Happy New Year!

A toast to 2011...

-may it be a year of healthy decisions...
-may it be a year of activity...
-may it be a year of positive changes...
-may it be a year of friendship...
-may it be a year of laughter...
-may it be a year of love...
-may it be a year of happiness...

To you and yours, Happy 2011 and may all of your dreams come true!

It's that time of year again...

It's that time when people, especially women, tend to evaluate their eating and workout habits and make resolutions of how to make a positive change in 2011. Well, friends, I'm going to jump aboard that train. Why? Because I need to.

So, as we go through the last few days of 2010, I reflect back and am not proud of anything in the health-related world. My weight has climbed, my exercise has declined, and I'm not happy with where I am right now with my health.

What better time to change than the new year? A new year. A new Nicole. I'm sure going to give it a shot.

Did you think I ran away?

I haven't. I'm still here. And I'm battling my stomach issues more now than ever. It's gone from once a month to now once a week and this last bout was only after three days. I'm not scheduled for my appointment with a gastroenterologist until Jan. 5th, but I don't think I can wait that long.

I'm trying to think of all of the possibilities: irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's Disease (probably not), colitis, colon cancer (probably not), etc. etc. Of course, I immediately think something horrible, but I really have no clue what's wrong with me. I don't necessarily have bouts after I eat, so that makes me think IBS is out, but hard to tell.

I'm just tired of this. Tired of evenings wasted because of either being in the bathroom or feeling miserable on the couch. I'm tired of feeling uncomfortable with my stomach all of the time. Some say this type of thing can be caused by stress. Well whatever this is, it's giving me stress.

Working out has been non-existent. My diet hasn't been horrible because I'm trying to peg if any of this is diet-related (which I'm not seeing any patterns). My weight has maintained which, whatever. Right now, my goal is to figure out what's going on with all of this.

So, that's my update. I'll keep you posted as I know more.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

I'm thankful for:
-My family who has always been supportive
-My friends who I can always count on
-My husband who is my rock
-My cat who's a cuddle bunny when he isn't a holy terror
-My home to keep me warm
-My job that even though it has its challenges, is rewarding every day
-My grad classes that allow my paycheck to rise
-My alarm clock that helps me get to said job on time

and lastly, my health. My health hasn't been the best to me this year as I am still battling monthly stomach issues. I am scheduled to go to a GI doc in January. I've stopped all excess fiber I was trying to consume and just sticking to my regular diet.

I am getting back to exercising. I did two nights on the treadmill for 30-35 minutes, getting in two miles at a fast walking pace. Yes, I was sweating. We have two Thanksgivings this year. One is today at my in-laws and one Sunday at my grandma's in Illinois. I'm not overly worried about the eating because I never usually pig out at holiday gatherings....it's when I'm at home that I go bonkers.

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving with your families and be thankful for all you have!

A Letter to Me

Dear Me,

I'm going to be frank with you here. You've got to stop letting the excuses run your life. You've got to stop letting food run your life. Do you know how many calories you consumed yesterday? Exactly, because you're not tracking them. By letting food control you, you're blind to everything else. Food controls what you do when...because you wouldn't want to miss snacks in the lounge, right? WRONG!!! Did you need those? How about when you got home? Why do you always go to the fridge/cupboard? When you do, you just grab crap anyway.

You need to get serious. You're health and well-being depend on it. You know your husband is behind you. Look at him running four miles a day. Do you see him snacking all of the time?

And no excuses about the holidays coming up. Remember last year? You kept exercising and watched your portions and you lost weight during Thanksgiving and Christmas. You need to get back to that.

You keep saying I want to weigh under 200 pounds. Well, lately, you sure haven't showed it. I know you've had health issues, but those have mostly cleared up, so what's stopping you?

What's that you say? You. You're stopping you. You're the only one who decides what goes in your body and you've been feeding it crap lately. Seriously...cheese, brownies, chips, bread, etc. And too much of it. It's okay to have one, not three.

And what's with the lack of workouts? I know, you've had report cards, I get that. They're done now and you're free sailing. Get off your duff and sweat. You'll feel better, I promise.

Love,
Me

**Sorry for the discussion with myself, but maybe by rereading it, I'll snap into reality.

Health Update....FINALLY!

Hello!

I haven't been away...I've just been waiting. Here are my updates:

Regular Doctor-Thyroid levels are low enough that she's upping my dose. We will monitor energy level and intestinal movements and go from there. Pap came back normal, so that's always reassuring.

Chiropractor-I had a rib out of place. He put that baby back in place and gave me orders to take Advil and ice it every evening. Being that rib was out of place for over a week, my muscles wrapped around it and now that it's back in place, my muscles aren't. So for the next few days he has be doing that. He also has me limited to walking for the next week. He said that especially since I'm a tae bo fan, any upper body movements like that can easily pop it back out of place. So, unless I wanted to visit him frequently, I need to take it easy on the back. I also talked to him about my intestinal issues. He has me doing an herbal cleanse for the next 10 days. The only reason he's having me do this is because with three months of problems and build up, he said my diet changes aren't helping and my system isn't cleaning out properly. So, I'm giving this a shot. I've learned that fiber drinks (metamucil) are utterly disgusting and my gag reflex has prohibited me from drinking them, so I'm taking a fiber supplement for that part. Anxious to see how I feel after this.

So, that's where I'm at. I feel good about what's gone on and anxious to see if things change. I'm ready to get back into the groove of everything.

Thyroid??

So, I went to my yearly physical today (yes, that dreaded womanly visit) to get my annual done but to also ask about my issues with my health lately. My doctor has a suspicion that my thyroid may not be working up to speed. To backtrack, I am on meds for an underactive thyroid. I have been for about 5 years. I get it tested every year and every year it turns up normal. My doc said that if my thyroid is not functioning appropriately, it can slow my systems down (hence, my intestinal issues). So, I got my blood drawn and will know the results in a couple of days.

Now, before you get all excited for me, she said that may not be the answer. If it's not, then I get to shop in the aisle at the store where everyone over the age of 80 shops....the fiber supplement aisle. She said to make sure I'm getting 25-30 grams of fiber in my diet and then add some additional fiber supplements along with a ton of water (which I already drink due to my kidney stone history).

Awesome. So, granny, what do you recommend....metamucil or benelax? UUGHHHH!!!

I'm hoping to squeeze in some working out tonight, but we'll see how it goes. My back still has a catch in it (get to go to the chiro on Wednesday...FINALLY), so I gotta be careful with what I do. I've got two sets of tests to correct yet, too tonight, so I don't know.

I was talking to my mom on the phone and asked her, "When will I just be normal?" Her response? "Good question!"

I've Hit a Road Block....My body hates me...

Don't worry....not mentally. Physically.

I still haven't made it to my chiro to get my back adjusted. I'm doing okay with Advil and ice as well as a periodic massage from hubby, but I'm in need of an adjustment. My chiro's and my schedules just haven't meshed.

To add to it, I stayed home from work today. This may get TMI....so you are forewarned. The last three months, I've had some gastrointestinal issues. In August, I went to urgent care as I had some stomach pain, nausea and tiny bowel movements. The doc took an X-Ray and found that my upper large intestine was "backed up" so to speak. So I took magnesium citrate to get things moving. I did and things were okay.

Fast forward to three weeks ago. I stayed home with the same issue and also had dry heaves with it. I forgot to mention that this wakes me up during the night and I'm in the bathroom once an hour for about five hours. Hence, no sleep. And no sleep and teaching a class of 20 challenging 4th graders does not work well. I drank a lot of water and it seemed to pass.

Well, last night, it happened again. When I went to bed, my stomach felt weird...full-like, but I ignored it and went to bed. 1 AM rolls around and I'm in the bathroom. This continued until about 5 AM when I proceeded to drive to school and get things ready for a sub since I knew I wasn't going to be teaching today.

I haven't had the bathroom issues during the day today but I still have a "full" feeling in my stomach. I even looked online for colonic massage (things kneading your stomach in the pattern of your intestine to try and get things "moving"). I haven't had much luck. I go to my regular doctor on Monday for my yearly physical so I'm going to talk to her about this tomorrow.

