So I told you I would update you on my running plan. It only took me three days... I was really hoping I'd be jumping to get on my blog the next day and say "hey guys guess what? I'm cured!". Which is why instead I thought long and hard about the state of my blog, and what I want it to be.
Because I was afraid to blog about something that didn't work out, if that makes sense. And that isn't what I want for this blog. I don't want it to be all happy successes, I want to be able to record the stuff that doesn't work out too. I want to be more honest, because out of everything, honesty is something I have a lot of trouble with in regards to losing weight.
So the run. It didn't work out great. And the most frustrating part was, I felt awesome running. Normally I start out and the first 5 minutes or so are hell, and then I reach the point where I feel ok. This time, from the get go my legs felt strong (thank you crosstraining/hiking!), my breathing was steady, I felt great.. But then after about 7 minutes I felt the side pain. It started to go away a bit as I ran, but then I took a walking break for 3 minutes,and couldn't really shake it after that.. But I definetly think stopping to walk it out hurt me more than it helped. I mean it helped initially, but once I went back to running it was 10 times worse :-/
The upside? I completed 1.5 miles. And the pain went away eventually.
But I'm not giving up. It felt so good to run, and I feel like this isn't something I can't figure out. I'm going to keep on trying, seeing if I can find different ways to work this. I am going to try and run outside next week, and come up with a game plan. I'm going to eat less this time (maybe just the apple before, and then the crackers and cheese after?), drink more before, and stretch out even better. I was able to 25 minutes on the eliptical after the run, so I feel like this isn't anything serious, just one of those annoying things that plague my life :-P
I remember last fall, when I first started to get the knee pain, and I just stopped running/working out. I would do some videos, and walk, but I didn't really give the effort I should have. Which is why my weight loss stagnated.
This time is soo different. I am still doing intense cardio, just in a different form. I'm learning to cope with the eliptical (even if I don't love it), and I've found a love of hiking. I love the feeling of working towards something, which hiking is the ultimate form of that (reaching the top!). It's also a great way to spend time with M and my sisters, and in an odd way very relaxing, because it's so quiet and peaceful out there. And, as a plus I burn crazy calories doing it.
So my lack of running hasn't been a complete wash, like it was in October. Which is a definite plus. I do feel like ever since I hit 199 my motivation to follow the plan has gone out the window. Not that I haven't been following, I have. I've been tracking, but I've done little things that I have no excuse for. They are just lazy. Like seeing pie on the counter and grabbing two small slices and eating them standing up. Or eating 2 cookies on the way to the park yesterday. Or getting a chocolate donut with breakfast this morning (at least I tracked that one). There are others, but these are ones that sick out. And I promise you, these aren't worth it splurges. These are impulsive ones. These are me not being 100% into my weight loss.
I need to find that motivation I had this time last year. Where spending time at the gym didn't seem like such a bother, and eating a healthy meal M-F wasn't so hard.
I think a large part of it is that I hit a big milestone (199), and because of that, my next true milestone (besides hitting a new decade) will be goal weight. Which right now is 160 but I may lower to 155 (I'll post about finding a goal weight soon). And the idea of hitting goal is scary stuff, because it makes everything real. I have such a hard time admitting what I've achieved so far.\And working towards actually hitting a healthy weight is such a different thing for me. I've never been there before. It's always been to get outta the 200's, and we've entered into unchartered territory now.
I'll get there, I promise, it's just something I've had to come to terms with. But I'm ready. I'm going to own these last 40 odd pounds. I'm ready to be an athlete and be proud of what I achieve, instead of feeling I have to hide it, because the idea of me being considered athletic is just a ridiculous notion.
So to start, my plan for this week:
-Friday- Date night! It was supposed to involve a lot of drinking, but plans changed to pizza, mini golf, and a few beers at the brewery by the beach. Fabulous :-)
-Saturday-Hiking! Stir Fry for lunch, hopefully babysitting
-Sunday- Doing a video? And walking. Definetly walking.
-Workout Tuesday and Wednesday night. Take a walk on Thursday.
-pretrack GHG's, to get em in ;-)
and with that, TGIF! It's been a long week, I'm ready for Friday :-)
Weight Loss Journey!
Friday, July 29, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Blog Update
So upon reflection yesterday, I realized I've been a bit lazy with my blog lately. My posts have been (for the most part) just recaps of life, with no real direction or focus. I have just been updating the pages, without really focusing on them, or why they are even there. The whole point of this blog was to motivate and inspire me throughout my weight loss journey. And it has, but lately I feel like I've lost my focus a bit.
So This is me, telling all of you that from here forward I am making a conscious effort to go back to my weight loss focus. I won't lie, I've been lazy. I haven't been creative. I haven't put the effort in. But from here on out I am! And I think this will help keep me focused on my actual journey, and keep me more honest (because I haven't been). I have been losing, but I'm not nearly as focused as I was a year ago. I post about becoming focused, but I know that estimating portions and not tracking certain items because I don't want to admit to eating it doesn't help anyone.
So what does that mean for you readers? You will still get some life updates, but I'm going to try and post more about my weight loss journey, my working out schedule, and my overall goals.
To start, here are my goals for September 30 (I can't believe it's almost August). I start working on this on Friday, the start of my new week:
So there you have it. I will check in Every Friday and update with my progress, how I did that week, etc. If I follow it, I could be 187 by the end of September, which would be fabulous :-)
So This is me, telling all of you that from here forward I am making a conscious effort to go back to my weight loss focus. I won't lie, I've been lazy. I haven't been creative. I haven't put the effort in. But from here on out I am! And I think this will help keep me focused on my actual journey, and keep me more honest (because I haven't been). I have been losing, but I'm not nearly as focused as I was a year ago. I post about becoming focused, but I know that estimating portions and not tracking certain items because I don't want to admit to eating it doesn't help anyone.
So what does that mean for you readers? You will still get some life updates, but I'm going to try and post more about my weight loss journey, my working out schedule, and my overall goals.
To start, here are my goals for September 30 (I can't believe it's almost August). I start working on this on Friday, the start of my new week:
| By September 30 | |
| Goal 1 | 270 APS - 30 a week, definetly attainable |
| Goal 2 | 10 POUNDS in 9 weeks. Totally doable, I just need to cut out the nights where I eat without abandon and tell myself "It's ok, I've been good lately" |
| Goal 3 | 5 days/week working out. Even if its just a walk, It shouldn't be hard to do some type of activity 5X a week. |
| Goal 4 | hit GHG 5/7 days. Thanks to WW progress reports, This will be easy to keep track of! |
| Goal 5 | Limit indulgence (dessert drink over 5 Pts) 4 days. This includes more than 1 beer, sundaes, etc. I can have a small dessert each night, but for some reason I am very good at rationalizing my indulgences as necesary, when 9 times out of 10, I can do without |
So there you have it. I will check in Every Friday and update with my progress, how I did that week, etc. If I follow it, I could be 187 by the end of September, which would be fabulous :-)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Something's Missing
So upon reflection, I realized that it has been a solid 3 weeks since I've run ANYTHING. Like at all. And I 100% attribute this to the fact that every run I've had, basically since race in June, I have had a stabbing pain in my right abdomen. It's not like cramps, I get those normally in my side, and can work them out (most of the time). This is towards my stomach, and it makes me almost need to bend over it hurts so badly. And it's only while running. Eliptical? Totally fine. I mean I'll sometimes get a little cramp, but it's nothing I can't work through. Walking? Again, nothing. And it normally goes away once I start walking. So Who knows, maybe it's just a bad stich.
