I'm Giving In...

I created a http://www.calorie-count.com/ account yesterday and have been logging my food. We'll see how long this lasts. It did help me to control my food yesterday and today. I went grocery shopping yesterday, and I bought a lot more fruit than usual. I also got other different kinds of healthier snacks like string cheese and almonds. True to form, I couldn't resist the snacks that were sitting next to me all morning at work, but I ate them all and no more. I guess this is a good thing. I even ate the lunch I brought and then went to Bellacino's and watched my friend eat pizza. I barely noticed the pizza - seriously.

I got home from work, ate some cottage cheese, and then hit the gym for boot camp. This was my third sesssion, and I still have this week, next week, and the following Monday left. The pushups were a little easier today (I could actually do some girly ones). I am really beat though. Tomorrow will be an off day for me. I really need the rest. I think my legs will love me for it.

Ok, I'm famished. Time for dinner. Then hopefully an early bedtime :P

So here's the deal...

I kinda lost control of my eating on Friday. There was a lot of good food at my parents' house, and I gave in. I did feel bad enough to make myself go for a 2 mile run after dinner. I think someone was irritated that I did this, but I cannot let others' negativity control my actions.

My binge probably wasn't as bad as I've done in the past, but I was supposed to be focused this week. I failed myself and my team, but I guess this is a new week and I must dust myself off and regroup. I did do a lot better yesterday. My eating was in control, but I didn't exercise. It's ok, since I either worked out or ran 5 days this week. Some days I did multiple things. I'm really into the whole stability ball thing right now - with hand weights. I figure if I'm just sitting there watching a movie, I might as well be moving my arms and legs.

I need to get my upper body in shape by Saturday, because I picked up my new chocolate dress today. The dress is just as nice as I remember it too. Ok, I know that my upper body won't be perfect by then, but I can do my best to improve it.

I got up this morning and walked/jogged/ran 4 miles - probably ran 3 of them (HR 180- 187). I'm not trying to make excuses here (ok, maybe a little), but I only shaved off 1 second from last week's time. First excuse: it was freakin hot and humid out. Second: my boobs hurt in anticipation of TOM. Third: I was running into the wind (when there was any). Fourth: I was carrying a water bottle, which could have slowed me down slightly. I'm glad I brought it though. Whoo - hot hot hot!!! I might have passed out without it. Maybe next week will be cooler and I'll be able to test out whether or not I improved on my time. Not that anyone really wants to see this, but here's proof that I sweat:

My clothes were completely drenched when I removed them. In a way, I felt so good that I was running and sweating my ass off out in this heat. I felt tough and focused. Athletes don't give up just because of a little heat, do they?

My eating has been good today so far. I drank a half-gallon of water after my run. I think Rebecca was right about 16 oz per every 15 minutes of exercise. I seriously needed to rehydrate.

What else? hmmm....I guess that's all for now, although I swear I had a lot more things to say. I'll have to post them all later as they come to me.

Oh, I just remembered one thing. It's not really a big deal, but...

I was going to the store last night, and my 4 yr old said something like: "She's probably going to the gym." I just think it's cool that she thinks that's the most likely place I'd be going. She also says things all the time like, "Are you going for a run today?"

I so want to be Athletic Mom.

Ok. Lata...

Been a couple of days since my last post...

I've been fine - a little snacky though. This might be due to my increased amount of exercise? I need to plan meals and snacks better and smarter probably. Of course there was also a bit of drinking over the past couple of days.

My eating and snacking was a lot better today. I was doing quite well until after my workout (I had my second boot camp class today). I knew I needed some protein, but I was on the road to my parents' house. I stopped at Taco Bell to get something with beans, but then I saw this new grilled chicken thing. I ordered 2, because they looked kinda healthy. I didn't realize that each 1 was 2 pieces though, and unfortunately I ate all of it when I would have been fine with just the 1 order. My parents had cake and ice cream tonight for a bday, and I skipped the cake and had one small scoop of ice cream. So far so good I guess.

