Smoothie Madness

I'm having a smoothie every day now as a meal. And I'm liking it. That is all.

Turkey Weigh In

Well I weighed myself on Thanksgiving and I was 175lbs. Only 2 lbs short of my goal! I got distracted in the last 2 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, and I also was sick for 2 weeks, so I'm ready to face those pounds now. Just in time for more holidays:)

So. New goal. Bringing it down to 170lbs by my birthday, late January. And here is how I'm going to do it:

1. Back to at least 3 runs a week. I love it, and I think I want to try some longer distances and interval training. A great way to ramp up my runs is taking my friends dog with me. He could go for 20 miles and still want to chase after balls.
2. Make more of my own food. I have become really lazy in this area. My bike got stolen a few months ago, and the bike I am borrowing is just not as comfy to ride, though I am super grateful to have it. This means less trips to the grocery store. Time to move my ass.
3. Keep on doing Pilates. I seriously love that Netflix Instant Queue has workout videos. And now my roomie is doing them as well! Woot for her!
4. Limit the drinking. This is hard to do because I love meeting up with people in bars and going to Improv shows. And I always feel like such a schmuck for taking up space in a venue without buying anything. I guess I need to be okay with being a schmuck?

I also am trying to incorporate smoothies into my life. I think if I committed to those being one of my meals every day, I could cut back on calories and fat.

And one more thing.

No more straight up fried foods. Specifically, fries and tator tots. I have finally figured out that when I eat those things, my stomach rebels, and I have a really hard time sleeping. Go figure. I thought it was wine that would wake me up in the middle of the night, but it's fries and tots. Which sucks, but I'm done with the bellyaches, so it's time.

Hope all y'alls winter seasons are starting off right!

Favorite Season Moments.

I love fall. I really really do. I feel more energized with the cool air, and for some reason we have had a few crisp fall days a week here in Portland, which is odd. Usually the word to describe autumn here is: damp.

So what have I been doing in the past month? I've been running more (except for 2 weeks when I was sick and blerg). I've been eating a wee bit less. I've tried some recipes that could be defined as "healthy." I'm feeling good.

Oddly enough, I have stopped with my food journal. There are a few reasons why I did this, though it was not a fully conscious decision. I like getting into bed and falling asleep right away. I like not having to remember every bite I take. I wasn't looking back on my journaling, so I wasn't learning from that retrospective.

The journal is in my bedstand, should I ever need it. For now, I'm working my ass off so I can weigh in and be proud in 2 weeks.

Holy crap, only 2 weeks to Thanksgiving!

Time to find a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake....

Weigh-in Day!

So I weighed in on Saturday, goal being 180lbs. Solid. I felt rocking. I had been on top of it. active, limiting food amounts, good to go.

The good news is, I lost weight!

The bad news, is that I lost half a fricking pound.

181.2lbs.

DAMN.

I had even done retail therapy instead of calorie therapy on my particularly sucky Friday. So. Let's see how long I can be a positive Polly about this. I still lost weight! And I feel healthier! And I feel skinnier! And I had a great 4 mile run on Sunday!

!!!!!!

But I also really wanted that number to go down. I really want to wear smaller clothes. And bras. And just be less of me. And not bigger than all my friends. And sometimes this really really really really sucks.

So I guess everything is the same?

That's all I have today. I'm sorry it's not more fun. For fun, please check this video out. Yeah, she's awesome.

Dance Dance Revolution

I JUST WENT TO ZUMBA CLASS AND I LOVED IT AND WANT TO DO IT ALL THE TIME!

It was super duper fun. I haven't sweat like that in a LONG-ASS time. It was every where, even my calves were sweating. My runs do not achieve that. Ever. And I don't get to shimmy on my runs. or swing my hips.

Classes like that are why I miss being a member of a gym, but I just can't afford the monthly fees right now. I can afford to do it once a month though, so that will suffice, along with runs, pilates videos, and the odd hike/danceparty.

