Resolute with the Resolutions

Well, I've been doing pretty well with the "well it's Monday, so I will work out" approach to the weekly workouts. I'm actually kind of surprised.. hehe. But yesterday, since I was off work and didn't feel like going downtown to visit my gym, I jumped rope at home for roughly 30 mins and played with hand-weights for a little bit while watching the second episode of the second season of 24 (yay for commercial-less tv on DVD!) TV actually has proven to be a really big help with my actually doing my home workouts (yay for distracting the brain while beating the body!) I am still sore today. Sucess!

Today I'll go outside for a walk over lunch and tomorrow I'll hit the gym again, 'cuz afterall, it'll be Wednesday!

I haven't weighed myself recently, so I'm not exactly sure where I am with all that with the holidays and stuff..... though, the other week I risked stepping on the scale at home (first time since getting married) and it told me I'd lost 5 lbs. While I do like that report, I'm not sure whether I believe it or if I think the scale got confused in the move from my old apartment to this new one. Since I know the numbers have always been off on my home scale (and i only ever weigh myself first thing in the moring and without clothing) I'm a little afraid to get a second opinion from the scale at my gym..

More Regrouping

Well, I gained back at Christmas all the weight that I'd lost at Thanksgiving. So I'm also regrouping and trying again. I think the best definition of success was a Japanese(?) Proverb I read a little while ago:

"Fall down six times.
Get up seven."

So, here I am getting up another time.

I got back on the exercise this morning, and I'm working on the water. The water has been a huge struggle for me as Monkey's gotten more active. I've always been a sedentary water drinker, and my life is not very sedentary right now! So if anyone's got suggestions for how to remember to drag my water around with me so it gets in my body, I'm listening! It'd be great to hear how the rest of you girls are doing!

Time to regroup and start again.

Good morning ladies,

How are all of you doing? I hope better than me!! :)

I have a couple of goals that hopefully will help that.

1. I need to sleep 7 hours every night. Before you give me too much grief, recognize that is a significant improvement!! That means being in bed by 10:15!! That is early!!! :)

2. Walk every day either on the tread mill or an outdoor walk depending on the weather. If I just do it after getting the kids off to seminary, I will have time for this.

3. Go back to Sparkpeople and keep track of my food so that I eat healthier.

If I am serious about losing weight, and feeling better, and being able to have fun with my children and grandchildren, I have to have a healthier life style. I am not doing a very good job of that lately.

So, help please, I need a cheering section!! I love you all. I hope that you are having wonderful days.

Love,

Mom

Trying a New Angle

Well, I FINALLY went to the gym today. Sadly, it's been quite some time since I've gone.. we're not even going to list how many times I've gone since I got married.. hehe. We'll just say I've started up again.

Now that the wedding is done and past, this time around I don't have such a pressing motivator to get me to go up there during my lunch hour. It hasn't been working to tell myself that "it would be good" to go.. and thinking "I'm being good" when I do go isn't motivator enough in and of itself either. So, now I am trying a new angle of psychology to get myself up to the gym more frequently. The current idea is to just look at it as a part of my routine. For now I'm going to shoot for three times a week, so now I tell myself "I go to the gym because it's Monday" (or Wednesday or Friday). Hopefully if I don't make a big deal out of it and make it just part of a lifestyle, it'll will stick with me better. So, so far, today I went to the gym because it was Monday.
I'd say it's a promising beginning :)

It's Working!

I lost another pound! I don't think that I'm going to exercise today... I've got a nasty cold & I don't think it would be wise. But I was down another pound today. I think I'm going to go get myself one of those non-food rewards!

Well....... It's Not All Bad

Heh.. so, exercise once married is harder than I anticipated. I mean, I knew that it was more than likely that once my main motivation was gone (fitting into that pretty pretty dress), I'd struggle with continuing with my routine of regular exercise, but I had hoped that I might do better than I have. My routine even at work has been thrown off quite drastically in the last few weeks. I have been working through lunch more. And when I'm not working through lunch, I've been running around the city trying to update my forms of legal identification so that my name is my name all over. Yes.. excuses excuses excuses. Today I'm working through lunch yet again, however, TOMORROW I will go to the gym.

I hereby resolve that tomorrow, Tuesday December 2nd, is the day I will return to the treadmill.

It's not all bad though, now that I'm living closer to pretty much everything, I tend to use public transportation to get around. Public transit is good for a couple things: Saving me $$ on gas, and forcing me to walk more. So, I've been walking further to get to the train and up two flights of stairs to get to my platform. Plus, I live in 3rd floor walk up, so I'm taking stairs bunches more than I did before I moved. Bottom line is that I have gained a couple pounds (well, three in the last 5weeks) but really, that's all.

So, while it's not as good as it could be, it's not all bad.

Movement

I remember now why it is that I like calorie counting! I'm already down 1 pound. I did a run this morning as well. Feeling more upbeat about loosing weight than I have in a very long time.

Weight: 201 (-1)
Over Bust:38 1/2"
Bust:42"
Waist:36"
Hips:46"

Run: 1.87 miles/34:25
20 Crunches on the balance ball

Numbers Don't Lie

Well, I logged into Babyfit.com this afternoon & put in my current weight (mostly unchanged from 2 months ago) and took a look at the graph of your wieght that they keep for you. It's a bit of cold, hard reality for me. I've steadily gained all summer long and it's just obvious from looking at the graph exactly how much I've gained.

Last night I found myself up very late looking at adoption information. My fertility and my weight are linked and I'm feeling very frustrated by that. I've been moving in the wrong direction. And looking at adoption profiles of hopeful parents is NOT going to help me get going in the right direction! There's 4 women in our ward that are expecting, and maybe a few more. It's getting to be difficult again.

So I'm tracking my food. I'm thinking about asking Andy for a blessing. I need to find my recipe program so I can reinstall it and figure out how much my home cooking is. And I'm pleased to be able to report that I didn't gain ANY weight over Thanksgiving. So I must be doing something right. I exercised 4 times this week, which was tricky, given the holiday. But I did it!

Building Steam

I've been doing pretty well this week. Maybe it's because I know that Thursday could be very bad news if I don't Take Steps. In any case, although the pushups have been somewhat neglected, I have done 2 runs this week and a yoga. That means that I've done something every day so far. I'm thinking I'll squeeze in another yoga tomorrow morning before the Big Meal (cuz you know nothing's gonna happen after!) and then another run on Friday. I'm feeling pretty good! Need to take my measurements again so that I have (another) baseline to work with and can tell when I start loosing inches again. I also have to be very good about finding people to help me eat the baked goods that I enjoy making so much! Good thing there's going to be so many people at Mom & Dad's tomorrow!

Pressing On

Now that the wedding is done, it's time to get rolling again! Been awfully quiet around here, I'm wondering what you girls are up to these days? I'm still trucking along in the push-up challenge. We're into week 3 now, and it's going well. I did 47 pushups, divided into 5 sets, the other day. I still need to do my pushups this evening before I go to bed. Working out has been more difficult, as has drinking water. I always do better when both Andy and myself are at home. There's been a lot of one or both of us out and about lately. Hopefully that will ease up here shortly and I'll be able to rebuild my routine. I was doing so well this summer, but I've really been struggling to re-create that this fall.

I went shopping this evening and picked up a lot of fruit and some veggies to chop up. I've been realizing that my food is a significant part of the problem. I need to eat more fresh chopped veggies, more plain fruit. I need it as snacks, at meals, all the time. It's better for me. It's less calorie-filled, so it will help me reach my goals.

Today I bought pears and apples. I also picked up some bananas and peppers. They are yummy. They are things that I like to eat. Pears and apples are even more or less in season still, so they fit nicely in the Word of Wisdom:

And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

I've got a long way to go, but I'm working on it! One of these days I'm going to start reaching some goals!

Checking In

I took my measurements today and in spite of some Halloween indulgence, I'm slightly down. The scale says I'm up, but with all the new exercise, I'm not too worried about that! I'm feeling pretty good. I didn't do perfectly last week; I missed 2 workouts and was usually short on water. But I'm making progress both in my measuring and in building habits, which in the long term is more important than any single day.

Over bust: 38 1/2 (-1/4)
Bust: 42 1/2 (-1/2)
Waist: 37 (-1/4)
Hips: 44 (-1/2)

Weight: 203 (+3)

Pushups: 27
Running: 1.05 miles in 22:55.


