Diet Splendor

Not a fluke

2012-02-16T11:59:00.002-05:00

I guess the weight increase was not just a simple fluctuation that would work itself out. :( Still 164 today, despite being pretty much perfect yesterday with eating and working my butt off. I did 2 workouts of 30 minutes each, split up this time. A walk/jog in which I made some major running progress, and went about a mile without stopping for a walk break, then another 1/2 mile without slowing, and that is pretty great for me these days. The second workout was strength. And I did over an hour more painting, which I swear should count as a partial workout. ;-)

No snacking, except 2 strawberries while cooking dinner. Lots of water. Decent meals. But no progress. I can't even blame it on the time of the month, since I am not even close to that week yet. Ugh.

Oh well. This is just a challenge of my motivation and willpower. I will succeed. It obviously may take me much longer to get to the 150s than I thought, but I will get there.

If Saturday night's even fancy restaurant dinner out does not ruin me. I really don't even want to go, but it is a friend's birthday and we haven't seen them in a while, so I think we are going to go. I hate spending lots of money at a place when I don't really even want anything. Maybe I can find an appetizer for my meal. Ugh.

Hopefully on Tuesday I will have better news to report. My goal is now to be under 162, I will be ok with even 161.8. Well, my original goal would have been to hit 160 next Tuesday, but that is most likely impossible.

Competition Halfway Point

2012-02-15T11:24:00.003-05:00

Well yesterday marked 6 weeks into the competition, halfway done! Kinda hard to believe it's been that long, but at the same time hard to believe there are still 6 more weeks of this.

I thought I did good this week, and Sunday was down to 162.8. Then I skipped weighing Monday only because it was sooooo cold, and then Tuesday I was somehow up to 164.4. WTF?? Ugh. That made a 0.2 lb gain for the week, which I don't get AT ALL. I really don't think I did anything Sunday or Monday to justify a gain.

Now it is harder to judge if it was just random bloating or what, because yesterday was Valentine's day and I was moody from the weigh-in too, so I did not eat very well. The first half of the day was ok, except a handful of nuts/snack mix I shouldn't have had. Then we had a steak dinner at home, with lower carb veggies and salad, so also not too bad, but I probably ate too large a portion of steak. The bad part was I had a valentine's chocolate covered caramel AND dessert, which I made a yummy hot chocolate chip cookie topped with ice cream, lighter ice cream, but still, I'm sure those sweets were at least 400, maybe 500 calories I did not need.

Despite that, I was still back down a little bit today, to 164 even. But I won't be happy until I see 162 now, since I feel like that's where I should have already been yesterday.

Anyway, I am trying extra hard to eat completely clean today, drink nothing but water and a ton of water (think I may have had too much tea earlier in the week), and do a hard workout. I really really want to get back in forward motion. I dropped back to 6th place from 4th in the competition, which is ok, but the one person I most want to beat edged in front of me, and would not have if I'd stayed at 162.8, so I really want to fight my way back. I was so hoping to be in the 150s very soon, and now it feels so much farther away, boo.

Breakfast Fail

2012-02-10T10:20:00.003-05:00

I got the brilliant idea to make a carrot cake protein shake this morning... huge huge fail. Omg, it was so gross, I can't even describe it. I'm sure it would have been better if I'd juiced the carrots instead of just blanching and then blending them, because the gritty texture was the worst thing. But the flavor was not very good either, even when I basically drowned it in cinnamon. Ick. I like carrot cake, but this did not work at all! At least it was healthy.

It made so much, and I hate wasting things, so I am going to attempt to use some of what's left in oatmeal tomorrow. Hopefully when cooked more and blended with stuff that is supposed to be clumpy/whatever, it will be ok. I just can't believe that was so terrible. I even searched for recipes and saw that other people have made similar things, and they liked it. Oh well, never know till you try.

Whew. So, now that I am getting over that gross breakfast, I can report that after half a week staying the same (seems like my body does that every single week), I have dropped one more pound. Down 15.2! Over 8% lost. I think I'm currently in 4th place in the competition, but not everyone posted their results, and 2 of the people who didn't were within 2 spots of me last week, so it's possible I am still 6th. But, the important part is, I am closing the gap to the 2 leaders (it helped that they both had a lousy week when I had a good one!). As of Tuesday, I was less than 2% away from the leader, so if I can just keep better progress than them, maybe I will catch up. It was starting to feel impossible that anyone would have a chance of catching up. We are only halfway through, anything can happen. And if not, I am still really striving for my 150 goal by March 27th. I can do this!

Last night I ate more than I should have. I was feeling compulsive eating urges coming on, and it was so so hard to resist. I think it was because we had pasta for dinner. I've been cutting way way back on high carb meals like that, and it's like it just triggered something in me. I had dessert like I almost always do (a low fat frozen yogurt bar), but then added extra peanut butter mixed with cool whip on top, and then had a handful of honey roasted peanuts I should not have eaten. Oh, and a bite of dried mango. And I still wanted more so bad. I don't know how I managed to lose a pound. All I can say is maybe my body really needed to eat more in order to lose, and it wasn't completely emotional craziness? Whatever, I am going to try hard not to repeat that, just because I didn't like feeling out of control, and back to my old ways, AT ALL.

My working out has been great, I can now do 10 regular push ups in a row instead of knee ones. I did 3 sets of 10 spread out yesterday, and some random chair dips and crunches. That was all in addition to my real workout, so it felt good to do. Today I am doing 30DS level 1 for the last time before I move up to level 2. I am going to try to do most of it with 8lb weights this time (started with all 5lbs and last time I was switching between 8 and 5). I also got a few more Jillian videos including the yoga one to try out, because I definitely want to vary my activity as much as possible.

P.S. I'm only 20 lbs from just about the lowest weight I've been. That doesn't sound so bad when I've already lost 15! What if I could make that in just 10 weeks?? It would be so amazing. I know I probably won't, but even if it takes 20 weeks, I want to get there and beyond!

Mondays are my new favorite

2012-02-06T13:35:00.002-05:00

Why does it seem like I always have the lowest weight on Monday? Then it usually goes up again on Tuesday, but whatever. I will take today's weight of 164.2, which is 2.8lbs less than last Monday! Yay! I think last week was inflated some due to my time of the month, but anyways, I am still super happy with this week, even if it goes up tomorrow for my official challenge weigh in. I am hoping to move up a couple spots in the competition, but if not, I still killed it this week.

My eating was practically perfect (what I consider perfect/not cheating, which includes some wiggle room!), especially considering a girl's night on Friday which involved everyone bringing food. But I stuck to my plan very well, and had no alcohol or dessert (even the lighter dessert that was brought) either. No restaurant meals for the weekend, which was great. Sunday we didn't have a super bowl party to go to for once, so it wasn't hard to resist eating junk. I actually was having some emotional issues last night and did not feel like eating, so I just had a bit of grilled chicken, zucchini, and acorn squash for dinner, which is much less than I usually do. Weird, because emotional times usually lead me to want to eat, but I really did not want to at all this time.

I did a kayak trip with yoga on the beach session on Saturday and wow, that was so much more of a workout than I expected. I haven't kayaked in forever, and when I did, it was usually a river with more of a current to help you along. This bay trip seemed like a lot more work. My upper back/shoulders are still sore. The yoga was faster paced and more challenging than I expected too, but it felt great to get in totally different types of exercise this weekend. I took Sunday for a much needed rest day, as I don't really feel like I've had a complete rest day in weeks.

I am excited to be less than 5 lbs from the lowest weight I got to last year and it's only a week into February. I still think I have a shot at hitting 150 or just under by the end of my weight loss competition, and that would be so so awesome. I am ready to continue trying my best! I don't want to quit this time until I have seen 140 - my ultimate goal that always seems just out of reach. I have to make it happen!!

First Month Done, Many More to Go

2012-02-03T11:43:00.002-05:00

Well, it's February 3rd, which means exactly one month has passed since my weight loss challenge started. I am down 11.8 lbs. Not bad, obviously, but still a little disappointing considering 7 of that was the first week. I was really hoping for 2lbs a week since the first week, but haven't been making that. Oh well. I am only 7 lbs from my lowest weight last year and it is barely February, so I am confident I will see much better this year. So far, it's not looking so good that I'll make the top 3 of this competition (only in 6th place right now, out of like 29), but we are only 1/3 of the way done, so who knows what will happen. I am just going to try my best, without depriving myself too much.

I am doing amazing at working out, and very good with eating too, but have been finding too many peanuts to snack on lately. I am working at being better with that. But I know I'll never get perfect at this, and that's ok. It's all about moderation, because I need to learn that so I can live this way for good.

Until next time, plateau!

2012-01-30T13:48:00.002-05:00

Finally. Holy crap, that was tough to get through all the waiting I have done to see the scale move lately. It was stuck on the same number foreeeeeever, even though I was eating well and working out just about daily. Saturday morning it was finally nice to me, and even more so today, so I am excited. I am down over 11 lbs now, in less than 4 weeks, so I will take it. Probably still no where close to catching up to the leaders in the competition, but I am close to catching up to my own 2lb per week loss average goal (excluding week 1), so that is great. 2 lbs to get back to last summer's 165 weight and 7 lbs to last year's lowest weight. And onward from there!!

I had a great weekend, though it did involve a little splurging in the form of rum (mostly in diet coke, plus a little of my friend's light cranberry + soco). I had a few drinks, but watched my eating like a hawk (no cheat/restaurant meals this week!) and came out of the weekend with a victory.

What kind of crap..

2012-01-23T10:32:00.002-05:00

Seriously, either my body or my scale are against me this week. I don't get it AT ALL. I have been doing everything right, as good as last week, for sure, and I have been hovering at least 1/2 pound higher than I was last Tuesday ever since. So so frustrating! I've been trying to switch up things a little to confuse my body against plateauing, but apparently, it is not working. It really sucks to work so hard and get negative progress. I am going to hate having to admit that tomorrow in our official challenge weigh in. Maybe I'll get lucky and the scale will finally give me a pound off??

I took a rest day from exercising yesterday. It was really the first complete rest day I've taken since starting 3 weeks ago, and I thought maybe my body needed that to drop some water weight from my muscles being sore or whatever. But it did nothing but make me feel like a slacker.

Oh well. All I can do is hang in there. I know I am eating healthy and getting stronger, hopefully it will start coming off again very soon.

Well. Well well well.

2012-01-20T10:21:00.002-05:00

It is a good thing that I am above the scale. Maybe only slightly, but still above. After telling me the exact same reading 3 days in a row, today said 1.4 lbs higher. Ok, I know there are fluctuations occasionally, and one day last week I saw a slight increase only to go back down the next day, which was no big deal. But what gets me was today was the first day I woke up feeling lighter and thinner, and I was so sure I had broken through that 3 day reading and would see a pound lost. So sure. I would have bet money on it. Well, dead wrong I was. That pretty much sucks. Normally I would say, oh, I just worked out so hard, my muscles must be building or retaining water or whatever. But yesterday was a slow 4 mile walk day, the same walk we've been doing for years, so definitely nothing muscle challenging.

But I definitely did not eat 4,000 or so calories, let alone that many over what I should have to maintain. So I will just have to try harder and wait it out. Most people would just tell me not to weigh every day, but if I hadn't, I would have assumed I was doing great based on how I felt and would have felt even worse if a whole week had resulted in nothing or in a gain. So, oh well, I am a slave to the scale for the next 9.5 weeks anyways.

I am going to continue with my planned eats for today except possibly skipping a high carb side at dinner that I might have otherwise had, drink tons of water in case I just had too much salt or something, and work my butt off. Mostly because tomorrow night we are splurging at a restaurant to use up a groupon I got a while back that is almost expiring. I will try to at least take half my meal home for later, but I still want to be very good today and earlier tomorrow to try to make up for it. I really want to see -2lbs (from yesterday's weight, not today's!) on Tuesday.

2 weeks down, 10 to go

2012-01-17T14:20:00.003-05:00

We had our 3rd weigh in for the competition today (including starting weigh in). I am down 9 lbs in 2 weeks! Pretty good.. I am going to work hard not to slip down to only 1lb a week loss, which is what my body tends to like to do. I really want 2lbs a week until the end of the competition. That would put me just under 150 lbs, or my wedding weight, which would be awesome, and only 10lbs from normal BMI.

My workouts have been kick-ass, and eating much healthier still, but not trying to be perfect. We grilled steak last night and it was awesome! Served with a light salad and baked sweet potato with spray ICBINB, splenda and cinnamon, so not too terrible of a meal overall, and worth it. Made us not miss eating out so much. I love that grill.

Keeping up the motivation to go full steam ahead will be challenging, especially with valentine's day and our 3rd wedding anniversary looming in the next 2 months, but I plan to be strong and get through it with only one actual cheat meal here and there (and working out harder those days).

Here's to getting healthy!!

8 Days in, 7.6lbs down

2012-01-11T19:17:00.001-05:00

Not too shabby. Almost a pound a day, except really, 4lbs of that was after just 1 day. Shows how much overkill I did the last week before I started dieting... well, the last 2 months, really.

Anyway, things are going really well. The challenge is motivating me, even though I'm only in 6th place out of like 30, but I am hanging in there. It's been long enough now that I'm not nearly as hungry or having sugar cravings. Eating healthy is already starting to feel normal. I can't even believe how many fresh veggies and fruits I've had in the last 8 days. Definitely the majority of my food. It's been fun coming up with new things/recipes to try.

I am super sore today from yesterday's workouts. Did some jogging before my 4mile walk and then yoga, plus we have been painting the laundry room on and off since last weekend. Still more of that to do, blah.

I am chicken to share this blog

2012-01-03T11:40:00.003-05:00

Back again, a perpetual January Joiner. I am only posting for myself it seems, since I haven't really introduced this blog to my friends or family. I just like to log my progress a little and it is kind of fun to look back and see where I was last year, etc. I thought about starting a new one and telling people about it, but I always quit writing eventually too, and that is lame.

This year I have a new challenge. A biggest loser challenge my friend started. We all put in $20 and the pot is split by the top 3 people (50% to 1st, 30% to 2nd, 20% to 3rd). I think around 25 people are starting today, so it is just giving me that little bit of extra motivation. Sometimes I can be a very competitive person, so I am hoping this will help me keep things going. The competition goes almost through the end of March. Last year I had lost about 23 lbs by the end of March, which probably wouldn't be enough to win this competition, but it is by percentages, so maybe. I hope to lose more than that this time, but we'll see.

I am starting at 178.4. Funny enough, that is exactly 10 lbs less than I started at last year. That means a little harder to lose as much, but I am really glad I at least kept off a tiny bit of my loss from last year. My goal was to not gain from the 165 I was in the summer, but of course, football season, vacation, stress, and holidays got to me, as always. That is ok, I am ready to get it off. I am doing the same methods I always do, portion control without cutting out entire types of foods completely, and working out lots more.

Oh yeah, I finally bought a house. It took over 6 months from signing the contract to closing, (evil short sales), but we finally closed Dec 13th, so now that the craziness of holidays are over, we can get to all the work of organizing, unpacking, painting, etc. I am looking forward to it though, and hopefully staying busy will also help with weight loss.

What happened to April?

2011-05-05T10:47:00.002-04:00

I feel bad that I have fallen away from blogging again, and especially from reading blogs. I just feel like my life is upside down and I haven't had a second to think. I have not been doing so well on the losing weight front. Well, at least, I haven't been caring enough about what I eat, and I have slacked majorly on working out. Somehow I still haven't really gained weight (still around 160), so I should be happy with that, but I feel like a bum. I could have easily been in the mid 150s by now if I had kept going. Instead, I quit tracking what I ate too, so it is almost a complete 180. I have been trying more this week, since one of my male friends said I was skinny on Saturday, so I was trying to hang on to that as motivation.

