Week 37: Day 7

Hey there!!  I just wanted to post a "quickie" before bed because I have "big plans" for tomorrow and doubt I will be getting on the computer.  I also realized I haven't posted since my birthday - ooops!!

So, my birthday was very fun...I would even go ahead and say "too much fun".  I did turn 32, not 22...I probably should have said "no" to a shot or two.  Hahaha.  Anyway, all's well now.

I signed up for two 5k's this Halloween weekend.  The first was Saturday morning - the Screamin' 5K.  Friday night I worked until about 10-ish, and it was raining and brrrrrrrr freezing when I left.  Oh, it was so cold.  I said a prayer that the weather would miraculously change by morning, but it surely didn't "work".  When I rolled out of bed it was 30-something degrees and STILL raining.  And so, so, so dark.  I got dressed and got in the car, but I promise you I was still debating whether to actually run or not.  I had all the excuses lined up - couldn't even get warm in the van because the heat wasn't working!!  When I pulled into the parking lot, I ran into the building and immediately decided to stay.  There were all types of people in there, the heat was on full blast, and the "aura" was just so positive!!  It was a very small race, I think 170 people total?  Compared to the other 5K's I've been in (all 2), where thousands were racing!!  So, I signed in, pinned on my number, and waited for further instructions.  I saw people who were obviously great/fast runners, I saw people who didn't appear in great shape, some in costume...it was a great atmosphere!  I kept thinking, I know I can run this in less than 30 minutes...I'm not going to die of hypothermia in 30 minutes!  Ha.  When the race director got up to let us know we were leaving in 5 minutes, I got a little nervous and excited and mostly NERVOUS.  The rain was really coming down and all I had was a long sleeved thermal under a t-shirt!  I decided to wear my fleece, even though I know that's not exactly ideal in the rain.  I also had mittens on, but decided against any hat.  I was wearing my usual running skirt with knee-high socks....and my beautiful, fast Kinvaras.  We headed outside to the starting line (no chips in this race) and the guy yelled "GO!" 

Did I mention how freakin' cold it was?!?!?!?  Oh, holy wow.  I took off.  SO determined to just get back to the heat.  I swear the rain started coming down harder, it was miserable.  I got excited at the Mile 1 marker when the guy told me "8:16" - nice!  I wasn't even feeling it!  My toes and nose were numb, snot was running down my face...I kind of wasn't feeling anything, I guess.  HA!  I was really running by myself for a while, passed a couple of people, but nobody passed me.  We got to the turnaround and I realized I really wasn't crazy far back from the front runners...but then my legs got a little tired (or less numb).  I don't mind running by myself, but it's not as much fun in a race.  Just before mile 2 was done, a woman caught up to me.  She appeared my age (turns out she is 40), so I wanted to stay with her and I definitely did NOT want her to see me walk!  I told her she was the motivation I needed...but then she fell behind again?  When we got up to the final bit, she appeared next to me again and said "This is it..." then proceeded to take OFF!  I was quite impressed, but really didn't think I could catch up.  I ended up finishing several seconds after her...since there wasn't anyone keeping official time at the finish line (I mean, someone was, but not any of the volunteers I talked to), I asked her what time she had...she said 26:41!!!  This turned out to be my official time, too!!!  (Her official time was 26:22 and she actually placed first in her age group) 

I WAS SO EXCITED!!!!  That is a PR by 1:27!!!  I was so happy to have completed the race and done well and I was so fired up for the rest of the day...it was beautiful....

Bed time...I'll tell you about the zombie run tomorrow!
xoxo

Happy Birthday to ME!

I will pay no attention to what I eat today.  I will not report anything I eat today. 

Starting tomorrow, however, I am back on track...not sure what I'm going to do, exactly, but the 17-day diet is sounding good!  I will have to time my meals just right to make sense with my increased mileage in training, but I think I can handle it. 

I have signed up for 2 5K's this weekend!  Am I crazy?  :)  I am really, really hoping to PR on one or both of them.  I was all excited to possibly place in the one on Saturday morning because it looks like previous years have been much lower attendance than the ones in Nashville...then I see the "announcement" that they had more people register this year than ever before!  Yay!  Hahaha. 

So, Saturday morning will be the Screamin' 5K in Zion Crossroads, VA, and Sunday morning I will run in the Zombie run in downtown Charlottesville.  Fun!!!  I am hoping to get out and find something to count as a costume today.  I have orange and black striped knee socks and a bright orange tank top, but it is looking like the weather will not allow for a tank top...maybe I could just get a Halloween shirt and a witch hat?

