Gain

No matter how long I've been doing it, Tuesday morning body pump and cycle - back to back are rough! I don't think my body will ever get "used" to it. After pump today, my body was VERY shakey. Crazy.

Weigh in - not a good week, back at 198. Ughhh... I'm sure it wasn't all weight gain though. A good portion is probably bloat/ undigested food and will be gone in the next couple of days. TMI: I ALWAYS get backed up. =/

Vacation was worth it, I will get back on track. How do I know? I'm staying active and just going to keep working at it. My 100 lbs goal doesn't seem out of reach anymore. Really - I want to lose about 35-40 more lbs. Nothing compared to what I lost already but still a significant amount of weight. Then, re-evaulate my goal.

After the gym, Clare and her girls came swimming. My hamstrings were so sore and I was so worn out. I did a couple of laps but mostly, I vegged in the warm water and the sun shine. After they left, Amelia and I took a good long nap.

Monday again

It was hot today! Over 100 degrees, too hot to go outside and I felt like lounging today. Seriously, I didn't get out of my jammies until it was time to go to the gym at 5 p.m. I love jammie days and needed it. I took a long nap with Amelia too. Ahhh...relaxation!

At the gym, I did cardio kick boxing. Great class as always. Today I feel fat. Probably a consequence of eating everything I wanted this weekend, I'm bloated again. I know one weekend isn't going to instantly return me to the size I was but in my head I feel that way. Geesh, I need to quit beating myself up over it. I really am glad I had a normal weekend. Plus, my normal eating now is just that normal eating. No insanely large portions, no seconds, I get hungry I eat I get full and leave food on my plate. My eating habits have changed so much which is helping me to believe I truly have changed my life. The rest of the weight will come off, I'm just in waiting mode...

I'm not going to expect to have a good weigh in tomorrow though. I might possibly have gained, and that's ok too. Relapse and refocus. I'm going to weigh in and report back - the good, the bad the ugly.

Best of Camping -San Simeon

Of course, vaca would be complete without sharing pics. Here are my fav's from this weekend:


Our Saturday morning hike:









View from the campgrounds and on the hike


Elephant Seals:




Camping:













Beach Combing:








Toes in the water

Camping San Simeon

Living... that is what I want to do right? That's why I've been trying so hard to lose the weight, so that I can spend more time with my family enjoying life and being active. This weekend, we went camping in San Simeon -- Absolutely beautiful.

Did you hear that though, we went camping. I've never been one for camping. I don't mind the dirt or the outdoors. It's just a lot of work to set up camping, meal planning and of course the extra work involved in cooking and cleaning with limited resources. We've gone camping before but I usually make sure we are going somewhere that we can grab something to eat relatively easy. Umm... hello Cooking and cleaning is NOT a vacation. Can you see how this attitude contributes to my weight problem?

This time was going to be different though. I made the camping plans sort of as a way to celebrate father's day late for Rich; he was working father's day weekend. I wanted to make better eating choices but I still wanted to enjoy our trip without too much of the dreaded camping cooking and cleaning. I wanted to have a cheat weekend - where I didn't necessarily worry about every last calorie and I could enjoy my food like a normal person. A true vacation, I guess.

We left Friday afternoon, drove about 4 and a half hours to the coast. We needed to eat on the way, so we stopped at MacDonald's. I got a southwest chicken salad. Sounds a lot healthier than it was, I'm sure but I haven't eaten MacDonald's in probably a year. I'm not going to feel bad about it. We had cereal for breakfast every morning, I brought along my soy milk. Lunch Saturday, I made sandwiches Friday night we made burgers. I bought healthier sides, berries, spinach salad. But I also had my fair share of goodies: potato salad, roasted marshmallows, smores, etc. I enjoyed my fair share of food this weekend and don't let me fool you, I feel fatter already. BUT I exercised (walked/hiked/road bikes) this weekend and my portions weren't out of control. Even though I wasn't "dieting" this weekend I felt like I had better eating habits than before and was "normal". Except for the nagging voice in my head trying to count every calorie who kept telling me I shouldn't eat this or that. ha ha ha

Our weekend was truly incredible and the whole family enjoyed it. Including Rich. The weather was cold, a bit colder than I had anticipated. Our campgrounds were located very close to the shore. It was beautiful, lots of wild life. We seen a doe and her fawn (with spots still), tons of squirrels, star fish, elephant seals, and other sea life.

We seen so many cyclists. Rich seems even more set on getting a bike now. We had a fabulous time and I felt like we were truly active and ALIVE.

