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Monday, January 31, 2011

Trying new activities!

I haven't forgotten about writing, but I just have not spent much time at the computer this past weekend.  


Friday morning I did C25K W4D4...it was actually easy for me!  I felt like I was truly ready to start week 5!  Friday night we went out for drinks at the local bar.  Lot's of fun!  


Saturday I got out around 8am and drove 90 mins to Rapid City, SD.  They have a Play it Again Sports there and I was going to look at a used pair of cross country skis.  When I got there I checked them out, but then looked at all the other deals they had as well.  All of their cross country gear was 50% off!!!!!  So, I decided to get NEW skis, bindings, boots and a pair of used poles.  I got everything for $135.  A steal!!!!  I was able to get back to Pine Haven early enough to test them out for a trial run.  They were challenging, but not too hard :)  I need to find a new pair of insoles though.  I believe that will help my flat feet.  As it is right now I can't go too far without my feet hurting.


Sunday, we drove over to Sundance, WY.  There is a trailhead there, Carson Draw, about 3 miles out in the forest.  Not hard to find!  Very pretty nestled in the Black Hills.  I didn't go too far, but I did run into 4 other people cross country skiing that were from Rapid City.  They were very friendly and offered some great words of advice.  I tried it and it really did help!  I only skied a short bit farther after they were headed back to the trailhead.  I didn't want to go too far and there were some intense hills coming up, both down and up!  So I turned around and skied back to where they were at and walked down with one of the ladies. It was a little steep for both of us!  Overall it was a great trip out and back.  Even if it wasn't very long :)  Afterwards, we drove back to Pine Haven and stopped off at the bar for drinks and lunch (this turned into a night of beers!)  Probably not the healthiest of options, but it was fun and good to be social!


This morning I was supposed to go to work, but due to weather conditions my boss cancelled the day.  Now my goal is to get the house all cleaned and maybe do a little Just Dance2.  If it wasn't so cold and my skis were here I could have gone skiing here on the local course!  I got the details to that yesterday as well.  Hopefully as it warms up later this week I can get down there.  Today the high is supposed to be 0 and tomorrow I hear even colder. That of course is not even factoring in the wind chill!


Well I guess I did have a lot to say today to catch up!  May actually write more later.  It really is therapeutic!  I love knowing that people read it, but at the same time I love knowing that I can let my thoughts flow.  It really has made me more relaxed lately!


Stay warm and dry wherever you are!


~Chat soon!!

Thursday, January 27, 2011

High-heel boots make me feel pretty!

I know this sounds funny, BUT I love wearing my high heel ankle boots.  They make my legs feel longer and sexier :)  A good feeling when every day can be a struggle to find something positive in it!


Today I got up after a great nights sleep and went to the gym.  That makes 4 days in a row this week!  I like to get my exercise out of the way first thing, then I can just relax for the rest of the day.  I did kettle balls and abs today.  It was tough, but I can feel improvements.  My balance was much better today.  Tomorrow is run 4 for this week.  Feel pretty good about it!


I did well with my eating plan today.  Had a new recipe from Kraft for cod and I tried that.  It was quite tasty.  Made potatoes from the weekly Weight Watchers reader.  They also were very good.  The flavors blended well together so it was satisfying.  


Well it's time to hit the sack again!  Glad to share with everyone and it really does help me as well!  Thank you!


Chat soon~

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Hard work is starting to pay off!!!

Weighed in today...dropped 3.6 lbs!


So since it is starting to go well...here goes it...I started at 283.6 lbs :(  but I have lost 12.8 lbs!!!!!!  Right now I am at 270.8 :)  I have been nervous to say all of this, but I feel it is time!  I felt the need to share to help hold myself accountable!  The more I can share and open up about the more I can change!  Got to move forward and this is one of the first steps :)


I went to the gym again this morning, once my clothes were dry...lol...I did C25K W4D3...not as easy as Monday's run, but I didn't have a day off before it either.  I still did well, but I could feel all the snow shoveling I did the night before.  I am taking it easy tonight because my body is so sore.  I plan on going in tomorrow and doing kettle balls again and then one more run for week 4 on Friday.  I am scared of week 5, but I believe I will be ready to go on Monday morning.


