Road bump...but still chugging along

Well I was hoping that I would be updating this blog with a race report today, but as most people know, I broke my toe last Wednesday (see picture above). Totally SUCKS. Luckily the break isn't terrible, so I'm hoping to be back on my feet in a week or two. It's already feeling much better - I've been keeping it taped and walking around in a super sexy ortho shoe. I'm going to start walking with my coworkers again this week and then depending on how that goes, I may try to run a little on it next weekend.

I've finally started to really notice changes in my appearance and it's nice to have my clothes fit better. I'm down about 25 lbs total since the baby was born, but the inches have really dropped. The first picture above is from early April and the second picture is from this past Monday. Not a flattering outfit, but since it's the same you can kind of see the difference.

The program at work is going great, I'm about halfway to my first $100, and it hasn't even been a month, so I think that's good progress. My coworkers and I have been doing a little 30 minute walk every day, which helps get our step count up - and then my running was really helping. I hate that I'm going to miss out on so many steps this week - hopefully walking will go well and that will help keep the count up.

Eating is good too, I've been able to eat sensibly and still have a treat here and there but keep up the steady loss.

A boring post, but an update nonetheless.

I'm 'bout to get PAID!

See that picture? That's my new companion, it goes with me everywhere. Our company is sponsoring us with this new program called Virgin HealthMiles - www.virginhealthmiles.com. It's this great program where you log activity (more on this in a minute) and earn health miles. As you earn miles, there are reward levels that PAY CASH MONEY. Did you hear that? PAYS CASH MONEY! So not only am I going to continue to get fit, but I'm going to earn a little extra income. The timeline is one full year and within that year there is a potential to earn up to $800. Now, for those that know me - I consider that a challenge and I will do everything I can to earn every penny of that amount. There are some negative nellies around my office that think there is no way to really earn any real cash, but I say BRING IT ON.

So there are few ways to earn miles:

- enter 3 biomeasurements every month: body fat percentage, weight and blood pressure

- wear the GoZone pedometer (which they provide!) to log steps (it connects via USB and automatically uploads your steps

- log in to the website at least 2x a week

- record activity minutes every day for workouts, etc.

- set up challenges between you and your coworkers to get everyone moving

It's been 1 week and I've already got 800 points. If I keep that up, I'll be hitting the first reward zone in about a month and that means $100! Dude. This is pretty much the coolest thing ever.

In other news, running is going awesome (and clocking me a LOT of steps!) and I'm still on track for my race, which is 2 weeks from Saturday. I'm up to 4 miles and it feels so good to be back on the road. Tonight I tackled a big hill that I know is on the race course because I really wanted to see how it would feel and I have to say that it totally kicked my butt. I stayed shuffling though and got up that bad boy. I'm so ready to get a bib back on my shirt. I'm considering doing a small 5K on Monday - the White Rock Racing group usually puts on some smaller races on holidays since everyone is off work anyway. I need to go by Run On! and register for it - it would be nice to get a little 5K under my belt before doing the 10K.

The weight loss is back on track - I went back to WW online and my eating habits are finally feeling more manageable. I'm starting to see some real changes in my body and my clothes are fitting better. I have a long way to go, but I'm definitely feeling healthier.

Couch 2 5K - Week 7

So since I've decided to make my running comeback during what is turning into the hottest summer of all time, I've moved several of my runs to later in the evening, usually around 8p. This also means that the kiddo has retired as my running partner for right now - I just can't get him out there when it's this hot. This is the first week of all running, no walking and so far it's been great. Tonight I did 25 minutes straight and got just under 2.5 miles in. It's been so awesome to run for solid blocks of time. I know that the walk breaks were necessary in the beginning, but they were starting to hurt more than just running straight through - which I'm taking as a good sign! It's still not an automatic for me - I have to talk myself into it somedays, but once I get going, it's all good.
I have some new motivation to get serious about my eating again: pictures! The kiddo's birthday party was this weekend and after looking at the pictures, it was just confirmation that I'm still pretty far from where I want to be. I've been getting active again, but I haven't been eating as well and my water intake is TERRIBLE. I've made a conscious effort starting this week (2 days, I know) to cut back on sweets, get more water and keep an eye on my portions.

Couch 2 5K

Today was the start of week 5 of the Couch 2 5K plan for me. It's been going really well and tonight I did more running than I have in a year and a half and it felt really good. The kiddo joins me for the majority of my runs, but I'm trying to do a least one a week with out him for a little alone time. I've even been meeting up with my running group again, usually twice a week. I see them on Saturdays sometimes, but they are usually pretty far into their long run by the time we get out there. I've registered for the Tours des Fleurs 10K in September and Muddy Buddy in October, so I'm trying to stay on track so that I can run as much of the races as possible. This week will be a little tricky since we are going out of town. By this weekend I'm supposed to run a full 2 miles with no walk breaks - but I'll probably end up just repeating what I did tonight when we get back and then repeat this week's plan next week.
It's been so nice to run with my friends again and everyone loves to see the kiddo when he joins us. I have some loftier plans, but I'm not going to get serious about them until I get through these 1st two races...more to follow...

On the road again

It's true (picture). I can't get back to the races I miss if I don't get back on the roads. A good friend and I were talking the other day about how we both need to find a way to add some fun back into our lives. Balance and all that jazz. Actually, I was telling HER how she needs to find balance in HER life and realized that maybe...just maybe...I could take my own advice. I sat quietly and asked myself - if you had some free time, what would you do for fun? The first thing I thought of was running. Races, traveling with my running buddies, being outside...surprising, but my first thought, nonetheless. So I decided to get real about it instead of making excuses for not getting out there. Yes, it is FREAKING hot. Yes, there are not enough hours in the day. Yes, it will be hard starting from scratch.