Sore-ness!

Wow! I am so sore today. I failed to mention in my last blog(s) that I upped my weights yesterday in body pump. Girl - I'm feeling it today. I upped my weights for squats, tri's, and chest. I stayed the same with biceps. I didn't want to re-injure my wrist and it usually bothers me the most when I do biceps. I started to feel sore in my chest last night. Today, it aches so bad that I could barely run! Seriously, every time I would take a step, I could feel it in my chest. Progress is a good thing, no pain no gain right? LOL Even though, I'm not trying to gain. Gaining muscle is ok but I have to lose fat!

At the gym this morning, I did legs and I ran. I took everything I had to go but I know it's worth it. I ran for about 30 minutes. I took a few breaks and walked the incline at 2%. Not because I couldn't run but because I wanted to try some intervals and a working recovery. I've heard it actually burns more fat than just running. Nothing wrong with trying something new! ;-)

I have a busy day tomorrow, Amelia is finally going to the ENT for her hearing test then we immediately follow up with the doc. I'm nervous and excited to finally be making progress. Friday, I have a job interview. :) Hopefully something good comes out of it. I hope that if it's the job meant for me God's will prevails and is clear. That's all I really want to say about that. Then we're camping in San Simeon this weekend. Can't wait!

Comparisson Pics

Before:



Now:


First pic taken at my birthday/housewarming party in September 2009. Current pic taken this Saturday at my friend's daughter's party. Same dress - same friends, different me :)

Menstruation and Weigh in

I got up early this morning to get to body pump and cycle on time, which is always difficult for me. Class starts at 8:30 am but I have to be there by 8 in order to get a ticket. Not hard for most people, but for me it's a challenge. Plus it being summer the kids are used to sleeping in. And to be honest, I wanted to sleep in today too.

Menstruation. It's a problem I normally don't deal with. I have a Mirena IUD and have only gotten maybe 3 periods since I delivered Amelia. And really, I don't mind! When I do get one, they're very very light. Nothing really bothersome usually a day or two and only noticeable when I go to the restroom. I noticed I started my period the other day (Thurs or Friday) didn't think anything of it. Today though, it's heavier than normal. Still not heavy but heavy for me and cramping. Oh my... the problems women deal with. I'm so glad I normally don't deal with this. I wonder if this is why I've had such a sweet tooth lately. As I type, I'm digging into Ben and Jerry's fro yo.

Great news! I noticed in body pump today my wrist is no longer hurting. My right wrist has been bothering me for months. I've especially had to baby it in body pump. Today it didn't hurt a bit. I noticed it is a lot weaker than my left wrist (because I had to baby it I'm sure). I didnt' do body pump at all last week and I bet it gave it time to heal. Must have been what I needed. :)

Tuesday is weigh in day! I ate bad this weekend, I know. Plus I'm dealing with the period thing. At first I thought maybe I won't weigh in today. But then I decided I should. Keep myself honest and accountable. I weighed in today at 195.2 I don't remember the tenths of a pound I was last week. Just that it said 195. I'm pretty sure it is less than last week but not by much. Acceptable to me because of everything else: eating badly this weekend, not going to the gym yesterday, eating fast food last night, menstruation. Even with all that, I maintained. Next week, I better have a loss again ;-) I can't wait to get into the 180's. :D

Gluttony

I had a busy weekend, full of family, friends and cake. Saturday one of my friend's were celebrating their daughter's 2nd birthday. We started off in the morning shopping getting birthday gifts and we didn't eat lunch. My friend served fruit and nachos at the party. I was just going to eat fruit but the kids didn't finish their nachos and so I ended up eating the rest of theirs, I was hungry. I figured it was just a little bit and I knew I was going to want the cake. But I love nachos and hadn't had them in a long time.

After the party, my mom called. My great aunt is in the hospital and a lot of our family was gathering at one of my cousins houses. My mom said I should go and considering my cousin only lives about a mile a way I knew she was right. My girls and I arrived late but there was food galore! Tamales, ribs, a ton of dips. Cake, Cupcakes and more cake! WOW! So much food. I feed my girls, but was very careful about what I ate. A little bit later, my Aunt Vicki got there she lives about 2 hours away and I just love her and her family so very much. She brought some of my cousins with her. It was Savannah's birthday so after she visited everyone she asked if she could come over and do cake and ice cream more privately with Savannah. Of course, I obliged and devoured another piece of cake! I'm a sucker for cake I tell you. Really though, I have a major sweet tooth. I'm a sucker for anything sweet. Cake is a major weakness for me. But that's just part of who I am...I've gotten a bit better. Portion control really isn't that hard for my anymore. Before, I would always get a HUGE piece of cake, corner lots of frosting. We were celebrating, right? LOL Sunday, my aunt had me serve her a tiny piece of cake. I got a normal size not my normally HUGE one She finished hers and wanted more. I ended up telling her to take some of mine (about 1/3). Before, I would have never passed up cake let alone share a piece. Plus, I asked that they take the leftovers home with them. I didn't want to devour the rest after they left because I was lonely. Rich was working late. Good, right? Progress, Yes! While I still have food issues, I am much more aware of them and can deal with them so much better than before.

