Keeping the Routine

It's sometimes difficult to keep with a routine. I get that. I've been through the slumps. But my mind has made so many changes over the past year that for whatever reason I am determined to make my goal this year.

I can't promise I can keep up with posting every day on the blog, after all I am a Mom/Wife first, athlete second and blogger last. So I hope you'll forgive me as I stumble my way through this. :)

For now to help keep myself in order I've downloaded the JEFit app. I love it so far. It's helped me with my workouts this last week. I plug in the workout as planned by my friend and then it basically walks me through each set and shows me how to do the workouts if I'm not familiar with them. I can't say enough great things about it.

And... here's more of my routine for the week...

January 5th - Legs & Biceps

January 6th - Cardio 5000m on the Erg

I've become a pro at pounding back no less than a gallon of water a day. :)

January 7th - Back/Shoulders, Calves & Core

I've taken up the art of food prep. Makes snacking and meal time a lot easier. Don't get me wrong I still cook dinner often, but I make enough to have a few extras for a couple of days ahead. Love it!

January 8th - Rest

Yesterday was supposed to be cardio day. Things did not go as planned. It was a crappy day from the minute I woke up. My daughter was in my room umpteen times through out the night and I ended up getting up around 6am for the day which does not make me happy on weigh in day. It seemed like nothing could go my way. So I ended my day with a nice mug of calm. I really enjoy this tea and it truly does help relax me and put me to bed a lot easier.

And now, to help keep my honest I will *try* to take a pic of EVERYTHING I eat (the good, the bad and the ugly) and post compilation pics like these. Again, don't hold me to it every day but we will see how this goes. LOL.

1. Breakfast - Skinny Potato Cakes with Black Beans & Rotel and Strawberries {4PP}
2. 3.16 mile run in 43 minutes, and Part II of my Virtual Half Marathon for this month.
3. Post Workout Snack - Protein Shake, Made with Milk {4PP}
4. Lunch - Super Salad (Romaine, Spinach, Green Onion, Cherry Tomatoes) with Grilled Chicken and 2 Cuties {4PP}
5. My favorite "dressing" these days. Straight up Balsamic.
6. Snack - 1c Raw Broccoli & 1c Raw Cauliflower with French Onion Laughing Cow {2PP}
7. Snack - Special K Protein Meal Bar. This is the last one I had and will not be purchasing more. I'm trying to get away from so much processed food. {5PP}
8. Dinner - Spicy Black Bean Turkey Burger, Broiled Spicy Sweet Potato and Brown Rice {8PP}
9. Snack - Chocolate PB Sludge Don't worry, it's a LOT of protein to help get me through the night.{5PP}
10. Night Cap - A relaxing cup of Yogi Bedtime tea. {0PP}

Total Points consumed: 32PP Points Remaining: 2PP Activity Points Earned: 9PP

And now I bid you goodnight.

2012 Review & 2013 Goals

I am not a fan of resolutions. Not because I can't keep them, but I've just never been one to make resolutions. I find them pointless. I will however be outlining some goals for the new year as well as looking back on some accomplishments from 2012.

Let's start with the picture above. How stinking true is that? I cannot wait to begin my book.

To start my new year off right I've decided I'm going to attempt Gracious Pantry's Clean Eater's No Sugar Challenge. This means no foods that have added sugar of any kind, including added natural or artificial sweeteners  I'm only a few hours into my first day and I cannot believe how many things have sugar added into them. I have been avoiding processed food for quite some time, as best I can, but even the things I have chose to consume have things in them I wasn't aware of. It's amazing how many "health" foods, or at least better for you foods, still have sugar added into them. :P

This is going to be a difficult challenge for me I can already tell, but I'm going to give it my best shot. I intend to start a draft page here on the blog to log how each day goes. I may or may not write every day, but I plan to chronicle this journey over the next 30 days. I'm a chocoholic, and sweet lover so I know I will struggle but I'm truly hoping to succeed and finally get past the impulses where I have to shove candy and sweets in my pie hole when I'm not truly craving them.

