A New Year, A New Me...eventually.

First of all, Happy New Year!  I know I'm 10 days late, but as always, I have an excuse reason.  Thanks to my contagious daughter breathing a little too closely to my face on Christmas, I was lucky enough to come down with her cold the last couple of days in December.  That cold left me coughing my head off and sleeping on the couch so as to not wake the Hubster.  After 10 days of misery and exhaustion, I went to the doc and she diagnosed me with a sinus infection AND bronchitis.  She also said that, had I waited to be seen a couple more days, I would have ended up with an ear infection and pneumonia.  I'm glad I went when I did and have been increasingly feeling better with each new day. 

Being sick has been so frustrating!  This last year has been super stressful for me and with the stress, I have battled some health concerns as well as gaining back the 25 lbs I had lost over the past few years.  I feel like I want this year to be a year of new beginnings for me.  I want to finally reach my goal weight and be healthy and confident.  I feel like these extra pounds hold me back from doing so many things and truly enjoying life.  I had told myself to enjoy the holidays because come January 1st, I was hitting he weight-loss train.  Well...fast forward 10 days and I still don't feel entirely back to normal yet and I'm not really supposed to work out for another week if my lungs cooperate with the meds I'm on.  I have taken 1 walk and have done 1 upper body workout in these 10 days, but I've also done my share of eating snacks and cookies and such that I vowed to swear off.  I even made a plan with a dear friend of mine to get back on track together last Monday (a day before I went to the doc) because I thought I would be feeling better by then.  She did great and lost 5 lbs and I did poorly.  But that is where grace comes in.  I'm giving myself grace.  I will lose this weight this year but I need to make sure I give myself time to recover from this bronchitis too.  I'm just frustrated that it all has been postponed temporarily!

So here's my plan...

1.  Weigh in each Monday morning.  To be honest I have broken up with the scale, but it gives me a way to measure progress.  I actually didn't even pay attention to the number on the scale at the doctor's office...I have no clue what it read!  I knew the nurse too and had worked out with her a few years ago at the gym and normally would have been mortified by the whole situation.  But instead I just chatted with her and completely forgot to see what the scale said!  To me that is progress of its own!  I also am going to get nerdy and make a spreadsheet of my weightloss so I can track my progress along the way.  Oh yeah and one of those charts listing each pound I have to lose where you color in each square when you lose it.  I need some visuals! 

2.  Follow the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating the best I can.  I have fallen off the wagon time and time again with THM.  It's not THM's fault...it's entirely mine.  I fail to plan my meals or buy the proper ingredients or just get lazy and want to eat something that doesn't require a lot of dishes and/or preparation in the kitchen.  But the plan works and I feel great when I stay on-plan.  So I'm going to get back at it tomorrow! 

3.  Have accountability/encouragement from a friend.  I have a friend who is also doing THM so we have agreed to hold each other accountable and encourage one another along the way.  This is crucial for me because I often feel so lonely when trying to lose weight!

4.  Work out!  My sister recently told me about Blogilates.com and it's great!  Cassey Ho, the founder of Blogilates, is super encouraging and not at all annoying like some fitness gurus.  Mainly she gives you access to a monthly workout calendar that lists each day's workouts that you should do.  The workouts are found on her YouTube channel.  There are ususally 3 or 4 shorter workouts that you do together for each day.  And the cool thing is that each day of the week (with the exception of Sunday) you focus on a different muscle group/body part.  I love that because it takes the guesswork out of it for me and I don't get tired of the same old workout DVD.  I am also planning to walk a couple of times a week with a neighbor and eventually get back into running once the weather is fit and my lungs are healed.

That's pretty much it.  I'm trying to keep things simple this time around.  Wish me luck! 

It's Monday Already?

I don't know about you, but our weekends seems to FLY by!  I worked both Friday and Saturday so I think that had something to do with it going by even more quickly.  The weekend was busier than normal (which I both love and hate).  Friday I worked until 6 pm then headed to the girls' elementary school for the Spring Fling and didn't get home until after 8 pm.  I woke up bright and early on Saturday and took the girls to my MIL's (mother-in-law's) house.  She had asked if she could take all three kids shopping...yes, she is a brave woman!  After dropping them off (Evan had spent the night at a friend's house and was being dropped off at my MIL's), I headed to work.  I worked until 3, then changed into my running clothes and met Jenny at our local Rails-To-Trails for our 9-Miler.  I must tell you that I was NOT looking forward to running it.  I had so many other things I would rather have been doing!  But it must be done, so I did it.  Midway through the run I started getting indigestion and having a hard time breathing properly due to the lunch I ate that apparently had not digested fully.  So I struggled through the last half.  And Jenny's hip started hurting.  So it was just one of those runs that we would consider as "crappy."  (Yes, I think that is a technical term...)  On a positive note, the weather was perfect.  It was overcast, but in the high to low 50's and it was perfect to run in!

After my run, I went through McD's to buy a chocolate milk (and yes, I hate paying $1 for a TINY little bottle of milk, but I was stupid desperate) for my post-run fuel and then to my MIL's to pick up the kiddos.  I visited for awhile and headed home (after getting milk and filling the tank with gas).  So I didn't get home until after 7 pm.  

Yesterday I woke up and begged persuaded my neighbor to go on a walk with me and we ended up doing 4 miles.  It was nice to get some exercise and catch up on happenings in each other's lives.  I came home and off we went to church.  Our church is doing a series right now called My Story and it's just downright awesome.  Each week features different people in our church who share their story and how God has changed them and worked through them.  I just love it!  

Here are the links if you'd like to watch them for yourself!

http://www.nhloud.com/sermons/nicole-maclean-from-death-to-life/

http://www.nhloud.com/sermons/ashley-and-kyle-ludwig-from-control-to-trust/

After church we did a bit of shopping in town mainly to kill time because we didn't need to be at my FIL's house until 2 for a late lunch.  After that we came home and I totally vegged out.  I wasn't feeling the best and just need to relax after such a crazy weekend!

