Wow...I Suck

I'm so sorry! I can't believe I haven't been on here since College Station. :( Since then, I have run another 5K (3 minutes slower), hurt my leg and recovered for two weeks, kept (mostly) to the eating, and dropped another 6 pounds. I broke the 150 mark yesterday by .4 pounds. This morning I was a solid 149. Committing to never going back over 150!! Today is also a run day! :) I have restarted the C25K program, this time concentrating on going faster during my runs. Whereas I started the program last time at 4mph and was up to 4.8mph when I finished, this time I'm starting at 5.5mph during the runs.

I am still not back on WW proper. I'm trying to get used to using SparkPeople, which was recommended on a blog I love (Runs For Cookies). I really like Spark, in that they have way more foods in their database, but I'm not a huge fan of their recipe builder. Most of the time, I don't want to actually put in a recipe, I just want to find out what the calorie count, etc is on the completed product, and each serving. SparkRecipes actually wants you to put in the directions, etc for the recipe.I guess I just need to commit a whole day to putting our favorite recipes in there so I can access them easily.

So, I know I've said this before, but I'd really like to recommit to this blog! I don't know what's wrong with me that I'll spend 5 hours surfing Pinterest, but can't give 10 minutes to update the blog. The blog helps with accountability! So let's take it one day at a time, okay? :-)

Weight: 149lbs

Day One Back, Not a Smashing Success

Something totally crazy is going on with my food. I fell like I'm starving all day long at work (though I eat breakfast, and have a sandwich, strawberries, grapes and carrots at work), then I get home and I snack ALL NIGHT LONG!! Yesterday, I ate all my nutritious food I brought for lunch then went home and enjoyed my nutritious dinner PLUS:

a gingersnap
3 pieces of candy (my brother-in-law is a chocolateur)
a flour tortilla
3 chips (Chester Cheese Poofs - they're 1 PPV for 10 poofs)
4 Ritz crackers with 1 T blue cheese spread (Rondele - YUMMY)
2 beers

I'm thinking the beers might hold the answer. Perhaps they're making me let my food inhibitions down... Wow - writing down all the little things I snacked on last night really depresses me. Is it any wonder I've been having weight issues when I'm grazing on high-carb/fat foods all night long? At least I put all the ice cream down the drain Monday night, otherwise I'm sure there'd be at least 1/2 cup of ice cream up there too. :-(

So goal number one tonight is to run (got a 5k coming up on Saturday!); goal number two is to NOT drink tonight. Or maybe consider a beer my "dessert" to drink later in the evening instead of while I'm making dinner...

Remember Me?

I'm the dunce that completely feel off the wagon. As in "Wagon? What wagon? I don't remember no stinkin' wagon." And subsequently, I've gained 5 pounds back. This just will not do!

I've unfortunately had to cut out Weight Watchers because of a financial constraint. I'm going to have to go it alone for a little while. That scares me a bit, but seriously, if I stay committed to exercising and (as crazy as it sounds) I spend some time every day online looking at healthy living stuff, I think I can do this. I really, really need to get it together. I had hoped to be at goal by May and that isn't going to happen now. Adjusted goal is July.

I did a virtual 5K on my treadmill on Saint Patrick's Day as part of the Running Mate C25K program I was incredibly slow at 44:34, but at least I ran 3.1 miles! My best friend and I are running a 5k in a local college town this weekend. We're running another one closer to home next weekend. I have downloaded the training plan for the 10K program. I can do this! I love running! I like feeling healthy. I like that my skin looks better when I eat healthy and exercise.

Help me do this!

It's the Little Things

I didn't make it back to my WW meeting on Wednesday and I haven't gotten back on the treadmill yet. Still working hard on the food front though. Hoping my life will once again take on some resemblance of "normal" soon. Probably not till Sunday though.

The scale at home says I'm hovering around 154, which isn't bad after a 2.5 week bender. BUT!! When I tried to wear my favorite pair of capri pants today, I couldn't!! They barely set on my hips! When I put on a belt with them, I looked like a kid wearing their parents' clothes and synching them in. :) YAY!! for the little victories. :)

So I'm still plugging away. I'm not back to where I was (where I need to be), but I'm also not floundering on the side of the road. I am on the wagon! ;-) Hopefully I can get my behind back in the game over the weekend. Sunday is looking like my best bet. Going to be a busy Friday night and Saturday...

Hope you're having a marvelous weekend! If you're in the process of fighting this weight loss battle and trying to build a life of healthy choices, I hope the weekend is easy for you. See you Monday!

