Sunday Post

Still no Xtrain.  I hadn't gotten the mail since Thursday, so when I got home this morning (spent the weekend at the boyfriend's), I literally ran to my mail box.  Nothing.   :(     I was hoping to get it this weekend.  Oh well.  It'll come soon enough!

Is anyone else unlucky like me and have to work tomorrow?  Sadly I don't have enough vacation time, so I couldn't take tomorrow off.  It's so weird to have to go to work one day, get a day off, then go back to finish the week.  Sigh.

It's the Vikings / Packers game today.  GO VIKINGS!

Pay no attention to my ugly leggings and socks.  It's comfortable!!!  Notice the exercise ball in the background??  Yeah, I bought that maybe a year and half ago, and still haven't used it.  It's just taking up space in my living room.

And notice anything else in that picture?  It's my new camera!  It's a Canon PowerShot A3400.  Nothing fancy....I'm just happy to finally have a camera.   :)

Ricky looks thrilled too.    ;)

Busy Friday

Busy busy today at work.  Anyone else feel like every Friday, something just has to happen to leave you scrambling until the last minute?  Why is that???  Since I'm in benefits, I get to be the person who runs the deductions report every Friday (benefit deductions from your paycheck for your Medical, Dental, Vision, etc.).  Normally it's a few pages - 6 at the most.  Today it was 163 pages.  Because it's the end of the year, and with new rates and wellness scores for 2013, pretty much every Minnesota employee was on that report.  Sigh.  Needless to say, I had no time to blog.

I went to Jimmy John's quick to grab a #1 and headed straight back to my desk to work while I ate (I know, a big no no).

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Still no sign of Xtrain in the mail yet.  Though, I am in Minnesota, and they're shipping from the East coast.  So I'm hoping maybe I'll get it tomorrow or Monday.....is there mail Monday?  If not Monday, then Wednesday.  Trying to be patient!!!!

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Okay, I'm heading out to watch the boyfriend play volleyball.  If I don't post, have a good weekend!

They Have Arrived

Just got the update on Facebook this morning that the Xtrain Series has arrived in Glassboro (Cathe's location)!!!!  Shipping starts today!   :D  

(Source)

It's like Christmas morning all over again.  So looking forward to this....it'll be such a great start for the new year, and a great start for Operation: Butterfly / Operation: Red Bikini!

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With 2012 coming to an end, I'll be doing a couple posts with reflections of 2012, and looking forward to goals for 2013.  Those should come either this week (ha...it's already Thursday!) or next week.  There are some great things and not-so-great things about 2012, and I am really looking forward to 2013.

I believe in my heart that 2013 will be MY year.  It will also mark 10 YEARS since graduating high school.  WHAT?!?!?!  It seriously feels like just yesterday I was walking in the ceremony in the brand new gym.  Sigh.  I certainly miss high school.  To me, those were the best years of my life - not college, like so many people say.

I'm going to start working on those posts now, because I have absolutely no motivation to work right now.   :-/     But first....a quick stop in the kitchen to get some coffee, and something to eat.  I'm starving (haven't eaten breakfast yet - I need to go grocery shopping pronto).

Back To Work

Back to work today.  Womp womp.  But I had an amazing Christmas weekend!!  So sad to see it end, but it was a great time.  I got lots of great stuff.  Pots/pans, casserole dishes, fancy dishes, leftover/lunch dishes, a lovely (WARM) throw, lots of money, and other odds and ends.

Oh.  And a camera!!  Woo-hoo!  I didn't have time to set it up last night (got home at about 8:00 and was just so exhausted - all I wanted to do was sit and watch TV).  But I will be setting it up soon, and will be posting TONS of pictures all the time!!   :D

And here is a picture from this morning that I took with my new phone....the Samsung Galaxy SIII (LOVE IT!!!!).

I have no idea why it's sideways....when I open it on my computer, it's the right way.  And I'm too lazy to figure it out.

Yes, I'm back in the 150s.  But I'm really not concerned about it.  I know I didn't gain 3 pounds...pretty sure it's from all the goodies loaded with salt that has me bloated right now.  But this was my starting weight for the Dietbet.  I'll need to get down to 146.4 to get my share of the pot.

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In other news, I pre-ordered this last week.....

Cathe's new and upcoming DVD series, Xtrain!!  I'm getting super-excited about it.  Just got an update this morning that they'll start shipping today or tomorrow!  This is all part of my Operation: Butterfly / Operation: Red Bikini plan.  I think there are 5 or 6 different rotations that Cathe includes in the compilation.  We'll see which one I do after I have more time to look at it.  I'm hoping I'll have mine by next week some time.

I love Cathe's workout DVD's.  I did a couple rotations in the past, and have had great results.  She's one heck of a trainer, and in my opinion, she's the best out there.  Certainly the home workout queen.  Head on over to her site to check it out.  She has TONS of DVD's, and they're pretty tough, which is what's so great about them.  When I get it in the mail, there'll be more details to follow.

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That's it for now.  Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend.  Looking forward to only having to work 3 days this week!

Confession Time

Today is confession time.  Please don't hate me, but I've never seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Is it safe to come out now?

Yes, I seriously just said that.  Reading all these holiday linkups with everyone's favorite Christmas movies, this seems to be one that comes up the most.  I have no idea why I've never seen it - I just haven't.  Maybe I'll need to watch it this weekend.  Excellent excuse to pop in a movie.    :)

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We did go to the Holidazzle parade last night!!

Sorry the pictures suck.  I can't take "motion" pictures, and it was FREEZING, so I didn't want to keep my fingers out of my gloves for too long.  It was a fun thing to do.  A little short - we paid $5 for parking, and it was only about 20 minutes long - but still something different to do!

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I'm really hoping we get to leave work early today.  Normally we can leave early the day before a holiday, but we didn't the day before Thanksgiving.  Here's to hoping no one is feeling like a Scrooge today.

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If I don't blog before Christmas, hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!!

Odds and Ends

I am not in the mood to work today.  There are holiday celebrations galore, treats everywhere, and it seems we get a free lunch every day - whether it be leftovers from a lunch meeting, New Hire orientation leftovers, etc. etc. etc.  We're also getting our yearly holiday hams and turkeys (yes, BOTH) today.  I'm just so distracted and ready for this 4-day weekend.  And it's not even Friday yet!!  Too bad I have a demo meeting that's supposed to last FOUR HOURS tomorrow - the day when everyone was planning on leaving early.  WTF??  The guy who scheduled it apparently doesn't celebrate Christmas (I'm not being sarcastic).  What a Scrooge.

