Ranting Session

Good grief!! January started off so promising - I dropped down to 154 pounds by cutting out my coffee and sticking with the LiveFit Trainer (both food and workouts), then I hit a little bump in the road...okay, a big bump, and now I'm back up to 159 pounds like nothing happened. What happened?!? I know small details - battery in my food scale died so I haven't been weighing food, stopped logging my food because I didn't want to record the things I was eating, stopped going to the gym regularly and missed a ton of workouts and runs (last week I ran Sat and Sun and then nothing until this past Sat and Sun...then wondered why my legs were so sore all weekend).
My motivation just completely ran away from me (feel free to send it back in this direction if and when you see it). I was thinking that maybe the "pressure" of being in a weight loss competition was part of it. The stress to do well and eat right makes me want to just eat crap. Why?!
I'd really like to know how people stick with a routine and stay so positive the entire time. Lately all those positive posts and posters just make me want to slap someone or eat pizza or go to bed.
I really don't know what's wrong with me. It's affecting every thing. My mood. My weight. My skin. Sex. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! And it's driving me completely batty.
I went for my 8 mile long run on Saturday and I was SO proud of myself for the last 1.5 miles because I ran up not one, but two, hills (both of which I've had to walk part of before). I was so happy. Then I came home, showered, got dressed, and my jeans were super tight in the thighs. Stepped on the scale, and well, hello there 159. Haven't seen you in 3 weeks and was hoping to never see you again after hanging out with you for, oh, I don't know, 5 months or so.
Chris says, "don't let it bother you, you look great, and you're just building muscle." Fitness friends say, "you look awesome, don't focus on the scale." My mind says, "hey look at you fatty! Welcome back to where you've been struggling...knew you couldn't stay away (insert evil laugh)" Feeling fat and looking fat.
SO, how has my day today been going?! Here is an example of what I've been doing lately:
Wake up: 7am by screaming 2 year old who was not happy that Daddy came into his room instead of Mommy. Screaming child woke up cranky older sister who does not a morning child. Hubby went in late thanks to ice storm coming through the area. Decided that maybe I should eat something. Glanced at left over lemon cake that is sitting on counter from my son's 2nd birthday party then threw said cake out because I had 4 pieces yesterday (yes, yes I did).
Breakfast: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup pumpkin, 1 Tbsp sugar-free hazelnut syrup, 1 Tbsp flax, pumpkin pie spice, large coffee with Natural Bliss Vanilla coffee creamer
OH - thank you Sis for bringing coffee creamer to my son's birthday party (not mad at you, mad at me for not being able to control myself) - I've had coffee 3 days in a row now. Proceeded to pour the rest of it out since I've been feeling like crap after drinking it (seriously, I've been feeling nausea and sick in my tummy after drinking it - took it as a sign that my body just doesn't want it...shame it took me 3 days).
Took my son and daughter to my son's 2 year check up. He's doing great - had to get a shot and blood drawn and didn't shed a tear (until they wrapped up his arm with that white sticky tape and he couldn't bend his arm).
Mid-morning Booster: 1 pink donut with sprinkles, small coffee with milk and sugar (Dunkin Donuts)
Special treat for kids for doing so well at the doctors. Decided to go inside and sit down with the kids. Ended up buying a box of 6 donuts because it was cheaper then buying just 3 donuts. Really enjoyed this time with my kiddos and don't regret the donut at all. 3 remaining donuts are for them and one for hubby.
Lunch: 1 wrap, 1 egg, 3 egg whites, 2 pieces turkey bacon, 2 spoonfuls salsa, 4 oz sweet potato with 6grams of honey, hot tea.
That's my morning so far. I've been mentally beating the crap out of myself for the way things have been going the past few weeks. It's all coming to a head which can only mean that I'm seeing the light and things will be turning around soon. I logged all my food in Sparkpeople (even the donut) AND I updated my weight (I haven't bothered up until this point since I figured it was just normal shifting of weight and I'd be back at 154 in a flash....since it's back at 159 AND my pants are fitting tighter might as well be honest with myself and enter the nitty-gritty). Not sure if I'll get to the gym today - kids area is closed until 4 and then Katelynn has dance at 530, so not enough time unless Chris watches the kids and I go to the gym. Guess we'll see.
Which leads me to my other dilemma. I'm not sure if I should be sticking with LiveFit Trainer. I haven't been able to stick with the program like I should. I've been focusing on my running and getting in the lifting when I can (which hasn't been often). Not sure what I'm going to do. I think I'll talk about it with Chris tonight and maybe between the two of us we can work out some type of schedule. Need to keep my runs since I've got a half marathon coming up. Guess we'll see how things go. Alright, end of rant. Carry on.

