Sticking with it....

This past week, I didn't lose, but I didn't gain.  It's hard to express how I feel about this. I'm glad I didn't gain, but I know that I can do better since I should be losing (at least something) every week. When I look back and think about why I didn't lose this week, I know what it is.....I didn't follow program. Why is it that we know what works, but it is so hard for us to follow that?  The reality is, there can be no excuses! I need to move forward and continue this journey I started. I am still determined to reach my goal, and I WILL get there!

BIG NEWS!
I will be running my FIRST EVER 5K this year!  My weight-watchers leader will be walking along with several of my weight-watcher friends in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure on June 12, 2010. I was unable to participate in this walk last year because I was out of town, but I am looking forward to it this year!  The big news is that I am training to RUN it....that's right. I want to run 3.1 miles non-stop. It's going to take a lot of work, but I think it is an attainable goal...

Yesterday on the treadmill, I was able to run a mile non-stop in 9 minutes, 45 seconds.  For those of you that remember my April 1 challenge, this time is EVEN BETTER than when I ran my first mile in under 10 minutes. After running that first mile yesterday, I continued to run 2 more miles (for a total of 3 miles) in under 36 minutes. This is close to a 12 minute mile average, which I was astonished I could do. Regardless, I'm not really focusing on running the 5K in a specific time, but really am looking to run it non-stop. I've never run more than a mile non-stop, so this will be a huge victory for me!  I'm also excited to be training for a goal! I never thought I would enjoy running, but it has really been keeping me motivated!

GOALS FOR THE WEEK:
1) Track - I actually tracked this weekend (saturday and sunday). The fact that I am already ahead on this is an indication to me that I'm going to be successful with this goal this week.

2) Activity (At least 5 days) - I am super excited to report that I went to the gym yesterday and today, so 5 days is a very attainable goal for this week. I actually am planning on going 6 days, but I am leaving a buffer just in case my schedule gets too crazy (or I feel like I need a break). Furthermore, I need to run at least 1.2 miles non-stop to keep on track for the 5K.

I know these weekly goals seem to be the same each week, but in the end the only way I am going to get to my ultimate goal is to make sure I eat right (that's why tracking is important) and exercise (activity). Nothing more is necessary....

Off the wagon.....

First off, I want to apologize to those of you who have been so supportive of me these past few months for not updating this blog. Stress and mixed priorities took over recently, and as a result, I haven't been blogging (or following program, as you will read below). I am determined to get back into it, and I will be posting some new blogs this week, including a new recipe post!

Progress to date
At this past week's weigh-in I saw my first gain since January 8, 2010. :-(

As you can see from my progress chart below, I have had consistent losses each week for over 10 weeks straight (with one week where I stayed the same).  Seeing a plus on the scale was truly disheartening for me. I know it is only +2 pounds, but that plus sign really sucks (to be blunt)!  I have already gotten back on track (for the most part) to ensure that this doesn't happen again. However, this gain reminded me that the only way I will be able to obtain my goal is to truly make this a lifestyle change over the long-haul. Here are my weight losses since the beginning of 2010:

As you can see, I am still down 14 pounds, which is fantastic, but I still have a bunch to go until I reach my goal.

Why did I fall off the wagon?

The simple answer is I forgot about my priorities and let myself slip back into old habits. These past few weeks I stopped tracking my food, I didn't commit myself to my morning workouts (although I still made it to the gym for the most part for a minimum 4 days per week), and I stopped blogging. The result was the gain. Looking back on all of this, I realize now that I need to re-prioritize so that I have a healthier balance to push me forward towards my goal.  It is a small setback, but it WILL NOT STOP ME FROM REACHING MY GOAL.  I did it before, so I can do it again. It is time to get back on the wagon and achieve what I set out to do!

VICTORIES.....