I've been thinking. It seems that for me loosing weight is as much of spirituality as it is about getting sweaty and eating right. The Lord has made it clear that I need to do a better job of taking care of my body, and because it's something that He's asked me to do, that means that He will help me get it done. Thing is, that means that working through the tough spots where it feels like Nothing is Happening is as much a matter of faith and patience as anything. It also means that when I fall down and don't do very well, repentance is available, and the Lord will help me get back on my feet.

Me+Halloween= GGGGGGGRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

GRR! GRR!! GRR!!!
Halloween this year just made me totally and completely mad at myself! Here I am, doing OK with getting rid of my big gut, and I go trick or treating for three hours! I got loads of candy, though I did give most of it to our second youngest brother, because he stayed home with the Monkey and Monkey's Mother. Monkey just went to two houses, and Nana gave him extra. Silly woman. :) Well, we have three or four pumpkin buckets that are about six inches tall, and six inches wide. Jake, Andy, and I went on four or five streets with about ten houses each, and I filled up my bucket AND my pockets! We would've kept going but thankfully, Andy's ankle started to hurt, so we headed back home. I gave AJ a little more than half of my bucket, and then I had a trading session with our brothers, and two friends. We traded away things we didn't like very much for better things like chocolate (3 Musketeers, Snickers, Twix, Crunch, and other yummy chocolates). I traded a lot and got lots of chocolate from people. After I had had me candy for one day, ONE DAY, I had eaten ALL of my chocolate. Most of my candy was chocolate, too! I had even "decided" to save most of my chocolate until after the wedding, and eat the rest of my candy one piece a day, but obviously THAT didn't happen. Yuck! :( (Stupid idea!! Don't try it.) Then, AFTER I had eaten half my candy, and already gained some weight, I put the rest of my candy in a sandwich bag, and I gave it to Mom to hide until at least after the wedding. I was very disappointed in myself, but then again, I was happy that I had the brains to at least give Mom the rest of my candy. It was not a very happy weekend for me, though I didn't gain all that much when I ate all my chocolate. Amazingly enough, I only gained 2 pounds! Yay! :) Now I have to watch myself REALLY carefully for all of this week. I'm hoping that won't be too hard. At least today, I've been able to tell when I was full, and I have been smart enough to actually stop then. I've also found that I'm not quite as hungry, and I'm going to start taking pack lunched to school so I don't have to deal with the grease they give us. :)

Chuggin' Along

Did my pushups and my run this morning. I finished day 1 of the running program. Feeling pretty good. On the way to doing well with my water too: almost finished with the first water bottle of the day!

Interestingly, I'm not nearly as hungry when I work out a lot. Andy says that it's completely normal, and happens because the blood moves to the extremities and away from the stomach. So I get to be less hungry. It's a great arrangement: I'm less hungry so I eat less, then I get to weigh less after a while!

Week 1 Day 3: 25 pushups.
Day 1: Run 1 Walk 2, x10.

Word of Wisdom Wednesday

Modern Molly Mormon is hosting a meme dealing with living the Word of Wisdom as a lifestyle choice. In introducing their meme they say "The Word of Wisdom is not just a set of guidelines, but also a lifestyle. We will have a monthly challenge, and I'll also post different topics for us to dive into it deeper." This seems to me to be very much what we are about on this blog, so I thought I'd do play along this week! The theme right now is walking and drinking water.

Although I know better, I've badly fallen off the water-drinking wagon. All my water-drinking habits were sedentary ones and I find that as the mother of an active two year old, I'm not terribly sedentary any more! I miss it. In addition to everything else that water does that's wonderful, it makes my skin and hair great and I haven't been very happy with either of them, of late. I guess that since I've been barely drinking anything that makes some sense. Several years ago my father-in-law (a chiropractor) told me that I should drink a quart for every 50 pounds I weigh. It's a lot of water, but it makes such an amazing difference when I do it!

So here's my resolution: to drink a gallon a day. It's going to be a while before I get down to a weight where I need less, even assuming that I do get some good momentum going and start loosing as quickly as I want to. And a little extra water isn't a problem, so I'm just going to aim for a nice round gallon. It's exactly what I need now, and as I start loosing a little extra can only be good for me.

As far as my running is going, I missed today. Andy was gone, and there wasn't enough nap time before my piano students got here to do running and a shower, so I was out of luck. But I did get my pushups in for the pushup challenge: 19 in total today, though not at all consecutively.

More water would help with the sore muscles. It would also help with the weight loss. Water's cool like that.

8 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, I admit that I've let the crazy stress of my life distract me slightly from the working out business. (though, not completely.. so I'll still fit in my dress) :) However, in looking at my calendar this week and realizing that tomorrow is my very last Thursday as a single woman, I've gotten a healthy dose of renewed diligence. So, Monday I went back to the gym for the first time in a little while and this morning I went back to my morning breakfast shake routine (which is ever so much healthier than a bagel lathered in cream cheese or peanut butter cap'n crunch) and I've been focusing on having healthier snacks.

However, for whatever reason, today I am STARVING!!! I generally have two snacks throughout the day and that's perfect, but it's an hour and a half until lunch I'm already on my second! First is almonds and craisons.. YUM! For the second, I snagged an apple and sliced it up and at work they've got this little personal portions of peanut butter that is perfect for dipping without going overboard. MMMMmmmm.. peanut butter.

Anyway, but today I'm hitting the gym again. Seriously, this wedding is an amazing motivator! I'll just have to be sure to not let myself stop once it is past and life calms down and the holidays set in. We'll have to be sure to keep cheering each other on!!!

Starting Again

It's been so long since I did any serious running or other exercise on any kind of regular basis that I'm going to just start new. So today Andy and I did the 100 pushups challenge. Day 1 isn't so bad. I'm off to start on Day 1 of the running program that I was doing before: Run 1 Walk 2.

I weighed myself yesterday and I'm 200 pounds.

These are my current measurements:

Over bust: 38 3/4
Bust: 43
Waist: 37 1/4
Hips: 44 1/2

And here's the link to the running program, so that I can find it again: my printed copy has disappeared.

How is everyone else doing?

100 Push-ups Program: Any Takers?

So, muscle burns more, looks better, and push-ups do a fine job of building not only the pectorals & triceps (chest & back of upper arms), but also the core: the belly & sides of your body. Plus, it should make it easier to lift heavy stuff. Not to mention the coolness factor of being able to say that you can do 100 push-ups!

So, I did the initial test today and barely made it into their "level 2" category doing some knee push-ups. (They also suggest several other varieties for those who can't do knee push-ups, up to and including wall push-ups.) And there was no nose scraping the ground here either: I don't generally manage to make a very deep push-up. But I did do 6 of them before I felt like I wasn't going to get any further without risk of suddenly introducing my nose to the ground.

So, now that I've taken my test, I can start the program. I'm debating on if I want to do level 1 or level 2, even though I technically did enough to "qualify" for level 2. But the worst case scenario is to re-do the first week, which wasn't a problem when I was doing the running! (Speaking of running, anyone want to start that with me again? I'm missing it, and more importantly, I'm missing the results it was getting me.)

So, I like the Monday-Wednesday-Friday idea they have for when to do the push-ups, and if I wait until Monday to do it, maybe someone will do it with me? Buddies are always nice. A built-in cheerleader. Anyone wanna play?

Strength Training

I'm thinking about doing this 100 Pushups thing. It's 6 weeks to 100 pushups. Anybody else want to do it with me?

Also, I'm starting to see downward movement on the scale again. Down about 3 pounds this week, but I like to think that 2 of those pounds are water weight, so then I don't count them.

Building Steam

I got up this morning and did some yoga. It was pretty nice! Didn't take too long, and I felt pretty good when it was done. I'll have to decide tomorrow if I'm going to do more yoga or if I'm going to make another effort at jumping back into running, but either way I'm starting to build up some steam again, which is really nice!

Taking my measurements again for the dress I'm making was pretty frustrating; I'd lost pretty much all the ground I gained when I was running. Plus, I haven't been drinking water, so I'm also up a couple pounds of water weight. At least, I hope it's water weight! That kind is so much easier to get rid of! In any case, I'm working on things again.

Early Class

Well today was the second week I went to the 5:30AM class at that gym. Dave thinks I'm crazy. He may be right. But it was much easier this week than last week. To get there and actually in the class. Although, there was one brief moment that I almost turned around and went back to bed. I looked at my clock and realized I was going to be 5 minutes late... again. I really didn't want to walk in late 2 weeks in a row. BUT! I did it! Had a good workout and rushed home and got ready for work. 