My whole energy has been focused on obsessing over this house. We are still trying to get it, and it is such a complicated process. I mean, it's been almost a whole month since we submitted the initial offer, and pretty much nothing has happened since then except stress. We still haven't even inspected. There is still not a great chance we will get this, but I want it so bad.

So, I am hanging in there.

Goodbye 160s!!!

2011-04-11T10:23:00.002-04:00

Ok, this might be premature since it was just one day's reading, but I was super excited to see 159.8 today! Man, I feel like I have been waiting for that forever! I never made it out of the 160s during my weight loss attempts in 2010. It makes me feel so good that I saw it after a weekend too, because I certainly wasn't perfect this weekend, but I tried to be reasonable with my splurges.

Friday night was really stressful because we were going through the paper work to put in an offer for the house. (It's a low offer, so probably won't happen, but we should know later today or tomorrow if their counter offer would be completely out of reach for us.) Saturday we got up super early to go to Gainesville. I had one burger and a small cookie during our tailgating, and we had a pretty healthy dinner that night, so that was good. I had no alcohol, which never happens in Gainesville, lol. Yesterday I made up for not working out Saturday by hitting the gym early. I did have one margarita (made with mix at home, so it was about 200 calories, not too horrible) with my friend and we made tacos for dinner, which I always overindulge at least a little with. But I still lost weight, so that is cool.

I now have 10 lbs to my wedding weight and 20 lbs to go for healthy BMI. That sounds like so little when I've already lost almost 30. But I am still worried I will get too comfortable and start slacking. So many more of my clothes fit now, so I feel better about myself, but I don't want to give up.

Hanging in there

2011-04-07T13:54:00.002-04:00

Well, the past 2 days have been very stressful because of loan stuff. It turns out, not only are we not anywhere near getting the house we want, but they keep lowering the amount they're willing to loan us every time we talk to them! It is so unfair, because our credit is perfect, but they are punishing us for being self employed, even though our income has come from the same 2 companies consistently for the past 5-6 years! AGH! It totally sucks. I am starting to get fed up with it all and feel like we will never get a house we really like at this rate.

But, I've been doing my best with eating (well, not BEST, since I still allow a sweet every day, but good enough) and still working out. I had to split my workouts into 2 separate ones on Monday and Wednesday because I just wasn't feeling it or had a headache, but I did make an hour total both times, so it worked out. I am getting much stronger, doing all kinds of squats and lunges with weights or jumps incorporated and my legs are never sore anymore (which always makes me feel I'm still not doing enough). And my 15lb weights for arm exercises are starting to feel too light, though I am scared to buy 20 lb ones to move up to.

Dropped another pound today to 161.6, so I am so close to the 150s now.. and less than 20 lbs from passing the lowest weight I've been in my adult life (that was 142.6 I think). I'll try my best not to ruin things this weekend, though I'm not sure when I can get in a workout since we are leaving early to go to Gainesville on Saturday. I may just move my rest day a day early and work out hard on Sunday instead.

Truckin along Tuesday

2011-04-05T10:24:00.003-04:00

162.6. Well, at least I got most of the gain from this weekend off already. That is a relief. Now to KEEP GOING. 22.6 lbs to healthy BMI range. It feels both close and so far away. I WILL get there this time. No getting too comfortable and slipping into laziness again.

I did 8 pushups in a row before switching to knee ones yesterday. I probably could have done more, but I still haven't been pushing myself a whole lot lately. Probably should step it up and find some new workouts to do since I dread going back to 30DS level 3 so much. I want to get back to 150 before I even think about trying P90x, but I definitely need some new routines or I am going to start getting bored.

I guess I don't have much to say today.

Family visit is over

2011-04-04T18:32:00.004-04:00

Time to get my act together. I have just not been doing well at keeping my eating down lately. Blah! My sister and her family spent the weekend here, so my weekend involved chickfila, a huge mexican restaurant meal, mom's lasagna, and a bunch of cookies. I did work out on Saturday, and tried to do a little bit yesterday (I randomly did some cardio in between checking on the batches of cookies I was making, lol). So, at least my workout habits haven't been ruined. But I definitely need to quit my eating cycle. It's just been harder to make myself care lately, and that is no good. The scale has been down and back up since I last posted. I saw 162.2 I think on Saturday, but today was over 164 again. Totally sucks. But, I am trying hard to get back down now, and hopefully into the 150s very soon. I wore a bikini at the beach. No, I don't have a bikini body, but I guess I have no shame. ;-) I think I looked ok, certainly not as good as many people I saw, but better than several I saw also wearing bikinis, so whatever. I am not going to worry about it, I'll just continue to try to look better each time I have to wear one. Next weekend is going to involve more challenges, since we are going to Gainesville with another couple we are close friends with on Saturday, so we'll either be eating pizza or grilling out before the game. In other news, or rather lack of news, I still have not heard a word about our pre approval application. Over 2 weeks has passed, and I have no clue if anything is progressing at all. SO frustrating! And what the heck is with this stupid blog losing all my formatting every time I post, gah!

I will not have sweets, I will not have sweets

2011-03-31T20:31:00.004-04:00

That is what I am repeating at the moment. I vowed to not have any sweets today, and so far so good. I told my husband my mission, so he has helped keep me away from them, but man, is it tempting right now when he is not around at the moment. I am being good because yesterday I succumbed to too many sweet snacks, plus the weekend is going to be full of them. So, I wanted one clean day today. My sister and her family are coming in from Georgia tomorrow, so I decided it would be a good excuse to have a chocolate chip cookie baking spree, and I made 5 kinds of dough last night to test which one is the best recipe. So yeah, a fridge full of cookie dough is tempting me (hello, period week), but I'm not having any today, and I will be giving lots away to others, so hopefully the damage will not be too bad. Anyway. I still have not found out if we are preapproved or not. The past 2 weeks have been ridiculously stressful. And we are still waiting, for who knows how long. I haven't weighed daily since I'm on my period anyway, but today was at 163.8, so still a little bit up from Saturday, but I am alright with that. Honestly, if I can get through this house finding process with a break even weight, I will be ok, because I know once I am busy packing and moving, the scale will be nice for a while. But I am still trying to keep making progress, regardless of stress. I do have to have a dr appointment in 2-3 weeks, so I was really hoping to be at least close to breaking into the 150s by then, we will see. I haven't missed any workouts, though I have taken it a little easier still, and haven't managed to do 30DS since the stress started. I am doing strength on my own though, so that is still good. Just need to watch my food a little more. Ugh, sorry about the formatting, I totally put in paragraphs twice, but it is not saving right for some reason.

No news isn't good news

2011-03-25T20:42:00.002-04:00

Still waiting to find out anything about our mortgage pre approval application. Meanwhile, our favorite backup house is already under contract, as are several others we looked at. So basically, if our dream house doesn't work out, it's back to the drawing board, except there is hardly anything new popping up, so the prospects don't look so great. I am still hanging on to a shred of hope that our favorite will work out.

I have been holding at 163 even since yesterday, so that is great. Over 25 lbs lost, 23-33 left to go. I haven't done 30DS all week though, so I feel bad about that, but I have still gotten in some strength training in my workouts. Hoping to have more energy next week (and if I get good news, that should definitely happen).

Planning on having a few drinks tomorrow. My friends and I are finally having a girls night (the last few didn't work out for me), but I really need it this time. That's all that's planned for the weekend, no meals out, hopefully (girls are having a potluck tomorrow instead of eating out).

Stress Stress Stress

2011-03-23T19:03:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am still freaking out about my dream house. Nothing has changed since Monday except my moods have wildly fluctuated back and forth, from completely crushed to slightly optimistic. I am not sure where I am at right now. Mostly just disappointed.

I have spent the last few days not feeling like working out or eating. I ate fine, definitely not over my portions, and still worked out, but not as hard core as I was doing before. The past 2 days the scale has said 163.8, so I am still making progress. That is almost 25 lbs down (and would be over 25 lbs down if I was still using the same scale I started with). And over halfway to my healthy weight goal, so that's exciting. Especially because I think that losing weight is going to be easier since my mind is on so many other things instead of food, plus all the physical work of moving, which better happen in May, one way or the other. :)

Life gets in the way

2011-03-21T18:43:00.002-04:00

Today's Weight: 165.4. Down from last Monday, but still 0.4 up from 8 days ago. However, I feel this is going to change because I am so stressed out. For once, I'm stressed enough to not want to eat instead of eating too much. I have really worked myself up about this house, far too much, and now I have to wait a week to find out if we are preapproved or not.. but most likely not, which makes me so so sad because I never thought I'd find my dream home and be so close to it but just out of reach.

Anyway, I am not in the mood to blog, or read blogs right now, I slacked on my workout today, but I am doing the best I can and trying to be optimistic. I need to spend my time looking for additional work or a better job immediately, so that is what I will be doing.

Exciting Times

2011-03-18T13:25:00.002-04:00

But not really on the weight loss front. I am excited because hopefully we are going to look at houses this weekend! I actually accidentally found an amazing one that is out of the price range we were looking in, but is probably manageable since we are more savers than spenders and it is a really fabulous deal that would be worth it I think. It is huge (almost 5 times the size of my 2/2 apartment!) and completely awesome, with a pool/hot tub inside the house and everything. I really want to at least look at it, so hopefully we can do that really soon!

As far as weight loss goes, I am finally a little bit lower, but still not back to the 165 I was last weekend. Today was 166.6. I am hoping for 165 on Monday, but if not, I am really ok with that. I feel like I am mentally back on track now, and that's what matters most. I will keep trying! And maybe I will lose lots of weight when I have to organize/pack/move all of my crap pretty soon! :)

I am officially getting another nephew (this will be my 4th! and only one niece), so that is what we are celebrating at breakfast tomorrow. My sister-in-law is due in August.

Today is a new day

2011-03-16T11:53:00.002-04:00

And one that I plan to grab by the horns. I really need to get motivated again and stay that way, because this trend is going to ruin me if I keep it up.

Yesterday was not so good at all. The expo we went to was far too much of a temptation for me. I ate way too much plus did more snacking (cheese balls! ack!) later last night. The worst thing was that my legs were still so sore, I decided I had to finally take a real rest day, so I didn't work out either. That sucks! I avoided the scale today, but I am determined to work hard the rest of the week, and hopefully see 165 again on Monday.

Mo goals until Monday:
- lotsa water and very little of any other drinks (hoping to flush out any excess sodium I am sure all this crap food has loaded me with)
- work out every day, no excuses
- no junk food snacking
- be strict on portions
- keep breakfast out on Saturday to a reasonable meal (I am going to try to take 1/2 home even though it won't be as good reheated)
- no other meals out

Happy Pi Day

2011-03-14T22:58:00.001-04:00

Just me with a mini coconut cream pie I made today with the leftover filling from my coconut cream pie cupcakes. This hasn't been eaten yet, I just wanted a pic with it. :)

Eating out.. when will it end??

2011-03-14T15:19:00.002-04:00

Well my weekend recap goes kinda like this:

Friday: girl's night out cancelled, but went to the mall and had chick-fil-a instead. I chose a pack of nuggets and side salad, so was still fine on the day's calories. It was way good. Succeeded at my 2 split workouts and was happy with the day.

Saturday: weighed in at 165! that was awesome, but I knew wouldn't be possible to hold on to with the events looming. Ended up going to a friend's house and she ordered pizza for dinner. I brought a salad to share, so I had some salad and 2 slices of pizza. It was a big pizza, but very thin (and I skipped the crusts). Resisted eating any chips/dip or sweets, and breakfast/lunch were light, so the day ended up ok. Got in a 30 min run/walk mix on the treadmill (which apparently KILLED my legs! they are still soooo sore).

Sunday: still at 165! Amazing. Managed a quick living room workout before brunch. Stupid time change left me without enough time to do as much as I wanted, so I settled for 20 minutes plus warmup/cooldown. Brunch was super good, and I didn't restrain myself much, but I could have been more stuffed when I finished (and have been in the past). Had 2 plates, plus some dessert. Held me over most of the day, and I just had a cup of tomato soup and some salad for dinner. Wanted to get another workout, but my legs were super sore, so I just did some shopping and lots of cleaning around the house.

Today: Of course, the scale was back to 167ish. I am hoping most is water weight (plus for a little TMI, I hadn't gotten rid of any of that brunch yet), so we'll see if tomorrow's goes back down some. I'm not counting this weigh in officially. It's my anniversary, I want a day off from official weight recording! My husband surprised me with Mcdonalds for breakfast. He never ever does stuff like that, so it was sweet (and he got me roses which is also extremely rare). It was a sausage/egg/cheese mcgriddle, cuz he knows I like those and only get them maybe once a year, if that. I only had half and will have the rest tomorrow, so it was 280 calories, not too awful. I still feed bad about all this eating out though, especially since tomorrow evening we are going to an event a friend is having for work, which is a taste event with tons of vendors giving out food. I will try my best to restrain myself and be reasonable. Saturday we have to go to breakfast with husband's family, but other than that, I am resisting any meals out as much as possible for the rest of March.

The good news is with all this eating out, I haven't thrown in the towel. In the past, I probably would have declared it a whole cheat week by this point and gone crazy with the intention of "restarting" next week. But I'm definitely not doing that, and I'm definitely giving my workouts all I've got to try to make up for some less than stellar meal choices. I am going to see 165 again by the end of the week! It was such a nice thing to see!

Weekend Temptations, Here They Come!

2011-03-11T14:45:00.003-05:00

It's Friday. Usually these leave me with mixed feelings. Happy to be able to chill and have fun on the weekend, but leery of eating out without going crazy and not getting in enough activity. Also, I'm usually happy with the scale on Fridays, but today it wasn't feeling like cutting me a break. Pretty much the same reading all week, but let's hope the weekend pushes it down a little. I am not too greedy after last week, but I at least want to see a half pound loss after all my work.

Yesterday we skipped walking because the WORMS are everywhere. Actually I looked it up, and I think they are called oak leaf rollers. Anyways, all the trees are COVERED with them in the Tampa area right now. I probably got about 20 of them on me at different points during our Tuesday walk, so we just decided it wasn't worth it. I hit the gym instead, and did 40 min elliptical and 20 treadmill, so that was nice. Today I tried out 30DS level 3 again, with shoes this time, and my foot didn't hurt at all, so that was great. Although, I didn't do 100% of the jumping moves to full capacity, but still worked up a sweat majorly. I am splitting my workouts in 2 again today, because I'm going out with some friends tonight. I think doing split workouts really helps me sometimes anyway, so maybe I will make that a regular once a week switch up.

We are going to Chili's... one of my fave places, for things like their loaded soup and caesar salad with unlimited chips deal or the monster smokehouse burgers (mmm, smoked cheddar, bacon, and bbq, best ever!). But I checked out the nutrition online, and I am going to go with a caribbean chicken salad instead. 610 calories, but I'll get the dressing on the side and try not to use it all. That is pretty decent for a meal out, so I'm fine with it, but still trying to work out extra well, because tonight was not my scheduled treat meal! That is still coming up Sunday. Goodness! I have been so good about not eating out more than once a week, and that is going out the window this weekend. Oh well.

Anyways, I am hanging in there. Let's hope Monday's weigh in after that brunch buffet Sunday is not going to be a nightmare!

Holding Steady

2011-03-09T18:34:00.003-05:00

The past few days have been the same. I did 30DS level 3 on Monday, but I think the problem I had with my foot is back, so I skipped the video today. I tried my best to incorporate a lot of the moves from the different levels that were less impact in my own workout, and I tried out doing fewer reps with my 15lb weights (instead of the 5lb I use with the video) for the arm exercises, since I'm always looking to confuse my body anyway. It is pretty easy for me to do 10-12 reps with 15lbs for most exercises anyway. Hope it helps some. I haven't decided if I am going to try 30DS again Friday or wait until next week, but I think wearing shoes does help, so I will at least do that next time (yes I am a slacker and work out at home barefoot).

I've felt awfully hungry today, so that kinda sucks and led me to a bit more snacking than I wanted, but meh. I am doing ok. One day at a time. :)

Finally a great week!

