Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

It's been awhile since I have started looking forward to Tuesdays.  I was off the "bandwagon" for so long, that I just forgot how exciting the anticipation of the scale can be.

Once again, I walked down to the meeting.  It only takes me about 10 minutes to walk and it's a nice little jaunt.

So, this week, I wasn't sure how well I actually did. I caved into a bit of junk food, but it was yummy and hopefully it is out of my system now.

Numbers time,

Last week: 255.75 lbs
This week: 255.75 lbs

I stayed the same, which is alright...I mean, it's not a gain.

This week has been pretty great for me, emotionally.

I have felt

SEXY,

STRONG, 

EMPOWERED!


I am on holidays this week.  It's the first time since I have become a mother that my kids are not home with me at the same time.  Previously our sitter came into our home, but last fall we put them in the local daycare and I am paying for them to be there this week, so they WILL go!

I am looking forward to all of the things I can get done.

Yesterday I spent the day shopping.  That even included new clothes for me.  It's been a long time since I have bought clothes.  This time, I got to go and just spend HOURS by myself...trying stuff on.

I am pretty happy with what I bought.  I think I do pretty well at flattering my figure with what I wear.  For example, I am smaller on top than on bottom.  I have always been happy with the shape of my boobs and my "first" stomach.  (FYI, the "first" stomach is the roll between the boobs and ACTUAL stomach.

It must have worked, tonight I had two members of my group tell me I looked thinner.  One said I looked smaller from behind (aka, my butt is shrinking and what gal doesn't want to hear that!) Another told me I was looking smaller in my "first" stomach area.  That is where my hubby sees it and I can see it a tiny bit too!

Next week will be tough!  We are going to Ottawa from Tuesday - Thursday, which means numerous meals out.  I will do my best and am challenging myself to run on the Wednesday at the gym in the hotel.  Even if that means in front of other people!

Until next time,

Amy

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Something To Think About

So, yesterday was my third day of Couch to 5K, week 3.

First off, let me say...I am finding it VERY hard.  Running for 3 minutes straight is very taxing on me and I haven't mastered the breathing thing too well yet while running, so I end up panting like a dog more than anything...struggling to get a deep breath.  I think I would be wise to repeat week 3 again next week before I move on.

Anyway, we did our usually Friday night into town to go do some shopping. That also usually means we have supper out.  I had a late lunch at work of pizza and wasn't starving.  So, I showed some excellent restraint and while the rest of the family had Dairy Queen for supper, I had none!  The old me would have had something even if I wasn't hungry.

After getting the kids into bed later than usual and everything else, later than usual, I strapped on the sneakers and hit the treadmill.

Afterwards, Brian asked...what was all of the heavy breathing about tonight?

I said, "because it was hard tonight and I didn't really feel like doing it, plus my stomach is all crampy"

"So why did you run then?"

"because it was my night to run!"

But truthfully after I got thinking about it, the reason I ran was simple...

Because it would have been easier NOT to run

Does that make sense?

It's easier to just not get on the treadmill and move fast.  My legs wouldn't hurt, my lungs wouldn't burn and I wouldn't be dripping in sweat.  But what I also realized is that feeling of death warmed over doesn't last long after I get off...maybe 10 minutes and then part of me wants to do it again!

I am just keeping with the running thing for right now.  I love it and want to do it EVERYDAY!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

So, last week ended up being a bit of a write off on the exercise front.  The stomach flu will do that for you.

I went to my meeting, anticipating a bit of a loss, but nothing like last week.  I figured if I had lost another 5 pounds I would feel it for sure and my clothes didn't feel that baggy.

This is where I confess something to you.  The meeting place for my TOPS group, aka, my fat group (as I lovingly call it!)  is about 4 blocks from my house.  Since I was pregnant with Abby, I drove!  Yup, I hauled this fat butt into the van and drove 4 blocks to my fat group!

Can you see the irony in that?  I could, but it didn't stop me.  So, I made myself a promise last week, no more driving unless it was POURING rain!  No more excuses, like Brian can't get the kids ready, he is home too late, etc.  Because that is all they were - EXCUSES!!!

Let's just get on with the results shall we?  I mean, come on...you know that is why you are checking it out tonight, right?

Last week:  256.50 lbs
This week: 255.75 lbs

Loss of .75 lbs

Pretty good, even though I was secretly hoping this weight loss thing would be as easy as 5 pounds EVERY week! (I know, not actually a healthy approach, but a fat girl can dream!)

