Woo Hoo

I have to post because I have done really well in the past few days. My sugar cravings are getting less and less everyday and I feel so much better! I am watching the Biggest Loser tonight- and it's the first time in a while that I don't feel like a complete hypocrite. Normally we watch it while eating ice cream sundaes. Tonight I can watch it knowing that I am doing what's right for my body. Yay!
Now to work out tomorrow.... :)

Thanksgiving Kickoff

So-

It's been over a month since I have written- bad, bad, bad. Well here I am :) I am officialy back on the wagon! I was so far off earlier I couldn't even see the tracks where I had been. So I am going to back what works for me- South Beach phase 1. 2 weeks of that to jumpstart my metabolism and get back in the game. I have a party for New Year's Eve and a lttle winter vacation to go to that I need to look good for! I want to go shopping for a great dress for New Year's Eve!

Perk of the job??

Well- my husband travels quite often. My son eats dinner usually by 5pm. I eat later. I hate cooking just for myself. I have lost some weight this week because I eat a bowl of cereal or sometimes lunchmeat and cheese for dinner. Not very balanced by any means. But it worked :)

I have got to do better at meal planning. When I do that I do really well at staying on my diet and making sure that I eat the right stuff. The holidays are coming and I will be cooking Thanksgiving dinner. I am already searching for healthier versions of the things we normally cook. I love having the family over :)

LOOOONG TIME

Ok- so I haven't blogged in a very long time- almost 2 months! In these past few months I have definitely had ups and downs. I have been in a funk lately. It's been really hard to stick with my good eating plan. I am doing well with not having bad food in the house. But I am getting back into my Starbucks habit! I love it! I have to cut back again though- it's expensive- both calorically and financially. It's also going to get more and more difficult to cook on a regular basis. When Steve travels often, it's hard for me to cook for myself. But I need to start.

100!

I am pretty excited because I have reached a workout milestone at my gym. I have worked out 100 times since re-joining in November! Woo Hoo!! That's a lot of sweat people! I get a 100 workout t-shirt that is really sexy :). I am really happy to make this mark becasue I have joined and quit this gym about 4 times. I never reached this mark before.

In other news- lost 8 pounds in the first week of the Curves diet which is great! I am really having to watch portions but it's good for me!

30 days

I am starting something new- a 3 phase cycle. For 7 days I eat 1200 cals. I have started today and it's been ok. I am really hungry! But I guess that means my body is using it's stores right? I have been reading up on this and the whole idea is to keep the body guessing- drop the intake low for a bit then up it to 1800 calls for about 3 weeks and then up it again for 2-4 weeks. It's supposed to be a way to up the metabolism. And after 2 months you do it again! so we shall see how it works. I am drinking water like nobody's business too which keeps me hopping! Have a great night- I hope to report good news soon!

Who knew??

OK-

So I have been working my butt off for over 6 months and hadn't lost much. I was really frustrated with everything because I was actually doing the right thing! So I had him run all tests to make sure my thyroid wasn't jacked- since my grandma had thyroid issues I thought it might be worth a shot :)

All the blood work came back fine- which is good- although I was secretly hoping that there was something I could take a pill for to fix me. But alas- no :)

I was also sent to a nutritionist. The nutritionist had a lot of great info for me. Turns out I AM NOT EATING ENOUGH!!! What great words to hear right??? You need to eat more?!?! My body thought I was starving so it was holding on for dear life!! So I have upped my cal intake and lo and behold the weight is starting to come off- I have lost over 6lbs in the past 2 weeks. I am really excited about this!

I have also discovered how hard it is to eat ALL the foods you are supposed to eat in the day- I can't just add a trip to Taco Bell to up my cal intake- it has to be the right foods. So I am having to plan a little more to make sure that I get everything in. The key here is to be prepared. I have to have my line up of snacks ready before I get out the door for work.

Anyway- that's what's new with me. I will see you on the flip side!

Panera 5K

Today was the day!!

I did it- I ran my first 5K today! I have to say that I am really glad that I finished! I was only able to find my zone about half of the time but that's ok. Big kudos to Nancy and Kelly who helped get me ready. Kudos too to my brother- He helped push me on those days when I didn't want to run. I did it in 51 minutes. I was hoping for 45 but that give me my next goal. I know the Koman race is in September. I don't know how well my training will be through the summer with work and Steve's travel schedule. I can't run at 3 pm :).

So my next goal is set- I just have to keep practicing!

Final moments

I am charging my Ipod

I bought new gear to run in

I am hydrating

I will be getting to bed soon

I am really excited that the race is finally here!

By this time tomorrow, I will be able to say that I have run a 5K!!!!

3 DAYS!!

There are only 3 days to the race this Saturday. I am really getting quite excited!! I am really glad that the race is in the morning. Running at 3 pm today was a beast!! We only did 2 miles becasue it was so hot. The kids we are running with are so awesome! I have really anjoyed doing this running club with them- here is my next question- what do I do after this??