Here We Go Again

I started tracking food again today on WW eTools. It's amazing how accountable it makes you feel. I'm not eating any different than I did yesterday, but just writing it down makes you more aware of what you're doing. Seems to help remind me that I have a goal and I am actively working towards it. All from writing it down!

My sis and I did well last night at the Rodeo. We each chose to eat two small chicken fajita tacos (just grilled chicken in a tortilla). We put a miniscule amount of sour cream on them and shared an order of rice and beans. We also had a margarita. Considering all the walking we had to do and the amazing selection of seriously unhealthy food and beverages that were available to us, I think we did an AWESOME job! No funnel cake or Frito Pie, not even a roasted ear of corn (with butter and Parmesan cheese). We done good and I'm proud of us. Baby steps toward being 100% back on program!

Wow. Time Gets Away

I have to admit, I fell off the wagon HARD while family was in town. Then my nephew left me a present upon departure in the form of a very nasty head cold. I think I've gone through two boxes of Puffs in the last week. Still trying to make good eating decisions, but even there, I've gone astray (stuffed avocado, anyone?). My sis, who is also on WW, and I are going to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tonight to see country legends Alabama perform. We will be eating fair food, but we've been plotting what is acceptable and what is not. I will do my utmost to be on program tonight. I want to be back in my meeting and feeling motivated tomorrow (and hopefully, hopefully running tomorrow night). I can *almost* breath normally again. ;-)

Wish me luck! And I swear I'll be back here more. I need the accountability and I've been letting myself slide. :(

I So Sorry

The last week was just nasty. I caught a case of the depresseds and hurt my knee all at once. I tried to stay on program with WW and somewhat succeeded, but "almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. My knee was such that there was NO exercise. So last night, I RAN! And took some steps afterward to prevent future knee pain. My sister in law and her family are flying in tomorrow. They'll be staying with us for a week (her, her husband and my 3 year old nephew).I will be trying to squeeze workouts into all crevices! Just wanted to give you a shout out. I will most likely not post until after they leave, as I won't be coming to work and I hardly use my home computer. Wish me luck! I've come too far to get derailed now!

And...I Hurt

I did not do my Active 2 workouts at all this week. Thursday, we had plans with out-of-town friends. Saturday morning, I was in pain from Friday's long run (shame on me for pushing myself!). Yesterday, I did my C25K run as scheduled and I'm hurting again today. I honestly don't know if I should do Active 2 tonight! Is this the kind of pain that can lead to injury or is this the kind of pain that is muscle development and normal? :( These are the questions I keep asking myself. Do I workout tonight and risk making it worse? Do I put off another workout (that'd be three A2 workouts in a row!). Is it just because C25K has me running for 30 minutes in a session now? Rest or workout? Aaaaaaaggggghhhh!!!

Weight Watcher-wise, I fell completely off the wagon this past week. We went out twice with our friends from Virginia, I had Girls' Nite Saturday and yesterday, we had people (and their food) over for the Super Bowl. I fully expect a gain on Wednesday. :( Which makes the rest or workout question all the more compelling. I also noticed this past week that I've gotten a little bit more lax with the little nibbles. I have some "pita pocket" snacks which are like tiny puffed crackers. I'll grab four or five of them (which, granted, you get 32 for 3PPV) and not count it. I need to start treating every nibble as 1PPV, even if it might not be. I am only halfway to my goal. Now is not the time to be relaxing. I think I just answered my workout question. I don't know if I'll manage to finish the workout (will not "work through" pain), but I'm sure going to at least try to workout tonight.

At Work Challenge... Drum Roll PLEASE!!!!

I did it!!! I did it!!!! I did it!!!!!! That is my chorus for so many things today!

1st - Last night, I got in an Active 2 workout AND 45 minutes on the elliptical!!

2nd - I got up at 5:30 this morning and did W5D1 of the C25K - that's right baby, I ran three 8 minute intervals!! I felt like a goddess this morning (a sweaty, achey goddess mind you, but a goddess none-the-less)

Last but definitely not least - Today is the last weigh in for the Challenge at work that started this blog... I started out at 177 pounds (October 21) and made some allowances while setting my goal. I knew that hubby's birthday, my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas (and New Year's) ALL fell between then and the end of the challenge (February 3). So I tried to figure 2 pounds most weeks with every other week being a 1 pound loss and maintaining for a holiday/birthday. So I set myself a goal of 151 pounds. The WW scale at today's meeting said 151.4!!!!!! I DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Even though there's been no official "Let's keep it going!" decision made here at the office, I've set a new goal for myself. It took me roughly 15 weeks to lose 25 pounds. I realize that the start of the journey is always the easiest. So, my new goal for 5/25/12 is to get down to 135 pounds. That is a really attainable goal from where I sit right now, but I totally expect to have issues along the way. My body is getting used to exercise, so I'll either have to exercise more/harder or adjust the way I eat at different points in the future. So 16 pounds in 16 weeks is what we're looking at.

