Week 23 and 24 Weigh ins

Oh My!  Where the heck have I been?

Let's do business first.
Week 23 WI - lost vaca weight :D
Week 24 WI- down 1 more pound so total is now 40.9 (1.8 to go to hit my first big goal!).

Now, what have I been up to?  Why haven't I been here writing about my journey, which has been a tremendous help to me with keeping me on track?  Well, honestly? I've been lazy with the writing thing. Sure, I can sit on Facebook and browse the internet for hours, but to sit for a few minutes and write? Too daunting lately. Seems silly, I know. But here I am.

So. It's back-to-school time. The first week of school went swimmingly for my second grader. Oh, how the time flies!  I look forward to the start of the school year because I like having the structure to our day. I don't like seeing how fast my son is growing up though!  Time goes too quick!

That being said, I went to the gym on Tuesday after Labor Day and the place was rocking. I have never seen the parking lot so full. Not even on a Saturday morning has it been as full as it was on Tuesday night!  I was in awe. It's almost like New Year's if you think about it. The kids are starting a new year of school, the parents are thinking about getting into better shape for the holiday eating that is soon to follow.

Anyway, I have to take things a little slow in the gym these days. I'm starting to feel like an athlete with all these injuries I'm experiencing!  First an update on the plantar fasciitis. I did start physical therapy (just a side note - the therapist works with my first trainer! We did some dishing on him ;-)). It's going really well. I'm told to keep going to the gym but to keep it easy. No elliptical or treadmill. No jumping or running. The bike it is. I'm going to need PT for my butt after this. ;-)

One of the things I've been noticing for a number of weeks is that my arm feels like it's going to snap off when I bench press and do a few other exercises. She hasn't known what that was all about. While I was at PT, I was looking at a poster of the shoulder and asked about the pain I've been feeling. He told me it's probably my rotator cuff and that I need to STOP immediately and let it heal before doing further damage. Needless to say, I've been a bit bummed. I've done a few workouts using lighter weights and avoiding the exercises that make my arm hurt in the least. The problem is though that my arm has started hurting doing just around-the-house sort of stuff so now I have to stop with the upper body for a while. Not a happy camper. But, I am going to do what I am told so I won't further injure myself.

I'm a little annoyed that my trainer didn't know what was going on with my arm. When I told her what the therapist said, she asked me what exercises I could do. I thought to myself "shouldn't you know?". As helpful as she's been, I was a little taken aback by how little she knew about such a common injury.
Anyway, for now I'm going to be working on my own. I'm out of sessions and am not so sure I want to pay for more at this point with the injuries I have.  She's been nice enough to write up some workouts for me so I know what to do for now.

Vacation is over

I love going on vacation!
It means shopping for supplies; not shopping for groceries. I hate that job!
It also means no cooking or cleaning for however many days we are away for. That's probably one of my favorite things about vacation.
My most favorite thing though, is spending time with the family. Vacation is the best for bringing everyone together for some undivided attention. Makes you realize even more how much you love being together. Man! I am ready for another vacation!  :D

Now that vacation is over, I'm realizing the drawbacks of being away. Hitting the gym for the first time in a week was haaaard! I was so looking forward to getting back in the gym. After ten minutes though I was ready to walk out crying. I couldn't get over how hard it was to lift/push the weights I was doing just a short eight days prior. This vacation was (fairly) active. We did some hiking and tons of walking. It's not like we sat on the beach the whole time.

Getting back into eating right was a little easier than the gym thing though. I only had a few days of eating poorly. That's the good news. The "bad" news is that I was starting to feel like garbage because of it. It was so easy to start making better choices to get myself back on track.

What I've learned for my next trip:
Do a workout a few times during the week. Whether it's a DVD or making use of what's around, a workout can be done. I know I'll feel better for it and won't suffer as much during the first day back in the gym.

Week 22 Weigh in

A Little late. I did WI on Friday but haven't had the time or energy to sit and write.

