Follow through Friday - Attempting a NSV

After last week’s emotional post, this one will seem MUCH more upbeat as I overall had a great week! I was off work Friday and out running a bunch of errands but managed to stay on target, even with attending EM’s “Muffins with Mom” Mother’s Day celebration at school. I knew Saturday was going to be my “cheat” day as we were attending a Charity Event (the 2015 Give Kids the World Black and White Gala). I ate light throughout the day knowing I’d be having a big 4 course dinner and lots of alcohol (open bar!). Without doing any “scheduled” exercises on Saturday, I still hit over 19k steps from all the dancing and walking around the event (plus my errands earlier in the day) so that was pretty impressive. Unfortunately, I drank a little too much on Saturday night so wasn’t feeling that great on Sunday, which helped me not eat a lot. I treated myself to Panera (my only meal that day since I was hungover until like 4pm) and since it was Mother’s Day. The rest of this week, I’ve killed it with my eating and exercise with some impressive paces too (although not for very long distances, still working on that).

 

Instead of just trying to maintain, which as I mentioned last week would cause me to not hit my DietBet weigh ins Sunday and Monday, I’ve decided I’m going to try really hard to hit them. Tonight I'm going out with some friends for a Paint Nite which is at a reataurant. A very expensive restaurant so my cheapness will make it easy to not eat or drink there since I don't need to pay $8 for a beer or $15 for a basic burger. I'll just eat before I go. Tomorrow we have a community pool party/potluck (in which we’ve also invited a few neighbors we are really close with back to our house after that), which means a ton of party food and alcohol. I’ve already made the decision to not drink and stick to my calories the best I can, and have plans to go for a run in the morning with my MRTT mommas. I’m hoping I wake up on Sunday with a NSV (non-scale victory) of sticking to my guns and not indulging. Earlier this week, I was texting with G about what we are bringing to the pool party (his super awesome mac and cheese) and about how it’s going to be so hard to pass over all the yummy party food (I love me some potluck party food!). I then said I’m going to be pissed if I’m good at the party (and don’t eat the yummy “bad “food) and then still don’t hit my weigh in on Sunday morning. And you know what he said? “Even if you don’t hit your goal, you shouldn’t be pissed, you should be PROUD.” And he’s absolutely right, I should be proud when I stick to my decisions, regardless of the outcomes. Hence my goal of a NSV even if I don’t get my scale victory. (Although it does make it more frustrating when you don’t hit the overall goal or see progress). Here’s hoping my hard work and determination pays off this week!

 

Weight: 159.4 lbs

 

Exercise:

     3.2 miles in 32:00 (10:00 pace)  ~ estimated since I accidently cleared the screen TWICE during that run. 

     2.00 miles (09:29 pace)

     1.00 mile (09:19 pace)

     0.56 mile (walk)

     0.25 mile (walk)

     Shoulders/Back (2x)

     Arms (2x)

           

Total Miles: 7.01 miles

 

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 17.2 lbs

 

Follow through Friday - Emotions

It’s been a rough three weeks for me. I’ve been struggling emotionally with my weight loss journey and combined with PMS hormones I just felt completely defeated the last few weeks. I finally made some progress getting into the 150’s and then in true Denise fashion, I sabotaged it all. I was just having one of those “days” (which turned into weeks) where I just got fed up with it all. I hate when I get into that mind set. Want to know what was going through my mind: I hate that others don't have to try at all. I hate that I can't go have a few beers and not feel guilty about what it's going to do to me and my goal. I hate that other people don't have to worry about it. I hate that I sabotage my entire week efforts with one night of eating bad and drinking. I hate the way I look in the mirror. I hate that I can't say no to food in front of my face.  I hate that I feel like I have to say no to things/events so I don't cheat. I hate that I feel like I'm missing out on some fun if I choose to be “good” on a weekend.  Now THAT is a lot of HATE and a bad mindset to be in in. I know once I hit my goal, I’ll feel good about it knowing that I, and only I, made it happen. I know I’ll still have to be “good” during the weekend but I can’t wait for weekend splurging to not haunt me. I should be able to have a good time on a weekend without needing to eat and drink bad (and I know I can, I’ve done it before), but I WANT to be able to do it and I want to be able to do it and not feel terrible about it. 

Losing weight and getting healthy is such a hard journey and luckily I don’t let myself fully give up. Even over the last few weeks, I stayed pretty good throughout the work week and only really sabotaged on the weekends. However I hardly exercised, did some business travel and went on a cruise (I did run once on the 3 day cruise though so I suppose I wasn’t too terrible) with an unlimited drink package, so that was just ASKING for trouble. Back to what I said before, I want to be able to go on a cruise and not care, I feel like I SHOULD be able to go on a cruise and not care. But I do care, and that’s what makes this process so emotional.  