2011-03-07T11:18:00.002-05:00

Today's weigh in: 167.4. Awesome! That is 3.4lbs less than last Monday! I really couldn't believe the scale this week, it said I dropped about a pound a day for 4 days in a row, but then went back up one today, which I completely expected. I even got on my old scale yesterday to make sure the new one wasn't crazy, and it actually said 165.6, so I'm confident today's reading is pretty accurate. I'm down 21 lbs! At this rate, I wish I were on my period every week, lol.

The best part is, I finally had a real cheat meal this weekend, I didn't feel bad about it, and I still lost weight! :) We went out to a New Orleans style restaurant (got a great deal thru restaurants.com!), and I kept my meal pretty light (it was a normal size -not the huge size most places serve- salad with pecans, lean smoked ham, croutons, and a raspberry vinaigrette), so that I could splurge on the real reason my husband wanted to go there: beignets! I had 3 of them, and they were so worth the calories. Besides, I had burned 530 calories on the elliptical that morning and the rest of my calories for the day were on the lighter side, so I felt really good about the day.

Today is Monday (9 weeks in!) and I'm hoping to get through the week well, because this weekend will be more challenging. 2 planned outings with friends (hopefully I can plan to just eat at home before/after these things), plus our anniversary brunch (and I totally am going to enjoy that - after an intense workout of course!).

Just "overweight", not obese

2011-03-04T11:14:00.002-05:00

I made it through another day strong, with the motivation to keep under 170, and it seems to have worked. Today's weight was even less: 168.2! Not only is that below obese BMI range, but it's also past the 20 lb loss mark (which is halfway to my original goal for the entire year)! I am trying not to get too excited, because tomorrow could easily tell me a pound up again. Things are always a little crazy during this time of the month. But I am hopeful and extra motivated to make the number stick. It is so so nice to see the 160s again (even though I still can't wait to get out of them too!).

I am really proud of myself for not giving in to all the snacking urges I've been having this week. It is honestly such a huge accomplishment for me to go this long with pretty much NO excessively bad eating. I've still eaten some foods I love and managed my sweet tooth, but to a very reasonable level and that is great. Finally makes me feel like I could really do this for life.

My bug bite, however, is still really driving me nuts. I think it looks worse than yesterday and it is still itching so much. My mom let me borrow several different anti-itch products, but nothing seems to help. Actually, a tip a friend told me to put the bite under really hot water has seemed to relieve the itching the most of anything. I really hope this goes away soon, I am tired of worrying about what it could be.

Deja Vu, maybe it's March 2010 still

2011-03-03T13:49:00.002-05:00

I was just looking through my posts from last March to see where I was at this time. Lol. It is hilarious the similarities. On March 3rd, 2010, I complained about being stuck at 170. On March 5th, I wrote about being able to do 2 pushups. Finally on March 8, I said I was at day 3 in a row of being under 170. I can't believe I'm in exactly the same place as I was at this time last year. Well, let's just hope I stick with it this time, NOT LIKE 2010.

By the way, this is my 200th post!

What a crappy morning

2011-03-03T09:25:00.002-05:00

Man. Yesterday ended up being a good day despite the sluggishness. I was really careful with my eating, except for one extra starburst that I savored for an extremely long time and was worth the calories.

But this morning. Oh my goodness. First, there has been a super super itchy bug bite on my ankle that has been bothering me for the past day. It was really bad before going to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night to pee and it was even worse. Then, I got woken up 2.5 hours before I normally get up because I heard dripping. Great. The neighbor upstairs was in the shower, and apparently there is a leak that dripped through our ceiling for a solid hour. I am waiting for the office to open so I can report it. The worst thing was I woke up with a headache from hell. It was awful. If that wasn't a migraine, I don't know what could be. I took some pills and tried to go to sleep on the couch because it wasn't as loud in there (no dripping) and I could prop my head up more, but it didn't happen. So I am now even shorter on sleep than usual. My ankle still itches like crazy (I realized I have no cream or anything for itchy stuff). Thankfully, my headache is almost completely gone, so I am not climbing the walls in insanity anymore.

I also had bathroom issues this morning (before I weighed), so I am not relying on my scale reading as accurate, BUT, I am still excited that it finally said under 170 (169.6!), so I am really going to do my best to keep it there. It will be so nice to officially be "overweight" instead of obese, and less than 20 lbs from my wedding weight. It's only 11 days till my 2nd anniversary, so I will be very happy to be 19 lbs over instead of 38.

Here's to hoping the day gets better.

Taking it a little easier

2011-03-02T18:36:00.003-05:00

No scale visit today. Was not feeling it. I am afraid to be farther away again from breaking out of the 170s.

I feel a little wimpy for allowing my period to be an excuse for things. It really isn't. But the combination of that and the crummy low energy way I've been feeling for the past few weeks was just a bit much today. So I decided to stick with level 2 of 30DS through the end of the week instead of starting level 3 today. Mostly I just wasn't up for the unknown and I've heard level 3 is really hard. At first I was just going to do my own lower intensity routine instead, but I talked myself into at least doing level 2, so that's what I did. I'm glad I did. I just wish I could sleep better and get some energy one of these days.

Oh, I did learn I can actually do real push ups. I hadn't actually tried before yesterday, but when I used to collapse halfway through a single one, now I can do at least 3 without too much trouble. Or at least, I was able to do them yesterday. Today I did the walking pushups and dropped them down to knee pushups instead because I just wasn't feeling like pushing it.. hah. Hopefully on Friday I can do the full level 2 routine with real pushups and 5 lb weights and finish strong before moving up.

Another thing I'm tempted to blame on the period is that I wanted to snack yesterday. Mostly, everything on tv I wanted. A pregnant girl eating a whole plate of oreos made me want my own plate. A kit kat commercial made me want kit kats. Etc. I had one extra starburst on top of my planned small sweet, plus about 3 doritos when I was waiting for dinner. Not bad, but I also ate a bit more at dinner than I should have. Mostly I just hate that I was mentally going nuts wanting to eat. Even though I mostly resisted, I just wish food didn't get to me like that.

Well, I am pretty sure this post is super boring, since I'm bored myself, so I'm ending it for now.

March is better already

2011-03-01T12:43:00.002-05:00

Today's weight: 170. Even. So close!! I am on the line between obese and overweight, and I can't wait to step over it! :)

I am feeling better today. A bit less tired, somehow more motivated, and strong. I am a little worried though, because I think I strained my foot a bit yesterday, probably during all the jumping required in 30DS level 2. I am glad today is just a walk day, but if it's not feeling better tomorrow, I might have to postpone the video and do something with less impact. I really do want to move on to level 3 soon though.

I think this weekend will involve eating out with friends. I am having friend withdrawal though, so I will handle it so I can see everyone. :)

Get the heck out of here February

2011-02-28T19:01:00.002-05:00

I am so looking forward to March. Because honestly, this month kinda sucked. Ok, it wasn't a total bust. But I had much higher expectations.

It turns out last Thursday's weight must have been a fluke, because it immediately went up a pound on Friday and has pretty much stayed there.

Today's weight: 170.8. Loss from last Monday: -0.6 lbs (boo). Loss for the month of February: -5.8 lbs.

Yes, I lost some weight, and managed to average over 1lb a week for the month, but I am still feeling blah about it. Now is the time to focus on non-scale victories and start March strong.

The good:
- Exercise: Still have not missed a single planned workout. My streak has now lasted a full 8 weeks of working out at least 5 days a week, and I believe this month was a full 6 days every week. Every day's exercise has been 45 minutes or more (usually 50-60 min). I have moved up to 5 lb weights consistently during 30ds (now that I borrowed the weights from my mom!), and I'm ready to move on to level 3 on Wednesday.
- Eating In: Have successfully limited meals out as much as possible. This weekend did involve a free Wendy's value fries, but that was it.
- Savings: I am doing a killer job at combining sales with coupons and saving a ton of money stocking up on groceries.
- Alochol: I still haven't had any drinks since New Year's. I did add a little wine to a soup I made, but no cocktails, so that is good. I don't plan to cut this out forever, just saving my drinks for when I really want them.
- Clothing size: I am still fitting into more of my clothes, even though my weight has barely changed, so I know I am replacing some fat weight with muscle weight. But I still want to see that scale move!
- Food tracking/planning: I've still entered everything I've eaten into my spreadsheet, and mostly plan out my meals for the week.

The bad:
- Snacking/Sweets: My ultimate enemy. I've noticed I am giving myself too much slack on this. Lately I have allowed myself a bit more in the sweets/snacks categories than I'd like. I know I should cut this back again before it creeps majorly out of hand.

So, that about sums up February. I am hanging in there. Very very eager to break out of the 170s, but my period will be starting any day now (I'd love to blame my crappy loss this week on that, but who knows!), so I don't know if I will be able to be more strict with my eating this week. But next week I will do more limiting. I will keep the workouts strong and intense to try to make up for my slight eating slack.

Switching things up is good

2011-02-24T14:09:00.002-05:00

So I think yesterday went pretty well. I followed my plan and did 30DS before lunch, and then finished my workout at the gym before dinner. I also split up my food more, and had 2 snacks and a smaller lunch, so I think that helped get me through the workouts. I split my gym time with 15 min on elliptical, 10 on bike, and ended with 18 on the treadmill (I jogged for a while, and then walked). Those 3 activities are ones I haven't done much, so I'm glad to throw them in there. Also really can't wait for another month or so until the water is warm enough to swim in, because I'd like to throw in swimming once a week.

I don't know if it was coincidence, or my changing things up yesterday really did help, but the scale moved a pound today, so I was happy about that. I am only 0.4 from breaking out of the 170's! So close! It seems like Thursdays are always when my drops happen though, but I just want to keep it up. Basically 30 lbs even to main goal! I'm over 1/3 of the way there.

I am still sleeping like crap and feel tired right now. But at least I am staying motivated.

Dragging Along

2011-02-23T12:44:00.004-05:00

Where is my energy? Seriously. It has just left me. Part of it is my sleeping, I'm sure. I've always been terrible at sleeping. I lie awake forever, wake up multiple times, toss and turn, etc. But this week has been extra bad. I don't know why, but it is annoying.

Monday I didn't have time to do 30DS before my walk, so I tried to do it when I got home. Wow. I guess 4 miles slow walking still takes it out of me more than I thought, because I was just too tired, and only made it through half the video. I did, however, use ankle weights on the walk again, and on the way back, used them to do some arm exercises (those ankle weights keep digging in my ankles after a while, I wish they were more padded). So I still got in some strength. I made up for it by doing the whole video yesterday, and thew in a little time on my tiny stair stepper I haven't used in forever, hoping that would be enough change in routine to help confuse my body. I didn't make it to the gym for the bike, but I still finished an almost hour workout at home, so that was fine. Still, after the video, I had to lay on the floor for a minute before I could finish the rest of my workout, I was just so tired.

Today's agenda is to do the video again so I still have a solid 3 times this week since Monday was so pathetic and unfinished. I think I may split my workout time and do just the video by itself, and then later either go jogging or try the gym. I don't want to do those things back to back and wear myself out again.

I made 2 new recipes for dinner last night. Though not "diet" food necessarily, they still had lots of healthy veggies in them, and I really enjoyed the change of pace (though the entire hour of constant prep work was a bit annoying). I made a stew with sausage, cabbage, and navy beans as the base ingredients, plus a zucchini/tomato crescent roll pie.

The stew was just "ok". It was probably too much work for what it ended up being. Husband complained there wasn't enough sausage flavor. I just think it was a tad boring.

The pie was soooo good. It was like deep dish pizza but not as bad for you. It looks like it is extremely cheesy, but the cheese was just on the top (the inside is 2 layers of zucchini, 2 layers of tomato, coated with a few squeezes of "fresh" basil in a tube and a spoon or 2 of lite mayo) and could easily be great with probably half the amount of cheese, but I was trying to use up my mozzarella that had been opened for a while as well as one of the tubes of reduced fat crescent roll dough I got super cheap recently. We still have half this pie leftover, hopefully it won't be too soggy.

I just love finding different things to make. It is so boring eating the same few things all the time.

7 weeks done

2011-02-21T13:53:00.003-05:00

Today's weight: 171.4. Well, I finally saw a tiny improvement on the scale. I was hoping for more, but oh well. 1.2 lbs lost this week. And I hit 17 lbs down total.

So, if you take away the first week where I lost 7.2 lbs, which was obviously just because of water weight and the huge change in eating and activity level, I've lost an average of 1.4 lbs per week over the past 6 weeks. I guess that is good, but when I always hope for 2lbs (and used to be able to do that fine a few years ago), it is kinda annoying. I know I said I wasn't setting a time goal for my goal weight, but I am getting a little impatient starting to see swim suits everywhere. I just want to see the 160s already so I don't feel so huge. But at 1.4 lbs/week avg, it would take me about 23 weeks or late July to get to my 140 main goal. And that would be really awesome, so I'm going to stop being negative and hope for the best.

Anyways.. I am still doing really well. We did go out to dinner on Saturday, to a Jamaican place I had a groupon for, but I got jerk chicken and chose steamed veggies and salad with only half the dressing instead of rice or plantains or the other worse options. And I only ate about half the chicken and veggies because I was full. My husband will be finishing that for lunch. So I call that one a success, and it really wasn't much different from a dinner I'd make at home. I have still not had one single meal, snack, or dessert that I really cheated on and regretted so far. Awesome.

I did 45 minutes on the elliptical for 500 calories on Saturday, and then yesterday we just walked around John's pass and a little bit on the beach, so that was fun.

My walk with mom is getting switched from tomorrow to today, but I'm going to try out still doing my 30 day shred before I walk, and then maybe I can just do the bike at the gym tomorrow to switch up my routine a little more.

1.6 lbs to break into the 160s.. really hoping to make it next Monday!

Not feeling up to working out

2011-02-18T18:32:00.002-05:00

So, for the longest time I was really happy that I wasn't having to make myself workout. I knew I had to, so I did. There wasn't a whole lot of having to convince myself. I sort of even wanted to.

Working out is definitely part of my lifestyle again, but this week hasn't been quite the same. I don't think much has changed in my attitude or motivation. Maybe my body is just tired. I just feel like I haven't had as much energy and it's taken me longer during the workout to really get into it. This shouldn't be due to my food, because it's still been pretty consistent. So I'm not sure what's with the slump. Maybe it's just personal stress showing in other ways. The important part is, I've still pushed through, and haven't missed a single planned workout all year. And I still feel great after I've finished working out, so I just try to focus on that when it's harder to feel like working out.

This weekend should be pretty low key, so hopefully I can manage to get off at least another pound by Monday. I have been stuck at 172 even for several days now, but I know my body tends to just save up its drops and will suddenly seem to release a pound overnight or something. Yes, I am weighing once every morning, but now that I have a scale that I know is consistent (and I don't have to get on the scale 3 times in a row and try to guess which number is the real one), it is not making me obsessive, and I like the accountability. So I'm sticking with that for now.

I'm planning to either go running or hit the elliptical at my apt gym in the morning to start my weekend off right.

Clothes

2011-02-17T13:22:00.002-05:00

I posted this pic once before, but I thought I would repost it. This is the day I got engaged, 9-2-2007 and one of my favorite pics of myself, even though I was sweaty and not made up. I was around 150 here, which isn't as low as I got (I hit 142.8 a few months later, but then started regaining right after). But I think that angle is super flattering and holding my arm up hides how huge my upper arms always are.

It's a good motivation pic for me, but not why I am posting it this time. See those shorts I was wearing? I found them buried in my closet today and tried them on for the heck of it.. and they fit! I realized the zipper got broke somehow, so they won't zip, but they button up fine and would have zipped if I could move the zipper. They aren't as comfy as they were in the pic, but wow. I am 20 lbs more than I was then, I can't believe they fit at all. They are a little stretchy, but not that much! This just goes to show how hard it is for me to change clothing sizes. 20 lbs just doesn't make that much difference in clothing. But it obviously makes some, because I could not fit in those shorts for sure in January. And some of the other shorts/jeans I couldn't wear now fit, so I am thinking I definitely replaced some fat with muscle on top of losing 16 lbs.

