Saturday, September 10, 2011

I've been running two miles since last week. I ran friday night, monday night and tuesday, thursday and friday morning. I dropped to 154.8 this week after being stuck at 157 last week. I upped my water intake as well; I had been slacking a bit and started taking a refillable water bottle to work again. I still have free calorie saturdays, which is nice because I don't want to have to worry about calories tonight at my friend's bachelorette party. It's going to be an awesome party, even if I'm missing the Capitol Air Show for the first time. Chris will take pictures for me.

So, in summary, I'm eating healthy and exercising and it's still working. Down seventeen pounds now. Have a good weekend, everyone.

Falling In Love

I think I'm falling in love. I don't know how Chris is going to take it. I think I love running. And I hope running loves me back.

I look in the mirror and I can see the difference that 14 pounds makes. I put on shirts I haven't worn in awhile and I don't have to pull them off right away and find something fluffier to wear. I start running and I don't want to stop. I can do over 15 minutes without stopping. Granted, I slow down and speed up, but that comes later, just like running past two minutes would come later when I was very first starting.

I went on two runs today because I wasn't really satisfied with just doing the mile I did at the track. I decided to go around my block. Halfway through, I was remembering July, in the beginning, when I was cheering myself on just to get through two minutes. I remembered the otter pops on my legs when the shin splints got too much to bear. I remembered thinking that a 5k next spring might be a reasonable goal. Now I'm considering an autumn run. In the back of my mind, I dare hope that someday I'll do a half marathon. Someday.

I noticed that when I don't know how far I'm going or how much time I'm spending, I tend to run faster. I scared myself on the track today, thinking I should pace myself lest I wear myself out before the mile, but this evening I pushed myself a little harder and came home faster than I expected. I can do this.

Tomorrow is class. I bike to ASL and I've been going over the overpasses lately instead of around or through the tunnels. It burns my lungs and my thighs, but I get through it. I'm even considering maybe doing a vegetarian diet again. It's just so refreshing. Meat is so heavy...

It's later than I should be up (one thing I haven't been able to change to a healthier habit is getting enough sleep), so I'm going to end this blog entry now. I feel good, I feel healthy, I feel beautiful. That's new for me. Goodnight everyone.

Evening Ride

I rode the Green Belt this evening, which is a network of trails through North Davis that goes through different parks and barely touches any streets. Chris and I have explored it before, and I've gone on my own, but it's still new enough that I can get joyfully lost and then find my way back.

The sun was going down when I reached the dirt path that runs along the corn and sunflower fields that we usually get to from F Street. The sky was golden in the west with rays reaching for the last bit of blue on the other side. Flaxen fields of cut wheat met me near the end of the dirt path after I passed the weeping sunflowers. I got back on the Green Belt and headed back toward Anderson. I'm going to miss moments like this when winter comes.

I'm going to have to start thinking about a plan of action for the winter, whether it's running through the rain or getting back into the apt. gym room. I'm going to do some consulting over the next few weeks and see what other people have done during those dark days. I don't want to lose momentum because of the cold. It's so easy for me to use that as a cop-out.

Today was a good ride through the Green Belt and a good run on the American River Bike Trail. Tomorrow I start my ASL class, which I plan on biking to, of course. I feel really bad because I haven't practiced all summer! Hopefully, the little bit I use at my job will keep me sharp enough to not look like a total failure. We'll see. Now that the day is over, it's nigh time for bed. I'm pretty worn out and it's only Monday. Goodnight, world.

It's a free Calorie day, which means I put a quick-add Calorie count of 1200 in my fit pal for the day and I don't worry about what the actual number might be. Two and a half hours of hiking is an estimated 1296 Calories burned, so it's a wash. I wouldn't have even put anything in the app, but if you log food and exercise for a certain number of days, it tells you, "You've logged in for such-and-such days in a row" and I didn't want to miss that.

It was a great hike, but a bit difficult to stay on the trail, especially after letting Jimmy navigate (wink-wink, Jimmy, just teasing). The falls are gorgeous and the scenery is magnificent. Chris took the best pictures, but here are a few from the hike:
















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

161.6

I made it to my first milestone, 10 lbs. I wore my polar bear shirt today, which I had said was going to be a reward for losing this much. It's still a little snug in the arms, but hey, I'm on my way.

