Week 4 ....

I won't say that this week was a total loss... but I will say that my husband is a bad influence on me :)

This was his week off. I still juiced my breakfast, and for all those that have shown interest in it... it is totally worth it! But having a man in the house for lunch and dinner... well, I can't make a salad or grill up some veggies. Oh no, there has to be MEAT... and where there is meat, there are carbs. *sigh* So this week I stayed on track 1/3 of the time. Lunch and dinner was way more then it should have been.

Today, Hubby has headed back to work and I am detoxing once again. My cravings for bread and sugar are unbearable.. and yes, I have given in to them. Half a banana nut muffin and some small chocolate mints.

I am going back and forth in my head... "I'll start fresh tomorrow.... no, I should start NOW... but I've already ruined today, tomorrow I will be stronger.... I shouldn't wait or tomorrow will be harder" Yes, the battle in my head has gone on for hours now. When the weaker side was winning was when I ate the muffin and chocolates. When the stronger side was winning I managed to juice some delicious breakfast and a strawberry banana smoothie. Water has managed to completely disappear from my routine altogether.

I havent stepped on the scale, and I doubt I will,  for fear of seeing a gain. Tomorrow I am planning on taking a spin class in the morning to help burn the calories I've eaten today. :)

As for those that have asked what I am juicing:

Breakfast juice:

1 handful of parsley
1 handful of cilantro
1 cucumber
6 carrots
3 stalks of celery
1 apple
1 lemon

Yummy!!!

Afternoon snack (great for when your craving something sweet)

6 strawberries
1 frozen banana
1 juiced apple
1 tbsp chia seeds


(soak chia seeds in apple juice for 10 min. Then put everything into a blender and blend!)

Week 2

Starting WT: 192.6
Todays WT:  190.8  (-1.8 lbs)

Ya... I think I found my grove. Mostly it is thanks to my new love of juicing.

 Today, being a holiday, I allowed myself to stray from my 'norm' and enjoy some of the treats from today. This included:  2 mini snickers, 2 carrot cake cupcakes and 1 piece of razzelberry pie

Knowing that this is a quarter of what I would have eaten if I wasn't on the right track makes me comfortable with what I ate. The crud I ate, however, is making me very uncomfortable. I am already paying for it... oy.

I am still working on my way of thinking. Knowing now that I CAN have something but not WANT it is making a huge difference.. but this week I will also be learning to finish my day and not look back on it.

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in: forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

This week is done and I am happy with what I did and learned. Today was a beautiful family day and I will be fine with what I ate. Tomorrow is a new day and I will face it full on and with all my heart.

(a pic from todays Easter fun)

Lessons learned...

I can't say that my week was perfect. I can't say that it was a total loss either! The biggest turn around was watching the movie 'Hungry for Change'.   I sat in the dark and watched it before the rest of the house woke up. It hit home.

My new mantra is not... "I CAN'T eat that"... its "I CAN eat that, but I DON'T WANT TO!"

Trying thinking that the next time you see a piece of chocolate cake... or a pizza. Making that small change of can't to can.. but don't want to... makes a HUGE difference.

I am also doing a detox right now. I am juicing my breakfast and lunch. This morning I had an amazing glass of apple, celery, cucumber, parsley, lemon, and carrot juice. I know that in your head that sounds terrible... but it is a glass of heaven! Yesterday was my first day of detox... even fitting in a run in the afternoon when my Hubby got home. (which is very unusual, because I am usually too tired by then)

I did not hit my goals for last week.. but I do feel like I have made some big progress.

Next week... my goal is to stick to my juicing... run at least 3 days this week and for the challenge workout... I will be doing my Hubbys RushFit workout for 2 days.

In other news... my little girl ROCKS the soccer field!!

What is that horrible taste????

Oh ya... cookies.

I am having a terrible start to this challenge. Emotionally I am a mess.. which is carrying over to my food choices. My food choices are making my body feel 'blech'...so I am not working out or running. What a terrible circle of hell I'm in.

