I can not believe that I have been doing this running thing for six weeks now and my scale has not dropped a single ounce! That is soooo frustrating! But I still believe that it's because I'm gaining muscle mass, which weighs more than the fat that I'm losing. I haven't noticed any huge changes in the way my clothes fit, but I've heard some encouraging words, which I will write down here just in case I need to read them again :-)

My mom was talking to Christine, a friend of ours, who runs around our neighborhood. She goes every day, and she had a story similar to mine. She was getting discouraged at the beginning of her training because she was working really hard and not losing any weight. Her family told her to stick with it because they could see her changing. She did, and she is looking awesome! So apparently, this is a common thing.

My mom told me today that it looked like I was firming up. That means I must be gaining muscle and losing fat somewhere.

When I looked in the mirror this morning, I could see that I had lost some fat in my face :-)

And finally, I was complaining about the whole weight issue to Charlie a couple of days ago, and he totally set me straight. He reminded me that the whole reason I started this thing in the first place is to be healthier. Period. That's all. He said that he's seen changes in me since I started and that I should be proud of everything I'm doing and that as long as I keep it up, the weight will take care of itself. And you know what? He's absolutely right!

It still sucks that it's taking so long to see numerical results, but I know that eventually I will. For now, I'll just keep with it.

I started level 4 yesterday. So far, it's the hardest level I've reached, aside from my very first workout. Up until now, the running/walking distance has been pretty much 50/50. But this is much more running. I now have to run five minutes straight for some of the intervals, and my total running time is up to 19 minutes. I walk only for 13 minutes, and that is INCLUDING my five minute warmup. Not too bad, but I'm really going to have to make sure that I'm staying hydrated and eating right so that I have the energy to make it through this. But I'm doing it, and some days I really can't believe that I can really go that far :-)