Week 30: Day 2

Hey!  I hope you are enjoying this cooler weather!!  The kids all slept GREAT last night, so I would definitely say we are happy about the lower temps in this house. 

Yesterday was so strange to me.  Long weekends always are.  Thinking it's Sunday, but it's really Monday.  I also ke[t wanting to "cheat" and eat poorly because we were all hanging out at the house.  Cold and rainy day...I went grocery shopping and I believe I have already mentioned how having a full pantry just makes me want to snack!  I made it through the day relatively low-cal.  :)

So, this morning I headed out to do 5 miles and 5 min warm up/45 minute run.  Basically, I wanted to complete both goals, so a full 5 miles no matter how long it took and making sure to at least finish the time goal, as well.  I'm a multi-tasker.  Guess what?  I met both goals at the exact same time!  I used a 4 min run:1 min walk interval for the run and I will admit I sprinted the final 10 seconds of my final 1 minute walk, but I made it back to the 5 mile point!  Yay! 

I forgot to mention yesterday, but I ordered some new shoes!!  After the 10K on Saturday I talked to a "shoe guy" and I have been doing a lot of reading about shoes and training...basically, even though I feel fine and my legs feel good and today's run in my OLD tennis shoes went fine, I do see a need for a second pair of shoes for my training runs.  After the half marathon, I need to decide whether I want to RE-train for another half, or train for a FULL (eek!).  I am planning another 10K at the end of October, so I would like to do some speed work over the few weeks between the half and that...so many thoughts!  So many "plans"!  I just know I am enjoying this running and I really am enjoying no injuries, and I want to keep it that way forever.  Got it?

Diet-wise I am hungry today!  I had a bowl of cottage cheese with pineapple and almonds this morning before my run.  Immediately after running I had a huge orange.  Mmmmm.  For lunch I had a veggie burger (they were on sale and I had a coupon, so I figured I would give 'em a shot) on a 100% Whole Grain sandwich thin with some carrots.  Everything I have eaten has been satisfying, but now I'm wasting my final half hour before picking up the kids (yes, ignoring the laundry!) and I just want to snack! 

I forgot to use the Sensa on my 2 meals today.  Oops!  I will remember this afternoon and evening, maybe that will help to curb my hunger. 

I will post a picture of my shoes when they come.  I cannot wait!

W27: D4 (KLD 4; Zone 1)

My Titles are getting stranger!  Hahaha.  Helps me track of all my goings on. 

Well, this morning's run was brought to you (me) by the letters G-O-D.  I did NOT want to get out of bed.  Zoe was up at midnight and 2:30, both times to vomit what appears to be sinus back-up or teething saliva.  Thing is, she has no fever and I know she isn't sick...it just appears she has a more sensitive stomach than her brothers.  Who never vomited.  I don't handle that well, so Shaun cleaned it up the first time while I cleaned HER up.  The second time, however, it was on her mostly, so he put her in the tub while I cleaned up her bed and linens.  Again.  Wow.  This time when I got her dressed in fresh pj's, I put her in our bed and I went to sleep in her (clean) bed.  When that alarm sounded at 4:30 I had EVERY intention of rolling over and silencing it.  However, my eyes shot open and I felt like I could get up without much effort.  I sat up and then felt certain I could at least make it to the living room.  Baby steps got me dressed and out the door for my almost 5 mile run.  Yay!!  When I first got out it was SO dark...like, intimidatingly dark.  The longer these runs get, the earlier I have to leave in the mornings because Shaun still needs to leave by 6:15.  I was a little nervous especially when I realized we have very few street lights in our neighborhood!  Anyway, I just listened to the music and did some praying and all was good...my legs and lungs felt good, my feet moved at the right pace.  Everything this morning took VERY little thought...which is good, because I've been home for 20 minutes and I think I might have just woken up officially.  Ha, ha!

Let me tell you about our sweet Kristin!  She is ROCKING this cabbage soup diet!  Down 9 pounds as of yesterday morning and still loving the soup.  Like, she told me last night she wants to eat that for the rest of her life.  We'll see.  It's only been three days.  LOL  Today is her awesome banana day, I made her a fresh batch of soup last night so she is good and stocked.  I went ahead and told her about ground beef tomorrow so she's looking forward to that, for sure.