1) I am so EXCITED to let you all know that I did reach my April 1 running goal.  Although I was unable to get my run in exactly on April 1 (I was out of town for the Easter Holiday), I achieved it the first day I got home and went back to the gym (April 6, 2010).  I am pleased to report that I ran 1 mile in 9 minutes, 53 seconds!!!!!!!! I have NEVER been a runner, and I never imagined that I would be able to actually run a mile, non-stop, in under 10 minutes. However, I was determined to do it, and I succeeded. Looking back on that now, I realize that even though I have had some setbacks this past month,  I CAN do this, and I WILL!

2) Today it was BEAUTIFUL in Buffalo, so I decided to go for a bike ride (I love my new bike that I bought myself last year). Suffice it to say, I am exhausted right now as I write this because I biked 27.63 miles in 1 hour, 53 minutes!!!!  It was so much fun to get outside, and it was also a GREAT workout!  I was very impressed with my ability to go as far as I did. I am so happy that it is getting warmer out, as I know being able to ride my bike will help me out with my weight loss success!

Goals for the week:

In order for me to get back on track, I am going to continue to set my weekly goals here on my blog:

1) TRACK at least 4 days (since I didn't really track this weekend, that means I have to track everyday mon-thurs of this week)

2) MORNING WORKOUTS. Enough said. It works for me when I force myself to do it, so I need to get back into it! 5:30 a.m., I missed you......

3) BLOG. You guys keep me accountable and motivated. Thank you so much for all of your support, and keep it coming!

4) Try out a new recipe. My brother and sister-in-law gave me a suggestion to fix my chicken wing dilemma....I'm going to try this new recipe, and I will be sure to tell you how it worked!

Thanks again for all of your support. I'm back now (no more reprieves), so stay tuned!!!!

One step forward, one step backward.....

Sorry that I haven't posted anything sooner!  I left to go out of town immediately after Friday's weigh-in, and as a result I didn't have time to put together a post for last week's results.....thanks to those of you that have been asking for updates!

One Step Forward
I'm proud (and excited) to report that I DID IT! For those of you that read last week's post, you know how frustrated I was with my minuscule losses and I vowed to have a 2 pound minimum loss. I am proud to report that I lost EXACTLY 2 pounds....Below is my weight loss progress since I started this blog in January.

Aside from losing the weight, I was also successful in tracking!  I tracked EVERY DAY! It was really kind of crazy!  I can't even remember the last time that I tracked the entire week. The result was that I never went over my allotted points (including the 35 extra points I spread throughout my week).  I was much more conscious about what I was consuming when I went out with friends on the weekend, and I made sure that I prepared for my events!  I was so impressed with my tracking that I took a picture of my weekly summary (thanks to the awesome online tracking system that weight watchers provides), and have provided it to you below:

As you can see, I tracked EVERYTHING! I also was impressed with myself that i earned 25 activity points even though apparently I only went to the gym four days last week (I could've sworn that I went 5 days......maybe I didn't track on Monday).  Regardless, it was an AMAZING week, and I met every goal I set myself up for. The result was exactly what I was hoping for, and this showed me: (a) I can lose at a higher rate than I was before; (b) it takes A LOT of hard work to be this disciplined with myself; and (c) it's really important to track to keep myself on point with my eating.

One Step Backward

It is Spring Break at law school this week, so to get away for a little bit I went to visit Montreal for the weekend with a couple of my friends.  Going to a different country means I don't need to follow program, right?  Well, needless to say, I indulged in some treats more so than I normally would, and the scale is not happy with me as a result. Part of me is mad at myself for "undoing" all of the hard work I put in last week. Another part of me had a really great time for 3 days and is saying it was worth it.....is it really worth it though?  I need to remind myself how frustrated I was when I wrote my last post because of how much I was struggling with everything. As much fun as I had, I'm slightly annoyed that the number on the scale this week may be an increase rather than a decrease....

Yesterday was an okay day, but I didn't really get back on track food wise. I did make it to the gym though, and pushed myself even though it was kind of hard to do so.....

