Tuesday, June 30, 2009

HYC Checkin-in: Son of a... Wake Up!

Ugh. The scale was not kind this morning. I'm still under 320, thank goodness, but not by much. I guess it is safe to say that the crappy eating is really catching up to me and that this is my wake up call.

Point taken.

I really do think part of the problem is my "female issues" right now, but there is also no denying that my eating habits have not been the best, as I have been saying over and over and over... when is it going to be time that I will actually do something about instead?

Well, today. My goal today is to stay on track, eating-wise. No loosey-goosey today, just for one day if I can. I will.

Unfortunately I was feeling totally crappy with cramping and all that fun stuff, so no run. OK, part of it is fear (25 minutes of running! Can I do that yet???) but really, honestly, my legs felt like lead this morning. There was just no way. I'm shooting for tomorrow to have a go at it, so we'll see. If anything, I have GOT to get a nice walk in, whether it is outside or at the gym. It's been raining a lot lately.

I'll probably check back in later and let you know how it is going, but in the meantime, I could use as much rah-rahing as you can muster.

Monday, June 29, 2009

Still in the Green

Yesterday and today I am back up in the 318, which is... whatever! It's OK. 318.2, to be exact, so really, fine. I can still easily drop those extra two pounds plus some, and again, I think my hormones are screwing things up, too. I am now into my next TOM, which I knew would happen. Ugh. A whole month of TOM, plus! It's amazing that I've done as well as I have, looking back on it. Hey, I am still in the green on my Physics Diet chart, and honestly? That's really all that matters to me. If the trending is headed downward, then it's all good.

I felt way too crappy for a run yesterday, and this morning I did some catching up on housework instead of "real" exercise—but dude, I don't know! I really worked up a good sweat in the half hour I cleaned, so whatever. I am hoping to not feel too queasy for a run tomorrow morning. It'll be a 25 minute one, yikes!

We won't talk about my eating, because honestly, is there anything worse than reading a weight-loss blog that talks about all the foods that you really don't want to be thinking about? So I won't tell you about all the crap I've been ingesting, suffice it to say that I have been ingesting mainly crap. Thank goodness for being active, and for being able to at least not eat so much crap when I do eat it. I tend to be a slow eater, and especially lately have also tried to be extra mindful of my portions, so I have that working for me, anyway.

I actually did get quite a bit more activity in this morning. I took a 1/2 vacation day from my regular job to teach a short class at a summer camp at one of the area's art museums. It was just for about two hours, but not only was I on my feet that whole time keeping up with 18 kids with an average age of eight or nine, but I also had to park a ways away from where I needed to be (it's on a college campus, you know how that goes!) so I got some extra walking in. By the time I got back to my car afterward, I was sweating like a cold glass on a hot day. And I get to do it again two more times in the coming week! I don't know how grade school teachers do what they do all day, every day. Hats off to them!

For now I am relieved to be sitting in my air-conditioned cube (that's another thing—the museum atmosphere almost always makes me feel ill, with its climate control) and doing designy things and not talking to anyone. I think when I get home tonight some lawn work is in order, unless it's raining... more opportunity for exercise! I have to take it however I can get it.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

New low, totally high!

I learned such a good lesson yesterday. Just because you overindulge on one meal doesn't mean all is lost for the day. If you work hard to make up for it, you can still save the day. And save the day, did I ever!

I slept for a long time last night, even with the time I was up in the middle of the night—about ten hours! I guess I needed it, though, and when I woke up, I saw that old Aunt Flow arrived. Again. Still. Whatever. So I was feeling pretty crappy, not very strong, and just draggy in general. But I was really looking forward to finishing the last of the "training wheel" sessions of C25K so I told myself that I could just get out and give it a try, and that if it was too much for my body, I could stop, or do less. Just so that I got out there, at least. Well, it turned out to be my most difficult C25K run so far, even though it had some walking... I just didn't have my usual energy and strength. I made it through, though, I am happy to say, and my speed wasn't as bad as I thought, 3.3 mph average for the whole session, including warm-up and cool down. Just .2 mph under my best, so that's pretty good considering how crappy I was feeling.

When I got home and hopped on the scale (well, after a few minutes of cooling down and resting—I needed it!) I was amply rewarded for having a small dinner last night, and for my efforts this morning, showing 316.2, my lowest yet since December! What a thrill. Is it possible that I will finally see 315 this week? Well, I expect it, but I won't hold my breath, either. Hm, does that cancel out my expectations? Nah, I am just very happy that I have passed the 20 pound mark and that I am well ensconced in the 310s, period. There's just something about 315 right now... I hate to obsess over numbers, but man! I want to get there so badly!

Ideally I'd like to see 310 by my company picnic on July 11. It's definitely doable, but at the same time I know a lot of it will rely on what's going on with my body, too. I mean, I held onto 321-ish for several weeks! We'll see. Ultimately I would just really like to be out of the 300s by the end of August, that is what I am really shooting for, which gives me some wiggle room. If I can do that, I'll finally be caught up to where I was last year at around the same time, and from then on it's going to be all new territory. I'm so looking forward to that.

PS: I'm moving my official weigh-in to Saturdays.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Up All Night

Well, not really. Just up in the middle of the night because I went to bed way too early—like 7pm too early! I don't know what I was thinking, just tired and so glad that it's the weekend again. Going to bed at 7pm isn't something I could do on a worknight, that's for sure.

So here I am all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at three in the morning. I don't plan to stay up for too long, because I don't want to screw up my morning and rest of the day plans for tomorrow. I'll be doing Week 6 Day 2 of C25K, which is a big milestone as it is the last run with what I call "training wheels". That is, it is the last run with any walking segments aside from the warm up and cool down. Wow. I can believe I am that far already! From tomorrow through the next three and a half weeks, it's all 25 to 30 minute runs for me, three times a week. How exciting! I am just thrilled that I was able to come back from such a dismal state of fitness so recently. Just goes to show how amazing and resilient the human body can be.

That said, I have to admit that I am glad I won't be running for 25 minutes straight tomorrow. It'll be 10 minutes running, 3 walking, and 10 running. That seems much more doable, don't you think? Yet you'd be amazed at how a body will come through when it's time to do those longer runs. The C25K program really does prepare you without you even knowing it!

***

I also wanted to say now that I am proud of myself after today's lunch disaster that I ate a small dinner that kept me within my caloric boundaries (well, I hope so, anyway—I did have to guesstimate on many of the items I had for lunch, but I did so on the high end). It wasn't the most healthful dinner, granted, but it served its purpose. Yep, popcorn with parmesan cheese and hot sauce, plus some Hola Fruta Mango sherbet (about 3/4 of a cup). I wanted something easy and easily countable.

