A much better end to the week!

After my sort of fail earlier this week, I decided to simply move on.  All I can do is better, so better I did.  I did very well with my food choices and never went overboard, not even this weekend!

I might add that Chili's restaurant has a FABULOUS dinner called Margarita chicken.  It comes with a grilled chicken breast over a small amount of rice and the most fabulous black beans!  According to Eat This, Not That is has 580 calories.  Which for a large dinner is really great!  Not only that, black beans are SO good for you.  According to one study, black beans have more antioxidant activity, gram for gram, than other beans.  And no, I suffered no indelicate side effects.

On Saturday, I went for one of my infamous jog/walks and managed to exercise for a distance of 4 miles with the following stats:

Duration: 54 minutes
Calories burned: 708
Average Heart Rate: 170
Maximum Heart Rate: 180 (A little better than last Saturday)
In Heart Rate Zone:  Not very long...

All in all, my mile average was 13.5 minutes.  I say that's not too shabby for someone who doesn't really run.  Actually, I have no idea how far I ran, but I ran when I could until I just couldn't do it any more.  And then I walked in between.  I realize this really isn't a 'proper' way to train, but it's working for me.

Then today, I went on a shorter jog/walk for 2.5 miles.  Sunday is generally a more relaxed exercise day as far as mileage, and then I build during the week.  But, I finished it in 34 minutes and still burned almost 400 calories, so I'll take it.

My son and I have come up with one awesome fruit smoothie, so when I got back from exercising this evening, he helped me make smoothies for the family.  Here is my favorite version:

1 banana, sliced by a 3 1/2 year old (if you don't have one of those, you can cut it yourself; it just won't be as cute.)
1/2 bag of frozen strawberries (I think the bag was 16 oz.)
1/2 cup 100% apple juice (this helps the sweetness factor)
1 5.3 oz. container of whatever Greek yogurt you like.  We used Fage with honey.

Whip that bad boy in the blender and you have an awesome treat for you and one that your kid will even drink!  I choose Greek yogurt because of the really high protein content and lower sugar count than regular yogurt.  I also read that it helps your muscles recover after a workout.  I'll let you know tomorrow if that's true.

I'm supposed to weigh-in tomorrow, but I am absolutely scared to death.  I may wait until later in the week and try to get on a new weigh-in schedule.  Weighing in on Friday seems so much better than Monday.  I always have a 'case of the Mondays' anyway...who wants to add a weigh-in to that?

Keep on keepin' on!

I wish I had a WooHoo Weigh-In to report, but unfortunately I was up .6 pounds this week.  BOO!  But, I actually am well aware of what happened (at least I think), and old habits do not die fast for me.  It really takes one day of bad eating to throw things off.  In my case, I ate kind of crappy all weekend.  So, I suppose this is what happens.

I have definitely realized that I have to be very disciplined at this point in my journey, because I am not in maintenance phase.  I am in the beginner phase, and being very strict is key!  I don't like it, but as they say, "It Is What It Is."

I did do my training jog/walk on Sunday evening and I also managed to get in a Leslie Sansone workout tonight.  It has been really rainy and dark here today and I almost talked myself out of exercising, but I put those big girl panties on and worked out anyway.  And in the end, I feel better for it!

With that, I'll keep on keepin' on this week and hopefully I'll have a better weigh-in next Monday.  Or maybe I'll switch it to Friday so I can weigh-in before the weekend?  :-)

And we're off!

I had my last jog/walk this week from my training plan for the 10k that I am participating in on April 30th.  Today's walk (and I am saying walk because I would be lying if I said I actually ran) was 3.5 miles.  Using my new Polar FT4, I was able to determine the following stats:

Duration: 50 minutes 30 seconds
Calories burned: 665  (WooHoo!)
Average Heart Rate: 170
Maximum Heart Rate: 183 (Yikes!)
In Heart Rate Zone: 6 minutes 58 seconds

Now, I'm guessing the last part is bad.  I was only "in my zone" for right around 7 minutes.  When you initially set-up the heart rate monitor, it asks you to enter all of your stats like sex, height, weight, etc.  I assume that it determines your appropriate heart rate zone for the duration of your exercise activity based on your stats.  I'm guessing mine was too high.  Guess I have to work on that...and read what that actually means.

Otherwise, I feel great!

Next week's plan is as follows:

Sunday (yep tomorrow): 2 Miles
Tuesday: 3 Miles
Thursday: 2 Miles
Saturday: 4 Miles

I really don't have a particular running pattern yet.  I basically just try to warm up by walking and then run as far as I can without passing out.  Today I probably ran a total of .75 miles.  I guess that isn't bad for someone who "isn't a runner."  But we shall see how this goes!

Oh, and to relate back to my post from earlier this week; I plan to have some Texas Sheet Cake to celebrate my step-son's birthday this evening.  At least I planned it and already know what I'm going to eat, right? 

A few lessons learned

“Most people who fail in their dreams fail not from lack of ability but from lack of commitment” ~ Zig Ziglar

I found this quote on another blog and I really love it!  It's so true and certainly applies to my life.  I looked back on my blog posts from the beginning of this journey and I have really learned quite a few things.  But, I have SO far to go!  Not really as far as actual "pounds lost", but my mentality is so immature.  I learn new things every single day about health, food, weight loss, and about myself.  One thing is certain, I do not have the lack of ability to make this happen.  But do I have the commitment?

