October Blahs

I know, I know, it's been over a month.

It's not that I don't think about blogging, I do.  But really, I don't have anything to say.

September looked like this:
I ran a 10k (and I actually ran the whole thing, which amazed me)
I went out for Karrie's "Girl's Night" which included lots of yummy food and drink
I participated and went to Karrie and Dan's wedding, which also including lots of food and drink and fun
I went to my Grandma's 90th birthday party and my brother-in-law's 40th birthday party, and both included lots of food and drink (and a little fun)
Then it became October....
I went to Sammie's 1st birthday party, which included good food and cake
I got on the treadmill and ran 2.5 miles
I worked a full week of work subbing in the afternoon - which left no time to work out since I had to pick up Josie straight after work.

I went out with Don and Josie on Sunday to Village Pointe since it was such a nice day and I feel that we are running out of those.  First we went to Gigi's Cupcakes (it was their grand opening) and their cupcakes are half frosting.  They were handing out mini cupcakes at the door and then we bought two cupcakes to take with us for dessert after dinner.  Now, I had not showered at all that day and was feeling pretty raggedy and fat and blah.  Walking around an outdoor shopping mall in a wealthier part of town was not what I needed... A bunch of rich, fit looking women/families walking around (shopping which I can't really do right now) made me feel even worse and eating that cupcake later was a catch 22 - part of me wanted to eat it as a sort of therapy and part of me hated myself as I ate it... and I didn't even eat the whole thing because it was just too much.

So the next day I got up and told Don I was going jogging.  I have a hard time assigning a time for myself to work out.  I guess when you have a kid you feel like it's supposed to be approved by someone or something.  I feel guilty, like I should be doing something else (especially when my house is a flipping mess).  So I told him I was going to be working out by 10 am, no excuses.  Thankfully it was a pretty nice morning and I took my workout outside and jogged through Boystown.  I did walk a few parts, I hadn't jogged outside since the 10k last month and it was a little tough but it still felt good. 

I wanted to work out today but there were still things that needed to be done at home after work/before getting Josie so I focused on those things.  I've decided I want to train for a half-marathon next spring.... I just need something to motivate me other than wanting to do it... especially since "baking season" is upon me and nothing makes me giddier than baking around the holidays.  I've even considered starting my baking early and freezing things so I can give more as gifts. 

That's my summary of the blahs I've been feeling.  Blah mixed in with a little bit of self-loathing and I really need to snap out of it.

New Month, New Me? We'll See

Sorry I have not been blogging like a good girl.  After my last post where I had been struggling with being sick or not, I became full on sick with another flippin' sinus infection.  My voice was completely gone by the end of my school day on Friday and I felt like I was half alive until Sunday when I broke down and went to a clinic.  This really hindered my working out plans and also my eating well plans.  For some reason when I am sick, or at least when my throat is scratchy, eating (and swallowing) is the only thing that feels good on my throat.  And I HATE cough drops.  They taste like nasty candy and I'd really rather not taste them....  Anyway, I'm finally better but I am behind schedule with running.  I did get in a couple walks with the family but school was really busy this week because I had to get mid-hexter grades posted by the end of the day Thursday and I was having computer issues and starting new projects with my classes, which requires me to be constantly at my students' disposal with their many questions.  This also means that I do not sit down for four hours, I do not even get a chance to drink water or pee (so it's a good thing I don't get to drink that water I guess!).

I did get a 3 mile jog in on Wednesday but the other days were so hard to get going when I got home because I was so physically and mentally exhausted.  I also have a problem with time management when I get home from school.  It's like I have too much time that I don't know how to organize it and then I get nothing done.  I also had an issue at school with a couple boys that stressed me out, but that's all resolved now.  It just meant I got home later than usual and was so tired I fell asleep on the couch!

Anyway, today has been a good day so far.  The weather is beautiful which means it is easier to get outside and be active.  I even forced myself to go jog at Zorinsky Lake and was able to go four miles without stopping.   My pace was pretty slow; I averaged about 11:40 per mile and it was challenging because I'm not used to hills since I've been just running on the treadmill.  The Corporate Cup is just a week away and I still don't feel real confident but I'm still going to try it...

I also went to WW today after a short hiatus.  According to my scale at home I was down a pound but the scale there said it was just down .2.  I figure I am down, so that's good, and I figure I'm going with my scale!  There's going to be a lot of celebrating the next few weeks with Karrie's wedding festivities, Lynn leaving for Paris, a big family reunion and my brother-in-law's 40th birthday party.  Here's hoping I stay strong and don't gain anything!

Lacking Motivation

I just seem to be out of lately.  I don't know if it's the restart of the school year and trying to really get into a schedule or if it was planning Karrie's shower that had my brain off track, but I should be over it by now, right?  The shower was Sunday and a success I think (even though I'm not real fond of the way I look in the group picture... it looks like I've never lost weight) and the school year is now in full swing, so I should be able to get back on track.  I even made a schedule of workouts for the months of August and September but I've barely stayed on track with that.  My plan is to make September a more successful month.

I did not go to weight watchers this week because when I got on the scale it was the same as the previous week.  No loss but no gain, so I'll take it.  I would like a loss this week.  I'm almost at 45 pounds lost and I think hitting that mark would help motivate me.  However, it is already Wednesday and I don't think I've been doing very well food or workout wise.  There were leftover cookies and mints from the shower and I've been snacking on those.  This is why I don't bake cookies very often, if they are around I will eat them and I don't have any willpower to stop.  I also haven't had great workouts until today.  Sunday in itself was a workout.  I was on my feet from 1-5 setting up the shower, hosting the shower, and helping clean up.  This includes hauling things back and forth (you know what I'm talking about!) and I was physically exhausted by the time I got home.  Because I didn't get any of my usual Sunday chores done, I did them all on Monday right after I left school.  I got groceries on the way home, put those away, ran and emptied the dishwasher (and reloaded it!), did 2 loads of laundry, put away all the clean laundry and vacuumed the whole downstairs area.  I literally did not stop moving until I picked up Josie at 4.  That night when I got in bed I could feel my throat starting to get sore...

Fortunately I have not gotten fully sick.  I'm hoping it is just a short lived, passing by, kind of cold.  I was so tired yesterday after school and since I had worked my butt off on Monday I decided it was okay to take a nap.  After all, if I don't rest I could get sicker.  I felt somewhat refreshed after that and then had to take Josie to the doctor for her 15-month check-up.  This was the LONGEST appointment ever.  I hate waiting at the doctor, especially with a toddler that likes to get into everything!  Luckily Don was off early because he had to go to the dentist and we were able to have an early dinner and then all go for a walk.  I thought I was up for the walk, but by the end I was struggling.  I felt weak and tired, so Josie and I went to bed early.