Right now, my head is hurting too and I think it's exhaustion and my body trying to figure out what's going on. Exercise hasn't happened this week as I'm trying to figure out what's going on and my energy level hasn't been there.

So, I'm still here...I'm just hoping I can get this figured out because it's getting kinda old.

Weigh-In and Injury?

So, I kept last week's weigh-in from you.

Current weight 242.0 pounds

Thoughts: Better than where I was last week.

Injury? Last night while I was shaving my legs in the shower, I bent over and felt something "pop" in my back. It literally took my breath away. I slept a lot last night but every time I rolled over, I woke up because my back was uncomfortable (not sure hurt is the right word). I'm unfortunately not working out today because sitting and laying in different positions hurt, I can't imagine what working out could do. If it's still bothering tomorrow, I'll be making a trip to my chiropractor.

Frustrations continue...

30 DS Day #4 plus some Tae Bo

My workout is done and I feel good about it. Added in 20 additional minutes of Tae Bo in a "last chance workout" effort before my weigh in tomorrow.

Now to switch gears. Frustrated. I am a daily weigher. I don't care what the "experts" say and I know it can lead to frustration, but I have been watching my calories and working out as possible and I haven't seen much of a difference from last week's weigh-in flop. I don't know if I'm retaining water or what but I feel like a bloated whale. My stomach feels big and uncomfortable. My time of the month finished back on Monday, so I should be done with that stuff. I just feel blah in the stomach area. It sucks.

Tomorrow is weigh in and another day of a good workout. Trying to really get myself in gear. I'm going to do a Biggest Loser thing for a second. This past week's episode was a good one. As always, the person who is eliminated has a check in to see how they're doing now. This guy has done a tremendous job, losing 100 pounds (or around that) since the beginning. But, he says he works out at the gym for 1.5-2 hours in the morning, works an 8-hour day, works out again for 1 hour after work, goes home to have dinner and a little family time and then goes back one more time for 1.5-2 hours. That's 4-5 hours of working out a day!!! I just wish I had the time to do that.... For fun, I created my typical day with those hours:

3:45-Wake Up
4-5:45-Workout
7:30-3:30 Teach 4th Grade
4-5:30-Workout
5:45-7:00 Dinner/Time with hubby
7-9:00-Workout
9:30 Bedtime

Now, this doesn't include any after school meetings, appointments, grad class, etc. That is not feasible for me. Some times I wish I was a stay at home mom to our cat so I could have more time, but when hubby's in school getting his undergrad and we live solely off of my salary, that's not going to happen!

Just thought that was interesting to put into my schedule. One can dream, right?

On to Sunday!

30 DS Workout #3 Done

This is gonna be short and sweet because I'm kind of in a funk today.

Did my 30 Day Shred workout. Broke a sweat, but didn't do any more. I actually found it hard to do this workout. I felt almost lethargic, and I'm not sure why.

All I can say is TGIF tomorrow. Just hope it's a better one all around.

30 Day Shred Day #2 plus some treadmill

Now don't get too excited about that plus treadmill part! :)

Day #2 with 30DS was great. I was into it. I pushed myself (except those stupid push ups....hate those even "girl style"). I then added 10 minutes on the treadmill. I was getting all into jogging on the second lap (1/4 mile). I made it two minutes in and completely fell apart. No way that was going to continue. So I huffed it through 10 minutes (about 0.6-something miles).

My goal today was to track everything I ate. I did. The only thing I would go back and fix is access to the candy jar in our office. I consumed 3 "fun-size" Crunch bars and 4 "mini" Snickers. Okay, total side thought, but who seriously calls these fun size? What's so "fun" about them? The fact that I could probably eat an entire bag? The fun thought of a tease of a taste??? And the minis...don't even get me started on those!!!

Other that those slip ups, I'm very happy with myself today. I haven't said that in a while. I need to work on the self esteem.

Tomorrow is Wednesday which means grad class. Going to try and plan safely..... Goal tomorrow is once again to record everything I put into my mouth, good or bad. My meals are okay. It's the snacking that's killing me. Bought me some laughing cow cheese and triscuits. We'll see how that goes for a snack instead of raiding the candy jar.

By the way, we have a full size fridge once again....hopefully done buying appliances!!!! Now maybe we can get back to normal eating and living!!!!

30 Day Shred Day #1

Does it seem like I can't make up my mind when it comes to exercise? Well, last year, I gave the 30 Day Shred a try. I did AWESOME for 15 days and got bronchitis and had to quit. I never picked it up again until tonight.

Reasons I like the 30 Day Shred:
-It's fast....25 minutes and you're done
-Circuits....3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs...repeat
-Fast, powerful movements that have you sweating in no time

Reasons I question the 30 Day Shred:
-Not long enough of a workout?
-Not intense enough cardio?

I didn't do any more tonight because I have a butt load of tests and papers to check....which I'm off to do now!!!

Hoping for a longer workout tomorrow, but I did move today. That was my goal.

Tomorrow's goal: Track every bite I eat.

Weigh In......or weigh out?

This is where I have trouble. My mental journey. I don't like to face the facts. I don't like defeat.

This week has not been good. I have only worked out once. There have been other things that have gone on, but I don't need to bore you with them.

My weight is up. That's all I'm going to say. It's my fault, not anyone or anything else's fault.

It's time to go back to square one. Because that's where I am.

Today is a struggle.

I feel like I'm at confession, even though I'm not Catholic. Here it goes....forgive me, health gods, for I have sinned.

-I didn't work out yesterday.
-I got drive-thru McDonald's for breakfast....total of 600 calories....totally not worth it.
-Ate a half of a cake doughnut....again, totally not worth the calories.

I just got done with lunch and I'm already over 1000 calories. Seriously, Nicole? Are you kidding me? I choose to eat crap and then feel bad about it? This is where I need to work on the emotional weight Tara at 263andcounting.com talks about.

So, why am I doing this? Let's break it down.

1. Didn't exercise yesterday. Due to conferences, I didn't get home until 7:30 PM. I then had to finish my paper due for my grad class that had to be submitted by 11:30 PM. I finished it at 9:00 PM. By then, I was mentally exhausted and just needed down time. I feel this is justifiable.

2. Drive thru McDonalds for breakfast. I was running late this morning and didn't have time to make my normal egg on toast breakfast, so I opted for a Sausage McMuffin with egg and hashbrown. Did you know that mcmuffin is 450 calories and the hashbrown is 150 calories? In hind sight, I would have been better off to go to Subway and get one of their english muffin sandwiches. Plus, I wouldn't feel all greasy gross afterwards either. Lesson learned.

3. Ate half of a cake doughnut. So, my teammate occasionally brings in a doughnut and sets it on my desk in the morning. She does this for all three of us. So, when I arrived after eating my greasy breakfast sandwich, I see this cake doughnut with chocolate frosting sitting on my desk. I proved that I didn't have the strength to just throw it away. So, I took a bite. It was good. I proceeded to eat half of it and literally felt ill. So, I pitched it. I'm proud of myself that I was able to do that, but I should have eaten a single bite to start with.

Worst part is that even though I've done all of these things, due to my night class tonight, workouts aren't an option. Awesome. I'm sure the pounds will creep on. I know one thing though...no more McDonald's breakfast. It wasn't worth the 600 calories. I would have been better off with a quick piece of toast at home.

No one said this would be easy, but I'm using this blog as a tool for me to work through this stuff both physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Mixing it up!

In an effort to prevent boredom, I'm mixing up my workouts and holy buckets am I getting sore!!!

Tonight, I went back to my kickboxing day's from Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping and did some punches, kicks and combos. Did you realize how much of a full body workout kickboxing is? I was watching my form in the mirror and with every punch, your abs and arms are engaged. With every kick, you abs and legs are engaged. When you put it together, it's everything! I'm sure I won't be able to move in the morning. After 20 minutes of that, I added on 15 minutes on the elliptical. I didn't do more than 15 minutes though because my toes fall asleep. Still gotta figure out how to get rid of that.

