Day 186

I met my goal of 2 lbs lost this week.  Yesterday was spent mostly at home and I played in the garden.  Today we went kayaking in the canals behind the house, but came home when the thunder started up.  Jim and I did a little fishing, but I did not catch anything.  I thought I had a few strikes, but it was probably all weeds.  I also played in the garden a bit more today.

Next week I get to see the podiatrist Thursday.  I hope I can get an answer about my foot.  I want to eat well this week and do more exercise.  I did no traditional exercise this week and hope to remedy that.

Days 181-185

So no true exercise was done this week.  Tuesday I ate well, but instead of going to aqua zumba, I visited a friend in the hospital.  Wednesday we went out with some friends for dinner and I overindulged.  Thursday was incredibly busy at work, but I came home and did yard work.  Friday morning was spent cleaning house.  Jim cooked out for the 4th and we enjoyed the neighbor's fireworks.  Today is up in the air, we might go to the beach.  Tomorrow I weigh in.

Day 180

I want to start on a positive note...I ate really well today and tracked my food on Sparkpeople.  Tracking, as much as I hate to do it, really helps keep things in perspective.  Today at work was the end of hour long lunch breaks.  I am trying to stay positive, though I will miss my hour of peace and quiet.  The upside is I will have less time to make bad decisions.  Less of a chance for me to eat out of boredom or make a fast food run.

As promised, I called and made an appointment to see the podiatrist about my foot.  I have an appointment for next Thursday.  I could have gotten one sooner, but it did not work with work.  Oh well,  I have walked on it for a month like this now, what will another week hurt?  It was really bothering me tonight so I have it propped up....

Leading me to my not so positive note.  I did not exercise tonight.  I came home and Jim was on the treadmill...what a good boy he is, but I could not summon the motivation I needed to do right.  I justified it with my foot pain and eating well.  I told myself, baby steps.  That being said, I plan on going to aqua zumba tomorrow, weather permitting.

Day 179--hello again!

So...a lot of time has past since my last post.  I lost my motivation.  My left foot still hurts and I have yet to go to the doctor.  I am going to call and make an appt tomorrow, because this is a tired excuse and I want to get back on the treadmill.  I intend to RUN the Turkey Day gobble wobble in Charleston and time is running out to train (pun intended).

Despite the time lapse and lack of motivation I have managed to drop 2.2 lbs since my last weigh in putting me at 234.  That is a total of 34.2 lbs lost since Jan 1.  Still not too shabby, but time to get down to business to defeat the buns!

I have a new goal.  I have been challenged to lose 10 lbs by Aug 14 for a trip to AC, BABY!  This almost 7 weeks away.  I want to set a stretch goal of 14 lbs so I will be 220 and that would be 2 lbs/week.

I want to thank Heather, Dad, Amy and Sherard for encouraging me to re-post.  And Thank-you to Renee and Julie for always having something encouraging to say. And EVERYONE who has taken the time to read, comment or like.  Y'all keep me accountable.  THANK-YOU!

So if I cannot walk, I will strength train, ride my bike, and work on my core.  Weather permitting, I will go back to aqua zumba.  I will cook meals at home instead of going out.  And I will POST about it all. :)

days 147-153... thanks sissy

Sorry not to have posted sooner.  I have been mostly wallowing in self pity.  Last Tuesday I wanted to go to aqua zumba, but could not because I had to work late.  Wednesday was wasted--also I somehow managed to injure my left foot just walking through the lobby at work.  Thursday I wanted to go to aqua zumba, but it was cancelled due to weather.  Friday I convinced myself since I was not on the wagon that I deserved fast food.  After a delicious lunch from McDonald's, I spent most of the afternoon in and out of the bathroom.  Awesome.  Saturday was spent at the beach and Sunday was wasted away as well.

I got to talk to Heather on Sunday and she tried to be the angel on my shoulder.  She and Renee are doing FANTASTIC!  She also sent me a bunch of pins to motivate me.  Heather and I have always struggled with our weight.  She let me know that at this point I only have a 2 lb advantage on her.  She knows just the right thing to motivate me. :)

I talked to Heather again after leaving work today--she was getting ready to go to boot camp.  I told her I would ride my bike when I got home, since my foot is still bothering me.  I came home and it was just barely spitting rain so I changed into my pj's.  I sat outside and read for awhile before finally convincing myself to get up and change to take the bike out.  My 15 min bike ride burned 161 calories.  Not much, but 161 calories more than I burned all of last week.  I plan on going to aqua zumba tomorrow...weather permitting.  I was a good girl eating today.