I feel somewhat better today.  After school, I forced myself to get on the treadmill (after another short nap) and I jogged 4 miles.  They were slower than I've been doing lately.  I'm trying to believe that I'll be able to run this 10k that's coming up but I haven't had many chances to get outside and I'm struggling to think I'll be able to run the whole thing and not feel like dying.

Busy Busy

Here's what I know:

- I was going to start this post 15 minutes ago but I just got a note that my nephew is in the hospital (Asher) so I was getting the scoop on that.

- I ran 6 miles this afternoon because I didn't get it done on my scheduled day (Sunday) because, well, life happens.

- On Saturday I went to WW (after a one week hiatus) and I was down 1.4, which makes my total since last June 44.2 pounds lost.  Only .8 from 45, and hopefully another 5 gone in the next month.

- Also on Saturday I went to Cardio Kickboxing because I didn't go on Friday afternoon (my scheduled day)... I was ready and showed up for the noon class but the only person in the room was the instructor so I chickened out and got on the eliptical for 20 minutes and then my legs felt like jello.  When I left I looked back in the room and there were 5-7 people in the class so I think I will try again knowing I hopefully won't be the only one.

- I have curriculum night tonight (aka open house) and I'm really tired and would rather hang out at home but oh well.  I hope I can just keep standing through the time I'm done after those 6 miles today!

Sweaty First Days

Okay, I promised to blog on Sunday after my workout but time just got away from me.  Even right now I don't have much time... I should be in the shower so I can be clean when I go get Josie and I need to stop at Bucky's so I can by a lottery ticket even though I won't win because I have bad luck.

I'm also getting used to my new computer's keyboard which is not a full sized keyboard and I hit a lot of the wrong keys!

So I'm back at work and that sucked up a lot of my time this past week.  Full days of working plus getting up earlier than ever every day = tired, cranky, and hungry.  I prefer waking up later and having a late breakfast.  Then I'm not hungry and wanting to eat something mid morning to get me through to lunch.  This must be why it is so easy to lose weight in the summer for me.  I had gotten behind on my workouts but I'm back on track and I forced myself to run 5 miles last Sunday which just about killed me but I wouldn't give up.  This race is next month and I'm so not ready for it... However, now that I'm on my regular work schedule (half days) I will be able to fit in my workouts more often.  Even today... I got home, took a two hour nap (I was POOPED!) and then made myself get on the treadmill to run 3 miles.  My next scheduled workout is Friday - Cardio Kickboxing at 12:30.  I'm excited to be able to officially fit this class into my schedule.  Saturday I'm hoping for another run and then a longer run on Sunday (6 miles).

I just really need to get back on track food-wise.  It hasn't been horrible (I did say no to Chinese food last night at Don's suggestion) but I could really be better and I need to be.  As things slow down in the next couple weeks I'll be able to get back into a routine and have better planning!

Well it's off to the shower so I can get that power ball ticket!  And a fountain soda, which will probably bring me more joy than the ticket...

Unreached Goals

To say the least, July wasn't a very successful month.  In fact, it was a pretty stressful month financially, especially near the end.  Mix in the stomach flu mid month, which got me completely off track, and it became a downward spiral.  I haven't tracked my food, I've barely worked out and I've had one too many treats (both sweet and alcoholic!).  I haven't even hardly weighed myself... but I printed out two calendars (one for August and one for September) and planned my workouts up through Karrie and Dan's wedding. 

Because of the stomach flu thing I got off my running schedule and never made 6 miles in July.  I tried this past Tuesday (the very last day of July) but it had been over a week since my last run and that last run was only 3 or 4 miles.  I started out slow and made it to 4 miles but I was exhausted so I stopped.  That was about 50 minutes including warm up and cool down and I averaged 11:30 minutes/mile.  I had scheduled myself to go to spinning the next morning but I was super sore from the previous day.  My hamstrings were torn up because they had already gotten used to not running.  So I took the day off - plus I had a dentist appointment in the afternoon which caused me anxiety throughout the day because I HATE the dentist, even for teeth cleanings. 

Somehow today I was able to get in a workout.  Today was actually scheduled to be a rest day but since I ended up taking that yesterday I knew I needed to fit in a workout somehow today.  My mom ended up having a doctors appointment in the afternoon and called when she was on her way home to see if I wanted her to watch Josie.  I'm sure her intention was to watch her so I could get some school work done but I knew I wouldn't be happy if I didn't get on the treadmill and try another run.  I did the same run as I did on Tuesday but just a little faster.  I started at 5.1 instead of 5.0 and bumped it up every ten minutes until I hit 5.5 and then I bumped it up every two minutes until I reached 4 miles.  The running was a total of 45 minutes, averaging under 11:30 minutes/mile.  I did bump the speed up to 6.0 at the very end to get to the finish line.  It's hard to believe that I used to run 6 miles at that pace.  It seems so fast now!  Anyway, my knees are sore now but I feel better.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to go the spinning class again in the morning.  Don is going to take the day off so I can go to school and work.  I figured I would try and get a workout in before I head to school.  This will make up for my missed spinning class on Wednesday and today's run will replace the run I had scheduled for tomorrow.  If I'm not too sore I'm going to try to go to cardio kickboxing again on Saturday morning.  I hope that I'm not pushing myself too hard - I would like to also get a 5 mile run in on Sunday (which will continue to be my long run day until the corporate cup).

I'm going to hang my schedule up so I can try and keep on it.... I think it will be easier once school really starts.  The only problem will be the first week back because I will be working full days until I go pick up Josie.  I'm going to try and fit in some workouts over the lunch hours since they sometimes can run long during these work days.  Now I just have to get re-motivated with the food.

I will try and be better about blogging... it's just been so hard with the punk kid lately!  If I'm at the computer she is whining to sit on my lap so she can get into everything on the desk.  But this too shall get easier as the school year starts and I have a little time to myself at home before I have to pick her up!

Oh What A Week

So my goals for July have not been going so well.  Neither has blogging apparently!

I have a lot of things going on mentally which has not boded well for eating well or working out.  Oh and I've had a sick child which left me home bound for two days (and searching in cupboards for crap).  Although I wanted to make a pan of brownies (I happened to have all the fixings) I did not but I did polish off the remaining ice cream in the freezer.  It was a low-fat ice cream, but I ate more than I should have.

