How NOT to be a coach: keeping it real

*advanced warning - there will be profanity*

This past weekend I joined a "Clean Eating" group on FB run by one of those coaching sites that I won't name here but just open up any browser and I'm sure their site will pop up.  I've been looking for a little more structure to get my eating back on track and it sounded like a good idea at the time. One of my friends is a coach and when she asked if I wanted to join I told her I would love to check out the meal plans and I'd follow as close as I could, but would not be buy any shakes (No worries, she said, they aren't required) and would not be participating on Wednesday because I already had plans to go to Chicago for a Cubs game with the family for my 20th anniversary.

She was totally cool with that because HELLO, our lives do not stop because of a meal plan.  Have fun, she said, and just get back on track on Thursday.

So on Wednesday, I checked in with my lunch, which by all accounts was VERY healthy considering what the other 3 people sitting around me were consuming and I was proud of the choices I made.  I really wanted a Reuben or Chicago beef sandwich but I went much healthier:  Turkey burger with only 1/2 the bun and all of the veggies from my sandwich and my son's, veggies on the side instead of fries, oh - and that beer.  Yes, I said in the group that I was in Chicago for a Cubs game and planned on having a couple beers and a Chicago dog at the game. Because CHICAGO...CUBS...BASEBALL!

My lunch - there's a turkey burger under all that produce.

I got a couple comments about how leaving 1/2 the bun and choosing veggies over fries was a great compromise.  Or something like that.  You see, I can't go back and check what people actually said because...I GOT REMOVED FROM THE GROUP!

Yep...you read that right.  The actually admin, XXX (edit-I was asked to remove her name from the post and I'm not a bitch so I've removed it), removed me from the group without even asking me what I was doing or why I was eating what I was eating.  Does this sound like good coaching to you?

This is the direct message I received this morning from my friend who is also a coach and who I thought was the admin for the group.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!?!

I seriously didn't know what to think. Apparently some of the other participants were all pissy because "Why should she get to cheat when I can't?".

I have a news flash for those other participants - and Coach XXX, too.  God gave you free will and the ability to make choices.  How you deal with those choices and how you move past them is entirely up to you.  The only person you have to answer to is yourself and at the end of the day, that's all that matters.

I chose to keep it real and admit that I wasn't on plan that day (which I guess admitting was against the rules) instead of just disappearing for the day (which was also against the rules because we were required to check in at the end of each day). Other people had commented that their meals were "a 3 out of 5" or "I had an emergency appointment so my lunch was XYZ". Did they get removed? I hope no one else in the group admits to eating an Oreo or having a glass of wine because XXX will kick them out of the group, too, instead of being a COACH.

Yes, XXX, you proved exactly how NOT to be a coach.  You never talked to me, messaged me, or gave me a chance to discuss it.  You simply removed me from the group.  You didn't know that it was my 20th anniversary and that I chose an activity for the entire family so I could squeeze a little bit more time with my twins who are moving away from me next year, instead of just some fancy dinner with Mike where we probably would have each had a bottle of wine and easily twice the calories I had yesterday.  You didn't know that we parked a good walk away so I probably had more exercise yesterday than a lot of your other participants.  You didn't know that I didn't drink another beer after 1:20 when the game started because I chose not to.  You don't know that I didn't eat again until about 7:30 last night when I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich.  You didn't know that I got up at 7:00 this morning and ran 4 miles.  Again, something I'm sure most of your participants would not do after being out late from driving home the night before.  You don't know that I already had today's meals planned out to be back on track.  I was 100% PERFECT on Monday and Tuesday, yet you chose to ban me after one day without so much as one iota of "coaching" from you.

If I sound pissed, you're reading this correctly.  Pissed. Shocked. Also a little hurt. If that's the kind of "support" that this particular group gives, I worry for the participants who really need it.  Because I'm sure there are other people out there who need a real coach - someone who talks to them and helps them get back on track, someone who helps them make a plan for "life" happening, someone who doesn't just drop them like a hot potato as soon as they make a choice that you don't approve of.

Good luck to the rest of the people in that clean eating group.  I really hope you find the support and encouragement you need.  Thanks to my friend who had the decency to message me, too.  I really do appreciate her support.

A fresh start? 21 Day Fix

It's been a bit quiet around here for the past few weeks and honestly, I'm ok with that.  I reached out to my FitBloggin tribe and said I've been feeling like I'm in a blogging rut.  The consensus was to take a break until I felt like I had something I wanted to say.

I still don't know how often I'm going to post, but today's post is here in an effort to make myself accountable to something.  As you can see from this little measurement comparison, I have not done very well on the "let's not gain all the weight after your marathon" plan because I really didn't have a plan.