Well, most of the time. Sunday was father's day. I made Rich a pancake breakfast. I made myself hungry girl pancakes (lower cal) and morningstar sausage. He requested cafe bravo for dinner, so I ended up splurging there. Plus, I'm sure I had at least 1 skinny cow ice cream. The weather is warmer and I've been loving the ice cream lately. Don't know, but it's been a lot harder to not give into cravings lately and my sweet tooth has been very active!

Yesterday, the girls and I hung out at home. We decided to ride our bikes to the gym. I got them all out trailer on and everything. We got about half way to the gym and I hear this click click sound. So I get off my bike and look. I ran over something with the trailer! Ughh.. Not thinking, I pulled it out of the tire. Of course, I hear this quick "pshhhh" sound and all the air escaping. I had to turn around, I had a flat! No fun. By the time I made it home, I was going to be way late to my class. Plus we already had a busy evening planned. So I had to miss the gym entirely.

Rich and I are bike shopping for him. I've been watching craigslist. I want to get him a bike similar to mine. I know it's a high quality bike and will suit his needs and last. It will be fun to do family bike rides together when we can. He seemed pretty excited about it too. Last night I thought I found the perfect bike for him. We negotiated a reasonable price and drove all the way to Stockton to get it. Turns out, it was too small. Rich got hungry and wanted to grab some food while we were out. Even though, I had dinner waiting in the crock pot at home. We ended up eating at In and Out. It's a rarity for me to even agree on eating fast food but he was so let down (and angry) because we drove so far to get the bike and it didn't work out. We made the trip worth it to him and stopped by bass pro shop. He was immediately in a better mood.

Kids

Kids say the darndest things -- right?

So last night, Mariyn asks me, "Mom what time is cardio in the morning?" I was taken back a bit. Not because she knows we are going to the gym but because of she said it. Apparently, she is very sponge like and soaks in EVERYTHING she hears and is now using gym terms. LOL She enjoys going to the gym and always asks when were going and what I am going to do.

I wasn't sure what I was going to do today, I just knew I wanted to get up and get to the gym as early as possible. 8:30 cycle was my goal, but life didn't cooperate. I got to the gym just after cycle started and I didn't want to go in late. Instead, I opted to do my own cardio. I ran on the treadmill for a while. I was going good too, until a really stinky man got on to the one next to me. He had just gotten there too, it's not like he was sweating stinking from working out. Major body odor going on. So, I wrapped up my running at 15 minutes and headed to the cardio cinema. I hadn't been in there for a while, so I changed it up and did the elliptical for 15 minutes then was so hooked on the movie that I decided to stay and ran for another 15 minutes or so. The treadmills inside the theater don't have a fan so it gets hot in there quick.

I had my usually Friday errands to do plus a trip to walmart. Did I tell you, Amelia is finally potty learning. She has her accidents probably as much as she is successful but she is actually wanting to try and willing to try. I think this time will be it. Mariyn was a quick learner very easily potty trained right at 2. Seriously she learned in 3 days, no major issues. Amelia has been a totally different child and that's ok. I've gotten a bit of slack from others. What-EVER though, I'm changing her diapers and I've tried to teach her. It wasn't parent laziness I realize how old she is. She just wasn't ready.

This afternoon, I took the girls swimming. We are so very blessed to have a pool right in our own backyard. I love the water and am starting to be quite the swimmer! Today I swam 60 laps! 50 freestyle 10 backstroke. 60 x 40 = 2400 feet! 731.52 meters = .45 miles! Nearly a half a mile. Remember, I do take breaks, stop and pay attention to my kids who are playing in the water as well. But still, 60 laps is 60 laps. I'm think I am doing really well on my triathlon training. :0)

You are what you eat:
Breakfast: Protein bar (bought @ the gym because I forgot to eat breakfast!)
Lunch: 2 chicken strips, baked and a handful of fries (kid's lunch leftovers) plus fruit
Dinner: making stir fry with Quinoa
Snacks: Pluots, Nectarines and Almonds

Opps!