However, I woke up on Monday, feeling much better and more positive and am ready to tackle the month of May. May has a bunch of obstacles with a very busy schedule, but I’m determined to stay committed and as long as I don’t GAIN, I’m happy with staying the same for this month considering how busy we are.  Sometimes, I just have to be realistic that I’m not going to continuously lose if I’m not willing to give up certain things to get to where I want to be. Maybe it’s setting myself up for failure, but I have planned out my cheat days for the month and plan to step up the exercise game in hopes to at least maintain this month and if I lose, that’s awesome too. For the month of June, our schedule is pretty light so I’m determined to make June my “no cheat” month. Is that realistic? Right now, it seems probably not, considering I can barely make it a week without cheating (and we’ll probably end up adding things to our schedule), but I think I can do it, if I plan ahead for it and really focus. Focus on the end result. 

Ok enough of all that other stuff, let’s get to the good stuff! As mentioned in my last post, I hit all my DietBet weigh-ins for April but I didn’t have the payouts yet. The pay outs were as follows: $45.87 ($15 bet), $15.86 ($12.50 bet), and $46.20 ($30 bet).  It’s crazy how much they all vary, but any win is a win in my book! I have three for May (5/17, 5/18 and 5/25) and if I just “maintain” I will not hit the two in the middle of the month so I’m obviously going to try super hard to do more than just maintain so I don’t miss out on those winnings.  I signed up for the Celebration Half Marathon (it’s in January 2016 but I just wanted to get the cheaper rate so I signed up early) and five 5ks which are monthly throughout the summer. Having races on the horizon help keep me motivated. I normally don’t do races in the summer because of the heat, but I need the motivation and I’m really trying to get that sub 30 minute race time so maybe it’ll happen during one of those!

The last few weeks in numbers (or lack thereof):

Week ending 4/24:

Weight: 162.2 lbs

Exercise:

            2.00 miles in 19:19 (9:40 pace)

            .55 miles walk

Total Miles: 2.55 miles

Week ending 5/1:

Weight: 163 lbs

Exercise:

            2.26 miles in 25:00 (11:04 pace)

            .85 miles walk

            Arms (1x)

            Shoulder Back (1x)

Total Miles: 3.11 miles

This week, week ending 5/8:

Weight: 161.2 lbs

Exercise:

            1.52 miles in 15:00 (9:52 pace)

            3.10 miles in 37:14 (12:02 pace)

Total Miles: 4.62 miles 

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 15.4 lbs

Follow Through Friday - the next 10

Whew, this week was tough, but I did it! The potty training I mentioned last week didn’t end up happening (after one entire day, she still wasn’t even getting it, even a little bit, so we’ll try again in a few months), but I did pretty well over the weekend without indulging too much (although DID have more than just 2 pieces of Easter candy each day, whoops!) despite not being stuck at home. I hit my 1^st and 2^nd diet bet weigh-ins this week, plus have one more tomorrow (they haven't finalized the payouts yet, so I’ll report back next week on those). And I finally hit the 150’s, which is SO exciting to me! There is just something about hitting the next “tens” spot that really just excites me!

I didn’t get in a lot of exercise this week. I still am not feeling 100% (congested/coughing) but overall feeling much better; but just ultimately didn’t take the time to get the exercise in. I did one walk, two runs, and one night of strength training. Granted, the 3 days of exercise (I don’t count the walk, that’s just an “extra”) were GOOD, solid workouts, but I really am trying to run 3x a week and strength train 2x a week. So, with that goal in mind, this week was well, weak. However, I DID shave off another 54 seconds on my 5k time since last week. I’m really trying to get under a sub-30 5k, and I think in a few more weeks, I may actually hit it (on the treadmill at least, outside it is harder to control my speed). I have a goal in 2015 to race a sub-30 5k, so I’m putting a lot of effort into my speed lately. I’m so close!

Weight: 159.6 lbs

Exercise:

     3.1 miles in 30:43 (9:55 pace)  

     3.1 miles in 30:11 (9:44 pace) <- NEW fastest 5k since having either baby!

     2.92 miles (walk)

     Shoulders/Back (2x)

     Arms (2x)

           

Total Miles: 9.12 miles

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 17.0 lbs

Follow Through Friday - Crazy, Busy Week and a Head Cold

What a crazy, busy week! I was so exhausted from the weekend that I went to bed super early Monday night and TuesdayI was at a conference all day and then a reception in the evening, so by the time I got home from that, it was 8pm and I went to bed early again. It takes me a few days to catch up on my sleep if I have a late night over the weekend. WhichSaturday night I didn’t get to bed until 1:45am and was up tossing and turning at 5am so out of bed by 7. We had such a fun filled weekend with Easter festivities and a BBQ with our awesome neighbors.

I was really bad with my food all weekend and on Tuesday at the conference, which of course made me feel like crap afterwards. Such a vicious cycle I put myself through. I did however make my final Transformer Diet Bet weigh in and in 6 months, I lost 10% and won $295.94!! (Profit of $150.94 after my buy in). I’m pretty stoked about that! I’m in two more overlapping transformers and hoping the final payouts are similar! I love making money for doing what I’m doing! This week coming, I have no plans on the weekend and won’t be leaving the house as we are doing a 3-day potty training boot camp with EM so I won’t have any temptations. No eating out, no drinking, no bad snacks (other than all that Easter candy on the counter.. but I’ve been pretty good about not eating the holiday candy – I let myself have two small pieces per day if wanted!) I have three DietBet weigh ins this week (Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday) and am determined to hit them, and if I do, I’ll finally be in the 150’s which is my April goal!

