Date with the Pavement

Strapped on my sneakers today. Bundled up, fired up my 'Dance Central' playlist, leashed the dog, and hit the pavement. Braced myself for a disappointing run, since I hadn't run since late November. Surprised myself. A good day. A great run.

Here's to hitting the pavement, again!

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Crisp Cravings

One of the hardest things about reducing one's carb intake is finding suitable snacks when the need to nosh comes knocking. (You like that alliteration, don't ya'?) Sure, there's the old standby of raw almonds, full of protein and packed with crunch, but after a few days of eating these and chances are good you're looking for something else to satisfy the munchies.

Granted, when you're eating controlled portions of carbs, your blood sugars don't fluctuate much so you tend not to get those pesky cravings all that often. But believe you me, the time will come when you'll want to chomp on something salty, crunchy and, well, let's face it, unhealthy. Potato chips come to mind. Particularly the sea salt & vinegar variety. Oh my, have I a weakness for those. Obviously, these are not conducive to my weight loss efforts, thus I find myself often having to suppress the cravings for these delightful crisps. And on the days I can't fight the urge or it's been suppressed one too many times? Yeah, I cave and wind up eating the whole cracklin' bag. <hangs head in shame.>

Because I refuse to gain back any of the weight I've lost over the last 9 months, I am always on the lookout for healthy alternatives to the carb laden, salt & vinegar potato crisp. Terra has some tasty options in their chip line; their Taro chips and their Sweet Potato chips are among my favorites. Unfortunately, they are hard to find and though I'm sure I can get them online, they are pretty pricey at $3.98 for a 6 oz bag of Terra Taro Chips, and $3.75 for a 6 oz bag of Terra Sweet Potato chips where Kettle Salt & Vinegar chips average about $2.27 for a 5 oz bag. Like I said, pricey.

Lucky for me, there are alternatives to the alternatives. Wait, what? Yeah, so here's what I'm saying. I can make my own sweet potato chips, and probably my own taro chips if I could get my hands on a raw taro. I can even make my own zucchini chips, should I be so inclined. And guess what? I am inclined.

I am going to try my hand at making my own veggie crisps by way of a food dehydrator. I have access to one for 30 days, and plan to start with some sweet potato chips, some zucchini chips, and some strawberry chips. Yes, strawberry chips. Maybe lightly drizzled with balsamic vinegar. Seems like a pretty painless process, so the real test will be in the results. And I should have those for you on Friday. Join me on the road to healthy snacking, won't you?

Here's to clobbering crisp cravings!

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Exercise in Discipline

I have this image of myself in my head. In this image, I am thin. I am wearing frayed denim shorts, a flowy white top with lots of long bead necklaces around my neck. My hair is in a loose ponytail and I've got the coolest, shorty cowboy boots adorning my feet. I look great. And more importantly, I feel AMAZING.

I have a ways to go before I make this image a reality, despite the fact that I've already got the shorty cowboy boots. I realize that this image will involve some work, serious  commitment, and a big helping of discipline.

Since all of these have been lacking the last few weeks, and subsequently I've seen the scale stick at a number I'm still not happy with, it's time to get back on track with my program.

The first step? Cut out those things that stimulate my appetite. Most of these involve sugar, which I still try to have in limited quantities. But I have a definite weak spot for coffee. Drinking coffee somehow makes me want to nosh on tasty things, usually baked goods chock full of things I have no business eating. I realize it is likely a purely psychological connection but be that as it may, I will do whatever it takes to achieve that image in my head. Even if it means no coffee. It is a form of disciplining myself back into a mindset of mind over matter. It is a form of reminding myself that I am not controlled by food. It is the first step in bringing the girl in my head to life.

Here's to hippy chic in shorty cowboy boots!

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Tackling Twenty Pounds

As you may or may not know, I recently lost thirty pounds. Yay me! The fact remains, however, that I still have quite a bit to lose before I reach a healthy weight. And I'm certainly not going to accomplish this sitting on my butt playing on the computer. Fear not, my lovely fans, I will not abandon you or this blog. I may have to cut back on Facebook time, but hey, don't we all need to cut back on our Facebook time?

