It's Been Awhile

It seems all of my recent posts have started with those same three words, "it's been awhile". But I assure you, I'm still kicking ass & taking names.

I can't believe I didn't post it on here the moment it happened but I have officially lost 100 pounds! Correction, I have GOTTEN RID OF 100 pounds!

Why yes, I did have a small celebration in the bathroom after hopping on & off the scale a few times. That number seemed to far away for so long. To finally see it was amazing.

I guess I have also come to a crossroads of sorts in this journey.

In the beginning, it was all pretty straight forward: monitor calorie intake, exercise, see results. Now that I'm getting down to the last few (err, 30ish) pounds & realizing I need to learn how to still live my life but do so in a way I won't undo all the hard work I've put into this. I have tried quite a few things the past few months. I've tried not logging my food. Didn't work. I've tried using a different food journal. That worked for awhile but I just went back the food journal that go me to where I am. I have even tried to do a detox of sorts where I only had smoothies for breakfast (lets just say I am not a fan of kale in my smoothies). I have come to the realization that I just need to keep doing what I've been doing for over a year: log food & exercise.

I feel backwards sometimes. In the beginning of this, I had no problem just changing what I ate & exercising almost every day. Now that I've been doing this for over a year, I've been falling on & off the wagon more times then I can count. Usually, it's the other way around. You struggle in the beginning & then you're completely focused after awhile. This isn't to say that I'm not focused right now. I am still very,very,very aware of the food going into my body & no matter what happens I'm glad I've gained the knowledge that I have.

On to a more uplifting story! A few months ago, I went shopping with some friends of mine for a fancy dress. First store we walked into was Charlotte Russe. Some of you may or may not be familiar with this store. I never had a good experience with this store. I avoided it like the plague. Back home in California, I remember going into the store & the employees giving me looks & I knew what they were thinking, "that girl is way too fat to fit into our clothes." The funny part was ...they were right! It was a store I could only buy accessories from because everything else was for smaller sized girls. So when my friends suggested we go into the Charlotte Russe as our first stop, inside I was terrified. Sure, I'm a much smaller version of myself & am fitting into clothes I never thought I'd wear, but this store scared the beans out of me. Long story short, I tried on maybe 5 dresses at this store. All of them fit. All of them we either a L or XL. The final result?

I BOUGHT A DRESS FROM THAT STORE!

Talk about NSV...I was on freaking cloud nine! All in all, that entire shopping experience was a tone of fun for me. It used to be that I would have to try on women's size dresses because that's all that fit me. That day I had so many dresses to try on, I actually enjoyed myself. Here's the best picture I have of me int the dress I bought:

A few weeks ago, I read somewhere that some runners keep their motivation to run by signing up for races. This way, they have a definitive goal to work towards. I'm not sure what planet I was on when I read this, but it was a place where I had a moment of clarity. I have been saying for awhile that I want to run a 5k race. I run a distance of 5k on a pretty regular basis both outside & on a treadmill. So what exactly is stopping me?? Well, I was the one stopping me. Not anymore. I am officially signed up for a 5k. It's not technically a race because it's not timed, but I will be timing myself...while I get covered in color!

If you have never heard of The Color Run, click here! Watch the videos, even read the FAQs! They're hilarious. I figured for my first run, I wanted to do something fun & this race has been on my mental "to do" list for quite some time. So, the day after my 26th birthday I'm going to check it off that list. Then I am going to celebrate with my friends & my family!

Anyways, I truly am sorry I've been slacking on this blog. I always tell myself that I'm going to write here more & then I just get so busy & wrapped up in other things. But I promise, I will put forth more of an effort to be here & to be writing.

I hope everyone out there reading this is still marching towards your goals whatever they may be. I have full confidence in each & every one of you!