SO...I registered for a 10K in September (one of my favorites) and my friend and I (see above) are going to do Muddy Buddy in October. I have no time goals, I just want to run again. My goal for the 10K will be to cross the finish line. The goal for Muddy Buddy will be to have as much fun as possible (and get Stacy in a good mud fight). I've reconnected with my running friends and even though I'm way behind them, I'm showing up at the same places, talking them about their upcoming races, etc. It has really helped keep me motivated. The kiddo enjoys the walk/runs and we've been able to make it work with our schedule - so far. Right now it's just 30-40 minutes, so it's manageable. In the last 7 days, I've done 4 30 minute walk/runs. I'm following the C25K plan right now, so it's been 1 min run/1.5 min walk this week and starting on Monday it will be 1.5 run/2 walk.

I feel better - more like myself. I feel more motivated to get other things done - cleaning the house, running the errands I need to take care of - it's easier to STAY off the couch once I've gotten off of it.

I know, I know...I give up.

It's become extremely clear that the only thing standing in the way of me taking better care of myself is...me. I was talking to a friend today about getting fit and taking better care of ourselves all around and we were laughing because I was explaining to her that I'm not good at not being good at something. It's difficult for me to start over with my running. It's difficult for me to start up with p90x being in the shape I am in. I prefer to skip the beginning steps and just be excellent right from the start. It keeps me from trying more often than I'd like to admit. I've been like that since I was a kid - I would not play something until I knew the rules and/or was able to play well. Friends would play a new game and I would stand off to the side to make sure I understood the game and had some strategic ideas first. It's just how I am. So when it comes to getting back to my athletic endeavors, I like to make these grandiose plans that have me progressing at what would most likely be an urealistic pace. Then when it fails, I quit. I'm an "all in" kind of girl. So I give up. I admit that I have to start over - at whatever it is that I want to start over. I make no plans. Today I took a walk with the kiddo and we had a lot of fun. I think we'll try to take a walk again tomorrow. This does not mean that I need to running again by next week, or that I need to schedule a big race to create some incentive. It just means that I'm going to try my best to get me and the kiddo out of the house for a walk as often as we can.

In other news, the weight loss has stalled - which I expected. I have not completely reverted back to eating whatever I want, but I've slipped more often than I like. I'm grateful that the scale has at least stayed in the same place, which is nice. I tried Zumba last week at the gym and I have to say that it was a lot of fun - and an EXCELLENT workout. That damn class had me sweating buckets and I was even sore for a couple of days. I'm going to try and hit that class up when I can - it made me feel really great. I have a new haircut, which I'm completely in love with and would love to share with you, but I haven't taken a new pic yet. I'll try to get one up later this week. Other than that, all is well.

Rough Week

I lost another pound this week, but it was not due to any effort on my part. This was a rough week for many reasons, most of which are probably 98% due to hormones. They're a bitch. Ladies, am I right?

Put together hormones and the fact that I am still not taking great care of myself emotionally and it was bound to get rough. To be honest, things have been building up for a few weeks now. Today I'm not in a place to delve into my mind's interworkings - I'm actually trying to stay out of there as much as possible for now, so I will revisit this later in the week. For today, I'm moving a moment at a time.

Hope you are all taking care of yourselves today, it's important. More to discuss in a couple of days...

Time for ACTION!

Only 1 pound lost this week, BUT my measurements went down by 1/2 an inch to 1 full inch in all but one area…stupid upper arms…always the last to go. Or maybe it just because I’m carrying a 22 pound monster around all the time and I’m developing guns! Probably not – there is nothing firm and muscular about my upper arms right now.

I was hoping for more weight loss this week, but to tell the truth, I’m ok with it since this was another week that didn’t go perfectly. There were TWO meals that included pizza, TWO handfuls of sugared up popcorn (caramel and cinnamon toast flavors) and at a birthday dinner at La Madeleine, I had THREE mini tarts (lemon, fruit AND chocolate crème brulee). It’s crazy, I do great for a few days and then just randomly the choices get bad. The pizza wasn’t terrible – I did fewer meat toppings and I had small servings, but I have no excuse for the sugar. I’ve thought about the pattern and the last 2 weeks have both been pretty rough at work. Stress definitely causes me to throw good choices out the window. I think that getting off of my butt and working out again would help, but my energy levels are so low right now with my lack of sleep that it’s hard to find motivation. I have options, there is no reason that I can’t get SOMETHING active done each day (or even every other day). I am just so tired at night and unwilling to get up early in the morning. So I’m going to start small: This week my goal will be to get in at least 3 30 minute walks. So before the next weigh in, I will get out and do some walking. I can do that, even with the kiddo, so that should be an attainable goal for this week.

I’m planning on doing Muddy Buddy again this year. I missed last year after doing it 2 years in a row, so I’d really like to get back out there. It’s not a race that I try to win, but I’d like to complete it without collapsing in the mud pit. I need to have enough energy at the end to have a killer fight with my buddy. I already have a buddy on board, so now I just need to get a few miles under my belt and some bicycle time. It’s in October, so I have some time, but it can sneak up on you if you don’t pay attention! I’m also planning on trying a yoga class that was recommended to me (thanks Heidi!) and J actually wants to do some yoga too, so we may find a way to do that together. I have plans…lots of plans…that’s the thing with plans; they generally don’t amount to much without action. So, now it’s time for some ACTION!

Not what I'd hoped...

So no weight loss this week. I kind of expected it, since after the brussel sprouts last week, it went a little downhill. I didn't go super crazy, but there was a Schlotzky's (sp?) sandwich for dinner one night, a larger-than-I-planned piece of birthday cake and a burger with fries. Not all on the same day, thankfully. I am actually glad I didn't GAIN weight. Ah well. It was a tough week. So yesterday I was back on track and today went well too. I did a better job with the shopping this week and we shouldn't run out of dinner options before the weekend - which contributed to the problem last week. Back on the horse, back on the horse.

