A Good "OW"

So Thank you for your suggestions on my post about knee pain. For some reason, I never would have even thought strength training would help. To be honest, I've been shying away from squats, lunges, and other moves that would work my legs, for two reasons:

1. I hate them.

2. I always had some sort of dull pain after running, so I figured strength training would just aggrevate that.

Yesterday I hit the gym after work, spending 40 minutes on the eliptical, with slight discomfort but definetly not pain, and nothing like monday, at least. I stretched out afterwards, feeling good about my workout so far, and went to the free weights section.

I go to two different planet fitness gyms. One is in my work building, and one is in the town next to mine, just built last summer. I only go to the one in my hometown on weekends, mainly because it's always packed on weeknights, and also because besides being crowded, I have noticed people standing around judging others before. Like groups of girls, standing in a corner, watching people working out and laughing at them. I heard a guy make a comment about my weight as I was walking by him before.I've had a guy stand and watch me do free weights, like seriously stand there and watch me with his friends.

 It's just a terrible atmosphere. And judging by how trashy the town next to mine has become, It  really shouldn't surprise me. The one in my building is never too busy, filled with a lot of older poeple/ athletic people who are there to work out. I like the atmosphere more, and definetly prefer it, even though the machines are a lot older.


Anyways I also like how big the free weights section is at my work gym, so I set up a mat, grabbed some dumbbells and went to work.
My workout went as such: (with 7.5 pound weights)
12 arm curls with lunges, X2
12 hammer curls, with lunges (opposite leg) X2
12 side lunges with shoulder press (both legs)
15 front raises (I think that's what they are called) with squats
15 side raises with squats
stationary squat with 20 tricep kickbacks

then I took two 10 pound weights and did
10 alternating arm curls, 10 alternating hammer curls
20 side bends
15 dead lifts X2
stationary lunge with 20 one arm dumbbell rows (each side)

And I did a few ab moves and the nautilus machines. Overall I felt awesome afterwards. Any pain I had in my knee actually lessened with all the workouts, which suprised me!And it made me realize that I was making excuses for not working my legs, and I was hurting myself because of it! I am going to make use of my sparkpeople membership to look up more strength training moves to try out, and see how it goes. I am doing a video tonight, and then planning on hitting up the gym on Saturday as well, so hopefully I will have a few more moves to add in then.

I can say though, judging by the pain in my legs, I definetly worked myself, and I won't lie, I love that feeling! Hopefully this helps get rid of my knee pain, and make me into a better runner!

Ow!!

So I mentioned last week that after my run at the gym on Tuesday, I had some knee pain. Ever since I started following the C25K I have had some form of knee pain, but normally it only acted up when I ran, or right after, and would go away with some icy hot.

But last Tuesday the treadmill stopped working mid run, causing me to land strange, and giving me knee pain and shin pain. The shin pain went away after a day, but working on Wednesday caused the knee pain to get even worse. I took Thursday Friday and Saturday off, rested, and iced it. It seemed to help, because on Sunday I did the eliptical and some Ab work, and felt no discomfort, and only a little uncomfortable afterwards, which isn't rare for me (I owe a lot of it to the fact that I still have about 50 pounds to lose)

So I went  to the gym yesterday with no knee pain, and figured why not give it a go. I lasted about 15 minutes running, and then felt the pain again, so I stopped at around 1.5 miles, and walked on an incline for the rest of my workout. I got home, put an ice pack on and rested it for the night. My knee is still a little sore today, and I honestly don't know what is wrong.

I'm hoping that I just need to give it a week or so to rest, and recoup a bit. I am going to take today off completely, do a walk/eliptical combo tomorrow and Thursday (with weights), and stay away from running until mid-late next week. Hopefully by that point the pain will have subsided.

I'm also going to look up some knee strengthening exercises, I hope that will help too. I can't help but be slightly nervous, but hopefully it's all for nothing and I'll be fine next week :-)

Any tips on how you deal with knee pain?

It all started with that freaking carrot cake...

So my work is big on celebrating birthdays. Especially the small group I am in (Accounting/ HR/ Payroll etc). It's nice, really, but it's such a test. You may not get this from my posts (or maybe you do, who knows), but I have a tendancy to be painfully shy sometimes. Once I get to know you, You can't get me to shut up, but especially in work situations and meeting new people, anny ounce of self confidence I have in myself goes out the window, and I get nervous and awkward feeling. I hate it, and it's something I'm working on.


But a big part of this is when I get in those types of situations, I normally use a crutch of some sort. When I'm at a party and feel awkward or like I don't know many people, I normally will have a drink in my hand. When I'm at work, standing with people talking, I will normally eat to make me feel  less uncomfortable. And I honestly never realized this until Friday after I ate an entire piece of carrot cake during a birthday celebration. Something when I planned it out prior I said to myself I would take the cake and eat half, or not eat it at all.

