cute! I did decide to go up a size. I have 2 pairs of size 4 pants from there but for this pair I got a 6. They fit fantastic! I cannot wait to wear them in Paris, maybe it will motivate me to stay away from the croissants and cheese that I devoured the past two times I have been there. 

Thanks a much for your support!! 

 

Going for 12 more!

I never thought I would be back to where I once was so long ago. I am very, very pleased with my weight loss so far and after thinking about where I want to be, I have decided to go for 12 more pounds this year. As stated yesterday I am hoping to lose 4 more pounds this month. I am also going to push for another 4 pounds the month of June. If I can do this it will leave me with only 4 more to go by July! After losing the 12 pounds I will re-evaluate where I am and decide what to do. I have been reading Racing Weight and the more I think about my running potential I feel that I need to lean out a bit more and once I do I can focus on toning and maintaining my weight. I have a feeling these last 12 will be a challenge to melt off. My weight loss is going very well but it has slowed down and I really have to watch my diet VERY CLOSELY to ensure I keep losing. I want to take my time losing these last few pounds as we all know the slower the weight loss, the better! I want to maintain my muscle mass while burning FAT! 

I will never be thin, all I want to be is FIT!!!! I still have a long road ahead of me but I really do feel that through hard work and consistency I can someday look back and know I did it - I finally reached my dream!

I feel strongly if I continue eating well and training for my races along with my ST, I CAN reach this goal by the end of the year!

Short term goals for the next 3 months -

May - Lose another 4 lbs and 2 inches ( waist and hips if possible )
June - Train for HM in Seattle for PR, Lose another 4 lbs and a few inches
July - Focus on ST and training for August HM

Melting My Measurements! The challenge begins now....

April results -
Weight loss - 5.6 lbs
Inches lost - 2.75 inches

Overall totals for this year -
Weight loss - 30.2
Inches lost - 13.25
Miles - 274

If you notice, I lost exactly the same amount of inches as last month BUT I lost fewer pounds! That is NOT a bad thing. It means that I am losing FAT and retaining muscle, I guess the TRX is doing its job!

Now, onto May. There is a great deal going on this month so I am breaking my challenge up into 3 parts.  I am calling the month of May....Melting My Measurements, Operation....BELLY BE GONE! I know the name is quite crazy but you have to have fun with this to keep it fresh!

Overall goals for this month -
1. Lose another 4 pounds
2. Aim for another 1 inch lost from waist and 1 inch from hips

Starting Measurements -
Chest - 38 inches
Waist - 28.5 inches**Measuring 1/2 inch more this morning due to bloating, but I am going ahead and logging it as I want to be consistent and accurate.
Hips - 36 inches
Thigh - 18 inches
Calves - 14 inches
Bicep - 10.75 inches

***I have deleted the remainder of this blog due to privacy concerns and therefore will not be so open as to my dates of travel. My Family informed me that complete strangers now know the dates I am traveling and it is not safe -- this is a crazy world we live in. I will post results when I return but nothing in detail leading up to my trip. Thank you guys for understanding!***