Don't worry mom..

My parents visited this weekend, and as I was getting ready to head out the door for my C25K jog, my mom asked "you aren't losing any more weight are you?" I know she is my mom and worries, but really, exercise should be a part of everyone's lifestyle, not just a way to lose weight. I told her- don't worry I eat PLENTY (probably more than I should; I've definitely gone off WW portions!) Right now if I wasn't exercising enough I would probably gain a ton of weight back, and I might have already gained some, I really have no idea.

Speaking of C25K, I actually went ahead and started week 4, even though I thought I might need to repeat week 3! Week 4 is 3 min jog, 1.5 min walk, 5 min jog, 2.5 min walk- and repeat. I guess jogging will continue to get easier, but I still just can't see myself ever enjoying it or wanting to jog more than a 3k max. Stranger things have happened though. Like, the pain in my tendons around my knees went away! I'm really glad about that b/c I thought I might have to give up the program when it wasn't going away the 1st couple of times I wore my new shoes.

So that is what's going on with me. M will be out of town on Friday, so I am not sure how I'm going to fit in the scheduled run. I might have to extend my morning break and shorten my lunch, b/c it will be too stinkin' hot to wait until midday!

Adding a progress bar

I was able to make it through day one of Week 3. It's amazing how long 3 minutes can feel! I'll add in a progress bar to the side to track my C25k workouts so I don't necessarily need to write a short boring post about it every 2 days :-p

Am I Vain?

well yes, I think all humans are to a degree, but in particular, am I really vain for wanting to get a bunch of pictures taken of myself b/c I feel like when I look in the mirror all I see are the same old flaws? Pictures are a little different, it's like you can be a little less objective and see what others see when you look at a photo. Like a couple of pictures that I was accidentally in from Emily's bday party, I was like, ooh, that shirt does look good on me; my arms are kinda toned; etc etc. I really want to get to the point where I appreciate how I am looking and feeling now, b/c despite my best efforts maybe it won't last and I'll have wasted this time looking past my accomplishments and zeroing in on all the flaws.

So anyway, that is what is going on in my head. As for my exercising; I officially completed week 2 of C25K last night, but I'll have to check what the next level is, to see if I need to repeat it before moving on. Unfortunately though, even with new shoes, I am feeling some pain in my knee area. It's weird b/c where it hurts is like the sides of my legs extending a few inches above and below my knees. So I guess it is the tendons connecting my knees to the top and bottom bones of my leg? On a happier note though, I am going to be rocking it during all my exercising soon b/c my IPOD and armband both just shipped out today- wooohoooo! When I first ordered the expected arrival time was like 2 to 3 weeks away and I was totally bummed, so I am glad that it is not going to take that long.

Oh and I am about to order a 2 piece swim suit for the first time ever (other than tankinis that I have had)

new shoes and plugging right along

I finally got some new running shoes yesterday. It has probably been at least 6 years since I bought actual running shoes, so I guess it was time! Kohl's was having a sale, as always (I swear you need to re-evaluate your life if you ever pay for something full price there!) plus I had a 15% off coupon so I was able to stay under my budget of $40 max while still getting a name brand shoe. The absolute cheapest shoes of course weren't available in my ridiculously big size *sigh*.

I was also able to find a route by work that is relatively flat- not huge hills like the greenways at least- and also isn't crossing too many intersections and business driveways. Which means I completed day 2 of week 2 on C25K! How in the world can 90 seconds feel like sooo long though!? and how in the world will I be able to run further when that seems so bad?

It might be a struggle to get my next scheduled run in on Sunday since we will be busy all day plus it's maybe supposed to rain. We shall see!

Week One: Check!

I completed week one of C25K successfully last night. I'm going to attempt to move on to week 2 and see how that goes, but fully accept that I may not be ready for that yet. I think a big thing I need to do is get new shoes though- like STAT! I am wearing shoes that are 10 years old...granted I have had them sitting in my closet for several years, but they are really not cut out for giving me the kind of comfort and support I need for first time running. I have already decided to get a new Ipod (my first ever BTW!) so there really isn't any cash to be spared, but I guess we'll just have to suck it up!

Success!

I finally got everything right last night on my walk/jog! I found a relatively flat route, had my MP3 player working so I didn't need to think about when to stop and start and was able to complete the cycle for real. It's kind of annoying though, that the man said "you should be feeling the effects of the running now, but not be out of breath or tired" Excuse me, but not jogging in over 10 years I think gives me the right to feel out of breath and tired!
So that will officially be day 1, and I just need to find the time and place to jog again!

