Hot 100 update #5

Happy Halloween weekend blogland!  This has been a weak week (say that 10 times fast).  I'm not proud of the weight gain or the actions that lead to it.  But in reality there will be times when I need to live my life.  This is a journey and there will be ups and downs.  I don't like it but I am moving forward and keeping the larger picture in mind!  Being healthy is the ultimate goal!  

Tomorrow morning i am running my very first 10k!  It is freaking cold here and I may run faster just to reach the warmth, lol!  I can't wait to see where my training has gotten me! 

1. Get more sleep.  I was good most nights.  But there were a couple nights were I just wasn't tired and couldn't attempt to sleep.  Must have been the full moon.     
2. Lose 20lbs.  Weighed in at 218.4 that is a 3.2 pound gain! Fail.  But moving forward. 
3. Meal planning.  We stuck to the plan and have planned out November!  I just need to decide where I want to go for my birthday and what night!  Win!
4. Balance.  I love doing this at random times.  Filing, sure!  Standing in the elevator, why not?  Win!    
5. Tracking.  Checkish!  The weekend was a bit off.  Yesterday, we had a potluck at work and I'm not entirely sure how to input all the homemade foods. I may just have to write it down.    
   

OctGTD Challenge update:  I completed 97.30 miles of my 100 mile challenge!  Hooray!!! I will finish tomorrow at the race and actually be over by a bit!  I am so proud of myself for being able to do this and finish!  I can't wait to go shopping for my reward! 

Have a great weekend everyone!  

I gained. It happens. Doesn't mean I like it.

So I gained 3 pounds this week.  It sucks ass.  However, it was bound to happen.  I get to this weight and bam my body starts going crazy.  Or maybe I am going crazy...yea that is probably the correct answer.   I did change things up and try eating more every day since I wasn't hitting my calorie goal.  Well I may be eating more than I actually realize or account for in the tracker.  I think I'll go back to my prior method.  At least then I was losing and not having to fret about where I was calorie wise.  Ugh.  

I can account for some of that gain the rest must have been from a food induced coma.  on Saturday, I ate mozzarella sticks (a lot of them) while watching Mizzou kick some Sooner ass.  They were yummy and totally not diet worthy.  Then on Sunday, I was non-stop hungry all day.  I think the better statement is I was bored.  I realized it but couldn't seem to stop.  My self-control button was apparently on the fritz.  I fell off the wagon.  I am trying really hard to put my self back in the driver's seat.  

So dear readers, I know what I did and it was stupid.  Will it happen again?  Maybe.  But I just have to get up and start anew.  This isn't something I can fix overnight and with Auntie Flo right around the corner it won't be much better for a bit.  But I can work on it each day and try not to let the cravings control me.  I have more self-control than this and I need to realize it!

Random Survey Fun!

I stole this from the lovely Suzi.  Feel free to post it to your blogs!  It is always fun to learn new things about each other. 

1. What time did you get up this morning?  6:30am

2. How do you like your steak?  On a live cow.  I don't eat beef!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?  Vampires Suck (I loved it)

4. What is your favorite TV show?  Bones (but I haven't had time to watch this season yet)

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?  New York City

6. What did you have for breakfast?  Egg, turkey sausage and a piece of toast

7. What is your favorite cuisine?  Indian or Italian

8. What foods do you dislike?  I am incredibly picky so this is a REALLY long lists.  Beef, pickles, olives, coconut, mushrooms, brussel sprouts, lima beans, cilantro.  I am sure there are more but since I run away from them I can't think of any.    

9. Favorite Place to Eat?   Mosaic, it is a fusion tapas restaurant here in St. Louis.  Amazing sea bass!

10. Favorite dressing?  Ranch

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive?  Jeep Liberty

12. What are your favorite clothes?  PJs followed closely by work out clothes.  The comfort thing!

What happened to 13....

