WI Day and I'm Excited?!?

Last WI: 222.4/At Home WI: 219.4! (YEAH!)

THURSDAY

Well, it's amazing what happens when you do the right thing. Yeah - it's funny - diet and exercise work!

So today is the culmination of my first real week OP. I mean kicking butt. Granted - as you can see below, there were a few days that I went over, slipped, splurged, or otherwise didn't make the perfect choice. But for me, this week rocked. I exercised 5 times, earned 34 APs, stayed within my range or close to it most days. Oh what would happen if I really was perfect? Anyway - the loss isn't official till WI at 5:00 but I'm totally expecting the 2+lb loss I was hoping for. On my way to the bridesmaid dress!

So yesterday I bailed at work about 3:30, headed home and was really tired for some reason so I laid down and rested/read my book until about 5:45. Then I got my booty up and went to the gym. Yesterday was a "speed work" day so I warmed up doing a 1/2 mile run at 5.5 mph, then walked for .2 mile, then ran .25 miles at 6.4, walked .2, ran .25 at 6.5, walked .2, ran .25 at 6.4, walked .2, then finished up with a run of .5 at 5.5, and another short walk after that. Over all I did just over 2.2 miles in 30 minutes, but got some good "speed work" in there. That was my 3 x 400 day on the calendar. Then I did 30 minutes on the bike for a total of about 650 calories burned and 6 APs

When I got home, I discovered that Erik and our house guest had ordered (and ate) pizza, which is fine with me. I had told Erik I needed to eat healthy so he wisely ate without me. It was perfect. And after my good work out, and knowing WI was today, I wasn't even tempted by the leftover pizza. I had a bowl of whole grain pasta with chicken flavoring (Pasta sides by Lipton) and some steamed spinach and a handful of cashews for protein. All in all an 11 pt meal - exactly what I had left for the day, not even dipping into the APs. WOO HOO! So as you can see above, the scale was very friendly this morning.

Today's plan: Big breakfast (done - chick-fil-a burrito and some chips); no lunch; chug water (and my requisite diet coke) until about 1:00 pm; then "fast" until WI at 5:00. I have an appointment at work at 2:00 out of the office so I plan to leave from there after that and hit WalMart before WI. I need a new couple of sports bras. I used to have two that fit, but have somehow lost one. Now that I'm going to the gym 5 days a week, I have the choice of doing laundry every day or wearing a sweaty smelly bra some days. I've done both this week, but want to stop. So - new bra for me, along with some other odds and ends for the house. I should be able to get the WalMart trip in, WI and still get to the gym before Erik gets home. We usually go out on Thursday -it's my night to drink and he drives, so we'll probably leave the house around 7:00 or 7:30.

As for exercise, today is supposed to be a "rest" day on the schedule, but tomorrow I'm planning on giving blood at a local blood drive that runs 9:00-2:00. They usually run an afternoon drive - like 1:00-7:00 but for some reason this time they're doing it early, which really screws me. I had planned on running 2 miles on Friday but obviously cannot do so after giving blood. So my choices are get up early and run (yeah right!) or switch my "rest" day to Friday. I choose the latter. Especially since we're going out tonight and I'll likely be drinking. So - I will be squeezing in a work out today and "resting" tomorrow.

Over all my outlook is really good right now. I keep trying to "forget" that I was at under 213 in April of this year and if I hadn't let it all slip I'd be much closer to goal right now. That's destructive thinking though. All I can work on is today and tomorrow. I can't change last month. I CAN learn from it though, and hopefully I will.

I was reading another blog today by Jessifer, that talked about date related weight loss goals and how she feels they're dangerous. I agree with her logic that people who say "I must lose 40 lbs in 3 months" are likely to fail and thus be more discouraged than encouraged. I think, however, there is a constructive way to use a date related goal as motivation, as I am. I have 107 days until Holly's wedding. I want to be "as low as possible" on that date. I'm not saying I need to be 190lbs, or even 200lbs. but I would like to do as well as I can between now and then. And every lb I lose between now and then is one less lb I have to squeeze into that dress. "IDEALLY" I'll be under 200. That is my "HOPE" and I guess you would say "GOAL" but the over-arching thought is do as much as I can between now and then. Even 10lbs lost will make me look better in that dress. 20lbs? All the better. Etc., etc. So here's to 107 days of doing the best I can.

