Bugs!

I'm not forgetting to write. Just haven't had much to talk about. For now. Still working on a post that will explain a lot...going to be a long one!

As far as how the week is going...
Not too bad. Could be a little better gym-wise though. It's been a little crazy with the summer schedule. Not quite into the swing of things. The first week off and I have my son in camp right away.

I've also had a number of other things jump in my way of getting into the gym. Fret not though, I did get a good walk in tonight! I even got to inhale a bunch of bugs in the process. Aren't I lucky?  Ewww....!  I've been coughing for the last 20 minutes trying not to gag.

Fresh Start

Not looking back to the weekend. I've brushed myself off and am now holding my head high. This week is about starting fresh. I plan on hitting the gym hard, being diligent with my calorie counting and logging my food...I'm pretty good with keeping a log anyway, but I could tighten it up a bit.

Now, onto FMM...

Friend Makin’ Mondays is always fun, but having so much interaction last week made it awesome! Don’t you think?  So let’s get creative with our answers again this week and make it even better than last week! =)

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: What’s in Your Fridge?

1. List a few common items that can always be found in your fridge.  Milk, yogurt, cheese and condiments
2. What kind of milk do you drink? Organic skim milk or Almond Milk 
3. Do you prefer fresh or frozen vegetables? Fresh, of course. I have a few staples in the freezer for "emergencies" 
4. What do you currently have to drink in the fridge? Water is "on" the fridge. Milk, and some lemonade 
5. How often do you clean out your refrigerator? You're supposed to clean out the fridge? ;-)  Ours gets cleaned out on it's own. If not, I try to tidy up in there before I hit the grocery store. 
6. What’s the healthiest thing in it right now? Salad mix, snow peas, peppers
7. What’s the most unhealthy thing in it right now? St. Brendan's Irish Creme. It's from Christmas time...the only time I ever drink Irish Creme. 
8. What do you wish you had in it that you don’t have now? Strawberries. Guess what I'll be picking up today?
9. How often do you shop for groceries? A few times a week. I do a "major" shop once a week or every 10 days and then I pick up items that I wouldn't normally pick up when I do my major shop...in other words, I shop around. 
10. What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge right now? Anise. I'm not a big fan. Hubs likes it. He picked it up. 

Whoa is me

I'm really angry with myself right now.  I let myself go down a dark, dark path this weekend and I ended up over-eating. Drowning my sorrows in high-calorie comfort foods.

The WHAT isn't important. It's the WHY?  I wish I had an answer to that question!  I haven't let my emotions or circumstances get the better of me in such a long time. Sure, I've had a mild bump, this was more like a canyon. Seriously.

The one thing I know I need to do is to keep snacks in my bag for emergencies. I never think to pack healthy stuff for myself when we are out.

The other thing I need to do is let things go. I don't know why I let (some) things eat at me. It's something I've been working on for years. I'm better with some things than I am with others. I need to take my own advice sometimes and remember that life it too short to sweat the small stuff. Remind me of that the next time I'm feeling blue, would ya?

The challenge now is to pick myself up and move on.
Goes to show that I have a lot of work to do.  But I am not going to let this weekend undo the last 3 months of hard work I've done. If it wasn't 9:00 at night, I would hop on the treadmill right now. But it is. So I will get back in the gym tomorrow afternoon as planned. I'll even do a walk in the morning as a little extra push. I need it.

Week 14 Weigh In

I have no idea what to say.
I accidentally touched the scale while it was "waking up" - stupid digital scales. I realized it when I "lost" 24 pounds. Wouldn't that be a dream.  So I hopped off and tried again. Now I was up 3 pounds. Hrm...that doesn't seem right. Need to let it rest.
15 minutes later I check again.

Looks like I'm down .6
Total 31.1

A small victory that I'll gladly take. Next week it's on though! :D


Non-Scale Victory time!
I did an at home workout last night. One that was devised by my trainer. Not only did I burn some major calories but I also noticed some big changes on the treadmill. I haven't been on my treadmill in quite sometime. Mainly because it's a little rough on the plantar fasciitis.