Good day today. My car almost didn't start out ofmthe parking lot from work, but Chris knows what it is, so it will be fixed next week. Although it's frustrating, it's okay and I'll deal with it. I got home and we went on a bike ride. I wasn't finished, so I did some running/walking intervals. Shinsplints aren't hurting nearly as much and putting a string of Otter Pops on them after my run seems to help. Otter Pops are prefect for icing. I'll never buy an ice pack again.

Tomorrow is Horsetail Falls! I'm so excited! It's going to be an awesome hike. I will update tomorrow night, probably with pictures nave a great weekend, everyone!

Thursday, 18 August, 2011

Updates for Thursday, 18 August, 2011

I am over on my calories today and under on exercise. I got home from work and all I could do was take a nap. I'm really worn out, not going to sleep early enough (my own fault), and have had a really, really rough couple of days at work. I feel fried, burnt out. I hope I feel better by tomorrow.

This weekend is Horsetail Falls with some friends. I'm excited! Can't wait to spend the day with the trees and nature and good company.

I bought chocolate milk today. Runner's World mag keeps telling me one serving is a good way to replenish and restore after a run. Rock on, I get chocolate!

I'm considering putting a bike rack on my car. There may be one available via the in-laws, but we'll have to see if my car supports it. I want to take it on the American River bike trail that I sometimes encounter on community outings at work. I just want to ride.

It's been a long day. I'm ready for bed. This week is kicking my ass. That's all for updates today, folks. I'm out of here.

Sunday Comes Afterwaaaaards

Yesterday was free calorie day, according to Mom and Chris. I was not allowed to count up all the ingredients in the crepes and pizza that we had and mom insisted I have a Pepperidge Farms Milano cookie. We went on a long bike ride on my new hybrid, 21-speed Marin, and I tried to keep my portions small, so I'm hoping that not much damage was done, but sometimes you just have to live and my mom coming to hang out would have been dampened by my obsessing over food and diet. So I gave in.

Today I'm going to start running again. I was fitted at Fleet Feet and they suggested some motion control shoes by Mizuno. They weren't as cushioned as the other ones they had me try on, but they felt a lot more stable. I'm going to keep doing the two-minute run, three-minute walk because I still have shin splints, which,according to Fleet Feet, is more of a results of being out of shape than the condition of my shoes. I have to keep working and the pain will go away as I get stronger. However, I can't help but remember the girl on my softball team last year that had permanent damage and scarring from shin splints. Of course, I don't know the full story and don't have all the facts of that case, so I'm just going to stay alert to what my body is telling me.

Everyone is still asleep, but it's time for breakfast so I'm going to wake these sleepyheads up! Time to get moving!

August 11, 2011. Mom's Bday, Seven Pounds, Biking, and Work-out Friends.

I took it pretty easy yesterday, walking on an outing at work and then swimming with Chris. My scale at one point this morning said I was under 164, but I'm not recording it because again, the drop seems to large since my last weigh-in and after I got out of the shower, it was 164.3 which is .1 lb less than yesterday, which makes more sense. I'm just saying I've lost seven pounds, because it's close enough. I really, really need a new scale.

This weekend I'm getting running shoes, and my mom wants to get me a new bike, too! Even though it's her birthday. I've been using Chris's 21-speed Diamond Back and the gears are horrible. I can't shift to go up hills because it doesn't stay in gear or it sits there and clicks. It's all messed up. It probably just needs a new derailleur, but I want something faster, too. It just won't keep up with Chris, even in gear 21, and at that point, I'm practically standing on the thing to get it going. It's also too big; I have to have the seat so high that I am uncomfortably far from the ground when I stop or else I have to ride it with my knees in my chest. There's no happy medium.

What I don't want is a girl's bike. I don't want the curvy little wimp bikes I see all over the place. I want one with speed. I don't think I could live with one of those cruisers these college students are riding around on these days. My bikes going to have to be fast if I'm going to be happy. Unfortunately, no matter what style I get, it is looking like it's going to be over 300 dollars for a new bike. On the bright side, it should last a long time.

