Walking the British Isles- Day One

I'm going to keep this pretty simple. We did a little bit of walking yesterday, but not the amount I would have liked. I'm going to only keep track of what I do that is specifically for the WTBI trek, so today is Day One. I'll be going 3.6 miles, long enough to go the distance from the Land's End Visitors Center to the Lower Treave Caravan and Camping Park. There I'll set up my virtual pup tent and see where I make it to on the morrow.

Now, for a quick warm up, then I'm off!

*FACEPALM*

No one can do a more effective facepalm than Jean-Luc Picard, and in my case, he's doing it for good reason. I'm off the wagon- way, WAY off- and have actually gotten a lot worse. I'm going to follow the formula I had set up last year, but try to do it

1. WORKOUTS:
It's been a long time since I've done anything that even slightly smelled of exercise. It's terrible, really. I am signed up online to do the Runner's World Holiday Run Streak. The idea is to run every day, at least one mile, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. I think this is something I can legitimately accomplish. Even if it's just a single solitary mile- it'll be up and off the sofa. I need to fit in some strength training as well. It's all going to be about time management, but that should get better starting the 20th. I'm leaving my current call center job and starting an IT job as a data center tech. Big step in my career, and one that I'm excited about. I'll schedule my workouts around my new work schedule.

2. MEALS:
I need to go back to my Hobbit Schedule- 6-7 meals a day, about 200-300 calories each, depending on my workout that day. Shouldn't be too terrible hard. The Hubster had a health scare and now has to adjust his own diet, which will make my changes a little easier to handle. He's not to a vegan state, but who knows- maybe he'll want to join me on a ovo-lacto-veggie diet.

3. INSPIRATION:
"One step at a time, I get to make positive choices to fulfill my dreams!"
                                                         ~Deena Kastor

4. BITS AND PIECES:
I'm nervous about starting my new job. I'm not the most techy person, but they are willing to train me as long as I'm willing to learn. I'm sewing a little bit, and knitting- I have a scarf on my needles that looks like the carpet in the original Shining movie that is giving me fits- and am trying to fit in things to sell in the shop. I'm also doing the National Novel Writing Month challenge- can't say I've written anything, though.

5. WEIGH IN:
This is where I'm not happy. I looked into bariatric surgery and had to do a weigh in- 217. Can you believe it? I about cried when I saw the scale. I honestly have not weighed myself since, and it's been 5 weeks. Five weeks of not paying any attention to what I was eating, which means I KNOW I'm a lot heavier. I'll weigh myself in the morning, and plot a plan from there. The Hubster is talking about taking a vacation to Ireland next year, since we will be making enough money to start saving for it. I want to be at my goal weight by the time we get there. It's doable. I hope.

Guess What

Yeah, fell off the wagon after a fantastic 5k run. Then jacked up my back last week doing yard work. Starting over. Again. Today.

I'm about to kick my own ass if I don't stop this and just do it right.

Blargh!

I keep saying I'll blog, I'll blog, and yet I never do. I have it on my phone (the Blogger app) so I think nightly before I go to bed I need to make it a habit to jot down a few thoughts at the very least. I think I need to redesign this blog too, to include everything I'm doing- or at least what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing. 

1. Today's Workout:

Since I have a workout I'm supposed to be doing daily, be it strength or running, this is where I'll put the information. I'll list what is to be done, what I did, and how I felt afterwards. This should be fun. 

As far as a general schedule, here's what I have so far:

• Monday: Spartacus Workout (Men's Health)
• Tuesday: Run (morning- interval)
• Wednesday: Spartacus Workout (Men's Health)
• Thursday: Run (evening- interval)
• Friday: Spartacus Workout (Men's Health)
• Saturday: Run (morning- pace)
• Sunday: Rest/Yoga

2. Today's Meals:

I'm using My Fitness Pal, both online and via the Android app, so I'll post the link in this section. That way I'm accountable for what I eat and I may be more apt to watch exactly what I"m eating. 

3. Today's Inspiration:

At one time I was getting almost daily quotes from Runner's World that dealt with running or just plain motivation. I think I'll find a bunch, print them off, and pull one every day. That way I have some new means of inspiration to hopefully keep me on task. Or maybe a picture- I know I have several I've used before for "thinspiration". 

4. Today's Oddities:

Or something similar. This will be anything else that is going on, be it activities, knitting, arts, Dorkenstein, or whatever. I don't know if I'll keep the title or not. 

5. Today's Weigh In:

Yep, I'll go back to weighing myself daily. I seemed to do better when I was weighing myself all the time. 

