And so we begin again...

So, I found out this week how NOT to travel for work. When I picked my hotel, I only made sure that the hotel had a fitness room. I did not check on running trails and none were close. I picked a hotel that was booked and so the fitness center was packed and I couldn't get in. I did do the 30 day Shred one day in my room, but stayed up too late on other nights to be able to get up early.

I also stopped tracking after Tuesday lunch. So, I don't even have the information on what I did eat. What I am going to do this week is roboot to my 4 pound loss week and do it all over again. Plus, I am in town this week, so I have my running plan in place.

So, away we go!

Keep on Trucking

I did it again!!! And there is no oops about it!! I lost 2.2 pounds for a total loss of 88 (on WW)! 12 pounds until goal! I weighed at the Mckinney location this morning after marathon training since my buddies weren't going this morning (Missed you Sandra!). I was super excited at my weight loss so I stayed for the meeting. Vicki, the leader, gave us the following recipe:


Garden Pasta Salad (Serves 6/ 1 cup, 4 Points Plus)
1 9 oz pkg fresh cheese tortellini
1/3 c light Northern Italian salad dressing w/ basil and romano (Ken's Steak House Lite)
2 TBS chopped fresh basil
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
2 c chopped fresh tomato
1 c chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1 c sliced green onions (about 3)
*Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. While pasta cooks, combine dressing, basil, & lemon juice. Stir with whisk. Add pasta, tomato, cucumber, and green onion, toss well.

Another tidbit for lifetime members with no eTools: My fitness pal is free and has a phone app.

Now, this week is going to be hard. Week 3 is when I have fallen off the wagon the las 3 times. In addition I am traveling for work almost all week. And I have girls' night out tonight. Fun will be had for sure! I just need to keep planning and keeping my eye on the prize.

Giving my body a rest

This morning my body decided to push back. I woke up at 5 to do my routine and my body said no, I'm too tired. I am simply pooped. So, I reset my alarm and went back to sleep for another hour. I can't say that I feel less tired now, but we shall see how the day goes along. I don't think that I can handle working through and eating lunch at my desk again today. But, I also don't want to go out to eat since I already had my treat on Tuesday. So, what to do? I may go for a walk...in workout clothes so as not to get my work clothes all sweaty...plus, who wants to walk in the Texas heat in jeans? Not me, not ever! The only problem I see with walking is that it is not giving my body a rest. But, at least I won't be pounding on it like I would be if was running. I'll save that for tomorrow's 4 mile run.

Bueno Victory

Tonight I had a big personal victory. I had a meeting with our outreach pastor at Corner Bakery so we had dinner. I had planned for it within my points and even figured out half of my favorite chicken pomodoro panini was the same number of points as half of the bavarian ham. I was quite satisfied. Once I got home Brad wanted to run errands but had not eaten dinner. We went by Taco Bueno. Oh it was hard. They have my most favorite mucho nachos. But...they ate 35 points-ish...and I was already satisfied. AND I would feel miserable afterward. So, I had a lemonade and enjoyed the company of my husband without giving into the temptation. While I haven't been 100 % game on this week, but I have tracked everything. And it hasn't been wheels off...so Saturday might be one pound? I hope!

Demon Treadmill

This morning I wanted to beat traffic coming downtown for the Mavericks Celebration parade. I got up an hour early and did my 30 Day Shred video and took the dog for a walk as per my morning norm. However, instead of showering and breakfasting at home, I packed up like a pack mule and headed to the train station 2 hours earlier than I usually go. My goal was to get a parking space. I got a GREAT parking space! I was slightly worried about not getting a seat on the train, but in Plano we still had plenty seats. However, the same could not be said for Richardson and further south. It took the train about 50 minutes versus the norm of 30 minutes to make its way to my stop, but we made it. I headed over to the YMCA from there.

Normally, I run at lunch on the Katy Trail. However, with today's festivities, I knew that it would be 2 or 3 before I could get through the crowds (if I was lucky) to get today's 30 minute run in. So, with the extra time on my hands, I decided to run on the treadmill. Oh geez, did that suck!! My shins hurt almost straight away, but what was even worse is that I was bored out of my mind!!! I was close to a window so I could look out but I couldn't see much other than buildings. There wasn't much on TV to watch. And to top it all off, there wasn't any good people watching. I don't see how people can run on treadmills for long periods of time. I used to be able to walk on the treadmill for hours, while watching CSI episodes. I thank God that this will not become commonplace. I would rather run in the rain than run on the treadmill ever again!!

So, the first week of marathon training comes to an end. I have had a 3 mile evaluation run, a 15 minute run, a 40 minute run and 2 30 minute runs. Now for a day off from running tomorrow before my 4 mile "long run" on Saturday. I need to make sure I enjoy the shortness of it. I know that as I get into the 12-17 mile runs, I will long for 3-4 mile runs.

4 Pounds Closer!

I did it! I lost 3.8 pounds this week! After a humid evaluation run for marathon training, I headed up to the McKinney Weight Watchers and weighed in. It was a big Woohoo moment for me. Like I said earlier in the week, I pulled my menus from a week in April when I dropped 4 pounds to get remotivated. Following that eating and exercise plan, I just trucked through the week, only making slight modifications. Not that it was a big surprise, but I did see that eating at 10pm will surely put the weight on. The next morning I was up almost 2 pounds, erasing my hard work. Luckily, since I do weigh daily, I was able to make this observation and make a correction.