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I mentioned a couple weeks ago that we had been planning to go to the Holidazzle parade in Minneapolis, but those plans got a little ruined by my crabbiness, and my boyfriend's tiredness.  We're planning on trying to go tonight.  It's really cold, though, so we'll see.  I really want to go!!

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And so it begins.  This is the first page of my journal that I'm keeping.  I've got breakfast, snack, and lunch on there so far, with little summaries of how I was feeling.  This is a process, and I'm sure my "summaries" will evolve over time as I get the hang of this.

And on a related note?  I checked the nutrition info on the Jimmy John's site for their sandwiches (what I had for lunch) - they have a TON of sodium.  Wow.  Like more than 1,000 mg.  I think this could be a reason I was so high on a couple of my weigh-ins in the past - from having JJ's for lunch the day before.

It wasn't exactly the healthiest lunch, but I did have whole grain instead of the white bread.  I also skipped the cheese and added more veggies.  It was a good sandwich, but next time I'm going to stick with a splurge, because I prefer the French bread.    :)    BUT....there are healthier and cheaper options, like bringing my own lunch.  This certainly would be a bad habit to start, even with the healthier substitutions.  And BRING ON THE WATER!

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I'm sure a ton of you have heard of DietBet.

Well, I joined a bet!  It was a $25 bet, and the pot is currently at $1175!!  For those of you who suck at math, that means 47 people are currently in on the bet.  The bet starts right after Christmas - December 26 - and I'll be weighing in on Monday, the 24th.  If you have been living under a rock haven't heard of it, it's basically a site where you can join different groups.  Everyone bets the "bet amount."  It gets put in the pot, and if you lose 4% of your weight by the end of the 4 week challenge, you split the pot with any others who won!!  I'm really excited and hoping this will keep me even more accountable.  I really don't want to lose that $25 to some stranger I've never even met!!!!

This is the perfect way to kick off my Operation: Butterfly / Operation: Red Bikini!  2013 is looking like MY year!

Operation: Butterfly Meets Operation: Red Bikini

I'm sure many of you know about Operation: Red Bikini that is going on over at Southern Girl Gets Fit.  I've decided to merge my challenge with hers, seeing as I just posted my goal dress and jeans a couple posts ago!  This way I have a little more motivation and a way to stay accountable.

I also mentioned when I first unveiled the new blog design/domain that this site would be more than just diet and exercise and losing weight.  It's all about finding myself, and learning to be comfortable in my own skin, rather than depending on what others think or feel.  I've decided to take a different approach to my weight loss that will coincide with finding myself, and just enjoying myself and my life!

Calorie counting.  It's not fun.  We all know how important it is and has been for many people during their weight loss journeys.  And it's been a great tool for me to figure out how much I'm eating, and to see what it feels like at different calorie levels.  But it sucks.  It's time-consuming, and it literally makes me think about food all day long.  I feel like food is controlling my life; my feelings.  Everything.  It's time to stop.  I'm going to work my way to a more intuitive eating approach.  And I'm taking small steps toward a clean eating lifestyle.

First step?  I've already got a good grasp on a healthy breakfast.  Now I'm going to take it a step further and clean up my snacks.  A healthy combination of protein/carbs would be a good start.  No more chips.  No more vending machines.  That will be my focus for 21 days (experts say it takes 21 days to create a new habit).  After the 21 days is up, I'll add a new habit.

Another thing I'll be working on for my first 21 days is to eliminate my distractions at lunch.  No more eating at my desk.  I'm going to go to the lunch room to eat.  There's no reason to eat at my desk.  I sit at a computer all day long.  Enough of that....take a break from the computer, Heather!!

Yep, I said I won't be counting calories.  I'll be taking a new approach.  I'm going to start focusing on my feelings surrounding my meals, and where I'm at on the hunger scale.  I'll keep a non-detailed (meaning I won't list out every single food item in a recipe - PB&J Sandwich is good enough) diary of what I eat.  Then I'll write a brief summary of how I feel after the meal.  I'll also keep track of how I feel whenever I get the urge to eat at non-meal times.  Want a candy bar?  Open my journal first and figure out what I'm really feeling - because it's probably not hunger.  

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Pamper myself!!  This is part of my Operation: Butterfly plan that does not include dieting/exercising.  This is about me and treating myself good.  Because I deserve it.  I don't have to wait until I'm xxx pounds to treat myself.  I will dedicate 20 minutes/day to pamper myself.  I'm going to write each of the following things on sheets of paper, shuffle them up, and each day I'll pick a piece of paper out of the jar....

• Give myself a manicure
• Give myself a pedicure
• Give myself a facial
• Read a magazine
• Read a book
• Do a short yoga workout off Netflix
• Take a bath
• Take a walk while listening to a podcast or talk radio
• Movie night
• Zumba game on XBox

All of these will be done with my phone OFF, the TV off (with the exception of the movie night, Zumba, and Yoga), relaxing music ON, candles ON, etc.  You'll get more details about these as I draw something each day.  

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Yes, I'll still be doing my weekly weigh-ins (on Mondays) and such, but I'm taking a completely different approach to this weight loss thing.  This is Operation: Butterfly - it's time to work on ME, from the inside out.

Making Myself Sick

I forgot to mention yesterday that I made myself sick on Sunday.  I tend to be really lazy on Sundays.  I woke up at around 11:30, browsed the internet/facebook on my phone for a bit, and then watched the Vikings game with the boyfriend.  Mind you, I still had not gotten out of bed (finally crawled out at around 2:30).  I finally decided to leave at half time, because I was starting to get a headache from laying around so much.

I was famished, so I decided to stop at DQ.  Yeah.  Good idea Heather.  I ordered the 4 piece chicken strip basket with a cherry coke.  Funny, they must have though that the 4 they gave me were too small, because there were 5 in my basket.  I told myself I wouldn't eat the whole basket.  Ha.  Bah hahaha.

I ate the whole basket.

But that still wasn't enough.  I felt so blah after eating that thing....I get the worst lethargic feeling in the world every time I eat a chicken strip basket.  You'd think I would learn, but no....they are just too damn good.

So I continued to eat.  Chips.  Peanut butter.  The shrimp alfredo I made for dinner (the boyfriend had to eat).  I don't even remember all the food I ate because it was so mindless.

Needless to say, 10:30 rolled around, and I was in pain.  My stomach hurt so bad.  I wanted to force myself to throw up.  It was terrible.  I had diarrhea.  I was awake, tossing and turning most of the night.  Ugh.

That chicken strip basket was not worth it.  I learned my lesson.

Day 1 of Weigh In Monday

149.6.  That is my starting weight for "Operation: Butterfly."  And *ahem*....if you remember correctly, I weighed 150.9 last Wednesday.  Which means I lost 1.3 pounds!    :D    *Happy Dance*    And I am FINALLY back in the 140s.  Now let's stay there (but not for too long, because I'd like to get in the 130s some time soon)!!