I tracked my food here and there on My Fitness Pal and I've been working out a lot (usually 4 strength workouts plus 6 cardio per week) but my weight just keeps going up and my pants keep feeling smaller - an not in a good way.

I've been looking into Whole30 (too restrictive to attempt with my family) and getting back to more Paleo-ish (also too restrictive because I miss eating grains).  I've also talked to a number of friends who are gung-ho in Shakeology and the 21 Day Fix.  Even with all the "sales", it's more than I wanted to spend on workouts I would not want to do because I hate doing DVDs and the shakes I've tried I haven't liked.

So, I'm compromising in an effort to get a fresh start and get back on track.  I've decided to follow the portion sizes of the 21 Day Fix eating plan (google it and you'll find the container sizes as well as how many of each you get for your calorie range).  I'm also still tracking in MFP because I'm curious how it really comes out calorie-wise.

I've created my week 1 plan, prepped a few things (like a bunch of cooked-up chicken breast) and so far so good.  I never eat mid morning or mid afternoon, so scarfing down my "meal 2" in between therapy groups felt weird today.  I might just add those meals into lunch or dinner since I really don't have time to eat then.  I also haven't figured out how to plan for longer workouts.  This weekend I have a 10 mile run and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to have enough calories.  You aren't supposed to use sugars on this plan, but I'm going to continue to use my gu for long runs and unless I find something that doesn't taste like poo, I'll continue using my coffee creamer as well (coconut milk this morning was GROSS).  Work in progress, I say.

Anyhoo, I took some "before" pics this morning that will probably never see the light of day or this page because no one needs to see me in a hot pink bikini looking like a chubby Casper, but at least I'll have something to compare with in 3 weeks.

Now I'm off to eat my lunch and get dinner going in the crockpot.  Happy Monday, friends!

Thankful Thursday: seeing progress

I've been following a paleo-ish diet for about 6 weeks or so now and I'm finally seeing some results.

April to June and about 10 pounds GONE!

I'm talking about the changes I've made over at The Sisterhood today.  I'd love it if you'd go visit and check out my post.

WIAW: gluten free doesn't mean calorie free

It's Wednesday, which means it's official weigh-in day.  You all know I'm scale obsessed so I weigh in more than once a week, but Wednesday's number is the one I count.

Last week I was really excited because I finally broke 150 after many, many months.  

This week?  Not so excited.  I haven't seen the 140's since then.  I thought I was eating very well all week.  I was being "good".  I didn't drink on the holiday and last night I cut a workout a little short so I could rush home and eat something paleo before my daughter's track banquet which was catering pizza and breadsticks. (This after having a meltdown on FB about how much I hate eating like this and not wanting to blow a month's worth of work for one stupid piece of pizza.)

I was "rewarded" with a 1.4 pound gain.  

This got me thinking about what I've been eating.  Just because a food is paleo or gluten free doesn't mean it's calorie free.  I've tried to find some substitutes to make me a little happier with this diet but the fact is, I'm still eating too many calories.  

I wanted to eat my burger on Memorial Day on a bun.  Those gluten free buns are 170 calories and what sucks is they don't taste that good.  I should have saved the 170 calories and $5 for 4 buns and just eaten my burger with a knife and fork.

I have a sweet tooth and have wanted dessert.  Avocado chocolate pudding with strawberries and coconut whipped cream contains "healthy fats" but it's still fattening.  Frozen banana "ice cream" contains a shit ton of calories, even though it's essentially all fruit.  

I need to cool it with the treats and replacement carbs I guess.  I know not all calories are created equal but it appears 1500 calories is still too many.  

#WIAW: back to tracking

As much as it makes me crazy, I'm back to entering my food into this.


I'm not convinced it's going to do any good & I don't know how long I'll last, but I'm making an effort.



I do great with breakfast, but it's the rest of the day that usually goes to pot. On the bright side, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right.

Do you have a favorite tracking app?  Does tracking make you stabby too?

Have you entered my Suddora headband giveaway yet?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Check-In Wednesday: New Rules of Lifting For Women

In an effort to add more strength training to my plans, I re-started the New Rules of Lifting for Women program on June 2nd, 2013.  On this program, you gradually increase weight and sets (but reduce reps as the weights increase). I'd made it through stage 1 once before (back in 2012) and looking back, didn't really have decent results then either.  I did things a little differently this time.  In 2012, I was completing the workouts 3 times a week instead of the 2 times a week this round (I just couldn't fit 3 in with triathlon/relay/half marathon training without going completely nuts).  I also didn't alternate the exercises the way they prescribed because I found an app to help keep track and I couldn't get it to work that way, so I did them all in straight sets.