Tonight, my stomach isn't feeling too well, so we cut our ride short and I don't know if I'll be going to the apt. gym or not. I look some medicine and am staying hydrated, but I might just call it a night. I burned over 200 calories riding through the arboretum with Chris. We found a whole new section of it we had never explored before-didn't even know it was there (how long have we been hanging out there? Years? And we never knew). Hopefully, tomorrow, we'll get to explore some more.

What an incredible journey this is. I'm getting advice from people who have already changed their lives or who have always incorporated being active as part of who they are. I even was asked by someone at work if they could get together with me after work a couple of times a week to do something active and fun (but not exercise, because exercise sucks) and so we're looking into some of the trails in Sacramento. I'm excited! I love doing this stuff with other people because then it doesn't feel like work, it feels like fun!

So here's to another incredible week. I will post again soon.

The stairmaster was easier today. In just a couple of weeks, I went from barely getting through fifteen minutes to doing the entire thirty without stopping. That last two minutes were the longest, but it was worth it when I stepped off the machine, victorious. There's almost no greater feeling.

I also did some work on the resistance machines. Lat Pulldowns and the like. I was forced to stay away from the treadmill due to my shin splints, but I did some more crunches on my fitness ball, as well as some other work. I'm really thinking about Yoga lately, and despite my own lack of confidence after having only taken one class two years ago, I think I should start doing some at home. I could use the stretches. Simple stretching isn't really doing it for me.

I may take tomorrow off to give my body a day to rest. I'm down almost seven pounds since I started. It's incredible, it hasn't even been a month yet. All I want to do is more. As soon as I'm done working out, I want to go back. It's like a high, but I have to be careful because overdoing can cause injury and throw a wrench in the whole thing. Pushing myself too hard could have contributed to my shin splints, after all.

Mom's coming up to visit this weekend, so that will be fun. I am getting new running shoes and I might have to see how much money I have for some more work-out pants. It might be time for a trip to Ross. It's going to be a good week.

Shin Splints and Progress

I've tried to be careful and keep away the shin splints I was getting last summer when I was playing softball in the crappy New Balance shoes I have, but alas, they have returned in full force today. It's cut my run/walk to ten to fifteen minutes, but has pushed me to get my cardio done bike riding and on the stairmaster, (warning, Pokemon joke imminent): It's super effective!

I worked out on my exercise ball yesterday, the majority of the time spent doing crunches. I could feel it today, but not so bad as to be irritating or painful. I'm going to do those every other day and probably stick to biking this week until I get new shoes this weekend. Mom's coming up! Yay!

I was looking at myself in the mirror tonight while I was working out and I thought I looked slimmer. Wondering for a second if maybe my own self-image, improving due to my following my commitment and reaching my goals, had caused my mind to think I looked slimmer, but I realized I can actually feel it in my work-out pants. I had to be sure, so Chris measured me and sure enough, a half-inch off of my neck and waste and a whole inch from my hips.

This is progress, even more so than the numbers on the scale, because muscle mass can add pounds. I've now been at this for about three weeks and I'm still not slowing down. I'm encouraged and inspired, determined and committed. I'm already considering trying a 5k sometime this spring. Even with the progress I've made, though, I don't want to lose sight and say, "good enough," or start slacking because I feel confident. This is a life-long goal, not just a new diet and exercise routine. My goal to be 135 in January isn't the end, but the beginning. I'm ready.

A Wonderfully Active Weekend

This weekend I went on a hike with Chris and my friend Yazzy around Jenkinson Lake at Sly Park. The trail is nine miles, but we were hungry and Chris was in flip-flops, so after an hour and some swimming, we decided to hike back. We got about two hours total of hiking, which put me so far in the deficit, I was able to have some glorious macaroni salad at 300 calories for less than a cup. I still exercised restraint and kept away from the dip for the chips. Yazzy and her mom cooked Kosher beef hot dogs and chicken hot dogs, which were really good. I think I prefer the chicken, which were only 90 calories each, almost half that of regular franks.

