Going Right Along With Yesterday's Post...

Ch-Ch-Changes

So first, sorry I haven't blogged in almost a week (or maybe you liked that!) and second, sorry that this is a text heavy post with no pictures!!

On January 1st (I know, I know), I set a goal to lose 30 pounds by the end of June. Being that 30 pounds seems like a whole lot of weight, I made 6 mini goals:  lose 5 pounds per month. Completely reasonable being as most sources seem to agree that healthy weight loss is around 2 pounds per week. So far so good, I lost 5 in January and I'm set to do well for February also.

I'm hoping that the mini goals will motivate me and provide the difference between this time and the last million times I've tried to lose weight. Usually I just say that I want to lose XX pounds before summer or something. Only when it's a week before vacation does it hit me that I'm not where I wanted to be. I always lose a little, but never enough to make a signifant difference for me.

What am I doing differently?

• I'm using an app on my phone called "Lose It" to track calories.
• It's free if you want to check it out (and you can add me as a friend by searching my email address -- 3xacharmrunner@gmail.com).
• You tell it what you weigh and how much you want to lose and it gives you calorie limits for the day.
• You can follow your friends to provide motivation to each other (they can't see your weight, don't worry!!). They can see if you aren't tracking your calories (and scold you) or see how many awesome workouts you're doing (and praise you!).
• HOW HAS IT HELPED?
•  I seriously had no idea how many calories I was eating and how out of control I was. There were times when I was consuming more than half of the calories I should be using for a day in ONE MEAL.
• I do really well with numbers and small, achievable goals. This lays it all out for me and I have small things to work for each day. When my motivation is low I just think, do you really want to eat that fill in the blank with some crap food? You're going to have to log it and it's going to stare you in the face every time you open the app. Or I look back on all the days I've done so well and stayed within my allotted calories. I don't want to throw that work away!
• I am learning how many calories my workouts deduct and how to use those calories but not abuse them. Many workouts deplete your body and you need to refuel, but you don't get a free pass.
• I'm trying to work out five times a week.
• I've started going back to the gym in the mornings (unless I have a reason to go at night).
• I love to sleep in, but what I love even more is having that awesome feeling all day that I've already accomplished so much!
• The gym is WAY less crowded in the AM so I am less self conscious and I can get everything I need to get done in less time.
• I've mixed up my routine.
• I'm not strictly following a running plan. I'm aiming to run three times a week but I'm not stressing about doing a certain amount of miles on a certain day. I'm trying to listen to my body more. (Not following a plan could bite me in the ass but this has yet to be determined!).
• I'm adding weight training at a goal of three times per week. Remember when I told you about the plan my little brother made for me? I did it for one week in December then quit when we went to Colorado and never started back. That resumed this past week.
• I'm trying to add yoga on AT LEAST one of my rest days. My body seems to do so much better when I take the time to stretch and clear my mind.

Do you have any advice for me?
Have you ever had a huge goal that seemed unachievable? What did you do?

Pink Elephant In the Room... Or that's what it feels like at least.

After I finished work on Friday, Brad and I packed up to go to Kentucky. One of his cousins was getting married so it was kind of a like a mini family reunion for his side of the family. It was a really nice wedding and great to see everyone.

He cleans up nice doesn't he?

I've been in a crap mood since Friday. I'm not sure what's up with that. I think a huge part of it (no pun intended) is my current weight situation. I've been trying to figure out how to attack it, and as I mentioned here I plan on resuming weekly weigh ins.

But even during last week I found myself making poor food decisions. I wasn't committed yet.

I have this horrible mentality when it comes to dieting... All or nothing. I know how problematic this mentality can be. Trust me. But I've never had successful weight loss without hitting rock bottom (or an all time high on the scale), then making a conscious decision to make hard core changes.

I (like most everyone else) like to see results quickly and those results are what motivate me to continue. But then I look back over the past 10 years of my life (dang, really 10 years?!?) and I see how I've yo-yo dieted throughout. Honestly, it pisses me off. A lot.

I'm sick of being self conscious.
I'm sick of not being able to wear the clothes I want to wear and be confident in them.
I'm tired of being embarrassed to walk into a running store (seriously I am).

I hesitate to say these things, because once I hit publish it's out there for good. I'm afraid to fail. But I cannot keep doing this to myself over and over. I feel like I've missed out on so much because I've been too worried about my weight.

I hope that I can work on this over the next few months as racing winds down. Then hopefully come spring my running will reap the rewards of me being at least 20-25 pounds lighter. I hope that I can conquer this nagging problem that I have let beat me so many times.

And trust me I know that it doesn't stop once you get to where you want. I've lost the weight twice and gained it back. (Once right before pharmacy school started and again before the wedding, although I didn't get back as low as I'd have liked for the wedding). So here I am again, hoping that the third time really is a charm.

Sorry for the rambling, woe is me post. I try not to be Debbie Downer, especially about situations that I've brought upon myself. I just felt like I needed to get it off my chest. So no more excuses, it's on like Donkey Kong :)

What's your best healthy eating tip?

October Goals

Get my diet back on track. I was doing really well with my diet, until I started running. Then I did the typical, "I'm running I can eat" routine and I'm right back where I started. I feel like my weight is holding me back in  a lot of instances, especially in my running. I know it's crazy, but I still feel really weird mentioning that I run to people. I get self conscious, because I know I don't look like the stereotypical runner. I'm going to start weighing in weekly again, and I'll share my gains/losses on a new tab up top, called The Weigh it is.

Do more than just run three times a week. I've accomplished a huge goal of mine (1/2 marathon), so I need to be confident in the base I've got. But I want more, and to do that, I can't keep doing the same things. I want to add at least two days of cross training to the mix, to the point that I'm working out five days per week consistently!

Figure out my fall racing schedule, and start looking towards next year. I'd like to plan my races a little better next year, maybe traveling a little to do some more interesting races. Brad and I usuallly take a long weekend trip here and there, and I'd like to line up a race with some of those.

Do you have any goals for this month?? Staying out of the Halloween candy should definitely be another one of mine!!!