I should also mention....regarding my goal outfits in the previous post - I do NOT want to look like that girl in the red dress.  TOO skinny, and no curves at all!!  I plan on doing that dress justice, because I don't think she does.  Just sayin'!

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So, it's Monday.  Gross.  But next week, thank goodness, we have a 3-day week (Christmas Eve is a paid holiday for us!).  I'm looking forward to that.  I'm also looking forward to seeing the family on Christmas Eve.  It's one of those things where I only see them once a year, really, unless I go to the cabin while they happen to be up there (my mom's sister and their family have a cabin right next door to ours).

Not sure what the boyfriend plans on doing (no, we didn't break up - long story).  Last year his parents were in Ecuador over Christmas (that's where they're from), so this wasn't a problem.  But this year they didn't go, and he wants to spend Christmas Eve with them.  Which is fine, but his ex wife will be there.  I'm not happy about this.  Not at all.  I have a feeling this is what my life is going to be if I end up staying with him.  Just one stressor after another, especially regarding his ex-wife.  Not something I need.  It's certainly something I need to take seriously and think about.

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That's it for now.  I should probably do a little work while I'm here.    ;)

Operation: Butterfly

So what's in a name?  I chose My Inner Butterfly as the name of this blog, not just to use in a diet sense.  But also in a life sense.  Over the years, I have concentrated on doing what everyone did.  I've concentrated on putting others first, or only making decisions based off of what other people thought.  So you can imagine what a lost young girl I am.  I have no idea who I am.  There are a few things about me that I do know.  I love to dance.  I love to read.  And I love music.

But if someone asked me who I am, I have no idea where to start (even that introduction about myself over to the right of my blog was a half-assed attempt to try to explain who I am).

It's time to find who I am.  To find what I like.  To find my place in this world.  To come out of my cocoon and morph in to my inner butterfly.

How am I going to do this?  That's a good question.  Over the next week or so, I'm going to find that out.  The first part of my plan (and probably the most obvious) is to work on my health.  I know this is not what I am destined to be.  I know that I am not destined to be overweight, to hide beneath clothes, to avoid shopping because I'm too fat and don't want to deal with buying mediocre clothes.

Operation: Butterfly will start with a plan for my eating and exercise.  I'm switching up my weigh-in days to Mondays.  I know....Weigh-In Monday doesn't have much of a ring to it like Weigh-In Wednesday does.  But since everything is starting tomorrow, kind of like a fresh start, I want my weigh-ins to be on Mondays.

And here is my goal dress (in a medium, because let's face it, I may lose some poundage, but my boobs will still be bigger than the average bear!).  This hot dress is from Forever 21, and actually not bad price-wise!

Yep, it's a little bit skanky.  It will be my clubbing dress.  Who knows....I may chicken out and never wear it in public (like I've done with a lot of clothes, even in my skinny days...because I'm pretty modest).  But I WILL be taking pictures and posting them on the blog.  I'm also ordering this pair of size 8 jeans from Express to hang on my door....

Nothing like some clothes to motivate you!  And you heard it here first folks....I will be posting pictures of THESE clothes on the blog when I fit in them.  More details to come.  

Not only will I be cleaning up my diet and working out more, but I'll be working on the entire package.  More details to come.  For now, it's off to relax and enjoy the rest of my Sunday night.     :)

My Inner Butterfly

Ta-Da!  I have a brand spanking new domain!  My new URL is www.myinnerbutterfly.com.  This is probably a little premature, seeing as no one really reads my blog.  But I liked the idea of having my own domain, and I wanted to go in a bit of a different direction with this blog.

Of course, my blog posts will still include lots of weight loss stuff, since that pretty much consumes my life right now; but I also wanted to include more of my everyday life.  My life certainly is not all about weight loss.  And I'm hoping to include a lot more personal things about myself.

This is just kind of a draft.  I'm still working on some final details, and maybe coming up with some other pages.

AND....it's Friday night, and I'm laying here on my couch.  Alone.  Well, not alone.  I'm with Ricky.....

My cute little guy.  

I'm alone, because I think my boyfriend and I broke up.  

I know.  We have a weird relationship.  Sigh.  What a telenovela of a life I live.  It'd be nice to be drama-FREE for once.  Maybe some day.

Changes

There will be some changes to this blog soon.  GOOD changes!  I'll be posting more details over the next week or so!

Non-Weigh-In Wednesday

I made the executive decision NOT to weigh in today, because it's that time of the month.  And I'm not going to shoot myself for gaining weight (which I know I did) at this time.  Sigh.  I hate being a girl sometimes.  Guys don't have to worry about this kind of crap when they're trying to lose weight.

I haven't really touched on my Operation: Eat Clean.  Mainly because I haven't been doing that great.  However, I have been eating more veggies and fruits, and trying to stay away from carbs at night (which has been a total disaster the last couple nights after getting home from my 2 hour long commutes due to the snow....all I want to do is stuff my pie hole with bread and sweets after that crap).  But.  But I tend to be one of those "all-or-nothing" dieters, and I do need to give credit where credit is due.  I have done a better job at eating cleaner foods, due to the circumstances (especially with all the treats we're getting at work this time of year).  I've also followed my schedule as far as mini-meals, and water breaks.  So I've gotten in a lot more water.  My problem as of late seems to be mindlessly eating at night, due to stress, boredom, sadness, you name it.  I'm a classic emotional eater.

Tomorrow is our building's holiday party/potluck (we have 3 buildings here in Minneapolis...it's like a university campus), where a ton of people are bringing in delicious things to eat.  I'm going to let myself enjoy it.  It will be my tenth cheat meal for this week.

Ugh.  So much for looking great at Christmas and wowing everyone who hasn't seen me for a year.  I mentioned in a previous post that I've been touting on Facebook all my BodyStep workouts, and my marathoner/triathlete cousin has been cheering me on.  I'm sure she'll wonder what the heck happened that I don't look any different.  Oh woe is me.

Weekend Recap

Good morning everyone.  Back to work today.  The commute took extra long today (and had to get up real early), so I'm in need of some coffee.  More on that in a second...

So I had a pretty event-filled weekend.  For me, anyway.  Friday night I went to volleyball with the boyfriend.  We were there until about 11:00, got home at 11:30, and I cooked something quick (leftover shrimp and rice for him...I didn't eat anything.  I wasn't hungry).  Then I went to bed as early as I could, but it wasn't early enough....I think we finally got to bed around 12:30 or 1:00.

