Week 3 Goals

I'm already on to week 3 of the Jingle All The Weigh challenge.

Though I'm happy with the little steps I've taken, I'm not happy with the fact that I've compensated by doing bad in other areas, and essentially have gotten no results.

I weighed myself in this morning, and because Aunt Flo is scheduled to make an appearance in a day or two, I decided not to log it.  Let's just say there's no progress from last week.  I also took my measurements this morning, and again, no progress.

So what does it mean?  Work harder.  Do not give up.  Just because I've seen no progress so far, does not mean I can't hit my goal by the end of the challenge.  

In order to get better, we have to see where we're doing good, and where we can make improvements.  So I'll do just that.    :)

Okay, well, really the only thing I've been consistent with is blogging/journaling, and tracking my food.  Which is weird, because before I had such a problem with tracking my food.  I'm thinking it's because, this time around, I don't have to track calories too.  It's a lot easier to just jot down what I eat, and not have to worry about the numbers (calories, fat, protein, carbs).  I'm also doing good at not eating red meat.  I'd say about 95% of my meals have no red meat.  This is actually something that I improved on a few years ago - I was successfully able to transition to mostly white meat/fish.  

Things I need to work on?  I touched on this last week - sticking to my exercise plan.  Here's the summary from last week (planned is black, what I actually did is in blue)...

Monday: BodyStep | Walk 2.5 miles (45 minutes)

Tuesday: BodyShred | Rest

Wednesday: BodyStep | Rest

Thursday: BodyStep | Rest

Friday: Rest | Rest

Saturday: Fitness Yoga | Rest

Sunday: Fitness Yoga | Rest

Yeah.  That's embarrassing.  I really need to get my butt in gear.  I think the main reason I haven't been doing well is because I haven't had a clear-cut plan in place.  That's changing this week.  More on that tomorrow.   :)   (hey, I need to make this blog a little interesting and leave you hanging once in a while!)

More areas for improvement - fruits and vegetables.  I'm shooting for around 5 servings/day.  I got that amount in a week.  Sigh.  Water.  Again, I hit my daily goal in a week (4-5 glasses a day; I got 6 glasses for the whole week).  No soda.  You all know soda is my weakness.  I'm shooting for 25 days/50 days no soda.  I had 0 days this week, and 1 day last week.  Time to kick it into high gear.

Definitely room for improvement.  I'll let you know my fitness goals tomorrow.  For now, here are the goals for the week....

{ONE}

14 servings of fruits/vegetables for the week.

{TWO}

21 glasses of water for the week.

{THREE}

4 days no soda.

That's it for today.  Have a great Monday!

Five Randoms on Friday

Heidy-ho, bloggers - it's FRIDAY, and I've decided to be lazy link up for Five on Friday.  Just some random stuff for today.

{ONE}
I am dead tired today.  There's not enough coffee in the world that will be able to help me.  I was in bed really early, but could not sleep for the life of me.  I woke up several times, and was even woken up by a nightmare.  I had a dream that my cat found a spider - like huge - and had it in its mouth.  Pretty sure it was one that can bite you and kill you.  And he jumped on the bed with it (in my dream, I was laying in bed, trying to sleep).  And then he let it go!!  I woke up breathing really heavily just as the spider started crawling on my arm.  Of course, in my dream, I couldn't move at all, so I couldn't just run away.  I hate those kinds of dreams.

{TWO}
Another thing?  I slept with my contacts in.  They hurt like a mother.  I just want to rip them out, but I can't see very well with my glasses.  So I'll be stuck rubbing my eyes all day.  Sigh.

{THREE}
Today is my mom's birthday!  I was planning to head out to my parents' this weekend, but they're going to the cabin!  Hmph!  Fine then!