There is definitely a thread going through this past week. I was always looking for something fast and easy to eat and didn't feel like cooking most of the time. I need to make sure that I have healthy choices available for myself during those times, and I just wasn't prepared in that was this week. Hopefully I can do better with that next week, or at least plan a little better.

I'm feeling really good about things right now, even at 3am! Keeping up in this blog regularly has really helped me, as has reading lots of other blogs by people going through the same things I am, having the same struggles and concerns. Reading those blogs truly inspire me and keep me on track, no lie! I am thankful to each and every person who is wiling to share their experiences with the world, warts and all.

Wegmans, you done me wrong.

Hm. I've done some things right today, some things wrong.

(I just want to say how glad I am that it is Friday, by the way!)

Had my usual breakfast, drinking water, had lunch. *brakes squealing*

Oh, lunch. I need to start planning you and bringing you into work. You just don't fit into my plans when I have to go out and get you.

I had the bright idea of going to Wegmans (the best grocery store chain in the region) to take advantage of their awesome lunch take-out bar. They've got all kinds of stuff, from hot dishes (Chinese and Indian cuisines), sushi, cold salads of all kinds, plus the sub and pizza counters, plus the whole grocery store. I ended up buying way too much food and also spending too much money. Double whammy, it's got to stop!

I opted for some Indian food, a chicken dish and a veggie dish that were pretty good choices, plus a wee bit of a chicken dish that wasn't such a good choice (it had cream in the sauce), a little lemon rice, some roasted green beans, and two very small pieces of naan bread. It turned out to be 1.5 pounds of food! Hm, didn't seem like it as I was loading it into the container. They obviously need smaller containers.

I bought it anyway, and at the register they have, very strategically placed, the most delicious-looking cookies. They are decadent and they are not cheap. What do you think I did? Yep, that's right. I bought one.

At my desk, I ate everything, not even fully enjoying it because I felt rather anxious eating it in the first place (too much, too expensive).

I still have so far to go in getting this down pat. I still have so many issues to deal with and hopefully someday fix. It's so frustrating that I insist on repeating stupid behavior like this. Learn it, already! Dammit!

The good news is that I logged everything the best I could. I don't have a lot to work with for dinner, but I will try really hard not to continue the overdoing it into the rest of the day. I deserve better than that.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Weight: 319.4
Total Weight loss: 17.2 pounds

Today's my "official" weigh-in day. I'm down from last week, so that makes me happy, but I am really, really up from yesterday, which makes me disappointed.

I'm not surprised, mind you. Sure, I've been exercising regularly and really enjoying that, but my eating has not been so great. It's been worse, but it could be much better. And I admit, I haven't been tracking my food much this week, either, which doesn't help. Yesterday could have been fine, but I made a few bad decisions at around (you guessed it!) dinner time. I didn't feel like cooking or shopping, and I didn't feel like having spaghetti leftovers, so I put the frozen pizza I had tucked away in the freezer in the oven. And proceeded to eat all of it—once it came out of the oven, of course! I'm talking a full-sized Tombstone extra cheese pizza. Not so good. On top of that I finished off a bag of, of all things, gummi bears.

I don't know what I have been thinking lately. I could really be making even more awesome progress if I got back on track here.

The one thing I did right last night was, after all that, drinking a tall glass of ice water and NOT having an ice cream sundae again. I could have, trust me.

It's a good possibility that this two and a half pound gain resulted in part from all the sodium I likely consumed yesterday; I still haven't conquered my Subway addiction and had a roast beef sub for lunch. That's a lot of sodium.

When I was walking this morning, my fingers blew up like balloons. All this is really no surprise. Hopefully today will be a good one, and I can make up for my transgressions quickly.

It's nice to not be too upset about this! I know what I did wrong, and I know that I can fix it by getting back on track. And I made sure to get out for a good half hour walk even though I didn't feel so hot initially. I knew that if I didn't, I'd regret it. The times that are most important to get exercise in are the times when you really don't want to do it... that's when you need it most, I think!

Anyway, I am pleased to see an overall loss this past week and we'll leave it at that.

ETA: I just figured out that I am still averaging over a 2 pound loss per week, which is indeed great! I just have to keep it up.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Erasing Time

I'm absolutely doubly thrilled this morning!

First, I did Week 6, Day 1 of C25K and did just great. My average pace was my best so far, 17:06—better than my last best run last week, and way better than I ever did during last year's sequence. I know I have said it before, but I am so proud of how far I have come fitness-wise in less than two months. Who would have thunk it?

Second, I hopped on the scale not expecting much, when to my surprise: A breakthrough! 316.8 today. Just awesome. I am just .2 pounds away from the 20 pound mark since I started on May 1st.

Yesterday I didn't eat particularly well. I did OK during the day, but come dinner time, while I didn't binge or anything, I just ate a lot of crap. We had spaghetti with a very, very meaty sauce (not my favorite), and I probably overdid it a bit on the garlic bread because I was feeling so bad all day. Plus, we ate on the late side because when I got home from work (slightly early, but I hung in there longer than I originally thought I would), I slept for two hours! I was just totally spent. So yeah, definitely some comfort eating going on, even before dinner—while cooking I popped a couple leftover biscuits from the day before (with butter) and some of those totally addicting, shouldn't have 'em in the house Wheat Thins Artisinal crackers (Vermont cheddar flavor). I just felt compelled. All that, topped off with an ice cream sundae for dessert. WTF!

So you can imagine how even more yucky I felt after all that. Later in the evening—it was about 8:30pm at this point— I decided that I wanted to get at least a little physical activity in to perk me up a bit, so I went outside and spent about an hour digging in the dirt and planting some new plants I got last weekend. I worked until dark and worked up a nice sweat. Very sweaty, in fact. Which goes to show that even when you make poor choices in one area of your day, doesn't mean that you can't make up for it in another way. I definitely felt that I accomplished that. I made myself feel better both mentally and physically.

And what about the title of my post today? Well, with the loss I showed today I have effectively erased the last six months of my life, weight-wise. All the gains I saw between early January and May? Gone, totally. The next sixteens pounds or so will take me back to October 2008. Time travel is fun! I am just so glad that I have been able to nip that whole "I lost 50 pounds only to gain it all back plus some" in the bud. Not only can I look at my loss now as twenty pounds since May, but I can also look at it as having lost 33.2 pounds since January 2008. Either way, I win.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Feeling Yucky

That about says it all for today: I feel yucky. I guess it's PMS, beyond achey and just feeling off. I may leave work early today, like soon.

