Maria Week 22

My focus is back on running. I have 1 month until my half marathon and I feel like I have really slacked off recently. I have a training coach and that is helping a lot in the motivation department - as well as keeping me on track.
As a result of shifting my focus to only running I have been forced to take some "rest" days - which are primarily days where I work out much lighter and for a shorter amount of time. Because let's face it - I WILL NOT take a real rest day. So I do what I can. And that may equate to smaller deposits each week.
Also, I have been avoiding weighing myself since that is no longer an issue for me - and because I was honestly obsessing about it.
Oh, and I fell of the wagon again with recording my foods. Gotta get back on that! Starting today!
I hit 6 miles again in my running and I am on track to go 7 this week so I should have another milestone week next week! YAY!

Depositing $12.00 - max for workouts and fruits and veggies and $2 for the 6 mile milestone

Maria Week 19

This was a rough week for me at work. Busy, busy, busy. But I LOVE IT! This was the week of our quarterly sales meetings and I got to hang out with all of my remote sales guys. Keeps me busy, but I am NOT complaining. It did, however, impact my workouts a bit. Don't get me wrong - I'm a freaking die hard! I still got in at least an hour everyday. And I found the time to take a few measurements.
I lost an inch around my ribs, an inch in my waist, half an inch in my hips. Fortunately nothing in my butt, but unfortunately, half an inch in my chest :-(
So...that's a milestone for my waist!
I took a bootcamp class on Monday. WOW! What a workout! Unfortunately I wasn't wearing the right shoes for the class and I now have two huge ruptured blisters - one on the bottom of each foot. Looks like I'll be taking it easy for a day or two :-(


RIGHT FOOT


LEFT FOOT

Depositing $10.50

Maria's Week 11

I have hit a new low. It's only a half pound lower than my last low, but the way the past two weeks have been - it's incredibly exciting.
Also, I a need to be committed .... to an insane asylum. In a fit of temporary insanity I registered to run a half marathon in Moab in March. YIKES! What as I thinking!?!?!?!?! I haven't been selected - it's a lottery so there's a chance I won't be running (I'm secretly praying for that). It will be good though - get my butt into shape. And it's nice to have a deadline - even if it is only 3.5 months away!!! (banging my head against the wall at this time).
So, new low, but not quite low enough for a milestone - still half a pound away for that. And only 3.5 lbs from my goal! That's exciting! Maybe I'll reevaluate my goal. Lost another inch in my waist - the biggest part of my waist. The smallest part is the same - strange. But that's a milestone! Lost another inch and a half off my chest - what?!?!?! How is this happening? Not where I want to be losing anything! I measured 3 times to be sure. Nearly an inch in my ribs, an inch in my hips, quarter inch in my bottom (another place I don't really want to lose), and 1/2 inch off each thigh. I'm getting there - slowly but surely.
I'll be depositing $14 - max plus 2 milestones.

Maria Week 10

ARGH! I worked my butt off this past week and I still gained 2.5 lbs. Ok, ok, so I also ate like crap. :-( So I have no one to blame but myself. I've been sick for eating so badly and ... again, still haven't learned my lesson. Maybe someday I'll get it through that thick head of mine. For now, I'm weak - chocolate and peanut butter and salty tortilla chips have been calling my name and I've completely given in. (I blame PMS - for the cravings AND the weight gain.)
So, with all my workouts, fruits and veggies most days, minus $1 for gaining more than 2 lbs, I will be depositing $16. (Told you I worked my butt off! I'm thinking of having all my mail delivered to Gold's Gym since it is my primary residency.)

Maria's Week 8

I felt like it was a good week for me. I look back on my BodyDaemon journal and I missed several work outs (or else I missed logging them because I don’t feel like I missed that many work outs.) But good results this week so I’m happy. I lost inches almost all over, but I will only report what is significant. I lost another inch from waist – that’s a milestone! But more importantly, I am an inch smaller than I was in high school (and then I was SUCKING IN!!!!!!! This time I wanted it to be accurate so there was absolutely no sucking of any kind.) I didn’t specify a milestone for losing inches from my butt, but I’m going to count it anyway – I lost 1 ½ inches from my butt! This is like losing inches off my chest – a little bittersweet. We all know I didn’t have much of a butt to begin.
Good thing I hit those weigh and measurement milestones because I’m sucking it up on my newest ones. In fact, I completely forgot that I had set one not to eat out for two weeks. Hmmm … may need to rethink that one.
Had my bodyfat % tested – FINALLY! And I so wish I had done this before I started working out. But I am extremely happy to report that it was 3% less than it was when I had it measure in high school and again in college. WA-HOO!!!!!!
Finally, there is this ultra fit and thin woman in my classes and the past two classes I’ve had with her she’s commented on how great and how thin I look. You gotta love that – it never gets old!
Depositing $12.50
Oh, and adding new milestone - every 1% of bodyfat lost.

