The Reality That "Weight Loss Success Stories" Don't Tell You

Today, something showed up on my Facebook feed--a memory from 2014. It was a photo of Woman's World Magazine. Yours truly was on the cover, advertising a full spread of my weight loss secrets.

Looking at it now, it's kind of embarrassing. Even at the time, I cringed a little at the dramatic way they flaunted my "success" at losing weight.

What the heck is "success", anyway?

I lost 125 pounds, gained some pounds, lost some pounds, gained quite a few pounds, lost quite few pounds to reach my lowest adult weight, gained too much back to reach my highest weight in 10 years... the magazine only shows the one small part of my story.

I can't even be specific when I write how much I gained and lost each time over the last 10 years. I simply don't know! Yes, I lost a lot of weight. I guess that's considered a "success story". But when does it end? At what point am I considered a "success"?

I thought I was a weight loss success story when I hit my goal weight and stayed there for a few months. I thought that I had it figured out, that I could stay within a small range. I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to, but I thought that if I felt the pressure, I'd be able to do it. Especially considering how public my weight loss had become.

As we all know, I never did figure it out. Even after 10 years, I'm working on it. I'm still down 80+ pounds from my starting weight, but I honestly can't tell you if I'll be up 10, 20, even 30 pounds next year! Or, maybe I'll be back down to my goal. I don't know.

All I can tell you is that losing weight is fucking hard. Mentally, it's the hardest thing I've ever done.

Looking at this cover of Woman's World, it advertises that I lost weight by "eating Pop-Tarts, peanut butter, ice cream, and cookies!" (with the exclamation point).

True. I did eat those things.

What it doesn't tell you is that I ate about one-half to one-third of my previous portions of food, that I struggled with binge eating disorder, that sometimes I got so pissed off at the world for not being able to just eat whateverthefuckiwantedwheneveriwanted and that I had anxiety about eating too much or not knowing how many calories were in the food I was eating.

I even had nightmares--literally--about eating too much food and gaining weight.

The "success stories" that we read only tell a small part of the story. I used to read them all the time for inspiration, and it seemed like it was so easy. Just eat less food, swap out some high calorie foods for lower calorie foods, and exercise. Soon, you'll be a tiny size 2 and you'll run a sub-4:00 marathon. You'll lose your urge to overeat and you'll love choosing carrots over ice cream! (Exclamation point)

(I'll include a link to a PDF at the bottom of this post if you want to read the article)

I don't want this to sound cynical, because maybe it actually does work that way for some people. I was not one of them, however.

Here I am, 10 years later, feeling like I failed because I gained some a lot of weight back. I'm still 80+ pounds below my high weight, so why can't I feel happy about that? The magazine doesn't mention the constant battle in your mind when you lose a large amount of weight, then gain some, then lose some, etc. It doesn't go away! (At least for me.)

I don't want it to sound like I regret dropping the weight--I certainly don't! I just don't want anyone to read the "success stories" like mine and think that it ends there. That I lost weight, I'm super happy, and that I have it all under control.

Because of my blog, I've gotten to know several people who are "weight loss success stories"--some of them very well-known--and I've yet to meet one that feels they have it all figured out. Each one that I've talked to has the same feelings I do. We all feel like it's only temporary, and that a single bad day could lead to gaining every pound back.

I want to be happy with how I look now, but when I look at photos, I can't help but compare them to my photos from 2016 or 2017 when I was my thinnest. When I was 253 pounds, I would have killed to look like I do now (roughly 170 pounds--I avoid the scale these days!).

I wrote in detail about a lot of this on my post "What I Wish I Knew When I Started Losing Weight". When I started losing the weight, I had no idea I'd actually get "there"--meaning my goal weight. I had tried SO many times before and failed, so why should that time be any different?

I want to end this on a positive note, because I really don't want this post to sound negative. I really, truly, believe that all the sacrifices I made were totally worth it to lose the weight. Not just for the vain reasons, but life felt easier when I was thin. I am so glad that I did it!

I just really don't want people to see my story and think that it's all sunshine and rainbows. To sound cliché, rainbows don't appear without some rain--and trust me, there was a LOT of rain!

If you're on a weight loss journey of your own, please don't think that it's easy. Don't read those magazine stories and think that the person's journey ended there. The magazines share what sells. They share the all the fun, inspiring, motivational parts of weight loss. They make it look easy.

It's not easy! But it's worth it. And even though my weight is up and I've been trying to get back to losing weight (although it's not working well), I don't ever want to give up. I felt so good when I was the "success story".