Either way, yesterday is gone, and all I can worry about is today and the choices I make moving forward! Another weight loss blogger (one who has inspired me immensely) talked about this in a recent post, and I truly believe he is right. He said:

The choices you made yesterday have no impact or influence on the choices you will make today.  Yesterday is gone and today all you’re left with are the results of the choices you made in the past.
That doesn’t mean you have to live with them.

• It doesn’t matter that you’re 5, 25, or even 125 pounds overweight.
• It doesn’t matter what you ate yesterday.
• It doesn’t matter that you didn’t go to the gym yesterday.
• It doesn’t matter that you’ve been gaining weight for the past 25 years.
• It doesn’t matter that you’ve failed countless diets in the past.

All that matters are the choices you make today.  Your previous choices and experiences have no affect on how today starts and ends.  You might be discouraged and look back at previous weight loss attempts and think, “I’ve never lost weight before, why would anything change now?”

 Yesterday and the weekend is over, and thus so is my little detour from my goal. I'm going to work hard to correct my food choices I made this weekend, and hopefully I won't be up more than a pound or so by the end of the week. If I were to stay the same, that would be fantastic! Either way, I will definitely see a loss next week!

GOALS for the week:

1) Continue with my activity. I still need to do a better job at including weight-training in my workouts. Last week I did it one day. This week I am going to shoot for 2 days. I know it is important to have a balance between weight-training and cardio, and I need to start incorporating both....On a good note, my running has improved IMMENSELY!  Last week Thursday I ran 4 miles in 39 minutes!!!!  That is a 9 minute 45 second mile!! I know that I am going to meet my goal for April 1 to run a mile straight in 10 minutes or less!

2) Tracking. Enough said.

3) Go back to no beer. Last week I had a 2 pound loss....I drank some wine and liquor at various times throughout the week, but no beer. The past couple of weeks when I wasn't losing anything, I was drinking beer. I don't think this is a coincidence. Therefore, alcohol consumption for me will be limited to wine or liquor.

That's it for now!  Thanks for all the comments and keep them coming!

Let's Refocus......

I lost 0.2 pounds this week. ZERO point TWO?!?! How annoying!!! It's SUCH a tease! Of course, my friends at my meeting said "at least it's a loss," but is it really?! Sure it is, but in all reality for how hard I am working, it should be more.  That means something needs to change because this is the second week in a row where I had only a nominal loss. Below is my weight loss chart since the beginning of the year....

 

I know "it's not always about the numbers" and I should "look at all of the success I've had so far".....I do that, but right now I say that's all BS!  I know I can do better, and it's time to get my a$$ in gear again!

So.....Let's REFOCUS....

Those of you that know me, know that when I see a problem, I setup a plan that will most likely get to the solution of the problem.  Thus, here's my plan to make sure I have at least a two pound (i.e. "reasonable") weight loss next week....

1) TRACKING - This is my biggest catch-22 in the world, plain and simple....I know it works, and that I need to do it, yet for some reason I don't. Frankly, I've been neglecting it lately, and this is unacceptable! Also, I NEED TO INCLUDE THE WEEKENDS! When I look back at the weeks where I lost the most, I tracked. To put it simply, "it is what it is." When I track, I lost consistently. No more of this "at least 5 days business." I'm tracking this week EVERY DAY even if it kills me! That means every beer, glass of wine, cookie, carrot, celery, lettuce, whatever.....if I eat it, then I write it!

2) Activity - this is a tough one for me because I have been super successful with getting into a great routine since I "fell off the wagon" at the end of 2009. I have been waking up at 5:30 a.m. most weekdays to get my workouts in at the beginning of my day so to ensure that: a) I actually workout; and b) I can enjoy my day without the gym taunting me all day. For the most part I have been doing exclusively cardio. This has been enjoyable, but I am missing my lifting sessions. I told myself that I would continue doing the cardio until I hit a plateau....it seems like this is happening.  Thus, I am going to begin incorporating 30 minutes of weight-lifting (in addition to 30 minutes of cardio on my lifting days) 3 days per week.  The other days I am going to continue with my 45 - 60 minutes of cardio in preparation for My Big Goal!