Here's a secret though - I'm not quitting after December 1st. That's really just an interim goal. I have a long way to go - i.e. my LIFETIME - so that's just the first step.

Poker and Alcohol - Required Together!

Last WI: 222.4/At Home WI: 220.0 (hope that's not a fluke!)

WEDNESDAY

Well, yesterday was perfect until the evening...again. I am totally weak at night even after a perfect OP day! I left work and went to the gym - ran 2 miles, then did the elliptical for a total of 6 APs. Not the 10 I'd hoped for, but my energy was just low so I took what I could get. I got home and had 9 points left for the day plus the 6 APs I'd earned. Erik had a friend coming into town from Michigan that he went to college with. His friend, Kevin, would be staying with us for two days. The tentative plan was for him to get in about 5:30 or 6:00 and we'd go to dinner. A little after 6:00 no boys and I'm starving, so I have a bowl of chicken noodle soup to tide me over (3pts). That still leaves me a good 12 points for dinner - totally doable with good choices. The boys finally get there about 7:00 and Erik decides he wants to go play poker.

Boooo!

We play at a restaurant called chaps, which I can totally eat ok at, but have the hardest times not drinking - particularly when playing poker. So we get there, we order, I make a good choice and order diet coke with my sandwich and salad - total of 14 points approx. Then about an hour into the poker game, I'm irritated by the people at my table and order a beer...then another. And you know where it goes from there. I ended the day with a total of 4 beers - and 8 unnecessary points. All in all I was 10 pts over for the day after eating my APs. Not horrible, but I didn't have them to spare after my Monday night splurge. I should NOT be splurging two nights in a row when I really need to post a good loss this week! Grrrr. The good news is that the scale was very friendly this morning - to the point that I think it was wrong but I was too scared to weigh again. I want so much to believe it's right. So I'm taking it and running with it and hoping to have my perfect day today. It's the day before WI and I have no choice, right?

The good news is that I've done TONS of exercise this week. Since WI I've earned 28 APs and plan for another 6 or so today. That is huge for me, so I'm hoping that will cover for the slips of the week.

Today I've had 7 pts so far for breakfast and snack. I havent figured out lunch yet as I'm trying to sneak out of work early so I may just have a bowl of soup I have and disappear around 2:00 or so - we'll see. Either way I am going back to the gym today. And at least I know I won't be tempted by alcohol tonight - Erik has Daniel and our house guest, so it's definitely a night it with the boys. I WILL make a good dinner for me, even if I have to be unsocial. Ideally I can eat just my target points and "bank" the APs for WI tomorrow. That's the plan man!

Slight Binge with Wine and Beer.

Last WI: 222.4/At Home WI: 221.4 (to be expected)

Well, I didn't follow my plan yesterday. :-( I didn't make it to the gym for weight training after work as I got delayed a bit and had people showing up at the house at 6:30. I did make a good dinner consisting of a tuna sandwich and some light chips. I had 10 points left and used them all. I prepared the "snacks" for our guests and included some very good choices for me - broccoli with light dip and "light" tostitos (fat free) with salsa.

Unfortunately I also opened a bottle of wine. And by the end of the night had drank it all. :-* Plus two beers. :-( Plus snacked on the good food and the bad (spinach dip and cashews). All in all the day was great till the evening and my splurge wasn't totally over the top, like I've done in the past. But I'm still disappointed with myself. Today I need to get it back under control.

The good news is I won our poker game last night! :-) Woo hoo! It's been a while since I've posted a win and it felt good. The money isn't bad either. Now - to just learn to play poker withOUT alcohol...