Saturday was our holiday movie party for work.  We rent out a local movie theater, and show movies, along with having Santa and Mrs. Claus there.  About 1200 RSVP'd, but I don't think that many showed up.  It was a good time.  I decided to see Life of Pi - it was a very good movie, and I was on the edge of my seat for quite a bit of the movie.  I recommend it, definitely.

Saturday was also my dad's birthday, so I went out to my parents' house for a few hours.  It's always good to see them....I love going home.  And my mom decorated this year (she hasn't the last few years, just because she's been busy).  Love how it looks when it's decorated!!

I couldn't stay too late, because we were under a winter storm warning.  I figured the weather man was wrong again, because it still wasn't snowing by the time I left.  Um, I was wrong, because on Sunday, we woke up to this....

We got about a foot of snow overnight!!  Yay for a white Christmas!!  Last year, we had a brown Christmas, and Christmas just wasn't the same.  Yes, it's cold in the winter, but I can't imagine living anywhere else.  There's nothing else like snow.

But that also meant the commute this morning was not good.  The plows didn't do too great of a job plowing, and the roads were still pretty bad.  I was driving about 40 mph in a 55 mph zone the whole ride.  

That's it for now.  Nothing diet-related.  That'll be another post!  Have a good one!

Huh?

150.8

That's what the scale said this morning when I weighed myself (yes, I weighed myself after my fat girl meltdown, consisting of stuffing my face with a Whopper....apparently I like to torture myself).

WHAT?!  I lost weight after that?????

I have a weird body.  That's all I have to say.

The end.

Busy Day Followed by a Bad Night

Had a terrible fight with the boyfriend.

Didn't go to the parade.

Ate my feelings like the fat girl I am with a Whopper meal at BK.

Sitting in front of the computer in my fat girl pants, full of self-pity.

*Sigh*

Busy Day

Busy day today at the office, so not much time to blog.  I mentioned last night that I had a little mini binge.  I'm back on track today, and it feels great!

No workout tonight.  Going to the Holidazzle Parade (parade here in Minneapolis put on by Target) tonight....excited!  I'll have to update some other time - gotta get back to work!

A Bump In The Road is Not the End of the Road

Last night's BodyWorks Plus Abs was good.  I wouldn't say it was a superb workout, but it was a little challenging after having such a long break from weight workouts.  The moves were just a little....awkward/strange.  I'm hoping it's just the teacher - because that can be fixed by switching classes.  Going to a new gym is a learning process.  You have to navigate all the new classes, teachers, and availability of cardio equipment.  I'll get it down eventually.

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Um, so today was supposed to be my Paleo day.  And I'm not supposed to have cheat meals on Paleo day. But today was special.  We ordered Jimmy John's for lunch, because we had a "packing party" (Saturday is our holiday party...I'm the benefits coordinator, so I'm suckered in to coordinating all the parties/events, and the rest of the benefits department is sucked in to helping stuff 550 treat bags for the kids).  Everyone voted for JJ's.  I didn't do horrible, but I guess I could have done better.  I only ate half of my chips and cookie though!

Then tonight....well, I got in a bit of an argument with the boyfriend.  Couple that with PMS (next week is TOM), and you've got a recipe for disaster.  Dipped a spoon in to the peanut butter and jelly jars again.  Then went for a Coke.  And then I had pasta for my dinner (with a shrimp dish and avocado).  Sigh.

But that doesn't mean it's over or I give up.  I just keep going.  I switched around my cheat meals for the week (I have another cheat meal on Saturday morning because we get free popcorn and a drink at the Holiday Movie Party at work).  Then it's on-plan for the rest of the week.

Hope everyone had a good hump day!  So glad it's on to the last half of the work week (even though I have to work Saturday at the party)!!

Weigh In Wednesday

150.9

Which means I lost 1 pound since last week!  It's not the 140's, but I'll take it.  I am looking forward to seeing numbers in the 140's next week!

Meet My New Best Friend

I must say, I've got a new best friend.  My cube farm peers must think there is something wrong with me.  I've gotten up to go to the bathroom multiple times the last couple days.  Bring on the water breaks!

And....*ahem*....another issue I'm dealing with?  Well, I've been eating lots more veggies than normal, and have thrown in some ground flaxseed here and there.  Yeah, I'm sure you can guess what my cube smells like.  I won't disgust you with the details.    :D

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On a completely unrelated note.  I realize my blog is quite impersonal at the moment.  I don't have a camera. All I have is my phone, which takes really crappy pictures, and I usually have to email myself pictures.  Lame.  I have asked for a digital camera for Christmas.  I'm hoping by Christmas time you will all be inundated with lovely pictures of myself.  And my cat.

You're welcome.

On to Day 2

Yesterday was a success.  I went the WHOLE day with no grains, and no dairy.  I almost gave in a couple times to some string cheese when I came home from my workout.  I was hungry.  Instead I stuck a spoon in the peanut butter jar, and then in to the strawberry preserves jar.   :)    Yum.  That hit the spot, and I was set until dinner was ready.

I made the Everyday Paleo Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Bake.

(Pic from Everyday Paleo)

It was delicious!  I had that with some green beans sauteed in some olive oil, salt, and pepper.  I also had 1/4 of an avocado - a good combination with that chicken.  

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My workout yesterday was good.  It's not as high intensity as BodyStep (the class I went to at the YMCA), but it was more of an endurance workout.  That part of it was pretty tough.  It also took a little time to get some of the moves down.  But it was fun, and I look forward to doing it again!  Tonight is BodyWorks Plus Abs, which is a weight workout class.  Excited to see how that one goes.

As far as doing C25K before the class - I did have enough time, but the treadmills were full.  I did not have that problem at the YMCA, so that really sucks.  I had to wait for a treadmill for about 5 minutes.  Then when I got on it, you're only allowed to stay on it for 20 minutes if there's a line of people waiting.  Which of course there was.  So I couldn't finish the entire workout.    :(    Bummer.  I'm sure I could have cheated and stayed on longer, but I started feeling guilty.  I may have to come up with a plan when I need to start training for my 5K.................yep, I said it.  I've decided to do a 5K.  Probably a St. Patrick's Day 5K.  There will be more details in the coming weeks.

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All in all, it was a successful first day.  I have to admit, I was completely pooped by the time bedtime rolled around.  And I had a bit of a headache (probably from the lack of grains).  But I know that stuff is to be expected when first starting out on a new program.  

Today, though, I CAN eat grains!    :D    Started off my day with some PB&J Oatmeal with Coconut Milk.  Soooo good.  I don't have any grains on the menu for lunch, but I plan on having a little for dinner.  I'll have some pasta (a small portion) with leftover chicken from last night.  I might as well share my menu plan for the day.....