Oh! and I made an awesome dinner tonight. I marinated boneless, skinless chicken breasts in Italian dressing and grilled them. Then I made grilled chicken wraps! I had multigrain wraps, spinach, shredded cheese, cut up chicken, cut up pieces of bacon and a little ranch dressing mixed in. YUMMY!!!! One wrap was super filling. I guesstimated is to be about 400 calories. This is good because my munchies got the best of me at work...hate when there are birthdays and I go in the lounge. Gotta work on will power.

Holy soreness!

So, for yesterday's workout, I decided to pull out the 'ole Billy Blanks Advanced Tae Bo from probably the 90's. It's a 50 minute DVD that has his super-burst speeds and lots of leg work. I'll admit, I had to stop a few times to catch my breath, but I made it through the whole standing workout and then part of the floor workout. I did some abs on my own and really felt pretty good. Tired, but good.

Fast forward to 6:00 AM this morning when my alarm goes off. As I take the first step out of bed, I'm pretty sure my legs felt like jiggly jello. I raised my arms to put my contacts in and it felt as if they weighed 100 pounds each! I didn't even use weights!!!

Just goes to show that I've got a lot of work to do. But I'm doing it.

As far as today goes, not sure what I'm going to do for a workout. We'll see what the weather is like this afternoon when I get home. Dancing with the Stars is on tonight!!! Go Jennifer Grey!!!!

Weigh-in

Not going to beat around the bush.

Weight 241.0 pounds. Gain of 1.2 pounds.

I didn't exercise much this week and my eating was off. The number shows it.

Time to hop back on the saddle again. Giddy-up!

I've entered a contest...

For those of you who have never visited Jen's blog, you should certainly do so. She is a success story with inspiration. I love that even though she has lost the weight and is extremely healthy, she continues to write about her struggles. Life's not perfect, but she shows how to get through it.

Yesterday, she blogged about wanting a future Prior Fat Girl to join her blog. You submit a letter, Jen narrows it down and then the readers will have the final decision.

Here's my letter:

Jen,
I am writing to you today to submit my application to become the next future “Prior Fat Girl!” The reason I want to become a Prior Fat Girl is because I want a better quality of life for my future.
I am a 28-year old Iowa girl. I’ve been married for three years to my wonderful husband. I am a fourth-grade teacher, and I am currently getting my master’s degree in Administration with hopes of becoming an elementary principal someday.
I have been fighting a losing battle again a better quality of life for most of my life. I was an obese child through high school. When I went to college, I badly wanted to get a boyfriend, so I worked out non-stop and didn’t eat anything until I felt shaky. I dropped about 40 pounds in two months, but soon figured out this wasn’t the way to do it. I met my first boyfriend after losing the weight and stopped working out and ate whatever I wanted. I soon gained those 40 pounds back and added an additional 20 pounds. My then-fiance broke off our engagement because he wasn’t attracted to me anymore. This devastated me.
I went into a massive depression for about a month and lost 20 pounds because I wouldn’t eat. I snapped out of it and decided this was my sign for a better life. I began eating better and working out consistently. I felt good and started to look good. I lost 50 pounds when I met my current husband. I continued working out and eating right, but as time progressed farther, I pushed health to the back burner.
In the five years my husband and I have been together, I have lost and gained the same 25-30 pounds. I currently sit at about 240 pounds, where you started. I need a fresh rejuvenating start. I’ve created a blog, but am afraid to write about the times I fail. I need to have that accountability. I don’t have many commenters on my blog, so I sometimes feel that what I write doesn’t matter because not many people see it.
I’m ready to begin the fight for my life. I want MY life to be something it has never been…healthy. I don’t want to be obese anymore. I don’t want to avoid shopping because I might have to go in the plus section. I want to be proud of what I look like and not just who I am on the inside. I want to be active for my one-year old nephews. I want to be healthy so that my husband and I feel comfortable trying to conceive a child. I want to be a role model for health. I would love nothing more than to have your reader’s support.
Jen, you’ve been such a strong person. I have followed your blog for almost two years and I’m so impressed with your passion for life, your strength in beliefs, and your dedication to fitness and health. You are a role model for me and for me to become a part of your blog world would mean so much to me. I want the accountability. I want the feedback (I love my husband to death, but he’s too nice to be blatantly honest sometimes!). Your readers are passionate people who are real and don’t pretend to sugarcoat things. I respect that.
I have never been a success in losing the weight and keeping it off. I would love the challenge set forth by your readers and you to succeed. I’m tired of making excuses of being busy or too tired. I’m tired of choosing to eat out rather than to make something at home. I’m tired of choosing my computer over a walk, jog, exercise, DVD, etc. I have all of the tools. I have a treadmill, elliptical, hand weights from 5 pounds to 60 pounds (my husband uses those!!), DVDs ranging from Jillian Michaels to Billy Blanks, an elementary school six blocks away with a walking trail around it. I have a husband who is physically fit and I would love nothing more than to give him a wife who is the same. He deserves it. I deserve it.
If I am selected to be a “Future Prior Fat Girl,” I vow to share my successes, my failures, and everything in between. I don’t want to let you down, and more importantly, I don’t want to let myself down anymore. I don’t want to be the girl with just the pretty face…

Sincerely,
Nicole
http://healthierlifeforme.blogspot.com/


Something inside me lit up after submitting this. I feel empowered. I appreciate those of you here who read my blog regularly and comment for me. I love that. I would love to have even more people comment and see my life as I'm trying to change it into the right health direction.

I will work out tonight. I will make good food choices. This will be the first time in almost a week that I've eaten dinner at home. I'm excited for that.

I'm still here, and I'm not about to give up. No epic fail....

Epic Fail

So, I'm upon one of the most stressful weeks of the year. Since my weigh-in on Sunday, I...

-have not worked out
-have eaten like crap
-have slept like crap
-have been nursing a head cold after my bought with the flu
-want nothing more than to be on a beach in Mexico

It's not going to get any better...here's my week:
Today: conferences until 7:00 PM
Wed: class until 9:00 PM
Thursday: get observed by our district cabinet, conferences until 5:00 PM, out to dinner with friends
Friday: Open
Saturday: 1st birthday party for the nephew...not sure how long it will last
Sunday: Open

On those open days, I have to try and squeeze in laundry, cleaning, and grad school work, not to mention working out.

I'm scared. It's weeks like these that turn into months like these. It's hard to manage time and life. Right now, I'm working on an epic fail. Stress does not do kind things to me.

Weigh-In

Good-bye 240s. Please don't EVER come back.

No workout today

Home sick with some sort of flu bug....bummer dudes. Hoping to get rested up today so we can still go to the football game tomorrow.

5K Workout Week 3 Day 2 Done

Did you think I ran away? I didn't. Just been super busy lately.

Went out to the good old path at the elementary school tonight. Here's what I did:

Walk to school: 0.35 miles
1 lap walk: 0.4 miles
1.25 laps jog: 0.5 miles
0.75 lap walk: 0.3 miles
1.25 laps jog: 0.5 miles
0.75 laps walk: 0.3 miles
0.5 lap jog: 0.2 miles
1.5 lap walk: 0.6 miles (with hubby talking, so pace was slower)
Walk back home: 0.35 miles

Total Distance: 3.5 miles
Total Jogged: 1.2 miles
Approximate time: 60 minutes (sorry no timer pic...hubby had stopwatch and the kitchen timer was having issues)

Thoughts: Still love outside and I kind of like doing my own type of workout. Now, some might roll their eyes, but I've gotta find what works for me. My goal is still to be able to jog 3.1 miles by Sunday, November 14th. That'll be the end of the nine week program that I started.

I should be able to get a workout in tomorrow, may try and get something in Saturday morning after my massage but before we head to Iowa City to cheer on the Hawkeyes versus Penn State. We're tailgating and there will be food and there will be beer. My goal is to enjoy but not indulge and overeat. Sunday should be another day of workouts.

I know that I feel better know that I'm working out and I think I'd feel even better if I was stricter about my food consumption. It's like I have the munchies. Those add up. I've also noticed my digestive system is working better when I'm moving more.

So, until next time!

5K Workout Week 3 Workout 1 Done

So, today's post isn't titled C25K because I did my own thing today. I needed to get out and off the treadmill. Since it was absolutely gorgeous outside (sunny, 68 degrees, slight breeze), I decided to head back the good 'ole trail I ran on last year. I loved it. I don't think I've said that yet. Since I didn't want to mess with a timer too much, I did my own workout.