Before our hike, we had had a breakfast of fruit, gluten and dairy-free pastries from Azna Gluten Free bakery in Cameron Park, and some plain yogurt with a bit of honey. I even found a couple of the pastries listed on My Fitness Pal. I was glad someone had taken the time to put it up.

Dinner with the MIL was a little harder. We went to one of the local Mexican Restaurants in Placerville and I ordered a two-item combo, saving half of my black beans and the second item for lunch today.

Today was also productive. I did cardio at the apartment gym and then came home and did work on the ball for forty minutes and did some hand weights. Fitpal doesn't record calories for strength training because so many factors go into how many calories are burned that the creators didn't feel comfortable giving numbers that couldn't be very accurate. Afterward, I went on a bike ride with Chris and did over 30 minutes.

I've calculated that I need to lose six pounds a month. I was 166 at the beginning of August and so I need to be 160 by the end of the month to stay on track. I need to get a new scale, as well, as the one that I have doesn't always give me the same number if I step on it twice in the same morning within minutes. I had a feeling something was wrong with it when Chris was using it and he got upset that he was going up and down two-five pounds every day, which just isn't realistic. I tried Yazzy's scale yesterday and it gave me 164. I think I'm going to go and buy one just like it. :) I need an accurate scale.

This week I have my lunches already planned and a few dinners, as well. I hope to be (if I go by my scale) under 165 by next sunday. Today I got 165.4 and 166.2 on the scale, just stepping on it twice in a row, so we'll see if I will even be able to tell if anything has changed at the end of the week if the scale really isn't working. Here's to a good week!

There I was, all week working hard at running, biking, being active. There was the scale, mocking me, hovering between 167 and 168. I didn't have the energy yesterday to keep it up. I was staying up too late on work nights finishing books I had put off so I could get ready for when I get Song of Ice and Fire, so I crashed and took a nap. I had done at least a half hour of exercise all week and had begun my beginners' running regimen on Sunday and I didn't see any change between Tuesday and Thursday.

Stuck there, my doubts began to creep in, telling me that I had overshot my goal. Despite the Calorie counts and the exercise, I had reached my plateau and lost some water weight and would be stuck there for the rest of my life. The calculations were all wrong and I was losing momentum. Then, this morning I stepped on the scale nervously. Finally, I had lost .4 lbs. I can probably reach 167 even by Monday. That would make my progress five pounds in two weeks. That's over a pound over my goal. I finally heard myself say, louder than ever, "You can do this."

I did a half hour of my run/walk training, fifteen minutes on stairs (Oh my GOD, that machine is hard), and twenty minutes of stationary bike. I also rode my bike downtown twice today and walked on my outing at work. I was sweating, burning, and loving it. I imagined what I would look like in the same workout clothes in January. I looked myself right in the eyes in the mirror at the gym room and challenged myself to keep going until the picture in my mind matched the picture in the mirror. I know I can do this. The time is now.

Day 9

I've been under my Calories every day. I am becoming more and more inspired by the large group of fitness gurus on Pinterest (how many of them are actually heeding their own advice or slogans is still up for debate), and have created a board of my own for inspirational work-out quotes. Today, I had a mini peanut butter cup. It was 55 Calories and it was worth it. I burned 183 doing my intervals on the treadmill.

I still have plenty of Calories left for dinner. I've finally found a balance. I was coming home from work after having breakfast and lunch and having to settle for a tiny dinner because I had used up so many of my allotted Calories. I've cut the bread from my sandwich (I always eat them dry anyway) and have forgone snack crackers and instead bring a fruit, a veggie and a low-fat yogurt.

It's said that when people make public statements, they tend to stick by those statements more because retraction in front of a large group of people is hard for humans to do. So I'm saying on the web right now that I will be 135 pounds by January. I'm going to take "before" pictures tonight and put them up. Ugh. Yes, put them on the internet. I haven't decided if I'm going to put them up on here or wait until I have the "after" pictures, but they are for sure going on facebook.

