On to the Next One!

July is over! WOW! This marks the first full month that I have been blogging about this journey. I was looking back and reading some posts over the past few days; I am pretty proud of myself. Besides the pounds lost, I feel that I have grown mentally and have a better understanding of me. This reflection has energized me to start thinking about August and how to keep pushing forward. 

August is my birth month so I had to come up with SOMETHING extra. I want to look back on my birthday (the 30th...I love presents! hehe) and see some great progress, so I'm planning to work my ass off. July was good and we'll get the final number on Friday, but I know there's room for improvement. What can I really accomplish when I unleash my full potential? I want to find out. I thought of two things that I wanted to try for the month of August:

1. Workout 6 days a week

2. This Challenge from one of the facebook pages I follow:

Feel free to join me! And don't be surprised if you see a text message with this challenge :) There is nothing more awesome than toned arms and I need to get on my push-ups. Plus shared suffering lets us bond! Haha. I plan to take a  before photo tomorrow of my "guns" and we'll see what happens in 1 month. 

Other than that, business as usual. I've got pins to move!

Sunday Recap

So I was a bit too excited about my 6lbs and got off track this weekend. Saturday night I planned to have a salad for dinner, but that turned into a turkey burger with side salad, plus big soft pretzels and a beer. Today I had donuts for breakfast. And I'm caring right now. As in I physically feel like crap. I can feel all my bad decisions just hanging out because I feel puffy, stuffed, lethargic. I need a serious detox to flush it all out and get right. I can't even think about stepping on the scale right now. 

How did I fall into this little hole? Well I was exhausted from the week and Saturday was rough. I didn't actually start moving till about 11am. I had my normal Starbucks (grande lite mocha frapp) on my way to the dog park. After that, I took a nap. Then I got my butt to the gym and did extra cardio since I missed Friday. Next I rushed around getting some food for the drive-in, showering, getting Molly's crate, packing an overnight bag, then off to Fort Worth to hang out. By time we made a decision about dinner, I was starving since I only had a 160 cal frapp all day. Then I was up way late and didn't sleep well because I could hear Molly banging around in her crate at Jenny's. Sunday I was up early to take care of some baby shower stuff and then on my way back home, I decided I wanted donuts for breakfast. So I ate 3 plus chocolate milk, then passed out on the couch with Molly for 3 hours. I was EXHAUSTED and still am tired as I sit here writing in bed. 

Let's just say I learned that my head goes out the window when things start to get crazy busy. And it is hard to balance being healthy, having a dog and a social life. Even my top 3 suffered this week. 

Water: Well...3 out of 7 days. And I FEEL it

Workouts: 4 cardio days and 1 weight days....still chasing that 2

Sleep: I had my butt in bed by 9:30 all week except Thursday and I think that's what messed everything up for the weekend.

I'm slowly starting to develop a routine I can deal with. Monday is light weight day, Tuesday is bootcamp, Wednesday is elliptical, Thursday is run, Friday will be heavy lift day, and Saturday will be another run. Monday through Thursday, I went according to plan...I even ran 5 miles on Thursday with a ton of energy to spare! Now it's getting Friday and the weekend on track. My body is still adjusting to all this and I realize just how important sleep is! When I slack there, my body can't perform. 

TGI-Weigh In Friday (7.26.13)

It is that time of the week again....FRIDAY. Here's how I did:

I lost 1.2 lbs! 

This week has been a busy one, but I am trying to focus each day on hitting my goals and let the rest sort itself out. It feels good to see the pay off on the scale and those small steps are adding up. I had a non-scale victory this week too. I was able to wear one of my belts and I don't need to go buy another black belt. That felt damn good....better than cake good.

I've also been hitting the gym consistently at 5am and going to bed at a more decent hour so life this week seems more balanced. I'm a little sore and tired, but not as much as earlier in the week. Weird, especially since I ran 5 miles yesterday, but I'll take it! I am ready to have a great weekend, get some workouts in, spend time with the pup and friends, and relax. 

The board has also been updated and no long shames me as I walk by. 

Those pins are adding up! 6lbs down..... 61 to go! 

And almost out the 230s!!

Change in Attitude

I saw this and laughed. It sums up most days, though you could replace with pizza,french fries, ice cream, etc. It is getting easier to say no as I walk myself through my thought process and make better choices. And seeing results? Icing on the proverbial cake (that I am NOT eating!)

I am beginning to realize 2 things through blogging. #1. Why I have repeatedly failed to accomplish my goals. #2. The more I dig in and become committed, just how hard this thing is! 

Probably the most important thing to happen is that my mindset is changing. Its Wednesday, I'm sore and tired, but the thought I hear in the back of my head is..... Keep Going...Dig In....Almost Friday....

I no longer doubt my ability; its not a matter of 'can' but rather 'will' I? 

I read an article about motivation and one of the things it talked about was developing 

inner strength. 