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?  1/2 full most of the time

15. Where would you want to retire?  Who gets to retire?  I'll be working forever, lol! 

16. Favorite time of day?  Late evening

17. Where were you born?  Union, Missouri

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?  Baseball, college football and basketball

19. How many siblings?  Zero, I'm an only child! 

20. Favorite pastime/hobby?  reading and crocheting.

22. Bird watcher?  no

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?  night but I am starting to become a morning person

24. Do you have any pets?  a 13 yo kitty, Maya and 10 mo puppy, Moses

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?  I have to pee. 

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A doctor...well I work for one!

27. What is your best childhood memory?  Making cookies with my mom or helping my daddy build stuff! 

28. Are you a cat or dog person?  Both (I love my furchildren equally)

29. Are you married?  Nope, haven't met Mr. Right

30. Always wear your seat belt? Always

31. Been in a car accident?  a couple

32. Any pet peeves?  smokers in large crowds, strollers in large crowds and people with little to no manners

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?  chicken

34. Favorite Flower?  yellow roses or gerber daises

35. Favorite ice cream?  Pumpkin Custard or mint chocolate chip

36. Favorite fast food restaurant?  McDonalds...oh how I miss the nuggets.  I do eat Jimmy John's from time to time.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?  Once, stupid parallel parking.

38. From whom did you get your last email?  a co-worker

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?  Coach or Nordstroms

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?  Nope, I am truly a planner.  Spontaneity scares me. 

41. Like your job?  Love it!

42. Broccoli?  Yes please! 

43. What was your favorite vacation?  Caribbean cruise with my mommy or any that I've taken with my bff!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?  My momma

45. What are you listening to right now?  Pandora

46. What is your favorite color?   PINK!!!!

47. How many tattoos do you have? One of the STL Cardinal's bird on the bat! 

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 4:45pm

50. Coffee Drinker?  Nope but if I could main line Diet Dew.....

My desk makes me fat?

The hospital that I work with posted this article to Facebook.  So here I am thinking that I am living a much more active lifestyle only to find out that perhaps I'm not.  I am not naive.  I get that sitting at my desk all day is not entirely healthy.  But seriously, I work my ass off at the gym and try to not sit around when I'm at home. 

However....

I have a 12,500 step goal each day.  And I struggle to reach it.  Why, because my butt is sitting in a desk chair 90% of the day.  This month has been the exception because of the 100 mile challenge I've been doing.  I've made my step goal and then some every day but one.  I'm already screwed on the heart disease front thanks to my genetics.  I don't need to have my job exacerbate the situation.  The bottom line is that I need to move more during my work day.  So I've tried my best today and I am happy to say I am half way done with my steps!  One step at a time, right?

Hot 100 update #4 and OctGTD update

Time for the weekly challenge segment!  This week has been very "eh".  I've been going through the motions but not feeling as if anything is being accomplished.  I am sure that I am accomplishing something though!  Thank goodness this challenge is long.  It allows for off weeks or weeks that feel off.

1. Get more sleep.  I did much better this week!  I consistently got there by 10:30!   
2. Lose 20lbs.  Weighed in at 215.2 that is a 0.2 pound loss!  Well you can't lose 6 pounds every week.   At least it wasn't a gain!
3. Meal planning.  We changed out one meal because I over porked us.  We really wanted something chickeny!  Otherwise, we totally stayed on plan. 
4. Balance.  I try to do this while I am watching tv.  This way I'm not entirely wasting away on the couch.  Not that I watch all that much tv anymore.  My DVR looks like a rental store.
5. Tracking.  Check! 
   

OctGTD Challenge update:  I completed 72.42 miles of my 100 mile challenge!  Almost there and not doing too shabby!  I plan to finish this challenge off with my 10k race next Saturday! Because this girl is NOT moving a muscle, joint, bone or her ass on Halloween except to hand out candy!  I think I will have earned a day off!  :)  

Have a great weekend everyone!  

Ding, ding, ding...I think she's got it!

