Thursday, October 27, 2011

Switching

To start:

-I've been good with my promises! I've tracked everything, stayed within my calories (ok I was 18 over yesterday, but 18? come on thats nothing!), I haven't had soda since the weekend, and I feel 10 times better. Less sluggish, craving sweets less, etc. Hopefully I'm on the right track

-I have had some halloween candy (damn tubs above the water bubblers. How am I supposed to resist that?!) but I only take 1 at a time, and that normally keeps me from overindulging, and eating more than one piece :-)

-I did skip the gym yesterday, but it was mainly because my right thigh was bothering me. I twinged the muscle a bit when I was doing lunges, so I figured it's best to give it a day over hurting it further. I'm going to tonight, even though it's still a bit tight. I figure worst case scenario, I can just walk :-) )

- I decided to switch my WI days to Thursdays, for two reasons. One being that my Thursday nights have become busier, and less relaxing than they used to be, where Wednesdays are normally low key nights. and two, I figure it will give me a fresh slate, with a new day to focus on each week. I'm hoping where it's closer to midweek, I'll be more inclined to stay OP over the weekend. We'll see. For starters, I lost 1.6 today, so it's promising!!

Ok, business out of the way, I'll finally recap my birthday weekend a week later, haha. It was fun, and pretty much what I wanted. Relaxing, not too crazy, and full of activity and errands :-) Matt got me a wine/beer making class (which I'm pumped for) and lillies :-) I'll take a picture for you over the weekend, they are super pretty! My parents got me winter books, and my sisters an ihome type thing. So all in all pretty good birthday! My mom made me tacos and got me an amazing cake from Fratellis, and my sisters were home Saturday, so we went for a mini hike with toby. He did awesome because he's a trooper haha it wasn't a crazy hike, but we did burn 350 calories, so it was great in my eyes!

Sunday Matt and I went for a walk around castle island and apparently there was a huge halloween party going on for the kids that day. It was so adorable to see all the children dressed up, there was some great costumes :-) And we got a nice walk in, also a plus. We then headed over to Red Bones where I had amazing southern food and some great beer. It was a really nice day/night, and I was very content afterwards, which is very important for birthdays haha

I've had a good week workout wise, with all the activity last weekend and 2 workouts this week so far. Hoping to get one more in tonight. Especially since we are moving (!!!) this weekend. Or at least starting to. So I doubt I'll make it to the gym, from helping my friend J move, I know I'm going to be sore :-/

Happy Thursday!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Motivation

You know, that thing I've been lacking since I hit 200?

One downside of MFP is that It's harder for me to look back on my progress. WW made it so easy with charts, lists, etc. I've made my own, but it's just not the same. It's probably what I miss the most about the program, how sad is that? Either way I looked back on my own personal chart, and saw something I wasn't too happy with:
6.24.11: 199.2
10.24.11 194.2

So in the past 4 months, I've lost 5 pounds. I know that's better than a pound a month, and it's better to lose 5 pounds than to gain 5 pounds, but it's more than that. It's not like I've been trying my hardest and not getting anywhere, in all honesty, I'm surprised I've lost that much. I've given into temptation, (namely cookies, candy, sweets etc), and half assing workouts/ giving into procrastination haven't been my friends these past 4 months.

There have been a lot of positives. I'm no longer stressed out when I  enjoy myself, which is great, and a lot healthier. I've found fun in other workouts besides killing myself at the gym, (like walking, and hiking), which is great as well. But I can't help but feel like I've used certain things as excuses. Like I'll tell myself it's ok to only workout 3 times this week because we went for a long hike on Saturday. Or I'll be "tired", and skip the gym. Which is a super slippery slope.

And what's harder, is I don't know how to get back to where I was. I was so determined, I wanted it, you know? I still want it. I still want to get to 160, but at the same time, I think I forget it sometimes. I let myself get distracted. I'm the thinnest I've ever been in my life, a mere 4 pounds from the 180's, which I can tell you I haven't seen since I was oh 8? maybe 9? But in my head, getting below 200 was the real goal. Hitting that milestone was such a big deal, it's almost like I let myself "celebrate" it, by half assing it these past 4 months.
And so, for the umpteenth time, I'm making a game plan. We'll see if I stick with it. I truly think last night was my breaking point.


