Carb Overload!

You know you've overloaded on crappy carbs when you finally haul your butt to the gym for a workout and the absolutely ONLY thing you can think about is getting home and drinking a green smoothie!

Weekly Weigh In

Well, it's the moment of truth. How did you do over the holiday weekend? I didn't do too bad as far as calories go ~ I only went over twice. Friday I went over majorly. I figured out the calories in my homemade stuffing only after having eaten a metric ton of it. Not a good idea. The, stuffing was made with cheap white bread, so you can imagine the cravings that triggered! I couldn't say no to the apple pie so I had a second slice again on Friday. However, on Saturday morning, in a moment of strength I pour some soured milk all over the pie and mangled it and then trew it in the trash. Thank God for small victories, right?

Then, as if Friday weren't bad enough TOM decided to stop by for a visit on Saturday. Lovely. I did ok with calories on Saturday, but I can't say I made the most nutritous choices. Then on Sunday I went over my calories by 59 and we had pizza for dinner.

So, all of this probably explains my weigh in results. Unfortunately this is not the year that I get to say I lost weight over Thanksgiving. However, I like to look at the big picture and I will not be a statistic this year. I will keep going and I will take off this weight ~ all of it. A little at a time.

Here we go: Today's weigh in results were 214.4. That's a total of 1.8 lbs gain from Wednesday and a gain of 1.2 from my last official weigh in.

I will be taking my measurements on Wed and I'll probably post my weight again. Hopefully TOM will decide to take a hike early and I'll be back on track so I can trust it'll be more of a true respresentation of what my weight really is.

Peace Out, peeps. I'm headed to the gym!

Success!

Sorry I didn't make it back here last night. I literally passed out less than 10 minutes after we tucked the boys in for the night.

I did a 75 minute intense step class yesterday, burning just over 1000 calories (according to livestrong.) I stayed within my allowed calories yesterday and ate everything I wanted. The thing was, evidently I didn't want as much as I thought I did. For the first time in my entire life I got up and walked away from the Thanksgiving table and not only did I not go back for seconds, I didn't even finish what I originally put on my plate! There was gravy left!!!! GRAVY!! Can I tell you how horrible I felt about wasting gravy?!? LOL!!

My legs are really sore today, but I'll be heading out in a bit to yoga class and I'll try to get back here again to do a real post :)

Also, according to the scale this morning, I've only gained about a pound in the last 24 hours and that's very common for me after a big workout day. I'm confident that I will be able to say "I lost weight the week of Thanksgiving" come Monday's weigh in.

How did you do yesterday?

Midweek Weigh In

I'm only on here for a bit, I'll try to post some more later today. But I wanted to check in with you all to see how you are doing with your challenge. We had a few more joiners, so I'll update the list this afternoon.

I decided to weigh myself this morning just to see and are you ready for this? 212.6. Dun Dun Dun Duuuuuuunnn......WooHoo! That's over half a pound since Monday.

Ok, I'm heading to the gym (can't do the Turkey Trot I was planning because our area is covered in a solid sheet of ice!!). One hour step class here I come!!!

Happy Thanksgiving blogland!!

Weekly Weigh In

Holy Hell, it's Monday again?! How does this keep happening?

So, how has your week been? Have you kept up on your commitment for the "Double Up on Healthy Seconds Challenge"? Kris over at Eclipsed is celebrating her 1 year anniversary today for her weightloss journey and she wrote an amazing post on commitment and consistency. It really touched me and you should click on over and read it.

So, for this week's results:

Today's weigh in results were 213.2 That's a 2 lb loss over last week. And a total weight loss of 12 lbs.

Double Up on Healthy Seconds Challenge

Ok, so it's a mouthful but I think it's appropriate, don't you? Instead of going back for seconds at the dinner table, let's go back for seconds at the gym (on the trail, treadmill, etc...) Thanks for the suggestion Mae Flowers!

Now, I'd love to have a cute little button for you guys to add to your blogs, but I'm just not that tech savvy. Sorry.

The other day, I told you I intend to count every calorie, drink 128 oz of water per day and to burn 2500 workout calories. The calories have been counted, the water has been consumed and I burned 681 calories in my first ever spin class. I'm off to a great start! How are you doing?