We'll see...

So, for my Shrinkvivor check-in this morning, my weight was 184 (yay!) and I logged 235 minutes of fitness.  This number seems rather low compared to the other blogs I was reading this morning...it's sort of frustrating because a 5 mile run for me is only 50 minutes, but I have seen some of the other blogs logging 3 miles and it takes over an hour!  I don't really have extra time (or energy!) for all of that.  If I run 5 miles in 50 minutes and walk 5 minutes to warm up and 5 more to cool down...that feels like a GREAT workout to me!  I definitely don't feel like another 30 minutes of walking would be a good use of my time at that point.

Same with this weekend...yes, I have two 5K's scheduled, but that will only amount to (hopefully) 27 minutes each time, and this week's challenge is fitness MINUTES yet again!  I don't mean to sound like I am complaining...I promise.  Well, maybe  a little.  Hahaha.  In all seriousness, I am happy to have this problem!!  I am glad I can fit a good workout in at all!  It was a total blessing to find an hour to run yesterday...the kids were in rare form all morning and my mom came to save me!  She picked them up and took them to her house and the grocery store and just wore their butts out with activity.  All while I got my run done and sent a few e-mails I had been putting off.

It's not really fair, but I have to post a picture from 2 short years ago...

I say "not fair" because I realize I am pregnant in this picture, and it is not all "natural" weight...or whatever.  However, I was thinking yesterday that I needed to not be so hard on the excess around my middle because I do come by it honestly...I did weigh 260 pounds the day I had Zoe.  I did not need to weigh that much just because I was pregnant.  Even when I was pregnant with the TWINS (who totalled 14 pounds the day they were born), I didn't need to weigh that much.  You can see by the plate in my hand that I never once thought twice about anything I put in my mouth during pregnancy.  I literally referred to that time as a "reset button".  :)

So, I guess it's okay that I still have a gross "flap" at my belly...even though it is much much smaller, it is still there.  And Gross!! 

Okay, on that terrible note - have a great day!  :)  Here's a cuter picture to end on...

Week 37: Day 2

A picture is worth a thousand words...

I know the angles aren't awesome for comparison shots, but I can sure see a difference!

Happy birthday to me tomorrow!!  :)

Week 37: Day 1

WEEK 37?!?!  Seriously??  I mean, I knew that was coming after week 36, but holy moly!!

Cabbage soup diet has gone very well.  Today is my final day - brown rice and veggies all day.  As much as I want!  I bet it won't be all that much.  I mean, I like brown rice...but I am having a hard time getting excited about it this morning.  Haha.

This time around, the cabbage soup plan has actually not been terrible.  I have really really enjoyed the soup and I just keep reminding myself that it's only 1 week!  I am actually thinking of doing 1 week of the soup, then taking 3 days off and starting another week with the soup.  The only problem is my training program increasing...the first 4 days are hard with no real protein.  It's a nice fall back plan, though, for when I get out of hand.  Haha.

Speaking of training - yesterday I went to a "park" I have driven by many, many times to see if there was a trail I could run.  Sure enough, I had 4 miles on the schedule and the sign showed a 2.4 mile path to the Monticello information center!  I decided to walk 5 minutes, then run until I got there and run all the way back.  I did exactly that, but either I was way faster than usual, or the mileage was off (I actually "mapped" the run when I got back on dailymile.com and it sure did say 2.4 miles each way!).  Anyway, I logged 40 minutes of fitness yesterday for Shrinkvivor and covered more than my 4 miles for training purposes.  Hooray!

Would you believe I have signed myself up for 2 5K's this weekend?  I'm kind of excited, actually.  I really, really want to get under 27 minutes and now i have TWO chances to do that!  The first race is in a town called Zion Crossroads just a few miles down the road from my house.  Saturday morning, 8 am...then I am having Zoe's birthday party at 11 am that day.  Whoo.  Luckily, I have only invited family, so they will be okay if I pass out in the middle.  Hahaha.  Then, Sunday, I was feeling all left out reading about the Nashville zombie run, so I signed up to do the Charlottesville zombie race!  It is being filmed and then made into a short film which will be screened on Monday night!  Super fun.  I really want to do a costume for both - okay to be the same one - but I have ZERO money and no real fun clothes to mess with.  Plus, I still need it to be comfortable for running.  Hmmm.  Any ideas?  Too bad I can't fit back into my prom dress yet (MAJOR goal), because that would be hilarious.  Prom Queen costume!  I don't have any fancy dresses...according to weather.com it's going to be chilly for both races.  I was thinking of wearing my black running skirt, bright orange tank top, and some black and orange striped knee-socks.  If all else fails, I guess Halloween colors are better than nothing!