Here are a sampling of the pins Heather sent me...I <3 Heather.

Days 124-146

We cruised for 2 weeks in Hawaii.  When I started my journey in January one of my goals was to be under 250 by May so I could participate in a kayaking shore excursion that had a weight limit.  I achieved that goal. ;)

Before I left for the cruise I weighed 229.6.  I wanted to maintain that weight during the cruise.  This did not happen.  I had zero self control in my food choices.  I wanted it all.  I ate a big breakfast, lunch and dinner with desserts and drinks EVERYDAY.  I am not going to lie--I loved every minute of it.  However when we got home I was up 10 lbs.

During the cruise I did (in order) a rainforest and waterfalls hike in Maui, beach day in Maui, Crater hike in Hilo, massage while Jim dived in Kona, a luau in Kauai and journey to Wiamea Canyon, Kauai.  Then we spent a day on the beach again in Waikiki and started the cruise over.  We rented a car in Maui the first day and drove the road to Hana, the second day in Maui we took a snorkel tour that I chickened out on, we took the day off in Hilo and did some shopping, we got rained out of our beach day in Kona and went to a beach by the pier, Jim went diving in Kauai while I got a massage and the final day in Kauai we did the Kayak excursion.  Before flying home we visited Pearl Harbour.

During the two weeks I visited the ship's gym 3 times--each time for one hour.  I discovered something amazing...I can now run for 5 min straight!  Granted I have to take a 5 min recovery walk, but when I first started I could barely run one minute before feeling like I was going to die.  THIS IS PROGRESS!!!

This last week since I have been home, I have not got back on track, but it ends today.  I used jet lag and work as an excuse, but that is all it is--an excuse.  This morning when I weighed I was 236.2.  Time to seize the day!

Days 118-123

Not much was done this week since we were preparing for our trip.   Tuesday I went to Aqua zumba.  Friday was all traveling.   This morning, Saturday, I went to the hotel gym.  Later today we board the cruise ship.   For now we are taking it easy and hanging on Waikiki beach.   Ahhhh this is the life!

Days 115, 116, 117 and almost month end review...

Friday, Jim and I checked out another new pizza place.  Nice Guys Pizza--it was very hipster cool.  The food was pretty good too.  Saturday, we took the boat out.  It was a beautiful day on and in the water.  I got in the water for the first time this season.  It was a bit brisk at first, but once you acclimated it was fine.  Jim and I did a bit of snorkeling at the new reef we found when Al and Faith were in town.

Yesterday after we got home and showered, I was getting dressed when I noticed a weird concavity in my bust.  Upon further inspection I realized that my current bra was now too big.  WAHHHHH!  I had noticed earlier that I was using the hooks to make my bras smaller around, but up until then the cups were fitting fine--no more.  It is also exciting to go through  my closet and find clothes for the cruise that I have not been able to wear in quite awhile.  I am going shopping today for some new tops and bras. ;)

My current weight is now 229.6 lbs. for 4.2 lbs. lost this week and 38.6 lbs lost since Jan 1st.  For the month it is a 6.6 lb lost.  This month I have had a lot of ups and downs...including my weight, but I feel like I am back on track!  I only hope I stay strong and make good decisions on the cruise.  We are booked for many active and healthy excursions, which should help.  I also want to actually use the gym on the ship(this will be a first!).  Eating and drinking will be my area of opportunity....

Below are my new 2 month progress pics.  As a reminder the fist pic is from Jan 1, the second is from March 2, and the third is from today, April 27.

Day 114

I felt really bad this afternoon at work again.  I pretty much convinced myself that I was getting sick.  I came home and changed into my workout clothes and then took my temp-- 97.0.  No excuses.  I got on the treadmill and did my random hill walk.  The average incline tonight was 6.2.  I was supposed to go to aqua zumba tonight, but class was cancelled due to pool maintenance.  Oh well, I forgot my bathing suit at home anyways.  I did, however, use feeling poorly as an excuse not to run.  I think I have psyched myself out and I worry that running will be too much for me since I have not done it in a while.... but I have to remember:

Day 113--THANKS DAD!

Behold my fancy new heart rate monitor gifted to my by my loving Dad!  I cannot be more happy with it!  The only reason I exercised tonight is because this little beauty was waiting on me when I got home.  I felt bad all day today, like I might be getting sick.  When I got home the garage door would not open.  Come to find out the spring was busted.   By the time we finished dealing with that and getting someone out here to fix it so Jim could go to work tomorrow; I was ready to go to bed early.  The box tempted me though and I opened it up.  Then I set it up.   Well then I had to try it out.  The most amazing thing is that it synched up with my treadmill and displayed my heart rate on the treadmill display.  Who knew??  SCORE!!  So I did the 30 min random hill walk.  The average incline was 4.1 tonight.