This morning I'm on a roll!  I got up and started making cookies for Allie's class snack today.  I will share the recipe for my Whole Wheat PB Chocolate Chip Coookies in my next post!  

I also got on the scale.  174.  OUCH.  HOWEVER, I know why.  And I am totally to blame.  It's called PIE.  Yep.  Remember that Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie we brought home from the Amish Bakery?  Well, I've indulged in a piece of it every single night since then.  I didn't want it to go to waste!  Well, I am done with pie....even though there are 2 pieces still left in the fridge.  No more pie for me!  Desperate times call for desperate measures...I am starting to count calories this week.  I hate counting calories, however I bought a cute little notebook at Family Dollar yesterday for a buck and now I'm all motivated to use it as my food journal... 

Isn't it cute?

It's amazing how strong of a motivator polka dots can be!  

I am also using My Fitness Pal to help me calculate what my daily calorie intake should be and how many calories are in the foods I eat.  It's been an eye-opening experience!  I was figuring up how many were in my favorite Chocolate PB Banana Smoothie and it shocked me!  So I made some adjustments (because I hate consumed it yet) to cut the cals down a bit.  Right now my daily intake is set for 1550, although I'm thinking that might be too high.  I figure I'll try it for a week and see how much I lose and then adjust it accordingly.  I've set my goal to lose 1 lb per week.  

Happy Monday!

Today's Workout...Total Body Workout #1

It has been a cold week in Ohio!  The high temps are only 33 degrees....brrr!  And since I'm such a wimp at running cold temps, I've dreaded doing training runs in it!  Tuesday I was a bit sore and tired feeling from Monday's workout, so I took a rest day and didn't do any exercises besides some spring cleaning in the kitchen.  Yesterday I headed out on a run with Jenny.  It was still a cold 33 degrees, but the sun was shining which always makes it feel warmer!  We still had to battle wind, and it's amazing how much running into the wind tires your legs!  After 4 miles my legs felt like jell-o!  Before and after my run I worked some more on spring cleaning my kitchen.  I also vacuumed the entire living room and moved the furniture so I could shampoo all the carpet there.  Then of course I had to reconfigure the furniture because, well....I'm female and that's what we do!

Today I was thinking of just running another 3-miler since our training plan tells us to (and we're ignoring it and only doing a total of 3 runs each week)...but once again, it's cold outside.  And once again I'm a wimp.  So...I hopped on the treadmill for a 30 mins walk.  30 mins FLY by when  you're reading!  Reading and treading really can be done simultaneously!  The only downfall to it is that my back would start to hurt from holding a book so I would have to change hands every so often.  But I found the solution!  I have a Kindle Fire and it was been such a great addition to my life!  I could bore with a list of all the reasons why, but I won't.  But I WILL tell you that I have found that you can make the print larger so that you can still read on the Kindle without having to hold it!  It has been a lifesaver!  And if I have a really good book that I'm reading I could probably tread for hours without realizing it!  It makes time go that fast. 

After treading, I did some strength training.  I've read so much about the benefits of strength training and how it really aids an speeds up the weight loss process and I'm really curious to see for myself.  

Here is what I did this morning:

Total Body Workout #1

30 minutes of walking on the treadmill @ 3.5-3.7 mph

10 Girly Push-ups

15 Donkey Kicks w/10 lb weight behind knee - each leg

10 sit-ups (not crunches...old-fashioned style!)

30 Hydrant Kicks - each leg

20 Squats holding 10 lb weights

10 Bicep Curls holding 10 lb weights

15 Tricep Kick-backs holding 8 lb weights

10 Overhead Presses holding 10 lb weights

25 Reverse Crunches

20 Scissor Abs

10 Leg Lifts with 10 lb weight - each side

15 Inner Thigh Lifts with 8 lb weight - each side

30 second Plank

10 Standing Front Lunges holding 10 lb weights - each side

All in all, I think it was a good workout.  Not too hard to where I am crying and wanting to vomit, but just enough to feel both fatigued and a bit sore!  

I have to work tomorrow so I will probably not do any working out unless I catch a quick walk on my lunch break. Then Saturday will do our 7-mile training run!  I'm curious to see what the scale says at my next weekly weigh-in on Monday!

I'm also going to try to drink 87 oz of water today/  I've read a lot about how most of us are chronically dehydrated and that makes our bodies hold onto water weight.  I guess you are supposed to shoot for drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water!  I love to drink water, but 87 oz seems like a lot!  I will let you know how I do!

I have also started a workout notebook that I'm hoping I will be consistent with.  I would like to write down my workouts that I make up (like today's) and also use it to keep track of my weekly workouts and weight-ins.  I may use it as a food journal, although I hate the thought of tracking everything I eat!

I'm off to shower and head to town for some beautification!  I'm getting a haircut and maybe even some highlights!  Woot!

Happy Thursday!! 

A Late Wake-Up, Icky Weigh-In, & A Great Workout!

This morning got off to a cruddy start.  The past two mornings my alarm hasn't gone off.  Yesterday morning it was because I didn't set it (oops), and this morning was due to the fact that I had the actual time set wrong (had it set for PM instead of AM..oops again) so my alarm wouldn't have gone off until this evening.  THAT  wouldn't have been very beneficial at all!  Anyways, when I finally woke up the clock read 6:44...and my son (whom I normally wake up at 6) gets on the bus at 6:50-6:55.  I don't know how we did it, but he was able to shower and get ready AND make it to the bus in time.  I sure was glad because last night we had freezing rain and the roads were icy...and I did NOT want to have to drive him to school in those conditions.  

