The Weekly 5

1. 30 Day Shred every day – Just have to do it today yet, no problemo!
2. C25K workout 3 times a week – I did this once. I try to stay away from running when I get sick, so back at this when I’m feeling better!
3. Track everything that I eat. – This has been a success. I haven’t had any of those moments where I just fell off of the wagon and stopped tracking.
4. Eat more fruit instead of other snacks when I’m hungry. – I can’t say that I went to grab fruit instead of a snack. But I can say that I got all of my fruit and veggies in with the exception of one day where I didn’t eat much at all because I wasn’t feeling well.
5. NO VENDING MACHINE SNACKS AT WORK!! – Not even a one. Well, I don’t count diet Coke, which I did buy once.

This week:

1. Finish my 30 Day Shred Challenge
2. c25k 3 times
3. Take one complete rest day on March 3rd- after 30 days of exercise!
4. Post a healthy recipe
5. 5 Different breakfasts M-F. I’m getting in a bit of a rut with breakfasts. I’ll try to take pictures and post them too.

I have to share a NSV with you all. I’ve had this dress hanging in my closet that I haven’t worn since high school. I have always loved this dress, it’s one of those timeless black and white ones. I got it at Old Navy a really long time ago. It is a size 20 and I haven’t been able to wear it since I don’t even know when. I just look at it longingly every time I open up my closet. Well, this morning I decided to try it on, and it zipped! I could even get a way with wearing it! It was just a tad tight in the hip area, but you could hardly tell because of the fabric it’s made of. It’s a little too cold outside for it right now, but come spring I’ll be wearing it! The awesome thing was, I looked at myself in the mirror and couldn’t believe it was me. I have gotten so much smaller than I used to be. I told my husband, it’s time to go shopping but he just laughed. :)

Sunshine Award

Thanks to Kelly for giving me the Sunshine Award:

Now I’m supposed to pass this on to twelve bloggers who bring sunshine into my life. There are so many of them, but here are a few:

1. Tj’s Test Kitchen
2. The Next Biggest Loser
3. Becca’s Journey
4. A Merry Life
5. For Real This Time
6. Bigger Than My Body
7. Endurance Isn’t Only Physical
8. My Road to Weight Loss
9. Weight Loss Mama
10. Gina’s Weight Watcher Recipes
11. All The Weigh
12. Watch My Butt Shrink

These are just a few of the blogs I read. I love all of the ones on my blog roll, these are just a few I picked to give them a little “publicity.”  :) I try to change up the blogs a bit on these awards. 

I now have a full fledged cold. You would think with how healthy I have become that I wouldn’t get sick so often. In the fall I had a terrible cold or whatever it was that lasted 3 months, in December I had the stomach flu, and now in February another cold. I’m praying that this one only lasts as long as colds are supposed to! I came home from work yesterday instead of going to school. I just rested all day and it felt great. I MADE myself do the 30 Day Shred yesterday…it was really difficult as I couldn’t breathe, but I gave myself some slack and at least did it. I am so excited to be done with this in 4 days!!

Hubby and I had planned on going to a play last night so I could get some extra credit, but I just felt like staying in. So we may go tonight. If not, they’re showing it next weekend also, but we’re going out of town on Saturday morning so we’d have to go on Friday night for sure.

Have a great weekend!!

Double-Cheese, Spinach and Chicken Pizza

When I got home from work and school on Wednesday, I had it in my head that I was only going to do my mandatory 30 Day Shred workout. But after reading Kelly’s post on running her first mile (actually 1.56) I was inspired to do my c25k. So I did the c25k and then the 30 Day Shred and burned 466 calories. I’ll take that! When I was done, I actually didn’t feel as sick as I did before. Not really sure how that works, but I’ll take that, too! :)

For supper, I tried a new recipe.

I am forever trying new recipes and I wish I had more time to do posts on them. I do plan on doing a post on those Orange Julius smoothies, by the way.

So this recipe was called Double-Cheese, Spinach and Chicken Pizza. Now this is something that I would have never tried pre-lifestyle change. Hubby was even excited to try it!

I modified the recipe. The actual recipe is from a Betty Crocker Quick and Easy cookbook that my Mom gave me a couple of years ago. It calls for a prebaked pizza crust, hence the Quick and Easy title. I like to bake my own crusts and I have a quick and easy recipe for that, so I’ll share both!

First, we’ll start with the dough recipe which can be found here. For my purposes, I used whole wheat flour this time.

Double-Cheese, Spinach and Chicken Pizza

ingredients:

1 pizza crust ( I used the recipe above and spread it out to cover an entire cookie sheet)

1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese

2 cups washed fresh baby spinach leaves

1 cup cooked chicken, diced

1/4 cup red sweet pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Steps:

1. Heat oven to 450*. Place pizza crust on greased cookie sheet.

2. Top with Mozzerella cheese, spinach, chicken, peppers, garlic salt and cheddar cheese.

3. Bake 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (If you use a different crust- follow those directions instead).