But let me tell you something about this number...first off, it's the first time in a long time that when I get on the scales, I don't have to "add" numbers.  By that I mean...we have one of those "official" Dr. type scales, that you have to adjust the weights for it to balance.  Once you hit the 260 mark, you have to move the larger weight to 250 and the smaller weight to the teens ( or plus)...follow me?

Anyway, it's now 250 + the number following that.

Secondly, it is very exciting to me because I now weight less than when I started TOPS in 2008!

I know right?  Who the heck joins a weight loss group and GAINS weight?  Me apparently.

I joined in January of 2008 and weighed 256.25 lbs.  That was after the birth of Hayden.  Now, I did have another child in that 4 year time frame, but it's not an excuse.  I don't have my highest weight recorded at home, but I am going to find that out and I will let you all know just how much weight I did gain while in my weight loss group!

I hope you all have a great week and I'm eager again to see how much difference both diet AND exercise will make on the scales!

Until next time,

Amy

Monday, July 23, 2012

It's Monday Alright!

Ok...so if you know me, or have read my other blog, you know that stupid stuff happens to me....A LOT!

There is this little thing you might have heard of called Murphy's Law.  Yeah, I must have ROYALLY peed off this Murphy character in a past life!  This law and I don't see eye to eye one-single-bit!

Anyway, when I was packing my lunch last night, I decided to get back on track with only taking water to drink.  It's the only way to make sure I get some in.  I only had bottled water to take, because my refillable water bottle was still at work from the last time I was on the water train!

First off, let me say...I don't like to drink water and am very picky about the water I do drink.  It has to be COLD and filtered reverse osmosis water.  Like Aquafina or the stuff I fill my 18L jug with at home.  The bottled water we have is from Costco and does not fit into my specifics for water.  But it's drinkable with some Crystal Light.

So, I packed myself 2 bottles of water and 2 Crystal Light packages.

I get to work and pull out a bottle and my favorite Crystal Light flavor (raspberry peach).  I had three choices with the bottle before I dumped in the power, because they are always too full

  1. go and dump out a glug of water
  2. drink a glug of the water
  3. go for the gusto and just dump it in anyway
Correct, I chose option 3, KNOWING it was going to be a bad idea!

Was I right or was I right!?!

I pour it in, and not just a little bit at a time either, the whole package.  Well, it doesn't start to settle very fast and is in fact starting to rise up out of the bottle.  I clamp my palm over it, hoping that will reverse the process, but nope.  Next I try to poke it in with my finger...nope, just get powder on the desk.  This is where I got really stupid.  I put my mouth over the bottle and tried to blow the powder inside.  I used my tongue to see if that worked, but when I discovered it in fact had no results, I then used my tongue to poke it in.  It was now in enough I could get the lid on and try to shake it.  Or so I thought...in fact the lid was not on tight and I had juice run down my hand.

I went to the bathroom to now go with the first option of dumping out some water.  With the water came clumps of power that I had to wash down the drain.  That made my hands and fingers all red!  Then I noticed that my teeth and tongue were red from my earlier pushing attempt!  I had to rinse my mouth out a few times to help clear that up.

In the end, I got my water flavored and enjoyable enough to drink.  But I now look like one of my kids when they have spent the day finger painting...worse actually...because finger paint washes off!

Thank goodness no one else was in at work yet.

So, how is YOUR Monday going?

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Sunday Summary

So, I thought I would take a few moments to do a brief summary of my week.

Monday was the start of week 3 in the Couch to 5k.  I was both dreading it and looking forward to it.

Week 3 was going to see me start running a couple 3 minute intervals.  The last 30 seconds of my last 3 minute run turned into a super speedy walk, but none the less, I kept pace.

We all know how I made out on Tuesday with the scales.  It had been a tough day diet wise, because I had been home with a sick little Abigail and ate some things I wouldn't have normally had.

On Wednesday, I woke up SICK AS A DOG!!  That flu that Miss Abby had passed right on to me.  Brian ended up coming home early from work as I couldn't even lift my head off the pillow, unless I was running for a whole other reason than for good health!

I made it to work on Thursday because I had no choice, but I didn't feel quite right until today.

From Wednesday - Friday, my calorie count was well within the allowable limits.