Reason number two this will be a struggle? Today we are celebrating baby girls' birthday... with cake and frozen yogurt. :P So that is why I will try to avoid the sugars today, but I am going to indulge in a small piece of cake a single portion of frozen yogurt this evening. But beginning tomorrow I will be 100% on the challenge. :)

The challenge length is determined by the person partaking, but it is suggested that you complete a two week minimum. I however am going to try for 30 days. Wish me luck.

I've also decided that I will start lifting. I'm not sure where to start and I'm not sure how I'm going to accomplish this, but it WILL happen. We have some weights here at home so I will start there. I really want to get into lifting in addition to my cardio. So for now I will keep researching and make it work as I go. I cannot afford a gym membership, so I will do what I have to, to get it done at home.

Looking back over the last year I've accomplished more than I dreamed possible. After so many failures this was my year to get it right. I started Weight Watchers on March 27th. Nine months later I have managed to lose 62 pounds with less than 40 pounds to lose to see my initial goal. I am amazed at my progress. I've seen ups and downs with the program but I've stuck with it. This is HUGE for me as I've never made it past a week with anything else I've tried.

I've also completed two races this past year. My first 5K and 10K. Never in my wildest thoughts did I think I'd run as an adult in timed races. That's just crazy talk when you're over 200 pounds. But I did it. I've managed to push my body to do something I used to love doing as a teenager. It is such a great feeling of accomplishment and I look forward to my 2013 race season.

I'm hoping in the next three months to get close to my goal with the No Sugar Challenge and weight lifting. Only time will tell. :)

I don't want it to seem like this has been a smooth ride because it has been anything but. I've doubted myself, struggled with fatty foods, injury and overkill of sweets from time to time. But the difference for me this year has been the amount of support within my WW group. I have been able to go to my meetings, pick myself up and jump back on the horse regardless of "what happened".  Thank you to everyone who has popped by from time to time and left words of encouragement through out this journey. My journey is far from over and I appreciate everything YOU have done to help me. :)

Here's to 2013! I hope you'll stick around.

Checking In

Today was a rough one for me. I was overly emotional for some reason...pretty much on the verge of psychotic. Thank God for my understanding husband.

Finally I was able to get out the door, but wasn't feeling a run or walk in me. So I got the bike out and worked a 6.05 mile ride in. 32 minutes for 6 miles? Not too bad, and man did I stink! I stunk like my hubby does after Krav Class, and that's really really bad. He refused to even kiss me before I hopped in the shower as he was headed to bed. LOL.

How's everyone else doing? Hope you all are snapping those sweaty mugs for this Saturday!

Weigh In Day

 

Weigh in Day!!!!

8.21 = 231.0

8.28 = 230.4

-0.6 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 29.6 pounds

Today's first-thing-wake-up-naked weight:

My friend Laura, God love her, said "Welcome to a new decade." LOL. It's true, I've dropped to a new decade, kind of a neat way to look at it. I'm also 2 pounds away from losing 50 pounds!!!!! I'm telling you, I don't know when my mental state changed, or how, but it's all been for the best. I honestly believe joining Weight Watchers has been one of the best decisions of my life!

What's even more cool than losing 50 pounds? Look at the ticker to the right... I'm nearly half way to my initial goal! I'm calling it my initial goal because I can't wait to be 180 again, but given my height of 5' 7", all the "charts" say I should be around 160. So I've set my goal at 180 and once I reach that I'll evaluate if 160 would look alright on me, or if I'd end up looking scrawny? Ha! What a statement. Never thought I'd be saying something like that. Me, scrawny, bwahahahaha.

I also have a super fun post planned for ya'll once I hit that 50 pound milestone! Stay tuned. :) Have a great week!

Why am I ups so late?

I should be sleeping, 1:33am is not a great time to blog, but I have to put this down otherwise it will bug me to the point I cannot get to sleep. Right now I'm thinking about my upcoming race. In 20 days I will partake in my first ever race. I am.not.ready. Oh, and I'm waiting on some laundry to finish that I have to hang up, so hopefully I can get to sleep.

