It just won't come off.

The second picture was taken January of 2009, right after I started losing weight. The first was taking somewhere probably around August of 2009.

I got the a stomach bug this weekend. Boo! I am such a baby when my stomach is upset and I really have the best mom in the world for putting up with me all weekend. I am still not eating normal and I took Friday and Saturday off from exercising. My body really needed this rest but after being off for a couple of days I am always dying to get back to exercising.

My running buddy and I worked on speed yesterday. I am super comfortable at about a 10:30 pace but I am really wanting to work on getting faster as I will be starting to train for a half marathon really soon. I will running it at the end of April. I am extremely excited but also very nervous! I know, for sure, this training is going to push me more than I have been pushed before.

For the past month I have been trying to take off a very stubborn 5lbs. It just won't come off. I have heard time and again though that once your body gets down to a certain weight it gets harder and harder to take it off. I also feel that IF I do lose it, it will come right back because my body seems to be very happy at 148lbs. So I think what I need to do to solve this dilemma is be happy at this weight, continue to work on toning, and be more conscience of my eating than I have. If you have any suggestions, please, let me know!

You May Think That White Bread Is Better But You Are Wrong.

I wanted to take time to explain exactly how I lost weight in the amount of time I did (1 year). Like I said before, I lost the weight on my on so I took all the information I have heard from doctors, tv shows (Biggest Loser), and fitness magazines. This picture was taken after I finished my 2nd 5K! As you can tell dieting does not mean forfeiting good food. So here is a list of my rules… because I like lists.

1. Eat your fruits and veggies! Filling up on these first saved me from eating hundreds of bad calories plus you get tons of energy from these foods.
** Favorite fruit: Pinapple Favorite veggie: Snap peas **
2. Eat breakfast! At 220 lbs I never ate breakfast (and you would think I would want it) but now I never go a day without it. It is essential. It gets your metabolism started and you will eat less throughout the day.
** Favorite breakfast: Lowfat yogurt topped with Cascadian Farms granola **
3. Drink water! Erase the word soda from your vocabulary. These are empty calories and when you cut these out you will lose your water weight and become less bloated, your skin will be clearer, and water actually keeps you full.
** Favorite water: … water… (Hot tea w/no sugar is tasty too) **
4. Only whole grains! You may think that white bread is better but you are wrong. I once thought that too but I now enjoy the taste of whole grain carbs. You will lost belly fat (ladies) when you simply make this switch. Hint- Make sure it says 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat because they will trick you with that. They do have more calories but this is where you want them to be!
** Favorite whole grain: Arnold's 100% Whole Grain Health Nut**
5. Find substitutes! Chances are there are probably healthy substitutes for your favorite guilty pleasures. There are healthy ways to make pasta, health(ier) ice creams, healthy pizzas, and healthy fast food restraunts. Find them and use them. Losing weight does not mean that you have give up all your favorite foods and forfeit taste.
** Favorite substitutes: Perkit's frozen yogurt, Subway, SmartOnes Macaroni and Cheese **
6. Get your butt in gear! You have to exercise to lose weight, no choice. Simply see exercise as part of your day just like you have to go to school, go to work, and run errands you have to exercise. I came to enjoy exercise very quickly. It gives me energy and an outlet to release my stress. It is important to have a balance of cardio and strength training. Find something you enjoy and make sure you switch it up to keep it interesting. I exercise 6 days a week and always give my body a day to recover.
** Favorite exercise: Running and cycling **
7. Make goals and visualize! Know where you want to be and make a plan. Know how much weight you need to lose each week and to make things fun have a weekly ceremonial weigh-in. Visualize yourself in that bathing suit or dress you would want to wear or crossing the finish line at a 5K. Don't let the set-backs get you down. Move forward and you will get there. I promise.
** Favorite goals: Finishing my first 5K and reaching the 50 lbs. mark **

This is how I did it. Anytime someone asks me my secret I simply tell them I eat healthy and I exercise. So I have enjoyed getting to expound on this. I would love to answer questions that you have, so ask!

I enjoy food so I ate... and then I ate some more.

My name is Tara. I have lost 75 lbs since January 2009 and I am 20 years old. That is the basis of this blog. Since I have lost weight my life has changed dramatically. I did it on my own really without a group of people to support me. I did have family and friends that were excited and happy for me but none of them could really understand what I was going through.

Let me back up... I do not mean for this blog to be an outlet for my frustrations but as an encouragement to others.

At 20 I had never been a yo-yo dieter or even really been on a diet. I enjoy food so I ate... and then I ate some more. I despised exercising mostly because I could never keep up with other people but I also really couldn't understand why someone would want to run for "fun." For the life of me I could not grasp the idea of people paying to go run to come in 100th place and it just be for recreational purposes. Yes, I was very self-conscience of myself and had major self-esteem issues but I just excepted it as my fate and blamed it on genes.

But January 2009 my life changed completely. Nothing major or devastating happened in my life to make me want to change I was just simply ready to get my self healthy. Because of this I am convinced that to lose a significant amount of weight you have to be emotionally ready.

In this blog, I want to help people get there. I want to share what I went through, the struggles I have in maintaining my weight, and share my absolute love of running...