Still hanging out in 318, which is fine! It's better than 320.

I didn't go on my run this morning because I was feeling so ick. Last night I worked up a good sweat on mowing the front lawn and weeding the vegetable gardens, at least.

Oh well.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

What, another post?

It's just one of those days when I feel like I have to process everything that is going through my head. I'm having another emotional day, I guess.

Well, after the doctor's visit I was pretty hungry for lunch, and for the second day in a row I had a Subway roast beef sub. This is surely much better than McDonald's or any other fast food option, but the bad things are that a) I think I am kind of addicted to Subway roast beef subs on honey oat bread with all the fixins (except for lettuce and banana peppers), red wine vinaigrette, and black pepper! Being compulsive about a food is never a good thing, so even though I have said it before, I'll say it again (and mean it!)—I need to stop going to Subway for at least a while. Not to mention, it gets expensive, especially since they took roast beef off the $5 list! I definitely do not need to throw money around like that, not when I am worried about paying the bills.

So anyway. It's not that I feel guilty about it, not really, but I kind of DO! I need to start taking lunches regularly again, for sure.

The evening is pretty well planned. When I get home, I'm going to shuck some corn on the cob, and then while C. is grilling the corn and steaks for dinner, I am going to mow the front lawn. Eat dinner, then work in the garden a little bit, then work on freelance design stuff a little bit, maybe watch some TV, then hit the sack by 10:30 so I can get a good run in tomorrow morning—C25K Week 6! Wow.

It's sure is nice to have the evening planned, but it tires me out just thinking about it. I'm tired enough sitting in my cube at work, feeling sluggish. Hopefully the physical activity with pep me up a bit.

***

I forgot to mention that when I rolled out of bed this morning, my right knee twinged! Like, I almost twisted it or something, that's what it felt like! But, I have no idea how that could have happened. It was just fine when I went to bed last night! Throughout the day it's been in and out with a slight pain. All I can say is, it better right itself soon!

Update: I'm OK

Just as a follow-up to earlier: The doc thinks it is just the artificial hormones in my birth control pills doing funny things with my cycle. He's going to have me take another round of pills and see if my cycle goes back to normal, and if so, wahoo! and if not, then plan B. Which would tests and stuff, I guess.

I really hate going to the doctor's office. No matter how hard I try to keep myself well-composed, I always end up feeling like they think I am being "difficult" (a la Elaine on Seinfeld), or I end up getting weepy. Both happened today! I swear, I really didn't think I was getting snippy, but I guess, based on the doc and nurse's reaction to my answers, I must have been. And that made me upset, so toward the end of the appointment I just almost started to cry.

I'm such a typical weepy fat girl. Blech.

Doctors suck. I feel like I want to find a new gyno and a new GP to boot.

Anyway, I'm OK for now!

One day, another day, and another

This is pretty much how I get through. Do one day, try another, and one more... before you know it, you're finding yourself... making progress of some kind or another. It might be slow, but it's progress nonetheless. For me lately progress is more about continuing to be active on a daily basis, and making sure that my Physics Diet chart stays in the green almost all the time (and I have, and it has). So while the pounds may not be falling off me, I am still progressing. I'm becoming more fit and my weight is still on a downward trend, albeit a slow one.

I'm hanging out in the 318 now, apparently. I was up ever-so-slightly today, but have hopes that I'll see a good loss soon. I still covet the 315! I expect the 315.

I did go for a 30-minute walk this morning despite feeling quite yucky (PMS, no doubt), and worked up a good sweat, too. This is some of the progress I am talking about. Doing it even when I don't necessary feel like it. Making a routine. I knew that if I didn't do it, I would regret it for the rest of the day. The simple act of walking (or running) makes all the difference. It is solid proof that I am doing something for myself.

For lunch today I am seeing the doctor. I had an appointment scheduled for the 30th, but called the nurse yesterday to say that, gee, my period never really stopped this month and I'm about to head into my next one, is there a problem with that? She promptly told me that I could have the first appointment of the day today, which is at noon. I have a feeling it's just the birth control I am on making my insides all wacked out, but I guess you never know. I'm a little nervous to be honest, but... well, it's probably nothing. They'll probably pat me on the head and give me a lollypop and send me on my way, silly girl.

(NOTE: My periods have always been weird, so this is not SO unusual, though I admit that I have never had a period last for over three weeks before. No doubt it's been screwing up my weight loss, too.)

Wish me luck! I'll report back dutifully to let you know how it went.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Baby Steps

I'm still losing, though by tiny increments... that's fine by me! I'm back down to 318.2, my lowest weight since I started in May. I am thrilled!

Even better is that this morning, I ran for 20 minutes straight!

I cannot tell you the mental block I had against doing this, which is funny because I have done it before, many a time! I just wasn't really sure I was ready, so I was scared I wouldn't be able to finish. I think I must give credit to miss Jenny, whom I mentioned yesterday and who was on my mind throughout my run today. I figure, if miss Jenny can prepare for a half-marathon while dealing with all that crazy breast cancer stuff, surely I can manage to run for 20 minutes straight. I kind of did it for Jenny.

So thanks, Jenny! I did it!

After a being in a really bad mindspace yesterday, today feels like a piece of cake. I'm really happy about where I am right now, mindspace-wise. Thank goodness. And you know, I think it is all the run's fault. It's because of that darned run that I feel so good.

I remember last year, doing the 20 minute run for the first time. It was MUCH harder back then than it was this time. I am clearly in much better shape now, which is pretty awesome, especially considering what an awful place I was in on May 1st, when I could barely walk for ten minutes without feeling like I was going to pass out. Look at me a month and a half later!

Yeah!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

A Rough Day

I had one of the worst days, emotionally, today that I've had in a long time. I'm sure it is just PMS but that fact doesn't make any less rough. I was so weepy! I ended up taking a nap for a while just so that I would stop thinking bad thoughts. All very general stuff, nothing specific, just an overall feeling of malaise.

I'm feeling a little better now but kind of dreading returning to work tomorrow, which is stressing me out a little bit. I won't go into it too much here, but I am just trying to work things out for myself in my own head.

Weight-wise, it's going well. I was down just a wee bit more this morning, and if I had bothered going on my run it no doubt would have been even better, but no matter. Yep, I skipped my run. I just couldn't do it, couldn't bring myself to trying. Just one of those days!