Anyway, I started the treadmill at a nice 2.0 mph. Just to warm up. I soon realized my heart rate wasn't going up much at all.
2.5...that was a little better, but still not where I should be.

3.0 - yup!  That hit the spot. My heart rate went up, but not too much. Was at a perfect spot for some great calorie burn. And did I giggle and shout a "yes!" in my head (didn't want to scare the children). I've used the treadmill on and off over the last few years. The last time I used it with some sort of consistency, the fastest I could walk on it was about 2.5, sometimes 2.7.  When I would hit the 3.0 mark I would huff and puff and be in all sorts of pain. Not today!  I lasted 5 minutes. I would have continued at that pace but I needed to get on with my other intervals.

And one more to add to the pot.  I did a plank last week while at the gym. Never thought that would happen. Anyway, my time last week was 15 seconds. Last night? 20 seconds. I probably could have held a few seconds longer but my elbows were killing me from the mat. (I know, excuses, excuses).

These are the moments I really need to remember for those days when I am feeling less than stellar about my progress.

Last Day of School

I can't believe today is the last day I will have a First Grader!  It's so unreal how the time flies.

Anyway...
My trainer kicked-it-up a notch last night in my workout. She's trying to help me with this holding pattern I seem to be in. I think I could be holding here for a number of reasons:

1. I was on a medication that may have played a role in my mood changes over the last 2 weeks or so. That may also have played a role in the lack of weight loss.

2. Stress. I have a post I'm working on about what is bothering me. I'm still not sure if I'm ready to post it for the world to see though....

3. My workouts with Edmund were mainly in the morning. Crack-of-dawn. It wasn't good for my health in the sense that I was tired and hated being up so early. But maybe it was playing an integral role in my weight loss?

Here we are now. The medication is out of my system. I'm starting to feel a lot better mentally. The stressor is under control, at least for now. I don't have to worry about it again for another 3 months. Now have to think about the gym.

I was able to get in a full 20 minutes of cardio prior to my training session yesterday. That brought my burn to 1240 calories. I love it when I get a good burn like that! We moved some of the exercises around so I can have a workout that I do entirely at home.

Dorothy has also added interval training into my sessions. I do my three sets of three different strength exercises then hop on the elliptical, treadmill or bike for 5 minutes.  The first day I did the elliptical I thought I was going to die. Seriously. It was the hardest thing for me to do. I can now do my 5 minutes without issue.

Here's hoping the changes will help kick things back into gear. I'm not holding out much hope for tomorrow's weigh-in. Next week there best be some changes though!

Holding Steady

The good news is my mood has improved.
There are a number of reasons for it.
Hopefully I won't be back in that place for a long time.

Thinking this is going to be another not-so-great week for me. Nutrition has been OK. Hubs and I went out for a celebratory lunch Monday afternoon. I think I made up for it in the gym later that day and have been reining it in since then. I'll be content with a holding pattern.

Even though my mood has drastically improved, I still feel a little out-of-it. Hoping that'll go away once I get out of this funk with the weight stuff. I don't mean to be greedy, but I would love to see more consistent results like I was a few weeks back.

Until then...

Last week before summer

Starting the last week of school. We had a ton of snow this last winter so the kids get to stay in the class for an extra week to make up those days. Thankfully it hasn't been too hot up here in New England.  Summer vacation will start Thursday around noon time. I'm actually looking forward to not having to deal with the routine for a while. 

As far as my mood?  Well,  I am feeling a bit better today. I had a decent weekend too. Things are looking up. Now if I can get the scale to look down, all will be right with the world. 

Now that I'm starting to feel a bit better mentally, I should be able to get back on track. May take until next week to notice a change though...I went out to lunch with the hubs this afternoon. Salt-city!  It was worth it though.

And now it's time for Friend Makin' Monday....