Maybe these 2 changes are why this time it was a fail - again.

Or maybe I'm still not eating right.

Or maybe I just suck at strength training.

In any case, here are the changes I made over the course of just over 8 weeks:



If you scroll through my training logs, you can definitely see I increased the amount of weight I could lift.  But who's to say I couldn't lift that much from the start.  I also topped out pretty quickly on some of the weights.  I could never go higher than 15 pound hand weights for the shoulder presses, for example.

Now for the measurements.  They ended up a little better than I thought they would, but I'm still not very happy with them.



I haven't posted a weigh-in for about 3 weeks now because of some really stupid choices and events.  I had managed to get back up to almost 149 and I know a lot of that was salt/water but it still pissed me off.  This week I'm basically back to where I was 3 weeks ago (I lost 2 pounds last week and another 2.6 this week).  Pretty awful because that means the 5 pounds I gained weren't just salt and water or they would've been gone the next day.  I tried cutting out beer completely but I just couldn't do it.  At least I cut back quite a bit, but what can I say? It's summer and beer tastes good.

I started investigating the Whole30 plan and decided I'd probably rather be fat since according to their plan, EVERYTHING I eat and drink is WRONG.  No sugar, no grains, no legumes (like hummus!), no alcohol, no dairy.  No running fuel like honey stingers or gummy bears.  No carb loading.  How the f*ck would I still train and run?  Carry broccoli on my long runs? Pack a steak in my spibelt?  They say start today, no matter what events you have coming up - you can plan around them.  Um...How would I run my relay next week?  I'm pretty sure we aren't packing a grill and oven in my van.  I know there are a lot of vegan and paleo runners out there who have figured this out and major props to you.  I just don't see how I'd make it work.  I finally figured out what I can have without feeling like I'm going to puke or bonk and all that is wrong too.  It's pretty frustrating if you ask me. They say you can do anything for 30 days, but I can't cut all that out without wanting to cut someone for a cookie, so I think for the safety of my family, I need to stick with what I've been doing.  Even if I'm forever stuck in the mid-140s.  Maybe this shows I really don't care enough or want to be skinny bad enough.  I think I'm starting to be ok with that.  I like to have a life and be able to go out with friends and order off the menu.  Even have a beer if I so choose.

Weighing Heavily On My Mind

Do you see the problem here (other than the fact that someone as short as me should not be this heavy)?  This up and down shit has to stop. 

I haven't posted anything like this here in a very long time (so please be kind).  I'm doing it today to start making myself accountable.  I won't be posting my weight every day (nor will I be weighing every day) because that would make me more than a little nutty, but I'm going to start posting it again every week.  I'm also going to start tracking again.  I think that week up there where I lost 3.6 pounds was (a-after the 1/2 mary weight came off, b) I tracked religiously, and c) some kind of fluke).  I started tracking already today though!

I have no idea what my goal weight should be at this point (or even target calories - 1197 was calculated by DailyPlate based on me selecting "lose 1.5 pounds a week").  I was holding right around 138 for a few years, up until around the marathon last October, so I don't know if I should shoot for the 130s again or what.  I have my annual physical coming up in early June and I REALLY do not want to be in the 150s when I step on that scale (but I only have a few weeks before that appointment so in all likelihood I'm going to hate what I see there).  I also have a beach vacation coming up in July and at this point there's no way in hell I'll be wearing my bikini but I'd like to get the confidence back to wear it again.

Right now, how quickly I'm recovering (or not) from my injury is a bit out of my control.  I see the doctor again this afternoon and I really hope I can get out of this boot. In the meantime my goals are to start loosely following the tri plan I posted yesterday (Thanks for all your comments, btw. I will not be following it exactly but it's giving me a guidelines for the swims and biking at least and I have a very experienced triathlete friend working on the plan with me.) and I will track my food as consistently as I can (hopefully hitting at least 5/7 days a week with 90% accuracy).

Anyone want to join me in this?

"You Know What To Do. So do it."

My dear friend, Kirsten, is very wise.  She knows I'm not happy with the number I've been seeing on the scale lately.  Her reply? "Stupid numbers" and "You know what to do. So do it." 

She's absolutely right.  First off, the number is just a number.  True, it needs to be a smaller number than it is right now or I'm going to need to buy new pants, but it IS just a number.  I've also lost this weight before and I know how to do it.  The problem?  I don't think the running is going to work this time.  This is what I did on Saturday. 