I ate a brussel sprout! (I actually ate several)

Disclaimer: I stole this picture from Food Network. I should have taken a picture of my actual dish, but I forgot...and then we ate them all. But this photo is VERY close to what mine looked like. Anyway, the most important part of this post is that I ate brussel sprouts! Remember me, the woman that judges vegetables without trying them? Yes me. All I've known about brussel sprouts is that they are often fodder for TV sitcoms and commercials where children refuse to eat them and/or sneak them to the dog under the table. Based on that information (as a child, I believed everything I saw on TV) I have never given them a chance. No matter what people in my life said, I decided that brussel sprouts must really be bad if no one on TV will eat them.

After a recommendation from a friend (thanks again Laura!) I decided to take the plunge. I bought a package of fresh sprouts at the store last week and promised myself that I would make them for dinner this week. I had to make that promise because I'm notorious for buying new veggies and then "forgetting" about them while they go bad in the refrigerator. Tonight I tossed them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper...then I roasted them for about 30 minutes. May I just say...."Yum!" I was not hopeful. I will admit that the entire time they were cooking (they were a side dish to pork chops, btw) I just kept thinking..."These will not taste good." "Maybe I should make another side just in case." Very pessimistic on my part, for sure. I was pleasantly surprised that not only did I enjoy them, but I would actually eat them again! It's a brand new day...my name is Tara and I fear no vegetable!

3 more bite the dust...

3 more pounds down. Feels good! I've decided that when I hit 20 pounds down I'm going for my very favorite - a cheeseburger with fries. It's going to be awesome. So I'm putting my current obsession with french fries on the shelf until I hit 20 lbs. That will keep me motivated to stay on track. I will say that I've snuck a few of G's arrowroot cookies - dude, those are ridiculously good. I have to stop eating my son's cookies. Seriously. It's just not right.

We have a birthday party this weekend and I can never turn down birthday cake. So the goal will be to just have a tiny piece of cake...not two pieces...which I'm completely capable of. Man I love birthday cake.

Why I need to stop watching cooking shows...

So I'm minding my own business, chewing on vegetables, avoiding starches, doing great...then we watch Kitchen Nightmares, I get a look at a big bowl of french fries and now it's all I can think about. I stayed strong for dinner, even though I was thisclose to sending J out for burgers and fries...but I didn't. I make turkey bratwurst again and roasted kale (Thanks Laura!). It really was delicious. Since Monday is weigh in day, I may just hold out and see what the numbers say and if I'm still thinking of fries on Monday afternoon, I'll grab an order for lunch. There are several places that sell sweet potato fries, so maybe I'll even do that just to satisfy the urge.

I tell you though, the Cooking Channel and Food Network are evil for dieting. Between the delicious food being cooked, the restuarants with all the fabulous dishes and all the freaking cupcake/cake challenges on lately, I turn it off a lot. Speaking of, what is with all the cupcake/cake challenges lately? I mean, someone is baking a huge cake every time I turn on the TV.

Today was a day that I felt really good. When I got dressed, there was a big difference in how my clothes fit and how I look and it was nice to see. Even J noticed and mentioned it and that felt great too. I took some pictures before I started this and was thinking today that maybe I'll do some after pictures at each 20 lbs. Just something to keep me motivated. Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Mind Body Balance

Today I was thinking about this whole plan for my body changes and realized that as far as blogging about bringing sexy back, there are other things I've been doing to take care of myself mentally and emotionally. I think it's important that I spend time reflecting on more than just the physical changes I've been working on. About 2 months ago (kiddo was between 6 and 7 months), I was in a really bad place emotionally. I was really struggling to keep it together every day. I knew that it was probably a little bit of post partum depression and that if I didn't address it, things could easily get worse. Thankfully I've been in and out of counseling for the last 10 years and I don't have any issues with going where I need to go in order to get help. I called up 2 of my friends that have personally coached me through the years, started taking time out for myself each day and made an appointment with a counselor. I absolutely believe that when I take even the smallest amount of action in order to right myself, that I'm met more than halfway by my Higher Power. Just making those phone calls and going to that first appointment completely changed the way that I felt. I've continued the counseling and I've continued to speak to my friends openly about how I'm feeling on a regular basis and I can say that I'm feeling more like myself today than I have in the last 9 months.

I have struggled with body image and my weight most of my life. I know from my past experience in getting healthy that when I make transformation all about my appearance, it never works for me. Not only that, but it can also make my mental state pretty scary as well. This time, I just ignored the mirror and focused on the inside first. I knew that if I took care of myself emotionally and spiritually, that the physical aspect would be a piece of cake. I haven't discussed that here because originally this was about my getting active again and paying better attention to my food intake. However, I couldn't get here without first addressing the dark place I was living in a couple of months ago. As I was leaving my counseling appointment today it occurred to me that I was leaving out an important part of the journey by not talking about this stuff. I realized that this blog could seem superficial and all about trying to get back into my size 8 jeans, but it's really not. It's really about me trying to reclaim some of myself after having a baby, and there is a balance that I am keeping in my sights. There are 3 sides to bringing sexy back, and they are all equally important.

Bring on the pizza!

Met my goal for last week, so now I am going to treat myself to a little Campisis at some point this week. My order: small pepperoni and italian sausage pizza with a salad. Can't wait! I'm home with the Monkey today because J is sick, so I'll probably just plan on going later this week for lunch. Here's what is awesome about the 11 pounds I've already lost:


1. It puts me on the right side of 200, which really helps me when thinking about how much more I have to go. That's right, before today, I've been pushing the scale at over 200 lbs. I ain't skeered.

