Guest Post - Weight Loss Success Story - Janell

I have a special treat for you today. Below is an inspirational success story from one of my "Zumba sisters." I first noticed Janell when I went to one of Lindsay's 8 p.m. classes. I was getting a kick out of her class because to me it looked like Lindsay had started her own little group of Zumba groupies that reminded me of the small group of girls that I gotten to know when I first started going to Zumba. Janell and her friends were all excited to see each other at the beginning of class and they had their own favorite songs that they would give "woo hoos" to and it was just so refreshing to see this new generation of Zumba girls so excited about this exercise class. Their enthusiasm and positive spirit was contagious and inspirational. 

Janell definitely got my attention. I could see it in her face how much she loved Zumba. And I could definitely hear it in her voice :) She's not shy about being loud in class! I became friends with Janell on Facebook and we would chat in between songs at class and I got to know her a little better. I knew she had lost a significant amount of weight and I knew she was motivated to do whatever it took to reach her goals. Her enthusiasm for Zumba reminded me so much of myself when I first started and so I've always been curious about her story - so I asked her to share it with me and all of you on my blog. I'm so happy she agreed. Here's Janell's story ...

Janell - before and after

My Story 
One year ago I was at my cousin’s house for our yearly Indy 500 Race Party. Her husband went around taking pictures of everyone hanging out. I tried all evening to stay out of his sight. Well, he got me in a picture after all. I didn’t think much of it. Then he sent out an e-mail to all my family … cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts … so on. When I opened the pictures that was when I saw me. And I mean actually SAW myself. I broke down in tears. I cried so hard that night. I just kept thinking that is not me; I don’t want to be that person anymore. I had had it. I knew I needed help, and I had already tried Weight Watchers. That program just didn’t work for me. So I decided to call Jenny Craig. That was the day my life changed forever.

I was ready. I talked to my consultant, ordered my food, made a workout plan for myself, and said … "this is it; it’s time to put me first and to stick with it." And I did. I followed the weekly program faithfully. It wasn’t easy. I was hungry all the time. It was like I was feigning for food like an ex-smoker feigning for a cigarette. To keep from cheating, I would call my mom and talk to her. She was my rock. I had to make myself start working out every day, which wasn’t easy. I literally had fights in my head with myself. It was just such a struggle. In my mind, I just didn’t think I was going to lose weight. The doubts were so heavy on my mind.

My workout plan was to walk a fast pace, and then gradually start running. I just would laugh at myself thinking … "me, run, not likely." But I put on my favorite music and started walking. Thirty minutes was all I could stand. I hated that too. I didn’t like feeling winded, short of breath and tired. However, that is also what kept pushing me; to overcome that.

When that first week was up and I had to weigh in, I was so nervous and scared. I got on my scale first thing in the morning. When I looked down, I was in shock. I lost 3 pounds. I even got off the scale and got back on just to make sure it was right. And it was. When I saw those results, that’s what pushed me to keep going. I was so happy. I called my husband, my mom and my best friend. Those were the only people who knew at that time what I was doing. They were all so proud of me, cheering me on. I felt so good that day.

So I continued on my journey of losing weight. I kept strictly to my menu plan and my workout plan. Before I knew it, I was jogging on my treadmill. I wasn’t going very fast, but it was for me. Another accomplishment was reached. A small one, but I was happy. The following months the weight just kept coming off. I just couldn’t believe it.

But then everyday life was still happening. Friends wanted to meet for lunch or dinners, or family wanted to get together. I had to start telling people what I was doing. I was embarrassed at first to admit that I was on Jenny Craig. I thought it was bad to admit I needed help. But when I got positive feedback from everyone, it wasn’t so bad. I did have my problems with others saying “its ok to cheat every now and then” and “oh come on, one bite won’t hurt you.” Dealing with that was so hard. They have no idea what it’s like to be overweight and trying to lose. But I was determined to stay strong; I did not cheat once when tempted by others.

