Back on the scoreboard!!

Hi Everyone!!

First of all I would like to say - WAY TO GO KRISTA!! - and everyone else doing the Bloomsday run with her. That is awesome and I so wish that I could be there too. I will be there in spirit though and I know that one day the sisters will be doing it together lol!! My sister and I will be competing in my first marathon on the 22nd April. It is called the Gold Rush Marathon and we are doing the 7km run and I can tell you that I am not looking forward to it, but we will do it. How proud will we all be when we have completed our challenges?!! No matter where we are in the world, we are all in this together and it is great to be able to motivate each other and celebrate our successes together.

I actually wanted to leave Krista's last post on top for a while but as today was my first weigh in for the year, I didn't want to leave it go because otherwise I will feel as if I haven't fully got into the swing of things because I haven't owned it. It really feels as though I have got off to a slow start because it is almost the end of January and I have only just weighed in for the first time, but at least now I feel like my journey for the year has begun, sluggishly slow or not!!

Soooooooo - why has it taken me so long to get there?!! Well as you know I was having a week's break after my New Year's Eve weigh in - a week and 2 days actually as I started on New Year's Eve after my morning weigh in and went through until the Sunday after that first week of the year. Thank goodness I didn't have any longer than that!! I actually had said that I was going to have a full 2 weeks off which I know would have turned into 16 days because I would have gone through to the Sunday, but decided beforehand that that would be way too long. I am amazed to say that when Monday the 9th of January rolled around I was actually glad that it had arrived. I really needed the break - my body and my mind needed it - but I was definitely ready to get back into it and get this thing finished!! It was also a very good exercise for me to do because it showed me just how quickly the weight can go back on if I am not careful. I put on a lot over my break. Not all of it would have been actual weight. A lot of it would have been fluid but it was still shocking to hop on the scales on that Monday morning and see the results of my time off. I did still exercise in my break time, but not anywhere near what I normally do while I am trying to lose and I didn't watch what I ate at all. If I wanted it, I had it. One year ago I would not have been able to do that and get back on the wagon. I would have kept right on going and it just goes to show how far I have come in a year. I knew that I would put on and I was ok with that. I don't think that we should have to go through life and never put anything bad in our mouths. My break was my Christmas break, I just had it a week later than everyone else because I was trying to make my goal by the end of the year. So I don't feel like I missed out. I had all the yummy stuff everyone else had over Christmas and New Year, just later than everyone else and it was worth it lol!!

Monday the 9th came though, and that was it for me. Back on the wagon and happy to be there! I jumped back into my exercise regime and added some new much much harder training in 3 days a week as well. I had already told myself before I started my break, that if I was going to do the crime, then I had to do the time and I am proud to say I hooked into it like a trooper. So in the 3 weeks since I finished my break, I have been working really hard to lose what I had put on and then some so that I could go to my first weigh in for the year. It was actually supposed to be last Saturday, and although I had lost all of the weight I had put on over my break by then, I think I must have put on muscle from all of the extra training, so I didn't go last week. I trained really hard again this week because I really didn't feel like my journey had started yet, since I hadn't had that first weigh in. Thank goodness I managed to lose enough to get there this morning. I had a .6kg (1.3lbs) and although it wasn't the number I was looking for, I am happy that I have a least made it onto the scoreboard and I finally feel like I have begun!! It is especially good when I take into account that whether some of it was fluid or not, the scales showed that I had put on a whopping 12.7kg (28lbs) in the 9 days I had off. Like I said, it just goes to show how quickly it can go back on if I am not careful and even when I get to my goal weight, I am going to have to watch myself for the rest of my life. This is not a short term thing - this is a lifetime thing. Some people are lucky and they don't have to be so careful, but some of us are not so lucky and we have to really work at it. I guess we all have things we have to work on in life and this just happens to be the thing that I have to work on and I know that I will be fitter and healthier because of it.

I also made my list of New Year's Resolutions and my goal for this year is 50kg (110lbs). It is a big goal again but I really want to finish this thing this year. I did it last year and although when I get into the double digits I think it will get harder, I do still think that I can do it and I am much better equipped this year. I learnt a lot last year and I found what works and I know what I have to do to achieve my goal. I can't wait to get there and that keeps me going. It took me a long hard road to get where I am now and although I still have a lot of hard work ahead of me, it will be so worth it and I am looking forward to enjoying all the little milestones along the way.

