Heart to heart

This blog has proven to be the most difficult task, in my opinion. Going into this weightloss experience I was so pumped. I just knew it was going to be the best thing for me and I was going to really lose weight. After keeping off the 25lbs from Biggest Loser, I was ready to see how much more I could take off.

With trips to see the nutritionist, Body Pump, and the Women's Running School, there has been some definite progress, but there's also been challenges along the way. My weight gain over the past couple of months has been a disappointment. It's a huge embarassment to post my weight each week knowing everyone is watching me gain. Sure there are tons of excuses I could make, but the bottom line is... there has to be a change. Life happens, and yes it will get in the way, but I just can't give up.

I am trying to re-prioritize and get my head back in the game. As one of the WW members stated at lunch, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." As I look at the different areas of my life that I'm trying to change, I realize that the only way I'll get to see that "goal-Lauren" is to keep biting off little pieces. For right now, those little pieces are:

1. Tracking EVERYTHING with Weight Watchers
2. Getting atleast 30min of exercise in every day (can be non-structured)
3. Water, water, and more water... I may float away, but it'll be worth it!

People have been very supportive and offered their words of encouragement, and I really appreciate it. This is a journey and I'm sure there will be more tough weeks, maybe even months, ahead but I will just keep swimming!



Week 33 Results

It is what it is. The holidays are upon us. We're back at BodyPump every Tuesday and Thursday, and starting back our running schedule. March will be here before we know it!

Week 32 Results

First and foremost, we want to apologize to everyone on our lack of blogposting here lately. We have been EXTREMELY busy both at work and at home and now that the Holiday's are quickly approaching, we're getting even busier. We promise at the beginning of the New Year to keep up and do a few more update posts (not just results posts). Anyways-- without further ado:

Week 32 Results:

Week 30 Results

We're still chugging along... it's just coming more slowly now. The holidays and season change are making it a bit harder, but the Cooper River Bridge Run will be here before we know it.

The week ahead:

• BodyPump X 2
• Running Training Schedule
• Weight Watchers
• Weekly Weigh-In with Jeannie

Week 27 Results

We have been really bad about updating the blog lately, but promise to do better. It's almost holiday season, and we're tying to finish the year strong. Today is a big day for results, we've not only got all of our most recent weigh-ins to post, but also our measurements as of today! They weren't as good as we would have liked them to be, but we haven't thrown in the towel. If anything, that gives us added motivation going into the holidays.



The week ahead:

• Meeting with Jeannie on Tuesday to discuss getting back on track
• Body PUMP!!
• Starting Running Training Schedule



Week 24 Results

The last few weeks have been extremely busy, slightly stressed, but very EXCITING! The scale has been up and down like crazy as a result of our inconsistent routines. But what's the best news...

Courtney is MARRIED!!

She had a gorgeous wedding that I felt honored to be a part of. I am so proud of her dedication throughout this journey and the goals she's accomplished. Her wedding day was surely the icing on the cake! (I'm sure she'll want to share more details about the wedding and honeymoon when she returns, but here's a sneak peek of the bride on her wedding day.)

I, on the other hand, have finally found new motivation after hitting such a hard wall. Courtney and I set a new goal to be down to 200 lbs by the time we run the Cooper River Bridge run at the end of March. This is a serious goal and will be such a tremendous milestone for each of us.



(For more info, visit http://www.bridgerun.com/)


I am so glad we have each other for support and so many others through our Cone Health following. I can't tell you how much it means to us to hear from fellow employees with encouraging words that keep us going. Thank you for your continued support, even when we're at our lowest!



This week:

• BodyPump both days
• Run 3 times
• Weight Watchers!!

Women's Only 5K Recap

Well!! It has been 12 days since the Women's Only 5k and I finally have had a chance to recap my version of the race!!

First off, the race was an incredible experience on so many levels!! Not only was I working towards one of my athletic/health related goals but, I was also supporting the Mammography Scholarship Fund at Women's Hospital. It was great seeing those women who have beat breast cancer as well as very touching to see those families who were walking or running in memory of the ones that they have lost to breast cancer.

I had a goal of 50:00 to complete the 3.1 mile course. That of course, was a little faster than I had been running/walking. Sadly enough, I ended up finishing it in 52:20. Not too far away from my goal... but who cares, I FINISHED IT! It was a huge leap for me because I was walking a mile in like 22 miles when I first started the Women's Running Clinic! So finishing with an average pace of 16:51, I was very pleased! I did learn that it is very important for me to pace myself... that messed me up, alot. We started the race in the 9 minute mile because we didn't want to get caught up behind the walkers, so of course, we got out of the hatch too fast and burned out all of our energy in the first mile... so of course, the rest was a little harder.