I don't care if I am considered a success story in the public again. That doesn't mean anything to me. I just want to feel like I'm living my best life--eating to live rather than eating to ease my stress or anxiety. I have good days and I have bad days. My hope is to have more good than bad.

I really want to get my weight under control again, and feel good about myself. I want to feel that "success story" that Woman's World (and other media) made me out to be. Mostly, I just want to feel healthy and live my best life!

(Here is the full Woman's World article in PDF form if you're interested in reading it)

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One of the Most Surreal Experiences of My Life: Guts to Glory

Yesterday, something popped up on my "Facebook Memories" that made me stop and think back to what a crazy experience I had back in 2014.

In 2009, I never, ever, EVER would have believed you if you told me that this would happen in just 5 years. In 2009, I was 253 pounds (my heaviest non-pregnant weight). My only exercise consisted of walking around my house doing laundry, cooking, etc.

I had never run a single mile in my entire life (I always got out of it in gym class). I hated exercise SO much. I dreamed of losing weight, but I wanted to do it without exercising. I basically wanted to go to sleep one night and just wake up skinny.

I remember asking my friend Renee about her running--I specifically asked, "So, if you were to just go out and run one mile, would that be easy? What would that feel like?" I was stunned when she seemed sort of taken aback, replying, "Yeah, I could do that. I wouldn't be out of breath or anything, unless I was running really hard. But running a mile isn't hard."

She seemed almost embarrassed (I guess "humble" would be the right word) about the fact that running a mile was no big deal to her. I, on the other hand, was speechless. "Seriously, you can run a mile like it's no big deal?!" I asked her.

It was Renee that started me on my running journey. She saw that I had written "Enter a 5K race and RUN it" on my list of 30 goals by the time I'm 30 years old. I honestly never really expected to do it, but since I love writing goals, it made sense at the time.

After seeing that on my list, she followed up with a card saying that she was supportive of me and would help me prepare for the race; and that she'd even run it with me. I faked the excitement; I was honestly feeling sort of frustrated that I would actually have to follow through. I couldn't make excuses for this one.

But I didn't want to let her down. So, I signed up for a 5K that was in October 2010, and I started training in May 2010 after I walked a half-marathon in Indy.

I was able to run the 5K distance within weeks (I think about 6 weeks?). I wasn't fast, but I was able to do it. I kept training, going farther and faster as time went on. I ran my first half-marathon in May 2011, and my first full marathon in May 2012.

Who was that person?! Certainly not me.

So, imagine how shocking it was on March 6, 2014, to see my photo on a full page spread in April 2014's edition of RUNNER'S WORLD MAGAZINE.

It was SO surreal. How on earth had I gone from 253 pounds and not exercising at all to 133 pounds and running marathons? That alone was mind-blowing, but then to be in RUNNER'S WORLD magazine? What!

RW sent a photographer all the way from Chicago to do a photoshoot. We went to my parents' house because they have a huge backroom that would give the photographer plenty of space.

My friend Stephanie, who does photography as a hobby (she's amazing!) was very interested in watching, so I invited her over to watch. She took some pictures during the process, which were pretty fun to see--the side by side of the behind-the-scenes vs. what was in the magazine (or at least considered for the magazine).

Here are a few:

Runner's World had sent me a bunch of clothes and even shoes to try on and use for the photoshoot. Whatever I wore for the shoot, they let me keep. It was so exciting!

The photographer said that RW wanted photos of me being "serious" and "strong"--not smiling. I cannot take a picture like that! I remember at my wedding, the photographer said the same thing--he tried to get some serious photos, but I just can't do it. I look ridiculous when I don't smile.

Anyway, here are some other photos that were shot that day:

I just cannot believe that this all happened. Looking back on it, it feels like a dream. Runner's World magazine is very well-known in the running community, and to say that I was blessed enough to share my store in it? Well, I just can't express the words.

Here is the article (my pages, anyway). You can click on these to enlarge--hopefully they'll be readable!

It's been six years, and so much has happened since then. But I am so so so grateful to have had this experience!

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The Today Show aired!

Reality hit hard yesterday when I got home! Jerry and I got home at around 4:30, and we had to unpack, spend time with the boys, and get them back on schedule at home. We had no groceries, so I had to run to the store while Jerry helped them with homework.