Since the scale hasn't dipped past the original thirty pounds lost marker in about forty five days I know it's time to go back to the basics: easting less, and healthier, and moving more.

Because the scale also hasn't gone up (again, yay me!) I took a vacation from the low-carb diet I'd been on and allowed myself to indulge, occasionally, in some not so low carb choices. The indulgence was infrequent, and I tried to balance it with workouts, but this only allowed me to maintain the new weight I'd achieved. Now I must get back on the losing plan.

I'm using the start of the new month as a launching pad; new month, new plan for weight loss. I'm especially motivated to lose twenty pounds over the next four weeks, as I will be leaving for my highly anticipated New York spring fling in just twenty eight days, and I hope to put a slimmer me on that plane the day of departure.

Twenty pounds is a lot for this timeframe, I know. But with some dedication to daily exercise, a new commitment to omitting starchy carbs from my meals, and a ton of determination, I know I can do it. After all, I've already proven that it can be done once.

This time, I also have the added bonus of having a friend join me on this crazy adventure. I consider this a bonus because having someone to partner with makes me accountable to someone other than myself, and that helps keep me on track. Hopefully, it will do the same for her.

The trick is to remind myself of why I'm doing this, especially during times of weakness. I must not focus on those things I shouldn't eat, but rather should relish those things that will help me achieve my weight loss and fitness goals. And most importantly, I must not tell myself I can't eat something, but rather that I don't want to eat it. After all, "nothing tastes as good as thin!" (and by thin, I actually mean fit and healthy!!)

Here's to tackling twenty pounds!

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Weighing In

To loosely quote my friend April, “The scale is not my friend today.”

Woke up this morning, went about my normal routine and then hopped on that most dreaded device, the scale. I was discouraged, to say the least, by what I saw there. Considering I’d had pizza for dinner yesterday, and some ice cream (about a quarter cup which, I have to tell you, while tasty, did bad things to me that we won’t even discuss here, thereby rendering it so not worth it), I definitely wasn’t surprised.

I know I’m only supposed to weigh myself once a week but I’ve spent so much of my life in denial about my weight that weighing in is now a part of my daily routine. Most days I don’t mind it, as I usually see some form of progress, and if not, at least I’m maintaining.

And, on those rare days when I do see a slight increase, whether it’s water weight or the result of a late night pizza and ice cream binge, I refuse to let that deter me in my efforts. In fact, I find this actually has the opposite effect on me, in that I double my efforts to eat smaller, healthy portions, and my resolve to lose the weight is strengthened.

Yep. The scale may not be my friend today, but sometimes it takes our non-friends telling us a truth we’re unable to tell ourselves to get us off our “assets” (again, quoting April!) and moving again.

Here’s to reality checks!

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What's Different Now

Those of you who've been following my blog since the beginning, or have read older posts, know that I've tried before to lose weight and get fit. Tried and failed, and tried again. And failed again. And again and again. Those of you that have seen me recently have seen the progress, the success, this time. Some of you have read about it. And all of you are asking, "What's different now? What's different this time? What caused the change?"

I've considered these questions often. In fact, almost daily. Reality is, I don't know. Honestly. It's not like I planned this, unlike other times. ;-)

No, this time, it came out of the blue. One day I just stopped eating bad things. I reduced my carb intake in order to get my blood sugar levels under control. Once I did that, I had complete control over my appetite; cravings were eliminated and portion control became quite easy as I was never really hungry. I immediately noticed results, losing maybe 5 pounds that first week. Few things motivate me better than seeing results and when it comes to losing weight, well, let's just say that this changed the "game" completely. I wanted more results, and I wanted them to last.

Once the binge eating was eliminated and I was eating healthy meals and smaller portions, I knew that in order to see the results I wanted, to change my body, I'd have to do much more than just eat right. I had to start exercising. So I did.

I'll get into the workout transformation in another post. This post is about what's different about this time. While I may not know the answer to that, I do know this:

I was tired of not liking myself because of how I looked.

I was tired of being uncomfortable in my own skin.

I was tired of being embarrassed to be seen in public.

I was tired of never wanting to socialize with friends because of my appearance.

I was tired of being "the pretty, fat girl."