Oh and I tried for about 3 sec to jog on the treadmill on Wed, but it totally freaked me out and I couldn't do it :-p

Day 2 (ish)

I technically finished day 2 out of 3 on week one of C25K. However, on day one, I thought I was supposed to walk 2 min/jog 1 min, but it's really walk 1.5 min/jog one. Plus, I have been having MP3 issues, and have had to use my phone to time myself. It's really hard to try and jog or even walk when you are looking at your phone every 5 sec! So I am thinking that I might just have to start with day one again tomorrow- assuming everything is working for me by then!

Also, I probably need more time at this level anyway, b/c yesterday when I approached even the slightest elevation, I was probably "jogging" at about the same pace as I walk (when I am doing my fast walking). Yuck! I would just relegate C25K to the treadmill at the gym, except that something about it really throws off my equilibrium and I have seriously almost fallen off the thing just walking before (more than once actually)!

So that is where I am with C25K; poised to start day 3 (or 1- ha!) of Week 1 tomorrow. As for the rest of the day, I think I'll take a long walk to Harris Teeter to buy a gallon of milk, maybe a coffee from Caribou and also mail some yucky bills at a box along the way! Everyone enjoy this beautiful day!

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my momma, except she is having some health issues right now and will be going to a Dr appt to hopefully diagnose the problem. Prayers from everyone that it's nothing serious :(

5K

There is a 5k taking place basically right outside my door in a few weeks. Since I am semi-doing the couch to 5k program I decided to get a baseline to gauge my progress. So I took the route map for the upcoming race and walked the 5k this morning. It took me 45 minutes. I think less than 15 minutes per mile is quite brisk! So there is my starting point, and even though I'm not necessarily going to get to the point where I'll run a whole 5k, it will be interesting to see what kind of progress I can make in a few weeks.
So far today I have 9800 steps and I hope to get a couple thousand more by pulling Emily to and from the park in her wagon...and then to get a frozen coffee drink :-p

Hello? Anyone out there?

I kind of doubt it, and don't blame you. It's been 3 months since my last post, crazy!

I'm hanging in there and despite not being an active participant in WW, have gotten below my goal weight! Still not as toned as I would like to be, but I have all kinds of time to work on that as long as I can continue with a more healthy lifestyle to stay at the same weight.

I've been walking a lot more lately and I've actually worn a hole in the "air pod" in one of my Reebok Easytones, and the other foot is probably not behind. Everytime I take a step there is a "whoosh" sound. I find this development pretty annoying, considering the price and only having had them 3.5 mo. I guess it won't hurt to check for some sort of warranty, but I'm not getting my hopes up.

A new pedometer based competition at work has made me "step up" my game- har har. Luckily the weather has been gorgeous the last couple of weeks so I have been taking my entire lunch break to walk about 3.5 to 4 miles! Now I'm thinking that the only way to increase my steps any more is to jog....I am NOT a jogger (I refuse to call what I do running b/c it's so slow) but I can't add time to my day, so I'll just have to try and get more steps in in the same amount of time that I have now. So.... I started my first day of Couch to 5k today! I'm not sure I will finish out the program, but I would at least like be able to a jog/walk combo on my breaks to increase the distance to 5ish miles.

So, with this new jogging routine, I was thinking about buying new shoes anyway, since the Easytones are designed more for walking. Still sucks that they didn't last longer though!

Looks like another beautiful week ahead, so wish me luck in my endeavors! I'll make it a point to keep up with my C25K progress on here, so at least that will guarantee frequent posts for the next several weeks (assuming I continue with it that long!)

Hoping there is some truth in advertising!

This week I was finally able to start using one of my Christmas presents! Who has seen the Reebok commercial with the woman that has the toned legs and butt that I could only DREAM of having? Well, I saw it back in November, and since I couldn't get them for my birthday present I decided to see if I could add some EasyTones to the old Christmas list. If you haven't heard of them at all, here is a description from one of the shoe websites:

"The Reebok EasyTone Reeinspire is designed to help give definition to your legs and butt. Simply walk and let the balance pods under your shoe do the rest. The slight instability created by the pods feels similar to walking on sand and forces your muscles to work a little harder, toning you up as you strut your stuff. The EasyTone™ technology improves muscle tone in the hamstrings, calves and glutes up to 28% – not bad considering all you have to do is walk around as usual."