I have written up a schedule for me and the littles to follow today.  Lots of outdoor play, scheduled snacks, midday storytime before lunch, QUIET time after lunch...I really hope we have a great day together.  Shaun left for work (yay!) and took the car today, so it's just me and them.  With no escape.  Hahahaha. 

Have a great day!
xoxo

Week 36: Day 6

Goooooood morning!!!

Seriously, it's 7:37 am and all of the boys have finished their breakfasts and are dressed and have waaaaayyy more energy than I do.  Geez!!!  I made the mistake of telling them Grandma is coming over and we're going to a pumpkin patch.  Now they are all over me about "when?  when is gramma getting here?  can we go now?"  NO!  The place doesn't even open for another 2 and a half hours!!!

Whew.  Got that out.  Sorry.  :) 

Shaun got the job!  Hooray!  He goes in Monday morning and he is very excited.  Me, too, for that matter.  Even though this will put me home with the three with no car...I don't care.  Get him out of this house and let me get back to some "normal"!  Haha.

Banana day wasn't too bad yesterday.  I did have a salad last night after work...I was so so hungry and my soup wasn't ready before I left the house to take a serving.  The salad was deeee-lish.  Arugula leaves with hazelnuts, carrots (thinly sliced) and zucchini, topped with a champagne vinaigrette.  Mmmmmm.  Today I can have up to 20 ounces of cooked beef and up to 6 tomatoes.  I'm not a big tomato eater, but I did buy some because it's nice to have the variety.  I have soup that simmered allll night long divided up into 3 containers to get me through my last three days.  I am feeling really good this time!  And skinny...awesome.  :)  Staying away from the scale until Tuesday, though.  Or maybe even Wednesday for the Shrinkvivor check in?

Know what else is Wednesday?  My 32nd birthday!!!  Wahoo!

Exercise-wise I really haven't done much.  Last night we were super busy, so I was bustling around the restaurant quite a bit, but I'm not counting any minutes for Shrinkvivor.  Today I need to get out for a couple mile run...I would like to run 22 minutes (like I planned the other day) with a 10 minute warm up walk and 10 minute cool down.  I also really, really need to do some sit-ups and push-ups...or something!  I have the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, and now our DVD player is in our bedroom with carpeting, so maybe?  I have heard mixed reviews..."super tough" and "doable".  If I could just incorporate those workouts a couple times a day, I think I would notice a difference in the shaping up of my body.  And boy does it need some shaping up!

:)

Okay, I'm all done with typing.  Have a great day!

xoxo

Week 36: Day 5

Good (almost) afternoon!

I have had a busy day already, and I am totally ready for a nap.  Unfortunately, the children do not seem to be on the same page.  Sigh.

Well, I made it through another day of cabbage soup diet!!  Yesterday was fruits and veggies...it was tough, I'm not going to lie.  I did get a recipe for some "pumpkin cookies" from my aunt that I tried.  It involves a can of pumpkin, some nonfat dry milk, splenda, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla...I think that's all.  Oh, and Butter Buds!  Anyway, they were okay...I mean, I think in the grand scheme of "real world", they weren't good, but they were DELICIOUS to me in my "state" yesterday!  Ha, ha.  I did also use 2 laughing cow swiss cheese wedges to dip my carrots in last night, too.  Full confessions here, folks!

Today is banana day.  I finished off my first batch of the soup and have already eaten 2 of my allotted 8 bananas for the day.  I can also have up to 8 glasses of skim milk today.  It's pretty cold outside, so I'm planning to have the kids "help" me make another crock-pot full of soup for an indoors activity.  I will make a banana smoothie in an hour or so...and I'll have another bowl of soup before work tonight.  I am planning to help my sister out in the 9 1/2 Lounge after my hosting shift is over...they are open till 3 am, I believe, so it could prove to be a long night for me.  I just love being in town at the restaurant, though!  It is such a fun place...kind of small and intimate and always full of friendly people.  So fun!!!

I am sorry to be a little rambly...I am kind of sleepy.  I had an appointment at 7 o'clock this morning at the Social Services office.  I'm not ashamed to admit we need food stamps and Medicaid to help us out!  So, I was up early after a long night of creepy dreams...I was working on some of my trivia questions last night and I am having a "spooky" theme for Halloween.  I read some scary stories on the internet RIGHT before I fell asleep!  Not smart. 