Day 112

Today was both good and bad at work.  The good out weighed the bad (barely), so I will go back tomorrow.  Tonight I hit aqua zumba with my work buddy.  I love it so much!  We plan on going to the the Thursday class too this week.  Tomorrow I will get back on the treadmill.  I have not done any running in a while and I think it is time to get back on that horse.  I am also excited to be getting my new heart rate monitor thanks to Dad!  It is a very generous and appreciated gift.  I can't wait to get it and start using it to see actual calories burned.

Days 105-111

Last Tuesday I went to aqua zumba.  Wednesday I walked on the treadmill.  Thursday I flew home to Charleston to spend Easter with my family.  Friday I used Heather's elliptical for 30 min.  Saturday we went to Myrtle Beach to see Liza and her new baby--cutie.  Sunday I walked on Heather's treadmill.  Today, Monday, I went back to work.  Tomorrow will be aqua zumba.  I have my bag packed and ready to go!

I weighed in this morning at 233.8 for a loss of 1.2 for the week--not bad considering that I ate Mom's chicken and rice and dumplings all weekend.  Mike also made breakfast Friday and Sunday and he cooked us a delicious steak dinner for Easter.  We also hit the Chinese buffet for crab legs Saturday night.

On another note, I have been coveting a heart rate monitor to track calories burned.  Heather has the Polar FT7 that I was able to try out while visiting.  I am doing some research on Amazon and am excited to make a purchase soon!

Day 104

I came home from work and wanted to do nothing and blame it on my stomach...it was slightly upset.  Jim was stretching out in the back yard getting ready to do his tae kwon do.  He inspired me to get off my ass so I did the 30 min random hill walk on the treadmill.  Tomorrow I am planning on aqua zumba if the weather holds out...

Day 103...revisited.

So after my brief post this morning, I did some thinking.  I have always fallen into a pattern when after losing weight I tend to start coasting and then eventually quit.  I am in the coasting cycle now.  I had to remind myself that

So I got up and put on my workout clothes.  I figured the first step to exercising is getting dressed.  It took me another hour before I got up to exercise, but more about that in a bit.  While I was dinking around on the internet I looked up obesity.  In my first post on this blog I admitted I was obese and not just overweight.  What I did not admit to myself is that I am morbidly obese.  According to Web MD:  

Doctors usually define "overweight" as a condition in which a person's weight is 10%-20% higher than "normal," as defined by a standard height/weight chart, or as a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 30.

Obesity is usually defined as a condition in which a person's weight is 20% or more above normal weight or as a BMI of 30 or more. "Morbid obesity" means a person is either 50%-100% over normal weight, more than 100 pounds over normal weight, or sufficiently overweight to severely interfere with health or normal functioning.

For my height, 5 ft 6 in, the normal weight range is 115-154 lbs and normal BMI is

 18.5-24.9 according to the CDC. Currently with a weight of 235 my BMI is 38.  I 

would like to set a final goal weight of 135-145 lbs.  To do this i have another 

100 or so pounds to lose, so now is not the time to coast.

I finally got up and got on the treadmill.  I was too scared to try running since it has

 been so long so I walked 30 min between 3.0 and 3.5 and then did the 30 min 

random hill walk on the treadmill.  I feel so much better now---physically and 

emotionally.  I know I said this 2 weeks ago, but I want to rededicate myself to the

 challenge before me.  I vow to move more, eat better and post about it!  I need the 

accountability.  Thank-you to all who have been so encouraging!

Days 97-103

1.6 gained.  The only exercise done last week was aqua zumba on thursday.  I have eaten pretty bad this weekend.  My goal is to exercise today get back on the horse.  We have about 3 weeks before the cruise and I need to get back in my healthy habits so I do not go crazy on vacation!

days 90-96

I have been bad this week about posting...so I will give just a quick review...
Monday--nada
Tuesday--Aqua Zumba
Wednesday--30 min random hill walk
Thursday--nada
Friday--nada...went out to eat and had wings again. mmmmm.
Saturday--Cleaned house to get ready for visit from friends
Sunday--nada, went out on the boat with said friends

233.4...2.8 lost--though I only exercised twice this week I still MOSTLY ate well.  I am happy with my loss and moved two stones over to the pounds obliterated jar.  I know I said this last week, but I will do better next week!!