{FOUR}
The (very small) school district that I went to was listed #1 in the country on a very well-known publication for being one of the best schools, while having affordable housing.  I don't want to list it here, because I'm afraid that my school mates will be Googling the shit out of that, and stumble upon my blog.    :(    So you'll just have to take my word on that one.  Or put your Googling skills to use.    ;)

{FIVE}
I have nothing planned for the weekend.  I really want to shop until I drop.  The end.    :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

I (Don't) Workout

Hey everyone - only one day, and the weekend is finally here.  I had a few things go on this week that have me looking forward to the future.  I'm just really hoping that everything works out in my favor, and that I'll have good news next week.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Okay, now let's talk about working out.  I'm 11 days into my Jingle All The Weigh Challenge, and I've worked out a total of 3 times.  3 out of 11 days, I worked out.  That number should be 9 out of 11 (if I followed my plan).  I said a while ago that I was excited about joining the gym again, because that's what had me working out pretty much every day in the past.  Now?  I've only gone a handful of times since I opened up my membership again.

I just can't seem to get into it.  Now I know that losing weight is mostly diet.  The thing is, I like food.  The more food I can eat, the better.  When you workout, you can eat a little more because you're burning more calories.  I just can't get into a routine!!!

Nothing seems to work.  If I take baby steps, then I'm too lenient with myself and end up not working out at all.  "Oh, I only have to workout 3 times this week?  Okay, tomorrow will be the first time for the week.  Love the baby steps!"  Yeah - you all know how that ends up.  If I try to go hard-core, doing two-a-days, I tend to skip the morning (not a morning person), and workout extra hard at night.  But that only lasts a few days because I get bored or feel like I'm failing because I'm not following the plan 100%.  If I say I'll go to the gym right away after work, things either come up, or I tell myself I'll just work out at home because I have a lot of stuff to do at home.  Then I end up going home and not working out, or doing the things I needed to get done at home.  Double fail.

So what gives?  I don't know what to do to get back on the workout train.  I feel like that train left me in the dust a long time ago.

Any advice?

Mini Milestones

Hello, and Happy Hump Day!  I'm a little late in posting today - but better late than never!  My computer is acting really weird right now - I can't even power it up.  It goes in this weird loop where it says it's preparing to repair, then the screen goes blank, and goes back to the same message.  I did a little research, and apparently this is a common problem for Toshiba laptops?  Either way, it's really frustrating.  I've tried restoring and everything, but nothing happens.  I ordered a restore disc, and just saw that it should arrive in the mail today.  I'm sure you can all guess what I'll be doing the second I walk in the door at home tonight!   :)

Now let's talk about the Jingle all the Weigh challenge I have going on right now.  Since I started this challenge a little over a week ago, I've shared with you my 50 Numbers Challenge to get me through the first half of the challenge, my workout plan, my food tracking plan, and my ultimate goal to be 145 once this challenge is over with.  What I didn't share were the "mini" milestone rewards I created for myself.  This will be a way to keep myself motivated throughout.

So, here are my "rewards" for hitting weight milestones through 145.  I do have rewards in mind for after 145, but thought I'd stick with the rewards through 145 for now.

159 pounds (oh, to be in the 150s again) - A watch.  A cute one.
155 pounds - Bag from Thirty One
150 pounds - 1 or 2 (or 3 or 4) Brady Bands
145 pounds - Two workout tops (from wherever)

When I went shopping this past weekend, I was thisclose to buying a watch at Kohls....but reminded myself I don't weigh 159 pounds yet.   :)   The motivation in me was sparked!

Does anyone else reward themselves for a job well done when it comes to weight loss?  What do you reward yourself with?

Glorious Fall Weather

Yesterday I killed two birds with one stone, and got in some fitness minutes and miles at the same time.  It was way too beautiful outside to go to the gym (75 and sunny), so I decided to go for a walk.  I live right next to a lake with trails going around it (I literally walk out the door, through the parking lot, and cross the road to get to the trail) - I love lakes.  I really hope to some day own a home on a lake.  But for now my little apartment by the lake will have to do.    :)

Hooray for multi-tasking - 45 minutes & 2.5 miles!

With that, I'll share my workout plans for the week....

Monday - BodyStep (which you already know, I replaced with a walk)

Tuesday - Jillian Michaels BodyShred

Wednesday - BodyStep

Thursday - BodyStep

Friday - Off

Saturday - Fitness Yoga

Sunday - Fitness Yoga

My goal is workout more than 2 times this week (which is what I did last week!).

That's it for today - make it a GREAT one!

