Back at it

I gave my shins a much needed rest yesterday. Not that I really rested much yesterday. I took Lilly to the pool with my sister and her boys. We played in the baby pool for 3 hours. That was a lot of walking in the water so I am sure I got some form of calorie burn. Today I amped up my workout and while I wanted to double my burn goal I didn't quite make it. Those darn shins got me again. However I did get to 558 calories burned so not too shabby. I'm sure it will just take some time to heal. Today was another fun in the sun day but at my parent's house. I must say that I am looking forward to a day in the air conditioning. That sun was brutal today. I am a little crispy. I am looking forward to an awesome number this Sunday. My 24 day challenge is over with. I really hope that I won it. I know I worked hard enough to. Of course it won't matter if I don't but hey, who doesn't like to win? Keep going even if you have a small injury. And don't beat yourself up for taking a day to rest. Your body will thank you for it in the long haul!

Ouchie

Yesterday my shins started hurting on the treadmill so I didn't end up finishing my workout on there. I went over to the elliptical and finished up my 400 calorie burn. I felt better so I decided that today I would just do the elliptical the whole time. I set it for 45 minutes and got to rock and rolling. Ok, I fancy myself a capable runner but doing the elliptical for 45 minutes just down right sucked. I didn't get as much calorie burn my holy crap batman! My calves were on fire. I finished up my calorie burn on the treadmill and trundled on home. I've been researching things to do in order to prevent and treat shin splints. Basically stretching them, icing them, medicating them, taping them, and treating them with different shoes is what I came up with. I have shoes from The Running Store so it can't be that. I guess i'll be doing the other stuff. In the mean time if it hurts tomorrow I just may be doing some inventive exercising in my pool. Hopefully there aren't too many people in it so that I don't embarrass myself. On to my new calorie budget. I was a smidge concerned that it would be difficult to come up with meals to stay within my allotted budget but it's not been hard at all. I went to Meijer and stocked up on all kinds of goodies. I have a lot of fruit, veggies, yogurt, and even some organic cookies and bars when I need a treat. There are so many great foods and resources out there if you really want to change your eating habits. Just remember to eat as clean as you can because "diet foods" are full of chemicals that will end up doing the opposite result. They make you have more cravings, slow down your metabolism, and some have chemicals that are under going research because they believe they cause cancer. Yikes! Go with what the good Lord provided. Eat your fruits and veggies!

New Process

Breakfast - 250, Lunch - 300, Snack - 150, Dinner - 400, Snack -150


This is going to be my new plan. I need to be more methodical about what I eat and how many calories I burn. I have been trying to get away with just keeping track in my head. I'm still losing but now what I would like or am capable of. My calorie burn is going to be set at 400 calories/6 days a week. That is going to be easy to do. I'm super close to it now. Thanks Nicole for all your help!!

GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!

Ok, so it's just ONE goal out of many but still. I am officially out of the 190s!!!!!!!!! I hate that darn nine and am so glad to see it BEHIND an eight. 189.2lbs baby!!!!!!!!!!!! That puts me at 9.8lbs lost in 3 weeks. Now on to my next goal. 170s here I come!!

This is why I hate scales

Today I was expecting to see a lower number on my scale but instead I saw a higher number. It wasn't much, .4lbs, but I wasn't expecting to see it go up. I have been working very hard and I always expect my scale to reflect that. I have learned however that the scale will let me down unless I weigh myself just once a week. That scale could care less how much work i've done. It just reads how much my body feels like projecting that day. All I know is that darn thing better show a loss on Sunday or it's getting the Office Space treatment!

Don't stop

Don't give up! Ok I know that is a quote from Yo Gabba Gabba but it is such a good lesson. I did not want to work out today. It got to be 11pm and I told Steve I just wasn't going to do it. I started putting away laundry and just seeing all my clothes was such a powerful reminder of why I need to go. I threw on some workout gear and headed off to the gym. I thought I would just walk so that I at least got some exercise in. When I stepped on that treadmill however I thought "why would you drag yourself down here Becky only to phone it in? You might as well have stayed home." So I hit the interval button and let the good times roll. The longer I ran the better I felt. Some days this journey is hard but never give up. You are worth every bit of effort it takes. Never stop believing that.