Two last "real life" things before I wrap this up...

*Shaun has an interview at 2:00 today!  Yay!!  Everyone keep things crossed and send up some extra prayers that this will be the job for him.  :)

*Yesterday, Conner had to "charge" his lunch at school because he gave his $20 lunch money to a kid on the bus!  We couldn't get a straight answer out of him regarding why he would give money to another kid...I always thought the "give me your lunch money" thing was only on tv and in movies!  Anyway, today, since I had that appointment at 7 am, Shaun had to put on his big-boy-pants and confront the kid.  In the nicest way possible, of course.  So, he asked the bus driver who the kid was and I guess the kid apologized profusely and handed the full $20 over.  Haha.  All's well that ends well!

Okay, the end.

Have a great day!
xoxo

Week 36: Day 4

Good morning!!!

I promised every day posting, so here is a quickie post! 

DIET:  Day 3 of cabbage soup diet today, all fruits and veggies (and soup).  Going well so far...but it's only 10:48!  Haha.  Yesterday was veggies only and the best damn baked potato EVER for dinner!!  I sort of accidentally strayed a little, little bit yesterday.  I had it in my mind that chickpeas were veggies and I totally dipped my carrots in hummus!  Gasp!  My mom later informed me hummus is a protein...crap.  It was delicious, though.  ;)  So far today I have had an orange, an apple, and a bunch of grapes.  I am waiting till about 11:30 to have my first bowl of soup...I'm going to head into "town" with my mom at noon, and I plan to run for 22 minutes while there.  I am really wanting to break 27 minutes in my 5K next weekend, so I'm shooting for 2.5 miles in my 22 minutes of running today.

EXERCISE:  Oops.  Kind of covered it in "diet", huh?  Well, yesterday I didn't do any form of fitness.  As I mentioned, I want to run for 22 minutes today, and I do plan to walk for at least 10 extra minutes.  While in town, I want to visit the Charlottesville Running Company to see about joining up with a crew training for the Charlottesville Full.  I am really "itching" to get back to the trails out here, but it's been raining, so I kind of want to wait till it dries out at least a little.  I think I have a 5 miler on the schedule for next week, so hopefully we'll have several dry days in a row.  Also, I don't want to do that much running while on the cabbage soup plan.  Not enough calories and I know I will be way too hungry to stay strong if I get in a "good" workout!  Walking is "good", I'm not suggesting otherwise, I just don't find myself to be quite as ravenous afterwards as I am after a longer run...

REAL LIFE:  Ugh.  Right now I'm being screamed at, literally, by Henry because I took a pack of gum away from him.  My real life sucks.  Ha!  Shaun still hasn't landed a job, but he has had a couple of good meetings and/or interviews with people...so hopefully something great will come of it...and fast! 

The End for now!!

xoxo

W36:D3 & Shrinkvivor Week 3 Results!

Good morning!!

Well, I am on day 2 of the cabbage soup diet and yesterday actually went pretty well!!  I ate plums and apples and fresh pineapple and soup and lots and lots of grapes.  It was delicious.  I got hungry a couple of times, but was totally able to settle my stomach with water...and grapes.  I'm telling you, I ate a LOT of grapes. 

Here's my Shrinkvivor "stats" for the previous week:
Starting weight: 186
Last week's weight: 186.5
Today's weight: 185!  Heading back in the right direction!!
Fitness minutes Total: 193 minutes
Fitness minutes breakdown:
     Wednesday ran 2.06 miles - 18 minutes
     Saturday ran 4 miles on a trail in the woods (sooo cool!) - 45 minutes
     Sunday went to the playground with the kids, walked the track (alternating between walking forwards and walking backwards!) for 25 minutes, then did strength training on the playground for 15 minutes - 40 minutes
     Monday VERY active, sweat inducing moving of furniture around the house, checked the clock before and after, and I promise you I was moooooving and sweating and huffing and puffing.  Moving stuff upstairs is no easy task!! - 60 minutes
     Tuesday ran 2.2 miles with a 5 minute warm up walk and a 5 minute cool down walk - 30 minutes

I want to say a little something about the challenge being MINUTES again.  I realize I need to do more strength training and cross training.  I know it, for sure, but it is so hard for me to find motivation when I am in my house.  Walking is crazy boring.  There, I said it.  Walking the track last week with the boys was brutal!!  This is why I tried to be very intentional when rearranging the house.  I kept moving and did deep cleaning while I was moving and even did some high knee raises during periods we weren't hauling furniture around.  (by the way, we moved our "master" bedroom upstairs, put all four kids in one bedroom, and then changed the former MB into a playroom)  I am not happy about my total being so low...especially compared to the Gray team who apparently averages over 600 minutes among their 7 contestants.  I'm sorry to be suspicious, but I am.  I was really hoping for mileage to be counted, but I also recognize that you can't really count "mileage" in a Zumba class! 