Anyway, enough dribbling on from me for now. I will post again when there is something to report, but until then keep going. Krista has asked the question before - "How many times can one begin again?" and the answer she gives is, "As many times as is necessary". She is right. We all fall off the wagon at some point. That's life. Life happens. The important thing is that we don't give up. Keep going and I will catch up with you all again soon!

Shari

Bloomsday

I signed up for Bloomsday today. I’ve got 100 days to get in a little better shape now. 100 days to improve enough to not feel like I’d rather die than finish. For those who don’t know what Bloomsday is here is a link. https://www.bloomsdayrun.org/

I signed the boys up to do it with me. Z will love it. Nate will complain the whole time and I will have to turn into his cheer leader. But they might get new shoes for the race, so he might find it worth it. The kids like their shoes and wear them out or outgrow them in a hurry.(I tend to wait until the last minute before they get new ones. Nate doesn’t wear kid sizes any more. He shops in mens shoes. A pair of shoes in mens size costs a lot more than the same pair in kid size!! I know it only gets worse from here, but maybe he’ll slow down growing his feet soon.) And cheering him on will cheer ME on in the process.

AND... my bestie, Teresa, signed up as well!! Her family is signed up too, so there will be a group of us. We have both paid our money and made the commitment! And we will be talking this weekend about meeting once a week at least to walk together. (I know it takes more than once a week, but it might be the only time we have together.)

The last time I did Bloomsday was probably 1992 or 1993. Two of my college roommates, and I did it together (one more cheerfully than the other!). I have great memories from then. We didn’t push ourselves, we walked most of the time, and had an accomplishment to brag about when we were done. Loretta, you can join us again this year!!!

I did it in 1991 with my boyfriend of the time. That was my fastest time. He pushed me to run more of the race than I would normally have done. It was before I was at my fittest, but I was on my way. I have a picture of us crossing the finish line. I look pretty worn out, but pleased.

Before that I’d done the race a few times with my dad and sister. Dad’s company had a corporate team. They had a suite at one of the hotels for refreshments and bragging after the race. We weren’t on the corporate team, but always went up to see their results. (They were done well before we crossed the finish line).

So, now it has been 20 years since the last time I was in this race. Yikes, I was still in my teens! And this time it’s all about setting a goal to be healthy again. This is a small goal in that quest to be healthy.

100 days from today. I’d better make a plan!

Week 1 - Back on the Wagon!

Paleo went to hell this weekend. I did pretty good during the week. That was almost easy actually. Then the weekend came. Aa asked what I wanted for dinner and I (jokingly) said "chicken Parmesan". I don’t have any idea what is involved with making that. And I thought I was being funny and he’d make something else. But he made it, and it turns out that it’s simpler than I thought, but it isn’t paleo. The chicken is breaded and he puts it on top of noodles. He made my chicken not breaded, but I still ate the noodles.

The next day we had errands to run, and then I planned to spend the whole afternoon scrap booking. Lunch time came while we were running our errands. And we were right next to Burger King. So we got Whoppers. I ate it all. I scrapped all afternoon, until the kids started to complain about being hungry. Demanding little guys when they get hungry. :) We had leftovers. There was chicken (breaded) and pasta left. It was delicious again.

Sunday was a little better, until after lunch. I had coffee and apple slices at breakfast. It was all I was hungry for. Then I got busy doing my chores. It’s amazing how fast the day goes when you are busy. Before I knew it the kids were complaining about starving to death, again. They complained to their dad this time and he got a pizza. I ate 2 slices. After I ate them, my energy level dropped like a rock!! I still puttered around but I’m glad I got most of my work done in the morning.

I’m back on target today. I still haven’t figured out a breakfast. I’m not normally a breakfast eater. Even though I know it’s "the most important meal of the day". I don’t really every feel hungry or like eating until about lunchtime. I am trying to try harder, but it’s almost as though I don’t know HOW. What is a good paleo breakfast, that is easy, quick, and doesn’t require cooking?