Tuesday night was a Glee rerun so my mom and I settled on BL while we had dinner.  She doesn't watch it often as reality shows aren't her cup of tea but she seemed to enjoy it or maybe it was just the spending time with me!  Anyway, she remarked about how big some of the contestants were and this was after 5 weeks on the ranch.  I'm like many of them were 300+ at the start.  She looked at me and said, "I'm glad you were never that big".   But I was that big mom; a  whopping 323 pounds.  She was stunned and immediately said I would have noticed if you were that big.  Apparently, my mother was in denial or missed out on 3 years of my life.  We have lived together since 2002 and I see her every day.  So I pulled out our cruise album from 2004 and handed her photographic evidence.  You could see her jaw hit the floor.  And then came the tears and the "I'm so sorry I let this happen" spiel.  It wasn't your fault mom, well at least the obese adult part of my life, I did this and I made the wrong choices.  I let this happen.  Sure I was a fat kid but I could have made choices to change the direction my body was headed.  I chose to ignore it and eat everything in sight.  I never want my mom to feel guilty because it was my choice to hide in the basement and finish off that whole pizza.  She never forced me to eat the amounts of food I consumed in the past.  The past is over and I am succeeding at becoming a new person!  The important thing is we are learning to make better choices together!  Together we are educating ourselves on proper nutrition and portion control.  We can't change the past but we can dictate what happens in the future!   

I'm having a fat day or at least that is my perception of today.  It feels like my size 14s are too tight but in reality they actually fit and aren't baggy like my "fat pants".  The first time I wore these jeans I was so elated to have on a smaller size that I didn't even notice how they felt.  However, today I realized these aren't as comfortable as the baggy pants from yesterday.  I think I need to wrap my head around the fact that this is what I am working towards!  The damn mental portion of weight loss is so exhausting!  :)  Challenge updates tomorrow although this has been a very "eh" week. 

Weekend Review

Sorry for the lack of updating or keeping up with everyone's blogs.  I am incredibly behind in my reading.  I hope to rectify my absence this week!  

This weekend was beautiful here in STL!  I ran a 5k on Saturday morning for the Second Wind Lung Transplant group.  This organization raises money to help patients and their families who are waiting for a lung transplant.  I work with lung transplant patients as part of a research study that I coordinate.  So it is always good to support those that support my study!  I finished the race in 33:40 which is a minute better than I've been averaging on my long run days!  Woot!  It was a great morning! 

However, I think the cool air may have intensified my sore throat.  I felt sick and incredibly rundown the rest of the weekend.  I am feeling much better today and slept a bazillion hours last night! 

I did manage to get in 6 miles on Saturday between the 5k and my high intensity gym day.  However, I barely survived a 45 min low day on Sunday.   I did feel a bit guilty for not utilizing my low day properly but at least I was doing something and going home to rest helped too.   Ms. All-star took it easy on my last night...well slightly!  :P   I plan to hit my medium night at a moderate pace, eat dinner and go to bed super early.  I should be completely back to my old self by tomorrow! 

I hope everyone is having a great week!   It's almost Halloween!!    

Hot 100 Update #3

Happy Friday everyone!  Here is my Hot 100 update!  I hope everyone has a wonderful Fall weekend and that the weather is fabulous in your neck of the woods.  (Does Al have a trademark on this phrase?)  Guess who is wearing size 14 jeans today??  Yea baby!!

1. Get more sleep.  Negative.  This is a big fail for the week.  I did fall asleep on the couch a couple times trying to watch TV but I didn't make progress on actually going to bed earlier.   
2. Lose 20lbs.  Weighed in at 215.4 that is a 6.4 pound loss!  I guess I made up for the Aunt Flo week!  Win!
3. Meal planning.  The menu is going as planned.  I really need to post some of the recipes I've made recently.  I am really bad about it.  I'll work on that soon!  Win!
4. Balance.  I feel like it is getting better.  But don't get me wrong I still fall over when we put more than one thing together, lol!  One step at a time or leg at a time!
5. Tracking.  I have tracked all week. 
   

OctGTD Challenge update:  I completed 47.30 miles of my 100 mile challenge!  I am ecstatic about being almost half-way through this challenge at well the half way mark!  I think this is better than I expected!  I can't believe that I have run with some walking of the puppy 47 miles.  I am so proud of all the things I have begun to accomplish!  