I forgot to blog yesterday! My bad! LOL

Clare and I worked out. We did weights, I ran a mile then biked four. My stomach felt heavy and bloated again! My legs were tired it just wasn't going to be a good running day. Actually, all my muscles were tired and just felt week. I'm not sure why, perhaps I over did it the day before. I took Mariyn and her friend on a long bike ride through our neighborhood. I think it's official, in the eyes of my seven year old, I am the coolest mom.

Today I cleaned house. I swept and mopped almost my entire house. It was a lot of work but much needed. I ended up not going to the gym. I swam (more or less floated around the pool) and took a short bike ride with the girls to the farmer's market. My muscles are still tired. I think I needed a day off from the gym. Riding my bike tonight, my legs were still tired and sore. Weird!

You are what you eat:
Breakfast: Honey Bunches of Oats w. light vanilla soy milk
Lunch: Chicken, black bean and Salsa Spinach Salad
Dinner: Spinach Ravioli, Grilled Asparagus
Snacks: Skinny Cow, Peanut Butter, Cheesecake cupcake (darn farmer's market), Cookies (2), and lots of fruit

swimsuit pic

Isn't my shadow hot? I mean look at those curves! ha ha I took this photo the other day. Don't you love how shadows can distort reality? I mean you see no extra fat, no rippley skin, no imperfections really just curves. You can't really tell that I am bigger than the average person or my age. It's just a perfectly crafted silhouette of who I am just the way God made me. Now only if I saw the real version of me that way. ::: sigh:::

As promised a while back, the much anticipated full swimsuit picture. Mariyn took it today and I have to say, it's not bad for 195lbs but my swimsuit covers a lot. My main problem area is my mid section.



Mission accomplished today, I swam 50 laps. 40 laps free style 10 laps back stroke. Each set of 10 laps took about 4 minutes. I'm not exactly sure the exact time, Mariyn timed me on my phone. I took short breaks between sets: checked on the kids, watched their tricks, whatever so I could get on to my next set. I still need swimming gear.

50 x 40 feet (length of the pool) = 2000 feet! 2000feet = 609.6 meters = about .38 miles! Improving already :) I'm sure I can swim the 400 meters required for the triathlon. I might not be the fastest but I know I CAN do it. Plus training and practice, I can only improve right?

Good Weigh in

Groggy, I got out of bed this morning and made my way to the bathroom. I had to go pee so bad, I was virtually sleep walking. Rich was getting ready for work and I was trying to make my way back to bed. He put his arm around me and said, you feel skinnier today. It was then I knew I was going to have a good weigh in day. It was then, that I realized all my gym clothes were still in the washing machine and I wasn't going to make it to body pump in time.

I put the clothes in the dryer and was able to make it to cycle barely in time. We had a new RPM track and the music was pumpin. After cycle, I weighed in. I took of my shoes, stepped on the trainer scale, 195! 3lbs loss last week! That's the biggest I've had in a while. 63lbs gone F-O-R-E-V-E-R!!! Wooo Hooo... Wooo Hooo...

After weigh in, I ran a mile on the tready. I was able to move up the speed today too. I've been gradually trying to increase my time and speed running. I want to get to 6.0 on the treadmill. Today, I got up to 5.5 running no problem. I've heard running gets easier once you've hit that 10 minute mile mark. I don't know about that but I want to be faster and I need to get used to the transition from cycle to running if I am going to be prepared for the triathlon in Sept. I know September sounds so far away but it will be here sooner than I expect and I want to be prepared to do my best.

It's been warm lately so I'll probably take the girls swimming this afternoon. Hopefully get some laps in the pool. A little backwards kind of training but hey whatever works, right?

Keeping busy

I had a busy weekend and managed to stay occupied enough last week without internet. Obviously, I'm back online. :) YAY

Saturday the family and I went to Yosemite National Park. It's a short day trip from our house, we are so lucky to have one of the most beautiful places on earth so close to home. It's virtually in our backyard. I got some great photos and most of all spent quality time with the fam. Road trips call for extra food planning. We did pretty good but ended up staying so late that we stopped for dinner. Starving, I ate 3 pieces of pizza. It was so good though! And I'm not even a pizza person.


Same pose, different angel, I like the top one better but just to compare and be fair.

Sunday we had two parties to attend: nieces birthday and sister's baby shower. I did good on food. I ate chicken at one event and fruit at the other. I had a piece of cake at the shower. It was delish. It was so hot, I didn't get hungry for dinner. Calorie wise, I think I did ok. Probably could have done better nutritionally.





