Goals

Well, its about time I came up with a few of these bad boys! Now I can minimize my focus a little and hopefully get the jump start I need! A few long-term goals will be pretty obvious and then each week I'm going to have a new (or repeated if I was a huge FAILURE) weekly goal to accomplish. And since a new month starts tomorrow, how about a monthly goal, to boot?!

Long-Term:

• Lose 15 pounds
• Workout on a regular basis, YEAR-ROUND...I'm a serial winter couch potato!

May Goals:

• Start running at least 3x per week
• Lose 4 pounds

Weekly Goal:

• To stop with the sugar, already! I get that sweet craving after almost every meal. Getting past this craving will help eliminate that extra snacking that I do at work and after dinner at home!
  

So, there! Some goals! I need to print this out and post it probably everywhere! Focus!

Whoa is me!

I can't believe I haven't written anything! I always think up topics to write about and do a little monologue in my head, but then when it comes to actually sitting down and taking 10 minute to type it out...well, apparently that's more than I can handle! :)

I looked into the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon and the timing is perfect...but the price is steep. This week will be when I decide if I can really commit. Running was supposed to be number one on my list this week, but the weather has been crap! Cold and drizzly...ew! I should do the Shred if I can't get out and run! Yes! That is what I will do! Shred tonight or bust!

Weigh In Wednesday:
Well, ladies (and maybe gents), it ain't lookin' pretty. Up one...back to where I started from! As I mentioned last week, I had a friend in town and there was lots of eating and drinking to be had around these parts! Oops! I've been doing pretty well this week with portion control so hopefully next Wednesday will see things going in the right direction!

Doc Visit #2

I finally had to give in and do something about this lingering sore throat. My friend came down with basically the exact same symptoms I was having when I first got sick so I thought it best to make sure I covered all my bases. Needless to say, he put me on a second round of antiboiotics :( He said if it still persists after another 10 days, I need to go back because obviously is more than just a virus or bacteria. Not good. But at least I know I'm not crazy because I actually had a slight fever when I went in and my tonsils were still swollen.

Weigh-In Wednesday:

So, it's time for weigh in over at the Sisterhood. Up one pound :( So, that is only 1.2 pound loss in 3 weeks. Obviously, given my total lack of effort, this is not surprising. I don't know why I can't seem to get myself in gear yet. Well, usually, I'm signed up for a marathon or something by this time in the year so I have no choice except to start training so that is what usually gets me moving. It is amazing how hard it is to motivate myself without that date-specific goal hanging out there. I'm actually debating doing the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon this summer. I need to make up my mind quickly so I can begin training.

Other than that, I think I really need to sit down and outline some short-term and long-term goals so that I have more than just weekly weigh-ins to shoot for. That will be my project for tonight and tomorrow I'll try to have something set in stone!

On a completely separate topic, Jen over at Prior Fat Girl totally cracked me up this morning with her recap of yesterday's lunch-time step class episode. Hilarious! Check it out for a good mid-week laugh!

Absolutely Nothing Going On!

Unfortunately, I've still been under the weather and I cannot shake this sore throat to save my life. Another couple of days and I'm going to have to head back to the Doc. So, what does all that mean? It means no Shredding and I haven't even been eating all that well! Worst of all, one of my girlfriends will be in town Wednesday - Sunday, which means probably lots of eating out...and a White Sox game on Friday (beer and lots of it). It's not looking good, folks. Maybe I need to make an appt for the Doc right now and just get this whole illness mess out of the way and then just TRY to be good will my friend is here...and then next Monday is a new week, right?! I'm already mortified at the thought of putting on a tank top so I'm not really sure why I'm lacking in motivation so severely right now. Not to mention the full extent of my laziness! Oh goodness...it's so awful to be your own worst enemy!

Weight In Wednesday

It's Weigh In Wednesday over at the Sisterhood so here goes! Fyi - I didn't weigh myself last week since I was on my deathbed, therefore I only have the horrifying number from 2 weeks ago to compare to.

I can't believe I'm going to post this in public...remember that number that scared the bejesus out of me when I finally got on the scale? Well, it was 147.4! I haven't been that close to 150 in I don't know how long! I tend to hover around 140, not 150...needless to say, it was a wake up call!

