I LOST 2.8LBS (Hey Livvy)

Hello All,
I always feel like I have so much to talk about but when I start typing my blog, I feel like I am just all over the place. I try to hurry and get it all in so I don't leave anything out. (I have been terribly forgetful lately) So, today, I am going to take my time and explain everything. If I bore you atleast, I have these notes for future reference for me. First, I want to talk about listening to my body.
So if my Dr. telling me not to run for a month wasn't enough bad news to make me start listening to my body, now I have aching wrists! I mentioned the push up challenge last week as something new that I added to my work outs. Well, My husband and I had been doing the work outs together for two weeks. My husband is pretty athletic and he even found the work outs were a bit tough for beginners. I just kept doing the push ups as the program instructed and the only thing that was bothering me was my wrists. I had been seeing results and definately feeling them. So here we are I completed to weeks and now my wrists are hurting to the point where I CANNOT do a push up! I should have listened to my body. I always try to tell myself that I need to push through the pain when it comes to physical activity when I really should take the time to rest  and not injure myself. My wrists are starting to feel better today but that is because I havent done a push up in a few days. I'm just glad I didnt have to go to the Dr. AND the moral of this story is listen to your body!

I have really been struggling with my eating habits. I was listening to one Of Jillian Michaels' Podcast and she made a comment about how ridiculous a diet where you eat Pizza and ding dongs is! I thought okay, I know that is ridiculous but why do I eat similar things every day? I was going through my day yesterday and all I could think about was eating something "carbalicious". I did! I would go in the kitchen stand there and think, "get something healthy out to eat, no, I don't want healthy food, that pizza would taste so good. I can start that whole eat healthy thing later!"  (Just incase you couldnt tell I was arguing with myself) I have never done drugs but when it comes to sweets and processed food, I feel addicted to it! Like I cannot say no even though I know it's hurting me and keeping me from my goal! As much as I want to lose weight and live a healthier life, it seems like I give  in to those craving everyday. I realize that my battle with weight is more about the mental and what I am eating, than it is about the physical. This leads me to my next  topic for today.

The Aha moment! Did you have one? Please share it!
 After eating all of the wrong things, feeling sluggish and not really motivated to work out or eat right, my husband asked mewhat was wrong before we went to bed. I wasnt going to talk to him about it because I believe that people who are "naturally" thin cannot understand what I am posting today. Anyway, I gave it a shot! I said, " When I have lost a signifigant amount of weight in the past, I always had that Aha Moment, you know where something happens or I think about something and I just think I am going to lose weight, starting Now! Then I diet full force! Well, I don't feel like that today. I am feeling the exact opposite! I don't want to eat right, I am tired of food period ! The only things driving my eating habits are these craving that I cannot shake. It's like I either have a really strong craving for junk food or I don't really are to eat anything! I don't know what's going on with me! When I worked out today, I didn't push myself. I didn't feel motivated. I mean I am excited that I get to start running again but I am just in a rut and I don't know how to get out! Oh, (sigh) I guess I have to just do it. Maybe I just have to get up in the morning without any euphoric sense of motivation and just do it. Maybe that's it! I just have to do it." And there you have it folks. That may very well have been my Aha Moment! I woke up this morning and started with a good choice for breakfast. There were Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Biscuits and chocolate chips cookies readily available. I chose to eat a bowl of regular Cheerios with Skim milk for breakfast, along with a bottle of water.  I knew that wasn't going to hold me for too long which is fine. So, I started craving something sweet, instead of picking up those cookies (I thought about it) I got an apple, cut it up and ate it. Now, I am good until lunch. The journey begins. Those choices are going to start adding up in lbs. I have to make the right choice several times a day not just when I get what I am going to call "fake motivation". When I lost weight in the past that "fake motivation" carried me through losing anywhere from 7 to 35 lbs. This 73 lbs is not going to come off that easy. As much as I want to be thinner and healthier, I don't want it to come off easy, like alot of things in my life, if I don't work hard for it I won't appreciate it. This brings me to my final topic for today.