Weigh In & Week 1 Review

Hey everyone!  Hope everyone's morning is starting off a little better than mine.  The day never seems to go well when you're running late - which is what I seem to be doing a lot lately!

Today on the agenda is a little recap of week 1 of the Jingle all the Weigh Challenge, and a weigh-in.

Let's start with the weigh-in, since that's what everyone likes to see.  I started the challenge at my highest weight ever, 163.  This morning...

So anti-climactic.  I'm actually a little relieved about this number, as I had been above that the past few days (most likely water weight).

So why did I stay the same?  Good question.  I did not do as well as I could have.  I didn't have a plan when it came to grocery shopping last week, so my meals were kind of half-heartedly created.  And you all know what that leads to.......a few nights I had chips and cheese for dinner.  One night I had frozen yogurt.  You get the picture.  Definitely not "Jingle All The Weigh" -worthy.

My all about the numbers challenge went pretty well.  There are a few areas of improvement.  Here's what I have so far...

Total Numbers Week 1 (Days 1-7 out of 50 days)
Fitness minutes - 90 minutes / 2000 minutes
Miles - .5 miles / 100 miles
Food Tracking - 7 days / 50 days
Fruits/Veggies - 13 servings / 250 servings
Red Meatless Meals (I'm not counting breakfast) - 11 meals / 75 meals
Water - 15 glasses / 250 glasses
No Soda - 1 day / 25 days
Random Acts of Kindness - 0 / 20
Days of Journaling - 7 Days / 50 Days

I'm going to need to figure out the mileage thing.  Since I'm doing classes, and not really doing any running, I'll have to figure out how to get walking in - that 1/2 mile is from a short walk I took during break at work.

As for my workouts, planned is in black, what I actually did is in blue.

Monday - BodyStep | BodyStep
Tuesday - JM BodyShred | JM BodyShred
Wednesday - BodyStep | Off
Thursday - BodyStep | Off
Friday - Off | Off
Saturday - Fitness Yoga | Off
Sunday - Fitness Yoga | Off

Sooo...not so great.  But it's also better than the past several weeks.  Gotta stay positive!  It's a new week.  And I'm much more prepared this week.  Take a look at my Sunday food prep (part of it)....

I made TJ's pumpkin bars to have during my "coffee break" with some almond milk; oatmeal bake for breakfasts - will have this with a hard-boiled egg; and Avocado Tuna Salad for pita sandwich lunches.  Not pictured is the Avocado Chicken Salad I made for sandwiches, too (can't have too much tuna).  I also washed and took grapes off the vines.  Dinners will be various frozen items from TJ's - quesadillas, tamales, pesto pasta, chicken.  Then I spun some lettuce in my lettuce spinner.  I have a mix of arugula and romaine lettuce with some parmesan cheese ready to go for side salads for dinners.

This was my first attempt at food prep.  I've done tiny versions of it in the past, but not to this extent.  I'm hoping it will really help me stay on track.

Here's to a new week - week #2 of my Jingle All The Weigh Challenge!

Influence From Others

Has anyone ever heard a comment from someone that completely ruined your day?  That day was today, for me.  Today is my boss's birthday, and we always have treats to celebrate someone's birthday.  We had doughnuts.  You know I can't turn down a doughnut - especially chocolate.  So after we did the whole "Happy Birthday" thing, we all took some.  Some people cut the doughnuts in half, some took whole doughnuts.  I took a whole doughnut.

And my boss said "Whoa, Heather's getting a big one!"

I kind of just gave a weird/annoyed look and said, "Um, okay."  What I really wanted to say will be left unsaid, but I'm sure you have an idea.

That turned my entire day around.  I was pissed.  I left at that instant and ate the doughnut, alone, at my desk.  I cut it in half and told myself I'd only eat half.  Which isn't what I did - I ate the whole thing.

Now, I know I think I may have taken it the wrong way.  Plus, men are stupid and say things without thinking.  But it pissed me off, and ruined my mood.  It has made me unmotivated to do my work (and I came to work so motivated to get stuff done), and it made me unmotivated to do anything diet/health related.