I like to think that I am committed.  But it is really hard!  I have found through this process that I am not a Superwoman, nor will I ever be.  I have weaknesses.  I like food that is bad (well, to the contrary, it is really good.)  I have a lot going on during the week.  I am a mother of a very rambunctious three year old.  I am trying to be a good wife.  I am trying to faithfully serve my God.  And on and on and on.

But thus far, I have learned many things and it only reinforces why I am committed to fulfilling my dreams of being healthy and feeling good!  Let me share a few of those realizations with you:

1.  I have to consistently exercise.  I have led a lifestyle that didn't incorporate exercise and it is way to easy for me to slip right back onto the couch and watch television.

2.  I really love finding and trying whole and healthy foods to eat.  Who knew that fruits and veggies could be so tasty?  And might I add, I make a really mean fruit smoothie!

3.  I cannot do it all at once.  I am the kind of person that becomes obsessed with things almost to the point of insanity.  I realize this about myself, yet I continue to do it anyway!  This is exactly what the title of the blog states:  a journey.  A journey is a lifetime of change, not a one day turnaround.

4.  I feel really good in my own skin.  I haven't felt this way in a long time.

5.  My son has taken notice of the changes I have made.  This simply amazes me that I can make such a significant impact in his young little life.  He asks me all the time, "Mommy, are you going to do your ets-ercise?"

6.  I really love Greek yogurt!  Why didn't we have this sooner???

7.  I have the ability to do this and the commitment continues to burn inside of me.  It's awesome!

8.  I love to blog.  It does take time, but it is so important in my self-accountability.   

These are just a few things that I can name off the top of my head.  I am certain there are more exciting lessons to be learned!

Foodtrainers: The Secret Ingredient for Weight Loss

I am loving this article. I really believe it is true. Now, if I could only convince myself of that, I'd be all set!

Foodtrainers: The Secret Ingredient for Weight Loss

My new gadget and a WooHoo Weigh In

Well, it really wasn't a WooHoo Weigh In, but I'll take it.  I'm only down .6 pounds, but I know exactly what happened.  It all started Friday afternoon and went down hill from there.  I went to a really awesome deli/sandwich shop and I'm sure that didn't help...and neither did the Laura's iced cookie that I had for dessert.  Oh, and then came the biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast on Saturday morning (which might I add that I will never have store bought frozen buttermilk biscuits again, so lesson learned.  Those things are little heart attacks in a bag!)  And then came the ultimate downfall of the weekend, the movie theater.  And we all know what happens at the movie theater, right?  Yep, you got it, popcorn.  And lots of butter.  But you know, it was fabulous and now I'm moving on.  I am thankful that I didn't gain anything.  But now I know what I can't do, otherwise the pounds will come back!

I am sad to say that my fabulous Omron pedometer is being shipped back to Amazon.  In my last post, I told you about the jog/walk that I went on with my friend, and I used the pedometer.  I was very, very disappointed when at the end of the walk, it only registered 1.91 miles.  I know for a fact that we walked almost 3 miles and I wanted to throw the thing out in the field behind my house.  Fortunately, Amazon has a fantastic return policy and I actually ended up purchasing something to replace it.  After much research, I found the Polar FT4 Women's Heart Rate Monitor Watch.  It truly has everything that I want in a gadget and I think this is going to be the device for me.  I don't really need anything for distance because the bike paths behind my house are marked.  I am going to use those as my training guide for my upcoming race. 

If you are interested in seeing the trails that I use for training, you can find them here.  I have a fantastic asset right in my back yard!  I use "Xenia to Spring Valley" portion.

That's all I have for now.  Have a fabulous week everyone!

Wanna run?

So I got an e-mail from a friend of mine at work this past week and she asked me if I would be interested in going for a jog.  Huh, what...me?  After I realized she really was talking to me, I sent back a message and loathingly said, "Sure."  Let me preface this by saying, I am not a runner.  I don't know if that is in my head, or if it is true, but at that moment I knew, "I was not a runner."  I say all that to say that yes, I finalized my registration for the Cincinnati Flying Pig 10k on April 30, 2011 last Monday.  Seriously?  What AM I thinking? 

Regardless, I have run before, and I WILL do it again.  I have another friend who signed up for the race, too, so it is totally serious now.  I am not about to go down like a fool on this one.  You see, the last time I attempted this was in 2005.  It was around Christmas time and my entire family was joking about signing up for the Flying Pig Relay that May.  They wanted to have two teams of 4 people, and may the best team win!  I thought, "Wow, that sounds nice", and little did I know that I would be running on one of the teams.  And the reason why I ran?  My own mother actually bet me that I couldn't do it!  HA!  I showed her!  (Now as a disclaimer, I know that bet was merely for motivation on her part).  But I did...our team won...and I ran an 11 minute mile.  Pretty awesome for a chubby chick who had never lifted her foot off the ground or tried on a pair of real running shoes!

Fast-forward to 2011.  And I am here again.  This time for 6.2 miles and I find myself feeling that same terror that I felt before.  But this time, I am challenging myself.  This time, it's me and only me.

At the suggestion of an acquaintance of mine, I plan to use a combo of my friend's training schedule and the Couch to 5k program.  It starts tomorrow. 

It's on folks!