It looks like we will have some challengers for the 17-day-diet starting next week!  Exciting!!  I will look it over again this weekend and post details on the first few days...we start on Thursday, so I want to make sure everyone is able to have the list before grocery shopping.  The book has sample menus for each day, but you can also choose from a list making sure to hit the requirements of protein, carb, fruit, veg, etc...If you read all of this and decide to be a "Contender", I will just need a picture of your scale Thursday morning either emailed to ALDUNKLE@MSN.COM, or texted to my cell phone. 

Awesome, I'm going to get these kiddos ready for school and relax today!  Relaxing is probably going to involve some house cleaning, but it will be on MY terms, so it's okay.  Ha, ha, ha.

Have a great day!!!!

xoxo

P.S.  Starting weight for my Week In The Zone - 190.
P.P.S. If you had one day fully to yourself with NO responsibilities...what would you do??  Let's say money is no object, but you only have 8 hours.

Week 26: Day 4 (SFC Day 12)

Good afternoon!

It has been a whirlwind day so far and I cannot believe it's only 1:00 PM...I totally need a nap.

So, first things first, Conner started kindergarten today.  He looked SO cute and I was all set to take a picture...when the batteries died.  Ugh.  So, I did manage to get a couple shots with my cell phone...

 


He did great, I did great.  We have both been ready for this day alllll summer long, so I wasn't surprised with the lack of tears and sentiments.  He knew I would be back to pick him up in a few hours and I knew he would be the same "little" Conner when I picked him up.  :)

Moving on...this morning's run was awesome.  I felt great and managed to increase my distance even thought I ran the exact same intervals for the same amount of time as the other day.  That was fun!  I was seriously sweaty when I got home, although the weather was perfect for running.  Shaun stayed home while I took Conner to school, so I didn't have to get up and run quite as early.  It's quite different running when the sun is up...even if the temps are cooler.  I was g-r-o-s-s!  I am really, really excited about the Tomato Fest 5K on Saturday.  Nervous a little, but mostly excited.  My outfit is complete and I cannot wait to post some pictures!!  Since the run is only 3.1 miles, I am hoping to recover my legs enough to do a short 2-3 mile run on Sunday, as well.  My half marathon training calls for 7 miles that day, but I also surpassed the other three days' 3 miles this weeks, so I guess the total may end up being the same regardless.  The interval training would be another day of the 6 min run/1 min walk...I probably have too many "trainings" going on at once, huh?  Ha, ha, ha.  I always have been quite the multi-tasker!  Who knows, maybe I'm on to something...

I am very excited about something else, by the way!!  A friend has "hired" me on as her personal diet consultant.  "Hired" does not imply payment, and diet consultant really is going to translate to me being the boss of the food that goes into her mouth.  But I cannot wait to see if I have it in my to help someone on their own weight loss journey!!  She approached me, and I really thought about it a lot yesterday and came up with a plan that we both have agreed on.  "She" is Kristin.  Kristin wasn't going to let me put her picture up here until she realized it would be true accountability at that point.  SO, Kristin's plan will begin Monday, August 15.  I will post little "blurbs" about her plan/progress each day...I am starting her with the Cabbage Soup Diet, and then I plan to join her for 3 days of Slim Fast and Phase 1 of the 17-day diet.  I will be doing her grocery shopping and meal planning, so she has no food to think about for the next month - all she has to do is eat it.  Fun!!

I hope you have a great day, I'm really going to get a little nap in before picking up the three youngest from preschool!

xoxo

Week 26: Day 2 (SFC Day 10)

Good morning!

This will be a quick, short post.  I just had a couple of thoughts I wanted to share...

1.  I saw 188 on the scale this morning!  Yeehaw!!  Now to only go DOWN from there, right??

2.  I have revamped my Slim Fast tactic.  I was trying to eat my 500-calorie meal at lunchtime and finding myself not wanting to stop eating once I started.  Last night was grocery night, so I planned out our dinners for the next 5 days and ONLY bought those ingredients.  Obviously, I got a few things for breakfasts and lunches for the rest of the family, but nothing that is too enticing for me.  After I put everything away last night, I was telling my husband that it is easier for me to not snack when everything in the kitchen is a part of a "meal". 