So what gives? Why is running so hard for me? It's so frustrating, because I was just finding a place where I could run a mile + without stopping, and 3+ miles with only a few short breaks. I was earning crazy activity points each week, (not to mention my great mood, thanks to all the endorphins). It's always something isn't it? I finally got my legs strengthened to a point where I rarely get knee pain anymore. And now there is this.
And I miss it! I miss feeling so empowered. I hate the eliptical, I get bored, and don't push myself hard enough on it (I know this is an easy remedy, but I just find it so hard to motivate myself with this). So for the past few days I've been researching what it could be, or ways to prevent it, and based on reading a bunch of websites, here is what I'm going to try (since I've rested for like 3 weeks):
So what gives? Why is running so hard for me? It's so frustrating, because I was just finding a place where I could run a mile + without stopping, and 3+ miles with only a few short breaks. I was earning crazy activity points each week, (not to mention my great mood, thanks to all the endorphins). It's always something isn't it? I finally got my legs strengthened to a point where I rarely get knee pain anymore. And now there is this.
And I miss it! I miss feeling so empowered. I hate the eliptical, I get bored, and don't push myself hard enough on it (I know this is an easy remedy, but I just find it so hard to motivate myself with this). So for the past few days I've been researching what it could be, or ways to prevent it, and based on reading a bunch of websites, here is what I'm going to try (since I've rested for like 3 weeks):
- Eating earlier. I normally have a pretty big snack( apple, cheese and saltines or crackers). I'm going to save the apple for after my workout, and cut down on the amount of crackers, so it's a smaller snack. I am going to eat it 1.5 hours before, instead of an hour, see if that works
- Stretch. I do stretch, but I focus mainly on my legs, so I am going to make a conscious effort to stretch my upper body as well as my lower, in hopes that it makes it easier.
- Stay Hydrated
- Focus on my breathing, sometimes I get caught up in running and forget to breathe correctly. I am going to work on this
- If I experience a cramp, try walking it out (Confession: I normally just give up and end my run, and do something else). Walk for 2-3 minutes, then try again.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Hazy Weather,a Loss, and an Island
It is the worst, isn't it? We are currently experiencing a mini heat wave in the Boston area. It's the weirdest weather, like you can see the humidity in the air, it's very hazy outside! Last night I didn't feel like doing my workout (for a number of reasons, my knee hurt, it was hot outside which meant the gym would be packed, I was really sore from my workout the day before, etc), so M and I walked my pup at Castle Island.
Castle Island, for those of you that aren't from the area is a small island (connected by a strip of land now) in South Boston, that in the center of it is Fort Independence. The Fort was built in the 1800's, and used during most big wars (Civil War, Spanish American, WW I and II). I grew up going to Castle Island. Seriously. When my aunt was dying, my other aunt used to take us down their daily for the day. We would walk around the fort, get food/ice cream from Sully's (the food stand there, which has some of the best burgers, and 30 cent hot dogs the opening weekend), and play on the awesome playground they have there. When I did chior, our picnic every year was at Castle Island. When my friends and I growing up neaded a place to hang out or joke around, we would normally walk around Castle Island.
Castle Island is also an awesome place to take the walk. The circle around the Fort itself is about a 1/2 mile long, but the Sugar bowl (a walkway around the bay) is a good 2 -2.5 miles, depending where you park :-)
But enough blabber, i hope I have expressed how much I love Castle Island. It is hands down one of my favorite places in Boston :-)
so to escape the heat, we brought Toby down there. I figured the sea breeze would be enough to keep us cool, and I brought a water bottle and bowl for the pup :-)
I don't understand how it could be that windy and so hot at the same time.
Seriously. It was like gale force winds, which made everything pretty miserable. And my dog did not make it past the island. He was miserable, and hot (the water did nothing). We did a shorter walk than we normally do, and headed back to the car. About halfway there I noticed he was limping (this was after a half hour or so). So I ended up carrying him for about 5 minutes. He loved it, I was less pleased.
Either way, the walk was an epic fail, but hey, I still got 30 minutes of exercise in :-)
Weigh in today I was down .2, which I was ok with. I was slightly nervous from last week that I had a false loss, because all week I didn't see that number again. so to have it reaffirmed was ok with me :-)
I have small plans this weekend, which I am 100% ok with :-) Tonight M and I are meeting at the gym and having a short workout (40 minutes) then making Chicken Tikka Masala from skinnytaste.com (which I'm completely pumped about). After dinner I plan to hang out with my friend J (not one of the J's mentioned, I have a lot of friends with name's starting with J) and make mojitos, which should be low key and nice :-)
Then tomorrow M, my sister and I plan on taking a hike in the afternoon, which should burn a ton of calories as it's supposed to be close to 95 tomorrow :-) We're bringing lots of water, but last weekend it was the same weather on our hike, but it felt about 10-15 degrees cooler up there, so I'm hoping for the same results :-)
Sunday is hopefully a beach day. I've noticed a trend this summer that when I go to the beach, I tend to grab food to bring with me that isn't exactly point friendly. So Sunday I am going to make an honest effort to NOT do this, and bring healthier food (fruit salad, turkey sandwich, etc) Just because it's a beach day doesn't mean I can give up on focus, right?
So To recap, this weekend I will:
1. Workout twice
2. Make good choices (and portion out the bad ones)
3. Limit drinking to one night.
Happy Friday everyone!
Castle Island, for those of you that aren't from the area is a small island (connected by a strip of land now) in South Boston, that in the center of it is Fort Independence. The Fort was built in the 1800's, and used during most big wars (Civil War, Spanish American, WW I and II). I grew up going to Castle Island. Seriously. When my aunt was dying, my other aunt used to take us down their daily for the day. We would walk around the fort, get food/ice cream from Sully's (the food stand there, which has some of the best burgers, and 30 cent hot dogs the opening weekend), and play on the awesome playground they have there. When I did chior, our picnic every year was at Castle Island. When my friends and I growing up neaded a place to hang out or joke around, we would normally walk around Castle Island.
Castle Island is also an awesome place to take the walk. The circle around the Fort itself is about a 1/2 mile long, but the Sugar bowl (a walkway around the bay) is a good 2 -2.5 miles, depending where you park :-)
But enough blabber, i hope I have expressed how much I love Castle Island. It is hands down one of my favorite places in Boston :-)
I don't understand how it could be that windy and so hot at the same time.
Seriously. It was like gale force winds, which made everything pretty miserable. And my dog did not make it past the island. He was miserable, and hot (the water did nothing). We did a shorter walk than we normally do, and headed back to the car. About halfway there I noticed he was limping (this was after a half hour or so). So I ended up carrying him for about 5 minutes. He loved it, I was less pleased.
Either way, the walk was an epic fail, but hey, I still got 30 minutes of exercise in :-)
Weigh in today I was down .2, which I was ok with. I was slightly nervous from last week that I had a false loss, because all week I didn't see that number again. so to have it reaffirmed was ok with me :-)
I have small plans this weekend, which I am 100% ok with :-) Tonight M and I are meeting at the gym and having a short workout (40 minutes) then making Chicken Tikka Masala from skinnytaste.com (which I'm completely pumped about). After dinner I plan to hang out with my friend J (not one of the J's mentioned, I have a lot of friends with name's starting with J) and make mojitos, which should be low key and nice :-)
Then tomorrow M, my sister and I plan on taking a hike in the afternoon, which should burn a ton of calories as it's supposed to be close to 95 tomorrow :-) We're bringing lots of water, but last weekend it was the same weather on our hike, but it felt about 10-15 degrees cooler up there, so I'm hoping for the same results :-)
Sunday is hopefully a beach day. I've noticed a trend this summer that when I go to the beach, I tend to grab food to bring with me that isn't exactly point friendly. So Sunday I am going to make an honest effort to NOT do this, and bring healthier food (fruit salad, turkey sandwich, etc) Just because it's a beach day doesn't mean I can give up on focus, right?