After that, I got the girls up, dressed, and on the bus and only then was I able to take a deep breath!

I am supposed to do a 3 mile training run today and the forecast showed rain all day.  Running in the rain is where I draw the line between courageous and wimpy.  I don't like soggy clothes, shoes, you name it.  So I needed to devise a plan of how to get my 3 miles in.  It involved my treadmill.  I HATE running on the treadmill.  Especially anything over 1 mile.  But I had some motivation from hubby (more on that below), so I was determined to get these 3 miles in if it killed me (and it could have).  

Since we are in the middle of a master bathroom installation project, our bedroom as double as a construction supply storage area.  This is what I saw when I entered my room....can you spot the treadmill?  

So the first step was to move everything around in order to actually have space to unfold the treadmill.  That was a workout in itself!!  Then I hopped on and got the party started.  As I starting my walking warm-up I came up with this workout that involved running 1/4 of a mile, then stopping to do a strength exercise:

0-.1 mile:  Walk @ 3.5 mph

.1-.25 mi: Run @ 5.0 mph

15 Bicep Curls (using 10 lb weight until exhaustion and finishing with 5 lb weight)

.25-.50 mi:  Run @ 4.5 mph

15 Hammer Curls with 5 lb weight

.50-.75 mi: Run @ 6.0 mph

15 Tricep Kick-backs & 20 Tricep Pulses

.75- 1.0 mi: Run @ 5.5 mph

15 Pushups on knees

1.0-1.25 mi: Run @ 5.0 mph

15 Over Tricep Presses with 1 10 lb weight 

1.25-1.50 mi:  Run @ 5.5

15 Chest Flys with 5 lb weights

1.50-1.75 mi:  Run @ 6.0

Stepped side to side and lifted alternating knees

1.75-2.0 mi: Walk at 3.8 mph

15 Standing Rows on each side with 10 lb weight

2.0-2.25 mi:  Run @ 5.5 mph

Stretched calves (they were really burning)

2.25-2.50 mi: Run @ 5.0 mph

15 Pushups on knees

2.50-2.75 mi:  Run @ 5.5 mph

15 Squats with Overhead Presses using 10 lb weights

2.75-3.0 mi: Run @ 5.0 mph

3.0-3.15 mi: Walk @ 3.5 mph

3.15-3.25 mi: Walk @ 3.0 mph

Stretch

Here is what my treadmill said when I was done:

I'm not sure the 530 calories burned was accurate (normally I figure @ 110 calories for every mile ran), but my actual time on the treadmill was 40:22 mins, so all in all it was probably an hour workout!  Woohoo!  And I feel awesome!  I got my 3 miles in, worked up a sweat, AND did some strength training to tone my flabby grandma arms!

Speaking of flabby grandma arms...I think I'm starting to notice some toning action going on since I've started doing strength stuff again!  It's always great to see results!

Now about my weigh in.  As much as I HATE to report this, the scale said 174 this morning!  I think I was 173 last week.  But I guess it could be that I'm gaining some muscle.  Or it could be that I ate too many helpings of the TWO Lemon Lushes that I made this weekend.  I'm sure hoping it's muscle. 

Hubby and I had a conversation awhile back about one of his friends promising his wife a trip to Florida if she lost weight.  Now before you get yourself in a tizzy and think this guy is a total jerk, his wife wants to lose weight and he thought this would give her added motivation.  So that got me thinking...why not set a reward for myself like that?  Hubby and I are always dreaming of taking a nice vacation somewhere tropical together, but we never book anything.  So it never happens.  So I asked him what he thought of using that as a reward for my reaching my goal weight.  He said sure!  He quickly realized that it's a win-win situation with  him...he gets a hot looking wife AND a vacation...with no work on his part.  He's a smart man. 

So I am going to get my butt in gear and shed some pounds and in the meantime we are going to decide on a place we'd like to go to.  As I felt like I was dying on the treadmill this morning and really wanting to give up, this reward helped to motivate me to keep going.  I hope the motivation continues!

Not All Mondays Are Bad!

I was really thinking this week was going to be rough with the time change and my lack of sleep due to being sick last week but it's really gotten off to a great start!  

I started this morning by getting my son up for school.  Once he left to get on the bus, I had about 20 mins or so before I needed to get my girls up for school, so I picked up my Bible and headed to the living room for my devotion time.  I tidied the kitchen while the girls got ready for school and once they left for the day, I put on my running attire and headed out for a run.  I was so indecisive about the workout I would do this morning because the weather forecast showed nonstop rain all day.  At first I planned to go to the gym, but the gym is a 20 minute drive away and I just really hated to have it take up so much of my morning.  So I decided I would stay home and work out.  Then I looked outside and realized it wasn't raining after all, so I talked myself into a run instead!  

And I'm so glad I did!  It's a cloudy day, but the temp was perfect!  I started out in a pull-over with a tank underneath and about halfway through my mileage I shed the pullover and ran just in the tank.  Ahhh....the joys of SPRING!  It was just so refreshing to get out and move.  Although it was a leisurely run, I was a bit slower than normal, but that's ok.  I ran 3 mi in 35 mins and my pace was just under 12 min/mi.  Oh yeah...and the best part is that I burned 385 calories!  Woot! Woot!  

I've noticed lately that my arms are looking (and feeling) quite jiggly and I really want to get them into shape before summer gets here so I looked up an arm workout on pinterest (I love pinterest btw!) and found a really good one!  Here it is:

I really liked this one!  It was difficult enough to make me feel challenged and keep my heart rate up!  The only thing I didn't like is that it really made me realize how much strength I've lost in my arms over the winter.  Why oh why do I let the cold temps keep me from being active?  Grr.  Anyways, I guess the important thing is that I'm doing something about it NOW, right?  

