Forward Momentum

I lost 2 pounds last week.  Last night I figured I should charge my bugg and download all of the data that was on there.  While I was in there I decided it’s time to create a new program and get serious again.

For me, getting serious means logging my food.

Oh, and did I mention…….I HATE LOGGING MY FOOD!  Really.  I absolutely hate it, but, IT WORKS.  It keeps me honest and it makes me lose.  Then I thought,  maybe I should go really crazy for a couple of months and try to not only jump over this hurdle that I’ve been hanging around at, but kick the hurdle to the curb and keep on running!

So, I created a new program.  I did a lose 2 pounds a week program.  That is a 1000 calorie per day deficit.  I have been kinda struggling at getting 2600 calories a day burned, but I can do it if I get up in the am and get a workout in.

New program is 1700 in and 2700 out.  You may think “Girl’s gone crazy…she couldn’t hit 2600 and now she upped it to 2700???”…well, yeah.  I have gone a bit crazy, but it’s time to go crazy.  And it’s 8-10 weeks, you know. 

Last year I could do ANYTHING for 8-10 weeks, and keep on going after that.  So why now?  Why not get a bit ninja on this thing and go crazy.  I can do this for 8-10 weeks.  If I hold it steady for 10 weeks that is 20 pounds.  That gets me under 190, which would be awesome.

So today I got up, did my C25K and then after I was done with that I did another 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I logged breakfast and lunch.  I chose my food based on the fact that I had to log.  (See where logging makes a difference???)  I tend to do best when I log the meal soon after eating it so that I know where I’m at for the day.  Now I can spend my afternoon mentally planning different dinner options that won’t blow me out of the water, but keep me at or under that 1700. 

You have to keep that forward momentum, and I’m hoping that blogging often through these next 8-10 weeks will help me keep focus.  A friend pointed out to me that perhaps part of my problems so far this year are due partly to the fact that I got so defined last year by my weight loss success.  Now that I don’t have that I am floundering around wondering who I am and what I’m doing.  I think she’s very right, so I thought HOW do I fix it?  Well, for starters, I get back to what I was doing, and have that success again.  I’m NOT skinny.  I still could lose 50 pounds.  I will be comfortable at 30 pounds, but that’s a discussion for another day.  The point is, I know I need to do it and so it’s time to DO IT! 

Watch for more updates each week on how I’m doing.  I was a slave to the scale those months that I was all “crazy” so I am weighing often now to keep my focus.  I encourage you to look at what worked for you in the past and get back to what worked.  If you’re just starting out, read some of the older posts from when I first started.  You may find that you relate to many of the struggles I faced along the way.  This has been my biggest (and longest, time-wise) struggle for the thus far, but I am determined now to get past it and move onward.

Forward momentum, baby!  On to 205!

Keep chugging along…

It’s Thursday, and you know what that means…….weigh in day!

Now, first of all, let me re-state.  I HATE losing weight that I already lost.  But, hating it isn’t making it any easier to get over the hump of weight I’ve already lost, so a new attitude is required.

I am happy to report that I lost 2 pounds last week.  I weighed 210 and now I weigh 208. 

I have to be happy about those 2 pounds and keep moving the scale DOWN…so I am trying really hard to be happy about 208.  Now I have my sights set on 205.  That is the next bench-mark for me.  205…HERE I COME!

One thing that I changed up this week is that on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I am getting up early and doing a Couch to 5K workout in the morning.  I skipped over week 1 and started right at week 2.  If you’re not familiar with the C25K, check it out!  It’s a great training tool.  One of my goals for this summer is to be able to run a 5K from start to finish with no recovery walks.  I am doing this training program again so that I can get my running periods at a faster pace than I currently can run at.  This week I’ve been doing the running sections at 5.3 – 5.7 mph. 

Exercising in the morning really helps me get my burn in easier too….I end up hitting my burn target in the evening, instead of rushing around at 9 pm trying to get a few hundred calories burned so that I’ll hit the burn target before bedtime! 

So, that’s where I’m at….I lost 2 pounds last week and I’m just going to keep chugging along!

Lori

Remembering….

 

I ran in a fundraising 5K here over the weekend.  It was the first time in probably a month that I had gotten an outdoor run in early in the day.  After the race I had a busy day, so I mentally planned the day out while I was on my way to get the kiddos from my DH. 

The kids and I came home so that I could get cleaned up and then out we went…Subway for lunch and then groceries.  Back home to prep dinner for that evening, when we had friends and 3 kiddos join us for a fun night.  All day I was bopping around getting the house picked up and the food ready.

About 5 pm I sat down to just chill for about 30 minutes before the hubby got home and the evening started up again.  In those 30 minutes I thought about how great I had felt ALL day.  I had lots of energy…I got a lot accomplished.

Then I remembered the last time I had really felt great all day…it was about a month earlier when I was in California.  I had taken a 4 mile run outside on a beautiful day.  The rest of the day I was energized and happy. 

Perhaps there is something to this!  I decided that I would begin an experiment of sorts.  One of the things I want to do is get myself to the point that I can RUN a 5K.  By that I mean RUN the entire time…no walking recovery breaks.  So, I got the Couch to 5K (C25K) information out and set a plan.  I will get up on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and do a C25K workout.  We will see if those early morning workouts help to keep me energized throughout the day.

It’s funny how easy we forget really.  I have forgotten how good, healthy food and exercise really make me feel so much better.  I feel strong, fit and empowered.  When I eat junk and don’t exercise enough I feel horrible and my mood takes a nose-dive. 