Week 4 Half-Marathon Training

When I go to Gold's Gym to run, I almost always go into their movie room. This morning I got to run while watching Russell Crowe. It was a Robin Hood movie (I even think that's the name of it). I knocked out 7 miles in 70 minutes. I love it when they are playing movies I've never seen before, it makes the time go by so much faster. I missed running with Jennifer, but I was NOT pushing the double jogger for 7 miles, so the gym it was for me. Hopefully next week we can run together - it's 8 miles of fun on the schedule.
I'm very proud of myself for maintaining the pace I did today. I ran the first 4 miles in 40 minutes with an incline of 2.0 (3 minute warm-up, and then alternating between 6.4 and 6.8 for the rest of the time). Then I took a 2 minute walk break and reset the treadmill (if you run for 60 minutes it shuts off on you, and I didn't want that to happen mid run). I finished off the last 3 miles in 30 minutes still at an incline of 2.0 (mostly maintaining 6.0 speed which is 10 min/mile pace). Then I just walked for half a mile to cool down. Total time: 80 minutes for 7.5 miles. I'll take it!
My biggest problem today was my arms. I run different on the treadmill. I crowd the console (you'd think I was worried of shooting off the back of it or something - LOL), so today my arms started to tighten up. I had to let myself fall back a little so I could dangle my arms and shake them out a few times. Otherwise it was a great run for me. After today I know that I'll be able to run at least half the half-marathon without hardly any walking!!

Update on Angie

Hello. Sorry about disappearing for awhile. For the most part things have been going well, I've just been busy and had a few days where I was feeling really down on myself; those are probably the days I really need to blog, instead I avoid it. So, anyway, here are some updates:

Weight
I'm at 156. After giving up coffee creamer I managed to drop 4 pounds in two weeks. I've stayed at 156 for the past week which is pretty good for me considering Chris left for the week and I've had pizza, chinese, and even coffee (twice, and I was SO disappointed both times! After not drinking coffee for 12 days I was expecting it to taste wonderful, it was not).
I posed in a bikini for my Gold's Gym Challenge (their scale said 159). I thought I looked good...not great, but good, and so much better then I would've looked last year. The good thing about buying the bikini is by the end of the challenge I'll be rockin' it!!!
Here is a pic of me from Saturday. I think my legs look as big as the bench. My workout buddies said its time for me to stop focusing on the scale and go by measurements. I just want to have a photo taken and feel good about the way I look. Obviously this photo is more about those two precious babies next to me! Aren't they cute?!

LiveFit Trainer
I'm still lifting weights. I'm on Week 3, Day 16 of Jamie Eason's LiveFit Trainer. I missed a few days this week due to poor planning, but I'm hitting it strong now.
I stepped out of my comfort zone at the gym today by doing a bunch of exercises I've never done before and I rocked all of them! One of them was called a t-bar row and I had to go into the "classic" portion of Gold's (which is usually full of men). It was pretty empty today so I didn't have any issues finding a bar to use. After I finished my 3 sets a guy asked me to leave it because he wanted to try it out (I was wondering why he kept walking past and staring at me). I must've looked like I knew what I was doing.
Here's what it looks like:

Day 16 - Back/Biceps

Hammer Strenght Lat Pulldown (new to me) - 35lbs - 12; 40lbs - 12, 12

* I was nervous to do this one, but I figured we all have to start somewhere. I walked up to the machine and pulled on the handles to figure out which poles held the weights. Some jerk left 80lbs on each side. I pulled them all off and started with a 25lb plate - way too light, so I added 10lbs to each side. I actually really liked this exercise - made me realize that my right side is stronger then my left (it's a lot like the next exercise only you get to pull the weights independently).

