Runner Girl Wannabe in Missouri!

[supersprout]

Hello all! I wanted to throw out an introduction of myself. This is my kind of fitness forum!

 

I've been reading the Nerd Fitness blog posts for a while now (very inspiring!) and I've finally made the jump to the community portion. Oddly enough, I'm very social - but get shy when it comes to interaction at times.

 

My weight loss story starts about 4 years ago, 5 months after my son came a bit too early (he was ready to come out of there at 31 weeks!). I stepped on the scale at a cry-worthly 200 lbs. A friend suggested doing Weight Watchers Online program. It worked! I ended up losing 50 lbs in 1.5 years!

 

I ended up getting a promotion and that meant an extra hour for lunch - so I started going to the gym (I worked at a University, free gym!) and lost another 20 lbs. I'd lost weight as a freshman in college by using a stair-stepper 45 mins a day - so I went back to that. After a few months of getting used to that kicking my butt, I decided to do something I'd been afriad of my ENTIRE LIFE: running.

 

*quick side note here: I joined the track team in Jr. High - quit after the 1st day. Got teased...a lot.

 

I started at 3/10 of a mile (fast forward) soon I was running two miles every day - very slowly...like 15 min/mile. I did this off an on for over a year. *It's worth noting that I HATED running outside.

 

Found a new job - no more gym. Bought a used treadmill - ran on it for a month or two at a 1% incline before I started training for my first 5 K. I'd never run more than 2 miles before this, or even ran outside for more than 1/2 mile. Training for that was very rewarding and my first 5K was scary and successful! I even ran a 13min/mile.

 

I forced myself to sign up and attend a weekly Be A Better Runner class for 8 weeks. I was the slowest person there - I hated (but finished) it. It helped me building up good running information and habits. But it stuck with me that I don't like to run with people (too self concious) and I'm not a competitor.

 

So here I am, I've worked all summer long to lose 10 lbs (keep in mind that after my 70lb weight loss, I gained 15lbs back after gallbladder surgery in Oct of '12) I lost 5lbs during the winter and I've lost 9lbs this summer. I initially scoffed at the idea of Paleo until recently, I started reading more about it and I finally get it. So I've been on it for a week and lost a pound & have been feeling great!

 

My main goal is to lose 7%-10% body fat. My secondary goal is to get stronger with my uppbody (I'm a weakling!), and third: I want to be a better runner - this is a goal that never ends.

 

About me: proud Mommy to a nerd-in-training (already a Star Wars & superhero geek, must be in the blood). I'm married to a Star Wars nerd, we're a couple of IT Pro's (hahaha - he's a pro, I'm a wannabe) that reside in the great state of Missouri! I do like to cook and I find it a fun challenge to see what I can whip up that's Paleo that my boys will eat. I fell in love with Batman in '89, haven't looked back (except I pretend that the other craptastic movies don't exsist, Dark Knight excluded). I hate confrontation and the fact that I cannot eat Twizzlers or Lomein anymore due to a gluten intolerance.

 

(The photo I attached is me in May of '09, then Aug of '12, and now)