That was and still is the hardest thing to deal with. I honestly have no idea where my determination comes from. I guess I had it set in my mind that nothing was going to stop me from reaching my goal. That and the fact that Jenny Craig was so expensive and I was paying for it, I wasn’t about to lose money on it. There also were people who made comments that they’ve heard others try things and they didn’t succeed. I’m a pretty competitive person, so I took that as a challenge. I wanted to show those people, yes it can work, as long as you’re committed, and I was.

When I started to really lose some weight to the point people could tell, I decided I needed to change things up a bit with my workout. I started talking to one of my friends and we both wanted to try this new class called Zumba, but neither of us wanted to go alone. So we decided to go together and try it out. We fell in love with it. Not only was the class fun, the people there were fun. Nobody judged anyone, everyone there was there for the same reason, to get a great work out and have fun doing it. I was hooked.

So at this point, I was running in the morning, and doing Zumba two times a week. And yes I said I was running. I was now running and fast walking 3 to 4 miles every morning. So the weight just kept coming off. After a while, I started going 4 an 5 times a week. I started to become a regular. Then I met one of the instructor, her name is Geraldine. She was and is the sweetest person I’ve ever meet. She truly cares so much about her class and their health. Once I started talking to her and telling her my story, she offered to meet with me and go over some ways to eat healthy. That was the beginning of an awesome friendship. I meet with her, told her my story in more detail and how I wanted to go out on my own but was so scared of eating “normal food” and not gaining any weight. She was amazing. We talked for over two hours. She had so much faith in me then, before she even really got to know me, it was unbelievable.

The next time I talked to my Jenny Craig consultant, I told her I was ready to go on my own. She was really excited for me, and she too thought I would be ok. At that point I still had 40 pounds to go. My goal was to lose 100 pounds. I was so nervous to venture out on my own with every day food. I started trying new work out programs on top of running at home. I started counting my calories, writing down everything I ate, what I did for a workout, and I talked to Geraldine and my friends often when I had doubts or questions. There was so much I didn’t know about food and how what I ate and when I ate it could really make a difference, and I’m still learning to this day.

I’m now 10 pounds away from reaching my goal. I’m not going to lie; these past 30 pounds have been the hardest. I’m losing slower, which I know is good, yet frustrating too. I’m such an impatient person, I want results, and I want them now. Part of me wants to be content with just losing the 90 pounds, and the other part of me knows I won’t be satisfied till I lose all 100 pounds. This is where I have to keep strong and keep pushing.

Every day is a struggle, even now. I know I’m happiest after I exercise, but I still argue with myself to go exercise. I think I will always have that struggle with myself too. When I look back on this past year, I’m still amazed at what I have already accomplished. I use that as my motivation to keep going, that and talking to all my friends and family. They are my greatest support system. When I’m feeling down, mad, sad, or even happy, they are always there for me. If I didn’t have that, I’m not sure if I would be as successful as I am. When you have people you can relate to it helps to stay motivated. They give me the inspiration I need to keep going, and I am truly blessed to have them in my life.

Janell all dressed up for Zumba 80s night

Lisa, Janell and Tina getting down!

Monon Trail, Indy Greenways - 9 Mile Walk

My walk yesterday was awesome! Awesome I tell you. After about three miles in I said to Stacey, "I'm really enjoying this walk. Do you think you might want to do more of our long walks after work on this trail?" And Stacey gave me an enthusiastic "Yes!"

The trail I'm talking about is The Monon Trail  a 10+ mile trail in Indianapolis. I've known about the Monon for years and years but have never actually been on it. Earlier this week I was telling Stacey I wouldn't be able to do our long walk this weekend and was trying to squeeze it into the work week and she asked if she could join me. I was trying to figure out a plan that wouldn't have us walking too late at night and that's when I thought about heading to the Monon straight after work since it's just down the street. Stacey had never walked it either so we were both super pumped.

All day yesterday I kept thinking about the fact that I was going to be walking 9 miles in just a few hours. For some reason it just seemed so much longer than the 8 miles I did a few weeks ago.

So quitting time came around and Stacey and I got our gear on and headed out to our cars.

Ready for 9!

