Weigh In 9.29.2013

I thought this week there was no way I was going to lose weight. I ate a lot of food some days. For example, one night we had pizza and I ate three slices then had a bowl of cereal for dessert. So you can imagine my surprise this morning when I stepped on the scale!

 

Starting Weight: 164.4

Last Week: 163.4

This Week: 163.2

Change: -0.2 pounds

Yes, it is nothing to get really excited over, but I was happy to be down a little. Eventually, that little will add up, right?

However, if you look at the numbers you can see since I started I have only lost in total a little over a pound.

As for my goals for last week, I only lifted weights once, had a vegetable with dinner twice, and I am almost a pound over my goal of 162. I did not give it my all this week.

I need some way to motivate myself. I know I want to lose weight. I know it will help with my confidence, but most importantly a healthier person. But I just cannot seem to get started.

But how? How do you stay motivated?

Goals for the week:

1.      Weigh 159 pounds. (Yes, it would mean quite a loss, but maybe it will help).

2.       Lift 2 times this week.

 

3.      One snack after dinner. (Sometimes I will eat toast, then cereal, or something like that).

Today is also National Coffee Day! I am a coffee addict, so it is just another excuse to have coffee.

 

Running Recap 9.14-9.20

This is a little late, but I have just been working so much. Between mornings stocking at Target and then subbing in the schools, it is a 12 hour day! Add running and dinner and I have been busy from 3:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. But enough about my excuses, here is a little recap of what I ran last week:

Overall, this week was okay. On Thursday, I skipped my run because the outside part of my knee hurt too much. Right now, I am back to running but it is limited. However, my week was pretty good:

Saturday 9.14: 6.01 MILES in 1:03:02 (10:30 AVERAGE PACE)

Fantastic run! I felt great, it was overcast and only in the low sixties. Miles 4 and 5 were actually under a 10 minute mile! My average heart rate was also only 151 beats per minute!

Sunday 9.15: 8.03 MILES in 1:26:29 (10:46 AVERAGE PACE)

Another great run! Ran all the way down this particular road that I like to run on a lot, but I have never been to the end before.

Monday 9.16:  4 MILES in 44:26 (11:06 AVERAGE PACE)

For the day after my long run, I am always slower but I was not a ton slower.  My heart rate was slightly higher than where it should be, but overall a good run.

Tuesday 9.17: 3.10 MILES in 31:40 (10:14 AVERAGE PACE)

Felt amazing on this run! I was planning on running four, but there was a storm moving in. When I finished, I saw cloud to ground lightening and about fifteen minutes later it started raining. Needless to say, I made a good call to cut my run short!

Wednesday 9.18: 5.01 MILES in 52:32 (10:28 AVERAGE PACE)

               It was super windy and cold out! I just wanted to be done!

Thursday 9.19: UNSCHEDULED REST DAY

I ran about 0.3 miles and my left side of my left knee had a sharp pain, rather than risk injury I just decided to take the day off.

Friday 9.20: REST DAY

TOTAL MILES: 26.15

Weigh In 9.22.2013

Starting Weight: 164.4

Last Week: 165.2

Current: 163.4

Change: -1.8 pounds!

I actually lost more than what I was hoping for. I wanted to be 164 pounds by this time and I succeeded. Granted, it really is not a lot of weight considering I did not try at all. I did not count calories and I did not actively tell myself to eat less.

I guess it is a good and a bad thing. Good, in the fact that I can eat without diligently paying attention to what I am eating, but bad because I can’t really say I made any changes from this week to last week.

I am still working on trying to eat salad or some type of vegetable before dinner.

My goals for this week, then, are as follows:

1.      Eat some form of vegetable (salad, broccoli, etc.) 4-5 times this week before dinner.

2.      Weigh 162 pounds.

3.      Lift weights 2 times this week.

Life is Too Short

I will do my weekly mileage report tomorrow.

On Friday, I learned a former classmate (actually two who graduated the year ahead of me) was shot. One died today.

