Halfway to Friday

I cruised through another day of tracking food. I cannot believe how much easier it is to be honest with myself and track things when I know that I will be reporting to blogosphere (OK, in all reality probably just Ivy and Claire). I'm sure that it will rub off eventually, but until it does I am happy to take advantage of it.

This morning I met Mandee and lifted for 40 minutes. At lunch I went outside and ran for 40. The run SUCKED. My legs muscles were tight and running was actually painful. I ended up taking far more walking breaks than I normally do. After work I did level 1 of the DVD. I think I'm now at the point where I need to do level 2 unless I run prior to doing the DVD (because I want to die doing level 1 after I run).

Last week Ivy suggested I wear a pedometer around Sturgis Falls so I'm aware of how far I've walked. I ended up not wearing it because I biked 30 miles on Saturday morning. I have been wearing this week at work and my goal has been to reach 15k steps. On my off days I'm going to try to keep it at 10k. So far I've met my goal every day. I'll probably keep track of how I'm doing with steps on the blog too.

Do you have any tricks you use to keep yourself on track?

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

I did fine today. I tracked my calories, ran with Mandee at lunch, and did the DVD. I skipped my morning workout. I just couldn't drag myself out of bed. I'm hoping that eating normally for a few days will get me back on track. I think it will also help me to read Half-Assed: A Weightloss Memoir, I like the author's blog a lot, and Ivy was nice enough to volunteer to lend it to me.

Tonight I made what has become a usual dinner for me - scrambled eggs made with plain yogurt instead of milk (it started when I had run out of milk) topped with pickled jalapenos. I've had it for dinner three times in the last 10 days. I tend to get on kicks with food and eat the same thing over and over again. I'm pretty sure it's a result of living alone and having lots of leftovers.

Back into the Swing of Things

The title of this post is a total lie. I did OK today, but I wouldn't say I'm in the swing of things. My car was in the shop today. That meant I took the bus. I was already carrying a laptop and purse, so I decided to leave my lunch sack and gym bag at home. I grabbed a salad and cookie from Palmer's for lunch and walked a bit before eating it.

After work I ran 3 miles and did the 30 Day Shred DVD. Right before I went on my run I had a slice of leftover pizza. It made for an uncomfortable few miles. Obviously I have forgotten how to fuel before a run.

I did track my calories today. I have my car back and I'm looking forward to hitting the gym tomorrow morning with Mandee.

Blar!

I tracked my food, walked two miles this morning, and did 45 minutes of circuit training at lunch. Both of my workouts were with Mandee. I'm impressed she put up with me because I am grumpy. Very grumpy. I met my goals, but I am not overly excited that I did. Perhaps having the most frustrating work day in years broke my spirit. Perhaps having two beers just makes me down the next day. I really don't care why I'm in a bad mood and don't care about my diet, I just want this mood to go away.

So here is my plan. I can bitch and moan as much as I want until 10:17 PM. At that time I will be in a good mood. I will change my attitude tonight. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Dinner, Drinks, and Set to Lose

I forgot to mention that I weigh myself on Tuesdays. As of yesterday I was down 2.5 pounds from last week. As of this morning it was more like 1. Either way I'm happy.

Today I only did a short AM workout - 10 lifting, 10 elliptical. At lunch I did the elliptical. After work I did the DVD. I was stood up for all of my workouts today. Mandee is making it up to me by working out with me in the morning and running at lunch.

I tracked my calories today, and I did great. I kept my breakfast and lunch small because I knew I was heading to El Bait Shop with Claire, Gjergji, and John. I had a huge dinner - fish tacos, beans and rice, two beers, and some of John's sweet potato fries. It was really too much for one meal, but because of my workouts and light meals if every day was like to day I would lose one pound a week (according to myfooddiary.com). One pound a week is my goal, so I'm pretty happy about that.

Tuesday

Today Mandee had an appointment in the morning so I used that as an excuse to sleep in. I ran 3 miles at lunch and did level 1 on the DVD after work. I tracked my calories.

Having a blog to log the sordid details of my weigh loss is helping a lot. It is a lot easier to stay on track when I know I have to report my transgressions to the world.

The next few days will be tough for me. Wednesday I'm going out to dinner with Claire and Gjergji. It will be a blast, but I am always worried about calorie dense restaurant food. Thursday I'll be visiting family for a BBQ. Saturday I'm heading to Cedar Falls for Sturgis Falls, which is when my hometown becomes the land of beer and mini donuts. EEK! I am worried about the challenges, but I know no matter what I'll be OK.

Monday

I think that Monday is the easiest day to do well on a diet. There is something about starting a fresh work week that makes me want to succeed in other areas of my life.

Today I was ditched by two different workout buddies. Mandee overslept, so I skipped lifting and did the elliptical instead. Kelly had to cancel our usual Monday lunch workout, so I ran three miles with Mandee. After work I did the Jillian Michaels DVD.