We met over the parking lot near the trail where we were going to start out and did a little stretching. It was in the low 60s and we were both a little worried about being cold since we were both in tanks, but we ended up being fine. We did see someone wearing earmuffs on the trail though :)

As we started walking I just kept thinking how nice the trail was. It was big and roomy and we were surrounded by beautiful trees. Every few minutes we would hear "on your left" as bicyclists would ride by. We passed the back of the Jordan YMCA where we go at lunch to lift weights.

Waiting at a stoplight

Our plan (thanks to a little advice from our friend Ali) was to walk 3 miles south towards Broad Ripple and turn around for 3 more miles. We would stopped at our cars for a quick drink and then head up the trail north for 1.5 miles and then head back to complete the 9 miles. I LOVED that plan. Breaking it into chunks made it seem like we weren't walking as far.

My favorite section of our walk was when we got to Broad Ripple and past by all the wonderfully smelling restaurants.

So the first 3 miles went by super fast as we were gabbing - that's what I love about walking with a friend. As we reached our first turn around spot after the 3 miles our legs both started to feel a little heavy. At 6 miles we stopped at our cars for water and some energy snacks. I had these Jelly Belly which I really liked and my stomach was able to handle. I had given Stacey a pack of pomegranate chews I had picked up and they were so nasty she spit it out and then of course I had to try it to see how bad it was and it was really bad. I threw the package away so I don't remember what they were called.

We both noted that we really enjoyed walking on the trail and we were walking noticeably faster than we usually do (Distance: 9.14mi Time: 02:33:06 Pace: 16:45min/mi Speed: 3.58mi/h). I credit it to being on a trail with other people out exercising and that fact that it wasn't 7:30 a.m. and we weren't half asleep.

We made our way up the mile and half and then headed back to our cars. It went really well for me - I had a little irritation on my right arm that was either from the cold and/or my arm rubbing against my side. It feels fine today but was burning a little during our walk. Unfortunately, Stacey ended up with two blisters on her feet after the walk, but she bought some new running shoes today so that problem should take care of itself.

We crossed a couple of really pretty bridges

So overall, a successful walk and I can't wait to do it again. I think my favorite parts were seeing the adorable dogs out for a walk. We also saw a bunny and had a crazy bird dive at our feet that made me scream out loud.

Have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Do You Know What's Crazier Than Walking Eight Miles?

Walking nine miles, that's what! I'm walking nine miles after work today kids! Nine miles.

I remember doing a 5k with my family years and years ago. (Mom, do you remember which walk I'm talking about? I think it was for melanoma.) I'm pretty sure it was after I was married but before kids. I remember towards the end of the walk I was soooo thankful it was over because I didn't think I could walk much further.

Nine miles!!!

What To Do After A Bad Walk

So my last post was about my "bad walk" last Thursday. After that walk, my next scheduled walk wasn't until Sunday and I dreaded it for the entire two days leading up to it. Having a bad walk can really mess with your confidence. All day on Saturday I kept remembering that I would have to get up early to walk on Sunday and I could think of a dozen things I rather be doing and the number one reason was sleeping.

Stacey and I had planned on meeting at the Y at 7:30 a.m. If she hadn't planned on walking with me I'm sure I would have talked myself into sleeping in and delaying my walk until Sunday afternoon and who knows if I would have done it.

I went to bed on Saturday night and set the alarm for 6 a.m. I didn't have a good night sleep at all. Tanner was not cooperating and around 1 a.m. I finally gave in and slept in Gracie's room (she was downstairs sleeping in her tent).

My alarm went off on my phone at 6 a.m. and I snoozed a couple of times. Dreading getting up, I finally made my way to the kitchen and ate something. I was secretly hoping Stacey would text me that she couldn't make it so I could go back to bed.

By 7 a.m. I was dressed and finally awake. At 7:05 a.m. Stacey texted me and said she wasn't going to be able to make it. I swear if she had sent that text ten minutes earlier I would have gone back to bed. But I didn't. I can't explain it but I had already mentally committed to the walk so there wasn't any going back. I left Jim a note telling him what was going on and that I'd be walking the neighborhood.