Then I decided to do a 1 minute plank called a Dolphin Float.  Yeah...I was a bit overzealous.  I had to stop 3 times but something is better than nothing.  

I really want to start focusing on some strength training while I'm training.  So tomorrow I'm going to do some sort of cardio and lower body strength exercises.  It's time to whip this body into serious SHAPE!  I'm tired of not seeing results, so it's time to get serious!  Like the Wonder Pets say, "This is seerweeus!"  lol

BTW - I was so stoked that the scale said 171 yesterday morning!  And then I had pizza, and fruit with real whipped cream.  And then we all went for ice cream and I indulged in a not-so-small chocolate malt.  Yummo!  But unfortunately this morning the scale said 173.8.  Darn that pizza!  It gets me every time!  But today is a new day and I'm making better choices!  It's all about choices.  I just read a really good book about eating and weight loss...I will post about it soon!

In the meantime, Enjoy Your Monday!!

My 2013 Goals

Well, I was planning to have my goal all ready to go by yesterday and I'm not sure what happened. I know posting my goal sure didn't happen!  So this morning I thought I'd check up on my goal from last year...and I couldn't find them...so maybe I didn't have any. (I AM a smart woman at times)

When I spent 5 days in bed last week battling Influenza I thought a lot about my goals.  But did I write them down?  Nope.  So now I don't remember them.  Nice, huh?  All that thinking right down the tube!  Ha!

Alright, enough small talk...time to get to the nitty gritty.  (Where did that saying come from anyway?)  Here they are:

MENTALLY:  

I would like to focus on who God says I am.  And believe it.  No more negative self-talk!  

PHYSICALLY:  

When discussing with hubby what weight he thinks I would look awesome at, he said 150.  So that's my goal....reach 150 lbs.  The last time I weighed that I was probably in college, so it would be rockin' awesome to weigh that again.  Once I reach that weight I will see if I need/want to lose more or stay at that weight.  

SPIRITUALLY:  

I'm ready to commit to, and execute, a habit of morning devotion times.  Life is hard when you don't routinely plug in to the One who created you!  I don't like feeling disconnected.

FINANCIALLY:  

Build up our savings enough so we have 3-6 months of living expenses in there.

HOMEMAKING:  

GOAL #1:  Declutter and organize our entire house.  We have way too much stuff...and no place to put it, so it's time to pare down!  The thought of a clutter-free home makes me giddy!

GOAL #2:  Try 52 new recipes in hopes of finding some new favorites!  This amounts to 1 per week, but I'm not going to be that structured with it.

FAMILY:  

GOAL #1:  Start implementing the MoneySmart system and teach my kids about responsibility and money.  

GOAL #2:  Play with my kids more.

ATHLETICALLY:  

Run at least 1 half marathon and PR.

MARRIAGE:  

Really focus on showing love and respect to my husband through my words & actions

FRIENDSHIPS:  

Plan a Girl's Night Out at least 4 times this year.

There...all finished!  It sure is easier to set the goals than to reach them, but I think I've done a good job at making them easily attainable. (Except for organizing my entire house...whose idea was that anyways?)  

I think I'm going to print this list out and keep in somewhere that I can see it often and be reminded of my goals.

What are your goals for 2013?

Good news!

I just had to tell you the good news!  I weighed in yesterday and the scale said 172.6!  GOOOOOO ME!  I'm super stoked about that number!  2.6 more lbs and I'll be at my lowest weight in the past couple of years AND my first mini-weight loss goal! 

If you're wondering how I lost that must weight in a week, I have one word for you:  STRESS.  I had a lot of it last week!  (I would enlighten you but it's a LOOONG story!)  And I was busy.  And when I'm busy I don't have time to think about food!  So I sort of just ate when my stomach was growling, which reminded me to eat!  I also tried to snack on fruits instead of my normal whatever-is-in-the-cupboard-and-is-edible approach.  And it worked! 

So this week I'm excited to put my newfound "skills" to work and see what the scale reports next Monday at weigh-in!  I can't wait to drop down a pants size...I need some new jeans badly but won't allow myself to buy any until I've met my goal!  The promise of shopping is a great motivator!

Buh-Bye Weight!

I've had an epitomy recently.  If you've read my blog for any length of time, you know that I desperately want to lose weight.  And you'd also know that I have been less than successful at doing it.  And everywhere I look, my friends and family are losing.  And it's driving me crazy!  So this week I decided to change my outlook.  My reasons for wanting to lose the weight.  And my strategy. 

My outlook is simple:  I can and WILL lose this weight IF I am dedicated and stay the course instead of getting discouraged by the number on the scale.  I want to lose weight for me.  Yes, that may be selfish, but I know that having this extra weight on my bones is keeping me from living a fulfilling life.  I let it hold me back from so much.  Hubby and I had a chat the other day.  It went something like this:

Me:  If I lost this weight would think I was hot?

Hubby:  YES!  You'd be HOT!

Enough said.  Who doesn't want their hubby to think they're hot?  And I've struggled with this for awhile...feeling unloved.  Not that my hubby doesn't love me, but he doesn't compliment me on my looks.  And I have come to realize why....I have some work to do.  I don't want him to lie when he tells me I have sexy thighs...I want to HAVE sexy thighs!  Don't get me wrong, my hubby is NOT some guy who expects his wife to look a certain way before he will compliment me.  However he IS the type that won't say something unless he means it.  I listened to a podcast the other day talking about marriage and how to have a happy husband.  The guest on the radio show was an author of a book they were discussing and she said that wives should be the best version of themselves they can be.  And that struck me.  That's exactly what I've wanted! It's not just about losing the weight.  I want to be the best ME I can be, and right now, I'm NOT.   

