Lisa

This will not be a cohesive post.  I’m thinking it just might be a “bullet’s” type post, because that is all I have in me this morning.

For all it’s worth…………

• I did 30 minutes of what I call “light cardio” this morning.  My body felt slow and sluggish and tired.  I never really got into it, but hey, at least I finished, right?
• My eating has been atrocious this past week.  Period.  The end.  I need to change that.
• Speaking of periods how’s that for a seque?, I had an appointment with my “woman” doctor/midwife last week and I asked her for some help to control my raging PMS that occurs one week of the month for the sake of my sanity and my husband’s too and she gave me a list of things that could help.  She suggested I start with taking calcium and magnesium on a daily basis, to see if that helps.  So far, so good : ).
• My back is sore from carrying my 26 lb toddler around.  OK, I don’t carry him much, but I do have to lift him in/out of the crib, the car seat, his lunch seat, and to wash his hands.  That’s a lot of lifting and my back is protesting in a major way.
• I saw Dr. Oz on Oprah last week and it was a special on diabetes, yada yada yada.  Anyone else see this show?  The thing that stuck out from the show for me is that he said that your waistline needs to be 1/2 (or less) of your height.  For example, I am 5′6″ tall (or 66 inches)- that means  my waistline needs to be 33 inches or less to lower my risk of having diabetes, among other things.  My waistline is 35 inches.

How’s that for random?

I have been visiting Christy for the last 4 days. That means, we have been having a rockin’ good time! We have exercised so much and kept each other in check with our eating. That also means that I used her scale to weigh myself this morning. Granted, I have been working very hard this past week to up my exercise and to keep my eating in check- not depriving myself but just being more aware about the choices I make…….well, now, I want to make out with her scale and take it home with me!

Last week’s weigh-in: 168.5 lbs
This week’s weigh-in: 166.2 lbs
Loss: 2.3 lbs
Total loss for this challenge: 5.8 lbs

I am cautiously optimistic that this is truly my new weight; however, I will weigh myself again tomorrow morning when I am back home on my own scale.

Oh yeah, Team Shrinking Jeans has officially started our 1/2 marathon training.  Here I am after my first training run!

Allright, I have to get packing up all of our stuff so that we can make the drive home later this morning.  Good luck to everyone!

This week’s assignment from The Monday Project is to have your future 2011 self write a note to your 2010 self.  I started off with a vlog but had trouble uploading my video, so you get a letter instead.  This was actually emotional for me to do and in my vlog, I started crying.  Of course, by the time I found some MORE time to write this letter, the tears were gone but the resolve was not.

Dear Lisa:

I am here to tell you that lots of good things are in store for you this year.  2010 is going to be an awesome year for you, for lots of reasons.  But first, I want to tell you something very important, so critically important that you need to stop all that you are doing, pull up a chair, and read this with an open heart and mind.

You, Lisa, are a wonderful and awesome person- you are a mom, a wife, a sister, a runner, a cook, a maid, a housekeeper, a taxi driver, and many other things.  The best gift that you can give yourself this years is this:

• To love yourself through and through
• To forgive yourself for not being able to do EVERY THING all of the time
• To let go of the mom guilt

I believe that you are doing the very best that you can.  Now YOU have to believe that you are doing the very best that you can.  Just BELIEVE.

Like I said, 2010 is a big year for you.  You will accomplish so many things!   You will go from running 3 miles in January to training and running a half marathon in June with Team in Training.  You may think that raising $2900 for Team in Training is a daunting task right now but I’m here to tell you that you will raise that amount and then some.  You will finish that marathon in your goal time and you will feel GREAT.  Pay attention to your body during your training runs though.  You only have one body and you have to take care of it.

Also, I am here to tell you that you have inspired others around you to “get fit”.  Because of your passion for running, you have ignited the fire in your husband to get back in the running game.  He ran the San Diego FULL marathon.  You also inspired your brother-in-law to start running again and he, too, ran the San Diego FULL marathon.  You have inspired some IRL friends to get back to exercising regularly.  Look at how many people’s lives you have touched.

You will consistently start training to run a women’s triathlon sprint (swim, bike, run) for the Fall 2010.  You will surprise yourself with how well you do.  Swimming will be your strongest section!  Hold on though- don’t get ahead of yourself and start planning for the next level up in triathlons- finish your first sprint before you start thinking about the next one.  There is plenty of time, there is plenty of time for the next step.