So To recap, this weekend I will:
1. Workout twice
2. Make good choices (and portion out the bad ones)
3. Limit drinking to one night.
Happy Friday everyone!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Weekly Recap
So I've had this written up for awhile, but I was waiting to get my pictures for it. Unfortunetly my computer decided to be an ass and NOT upload pictures, so the hiking ones will come at a later time :-)
Friday night I met up with M and we headed into Cambridge for Dinner at the Elephant Walk. It was a really cute place. It was really pricey (at least for us) so I can't say I would have gone if not for the Groupon, but I still am glad we went. Isn't that the point of the groupon, to try new places?
Anyways we asked to sit outside and they told us it would probably be 10 minutes. No problem.
25 minutes later we are still waiting. I'm hungry, and getting crabby. We go over and ask again and the girls apologize, saying they thought a couple was leaving but I guess they didn't. Which is fine, but I was slightly bugged that they didn't let us know that, since there was no wait to sit inside.
We finally got a table outside after a half an hour. We both ordered drinks, M got a beer and I ordered one of their specialty drinks. It was a white wine fused with fruit liquor, it was delish:
It tasted like a strong sangria, definetly what I was looking for!
Elephant walk is a Cambodian/French restaurant, two types of food I had never had before. M ordered a french dish, a bone in chicken thigh with noodles, and I ordered a lemongrass chicken off the cambodian menu.
we both agreed mine was better. It was delicious and full of flavor, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like it, or it would be too different but I loved it. M's dish was good, but the noodles had a bit of a weird aftertaste. I think it was just a bit too rich for me. I also only ended up eating half of my plate, which made me feel good :-) yay for progress!
Either way, a really good meal. I don't know if I would go back without the coupon, just because it was way overpriced (the food was good, but not the best meal I've ever had), but either way a good time. After this we walked down the road to Cambridge Common, a beer bar that has an outstanding tap. They have about 30 beers on tap, 10-12 regulars, and then 10 rotating taps, and 4 specialty ones. It features the big microbrews, a lot of local places (cambridge brewing, pretty things, etc), and a few up and common or smaller breweries that you don't normally see at a bar. We both ordered a sampler to start out, I tried a brown ale, a burbon porter-lager fusion, a hefewisen, and an imperial red. The burbon porter-fusion was delicious, as was the imperial red. The other two were good, but not the best I've had.
We followed this with a few rounds :-) I have to say I had a bunch of good beer. My two favorites of the night were the Ommegang BPA
And Bear Republic's Hefewiesen. Which was one of the best wheats I've ever tried. It's a really cute bar too, with a great layout. and it's so cheap (for Boston anyways, most of the beers were around 4.50, with the high alcohol specialty ones topping out at 8 bucks. ). I just wish it was a bit closer.
Saturday I went to the beach with a bunch of my friends. It was nice because we didn't get there till 130, but it was such a gorgeous day and the water was perfect. Not too cold but not warm either. We ended up staying till almost 6pm, it was a great day!It wasn't a good eating day though. I went way over my points, but hey, it could have been worse :-)
I went home, grilled with M and my sister, and then ended up meeting up with my friend A from New Jersey, who was in town for the weekend visiting family friends with her mom. I stole her away and we went out wiht our other friend A, and two of my friends to Tequilla Rain. It was fun, but I truly think I'm done with those "douchey bars". you know the types, the ones that always have a cover. The big dance floors, always filled with bachelorette parties, and drinks that tend to stay in the 8-10 dollar range. It was fun to dance with my friends, but there are just so many other places that are better, and more fun. It was just filled with creepy guys, and rude girls pushing into you constantly. We all agreed it wasn't really our type of place. But it was still fun :-)
Sunday I felt kinda crappy, and I didn't even drink that much the night before (I offered to DD to save money and to make sure we could get home ok). I woke up my feet hurt and my neck was still. I brought my friend A back to her family, and went home planning on going to the gym with my sister. After an hour of procrastinating she suggested we go for a hike instead. Where I hadn't worked out at all since Wednesday, I wanted to do something, so I agreed and we set off with a ton of water (and an ice pack to keep it cold). It was an awesome hike. Really hot, but it was nice and cool in the trees. And I took some pictures, so my fellow bloggers can actually have some visuals, for once :-)
So all in all, I had a great weekend! Was it a perfect WW one? No, but I tracked everything, and Friday and sunday I was pretty good as far as food went, plus I burnt a crazy amount of calories on my hike, thanks to the 94 degree weather.
Here's how the rest of the week is turning out
M- Stayed within my points, and I worked out, even though I was not feeling it at all. I did the No More Trouble Zones video, burnt 300 calories, and definetly felt it the next day :-)
T- M and I went to see Horrible Bosses. We grabbed sandwiches from Fresh market for dinner, and then had two beers at Beer Works following the movie. Great movie, btw. I love Charlie Day. And My affection for Jason Sudekis is rapidly growing :-)
W- Crazy workout session. I ended up going for an hour and ahalf and burning 1068 calories! I am sore today!
Th-Cardio After work, I am going to try to ease back into running
Happy July Everyone! I can't believe how fast it's going!
Friday night I met up with M and we headed into Cambridge for Dinner at the Elephant Walk. It was a really cute place. It was really pricey (at least for us) so I can't say I would have gone if not for the Groupon, but I still am glad we went. Isn't that the point of the groupon, to try new places?
Anyways we asked to sit outside and they told us it would probably be 10 minutes. No problem.
25 minutes later we are still waiting. I'm hungry, and getting crabby. We go over and ask again and the girls apologize, saying they thought a couple was leaving but I guess they didn't. Which is fine, but I was slightly bugged that they didn't let us know that, since there was no wait to sit inside.
We finally got a table outside after a half an hour. We both ordered drinks, M got a beer and I ordered one of their specialty drinks. It was a white wine fused with fruit liquor, it was delish:
It tasted like a strong sangria, definetly what I was looking for!
Elephant walk is a Cambodian/French restaurant, two types of food I had never had before. M ordered a french dish, a bone in chicken thigh with noodles, and I ordered a lemongrass chicken off the cambodian menu.
we both agreed mine was better. It was delicious and full of flavor, I was slightly worried I wouldn't like it, or it would be too different but I loved it. M's dish was good, but the noodles had a bit of a weird aftertaste. I think it was just a bit too rich for me. I also only ended up eating half of my plate, which made me feel good :-) yay for progress!
Either way, a really good meal. I don't know if I would go back without the coupon, just because it was way overpriced (the food was good, but not the best meal I've ever had), but either way a good time. After this we walked down the road to Cambridge Common, a beer bar that has an outstanding tap. They have about 30 beers on tap, 10-12 regulars, and then 10 rotating taps, and 4 specialty ones. It features the big microbrews, a lot of local places (cambridge brewing, pretty things, etc), and a few up and common or smaller breweries that you don't normally see at a bar. We both ordered a sampler to start out, I tried a brown ale, a burbon porter-lager fusion, a hefewisen, and an imperial red. The burbon porter-fusion was delicious, as was the imperial red. The other two were good, but not the best I've had.
