Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Goat Cheese and Ham(string)

I am totally addicted to goat cheese.  I mean, I have had goat cheese once in a while over the past few years, but this last week I just can't get enough.  It's my current snack of choice.  So yummy!
 
I may or may not have bought myself an Olympic fleece hoodie today.  Shhhh. . .don't tell.   It's so wonderful to buy a fitted sweater and to not be embarrassed by my "rolls".  Sure, I still have them, but they are not as enhanced as they once were.

 
 
I am actually excited for the Olympics this year.  It's hard to believe that it has been four years since the last one.  I am worried about the safety of everyone though.  Especially our hockey players.  I by no means value their lives over any other athlete or person who attend the Olympics but I cannot imagine if anything were to happen to them.  While it will be fabulous to watch Olympic/International hockey but I would rather not if it means keeping everyone safe.
 
I did run tonight but I did find it a bit harder.  My left hamstring is sore.  It felt tight and sore last night when I did a short workout with the hand-weights, and it continued tonight.  I would still like to do yoga on Friday and I hope to run again on Saturday, so hopefully I can keep it loose with some periodic stretching over the next couple of days.   I am going to a hockey game on Friday and plan to have a big, bad, naughty, hot dog so I need to keep my exercise consistent, especially since I was already so bad yesterday!
 


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Confession

I may have been very bad today. . .Ahem. . .Okay, I was very bad today.  After 16 days of being good we went out for dinner and I had yummy, bad food!  Wings AND ribs (with a salad).  And that's it!  Now it's back to being good.  It's not usually too hard to be good lately so I'm doing all right.

Good question!

Yesterday I started Couch to 5k Week 3. This week is 28 minutes each time so I burned about 15 calories less than week one and two.  Week 3 is your usual five minute warm up and five minute cool down with two 90-second runs and two three-minute runs followed by equal walking times.  The three minute runs were a little tough, but not overly.  My knee was feeling a little pain but I'm quite sure that was still residual from the weekend.  I'm hoping to feel 100% for tomorrow. 

I guess I don't really have much to say today.  I really just needed to confess that as far as so-called cheat days go, today was a doozie.  Really though, I prefer to call them self-sabotage days!

Saturday, January 25, 2014

Oh Sh!t! (With a Side of Okay)

Oh sh!t, what was I thinking?!?  The front of my thighs are sore from yoga yesterday, but today was run day, so I ran.  Running uses different muscles so the running itself wasn't painful.  It was Couch to 5k, Week 2, Day 3, so really only nine minutes of running (22 minutes of walking).   few hours have passed and I am in so much pain whenever I get up and move now though.  I have actually just taken an Advil to hopefully alleviate the pain which is not something I normally do.  And yes, I will likely do the same thing to myself next weekend!


Uhg! My boobs!  Please stop taking away from my boobs! I have all this flabby stuff around the middle that I'm perfectly happy to give up! I need to go down a band size on my bras as they are riding up all the time.  I'm just really hoping that I don't have to go down a cup size too! (I know, TMI!)
 
I am however admiring some of the other changes in my body.  I have noticed that my hips actually look like they curve "properly" from my waist and my bum is looking round instead of flat.  I also like the muscles in my legs.  It's almost strange to look in the mirror and like what I see!  I'm not perfect and never will be but it is great to actually be able to see results.

 

Monday, January 20, 2014

Taking Notice

One thing about losing weight is you start to look better overall.  Not just a smaller waist line, but a thinner face too.  Now I find that I pay more attention to how I look. . .or maybe I just actually like that I look better so I notice it more.  

Today I started Week 2 of Couch to 5k.  This week the program is 31 minutes each day.  As usual, it starts with a five-minute warm-up and ends with a five-minute cool-down.  There are six 1 1/2 minute runs, with two minute walks after each run.  It wasn't horrible, the runs were tolerable, but I still think to myself that I have no idea how I ever ran for 30 minutes!  I burned around 250 calories.

 
 
I saw this meme today and it rings true to me.  Remember, I lost most of my weight just by paying attention to what I ate.  The weirdest thing happened along the way though. . .I actually started to enjoy exercising.  And I'll be honest, I think about doing more but I also still enjoy being lazy!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Water

I'm trying to remember to drink water when I feel like I want to eat between meals.  It does work.  Sometimes I just need a little something in my stomach to get rid of the "munchies" and I'm not truly hungry.  If the water doesn't take the edge off then I need to snack!

I love these water bottle from Costco!

Did you know that drinking water can boost your metabolism?  Even if your body is mildly dehydrated, your metabolism will slow down.  Drinking cold water is even better because your body uses more calories to warm it up.


My planned self-sabotage day didn't happen as planned today, but it will happen soon enough, and I will soooooo enjoy it!   I did have pizza for dinner, not quite as bad as what I had planned, but enjoyable as a second choice.  Thin crust, tomato and feta.  Yummy.

I did go for a run too.  Week 1, Day 3.  Same program as day 1 and 2.  It wasn't easy, but it wasn't hard.  I probably shouldn't say that because once I start Week 2, I will probably be begging to go back to Week 1!!!  I did burn 254 calories, although I am not sure how it was more than my last two days as I ran the same distance.