I am kinda sad to have to get rid of these shorts. They were my stand by shorts for a while, because they were comfy and forgiving of slight weight fluctuations. But I guess I should start fresh. I'm sure I've had them since college, so somewhere in the 7-9 years range. lol.

I really love being able to shop through my closet and find new things to wear. I have such a bad habit of keeping everything, and my weight has always fluctuated so much, I pretty much have a full wardrobe in the size 8-12 range, plus some stuff in the 14s (I hated buying clothes when I was at my highest, so I don't have much from the 14 size range). I hope to someday be able to fit in all of the smallest clothes I have, and maybe then I will force myself to get rid of most of the bigger stuff (maybe hanging on to a few pieces that would work for pregnancy).

Wow, Jillian kicked my butt

2011-02-16T18:09:00.003-05:00

I moved up to level 2 of 30DS today. Man, I am a wimp. That was pretty tough. I am really glad I moved up though, I needed the extra challenge and the change of pace. Maybe when I've done level 2 for 6 times, I'll try a couple days of doing 1 and 2 back to back.

I got on the scale again today. 172 even (-0.6 from Monday). Yay! I hope that wasn't a fluke. It is hard to tell because I haven't been as hungry in the evening lately, so I feel like I must be eating too much. But actually I think I am just satisfied on less now. So, hopefully I will continue losing and not have to reevaluate my food situation. I really enjoy being able to have a small sweet treat most days too. It feels like I am living, not dieting. Which is the goal, since I want to be able to find a balance I can live with for life. I am so tired of yo-yo weight!

I kinda wonder if my 4 mile walks with mom on Tuesday/Thursday are really doing anything for me anymore. I mean, I will still do them, because we need the girl time, and it is a heck of a lot better to be walking while talking than sitting on the couch chatting on the phone. But I feel like I need to suplement just because my heart rate doesn't get up there. Then I talk myself out of it, because I don't want to be obsessive, and the walks already take almost an hour and a half (I'd guess we only go at a 3mph pace, when I used to walk at 4mph on the treadmill). Eh.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T18:35:00.003-05:00

And happy 6 weeks of healthier living to me! :) Today's weigh in: 172.6. So I lost 2.4 lbs last week! I am happy with that! No eating out last weekend, except the fair ice cream. No skipped workouts. All is good!

My new mini goal is to get out of the 170s (which also means no longer obese!) by the end of the month. So about 3 lbs in 2 weeks, which I think is a reasonable goal, and I am really excited to get to that point. Somehow 169 just sounds so much closer to my 150 and 140 bigger goals than 170 does. Lol.

I did 30 day shred again for the 6th time today. I am thinking about just sticking with 6 times per level and moving up to level 2, since that's a rate of one level per 2 weeks, which means I'd still be a month away from finishing. But I do want an end date, so I can better plan when I want to move on to something else (p90x? still scary, but maybe soon). I am still thinking about doing the video for 30 days straight with higher weights at some point, but not right now.

We are staying in for Valentine's today. I'm making a nut breaded fish with veggies and chilled strawberry soup (basically just blended berries with skim milk and splenda!). Nothing too fancy, but we wanted to avoid crowds and there are a bunch of shows we watch on Monday nights, so we'll be doing that together. :)

Another weekend

2011-02-13T17:29:00.002-05:00

It's Sunday. I'm sitting around not doing much, after a morning spent dealing with a huge mess of dishes piling up, shopping at Walmart, Target, AND Publix (we are so stocked up on groceries right now, it is crazy), and then disassembling everything in the freezer so I could reorganize and manage to cram in all the new stuff we bought. I feel a little like working out, but it's supposed to be my off day. I think when I finish this post, I'm just going to do a 10 minute warmup (because I am freezing in here!) and then a yoga video. I feel like I am far too cold to do yoga without a little cardio first. And since I did so much walking yesterday, I don't want to do too much cardio today.

We went to the fair. Spent 5 hours there, mostly strolling around and standing the whole time. We sat for maybe 10 minutes to eat and a couple more minutes because I wanted to. Husband likes rides, but I am not a big fan and they are expensive, so we didn't do those. We suck at the games, so we didn't do those either. We have seen most of the shows already, so didn't sit through those. Basically, we just walked, and looked at exhibits and animals. Honestly, I am not a big fan of the fair at all, but it was better than sitting at home. I went with a plan in mind - I ate a decent breakfast (lite breakfast sandwich for 260 calories), and brought a kashi trail mix bar (140 calories) and a baby bel cheese (70 calories) hidden in my purse. So those 2 things were my lunch, and then I had the one splurge I wanted at the fair:

This yummy orange swirl soft serve ice cream! We get this every year, it is only $2 and I love ice cream much more than funnel cakes or any of that other junk. It was worth the calories! Plus, we went light on dinner as well (homemade broth based thai soup, and then I ate a little leftover mac and cheese).

Here's another shot of my new hair. It is very very bright in the sun! It's growing on me more though. Oh, and that's my husband, not sure if I ever posted his pic on here before. He is doing pretty good about eating better and has just started using the gazelle while playing on the PS3 lately, so I am proud of him. I think he has lost about 10 lbs this year. If he keeps up the workouts, I know he will lose at a faster rate (I am jealous he could lose 10 lbs by only cutting back snacks/desserts and eating the better dinners I've been making).

Alright, off for some yoga!

New hair

2011-02-11T14:40:00.004-05:00

Well, with the exception of a couple of times I did streaks (red, purple, and blue) that only lasted a short time, I've been blonde for well over a decade. I keep wanting to try out some different looks, so I went drastic last night. Very very red! I am not really sure I like it, but it is growing on me a bit, and I think it looks better in person than the pic. I guess I think it makes my face look chubbier than blonde did, and I actually like it pulled back better, which is weird because I didn't like my blonde hair pulled back. Anyways, I will probably try brunette as soon as it's been long enough to dye my hair again, and then maybe see a professional to get it back to blonde eventually.

Still fine with eating and exercising. Probably going to the fair tomorrow, but I don't like fair food, so that should be fine. Not sure what we're doing for valentine's day, but probably staying home. Monday marks 6 weeks on my new journey. :)

Down 15

2011-02-10T13:24:00.002-05:00

The scale was nice to me today - 173, which means I've passed the 15 lb mark. Yay!

I was pretty hungry last night, and resisted getting any extra snacks, so I was hoping for a loss.

I am so much in a routine now, I don't feel like I need to blog as much now. It was a crutch, I guess, to write down my progress and keep myself going. I will still post sometimes, but it's not a daily need. I feel like I've got this down. I mean, obviously it is still not easy to eat right and work out all the time, but I know what to do, and I'm getting better at just doing it.

I did 30 day shred for the 4th time yesterday. I need to move up to higher weights, but I really don't want to buy another pair of 5lb ones when I know I have them somewhere. Thinking about just being super dorky with big jugs of water or something, lol. I definitely need to step it up though, the 2.5 lbs is definitely not enough anymore. On Monday I tried doing the video right after my warmup and then the rest of my cardio after, thinking it would be easier to do the video if I were less tired. That was not the case! I will stick with doing the cardio before the video because then I am more into the groove of working out, so it doesn't seem as hard. I've also been throwing in more kickboxing and arm weights during the rest of my workout since I feel like I'm not getting enough strength with the low weights during the video. And since I'm not doing the video every day like you're supposed to (I still think that would get sooo boring).

I am hanging in there, and I feel good right now. My arms and face, which were definitely the things that bothered me most when I got up in weight, are definitely getting better. Judging by my clothes, I feel like I am about back to where I was in September when we went to Seattle. It is kinda sad saying that, like time is reversing, and all I've accomplished is getting "back" to where I was a few months ago. But, the good news is in 8 more lbs I'll be the same as the lowest I got to in 2010, so it will kinda be like new progress (or like getting back to early 2009 progress, lol). Of course, there really won't be NEW territory for another 30 lbs. But I will take what I can get! I would definitely be in the 190s by now if I hadn't gotten my act together after the holidays.

Guess there is not much else to say.

Super Bowl is Over

2011-02-07T11:35:00.004-05:00

It's Monday. The Monday after the Super Bowl, so I know lots of dieters who were not happy about having to weigh in. I am ok with my weigh in. 175. It is higher than yesterday's (yes, I am still weighing more than I should!), but I did indulge in a plate of nachos we made last night (we stayed in instead of going to our friends' party so we would at least not have extra temptations), so I am ok with only losing a pound and a half. It's better than last week's half pound, and I'm confident I can get back to yesterday's weight after a few days of cleaner eating.

Saturday I planned to run, but it was raining, so I busted ass at my tiny apartment gym in an attempt to make up for the dinner I knew I was eating out that night. I killed 40 minutes at high intensity on the elliptical, then 20 on the bike, for a total of 600 calories burned according to the machines (which I know aren't all that accurate, especially since I don't bother to enter my age/weight on them). My dinner was probably about 400 calories higher than I typically eat, so I feel like I made up for it just fine. I worked up a sweat for sure, and I was happy to do a different activity than what I've been doing. I haven't done either of those machines since probably last summer. Still trying to confuse my body! That is right, I did 6 days a week of working out again! I wanted to do something yesterday too, but I think I really need to take one day off a week, even if it's just for my mind. I don't want to get so obsessed with exercising.

Anyway, I am looking forward to having a good week. Hoping for 173 next Monday.

I am now 25 pounds from wedding weight, 32 from my lowest, and 35 from healthy BMI range. I am trying to accept these numbers because at least they are better than what I started with! I can absolutely accomplish this in what is left of 2011 if I just don't let myself crumble again.

30 day shred

2011-02-03T14:00:00.002-05:00

So I tried the level 1 video yesterday. Well, most of it. I did my own 5 minute stretching/warmup, then 15 minutes of cardio, then the main part of the video, and finished with a few more minutes cardio plus my own cool down/stretching. I couldn't seem to find my 5lb weights (smallest I have), so I ended up using 2.5 lb each ankle weights as dumbbells. It was still pretty hard, even with that low of weight. There is no way I could have made it through with my 10 lb weights. I definitely was sweating up a storm, and I am slightly sore in my abs, chest, biceps, and calves. So it was for sure a good full body workout and I am surprised I got that much out of only 20 minutes. I'm glad I tried it.

I was trying to decide if I wanted to go ahead and try to do it every day or not. I feel like I would get bored so fast, and I don't want my body to get used to what I'm doing. So I guess I will probably just add the video in with my regular workouts about 3 times a week. But maybe later on I will try the whole thing 30 days with a high weight and see what happens.

My eating has still been pretty good. And I drank a ton of water yesterday.

I'm also excited about today's groupon, for a kayak trip and yoga class. I am trying to get a few friends to get it with me, I think it will be fun to do in a couple months when the water is warmer.

New scale

2011-02-02T10:36:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally bought the EatSmart scale that so many other bloggers were giving away last month. I am mostly happy with it, but it does seem to have a bit of a problem. Mostly the problem is my bathroom floor is not completely flat. The scale seems to do fine if it is not moved while it is on, but when I did move it on, it said 5 lbs with nothing on it and wouldn't go off without removing the batteries. I thought the little movable feet on it would make up for the floor. Anyways, I think it will be fine if I keep it in the same spot. It seems consistent when I do, though it does say higher than my old scale. Sometimes up to a pound higher, but since the old scale would often fluctuate a pound in back to back readings, I guess that is not surprising. I am super glad to have a scale that looks better and will never get sticky and doesn't need to be tapped on.

Today's reading told me the same as the old scale did on Monday, so I am good with that, and will switch to the new scale. And hopefully not weigh again until Monday.. lol. Also on my period now, so I never know how that affects my weight loss.

My legs are finally done with the soreness they've had since Saturday. I still worked out on Monday (but took it easy on the leg moves) and did my walk on Tuesday. I think I'm ready to move on to some full body strength training videos. Maybe I will try 30 day shred. I've never done it before, and I don't plan on doing it every day, but I think I'll give it a shot.

Welcome to February

2011-02-01T15:36:00.002-05:00

Honestly, I am excited that it is a new month and no longer January. January is such a transition month, and I am just glad to be more in the groove of things. Working out is a habit! Yes, I have finally redeveloped the attitude that working out is not an option but a requirement. And really, there wasn't even one day I was scheduled to workout that I really had to talk myself into it. I wanted to do it, and I was glad every time I did.

I haven't had a single bite of fast food or restaurant food since that January 7th free Chickfila breakfast. That is amazing. Not a trend I'm going to keep up forever, but it was important to start out strong. We will probably be going out to eat about once every two weeks from this weekend on, which I think is totally fine, as long as I don't go crazy every time, and hopefully I will be running on the days I do go out.

I still have so far to go, but I am trying to enjoy the journey. My new scale is supposed to arrive today but I haven't checked the mail yet. I'm excited to try it out, and hope it is more consistent than my current one (and definitely less sticky and gross!).

4 weeks in

2011-01-31T11:15:00.003-05:00

weigh in: 176.6 (-0.6 lbs). So that was definitely not fabulous. I know I did a lot better than that this week, so I am going to chalk it up to the fact that my legs are still super sore from Saturday's run, and I am sure I am retaining water. Hoping for a really good loss next week.

Busy today, so I was just checking in for the weigh in.

Today I ate cake

2011-01-30T20:17:00.002-05:00

Here it is: the baby shower cake I made for my friend today. It was amazingly good cake if I do say so myself. The hostess cut such tiny pieces only 2 of the 5 cakes were eaten, but so many girls took home big peices, there was not a scap left. 3 were vanilla and 2 were fresh strawberry. Yum.
Despite the cake, I really didn't do too bad today. My lunch consisted of a small amount of party food - one tiny wedge of cuban sandwich, 3 large chips with salsa, and a little melon and grapes. Plus a small piece of both flavors of cake (total was the equivalent of 1/18th of a standard 8" 2 layer cake and I didn't eat the fondant) , because I felt like I earned it. It was a really nice treat for a change and totally worth it after all that work. Breakfast and dinner were about normal, and no other snacks today, so I think my calories were still pretty in range.

I took the day off from working out because my legs are killing me from running yesterday. That always happens when I haven't run in a while. It sucks how just a few months away from it get me so out of shape again. Oh well. I am hoping to run once a week from now on. And possibly try out some strength training videos now that I've done 2 weeks of my own strength training. I really want to try to change up my workouts a bit every 2 weeks.

I am feeling good approaching 4 weeks of being healthier. I peaked at the scale again today and was only down 1 from Monday, but I'm hoping some of the slow down was due to muscle increase. :)

Busy day

2011-01-29T16:20:00.002-05:00

Well I had planned to risk drinking today and go to the gasparilla parade back when a bunch of my friends were planning on going. But it turned out, hardly anyone who was going to go ended up going, so I skipped it. Husband went without me to hang out with the guys, and I went for a super productive day instead.

I started off with some cleaning and prepping of cake ingredients. Then after my breakfast had settled enough, I went off for a walk/jog for about 50 minutes outside. I haven't jogged in a while, so it was nice. Then I came back and baked up a storm. The cake is now baked and frosted (still have to tackle the fondant, assembly, and final decorating), and I did taste a few bits here and there of cake and frosting, but not too much, and I am sure I burned off far more than the extra bits I ate. It was really really good though. I am perfecting my recipe and man, it's amazing vanilla cake with buttercream. I also made some fresh strawberry cake which was also super good.

So, I am still on a roll. No eating out, or big cheat meals so far, no alcohol, and tackled 6 days of good workouts this week. Yay! Unfortunately, I did peak at the scale yesterday and it wasn't moving from Monday, but that is ok. I am also getting a new scale delivered on Monday, hopefully it says close to the other one. I will be sad if it says more.

