Being a product of my environment is something I did a lot of reflecting on this weekend. There are many paths to take this insight, however, this being a weight journey blog, I believe this is a direct connection.
Many people know, I was a skinny kid. I was very active. It wasn't until after I began settled in my current relationship that my weight was ever an issue. I think about the people I've developed relationships with throughout the past nine years.
Nine years ago I met my husband. The typical "eat whatever he wants and doesn't gain a pound" kinda dude. In the early years of our relationship, money was never an issue. He lived at home, didn't have a car payment and made a decent income. Trying to impress his new girlfriend; Italian and appreciative of delicious and decadent foods, he would often take me out to dinner. I have always been the type of girl who would rather hang out with the guys than chat with the girls and I definitely was not a girl who would be asked out on date and only order a salad. I am not dainty. I always thought I had to "impress" a guy with my ability and confidence to eat as much as they could. Why? It makes no sense.
Seven years ago I starting working a full time 9am-5pm "big girl" job. This is where I became even more a product of my environment. My active lifestyle was now stolen away by early alarm clocks and late traffic. I sat behind a computer most of the day, socializing through email and telephone. No reason to walk to a person's office, right? Working in commercial real estate, I dealt with a lot of contractors and vendors who, kindly enough, would send treats to the office from Halloween until Valentine's Day. Not to mention the neverending birthday celebrations we had.
Even further into my environment, I think about the people I surrounded myself with. Quite honestly, my best friend at the time was much heavier than I was. She and I became BFF office buddies and would do lunch out of the office at least 80% of the week. Wendy's, McDonald's, PF Changs, Go Roma, Noodles & Co., etc. We worked in an area that had a plethora of food choices. I always had it in my mind that I was the "skinny" friend and it didn't matter that I ate out all the time. Naturally, our friendship evolved from lunch dates at work to happy hour, dinner during the week, meeting on the weekends. If I wasn't with my husband, I was with her. Our plans always included a meal. I'm not blaming her at all. Still when I make plans with friends it typically includes a meal or happy hour, however, I'm aware now.
At one point in our friendship, she became aware and starting changing her diet in order to lose weight. At some point, she weighed less than I. She has continued to maintain her weight loss, however, for other personal reasons we are no longer close. I am reminded though, that because I was surrounding myself with peole, at a time, who weren't aware of what they are eating affected me as well.
I shortly began my journey after our friendship fizzled.
What led me to this post, however, was this past weekend. Friday evening I spent time with two new people, one whom I had just met on Friday because I was tagging along with another friend to a holiday party. Both these girls are thin. At the holiday party, the catered food looked so delicious and I later found out tasted so delicious. However, the main course protein was large. I could have easily eaten the entire piece, however, one of the girls asked if one of us would like to split it. We both offered to split and ended up splitting it into thirds. With that smaller piece, plus a little salad and veggie and small scoop of a pasta salad, I was extremely happy with the choices I made. Had I gone alone, or not buddied with these ladies, I would have eaten far more than I would have needed to.
So I start to think, these are good people that I should surround myself with and that will support (perhaps, indirectly) my food choices and lifestyle.
For those reading, who are currently in the beginning or middle of your journey, re-assess who it is you are filling your environment with. That can make all the different, honestly. Many people that I've met along the way have restructured their relationships to benefit them in a positive way. Is there a person, or people who hinder your lifestyle changes? How can we gain control of our environment?
Monday, December 5, 2011
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Cheers!
I'm hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with family and friends and good food and laughter. My Thanksgiving week was fantastic and included a short work week, two Thanksgiving dinners and a weekend of solitude.
This year, I choose to not run in the Naperville 5k Turkey Trot, which I otherwise would have done, however, since I've been running so much on my own and farther than 3.1 miles it is hard for me to spend the $25 or $30 that the race may cost now that I have student loan bills due and Christmas is approaching rapidly. I had to sort out some priorities and unfortunately spending money on that wasn't at the top. I did miss the group setting of running, however I am still in the infant stages of running I feel and I am always trying to out-do myself. In a race like that, it's impossible because it is so crowded. One of my fellow runners offer to pay my entry fee, however, I graciously declined. I knew I could run my own Turkey Trot. I don't mind running alone. Realistically, when I run, I wear an iPod anyhow and we are all at different speeds once the race gets going so it's like I run by myself anyway. So I suited up in past Turkey Trot gear and headed out for my 3.1 mile run, feeling empowered that I didn't use the absence of the "official" Turkey Trot as an excuse to not run at all.
Our first Thanksgiving dinner was with my in laws. This year it was a much smaller crowd than the regular 35+ guests that my mother-in-law would typically host. We had about 17 guests, with about the same amount of food as if we had 35. That's how it always goes though, isn't it? We had three deep fried turkey's, stuffing, cheesy broccoli casserole, mozzarella salad, green salad, rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and whatever Thanksgiving essentials I might be missing. Not to mention desserts...cheesecake, rice crispy treats, lemon cake, cookies, cupcakes...etc. How did my inner "fat" girl deal with all this delicious, decadent, once a year foods?
Let's put it this way. I ate enough on Thursday that came Friday evening 8pm and I still hadn't eaten a thing because I physically wasn't hungry yet.
On Sunday, my family celebrated Thanksgiving. This was a much more toned down meal for the only reason that all the guest presents (all 7 of use) are following Weight Watchers, with the except of two (who are extremely health and wellness conscious). When we get together we have meals that have very little left overs and that are relatively healthy. We had a pork roast, spiced in a Bohemian way, potato and bread dumplings, a green bean casserole made in a low fat/low calorie way, homemade cranberry sauce and a green salad. I'm not much a fan of the Bohemian way of cooking so this meal was easy for me. One chop of the pork roast, green salad and a little green bean casserole. My meal was easy, however, have I mentioned my uncle is an amazing home brewer, brewing at least 4 different kinds of beer that are all equally as tasty as the next? Oh, I haven't? Well, he is. And I enjoy every one last of his home brews.
In between Thursday and Sunday, my husband was in Michigan for his annual deer hunting trip with his father and brothers. I've mentioned before that when he is gone, I go one way or the other. Perfectly on plan because I have no one to cook for so it's easy to make good choices, or completely off plan because there is no one to watch what I eat, therefore I feel I won't be judged. I'm not saying my husband judges me when I eat, or anyone else, but you can't help but feel like that sometimes. While he was gone to Missouri for a week I did great. This time, not so much. I was a grazer. I grazed all weekend.
Good news?
Indeed.
I must have made better choices than I anticipated. And I was active. I lost over a pound and a half from my last weigh-in. I struggled on Monday, deciding if I was going to go to my weigh-in and hold myself accountable for my lack of tracking last week and my (what I thought was) over eating. I knew I had to be held accountable for whatever damage I thought I had done. To my surprise, I worked it out that I lost enough to see 129 again. And damn it, I have 4.8 pounds until 125 lbs, which I have embraced as a good goal for me and my body. Any less and I feel I'll start looking like a pre-pubescent boy. Not the look I'm going for.
This week I've tackled head on. Sunday I prepared my lunches for this entire week. Two of those days included my new go-to food, spaghetti squash. I am in control of my food this week. I am ready to take on the two holiday parties I have this weekend, a staff holiday party and an ugly sweater party.
On the Weight Watcher leader front, I am so proud of my members this week. At weigh-in last night, out of the 10 members that weighed in, the collectively lost 19 lbs. That's huge for the week after Thanksgiving. I am so proud to be this groups leader. They all make me so proud.
Cheers to the holiday season!
With more activity and more conscious food choices, we can all enjoy the holiday parties to the fullest extend and still lose weight!
This year, I choose to not run in the Naperville 5k Turkey Trot, which I otherwise would have done, however, since I've been running so much on my own and farther than 3.1 miles it is hard for me to spend the $25 or $30 that the race may cost now that I have student loan bills due and Christmas is approaching rapidly. I had to sort out some priorities and unfortunately spending money on that wasn't at the top. I did miss the group setting of running, however I am still in the infant stages of running I feel and I am always trying to out-do myself. In a race like that, it's impossible because it is so crowded. One of my fellow runners offer to pay my entry fee, however, I graciously declined. I knew I could run my own Turkey Trot. I don't mind running alone. Realistically, when I run, I wear an iPod anyhow and we are all at different speeds once the race gets going so it's like I run by myself anyway. So I suited up in past Turkey Trot gear and headed out for my 3.1 mile run, feeling empowered that I didn't use the absence of the "official" Turkey Trot as an excuse to not run at all.
Our first Thanksgiving dinner was with my in laws. This year it was a much smaller crowd than the regular 35+ guests that my mother-in-law would typically host. We had about 17 guests, with about the same amount of food as if we had 35. That's how it always goes though, isn't it? We had three deep fried turkey's, stuffing, cheesy broccoli casserole, mozzarella salad, green salad, rolls, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and whatever Thanksgiving essentials I might be missing. Not to mention desserts...cheesecake, rice crispy treats, lemon cake, cookies, cupcakes...etc. How did my inner "fat" girl deal with all this delicious, decadent, once a year foods?
Let's put it this way. I ate enough on Thursday that came Friday evening 8pm and I still hadn't eaten a thing because I physically wasn't hungry yet.
On Sunday, my family celebrated Thanksgiving. This was a much more toned down meal for the only reason that all the guest presents (all 7 of use) are following Weight Watchers, with the except of two (who are extremely health and wellness conscious). When we get together we have meals that have very little left overs and that are relatively healthy. We had a pork roast, spiced in a Bohemian way, potato and bread dumplings, a green bean casserole made in a low fat/low calorie way, homemade cranberry sauce and a green salad. I'm not much a fan of the Bohemian way of cooking so this meal was easy for me. One chop of the pork roast, green salad and a little green bean casserole. My meal was easy, however, have I mentioned my uncle is an amazing home brewer, brewing at least 4 different kinds of beer that are all equally as tasty as the next? Oh, I haven't? Well, he is. And I enjoy every one last of his home brews.
In between Thursday and Sunday, my husband was in Michigan for his annual deer hunting trip with his father and brothers. I've mentioned before that when he is gone, I go one way or the other. Perfectly on plan because I have no one to cook for so it's easy to make good choices, or completely off plan because there is no one to watch what I eat, therefore I feel I won't be judged. I'm not saying my husband judges me when I eat, or anyone else, but you can't help but feel like that sometimes. While he was gone to Missouri for a week I did great. This time, not so much. I was a grazer. I grazed all weekend.
Good news?
Indeed.