Good luck to all the hotties!  I will be looking forward to all your successes!    

Weigh and Measure Day - Month 4

This month's weigh and measure day brought disappointment to myself and my trainer.  Oh sure, I lost 10 lbs and now weigh 215.4.  That is a huge accomplishment and I can't even tell you the last time I weighed this little.  But and it is a huge BUT....8lbs of my loss was muscle.  I even gained a percentage of body fat.  The two main explanations as to why this occurred are a) I don't eat enough calories each day particularly protein and b) I am exercising more given the challenge to complete 100 miles and preparing for my 10k.  

So how do we fix this....
I know I should eat more but I can't help that I'm not always hungry.  I don't crave protein either.  I force myself to eat what I do intake each day.  I need to suck it up and eat the 1700 calories that my body requires each day.  But I have a mental block about eating more.  I KNOW that you need to eat to lose and trust me poor Ms. All-star has all but beat it into my head but I still have a hard time doing it.  It is hard to admit that you need to eat when all you want is the weight to disappear.  It is 100% all in my psyche and something I have to work through.  There is no easy answer to fixing my internal dilemmas.  I need to convince myself that eating properly didn't make me fat that it is okay to eat the right foods in the right amounts.  

As for all the running and meeting my challenge, Ms. AS is not telling me to stop or to discourage me from finishing.  She knows that it is important for me to push myself and see what I can accomplish this month.  I just need to better fuel my body to handle all the extra activity.  This muscle loss is totally my bodies way of telling me that we aren't getting what we need and we need more so that you can succeed.  I need to start listening to it better.  And for those saying that I should cross train and strength train, I do 3 days a week.  I just run/walk like a mad woman on top of all the other cool stuff!  I enjoy doing all of it but maybe next month I need to dial it back just a little.  I do sort of need this body for years to come and now would not be a great time to burn her out! 

There was some inch lossage but I was too distracted by the muscle loss and fat gain to pay attention to it.  I think my waist shrunk, okay I know my waist has shrunk because I have to pull my pants up Urkel-style!  I also need some new bras so there is more shrinkage!  I need to stop focusing on the negative parts of last night and remember that I have made huge changes to my body.  I just need to be a bit nicer to it!  

Challenge updates tomorrow!

Super run today!

Just a quick update on my running progress!  

Today was my low workout day (aka long run day).  I almost made it 7 miles.  I ran 6.88 miles in the freaking heat!  It wasn't my fastest time but it was a good long run.  I shocked myself!  Yay!  Now if the weather would act more like October, lol!  I am feeling super ready for the 10k and maybe just maybe I could pull a half out of my rear end in the Spring!  I love being able to run and not feel like my body is falling apart.  It feels great being able to accomplish something that at one point was the most difficult thing in the world.  Don't get me wrong it is still difficult but it gets easier with every step!  I can't wait to see what happens next weekend!  

Hugs to all my bloggies! 

Hot 100 and OctGTD updates

Good morning friends!  It is time to update on my Hot 100 progress.  It has been a difficult week since I've been inhaling food like a vacuum cleaner but it has gotten better!  I had to hit the gym early this morning and knocked out my miles for the OctGTD challenge.  So all-in-all a productive Friday!  Woot!

1. Get more sleep.  Still a work in progress but I am consistently making it by 10:30!  Baby steps in the right direction.  
2. Lose 20lbs.  Weighed in at 221.8  so I was down 0.4 and I will take that and run with it!   Absolutely a WIN! 
3. Meal planning.  We stuck to the plan all week!  I did make a few edits last weekend because of some upcoming events!  So total WIN!  Already picking out meals for November! 
4. Balance.  Is improving!  I am trying to work in a little balance while doing ordinary every day things.  Yesterday, one of the docs laughed because I was doing it while faxing!  :)

I feel like I am meeting my goals!   I think I should add one.  I have been slacking on tracking my food intake.  I really need to get back to doing that every day.  It is something that has always helped and I suck at it.  But overall a bright spot in an otherwise not great week!  

