Not what I expected

I really thought today was going to be a terrible day.  I did not get to bed last night until 11pm!  WAY LATE FOR ME!  With my alarm going off at 5am I wasn't sure what to expect today.  I slept very hard and so I must have gotten some decent rest.  When my alarm went off I didn't want to get up, but I did.  To a degree I was excited about going to the gym, but with my lack of sleep I thought it was not going to be the best day there.


It was an awesome day at the gym...I hopped on the treadmill and went to it.  I had planned on running for 30 mins so I set the timer for 40 (to include a 5 min warm-up and cool down).  While I was going I figured that a half mile would be 6 min 15 sec.  So I decided that I could handle an extra 75 sec running.  I did feel the difference once I hit 25 mins.  But by the time I hit 30 I really could have kept going easily for longer!  I finally feel like I actually enjoy the running challenge :)  My breathing was really good and my HR topped out at 162...right where it should be :)  I had fun this morning, but we will see what Wednesday brings.  No guarantees about that run.  But I will give it my all!!!


Today I did fairly well on my eating.  I may have had a little much with my taco salad, but I did try to pack it with lots of lettuce!  Been needing some salad in my diet!  Tomorrow I am thinking about taking one of my frozen WW meals for a change of pace.


I am not sure what to expect from my weigh in this week, but hopefully it is still good news.  I have strayed a little and I need to get back on track again.  I find I do this every so often and have to re-group.  I need to learn how to not do this, but at least I know I can get back on track.  My exercising has been great, but I do know I need to shake it up.  I have a new ball routine to try tomorrow and see if that helps confuse my muscles.


The new shoes were great today.  I was amazed at how much of a difference they could make.  Also, thanks to my water bottle, I really did drink more water today.  I think these are very positive changes for me :)  I keep thinking about where I want to be, but I need to focus on the week to week too.  I feel myself lose sight of the short term sometimes, and then because of that I get frustrated.  I do find myself checking myself out in the mirror more often so I should probably check my measurements again to see if they are moving.  I almost put my belt on the last hole today and then realized it was still a little too tight, but soon!


That is all for tonight.  I need to get things together for tomorrow.  And get to bed earlier!!!!


~Chat Soon~

Presents!

I finally rewarded myself today!  I went to Scheel's and bought myself some new shoes.  I went in hopes of getting a new pair of Nike's because they are always my favorite, but they were so UGLY!  I ended up falling in love with a pair of Asics.  They were the first pair of shoes I saw when I walked in and it was love at first sight :)  I tried on 3 pairs of shoes before them and then one after them.  I finally decided they fit so perfect I could not deny myself this guilty pleasure!  I had to convince myself I deserved to spend as much as I did on them though.  I figure it has been about 18 months since my last tennis shoe purchase that it was completely OK to spend $125 on shoes that I knew I would love!!!!  lol  Yes, I know I needed them, but I always get buyer's remorse.  Not this time though....I am truly in love with these shoes and can't wait for my first run in them.  May be as early as tomorrow!  I also got myself a Camelbak water bottle.  I have wanted one for a very long time, but once again cost always seemed too high.  I got it home tonight and have already sucked down 24 oz of water in no time.  Should have bought one of these a long time ago!  lol

Just noticed when I previewed this blog that my shoes
match my blog!  Must have gotten a subliminal signal
when I saw these shoes and that is why I had to have them!

I think I really plan on getting an iPod as my big gift.  Haven't decided when this should be, but I will start planning for this so I am able to get it when I get to that point.  John would really like his iPod back, but doesn't get it until I get mine :)  My old one won't hold a charge well enough for me to use it anymore, but his works perfect until I get a new one :)  What goal would you set for this?  I am thinking 50lbs.  That should give me enough time between now and then and still very realistic :)  Between now and then though I will still have smaller goals to keep everything moving in the right direction.  Like new jeans or a pair of cute heels, maybe a new skirt!  I am using all non-food gifts/rewards!  I find this is a better solution and I feel too guilty about over-indulging on food usually.


Yesterday I did my run that finished week 7 on C25K.  It was another 25 min run.  It was difficult, but I REFUSED TO QUIT.  I knew I could do it and so I DID!  I am hoping my next run will be great.  My plan is to move up to at least 28 mins but may go for 30!  I really think I can do it so I will let you know when it is done.  Once I can get 35 mins run at once time I will restart C25K and increase my speed.  Right now I just want to get my time in and know I can go that far!  If I can do 35 mins running I know I will be able to increase my speed and get a 5K done easier and faster!  I will also start doing my research on 5K's in the area so I can plan a timeline to race day!