I figured this would be a good option for me in the quest to tone up, since my main source of exercise other than weight machines is walking. After 3 walks I obviously can't say they are "working", but they did make my knee feel better after I literally thought I had fractured my knee cap on Sunday! So why not try to get a little extra oomph out of something I am already doing, especially when I can get momma to pick up the bill :)

As far as keeping up with my weight-loss, yet again, all I can say is that my pants still fit! I also ordered 2 new dresses online in a SINGLE DIGIT SIZE and they fit too! whoa- didn't know that was possible after being in the doubles for....forever. That is another reason I need to step up the toning effort in my legs especially. These dresses, while not indecent or anything, are way WAY shorter than I have worn for years. Luckily I have a couple more years until I am OVER 30 (you're not over 30 until you are 31, right? :p) so I figure I need to take advantage of still being "allowed" to wear short things according to 'the rules'.

I've also finally gone through my Cooking Light magazines from the last year and compiled a bunch of recipes that I hope to start trying out. We need some variety in our meals, and they need to be healthy, so if I try some that we really like I'll definitely share! It's a little disappointing to see that they can't make all their yummy desserts good for me though :-p

Fashion show, fashion show, fashion show at lunch!

(name that TV show :-p)

I'll get to the fashion show in a minute, but first I want to do an update of sorts. I ate lots, exercised little, and have no idea how much I currently weigh due to the lack of a scale- but... My pants still seem to fit, so I'll call the Holidays a success (well there is still one more to go though isn't there...)

Today I went to the mall to spend a gift card and went in not really knowing what I wanted (possibly perfume, dinnerware to match my new holiday settings, or maybe a few accessories like belts etc), but I got sucked in by the clothes and never looked back!

Which brings me to the fashion show. Since I was running out of time, I didn't see the complete outfit all put together, so I went to the bathroom at work and tried them on again to get an idea. Then I realized that I said I would put some real pictures on the blog, so I took a couple of (blurry, sorry) photos!

So even though I spent 3X what the GC was actually for, I am happy with the results! I did get one other little shrug type cardigan that isn't pictured here, and I'll probably have to buy a little belt to go with it- It's cute, hopefully my vision will pan out!

So without further ado- some "real" after pics!

I have a sickness

I am not trying to be cute or exaggerating when I say I honestly think I have some mental illness when it comes to sugar/dessert. It probably has always been like that, but I am noticing it more lately with the holidays and trying to maintain this weight loss. If I am around dessert I CAN NOT STOP EATING. I swear, it is like some obsessive compulsive order- I don't lock and unlock the door five times, but I have to have just one more bite, one more cookie, one more lick. It is maddening.

Finally on Friday when I was making cookies and I had already licked myself sick on icing, I put some gum in my mouth as was suggested a while ago. It worked for a while, but eventually, I got an especially delicious glob of white chocolate on my finger and took that gum right out of my mouth, licked it off, and stuck the gum right back in. (disclaimer- I do wash my hands, etc after these tastes, so don't think you are getting all my germs if you are so lucky to receive baked goods this year!)

And just now, I innocently went past the break room and happened to peek in to see a Christmas tin sitting out. Some delicious chocolate cookies and caramel bark were in it. So I take one cookie and one piece of bark and walk out. But shoot, I forgot that I will need my water now that I was eating something, so I went back into the fridge to get my water and had to get another cookie. A physical need for another cookie. It's a sickness, I know it is, and it is making me even more desperate b.c I don't want to undo all the positive steps since May. I'm enjoying the season, but I am ready for Christmas and New Years to just be over already b/c it's just so hard :(

Not sure what I am looking for with this post, but there is the whole ugly truth!

Confessions and What I See

Confession time first.

I have been miserable at keeping track of my eating this week! I don't think I have written anything down since Tuesday at lunch. I could probably try and go back to fill it in, but I don't even remember what I wore yesterday, much less every little thing I ate 3 days ago! Oh well. I haven't been horrible though, I do know that (that comes in two days when I have multiple parties to go to over the weekend!)

