Miss and HIIT

It seems the weekend comes and I forget to do things like drink enough water and take my vitamins.  I guess it's because during the week my days are more structured while being at work.  For example, Saturday I was out all day and should have brought or stopped to get some water and wasn't home to take my vitamins nor did I have them with me.  During the week I am usually at my desk so I keep my vitamins in front I me to take with lunch and if I feel hungry I try to grab a drink of water first.

I plan to real keep my water intake up this week as I would like to flush my system of any remaining bloating.  I also plan to keep my sodium intake down this coming weekend so that I don't retain water and hopefully can pass my weigh-in next Monday.

Today I am going to try a HIIT treadmill workout.  It's only 15 minutes but it looks hard!  It involves an incline that gets up to 8% and I have never jogged on an incline, never mind run, AND it calls for runs and sprints!  I will make this a two part post tonight and continue once I get back with my results. . .

It's the first 15 minutes (part 1) of this workout from Women's Health magazine.

Okay, so I was seriously worried that I would only make it half way, but I did it! And do you know what? It wasn't that bad. I mean, it was bad, but not nearly as bad as I expected.  And do you know what else?  I might just do it again tomorrow!

I Can Do It! And I Am!

My weigh in on Tuesday showed that I have 6 1/2 pounds to lose by the time I weigh in on February 2nd.  Hard, yes, but I won't say impossible.  I am still planning on giving it my all and not giving up no matter how crazy it sounds.  Having this goal has helped to keep me in line and to not have those little treats that are so easy to to give in to.  It has kept me from taking seconds, no matter how small the portion, and from grabbing a quick snack from leftovers.

It is hard.  Wednesday I increased my treadmill jogging time from 9 minutes to 16 minutes (the time is broken into smaller portions with walking between several minutes of jogging).  The last five minutes was hard but I kept telling myself "it's only a few more minutes, I can do it".  Tonight was even harder, and I was telling myself that with every jog.  My phone reminder "I'm worth it" even popped up at the perfect time to remind me that I am doing this for me.

Yesterday I forgot my breakfast at home, yikes!  I decided to grab a breakfast sandwich from Starbucks but I was sure to research the nutrition first and went in with several options just in case they were out of any of my choices:

• Reduced-Fat Bacon Style Turkey, White Cheddar & Egg White English Muffin Sandwich:   230 calories, 6 grams of fat (I was able to get this one)
• Spinach, Feta & Egg White Breakfast Wrap: 290 calories, 10 grams of fat
• Egg & Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich: 280 calories, 13 grams of fat

It wasn't as good as the picture but it
served the purpose!

As a backup plan, I could also choose oatmeal (160 calories, 2.5 grams of fat) with maple brown sugar (add 50 calories, 0 fat) or a fruit, nut, and seed topping (add 70 calories and 3 grams of fat). I certainly didn't want a repeat of Monday's disaster where my uninformed decision to have a peppermint mocha added an unnecessary 320 calories to my day.

Also yesterday I dropped my kids off at karate and went to run some errands. On the way back to pick them up I was hungry and needed to resist making a bad choice in the moment of hunger so I stopped at the grocery store instead. I picked up a veggie tray and sat in the car and ate while they were still in class. I was pretty proud of myself for making the better choice!

Today was a little harder yet as I really want junk! I won't do it though so I picked up some new protein powder after my run as I have been meaning to pick up some vanilla flavoured powder. I had a cup of that when I got home and immediately felt satisfied.

An Error in Judgement

I didn't realize the horrifically bad decision I made this morning at Starbucks until I was logging my food just now. Influenced by PMS, I ordered a grande peppermint mocha, no whip. However, I now know that this has over 330 calories! I've been trying so hard and succeeding and then I make a mistake this big. 

I did jog on the treadmill this evening, so I still have a deficit for the day.  It's not as large as I would like now though.  I also jogged on the spot a bit this evening in an effort to reach 10,000 steps today (success).

I will weigh myself in the morning to see how far I have to go.  I am hoping for eight pounds now that I have resumed my regularly scheduled life.  The scale battery was dead today as I would normally weigh in on Monday.

I Can Do It, I Am Worth It!

I finally got back on the treadmill last night!  It wasn't as hard as I worried it might be.  I did six sets of 90 second "sprints" followed by two minutes of walking.  Next time (tomorrow) I am going to try some longer "sprints".

Reminders to myself:

1) Drink water, lots of water, a minimum of 8 cups (64 ounces) per day.  When I think I'm hungry, during some water first!

2) I am worth it!  I can do it, I have what it takes!

3) It's only two weeks.  Two weeks then I can have the best cheat day ever! (Or not.)

4) Buy some fresh veggies and eat at least one serving per day. (Or serve canned or frozen vegetables with dinner if necessary).

5) Exercise at least five minutes per day, but expand this to running three times per week again.

Ten Pounds to Lose in Two Weeks! (And a Long Overdue Update)

It's been a while, I know.  I have been meaning to update, but time was not always been on my side. That, or else I was just too lazy.

Tuesday, nine days before Christmas, I decided that it was time to give in to the holiday treats.  I didn't overindulge at work, mostly. There was food, but a lot was real food and I mostly stayed away from the candy and other treats or limited my intake. Until Chrismas.  Then I ate it all.  All the treats I craved, all my favorites. I tell you, PMS at Christmas couldn't be better timing for indulging your cravings! I had full intensions of returning to my journey on January 5th.  Then, I got sick.  

Do you know that saying "feed a cold"? Well, when I'm getting a cold, or have a cold, I am constantly hungry. Even when I get to the point of not being able to taste stuff, I still want to eat.  So January 5th passed and I still hadn't got back to my journey. AND I was going to Vegas the next week.

It gets worse.  I joined Chris and Heidi Powell's Dietbet and I had to lose seven pounds by February 1st.  BUT I went to Vegas!  

With the food and the alcohol, I now have ten pounds to lose by February 1st. WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?  I am sure that some of that extra weight is water retention from all the dining out we did.  I know my stomach was unhappy a lot of the time.  There was also a bit of drinking going on which can also cause water retention.  As you can see below, there was a lot of calorie burning too.

I am ready for this next two weeks.  I must stay committed, I must be strong.  I can do this, I will do this!  Wish me luck?  No, I don't need luck, I need willpower! Wish me the mental strength that I need to do this!!!