So, what's going on THIS week? I have 2 planned dinners out...one is a happy hour with my girlfriends and one is a church meeting. So, what to do? One thing is for sure, I will be tracking everything that goes in my mouth. Another lesson from this week was that I learned that a jigger of vodka is 4 points. That's a lot out my 29 for a day. So, the lesson learned? One drink is enough. I will also know what I am ordering before I go. This is what I have to do to ensure that I am successful. It may sound like a lot of work, but after awhile it becomes second nature. You can learn to pick out the best options, or sometimes just the nonworst.

So, I am following my sandwich lunch of this past week with some similar dinners. An 4 days of running to boot! Here we go!

Spinning my wheels

Today was a big success! I had a long conference call this morning after which I was totally famished. I did not want to go to spinning, but I knew I needed to. I didn't get up this morning to do 30 Day Shred or walk the dog. And I knew that I wouldn't have the energy tonight after my hair appointment. And I also knew I would feel so much better after I went. Well, surprise surprise! I did feel 100 percent better after class. I got over my hunger after the first 5 minutes and didn't think about it again until I got back to my building.

so, what does this mean for tomorrow? I will likely run at lunch tomorrow even though my department is going to lunch. They are going out for Mexican which I love, but I need to be good. After all, day before weigh in? I need to stick to the plan so that this weight loss continues. I figure if I keep doing what I have been doing this week, I will keep getting what I am getting. Yea!

The next race is the Too Hot To Handle on July 10. Anyone care to join me?

It keeps getting better

Today was a much better day for running. I went running around 11:15 so that the heat would not be as intense as it was Monday at 12:15. While it was still hot, almost 100 degrees, I still pounded the pavement. I did have a great playlist which is key for me to stay distracted from the shin splints that I was feeling in my legs on each of the hills. And I also started contemplating whether or not I would run my marathon for a charity. I have mixed feelings about this and am still considering several options. The buildings and people watching downtown also make great distractions. It ended up taking me 38:47 but I do not know how much of that time what hanging out at crosswalks, waiting for the light to change. I am looking forward to Saturday's evaluation run. That will tell me about where I am at. I don't imagine that I am much below an 11 minute mile, but I can hope, right?

The best thing about following the April eating plan and keeping up the exercise...the scale keeps going down each day. I am looking forward to the scale on Saturday. I pray that it shows that I have 15 vs 18 pounds to go!

What was I thinking?

It is HOT in Texas, hitting 100 degrees already and it is only June. Some of you might think this is normal, but I am here to tell you no, not yet. This time of year our highs are normally in the mid-80's. Yes, we do have 100 degree days, but those usually come mid to late July and hang on strong through August and September, and often until October. At lunch today I took my run outside in the middle of downtown Dallas and over to the Katy Trail. Luckily, the Katy Trail has some shade. And, with a little over 1 km to go over my 5k run, I stopped by the AAC and visited with my aunt. It was a nice break and then I ran in the last 1.4 kilometers to the Y, I was pouring with sweat...which I always count as melting fat so I know that I am going in the right direction. And to run 5.01k in 36:15 is a really good time, especially with this heat. Thank God my marathon will be in February. But, even in February, you do have to watch for the occasional heat spell here in Texas. Whew! Now for some carrots and a ham sandwich!

A Brand New Day

Today is the beginning of a new day...a new week in fact. Over the last 3 weeks, I have gained 6 pounds back again. It is so disheartening. I was 6 pounds from goal over a year ago and now I am 18 away. Travelling and half marathon training derailed me over the last year.

HOWEVER! This week begins my marathon training for the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon which will be February 19, 2012. I am determined that this time I am not going to gain weight through the process. I am going to lose and I am going to hit goal weight! After 3 years on Weight Watchers, I have lost a little over 80 pounds. I have even been at the point that I had lost *almost* 100! But I have never hit it! I want to hit it so bad. Unfortunately I fall into entitlement eating. I eat things because I feel that I deserve them. "I worked out so hard"..."I've had a bad day"..."It's my birthday". And while I agree that every now and then it is good to treat yourself, it is not good to blow 5000 calories in one meal. Unfortunately, what I have learned about myself is that the original cheat meal leads to other cheat meals and that leads to a 4-6 pound weight gain in one week. I try to stop the gaining but inevitably, the second week is usually another 2 pound weight gain. By week 3, if I can do it, I can finally stabilize. By then, I feel really miserable about myself, but vow that THIS is the week...and I start over again. So, that is what this week is for me. Saturday, I was down 0.4 pounds but that was after being up 4 pounds 2 weeks prior and 2 pounds the week after that. So, to me, it was zeroing out.

I went onto Weight Watchers eTools and printed out a week in April of this year that I lost 4 pounds. Now, I am shooting for 2 pounds, even though 4 would be nice. I am going to try to eat what I ate that week and exercise under my new exercise program. My current exercise program is this: 30 Day Shred every morning followed by a 30 minute walk with my dog. At lunch, MWF, I am running for 30 minutes or a 5k, whichever time allows...although I would love to do a 30 minute 5k, I am just not there yet. With the 100 degree heat this week here in Dallas, it should prove to be detoxifying. On Tues/Thurs at lunch, I will go to spinning at the Y. I will finish up by running an evaluation 3 mile run on Saturday for marathon training before heading to Weight Watchers. All that being said, I did not wake up in time to do the Shred or walk the dog this morning. However, I am motivated to do it when I get home. I have got to get this weight off!!! Now is the time!!!