Boot camp was nice tonight (lower body focus). I did well - I'm much more concerned about upper body workout day. Oh, speaking of upper body workouts. I've been using my stability ball and small weights while watching tv this week. I'm sure that I'll see some results over time. It really is nice to have this huge ball as a constant reminder of what I could be doing exercise-wise. My husband was even testing it out last night, and I was showing him some moves...kind of a fun moment.

I'm at my parents' until Saturday, so I am going to put on my running shoes tomorrow morning and hit the streets. It's really a good feeling to know that I'm not restricted to using a gym to workout - and that I'm not thinking it's an option to skip a workout because of the lack of a gym. There is a high school down the street. Maybe I'll run over there and use their track.

Now I Feel Like a Runner

I got up this morning and had a sound breakfast (egg on a whole wheat english muffin & a latte), then I put on my running shoes and took to the open road. I had decided yesterday to walk/jog to my starting point for my timed mile, and that's what I did. I did take a brief detour at Flodin Park across the street, where evidently they have a 1/3 mile path - who knew??? :) Ok, that's just a little embarrassing that I didn't know about it. The park is right down the street from me, and I've never walked around it??? Ridiculous. The only problem is that it's really scary back there (tall brush, no people, and out of sight from the park). I did 1/3 mile and got the hell out of there, but I continued on to my mile starting point. Did that mile and back. Unfortunately, my time was more than Sunday's time (9:37), but I was practicing pacing myself. I will do better next time. Good news is that I went a total of 4.5 miles today - mostly running with maybe half a mile at a brisk walk (right in the middle). I mean I did not stop at all during my run times. I attribute this to my Fatboy Slim set.

Later today, I drove around and mapped out a route for myself for my next run. It's just over 5 miles. I really think that I'm liking the real running thing. There is no option to not finish, because you have to get home. Does anyone have any ideas on carrying water? I could have used some today and Sunday, but I don't want to be weighted down with it.

I had a lunch meeting today, and I got a chicken caesar salad. mmm... I got home a few minutes ago and had a nectarine. I plan on having a light dinner w/salad and a snack later. I like this working out in the morning thing. Now I have the rest of the day to do whatever it is that I do (read blogs?).

I feel good...

I fell asleep at 8 pm last night and felt wonderful this morning at 6 am. I usually struggle to get out of bed at 7, so this was a nice change. I got myself ready for work and had time to pack a lunch. It might not have been the lowest fat lunch, but it is still better than a lot of other things I could have had. I did not have any breakfast bars, so I made some Quaker Weight Smart Oatmeal. I don't love the stuff, but it did fill me up. I even packed some snacks for today (banana and nectarine). So I ate my oatmeal for breakfast, banana for snack 1, hamburger on a bun and a salad for lunch, nectarine for snack 2, and a protein shake after my workout.

So my workout was interesting today. Last week I ran into a girl that was in my small personal training group. She had been doing the Boot Camp class, and she told me how much cheaper it was than the personal training. I went up there tonight for my first session, and I have to say it's just about the same as the personal training - only at about half the price and more sessions per week. So, until my surgery, I will be going to Boot Camp 3 times per week. Sucks that I had to pay a whole month even though I'll only be able to participate for about 3 weeks. That's ok. I needed something new to mix it up. I'll still be running too - probably on my off days. I plan on working out at least 5 - 6 days a week for all of July.

I was told by another personal trainer that I probably wasn't ready for Boot Camp, but I hung tough (even the trainer called me tough - ha!). Sure I was pushed to pain and breathlessness, but overall I did absolutely fine - especially for my first session. I'm worried about Wednesdays though, because that's the upper body workout session. Mondays are total body & Thursdays are lower body. We are missing Wednesday of this week for the holiday, so hopefully she goes with lower body still on Thursday. I say this, but I know that my upper body is my weakness, so I should be begging for upper body workouts.