Today's workout:
Walk to elementary school where trail is: 0.35 miles
One lap walk: 0.4 miles
One lap jog: 0.4 miles
One lap walk: 0.4 miles
One lap jog: 0.4 miles
One lap walk: 0.4 miles
Half lap jog: 0.2 miles
Walk one block: 0.11 miles
Jog three longer blocks: 0.24 miles

Total distance: 2.90 miles

Here's the picture of my timers. Yes, it's stopwatch and kitchen timer. I used what I had!! The stopwatch is the total time I jogged and the kitchen timer is the total time out from when I left the house to when I returned.



Treadmill vs. Outside
Treadmill +: Consistent speed, Easy time
Treadmill -: Mental game with time and speed

Outside +: Fresh air, control own speed/distance
Outside-: Speed may not be as fast

Still like outside, but it's getting colder, so I'm going to have to figure out how these workouts are going to go.

I did it! I feel good.

Sunday=Fail

So, you know how I had a decent weigh-in and wrote my challenges as my Week 3 workout for C25K and a work picnic? Yeah, they were challenges because 1. I didn't do the workout and 2. I ate more than I should have at my work picnic.

While I could sit here and beat myself up about it, but I'm not. Today's a new day. I will get my workout in tonight (might try it outside since it's gorgeous outside and see if it's better than the treadmill). Also, back to focusing on what I'm consuming.

Who invented Mondays?????

Weigh-In

I don't know how or why, but I'm down. Weighed in at 241.0. That's a three pound loss in two weeks and a 1.2 pound loss in a week.

It's not a lot, but I'll take it. I really want to get back to the 230s next week.

Challenge today: C25K week 3 and work picnic

Stay tuned later today for the workout update.

Tae Bo Saturday

So, instead of being a lazy lard today, I decided to try tae bo. If you remember me at all from the past, I'm a tae bo fiend. I haven't done it in months, so I thought it was time to pull out the "Fat Blasting Cardio" DVD. This uses the boot camp resistance bands for added burn. Let me tell you. It burned!

In fact, I made it 30/45 minutes. I was pretty happy with that. Holy cow, I'm outta shape! I remember when that DVD barely made me sweat.

I've got my work cut out for me! I'm thinking I need to incorporate more exercise other that C25K (since I know that only burns a couple hundred calories).

Stay tuned for tomorrow's weigh in. Hopes are high!

C25K Week 2 Done....and it hasn't gotten any easier

After two weeks of these workouts, you'd think the runs/jogs would get easier, right? I think they're getting harder. I jumped the treadmill twice tonight because it hurt. My legs hurt bad tonight and I stretched a lot.

Here's the results:


It's just not getting any easier and I'm starting to get discouraged. Any advice?

As promised, here's my journal I created:


One problem is that I haven't recorded in it since Tuesday. So, that changes tomorrow.

Got our school pictures back today. I look disgusting. I have kept a picture every year to compare and this is the worse I've looked in five years. Here's the thing I don't understand. Before starting this, I ate what I wanted, didn't work out and maintained 240-244. Now, two weeks into it, as of this morning, i was 243. I'm watching what I eat and sticking within my calories and I'm adding workouts. I know a miracle isn't going to happen overnight, but shouldn't I see some change? I mean usually the first week you watch calories and work out, you can lose 5-10 pounds. Me? Nope. What's wrong with me??

C25K Week 2 Day 2 Done...and a little strength training..

Hi all!

Well, I'm almost nearing the completion of Week 2 of C25K. I wish I could say it was getting easier. Jillian Michaels would have kicked my butt today. Why? Because I jumped 10 seconds short of completing my second run. Seriously? I couldn't go 10 more seconds?? Yes I could have. But I told myself I was too weak and I did it. Funny thing was that I was watching Biggest Loser while doing this.

Speaking of Biggest Loser, I cried tonight. Not because of some of the sad stories. Not because I was touched by the contestants. Why you ask? Because I weighed more than some of the people who wanted to be on there. I could be on the Biggest Loser. Nice. That does a lot for the self esteem. I watched the people do the 500-step and one-mile challenge. I wonder if I could do that... Do I need a challenge? I just might.

So, back to the workout. Completed the furthest distance yet, so that was a bonus. Added in some hand weights and arm exercises. Started off slow with 2-3 reps of 16. Also threw in two sets of 25 sit ups. Here's my treadmill pic:



And just because I sweat my bootay off, here's a sweat pic. Jen at Priorfatgirl likes to incorporate these. Notice the cheesy smile....it stands for "I'm smiling because I don't have to run again until Thursday!!"



One more thing, but I'll save the pic until Thursday. I created a tracking journal for food and exercise to keep me focused. I like the paper version instead of the online version. It's a constant reminder of what I'm working for...stay tuned for the pic.

Grad class tomorrow night, so probably no blog. Until next time...

C25K Week 2 Day 1 Done!

Here's the 30-minute C25K:


Here's after 50 minutes....kept walking. Sorry, the jogging killed me the first four times around.


Thoughts on Week 2. HOLY COW! Seriously, adding 60 additional seconds to each run is this difficult? Holy cow!! I felt like I was a 90 year old 400 pound woman trying to do those runs!!!! But you know what? I did 'em. I met my 400-500 calorie burn goal, even if the treadmill's count is 100 calories off...

My Plan

I'm putting it here to hold me accountable, but also for me to keep track of what I'm doing. I did week 1 of C25K and that was it for workouts. I'm not going to lose weight by just doing that. So, here's my weekly plan with my options. I like options.

Sunday-Day 1 Week ___ C25K, strength training (weights or resistance bands)
Monday-Cardio (tae bo, walk/jog intervals on treadmill, elliptical, etc.)
Tuesday-Day 2 Week ___ C25K, strength training (weights or resistance bands)
Wednesday-Off (darn grad night class)
Thursday-Day 3 Week ___ C25K, plus additional walk
Friday-Cardio (tae bo, walk/jog intervals, elliptical, etc.)
Saturday-Strength & Cardio

I will work out for no less than 45 minutes (that shouldn't be too hard), with the exception of Friday. Friday, I can do 30 minutes only if I have plans that evening.

Now, the important part that is the make or break part of getting healthier. I can work out to my heart's content, but I'm not going to see a noticeable change if I don't change my food intake.

Breakfast-Limit to 300 calories
Snack-Limit to 100 calories
Lunch-Limit to 400 calories
Snack-Limit to 100 calories
Dinner-Limit to 800 calories

Total: 1700 calories

If I want to indulge, I have to compensate from another meal or snack. 800 calories may seem high for dinner, but I'd rather overplan than underplan and wonder why there are no results. One meal a week will not be counted. That will give me that one chance to have what I want.

As much as I hate it, I'm sticking to my Sunday weigh-ins. Weekends tend to be horrible for me, so I've got to keep myself accountable. I will admit that my weigh-in yesterday probably would have been lower had it not been for the eating Saturday night at my in-laws.

I'm making myself a paper food journal to document what I eat and approx. calories. I've done fitday.com before, but I think having the proof right there in front of me will help.

I want this.

Week 1 Weigh-In

Starting Weight: 244.0
Week 1 Weight: 242.2

Week 1 Loss: -1.8 pounds

Things that went well: C25K workouts

Things that need to change: Food intake volume and kind

Goal for next week 239.8.....I want to get out of the 240's for good!

C25K Week 1 Fully Complete

Wow.

That was a workout. I did three minute walks at 3.5 mph and 2 minute runs at 5.0 mph. Only delay was that I had "bathroom issues" after every single run....four times!!! So, it took me about 10 minutes longer to complete the workout! I guess that's my digestive system enjoying the physical movement. Anyone else had this problem?

Here's the workout:



Slightly longer distance...

I am exhausted. Work is stressful. Grad school is scheduled. I feel like I'm never home to just relax. Because of it, my eating is mediocre. I'm working out a plan so that my busy life doesn't affect my eating. Tonight was pretty good. A grilled chicken wrap and skim milk. Filling.

