Still losing... or winning?!?

Let me first apologize for us not posting the past few weeks. It's been slightly crazy and busy in our worlds.

Now, for the fun stuff... what we've been up to. Well we've been losing weight (and lots of it). Maybe all we needed was a few more competitions (since we're both very competitive). When we lose, we win! Weightloss competitions really are the best!

(via The Van Dam Family)

I had my 26th birthday... aka St. Patrick's Day (I can hear you faintly singing "happy birthdayyyyyyy") and even managed to stay on track that weekend. Whew!

We ran our practice 10K. Even though we didn't have a method of tracking our mileage while we ran (cell phones acting up) we forged our path and kept moving for about 2 hours. The end result... 5.8 miles. So what if it was just shy of 6.2, we finished feeling good and confident to take on the bridge.

(via Ken Toney Photography)

This time next week we'll be in Charleston prepping for our first ever 10K!!

The Week Ahead:

• Light running x 2 days
• Crazy water-intake



Life in the fast lane...

So, we've been losing weight and with $10,000 on the line... we're kicking it into over-drive. We're waving goodbye to crazy numbers on the scale and flabbiness, and moving full-speed ahead in the fast lane.

Being on a team has added a tremendous amount of pressure to lose weight. Of course, the money adds pressure, too. But seeing our teammates lose weight, has helped put us in check and be responsible for our own weightloss. Each week we fail to lose, we not only disappoint ourselves but also our team. PAUSE.

Brief Intermission: I am by no means encouraging anyone to be unhealthy or to lose so much weight that it puts them at risk for complications. This is a competition, which in its nature is designed to use these pressures to help people lose weight. Sure there will be times when we don't do as well as we'd like and we will probably feel some sort of guilt. The competition is designed to turn that negative emotion into a positive by leveraging the team for encouragement to do better the following week. 

Good new... I finally (did I say, finally?) FINALLY reached my 5% according to Weight Watchers. As most of you know, I hit a plateau for about a year after losing 30 pounds. So I've been wading in the same 240s for almost a year now. Thankfully the competition has pushed me back on track, and this week I'm down a full 40 lbs from the start of my journey 2 years ago!!

Courtney dealt with the sickness that's been going around, but still managed to lose weight this week. We are very proud of our success and still have lots of motivation and momentum to carry us through. Cue Rocky music... (not sure why, but it's been stuck in my head all week).

This week:

• TRACKING POINTS
• Running 3 times, Walking on "non-running" days
• BodyPump atleast once, preferably twice

For a little added inspiration this week... http://youtu.be/TnqZl_blT7E.

  

Week 42 Results

This week has been extremely exciting so far! We are pumped up on new found motivation. Courtney and I are in "the Matchup"... a $10,000 team competition. (In case you are a little slow on the math... that's $2,000 each) The competition runs through May 11, so we'll be asking for all of the help we can get. (Feel free to slap me on the wrist if you see me try to grab a donut)

(via HealthyWage)

Big news at our WW weigh-in today... Courtney reached 30 lbs and I dropped into the next set of numbers (hello... 230s)!!! All this after the Mardi Gras potluck for FAT TUESDAY yesterday. Look for more frequent motivational posts as we continue the competition.

The week ahead:

• Run (Monday/Wednesday/Saturday)
• BodyPump (Tuesday/Thursday)
• Adding in cross-training (bike) on BodyPump days
• WW Tracking
• Drowning ourselves with water 

Week 41 Results

Valentine's Day has come and gone. Hopefully everyone managed to make it through the chocolatey holiday without gaining too much. If you did gain (like I did), don't fall off the wagon... there is still progress to be made! Unfortunately, I discovered Raspberry Hugs. (Let's just say they're amazing.)


(via The Daily Click)

What's new in our world? Hmmmmm. Well, we've been running like crazy folks. This past Saturday, we ran our longest distance yet, 4.5 miles! That's so close to 6.2, we can taste it!! Long distance running welcomed me with blisters, even though I wore my $10 running socks. (Oh the joys of running) Other than running, it's been pretty much the same 'ol game around here... try to eat less, follow WW, and move more.


I made the King's Cake last year and it was delicious!
(Even though it looks... special.)