I want to be fit.

I want to look in a mirror and LOVE who I see, inside AND out.

I want to be fit enough to run around with my nieces and nephews and not be winded in the first 30 seconds.

I want to cycle a century.

I want to run a marathon.

I want to run, cycle and swim in a triathlon.

And finally, I want to live a long, healthy life with my husband by my side, doing God's work, whatever that looks like.

I guess that's what's different. I WANT THIS. More than anything I can think of. And this time, I'm willing to work for it.

That's really all there is to it. It's not rocket science or anything. It's just me wanting something and being willing to work for it. Pretty simple, really.

Here's to good health!

Now I'm Running

I should probably tell you that I really don't like working out. Never have and never dreamed I would. But lately, something's come over me. I can't explain it. I can only tell you that I find myself pushing my body to new limits, setting crazy goals and actually meeting them!

It started with cycling. I set a goal for riding 47 miles and accomplished it. It wasn't a race, but rather, for me, more about just finishing. And I'm not finished, either. I have set a goal to ride a century ride in 2010. That's 100 miles. All at once, in one ride. Crazy, right?

Crazier still is that now I've taken up running. I've always wanted to be a runner, you know, one of those lithe, graceful folk that look like they float over the road. But every time I tried to run my knees would scream in agony. Not surprising considering the ridiculous amount of weight I was carrying. Yet here I am, 25 pounds lighter and this past Saturday, I woke up and decided it was time to start running.

I know you have to start slow when you run, or you could seriously injure yourself. So I only ran a quarter of a mile, with my sweet boxer Bristol alongside of me. Crazy dog loved it. Crazy girl loved it more.

Sunday, I pushed myself a bit harder and ran a full mile. Ran the whole way, too. Not too bad. Most surprising was the fact that when I was done, I felt great and nothing hurt.

Today, my husband and our goofy dog, Bristol, joined me. Today, I ran 1.32 miles in 23 minutes. Okay, not a record breaking time or anything, I'll give you that. But I RAN the whole way.

I have another goal. I'm running a 5K next week. Yes, next week. I have 10 days to train. 5K. That's 3.12 miles. three times what I'm running now. I'm not ambitious. Nope, not me.

What can I say? I love running. And cycling. Soon I'll add swimming. And maybe, just maybe, I'll surprise myself yet again.

Here's to good health!

Lo Carb and Starbucks

I'm the first to admit; I'm a coffee snob. Or fool, depending on how you look at it. Either way, I am a fan of Starbucks. I love that I can smell a Starbucks shop at least a block away, I love the random but awesome art hanging in most of their coffee shops, and I love their frothy, foamy, java laced beverages. Did I say love? I mean LOVE.

Since I began the lo-carb lifestyle, however, Starbucks is not a place I frequent. Most of the drinks I like best contain milk, albeit usually the soy variety, but milk nonetheless, which, in case you don't know, is chock full of carbs. And we won't even talk about the lovely orange-cranberry scones. {drool}
Yes. Definitely best I avoid the little green coffe shop found on nearly every street corner in the US, and in many chain retailers too (think Target and Barnes and Noble!)

Then I remembered something. Something useful. Something lovely. Something so wonderful that I had a "SHAZAM" kind of moment. You know the one I'm talking about. The one where the planets align just so, the fireworks are going off in your head, and all things are illuminated. Yes, that one.

My revelation? Simple, really. Heavy whipping cream is very low carb, considerably lower than regular milk or even soy milk. You're wondering what this has to do with Starbucks, aren't you? Well let me tell you. This means you can enjoy many of your blended coffee delights without all the carbs! Simply asking them to use heavy whipping cream as the milk. I myself like the Chai Tea Latte with heavy whipping cream as the milk - it's positively divine!

That being said, it's only fair I warn you. If you are watching your fat intake, along with your carbs, steer clear of this milk substitution. Seriously. Run away. FAST.
See, while heavy whipping cream is low on carbs, it's fat content is actually quite high. Not surprising when you consider that this is the stuff used to make whipped cream.

I guess the best thing to do is remember that those delectable blended beverages are treats, to be enjoyed infrequently and with much delight. Perhaps a small reward on a rainy night.