I still wasn't feeling "good" about the walk. The memories of the bad walk were still fresh in my mind and now I was going to be walking part of the route that I had gone on the bad walk. I put in my earbuds, kept my music pretty low so I could still hear the sounds of my neighborhood and started walking in the crisp, cool air.

I was walking pretty slow for the first couple of miles of my six mile walk. More than a 17 minute mile pace.  I just wasn't feeling it. I made my way past the kid's school and thought about the parishioners that were sitting in the 7 a.m. Mass. On my right was the local public high school and as I passed their football practice field I noticed the beautiful sunrise. Not surprisingly a lot of my thoughts on this walk were reflections of the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

As I made my way around the next section of my walk, my pace started to pick up more and I started to feel a little better. When I got to the part on my route where Tanner and flipped out on me a few days before I started to feel some anxiety. I told myself that I needed to take back control over that stretch of road and bury the negative feelings I had about that bad walk once and for all. So I did. I pushed it all out of my mind and was taking in the present.

I finished the first three miles and then started on my second loop of the route. By this time I was warmed up and feeling confident. I finished the six miles with 16:23 minute mile average pace.

Unfortunately my evening schedule this week has been crazy so I haven't been able to walk since Sunday. I've had to do some major moving around on the training schedule this week and am actually going to be doing my long walk (9 miles) tomorrow night instead of this weekend. I'm a little nervous about it. The 8 mile walk two weeks ago was exhausting and I was really tired for two days after. But I'm also excited because Stacey and I are going to be walking a new route that neither of us have walked before and it should be super fun. I'll try and snap some photos along the way.

Until then ...

Weigh In and a Bad Walk

Weigh in Day - Sept. 9
Previous weight - 198.6 (Aug. 16)
Current weight - 197.8
Difference - lost .8 pounds

Total weight lost - 47.2 pounds

Activity
Friday - 3 miles
Saturday - 8 miles
Tuesday - Zumba (60 minutes)
Wednesday - 3 miles
Thursday - 4 miles

Last night was my 4 mile walk. It did not go well. at. all.

First mistake was taking Tanner with me. I had contemplated taking our dog with me on my training walks before but I didn't want him to slow me down. However, Tanner has been cooped up in the house all week because of the rain and he has been such a handful at night. This photo isn't of Tanner, but sums him up perfectly.

So I get myself together, grab Tanner and head down the street. The pooch then proceeds to poop three times before we reach the next block. So it's back to the house with the bags of pooh so I didn't have to carry them for 4 miles. I should have taken that as a sign to leave him at home.

So here's what else went wrong:

• I wore the worst shirt imaginable. It kept riding up my back and front and I ended up having to hold it down with my hand the whole time so I wasn't self conscience or choking.
• I wore bad socks and got a blister on the back of my ankle.
• It was raining so obviously it added to the misery.
• I was feeling really dizzy. I thought maybe it was dehydration, but I'm dizzy today and I think it's the cluster headache meds I'm on. I'm tapering off of them so I'm going to have to deal with it for a few days I think.
• I was so hungry and even though it was raining people were grilling out and making me want to eat my arm off. 
• Last summer we were at a friend's house and we were hot tubbing at night and when I got out I fell up their deck stairs. (yes, I fell UP the stairs - it was that kind of night) and I totally messed up my shin. It was bruised and swollen for weeks and some of the bruising lasted for months. I think I must have ended up with some nerve damage. I don't know if it's related but when I was walking last night I was getting this weird prickling sensation under my skin in the spot where it happened.
• I was so stressed out by all the above bullets that I totally went the wrong way on my walk and not the way I had mapped out.
• Two miles into the walk Tanner totally flipped out. Just totally lost it. We were walking along and then he turns back at me with that look in his eye (see photo above) and started biting the leash and jumping up on me and trying to bite me. This has happened before and I'm 100% sure this is why we were Tanner's third owners before he was six months old (when we adopted him from the rescue). I ended up calling Jim and having him take Tanner home.  

So when Jim rounded the corner I pushed Tanner's butt up in the Jeep and I jumped in the back. Jim was taking us home and I mentioned that I hadn't even gotten two miles in. He said I should finish my walk.