I spent just over 2 hours running on the treadmill and was blessed with my highest weight in well over a year the next day.  Now, I know some of that is water from sore muscles, and I ate a lot of salty foods to try and combat the severe dehydration I ended up with from sweating inside on the treadmill, but still.  NOT HAPPY.

Like she said, I need to "keep my body guessing".  This is where cross training and strength training comes in.  I've also been more lax with my diet and that needs to stop. Period.  How am I fixing this?  By tracking my food again using the Livestrong Daily Plate app. I've also bumped my daily calories down a bit.  No one freak or tell me that isn't enough to eat. On days I run more than 3 miles, I eat back the majority of calories I burn.  Figuring the right number of calories while training for half and full marathons is not an easy task. 

I've also been going through the Tough Mudder strength workout 2-3 times per week (on days I don't run) and the One Hundred Push Ups app 3 times a week (on running days usually).  The Tough Mudder workout kicks my ass and right now and I'm only completing the circuit once.  Hopefully in the next couple weeks, I'll be able to go through it twice.  I need to modify many of the moves (hello, I can't do a pull up yet or a decent "real" pushup) but I'm seeing progress.  Welcome to the gun show :) Total dork.

Seeing the hint of some baby biceps and triceps this week definitely made me happy and clearly more than a little goofy.  Being able to hold myself up to the chin up bar and do some better negative pull ups (where you lower yourself down vs trying to pull yourself up) is definitely showing progress.

So, while the scale isn't exactly cooperating with me, I'm changing behaviors that will HOPEFULLY net some nice results in the end.  That is my confession this week.  What's yours?  What are do doing to change behaviors that are negatively impacting where YOU want to be?

PS - You only have a week left to enter my contest to win an awesome pair of workout capris from ellasport.  Better GO ENTER!

True Confessions: Have I Blown It?

This is a hard confession for me to write.  I feel like all my hard work getting to a healthy weight has gone completely out the window.  I haven't posted a weight here in many many months (the last I could see was mid-July and I was well within my weight range of 135-138).  Not anymore.  Today I weighed in and saw 145 on the scale.  That's the heaviest I've been in 2011, a good 10 pounds above my lowest weight, and probably the heaviest since Aug 2010 when I finally got below 140 (a number I said I'd never see again and here I am 5 pounds above that).

I did a great job maintaining my weight loss for the better part of a year.  WTF happened?  I'll tell you what happened.  I trained for and ran a marathon.  Then...I've continued eating for the past 6 weeks like I was STILL training for a marathon.  I've eaten crap (hello - yesterday alone I had 2 donuts, went to McD's for lunch, and had an uber-high-calorie Starbucks - my guess? over 4000 calories yesterday).  I've been boozing with my friends a lot lately (dude - beer has a ton of calories, just so you know).  But you know what?  Unless you're running 25-30 miles a week, that really isn't a good idea.  Hell, it isn't a good idea PERIOD to eat and drink like that.

This shit has to stop.  NOW.  I am so pissed and disgusted with myself.  I not only feel fat, I look fat.  I can see the 10 pounds I've gained.  I changed shirts today so I am now wearing one that covers my stomach more.  (The weird thing? I went out dancing with a girlfriend 2 weekends ago in a short skirt and boots and the shirt I changed out of this morning.  I felt great about how I looked, even though I probably didn't look any smaller than I do today- this I cannot explain.)  In any case, overall, my clothes are tight (guess I shouldn't have gotten rid of all those fat pants, huh?).  10 pounds on a sub 5'3" body is A LOT of weight.

This morning, I started tracking again.  I re-downloaded the Livestrong Daily Plate app that I used before.  I measured the creamer in my Drink Click this morning (speaking of - today is the last day to enter my giveaway - I'm picking a winner at 8:00 tonight).

My plan:

• continue to track calories in/calories out at least through the end of the year
• no more eating after 8:00 pm
• at least one strength training session a week, preferably I should be getting in 2-3 sessions, but I'm trying to be realistic
• at least 64 oz of water every day
• Cut out the booze

Back to basics I go.  I just know how hard it was for me to lose these 10 pounds before, so I'm angry at myself to have to do it all over again.  All I know is this trend cannot continue.

Wednesday Ramblings

Uber quick cuz I'm running late for work.

First off, thank you to everyone who commented on yesterday's post. I'm still undecided exactly how I will run Sunday's race, but I definitely have a better idea.  A lot will depend on how I feel Sunday morning. (I never look at my blog stats either, but WOW did a lot of people open that post yesterday, which leads me to the question...why didn't the other 150 people comment?  That's ok, but I really do appreciate the comment luv.)