Alright, I better finish cleaning up.

First real sugar craving

2011-01-26T23:39:00.002-05:00

So I was frustrated tonight, trying to sculpt some animals out of fondant for a baby shower cake I need to have done for this weekend. I basically gave up for the night because I was just not in the mood to have the patience to do that. It was not wanting to cooperate with me. Then I wanted to eat. I convinced myself I was starving, even though my intake for the day was about what it's been every day. I had my one allowed sweet (1/4 cup sorbet this time for 70 calories), hoping that would solve my issue. But that didn't fix my mood, so I reached for the bowl of candy that is still sitting around from the last party we had. I stopped at 2 hugs, which I looked up and was 46 calories. So I guess not too bad. I am trying to be glad I was able to control it before I really got out of hand, but I'm still annoyed I gave in at all. I didn't really want the candy, honestly, I was eating to make myself feel better, which is BAD! Geez. I hate emotional eating.

Otherwise, I have been doing ok. Haven't missed a single workout so far this month, which is amazing for me because the beginning is usually not so easy. And I really haven't even had a single meal I considered a cheat meal. How is that possible? In the past, I've pretty much always had one every two weeks or so, and sometimes that even helped me lose more weight it seemed.

Well, I'm hanging in there.. hopefully tomorrow I will be in a better mood when I attack the fondant again.. and just in case, I'm going to chew some gum when I'm working with it so I don't have a repeat of tonight.

3 Weeks finished

2011-01-24T16:53:00.002-05:00

It feels good to be this far. 3 weeks is when my habits start to stick more, and I feel like that's definitely happening.

My results this week were pretty good. Down another 2.2 lbs for 11.2lbs total. Of course, I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I will get there. I am glad we don't have any vacations planned anytime soon though. That trip to Jamaica really de-railed me last April. So, no all-inclusive amazing trips to worry about. We may go to Atlanta in July for my sister's 40th birthday party, but hopefully I will be a lot closer to my goal by then, and I'm not all that worried about it, anyway.

I don't have much to say today, just checking in.

Happy it's Friday

2011-01-21T23:25:00.003-05:00

My stress has leveled off some. Actually I've been in a pretty good mood today, because I finished my new website... this is a website to show case my CAKES.. yes. I am dieting, but I made a website for my baked goods. Lol. Seriously, though, I needed another website example to show off on my portfolio (I am a web designer), AND I've already gotten 3 cake orders coming up, so I figured why not. I am not making much with these cakes, but it is fun, and really doesn't ruin my diet because it is all out of my house after it's done.

But yeah, accomplishing something towards one of my 3 goals for 2011 helped improve my mood. My 3 goals are: better health, better job, better house. Not sure if I mentioned that here before. But yeah, the cake site was one of the things I wanted to finish before I applied for actual jobs (plus it helps get me side jobs, so that is cool too).

The health goal is still going well. I did have a larger than usual dinner tonight, but I was decent overall for the day, and I don't think we're going out this weekend as far as I know. I completed all 5 mandatory workouts for the week, with plans for another park walk tomorrow and yoga on Sunday. Sunday is also fondant day.. I will be making homemade fondant and sculpting baby animals out of them so they can set up for the cake I'll be baking next weekend.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Emotions Suck

2011-01-20T15:34:00.003-05:00

Well I've kinda had some personal emotional stuff going on lately that blew up yesterday. I don't want to talk about it, but I am glad it's over. I felt like crap yesterday, but somehow I got out a kickass workout instead of reaching for junk food. Threw in some kickboxing which was exactly what I needed at the time. I am proud of myself for not letting a situation that would have led me astray in the past ruin me this time. Today I feel better, though I'm still kinda sad/ticked off about the situation. I put a post it above my monitor that says "You are stronger than this". Kinda lame, but somehow it has really helped me today. Whenever I catch myself starting to get in a slump again, I look at that and repeat it in my head. I AM stronger than this crap. I deserve better, and I'm going to get it.

Gettin Strong

2011-01-18T14:18:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I added weights to my workout. I'm trying to incorporate things somewhat slowly, mostly so I keep changing things up and keep my body from getting used to things and hitting a plateau. So the first 2 weeks, I did cardio only, this week I'm adding 3 days of weights - arms on Monday, legs on Wednesday, and abs/chest/back on Friday. I'm mixing that in with my cardio on those days, so it's kinda intense, but I like it that way.

Not sure exactly how I'm going to change it up after that, either adding more days or just doing more reps, but I'm excited to figure it out. My arms are sore today, so I feel like I accomplished something! Even though it was kinda sad having to go back down to 10lb weights, when I was using 15lbs last year. But now I have something to work back up to. I feel good incorporating a little strength training.

I easily ignored the temptation to get on the scale today, here's to small victories! :)

I never post pics

2011-01-17T17:01:00.003-05:00

So I thought I would show off my temporary new hair. This is a pic from the party I went to on Saturday (that wasn't my drink). I have some plum streaks, but they are fading super fast, and I don't think they'll last the 2 weeks the box says. Oh well.

In other news, I had planned my first restaurant meal out tonight as a mini reunion for our friends since the one who moved to Texas last year is in town for 2 days, but she is sick and couldn't make it. I will miss seeing her, but I am kind of glad to miss the restaurant temptation, even though I had planned out the best salad option on the menu. Anyways, we will probably end up going out once next weekend, but I am looking forward to it, rather than worrying. I plan to get what I want, but substitute things I don't care about for healthier things. And probably take home leftovers.

I am amazed at how much better my cravings are now. I really don't even want sweets and junk like I used to. Not that I never do, but it's much easier to resist. Well, time to work out! :)

2 weeks

2011-01-17T11:45:00.003-05:00

I thought I would be more excited to make it through 2 weeks, but it sort of feels like not a long time now that I have. Oh well. One day at a time, and so far so good.

Today's weigh in: 179.4. So, almost 2 lbs down from last week, and 9 lbs total. I am fine with that.

I made it through the weekend without much bad eating. I didn't have time to eat before the party Saturday, so I considered the snacks I ate my dinner. I had some cheese and crackers, pita chips with hummus and spinach dip, and the baked cinnamon chips and fruit salsa I made. Plus a little piece of bday cake. I think that was it, and I skipped drinking altogether and chewed gum when I was done with my plate so I wouldn't munch all night. I call it a win, even if it wasn't nutritious. I even did a 20 minute workout video on Saturday, plus some walking at a park yesterday, so I got a little activity in every day last week.

I'm ready to keep going! I don't want to see the 180's again.

Well, rats

2011-01-13T13:37:00.003-05:00

Ok, I got on the scale. What is wrong with me? I just couldn't leave well enough alone until Monday. The scale said the same as Monday. Not surprising considering my body's adjusting from a big change last week and it's only been 3 days since Monday! Geez. There I went, getting my hopes up. I am a bit annoyed, and it makes me wonder if I am doing something wrong, specifically if I am eating too much or too little or not working out long enough or fast enough. Whatever, I am eating healthy, and it feels like the right amount to me. I have surpassed my workout minute goal every day. I'm even throwing in bits of yoga here and there.

It is sooo freezing. I know, everyone in every other state complains about us all being whiners just cuz Florida hasn't had snow. It is still the coldest it's been in Clearwater since I moved here, and I don't like it one bit. My poor plants are barely making it, and some have died already. We don't use the heat, so it is so cold in here I am wearing my warmest pants, socks, and a sweater. I just had to do a 10 minute workout just to warm up. It helped a lot though, and hey, I also burned some calories, so that's good.

Anyway, I am hanging in there, going to ignore the scale, and keep doing what I'm doing.

Compelling

2011-01-12T12:27:00.002-05:00

I'm not really feeling compelled to post, but I thought I'd check in. Today is day 9. That doesn't sound all that fabulous, but I am happy at the moment. 9 days means I'm probably almost halfway to my current lifestyle changes being more of a habit. Not that it will really be much easier, but when I get to the point where working out and making healthy eating choices is just what I do and not what I have to struggle with constantly, time just seems to go by faster.

I almost got on the scale again today. Not sure why I was tempted, but I am trying my best to stick to my Monday only goal. Already cheated once last week, not doing it this time. There is no rush... that's what I have to keep reminding myself, because honestly, the more I get into being "good", the more I start getting back into the mindset that I can lose more or lose faster than I planned. Which isn't so good for me. Mostly I am just hoping to not see 180s anymore next time I get on the scale. And then I'm that much closer to being just "overweight".

Saturday is my first test - getting together with all our friends. I am bringing fruit salsa with homemade cinnamon tortilla chips, and am planning to have a big salad before I go, so I hopefully will not snack on very much. At least 3 of my friends are also trying to lose weight, so maybe it won't be so bad.

Haven't skipped a single weekday of working out yet! :)

Take that weekend, I beat you!

2011-01-10T11:45:00.002-05:00

Weigh in results: 181.2 or 7.2 lb loss this week.

Yay! Ok, I know that sounds completely impossible, but the first week is like that, because I'm always so awful before I restart.

I was practically perfect this week aside from Friday's breakfast splurge, so I am happy. Perfect to my standards, that is. We did not have any meals out this weekend, which is awesome. I stuck to my plans, no big cheat meals or crazy sweet cravings, got a little exercise, though mostly had a relaxing weekend. So far, so good!

I've decided to set a mini goal, though I was trying to avoid time goals. I really want to be out of the obese category before my next dr appointment, which is going to be mid-late April. That means I need to lose about 14 more lbs, so I will still be under the 169 mark later in the day with clothes/shoes on. That should be fairly easy to accomplish in 3 months. Of course, I'm hoping to lose more than that by then, since April is very close to summer swim suits, but I am not rushing myself. We will see what happens! I just have to stay focused. :)

Ah, weekend, we meet again...

2011-01-07T16:07:00.002-05:00

A love hate relationship, definitely. Weekends are hard. Starting with today... I was definitely not perfect today, but this was a planned thing, and I am trying my best to make up for it. I got sucked into Chik-fil-a's promotion and signed up for a free spicy chicken breakfast sandwich for today. So we went, and they tell us it's a free meal, not just the sandwich. Well, I ate all the little potato guys, and about 3/4 of the sandwich (gave husband the rest). It was really good. But about 700 calories I really didn't need.

My lunch consisted of a variety of raw veggies with about 1 tbsp hummus, 4 crackers each with a thin slice of cheddar and 1/2 slice of thin turkey lunchmeat, 1/2 an orange, 1/2 a kiwi, and a few strawberries. It was a lot of food, because I still managed to get myself hungry after that super filling breakfast, but I still call it a win since it was pretty healthy and not very many calories.

I am getting ready for a good workout in a bit (5th day in a row!), and then a decent dinner with lots more veggies, and plan to skip any sweets tonight.

I didn't even think about getting on the scale today, so that was nice. I am still thinking about buying a new one though. Ours seems to be accurate, but it is driving me nuts because the rubber piece on top has shifted, so some of the part you step on is super sticky and also has cat fur stuck to it now, so it looks super gross. Ew. I am gonna hold off buying a new one for a few weeks since I really want to save more money right now, but it's next on the list.

I am really annoyed today because I have to wear my glasses until my eye clears up. Not sure what is wrong with it, but it's been really red (just a spot spreading from the edge of the iris to the inside corner of my eye) since New Year's Eve and started bothering me a lot last night. So no contacts for me. I hate my glasses though, they are an older prescription, make everything look a little fish eyed (which the eye dr told me was just because I wasn't used to glasses.. right, still the same years later), and one of the nosepiece thingies broke, so the metal digs into my nose, blah.

Anyway, I'm done whining. Ready to tackle the weekend, full speed ahead. :)

It's Thursday

2011-01-06T14:18:00.002-05:00

and Thursday is not weigh-in day... but I got on the scale. Seriously, it was driving me nuts. I had to know, because I was getting my hopes up too high. The fact is, I've almost always lost a lot the first week, especially back on Atkins (the first time I did that I lost 7 lbs the first week and 13 lbs after 2 weeks, crazy). I didn't want to be dashed on Monday when I was expecting a big loss. Well, the scale said 183.6.. a 5 lb loss from Monday. Ok, I absolutely know that was a combination of the huge amount of food still in my system from a blowout weekend, water weight, fluctuations from my period, and whatever else. I am relieved though. I was just hoping for under 187, so I will take it. I am not even going to be greedy for more, if I can stay the same until Monday, that will be fine. And I am promising myself, it will be Monday only on the scale from now on.

I am a little worried about not eating enough, honestly. I hate hate actual calorie counting, so I try not to do that. I try to give a ballpark guess on what I'm eating. But then I worry that I am overestimating what I'm taking in, and that it's too low instead of too high. Why can't this just be easy? Oh well. I am doing the best I can to eat healthy food including a healthy snack when I'm starving, and just watch my portions. Not sure what else I can do without driving myself crazy with measurements and calorie counts.

Today is another 4 mile walk day with mom, so I'm looking forward to that, even though it's slower pace than I should be going. It is nice to get out of the house.

I am already thinking about the weekend and trying to come up with a plan of attack. We usually don't meal plan on the weekends, and often go out for multiple meals, so I am going to try to avoid that at least this week, and limit to one restaurant meal a week after that. Sometimes I hate weekends. :)

Day 3

2011-01-05T20:54:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I know, I said I wasn't posting every day, but the beginning is always kinda like this. I am going full steam ahead, but I also get a bit stressed. Mostly I worry I will be dissapointed in the weigh in on Monday. When I have a week that's really great with eating and exercise and I don't have a great weigh in, I get so discouraged, and if that happens this early in the game, I might be tempted to give up. Which is no good! Also, thinking about the fact that this is only day 3, and I'm going to have to be having great days like these for months and months in order to get where I want to be. It's overwhelming. So I have to focus on the one day at a time, and stop worrying about the long term.

I've really been doing great at following my plans for meals and exercise though. I've been eating a ton of healthy veggies. Today I went 36 minutes on my workout, and I was almost even liking it, the time went by pretty fast. It's nice to be exceeding my 20 min MWF goal so far. I'm feeling pretty good. Now to tackle day 4...

Day 2

2011-01-04T11:02:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am definitely not going to try to post in here every day. Actually I don't want to do that at all, because it seems to be a quick way to blog burn out. I hope to have a little update maybe every Monday after weigh in. But it's just the 2nd day and I feel like talking.

Yesterday went well as first days go. I ate exactly what my scheduled food for the day was, plus 10 grapes because I was starving after my workout and still had a few hours till dinner. I had actually scheduled a small cupcake for dessert, because I still have several of them sitting around from the weekend, but I am sure I was more than fine on calories, and I need to ease in to these things a little bit. I can't go from junk and sweets every day to nothing at all every day.

I got in the short workout I planned, which ended up being 28 minutes including the few minutes of stretching/warm up/cool down. I just did my typical half dance half workout moves in my office session. I thought I did a good enough intensity to get started, and my calves are actually sore today, which was surprising, and kind of pathetic.

The most amazing thing was feeling hungry again. I seriously have not been hungry for more than a very short while in so long. But I was hungry before each meal except breakfast yesterday (and that was cuz we'd had a way too big blowout dinner Sunday night).

So, I feel good about this. I am also really glad we don't have any plans with anyone this weekend, so I can have a little longer to get in the groove before having that kind of temptation. We do have a party to go to on the 15th, but I am planning on bringing a much healthier snack than I usually do, and will have a salad before I go, so I won't be so starving, since the party's replacing dinner.

I really really want to succeed long term this time, and not let things get out of hand. I want to be able to have a cheat meal and not let it turn into a cheat day/weekend/forever. I need to realize I am not going to be perfect, and that is ok, as long as I am better than I have been and still making some kind of progress in the right direction the majority of the time.