One more thing…..go ahead and get that physical that you keep thinking about getting.  You will have great blood pressure but your cholesterol will be a little on the high side.  If you need the doctor’s confirmation to live even healthier, then this is it.  You have only been blessed with one body, one heart and you have to take tender loving care of it.

Also Lisa, I am here tell you that by this time next year, you will have lost an additional 15 lbs, you will be wearing a Size 10, and you will be in the best shape of your life.  ENJOY IT!  You will have more energy than ever, you will be able to keep up with your kids even better, and you will feel AWESOME.

You are loved.  You are appreciated.   You can do anything you set your mind to.

Stay focused, stay disciplined, give yourself a break from time to time, look for the positives, and believe in yourself.

You, my friend, are truly special.

Love Always,

Yourself

Last week’s weigh-in:  169.5 lbs

This week’s weigh-in:  168 lbs 168.5 lbs

Loss of 0.5 1 lb for the week (apparently my tired eyes couldn’t see the scale right and my tired brain couldn’t do simple subtraction!)

Total loss of 4.5 lbs for this challenge

I was hoping for a bigger loss, especially with all of the exercising I have been doing of late, but my body is apparently on the slow weight loss road.  That is OK, because I know with slow loss, I will most definitely keep the weight off once it effing comes off.  I have to just be patient.

I already have the exercise part down pat, now I have to get the “eating right” part down pat this has always been the hardest part  for me.  I am not journaling and I’m only keeping my nighttime snacking down on certain nights, not all nights.  I’m considering joining Weight Watchers or counting calories but I’m not sure if I have the discipline for either.  Hey, I’m just being truthful here.  Of course, if I don’t buckle down and get better control of my eating (I think faulty portion control is at work), then my weight loss will continue to be slow, slow, slow.

That’s OK.  I will work it out and figure it out.  This is about a lifestyle change for me.  I’m not looking for any short term solutions.  I’m in this for the long haul.

On a lighter note…………

Last night, Shrinking Jeans hosted our last chance TWorkout ( twitter + workout = tworkout) while watching The Biggest Loser.  A few of us decided to record the fun downright silliness and let me just say that I have never had so much fun as I did making this video making a fool out of myself.

What you see of me in this video is EXACTLY who I am in real life- a little goofy, yapping away a lot, laughing a lot and smirking occasionally.  What do you see?

Oh yeah, major kudos to my friend Amanda (and videographer) of this momentous occasion.  I’m not sure who laughed more- me or her.

My kids have a message for all of you, my sisters (and brother)…..

Aren’t they the cutest when they aren’t driving me crazy?!

Make sure to check back later….I may or may not be posting more videos of me exercising yes me, they are forcing me to do it, isn’t this exciting!

This is an ongoing confession………….meaning, that it’s been happening for a while and it is still continuing to happen.

I like to eat crunchy peanut butter on a spoon.  Straight out of the jar.  I can usually stop at two tablespoons, but sometime I cannot resist temptation, especially on days that I run.

Spoonful after glorious spoonful after glorious spoonful.  Don’t worry, I keep “my” jar separate from the rest so as not to contaminate everyone with my germs.

True story confession.

PS- Why was the guy on the treadmill next to me today at the gym wearing cologne?  Why oh why oh why?  Why did he feel the need to put it on BEFORE a workout maybe his gym clothes were already stinky? And why did he feel the need to put it on so heavily that I could SMELL HIM as I worked out? Thank goodness it smelled good- HA!

I posted this over at my personal blog Growing Up Mo’ but I know there’s a bunch of you that may not visit me over there you really should, I am so totally awesome-NOT!

I started running as a form of exercise in early October.

I ran my first 5K on November 7th, 2009.

I ran my first five miler on Thanksgiving Day.

I signed up to run the San Diego Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in June 2010, with Team Shrinking Jeans (part of Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training).  I am running for her, them, me, and you.

My normal pace is 12 minute miles, slowly inching my way closer to 11 minute miles on some days.

Today, I blew it out of the water and ran 3.02 miles in 29 minutes 30 seconds.

That would be an average pace of 9 minutes 46 seconds.

Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance.

Will I be able to do a repeat performance?

I think so.

Our project this week is to toot our own horn, to talk about how wonderful we are, in essence, to share with you why I THINK I ROCK.

