What day is it anyway?

I know I drifted off the map for awhile now.  For those who know me they know that this time of year is such a hard time for me.  Add to that the stress of waiting for closure on all the stress of the last year...well it was a recipe for me to withdraw.

That said, regardless of the fact that I have not blogged faithfully as I promised myself I would, I still have continued to move.  Everyday, I get stronger, faster, and more confident of my abilities.  I'm beginning to think that I may actually succeed at what I am trying to accomplish.

I want to do a quick recap of February's goals and set some new ones for the rest of this month.  I'm saving my updated pictures and measurements for next week.  I am really excited as to how far I have come.  I am finally starting to see what other people tell me they see.

Here are my February goals:
Lose 7 pounds by March 1

Register for a 5 or 10K to be completed before June

Up my mileage to 18 miles/week

Run 50 miles in February

Up my speed to 5.2 mph consistently (I am currently at 5.0)

So how did I do?

I've done both a 5K and 10K virtually and have another one scheduled for St Patrick's day (10K)
For February my mileage has been 17-22 miles per week.  Thanks Angie!
In February I ran 74.5 miles!!!
My speed is still sort of variable.  I don't go below 5.0 and try to at least go to 5.1.  I am not consistently at 5.2 yet though.

And my weight?  As of 2/28 I had lost 16.6 pounds.  I can't begin to tell you how awesome I feel.  I have gotten into pants I hadn't been able to wear for a year and feel almost...pretty.  I definitely feel empowered and like I can do just about anything.

Now for some March goals.

• Mileage to 25 miles per week
• Consistent 5.2 mph
• Lose 22 pounds by 3/31
• Run 100 miles in March
• Find a yoga class

I think those are lofty enough, don't you?

I can't promise to blog everyday.  I realize that about myself now.  As I get healthier, I seem to have less time to sit in front of the computer and more things to do.  This is actually a good thing.  I know that if I try to make myself blog daily I will 1) end up wasting too much time online and 2) Disappointing myself because I know I will skip days.  So instead, I will try to make a valiant effort to blog twice a week.  If I manage to do more then I'll call it a bonus :)

Thanks so much for coming along with me.  I may only have a couple of readers but it helps to know that there are people out there rooting for me.

Jenn

Deep Thoughts and catching up

So I got behind again.  I have been having issues with not only my attitude but also with blogger.  It hasn't been working well for me, eating posts and plain old error messages.  It's irritating and frustrating and gives me a good excuse to not share the ugly along with the good.

And here I am.

On the positive side, I have moved in some way everyday.  I sometimes have to talk myself into it and end up doing it late at night (like tonight) but I still do it.  My diet has also been good.  I've been under my calorie goals everyday since I began this journey and most of the time I'm not hungry.

And that reminds me of something I heard in one of my podcasts I listen to.  Jillian Michaels has a radio show and something she said in her last podcast really stuck with me.  She said a way to tell the difference between whether you were hungry or just having an emotional craving (anger, sadness, boredom, etc) was to pay attention to what exactly you wanted to eat.  If you are craving healthy food (veggies, fruit, a real mean and not snacky stuff) then you were hungry.  If you were craving junk then there was something more than hunger going on.  I'm paraphrasing but you get the idea.  So now when I want something when it's not a regular mealtime I ask myself what exactly I want and why.  It seems to help.

Here's my week's recap, before I get anymore in to the deep thoughts (HA):

Day 35:  4 miles
Day 36:  Weigh in day!
              Starting weight:  196.6
              Last week's weight:  183.4
              Today's weight:  181.4
              Total lost:  15.2 pounds
I also ran 4 miles :)
Day 37:  Cross training day with my Biggest Loser DVD
Day 38:  Valentine's Day <3  I went to an actual Ball!  I was a little worried about my food but had decided in advance that I wouldn't let it spoil my good time.  Surprisingly, I didn't go over my calories for the day and danced for the first time in almost 10 years!  I felt confident of myself for the first time ever and was really shocked to see that I could tell the difference in how I looked:

Day 39:  Ran 4 miles
Day 40:  I worked my second job at A Rosie Place.  It is a respite home for pediatric patients that allows parents to get a break from the 24 hour care of a medically fragile child and gives the children a chance to be with other kids and basically have a big sleepover.  It's an awesome place.  Anyway, it was quite physical.  I was tired when I got home but I know I had to run.  I did a 4 mile run that was progressively faster (per my training program).  Oh I was cursing at the end!  But oh so proud of myself, too :)
And that brings us to today.
Day 41:  I was supposed to work but got called off.  I went ahead and did my crosstraining instead of changing the schedule.