I got fast food yesterday for lunch for my boss.  He told me I could get something as well and I said if I could find something healthy I would.  I can't remember the last time I had fast food so this was a challenge for me.  He wanted Arby's so it was not an easy choice.  I picked a Market Fresh Turkey and Swiss sandwich.  It was HUGE.  Thankfully they already cut it in half :)  I checked the nutritional values and figured the points.  I ordered it without the mayo and left the spicy mustard.  It came out to 8 points per half.  Had I left the mayo on it, it would have added another 3 points to the whole sandwich!  I also ordered a side salad with the light Italian dressing and so my whole lunch was 9 points.  Same as it would have been had I decided to just have my sandwich at the shop and baked Cheetos.  I thought I did very well!  As for the evening, John and I went down to the bar for Friday night beers!  I love my relaxing Friday nights :)  I did have a few too many, but it's all good!  I did have the other half of my sandwich at the end of the night, so I woke up today not feeling too bad :)


Today we went to Rapid City, SD to do some shopping.  We stopped in Spearfish to grab a light lunch.  I ordered a McChicken (not my best choice, but that is all I had).  We didn't decide to eat until 5pm in Rapid City at Qdoba (mmmm yum).  So this made it my dinner and filled me up a little more than I would have liked, but I didn't feel too bad about it, knowing I had ate lightly and would continue to eat light as the night went on :)  I ordered a chicken burrito and shared chicken nachos with John.  I love their chips!  I will just have to work a little harder but I am willing to do this!


I stopped at David's Bridal today to get some info about altering my dress when the time comes.  They told me they can only go down 2 dress sizes (YIKES).  I hope this is an issue and at the same time I hope it is not...lol


Well now I am chilling and enjoying my stress-free weekend!  Off to drink another 24oz of water :)  I can see me drinking a ton of water from here on out!!!  Don't forget share your thoughts on my goals.  Love to hear your feedback if your reading this!  Until then...


~Chat Soon~

Got a little sleep :)

Last night I got to bed by 8:15...I slept really hard until midnight and then felt like I only half-slept until 5am.  I still felt much better today than most days lately.  I am thinking tonight I may try the same thing again.  Also have to keep a close on the weather.  It is supposed to get worse before getting better :(  Why can't spring just be here already.  I will have to get a snow shot to share with all of you...I am over my winter wonderland!!! 4 1/2 months of this crap is BS...just let it melt already!  OK enough of me complaining about all the pretty sparkly snow outside...lmao


Today I was able to make it to town and I went to the gym.  I went to the pool today and did 25 mins of water aerobics and 10 mins of kick boarding laps.  I pushed as hard as I could on the laps so I didn't stop much and I really worked my legs.  I did a lot of arms and abs in the aerobics part.  By the 3rd set of jumping jacks in water with the dumb bell things my arms were like jello!  Overall I really enjoy the water part of my workout.  It's kind of relaxing while still working out at the same time.  


Tomorrow I am back to running...hopefully I can get to town to do this.  If not, I may be begging someone to use their treadmill.  Hate to miss another great run since I feel like I am making some great progress now.  I love that I am actually looking forward to a run.  I really felt like I wanted to do it again today, but knew that was not a smart move at this time.  So, tomorrow it is :)


I did well eating today.  I tracked everything I had.  I finally figured out the points on my scrambled eggs.  They are kind of high, but I could use different ingredients to bring it down some, but they actually fill me up really well and it's not even that much!  I can tell that I don't need as much to fill me up lately :)  Huge bonus, because that means I am listening to my body better.  Sometimes I don't hear it so clearly, but it's improving!


Nothing else new to report on from Wyoming.  So, I am going to investigate new shoes.  Like to know what I want for the most part before I get to the store.  Helps me to focus on the right shoe and not just the pretty colors...lol  Goodnight and hope everyone reading this is doing well.


~Chat Soon~

I need sleep...

I have had a great day today, but right now I am SO tired!  I slept in an extra hour this morning because I knew the roads were slick and I didn't want to have to drive in the dark.  I got the gym and did my run...no problems!  I did C25K W7D2.  Another 25 min run down!!!  This time is was actually easy :)  My heart rate topped out at 162 and came down very easily.  Also my breathing was really good the whole time.  I have one more 25 min run this week and then I have to up to 28 mins.  I have actually thought about upping to 30 because my pace is actually slower right now and I think I could do 5 more minutes.  What a great feeling that is!