14

I am officially a size 14!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I honestly don't remember the last time I was a 14. It's definitely been several years. I tried on 3 different stores' pants and they all fit so I definitely feel great. I'm thinking i'm going to get my wish on the scale this week. WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Jillian

I went to the gym tonight but there were a bunch of people there. I was able to get 10 minutes in on the treadmill, elliptical, and stationary bike. I got a decent calorie burn but I just felt incomplete. I decided to do a Jillian Michaels video called "No More Trouble Zones" to complete my workout. O....M.....G! She is one mean chick. I was sweating and cursing through the whole thing. I finally collapsed two sets from the end when she tortures you with planks. While I feel good about my workout now I am also peeved that she beat me. My new mini goal is to make it through the entire video while doing EXACTLY what they are doing. I will get my revenge on you Jillian!

Goal shirt

Ok, one more thing. I was out shopping for groceries at Meijer and I came upon a super cute owl shirt that was on clearance. I had to have it. I went hunting for my size but I could only find it in a medium and I am an XL right now. I was so upset because it was one more example of how my weight holds me back. After that negative nancy thought a positive patsy thought popped into my head. "Becky! This can be your goal weight shirt!" I have always refrained from buying goal weight clothes because I always had the notion that I was setting myself up for failure. This time however just feels different. I am in such a good place in my life mentally so I went for it. It is now hanging proudly in my closet for me to admire daily. I can't wait to show that shirt off this fall. So, when you are ready, go out and get something that you love in a size you want to be. It doesn't have to be expensive (mine was $7) but make sure it is something that you are dying to wear. Let it motivate you and remind you of what you are working towards.

Feel the burn

I ran a mile straight today at a 5.0 then rested a bit then ran again for .65 miles at a 5.0. I am slowly but surely getting faster and better at running. I miss my intervals so I think i'll do some of each tomorrow. I did some more strength training today. My leg presses are up to 175 lbs, which is a 6, and I started at 80 lbs/level 3. I am constantly seeing improvements and that really drives me to do more. I am still pretty weak with my arms but one day i'll have some guns. :) I am really feeling good this time around. Yesterday I really wanted a brownie sundae that everyone was eating so I made myself a mini version that was about three bites and it was awesome! I didn't feel at all guilty because I had made great choices and I rewarded myself. I think that attitude is keeping me from binging and really helping me figure this out as a lifestyle. My whole point is to live better and the emphasis is on LIVE. Just remember to have some self-control and you can make eating a lot of fun.

My fastest mile

I just ran a mile straight at a 5.0 which is a 12 minute mile. That may seem slow to some people but when I started exercising about a year and a half ago I was at a 20 minute mile. That is what I call progress people! I ran the mile and then I hopped onto the elliptical for 30 minutes to get some more calories burned without so much stress on my legs. I really felt good after this workout because I really didn't want to do it. However, I really want to get to the 180s so I hauled my tookus over there and sucked it up. On a quick side note I just killed a giant spider that was lurking outside and baby spiders came flying out of it. I HATE spiders so that was just horrible. Yuck, yuck, yuck, yuck!!!!!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for......

Running at a 6.2!!! I have never ever run above a 4.5 on the treadmill. I never believed that I could. So, when I did my intervals yesterday I went up to level 11 and it showed a 6.2 for my intervals. I about pooped my pants. The fear and doubt started to creep back in but then I remembered a TBL episode where Jillian said that it isn't your body that can't do it, it's your mind. If I let my fear and doubt rule me I wouldn't be able to do 30 minutes of intervals at that speed. (Intervals have you do a high speed for a minute and a low speed for a minute and repeat over and over) I pushed out the negative, turned on some music, and believed in myself. I did it no problem. It really shows that the old adage mind over matter really is true. I followed it up with a bunch of strength training on the machines. I'm starting to really feel good. Oh, and i'm down to 191.2 lbs so look for a crazy woman post next Sunday when I get below 190. :)