What are you waiting for? Let's get out there and do this thang!!!

Ouch

Last week, I decided I wasn't getting quite enough of a workout on Active 2 with the resistance band, so I switched my preference to 5lb hand weights. I am definitely thinking this was a good decision for me.With the resistance band, I felt I was just repeating a motion without "working out." No more!! Yesterday, I did two Active 2 workouts to make up for being a slacker on Saturday. 55 mins of pure video game torture.  I HURT!!! The pain is good though. It's the kind of pain that reminds you that you have muscles and that you've been active, or in my case, Active 2 (sorry, I couldn't resist!).

On deck for tonight: another Active 2 workout and hopefully also 45 minutes on the elliptical. Not that I want to use the elliptical, but I'd REALLY like to have a good loss this week. I'm planning to run tomorrow morning before work (we have some friends visiting from out of town and will be meeting up with them after work), so I don't want to do two A2 workouts and be all sore for my first 8 min runs tomorrow (Yep - starting week 5 tomorrow!). I figure the elliptical will burn some calories and count as a workout without being too exhausting. Since we're going out with friends tomorrow night, I am also planning to take an hour at lunch to go to a WW meeting at noon. So I need to get up before the sun, do W5D1 of C25K, get to work at a decent hour, take an hour at lunch for WW and then meet up with hubby and friends. Tired just thinking about it! So let's get out there and do this! And keep your fingers crossed for a really kickass weigh in tomorrow! :-)

Damn Sloth

Aaaaand....the SLOTH came back over the weekend. Friday night was a zoo of activity and I never got onto the treadmill. Saturday I just didn't do a whole lot of ANYTHING. I am happy to say though that I hopped on the treadmill yesterday for W4,D3 of C25K. I'm halfway through the program! WOO HOO!!!! I think I need to reassess my workout calendar. Right now, I'm supposed to be exercising 7 days a week (Sun, Wed and Friday running, Mon, Tues, Thurs and Sat Active 2). That just doesn't strike me as plausible. I need to figure out a way to do some doubling up. I just don't know how I'm supposed to run for 45 minutes and then do Active 2 or vice versa. But I need a day (at least ONE!) of rest every week!Will need to figure that one out sooner rather than later. In the meantime, I haven't had any ice cream (go me!) lately. Hoping my two days off of exercising doesn't put me behind. As it is, tonight's Active 2 workout will be a double since I missed Saturday. I did it to myself.

Still on Program

Did TWO Active 2 workouts last night. Totally whipped my butt, too! But it was totally worth it! Planning to get in at least one tonight, and quite possibly two again. Tomorrow is a run day and my WW Weigh In. Seriously hoping this week of being OP has worked! My 90 Day Challenge ends in two weeks and I need to lose almost 4 pounds to hit the goal I had set! :-D MUST WORK OUT!!! ;-) I promise to post a REAL blog post soon. This week has been a little crazy and stupid. Hoping things settle back down starting tomorrow.

Monday Funday

I finished W3 of the C25K program last Friday, going strong. Saturday I went prom shipping with my sister and nieces, so other than walking for 5.5 hours, did not exercise. Yesterday, I did W4, D1 which required 4 minute runs. I cannot believe I did it! The 5K101 coach, Todd is stressing getting your breathing down during Week 4 and I have to admit, that is a problem for me. I have got to figure out my breathing! LOL! Can't wait till Wednesday's W4D2! Tonight I have to make up for Saturday's laziness with an extra Active 2 workout. Been keeping myself within points so I'm super hopeful of a great weigh in on Wednesday. Sorry for the flyby post, but today was crazy busy and it's not even close to over! See you tomorrow!