I still didn't feel comfortable getting on the treadmill until tonight.  Today I felt well enough to have a pecan tart, so I figured if I was well enough to eat that, I was well enough to jog.  But I didn't want to bust right out of the gate with week 3.

I had been curious as to how I would do if I put week 1 back on, so that is what I did.  Week 1 has you running for only 1 minute intervals.

You know what?  It was kind of easy!!  Mind you, I ran and walked a tad bit faster than my normal pace to challenge myself a bit more, but I wasn't so out of breath and my legs didn't feel like jello!  I never could have imagined 4 weeks ago that running 8 intervals of 1 minute spurts would be easy!  I AM SUPER SYKED!!!  I will try my week 3 again tomorrow! Can't wait!

I don't want to jinx myself....but I really like this running thing!  And I'm not too bad at it!  Who would have thunk it?!?  ME...AMY RUTH...A RUNNER!!!

So, for anyone out there who has even a TEENSY TINY bit of interest in running....download yourself a free copy of the Couch to 5K program and try it.  If I can do it at 260ish pounds...so can you!

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night!

So, I decided to finish up my food diary yesterday...made it only a 6 day affair...but it was really helpful and was part of the reason I did well on the scales.

I told you all that I had a good feeling for the scales this week.  It was one of the few times that I have been SO anxious for a Tuesday night.

Let's get right down to business shall we?

Last week: 261.75 lbs
This week: 256.50 lbs

YUP...those numbers are correct!

That's a loss of 5.25 lbs!!!

If I was actually able to, I would do cart wheels!!

Awesome right?

So, this is what I have decided.  I will keep my food diary every day (just not post it on here, cause that could get boring) and keep up the running.  I must admit, at this point I am slightly addicted to the running.

I also decided that Tuesdays are my "free days" where I don't have to worry about counting calories.  I came up with this idea today after I had eaten my calorie content for the day by noon.  I find though after a week of monitoring what I eat, I AM FAMISHED!  By having my "free day" I am less likely to really over-indulge. I mean, I don't make dessert on a Tuesday!  Where as on the weekend, I am home all day and would use that as my opportunity to graze all day long on junk!

What is the worst part of the weight loss though?  My calorie intake for the week has gotten lower, meaning I need to actually eat less or exercise more!

Ok, now for the restricted food item for the week:

Hard Cheese

I will not even attempt this one.  Cheese is my regular source of protein or when I am real hungry, I use it as a quick snack to tie me over until the next meal.  It's not a big problem for me, but I hope it helps the member who chose it!

Until next time,

Amy

Monday, July 16, 2012

Food Diary - Day 6

I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!

I CAVED, GAVE IT....JUST HAD TO HAVE IT!!!

ICE CREAM!!!

It must have been all the writing about it last night, coming up with alternatives that did me in!

The kids and hubby wanted an ice cream cone after dinner again tonight.  So, I made them each one and a small one for myself.  I blame it on the fact that we had no popsicles left!

Anyway, I am not truly that disappointed in it....it tasted SO GOOD! Plus, that should be my fix for a bit now.

On to the food dairy for today.  Almost done my 1 week challenge.

Breakfast:  (389 cal)

1 serving of Greek yogurt
2 cups raspberries
1 granola bar

Lunch:  (646 cal)

1/2 hamburger bun
1 hamburger
1 slice tomato
1 dill pickle
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 potato salad
1 slice of cheese

Dinner:  (600 cal)
1 1/2 cup macaroni and cheese (homemade)

Snack:  (176 cal)

1/2 cup ice cream
1 cone

Exercise for today - 20 minutes walking/running - 131 calories burned

NUMBER TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

Calories In: 1811 calories
Calories Burned: 131 calories

Under by 37 calories

I feel that is pretty close...it's so difficult to tell with homemade food.  It's not so easy to "label" it and I don't really feel like doing lots of math to add up each component and divide it by the number of servings, etc.

Well, I will blog ya tomorrow AFTER the results of the scale...cross your fingers and wish me LUCK!

Until next time,

Amy

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Food Diary - Day 5

So, on Tuesday, I mentioned that my TOPS group does a restricted food item each week and this week it was ice cream.

I am pretty proud of myself.  Despite the fact that we have ice cream in the house AND I have served it to everyone twice, I have yet to have any.  Instead I have been having popsicles.  I got some really great ones made by Chapman's (which is a Canadian company) and each one is only 40 calories.  So, I could have 3 of them or 1/2 cup of ice cream for the same calorie count.  3 seems like so much more and I am happy with that.