I took pics both days this weekend. I'm always the one with the camera so I don't have as many of me. But there are a few. It's funny, in some I look thin, or at least thinner in others I don't feel you can tell I lost any weight. Perhaps I am being harsh on myself. The first two pics of me at Yosemite I feel I look good/thin. The last one, not so much. Then the pics of me at the shower, I'm in purple ;-) The first two, I don't think are attractive neither is the third but I think I look thinner in the third. What's up with that? My aunt and her family were at the shower and I hadn't seen them in a while. They seemed shocked by my new size. In fact, I think I got just as many compliments as my pregnant sister. ;-) My aunt kept telling me how beautiful I looked. :) She always makes me feel so good.

Tonight, I did cardio kick and am about to enjoy a tasty baked chicken dinner, zucchini and quinoa.

6-8

The girls and I got up early and made it to body pump and cycle at the gym. One of my gym friends hadn’t seen me in a few weeks commented on how trim I look. She kept saying, I can’t believe how tiny you’re getting and that I’m shrinking. She even said, my waist is tiny! Yeah, mine! Crazy to hear, especially because I don’t feel tiny today. I am bloated and constipated again. I thought eating high amounts of fruits and veggies are supposed to make you go? Well, not me they just contribute to flatulence :X

Weigh in – Success! Despite feeling bloated and constipated, I weighed in at 198.2 lbs. Notice I put the .2, I normally don’t count the weight after the decimal. But this week, I lost about 1.5 lbs! That is the biggest loss I’ve had in a while and I’m happy about it. Especially knowing that I am feeling bloated. I’ve been thinking about doing a colon cleanse but am still weighing in on it. I’ve done one before but it was a 30 day thing… I don’t want to commit to a long cleanse. I didn’t complete it all last time. A couple days or a week, I could do. Not much longer than that and I don’t want one that fills my body with harsh chemicals. Have you ever done a cleanse?

The major change this week really was in my diet. I’m back to eating healthier, not that I was eating unhealthy before just better now. I really think that is a big factor.

Sore

I am so sore! My hamstrings are really feeling the run! I did cardio kickboxing tonight. I had to really push myself to go but it was worth it.

Rich has been doing better about going to the gym. He seems to be trying harder and finding his niche. He goes late at night on his days off. About the time, I put the girls to bed. He’s getting to rest a bit after work, spend time with the fam and still go to the gym. It seems to be working well for him and we seem to be getting along better. Now, hopefully he starts seeing results soon. I want him to stay encouraged! I love him so much.

6-6-10

My internet is down, kinda sucks. Ok really sucks. My modem broke so I’ve got to replace it. In the meantime, I’m journaling in word and will post it when I have access again.

I got up early, 5 am and had to leave the house before 6 am in order to make the hour and half drive to Sacramento. Let me preface by saying, I’m not a morning person. I’ve never been a morning person. So getting up that early for me is a challenge in itself.

One word to describe Sunday’s 5K event at the Nike Women’s Fitness Festival – Amazing. I’ve lived in California my whole life and never actually been to the state capital before and it’s less than an hour and a half away. Kinda odd, I know.

I was excited and nervous to go to this event. Nervous because it was a really large event. Rich had to work. It was too far and early for my mom, so my daughters spent the night with her and she baby sat them so I could participate. None of my friends registered to run. It was me, all alone for the hour and a half drive and run. Over 3,400 women participating, the event sold out. It’s my first big event and I was excited. It was an awesome event and organized great. There were a few big sponsors and lots of vendors geared towards health and fitness. I actually found another event that I want to do, Princess Promenade, the largest all Women’s cycling event in California. Best part is it’s geared towards mothers and daughters. I promised Mariyn she could do a bike event once she got better with her bike. This seems like the perfect event for that.

The day was gorgeous and the atmosphere friendly, supportive, fun and breathtakingly beautiful. The weather was ideal. I arrived there around 7:30, I picked up my packet and walked around until the first wave began then watched and waited for my wave to start.

There were two waves running an 8 am start and 8:40am. I really debated on which wave I should do. The 8 am wave was for runners with a 10 minutes mile pace or faster. 8:40 for runners slower than 10 minutes including walkers, and those with strollers. I decided to register for the second wave. My decision was because I thought I could run the race between 10 and 11 minutes per mile pace. Awards were given in the first race to the top 3 finishers in each age bracket. I knew I wasn’t going to be one of those top 3. In the second wave, the awards were given out randomly. So I figured, I belonged in the second wave. I lined up at the front of the start line for my wave. I can’t how I felt. Nervous because it was such a big race. Excited to be able to participate and confident because I knew I was ready and able to complete the 3.1 mile distance.