One thing I've learned this summer:  I should never be a stay-at-home mom.  I have a new respect for those moms.  No adult interaction during the day is maddening (at least when the kid(s) are sick and you don't want to take them anywhere for fear of them getting sicker).  I never thought I would miss the squirrelly middle school students that often sent me off my rocker, but they are pretty humorous and fun and I'm looking forward to getting back to it next month.  Now don't get me wrong, I love summer, but I feel like I haven't been able to do much and it's just a big waste.  I've only been swimming once and that was to try Josie out in the water, which scared the hell out of her, so I haven't been back since.  I also can't afford to go on a vacation which is something everyone thinks teachers do in the summer.  I can't even afford a road trip - plus I'd have to find someone to watch my crazy dog and the idea of traveling with a one-year-old is not really appealing.  Plus, I vowed to wean Josie this summer (which hasn't happened) and to get her sleeping in her crib at night and for naps... which also hasn't happened.  Sometimes I feel like a mommy failure, like I'm doing something completely wrong, and everyone has advice (which I haven't really asked for) but it's easy to give it out and not easy to live through the blood-curdling screams my daughter is capable of right now.

Anyway, I'm vowing to make the week end on a better note.  I haven't weighed myself since last Saturday (up .8) and I haven't really worked out since Sunday (5 mile run, but at a faster pace than ever).  The ice cream is out of the house and I have the day off of motherhood (until 4) to get some stuff done, hopefully work out, and de-stress.  I have the Color Run this weekend, a 5k, I'm not too concerned about the time just excited to become a real like rainbow!  So hopefully this will help remotivate me to keep on the journey and at least end July with a loss of some sort.....

Goals

It is the last day of June which means it is time to evaluate my goals for the past month and think about what I should plan for July.

I had three goals for June.
1. Lose 5 pounds
Check! I lost .8 this week (which is amazing because I don't feel I had the best food week). This made my total for the month 5.6 and my grand total 40 pounds lost!!!!
2. Run 6 miles straight.
Check! As posted earlier this week, I accomplished this task in 74 minutes with my warm up and cool down. I think this run is what saved my week and got me the .8 loss.
3. Earn 35-40 activity points each week.
Check! This goal had to do with Weight Watchers and how many points you earn based on the activity, level of intensity and your weight. I almost didn't make it this week until I made myself go to the gym yesterday and do 45 minutes on the elliptical - which is something I haven't done in a long time.

Goals for July:
1. Lose 5 more pounds.
This should be doable with my new gym and regained focus - especially after coming off such a successful month and knowing Karrie's wedding is creeping up and I better need to have my dress taken in! So about 1-1.5 pounds a week is reasonable, right?
2. Run 6 miles again, but faster.
I averaged close to 11:30 min per mile last time. I think my goal will be to go 11:15-11:00 min per mile. This will put me close to where I was 2 years ago before pregnancy. To get faster I plan on continuing my weekly run (about 5 miles on the treadmill) but start each week at a faster speed. Last time I started at 4.9 and increased every 10 minutes or so depending on how I felt. As long as I can keep increasing without killing myself, my goal will be to start at 5.1 and end on 5.5 or 5.6. I usually run faster than that the last few minutes, but this will be the average.
3. Improve self confidence.
I'm throwing this in because I know I can earn plenty of activity points so it's not a good goal. One thing I've never been good at is being nice to myself. Especially when it comes to my weight, my appearance and comparing myself to others. I've been trying to remind myself lately how we are each unique and we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. I look at other women and don't criticize how they look or act (well, sometimes I do, but only extreme cases). But somehow when I look at my own reflection I only see imperfections. Now that I have a daughter, I want to instill confidence and a sense of self worth in her because it scares me to death to think she would dislike herself when, in fact, she's the most amazing being. I know I'm her mom and this makes me biased, but this is how I feel about all the little ones I know right now. I want them to embrace their quirky traits and not struggle their whole lives with these things like I have. I know I'm asking a lot since it is unlikely that they will ever criticize themselves but I like to dream.

On another note, I went to Cardio Kickboxing today and it was awesome. Very similar to Combat - it left me exhausted, sweaty, and wanting more! I hope my upper body feels it tomorrow!

The Big Six

Well, I did it! I ran six miles straight yesterday. It was in the afternoon and part of me didn't want to spend the last few hours of my day "off" on the treadmill sweating my butt off. The other part of me said to just get it over with so I can spend my next day off trying out a new class at the gym and getting work done.

Here's the numbers:
2 min warm up
70 min jogging
2 min cool down (would have been longer but I had to stretch and shower before I picked J up from daycare)
1020 calories burned!
Total of 6.2 miles

I started at 4.9 mph which is about 12:15 per mile and bumped it up .1 mph every ten minutes until I was at 5.2 which I stayed at until the last 20 minutes when I slowly bumped it up to 5.6, so I averaged around 11:40 per mile (I think!).

This is a great beginning to next month's goal of 11:30 miles and I hope to do a six miler again before July is over!

New Environment

I asked Don today to help me come up with post titles because I'm not very good at it... This is what he came up with. This is based on the fact that I've started working out at my new gym as opposed to the old environment I got used to during the shape up challenge. So far I've only been twice; once to run (and try out Josie at the daycare) I did 3.5 miles, and that was even without my water bottle, which I forgot at home. The second time was Saturday morning to try out a Zumba class for the first time. I've done Zumba on my wii but this was my first real class. Thankfully doing the video game helped me be able to keep up in class because I had done some of the moves already. It was a pretty good workout. I was sweating my butt off but I probably could have gone another hour! I love dancing and it was a nice way to get in a workout without feeling like you're dying.

I also have good weight loss to report. I lost 1.6 pounds this week, making my total so far this month 4.8 pounds, only .2 pounds from my 5 pound loss goal for June. My other goal, jogging 6 miles, will be attempted tomorrow morning and if it is not achieved I can try again Thursday since Josie is at daycare twice this week. I'm hoping that I can do it tomorrow though and go to another class Thursday. Either Zumba again or spinning (which I've never done). I'm hoping to end June on a great note. It took me from march to the end of May to lose 5 pounds and with a lot of focus and determination I lost the same amount in almost one month. My next goal will be to lose another 5 in July and work on my running speed. Right now I'm averaging about 12 minutes per mile and I'd like to get to 11:30/mile. Before I know it summer will be over and the stresses of school will be back to torture me!