We followed this with a few rounds :-) I have to say I had a bunch of good beer. My two favorites of the night were the Ommegang BPA
Saturday I went to the beach with a bunch of my friends. It was nice because we didn't get there till 130, but it was such a gorgeous day and the water was perfect. Not too cold but not warm either. We ended up staying till almost 6pm, it was a great day!It wasn't a good eating day though. I went way over my points, but hey, it could have been worse :-)
I went home, grilled with M and my sister, and then ended up meeting up with my friend A from New Jersey, who was in town for the weekend visiting family friends with her mom. I stole her away and we went out wiht our other friend A, and two of my friends to Tequilla Rain. It was fun, but I truly think I'm done with those "douchey bars". you know the types, the ones that always have a cover. The big dance floors, always filled with bachelorette parties, and drinks that tend to stay in the 8-10 dollar range. It was fun to dance with my friends, but there are just so many other places that are better, and more fun. It was just filled with creepy guys, and rude girls pushing into you constantly. We all agreed it wasn't really our type of place. But it was still fun :-)
Sunday I felt kinda crappy, and I didn't even drink that much the night before (I offered to DD to save money and to make sure we could get home ok). I woke up my feet hurt and my neck was still. I brought my friend A back to her family, and went home planning on going to the gym with my sister. After an hour of procrastinating she suggested we go for a hike instead. Where I hadn't worked out at all since Wednesday, I wanted to do something, so I agreed and we set off with a ton of water (and an ice pack to keep it cold). It was an awesome hike. Really hot, but it was nice and cool in the trees. And I took some pictures, so my fellow bloggers can actually have some visuals, for once :-)
So all in all, I had a great weekend! Was it a perfect WW one? No, but I tracked everything, and Friday and sunday I was pretty good as far as food went, plus I burnt a crazy amount of calories on my hike, thanks to the 94 degree weather.
Here's how the rest of the week is turning out
M- Stayed within my points, and I worked out, even though I was not feeling it at all. I did the No More Trouble Zones video, burnt 300 calories, and definetly felt it the next day :-)
T- M and I went to see Horrible Bosses. We grabbed sandwiches from Fresh market for dinner, and then had two beers at Beer Works following the movie. Great movie, btw. I love Charlie Day. And My affection for Jason Sudekis is rapidly growing :-)
W- Crazy workout session. I ended up going for an hour and ahalf and burning 1068 calories! I am sore today!
Th-Cardio After work, I am going to try to ease back into running
Happy July Everyone! I can't believe how fast it's going!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Breaking the Habit
I'll post a recap of life tomorrow, I actually took pictures this weekend! So I want to wait until I can post with the pictures :-)
I made a life changing decision last night. I have many vices. Some of which I have overcome, some of which I haven't.
I (for the most part) recognized my eating behavior, and have successfully curbed my overeating to a point where I am getting down into a healthy weight range.
As a result of my weight loss journey, I have cut back the amount I drink substantially. I am at a point in my life where I'm ok with having just one or two, and still having a great time! I have never been to the point where I needed to drink, but my drinking was excessive, and I was doing it to get drunk 90% of the time, not because I enjoyed it. Now I drink stuff I like, and not chug down gross beer because it's there
But my biggest vice, which is the hardest to admit to, is my nail biting.
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I can't remember a time period where I didn't bite my nails. I don't know why I do it. Probably partially from habit and partially from nerves. Either way, I have always done it. I've tried to stop. But like my weight loss journey, I've never been serious about it.
until now! I bought the "Thum" baby stuff, you know, the stuff you put on kid's nails to get them to stop sucking their thumb or nail biting. I am determined to stop this habit. I have to say, it sucks that everytime my fingers are even near my mouth for whatever reason (not nail biting) I get a stinging taste, but hey, it'll be worth it.
I want to do it for numerous reasons. One, It's kind of gross to be biting your nails. Two, it's not very professional, and I feel like it gives me a negative (younger) connotation sometimes. I try to not do it at work, but it's mindless, it's not something I think about. I want to stop and am determined.
So you might ask, why am I posting this here, on my weight loss blog?
Because like everything with my weight loss journey, my blog helps keep me accountable. I will post in my weekly updates a tid bit on how this is going. Hopefully i'll make progress!
What are your/ were your bad habits? What have you done to overcome them?
I made a life changing decision last night. I have many vices. Some of which I have overcome, some of which I haven't.
I (for the most part) recognized my eating behavior, and have successfully curbed my overeating to a point where I am getting down into a healthy weight range.
As a result of my weight loss journey, I have cut back the amount I drink substantially. I am at a point in my life where I'm ok with having just one or two, and still having a great time! I have never been to the point where I needed to drink, but my drinking was excessive, and I was doing it to get drunk 90% of the time, not because I enjoyed it. Now I drink stuff I like, and not chug down gross beer because it's there
But my biggest vice, which is the hardest to admit to, is my nail biting.
I can't remember a time period where I didn't bite my nails. I don't know why I do it. Probably partially from habit and partially from nerves. Either way, I have always done it. I've tried to stop. But like my weight loss journey, I've never been serious about it.
until now! I bought the "Thum" baby stuff, you know, the stuff you put on kid's nails to get them to stop sucking their thumb or nail biting. I am determined to stop this habit. I have to say, it sucks that everytime my fingers are even near my mouth for whatever reason (not nail biting) I get a stinging taste, but hey, it'll be worth it.
I want to do it for numerous reasons. One, It's kind of gross to be biting your nails. Two, it's not very professional, and I feel like it gives me a negative (younger) connotation sometimes. I try to not do it at work, but it's mindless, it's not something I think about. I want to stop and am determined.
So you might ask, why am I posting this here, on my weight loss blog?
Because like everything with my weight loss journey, my blog helps keep me accountable. I will post in my weekly updates a tid bit on how this is going. Hopefully i'll make progress!
What are your/ were your bad habits? What have you done to overcome them?
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sometimes You Need a 9pm Bedtime
That's how I felt last night, anyways!
I was supposed to go to a midnight showing of Harry Potter last night (actually it was a double feature of the first and 2nd, starting at nine), but I woke up yesterday morning feeling exhausted, sinusy, and sounding like a manly version of myself. So After some debate I decided to cancel and stay in, for my health. I know myself, and staying out late + only getting 4 hours of sleep would not have been a good combination for me. I could almost promise you I would wake up sick. I won't lie, I was kind of looking forward to a midnight showing, but I think I would have won the bad decision award if I had gone.
I was just so exhausted. So I said my goodnights and went to bed, where I promptly passed out, and didn't wake up till this morning.
Best Decision ever. I don't know what was making me feel so gross all week, but I can tell you my best solution for that pre-sick feeling is getting extra sleep. I will always standby my method sleeping extra. It really does make you feel instantly better :-)
A 1.4 loss doesn't hurt that "feeling better" feeling either, haha. I was really excited about this one, because I felt like this was my first truly OP week in awhile. I worked out 3X (4 if you count my dog walk yesterday). ate all my weeklies but not beyond that, and tracked everything. So It's nice to know that this method is working!
Speaking of my dog walk, while walking the little guy (my dog is a dauschund chiawawa mix, so he's pretty little -30lbs), we went to the park, and came across this giant dog. I'm not talking german shepard/bernese mountain dog big, I'm talking the dog's body came up past my waist big.