"Developing inner strength is the equivalent of having a back-up reserve of energy and motivation when your main tank is running low"

So how does one develop inner strength? 3 things: join a supportive community, practice saying no, and learn how to play again.

Imagine my surprise when I started thinking about these and that I have touched on all of them in the last month. :)

Supportive community: friends, family, bootcamp trainer and fellow ladies

Saying NO: better food choices, more balanced life, quitting run group

Learning how to play: This blog! I have always loved writing and it was one of the things I missed after college. 

Overall, it feels like I am enjoying and appreciating my life much more than I have in the past. Sure, if you know me, you know I'm always determined to get somewhere on something and I have about 100 goals. But in understanding just how hard it all really is, there's something new in me saying not this time. I may fall, stumble, gain a few pounds, or make some wrong decisions, but I won't throw it all away and give up. And for once, I know...not just know...but CONFIDENTLY know that sometime in the future, I'll be posting about making it to goal weight.

Have you flexed your inner strength lately?

Sunday Recap

I swear the weekends fly by. Friday I passed out early on the couch and Saturday I helped my Aunt move all day. Sunday, I took Molly to the dog park, did my weekly prep, and laid on the couch. It's amazing how tired I am after a full week and weekend. These workouts are kicking my butt and I wonder if there will ever come a day where I am not completely wiped out by Sunday. 

I guess tired means I'm doing something right and headed in the right direction. It's not like I have any intention of stopping! I'm just going to keep pushing through and see what happens. I can always change something if I find it doesn't work for me.

So a recap of the Top 3: 

1. Water. I missed two days and I can tell. This one stays in the top 3. 

2. Eating Lunch at Home 5x a week: Accomplished! 

3. Working out: I got in 5 days of cardio. Because of my crazy sleep schedule, I was tired a lot this week. And I can't lift tired. 

Overall, I'm planning to make some changes. Here's the Top 3 for this week:

1. Water- A Gallon A Day 

2. Getting to bed by 9:30pm. I need to get in bed to ensure I am up at 5am to begin my day. 

3. 2 out of the 5 workouts have to be lift sessions. I keep skirting the lifting because it's mentally tougher than cardio. I can do cardio half asleep, but lifting? That is just a recipe for dropping a weight on my foot. 

So that's the game plan for this week. Hopefully a good hot shower will help take away some of this soreness. I swear sometimes my muscles are so sore and my brain so toast that I just want to roll over and forget what I need to do for the day. But then I think about my goals and that rolling over doesn't get me any closer. And I think part of the problem is not being consistent with the sleep. So tweaking and hoping for better results this week. Shower time so I can get this butt in bed on time :) 

TGI-Friday Weigh In (7.19.13)

This weeks results......

Lost 1.6 lbs. Yay! Quite happy with that. I have noticed that it's getting a little easier during the week. I eat lunch at home and going out is not an option. The simple dinners do make life easier, though it seems like life is busier than ever. I'm definitely stressed out, there are knots the size of small boulders in my shoulders, but I am not running to food for comfort. Ill be getting out the foam roller tonight and making sure I get 8 hours of sleep. 

I'm also committing to a healthy weekend. The past few weekends, I've had some indulgences, but then snapped back on Sunday. Its the last week of the month and I'd love to leave July and the 230s for good. Plus have a great number to report to my trainer! Finishing the month strong  :)

Moved another pin! 63 to go!

Saved by the Blog

I had one of those days. For some reason, I woke up at 2am and couldn't get back to sleep till about 5am. Finally got out of bed at 6:30 to begrudgingly begin my day. I dragged myself to work and definitely needed that cup of coffee. And the day flew by, I was busy non-stop. After work I had a chiropractor appointment that I seriously wanted to cancel, but I went anyway.

I walked in tired, grumpy, sore, and hungry. Then to make things worse, THE ENTIRE TIME, my massage therapist talked about chicken wings and pizza! This lady had me drooling on the table and it really got me to thinking.....pizza and plopping down on the couch sounded good. I had to open my work computer tonight, so why not treat myself? I started dreaming of pepperoni with pan pizza crust and damn, chicken wings sounded good too. I could order once I got out the door and by time I made it home, it would be ready for pick-up.

You know what finally snapped me out of it? This blog. I started thinking did I really want to post about how I had pizza and chicken wings? Ohhhh. No I didn't. And then I started thinking about how I wanted to move more clothespins this week and that we were halfway through July; the month I promised to crush. Next came the thoughts about how I was good all day and why ruin it now.

So what did I end up eating for dinner?

If your first thought is what the hell is that? Fine. Gordon Ramsey would never give me points for presentation and I don't make it pretty when it's just me. But I made scrambled egg whites with onions, mushrooms, spinach, and pepper jack cheese topped with mango salsa. Delicious, low calorie, and it's a ton of food! I learned that the secret is to stuff it full of veggies.

I also realized that I passed a little mental hurdle instead of just giving in and feeling super guilty tomorrow. Looks like I finally found discipline....I think it was hiding under my bed ;)