Challenge

Well, Team Bigfoot did not win the summer shape-up challenge.  We finished in third place out of nine teams, which isn't too bad, but I was really hoping for that $600!  I have a TV in my living room that goes wacky on me all the time now and I was hoping to replace it but I guess I'll have to wait until November for the Black Friday deals.  Even though we didn't win the challenge, I did lose weight, and that's all that matters.  So far this month I've lost 3.2 pounds and I'm hoping for a total of 5 pounds by the end of the month.  I also have the goal of running 6 miles on the treadmill by the end of June.  I've been pretty steady at getting 5 miles in on Sundays but because of time restraints I haven't had the chance of pushing it further for that extra mile.  I've been averaging about 12 minute miles, and honestly, right now I don't really care how fast I'm running.  I try to remind myself how long it took me to get to 10 minute miles and how often I ran every week to get there.  I spent a lot of time in the gym on the treadmill back in the day or running around the neighborhood I lived in or trails near by.  I don't really have the luxury to do that again, so I'm taking what I can get.

This week I joined a new gym.  It is a gym I've been wanting to join for years but haven't because it costs a little more than the other gyms I've belonged to in the past.  However, it is ultimately worth it because it has a huge daycare area, two studios for classes, plus one for cycling and one for yoga/pilates.  They also have two indoor pools and one outdoor pool that is very child friendly and has TONS of chairs to layout on during these summer days.  So, if I really felt like it, I could drop Josie off at daycare and then go layout/take a dip in the pool for a couple hours and then go pick her up!  Or I could be a fun mom and take her with sometimes and let her experience the pool too.  Also for joining I get two free personal training sessions which will come in handy for getting to know their equipment and free weights area.  Unfortunately they don't have any of the Les Mils classes, but they do have a wide variety of classes including just cardio, strength/cardio mix, or just strength training.  I've been wanting to try spinning and Zumba so this will give me the opportunity to try it at times that fit within my schedule as opposed to the Y's schedule which did not.

I'm hoping for another pound weight loss at WW this week.  I haven't been pushing as hard as I did last week (resulting in a 2.2 pound loss) but I've been sticking to my high protein meals and the only day I really splurged was Father's Day but I even made a chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert that was only worth 6 points.  Oh and the cookie I had last Saturday when I picked up a dozen to give my dad for Father's Day.

Redo

I started writing a post the other day and it somehow got erased so here I am starting over!

It has not been a good food week. I don't know if it's because of the holiday, celebrating Avery's birthday (she's 7! WTH?) or coming off such a successful month, but I've been living pretty carefree - or carelessly - all week. I've had wine, a margarita, nachos, pizza, cookies, etc. I haven't tracked my food very well (aside from my breakfast and lunch which are essentially the same every day).

I have been working out though. For the week I have done cardio kickboxing on Saturday, ran 3 miles Sunday, and yesterday I ran 4 miles and would have gone longer but the bandage on my neck became irritated (I had my mole removed on Tuesday) and I couldn't take it anymore! When I was jogging, I did average about 11:30 min per mile and it felt pretty good. I think if I can regroup and get past the holiday eating I should be in good shape this month. It's been a long time since running felt natural and it's such a great feeling that I want to keep it!

Changes

My two weigh-ins this week did not bring great news. I was up .2 on both scales with no extra lean muscle gained according to the scale at the summer shape-up challenge gym. Since I didn't have an official weigh-in last week, I think I'm actually down (since I'm pretty sure I gained that week) but I don't have it documented. I was told by a little birdie though that Lynn and I have a good chance to win this challenge so I'm stepping it up.

I really stepped up my workouts last week (thus the disappointment on the scale) but I haven't really made food changes, at least until this past week. First let me share my workouts: Sunday: jogged 5 miles
Monday: Total Body Burn (45 minute weight lifting interval training)
Tuesday: Total Body Burn
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: I was supposed to go to Total Body Burn (TBB) but had the wrong time in my head and showed up 30 minutes into the class
Friday: walked 3 miles in the neighborhood pushing Josie (which is harder than you think!)
Saturday: TBB

Then yesterday I jogged 5 miles again and I'm planning to go to the class Metabolic Blast tonight, which is similar to TBB but more cardio bases.

And for the food: I'm giving up my morning cereal and I'm going to shoot for more protein for breakfast. Today I had a Smart Ones breakfast sandwich. I think I'm going to also have a banana to help tide me over. Other things I plan on trying are Greek yogurt (plain$ with fruit and nuts, scrambled egg whites (for when I have time and energy to cook), and either hamburger patties or turkey burger patties (at Steph's suggestion). She also suggested leftovers in the morning. I'm also giving up my coffee creamer. I used to always drink my coffee with skim milk and a little sweet and low but somewhere along the way I became addicted to creamer!

I also made a little discovery at HyVee's health market: 50 calorie soft wraps that are only one point and tasty! I've been enjoying them with laughing cow cheese and a limitless lunch meat for a 2 point snack. I'm also going to try them with bell pepper strips or shredded carrots. Yesterday I had them wrapped around my turkey sausages for dinner instead of a bun. Less carbs and sugar!

My next step is giving up my nightly WW ice cream bar. It's not horrible for me and I will still enjoy one every once in a while, but my new dessert will be some berries with fat free whipped cream.

And here is my new obsession: PB2 in my smoothies.

Here's my favorite:
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp PB2 (or PB2 with chocolate)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

Blend and enjoy! For some reason I really like peanut butter and blueberries (pb on a blueberry bagel is an old favorite) so I understand this might not be for everyone. I also have added in frozen banana for extra sweetness. This adds up to 4 points and a filling lunch!

Stuck

I feel like I'm stuck in a pile of mud I can't get out no matter how hard I try.  Losing weight now is so much more difficult than it was 6 years ago.  Back then I had everything on my side.  I was living alone and did not have to plan any meals around anyone else's schedules or needs, I had a gym right around the corner with all the time in the world to spend there.  Plus, I had a huge support system since I was doing WW through work and a lot of my friends at the time were losing weight and being very conscious of what they were eating and levels of activity.  Now I only really have one friend trying to lose weight but not living here, other than Lynn who is my partner in the weight loss challenge, but I don't get to spend much time with her outside of workout classes.

I got on the scale this morning after 4 straight days of really good workouts and it was the same number I saw Saturday morning (which was slightly up from the previous week).  WTH???  I'm really frustrated and I guess I'm going to have to make some drastic changes in my eating, even though I don't feel like I've been doing too bad.  My goal will be to cut out a lot of sugars and carbs (which are my two favorite things in the world).  I'll have to give myself a day to have some so I don't go crazy and binge on a bunch without thinking.  Wish me luck!

(I'd write more but there is a one year old in the corner playing with the wheels of a stroller, so I must depart)

Behind

Sorry I haven't been keeping up the past couple weeks on blogging. Life is crazy with the end of school, home remodeling projects, Josie's first birthday planning, and this darn weight loss challenge I signed up for.