Secondly, I'm holding steady weight-wise and have really cut back on the obsessive scale hopping.  I'm not thrilled with the number right now (I'm up a whopping pound from last week and 3 from what I'd like my "ideal" to be, not a big deal) but I'm going to need to keep an eye on it.  It's still below the major danger zone.

Third, all this running has made me so freaking HUNGRY.  I think this would be why my weight isn't where I'd like it to be.  I try to reach for healthier snacks, but dammit, sometimes I just want pretzel m&m's.

Random blog question:  What's for dinner tonight?

I've gotten 2 new sponsors that you'll get to meet tomorrow!  Would you like to join my sponsors Ben, Erin, Andrea, Lisa, Ann, the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans, Melissa, Kirsten, Mel, MyRaceRagz, Roo, and my 2 newest sponsors in supporting me as I train to finish my first full marathon, the Grand Rapids Marathon? I have set up a sponsorship page in which you can help me reach my goal of crossing the finish line (sponsorship will help pay for race fees, nutrition/hydration, shoes, etc). You can click HERE, or click on the tab above. I would love and appreciate any support you can give me. Bloggy and linky love will follow, as well as the ability to sponsor individual miles and run "with" me on October 16th. I cherish all the love and support my readers have given me this year. I wouldn't be attempting this race without you. 

Power of One: Week 7

I can't believe we only have 1 week left in the Power of One challenge.  Wow, time really flies, huh? Last week I had a rough weigh-in on the scale but wasn't really beating myself up.  At this point, it is really about maintenance and finding that healthy balance between calories in and calories out.  I think I did a bit better this week, although life is really getting in the way and I haven't been completing all my training.  (I only missed 1 scheduled run, but have really slacked on the cross and strength training.  This must improve.)

So let's see how I did this week on the scale.

Weight on June 23, 2009: 165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 138.8

Last Week's Weight: 138.6

This Week's Weight: 135.8

Change: Down 2.8
Challenge Change: down 3.0

Whew!

Power of One: Week 6

I'm disappointed.  I clearly overate this week, plus had too much salt.  I skipped a training run this week because my son had his 1st swim meet and I've been having issues with my hip.  Tried to get in to my chiro & he's leaving the country for 2 weeks (he's the team doc for the USA Bobsled Team and they are competing at Worlds in Germany).  Needless to say, my weighin pretty much SUCKED OUT LOUD.

Here are my stats for the week:

Weight on June 23, 2009: 165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 138.8

Last Week's Weight: 135.4

This Week's Weight: 138.6

Change: up 3.2 FRAK
Challenge Change: down 0.2

Sonofa...

Power of One: Week 4

I'm having a bit of a weight identity crisis as in how much should I really weigh anyway and am I where I should be.  Christy left a great comment on my True Confession post yesterday and I think she made some very valid points.  I am at a weight I was able to maintain for over 6 years and I'm actually quite a bit leaner/more muscular than I was back then, so I'm in a smaller size.  I think I need to focus more on continuing to tone up and building my running mileage back up, rather than the number on the scale.  A range of 134-138 would be great to stay in.  I spent a bit of time on twitter today chatting with a couple of my twitter buddies about how frustrated they were with the numbers they were seeing on the scale.  The same up/down that I deal with.  The same sore muscles sometimes causing a gain because they are retaining fluid.  Gaining 2 pounds in just a couple days - or losing 2 pounds in just a couple days.  Fluctuations happen and that's what I told them.  Weight training is good, even if it causes a gain one week because your muscles are a bit pissed off at you.  Drinking enough water is good.  Not drinking enough water is bad.  I need to listen to myself sometimes.  I had a good week on the scale.  I am in that range, but is that really where I want to be?  Hence, the stupid identity crisis.  Here are my stats for the week:

Weight on June 23, 2009: 165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 138.8

Last Week's Weight: 137.8

This Week's Weight: 137.0

Change: down 1.0 

Challenge Change: down 2.0

Overall, I had a good week.  My 25k training is coming along and I've gotten in all of my required workouts this week.  I ran 4 miles on an indoor track (112 left turns) on Saturday because the temps here were below zero with windchill and it was snowing like a mo-fo.  I had my fastest 4 miles EVER.  I did feel like a bit of a shmuck seeing how many people DID run outside though.  Those people are effin NUTS, IMO, but they still went out there. 

I downloaded a new iPhone app to use for strength training: Nike Training Club.  If you don't have it, do download it.  The app is free and has tons of exercises.  I was so frigging sore yesterday from Monday's workout that I almost didn't do my training run on Tuesday.  I still did it though - 3 miles outside in the slushy snow YO!  Today, I want to cry every time I have to get up out of a chair or walk down the hall.  My legs are TOAST. 