That all said, I normally have no problem saying no thank you to people at work. I thought I was successful at it. But I think when it comes down to it, and the pressure is on, I say yes to feel included, or to not feel like an outsider. I need to start telling myself the truth: That no body is noticing what I'm eating, and that putting myself out of my comfort zone will only help me at work, both professionally and comfort wise. I know that ultimately, those few moments of uncomfortability will eventually lead to me feeling more at ease, and able to talk freely, it's just the getting there that is so hard.

After work that day, I felt guilty, and angry with myself. I was wishing I could have been stronger, and not given in so easily, without even putting up a fight. And that uncomfortable fullness was gone by 5pm, andI was starting to get hungry again, as I head out to my friends birthday without having time to eat dinner. I had a veggie quesadilla, and It was actually chock full of veggies, and pretty delicious. I felt ok with my choice, but it didn't end there...

At the next bar my friend got wings and curly fries. While the wings I could resist, the curly fries were RIGHT in front of me. While I far from ate the entire plate, i did have a good serving of fries, (which were awesome btw). And then at the next bar M got nachos...

I was so full when I got home, to the point where my stomach hurt. I KNOW that this is my journey, and that I need to resist temptations like that, but there are certain situations where it's just hard.

I felt.. off Saturday morning (and throughout the day). I was sad and discouraged, and didn't want to do anything. I was dissapointed in myself for not being more OP,and felt, again, guilty for my behavior.

So why, when I feel guilty, do I not stop, switch it up and get back on track?  Why, instead, do I compliment my bad behavior with:

• Peanut Butter M&Ms
• Soda
• Cookies

Because I had ALL of that on Saturday. And it didn't make me feel any better, but instead made me feel sluggish, and tired.

I did do a bit better on Sunday. Woke up refreshed, new day blah blah blah. I measured all my food, went to the gym, and had a movie date with a friend, (and her boyfriend. I have no problem hanging around with couples, but everytime I hang out with her, her bf joins in. And they are both more sensitive types, so saying something would cause drama. But there's a reason I sometimes avoid hanging out with her one on one. Its just plain awkward to hang out with a couple who jump and tickle each other. And When you call them out on their pda, they are just "expressing" themselves), which I did indulge inpopcorn and some candy for (hey, I didn't have lunch!) but it was twizzlers, and I tracked them.

Today I am fully recommitted. Back on track. I want to get to 205 by the end of April. and snacking and cheating won't get me there. I need to not indulge the way I did this weekend, and plan a hell of a lot better.

My plan (revised)
-Work out Today Wednesday and Thursday.
-Take a walk Tuesday
-No ordering out lunches, and portion out dinners!
-Stick to fruits veggies and healthy snacks when I'm hungry. It'll keep the sugar cravings at bay.

And worry about myself. Not what others are eating/doing.

Week 51 and Points Plus

down 1.8! I achieved my goal of hitting the 210's by the end of March, and truly feel back on track. You can see, the last four weks I have found my stride, and aren't as stagnated as February was.

I've found my balance.and for that I'm proud of myself, because it's half the battle. Points Plus is a great system, but it took me awhile to find the balance between good and bad, in order to be successful on it.

I started out the month at 214.8. I had a 2 pound loss in February, and know it was because I was cheating myself and not following WW as much as I should have. (which I admitted numerous times in this blog, haha).

I overcame nights out, a trip to Mohegan Sun, and an illness to lose 4.4 pounds this month. I'm back into my workout routine, and loading up on healthy meals to combat the not so healthies. I have always been so anti setting WL goals for myself by the scale, but I truly think it kept me OP and focused on my goal, and I am now a convert :-)

I posted that Then and Now segment on Wednesday more for myself than anything else. The difference between myself a year ago and today is amazing. And not just by looks. I'm such a different person internally, I truly want to be healthy, for myself now. Not just so I lose weight and look good, etc. It's a nice feeling! Last night my sister came home with a chicken and pepper pizza from her work, and I had already prepped my dinner (leftovers). I ate my cup of pasta with veggies, and my snow peas, and then ate a slice of the pizza. Just one slice, and I only used 2 weeklies. It was definetly worth it, and I didn't feel bad afterwards.

Sorry to gush, I know it sounds silly, but I am really proud of myself. I know I can do this! I am 2.4 pounds away from hitting my 50 mark. I am hoping to hit this Mid April, and  I am well on my way to hitting 200 by the end of May. For the month of April, I am setting a goal of getting to 205. even if it's 205.8, I don't care :-)
But enough of that :-)

I had a quiet week, and it was well needed, let me tell you. Tonight is my friend J's 25th birthday, so I am meeting her, our other friend and some of her work friends for drinks, and then meeting up with  M when he gets out of work. Tomorrow night I'm babysitting, which is a great way to stay OP!  haha I should get activity points for babysitting this little guy, he's a ball of energy!