I've got to be honest, weight loss hasn't been great but I do have positive news. After realizing last week that I've been eating too many points on weight watchers, I made some adjustments on my eating. This resulted in a 1.6 loss this week (after a slight gain last week). And according to my weigh in for the challenge, which also calculates lean muscle mass and body fat, I lost one pound but gained 4 pounds of lean muscle. This means I've lost 5 pounds of fat! Yippee!

And on another note I pulled out some old Tupperware with old summer clothes in it, knowing there were a few things from the summer before I was pregnant where I bought a larger size. I found a pair of shorts and capris that I tried on and they fit! They're a size 14 which is not my ultimate goal, but it means I don't have to go buy anything for the summer! But I probably will because I love shopping :).

Sore!

Boy am I sore! I went to my first class that is a part of the weight loss challenge and it left me feeling like jelly. I haven't felt like this in a long time. It feels like being sore after going back to Pump after being away for a long time. My whole body hurts. The class I went to was called "Total Body Burn" and that's what it was! It reminded me of workouts on the Biggest Loser. It was different intervals of workouts, doing so many reps and then moving on to the next one and so on for 12 minutes then we did it again for another 12 minutes with different moves. We also did the ropes (which are harder than you think). Then today I had my first personal coaching session which was similar to the class but slower paced to really help with form and techniques. Tomorrow is a cardio class. We'll see if I can still stand after that!

Saturday's weigh in was pretty good. A loss of 1.6 which finally makes up for the pound I gained plus the loss of another pound. On Sunday I jogged 5 miles and on Monday I walked with Don, Josie and Gracie to the park. I've been wearing a pedometer and making sure I get in at least 10,000 steps a day. The day of our school art show, last Thursday, I got in over 15,000! Here's hoping I can keep all this up and have another good weigh-in this Saturday!

Goal

I have a few things to post about today....

First, my weigh-in on Saturday wasn't  fabulous, just a .4 pound loss.  Which means I still
have .6 to lose before that pound I gained is gone.  At least according to the scale at Weight Watchers.  On a really exciting note, however, I have reached my 10 pound goal according to my scale at home.  I got on the scale this morning (not really wanting to) and saw a number I've been waiting for for a long time.  I'm not one to talk about how much I actually weigh, but since Karrie is pretty much the only person who reads this, and will understand the excitement, I finally saw a "1" at the beginning of my weight for the first time since I was pregnant.  After losing weight the first time, I had promised myself that I would never see a "2" at the beginning of my weight again.  Unfortunately, the first time I weighed in at a pregnancy appointment, I saw it....  It has been my ultimate goal to get back to the 100's even if I don't make it to my original weight-loss weight (which seems impossible at this point).  My jaw about dropped when I saw the number this morning and I'm hoping it stays down through my weigh-in on Saturday.   This is also a 2.8 pound loss since my weigh-in last week (on my scale, not the WW scale).  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Second, I'm starting a workout/weight-loss competition with Lynn and the kick-off is tonight.  Lynn is good friends with a girl who is a persona trainer and has her own workout/personal coach/trainer company and they are hosting a competition for 6 weeks to see which pair loses the largest percentage of weight.  The winners get to split a prize of $1200.  I figure for the small fee it is to sign up, and have unlimited access to their classes, it is worth it even if we don't win (but we will).  I will keep you updated on the progress and give more info after the kick-off.

Third, on Sunday, because my ipod was dead and I forgot to charge it, I did Zumba on Wii instead of jogging.  It was a lot easier than it was when I first did it a few months ago and I wasn't sure if I got a really good workout...until the next day when I was completely sore!!  My obliques, shoulders, and arms were more sore than they have been in a long time and then on Tuesday I could even feel my quads!  I am definitely going to throw that into the workout schedule more often.  And even though I am short on time right now, I am going to force myself onto the treadmill for a short jog....

Scale Woes

In my previous post, I talked about my one pound gain and how the following week was going to be better.  Well, all was well until Saturday morning when I got on the scale before I went to WW.  I know, I know, I preach about how you should only weigh in once a week, but I'm not that good.  I often weigh myself on Wednesday mornings just to make sure I'm on the right track, because if I am I get myself more motivated to have a really good weigh-in on Saturday.  This past Wednesday's weigh-in was down from the weight from Saturday (it appeared as if the pound had left) then I did it again on Saturday and it had gone up 2 pounds (one more pound than last Saturday's weigh-in).  This dumbfounded me because I had a really good work-out week (I jogged on Tuesday and Friday and took the dog for a good walk on Wednesday).  I'm guessing I was bloated or something from my nephew's birthday party the previous night.  Anyway, I went to WW but I did not officially weigh-in because I don't think I could have handled another gain.  The fact that I went to the meeting anyway shows that I've grown because last fall I would have just stayed home and then have an even worse week, getting completely off track!

So on Friday (the day of the birthday party) I jogged 4.8 miles.  I thought this would help my weigh-in and negate any cake I would have that evening.  Although it didn't help the next weigh-in, it did help my confidence in jogging.  It felt good.  I was going to just do 45 minutes, but when I hit that time, I figured why not keep going?  So I just kept on another 15 minutes.  It wasn't fast (b/n 12:30 and 13 minute miles) but I'm improving every time I get on the treadmill.

I also have recently tried on my old size 12 work pants from Gap.  I love these pants (I have about 3 pairs) and can't wait to wear them again because they are comfy and fit so well).  I was able to get them on and zip them up, they were just too tight to wear in public.  This gives me hope!  I also went shopping Saturday because everything at Ann Taylor Loft was 40% off.  I was able to get a few tops and a pair of capris.  It felt so nice to go into one of my old favorite stores and buy things that fit.  I am nowhere near my goal weight, but I'm beginning to see the goal line in sight.  I just need to be there by Karrie's wedding so I can look back at the pictures and think about how awesome of a time it was and not focus on how I looked.

Wrong Direction

For the first time this year, the scale moved in the wrong direction.  On Saturday when I weighed in, I was up one pound.  I was somewhat expecting this, so I wasn't too horribly upset.  Instead I sat down for the meeting and vowed this week would be better.

I didn't get too many workouts in last week and I didn't eat the greatest.  I think all the eating out I did the week before didn't help.   Plus it was the last week of the hexter at school, which meant I had a lot of work to get done.  I also had two meetings (that were both forgotten about until the last minute!) and one of them was with all of the current middle school art teachers.  This was not a great time for me.  Everyone was asking me about the job (not everyone knew I didn't get it, and everyone is shocked that I didn't).  So I got pretty down on myself, even though I know it doesn't have to do with me personally, but anytime you are rejected in some form you automatically think "What did I do/say wrong?".  The stress from that, getting grading done and getting organized, I believe, impacted my weigh-in.

