I'm Jess. I just turned 30 and am working toward a healthier me in 2010. I gained weight with my pregnancies, especially after my first child was born with many health complications and spent 7 months in intensive care. During that time I became a classic emotional eater. Every night when I left the hospital I'd gorge myself on unhealthy foods and snacks. I was physically and emotionally exhausted, and completely caffeine driven. I am embarrassed by the amount of Mountain Dew that I drank. After my son's health was back on track following his living donor kidney transplant (my husband was his donor), I found myself exhausted by his day-to-day care which was (and still is) much more intensive than the average child's. I always had a reason NOT to watch what I ate or NOT to exercise. After I gave birth to my daughter, I was at my highest weight ever. I was so unhappy that once again I turned to food. In May of 2009, I finally made the decision to change. I started jogging. I started eating healthier. And around Thanksgiving I hit a plateau. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I was stuck and not losing weight. A friend of a friend told me about Spark People. Now just a few days in I'm realizing that I was eating healthy, but still WAY over eating. With the use of the nutrition tools I'm finally getting back on track. I have lost 65 pounds since my daughter's birth, but I'm hoping to get all the way back to my "wedding weight" which leaves me with 50 pounds total to lose. 02.28.10--First goal met! 25 Pounds GONE! 03.13.10--30 Pounds GONE! 04.30.10--40 Pounds GONE! 05.20.10--45 Pounds GONE! 06.10.10--50 Pounds GONE! (INITIAL GOAL WEIGHT MET!!) 10.25.10--60 Pounds GONE!!! 02.18.11--64 Pounds GONE! GOAL WEIGHT MET! "It is very hard in the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants to quit" ~ George Sheehan "Training is the opposite of hoping." ~Nike "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." ~John Bingham "I'm not sure that I can describe what has been called the "runner's high," but like poetry and beauty, I know it when I experience it." ~Matthew Shafner, runner "During 13 years of professional running, I never got it fully right. It's like golf. You'll never be perfect; you try to get a little better at every opportunity. That's the beauty of distance running, I think. It's a never-ending journey of trying to find out how good you can be, what I can improve on, even with my limitations. I'll never know the answer, but I'll keep looking for it." ~Bob Kennedy, American distance runner "Running long and hard is an ideal antidepressant, since it's hard to run and feel sorry for yourself at the same time. Also, there are those hours of clearheadedness that follow a long run." ~Monte Davis "I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we're all cowards." ~Alberto Salazar, three-time winner of the NYC marathon "There's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people." ~Bill Bowerman "To get to the finish line, you'll have to try lots of different paths." ~Amby Burfoot "Many people shy away from hills. They make it easy on themselves, but that limits their improvement. The more you repeat something, the stronger you get." ~Joe Catalano Upcoming Races: 03.16.13 Get Lucky 7K 04.20.13 Earth Day Half Marathon 06.22.13 Gary Bjorklund (Grandma's) Half Marathon 07.20.13 Tough Mudder (12 miles, 25 obstacles) 2012 Races: 03.17.12 Get Lucky Half Marathon--2:17:37 04.21.12 Earth Day Half Marathon--2:07:45 05.19.12 Old Glory Run (5K with my sis, a new runner)--34:14 06.16.12 Grandma's Marathon--5:10:33 07.15.12 The COLOR RUN 5K--untimed, just for fun! :) 08.16.12 Tiger 5000 5K--untimed, running with my kids! 2011 Races: 01.01.11 Polar Dash 5K 28:37 03.19.11 Get Lucky 7K 38:52 (PR!) 04.16.10 Earth Day Half Marathon 2:09:02 06.05.11 Minneapolis Marathon Relay (5.2 miles) 47:11 06.18.11 Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon 2:02:39 (PR!) 08.28.11 Minneapolis Duathlon (5K only) 28:02 (PR!) 10.29.11 Monster Dash Half Marathon 2:18:28 11.12.11 Jingle Bell 5K 28:45 2010 Races: 04.16.10 Earth Day ING Direct 5K--Chip time--32:28 05.14.10 Scotty Roberts 5K--Gun time--29:10 07.17.10 Shetek Therapy 5K---ran with a first timer 31:10 08.07.10 Urban Wildland Half Marathon--2:14:21 09.18.10 GO COMMANDO 5K Adventure Race--33:19 (10 obstacles) 10.30.10 Monster Dash 10-Mile--1:40:50

My initial goal is to lose 25 pounds, but eventually I would really love to be back at the weight I was at when I married my husband, and that would be a total weight loss of 50 pounds. Who knows, at that point I may try to go a little further. The most important thing for me is feeling comfortable in my own skin. Initial weight goal hit! (165 pounds) New weight goal set on 6.21.10---150 pounds. 02.18.11 met my goal weight of 150 pounds.

I'm doing circuit training with Jillian's 30-day Shred, No More Trouble Zones, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, and Biggest Loser Bootcamp. In the past when I've lost weight I've had the most success with circuit training. I'm also running 3-4 times per week--currently 2, 3, and 4 mile runs and I plan to increase the mileage as my race distances increase. Upcoming Races: 03.17.12 Get Lucky Half Marathon-2:17:37 04.21.12 Earth Day Half Marathon--2:07:45 05.19.12 Old Glory Run (5K with my sis, a new runner)--34:14 06.16.12 Grandma's Marathon--5:10:33 07.15.12 The COLOR RUN 5K



I'm a big promoter of Organ Donation. My son had a kidney transplant as a baby and now he's a happy, healthy 6-year-old. I'm a radio personality and I do work outside of the home part time. Most of the time though, I'm lucky enough to be a Stay-at-home-mom. I'm also an avid amateur photographer. I love to read, too.

Add a Link Jessica ~Fitness isn't about a crunch or a push up, it's about taking your power back. - Jillian Michaels ~A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Confucius ~Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."
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