PS. I fell asleep at work. Oops. :) 

Five Weeks!! :-D

Well, this weeks marks the 5 week point :) (37days if you're yearning for an exact count)

With the whole try-not-to-get-smaller-so-I-still-fit-in-my-dress-in-November mentality has some definite pluses and minuses. On one hand, that's something I can spend a little less time stressing about. On the other hand, I still have to pay attention to what foods I stick in my mouth. Not that I've done terribly bad.. I just could sabotage myself if I'm not careful.

Still, despite some splurging with my eating, and I don't think I've actually lost any pounds in a couple weeks, I've kept up the working out pretty faithfully. (That's a habit I don't want to loose) Though, some weeks are definitely better than others. But this week I'm doing pretty well. Yes.. I know it's only Tuesday, but I was fairly active over the weekend and yesterday I did my light workout and set a new record for myself on the treadmill (1 mile in 12:36) and today I really pushed myself on the elliptical machine. (this i can tell because when i get back to my desk after working out, my face is still red.. haha) But really, all in all, I'm feeling pretty good!

Hey, Emma.. how's the gym working out for you?

Not Doing So Hot

Dori was noticing that I didn't have any posts on here yet, so here it is Dori! :)

I'm really not very good at this whole loosing weight thing, but I am trying. I keep get cravings for horrid things like chocolate or other sweets, and a lot of the time I give in to them! Bluh! I have found that even though my body isn't really loosing anything, my waist is still getting smaller. :) I was trying today to make a ticker so I can keep track of how much my waist is changing, but I just can't remember how. GRR! I haven't really made myself a "routine" thing, but then again, I'm not really sure what I want to do to help myself loose weight. I was kind of thinking that because we are keeping Josh's treadmill while he's gone, that I could do a bunch of exercise n it every day. When I was over at Dori's house yesterday, she was explaining her workout to me, and I thought that I might give it a try. It doesn't sound that hard to do, but I might soon prove myself wrong. :) That would be OK though, because then I would just have to work harder and pace myself differently so I could keep going. By the way Dori, how long are you on the treadmill for total? I was thinking that 10 or 15 minutes would be good to start out with, and then gradually get up to maybe about 30 minutes of exercising... That would be good for me. I would also have to do something about the absolutely disgusting and greasy cafeteria glop they feed us. :) They can come up with some pretty gross lunches at any school you go to.

Getting Back on Track

I've been working on getting back on track for a while now, and this morning I actually managed to get onto the treadmill and go run for 1/2 hour. It went surprisingly well, considering that I haven't done any running since the last time I blogged it. It wasn't bad at all.

One More Reason to Work from Home

So, I occasionally feel slightly envious of my friends and family who have jobs that allow them the ability to work from home. Generally these feelings are felt most keenly on those days when I'm very tired and don't feel like getting up and the idea of just working in my PJ's seems very tantalizing.

However, I found an article today that offered another good reason to work from home: Walkstations. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/18/health/nutrition/18fitness.html?ei=5124&en=dae8e7618825bcd8&ex=1379476800&adxnnl=1&partner=facebook&exprod=facebook&adxnnlx=1222201193-5NCHuzYsHjxV+VlPFOPixg) Sorry kids, my work computer isn't allowing me to make this into a link.. boo to it.
But it's an interesting article about some new health innovations that seem to be most easily implemented by those who work from home, but is gathering momentum and even seems to have begun to trickle into corporate America.

Intriguing.

I'm In!

So this weekend Dave and I splurged and we got me a membership at 24-Hour Fitness! I'm so excited! We can't afford to get one for both of us, but Dave got a 30 day free pass too, so we're gonna hit this together! I get a free hour session with a trainer so I can get a good idea of what I need to start doing and how. It was really cool - on the tour of the gym the trainer had me just sit in a machine really quick and do a couple reps so I sat down and did it how I figured it should be and then he told me to put my feet shoulder width apart and do it again and all of a sudden my legs were on fire! It was amazing! I'm hoping that hour will cover a lot. 

So here I am Mom, I'm back on the wagon again with you. I really want to lose another 10 pounds before Kate's wedding. I want to have to buy new pants again. And I accidentally bought a bra that was too small, so I want it to fit soon. And I want to be healthy and get preggers. 

Fell off the wagon

Well, I am back - or at least attempting to get back. I have seriously fallen off the dieting wagon. In fact, I have gained about 5 pounds. YUCK!!!! I need to get out and exercise. No excuses - I have a hand full - but I just need to do it. I would feel better. I would sleep better. I would handle the stress better - and now I read that medopause is easier if you exercise 30 min 4 days a week. Plus..I get to be a Grandma that is able to do things with my Grandchldren. - even the ones that are years away. That is a happy thing.

So, I hope that you are all out there. I am hoping to get moving again. This has been a great help. Anyone want to join me???

Love, Mom

Invitation?

So I was chatting with Carolyn last night and she was saying that she's pretty interested in joining our blog... does she need an invitation like we did for the Round Robin or can she just show up and post? 

Last night was Dave's second night working at the fair for his dad and that means I was all by myself. I thought I had a pretty good and productive night. I went straight from work to his mom's house and changed into my running stuff and went and hit the pavement! It took me a long time to actually get out of the house and do it since it was the first time I was running while the sun was up and it was crazy hot for that kind of thing. But I stretched and drank some water and I did it! :) 

I'm starting to work on a scrapbook for Dave of his mission and I got that going a bit more last night too. Organizing pictures and such. I know this is a bit off subject, but does anyone have good scrapbook ideas or tips? I found a bunch of nice layouts online and I have some good ideas, but it's all making me realize I don't have the tools and things I need. I think this may be a bigger project than I thought at first. :) 

'Fessin Up

Well, I've pretty much fallen off the wagon. Time to get back on. The chocolate chips are gone, the diaper study that's been getting me out of the house earlier than usual is done, and I'm thinking that I need to get back out there and run again.

The good news is that we've been given(!) a treadmill, so I now have no excuse whatsoever. Set up the baby monitor during nap time or after bedtime and go at it. It's an exciting development.

Keep on keepin' on

So, I haven't exactly been doing very well on the whole eating healthy thing. Bleh. Though, I am working on getting that back under control. And I did buy salad this past weekend and have been eating that for lunch again, which should count for something, right? :)

I may be too scared to get back on the scale to see how I'm actually doing right now, but today, despite my dietary slackings, I ran a mile in 12:54. Woot! I've decided that Rit's program of walking a minute, running a minute - even when the running is at a slower pace - burns through a mile quicker than what I had been doing before. (walking a while, running fast for maybe a minute, then walking another while to recover) Thanks for posting that program Rit!

It's been awfully quiet ladies... where my girls at?

Confession:

So this past weekend there were TONS of these beautiful and delicious cookies around. All weekend. Then there was ice cream.. hehe.. yeah. I didn't do so well. Plus I didn't drink as much water as I generally do (all my bad). And while I did jump rope on Monday before heading back to Chicago and I did make it to the gym Tuesday for my light work out and weight lifting, my scale was still telling me sad things this morning. Sigh.

So today I've been sure to drink my water and I hit the gym pretty hard to try to get back in the groove of things. I wish I could say that I'm feeling better.. heh. Some days after working out I feel sucked of my energy.. today was one of those days. What sounded ever so much better was to have taken a nap. Alas, corporate America does not allow for a nap time.

But it's ok. I feel like I'm not doing THAT badly, and I think some of this weight might be water weight, so hopefully it'll go away once I'm back on my regular drinking schedule before I get to next week and measure in.

Wish me luck!!

Accomplished: Day 8 minus 2

I did another day. Well, my 1st of 2 steps to get to accomplishing Day 8. The "official" program is a bit ambitious for me. But I'm pleased. Even though I'm not loosing weight yet (still), I am loosing inches nicely. And I'm excited about that. It's definitely a step in the right direction. I set up a route and then I have measured distance in my Runner's World exercise journal. Then I run it with my stopwatch and see how I do. I'm getting better: the route I ran today I had a little bit of extra time at the end of the day's run. I finished 6 seconds before my 30 minutes, which is exciting to me because last time I actually made it through this route I had to tack a few seconds on to get to the end of the block. So there's been some improvement. Probably mostly improvement in my ability to breathe as that's typically the limiting factor.