Throughout yesterday, I had fun sized M&ms, 3 mousketeers, and twix, and then 2 cupcakes from my bosses for my birthday. and then 3 full meals, and some mini cookies while sitting. I did workout, so I wasn't in the red, but I felt sick to my stomach by 9pm. I tried Tums, but nothing worked. I lied in the fetal position with my sore stomach, and realized it was probably because I haven't consumed that much sugar in ages, and my stomach is having a bad reaction. either way, it was miserable, and I felt disgusting. And I was dissapointed in myself. It wasn't the same as the guilt I felt with WW, it was more anger that I've let myself make these little mistakes lately. Weight loss isn't easy, it takes a lot of hard work, and making it a priority. And I need to get back to that. And it will come in babysteps. Cutting things out, limiting other things, upping my workouts bit by bit. I will get there, I know it :-)

So here's my general game plan to get back on track:
-Limit Sweets, and eliminate soda from diet for at least 2 weeks: This is going to be my "cleanse" of sorts. I say limit sweets, because it's halloween, and I know I can't resist all temptation. But I'm gonna be picky with what I eat, and recognize what I'm eating, instead of just devouring. And I'm going to stop drinking soda, because I do think it makes me crave sweets more than when I'm not drinking it.
-Come up with a game plan for the gym each week, and stick with it! My biggest problem is I'll say Ok I'll work out Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and by the time Thursday comes, I want nothing to do with the gym. Or I'll tell myself I'll work out at home instead, and we all know how that works in the end. rarely. So no excuses. Even if it's a lighter workout than I planned, something is better than nothing. I need to get back to that mentality and get in workouts whenever I can.
-Focus my efforts on Portions again: Something I've failed at. Since our scale broke, I haven't been measuring my food. I'll eye ball. And don't get me started on work snacks, I definetly push the serving size of cheez-its and pretzels to the max. Honestly, moving out next week is going to be good for me, because I can make my own food most of the time, and portion out leftovers for lunches

I'm starting this today. I have my meals planned out, and am not having any halloween candy, or treats. or soda. And I'm going to the gym :-)

I'll update on my birthday weekend, and life in general in a little bit :-)

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Vacationing while being on plan

Not that I know how to do both simultaneously, judging by the massive amount of dominos I ate this weekend. But I mean, in theory,  I know what to do :-)
No, in all honesty, I could have been a lot worse. and I have, believe me. Here is what I did to try and balance the two:

-a TON of walking. When I was abroad, I ate and drank with abandon, and still lost 30 pounds in 4 months my secret? Besides working out consistently (I had a weird schedule, so I had about 2 hours a day to kill while all my friends were still in class. and we didn't really have a lot of homework, so I was bored. A lot. And would go to the gym, or for a run. It was amazing), we walked everywhere. And I really attribute that to most of my weight loss. So this trip, M and I made a point to walk. Friday night we walked in town (about 1.5 miles), Saturday we went outlet shopping, and Sunday we walked around town. Not too much walking, I wish we had done more, but hey, it's something!

-Get a workout in wherever possible. Friday morning before we left, I made a point to go to the gym for a half hour. I burnt 450 calories, which helped me stay in my range for the day :-) It also made me feel great starting my day out too, which was just a bonus. While there, M and I made great use of the pool, and did a bunch of laps. I didn't count it (I honestly don't know how long we were in there for either day) but I know it counts for something, right?

-Try and follow portion control. Key work try, haha. I won't lie, I could have definetly done better with this, but I did try. I only ate 3/4 of my burger, and half my fries Friday night. Saturday I split my sandwich with Matt. We went overboard for dinner, but I was also drunk, and normally don't eat when I'm drunk for that exact reason haha. All in all, I'd give myself a C, because even through the bad choices, I still was conscious of what I was doing.

-Enjoying yourself in moderation. This trip was a beer trip, I'll admit that. And it's not easy to moderate yourself at a beer fest :-) but sometimes, you have to live your life :-) And Friday night, while we went out drinking, we didn't go overboard, mainly because we didn't want to be hungover for the festival, but hey, it works for my weight loss too!

-Stay Active. And not just in the workout sense. I wish I had planned something for Saturday afternoon/Sunday morning, just because one of my favorite parts of our Portland trip was  the little sightseeing things we did. Like going to the wildlife reserve (which was huge and an awesome workout walking around. Helped me work off my hangover!). We had talked of walking along the coastline, but it was chilly and we were both tired. Next trip we take, I'll definetly plan something extra to keep us going!