I did great with food today. I feel like I will easily make up for Saturday.

I love running on the treadmill at lunch, yet prefer running outside after work. I think that is because I usually run with a friend at lunch. We can each adjust our speed and intensity to what we're feeling up to that day. We can talk and get a customized workout in at the same time. After work I run to clear my head. I honestly think I would trip and fall off of the treadmill because I get so deep in thought when I run after work.

New Workout and Amazing Pancakes

Today was a good day. I tracked my calories, ran 3 miles, and did a new workout.

After hearing Ivy talk about Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD I thought I would check it out. I did level 1 and didn't think it was too bad, but we'll see what I say tomorrow when I try to walk up stairs. It's 20 packed minutes of intense activity. I am going to try to squeeze it in a few times a week in addition to my current work out schedule.

I had a salad for lunch because I knew I would have a big dinner. John and I had brinner tonight. We had pancakes so good the bacon paled in comparison. They weren't just regular pancakes, they were blueberry orange cornmeal pancakes with real maple syrup.

I'm feeling good about my weekend, even with yesterday not going so well. I usually do a good job staying on track with tracking my food during the week.

Wedding Fail

I should have squeezed a run in yesterday. After all of my wedding calories were added to my daily total MyFoodDiary.com advised me that if I ate like that every day I would gain a half a pound a week. Whoopsie.

That being said, it was really good food. And cake. Had I stuck with light beer instead of having a margarita I would have been in a better position. Or if I hadn't have had a cookie at lunch.

I made some bad decisions yesterday, but I'm back on track today. I'm allowed to have a day where I don't do as well as I hoped as long as I am back on track the next day.

Sushi and Booze

THANK YOU CLAIRE!! Your advice on pre-exercise and just admitting that you'll probably eat more than you would at home when you go out.

I tracked my calories (guessing when it comes to some of the sushi). I even went out for a drink after dinner and remembered to track it.

I ditched Mandee this morning. I just couldn't get up to work out. I made up for it at lunch with 15 on the elliptical, 30 in a circuit class, and 15 running. After work I lifted for 25 minutes. All in all a good day.

Tomorrow I'm heading to a wedding reception. Any advice about cake and booze? I often convince myself that I will dance of the calories but I know that is a lie.

Office Politics: The Birthday Lunch

I rarely go out to lunch. I prefer to work out at lunch and eat at my desk. Today was an exception to that rule. In my department I am part of a group of women that go out to lunch to for our birthdays, and we celebrated a birthday today.

We went to Django and I ate a huge lunch. I had a veggie burger with fries. Django has fries so good they have ruined fries for me. I only order them at Django. As it was a birthday dinner we ordered one dessert and shared it. I had two delicious bites of a flourless chocolate cake. I was stuffed. And sleepy. It was hard to concentrate in the afternoon.

When I work out I feel energized and awake. I head back to my desk ready to attack the ever growing pile of projects. This afternoon I couldn't focus.

This morning I had a great workout. I did 25 on the robotic exoskeleton and 10 on the elliptical. Mandee overslept, so I pushed myself a little harder.

I wasn't planning on working out tonight, as I was scheduled to donate blood. During the pre-donation screening I found out that you can't donate blood for a year after you go see Mayan ruins. So I came home and contemplated my next move. I opted for running. It was an odd choice, what with the heat index being 100 when I started and all, but I was in the mood to be outside. I was much slower than yesterday and only went two miles. It still felt great.

I tracked my food today. I'm worried about tomorrow, as we're heading to Taki to meet some friends. I have a tendency to eat too much sushi and drink too many saki bombs. I think I'll offer to drive and eat a small lunch. That way I won't do too much damage.

How do you plan ahead when you know you'll be faced with lots of drinking and eating?

A Little Help from My Friends

Last weekend I went on a knitting date with Ivy. She has been blogging about her weigh loss efforts since April. After too much coffee and yarn talk I decided I would join her in her yarn diet. Every 5 pounds I lose I get to buy yarn. The rest of the time I'm saying no to my desire to purchase new wool and alpaca.

My plan for this blog is to share what I've done to help me reach my weight loss goals every day. I'm not following a specific diet, I am tracking my calories and exercising. I won't go into detail over food, I'll just say if I've logged it or not. I will go into a little more detail on my workouts, because working out is one of my favorite things to do. I plan on blogging every day, even if all I do is eat pretzels and sit on the couch.

This morning I lifted with Mandee for 45 minutes. I ran 3 miles after work. I tracked my food. It has been a good day. Honestly, if it was a bad day I would have never started this thing.

Mandee is my workout buddy. We meet at 7 every work day at the gym at work (OK, some days it is more like 7:30). Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we lift. Tuesdays and Thursdays we do cardio. The cardio is kind of weak, as I'm not a morning person and can't get my feet to move before 10. Working out with Mandee is nice because there is someone to hold me accountable, which I need (duh, people who hold themselves accountable don't have blogs where they share with the world that they are trying to lose weight).