It's good that I made myself go today too, because after Thursday when I actually decreased my pace to 12:54 - about 3 minutes faster than the run before it - although I was running faster (The jogging stroller was pulling me along I think. I'm always faster pushing it.) I was so incredibly frustrated by not finishing the 30 minutes I usually do that there was a good chance that I would sabotage myself and just fall off the wagon. I could feel the nagging "it doesn't work anyway" at the back of my mind. So it's good that I went today. Now I can get my momentum back and keep loosing inches. Someday my body will have no choice but to unload some pounds!

Breaking Addiction

So I have officially decided that I think I have a real live full blown addiction. There is a candy jar at work and even when I want to leave it alone, I find myself having 'just one little one.' ...A couple times a day. And let me tell you! On a bad day... it's a lot more than just one little one. And I love to cook, but when I get on a cooking kick, I cook pretty things. Like cakes and cookies and banana bread. Mmmm...

I know that when you are craving sweets you are low on water. Anything else? And the last day or 2 I have been craving tomatoes like crazy! This morning I had a toast and tomato sandwich for breakfast and I was in heaven! :) Last night neither Dave or I were very hungry so we had some pita chips and hummus for dinner and I just had to put some tomato chunks on mine. So what is in tomatoes that make my taste buds sing today? After a short Google search, we find that tomatoes are just LOADED with Vitamin C. And I have had a sniffly nose and canker sores. Mystery solved. 

Anyway. I am publicly announcing that I am going to break my sweets addiction and more specifically my chocolate addiction. No more days where all I eat is junk. No more Twix and Milky Way bars for lunch. And more veggies. More fruits. More cooking at home. More good stuff. 

Hopefully that'll do the trick. I tell myself to only have one a day or none and then I think 'meh. it's just me. nobody will care if I have another.' Not true anymore! :D 

Tickers N Things

If any of you wants help setting up a ticker or a sidebar button & things, give me a call & I'll teach you how to do it. It's pretty easy: just a matter of knowing where to copy & paste.

Rethinking Rewards

So, initially I was thinking that I'd reward myself every 5 pounds. Now I think I'll make it 5 pounds or 2 inches from any one measurement. That means that I'm nearly to a reward, which is encouraging. I've really been struggling not to sabotage myself this week. I'm sooo good at that. So I'm going to take some steps & acknowledge that I am making progress, and if I can keep it up, maybe I can reward myself next week.

Oh Boy

Ugh. It did not go well today. I ended up cutting the run short & coming home early. Couldn't breathe. Maybe because it was so humid? Also, my antibiotic is doing some unpleasant things to me, and that could be contributing. Whatever, it didn't go well. Very disheartening. This week is turning out to be a very difficult week for the exercise: I was going to run yesterday, before I went to the dentist, but I messed up when I set my alarm and I didn't have time. So I did it today. But now I feel like shoe scrapings, and if I want to get my 3 runs in this week like I've been doing I have to have another bash at it tomorrow.

Here are the measurments I said I'd do 2 days ago. It's been that kind of week.

Bust: 44 1/2 (up 1/2", but it's a different bra that makes me feel a bit like Madonna. I retired it, but when I started running I needed more than 2, and the new one hasn't come in yet....)
Waist: 36 3/4 (down 1 3/4"!!!)
Belly: 45 1/2" (down 1 1/2"!!!)
Hips: 45" (down 1/2"!!!)

OK, I feel much better about life now that I've taken those; my weight is actually UP a pound at 201 this week, and it's been driving me crazy. But those measurements are very reassuring: There IS actually progress for all the work that I've been doing! Maybe one of these days I'll get to go get myself one of those non-food rewards we talked about a while back! I'd almost given up on getting there because I've been so stuck at the same place, even with running. This is very encouraging.

Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

I thought you all might appreciate this article. It is about loosing weight without counting calories; basically it just reinforces everything you have been saying and doing - it is always nice to get validation =) Have a GREAT day!

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/healthieryou/4382/lose-weight-without-counting-calories

Cross Training

Heh.. so today all the elliptical machines were full, so I thought I would try a new thing that my coworker suggested. It's sort of similar to the running system Rit is doing, but on the stationary bike. I start out warming up at my usual level of resistance for a warm up. Stay there for one minute, then I increase the resistance by an interval for each of the next three minutes, then go back to the beginning and start again. Do this 4 times and by the end of 20 mins it should "kick your butt".

So, on this particular bike, I started at 9 for a minute, 10 for a minute, all the way to 13 for a minute and then back to 9, four times, all the while keeping up a pretty good and consistent pace. Ugh! But the end of 20 minutes I was ready to die. This really did kick my hiney. I am pretty sure I'm going to be sore tomorrow.. Woot!

Boot Camp!

Boot Camp!? The sound of that makes me cringe just a little; it sounds painful; but pain = progress...right?!?! They have a boot camp this next week in the park by my house. A personal trainer I know from my athletic days is teaching it and it is FREE! I am going to go check it out and see if I can't make some more progress. I am happy to report that I have worked out everyday for the past 8 days. I should be hitting the "habit" mark by the end of the week! Yeah! Getting up early is getting a LOT easier and I am feeling better. No measurements to report yet, but I will have to start taking them this week. The Boot Camp offers a body fat analysis. I love that! I only wish I never let those few extra pounds creep on; oh well - they are coming off. Boot camp...here I come! =) I start Monday; between now and then, I plan to make certain I work out everyday and see if I can't kick it up a notch so my personal trainer friend will be awe-struck =) Anyone who wants to can come join me =)

Day 8-Minus-2

It's day 8-2 because I figure that there are at least 2 steps between where I'm at and where I need to be in order to pull of Day 8's "run 2 walk 1." Today what I set out to do - and did - was run 2 walk 1, run 2 walk 2, 5 times, for the usual total of 30 minutes. It was hard work. But I did it. I plan to do it again on Wednesday. Well, maybe. That's the day that I'm getting more work done on my root canal & I typically don't feel great after doing that. Plus I'm going to the zoo with Monkey. We'll have to see. If I get up nice & early & go before all the excitement it can still be done. (By nice & early I mean around 8.)

I got a new toy the other day: a stopwatch. It's pretty fun. Monkey loves it. It beeps. I like that I can now keep better track of my times. I decided to stop counting my warm-ups in my pace, and only count the part where I'm actually running. Or working on running anyway. As a result, my pace today was just over a 15 minute mile! Not bad: I'm almost as good as I was in 4th grade, only this time it's not killing me. No asthma-type attacks. It doesn't hurt. (Which is not to say that it's not WORK. It's kind of like giving birth that way.) Also, we're have a possible opportunity to buy a used treadmill. Depends on the cost. I wonder if I can do some sort of trade for part of the price: I'll bring you bread, you give me the equipment you're getting rid of because you never use it anyway. I'm sure there'd have to be some money exchanged, but that might bring it down into a range that we can do right now.

Tomorrow I plan to weigh-in and check my measurements. Anyone with me?

Good Feeling!

So I just updated my other blog and at the bottom there is a tracker for the week of how many times I exercised and what I did and all that good stuff and it's soo nice to see something on there for every single day of the week! I can't claim as much victory as Rits, but wow! I exercised 6 days this week and I'm probably going to either run/walk or swim tonight! GO ME!!! :D 

Working Hard: Day 8, Attempt 1

This was hard today: it was hot and pushing myself to run longer stretches is not easy. The program for today said that I should run 2 walk 1. I never really thought that was a realistic goal for doing in a single day, at least for me and my ability to breathe while I run. Here's what I actually did:

3 min warm-up.
1) Run 2 walk 1.
2) Run 2 walk 1.
3)Run 2 walk 1
4)Walk 2.
5)Run 2 walk 2.
6)Run 1 walk 2.
7)Run 1 walk 2.
8) Run 1 walk 2.
9) Run 1 walk 2.
10) Run 1 walk home.

The 9th and 10th sets were really hard to start, but once I got going they weren't so bad. My pace worked out to about the same as it has been, but I'm ok with that for a couple of reasons. First, it's HOT. And humid. Ugh. Also, I ended the 10th set just a bit further away from home than I thought I was, so walking home for my cool down took longer than usual. So I'm pretty happy with how things went today.

Also, I found a feather and brought it home to show Monkey.

Low-cal Quiche

Hey, I made a yummy quiche! When I cut it into 8 slices, it's about 200 calories a slice! My program that does nutrition facts for me hasn't been re-installed since Andy gave me a new hard-drive, so I can't tell you much more than that. But it made me really happy when I looked at the nutrition break down. I have pictures and a link to the recipe here.