• Truly will exercise daily for 30 minutes or more, document all of her food (including Turkey Day) and drink 8 glasses of water each day.
• Maggie pledges to go to the gym twice a day, count every single calorie and drink 8 glasses of water.
• Mae Flowers has decided to work extra hard to get her workouts in (she's also hosting a virtual Turkey Trot 5K on her blog ~ go check it out!)
• jennifer has committed to drinking two green smoothies a day, drink lots of water and run 10 miles total before Turkey Day

You guys are SOOOO awesome! If you want to play along, it's not too late! Just leave me a comment and I'll add you to the list. Feel free to blog about it and invite your friends, too. The more the merrier, right?!

Ok, let's start cheering each other on!

Diet and ADHD....

*I wrote this blog post for another blog back in June of this year*

Many years ago I used to coach a Jr. select volleyball team. I remember one girl being a very talented player, when she wanted to be. She would show up to practice some days with her “game face” on and yet other days it would be all I could do simply to get her to pay attention long enough for me to explain the next drill. One day while sitting and eating between games during an all day tournament her mother mentioned to me that this little girl couldn’t tolerate red food dye. Having suffered from food allergies myself I assumed she meant she had a physical reaction to an allergen. No. To quote her mother “Kristen goes all ADD on me if she even has the tiniest bit of red food dye.” I’m quite certain my confusion was plastered on my face.

At this point in my young life (I was in my early twenties) I had not heard anything about food dyes effecting behavior. I was still a firm believer in the Standard American Diet and was fad dieting with the best of ‘em. I took this mother’s word for it and began to watch Kristen a little more closely. Having been diagnosed with ADD in college and gone on Ritalin (and subsequently asked, frequently, “are you medicated today?”), I was careful not to point out to Kristen when she was not her usual focused self, but I did take note.

I haven’t thought about Kristen in a long time. In my nutrition research lately, I’ve stumbled upon several articles detailing the belief that food additives, preservatives and the lack of omega 3 fats can significantly alter the behavior of our children. I found it interesting but still, never gave it much thought.

Fast forward to this weekend. My littlest guy took a tumble Saturday afternoon & ended up breaking his arm. He’s fine, but it was quite a stressful weekend for Mommy. Even as it was happening, I recognized my regression immediately. I reached for the junk food. I knew what was happening and I was still powerless over my old habits. On the way home from the ER we stopped at a major box store so my little guy could pick out a few new videos. Pulling into our driveway, we had not only new videos but a box of ice cream treats and a bag of Doritoes as well. We’d called to order pizza on the way home and the kids and I basically buried ourselves in the S.A.D for the weekend. I kept up with my smoothies, but it didn’t really help my tummy (or my cloudy brain) feel any better. I kept telling myself I was too stressed out to cook. The kitchen was a mess and I didn’t want to take any snuggle time away from the boys in order to tidy it up enough to fix a proper meal. I had all kinds of excuses, but the truth was I didn’t really need them. I didn’t even believe them. I knew what was happening. While the habits are still strong, I can happily report that they aren’t nearly as strong as they once were. I may have bought all of that junk food, but we didn’t even put a dent in most of it, at least not to the extent that we would have last year at this time. It’s the little successes that add up, ya know?

By Sunday afternoon I began to notice that my oldest son was extra fidgety, his focus was off and he was an emotional wreck. Some of this can be attributed to his sensitive nature and he was truly, from the bottom of his heart, worried about his little brother. But I know. I know it’s the S.A.D diet he ate this weekend (S.A.D is such an appropriate acronym, isn’t it?). I could see it in his eyes. I saw the look of frustration when I had to correct his behavior for the umpteenth time. I could feel the desperation in his heart when he was trying, oh so very hard, to control his emotions when he didn’t get to play the Wii game of his choice. I could see the hurt on his face when I lost my patience with him (also attributed to the SAD diet).

I remembered Kristen and how she struggled some days and how everything seemed to flow so effortlessly on others. It made me wonder, with the state of school lunches these days, how many children are walking around with inaccurate labels, misdiagnosis, & needless medications? If we offered our children whole foods instead of the processed edible (?) “food like” substances we’re trying to pass off as food, would a lot of these behavioral problems disappear?