Another confession- Even though I have been able to make it to the gym several times a week lately, I am still not working on one of my major trouble spots; the post-beingoverweightfor20yearsandhavingababy-belly pouch. Now I am not delusional enough to think that I will ever ever ever have a flat stomach (until I save up enough $$ for a tummy tuck of course, so...never) but I feel like it HAS to get better than this right? But what am I doing about it? Mostly just letting myself get down over my ruined body and watching TV instead of getting on the floor and doing some crunches.

This brings me to the other topic for the post. What I see when I look in the mirror.

Apparently other people (coworkers) see someone who is about to "blow away" b/c they are so skinny and are telling me I need to stop losing weight b/c I'm too small. Granted, I've lost weight and have some thin areas, but what I see is the aforementioned belly pouch and jiggly cellulite- infused thighs. It's not like I want to settle with what I have and stop working at being healthy, but why can't I also be more satisfied with the results so far and not beat myself up that I'm still just a big old mess! Ugh- body image can be a pretty ugly thing sometimes!

Weekend Roundup

I think I need to go all the way back to Thursday, so here goes;
Thur: 24 pts
Fri: 27 pts
Sat: 29 ish pts (1 activity pt gained)
Sun: 27 ish pts

From Friday on, things got a little hazy. During the week, I can sit at my desk and basically plan out the whole day's points. On the weekend, I may not know what I am going to eat when, and generally just don't bother to write things down. Also, I made cookies on Saturday and Michael made a big breakfast of fried potatoes, bacon and eggs on Sunday- so that increased my total. I will say that I am 99.9% positive that I did not use all my extra points for the week, so overall I would call it a success.

I am going to try to stick to my points for one more week, and then for the rest of the Holiday season I'll just try my best to make smart choices on types and portions of food!

New Pic

I just put a new pic up over in the side bar. It's pretty bad since I took it myself with the timer and no really good surface to put the camera on! Oh well, maybe one of these days I'll do a full picture with some of my new clothes on!
Oh and today's total was 23 pts and 1 activity pt gained!

Back to Basics

Not surprisingly, last week was one of excess. Lots of food but unfortunately, not lots of exercise. I had worked out last on Tuesday and then not again until a couple of days ago on Monday (other than one short walk after Thanksgiving dinner).

I don't know how much I weighed going into the week, since I am no longer weighing in at WW, and I probably won't know how much I weigh after for a while, since we don't own a scale! But I know that I need to get recommitted to a healthier lifestyle leading up to the difficult Christmas celebrations.

So I am going back to basics and started tracking food and points this week (started Mon) and will post them here to keep myself accountable! At my current weight I am allowed 23 pts per day plus the extra 35 per week. I'll also be able to accumulate activity points by going to the gym or taking walks on days when it isn't as nasty as today!
Here is the break-down so far:
Monday: 23 pts plus I earned 1 activity point
Tuesday: 30 pts plus earned 1 activity pt (freaking moe's! I was doing well until Michael insisted on going there for dinner)
Wed: .... will update later!

ahhh backslide already

When I weighed in at WW last Thursday, I had gained 1.6 lbs (!) so technically I am over my goal weight- oops. But it's by less than 1/2 a pound. Not fun to gain like that, but I don't really find it that big of a deal at this point. It was my birthday week and I had fun with that and a GTG the night before. Since last week was my final week of WW and we don't have a scale at home, I guess I'll just have to rely on the fit of my new tight pants to keep me in check! I can't let myself outgrow a new wardrobe.. (which I had lots of fun picking out by the way- yay for new clothes!)

I am still doing well with making it to the gym considering the extreme constraints with my schedule- I've probably averaged about 3 x a week. I think I can see some differences in the tone of my arms but it is weird that I don't feel any stronger. Like today, I was just really sapped of energy or something, b/c I was having problems doing the same weight/rep amounts that I have done since the start. I also wish my legs were moving along a little faster. It is so annoying to be bony in some places but then have tons of fat and dimples in my thighs and belly.

Just like everyone else, this week is going to be about some major self discipline and willpower! I found this recipe for pumpkin pie and hope it will satisfy my sweet tooth so I won't go overboard!