Today I did day 1 of week 2 for C25K.  I am skipping week 1 as I felt like I was capable of skipping that one.  I am running faster during the running times than I normally would run.  I am hopeful that I can train my mind and body to be able to run faster for a longer amount of time.

When you’re feeling down look back to the times you felt better and evaluate how you can make changes TODAY to get those great feelings back.

Lori

Struggle

Oh, where do I begin? Maybe it began around Christmas time when tempting treats were all around and I said "sure" a few too many times. Or maybe it began at my one year "anniversary" when I looked at all I had accomplished in a year and thought that the hard work was now over. Or maybe ..... oh, hell, let's face it. I don't know when it began, but I have been STRUGGLING now for a LONG time.

Thursday was a really awful day for me. I tried to run outside on Wednesday and had the most horrible run I have EVER had. AWFUL. I had to turn back and come home. Then Thursday when I worked with the trainer I struggled again....pain....aches....being totally winded at what is normally a warm up walk.

And you know what, I was so ready to throw in the towel. I was ready to say forget it...this weight loss thing is too hard and I just can't do it anymore.

But I didn't. I took some of the trainer's "maybe you should try...." and did them. I added more fresh fruit into my diet. Fruit = natural sugar = energy. I took a multi-vitamin with iron. I took a magnesium. I ate lean red meat last night and tossed a handfull of fresh spinach into my salad.

Today...well, today I honestly feel better. I feel more energized. I walked 3 miles, and I felt good. I didn't hurt....I didn't struggle. I started at 3.5 mph, which is a warm up for me and after a while I bumped it up. I didn't go higher than 3.7 because I don't want to go crazy after feeling SO badly. After the 3 miles I did some of the arm exercised on the weight machine and then some kettlebell exercises.

And while I did the walking and weight work, I watched the Biggest Loser. I saw how much those people have struggled and how they've worked SO HARD.....which made me think of how hard I have worked....and how hard I CAN work.

Now, I hate to get on here and type out another "I'm back in the game" blog post, because I've hammered out several of those since January. But I am strong and I can work hard. Food is not the reward for me....feeling strong and healthy and FIT is a much better feeling than ANY FOOD has ever given me. I have no problems with the exercise side of the weight loss equation. I can work out...that does not scare me. But the food side....oh that's the killer for me.

I must stop looking at food as a REWARD, or something that I deserve. I deserve to feel and look great a lot more than I deserve the quick high and lower low that comes from eating unhealthy. Yes, I can have things occasionally that might not be the best choice. They are not gone from my life forever, but I OWE IT TO MYSELF to make healthy choices for myself most of the time.

From where I'm sitting right now (mentally and physically) it seems like the hardest part of struggle (for me) is getting out of that pattern. I need the scale to start moving DOWN on a consistent basis. One week of downward movement is not sufficient. I need to see a pound loss (OR MORE) each week. I cannot keep see-sawing up and down. I need to stop struggling and start thriving again.

If you're in a bad spot with your weight loss, don't give up. It's hard...it honestly is, but remember all of the hard work that you've put in thus far and know that YOU are stronger than any urge to eat unhealthy or skip a workout. Look at yourself and recognize that you DESERVE a healthy life!

Good luck....

Update…back on the wagon

 

Well, I have been back to using my Body Bugg to not only track calories OUT (that’s the easy part for me), but also to track calories IN.  Oh, how I hate those calories IN!

The eating is my nemesis.  I can exercise ‘til the cows come home, but the bad eating is so very hard of a habit to break. 

Now, having said that, let me just say that I have NOT been 100% “good” since starting my new Body Bugg program.  Here’s the low down of where I am.  I started the new program with a weight of 210.  My calories IN target is 1950 and my calorie BURN target is 2600.  I have been pretty good about hitting the burn (and a few hundred over a couple of days per week). 

I haven’t logged everything I eat, which was my goal.  I logged MOST but did skip a few days. 

I am going back to a Thursday weigh in.  I did that all along my journey in 2010 and I think it worked for me because I was “starting over” on Thursday, which made me psychologically less likely to blow it on the weekend.  Strange, but it worked for me, whereas a Monday weekend would find me behaving really badly on the weekend.

Today I weighed in at 207.  Now, let me say that even though that is GOOD, I’m not really super happy about it because I lost those 3 pounds before.  BUT…I cannot beat myself up over it.  I need to think “woo-hoo….3 pounds….keep it up” and move on.  I’m trying.

My jeans are tight.  I have a fat roll around my waist that plops over my waistband and I really hate it.  But, I’m putting on those jeans for a few hours every day to remind myself what I’m working towards.  I felt so much better even at a few pounds under 200.  I need to get back to “one-derland” and then keep going.  I need to get some distance between myself and 200 pounds.  But for now, my focus is to get to 205.  At 205, I’m so much closer to under 200. 

In 2010 I had small, manageable goals, and I kept my focus.  I am having a really hard time doing that this year, and I’m not sure why.  But, I have had a decent 10 days or so, and so I am going to keep trying to get that full focus back and keep moving on.  I know that I can do this.  I know that I owe it to myself to feel better.  I want to do this and so I must remain focused.

I would be interested to hear from anyone out there how you stay away from bad food.  I have stopped before eating and thought “I am going to feel so bad, physically and mentally after I do this” and yet I still do it.  It’s like I have two little versions of myself dueling it out on my shoulder.  Sadly, the bad, who-cares version wins out more often that I’d like.

So that’s my week in a nutshell.  Hopefully your diet and exercise goals are going easier than mine, but just keep in mind that YOU can do it and you have to make that choice.  I will keep telling myself this as well!