Today I tried out the Wii Zumba game I won from Tirah.  It was really fun, but I honestly didn't feel I got much of a workout because I was trying to figure out the moves, and let's face it, my hips just don't move like that.  At least I only embarrassed my children, though.  I'm sure once I get the moves down, the sweat will happen.

So, I hope everyone else had a great week. If you lost weight this week - congratulations and good job!  If you didn't lose this week - it's ok, remember this is a marathon, not a sprint and every week you get a little stronger.  The strength might be physical.  It might be mental.  It might just be a little more knowledge about what works and what doesn't work for YOU.

Power of One: Week Three

Well, here we are on another Wednesday where we all get to *officially* face our scale and see how our week went from a numbers standpoint.  I say this, because I'm trying REALLY hard to look past the fraking numbers on the scale.  It's really hard, people.  Especially when I am so scale-obsessed that I weigh myself nearly every day.  I know that I reached my "goal" weight of 135.8 Saturday morning.  I also knew yesterday that I had completely blown that over the weekend, despite making some pretty decent choices and getting in exercise.  A couple years ago, you would not have found me on a treadmill at a hotel, getting a run in before the group ordered dinner.  You also wouldn't have found me smuggling in Subway to a gymnastics meet.  I would have just eaten the pizza, nachos, nasty burgers, etc available at the venue.  So, all-in-all, I'd say I did pretty well this week, even if the scale didn't reflect that.  You can read more about my transgressions (and watch my girl compete) here if you are so inclined.  Here are the numbers, since I sorta need to report them:

Weight on June 23, 2009: 165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 138.8

Last Week's Weight: 136.4

This Week's Weight: 137.8

Change: up 1.4

Challenge Change: down 1.0

Me and Nancy!

In all honestly, I'm getting sick of the up one/down one every frigging week.  I need to start looking at the non-scale victories.  I got to meet one of my favorite bloggy friends on Saturday!  Our very own Nancy, one of the newest contributors to Shrinkingjeans! We went shopping at the local outlet mall, and I scored a pair of size 6 dress pants and a sweater at the Gap for 6 bucks each. (I'm wearing them today-see!)  Seriously - that's freaking awesome!

excuse fuzzy cellphone in mirror shot

In fact, the majority of pants are now a size 6.  Why can't I be happy with that?  I just keep telling myself that it is vanity sizing, and maybe it is, but should it matter?  I'm also dealing with the fact that all of my size medium workout clothes are too big, especially the bras but we won't even talk about how THAT makes me feel.  I really don't have the cash to replace my workout clothes, but I definitely need to find some new bras.  If there are any sports bras out there that you love that fit girls in the size 34 B/C range, give me some ideas.  I don't want to just squish them down completely because I really don't rock the uniboob look, but I also don't want them bouncing all over the place.  Really, why aren't there any sports bras for us "average" sized girls?  It boggles my mind.  Speaking of my mind, my head needs to start catching up to my body, and quick, or I'm going to make myself crazy.

As for those *other* goals I wrote for the challenge, I'm doing OK.

• Drink at minimum 64 oz of water 6/7 days a week. - I did great during the week, but not so good on the weekend.  Also, spending 12 hours in the car with a full bladder is a bad thing, so I don't drink much water when I have to roadtrip. 
• Run 2-3 times a week - Yep.  I am fully into my 25k training, so running 3x a week is happening from here on out.  Speaking of which, April has a little challenge going on that I've also signed up for.  100 miles in 100 days.  She is planning on a minimum of 1 mile a day for the 100 days, but I will probably just use my training miles and spin classes when I cross train (although I'm not sure how to calculate the miles from spin since the bikes at our gym don't show miles).  
• Sign up for my 25k race - Done
• Do the Shred DVD, EA Sports Active, or some other strength/crosstraining 2-3 times a week. - fail. 
• 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups after each run. - fail.  I'm still doing my crunches after I run, and I tried some pushups on Saturday but they left my shoulder hurting, so I think this goal gets bagged for the time being.
• Log my food on Daily Plate at least 4/7 days a week. - fail. 
• Lose at least 3 pounds to get back to 135.8 or less. - I had on Saturday, but now this is also a fail.

How did the rest of you do?  Head over to Shrinkingjeans and let us know!

Power of One: Week Two

Today we come to another Wednesday, and for me it is a sick day at home.  I have been battling a head cold for weeks that finally decided to turn itself into (yet another) sinus infection.  But, all is good because I have my meds all in a row and I will start to feel better soon.  I have to, I get to meet one of my all time favorite people IRL on Saturday: Nancy!  That, and spend 12+ hours in a car driving to a gymnastics meet where we will spend many hours for K to compete for a total of less than 3 minutes.