I really am enjoying my Fitbit Force, even if it does show me how lazy I really am on a Saturday!  I truly hope it continues to work as some reviewers have mentioned their Force malfunctioned after a couple of weeks.  However, since my initial problems finding one that actually worked, I have had no problems.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

A Snag in My Plan

I was going to go to the gym after work today for the first time.  The gym is at work and provided at no cost to us so I thought I could check it out and use the treadmill there before heading home.  However, there was boot camp in the gym so I could not go.  I also checked the schedule and there is boot camp three days a week.  I'm disappointed because I thought the gym would be a good idea, and I'm not a morning person and lunch is too short.  Tuesdays and Fridays are my only after-work options to go and who wants to stay at work on a Friday?!?  I will put that on hold for now.



I did use the treadmill tonight though.  Couch to 5k, Week 1, Day 2.  Same as day one.  Eight one-minute runs (well, a jog really) with 1 1/2 minutes walking separating each.  My Fitbit tells me I burned 240 calories.  I think I love it!  I probably burned a couple more but I forgot to record the number when I first started walking (it provides a running total for the day).  I think it will help me to push harder each time. 

As for the running, it was a little tougher this time, so I would like to wait until Saturday to run next.  However, I also wanted to make Saturday a self-sabotage day.  It might be a good idea to do both. . .or, it might not.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Getting Back on the Horse

I stepped back on the treadmill this evening.  Then I stepped off.
 
Just kidding!!!
 
I decided it was time to see how my foot would hold up, and how I would hold up.  I decided the best way to start was to start over.  So I am restarting Couch to 5k from the beginning. 
 
Week 1, Day 1 is a 5 minute walking warm-up followed by eight one-minute runs with 1 1/2 minutes walking in between each run.  I could feel the pull in my legs, but in a good way.  My foot held up and the runs weren't as bad as I had pictured in my head.   As per my Fitbit Force, I burned 238 calories so I am happy with my first time results.

 
I referred to my Fitbit Force there.  I love it so far, but it wasn't always love.  In my previous post I mentioned that I received one as a Christmas gift and I was super excited, however the band was too large and we returned it and ordered a smaller one off of Amazon.  It finally arrived last Tuesday, but sadly, it didn't work.  It wouldn't turn on, it wouldn't even charge.  I requested an exchange, and Amazon was to ship me a new one and upgraded me to next-day shipping at no charge.  Well, they accidentally sent two!  And it's a good thing they did.  The first new one charged and turned on but would not connect to my computer or iPhone.  I spent quite some time trying to get it to work and was getting really frustrated.  Finally, I opened the second one.  It charged and it connected to my computer and iPhone.  Honestly, if they hadn't sent me two, it would have been returned and I would have chosen another type of monitor.  I'm glad I was able to finally get one to work though, but I will definitely keep a copy of my packing slip as proof-of-purchase just in case!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

One Pound Means So Much

One-sixty-eight.  It took almost four months to get here from 169, but I really did struggle in the months since reaching 169.  The last week has felt "easy" again, so maybe I can start making some additional progress toward my ultimate goal of 160.  I have said before that you have to be ready to make the changes, and I guess this time I am.  Only time will tell, so we will see how things are going in a couple of weeks. 

My Fitbit did not come on Friday, so Amazon refunded my express shipping charge as they had shipped it too late in the day to make it here on time.  I would definitely say they have great customer service.  I had hoped to have the weekend to figure it out, but no such luck.  Oh well, maybe next weekend.

I did receive my new olive-oil sprayer on Friday.  I have missed my sprayer.  My old one had stopped working properly and I kept forgetting to look for a new one so I purchased one for $9.99 off Amazon and I love it.  I'm not sure if I have ever recommended purchasing an olive-oil sprayer before, but I really do recommend it.  It is so much better than a canned non-stick spray, and you use so much less oil than if you were to pour the oil directly into the pan.  I also use it when I'm cooking meat that needs to be turned in the oven (like my chicken wings), and to spray homemade oven-fries to keep the fat content light and to make them crispy.  It's the small things that keep me happy! (And the small things that keep it healthy!) Just make sure you follow the directions for proper spray.

 
 


Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Happy New Year!



As the New Year begins, I am already committed to getting back on track.  I started this past Saturday, minus another holiday celebration on Monday.  The good days will out-weigh the bad always now.  It will be time to start getting some exercise in again too.  I'm not sure how my foot will handle running but I do plan on giving it a try very soon. 

I asked for a Fitbit for Christmas, and I received a Fitbit Force (even better).  Unfortunately, the band was a size large, and I require a small.  It has been returned as there are apparently no smalls available anywhere, I never realized it was such a popular product.  I was so sad that I was not going to be able to play with my new toy as that was part of my motivation.  However, I was able to find it on Amazon, yay!  I even paid for express shipping so hopefully I will receive it on Friday. 

I promise that I won't stop by to write every day as my posts are not exciting enough to ever warrant that.  I do hope to stop by and visit when I can with news of how things are coming along.  Remember, if it was easy, then everyone would do it.  Don't let those road-blocks stop your own journey in its' tracks, just consider it a detour.