2. It's the most I've lost since I had the baby. I've gone back and forth with the same 5 lbs since he was born, so I feel like I'm finally making some progress, which feels good.

3. My measurements are also decreasing and I can actually see some difference in the mirror, not to mention in how my clothes are fitting.


I had a little oatmeal for breakfast yesterday and corn on the cob for dinner. Today is an "accelerate" day, so no starchy carbs. I'm really enjoying my standard breakfast of scrambled eggs (1 whole, 3 whites) and strawberries. It's pretty tasty and I rarely get hungry before lunch. I've actually even forgotten my mid-morning snack a few times and had my yogurt for dessert at lunch.


There is one other thing I've been doing that I keep forgetting to include here. I don't know if it's a total difference maker, but for scientific purposes, I should include all variables. I've been taking cinnamon and green tea supplements every day on a schedule that was outlined by Dr. Oz. Apparently cinnamon is a great blood sugar equalizer and helps you feel full longer. The schedule goes like this:

Morning: 2 cinnamon, 1 green tea

Noon: 2 cinnamon, 2 green tea

Dinner: 1 cinnamon, 1 green tea

It sucks that we have so much rain, I was thinking about taking the kiddo out for a walk. I will probably end up hitting the elliptical at the gym later tonight instead.

Love/Hate for Vegetables

Again, I wish I could've taken this picture with Gage. So funny. So officially I'm on 3 of the 2nd cycle and not much has changed. Well except for that thing on Friday where I ate a slice of cake. Oh and did I mention I ate a little potato salad too? But that wasn't a big deal, because it really was just a little nibble. ANYWAY, I did the shopping today and picked up a few things that I can incorporate into my menu planning for next week, mainly brown rice (for lunch) and oatmeal (for breakfast). I get a 1/2 cup serving of each at their respective meals every other day (starting tomorrow) and I have to get them in before 2p. Easy Peasy.

Now, on to the topic at hand. Vegetables. I have a long and complicated history with vegetables. Growing up, I hardly ever ate them. You had to really force me to eat any vegetables that weren't corn, potatoes or carrots. And carrots had to be raw, not cooked, and I had to be able to dip them in ranch. It's a long story, but basically, terrible about eating vegetables. When J and I met, he would make jokes about my inability to eat vegetables. I would eat a "salad" and it would really just be lettuce and dressing. Tomatoes were a big NO GO for me about 8 years ago. Luckily, J grew up eating EVERYTHING and slowly, I started trying more and more as well. I found that there were several things I had never even tried and by trying different cooking techiniques, I could usually find a way to make them tasty.

However, as tolerant as I have become, I do get tired of them quickly. On this diet I have been eating vegetables every day...and because I am still limited, I tend to eat the same 2 vegetables...broccoli and green beans....and now...I'm having a hard time choking either of those things down. I know that there a ton more green, non starchy vegetables out there, but as someone that had to be pushed into eating green stuff, I feel guarded and limited by both my lack of experience and knowledge in this genre. So I am asking...please recommend some of your go-to vegetables and vegetable dishes. I need to shake things up around here and get a little more adventurous. I don't want Gage to grow up with this limited idea on veggies. Thank goodness J is so open to whatever - I hope Gage has his mentality about trying new foods.

Gage and I took a 45 minute walk at the lake today and we had a pretty good time. Told you there would be cardio.

Shame...Delicious Shame

Ok. I totally gave in and had a slice of this amazing white cake with chocolate frosting someone brought to a potluck at work today. I put it off as long as I could and around 2p, I just couldn't help myself. It looked so good. And you know what? It WAS. Totally worth it. I behaved myself during the actual lunch, but I couldn't walk away from that cake.

I haven't really changed much, even though I'm in the 2nd cycle. After I post this I need to make the grocery list and I'm going to add in a few new things for next week. I'm still sticking to my "Monday Goal = Campisi's", so we'll see how that goes in a couple of days. If I don't get it this week, I'll just try again next week.

There will be some cardio this weekend. Oh yes, there will be cardio this weekend.

17 days. DONE.

So I finished the first cycle and to be honest, it hasn't been that tough. The first 3 days were a little rough, but after that, it's been all good. I don't even find myself craving snacks/sweets late in the afternoon, which has been a problem in the past. Tomorrow starts the "Activate" cycle of the diet - another 17 day cycle that lets me add back in some foods. To be honest, I'll probably add back in a little here and there - the option for lean red meat is nice - but for the most part, it may just be oatmeal in the morning. I'm going to start working out again, so if I find I need more carbs to sustain activity, I'll add back as necessary.

Now you ask, why did you post a picture of the Campisi's sign, Tara? Because I've finished the 1st cycle, lost 9 lbs and I'm considering a reward. I know that "they" say not to reward yourself with food, but the ONLY thing I want is a salad and small pizza from Campisi's. So you know what? If I weigh in next Monday and I've dropped another 2 lbs (my weekly goal)...I'm going for it. One cheat meal in 3 weeks won't kill the momentum. SO we'll find out on Monday if it's on.

Day 15 - 1st cycle almost done

See the progress button over there on the left? Today was another weigh in and another 3 pounds lost. I knew that it wouldn't continue to be 6 pounds every week, so I was pleasantly surprised that it was 3. There are 2 more days in this first 17 day cycle and then I get to add back lean cuts of red meat (can't believe I haven't had red meat in 15 days), some grains and legumes/beans. The rules are that I still have to eat my carbs before 2p and I have to alternate days - so one day will be based on this 1st cycle, then the next day is based on the new cycle menu.
My goal going forward is 1-2 pounds a week, and I'm hoping that if I keep up the healthy eating and start adding back some workouts, that won't be too tough. Based on that goal, I'll be feeling a lot more like myself by July and back to my favorite weight around October. I've committed to Muddy Buddy again this year with a friend of mine, so I need to start getting my butt in gear!