In other news, I am dogsitting right now. Cowboy is an australian cattle dog, and would be happy walking every 2 hours and running after balls for "down time." Meaning, I am exhausted, but feeling pretty darn healthy from all of our excursions. As a matter of fact, I shall now make a bold statement about weight loss. I'll bet myself, and you, and the interweb, that I will weigh 180lbs this coming Saturday (that's my next chance to weigh-in).

And now I'm off to eat chocolate cake for lunch (don't judge, it's that time of the month and I will be walking cowboy before and after....seriously, let me eat cake...bad joke....and scene.)

Lazy Tuesday

NOT.

For serious, I feel like I have in "go" mode for the past few weeks. Not necessarily in the exercise or health department, but in life at large. And I really would rather surf the internet than post anything, but I know that's for another reason entirely.

So let's back up. 2 weeks ago I decided to lose 9lbs by Thanksgiving. I chose that amount because it was, at the time, 11 weeks until Thanksgiving and I wanted to set an aggressive yet achievable goal. So then I weighed myself and ....

182lbs. Okay.

Up from the pretty 178lbs for my cousin's wedding. Shit. Anywho. The point is to lose 9lbs from that weight, so goal is 173. Let me write it one more time so you hear my conviction and terror nervousness sheer determination.

173

I have made a really specific goal list for how to achieve this. It includes things like: run three times a week, try barre 3 classes, buy 5lb weights, try one recipe a week that is low-cal/low-fat, cut back on eating at work. I'll share more details coming up, but let's quit stalling and get to my reluctance to post. I weighed myself last night at my parent's house and was a wee pissed to see that my weight was 181.8. I've lost .2lbs. Is that even a real number? Does that count? Damn straight it does. One step at a time. Next time it will be a solid 181. I got this.

Though it would be nice if this all magically happened and I was magically about a size 8 (One day folks, single digits will happen for a pair of jeans. And I shall wear them for one day and then cast them in gold to display in my foyer. Assuming I have a foyer. That's still up in the air.)

Love is more than a word.

Warning: extreme cheeziness ahead.

Love is action. It might be the same action over and over and over again. It might be new actions that help us grow, or familiar actions that comfort us. Love is a dynamic activity that we take part in, not just words to say, but words and feelings to live by.

I am learning to love myself. I am working, every damn day, to believe in myself. And it takes more than just words. The words help, of course, but actions speak louder than words(blogs the list maker, goal pyramider, writing major). Say you will run three times this week, and then RUN THREE TIMES THIS WEEK.

I'm trying to regroup my weight loss plan. I'm reading articles, outlining workouts, writing down goals. But none of this planning will mean anything if I don't go through with it. I need to actively dynamically care and love myself. I have to do. Run. Eat. Cook. Pilate-tate?

These thoughts came to me on a run I did earlier this evening. I wasn't excited to run, work had been rough, it was hot, I felt fat and tired, and there was an opportunity to go see a movie in an air-conditioned theater. It was a rough choice. And tonight, I chose action. I chose to love myself. And it feels good.

Last thought: Sometimes my runs are prayers. Sometimes I am running for more emotional than physical reasons. I can find a mantra, a hope, a goal to meditate on while I pant and sweat. I can only hope the universe is paying attention:)

More Specific Goals

So I realized something as I was flipping through a 3 year old fitness magazine. I've stopped being specific in my fitness/weight goals. Sure, I said: I want to be under 180lbs by my cousins wedding(I totally was, thankyouverymuch). And I want to say: I will be under 170lbs by Thanksgiving.

But HOW will I do that? Running? Trying to eat healthier? Drinking less? These are phrases I can think and say. They sound nice. They sound easy-ish. And that's what losing weight is if nothing else. Easy.

Bwahahahahaha! Yeah, no.

I recently saw a goal pyramid on Pinterest that inspired me(Please forgive me for not pinning it or tracking down the pictures, it's proving to be difficult). It was structured something like this:

I will run a 5k in December.

I will run more than 10 miles every week.

I will strength train.

I will run Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

The Sunday run will be a long run, the Tuesday an interval run, Thursday is my call.

Mondays I will do a weight lifting class at the gym.

Fridays I will do pilates and free weights after work.

I will buy myself a new sports bra the week before the 5k.