Meal 1: PB&J Oatmeal w/ Coconut Milk

Meal 2: Activia Light Vanilla Yogurt (getting that dairy in!)

Meal 3: Cucumber "Sandwiches" (cucumber slices with ham in the middle), Black Olives, Carrots, Apple Slices

Meal 4: String Cheese & Mandarin Orange

Meal 5: Leftover Chicken, Pasta....not sure what to do about a veggie yet

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Questions for the day:

Anyone else experience headaches when they don't eat grains?

What was your first 5K like?  Were you dreadfully scared to commit to one like me??

Does your gym have a line for the treadmills?  If yes, what do you do?

Paleo and the Gym

Day 1 of Operation: Eat Clean has begun!  So far so good, and today is my Paleo day.  How am I faring so far?  I actually like it.  I've set alarms on my phone to go off at each time I indicated in my last post for meals and for water breaks.  Here are the meals I've planned for the day.

Meal 1: French Toast Breakfast Scramble 
Meal 2: Frozen Blueberries and Strawberries in Coconut Milk
Meal 3: Ham wrapped around Diced Avocado, Cucumbers, Garlic Green Olives, Celery w/ PB & Raisins
Meal 4: 2 Mandarins
Meal 5: Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Bake

I spent a TON of time on the Everyday Paleo website over the weekend drooling over all the recipes.  Seeing all those yummy recipes actually made me excited about eating Paleo 3 times/week.  I especially loved her lunch ideas for kids....because I am a kid at heart.  My lunch today (and lunches for the rest of the week, ha!) was inspired by her lunch ideas for kids!

------------------------------------------

So I quit my gym........and joined a new one!  The YMCA was just getting to be too expensive.  It's surprising how expensive it is, seeing as there are other, nicer gyms in the area that cost $20 less per month.  Which is the gym I joined....LA Fitness.  I had actually joined LA Fitness a while back, but quit because there were no classes that fit my schedule.  Well, now that I get off work earlier (4:30), there are classes I can go to (and that I like) every day!  Score!  Plus with my insurance discount, if I go 8 times per month, I get $20 off.  That would bring my membership cost down to $19.95 per month!!  That's crazy!  Definitely motivation to go every day.

My gym bag is packed and sitting in my car waiting for me to go to my first class tonight.  First class up: Step Plus Abs.  I'm hoping I get there early enough to be able to do a C25K workout.  I'm thinking, though, since it's my first time there (I signed up online), I'll have to take a picture and sign some stuff.  But we'll see how much time I have.  If not today, then I'll certainly have enough time the rest of the week to do C25K before classes.

Yippee!  Excited!

I'll check back in later if I get a chance.

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Questions for the day:

Do you have a membership at a gym?  Which one?  What factors help you choose a gym?

Anyone tried the Paleo lifestyle?  How do you like it?  Where do you get your recipes?

Eating Clean and Paleo

Wow.  Some people are just rude.  That's all I have to say about that.  This isn't someone who has commented here before of course.  I'm not even sure if she's ever visited my site.  But I made a comment on one of her posts to help lift her spirits, and was basically shot down for it.  Needless to say I've deleted her off my list of blogs I visit every day.    :)     No need to surround myself with negative energy.

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Now on to bigger and better things.  I mentioned a couple days ago that I plan on making some huge changes to my diet.  Yes, I've been tracking, and eating less than I was before.  But it hasn't been enough.  Because I'm still where I started in August (and have actually gained a couple pounds).  Looking back on my meals, the weeks I saw a loss on the scale were the weeks that I had eaten a little cleaner than normal.

I have Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet book.  I never really got in to that, because I just found the food really tasteless and boring (who wants to eat chicken breasts and broccoli at every meal?  Seriously, that's all I thought I could eat).  However, since then, I've found more blogs with tons of clean eating recipes that look absolutely delicious.  I have also kind of looked in to the "Paleo" lifestyle.  Now, I love my carbs.  But we all know that too much of something can be bad for you.  I think Paleo would be a good thing for me.  However, I'm not going to be as strict with it.

It's time for Operation: Eat Clean.  I'm basically going to combine eating clean with Paleo (which is pretty much the same thing, but I'm making a few tweaks).  Here are the rules of the plan.

Eat Clean

• Eat 5 meals per day.  I'm going to shoot for 1300 calories, which means each meal will be about 260 calories.
• Eat breakfast every day.
• Eat a combination of lean proteins and complex carbs at every meal.
• Eat 2-3 servings of healthy fat each day.
• Drink at least 1 liter of water every day (this is my starting goal - I drink absolutely no water right now)
• Proper portion sizes (time to bring out the measuring spoons/cups)
• No Alcohol (Yes, I did just say that)

Eat Paleo (lots of tweaks here - I'll be following these guidelines 3 days each week)

• No processed foods (including coffee, sweetener, pre-packaged food, etc)
• No grains
• No legumes
• No dairy
• No potatoes
• What can I eat these 3 days???  -meat, fish, eggs, lots of veggies, some fruit, and plenty of good fats.

So there you have it.  It's basically eating clean, with 3 days each week of Paleo.  Because let's face it, I can't go without my carbs.  

What 3 days will I be eating Paleo?  I'm going for Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.  Saturday may be the hardest, but I need to do this because I tend to binge on the weekends.  

Any treat days/meals?  I'll allow myself two treat MEALS each week (not treat days).  The treat meals will need to be on NON Paleo days.

I'm sure I'll come up with more questions/tweaks.  But this is the plan for now.

Now let's get rid of this weight once and for all!!!!!!!!!

***Edited to add (this post is getting really long):  I've made up a couple schedules too.  My eating schedule (because this girl mentioned having an eating schedule helped her), and a "water break" schedule (I'll take a few breaks throughout the day to go to the water cooler and drink a cup of water - also a good excuse to get up off my butt!!).

Eating Schedule
8:15 AM
10:45 AM
1:00 PM
4:15 PM
7:30/8:00 PM

Water Break Schedule
9:30 AM
12:15 PM
3:00 PM

Another Link-Up

I wasn't going to participate in this linkup, because I can't really think of any celebrity that I've met in person. But then I thought....wait!!  I have some pretty nifty stories, and I bet NO one could top them!  Ha.

So, story #1.  Does anyone remember the movie Jingle all the Way?  With good old Arnold Schwarz.....(I don't know how to spell his last name)?  Yep, I met someone who was in that movie.  My Grandma had recently passed away, so my Grandpa was selling the house so he could come closer to the cities near the rest of the family.  Little did I know, a MOVIE STAR would be moving in to my Grandpa's house.  The lady on Jingle all the Way.

Oh, wow Heather....Rita Wilson?!?!?!?!?

............