I cut this up into 12 slices at 5 points each, based on the types of cheeses I used, etc. This was so good and even hubby liked it! We have 2/3 of it left over for lunches, which is great!

Here’s a picture of mine:

Weigh In Day

This morning I weighed in at 239! That’s a 1.8 lb loss for the week!! That also puts me at 49 lbs. lost. 1 more lb to go to reach 50 lbs!! I was really happy to see 239 on the scale. The scale hasn’t moved all week and suddenly on weigh in day I drop 1.8 lbs! That’s amazing and I was so happy!

I am going to try really hard this week to be on points. I know that I can do it with a little effort.

For breakfast this morning I decided to try something different. I wanted something that would feel good on my throat. So I took 1 cup of light vanilla yogurt and cut up a banana and 1/2 cup of strawberries and added that to the yogurt. I also added 1/4 cup of cheerios for some crunch. It was delicious! I have never in my life had yogurt for breakfast. I was surprised that it kept me just as full as my oatmeal does. I’m going to have to try some more combinations with yogurt.

I’m so happy to be 1/2 way through the week. It’s really cold here today. It was in the negatives this morning and it said 11 degrees in my car on the way home. With the wind it’s much colder though! Brr! But at least the sun is shining and it’s forecasted to shine at least through Sunday! :) Yay!

I have been really sore since starting level 3 of the Shred on Sunday. But today I am feeling less sore. It seems like at every level change I have had different sore muscles and eventually the soreness goes away. But I have been sleeping in (until 5 am if you can call that sleeping in) and doing my workouts when I get home. It’s nice to have a little variety in the times. So I still need to do the Shred this afternoon. My legs are feeling so much more firm! They’re still fat, but I can feel them getting more toned and less flabby, if you will. :) Yay for NSV’s too!

My Tuesday

I was hoping to see a loss on the scale this morning after eating really well on Monday, but I only lost .2 lb. Usually if I eat the way that I did on Monday, I would lose a pound or two on Tuesday. My body seems to be out of whack lately. I need to get this figured out.

I decided to sleep in and workout when I got home from work. I tried to eat a lighter breakfast of cheerios and orange juice.

Tuesday is my usual weigh in at work day. I went to weigh on my break and neither of our HR people were in for the day yet. I was starving and knew I needed to eat a healthy snack and drink my usual water. I had been holding off on drinking water until I weighed in. So I decided to skip weigh in this week. We can skip one week, but not two weeks in a row.

I ended up leaving work at about 12:00 also. They ask us to go home if we’re not busy, I try to say no but today I was feeling sick. Scratchy throat, moments where I felt sick to my stomach and achy. I went home and got in my PJ’s, had some chicken noodle soup for lunch and then read a few blogs before spending the rest of the afternoon doing homework. I sipped on some Earl Grey tea (which I also drink every morning and LOVE) with honey and lemon mixed in. That helped my throat for a while.

It flurried all afternoon, kind of pretty to see outside the window but glad it wasn’t piling up! We don’t need anymore snow around here. If some of this snow doesn’t melt soon we are going to have flooding like we did in 2008, and that was terrible for so many people! On my drive to work I’m always amazed at the drifts that are higher than my car. Looks like sunshine for the next few days though! :)

I had supper ready when hubby got home. I cooked Schwan’s Teriyaki chicken wings. I LOVE these so much. They are 1 point a piece. They may have too many ingredients in them, but at this point they help me get by! I love these because at the end of the day I can determine how many points I have left and decide how many I want to eat. I ate 4 of those along with 1 cup of green beans for a 4 point supper. For dessert, I made some vitamin-C rich orange smoothies that taste just like Orange Julius for 2 points! Yum!

After supper, it was back to homework again. Who ever knew there were 40 page poems!

After I was finished with that I did day 23 of the 30 Day Shred. Level 3 really hurts my hip and knee on the left side. I think it’s all of the high impact moves. Only 7 more days left though and then I’m taking a rest day!! It felt good to get a workout in.

For the rest of the night I’m just going to relax. Looking forward to it! Tomorrow is my official weigh in day! I’m hoping for the best. Today has been completely on track and on points. I still have 3 points left over!

Level 3: 30 Day Shred

I completed my 10 days of level 1 and level 2 of the 30 Day Shred. Inevitably, it was time for level 3.

I was a little scared going into it, not really knowing what to expect. My hubby joined me for my first day of level 3 on Sunday.

There are some difficult moves on this level. There are a few that I still have to do the modified versions of. I just don’t have the strength to do a full pushup yet, no matter how many times I’ve tried! I know I will get there someday.

Overall, it’s another fun workout but it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I almost feel like I am getting a better workout at levels 1 and 2, but maybe it’s because of some of the modifications I am making on level 3.

As of Wednesday, I have exactly one week left of this! There’s no way I will fail now!

I’m trying to think of a new challenge for March. I want to continue to up my workouts, but not necessarily workout every single day. I get sore and I know my body needs time to rest. Any suggestions for me?