I had veggies with humus dip today. It was surprisingly satisfying. Don’t have a plan for dinner yet.

Stepped on the scale this morning and I was down 1.2 pounds for the week. I didn’t get around to measurements yet, but I haven’t forgotten.

A year ago

A year ago, I weighed the same as I do now.  Really Krista?  Zero progress in a year?  What have you been doing?!

A year ago, I wrote about setting goals.  My goal is set.  A SMART goal.  (And in keeping with the 4 criteria I posted last night). 

A year ago, I talked about setting up a weekly menu.  That never even got off the drawing board!

A year ago, I promised to blog weekly.  I did keep that up for, um, maybe 3 weeks....

A year ago, I was a different person.  A year has passed.  We have all grown (emotionally, not physically) and changed.  Soo...  This year, I'll set the same goals and you will hear from me more often.  I'll check in soon!



S: Specific - I will strive to lose 50 pounds before my 20 year reunion (date not specified yet).  I will eat less pasta and delicious breads, and more vegetables and fruits.  I will plan a healthy breakfast and pack a healthy lunch (no more fast food trips because I forgot to bring lunch with me).  And I'll start walking again.  At least 3 days a week.
M: Measurable - I will take measurements monthly, and weigh myself each Monday morning.  I will take pictures and keep statistics.  (This part is FUN!)
A: Achievable - This is tricky.  Sure this is an achievable goal.  I have at least 6 months to get there (again, the specific date isn't set by the reunion committee yet, but I have a general idea).  A 2 pound per week weigh loss is achievable and there is plenty of time for that.  Past experience tells me its less achievable than I'd like to think though.  But I'm thinking positively today.  It's doable.
R: Recordable - You bet!  I can  journal and track and blog and photograph.  It's recordable.  Whether I like it or not.
T: Time bound - Yes.  When I get the date for certain.  And in the meantime I'll just say.... hmmm.  July 4th. 

Cliche:  Not to much.  It's pretty specific.
Make it a Game:  Hello statistics!
Be Drastic: January is going to be a mess!  I need a kick in the pants!!
Stick to it:  I'm here again aren't I?

See you in a week with the first statistics!!!

New Year, New Goals?

Every year starts the same doesn't it?  Resolve to be better.  Better at anything.  More committed to weight loss.  More committed to organization.  Better at being on time or at least late less often.  Eat better.  Exercise more. 

I'm in the same boat this year as I was last year.  I want the same things I wanted a year ago.  I must have done it wrong.  I know how to make goals.  Soooo.... this year, I'll try again.  I'm putting my goal out here for you to see.  (I'm pretty sure that last year.  I wrote about SMART goals). 

I read an article this week.  The first tip is to stay away from cliche's.  Sooo... I can't say "I'll lose weight this year".  The second one was to Make it a Game.  That means take lots of pictures and keep a lot of statistics. The third is Be Drastic.  Make the first 30 days a big deal, if you are going to do it, go ALL the way in January.   The last was Stick to it!!  If you fall off the wagon, hop back on!

Side note: Shari must have read (or written) that article.  She ROCKS! 

Anyway!!!  I'm going to try that.  I'm not going to say "I'll lose 50 pounds this year".  This year I'll say... let's see.... I'll wear a dress 2 sizes smaller for the high school reunion.  That's something I can aim for!!!   I am ALL about statistics.  I'll take pictures and measurements and blog.  That really sounds like me.  No problem!  Be drastic... well, I'm off to a shaky start so far, but it's never too late.  So, I'm planning to eat paleo this month.  I plan to eat "only food you can pick or kill..."  Limit my bread or pasta or anything that doesnt' come to the plate almost the same as it was in nature.  And Stick to it!  I don't think I need to learn this one.  I keep coming back to it.  So, that might be the easiest one for me. 

I haven't made the time (as much as I've tried) to draw out the plan as thoroughly as I should.  YET.  I have bits and pieces in my head.  I'll work it out.  I'll be back!  I just wanted to get it out there now!  (and let you all know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth). 

I'll match Shari as well.  I'll add pictures!  

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!