Hooray for Friday :)

Ah, Friday. For no real reason, except that I get to sleep in tomorrow, I love Fridays :)

Today I set a new record for myself on the treadmill (and i think treadmill running has to be different and not directly compatible with real-life-outside-running): a mile in 13:11. Wohoo! And I jumped rope last night for 20 mins while watching tv ('til I was sweating enough to gross myself out and then stopped so as not to irrevocably smell up my little apartment)

Well, my dress is in! Tomorrow evening I'm going in to be fitted.. here is the real test of all this hard work.. what kind of alterations will be needed?? When considering that aspect of things, almost I don't want to loose any more weight - otherwise the dress won't fit! Hehehe... but then my brain kicks in and I remember that losing weight is GOOD and healthy and right and taking a dress in is ever so much easier (and better on the ego) than letting it out.

Accomplished; Day 6

I did it! I did the first week of the Learn to Run program! And I did days 5 and 6 the first time I tried them! I'm feeling pretty good about that. And it definitely made a difference to be out earlier. Although the temp was rising quickly in the 30 minutes that I was out: it was 87F when I got back. That's HOT.

EA - Session 2

Hello. You know my name. :) And I am so very happy to report that I have a much better week going than last week. Last week I exercised once (Saturday) and I ate a whole bunch of junk food. This week, I have gone running twice and my junk food intake is much less. Yes. Even with the junk only day yesterday. Dave and I just got back from a 40 minute run around the neighborhood. Still sticking to Rits's running program, but we got in a warmup today. I count that too. I'm outside and I'm moving. So - dang it! - it counts. :) And our time was somewhere just below 16:00 for a mile! We knocked off over 20 seconds! YEA!!! Of course that doesn't include the warmup, but that's ok. WE IMPROVED!

Accomplished: Day 5

Hot. Humid. Didn't want to go. Went anyway because Kate posted that there's only 11 weeks to the wedding and that means I need to loose 2.27 pounds a week between now and then to be at my first goal by her wedding. Not only did I go, but I pushed the Monkey in the stroller (he's 31 pounds, plus whatever the stroller adds), and I still made it through Day 5. I'm feeling pretty good about my workout today!

Happy Tuesday Ladies!

So today was a pretty good day on the whole. We're going to operate on the idea that it's not so much what and when you eat, it's the amount of calories.  :) So based on that theory, I did pretty good. I ate a Starbucks muffin and vanilla shake for breakfast, munched on bite-size chocolates all day since I didn't have lunch, and then ate a hamburger and salad and watermelon for dinner. That sounds good, right? In my defense, the hamburger had tons of veggies on it... :D Man. I need to get up on time and make real food.  

On a happy note, I very successfully completed Day 2 today. A good brisk walk around the neighborhood with Dave tonight. We walked about an 18 minute mile for 30 minutes. Happy Tuesday! :D

Progress

Well, yesterday I turned the page in my little exercise book and realized that there are 11 weeks until November 6th! Wohoo! Also, it is a weigh-in and measurement week. So, this morning I measured myself and much to my (happy) surprise, despite only having lost 1 pound (versus the 3 or 5 I would have liked) I did in fact, loose an inch around my waist, and just under an inch around my hips and a half inch around my bust. However, my forarms are still growing.. heh.. Not quite sure how I feel about that, but I figure as long as I don't start looking like a body builder or anything I'm ok.
Still, I feel like my clothes are fitting noticably looser, and I'm considering going to visit some clothing stores, not so much to buy anything (i'm going to wait a little bit longer for that), but to check and see what size I might fit into these days.

EA - Here I come!!

Well, Good morning ladies,

I think that this EA is a good idea. I have to admit that I haven't done well lately. I haven't exercised much. I haven't been watching what I have been eating or drinking much water. Luckily, I haven't really gained much - 1 or 2 pounds - it could have been worse!!

I did go exercise yesterday for a little bit. We went to sentry - but we didn't get the time right - so we didn't get to be there for long. But I have to admit that it felt really good to be there and exercising. :)

I am so impressed at all of the rest of you and your willingness to keep going!! YEA!!! All of you!!! Good to hear from you too Nicole. I am so impressed with those of you who are running. That is really cool!! Good for you!!

I think that I am going to stop worrying so much about what I am eating and concentrate more on exercise. That has worked for me over the last several years of losing - It is really slow that way - but I am losing. I am still at 47 pounds total loss.

I went and tried on clothes yesterday - I want to get a litle bit for school. My clothes are getting pretty hammered. I was able to fit in size 16s quite nicely. I am down from size 22 at one time. Not too shabby. I would love to get into a size 10-12!! There are always lots of stuff on the sale racks in those sizes!!

Weigh-in/Measurements

OK, so it's not so much of a weigh-in cuz my water weight is going crazy again. I've been drinking most, but not all of my water, and I can always tell that on the scales because it makes me bloat. Yuck. So we're going with the 200 from a couple of days ago for weight. And I'm doing measurements again this week.

Bust:44" (no change)
Waist: 38.5" (no change)
Belly:47" (new measurement)
Hips:45.5" (down .5)

Yay! I've got change in my measurements too, in addition to the good news on the scale! There's already a little bit "less to love!" I'm actually a bit surprised that there's not more change in the tape measure, because I feel thinner. Guess that must just be in my head. I can live with feeling better about myself.

I added the belly measurement because I've got a baby belly now (surely it's not the ice cream!), and it's not really at my hips or my waist, but it's definitely the biggest thing there and the part I'd most like to see shrink. So I'm going to measure it.

Check This Out

New Beginnings - Day 1

I have nothing to say for myself. I love reading all of your progress reports and each time I do, I think, "I should do that!". How does that saying go, "there's no time like the present" or something like that. So, I am taking 100% accountability and starting fresh and new. Today I commit to eat healthier and get back to my regular exercise routines. I want to get svelte with the rest of you!!!!

I took Kate's advice and bought a notebook/daily planner. It never ceases to amaze me how I can walk into a store like All-A-Dollar and find something I have always wanted, all my life, for one dollar =) I walked out with a very practical weekly planner and a package of envelopes (Josh will be happy). I really like to check things off a list, so I think this weekly planner will really be fun! I can make myself little notes and keep track of how many days I am exercising. It's amazing how much motivation comes in the form of being able to put an "X" in the box every day. It will kill me to miss a day; this should work brilliantly! =) I put in an "X" for yesterday for taking the dogs (I was dog sitting for my sister) for a nice Sunday evening walk. So, I am off to a good start! Sadly, I did not wake up early enough to exercise this morning; I really like exercising in the mornings the best. That is okay, the day is not over! I will get it in tonight after work. I want another "X". =) Thanks for the motivation! You are all amazing; I have a lot of work to catch up; thanks for including me and giving me all the good ideas and encouragement!

Yeah.. I like the idea of EA.. hehe

Hi my name is Kate and I don't like to exercise. I have been going to the gym fairly regularly, but not exactly pushing myself much at all. I also don't do so wonderfully with the eating well thing either. I weighed myself over the weekend, and while I did loose a pound since the last time I got on there (and I'm not saying that's not wonderful) I realized that I'm not exactly on track to reach my goal. (I'd have liked to have lost more like 3 in the last few weeks) But no complaints.. it's not that far off track.. and I'm not ragging on myself. (I find pointing out the positives works ever so much more effectively anyway) Mostly, I'm just acknowledging that I could be doing better. (thus the recent lack of posts.. less goodness to point out)
So!
My next course of action is to push myself a little more on my workouts. And to stop the late night bowls of cereal. I'd like to say I'll stop the late night snacking all together, but I think it's best to take baby steps where it comes to changing my eating habits. So, this past week I bought apples to be my late night snack. And I'm trying to only it eat if the drinking-a-big-glass-of-water-to-see-if-I'm-really-hungry approach doesn't work.

Good Morning Y'All!

So Rits made the comment that the rest of us aren't blogging, so I thought I'd start this EA session. (exercisers anonymous) Hello. My name is Emma. And I haven't exercised for 2 days. And before that, well. Let's just say it was a little while. 

But. Saturday I tried the running thing Rits is doing. I don't think I followed the format very well. Due to the lack of light - thus not being able to see my watch - and the lack of a stopwatch, I just kinda did a couple of sets of running for what seemed like a minute... ish. And then walk till I felt like I could go again. And I think overall it went pretty well! I ran/jogged 4 times, pushed pretty hard, worked hard, and didn't die! :) I like that last part the most. Dave and I went for 25 minutes without doing a warm up and we went about a mile and a half. So I think that works out to about a 16:20 mile. That's not too bad right? I don't remember what Rits was getting. Seems close...? So we'll call it good and start at Day 1 again tonight to try to get on schedule it being Monday and all. 