I have no idea what kind it was, but it was not leashed. Which bothered me, not because he was vicious or anything, but because he was not well trained. And followed us all around the park, which visibly bothered toby. And I'm sorry but especially with a dog that sized, if he won't listen to you calling him back, that makes me very nervous. Especially where he kept on trying to "play" with my dog (like pounce on him and such), which upset little Toby even more. I said something to the owner about it, telling her that no offense, but it made me a little nervous where he got so far away from her and her response was "oh he won't hurt you" Yea, well your dog is upsetting my dog, and is badgering us on our walk
This is a park with tons of little kids. We were right near the playground. I'm not questioning the nature of the dog, but with any dog really, if he isn't going to listen to your commands, you should leash him when he is around other people/dogs. Not let him run clear across the park (it took the owner 10 minutes to catch up with him because he ran so far away). Just my 2 cents. And for what it's worth, Toby is very well behaved (like he won't bite anyone), but has a tendency to wander off and get distracted very easily. So I never let him off his leash. I'll run with him, and play with him, but I know how he can get, and I would hate for him to wander up to someone or some dog that doesn't want to see him, and have him get hurt/someone get offended, you know?
And for the record, I love dogs of all sizes, this one situation just bothered me. I've had plenty of seemingly nice dogs growl at Toby, or other dogs take swipes at him. If this dog did that he would have seriously hurt him, with his size and everything.
moving on, I have a semi quiet weekend set up for myself. Tonight is date night. M got a groupon to this Cambodian-French restaurant in Cambridge, so we are heading over there after work. I'm excited, it is all very original food, nothing I've ever even heard of before. I'm looking forward to trying it!
http://www.elephantwalk.com/cambridge/index.html
Then we are heading over to this beer bar right down the street from the restaurant. We went once before in February, and loved it. They have an amazing beer selection, and the atmosphere is very relaxed and comfortable. I plan on getting a few beers and enjoying myself :-)
Tomorrow is a beach day, and Sunday I may go for a hike with the sisters/go see Harry Potter. Either way it's shaping up to be a good weekend!!
I was supposed to go to a midnight showing of Harry Potter last night (actually it was a double feature of the first and 2nd, starting at nine), but I woke up yesterday morning feeling exhausted, sinusy, and sounding like a manly version of myself. So After some debate I decided to cancel and stay in, for my health. I know myself, and staying out late + only getting 4 hours of sleep would not have been a good combination for me. I could almost promise you I would wake up sick. I won't lie, I was kind of looking forward to a midnight showing, but I think I would have won the bad decision award if I had gone.
I was just so exhausted. So I said my goodnights and went to bed, where I promptly passed out, and didn't wake up till this morning.
Best Decision ever. I don't know what was making me feel so gross all week, but I can tell you my best solution for that pre-sick feeling is getting extra sleep. I will always standby my method sleeping extra. It really does make you feel instantly better :-)
A 1.4 loss doesn't hurt that "feeling better" feeling either, haha. I was really excited about this one, because I felt like this was my first truly OP week in awhile. I worked out 3X (4 if you count my dog walk yesterday). ate all my weeklies but not beyond that, and tracked everything. So It's nice to know that this method is working!
Speaking of my dog walk, while walking the little guy (my dog is a dauschund chiawawa mix, so he's pretty little -30lbs), we went to the park, and came across this giant dog. I'm not talking german shepard/bernese mountain dog big, I'm talking the dog's body came up past my waist big.
I have no idea what kind it was, but it was not leashed. Which bothered me, not because he was vicious or anything, but because he was not well trained. And followed us all around the park, which visibly bothered toby. And I'm sorry but especially with a dog that sized, if he won't listen to you calling him back, that makes me very nervous. Especially where he kept on trying to "play" with my dog (like pounce on him and such), which upset little Toby even more. I said something to the owner about it, telling her that no offense, but it made me a little nervous where he got so far away from her and her response was "oh he won't hurt you" Yea, well your dog is upsetting my dog, and is badgering us on our walk
This is a park with tons of little kids. We were right near the playground. I'm not questioning the nature of the dog, but with any dog really, if he isn't going to listen to your commands, you should leash him when he is around other people/dogs. Not let him run clear across the park (it took the owner 10 minutes to catch up with him because he ran so far away). Just my 2 cents. And for what it's worth, Toby is very well behaved (like he won't bite anyone), but has a tendency to wander off and get distracted very easily. So I never let him off his leash. I'll run with him, and play with him, but I know how he can get, and I would hate for him to wander up to someone or some dog that doesn't want to see him, and have him get hurt/someone get offended, you know?
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| <3 |
moving on, I have a semi quiet weekend set up for myself. Tonight is date night. M got a groupon to this Cambodian-French restaurant in Cambridge, so we are heading over there after work. I'm excited, it is all very original food, nothing I've ever even heard of before. I'm looking forward to trying it!
http://www.elephantwalk.com/cambridge/index.html
Then we are heading over to this beer bar right down the street from the restaurant. We went once before in February, and loved it. They have an amazing beer selection, and the atmosphere is very relaxed and comfortable. I plan on getting a few beers and enjoying myself :-)
Tomorrow is a beach day, and Sunday I may go for a hike with the sisters/go see Harry Potter. Either way it's shaping up to be a good weekend!!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Searches, Sunburns, and Staying on Plan
Is the best way to sum up the weekend
Searches
Saturday was one of those days where everything went awry. The first apartment we called the landlord (as we were told to do by his son) to confirm. The guy screamed at us via phone and told us he wasn't showing it today and had no idea how we got his number. Nice.
So we drove around for a bit and looked for "for rent" signs, and then headed to the next apartment for our next showing. The realtor had told me it was "right near" a train. And it was. The commuter rail, which won't help M get to work downtown at all. It was also way further out than I had wanted, and a basement.
But this was all found out after we drove around for 20 minutes on a street filled with white cars, unable to find the apartment number. So we left, because I felt like my time was wasted, and the realtor didn't give us her cell phone. She called me, and was incredibly rude about the whole thing, telling me that she told me it was hard to find (hard to find, not impossible), that the number is in the back by the basement door, and that she told me what her car looked like (it was an upscale area, there are plenty of white volvos). It was all infuriating, not to mention she lied about the location, the yelling at me and demanding I turn back was unecessary. She had been there showing it all day, so I don't feel that badly, and maybe next time she should give out her cell phone, instead of her office phone.
Whatever. It wasn't what we were looking for anyways, I was more angry about the waste of gas than anything else. M and I came to a decision that it may be better if we wait to move out till November. September is a big month to move in Boston, and I feel like the prices of the places we are finding are a lot more than we wanted to pay. And maybe that is just how it is but I still feel like we can find a better deal if we wait. Plus we will have a ton more saved, and be well ahead of the game.
I also decided something big for myself as well, which is that I am going to try and find a part time job to supplement my income. I do babysit, which is great, but with my loans (which are AWFUL) I am going to be constantly worrying about paying my bills every month, and I would honestly rather work 10-15 extra hours a week and be more comfortable.
So I applied to a few coffee shops (because I figure it'll be slower on weeknights and the early mornings on the weekends will give me afternoons), and will go from there. I honestly felt a wave of stress just leave me after I made this decision, and am pretty sure it'll be ok :-) Trying to make it work on what I have right now just isn't an option. I need to do this for my sanity, haha. I am still going to keep up with tracking my finances though. When I worked at the Loft part time (which due to the lack of management and the 20+ hours I worked, was hell), I would spend my money freely, so even though I was making more, I was spending more too. Hopefully I get a job and can start planning better, but it's going to be a lot of home packed dinners and working out on nights off :-) I'm not going to let WW fall on the wayside. But I have to get the job first :-)
Sunburns
The less inspired part of my weekend. Sunday morning I lied outside in my backyard and read, instead of doing it in my bedroom. I put sunscreen on, but ended up staying longer than anticipated, because I got into my book, and finished it. I came inside, didn't notice any color, put my gym clothes on and went on my merry way.