Bringing back....sexy hair

Weight comes off slowly...but you know what always makes me feel good about myself? A new haircut! My friend Amy G is working at a new salon in Carrollton - Indira Salon - and I went to visit her today for a new 'do. Yes. Yes that was a shameless plug for her. The salon just opened today and it's really nice. They do it up the Aveda way, which means stress relieving shampoos and hand massages...which are included! Please please please consider going and checking her out up there - and tell them that I sent you.

On to the eating - today was a little weird. I didn't plan my lunch well and I was pretty hungry by the time I got home. It threw me off a little and it's been hard not to go into the kitchen and make myself a peanut butter sandwich. The weekend is here, and I've planned better this time. There is enough good food in there to get me through lunch, so I should be able to get to the store and get stocked up again before I have to resort to anything sinister.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Day 10 - Confessions

Ok, don't tell anyone, but I had a little cheat bite today. I couldn't help it...they were samples from a new bakery...and it was spice cake...and it was a teeny tiny bite, smaller than a doughnut hole....and it was delicious. Now my husband is eating Hooters wings in the office while I had Morningstar Chicken Patties for dinner (didn't want to cook). I think I deserved the tiny bite of spice cake for sitting here smelling those wings and not even licking one of them. So there. But still...don't tell anyone.
Things are still going well with the eating. The scale is still moving in the right direction and it really has not been hard to make good choices. Another weekend is headed our way and I'm not worried about it at all, so that's nice. I need to start making my grocery list tonight so that I can be ready to hit the store early on Saturday morning. A week from today I'll be able to add some grain carbs back into the mix and I'm looking forward to oatmeal! There are rules about it, but I don't care. Oatmeal!
Once I add the carbs back next week, CARDIO.

6 pounds!

Look to the left. 6 pounds. Awesome.

Successful Weekend

Wouldn't it have been great if I could've gotten Gage to pose for that pic? Well, I made it through my first weekend without so much as a bite of the free sample chocolate chip cookies they hand out at Albertsons. Crazy! Guess what I discovered tonight? Turkey Bratwurst! Delicious, filling dinner - maybe the best meal I've had since I started this...although the horseradish mustard is probably what really put it over the top. I cleaned the house for almost 3 hours today, so I'm counting that as my cardio. I worked up a sweat, for sure.
7 days down and tomorrow is the first official weight check. I've been watching all week and it's been going really well, so here's hoping for a "skinny" morning tomorrow. Hope everyone had a great weekend, now it's back to the grind!

Hungry at the Grocery Store...Day 6

Rule #1 of grocery shopping - do NOT go to the store hungry! Hello, we all know this. I totally messed that up this morning. I made sure that I had enough for breakfast today, but I didn't have a mid-morning snack. So by the time I went to the store, I was eyeballing the bakery section for free samples and trying to convince myself that a piece of pumpkin bread from Starbucks would be ok. Thankfully, the force was with me and I stayed strong. The munchkin and I finished the grocery shopping without any grazing or junk food and when I got home I had a "17 day diet" approved meal for lunch. Phew. Got a little rocky there toward the end though - I was pretty hungry. The rest of the day went as planned, afternoon snack: apple and dinner: turkey burger (no bun) and broccoli.
Day 6 (and my first weekend day) is done and it's getting easier all the time. I didn't even have any wild cravings or hunger attacks late in the evening...and I usually do. Got all of my water in, which was hard for me - I had to keep sitting down and reminding myself to have some water. Now that I have the food intake down and it's not making me feel zapped, I believe I will again try to add some cardio to the mix. I don't think I'm going to jump back to running just yet. The Monkey and I are going to take some long walks and then I'm going to hit the elliptical at the gym for a little while. Take it slower this time.
One more day until my first official weigh in. Stay strong!

Super Smell...and the Weekend

The thing about eating healthy is that you start to really pay attention to what everyone around you is eating. My sense of smell is almost as heightened as it was when I was pregnant. The girls at work have been laughing at me the last couple of days because whenever they are eating I'm like...."That smells good!" Ha ha. We usually eat lunch together in a little room and they were all eating spaghetti, chicken fried rice and meatloaf today. Dude. It smelled so good in that room. My lunch was tasty, but not spaghetti, chicken fried rice or meatloaf. Jason came in to give me a kiss and he had just eaten a Zone bar - all I could smell was coconut. What has really gotten me through the temptation is that I am already down a few pounds (I won't say how much yet) and that's kept me on point.

So I'm officially at the point that is usually my undoing when it comes to eating well...the weekend. It's easy at work, I'm on a schedule, I pack my lunch, plan it out...the weekends are a little harder. I struggle to get all of my water in, I have to fight the snack monster, I don't want to cook...yada yada. The kid keeps me busy, which helps, but it's still tough. So to mitigate some of the risk (I obviously work at a bank) I did a few things: made my grocery list tonight so that I can hit the grocery store early tomorrow and stock back up and made sure I had enough for a good breakfast in the morning. The trick will be drinking enough water! My offiial weigh in is on Monday, so I need to keep that in my mind all weekend.

Day 3 - This one hurt a little.

See that picture? It will be the death of me. One of our loan officers sent us a big batch of homemade Easter candy this morning and then my manager went out at lunch and bought a big bowl of candy. I appreciate the thank yous, but DAMN, really? It was tough to walk past that table all day. However, instead of Easter candy, I broke down and had a Diet Dr. Pepper. I figure that it's the lesser of the evils. It was delicious and I'm going to pretend it tastes way better than any of that chocolate on the table. Ha ha! Hopefully tomorrow I can avoid the table altogether - must find more work to keep me at my desk and out of the back area.