HOWEVER, had I read this recipe before I went grocery shopping on Friday, I might have picked up the stuff to make these!

The last word missing is "cone"
Recipe courtesy of
Hungry Girl
Recipes and Survival Strategies
for
Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World
by - Lisa Lillien


Yummy!!!

As for today's food journal, I have numbers for you, but I am highly doubting their accuracy.  My mom and I went to a baby shower/brunch today for a dear family friend and you know how it goes at those things.  I had to guess at most everything there.  I used my best judgement and averaged HIGH on the numbers.  I didn't stuff myself full by any meals and it was a wonderfully simple menu, so I wasn't forced to choose between lots of high calorie dishes, that was my saving grace FOR SURE!

So, here it goes,

Breakfast:  (707cal)

1 1/2 mini quiche
1/2 cup roasted potatoes
1 tbsp ketchup
2 breakfast sausages
1 sticky bun

Lunch:  (296 cal)

2 cups nachos with cheese, salsa and sour cream

Dinner:  (736 cal)

1/2 hamburger bun
1 hamburger
1 slice of tomato
1 dill pickle
1 tbsp ketchup
1/2 potato salad
5oz tomato juice

Snacks:  (40 cal)

1 popsicle

Exercise for today - none (I feel guilty writing that, but I need a break from running today, the couch to 5k ramps it up tomorrow and I need to rest my legs for a night)

NUMBER TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

Calories In - 1717 calories
Calories Burned - 0 calories

Over by 63 calories

Not too bad, and I actually think the numbers might really be lower, so I don't anticipate it affecting me too much

Hope you had a great weekend!

Until next time,

Amy



Saturday, July 14, 2012

Food Diary - Day 4

It's Saturday and again...typically a difficult day.  Between the easily available food and the stress of kids, I tend to eat more on a weekend.

I tell ya, having to blog my food diary to everyone is really helping!

When doing it just for yourself, you can "forget" to add a few things here or there, but if I did that while sharing with everyone, I would feel pretty darn guilty about it.  I also told myself a few times...

"sure you WANT that, but you don't NEED it!  Are those 7 big foot candies REALLY worth 30 minutes on the treadmill?"

NOPE!!  Not gonna happen!  I want to burn those 130 calories for something I enjoyed a whole lot more.

I also thought I would share one of my favorite ways to prepare potatoes for dinner.  Around here, we eat potatoes at least 3 times a week.  There are only so many ways to prepare them and this way is pretty versatile.  You can chop them up for the over or the BBQ.

First off, here are a couple of pictures


Aside from potatoes, which I quartered today, but you could chop into any shape and size you want, all you need is some olive oil and Club House Vegetable Seasoning.  I find it in the spice aisle.  It's zero calorie and salt free.  It adds a nice flavor to the potatoes.  You could use it on other veggies I suppose, but in this house, that is a moot point.

Here is a picture of the potatoes all chopped up and seasoned...all ready to go on the BBQ!


I am fairly liberal with both the olive oil and the spices, but it's up to you.  Cook until done, about 45 minutes, depending on size.  If you are doing them in the oven, stir them up about every 15 minutes or so.

Anyway, on to the food diary for today.

Breakfast:  (390 cal)

1 Lemon Cranberry Muffin (Farmer's Market Brand from Independent Grocer)

Lunch:  (575 cal)

1/2 Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (couldn't let those left overs go to waste!)
30g Cheese

Dinner:  (728 cal)

1 chicken kabob
1 pita, broiled with garlic butter
1 potato
1tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp butter
15g feta cheese
5 oz. tomato juice
1/2 chocolate pudding

Snack:  (80 cal)

2 Popsicles

Exercise for today - 35 minutes of walking/running - 182 calories burned

NUMBER TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

Calories In: 1773 calories
Calories Burned: 182 calories

Under by 126 calories

So there you have it.  At this point, I can WAIT until I hit the scales on Tuesday.  I am anticipating a loss of at least 2 lbs!  Here's hoping!

Until next time,

Amy


Friday, July 13, 2012

Food Diary - Day 3

As the weekend approaches so does my trip off the bandwagon!

It's Friday and not unlike almost every other Friday, we go to town after work.

Going to town after work = eating out!

Sometimes it is as simple as bringing home fast food.  Tonight we decided to go and eat at Boston Pizza.