Let's see how well I can keep this up. I signed myself and Dorkenstein up for a 5k run here at the office at the end of April. It gives us 5-6 weeks to train for it. I may have to start taking her with me on the evenings I go running, and of course on Saturdays. Maybe do a fun run (Zobies, Run! maybe?) or something. I don't know- I'll figure it out as I go along :)

Stuck

I think I need to make myself blog at least once a week. Maybe Sunday nights? I'll think of something. I'm just stuck in a rut right now. My weight hasn't moved on the scale in about a week, although on the brighter side I've been able to tighten up my belts by a notch. That honestly is a good feeling overall. I've decided that my weight training is actually going to be a circuit. I'm using the Men's Health Spartacus Workout (I mean, I watch the show weekly, so it only makes sense). It's 10 exercises, 60 seconds a piece, with 15 seconds rest in between. Once one circuit is done, you rest 2 minutes, then do it all over again twice more for a total of 3 circuits. It's a total of 41 minutes long from start to finish, but that 41 minutes is killer. I can see why they suggest having a rest day in between. I'll do it just 3 times a week starting out. As I get stronger, I'll add another day or so. I'll continue running, of course. I think I'll keep that up daily and do the interval runs. I seem to always feel better while I'm doing them constantly.

My eating hasn't been too bad. I did cheat one night and had Wing Stop with the family, then had the leftovers this past Tuesday. I had finished a double red blood cell donation a few hours earlier and had taken a nap. Needless to say when I woke up I was famished. The wings seemed logical at the time. I'm thinking I should have known better. This week the Hubster has been on a business trip, so being in charge of dinner has made it easier to eat better. Dorkenstein wanted to make grilled cheese on Monday, so I baked up some garlic fries. Tuesday was ranch chicken and peas. Yesterday was a cinnamon-spiced Moroccan chicken pieces with couscous and peas. Tonight I'm not sure what I'll be making. Eating at work has been really simple. I was eating a granola bar and a bowl of instant oatmeal for breakfast, but after dropping my caloric count to 1200 I'm just on oatmeal. Since I leave early all this week I'm having a protein shake for lunch. I bought some Jillian Michael's Whey Protein and mix it with some 2% milk. When mixed in the blender it's really not half bad. Just chill it in the fridge, then drink it while I'm taking calls. During normal weeks the shake is dinner since I run after work and I have a ramen for lunch. I found some really good instant soba noodle kits that I heat up here, then munch on (with chopsticks, of course) as I read or watch a little HBO Go.

I did do some baking over the weekend. I made some Italian bread mini sub buns that turned out really good, and I made a loaf of Italian bread using the same recipe that we sliced up and made French toast with. It turned out to be just amazing, really. I may have to freeze some of the buns though- it made a lot, and they aren't getting used as quickly as I would like.

I guess the rest of this week will be to keep running, stay on top of strength training, and see what I can do to retweak my diet. Something has to work better.

Update

I really am not good at the whole blogging daily thing, am I? I didn't meet my January goal- in fact, I lost 6lbs, then went up 2lbs by month's end. I adjusted my goals again, and am working furiously to stay on track this time. The hubster has decided to help, too, which is nice. I reaaaally want to see Henry Rollins perform at UNT in early March, so it has been decided that if I lose my allotted 12lbs and hit a weigh in of 194 by 29 February, I'll have tickets in hand to see him. If not, I'll be sitting at the house watching the Tate-Rousy fight on Strikeforce. Good motivation right there to keep on track.

I have been keeping pretty consistent with my running. I'm using the JogTracker Pro app to mark my time and distance to get my pace, then I'm using the C25K Pro app to get moving. I've found that if I do an Indian Run from the military, I do much better. The Indian Runs are just interval runs, with time spent at a light jog and some sprints thrown in. We used to run in 2 lines and the last 2 people would sprint to the front, then slow back to a jog when they got to the front. With the C25K program, I'm jogging during the walking portions and sprinting during the runs. I've felt better doing it, and I think my times are dropping. I'm trying to remember to log everything into my Runner's World profile as well. So many places to keep up with what I'm doing- there's no reason to fail again.

Day 18- Meh

Today's Workout: Strength Training (AM), C25K (PM)
Today's Weight: 206.4


This whole last week and a half has been nothing but rollercoastering. Some days I eat okay and my weight reflects it- others I'm consuming as much as I can get my mitts on. I know a lot of it is purely emotional eating, so I'm doing what I can to keep myself away from stressful issues and to just sit back, relax and just enjoy life. I am also making dinner to make sure I eat at home and we're not tempted to eat out. I say this as I have nothing in the fridge ready for tonight's dinner, of course. We were waiting on pay day. We made it in by the skin of our ever-loving teeth this time. I did find that I like making all our dinners at once, and putting them in the fridge. That way all that needs to be done is throw them in the oven and go from there. Tuesday I made a tamale pie in the crockpot that turned out fantastically amazing (Hubster has asked that I double to recipe next time), and last night we had a sour cream meatloaf that I put together the night before. It was good enough that Dorkenstein even ate the sour cream-mushroom sauce that was spooned over it. Just amazing.

The past few days have seen me getting up at 530a and doing some light weight training. Just about 6-7 exercises with some 5 lb weights, nothing spectacular. But it is going to be what I do every morning, and I can already feel the burn lol... Couple that with running the C25K program nightly and this weight should come off fairly quickly. It's going to be a matter of keeping it up. Maybe I should blog at night, just before bed? Keep myself more accountable. I dunno.

I can say this- I'm sleeping better. It's easier to fall asleep (much to Hubster's chagrin) but it is also easier to wake up so early. My thinking is also a little more clear. I think if I can kick this soda habit I'll be alright. I bought some 8-oz cans the last time I went, and I really like them. I may stick with them.

