SHIRE33   24,495
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20,000-24,999 SparkPoints
 
 
Hub and me cropped photo 9-16-12





First size 4 jeans (St. John's Bay). Wearing 4s & 6s now. 158 lbs. 7-17-12





This was back in May 2011 at 245, my worst weight.



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Shire's Story

I've been working to lose weight since May 2011 at 245. In late September 2011 at 229, I joined a gym starting with a kettle bells and a spin class there. Keeps me honest about staying active. In November I started the C25K. In February 2012 I started 10K Runner. On March 28 I finished that and now run an hour 3 days a week, working on improving my pace with the Easy10K app, plus some other cross training (biking, zumba).

Lots of people point to pregnancy as a cause of being ...
I've been working to lose weight since May 2011 at 245. In late September 2011 at 229, I joined a gym starting with a kettle bells and a spin class there. Keeps me honest about staying active. In November I started the C25K. In February 2012 I started 10K Runner. On March 28 I finished that and now run an hour 3 days a week, working on improving my pace with the Easy10K app, plus some other cross training (biking, zumba).

Lots of people point to pregnancy as a cause of being overweight. My daughter is 26, so I kinda don't have creds on that anymore. I'm actually very good at losing weight, but an utter failure at keeping it off. So my journey will only be half over when I've met my weight-loss goals. Maybe a quarter over.

I also have spinal stenosis, a birthday present from my dad's side of the family. This causes chronic back pain. But lately, as I've lost weight and become more active, I have much less pain. My hip bursitis that lasted over two years is gone, and now the plantar fasciitis is under control. I know that unless I control my weight, the rest of my life would be one round of pain after another. The body rebels. Now it's free.

At 50, I am, at bottom, interested in not losing strength, flexibility, muscle tone, and skin tone faster than I have to. I want to look like a person as confident as I feel inside. I'm joining the site here because I've learned that having a community to share with and get inspiration from helps me stay focused.

Thank you all for making me a Spark People Motivator. Wow. It has meant a lot to me to read about motivators on my journey, and I hope I can help people, too. Sometimes I think that I will wake up and find out I only dreamed I got this far. You all continue to motivate me. :)

Time for an update -- 12-30-12

I'm guessing some of you can relate to this. The day after my birthday, Aug. 26, I fell out of my zone. Stress from a number of factors was the cause, but letting it drag on for months is entirely my own doing. So now I'm ready to turn dread into tread -- the treadmill and back to my exercise routine, back to tracking, back to what *works*.

I had to start slowly in the beginning, and I'm going to do that now. It's a start. And it's different this time. I know I'm not going to go back to the way I was.

My main 2013 goal, in general, without any stressing, is just going to be to get back to 152, my previous low of Aug. 25, 2012. After that, I'll work toward my final goal of 140. I can do it this year. I've kept 50 pounds off, so I can do that again!

It's difficult to be honest about the gain, but I keep thinking that maybe other people can find strength in knowing they are not alone. And we WILL get there!

Read More About SHIRE33 (Updated February 23)




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My Ticker:

 current weight: 210.8 
 
245
218.75
192.5
166.25
140


 
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Member Since: 10/31/2011

SparkPoints: 24,495

Fitness Minutes: 22,561

My Goals:
Fit, strong, healthy. I want to be at 140 by my birthday, Aug. 25.

New goals 2013:
180 by April 12
140 by August 25

This is ambitious, but it's a fun goal to move toward. A back-up goal would be 152 by my birthday, since that's what I weighed at my LAST birthday!

Fitness goal: A friend and I may do a mini-triathlon this summer.

My Program:
I am tracking calories to be in the 1250-1500 range.

I run MWF for an hour. Started running in late 2011 and I still love it. My favorite running apps are the ones by Jeff Galloway sold by lolo.

Work out at the gym twice a week, usually spin classes.

Strength Training 2-3 times per week.

My Hub and I have started doing a lot more outdoor recreation - hiking, biking, kayaking, etc. I love feeling strong and active.

Personal Information:
I'm subversive. Disguised as a writing instructor, I teach young people how to think for themselves. I grow and eat a lot of my own food.

I grow organic vegetables and sell them at farmers markets. This is a very strenuous activity, but not much cardio, so I added a lot of that, along with strength training in my "off season." I want to be a healthy reflection of my farm produce!

I'm 5'6." I always want to know height when I'm reading others' pages.

I'm a UU. [waves to people who know what that means]


Other Information:
My mother in law lives with us. She has early-stage Alzheimer's, but is still very active and mostly just can't remember daily things. I help my dad a lot, as he can no longer drive.

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Member Comments:
PIXIE-LICIOUS
3/18/2013 7:07:38 PM

"Making changes in your life is never an easy task. The key, however, is not to get caught up in the distance you have to go to get to where you want to be. Nor should you despair over the amount of control you have over your circumstances. Progress is made in the small, intentional steps, and chances are, you have more power than you think. By focusing on little steps you can take every day, the progress you make will motivate you to continue your journey, and eventually, you can go wherever you want to go. The important thing is simply to begin."
-Stephen Cherniske
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Have a great week, Sparkfriend! Take those intentional steps towards your goals! Every small step is progress, and you are so worth it!
Hugs,
Pixie




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MARJIMAC63
3/12/2013 12:33:22 AM

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You lost weight and an hour this week. What's next? Losing more weight and your keys?

With best wishes that only one of those things comes true,
Marjimac
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OVERWORKEDJANET
3/8/2013 5:44:01 AM

Hi, saw you on DOGLADY13 blog and read your bio. I'm in month 13 with hip bursitis. Would you like to give me a rundown of what you did and how you survived? I got mine from spending 30 minutes a day doing 3 miles on the eliptical for a year. Apparently I was turning my knees in and did the damage.
Pt and corizone shots did not help and my MD said good luck with that. Try accupuncture!

I hope you've got some kind of hopeful new that it just gets better over time?



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DOGLADY13
3/7/2013 7:30:38 AM

It isn't that Dan doesn't cook. He is terrible and I can't eat most of his attempts. I posted a more expansive respnse in the comments on the blog.



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PIXIE-LICIOUS
3/6/2013 5:41:34 PM

Just stopping by to say hello and to encourage you to keep moving towards your goals, Sparkfriend! Even baby steps add up if you take enough of them...and of course, you know you're worth the effort, right? I'm rooting for you!
Hugs,
Pixie
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"The first step to living the life you want is leaving the life you don't want.
Taking the first step forward is always the hardest.
But then each step forward gets easier and easier.
Each step forward gets you closer and closer until eventually, what had once been invisible starts to be visible.
And what had once felt impossible starts to feel possible."
-Karen Salmansohn




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