J. Rose Online

Left: July 2008 - Pre-Hypothyroidism ~135-140lbs
Middle: December 2010 - my heaviest ~165-167lbs
Right: March 2012 - after 6 months of dedicated diet & exercise - 144lbs

Finally an update on Project: 40 Pound Meltdown and a good one too! As of today, I am at 143lbs! I know it's been a couple of months since my last check-in, but here I am! When you know you are doing something to keep yourself healthy and fit, you can't help but feel so good inside and out.

I am still far from done, but as you can see I am well on my way!

October 1, 2011: 167.9 pounds
November 10, 2011: 157 pounds
December 31, 2011: 152.5 pounds
January 23, 2012: 148.8 pounds
Today, April 2, 2012: 143.6 pounds

I know it's only been 5 pounds since my last check-in, but I believe a lot has to do with the fact that I toned up and gained a bit of muscle. Also, as it turns out, my thyroid medication dosage was too much for me according to my last lab results. My doctor did tell me that my dosage is dependent upon my weight and I lost quite a bit since the last time I saw the doctor. I'm only assuming that my meds were working against me as I was stuck at 144-147 for a good month.

10 days after I started my new dosage that's when my weight dropped to 143.6 lbs. The lightest I have been since being pregnant in 2009. It's such a great feeling for me. I haven't felt this way in a long time. I thought I was doomed once I saw myself balloon up because of hypothyroidism. And even more depressed when at first the weight wouldn't come off.

Don't get me wrong, it took me a long time and a lot of hard work to get where I'm at. I have come to terms with the fact that I have to work twice as hard and twice as long as the typical person because I'm battling uphill against my under active thyroid. I'd like to think that I can be an inspiration to many of those on their own weight loss journey. It's a tough journey, but if I can do it then so can you! The only time you will be able to accomplish your goals is if you put time, effort and dedication into it. If you don't, then it won't work. If you get discouraged because you are impatient, it won't work.

So in this update I'm actually going to let you all know my routine and regimen. I have been posting up progress pics on my personal FB and on Instagram and Twitter so I've been getting quite a few questions wondering what I'm doing to get where I'm at.

the one thing I had to stick to was my diet. what helped me is using the myfitnesspal app.
my goal for food intake is roughly 1200-1300 but I am mostly logging about 1300-1400 so still not too bad, especially if I log exercise that day. Need support? Add me! jroseonline

It's always hard to limit your food intake. ALWAYS. It hasn't been easy these last 6 months, but diet is the biggest part to weight loss success. As you already know, I've given up white rice and Starbucks.... Ok ok, I didn't fully give it up, but have cut back tremendously. I do have the occasional bowl of white rice, but it's about once or twice a month and that's it. As for Starbucks, I've completely cut back so much on it. Up until last week, I actually didn't have any Starbucks drinks. Now when I do order Starbucks, I get a skinny.

I have been cutting out a lot of fast food. Hardly any burgers and fries. I save those for my cheat days and yes, I do have cheat days. Gotta indulge once in a while.

I do eat a lot of veggies and fruits. I incorporate a lot of fish and pork into my meals rather than beef. I also throw in some subway sandwiches here and there. Aside from that, when I'm lazy to cook, I keep cans of Reduced Sodium Progresso Chicken Noodle soup in my desk drawer at work.

Garden Salad topped with Grilled Tuna from The Habit.

homemade - lightly seasoned Shrimp and Vegetables

Now onto my workout regimen.... Can you believe that I usually am up at 5AM to get to the gym by 5:30AM? That is the only time I have to get my workout in. If I go after work, I will be waiting at least 20 minutes for a treadmill to open up. It's that busy at the gym I go to. So my only choice is to get up at the butt crack of dawn just so I can run on the treadmill.

For the first 4 months or so, I just ran/jogged/walked on the treadmill. I would run 1.5 miles then walk on the highest incline. I'd spend 35 minutes on the treadmill. Then as the days progressed, I started running at a faster speed and further to the point where my furthest run was 5 miles! Now I do at least 2.5 to 3 miles a day. For the last month, I started concentrating on the abs and doing lower back exercises since it would hurt my back when I would do crunches or sit ups. Now my back has been strengthened and I can actually do sit ups and crunches without my back being in pain. I also throw in the weight machines and concentrate on my inner thighs, legs and arms.

I spend about an hour and a half every morning at the gym, if time permits. It all depends on what time I drag myself out of bed. Since I do tend to go to sleep at 11PM or so sometimes I find myself fighting to get up. But when I do spend time at the gym in the morning, it gives me so much energy that I can take on the day. I used to get so sleepy mid morning, but not anymore.

As for pills, I take my 60mcg dosage of Armour Thyroid and 5000ui of Vitamin D right when I wake up. Go to the gym and when I come back, I take a Blood Sugar Support supplement at least 30 minutes before I eat breakfast. I also take a Blood Sugar Support supplement 30 minutes before I eat lunch.

every morning it's just me and the treadmill for 35 minutes!

i have never seen my legs this defined. must be all that running!

I started tracking my runs using the Nike+GPS app. I didn't track all my runs since I started because I couldn't find my arm band for a long time. Now that I have, I was so close to hitting the 100mile mark that I just decided to go and run 5 miles!

And when I'm too lazy to go to the gym, I got a set of weights and a bench at home to work out with.

And here is another progress pic. I am finally able to sport a 2 piece bikini again without feeling "fat". Looking at these pictures makes me glad that I took these before & after shots. You really see how much you've progressed. I highly suggest taking pics no matter how you feel about your body. Because once you see them, it gives you that extra push to get to your ultimate goal.
Left: 153lbs Right: 143lbs

I just purchased my wedding dress for my vow renewal ceremony that is scheduled for May 5th. The dress I bought actually fits me perfectly. Because I am on a tight budget and I purchased my dress last minute (I wanted to lose more weight before I actually bought my dress), it fits perfectly to my current size. So at this point in time, I am going to maintain my weight and just tone up. If I have a dramatic loss of weight then I might have to alter the dress which I don't want to do as I'm trying to keep everything under budget. So I'll continue what I'm doing and concentrate a lot more on toning up. Once the ceremony is all said and done with, then I'll get full force back into my regimen just so I can get to my goal weight of 125lbs and complete Project: 40 Pound Meltdown!

On my next post, I'll post up my adventure on planning my vow renewal and shopping for the perfect dress!

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: Weight loss results may vary. What worked for me may not work for others especially those concerned with hypothyroidism. All I do know is that sticking to your diet and putting in the effort at working out will yield the best results.