This week I have gotten in three workouts so far.  Sunday I jogged 4.5 miles,  yesterday I walked Gracie around the neighborhood for 30 minutes, and today I ran intervals for 35 minutes (trying to improve my pace from my slow 13 minute miles!).  If the weather is nice, I will take Gracie again tomorrow and then I plan on jogging again Friday after school.  This week is very low key for me, starting new classes means I don't have anything to grade and since both of my 8th grade classes are pottery I have less to plan.

Only 5 weeks left until school is out!!  Holy cow... I better  get to working on my arms....

Not Much

So I'm typing this on my iPhone because it is almost impossible now to do anything on the computer without Josie interfering! She likes to unplug the computer and reach for the keys any which way she can. This past Saturday I weighed in with a loss of 1.2 pounds. I did already treat myself to a pedicure even though I have 1.8 pounds to lose until I reach my first ten pound goal. I also had the chance to jog 3.5 miles on the treadmill that afternoon. Sunday was Easter which meant a lot of activity and buffets of food. I think I did alright food wise considering the ample opportunities I had to binge on some of my favorite foods. However, this week has not been the greatest with exercise... The food has been okay but unless I get another good workout in, I'm not thinking it's going to be a great weigh-in. It's the last week of the hexter so I've been at school late all week and I've already had two afternoon meetings that were forgotten about until about an hour until the start time. Let's just say I've been a bit scatterbrained and forgetful this week. I'm hoping to get a run in tomorrow or Friday to help my numbers on Saturday.

Spring Break

Today is the first day of spring break (my first paid for spring break, yahoo!).  Honestly, it wasn't too bad of a day.  I apologize for taking so long to update my blog.  With the whole job interview and not getting the job and wondering what to do stress, this was sort of the last thing on my mind.  Weight loss, however, was not the last thing on my mind.  Thankfully, the afternoon I found out I didn't get the job my mom offered to take me out to lunch.  It was a late lunch, about 1:30, but we went to Panera and I got a salad, which saved me from doing something like going to Qdoba to get nachos and wallow in my frustration.  It's not so much that I'm sad I didn't get the job, I am just angry because the decision was made based on politics not on who is the best person for the job.  I had everything working for me: administrators calling the principal to give a recommendation, other teachers giving recommendations, an awesome teaching portfolio, etc.  Unfortunately, they chose someone less qualified but someone who had been on short-term contract at the same school.  This person also happened to be someone my principal interviewed for my job and did not like...

Anyway, the week before I had lost .2 of a pound, making it a total of 30, but this past week was better, a loss of 1.4 pounds for a total of 31.4.  I like to think my new iphone and Weight Watchers app have helped me keep better track of my food intake and how much I've worked out.  This 1.4 loss was after a stressful week with not a lot of working out, a sick kid (bronchitis), a sick me (allergies), and the whole job thing.  So I'm thinking this week should be even better!  On Sunday I got back on the treadmill (feeling better after the steroid shot I had for my allergies) and I jogged 4 miles straight.  It felt really good.  This morning I went for a walk with Josie before it got too hot and finally remembered to use my Nike+ app to track my workout.  I was sweating by the time I got home and my hamstrings could definitely feel the hills I busted my butt up!

I need to figure out a way to tone up my arms for the summer.  The cardio will help my legs and overall appearance, but I need to do something for my shoulders, biceps, triceps, and upper back.  Hopefully I can get a workout figured out soon because summer will be here before I know it!

Do Over

This week is a do over of last week.  Let me explain.... I weighed in on Saturday and lost .8 of a pound (making the total .2 pounds away from 30).  I am taking this as a huge success because I honestly thought I was going to gain or, at most, break even.  I had a few hiccups with my new treadmill, so I did not get in the workouts that I was planning.  On Tuesday it stopped tracking my mileage after 1 mile and on Thursday it stopped after 1.5 miles.  The belt was still going and the time was still ticking but it never changed how far I was going.  There is some sort of miscommunication going on and I need to look some stuff up and contact Nordictrack about the issues.  Needless to say, after jogging one mile and then not knowing what was going on and trying to figure out technology, I gave up.  Same thing on Thursday.  So this week, I am going to reattempt last weeks planned workouts.

Sunday morning, the weather was pretty nice, and I still wasn't sure what was up with the treadmill, so I decided to go jogging outside.  I told myself I could go as slow as I needed to and to not get mad at myself when I needed to walk.  I went about 40 minutes and was sweatin' like a pig when I was done.  Oh yeah, for some reason before I went on the run, I decided to try a few squats and lunges.  I only did 8 lunges on each leg, and I'm sure it was the combo of the lunges and jogging outside, but boy was I sore on Monday!  My butt hadn't been that sore since the last time I did Pump.

Today I retried out the treadmill and it stopped tracking after 1.45 miles.  But this time I forced myself to just keep jogging since it was still calculating my calories burned and time was still running.  I went for about 50 minutes at 4.7 miles per hour, so I need to calculate the miles, but I am pleased with the results.

On another note, I have been super stressed waiting for a phone call for an interview for a full time art job.  Everyone keeps telling me I'm going to get it, but I'm still waiting.  If I don't get a full time job for next year, I don't know what I'll do.  My part-time salary just isn't cutting it and I'm sick of barely scraping by at 31 (almost 32) years old.  For God's sake, I'm married and a mother!  And yet I still feel unsuccessful because my yearly salary is 1/3 of the total of my student loan debt.  It's just all very scary.  Anyway, this means I had nachos for dinner.  I'm not proud of my decision, but at least I burnt a ton of calories earlier to offset the caloric input!

Yahoo!

Remember how last week's weigh-in was disappointing? Thank goodness for sticking to things because I had a 3 pound loss this Saturday!  This means I have 5 more pounds to lose before I reward myself with a pedicure.  With the current 7-day forecast, I'm pretty motivated to stay on track... My feet are dying to be free of socks and shoes and need to get sandal ready.

Last Thursday I just about killed myself on the treadmill with a 5-mile workout.  I did end up having to walk part of this training session because the workouts always include some sort of incline during the jog. Even  when I was in the best shape ever, I did not train by running at any sort of incline on the treadmill.  Sure, if I was outside there were hills... but there were also down-hills, which do not seem to be included in these workouts.  I feel like I am just constantly jogging up a hill (not a very big hill, but still).  I'm guessing it is these hard workouts that have been helping with the weight loss.  This week has two more after yesterdays 3-miler.  Tomorrow is about an hour long, reaching just over 4 miles and Thursday will be another killer... 6 miles.  I can't even think about how long it will take me right now.  Definitely slower than the 6 miles I jogged two summers ago at the 10k I did.  But I am determined to stick with it.  I've been sweating a lot but I finally feel like I have some energy again!  This is important when you have a baby constantly on the move.