3.  Today's interval run was 6 minutes run/1 minute walk and it was awesome!  I felt great and even had a little burst of energy at the end to make it to the end of the street for my mapping to be easier.  Ha, ha.  During my run I decided on my music for the Tomato Fest 5K this Saturday.  Since I have a goal of finishing in 27 minutes or less, I have decided to use my Christian Workout music for 25 minutes and then have 2 minutes of silence.  This way, I will run comfortably (hopefully fast) during the music (only choosing songs with the BPM's higher than 140), and when the silence starts, I will know I need to just kick it up to the finish line.  I have heard from others who are experienced with this route that it is a bit hilly and I really feel like the Firecracker 5K was not, so I'm nervous about that.  However, if I improve my time at all, I will be happy.  The 27 minute goal is just to get out of paying for the Somerville 5K, right, Ash?  ;)

4.  I officially have 50 followers now and feel the need for another contest!!  It will be next week, so be on the lookout...

(Finally) 5.  I am working on my Tomato Fest outfit and I think it's going to be a good one!!  Look forward to pictures this weekend.

That is all for today.  I did end up buying some more earbuds for the ipod and had a stern talk with the kids about NOT cutting anything other than paper.  And only paper that has been preapproved by mom or dad.  We'll see if that sticks.

Have a great day!

xoxo

Week 25: Day 3 (SFC Day 4)

Good morning!!

If you are reading this and you called me yesterday and told me you bought your Slim Fast and were starting today...I DIDN'T FORGET!  :)  Ha, ha, ha.  You are going to rock this challenge, "Verona". 

Okay, everyone else, we are on Day 4!  Fun!!  I am still happy with how everything is going and I cannot wait to weigh in.  I was thinking we will have a mid-way Weigh In, too.  Sunday morning, August 7th, please text or email me another scale pic. 

This morning I did get up and out for a run.  It wasn't too bad.  Would you roll your eyes if I reported I have changed my training routine again?  I'm actually not completely changing it...still planning to do the DISTANCE required to follow Hal Higdon's marathon training program, but I'm going to be running them following an interval 10K program I found on the site where I got my music for Couch to 5K.  It's called "Freeway to 10K".  I counted up to the half marathon and decided to skip the first 2 weeks so I would be finishing the program on the day of the half.  Week 3 is six intervals at 5 minutes running/90 seconds walking.  This morning was pretty good.  I only completed 5 of the intervals because I left the house "late" and Shaun needed to leave for work.  I did get 3 miles in, though, which was the distance for today.  I hope I'm explaining this well.  Basically, I'm wanting to improve my speed AND keep up with the distance necessary for half marathon training.  Plus, I know interval training is good for weight loss!

I believe that is all for today...I have another great quote for you all this morning!!  This one is from Thomas Edison, "If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves."


Have a great day!  xoxo

Week 22: Day Three

Good morning!  In case you were worried about me yesterday, I did end up getting that thing done I had forgotten to do.  Yeehaw.

Well, I have lots to share, but I am sitting at the table with my kiddos and may have to get up several times to retrieve things.  They are a needy bunch...and I very recently (yesterday) started banning television between the hours of 7 am and 5 pm.  They are going crazy.  I was allowing them to turn into total junkies, staring at that darn thing for hours!  It was bad.  Yesterday was fine, but I do have to mention they were at school from 9 to 3.  :)

This is a nice segue...while the boys were at school, Zoe and I visited a friend and her son for a morning play date!  We had a great time and I got the chance to do lots of catching up with someone I hadn't seen in a few months.  She also gave me a book that has led me to drop Weight Watchers!!  I know it is a great program and I am so happy that WW works for so many people who are close to my heart.  I love you all for wanting my success and recommending the plan.  Unfortunately, I'm not disciplined enough to follow the points system.  Maybe later, for maintenance?  Right now, though, I just find it way too easy to eat bad stuff and track it...then some part of my brain thinks we have "cheated" and just feels like we might as well keep going!  I'm not saying this is the right way to think...believe me, I wish I had some sense of portion control and moderation and all those great things.  I'm just not there yet.

The book is by Jackie Warner and is called "This is Why You're Fat (and how to get thin forever)".  Some of you may have watched the show on Bravo called "Work Out", Jackie is the owner of the gym.  She is tough and has a super hot body.  SO, her food plan begins with a 2 week jump start and I have started this today.  It is not about what you can't eat, but she tells you 7 things you MUST eat.  I have written each item on a piece of paper to cross off each day over the next 14 days.  Smart, right?  :)

Here's the added foods!