Continuing On

Even though I have been living in a cloud and operating on auto-pilot, I have been on program. I got back in to Active 2 last night. I was having password problems and couldn't get my profile to access the interwebs, so I gave up and created a new profile. Figured not working out because I was fussing around with trying to get online was counterproductive and it wasn't like I was actually losing credit for previous exercise in the only way that actually matters (weight loss and health). Yes, my online profile says I have one workout under my belt instead of 40-something. I know the truth though, so I just let it go. I also cut my daily serving of homemade ice cream (ADDICT!!) from a 1/2 cup to a 1/4 cup. Today is Week 3, Day 3 of C25K. I'm looking forward to my run!! :) I'm up to 4.5mph which I know is nothing to crow about, but it's a huge improvement from where I started! :) So life is going on. Even though we're ticking off days left with our sweet puppy, we are also ticking off days in our own lives. I want each day to count in every way it can! Have a great weekend everyone!

I Feel Good Na Na Na Na Na Na Na

I truly do! I love being on Program! I am staying within points every day (even though I'm eating 5PPV homemade French Vanilla Ice Cream ever night!). I'm working out. I'm focused! And I love it! Last night was Week 2, Day 2 of C25K, so I was alternating between 2.5 minutes of jogging and 2.5 minutes of walking. I upped my jogging speed to 4.5MPH. It's the little things y'all! Baby steps! :-D I got a reminder email today to sign up for Clear Lake's Yuri's Night 5K in April. I will be doing that tomorrow (PAYDAY!). Registration is supercheap right now and they threw in a code for more money off. Should only be $15 for the run and that includes a shirt! WOOT! Can't wait. Trying to talk the Bestie into registering and coming along. I think she'd enjoy it.We'll see though. Talked to the Colorado Bestie last weekend. She is planning to be in San Antonio in the fall for a half marathon. I told her to count me in. So excited to have goals!

I just put my weight into the 90 Day Challenge chart and loved seeing the the little downward facing line. My goal from 10/31 when we started the Challenge was to get to 151 pounds by 2/3. That's 3 weeks away and I'm at 155. Looking totally doable! SUCCESS!! Nothing motivates like success, right? :-D

*sigh*

Ten days into the new year and I've already lost a weight loss buddy. :-( Looks like the only one I can count on to do this with me is me.I can't get anyone else interested in nutrition and eating healthy. I can't get anyone to workout with me. It's just me. :( I know I'm on the right track, but it sure is a lonely one. Hubby and I actually had a bit of an argument about things last night. He acts totally resentful of the way I eat and that I'm not really drinking. We're both HUGE fans and advocates for craft beer. I guess he feels betrayed that I'm not all up in our joint hobby right now. But craft beer has a very negative effect on my weight loss goals, so I'm just not willing to indulge right now. In the meantime, it's like he's flaunting unhealthy eating around me. He actually points out his bad choices and how much food he's heaping onto his plate. Last night I reminded him that he told me himself that he wanted to start eating healthier and he needed to stop acting like I was the bad guy for making foods that are better for us. He had no response. Then today my best friend tells me she's quitting WW. I know it's none of my business, but I had kind of been counting on her to be an accountability buddy, and I should have known better. This is my journey and I'm in it by myself. I just really hope this let-down feeling goes away.

So as you can see, I'm not in a good place today. :-( I'm feeling really discouraged and frustrated. Which is silly because the one who matters (ME!!) is on program! I didn't work out last night, but I'm going to crush the shit our of Active 2 and the elliptical tonight. I have some angst to work out! Wish I could leave work now and get that started already cuz I sure could use the endorphins.

So About Last Weekend...

I DID IT!!!! I stayed on program this weekend!! WOO HOO!!! Such a relief. Weekends are such a struggle for me.Friday was excellent. Not only did I stay within my daily PPV, I did 45 minutes on the elliptical on top of doing Week One, Day Three of the C25K program! Saturday, I stayed within PPV but did not exercise. I'm gonna allow it. Yesterday I stayed in PPV and did Week Two, Day One of C25K but added in two extra intervals, so instead of exercising 30 mins, I went a little over 40. :-D Fantastic, right?? Very, very proud of myself. :-)

I haven't touched a single one of my Weekly Points!! Not to mention my Activity PPV! I plan to have a grilled cheese sandwich and some tomato soup for dinner tonight, so I'm sure I'll be dipping into those Weeklies. But it will be okay, because I haven't use ANY up to this point! Why a soup and sandwich? First of all, there's a cold front coming in (FINALLY!! It's been in the 70s/80s here!) and it is super rainy and gray outside. Also, I saw a picture of a grilled cheese sandwich on Pinterest earlier and almost lost my Schmidt. I can't remember the last time a plate of food looked so divinely yummy! I will use sharp cheddar to really get that in-your-face cheese impact. Combined with some tomato soup, I might just die and go to heaven tonight! :)

The Return of Mojo

I'm feeling great about being on program!! And the best news? Hubby (who is a HORRIBLE influence) will be at the Texans game tomorrow and not encouraging me to sit, watch the game and drink beer with him! And speaking of the Texans, GO TEAM!!!!!! WOOT!!!! Sorry. Had to get that out.