I must have made better choices than I anticipated. And I was active. I lost over a pound and a half from my last weigh-in. I struggled on Monday, deciding if I was going to go to my weigh-in and hold myself accountable for my lack of tracking last week and my (what I thought was) over eating. I knew I had to be held accountable for whatever damage I thought I had done. To my surprise, I worked it out that I lost enough to see 129 again. And damn it, I have 4.8 pounds until 125 lbs, which I have embraced as a good goal for me and my body. Any less and I feel I'll start looking like a pre-pubescent boy. Not the look I'm going for.
This week I've tackled head on. Sunday I prepared my lunches for this entire week. Two of those days included my new go-to food, spaghetti squash. I am in control of my food this week. I am ready to take on the two holiday parties I have this weekend, a staff holiday party and an ugly sweater party.
On the Weight Watcher leader front, I am so proud of my members this week. At weigh-in last night, out of the 10 members that weighed in, the collectively lost 19 lbs. That's huge for the week after Thanksgiving. I am so proud to be this groups leader. They all make me so proud.
Cheers to the holiday season!
With more activity and more conscious food choices, we can all enjoy the holiday parties to the fullest extend and still lose weight!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Because time has been getting away!
Next week is Thanksgiving, already?! Goodness gracious, where has this year gone? At any rate, I am here, blogging, which I've been trying to do at least once every two weeks. Since I started working full-time this week, I've barely had much time on my hands (I'm not complaining, trust me).
I haven't ran in two weeks. I am slightly okay with this because I had to transition into a brand new schedule and get things figured out. On the flip side of that, because I'm on a strict schedule now, I'm planning meals much further in advance that I was when I had a lot of time on my hands. Not to mention, at my last weigh-in, I lost an entire pound in one week which I haven't done in month. Typically it's between .2-.8 of a pound. So I'm okay with this. In lieu of running as much as I was, I've been increasing the amount of push-ups, squats and ab work throughout the day. I have traded out a normal chair at work for a yoga ball and although I am standing more than sitting throughout the day, while I am sitting I am engaging my core.
I am loving this opportunity to be back on a schedule. When I wasn't working, I was able to just do as I please and I would workout whenever, eat whenever, do housework whenever...etc. Being back on a schedule is fantastic. I'm up at 5:30am, shower and get ready for school, eat breakfast and then relax until it's time to leave for school at 6:45am. On Monday, I get home around 3:45pm and relax until I leave for my Weight Watchers meeting which begins at 7:00pm, then come home and we eat dinner together. On Tuesday, after school I work my Weight Watcher meeting and get home around 8:30pm. Tuesday is a really long day, but I love both of my jobs so it's pretty painless. Wednesday, by the time I get home it's time to head to my in-laws for dinner. I really look forward to Thursday. I have absolutely nothing to do after school.
Hunting season began in Illinois today. I was up at 2:30am, sending Kristian off with snacks and sandwiches to keep him going all day. Decided to stay up and get the laundry done, paid some bills, and blog - this way I won't have many chores to keep up with over the weekend. It's 4:17am and I've still got over an hour before my alarm goes off. Kristian will hunt today, tomorrow and Sunday all day. Then next weekend he heads up to Michigan for his regular deer camp season and finally, the first week of December is second season Illinois, which he was lucky and won the lottery they do for hunting in Illinois. He is very excited. Our stock of venison is just about out and it's time to replenish.
The holidays are rapidly approaching. Regarding weight loss, I do believe I can lose over the holiday season (Halloween-Valentine's Day), like I did last year. The holidays are not a problem for me. I choose to eat as I want on actual day (making conscious decisions) but I don't eat leftovers. I think a lot of people gain over the holiday season because there is always so much food leftover and it's continuous throughout the next few months. The holidays are tough. Knowing I lost weight last year during this time is comforting and assuring I can do it again. I'm a short five pounds from my goal.
For a little holiday humor...
I haven't ran in two weeks. I am slightly okay with this because I had to transition into a brand new schedule and get things figured out. On the flip side of that, because I'm on a strict schedule now, I'm planning meals much further in advance that I was when I had a lot of time on my hands. Not to mention, at my last weigh-in, I lost an entire pound in one week which I haven't done in month. Typically it's between .2-.8 of a pound. So I'm okay with this. In lieu of running as much as I was, I've been increasing the amount of push-ups, squats and ab work throughout the day. I have traded out a normal chair at work for a yoga ball and although I am standing more than sitting throughout the day, while I am sitting I am engaging my core.
I am loving this opportunity to be back on a schedule. When I wasn't working, I was able to just do as I please and I would workout whenever, eat whenever, do housework whenever...etc. Being back on a schedule is fantastic. I'm up at 5:30am, shower and get ready for school, eat breakfast and then relax until it's time to leave for school at 6:45am. On Monday, I get home around 3:45pm and relax until I leave for my Weight Watchers meeting which begins at 7:00pm, then come home and we eat dinner together. On Tuesday, after school I work my Weight Watcher meeting and get home around 8:30pm. Tuesday is a really long day, but I love both of my jobs so it's pretty painless. Wednesday, by the time I get home it's time to head to my in-laws for dinner. I really look forward to Thursday. I have absolutely nothing to do after school.
Hunting season began in Illinois today. I was up at 2:30am, sending Kristian off with snacks and sandwiches to keep him going all day. Decided to stay up and get the laundry done, paid some bills, and blog - this way I won't have many chores to keep up with over the weekend. It's 4:17am and I've still got over an hour before my alarm goes off. Kristian will hunt today, tomorrow and Sunday all day. Then next weekend he heads up to Michigan for his regular deer camp season and finally, the first week of December is second season Illinois, which he was lucky and won the lottery they do for hunting in Illinois. He is very excited. Our stock of venison is just about out and it's time to replenish.
The holidays are rapidly approaching. Regarding weight loss, I do believe I can lose over the holiday season (Halloween-Valentine's Day), like I did last year. The holidays are not a problem for me. I choose to eat as I want on actual day (making conscious decisions) but I don't eat leftovers. I think a lot of people gain over the holiday season because there is always so much food leftover and it's continuous throughout the next few months. The holidays are tough. Knowing I lost weight last year during this time is comforting and assuring I can do it again. I'm a short five pounds from my goal.
For a little holiday humor...
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Womanly Curves
Now is as good a time as ever to update. Clearly, I've been slacking in the "blogging" department. Luckily, that is the only place I've been slacking.
I am finally back to weighing in under 130 lbs. I intend on staying there. Damn it. However, I am struggling. My goal is 120, however I recently saw a picture of me that makes me think I should change it to 125lbs.
This is from Halloween. I'm in the background (I hope, obviously) and although you can't see my face, I saw this picture when my sister-in-law posted it and I was looking at my waist and hips. I feel like I'm losing my curves. Halloween was the first day I was wearing my size 1 jeans other than just trying them on and being discouraged they were too tight. They actually fit GREAT! I'm afraid that if I lose about 9 more pounds, getting my to 120, I might just look too thin.
We are going away this weekend and I'm sure we will be taking pictures. Maybe I'll reassess this after looking at those. I don't want to lose my "womanly" curves. Perhaps it's just because I'm wearing a t-shirt.
On a side note, if you would have told me two years ago I'd be whining about not having curves, I probably would have laughed at you.
That all aside, I did feel like a million bucks at a recent event...
Absolutely LOVING this look. I love the cooler weather. I get to break out the tights and boots. Possibly my favorite season to dress for.
Been keeping up with my running.
This is my friend Val. She and I have ran two 5k together. She's significantly faster than I am, running her first 5k in just over 26 minutes. But not to worry - we are both extremely supportive of each other and she is a fantastic running partner. Now I need to talk her into running longer distances. I've been running 3 miles on short days and up to 7.5 miles on longer days.
My progression is impressive I think.
Starting in August: You can tell I was just starting to get into being more active here. At least outdoors. However, most of my mileage came from my bike.
I am finally back to weighing in under 130 lbs. I intend on staying there. Damn it. However, I am struggling. My goal is 120, however I recently saw a picture of me that makes me think I should change it to 125lbs.
This is from Halloween. I'm in the background (I hope, obviously) and although you can't see my face, I saw this picture when my sister-in-law posted it and I was looking at my waist and hips. I feel like I'm losing my curves. Halloween was the first day I was wearing my size 1 jeans other than just trying them on and being discouraged they were too tight. They actually fit GREAT! I'm afraid that if I lose about 9 more pounds, getting my to 120, I might just look too thin.
We are going away this weekend and I'm sure we will be taking pictures. Maybe I'll reassess this after looking at those. I don't want to lose my "womanly" curves. Perhaps it's just because I'm wearing a t-shirt.
On a side note, if you would have told me two years ago I'd be whining about not having curves, I probably would have laughed at you.
That all aside, I did feel like a million bucks at a recent event...
Absolutely LOVING this look. I love the cooler weather. I get to break out the tights and boots. Possibly my favorite season to dress for.Been keeping up with my running.
This is my friend Val. She and I have ran two 5k together. She's significantly faster than I am, running her first 5k in just over 26 minutes. But not to worry - we are both extremely supportive of each other and she is a fantastic running partner. Now I need to talk her into running longer distances. I've been running 3 miles on short days and up to 7.5 miles on longer days.
My progression is impressive I think.
Starting in August: You can tell I was just starting to get into being more active here. At least outdoors. However, most of my mileage came from my bike.
In September I had less mileage, however, all my mileage was from running. The two areas in gray is where I was messing around with putting in my "at home" workouts but I've decided there is no need to put those on the calendar because I have a separate calendar for that at home anyway. My longest route here was just about 3.3 miles.
October absolutely rocked for me. A total of 56.35 running miles. Although it averaged 1.8 miles a day, I obviously didn't run every day. Clearly, I took the week of the 16th off. That week, my allergies absolutely got the best of me. Although, I do remember on the 9th, my allergies were terrible and I was on allergy medicine but I felt so guilty not running all week so I hopped on my bike and rode 7.44 miles. All the while, my nose running and it being completely disgusting. My best day was on October 29th, when I ran 7.57 miles. I'm slightly disappointed because today is the Hot Chocolate 15K and I was asked earlier in the summer to run it with a friend of mine and I told her there is no way I'd run that far. Ha. What a difference a couple of months make. I totally could have done it with her today.
I'm going to take a break on running official 5k's or any other races. I've been running a lot on my own that I don't feel I need to pay anymore to run these distances. Before, signing up for a 5k would motivate me to run prior to the race - however, now I don't need that extra motivation so I'll save the money and continue to run on my own. I am thinking about a half-marathon in the spring.