Reasons why I rock:

1. I’m not afraid to poke fun at myself.  Some of the best laughs at come at my own expense but yet, are things that I found hilarious, regardless of me being the one embarrassed.
2. Even though at the time, I had a huge chip on my shoulder about running, I sucked it up and joined the 5K challenge here at the Sisterhood.  I have always been resistant pig-headed to running, and now here I am, on the cusp of beginning my 1/2 marathon training.  No one is forcing me to do it, no one is twisting my arm.  Shhhhh, come closer, I have to whisper a secret to you…… I LOVE RUNNING.
3. I ran 4 miles straight yesterday, WITHOUT STOPPING.  I may not be the fastest runner, I may not be the most elegant runner, but hey, my 168-170 lb body is running 11-12 minute miles and I am going to claim it- I EFFING ROCK.
4. I like to sweat, I mean really sweat, when I exercise.  And for that- I ROCK.
5. I had three kids in five years time and my husband is gone during the week quite a bit.  For that, I think I ROCK.
6. I love to cook.  And eat.  I’m pretty good at it, too.  Might this be part of the slow-Shrinking Jeans problem?!
7. In the past two weeks, one two three four separate people have told me that “I look good”, “I look skinny”, “I can tell you have been exercising”, “You look like you are losing weight” and so on and so forth.  This makes me feel so good!  The scale is moving so slowly for me, but hearing these compliments just motivates me to “keep on, keeping on”.  Even better, for once, I ACCEPTED these compliments and said “thank you” instead of coming up with excuses as to why I am not skinny or whatever.
8. I have the most awesome, jet black, thick hair ever known to man.  Hair stylists love my hair and so do I.
9. I can touch my tongue to my nose : ).

I don’t spend a lot of time in my daily life thinking about ways I rock.  In fact, a lot of times, my positivity is spent lifting others up- my kids, my husband, my family, my friend, you sisters…..when looking at myself, I am thinking “I would have, could have, should have”……it feels great to think about myself in a “I ROCK” kind of way.

I was so emotional over last week’s weigh-in, because of the big gain I had.  This week, I am not emotional and just more relieved.

Last week’s weigh-in:  171.5 lbs

This week’s weigh-in: 169 lbs

Loss of 2.5 lbs

I worked hard this past week, exercising consistently, making “healthier” choices, drinking tons of water, and limiting my snacking at night.   I keep hearing over and over how stress can lead to a weight gain (OK, it’s Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser TV show that keeps telling me that…..didn’t you know!  Well, I didn’t know but I think the lady trainer mega God is right).  I was in a funk last week but it has since passed, thank goodness.

I want to be at least 10-15 lbs lighter when I run the 1/2 marathon with Team Shrinking Jeans in June.  I just know my body will continue to thank me as I shed the pounds and have less weight to pound my knees and ankles as I run.  When I run, I imagine the two people I am running in memory of and let me just say, those thoughts only fuel me on.

I am very happy to be back in the 160’s and plan to stay here for a short while as I make my way to the 150’s.  I know what I need to do- now, I just have to keep doing it.  Couldn’t this be true for a lot of us?  We know what we need to do, but we just have to do it.  That’s the hard part though.  I say BRING IT ON.

Game on.

Let’s cut to the chase…..

Last week:  169.5 lbs

This week:  171.5 lbs

Gain of 2.0 lbs

I weighed myself 80 bajillion times because I just could not believe what the scale was saying.  Yesterday when I weighed myself, I was only 170 lbs (yes, I weigh myself every day, can’t help it, it’s an obsession).  Anyhoo, I exercised hard Sun, Mon, Tues and I thought I did pretty good with the eating ignore the weekend cupcake binge.   I must be unconsciously eating more than I think I am.

I have been in a “blah” mood, kind of in a funk and feeling overwhelmed and stressing out over how to simplify my life and failing miserably, ignoring emails as much as I can, not wanting to talk on the phone to anyone.  So many kids and chores and errands and blog posts and life stuff and people that need and want my attention.  Even my husband is clamoring for my attention.   When I get stressed out, I tend to procrastinate on all of it, until whatever IT is bubbles up and smacks me in the face to be done.

I HATE being behind the eight ball and yet, I am so behind that I procrastinate some more.

What does this have to do with gaining weight?  I don’t freakin’ know.  All I know is that this whole “losing weight” thing feels like ONE more thing added to my already full plate, one more thing that I am “behind” on, that is clamoring for my attention.

Woe is me.

Quite the pity par-tay here, huh?  Aunt Flo must be coming soon ‘cuz I’m usually not so down on myself.

All I can do is plan for a better week, next week.  Plan my work, work my plan.

• Exercise 5 times a week (3 cardio/running, 2 strength)- check
• Drink 100 oz of water – check
• Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies – need to work harder and better at this one
• I’m going to add one more…..journal what I eat.