After the race, I hurt so bad!!!!!!! My hip flexors were screaming at me and finally after a week, they feel much better! I could really tell how hard I pushed myself (even though it didn't feel like it at the time) because I was so sore immediately afterwards!

After it is all said and done, I have to say-- I'm very excited to do my next race!! We have set a goal of running the Cooper River Bridge Run in Charleston, SC on March 31, 2012! Make plans to join us and the other 43,000 people!!

Toodles!

PS- Next time you hear from me, I'll be a married woman! :)

Week 20 Results

We have entered an extremely crazy "season". Last week we had Courtney's bridal shower with her family and friends (there was the most amazing Buffalo Chicken dip ever involved) and we had her bridal shower at work (Cheerwine floats, special cupcakes, and meatballs). Not to mention the pizza party last week, going to the fair (yes... philly cheesesteak, loaded fries, and funnel cake), Courtney's BIRTHDAY yesterday (kettle corn, candy apples, cotton candy, and COOKOUT), and the Chili Cook-Off tomorrow.

Even reading through that paragraph, you may catch some clogged arteries. That's not all though. We will be celebrating with Courtney this weekend for her bachelorette party (all weekend). So to sum everything up... our eating hasn't been it's best. But we're still not gaining! (Thanks to following a "heavy" day with a "salad" day) Here are the numbers...



This week:

• Trying not to go completely crazy for the bachelorette weekend
• Getting 3 running days in
• Meeting with Jeannie when we return from the bachelorette weekend (yikes!)

Week 19 Results

Oops... we missed last week's post of our results. Here is the most up-to-date account of our weight loss.

We are still running like crazy and shedding inches like a long-haired cat getting groomed for the first time. (Sorry, I had to put a corny joke in) Courtney got a high-five from Jeannie for doing well just watching what she eats and exercising regularly. I, on the other hand, was given a special assignment (smack on the hand) to continue tracking my food intake with Weight Watchers. Maybe it's my short term memory loss allowing me to forget how much I've actually consumed. Either way, we're both still on track and moving forward. Running clinic is almost over and Race Day is right around the corner. Get ready for some FABULOUS pictures to come of our race day attire!

The Week Ahead:

• BodyPump (we've been busy and haven't been able to make it)
• Runs atleast 3 times a week
• Cross-training on our days we don't run
• New Weight Watchers at Work session starts up on Wednesday (sign-up and join us if you haven't already)

Measurements!!!

Sorry we have been so behind on getting this blog updated. We have been EXTREMELY busy!! But we are going to catch you all up in the next few posts!

First off: Becca measured us on 9/4/2011 and MY MY MY, we certainly were VERY pleased!!

Total Inches Lost: 28

Total Inches Lost: 13

Women's Only Running Clinic

Hello everyone! We are now halfway through the Women's Running Clinic with the Greensboro Running Club. I can't believe I have actually made it this far! I guess it goes to show that I am determined to take on a new activity which so far I have really enjoyed! Planning the wedding, which is 44 days away (who is really counting? LOL), has been extremely stressful. Running 3 days a week (sometimes 4) has been a HUGE stress reliver. Some of my friends who are avid runners have always told me it was the biggest way to relieve any stress, but I always thought they were crazy. Playing sports, we'd have run poles or run laps when we didn't do something correctly, so I always thought of it as punishment. It's funny because our high school track team had a t-shirt that said: "Our sport is your sport's punishment." That always stuck with me... until the past few months.

The clinic hasn't been easy for me, but now that I am 6 weeks in I can see the difference in what I was a week 1 or 2. I couldn't run 1 minute straight for anything in this world when I started this, now I'm up to running 5 minutes and walking 3 minutes and never really hurting until about the 4:30 mark. Last week, I was running an 8 minute pace for about 4 minutes and I was thrilled. I've kept that in my mind the past week... that I can do it, because I WAS doing it (even though it didn't last the entire training session).

Week 17 Results

We've made healthy lifestyle changes and it's showing. Exercise is a regular part of our day and our food choices have been much better. We have a special suprise that involves a photo shoot tonight, but you'll see the results of that at a later date. We're SUPER excited about it!!



The Week Ahead:

• Running tomorrow (Walk 3, Run 5, x3)
• BodyPump
• Tracking WW points
• Meeting with Jeannie (we had to reschedule)

To Track or Not to Track

... that is the question!

I've been "on and off" tracking. In the past I tried Weight Watchers with my mom, but found that it caused me to obsess about food. Even though WW prides itself on allowing you to eat whatever you want, you still have to make smart choices and fit everything into your daily point's allowance. Well, there was my problem. I constantly thought about food and looked at everything in "points values". I had tons of cravings (because I was always thinking about food) and would splurge knowing I had "extra" weekly points that could compensate. Needless to say, I fell off WW at that time and vowed never to do it again.