This has been another great "on plan" week and I'm anticipating a good weigh-in on Monday. I have to start going back to Monday night meetings, because I start working this Monday. It's going to be so nice having a job again. This brings up the challenge of keeping up with running, but I will figure it out somehow. With the pending winter weather, I may be doing more inside workouts than outdoor. Whatever gets the job done my friends.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Busy Bee
Hello my faithful followers! My sincere apologies, it has been much longer than I expected since I last blogged. I must stay, for being a jobless/childless gal, I'm awfully busy! Between interviewing and preparing for my new Weight Watchers meeting, I've had little time for the computer. So...let's update!
Last night was the kick-off of our new Weight Watchers meeting at a location that previously had no PM meetings. We were expecting things to begin slowly, hoping that word had gotten around that there was a new meeting but still skeptical that enough marketing had been done. We were amazed when seven brand new members walked in the door, it was a great start to a new meeting! I'm looking forward to next Tuesday where I can hear all of their success and inevitably, frustrations, about their first week learning a new lifestyle. I will try to update in the future on my successes and failures as a new leader with a new meeting. Many experiences are yet to come.
On the interview front, I've had a few interviews for teaching positions and thankfully I know a lot of people who are able to help out with getting interviews, because in teaching that is the only way you get into a school...who you know. Unfortunately, who I know hasn't paid off entirely because someone else interviewing always seems to know someone higher up or more influential. Ahh, such is life. I'm positive it just means the right job hasn't come along yet and I will remain patient.
The best thing about being jobless (besides sleeping in, of course) is I can continue my workout with no distractions. I have been continuing to run throughout the week and I am slowly increasing my mileage. So far, this week, I started off on Sunday with a 7.44 mile bike ride. My allergies were absolutely terrible and I was under the influence of allergy medicine, but I just couldn't help but feel worse just sitting in the house all day. While I figured running would be harder on my body than usual under the circumstance, I thought to take out my bike and go for a ride. On Monday, I ran my furthest distance yet, 5 miles. I completed it in 58:17 which breaks down to an 11.6 min/mile. I am completing my first official 8k on November 13th and my goal is to complete it in under 60:00 minutes. I think I'll do just fine. I was very happy with 58:17 for my first 5 miles and I was utterly exhausted afterwards. Hopefully my next 5 miles will be slightly quicker and easier to run. It was pretty warm that morning I did the 5 miles and I don't run particularly well in warm weather. I prefer weather closer to the 45*-50* range. Definitely not 75*. This "Indian Summer" is taking a toll on my running AND allergies! Yesterday I ran 3.51 miles in 38:25 which breaks down to a 10.8 min/mile. Looking back at all my running data, I'm showing good consistency which is what I am working on right now. Breathing correctly, setting a good pace...eventually I will work on speeding up, but I feel like I need these things down pat first. Since this week has been bike ride, run, run, run, today I am going to switch it up with a little strength and core training I think. Go figure, it's the first cool fall-like day in the past two weeks too! Perfect for running!
Update on last weeks progress...
I'm up .5 lb. Last week I had an early appointment and couldn't make it to my regular WW meeting, so I weighed myself at home and was down, so technically I'm up .5lb from my home weigh-in but I was down .8lb from my previous weigh-in at my WW meeting. So...take it as you will. Either way, it's no big deal. Whenever my exercise is increased, I gain. I'm still trying to find my balance between intense exercise and eating the appropriate amount to re-energize my body. I weighed in this past Monday at 131.2 lbs. I'm really hoping that all this running pays off and I can break into the 120's again soon. Funny thing, on Saturday I stepped on the scale and I was 128lbs. Sometimes I wish the random weigh-ins were accurate but the only ones that matter to me are the once a week, same day same time. With how often your body weight fluctuates, I find it that to be most accurate. Anyhow, looking back at my weekly progress, I did well with my Good Health Guidelines, minus the healthy oils. I'm sure I got them in somewhere, but just not enough for me to count them really. I just don't use oils. I need to work on that. I tracked what I ate every day last week, even Saturday when we went out to celebrate my good friends 30th birthday. Fishbowl drink and all.
Last week was a good week. Despite a small gain. As I've said before, although my goal is 120lbs, I'm happy with how my body looks. If I wasn't such a number girl, I'd probably make this my goal. But let's see what 10 lbs more does.
Oh, and I've found my absolute FAVORITE thing about running.
...we searched the other day and cannot find cellulite. Anywhere. For that reason alone, I will continue to run.
Last night was the kick-off of our new Weight Watchers meeting at a location that previously had no PM meetings. We were expecting things to begin slowly, hoping that word had gotten around that there was a new meeting but still skeptical that enough marketing had been done. We were amazed when seven brand new members walked in the door, it was a great start to a new meeting! I'm looking forward to next Tuesday where I can hear all of their success and inevitably, frustrations, about their first week learning a new lifestyle. I will try to update in the future on my successes and failures as a new leader with a new meeting. Many experiences are yet to come.
On the interview front, I've had a few interviews for teaching positions and thankfully I know a lot of people who are able to help out with getting interviews, because in teaching that is the only way you get into a school...who you know. Unfortunately, who I know hasn't paid off entirely because someone else interviewing always seems to know someone higher up or more influential. Ahh, such is life. I'm positive it just means the right job hasn't come along yet and I will remain patient.
The best thing about being jobless (besides sleeping in, of course) is I can continue my workout with no distractions. I have been continuing to run throughout the week and I am slowly increasing my mileage. So far, this week, I started off on Sunday with a 7.44 mile bike ride. My allergies were absolutely terrible and I was under the influence of allergy medicine, but I just couldn't help but feel worse just sitting in the house all day. While I figured running would be harder on my body than usual under the circumstance, I thought to take out my bike and go for a ride. On Monday, I ran my furthest distance yet, 5 miles. I completed it in 58:17 which breaks down to an 11.6 min/mile. I am completing my first official 8k on November 13th and my goal is to complete it in under 60:00 minutes. I think I'll do just fine. I was very happy with 58:17 for my first 5 miles and I was utterly exhausted afterwards. Hopefully my next 5 miles will be slightly quicker and easier to run. It was pretty warm that morning I did the 5 miles and I don't run particularly well in warm weather. I prefer weather closer to the 45*-50* range. Definitely not 75*. This "Indian Summer" is taking a toll on my running AND allergies! Yesterday I ran 3.51 miles in 38:25 which breaks down to a 10.8 min/mile. Looking back at all my running data, I'm showing good consistency which is what I am working on right now. Breathing correctly, setting a good pace...eventually I will work on speeding up, but I feel like I need these things down pat first. Since this week has been bike ride, run, run, run, today I am going to switch it up with a little strength and core training I think. Go figure, it's the first cool fall-like day in the past two weeks too! Perfect for running!
Update on last weeks progress...
Last week was a good week. Despite a small gain. As I've said before, although my goal is 120lbs, I'm happy with how my body looks. If I wasn't such a number girl, I'd probably make this my goal. But let's see what 10 lbs more does.
Oh, and I've found my absolute FAVORITE thing about running.
...we searched the other day and cannot find cellulite. Anywhere. For that reason alone, I will continue to run.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Bucket List
This week I had a conversation about having a "Bucket List." Not in regards to growing old but in regards to weight loss.
Therefore, I present to you, my Bucket List:
My husband was on vacation all week which can either make for a perfectly perfect week of eating...or...a terrible disaster. Luckily, it made for a perfectly perfect week. Well, until he got home and we had no food in the house and ordered pizza Saturday night...and Sunday night, thanks to the neighbors. No big thing though. I was perfectly perfect Monday-Friday, I ran, I ate well, etc. This is why I love this lifestyle. I can still eat pizza (two days in a row) and enjoy more than a few beers on football Sunday and I still lost weight. Sure it was only .2lbs but imagine how much water I was retaining from the weekend. I'm sure I was down much more than that. Although I don't count it, I was down 2 lbs this morning from yesterday morning. Because Sunday I ran the Plainfield Harvest 5K and ran it really hard, I took yesterday as my day off to recover. It was a really gloomy day out anyhow, so it worked out well. Today I ran 3.42 miles, working my way up to 5 miles. I learned that I need to work on finding a good pace from the beginning. Typically I take off out of the gate at top speed and shortly die out. I ran the entire 5K on Sunday, not stopping once and today I ran the entire 3.42 miles without stopping. That is a big milestone for me.
On to another great week of healthy eating and daily exercise. It's amazing how good it makes you feel!
What's on your "Bucket List?"
Therefore, I present to you, my Bucket List:
Be able to cross my legs, comfortablyRun a 5KWear smaller size than JHFit back into ATs hand-me-downsAble to see collarbone bone while standing normalFit into single digit jeansThigh stop rubbing togetherNo "back fat"Weight less than my husbandSee abdominal musclesWear a bikini, proudly- Run an 8K
- Run a 10K
- Run a 15K
- Run a half-marathon
Lose "Muffin Top"Wear smaller size than AT- Goal weight
Do at least one pull-up- Maintain goal weight
Become Weight Watcher Leader
I've made a good dent in my "Bucket List." I'm still working on getting to and maintaining my goal weight of 120 lbs. I'm also working on my running. I've completed multiple 5K races this year with my very first (since losing weight) being the Naperville Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving of last year. My time was 34:02 and my aunt & uncle ran the entire thing with me, supporting me the whole way. Even as I dry heaved at the end. The most recent 5K I completed was this past Sunday, the Plainfield Harvest 5K, with a time of 29:45. A significant difference from almost a year ago. I've improved immensely and I'm very happy with my time of 29:45 and would be okay with keeping that my personal best. In October, I plan on running another 5K, Dick Pond Cocoa 5K Run and in November I will have my first 8K, Joliet RedEye 8K followed by going full circle back to the Naperville Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning.
I've never been a distance runner. I am quick but my endurance is less than exceptional. I am taking it slow in increasing my distances but I feel as though I am ready to move on to a few 8K races and then on to 10K races. Eventually I will work my way to a half-marathon. I don't have a time set to complete that bullet point on my "Bucket List" but I'm thinking possibly around summer/fall 2013. I am in no rush and the longer it takes to get to a half-marathon, the more races I do to prepare myself and improve on my personal times and my endurance. Looking forward to the 8K race in November, my goal is to run the 5 miles in under 60 minutes. Keeping less than a 12 minute mile average will be sufficient for my first 8K. It's a goal I know I can achieve and the harder I work the further I'll stay from 60 minutes.