It sure is my excuse for having one tonight.

Here's to good health!

How to Handle the Holidays

Did you know the average caloric consumption for a Thanksgiving Day meal is 3500 calories? If you eat breakfast and lunch as well, you're looking at roughly 4000 to 4500 calories. In one day!


As a food addict in recovery, this holiday, one that focuses heavily on eating starchy, carb heavy foods, is probably one of the hardest to deal with.

Yet I'm not worried. I've been cooking up a storm so I know how high the caloric and carb counts are in my dishes. And I certainly don't plan on eating Atkins bars all day while my husband and friends eat the really yummy stuff. No, this year, for Thanksgiving, I have a plan.

It's a basic plan. I intend to taste everything I've prepared for this feast. The difference is, I will quite literally "taste" everything. This means I will partake in very small portions. After all, the first bite is usually the best. It's not like any of the food will taste better the more of it I eat, right? So, I will take tiny portions of everything, eat only until I am satisfied, not full, and I will drink lots of water before, during and after the meal. If possible, I will even go for a bike ride or a brisk walk/run. Anything to burn some calories.

For me, the most important thing to remember, the thing that will help me handle the holidays, is to keep reminding myself that nothing I put in my mouth will taste as good as being fit and healthy... nothing.

Will someone please remind me of that after I take the first bite of one of these lovelies?

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you and your families!

And the Turkey Rolled

It was all over Facebook and Twitter yesterday, my completion of Denton's 27th Annual Turkey Roll.
Yep - I did it. I completed a 47 mile bike ride, and I did it in 4 hours and 18 minutes.
Now, while that is certainly not fast by racing standards, it is fast by my standards. Especially considering that I started training for the event about a month prior, and have only been cycling for about 2 months.

That I finished at all exceeds my expectations.

Some things I learned as a result of this event:
1. I LOVE cycling
2. I don't like chip seal
3. I still have a lot of training to do before I'll be ready for a century ride
4. I can reach my exercise and weight loss goals if I stay committed and keep working at it
5. The support of friends and family is everything

I biked this event with good friends, one of who happened to be my boss. She is an experienced cyclist and completed the event in what I suspect was half the time it took me and my other friend, both newbies. Nonetheless, when we crossed the finish line, she was still there, waiting patiently to cheer us in. I can not begin to describe how much that moved me.

I am glad this first event is over and grateful for the lessons I learned and the experience I obtained, and I'm ready to start training for the next event, what I hope will be a century ride, which, for those who don't speak cycle-ese, is a 100 mile ride.

Crazy, right? Yeah, I think so too.

Here's to good health!

Fiber and Water

Some things that have helped me succeed in losing weight have definitely been eating less, being mindful of what I eat, and exercising, mostly in the way of riding my bike.

But I would be remiss if I didn't mention the importance of drinking lots of water in the battle against the bulge. It's what helps flush the fat out of your body. Not to mention, water is good for you. I won't get into the science of it all. After all, I'm not a scientist. Or a doctor. :)

What I have found, however, is that water alone is not always enough to help flush my body. I suspect it's because I'm consuming more protein, though I do try to balance that with low carb veggies that are high in fiber. Still, it felt as if I wasn't getting enough fiber, and things weren't moving quite the way they should.

Since I don't want to eat more food, even if it is high in fiber, I have to find another way to ingest more fiber. I'd heard of Benefiber, but was a little leery about adding it to my water, fearful that it would make the water taste funny. Then I found these little, individual serving, citrus flavored Benefiber packs, you know the type - you pour the little pack into a 16 ounce bottle of water and voila, you've got yummy tasting water chock full of fiber! Tastes a little like Tang. :) And it turns out they've got an assortment of flavors!

I must reiterate that drinking straight up water is critical, but having one of these Benefiber packs a day has really helped get things back on track! Be forewarned: if you're counting carbs, each one of these packs contains 2 Net Carbs, so just be mindful of that and include it in your daily carb counts.

Here's to good health!

New Found Love

Ask any of my friends. They'll tell you I hate working out. Yes, HATE it.
Even the great endorphin high wasn't enough to convert me into a fan of exercise.