Honest Scrap Award

Thank you to Foodie Girl for giving me this award. :)

Ten Best
1.  Best Meal Ever

It’s hard to think of the best meal I’ve ever had because so many meals are delicious. One of the best was at a local Japanese restaurant. You start off with a salad made with a ginger type dressing. Then you get some clear soup that has mushrooms in it. I always get chicken as my main entree. So good!

 
2.  Best Sleep Ever

At the Hilton hotel in Cocoa Beach Florida. I have never slept in such a comfortable bed or such nice sheets! They even had one of down down comforters and down pillows- bliss!

3.  Best Cup of Coffee

My Dad’s Tanzanian teaberry that he buys- best coffee ever!

4.  Best Romantic Moment

Walking through the rose gardens near the river in my hometown with my husband. We walked near a little pond and two white swans were swimming right next to each other. It was like a scene out of a movie. :)

5.  Best Childhood Memory Moment

Going to the pumpkin patch. There was this farm near where I grew up that had a pumpkin patch with all kinds of activities for kids. We used to LOVE going there.

6.  Best Moment of Your Life

The day that I met my husband. My life hasn’t been the same since! For the better of course! :)

7.  Best Moment of Revenge

I’m not the type to take revenge.

8.  Best Thing Someone Has Ever Done For You

My Mom and Dad being perfectionists. They always expected the best. Growing up it drove me crazy, but now I see the value in it. It has made me who I am today!

9.  Best Thing You Have Ever Done For Someone Else

I don’t really know? I think my husband is pretty happy to have me around. :) I hope that I can do things everyday to make life a little easier for those around me.

10.  Best Life Changing Moment

Well, besides the obvious, marrying my husband. I’d have to say that the decision to get healthy has been a life changing moment for me. I have changed my lifestyle completely. I will continue to see the benefits of this as I keep pressing on!

I’m supposed to nominate 5 blogs, but this time I’m just going to give this award to anyone who reads my blog! I am thankful for all of you!

The Weekly 5

I’ve had a good weekend so far! Yesterday, I did my C25K first and then immediately did my 30 Day Shred workout. I think I liked this order better than the reverse. I had more energy to run and it seemed like I was more warmed up for the 30 Day Shred. I burned a lot of calories!

I have decided to change my workout weeks around a bit. I used to go by Sunday-Saturday weeks, but I think that if I had that extra day at the end of the week that I would set myself up for success. There are times throughout the week when I don’t get a workout in, and then I feel like a failure. So my new workout weeks will be Monday-Sunday. For example, this way I can get my C25K workout in 3 times this past week since I only did it once during the M-F part of the week.

Last Week’s:

1. 30 Day Shred everyday – Still on track!
2. C25K 3 times – Yep!
3. Paint my toenails-I’m going to do that tonight! 
4. Check out the Organic grocery store I found that’s near my campus. – We went there Saturday and were slightly disappointed. It’s a very small store but the prices are sky high, which is expected I guess. But we can’t afford to shop at a place like that. We did get a jar of peanut butter with no salt that’s made in Missouri. It is DELICIOUS and reasonably priced. Only ingredient: Roasted Peanuts. I love that. We also picked up 2 Luna bars for $1 each. I really like those things!
5. Try to stay positive at work. – I did pretty well this week. My boss sits right by the windows and always has the blinds shut because of a glare on his computer screen. He was out this week, so I opened up the shades and let the sunlight in. You wouldn’t believe how much easier it made it to be at work. Everything in the office is gray. You wouldn’t believe how depressing it is! lol

This Week:

1. 30 Day Shred every day
2. C25K workout 3 times a week
3. Track everything that I eat. I really need to focus on keeping my eating under control. I find that I run out of points by the end of the day and then I eat more than I should because I’m still hungry.
4. Eat more fruit instead of other snacks when I’m hungry.
5. NO VENDING MACHINE SNACKS AT WORK!! While I have stayed away from those cookies, I’ve been getting little treats out of the machine like those Quaker snack mixes or baked chips. I must stop with that!

Have a wonderful week!!

Fiasco

I have been trying not to dwell on my failures. I have been making an attempt not to write on this blog about EVERY TIME I fail in little ways because I have begun to realize that little slip ups are really not as huge as I think they are. As long as I get back up and keep going I’m fine.

But yesterday was a little different. While in the bigger picture, yesterday was jut a little slip up, while it was happening I felt like it was a FIASCO!

The day went well. I went to work, went off to school. I ate all of my healthy snacks, etc. But after school I was absolutely beat. I don’t know if I just let myself relax after a hard week or what, but I really felt it. I felt a little depressed and I think it was because we had yet another CLOUDY day and I really love those SUNNY days. They really do something for my mood.

I had the best intentions of going home and doing my c25k workout. I did complete day 19 of the Shred in the morning, so I’m still on track with that. But I’ve been having some issues with asthma since this past fall. Yesterday was one of the bad days. It gets worse when I get into school. My nose fills up and I constantly feel like I have to yawn, like I’m not getting enough oxygen or something. Either that, or I’m developing some weird obsessive habit. lol. But then I keep coughing and clearing my throat because I have stuff choking me. (I bet you really want to sit by me in class, huh? lol). But when I left I finally just broke down and did my inhaler. I am always amazed when I can take a deep breath, I don’t think I’ve realized how long I’ve had this issue. But I just kept coughing on the way home.