Uh, not so much.  Her name was Sandy Thomas, and I believe her character's name was "Mother in the Neighborhood."  Funny thing is, when I watched the movie, I never remember seeing her.  And when I told my friends at Girl Scouts, I lied and said that it was in fact Rita Wilson.  Hey, it's not really a lie when you weren't 100% sure, right?  And I didn't even know who Rita was at the time....I just called her "Arnold's wife."    :)        I think my mom still has the piece of paper with Sandy's autograph sitting in a box in the basement.  Could be worth lots of CASH some day!  Especially since she is so popular and I can't find an image of her on Google.

And on to sighting #2.  This was more recent....like 4 or 5 years ago.  Gosh has it been that long already??? I was at my best friend's Bachelorette party.  We were club hopping, because we are just such party animals.  We decided to head on over to Envy (a club here in Minneapolis).  We went upstairs to get some drinks, then saw a bunch of girls flocking around some person in the VIP area.  He was REALLY short, and I couldn't tell who he was.  But then one of my friends squealed out his name....

It was PRINCE!  :O     We were so dumbfounded, we just stood there, not doing anything.  Then his big buff bodyguards came and ushered him away and out the club.  Lame.  But yes, he lives here in Minnesota, so there are lots of Prince sightings.  That was my Prince cherry-popping moment.

What is YOUR celeb sighting story???

I've Got a New Attitude!

Tomorrow on the schedule: Cardio Barre in the AM.  I will get up in the morning.

I don't need to pack my lunch tomorrow.  We're celebrating HR birthdays, and we're getting bagels from Panera Bread (I plan it, that's how I know).  I will have half of a bagel.  No more.  Then for lunch, we have a working lunch meeting, and we're ordering from the local deli.  Normally I'd have a sandwich with chips and dessert.  Not tomorrow.  I'm having a salad with water.  Nothing more.

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Special thanks to Amanda and Elle for commenting on my last post with suggestions.  I always just thought of calories in < calories out = weight loss.  Not always.  I need to focus on eating cleaner.  And I'm not waiting until Monday to do this either.  No more of that (especially since my weigh-ins are in the middle of the week).

Stay tuned tomorrow for my plan to tighten up my eating.  It's time to do this 100%.  No more half-ass attempts.  Because that is not giving me results.

Stupid Weigh-In Wednesday

I am incredibly crabby and stressed out today, and I have no idea why.  I think it has something to do with that dreaded weigh-in day.  It completely put me in a sour mood - not a good way to start the day.  So what was I at last week?  Well I didn't really weigh myself in last week.  Looking through my past blog posts, I weighed in on Wednesday, November 7 at 150.  So what do I weigh today?

151.9

*Sigh*

I know I haven't been the best eater, but I most certainly have improved my eating and cut back.  That should certainly count for something.  At least a few tenths of a pound each week at least.  But I'm GAINING.  I started this blog in August.  My initial weigh in on September 5 was 149.8.  So tell me...if I'm keeping track of everything I eat and eating LESS than I did before I started, HOW is this possible??  Mind you, it's not a lot less, but that should at least mean I should maintain or lose tiny bits.  I don't understand.

PLUS, I'm exercising MORE than I did.  Before I didn't exercise at all.  Now I do it at least once or twice a week.  Which again isn't much, but it's still MORE than what I was doing.

How is this possible??????  I'm so tired.  All I want to do is throw in the towel.  No, I haven't been perfect.  But I have been BETTER.

Sorry for the rant.  I just need to get this out before I explode.  This is not a good day to be at work.  I'm just pissed off and angry, and I'm sure everyone sees it.  *Sigh*

Here's the Plan, Stan....

So yesterday I mentioned that my eyes were opened when I saw how many calories the FitBit told me I burned all day.  I checked this morning after syncing it, and total calories burned yesterday was around 1900.  So that means if I wanted a 1000 calorie deficit (which I put in my settings), I could only eat around 900 calories.  Um, not so much.  This means I need to move more.  Having a sedentary job is NOT good for the waist line.  We all know this, but when you see the numbers, it still really hits you hard.  I thought I at least would burn over 2000.  Didn't happen.

Not only am I going to have to amp up my workouts, I'm going to have to get up from time to time throughout the day.  Take a walk.  Enjoy the scenery.

Since it's cold outside (about 20 degrees right now), walking outside is not an option for me.  I mean, it is, but I am NOT going to walk in that shit!  Maybe I can walk around the building?  Walk up the stairs a couple times?  I need to come up with a plan.  Stay tuned for that.

In regards to amping up my workouts - I want to start working out in the morning and after work.  I know it's not the most ideal, but if I want to eat at least 1400 calories, I need to do it.  And if I don't do the 2-a-days, then I need to scale back on the eating.

It's all about balance!

I tried to work out this morning, but I'm not a morning person at all and I have no energy.  So I thought it'd be best to do ballet-style workouts in the morning.  Here is my morning workout schedule...

M- P57 Express
T- Cardio Barre (either beginner or intermediate)
W- Squeeze with Tracy Effinger (the 30 minute workout)
Th- Cardio Barre
F- P57 Express

After work, I want to do BodyStep classes on Mondays and Wednesdays.  Then I want to do the C25K Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  And maybe Saturdays.  Sundays will be a day off.

I know it looks like a lot to take on.  But I'm not expecting perfection.  This is just my goal.  I'll see what works, and scale back/switch things up from there.  I'm hoping to lose at least 1 size by Christmas (because I've been touting on FB that I'm going to BodyStep classes, and my cousin - a marathoner - has been cheering me on....I certainly don't want to look like a slug when I see her at Christmas!!).

This Has Opened My Eyes

Quick post.  So I'm looking at my calories burned so far for the day.  I'm only at between 1600 and 1700.  Um....no wonder I haven't been able to lose weight.  Now, I'm not sure how accurate this thing is, but I've been logging all my activities manually so that I get a better estimate (it says that it will be more accurate if you do this for a few days).  So if I eat around 1400 calories, that's a very little deficit.  I'm going to have to start moving more, and maybe even doing 2 workouts a day!!

It's amazing how things like these can open your eyes.  It sucks having such a sedentary job, but I know I'm not the only one.  And there's no reason I can't move around more.  And it shows me just how important exercise is when you do have a sedentary job.

I highly recommend getting this product if you're trying to lose weight, or something similar!  It will really open your eyes!!

FitBit

Happy Monday all!  I'm not going to do a Thanksgiving recap, just because I'm bored of reading everyone's recaps.  All I will say is...mine was great.    :)

So last week I purchased this nifty little device....