Wide Grip Lat Pulldown - 40lbs - 12; 45lbs - 12, 12

Seated Narrow Grip Cable Row - 35lbs - 12,12,12

T-bar row (new to me) - 25lbs - 12; 35lbs - 12,12

* I started with a 25lb plate since I wasn't sure where to begin. I'm also not sure if you count the weight of the bar (I think they weigh 45-50lbs); probably not since you're only lifting half of it. I really liked this exercise too!

Back Extension - 10lbs - 10,10,10

Barbell Curl (new to me) - 20lbs - 12; 30lbs - 12,12

* 20lbs was super easy, 30lbs was a lot tougher. I think I could've done 35, but it goes up by 10's, and I would not have gotten all 12 of 40lbs, so I stuck with 30lbs.

Incline Dumbbell Curl (new to me) - 10lbs - 12,12; 12lbs - 11

* another new one. I actually didn't like this one. It felt so weird to have my arms hanging down...just an awkward curl.

Alternating Hammer Curl - 10lbs - 12,12; 12lbs - 12

Running
I'm on week 4 of my half marathon training. I've got 7 miles on schedule for tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'll do it on the treadmill or wait for Chris to come home and run outside on Sunday. Either way, I'll get my long run in this weekend.
The past two weekends I've met with my running friend, Jennifer, on Saturday mornings for the long run. She's been a great motivator. I've pretty much run the entire way too - only two or three short walk breaks (not even a minute) during the runs. I'm looking forward to seeing how my body handles 7 miles this weekend.

Wordless Wednesday!

Crap-tastic Weekend

Well, it wasn't all crappy, just the food part. I actually did pretty decent on Saturday until dinner time. I made chili in the crockpot and added 1 tsp (just ONE TSP) of chili peppers in adobe sauce. It was SO HOT! I had a big dallop of greek yogurt on top of it to cool it down, but I also had 2 pieces of bread and 3 cups of chocolate milk - ROFL! I'm telling you it was H-O-T! I was pretty hungry all day because I had my 5 mile run scheduled for half-marathon training Saturday morning.

I met my running friend Jennifer at 830am and we set off on the streets around post. We ran the whole thing at a 9:30ish pace. Holy cow!! She pushed me pretty good. We sprinted it out  a few times, walked 3 or 4 times, and she coached me on running down hill. I wouldn't have done as well without her. This Saturday I've got 6 miles on the schedule so hopefully we'll be able to run it together again. I do so much better on long runs with a partner. 
Sunday was rough for me food wise. We started off the morning with protein pancakes (clean food) and then we had egg sandwiches (only thing not clean was the cranberry english muffins - they are so yummy!) before we left for my Sisters...we were headed over to watch some football. All I did was munch on snack foods all afternoon/evening. Chris made guacamole with fresh avocados and salsa (clean and very yummy, but I couldn't eat just guacamole all day). I had some pizza bites and mac 'n cheese bites, my Sister made homemade sticky buns (oh, yes, yes she did and they were DELICIOUS!). I felt so tired and bloated by 5pm. I went to bed around 9 and woke up so hungry. I've been back on track all morning and even went to the gym (completed week 2, back/biceps routine for LiveFit Trainer).
I made something pretty awful for breakfast this morning - I wouldn't recommend it. I took my favorite post-workout protein drink and put it in my oatmeal. It wasn't horrible, it just wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I think I needed more liquid. It was 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup water, 1 Tbsp coco powder, 1 Tbsp natural peanut butter, 1/2 banana, and 1 scoop of protein powder. It was thick, and it cost me 450 calories. Which means I've only got about 200 calories for the rest of the day and it's only 230pm. Um, not cool.
I also managed to swing by the base gym to weigh-in for the Dump Your Plump challenge (it's free) this morning. Their machine said 159. I did horrible on the challenge last year, so hopefully I'll have some success this time around. Next Tuesday I go into Gold's and I take my photo to start off their challenge. Have I mentioned that I need to have the photo taken in a bikini?!? Talk about stepping way outside my comfort zone. I've got a week to go shopping and find one that I don't look completely repulsive in. I can't believe I'm doing this, but just think of how awesome I'm going to look in that bikini come March!
Here is my "start" photo for the eat clean challenge and the weight loss competitions (Gold's and the one on post).

