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Recap

I was really bad about exercising last week.  In fact, I think I only did a run and biked, 2/7 days - that's failing!  Saturday I woke up and went on a run around my parent's house - 1.5 miles.  Sunday, I biked for 40 minutes while getting my Toddlers & Tiaras fix. 

Today - who knows!  The gym is officially closed for the next two weeks.  Paving is also going on all around the community. 

Today's weigh-in was the same as last weeks.  I'm not complaining!

My sister brought up a good point about my yogurt rant.  She questioned what I was eating before that I am now replacing with yogurt.  Good call, Meg!

I WILL BE IN SEATTLE ON THURSDAY!  How fantastic is that?? FANTASTIC!

Yogurt

Without a computer, it is really hard to document what my workouts have been like.  I have found myself opting to hop on the stationary bike while watching TV over going to the gym.  Within the next week, my gym is closed for renovations.  Luckily I already have plans and won't need to rely on going to the gym.  I'm thinking a lot of walking around in Seattle followed by running on the beach in North Carolina! 

My sister and I did go on a run last Friday, almost 2.5 miles and we ran pretty quick considering the humidity!  Saturday morning she convinced me to do KenpoX with her again.  I must admit, I do like the workout and I do feel strong afterward :)

Since the scale is going down every time I step on it, I'm a little puzzled as to ... how?  I've been exercising but I haven't been running as much as I would like.  I've been watching what I eat and trying not to eat past a certain time in the evening.  Honestly, all signs point to my new friend, Yogurt.  Maybe it's in my head but, ever since I started eating it in the mornings I've noticed the scale dropping.  I could get used to my new BFF especially since s/he makes me feel good about myself!

This weekend I plan to use my parent's computer to look up some yogurt facts and either confirm that I'm right or crazy.

Can you believe it?  He's already been gone for 24 days and in 1 week I get to see him :)

Just a little share ...

This came from Self Magazine via my Aunt.  Just thought it was worth a share and a read!

5 Ways to Keep your Metabolism Up!


1. Build muscle. Since fat is burned in your muscle, you want to activate as many muscle fibers as possible. Weight training increases lean muscle mass, which raises the amount of calories your body uses, even when you're at rest. What's more, since there's less fat in your body (and your muscles), blood moves better so you have more energy -- without eating more food. So if you haven't been incorporating strength training into your fitness routine, now is the time to start!

2. Start eating! "Your body is a 'refuel as it goes machine,' which simply means it needs to be consistently fed to provide energy to live," explains Mark MacDonald, author of the bestselling book Body Confidence. "This type of consistent feeding stabilizes your blood sugar levels and creates internal hormonal balance" -- and that keeps you from packing on the pounds. His advice: Eat within an hour of waking to kick-start your metabolism. Then keep eating every three to four hours ending an hour before bedtime.

3. Nosh on protein at every meal and snack. Protein has a greater metabolic boost than fat or carbohydrates. Biting, chewing, swallowing and digesting food takes energy -- it's known as the thermic effect of food and it can burn up to 30 percent of the calories on your plate. The more complex the food (think steak, legumes and fibrous vegetables), the more calories you burn as it travels through the digestive tract. Protein also contains leucine, an amino acid that prevents muscle loss when you're dieting. A simple strategy: For a quick and easy snack, keep peanuts in your pocketbook, trail mix in your desk drawer and hard-boiled eggs in the fridge.


4. Get moving. Interval training with bursts of high intensity cardio will stoke your metabolic rate and keep it humming for hours. So instead of logging in your regular half-hour on the treadmill at a steady 4.5 mph pace, try the interval option or hit the road and take advantage of changes in the terrain. Run in the sand or up hills and use landmarks to signify a change of pace. And squeeze in extra calorie burning whenever you get the chance, advises Gerbstadt.

5. Drink water. Studies show that people who drink 8-ounce glasses of water eight to 12 times a day have higher metabolic rates than those who drink four. Want to lose an extra 6.6 pounds a year? Drink half a liter of water before breakfast. According to researchers at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., people who downed water before their first meal of the day consumed an average of 75 fewer calories at breakfast than those who didn't drink up first.

Full article here

Whoopsies!

With the best of intentions, I took my computer to the Geek Squad to get it looked at.  One night I received the "blue screen of death" multiple times and coincidentally received an email from Best Buy stating my warranty was expiring on 8/4.  Now my computer is in the hands of the Geek Squad ... for 3 weeks!  How will I survive?  GAH!  Fingers crossed it doesn't take that long, but I don't think I will get it back by the end of this week.  Whomp Whomp.