I am pretty much ready for a 5K. But running the 6K is looking like it will be a challenge. So I'm sort of at a crossroads. I do have 20 days until the race, so do I just stick to it and see how the adrenaline pushes me the day of the race, or do I move myself from the 10k to the 5K. I KNOW I can walk the 6K, that's no problem. The problem is running. I'm still heavy, but I'm obviously in a better place than when I started.  I can run/walk the 5K in around 45-48 minutes. But after that, my legs and especially my knee peter out.

I know part of my knee problem is my shoes. They're nearing 300 miles on them. It's time for a new set. I just have to wait until we have enough extra cash to get a new pair. The arches are shot, it's allowing my foot to roll in and putting strain on my knee. I'm stretching, so don't worry that that is an issue. I'm icing and elevating as best I can, as well as taking inflammation meds. I just wish I could force myself to push through and entire 6 miles while running to see if I can do it. Right now it's not looking so good. Today I was going to try to see how I would do running 6 miles through. Ummmm... on a postitive note I ran 2 miles in 29 minutes. On the downside I then had to walk the remaining 4 miles. Thank you child bearing hips.

Changing the subject now... Here's how the last four weeks have looked. 88.29 miles in four weeks, 38 of those were this week alone, thanks to our bike ride. I LOVE seeing all of the blue on my graph. It makes me proud of where I've come from in a short amount of time.

And speaking of time, Saturday night, we spent some time in front of the ole fire pit. It was gorgeous outside. So much so that we, the girls, stayed up until after 2am. :) So imagine my surprise when I saw this on the scale yesterday morning.

WooHoo!!! Come on Tuesday! I'm praying for an even lower number by then.

Catching Up

Well, I forgot to post last Tuesday's weigh in... I was down a whopping 0.4 lbs which brings me down to 239. Hey, it wasn't a gain!

I was a bit distracted as following my weigh in as I had my annual female appoint...you know. :/ It was both a happy appointment, yet a bit concerning. For the first time in my life, my doctor found a lump that had gone undetected by me. Needless to say an appointment was quickly made for a mammogram & ultrasound.

Long story short, that appointment went well. There is no cancer, however my doctor called me himself and wants me to see a surgeon. There's a possibility of a minor procedure in my future, but all should be well.

For now I'm chugging along and trying to stay focused on my weight loss. The laughable factor about this experience? My doctor believes it's possible this lump has been there all along, but with nursing two babies back to back and being overweight it may have went undetected. But because I've dropped 40 pounds, he thinks that's why it was found. Really? A health issue caused BY WEIGHT LOSS??? I just have to laugh. So in a sense, losing weight is having some really positive affects on my body but is also allowing a few others to seep through the cracks. But I ain't gonna stop now!

For the record...

Since Starting Weight Watchers

Total Weight Loss

Weigh In Day

 

Weigh in Day!!!!

6.19 = 241.0

6.26 = 239.8

-1.2 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 20.2 pounds

I'm going on the record for how much I despise weighing fully clothed at the location when I know my nekid weight is so much better. Just saying. ;)

I broke the 20lb loss mark! And my nekid weight is 238.4 for the record, which puts me at 21.6lb down. That get's me even closer to the 25 pound milestone and my first award. Well, possibly second award if I don't reach that milestone before the 16 week acknowledgement.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Weigh In Day

 

Weigh in Day!!!!

4.10 = 256.6

4.17 = 253.6 

-3.0 pounds

Total Loss to Date: 6.4 pounds

I'm totally digging this new plan. The food, the ability to still be human and make mistakes but know how to get back on track. I LOVE IT! Today was a great day at the meeting. I got my 5 pound sticker and totally made everyone drool after describing last night's dinner. Which coincidentally fit into today's topic of "How to put color on your plate."

We were discussing how to turn ordinary dishes into extraordinary dishes. The leader skipped the color green, but I spoke up about it anyway, because it wasn't the only color on my plate. Then I described the broccoli & cheese stuffed chicken and the salad I had next to it with spinach, romaine, strawberry, kiwi, and carrots. The leader actually said I made her drool for that meal. It made me feel good.