Here's my personal goal/challenge for this week:  CROSS TRAINING.  Every single night I need to be doing my push-ups and sit-ups...Shaun has even agreed to join me in these!  I am the new "Trivia Master" at Fellini's on Tuesday nights, so I won't be able to do the tworkout, but I CAN look back and see what exercises they tweeted!  As long as the weather will cooperate, I would like to take the kids to the trails I "discovered" and get them moving for at least 30 minutes, too!  I know there are some "On Demand" workouts I can do...even if it is just 10 minutes here and there, that will still be way better than NONE! 

Okay, the Shrinkvivor mini challenge is 64 ounces of water per day.  By the way, last week's mini challenge was eat something green every day and I added spinach to everything I could!!  At least once a day.  Yay!  Water is no problem, it's all I drink anyway.

Quick side note - have you ever heard of or drank blk water?  It is awesome.  I will review it in tomorrow's posting, k?

Um...I think I covered everything.  I'll get back to the outline format tomorrow.  Diet, exercise...as far as "real life" goes, I am so happy to be doing work at the restaurant!!!  Last night I was Trivia Master for the first time, and I definitely see where I can improve (like, my questions were WAY too hard!)...but overall it was really, really fun!!  We are working on doing some extra marketing to get more people in, and it has been awesome using my brain for adult work again.  I love my kids, but seriously...sometimes I get so freakin' sick of saying "That's great!  Nice job!  Thank you for saying please!  Do you need to go potty?"  And...reading Llama Llama 16 times can get a bit dull.

Know what I'm sayin?

Have a great day!!!
xoxo

Week 36: Day 2

Good morning!!

I have decided to do the cabbage soup diet again.  Don't judge me.  I seriously need something to shake me up and get me feeling better!!  When I am just watching calories or points or whatever, I end up totally going bananas and just snack-snack-snacking until I feel I have ruined the day already, I might as well just eat the rest of the loaf!  Sad, yes, but it's my demon and I have to live with it.

So, today is fruit day!  All fruit and nothing but fruit!  Yum, yum!!  I have started my day with an apple and lots of grapes.   I have a beautiful pineapple to cut into for lunch, and of course my soup simmered overnight and has filled the house with delicious scents!  Hooray.  I may end up posting 6 times a day while I try to be successful on this plan.

I chose this week, by the way, because I am only on schedule to run 2 miles at a time 3 times this week.  Even the cross training times are only 35 minutes.  I think this will be "safer" than a week where I am to run 5+ miles at a time.  Right?

I know I am about 15 pounds away from a very happy place and I would just like to get these 15 pounds gone.  I feel like my running times will improve and I will feel better...and maybe a part of me thinks it will be "easier" to eat well?  I don't know.  I do know this: I do not feel good right now, I am not happy with my food choices lately, I need to do something different.

So, there you have it!  I am heading out the door as soon as I post this to go for a 20 minute run with 5 minute warm up and 5 minute coold down.  Then, we have a park play date at 9:30, and tonight is my first night as TriviaMaster!!!  I will be assembling my questions this afternoon and head out to the restaurant around 7?  We are also planning to do some rearranging today while Shaun is still home.

On that note: We sent out his resume to at least 6 different *hot* leads yesterday from Craigslist and the Virginia unemployment page and monster.com. He made several phone calls, as well, so we are really hoping one of these pans out....soon.  Keep those prayers comin'!!

Have a great day,
xoxo

Week 36: Day 1

I do not believe I am at week 36…and still blogging!  I wish I had even half of the motivation still as I had in the beginning, but at least I am still aware and trying, right?!?  My internet is down, so I’m typing this in Microsoft Word and will post as soon as I am able…just in case I write things about “this morning” and don’t post until the afternoon!

Well, speaking of – this morning we are having some chaos around here!  I don’t know what sort of Mountain Dew the kids may have had in their sippy cups, but they are just out of control.  Running around, yelling, teasing, crying…wow.  We have hardwood floors and a very open floor plan, so you can imagine the noise!! 