Eating Clean and Foot Issues

Yesterday was pretty successful as far as eating clean goes. My only complaint was I believe I had too much protein powder...it was in just about every thing I had, so today I'm going to make sure I don't have it as often. I'm not trying to gain weight.
Morning Start: Oatmeal - blueberries, 1/2 banana, 1 scoop protein powder (I never put it in my oatmeal, but I came across a recipe and figured why not - it was good!)
Midmorning Booster: 3 oz chicken, 4 oz sweet potato, mixed veggies
Lunchtime Refuel: 4 pumpkin protein bars (more protein powder here. These aren't 100% clean either since all I had in the cupboard was organic cane sugar. I'll get the xylitol stuff next payday).
Midafternoon Munch: Banana, blueberry protein pancakes (yep, another scoop of protein powder. I got these from livefitjourney - they were AMAZING! and so simple to make).
Dinner Delight: 1 egg, 3 egg whites, spinach and tomatoes; 4 pieces of turkey bacon (not sure if turkey bacon is considered clean or not, but again I have it in the fridge and it needs to be eaten. I did Google it and found a recipe on Tosca's eat clean site that had turkey bacon in it, so I don't know...maybe).
Before Bed if Hungry: greek yogurt, honey, pumpkin, granola. (I was super hungry last night but this did the trick).

Overall I think I did pretty well. I stepped on the scale this morning and I'm down 2 pounds since Sunday. Woo-hoo!! It's probably the creamer. LOL
I went for a 3 mile training run yesterday and it was so cold outside! Took me about half a mile to get used to the cold air, and then by mile 2 I realized I wore too many layers. UGH! Its so hard to dress right this time of year. I got home and took off my running shoes and then hobbled around the house. Uh-oh. Not good. My left foot is acting up again. It hasn't bothered me in over a year (pretty much since I got the cortisone shot). Looks like it's time to invest in a plantar fascitiis type foot wear and compression socks. I was hobbling again this morning. Last time around it hurt in my heal, this time it's the pad of my foot below my toes. Not cool. I've got a 5 mile run scheduled tomorrow and 2.5 on Sunday. I might take it easy and run/walk those miles.

Clean Eating Challenge

I joined a challenge on facebook by livefitjourney to kick 2013 off right by eating clean for the month of January (starting on the 2nd). The idea is to eliminate refined sugars, wine, sodas, and processed foods from our diet for 30 days with the focus being on consuming whole/natural foods and exercising. Giving up the wine and soda is the easy part since I don't drink them. What I do drink is coffee. What I stopped drinking is coffee. I replaced it yesterday with my husband's Celestial Seasonings Morning Thunder tea (black tea that contains caffeine with energizing, healthy mate). I didn't miss the coffee. I drank the tea again this morning and surprisingly I didn't miss it again. The good thing about replacing the coffee with tea is I drink my tea plain - nothing but the hot tea. I'm saving myself between 210-315 calories a day in just creamer. Plus all the sugar and crap in the creamer. 
I have the eat clean companion book that allows you to track all your food. It's really nice. There are two pages for each week and it breaks down by 6 meals. Under each meal it marks LP (lean protein), SCC (starchy complex carb), CCFV (complex carbs from fruit and vegetables), and a place to mark your water intake along with boxes for HF (healthy fats) and S (supplements and vitamins). I also stuck Jamie Eason's meal plan (and food options) to my fridge so I can look at it when I'm hungry. So far it's working really well. I ate clean all day yesterday except for after my workout I had a Luna bar. 
Monday morning: 1 egg, 3 egg whites mixed with black beans, spinach, 3 black olives, diced tomatoes along with my hot tea.
Midmorning Booster: 3 oz chicken, quinoa, mixed vegetables
Lunchtime Refuel: 4 Pumpkin Protein Bars (Jamie Eason)
Midafternoon Munch: Luna Bar
Dinner Delight: Protein smoothie: natural cocoa powder, natural peanut butter, almond milk, protein powder, honey, banana (got the recipe from my Oxygen magazine)


Here are the rules to the challenge:

NO's
-No Soda ( that means diet!)
-No Alcohol or wine -No fake Fake sugars (aspartame, acelsulfane, saccharin, sucralose, etc)
-No fast foods, fried foods or packaged foods
-Limit Dairy