My whole day in general was a bit off.  I took items to work that I knew were higher calorie than I would usually take, but did it with the mindset that I could have those couple yummy items OR have lots more so-so things.  I went with the yummy, of course.  This was before I knew we would go out for dinner.

So, in the spirit of keeping it real, here goes!

Breakfast:  (495 cal)


1 Lemon Cranberry Muffin
1 Chocolate Chip Granola Bar

Lunch:  (627 cal)

2 hot dogs (left over from dinner last night)
1tbsp. ketchup
2 cups raspberries

Dinner:  (896 cal)

1/2 starter size Ceaser salad
1/2 Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
1 order fries

Snacks:


NONE

Exercise for today - 35 minutes walking/running - 170 calories burned

NUMBER TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

Calories In - 2017
Calories Burned - 168

Over by 132 calories

Ok, so it's not too bad really right?  I am actually pretty impressed with myself.  First off, did you notice portion size of dinner?  I only really ate half of everything (other than the fries)  I am not a salad person, and this one was sort of, blech, not enough dressing and croutons for me, which probably worked in my favor.  As for the sandwich, I was pretty sure it was like a zillion calories and stopped at half.  The old, don't think about it me, would have stuffed herself with it.  Instead, I left pleasantly filled.

On an even better note, I FORCED myself to run tonight.  I felt guilty for not doing my complete run last night and also knew I was going to be over with my calories tonight, so I didn't want my numbers to be any larger than they had to be.

Had I not got on the treadmill, I would have been over by 300 calories!  So, essentially, I ran off my salad and bit more today.

How about you?    How do you manage when you go to eat out?

Until next time,

Amy

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Food Diary - Day 2

Let me say first of all...

I HATE DOING A FOOD JOURNAL!!!

I always have and it's one of the reasons I don't stick with it.

It's boring, same ol' same ol' and just one more thing to do each day.

BUT...

Doing one this week has kept me very mindful.  For example, yesterday was a Wednesdays and they are usually one of my toughest days.  I was busy and didn't really get a good lunch.  I had to run into the grocery store in the afternoon and was starving by the time I got out.  I had the kids with me and picked up snacks for them.  I could have easily had some of their snacks, but instead, I grabbed the container of raspberries instead.

Same thing today, I had to stop at the store and was getting hungry.  The old, not keeping track of things, Amy would have just picked up a chocolate bar for a quick pick me up.  But because I am posting my results for all the world to see (not just myself) I resisted temptation.

Onto my results for the day.

Breakfast:  (251 cal)


1 granola bar
1 1/2 cups of cherries

Lunch:  (506 cal)


50g. nacho chips
6 tbsp. Salsa
1 Weight Watchers Frozen Meal

Dinner:  (794)


2 large hot dogs
1 hot dog bun
1 snack pack of Smart Choice popcorn
1 tbsp mustard
1tbsp ketchup

Snacks:  (160 cal)


4 popsicles

exercise for today - 15 minutes of walking/running - 100 calories burned

NUMBER TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

Calories In - 1711 cal
Calories Burned - 100 cal

Under by 118 calories

So, here is hoping I have another day with numbers below my levels for the day!

Until next time,

Amy


Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Food Diary - Day 1

So, last night on my post, I promised to have a successful week, and the one way I could assure that was to log my food intake each day!

I signed up about a year ago with an online food and exercise journal, which you can check out here if you like.  When I first started I used it pretty religiously and it worked.  I mostly just use it now to track my weigh in's.  What I do like about it is it lets you set your weight loss goal (mine is 2 pounds a week) and with the rest of the information you enter, it tells you what your caloric intake should be to obtain that goal.

Weight loss is nothing more than mathematics.  If you eat less calories than your body needs to perform everyday tasks, such as breathing, digestion, etc., you don't need to exercise.  Now that is not a healthy approach but it's truthful.

Right now, my daily calorie intake is 1717.  I try my best to break it down to only 500 calories per meal.  It's  sometimes very hard to stay within that goal.  I know part of the reason is because I don't eat many veggies to help fill that hunger gap with a lower calorie option.

Anyway, let's see how I did today shall we?

Breakfast:   (424 cal)

2 slices of white bread with butter and honey

Lunch:   (336 cal)

2 slices of cheese, 1 package of raspberries and a bottle of water

Dinner:   (845 cal)


Pork chop, 4 baby potatoes with butter and sour cream, pasta and 1 cup of tomato juice

Snacks::  (80 cal)


2 popsicles


Exercise for today - 25 minutes of walking/running (week 2, couch to 5K) - 125 calories burned

NUMBER TOTALS FOR THE DAY:

Calories In - 1712
Calories Burned - 125

Under by 130 calories

Now, these numbers are not exact, but pretty close.