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Yes or No?

1. Do you use coupons? No, not really. I honestly don't have the patience to be flipping through papers and online to find them. 
2. Do you like football? Yes!!!! I've only been on the New England Patriots season ticket waiting list for 10 YEARS!!!!  Our number just came up. Then the boiler broke in the house. Guess who can't afford the tickets this year?  Good thing they let you wait one more round!  
3. Are you in a relationship? Yes!  Happily Married for almost 10 years!
4. Is your phone always within arm’s reach? No. Half the time I can't find the darn thing. And the other half it's off. 
5. Do you like thunderstorms?  Yes
6. Can you cook? Can I? Yes. A little. Do I enjoy it? NO!
7. Are you – or have you – lost weight? Yes....30.1 pounds and counting...
8. Do you know how to read a map? Yes!
9. Do you wear makeup? No. I am allergic to it. I only wear occasionally. 
10. Do you read regularly? Yes and no. When I get on a reading kick, I will read a lot. Then I stop for a while and it'll feel like forever before I pick something up to read. 
11. Are you publicly affectionate? No!  I hate it!  (Sorry honey!)
12. Do you like picnics? Yes!
13. Do you have a/c? Yes! Can't live without it!
14. Have you ever been out of the country? Yes. 
15. Do you know how to ride a bicycle? Yes. Can't wait to get back on one again. Soon. Very soon. 

Okay, now it’s your turn to answer the questions! And these are easy, right?  Don’t forget to come back and link up!  And have a happy Monday! =)

Week 13 Weigh In

Argh

Down .4
Total: 30.5

I did weigh in yesterday. Didn't have the time to post.

I know I should be happy with a loss. A loss is a loss. But this is exactly what happens with me. Although, it usually happens sooner than now. I work my tail off only to see small results on the scale. And I know I shouldn't live and die by the scale. I'm trying so hard not to, but when you have as much to lose as I do it's desperation to see the numbers get smaller and smaller.

I'm still not 100% myself. I am a whole heck of a lot better than I was early last week, but still am feeling a little tense. I have an important Dr's visit coming up on Monday morning. Hopefully that will turn out OK and I'll feel better.

Protein

I'm still here.
Feeling a little better but still not 100% myself. I really hate this feeling. Can't wait to shake-it-off for good!

I've been thinking a lot about protein lately. How much is too much? How much do I really need? My former trainer was all about pushing the protein. "Make sure you have a high-protein meal after working out", that sort of thing. My new trainer has a different philosophy all together. She's sited a few books and studies she's read about how the American diet has too much protein and the link to Cancer. I should also mention that my nutritionist is against adding too much protein...we just don't need it, she says.

I am very sensitive to what I put into my body. I can't take many medications because I will experience most of the side effects. I won't even read the side effects of any med I need to take. I give the pamphlet to my husband telling him to read it and hide it. Then when I'm feeling "funny" I tell him what's happening and he'll say "yup, it's a side effect. Should go away."

That all being said, I know how I feel when I have too much protein - like crap!  There. I said it. No other way to put it really. So I go with what my body tells me. I will, on occasion, have a protein shake. It's not part of my daily routine though. I've chosen one that is "all natural" there aren't any artificial chemicals in it. I'll have one when my muscles are feeling fatigued. It does seem to help (even if it's just in my head).

I am not saying either philosophy is right or wrong. I am saying though that I listen to my body and go with how I feel while taking in any nutrient, really.

What are yours thoughts on the use of protein for weight loss and/or your workouts?

Doldrums

I'm in a funk. Seriously. I feel like I am having an out of body (and mind) experience. It's been going on since late last week. I am having a hard time shaking it off. At first I thought it was just "that time" but "that's" passed (sorry if it's TMI) and I've still got the blahs. I thought getting into the gym would help. Nope. I felt worse. But more in a physical way. I had a rush of nausea and dizziness doing my workout today. It lasted til a few hours afterwards.