Today at our Weight Watchers meeting they were talking all about exercising and trying new things.  Next month Pine Haven is having a winter event that include cross country skiing.  I have done this when I was a kid just a little and now I think I want to participate.  I am working on finding some skis now so I can get a little practice in before then.  The race is only a mile so I feel that I can handle that :)  It made me feel really good when I decided to set this goal...now I hope I can get it done!


I have been doing pretty good with my eating.  I made baked pasta last night and made sure to have a small portion.  Tonight I couldn't decide what to do for dinner so I made eggs, hashbrowns and toast.  It was an awesome breakfast dinner.  Lunch and breakfast doesn't usually change so that is easy to monitor.


Well that is all for tonight.  I need to get back to reading my book....I really think this is going to help me determine how to fix any and all barriers standing in my way of weight loss and the life I want!


Goodnight and chat soon!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Not easy, but loving every minute!

Everything I do requires lots of work, but even with just the little progress I have made I am thankful for it all!  I went to the gym yesterday and I was excited to do my run.  When I got there and started though I felt a bit stiff and thought it wasn't going to be very successful.  Well I just watched tennis on the TV and went to town on that run!!!!!  My heart rate was awesome as was my breathing.  I actually felt like I was improving for once!!!  I did the entire workout with out a problem and my highest heart rate was 169.  Only reason I got it that high was because I ramped up the speed for the last 30 secs!  But I still had it back down in no time.  I am really impressed how well my recovery is improving every time I go.

Today I made it to gym in the morning again.  I went to do kettle balls and abs.  It was easier than the first time, but I could still feel it working :)  It didn't take very long, but I was about quality not quantity! 

As far as the scale goes, I am seeing progress daily.  I know I shouldn't watch it every day, but I do!  I have been doing well with my eating.  Last night I made Chicken Quesadillas!  Very yummy and easy.  I looked up the points to ALL of the ingredients and weighed out how much the total amount was.  I then divided it into 4 oz portions and it was about 1 point per ounce.  Not bad...The tortilla was 3 points.  So I had 2 of these for 14 points.  Not too bad considering I had not ate much all day.  I was completely satisfied after that :)

I have been reading through my book.  Right now I am going through the emotional eating chapter.  Some parts pertain to me and some don't, but it said to read all just in case.  I also started using the Lifestyle log that accompanies his programs.  It says to do it for a month to see your habits in all aspects of your life.  I am trying my best!  I really hate to log anything, but this is helping me.

I went to the grocery store last night.  I feel much more aware of what I am buying these days.  Not that I really wasn't before, but I am trying to be more successful this time :)  I bought some bananas (finally they had some good looking ones).  and I also got the new smoothie mix in the frozen department.  I may be able to make it myself and save some points, but for this first try I thought I would give this a shot!  Plus it's ready to go out of the bag.  I thought this would be a nice sweet treat and still healthy for me :)

Tonight I may do a little Just Dance2.  Have to see how busy I am after work.  I don't have any errands to run so I should just be headed to the house to make dinner and finish laundry.  I really feel that the little bit of organization I have done so far has really made a difference in my day to day routine.  I typically don't feel as stressed or rushed.  At times I can begin to feel very anxious, but thanks to organizing my life better I feel like I have a better grasp of what needs to be done and when! 

Hope everyone is having a great day.  The snow is flying yet again here :(  Tomorrow in my next official weigh in and I feel GREAT about it.  Can't wait to share some good news! 

Chat soon!!!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sunday = Snack Day

I always struggle on Sunday's...basically I am home all day and the kitchen always seems to have something bad in in that I want.  I also find I am sitting around watching TV and just want to snack then.


HOWEVER,  I have been very aware of this and so I am not caving!!!  I have been cleaning house for a few hours now and feel very positive.  This helps me with my cravings.  I love when the house is clean and I can just relax.  I have about 3 things left to do and all will be good for the day :)


So far today I have had a bowl of fruit loops cereal with skim milk, a WW small snack bar and a 3 Musketeers Truffle Crisp (5 points).  I plan on having nachos for lunch and probably leftover pork for dinner.  Should be another good day!


Tomorrow is Run 2 for the week...My legs are still sore today, but I think I will be feeling even better by then.  My other goal this week is to do the kettleballs again on my off days of running.  This should really help!  