Besides the candy, today was the toughest so far. The last 2 days weren't that bad - but today, I could feel the difference. Got a little sketchy toward the end of the day, but I toughed it out. My calorie intake was good, I can just tell that the big decrease in sugar and carbs (not a total elimination, but a big dip in my norm) is changing my energy levels. It will get better, I just have to get through the first week. Once the first 17 day cycle is over, I get to add back some complex carbs in the second cycle. I'm looking forward to oatmeal again!

ABC's - Getting to Know Me?

Something a lot of my favorite bloggers are doing today, so I thought I'd join in the fun:


A. Age: 31 (less than 2 months away from 32)
B. Bed size: Queen. It's not enough.
C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the litter box...and I don't do it. Thanks honey!
D. Dogs: 1, Buddy
E. Essential start to your day: Snuggles with the Monkey while he has his first bottle.
F. Favorite color: Right now? Black. Very slimming.
G. Gold or silver: Silver
H. Height: 5’7
I. Instruments: Zero.
J. Job title: SBA Closing/Funding Team Lead
K. Kids: Gage, 8 months
L. Live: Dallas
M. Mom’s name: Cyndi
N. Nicknames: T (not sure if they count, but I go by either Baby or Mama...or BabyMama around my house)
O. Overnight hospital stays: Only one was for the kiddo's arrival...well and I believe I was in the hospital for an illness when I was a baby.
P. Pet peeve: Smacking while eating
Q. Quote from a movie: Waiter, there is too much pepper in my paprikash, but I would be proud to partake in your pecan pie.
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: 1 brother, Brad
T. Time you wake up: Excluding any wake ups for the kiddo, I start my day around 6:30a
U. Underwear: Hanes Hipsters, available at Target in a 6 pack
V. Vegetables you dislike: asparagus, eggplant
W. What makes you run late: I never give myself enough time to get ready.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: weird question. chest, head, arm, ankle, teeth
Y. Yummy food you make: spicy coconut shrimp with lime jasmine rice (yep, it's just as good as it sounds.)
Z. Zoo- favorite animal: My favorites at the zoo are the penguins and polar bears. Cold weather animals are cute.

Day 2

Day 2. Done. Breakfast and snacks were the same - I had leftover taco salad for lunch and Jason grilled chicken breasts for dinner (served with green beans). Today was a little easier - I wasn't nearly as hungry when I got home from work, which is helpful since I don't get to start dinner right away.
Here's what I didn't say yesterday: I haven't had a diet soda (#1 choice: Diet Dr. Pepper) in almost 48 hours. That is pretty amazing for me. The plan doesn't say I have to give up diet soda (regular soda is a no-no), but my intake has steadily increased since the baby was born. I used to limit myself to 1-2 cans a day, but when I started losing sleep I would drink it to pep myself up and before I knew it I would be drinking 4-5 a day - WAY more than I want to drink. So for now I'm putting it down. It's hard because it's an easy sweet fix and I LOVE bubbles. LOL. It's also helping me get my water intake - if I'm not drinking soda, then I'm drinking water. Better for me.
Today the kiddo and I took a little walk around the neighborhood. I was testing my ankle a little bit just to see how it's feeling. Crazy thing is that my right ankle feels much better, but now my achilles on my left ankle is tender. I think the final verdict is that I tried to do too much, too fast in the Vibrams. Everyone warned me..."Go Slow!" "Be easy!"...but you know me, 90 to nothing at all times. So for now, back to walking for a while until I feel really comfortable picking up the pace a bit. Slow and steady, even if it's really annoying. There are all these races I want to do, but I having trouble getting up and going. I know I can walk them, but I just really miss running. I'm hoping that if I can lose some of the weight with just walking and the diet, the running might get easier. It's tough to carry this extra weight and I don't want to ruin my knees and/or ankles trying to overdo it.
Today's Temptation: Peanut M&M's. We were testing some programs at work today and my coworker was sitting next to me eating some. OMG. They smelled so good, but I did NOT eat any. Victory!

Day 1

Ok...today was Day 1 of the new eating plan. It wasn't too bad - although I did get a little hungry before dinner. My meals looked like this: Bfast: Scrambled eggs (1 whole, 2 whites) with salsa, 1 cup of blackberries, green tea Morning Snack: Low Fat strawberry Chobani yogurt Lunch: Grilled chicken breast with green beans Afternoon Snack: honeycrisp apple Dinner: Taco Salad (lettuce, tomato, ground turkey cooked with chiles and taco seasoning, salsa and a little reduced fat cheddar) Since I am a BIG proponent of making life easy, this will be pretty much my menu for the rest of the week. I will probably take the rest of the taco salad tomorrow for lunch and then cook up some chicken breasts for the next couple of lunches and dinners. The rest will be almost exactly the same. I'll switch it up next week to keep it interesting. It's just easier (and cheaper) to keep it simple and similar during the week. Day 1...done.

Countdown to D-Day

Here's the thing about planning to start a diet on a specific day - in the few days before, I find myself eating all of the things I love because I know that I won't have them again for a long time. So in the last 3 days I've had pizza, burger and fries, Mexican food, doughnuts...it's like my last meal(s). Hopefully I won't end up adding 5 more pounds to what I have to lose. So I've read the book and it's extremely easy to follow - but it will be a big change in the way that I have been eating. I'm looking forward to getting some of my energy back because it is tough to chase after that kiddo with all this extra weight. I've added a counter to the blog to track the progress. I won't say what weight I'm starting at (horrifying!) I will post how much I've lost. AND I took some "before" pictures today, but I am not going to post them until I have some "after" pictures to compare them to. Grocery shopping tomorrow, healthier me on Monday!