PMS. Blech.

NOTE: I just found out that an old friend from my college days was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She has a blog about what's going on. This is from her Facebook, which some friends of hers "hacked" to write this message:

"This is the fastest way for us to let ya'll know that Jenny is running in the Rock n' Roll 1/2 marathon in Seattle on Saturday, June 27th. While this marathon is not typically a "fundraiser", we're makin' it one! FOR JENNY'S BOOBS!

Yes, Jenny has medical insurance but this damn breast cancer is still gonna rock her checking account by as much as $20,000. So while the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fund is a worthy cause, we would like to ask you to consider a breast cancer donation directly toward Jenny's medical bills.

Let's make this as low stress for Jenny as possible. Rob & April are gonna collect any amount that you would like to give ($100? $75? $50?) and then we'll get one lump (no pun intended) sum to Jenny. There is power in FaceBook and the friends of Jenny's we can reach through this portal. Jenny has brought love and happiness and sunshine to so many of our lives; let's show her how much we love her and want to support her through this new challenge.

Cancer picked the WRONG bitch! Jenny is gonna kick cancer's ass!

Checks can be sent (and made out) to April Rauch, 8724 Jones Place NW, Seattle, WA 98117 or email with any questions: april@windermere.com
or get in touch with Rob at rcramp@u.washington.edu

Please support Jenny's boobs! And, in fact, hit up your friends who may not know Jenny but may care about breast cancer. This contribution will go 100% to the proper cause: Jenny's rack!"

Go Jenny! Kick it!

Puts things in perspective for sure.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Headed in the Right Direction

I'm down two pounds this morning, which puts me at 319 even. This is great! I don't know about you, but I am starting to suspect that exercise is really key to my success... after a week of nothing but the occasion bout of gardening, I've been C25King or walking every day for the past few days. It's obviously making a difference—not to mention it makes me feel good each day.

As I said, I haven't been too diligent about eating lately, but semi-trying to not overdo, too. Just trying to maintain a balance, which really is the ideal anyway, isn't it?

It recently struck me that I can approach this process in the same way I do my gardening and my art: it's an ongoing experiment. Sometimes the things I try work really well, and I keep them to use in the future, and sometimes they can be a gross failure, in which case I never do them again (or at least try not to). With my gardening and art, I fully disclose to everyone that it is all a big experiment, so I never really feel disappointed when the mistakes happen, I just move on and try something else. I am realizing now that I am beginning to do that with my approach to losing weight and maintaining a more healthy lifestyle, and it feels awfully good and right. Sure, I still get mad at myself from time to time, but lately I have been more forgiving and more willing to go through trial and error to figure out what works best for me.

This is a big difference from last year, and even last month. This attitude will help me get through the tougher times and allow me to proceed to the next round of successes.

It'll be interesting to see if these plateaus I am having each month will continue to be monthly occurrences. It's good to look for patterns, to see if there is something that you can expect and that you might not have a lot of control over. Our bodies are curious things. Our weight will fluctuate naturally, and it's OK. But it sure makes it a lot easier to deal with when you know what the patterns are, which is why I love the Physics Diet website so much. Honestly, if I didn't have that data to refer to, I doubt I'd be able to really hang in there through plateaus and even slight gains. It's funny how science and statistics can be comforting!

Anyway, I took a nice long walk this morning, sort of unexpectedly. I didn't feel like I had much energy, but as usual once I got going I felt fine to try to go beyond the just 20 minute walk I'd committed myself to initially. It was a slow walk, two miles in 45 miles, but it felt good to be out there early in the morning, breathing in the air and listening to the nothingness of 6:30am on a Saturday. I did it because I wanted to, and because it is important.

Tomorrow: C25K 20 minute run! Wish me luck!

Friday, June 19, 2009

Can You Say "Plateau"?

Weight: 321
Total Weight loss: 15.6 pounds

I've stayed pretty much the same all of the month of June.

And you know? I'm kind of OK with that. I'm proud that I have kept up with the positive changes I made in my life starting in May (oh heck, starting last January with a few big hiccups), and I know I will continue losing weight. For now I am happy that I have been able to maintain, even while having some positively poor eating days. That tells me that I am doing other things right, at least.

This morning I completed Week 5, Day 2 of C25K! I'm very proud of this; it was tough.

Run 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Run 8 minutes (!)
Walk 3 minutes
Run 5 minutes

Plus the usual warm up and cool down. I gotta say that the first 5 minute run made me feel like I wasn't going to be able to finish. But I just kept talking myself through it, breaking up the already short chunks of time into even smaller ones, to make it easier psychologically. And it worked! I didn't go quite as fast overall as I did the day before (3.3mph average vs. 3.5mph), but I still really surprised myself. I went farther than the last time, so close to the two mile mark (1.87, to be exact). I would be so fantastic if I could run 2 miles in a half hour, let me tell you! I'll get there.

It's going to be a busy weekend; I've got all kinds of things going on, but I do want to fit in a plain walk tomorrow morning and Day 3 (20 minutes of running!) of C25K on Sunday. Aside from that I have a freelance design project to work on, paintings to make in my studio, and a family get-together on Sunday to celebrate Father's Day. It's going to whiz by, so I need to make the best of my time!

And hey, since I almost never post photos, here is one of me taken just moments ago. I think it is always nice to put a face to a name (or online persona, for that matter). HI!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Steady as She Goes

Well, I can't really complain too much about the state of the scale lately. I'm staying right in the 321 area, 321.4 today. Can't seem to break it, but then again my eating hasn't been the most stellar lately, either, so I do feel lucky.

I keep making these weight goals for myself (315, 315, 315... ha ha!), and I haven't been able to come close, so I think rather than focus so much on the numbers, I'm going to reset my focus on exercise and tracking food. Make sure I do both every single day, no matter what. Because really, my clothes are fitting better and I feel pretty good about things overall, and that is what is most important! Not to mention (ahem) that I've lost 15 pounds in a month and a half, and that is nothing to sneeze at for sure. Maybe my body (and my brain) is playing catch up?

This morning I dragged myself out of bed right at the alarm again, nice! I didn't feel so hot today, either, but went for a walk. Unlike yesterday, my body never really perked up. I told myself to just shoot for a 20-minute walk, as long as I did something. And that's pretty much how it went, 22 minutes total and just over a mile. It didn't feel like I was walking so slow, oh well! Just one of those days, I guess.

I did it. Good on me.