On another note, here is last weeks progress:
My husband was on vacation all week which can either make for a perfectly perfect week of eating...or...a terrible disaster. Luckily, it made for a perfectly perfect week. Well, until he got home and we had no food in the house and ordered pizza Saturday night...and Sunday night, thanks to the neighbors. No big thing though. I was perfectly perfect Monday-Friday, I ran, I ate well, etc. This is why I love this lifestyle. I can still eat pizza (two days in a row) and enjoy more than a few beers on football Sunday and I still lost weight. Sure it was only .2lbs but imagine how much water I was retaining from the weekend. I'm sure I was down much more than that. Although I don't count it, I was down 2 lbs this morning from yesterday morning. Because Sunday I ran the Plainfield Harvest 5K and ran it really hard, I took yesterday as my day off to recover. It was a really gloomy day out anyhow, so it worked out well. Today I ran 3.42 miles, working my way up to 5 miles. I learned that I need to work on finding a good pace from the beginning. Typically I take off out of the gate at top speed and shortly die out. I ran the entire 5K on Sunday, not stopping once and today I ran the entire 3.42 miles without stopping. That is a big milestone for me.
On to another great week of healthy eating and daily exercise. It's amazing how good it makes you feel!
What's on your "Bucket List?"
Monday, September 19, 2011
Patience
Let me set the scene for you...
I work out 6 days out of 7 and then I attend my weekly weigh-in and I'm up 1.4 pounds from the last week. Typically what I would do the week after the poor weigh-in is cut back my workouts to maybe 3 days a week. Then I weigh-in again the next Monday and BAM! I'm down 4 lbs. I have a love/hate relationship with working out. I don't buy the "muscle weighs more than fat" idea. One pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat, the muscle just takes up less space. If I maintained that would be fine, but I don't like gaining.
A fellow WW member at my meeting today told me to have patience and to keep working out this week as I did last week. I believe she is right and it is no wonder that my weigh-in fluctuates so much when one week I work out hardcore and gain but then stop and lose. I need to keep pace from week to week. This week, I will work out just like last and we will see how it turns out.
I'm not discouraged, really. One just expects that if they workout a lot they see weight loss, not gain.
I had a fantastic week of workouts. Starting last Monday I worked out using my Fit in Six PS3 game. I did 45-60 minutes of that Monday, Tuesday & Friday. Wednesday I ran 3.27 miles, Thursday I ran 1.75 miles, Saturday I ran 2.0 miles and Sunday I rested. Today I began the week with 3.4 miles which is to and from my Weight Watcher meeting. This Sunday I'm registered to run a 5K through the town I live in, it will be my first one in my hometown so I'm looking forward to it.
I have been thinking recently how I've ran quite a few 5Ks (3.2miles) and I think I'm ready to move on to 8Ks (5 miles). There is an 8K near my home in November that I'm going to register for and my goal is to complete it in under 60 minutes which would be a 12 min/mile and an attainable goal. When I run multiple miles now I maintain between 10-11 min/mile depending on how far I run. Since an 8K is a little more than I'm use to I will allow myself to have a slightly slower time. I was a sprinter in high school and it's difficult for me to not sprint the first mile, I need to learn to pace myself over multiple miles. I'm not looking to place in the top of my age group, I just want to complete these races and build myself up to a half-marathon, perhaps. At this point a marathon seems like a crazy idea. Why would anyone want to run 26.2 miles?! I might get there someday, but right now I'm starting with 5Ks and I think I'm ready to move on to 8Ks. Looking forward to this Sunday, my goal is to run this 5K in less than 32:45 which is my personal best thus far. I would have to maintain just under a 10 min/mile the whole time. I know it won't be easy for me, I still feel as though my endurance had much room for improvement, but if I can complete this at 32:30 I would be thrilled. Shaving off 15 seconds in a lot in running.
Next week after my weigh-in I will hopefully have better news that working out has helped me lose, not gain, even if it is muscle. This week: patience. Patience in that my hard work will pay off on the scale.
I work out 6 days out of 7 and then I attend my weekly weigh-in and I'm up 1.4 pounds from the last week. Typically what I would do the week after the poor weigh-in is cut back my workouts to maybe 3 days a week. Then I weigh-in again the next Monday and BAM! I'm down 4 lbs. I have a love/hate relationship with working out. I don't buy the "muscle weighs more than fat" idea. One pound of muscle weighs the same as one pound of fat, the muscle just takes up less space. If I maintained that would be fine, but I don't like gaining.
A fellow WW member at my meeting today told me to have patience and to keep working out this week as I did last week. I believe she is right and it is no wonder that my weigh-in fluctuates so much when one week I work out hardcore and gain but then stop and lose. I need to keep pace from week to week. This week, I will work out just like last and we will see how it turns out.
I'm not discouraged, really. One just expects that if they workout a lot they see weight loss, not gain.
I had a fantastic week of workouts. Starting last Monday I worked out using my Fit in Six PS3 game. I did 45-60 minutes of that Monday, Tuesday & Friday. Wednesday I ran 3.27 miles, Thursday I ran 1.75 miles, Saturday I ran 2.0 miles and Sunday I rested. Today I began the week with 3.4 miles which is to and from my Weight Watcher meeting. This Sunday I'm registered to run a 5K through the town I live in, it will be my first one in my hometown so I'm looking forward to it.
I have been thinking recently how I've ran quite a few 5Ks (3.2miles) and I think I'm ready to move on to 8Ks (5 miles). There is an 8K near my home in November that I'm going to register for and my goal is to complete it in under 60 minutes which would be a 12 min/mile and an attainable goal. When I run multiple miles now I maintain between 10-11 min/mile depending on how far I run. Since an 8K is a little more than I'm use to I will allow myself to have a slightly slower time. I was a sprinter in high school and it's difficult for me to not sprint the first mile, I need to learn to pace myself over multiple miles. I'm not looking to place in the top of my age group, I just want to complete these races and build myself up to a half-marathon, perhaps. At this point a marathon seems like a crazy idea. Why would anyone want to run 26.2 miles?! I might get there someday, but right now I'm starting with 5Ks and I think I'm ready to move on to 8Ks. Looking forward to this Sunday, my goal is to run this 5K in less than 32:45 which is my personal best thus far. I would have to maintain just under a 10 min/mile the whole time. I know it won't be easy for me, I still feel as though my endurance had much room for improvement, but if I can complete this at 32:30 I would be thrilled. Shaving off 15 seconds in a lot in running.
Next week after my weigh-in I will hopefully have better news that working out has helped me lose, not gain, even if it is muscle. This week: patience. Patience in that my hard work will pay off on the scale.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Perfect Weather For a Run
Had a good week last week. Lost .5lb from the week before. The weekend was a little crazy, and I used up the rest of my weekly PointsPlus values. But hey, that's what they are there for, right? With football season rapidly approaching, Sunday will be full of goodness! My Good Health Guidelines look pretty fulfilled, with the exception of essential oils. I'm finding it difficult to regularly get in 2 tsp of olive oil. I don't cook with it often, I suppose I should start. I worked out every day except Wednesday which I took as a day off to rest my muscles. Everyday last week I worked out with my Fit in Six for the PS3, a workout "game" that I've raved about before.
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| Path through the forest preserve |
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| Lake behind city hall |
Next week my husband will be out of town. He leaves Saturday and returns Friday possibly. This will either make or break me next week. I tend to go one way or the other when he is out of town - I'm either perfect because I don't have to cook really so I make just enough for myself and it's nothing spectacular, whereas, when he is home I cook a big dinner every night. Or, I make so many plans with friends I haven't seen in a while that I end up meeting up with girlfriends almost every night of the week for dinner and/or drinks. We'll see how this goes. Right now I'm focused on having a perfect week. Tomorrow I may take off of working out to left my muscles recover, but then again I said I was going to take today off. I always feel guilty when I'm on a workout streak and then I take a day off. Maybe I'll just make it lighter.
On a closing note, today is mine and my husbands 3 year wedding anniversary! We really aren't the anniversary celebrating type, so I won't have to worry about dinner out or anything. Although just in case, I've got activity pointsplus and all my weeklies left. <3
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
What Unemployment Does to a Person, Specifically...Me.
I suppose technically, I'm not unemployed, however, I consider working for WW a hobby more than a job. So I retract "unemployment" from my title and change it to "not having a 5 day, 9am-5pm job."
There. That's better.
So let's chat...
First and foremost, what not having a 5 day, 9am-5pm job does to me specifically? I putz around on Facebook a lot. Mostly playing mindless games. Please, stop judging me. In a short break from my games I decided to create a "page" for my blog. Really, my friend FitMommaBoom encouraged it. I figured it would be a good way to condense my Facebook from flooding it with weight loss things that some people may not care to follow and will make this blog and my site more organized. So, if you follow this blog and we are not Facebook friends, feel free to "like" my Facebook page and follow me here.
Secondly, this weekend I ate something that I hadn't eaten since before beginning my journey. My husband and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. There are two places that we use to eat at when we would choose to go out. Buffalo Wild Wings is one and Red Robin is the other. Neither of which I've been too since before February 2010. Not because I couldn't make a healthy choice, because I definitely COULD. It's that I would choose NOT to and I did not want to put myself in that position.
This far into my journey, I made the choice that I wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings and order whatever I chose to order. I wasn't going to feel guilty, as I haven't so much as looked at wings in almost two years. Needless to say, I went a little crazy and ordered what I typically would have ordered. 12 boneless wings (medium sauce) and we shared a basket of buffalo chips with cheese. I even had actual ranch dressing. Oh, and two tall Black & Blue's (Guinness & Blue Moon). I ate (and drank) it all. And I tracked.
I also ended the week -15PPV. Luckily, I only had a slight gain. Phew!
At first I wasn't going to blog about this but as I thought about it, why not? I made the conscious decision to do what I did. I didn't feel guilty about it and if I wanted to hide it then maybe I did feel guilty. So I'm blogging and I'm not guilty. I'm accountable.
I'm glad I decided to go. Every time I pass a Buffalo Wild Wings I always think to myself how much I miss it and how much I love wings. Quite honestly, after we left I told my husband I'm really glad we went and that I indulged a bit. It wasn't as good as I remembered and now when I pass one I won't feel as if I'm depriving myself of that restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the wings. But I don't feel it's something I'll crave.
Lesson learned? Don't deprive yourself of your favorites. If I hadn't chosen to go there I wouldn't know that it's just not that great anymore and I'd still feel like I was depriving myself every time I see one. I also learned that if I keep my daily eating habits in check 95% of the time, it's okay to indulge every once in a (Black &) Blue Moon!
There. That's better.
So let's chat...