 

Then, Jennifer Hudson came along making it look so wonderful. Oh, and you can eat all the fruits and veggies you want without having to count them at all! When we first started in May, I was so excited about the WW app on my phone, I tracked everything. Weight loss looked like a carefully calculated science, and I was able to have fun with it. But of course, I got lazy with tracking and the weight loss slowed down.

Last week at the meeting, I was disappointed with my 1 lb loss and decided to try tracking again. Over the last week, I tracked everything (minus the weekend, but I had pretty much all of my weekly allowance to cover any overages). I got "smiley faces" for almost all of my healthy guidelines every day and the weight just dropped off. When I weighed in today, I had lost 4.4 lbs over the week!

So for now... I think I'll track.

Week 16 Results

Now that the summer is coming to an end, we're getting back on a more regular routine. That means, BodyPump twice a week, running three times a week, and Wednesday Weight Watchers' check-ins. I am happy to report that we both LOST weight again this week! Courtney's wedding is right around the corner and our goals are in sight! Both of us earned another 5lb sticker at today's meeting, so we had little triumphs to celebrate.



The week ahead:

• Running Clinic tomorrow - Walk 3min + Run 4 min (Repeat 3 times)
• BodyPump - Working with the same weight we just went up this week
• Fitness by the Fountain or MoCoRobics
• Meet with Jeannie Sykes to go over Nutrition

Week 15 Results

What a week!

I'm back from Puerto Rico and trying to regain control of this weightloss game. (I promise to post about my trip very soon... I'm just waiting on a few more pictures to upload) Courtney did a great job with the Running Clinic while I was away and it paid off this week at our weigh-in. She hit a milestone... earning her 5% at Weight Watchers!!! Way to go Courtney!!! She has been super encouraging and helped me get some motivation back as I work through this slump.  

The week ahead:

• Running Clinic tomorrow (Walk 3 min, Run 3min, Repeat 4 times)
• BodyPump - working our way back up on the weights

Week 14 RESULTS!

YAY!! Lauren is back from Puerto Rico!!

WOW!! 14 weeks down!! Where has time gone? We only have a few weeks left, now that we look at it. I hope to continue this after our set "6 months" is over!

Look later on for Lauren's post about PR!

Week 13 Results

Sorry again for the delay in posting last weeks results! It has been really crazy! Lauren will be back on Wednesday... after 2 weeks gone, she's going to be paying for it Thursday at the running clinic :)

Week 12 Results

It's Courtney here. I'm all by myself for the next few weeks as Lauren is in Puerto Rico for a mission trip with her church!

As for Lauren, this trip will be a huge challenge for her as she doesn't know what to expect as far as how she can exercise or what she will be eating. As she submerges herself in the culture, I hope to hear a good report back from her! Also, look forward on the 11th or 12th for her post about the trip and how she managed to keep a balanced lifestyle thousands of miles from home!

I on the other hand will be dreaming, until Lauren returns, about the turquoise water and white powdery sand. I'll be staying at home... running... in this insane August heat!

Sorry I am a few days late with last weeks results. Things have been busy here in the AHEC! Here you go...

Jogging, Walking, SWEATING!

As most of you know, we had our assessment run last night. This was supposed to be a timed mile run, but since we are in the middle of a heat dome they shortened it to a half-mile run.

Photo by Lynn Hey

We got there (already sweating) and did a few warm-up exercises (even though we were already very warm). Then our herd of about 50 or so women took off towards the guy standing 0.25 miles ahead of us. Considering I've only ever jogged short distances, I though I did really well to make it all the way to the first stop jogging. That was 1/8th of a mile in 1:22.

Photo by Lynn Hey

Then, the heat started to factor in... breathing became harder, chest pain creeped up, sweat ran into my eyes, and my body felt heavier than ever. We managed to make it to the 0.25 mark, turned around and jogged a little bit more before bringing it in at 7:49. Everyone at the run was SO supportive. We even had an instructor jog beside us who offered tips along the way.

Things I learned...

• Do not push yourself too hard in the heat


• It's not so much about your legs as it is your mind


• Running socks and dry-wicking shirts make a world of difference


• Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

Overall, I am super duper proud of myself. I've always wanted to run, but never really saw it as an option. Now, it's really happening!

Week 11 Results

"I think I can, I think I can, I think I can..."

via

We are chugging right along. Both of us are down this week and have been moving forward. Last week, we met the Running Clinic leadership and learned about the process we'll be going through over the next few months. Our assessment run is tomorrow at 6pm and it will most definitely be a HOT run! We've practiced a little bit for it, but we're still at a beginner level. This will not only be a physical challenge, but a mental one as well. I'm sure we'll sound like the "Little Engine that Could" coming up those hills. But our motivation is strong and we have our goals in sight.