I did okay this weekend with food.  Today hasn't been great.  For some reason I was ravenous when I got home from work and the leftover piece of pizza I had for lunch did nothing for me and I ended up eating some peanut butter out of the jar.  Peanut butter is one of my biggest weaknesses.  If it weren't for Don, I wouldn't even have it around because it is so tempting.  The first time I did WW I basically eliminated it from my diet but Don loves it too much for us to not have it around.  Hopefully this weeks planned workouts and walks in the nice weather will help me out.  It would be nice to have another big week but I am trying to be realistic and am hoping for another pound lost.

Nothing

I weighed in on Saturday and lost a big fat nothing.  I didn't gain, which is good, I guess.  But my goal was a two pound loss.  I tracked all my food and I worked out 3 times this week (which isn't great, but an improvement).  I have been really stressed out lately though (financially) and I'm guessing that has a lot to do with my number.  I'm hoping this week will be better.  I did a good workout yesterday and I have a killer one scheduled for tomorrow.  The next workout on my half-marathon treadmill training has me jogging 5 miles.  I haven't done this since before I was pregnant.  I haven't come close to that since I've started training.  I'm hoping I can make it....  My last big workout I did I had to stop in the middle of to catch my breath and I had to lower the incline in order to finish.  And that workout was about 4 miles.

I'm also worried I'm getting sick.  Josie had a fever almost all day yesterday and a runny nose.  She is cutting teeth but that may or may not have anything to do with the other...  All I know is that I was up at 1:30 taking her temperature and rocking her while she moaned and whimpered in my lap.  The gusty winds have not helped with allergies either.  Oh, and tomorrow is "Teacher Appreciation Day" at school and each kids family "adopts" a teacher to thank (or spoil, from what I hear), so I'm fearful of getting yummy treats tomorrow that will tempt me.  I already know of one family that adopted me and they sent me a survey asking about things I liked.  I'm excited though, because it will really show me who really appreciates me as a teacher!

Normalizing

I'm starting to feel normal.  Not that I really felt abnormal, but I'm slowly starting to feel like my old self again.  On a whim, I tried on my old jeans (not my old size 10 jeans but the jeans I was in before I got pregnant) and, although they were tight, I was able to pull them on and zip them up.  This completely thrilled me!  I'm hoping that another 10 pounds and I'll be able to wear the clothes I wore before I was pregnant.  This is not my final goal by any means, but boy will it be nice to fit into some clothes that I used to wear and feel good in.

After my workout yesterday, I looked up my statistics on ifitlive.com.  This program tracks all my treadmill workouts and can give me totals of how many miles gone, calories burned, time spent, etc for any length of time you've worked out.

Since I've had my treadmill (almost a month now) I have logged 24.14 miles, burned 4,299 calories, and spent 369 minutes working out (about 6 hours).  Granted, there were times before that I might have done all of this in one week, but that was when I was in super-good shape.  I basically have started over this year from scratch, so I'm pretty proud of these numbers.  I can't wait to see what March brings!

I Guess I'm the Hare

My loss for the week was one pound which makes the total 26.

I must admit, I was hoping for more, but I'll take even one pound because it is one step closer to my goal. It just means I still have 8 pounds to lose before I can get a pedicure!  And my toes are really needing some loving.....

My goal this week is to track my food intake better, which might mean a better loss for the week.  This is going to be hard because school is getting more stressful since we have two art shows to hang in the next two weeks.  Plus, I am still waiting to see if they are going to post the art jobs soon. I'm beginning to worry that with recent cuts, the positions might just be filled internally by shuffling people around.  If I don't have a full time job for next year I don't know what I'll do.  Part time is better than nothing, but financially it is not great.  I want to feel like an adult and maybe plan on going on another vacation again in my lifetime!

I would like to see a 2 pound loss for next week.  I am going to work out on Tuesday and Thursday this week, maybe Friday too... depends on how the week goes!  Wish me luck!

25 and Counting....

The official weigh-on on Saturday: down 1.2, which makes the total an even 25 pounds since June.

My original goal was to be back to my old size by this summer, but when I looked at the calendar and counted the weeks left, I realized this goal might be a bit unrealistic.  I would have to lose at least 2 pounds a week to reach it... and, well, I only lost 1.2 this past week, so I'm already behind.

My challenge this past weekend was two birthday parties.  Saturday night we celebrated my nephew Asher's first birthday (which is officially today!).  My brother ordered Domino's Pizza for dinner (which I haven't eaten since college) and, of course, there was cake and ice cream.  And my mom brought Eileen's Cookies, which added just one more temptation to the mix.  Thankfully, taking care of a 9 month old at a party kept me pretty busy.  I only had 2 pieces of pizza (they weren't very big), salad, and a small piece of cake and small scoop of ice cream (the ice cream was "Birthday Cake" flavored, so it was extra yummy).

Last night was an unexpected party.  Mainly because it was a Miller family birthday party and they usually come up unexpectedly because no one tells me about them, assuming my husband's memory is really great... it's not.  They didn't have dinner, just ice cream.  Oh, and it was an ice cream cake... but I didn't have any!  I sat in the other room playing with Josie during the cake eating.  Other people where there too, but I removed myself from the kitchen where I surely would have caved eventually.

I'm hoping for a good week.  It's the end of the hexter at school, which means I'm finishing up classes with one group of kids, and getting new kids on Thursday.  This can be a little stressful, with the amount of work finishing and starting a hexter.  Plus, on Saturday afternoon I am joining the ladies of the Miller family at Olive Garden to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday.  Here's hoping for a good weigh-in that morning, and some willpower for the afternoon!

Finally Feeling It

I got my treadmill last Tuesday and have used it three times since.  I love it and it is so nice to be able to work out at home.  It's really just nice to get good and sweaty again while working hard!

There is a program called "iFit Live" that came with the treadmill (a free 1-year subscription).  With this I have access to different training programs and I can access google maps and create routes to run on the treadmill.  I found a Half-Marathon training program and have completed the first two of over 40 workouts.  The workouts go in order, progressing either in distance or speed (and sometimes incline) throughout the workouts.  I plan on doing 3-4 of these a week, depending on what's going on in life.  I even got my workout in on Friday when I was home alone with Josie.  She played like an angel on the floor nearby while I walked for 36 minutes.