Endurance

So it's Saturday night- I have had a rough week emitionally, physically, eating-wise etc. I have been traveling by car all morning (had a great little family vacay in KC), went to a baby shower for my cousin Kathleen, went to the grocery store, cooked dinner and put the boy to bed and I am completely spent. But I forced myself to go run. The actual race is in 1 WEEK!

I got my gear on and headed out the door- and I got to running. I actually ran the majority of 2 miles! I am really pleased with myself. This is a pretty major event for me. I am looking forward to this race next Saturday- I can't wait to say that I did it!

long time

Well I know it's been a while- almost a week since it have posted- sorry dear readers!! Thanks for keeping me on my toes.

It has been a really rough week. I am off my running schedule for starters- couldn't run at the normal times this week due to meetings. I attepted to run this morning at the hotel and it was completely painful to do it on the treadmill. They are horrible horrible machines! It was 75 degrees in the room and I was bored to tears! It felt like I was off balance the whole time on the thing. So I only finished a bit more than 2K and had to get off.

The run is only 8 days away and the running is getting really hard for me to complete. It almost feels like my training is going backwards and that I am able to run less and less at one time.

I also came to the realization that I have been working my ass off for over 6 months now with diet and exercise and I have a net loss of 7 pounds. That just doesn't compute. I am going to the doctor to have him check my hormone levels. I think I might have thyroid issues. There has to be some reason why I haven't lost more. I am working out biggest loser sytle here people!!!

I have great news to report! Weighed in this morning and lost............. 3.2 pounds- and over 6 inches (4 on my hips alone!!!). So I was a happy girl this morning- so happy for the weekend!!

Another Friday

I made it to 2.8 miles today. The race is 2 weeks and 2 days away. It seems like it's getting harder each time. Maybe it's just becasue I don't like it :). I always hear people talk about the runner's high. I can kinda see it happening but I totally am not there yet.

Tomorrow is also weigh in day. My scale at home completely went on the fritz- Biggest Loser style- jumps all around with different numbers and never settling on one. So I have no clue how I have been doing this week. In my dream I weigh in and I have lost like 12 pounds- to make up for not doing much for 3 weeks :)

Until tomorrow's weigh in update......

Veggies

I joined a produce co-op this summer via my friend Brenda. Every week I get awesome fresh veggies from Fisher Farms. This week I got spinach, bok choy, leeks, lettuce, cilantro and carrots. My new challenge is eating it all before it goes bad- It seems odd to have that be a challenge.
I am also finding it hard to get in all my calories sometimes. When you focus on protein and veggies the cals don't rack up so quickly! I am such a carb fiend that I have to be very careful about adding in carbs during the day.
Tomorrow I will be attempting at least 2.7miles- might push it to 3. I hope that the weather plays along. I am tired of changing my running schedule due to rain!!!!

2.5

I have to hand it to my brother- he is really keeping me going in this trek. We ran around TU today- it is a really gorgeous campus! We did 2.5 miles today and we are getting faster/running more. So .7 more miles and I will be at the 5K mark! That is really exciting! I am really amazed at how much I have been able to do. Right now the body can totally handle it- it's the mind that is weak! I would love some tips on how to strengthen the mind to get in the right mode :)

On a different note- I cooked Bok Choy for the first time tonight. Made a lovely garlic chicken stir fry that was very tasty! I joined a produce co-op this summer and I get lots of lovely veggies each week- lots of which I would never buy on my own.

Off to enjoy a relaxing shower.....

I am sitting at the Blue Moon bakery staring at lovely cinnamon rolls. Not gonna have one but man they smell good! I will be good at this breakfast meeting :)

Angry Workout

I had an angry workout this morning!! It's Friday which means it's weigh in day. So I go to do my thing feeling pretty good and WHAM! I lose....................... .6 pounds- yes POINT 6 pounds!!! AAACCCKKK!

So I was beyond frustrated and heartbroken. I worked out anyway even though I would have much rather gone home and sulked. And I did sulk, and whine, and cry a bit. But then I realized- if I lose .6 pounds every week for a year- that's a loss of over 25 pounds. That isn't bad at all!

I know my hard work will pay off- and one of these weeks I will go to weigh in and be blown away. But I do look a heck of a lot better and my clothes are looking much nicer- so something is going right.

We haven't been able to run at school due to weather this week- I am supposed to run 3x a week to prep for this 5K. I only ran once as of this morning. Thanks to my bro who kept me honest and had me run today too. And we are going to go tomorrow at 1. It was a rough start but a good finish. It took me about 35 minutes to do 2 miles. I know that's a pathetic time but it gives me somewhere to start. I am hoping to finish the 5K in under 45 minutes. We shall see. Now off to finish date night with my husband- he has been incredibly supportive of all that I am doing. Love him!