So, I should be able to sneak out of work early today. I'm definitely going to the gym. I plan to run 3 miles, and hopefully kick in some elliptical or weight training to get in 10 APs. That's definitely on the high end but it helps after a splurge day to have a great AP day - sort of a la Wendie Plan.

Another factor is that Erik's highschool friend Kevin, whom I've never met, is coming in tonight to stay a couple days with us. I think he's moving to this area and needs a place to crash for a couple nights. Hopefully that won't mix up the food issues too much. I NEED to post a good loss this week for motivational reasons as well as the bridesmaid countdown. As of today I'm down about 1 lb. BUT I totally plan to kick that to over 2 by Thursday with today's extreme work out and another planned for tomorrow. I CAN do it. I haven't seen a 2 lb loss in AGES. Here we go!

Good Weekend Considering...

Last WI: 222.4/At Home WI: 220.2 (woo hoo!)

MONDAY

I had a great weekend with only a few slips. Friday I executed my plan FLAWLESSLY! I had a salad for lunch with the Bride. I then went to the gym after work and ran 2 miles, walked 0.5 miles, and did some time on the elliptical for a total of over 600 calories burned (6 APs!). Then, ... GET THIS... I STAYED HOME friday night. Wow. Shocker. lol. The Bride invited me to go out for a movie with her and the roomie, and I declined. I was pooped after my work out and had a great dinner consisting of a tuna sandwich and some veggies. Great day.

Saturday I woke up to 220.4 on the scale, but it was the "slip day". Though not horrible at all. I started it off with a balance bar for breakfast (4pts) and then went to the gym and did a GREAT 3 mile run - fastest I've done in a long while, though not at all my best time. I then went to the grocery store and spent way too much stocking up on good food for the week. After that, the slip. I was supposed to go to the mall of Georgia with the Bride, but she got caught up doing bride stuff with her mom and didn't get done in time. So last minute I decided to go play poker at Three Dollar. Well, that was fine - I ate before I went and "allotted" myself 3-4 beers worth of points. Well, 3 hours and 5 beers later, a group of us decide to move the party to the Bride's house, and hang some more. Well, 4 hours, 4 slices of pizza and 5 MORE beers later, I'm headed home. Not horrible, but definitely not what I had planned initially for the evening. I had a good time though and didn't use ALL of my flex points in one day. lol. I still had 5 left going into Sunday.

Then Sunday - the perfect day. :-) Morning scale hopping showed 222.2 - to be expected after the "slip" Saturday, but I woke up to Erik and Daniel playing, and we went to church. I drove separately and had a balance bar on the way so I could go straight to the gym after church. I had a real tough run on Saturday so I opted to let my legs heal a bit and do the elliptical. 64 minutes and 1000 calories burned later, I was pooped. Went home, had a great lunch of steamed shrimp, rice and Green beans, then napped until 3:00. Headed to a friends house for a poker tournament and picked up Subway on the way for when I got hungry a couple hours in. All in all, I ate exactly my target points (28), earned 10 APs, but didn't eat a single one. Fabulous day.

So all in all it was a good weekend for me. Of late I've not counted points, splurged Thursday Friday and Saturday and had to try to make up for it on a hung over Sunday. Not this time. Only one "splurge" and it was controlled. Felt great on Sunday and had a great day then too. I'm very pleased, and hope to repeat this feat repeatedly. lol.

So today - I saw the scale down 2lbs, I think this could be a great week! 3 days will WI and I'm totally hoping for a 2+lb loss. I CAN do it. I had a turkey sandwich for breakfast with fresh tomato (5pts), 2 plums for a snack this morning (1pt) and am still figuring out lunch. The scary risk is tonight. We have our Monday poker league and we're hosting it at my house tonight. I generally like to have a beer or two with Monday poker, and I'll be providing some yummy (read fattening) snacks for the crew. So, the plan is this. I've got 22 pts remaining for the day. If I use 10 or so for lunch (subway anyone?) and get in some weight training after work (2APs) that leaves 14 for tonight. I'll have a filling dinner of something with lots of veggies, and try to save myself 4-6 pts for beer/snacks. I really should just avoid the beer. 2-3 beers isn't enough to even get me buzzed (sickly high tolerance) so it's really wasted calories. I wonder how strong my will power is. I'm going to have to think on it. The good thing is I've got some fresh broccoli and light dip I can put out that I love, so I'll have a healthy snack to choose. It's the beer that tempts me... Oh the life of an alcoholic.