Progress Report:

Exercise in the last week - 1

Pounds lost - 4

Inches lost - Gotta find that measuring tape

New Goal - fit into a new temple dress by Nov. 6th. I went looking this weekend for a new one since mine is getting big and I found a really pretty one that's a size large and I almost fit. So I want to buy it before Kate's wedding. 

Accomplished: Day 3

I guess that 2 days of rest (I didn't exercise on Saturday) plus leaving Monkey at home was exactly what I needed: I did day 3 today, and I improved my pace by about 30 seconds! I love having little bitty goals and seeing little bits of progress like this. I knew when I was just over 1/2 way through my run that I was going to be improving my pace because I was hitting landmarks just a little early. That had the effect of making me want to keep it up, work a bit harder, because I didn't want to spoil it. And it worked! Makes me wonder what would have happened if today had not been 80 degrees: it was mid-60s when I was starting, and it's harder to run in the heat. Although there was a nice breeze most of the time and that helped a lot.

So what about the rest of you girls? I nobody else is posting anymore! Where are you at? You oughta post even if you're not doing as well as you like. You guys were so nice to me when I was loosing ground rather than loosing weight. I'd like the chance to cheer you through a tough spot!

Happy News on the Scale

Yay!! The scale says I'm down 2 pounds this morning! I'm pretty pleased about that, even though I just missed my exercise 6 days this week: I was soooo painfully busy yesterday. Fortunately yesterday was a light day anyway, so I missed a walk or yoga, rather than missing a run. But it's working, and working nicely!

Almost Day 3

Looks like I'll be giving Day 3 another go on Monday. I'm OK with that though. It's substantially warmer today than it was on Wednesday. And I was pushing a jogging stroller with a strapping boy in it this time, which I haven't been before. Even with that, I still did 9 of 10 sets. I did take several 3 minute walks (today's pattern was run 1 walk 2), but I don't feel at all bad about it. I have sweat rolling down my back and I've definitely worked. My pace was 17:06 - a little slower than last time, but still substantially faster than the first day. Plus, the various stats that I've got on my workout list are starting to add up, and it's fun to see how long/far I've run over the various time periods they track for me. Computers can be so cool.

Accomplished: Road to Running Day 1

I did it! I did day 1!! And it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it was going to be when I put on my shoes this morning. I hurt So Bad after running on Monday. I thought this was going to be awful. But it wasn't. In fact, it felt good. I could already tell that I've learned a few things about running. I'm sure there's going to be plenty more to learn, but so far the first is the worst. We'll see what sort of soreness punishment my muscles put out this time. And I have to look at what comes next. I know that tomorrow is a walk and I don't run again until Day 3. But I don't remember any more than that.

One really fun thing is that with using Runner's World's workout tracker they count a bunch of cool things. For instance, I have done more than 25 hours of working out since the end of May. And I've run a total of 7.2 miles. Those are fun. But the best part is that it'll map the route that I run and then tell me the pace. And the very first time that I tried running back in May I was "running" a 20 minute mile pace. Today my pace was 16:43!! And that's already improved from Monday's 18:03 pace. And those paces include time for warm-up and cool-downs. So I'm actually running a bit better than that. I'll probably get me some sort of stopwatch to get better times. My watch isn't very well marked for doing this sort of thing and I think I could get to caring about how fast I'm going. One of my favorite parts of doing this program is that it's time based: run 1 minute, rest, run 1 minute. This works a lot better for me than other ways I've tried to run.

Weigh-in & Progress Report

OK, actually, I didn't weigh myself this morning. But I am taking measurements.

Bust: 44 inches
Waist: 38 1/2 inches
Hips: 46 inches

I don't have any older measurements that would work to compare these with, so I can't say that I've lost so many inches yet. But hopefully next week there'll be some difference.

As far as my progress, I'm doing better with eating healthy. That is, we're home again so I can do some cooking! Plus, the garden is starting to produce. We had our 1st decent tomato sandwiches since we lived in Kaysville in 2002. Oh yes, those were YUMMY! There will be more. Just as soon as the rest of the tomatoes turn red. Would you believe that Monkey wouldn't eat one? I knew he wouldn't, so I didn't waste a tomato on him, just offered him a taste of mine. He spit it out. Obviously his taste buds are still immature. This time of year with all the tasty tasty garden veggies, it's petty easy to eat well.

I'm also more or less please with how the exercise is going. More pleased because I've been getting it in (Andy helps with the Monkey), and less pleased because the new running thing is killing me. This HURTS!! I just keep drinking my water and reminding myself that this too will pass. Andy says that it takes about 2 weeks for the body to get used to a new activity and until then it's gonna hurt. I've done 2 days now. Only 12 to go before my body realizes that I'm serious about getting skinny and running and it'd better just suck it up. Preferably suck it out of my various fat cells. I'm planning to repeat days 1 and 2 until I can actually DO day 1. Hopefully it won't take more than 2 or maybe 3 tries.

Article: How to Become a Runner

The training plan that follows is designed to get you to the point where you can run 30 minutes (about 2 miles) at a slow, relaxed pace. It's a simple, progressive program that begins with more walking than running, and gradually evolves into more running than walking.

Read more...

Pondering

I said a while back that I was going to post a "before" picture. Here it is! It's one of the ones that Nicole took when we were out to the Great Salt Lake. That was lots of fun & we got some great pictures & I think this one does nicely as an honest before picture, without being completely awful. So there's that.

Our Relief Society is going to be doing a 5k. I'm pondering. I've thought about doing one of those things before. I think I even signed up to do this one, although then I went on 2 big trips and sorta fell off the wagon as far as training goes. But there's most of 2 months before the race, and I'm pondering. Two months sounds like it should be long enough to learn to run 5k. The big question is, am I motivated enough to actually go through with it? Running isn't typically my thing. I'm a bit nervous about this whole idea. But at the same time, what an accomplishment! I'd like to someday do a marathon. In order to get there I have to start with where I'm at...

Not Doing So Hot

I'm really looking forward to when Andy comes home again: I'm not doing so hot and he is always such a help. In my defense, Monkey nor I are feeling terribly well. He's got a cold and I've got a tooth that needs a root canal. But I should still be drinking water. Odd that the dentist was able to put a tiny little smoking cold cotton puff on my tooth and it didn't bother me in the least, but drinking water makes it feel very weird. Not painful, exactly, but definitely odd. Fortunately this isn't something that's going to last as I'm going to have the thing fixed up. Anyway, I haven't exercised all week. I've had barely any water. On the positive side though, I think that I only gained 2 pounds while we were out East, so that's something.

Be Strong!!

To be honest, I've never really been very good at the whole sustained self motivation thing. Sure, I'll get excited about a project, but that excitement generally will wane and often, eventually fade and then what's left is one more thing on my list of "Phases".. heh. My life is peppered by the various different phases that I've gone through over the years: Trolls.. Tye Dye.. Animal Prints.. and that's just for starters. Not that it's a bad thing by any means, I think I've become a more well rounded person (at least more quirky for sure) because of it, and I like that about me. However, it does mean that I do struggle from time to time with continuing with this whole workout regime.
Not that I ever forget that I'd like to loose x amount of pounds before November 6th, just that sometimes that motivation seems less pressing than my desire to order a pepperoni pizza for dinner (for just myself) on a quiet Friday night after a long week.

However, there are precautions that I've put in place to avoid such pitfalls as that. In addition to this blog, I have a sort of network of people that I randomly tell things to, when I need it. For example, at a church activity recently, they were serving tasty tasty brownies as refreshments. (big ones. without frosting... mmmmmmmmm) However, I'd already been very bad with my eating that day and I knew I ought not indulge in yet another unhealthy food. So, I turned to this nice boy who was there, a friend of mine, and said "Chris, I'm saying this out loud so that someone else can hear it: I am NOT going to eat a brownie." He laughed and said "Ok, you can't eat one if I don't eat one." Which worked out nicely because he can't eat chocolate in any form.

Then, just yesterday, I was standing on the platform waiting for my train on the way home from work and I was struck by this HUGE desire to eat some pepperoni pizza. I found myself justifying why it would be ok, even though it would be just for myself (Little Caesar's pizza is just $5.. that wouldn't even blow my budget!) even though, left to my own you KNOW I would eat the entire thing in two (maybe three) sittings. So, I sent a text message to my old college buddy that said "Karina, tell me not to order a pizza for dinner tonight". She responded beautifully "Two words.... Wedding Dress." Hahaha.. well said.