Then I came back to take a shower, and screamed when I saw my chest :-( Thankfully it was only my chest, and not all over, but it'll teach me to reapply, even when it's only maybe 10-15 minutes more in the sun than my original intent was. Either way I am left with this :
And of course the after-effects of the sunburn : sleepless nights, limited selection of what I can wear (due to not wanting to wear clingy clothes that will rub against it), and not wanting to work out (it hurrttss).I think this is why I didn't get burnt at all last summer- the memory of a burn was fresh enough to overcome the want for sun :-(
Staying on Plan
This one is easy :-) I had a quiet weekend for once, (after weeks of busy ones) so I had a lot of time to focus on myself. Quick Recap:
-Friday night: low key night. had 4oz steak and salad for dinner, and 4 beers afterwards.
Saturday- Panera power sandwich for breakfast, tomato soup and a half of a "hamlet" from the New England Soup factory for lunch, beef stir fry with 1 c of white rice for dinner.
-No drinks, no snacks
-Activity I went for a short (45 minute) hike!
Sunday- Captain Crunch for Bfast (my sister bought it, how awesome is that? Plus it's only 3 PP a serving!), small PB&J for lunch
-Dinner was at a cookout. I had an italian sausage with peppers and onions, a small serving of their homemade potato salad (which was out of this world), triscuts and cheddar (which I estimated), 2 cookies and a bottle of wine (whoops)
-burned 685 calories at the gym prior to cookout. I deserved that wine.
And I still have 9 weeklies left! I am working out tonight and Thursday, and am feeling pretty good about my week so far. If I don't lose, I don't lose, but I feel good this week. I measured, I tracked. Could I have been better? Of course, but I've come to realize that I am not going to be perfect, ever. I will always give in a little. That's life, I don't want to be miserable all the time because I'm so obsessed with following my weight loss journey that I can't have any fun or splurge every once and awhile.
I feel like my splurges this weekend (the cookout and bottle of wine mainly) were well planned and done because I was enjoying myself, not because I went balls to the wall crazy and gave up. I was well aware of everything I ate and drank. In those situations, I'm completely for using a few weeklies (ok like 20) if it means enjoying myself, and living a little :-P
Searches
Saturday was one of those days where everything went awry. The first apartment we called the landlord (as we were told to do by his son) to confirm. The guy screamed at us via phone and told us he wasn't showing it today and had no idea how we got his number. Nice.
So we drove around for a bit and looked for "for rent" signs, and then headed to the next apartment for our next showing. The realtor had told me it was "right near" a train. And it was. The commuter rail, which won't help M get to work downtown at all. It was also way further out than I had wanted, and a basement.
But this was all found out after we drove around for 20 minutes on a street filled with white cars, unable to find the apartment number. So we left, because I felt like my time was wasted, and the realtor didn't give us her cell phone. She called me, and was incredibly rude about the whole thing, telling me that she told me it was hard to find (hard to find, not impossible), that the number is in the back by the basement door, and that she told me what her car looked like (it was an upscale area, there are plenty of white volvos). It was all infuriating, not to mention she lied about the location, the yelling at me and demanding I turn back was unecessary. She had been there showing it all day, so I don't feel that badly, and maybe next time she should give out her cell phone, instead of her office phone.
Whatever. It wasn't what we were looking for anyways, I was more angry about the waste of gas than anything else. M and I came to a decision that it may be better if we wait to move out till November. September is a big month to move in Boston, and I feel like the prices of the places we are finding are a lot more than we wanted to pay. And maybe that is just how it is but I still feel like we can find a better deal if we wait. Plus we will have a ton more saved, and be well ahead of the game.
I also decided something big for myself as well, which is that I am going to try and find a part time job to supplement my income. I do babysit, which is great, but with my loans (which are AWFUL) I am going to be constantly worrying about paying my bills every month, and I would honestly rather work 10-15 extra hours a week and be more comfortable.
So I applied to a few coffee shops (because I figure it'll be slower on weeknights and the early mornings on the weekends will give me afternoons), and will go from there. I honestly felt a wave of stress just leave me after I made this decision, and am pretty sure it'll be ok :-) Trying to make it work on what I have right now just isn't an option. I need to do this for my sanity, haha. I am still going to keep up with tracking my finances though. When I worked at the Loft part time (which due to the lack of management and the 20+ hours I worked, was hell), I would spend my money freely, so even though I was making more, I was spending more too. Hopefully I get a job and can start planning better, but it's going to be a lot of home packed dinners and working out on nights off :-) I'm not going to let WW fall on the wayside. But I have to get the job first :-)
Sunburns
The less inspired part of my weekend. Sunday morning I lied outside in my backyard and read, instead of doing it in my bedroom. I put sunscreen on, but ended up staying longer than anticipated, because I got into my book, and finished it. I came inside, didn't notice any color, put my gym clothes on and went on my merry way.
Then I came back to take a shower, and screamed when I saw my chest :-( Thankfully it was only my chest, and not all over, but it'll teach me to reapply, even when it's only maybe 10-15 minutes more in the sun than my original intent was. Either way I am left with this :
 |
| It feels worse than it looks, trust me. the worst is UNDER the top :-( |
And of course the after-effects of the sunburn : sleepless nights, limited selection of what I can wear (due to not wanting to wear clingy clothes that will rub against it), and not wanting to work out (it hurrttss).I think this is why I didn't get burnt at all last summer- the memory of a burn was fresh enough to overcome the want for sun :-(
Staying on Plan
This one is easy :-) I had a quiet weekend for once, (after weeks of busy ones) so I had a lot of time to focus on myself. Quick Recap:
-Friday night: low key night. had 4oz steak and salad for dinner, and 4 beers afterwards.
Saturday- Panera power sandwich for breakfast, tomato soup and a half of a "hamlet" from the New England Soup factory for lunch, beef stir fry with 1 c of white rice for dinner.
-No drinks, no snacks
-Activity I went for a short (45 minute) hike!
Sunday- Captain Crunch for Bfast (my sister bought it, how awesome is that? Plus it's only 3 PP a serving!), small PB&J for lunch
-Dinner was at a cookout. I had an italian sausage with peppers and onions, a small serving of their homemade potato salad (which was out of this world), triscuts and cheddar (which I estimated), 2 cookies and a bottle of wine (whoops)
-burned 685 calories at the gym prior to cookout. I deserved that wine.
And I still have 9 weeklies left! I am working out tonight and Thursday, and am feeling pretty good about my week so far. If I don't lose, I don't lose, but I feel good this week. I measured, I tracked. Could I have been better? Of course, but I've come to realize that I am not going to be perfect, ever. I will always give in a little. That's life, I don't want to be miserable all the time because I'm so obsessed with following my weight loss journey that I can't have any fun or splurge every once and awhile.
I feel like my splurges this weekend (the cookout and bottle of wine mainly) were well planned and done because I was enjoying myself, not because I went balls to the wall crazy and gave up. I was well aware of everything I ate and drank. In those situations, I'm completely for using a few weeklies (ok like 20) if it means enjoying myself, and living a little :-P
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Book Review: Half Assed
So I've been meaning to do this book review for awhile, but haven't gotten around to it yet.