Today I did quite well on my eating plan.  I even had beef stroganoff for dinner and calculated all the points using the recipe builder on the WW site.  I love this feature.  Makes figuring the points values so much easier.  I weighed the entire meal and then divided by serving.  I made SF/FF chocolate pudding for a dessert too :)  Sounded so yummy and let me tell you it is!


I am still not sure, but I am thinking I may know what I want to do as a reward to myself.  I think I want to get some new running shoes.  My others will be fine for everyday, but I think I can improve with new shoes to run in :)  I also my free massage to use and I am really looking forward to that when my bruising goes away :)  Another reward I would like would be a pedicure I think.  I will do this in the future though.  


I almost forgot...I went to my meeting today and weighed in.  I thought I was doing well and I was right.  I lost another 1.8 lbs.  That brings my total now to 19 lbs lost!  I have 9 more lbs to get to my first 10%.  Hard to believe it's that close :)


Tomorrow I am thinking about doing the pool again since I was so well rested today for my run.  It is quite peaceful in the water and it helps warm me up in all of this cold weather.  Actually I have to be able to get into the gym first though.  We are expecting some nasty weather for the next two days.  So we will see how that all pans out.  I'll keep you posted.


Off to get ready for tomorrow and getting to bed early :) 


~Chat Soon~

Still Sore :(

My ugly bruises from playing disc
golf in the snow!

I was feeling ambitious today and thought I would get my run done fairly easily.  I got on the treadmill and it actually helped to get moving.  However, even though I was not winded or my heart rate was good, my legs were VERY sore.  I could feel my bruise throbbing in my leg.  I made it 15 mins and then walked for 1 then ran for 4 more.  It was all I could do today.  I was slightly disappointed, but not as bad as I would have been had I not gone!  :)  I was still thrilled that I ran about 1.5 miles anyways.  I am trying to decide what to do tomorrow.  I thought about doing some water walking for a change of pace, and it is not as tough on my legs.  But, on the other hand I know the benefits of jumping on the elliptical machine as well. I guess it will be a surprise and I will let you know tomorrow what I decide :)

This is to show the snow we were dealing
with while playing disc golf!  I had to
right after taking this picture from the spot :)

Today I was back on plan for eating good.  I didn't have any issues with this.  I am feeling really positive about my weight loss.  I really think I have this figured out and I can see many successes in my future.  Overall, nothing too exciting happening here.  I worked today and then came home and cleaned the house. That also helps me feel good about everything I am doing!  I am finally buying and eating more fruit. I was actually sad I didn't have any fruit at work today, but when I got to the store I found mostly ripe bananas!!! I was very excited about that.  


I already have food planned out for tomorrow so this should be another great day!  I hope to have another loss this Wednesday and I look forward to checking my measurements again!  I really feel like there have been changes :)  I have been thinking about something nice I could get myself as a gift for my successes, both in weight loss and the winter challenge.  Still don't know, but when I do I will let you know.  I have thought about buying a new swim suit as a goal piece, but I am very afraid to do that.  We'll see : /


Here is to another great day.  Hope everyone else is doing well!


~Chat Soon~

Keyhole Winter Challenge 2011

This weekend I have been busy with the Winter Challenge here in Pine Haven, WY.  I participated in 2 events yesterday and they kept me busy ALLLLL day!  


First up I did the cross country race I was planning on.  I was very nervous and even more so because I was first to go and it was still icy.  They had worked the course a lot the night before, but it was still icy!  I had decided that my main goal was to "just finish" and my secondary goal was to do it in 25 mins or less.  Once I got past the two spots where I fell a couple of weeks ago I felt much more confident.  I cheered myself on the whole way.  Lots of "Good Jobs and You are awesome's".  I had one slip going up a decent climb, but I only went down on one knee so I took off one ski and got up the hill!  From there I was golden :)  I tried to go as hard and fast as I could in the easy parts so I could be careful when I needed to!  Overall I managed to finish the race with a time of 20:18!!!!!!  I was stoked when they told me that :)