Next week will prove to be another challenge. We have our annual Fat Tuesday Potluck at the office. (Our office knows how to throw down in the kitchen!) Since it will be on Tuesday, we'll miss BodyPump and we'll have to weigh-in the very next day at WW. That means, we have to do really good leading up to it. "Fail to plan, plan to fail." Here are the results from the last 2 weeks... let's hope we both see red numbers next week.

The Week Ahead:

• Long run on Saturday
• Potluck on Tuesday
• Tracking with WW
• Adding in something new (zumba, aerobics, swimming, etc)

Week 39 Results

Hellooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, out there!!!

Welcome, to all our new readers (thanks to the calendar)! Calendar, you ask? Oh that's right... we haven't talked about it here yet. Remember way back in the day we mentioned a "suprise" that involved a "photo shoot"?!?! Well, it was a photo shoot for our calendar pics. You heard right, Courtney and I are... CALENDAR GIRLS!

Introducing...


Mrs. February



Ms. July

We both lost again this week... holler!!! Training for the Cooper River Bridge 10K is in full swing and we're tracking points for every "BLT... Bite, Lick, and Taste" (as Mitzi says). PS... if you don't know who Mitzi is, you're missing out! She's our Weight Watchers at Work facilitator and has been WW Leader of the Year on more than one occassion, AND she's just.plain.the.BEST.period. Come to WW at Work at Moses Cone and you can see for yourself. (Mitzi didn't ask for this plug... but I felt it was necessary to add.) Here's the chart... watch those numbers drop!!

The week ahead:

• BodyPump x 2 (DUH... you should know this by now)
• Running x 3 (or 4) atleast 3 miles each time
• Protein shakes?? Testing the waters...

Week 38 Results

Big news (since we failed to post last week)... Courtney reached her 10% goal!!! That's one huge accomplishment at Weight Watchers and she is well on her way to losing much, much more!

There's no turning back now... we're going full-speed ahead this time around. While we will still have weigh-ins that are not ideal, we're not letting that shake us. The countdown is on for the Cooper River Bridge 10K and we're getting our butts in gear.

Soon you will see us posting about our successes and challenges with running.

The week ahead:

• Running atleast 3 days
• BodyPump Tuesday and Thursday
• Tracking like crazy with Weight Watchers

Week 36 Results

Today started a brand new sessions of Weight Watchers and we were so excited/nervous to weigh-in. Courtney knew she was going to be down and was hoping to meet her 10% goal. I, on the other hand was nervous because even though I've been tracking every single thing that goes in my mouth and exercising, I had not been able to weigh myself on a consistent scale for the past 2 weeks.
  

(via The Savy Sistah)


 There were lots of people at the Weight Watchers meeting and we feel like there will be good energy and motivation that comes out of that group. If you haven't signed up, it's not too late. Next Wednesday is our official start date.

So... we both lost weight this week! :) We're back on our running schedule trying to prepare for the Cooper River 10K. The holidays are over and we are super, duper motivated. Keep checking back, because these numbers will definitely keep dropping.

The Week Ahead:

• Tracking points
• Running 3 times a week
• BodyPump 2 times a week

Happy New Year!!

The holidays are behind us and it's a new year... meaning new energy and motivation. Sure it wasn't easy to face those holiday sweets and treats, but we lived through it and are ready to get back on track.

There's been a brief lapse in Weight Watchers and we will resume our weekly weigh-ins when the next session starts (hopefully in the next week or two). If you're a Cone Health employee... check out the AWESOME discount we get for participating in WW at Work.

25% Discount for anyone covered by Cone Health - sponsored insurance

+ 25% Discount for attending atleast 80% of the WW at Work meetings

+ 25% Discount for meeting your 5% weight loss goal

= A Potential 75% Discount!

Also, we are starting new competitions with fresh motivation (these are for money), and we're still training for the Cooper River Bridge 10K in Charleston, SC. If you are looking for a new challenge... we strongly recommend training for a race. There's nothing like that feeling when you cross the finish line. :)



The Week Ahead:

• BodyPump on Tuesday and Thursday
• Weight Watchers TRACKING!
• Water, water, water
• Watching sodium intake

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)