Since yesterday was my Wednesday Weigh-In, I got on the scale before hopping in the shower. I was really worried that I'd gained a ton of weight in Florida. I had counted my PointsPlus all week long, but I definitely splurged on alcohol and dining out. I had no idea what my weight was going to be. My jeans still fit well, so I hoped the damage wasn't too bad. I got on the scale, and was pleasantly surprised:

I couldn't believe I spent an entire week in Florida and I actually LOST a pound!! I was thrilled when I saw that I hadn't gained.

I woke up at 3:45 this morning for my interview at the local news station in Detroit. My mom picked me up at 4:30 and drove us there. I invited her to come along, since Jerry already got to see the behind-the-scenes stuff in Florida.

We arrived at the station and waited around for about 15 minutes before I was taken to the green room. I was pretty nervous, because I'd never done a live interview before. When I was taken to the studio, I met the news anchors, who were extremely friendly and welcoming--a relief! They chatted with me a little before my segment.

I was clueless as to what was going on, so I just did what I was told and the whole thing was over with in the blink of an eye! I answered a few questions, and actually felt pretty comfortable because they were so friendly. Then it was over!

Unfortunately, I don't think it's up on their website yet, so I can't link to the video. But here are a couple of pictures I took of the TV ;)

That was on at 6:20 ish. A couple of hours later, the Today Show aired the piece about my From Fat to Finish Line team. It was AMAZING. I knew everything they'd filmed, but I still cried when I saw it. It's always nerve-wracking when you don't know what the editing is going to look like. I thought the Today Show did a terrific job! They used some footage that Angela gave them from the race, which makes me even more excited to see the film!

Here is the Today Show piece, if you missed it and would like to see it.



I'm still in disbelief about the whole Ragnar Relay experience. It was SO amazing, and I'll probably be writing about it for days to come. I wanted to write a few 'thank yous' to people who helped make this happen...

*First, there's Jerry. He's been SUPER supportive of this whole project, and was just as excited as I was about it.

*My mom, who helped with whatever I needed, particularly with watching my kids (and cats) while I was in Florida.

*Angela, the film producer, who has been working her butt off for a YEAR on this thing, and it's only the beginning for her. Now she has the job of editing down a ton of footage into a two-hour movie. She's been amazing, and I've never seen someone so passionate about her job.

*Angelina, at Race Junkie on Etsy, who made my super fun pink tutu to wear during the race. It's safe to say that it was a hit! I got lots of compliments on it.

*Jenn, at Viva la Glitter, who made glitter nail polish not just for me, but for my entire team! I'm so bummed that I forgot to put it on my fingers for the race, but you can see that I'm sporting it on my toes in the scale picture above. Love it!

*My entire Ragnar team, of course. Nobody backed out at the last minute, everybody did his/her part, and made the experience fantastic and so fun!

*And finally, all of YOU, my dear readers! If it weren't for all of you reading this blog, this whole thing never would have happened, and for that, I'm very grateful.

A couple of people have asked if my team plans to run another Ragnar, and the answer is YES. My entire team is on board to run Ragnar Relay Tennessee 2014. We're even bringing the camera crew along, but they are leaving the cameras at home because they are going to RUN IT on their own team!! They thought it looked fun while they were filming us, so they plan to run it next time. Also, some of the spouses of my teammates decided to run it as well. Awesome, right?

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Ragnar Relay Florida Keys, Part 2

(...continued)

In the morning, we drove to the next major exchange point for Van 2 to hand-off the bracelet to us. Because of the issues they were having, it didn’t look like John would hand off the bracelet to me until much later than anticipated; and I was worried we weren’t going to finish the race before the cut-off time.

We called the Ragnar officials, and asked them about our options. They told us that we could have Van 1 start before Van 2 was done running, and we just had to keep track of our leg times so that we could still have an official time at the end. That way, all of the legs would still be run, but we would finish earlier. We decided that John (runner 12, the last runner in Van 2) would start his leg as normal, but when he started, I would start the next leg at the same time to get Van 1 rolling again. Hard to explain, but it worked out.

I started my third and final leg at around 9:15 a.m. It was only three miles, and Angela strapped a camera to my head to wear during the run.

Since it was only three miles, and it was my final leg, I decided to push my pace, even though I was tired. I ended up passing a couple of guys, one of whom said, “You’re making me look bad!”

It was extremely humid (once again), but the course was easy and I finished my last leg with an 8:42 pace. 