Days 83-89 and Month End Review

Day 83 was Monday.  I no longer remember what happened on Monday, but I did not exercise.

Tuesday is our Aqua Zumba day, but we had a late meeting at work and we did not get to go.  Heather tried to be the angel on my shoulder and told me how much better I would fee if I worked out, but alas, I did not heed her advice.  I told myself tomorrow.

Wednesday after work I thought of Heather and her advice and this:

So I got on the treadmill and did 31 min of walk 3 @ 3.0 min and run 2 min @4.0.  I did 5 intervals with a 2 min warm up and cool down @2.0.  If you have been paying attention I decreased my rest walk from 4 min to 3 min between intervals.

Thursday I had good intentions of going to Aqua Zumba, but I left my clothes at home.  BOO!  So I came home and hit the treadmill for the 30 min random hill walk.  The average incline was 6.0--not bad.

Friday after work we went out to eat.  We tried yet another pizza place for Jim and I gave in to temptation and ordered wings w/ a salad.  I am so glad I did!  These were probably the best wings I have had since moving here!  WE also ordered a cannoli to go that we were supposed to share, but I ate it all.  No work out completed.

Saturday we spent at home cleaning house.  I washed down the kitchen cabinets, straightened out the living room, vacuumed the floors, base boards and furniture, and steam mopped the house.  After that I hit the grocery store, showered and took a nap.  After a luxurious nap we went to dinner at a Peruvian resturant, AJ Limon.  It was delish.  I had tacu tacu with grilled beef.  The tacu tacu is a rice and black bean "pancake" similar to Cuban moro rice.  I liked that we tried something new and different.  We will definitely be going back.

So today is Sunday and day 89 of this journey.  This week my motivation flagged I believe in direct correlation to my posting on this blog.  Knowing this I am making a promise to myself to not go more than 3 days without posting.  I know life sometimes gets in the way, but I need to put myself first in this process.  This week while I did not exercise as much as I previously did I still ate reasonably well--barring our restaurant jaunts.  My goal is exercise at least 5 days next week.  Today is not over yet, and I plan to get on the treadmill at some point today.

Today I weighed in at 236.2 for a total of 1.6 lbs lost this week and 32 total.  I am happy with this number.  I also posted my measurements--total lost is now 12.5in.--over a foot of myself gone!  At the end of April I will post new progress pics.  The beginning of May we go on our cruise!

Days 80, 81 and 82

Friday I came home from another rough day at work and Jim was not home.  I forgot he was going kayaking after work.  I called him and told him I was going to take Friday as a rest day.  I gave myself a kick in the pants and got on the treadmill.  I did 9 intervals of 4 min walk and 2 min run.

Saturday I did nothing but get my massage.  It was heavenly.

Today I do not feel so hot.  I have had a nap on the couch and have zero energy.  I am going to take it easy and jump back on the horse tomorrow.

This morning I weighed in @237.8 for .6 lost.

Days 76, 77, 78 and 79

Time to catch up...I have been a bit lazy about posting.

Monday was treadmill time.  I  walked/ran 8 intervals of 4 min @ 3.0 /2 min @ 4.0 and finished the hour walking @ 3.0.

Tuesday was aqua zumba...still love it!  We paid $21 for 6 classes through Groupon.  To continue it is $35 for 6 more classes.  I am planning on this.

Wednesday was treadmill time again.  I walked/ran 7 intervals of 4 min @ 3.0 /2 min @ 4.0.  Then I did 2 more intervals of 5 min walking and 2 min running.

Today I did the random hill walk on the treadmill.  I was 12 min in when I hit the emergency stop so I started over.  Then I hit it again during the cool down, so I have no idea what the average incline was.  Boo.  I have figured out I can go in and out of the program before starting to try and get more challenging hills.

I am so excited for my massage on Saturday.
:)

Days 73, 74, and 75

First off....10% goal reached!!!  YAHOOOO!!!

Friday I came home from work and ran/walked on the treadmill.  I did 36 min including a warm up and cool down @ 2 min with 5 intervals of walk 4 min @ 3.0 and run 2 min @ 4.0.  there was one run interval that I looked down and had actually gone over the 2 min mark and was feeling good, but that did not happen on the rest. ;-)  I hpe next week to up the number of intervals.