Then, I met a bike. Now, this bike and I actually had a history. It was brief, and the bike had been relegated to collecting dust in our garage. But about two months ago, I pulled it out, tuned it up and next thing I knew, I'd ridden 10 miles. It was then and there that my love affair began.

To date, I have invested in a new bike, one designed for long distance, fitness rides. I've completed a 20.25 mile ride. I've signed up for and am training for a 47 mile bike rally.

And I have a goal.
100 miles by next July.

Did I mention I LOVE riding my bike?!

Here's to being fit and healthy! :)

(and here's a photo of my new bike! Isn't it a beaut?!)

It's a Compulsion. But That's Not Really an Excuse

Okay. I have a question. What do you do if someone makes food for you, but you've already eaten and aren't hungry?

I found myself in this very predicament last night. I was satisfied from a snacking binge I'd had earlier in the evening (pork rinds, NO CARBS) but had a knife skills class at a nearby gourmet grocery store. The class involved prepping our dinner, and then, eating that dinner.

When the food was ready, the instructor prepared a plate for me and handed it to me. I was torn. I knew I wasn't hungry, yet I didn't want to appear rude by refusing it. So I ate it. Now, to give myself some credit, I only ate the bits that were protein or low carb; I left behind the starchy rice and skipped on dessert. But the fact of the matter is that I ate, even when I knew I wasn't hungry.

I know it's a compulsion, one that can be triggered by oh, so many things. Last night it was a need to please others. Today, so I could have lunch with a friend, even though I really wasn't hungry. I've got to get better about just refusing the food, or extracting myself from situations that might result in these exact setups.

Compulsions, by definition, are difficult to control. But that 's exactly what I have to do in cases like this. I have to remind myself that it's okay to say no to food. After all, if I don't start saying no, the weight won't come off.

Remember, "nothing tastes as good as thin!"

Bon apetit.

Small Victories, Small Rewards

As of this weekend, exactly one month after I started my weight loss program and new life[style], I have officially lost 17.6 pounds. I am, to say the least, ecstatic!

Since I get to celebrate this small victory over Halloween weekend, I allowed myself a small reward. Now, please know that as part of my new lifestyle (I wonder when this lifestyle will no longer be new?) I would not even consider rewarding myself with food. I mean, come on, that's what got me in trouble in the first place!

But yesterday, my husband informed me he wanted to spend Sunday watching football and that he felt like having spaghetti for dinner. Apparently, he likes spaghetti when the weather turns cooler, and fall is definitely in full swing, spaghetti we would have.

Now, you must know, spaghetti, no matter how I prepare it, is chock full of carbs. I mean CHOCK FULL. It's pasta, for pete's sake. And then there's the sauce, which normally has tons of sugar added (you'd never have guessed that, would you?).

But, just because I'm on carb-strike, doesn't mean my husband should be denied. And I refuse to cook two different meals. I figured I'd allow myself a break and just eat a controlled portion of the spaghetti. Of course, I also set out to make it as low in carbs as possible. So, off to the grocery store I went!

I found some fabulous thin spaghetti that had the absolutely lowest carb count of all the pastas on the shelves (34g of net carbs). Then I rounded up some marinara sauce that had no sugar added and was gluten free. about 6g of net carbs. I just don't think you can do much better than this when it comes to carbs and spaghetti.

I cooked up our spaghetti and had a medium sized serving (after all, I hadn't eaten much else today!) and it was delicious! I made sure to eat just enough to feel satisfied, without stuffing my face (which is SO easy to do with spaghetti).

After that, I treated myself to a cup of coffee along with a yummy Halloween cupcake. The cupcake was no doubt way off my carb chart, but again, I deserved a treat. And I only had one, even though there was a second one to be had. It's all about self control and making sure I remember these are small and infrequent rewards, and that over-indulging will tip the scales in the wrong direction.

I feel good about today's choices. No guilt. It's a great feeling. I won't make eating like this a habit, not again. I realize I am loving the weight loss way too much to slip back into old, bad habits.

Biggest takeaway? I'm way stronger than I ever gave myself credit for.

Happy belated Halloween to all! Let the holidays begin!