All in all, it was a great weekend. Really relaxing, a lot of fun, and exactly what I wanted for my birthday. I wish the fest was on my actual birthday, but hey, whatever. It's funny, because I love my birthday, but this year, I think with all the stress and anxiety of moving out and money and just everything that's gone on lately, I'm just not feeling it. Maybe I'm getting old (yuck). Either way I plan on having a nice weekend, brunch with my sisters, out with friends, and then delicious southern BBQ with M on Sunday, for the actual day. Yum! It's probably what I'm looking forward to the most, haha. I also want to hike this weekend, which is equally exciting ;-), hopefully we can do it a few more times before it gets truly cold outside, you know?

Anyways, nothing really else is new in my life, besides my current infatuation with the Hunger Games. I'm on book 3, 80 pages from the end, and it's seriously how sad how much I love these books. They are amazing and fantastic and beautiful all in one. Which is rare to find these days :-) I won't lie, book two made me cry and I have been so sad reading book 3. It's been a long time since a book affected me this way, and I kind of love it :-) And can't wait for the movie! I love the casting, and have really high hopes, so hopefully it will fill them, right?

Either way, I need to finish this book. The past two nights have been sleepless, because I stay up reading, and then am all jittery because I am so enthralled in reading it. It's not good, not good at all :-)

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

A Positive Weekend

That's right, admist all the chaos that is my life right now, I actually had a really good weekend:
-I hiked on Saturday, brought the pup for a walk on sunday, and worked out for a good hour fifteen on Monday (which was almost entirely strength based and I am feeling it today!), and went for a 40 minute walk yesterday afternoon with friends.
- I have that good sore feeling in my arms/abs/upper body. Which is awesome. It's been awhile since I have felt that workout sore. Not counting all the times recently that I've gotten back on the gym wagon and bearly been able to walk, because that pain is NOT GOOD.
-I focused on portion control this weekend. Minus the frosted cookies my sister made on Sunday, or the butterbeer cupcakes she made which I may have had 3 of. But meal wise, I was good :-)
-I spent a lot of money, but on good things for the apartment. And we got some amazing deals (gotta love IKEA), and otherwise I budgeted my life away and was actually really on par with where I wanted to be Tuesday morning.
- I got to hang out with the girls this weekend. Which was a lot of fun, and nice to have a stress free weekend with them :-)
-M and I had a great date night on Sunday. We went to fire and ice, which is great except for the fact that for some reason, it was just off that night. I think partially because it was so busy, but there were a ton of rude people (some girl walked right up to my dish and was all over it trying to figure out if it was hers or not. she was this close to touching it. Blech. I was not a fan of having a shrimp allergy at that moment, because they had to cook my food seperately, and they just brought it out and left it on the corner in front of her.) But my veggies were undercooked, and M felt like the chicken was a bit rubbery. Ahh well, we did a bit of a bar hop afterwards and had a great time :-)

So there you have it. I'm not going to post my financial review for awhile, I want to get my second job, get settled into my apartment etc, and then focus on my budget and an allowance system. I'm actually pretty excited for this, more to come :-)


And now I have a 3 day workweek before I go away to NH for the beer fest/ to celebrate my birthday! Yes it's the weekend before, but sadly the beer fest didn't plan itself on my actual birthday, so this will have to do :-) I'm so excited, a weekend away is well needed! Here is my general game plan:

T-Rest day, which is very needed. I'm so tired and sore :-)
W-Cardio Max video
Th- attempt #3 at getting up early to walk, trivia at night with M and his friends to celebrate our long weekend :-)
F- gym then leaving for Portsmouth!

I can't decide if I want to track this weekend or not. I'm leaning towards no, just because I don't normally track on my birthday weekend, but at the same time it isn't technically my birthday.