3) Alcohol - Okay, fine. I'll lay it out for you.....one of the greatest, most delicious tastes in to world to me is that first sip of beer at happy hour on a Friday after a long hard week of work and school (maybe a couple of  sips even).  As a rule, I don't drink from Sunday through Thursday other than an occasional glass of wine every now and then. It's just a rule I have for myself to keep me in check for my weight.  The problem is on Friday and Saturday I make up too much for the other five days of the week.....enough said. Therefore, I have decided that I am changing my habits (at least for this week) in two ways: 1) I am tracking (see number 1 above); and 2) NO BEER! Wine or liquor (with club soda) only....I drink less when I drink these anyways, and besides you get the biggest "bang" for your alcohol points when you drink these over beer anyways!

That's my plan for now....  Three goals that are attainable, challenging to a certain extent, and will "shake it up" a bit for my week. I'll see how it goes for the week, and adjust accordingly next week. In fact, after writing this, I'm excited to see what it does on the scale!

Quick Shout Out!

I went over to my friends' house last night for some dinner and entertaining, and I was THOROUGHLY grateful and impressed at how much they went out of their way to accommodate my healthy lifestyle. My friend Mark made chicken enchiladas that were DELICIOUS and were made VERY healthy (only 7 points per enchilada....I had two of them after my grueling last-chance workout at the gym). For dessert, my friend Kat made chocolate chip oatmeal cookies JUST FOR ME where she substituted some of the normal ingredients for whole wheat flour, egg beaters, etc. to lighten up the recipe. The cookies were AMAZING, and you would never know that there were any substitutions (I had two of those as well....I couldn't resist even though I knew I had to weigh-in this morning). I was just so grateful that my friends were willing to change their "not so" healthy lifestyles to accommodate mine.  And they both loved eating healthy too! Thanks, guys! ;-)

That's it for now.  I have a few different blogs coming up soon, so keep a lookout for those. Thanks for all of the support, and keep the comments coming!

Updates and Goals for the week...

Unfortunately my busy schedule has kept me from updating this as much as I would like to. I am going to do my best to make sure that I consistently keep blogging as it keeps my motivation going, and I have really enjoyed reading everybody's comments....

Weight Loss

The good news is that in my absence of blogging, I have lost for the past two weigh-ins! Last week I lost 2 pounds, and this week I lost 0.4 pounds. This past weigh-in was not nearly as large as I would like it to be, but I was happy that it was at least down and going in the right direction. Below is my weight loss since January 1st.

As you can see, I have consistently lost weight since January 8, and I can think of three main reasons for this: 1) tracking, 2) activity, and 3) accountability. I have been tracking much more lately, and it is really helpful as it keeps me consistent and accountable. Also, I have ramped up my activity, and as a result I am not only losing the pounds, but my clothes are fitting better!  Also, knowing that all of you are looking for my updates has really helped to hold myself accountable! Thanks for the encouragement!

New Activities

Spinning

I have joined a spinning class on Wednesday mornings at 6:00 a.m. and it has been AMAZING!!  It is one of the hardest workouts that I have ever done, and it has really ramped up my cardio mid week to keep me pushing through to my Friday weigh-in.

Boot Camp

Yesterday I tried my first boot camp fitness class. As I sit here and write this, I can tell you that my ENTIRE body is still sore from the workout, and it feels awesome!  IT WAS PHENOMENAL!!  It is a full body, high intensity, hour-long workout that really pushes you to work everything. I highly recommend it, and I am looking forward to going to the class again next week (although I think I may have class that will interfere with it, which is annoying).

Goal Reminder: April 1st is still my goal to run a 10 minute mile.  I have been training very hard to get to this point each workout, and I have almost exclusively moved my cardio workouts to the treadmill, which is much harder, but gives me a great workout.

New Thoughts...