I did minimal exercise this week, but got in two really good runs at least. I got up early on Saturday morning and ran on the trail with some ladies from MRTT, they were running 9 miles, so I only ran ~2 with them and turned back as I was only planning on 4. Last week, I hit my fastest post-children 5k and this week I improved it by 45 seconds! I was SO not in the mood to exercise on Wednesday, but I got on the treadmill anyways and decided to give it a go. I almost stopped at 1 mile, and then 2, and then said you know what, let’s just do a 5k and see where I end up. I’m so glad I kept going and pushed myself as I’m pretty dang impressed with myself! This is the fastest 5k I’ve ran since 2011! I didn't get in any strength training this week, Tuesday I was at the conference/reception and then Thursday I went home from work sick with a head cold and slept pretty much all day/night. Feeling a little better today and hoping to get a run in tonight at least. 

Weight: 163.2 lbs

Runs:

     4.18 miles in 47:00 (11:15 pace)

     3.1 miles in 31:05 (10:02 pace)  <- NEW fastest 5k since having either baby

Walks:

     1.2 total miles (combined)

Total Miles: 8.48 miles

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 13.4 lbs

Follow through Friday - Pre Baby Weight!

Posting almost a week late, whoops

I hit my pre-baby (#2) weight! I still have a ways to go before I hit my ultimate goal, or even before I hit my pre-baby #1 weight, but it’s nice to see progress! I actually started strength training this week! I did 2 rounds of my Shoulders/Back circuit (see below for description on all my circuits) on Tuesday and then did my Chest Circuit, 2x, on Thursday. I went back and read through my workouts from last year and I was supposed to do 2 rounds of 2 different circuits each time I did strength training, which I intend to do next week. This was a good start for me though; my chest is a little sore today, which is a sign of a good workout. I also have difficulty doing jumping jacks as my one knee was hurting, so I’m going to try to substitute that out for something else next week. The “bodyweight step up” in the should/back circuit was previously mountain climbers but the toes on my left foot were hurting when I did those so I changed that out as well. My right foot has been hurting too, although oddly enough, not when I run, just when I’m wearing no shoes or less supportive shoes. I have an appointment on Monday to get that checked out and plan to have them check out my left foot too. I really hope I’m not told to stop running; that would be such a bummer.

Food wise, I did pretty good overall all week. A little cheating on the weekend but nothing too serious (obviously since I lost a pound this week). This weekend is going to be killer with so many plans. We have a community Easter Egg Hunt and Potluck on Saturday followed by a BBQ at our neighbors on Saturday night (which means probably a lot of drinking) and then we will be gone all day on Easter for a yummy Easter dinner. I know my sister in law is making some Cauliflower “mashed potatoes” in addition to her regular mashed potatoes so I’m going to at least try to sub those out.

Weight: 161.4 lbs

Runs:

     3.45 miles in 39:09 (11:21 pace)

     4.05 miles in 45:35 (11:15 pace)

     3.1 miles in 33:38 (10:51 pace)

     3.1 miles in 31:50 (10:16 pace)  ß fastest 5k since having either baby

Walks:

     2.41 total miles (combined)

Total Miles: 15.2 miles

Overall Weight Lost since "Starting Point" 10/24/14: 15.2 lbs

Shoulders/Back Circuit

Bodyweight Step Up – 20 reps per leg

Bent Over Two Arm DB row – 10 lbs – 14 reps

Standing Overhead Press - 10 lbs – 15 reps

Single Arm DB Row – 14 lbs – 10 reps

Plank – 45 seconds

Band Lateral Raise – 15 reps

Kettlebell Upright Rows – 25 reps

Russian Twist – 8 lbs – 15 reps

Arms Circuit

Treadmill – 2% incline, run at 7 mph for 1 min

Chair or Bench Dips – 20 reps - Similar to the video, except you will have your feet on the ground/no weight added 

Dumbbell Curls – 10 lbs – 10 reps 

Close grip girl push ups – 15 reps 

Plank – 45 seconds

Cross Body Hammer Curl – 10 lbs – 10 reps 

Kettlebell Swings – 25 reps

Knee to Opposite Elbows – 20 reps each side alternating 

Legs Circuit

Jump Squats – 20 reps 

Lunges – 20 reps each leg 

Side Planks – 25 seconds per side

Jump Squats – 20 reps

Plank – 45 seconds

Lunges – 20 reps each leg

Kettlebell Swings– 25 reps

Chest Circuit 

Jumping Jacks – 30 reps

Girl Push Ups – 25 reps

Kettlebell Swings– 25 reps

Dumbbell Flyes – 10 lbs - 14 reps

Plank – 45 seconds

Crawl Push Ups – 5 reps (Start in same position as girl pushup.  Move right hand to center and move the lefthand out to normal spacing, basically you will shift your position to angled to the left instead of straight. Do a pushup, then move your left hand to where your right hand is at, shift your right hand out to normal spacing so you are now facing at an angle to the right. Do a pushup, then go back to starting position angled to the left side, that is 1 rep)

Supermans – 25 reps