Monday Weigh-in ... 159.8!  I'll take it!  I was good all week and then the weekend came and BAM!  I tried to be conscious of my food intake and eat smaller portions.  I think I did a decent job :)

I have a huge laundry list of things I need to get done this week, not having a computer may help me to accomplish these things!

From Memory

Let's see if I can remember all the goodies I ate yesterday:


Breakfast:  Multi-grain wheat squares with skim milk
Snack:  Chobani Vanilla yogurt, Kashi Chocolate-Peanut Butter bar
Lunch:  Couscous, broccoli
Snack:  Cottage Cheese, Sugar-free fudge pop
Dinner:  Lean Cuisine mushroom tortellini
Snack:  Honey Oat crunch Cliff bar


Yesterday for the workout I only did 20 minutes on the bike, but I tried to do a high resistance.


Today's Eats:
Breakfast:  Multi-grain wheat squares with skim milk
Snack:  Chobani Pomegranate yogurt, Kashi Chocolate-Peanut Butter bar
Lunch:  Strawberries, couscous, broccoli
Dinner:  2 Morning Star "sausage" patties, Salad: lettuce, cottage cheese, croutons, bacon bits (imitation), hard boiled egg, fat-free Caesar dressing (weird combo, I know)
Snack:  Sugar-free fudge pop


I was at work today from 7:30 - 5:30 and came home with a stress headache.  This called for lounge pants, food, and some TV. 


I broke my rule and stepped on the scale on a non-Monday weigh-in day.  Luckily the scale was a number below 160 :)  Great motivation to keep going with the diet!  Since my body is well rested, I want to do a long run tomorrow.


I bought a snazzy North Face rain jacket for my upcoming trip.  I've even been online shopping and putting together outfits.  I'm in between sizes on a pair of jeans I want so here's to staying on track and being able to buy the smaller size in about 2 weeks!  YAY!! 


Also, might I add that I am on a 3-day streak of eating yogurt!  So far, so good!  Not a fan of the pomegranate flavor, but I think that's because I wasn't expecting the seeds and I thought I was eating a tooth.  Seriously.  
 

15!!!

Same Old

My weigh-in this week was the same as last week.  I guess that's good because I didn't gain, but I didn't lose :(

I have yet to call the dietitian, but I did talk with a friend who has a personal trainer and she let me in on her diet plan:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, 2 eggs, fruit
Snack: Protein Yogurt
Lunch: Chicken, brown rice, side salad
Snack: Fruit before 2:00 pm
Dinner: Chicken, vegetables

After your workout, eat about 1/2 cup of cottage cheese.

So I wasn't exactly prepared for all of these things today but I tried my best.

Breakfast: Cascadian Farm multi-grain squares, 1 cup skim milk
Snack: Raspberry Chobani Greek yogurt
Lunch:  1/2 cup mushroom couscous, blueberries, 2 Morning Star "sausage" patties
Snack:  Cottage cheese (not after my workout)
Dinner:  Salmon (salt, pepper, rosemary) and broccoli
Snack:  Sugar-free fudge pop

I think I did pretty decent with my eating.  More veggies and fruits need to be added but for my first day, not bad.

Using my Nike+ app, I went for a walk around my apartment complex.  I found out it is exactly 1 mile if I follow the sidewalk around both sides.  This is great news because I don't feel comfortable running the routes I know without Scott.  Now I can make 3 laps and get an outside running workout in!

Today is also very monumental for me.  Why?  It is the first time I have eaten an entire cup of yogurt!  I'm excited to see if I like the flavor I picked out for tomorrow!

My new Farmer's Market

Take a look at this and this is only half of it:

My Grandfather is one of the most active soon-to-be-80-year-old that I have ever met!  He moved his old garden toward the front of the farm and it is an absolute beautiful view to see driving up the lane!  I am so proud of him for always staying busy and I know this garden is his baby!  He has a lot of things growing (cabbage, onions, potatoes, beets, corn, tomatoes, I can't think of the rest) and I even got to sample a green onion.  Bad breath for the rest of the day!

My Apologies

Everyday this week I thought, "You need to blog!"  However, life has been a little busy and I didn't take the time to check-in! 