Ok, now on to my strategy...I am going to try Weight Watchers.  I am an official WW dropout.  I went to a meeting ONCE and never went back.  I don't like big crowds where I don't know anybody and no one seems friendly.  (Not saying that all meetings/groups are like that...that was just my experience)  So I never went back.  That wasn't the only reason I didn't return.  I'm also cheap and hated paying for what amounted to as accountibility.  Fast forward however many years it's been and I'm ready to try again.  Only I'm not officially joining WW.  I'm going to do a free version.  It's amazing what you can find on the internet if you just search!  So I've compiled the info I need in order to give it a try.  So today will be my first day!  I'm allowed 29 points today and I've used 8 of them for breakfast already.  But I'm also going to do some sort of workout today after the girls leave for school so that will give me some points back.  I know lots of people have had success with WW so I might as well give it a shot.  It's not some freak diet plan, but a workable plan that you can use forever (if you wanted to).  I kind of like the flexibility of being able to eat what you want and not have to count calories.  You just keep track of your points instead.  I think I will order the pocket guide so I don't have to do a very lengthy equation using protein, fat, carbs, and fiber to figure out each food's value though...at $8 it will save probably an hour each day in computing time! 

Here is my current weight:  176.  I'm down one pound from last week..woohoo! 

My goal for now is to reach 170 lbs. 

 WISH ME LUCK!  :)  

Another Depressing Weigh In

Well, if I were trying to GAIN weight, I would rock at it!  The scale said 177 this morning, so I'm up a pound from last week.  And I hate it.  Last week was just stressful and I didn't eat the best.  Stress = chocolate consumption.  End of story.  And we had pizza Friday night.  And dinner at my MIL's house Sat night.  And lunch at my FIL's house Sunday.

 Here were my workouts from last week:

Monday: Gym - 1.25 hrs
Wednesday: About 15 mins of Tabata workout + 0ver 100 abs reps
Friday:  Gym - 1.25 hrs + ran 3 miles
Sat:  Ran 3 miles, walked 2.68 miles
Sun:  Ran 3 FAST miles

So I DID work out!  Maybe that extra pound is pure MUSCLE!  I doubt it though.  It's probably pure Twix bar sitting right on my backside. 

I really want to focus on my eating this week.  I want to cut my portion sizes and focus on having more fruits and veggies!  And I want to workout about the same as I did last week, but maybe spread it out a bit.  I'm skipping the gym this morning because I have a ton of stuff to do around the house (see my last post!).  But I would like to get a walk in at least. For this week, I would like to run/walk at least 12 miles.

WISH ME LUCK! :)

My Weekly Hit List & Weigh-In

Well, can you believe I FORGOT about posting my goals this week?  In fact I forgot about even HAVING goals this week.  It's a typical Monday, I guess!  I got up this morning and went to the gym and before I go there, I got a call from my kids' principal asking if I could come in and cover for the lunchtime aide that had to call off.  I chuckled.  Out loud.  Because my class is over at 10:30 and I have to be at the school by 11am.  And the school is between where the gym is and my house, which meant I wouldn't have time to go home to change.  Which meant I was a sweaty, stinky lunchtime aide today!  The kids didn't seem to mind, but I did have one girl ask me if I had ridden my bike to school today.  So I apparantly looked quite athletic in my workout get-up!

So anyhoo, here are my goals from last week:

1. Pick up supplies for the boys' camping trip. (I will post more about that later on)
2. Call the campground where the boys will be camping and get info on pricing, etc.
3. Make applesauce.
4. Freeze corn.  (I froze some but there are still more corny-corns out there to freeze up!
5. Sales Tax Payment.
6. Get vanilla extract started. Hoping to pick up some vodka today
7. Workouts: Run 2 X, Walk 2X, and go to the gym once.  I honestly can't remember if I did this one or not~  I did go to the gym and I ran on Saturday and took a short walk one day, but I think that's all.
8. Try to stick with my daily cleaning routine. Hmmm...I didn't pretty good at keeping the house clean, however I didn't stick to the schedule...just sort of cleaned up what needed it, etc.

All in all, not too terribly bad! 

Here are my goals for this week:

1.  Close my Scentsy party. 

2.  Freeze corn.

3.  Clean my son's room.  Please don't misinterpret this.  His room is a mess.  And yes, I'm going to clean it for him...mainly because he's barely home right now with football.  So I will use this as a way to show my son some grace and kindness AND it will give me peace of mind because it's quite the pig-sty right now!

4.  Mow the yard.  I will do this because I know it will mean a lot to hubby.  He wanted to mow it last week and it just didn't happen...and then it rained. 

5.  Start sanding the desk that I bought for my daughter for Christmas.  I'm going to repaint it and it's going to look awesome!

Alright, I'm feeling the stress of this list creeping up on me, so I'd better stop now!  What are your goals for this week? 

Also, Monday is weigh-in day.  Even though I saw 174 on the scale last week, my official weigh-in today was 176.4.  Some days I think I will forever be stuck here!  But I did slack off on my workouts and my eating, so I'm not surprised. 

Monday Weigh-In

Today's Monday and that means I had to hop on the scale in my birthday suit and access the damage of the weekend's festivities.  I'm happy to report the scale said 175.4!  I had gained a couple of pounds thanks to my hormones and wanting to eat everything in sight (not to mention the water weight gain), and now I'm sane again.  (At least that's what my hubby's says!)  I'm trying to be more conscious of what I'm eating and trying to move more.  When I'm busy, I eat less, and I lose more!  So I'm back to my lowest weight in the past 6 months or so...woohoo.  Next week I want to see 174 on the scale!!

* Well, I'm not sure what happened, but I wrote this post on Monday...and just realized it was still in draft form and never got published.  Oops!  But I do have an update to the above info...this scale said 174.8 this morning!  Woohoo!  So I have hope that the scale will say 174 by next Monday!  Go me! 