The week ahead:

• Running tomorrow
• Yard Sale / Photo Shoot on Saturday (Sounds like sweating involved!)
• Meeting with Jeannie Sykes on Tuesday
• Courtney will focus on diet and take it easy to recover from a pulled muscle in her back

Bah!! I'm injured :(

Looks like a strained muscle in my lower back from Body Pump yesterday... this should make the running assessment for Running School very interesting tomorrow. I'm pretty excited that my sister in law/bridesmaid and best friend/maid of honor will be doing the clinic with Lauren & I.

Until then, looks like I have to take it easy and focus more and more on my food choices... BOO! LOL.

Zumba Zumba!

Apparently our bodies are adjusting to our new activity levels.

Last night, Courtney and I went to the Zumba class. I love the atmosphere of that class. It's non-judgemental and FUN! I'm not going to say I don't have rhythm, but my body just does it's own thing... which doesn't always look like what the instructor is doing. BUT, that's the joy of this Zumba class. Everyone adds their own flair and we all look like we're doing something a little different. If you've never tried Zumba, I highly recommend it.

As I mentioned, Courtney and I have increased our activity levels. That Zumba class alone wasn't enough of a workout for us last night. So, we decided to train a little for the upcoming Running Clinic. After class we walked/jogged around the parking lot. I'm pretty impressed by how far we've come, from not even being able to jog to thinking about running in October! We will be running Thursday night for our first "assessment run" to determine which groups we'll break into for the Running Clinic. Women (sorry men, but it's only open to women)... if you haven't joined the Running Clinic yet, visit the website below (http://www.greensbororunningclub.org/womens/) and complete the application. There are 2 times left for the assessment run.

Come out and join us!

Week 10 Results

Time is FLYing by!! I can't believe we're 10 weeks in.

This week was much better than last week. We both lost multiple pounds and are thrilled! It just took a little extra "oomph" to get back on track. Now that we are getting much more traffic to our blog, it really feels like we have a lot of people keeping us accountable. (I guess I'll think twice about what I eat now).

Looking Ahead:

• Assessment run for the Women's Running School on Saturday morning
• Going up on weights again next week at BodyPump
• Making conscious food choices
• Eating breakfast daily
• Planning meals

Support

I just want to take a moment to comment on all of the support we have gotten from our co-workers, families, and friends. We have learned that we have the largest support group anyone could ever ask for. This has definitely made this journey easier and more enjoyable. When we were approached to begin blogging about our journey, I was extremely nervous that we would still struggle to make this happen. It has been extremely encouraging to be in a class one day or in the cafeteria and people approach us to say "Hey, we've been reading your blog. I'm proud of you." Those words of encouragement help me more than I thought. It is one thing getting support from the people you see everyday, like your family or immediate co-workers. When people approach you or send you an email you have never met, just makes me smile inside and out.

So please keep those encouraging words comments coming!! You are helping us more than we can ever explain!

I haven't posted a picture of myself in a while...

so here is a silly one :)

Run WITH us!

As you've probably heard us mention... we are joining the Greensboro Running Club and participating in the Women's Running School. It's a 10-week program in which Cone Health partners with GRC to help women train for the Women's Only 5K.

http://www.greensbororunningclub.org/womens/

If you are a woman interested in running, please come out tonight to hear about the benefits of this program and run alongside us! Neither of us are runners, but have a goal to be able to run the 5K in October. If you've heard of Couch to 5K programs, this is 10x better because there will be experts to help you along the way!

http://www.womensonlyrun.com/index.asp

Can I get your John Hancock?

Courtney and I decided that we will one day be famous and therefore autographed everyone's copy of Code U in our office. They'll appreciate it when it's worth millions one day...

Week 9 Results

Holidays, changing scales, depressing numbers...

This week was a bit of a let down. Of course the holidays are a challenge. With great food and friends also comes temptation to fall off the wagon. I (Lauren) think I'm a little bruised from that great fall. Sure there are a million reasons (excuses) we can attribute to the gain, but that won't change the fact that the scale is still moving in the wrong direction.

But I will throw in one disclaimer...

DISCLAIMER: We switched to the Weight Watchers scale for our official weigh-ins from this point on. It has consistently given us a higher weight which accounts for some of the pounds gained below.



*Switched to WW scales, which report higher numbers

The week ahead:

• Tracking with WW e-tools
• Continuing to increase weights at BodyPump
• Heading back to MoCoRobics and Running (since we've decided cardio is the key to our weightloss)
• Reporting HUGE LOSSES at our next weigh-in!!!

8 Week MEASUREMENTS!!

Courtney here!! We've been DYING to see our measurements since it has been about 2 months since we've started this project. Thankfully, Becca is back from maternity leave and was able to come and measure us today after Body Pump! We have been pleased overall with our success thus far with the scale, but we really were looking forward to seeing it on the measuring tape!

HIGH FIVES TO US BOTH!!!!!