M and I do plan on walking into Portsmouth (our hotel is about a mile away) and utilizing the gym, pool and jacuzzi on Saturday. so I'm sure I'll earn some APs that night :) and we have some healthy choices planned out for mealtimes. It's so awesome having a boyfriend who is watching what he eats in times like this, because he is so gungho on plannin ahead and eating well to combat the drinking. Either way it's going to be a great time :-)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

I Have No Defense

For not posting before now. None whatsoever. It's been crazy busy at work, and my life has been pretty boring recently. I've also been slightly freaked out with the whole moving out of my parents house for the first time since I was in a dorm in college thing. And the fact that my roommate is my boyfriend. Scary stuff, my friends. Scary stuff. I don't do well with change, I am a creature of habit. I want to do something new, I condition myself into it until a reach a point where it becomes my new normal. My friend R and I went to dinner (ok apps and margaritas but whatever) on sunday, and she told me that she's always so impressed with how well I plan ahead for things. It's not an accident, I get scared and nervous when things aren't planned. When I don't have a precedent to go by, or an idea of what is going to happen. So I plan the shit out of everything to account for this. It's my way. But I can't really plan for an apartment. I've lived in dorms, but never by myself, so besides bills, I don't know what to expect. And that is super scary


like this!
 So Here's a Little Life Update For Ya:
  • I had a killer workout on Sunday at the gym. Eliptical, weights, abs. It was great. Sadly, I sucked the rest of this week, and that was my only real activity (besides walking toby). Thankfully, I've been a ball of nerves/not feeling my best, so I haven't really eaten a lot either. I plan on going to the gym tonight, so at least I get in two times, right?
  • I blame a lot of my nerves/stress/lack of gymtime on my work lately. I've been bringing stuff home, working late, and it sucks. It also keeps me from hitting up the gym , because by the time I leave work I'm tired, and hungry. I need to stop making excuses, but there you have it. Next week will be better, I need this long weekend badly!
  • As I said, my eating has been pretty good lately. I've pretracked a ton, limited my drinks, and even though I have indulged a bit (my latest thing has been pasteries for breakfast. Like what marie?) I try and make it so it's not a terrible thing (half a muffin and a banana, or a small donut. Totally doable)
  • My weekend will be spent hiking, drinking, and apartment shopping. I love all those things! So excited! Plus the sisters are home, which is equally exciting.



  • I hate how hard it is to workout in the am. It stinks, but especially with working so much, and how damn busy I've been, I haven't had as much motivation/time to workout after work. Something always seems to come up! I am going to make it a priority though, and especially when I move out, and have my own space, waking up early to walk (I have a pond and the arboretum within a 10 minute walk of me), run, or do a video, I have no excuses!. Especially where M is normally up earlier for work anyways :-) I hope to walk tomorrow morning. I seriously could have done it today, it was just so cold, and my bed was so damn warm :-(
  • I peeked today, and saw a really good number :-)
A Good Ol Fashion Life Plan
(for the next week anyways)
-Gym tonight, Hiking saturday (yay!), gym Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.
-Attempt to get up early to workout tomorrow, and at least 1 time next week
-Just because it's a holiday weekend doesn't mean I have to treat it like a holiday eating wise :-)

Aand go!

Monday, October 3, 2011

September workout totals and October goals!

I will update on life hopefully tonight/tomorrow, and my financial goals as well, but it's too busy for me to functionally blog right now :-) So here are my september totals!

By September 30
Goal 110,000 Calories Burnt
Goal 24 Pounds
Goal 3Work out 20 times
Goal 4Pretrack 50% of meals and track everything!



Goal 1
7319/10000
Goal 21 lb/4
Goal 3HIT 16/20
Goal 4Pretrack 50% of meals and track everything!



How did I do?: Well as you can tell, not too great. I think I overestimated how many calories I can earn in 1 month. I also did not do well with the weight loss this month, which I can blame on being busy at work, and tons of stress and anguish in the Month of September. But in reality, I gave into temptation too often, and didn't focus on my WLJ. and hey, I'm 1 pound down, which is a win, right?

Goals for October:

Column1Column2
By October 31
Goal 1Burn 8000 Calories
Goal 24 pounds
Goal 3Work out 4X a week (20 times in the month
Goal 4Limit indulgence (more than 1 drink and a dessert over 200 calories) to 3X a week


I think 8000 is an attainable number for me, that's 4 500 calorie workouts a week. which is what I should be doing anyways. I also realize that I indulge way too often, and it needs to stop. So hopefully I can limit what I indulge in, and think twice before going for the cookie/dessert/candy bar/ 2nd drink!

Happy October! My favorite month!