I may weigh in tomorrow because I'm not sure of this weekend's plans. I know I said I'd weigh in on Sundays, but I have the right to change my mind, right? As of this morning, I had a 2 pound loss so far this week. Hoping it says that again in the morning.

This tired C25K Week 1 grad is gonna get some shut eye. But I did it. And I'm proud of myself. Eight weeks to go.

C25K Week 1 Day 2 Complete

Tired. That's how I can explain it.

I added two extra minutes of jogging but jogged only at 4.5 mph today. Went a little further and burned a couple more calories. That's probably a good thing considering it's about a day before my TOM and I want to ravish everything in sight.

Here's the pic:


Added some stretching exercises at the end mostly because I have an IT band issue from my right hip down to my right knee. Not pain, just tightness. I'm not going to let a tightness issue stop me from doing this.

Tomorrow is class, so probably won't be a blog post. Unless, I get bored in class!!! :)

I'm doing this. It's just going to be a long process. But like I've always said...I didn't get this way overnight. I'm sure as heck am not going to get normal overnight.

Day 2 of getting healthy

Hi everyone! Here I am at the conclusion of Day 2 of my LCJ. Here's how I did:

Breakfast: Special K with skim milk
Snack: 100 calorie granola bar (forgot my fruit at home)
Lunch: 3 inch sub (leftover from Friday), 2 helpings taco salad, 1 helping pasta salad, 1 piece German chocolate cake.....room for improvement here
Dinner: homemade grilled chicken wrap (multigrain wrap, spinach/romaine, some shredded cheese, grilled chicken) and some ranch, waffle fries with melted cheese and some ranch.....cheese and ranch???

Exercise: 1 hour walk around the neighborhood with hubby

Thoughts....food. Food is an issue. I have an obsession with carbs (at least it seems that way), so I'm going to start improving it. I purposely made extra grilled chicken and will be having a grilled chicken salad every day this week for lunch. I also bought Honeycrisp apples (YUM!) so that will round out my lunch. Yes, I will have my regular ranch dressing, but I'm not one to completely soak my salad in dressing, so I don't think that will make a huge deal right now. Breakfast will continue to be special K until I finish my box. Then, I have english muffins and plan to make an egg and put it on the toasted muffin. From past experience, that type of breakfast will keep me fuller longer.

Tomorrow will be Week 1 Day 2 of C25K. I'm trying to decide if I want to do the same sequence I did yesterday (jog 2 min, walk 3 min) or do the original program (jog 60 sec., walk 90 sec.). I guess we'll see what trips my trigger tomorrow!!!

So, stay tuned!

C25K Week 1 Day 1 complete

I bit the bullet and I started it over again. I'm on a mission to complete the Couch to 5K program.

Tonight was Day 1 of Week 1. I modified it a little bit. Here's how my workout went:

Warm-Up 5 min. walk at 3.5 mph
Run 2 min. at 5.5 mph (too fast)
Walk 3 min. at 3.5 mph
Run 2 min. at 5.0 mph (still too fast)
Walk 3 min. at 3.5 mph
Run 2 min. at 4.5 mph (better)
Walk 3 min. at 3.5 mph
Run 2 min. at 4.5 mph (was tough to finish)
Walk 3 min. at 3.5 mph
Cool-down 5 min. walk at 3.5 mph

I ran a total of 8 minutes and I feel like I'm about to die. How did I let myself get this way?

Here's the picture of my workout:


My treadmill asks for your weight before the workout, so I'm going to assume the calorie burn is semi-accurate. In 30 minutes, I made it 1.87 miles. It's not 5K, but it's progress and that's what this is going to be all about. I'm stealing an acronym from another blogger and calling this my LCJ or Life Changing Journey. It's high time I get my ass in gear.

My starting weight of this LCJ is 244.0 pounds. It's only down from here. There will be highs of emotions and lows of scale numbers and everything in between. I've started Couch to 5K and will finish on Sunday, November 14th. I'm going to do my weigh-ins on Sundays to keep me accountable for weekends. The record has shown that I can do okay Sunday through Thursday but when I did weigh-ins on Fridays, I give myself freebies all day Friday, Saturday and then realize about Sunday night that I have a weigh-in in a few days and have to work my butt off to make progress. I don't want to do that. I want consistency. Now, this is hard with football games, birthday parties, class, school, etc., but I HAVE to make an effort.

So, here goes nothing....stick with me here. Please.

Gotta love three-day weekends!

Don't you just love waking up on a Tuesday knowing you only have to make it through four days until the weekend! My Labor Day was jam-packed with football games and family get togethers. And you know what that means? Food. Social gatherings seem to revolve around food. Take Saturday. We went to my in-laws to watch the Iowa game (Go Hawks!). At the end of the first quarter, my MIL, bless her heart, brings out the food. We had sub sandwiches slathered with spread (which I actually don't like), carrots and full fat dip, watermelon, and a plate of Ho-Ho's. Not to mention bag upon bag of chips. I spent most of my time attempting to get the spread off of my sandwich. If there's one thing I don't like on a sandwich, it's any kind of mayo/spread. I like mine dry! So, I ate that, carrots, chips, and the dreaded Ho-Ho's. Why do those stupid little things taste so good? I drank almost two bottles of water, so I am proud of that. Exercise Saturday? No.

Sunday. Family get together and my brother-in-law's house. We had lasagna, cheesy potatoes, homemade mac and cheese, chicken and cheesy noodles, ham, coleslaw, baked beans, you name it. I won't even get started on the dessert table. I took a spoonful of each thing I wanted. Ate that. Went back for dessert but only took a brownie that I made (remember this later...). I was full but not stuffed. Again, downed two bottles of water. Exercise? No.

Monday. Work day. I had classroom stuff and grad school stuff to catch up on. Worked most of the morning and in between, did laundry and picked up around the house a bit. Almost any time I was in the kitchen, I opened up that silver pan containing the cheesecake brownies I had made the day before. I figured if I took a bite that it wouldn't be so bad. By the end of the night last night, I had eaten an entire row and a half! Seriously? I cannot have those types of things in the house. It's an addiction I tell ya. Did manage to get our new grill assembled. It was supposed to take 30 minutes. Instead it took an hour and a half. But it works, so we have our grill back. Nothing beats chicken breasts, steaks, burgers on the grill.

So, here we are. Tuesday. I'm going to write down everything I eat today and add up the calories to see where I'm at. If I don't exercise, I have to stick to 1500 calories. If I do, I can eat half of what I burned working out.

Wish me luck!

The lost is found.

Did you miss me?

I've still been here. I've still been reading your blogs. I've still been thinking to myself, "Tomorrow, I'm going to start." "Monday, I'm going to start."

Start what?

I need to start living. Over the last year, I've been existing. My body is functioning, my lungs are breathing, my mouth is moving, but have I really been living? I've been getting by. I have maintained my weight within 1-3 pounds, but I haven't done anything to decrease it. This week, I've gone on 30 minute evening walks with my husband. It's the most exercise I've done in two months.

I've been eating what I want. In fact, I have a gross confession to make. You know those new, yummy pretzel M&Ms? Yeah, they're the devil. I'm ashamed to say I've consumed about a third of a large bag today. And why? Because they taste good? Do they really? Sure, they've got the sweet/salty combo I enjoy, but after four handfuls, do they really still taste good?

So, why not start living my life now? What am I waiting for? One last french fry? One last M&M? They're still going to be there. I'm still going to eat them. But there's that "m" word....come on now, you know it. MODERATION. What fun is life if you still can't get a piece of pizza from time to time? A piece of cake (although, not a huge cake fan here)? A few french fries?

I've kept telling myself that when tomorrow or Monday comes, it's salad and fruit. HA HA HA!!! Yeah, that's gonna last.

So, it's time to begin recording what I eat, calculating the calories, and getting my butt moving.

Tara over at 263 and counting is a huge inspiration for me. Is it easy? Heck to the no!!!! But you can do it. It's hard and I'm going to want to quit. A lot. But I have to do it.