Well, that's about it. I've got 110 days till the bridesmaid dress. I would LOVE to be in Onederland for the wedding. Here's hoping!

113 Days Till Bridesmaid Dress

Last WI: 222.4/At Home WI: 222.8

FRIDAY

Well, I lost 0.4 on my first week "back on the wagon". But Frankel, I've sort of only had one foot on the wagon. Last week there wasn't a single day I didn't go over my points and into flex. I did exercise a bunch but ate every one of those AP's. That's not the way to work this program. I know this. Why can't I make myself do it right? I always do really good during the day at work, and then get a craving for something on the way home and kill the whole day with taco bell or McDonald's. I know my weakness, now I need to fix it.

Yesterday I had a minor victory. I weighed in at 5:30 and, as usual after WI, splurged for dinner - taco bell again (see a pattern?). But then I did make the good choice NOT to go out drinking like I usually do on Thursday night. Granted, my DD couldn't make it, so I would not have been able to drink much anyway, but I chose to stay home regardless. The bad part is that I had "planned" to go the gym instead, but didn't. :-(

Well, I looked at a calendar today and discovered I have 113 days until my BF's wedding. 113 days till I have to squeeze into a bridesmaid dress. And hopefully look good! My DBF is a groomsman, so this will make for a great opportunity for some "prom" type pictures of us. We'll both be super dressed up.

I've decided my new mantra is "every calorie I deny between now and then is one less calorie in my body at the wedding". Ok, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but in general, every smart choice I make is one step closer to being where I want to be.

I talked to the bride today and she said that one of the other bridesmaids is on a diet as well - she's smaller than me but not by much - and had already lost 5 lbs. Well well well. Do we have a friendly competition going on here? I think SO. I can totally do better than that. :-) So, I've only lost 0.4 so far, but this can be a MONSTER week. I feel it.

Erik has Daniel this weekend so I'm thinking about just staying home tonight and tomorrow night. I have a date with the Bride tomorrow to go to the mall of Georgia to see Taylor Swift sing/perform. I also have a poker tournament on Sunday evening that Erik and I are going to. Other than that - no plans for the weekend. So here they are.....RUN RUN RUN. That's right. Tonight I'm going to try to do 3 miles on the TM. Tomorrow 2 or more, and Sunday 2 or more. That will be a minimum of 7 miles for the weekend and almost 1300 calories burned. Definitely a start. I'm going to try to eat only my target points, plus any AP's for the weekend. I need a good week to "jump start" this little competition. I have 16 more WI's before the wedding. I'd LOVE to average 2lbs per, but would honestly be happy if I lost 20 lbs between now and then.

I CAN DO IT!

So - baby steps. Today - I'm at work now. The Bride is calling me shortly to meet her and the groom for lunch and to go by the bridal shop. I WILL order a salad. After work I'm going to the gym. Then dinner will be a healthy choice at home.

That's the plan. NOW for the EXECUTION.

Back Again

WEDNESDAY

Last WI: 222.8 (yep - that bad)/At Home WI: 221.8

Well, I didn't get back into it like I'd hoped in July. So now we're in August, and I'm trying again. I have all new incentive though. Last week Holly, my best friend locally, invited me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. Catch is - wedding is December 1. This is great news and horrible news. Great news because it will be so fun, and Holly and her DBF Dana are perfect for each other. Horrible because her wedding is on the day my 7 day cruise with Erik was scheduled to begin. I called Holland America, though, and they've fully refunded my money. I won't do so well on the plan tickets, though. We'll have to pay about $50 each to change them, but I'd used sky-miles in the first place, so it could be worse.