First and foremost, what not having a 5 day, 9am-5pm job does to me specifically? I putz around on Facebook a lot. Mostly playing mindless games. Please, stop judging me. In a short break from my games I decided to create a "page" for my blog. Really, my friend FitMommaBoom encouraged it. I figured it would be a good way to condense my Facebook from flooding it with weight loss things that some people may not care to follow and will make this blog and my site more organized. So, if you follow this blog and we are not Facebook friends, feel free to "like" my Facebook page and follow me here.
Secondly, this weekend I ate something that I hadn't eaten since before beginning my journey. My husband and I went to Buffalo Wild Wings. There are two places that we use to eat at when we would choose to go out. Buffalo Wild Wings is one and Red Robin is the other. Neither of which I've been too since before February 2010. Not because I couldn't make a healthy choice, because I definitely COULD. It's that I would choose NOT to and I did not want to put myself in that position.
I also ended the week -15PPV. Luckily, I only had a slight gain. Phew!
At first I wasn't going to blog about this but as I thought about it, why not? I made the conscious decision to do what I did. I didn't feel guilty about it and if I wanted to hide it then maybe I did feel guilty. So I'm blogging and I'm not guilty. I'm accountable.
I'm glad I decided to go. Every time I pass a Buffalo Wild Wings I always think to myself how much I miss it and how much I love wings. Quite honestly, after we left I told my husband I'm really glad we went and that I indulged a bit. It wasn't as good as I remembered and now when I pass one I won't feel as if I'm depriving myself of that restaurant. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the wings. But I don't feel it's something I'll crave.
Lesson learned? Don't deprive yourself of your favorites. If I hadn't chosen to go there I wouldn't know that it's just not that great anymore and I'd still feel like I was depriving myself every time I see one. I also learned that if I keep my daily eating habits in check 95% of the time, it's okay to indulge every once in a (Black &) Blue Moon!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Success! Progress Report Follow-Up
In my last post, I talked about the Progress Report that you get at the end of every week when using eTools with Weight Watchers. I also talked about how I love this tool because it really puts things into perspective and clearly I stunk at achieving a high rating. So this past week, my goal was to focus on the Good Health Guidelines and to receive as many smiley faces as possible.
Here are the results...
This is quite epic! Look at all those smiley faces! Also notice how Sunday I didn't track. It's hard to be upset about that when I had such a fantastic six days and I still lost .2lb. What I noticed and you can see by my tracking (the green bar graph) is that when I got in all of the GHGs, by the end of the day I still had PPV left and I wasn't hungry. Especially look at Tuesday. I had 8 PPV left at the end of the day and had no desire to eat dessert or anything else to finish those 8PPV. It's amazing...the GHGs really are GOOD for you!
I hadn't used and of my Weekly 49 PPV until Saturday plus I had 18 Activity PPV. I definitely used those up on Saturday. I went out to dinner with some girlfriends and then out to some bars. BUT, I tracked most of Saturday which I think is a success. I also believe I only lost .2lb because I was still retaining water from a weekend of eating out and a few alcoholic beverages. No big thing, I know I'll see the rest on the scale next Monday.
To add to my Activity PPV, I bought a pedometer on Friday. I put in all my information (height, weight, etc) and it calculates my steps and for me, at 7,000 something steps, I get 1 Activity PPV. I think I got my 2 APPV around 12,000 which I did on Saturday.This has been a great tool for me to make sure I get up and move, even after two workouts on Friday, I still hadn't even hit 10,000 steps. So it pushes me to do even extra on top of regular workouts.
Finally, I talked myself into what was a very difficult workout for me. I got a bicycle this summer but rarely brought it out and when I did ride it, it wasn't far at all. On Wednesday, we went to dinner at my in-laws house and they live roughly 13 miles from our house. I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to get in a workout on Wednesday because we were super busy. So I decided that since I have to go to my in-laws anyway, why not bike there? My husband drove the car because I certainly was not going to bike 13 miles in the dark along a two lane highway. It took me an hour and fifteen minutes to go 13 miles and I was drenched when I got there. It was 90 degree with 90 percent humidity, so it was a big mental game with myself to keep at it. But I completed the ride, longest one I've done and I'd probably do it again!
I would put this down as a successful week and achieving my goal of really focusing on the GHGs. I haven't come up with a goal for this week. Perhaps it should be tracking my food accurately over Saturday and Sunday.
To end on another positive note - tonight is my last mentoring session as a Weight Watchers leader. Tonight I conduct the entire meeting myself, which I've gradually been taking over different parts these past few weeks. My territory manager will be there to observe and after that I am 100% on my own as a Weight Watcher leader! It feels great to achieve a goal I've worked towards for so long!
Next goal? Finish off these last 10 lbs.
Here are the results...
I hadn't used and of my Weekly 49 PPV until Saturday plus I had 18 Activity PPV. I definitely used those up on Saturday. I went out to dinner with some girlfriends and then out to some bars. BUT, I tracked most of Saturday which I think is a success. I also believe I only lost .2lb because I was still retaining water from a weekend of eating out and a few alcoholic beverages. No big thing, I know I'll see the rest on the scale next Monday.
To add to my Activity PPV, I bought a pedometer on Friday. I put in all my information (height, weight, etc) and it calculates my steps and for me, at 7,000 something steps, I get 1 Activity PPV. I think I got my 2 APPV around 12,000 which I did on Saturday.This has been a great tool for me to make sure I get up and move, even after two workouts on Friday, I still hadn't even hit 10,000 steps. So it pushes me to do even extra on top of regular workouts.
Finally, I talked myself into what was a very difficult workout for me. I got a bicycle this summer but rarely brought it out and when I did ride it, it wasn't far at all. On Wednesday, we went to dinner at my in-laws house and they live roughly 13 miles from our house. I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to get in a workout on Wednesday because we were super busy. So I decided that since I have to go to my in-laws anyway, why not bike there? My husband drove the car because I certainly was not going to bike 13 miles in the dark along a two lane highway. It took me an hour and fifteen minutes to go 13 miles and I was drenched when I got there. It was 90 degree with 90 percent humidity, so it was a big mental game with myself to keep at it. But I completed the ride, longest one I've done and I'd probably do it again!
I would put this down as a successful week and achieving my goal of really focusing on the GHGs. I haven't come up with a goal for this week. Perhaps it should be tracking my food accurately over Saturday and Sunday.
To end on another positive note - tonight is my last mentoring session as a Weight Watchers leader. Tonight I conduct the entire meeting myself, which I've gradually been taking over different parts these past few weeks. My territory manager will be there to observe and after that I am 100% on my own as a Weight Watcher leader! It feels great to achieve a goal I've worked towards for so long!
Next goal? Finish off these last 10 lbs.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
In Celebration of School Starting...
...this is my first year not in school...since I began as a 3 year old in preschool. Seriously. I've been in school for 22 years and this is the very first time I have no classes this fall. Sigh. I love school. Wish I would have been hired for the fall since I am a teacher and all.
I digress...
During the week I track my food on eTools, provided free of charge with a monthly pass membership to Weight Watchers. A very helpful new tool is the weekly progress reports (this is what reminded me of school, progress reports/report cards). A fellow weight loss blogger I follow blogs about her progress report each week and I have decided to follow suite. So thank you J.D.
So let's chat about my progress from August 15th through August 21st
KC, you gained 1.4lbs.
Screw You Progress Report!! Who asked you anyway!?!
Really, it's okay. My goal is to maintain throughout summer and I'm actually down 1.2lbs since the beginning of summer.
A trend I've seen all summer is Saturday and Sunday. See that Daily Target line? I'm constantly below on the weekends. Naturally, that is when we BBQ with friends or have graduation parties or baptisms or weddings, etc., etc. That's fine. That's why I'm really good Monday-Friday. Then it balances out on the weekends and I end up maintaining. Thursday you can see I was a bit over. You see, I had gone out for a "Ladies Night" at a local restaurant and well, margaritas were only $5. But you know what? I tracked it didn't I?
I like the ActivityPointsPlus value box in the lower right hand corner. I earned 2 APPV for that week. Ahh right, that's when I took my youngest beagle for a run while I rollerbladed. Yeah, definitely slacked on the activity last week. Although, that's not to say I didn't move around. I definitely got normal activity in, just no extra workout. I see that I need to get in more workouts. Quite honestly, since it had been so hot throughout the month of July (like 115 degree kinda hot), I've slacked. It's too hot to exercise outside and it's too hot to workout inside. Even with the air conditioner on, it was very warm in my loft which is where I have the PS3 that had my workout games on it. Excuses. I know. And I suffered the consequence.
Moving on...
Tracking Healthy Checks - these are the Good Health Guidelines that I truly am not great at fulling. But now that I have the Progress Report to show me where I lack and exceed I've become better. The smiley face indicates that I've had the recommended daily intake and the check mark indicates that I've had at least one serving.
The first health check is water or any liquid that is non-alcoholic. I'm quite terrible at getting in liquids but have definitely been working on drinking more water. At least 4 out of 7 days I had at least or more than 48 oz which is recommended. I'll say I passed.
Next is dairy. I will usually drink one 8oz glass of Smart Balance Fat Free Milk which equals one serving of dairy. Or I will eat one serving of Greek yogurt which is one serving of dairy. Rarely will I do both in the same day. Clearly, only 2 days did I get at least one of those. Fail.
Fruits and Veggies! This is an easy one for me. It's easier in the beginning of the week when I have just replenished my fresh fruit supply. I can eat fruits and veggies all day. The recommendation is 5 servings of either 1/2 cup for fruit and veggies or 1 cup of leafy greens. 3 out of 7 I exceeds and the other 3 I had at least one serving but less than five servings. Pass.
Multivitamin. Definitely passed that one. Every evening before bed I take a prenatal vitamin. Not because I want babies, but because I know they are packed with lots of vitamins. My outrageously long and strong nails will prove it!
Healthy Oils - The healthy oils are those such as olive, safflower, sunflower, flaxseed and canola and it's recommended to get 2 teaspoons a day, unless you are a nursing mom, then you should get 3. This is hard for me to figure out if I get my intake or not. I don't use any oil other than extra virgin olive oil and I rarely use it. However, thanks to the Progress Report, I definitely try. At least two days I had one serving and two days I had at least two servings. A for effort.
Activity - Finally we track activity. At least 30 minutes is recommended. If I don't get in a regular routine workout, I consider cleaning the house or some kind of movement like that part of my "activity" for the day. Whereas, if I'm feeling like lazy bones I won't check that box. And actually, Saturday should be checked because we were downtown all day walking around. So I pass. I'm rarely sedentary.