And I was good. Though, clearly I was having cravings. So, recognizing this as truth (and knowing it to be a recurring thing) Rather than suppress it and deny myself completely of all that is tasty and risk binging later, I decided to splurge. Splurge, yes.. Binge, no. Instead of a tasty pizza, I bought a little bag with four brownie bites for dessert to my healthy dinner.. brownies, yes.. but only four. I figured that was infinitely better than eating half of a pizza.. heh. And I enjoyed every one :)
Whew.. made it through another test.. Now to continue onward! Be strong!

Oh, also while I was feeling all less than motivated, I remembered that my little workout regime said that this week I was supposed to write myself a little note congratulating myself. So, I did that last night as well and attached it to my mirror. Surprisingly, it helped!

Set-backs

So, it's nothing I didn't expect. We went on a long trip, and this time instead of mostly being in family's homes, we were mostly in hotels. Hotels that don't have kitchens. So there was a lot more eating out on the Eastern States trip than there was on the Utah trip. I came back feeling like I looked similar to when I was 4-5 months pregnant. Happily, that feeling has passed! I've lost 9 pounds of water weight in the past couple of days. Hopefully I'm not done yet, because I'm still 203 pounds this morning, and that is not a happy place to be. Especially since I bought my jeans about about 185-190. Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate! That's my mantra. That and I need to get back into the swing of exercising.

I planned my menus yesterday and I think that it' going to be some good healthy eating over the next 2 weeks. My garden is starting to come on: we got our "first fruits" yesterday. I brought in several squashes an ivory bell pepper and an onion. It's been yummy eating stuff that we grew ourselves! We have lots of green tomatoes, but so far there are no red ones. Not even any pink ones. So I bought some of those. And lots of fruit. In the summer time fruit is my "diet food" of choice. Tasty, low calorie, and full of good vitamins & stuff! Yummy.

Happy Dance!

So, this morning I was feeling brave, despite my weekend of only doing pretty ok with the eating and the exercising and drinking of water, and I thought I'd risk a trip to the scales. And much to my surprise, I am down to my 10lb mark!! *happy happy dance*

I am so buying some flowers for my table this week :)

Now, off to the gym!


UPDATE:
Jetsam and my pretty flowers brightening up my little apartment :)

Slow and steady

I am feeling pretty good today. I weighed and I am still at 1 1/2 lbs, or 47 1/2 depending on where I count from. But, my measurements have gone down. I have lost a 1/2 inch off my waist and about the same off my hips. I am glad that there are some other measurements to look at - helps me keep in prospective that the scales doesn't tell all.

50 Pounds!

I realized that I have lost 50lbs since my heaviest! That was my junior year of high school way back in 2004 and yesterday the scale said exactly 50lbs less! I actually hit this mark last year, but the whole Thanksgiving/Christmas season hit and suddenly I was back 20lbs. So here I am again!!! YEA! *happy dance*

Back On Track

My ticker is back at 6lbs! Yea! And I think that the exercising before my brain realizes what's going on quote really applied today. :) I set my alarm for 5 and I very reluctantly rolled out of bed at 5:30 and got in a good 30 minute pilates spot. Dave kinda had to kick me out of bed! I wasn't too excited to do it this morning, but I'm glad I did. Now I don't have to worry about it this evening, which is really nice since work was crazy and I didn't even get a lunch break!

Good Motivation

Thank you for inviting me to participate. You are all very motivating; I am going to have to step it up =) I have read that the three keys to loosing weight/staying healthy are #1 getting enough sleep; #2 eating healthy, and #3 exercising (in that order). I am going to have to really focus on all of them, but I definitely need to train myself to go to bed earlier. It is too late for that tonight so I will implement my new "early to bed" plan tomorrow. I heard a quote once that went something like..."anything you do today that is better than yesterday is success". I like that! Tomorrow will be full of success =) Thanks again for the invitation and all the good motivation!

My Little Plan

Heh.. Well, here is the plan that I've been using. I got an account on www.theknot.com and this was one of the handy little tools that they have there.

It's set up to be a six month workout, but I adapted it to fit my time frame, and counted the weeks out so that I know how many weeks 'til the Big Day. Also, do to my time constraints with my gym attendance, I do 30mins of aerobics 3 times a week (generally Mon, Wed, Fri) and then the other two days I do 10 or 15mins and then play with whatever weight machines suit my fancy that day.

Month 1

This month, you should mainly be focused on just getting active and engaged in the program. A good way to get motivated is to start a workout diary. Write down the date, all the reasons why you need to work out, and what your goals are. Write down your weight (always weigh yourself in the morning for consistency), and use a measuring tape to record the size of your chest, waist, hips, thighs, and forearms, so you can monitor your progress. To stay motivated, keep notes all the way through.
Tip: Weigh in and take measurements once a month only. Focusing on quick results will only discourage you.

Weeks #1 and #2

• 20 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week

Weeks #3 and #4

• 30 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week

Month 2

Still here? Good work! Now get out that measuring tape and scale. Any improvements? You shouldn't focus too much on weight loss yet, but your energy should be higher. Keep writing in your journal, and pay special attention to how you feel, how you're dealing with stress, and what you think you are gaining from your exercise program.
Tip: Remember to check your heart rate about 15 minutes into your aerobic exercise to make sure you're hitting your target heart rate.

Weeks #5 and #6

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 2 sets of 10 stomach crunches
• 1 set of 10 push-ups

Weeks #7 and #8

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 10 stomach crunches
• 2 sets of 10 push-ups

Month 3

This is usually when people start to give up. Get out your diary, and flip back to your first entry. Remind yourself why you are doing this. Also, flip ahead in your calendar and check how quickly your wedding day is approaching: Aren't you glad you started exercising weeks ago? Weigh yourself and take your measurements again. Are you making progress? Even if you haven't lost weight, you should see some results in your muscle tone.
Good to know: Muscle weighs more than fat, so you might have gained a few pounds, but you've most likely turned some of that fat into muscle.

Weeks #9 and #10

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 10 stomach crunches
• 2 sets of 10 push-ups
• 1 set of 10 squats

Weeks #11 and #12

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 10 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 10 push-ups
• 2 sets of 10 squats
• 2 sets of 10 bicep curls
• 2 sets of 10 tricep curls

Month 4

Take a minute to write a note of congratulations to yourself -- you're doing an amazing job (we know it sounds cheesy, but do it anyway). Weigh yourself and take your measurements: If you've been following the program, you definitely should notice some changes by now.
Good to know: At this point, if nothing has changed, you may need a more advanced program, and you should consult a personal trainer.

Weeks #13 and #14

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 15 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 15 push-ups
• 3 sets of 15 squats
• 3 sets of 15 bicep curls
• 3 sets of 15 tricep curls
• 2 sets of 10 chest presses

Weeks #15 and #16

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 15 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 15 push-ups
• 3 sets of 15 squats
• 3 sets of 15 bicep curls
• 3 sets of 15 tricep curls
• 3 sets of 15 chest presses

Month 5

Okay, now it's time to get serious: There are only eight weeks to go until your wedding. Weigh in and take your measurements. Now, where do you still need the most help? Stomach? Thighs? Butt? Pick one or two areas, and focus, focus, focus. We're going to continue along the same program, but now we're going to add an intense three sets of 15 extra exercises for whichever area still needs help. With every crunch or set, envision yourself in your gown -- you'll get there.

Weeks #17 and #18

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 15 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 15 push-ups
• 3 sets of 15 squats
• 3 sets of 15 bicep curls
• 3 sets of 15 tricep curls
• 3 sets of 15 chest presses
• 3 sets of 15 "extra target area"

Weeks #19 and #20

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 15 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 15 push-ups
• 3 sets of 15 squats
• 3 sets of 15 bicep curls
• 3 sets of 15 tricep curls
• 3 sets of 15 chest presses
• 3 sets of 15 "extra target area"

Month 6

Just four weeks to go! As you get closer to your wedding date, your crazed schedule may threaten to derail your exercise program, but don't let it. Weigh in and take your measurements, but don't be surprised if they aren't as important anymore -- the way you feel should be motivation enough to keep exercising. We are going to continue working at the same level as last month. If you're having trouble finding the time to keep up this pace, cut back the number of sets you do, but use heavier weights.