Although I lost this past week, I had to really think about why my loss was so small. I worked my BUTT off at the gym the whole week just to compensate for my major overindulgence I took part in last weekend....friends were in town, and my goals went out the window. Without going into the amount of food and alcohol I consumed, I can tell you that I realized that it is very counterproductive for me to work so hard during the week just to ruin it in one night on the weekend. This is something that I will continue to struggle with, I know, but it is something that I MUST conquer if I am going to be successful and get to my goal weight.

GOALS FOR THE WEEK

1) Workout at least 5 days (minimum 20 minutes)

2) Track at least 4 days (I havn't tracked this weekend yet, so I am putting 4 days this week so I track mon-thursday).

BTW, please keep your comments coming!  I really enjoy hearing your thoughts, and it's motivating to know that people are actually reading this!!

Habits: the good, the bad, and the ugly....

Many of you can probably relate to how hard it is to break bad habits (and create new ones).  I read a study somewhere sometime (no, I'm not going to cite to it) that said you need to do something consistently for 21 days in order to form a new habit. That doesn't sound like a long time, but think about it this way:  It takes the equivalent of three weeks worth of PERFECT and CONSISTENT days to form a new habit. I don't know about you, but that task seems daunting.

This isn't to say that a person can't form form a new habit over a longer period of time. Personally it takes me a long time to form a new habit and even longer to break an old one. However, if there is one thing I've learned so far over this journey, it is that  really need to find ways to get rid of old unhealthy habits and create new healthier ones.

My Healthy Habits
I have been successful in changing my habits in several ways: I workout 4-5 days a week usually at 5:30 in the morning, which, if you ask me, needs to be habitual if you intend to keep that kind of schedule going; I eat a healthy breakfast every morning; I tend to eat mostly healthy meals throughout my week; I'm able to push myself to attain a goal; etc...

However, this past weekend, I found myself falling back into old habits that I need to break if I truly am going to be successful (and keep this weight off). I know that myself alone is to blame, but I also would like to blame the Superbowl (even though I know my argument here is weak).....

I was the host of a Superbowl party, and it was a fat-man's paradise!!! The food that we had included (thanks to all of my awesome friends): pizza, chicken wings, pigs in a blanket (I made a healthy version of these), spinach artichoke dip, buffalo chicken dip, chili, chips, salsa, guacamole, cheese, crackers, pepperoni, sausage meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese, fruit salsa with graham crackers, cookies, and homemade hostess cupcakes (the chocolate kind with frosting in the middle).  Of course, we can forget the tremendous amounts of beer, malt beverages, and wine that was there for consumption as well.

Needless to say being surrounded by so much food and drink, I binged more than I have in over a month. I couldn't stop myself...I mean, it would be RUDE as a host for me to not try everything, right?!  WRONG!  I regret the decisions I made this weekend, and I realized after the fact that this is one habit I need to change. It took me four days to get back to (and slightly below) my weigh-in weight from last week...

One thing realized: I need to find a way to be in social situations involving food and NOT overindulge. This isn't to say that I can't enjoy the food, but I need to make a new habit where I limit what I eat and have boundaries when placed in these situations. I know they will come up again, and I need to be ready next time!

Another Successful Week!

My hard work is really beginning to pay off!  I reached every one of my goals this week....

I tracked 5 days this week, and I worked out 5 days as well!  Below is my WW chart for the week.....I'm very proud of this, and as you can see I've really ramped up my workouts!

 

I also lost 2.2 pounds this week!  That means in the past 4 weeks I have lost a total of 9.6 pounds!!!  I'm still taking off some weight that I have gained over the past 7 months, but I'm on my way to getting to goal!  

Here is a copy of my weight chart since the beginning of the year.....

Here is a graph of my progress....as you can see I have a ways to go to get to my goal of 180, but I'm at least moving in the right direction.....

 

GOALS FOR THIS WEEK

1) Track again for at least 5 days

2) Workout for at least 5 days

3) Do my 40 minute cardio workout that I was able to concquer last night at least once to get myself closer to my April 1 challenge!

P.S. I will begin posting pictures of my progress soon!