All I can say is.......WOW!

I guess there is something to be said for not owning a scale. You don't become prisoner to it and obsessive about every little ounce gained or lost.

I can't remember when our scale broke but overnight I went from registering 184 pounds to 240. Wow! What on Earth did I eat that night?

So I finally had to cave and buy another scale so that I could weigh myself for the end of The Biggest Loser contest that I'm participating in at CreativeXpress. This morning I got in my nakies and jumped on the scale expecting to be around 177, since the last time I weighed myself at the gym in the morning a couple of weeks ago, I was 179 - in shorty shorts and a tank top.

I was crossing my fingers for 175 since I've been working so hard running. Imagine my delight and surprise when that baby weighed me in at 171! I was so excited I had to take a photo after I showered. I was a little stumped at how I could gain a few pounds by showering, until I remembered that my hair was soaking wet and well, uh, yeah....my camera body alone weighs 1.5 pounds, not to mention the lense! HA HA~!

What do I attribute my success over the past few weeks to?

1 - not focusing on the parts of my body that I don't love yet. Taking time to really appreciate the areas that make me feel sexy which are my arms and my lower legs.

2 - Exercising in the morning and for greater lengths of time. I've heard it time and time again that exercising in the morning is far more beneficial than in the evening, but didn't really realize what a difference it would make. Since I've been waking up early to go running with Tracey I feel more energized all day long and am quite certain that it gives my metabolism a great kick start each day. And it's not rocket science that it takes approximately 25 minutes of an elevated heart rate to burn up all of the "ready energy" in your system. Until you burn up that energy you don't even begin to touch your reserves (fat), so I think running, running, running has helped me tap into those resources that my body has so graciously stored up for me! On average I'm exercising for 40 - 60 min. 4 - 5x a week! Well except for yesterday, we actually ran SIX MILES in about 75 minutes.

3 - Eating more fresh fruits and veggis. I admit it. I don't eat great. I could certainly do much, much better and plan to as I'm starting my new eating plan - the 3 Hour Diet, which makes SO much sense and doesn't restrict you from ANYTHING at all. And sheesh...what's better than eating every 3 hours? But anyway, I've turned to snacking on raw vegetables rather than going for something junky. I think it helps for sure!

4 - Walking more. Ever since I accidentally backed up into a trucks trailer hitch in my brand new van, I have decided to always park where I can pull through the spot. That almost always means parking out where I have to walk a little farther. I know thats only a small thing, but I think all of those extra steps add up for sure!

I'm starting my eating plan this week, once I totally finish reading my book, so honestly, I expect to be down another 10 pounds by the 2nd week of August! I thought my goal weight was going to be 160, but now......I'm shooting for 155!!!!