Funny little moments that make your day.

I remember a couple of years ago in a college classroom we were playing an "ice breaker
game to get to know each other during those first days of class. The game we were playing is where we had to tell our names, and 3 facts about ourselves...2 of which were to be lies. As sort of a joke I said "My name is Tyler and I jog 5 miles a day." The class erupted in laughter...didn't bother me, I meant it as a joke. But yesterday as I was casually finishing up a 5 miler solo @ 7am I thought to myself...."I am proud." Funny how very small things like that float into your mind and really change your whole mindset of the day.

Ahhh....The Pool.

Yay for Monday! This summer my Mondays are actually just an extension of the weekend! This will all change when Student Teaching rolls around in August, but hey...lets not go there. So after only about *3* hours of sleep it was off to teach a (groggy) cycling class this morning. Obviously wasnt able to give it my all because I was dog tired!

Came home and it was time for my yummy (and fav) breakfast of Kashi Waffles and PB! Got some house work accomplished then lounged around the pool with Steph for a while! Had this delicious little lunch creation:



*Shredded leftover Chicken Breast
*Carrots sweetned with splenda! (YUMMY alternative to Japanese style sweet carrots
*Green Beans

Yummy!

Also a little later munched down on another one of my favorite bars:



These are SO good! Just enough Protein/Fiber to keep you full til the next meal.

I had planned on taking a Boot Camp style class tonight @ the Y but I think I overdid it a little yesterday with the run, weight training, and cycling...so I think I will instead use this down time tonight to go to the store, which I desperately need to do. Bye Bloggies!

Ahhh....Sunday!

What a day so far! Work up relatively late for me at a stunning 10am and had what is quite possibly my favorite breakfast on the planet earth:



PLUS



PLUS

Banana!

EQUALS


(Me...Happy...and minus the creepy grin. lol)

So yea, 2 Kashi (Honey Oat) Waffles plus a good smearing of Skippys Natural Peanut Butter plus diced bananas is soooooo so soooooo, let me emphasize....SOOOOO good. Try it!

Next I tried to sit down and create a new cycling CD for class, but my computer was being less than cooperative so I just ended up using an old (but hard) one. I was totally not motivated to cycle today but I had a REALLY good group, and it changed my spirit! My shirt was ringable with sweat afterwards, so it was all in all another cycling success!

I also did weights today which I have to say is really growing on me. For the longest time I NEVER did weights and focused strictly on cardio which I think really contributed to my arm skin being so gross and saggy! (Eww!) But after 12 weeks or so of 3 hardcore weight days a week, I am really starting to see a difference. My FREE personal trainer and all around fitness pal Ginny and I usu sally go on Mon, Wed, and Fri mornings extreeeemely early so that way we can have the free weight room @ the Y to ourselves. We focus on 2 body parts (Triceps, Biceps, Back, Shoulders, Chest, Lower Body) and do 3 sets of 3 exercises each. Sounds complicated...but trust me, if I can do it...anyone can.

Anywho...after weights/cardio I headed home and made a super delicious smoothie! Here was the recipe for today:

*1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berry Blend (Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries)
*3 Large Spoonfulls Fat Free PLAIN Yogurt
*1 Cup LIGHT Apple Juice
*Spoonfull of Splenda

Blend that baby up and enjoy! I usually add a banana, but I was out...so I added a bit more yogurt and some extra juice.



I also snacked on one of my FAVORITE nutrition bars on the planet:


Well, time to wrap this up kiddos! I am meeting some friends at our upcoming (about a month away) 8K route for some practice! I am hoping to complete this bad boy in 40 minutes or under, so I will take all the practice I can get! FINALLY getting to go see "Drag Me To Hell" later, which I will be enjoying with some popcorn AND candy. And yes...thats my dinner. Naughty I know, but with my calorie expenditure today plus my un-dying LOVE for movie theatre food, I am willing to substitute it for dinner.

So there.

:P

Have a great day everyone!

Running....who knew?!?!

I feel SO great today! Completed my second 5k (and second race EVAH!) today with a slick 23:00 even time! I was able to shave off about 1:30 from my previous 5K time, so I was beyond ecstatic! I was also sooooo proud of Steph! We went to run the course a couple of nights ago (and squeezed in a trip to Earth Fare which I love, love, LURVE) and she was having some major side issues. She was so bummed out and I felt bad! She automatically assumes she is letting me down in times like these but isn't at all. MORALE of the story is today she ROCKED IT OUT! Shaved an amazing *5* minutes off her previous time and met her goal of 28:00!!!! I was such a proud BFF!

The thing is, I never would have pinned myself a runner. I guess being so overweight for most of my life I just never really considered that I could be decent at any sports/workout activity and it just blows my mind how much I have fallen in love with running. The absolute thrill of standing there at the start line ready to go is amaaaaazing and I recomend it to anyone!

The course today was alot flatter, and since Steph and I had done the course a couple of days ago, it seemed alot easier than the race last week. Heat may have been a factor as well. The first race was at 6pm and in 90*+ heat. This one was at 8am and it was around 60ish the entire time.

Finished the race and scarfed down this little cutie:


After the great run had to rush back to the gym to teach spin and work. I was initially kinda bummed to teach spin today because I was already tired from the run, but when I got there it was a full house! It's SO awesome to have a full class, and makes teaching it (and giving 110%) so much easier. Here is the playlist I used today: (Just for Steph! It's her fave CD!)