Anyhoo, as I crawled out of bed at 9:45 this morning (don't hate-I'm sick), I hopped on the scale. 

Weight on June 23, 2009: 165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 138.8

Last Week's Weight: 137.8

This Week's Weight: 136.4

Change: down 1.4

Challenge Change: down 2.4

So, Yippee! I've just about gotten back down to my lowest weight.  Granted, not really eating much of anything yesterday probably helped a bit.  We shall see if the momentum carries me into next week, since the weekend will be comprised of crap food and the gymnastics venue and fast food on the road. 

As for those healthy living goals for this challenge and the New Year, I'm afraid being sick has derailed them slightly, but here they are:

• Drink at minimum 64 oz of water 6/7 days a week. - check! I think I'm still here.  I've been making an effort, especially since I've been so sick, to get my water in, but water also tastes really bad to me when I don't feel week, so some of this water has come in the form of iced tea or Crystal Light.
• Run 2-3 times a week - check! Just barely.  I ran 4 miles on Wednesday and 6.3 on Saturday as part of the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans Virtual 5k (yah, I did a 10k). You can read about my snowy run here!
• Sign up for my 25k race - OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD Yes, I signed up for the race!!! Now I'm looking at training schedules.  I want to basically follow Coach Joe's 1/2 marathon schedule that I LURVE (this schedules RAWKS and also includes 5k and 10k training!) but I need to add some weeks on (obviously).  I'm going to basically merge his schedule with the schedule put on by one of the local running clubs.  They have free training runs on Saturdays if I decide I want to run part of the course with them.  My first official "long run" will be this Saturday at the hotel.  I have to go 3 miles.  I think I can handle it if my head doesn't explode before then :)
• Do the Shred DVD, EA Sports Active, or some other strength/crosstraining 2-3 times a week. - fail.  I rode a recumbent bike for 40 minutes at the gym on Monday.  The most wasted 40 minute workout ever IMO.  Being sick has knocked me on my butt, I'm afraid.
• 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups after each run. - fail.  This is a fail because I apparently do said pushups incorrectly and messed up my right shoulder.  I did do the situps though.  Pushups will have to wait quite a while until the shoulder stops hurting so much.  Sports chiro gave me the ok to use the arm again (do you have any idea how hard it is to NOT pull your arm behind you or bear weight thru your arm/shoulder??-holy crap I had no idea).
• Log my food on Daily Plate at least 4/7 days a week. - fail.  I haven't logged since the 5th of January.  Oops.  But, I've definitely been eating much healthier for the past couple weeks.
• Lose at least 3 pounds to get back to 135.8 or less. - not yet, but getting there!

So there you have it.  My week in a nutshell.  Now it's your turn.  Hop on over to your scale and then link up here!  How did you do this week?

Power of One: Week One

Today is Wednesday, which means it is weigh-in day (or check-in day for you non-losers out there).   Let's take a look at how I did this week:

Weight on June 23, 2009: 165.8

Challenge Starting Weight: 138.8

Last Week's Weight: 138.8

This Week's Weight: 137.8

Change: down 1.0

Challenge Change: down 1.0

Yeah!  I lost a pound.  Not a huge change from last Wednesday, but considering I was WAY up on Saturday, I consider it a major victory (a loss of 2.4 pounds since Saturday-probably mostly water, but I'll take it).  I'm back out of the "danger zone" and back into my "goal zone".

Let's see how I did on my healthy living goals for this challenge and the New Year.

• Drink at minimum 64 oz of water 6/7 days a week.  - check!  The past few days I've gotten in over 86 oz and made more trips to the bathroom than I care to count.
• Run 2-3 times a week - check!  I ran 3.1 miles on Thurs, Sat, and Mon (and hope to run again after school today).
• Sign up for my 25k race (the race isn't until May and I won't need to start officially "training" until probably February, but I should just get the sign-up out of the way, don't you think?) - not yet. There is a mini expo/kick off party tomorrow night and if the lines aren't too long, I'll sign up then!
• Do the Shred DVD, EA Sports Active, or some other strength/crosstraining 2-3 times a week. - check! Did the Shred Wed, Sun and Tues!
• 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups after each run. - check!
• Log my food on Daily Plate at least 4/7 days a week. - so-so  I logged about 75% of what I ate 4 days this week.
• Lose at least 3 pounds to get back to 135.8 or less. - not yet, but getting there!

So how did you all do?  Also, have you started working on that Monthly Project yet?  I had already reflected back on last year's letter to me, but still need to write one for this year.  Hope to get that done by Friday!