Once we were done there we headed back to the cart shed where they were doing the registration and they informed me that disc golf was starting and they had a partner for me so I needed to get up to that event pronto!  Luckily the town in small enough it was only about 3 blocks away so I had no problem getting there quickly :)  I got paired with one of the guys who set up the course so I was thrilled about this because I already knew that I was not a very good thrower.  They also told us right from the get go that we would all win some sort of money because there was not that many that signed up for it!  For the morning we went out and did the front 9 holes.  For the most part it was fun and walking through the trees and such was a good time.  However, when you had to retrieve a disc or get to one that was off the path it was very very very very hard!  The snow had ice on top of it and so sometimes you stayed on top when you walk and many other times you fell through and it was up to your knee typically if not higher :(  I actually have bruises around the top of my calf right below my knee from going through so much all day and the ice was very rough on you.  When we got done with the front 9 we went to take a lunch break and planned on meeting back to do the back 9 in the afternoon!  At this point I really wanted to call it a day, but I knew I was winning money no matter what so back out I went!  The back 9 was more tough, but I brought Zac to help retrieve discs.  However, no matter how much I used him I was still going through A LOT of snow!  The hardest part was every time you fell down in the snow/ice you had to lift your leg all the way to the top again to try again!  My whole body has been VERY sore today and we will see how running goes tomorrow!  Overall I really enjoyed my time on the course and company was fun :)


This weekend I did "ok" on my eating, however, I didn't eat that much really.  We decided last night that we needed to PARTY all night.  We went to both of the bars and just had a blast.  Visited with more locals that I am getting to know and they were able to share lots of neat information about the area that I was curious about!  We also did Karaoke and dancing.  I really managed to work off a lot of the calories I took in with all the partying we did and my outdoor activities.  


Today was total recovery day!  I wanted to do absolutely nothing, which in the end meant let's go to the bar to get breakfast as well!  Good idea at least because I needed to find out how I did the day before.  I won 2nd place in my age division for the cross country skiing (ages 31-55).  I also won 1st place in group B of the disc golf also (thanks to Tom as my teammate)!  By winning these two prizes I was able to pay for my ticket and come away with an extra $50!!!!  I really thought there would have been more people skiing, but that's ok because then I may not have come in 2nd!  :)  After we came back from breakfast from the bar we all just chilled.  I sat around watching TV with Molly, while John napped.  I was very pleased that I did not snack all day, because the TV has a tendency to make me want to.


Tomorrow is back on schedule and that makes me happy :)  I expect to do well with all of my exercise and eating this week.  My head is really in the game even if I go out and have lots of fun on the weekend!  This has always been one of my struggles, but I really think writing this blog and sharing has helped me become stronger.  Well on that note I better get to bed.  Don't want to start this week with a lack of sleep :)  Goodnight!!


~Chat Soon~

Another good day!

I had a good day today.  Not much was different than most days which to me was quite nice.  I like when they are pretty basic.  I went to the gym this morning and did the elliptical.  I can feel my body working.  It was hard, but I still pushed on.  I didn't want to go too crazy because I want to do well with running tomorrow too, but I still did push my body!  


I got to go to lunch with a very special friend today!  We went to Applebee's and I had one of their new entree's from the Weight Watchers menu.  I really wanted one of the steak entrees, but they don't say the points so I went with one that did.  I think it was called Chipotle Lime Chicken.  It was very filling and flavorful.  All for 13 points.  I was proud of myself for sticking to my plan to eat a Weight Watchers approved meal!!!!  Tonight I made Chicken Carbonara.  When I figured the points it was about 15.  So, for the whole day I did quite well!  I am also not feeling deprived of anything!


I am actually looking forward to my run tomorrow, but I don't want to get too excited because maybe it will be really tough.  I would love to write more, but I really need to get my stuff together for tomorrow.  Hope everyone else is having a good day as well!


~Chat Soon~

It was my day!

Today was amazing!  I really didn't want to get up this morning so I thought the run was going to be tough...however, it was AWESOME!!!  Yesterday I set my goal to be 22 mins.  I was thinking 2-11 min runs separated by a 3 min walk.  Well once I got on the treadmill I decided that I would go as long as I could.  After 3 mins of running I was a little unsure, but I just kept going.  I got to 11 mins and I still felt good so I kept running.  I was nearing 20 and was so happy with myself.  I decided that if I could make 22 I could make the 25...SO I DID!  I was so stoked that I ran 25 mins which was 2.0 miles for me!!!!!!  My heart rate was 172 when I stopped and I brought it down very quickly.  My breathing was never really an issue throughout the entire run!  Can't say I can hold a conversation while doing it, but I was not winded.  Today I accomplished something I have not done for 6 years.  Friday I will plan on doing the same thing as well as next week.  Week 7 on C25K is all 25 min runs so that is perfect for me!  I will have to go at least 38 mins to run a 5k based on my speed, but I may just have to run longer than the podcast tells me.  For some reason I cannot seem to get up more speed, but that will come with time.  I figure I will work on distance first and then I can interval into more speed!  :)