This morning, as I lay in my bed (squished by my 6 yr old so I couldn't get out of bed), I was thinking my normal thoughts of :

• "Well, I've messed this week up... might as well give up until next week."
• "I wonder how many cookies are left in the bag?"
• "What is that awful taste in my mouth??... oh right, the cookies"

Then, something hit me. Today is Wednesday. I'm only 2 days into this week... I still have 5 days to do something good. 

So... I finally got up and poured myself a glass of water.  I opened my laptop and sat on the couch reading other blogs. Now, I feel ready to tackle this week... or at least this morning.  Lets do this one step at a time.

Week 1 of the Ready for Summer Challenge...

Mini Goal :

To lose 1 lb this week

To drink my water everyday

To workout 4 days this week

STARTING WIEGHT:

192.6

STARTING FAT %:

31.6

STARTING MEASUREMENTS:

waist: 39
chest: 41
hips: 44

Get Out of YOUR HEAD!

I can over think EVERYTHING.

I can take something simple and turn it into Mt. Everest. Everything from a look, a word or a smile to an action, a plan or a trip. I can make it what its not. This is one of the reasons I have an ulcer. I make everything stressful.

I didn't used to. I don't think.

Lets see if I can not over think this post....

Yesterday morning I ran 2.48 miles around my house. It had just snowed... not a lot... but enough to make the air cold and wet. My breath came out in little puffs. It was early and I had just woken up. My husband was home and getting ready to do his own workout. So I stripped my warm pi's off and pulled on the workout clothes. Added my hat, ear muffs, gloves and music. I took my first shocking breath, shut the door behind me and started with a slow jog.  My knees were freezing cold.. but I kept going. My average speed ended up being 10:48/mile. When I walked in my house.... I felt good.

This morning I stripped off my pi's again and put on the workout clothes before the kids were up. This time I pushed 'PLAY' and did a chest and back workout P90X style. Push ups and pull ups galore.  At the end of the workout.. Tony says.. "Get out of your head" ...

Man, did that knock me straight. I am WAY over thinking this weight loss stuff. I stress over what I'm going to eat hours before its time. I plan my workouts by the week.

So, this week I am going to get out of my head! I am going to do a workout every day. I am going to eat clean and drink my water. But I am not going to FOCUS on it EVERY SECOND of my day. This is not going to own me anymore. I will enjoy my day and what God has in store for me.

Waddle On!

"No Need For Speed"

I AM A RUNNER because my runs have names. I do tempo runs and threshold runs and fartlek runs. I do long, slow runs and track workouts. My runs are defined, even if my abs are not.

I AM A RUNNER because my shoes are training equipment, not a fashion statement. The best shoe for me it the one that makes me a better runner. I choose the shoe that goes with my running mechanics, not my running outfit.

I AM A RUNNER because I don't have running outfits. I have technical shirts and shorts and socks. I have apparel that enhances the experience of running by allowing me to run comfortably. I can say "Coolmax" and "Gore-Tex" in the same sentence and know which does what.

I AM A RUNNER because I know what effort feels like, and I embrace it. I know when I'm pushing the limits of my comfort and why I'm doing it. I know that heavy breathing and an accelerated heart rate -things I once avoided- are necessary if I want to be a better runner

I AM A RUNNER because I value and respect my body. It will whisper to me when I've done too much. And if I choose to listen to that whisper, my body won't have to scream in pain later on.

I AM A RUNNER because I am willing to lay in all on the line. I know that every finish line has the potential to lift my spirits to new highs or devastate me, yet I line up anyway.

I AM A RUNNER because I know that despite my best effort, I will always want more from myself. I will always want to know my limits so that I can exceed them.

I AM A RUNNER because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far.

I AM A RUNNER because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not. 

Waddle on friends!

- BY JOHN BINGHAM "I AM NOT A JOGGER: I MAY WADDLE WHEN I RUN, BUT I'M RUNNING ALL THE SAME."