How did your day go?  Did you manage to log your food?

Until next time,

Amy

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

Guess what!?!

It's Tuesday AGAIN!

Yup, it happens every week!

One of these weeks, I will remember BEFORE Tuesday arrives.

It was weight in night tonight.

I went down to the hall, not sure what to think.

I knew I had exercised a total of 4 nights over the course of the week, but I also knew that we spent Sunday at the cottage with my parents.  That meant lots of snack foods I wouldn't eat at home, mostly in the name of licorice, chips and dessert!

With no further ado, here are this week's results:

Last week: 263.25 lbs
This week: 261.75 lbs

A loss of 1.5lbs!

Woot Woot!

I was so proud of myself.  Just think how well I can do if I combine both exercise AND food control!

That is my mini goal for next week.

I am going to log EVERY SINGLE bite of food for 1 week, starting tomorrow and post it on here each day.

I am sure that combo will see excellent results on the scale.

I mentioned a couple of Tuesdays ago, each week our group picks a Restricted Food Item.  I have gotten away from that for a couple weeks due to absence and our pot luck.

But back on track for that this week and I encourage you to test yourself as well.

This week's restricted food item (from July 11 - 17) is ICE CREAM


I will be fine with this one...I just won't buy it!

Until next time,

Amy

Monday, July 9, 2012

Time To Refresh

So, it's been about a month and half since I started this blog.

The reason behind it was to keep myself motivated by having others follow my progress.

As of right now, I am up to 7 followers!

Do you have any idea how much that means to me?  THE WORLD!

The comments you leave mean even more.  Even something as simple as "great job" is so motivating and encouraging.  I have started following a few other weight loss blogs out there for more motivation and try my best to leave some type of comment on each post.  It's nice to know that someone is reading and caring.

Anyway, I sort of got off track for a couple weeks and nearly put back on all the weight I have lost.

Time to get serious - AGAIN!

This time, I am going to share some scary stuff with you.

First off, I am setting myself a mini-goal

By Christmas, I would like to lose a minimum of 30lbs. Please help remind me to get there.

I also need to do up some new signs for my fridge and snack cupboard.  I no longer notice the current ones....any suggestions?

Last but not least, and this is something I have thought long and hard about.

I am going to post some current pictures.  I am doing this for a couple reasons:

1) To "shame" myself into working harder.  If I know these photos are out there for anyone to see, I just might be motivated to work hard.

2) If this is my place to chronicle my progress, these pictures are an important aspect.

I feel comfortable in posting them because I know that the people who are reading this blog are either good friends or others in the same boat who read to do nothing more but support me!

So, here they are, if you don't want to see picture of a fat girl in nothing more than a sports bra and "spandex" shorts, STOP READING NOW!




Brian took these for me.  One look at them and I wanted to delete them.  I mean, it seemed like a great idea when I asked him.  He told me to not post them until I reach my goal...but I decided that either option wasn't very honest!

So there you have it.

Together, since last week, both Brian and I have started the Couch to 5K program.  Despite the fact that he is more athletic than I am and has some experience in running, he is doing it from the beginning with me.  He just creates his own intensity that makes it challenging for him.

I can't tell you how much it means to me that he is running with me.  I would love one day to go for a jog around the village with him.  His support is making the world of difference.



Friday, July 6, 2012

The Green Bean Challenge

In case you are wondering how the Green Bean challenge I mentioned at the end of this post is going....here is the update.

Hayden's beans were ready for picking Sunday night, but dinner plans didn't call for a side dish of beans and neither would any of the meals I was cooking until Wednesday, so we sent the first handful home to Gramma.

THEN CAME WEDNESDAY!

Can I say, I was really dreading it.  I DID NOT WANT TO TRY THEM!

My father reminded me of our very own green bean challenge we had when I was younger.  He and I both agreed to have 1 bite of bean on the count of 3.  I tricked him...he ate his and I just laughed at him!

Now that I am the adult...not so funny!

Around 3 o'clock, we went out and picked our beans for supper.  See how we made out?

 Hayden checking for beans

Sample of them on the vine

The haul

Closer view of those beans

Hayden trying a raw bean - NO GO!