OctGTD Challenge update:  I completed 23.27 miles of my 100 mile challenge!  I am feeling good about my progress so far.  It is tiring trying to fit all the miles in but it wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't, right?  So go me!! 

I hope everyone is doing well with their challenges as well!!  I have a 3.7 mile walk tomorrow with one of my awesome friends and I can't wait!  Have a great weekend!

Highs and lows of the Weight Loss Journey

This week is a mix of highs and lows and maybe TMI (sorry dear readers).  The high being that I am so glad my health is turning around.  I was diagnosed with asthma earlier this year.  It was horrible in the beginning and although my numbers were never awful they were bad for me.  I am happy to say that after 10 months of treatment and diligent supervision, my numbers are improved and I am currently asymptomatic!  And since June, which was my last PFT and right before starting with Ms. All-star, my lung capacity has improved by almost a liter a quarter of a liter (apparently I need to read the test better)!  Still an improvement though!  More benefits of following an exercise and weight loss plan and using proper medicinal control!

The low of the week and probably the TMI portion (boys run away from the girly speak) is that for some reason my ability to control the cravings thanks to Aunt Flo is non-existent this month.  A bonus from losing weight is she comes like freakin clock work now.  I can almost pinpoint the hour.  But the bitch is driving me to potato chips.  I shoveled them in last night like someone might yank the bag out of my hands.  You might be wondering, where did I get chips in the first place?  Well lovely readers, my mother is my biggest sabotuer.  She knows better than to bring them in the house.  This never deters her from buying them.   Normally, I can have a few and then ignore them.  But last night they were all I wanted.   I can't even say I regret eating them becasue the hormones are telling me otherwise.  I'd eat some right now if I had them.  Ugh.  Why are my hormones worse now that I have less body fat to make them?  Seriously....stupid girly things....stupid chips....stupid hormones....

This means tonights weigh-in will suck but that is okay.  Next week is my monthly weigh and measure day so it's more important.  I will be ready to rock it and not worry about the fact I can't control my cravings.  I am going to eat lunch now and not think about chips.  Although they would be mighty tasty!!        

Celebrate Good Times!

Lots to celebrate in this post!  This marks my 50th post.  Woo hoo!  And I've hit the 100 lb mark in weight loss!  I've been here once before in my journey.  I don't like to dwell on the last year and the 30+ pounds I regained but it happened.  I didn't feel well and let things get out of hand.  I am thankful that I am healthy now and can push through to the next goal!  I have an amazing support system that has always cheered me on even in the tough times.  I can now add the most awesomeness of trainers, Ms. All-star to the mix!  Together we are unstoppable!  You rock sista! 

I promised in an earlier post that when I hit the 100 lb mark I would post a before and after picture.  So as promised! 

September 2004 ~323 pounds

Now ~ 222.2

It's weird to post that earlier picture.  I haven't seen that girl in a long time and I hope to never see her again!  I still have a long way to go but I think I'll enjoy celebrating this milestone for a little bit longer!  :)

Hot 100 Update!

Good morning and Happy October!!  It's time to update on my first week of the Hot 100 Challenge!   

1. Get more sleep.  It is definitely a work in progress.  I managed to get to bed by 10:30 most of the week!   I think my goal is 10!  
2. Lose 20lbs.  I started this challenge at 226 and weighed-in on Wed at 222.2!   - 3.8 WIN! 
3. Meal planning.  This is a bit of a cheat because I already have October done.  However, I do need to abide by it!  Still a WIN! 
4. Balance.  Not as good with this goal.  I have had to stand on the train more and that takes quite the balance.  So it's something.  Yep, need more work on this one. 

Over all not a bad start.  The best part about 100 days is that there is plenty of time to reach my goals and improve my life one step at a time.   Here's to the next 7 days and making strides to further my health!  

OctGTD Challenge starts today!  I have to average 3.2 miles a day which seems really scary now but bring it!!  My friends are all being super helpful and offering to walk with me.  The puppy is going to be going for loads of walks too!  Plus, the running to be ready for my 10k! I BELIEVE I can do this!  

Welcome to the Autumn of Change!  Good luck to everyone embarking on these and other challenges!