Later today when my cleaning is all done I plan on just relaxing and reading through my book.  I am to the part where I need to start answering questions.  


May have more for you later :) Chat soon!!!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Moving forward

It's been a couple of days since I last wrote, but I was busy :)  I have been doing well with my workouts and food...thankfully it has been showing on the scale too!!!!  My goal for the weekend was to be more active, drink more water, and not snack much. 


Today has been a good day.  I went to the gym and did C25K W4D1.  Struggled a little with the last 5 min run, but only had to walk for a minute to get the stitch in my side to go away.  I felt very good afterwards.  After I am done I normally end at about 1.7 miles and today with the additional 4 minutes of running I was at 2 miles!!!!!  That made me feel really good.  I may plan on doing week 4 for 4 days this week though.  I kind of feel that I may need that to get to week 5.  We'll see out I feel have 3 days.  So at this point I plan on running on Monday again :)


On Friday this past week I did kettleballs for the first time.  I have heard they are awesome, so I thought I should give it a shot since I just found a workout for this.  It said it was 15 min workout to do the 4 exercises with 3 reps of each.  It took me just over 20 mins to get it done, but I had to figure out exactly what I was supposed to do since it was just written out.  Once I knew it was a breeze!  I felt the workout immediately and definately this morning when I woke up!!!!  I thought maybe I wouldn't be able to get on the treadmill because I was so sore, but actually it helped loosen me up! :)  However, once I was off the treadmill I was sore all over again and with the longer running it was even more noticable!  Didn't care, it was worth it :)


My food intake has been within my points everyday except yesterday.  I use my freebie points on beer for Friday nights :)  We did have dinner down at the bar and I had a small salad, a cod sandwich (fried) and only a very few amount of fries (yay!)  I woke up this morning and the scale was on my side!  Today I had a couple of items from the gas station and a coffee, but I didn't have breakfast or lunch...for dinner I made shake 'n bake pork chops and stuffing (13 points).  I also had a peppermint schnapps and hot cocoa because I needed to warm myself up :)  I don't feel hungry so that is a positive.


I bought a new book today while I was out.  "The Life You Want! Get Motivated, Lose Weight and Be Happy" by Bob Greene.  When I read what it was about I thought it was perfect for me.  It has you assess your emotions and barriers to why we don't succeed at weight loss.  While at the same time it helps you increase your happiness :)  Always a plus in my book!  I will let you know as I go through it how it is.


So on that note...I am back to reading my book.  I look forward to a day off tomorrow :)  I am just relaxing and catching up on the house.  


Will write more soon! 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Breaking through the barrier!

Today at Weight Watchers I made the commitment to myself that I will not give into the negative thinking that sometimes clouds my thoughts!  If I make mistakes I will just move on.  Why wait for positive to come to me when it is inside me.  :)


I did my weekly weigh in today.  At home I had lost 2 for the week, but by the scales at WW I was only down 1.  Not a big deal.  I am happy though because my scale is finally saying again what it said right before Christmas.  I will move forward from here and do well!  Maybe not every day or week, but I will!!!


Tonights workout is Just Dance2.  I like it because it takes coordination and I use my ams a lot.  Sometimes I don't do so well with working my arms so this really helps.  I did find a workout using kettleballs today that I really want to try.  I will have to plan more time at the gym or go more than once (this may be the best option for my schedule).  I am looking forward to my run in the morning.  This should be my last day on C25K W3!  I am so excited to have made it this far :) I feel like I am doing really well and look forward to the day I can run the full 5K.  The last time I did that was almost 6 years ago!!!!!


My goal is to sign up for the races this year.  As soon as I know when they are I plan on getting my application in!  I really want to have something to work towards that is closer than the end result.  If I look too far out I feel that it will just take too much time and I will get discouraged and not want to keep going because it takes so long. (But discouraged is a word that does not fit into my positive thinking!)


Today I had coffee for breakfast (I know, not the best choice, but only 2 points!)  For lunch I had my turkey wrap and baked lays (total points for this meal is 10 points)  Then for dinner I had homemade country fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy (total points for this meal is 24)  Total for the day was 36 and I have 43 points daily.  I don't feel like I needed anything more :)  I know that I should not have ate as much for dinner, but I was hungry and I didn't overeat either!  I prepped sausage for baked pasta one of these nights and want to still make tacos...that is what I had planned for tonight, but John really wanted Country Fried Steak.  He works hard and I like to please him.  I was only going to eat half a steak and not much potatoes, but I realized how hungry I was. 