My Plan for the week:
-Make good choices- I have to eat out tonight, as I won't have time to eat before I head in town, and don't want to drink on an empty stomach. I am going to review the menu prior, and make my choice a decent one :-)
- Limit my drinks to Tonight and maybe one during the week. I've done well having a few on Friday nights, and then staying soberish the rest of the week.
-Go to the gym Saturday and Sunday, in addition to Monday Wednesday and Thursday. I am going to focus on doing lighter workouts, more often to limit the amount of strain on my knee.
-Compliment the bad with the good :-)  For every not so healthy choice, make a healthy one :-)

I took last night off from the gym because my knee has been hurting me since Tuesday's run. The treadmill stopped abruptly (no idea why), and I landed weird, giving me shin splints and a sore knee. I iced it and have been applying ice hot, along with IB Profen. Hopefully the two days off helps :-) I am going to stick with low impact workouts for Satuday, and maybe Sunday too, depending on how I feel. The knee is nothing to mess with :-)


Happy Friday!

Then and Now

1 Year ago

Then (end of March,2010):
-I thought I was dieting, and "following" WW- in reality, I was cheating, and still eating the cookies, ice cream, candy, pizza, chinese food, and all my other triggers with no sense of restraint or caution. They weren't treats- they were every day parts of my diet.
-I was half tracking, and still operating under the mindset that if I don't track it, it didn't happen.
-I refused to stop drinking as much as I was- 3,4 times a week having margaritas, martinis, and of course Beer.
-My workouts were scattered at best. I would have a good week and workout 3X, and then make excuses for myself and not work out at all.
-I was not pushing myself in those workouts, just serving my time on the treadmill/eliptical
-Portion Control? What's that?
-I was putting my social life and my fun times over my health and well being. I wasn't making my Weight Loss Journey a priority.





about 2 weeks ago

 NOW (Picture is from begining of March, 2011):
-I am stricker at limiting my indulgences. Especially sweets.
-I track EVERYTHING, even if I don't want to, and tell myself I won't . I have developed this guilt that makes me go back and do it anyways.
-I've cut my drinking down to 1-2, sometimes 3 times a week. and only one of those is more than 2 drinks at most. I have cut down on my binge drinking/ drink till I get sick nights. I now drink for the pleasure, and only drink stuff I like the taste of. Not just cheap beer because it's there. Of course I have the occasional margarita and fancy drink, but they are special occasions :-)
-After I got back from Florida, I started my workouts at 2X per week. After 2 months I upped that to 3X a week, and now I'm up to 4X a week, sometimes 5 if I have the time.
- I am doing the C25K, and getting my heart rate up high, constantly pushing myself in activities I enjoy.
-While I'm not perfect with portions, I measure 90% of what is put in my mouth. 5% is estimated, and the other 5 is a guess. This is a balance I am happy with, as I am always conscious of how big of a serving I am taking.
-I'm 10 times more likely to say no to something so I can work out, or push plans back, or plan ahead to get my workouts in. I stick to my schedule no matter what (barring awful circumstances and illness).

It's amazing how much can change in a year :-)

Happy Spring!!!

I am sitting in my basement looking out the little window, and am beyond excited that I can still see daylight outside!! Happy Spring :-)

I had a weekend full of nothing, and yet I feel like I barely got to relax! I got out of work Friday a half hour early. Mostly because it was sooo slow and we had nothing to do, and partially because it was so nice outside 8-)

M and I went to the Sunset Bar and Grill, where we enjoyed numerous beers, and some lovely conversation :-) I love my nights out with him, we always have such a good time

our beers! :-)

required drunk pic :-) 

 

It was a good night :-) Unfortunately M has developed an issue in the back of his mouth, so our drunken fun was canceled pretty soon after we got home,  as he was in a lot of pain.

Saturday was a lazy day, I had every intention to go to the gym, but since I was up half the night taking care of M, I decided to be lazy and sleep in instead. I did make up for it by going for a walk with two of my friends and their dogs. And Toby of course :-) It was a lot of fun, I can't wait till it's warmer and I can walk him a lot more. My plan is 1-2 days a week to walk him  in the morning before work, to give myself that extra push.

I was supposed to babysit last night, but the little boy was in a foul mood and wouldn't let the dad leave, so they just told me to go home. I was a bit bummed, just because I was looking forward to the money and I like the kid a lot, but the mother called me to tell me they would use me next Saturday instead, which is great :-) I ended up coming home and drinking a half bottle of wine, which wasn't so WWery of me, but because my dinner was scrod and like 4 potato wedges, I had a ton of points left (I had a large lunch so I Wasn't that hungry)

Today I definitely made up for not going to the gym by going this afternoon. I even skipped the play I was supposed to go see, just because I was lazy and didn't get my act together in time to do both. So go me! Making working out a priority. I ended up doing about 45 minutes cardio and 30 minutes strength and abs, which I'm happy with.