I have a million things I want to write about, but I can't seem to muster up the energy to do so.

It's a good thing it's FMM!!!


_________

Now it’s Monday which means it’s time for FMM! If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at:www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: If you lived in a movie, which one would it be?  And which character would you play?

This is a tough one. I would like to put more thought into it but it's late and I need to catch some zzzzz's.  Should have done this earlier today, if only I realized it was Monday. :D 

I was trying to think of a feel-good kind of movie. A chick-flick, if you will. Those are the kinds of movies I go for. You know, like Steel Magnolias where you laugh and cry and laugh some more. I thought about all of my "all time favorites" like The Wizard of Oz and Stand by Me. I wouldn't want to live in any of those movies though....

Then it hit me! I would want to be Ariel from The Little Mermaid?  Why? Well, first of all she gets the guy. But the main reason is her voice. I love singing. Absolutely love to sing!  I just with I had the voice to sing. No worries. I know I suck and won't be on the next season of American Idol. 

I'm lucky though. I have the guy. He treats me like a princess everyday. I'll take that over the voice any day! 

I did What?

Guess what I did last night?  While I was out walking, I thought I would give jogging a try. I did 3, 30 second intervals. May not sound like a lot, but for me it was a lifetime. Really got my heart-beat pumping! And surprisingly it wasn't painful. I've tried jogging on the treadmill before. You know, in the privacy of my own home where no one from the outside world can see me make a complete fool of myself. It was always very painful. Now that I am getting stronger, it really wasn't that bad! Now that I know I can do it, I plan on doing more with each of my walks.  

Catching up on this week. My plans were as follows: 

The plan for the rest of the week is as follows:

Tomorrow (Tuesday) I'm going to walk outside for my cardio.  Done!

Wednesday will be a personal training session. Done! Didn't get the extra time on the bike as I would have liked, but didn't miss my training. 

Thursday and Friday is still up for discussion with Dorothy (my new trainer). She is going to work on getting some workout instructions ready for me. Thursday I was really sore from working my arms so much at the gym. I took the day off.   Friday I hit the road for a walk with a little jog then I did my crunches. 

Today I hit-the-gym. I have to admit I almost chickened out. I'm used to working out in a small, quiet gym with only a few people there at a time. When I pulled in to the gym this morning, the parking lot was JAMMED!  Seriously. I thought "no way! I shouldn't have changed gyms! There is no way I can do this!" Then I told myself "shut-up and get in there! You're here now, you may as well make the most of it. Besides, most of these cars are probably people playing tennis." 

And in I walk. I scan my card, then make my way back to the workout room, passing the DARK tennis courts. I was mortified. Now I am  thinking about turning the corner to face the gym and all the people in the gym who are facing me. Crap. Now I am in it. I turn the corner, I see all the people working out and think "awww, it's not that bad."  There were 2 classes going on in the back of the room. One muscle head kid and one older man with the weights. A bunch of young-pretty things on the treadmills and elliptical and two older people on the bikes. I shrug it all off and know I've got it. I hopped on a bike, turned my ipod on and away I went. I completed 15 minutes on the bike, then did my upper body workout. 

I did have a brief encounter with the muscle head kid. He was nice enough and I made him chuckle. The older man was watching me workout. That made me a little uneasy but I just went on about my business.  At the end of my workout, I was stretching in the back of the room where two older ladies (60's?) were also stretching. They stopped to tell me how wonderful it was that I was in the gym working out. Part of me wanted to be mad that they would even say anything to me.  The rational part knew they were just being friendly and were trying to be encouraging. And to be truthful, when I saw one of the ladies I thought of my Gram who was always trying to be active. I thought "good for her!" So, I guess I shouldn't have been upset (although I was really more taken aback). 

Tomorrow will be a light work-out day. The weather isn't supposed to be good, so I'll either throw in a DVD or I'll hop on the treadmill. 

Week 12 Weigh In

Down 5.1 this week!
Total: 30.1

What a great week!
Let's hope this downward trend continues for a while without seeing those nasty goose eggs!