1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp butter, melted

2 large egg white(s)

1 large egg(s)

1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar

/4 tsp table salt

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, or less to taste

1 cup(s) canned pumpkin

1/2 cup(s) fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 cup(s) lite whipped topping

Instructions

• Position rack in middle of oven. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  
  
• Place graham crackers and light brown sugar in a food processor; process into crumbs (or smash into crumbs in a sealed plastic food bag with a rolling pin). Spoon crumbs into a small bowl; add melted butter and combine with fingers into a coarse meal. Distribute crumbs evenly on bottom and up sides of an ungreased 9-inch pie plate. Chill for 30 minutes before baking. Bake until crust starts to turn golden, about 8 to 10 minutes; remove from oven and let cool.
  
  
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, whip egg whites until frothy; fold in egg, dark brown sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, canned pumpkin and evaporated milk. Beat pumpkin custard until smooth and pour into pie shell. Bake until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 45 to 55 minutes. Slice into 8 pieces, top each piece with 1/2 tablespoon of whipped topping and serve warm or at room temperature. Yields 1 slice per serving

It's a WW recipe so of course they gave it a points value- 3 pts per piece in case you cared, so that probably pans out to about 160 ish calories and 2 or 3 grams of fat. I'll let you know how it turns out!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Big News!

No update last week b/c I had no change- 0.0 lbs difference was the official Weight Watchers verdict. But now I am back with some big news..... down 3.4 lbs so I've lost 31.2 lbs total since the end of May and slightly surpassed my original goal!!!

And wouldn't you know it, I just canceled my monthly membership on Monday now that I am only 0.6 lbs away from what I set as my WW goal. I am paid up until the 25th, but I don't know if I want to stick with it after that for another 6 weeks (assuming I lose that last 0.6 lbs). I guess I'll leave that decision until it needs to be made.

How did I lose that much this week!? Maybe the increased strength training is catching up with me, but I know I was less than health conscious with my eating this week. For instance the brunch that we had at the Hibernian on Sunday (which I encourage everyone to try- sooo good....pumpkin pancakes....yum...)

This weekend I am looking forward to some more food treats but I am going to try and stick to moderation. For my birthday, instead of letting someone make/buy me a cake, we are just going to pick one cupcake for each of us- that way the portion size is controlled and I won't be tempted with leftovers! Also I am expecting to get a lot of walking in on Saturday as I FINALLY go on my new "skinny" wardrobe shopping spree- yippee!!!! If only I had an unlimited budget I would be in heaven, but I see a lot of price comparison and restraint in my future :-p

So that's it! I hope everyone has a great weekend and this freakin' weather clears up b.c it is seriously depressing (esp since it has made evident there is a leak somewhere in my car- sunroof is most likely culprit- that will probably cost our savings to fix) oops- this is supposed to be a happy thoughts post ...cupcakes ...clothes ...cupcakes ....clothes ....cupcakes...................

Halloween has been hard!

I haven't really been into Halloween festivities for the last several years, so I guess I kind of forgot how damaging Halloween can be. Now with a child that will be getting more and more excited about Halloween each year, it's going to be in my life for a while!

I did not weigh in last Friday, so I guess I won't know exactly how far back this little holiday will be setting me. Maybe a good thing? I have been able to make it to the gym 3 to 4 times each week, and even though I am not doing anything intense, something is better than nothing.

I don't know what to do to get myself geared by up to lose these last few pounds. I should be excited to be so close, but I'm having a hard time envisioning myself getting there right now and it is really frustrating! And then I am looking ahead to the next few weeks and month, and can't help but feel defeated already with my birthday, then thanksgiving and Christmas coming up- this negativity needs to stop- blah.

ugh..bummer

I'm up 0.2 pounds this week! Not the right direction. And even though I can't say that I am surprised (hello pizza, cake and cupcake on Wed!), that doesn't mean that I'm not disappointed.

In other news. I have been able to make it to the gym twice this week, and will go again today on my way home from work, so I am pleased with that. Additionally, I have done a quick ab routine every night plus walks when this nasty weather has allowed. So it's not all bad news. At least I did some good things exercise wise even if the scale didn't reflect that.

As far as continuing with weight watchers... I'm going to give it one more month. I honestly think I've gotten what I can out of it right now, and just need motivation to get me through, which apparently needs to come from somewhere else. Therefore, I've decided that since I am so close to my 30 lb goal that the new "deadline" is going to be right around my birthday (which is Nov 14th). This change comes mostly b/c I want new clothes!!! I know my mom is going to give me some $$ for my birthday and I am just sooo ready to spend it on a new wardrobe, that I don't want to be in a situation where I have that few extra pounds to lose before I get to go shopping!