And now it's time for the ugly.

I don't know if I'm on track this week for weight loss.  I realized today that I really haven't been drinking water like I had been since the beginning and I'm worried that may affect my weight.  It stresses me out a bit worrying about it.  I'm scared that if I have an off week I will lose my momentum, give up.  That's been my M.O. in the past.  I DON'T want to do that this time!  I want to reach my goals.  I just wonder sometimes if I have the capability of doing so.

I worry about our future, even though I know worrying will do no good.  We have less than a month until T's sentencing and I hate the uncertainty of the unknown.  What will happen to us after this is all done with?

I have been feeling resentful lately about this journey and the fact that I let myself fall so far before I started to do something about it.  This sets off a chain reaction of self-pity and what-ifs.  I envy all the women in their 20's and even 30's for starting now instead of waiting until almost 50.  Sometimes I get so far as to tell myself it's no use to even try now.

And then I remember how I felt Friday night.  Dancing without caring who was looking. 

And I remember how my husband looks at me now and how pretty it makes me feel. 

And I remember how it feels when I put on some jeans I haven't been able to wear in a long time and they fit.

I remember how all those things and more feel and I pick myself up and keep trying because I know in the long run I will be happy I did.  There are only good things ahead for me, even if I gain this week.  That doesn't negate how far I've come, nor does it mean I can't take it all the way.

Day 34

Ok, I thought I was tired before but now I'm really REALLY tired.  Crazy at work, missed lunch because I went out on transport, and just now (10 pm) finished my crosstraining workout.

I'm glad I did it but now I'm ready to crawl into bed.

I have another early day tomorrow but more laid back:  PT for my pesky shoulder then more orientation at A Rosie Place, my second job.  

Dare I wish for a chance to run outdoors?

Day 33!

Quick post for tonight.  It's late and I have to work tomorrow but I promised I'd try not to skip any days so here I am :)

Today I did a virtual 10K, the Puppy Love Run benefiting the Humane society.  I had to wait to do it until T was up so I didn't end up doing it until 7pm.  I really tried to talk my way out of it but with the added motivation of seeing my friend Kate go to her race this morning even though she felt like skipping it, I knew I just had to do it.

Now, as I'm sure you all know, I feel great.  Once I got past that lying first mile I felt ok though I do find it hard to do long runs on the Dreadmill.  I get bored.

Here I am after I finished.  Living up to my tank top (it says Fierce haha)

Now I've pasta'd up and am heading off to bed.  Pleased as punch that I did it even though I didn't want to.

Thanks Katie!

Day 32 with measurement updates

Somewhere along the way I lost a day (imagine that lol) but since I am doing this with my BWF (best workout friend) and she is doing a blog, too, I am going to just skip 31 and go right to 32 to match up our days again.  I am too tired and not motivated enough to figure out where my error was.  Rest assured, I have definitely moved at least 20 minutes a day since I began this journey.

Since a month has passed and I have lost over 10 pounds, I thought now would be a good time to see what my measurements are now.  I am happy to say that I lost and gained inches where I should.  Here are my newest stats:

Neck:  14.25 (-0.75)
Chest:  40 (-2)
Waist:  41.75 (-1.75)
Hips:  45.5 (-0.75)
Thighs:  25.75 (+0.25) thanks squats and running haha
Calves:  15.25 (-0.25)
Biceps:  13.125 (+0.125)

I wish I'd been able to do more upper body strength training but unfortunately with this shoulder injury it's been next to impossible.  It's also limited some of my core exercises which is irritating.  The doc says I have 6 more weeks of PT and then we'll re-evaluate but everyone is hopeful that I will eventually be pain free and able to train the way I used to.