Want to know what else? My mom called me earlier this week and said she had a physical with the doctor. He had a heart-to-heart with her about losing weight. Her blood tests came back and she's prediabetic. Her cholesterol is borderline high. If she doesn't change, she's going to be on meds or could die. I don't want to be like my mom. She's been morbidly obese for 30-some years. She's just now scared enough to start doing something about it. Her doctor told her she has to eat 3 meals from a dessert plate and work her way up to walking 30 minutes a day. When she does, she will start taking phentermine to help her boost her weight loss. She called me last night. She's to that point right now.

I don't want to take meds. I don't want to die. I want to live.

Ta ta for now

So I started this blog over a year ago to help me and unfortunately, it hasn't helped. So, for now, there won't be any updates via this blog. Don't worry, I'm still following all of my blogs and love to know what's going on with everyone. It's just at this time, writing on this blog isn't a motivation for me. No, I haven't given up. I'm working about 45-60 minutes daily and watching what I eat.

So, ta ta for now all...I might return. Until then, keep blogging yourselves because I'll still be reading!

Today

Today is my 28th birthday. I weigh 240 pounds. I'm going to enjoy today.

Stay tuned for some big changes. Because this 240 won't happen again. 28 is going to be a great year.

Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'....

Well, the busy part isn't hard for me, so guess I'm not dying anytime soon!

I do well on my days off of class, watching calories and working out and then my three days I travel to class, it doesn't go as well. Although, I did go on a 50 minute walk with my hubby tonight. We walked through a gigantic cemetery that's about 5 minutes from our house. I know, some people would think it's freaky, but they have great roads through it with some hillage....it worked for tonight!

Tomorrow's my last day of commuting. Hallelujah!!!! I've got to get going full hog (no pun intended) on this thing. This isn't funny anymore, that's for sure. I turn 28 next week and our three year wedding anniversary is the week after. I'm 15 pounds away from what I weighed on our wedding day, and I know I'm about 10 pounds away from what I was last year. Ironic thing was that I promised on here that I would weigh that much next year....see how well that one worked.

Don't give up on me....

Mixed Feelings

Okay...this isn't totally health related. Rather a vent that I can't do on FB or really anywhere else, so here it goes.

My husband got a call from his brother tonight saying that we're going to be aunt and uncle in January. They've been married five years and have been trying to get pregnant ever since. My sister-in-law is the same age as me. They have financial, slight trust, and other issues I won't get into. They both make good money, but don't know how to save. I could go on and on.

Now, this will be the third time I'll be an aunt as my sister and brother both had babies last year. That didn't bother me. For some reason, this does. This will be the first grand baby on my husband's side.

So, what does this all have to do with me? Well, here it goes. One, I'm too overweight to get pregnant. I weigh almost 240 and I refuse to let myself get pregnant at this weight. I want to at least be under 200, as does my husband. Working on it....slowly.

Two, I have a year and a half of grad school left, and I don't want to have a baby until I'm finished.

Three, my husband has a year left of school and then will be left to look for a K-8 PE teaching job in this crappy economy and low budgets in schools time.

Four, I'm pursuing my degree in Principalship. If I choose to become a principal, will I even be able to have a baby? I mean, I will, but being a principal requires a lot of time. I don't know that I ultimately want to pursue it, but to be honest, the further into my program I get, the more interested I get.

Five, I'm scared even trying to get pregnant. I've had woman issues since I was 16 and I don't even know the possibilities of getting pregnant. There's a chance I may have PCOS, but we won't know until we actually try. Of course, losing weight would help.

I guess I just don't know where I stand with the whole baby thing. Part of me is jealous of my sister-in-law and wants it to be me. Part of me thinks I'll never have a baby. Part of me wonders if I really do want a baby.

I'm just in a weird mood. Doesn't help that my monthly visitor will be coming in a few days. I guess right now, I just have the feeling I'll never be a mother. And I don't really like it.

I'm starting to wonder if that's why I haven't worked harder to lose weight....

Okay, rant done. Thanks for listening.

Monday, Monday...

Exercise: 50 minutes Tae-Bo

Eating confession: I had Arby's drive-thru for lunch. I will compensate calories for dinner.

Thoughts: I'm happy to be getting active again. I should have just went home and grabbed a sandwich rather than Arby's. You live and learn.

Starting Over

Weight: 239.2 pounds

Body Fat: 39.7%

Exercise: 35 minutes Tae-Bo

Thoughts: Here I go again for about the 30th time in my life for the quest of a healthier life. I know I'm busy, but I'm not comfortable in my own skin. When that happens, it's time to do something about it. Back to logging what I eat (at least privately), exercising at least 30 minutes daily, ramping up my water intake, and making better food choices all around. It's not going to be easy, but I've got to work on this. No more excuses.

I'm here

I'm here. I'm just not active. I could give you the excuse that I'm in summer school for my master's. I could give you the excuse that I'm coordinating my school's summer reading program. I could give you the excuse that my sinus/allergy/cold crap is still around and finally went to the doctor to be put on an antiobiotic and steroids to tame it down.

I feel like crap. I'm not active (unless you call a once a week, half-assed attempt of working out active). I'm eating okay. Seriously hasn't been too bad, but I will say that we've eaten out for dinners 4 out of 7 days (hello fat, sodium and calories).

I want to push pause. I want to be active. I leave at 7 AM and drive an hour to class. There until 1:30 PM (hello, college....lunch, please?). Get a drive thru sandwich on the drive home. Get home around 3:00 PM. Get mail, spend small amount of time with husband and cat. Get dinner ready, eat. School work for three hours. When 10 PM rolls around, I'm spent.

I need some help...suggestions?? I did well tonight with food. Made some steaks on the grill. Instead of having macaroni salad like my husband did, I cut my steak up and had a big salad with it. Got my veggies in. I miss walks with my husband. I miss working out daily. The weather hasn't helped as it has rained 6/7 of the past days. Tomorrow is dry but then rain again for the next WEEK. That sucks. Can't get out on our bikes or go for walks.

If you have suggestions, please leave a comment. Thanks :)

Back in the Saddle Again

Running, here I come again!

Like last summer, I'm venturing to become a runner. I lost all progress from last summer, so I'm starting from step 1 again.

Today was easier than the start last summer. I walked 1/4, ran at 4.5-5.0 for 1/2, walked 1/4, ran 1/4 at 4.5, walked 1/4, ran almost the whole next 1/4 at 4.5, and then walked the last 1.4/ Did 2 miles in 30 minutes. Far from competition, but it's a start. Last summer, I was able to run 2 complete miles without stopping. This summer, my goal is 3 miles. I haven't decided whether or not I'll do a 5K at some point towards fall. I have a lot of work to do before thinking about that.

My parents are in town today, so calories are not counted, but portions are being watched. Tomorrow, it's crack down. I'm in two weddings this summer and I don't want to be the flubby, chubby bridesmaid.

Stay tuned. Stats coming tomorrow. I rushed to clean before the parents got here this morning, so I didn't get it done then.

Restart Button

You know how when your computer is running slowly, programs take forever to work, and you get completely irritated with it? What do you do? You restart your computer. By restarting, the computer starts over fresh and functions much better.

Well, I've done the same thing. I was doing so well with the 30 DS, ready to move to level 2, and then I get bombarded with the worst cold/flu/sinus/allergy thing I've ever had. I felt out of it for a literally a week. Now that I'm feeling back to normal, it's time to hit my restart button. There's no way I could be ready for level 2 of 30 DS, so I started back today with some tae bo. I made it through 36 minutes before feeling like dying, so it's better than nothing.

Have you ever hit your restart button?

To continue or not to continue...

that is the question.

I've been having some serious issues with what I thought was a continuation of my allergies, but now, I feel like it's some serious sinus issues going on. My head is so clogged that when I flip my head over to dry my hair and flip it back, I seriously thought I was going to fall over this morning.

So, needless to say, I haven't shredded in three days. I was going to attempt it today, but my energy level is zero. I am supposed to move onto level 2 on Tuesday. If I can work out tomorrow at level 1 and see if I survive, I may still bump up. Otherwise, I'm tempted to go back to tae-bo. So, I guess we'll see tomorrow.

I'm bummed because just as I get back into my groove, something pops up to disrupt it. Why can't life help me out on this journey?