It was one of those instances of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it sucks. I did not know them really well but it does not seem right to talk about how great (or poor) my running has been. Just not in the mood.

It is just a reminder that life is short.

Change Your Diet

For this week, I haven’t really made any significant changes to my eating. Sure maybe I might be eating a little less, but really my diet is not at all perfect. I do not eat 5+ servings of vegetables. I was thinking about it this morning. Yes, theoretically I can lose weight without really changing my diet. I could just eat the same food, just less. But is that really a lifestyle change? Is that really making myself a healthier me?

 

While it is halfway through the week, I am going to challenge myself to eat a salad with dinner. I love salad; in fact, I was kind of craving it yesterday. If I am not feeling like salad, of course, I will eat some other type of vegetable, but I think this will serve two purposes.

1.      I will be eating healthier.

2.       By eating something before I eat dinner— or with dinner— I will hopefully be full and not be tempted to snack so much after dinner.

Weigh In 9.15.2013

Starting Weight: 164.4

Today: 165.2

Change: +0.8

Since I last weighed in, about a month ago, I have gained almost one pound. Yes, it is a gain and yes, I wish I had lost weight since then, BUT I will say I have not really tried at all. Not kept track, not holding myself accountable. So while I have gained a pound, which is actually pretty good for someone who is not trying.

My goal for next week is to weigh 164 pounds. I hope each week to lose 0.5 to 2 pounds. By Memorial Day next year, I want to weigh 142 pounds at the most. I know it is not a lot of weight, but I have a hard time getting motivated, getting started. I guess my love of food is greater than my goals.

But a half pound a week is not a lot. It is not a lot of sacrifice, maybe once I start seeing the difference and the impacts of losing weight I will gain more motivation. I hope.

Running Recap 9.7-9.13

This week I ran a total of 6 times and for 29 miles, which is the most miles I have ever completed in one week! Some days were easy, some days were tough, but the important thing is that I got out there and did it.

So before I get into the run-by-run, let me just say that right now I am in the process of increasing my miles. That means, every week I add 2 miles— which is less than a ten percent increase— until I reach about 35 miles per week (which I plan on maintain throughout the winter months… yeah I said winter ewww….). Because I am increasing my mileage, I am only running easy miles. To aid in the process, I have adopted heart rate training. For every run I try and average a heart rate of 157 BPM for a 23 year old female this is perfectly easy and healthy.

I think heart rate training gives me an accurate view of how hard my body truly is working. Sometimes my pace is super slow or faster than average but my heart rate is about the same. I like this way of training and have been injury free so far which is always a huge bonus.

So let’s move on:

Saturday 9.7: 5 MILES in 56:12 (11:13 AVERAGE PACE)

Sunday 9.8: 8.04 MILES in 1:32.32 (11:31 AVERAGE PACE)

I had been feeling under the weather, so I ran this one pretty slow so that I could just complete the distance.

Monday 9.9: 4.07 MILES in 43:48 (10:46 AVERAGE PACE)

Felt much better on this run and it showed in my pace! This was a much needed run (why does life have to be stressful sometimes?).

Tuesday 9.10: 3.01 MILES in 34:05 (11:20 AVERAGE PACE)

               I never thought three miles could take so long and feel so bad, but it did!

Wednesday 9.11: 5.66 MILES in 59:41 (10:33 AVERAGE PACE)

               I wrote about this run for September 11, 2001.

Thursday 9.12: 3.35 MILES in 35:12 (10:31 AVERAGE PACE)

Friday 9.13: OFF

While I did not run on Friday, I did go and lift weights which I REALLY need to do more often so I can prevent injuries. Besides, if I ever can manage to lose weight, I would not want to be skinny but flappy.

 

September 11

 

Today I ran 5.66 miles or 9.11 km in order to commemorate the September 11^th attacks. It is hard, in a way, to believe it was 12 years ago. So much has happened, but yet it is still fresh (although a bit fuzzy) in my memory. I guess that is what happens when one gets older?