We went to McDonald’s to use the bathroom and get some coffee and hang out for a few minutes before going over the 7-Mile Bridge to the next exchange point.The bridge was really cool, and I've never seen anything like it; but I certainly didn't envy Meredith for running it, because it was SO hot and humid, and that was an "unsupported" leg (meaning vans are not allowed to stop to support runners, and there were no water stops, so she had to carry water with her).

While we were waiting for Lealah to finish her long (very, very hot) leg, Angela interviewed us--just a couple of quick questions about the race itself.

Behind the scenes with Andrea's interview

I was SO happy to be done with my runs! I wasn’t “allowed” to change out of my sweaty clothes just yet, though, because the Today Show wanted to interview us at the finish line. I used baby wipes to clean up the best I could, but I still felt gross. We went to the next major exchange point to hand off to Van 2. Jennifer was the first runner in Van 2, and since she'd had a bad run the night before, we wanted to give her extra support.

It was so amazing. I can't even talk or write about this without crying. We all wanted Jennifer to have an amazing run, and gain some confidence back, so all 11 of us went to cheer for her at the exchange point. We were chanting her name as it was time for her to start, and I just felt this amazing love for all of my team! They are SO supportive.

After that, I just relaxed in the van until it was time for us to drive all the way to the finish line while Van 2 did their third legs. When we arrived at the finish line, we parked the van and went over to where the Today Show was set up. I met Kerry Sanders, who would be interviewing me. He was very sweet. I felt a little rushed during the interview, and I’m not so sure it sounded okay, but at that point, I just didn’t care! I was way too excited to be at the after party.

After Rik and Ada were interviewed, we finally got to go party! First, we went to the Ragnar shop, because I wanted to get a shirt or two. The hoodies were really picked over—they had all XXL’s, and two XS’s—nothing in-between. I tried on the XS, and it actually fit, so I got a hoodie; I also got a t-shirt. It was hard to choose, because I wanted everything!

Then we sat down on the beach with the spouses, and we had a couple of rounds of drinks while we waited for Van 2. I had a mojito, which I’d been craving ever since we talked of Ragnar Florida Keys.

Ada, Andrea, and me

Finally, at around 7:00, we went to the finish line to wait for John. He was runner 12, the last one, and when he came down the street, our entire team joined him. We all grabbed hands and slowly ran the last couple hundred yards or so together.

I can’t even describe how amazing it was to cross the finish line with my team! We all started hugging (and crying) and I just felt this amazing sense of camaradarie. I love all of them so much, and they made this experience amazing. Rik handed out our medals, we did some more hugging.

I don't know what our "official" finish time is, but it was about 38 hours. We had been told by The Today Show that they were going to do some photos of the team on the beach after the race, so we had to do that before anything else. But when it came time, they only wanted Rik, Ada, Carly, and me to go. I was really upset by that, because I wanted it to be the whole team. Maybe it was the drinks, maybe it was the emotional finish, maybe both, but I started crying and I just said I didn’t want to go without the whole team.

My team was fantastic about it, though, and they kept telling me to go, that it was ridiculous for me not to and that I had to “represent” all of our stories. So I ended up going, but my eyes and nose were all red from crying, so I can’t even imagine what it’s going to look like.

They just had me stand there while they moved the camera all around

When we were done with that, we dropped Ada off at her hotel, and then we went back to the finish line party (which was overwith by that point). John said he wanted to go out and I really did too, so John, Jerry, and I went to a bar/restaurant for some dinner and drinks. I tried tuna steak for the first time in my life, and it was pretty good. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would.

On Facebook recently, we were talking about how we should treat ourselves better; that we deserve to do nice things for ourselves (inspired by this post from Jennifer). John said (on Facebook), “When we get to Key West, we should all order a top shelf drink”. I jokingly said, “Sure John, if you’re buying!” So I wanted to buy John a top shelf drink, but he ended up beating me to it, and bought me a top shelf margarita (which was fantastic!)

The restaurant kicked us out at around 11. I was tired and planned to go back to the hotel, but when we got down to the street, John saw a bar that he wanted to get a drink from. It didn’t take more than a “Come on!” from John to talk me into it ;)  So we sat and had a beer on the street.

Duval Street in Key West is… well, an experience in itself. It was so much fun to people watch! The crowd was very interesting, which is the only way I can really describe it. John got a cab back to his hotel at around 1, and Jerry and I walked back to our hotel (about a mile away). I took a shower (finally!! I had two days worth of sweat and grime on me) and then crashed in bed.