Today was weigh in and I thought maybe I would just hold steady this week, but I was wrong...I LOST again!  I lost another 1.8 lbs bringing my total now to 17.2 lbs lost!  I have hit a new low on my scale at home of 265!  I also lost 6% body fat since I last checked it!!!  I will keep up with my tracking and exercise...it seems to be working for me :)


Last night after I blogged I decided to try on a few different items I found in my closet.  My favorite was my swimsuit I bought about 2 years ago and have barely worn.  It has always had issues of coming up high enough on the chest because of my belly being too big.  Well I put it on last night and while it didn't fit perfect it fit so much better than before!!!!!!  I could actually see myself wearing it this year :)  After all of that I wanted to try on my wedding dress because it stares at me every day, but I thought I would wait until today because I was tired last night and I hate losing sleep! lol  Well today came and I got home and tried it on!  Oh yeah I will so have to get my dress taken in before the wedding!!!  I couldn't believe how much better and looser it fit me.  Heck my boobs don't even fill it out anymore!  lol 

This is my wedding dress when
I picked it out in September.

Wedding dress in February.
Small changes, but very good ones!

I will also try to get a new pic of me in my black pants and purple shirt to have that to compare to as well!  It sure does help to see the changes :)

I am off to get some supper in my belly and do some planks a little later on!  Wishing everyone a great evening!

~Chat Soon~

Dancing...at the gym?

This morning at the gym I was doing my routine on the elliptical machine when Ke$ha came on my iPod.  It was Tik Tok and the song is on Just Dance 2.  Well as the song goes on all I want to do is the moves to it from the game...however, I am in the front row of the machines and everyone would see me.  It really took all of my power to NOT do the dance moves!  Also, let me tell you the gym was PACKED this morning so it would have been quite a show for many people!  

I did get the points figured on my lasagna from last night.  I used Weight Watchers online and entered in all of the ingredients and then selected how many servings there were.  Makes it so easy to calculate points without having to figure out each part separately!  I was pleasantly surprised to find that my lasagna was 9 points per serving!  I thought that was pretty good actually considering I could not find the best ingredients to use yesterday.  If I make it again I will have to buy stuff in Gillette so I can get the points even lower!  Tonight I had the same thing again for dinner.  John didn't really care for it, so I know I will have to be the one to eat it up...No complaining here...I love lasagna!  I had 2 pieces tonight though, but that is all I had for dinner.  I had plenty of points available for it too.

Tomorrow is running again and then weigh in.  I think I will start with the 10 min runs again and if I make it to 10 and feel fine, I may continue on as far as I can go!  I will aim to run at least 22 mins tomorrow.  That will be 2 mins farther than Monday.  I know it doesn't seem like much, but that can make quite a difference.  Tonight when I get done with this I will go do planks before bed.  I can still only get to 20 on the first one, but it is not as hard as it used to be.  I will try for 2- 20 second planks for my goal tonight though!

Nothing else exciting happening otherwise.  I have my weigh in tomorrow and I am not sure what to expect.  I really think I will just hold steady tomorrow and then lose next week.  I am ok with this because I know I am putting in the hard work and I can see it in how much tighter my belt is today.  I can easily wear it on hole 4 when I could only wear it on hole 2 a month ago.  I actually put it on 2 today and held it out.  I was so amazed at how much space was there!  What a good feeling it gave me.

Hope everyone else that may be reading this is doing well. 

~Chat Soon~

Running baby

Today has been a decent day.  I started the day off with my usual C25K running program.  I have been stuck on Week 5 getting the 20 min run done for a week.  I said screw it today and moved on the week 6!  I chose to do Day 2 of it because it was 2-10 min runs separated by a 3 min walk.  I survived it all and was very proud of myself today!  That was the farthest I have run in 6 years!  Overall I figured I ran at least 1.67 miles, but may have been closer to 1.85 miles :)


I also have been taking measurements since January 16 of this year.  I check yesterday and I have lost over 8" all over my body!!!  2" alone on my waist.  I can totally see it too.  My belt use to fit on hole 2, now I can wear it on hole 4!!!!!  I am also consistently wearing my size 22 jeans as well :)  I still have a long ways to go, but seeing these small accomplishments only helps make me stay committed that much more!


I have done decent on food, however, I know I can always do better.  Today I had leftover pizza for lunch, but only had 2 slices.  For dinner I made lasagna.  I used spinach, artichokes and ground turkey.  I have not figured the points yet for it, but I only had one piece and thought it was delish!