Speaking of facebook, if you are a friend of mine or Chris's, or a friend of our friends, you can go see our Europe Trip documentary that Chris made out of the footage we took when we went "Over There!" (Please excuse the geeky WWI reference, I just can't help myself). It's on Chris's page in three parts so you don't have to watch them all at once (in fact, you probably don't even have to watch them in order). The trip was two weeks and the total film was forty or so minutes, so it's not everything, but we got some really good stuff in. Anyone planning on going to Europe might be interested in my "Advice for Future Travelers" pieces. Enjoy!

State Fair Success

Today was a success. I was vigilant and stuck with my Calorie goal despite going to the State Fair at work and then again afterward with Chris. The smell of the fried goodies was so tempting and I even got paid today, but I kept telling myself that my long-term goals are more important than any short-lived satisfaction from a funnel cake or a maple bacon sunday. I got through both trips without going over or wasting Calories on garbage. I'm proud of myself.

I'm proud of Chris, too. He had a few more Calories available than I did. We went to Subway after the fair and he could have been slightly over his goal by eating a footlong or under it by eating a 6". When he saw me save half my sandwich he decided to save his, too, and confessed that his original plan was to just eat the whole thing. That's what doing this together has done for us. Before, I would try to do this alone and it was hard. With Chris and my sister on the same app and diet plan as me, we can all help each other. It works!

The Fair was fun. There were a lot of animal exhibits, which was nice; animals are my favorite part of any fair. We're not big fans of midways or the huge shopper's booths where people sell their knives and Sham-Wows, so we didn't spend too much time in the buildings.

The Counties Exhibit was cool, with El Dorado County being so cluttered and aesthetically skewed that I was glad I didn't have to admit to living there. Yolo's was quaint and incorporated Davis's recreational favorites like hiking, biking, etc as well as the rest of Yolo's agricultural roots. San Joaquin County was just weird, with an Alice floating near the top of the booth and a hand of playing cards in the background and a table full of wine bottles. San Joaquin County sucks. Period. I lived there for fourteen years, I know. Placer's was nice, so was Monterey's. I was wondering who puts these things together, though, since it seems like every county in California is going broke and some of these exhibits looked like they cost a pretty penny.

Back at home, Chris is rendering a video he put together from our Europe footage. I'll see if I can put it on YouTube, but YouTube has that stupid video length limit that's supposed to prevent people from uploading movies. It might end up on Vimeo or just facebook...or even Google+

Today was a success. I'm proud of myself and proud of my husband. It's time to kick back and relax now and enjoy the summer evening.

Blog Entry: 19 July, 2011

I really like this Fitness Pal app on the iPhone. It's a really great app. Fat Secret was a great web tool, but Fit Pal is so portable, and not only has a bigger database of various Calorie values, but also has a built-in barcode scanner.

With Fat Secret, I would log my Calories and try to stay under 1500 and exercise to create a deficit, which is fine, but very stringent and hard to follow. With Fit Pal, I can earn more Calories if I exercise. If I don't reach my allotted 1200 Calories (Fat Secret told me to stay under 1500, Fit Pal told me to stay under 1200), it tells me that not eating enough is bad for me and warns me that my body can go into starvation mode.

If I exercise after I have hit my food goal, it doesn't give me that error and if I still have a net loss, I am still good for the day, even if I go above 1200. For example, today's Calorie count was 1370 Calories consumed, 533 Calories burned with various exercise for a net count of 817. Am I explaining this well?

I found out that healthy-looking cereal does not equal healthy cereal. A 1 cup serving of a cheap brand of cinnamon swirls is half the Calories of a 2/3 cup serving of the Trader Joe's brand of maple-flavored nut clusters. I also found out that original Special K is in a bigger box, but has less cereal in it than the honey oat one, with just 30 less Calories than the latter. I didn't eat much cereal last time I did the Calorie counting diet, so I am learning a lot.

Swimming laps, bike riding and frisbee today. I don't count the walking, wheelchair pushing and general up and down at work, either, so I think I'm doing pretty well in the exercise area. We do have a whole top layer of wedding cake in our freezer right now that is calling my name-but no! I will not give in to it's carrot cake, butter cream goodness! I will survive! Chris, on the other hand, has some Calories left and is now eating it. Right. Next. To. Me....