SO I decided not to run. Mistake number 1. I recently read in The Spark about creating upward spirals rather than downward spirals. We can influence this by making one positive choice. I did not make a positive choice.

Instead, I ate two servings of trail mix, a serving of pistachios, and a serving of dark chocolate. And then for supper I ate 2 regular hot dogs and buns with pork and beans. To top it off, we went to the grocery store and bought some lite ice cream for dessert and candy to snack on while watching a movie. I felt incredibly guilty after all of this. Once again I could map it all back to my emotional state when I came home. I cannot let EMOTIONS rule me. I must be in CHARGE of myself. Another lesson learned.

So today I am moving on. I want to get in a good workout.

Hubby and I talked about it and decided that instead of going to our really nice restaurant for our Valentine’s Day date, we’ll go somewhere less expensive and spend more money on groceries. While it’s disappointing, I know it’s a smarter choice to make. We spend quality time together no matter WHAT place we’re at. But we’ve been low on groceries and I think that has a huge impact on what I’m picking for suppers and also what I’m choosing to eat for a snack. Time to go shopping for some healthy foods!

Wow- this turned into a LONG post! Thanks for reading! :) Have a great weekend! Make healthy choices!

Official Weigh in Day

This morning I weighed in and had lost 1.6 lbs! I’m very happy with that. This puts me back down to my lowest “official” weigh in. I weighed in at 240.8. I CANNOT wait to see those 230’s and never see these 240’s again! For me, the 230’s are new. I don’t ever remember weighing in the 230’s, but I do remember dieting in the past right before I met my husband and I weighed 242. I also remember dieting in high school and getting to 212, but that’s the absolute lowest I remember seeing on the scale. Total weight lost = 47.2 lbs. It is possible for me to reach my 50 lb. goal next week but I’m not going to set myself up for disappointment. I’ll get there when I get there. :)

In the meantime, I completed day 17 of the 30 Day Shred this morning and I came home from school and completed day 1 of the week of the c25k. I am starting to wonder if I’ll be able to run a 5k this summer or not. Running is still very hard for me. I mean come on, I weigh 240 lbs! But I have improved from day 1. I really wanted to run a 5k this summer, I’ll just keep pushing along, I guess. I’m toying with the idea of trying week 4 when I complete my 30 days of the Shred, but I’m nervous to try because I don’t think I’m capable of running for 5 minutes straight.

It’s another beautiful sunny day here today! It lifts my spirits to see the sunshine. I had a normal day of work and school. The paper that I slaved over yesterday for 3 1/2 hours has now been postponed until Monday. It’s a slight relief because I still have 3 more pages to write, but it’s also a little frustrating because I took off work to make sure that I got it written. Oh well, what can ya do!

We’re half way through the week guys!!

WI at Work Day

16 days of the 30 Day Shred are officially completed! I am over halfway there. What a great feeling! I’m starting to get a little bored with level 2. Four more days of that and then I will attempt level 3 for the last 10 days. I love how this workout makes me feel. It works every part of my body and I feel so relaxed when I am done.

Today was WI at work. I lost .6 according to the inaccurate work scale. I’ll take it though, it’s better than a gain! The winner so far has lost over 7% of their body weight. For me to do that I would have had to have lost 17 lbs. in the past 3 weeks. I’d like to know how this person is losing weight so quickly. But I’m not letting it bother me because I know what I’m doing.

I am getting a little discouraged about not seeing the scale moving down. It’s like I lose .2 everyday. I used to lose over a lb. once in a while. Tomorrow is my official weigh in, so we’ll see how that goes. I try not to worry about it too much because I can see big changes in my body. Maybe I am gaining muscle with all of this working out. But I still want to lose weight and I SHOULD be losing weight. After all, I have a lot of weight to lose!

I’ve been pretty snacky lately for some reason. Maybe I need to try some new foods to keep myself satisfied. Yesterday, I cut up about 1/4 of a red pepper and dipped the strips in hummus. Understand that I hate peppers. I have never been able to eat them. So I was attempting something new. I didn’t mind it, but they definitely needed the hummus! lol. But something about that snack left me feeling satisfied. I didn’t want to eat anything else for the rest of the afternoon.

I got off work early today to come home and write a 9 page paper that my professor threw on us, DUE FRIDAY! UGH! So I’m letting myself take it easy for a little while. I am cooking a chicken breast for lunch, YUM! After lunch, I’ll get right to the paper. It is absolutely gorgeous outside today. There’s a blue sky and the sun is out. Too bad it’s still only 20 degrees!

Happy Valentine’s Day and Weekly 5

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite Holidays! I love any excuse to buy gifts for my hubby and tell him how much I love him. I also love being spoiled by him! ;)

Thanks hunnie!! I love you so much! Happy Valentine’s Day!

