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Introduction Text UPDATE: 2015 Wow... it's been awhile! Like more than 850 days! ;) I had gotten off the Spark Train for some time and even off the health & fitness train for a bit as well. Dealt with some health issues & was getting ready to celebrate a milestone birthday this year! It was in October 2014 after my surgery that I decide it was time to make changes & get fit again. So I, once again, registered for the NJ State Triathlon & started making changes. In March of 2015 I celebrated that milestone birthday, the Big 4 OH! I had wanted to look at the pictures and NOT think, wow I look fat. I was happier with my shoes than how I looked in my dress but I was confident that change would keep coming. In April my boyfriend & I went on a cruise & I could see more minor changes, I even wore a 2 piece bathing suit! In June I celebrated 4 years as a non-smoker & it was at this time I had a follow up at my gym. I had officially lost 16 pounds of fat! I had replaced it with 10 pounds of muscle & I felt really confident about the upcoming event. Training was in full swing, I felt strong & was looking forward to race day. In July I had my big day, I was SO excited to be there, to have Joe with me, cheering me on as I took off for my swim... & to hug me & tell me I did great after I got out of the water & was told the race was canceled due to storms overhead. I even went thru a short period of depression; so much time, effort and money into getting ready & having to stop in the middle.... no closure... it was rough for a bit. But I'm looking to do one in Sept :) I have been accepted into Rutgers Off-Campus program at my local community college & start this fall; I decided almost 2 years ago to go back to college & was taking online classes at an out of state college. I enjoyed that & did VERY well (3.97 GPA) but wanted the face-to-face interaction of CLASS. All that to say, Life is Good :) God has Blessed me with many great things in my life and He gives me the strength to keep pushing forward. I have my next follow up at the gym in the next 2 weeks & I am looking forward to seeing more progress. I have lost inches and pounds, my spinal issues are causing less pain & come end of Sept. I will be 1 year cancer free! God is Good!! -------------- I quit smoking July 21st 2011 & like most people who quit smoking, I gained weight... inches. Now it's time for them to go! So I decided that if I am SERIOUS about losing these pounds & inches... I need to be accountable. I am making all of you my 'nag squad' by posting my weekly weigh in's. Every Friday I will get on that dreaded scale & post here for all of you to see. Sigh... how embarrassing! Lol! 5/4/12 - 148 lbs.2 pounds down, 28 to go! 5/20/12 - 145 lns hit this 5/11 & holding steady! 7/20/11 I feel like if I keep uping the ante, things can only get better :) So, I have been a member of SP for some time now & have found that when I stick w/ it, tracking my food & my fitness, I do much better b/c I get excited about my minutes & catious of my food intake. After recently discovering a spinal condition, I gained some weight while staying out of the gym (for fear of 'over doing it') 20 pounds found their way to my midsection & theighs and I am none too pleased. It's time to start over. It's time to get serious about losting this weight & KEEPING it off. I got down to 122lbs for my 1st Triathlon & I think that was a good weight, so here I am 2 years later with 20 pounds to lose. I love to play sports, volleyball is my fav! But also enjoy biking, hiking, kayaking, walking & camping. In the winter I love to snowboard & I learned when I have pounds around the midsection, I dont' have the control over my board I want & need. These pounds need to find a new home & not anywhere near me! It's not about being thin for me, it's about being healthy, being active & being strong. I want to be spiking into my 60's if not later! PREVIOUS: Despite having 6 years experience I like to think of myself as being new to my 30's. For the most part, life has been really good to me. I have always been thin, some women might hate me for never TRUELY knowing the pain of being 'fat' or 'obese' or even 'over weight' but like so many others, I amnot satisfiedwith just being thin. Being thin does not mean fit. Being thin does not mean healthy. I want to be fit! I want to be healthy! Most of my life I was 98 pounds soaking wet. Then, when I turned 25 I put on a few pounds & it was good b/c I no longer looked sickly (eewww!) Then I turned 30 & that's when gravity started to have fun w/ my body! I put on weight, even got as high as 145 & for this tiny frame, it was too much! So I made some changes. I came across Spark People a few years ago & at the time, used the wealth of information just as guidelines, but now, here it is a few years later & I still do not have the body I thought I would have! If I had to guess it is because I changed my standards, err, raised my standards. Being thin is not enough, I want to be strong, I want to be flexible & I want Jillian Michaels body! I have completed 2 Triathlons in the last 2 years & I have to tell you, the feeling of crossing that finish line is compareable to nothing! I try to inspire people in my life to give 'competing' a tri. (get it, triathlon, tri? oh it's funny!) So now here I am, with new goals in mind from when I first started my journey & I know I need to make a change for the better. I want to FEEL healthy, look great & be that fit woman I know I can be!

I want to lose the inner tube that grew around my tummy! It is not as big as it use to be so I know I can do it, it is just going to take some hard work. I have a target weight of 115 but I am not sure this is a good goal, I think this weight might be too low. However, my goal is not to reach a certain weight but to reach a certain fitness level. When I reach 65 years old I still want to be living the lifestyle I live now. Kayaking, snowboarding, volleyball, cycling... just maybe not so much on the partying!

I hate running, I have no desire to ever run a marathon (!) but I see the benefits of it so I am trying to get into it. For now, I cycle, kayak, snowboard & play volleyball. I go to the gym 5 days a week, I picked a gym that is walking distance from my job so most days I walk to the gym on my lunch break. (Yeay 1 hour lunches!) I play volleyball at least 1 night a week all year round in a variety of leagues. I also cycle when time & weather permits. I also like to kayak but due to a back injury I was not able to do so in 2010 :( Looking forward to it next year though! I also have an eliptical trainer at home that I use when I just can not make it to the gym. I am somewhat addicted to working out so if I miss the gym I work out at home. My weakness is food, so I'm thinking all those healthy cook books might have more use than keeping the cats OUT of the kitchen!

I live in central NJ, I LOVE to cook & even more, love to eat. I quit smoking & put on a several pounds but this is the lesser of 2 evils! I know I can lose the inches that have been haunting me for so long!

I now live with my b'friend & despite being awesome, he is a picky eater (booo!!!) so any suggestions on how to please a meat & potatoes guy w/ less fat & calories.... I'm all ears! Thanks!

Add a Link "The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me." ~ Ayn Rand Do not think outside the box; instead, think there is no box "...anything is possible if you are willing to stick to your dream and keep trying." ~ Lance Armstrong
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