FOOD:  Well, this weekend was sort of a bust.  I would start out SO good in the mornings…and even sometimes on through lunchtime.  However, the afternoon would “strike” and I would just snack on something I really didn’t need!!!  Luckily, no major bingeing, just stupid snacks.  I am having a yummy breakfast right now and hope to stick to “plan” today, though!  1 egg/2 egg white omelet (104 calories), 1 Laughing Cow cheese wedge (35 calories), spinach leaves, wrapped up in a 100 calorie Whole Wheat/Flaxseed tortilla!  Delicious.   OH – my current “plan” is only whole wheat “good” carbs before 1:00 pm, and then no carbs for the rest of the day.  Fruit included.  So, I’ll have fruit in the mornings, as well, but only protein and veggies after 1:00.  We’ll see how long this lasts.  I actually think I’m supposed to be counting carrots in the “fruit” category because they are so high in sugar…they are so easy to snack on, though!!!  I have a cucumber and green pepper in the fridge, so I’ll use those this afternoon.  I finished up the carrots for dinner last night.  J 

EXERCISE:  This weekend was great in that respect!!  Saturday I headed out to do 4 miles…I actually found a trail (Fluvanna Heritage Trail) that was 3 miles out to some “bluffs”…I had no intention of tracking my mileage, but there were markers along the trail, so I know I went to the 2 mile marker and then headed back.  It took 45 minutes, but I am totally okay with that…for those of you who know me, I’m okay with it because I had to stop a couple times to check which way the trail went and then I was behind some slow walkers for about a minute before they noticed me.  J  That makes me happy because it means I wasn’t breathing as loud as I thought I was!!  Haha.  So, 45 minutes of running the trail on Saturday, then we took the kids up to the Apple Orchard for some “apple picking”.  Unfortunately, everyone else in town decided to do the same thing and there weren’t any apples we could reach!!  We probably could have gone down some more aisles, but we had been there for a while already dancing in front of the band and eating lunch.  We let the kids pick out pumpkins to carve and then headed home.  Yesterday I took 3 of the kids to a new church (Jack was sick) and then we went into “town” for brunch at Fellini’s (my mom’s restaurant).  Afterwards the three were exhausted, so we headed home and they all took naps!  I really wanted to go out for a walk, but was having a hard hard time finding the strength.  Ha.  Truthfully, I was tired, too!!  When Jack woke up, I decided to take him out for a walk…he was feeling better and I felt bad he hadn’t gotten to do anything that morning.  When we finally got into the car, Conner woke up so I took him, too.  Having no idea exactly where we were going, I just drove through the neighborhood a bit, and then we “stumbled” upon a playground with a track!  I went back home for the boys’ bikes and we rode/walked around the track for 20 minutes, then headed over to the playground.  I had a mental goal of MOVING for 40 minutes, so I spent the next 20 minutes riding a “boingy thing” which was actually pretty tough and then pushing Jack on a swing.  Like, full body active pushing.  I’m sure I looked ridiculous, but I was sweating!  Hahaha. 

Today I plan to get out for a run later.  We are heading out for a play date this morning at the community clubhouse.  I am trying to figure out a “school” situation to get the twins and Zoe in but we will have to make do with some playdates in the meantime.  I hope they make some good friends!!!

I think I pretty much covered everything, so no need for a “Real Life” section this morning!  Shaun is going to head out with some resumes today, and I did some applications online for him over the weekend.  His unemployment was denied (appeal will take 6-8 weeks), so we are kind of scrambling right now.  However, I recognize that I have to keep my faith and trust in God’s plan for us.  He has held me up this long, why would I think He would drop me now?

Have a great day!  xoxo

Week 35: Day 6

Good morning!!

Okay, I'm back.  Seriously back.  I need the accountability of this blog.  I need YOU to be there for me and get my fat butt BACK ON TRACK.  This is just crazy!!  Yesterday I was on my way out the door and I took a nap instead of going for a run!  What on earth is that?!?!  I just kept thinking - who will care if I don't run?  Nobody cares.  Then this came to my mind - If Shaun wakes me up and asks when I'm running, I will get up and run.  That's a pretty "safe" thought for me...Shaun could care less if I go running.  He could care less if I lose any more weight.  He likely wouldn't mind if I put some weight back on!  It's ridiculous.  He was super supportive in the beginning, but I think I have now hit that place where he sees other people noticing the big improvement and it appears to be making him nervous? 