I also weighed in on Saturday at Weight Watchers.  The last time I weighed in was 1/30 because I decided to switch from Mondays to Saturdays.  I lost 2.8 pounds, making my total over 23 pounds!!  I'm only 10 pounds away from a major goal/milestone... so I'm thinking I will get a pedicure when I reach it.  I'm guessing this will happen sometime in March, and maybe the weather will cooperate with me wearing sandals to the nail salon!

As soon as Don re-hooks up the DVD player in the family room, I plan on starting to incorporate some videos I have on strength training to my workouts.  Spring/summer will be here before I know it and I need to get my arms and shoulders back into tip-top shape!


Oh, and I did order the neon pink running shoes and they will be arriving today!!!  It's amazing how fun colored running shoes can be motivational to work out!

Progress

Well,  I was supposed to get my new treadmill on Friday, but the Sear's guy got it wrong and we won't get it until tomorrow.  I was bummed because I was hoping to have it for the weekend, especially with all the snow that was headed our way.  I knew I wouldn't be moving much otherwise.  So that's what I did.  Or didn't do... I didn't really move all weekend until Sunday when I went to the store.  But tomorrow is a new day, a new day with a treadmill!

Ok, so here's the other down side... I have conferences tomorrow night, which means I won't have any time to test it.  Then, on Wednesday, I have a hair appointment right after school, which means I will have nice, beautiful hair and if I get on the treadmill, all will be lost.  I might sacrifice the nice hair though.

On to the progress.  So last Wednesday I weighed in for the "Biggest Loser" competition at school and it came up 1/4 lb higher than last week.  The scale there is the old ghetto scales all schools have and the nurse has to adjust it after each person weighs in.  I did not feel the greatest after this weigh in, but alas I kept on going.  See, I'm not a big fan of weighing more than once a week because when I did that I became hyper aware of everything I ate, did, etc and beat myself up for every mistake I ever made.  And I ended up beating myself up about this small gain, after the small loss at WW on Monday.

I also decided to change my weigh in date for WW because the lady who runs the meeting on Monday's is weird and has a high pitched voice that annoys me.  The woman on Saturday is much more my style, even though it is hard to get there on Saturday mornings.  The WW week starts on Mondays, so if I weigh in on a Monday, I can't technically weigh in the following Saturday and have it count, so I'm skipping this Monday's weigh in so I can go this Saturday.  Confusing, I know, but here's the thing:  I weighed in on my home scale this morning just to check my progress (since I'm not weighing in until Saturday), and it was the lowest number I've seen since I weighed in at my first pregnancy appointment.  I have no idea what this Saturday will bring, but that number was the motivation I needed to keep it up this week.

I also have a feeling I'll be moving around much more at home because a little someone has started pushing herself up onto all fours, rocking back and forth.  Holy smokes, how has this happened??!!

New Treadmill

A few things to post about today:

1. Don and I went to Sears this past weekend and made a splurge purchase.  It means I have to cancel my gym membership to pay for it, but I think in the end it will pay for itself.  We ordered a new treadmill!  It comes on Friday.  I cannot count how many times I have wanted to go to the gym to jog but once I factor in all the driving time and time wasted in the gym setting up and getting ready to go, I don't have enough time.  This way I can jog when I get home from work/before I pick up Josie and I don't have to worry about making it anywhere on time or some stinky, sweaty person jogging next to me, coughing and annoying me.  I'm hoping I can get back on schedule for my possible half-marathon goal for September.

2. I have been trying a lot of new recipes lately.  My goal is to try 2-3 new Weight Watcher recipes a week.  Last week we had an Asian Beef Salad, Lemon Chicken and Broccoli on rice, and Shrimp Scampi and Linguine.  This week I have a Chicken and Spinach Lasagna, Mexican Meatloaf, and Spicy Thai Beef Noodles planned for the menu.  Planning all this food has cut out the opportunity to eat out because I plan it all out and buy all the groceries on Sunday, plus I print out all the recipes so they are ready for using when I need them.  It is also nice that the points are already calculated for me, as long as I stick to the serving size!  I bought the WW food scale so that has also been helping me portion things out correctly.

3.  Today's weigh in was okay.  It was a loss but not much of one.  Only .8 of a pound lost, but that makes the total 21 pounds.  I'm tying to come up with some sort of reward system, like a pedicure or new running shoes when I reach certain goals.  Any ideas?  Every 10 pounds lost? Or a small reward for 5 or 10 and a larger for 20?  I have 40 pounds I would still like to shed and want to make sure I have plenty to keep me motivated!  You know, aside from the healthier, better looking me!

New Obsession: Smoothies

Okay, so it has been a while since I last wrote.... As I read through my last post in November, I remember the stress I was going through and realize why I was at such a stand still with my weight loss and working out goals.  Not much has really changed.  Maybe I have just gotten used to the stress and have learned to handle it better.  Or I've just given up on a clean house and a baby that sleeps through the night.

One stress I have eliminated is pumping.  Being a nursing mom takes a lot more work than one would think.  I spend about an hour and a half each day pumping (plus setting up, cleaning up, putting things away, etc).  Now that I have my plan period back at school, I have been getting more done during the morning, and then I get to leave sooner.  This also has freed up some of my time when I get home.  I can concentrate on eating a good lunch rather than rush through something because I'm starved and need to pump at the same time.

Another stress I eliminated was the holidays.  Okay, they really just came and went, but damn it they sure were stressful.   Add in a ton of delicious baked goods (stress eating) and weight loss is impossible!

So I went back to Weight Watchers.  I found a meeting on Mondays at noon, so I can make it after school and still have some time when I get home before I get Josie.  Since I went back on 1/9, I have lost 5.2 pounds (about 2.5 both weeks I've weighed in so far).  This is where my new obsession comes in.  At meetings this past summer people always talked about how good the WW smoothie mixes were but I was too lazy to pull out the blender and try one.... Even after I bought a box of the mixes!  Well, I finally did it.  And they are delicious.  If you know what you're doing.  All it is is a pack of smoothie powder (I think there are 6 in a box).  Add a cup of milk, the powder, and some frozen fruit to the blender, and blend.  I always add a 1/2 cup of water to make more for 0 points.  Fruit is 0 points, milk is 2, and the powder is 2, and it makes a large, filling smoothie for only 4 points.  It is awesome!  I've even subbed in Vanilla Almond milk for the same amount of points for extra flavor.

Today's recipe includes the french vanilla mix, 1 cup vanilla almond milk, peaches, cherries, and blueberries.  Delish!

Oh, one more thing, to date I have lost 20 lbs!  Slow and steady, but I am hoping to fit into my old shorts this summer.  I don't want to buy more!