Another one of those weeks?

Ugh. I've been such a slacker for so long that I'm having a really hard time getting back into things but I'm trying. I'm sure Chuck wished I'd try to do a little more of it on the road instead of on the treadmill. And he may be pretty darn close to getting his wish. More to come on that later.

Anyway, since I gained back what feels like a ton of weight and enough inches to get to the moon and back I'm not counting any weight loss or inches as milestones until I get back to where I was. I really don't think it's fair to count it twice. It was my own fault, and I shouldn't be rewarded for it.

So I'm depositing $9 for this week for workouts and diet. Although, I have GOT to get back on top of the food journal. I really did well with the weight loss when I was using that but it's so much easier to do when you're sitting at a desk and can only eat what you've got there rather than just raiding the fridge whenever you feel like it. I'm forgetful when I'm bored I guess. Anyway, I went though my past posts to see how much I need to transfer over to our account. Holy crap, I'm a slacker. It's only $105 for 14 weeks. That should be SO much higher. I'm so ashamed.

So I really think we need to sit down and plan a date and a location for our trip. I think that would motivate me a lot more if I had an actual date to be ready for. I know that we have a date to end the challenge, but really it's going to end for reals when we're sitting in the sun. Anyone up for discussing that tonight?

PS I apologize for not having any cool/disgusting pictures to post today. I'm lacking motivation to do that too.

Seriousy?!?

Has it just been "one of those weeks" that it's now Friday and still not one of the four of us has posted? I'm unsure if that's good or bad. For me, it's bad. it means that I'm STILL working on my freakin lameo kitchen. And when I get that done I have a freakin HUGE jewelry shoot that I've got to get done on bright sunny days and in of all places . . my kitchen. Seriously, I hate my kitchen right now and if I could help it I'd never go in there again. I'd just stay in my room and live off the Eater candy that I've got stashed under my bed. Oh that would be the life. Until it got to the point that I was too big to get out of bed and had to use a bed pan and they had to take the sliding doors out of my room and lift me out via crane so they could put me on a truck scale. That part would not be so good.

Okay, done rambling on about nothing. I really haven't kept track of what I've been eating as I've been covered in paint EVERY dang day (notice the obsessive use of caps lock today) and I haven't been to the gym at all and yet I feel as though I haven't stopped moving. Poor, poor Chuck the Wonder Dog is still afraid to walk through the kitchen and he's only been walked twice in the last week. But, I know that most days, I've forgotten to eat. I know you're not surprised. Do send me emails about how bad it is not to eat - I know! I just forget. I always get this way when I'm home too long. Anyway, I'm just going to guesstimate this week and say $7. I haven't weighed myself and I haven't taken any measurements because honestly, I just don't want to see that. But I should be back to normal (as normal as I can be) in the next week. Wish me luck.

Now . . where are the rest of you hiding???

Being home all day DOES NOT help my diet... by Jj

So since I got home from Vegas I've been trying to get to the gym more but I've been spending multiple hours online each day job hunting and haven't gotten in as much as I'd like. I've discovered that I've got to be much more careful about my diet and my food journal when I'm just sitting here all day. It's SO hard to remember to record things when it's just sitting there and I forget I even ate it. Ugh. I'm starting over again today and I AM going to do better. I gained a pound and a half and I just can't afford to go backwards right now. Of course, I did weigh myself at 11am instead of 8 like I normally do which I know could make a huge difference too. I'll weigh myself again tomorrow just to check it again. I'll be depositing $7.50 this week.

Oh . . and for my funny story of the week. You should have seen this guy on the treadmill last night! He seriously looked like a young version of Muhammad Ali. He was dancing around on the treadmill like he thought he was at a club. It was so entertaining that I almost fell off the elliptical. Hilarious.

The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly on the Plane

But whenever I go on a trip, it stays where ever I am. Maybe I should take a plane to Spain and see what happens. hhmmm . . . Seriously?!? Why is it that EVERYTIME I go on a trip I get rained out? Don't get me wrong, I still had a good time but it made for a very cold weekend.