Wow, I am lame

2011-01-03T10:40:00.003-05:00

Yes, it's been half a year since I've posted, but I'm just contributing to the huge increase in diet blog posts that I'm sure are happening this week. It is a new year, though that really has little to do with wanting to restart, but it is just a convenient time since there are no more holidays or really anything at all going on for me any time soon. I do have vague resolutions for this year: better health, better job, better house. Hopefully some major stuff will be happening this year.

So, I have no idea if I will be keeping up with posting here or not. I really hope to start reading all the blogs I used to read, because you are all awesome and inspiring. If I'm gone for a long long time, I'm probably completely off track again, since I can't seem to get out of my all or nothing mindset.

I'm the heaviest I've been since 2007, which really sucks. 5 pounds more than I restarted at last January. 188.4. Ugh. I'm trying not to make such unrealistic goals this time around. Last year, I was so set on losing as fast as I did in 2007, and I had to realize I am just not that young anymore, my body can't lose as fast doing the same stuff. Mostly it was just that I really wasn't as motivated though.

So, ultimately, I'm hoping to lose 40 pounds this year, about to 148, which is just under my wedding weight, and 8 pounds over "normal" BMI. The old me would have set the goal to lose that 40 pounds in 4 months, so saying a year is a big change. I hope to convince myself there is no rush, it just needs to come off and stay off this time.

I'm back to planning out all my meals, at least until I get used to this. I think that really helped, so I wasn't like hmmm, what the heck do I have for lunch, hmm, some nachos sound good. That is the bad thing about working from home, access to any food I want any time. So meal plans, and dinners that are healthier. Working out 5 days a week again, starting small at 20 minutes M-W-F and the 4 mile not so fast walk with my mom on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Hopefully getting in some kind of semi active activity with the husband on the weekend. Less junk on the weekends, but not being strict as hell. During the week, only one small sweet allowed per day and only if workout was completed. Never weighing more than one morning a week - more just drives me crazy.

I'm really hoping if I accomplish my other 2 goals, it will really help me with the weight loss too. I miss leaving the house to go to work, and I feel like keeping busier would really help me out. And the house thing, well moving is a pain in the butt, and I really plan to be doing a ton of work in the house and yard, so hopefully that will help. Of course, that's assuming I really can move soon, which may also depend on getting a better job. We'll see!

Alright, here goes nothing.

Pretending I'm not a jerk who never posts

2010-06-10T11:06:00.002-04:00

Wow, things have gotten away from me again. I miss reading everyone's posts, but I haven't even tried to catch up. Really, I should probably lower the amount in my reader because it was getting overwhelming trying to keep up with them all. I do like reading everyone's posts though, but when I'd miss a day and come back to see over a hundred posts, it was just hard to get through them. Then I gave up completely.

Well, I guess I'm here for an update. Honestly, my work out mode gearup didn't last long at all. I am not even sure I made it a week. I blame it on the fact that I've just felt so busy lately. The good thing is I think the busy has kept me from eating way too much during the week anyway.

I hadn't weighed myself since the end of April I think, and since then my exercise has mostly just been my 8 miles a week of walking with mom, and I haven't cared much about my eating either. I figured I'd be lucky to be the same as I was then (173ish) but probably more. I was happy to see 169 instead. But I am done with the scale for quite a while now. It has been better for me to not be in "diet mode", and I want to stick with that, for now anyway.

My goals are just to try my best during the week, but still allow a small treat if I want it, and not worry so much about the weekends because it keeps me from going crazy if I still have some things I want. I do find I end up not wanting as much when I'm "allowed" to do what I want. I mean, I ate out quite a bit in the 6 weeks and somehow managed to lose a few pounds? I'lll take it. I would very much like to up my workouts, mostly because I like how I feel when I workout 5 days a week instead of 2. But I'm still trying to fit that in. Instead of having huge goals, my goal is 10 pounds, and I don't care how long it takes me to get there. Time goals have been bad for me because even at my best, I seem to lose at half the rate I did a few years ago. I would love to be in the 150s right now, and hopefully I will get there.

I'm going to try to read some posts now..

Workout groove

2010-04-28T18:18:00.002-04:00

Well, this week has been going better with workouts. I made out a plan for weights, so I've been following that mostly, except I delayed yesterday's weights to today because I was too tired from the 4 mile walk and didn't want to push it. But I'm hoping to work on my new schedule for a total of 2-3 weeks, and then move on to P90x.

Eating has been getting a little easier, but I still have a huge sweet tooth and a hard time eating small meals at restaurants. I am cutting back a little at a time, and not weighing for the time being. I know I'm probably around 172-173 right now, which sucks, but I just want to try to see the changes in my clothes/body and not mess with the scale. Yes, I battle with this constantly, but I just have to do what's right for me at the moment, and if that changes in the future, that's ok too.

No time to blog

2010-04-26T16:53:00.002-04:00

I am still here! I didn't fall off the face of the earth. But I kinda feel like I have! I just haven't had the time to blog, or even to read other blogs, and it makes me sad, but it's just really hard to make it a priority right now. I'm struggling just to have time to work out, so blogging seems less important. I am still trying to improve myself, although I'm certainly not back on a great track yet. I worked out 4 days last week, which was better than the 3 days from the week before. Hoping for 5 days this week. Food is still far from good, but I'm working on that too. Not sure if I am ready for P90X next week like I wanted. I haven't done much with weights in a long time, and I know it would kick my ass good. Also not sure I can carve out an hour a day for it anyway, since time has been my problem lately. Anyway.. I haven't lost hope.

Post Vacation

2010-04-12T11:26:00.003-04:00

I'm back!! Jamaica was awesome, I ate a ton of good food, had a lot of tropical drinks, and did as many activities as I could! It was great!

Here's me trying to waterski, which was way harder than I thought (the standing up part). I only lasted a few seconds, but I will definitely try it again if we go back to Couples again. I almost chickened out, especially after I saw my husband wipe out twice without making it up.

Yesterday was a horrible long travel day, we had to get up at 6am and did not get home until 8pm, thanks to lots of waiting in airports and an extra hour flight delay. Pretty crazy considering we were only actually traveling for an hour and a half on a bus from the resort and in the air for a total of a little over 2 hours. Anyways, I am home now.

That means it's time to get my butt back in gear! Honestly, it is really hard to get out of the habit of eating so much, I am so hungry since my body got used to 5 days of big breakfasts (and all the other meals). But I am trying my best to ease back into realistic eating, and definitely cutting out all calories from drinks completely for a while. And I am setting the goal now to work out at least 5 days this week, so I can regain that habit before I start P90x in 3 weeks from today!

I am not weighing at the moment, just going to see how this goes until I give in and get on the scale. Have to plan a healthy menu for the week and go shopping later...

I will try to skim through and catch up on all my blogs soon! And hopefully will be back to posting almost daily on here.

Lack of posts

2010-03-31T10:34:00.003-04:00

Sorry I have been pretty absent. My work life turmoil is still taking up so much of my time, I just don't feel like posting lately. I am still trying to work out, but slacking more than I should, and the same with eating. I am really hoping to pick up everything 100% again when I get back from Jamaica. Until then, I think I'm just going to call this a hiatus. I have too much to take care of before I leave. Hope everyone is doing well!

Disbelief

2010-03-26T12:51:00.003-04:00

I hadn't decided if I wanted to weigh or not, but then I thought I should face it this morning. Not weighing might get me more depressed and eating even more over the weekend because I would just assume I'd already gained a ton and what's a few more pounds. I was expecting to see about a 2lb gain. I would have been happy to see the same 169 I saw last Friday. Honestly, this week has been so awful and stressful. I've eaten far too much crap, and though I didn't do much snacking except over the weekend, I did have some candy and strawberry shortcake most nights. Yesterday I was super busy and missed lunch altogether, but I'm sure my calories for the day were still pretty normal overall. My only workouts were about an hour of walking on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I did no weights at all or high intensity cardio. I felt like a bum!

So, how the hell did the scale say 166.6??? What on earth? I really don't believe it could be possible. I expect to gain 2lbs and instead lose more than 2? Wow. I wish husband had weighed, so I would know if maybe the batteries are just dying or something, but he hasn't weighed in a while. In any case, I think I'm liking this Friday weigh in thing, haha.

Anyway, I am going to try to step up the workouts again starting today (even though this week seems to imply that less is more??) and do my best with eating over the weekend. We are going out to sweet tomatoes tonight, which is my favorite buffet ever. It can be a decently healthy place to eat, but of course, in addition to my salad, I want to eat blueberry muffins, peanut butter chocolate bars, grilled cheese focacia with tomato soup, etc. I am sure I will eat too much. But seeing the scale today, I'm going to try hard to get small tastes of things and not to overdo it too much, and to make smart choices the rest of the weekend. I'm also eating a very light lunch to try to make up for it (yay for zuccini with pasta sauce!).

I think I needed this boost today, even though I don't really believe it. It would be nice if my body was giving me a real break for a change though!

Hope everyone has a nice weekend! Sorry for my lack of comments, I have been trying to read everyone's posts, but have slacked on my comments.

So much stress

2010-03-25T10:12:00.002-04:00

Well, I missed posting yesterday, and I also didn't work out yesterday, but I am still trying. I honestly did not have time to workout yesterday, and the past few days have been so so stressful for me. Mostly the problem is with work. I am self-employed, but primarily have worked for the same tiny company for the past 5 years. Well my "boss" is up to her old tricks again, about once a year she pulls this crap that makes me SO close to quitting. So I spent practically every spare second yesterday working on building my new website portfolio, so I can hopefully start applying for an actual job with benefits soon. I know this is a bad time to change jobs, especially in FL, and I have been keeping an eye out for one for about a year, and have only seen a couple that really interested me and would pay enough to be worth the change. But I think I have to at least try. Honestly, I would welcome the change from working from home.

The other thing that's stressed me out, is that after about a year of not being locked in a lease, my apartment complex has sent us notice that we have to resign to stay. I have a month to think about it before I have to sign, or the end of March if I want a measly $50 off one month. Of course, the rates are going up, unless we sign for 18 months, which I am not willing to do (that's such a long time, plus I don't want to have to move during the holidays). If we sign by April, the $50 would offset some of the rent increase for a 12 month lease, so I guess we will do that. I am just really sad about it, because that means I will have to completely give up hope of looking for a house for a whole year. What if the perfect one popped up during that time? CRAP. I am so tired of living here, but I definitely don't want to move somewhere unless it is a permanent home we're going to stay in for a long time. If I had just found a "real" job a year ago, I probably could have afforded a house by now. I also know it's going to be hard for me to stop looking, and I really don't want to be disappointed. But I also want to know what things are going for. I guess I will try to wait until January to start looking again.

Anyway, I just needed to vent, I guess. I know these problems aren't that big of a deal, but it has made this week less than fun. At the moment, losing weight doesn't seem too important. That doesn't mean I'm nosediving into a bag of cookies, but I definitely haven't been working at it like I should be.

I won't let you be mean to me, scale

2010-03-23T10:29:00.003-04:00

I'm still avoiding the scale. My initial thought was to see what it tells me on Friday, a week from the last time I weighed, but I'm starting to think I just don't want to focus on the scale right now. I know I will not come close to my Jamaica goal, and I guess I just don't want to care about it that much because it upsets me to think about it. I'm just going to continue trying to eat better and working out for the next 2 weeks, and hit the weight loss plan strong when I get back. Maybe I will even move up my P90X start date a bit. I'm semi-planning a mini trip to the keys in June with some friends, so I'll have something else to think about losing for.

Even though I felt crummy, I still got out to walk yesterday. I walked almost an hour, and wasn't really pushing myself, but I am glad I did something. It at least kept me from eating more during that time. Today is more walking with mom. I am hoping I feel up for a more intense workout tomorrow. I do feel less sick today, but still groggy and sluggish.

No more parties

2010-03-22T16:40:00.002-04:00

Where did that resolve go? It kinda dissolved by the end of Friday night. Actually, the party went ok on Friday, but there was not much I would eat there, and then I was hungry when I got home and ended up having some nachos I shouldn't have. Saturday I tried to make up for it with a good elliptical/treadmill workout for 500 calories burned, but then the game night led to me eating too munch junk, which continued throughout Sunday as well. I just can't get a hold of myself.

Now my throat hurts, I feel blah, and I just don't feel like working out. It really sucks. I was supposed to go get my wisdom teeth examined by the oral surgeon today, but I cancelled since I don't want to spread my germs around and it hurts to open my mouth wide anyway. Plus, I really don't want to spend so much money on a "problem" that really hasn't been a problem for me.

I hope everyone else is doing well. I have 96 unread blog posts in my reader from the weekend, geez! It sucks getting behind! Off to do some reading..

Friday will not be Frightday

2010-03-19T14:54:00.003-04:00

That's right, my motivation is still going strong. I will not let these parties ruin me!! I WILL NOT!

Whew. So, yesterday I did a full walk with mom (at least 4 miles since we went a little farther than we ever have before). Eating was ok, but I did have a few too many nuts because I was cooking peanut chicken stir fry and they were sitting out... but, I think I made up for it with a second workout. I did a strong weight session for almost a full hour after dinner. It was awesome! I finally added weights to my squats and lunges, so those are way better with the extra 30 lbs. I also added small ankle weights for my leg lifts and stuff, but they are still pretty light. I think my arms need more of a challenge, but not sure what to do there.

Today the scale was at 169 even. I can't believe I am still a full pound up from last week, but I will get it off. I am determined to move that scale in the correct direction this weekend, no more backtracking.

Oh yeah, also I was checking out my legs while working out today, and I have to say I am pretty happy with how fit they are looking. If I could just get rid of the horrible inner thigh flab problem, my legs would be pretty nice. Of course, I've never been able to get rid of that, but maybe there's hope.

I just got finished with a half hour office workout including lotsa kickboxing moves, and I did sweat it up a bit for such a short workout. Since we have to be ready to leave the house at 6:30 tonight, I wasn't sure I'd have enough time to do a full workout after work, so I decided to split it up. I will either do more at home, or maybe hit the treadmill in the gym for another 30 minutes since I probably won't have time to do the trail, and I'm going to try to do the trail tomorrow anyway.

The weekend is almost here

2010-03-18T14:39:00.003-04:00

I wish I could be excited about the weekend, but I never really am, unless my plans do not involve food at all. I am trying to make sure my mindset is strong before I have to attend these parties or there will be no hope.

The past 2 days I've been around 169.6. At least it's not 170, but it's still disappointing when I was at 168 a week ago, and had hoped to be around 166-167 this week. Well, I can pretty much whine every day that I'm not where I want to be and that doesn't help anything.

I went to the gym yesterday for the second time so far. I kicked butt on the elliptical (40 min, lev 6-8) and bike (20 min, lev 4-6) for a total of 613 calories burned! That feels awesome. I love how I feel when I get done at the gym, but I still dread going. I guess the idea of being stuck in a tiny room with no tv or anything to distract me just gets to me. I much prefer being outside, but I do want to continue with at least one good gym day a week to switch things up. And I still can't wait for the pool to warm up.

I wanted to do a second session last night to get my weights in, but it didn't happen. Hopefully I can fit them in after my walk today, since that is not much of a workout anyway.

Last night I didn't munch, but I did have my last piece of wedding cake (with most of the frosting scraped off). I am glad I am done with that! It was good, but wayyy too many calories.

I forgot to mention I also fit in another pair of my smaller shorts this weekend. I totally didn't think they would fit at this weight, so I think the exercise has helped my body shape more than the scale shows. One of these days I will actually start measuring myself, but I never know if I am doing it right or holding the tape in exactly the same place each time, etc.

Happy St Patty's Day

2010-03-17T15:53:00.003-04:00

I am still here. I guess that's the important thing. No matter how many times I get frustrated and want to give up, I'm still trying. In fact, I just noticed I've already posted more in here this year than I did in 2007-2009 put together. It really has helped me to get my feelings out there, and get inspired by reading so many other blogs by dieters or those who succeed at living healthy lifestyles.