Boring

I really have nothing insightful or exciting to report. I have been really blah today for some reason. We did go explore Morse Lake and it was so beautiful. We walked around and let Lilly play for a bit. Then we drove through Forrest Park which was awesome. It has a golf course, baseball field, water park, putt-putt golf, trails, a train museum and trains, a classic movie every Friday night and i'm sure other things as well. We will definitely be going back. Steve and I are trying to find free and healthy activities for our family. We then went to historic downtown Noblesville and walked around. It is a pretty cool town. We went into an ice cream shop that smelled heavenly. It had all homemade ice cream, chocolates, cones, and various other goodies. I am so proud of myself that I abstained. I will however treat myself to something in the future. I don't believe in deprivation because it will only lead me to binge. I want it to be a special treat however not just because it was there. We ran some errands and I found Jamba bars that Nicole recommends at Walmart for $2.88 which is pretty cheap. I got peach-blackberry which has only 70 calories. The coconut and pineapple one was to die for and only 90 calories. As for exercise it was really only the walking while exploring. I think i'll do a yoga video and some squats and junk just so I can get in some form of exercise. Oh! I decided that every Sunday morning I am going to weigh myself at the gym for my official weekly weight but I am going to track my progress on my scale at home. Just as a constant reminder to keep on track.

Interval queen!

I love intervals! They make me feel so empowered. I love seeing that interval number go higher and higher. Today I did it for 30 minutes at level 10. My interval speed was 5.8. I have NEVER ran that fast in my adult life. I love it when I see results from my hard work. Those intervals really do help your endurance. I also did 50 squats, 50 crunches, 50 hip extensions, 45 calf raises, and 10 pushups. They were all right in a row. I'm such a weenie when it comes to arm strength. That is one area where I am really going to have to focus on. I did great with eating today so i'm hoping to see a good number on the scale this Sunday. I am really ready to leave those 190's in the dust. That will be such a huge milestone for me.

No excuses

I have been feeling crummy today. I'm tired, cramping, and grouchy. I haven't really done a whole lot to be honest. A little laundry and watching Lilly is about all. I was going to go to bed and leave it at that but then I remembered something. I promised myself no excuses. Obviously if I am really ill or have an injury or something to that effect that's a different story. I am pretty sure that a period shouldn't get in my way of getting healthy and losing weight. So I am going to watch my old season of The Biggest Loser and use my stair stepper. 30 minutes won't kill me. So remember NO EXCUSES!!!

Can you say busy day?

Holy cow this has been one full day. It was worth it when my nephew told me it was a pretty rockin day. That made me smile. We (Lilly, me, my two nephews, and my mom) went to the zoo today. It is elephant week so we got to see a cool elephant show and pet the elephant. That was wicked cool. We also got to see the tiger show again which the boys loved. We were there for about 4 hours after a train ride and fun in the water park. Then we went back to mom's house and had pizza. I had the veggie delite and salad. It was so good and very good on the calorie side too. The kids wanted to wait for my dad to get home so I pulled on some stretchy pants and went for a jog. I ended up going 3.5 miles. 2.1 miles jogging and 1.4 miles walking. It was 5 laps total and I started off jogging and interspersed walking until I finished the last lap jogging. My endurance is getting much better already. After that we went back to my sister's house and she wasn't home so I decided to just get the boys some stuff and have a slumber party. After showers and snack time I am one pooped chickadee! Now it's time to wrangle them all in bed and all of us get some shut eye. It's been such a precious day and i'm so glad we moved and are closer to them.

Perseverance is key

And also a really great friend. (Shout out to Nicole!) As you can see by my previous post I was having a rough day today. The scale really got me down as well as a horrible nightmare. (No, I will not be sharing what it is on here) I was in a funk, not ready to give up, but despairing about whether or not I was going to fail. Nicole really talked to me about how this is not something you can fail at. This is my life i'm talking about not a diet or exam. She is so right. So as much as I want to yell SCREW THE SCALE! I will refrain because it does gauge my progress and I need the darn thing. So how about YOU DON'T OWN ME SCALE! I got in two miles tonight. I jogged one and walked the other. Pretty decent considering just how pooptastic I feel today. I'm hoping tomorrow dawns a new Becky.

When scales attack

I am feeling attacked on all sides. Steve got me a new scale yesterday at walmart since I don't have one. I have been weighing myself at the gym. I was so excited to use it so I got it out and stepped on the scales. That is when I got my first punch in the gut. It said 200 lbs!!! I wanted to throw up! I took the scale down to the gym and weighed myself on both of them. There is a 3.8lb difference!!! Now I am struggling with which weight to use. I don't think I am that heavy but I have no idea which one is right. Steve said I should weigh myself at Lori's house (my sister) and go with whatever has the majority. That is pretty sound reasoning so that is what I am going to do. The second attack was this morning. Even with the weight subtraction it is 195lbs. How did that happen? I exercised twice yesterday! I am so not giving in to this but I can't deny that it will hurt if I have to lose another four pounds to get out of these stupid 190s.