The Ragnar was AMAZING! I will write more about my thoughts on the whole thing later; for now, I'm living it up in Key West! 

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Bienvenido a Miami

I made it to Miami! What a day it has been. I set the alarm for 4:00 a.m., and my dad drove Jerry and I to the airport for our flight this morning. I was terrified to fly (as usual) and when I got there, I realized that I forgot my Xanax, which I always take before flying.

Jerry and I wound up having adult beverages at 6:30 this morning instead:

Unfortunately, one glass of wine wasn't nearly enough for the super bumpy flight! The flight was about three hours, and the whole thing was really bumpy. I was on edge the whole time. I even chose the seat right above the wing, because it's supposed to be the least turbulent spot. The sun looked pretty cool coming up over the clouds, though.

We finally arrived in Key West, and the fabulous John was there at the airport to pick us up! (And as I type this, I haven't gotten pics with any of my Ragnar team yet... will have to do that for sure tonight). I absolutely love John. I knew I would, but I love him even more than I expected to.

When we got to the hotel, I chatted with Angela and John for a little bit. I met Carly, Ada, and Meredith--all as lovely as I expected! Jerry looked outside and saw my brother Brian pull into the parking lot--did I mention he happens to be at the same Miami hotel? So I went down to say hello to him. I also saw Lealah when she arrived--she's as adorable as I expected as well! 

I've been dying to write about this for a couple of weeks now, but I promised I wouldn't say anything until today... The Today Show is featuring our team!! They have a studio in Miami, and they are going to be at our team dinner, the starting line, and the finish line of the race. Also, they wanted to share a few of our stories--Rik's, Carly's, Ada's, and mine. So my interview was scheduled for 2:00 today.

A limo service picked Jerry and me up (!!) and took us to the studio.

I had no idea the Today Show segment was going to be this big of a deal--I thought they'd maybe say a little bit about our team, but they're going to film quite a bit. Very fun!

When we got to the (tiny) studio, I sat down for an interview that probably lasted about 30 minutes. I wasn't nervous at all, probably because I'm used to answering these kinds of questions about my weight loss. My lips were super dry, and I licked them a lot--but only in-between questions, so I hope they edit that out!

After my interview, we had to wait for the driver to come back to drop off Rik, so that Jerry and I could head back to the hotel. We walked around a little, and it was VERY touristy--right by the cruise ships. The weather is super nice, but VERY humid. I'm going to be pouring buckets of sweat when I run tomorrow. I don't run well in the humidity.

The driver took us back to the hotel, and here I sit typing my blog post :)  We're going to leave in about a half hour to go to our team dinner--where our entire team will meet for the first time as a group!--and then we're going to decorate our vans tonight. I might write a short post tonight before bed.

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From Fat to Finish Line Documentary

Last night, before bed, I told Jerry I wasn't feeling "right". I wasn't feeling really sick, but just kind of "off". I don't really know how to describe it. And then when I woke up this morning, it was even worse. I really didn't want to run (do I ever?!) so I was lazy making my way to the treadmill this morning.

I had a bunch of ice water (I was feeling hot) and read my e-mail before finally getting on the treadmill. I was bummed when I saw that today's run was supposed to be 20 minutes easy running, then 6 repeats of (3 minutes hard, 3 minutes easy), and finishing with a 10-minute easy run... 68 minutes total. I'm not used to running over an hour on my weekday runs.

I knew I wasn't going to be pushing it very hard today. I did the 20 minutes easy at my usual 6.0, and then my plan was to do the hard intervals at 8.0--but I changed my mind once it was time to do it! I ended up starting with a 7.5 interval, and it felt pretty tough. The next one, I lowered it to 7.0, and I still felt crappy. The third and fourth were 6.5.

I drank a few sips of water while I was running, and immediately felt really nauseous. I was really tempted to call it quits early, but I remember how mad I was at myself when I stopped my 14-miler a couple of weeks ago after 10 miles. I felt like a quitter. So I just decided to keep at it, unless I actually vomited or something.

I did the last two intervals at 7.0 and then 7.5. I was actually pissed after the last interval, because I knew I still had 13 minutes to go (which felt like forever!). Finally, I hit 68 minutes. I was so grateful it was over.

I still don't really know what was wrong with me and why I was feeling so crappy. After my run, I actually started feeling a little better. But not much, because I still had to do my Wii Active workout. Today's workout was #19 of 20!! That means tomorrow is going to be the last day of my 30-Day Challenge--woo hoo!