Your Loss Is My Gain

First of all, let me start out by saying that I feel as if everyone around me (ok, I may be exaggerating a little) is losing weight and looking great.  My friends, my mom, and most of all my sister who has lost over 100 lbs after fighting her weight battle her whole life.  Don't get me wrong, I am happy for her.  But I am Oh. So. Jealous.  I want this weight struggle of mine to be O-VER.  I'm tired of yo-yo-ing.  I see my weight struggle as a never-ending cycle right now.  I have 3 weeks where I do well with my eating and exercising.  Then there is 1 week each month where I literally want to eat everything in sight AND gain approximately 3-5 lbs of water weight, PLUS any extra weight from the gorging episodes that have occurred.  So I feel as if my net weight loss each month is a BIG FAT ZERO.  Then the cycle repeats itself.  It's so frustrating. 

And right now I'm in a complete rut.  I've worked out a total of 3 times in the past 15 days.  I know...pathetic.  So what's this girl to do?  I'm trying to think of ways to combat this.  I know I need to exercise more, period.  But I have found with my body that if I work out too hard or too much then my body holds on to weight or something because I always seem to gain.  So I need to find that balance. But how?  That's where I'm stumped.  

My sister still lives with my parents and I noticed that my mom (who had gained approx 30 lbs in the past year due to depression) has also lost weight.  So I asked her if she had.  (That's way more socially acceptable than asking if someone has gained weight, btw) Sure enough, she had.  About 30 lbs.  This just floors me because the most I've been able to lose is 15 lbs and it took me about 4 months to do it...and here I am still struggling to lose.  So I asked her how she had lost it.  She said by walking 5 miles a day and eating more chicken breast and lighter meals like cereal.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, then why is it so stinking hard for me?  I want to lose this weight more than anything, so why don't I just do what it takes to reach this goal so I can put it behind me and move on with my life?   

I guess it's time to get serious about losing this weight.  It's time to put in some blood, sweat, and tears and sacrifice to make it happen.  I'd like to set a goal to lose 5 lbs each month in order to be at 156ish by the end of the year.  Ultimately I'd like to be at 150 by the end of the year, but I don't want to make my goal too hard to obtain.  If I get there, great, but 156 is both doable and will still be an awesome feeling to reach that number!  I haven't been in the 150's since I got married 15 years ago!  I'm getting excited now just thinking about it! 

I'm not exactly sure HOW I'm going to do this, but the first step is being fully aware of what I'm eating and the decisions I'm making and whether they line up with my goal.  And I'm going to start walking more.  I plan to go to the gym 1 or 2 times a week and run 1 or 2 times, but the rest will be walking or a walk/jog.  And of course I will update you weekly with my progress! 

Wish me luck! :)

Weekly Weigh-In

This post will be the shortest post ever, but I've got to get the girls on the bus.  I weighed in this morning and the scale said...

175.8!!!

Woohoo!  I made it to the 175's!!  So that means I've lost a total of 4.2 lbs.  My next goal is to see 170! 

Week #6 Weigh-In

This morning the scale said 176.4, which means I have lost 3.6 lbs!  Still nothing to really brag about, but the best of this past week was that I actually saw 175 on the scale!  That hasn't happened for awhile!  But then I had a big lunch yesterday and ate more than I should have.  So I was bummed to see that 6 instead of 5, but oh well.  Progress is progress, right?  So hopefully next week's weigh-in will show me a 5!! 

Week #5 Weigh-In

Well, apparently being extremely busy is good for my weight loss!  The scale showed 176.8 this morning!  So that means I've lost 3.2 lbs in the past 5 weeks!!  Not great, but it's still something!  I didn't work out once this past week and didn't watch what I was eating either.  Go figure.  This week is a new week and I'm ready to get serious about working out and watching what I put in my mouth.  I have my 15 yr high school reunion and I'm so nervous about going to it!  I don't want to be the person everyone talks about because they've gained so much weight!  I haven't really, I just have come to the realization that I am not as thin as I think I am and my jiggly parts are getting to me big time.  My reunion is Oct 6th, which give me just under 8 weeks to lose some poundage.  I'm really not sure specifically HOW I am going to do this though...I haven't been able to find that "happy place" where I know how much exercise I need to do and what calorie intake is best for me in order to lose.  So maybe that needs to be my focus this week.  I do know that I want to make up some sort of nightly strength training regimen and hubby said he'd do it with me! 

Here's my starter list that I will add to once I think of more:

Everyday - 100 reps of ab exercises - any combination

M W F - 20 Push Ups, 20 Tricep Dips, 20 Chest Presses.

T TH S - 20 Bridges, 1 Wall Squat, 50 Leg Lifts with stretchy band - any combination

I'm hoping the strength training in addition to my cardio workouts (either running or walking or going to a class at the gym) will help accelerate my calorie burn and help tone up those flabby areas!

I don't want to be realistic but it would be awesome to lose 1 lb per week, which would put me at a 12.2 lb weight loss by the time my reunion rolls around.  But my next goal is to reach 175 lbs, which is only 1.8 lbs away!  After that it will be 170 lbs.  170 lbs is the lowest my weight has been since I started this weight loss journey a few years ago!  I will most definitely rejoice when that scale reads 169!  But for now, I will just take whatever loss I can get.  Every little bit helps and eventually adds up to a big loss! 

Week 3 Weigh In...

Well, there's nothing exciting to report this week.  The scale said 178, which is the same thing it said last week.  I did ok with my eating last week, but not so great with my working out, so I know that's why.  Consider it a lesson learned.  I chose NOT to work out much last week and today I reaped the "rewards" of it.  I did, however do a grueling gym workout PLUS a 3 mile run on Friday, a 3.5 mile HILLY trail run on Saturday, and a nonstop 3.1 run yesterday.  Honestly, I think my body is in shock from the hard workouts.  It seems like when I work out a lot, or at a high intensity without a rest day, I gain weight.  I must say that it had better be from gaining muscle too!  Or at least that's my theory.  So today I rested.  Which actually has felt good because I've been a busy-body here at home trying to get some things done.