Cooking away in some chicken broth

I knew when I picked them that I would really only need to cook 3 beans, no way would we eat all of them.  I had someone tell me that cooking veggies in chicken broth makes them tastier.  Goodness knows they were going to need all the help they could get!  Once they were cooked, I also tossed in some butter and Parmesan cheese.

All 4 of us got beans on our plate.  It was crunch time.  Hayden and I each took our bite.  His first nibble was so small it wouldn't feed a mouse.  He then ate the whole bite.  He didn't think it was horrid, but he also wasn't interested in having more.  I ate mine...with a large chaser of tomato juice.  The broth, butter and cheese DID NOT improve them one bit!  Brian wimped out TOTALLY and didn't even try one bite...not even when Hayden cried that he wouldn't try one of his beans.

So, there you have it...the conclusion to the Green Bean Challenge.  Hayden and I both agreed that we are not a Green Bean family, but we tried and that is what counts!

Until next time,

Amy


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

The Truth Of Tuesday Night

Please excuse that this post is coming at you a day late..but better late than never I say!

Last night was not a regular TOPS meeting night.  It was our annual Awards Night.  We get together for a pot luck meal at one of the member's house and have a nice meal and recognize everyone's achievements throughout the year.

The food was great and of course there was plenty of it.

The awards were great too!  Very inspirational, even on the small scale of just our 12 members.  One member reached a milestone of 35lbs loss!

I wasn't without awards myself, however I was very surprised to get them!

Biggest Loser for September 2011

Biggest Loser for March 2012

They may just be simple pieces of paper, but they are very meaningful.  It was a gentle reminder to get on track again.  I have been floundering for the past couple weeks, barely scraping by with a loss.

We did weight in before the meeting

Last week (unofficially) 261.25 lbs
This week: 263.25 lbs

Yup, that is a GAIN of 2lbs!

I'm so disappointed but not entirely surprised!

That number means I have gained back everything I lost in June, plus a little bit more!

SHAME, SHAME, SHAME!

And I don't want to see any comments saying, "well, we all have our rough patches, you will get back on track!"

Nope, I wanna see comments that say "Hey lard-ass, what do you expect when you let your treadmill gather dust!"

Maybe I need to make a new sign that reminds me of the childhood song:

"Tubby Tubby 2x4
Couldn't fit through the bathroom door
So he did it on the floor
Tubby Tubby 2x4"

(who teaches that song to children anyway?  I have no idea why it popped into my head this weekend either!)

Anyway, tonight is my first night of couch to 5k.  I talked about how I wanted to get going on it and my quick foray into running was enjoyable - AFTERWARDS.  That was mostly talk and no action.  It was about that time that I just stopped doing anything but eat!

TONIGHT I WILL RUN!!

RUN FOR MY LIFE!!

RUN FOR ME!!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

It's All Relevant

Over on my other blog, I mentioned how when things were out of control, it affects everything, not just diet, but my whole household.

In regards to diet and exercise, I like to base it on meal planning.  For awhile, I was doing a biweekly meal plan.  It allowed me to buy the appropriate groceries, plan and prep the night ahead if necessary and most of all, not bring home take out for dinner.

Well, not unlike I have said before, I am pretty flighty!  I was gung-ho with the meal planning, jumped right on that bandwagon! 

And it worked!  It really did!  We ate home cooked meals every night, except for a night I may have planned take out!

Then, I just stopped doing it.  Part of it is, it’s boring to always think up what is for dinner.  My husband doesn’t care, so input from him is not relevant.  Then you start feeling like you plan the same meals all the time.

This then spiraled into a week like last week, where I think out of 7 days, I cooked maybe 3.  With that much crap in your body, it starts to wear on you.  I start feeling tired and just plain icky!  I don’t want to exercise, etc. 

It trickles on down from there into every other aspect of life.  The house isn’t as tidy, laundry isn’t put away.  Do you ever feel like that?  Like everything in life is overwhelming?  Makes we want to curl up in bed with a good book and a cheesecake all to myself!  A little counter-productive don’t ya say!

How do you cope?  Are you a super organized person?  Or can you understand the relation from one thing to the next? Do they affect you too?

I am setting myself a goal, my next grocery shop (July 12th) will be meal planned again and I will post the menu on the blog for you to check out.  Anyone want to do the challenge with me?  It will be for a 2 week time period!

Until next time,

Amy