It's been a rough week

I feel like that's my new motto. But hopefully, not for much longer. I expect that things will turn around very soon - and just in time for the holidays and all the wonderful holiday parties, family dinners, and neighbor gifts of cookies and chocolate and SUGAR!
I slacked off. I feel bad admitting to that after my last post. But I'm also motivated to make up for it! And I'll convince myself that's the difference between the old me and the new me. The old me would have put off the change until after Halloween, next Monday, after Thanksgiving, after Christmas, or until New Year. The new me is ready to start TODAY. I'll hit the gym even harder and longer than ever. And I'll get back on track with my diet and my on-line journal.
I'll be despositing $5.50 for the few workouts I got in and the few days I actually ate my fruits and/or veggies.

My Wall

I have this wall - Maybe we all have our walls. I've hit my wall twice in my life. The first time was when I was 27 and I stepped on the scale one morning and saw ZZZ lbs. For my height and body type - ZZZ lbs is 5 lbs from clinically overweight. I made the decision right then and there to make some changes in my life. And for the first time EVER I seriously dieted and I lost 25 lbs. I worked out a little, but not really hard, my main focus was on my diet. The weight came off in about 6 months and once it was off - I went back to my same lifestyle. I was very fortunate in that I didn't put it all back on, at least not immediately. The second time I hit my wall was this past March. I had gone from a size X to a size Y and I needed to move up to size Z. I stepped on the scale one morning and I saw ZZZ lbs AGAIN! ZZZ lbs is evidently my wall. My do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to unhappy. I had two choices - go out a buy a new wardrobe or lose weight. I had two choices - given in and accept that this was me or get to work. I didn't want to spend money on a new wardrobe of even bigger clothes. But I also wasn't ready to just give in and be completely unhappy with myself, my health, and my body. The difference between this wall and the last one? I didn't want to simply lose weight – I wanted to get healthy, I wanted to get active. I’ve never been athletic and I asked myself why not? Because I never wanted to work for it. (My cross country experience being a perfect example of this.) Now I want to work for it. Now I’m willing to work for it. I didn’t want to just lose weight – I wanted to make a major transformation.
Not only am I down more than 15 lbs and 2 sizes, but just as important - I'm in the best shape of my life. And I'm not even finished yet.
Somewhere along the line I skipped a size. In my closet I had my "fat" clothes which were my clothes that fit me at ZZZ lbs. And then I had my clothes that fit me at YYY lbs. And my clothes that fit at XXX lbs. Well, in my weightloss journey I seem to have skipped over my YYY clothes. I find myself at a new crossroads. I'm up against a different wall. I don't really fit into my size X's anymore either. So do I go out a buy a new wardrobe of size W's? Clothes that will fit me at WWW lbs? Or do I take a break, lay off a bit so I can fit in my size X's. Well, what do you think?
I am so happy to have my Ya-Ya Sisters (can I say my Butterfly Girls?) making this transformation with me. I am excited that you guys have caught the fever with me and that we're all going to be much healthier and in much better shape soon. And maybe we'll all be buying new wardrobes soon. For our trip at the end of the year - maybe we'll NEED to go to a shopping hot spot!

Working Lunches, Dinner Parties, and Football Games

I got killed this last week. With three working lunches, four dinner parties, and one football game I cheated nearly every day! And I have paid for it in many ways; stomach aches nearly everyday (you'd think I'd learn), gaining 4 lbs, and losing money.
On a positive note. I lost 2 of those 4 lbs before my weigh in. I literally ran a pound off last night. Also, it isn't one of my listed milestones, but it's a big deal to a girl who's never been able to run a mile without stopping before - I ran 2 1/2 miles last night and I didn't stop to rest once. I think I might have been able to go a little further, too, but it was getting really dark.
Another thing is that I'm seeing a lot of definition in my forearms and calves. I didn't have far to go with them, but I haven't concentrated on them at all. Usually I avoid exercises that work my calves because the last thing I want is for them to be any bigger and there wasn't much fat to lose from them. But nonetheless - they are looking very defined and I sort of like them!
I'm updating my milestones. I don't believe I'm getting enough sleep so I'm creating a milestone regarding that. I want to be in bed weeknights by 9 PM. In bed by 9:00 PM should mean I'm asleep by 9:03 PM. That will put me at 7 hours of sleep each night. I've also seriously slacked off on the food journal - primarily because I have no idea how to calculate a lot of the foods I've eaten. So I'm creating a new milestone regarding not eating out and keeping an ACCURATE food journal.
I'll be depositing $13. Lots of working out and a milestone seemed to have made up for my bad eating days.

Maria's Week 2

Hello Ladies! Interesting week for me. I've been much more careful with what I'm eating. I've created an on-line food journal (which I've only actually utlized the past three days) that tells me exactly how many calories, carbs, etc I'm eating. And I can also enter my workouts and it will tell me how many calories I've burned. I'm really liking it. I just need to decide WHICH on-line journal I'm going to use - right now I'm trying to decide between three.
www.sparkpeople.com
www.fitday.com
www.dailyplate.com
Anyway ...I lost 1 lb since last week. And I am extremely happy with that one little pound since I am also menstrating this week and we all know what that can do to our bodies! ARGH! I feel like I've gained 10! I didn't measure myself this week because 1) I'm only going to measure like once a month and 2) ... well... as I said, I'm menstrating and well know what that can do to our bodies.
I'll be depositing the max $10 this week.
My goal for the week is to keep my new on-line journal completely up to date and as accurate as possible - which means I need to pay closer attention to how much time I spend at the gym. And to drink more water!