2010: A Look Back

I can't believe 2010 is over.  It seems like only yesterday, I was writing a letter to myself as part of a Shrinking Jeans monthly project.  Amazingly, that was 12 months ago!  We were to "reflect" on our year, written from the perspective of our 2011 self.  Now, it really is 2011 and I thought I would take a look back and see how I "did".  I hadn't looked back at that letter until yesterday when I had planned on writing this post (but do to internet issues, couldn't get it done).  Here are a few of the highlights:

• You finally got serious about getting back to a healthier weight. You bought a wii, got an iPhone with some running and food tracking apps, and found all these awesome, supportive friends through the blogosphere!
• Check, check and check!
• You definitely met your goal of being in the 140's before you hit 40.
• Check!
• Part of going crazy must have prompted you to sign up for that 10K race.
• Check!  Not only did I sign up for 1 10k race, I ran 2 10k races, an 8k race, AND RAN A 1/2 MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My "reflections"/"predictions" were pretty spot-on.  I didn't only meet them, I exceeded them.  I spent 2010 getting healthier, meeting some amazing new friends, and really became a runner. 

Now, what kind of 2010 reflection post would this be without some pictures?



In January I took the twins to their first arena concert.  Brad Paisley!!!!

In February, I embarked on a journey to become a "runner".  I ran 417 miles in 2010! 

 

In March, my father's partner of 15 years, "Uncle Bobby" to my kids, was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  He lost his fight in April.



April came and Mike and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary with a trip to Chicago.



I finally crossed the finish line of my first 10k race in May!

In June I got to hug Kirsten IRL when we met up in Chicago!

I ran my 2nd 10k race in July back in my hometown in almost 90 degree heat.  GAH!

August marked my 40th and D & K's 13 birthdays.  We celebrated at Disney World.

I loved celebrating my birthday with fireworks!



August was a REALLY good month, because I also got to meet Mendie and Brooke!

Melissa and I got to meet IRL in September!  We had a great time at Bell's Brewery :)

October was HUGE because I RAN A 1/2 MARATHON!

November marked Mike's longest run w/o walking: an 8k (5 miler) on Thanksgiving Day!

December brought us to the end of a very busy year, with Christmas at our house, surrounded by our family.

Thank you to everyone who has followed me on this journey.  You have truly made this a year to remember.  This was the year I lost 30 pounds and got back down to my goal weight.  This was the year I became a runner!  I hope you stay with me to see what 2011 brings!

The Power of One: The Beginning

A brand new fitness and weightloss challenge is starting TODAY at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans!  Are you signed up?  I hope so, because there is no time like the present to get back on track after the holiday debauchery that has just ensued.  This challenge is a little different because there are no teams.  This challenge is focusing on the most important person in your life:  YOU.

I definitely need this challenge.  I had managed to reach my goal weight about a month ago, and technically I'm less than a pound above what I considered my maintenance range of 135-138, but I've gotten a little too loosey-goosey and I've put a few pounds back on.  3 pounds to be exact (and only 1.8 since the end of the last challenge, so it really isn't that bad).  Now, that really shouldn't get me down, but it does.  My weigh-in this morning of 138.8 is dangerously close to a decade I said I'd never see again.  Yesterday, my scale said 139 and it made me cry.  But it also made me go to the gym and work out for an hour and a half, so I guess there was some benefit although I'm pissed my workout only earned me 2/10 of a freaking pound.

So, onto the challenge portion of our challenge.

Step 1: weigh-in.  Check. 138.8 (boo)
Step 2: blog about it. Check. you are reading it, aren't you?
Step 3: take measurements and a photo.  Sorta.  I'm not going to take a photo because with only 3 pounds to lose, there isn't going to be much visual change.  I did take my measurements but I'm keeping those to myself.  M'kay?
Step 4: weigh-in form. Check.

And finally, my healthy living goals for this challenge and the New Year.

• Drink at minimum 64 oz of water 6/7 days a week. (I've been HORRIBLE with this over Christmas break.  I do much better with my water bottle at school.)
• Run 2-3 times a week
• Sign up for my 25k race (the race isn't until May and I won't need to start officially "training" until probably February, but I should just get the sign-up out of the way, don't you think?)
• Do the Shred DVD, EA Sports Active, or some other strength/crosstraining 2-3 times a week.
• 25 push-ups and 25 sit-ups after each run.
• Log my food on Daily Plate at least 4/7 days a week.
• Lose at least 3 pounds to get back to 135.8 or less.

OK, I think that's it!  Ready, Set, Go!