On to the Weekly 5:

1. 30 Day Shred every day- I accomplished this. I moved on to level 2!
2. C25K 3 times – This was a struggle for me, but in the end I found the motivation to do this all 3 days! I’m really proud of myself for this one.
3. Cook a healthy recipe and do a post on it – While I am cooking healthily, I have not taken the time to take pictures and do a post, but I really want to do this eventually!
4. Find one thing every day to be thankful for. – I did this and found so many things to be thankful for.
5. Give hubby a 10 minute massage. – I told him that I would give him a 10 minute massage, he asked me to give him a 5 minute massage and save the other one for another day. He hasn’t asked for the other one yet! :)

This week I would like to accomplish:

1. 30 Day Shred everyday
2. C25K 3 times
3. Paint my toenails- Yep, they need it again and I won’t take the time to do it unless I make it a goal.
4. Check out the Organic grocery store I found that’s near my campus.
5. Try to stay positive at work. As much as I hate it, I have to work there for the time being. I need to find a way to make it a more positive experience. Stress isn’t good for anyone.

Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Saturday: Day 13

This morning we slept in until 7:00. That used to be early for me, but now it’s sleeping in! Weird how that changes, huh?

We’re running low on groceries, so this morning we whipped up some pancakes with pancake mix. They were so good. I had sugar free syrup on mine and also 1 cup of fresh strawberries. It was a great breakfast.

I decided it was now or never with my 30 Day Shred today, so I got right to it. I burned 237 calories today, I wasn’t as tired and I was able to work harder. I felt so motivated while doing it that I decided to go right into my c25k workout. I felt a little crazy doing it because it never would have been possible for me to do two hard workouts in one day in the past. But I knew I could do it if I just tried. Like Jillian always say, you have to push yourself if you want to see results. I AM capable of so much more. I pushed myself and burned 268 more calories. I even ran the running sections at 5 mph. That’s 505 calories burned today! I am still amazed at how far I have come.

We were planning on going out for Japanese for lunch today as our Valentine’s Day date. But because of extra costs to fix my car, we decided we better wait a week or two and go out for a nice meal then. So for lunch we went to Hy-Vee (grocery store) that has a deli, salad bar, kitchen, Chinese, and Italian food. I got the salad bar and enjoyed every bite of it. Wow, I didn’t know their salad bar was so good! Everything was so fresh. I even had some juicy pineapple. We’ll definitely be going there again.

After that, we got some groceries for the week and then headed home. I was exhausted by the time we got home! I guess that workout really did wear me out!

So now it’s just time to relax and spend the rest of the evening together. Looking forward to Valentine’s Day tomorrow!!

12 Days Completed

Hello blogger friends! Aren’t you happy it’s the weekend? I know that I am!

I have done level 2 of the 30 Day Shred for 2 days now. It’s a nice change and I can handle it! I do take short rests here and there but I am not doing TOO many modifications on the moves. My hips and knees don’t hurt so much anymore. Now I have sore shoulders! But it’s just part of exercising for your body to get a little sore. I’m not so sore that movement hurts or anything like that, so I think I am ok.

I talked myself into and then talked myself back out of doing the c25k today. But by the time I got home and in the house, saw my workout clothes just sitting there waiting for me to put them on (I guess my getting them ready this morning was a good thing), I just put them on and got right to it. So that’s 2 days of c25k and I want to run again tomorrow too. It feels so good to run. It’s not such a dread anymore because I just love those initial moments of running. Yes, by the time I’m done I just want to collapse, but I’d get up and do it again if my body wasn’t sore! I have noticed that since doing the 30 Day Shred everyday, when I run, the backs of my legs hurt right around the knee area. Not sure what those muscles are? But after cooling down about 10 minutes the pain is gone.

Thanks for the tips on why my weight has gone up. I kind of wonder if my muscles are retaining water, like Jenn said. It just doesn’t make sense why I would be gaining after working out so much.

Yesterday was an off day for me. I was hungry all day long and therefore snacked some and also ate a few cookies. But it seemed to be just what I needed because today, I’m feeling good. I’m not hungry or snacky at all. I firmly believe that once in a while, we just need to have a big meal or some of the foods we’ve been denying ourselves. At least for myself, it helps to satisfy me and I’m ready to get back to the healthy foods again.

By the way, I had one woman who hadn’t seen me in a while tell me that she could tell I had lost weight. My sister in law also texted me today and said that it looks like I have lost a lot and I’m looking really toned. She must have seen a picture of me or something. Now my number may have gone up a bit on the scale, but those kind of compliments really keep me going! My body must be changing and maybe I’m losing inches!! It’s so motivating!!

Official Weigh In Day

I gained 1.6 lbs today. I’m pretty depressed about that. I thought that all of my hard work with working out would help me out. I earned 38 AP’s after all! But ultimately, I kind of screwed up my eating over the weekend when I was at home. I tracked everything, but I did go into my AP’s and that’s not a good thing to do. So I know what I need to do and I’m going to do it this week. I’m just sad that I’m set back again and it’s going to take me even LONGER to meet this 50 lb. goal. As long as I get there, that’s all that matters.