Eggs (2 daily) - hard-boiled, soft-boiled, poached, or scrambled, but without added fat.  (**the only way I have ever eaten eggs is scrambled)
Oatmeal (1 cup daily) - she doesn't specify if this needs to be a certain kind of oatmeal, but she has a "tip" below that says "I keep packets of instant oatmeal on me at all times."  This leads me to believe I am fine with the Active brand of weight management oatmeal.
Hormone-Balancing, Detox Vegetables (2-3 cups daily) - veggies listed: artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, collard greens, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, garlic, green beans, kale, lettuce (all varieties), mushrooms, mustard greens, onions, parsley, peppers (all varieties), radishes, scallions, spinach, summer squash, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnip greens, watercress, yellow wax beans, and zucchini.  (**wait, what?  the list says "garlic"???  a vegetable????  awesome.)
Fresh Fruit (2 servings daily) - apples, apricots, bananas (underripe), berries (all varieties), cherries, citrus fruits (all varieties), kiwi, guava, mango, melon (all varieties), papaya, pear, peach, pineapple, plum, pomegranate, and watermelon.  A serving generally equals one piece of raw fruit or one cup of chopped fresh fruit.
Water and Lemon Juice - so, she says lemon combined with water is a "bile thinner" and it prevents cravings.  I have no issues with getting all my water in each day, but I will be adding at least one full 8-12 ounces of water with fresh lemon squeezed in each day.
Whey Protein Shake (8 ounce serving daily) - We have some whey protein for Shaun, so I just mixed one scoop with 8 ounces of water and chugged it down.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting.  Ha, ha.
Herbal Teas - I am going to type exactly what she has in the book about this and ask for your input.  "To satisfy oral fixations (most late-night snacks are really about oral compulsions), have one packet of decaffeinated green tea with one packet of herbal fruit tea every evening.  Green tea contains L-theanine, a chemical that increases dopamine and serotonin in the brain, two chemicals that regulate appetite, mood, energy, and cravings.  It also contains compounds that block fat storage.  Ther herbal fruit tea gives green tea a delicious flavor."  Nevermind.  I was thinking I wouldn't do this, but after fully reading the description, I believe I will. 

 And that's it!  She literally says she doesn't care if you eat fried chicken or pizza or whatever, just make sure you eat these things also EVERY DAY.  I'm sure I will, at some point, be too full of these things to worry about eating other things, but this morning that has not been the case.  I'm thoroughly enjoying toast with honey.  I've eaten my fruits today already and had the whey protein drink one hour after my run.  I am taking my instant oatmeal to Bible study and planning to eat eggs when the kids lay down for quiet time/nap.  I will still stop eating by 6:00 pm and do my apple in the mornings.  Although, I am considering giving up my coffee.  Maybe not during this next two weeks...the coffee is actually NOT the problem, but I was reading her info on the sweetener I use and it's probably not the best thing for me.  I have never tried black coffee, so I guess it's not fair for me to say I don't like it, but I don't think I like it.  We'll see!

My run this morning was great.  Truly great.  I discovered a "track" about a 1/2 mile from my house that is just over a 1 mile around.  There used to be a great mall in town, but it went down several years ago and is now just an empty building with a Sears leftover!  The drive circle all the way around the perimeter is my new "track".  In order to not get "bored" or accustomed to my runs, I will be switching it up quite a bit, but this was really great to discover.  (Obviously I always knew the mall was there, but I never thought about running around it.  Plus, it was cool to learn the distance is doable and can be done a few times to rack up the mileage!)  On my 10K plan today I was supposed to do 2 miles and then strength train.  I didn't get around to any strength training this morning, but I have a couple of ideas for things I could do this afternoon.  Yesterday I went to the Y and did the elliptical for 30 minutes as my cross training.  I was going there for a Body Pump class, but I was late and I am incredibly shy when it comes to stuff like that. No, really...i am shy!!  I just fake it sometimes.  :)  The elliptical was a nice change. 

So, tomorrow is "rest" day and I sure am going to be RESTING.  Some friends and I have a "girly day" planned...pedicures in the morning and laying out by the pool afterwards.  Lunch ordered in and trashy magazines galore.  Ahhhhhh.  Jealous??  You should be!  :)  We have been looking forward to this for a couple of months now, and I cannot believe the day has come! 

Another note, since I'm not doing WW anymore, I will resume weighing on Monday mornings.  We'll get back to the original tracking method of trying to reach 80 (88.5) pounds in 40 weeks.  I cannot believe almost 23 weeks are almost done!!  Exciting.  :)

xoxo