Am I a runner?

Well not by the traditional standards but I am running! I just got done running a mile outside in this beautiful weather and I feel great! I know that is not a 5k or anything but I sure am proud. I think i'm a runner!

UPDATE: I just got back from the gym and I did 4.5 miles on the elliptical in 30 minutes. I am sooo proud of myself. If you want to quit just remember your goal and keep going. It's so worth it in the end!

Weight

Ok, still no scale however I hauled my butt over to the gym before eating or really waking up and weighed myself. I was pleasantly surprised to see 192.8lbs. Wow people. Wow. When I weighed in for the 24 day challenge, granted it was around dinner time, I was 199.0lbs. My thought process at that point was "Crap Becky. It's going to take you forever to get back out of those poopy 190s again." I am a mere 2.9lbs away from being 189.9lbs! That is awesome. There is no secret to weight loss. I'm not doing anything magical. Just good old fashioned "diet" and exercise. I say "diet" because I don't consider myself to be on a diet. I am just making good choices because I want to be around for Steve and Lilly. So, if you are on a weight loss journey yourself don't be scared when you see your starting number. Rejoice that you are in fact STARTING and that soon enough you will leave that number in the dust!

Calories

Nicole and I did my calories tonight and i'm pretty happy. I get 1400 calories split up into 3 meals and two snacks. My all time favorite snacking hour is before bedtime so we worked a small snack in two hours before bedtime. Talk about a great plan! Here it is in case you are curious.



Breakfast - 300, Lunch - 350, Snack - 150, Dinner - 450, Snack -150

Smoothies and scales

I haven't eaten badly this weekend but I haven't eaten as well as I would like since we have been celebrating Steve's birthday. I've been well within my calorie limits but I don't think that everything was AS nutritionally dense as it could have been. Soooo...tonight I made myself a super yummy smoothie. It has strawberries, blueberries, 1/2% milk (found this at Meijer and I love it), and ice. Super yummy and it's making me feel better already! I still haven't gotten a scale. I looked at CVS today and the only scale they had was $60!!! Yeah...no. I have no idea how i'm doing weight wise but I do genuinely feel good. I think that is reflecting on my number of posts and the content. I really feel good about what i'm doing and I don't feel too guilty (notice the too because i'm still battling my inner diet diva) about eating out because i'm making great choices. I know that this is the style of living that I want for the rest of my life. I don't want to have to think about weight too much. Maybe i'm subtly sabotaging the scale-finding process. I still have to exercise today but I am excited about it because Steve found me some more Zumba videos. Those things are a blast and I am seriously sweaty and winded after them and the only one I have done was 20 minutes long! Lol! They are usually 60 minutes. I will definitely post after I do the long one. Ok, time to get going and drink my delish smoothie!

Olive Garden

We went to Olive Garden for lunch for Steve's birthday. I knew in advance that we were going so I planned my meal ahead of time. I wanted to "celebrate" so I got a peach bellini which was 170 calories. I got soup and salad, pasta e fagioli if you care to know, which was 250 calories. All in all I had 420 calories while eating at Olive Garden. Before I was eating anywhere between 1290-1510!!!!!!!!!! That is insane to me. I didn't even realize it because I was eating salad, breadsticks with dipping sauce, and mushroom ravioli. I never thought in a million years that would add up to those insane numbers. It's not like I was gorging on alcoholic drinks, tons of food, and dessert. Sometimes finding out what you had been eating prior to "dieting" is just depressing. Especially when you thought you were making "better" choices than you could have been making. There are some dishes at Olive Garden that are over 1000 calories. That just blows my mind. I don't understand why they can't healthify some of these dishes. Insane. So I'm off to the gym and then I am making Steve's requested s'more cupcakes. I love celebrating birthdays!

PS Before Posting this I was totally feeling guilty for eating at Olive Garden. I wasn't until I realized just how well I did and how poorly I could have done that changed that attitude for me. The food was amazing so I guess I just assumed that I did bad even thought I did my homework before going out. Funny how our minds work.