Anyway, that really doesn't matter.  Not to say what my husband thinks doesn't matter, but he is happy with my looks and truthfully always has been.  If I was doing this for him, I would have stopped after 20 pounds.  I certainly wouldn't have started this blog.  I have ZERO intention of ever leaving him.  I love my husband, and I know we will be together forever.  Not to mention the four kids we share!  Haha.  In all seriousness, this isn't about him.  It's about me.  It's about the goal I set forth to meet and the fact that I am down to 5 full weeks left!!  I owe it to YOU, loyal readers, to, at the very least try.

So, try I will!!  You will be reading daily food and exercise logs, you will receive a weigh in report on Mondays (and Wednesdays until Shrinkvivor is done), and I promise you I will show you that 40 weeks isn't too short to completely change your life.  Completely.

I'll probably go back to "outline form" since my thoughts are so rambly these days!!  Starting today...

FOOD:  Well.  Hmmm.  This morning I woke up and had an apple and coffee!  Then I had some dinner rolls with butter and honey.  Seriously, Audrey?  Hahahaha.  Yes, seriously.  Then - in the interest of full disclosure - I totally ate a hot dog.  I wanted some protein before I head out to run and it was the fastest thing I could find in the fridge!  The rest of today, I will be concentrating on small meals frequently.  The "Eat All Day Diet" does not look like enough of a "diet" for me to take seriously.  That sounds crazy, but I gotta KNOW I'm dieting.  Otherwise, I will justify every little hot dog bite that goes in my mouth.  Ridiculous, yes, but I'm just being honest here! 

I want some feedback, please!  I know Atkins SUCKED for me when I tried it in the beginnings, but who thinks maybe I should give it another shot?  I hesitate to even say "Atkins".  Basically, what do you think about low/no carb for a week with fruits in the mornings?  Proteins and veggies the rest of the day?

EXERCISE: For Shrinkvivor, we are counting fitness minutes again.  My team has been racking up some pretty great minute totals, and I totally feel like I'm bringing them down with my "low" numbers!!  This week I will commit to at least 60 minutes per day (really, there's only 4 days left in the week, but I do have some minutes already logged)...I will be very intentional about getting out with the kids for a walk or a little jog around the backyard.  In addition to my 60 minutes.  Right now I'm heading out the door for a 40 minute run with a 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down.  I'm still following my 15K training, but I've decided to not go for distance, just go for time.  I know I'm consistently faster than a 10 minute mile, so I will multiple all of the mileage by 10 and run for that amount of time.  I'm even going to run in places where I won't be able to log distance.  I will just go ahead and let you know this will likely kill me.  I love knowing how far I've gone in X amount of time.  However, I really feel this is not the important part...I am taking my training seriously and I am trusting my body to let me know it's limits.  I hope this makes sense to someone other than me...

REAL LIFE:  Why not add this category.  I feel like you all care, right?  :)  I have started hostessing on Friday nights at my parents' restaurant.  Our move is completely finished and now we just need to get in the swing and routine of life here in Virginia!  While Shaun looks for work, I plan to do as much as I can at the restaurant and FOR the restaurant.  Also, I will be searching for "school" for at least the twins because they are definitely missing that structure and socialization in their lives!  They drive Conner crazy in the evenings when he gets home with "What did you do at school?  Did you have fun at school?  Did you get a happy face today?  Did you bring home some work?"  Sweet boys.  :)

Okay, off to run!  I promise!!!  And I will totally NOT let that damn comfy chair distract me again!!

xoxo 

Shrinkvivor Week 2

Oh my gosh, she's back??  Yeehaw!

Sorry about the hiatus.  Actually, not really all that sorry.  Mostly sorry because I missed out on reading the blogs I follow!!! 

Here's the scoop - we have moved to Virginia.  We are settled in and absolutely loving it so far.  Well...except the whole husband with no job part.  Seriously.  Financially it's whatever, but mentally I cannot spend another moment with him!  He is an "extremist".  Might be the wrong word, but here's my explanation.  It is all one way or the other with him... either cleaning every single inch of this place or sitting on his ass watching Sportscenter.  He nitpicks everything I do...I'm on the computer trying to get together a grocery list and he is demanding I look up other things for him.  I said, "I'm doing something."  "Oh, what?  Facebook?  Real important.  I'm going to go unload the dishwasher and then we need to hang up all these pictures."  Really?  We've lived here for 3 days and you are going to bitch about wanting to hang up pictures.  I personally find it a little more important to feed my kids.  Sorry about my lack of priorities there, boss.

GRRRR.  Yeah, we need LESS togetherness. 