Ok, I just have to say once again how excited I am about this Challenge. It's exactly what I've needed to help me focus again and take me to the next level. I can't wait for my run tomorrow!

Goal for tonight and tomorrow: Go to bed early and keep with the small snacks

***Edit***

I just ate a hot dog. I think my calories were still fine for the day, but damn it, that's what I get for staying up late again. Ok, now I just looked up and saw my "go to bed early" goal. Bad Girl!

My first real outside run

So for the challenge I really want to do an actual 1 mile outside run. Someone told me about a mile stretch here in Canton. I drove it and it really is a mile.

I think I messed up a little by not warming up like I should have, but I didn't want to start over, so I just went for it. I have never done this before, so I had no idea what to expect. I started out as fast as possible, but I quickly realized that I would die at that speed for an entire mile. I had to stop to walk for a little bit. This pattern continued for almost the whole mile. I still managed to finish my mile in 9:30. I'm impressed. I was just going to walk the mile back to my car, but after a short bit, I picked up the pace and jogged/ran at a more steady pace than the first mile. I didn't have to stop at all when I was doing this.

On my way home, I realized that I hadn't used my ipod. This might have helped to keep me focused. Oh well.

Here's my strategy. I will be going to the gym for HIIT on the treadmill during the week. Every Sunday I will run the same 2 mile stretch I did today. I will first walk/jog the first mile, and then I will time the return mile.

Lesson learned: pace myself better

Shopping again...

My dress purchase from Friday night inspired me to run to Kohl's to see what kind of cute sundresses they had. I immediately hit the juniors' section and picked up like 10 dresses. All but one fit me (stupid M on a L hanger). I would say that only 2 out of the rest didn't look great on me. I am trying to be conservative with my buys since I keep getting smaller and having to buy more smaller clothes. Btw...I think L's in juniors is like M's in petites or misses. Anyways, I decided to just buy a cute black and white polka dotted thing. Ok, I don't usually love polka dots, but they are kinda cute on a summer dress :) The other thing about the dress is that it has spaghetti straps. It feels so good to be able to branch out and change up my wardrobe.

I then hit the denim section and picked up a few skirts. I only picked up 8's and 9's, and they all fit (some might even have been a little loose). I ended up getting 2 denim skirts. One was cute and flirty along the hem. The other was a few inches above my knee - where I am really starting to see some definition.

It's funny how different we all are as people. There are a lot of girls that don't care how big they are when they decide what to wear. They seem to think if it comes in their size that they should wear it. I think I'm the total opposite. I am so very careful to only find the things that best compliment my figure. In fact, I've recently decided that I've been overly careful. This is why I'm just now buying dresses. I am starting to come to terms with the fact that I have hips and they will always be there - maybe smaller or bigger, but still there. It's ok if my hips can be seen while wearing a dress. It's a good thing even? I know this might all sound crazy. I just think that I've started entering the "inner fat" stage. Like we've talked about before...I've always been surprised when I saw pictures of myself (by how huge I looked in comparison to how I felt). Now the pictures are starting to have the opposite effect. I keep looking at them thinking...is that really me??? Only now it's because I am smaller than I think. I had the same feeling when I was trying on dresses this weekend. I cannot believe that is my reflection in the mirror. This feeling makes me stand taller and walk with confidence. I look forward to exercise now to see what else I can accomplish.

Today is the first day of the Challenge. My weigh-in was right about where it should be probably - 140. I am really going to attempt to stay focused throughout this month. It would be so cool if I can end July at 130. I think that I'm going to run my 1 mile in the real world (down the street). This way I'll not be limiting myself to whatever I set on the treadmill. I will still train on the treadmill throughout the week, but I will be running my test mile every Sunday on the streets of Canton.

I am also going to try to go to the gym at least 5 times per week...aiming for 6. I should also probably forsake alcohol for July, but I'm afraid that I'll just start snacking more.

Ok. Off to go running now!!!!!