That said,  I am very pleased with myself and my results.  I'm excited to see the inches coming off along with the pounds as I become stronger and leaner.

Lately, I've been having some issues with inner knee pain and after researching it I've decided that it was probably my shoes.  I knew for awhile that I needed new shoes but put it off because of the expense.  Today, I finally got to treat myself and got myself these:

My daughter was not happy they weren't pink or purple but I am happy to have some better support before my training really gets tough.  Last thing I need is another injury!

I have big plans for tomorrow.  Since I have a 6 mile run scheduled (as per my training plan) I decided to up it to 6.2 and use it for a virtual race I found at Will Run for Bling (www.willrunforbling.com).  This site hosts virtual races from 5K's to Half Marathons for charity.  The first one I'm doing is The Puppy Love 10K that benefits the Humane Society of the United States.  The medal, which will be shipped in March, looks like this:

I'm pretty excited about this opportunity and I'm hoping I can get outside and won't have to do it on the Dreadmill but we'll see how it goes.  Either way, I will be getting in quite a run tomorrow!

Today, I ran 1.75 miles on the Dreadmill.  Technically, I didn't have a run scheduled but I really love getting in at least 20 minutes on those "off" days.  Before bed I will again attempt some yoga.  I really wish I'd see some improvement in my flexibility but I just keep telling myself it takes time for that and not to rush it.  Enjoy the moment, right?

27, 28, 29, 30!

So, I've done it again and I have no excuse.  Skipping days blogging, that is.  I guess one of my goals should have been to not skip days!  I promise I will try harder.

One of the reasons, probably the main one, was that I was in a bit of a funk.  I don't know why, really.  I've been keeping up with all my goals, things are good in my personal life (aside from a messy house), and overall I'm pretty much a glass half full type of girl.  Work has been stressful but I try very hard not to bring that home.

Anyway, regardless of the reason, I was in a funk.  And now that I think about it, the weather has probably been a big reason.  I miss the great wide open.

Let's do some catching up!

Monday, 2/3:  Cross training day.  I think I've shared that I have several DVDs.  My current favorite is the Bob Harper Cardiomax.  That man just cracks me up sometimes even though I have his monologue memorized.  I'm weird that way.  I was tired because B spent a lot of the night up sick and I ended up calling off for the first time in I can't remember when.

Tuesday, 2/4:  2.5 miles, 30:00

Wednesday, 2/5:  3.65 miles, 45:00.  I had a work meeting, a doctor's appointment, and a lunch date.  I made the mistake of not eating breakfast and grabbing a muffin mid-morning.  I ended up sick to my stomach and really unable to eat anything at lunch.  I enjoyed visiting with a really good friend, though!

On top of all that, it was weigh in day!

Here are the stats:
Starting weight:  196.6
Last week's weight:  185.4
Today's weight:  183.4
Total lost:  13.2 pounds
(cue happy dance)

Thursday, 2/6:  1.5 miles, 18:00 after work.  Tired, emotionally and physically.

And here we are at today.  I just got home from work and did 2.5 miles on the Dreadmill, 30:00.  I'm in good spirits, probably because I have the weekend off.  Also, someone at work told me that I looked like I'd lost weight.  She said she could see it in my face.

I don't know if I've mentioned it here, but I have a running coach.  She and her husband run a website and have a podcast that I've been listening to since their inception and I absolutely love them.  So let me give a shout out to Marathon Training Academy with Angie and Trevor.  You can find them at http://marathontrainingacademy.com/ or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/marathontrainingacademy?ref=br_tf
Please check them out, I think most of the people who read this (all 5 or so??) would love them as much as I do.

Anyway, Angie is my coach.  I started working with her last summer, part of my way of healing and taking some time just for me.  She has been so encouraging and supportive throughout our time together and I honestly think I would have quit many times if not for her.

When I started this blog I told her about it and also asked her to scale back my training because I felt like I couldn't keep up anymore and was getting discouraged.  She didn't make me feel like a loser, she just stood by me and sent me a revised training plan with many kind words.  And she read my blog.