I'm aiming for a good eating day today, too. The last two days weren't so hot. For breakfast I am back to my yogurt/cereal/fruit combo and I picked myself up some fruit and a Kashi frozen meal for lunch. I just haven't been as prepared to eat well this week—the kitchen's been a mess, the coffers are not well stocked. It's much harder to do well when you are in a hurry and trying to just piece things together. That often ends up in, "Aw, screw it, let's just get take out." (or fast food) And you know the rest. That's what yesterday was like. McDonald's for breakfast, Burger King for lunch, pizza and wings for dinner. I mean, I made decent choices and ate OK portions for what I ate, but still: it's eating crap.

OK, well, today I have a pretty OK plan, though I do need to come up with something decent for dinner. Too bad it's raining; grilling out sounds awfully good! Back to the old drawing board...

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

A Close One

Phew, that was close!

So if you were with me yesterday, you know that I had a terrible eating day. Even after my last post, I ended up going home and eating even more crap. It was just one of those days, I guess.

I also got in almost two hours of yard work after dinner last night, and I got back on the C25K wagon this morning. The result, even after eating what was probably double my usual allotment of cals?

I lost .4 pounds. Halle-&%$#-lujah! Seriously, I'd never been so happy to see a wee loss like that before. I was completely prepared to gain at least two pounds.

I'm still kind of holding my breath for tomorrow, actually. This bloated feeling I've been having is driving me crazy and I bet anything it's contributing to this plateau I've been on. My water intake is always good, so it's not that, probably just the dreaded "female" stuff. So I am waiting this out and will just keep on keeping on, like I always say. It's OK, it's not a race.

But I have to tell you about my run this morning! Holy crap, it was incredible. I woke up feeling kind of crappy (food hangover, anyone?), but got right out of bed with the alarm, got suited up and out the door. As what always happens, I warmed right up and started to really enjoy myself almost immediately. Week 5 of C25K is when it starts to get a little more hard-core: today's workout was the following sequence sandwiched with the usual five-minute warm up and cool down walk. 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running. And I did just great! I think it is amazing how my legs don't bother me one bit compared to when I started walking back on May 1st. Not to mention... my speed is improving! I was usually going 3 mph or so, maybe 3.1 if I was lucky. Today, though? Try 3.5 mph! Positively zippy for this fatty. Seriously, I was pretty psyched. It probably wasn't until one of the last weeks the last time I tried C25K that I reached that speed, so I am obviously improving faster. (NOTE: I double checked this, and it turns out that I never got that speed until a month or so after completing C25K last year! Wahoo!)

I am sure that the hills I walked and ran at my dad's house has a lot to do with my improvement. After tackling that route, my neighborhood is a piece of cake. Sure, I was huffing and puffing pretty well this morning, but I was fine, you know? Now I am having visions of hitting 4mph by the time I finish C25K (four more weeks to go!). Who knows, maybe I'll be able to run 5K in 45 minutes or something outrageous like that!

...only to get home and tell C. about my accomplishment, when he replies, "Isn't that like walking speed? You're SLOW!" Like he didn't know that already. But screw it, I didn't let old grouchypants get me down. I am still so proud of what I did this morning, my head is in the clouds.

Some days are diamonds, some days are stone. Today is definitely the former!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Oh No.

I am already way over on my calories and there is still dinner to eat. This is disappointing at best, especially since this includes the calories subtracted for my anticipated yardwork tonight.

See, turning to food for comfort does not make things better, it makes things worse! How many times do I have to "learn" this?

I take comfort that this is just one day of many, but it still sucks. Oh well.

Now to decide whether to eat a normal dinner, or to try to not eat anything else at all. What would YOU do?

Tippy Toe 500

My friend Tippy Toe has come up with a brilliant idea: The Tippy Toe 500.

It includes 100 push-ups,

200 squats,

and 200 sit ups.

I think I may have to go for it! It'll take me two years or something, but I will give it a shot.

Thanks, Tippy Toe!

The Poutlet

Grr. I'm back up to 321.6 this morning.

Though I still have to enter my dinner from yesterday (we ate at a friend's house whose whole family is on a diet), I am pretty sure I was A-OK on the eating front. It is true that I had no exercise yesterday, and it is true that I had Subway yesterday for lunch, and even more true that I was feeling very bloated yesterday. I am hoping, therefore, that this is just a case of water retention.

Oh, and not to mention that I still have my period! It's been over two weeks now! While this is very unusual indeed, I have had this happen to me before. Don't worry, I have a doctor's appointment at the end of the month and will mention the epic period. It's not been heavy at all since I returned from NH, a wee bit really, but enough that I still am chained to feminine hygiene products. No fun. So, who knows what kind of havoc this anomaly is wreaking on my weight loss efforts.

That said, I was kind of pissed off this morning and guess how I dealt with it? That's right, a trip to Dunkin' Donuts. Total damage: a small strawberry coolata and two donuts. Plus, I nommed on some coffee cake my mom sent me home with on Sunday. I know I was thinking it might be good to shake up my breakfast routine a bit, but I certainly didn't have this in mind. It was just plain emotional reaction, totally dumb.

And things are fine at home now, so I get through all that crap only to stumble on something as ridiculous as a little water retention. I know better than that.

Well, only one thing to do and that is track the food and try to do better for the rest of the day. At least later I'll be mowing the lawn and doing a little gardening.

I really appreciate having this blog as an outlet (I almost typed "poutlet"! Ha ha! That too) for times like this. Having just written about all this makes me feel much better, and certainly more rational. Thanks for reading. That is nice, too.

UPDATE: Ooooh yeah, did I ever go over on the sodium intake yesterday! I think that I'm going to have to say sayonara to my old pal Subway. It's just not worth it anymore. I'll make my own roast beef sandwich. I was slightly over on the cals, but not almost two pounds' worth. Oh well. Today's a new day, filled with yardwork.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Still Sub, Just

After a wonderful afternoon and evening at my cousin's for a belated birthday celebration, I am up just a wee bit this morning. But still under 320, which is thrilling, I admit it! Two days in a row, sub-320, awesome!

As far as eating goes yesterday, I could have done better (like maybe having one hotdog instead of two, say?), but I could have done much worse, too. The best part was just being with my family and enjoying their company—not to mention admiring and coveting much of my cousin Marianne's many gardens! That surely burned all sorts of calories right there.

The morning started off in a very stressful way (related to our trashy, young next door neighbors) and so I wasn't able to go out for a run. I need to get started on Week 5 of C25K already! It's also been quite a while since I've visited the gym, for that matter. I'll have to see how things go at home... sometimes, you just can't make the time because other things really need your utmost attention. We're are kind of in crisis mode at home, actually, so I am just trying to keep myself together and ride out the storm (if that is even possible). I could do a lot of good thoughts sent my way if you can spare some!