My stomach had been upset for days. TMI WARNING I was constipated. I had had a BM since Weds. I felt extra heavy and bloated. I tried to eat lots of fresh fruit and fluids to get me going but nothing worked. When I told my mom Saturday night, she said I needed to be careful because I would have to go during my race. I was really hoping this wasn’t the case. I wanted to go before so I would feel better and be able to do my personal best. Yeah that didn’t happen. At about the 1.5 mile mark, my stomach just started turning. That meant 1 thing. I had to go soon. Ugghh… Should I stop and find a restroom? What would that do to my time? I know I’m not going to be happy if my time was bad. I wanted to be able to run this race because I knew I can. Despite the pain, I decided to push threw. I couldn’t see a restroom and I didn’t really know the area anyways. I knew there were restrooms at the finish line. I’d just have to make it.

There were so many runners. The route overlapped at times and you could really see all the women running and walking many with their children. I ran as quickly as I could. I pushed myself hard. I was able to sprint the last stretch. I could see the time clock at the finish line from a distance. It said 32 minutes (can’t remember the seconds) and I said to myself, run faster, run harder. Make it in less than 32 minutes 30 seconds and I did! My official time was 32 minutes 25 seconds.

Nike was at the event with a demo. You could actually test out Nike’s products for the race and return them at the end of the race –FREE. I’ve really been wanting a new pair of shoes so I sampled a pair and this pedometer/timer thing. So cool. To be honest, the shoes aren’t the right ones for me. Wrong fit I think but just to be able to essentially borrow them, run 3.1 miles and be able to give them back was really cool. I mean, what shoe store lets you do that? Not any that I know of. The gadget was pretty cool, not at all necessary for a race but would be great for training.

The free-bees were awesome. The event T-shirt is a super cute Nike dry fit T- designed for women. I love it! And it’s been so long since I’ve gotten anything new, I just might wear this one out! Ha ha. Plus we got a matching tote bag and water bottle. Super cute!

After the race there was a huge breakfast buffet and sampling by Blue Diamond Almonds and Whole Foods Market. The food was awesome and all health conscious. I got a variety of cereal, fruit, and drinks: almond milk, coconut water, and orange juice. Samples included trail mix, almonds, java city capital blend and organic tea. To be honest there was so much food, it’s hard to remember everything. Everything was so nice.

Oh - and I had my blood pressure taken while I was there. Kaiser Permanente had a huge health pavilion. I don’t have health insurance so I rarely go to the doctor. My blood pressure is usually on the high side of normal. It’s been a while since I had it checked but for the last few years that is where my blood pressure kind of hangs out at. Well, not any more! My blood pressure was 11/74 and a resting heart rate of 69. The nurse even commented that she wishes her resting heart rate was a 69 and that it was great! Amazing what diet and exercise can do for you.

Hmmm

Hmm... Not really sure I have anything * exciting* to blog about today. I woke up groogy this morning, I wanted to make it to Spin at 8:30 but didn't get out of bed until almost 9 am so that didn't happen. I debated whether I would just do Zumba at 9:30 or my own cardio work out. I'm not crazy about this mornings Zumba instructor, it's not that she is bad because she isn't, she's just new. The work out isn't intense enough for me. I will try her again in a couple of weeks when she has more time to get her choreography together. I ended up getting to the gym at 9:40 so I decided to do my own thing.

I hadn't been on the elliptical in a long time, so I decided I would start with that. Good cardio, running like motion no impact on my knees. My 5K is on Sunday so I don't want to over do it in the running department. I got 30 minutes on that then went and did 100 crunches on the ab machine. Then I cycled for 15 mintues. I was feeling very good when I left. No funny dizzy feelings today.

Came home relaxed a little bit then made lunch for the girls - quesadillas. I bought these Morningstar Chipotle Burgers and they're really good. I've made them before on an Orowheat sandwich thin and the family loved them. Today I made them, cut them up and put them inside our quesadillas. So yum! Mariyn said they were the best quesadillas ever!