Food

Ok. The ankle still hurts. It seemed to get worse for a few days, but now it's feeling a little better. Still not well enough that I feel comfortable walking or running on it and I really don't even know that I am ready to work out at all. I just want it to get completely better so I don't run the risk of permanently damaging it. I really want to start swimming, but I changed my gym membership recently and the new place doesn't have a pool at any of their locations. Wasn't thinking ahead, I guess. So now that I can't get back to activity, I guess I have to focus on getting my food intake under control....

SO I ordered The 17 Day Diet. I've heard really good things about it and from what I've seen, it's not a crash diet and it won't force me to give up anything cold turkey. I tried Weight Watchers again, but because of the free for all I've been on for the last year, I really need to start with a little more structure. Weight Watchers works great for me when I'm already using good sense with my eating, but it doesn't help me when I've been carbing it up and eating dessert every day. It will help me to have a set meal plan to follow and I like the idea of working in 17 day cycles - timelines are good for this list-making planner. The book recommends just a walking regime to start because the calorie count is low in the beginning, so the good news is that I can continue to take it easy on the ankle.

The book will be delivered on Thursday, so after some grocery shopping this weekend, I'll start it up next week. Hopefully it won't take much longer for my ankle to feel better and within a couple of weeks I can start back with walking.

Slow and steady wins the race, right? You know I like to win.

Tape

Well I went to see my favorite chiropractor today and he hooked me up with this gorgeous tape setup to help with my ankle. I have to keep it on for 5 days and give him a call on Sunday to let him know how it's feeling. I'm crossing my fingers that this will help with the healing since staying completely off of it is just not an option. Pretty? No. But I'll deal if it means I can get back on my feet soon.

Ankle

Oh it's effed up, alright. Swollen, painful and pissing me off. I'll have to stay off of it for a bit - which blows. Stay tuned...

First weekend morning run...and bad news

The plan was that if Gage woke up early enough, we were going to go and meet my running group at the lake at 7:30a for a little walk/run. I knew we would be on our own since everyone is way ahead of the walk/run, but I just wanted to see their faces and get back into the habit of heading up there on Saturdays. Everything was going well, I got dressed, packed a few things in the car and we headed up there. He was a little fussy on the 10 minute drive, but not too bad, and then when we got there I felt bad that I didn't bring him a hat. I know it's always a little chillier and windier on the water, but it felt several degrees colder and the wind was really strong. Next time I'll pack one just in case. I put him in the stroller and realized that the hood came down really far, so he was pretty insulated in there - I thought that it might be ok. I did have a blanket, thankfully, so I wrapped him up and we said hi to a few people that were already there. We actually got there a little early and I didn't want to wait much longer for the entire group to show up, so we decided to just get going. We took off and very early on I realized I would need to stop for a potty break (ugh, seriously?), so we hit our first portapotty about a 1/2 mile in. Luckily there was a handicapped version at that stop, so the entire stroller fit in there with me and I didn't have to figure out how to watch him and potty at the same time. So obstacle #1, done. We got on our way and I realized that obstacle #2 would not be as easy to overcome: pushing that 20 lb kid in the stroller was kicking my ASS. I was really struggling to run during the running intervals, I just couldn't get into a rhythm and it was really uncomfortable. I just kept telling myself that it would get easier the more that I did it - but it was TOUGH. We turned around to start heading back and Gage started to get a little fussy - it started out with just a little whining and if I talked to him he would settle back down, but I could tell that we were on borrowed time. I had also started to notice obstacle #3: there was some pretty real pan in my right achilles. At this point I was not keeping up with my scheduled intervals, but I was trying to run as much as I could between nursing my ankle and keeping Gage happy. Finally he really started to cry, so I pulled us off of the road and got him out of the stroller for a minute to let him look around. He settled down, so I put him back in and off we went. Less than 5 minutes later he started up again, so we pulled into a water stop and I got him out again. About that time we ran into my running group and we were both happy for the distraction. He got to meet all of the ladies and he was giving them lots of smiles and sweet faces. At this point we were about a 1/2 mile from the car and I was starting to think I was going to have to carry him and push the stroller back. We talked to the ladies for a minute and then we started walking. It took about 1 minute for me to realize that we were going to have trouble so I figured I'd put him back in the stroller and run it back as much as I could and if he had to cry, that was it. Well he didn't make a peep the rest of the way, thank goodness. By the time we got back to the car though, I knew for sure that my ankle was really hurt. I'm not sure what I did, but it's pretty acute pain - felt like a bruise. We got in the car and made it home without any more meltdowns. We were out there about 45 minutes total.
So the bad news is, my right achilles is really hurt. It's gotten worse as the day has gone on and as I get anytime I get a little injured, I am REALLY upset about it. I put some ice on it earlier, but I'm pretty sure that unless I take it easy, this will only hurt more. It's just so discouraging since I'm just back into a regular running routine. I was expecting my knee to give me trouble, but oh no...something totally different. I'll have to see how it feels in the morning, but the good news is I wasn't going to run tomorrow anyway, so we'll see what's up early next week. So frustrating.

Setback

The plan was to hit the lake again tonight - but it did not happen. I am EXHAUSTED. Not only did the run not happen, but my food intake was terrible too. Just one of those days. Tomorrow morning I'm going to try and take Gage with me to meet the running group at the lake to get a walk/jog in. Start over again tomorrow.