Today, I received my next 2 weeks of training plan and I had to laugh when I read the email.  She read what I'd been doing on my blog and in a sense, issued a challenge to continue to get stronger and faster.  At first I read what she wanted me to do and thought "oh crap, I shouldn't have given her the blog address!  I can't do this".  And then I thought about all I've done this last 30 days.  When I started this, I had backslid so far that I was having trouble running even 1 mile and was spending most of my time sitting on my butt feeling sorry for myself.  Today I ran 2.5 after working a 12 hour shift.  And that's when I realized that one of the greatest gifts Angie has given me was to have faith in me even when I had no faith in myself.  I am so grateful to her for that.

Here's to many more days of getting healthy and fit!  I'm excited with what the next 30 days have to offer.  Tomorrow:  new measurements in honor of the 30 days already completed!

Day 26 Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Hello everyone!  I completely forgot I needed to post yesterday!  It was a busy day of cooking goodies, cleaning, and taking care of a sick Bella. 

I was able to make a ton of really good food while staying within my eating plan.  I didn't take any pictures but the recipes came from Skinnytaste.com

Our main course was Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/01/slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches-with.html

The only change I made was that I served them on Pepperidge Farm Slider Rolls instead of baguettes.  One Slider (which was actually very filling) was 336 calories.

I also made sweet & spicy Jalapeno poppers:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sweet---spicy-jalapeno-poppers

These were delicious!  I made them with lower fat cream cheese and shredded cheese and I doubt you would be able to tell the difference.  The recipe said they were 66 calories a serving but when I put the ingredients in to My Fitness Pal I came up with 115.  Either way they were worth every bite!

I had to wait until quite late to get my run in.  T was sleeping because of work and with a sick little one I wasn't going outside anywhere even if it had been warm enough.  It was a painful long run on the Dreadmill (5.1 miles, 65 minutes) but I was pretty satisfied with myself when it was done.

Day 25

Today is the kind of day I really like.  Nothing special happened but the whole day was special anyway.  Princess B and I worked on her "homework", we went grocery shopping, and we visited with grandma Sue and grandpa.

Oh and I ran.  2.6 miles on the Dreadmill.

See the sweat? 

And now I've settled in on the couch and I'm now watching one of my favorite movies, "50 first dates".  

Check out my new 10 pound slippers :)

Day 24, goals revisited, good-bye January!

It's that time.  Time to see how I did with the goals I set a couple of weeks ago, so here they are:

Goals for this week (days 8-14):

• continue to move daily for at least 20 minutes
• eat a majority of "real" food and a minimum of processed foods.  This means meal planning!
• Run a minimum of 9 miles for the week
• 8 cups of water per day

Goals for January:

• Lose 5 pounds (1.5/week)
• Register for 2 races to be completed by the end of June
• Up my mileage to 15 miles/week

For the second week goals, I crushed it.  I ran 14.1 miles, did some sort of exercise daily for a minimum of 20 minutes, cooked a ton of really good food, and kept up with my water intake.

I didn't do as well with my overall January goals. I DID lose 11.2 pounds (yay me!) but my mileage was still at 14 miles/week.  My total mileage for January was 45 miles!  I DID register for 2 races but one is in May and one is in August.  I need to find another shorter race in March or April.

So here are some updated goals for February (to add to the goals I've already accomplished):

• Lose 7 pounds by March 1
• Register for a 5 or 10K to be completed before June
• Up my mileage to 18 miles/week
• Run 50 miles in February
• Up my speed to 5.2 mph consistently (I am currently at 5.0)

As a reward for losing 10 pounds I bought myself some really stylin' slippers

I'm really hoping they come tomorrow so I can wear them for the Super Bowl :)

I'm already trying to decide what I want to do for my next 10 pounds!

Aside from feeling sort of cranky and out of sorts today at work, I'm feeling pretty good overall.  I'm working hard and accomplishing the things I'm setting out to do and that feels pretty darn good.

Day 23

I can't believe I've been at this for 23 days!  It seems like such a long time but it also seems like I just started this journey.