Why do we let the disgusting comments of others dictate our actions for the rest of the day?  I suppose this is something I need to work on.  And it has been noted in my journal.

Here's to hoping tomorrow is a better day.

Day 3 - Workout Wednesday

Well, I'm on to day 3 of the Jingle All The Weigh challenge, and so far so good!  I have to say, it is definitely freeing to only track what I eat, and not worry about calories.  Right now I'm just focusing on trying to eat as many whole foods as possible, and also focusing on the numbers challenge.

There's a lot going on with this challenge, but right now I want to talk about the class I went to yesterday.  So I'm linking up with the awesome SkinnyMeg (or PregMeg) to talk about it.

Yesterday I tried out a new class at the gym - Jillian Michael's BodyShred.  I was so excited to see this class pop up.  We all know how great Jillian is, however, I'm not a huge fan of her.  I can't stand listening to her, and the music in her videos definitely leaves something to be desired.

The class was very similar to her videos, and incorporates the 3-2-1 format - 3 minutes of strength, 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs.  The class was intense, and I had to stop a few times to catch my breath.  There was so much going on, and really no breaks.  We just had to listen to our bodies and take breaks when necessary.

I had forgotten my heart rate monitor at home, so I can't tell you how many calories I burned, but I was sweating!!  If any of you go to a gym where this class is offered, GO!  Especially all you Jillian lovers out there.  In my opinion, the class was even better than her videos.

----

PS I'm trying to figure out what kind of blogging schedule I'm going to have with this challenge.  There's so much to this challenge that I don't want to miss out on updating everyone on everything.  Slowly but surely I'm working on it.

PPS  The Big Brother finale is on tonight.  Anyone else watch this year?  I have to say, this was probably the worst season ever.  I can't stand any of the remaining three houseguests (if you watch the feeds, you know what I'm talking about - TV-only viewers will probably wonder why).  I can't wait until this season is over.  I stopped watching the feeds and reading the spoilers weeks ago after Elissa left.   :(

Jingle All The Weigh

Good morning, all!  I know it’s Monday, but I’m actually in a good mood today – who would’a thought??  

Maybe because, as of today, we are 100 days away from Christmas, which is my favorite holiday.  Can you believe it?  100 days until Christmas!!  Um, I’m still trying to get over the financial hardship that last Christmas brought on!!  And I don’t know about you, but us Minnesotans didn’t get much of a summer – we had a pretty late winter (we had snow in May), and it is already close to freezing at night lately. 

So I thought, with 100 days until Christmas, why not start a little challenge?  A weight loss challenge....

I did not hit my goal of looking hot in a bikini this summer.  It’s pretty disappointing.  I certainly thought that I would be a lot further than I am.  After all, I actually completed an entire rotation of Xtrain, and I ran my first 5K – two of my New Years Resolutions.  I will pat myself on the back for meeting those goals, but I’m disappointed that I let everything get in the way of my weight loss goals.  I’m heavier than I’ve ever been.  I’m starting this challenge at my highest weight ever….

Sigh. 

But I have a plan.  Take a look at my vision board, er, wall…..

It includes inspirational pictures.

 

It also includes a meal plan document.

The following will be used to track my measurements (got the idea off of Pinterest) :

And I’ll also be using Back to her Roots’s “It’s all about the Numbers” challenge for the first 50 days, with a little of my own tweaking…

It will be all about these numbers (I changed a few things around):

1. 2000 fitness minutes
2. 100 miles of walking/running
3. Track food for 50 days (in a paper journal – but no counting calories)
4. 250 servings of fruits/veggies (that’s 5/day)
5. 75 red meatless meals (it was originally meatless, but I’m not vegetarian, so thought I’d just stay away from red meat)
6. 250 glasses of water (changed from 500, because I don’t drink a lot right now – so that’s 5 glasses/day)
7. 25 days of no soda (this does not have to be consecutively)
8. 20 random acts of kindness
9. 50 days of journaling (I’m using the book “100 Days of Weight Loss” by Linda Spangle)

Throughout the next 100 days, I’m going to be creating my own smaller “challenges” to help me get to the big goal.  Where do I want to be, come Christmas?  I want to weigh 145 pounds.  18 pounds in 100 days – about 1.29 pounds per week.  It will be hard.  But weight loss is hard.  It’s time to crack down and get rid of this weight. 