Where we left off: Monday's weigh-in.  I'm still uncertain about being 150 by 7/15/2011, that's about 30 days and around 10 lbs to lose.  I hate being infatuated with numbers.  It's been nice to wear shorts from last year that are now a little looser.  Once July 15th comes, it doesn't mean my weight loss journey ends.  I have my sister's wedding to look forward to and am very much excited to look great in my dress :)  Not as good as Meg, of course!

Monday and Tuesday my workouts were on the exercise bike.  Wednesday I wasn't able to make it to the gym because I had to go home for my Great Aunt's viewing.  Thursday I did an early morning work-out and tried to run a faster pace mile than what I have been running.  10 minutes might not seem all that fast, but I have really only been running around a 5.3 - 5.5 mph pace.  Friday I went to work and then met my Mom and sister in Frederick to pick out wedding invitations.  I can't believe the big day is less than 3 months away!

Yesterday I decided to run outside in the morning before the humidity set in.  For the first time I was able to use my Nike+ GPS app.  I didn't have the chance to play around with it but I was able to use the basic functions of entering my age and weight.  Then I set up my music playlist and hit start.  It was great because it told me what my pace was, the time, and total calories (which isn't always reliable).  I did a quick run and realized I am not good at pacing myself at all!  I ran a total of 1.66 miles in 17 minutes.  I think the app is really awesome and from what Scott tells me, it has a lot of other cool aspects.

Today I am going to prepare my lunch meals for the week, clean up my laundry, watch a movie, and make my way to the gym.  Pretty decent Sunday minus that fact that Scott isn't here :( 

18!

Dear Midge ...

Happy 26th Birthday! Thanks for being my best friend and sister and for putting up with all of my antics!  Although we are complete opposites, there are some times where I see bits of me in you :) 

Maybe it's because we're both wearing stripes and holding the same baby?

Here's to an exciting 26th year filled with your first tri and a wedding!  Love you!

Monday Morning

I feel like this is gonna be a brief one.  Today's weigh-in was promising: 162.2.

I attempted to do Chest & Back and Ab Ripper X, but my copy of Ab Ripper X doesn't work and Chest & Back was not my friend because push-ups and pull-ups aren't.  So needless to say I was a little frustrated.  I made sure I went to the gym and biked for 45 minutes with hills and on a higher level.  My knee bothered me a little yesterday, so I figured biking would be good.

I have to take ownership of my words and call the dietitian.  That is on my list for tomorrow!  A must!  Do you think s/he'll let me have this?

 

Found this when trying to search for restaurants to visit while in Seattle.  Did a little "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" searching and found a couple of places but they all = fatty!  Luckily there will be a lot of great seafood to choose from!  

Done!

Today my sister and I finished the ZOOMA 10k!  Yay!  The weather was cool but humid and we even had a little rain around mile 2.  Big thanks to my sister for putting up with me and doing the race! :)  We finished in 1 hour 10 minutes, I think I might have been 1:11.  Great start to the day and even better knowing my workout is done for the day!

Here is our lovely before picture ... can you tell we were up at 4:30 am?

Declaring today to be a lazy day.  I think I am going to look into the P90X workouts.  I have them, just want to see what the schedule looks like.  Saturday morning, I did Kenpo with my sister and her fiance.  Sweated a lot and was a little sore today.  Sword, Hammer!

Indifferent

I'm still not feeling 100% okay about everything that happened at work on Wednesday :(  I'm thankful for still having my job, for having friends and family who have checked in on me, and for Scott, who always listens to me complain about my days.

Last night I had dinner with a co-worker and again, the diet just went out the window.  I am such an emotional eater and the situation at work is not helping that.  I am grateful for one of my co-worker who saw me pick up a donut and then say, "That's not gonna help you get to St. Thomas!" Thank you, Karen :)  So I put the donut back and it felt good.  Maybe I needed Karen with me when I went to CVS to pick up my prescription.  Why?  Because apparently if you spent a certain amount they were giving out a candy bar ... weird.  Of all candy bars it had to be a Take 5, one of my absolute favorites.  But still, a candy bar for spending a ridiculous amount on an overpriced prescription?  Something doesn't add up to me.  What if I was going in to pick up some type of weight related medication and the pharmacist handed me a candy bar - isn't there some better kind of incentive for whatever program they were running?  I think that's why I'm most confused.  I have no idea why she gave me the candy bar, what the promotion was but, I ate the whole damn thing!  GAHHHHHHH!

