The cycle

Im not doing so well on either the exercise or diet department. I "know" what I should do but somehow what I do "do" isnt the right thing. So I feel like crap because Im not eating right, exercising and sleeping enough -- then I eat some more to combat that feel like crap feeling. See -- the cycle is endless. Im hoping to get off this ride very soon. The ups and downs of the weight battle are very discouraging. Ive very tired of regaining the same 2 or 3 lbs every week. I know its typical for weight to flucuate within 5 lbs -- its just that 5 lb radius is not where i want it to be. Its on the high end and I just dont feel very good, when I am there. I am trying to remember this is a marathon not a sprint but I want to be there already. i want to be done trying to figure this out. And I want to eat whatever I want and not gain weight --- ha! There I said it, thats really the crux of the problem. I want to eat and eat and eat and not have to do the work to keep the weight off. So what do I do ? I dont find cutting things out completely to be helpful but I do know what types of snacks and foods are. So Im going to start by going to the grocery store and remedying that. 2nd -- Im in the process of reevaluating my exercise time. I find more often than not, if I wait til after supper, the pull of sitting and relaxing is stronger. I dont very often manage to get out and exercise at that time of the night. It was working well for me at least to go after school. The problem is it doesnt work so well for the rest of my family -- sigh. Im trying to gather up the motivation to get up early and do it then. It really is a great start to the day, I find myself more productive that way. And I cant then say, oh im going to eat this cause im exercising later and then not exercise. The calorie burn is already done. See above issues though with not enough sleep. Its just really hard to convince myself that 5 am is a good wake up time. Let alone that -- convincing myself to go out and run or bike is even harder. As summer approaches, i wont want to work out in the heat of the day anyway, its probably a good move at this point. 3rd -- Im going to search for some sort of running plan. I do better if I have a plan Im following. Whether its a goal to improve my speed, distance or whatever, I need a prescribed plan to keep me motivated. Making my own goals and plans hasnt worked well this year. I really need to step up the running. 4th -- Im going to acknowledge that Im more than a number on the scale. Its so easy to get caught up in what it says that I forget to remember God made me beautiful just as I am. Im remembering to be proud for what i have accomplished. I went from hating running and exercising to doing so on a regular basis. Thats huge folks! I lost over 30 lbs and that my friends is no small feat. So what if the last 10 lbs are plagueing me -- I am beautiful! Im really hoping I can find the balance again for eating and exercsing. :) Megamom

Weigh-in

Another successful weigh-in this morning - down 1.8, which puts me back to where I was two weeks ago, before I got sick and took two weeks off.  I had wanted to run last night, but went to a baseball game instead.  I managed not to eat any ballpark food - did have some soda and later hot chocolate because it was so cold.  I got home late and had a couple hot dogs, which I thought might skew today's results, but if they have I am still happy with the number.  Plus, it's a nice sunny day and might hit 65 degrees!  Maybe I'll get an outside run in.

Weigh in 4/22/2011

Total lbs lost since last weigh in day -- .7 Total lbs lost since high point of the week -- 2.0 Culmulative lbs lost : 28.5 Pounds left to go til goal weight - 14.3 Comments : This week was a mixed bag on workouts. The weather definitely wasnt favorable. I got in two runs and two bike rides and two rest days. Overall I did okay. Hopefully as the weather improves -- I can be more consistent.

A New Plan

While I wouldn't go so far as to say "running is comfortable," even after a year, it is certainly more enjoyable than it was a year ago.  I have a pace that is comfortable; it hovers around the 11'04" mark.  I've run faster on several occassions, but this is probably my average now.  I would really like to bring that down a bit, maybe around the 10'30" mark.  I'm kinda lost on how to do it.  I did try that one trick of running faster during the chorus of songs, and that helped.  But I haven't been in the mood to do it since.  So my new idea is to re-do the couch to 5k program, but only when I have to workout on the treadmill at the gym (rainy days, which are in abundance here in Seattle), using a higher speed than I am used to on the running sections of the program.  I cannot for the life of me run much faster for any length of time than a 4.5 on the treadmill...even though the pace for tht is much slower than what I run outside!  So, I think I will bump it up to a 5.5 or 6.0 during the running sections and see what happens.  I am hoping that it improves my pace, although if that's the pace that I tend to run outside...maybe it won't.  But it's worth a try!

I'm on pager this week, so no swimming for me.  :(

Does the gloom equal doom?

Its amazing to me, how much harder it is to get out and exercise when the weather is all gloomy. Here in Minnesota, spring has lost its way and they are predicting snow for tonight. Its not even sunny out and my mood is reflecting the gloom. It just feels harder to get out and exercise when its cold, and gloomy and snow is on the way. It was a mixed weekend -- not so good on the eating front. I overate Friday night and Sunday night but had one good day on Saturday. I was able to get out and bike on Saturday and run on Sunday. Saturdays bike ride really was hard. It was 35 degrees out and 20+ mile an hour winds. It took me longer to ride 8.9 miles than it normally does for me to bike 12. Sigh .... at least I was out moving! It really wasnt surprising to be up after this weekend. Yesterdays bike ride was far more satisfying :) I made a new pace record, 4:04 average for 12 miles. That translates into 14.8 miles per hour-- wicked! The weather wasnt really fun to walk in today, so I skipped that. I hope I can do at least some wii fit later. Today, technically is one of my rest days -- so light exercise is fine. Its the getting back on track with eating thats the more challenging thing of the day. Megamom

Back on Board

Well, considering that last week was just as abysmal as the previous week, I still managed to lose 1.3 pounds.  I am still up 1.8 from two weeks ago, but I'll take  what I can get.  The loss (along with cleaning my kitchen and fridge) has helped motivate me to get back up, dust myself off, and "be good" again.  I picked out two Hungry Girl recipes and went grocery shopping last night.  This morning I had my usual cereal with a banana for breakfast.  The usual Sushi Thursday turned into Sushi Monday since I didn't have time to cook what I want to bring for lunch this week.  Yesterday I even went for a run.  I already feel much better.

It turns out, when I am not working out and eating well, I start to feel bad.  Like there is sludge in me.  Things that bother me REALLY start to bother me.  I sleep a lot.  It's good to know that I can manage the bad feelings better with a healthy lifestyle.  Even if weight loss isn't a goal, I have mood as a reminder to stay on course.  However, it does put a little pressure on.  Everyone has periods when it just doesn't happen, for whatever reason.

It's just never easy.

On the upside, I discovered that cheesy hot dogs are only 4 points a piece...and that seems worth it.  :)

Weigh in 4/15/2011

Total lbs lost since last weigh in day: 2.4 Total lbs lost from high point:2.4 Culumative lbs lost : 27.8 Lbs left to go til goal weight: 15 I was very pleased with this week. I worked out 6 days in a row counting my walking day. The scale really reflected how hard I worked. It was easier to stay on track, food wise, when I saw the scale going down. :) Megamom