Last night wasn't the best night. Well, it wasn't horrible, but it did involve too much junk after dinner. I felt pretty defeated. I am trying to get over it. What alternative is there? The only one is to go back to my old habits and just keep gaining weight forever. That just can't happen. So I'll just keep struggling to meet my goals, however slowly I may reach them.

I can pretty much say at this time every day that the day is good so far. My problems are always always at night, sometimes starting between working out and dinner, when I am hungry, but usually just after dinner when I want to eat junk for no real reason. I am going to try my hardest to cut back to my old "one small treat" a night method which seemed to work for the most part. Maybe I should start blogging more at night, when I am struggling.

The only good thing is my working out habits have held. I have not slacked off on that, so that's something. It does help keep me going somehow, even though I hate it sometimes.

Blah Blah Grumble Grumble

2010-03-16T11:41:00.002-04:00

Ok, I faced the scale. 2 nights of bad dinners/desserts plus a little more cake last night = 2 lbs. Which means 170 AGAIN. Ugh. I am so mad. I did not eat 7,000 extra calories in 2 days. And I haven't even slacked on working out - I am still sticking to 6 days a week for at least 45 minutes, and most days an hour or more. Yesterday I jogged/fast walked for 52 minutes and then did full body weights after dinner.

Well, I am taking almost all the rest of the cake over to my mom today so they can help eat it. I will still have all the evil ice cream to tempt me, but at least I don't really have to worry about eating that before it dries out like the cake.

I am just going to have to be on my absolute best behavior to get these stupid pounds off. Definitely not looking forward to this weekend's 3 parties. I suppose I can try to just eat a salad before each event and then chew gum while I'm there. Maybe I have to work out 2 hours a day to get my body to cooperate. :( Only 3 weeks to vacation. It's not looking good.

Anniversary Weekend is Over

2010-03-15T16:12:00.003-04:00

I have a million posts to catch up on reading since I didn't get online much this weekend. Just wanted to post for a minute, because I'm sort of feeling overwhelmed. I definitely ate too much this weekend. I don't feel too bad about it. What worries me is that there is still a ton of food and wedding cake and ice cream in my kitchen.

I did work out on Saturday and kept my eating down until dinner on both days. But the dinners were pretty crazy! I did not weigh today. I am just trying to hang on and not go crazy anymore.

I haven't worked out yet today, but I definitely will, even though I have been tired and blah all day. I haven't slept well at all lately.

I guess that's it for now.

The Gym

2010-03-12T14:07:00.003-05:00

I did it. I got my butt into the tiny apartment gym yesterday. There was one lady in there with her 2 little kids climbing all over the machines, but they pretty much left as soon as I came in. Maybe she was afraid I would notice the rule sign in there that says you're supposed to be at least 16 to use the gym and complain about it? Or she was just being nice because there are only 3 cardio machines in there.

Well, I was happy to have the place to myself, and started off with 20 minutes on the bike varying in the 4-8 resistance range. Then I did about 20 on the elliptical (also varying 4-8 resistance), but my feet started aching pretty badly. The elliptical always makes my feet kinda numb, but I think maybe my shoes really are too small, although they are feeling much better when I'm running, so I don't know. I stopped halfway through to take my shoes off and the stupid machine shut off in like 10 seconds! Really irritated me because I don't know exactly how long I went or the calorie count, etc. But I finished out what was at least 20 minutes in my socks and my feet felt much better. It was still kinda awkward doing the elliptical in socks though, so I switched back to do another 22 minutes back on the bike. This was the first time I'd used either of those machines since last year, and I was happy I was able to do so well on them.

Let me just say, I feel like my jogging and indoor workouts must be nothing, because I was completely drenched in sweat at the end of that hour or so workout. It felt great to do something different, but a few hours after I was done, my legs were killing me! That was weird because usually I don't feel sore until the morning after I do something new/harder than usual. Maybe it was delayed from doing weights the day before. I don't know. Today they are still feeling a bit sore, but not nearly as bad.

It is still raining, so I don't think I'll get to walk. I'll probably just do my indoor workout today and also a lot of house cleaning. My legs are not ready for the bike or elliptical again yet.

Yesterday, I actually put back food I had planned to eat - TWICE! That's crazy! I was starving for lunch and made a really big salad, but realized halfway through that I wasn't hungry anymore. So I saved it and had the rest with dinner. After my workout, I wanted a snack, so I prepared some fruit, but again realized I only needed a few bites, and put the rest back. And for dinner, I had one serving of a pasta and really didn't want anymore. I can sometimes resist getting more pasta, but I almost always want more, and this time I was actually satisfied. Amazing!

I am ready to make today another good day on the eating front, since the weekend is looming. Tomorrow is our fancy anniversary dinner, and Sunday I am recreating our wedding meal which is also a lot of food (plus wedding cake!). So I want to make sure I do well for the rest of the time and of course, get in a workout. I tried on the dress that barely zipped when I bought it a few weeks ago and it fits great now, perfect timing for tomorrow!

15 lbs gone

2010-03-11T15:13:00.002-05:00

It's probably a bit early to say that, but I did see 168 even today, which means I've lost 15 lbs since I started on January 4th. That's almost half what I had gained from my wedding to New Year's, and my first anniversary is Sunday, so I am glad to be sitting at +18 instead of +33 (and we all know I wouldn't have stopped at +33 either). And I will hopefully get rid of the rest in a few months.

I was super proud of myself yesterday. Not only did I get in the killer weights workout, but I hit the trail and did more jogging than usual. I finished in about 56 minutes instead of going the full hour, but I went about the same distance. I was even able to jog through 2 complete songs without a break. Oh, and I wore shorts and didn't get any chafing! I am not sure if its because my thighs are a bit thinner or because I rubbed cornstarch on them before I went out - a home remedy I read about, since I still haven't bought any Body Glide to try. In any case, I was happy to not have that problem this time!

My eating was also really good for the day, even though I included a measured serving of light ice cream. I am on a roll on the snack front, it seems. And I'm so glad I can enjoy a little ice cream without it triggering annoying habits like other things seem to do.

Today has been going well, although I am sad about the rain keeping me from my walk. I may be hitting the gym today because my husband has taken up my office floor (where I do my at home workouts) with a computer he is setting up for his mother. It will be a good change of pace though.

Aloe and Karate

2010-03-10T15:23:00.004-05:00

I got in about 35 minutes of weights work after my first post today. I think part of the reason I want to do P90X is to have a program to follow and I know I'm not training the wrong muscles at a time or whatever. I like doing a little of everything and just doing weights every other day instead of one body part every day because I can do it faster and get more done overall, and then I know I'm not accidentally working the same muscle 2 days in a row. While resting between bicep curl sets, I can do lunges instead of just sitting there. When I did just arms on Monday, it was really boring and seemed to take forever. But, I'm adding in more types of exercises, and I realize I really don't have time or energy to do them all, 3 times a week. I'm just kinda not sure what schedule I should be following or how to split things up and vary my routine so my body is always being challenged. I guess I will just keep trying to figure things out and do "something" for every muscle group I can, and then I will welcome P90X to tell me what to do in 2 months. I am starting to get excited about starting it.

I actually got on here to write about a strange thing that happened earlier. About 15 minutes after my weights workout, while still wearing my workout clothes, I went out on our screened in porch to water the plants and clean up fallen leaves to make it look a little tidier. Random people walk around outside all the time (I assume apartment residents or employees). So this guy walks past and made a comment about how I must like plants. I wasn't really paying attention to him (I am not good at talking to people I don't know), but then he came back around a minute later with a chopped off aloe plant and asked if I liked aloe and wanted the plant. I wasn't really sure I wanted it, but I didn't want to be rude, so I went around to meet him and took the plant.

As I was going back inside, the guy asked me if I did karate, and I said no, and he was like 'you look like you do karate'. Hmm. Weird. I guess I should take that as a compliment. Better than a stranger saying, hey you look like you sit on the couch all day eating cheetos. But I definitely don't think I look athletic, so it was pretty weird. Maybe the kickboxing moves I've been adding in have actually done something? Or maybe he was trying to hit on me, who knows. I can never figure people out.

Ahh, it's 75 degrees!

2010-03-10T12:47:00.004-05:00

Thank goodness the cold weather seems to be over! Of course, since it's so warm today, that means rain is going to be visiting for the next few days, probably ruining my chance of walking with mom tomorrow. But I am SO glad to see no more lows of 40s appearing in the 10-day forecast. Hopefully we're done with that for the season. I would like my plants to grow back now, please!

Alrighty. Yesterday ended out ok, no nuts again, but I did have 110 calories of chocolate caramels AND some sf pudding, which is more than I should have done. Still, since lunch was zucchini pasta, and I had room for error, I think I did ok. Will try to keep the sweets down to one item per day though. The good news is there are only a couple of those chocolates left. The bad news is I will be plagued with Easter candy soon. My mom still insists on making us way big baskets.

I'm sloooowwwwly making more progress, 168.8 today. I was hoping for better, since I actually saw less than that on Saturday, but that seems to be how things go with the scale lately. I am still happy I seem to be done with the 170s. And I probably would have hit 190 by now if I hadn't stopped my out of control spiral in January. Sometimes I definitely need to remind myself of these facts, since it makes my slow rate of loss seem much less important/annoying.

I didn't manage a second workout yesterday, so that means lots of weights on the agenda today. I'm trying to decide if I want to run as well, or stay in for a shorter amount of cardio. I should probably run though, since I did not do that at all last week, and the rain is probably going to keep me from it on Friday. We'll see how it goes. I've been a little afraid to go out running in my new shoes, because I'm still breaking them in. They seem smaller than my old ones even though they're the same size/brand, but I guess the old ones were just stretched out.

4 Weeks Left

2010-03-09T14:06:00.003-05:00

In exactly 4 weeks, I'll be in Jamaica! That is way exciting, but also makes me sad that I only have 4 weeks left to work on my body shape. Eek! That is pretty much zero time, considering how slow I have been at losing. And it's also scary because there is stuff going on every weekend until we leave that will make it hard to lose weight. My upcoming plans include a fancy anniversary dinner, wedding cake, a going away party, a game night, a baby shower, sweet tomatoes buffet dinner (hello blueberry muffin overdose), renaissance festival, and Easter. That is a lot of stuff, and there will probably be more that comes up. I really am trying to do my best though, especially on weekdays when I have no excuse for screwing up. I'm at 169 today, and though 10 more lbs in 4 weeks is probably impossible, 5 should definitely be doable, so I'm aiming for at least 164.

My eating was super good yesterday, no snacks (except my planned dessert) - I didn't reach for the nuts once! I think that is the secret for me. For some things, a little is enough to satisfy me, but with trigger foods like nuts, as long as I don't have any, it is easier to resist. Once I have a small handful, it's all over for the night. I have no self control sometimes!

Anyway, after dinner I did arms/chest/a little ab work. My legs were still sore, so I decided to put off working on them. I may do that tonight, after walking with mom, or if not, I'll just do full body weights tomorrow. I am so glad my legs/butt are finally feeling better (although in a way, I was totally happy they were sore). I am not sure why my arms aren't sore, since I am doing 15lbs in 3 sets of 12, which is the most yet. I might need to go buy a 20lb weight soon. I am getting confident that when I finally start P90X, I will actually be in good enough shape to do most of it (except pull ups, I don't think I'd ever be able to do those). I think I'm going to officially set Monday May 3 as my start date for P90X. I'm adding that to my facebook countdown calendar so I don't forget, haha. That will be a good boost to keep working my butt off when I get back from vacation, and hopefully it will help me get that bikini body during the summer (even if it's late summer).

Oh yeah, since I hit 169 today, that means my BMI is no longer in the obese category! Yay! I am "just" overweight instead. 29 lbs to go until "normal". I can't wait!

I'm bored

2010-03-08T18:22:00.002-05:00

I forgot to mention I got to reclaim a pair of jeans this weekend. I have been basically switching between the 2 pair of jeans that fit me which I bought around November when nothing was fitting. One a size 12 and one 14 which fit about the same but I guess the brands are sized that much differently. They both were getting pretty uncomfortable to wear by new years and are now far from that. Anyway, I came across the size 10 pair I was wearing at the end of last summer, and now they fit fine too. So I have them to get me through until it is too hot to wear jeans, which will probably be in just a few weeks. Hopefully by October or so when it starts getting cold again, all the rest of my jeans will fit. I have a huge stockpile of size 8-9 jeans.

I only did a 25 minute kinda half-assed cardio workout so far today. My legs are still kinda sore from Friday/Saturday and I just wasn't feeling it. I will try to do more later maybe. In the meantime, I am trying to stay away from the kitchen until it's time to start cooking dinner. Our schedule is way off of "normal", so I won't be cooking for at least half an hour. If I drifted in the other room, I would probably hit the nuts again.. My eating today has been really light (still making up for last night's nut attack), so I could easily afford a small snack right now, but I'd rather save it for strawberries and sf pudding after dinner. ;-)

It's nice to meet you again 160's!

2010-03-08T13:19:00.010-05:00

So, I've managed to stay under 170 for 3 days in a row! It's not a big loss, but I am sitting happy at 169.2 today. Especially since the weekend involved plenty of temptation.
Friday I worked my butt off before I went out. Total of 80 minutes, and I threw a lot of kickboxing into my cardio. I got what I was planning on for dinner, citrus grilled chicken which came with 3 sides, and I picked veggies (ended up being just broccoli), side salad w viniagrette, and my splurge item, sweet potato fries which were totally worth it. I had one drink that I made myself with rum and crystal light, and then probably the equivalent of one more drink which was mixed tastes of different things. I am pretty sure I burned off the alcohol with the dancing we did after dinner anyway. So Friday was a success. Here I am (middle back of the photo) with some of my favorite ladies!

Saturday morning I did a quick 20 minute workout before I had to get ready to leave. Then we headed downtown and did at least 2 miles of walking around, and I took lots of pics of the buildings and random things. By the time I got home, my butt and legs were killing me. Saturday's eats weren't great, because we ate out for lunch at the Jerk Hut (I had plantains, rice&beans, and veggies), and then my parents invited us over for dinner, which I handled ok, having a light salad, one piece of garlic bread with light butter, and one piece of lasagna (a miracle, because I always get 2 pieces of her lasagna!).

Yesterday was alright, pretty boring, and I didn't work out because I was still so sore. I did eat too much nuts and chocolate AGAIN last night, ugh. But at least dinner was super light, so I don't think I did too much damage.

Today is another new day, and I'm trying to stay motivated! I don't want to see the 170s again, so hopefully I can keep up a good flow and at least lose a couple more pounds until Jamaica.

I leave you with some pics from Tampa.

Where's my butt??

2010-03-07T01:51:00.003-05:00

Because I have WORKED IT OFF this weekend. Seriously. I am SO sore, geez!!! I can hardly sit down or stand up because moving my legs and butt like that totally hurts. Haha.

Just thought I'd leave you with that thought. I will post more, but it might not be until Monday. Just know the weekend is going pretty well, not perfect, but definitely active! :)

I got some MUSCLES!!

2010-03-05T15:31:00.003-05:00

Or I'm going to have them at least. I just got done with workout 1 for the day a little while ago. I decided to attack some weights again, for the THIRD time this week, go me. I muscled through it for 35 minutes, getting in 3 sets of almost everything I did. I also looked up new leg exercises I can do at home to start incorporating, because I couldn't think of much more than lifts, squats, and lunges, and was doing a lot more with arms/shoulders/back. I also think I need to officially have an abs day or 2 because I still neglect those a bit. Maybe I will make tues/thurs walking days into abs days as well.

Oh, and I actually did 2 real pushups, haha. I just wanted to see if I could do it, and I could probably do a full set if it was the first thing I was doing. But I did switch back to my girly pushups instead. I will move up to adding more real ones soon though. It's becoming pretty easy to do 3 sets of 15 girlies.