I was up 2.3 on Friday. Not a huge surprise since I haven't been hydrating nor been in the gym for the week. I just peeked again and up a little more again. It's OK though. I know I have to hydrate and get back on plan. Vacation is so hard for the proper eating plan thing. All in all though I didn't really do too bad until this weekend. Being stuck inside because of a Hurricane doesn't bode well for proper nutrition either. OK, so it's just an excuse. I know it. You know it. I'm going to do better today. Back on track.

I do have a few good things to chat about. I just don't have the energy right now. Hopefully I'll have that ready for tomorrow. Until then, it's proper nutrition and gym-bound today!

Clothes

I hate clothes shopping. Well, for me anyway. It's been something that I cringe about when I have to do it. The stores I can shop at - not too many - have a very small selection for my size. And when I actually do find something that is in my size, I usually find something wrong with it. For instance, I find that a lot of manufacturer's find it funny to make large people look old and frumpy. I am not old. Although, I am starting to look rather frumpy, more on that in a bit. For pants, the waist is usually fine but the legs are ginormous, making me look like a clown. Tops? The necklines are tough because they make them so big, the girls practically pop out. (hubs likes that) Coats?  Forget about it. They are the worst. Arms are always 4 inches too long, the shoulders are too big, but the waist hardly fits.

See why I hate shopping?

But guess what? I HAD to go shopping this weekend. My clothes are getting to be way too big for me. Thus the frumpy look I was referring to. I've been putting it off because summer is coming to a close and I didn't want to spend money on new stuff that I won't be wearing for very long. Then I really thought about it. I've been starting to feel like a slob in most of my clothes because they are getting so big. And we typically are still in capris and or shorts well into October. Off I go to the shops....

I hit the clearance rack and almost enjoyed it. I found a lot more to choose from in my new size....down 2 sizes!  It's such a great feeling!! I am looking forward to being able to shop in places like Old Navy in the not-so-distant future. The thought of being able to just walk into any old store and pick something off the rack is so encouraging!

FMM: The Last Thing

Didn't think I was going to have time to write anything today. We're getting ready for a small roadtrip, but had to bring my little guy to the doc to make sure he's not getting yet another ear infection.  

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: The Last Thing

1) What is the title of the last book you read?  Water For Elephants. 

2) What is the last movie you saw in a theater? Cars 2 with the kiddos. I usually can't go to the movies. I've been known to have panic attacks while in there. It's the only place that that happens. Well, there and an airplane. Anyway, I was perfectly fine and am looking forward to going to another movie again with just the hubs. 

3) Briefly describe the last person you saw today.  Let's make that people...would be my hubs and the boys....they were running out to the car to bring the little one to the doctor's office. Not sure why my eldest wanted to go along for the ride?

4) Which store did you most recently shop in?  The Disney Store. Popped in right after I went to The Children's Place

5) Who’s the last person you spoke to over the phone? Lisa at the doctor's office. 

6) Where’s the last place you vacationed? Disney World. On our way for a staycation today though. :D 

7) When was the last time you kissed someone of the opposite sex?  Last night

 What’s the last thing that made you laugh?  Hubs said something that made me chuckle. I can't remember (honestly. Remember, forgetting is what I do)

9) What’s the latest app that you downloaded on your phone? Angry Birds Seasons

10)  What’s the last kind thing you did for someone?  Great. Now you got me. I can't think of anything. Now I will have to go do a good-deed. :D 

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions!  I hope you like them!  If you have an idea for FMM, please e-mail me, and it could be featured!  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments!

Lose It! 5K

Yesterday was the Lose It! 5K in Boston. The starting time was high noon. Of course the hubs and I were running a little late getting out of the house but should have had plenty of time getting into Boston on time. We forgot about the construction near the city. Great.

Anyway, we pull into the parking garage a few minuets before noon and hoof it out to the starting point. We get out there to see a small group of people walking toward us and realize it's the group of 5K goers. I was thinking we'd have to register and there would be more people...nope...just a small group. Now they are a good block ahead of us. No biggie. I can catch up. So off we go.