Turkey Roll

Here I am, nearly a month after starting this new life. My "get fit" plan seems to be doing okay, as I've lost 16 pounds. I think having a period in there slowed things down, but I half expected this and am working hard at not letting that discourage me.

Today, I ate crazy quantities of carbs. I broke down and had a granny smith apple with peanut butter. Then I had another. and another. It was so tasty and it'd been a month since I'd had fresh fruit. And I'm trying to justify eating 3 of these tasty apples, instead of just the 1. I keep telling myself I worked out really hard yesterday, and so I deserved the treat (or 3). But I didn't work out today, and have no plans to, and so I really should have been more mindful of what I was doing. Nonetheless it is done. I will begin anew in the morning. In the meantime, I will hydrate like crazy and focus on the upcoming bike rally I signed up for, and the training it entails.

Yep, you read that right. I signed up for a bike rally, aptly named the Turkey Roll. It takes place on November 21, effectively giving me 3 weeks (weekends) to train. The event has four bike courses to choose from; 23, 35, 47 or 63 miles. I chose the 47 mile course. Yes, that's right, forty seven miles. It's crazy, I know. Some might even say insane. I certainly do! But I have something to prove to myself. I have to do this.

Had my first long distance ride this last Tuesday. Rode 15.35 miles. And yesterday, I rode 20.25 miles. That is a lot of miles for me, and it left me worn out. But exhilarated! Now I realize 20 miles isn't quite even half of what I plan to ride in a mere four weeks, but hey, it's a place to start! And it falls well into my training plan which is to ride 10 to 15 miles two to three times a week, during the week, and then on the weekends, add at least 5 miles to my long distance ride. That means a 25 mile ride on Halloween, 30 miles the following week, 35 after that, and by the time I get to the week before the 47 mile ride, I'll be riding 40 miles! and really, once you've ridden 40 miles, what's another 7 miles?!

No doubt, easier said than done. But that won't stop me from trying. not a chance.

Here's to good health and another low carb week!

Bad Knees, a Bike Ride, and Mini Meatloaves

After seven days of doing the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred workout, my knees finally said "no more."
Now clearly they didn't actually say that, as my knees can't talk, but the pain in them every time I tried to do a jumping jack spoke loud and clear to me. Thus, I am sad to report that I have skipped the Shred this weekend. I need to give my knees a break. In fact, my knees needed the break so badly that I didn't work out at all on Saturday. I even considered not working out today. But that was as far as that went.

I heard somewhere, recently, that every day you don't work out makes you weaker. Well, I've fought too hard to make the progress I've made, and I can't afford to get weaker. I knew it was important that I get some kind of workout in today, so I hopped on my bike and took off on my 10 mile ride. I finished it in 20 minutes less time than I normally complete the ride, which means I'm getting faster. This really made my day. I didn't burn as many calories as I normally do, but I think that may be because it was a shorter workout, even if it was the same distance. I'm not letting the number of calories bug to much, though, because the goal was to workout, and I met that goal.

Once I got home, I was ready to eat! I still had to cook and was grateful that tonight's dinner, Italian mini meatloaves and fresh, steamed green beans, was super easy to put together, was very filling and incredibly delicious, and was super low carb!

The first two weeks of this new *lifestyle* have returned incredible results! I've lost twelve pounds which is twelve percent of the total amount of weight I want to lose AND I've done it in just under two weeks. Now, I know better than to expect these results every week. But even if I lose 10 pounds a month for the next nine months, I'll have met my goal in the timeframe I set. That would be HUGE!

But, the key to my success lies in my faith in God and in making sure I take it ONE DAY AT A TIME.

Here's to being healthy! :-D

On the 12th Day

Remember a few posts back I mentioned I finally broke down and bought a scale.
Well, today, day 12 of my *new life* I stepped on that scale and was beyond tickled to find that I am now 11.4 pounds lighter than I was 12 days ago. I could hardly believe it.

Guess the meal plan focused on protein and non starchy veggies, along with 7 days of Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred have done their work.

Tomorrow marks a full week since I started the Shred, and I think I'm more sore today than I was after the first day. But I'm so committed. I can't even conceive of not doing this workout daily. It's just not optional. At least not in the next 23 days.