If I reach 145 pounds by Christmas, my reward will be a $500 clothes shopping spree.  Yep.  $500.  That’s huge motivation right there.  I have absolutely no clothes, it’s ridiculous.  I got rid of a ton when I moved, because they’re just old.  Since gaining all this weight, I haven’t wanted to do any shopping, because it’s just depressing, and I can never find anything that I like on my body.  I have one pair of jeans, and there’s a hole that’s getting bigger and bigger in the thigh area.  Pretty sad that my only pair of jeans are ripped and I need to be careful how I walk or sit in them.  Talk about uncomfortable.

NO MORE.  I created a page for the Jingle All The Weigh Challenge (click on the link up at the top of the page).  Head on over and check it out!

Weigh-in days will be on Mondays, and I’ll also be sharing my workout plan for the week ahead.  So far I’ve showed you my weight.  And here’s the workout plan for the week.

Monday: BodyStep
Tuesday: Jillian Michaels BodyShred (new class at the gym!)
Wednesday: BodyStep
Thursday: BodyStep
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Fitness Yoga
Sunday: Fitness Yoga

I’ll be adding things here and there throughout the challenge.  As far as fitness goes, right now I just want to focus on getting in the habit of working out again.  I’m really looking forward to the next 100 days.  In 100 days, I will no longer look like this…..

(Picture was taken this weekend)

Challenge: ON!

Good morning, all!  I know it’s Monday, but I’m actually in a good mood today – who would’a thought??  Ha! 

Maybe because, as of today, we are 100 days away from Christmas, which is my favorite holiday.  Can you believe it?  100 days until Christmas!!  Um, I’m still trying to get over the financial hardship that last Christmas brought on!!  And I don’t know about you, but us Minnesotans didn’t get much of a summer – we had a pretty late winter (we had snow in May), and it is already close to freezing at night lately. 

So I thought, with 100 days until Christmas, why not start a little challenge?  A weight loss challenge...

I did not hit my goal of looking hot in a bikini this summer.  It’s pretty disappointing.  I certainly thought that I would be a lot further than I am.  After all, I actually completed an entire rotation of Xtrain, and I ran my first 5K – two of my New Years Resolutions.  I will pat myself on the back for meeting those goals, but I’m disappointed that I let everything get in the way of my weight loss goals.  I’m heavier than I’ve ever been.  I’m starting this challenge out at my highest weight ever….

-------Picture---------

Sigh. 

But I have a plan.  Take a look at my vision board, er, wall…..

-------Picture---------

It includes inspirational pictures.

-------Picture--------

It also includes a meal plan document.

-------Picture--------

This will be used to track my measurements (got the idea off of Pinterest)….

-------Picture-------

And I’ll also be using Back to her Roots’s “It’s all about the Numbers” challenge for the first 50 days, with a little of my own tweaking…

-------Picture-------

It will be all about these numbers (I changed a few things around):
1. 2000 fitness minutes
2. 100 miles of walking/running
3. Track food for 50 days (in a paper journal – but no counting calories)
4. 250 servings of fruits/veggies (that’s 5/day)
5. 75 red meatless meals (it was originally meatless, but I’m not vegetarian, so thought I’d just stay away from red meat)
6. 250 glasses of water (changed from 500, because I don’t drink a lot right now – so that’s 5 glasses/day)
7. 25 days of no soda (this does not have to be consecutively)
8. 20 random acts of kindness
9. 50 days of journaling (I’m using the book “100 Days of Weight Loss” by Linda Spangle)

Throughout the next 100 days, I’m going to be creating my own smaller “challenges” to help me get to the big goal.  Where do I want to be, come Christmas?  I want to weigh 145 pounds.  18 pounds in 100 days – about 1.29 pounds per week.  It will be hard.  But weight loss is hard.  It’s time to crack down and get rid of this weight. 