Today's weight: 145.2

Yay!!!! Progress! Down 2.2 in 2 weeks. I'll take it!

Allergic to Exercise

I mean, really, that has to be what is going on! I will confess right now, no Shred last night. Here is my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

Yesterday I had a really big sneeze at work. The weird part is that it somehow managed to come out my throat. I know, sounds very strange. But let me tell you, it hurt like hell! All that momentum and pressure coming bursting through my throat right after recovering from strep...not a good feeling. My throat was a little sore after that, but nothing to worry about. Fast forward to 6:30pm when I'm walking home from work. The train or bus that I take from downtown lets me off 3/4 of a mile from my house. If the bus is there or soon to be there (thank you CTA Bus Tracker) I'll wait and catch it. If the weather is nice or I'd make it home on foot in the time it would take for the bus to come, I walk. Last night it was about 40 degrees and drizzly...very gross...but the bus was still 15 minutes away. I decided to hoof it and while I was walking, I noticed my throat started to hurt more and more. By the time I got out of that ugly mess, I felt awful. And that, my friends, is why there was no Shred :(

On the positive side, I ate decently yesterday. Managed to keep myself to one cupcake and some veggies for dinner. That is a major success in my book! I'm definitely feeling better today. Although, I do have a committment after work so the Shred will not be on the agenda. Can someone start calling and waking me up in the morning please? That would solve all my problems...hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

Monday, AGAIN!

Here I am again...on Monday...starting the 30 day Shred! Please, please, PLEASE, King of colds, flu and other ailments, do NOT let me come down with anything else!

I tried to eat well over the weekend. Not so easily done when you are in the house the whole time, but I was still being very cautious with my health! In cleaning up the kitchen I came across a few items that really needed to be used before they went bad and decided to make Carrotcake Cupcakes and macaroons. I know, bad idea. But in my defense, I used to LOVE baking until my roommate moved across the country and I decided to live solo. There is no trust in this relationship to leave dozens of baked goods around and think I won't down half of them. Thus, the baking is near non-existent these days. Quite sad really because I really do love it. Anywho, I was a bit out of practice because I totally screwed up the cream cheese frosting not once, but twice AND I managed to drop my last egg on the floor and was one egg white short for the macaroons. Hey, that didn't stop me though, they were just a little dry! After tonight's Shred, I'll have earned a cupcake for sure! Well, maybe just half!

Just wanted to mention that Jen over at PriorFatGirl found this great website that allows you to mix your own granola! Oh how yummy does that sound?! All different kinds of fruits, nuts, seeds and other goodies! We all know that granola can be dangerous. Who really eats just a 1/4 cup of the stuff? But if you are looking for a splurge that you don't have to feel TOO guilty about, head over to MixMyGranola.com and check it out!

That's all, folks! Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have a report on the Shred!

No Shred, Strep Instead :(

Yes, unfortunately, as ready as I was to start my 30 Day Shred on Monday, I also began to feel some scratchies in my throat. Being that my awful cold from last month started like that, I decided to put it off a day in an attempt to rest up and thwart a Part II. Unfortunately, Tuesday I woke up feeling horrible and pretty much slept the entire day, couldn't eat anything, had a spiking fever...not a good scenario. Wednesday started no better and I gave in and called the Doctor. Luckily I got in that afternoon and it was confirmed that I have strep throat. Boooooo!

She told me that I'd still be very contagious for 24 hours after starting the anti-biotics so I'm home from work yet again today! I'm pretty much going stir crazy at this point since I feel too guilty about potentially infecting the innocent by leaving the house :) My throat still feels pretty awful and I have a non-stop headache, but overall things are looking up. The nausea is gone...yes, strep throat can cause nausea, crazy, right?...and my fever finally seems to be gone for good.

I will probably put off starting the Shred Challenge until Monday so that my body can continue to heal. I'll just be a week behind, but my body will surely thank me! So, there is the scoop! I hope everyone else is surviving the Shred!