I like going at least once over the weekend. I used to have a lot of trouble motivating myself, but lately I've been good about going either Saturday or Sunday. Having M going helps a lot, but I've gone a few times lately on my own as well. It makes it less stressful during the week, just because if I need to have a lighter workout night, or am pressed for time (which happens pretty frequently), I won't feel as guilty when I get a head start over the weekend.

And now it's Sunday night, and I really don't know where the weekend went! I had a good one though, and am happy I didn't over do it at all (except for a bit of coffee cake this morning, yikes), and I tracked everything!

Here's to a good rest of the week!

SV And a fun surprise!

Week 50! and I lost .8, bringing me down to 212.2. I really want to be in the 210s by the end of the month, which I think is doable (I have 2 more WI's, technically). I am going to be super OP this week. My gameplan

• make a healthy lo mein tonight with M (we got this awesome recipie, I'm really excited!)
• have a few drinks tonight, since that will probably be it for the week
• pack my fancy new gym bag tonight so that I have no excuse to go to the gym tomorrow morning while M is sleeping (or if he wants to join me that's cool too!)
• spend sunday in a more relaxed state: I have so much cleaning to do, in my room and my car, so sunday I really want to focus on this. Hence my want to gym on Saturday instead! Take a walk with Toby for some light exercise
• Head to the gym Monday Wednesday and Thursday, maybe do a video Tuesday if I feel up to it!)
• Get more fruits and veggies for work! My lunches next week will be healthy chicken parm pitas, which will be awesome and filling!

I think if I follow all that, I'll definitely see a great number on the scale!

I headed to old navy last night after the gym. It's the Gap Give and Get weekend, so I figured I'd take advantage of the 30% off and get some new clothes! I desperately needed them. All my jeans are baggy and shlubby looking, not to mention I haven't bought a new pair in over a year! I fit comfortably into a pair of 16s, and am proud to say that I was able to pull up and button a pair of 14s! Still a bit too tight, but I'm excited that hopefully in a few weeks I can buy another pair of jeans ina  14, for the first time in possibly forever. The last time I could possibly fit into a 14, I was like 10 and still shopping in juniors.

I also got a really cute sundress, a sports bra that was on sale, some new tank tops, because all of mine are baggy, and a really cute teal duffle bag that is perfect for the gym! No longer will I be digging through my black bag for my stuff! Yay!

I came home to a dinner of chicken and salad, and these waiting on my bed:

back in January M and I waited for 2 hours in an online "line" to buy red sox tickets the day they came out, and they finally came yesterday! We ended up getting two games, one in April and one in September. I'm so excited, and what's more, they basically costs as much as 1 pair costed us last year, since we bought them through stub hub.

Definitely a sign of things to come :-) April in general is going to be a fun month. One of our favorite bands just announced they are doing a show at the house of blues, so we are definetly going to that (I think we may buy tickets next week). Plus it means official warm weather, flip flops, ahh I can't wait!!


Happy Weekend :-)

Happy St. Patricks Day!

I grew up in a very Irish household. My dad came over from Galway when he was 18, because the opportunities over there were pretty sparse. My mom was born here, but both my maternal grandparents were from Ireland as well (County Galway and Mayo ), and sadly, my grandmother when my mom was 7, so every summer instead of camp, or a babysitter, my grandfather would send her over to my aunt's in Glann. She would spend her summers in the fields, working at the B&B my aunt owned, and playing with her cousins.

When I was 15, we went as a family to visit, for the first time in about 7 years (my dad goes back yearly, but it's such an expensive trip, we all hadn't had the chance to go).

I loved it I decided that this is where I belonged, and I was going to move to Ireland. It was so serene, people were so friendly, and even the air smelled better than it did in Boston. I announced my decision to my mother, and even I looked at colleges out there.

I didn't end up going to school out there, I think the actuality of living 3000 miles away from my close family (I would have my grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins, but my sisters and parents would still be here) and friends scared me, and I chickend out. Secretly, I wish I had applied, just to see what would have happened. I do miss it, my sister just got back from a trip with my Dad, and looking at her pictures made me insanely jealous. I wouldn't trade my heritage, or my family for anything in the world.

That said, while I love being Irish, and am very proud of my heritage, I don't feel the need to celebrate by getting blackout drunk today. It's a Saints day, and the way I see it, if you're truly Irish, you don't need an excuse to drink ;-) I love my family's tradition of corned beef, brown bread, and Irish candies, and yes, I am wearing my Green "Slainte" shirt, haha. I just hate over crowded bars and people getting wasted and pretending the are super Irish just because they can. It's not my scene.

What is my scene?

M and I have plans to go out for a few drinks tomorrow night and I fully plan on getting a delicious stout  (ok, I might have more than one) to mark the holiday :-) So with that, Happy St. Patrick's day!

The Ultimate Weight In

I scheduled my physical back in October, when they were booking into March. Last week I looked at my calendar, and realized that it was this Tuesday (today) morning.