The scale
I bought a scale yesterday. It looks similar to this one. I have never had a good accurate scale at home. I decided yesterday to purchase a scale only to find out that since starting this blog I had gained about 5 lbs. Instead of weighing 206 lbs yesterday, I weighed in at 211.6. NOOOOO! That is not going to work! I have tried to eat healthier but not focus on weight since I am still breastfeeding. My baby is 10 months old now. No more breastfeeding for me. I have been slowing decreasing my milk supply. But anyway, that's another subject. I got on the scale this morning and I lost 2.8 lbs. That is a step in the right direction. Getting on that scale and seeing the numbers drop actually made me feel motivated to make the right choices today. I want to see that drop again in another week. So, I have decided to do a weekly weigh in until I reach my goal weight! I refuse to become obsessed with the scale and weighing myself daily. Anyone want to join me? I'm not sure which day of the week I will weigh in but I will do it once a week. This is the last time I will say this, I have 73 pounds to lose. Thank you for reading!

242

I received my race number in the mail yesterday! It's really happening! I am going to run my first 5k! 5 More days and my month without running is over! I have been away from my blog for 5 days again. I know but I have been venturing out more and I have to say I LOVE IT here! The sun is out at 530 am and we havent done the whole "spring forward yet!" That means I can get out and run early and not have to be worried about it being dark outside! I am so happy to see the sun more. Only 8 hours of day light can be depressing. I am still tweaking my work out regimen. I have been wearing my handy dandy heart rate monitor and I really feel motivated. On a not so happy note, I lost my little Nike Plus sensor for my iPod kit. I hate that I don't want to pay 25 dollars for another kit. I want to congratulations to one of my NP buddies! (You know who you are) She walked her first Half Marathon! I am so inspired! Thanks for reading.

I LOVE LONDON!

So,
I realize that time flies when you're having fun but WOW! I haven't blogged in 6 days. I have been really busy the last week. I will complete week 2 of the one hundred push up challenge today. That program is no joke! I am still walking/ riding the bike, counting down the days  until I can run again! Nine more days! Yesterday, my family and I ventured out. We went to London! Wow, it was my first time riding a train! London was so cool and there were so many people! We walked for about 4 hours just sight seeing and taking pictures! I cannot wait to go back. That was my exercise for the day. Thanks for reading! See you soon!

Busy Bee

Yes it's true, I have been a busy bee today! I have been working out consistenly while on my running hiatus! Today, I went to the Mommy Work out center to work out since it was just too cool and windy to have the baby out on our walk. I really enjoyed myself and got a chance to see how my baby girl interacts with other kids whithout mommy standing by. I  have been away from my blog more days that i would like but this way I feel like I have more to talk about. Sunday, I was listening to a podcast from Jillian Michaels' radio show and she suggested that everyone have a heart rate monitor with a calorie calculator as the most useful work out tool, for those of us trying to lose weight. She made some very good points, so I went out and purchased one. I love having a calorie counter even when I am walking. I haven't quite figured out what is best for me as far as target heart rate. I need to do more research, it just seems so confusing to me when I read about cardio vs. fat burn. If there is anyone out there that gets it, Please explain it to me. Last week I started the push up challenge and I am happy to report that I completed week 1. I am so proud of myself. Week 2 starts tomorrow. Two more weeks and I will able to run again! Lately variety has been good for me while trying to stay active. Last but not least, I am still preparing for my first 5k race and i am so excited to be a part of something so important! If anyone out there is *listening* please feel free to donate to a great cause. Thanks for reading see you next time!

Obsessed!

Hello All,
I have been tempted not to blog until I got out of my mental rut but on my walk today I did some thinking and I will tell you what's been going on with me. I feel likeI am becoming obssessed with losing weight! I have become obsessed with what diet I am actually going to stick with once I am done nursing my daughter. THAT IS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS! First of all, I shouldnt think about it so much. Secondly, my goal is total health and fitness, i don't have to be a perfect number on the scale; atleast that is what I try to tell myself. The more I think about lowering my carbohydrate intake in any way, I start obsessing abut chocolate. I keep going over in my head the times that I used the Atkins diet to quickly lose weight and feel better. I know that every single time I was successful at it I put on lots more weight once I stopped dieting. Mayb the problem is that i never followed the Atkins diet to a T after the induction phase. I was always so ready to start eating carbs again. I am thinking more along the lines of A Low fat version of the Atkins diet... I dunno. The IR diet really is great, it doesn't stop me from havig anything, and that is what I need. It just seems like being allowed to have everything but having to eat certain things in moderation just seems too lenient. I have got to get it together in my head. FAST!   I think that I am thinking too hard about it!

On a lighter note, I am still being active. I am walking about an hour per day (most days) I even started a push up challenge a few days ago and love the way my body feels.They have a sit- upchallenge too. I might try  that once I finish with the push-ups. Just a little over 2 weeks and I will be able to run again! Not being able to run has really put a damper on my spirits but there is so much to be thankful for, I need to jsut get over this little hump and keep pushing. There are so many of you that have done alot more than lil ol me. I can do this!!! Thanks for reading!