I so wanted to just go home. To be defeated and throw in the towel. To take a hot shower and feel sorry for myself. But I couldn't make myself say the words, so I instead I said ok and reluctantly got out of the Jeep and headed back out in the rain to finish the two mile while holding my shirt down and feeling my blister get worse.

I'm really proud of myself for finishing those last two miles. A bowl of chili followed by a hot shower was well deserved after that night.

More 80s Night Photos and Training Update

I had so much fun at the 80s Zumba night on Tuesday. It was two hours of pure awesomeness. All the instructors worked so hard to pull off coming up with and LEARNING routines in a week! I've never heard so much hooting and hollering in our class before. We all had so much fun. Rumor has it that they'll be planning more theme nights like this one. Here's a photo that my instructor Tina took of me.

Here are a few of my favorite photos I snapped.

Julie and Stephanie

Lisa, Janell and Tina having a good time.

Y.M.C.A

Just a few of our awesome Zumba instructors

Emily, Lisa, Amy and Linda all dolled up for 80s night!

So last night I had three miles to walk for my training. It was raining out, so I headed to the Y to hop on a treadmill. I was feeling really good and keeping a pretty consistent 4.0 pace and sometimes even 4.1.

Here's where I was at 2 miles in.

I was really excited to see my ending time and my average pace but must have gotten a little too excited because I ended up knocking my phone off the treadmill and onto the belt and I panicked and pushed stop instead of pause and lost my stats :( BOO!

I wanted to just leave after that, but I got back on and finished up my last mile.

So I went to fill in my spreadsheet today and was feeling really good about how my walks are going and how I feel like 3 milers seem so easy now. So much so that I say "I'm so glad I only have a 3 miler tonight" and then I go and see this:

4 MILERS! I only have one more 3 mile walk next week and then they switch to 4 miles (besides my long weekend walks). Oh well, I'm sure that's the way it's supposed to work right? I'm actually excited to try out a new route in my neighborhood tonight if the weather holds out. I'm going to try a 2 mile loop - I think it will make it seem to go fast to do the loop twice instead of a 4 mile loop.

And I just have to throw this in too. Look what my husband got me earlier this week "just because." I love the necklace and earrings. Thanks honey!

80s Zumba Night

This is what I was doing tonight.

80s Zumba night.

It was awesome!

Yours truly.

Tired

Our internet is out at home so just a quick check in from my phone tonight. I had the day off and it flew by. I did three miles in 47 minutes this morning. I have eight miles in the morning. I see an afternoon nap in my future tomorrow. I'm beat. Night all.

I'm Going Back

I received some exciting news today. Exciting for me anyway. I was asked to be a class advisor for a program I graduated from this past January. This is something I really, really wanted and since I hadn't heard anything in eight months I figured I didn't make the cut.

This program is where I decided to make a change with my diet and lose weight. And this past January when I walked across the stage to graduate 50 pounds lighter than when I started the program, it was a very emotional accomplishment all the way around.

Photos of me at the program 2008 vs. 2011

So naturally, one of the first things I thought of after getting over the initial excitement of going back to this program and seeing all my old friends and making new ones was - it's time to make some new goals.

When I weighed in last Friday I was at 198.6. I've gained nearly five pounds since the beginning of June. It hurts to write that and I'd been avoiding it. I really thought it was going to come right off the last couple of weeks once I started eating better, but it hasn't so far.

My goal weight that was given to me by my doctor this past June is 180. (I'm almost 5'7"). I'd like to hit my goal weight by June 2012 so it would make sense for me to be about half way there by January 2012. That's about 18 weeks away and would put me at half a pound to lose every week. I think that's a decent goal to have.

I'm am scared though. Scared of failing. I've been stuck in the 190s for a year now. A year. I feel like I've put in enough effort to be maintaining my weight (which I've done successfully) but I haven't been putting in the effort to LOSE weight. I know how hard it is and I've been stubborn and I haven't wanted to put forth the extra effort.

So there it is. My mini goal is to be 190 by Dec. 30.