That is all for tonight.  I am very happy reading my other friends blogs and to see them succeeding at their weight loss battles as well.  Keep up the great work friends.


~Chat Soon~

Busy, busy, busy

Well I guess the time of year has come that I am starting to feel very busy.  I feel like I am getting no time at home and this is not good.  Right now my goal is to try and find some down time.  I wake up early and by the time I get home I am so tired I don't want to do anything.  Thankfully everything I am doing is helping me with my weight loss, but my mental health suffers :(  I don't like getting stressed, not that I think anyone does actually.


Yesterday I thought I was going to go to the gym first thing in the morning, but didn't think to check what time they open.  Well after getting up at 5 am and getting to the gym by 6:30 (it's a 45 min drive) I found out the gym did not open until 8am.  This did not work with my schedule of working at the trade show from 9-7.  So instead I wandered around Wal-mart to kill time.  It worked, but I missed the exercise.  Now I am hoping that with all this rest I will be ready to go on Monday morning for a great run!!


Last night I was even so tired I didn't even do my plank exercises.  However, this morning I decided to do my measurements and I am losing steadily all over my body!  Nothing extreme, but enough to know it is making a difference :)  I really need to incorporate more strength training into my routine, but at this time I can't seem to fit it in and not get stressed about it.  As spring comes we will see how my schedule allows me to hit the gym.


Next weekend is the Winter Challenge and I have been so busy that I have not even been skiing.  Basically I leave the house before the sun is up and come home as it is almost down.  Doesn't leave much time for skiing :(  I hope to get out and do it a little this week, but we'll see.  It is supposed to be warming up, which is nice, but at the same time it makes it more icy as well, and we all know how I fell the first time it was icy and I was out!  Not a big fan of that.  I will keep you posted on how it all goes this week though.


My eating has been pretty good.  My weight has been just holding steady so that is a positive :)  I am sure I can always eat better, but I am still pleased with myself.  Today I am trying to drink lots of water too!!  Hope everyone else is having a decent weekend as well.  Can't wait for 4pm to get here today.  Ready to get this trade show done!


~Chat Soon~

Bored, but happy :)

I am sitting here right now at the trade show in Gillette.  I brought my own food and picked up a couple of Diet Pepsi's because I was feeling so tired.  I did bring a huge jug of water as well (I think 5L)  but I was needing caffeine right now.  Business has been slow, but thankfully I have my computer and music to keep me entertained.  I can make it through this :)  


As I was sitting here, with my legs crossed, comfortably, I realized it has been a very long time since I have felt comfortable with my legs crossed!  My other thought right now was that I forgot I even went to the gym this morning!  Amazing how long ago that was and how bad my legs hurt then, but not now!  Today I did 30 mins on the elliptical.  I warm up and then increase the effort level by 3 every 5 mins.  for the first min of the 5 I go easy to lower my heart rate then I step it up and try to maintain at least 100 steps per min.  As I increase the effort this gets much harder to maintain.  I usually do my best!


I have taken a tip from one of my followers to try planks.  Thanks Tana for making me hurt SO much!  I feel like a huge wimp.  I think the longest I have gone is 20 seconds so far, and the second time is never that long.  I can barely do the side planks, but I keep trying.


Even though I brought my food with me, John wants to come into town and have dinner with his friends.  They have chosen the Mexican buffet place...I will be doing my best to not over do it there!  My goal is to eat slowly and make more conservation rather than eat a lot!  I will order water like usual also.


Tomorrow I plan on going to the gym before the trade show again.  So my day will start at 5 am like normal.  At the gym I am back to conquering the 20 min run.  We will see how that goes!  Tonight before bed I will do my few planks I do every night now thanks to Tana! 


This morning on my scale at home I hit a new low!  I was so excited because a year ago when I was doing this trade show I was 20 lbs heavier! :(  Love to see the progress I have made.  Also, by hitting 266.2 this morning I have now made my 5% first goal!!!!!  I was really excited to realize this :)  I can't say it gets any easier, but I will say it has gotten more manageable.  I do find I have less cravings in general and especially for sweets.  I really never thought this would be possible!!!


Well that's all from the trade show for now.  If I get bored later or think of anything else I will be back on to update you!!!  If you are reading this and are in Gillette, WY stop out and see me.  I would love visitors :)  Until then...


~Chat Soon~

Before

Photo taken 01/16/2011

After wearing this shirt for this picture I have found I see myself negatively in it.  It is amazing how a photo can make see yourself differently.  I can walk past a mirror and not see myself like I do in a photo.  I felt it was time to share a before photo.  I hope this just helps to keep me moving forward!