Back at my desk at work, I just keep drinking my water, tracking my food, and keep on keeping on. Sometimes, it's all you can do.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Sub-320

Hooray! I lost two pounds from yesterday, which puts me at 318.8. Yay! This is very exciting, and hopefully it will stick this time.

Yesterday's hard work in the garden (four hours' worth!) paid off, as did drinking lots of water, as did tracking my food and keeping the cals just under 2200. There's no magic there, just diligence and focus. Maybe I should get too excited, but I'd like to set my goal this week to reach 315 pounds. That's what I'd like to see by Friday, my "official" weigh-in day.

I had a big breakfast this morning: my usual cereal and yogurt with berries, but also three of the dinner rolls I made last night (about 150 cals each, and very yummy!). I probably could have just done with two, or even one, but I don't plan to eat lunch today just for the way the day is planned. Dinner is going to be a cookout affair at my cousin's as a belated birthday party for me and her daughter, which should be OK. It'll probably be hotdogs et al, plus of course birthday cake-like items for dessert. I figure if I have a little bit here, a little bit there, I'll still be able to a) enjoy myself and indulge a little and b) still stay on track. It's all about balance, people!

Tomorrow is back to work for me. One thing I like about that is getting back into a regimen, if only for my eating. I will miss being with C. and the cats all the time, and I will miss hanging out in the gardens all the time. I'm having thoughts about making some professional changes in my life (again!), but that'll be a story for another time. Vacations really make you think. Some challenges I will be facing include dinner at a friend's house tomorrow (though he and his family are dieting, so that shouldn't be too hard), at least one and potentially more lunches out (one a meeting, one maybe for continued birthday celebrations?). But, I've been through that before and done just fine, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much. Just stuff to be mindful of.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to another good week. A better week, even!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Back on Track

I showed a wee loss this morning: 320.8. Can't seem to break the 320 barrier again! Maybe tomorrow.

It's obvious that tracking my food really is key to my success here. It's easy to do and there is no reason why I should take a break from it, even if I am on vacation. I'll say it again, too, that blogging almost daily has really, really helped me stay accountable and focused. See, computers are good for something!

Today I see myself in the garden until it rains (if it does), and then some housework? I hate to admit it, but we've really let the house go the past few weeks. This morning I did a cursory wash of the bathroom sink and toilet, and that was good. A wee dusting, some sweeping, tidying up the kitchen, maybe a vacuum upstairs... wouldn't take much effort to do, and would be some exercise if I exert myself enough. Two birds with one stone.

I'm pretty excited for the rest of month and where I may find myself by the time July rolls around. Presumably I'll be firmly ensconced in the 310s...

Friday, June 12, 2009

Making Good Choices

Whether planned or by chance, making good choices makes me feel, well, good. Remember how I told you earlier that I was going to use my Coldstone Creamery coupon to get my free birthday ice cream today? Well, I did, but to my surprise when I went to enter it into my Daily Plate account, I found out that my choice only amounted to about 420 calories! Not shabby for a full-on, honest-to-god birthday treat. I had a "like it" sized raspberry sorbet with two mix-ins: chocolate brownie and fudge. It was delicious and very satisfying in both taste and size. The old me might have paid extra for the next size up only to realize that it was really too much, but would eat it anyway. This was a perfect treat for me.

I did track all my food today and came in on the low side, surprisingly enough. But, I got no exercise (except for running around a good portion of the day—being a guest artist at Starlight, an art program from developmentally disabled adults; getting my ice cream; getting my license renewed and upgraded to an "enhanced" license that will get me into Canada, Mexico, and the Carribbean) and drank NO water at all! I had a few glasses of diet soda. I've been having them here and there, and I don't know... I'm not sure why. I'm not making a big deal out of it but I will say that I do prefer getting through a day knowing that I didn't drink it. It's just nasty stuff. I'm just really anti-artificial sweetener these days; I really would rather eat less of a food made with real sugar and fat. I'm not into fat-free or even low-fat cheese. 2% milk is fine, but that is where I draw the line. I know many of you would disagree with this or think I am crazy, but that's just what works for me.

We had Chinese take-out for dinner, which may spell trouble with bloating on the scale tomorrow. But, whatever! I feel that today was a successful day in that I did what I set out to do: make more conscious choices again, and track my food intake. Maybe I'll go get myself some water and count that as a good measure, too.

Grumble

Weight: 321.4
Total Weight loss: 15.2 pounds

Oh well. *sigh*

I've really been stagnant lately! Well, there is nothing I can't say today that I didn't already say yesterday. I mean, you don't do the work, you don't get the results. Clearly, not tracking my food and exercising other than gardening are key factors to my success, because I haven't been doing either of those things the past week, and look where it got me.

I'm stepping back up to the plate, although a Coldstone Creamery ice cream is in the cards... free coupon for my birthday that I am sorry, must not be wasted. Hey, I didn't have any cake or ice cream on my birthday, you know! But don't worry, it will be accounted for along with everything else I eat today. (And the next day, and the next...)

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Ho hum

Today was an OK day as far as the reason for this blog goes. Neither here nor there?

More burritos for breakfast, then a little later some yogurt and cereal, and then much later some BBQ potato chips (I was hungry), and then a light dinner of BBQ chicken, baked beans, and some corn on the cob. Add to that mix a couple hours' worth of heavy-duty gardening (i.e. wrastling a well-established holly bush out of the ground, oof! plus lots of other stuff) and LOTS of water (thirsty!), I think I am in an OK place. I guess we'll see how weigh-in goes tomorrow. This morning I pretty much stayed the same from yesterday, so still just over 320. I have to expect that, I guess, since I haven't been all like full-on about things since I've been on vacation. I haven't been terrible or totally off-track, though either. Not even on my birthday!

So yeah. I'm feeling OK about things but wonder if I should try to track my food again tomorrow, just to really get back on track and try to get the scale to move again... then again, referring to my Physics Diet graph, I see a pattern that shows going through a plateau right now might be normal. If things go the way they did last month, I should be seeing some more losses in a few days as long as I stay on track. We'll see. At least I know that I am nowhere near giving up on anything, no way, no how.



I am still fully committed.

I expect to succeed.

I expect that I will see the 200s by the end of the summer.