Sadly, because of the pouring and I really mean POURING (I'm using a lot of caps but that seems to be the only way to get my point across, but I'm open to suggestions) on Saturday. Well, really it was raining just about every day but we'll get to that later. So our hashing even was canceled. Actually, Aeon (Jana's BF) still went but we decided to go shopping instead. Much more useful in my opinion.

We went rock climbing on Sunday (don't judge - I was communing with nature). But it was so freezing cold that I only made it about 3/4 the way up the mountain before I had to come down because my hands were frozen and I couldn't grip the rock anymore. I think I was only about 5 feet from the sunshine and warm rock but I just couldn't handle it anymore. So I went hiking with some other people in our group to warm up instead. So either way, I got in some good exercise. I've got pictures but I haven't transferred them to my computer so I've attached some random photos from First Friday instead. I'll get you rock climbing pictures for next weeks post. (Ignore the guy trying to lick my cheek. That's Jana's BF.)




Unfortunately, the diet journal went out the window. I tried to keep track of some stuff on my iPod but when you're staying with someone else and random people are cooking you dinner you can't really go asking for the recipe so you can calculate the calories and digging for a measuring cup to make sure you only get one serving. Well, I guess you could but if you ever want to be invited back, I would advise otherwise.

Luckily, Jana and Aeon and friends are all pretty healthy eaters. I'm sure I probably went over on carbs more than once, but I think I did pretty good on calories. No milestones to report, but I didn't gain anything either. Maybe I should make that a milestone. I seem to be good at that one. And I know this isn't a milestone, but I'm excited about it so I'm going to report it anyway . . . I've gone down at least a full pant size. Before I was wearing a 10-12 but now I'm a pretty solid 8. I could stand to lose another 3 lbs to make them fit PERFECTLY and that will happen but I needed new jeans because the old ones kept falling off so I decided to just go with it. Whoohoo! Anyway, depositing the max of $10 this week.

And since I've got nothing but time on my hands for a while, I'm going to try to spend a lot more time in the gym for the next few weeks. If I don't find something to entertain me I may just totally lose my mind.

In memory of my Prom dress . . by Jj

While I was home for Thanksgiving a couple of weeks ago I was digging though the closet in the room I was staying in and I found my graduation dress, the dress I took my senior pics in and my prom dress. Needless to say . . I couldn't help but try. And while I was able to get the dress on and (mostly) zipped up - it DID NOT look good. I was bulging in places that I never thought it was possible to bulge. I knew I should have worn one of those stretchy elastic sequin mermaid looking things. That's what I get for having taste, I guess. (yes, I know I wore one of those stretchy elastic sequin mermaid looking things to the JR prom - but that was NOT by choice). Okay, done rambling . .

I've been doing pretty good with the exercise but the weight loss and inches has SERIOUSLY slowed. I think that can be credited to winter (willpower has nothing to do with it). I did lose another pound this week, which I think puts me to where I only need one more for my next milestone but I'll have to go back and check that. And some how I managed to GAIN an inch around my chest!! And it's in the "good" part! How on earth did I manage that one?!? Probably hormones or something but I'll take it any way I can get it. Heaven knows I need it. So with all of that I'll be depositing $9.50 for workouts and diet. Sadly, no milestones this week.