If I reach 145 pounds by Christmas, my reward will be a $500 clothes shopping spree.  Yep.  $500.  That’s huge motivation right there.  I have absolutely no clothes, it’s ridiculous.  I got rid of a ton when I moved, because they’re just old.  Since gaining all this weight, I haven’t wanted to do any shopping, because it’s just depressing, and I can never find anything that I like on my body.  I have one pair of jeans, and there’s a hole that’s getting bigger and bigger in the thigh area.  Pretty sad that my only pair of jeans are ripped and I need to be careful how I walk or sit in them.  Talk about uncomfortable.

NO MORE.  I created a page for the Jingle All The Weigh Challenge (click on the link up at the top of the page).  Head on over and check it out!

Weigh-in days will be on Mondays, and I’ll also be sharing my workout plan for the week ahead.  So far I’ve showed you my weight.  And here’s the workout plan for the week.

Monday: BodyStep
Tuesday: Jillian Michaels BodyShred (new class at the gym!)
Wednesday: BodyStep
Thursday: BodyStep
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Fitness Yoga
Sunday: Fitness Yoga

I’ll be adding things here and there throughout the challenge.  As far as fitness goes, right now I just want to focus on getting in the habit of working out again.  I’m really looking forward to the next 100 days.  In 100 days, I will no longer look like this…..

-------Picture--------

Quick Update

Yep, I'm still here!!  Just wanted to pop in quick to let you know I'm alive and well - work is starting to amp up again.  This is the busy time of year.  I'm in benefits, and Open Enrollment is coming up (and we're introducing a brand new plan, so that's some extra work), along with a huge giving campaign that I coordinate (voluntarily) for the company.  Lots to do in the coming weeks and months!

But have no fear, I have something really exciting for the blog that I'm planning.  Which means more posting (funny how I decide to do this when I'm getting busier with work!!).  I'll have details next Monday.

And one last thing........

THIS.

Um, how did I not start watching this earlier??  This is seriously the best show ever.  I've been binge-watching it on Netflix.  I intend on getting through both seasons (almost done with season 1) before season 3 starts up later this month.  Anyone else love this show???

Putting Yourself First

I've been thinking a lot about this topic lately, because it seems I have such a hard time doing it.  Putting myself first, that is.  It could be that this is one of the main reasons why it's so hard for me to stay consistent with weight loss.

Yesterday was a perfect example.  I brought my gym bag to work, knowing I'd be going to my favorite class - Turbo Step.  But then my friend called me right after work and asked if I was going to his volleyball game.  I hesitated a little, but then told him yes.  

Why?  I knew I needed to go to the gym, but I went there anyway.  And I do absolutely nothing there but sit on my butt, which is what I do all day at work.  Then, when it came to the snacks, I told myself I wouldn't eat anything.  I had a 100 calorie pack of Cheez-its in my purse - I had it there for this reason.  But then my friend ordered me french fries and hot dog (no bun - all topped with ketchup and mayo - it's called Salchipapas in South America).  I didn't ask him for it, he just ordered it.  When they gave it to me, I was a little dumbfounded, but accepted it.  And I ate it.  Not all of it - I ate half of it.  But still.  I had been eating healthy all day, and then I ate that.  

This all boils down to not putting myself first.  I believe this is the root of a lot of my issues - low self-esteem, and weight, being the biggest issues.  

So for those of us with this issue - how do we change this?  I guess it's really just a matter of doing it - putting ourselves first, and practicing every day.  Rather than agreeing to go to the volleyball game, I could have said no.  Or at the very least, I could have gone to the gym first.  Saying no when the food was given to me (but in their culture, that's considered rude, so I felt like I didn't have a choice).  Telling my friend ahead of time that I don't want any food - I brought my own.

I have a lot of practicing to do.  It's not easy - I don't like to put myself first.  I feel selfish, and I feel bad for it.  I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings.  But it's time to suck it up.  Who cares if I'm selfish when it comes to my health?  It's my body, and my health on the line, here.  We're always taught when we're young to not be selfish, but I think some of us took that message the wrong way.  There are certain things that we need to be selfish about.  And there's no reason I should feel guilty for saying no.

But no more should'a could'a would'a - going forward, I'm making a promise to myself to practice putting myself first.  I hope all of you can do the same!