I have to admit that I pretty much had a repeat snack attack last night, almost identical to the night before, except this time I didn't do a second workout like I should have. Stupid nuts and chocolate! I did stop myself from major damage again though, so that's good, at least. Hopefully these stupid attacks will go away when my period does in a few days. The scale STILL says 170, but I am really hoping to pull off a great weekend and see 169 soon.

Today I am being super good, eating way healthy for breakfast/lunch/snacks in preparation for dinner out tonight. And I AM going to make good choices tonight as well, but I want to give myself a little wiggle room. Hence, the double workouts too. I am going to get in at least 30-45 minutes of cardio before I go out.

Other than girls night tonight, I really don't have any weekend plans. Not sure what will be on the agenda, but I'm definitely going to workout. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Why can't food just suck?

2010-03-04T18:41:00.002-05:00

Well, last night I did really well keeping portions down at dinner, but then I hit a can of nuts and also had 2 chocolate caramels at 55 calories each. Ok, I didn't eat the whole can of nuts, but I kept going back for a few more until I was getting out of control and I did not like that feeling. Luckily, before I finished off the can, I flossed and brushed my teeth and then did 30 minutes of weights in addition to the 45 total cardio minutes I'd done earlier in the day. So it ended up ok, but I was close to really screwing up. I hate that I still have these moments, far more often than I'd like.

Anyway, I'm still going. Today has been fine so far, and I did my walk with mom, but it was slower than usual today and I really feel like I need to do more. I might try to get in a small workout after dinner, but I probably won't be motivated then. Oh well. I am definitely going to do a good workout tomorrow, before going out with the girls.

Better Already

2010-03-03T16:33:00.003-05:00

I'm in a better mood now, but I am still SO COLD. Geez. It looks like we won't even be hitting 70 for the rest of the week. Luckily, next week looks a little more promising (no more lows in the 40s), but is probably bringing rain just in time for my anniversary weekend.

Earlier I decided to do a short workout just to warm up. I've learned it takes me 10 minutes of real effort to get my body temp up to where I'm not cold anymore, so that's what I was shooting for, but I ended up doing 15 minutes of jogging in place, jumping jacks and other random things. It was easier than I expected, considering how blah I felt earlier. Of course, I was cold again about 20 minutes later, but oh well. I am still planning to do at least 30 more minutes of cardio in a little while, and maybe weights after dinner again. I'm actually posting on the blog just to kill a little more time to postpone my workout some so I don't want to snack as much before dinner. I don't really have much to say!

I am annoyed with the 1lb/week avg rate of loss, but my ultimate goal when I started this was to get to a healthy weight by the end of 2010. Even if I keep going this slow, I can still make that goal. I am 30lbs from "normal" BMI, and about 40-45 lbs from what I think would be my ideal weight. There are still something like 43 weeks left of this year. Honestly, I would be ecstatic if I lost 43 lbs in the next 43 weeks, so I need to quit trying to rush myself. As long as I'm trying my best, I'll get there. :)

Super Blah Kinda Day

2010-03-03T10:37:00.003-05:00

The title kinda speaks for itself. I just feel gross and blah, thanks to the full swing period. Weight was about the same today, and I'm thinking about leaving the scale alone for a few days. I am mad at it, because I really want it to say 169.something. I checked in today for the sparkpeople challenge I've been participating in, which weighs in on Wednesdays. Looking at my progress on there kinda makes me depressed. It's been 7 weeks of the challenge, and I've lost 7 pounds. I know, slow is better, and that's not a bad number. But in 2007, when I was doing things right like now, I consistently lost 10 lbs a month, for 6 months in a row! I feel like I am eating/working out just as well as I did then, so I don't know why things are SO much slower. Sure, maybe I could blame some on gaining muscle, but I am not doing more weights than I did back then, and I really doubt I have gained much muscle at all. Ugh.

I am sure I am just being extra moody today and I will get over it. It doesn't help that I really don't feel like working out today and I am so sick of this cold weather. And I just really want to be at least slightly swim suit ready for the trip, and the days are counting down. Only a month left, and at this rate, I will lose a measly 4 pounds by then. I just wish I knew a plan of action to take, but I don't. I don't know if I should do different workouts, do more cardio, do more weights, eat even less, eat more, what?? It's really frustrating when you feel like you already ARE doing what you're supposed to do and your body is just not cooperating like you want.

Ok, thanks for letting me vent. I'm going to try my hardest not to let this translate into snacking on crap today.

No somoas for me

2010-03-02T14:25:00.002-05:00

I forgot to say that last Sunday, the evil little girls were outside of Publix with their loaded stacks of goodies.. and I didn't buy any!!

Samoas are my absolute favorite!! In fact, I even had girl scout cookies as my wedding favors! Each little box we made up had one samoa, one tagalong (hubby's fave & my second fave) and 2 thin mints, just because those are the most popular cookies. I really don't like mint though, so I never eat thin mints. Mint just reminds me of toothpaste, and I think that's where it should stay.

I am really proud of myself for resisting. My mom has already ordered boxes of these, so I figured if I really wanted, I could go to her house and have one or 2 cookies, and leave the rest with her, so I do not go through a whole box myself, which I easily could in probably 2 days.

Titleless Tuesday

2010-03-02T13:02:00.002-05:00

I finished out yesterday pretty well. Did 35 minutes of cardio after work, and then 30 minutes of weights after dinner. I think I like doing split up workouts sometimes, since I had more energy for the weights than I would have if I had done it right after the cardio. My eating was not perfect, but was ok. I didn't do lots of snacking, it was just that my lunch/dinner meals were a bit higher calorie than I would have liked (had leftover restaurant pasta for lunch and pancakes w 2 slices of bacon and a poached egg for dinner). The pancakes were soooo yummy though, I made one with strawberries in it and topped with blueberry syrup and more strawberries, one with macadamia nuts, coconut, and a few white chocolate pieces, and a very small one with peanut butter and chocolate chips. MMMM! I never have indulgent stuff like that for breakfast, so it's nice to have it as dinner every now and then.

Scale today averaged out to 170 even. Hoping tomorrow stays in the 160s! I am probably going to take my hair dye reward for anything under 170, even if it's not 169 even, because I'm going out Friday night with the girls so I'd like to dye it tomorrow or Thursday. I'm going to try hard to keep dinner out that night light and only have one or 2 drinks (rum & diet coke). I've already checked out the menu & it sounds like there are some reasonable options. As long as I actually choose the reasonable options this time!! I am also planning zucchini "pasta" for lunch Friday so I have calories to spare.

Anyway, I'm definitely hoping to stay strong this week (well, this whole month, hopefully!). I really want to get out of the 170s for good!!

A new month

2010-03-01T13:44:00.003-05:00

I think I did a great job yesterday making up for Saturday. I was back to having a really great day, very low cal and healthy and of course, my awesome workout. I forgot to mention yesterday, I actually had a couple of cars honk at me when I was running. It kinda weirds me out that people do that, but I guess I should be flattered. It's not like I was even wearing skimpy stuff, I was in capris and a regular workout shirt.

Today's scale reading: 170.8. I am ok with it, even though I was under 170 on Saturday. I will get back to the 160s soon. This week I'm expecting weirdness with the scale anyway, thanks to lovely feminine issues. I still have hope I can get to 159 by vacation. 36 days to go of working hard!

I broke my reward system yesterday. I was going to wait for a mini weight goal to reward myself with new shoes, but I decided it was in my best interest to go ahead and get them, since my feet were close to blisters after jogging yesterday. I had a 15% off coupon for Kohl's, so I headed there first, and found some Asics on sale, so I grabbed them up. I loved my other pair of Asics, but I'm a little worried that they all have gel cushioning now. In the past, when I had gel shoes (Reebok I think), they started squeaking after a while and it was annoying. Hopefully these will be ok. By the way, I only buy the cheaper Asics, I can't seem to justify spending $100+ for a pair of shoes. These ended up being $45 after the discount and tax. Not bad (especially since I managed to get out of Kohls with only this one purchase)! I can't wait to try them out on my walk tomorrow. Today I'm just planning an indoor workout, since I did so much on the trail last week, and I need to get in weights anyway. I'm trying to stay consistent with at least 2 days of weights a week, and so far so good.

Sunshine Award

2010-03-01T13:35:00.002-05:00

Deliciously Healthy gave me the Sunshine Award! Thanks girl!

I'm not sure who to pass onto though, I love all the blogs I follow (see list to the right of my blog!). Unfortunately, since I am mostly a lurker, most of these people probably don't know what my blog is. I am trying to comment more!

Streak free..

2010-02-28T15:05:00.002-05:00

My streak of really good eating has ended. But not in a horrible way. I am still here, so all is well! Yesterday, our game night was cancelled, but we did end up going to dinner with a few of our friends. I could have chosen an under 650 calorie boring meal there, but as it was an italian place, I went with pasta instead. Definitely not a healthy meal, especially considering there was no working out involved on Saturday. But I didn't eat all of it (still have some for tomorrow's lunch), and although I was pretty close to ruining myself further after dinner, I didn't do too bad.

Today is a new day, and I started the morning with some light fruit and hit the trail. I did more jogging today, made it through 6 full songs plus a little more of jogging with 1-2 minute breaks between songs. Then I speed walked the rest, and called it a day before I hit the full hour. I went 5o minutes, but it was about 4 miles, and the first half was very strong, so I'm happy with it. I had a simple low cal lunch, and I feel completely on track. I didn't weigh this morning, so hopefully tomorrow will not show a huge gain, but whatever. All I can do is move forward, and not beat myself up over one meal. I am human after all!

Today marks the end of 8 full weeks of turning my life around. I plan to make March a great month!

Finally trying a green monster

2010-02-26T21:13:00.003-05:00

I have seen these "green monster" smoothies all over people's blogs for months.. I was a bit chicken to try them at first, but I finally went for it today. I made less than the recipes said, but it was still a huge amount (glass pictured below was only half what it made). Also, I added a couple of strawberries, so that's why it's not as bright green. Anyway, I can't say I was in love. It was okay. Just ok. Maybe I'd try it again, but I'm not dying to.

So.. yesterday after walking with mom, I still got in about 20 minutes of weights! Go me. No badness to speak of eating wise yesterday either. Only dessert was less than a serving of SF jello (I made it into little cups, which ended up being smaller than I thought).

Today has been good too. I am really on a roll. The scale was even nice to me, although I'm sure it will change its mind for no good reason tomorrow, hah. That's ok, I'm so close to the 160s I can taste it, and I am going to work to get there.

I hit the trail on my own today, with the intent on doing more jogging, but I didn't actually jog much. To make up for it, I extended my workout to 75 minutes instead of 60, and I feel good about that. Eating has been fine so far too, and I'm just planning a little fruit for dessert. I am not sure what is going on with me, I seriously don't think I've ever gone this long without going crazy on at least one meal or snack before. I am a bit worried though, since my period will be bothering me in a few days, so next week will probably be a pain. Hopefully I can make it through ok.

Plans for tomorrow night were cancelled, so I have a TON of fruit now, since I was planning on bringing mixed fruit to the game night. Oh well. We might end up going bowling with a couple of friends who are still free tomorrow.

Changes are good

2010-02-25T14:26:00.002-05:00

I know I am starting to see real changes in my attitude, when I think about how I turned the depressing scale reading into motivation to make yesterday a good day instead of an excuse to give up and eat crap. I was a little disappointed, but I didn't let it get to me. In fact, yesterday was a pretty awesome day. I didn't snack on any junk, dinner was perfectly portioned and pretty healthy, and my after dinner treat was just strawberries with about 1/2 a serving of sugar free pudding.

Today's scale reading was nicer, pretty much back to what it said on Monday (maybe a small fraction of a pound higher still). I know I always complain that I get into ruts of weighing every morning, but I think it can also be beneficial for me, because I don't have as long to get my hopes up, and if it's going the wrong way, I can work harder to do better right away instead of a week later. Ok, I know I'm just rationalizing to myself, but anyway.. The point is, I think I'm handling things much better lately than I used to.

Still really eager to get to 169 though. I've set a little reward for myself when I get there, which is to dye my hair, haha. I bought the dye already, but I've been trying to wait as long as possible so I won't have to redo it again before Jamaica. Also, my hair is very dry from lightening so much, so I try to stretch it longer so I don't do as much damage. But my roots are really bugging me (especially now that I've discovered grey hairs, which luckily aren't too noticeable except in certain lighting) and I definitely want to dye it before our anniversary dinner in 2 weeks. I have a few other rewards lined up for future mini goals like buying a new pair of running shoes, getting that hair cut, and going to a water park.

Do you have rewards for mini goals? What do you like to do for rewards?

Tricking the body

2010-02-24T17:45:00.002-05:00

I just got done with my workout. I was ready to brave the high risk of rain, until I opened the door and discovered it was also freezing. I can do one or the other, but not both wet and cold. So, I sucked it up and shut myself in the office to do my silly random cardio. I did 40 minutes, and decided to add in about a minute of ab work after every 3 minutes of cardio. I actually really liked the change from my usual workout, and it was the most ab work I've done this year, so I feel accomplished.

I'm also hoping if I keep throwing little changes (different workout durations, times, activities, etc) in here and there like this, that my body will be too confused to get used to my workouts. I really do think this helps, and I plan to switch things up even more in the coming months.

The first thing I'm planning to change is to start going to my apartment gym for a few of my non-walking days to do the elliptical and bike for something different, and do some different weight training on the huge machine that does everything that I'm not completely familiar with. I'm not sure I'm going to do that right away though.. but hopefully in a few weeks.

I can sometimes be an overachiever (wish that was the case with my eating), and part of me really wants to do something that will really challenge me. The 2 things I keep coming back to, are doing some real training for a half-marathon and possible marathon in the future. The idea of running a marathon pretty much scares the crap out of me, but it's also something I know I would be so proud of being able to accomplish. So it's always looming there, but I don't want to start doing that kind of training until I've lost more of this weight, and mastered my eating a bit more. And I definitely need to get better at running before I can really attempt this.

The other thing, which I am probably more likely to attempt, is P90X. I have heard so many great things about this program, and a few of my friends swear by it. It looks really hard though, and the biggest thing keeping me from trying is the time commitment. It would require an hour or more every day just for strength training, and I still feel like I would need to do cardio on top of it, at the very least, the 2 days a week I walk with mom. That's just a whole lot of time. I am really thinking about starting this though, maybe in May, when I am hopefully a bit more physically able to do so much exercise, and when I'll probably be needing to step up my game to lose more weight.

I think I am finally noticing a little definition in my legs. It's weird though, I think my right leg looks better than my left, which doesn't make much sense to me. I get my right arm being more defined since I use it way more (especially activities like bowling, paddleball, etc). But I do the same amount of reps when working my legs, and obviously both of them get the same workout from walking and everything. Anyway, just an observation..

Wednesday should be called Slump day instead

2010-02-24T10:46:00.003-05:00

Today the scale shows an entire pound higher than Monday. I am SO annoyed! I was able to blow it off yesterday, but 2 days in a row makes me not happy.

Ok, yesterday was probably the first day in weeks that I ate more than I should have, but it really was not that bad at all. I wasn't even snacking, I just ate enough at dinner to start feeling full, which wasn't good, and then I still had my small serving of light ice cream. Oh well. The good news is, the ice cream and the chocolaty trail mix I've been hitting for snacks are gone. I got in my walk with mom, and then did some weights later. I moved up to 15lbs, but did fewer sets to ease myself into it. I am not too sore today, so I feel like I should have done more, but I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Now I just need to get my mood up, so I can get back down instead of spiraling out of control. I need to focus on the good things, and not the fact that I've lost a measley 5 pounds the past 6 weeks when I wanted to lose 10-12. Five is better than none. And, counting the first week, 11 in 7 weeks is ok too. I just want to GET there already. Ugh. I really want to lose more than 5 pounds before Jamaica, but it seems so impossible right now. Well, I will try, anyway.