Today's was mostly upper body strengthening and a ton of running on the track. The track part is always super boring (running in place while looking at a track on the TV... yup, as exciting as it sounds), so I continued to watch The Biggest Loser on my computer during that part.

I can't wait to finish the challenge tomorrow. I think after that, I'll continue to do the workouts, but only 2-3 days per week.

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You may have already seen this on Facebook, but the documentary I'm taking part in finally has a website! You can check it out at www.fattofinish.com. I've already introduced you to all of our team, but on the site, you can read shortened versions of our stories, see more pictures, see a sneak preview of what the film is going to be about, and all that good stuff. I can't watch the video without crying, and I've seen it dozens of times ;)

We also have a Kickstarter page. If you're not familiar with Kickstarter (I had no clue what it was until recently), it's a site where people with ideas can set up a page to try and get the funds to make their ideas become a reality. So if you'd like, you could go to our Kickstarter, and pledge a certain amount of money (that goes to the film company to hopefully make this documentary happen!). There are prizes for the different amounts you can pledge--for example, if you pledge $25, you can get a DVD of the film (with special features!) when it's released.

Media Meld Studios has to raise $50,000 in pledges in the next 31 days. If they don't get enough pledges, then your credit card is never charged. So, for example, I pledged $25. If there are $50,000 worth of pledges by Sept. 13th, then my credit card is charged the $25 and I get a copy of the DVD when it's released. If the pledges don't reach $50,000, then I don't pay anything (but the film won't get funded). I'm explaining it the best I can, but it's still hard to describe, sorry!

Anyway, if you'd like to help support the film, the Kickstarter page can be found here: From Fat to Finish Line Kickstarter. I'm praying that we get enough pledges to make the film!

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Well, I have to clean my house (at least a little...) Renee is coming over for wine tonight :)

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Reader Questions & Answers #18

On Sundays, I will answer some readers' questions in a post. If you have a question that you would like me to answer here on the blog, just send me an e-mail with the subject "Q&A", and I may include them in a future Q&A post. They don't have to be about weight loss or running--anything is game!  (Remember, I'm not a doctor or dietician, or any sort of medical professional--I can only answer questions from my own experience).

Q. I'm a new runner who is up to running about 5 miles. I'm already finding it difficult to run that distance without water. I've read that you use a waist band for your water on long runs, but a friend, and fellow runner, said that it pulls your pelvis into an alignment that is slightly different than what it would be without the waist band. I was wondering if you had any advise on this, and/or what your thoughts were on the camelbak brand, that you wear like a backpack.

A. Very interesting! I never gave much thought to the belt changing my form while I run. I don't know how much truth there is to that, because I have no information to back it up. However, in my experience, I don't feel that it has harmed my running stride at all. 

It probably depends on where on your body you wear it, also. Some people like to wear the belt down over their hips, but I find that uncomfortable because it bounces too much. I wear mine up high, around my natural waist. It looks a little dorky, but it doesn't bounce that way ;)  I actually find it comfortable to wear, and it makes me feel like I have better posture.

I haven't tried the Camelbak backpacks. I would love to try one, because I've heard great things about them, but they are expensive--and my belt does the job for now, so I probably won't get one. But if the belt changes your form, I imagine that the backpack would a little as well. I think the best thing to do would be to see if a friend has one you can borrow to try out before you buy? I wore Jessica's belt before I bought one, just to see if I liked it. Or check to see what the return policy is--if you don't like it, can you return it? Doesn't hurt to ask!

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Q. How did you learn to start your blog?  I'm thinking about starting one (not at all related to weight/fitness!) and don't know where to start.

A. I've been asked this question quite a few times recently. I'm certainly no expert on this! Everything I know, I learned from Google ;)  When I first started using Blogger, I was clueless. "Signing up" and creating the blog is pretty easy and self-explanatory (just go to Blogger.com and follow the prompts to set it up). But changing things around and making it more creative was the hard part. I would keep it very basic to start with, until you get more familiar with blogging.

One of my original banners, created in Photoshop ;)

Once you create the blog itself (which just takes minutes), you can start posting right away. From your "dashboard" (the screen you see when you sign in), you just click the orange button, which is to write a new post. Type out what you want to say, and you can add pictures if you'd like (just by clicking the little photo icon above your post). When you're ready for it to be published, you just click the orange "publish" button. 