Yesterday, I did a 32 minute workout with Active 2 that had me huffing and puffing and generally cursing the "trainer." Hubby walked by at one point and observed "you sound like you're dying" to which I could barely manage a response of  "I AM!!!!" That game has gotten downright vicious! The second part of the 9-week program seems to be "kill 'em with cardio" - which I need, so I will stop bitching now. :)

This week's NSV: Like most women I know, I have several sizes of clothes in my closet. In jeans alone, I have 14s (which is what I've been wearing and when I started this journey they were pretty tight), I have 12s, 10s and one pair of 8s that were my faves once upon a time. This week, when all my 14s were in the washer and I needed to run to the store, I decided to try to squeeze into a 12 just to get to the store and back. I didn't have to squeeze!! In fact, I'm wearing a pair today and they feel great! Can I get an HALLELUJAH??? Non-Scale Victories really do help immensely. Like I said yesterday, the scale has not really moved for me lately (totally my own fault!!), so something like fitting into some old jeans is hugely inspirational and motivating.

Today is my last Week 1 workout on the C25K program. I am so seriously loving this program! I am excited about each of my runs. I think buying the treadmill might have been the smartest thing I've ever done. :-D

Not Taking Any More Chances

I really allowed myself to be completely off program the last two weeks. Christmas and New Years completely derailed me. I'm a bit surprise by that. It's not like I had plates of cookies around or people demanding my time and attention. I got a video game that wasn't workout related for Christmas, and I spent hours a day sitting and playing it! I kept telling myself to get up and workout and I just didn't. I seriously cannot tell you how amazed and thrilled I am that it didn't end up biting me in the ass. I didn't even have a week with no weight loss. But think of how much more I could have lost if I'd just put down Lego Harry Potter for 30 minutes every day and gotten in a quick, even half-ass, workout? I'm kicking myself! I've seen all kinds of goodies on Pinterest about making exercise like a meeting. It is non-negotiable, it is scheduled and it must be done. I really need to work on that. I can't keep taking risks with my weight loss success. It's entirely too important to fail at. "Never give up on something you can't go a day without thinking about"!

Along those lines, I went home after my WW meeting last night and did the week one, day two of C25K workout. I hate to say that it was easy (2min jog, 3 min walk intervals) because I know the hard days are around the corner. I'm really looking forward to learning to run though! I have run in the past, but I've always gotten myself injured, usually from pushing myself too hard/far too fast. Not this time!! I am determined. I *will* get in at least one half marathon this year!!

So here's to a new year of less excuses, more dedication and better decisions. :)

And Here We Are in January

Can you believe it? The holidays are passed and it is now January. THANK GOD!!!!! No more excuses for being a lazy slug. No more trying to prioritize between social events and working out. No more cookies and casseroles!! YAY!!!!!!! No wonder people feel uplifted and make resolutions in January. After a month and a half of hectic gluttony, you NEED to make some changes!!

I bought a treadmill last Thursday evening! It took us until Saturday to get it upstairs into the exercise room. I started the Couch 2 5K program Sunday morning. 25 minutes of 2 minutes running mixed with 3 minutes walking. I was actually pretty surprised that I could run 2 minutes without dying. I think I was pushing speed too much when I was running outside because one minute was a stretch. I haven't run in weeks and I could run 2 minutes without panting too badly? Hmmm.... Definitely thinking that having the treadmill tell me my speed and pacing me helps! My goal is to run Sunday (long run later), Wednesday and Friday. I'll use the elliptical machine and/or Active 2 the other 3 to 4 days. I've set up Active 2 to no longer make me do Mountain Climbers. They're a great cardio workout, but just killed my knee. Not worth derailing myself to get in 60 second intervals of one exercise. Yesterday's Active 2 workout was 30 minutes! Doesn't seem like a 5 minute increase should have felt like much, and maybe it wouldn't have if I'd been consistent with my exercise, but that whipped my bootie!!

Accountability partners: My friend Lisa started a workout group on Active 2 so we can "workout together," my best friend in Colorado and I have a Marathon group on Facebook to try to motivate each other with running training. And my Texas best friend AND my sister are both starting on WW as well. I feel pretty blessed to have a support system in place right now. Hopefully we all push/cajole/inspire each other to stick with it!!