It came up again how I keep doing this day after day and how I even got started to begin with.  I didn't have a clear answer the first time I was asked but now I do.  The pain of being who and where I was became greater than the pain of starting.  And continuing.  every time I feel like I should just quit I remember sitting here crying because of how much I hated the person I'd become.  How much I hated how I looked and felt.

23 days isn't a long time really but it's been long enough for me to see a change in how I feel about myself and my life.  I don't yet see a change in my body but that will happen eventually.  No, wait.  That's not true.  I do see a change in my body's strength.  I just don't see a change in how I look yet.

Day 1

Day 22

As promised, here are some progress pics.  As I said, I don't see a change yet but I'm excited to take more pictures as time goes by and seeing my body become stronger and healthier.  I'm hoping that the next time I post pics like this I'll be able to say WOW! Please pay no attention to the messiness, it's called life :)


Day 1

Day 22




For today's moving I was assigned a 60 minute run.  The longest run I've done in 2014.  I surprised myself and ran part of it at 4.8 and part at 5.0 and ended up going about 5 miles.  I was so worried I was going to have to walk part of it and I didn't!



Here's a pic at about 50 minutes in.  Not too bad :)

Days 20, 21, and 22

Hello!  I'm still here!  I'm still moving!

Snowmegedden has really put a wrench in my blogging.  With all these snow days, even though I ran/worked out, I spent all the rest of the time just enjoying being snowed in with 2 of my favorite people.




So, I am still stuck on the Dreadmill.  I really don't like it but I am grateful that it is an option for me.  My coach is now sending my training plan in minutes instead of miles until I get back up to where I was so on Monday I did 45 minutes which translated to 3.6 miles.  I am so proud of the fact that I've been running the whole time.

Monday, 1/27/14

On Tuesday, I did 30 minutes (2.4 miles).  I don't know why I am scared to up the mph from 4.8 to 5.0.  Maybe I'm afraid I'll have to slow it down again or walk?  I don't know but I think on my next 30-45 minute run I'll try to do it all at 5 mph.

Tuesday, 1/28/14

On Wednesday I worked and I was supposed to do yoga.  I had asked my coach whether I could still run on yoga days and she said it was ok so I did 20 minutes (1.66 miles) which was at 5 mph.  It always feels good to go faster.  Like I've accomplished some great feat.  It's a good thing the running made me feel good because I really suck at yoga haha.

Wednesday was also weigh in day. So here are my stats:

Starting weight:  196.6
Last week's weight:  187.8
Today's weight:  185.4
Total lost:  11.2 pounds!

With the loss of over 10 pounds, I adjusted my calorie goals so hopefully that won't set me back.  I plan to be extra vigilant this week.

Also since I was down over 10 pounds, I did a front and side shot.  Honestly, I don't see a difference in how I look even though 11 pounds is quite a bit.  I'm having trouble getting the pictures to upload so I will work on it and post them in the next blog post.

Now that all my blog housekeeping is done I need to do some real housekeeping.  Have a great day and don't forget to move!

 

 

 

 

 

Day 19

I am here.  I did cross-training tonight after work but I didn't really have very much energy so I'm not sure how well I did it.  But I did it.

I keep trudging along.

This last few days have been difficult for me.  I've been dealing with some unpleasant emotions that I'd rather leave under the rock they crawled out from.  I think I need a vacation.

BUT...since there will be no vacation anytime soon, I will take the next 2 days off and just relax, putter, and cook.  Some of my favorite things to do.  Spending time with my family almost always makes things if not better, then at least tolerable.

I hear my bed calling me...

Day 18

Today was a work day so I ran for 20 minutes on the dreadmill when I got  home.  

I always feel like my evenings are so short after I work, probably because they are.  I wonder when I'm on the dreadmill whether T resents the time I take for me. I really hope not because now that I've made this time I don't want to give it up.

I've been worried this week that I haven't made any progress.  It's silly, really, because I'm still working hard but the worry is still there.  Maybe because I had 2 good weeks?  I tend to have feelings of impending doom so it doesn't surprise me that I'm anxious now.

Here's my after picture...I almost forgot to take one again!