Reality Check

Just as I was putting on my pants this morning, I glanced over at the scale and remember, "oh that's right, I'm supposed to finally get on that thing today"...I slowly slid the pants back off and walked over to it. Got on and closed my eyes. Took a deep breath and looked down. Holy crap that can't be right!!!! I have gained 5 pounds over the past 2 months. Absolutely horrifying! I knew I'd gained a few, but that number staring back at me this morning was not the number I was prepared for!

Luckily, over at the Sisterhood, they are starting the 30-day Shred Challenge and I'm totally on board. Well, at least for the first 20 days...those are the only ones OnDemand until I can get my hands on the actual DVD. Unfortunately, I've started it before so I know exactly what I'm in for. It is probably about the hardest 20 minutes ever! But I'll do it and I'll feel better and it will be the perfect platform to getting back to running and weight lifting. So, while at his very moment in time I'm dreading the Shred tonight, I'm also excited to finally get back on this wagon for good. Starting is always the hardest! I heard this little motto somewhere (can't remember where!) and I think it sums it up pretty nicely: I maintain because its whole lot easier than starting over. Oh, so true...

Getting my diet back in check is going to be a whole different beast to tame. I've pretty much been on a free-for-all these past couple of months. I had some personal stuff come up in December that led me to hardly eat...my emotions always play out through stomach aches...been that way since I was a kid. Dropped a few pound pretty fast quick. Then, about mid-January it started to clear and I just went to town! I figured since I had barely eaten for a month and a half, I had the right to eat whatever I wanted now. And then a little more to ease my emotional distress! And here we are. 5 pounds. Wow.

At this point, I've got a long road ahead of me, but I know I've got it in me to get the job done!

Scouring the Net

I've spent the past 2 hours reading tons of inspirational blogs and I think I finally feel a real motivation to get this moving! I thought I was ready yesterday...until the Potbelly's cookies showed up at work! There was 450 calories I hadn't planned on consuming. And I didn't stop there! After baking up a decent portion of sweet potato fries when I got home last night, I went and baked up a second batch because they were so good! That problem of "once its blown, might as well give up for the day" was in full affect!! Mmmmm...sweet....potato....fries....whoa! Sorry!

All my reading today has provided me with a ton of motivation! Seeing everyone's willpower in tough situations, not giving into chocolate and other evils, reminds me that I've been that person before too! And therefore, I've started actually mapping out a plan! Yes, I'm am always a girl with a plan. Said plan may never get executed, but I surely always have one!

I've mapped out a few circuit training routines that I can hopefully fit into a 45 min lunch break 3 times a week. Next on my agenda is to figure out a running plan. I wanted to be able to run in the Soldier Field 10 Mile again this year, but something tells me that I won't be back in that kind of shape in time :( Still my overall goal is to run 10-12 miles per week and be able to knock out 5 miles at any given time...maybe more. After having trained for 2 marathons, my will to run more than that has severely dwindled! The final piece will be cleaning up my diet and actually getting myself on the scale! Augh! I'm scared! For some reason, it's not real until you see it there staring back at you! I need to decide on my weekly weigh in day and hop on!

Wish me luck on eating a healthy dinner and I'll see you folks tomorrow!

Giving it Another Try

I started my first blog when I was training for the Chicago Marathon a couple of years ago. It helped me tremendously to record my journey and to know that people out there were holding me accountable. So, when I first started to get back on the "healthy wagon", I turned to blogging once again. At first it was great, but then I felt like everyday was repetative and even I lost interest in my blog! :) But, I'm at it again. Blog Numero Tres! I will try my best to keep this fun, interesting and hopefully somewhat educational!

Here's a little on my background. I was "chubby" all growing up. Not huge. Chubby. I want to stress though how actual weight don't matter at all if our body perception is screwed up. I have ridiculous body image issues to this day, even though I've never been really overweight. In college, I lost about 20 pounds and I actually looked pretty darn good, yet still thought I was "fat" and worked out excessively. I've seen both ends of the spectrum and I was unhappy either way.

My goals? To just get back to being a healthy person. Working out regularly. Not insanely, regularly :) Eating healthy MOST of the time. Making smart choices. Not hibernating for the winter. And in the process, I'd love to lose 10-15 pounds. Most importantly though, is just to get back to a place where I feel I am being my best. So, there! Short and sweet, in a nut shell!