It was a good run overall and definitely a good thinking one too. At about mile 4, however, there was a car that somehow spun out just behind me! It was kind of freaky because the topic of loss had been on my mine for most of the run and well if it had not have been such a good run; it is possible that car could have hit me. Regardless of the world of what-ifs, it made me realize that I was running not to remember some horrific event but running because I could run, in a sense to celebrate that I could. Because of the heartache, pain, suffering, and loss thousands of my fellow Americans have encountered in just the last twelve years fighting for the United States I can just simply go out for a run.

This realization is more motivating to get out the door than any dreams of sub-24 5k or losing weight or anything like that.

Weigh In Week 0

Current Weight: 164.4

Goal for Next Week: 162

Source

I need to start becoming more accountable and track how my weight progresses from week to week. I am pretty good at maintaining for the most part, but actually losing not so much. If I do not have goals, then I have no direction and there is high probability that I will never lose the weight.

I just need to control my eating.

Running has been going great! Today, I had my long run and after sleeping in a little (I usually have to get up at 3:30 a.m. for my summer job, so sleeping in is a relative thing), I got out and ran 7 miles! Now for many 7 miles may just be a walk in the park, but for me it ties my longest run ever. So it was quite an accomplishment for me.

My eating, however, is what is killing me. Or maybe not actually killing me but not allowing myself to reach my goals. So my goals for this week eating wise are:

1.      Drink at least 16 oz. of water with every meal. I only eat 3 meals a day and have a hard time drinking water. I know that sometimes I eat too much because actually I am just thirsty.

2.      No cake. I love cake (and chips) they are my favorite foods and I always over eat. So this week I am planning on staying away from the cake. It is only one week and one food, I can do it. It is easy, right?

Alternative Workout to Running

If only, some days, I was this fast!

6 days a week you will find me running. I love it and I find it peaceful and relaxing. However, with that said, I know a lot of people are not fond of it. Yes, it is hard and yes, it can be frustrating at times. Right now, I am trying to increase my mileage and get in proper aerobic conditioning by utilizing my heart rate. Personally, I should be aiming for 147 beats per minute. As a 23 year old female, this works out to be roughly 75% of my max heart rate. Unfortunately, sometimes I feel like I could walk faster and sometimes feel like running is not the proper term one should use to describe my efforts.

 

But, Fridays are a rest day for me.

For me, I went to the gym and walked on the treadmill at an incline and lifted weights. I really find that lifting weights (particularly for my legs) helps tremendously with injury prevention.

Afterwards, I went and took my dog, Carmen, for a walk. It was a little overcast but overall, nice outside. Here are some pictures of our adventure.

"I am so happy to be on a walk!"

 

"Failure is Simply the Opportunity to Begin Again...."

No one likes to read something when someone continually fails or never makes any progress. I know I would not. Granted, I have read many blogs where that is the exact case and well, to be honest, you get bored reading them. Sure they are nice people and I understand all about failure; however, it is not inspiring, it is not engaging, it is discouraging to read that person not able to overcome the problem of eating too much, exercising too little over and over again for months.

But that is me.

I start and am motivated and then struggle. 6 months later or more and I am in the exact same spot. Weight the same. Look the same. Run the same.

Change is here though.

I have already lost about 4 pounds. Not much, but enough to see that I might actually stick with it. I also am tracking my food on a daily basis, taking a multivitamin everyday as well as change how I approach my main form of exercise: running.

I am now running according to my heart rate. As of today, it is VERY slow and can be annoying to be feeling good, breathing great only to see that your heart rate has now jumped up above your target heart rate. But, even though I have been at it for about three weeks now, I am starting to see some progress. I am running much more and my times are slowly, slowly creeping down. Huge emphasis on the slow though.

In a year, I want to be able to have some sort of a flat stomach, some sort of abs (yes, we all have abs everyone does even the 600 pound people, but they are not showing through our fat), and develop connections with others in this journey.