Day 17

I had a whole theme for today's post but I was derailed by yet another thing happening that I had no idea was coming and was unprepared for.  I'm not feeling very positive at this moment, so for that I apologize.

The good news is that I did my run this morning, 2 miles plus a cool down.  I'm still on track and that's important.  I won't throw this away over bad stuff happening.  I will keep going, and growing.  I'll get past this just like I get past everything else.

That seemed appropriate.

Day 16

I don't know why I wait till the end of the day to write these posts; I actually did my run this morning.  I had a huge NSV with it too.

Generally, I find something I can do and am comfortable with and just keep doing that instead of pushing myself and possibly failing.  I decided this morning to try and run at a faster pace than I had been and I did it!  For 2 whole miles!  I didn't go as far as I have been but I kept a steady pace for the entire time and felt great when I was done.

And I just realized that I forgot to take a picture when I was done so you will have to content yourselves with a picture of my newest recipe, lime cilantro shrimp.  The whole plate was 260 calories and I was full when I was done.

I've been asked how I got started and how I keep going and I really don't have an answer. I just got tired of how I looked and felt and started doing what I already knew needed doing. I have no secret, or magic pill, I just decided that instead of being defeated I needed to channel the negative energy I into something positive.

Day 15 - weigh in day!

It's so weird because I've never in my life been so excited to get to weigh in day.

So, here we go:

Starting weight:  196.6

Last weight: 191

Today's weight: 187.8!

Lost this week:  3.2. Total lost:  8.8

I'm really proud of how well I've been doing.  I've done some form of exercise everyday and I've really cleaned up my eating, without feeling deprived.  I think that's been a big difference in how I'm handling this.  I stay within my (very reasonable) calorie allowance and I let myself have treats.

I also want to say something about the scale.  I am well aware that weight is only a small part of the healthy lifestyle picture.  A very small part.  But if I'm going to be honest with myself, to me it is still a very important part.  It helps keep me accountable and allows me to have a gauge by which I can judge my performance.  I do not, however, define myself by my weight.  There are so many other much more important things by which to define myself (my compassion, intelligence, and kindness to name a few) that I don't need to become my weight.  I do like to see the number shrink though :)

Today I worked and came home to run on the dreadmill after a crazy day.  2 miles was all I could manage and I earned every but if it.

Every damn day, indeed.

Day 14

Quick post tonight.  I know it was my "day off" biut I still had 2 meetings for work and physical therapy.  And I'll be honest...I took an awesome nap LOL.

Today I wanted to change it up so I did this DVD:

I had not done it before and I really liked it. It had a lot of good stretching.

I forgot to take a picture right after but here I am now:

Tomorrow is weigh in day and I'm hopeful about it.  I've been able to stay on track for week 2.  It's exciting how far I've come in such a short time.

See you tomorrow!

Day 13

I almost didn't post tonight.  Not because I hadn't moved (I did) but because I am just so tired.  Today was a very long day taking care of a very sick patient and, while I did come home and run some of it off, I just didn't want to try to be funny or entertaining or whatever. 

Then I realized a couple things.  One of the things I realized is that when I am having a bad day I tend to isolate myself (shocker, right?) and that's when I get into trouble with eating or lack of motivation.  The other thing I remembered was that one of my friends told me recently that they read this blog every day.  That really meant a lot to me to know that someone took the time out of their busy day to read some drivel I am writing.  Pretty self-centered drivel at that!

So to take myself out of my bad day, keep me from isolating, and to not let down the handful of people who actually read this, here I am.

Here is the picture (as promised) from last night:

I was very glad to be done last night!

And here are the protein bars:

I have to be careful with these.  They are really quite good and I have to remember that just one is a serving.

So now we are at tonight.  I came home from an extremely long shift and ran 1.75 miles with a 5 minute cool down.  It feels good to just run and not think after thinking too hard all day.

(I love this shirt, the back says "run like Hal")

I have a busy day of appointments tomorrow so I'll call it a night.

day 12 - oops!