I expect that I will do this.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Holding Steady

Weighed in at 321 even this morning, which is fine *sigh*. No really. I am on vacation and my routine has all but up and went, so I consider this an achievement. Now I am readjusting my most recent goal (which was to be under 320, maybe even 315 by my birthday) to be steady downward toward 315 by the time I return to work on Monday. Which basically means anything under 320 would be lovely. But honestly, if I am being really dorky about something as stupid and abstract as a number on a scale, I'd like to see 318.4 by Friday, which is totally doable considering how things have been going. I know it sounds random, but it's not. Bonus points if you can guess why.

I suppose today that my eating wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't the worst, either. In the spirit of my backdated entries from my vacation (of which there are three for your reading pleasure), here's what went into the old piehole today:

Two small black bean and beef burritos topped with cheese and sour cream (yes, for breakfast—leftovers from my birthday dinner!)

8-10 oz of steak, one ear of corn on the cob, and two and a half hamburger rolls with butter

a small dish of strawberries that were "marinated" in sugar overnight

My guess is that I landed right around my calorie limit for the day, maybe a little over. I haven't been tracking on TDP since I went away to New Hampshire. No worries, I plan to get back to that sooner than later, but for now? I'm enjoying a little freedom from diligent food tracking.

My saving grace today was that I spent a good several hours doing yardwork and gardening, and sweating profusely to prove it, so I'm not feeling bad about anything.

Quite the opposite, really. I feel pretty good. I can really feel some physical differences in my body, and when I got back from New Hampshire, C. said he noticed, too. I thought that I would lose a few pounds and was a bit disappointed when I didn't, but mostly I felt good about how things went while I was away and the efforts I made and continue to make while I am at home.

Tomorrow I've got more plans for outside work/play, so it's going to be a very active day. I've gone on a light C25K hiatus, but am excited about starting Week 5 very soon. Pretty soon it's going to be straight running, awesome! Who knows, I may end up doing it tomorrow after all.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Happy 39th

It was my 39th birthday today, but it was no big deal. We haven't been making any sort of deal out of our birthdays the past few years, so it was a really laid back day that consisted of a long nap, me making my favorite meal (black bean and beef burritos), and taking a two mile walk. I was actually kind of glum for most of the day for no good reason, and I have to say that the walk really made me feel better.

And no, I am not upset about turning 39, or getting older. I genuinely feel just fine about getting older, because the older I get, the more I seem to figure things out and feel more comfortable with myself. It's been a long road that will continue on until the day I die, but I do feel like it gets easier in many ways...

Anyway, my weight held steady while away on vacation. Today I weighed in at 320.2. I had wanted to be under 320 on my birthday, but I am fine with it. I've got a couple entries to add here (backdated), but in short I was able to get a couple good workouts in, and my food intake was pretty on target.

Hope everyone is doing well, and sorry for the brief post after so many days away. I should be back in the swing shortly, promise!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Post from NH, Part 3

Yesterday I did C25K from dad's house to the where the dirt road begins on Ricky Nelson Rd., time right about 30 minutes. Today I "just" walked the same route in 35 minutes. It is killer, let me tell you! But I have a feeling that when I return to my regular routes at home, they're going to seem super easy in comparison. It was good to shake things up at this point in my progress. Normally I would start a new week on C25K on a Saturday, but considering the difficulty of the route I have access to, I decided that I will start Week 5 on Monday at home, and finish it up on any of a combination of days Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Week 6 will begin on Saturday next week as usual.

When I woke up this morning I wasn't sure that I was going to exercise at all. I didn't really feel like it. But, I told myself that after last night's eating transgression, wouldn't it be better to do *something* to counterbalance it? It might not totally cancel it out, but it would make up a little bit for it, at least. And I knew it would just make me feel better in the end overall. So, I said to myself, just go out ten minutes and come back ten minutes. It's not much, but it's something. Plus, I have knew that once I got going I'd probably go beyond that. It's my little trick—allow yourself to do the minimum so that you're at least doing something, but chances are you'll end up doing more. And that is what happened. I had a good, brisk walk up and down the hills for a 35 minute workout, totally sweaty. So good on me. I feel much better now about yesterday, today, and things overall. I love how exercise can really change your perspective and make you feel so strong and accomplished.

Well, I'd better get going, get cleaned up and head out to camp to catch up with my dad and everyone else! I'll be eating cookout food all day, probably. At least I started the day out right.

LATER

Food tally:

English muffin with butter
two eggs
one piece of sausage
no fat yogurt
slice of strawberry rhubarb pie

One hot dog on bun

A few pieces of roasted chicken
tortellini salad (with lots of veggies)
peas in butter
corn on the cob
a taste of cole slaw (didn't like it, so didn't eat much)

One slice of chocolate raspberry birthday cake

Water, water, water

Overall a decent day. The walk in the morning helped set a good tone, and being around other people all day helped, too.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Posting from NH, Part 2

Yesterday I had planned to wake up early to have a walk/run before my dad got home from some errands, but I ended up sleeping in until 9am! Late for me. (Don't worry, I made up for it later.) Dad wanted to take me out to breakfast at one of his favorite places, Froggy's which has some fun frog decor—total small town diner type breakfast joint, as good as know it is going to be. I had a pretty typical diner breakfast: two eggs over easy, with a side of bacon (five slices, I think?) and a hearty helping of hash browns and your average wheat toast. The good thing about hanging out with my dad, lest you think how terrible that was, is that that meal was meant to hold us over until dinner, and, surprisingly enough, it did—and we didn't eat until 8pm! In between the meals, we did a lot of running around town. Later on, once we were back home, dad offered me the chance to dig up quite a lot of plants to take home to my garden, which I did gladly! I spent a couple hours digging and potting to my heart's content, and got my heart rate going, too.

Dinner was light but delicious—shrimp and scallops with veggies and red creamer potatoes on the grill. Very yummy and healthy, just right. We also had some of my stepmom's homemade chocolate candies she made for my birthday— I had two. And then, exhausted, I went to bed.

This morning I felt like total crap (I've been having the period from hell), but decided to try a walk/run anyway. My stepmom went with me, and while I did my C25K routine, she walked steadily... I turned around at my halfway point while she continued on to walk a circle of 4 miles! I got my ass kicked by the hills on their road on the way back, sweating like a pig but also feeling quite accomplished. It was hella slowgoing, but I "ran" when I was supposed to and got the sequence done. Now onto Week 5! I may try it tomorrow, we'll see. I will get my ass kicked again, but it did make me feel a little better.