Well if I am going to get my Just Dance 2 in tonight, I better get on it :)  Looking forward to my next post :)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Thoughts of the day

Today has been a great day!  I did pretty well with my food choices!  I got two workouts in! AND I FEEL GREAT!!!! 


I find it easiest to do my runs first thing in the morning, however, sometimes I wake up stiff and it takes longer to get moving.  I keep at it and get it done, but I don't feel like I get and give 100% on those days.  Today was one of those.  I did my run and felt positive about it, just wish I could have done a little better....there is always Thursday.  I was the same way with Just Dance tonight as well.  I am pleased that I did it, but I didn't feel very ambitious.  Hopefully tomorrow I have a little more energy and I can kick some butt.  Tomorrow is not a running day this week though :)  


Supposed to have my weigh in tomorrow, but we will have to see how the weather is.  If not good I do not plan on going in to town.  We live too far from Gillette to travel in the bad weather.  I do check my weight every morning.  I know they say not to do that, but I find it helps me watch the ups and downs.  I see what I can improve immediately!  And then on Wednesday I get the final say at my Weight Watchers meeting :)


I find that when I am at work I do really well following everything I am supposed to do.  I eat my planned food and drink LOTS of water.  I get home though or have a day off and I don't drink much water and struggle with temptation.  I try to keep very tempting snacks of John's hidden in random cupboards I don't normally use.  This seems to help...out of sight, out of mind.


I have been trying to be much better about chocolate consumption.  I have to have it when craving due to that time, but if I have some I do better than trying to have none.  Then it is all I can think about and I end up have WAY too much.


My scale is slowly becoming a way of life in my kitchen.  I use it daily to weigh out single portions of chips and if we have tacos I use it to weigh out portions of meat and cheese.  I have been shocked at times how much a 1/4 cup of cheese actually is.  When you weigh it out you get a decent amount for a couple of tacos or a taco salad.  Makes me happy when I see little things like that and not feel like I am restricting myself.


I don't always see results on the scale and because of that I have taken measurements.  I check these once a week and see how I am progressing.  Running has always been to help me tone.  I may start biking again when the weather gets nice too!  I would love to check out a mountain bike trail at Cook Lake this summer.  It's a little tiny lake nestled in the Wyoming Black Hills...only about 30 mins from here I bet!  However, that means I need to finish fixing the brakes on my bike before then!!!  Probably should start riding at the gym too.  


I have thought about spinning class again too, but we will see.  I think one thing at a time right now.  I start doing too much and then I get overwhelmed.  I like to feel like I get plenty of free time too!  I have a 45 - 60 min drive each way to and from work.  That is a lot of wasted time.  I try to keep the thoughts flowing though!  I plan on dinner and what I need to do around the house.  Do I need to stop at the grocery store?  What do we need?  I also do this all day at work and my planner sits right next to me so I can create my grocery list right on the day.  This helps with my organization.  


Well I have rambled on a little tonight, but I have a lot on my mind.  Hopefully as this blog continues I can start to focus my thoughts a little more and get it better organized :)


Looking forward to a great day tomorrow.  Getting to bed at the right time helps!!!!  


Chat with you soon! :)

First day of blogging!

I have never tried this, but I know I am bad at writing stuff down.  Thought that maybe this might be a good way to be held more accountable.  I started Weight Watchers November 1, 2010.  I go weekly to the meetings and also use some of the online features.  I have lost almost 10 lbs so far and feel great about this.  I know it's not supposed to be a fast weight loss or anything, but sometimes I think it should be more :)  I did survive the holidays with only a slight weight gain, but  I am back on track now.  I know what I did wrong and how long it took to get back to where I was (3 weeks).  Too a degree I am frustrated that I screwed up, but I know it will happen and I need to be more positive!  At the first of this year I restarted C25K again and am currently in the middle of week 3 right now.  Some days are easier than others, but I just keep plugging along! 

I know I have a long ways to go and I hope that my keeping this journal of how it is going will help me succeed this time!

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