ETA:  I knew something was amiss this morning. I had my starting weight in wrong on the lilySlim.com. Just noticed it when I was logging my food on LoseIt.com Duh!  Down a total of 30.1 Go me!

What a slacker!

With the blogging thing anyway.

It's been a long, slow week. Just finishing up the school year with my eldest and am ready for the summer schedule to start. Other than that, it's been a boring week.

The best I have for today is a check-in to see how I'm doing for my weekly goals.

The plan for the rest of the week is as follows:

Tomorrow I'm going to walk outside for my cardio. I was originally planning on going to the gym with the kids in tow so my littlest guy could get used to being in the nursery, but the weather is supposed to change drastically later in the week. I think tomorrow is going to be the only viable day for an outside gig. Big Check here. My heart rate was through the roof!  

Wednesday will be a personal training session. Need to talk to my father about watching the boys a little earlier than usual so I can get that 20-30 mins of cardio in before the training session. Check for the training part. I stupidly left my water bottle at home and had to turn back to get it. That ate up a good portion of my pre-workout workout time. 

Thursday and Friday is still up for discussion with Dorothy (my new trainer). She is going to work on getting some workout instructions ready for me. Dorothy did get me my workout instructions. I'm really excited about it. Not sure what'll happen with the gym today though. It's going to be another stormy night. I'll probably end up just popping in a workout DVD. 

All-in-all not a bad week thus far. 

Tomorrow is WI day - I hope to see a loss this week! 

FMM: Why Do You Blog?

Another round of Friend Makin' Mondays!  I really like this question...let's see what I come up with for an answer....hrm....

Friend Makin’ Mondays: Why Do You Blog?

by KENLIE on JUNE 6, 2011

It’s Monday again, which means it’s time for Friend Makin’ Mondays!  This week, I’m going to ask a common question that will probably yield different answers from each of us!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen.  The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Why Do You Blog?

I'm not sure I would call myself a blogger. I come here to journal a bit about my ups and downs on this journey. There are a million-and-one things I would like to talk about but when I actually sit down to write a post I can never seem to find the words for what I really want to talk about so I rant about other stuff. 

Anyway, I started a blog (which has been taken down) a while back about the triumphs and frustrations of being a Mom. I started that particular blog the day my eldest started pre-school. I soon found it too difficult to write personal stuff about my son online so I stopped.

Then I had a scrapbooking blog with my scrappy girlfriends. We'd go on there to post our latest projects as well as offer up challenges to one another. That was a fun way to make sure time was made for myself so I could do the one thing I love doing the most (aside from spending time with the kids); scrapbooking about the kids. Unfortunately, we got away from blogging there. I think life just got in the way for all of us. I miss that blog. Maybe we should think about getting back into it...hrm....

And that brings me back to here. I started writing here more often after I started working with a personal trainer. So many of my friends were asking me how things were going. One asked me if it was OK to keep asking me. That's when I thought it might be a good thing to give this 'blogging' thing one last try. And here I am. 

-------

And to the business of the day. I took the weekend off from the gym and the computer. I needed to get ready for a yard sale which took place yesterday. I was pleased with the amount we sold, but there is still a ton of stuff left over. I need to sift through everything and see what I can put up on e-bay (that'll be a new endeavor-I'm great with buying on e-bay but am a bit intimidated by the selling thing) and what I can put on Craig's list. 

Today was back in the gym. I got 10 minutes on the bike (would have loved to do more but I didn't make it to the gym in time) and an hour of personal training. We did a full-body workout today. I love seeing how much stronger I am getting!  For instance, I'm up to doing 50 pounds, 12 reps (3 sets) of the dead lifts. They are probably one of my favorite exercises!  I can feel my butt shrinking with each repetition!  