Just a quick entry tonight, I actually almost forgot to post!  Today has been busy in a good way, I spent time experimenting with recipes and puttering around the house.  Since I have to get to bed (work tomorrow), I'll post some pictures and recipe reviews/links tomorrow.

I got in a 1.5 mile run today on the Dreadmill.  It's so amazing how I can still try to talk myself out of getting on that dang thing.  And it takes me so long to get my clothes and shoes on that T teases me and asks me if that's my "warm up".  I need to just resign myself to the fact that I feel wonderful after I'm done so I have to stop procrastinating.

As part of my 100 day challenge I've also been logging my food every day.  So far I've not gone over my calories once and my diet has been pretty balanced.  One of the recipes I tried tonight (Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites) was a bit high in sodium from the sauce so I chugged some extra water to try to counteract the effects.

Another trick I've found is to portion everything out in advance.  I'll have to take a picture of my refrigerator so you can see all the containers.  T is even asking now if something is portioned out for me before he takes it.

Well, I'm off to bed.  After I run tomorrow night I'll post all the belated pictures from today.

Have a great evening!

Day 11

I love days like today.  I didn't get a lot of housework done but I was able to run, grocery shop, and make a new healthy recipe for dinner.  I was relaxed for the most part, with no real time frame of when stuff had to get done.

I started my day with a run.  I ran 3.5 miles for Meg, a marathon mom who was killed by a drunk driver last Saturday during a training run.  Here is the Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/events/489458451159627/.  There will be a website for future runs coming in the future.  Having been almost run off the road twice since I started running, I spent my time during my run thinking of Meg and her family.  It is very sobering and puts a lot of things into perspective.  I pray that her family will eventually heal from this tragedy.

Here is my post run picture:

I wish I didn't get so red in the face!

One thing I will say, it definitely is a mental game with me, especially when I am on the Dreadmill.  I tried a new "trick", counting quarter mile laps instead of counting down time.  I felt like it went faster that way.

After my run, I spent time looking for some healthy meals and snacks I could make.  I'm really tired of processed food and always feel better when I cook.  I found a few things I want to make and spent an obscene amount of money at the grocery store.

I settled on Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole for dinner.  I got the inspiration from this recipe http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/03/cheeseburger-casserole.html.  I made some changes based on the tastes of my family.  I changed the tomatoes to 6 bell peppers, added 3 slices of bacon, and added 1 cup of beef bullion.  My version makes the same number of servings with each serving being about 1 cup and 294 calories.

The ingredients:

During cooking/assembly:

Look at all the pretty colors!
Here is the finished product:

The recipe said it was 9 servings so I will take half of it and freeze it for next week.

I ended up eating 1.5 servings because I'd eaten lightly during the day.  It was really quite good and actually tasted like a bacon cheeseburger!  I will definitely be making it again.

Now I am going to snuggle up with B and watch the TinkerBell movie.  There's plenty of time to clean later :)

Day 10!

Today was a "day off" and I spent a good part of it getting my recertification in ACLS.  How many calories does it burn doing chest compressions??  My injured arm is a little sore but not as bad as I thought it would be.

One of the best parts of my day was snuggling on the couch with B and watching "Lilo and Stitch", one of our favorites, for obvious reasons.

After this week at work, my feet were already achy.   Tonight I did 2 miles on the dreadmill, running the whole time.  Around 1.5 miles I looked over to see B standing in the doorway, applauding me.  She is definitely my best cheerleader!

And the big news?  I have put some faith in myself and registered for 2 half marathons, one is May and one in August.  I guess I'll really have to get to work now to get back in running shape.  I don't know if I dare hope for a PR at one of them.

I am cautiously optimistic about the progress I am making.  I've been battling a lot of sweets cravings this week but so far have been able to substitute healthier choices or just drink a glass of water.  One of the things I'm going to try this week is a couple of new recipes, both main course and healthier desserts.  If I like them, I'll post some recipes.

Right now I am lounging in the recliner with my feet in my soaker but here I am post run:

I'm feeling like a drama queen tonight :)

Day 9

Busy day today and I'm super tired.  I came home and did the same dreadmill run as last night (16 min run with 4 min cool down).  I'm on the right track and I don't want to mess it up now!