After you get the hang of writing and publishing posts, you can start to get creative with the look of your blog. You can add "widgets" to your sidebars (I had no clue what a widget was, but I learned quickly). Blogger makes this VERY easy, because you don't have to know html or anything to do it. You can just click "add widget" and then choose from a list what you'd like to add (an archive of your posts? Links to your favorite sites? A search bar? etc). 

I know this is a cop-out answer, but you really should just play around with it. That's how I learned everything I know! I tried stuff out, and if I didn't know how to do it, I just Googled the answer :) Good luck!

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Q. Would you ever consider doing a run like the Color Run or Run for Your Lives? Run for Your Lives is one reason I want to start training for a 5K. Running from zombies=FUN! :-) Then, I saw the Color Run on Pinterest, and it looks like it could be lots of fun too. Just wanted to know if you'd ever do something like that.

A. There are TONS of "fun" runs like these now, which I think is great--it's getting a lot of new people into running! I did do a Warrior Dash (mud run with obstacles) and learned that it just wasn't "my thing" ;) I don't like to get dirty when I run. I've heard amazing things about The Color Run, but that one doesn't really interest me either. I know, I'm a total dud! The Color Run isn't timed, and it's all about getting colorful (read: dirty) while you run. I've never heard of the zombie one--that sounds like something Jerry would be totally in to!

Warrior Dash 2010

I'm not totally against running in these novelty races, however--if one pops up that interests me, I would love to do it! I think these kinds of races are really great for people who aren't really interested in how fast they can go, but want to have fun and be active. And it makes for some great photos to post on Facebook! ;)  I think you should definitely train for that zombie 5K if it interests you. And then e-mail me some pictures!

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Bonus Question: Since last night, I've gotten a few e-mails and comments about how I "accidentally" posted my last name on yesterday's post with my race results. I've always been VERY careful to leave my full name out of my blog, but it was actually intentional to leave it there yesterday.

I had no idea that Fitness was going to be publishing my full name in their magazine until I saw it in print. I was a little freaked out at first, but I know that if someone really wanted to find out my name, they could. Actually, some people have said they found it by looking up my bib number on races (a little creepy, now that I write that!). So anyway, I totally appreciate your looking out for me!!

Speaking of Fitness, I finally got my copy in the mail yesterday...

I have to say, it was VERY humbling to be on the same page as the "cool kid" bloggers like Skinny Runner and The Fitnessista! (Although I do kind of feel like the nerdy girl at school who was just asked to eat lunch at the cheerleader table, lol).

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So impatient

I swear, I'm going to be the LAST person to see "my" issue of Fitness! I've been checking the mail daily, waiting for it. Last night, after getting a couple of comments from people that saw my photo in it, I even drove to the store to see if it's on shelves yet (it wasn't).

Today, I saw this tweet from Ada:

Of course, that would be the moment Twitter decides to stop working for hours, and I couldn't view the picture, lol. It's not even a whole article--just a couple of sentences about my blog, so I don't know why I'm so impatient to see it! But speaking of Ada, she is actually going to be doing an IRONMAN competition this weekend!! If you're not familiar with that, it's like the mother-of-all-triathlons: a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and full 26.2 mile marathon... and it all must be completed in a 17-hour window. CRAZY, right?!

Ada is the last (but not least!) member of my Ragnar team that I still have to introduce you to. Many of you know her story from watching her on The Biggest Loser: Season 10, but she's working on a guest post like the rest of the team, and I will post that to share with you when she is finished with it--you know, after she's done with her 140.6 mile race and all ;)

The more I get to know my team, the more bummed I get that I won't be able to spend the entire race in the same van as everyone! There are only six people per van, and since I am in van #1, I won't get to hang out much with the people in van #2 during the race. But once we are in Key West, I plan on loving all over every one of them!

The Ragnar is still seven months away, but I'm sure the time will go by fast. I'm marathon training right now for my race on October 21st, which will keep me busy; after the marathon, I won't have any other races until the Ragnar (which is the first weekend in January). I may find a half-marathon to do in November or early December to keep up my training, but I won't be racing hard.

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I didn't have a run on the schedule today, but I did do my strength training. I am up to doing 40 reps at a time (in 60 seconds) with the kettlebell swing. I got kind of bored with it today, so I only did five sets, and then I did some other weight-bearing leg exercises--squats, lunges, etc. And of course, I foam rolled my IT band. Hoping for a great race run on Saturday!