1. Don't Stop Believing-Journey Warm-Up
2. Suga (Lips Like) Jumps (4/8 Count) / Hovers
3. What Hurts The Most-Cascada Sprints (Resistance Added)
4. Americas Suitehearts-F.O.B. Reverse Climb (Heavy Weight Initially)
5. When You Leave (Numa Numa) Jumps/Slides/Resistance Work
6. Devour-Shinedown Team Sprints (Oppisite Recovery)
7. Goodbye (Na Na Na Na) Jumps (4/8) with weight added throughout
8. Second Chance Climb (Out of seat and speed during chorus)
9. What A Feeling Sprints (3 main with recovery between)
10. Give It To Me-Madonna Jumps/Slides/Resistance Work
11. Halo-Beyonce Climb (Classic)
12. When I Grow Up (Fast Remix) Jumps/Slides/Sprints
13. Wild Horses Cool Down #1
14. Mad-NeYo Cool Down #2

-----

After spin it was time to shower and move to the Customer Service portion of the gym and work the front desk! I didnt really realize how tired I was until I had showered and ran to Chik-Filet to grab a quick lunch to bring back! I got my fav Chicken Salad:



With a small side of ACTUAL Chicken Salad to munch on later. Normally I wouldnt get their chicken salad because of the mayo, but after a race AND a Spin Class, I thought I deserved it.

Intro-Continued!

I can't believe it has been this long since I have updated, I am more so motivated because I have been reading two particularly amazing blogs recommended to me by my BFF Steph! They are:

http://graduatemeghann.com/

This girl is my hero! She just finished

a marathon and her blog is fulll of healthy snacks/

food options as well as just being down right addicting

to read. Last night Steph and I found ourselves scouring

down the aisled at Earth Fare screaming "OMG MEGHANN

EATS THESE?!?!?!?!?!" Good times. Check it out! Bookmark it

....it will become your daily obsession! :-)

http://www.fitnessista.com/

A fellow SPIN instructor (<3)>

so many good ideas from her and she too updates frequently! Check it out!

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That being said let me quickly go through my fatty days and get to the present! So I weighed 308 pounds and decided it was time for a change, I knew it wasnt going to be easy...but then again, neither was putting all the weight on in the first place. I had read about fad diets many many times and none of them had ever worked for me. I tried low carb....no card.....cabbage soup (wtf?) and everything else you could possible imagine. Finally I decided the only way I was going to lose weight and not drive myself crazy was just to simply cut my calories back and exercise. I started out doing 1500 calories per day. I know this probably wasnt very healthy...but hey...neither was being 308 pounds. I was so heavy that literally the only exercise I could do was walk on the treadmill.

One month had passed and I had lost 20 pounds! I was ecstatic! It had worked, which to me was unbelievable. That right there was means enough for me to continue with the plan and I kept taking the weight off little by little. What amazed me is how quickly my body was able to adapt and modify to meet new exercise techniques. Before I knew it I was able to start working on the incline on the treadmill, and increasing my speed. I also started working on the Elliptical more and more.

I kept taking the weight off and am proud to say that today I am a HAPPY 185 pounds! 123 pounds lost, which is still hard to believe as I type it out.

It's so odd to me to compare an average day in my life from now and back when I was Roseanne size. Here I am now teaching *6* spin classes a week and running up to 5 and 6 miles at a time. My body has just completely changed for the better and I can say with 110% certainty that I am the happiest/healthiest I have ever been.

Thats my big schpeal on the whole weight loss thing, but I figured it was semi important for people to know as they read this blog. I want people to know that if I can do it, ANYONE can do it. You always hear that and think "yea right." But I am telling you, YOU CAN!

Well. I am still drenched from my 9:30 spin class and now I am off for a lunch date! I shall update tonight!

<3>

The first of many?

Well I am blogging. Not that I really know what that means, but hey....time to jump on the bandwagon I suppose. I guess technically blogging is the new "livejournal" or "xanga"....anyone remember those? I would feverishly rush home to check mine everyday to see if I had comments on my daily rants. Interestingly enough, I still do that with FaceBook, so one trend replaces another I suppose.

Anyway. Who am I? My name is Tyler and I work at the YMCA. The YMCA has become an increasingly more important aspect of my life lately. I started out working in the AfterSchool program at Rock Springs and Miller Perry Elementary and loved every second of it. Then I began my journey into weight loss/fitness. At 308 pounds I knew I had to do something. I was in a XXL shirt and a 44'' waist. It was to the point where I had to order my clothes, and couldnt be that average shopper who could pick anything out at random. It was embarassing, and completely unhealthy.

I will always remember that day I walked into the doctors office and they told me I weighed 308. I made it a habit to NEVER weight myself out of pure fear of what that number would be. Never would I have guessed I would have surpassed that dreaded 300 mark. I was one of those people...I was *going* to be one of those people that you saw on Dateline NBC or some trashy news magazine. One of those people who couldnt be removed from there bed or home because they were too fat. One of those people who couldnt fit into a car because they literally couldnt FIT.....into a CAR.

Back to that dreaded doctors appointment. My grandfather was in the hospital during this time. My grandmother had passed away shortly before this time and our family was going through a very difficult time. I can remember going to the doctor that day after being up all night with my grandfather the night before in the ajoining hospital. I don't even remember why I was at the doctor. I am a raging hypochondriac and I am sure I had convinced myself I was dying of some deadly disease/illness. Point is, I weighed toooooo much. It was time to put a stop to it....but how????

(More later!)