Summer is coming to an end and while I've maintained all summer, I'm tired of losing and gaining the same 5lbs. On Monday at my weigh-in the scale read 130.2lbs. That's fine with me, but I've still 10.2lbs until goal and I'm pack on plan to start losing.
This week I'm focused on getting at least one serving of dairy every day and also getting at least 48 oz of water, everyday. Yesterday was day one on the new progress report and just a sneak peek...I hit my daily recommendations for everything. It's a good start to the week!
I digress...
During the week I track my food on eTools, provided free of charge with a monthly pass membership to Weight Watchers. A very helpful new tool is the weekly progress reports (this is what reminded me of school, progress reports/report cards). A fellow weight loss blogger I follow blogs about her progress report each week and I have decided to follow suite. So thank you J.D.
So let's chat about my progress from August 15th through August 21st
KC, you gained 1.4lbs.
Screw You Progress Report!! Who asked you anyway!?!
Really, it's okay. My goal is to maintain throughout summer and I'm actually down 1.2lbs since the beginning of summer.
A trend I've seen all summer is Saturday and Sunday. See that Daily Target line? I'm constantly below on the weekends. Naturally, that is when we BBQ with friends or have graduation parties or baptisms or weddings, etc., etc. That's fine. That's why I'm really good Monday-Friday. Then it balances out on the weekends and I end up maintaining. Thursday you can see I was a bit over. You see, I had gone out for a "Ladies Night" at a local restaurant and well, margaritas were only $5. But you know what? I tracked it didn't I?
I like the ActivityPointsPlus value box in the lower right hand corner. I earned 2 APPV for that week. Ahh right, that's when I took my youngest beagle for a run while I rollerbladed. Yeah, definitely slacked on the activity last week. Although, that's not to say I didn't move around. I definitely got normal activity in, just no extra workout. I see that I need to get in more workouts. Quite honestly, since it had been so hot throughout the month of July (like 115 degree kinda hot), I've slacked. It's too hot to exercise outside and it's too hot to workout inside. Even with the air conditioner on, it was very warm in my loft which is where I have the PS3 that had my workout games on it. Excuses. I know. And I suffered the consequence.
Moving on...
Tracking Healthy Checks - these are the Good Health Guidelines that I truly am not great at fulling. But now that I have the Progress Report to show me where I lack and exceed I've become better. The smiley face indicates that I've had the recommended daily intake and the check mark indicates that I've had at least one serving.
The first health check is water or any liquid that is non-alcoholic. I'm quite terrible at getting in liquids but have definitely been working on drinking more water. At least 4 out of 7 days I had at least or more than 48 oz which is recommended. I'll say I passed.
Next is dairy. I will usually drink one 8oz glass of Smart Balance Fat Free Milk which equals one serving of dairy. Or I will eat one serving of Greek yogurt which is one serving of dairy. Rarely will I do both in the same day. Clearly, only 2 days did I get at least one of those. Fail.
Fruits and Veggies! This is an easy one for me. It's easier in the beginning of the week when I have just replenished my fresh fruit supply. I can eat fruits and veggies all day. The recommendation is 5 servings of either 1/2 cup for fruit and veggies or 1 cup of leafy greens. 3 out of 7 I exceeds and the other 3 I had at least one serving but less than five servings. Pass.
Multivitamin. Definitely passed that one. Every evening before bed I take a prenatal vitamin. Not because I want babies, but because I know they are packed with lots of vitamins. My outrageously long and strong nails will prove it!
Healthy Oils - The healthy oils are those such as olive, safflower, sunflower, flaxseed and canola and it's recommended to get 2 teaspoons a day, unless you are a nursing mom, then you should get 3. This is hard for me to figure out if I get my intake or not. I don't use any oil other than extra virgin olive oil and I rarely use it. However, thanks to the Progress Report, I definitely try. At least two days I had one serving and two days I had at least two servings. A for effort.
Activity - Finally we track activity. At least 30 minutes is recommended. If I don't get in a regular routine workout, I consider cleaning the house or some kind of movement like that part of my "activity" for the day. Whereas, if I'm feeling like lazy bones I won't check that box. And actually, Saturday should be checked because we were downtown all day walking around. So I pass. I'm rarely sedentary.
Summer is coming to an end and while I've maintained all summer, I'm tired of losing and gaining the same 5lbs. On Monday at my weigh-in the scale read 130.2lbs. That's fine with me, but I've still 10.2lbs until goal and I'm pack on plan to start losing.
This week I'm focused on getting at least one serving of dairy every day and also getting at least 48 oz of water, everyday. Yesterday was day one on the new progress report and just a sneak peek...I hit my daily recommendations for everything. It's a good start to the week!
Monday, August 1, 2011
A Typical Day in Food
I've been asked a few times, mainly by those who are not on Weight Watchers, to show what a typical day in food looks like for me. These non-WW members have a hard time seeing food as points plus like I do.
So, here is a day in the life of a 29 plus point Weight Watcher...
Breakfast...
That high protein breakfast kept me really full and satisfied until lunch. So for lunch I had one Hebrew National 97% FF Hot Dog (1), Chicago-style (all the veggies and mustard = 0) on a regular hot dog bun (4) with a crunchy Cheddar Twist side (3). 8 points plus for lunch, 12 to go!
I always can count on fresh fruits to stave off hunger pang in between meals. They are 0 points plus so it's a GREAT option! Still 12 to go!
Finally for dinner, I enjoyed 3 cheese ravioli's (6) with 1/4 cup vodka sauce (2), one piece of Lite Texas Toast Garlic Bread (3) and a side of Green Giant Just For One Broccoli and Cheese (1). 12 points plus! Perfect!
As for dessert, I go back to the fresh fruit but with a little something extra on top. Fat Free Cool Whip! Just a spoonful is enough to dip your berries and not cost any points plus.
So, there you have it. 29 points plus in a day!
So, here is a day in the life of a 29 plus point Weight Watcher...
Breakfast...
Most importantly, I start with coffee. I <3 coffee. I usually have one or two cups of black coffee. No cream and no sugar, making this 0 points plus! Great start to my day!
Then, on this particular day I made two poached eggs (4), one Pepperidge Farm Deli Flat with "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray (2), fresh strawberries and blueberries (0) and an ice cold glass of Smart Balance Milk (3). 9 points plus in all. 20 points plus left for the day!
I always can count on fresh fruits to stave off hunger pang in between meals. They are 0 points plus so it's a GREAT option! Still 12 to go!
Finally for dinner, I enjoyed 3 cheese ravioli's (6) with 1/4 cup vodka sauce (2), one piece of Lite Texas Toast Garlic Bread (3) and a side of Green Giant Just For One Broccoli and Cheese (1). 12 points plus! Perfect!
As for dessert, I go back to the fresh fruit but with a little something extra on top. Fat Free Cool Whip! Just a spoonful is enough to dip your berries and not cost any points plus.
So, there you have it. 29 points plus in a day!
Monday, July 25, 2011
I Can Always Rely on Monday
I love Monday. It's the start of a fresh week.
This is good when it comes to staying on track. Whatever mishaps were last week stay in last week. And believe me when I say last week had plenty of mishaps. Today when I woke up it was a clean slate.
The past few weekends have been non-stop action. Friday through Sunday; parties, BBQs, friends visiting, etc. This weekend we have no plans. None. This feels amazing. I, and the scale, will appreciate this come NEXT Monday at my weigh-in. However, the next month following this calm weekend, is booked solid. I need to better prepare myself for this.
I like being able to leave the previous week in the past. It really helps me, mentally, when it comes to my weight loss efforts. I don't dwell on everything I ate and drank yesterday because yesterday was last week. And today was great.
Meanwhile, here is a picture of my husband and I from last week, enjoying the 110 degree weather in his parent's pool.
Hopefully next week I'll be able to blog about a good weight loss and getting back to my lowest weight, which I'm about 5lbs from.
Oh, and this post about Monday reminds me of something I came up with about a month ago to one of my friends who was having a really crappy Monday. I said to her, "The best thing about Monday is that it only lasts 24 hours and doesn't come back for 72 hours more."
This is good when it comes to staying on track. Whatever mishaps were last week stay in last week. And believe me when I say last week had plenty of mishaps. Today when I woke up it was a clean slate.
The past few weekends have been non-stop action. Friday through Sunday; parties, BBQs, friends visiting, etc. This weekend we have no plans. None. This feels amazing. I, and the scale, will appreciate this come NEXT Monday at my weigh-in. However, the next month following this calm weekend, is booked solid. I need to better prepare myself for this.
I like being able to leave the previous week in the past. It really helps me, mentally, when it comes to my weight loss efforts. I don't dwell on everything I ate and drank yesterday because yesterday was last week. And today was great.Meanwhile, here is a picture of my husband and I from last week, enjoying the 110 degree weather in his parent's pool.
Hopefully next week I'll be able to blog about a good weight loss and getting back to my lowest weight, which I'm about 5lbs from.
Oh, and this post about Monday reminds me of something I came up with about a month ago to one of my friends who was having a really crappy Monday. I said to her, "The best thing about Monday is that it only lasts 24 hours and doesn't come back for 72 hours more."
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Trying New Things - Bikram Yoga
Summer is no doubt the hardest time for me to lose weight. I know I've mentioned that multiple times before. What, with all the BBQ's and perfect weather for margaritas. So long as I choose to partake in these events, which I do, I need to stay more active than usual. So I thought I'd try something new. Bikram Yoga.
There is a Bikram Yoga studio about a quarter mile from my house. They have this great deal, new students who sign up get 30 days of unlimited classes for $30. I figured I'd give it a try. At $17 a class, even if I only went twice I'd be saving money. I've gone five or six times already since June 28th when I signed up.
For those who aren't familiar, Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga) is a yoga series that was founded by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s. It contains 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises and is practiced in a heat room of 105 F (40.6 C) with 40% humidity. Each session lasts 90 minutes.
I was intrigued by this form of exercise for a few reasons. One, I don't typically practice yoga and I know it focuses on flexibility and balance, two things I've made a focal point to improve. Two, it is estimated that one burns between 500-1250 calories in the 90 minute session. There are calculators you can use, I used this calculator, to determine approximately how many calories you burn. For my weight, I burn around 890 calories in one session! I've been doing it about 3 times a week. Lastly, I was convinced I couldn't meditate but wanted to see if I could get to that state of mind. I can honestly say, when I am in my Bikram class, I focus on nothing but improving my postures and holding them as long and properly as possible. I was impressed with myself after even my first class, that I could twist in ways I didn't think I could.