Over the past week, I began to think about it. Last year my physical was back in January. It went well, my doctor told me I am the picture of health, except that I am morbidly obese (I weighed in at 258).I told her what I have always told doctors, ever since my weight became a noticable issue, and no longer just "baby fat" (probably around 13): "I know, I am working out and watching what I eat. I hope to start loosing soon".

Honestly? Every year for the past 10, that has been lies. Have I worked out? Yes, but not regularly. Even last year I was on an off working out 2-3 times a week, and even then I was half assing it on the eliptical, or walking on the treadmill (not to say that isn't a work out, but I wasn't pushing myself). I would crash diet, or "watch" what I ate, but not watch my portions, so the "healthy" food was ultimately even worse for me than some of the bad food would have been. I wasn't following WW, or any weight loss plan that I tried. In truth, I was not trying.

Last April was when that changed. I started a work out routine. I tried to eat healthy, and measure my food better. It hasn't been easy, but I discovered so many foods that I now love. I feel satisfied, and happy with my success. I am, for one of the first times in my life, somewhat athletic.

So, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I was excited for my physical. Yes, I weigh in every week, and share my results with my family, and M, but for my doctor to see what I've done, and comment on it, it was exciting and nervewracking at the same time.

So I showed up for my doctor's visit this morning, a little nervous. What if her scale said I was 10 pounds heavier? Not that the other 35 pounds wouldn't show, but right now I'm 213, for it to go back up to 223 would be very disheartening. I went in, put on my robe, and hopped on that scale, per my doctor's instructions.

dun dun dunn

She started it out at 258, where I was last time, and made a comment that I've lost something. She moved it down to 240, then 230, then 220... and finally rested it at 213. An official 45 pound loss. We talked about what I've been doing, and I told her that it's been slow moving but efficient, and she commended me on that, saying that she wants me to be successful, and that's how to do it.  

We talked more about a healthy weight range for me, and she would like me to reach 170, which is great because I was nervous that my goal of 165 was too high, so she solidified that this will be a good place for me to be. I have 13 pounds left to hit 200, and I want to do that by June, which is totally doable

I don't know what I was nervous for really. I knew I lost weight, I think I was more scared that my scale was wrong or something, and giving me false losses, and I really haven't lost as much as I think I have. I think it's more the idea of working so hard, and then not getting that commendation. All this time I've been losing weight, but my doctors office still had me listed at 258. In their books now, I'm officially 45 pounds lighter, and that feels awesome :-)

Weekend and Race Recap

Happy Monday! While I hate loosing an hour, I loved that yesterday was daylights savings for no reason other than when I left the movie theater at 7, it was still light outside!!

Lets recap. After my surprise loss on Friday, I focused on healthy eating throughout the weekend. I had an awesome piece of schrod for dinner on Friday night, and paired it with one of those ceasar salad in a bag meals that my  mom made. She only used on packet of dressing for 2 bags, so it was perfect :-) I'm pretty sure I overcounted the points for it, but regardless it was a delicious light meal.

I then met up with M, and we drank a few beers, (read: two) and went to this bar in Quincy Center, called the Fat Cat.

I LOVE the Fat Cat. I get takeout from there all the time, just because they have the most amazing burgers, sandwiches, and hand cut fries. The rest of their menu is spectacular too, it's by far the nicest bar in quincy. My only issue with it is it is too small. The bar area is always packed, as is the restaurant, so we ended up standing, which I was ok with :-).

I had a martini to start

(sorry for the terrible lighting, my blackberry really didn't do it justice)

It was delicious. Raspberry vodka, peach liquor, and a splash of cranberry and oj. Well worth every point :-) I followed this with a beer, and then M and I headed out. Right as we were finishing our second drink, a really nice guy next to us offered us his seat, as he and his wife were leaving. I told him we were heading out, but thanks for the offer (a lot of people don't do that).

 As they stood up these 2 girls came storming past us (which was very hard in this bar might I tell you).

Saying "EXCUSE me, move please, cmon (insert name here) Cut these two off!!" and swooped into the seats as the couple was bearly out of them.

I was a bit shocked at how rude they were, and since I had a few drinks in me I really wished that we were staying, just so I could have told them so:-) As we looked at them, we saw they were at least 30 (they looked very much older). I'd expect that from some 21 year old who's never been to a bar before, but really? You've been drinking in bars for years, I'd assume, learn some ettiquette. That's one thing I hate, is in a busy bar when you've patiently been standing in an area, waiting for a seat to open up, and someone tries to swoop in and steal it from you. I just think that is so rude and childish.

Rant over, I promise. That just really irritated me.