You see, life as I know it, stopped today.  Football conditioning started.  So that means that hubby and son will be gone 4 evenings this week.  Which means that I will be at home with the girls each night.  Which means that I won't be able to just go for a run and let hubby watch the kids for me.  Which means I need to prioritize my workouts and/or figure out a way to work them in in the morning and/or workout at home.  And it's HELL WEEK.  (That is the week before Aunt Flo comes...the week where I morph into a raving lunatic with out of control emotions who likes to eat everything in site.  And gain 5 lbs.  No, it's not pretty and yes, NO ONE looks forward to this week at my house.)  So...before the hormonal shift occurs (in approx 2 days), I need to have a plan.  So here it is:  Tomorrow I will go for a walk.  Wednesday I will run with a friend.  Thursday I will walk.  And Friday I will go to the gym.

Saturday and Sunday who knows what will happen.   My running buddy, Jenny, and I are coordinating the 1st ever 5K race for our town's Homecoming Festival.  Saturday will be taken up with the race, helping with the kids' games, eating a yummy chicken BBQ dinner (now that's hard work!), probably taking my son to the fairgrounds to help his 4H club do some decorating, and then we are having dinner with some friends that evening.  Sunday morning we will be loading up the hogs (or shall I say HOPEFULLY loading them up because they are quite stubborn and catch on to our plan quickly...I mean, honestly, would YOU want to hop in a trailer knowing you were going to die in approx 24 hrs?  Yeah, me neither.)  We will take 1 hog to the fair, the other 2 hogs to the butcher shop, then back home to load everything else up for the fair.  That night we will need to probably make another run to the fairgrounds to check on piggie, then take my oldest daughter to church camp. 

Then the fair festivities begin.  That week is usually a blur.  So maybe all the busy-ness and walking and such will counteract the fair food I consume. (Can you say stromboli?  YUMMO)  And who knows what sort of exercising I will get done that week.  I'm exhausted just thinking about everything that needs done.  Such is life. 

So, what started out as a quick post to let you know what the scale reported today turned into a looooong story about my upcoming life.  Sorry...and thanks for sticking around to read it all!  And while I'm rambling, i should probably warn you that I will probably NOT post my weigh-in next week.  I will probably forget.  Enough said.

Week #2 Weigh-In

Well, although today's weigh-in wasn't as good as I was hoping for, it still showed a loss from last Monday's.  Today the scale said 178.0..so I've officially lost 2 lbs!  A part of me is disappointed (and I'll explain why in a minute) but the other part of me knows that I need to take this week by week because it's going to be a slow process.  But slow weight loss means I'll hopefully keep it off and that's the outcome I'm shooting for. 

So here's why I'm a bit disappointed.  I did REALLY well with my eating last week.  I would eat when I was hungry, making healthier choices than I normally would.  Some days I ate veggies and fruit for lunch.  No meat.  Those of you who know me know that I LOVE meat.  And bread.  And I limited that too.  And because I wanted to stay on track I weighed myself every morning.  And by Thursday or Friday the scale was saying 176 something!  So I was stoked. 

Enter:  The Weekend.  BLAH.

We took the kids to the zoo for my step-dad's company picnic which also included a complimentary lunch.  Didn't know really what I thought the lunch would consist of, but it was anything but healthy.  There was a buffet of huge beef hot dogs, huge hamburgers, potato salad, and bag of chips.  The only veggies were the lettuce and tomato (besides the potatoes in the potato salad) and no fruit.  Oh yeah, and a never ending flow of fountain pop and ice cream sandwiches for dessert.  I ended up having all of it minus the veggies (long story) and once I finished my hot dog, I ended up eating half of my daughter's cheeseburger!  It's like I was possessed and had no self-control.  It's crazy how quickly I can slip into my old ways of overeating simply because it tastes good.  Luckily we walked the rest of the afternoon so I'm hoping I burned off some of those empty calories!  For dinner on the way home we stopped at Sonic.  None of us had been there before and we thought the kids would enjoy it.  But I had another cheeseburger there and a few fries.  BUT I did turn down the option to get a Tiger Butter Apple from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and ice cream.  Really wishing I'd gotten an apple, but oh well!  (If you've never tried them, you simply must search them out and buy yourself one.  They are DEE-VINE!)

Yesterday I decided to keep the Sabbath instead of spending the day cooking and cleaning, I would relax.  BUT that also meant I snacked through the day.  BUT I did decide to just go to bed a wee-bit hungry instead of eating again so late.  And to pay for my eating sins this weekend. 

So that is why I'm disappointed.  I gave in to some temptations of non-healthy food and some of my hard work disappeared...resulting in a smaller loss.  But a loss is a loss and I'm learning from my mistakes. 

I'm reading Bob Harper's new book called The Skinny Rules and it's really good.  He lists 20 rules to live by in order to be skinny and explains each one in detail.  I'm really enjoying it!  Reading books about weight loss always helps me to stay focused.  (Guess I should have taken that book with me to the zoo!)

So this is a new week and today is a new day!  I'm not sure what I'll be eating today, but I do know that I need to get some groceries and prior to that happening I need to plan out some healthy meals and snacks for the week.  I'd also like to research some recipes for using up zucchini and summer squash because I have a TON!  If there's something I can grow it's zucchini and squash! 