I haven't abandoned my favorite exercise, Fit in Six. On the days I don't go to Bikram I either run outside or do my Fit in Six. I will admit, the week of the 4th of July I think I worked out maybe once, and in two weeks put on 3lbs. I was half expecting it and I'm actually about 5 lbs from my lowest weight. I know the holiday played a big part - I didn't track like I typically would and I had a lot of foods I typically wouldn't eat. I know though, now that I'm back on my regular schedule, that I should be able to get those extra 5 lbs off in a week or two. I'm to the point, where I am happy with how my body looks but I am still number obsessed. I will hit that 120lb mark, no doubt. I'm just not as in a huge rush as I thought I would be. I like how I look in shorts or a swim suit, for the first time in a long time.
So, Bikram Yoga is my "NEW" thing, for the month of July. Once my 30 days run out, I can't afford to spend $130/month to continue. Next month, I'll find something new. Any suggestions on what I could try?
There is a Bikram Yoga studio about a quarter mile from my house. They have this great deal, new students who sign up get 30 days of unlimited classes for $30. I figured I'd give it a try. At $17 a class, even if I only went twice I'd be saving money. I've gone five or six times already since June 28th when I signed up.
For those who aren't familiar, Bikram Yoga (Hot Yoga) is a yoga series that was founded by Bikram Choudhury in the 1970s. It contains 26 postures and 2 breathing exercises and is practiced in a heat room of 105 F (40.6 C) with 40% humidity. Each session lasts 90 minutes.
| My favorite pose |
I haven't abandoned my favorite exercise, Fit in Six. On the days I don't go to Bikram I either run outside or do my Fit in Six. I will admit, the week of the 4th of July I think I worked out maybe once, and in two weeks put on 3lbs. I was half expecting it and I'm actually about 5 lbs from my lowest weight. I know the holiday played a big part - I didn't track like I typically would and I had a lot of foods I typically wouldn't eat. I know though, now that I'm back on my regular schedule, that I should be able to get those extra 5 lbs off in a week or two. I'm to the point, where I am happy with how my body looks but I am still number obsessed. I will hit that 120lb mark, no doubt. I'm just not as in a huge rush as I thought I would be. I like how I look in shorts or a swim suit, for the first time in a long time.
So, Bikram Yoga is my "NEW" thing, for the month of July. Once my 30 days run out, I can't afford to spend $130/month to continue. Next month, I'll find something new. Any suggestions on what I could try?
 |
| All 26 postures done in the 90 minutes |
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Personal Values
This past weekend, I spent my time at a Weight Watcher leader training workshop, BLS or Basic Leader Skills. This BLS workshop is a 3 day, 2 night, pass or fail class that brings you into the final step of becoming a leader for Weight Watchers. I'm happy to report that I passed and will begin now my 4 weeks of Leader Mentoring.
There is no doubt that in those 3 days I learned more about what this company stands for than ever. I am confident to be representing a company that cares so deeply about their members. As we learned, the meeting isn't about us as leaders, it's about the members connecting with each other. We are simply facilitators.
There are two things that I learned this weekend that really spoke to me, and therefore, I'd like to share for food for thought.
The first thing -
Out of the 30 trainees at this workshop, not one of us lost the same amount of weight. I believe it ranged from 15-150lbs. Between the 30 of us, they did mention we lost a total of over 1,700lbs. Pretty impressive! A few trainees brought up the issue regarding those who have lost a smaller amount of weight, say 15-25lbs. How do you react when members have the attitude "Well, (s)he ONLY had 20 lbs to lose. How could they POSSIBLY understand what I am going through when I have 100lbs to lose?" Before this training, I had the same attitude, sort of. I kind of felt like they had an easier time because they didn't have 70lbs to lose like I did so they didn't have to struggle as much. The insight we all gained, was NEVER just say ONLY 25lbs or ONLY 15lbs. They posed this question to the group, "How many of you joined Weight Watchers because your pants didn't fit how you wanted them too?" I'm sure you can guess, we all raised our hands. That put it into perspective. Regardless of how much weight we had to lose, we all encountered the same feelings of disgust with our bodies, uncomfortable feelings in our clothes, etc. The feelings were what someone who had 25lbs to lose could relate to the person who had 100lbs to lose. And the success of hitting achieves, like starting to exercise or losing your first five pounds, they all relate the same feelings. It was all very deep, at least for me.
The second thing I learned that really stuck with me, were personal values. It is not a surprise to anyone, I like to "toot my own horn." I've worked extremely hard and everyone deserves to "toot their own horn." However, the more you make this a lifestyle, the more you begin to think you are an expert. The more you push your personal values on others, but state them more as FACT inside of VALUE. We learned that what is so great with this program is we can all come together looking for the same outcome (weight loss) but the road map during that journey is completely different for all of us. The example they offered what when they asked "How many of you exercised to lose weight along with this program?" Some of us raised our hands...not I. Showing us that although not all of us took the road of an exercise routine right away if at all, we all meet at the same destination. So to tell someone, "You HAVE to workout if you ever want to be thin" is simply a personal value. It is not a fact. I lost the first 50lbs or so without lifting a finger, I chose to begin working out on my own. Not because someone told me I had to. We are so quick to say things we do or believe in as a fact, when IN FACT, they are likely a personal value. I am going to try to be conscious of this in my everyday life when talking to friends and family about whatever topic. I know I tend to push personal values rather than offer suggestions.
Moving on...
I wanted to share that I tried something new today with a friend. I tried Bikram Yoga. For those that don't know what it is, it is a Yoga class set in a room that is 105 degrees and is 90 minutes long. Throughout the 90 minutes you complete 26 poses. Let me tell you, 105 degrees is HOT. I was soaked head to toe. I was proud that I made it through the 90 minutes, completing each pose. My balance as improved a great amount throughout this journey and although I'm wobbly at times I recovered nicely. I am looking forward to going back and getting stronger. I have an unlimited amount of classes for the next 30 days. While I am completing those classes I will start thinking of something new I can try next month! Have you tried anything new lately? If you haven't, what would you like to try that is new and how can you go about doing it?
There is no doubt that in those 3 days I learned more about what this company stands for than ever. I am confident to be representing a company that cares so deeply about their members. As we learned, the meeting isn't about us as leaders, it's about the members connecting with each other. We are simply facilitators.
There are two things that I learned this weekend that really spoke to me, and therefore, I'd like to share for food for thought.
The first thing -
Out of the 30 trainees at this workshop, not one of us lost the same amount of weight. I believe it ranged from 15-150lbs. Between the 30 of us, they did mention we lost a total of over 1,700lbs. Pretty impressive! A few trainees brought up the issue regarding those who have lost a smaller amount of weight, say 15-25lbs. How do you react when members have the attitude "Well, (s)he ONLY had 20 lbs to lose. How could they POSSIBLY understand what I am going through when I have 100lbs to lose?" Before this training, I had the same attitude, sort of. I kind of felt like they had an easier time because they didn't have 70lbs to lose like I did so they didn't have to struggle as much. The insight we all gained, was NEVER just say ONLY 25lbs or ONLY 15lbs. They posed this question to the group, "How many of you joined Weight Watchers because your pants didn't fit how you wanted them too?" I'm sure you can guess, we all raised our hands. That put it into perspective. Regardless of how much weight we had to lose, we all encountered the same feelings of disgust with our bodies, uncomfortable feelings in our clothes, etc. The feelings were what someone who had 25lbs to lose could relate to the person who had 100lbs to lose. And the success of hitting achieves, like starting to exercise or losing your first five pounds, they all relate the same feelings. It was all very deep, at least for me.
The second thing I learned that really stuck with me, were personal values. It is not a surprise to anyone, I like to "toot my own horn." I've worked extremely hard and everyone deserves to "toot their own horn." However, the more you make this a lifestyle, the more you begin to think you are an expert. The more you push your personal values on others, but state them more as FACT inside of VALUE. We learned that what is so great with this program is we can all come together looking for the same outcome (weight loss) but the road map during that journey is completely different for all of us. The example they offered what when they asked "How many of you exercised to lose weight along with this program?" Some of us raised our hands...not I. Showing us that although not all of us took the road of an exercise routine right away if at all, we all meet at the same destination. So to tell someone, "You HAVE to workout if you ever want to be thin" is simply a personal value. It is not a fact. I lost the first 50lbs or so without lifting a finger, I chose to begin working out on my own. Not because someone told me I had to. We are so quick to say things we do or believe in as a fact, when IN FACT, they are likely a personal value. I am going to try to be conscious of this in my everyday life when talking to friends and family about whatever topic. I know I tend to push personal values rather than offer suggestions.
Moving on...
I wanted to share that I tried something new today with a friend. I tried Bikram Yoga. For those that don't know what it is, it is a Yoga class set in a room that is 105 degrees and is 90 minutes long. Throughout the 90 minutes you complete 26 poses. Let me tell you, 105 degrees is HOT. I was soaked head to toe. I was proud that I made it through the 90 minutes, completing each pose. My balance as improved a great amount throughout this journey and although I'm wobbly at times I recovered nicely. I am looking forward to going back and getting stronger. I have an unlimited amount of classes for the next 30 days. While I am completing those classes I will start thinking of something new I can try next month! Have you tried anything new lately? If you haven't, what would you like to try that is new and how can you go about doing it?
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Size Matters
Just a quick post.
I wanted to share that I found my largest pair of jeans I fit into, size 13/14. I found these while going through bins of old clothing for Goodwill this morning. I will not give these jeans away. These are my "DO NOT EVER FIT INTO THESE JEANS AGAIN" jeans.
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| Left: Size 13/14 Right: Size 1/2 |
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| You can really see the difference when they lay on top of each other. The jeans I compare them to are my current (and smallest pair) jeans. |
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Bustin' Through
Finally, after months of battling a plateau, I've lost over 60 lbs. Last night at my weigh-in, I was shocked to see 126.2lbs after weighing in last week at 131lbs. I lost 4.8lbs. It was amazing. I've officially lost 61.8lbs total and now I am contemplating changing my goal weight from 120lbs to 118lbs for a solid total of 70lbs. I will have to get some updated pictures. We have been having camera trouble lately, but I'll work on that.
One thing that I have changed is my working out. As I've mentioned in earlier posts, I rarely worked out throughout this whole process. 90% of my weight loss has come from changing my eating habits. Now that I am thin, I want to be toned. The only way to tone is to workout. At first, I became obsessive over working out for long periods at a time. I worked out for 2 weeks straight anywhere from 60-120 minutes a day. Both weeks, I gained on the scale. So I thought I'd take a week off. I tried that for about two days and started to feel soft and squishy so I changed my workout habit to a little bit everyday.