LATER—much later

Today turned out to be a rough day, in a way. I was feeling poorly because of my period—very, very tired, achey, and just generally down and out. Totally not social, for sure. Those circumstances, coupled with not having anything to eat since breakfast, set me up for a bad situation. My dad and stepmom had a camping trip planned near their house, and I opted to stay overnight at the house. I'm not much of a camping gal. Well, with the way I was feeling this afternoon, I also opted to just go back to the house rather than hang out and have dinner with them and their friends. I was weepy and I was missing home and C. and the cats, I think. At that point it was almost 4 in the afternoon and I was also starving, which I am sure didn't help my state of mind. So, what do I do but decide to go to the grocery store and get a frozen pizza for dinner. Considering that I hadn't eaten much of anything yet, plus the monster hilly walk, I figured it would fit in no problem. I also got some red grapes to munch on. But then the real wallowing began. I found a slice of chocolate chocolate cake in the bakery section (well, my birthday IS coming up, after all), and then I thought for some reason it would be a good idea to get a nice bag of Smartfood popcorn. Top that off with two cans of regular Coke and you have an evening filled with self-pity, angst, and overeating. I didn't really enjoy it that much, even. I was just lonely, tired, hungry, and frustrated, and I reacted to it in my tried and true way... except that it really isn't tried and true.

All I can say is... this week has been a monster with my period being the way it has been (I think it is finally dying down), plus I have gotten lost driving around three or four times in the past two days. I'm pretty exhausted. And I am around people who really only eat twice a day for the most part, which is hard for me. It leaves me vulnerable to binges, obviously.

Today's tally:

Yogurt and Kashi GoLean Crunch
One whole frozen thick-crust cheese pizza (Primo Rustico Thick Crust six-cheese pizza, 360 calories per serving and I ate all six servings, ugh!)
about 1/3 to 1/2 bag of Smartfood (a regular bag, not snack size)
a slice of chocolate cake
two cans of Coke
water, water, water
A few sips of champagne

It sucks, but tomorrow's a new day. That's all I have to say. Before I know it, I will be back at home with my normal routine.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Posting from NH

I'm here in New Hampshire, having arrived late in the evening on Wednesday after a long detour in the Albany, NY area. (i.e. I got kind of lost.) I meant to bring the scale with me so I could keep abreast of any progress or anti-progress, but of course walked out the door without it. Never mind—there were worse things I could have forgotten, and it I have to admit it is kind of nice to be away from the daily weigh for a few days. For my road trip on Wednesday, I stocked up with lots of fruit (bananas, an apple, a peach, a couple bunches of grapes), a couple servings of Wheat Thins crackers, and my water bottle, which was woefully inadequate. Should have brought several. I did stop about halfway through for a quarter pounder at McDonald's to give myself something with protein, a little more substantial, but no fries or anything else. I ended up being on the road for over 12 hours, but save for a couple times feeling drowsy, I was quite perky for most of the drive. I totally believe that it was the fruit. In the past I'd always have ended up eating nothing but junk food on the road, and I always had to stop at least once for a short nap. Lesson learned after all these years of road trips—took me long enough!

When I got to my dad's, I realized how hungry I was, and they had some pizza for dinner so I wasn't shy about helping myself to a few slices. I really wasn't.

Tally for the day (Wednesday)

Kashi GoLean Crunch with yogurt
two bananas
an apple
a peach
two bunches of grapes (maybe 2-3 cups?)
a Quarter Pounder with cheese
water
three average slices of pizza (one pepperoni and two onion and mushroom)

Plus one more small slice in the middle of the night because I was feeling TOM crappy (wow, seriously! I NEVER do that.)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Zut alors!

Ah well, up another two pounds today but was kind of expecting it. Not because I ate badly yesterday (I didn't), but just was feeling heavy, you know? I'm still in the middle of TOM, so I am sure that doesn't help matters. So, back into the 320s, which is disappointing, but I am sure to be back into the 310s in no time. Such is the human body.

I had planned to do Week 4 Day 3 of C25K this morning, but in light of my impending trip away to New Hampshire tomorrow, C. wanted to spend a little time together, so I stayed in instead. I don't feel great about that, but I have to not only nurture my relationship with my body, but also with my loved ones. We'd both been a little cranky lately and bickering quite a lot, so some quiet talking and snuggling was much-needed, especially before being apart for a while!

At least I have some yard work in our evening plans, so that'll be something. (Hoping it doesn't rain!) And I am actually considering taking a walk/run break during my eight hour drive tomorrow! We'll see how it goes and whether I find a nice park or something to do that in.

So yeah. Slightly stressful times. As much as I am looking forward to some travel and seeing my dad, it's always tough to get things together to make the trip happen, and to say goodbyes (sounds pathetic, I know!). I'll be relieved once I am out on the road, and of course, once I arrive at my destination.

Hm. Sounds like there is a metaphor to be had in there somewhere...

Monday, June 1, 2009

Should I?

So, last June I ran my one and only 5K race, the Run in the Mist on Goat Island in Niagara Falls, NY. I had grand plans that I would run it every year, that it would be "my" race since it was not only the first one I participated in, but that it was also in my adopted city.

I'm considering doing it again this year... even though I won't be quite finished with C25K yet (I'll be headed into Week 8 of 9). I wonder if I amped up my training a bit, I could do it?

Hm...

Month #2

Today marks the beginning of the second month into my new lifestyle. It's been grand so far, and I expect that it will only get better as time goes on. I feel myself getting stronger and more capable every day, which is great.

This morning I weighed in a pound heavier than yesterday, but still just under 320, so yay! I wasn't really too surprised since it is now that TOM, and I already see a monthly pattern on my Physics Diet graph. If this cycle is like the last, it looks like I might be plateauing for a week and half or so... but, we'll see. I anticipate a lot of physical activity while I am visiting my dad in New Hampshire later this week and know that I will be eating quite healthfully. I'm even going to bring my scale with me so that I can be sure I am staying on track! Dedicated, I am.

Not too much else to say today. It's a true Monday by all means and I am feeling sluggish and antsy all at once. I did start out the day well with an almost two mile walk, at a faster pace than my run-walks were until last week! I really booked, but also tried to really enjoy myself and just get my blood pumping. I'm finding that these days, a day without any sort of physical activity—whether it be walking or running, going to the gym, or working in the yard—just doesn't feel right. That's an awesome thing! I worked really hard last month to establish that good habit, and it seems to have worked!

I also know for a fact that my (nearly) daily blogging has helped tremendously, keeping me accountable and very in touch with what has been going on with my body. C'mon, bloggers! Write more often!