YES's
-Honey and Stevia are good sweeteners in moderation
-Fruit and vegetables
-Almond milk
-Lean meats (chicken, turkey, eggs,etc)
-Lots of water
-Healthy fats (all natural peanut butter)

What to do
-Plan your meals on Sunday and prep for the week
-Read labels
-Eat every 2-3 hours
-Always have an emergency snack in your bag
- Exercise 3-4x week for min of 30 minutes and include cardio and strength training
-Find someone who can do this with you 

I ran into the emergency snack problem yesterday after the gym. All I had in my bag was a Luna bar from before - I completely forgot to pack something. I'll have to plan a little better. So far the group has been pretty active and helpful. It'll be interesting to see how it goes as the month progresses. I'm hoping to have my eating under control by the 16th when the Gold's Gym Challenge starts...not looking forward to those before pictures on the 15th, but I guess we've all got to start somewhere and my somewhere is better then it was last year.

New Year Goals - 2013

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve. The hubby and I crashed on the couch in our pj's and watched the fireworks in Baltimore on tv. I almost missed it. I was so comfortable I kept drifting off and Chris had to keep shaking me. My kids were in bed, but both woke up crying at midnight. I went upstairs, gave snuggles to both of them, and they went back to sleep without much fuss - guess they just wanted to partake in the festivities!
I didn't take the time to write out any goals for the New Year. I don't really do so well when I make big goals, I do much better with small ones. What I want to achieve in 2013 is balance and to stop being so hard on myself.
I've come a long way over the past year and a half and sometimes I get so wrapped up in not being able to get past this plateau and I forget to appreciate all I've done just to get here. So, what I did was take my measurements again. I haven't done that since the TurboFire 60 day mark (probably August). Here is what I discovered:
May 2011 / December 2012
Weight: 202 / 158
Chest: 41" / 37"
Waist: 41" / 34"
Hips: 45.5" / 37"
Thighs: 32" / 26.5"
Arms: 16" / 12"
Dress size: 18 / 10

Down: 43 lbs. Lost: 4" in my chest; 7" in my waist; 8.5" in my hips; 5.5" in my thighs; 4" in my arms. To me those are just numbers, so I had Chris take a photo of me. Add 4" to each side of my hips and that's how wide I used to be (give or take a little since it wraps around you...anyway, you get the point). Wow! No wonder I used to knock things over when I walked past them.

So, anyway, I did all of it by just making little changes. This year I'm going to work harder and focus more on my goals. I want to lose 20 lbs. Fine. I'm going to do what it takes and not sit around and wish I could lose the weight faster. I'm going to work hard and be smart about every thing that goes in my mouth. I can't complain about a plateau if I'm not doing my best to make the changes I need to.
I've created fitness goals and health goals for 2013:
Fitness Goals:
Run 1000 miles in 2013
Run a half-marathon without walking (I signed up for 3 of them, so I will do this!)
Complete a duathlon (scheduled for August!)
Lose 20 lbs
Build more muscle

Be proud of my legs. I've always hated my legs. They're dimply, wide, and jiggle when I walk (or ripple when my hubby smacks my butt - hey! Even the littlest things can motivate me). Well instead of saying, "I hate my legs." This year I'm going to focus on loving my legs and making them the strongest and tonest (is that even a word?!) I can.

OH YEA!

I LOVE this poster! I saw it on facebook this morning and just had to share it. My body fat is SO going DOWN this year!

Health goals:
Eat clean! That is my only health goal (I need to schedule a physical with my doctor and have every thing checked to make sure there aren't any lurking health concerns, but as of now and my last physical I'm healthy, just fat). I am going to master eating clean this year. There will be many good and bad days. I know this. However, this year/month/week/day - I'm focusing on actually doing it and not saying I'm going to do it. I stocked up yesterday. I went to Costco and bought oatmeal, quinoa, sweet potatoes, avocados, hummus, eggs, fish, chicken. I have Jamie Eason's meal plan printed and on my fridge. I'm hungry, okay, then look at the list and eat something off of it. I CAN DO THIS! I WILL DO THIS!

Good luck with achieving you New Year Resolutions and Goals!! Feel free to tell me about them.