Happy Day :)

Today was weigh in day and the scale loved me!  I hit 268.2 at the meeting!  That means I lost 5.2 lbs and brings my total to 15.4 lbs lost to date!!!  I am back on track for tracking my food and exercise.  


This morning I went to the gym and did the elliptical for 30 mins.  I increased the intensity 4 times and burned some calories :)  I was sweating like crazy and felt good when I got done.  I know I was supposed to do kettle balls and abs when I was done, but I didn't have enough time to get ready and do those things.  I plan on doing some abs when I get done writing this.


Today I did OK with food.  My biggest problem was I didn't eat until late in the afternoon because I was running all over town today.  I tried to make up for it though and ate lite at dinner.  I definitely didn't over-do it in the end either so I feel successful!


Nothing else too exciting.  I have stuff I need to get done before bed and then another busy day tomorrow! Hope everyone has had a happy day as well.  If not, I hope tomorrow is better :)


~Chat Soon~

Re-focus a little

I was at the gym tonight and realized that I don't exercise well when I can't focus and basketballs and lots of people around seem to make me lose my focus!  I must get back on track of every other day running.  I have been slacking due to weather and such.  I also must go during the AM.  I do so much better then.  The Rec Center is quiet and not so full.  I also got on a treadmill that decided that it only wanted to work for 15 mins!  >(  So luckily another had just freed up, because they were all full up until then, and I was able to finish there.  I did a variety of running/walking.  My hip was rather sore though so I was struggling and I could barely catch my breath.  Not sure why, but that's how it was.  I think tomorrow I will try to do a little more cardio and then kettle balls and abs.  I have been losing inches so that is awesome!  I have lost some weight this week so I am looking forward to weigh in tomorrow!  


I am getting back on track for tracking too.  Today I was good and ate as I planned.  I had my usual sandwich and baked chips for lunch.  I had 2 snacks, early one was much mint chocolate rice cakes (YUM!) and the other was string cheese in the afternoon.  Tonight I decided I wanted hot dogs, and I know some don't care for them, but every now and then I get a craving.  I stopped at the store and bought the 98% fat free ones.  Brought them home and checked the points...ONE point a piece!!!!  So I was able to have 3 of them WITH buns for 8 points!!!!  It was so perfect for tonight.  I also was finally at the right grocery store to pick up ground turkey (and luckily it was on sale!!!).  Now I will need to put together the lasagna cupcakes.  Not sure when because I am so busy this week, but it will happen :)


I am looking forward to being busy this weekend though.  I will be in town so I think I may try and go to the gym also!  That should help get me back on track.  In addition because I will be at the trade show all weekend I will not be eating too bad either.  I plan on taking my lunch and snacks.  My goal is to be prepared and if I have something off plan it won't be a complete disaster.


I am off to bed early because I was so tired all day.  Hoping I can get a lot done tomorrow.


~Chat Soon~

Slacking

So I feel guilty right now, but I can't really complain either though.  I have not kept up over the weekend very well with tracking.  However, I am still doing well with weight loss.  Just wanted to share this quick note for today.  I will be going to gym in about 20 mins to try and do a 20 min run! : / We'll see how that goes.  I will try to post more later!

~Chat Soon~

Happiness

I wan't able to write last night because I stayed out too late having some beers with neighbors and John!  I am starting to really network in town here and it is great :)  Last night I had 7 beers...I know they are lots of points (5 to be exact) but they are so worth it sometimes :)  Yesterday I hadn't ate too much so I was able to throw them on yesterdays points anyways!  I have been losing weight again for 2 days now...I think I have finally found a groove in exercise that is going to help me keep losing..and if I keep tracking it will help a lot :)

Today I will post both Thursdays and Fridays trackers.

The weather is crappy right now, but I am still hoping to do some cross country skiing.  My plan is to take tomorrow off as of right now so I can let my body heal some.  I am very sore right now, but I have been pushing it quite a bit this week :)

I don't know about you , but I LOVE LASAGNA!  I saw on yahoo news today an article about these, well similar ones, but I googled them and found my first recipe from Hungry Girl.  They are only 4 points per cupcake!!!!!  That is awesome I think.  I have been really craving lasagna too, but know not to make it because I ALWAYS eat too much :)  Check it out...I may decide to make these this weekend...probably not today though.

http://www.hungry-girl.com/weighin/printable-recipe/65

I thought about cooking something in the crock pot today...that way I don't really have to work hard at it, but not sure yet.