I made a loaf of homemade French bread today, and I used it to make really yummy grilled cheese sandwiches--fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and tomato slices on the homemade bread. (I've been obsessing about fresh mozzarella ever since I went to Panera on Sunday). I should have taken a picture, but I was too busy inhaling it. If there is one thing I've noticed over the past week of not eating meat, it's that I feel full for so much longer. My appetite has decreased a lot. I have a lot of leftover fresh mozzarella, so I think I'll be making homemade pizza for dinner tomorrow.

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This is a short post, but I really don't have anything else to say! I'll leave you with a funny evil picture of Estelle that I took today...

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"How I lost 130 Pounds!" A guest post by my good friend Andrea

I would like to introduce you to Andrea, runner #5 of our Ragnar Relay team. Andrea happened to e-mail me just as I was starting to invite people to join the team (of course she knew nothing about the team at the time). She shared her story, and we had quite a bit in common. I was very excited when I saw that she was actually on Oprah! It was Oprah's final weight loss show, and Andrea had her moment to show off all of her hard work in losing the weight.

When I saw that photo, and read her e-mail, I spontaneously asked her to join our team. I figured, "Hey, if this girl's good enough for Oprah, she's got to be good enough for us!"  I thought she probably wouldn't even consider joining, because it was so out-of-the-blue and we really didn't know each other at all. To my surprise, she accepted right away, and I couldn't be happier to have her on our team! It has been so fun getting to know her, and she fits right in. Enjoy her story!

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I have struggled with my weight for most of my life, but never really became aware of it until middle school.  I was approximately 40 pounds overweight at that time.  One event in particular impacted me that would change the way I viewed myself. 

I knew that the majority of the eighth grade girls at my school were gathering for a slumber party, but I was not invited.  I received a phone call that night and this is how it went:

“Hello, is Andrea there?” 

"This is she"

“Hi, this is Weight Watchers and we want to sign you up for a meeting.” 

After that, all I could hear on the other end was laughter breaking out and I hung up.  I laugh now because little did they know that Weight Watchers showed me the lifestyle principals to lose my weight and make it a lifestyle.

My success story is not your typical, "I lost 100 pounds in 6 months.”  My weight loss journey has taken place over many years.   I would start my own made up versions of diets only to fail time and time again.  I knew my weight was creeping up, but I the more I gained, the more defeated I felt.  My reality check came when I went to buy a new pair of jeans. 

I picked out my size and went to the dressing room and I could not get them buttoned.  I remember feeling panicked because they didn't fit.  They were a size 24, and I now needed a size 26.   I remember leaving the mall depressed and discouraged about how far I had let myself go—around 280 pounds to be exact.

I decided at that point I could not allow myself to continue down the path I was going.  I slowly made changes to my diet through Weight Watchers and started walking.  I struggled many years with my weight going up and down but I never quit fighting.  I had so many weight books from joining and rejoining Weight Watchers.  I would lose 50 pounds one year and gain 20 back the next, but I was determined that I was not going to quit this journey I had started.

My story is about patience and persistence not perfection.  I was tired of struggling, and in 2009 my "aha" moment came.  I had met a new Weight Watchers leader named Martha, and she finally made it click for me--this was not a diet and all about a number on the scale, but this was a lifestyle.

She showed me how to make healthy choices livable, she showed me that I was going to be eating and living this way for the rest of my life so I needed to make this enjoyable. I needed to learn how to eat foods I enjoyed and work in my favorite treats.  If I didn’t like something I was eating, then I needed to stop eating it, if I didn’t like an exercise I was doing, then I needed to stop doing it.  She gave me a magnet that said these great words, “Lose it the way you intend to live it.” 

In 2011, my hard work had paid off and I was invited to be part of the Oprah Weight Loss Finale Show.  It was an absolute dream come true!  I had watched all of her weight loss transformation shows and had dreamed about being on one someday and the opportunity came!

As I started making a conscious effort to eat foods that I really liked, and work in treats that I was craving, this really did become a lifestyle to me.  I began running that year little by little.  I signed up for a few 5K’s and loved the feeling of race day.  

The next year I completed a 10k and this year I ran my first half marathon. Next, on the list--running a marathon before the end of the year—did I just write that?  Yikes!

I contacted Katie earlier this year because I was amazed by her transformation and wanted to let her know what an inspiration she was and that we had several things in common besides our weight loss.  We had both been on television, and I had also had the same surgery Katie had the year before.  Katie invited me to be part of the Ragnar team and I am thrilled at the opportunity.  I have gained 11 of the most amazing friends in the process.

130 pounds down!

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