I think one thing that will help me (which I need to be more diligent with) is my food journal. I'm great as long as I'm at work but when I get home I think, "I'll record it when I go upstairs," or "I'll record my dinner tomorrow" but then I forget and when Wednesday rolls around I can't remember what I ate. Who am I trying to kid?!? Anyway, recoding EVERYTHING is my new goal (even if it puts me over my calorie/carb count which I admit, I've totally cheated and not recorded stuff because it would look bad). There, I said it. I feel better now. Here's what I need from you . . every time you talk to me remind/ask/reprimand me about recording stuff so I'll get on top of it! I know I won't if I don't know people are wondering and checking up on me.

ugh . . by Jj

Thanksgiving is not my friend. While I did exactly what R was talking about and took my own food down to my parents house so that I'd have my normal healthier munchies available - it only lasted the first night I was there. After that, I just got lazy and ate whatever was easily accessable. Chuck the Wonder Dog got plenty of exercise though - and I'd love to say it's because I took him out multiple times for nice long jaunts around the Elsinore countryside but it's just not true. In all honesty, I only took him out on a real walk one time. The rest of the time I'd take my dad's Ranger and throw him in the back then head up to the flats and just let him go. He probably got a good 2 mile run in at top speed almost everyday while we were there.

However, when I got home and stepped on the scale Monday morning to assess the damage I almost cried. Of course, I'm also retaining more water than the Hoover Dam right about now so that could have a little to do with it too. So I took CWD for a run and then hit the gym and did 65 minutes on the elliptical and I really tried to push it hard. According to the machine I burned 762 calories. So between that, the run and the ab workout I did in the morning I burned almost 1,000 calories on Monday. I'm surprised I didn't pass out. I had grand plans for Tuesday too but they fell way short when I went home from work at 11 am and feel asleep before 1pm and didn't wake up until after 6pm. I probably could have gotten to the gym last night as all internal pains had subsided but I still didn't feel up to it. So here I sit feeling flubby and regreting my decision.

Okay, I'm done rambling. I'm depositing $3 for my minimal workouts and my crappy diet (less $1 for going WAY over on Friday too). Plus I'm subtracting another $1 for gaining back 2lbs - so much for my excitement over my milestone. I don't know if I'm blaming the water retention or Thanksgiving for that one. I'll let you know in a couple of days. However, I did manage to hit two milestones - I lost 1" around my thighs and 1" around the dreaded MT (go figure?!?). So that gives me a grand total of $5.00. Ugh. On a happier note, I put on a freshly washed (and thus slightly shrunk) pair of jeans this morning and they keep falling down. I've caught myself doing some sort of weird denim shimmy multiple times this morning to get them to sit where they're supposed to so I don't have that little "pocket" in my crotch. I know, pretty picture, huh??

Maria Week 5

I'm a bit late - sorry, this week has been hectic. Well, I'm at my lowest weight in about 5 years. (Although just barely). I'm down from last week by nearly 2 lbs. Which means I am 0.4 lbs from another milestone.
I haven't been able to workout as hard as usual. I was busy on Saturday and skipped the entire day. I was pretty upset with myself about it and I was really feeling the lost workout that day. I was just so antsy all day.
I am taking a new supplement with essential oils that is also supposed to help with energy and I am sure feeling it. I am hungry all the time. And it would seem I might be able to increase my caloric and carbohydrate intake and still lose weight. Wahoo! (Fingers crossed)
I didn't measure this week. But I can say that I am wearing the smaller of the three pair of jeans I bought about 2 months ago when nothing else fit anymore and I noticed today that they fit a bit big in the waist. YAY!
I am depositing $7.50 today.