Hubby did the 30 Day Shred w/ me yesterday. He thought it was a really tough workout. It helps to have someone workout with me. I’m getting a little weary of the workout. I’m sore in all the same places that have the most impact. I think I’m getting a little bored with the moves. I’m tired. I want a rest day.

But there’s no stopping. I really want to meet my goal by doing the 30 Day Shred for 30 days in a row. I think I’m going to attempt level 2 tomorrow. Level 1 is still hard for me, but I’m thinking some new moves will help me out a bit. I completed day 10 today, so I figure I can do each level for 10 days and then I’ll be done. If level 2 seems like too much for me tomorrow, I’ll go back to level 1.

Today is beautiful and sunny. I have missed the sunshine so much. It just puts me in an overall better mood. We’re half way through the week!!!

Weigh in At Work

I weighed in at work today and gained 3.2 lbs. Being that last week it said I had a 6 lb. loss, I’m still ok and still losing. I’m thinking I’m probably going to have a gain for tomorrow also. But I’ll keep on going.

This morning hubby’s work canceled, so he took me to work. I always hate having to go to work when he doesn’t have to. The winds were going to pick up, so we planned on him picking me up at 11:30 to make sure we were home safe before we had blizzard conditions. My company cares more for money than they do for the safety of their employees so I always have to make these decisions myself, with safety in mind. But I always have to feel guilty. At least I went in, that’s more than I can say for some people. I have a long drive on an open road, so it’s always a little different for me.

I decided not to do the 30 day shred this morning. I was still sore from my run yesterday. So hubby said that he will do the workout with me today. Looking forward to that this afternoon! My body doesn’t feel as sore now.

So now I just need to do laundry, clean the house, and do some homework. I’m not sure what the morning will bring because we’re supposed to have high winds tonight too. I’m ready for spring!!

Turned it Around

I left you off on a bad note last night. I wasn’t feeling like myself and I was depressed and felt hopeless.

So, right after I wrote the post. I got off my butt and went outside and shoveled. Yes, we have a snow blower, but I wanted the exercise and I was proud with how much more endurance I had. It got the endorphins going because when I was done I took a walk around the block. It was pretty. I trekked my way through 4 inches of un-shoveled sidewalks and it was peaceful and just what I needed.

I came inside and thought to myself, “I’ve had enough of a pity party, it’s time to do the right thing.” It really hit me how my stress induced eating didn’t do a thing for me. Food is not the answer. So I got in my “power pink” workout gear and did my c25k for the first time in two weeks. It felt wonderful. I was covered in sweat and that last 3 minute run has never been harder. But you know what? I conquered.

I think I had a record calorie burn for myself. Around 558 calories burned. How’s that for a Monday? :)

Another Monday

I dragged myself out of bed to half-heartedly do the 30 Day Shred this morning. Ultimately, I did it and that’s all that matters today. I did burn less calories though.

Work was the same old for me again. There are things that go on there that I just don’t understand and it irks me. It seems like hard work is not rewarded. They promote the slackers and the ones who are not reliable. I just don’t get it. All I know is that I do not want to work for this company any longer than I have to. My co-worker, who feels the same way, keeps reminding me that this job is just a means to an end while I’m in school. She’s right, but it’s so hard to deal with this on a daily basis.

Then it was off to school. I’m lost in my poetry class. I just don’t get what people get out of the poetry that we read. That makes me feel like I’m not as smart as other people and then I start downgrading myself, which isn’t good.

The drive home was long and slow. We’ve been hit with another snowstorm and it’s been snowing steadily since this morning. We’re supposed to get a total of 13 inches or so. But I’m just getting used to the winter driving. It’s just a part of life for me right now.

But the thing is, I came home and didn’t feel like doing my c25k workout. Which is fine. I just have to do it 3 days a week, doesn’t really matter which days. But instead, I ate junk. Chocolate chips, pecans, chips and salsa, and a little melt w/ corn tortillas, cheese and deli meat. The important thing is that I know why I did it. I’m all stressed out about work and school and not knowing what I’m doing with my life. I counted every bite but now I feel terrible and I have to weigh in at work tomorrow.

Do I sound like I’m having a pity party? Maybe I am. I tried to think of things that I’m thankful for today as often as possible. I thought how thankful I was that I was able to follow a snow plow home on the snow covered highway and immediately the snow plow pulled over to the side of the road. lol I tell ya! :)

The Weekly 5

1. Double my workouts.- I worked out everyday this week as opposed to 5 days usually. So not quote double, but my new plan is the 30 Day Shred everyday, and I accomplished that.
2. Drink at least 8 cups of water a day. – I have found that drinking this must water makes me feel so much better. I’ve noticed I haven’t been getting headaches very often.
3. Do the FIRM workout in it’s entirety. – I did not get this done with my focus being on the 30 Day Shred for now.
4. Continue the 10 sit-ups a day. – I didn’t do these, but there are lots of ab moves in the Shred, does that count?
5. Cook a healthy recipe and do a post on it. – Sorry- I really want to do a post on a recipe and haven’t found the time for it yet!