So here we go :-)
Title: Half Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir
Author: Jennette Fulda
Recap: Well, in case you couldn't tell from the title, or cover, this Jennette's memoir of how she lost half her body weight (186 pounds) From the product description at Amazon.com
"Half-Assed is the captivating and incredibly honest story of Jennette’s journey to get in shape, lose weight, and change her life. From the beginning—dusting off her never-used treadmill and steering clear of the donut shop—to the end with her goal weight in sight, Jennette wows readers with her determined persistence to shed pounds and the ability to maintain her ever-present sense of self."
My Review: One thing that struck me throughout the book was the honesty that Jennette brought forward. She didn't make excuses for herself, or how she got to be 372 pounds, and didn't make it out like it was super easy to lose the weight. You felt her pain, her embaressement, and most importantly, her ambition throughout the book. After finishing the first 2 chapters I could pick out ten things that I felt like I 100% related to Jennette on. She discusses her family issues, and how they related to her weight gain (and loss), but never blames them. In fact, she doesn't blame anything inparticular, which I found refreshing.
I found the book overall funny, upfront, and inspirational (and I mean, reading about someone who lost all that weight, it would be hard for it not to be inspirational). It helped me put my weight loss into perspective a lot too, because she never gives up. She slips up, she makes mistakes, she has bad moments, but she always jumps back on, and never lets it deter her success overall, which is the important thing to remember.
But probably the best part of the book was the humor she brought to everything. She never hate talks herself in the book, and remarks on everything with a uplifting point a view. Even at the end when she accomplishes her feat and comes within 15 pounds of her goal weight, she doesn't act cocky or overly confident. She accomplished something phenomenal, but doesn't make it out like she's this wonder woman. She attributes it to her hard work, and determination, which I find inspiring. Because honestly, If I lost 186 pounds, I don't know I could help but be a little cocky :-)
I definetly reccomend the book, it very much inspired me, and made me want to better myself, and keep going with my journey!
So here we go :-)
Title: Half Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir
Author: Jennette Fulda
 |
| taken from amazon.com |
"Half-Assed is the captivating and incredibly honest story of Jennette’s journey to get in shape, lose weight, and change her life. From the beginning—dusting off her never-used treadmill and steering clear of the donut shop—to the end with her goal weight in sight, Jennette wows readers with her determined persistence to shed pounds and the ability to maintain her ever-present sense of self."
My Review: One thing that struck me throughout the book was the honesty that Jennette brought forward. She didn't make excuses for herself, or how she got to be 372 pounds, and didn't make it out like it was super easy to lose the weight. You felt her pain, her embaressement, and most importantly, her ambition throughout the book. After finishing the first 2 chapters I could pick out ten things that I felt like I 100% related to Jennette on. She discusses her family issues, and how they related to her weight gain (and loss), but never blames them. In fact, she doesn't blame anything inparticular, which I found refreshing.
I found the book overall funny, upfront, and inspirational (and I mean, reading about someone who lost all that weight, it would be hard for it not to be inspirational). It helped me put my weight loss into perspective a lot too, because she never gives up. She slips up, she makes mistakes, she has bad moments, but she always jumps back on, and never lets it deter her success overall, which is the important thing to remember.
But probably the best part of the book was the humor she brought to everything. She never hate talks herself in the book, and remarks on everything with a uplifting point a view. Even at the end when she accomplishes her feat and comes within 15 pounds of her goal weight, she doesn't act cocky or overly confident. She accomplished something phenomenal, but doesn't make it out like she's this wonder woman. She attributes it to her hard work, and determination, which I find inspiring. Because honestly, If I lost 186 pounds, I don't know I could help but be a little cocky :-)
I definetly reccomend the book, it very much inspired me, and made me want to better myself, and keep going with my journey!
Friday, July 8, 2011
Life Lessons Learned Over a Holiday Weekend
1. I Am Not Perfect. In Fact, I'm Not Even Close
I had this great plan this weekend (see previous post). What happened?
-I went to the beach instead of working out on Saturday
-I ate an entire bagel with cream cheese, followed by a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a large amount of alfredo on Saturday
- I had close to 8 beers on Saturday (between 2-1am) and split an order of wings and a haddock sandwich with fries with M at the Cape Ann Brewpub. Totally worth it, and hey, I wouldn't have split that stuff pre WW, right?
-I had a pretty delicious dinner Monday night, and inhaled a burger, salad, chicken sausage and my mom's potato salad (which is the best potato salad EVER)
Normally I would feel crazy guilty for totally disregarding my plan (besides my hike on Monday, which was AWESOME) But under my new ideology, I shouldn't. And won't. I worked my way out of my -20 in the red. I tracked everything I ate. And even if I gain/don't lose this week (again), my weight loss won't magically dissapear. I'll still have lost close to 60 pounds. I can pick up where I left off and try for next week. Letting myself get down for enjoying myself, and having some REAL fun is just a bad mentality. And one that I won't let own me any longer :-)
2. Realtors are going to be the Death of me this month.
M and I have officially started our apartment search. And I hate it already. I've spoken with two realtors both of whom have told me that the amount I want to spend is unreasonable, and I need to go higher (which isn't a possibility. And judging by what is available, we can find something in our price range). I realize we are on the low end of the price range, but it's not like we're saying we want to spend 700 on a 1 bedroom apartment, or even 900. I wish the perfect apartment would just fall into my lap. all utilities included, no stress. Sadly I'm in the real world, where perfect things don't happen. M has been so much calmer throughout it, saying that if we don't find something we love for September, maybe we'll have more luck in October/November. And if that's the case it's worth the wait. Love him for being the cool one while I freak out.
3. I really enjoy hiking
Like, a ton. Lately every other weekend my sisters and I have been going up to the Blue Hills and going hiking for a few hours. It's so relaxing, fun, and judging by my HRM, a great workout! Even the easy trails we did, I still burnt close to 400 calories over 1.5 hours. And On Monday, coupling a more strenuous course with some serious humid weather, I burnt 875 over 2 hours. I was dying by the time we reached the top, but loved it all the same. It was exactly what I needed, because I had a lazy weekend, and didn't want to do any type of workout. This got me moving, while still spending time with M and my sisters. Next time I fully plan on taking some pictures :-)
4. I'm lucky to be surrounded by the people in my life
This one I like to think is pretty self explanatory. But I realized (especially this weekend) that while I feel lonley sometimes, I have a lot of great people in my life. My sisters, my parents, my boyfriend, and my friends are all good people. Every one of them annoys me at some point, but overall I love them, and need to remember that they feel the same way about me :-)
I waited to post this until after my weigh in today, because I wanted to see how my new philosophy worked. and you know what? It did! I maintained again this week, which I completely attribute to being OP Tuesday-Thursday and having some hard workouts to take myself outta the red. I'm glad to see that just because I indulge, it doesn't mean I have to fall off plan completely. And I leave you with a few pics from the brewery we went to on Sunday. It had an awesome outside area, and the beer was fantastic!
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I had this great plan this weekend (see previous post). What happened?
-I went to the beach instead of working out on Saturday
-I ate an entire bagel with cream cheese, followed by a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a large amount of alfredo on Saturday
- I had close to 8 beers on Saturday (between 2-1am) and split an order of wings and a haddock sandwich with fries with M at the Cape Ann Brewpub. Totally worth it, and hey, I wouldn't have split that stuff pre WW, right?