The rest of the night was nice :-) I had to drive home so I didn't drink much at the next bar, instead watched M and our friends get drunk and delve into deep discussions :-) I was starving when we left the bar,  as was M, so we stopped at Wendy's on the way home :-( We split a small fry, a snack wrap and a small cheeseburger. still a point suck, but much better then back in the day when we would each eat all that, and then some :-)

Saturday was a lazy morning, followed by a busy afternoon of driving around, picking things up and meetings :-) M and I had a late lunch at this great Mexican place near my house. I had a buy one get one free coupon, and they have such awesome lunch specials that the meal ended up being only 7 bucks each, after tip! Not too shabby :-) I ordered the chicken fajitas, and loaded them up with salsa and veggies . Plus I only ate two, and gave my leftovers to M to eat for dinner later on, I was proud of myself :-)

While I didn't make it to the gym on Saturday (I was still feeling sniffly) I did take my dog for a nice long walk, and babysat for an adorable 2.5 year old boy, which I think should have been worth some APs :-)

Sunday was race day :-) I woke up at 9, got ready and met M to take the train in town. I brought my purse and such with me, as my sisters were driving in with my mom, so the plan was for M and I to leave our stuff with her. Bad plan, because I didn't take into account my family's inability to plan/be on time. ever.

My mom didn't know she was bringing my sisters, she thought she was going to meet us at the finish line. So long story short they left late and got lost in Somerville, as most of the roads leading to Davis were blocked off. One of my sisters got out of the car and ran over to Davis, and started the race late. The other just went home with my mom. It was panicky and awful, and I had to run with my purse, and M with his backpack.

Since I had some troubles with my training, and had been sick all week, I didn't expect this race to be a good one, so I started to run, and after about 3 minutes said to myself, why?

So I walk/ran it. I am totally fine with that, and am over it. I was really irritated though, and vowed to never put myself in this position again. From now on I'm going to buy a little pack and wear it while I run. And I'm not going to do another race until I'm ready. :-) M finished in 27 minutes, which is awesome considering his backpack had to have weighed about 10 pounds.

We all agreed afterwards that it wasn't our favorite race. Besides all the drama, I wasn't a big fan of the course itself. Granted, I've only done one race prior, but the Milton one was so peaceful and scenic, and I think just the knowledge that it was for charity made it a lot of fun. M overheard these girls laughing at him for running with a backpack, which makes me think that a lot of people must have been mocking me as well. I realize we probably looked stupid, but seriously? Way to make us feel bad about an already crappy situation.

either way, we did it, we probably won't do it again next year, but it was an experience :-)

Recouperating

So my cold only worsened, and I ended up staying home from work yesterday. I was feverish, lightheaded and dizzy, and congested up the wazoo. I spent my day in a nyquill induced sleep (LOVE Nyquill, by the by. It gives me the weirdest dreams, but I always wake up feeling just a little bit better), and watching all of season 2 of Parks and Rec. I wish I had tried this show sooner, it's so funny! I initially wrote it off as an Office wannabe, but I was wrong, it's hilarious.

I'm still sniffly, but I'm probably operating at like 75%, where yesterday I would put myself at 50%. I still feel shaky from time to time, but overall I'm better, and more importantly functional!

Unfortunetly, after my wild-ish weekend, I was really looking forward to undoing some of the damage through two workouts on Wednesday and Thursday. I wish now that I had worked out on Tuesday night, but ahh well. I stayed home from the gym Wednesday night, and obviously I didn't go yesterday.

I also didn't give a flying fuck about WW yesterday, and consumed (est)
a british muffin with butter (they are from trader joes. Basically English muffins but I love that they are called british muffins and insist that they taste better :-) )
Turkey gumbo soup with a french roll
approx. 4TBSP of peanut butter with club crackers
chicken brocolli alfredo
a taste of tapiocca pudding
 a mini skinny cow cup of ice cream.

not too shabby for a girl who can't really taste anything, huh? So I had pretty much given up hope of maintainting on my weigh in, and planned on taking the gain like a champ and moving on.

So Imagine my surprise when the scale read 213, a full 1.8 down. I had to reweigh myself to make sure I didn't see it wrong. Does this mean I'm going to gain next week? Or maybe I should start eating more of my weeklies? who knows. I'm going to attribute it to three things:
1. I didn't work out as much as I have been lately (2X as opposed to 4-5X), So I'm probably retaining less water
2. I didn't eat that badly. I tracked everything and still have 3 APs left.
3. Perhaps my body needed a shake up

Either way, I'm not complaining. It does suck being sick this close to the race though. I'm focused on getting better, and worse case scenario is I walk more than I run. Which isn't the worse thing in the world. I'm already looking up races in May and June to try :-P

WAHH

So I've been pretty good the last few days. Even last night I indulged in abeer, declined the second one and still stayed within my points for the day. I've tracked every little thing, and been somewhat good.


I've also been exhausted, and had minimal appetite. And then today my nose started flowing. And my head got achy, my eyes watery, and I realized why I've felt so off lately: I've been getting sick.