How many children out there came out of the womb, were placed on (processed) formula, graduated to (processed) jarred baby food and then eagerly started on (processed) canned veggies & boxed pasta meals? These kids don't stand a chance. We're setting them up for failure even before they take their first bite. I'm raising one. This diet describes my oldest son. Up until several months ago he ate nearly all processed foods. I can see the difference in him. I'll fight my battles. I'll fix my child. I never want to see that look again. That look that says "I know I'm being bad Mommy, but I don't know why and I can't stop."

I need a new name

I was all set to come here and start a new challenge. Until I discoverd that the name I had chosen for the challenge shares the same name with that THING from KFC. Can't do it....sorry. ....so now I need a name.

....and some participants. Who's in?

Let's all commit to doubling our efforts for the next week. Let's tackle Turkey Day ahead of the game!

Leave me a comment if you want to join in (and feel free to suggest a name!) and let me know your plan for the next week. If you have a blog, leave the link. Tomorrow I will list everyone participating (and a link to your blog) so we can all cheer each other on and get a little blog love in the process.

I mentioned the other day that I plan to count every calorie and I plan to drink 128 oz of water per day. I've been doing well with those and so I'm going to up the ante a bit. Between now and (including) Turkey Day, I intend to burn 2500 workout calories.

So let's do this. Let's double....up? Just doesn't have the same ring, does it?

Why is it?

Every once in a while, after swim practice is over, and if my hubby is out of town, I'll take the kids to get a slice of pizza at our local market before doing a little grocery shopping.

Tonight we showed up at the market and the soup bar was already closed down (my preferred dinner at the market). So I headed over to the pizza station with the boys.

I ordered three slices of pizza and a snack sized bag of chips for us to share. I ate my slice of pizza and a small handful of chips and completely satisfied. Maybe even a little full.

Why is it then, that when we used to order pizza into my home (can't remember the last time we did that) I could easily eat two or three slices? How come I used to be able to sit down and eat a half a bag of chips in one sitting?

Leaving food sitting there is something that I never used to be able to do. If it was in front of me, I ate it. I couldn't help it. I still struggle with it from time to time, but it is so much easier now for me to walk away from food.

What's the difference? Did I suddenly develop a will power of steel this time? Nope. This time is different because I no longer consider any foods "bad" or "off limits" Yes, there are some foods that will probably never chose to consume again ~ but I know that if I really really want it, I can have it. Nothing is forbidden.

It is no longer about "good" foods and "bad" foods. It's no longer about indulging myself only to feel guilty for doing so.

This time it's all about how my body feels. I don't like feeling like shit. No food in the world tastes good enough to be worth feeling like crap. Yes, I still indulge, but now I can trust myself (most of the time) to stop when I'm satisified. I dont' have to gorge myself in fear of never having this "treat" (whatever it is) again.

I know that if I'm really, truly craving something I can simply get in the car and go get some. Having that freedom has caused a lot of those "forbidden" foods to really lose their appeal.

Take pizza for instance, I've never loved pizza like some people do. Sure, it's good and I enjoy a slice here and again, but I don't crave it. If you told me pizza suddenly didn't exist anymore I'd be a little bummed, but it wouldn't be the end of my world.

Under my old mind set we ate pizza quite often. It was the rebelious spirit in me. It was a "bad" food and we always want that which we cannot have, right? So I wanted pizza. I needed pizza. No, not really. I needed to be "bad". I wanted to "show myself" that I could eat the bad stuff. Oh yea? Take THAT, self! See, I ate something bad. What you gonna do about it?

I'm gonna gain like 100 lbs, that's what. But now that I no longer see pizza as "bad" any more, it's totally lost it's fun. I eat because I need fuel to survive. I enjoy my food, but it no longer has the ability to play emotional mind games with me. I don't use food against myself anymore.

The freedom is bliss.

It Starts NOW....

Well, actually it started yesterday, but who's counting right?

All this week, I've seen several bloggers mention that it's time to double down. Let's get serious. Quit slackin'. Let's do it. Funny, that's the same thing I've been telling myself for oh....three weeks now?

So, I took all of these blog posts as a sign that wow, maybe it's time I actually DID IT!! So, I commented on Kris' blog yesterday and gave her my comittment and told her my goals. And she emailed me back and said "ok, now you have to be accountable." Oh shit!!