We're high on their tail but end up losing then because of a light. We finally get to cross, climb a big hill (gotta love all the hills in Boston)! My heart rate monitor was beeping like mad. I was walking really fast trying to catch up. I usually slow down a bit on the hills so I don't kill myself trying to climb, but I didn't. I needed to catch up. Alas, we get to the top of the hill, turn the corner and see them standing at the next light. Great! Can catch them now. But wait. My legs are now rubber. Cannot jog to catch up. We miss the light. It's OK though, the lactic acid will dissipate and we'll get 'em at the next light.

Coming up to the next block and we see the first "interesting" person. I am not trying to be disrespectful at all, just telling a story as I saw it. I realize people have issues...it's a whole other discussion for another time. Or not. Anyway, this man is on the sidewalk screaming at people. Calling them names. He clearly had an issue. His back was to me, and then I passed him. Now it's my turn for the name calling. "BOY! You are BIG!" is all I heard. Over and over. I just kept on keeping on. I know I am big, but I am fit.  And the man clearly had issues.

Anyway, we reach the next light and lose the group. Not sure if they went straight or left. Can't see them either way. Stupid lights. Now we're irritated but decide that we are there for fitness so we'll keep on going. We pass a few other "interesting" people, like the man who was panhandling and called my husband names because he wouldn't fork over some cash. Ummm, dude? You're wearing a Patriots Jersey AND smoking a butt...do you know how much all that costs? So not feeling for you at this moment in time, and screaming at us isn't going to make us feel any worse off for you. (Again, I mean no disrespect. I KNOW people are struggling. There are better ways of getting help...)

So we're heading around this corner at a great pace and who do we see stopped having a break at the next light? Yup! That's them! We start high-tailing it over so we could at least finish up the walk with them. As we're stepping up, they start walking again. Great timing. We finished the walk with one of the guys who works at Lose It! Got a lot of great information about the app. and gave some input into what we like, don't like, would like to improve. That sort of thing.

How'd it go? Well, my time according to my fitness watch was 1:02:42. My last time was 1:01:47. I am going to go ahead and call this go around a success. Even with all the lights, my time was only a minute more. My thought is I could shave off about 5 minutes for all the stops we had to make while waiting for a light to change. Not. too. shabby.

After the walk, the Lose It! group gave us lunch and had a giveaway. I won a copy of their book. I'll let you know what I think when I'm done.

My overall thoughts on the walk:
1. I wish it were earlier in the day. The heat/humidity was a bit overwhelming.

2. It still was a very challenging walk. Partly due to the roads we were walking and the heat.

My personal feelings:
3. I was frustrated with my legs. I kept getting a weak feeling in them. It wasn't like a true lactic acid build-up. It felt more like a tickle. Hard to explain. Just a very strange feeling.

4. I was also a bit frustrated because my heart monitor kept beeping at me. I was over the 90% threshold a number of times. I understood it at the beginning on that first hill, but the rest of the time I should have been in the 80% range. When I hit the 90's I didn't feel like I was at that level. I was still able to speak without feeling like I was running out of breath. Not sure what to make of it.

5. After my last 5K in May, I couldn't walk for the rest of the day. The cortisone shot last week coupled with my Strassburg Sock has really helped with the plantar faciitous.

6. This is probably my favorite part. I realized I am fit. My husband is usually fine or nearly fine after doing a lot of activity. He was "hurting" a lot more than I was yesterday. And even today!

Can't wait to do another one!

Week 21 Weigh In

Great week! Shockingly enough...although I do realize that this week's weigh in is probably more a reflection of what I've done in the past weeks more than what I've done in the last seven days...

Down 2.9
Total: 39.9 - calling it 40!

I couldn't be happier this week! I am so close to hitting that first "big" goal. I can almost taste victory!

Next week will be rough with the workouts. The plan is to keep the calories in check so I can at least continue on a downward trend. I'll write more about my planning later though. Need to get some zzzz's, I do have a 5k tomorrow!