The plan for the rest of the week is as follows:

Tomorrow I'm going to walk outside for my cardio. I was originally planning on going to the gym with the kids in tow so my littlest guy could get used to being in the nursery, but the weather is supposed to change drastically later in the week. I think tomorrow is going to be the only viable day for an outside gig. 

Wednesday will be a personal training session. Need to talk to my father about watching the boys a little earlier than usual so I can get that 20-30 mins of cardio in before the training session. 

Thursday and Friday is still up for discussion with Dorothy (my new trainer). She is going to work on getting some workout instructions ready for me. 

I thought if I put my intentions here, I am more likely to follow through. No more slacking off for me!  I need to get back into my 3-4 day gym routine! 

What's your week looking like?




ETA:
I just remembered that tomorrow is "walk to school day" so I will most certainly be walking outside!  

Week 11 Weigh in

Operation: Minimize Damage  is complete

Down .6
Total 25.6

Whew...can't believe I actually pulled off a loss. Slight, but a loss nonetheless.

This week's goals are to drink my water and get back into a regular routine in the gym.

Totally Twisted

Here in Massachusetts, we don't typically have tornados. We'll have a "tornado watch" and sometimes even a "tornado warning" once or twice during the summer but it usually passes without coming to fruition. Yesterday was a different story though. I think everyone around here can agree that when we get the "watches and warnings" we just roll our eyes and say "yea, OK". But, with the weather that's been happening all around the country, I believe we were all a little worried and for good reason.

My heart goes out to the people in the affected areas who lost a loved one and/or who are putting their homes back together. We always joke about how we'd like this tree to fall on that part of the house so we can fix this about the house...but we're always just that_joking. I couldn't imagine having to clean up after such a devastating force has come through.

I was a lucky one. The tornadoes that came through yesterday were about 100 miles or so away from here. There was another one that hit in my "old neck of the woods" which is about 40 miles from here, but that one didn't cause as much damage as the one in Springfield.

Speaking of tornadoes though, my house (the inside) looks like one ran through here. We've been prepping for a yard sale and things have been in utter chaos. It's times like these that I just want to hide in a corner and will-it all away. But I can't. It's something that needs to be done and I know we'll all feel a lot better when there is order back in the house.

It does make me think of the book "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?" though. I haven't read it, but I hear that it is very true. And I can see why too. I find when my house is all messy and things are out of place and piles of junk are being formed every which way I look, I do tend to get overwhelmed and want to munch. I'm sure it seems silly to a "skinny" person, but it's a reality for me. Maybe I should add the book to my next Kindle read.

Changing of the guards

 I treated myself to a facial last night for my first reward along this journey. The reward was for hitting 25 pounds lost. I meant to bring along my camera so I could use my own picture, but you get the idea.  I plan on making the facial a regular thing. I told her I'd see her in 25 pounds!

And back to business....



Unfortunately, I needed to change personal trainers. It's a decision I struggled with all last week but ultimately decided it needed to be done. It's mostly a cost issue. There are other smaller issues that ultimately led me to the decision but it really comes down to money (doesn't it always).
Part of my issue is having a sitter available to watch my son(s). I do have a great support system, but find it difficult to always have to count on someone else to take time out of their day to help me out.  I just don't want a confrontation.

I worked out with my new trainer in the "new" gym on Saturday. I told her what I was used to and she worked around that, adding a little of her own flair to the mix. I went back in for a workout yesterday while trying out the nursery for my little guy. He did OK at the drop-off. Didn't seem to mind that I was leaving him with a room-full of toys. However, I did get called back up to the nursery after about 15 minutes. He was banging his head on the floor and throwing stuff. When I walked in the room, he looked all pathetic with the lower lip pout. My poor little baby.  (I'm sure going to miss these times!)

I thought I would head in today with my older son in tow to help the nursery out with the little one. I was originally scheduled for a 30 minute personal training session but was called to say they could take me for 60 minutes now as there was a cancelation. Bonus!  I so need a big workout!  The nursery will have to wait for my boys - they will stay home with my father so I can get a full workout in.