This afternoon, I had the usually friday errands. Then I took the girls to the dollar tree. They've been wanting to go for a while, Mariyn keeps reminding me. The girls were so cute, they brought their own money about $5 each. They wanted to get stuff for the pool. Mariyn picked out a noodle, beach ball, swim ring and squirt gun (and something else, I can't remember). Amelia got a noodle, swim ring and squirt gun. Both proudly paid for their items. Amelia was super excited to pay buy herself. I gave both the girls the change portion. So cute to see them learning the value of money and excited to get new things. Our errands took a while, so we didn't have a long time to swim but the girls enjoyed the water any how.

After about 20 minutes of swimming it was time to get dinner. Rich really wanted Cafe Bravo for dinner. Yeah diet,I remember. He is so psuedo supportive at times! He says he is supportive, he encourages me to go to the gym yet he can't stand not eating out. He has to have his mexican food. The man thrives on it.... probably a reason we are both overweight.

After dinner, I mowed the back yard. I had Mariyn pick up the junk of the lawn: toys, stuff the dog chewed, rocks, etc. Then I mowed. It was getting dark but she still wanted to swim. She is part fish I tell you! Luckily, Rich replaced the bulb in the pool this week. It hadn't worked since we bought the house.

Oh and tomorrow is our 1 year house anniversary! We've officially been homeowners for a year! Woo Woo... I've heard people say your first year of homeownership is the most financially stressful. Hope this is true for us too. The first year wasn't too bad. A lot of the same stuff most families are dealing with right now but we've made our mortgage on time each month and really that's all that matters. Our house is still a fixer but over time, it will be beautiful again. We actually pay a little bit extra each month.... only 348 (or less) payments to go!

First Swim

Some thing funny has been going on with me lately - I keep getting light headed, or faint feeling while I'm working out. It's happened a number of times in the last week or two. I haven't changed up my routine really. I don't feel as if I'm pushing myself any harder. I'm not really sure what's going on. I wonder if it could be allergy related? There are a lot of pollens in the air right now. Or is it diet related and perhaps I'm not eating enough of the right things? Or something else?

After about 45 minutes of weights at the gym, I started to feel it again. Bad so I went to the locker room and relaxed for a few minutes until the feeling went away. Then I came back and finished up my weights. I ended up doing about an hours worth of weight training. I didn't do any cardio at the gym.

The girls wanted to swim today and our pool is finally ready. We had to drain it and it's been refilling over the last couple of days. Mariyn has been so ready to swim so I figured I'd get my cardio in that way. Plus my next 5K is coming up on Sunday; I don't want to run too much before then. I let the girls play in the pool while I swam laps. At first I decided I would swim 10 laps. I've never been much of a swimmer. Don't get me wrong, I love the water but I've never been properly trained on technique. After I completed the first 10 laps, I decided on 10 more. Then 10 more. I'm not sure how long I spent swimming laps as I was constantly interrupted by the kids. You know them swimming in my path or saying watch me do this and well, just general parental supervision. ;-)

I ended up doing 10 laps free style, 10 laps back stroke, and 10 laps free style. My pool is 40feet. So I swam that distance 30 times. 40 x 30 = 120 feet. 120 feet = 365.76 meters. Which is pretty close to a 1/4 a mile and pretty darn close to the 400 meters I will need to swim for the triathlon in September! Not bad for my first time but there is plenty of room for improvement! I need to get a swim cap, goggles and ear plugs they would be helpful in my training.

After that, I swam with the girls and enjoyed the sunshine.

You are what you eat:

Breakfast: Protein and banana

Lunch: Chicken Salsa Salad

Dinner: Chinese Food - Mongolian Beef w/ Rice.

Snacks: Strawberries, Kiwi, Cherries, 1 spoon of peanut butter & 1 bite of ice cream.

National Running Day

It's National Running Day . . . and I'm excited!


Today, I will run at the gym. It's Wednesday, our running day and probably my last running day until the Women's Fitness Festival 5K this weekend.

All my life, I've hated running and I mean hated it. Growing up as an athlete I moaned and groaned on days I had to run. Yes, I realize running is necessary in most sports. To me it was a necessary evil. I had to do it to play and enjoy the sport I loved but I hated to run just to run. Coaches always used running as a punishment. I can't tell you how many times we had to take an extra lap for making an error or because we got caught talking. I decided long ago that I would not run unless I absolutely had to and anyone who liked to run was crazy. This was probably one of my choices that led me obesity.

As I've grown older, more obese, and less active my thoughts of crazy runners turned to admiration. I knew I couldn't run if I wanted to. I can barely catch my toddler when she runs away from me and with that I was very winded. I have friends who just love to run and would be able to run miles! Bonus, they looked great!

