A part of the journey ends...

Hello faithful readers and welcome. I debated just letting this blog fade away quietly since the Biggest Mooser competition ended on April 30. It seemed the thing to do, but then I really thought about this blog and what it means.

This is my diary. I can come here and write how I'm feeling or what I'm wading through. People read what I write, I've had people tell me they enjoy what I write. So I'm going to keep this blog going. After all, I have always wanted to be a published author.

The Biggest Mooser competition is over now. It was an amazing experience, words truly can't convey my feelings about it. I made new friends, found new mentors and changed myself into someone I don't always recognize. I hear myself speak up where before I would have remained quiet. A friend was actually able to talk me into buying clothes that FIT my body, not the baggy clothing I've always preferred.

I don't see the changes other people tell me they see. I still see the same person I always have in the mirror. Now I don't hate her though. I don't look at her and wish she'd just disappear. I look now and wonder what she can accomplish. That in and of itself is an amazing victory.

Since I shared my beginning measurements and goals with you I thought I'd share the end-of-competition measurements and goals with you as well. I am thinking up some new goals for myself, but they aren't quite ready for sharing yet. Stay tuned though...I will post them here.

Still haven't perfected the drum roll so here are my final measurements. I believe I have the numbers right, but I might need to edit some if I misread Ben's handwriting.

April 30, 2012

Weight: 258 pounds (lost 35 pounds)
Body Fat Percentage: 32% (lost 5.9% body fat)
Waist: 41 inches (lost 3.0 inches)
Hips: 51.25 inches (lost 3.5 inches)
Thighs: 25 inches (3.0 inches)
Arms: 14.5 inches (stayed the same)
TOTAL INCHES LOST: 9.5 inches

Now let's check in on my goals and see how I did:

1. Weight goal: to lose 50 pounds. I lost 35 pounds I'm very pleased with that!
2. Body fat percentage goal 31.9%: I was only 0.1 of a percent away...I think I will say I met that goal (Go Me!!)
3.   Hips goal 44.75 inches: 6.5 inches to go on this one-I'm keeping this goal.
4.  Waist goal 38 inches: 3 inches to go-I'm going to keep this one as a short term objective and develop a new long-range goal.
5. Thighs goal 21.75 inches: 3.25 inches to go-another keeper!
6.  Arms goal: 12.5 inches: 2.5 inches to go-this one is a keeper too since I think once some of the arm fat goes away the inches will change. I seem to have some nice muscles developing under the jiggle.

Exercise Goals
1. Do 10 push-ups on my toes. ~Still working on this one. I get to 8 or 9 and that 10th one is just not there yet.
2. Perform 15 burpees in 1 minute. ~Work in progress: I can do 10, sometimes 12.
3. Do 12 rows in 50 seconds. ~ACHIEVED!!
4. 50 seconds of val slider army crawls without dropping to my knees. ~About those...I can go 20 seconds, so this is definitely a work in progress.
5. 1 unassisted pull-up. ~Haven't actually tried this one yet, but I will need to try.
6. Hold a 3 minute plank. ~ACHIEVED!!

As for those size 16 jeans: they are still hanging on my closet door. I can get them on, pulled up all the way and buttoned. Zipping them isn't happening YET, but it will happen. For the moment depending on the brand of jean I wear between a size 18 and 20 comfortably. That is nothing to be ashamed of!

So that is how things stand right now 3 days after the end of the Biggest Mooser. I have 6 months of free bootcamp and I plan to use those 6 months to their fullest. After that I will figure it out.

Thank you for your votes, your support and the time you've taken to read this blog. I hope you'll stay to read about what I'm up since I do plan to let you know how this whole transformation continues.