Haven't I said before I can't tell myself what exercise I'm doing?  The whole planning thing doesn't work for me because I wanted to run intervals but I didn't go because I went to dinner.  I don't regret my decision, I had a lovely evening with Deena despite a very annoying waiter that drove me to drink.  Seriously, there's a fine line between an attentive waiter and an annoying waiter. 

When I get off work I will make an appearance at the gym and do something, not sure what and I don't dare write it here because I might jinx myself.  Then I'm heading home to have dinner with a friend from high school. 

Check out the 10k mile descriptions, I hope the "hills" are really hills!

Mile 0-1: You’ll cross the starting line at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium, where you’ll running around the backside of the stadium through a residential area. It’s shaded and mostly flat, but the best part is that the spectators usually move from the start to line the roads behind the stadium to cheer on the runners. The bonus? The starting-line excitement is carried a little further. The potential drawback? You might be tempted to go out too fast. Remember you still have a mere dozen miles to go.

Mile 1-2: Near mile 1.75, runners turn right onto Rowe Boulevard, then pass by the first water/Ultima Replenisher and port-a-potty station. Rowe, a main street, brings you into downtown historic Annapolis. The street will be lined with spectators, and you will past several historic buildings: the Maryland State House, legislative offices, churches. There’s a dip, then a climb near mile 2.5, but it’s mostly flat through this section.

Miles 2-4: As you head toward the Naval Academy, you’ll pass unique shops, great restaurants—although they may not seem super appetizing as you’re pushing your pace—and more encouraging cheerleaders. Heading toward mile 4 on King George Street, you run past the Naval Academy, St. John’s College, and historical homes. Just after mile 4, there’s another water/toilet station. This stretch of the race, which has a gradual incline, is quiet and fairly residential. As you head toward the base of the Severn River Bridge, there are a few hills—good preparation for the whopper coming up.

Mile 4-5: Time for the challenging Severn River Bridge (a.k.a. Naval Academy Bridge). Sorry to say, but it’s a fairly long climb. Keep your arms pumping and your head up. As you crest the bridge, you will see the turnaround point for the 10K runners, who start heading back just as the bridge meets the shore.

Miles 5-7: There isn’t loads of exciting landscape as you run along 450 but your fellow runners will provide plenty of inspiration—and people-watching entertainment. Until mile 11, the course is out and back, so you get to cheer on runners either heading out or back. Just after crossing over John Hanson Highway, near mile 6.5, there’s another water station. Toast to being halfway done!

I'm excited to go to the expo and see what goodies we get!  I'm making sure to hydrate really well today and tomorrow.  I know it's just 6 miles, but I don't want to do anything to hurt myself!

27

Juuuuuune :)

If I had a nickel for every time I wrote 5/31/2011 today, I'd probably have $1. :)

Today was such a stressful day at work.  3 people within my department were laid off.  We didn't know if we were 1 of the 3 until we had a 1 on 1 meeting with the boss and HR Director.  My stomach hurt so bad and I had no appetite.  I think I found the cure to my dieting woes.  Seriously though, today was not friendly on my mind or body.

When I got home (after retail therapy ... I've now bought 3 pieces of furniture thanks to Scott leaving and work) I picked up some of the apartment that had been rearranged due to renovations.  Then I headed off to the gym to jump start my JUNE WORK OUT MONTH!  I'm trying not to run too much because I want to do well Sunday for the 10k.  I ran 1 mile at 5.5 mph with a 1.0 incline.  Then I hopped on the stationary bike for 30 minutes.  Between both it was about 340 calories. 

Food Log:
1 cup skim milk
egg white, spinach, bell pepper, onion, reduced fat cheese souffle (cooked last night in muffin tins, a SB recipe)
string cheese
celery and hummus
grape tomatoes
2 Morning Star sausage patties (surprisingly good!)
2 Dove dark chocolates (as a result of the work related issues)
Salad (lettuce, steak, avocado, cheese)
Sugar free Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream (delish)
Tons of water, a diet Peach Snapple, and some Raspberry Crystal Light

Here is my workout plan for the rest of the week:
Tomorrow, Thursday:  Intervals for about 30 - 45 minutes
Friday:  Biking for about 45 - 60 minutes, 30 Day Shred
Saturday:  Maybe a walk, but nothing really huge in preparation for the race
Sunday: 10k

And for my own personal excitement:  29 days 'til Seattle :)