-I had a pretty delicious dinner Monday night, and inhaled a burger, salad, chicken sausage and my mom's potato salad (which is the best potato salad EVER)
Normally I would feel crazy guilty for totally disregarding my plan (besides my hike on Monday, which was AWESOME) But under my new ideology, I shouldn't. And won't. I worked my way out of my -20 in the red. I tracked everything I ate. And even if I gain/don't lose this week (again), my weight loss won't magically dissapear. I'll still have lost close to 60 pounds. I can pick up where I left off and try for next week. Letting myself get down for enjoying myself, and having some REAL fun is just a bad mentality. And one that I won't let own me any longer :-)
2. Realtors are going to be the Death of me this month.
M and I have officially started our apartment search. And I hate it already. I've spoken with two realtors both of whom have told me that the amount I want to spend is unreasonable, and I need to go higher (which isn't a possibility. And judging by what is available, we can find something in our price range). I realize we are on the low end of the price range, but it's not like we're saying we want to spend 700 on a 1 bedroom apartment, or even 900. I wish the perfect apartment would just fall into my lap. all utilities included, no stress. Sadly I'm in the real world, where perfect things don't happen. M has been so much calmer throughout it, saying that if we don't find something we love for September, maybe we'll have more luck in October/November. And if that's the case it's worth the wait. Love him for being the cool one while I freak out.
3. I really enjoy hiking
Like, a ton. Lately every other weekend my sisters and I have been going up to the Blue Hills and going hiking for a few hours. It's so relaxing, fun, and judging by my HRM, a great workout! Even the easy trails we did, I still burnt close to 400 calories over 1.5 hours. And On Monday, coupling a more strenuous course with some serious humid weather, I burnt 875 over 2 hours. I was dying by the time we reached the top, but loved it all the same. It was exactly what I needed, because I had a lazy weekend, and didn't want to do any type of workout. This got me moving, while still spending time with M and my sisters. Next time I fully plan on taking some pictures :-)
4. I'm lucky to be surrounded by the people in my life
This one I like to think is pretty self explanatory. But I realized (especially this weekend) that while I feel lonley sometimes, I have a lot of great people in my life. My sisters, my parents, my boyfriend, and my friends are all good people. Every one of them annoys me at some point, but overall I love them, and need to remember that they feel the same way about me :-)
I waited to post this until after my weigh in today, because I wanted to see how my new philosophy worked. and you know what? It did! I maintained again this week, which I completely attribute to being OP Tuesday-Thursday and having some hard workouts to take myself outta the red. I'm glad to see that just because I indulge, it doesn't mean I have to fall off plan completely. And I leave you with a few pics from the brewery we went to on Sunday. It had an awesome outside area, and the beer was fantastic!
Friday, July 1, 2011
July!
First of all, thank you so much for the positive comments on my last few posts :-) I love reading them, and knowing I'm not just talking to myself :-P
To clarify (because I don't think I got this across in my last post), I've always been using points outside of my dailies. Since the begining. It's always been a struggle for me to figure out how much, or to not feel some type of guilt when I go over for no reason (outside of special events and nights out), and that was more what I meant by using my weeklies effectively. I got over this fear of if I eat/drink close to all my weeklies I will gain, and am happy I did!
Can you believe it's already July? I cannot stand how fast the past 6 months have gone by. It's been a pretty good year so far though:
Personal Challenge Goals (June)
June Goals
-Make Tracking A Priority With the exception of my vacation, I tracked everything. Even when I didn't wanna ;-)
-Earn 150 APs by July 4 @ 118, APs were not my priority this month, but I did ok all the same :-/
-Hit 200 199.2!
-Focus on Hunger Signals over wants, and portion control! definietly did better with this, and making better use of my WPs!
-Run a 5K Check! Not well, but check!
And for next month...
-Continue to track 100%
-Earn 130 APs
-Aim to get activity in 5X a week (1-2 lighter workouts)
-Hit 195 (lofty goal)
-Aim to try 2 new foods. Whether it's a meal, a new snack, etc. I need to branch out!
I maintained this week at WI, but honestly? I wasn't expecting a loss. I stayed within my points, but for the first time this month I earned over 30 APs, and indulged in chocolate a few too many times ;-) It happens, and could have been a lot worse. I'm back on track!
I'm excited to have a long weekend, work has been busy the past few weeks, so I am looking forward to having a few days off to relax, and enjoy myself.
I also have (drumroll please) a plan!
-Friday- work as usual. Grab delicious pizza at Emmas with M, limit myself to 3 tops (pizza is on the small side, so 3 will be a reasonable amount of points). Go to cambridge brewing, enjoy a few beers to unwind, and then head home at a reasonable hour. Early night.
-Saturday- Gym, healthy lunch, and movie. Then babysitting all night. A great way to not go out and spend money/waste points ;-)
Sunday- Head up to Gloucester for the day with M. Spend morning at the beach with girls, bring beach snacks! Walk along beach for APs with M, and then indulge in a night out at the Cape Ann Brewing Co.
-Monday- Maybe beach if it's not nice on Sunday, then Hiking with M and the sisters. Followed by a mini cookout with the family :-)
I'm excited for the weekend, and especially excited because I have a plan to combat the indulging with healthy being. Woo Hoo!
To clarify (because I don't think I got this across in my last post), I've always been using points outside of my dailies. Since the begining. It's always been a struggle for me to figure out how much, or to not feel some type of guilt when I go over for no reason (outside of special events and nights out), and that was more what I meant by using my weeklies effectively. I got over this fear of if I eat/drink close to all my weeklies I will gain, and am happy I did!
Can you believe it's already July? I cannot stand how fast the past 6 months have gone by. It's been a pretty good year so far though:
- M got a job, and a decent one where he is pretty happy at that :-)
- I hit the One hundreds for the first time in recent memory
- I ran 2 5Ks! (ok so walk/ran, and both had their issues, but I can say I did them!)
- I had my gall bladder removed, which 6 months later I can honestly say my quality of life is 10 times better than last year!
Personal Challenge Goals (June)
June Goals
-Make Tracking A Priority With the exception of my vacation, I tracked everything. Even when I didn't wanna ;-)
-Earn 150 APs by July 4 @ 118, APs were not my priority this month, but I did ok all the same :-/
-Hit 200 199.2!
-Focus on Hunger Signals over wants, and portion control! definietly did better with this, and making better use of my WPs!
-Run a 5K Check! Not well, but check!
And for next month...
-Continue to track 100%
-Earn 130 APs
-Aim to get activity in 5X a week (1-2 lighter workouts)
-Hit 195 (lofty goal)
-Aim to try 2 new foods. Whether it's a meal, a new snack, etc. I need to branch out!
I maintained this week at WI, but honestly? I wasn't expecting a loss. I stayed within my points, but for the first time this month I earned over 30 APs, and indulged in chocolate a few too many times ;-) It happens, and could have been a lot worse. I'm back on track!
I'm excited to have a long weekend, work has been busy the past few weeks, so I am looking forward to having a few days off to relax, and enjoy myself.
I also have (drumroll please) a plan!
-Friday- work as usual. Grab delicious pizza at Emmas with M, limit myself to 3 tops (pizza is on the small side, so 3 will be a reasonable amount of points). Go to cambridge brewing, enjoy a few beers to unwind, and then head home at a reasonable hour. Early night.
-Saturday- Gym, healthy lunch, and movie. Then babysitting all night. A great way to not go out and spend money/waste points ;-)
Sunday- Head up to Gloucester for the day with M. Spend morning at the beach with girls, bring beach snacks! Walk along beach for APs with M, and then indulge in a night out at the Cape Ann Brewing Co.
-Monday- Maybe beach if it's not nice on Sunday, then Hiking with M and the sisters. Followed by a mini cookout with the family :-)
I'm excited for the weekend, and especially excited because I have a plan to combat the indulging with healthy being. Woo Hoo!
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