T-Minus 99 Days To Go

Today's Weight: 204.8
Today's Workout: Strength Training


It's still hard to believe that I'm in double digits to go until it'll be time for Warrior Dash in April. This year is already flying by! But I'm keeping on track as far as the weight loss, and I think I'm going to finally hit my goal. I'm down about 6 lbs now, and with 19 days left in the month, I'm only 9 lbs away. No time to get happy just yet- once I hit the 15 lb mark I can do a little light celebrating. Until then, business per usual.

Today I was a little lax with breakfast. I stopped at McDonald's on my way into the office and I picked up an order of the fruit and maple oatmeal, as well as an orange juice. Not a fan of the OJ, but sadly they do not have unsweetened grapefruit juice. Sads. I did, however, get an order of hash browns. While they were good, I felt guilty eating it. I guess that is a good thing. Since I left my lunch at home, I need to find something else to eat that I can easily pick up on my lunch break. Maybe some Subway? I did well with dinner last night, so I think I can find something I'll enjoy.

I also stopped on my way home last night and got in my run. It was cold as hell, but I'm really glad I did it. It was Week 2 Day 2 of the C25K, which means I'm going a little longer between the runs. I'm finding my pace a little quicker each time, which makes the runs all the more easy. Dorkenstein goes with me sometimes, and she's getting better, too. It's the soccer, I think. :) I still haven't added in any real weight training to my schedule, so I'm thinking it might be smart to bring in my bands or small hand weights and get the strength training in during my breaks. I don't know- I'll figure something out.

This weekend I'm supposed to get swing dancing again with my friend. I hope nothing happens to make it not possible to go. I'm really enjoying it, and when done properly it is great exercise. I'm apparently not doing it right yet, but give me a little more time. I'll get really good and slim down even more :)

Working It

Daily Weight: 208.2
Today's Workout: Strength Training

I haven't been as consistent as I could be this week. I need to be weighing my food more often, and making sure I log everything. Sadly I've been very lax in that. I try to make sure I don't overeat, wait a while after the first serving, try to make sure I drink more water, et cetera. I'm already on Week 2 of the C25K, but I'm thinking in order to make my weight loss goal of 15 lbs for the month, I'm going to have to run nightly, as well as do some strength training. I think I'll be bringing in my bands and maybe the smaller weights with me into the office so on my two breaks I can do some strength training, and run in the evenings on my way home. The park I go to is actually fairly well lit at night, though the beginning where I walk to warm up is still scary dark. I'll fight through it, though.

Work has been a bit stressful. I'm having more meetings with my director about treatment I've been getting from my manager and supervisors. I don't think it will change much, so on top of working on weight loss, I'm thinking I need to find a new job, too. Joy. I love job hunting about as much as I love the thought of ever dating again. Groan. Oh well. Something will come along eventually. And I've got my knitting to fall back on. Sort of. :)

I did go swing dancing on Saturday. I tell you what, I fell in love with it. I'm not very good at it yet, but it was a lot of fun. So much fun, in fact, that my friend and I are going to Dallas next Saturday for a lindy hop workshop, and the following Friday I'm leaving work early for a swing workshop that we missed last Saturday. One day I'm going to get over to the hall across the tracks from the office on a Wednesday for their swing dance lesson, maybe not stay for the dance unless I take the next day off. I got a good workout, and Dorkenstein and I danced together alot. I also danced with a guy named Nathan who was really really good. He also goes to the club across the tracks, so I'll at least know one person there lol... I'll hit up some thrift stores and see if I can find some circle skirts, or at least some material to make me a good swing dance skirt. I really like it. I'm just really surprised that I do.

Not A Bad Start

I'm 3 days into the new plan, and I'm already down 2.4 lbs. I can say that is not too shabby! I have stuck to my diet (although I did have french fries from Sonic on Monday), and I've made sure to exercise daily. Monday it was the VirtuaGym app and Tuesday it was the C25K program. I think I started off a little too fast, though, and I got winded pretty quickly. I simply slowed it down on the run, but kept the walking portions brisk. I actually think I walked faster than I ran :) As a treat for myself and the family as well, I broke out my recipes and made a half-dozen batch of sugar cookies from a recipe my cousin sent me that she uses for her cookies. Delish! No icing, just the cookies with a sprinkle of sugar on top. I still have plenty of dough left over, so I'll make up a few small batches, just as they are needed. This way we're not tempted to eat a dozen in a sitting.

I'm still waking up really tired. I was also sore today, but it's my back and hips. I know this is simply from the run yesterday. I may do the VirtuaGym app tonight and follow that up with some good stretching, just to relieve some of the pain in my hips. Maybe some Yoga? I also have an app for that lol...

This weekend starts swing dancing. I'm excited. I'm heading to pick out some good slick shoes, and I'm hoping to get my hand son a pair of classic saddle shoes. I haven't had a pair of those since grade school. It doesn't necessarily fit in with a 1940's motif, but I still like them. My friend Laura is also going to find some shoes, too. It's going to be fun.