I really like this structure because it doesn't just list the goal, it lists how the goal will be achieved. It specifies the kind of work needed, and gives a structure to achieving the goal. It's also encouraging to see a reward at the bottom of the goal pyramid. It doesn't have to be buying something, it could easily have been, "feel like a badass for running a 5k." Whatever you want to give yourself.

I'm working on constructing one or two of these. And I think I know the top of one of them.

I will weigh under 170lbs by Thanksgiving.

I did it! Sorta..kinda.

My salad challenge is over, and while I did not even out to 2 salads a week for a month, I did eat 10 salads in the last month! So Let's celebrate by looking at my cool pictures of some veggies!

Nummerz! Yes, I did just type that. I liked attempting this goal so much, I'm doing it for another month. Hopefully that, combined with running and pilots workouts from Netflix will keep toning me down. And of course, rocking out to this fabulous song my sister put on her blog.

(Did I mention my sister has a blog? It's fabulous, funny, and she posts multiple times a week. Yes, I am admitting my sister rocks at something I have proven to be completely mediocre at. Not the first time. Damn your talent Kelly!)

Lettuce entertain you...

I'm eating salads!! This may be a basic part of your usual day, but it's new for me. I like roasting and sautéing veggies, but summer is coming (so beat it grey clouds!), and this "cool" veggie concept is yummy. I just finished the salad you see above. Lettuce, carrots, and leftover chicken. Simple. Delicious.

I made this salad a few days ago. Mine looked less like spaghetti and more like erratically sized barkdust. For the record, YUM. I will eat any veggie combined with lemon, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and toasted nuts. You just can't go wrong.

This salad was inspired by this recipe. I was too impatient to make the dressing, but I used panko for the first time along with shredded coconut and made a bomb tropical salad. (You can't see it, but there is pineapple in the salad above.)

Three more weeks of salad land folks. Here we go.

Salads are boring.

That's a lie. They aren't boring. I actually just ate a delicious salad for lunch that included: spinach, almonds, strawberries, grilled chicken, cucumbers, and mushrooms. Problem is, I didn't make it. My roomie did.

I just don't feel compelled to make salads. For whatever reason, I prefer cooking/baking. It's easier. Cheesier. Gooey-er. But summer is coming and my lazy ass needs to get in groove again.

So here is my proposal. I will make salad for dinner twice a week for the next month. No repeats. New salad combos every time. It's a personal challenge. That means I need to buy some spinach STAT.

I also need to start looking for recipes other than the glorious ones found at SmittenKitchen. (I want to crawl into all these pictures, hide in Deb's kitchen, and steal...) She is still my go-to-gal for recipes, but her salad section is not expansive enough to keep up with my lighter taste. (fear not Deb, you will continue to be my favorite...I just need a break. From this. And this. And this. It's not you, it's me. And my belly.)

Lucky for me, I have a FABULOUS younger sister who linked me up with Gina's Skinny Recipes. She is a mom on Weight Watchers. All of her recipes are low cal, have nutrition/points listings, and look delicious. I think the first salad recipe of hers to try will be the Coconut Chicken Salad with warm Honey Mustard Vinaigrette. Only 397 calories, and I already have most of the ingredients on hand.

So there is one goal. It feels odd to be back on track again after derailing so badly. I weighed myself on Sunday at my folks' place, and I am actually back up to 198lbs. I swore to never go above 200 again. And I won't. Salad land, here I come!

And 5 months later...

I thought I would pop in. To whatever random folk still glance at my blog every once in a while, sorry. I know. Months.

Honest Update.

I weigh 196lbs.

Holy moley. That is a weight gain, in case you were wondering. It is one I have recently truly started to rally against. I am umcomfy at this weight. 170/180 is the zone I feel good in, and right now I just feel flabby. I haven't blogged because there was no good news. Except for...well...ummmm.....

I ran a 15k!

That is 9.3 miles, in case you wanted to be impressed. I am. I am regrouping, recyking*, and reworking my life to lose weight again. And I will be using this blog again to help. So tune in every once in a while, and I promise to actually post schtuff.

*watch "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," and thank me later. I don't care that it is a kid's movie, just do it!