Email from Julia

Hello All,

I am still doing my walking and Yoga. I haven't posted in a couple days being it hasn't been that interesting in doors as much as outside lately. The sun is shining! Yipppee So I have been doing some major walking and just enjoying the outdoors! I am excited to post that I received a reply to an email i sent to Julia Jones asking her for some advice about doing her running programme. I was so happy to hear from her and one of the Twofitchicks. I love listening to their podcasts when I am walking, they are very entertaing and they give lots of good info. Through reading Julia's program for 5k beginners I finally see what "they" mean when they say "you get shin splints from doing too much too fast". I mean I hate to admit it but my mind may be a alot more fit than my legs are LOL! I think that I push myself way too much in the beginning with Podrunner. It's not podrunner fault. Anyway, I am going to give Julia's approach and chance. I will come out on top! Now let me talk about food.

I have been snacking a whole lot more lately. I find myself nibbling one something and I am not even hungry! That's bad. I am having to force myself to drink water too. I used to be good at drinking water but now it feels like a chore. I know it's all in my head but I really need to get it together, NOW! I guess that's all today, Thanks for reading.

Walking & Yoga

Alrighty! So I am back, I think I really needed a couple of days to just recoupe mentally after my Dr. told me not to run for a month! I have been so tempted to be "hard-headed" as my mom used to say and just run anyway. I have taken some time to read other blogs, I am particularly interested in runners and soon to be runner's blogs, I hate that I cannot remember her name right now but I was checking out a blog  and came across Julia's 5k Training Program. The women on this particular website do Podcast and I am hooked. I am one of those people that listens to talk radio. I'm not talking about gossip in the morning, (which there is nothing wrong with that, some of those shows crack me up too)  I like listening to people talk. So anyway,  in some of the Podcast's Julia gives runners advice and since i finally got me an ipod, my ears were wide open. I am thinking about trying out her program. She made alot of sense when she spoke and she has lot's of knowledge to share. Her program might work better for me once I get over this month long break from running, since apparently with Podrunner I am moving too fast, too soon. So let me tell you about Walking and Yoga.
First of all the sun has been out for the last three days! Yippee! Today, I chose to walk for one hour. I strapped the baby in the jogging stroller and off we went! Then I came home and did 32 min of Yoga X. I think that I could have done a bit more Yoga but I was starving! I was so hungry and the baby was crying. I find myself wanting to do Yoga everyday. As for the walk, I did manage to work up a sweat but I feel like I really am not challenging myself or my body when i walk. It's so tempting to run when I'm just walking. I still tweaking my work outs and trying to get a consistent regimen going. The Mommy area at the gym is a "NO-GO". I tried it yesterday and for the first time the baby was awake. She was good for about 15 mintues then no matter what I tried, she wanted to be right there with me and it wasnt good enough to see me. I was too far away I guess. Well, that's all for today. Thanks for reading, see you tomorrow!

Highs and Lows

What an interesting day it was. First I called and made an appointment to see my Dr. about my shins because they are still aching and now they are swollen. Well, I had x-rays done and he told me, "No news is good news, if you don't hear from me today then it's not a stress fracture." He also said, "No running for a month, I am putting you on Mobic for 30 days and I don't want you running, you can ride a bike or whatever but no running!" I told my husband when we left, "Hmm, I am going running, I'm not quitting!" My husband was so serious begging me not to be hard headed. So, it took me all day but I came to grips with it and I am willing to do other low impact forms of cardio for a month and get back to my Podrunner if that means longevity with this running thing. I feel like crap making it through week 1 only to have to quit again. My shins may have won the battle but I will win this war! I am so serious about running for the 1st time in my adult life. I am going to switch it up a little. I will ride the bicycle and or walk 6 days per week this month. I will continue to alternate days for Yoga X and hopefully I will have built up my endurance and stamina by the time April 1st comes around and I can ease back into my Podrunner. Okay enough about the low for the day.

I just registered for my first 5k! Yeah! I mean it I am determined, i can still train for it without running this month right? The date is set people and I am so happy. June 27, 2010 at 2:30pm! I am doing Race for Life! I am just too thrilled! That is definately something to look forward to. I will leave you on that HIGH note. Thanks for reading. See You tomorrow.