Intervals

I did intervals on the treadmill tonight and I really liked it. I put it on a level three but it was too slow so I just kept upping the speed. I was really proud of jogging at a 4.5 during the speedy part of the interval. On the rather embarrassing side I definitely need some sports bras. Yikes! It said that I only burned a few hundred calories so that was disappointing because I did it for a half hour but hey, it's something. Another day of really good eating so i'm proud of myself. Dinner was fish, quinoa, and mixed vegetables. It was super yummy and wicked easy. I'll  be repeating that one again. Tomorrow is Steve's birthday. This is our last year of our 20s. I'm actually pretty happy about that. I want my 30's to be a fresh start for us and I'll be at my goal weight and living life how I want to by then. Oh! I weighed myself tonight because I was super curious and it said 195.8! Let's hope the scale continues to move in that direction.

Reasons

I was just reading a post on another person's weight loss blog and it really inspired me. What reasons do I have for losing the weight, getting healthy, getting strong? Well here they are:

1. I want to be a positive role-model for my daughter
2. I want to feel good instead of feeling tired and grumpy all the time
3. I want to be able to explore this wonderful world that God has given me
4. I want to feel and be beautiful for my husband and myself
5. I want to inspire others

I have watched The Biggest Loser since the day it aired and wished for the things that they have accomplished. They seem to have achieved all these reasons that I have set for myself. They may have had the ranch but they still had to do a lot of work to get there. That is what I need to remember. There is no magic cure, no "secret", no miracle that will get the results. Only I can do it and I will. I will be posting these reasons all over my house so as to not forget why I am on this journey. I may be doing a 24 day challenge but that is just a small trip in my great adventure that is my life.

Swimsuit

I had Steve take a picture of me for the 24 day challenge in my swimsuit. Let's just say I don't look how I feel in it. I thought that I looked sexy in it but in reality I look like a red whale in it. My legs and butt look atrocious. I need to really focus on them during this challenge. Hopefully I can find some good exercises for them. Hopefully by the end of the challenge i'll feel brave enough to post the pictures. On the positive side today was a good eating day. I also got the apartment completely put together so it feels like home. I really love it here. We went swimming with my nephews and mom tonight and had a ton of fun.

Woot

I'm really happy with today. I did really well at the zoo. (BTW, the tigers were awesome!) I didn't eat lunch there however Lilly and I shared some dip and dots. I am proud of that because I was able to enjoy the few bites of dip and dots without feeling guilty. We went to Panera for lunch and I got the you pick two. I got salad and a turkey sandwich for about 300 calories. I also passed the brownies by so yay me! I made it to the gym after Steve got home. I can tell it's been awhile but I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and 15minutes on the spin bike. I didn't do as well as I used to but I am proud none the less for going and working out for 45minutes straight. I weighed myself there and it was 199. I am sure I weigh less in the morning without shoes on but at this point a few pounds don't matter to me. I'm going to try to get a more accurate weight tomorrow before Steve goes to work. I'll still have clothes on (not that you want to know but I usually weigh nakedy) but at least it will be in the morning and without shoes on. All in all I think today deserves a big WOOT!

Zoo day

I decided that I want to take Lilly out to the zoo today. I really want her to have an amazing summer and it will help me get in some exercise and vitamin D. I just realized I don't have a scale anymore. Lilly was a bit obsessed with it and broke it while carrying it around. I won't know my weight till friday when we get paid. That is ok by me but I need it for the challenge. Maybe I can use my mom's today. Our breakfast was great. Cereal, yogurt (for Lilly), and blueberries. Ok, off to the zoo with mom!

24 day challenge

A friend of mine on facebook is hosting a 24 day challenge. It starts today so i'm a smidge behind but compared to my usual days i'm way ahead. For 24 days we'll be exercizing and eating well. At the end she will award a prize. I don't care about the prize I just need to jumpstart my routine. I had a terrible eating day yesterday. We had White Castle. I haven't eaten it in a good 7-8 years. I don't know what posessed me but I am so upset with myself. I am mostly upset that Lilly's dinner was so nutritionaly void. So...instead of continuing to beat myself up I am making a change for the better for me and my family. I will be proud of myself and of what I can accomplish for them and myself.