So - I've got 16 and 1/2 weeks to be a hot bridesmaid. Ok - so I know that I won't be the "hot" bridesmaid in just that time, but I can make a lot of progress between now and then. I started last Thursday and mapped out 16 weeks of running culminating with a half marathon on Thanksgiving. So far so good. Last week I ran 2 miles on Thursday, 2 miles on Friday, 2.5 miles on Saturday and yesterday I ran 3. :-) Not bad for my first week back on track.

I had a bit of a slip from the wagon yesterday when I gave into a craving for Taco Bell for dinner. Very bad. But I recovered and went to the gym with Erik when he got home and did the 3 miles mentioned above. I was rewarded this morning on the scale - it'd been showing higher numbers since the weekend.

Ideally I can lose 2 lbs at WI tomorrow, but, as usual, any loss will be greatly appreciated. I lost a lot of ground the last few months, and its frustrating, but the only thing to do is to get back on the wagon and keep plugging. This is a life long journey and I've gotta take it just one day at a time.

Here's to a good day!

Ok, so Back on the Wagon

Last WI: (3 weeks ago)/At Home WI: 218.6 (actually this is good..)

WEDNESDAY

Well, I fell off the wagon. For a WHILE. I climbed back on, and then fell off again. For another WHILE. But I'm back up on it and determined once again. I haven't weighed in for a couple weeks, so I won't post a WI number until after tomorrow when I officially face the music.

I won't go into the last 2 months, but the last couple weeks I've been really bad. I went to Michigan with Erik for his family vacation to stay with his partents for a week last week. It was lots of fun and very relaxing. We took his son up there and had a really good time. But I was HORRIBLE food-wise. I didn't eat healthy at all, and his dad - though a wonderful cook - is also a food pusher. I'm so weak that I accepted often. Not good. I also brought my running shoes and didn't run even once. :-(

We got back on Friday last week and the same day we flew in, my best friend from college flew in as well. Gloria is her name and she currently lives in Hawaii and is pursuing her doctorate in Psychology. She gets over to see me about once a year, so she's in town now for a week or so. So - my grand plans to get back OP after we got back got pushed back a few days as I had a very fun weekend with G. Ate too much though and definitely drank too much. I dropped her at her grandparents on Monday morning (they live close) and will pick her up again tomorrow for one more weekend of fun. So Monday I should have been good. But I wasn't. So yesterday was my recommitment day.

The only good I did this weekend was that I did make it to the gym on Sunday and ran almost 3 miles on the treadmill - ran 30 minutes and didn't quite make 3 miles. I went back yesterday evening and tried again and was only 15 sec's shy of doing the 3 miles in 30 mins. I plan to try again tonight.

My left knee was hurting a bit on both runs. Both times it began hurting about mile 1.5 or 2.0. I hope it's just "under use" and not some real injury. I'm going to try not to push it, but I do want to try to run 3-4 days a week from now on. Today I plan to run and probably won't be able to again until Saturday.

Well, after I got back from Michigan I got on the scale and Sat, Sun, and Mon, I saw 220's. Not good at all. So after my "perfect" day yesterday, today the scale read 218.6. So that's why I'm happy with that number. Even though it's a full 5 lbs higher than 2 months ago. I'm ok. I just have to keep plugin along.

I've started a new challenge on the WW board. A group of us is trying to lose 20 lbs in 20 weeks. They started July 1. I really started yesterday but am going to try to catch up. The challenge runs us almost up to Thanksgiving, the day I'm going to *try* to run the Atlanta half marathon, so I really think this will be good. I think WI tomorrow will be something close to 220, hopefully 218, but if I can lose 20 lbs by thanksgiving, I'll be on ONEDERLAND which I haven't seen in a very long time.

That's the plan!

Today I'm leaving work around 4:30. I'm going to go home, change, hit the gym, and then hang out with Erik tonight. I've got 10 more points left for the day, not counting any I earn at the gym, so I should be good for a second "perfect" day. :0)