This week:

1. 30 Day Shred every day
2. C25K 3 times
3. Cook a healthy recipe and do a post on it (we’ll try this again)
4. Find one thing every day to be thankful for.
5. Give hubby a 10 minute massage. (see New Years Resolutions)

I did my 30 day shred this morning. I was very sore and tired. I burned less calories than yesterday, but at least I did it. I’m not sure if it was the mattress we were sleeping on, or because there was concrete under the carpet, or if I’m just getting tired from 7 days of the shred. But I’m ready to get up in the morning and do it again!

Did I stick to my plan?

Yes, I did! So as of Saturday, so far so good! My brother agreed to do the 30 Day Shred with me. It was awesome having someone to do the workout with me. And get this, it must have really helped me pump it up because I burned 284 calories! That’s what I’m talking about! It felt good today. Didn’t have any knee pain while working out. I’m trying to be more aware of how far I’m letting my knee go down and ensuring it’s not going over my foot when I do squats and lunges. As for my brother’s opinion of the 30 Day Shred? “It was good.” Yep, that’s my brother. lol He worked up a little sweat but not nearly as much as “out of shape” me!

My mom and I went over to Lane Bryant because I had a $15 off of $15 coupon. We don’t have one very close to us at home, so I always try to take advantage of the coupons when I’m here. I found a pair of panties for $15 and ended up getting them for FREE!! Now that’s the kind of shopping that I like!

Then we headed over to Valli Produce. I always go there when we visit and basically get some groceries for the week. We bring a cooler and bring it all home. I’ve mentioned this store before, but they have this AMAZING produce section. REALLY cheap deals. I got avocados for .39 cents, papaya, Brussels sprouts, red pepper, yellow squash, 3/$4 packs of strawberries, eggplant and asparagus. There is probably more that I am forgetting! It’s an international market, so I always pick up chocolate from different countries when I’m there. I got myself a dark chocolate bar. I eat a couple of squares here and there and they always last a while! I also got my hubby a white chocolate bar. I got Muenster cheese for $1.99/ lb. 2 Chobani greek yogurts for .99 each! Coffee yogurt for .25, Smart Balance popcorn, authentic taco seasoning, corn tortillas for .39, a loaf of whole wheat bread, and some wafers for dessert once in a while. I’m sure that I’m forgetting something. My mom bought me two packages of egg plant hummus that I can’t wait to try!! All of this only cost me $27. I just love good deals!

The rest of the evening we’ll just spend relaxing. I’m looking forward to it. I feel so much joy inside. I’m so happy. I think I can attribute part of this to seeing the sun shine. We’ve had so many cold and cloudy days lately. It’s always so good to be home!

Day 5: 30 Day Shred

Once again, I burned more calories than the previous 4 days. Is my body getting more tired and having to work harder or am I getting stronger so I am able to work harder?

I did wear my shoes today. I thought everyone did their workout DVDs at home in their socks. lol I guess I’m the weird one! :) Seemed to be better support. I have noticed a lot of my shoes being looser. Whether it’s from them wearing in more or my feet getting smaller, I’m not really sure. All I know is that I now have two pairs of shoes that my feet float around in. So the support isn’t what it should be. I did feel like I had better control and balance. I wasn’t sliding on the carpet when I was trying to do some of the moves, so I’ll keep up with the shoe wearing.

I have noticed that my right knee is sore today. Any suggestions on how to make that go away? My shoulders have been slightly sore when I do the moves, but nothing I can’t handle. Other than that, I can still walk and my legs feel stoing when I do my squats. :)

My friend at work is going to borrow the dvd from her mom, so I’m interested to hear what she thinks of it! Hopefully she doesn’t think it’s easy because I’ve been telling her how hard it is! lol

Have a good weekend!

Day 4: 30 Day Shred

I had to go to bed 2 hours later last night and that really played a toll on me! It was hard to drag myself out of bed at 4:30 this morning. But I did it.

I was a little tired and so didn’t feel like working as hard today. But I still burned more calories than yesterday. I noticed that my knees and ankles are slightly sore today. I should probably be wearing shoes when I do this workout. My living room is carpeted and I like working out in my socks!

We are going home to my parents this weekend and I DO NOT want to forget my DVD!

People have started commenting more about me looking smaller. It makes me feel so good. I always feel like I’m the fattest one everywhere. But I just realized today that I weigh less than my co-worker and I’ve always thought she’s gorgeous. It’s weird to think of! I wonder if I’ll always feel like I’m 300 lbs?

I feel like lately my clothes have been fitting looser. I just bought a couple new skirts sometime in November or so and they are getting large on me already. One of them was snug when I bought it! I’ll be interested to see what my measurements are when I reach my 50 lb. goal.