So what did I tell her? I told her that for the next week (until Thanksgiving, taking things one week at a time right now) that I would count every single calorie that went into my body. I started yesterday. I went over by 37 calories, but I counted 'em. All of 'em.

I also told her that I intend to fill up my 32 oz nalgene water bottle (and drink it) four times per day. I was one short yesterday. Holy crap, that's a lot of water!!

Today, I'm still counting calories and realize that I'm running low, so I plan to run to the gym for a while after I drop Boy 1 at swim practice. That should give me just enough time to get in a good workout and still get Boy 2 to his lessons on time.

I've had 1 1/2 bottles of water so far. Gotta get on that. I'll be pee'ing all night!

So how 'bout it? Anyone care to double down with us heading into this holiday season? Let's show this turkey who's boss!!

Weekly Weigh In....

In the past week I:

• have worked out a total of one time
• have bought and returned a new pair of running shoes (but have not actually run)
• have spent more time in bed than out of it
• have been puked on more times than I can count
• indulged in a birthday dinner from which I still haven't fully recovered
• have used my inhaler more than I have in the last year
• have consumed more canned "condensed" soup than I have in probably my lifetime

So, it's no wonder that today's weigh in was 215.2. That's a 1.8 lb gain over last week and makes a 10 lb total loss overall.

Considering the week I've had, I'll take it. I'm relieved that I haven't crossed back over the 10 lb milestone. I plan to start the work outs back up today with a nice easy jog around my neighborhood.

Oh, and today started the official holiday meal planning. Oiy.

It's just not in the cards

I haven't been to the gym (or on a run) since Monday. That's a full week. The kids were invited to a birthday party today, so I made arrangements with the mom (a running friend of mine) to drop them off a wee bit early so I could run to the gym for a bit and still be back in time for cake (I mean, I do have my priorities, right?!)

I'm feeling tremendously better than I was yesterday. I still have a scratchy throat, but I forced myself out of bed and had a day full of green smoothies and a metric ton of water. Afterwhich, I felt human again.

On my way to the gym, baby. Except Little Dude #2 crawled into bed with me at 2 am and puked all over me. Fun. It's become a pattern that you can set your watch by. He has thrown up every hour since 2 am. He is miserable and I feel so bad for him.

No cake for him, no gym for me.......

Blargh....

I haven't broken a sweat since Monday. One of the little dudes and I have been coughing and wheezing all week. Last night I popped up with a scratchy throat. I've had zero energy all week and have been perfectly content to lay in bed and watch reruns of Law & Order SVU on netflix. I feel like crap ~ but I'm not sure if I'm sick or if it's the lack of exercise and nutrition. Kinda like the chicken and the egg, I guess......

Monday's not gonna be pretty but at this point I don't really care. I'm going back to bed......

Heaven......

THIS:

+

THIS
= Mmmmm......

Shoes...

Remember a while back, when I told you about how I gave up my fancy running shoes and went bought a cheap, generic pair of Saucony's at Big 5? My totally neutral shoes that I fell in love with? You don't? Ok, well go back and read that post. It's ok....I'll wait

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You're back? Great! That's some good readin' isn't it? Ok, so it's been several months and like all good running shoes, mine have started to break down a bit and it's time for new ones. No biggie, Big 5 runs sales all of the time and I know I can find mine fairly cheap again. End of story, right? WRONG!

My husband has recently picked up the book Born To Run. He keeps spitting all of these facts out to me and he's told me on more than one occasion that I ought to read the book. "You'll really enjoy it" he says. Great. He bought the book ~ so I can read it when he's done, right? WRONG! He bought it for his Kindle. I, on the other hand, do not own a Kindle. Oh, he hints that I'll own one around Christmas time, but for now I'm screwed. I've got the Kindle app on my iPhone. It'll be a miracle if I don't go blind trying to read on that thing. Between the size and fact that it's backlit (Kindle is not, it's got "e-ink") my eyes feel like they are crossing after just five minutes.