Treadmill vs. Outside...and my early Vibrams report

Tonight was my first evening run at the lake since I started back at this. I did the treadmill on Monday and that felt pretty good, but there isn't much that beats the lake at sunset. There are pros and cons for both the lake and the treadmill:

Pros:

Outside (the Lake):

- actually running somewhere and not in place
- being outside in the quiet, by myself
- I work up a real sweat outside, I push myself more outside than when I'm on the treadmill

Treadmill:

- close vicinity to a restroom at all times
- no scary wild animals (don't laugh, I've seen more than one pack of coyotes at the lake while running)
- definitely easier, more comfortable being inside (especially in the summer)

Cons:

Outside (the Lake):

- BUGS! Ugh, I totally forgot about the bugs. I saw a swarm of gnats that was the size of my car.
- crazy bikers with no headlights and no warnings (I know not all bikers are crazy, this is aimed at the inconsiderate ones.)
- the few restrooms that are available are not always desirable places to do your business (especially in the dark)

Treadmill:

- I always feel self conscious about getting the machine set up with everyone watching.
- I also hate that the treadmill shakes and makes noise while I run, it annoys me.
- One word: BOR-ING.

It felt good to be back outside for a run today. Thanks to DST I can get out there at 7:30p and still finish before it's pitch black out there. I got to my car just as the last of the light was going away, so I never felt nervous about it being too dark - just the way I like it. I had a really tough time on the first couple of running stretches - I'm doing 2 min walk, 3 min run alternating for 30 minutes- and I had to really stretch my legs a little. By the time I turned back to do the second half, I was feeling much better. I'm not keeping track of mileage yet, just trying to build up to a full 30 minutes of running.
I'm still getting used to the Vibram shoes, but I will step out with an early review and say that it does feel great to run in them. The only complaint I have is that my calves are TIGHT and SORE. Having to change my foot strikes to be more forefoot and less heel has been really interesting. At first it felt like I was running on my tiptoes, but after a couple of weeks, it's starting to feel a little more natural. Truth is that even when I get tired and accidentally go back to the heel strike, it freaking HURTS in those shoes. So at least it's tough to do it badly since the consequence is fairly immediate and I know that the calf soreness will get better the more I get out there. But seriously, it feels awesome running in this shoes. I put my old shoes on for a treadmill run last week and it was terrible. I think one reason is that I wore flip flops or went barefoot nearly 24/7 for all of last year. Since my feet swelled so much during the pregnancy, I just stopped wearing real shoes and putting on those clunky running shoes (Nike Vomeros) felt really stifling and awkward. I wore the Vibrams for my treadmill run on Monday and it was much better. Oh and the best part is that I've gotten to be a pro at putting them on, which was really tough at first. I can get them on in no time now.
I'm targeting a 5K in May and I think that if things continue to go smoothly and I take it slow, it shouldn't be a problem to run the entire race - no time goal, just run the entire 3.1. There are a couple of half marathons I have my eye on, but one thing at a time.

Treadmill Run

I ALMOST didn't run today. I was going to go at lunch, changed my mind and then since J went to the gym first, I ALMOST talked myself out of going at all. But I did it and I'm really glad I did. It felt good, there were even moments when it felt normal again. First treadmill run with the Vibrams and I have to say that I am falling more and more in love with them. It feels really great to run on my feet without the thick shoes on. Awesome!

Tomorrow night? Core Synergystics.

New week

Well today is my weight in for WW and I was kind of bummed because for the last few days I was at a certain weight and of course this morning it was showing to be one pound more. I know, I know, one pound - but still. And of course I was still like 6 pounds down, so who cares - but I did a little. SO there's the good news - down 6 pounds! YAY! I guess I've just been shuffling within the same 5 pounds for a while so I was hoping to break that barrier. Hopefully it will happen next week. I did feel better this last week with my eating and I've been out for a run/walk at least 4 times in the last 7 days - pretty good.
Today I brought my clothes to run at lunch and of course it's gray and ugly outside. I'm hoping it will clear up enough, or I'll be hitting the treadmill after the kiddo goes to bed tonight. I LOVE running in my new Vibrams. It feels awesome running "almost" barefoot. The new stride takes some getting used to - it's hard for me to lead with my toes - I've always been so heavy footed on my heels. I can tell a difference in my knees when I do it right, though.
I think for now the plan will be to run every other day and then on my "off" days I'll do a P90X DVD. I'm not ready to hit P90X every day, but doing the core workout or the weight workouts every other day will help keep me moving.
I'm going to do a 5K in May and I've committed to Muddy Buddy in October. I know I can get fit by then.

New topics

I started this particular blog back in 2009 as something to do while I sat in class. I have since graduated school and about 7.5 months ago I gave birth to the cutest baby boy in the world. So now, my big project is labeled "Losing the Baby Weight" and I've decided that this blog will be a place for me to write about how I'm doing, how I feel about where I am, etc. I'm not going to pass this link out and I won't post these updates, but if someone finds it on accident, so be it. My goal is just to have a journal for myself.

This has been my best week since the beginning of the year. I had a hard time getting serious about things, but this week I've just been taking it a day at a time. My food intake has been better and I've actually done a little walk/run twice this week, which plans to go again tonight. I'm excited about the time change this weekend - I'm hoping that it will help me get outside to run at night, since the sun will be out longer. After a pretty good 5-6 days, I was down 4 pounds this morning. I don't OFFICIALLY weigh until Monday, but I was excited to see the needle moving the other way. My current goal is that when I lose 10 pounds, I get to have a hamburger and fries. I know that every diet advocates a cheat meal/day every week, but that's never worked for me. I just turn EVERY day into a cheat day. So I will have cheat days every 10 pounds and my current craving is a cheeseburger and fries. I'm going to hit the treadmill at the gym tonight and try to keep up the walk/run every other day for a while. I'm slowly upping my run ratio so that in a few weeks I may be able to put a couple of miles together. My goal for that is a small 5K in May that I'm hoping to run with the kiddo. I will be nice to have a bib safety-pinned to my shirt again.

That's it for today.