Tough work noticed but still the negative

Today I had a meeting at work with someone who hasn't seen me in over a year. When she saw me, she was in awe over the transformation. When I walked in the room she didn't recognize me. She asked me what I did to lose the weight. I told her the hard way, that we had changed our eating and work out. I explained to her that my husband had also lost a ton of weight and this was a complete lifestyle transformation. We are changing the way we look at fueling our body and taking care of our health. She is a very fit person and she was so proud of the way that we have accomplished our goals. At the end of our conversation, she told me we should write an article to health magazine. 

I love the way that my husband and I have done this. We know the work and dedication that it has taken to change our lives. There hasn't always been positivity towards us. There are always people thinking something different, but only we know what we have done and how hard it has been. My favorite comments are, "what kind of diet are you doing" "did you go low carb" "you must have to spend all your free time at the gym" and the most recent and probably most comical are,  "they must be on diet pills" "you are starving yourself"  I am seriously amazed by the close people in our life who believe such things and can't be supportive! This is so hurtful because of amount of work that we have put into changing our life to be better for ourselves, our marriage and our children. I just don't understand how people can be so hurtful. These comments have reminded me to watch what I say, to be less judgmental, and more supportive. Support doesn't mean I have to agree, but to give praise to lift someone up. There is no reason to tear others down with comments or judgmental thoughts. 

I just have to remind myself of the people that give us praise, lift us up and who have nothing but positives for us. Plus I love the fact that we are inspiring others. Hearing from others that Reo and I have inspired them to lose weight or change their eating is the best feeling ever! The biggest thing is to continue to love ourselves! We love what we are doing for our family and leaving a healthy legacy for our children and living the best life we can. 

Delicious dinner

I love it when I make awesome dinners. Here is one of my latest creations. 

Wilted Kale Salad with Honey Glazed Salmon. 

Chopped kale sautéed with olive oil and minced garlic. Toast walnuts in a separate pan. Dice apples and toss into your sautéed kale. Toss in the toasted walnuts. I defrost frozen berries and mash. Then add balsalmic vinegar to the berries. When all is finished cooking add berry balsalmic dressing and crumbed goat or feta cheese. 

I used my broiler for the salmon because it was too windy to grill. I brushed each salmon filet with honey and salt and pepper. Cook for 7-10 minutes flip half way through and coat the other side. 

I had some endive that I also broiled up with my salad. This dinner was so yummy and had awesome ingredients. 

Tri- it again

I posted earlier about whether or not to complete the triathlon here in Gillette. I didn't really train for it and I was nervous because I hadn't even gotten in the pool. I finally decided to do it, 8 days ago! So it was today and I wanted to share this experience. This one for some reason meant more. I don't know why it meant so much but I was euphoric when I completed it! So here is the skinny on my journey this far with triathlons

2010- November: I began training for my first triathlon. This was the one that started my weight loss journey. We trained from November to May. 6 months of training to get ready. Remember that when I first started, I couldn't even run 1/4 of the way around the track because I was that out of shape. In May 2011 when I competed in the first triathlon I was about 234 pounds. I finished in 2 hours 17 min. It was a big deal! I was exhausted! 

Here are some pics of my first tri

Ok, now fast forward to 2012. I did the triathlon as a relay, so the only portion that I was responsible for was biking. My weight here was about 215. 

I wasn't able to do the race in 2013 because I was doing the Diva Dash in Boulder. So I skipped last year. Plus I was also training for the 150 mile bike race that was in August. 

I have continually worked on my fitness. I love bikng so I have kept going with that. All winter long I have been working on running and biking. I found some awesome interval treadmill workouts that I used to work on my endurance and strength in running. I had been looking for a new road bike and decided that if I was able to get one before the triathlon, I would do it. Well, I got my new bike the weekend of Easter. So I kind of was toying with the idea then that I would do it. I made up my mind on April 24th, that I would do it! I got into the pool then and was able to swim the 1/2 mile in about 21 minutes. I biked and ran on and off the week leading up to it. 

The scariest part is that this time I was alone. I usually had a crew of gals that had decided to do the crazy races with me. In fact they were usually the ones that talked me into them! But this year it was me. I decided to do the recruiting and talked in a good friend into doing this with me. I was proud of her because she decided 2 days before to join me! I just kept thinking about the regrets that I would feel if I didn't do it. So here is was. I knew that I had it in me, and I was awkwardly calm and confident. I knew once the swim was over, I would be ok. The swim was....crappy! I hate it! I was about 6 laps in and thought about giving up because I was having issues breathing and getting into a rhythm. I got past the 1/2 way mark and decided to start side stroking on one length of the pool. I was actually faster side stroking than freestyle, so I stuck with it. I got out of the pool at 19:07 which was 2 minutes faster than my only test run. I transitioned nicely to the bike with the assistance of my fantastic crew. Once on the bike, I got into my groove. I LOVE my new bike! Oh Wow, what a difference. It seems like the biking was a split second. It took me 40 minutes to bike the 12 miles with 2 extremely hard hills! Those were horrible hills! I transitioned to the run and that first little bit, everything is soooo jiggly! You feel like your legs are literally noodles. But I had a great pace and I stuck with it. I was nervous for the run, because running for the longest time has been my most difficult task. This was when I needed to remember what I had worked on all winter. I remember passing people on my run and loving it! There was incredibly fit people walking, and I was passing them! I just kept my pace and continued to run. The last 1/2 mile I remember feeling almost euphoric. This was it. I was doing it and without my dearest friends begging me to. I was the one that convinced someone else to push their body and try something they thought they couldn't. I had come full circle. I no longer needed them to push me, I had it in me to push myself and to help someone else. I am so happy that the ones that had began this journey with me in 2011 were the ones cheering us on and documenting our accomplishments. So here I am, my time was 1:33:57. I weighed in on May 3rd at 163 pounds. I had officially trained for 8 days. I am so proud of myself! I am in the best shape of my life at 30 years old! Here are some pics of this awesome experience.  

I love this picture that the local newspaper took of me hugging one of my best friends! It was awesome!