Moving on - I gained 2 pounds this week.  BOOOO.  I did manage to log some pretty good fitness minutes.  I hope nobody gets angry, but I totally counted active moving.  Basically, not just packing up boxes here and there, but I gave myself an hour for each day I was actually loading up a truck (took us about 2 1/2 hours, actually) and then the night we unloaded the truck.  I think I mentioned we lucked out and got someone to drive the moving truck from TN to VA.  It was awesome and well worth it!!  I highly recommend uship.com, but specifically Ken Weaver.  He was very helpful and personable and all of our stuff arrived as promised!  Hooray!  He didn't arrive in Virginia until 8:30 on Saturday evening, so Shaun and I were able to leave the kids (sleeping) at my parents' house while we busted ass unloading.  I did get out for a run on Monday which was super nice.  just over 3 miles.  I ran from our house to the main gate and a chunk of it was along the lake...yay!!  The neighborhood is kind of hilly, but the hills are little, so it's not rough.  There aren't sidewalks, but the speed limit is 25 and we actually have our own neighborhood police department, so the limits are very enforced. 

My diet went out the window.  I really keep trying to get back on track, but then I will just get hungry bored and snack.  We don't even have anything in the fridge to snack on, actually!!  Bread.  Good ol' bread.  Sigh.

I have a book called "Eat All Day Diet".  Since I haven't blogged about any new meal plans lately, I thought I would give it a shot.  As I mentioned, I need to hit up the grocery store, so I'll type up some details either tomorrow or this evening regarding WHAT I am able to "eat all day". 

Prayers, everyone, for Shaun to land a great job!  Every other aspect of this move has been so obviously blessed, I have no reason to think this part will be otherwise...sometimes it is just hard to be patient for God's timing, right? 

xoxo

Shrinkvivor W1 Results!

Good morning!!

I am so sorry to have been gone.  I promise to be better soon...

Week one of Shrinkvivor is over!  Our weekly challenge was fitness minutes and the mini-challenge was no fast food.  I think I did pretty good, but I peeked in at one of my teammates and she KILLED my fitness minutes!!  Wooooow, Shera!!!!  WTG!! 

Starting Weight: 186
Today's Weight: 184.5
Fitness Minutes breakdown:
     Wednesday - Run 20 minutes, Warm up/Cool Down 10 minutes
     Thursday - Run 22 minutes, Warm up/Cool Down 10 minutes
     Friday - 10 minutes of push-ups and sit-ups, alternating every 30 seconds
     Saturday - Run/Walk with kids in the stroller - 40 minutes
     Sunday - Run/Walk - 30 minutes
     Monday - 10 minutes of push-ups and sit-ups, alternating every 30 seconds
     Tuesday - Run 30 minutes, Warm up/Cool Down 5 minutes, "Tworkout" 15 minutes
Fitness Minutes TOTAL:  202 minutes!  (Shera had 600 minutes, OMG)

This week they are continuing the fitness minutes challenge and the mini-challenge is to get some good sleep.  Yeah.  We'll see how that pans out around here!

So, the "Tworkout" was kinda cute...the website doing the Shrinkvivor Challenge (shrinkingjeans.net) has a lot of cool and motivating stuff to check out on their website.  From 8:00-9:00 PM on Tuesday evenings, they send out exercises to do via Twitter.  It was really fun last night!  I'll definitely be keeping up with those...some of the stuff they send out is things I have never heard of and would definitely not be doing if it weren't for the accountability of someone knowing I was part of the Tworkout crew!  Hahaha.  If you are on Twitter, you should check it out next week.

Slim Fast is not going so awesome, but it is waaaayyyy easier than trying to diet right now.  Just in case somone is reading this here and could ruin a certain surprise I am working on, I will just leave it at that.  ALSO, I'm a little ticked that Slim Fast has gone down to 4 packs instead of the usual 6 packs and they are still the same price!!!  Crazy.  I think I have 2 shakes left and I will finish those up today, but I may just have to somehow track calories for a bit instead.  That is the hardest thing ever for me to do.  Ugh.

The 15K training is going well!  It starts off with such low mileage, that I have actually been running for time instead.  Basically, when it called for 2 miles last week, I just made it a point to run for 20 minutes.  I know I am consistently faster than 10 minutes per mile, so that way - just in case I get tired! - I know I will cover the proper mileage.  It is getting COLD outside and while it does help me to run faster, I am going to need to invest in some gloves!  Yesterday my hands were downright numb when I got home. 

Well, that's all for today.  I will be back to wiring more frequently very soon.  There is a lot going on in my "real life"...good stuff, but it is leaving me with less time to blog.

Have a great day!
xoxo