In pink, of course.  Because I love everything pink.  I had actually purchased the BodyMedia Fit a few years ago.  I think it was a great device, but it was annoyingly big and bulky.  I only wore it once for a whole day because I got soooo many questions from people asking me what it is.  And I don't know about you, but I'd rather not put it out there to strangers that it's a device to help me lose weight.  

The FitBit?  It clips nicely on my bra, never to be seen by anyone.  I got the Zip, so it doesn't track my sleep like the regular one, but that's okay.  I don't need it to track my sleep.  I'm also excited that I don't have to pay a monthly premium to use the tools on the web site (with BodyMedia Fit, I do).  It's also wireless, so I don't need to plug it in to my computer to sync the information.  It also syncs with LoseIt!!  That is a GREAT benefit.  I decided to try the "hard" setting, and aim for a 1,000 calorie deficit each day.  Which means if I want to eat 1400-1500 calories a day, I'd better get moving!!!  

I wore it over Thanksgiving weekend, but didn't really track my food.  So this week will be my first official week with this plan.  

Oh, and Weight Watchers?  Didn't last very long, I know.  It's just too inconvenient for me.  I know a lot of people have had awesome success with Weight Watchers, but I'm just not one of them.  Wish I was.  But that's okay.  I'm real excited about this FitBit!!  I'll keep ya posted with how it works.

When to 5K

I've decided to seriously look in to 5K's to participate in.  Only question is...when?  I live in Minnesota, so the weather here is not all that great in the winter.  Thing is, the past couple years, we haven't had much of a winter.  I think last year we only had a few inches of snow, and we had a brown Christmas (yes, it is possible here in Minnesota....it's NOT as cold and snowy as people think sometimes!!).  And so far we haven't had any snow (at least where I live), and this week's forecast shows close to record highs in the 50s and 60s.

My dilemma right now is....should I just suck it up and do it by signing up for a St. Patty's Day 5K?  Or should I wait a little longer (really only 2 weeks) for an Easter 5K?  Or do I wait much longer and go for a Mother's Day 5K?  I know I don't have to do a "holiday" themed event, but I prefer bigger events.  Decisions, decisions.  I don't know what to do!  I really don't want to wait too long (May for Mother's Day) to do it.  But I don't want my first 5K to be in the frigid cold if the weather doesn't cooperate.

Yeah, no fun.  You would think I'm NOT from Minnesota by the way I'm acting when it comes to this decision.  Anyone out there, if you're reading this....any suggestions??

Linkup

No vlog for me - I'm not that tech savvy.   ;)    Haha, actually I am, I'm just lazy, and I despise myself on camera.  I seriously think I look like a nerd.  But anyway....here are my answers to the linkup questions!

1. What do you look forward to more: the food, football, or parades?
Well, if the Vikings were playing, I'd be in to the football.  But they're not, and I really don't give a hoot about any other NFL team (because I'm not that into football in the first place).  Um, never have seen a Thanksgiving Day parade in my life.  Maybe that will change some day.  So I guess by process of elimination (and my love for all things food), I'd have to say I look forward to the food.    :)    Especially the leftovers my mom lets me have.   :D

2. What's your favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving Day dish?
We don't really do non-traditional in my family.  We've got all the traditional goodies.  If you asked me my favorite traditional dish, I'd say the buns.  Appetizer?  I love my mom's Taco Dip - my brother and I fight over who gets the leftovers at every holiday.    :)

3. After dinner, is it football or a nap?
See #1 above.  And we don't really nap - we just visit, with the TV on in the background.  Guys watch football downstairs, girls watch a chick flick upstairs.

4. Do you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade? Which is your favorite float?
Don't watch it.  I've watched bits and pieces in the past, but not enough to know my favorite float.  I know, I'm such a Scrooge.    ;)

5. Where do you go to celebrate and eat your big meal?  Who is there (family, friends)?
I go to my parents' house where I grew up.  It's about a 30 minute drive, so not too far.  My brother and his family are there, my Grandpa, and usually the boyfriend of the moment.  Ha.  Not a big get-together.  Christmas is the big one.

6. What is your favorite Turkey Day dessert?
Mmmm...French Silk Pie.  All you chocolate fans out there KNOW how awesome that stuff is!!  I never used to be a fan of Pecan Pie, but it's actually started to grow on me.  Last year I had it with coffee and it certainly hit the spot.  Not a big fan of Pumpkin Pie (I know...the shock! The horror!!).

I'm Still Here

I have been so bad at blogging!  I'm not doing it on purpose, I promise.  The last couple weeks has been Open Enrollment time.  I'm in benefits, so yeah - to say I've been busy is an understatement.  I work for a manufacturing company, so we need to schedule times for all of us benefits girls to go out to each factory location to help employees.  I was at another location last Wednesday 8PM-11PM (and then went in to work late the next day).  Then this Wednesday, I was at another location 5AM-8AM (God help me...we all know how much I HATE mornings!).  So it kind of threw my week off a bit.

Well and add that to the fact that my boyfriend moved out a couple weeks ago, but he's still coming over every night for food.  How convenient for him.  And then on the weekends it's like he wants nothing to do with me.  I'm getting real annoyed.  It sucks that we're so close to the holidays, but I'm going to have to either kick him to the curb, or tell him he is only allowed to see me on the weekends, because I can't continue to take care of him like a baby.

Okay, end rant.

In other news: I started Weight Watchers Online yesterday.  I have tried it in the past, but never really stuck with the tracking and stuff.  I figured now that I've gotten the hang of tracking everything with LoseIt, I could try a more structured program.  I do know that the number of points I'm allowed went up since the last time I tried it....probably because I weigh more.    :(    

Okay, I only have an hour to get something done before a meeting at 11, so I gotta run.  Have a great weekend!

Gain Again

I have been such a bad blogger lately!  Part of it is that I am just tired of being the same Debbie Downer.  I feel like a broken record.  I always do so well and get off to a great start, only to lose momentum at the end of the week.  I really don't know what I can do.  I guess just keep trying?  I just don't want to continue down this path.

I weighed in today, and gained .2 since last week (now at 150).  Ugh.  Even though I was below my calories for the majority of the week last week.  Can 2 days of bad eating (the weekend) really effect my weight that much???  And it's not like I ate enough to gain anything.  I just don't get it.  I can never seem to get out of the 150s.  And don't tell me that that must just be my happy weight.  Because being overweight is not considered a happy weight.  I'm starting to get pissed off.  So before I turn this blog in to a bitch fest today, I'll end the post.  Hope everyone else has a better day.

Sick Time

There may or may not be several posts today because I'm at home...I called in sick.  Yeah, I was feeling better yesterday, but this morning was terrible.  I was all stuffy, and my throat was killing me.  And my head was spinning and pounding.  I took some medicine and feel a little better now.  It probably won't stop me from doing my C25K workout today....it's W1D3, so I gotta do it.  And it probably won't stop me from doing the 546843854681 loads of laundry I have to do.