My Discovery

Today a bunch of my co-workers decided to go to Red Lobster for the all you can eat shrimp fest. I was invited to go and I think I've mentioned once or twice that I work with some of the coolest and funniest people on the planet so I hate to pass up an opportunity to hang out with them.
What to do? It is only day 1 in my week - do I use my free day today? And what if something should come up later in the week? Saturday is a birthday party - what if I want cake or icecream - or BOTH?
I was fortunate in that I knew ahead of time where we were going to eat lunch today. I was also fortunate in that a few days ago I found this amazing website that has the nutritional information on hundreds of menu items from hundreds of restaurants (www.thedailyplate.com). I went to this website and started looking at the nutritional information for several items on the menu at Red Lobster.
I am sure we are all starting to discover what a wonderful tool a food journal is for us. Not only does it allow us to track how many calories, carbs, or fat grams we're consuming and how much water we are or (in my case aren't) drinking, but it also makes us so much more aware of what we are ACTUALLY putting in our bodies - good or bad.
Today could have been an easy day to blow my diet - whether intentionally (just deciding I am going to eat as much cocnut shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and cheddar bay biscuits as my tummy can hold) or unintentionally (by ordering something that I think is a healthier alternative only to find out later that it was very high in calories, carbs, etc.) Janis inspired me to start looking more closely at the nutritional information in restaurant foods when she discovered that her Quiznos SALAD was NOT the healthy alternative she originally believed it to be. It is because of her that I decided to check out the nutrional information of my potential Red Lobster options beforehand.
I took a few mintues this morning to map out what I could order today and still stay within my alotted calories and carbohydrates. Because of the food journal, because I knew how many calories and carbs I had consumed for breakfast and would be consuming for dinner and because I did a little research online I was able to make a very informed and smart decision regarding what I could eat for lunch. And I didn't blow my diet today! YAY!
I remember being taught in YW to decide beforehand what I am going to do or not do in certain situations. Then when you are faced with what could be a difficult decision - it won't be difficult at all because you have already made that decision. I am going to apply this to my food choices.
I know that it isn't always going to be possible to plan ahead, especially with regards to eating out. My plan is to chose 6 or 7 restaurants and fast food joints where I am the most likely to eat "on the go" and I am going to research their menus. I am going to select the most healthy options available from those menus. Then if I am ever in a tight spot and have to grab something fast I can be sure I am making an informed decision and won't be surprised later to find out that I just consumed 800 calories or 50 carbs for lunch and completely blew my diet.
I am also going to plan out my own menus ahead of time. That way if I get asked to lunch again, having a good idea what my dinner plans are, I can make better decisions regarding lunch options.
Sorry to be so long winded ladies. But you guys know me well enough to know that I love to talk, chat, write, express, and share. I love you guys! I am so glad that we are doing this together!

Maria Weighing In

I feel I need to start by saying this has been a tough week for me. I went out of town on Wednesday and was gone until Sunday. I'm sure you all know how difficult it can be to eat well when you're traveling. It was also my anniversary - so there was a little celebration dinner (or two) for that, a BYU home game (i.e. stadium food), and my belated birthday dinner with the Sanders family (i.e. cake). On Monday morning I weighed myself and was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that I had gained 0.4 lbs since my last weigh in (Wednesday morning).
That said ... I did 1 hour of cardio Wednesday morning, 1 hour of cardio Thursday morning, 1 hour of cardio Friday afternoon, 1 hour of cardio Monday morning, and 1 hour of weight training Tuesday morning. And I am happy to report that this morning, when I stepped onto that scale, not only had I lost the 0.4 I had put on over the weekend, I had also lost another 0.6 lbs for a total of 1 lb since last Wednesday. Considering the week I've had - I think that's pretty good!
I'll be depositing $5 for week 1 as soon as we have a place to deposit it.

P.S. I know that gaining 0.4 lbs is not a big deal - you can easily fluctuate as much as a pound in a day (if not even more!). Knowing this, however, does not make it any less frustrating to see that extra 0.4 lbs on the scale.

Here goes nothing... wait I mean the weight!

It's been an interesting start and I am shocked at what some of my measurements are! However, those baby inches need to go, again. Please notice that I've changed my milestones. In the middle of the night, when I do my best thinking instead of sleeping, I realized that some milestones weren't milestones but my modifications to make the plan work for me. So here's how I am going to build my healthy body. I will exercise 30 minutes a day five days a week because I can find 30 minutes a day for me. I will do 10 minutes of toning each day to get rid of the flab. I will keep a food journal so that I am responsible for what I eat! So say goodbye to unwanted flabby Rachel and hello to healthy, take care of my heart and mind, happy with my life style changes Rachel!