So, anyway...as you know from the way I eat, I'm pretty much a naturalist anyway, right? So, I guess it's no surprise to me that my feet did not like the fancy smancy shoes and wanted a more neutral shoe, right? So, then does it shock anyone that now I'm looking to take it a step further? I went and tried on the Nike Free shoes today. They were comfy, but I didn't love them. After talking to the sales rep (who is also an avid runner and an aquaintence of mine), she suggested that the Nike Frees may not be the right shoes for me. She watched me run and said I'm not a heel striker (big no no for anyone, terrible for someone with my knee issues) anyway, and that I have a very healthy mid foot strike so she recommended I go one step further and try.......these:

Unfortunately her store was out of them (like most of Western Washington) and no one will be getting them back in until February. I'll just be getting ready to start training for my half at that time, so I dont' want to start changing shoe types then. I made some calls and there happens to be ONE pair of these in my size in my whole county. I'm heading there tomorrow to try them on. Aren't they flippin' AWESOME?!

Oh, I'll also be picking up another pair of my comfy neutral shoes as the Vibrams won't work for long distances until after my feet get adjusted to them. Nearly everything I've read about them online indicates that almost everyone uses these for shorter distance runs to perfect their foot strike, but uses a neutral running shoe for longer distances for the cushioning. I'm just getting ready to start increasing my distance beyond 3 miles, so I plan to do exactly the same thing.

Oh, and these supposedly kick ass for weight lifting shoes. Can't wait to see the looks I get at the gym! I sure hope they fit tomorrow!

Did I just not realize it?

*google image*

Since my husband was working last week on my actual birthday, we went out to dinner tonight with the kids for a belated celebration. We headed to a local steak house and I ordered a sirlion with grilled shrimp. It was really good and knowing I worked out (hard) today, I didn't feel guilty about eating it. Afterwards, we headed to a local creamery for some scrumptious locally made ice cream. YUM! I ordered a molten lava cake and a scoop of vanilla. I only ate half because I was so stuffed I thought I was going to throw up.

After getting home and changing into elastic "comfy" pants I nearly passed out on the living room floor while playing Go Fish with the family before bed time. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I recognized it was because my body was working so diligently to digest all of the food I just stuffed into my tummy. It was awful. I don't like feeling like that. My body isn't used to all of that heavy food, all at one time. (a small amount of raw green smoothie helped get that brick feeling out of my stomach, btw).

Looking back, I relized there was a time, not so long ago, when I would have eaten the entire plate of steak and shrimp and still eaten the entire lava cake and ice cream. Even though I would have been uncomfortable, I simply couldn't leave food on the table. I didn't know how.

I didn't even think twice about it tonight and I consider this a (not so) small victory. But then another thought occurred to me ~ have I lived the better part of my adult life feeling like shit pretty much all of the time? Did I not even realize how horribly I felt? Sadly, I think the answer is yes.

How many people walk around feeling bloated, stuffed and uncomfortable and not even realize it? How many peole out there know this feeling only as "normal"?

I know this will probably not the be the last time in my life that I overeat, but I'm grateful that I now have a new normal and that feeling like this is the exception as opposed to the rule.

P.S. I'm pretty sure the scale will not say 213 point anything in the morning. But I also know that it's not fat I gained, but water from so much sodium. I'll be stepping up the workouts for the rest of the week to balance this out. Balance. Life is all about balance.

Let's Talk about Boobs....

Boobs. They are the elephant in the room. Well, not all boobs are. Mine are. I'm aware of this. I'm ok with this. I'm used to this. My boobs are enormous. It's ok ~ you can say it. There is no denying it.

**you can see pictures of what I mean here**

I've been asked on more than one occasion, "how do you run with such a large chest?" It's a legitimate question. It is.



I've had these bad boys (girls?) since 4th grade. I went to Catholic School and we all know how see through those uniform blouses can be. I was mortified because EVERYONE could see that I was wearing a bra. I think I wore my navy blue sweater all of the way into June until school let out for the summer. I don't remember how I handled 5th grade....maybe I've blocked it out?



In highschool I went into total denial and refused to believe I needed anything other than the cute Victoria Secret bras that all of my friends were wearing. I wore the generic cotton sports bras that you could buy at Kmart and I was happy. My boobs weren't.