I'm a curvy girl and my "girls" bounce a lot. I've always felt like I look awkward running. I used to be fairly good runner, not the fastest as I'm only 5'4". At my last race, my mother said she could easily pick me out of the crowd because of my extra top heavy bounce.

Running is best for long lean people, not short stalky curvy girls like me, that was my theory. The only piece of evidence that was proving my theory wrong is my sister law. She was overweight, obese like me and began running. Next thing I knew she was skinny again and had completed a marathon! She had to some sort of anomaly.

When I started on my fitness journey, I knew I would have to run again. Not necessarily right away but I knew my fitness goals weren't just weight loss goals. I wanted to be able to do the things thin people could do. I wanted to be able to RUN. My friends could run, people I looked to for motivation could run. When I started running I could only run maybe 30 seconds then I had to walk. Clare, my friend and running partner could really run. Yet when we were done, I felt really accomplished not because I ran a great distance but because I tried. Ever since, I've continually challenged myself to try harder and run more frequently. I love to run now. Not because I love running but because I can.

ETA: I ran for 40 minutes on the treadmill at the gym today; a personal record for me in time. It was a good running day and if time permitted I probably could have ran longer.

For the Record:
Breakfast Protein and Banana
Lunch: Tuna on Orowheat sandwich thin
Dinner: Chicken Tacos Thin corn tortilla w/ Salsa and Guacamole
Snacks: Pistachios, Skinny Cow, Beef Stick

Contest Results

Since my morning workout got cut short and because I was feeling down, I went back to the gym tonight. I haven't done Zumba in a few weeks and I do enjoy the Tuesday night class. I have a lot of gym friends who go at night, probably more than I do during the day. It's nice to see them all and I do miss Zumba even though I know it's not as challenging as my other classes.

I've been doing some thinking today, trying not to beat myself up but figure out what exactly is going on with my weight. Part of it maybe a plateau but I really think I've gotten a little bit more linnet with everything. A little less strict with my workouts - going through the motions instead of poised and focused. A little less strict with my diet - there was absolutely no cheating before and now this weekend I ate a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's. We've gradually been eating out more frequently. All these things would be fine, if I was at my goal weight but let's face it, I'm not. Maintaining this weight is not an option. I've still got a minimum of 40 lbs I want to lose.

The Gold's Gym National Contest winners were announced today. I don't think my gym even officially decided a winner to submit. Every time I asked who won, all they said was we haven't decided yet. :/ I doubt I would have won the national contest regardless, the girl in my age bracket did phenomenal. I'm going to post her picture for motivation. While I lost 30 lbs it says she lost 40. To be honest, I think I look closer to her before picture than her after! Here is to my motivation in the next 12 weeks - What a transformation! WOW!

If you're interested you can view all the contest winners on facebook at this link. Many of the winners look like entirely different people. So amazing what can be done in 12 weeks. I'm proud of my own transformation but still a work in progress.


For the record:

Breakfast - Protein w/ Soy Milk & Banana
Snack - Pistachios
Lunch - Quesadilla (whole wheat tortialla, cheese and chipotle veggie burger patty)
Dinner - Stir Fry w/ rice

Still Hovering . . .

I feel like I'm at a stand still with my weight just hovering where I am. Ughh... I have no time to move into maintenance mode - I still have more weight to lose. At least 40 more lbs! Some days, I am really happy with my size now, you know when I'm putting on my clothes that haven't fit me in a long time, trying to wear something that is too big, or the best part admiring my muscular arms and more scuplted legs. But then, all it takes is one look in the mirror and I see exactly how fat I still am. =/

The thing that gets me is I am about the same weight as I've been most of my post-children life. I'm eating well and exercising and the weight isn't coming off as fast as it was. Is it a plateau? Do I need to mix up my routine more? I know I was eating healthier before and I really think that is the key. I'm eating ok now, not over eating but possibly eating too much to lose. Saturday Rich asked me to pick up some Skinny Cow Ice cream cones and so I did but I also picked up some Ben and Jerry's Fro Yo. Probably not the smartest thing. Yeah fro yo is less calories than ice cream but still Ben & Jerry's is pretty high up there because of their mix ins. To top it off, I felt I deserved it because I went on the extra long bike ride, Rich and I were fighting. He had to work Saturday night, so I ate the entire pint of Cherry Garcia Fro Yo. Yeah probably wasn't good for my weight loss.

I feel burnt out of dieting. Burnt out from the gym. I need motivation and don't want to give up - I think if I seen the scale move quickly again, it would all be worth ... heck I know it's worth it. I do love feeling fit. I just wish I would feel progress...