Weigh In Day

I hit another new low today! So exciting. I weighed in at 240.8, which is a loss of 1.2 lbs for the week. Total loss of 47.2 lbs. Edging closer to that 50 lb goal!

This was my first weigh in for the month of February. I lost 5 lbs in the month of January! I am thrilled with that because it exceeds my goal of 1 lb. a week loss. I have not had a loss that large in a month since March. I am hoping to keep this up through February! I think this competition at work is a great motivator to stay on track.

I completed day 3 of the 30 Day Shred today. I burned more calories than the past 2 times, so I must be able to work harder. Maybe this is silly, but I can feel myself being able to endure a little longer than I could on day 1. Maybe it’s too early to tell. :) But, I’m definitely stronger than I was the very first time I did this workout.

I know this may not be the best decision ever, but I decided not to do the c25k workout this week. I’m concentrating on getting this morning 30 day Shred workout in. I like to run in the afternoons. MWF are my running days. Monday was out of the picture for health reasons, and today I’m just in the mood to take it easy this afternoon (don’t I deserve that once in a while?), and Friday we’re leaving town. Don’t worry, I plan to be back at it on Monday! I will do the 30 day Shred everyday though, so I’m still getting in more workouts than ever before. I still feel guilty though. Tuesday and Thursdays are just not good days for workouts in the evening because I'm exhausted after my really long days at work those days. Is it ok to cut myself some slack? Or should I be up and at ‘em running this week?

2nd Weigh in at Work

I stepped on the work scale and it said that I had lost 5.8 lbs. LOL What a joke! This morning my scale at home showed I had lost 2 lbs from last week, which is much more accurate. 5.8 lbs…I didn’t even lose that much the first week I dieted! But, either way, that puts me at 2.3% lost and that’s pretty darn good! This is a competition!! Who cares if the scale is wrong! ;)

But tomorrow is my real weigh in. So we’ll see how that goes. Hopefully good! Today was a good number, but I’m assuming I’ll gain some for tomorrow. Wish me luck!

By the way, I completed day 2 of the 30 Day Shred. Feeling good. Not too sore…but we’ll see how I feel when I wake up tomorrow! :) I’m going to stay on level 1 for these 30 days. Then I’ll have the opportunity to do this with each level. I’ve actually never done any other levels yet. I’m trying not to go too far into the moves so that I can endure the 30 days.

Feast Your Eyes

Upon THIS:

Mmmmm…one of my favorites. I ate this for breakfast this morning.

It was back to work for me today. We were really busy and I felt confused and a little behind for a while, but picked up my pace after a few hours.

We met one of our goals at work as a team, so our client catered in Panera for breakfast. I didn’t deny myself, as I very rarely do that because I’ve found that depriving myself results in worse damage later on that just letting myself enjoy some food. I ate 1 cinnamon crunch bagel w/ honey nut cream cheese. This is one of my favorites. I enjoyed every bite of it.

I had a realization that just because I ate this bagel does not mean that I have failed miserably. What it does mean is that I have just eaten something substantial and there is no reason to eat my lunch if I am not hungry come lunch time. And that’s just what I did. Seems so simple yet it’s a concept I have not understood in the past. So, I ate a banana, pineapple, and fat free/sugar free pudding at lunch time and didn’t eat my sandwich. I was satisfied. Imagine that. I counted my points, as excessive as they were, and felt ok with what I ate. No guilt. That’s an accomplishment.

I am worried about weigh in at work tomorrow. With my body “not moving” I’m afraid the scale is going to move up. My mom recommended that I buy a bottle of that laxative stuff and see if that helps things along. 1 1/2 hours later…nothings happening. lol  *sigh* It’s embarrassing enough weighing in front of someone and to gain on the first week would be humiliating. I’ll hope for the best and stay away from salt tonight!

Oh and by the way I have embarked on a journey to do the 30 day shred everyday during the month of February- That’s right! Everyday, including Saturdays and Sundays.  Kelly said she’s with me on this. Anyone else that wants to do this so we can hold each other accountable? Let me know!

My first day went superb. I may not have given it 100% because this was my first workout in a week and I was feeling a little weak this morning. My heart rate monitor wasn’t working right either-argh! But, Day one is done!

New Years Resolutions: Check Up

I’ve decided that this year I am going to check up on my New Years Resolutions at the beginning of every month to remind myself what I want to work towards and see if I am making any progress. So here we go!

1. Run a 5k. – I am still doing the c25k program. While I’m still on week 3, I’m building endurance and will hopefully be able to run a 5k by the end of the year.

2. Be a better wife. – I’m trying- but I could still improve! I think I need to be more specific in this goal. What am I going to do to be a better wife? I should try to do something special every day.

3. Continue to become healthier- I am still on track and losing weight. I’d say that I’m still working on this.

4. Get debt under control- We are doing very well in this aspect. We have our spending under control and it’s really working out for us so far.

5. Weigh less on January 1st 2011, than I do on January 1st 2010!- Well, I weigh less February 1st than I did on January 1st- On the right track!