I have always been a relatively healthy person. I have my off days, but I really only get sick 2 times a year. Once around my birthday and once in the spring. It's always sinus related. And it always sucks. I'm hoping that by skipping working out tonight, resting, and going to sleep early with the help of nyquill I can ward off this and feel better tomrorow, and more importantly better by the race Sunday.

I'll tell you something though. Being sick Is. The. Worst.

Epic Failure

Ok... that may be an exaggeration. But I definitely failed a lot this weekend. Where to start...

• Friday night, I actually won't consider a failure. I had a kick-ass workout, scarfed down 2.5 slices of pizza (hey, I could have done worse) and had a really nice time out with friends. Unforuntely we went out for Margaritas, which obviously aren't exactly point friendly, but I chose ones made with lime juice, (skinny girl style), which definitely saved me a lot of points. We also split an app dish, which I had more of the chips and dip side of than the deep fried good ness. Not the best night out WW wise, but I definitely could have been worse.
• Saturday for lunch I had a BBQ chicken pita before we left. My friends stopped at BK, so I was happy I had made my choice to grab lunch early on. but that is where the good things end.
• I had at least 7 drinks, because my feet hurt so I was trying to combat that with drinking extra. goddamn
• I did dance, a lot. which is good, right? But I always had a drink in my hand and definitely didn't stop when I should have.
• 3 slices of pizza for dinner, and then one when we got back to the hotel. awesome
• we stopped for friendlies on the way home to eat something. my seemingly healthy choice of toast, an omelete, and home fries equalled out to 27 points. this was mainly the toast and the omellette (in my defense, I didn't eat the whole thing, as it was gross, and I scraped as much butter off the toast as I could. So it may have been less)
• Obviously I had a decent sized dinner, and dessert. Because why stop

So it could have been worse, but the facts remain that I definitely went a little crazy. The casino was fun, but I'm not sure I'd wanna go again. I didn't like the smoking inside,drinks were expensive, and insanely difficult to come by, and it was so big, it was impossible to find any tables with games we'd recognize. Sigh. but hey, it was an experience. Sadly my feet are all torn up, so working out is difficult. but I'm going to do a video tonight, and the gym wed and thurs, and try to run outside on saturday, to gear up for the 5K on sunday!

How To Stay On Track When Life Gets In The Way

Disclaimer:  I am far from an expert in this. In fact, I almost always end up splurging when "events" happen. This is my attempt to make a game plan, and hopefully have a decent weekend.

Anyways, the past few weeks have been pretty quiet for me. I've limited my drinking, and *tried* to be a good little WW'er. Like a lot of times, it seems like I go from having quiet weekends with nothing going on to everything happening at once. This coming weekend is no different.

Friday night I am going out for apps and drinks with 2 friends, one of whom was my roomate when we were abroad, and I haven't seen since July. I'm wicked pumped, but realize that drinks and apps are a bad combination.

Then saturday night, a night months in the making, I am heading down to Mohegan Sun for a friends birthday.

I went to Mohegan once, when I was 19. I went to hang out with my future roommate for the day, and that ngiht she brought me to mohegan with her friends for dinner before I headed back to Boston. She turned out to be a nightmare, but I thought it was the coolest thing, haha.

We are renting a hotel room nearby, doing pizza for dinner (which I can make work), and heading to the casino for drinks and gambling :-) I'm so excited, it's going to be a blast. But It's going to be pointy, and probably a bit expensive.

So how am I planning to work the plan, and have fun this weekend? Heres what I've planned:
>Workout tomorrow night after work. No Exceptions.
>On Friday, offer to drive, that way I HAVE to limit my number of drinks, and by association I'm limiting my drunk eating.  No one likes a drunk driver. Especially when it's me :-) It'll help me focus on hanging out with my friends and enjoying myself, while chugging water :-)
>Also on Friday, eat something small prior. And eat light all day, that way if the apps of choice are nachos or something equally fried and delicious, I can partake without hating myself the next day
>Utilize personal plates:
         For the longest time when I would share food with friends, I would just eat from the big dish, and never use the small one. Why? I have no idea, but I've found since using the small dishes, I eat less and get fuller faster. It's common sense, but it'll be a savior this weekend.

For Saturday:
>Eat a light but filling lunch, that way I'm not famished when dinner rolls around.
>No drunk eating, even though my friends are all about it normally. If it does occur, stick with tortilla chips, and non fried food. And keep track.
>DANCE. It's a great way to burn off extra calories.
>Don't feel like you always have to be drinking something. This is my biggest problem when we go out, I always feel like I have to get another drink immediately. It's so dumb. My biggest problem is that I try to get drunk, when I should be more focused on having fun with my friends.