On another, more personal, note.  The boyfriend found another place to live.  What does this mean for us?  I have no idea.  I guess whatever happens will happen.  And it will be for the best.  I need to be positive....and one positive that could come out of this is that I'll have lots of time on my hands to work on myself.

My plans?  Create my own happiness project (more on that later), workout every day (woo-hoo!), lose weight (duh...now I can cook whatever I want), volunteer, start going to church again, and something else that I'd rather not mention on the blog right now.  But I will eventually, if something happens that allows me to.

So yeah....lots going on, and a lot on my plate right now.  But I'm excited to see where this will take me.  I actually have a good feeling about this.    :)

Now time to start sorting the laundry.  Womp womp.

Quick Update

Well I feel much better today.  The sore throat is gone, and I don't feel sluggish at all anymore.  Thank God. Oh!  And I ended up working out last night....so proud of myself.  I even had a setback and still worked out!  The setback?  They STILL have not fixed one of the treadmills in my apartment (um, hello...it's been more than two months, let's get on it!).  The other one was fixed, but of course someone was using it.  So I went to the Y.  I did Day 2 of C25K and burned 206 calories (per my BodyMedia Fit).  Go me, I'm proud of myself!

I also put up my November calendar and thermometer on the fridge.  Excited to fill those out - let's see if I can get those rewards!

Money is really stressing me out right now, but other than that, everything seems to be going A-Okay!  Happy November....2013 is right around the corner!

The Crud

Yeah, of course.  Leave it up to me to get sick when I finally start getting motivated and working out.  Yesterday afternoon I started feeling the tell-tale signs of a cold coming on - my throat hurt like nothing else. I still worked out at the Y, but it was probably one of my worst workouts yet.  The class is an hour, and after 40 minutes, I left.  My body couldn't handle any more.  So I went down to the hot tub to soak a bit.

I went home and felt okay, but pretty tired.  So I took some Nyquil and went to sleep.  This morning was horrible.  My throat was killing me, and now I'm soooo flippin' tired and groggy I can't concentrate on anything.  All I want to do is curl up in bed.

I won't let it derail me.  I don't think I'm going to exercise today, but I will make sure I don't go over my calories.

Ugh.  It seems this always happens.  Every time I get serious about working out, I get sick.  I have NO idea why.  I hope this goes away soon.

NSV's and November

So I have some NSV's (non-scale victories) from yesterday to report.  Last week I had bought a Dr. Pepper, and ended up being so busy I didn't drink it.  That means it was sitting on my desk all day yesterday.  Did I drink it?  Nope!  I don't know if it's these pills I'm taking, but I had no desire for it!  Another victory....there was a delicious looking chocolatey, ooey-gooey brownie sitting by my desk for anyone who wanted it.  I walked by it soooo many times.  Did I even attempt to take it?  Nope!  I'm so proud of myself! Thankfully the brownie is gone today (someone else can have that sit on their thighs, thank-you-very-much). The Dr. Pepper is still here, but I still don't have a desire to drink it.  We'll see how today pans out.

Another awesome thing about yesterday?  I was under my calorie allowance (I did eat back my exercise calories though)!  A great start toward that goal of being at or under my weekly allowance!

Today's plan is to go to the gym right away after work for a BodyStep class.  I'd also like to spend some time in the sauna and the hot tub.  I'm excited about that!

October is wrapping up (already!), so that means I need to have a new thermometer and exercise goal made.  I've printed out the thermometer and filled in the lines already.  I'm going to shoot for 1200 minutes of exercise in November.  We'll see how that goes, and depending on how I do, I'll either increase or decrease that number for December.  I'm still waiting to make a decision about the Orange Theory Fitness.  I'm not doing so good with money right now, so it may have to wait a couple weeks until I can breathe again (rent is due this week....ugh).

I'm Back

Okay, so that was the shortest blog hiatus I've ever seen.  But things are already calming down a bit, and a visit with my bestie on Saturday, have both given me a little fresh air.

So Saturday I went to Crave with my best friend ever.  I hadn't seen her in about a month (she has a new baby, so her life is pretty hectic).  And, wow!  She looked great!  It seriously looked like she lost about 15 pounds!!  And no, it's not just "baby" weight she lost by breast feeding - her baby is more than a year old now.  Apparently she's been going to this new place called Orange Theory Fitness.  She's been going there twice a week, and working out at home twice a week.  It definitely gave me the fuel and motivation to rock it out and get moving.  If she can lose weight after having a baby, there's no reason I can't!!  So it's time to step it up!

I'm going to check out Orange Theory Fitness (I'll be going to a different location).  There's a free pass for one workout that I can use.  It's basically like a boot camp, and they use intervals and train on treadmills, TRX Suspension Systems, free weights, and rowing machines.  I'm hoping I can maybe use it this week or next, and ask what the cost is and go from there.  The workouts would probably be twice a week (as in, I'm sure that's all I'll be able to afford).  I'm still going to keep my YMCA membership.  I get a discount through my health insurance there, and I like the hot tubs and perks that I get at the Y - not quite ready to give that up!

I also went to GNC yesterday and got their new VitaPak - the Women's Ultra Mega Active VitaPak.  Here's a quick description from their web site.

VITAPAK® PROGRAM FOR ACTIVE WOMEN

Clinically studied multivitamin with 2,000 IU of vitamin D-3

Increases energy and calorie burning*

Fuels fatty acid metabolism with carnitine and CLA*

Cushions joints with vitamin C, collagen and HA

There's 7 pills in each pack (you take all pills each day).  There are 2 multi-vitamins, 2 energy enhancers, 1 CLA, 1 L-Carnitine, and 1 Calcium pill.  This morning after I worked out, I took 1 multi, 1 energy enhancer, and the L-Carnitine.  Then right before lunch I'll take the other multi, the other energy enhancer, and the CLA.  And right before bed will be the calcium (I saw this recommendation in the reviews - there's no way I could choke down all 7 pills this morning).  

I have to say, the energy enhancer is working!  I'm not drinking coffee with these pills, as I'm sure the extra caffeine will be too much.  And I don't need the coffee.  I have a lot of energy, and don't feel so sluggish - which is great for work!  

Oh, and another update - I haven't added ANY minutes of exercise since my last addition to the thermometer.  Bad, I know.  But after this morning (I did C25K - in the morning - at the gym!), I can add another 30 minutes.  I'm probably not even going to hit 50% of my goal, but a new one will be made this week for November.  And I didn't earn $20 toward my goal for calories.  But this week is a new week!

That's it for now.  Happy Monday!