Then I got all sorts of "what time is dinner," "when can I come over," and even "when are you opening your own restaurant?" LOL. I think the funniest one, was this little old lady who asked if I cooked like that every night. I told her, that it is my goal and yes I am trying to do that.

It was great, and of course I gave a big shout out to skinnytaste.com and the leader was so happy I did, because she isn't allowed to bring it up because it isn't Weight Watchers endorsed, but it is WW inspired. And since I brought it up she was then allowed to talk about it. Yay! It was a great meeting.

When I got home I figured we'd squeeze in a walk...it didn't go as planned but that didn't stop me. The hubs is still gimped up from overdoing a run. He slowed me down, which is a total 180 from the normal. Then about a half mile in we discovered that Bubba was missing a shoe. So we had to double back and find it. Then the hubs decided he'd get his bike while we were at it so he could keep up. Then the grumpy boy started crying, I sent the hubs home to make lunch and I powered on. I didn't get my 4 miles, but 3 was sufficient for everything I endured. :/

Hope everyone else is having a great week!

Motivation

These past two days I've had to remind myself several times why I'm doing this. You would think it would be no problem, but I'm constantly finding myself second guessing my choices and totally craving the less desirable choices...also known as sweets. Why? Because I'm human. It's bound to happen, you have to have a little bad along with all the good.  But I have to also step back and remind myself that this is a marathon, not a sprint. It's going to take some getting used to.

I'm seriously considering getting a tattoo for motivation. But I'm really debating what phrase I would want permanently etched on my body??? Any suggestions would be fabulous. Also, how do you stay motivated? What is something that you look to, to keep you focused?

In new food news... our leader brought up GG bran crisp bread again after a fellow WW told us about them a couple of weeks ago. She said that she grabbed a pack after hearing about them and she said she does not suggest eating them straight up as it was similar to eating dirt. LOL. The WW who originally brought them up cannot eat bread products and so uses these as an alternative to quench that bread thirst. She said she generally throws something on top of them, or crumbles them up in her smoothies to help get that added fiber.

Well, in my lust for a snack today I yanked out a pack, but in the back of my mind heard my leader's "dirt" comment. So, I wasn't going to try them as is and I broke out some Laughing Cow. One wedge of Laughing Cow Light Garlic Cheese + two slices of GG = 2PP!!!! Killer snack. I will say I don't think I'd ever eat these plain, but with a low points plus topping they are awesome. We are talking 5g of fiber per slice. 

So, if you have a Hy-Vee near you, check it out. Ours in KC carries them for $3.29 a pack but you can get a better deal from Amazon by using subscribe & save. Also, checking out GG's website it comes in sprinkle form if you want to use it in your smoothies and to top other foods. They also offer some variety packs if you like to mix things up a bit.

Let me know if you've had GG or if you plan on trying it. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

The Mental Side of Town

Last night I had a break down, not a break through, but a break down. I sobbed/cried uncontrollably at the thought of hitting the one year mark and still being at square one. I Google a ton of ideas, gimmicks and in the end had to go to bed. I just couldn't take much more.

My mental state seems to be in a very unstable place right now & I'm finding myself very, very hormonal. It dawned on me today...my son has been slowly weaning the last month and I've been dealing with the affects of attempting to dry myself up. So factor in that my hormones are changing/decreasing and what have you and the fact that I realize I will never nurse another child of my own...and I'm a wreck. We worked so hard to make everything happen so that I could breastfeed, here we are shy of two years later and it's nearly run it's course. While I'll be glad to call my breasts my own again, they aren't the same. But hey, who's aren't after having children?

Another issue I've tossed around is the fact that I feel guilty for letting myself slide backwards after making so much great progress. I let the eating habits fall into the toilet. I've gone backwards and I think I'm really pissed at myself which causes me to cry about it. I guess you could call me a cry baby, but whatever. At least I'm trying to face my demons. I'm trying to figure out where to go from here...