30 DS Day #6

Day 6 done. Feeling a little stronger. Schedule messed up today, so I once again, didn't get additional cardio in. Two days away from a full week in. Next Tuesday is the first day of level 2.

I really hope to start seeing results, but gotta be patient.

I'm working out consistently and that's a good thing for me.

30 DS Day #5

Well, Day #5 of the Shred is done. I feel stronger, but I still have a long ways to go. I didn't do additional cardio tonight, but frankly, it took all I had to get the Shred done.

Small on words today. Half way done with level 1. On to tomorrow...

30 DS Day #4

Not as sore today! YAY!!! Day 4 went okay, but for some reason, the push ups were harder today. I've got this weird popping noise in my right elbow when I bend it a certain way. I'm sure it's 30 DS related. I'm being careful with it and when I go to the chiro in a little over a week, I'll ask him his thoughts (if it's still popping).

I need to stay away from the scale. It is not my friend. I'm expecting instant gratification and not receiving it. As a result, I get pissy. I need to quit. Everyone says with the 30 DS to measure rather than weigh. I measured last Saturday when I started and I won't measure again until Day 30. I just hate the weight I'm at.

I hate how I look. I hate pants fitting, but not as loosely as they used to. I hate shirts grabbing onto my muffin top. I despise my arms that are huge and jiggly. I hate my bootay that shakes more than it used to. I want it to go away. I want clothes to fit loosely. I want people to notice. I want the scale to react. I know, I know...patience is a virtue. Well, that's not helping me right now!!

Okay, pity party over. I'm going to research some people's progression of 30 DS and see what to expect. Obviously, everyone's different.

I really hope to notice something next week when I switch to level 2. Please.

30 DS Day #3

Surprisingly, today was easier! I love that! I felt stronger through the pushups and cardio. To be honest though, those lunges with bicep curls hurt more. I despise lunges with all my being, so it takes literally every bone and muscle in my body to push through those suckers. But I did.

I also did an additional 25 minutes of cardio intervals on the elliptical. Hate that thing. My feet fall asleep after 15 minutes, so I pushed through with tingling feet during the last 10 minutes. Boy, was I a-sweatin' though!!! Fifty-five minutes today. I'm happy with that.

Food? Well, today was my first lunch challenge. They had an Italian restaurant cater spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread. I took a scoop of spaghetti, two small pieces of garlic bread and the other half of my plate was salad. Then, there was dessert. Oh Lord, there was dessert. There was a peanut butter truffle that literally was heaven in a bowl. And I ate it. I ate a big scoop and then followed up with a little scoop. I didn't feel guilty until I left. But holy buckets was that good. But, my butt probably enjoyed it even more as it layered it on my cellulite!!

Onto Day #4!!!

30 DS Day #2

So, you'd think Day 2 would be easier than Day 1, right? Doing the same workout for the second time shouldn't be as hard? YEAH RIGHT! Holy buckets! The lunges were torture, and I'm not even going to go into the push ups. But you know what? I did it. Then, I jumped (okay, I didn't jump) on the treadmill for an additional 20 minute workout. I did a five minute warm-up walk, 2 1/2 minute jog at 4.5 mph, walk 2 1/2 minutes, repeat for a total of 20 minutes. Those jogs were tough, and I did shorten one by about 30 seconds for my lung's sake. But I burned an additional 150 calories or so.

Food has been okay. I haven't stuffed myself and I haven't limited myself. We had dinner out last night, but I had a salad with my sandwich. It's little changes like this that I want to help me succeed at weight loss.

Didn't get a chance to win any money for my new wardrobe, but had a fun evening with the hubby! Now, my next challenge is Teacher Appreciation Week this week. Catered lunches each day. I'm going to partake in them, but not indulge in them. I want to show myself that I can handle these types of events.

Wish me luck!

30 DS Day #1

Well, workout 1, Level 1 is done! It was hard. Three minutes strength, two minutes cardio, and one minute of abs seems simple, right? Heck no!!! I was sweating bullets by the time we got through the first six-minute circuit! Jillian Michaels knows her stuff though. My arms could feel it from the weights, my butt from the butt kicks, and I'm not even going to start on my abs!

This just goes to show I need work! I'm giving Jillian these 30 days to prove her stuff. Now, I'm also starting to journal my food (not calories right now, but just what I eat), and add additional workouts to the 30 Day Shred. Today, I did 15 minutes on the elliptical, so all together, I got about 45 minutes in.

On May 30th, I will reveal my measurements from today and the end, as well as weight and body fat. She claims up to 20 pounds in 30 days. That's what I'm going to shoot for. I weigh 238.4 as of this morning, so that would put me at 218. My goal is to be 220 on May 30th. It's not impossible, but it's going to be a challenge. I have the month of May off from grad school, so I have no excuses not to work out daily.

I have challenges my first week already. It's Teacher Appreciation Week at school and our PTA provides lunch for us every day. Now, I'm going to practice moderation and partake in it. But instead of loading my plate up and going back for seconds, it's just going to be a little of things. I want this to be a lifestyle change, not a diet. If there's dessert, I'm going to have a small section, not the entire piece. I really want this to work and it's going to take a lot of effort on my part, but I want to prove that you can eat things in moderation and still lose weight.

Off to clean up and then try my luck at the slots tonight!!! I'd love to save up more money for some smaller clothes in a month!!

Month of May = Shred Month

That's right, boys and girls. May is Shred Month. I am vowing right here and now to complete the 30-Day Shred from May 1st to May 30th. I will take measurements on May 1st and again on May 30th and hope to see progress!!! This is the jump into summer that I need. I have had about a 10 pound gain since January and it needs to go away.

Ready or not, here I shred!

Life needs to slow down.

Holy cow...is it seriously April 10th? To be honest, I can't keep up with this blog. I haven't been on Facebook as much either. Between meetings, class, homework, schoolwork, and being a wife in general, it's just nuts!

I haven't given up on my April challenge, but I'll be honest in that I haven't been tracking the points. I have a feeling this will continue because as the month goes up, my master's classes will be ending, which means final presentation time.

So, I'll update you when I can and try and keep you all in the loop. I'll try and get a weight update on here when I actually weigh myself!

Those four pounds can kiss my....

BOOTAY!

I drowned my sorrows in some food today. Bad.

I kicked some butt on the treadmill for 45 minutes worth, including jogging a total of a mile (not all at once) at 5.0 mph.

Four pounds....get off my butt.

I will update my points and weight tomorrow as it's the conclusion of week #1 already.

Best part: I feel sore from workouts...a good sore.

Worst part: I didn't control my food as much as I need to.

Tomorrow's another day. A new day.

I don't get it.

I've gained 4 pounds in two days, and I know it's not because I've eaten an excess of 14,000 calories and I haven't eaten excess sodium, so I'm not convinced it's retaining water. I've been working out at least 45 minutes (with the exception of Easter). In fact, my weight went up from last night to this morning. How does this happen?

I'm completely frustrated. I'm at a weight I hate, I'm working to do something about it and my weight's going up. UUGHHH!

Day 3 Recap

I am so proud of myself today. We had unexpected plans come up this afternoon that meant eating out. So, I ate a bowl of fruit for lunch so that I allowed myself the calories for dinner. I was full and I ordered what I wanted, but only ate half of my sandwich, which is a big step for me!!!

Calories Recorded: Check. Again, estimation.
Under 1800 calories: I'm saying check because I really watched what I ate.
Water: TBD yet...got about 16 ounces to go before bed.
Exercise: Check. 45 minutes tae bo.
Sleep: Check. Love sleeping in on weekends.

I feel like a weight's starting to be lifted from me. I don't know why, what, etc. But I just have a good feeling about things...

Happy Easter to everyone tomorrow, and I hope you get to spend some time with family or friends!

Day 2 Overview

Track calories: Check. Estimation due to lunch out.
Under 1800 calories: No, but planned due to lunch out.
Exercise at least 45 minutes: Check. 45-minute walk in the sprinkling rain with hubby.
64 ounces of water: Check. Quite over today, but it's all good.
Seven hours of sleep: Check.