I feel that today will be a great day overall! I also hope that everyone else is having one too :)  Make the most of what you have!!!

~Chat Soon~

Success So Far!

I know it's only been two days, but I have stuck to my goal of tracking everything!  It has made me feel pretty good to do this.  I haven't been perfect, but that's OK.  I did however, stay within my points and that is good.  I have also been satisfied every day!

Tracker for Wednesday 2/2

Today I asked my friend to lunch today because I thought she needed someone to talk to  :)  It was fun.  I stopped and bought her some flowers and a book.  It felt really good doing these nice things!  We went out for Mexican.  I had a chicken salad.  I had them put the cheese and ranch on the side.  I used very little of both!  It was quite delicious even if it was worth quite a few points (it had a lot of chicken and black beans) but I did aim high on all of my points values since they were all guesses anyways!


Tonight John wanted grill cheese and tomato soup.  One would think this wouldn't be so bad, but I like to use a heartier bread and Havarti cheese.  I did measure out 1 oz of cheese and just made one sandwich.  I also cut it into smaller pieces so I got the feeling of having more :)  It really worked.


I got lots of activity today :)  I went to the gym first thing this morning and did kettle balls and abs!  Then after work I did about 20-25 mins of cross country skiing at home.  I look forward to them grooming the trail though because it was quite icy and had new snow on top so I was all over the place.  I also need to make sure I take my contacts with me so I can see for the entire time (my glasses get fogged up just after starting).  I met a couple of people along the way and then seemed happy that I was out checking out the trail :)  I really look forward to my next ski day :)  If I feel up to it, I may tomorrow night or maybe just wait until Saturday during the day.  We'll have to wait and see!


Tomorrow is running again.  I will know when I get on the treadmill what run I plan on doing.  I can really feel the skiing right now (had to go up a hill to get back to the truck).  But I am hoping to be on to the 8 min runs :)

My favorite read of the moment.  You
should definitely check this one out.

Well it's been a good day.  Now I am going to go settle down with my book and continue working on myself :)  Hope everyone else has had a good day as well.  If not, there is always tomorrow :)

~Chat Soon~

Back to Basics

Well today I went for my weigh in  :(  I knew going into it that I had not lost, but I was still disappointed.  I gained 2.6 lbs.  I have since made a goal of keeping track of everything I eat/drink this week.  I know this is how it is supposed to be every week, but I always struggle with this.  I think I will take photos of my tracker daily to show my progress and help hold myself accountable :)  I am trying to find the positive in this weight gain and not get all negative.  I CAN DO THIS!  


I got back to the gym today and it was tough but I did it!  I am now on week 5 of C25K.  I did Day 1 today and that consisted of 5 min warm-up and cool-down, and 3) 5 min runs with 3 min walks between.  I was a little sore in my hip and left calf after the second run and so I struggled with the third.  I actually slowed to a walk for 30 seconds to ease the pain a little, but I did go back to running right away!  Depending on how I feel Friday morning I may do Day 1 again.  However, if I am ready to go I will be all over Day 2 (8 min runs!)


Tomorrow is kettle balls and abs at the gym and cross country skiing after work!  I think this will be a great day of workout!  The weather has been so cold to get outside so I am really excited about finally getting back at it.  I have 16 days until the race so I definitely need to get some practice in :)


I am off to go get ready for tomorrow so I can get to bed early.  I am very tired today and I didn't get to sleep at a good time last night.  Goodnight friends and readers :)


~Chat Soon!

Days Off Mess With My Schedule :(

Due to the weather (very cold and some snow) I got Monday and Tuesday off this week.  I like having days off, but I can never get myself motivated at home.  I did have one positive while off - I did not snack all day!  To me this is a bonus because I really wanted to and I didn't.  I meant to still do some sort of exercise, but I haven't as of yet.  I may still try and get some in tonight before bed though...we'll see.  I look forward to it warming up over the next few days.  I will be back to running tomorrow morning and hope to do cross country skiing on Thursday for sure.

I need to get completely focused on food as well.  I have been working through my book and I think it will really help me get this focus I need!  I also need to make sure I am drinking more water than I am right now.  I seem to not drink enough during the winter.  

Tomorrow is weigh-in day.  I haven't lost this week, but I know what I need to do better and my goal for this next week is to accomplish this!  I am off to go write up some actual goal setting sheets and posting them where I can see them often!

Hope everyone is staying warm :)

~Chat Soon!