Then I grew up, got married and had babies. When I found out I was pregnant, the first thing my mom did was haul my behind to a bra store (I didn't even know those existed!) to be properly fitted. I was 8 weeks pregnant and fitted for an H cup. I'd been wearing DD's my whole life. OOPS!



After I had the baby and began nursing I increased to a J cup. Holy Shit!!!



They haven't gotten much smaller since giving birth. I'm currently wearing a FF cup. Yes, my boobs are big. It's the elephant in the room. Unless you are my brother. He has no problem pointing them out.



So, back to running. We were talking about running, weren't we? I can't remember. Anyway ~ how in the hell do I run with these monsters on my body? Very carefully. I used to wear two bras at once. Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy....didn't work and it was terribly uncomfortable. I'm currently wearing the Enell. There is still a little bounce, but it's the best I've found so far. They aren't technically sized for someone as big as me, but there are no sports bras that are.




I really want to try the Moving Comfort Juno bra. It's on my wish list.

Weekly Weigh In

So, it's Monday again. These weeks just keep on ticking by, don't they? How the hell did it get to be November already? Seriously?

Well, I don't have much to say so I guess I'll just get to the numbers. I know that's why you're all here anyway, right? HA!

This week's weight is 213.4 lbs. That's a .8 lb loss over last week and a total of 11.8 lbs lost. I'll take it. And I'll smile and I'll be happy with it :)

That's it folks. I ain't got much to say right now (but I'm sure I will later!) Happy Monday!

The Daily Mile?

Are you on The Daily Mile? It's like Facebook for workouts. It's an awesome community with ssoo much support. If you are over there come find me and be my friend.

I just joined a challenge: 50 Miles in December. That's a lot of miles, but I know I can do it.

Speaking of Facebook ~ I've been thinking of starting a page to supplement this blog. Would any of you follow me if I did?

Becoming a runner....

Ok, so five seconds after that last post, I actually remembered what I wanted to blog about. *blush*

I read about running looooong before I ever laced up my own running shoes. I remember reading about people doing an "easy three miles" or running tempo runs. I read about long runs and how they should be a few minutes slower than your race pace.

Hello, it was all Greek to me. Once I started running I got even more confused. In my world, you ran. You ran your slow, gut wretching, tear inducing, cry for Mommy pace. It was the only pace there was. I just couldn't fathom changing speeds based on what "type" of run you were going for. WTF? Just go run. In my world, I ran my heart out every single time. I ran until my legs simply said "F#ck You" and wouldn't go another step. I thought that was the way everyone did it.

This past Thursday I wanted to be able to run the full distance and not take any walk breaks. I thought about it and came up with the plan that if I wanted to do that, I needed to take it slow and not tire my legs out very quickly.

Whoa...hold the phone peeps. What did I just say to myself? I'm starting to talk like a real runner. When the hell did that happen? I wrote it off as a fluke and went along my merry way.

Today, the sun was shining (in November, in the Northwest) and my husband was actually home on a weekend. I took this as a sign from the gods and quickly laced up my running shoes.

I set out for a run, but wanted to push myself a little bit. I decided a few walk breaks would be ok in order to push myself harder. Wait....I'm sounding like a runner again. WTF?

**side note here, I wasn't sure if I wanted to run 2 miles or 3 miles. I was doing an out and back from my house and I figured I'd get to the 1 mile mark and then decide if I wanted to keep going and or turn around and go home. I got there (ran the whole way, thankyouverymuch, and started to walk a bit as I was trying to talk myself into turning around and going home. Then that song came on again and I realized the gods were truly speaking to me and subtlty wasn't their speciality. I went the whole 3 miles in about 41 minutes and hardly walked at all**

So anyway, after these last two runs I think I'm finally starting to get it. I'm making enough progress to have more than one pace. I'm finally "a runner"

Memory fails me....

I always come up with wonderful blog post ideas when I'm working out. When I later sit down to the computer it's like my brain has evaporated.....

If they come back to me, I'll be back here tonight.

My workouts

I haven't talked about my workouts much. Hell, I haven't done much around here except post my weigh ins. I apologize. I started this blog as journal for myself. I've don't much journaling. I'm not sure if my journal inspires anyone else. I hope it does, but it inspires me and that's what it's here for. I realized that I wasn't getting much inspiration out of my own blog lately and it's time to change that!