Weeks #21 and #22

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 15 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 15 push-ups
• 3 sets of 15 squats
• 3 sets of 15 bicep curls
• 3 sets of 15 tricep curls
• 3 sets of 15 chest presses
• 3 sets of 15 "extra target area"

Weeks #23 and #24

• 40 minutes of aerobic activity at least three times a week
• 3 sets of 15 stomach crunches
• 3 sets of 15 push-ups
• 3 sets of 15 squats
• 3 sets of 15 bicep curls
• 3 sets of 15 tricep curls
• 3 sets of 15 chest presses
• 3 sets of 15 "extra target area"

I have a little book:


And I keep track of my progress daily:



And so far, it's working quite well :)

Doing good!

I am feeling pretty good this morning. I think that I have broken through my plauteau that I have been setting on for ever!!! I am down another 1/2 pound this morning!!! 1 1/2 on the 20 before November and 47 1/2 total!!! Wow, 2 1/1 pounds and I will have 50 lbs total!! Thanks for the support!! It helped me not get too discouraged while I sat - and sat - and sat!!!! :) :)

On Plan!

So, you know that this plan that I keep mentioning from time to time? Well this weekend marks the first check-point. I'm going to re-take my measurements and compare them to where I started, and compare my current weight to my goal. This morning I weighed myself and I'm only 1 pound off of my ideal weight for this check-point. Wohoo!
I am really glad we have this site, 'cuz I am positive that it has helped me keep going with all this stuff! You guys rock :)

Now I'm off to eat ice cream with my Visting Teachees.. hehehe.. I think I'll opt for sorbet :)

New blog

I made myself a blog today! It's very simple so far. Still figuring things out, but I thought I'd let you all know. It's socalemmafran.blogspot.com Very exciting. 

I Didn't Want To, But...

I did my workout. It's a nice feeling of accomplishment.

Progress!

So last night after that last post I actually got up and went running! Dave and I went around our neighborhood and walked/ran/jump roped for about 30 minutes. I even out ran Dave at the end! That's quite the accomplishment for me. He's just like his dad. A runner. But we're discovering that he can sprint very well and I'm starting to be a distance person. So I out ran him! YEA! Hopefully tonight I'll remember to drive where we ran so I can see how far it was. Oh! And other good news! I have never been able to run outside here. The air is too dirty and every time I have tried I have an asthma attack, but last night I was good! I came close at the beginning, but I backed off and walked until I was fully recovered and then I was able to run again! Still not nearly what I can do inside on a treadmill, but I  think this counts way more anyways. And again, a big improvement. And this morning the scale had much happier news for me. I'm still working to get back to this time last week, but I'm not too far away now. Avoid the candy jar and I should be good. :D *happy dance* :D

Motivation - Read when needed

"Success in anything seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes but don't quit. They hang on after others have let go". ~ Unknown
"Don't dig your grave with your own knife and fork." ~ English Proverb
"A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world." ~ Paul Dudley White
"True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are united." ~ Alexander von Humboldt
"Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states." ~ Carol Welch
I really don't think I need buns of steel. I'd be happy with buns of cinnamon. ~Ellen DeGeneres
"Success is a journey, not a destination." ~ Ben Sweetland
"It isn't sufficient just to want; you've got to ask yourself what you are going to do to get the things you want." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt
"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can." ~ Unknown
"Life is like riding a bike. It is impossible to maintain your balance while standing still." ~ Linda Brakeall
Exercise is a dirty word. Every time I hear it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate. ~Author Unknown
Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness. ~Edward Stanley
If it weren't for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all. ~Joey Adams
I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing. ~Marsha Doble
Fitness - if it came in a bottle, everybody would have a great body. ~Cher

Interesting

I find it interesting that we all started great guns, everyone was loosing, we were all excited, and now there are several of us that are struggling a bit. Here's what I think:

We Can Do It Girls!!!

I'm sticking with my goals, and I love the idea of tracking days exercised. That would turn into big numbers after not very long. In my world, Sundays don't count for this particular thing, so I'm just not going to worry about them. Also, today was better for me. I notice that when Kate started eating salads again she had a hard time at first; then it got better. I think things are going to get better. We're going to set up some good routines. We're going to make this work!

Losing ground.

Do you ever just want to stop working so hard at this whole weight loss fitness exercise thing? I have lost my motivation. Sort of. I really want to exercise, but I don't have time and I'm really enjoying cooking right now, which of course means eating it too. I made a cake on Sunday for family night and Dave and I ate a piece right away and then we had pieces Monday night and I ate a little sliver for lunch today. And the rest has been eaten by other people. That is my consolation. I gave about 1/4 of the cake to Aunt LuWana and Uncle Ken and then took the last 1/2 to work and forced it everyone here. So I was "good" and I didn't eat it all! I made other people eat it! :D 

My scale is screaming at me. I'm not updating my ticker for a while. Does this sound like giving up? That's kinda what it sounds like to me. I don't like that idea. Help!!!

Perhaps I should exercise and then cook. Then I'll be better in my cooking and hopefully better in my eating. Maybe?

Getting Frustrated

Definitely. Getting frustrated. My water weight is out.of.control. I'm not loosing. I did horribly this weekend. (I expected that, and I'm not sorry that I went down to Kate's place.) So cheer me on girls, it's taking longer than expected for the water weight to get stable. I don't actually know how long it took last time, because by the time that I started loosing weight I'd already gotten the whole drinking water thing down pat and I didn't like to be without it.

I must say that I love the idea of non-food rewards! I talked to Andy about it this afternoon, and we're going to set aside some money to do that with. Right now I'm thinking dies for my new die-cut machine. Those are not terribly expensive, but they don't typically come in sets so each one has to be purchased individually (I'm thinking they're about $10). I'm going to treat myself to one every 5 pounds. And at no other time. That's going to be the hard part, especially with spirits kind of low right now.

So cheer me on girls, I'm in a tough spot!!

Rewards

I thought emma brought up an interesting point about rewarding ourselves with non-food rewards. So, this morning I've been doing some research and I've found a list of some interesting ideas that I thought were fun possibilities, and not all have to cost money:

A new plant or fresh cut flowers
Cellphone ringtones
A new book/new CD
Day trips
New workout clothes
Get your hair done
Some new bath products or perfume
A girl's night out
Go to a movie/rent a movie
A day at the park/beach
A bubble bath
New kitchen toy
Fancy pens
Stamps
Art toy
Shoes

Also, as I was reading, it was suggested that you make a list of rewards.. sort of a reward calendar. I really like that, it gives added, intermittent steps to work toword between now and November 6th.

My Rewards:
When I reach my 10lb goal I'll get some fresh flowers for my table.
At 15lbs I'll have a long bubble bath with candles and soothing music
And for 20lbs I get a new ring tone for my phone :)

keeping track of exercise days

I was reading an artice on Spark People. It suggested keeping a log of days exercised and posting the number of days in a row that you have exercised. I think that I am going to change that idea a little and just post on the fridge the number of days that I have exercised. I know that I am not going to exercise on Sunday and I don't want to shoot my self in the foot if I don't get to it every day. But, I am not losing any weight, and I think that exercise is the key for me. So, I am going to start counting the days I exercise and celebrate the change in life style and forget about the pounds so much. It is discouraging to see the scales stay the same - so I need to count the success in other ways so that I won't just throw my hands in the air and say forget it. Total over the last several years, I have lost 46 pounds. However, I have been at this weight since last April. That is a long plateau. I need a different focus.

A wonderful day

Well I'm very proud of me today. I got up early (8:30 - that's early for Saturday) and I got dressed to go outside and clean up my yard. There are way too many weeds and not enough empty dirt for fun stuffs like flowers and veggies. And then I got a call from Dave's mom asking if we wanted to go meet Tommy up in Oak Glen. Tommy went with the youth on a reenactment of the pioneer trek and they hiked with handcarts in pioneer clothes for 3 days up and down the mountains and they came back today and we all met them in the valley and had lunch. So we hiked a little bit up to the valley and then I got my hair dyed and then I came and pulled weeds for an hour and then washed up a bit, went grocery shopping, and then exercised for 30 minutes! It's been a very productive day! Go me! And Dave was snapping pictures playing with his camera while I exercised. I thought you might enjoy them.

I've decided that it's wonderful to celebrate the little things like that. And I have decided that I need to figure out some kind of reward system for weight loss goals met that doesn't involve food. Call me crazy, but I think that celebrating reaching a goal by going out to eat and splurging to get dessert is a little counterproductive. So I think when I have lost 10 lbs I'm going to get a manicure. Any other ideas anyone?