It's over! Ten weeks doesn't sound like much when you set out, but about two days into it when you're craving a PB&J sandwich and a diet Mountain Dew more than anything else on Earth (and I would have traded one of my children for a sandwich and a soda, let me tell you), it feels like it's NEVER going to end!
But it did.
And I came out of it okay, I think. Weight wise, I mean.
Remember my first weigh in? Then I looked like this:
Sweet Heaven on Earth, I had a shelf-butt! And ugly shoes, too.
Now, I look like this:
What do you think? Much of a difference? I managed to lose 25 pounds (and the shelf-butt) in 10 weeks - in a healthy manner! We'll find out the results by Friday and we can see if I can deliver the prize to Soldier's Angels. But in the meantime, I'm feeling pretty awesome today.
I mean, I went shopping and I've lost two full sizes. I now wear a size that I haven't been able to wear since before my second daughter was born - and she just turned 12! I weigh 15 pounds more than the last time I wore this size, but I also have a lot more muscle.
I've managed to hit goals I didn't even know I had. I can run for a decent distance now - a 12 minute mile. Which sounds ridiculous to my husband (oh-he-of-the-7-minute-mile), but even at my smallest and most fit previously I was not a runner. I've never run an entire mile before IN MY LIFE.
I can do eight REAL push ups(if I yell at the floor to scare it away)! And I can do 30 consecutive knee push ups (without the yelling). I can jump rope for 5 minutes (minus the pauses when I trip myself, but still), I can do half an hour of two minute rounds of target mitts (with only 30 seconds between rounds). I started out with back problems whenever I did more than ten sit ups - now I am able to keep up with Coach Daniel for the most part, and get at least half of the 300 sit ups he calls out during classes.
And I have much nicer shoes now, too. Under Armour (of course, since Air Force Guy picked them out for me).
I knew I'd like boxing when I started (I have some rage issues - you know how it is), but I never thought I'd like boxing training this much. And that makes all the difference - I look forward to class now, and I feel weird if I have to miss for some reason. I even motivated myself to go work out both days we were in Ft Hood and hounded people until someone agreed to hold my mitts.
That's mainly the sport - when you find something you like to do, you want to keep doing it. And I think that is the real secret. But I would have never gotten started if I hadn't found my gym. The coaches all know me (I'm not sure if that says good things about me, or just emphasizes that I'm a whiner and I make a lot of verbal gaffes), they're friendly, and they like to help. If I have a question about something, I ask. And someone always knows the answer. And - most important of all for someone who's husband is in the middle of a deployment - they're good to my kids.
The Challenge may be over, but I'm not going to stop now.
We'll find out who the winner is by Friday, after everyone weighs in and results are calculated. I don't know how my chances are - there are some guys competing and men do have an easier time losing weight than women. I've got my fingers crossed, though!
follow my progress on Twitter @afwiferuthie