Blah

Today's run was a challenge- there were so many factors that normally would have encouraged me to bypass it-my ipod wouldn't play, the weather was iffy, I had a lot to do at work, bad mojo was all around. But I did it- hadn't run in four days and knew I had to. It was so humid today- I felt like I was constantly trying to push my way through the air. It was so thick! I was swim running :). The first part of the run was pretty good but the weather totally took me down for the second half. On the bright side though- my legs are not in complete pain. I am not walking like an 82 year old. And my ipod started working again right after my run was over.

The run is June 5th- that is coming fast- I hope I can get ready!

Delayed gratification

So- this week is all about staying focus despite not getting the results I am looking for. I know that I am doing the right thing for my body- it is an amazing and confusing object at the same time. Amazing in the fact that it allows me to run- I think I am like a bumblebee- they proportionately should be unable to fly- but they do. I probably should not be able to run- but I do. Confusing in the fact that I should have lost a lot of weight instead of gaining it- and yes it could be muscle but...... that doesn't help:). I know it will all balance in the end- my clothes do fit better and that helps. But I don't think anyone has really noticed changes yet- and I don't want anyone to lie to me either.

On a different note- I had a fabulous mother's day- and that little boy continues to be my inspiration. That and my husband who is on this journey with me and helping me keep on tack- Love you honey!

I will eventually triumph

I weigh in every week at my gym- and this week I gained a half pound. I was completely frustrated! Not only did I do my regular workout schedule- I added running 3 times this week! And my eating habits were pristine. But I know that I am doing the right thing- and that my body will kick in eventually (hopefully by next weigh in!).

My run this morning left me feeling pretty darn good. I only walked a few times- I ran for longer periods. I really felt that I had my stride. Thankfully the morning air was perfect- it was a great day to run!

Had a wonderful evening with the family- looking forward to NOT WORKING OUT tomorrow!

But come Monday- gym in the morning and an afternoon run :)

Good night!

Running my butt off

I am excited- today we made it to 2 miles. I am still run/walk alternating but I am not dying :)

Andrew joined the training group today- and he did so well. He outran me at times!

I am so appreciative of the support that I have gotten- it helps me in lots of ways.

It's kind of weird to splurge on new tennis shoes and be really happy about that. I didn't want to take them off today.

Next training day is Saturday- Steve and Andrew are running with me. Love it!

Sorry for the randomness- really tired tonight- but I am going to try and write every day.

Excuse # 1- I am big boned

I am going to try and knock out all my previous excuses one at a time. I am starting with the big boned one because it is both an excuse yet true- I actually do have a large bone structure- I mean I am almost 6 feet tall for crying out loud (with size 11 feet)! But I can't use that as a reason to carry around extra stuff.

I know in my mind that this doesn't fly and I don't think I ever really thought of it as an excuse I used but as a discussion point when talking with other overweight people. So I guess excuse by proxy- maybe I was giving other people excuses! Isn't that grand??

Let's talk about food for a moment- it's teacher appreciation week which usually equals gargantuan amounts of candy, cookies, muffins etc. I actually had a couple pieces of candy today- a mini twix and a mini milky way which used to be faves- and it was amazing how not great they were. Totally bland and they hurt my teeth. When you really start to look at what is in the food you are eating it is quite amazing. How have I pumped all this crap in my body for so long??? And people are surprised that we aren't healthy- look at what we are eating!!!! It is quite simple to eliminate the bad stuff by just looking at the label- I looked at the label of banana nut cheerios- it had 4 different kinds of sugar in it :( I chunked it in the trash.

Benjamin is a huge part of this- I have the opportunity to raise a healthy child-who is active and eats healthy foods. I am doing well so far- I bought him a kids meal about a month ago because we were in a hurry. HE WOULD NOT EAT IT! He loves fruits and veggies and honest to God doesn't really like processed stuff. What a celebration that is! All I have to do is make sure that it stays that way.

I did something today that I have never done in my life- I bought spinach! My husband loves it and I will do my best to eat it! If you have any great recipes- let me know!

Well Well Well

Here goes my first attempt as a blogger. Not really sure where this will go but I am hoping that it is a rewarding journey. I am on my quest to lose weight once and for all. I have been heavy as long as I can remember- and dieting as long as I can remember. There is something in me though that I think is finally ready to make the change to a healthy lifestyle forever. I can't pinpoint it but it's there. Maybe it's the fact that I WILL have diabetes if I don't change. Maybe it's the fact that I am not a good model of health for my son. Maybe I would like to have more fun shopping for clothes. Maybe it's all of them and more.

I watch the Biggest Loser every week. And these people are always crying. I don't have any deep dark secrets as to why I am overweight. I have a great life- family, friends, job- all good! But what is out of balance? I am trying to figure that out.

In the meantime- I workout at curves 3-4 times a week and I am now training to run a 5K in June. I am actually excited about a 5K- that is new :) I am running with kids and teachers from school and we did 1.5 miles on Monday. I was pretty amazed that we did that much. I just need to double that and boom! 5K!

Until tomorrow.....