And follow my recently adopted mantra:
If I don't like the taste, don't eat or drink it

Remember college, when you would chug down a beer, or a mixed drink, and complain with your friends about how gross it was? I recently had the revelation that if I don't like the way something tastes, then I shouldn't eat or drink it (especially drink). so if someone offers a drink up, or I get a drink that doesn't taste good, I'm not going to waste the points on drinking it. And if I can't handle another drink, I'm not going to order a light beer just to have a drink. I've done this way too many times, and I hate light beer, so why do it?

I'm prepared to use up most of my WP this weekend, it happens, and I have been pretty good lately. I also had a 1.4 loss today, which is awesome and really inspires me to want to be good! Case in point, I just went into the lunchroom craving chips, when someone complimented me on my outfit. I walked away without said chips , and couldn't be happier.I just have to keep telling myself They aren't worth it. They aren't worth it. They aren't worth it...

March

Good Morning Bloggers! I've been waiting for 2 months now for this day to come. After a January and February riddled with disgusting snow storms, shoveling, and just plain being cold, to me, the begining of March is the begining of the end. I know there will probably be more snow, more cold, etc. But eventually, the tides will turn. It will get warmer, and the days will get longer. I can't wait 8-)

I ended February in decent WW fashion. After a .2 loss on Friday, I went on to  have a quiet weekend with minimal drinking, relatively healthy eating, and working out both Saturday and Sunday. Friday night I made Taco bowls, taken from emilybites.com which were delicious, but I overcooked the shell just a little bit. I'll know better for next time. M and I layed low, watched some tv shows and drank a few beers. It was nice, quiet, and relaxing.

Satuday morning we got up and went to the gym for an hour. I had a great workout that I mainly focused on strength, which was a nice switchup since I normally start with cardio and then do strength, so I definitely felt like I got a different type of workout in, while still doing some  cardio at the end. Unfortunetly due to a surprising 19 point Panera lunch (in my defense, I was starving, and everything looked so good!), my points went fast on Saturday, and I went over by a decent amount. This was coupled with my dad and sister coming back from Ireland on Saturday, bringing with them stories, pictures, and of course, delicious candies, chocolates, and biscuts. My sister was telling me how she tried to find me a banoffe muffin (my favorite), but couldn't find one for under 3 bucks. It's for the best really, I don't even want to think about how many points one of those suckers are ;-)

Saturday night was another low key evening, spent shopping with a friend. I found some awesome sales, and used my christmas gift cards. For 8.54 cents out of my pocket I purchased: A gorgeous pair of pumps, a grey linen prarie style dress, a cute ruffly top, a green top, and, my first pair of skinny jeans. In a size 16 (eat your heart out), that actually looked pretty damn good on :-) Thank goodness for gift cards!

Sunday was a lazy day, which involved me waking up at 1045, eating my mom's french toast (awesome, and only 6 points by my calculation), and then lying back in bed and falling asleep for 2 hours.

I needed that nap, I've been so busy the past few weekends, and had so much going on in life lately, with so little sleep, that I was in dire need of a lazy sunday with a 2 hour nap :-) After this I got up, went to the gym with the sisters where I had another good workout (mainly cardio based), and felt accomplished.

So there you have it. A quiet weekend, with lots of activity and solid WW behavior (for the most part, anyways).  Even with my minor indulgences, I limited myself. I didn't go crazy with the chocolates, or snacking. And the candy went fast, so it's not even around to tempt me anymore! I'm hoping my excessive activity and decent WW ways (even my slip ups were combated with healthy meals) translates into a decent loss this week. My goal is to stay within my points for the rest of the week.

Moving on, For March, I'm going to make some goals. I have been doing mini "challenges" in one of my pages, but I feel like posting a blog about it will make it more "real". So for March I want to
-Earn 150 APs. Last month I earned around 140, which is awesome for me. So I feel like this is definitely attainable
-Be at or around 211. Last month I lost 2.8 pounds. Which is great, but I know that a lot of the times I acted like I wasn't on WW, and could have done better. I think setting a weight loss goal (you will notice that most of my goals are for Activity or eating habits, not actual pounds loss), will keep me more on track. I want to be at least 4 pounds down. If not more.
-Track everything I eat. Stop snacking standing up. Even if that cookie is going to set me over my dailies, efffing track it! I only hurt myself when I do this. Also work at tracking ahead of time, so I don't go over as much :-)
-Focus on GHGs. I actually did a decent job of this last month. I started a multi vitamin. I began to ingest my oils more. I always get my 5 servings and waters in. I want to make it so I hit all of them 5-7 days a week, wihtout it being a hassle. Lets make it a second nature type ordeal.
-Limit my drinking to 2X a week, and my indulgences to 3X. That means a lot of resistance, but it's worth it!
-Run the 5K in under 42. 42:30 was my time last time, and I know I could have done better. I walked a decent portion of it, and got winded really easily. I didn't realize how different running outside was compared to the treadmill. My goal this time is to do at least one outdoor run, and make sure I bring water with me, because that really hurt me with the last one.


I think those are all attainable goals to make for this month. I'll check back in April 1 and see how I do!