Monday Weigh-In

This morning I hopped out of bed (OK, I was that excited about getting up) and remembered that today is weigh in day!  So I sauntered (for some reason I'm using fancy words today...) to the bathroom and hopped on the scale.  And it said 178.8!  I know I said I wasn't going to worry about decimal points, but I would like to retract that statement.  On my last post I said I was 179, but it was really 179.something.  And with it saying 178.8 today (ahem...almost 179), I just don't feel right about saying that my weight is 178.  I guess it's just one of my many quirks, so you'll just have to deal with it!  So I know a week ago the scale said 180.something, so I've officially lost 1.1+ pounds!  

And the best part is that I feel good!  After my weigh in and devotion time, I went on a 3 mile walk down our big hill (which is approximately 385 ft tall) and then walked around town for about a mile and then back up the 385 ft to home.  It felt great to get out and I listened to a Focus On The Family podcast on marriage, so I felt like I was multi-tasking!  AND I burned 294 calories! 

As for the calorie counting, I slacked off over the weekend and ate too many sweets.  But I'm back on track today and will hopefully be more consistent with counting. 

Today I'm planning to use my time more wisely, pick some yummies from the garden, help hubby in the garage for a couple of hours, and spending some quality time with the kiddos.  And possibly later go for a run.  Oh yeah...and the kiddos has VBS this week, so the girls will be gone from 6:30-9pm, which will give me some free time!  This is going to be a great week!  :)

Before Pic & Stats

Ok, I know it's not Monday, but I really don't want to wait until then to get this party started.  So I'm posting my Before Pic today along with my current weight. 

Here is a pic of me at the beach just last month.  Aren't we a cute couple?  What you don't see in the picture is that he was trying to give me a wedgie and I'm holding his hand to prevent that from happening. 

Did I mention my hubby is ornery?  Such is life.

As for my Current Weight, as of yesterday the scale said 179.

Let the journey begin! 

A New Me

I'm ready for a change.  I know, I know, I've said it a MILLION times.  I have slacked off somewhat with my exercising (not working out as often or at as high of an intensity) and I've pretty much eaten whatever I wanted.  But the number on the scale is going up...only a few pounds, but UP on the scale is NEVER a good thing...unless of course you weight 100 lbs. 

In November of 2009 I decided to make a change.  I was 185 lbs...and the thought of eventually reaching 200 lbs what terrifying!  I decided to lose weight and get healthy.  And by summer of 2010 I had lost 15 lbs.  And I felt great.  Then I'm not sure what happened.  I started training for a half marathon and then another and here I am 2 yrs later and at 180 lbs.  THAT was not in my plan!  So now I have to take a good look at my eating and exercising and figure out where I need to make adjustments in order to get back on track.

I chatted briefly today with a lady I used to go to church with about her recent weight loss.  She decided in January that she wanted to lose 50 lbs..and as of today, she's lost 36!  Yes, I'm envious.  It's so humbling to hear of someone who has succeeded at losing more weight than me in a way shorter amount of time.  I always think to myself, "Wow.  Had I just buckled down and given it my all, I should have already reached my goal weight and I wouldn't be stressing about the scale right now and feeling defeated."  Anyways, I asked this friend what changes she has been making regarding her eating.  She said she had a friend (who runs marathons!) who became her accountability partner.  They exchanged passwords for myfitnesspal.com...now that's serious!  Anyways, her friend challenged her to not eat any bread, pasta, rice, or potatoes for 2 weeks.  So she took the challenge and did it.  And she said after that she never looked back.  And now, 6 months later, she is drawn to those fruits and veggies and lean meats.  That's what I want.  To naturally crave something other than a cookie or chips or bread!

Her story and success has inspired me to take a look at my own life.  Thinking back to when I had lost that 15 lbs, my strategy in regards to eating is unclear.  I do remember that I worked out.  I remember walking...alot.  Then eventually running.  The one thing that sticks out in my mind back then was DETERMINATION.  I was DETERMINED to reach this goal.  And I got almost halfway there...then I became complacent I guess.

With that being said, today is a new day.  I'm going to start counting calories again.  I am going to TRY to weigh in and post my weight each Monday so you can keep up with my progress.  And I would ideally like to post what I'm eating and my calorie intake for the day and my workouts, etc.  I say TRY because I don't want it to be a daunting task..and I don't want to feel like a failure if I don't get it posted.  I also think I'm going to give my accountibility partner my password to myfitnesspal.com so she can see exactly what I've been eating.  We check in nightly and let each other know our failures and successes for the day, but this will allow her to see exactly what I'm eating each day.  (YIKES)  I'm also going to think ahead with my eating and have a plan.  For example, tonight I know my family is going out for pizza.  So I need to have a plan of how many pieces I will eat...and how many calories that will be.  And if I'm going to go over my intake for the day, then I need to make sure I do some extra working out today.  I also need to be aware of temptations.  I kid you not, as I started typing this blog, I see my hubby carrying a box from the garage and I know it's a box from the local parts store.  A thank you gift for buying parts.  It's a box of doughnuts.  I have a choice to make.  I could either say "Yay! Doughnuts!"  and indulge without another thought.  Or I could look up the calorie content of just one doughnut...then decide against having one...especially since I'm not hungry right now.  (I'm picking Choice #2 by the way)

So...here's what I need you to do...keep me accountable!  Send me an email or a text and ask me how I'm doing, if I've exercised today, etc.  I don't mind, I promise!  And most importantly, pray for me.  This has been a struggle of mine for the past 10 years and I'd love to overcome it once and for all.  Pray that I have strength to overcome temptations, wisdom to make good choices, and that depression would not present itself to me (like it has this week) and fill my head with self-destructing thoughts.  Pray that I will lean on God when I feel the urge to overeat or not workout.  Pray that God would show me balance regarding this weight loss so it doesn't become an idol in my life.  Pray that my success story and even this blog can help others who are struggling so they too can experience true freedom and self-control in Christ!  Can you do that for me?  I knew I could count on you.