I feel like this week is even more important than last week.  I've found that for me it's easy to get a big number the first week and then I get complacent.  I don't want to necessarily get a big number but I do want to lose this week.

Here is today's after picture.  I'm smiling because I'm finally done haha

I really have nothing coherent, earth shattering, or even relevant to say tonight.  I'm just ready for bed!

Day 8 - Weigh in!

Today is the day!  I've worked really hard this week and even if most of my weight lost was water weight, it doesn't matter.  I did some sort of exercise/work out every day for the last 8 days.  Even when I was tired and didn't feel like it.  For me, a pretty lazy person, this is a huge feat.

So what was this morning's weight, you might ask?  Well, I'll tell you.

Starting weight:  196.6
Today's weight:   191
Pounds lost:  5.6

Over 5 freakin' pounds!  It was way more than I expected and I am so proud of myself.

Yes, yes I do :)

So for tonight's moving I ran for 15 minutes then did a 5 minute walk for cool down.  Oh and I worked today.  Yes, I am tooting my own horn, patting my own back, yadda yadda yadda...

With all that said, I realize that next week will be nothing like this week.  And I'm ok with that.  I know that what I am doing is good for me, my health, my happiness, and ultimately, my life.  There is some truth the saying "happy momma, happy home"  or something like that.

I'm not posting a picture tonight, only because I am too lazy to get out of the recliner and get the usb cord.  I'm going to eat my healthy dinner and feel proud of how much I've accomplished in the last week.

Here's to a great second week!  I'm hoping to get out of the 190's :D

Day 7 - Goals

I wanted to do a goal post (haha that sort of made me giggle and now I have to post an appropriate pic)...

...ANYWAY...I was going to have this post on my weigh in day (Wednesday) but since I'm working tomorrow I don't know how much extra energy and time I'll have to do it.  So today is the day.

I did really well on my goals for this week:

• Move everyday this week for at least 20 minutes.
• Open up to others about my journey in order to get the support I need (hence this blog!)
• Focus on the positive today.  When those negative voices start chattering, tell them to shut the **** up!
• Let those who love me, love me.  Put faith in them and believe that when they say I am beautiful, believe it to be so.

Actually I did better than really well...I crushed them :)  So for this week, I am going to post goals for the week and also for the month of January.  I'm also going to give myself more credit instead of underestimating what I am capable of accomplishing.

Goals for this week (days 8-14):

• continue to move daily for at least 20 minutes
• eat a majority of "real" food and a minimum of processed foods.  This means meal planning!
• Run a minimum of 9 miles for the week
• 8 cups of water per day

Goals for January:

• Lose 5 pounds (1.5/week)
• Register for 2 races to be completed by the end of June
• Up my mileage to 15 miles/week

I will get into more long term goals after I complete a month of this challenge.  I'm happy to work on these for now.

Today's moving is already done.  I wanted to switch it up so I did a hodge podge of things.  I warmed up with jumping jacks, punches, jumping rope, and kicks.  Then I did an interactive work out I found on U-Verse

I didn't feel like it was enough, though, so then I ran on the Dreadmill for 10 minutes at 4.8 mph with a cool down of 3 mph for 5 minutes.

Still smiling!  It feels good to be done for the day.  Now to tackle my laundry!

Have a great day everyone and see you tomorrow.  I'm excited to weigh in!

Day 6 - Full of Awesome!

What an incredible day!  I feel like Wonder Woman today, like I am really going to be able to accomplish everything I've set out to do. 

This is what I felt like.

 

 

This is what I looked like before.

And this is what I looked like after.

So damn proud of myself!  I ran 4 miles in the gorgeous weather outside today.  I didn't know if I could do it and the first mile was so hard!  But I kept going and when I was done I realized I not only ran the entire way but I ran it at my race pace!

In other news, I'm actually looking at races to sign up for locally.  I am definitely going to do the Sunburst 1/2 (despite the cruddy course).  Anyone want to join me?

I am also dead on with my food for the week.  I was going to say "so far" but that implies that I don't think I can continue to do it.  I'm actually beginning to think I WILL do it.