I've sort of settled into a routine with my workouts and they seem to be working well for me. Unfortunately I'm going to have to make some changes due to a new class that my boys are taking.

Remember that class that totally freaked me out when I first started going to the gym? Spring Conditioning. It's turned into my absolute favorite class at the gym. It's only offered one time per week and wouldn't you know, it's the exact same time as my boys' new class ~ in the next town over. Bummer.

So, I have a new workout schedule:

• Monday: Ultimate Strength (weight lifting class)
• Tuesday: Some form of cardio (running, step class, aquafit, etc) or Rest Day (depending on what my body needs)
• Wednesday: Utlimate Strength
• Thursay: Run (while boys are in class)
• Friday: Yoga
• Saturday: Aquafit
• Sunday: rest
  

Statistics

Evidently, I not only spaced on November 1st, but on October 1st as well. You guys can't let me forget to post my statistics! Get on me ~ push me!

So, let's get down to business. I've been really frustrated with my numbers lately becuase the scale and the tape measure haven't moving as quickly as I wanted them to (I'm an instant gratification kind of girl, ya know.). But my dear husband tells me every single day that my body shape is changing and to just be patient, the numbers will move.

In my mind I know he's right, but in my heart I can't help but feel disappointed. I know it will happen.

Guess what ~ it's happening! I was flabbergasted with my tape measure this morning. I may have actually hugged it. I may have done a little dance with it. May have. So here we go:

• Starting Weight: 225.2/214.2
• Height: 5'5"/5'5"
• Starting BMI: 37.5 (Obese)/35.6
• Bust measurement: 48"/47"
• Waist measurement: 48"/42"
• Hips measurement: 51.5"/49"
• Biceps measurement: 12.5"/12"
• Thighs measurement: 23.5"/21
• Body Fat Percentage: 53%/49.8%

That's a total of 11.5 inches lost. 11. 5 inches of me that no longer exist!! Do you see that waist measurment?!? I've lost 6" off my waist!! It's no wonder my pants are getting loose!

So there we have it. I'm four months into my journey and things are really starting to happen for me. I'm ok with slow and steady. It teaches me patience. :D

Happy Birthday....

Next year at this time:

• I will have run 13.1 miles
• I will be comfortable calling myself a "runner"
• I will be a triathlete
• I will no longer be wearing plus sized clothes
• I will have gone through 136 lbs of spinach in smoothies, alone

36 is going to be a great year!

OOPS!

Holy Crap! I missed the 1st! I posted my weight, but I totally forgot to post my stats. My bad! I'll do it in the morning. Cheers!

Weekly Weigh In

Holy weigh in, Batman! It's Monday already? Say it isn't so!! How has been a week and I haven't posted at all?!
Not only was this weekend Halloween, but it was also the first swim meet hosted by my son's swim program. That made for a very busy weekend for the swim parents. My son only swam on Sunday, but I was up at the meet working all day on Saturday.
I've been totally exhausted for the last two weeks. At first I blamed it on TOM, but then he left and I was still exhausted. Looking back, and talking to my husband, I've pretty much decided it's my diet.
I've been out of control with the Halloween candy, pumpkin cookies and other goodies that have found their way into my home. I've been working out, but I haven't been counting calories, nor have I been making the wisest choices. It's time to buckle down again and focus on my next goal. Thankfully, this week my life settles back down and we have nothing on the schedule other than our ordinary weekly events (and trust me, that's ENOUGH!)
Unfortunately, this is also the last week of my grocery budget (our months go from the 8th to the 8th) and I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel trying to get by without dipping into our "general fund". So, as much as I'd love to stock up on lots of wholesome, organic, yummy goodness I'm going to have to prioritize and make some comprosmises this week. Hrmph....
Ok, so having said aalllllll of that, let's move on to the weigh in.
I completely expected to step on the scale this morning and see a number upwards of 217 or so....but to my surprise, my weight this morning was 214.2. That's a 2.6 lb loss from last week and a total weightloss of 11 lbs. I have no idea how I pulled that off, but as my husband says "Don't question it, just step off the scale and run with it." That's exactly what I'm going to do. Except it's raining again....and I still haven't gone shopping! Blargh....