Day 2 points: 4/5

Week 1 total so far: 9/10

Thoughts: Feeling good. Indulged at lunch, but just had a bowl of cereal for dinner, so I feel good about that. Glad I got some exercise in, even if it wasn't hardcore sweating. Back on track for tomorrow and then Easter.

Day 1 Results

Track calories? Check. 1 point.
Under 1800 calories? Barely, but check. 1 point.
Drink 64 ounces of water? With about 4 ounces to go....check. 1 point.
Exercise at least 45 minutes? Billy Blanks was kicking my ass. Check. 1 point.
Sleep at least 7 hours? If I get to bed within the next hour and 35 minutes, check. That won't be a problem. 1 point.

Day one total: 5 points.

Thoughts? This was harder than I thought. But I need a challenge. Worst part? Avoiding temptation with food. Easiest part? Getting back into working out.

One day down, 29 to go in the challenge.

No fooling around here.

There's no fooling around today.

Nope, it's game time.

Starting weight is 237.8 pounds. Pitiful.

I'm a tracking and recording calorie, exercising my tushy, drinking water like crazy, sleeping as much as I can kind of a woman today. I was already tempted this morning as there was Easter candy sitting on the kitchen counter. I took two mini Reese's peanut butter cups (which are 44 calories a piece) and put them in my lunch.

Calories:
Breakfast: 320 calories (bowl of Special K and skim milk....2 cups of Special K, I even measured it)
Morning Snack: 80 calories (string cheese)
Lunch: 495 calories (148 of that is coming from the ranch dressing for my salad. Yell at me all you want because I have yet to find an alternative that doesn't make me want to gag. Salad has lettuce, spinach, and broccoli and then having some strawberries and grapes on the side and don't forget those 2 reese's mini pb cups)

So heading home today, I'll have 895 calories in. That leaves me 905 calories for dinner, which I haven't planned quite yet. It'll be something on the grill because it's way too nice to turn the oven or stove on.

Stay tuned!!!!!!! Off to drink the first 16 of my 64 ounces of good 'ole H2O!

Goals for April 2010

On this last day of March, I've decided to give myself five "ME" things to work on this month. I'm giving myself points weekly for these goals. At the end of the month, if I have earned 95% of my points, I'm going to reward myself with a spa day!!!

Here are my goals:
1. Track daily calories of EVERYTHING I put into my mouth 6/7 days per week. (6 points)
2. Stay under 1800 calories 6/7 days per week. (6 points)
3. Do at least 45 minutes of exercise 5/7 days per week. (5 points)
4. Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily. (7 points)
5. Get at least 7 hours of sleep 6/7 days per week. (6 points)

Total points per week: 30

Weeks are going to be dates instead of Sun-Sat.
April 1-7 (30 pts.)
April 8-14 (30 pts.)
April 15-21 (30 pts.)
April 22-28 (30 pts)
April 29-30 (Do all 5 goals for 10 pts.)

Total points possible in April: 130
95% of 170=124 points

That gives me 6 slip ups. I'm going to give myself another reward of new capris or sandals if I have less that 2 slip ups. I'm giving myself cushion because with Easter this Sunday and me not preparing the meal, it's hard to predict calories.

So, there you have it!! I will also record my weight at the end of each week with the point totals. My goal is a loss of 5 pounds in April!!!!

What are you going to do during the month of April???

I love Spring

I love Spring and everything that comes with it. I love the cool but not cold mornings. I love the warm sun in the afternoon. I love the warm breeze that can blow through our open windows in our house. I love being able to get out and go for a walk with my husband, enjoying the weather and catching up on our day. I love seeing kids, adults, and animals out and about playing, talking, and laughing.

I look forward to many more evenings such as this one. A 45-minute walk with my husband tonight was a perfect ending to the day. I wish I could do it every day! No such luck tomorrow with night class!!!

Sweaty goodness!

Holy buckets of sweat! 50 minutes of tae bo are down the tubes. I fought my way through it, even having to stop briefly to catch my breath, but I did it.

And I'm doing it again tomorrow.

I feel energized. I don't feel this way when I shove my mouth full of crap. It's time I start remembering this!!!!!

Every day is a new day.

I had a little eye opener last night. We celebrated hubby's birthday with his family and his dad was snapping pictures like you wouldn't believe. Hubby and I were looking through them and when I saw my picture, I was mortified. My face looked like a bloated balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

This is ridiculous. I'm in two weddings this summer and if I don't change things, for one, I won't fit into the dresses, and two, I will be ashamed to be standing in front of all of the guests on those days. I don't want those brides to regret asking me to be a bridesmaid. I want them to be excited to have me as part of their day. I know in their heart of hearts, they want me in it anyway, but for my sake, I want to look better.

No more excuses....just like Jillian Michaels says. Off to do some tae bo and then maybe finish off with a walk.

Enough is enough.

Wednesday recap

Yesterday was my husband's 31st birthday and I celebrated like it was mine. I ate like it was my birthday and because of class, I didn't work out. Not proud of it. But moving on.

The scale wasn't proud of it either.

I have a food addiction.

It needs to stop.

Or else, I'll be back to 260 before I know it.

Tuesday Recap

Breakfast-Special K and skim milk
Snack-string cheese
Lunch-turkey and spinach on whole wheat, baked doritos, apple
Snack-Golden Grahams (but too many)
Dinner-chicken breast stuffed with mushrooms and cheese wrapped in a piece of bacon, broccoli
Dessert-2 homemade chocolate chip cookies

Exercise-30 minutes on treadmill, 1/2 mile combo of 5.0 and 6.0 mph run, rest at 3.6-3.8 mph
10 minutes of abs and other randomness

Thoughts: I don't know. I've gotta get food under control. I need to find something smaller for when I get home rather than grabbing the box of cereal and devouring lord knows how many calories. There were bananas on the counter, apples and grapes in the fridge, but I just didn't pick them. Dinner was better than last night's pizza, but the cheese and bacon doesn't help. These are super good though and our meat counter at our local grocery store makes them. One thing I could have changed is not have eaten the whole chicken breast and just ate part.

Workout was okay. Did it while I was watching Biggest Loser. It depressed me a little that some of the bigger guys are only 60-70 pounds bigger than me now. For a moment, I wished it was me on the ranch having Bob and Jillian yelling at me and pushing me to places I've never been. I'm intrigued by the Body Bugg device, but we just don't have the money to spend on it right now.

Final thoughts: There are things I could have done better but I did get a workout in. Better than the last few weeks.

Monday Recap

The first day back to school was manageable and overall, I did okay. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, 1/2 mile of which I attempted some jogging at 5.0 mph. The rest of the walking I did at about 3.6 mph. Then I put on the good 'ole boxing gloves and did some punching and kicking on the bag. Finished up with some crunches, leg lifts, and push ups for a total of 15 additional minutes. I caught enough of Dancing with the Stars to see Pamela Anderson and her dance routine. I think most male viewers enjoyed that performance!!!

Eating is my biggest disappointment yesterday:
Breakfast: Special K with skim milk
Lunch: 2 pieces of leftover homemade pizza (not the best choice because they run around 250 calories each)
After school: grabbed the bag of Baked Doritos and consumed an unknown amount
Dinner: My husband ordered pizza (thanks dear) and I ate one piece short of a half of a large sausage, mushroom, and green pepper thin crust pizza.

Looking at that, can you say carb-a-holic? No fruits, hardly any veggies, some protein, and a lot of carbs and fat, I'm sure!

So, on to Tuesday. Let me tell you...after a week of sleeping in until 8:00 AM or so, this 6:00 AM stuff is hard!!!

A moment of strength

There are birthday treats in the lounge here at school, and as of 10:14 AM, I have not fallen victim to them. For some, this is no biggie. For me, it's huge.

I had a moment of strength. Here's to it continuing!!

A fresh start!

I've fought. I've kicked. I've whined. I've complained.

It's time for a fresh start. As you've noticed, I've revamped my blog a little in honor of this fresh start. I've deleted my past posts because I'm tired of looking at them. It's time for a fresh start.

So, here it goes. Started off with a good hour long walk in the fresh, cool spring air tonight. I feel good. I'm looking forward to good things. Better things. Smaller things. Bigger things.

Stay tuned...