Also, Monday marks the two week milestone for my food plan. Again, I've seen such great results so far that I'm not willing to change this. If anything, I will start being more mindful of portion size.

I am thrilled with the results so far! After all, I've lost 11% of the total amount of weight I want to lose, and in less than two weeks!

I know I still have a long way to go, and I know it will get harder before it gets easier.
I also know that it will be worth it. I deserve to be healthy. AND look fabulous! Will post pics at the 20 mile drop point.

Thanks for keeping me honest by checking in here every so often. :)

The First Week

I can't believe it's been a week since I started my new life. Feels like forever, and it feels like just yesterday.

In this first week, several major milestones have been reached, and for that I am happy.
Let's recap.

Milestone 1: I've kept carb intake to less than 20g per day.
Milestone 2: I've consumed at least 64 ozs. of water daily
Milestone 3: I've started Jillian Michaels' 30 Day shred AND have successfully completed the first 2 days of workouts
Milestone 4: I bought a scale

May not seem like much to some, but these four things, for me, are a BIG DEAL.
Big.
HUGE.

When I jumped on the scale this morning, it recorded a 6.5 lb difference from exactly a week ago. Granted, I weighed in on different scales (won't be doing THAT again!), but I tend to think that even if I haven't lost that much, I've definitely lost some. I can feel the difference in my clothes. and my shoes. go figure.

I've also noticed some other, small differences. I'm sleeping better. The tension between my shoulders isn't as bad as it was even 3 days ago. (I attribute that to the push ups I have to do as part of the Shred.) I hardly ever feel bloated and gross after a meal. I no longer have cravings or feel the need to snack between meals. I get full on less.

I'm sure there are other things, but right now they escape me.
I will post them when, and if, they become clear.

For now, I am going to celebrate my losses, however small they may be!

A New Level of Commitment

I am good at starting things. This is something I know. Soon you will know it, too, if you've not already figured it out.

What this tells me is that I have a commitment issue. I can start a new diet, but usually within a few days, I will go off track. Much to my detriment, I assure you.

I've learned that a big part of keeping a commitment is how I approach any given situation.
Example: if I go to the gym with the intent of riding the stationary bike for 10 miles, and then, after only 5 minutes on said bike I find myself bored or tired, it's really easy to get up and walk away. I know. I've done it.

BUT, if I get on my real bike and head down the street and around the corner and I wind up riding 5 miles away, well, then I have to ride 5 miles back. There's no cheating. And I don't bring my cell phone with me, so that I don't cop out of the ride halfway and call someone to come pick me up.

So, what's the point.

Well, for the first time in my adult life, I now own a scale. yep. the dreaded machine that tells you your weight. I've never owned one.

But I knew that I was out of excuses for not getting fit. And I had to commit in a big way.

Small step, I know. But it feels HUGE.

Will let you know how that plays out.

Okay. Let's Try this Again

okay, let's try this again.
project me - hm. haven't done so well.

Started atkins on monday. so far, on day 4, and I'm still on it. haven't quit. haven't cheated.
and I've managed to stay under the 20 carbs required for induction.

that is not easy. It means getting your fill of green, leafy veggies, eggs, cheese, and meat. I'm officially tired of pork chops. LOL. this can be a problem seeing as how today is just day 4.

As hard as it is, however, I have already seen progress. I'll explain.

About 2 weeks ago I ordered some jeans and denim capris online. they arrived last week and I proceeded to try them on. One style, the capris, fit, but was pretty tight around the waste. I hate wearing anything tight around my waste. it makes my belly stick out in a most disgusting way.
so, with a heaviness in my heart I made plans to return them.

Anyway, just out of curiosity (and because I spied them on my dresser ready to be returned) I decided to try them on again, and I am happy to report that they are no longer super tight! While they are not loose or anything like that (wishful thinking), they were at least comfortable. And I figure, if I stick to my guns with this diet, which I know will work, by this time next weekthose carpis will be super cozy, maybe even a tiny bit loose!

A small victory but a victory nonetheless.
I'm off to drink at least 24 ounces of water.

More to come - soon! :)