I only run when being chased: It's not about the weight ...

OK, I know my post title today may not exactly make sense since I am participating in a weight loss competition...but bear with me!

Today was my one month check up with our dietitian, Barbara, at Covenant Weight Management Center. A little refresher on our timeline:

November 12, 2011: Team met for the first time, did publicity photo shoot, etc.
December 12, 2011: First meeting with dietitian
January 1, 2012: Official Biggest Winner training starts with Missy Kane & Chris O'Hearn.

All of our walking, hiking, working out on our own prior to January 1 really was a bonus! It wasn't "required," but was a great jump start for our program.

All of that being explained -- since November 12, I've lost 2 pounds. Yup, you read that right, 2 pounds! I've lost 2 pounds, and 2 pant sizes. Let me explain...

The scales at Covenant Weight Management Center are very comprehensive in that they are able to measure some really cool stuff:

weight
BMI
Fat %
Fat Mass (how much of your weight is fat)
Free Fat Mass (how much of your weight is not fat)
Total Body Water

OK, so now here's the number I'm really excited about (and so was Barbara, even though she's still not thrilled with my sodium intake): Since November I've lost 6 pounds of fat! Yes, you read that right. My Fat Mass has gone from 125.51 to 119.51. In case you want to know what that looks like ... here's a pic of dietitian Barbara holding the 5 pound fat model (I stole this photo from Kelsey's (last year's winner) blog. I googled 5 pounds of fat, and ended up finding this picture!)

So, while I admittedly was disappointed that my weight wasn't lower than it is, I'm ecstatic about this huge achievement!

On the fitness front things are going well. Saturday was our longest walk to date, 6 miles. We met up with the Knoxville Track club at a new store on Gay Street to begin our adventure. It was definitely our coldest training event so far!

On the greenway by the river with my teammates Lee Ann, Melody and Mike.

Tomorrow I turn 35. I've already celebrated with most of my wonderful family, and am very appreciate of the awesome gifts they've given me off of my list! A new heart monitor watch, and a new exercise mat! I know those may not sound terribly exciting ... but they are! Just a few more tools to help me on my journey.

One of the other things that's helping me through this journey is a good sense of humor. I think you've got to be able to laugh at yourself, and learn from your mistakes and goofs, and make the best of any situation. Here's just a few little inspirational tidbits I found on Pinterest.