This workout focuses on 6 basic elements: Cardio, Balance, Upper Body Strength, Lower Body Strength, Core Strength and Flexibility. Every workout is broken down into each of these elements.
"Fit in Six workouts are individually tailored, and can be expanded through a wide range of included and downloadable workouts, keeping you involved and motivated. The workouts have been developed by experienced fitness professionals, to ensure that every move is performed precisely and effectively. You will always know you are on track thanks to clearly explained verbal and visual responses, combined with synchronized animations and music to the beat – you can even use your own tunes. Observe and track your progress with fun and motivating statistics. "
I love that I can track my statistics. It tracks every workout, what elements I did, how long I did the workout and any goals I reached. Today, I worked on Lower Body Strength and Core Strength. I reached the fitness goal that was set for me and tomorrow I will start my goal that focuses on Flexibility and Upper Body Strength. It takes sometimes just one day to reach a goal or other times, two or three days, depending on the intensity you are at. The longer you do the program the harder it is to reach goals as your goals are increased.
I love the Pilates workouts. Flexibility is a big goal of mine. You can see in the bottom left hand corner, there is a countdown clock. That is a feature I love. It helps me keep going when I'm getting tired. Whereas, I may quit otherwise, having the clock allows me to tell myself "Okay, only 10 more minutes, I can do this!"
I do a TON of kickboxing. It's my favorite form of cardio since working out with this program. It really helps with my balance when performing kicks and learning how to Jab and Uppercut really has helped ton my arms.
At any rate - I thought I would write a little on how my workout habits have evolved since losing weight. I absolutely love working out to this program. Even if I choose to run outside for my cardio exercise, I'll come in and work on some flexibility exercised with this. It's really versatile and I high recommend it. I've posted the game trailer so you can see it in real time.
Friday, June 17, 2011
It's a Real Mind Game
Gosh, it's been about two weeks since my last post. I have been trying to come up with topics to write about, but my mind has been blank. Perhaps it is because I am struggling with a plateau currently so I don't feel like I would have anything "wise" to contribute to this blog and didn't want to sound like a downer.
I've always known that losing weight was more of a mind game than anything, but that has really come to life for me in the past few months as I've bounced between 129 lbs and 131 lbs for so long now. I am scale obsessed. Along with a scale obsession comes number obsession. Honestly, I don't care how I look or feel, if I see I'm in the 130's I freak out. I do not want to be more than 10 lbs from my goal. Ironically, however, the closer I get to my goal, the cockier I become with food and drinks. Thinking to myself, "I'm in the 120's now so I can have that extra drink" or "I've been doing this for so long that one day of tracking won't mess me up." But it does. I am also now strict with working out daily and if I don't get some form of exercise in, I feel soft and will be disappointed. I suppose this is all because I just want to hit my goal so badly, and I suspect it will subside once I hit my goal. I'd much rather bounce between 118 lbs and 125 lbs than 129 lbs and 131 lbs.
Last Saturday morning, before my Graduation party, I weighed myself. I nearly passed out when I saw 126.1 lbs. That was 4.9lbs less than I weighed in at on that Monday! No way! 5 lbs in one week is amazing and just what I needed. As the weekend carried on, I drank a bit at my Graduation party, didn't eat much but had about 5 s'mores that evening. I was really bummed about the weather and the next day I went to a friends' house for a Pampered Chef party and emotionally ate and drank all day because it was a perfect day and I felt I had to "make up" for the crappy weather the day before. At my weigh in on Monday, the number was exactly the same as it was the week prior. Here is where the mind games come it. If I hadn't weighed myself on Saturday I would have been thrilled that I maintained over the busy social weekend. But, instead of being happy I didn't gain I was depressed because I could have been down 5 lbs if I would have had a normal weekend sans parties. So I've been struggling with that thought all week. This week, I made my darling husband (DH as we say in WW) hide my scale. As long as I weigh in the same or less than last week I'll be okay because I can't compare it to another number that I saw this week. Weighing myself daily is not good for me. Once I hit goal, I think it will be okay but for now I'm so obsessed with the number and hitting goal that weighing daily isn't a great thing.
Keeping it a mind game, in conversation this week with a friend, they mentioned that someone else had made a comment about how much I talk about Weight Watchers or food or what-have-you. In my defense, the friend commented that you can truly see that I talk about it because it is a big part of my life. And she's right. I have struggled with talking about my journey. I want to talk about it because I have accomplished a lot but on the same hand, I don't want to bore people or make people feel I'm conceited or whatever. After hearing her defense, I feel she was totally right. In the same way people talk about their kids or pets or whatever it is that is a huge part of their life, that's how my journey is to me. It's my baby. We've had our ups and we've had our downs. There is a lot to talk about and advice to give and take and emotions to sort out. The same as it is with any other kind of a relationship. It just happens to be one of the biggest parts of my life. So don't ever let anyone make you feel uncomfortable when you talk about some so important to you.
It's been a rough week. I'm struggling with finding a job, I've only had one interview and I never heard back. I'm struggling with hitting goal. Yesterday at the dinner table I just started crying for no reason. No trigger. Nothing. Just started to cry. Every once in a while I just need a good cry and then I'm fine.
I don't know what to expect at my weigh-in on Monday. I'm hoping I stay the same. It's been a week of pizza two nights in a row and drinks with friends two nights in a row. And the weekend hasn't even approached yet.
Monday will be a fresh start. To a great week.
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| I thought this was entertaining....I wonder where I'd land. |
Last Saturday morning, before my Graduation party, I weighed myself. I nearly passed out when I saw 126.1 lbs. That was 4.9lbs less than I weighed in at on that Monday! No way! 5 lbs in one week is amazing and just what I needed. As the weekend carried on, I drank a bit at my Graduation party, didn't eat much but had about 5 s'mores that evening. I was really bummed about the weather and the next day I went to a friends' house for a Pampered Chef party and emotionally ate and drank all day because it was a perfect day and I felt I had to "make up" for the crappy weather the day before. At my weigh in on Monday, the number was exactly the same as it was the week prior. Here is where the mind games come it. If I hadn't weighed myself on Saturday I would have been thrilled that I maintained over the busy social weekend. But, instead of being happy I didn't gain I was depressed because I could have been down 5 lbs if I would have had a normal weekend sans parties. So I've been struggling with that thought all week. This week, I made my darling husband (DH as we say in WW) hide my scale. As long as I weigh in the same or less than last week I'll be okay because I can't compare it to another number that I saw this week. Weighing myself daily is not good for me. Once I hit goal, I think it will be okay but for now I'm so obsessed with the number and hitting goal that weighing daily isn't a great thing.
Keeping it a mind game, in conversation this week with a friend, they mentioned that someone else had made a comment about how much I talk about Weight Watchers or food or what-have-you. In my defense, the friend commented that you can truly see that I talk about it because it is a big part of my life. And she's right. I have struggled with talking about my journey. I want to talk about it because I have accomplished a lot but on the same hand, I don't want to bore people or make people feel I'm conceited or whatever. After hearing her defense, I feel she was totally right. In the same way people talk about their kids or pets or whatever it is that is a huge part of their life, that's how my journey is to me. It's my baby. We've had our ups and we've had our downs. There is a lot to talk about and advice to give and take and emotions to sort out. The same as it is with any other kind of a relationship. It just happens to be one of the biggest parts of my life. So don't ever let anyone make you feel uncomfortable when you talk about some so important to you.
It's been a rough week. I'm struggling with finding a job, I've only had one interview and I never heard back. I'm struggling with hitting goal. Yesterday at the dinner table I just started crying for no reason. No trigger. Nothing. Just started to cry. Every once in a while I just need a good cry and then I'm fine.
I don't know what to expect at my weigh-in on Monday. I'm hoping I stay the same. It's been a week of pizza two nights in a row and drinks with friends two nights in a row. And the weekend hasn't even approached yet.
Monday will be a fresh start. To a great week.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Tortoise Vs. Hare
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| Which character have you emulated during your weight loss journey? I am far more like the tortoise. I was reviewing my weight loss numbers throughout the 15 months I've been doing Weight Watchers. Unlike a lot of others, I find it much more difficult to shed the extra weight in the summertime. Winter for me, is easy to lose weight. My table chart of weigh-ins reflect this pattern. This intimidates me a bit for the summer is now steadily approaching. I thought I would share my rate of weight loss so that if anyone reading is having a tough time with their rate, please know, you aren't alone. So let's just review... I joined Feb 8, 2010 at 188lbs Feb 8 - Feb 22: -5.6 lbs (2 weeks) Feb 22 - Mar 15: -12.6 lbs (hit 5% week before Mar 15) (3 weeks for another 5lbs) Mar 15 - Mar 29: -15 lbs ( 2 weeks for 5lbs) Mar 29 - Apr 19: -20.4 lbs (3 weeks for 5 more lbs) Apr 19 - May 31: -27 lbs (6 weeks for 5 more lbs) May 31 - June 21: - 30.6lbs (3 weeks, 5lbs) This is where it gets scary... June 21 - Oct 4: - 37.4lbs (15 weeks for 5lbs!!!! SUMMER!!) Oct 4 - Oct 25: -41.2lbs (3 weeks for 5 lbs. Back to normal) Oct 25 - Dec 6: -45.2lbs (6 weeks = 5 lbs. Holiday time) Dec 6 - Jan 17: -50.8 (6 weeks = 5lbs. Over Christmas AND my birthday...not too bad) Jan 17 - Mar 14: -55.6lbs (8 weeks = 5lbs) Mar 14 - Today: - 58.6 lbs. (11 weeks and counting...) See this pattern?? Eeeek! Of course, the more you have to lose the faster you lose it. "The last 10 lbs are the hardest," yadda yadda. After thinking about it, I'm really okay with the pace at which I've been losing. I do know some who lost 50+ lbs in under a year but I have to admit I did not start seriously working out until about 3 weeks ago. That could have an effect on my rate of loss. I have 8.6 lbs more to lose and I'd really like to see that before summers' end. It's possible. It's definitely possible. I guess my point is... It doesn't matter which character you decide to portray, as long as you finish the race...right? I did not get into this journey expecting to see physical changes in the first few weeks...months even. I did not set a deadline for myself because in the case I didn't meet that deadline, I did not want to give up entirely. I'm taking this as a marathon, not a sprint. And the best part is...I think I see the finish line, there in the close distance. |
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