Saturday I got up and rode the bike for 2.78 miles and then we were off for the day on the boat.  When we came home I hopped on the treadmill for the random hill walk.  This time the average incline was only 2.0.  I guess random really means random.  We had dinner out with our friends, Emily and Chris at a new restaurant in Cape Coral called Blaze Bistro.  It had truly phenomenal ratings on Trip Advisor and for good reason.  We shared 2 apps--the almond fried brie and the calamari.  For dinner I had the seared Ahi Tuna which was delish!  We each also ordered dessert and shared.  It was soooo good, but no, we did not finish them all!  LOL!

So this morning I got on the scale and I weigh 238.4--so close to a total of 30 lbs lost.  This makes 4.6 lbs lost for the week and 29.8 lbs so far this year.  This puts me over my 1st 10% goal of 27 lbs.  Do you know what that means???  MASSAGE TIME!!!!  I cannot wait!

So my next 10% goal is an additional 24 lbs.  That would put me @ 217.2 with a total loss of 51 lbs.  I will have to set a new reward for myself.  It may be another massage....we shall see.

I did my yoga DVD after watching CBS Sunday Morning with Jim and before typing this.  I feel so relaxed now.  This afternoon we are going to see the Italian water circus that is in town.  Should be fun!  Now I am going to move 4 stones from the pounds to lose jar over to the pounds obliterated glass. :)

Day 72

This was my motivation today:


I had a DAY at work.  I was supposed to leave @ 1:15, but my new manager asked me to stay late.  Granted, I still left early @ 3:15, but I was not very happy. Oh well, I have a job.

I got home and sat on the lanai dinking around on the internet.  I went to Pinterest and found my motivation above.  So I got up and got on the treadmill for the random hill program.  Man, are my thighs burning!  The average incline was 9.0 with a speed of only 2.0.  After a rest I did my upper body strength training.

Dinner tonight was meatless.  This is a Stacked Black Bean Enchilada Pie from A Little Bit Crunchy a Little Bit Rock and Roll:

I ate a bit too much cheese while preparing this.  Also I had smaller low carb whole wheat tortillas.  It was a cheesy, carb loaded, yummy, meatless meal.

Days 70 and 71

Yesterday I went to Aqua Zumba with my work buddy.  It was still alot of fun. This morning I could feel it in my shoulders and thighs mostly.  It is definitely a cardio workout.  I went to bed last night @ 9:30, day light savings time be damned.

Today I came home from work and got on the treadmill.  I did a little something different.  I ran 2 min @ 4.0 with a rest @ 3.0 for 4 min.  I could only do 5 intervals of this.  I am excited to see my stamina during the running increase.  Now I will work on increasing the intervals.  Then I can work on decreasing the "rest" time.  The total treadmill time was 38 min with a warm-up and cool down.

I have seen the idea below on Pinterest to give a visual to your weight loss goals.  You fill a glass with stones to represent pounds to lose and another for pounds lost.  I have not labeled them yet, but I'm pretty sure you can figure out which is which.  I look forward to emptying the glass!

Day 69

This is what I had to keep telling myself today when I came home from work.

It finally worked and I got on the treadmill and did a 30 min hill walk @ 3.0.  For dinner we had ham steaks with mac and cheese and roasted cauliflower.  Not bad.

Day 68

I got up this morning and lazed around.  I was a bit stiff after yesterday.  Had some coffee and cottage cheese with blueberries before I motivated myself to start moving.  I did my yoga DVD and am so glad I did.  I feel so relaxed and energized at the same time.  I am getting ready to shower and run some errands with the hubster now.

This week I lost 2.2 lbs.  This makes and even 25 lb weight loss.  As good as this sounds I have 2 lbs to go before I hit my first 10% milestone of 27 lbs lost.  I have promised myself a hot stone massage when I hit that milestone.  Ahhhh, I cannot wait!!

Namaste.

Days 66 and 67

Friday was a long day at work and I took it as a rest day.  Not much to report, but we did find a new pizza place we liked.  Paradise Pizza in Cape Coral.  I had a salad, but ate some of Jim's crust.  Yummo!

Today I attacked Saturday as promised.  I got up @ 7:30 and had some coffee.  I realized I was almost out and I was planning to ride my bike anyway, so I rode off to Publix to pick up more coffee.  It is only a 2 mile ride total, but it was cold and windy!  I came home and had more coffee...side not I tried Publix's Colombian coffee k-cup and it is GOOOOD.  After a second cup of coffee I did my upper body strength training.  I did 3 reps of this video.   After a 3rd cup of coffee I hopped on the treadmill and did 65 min with 16 reps of walk/run @ 3.0 and 4.0 respectively.

Tomorrow I plan on doing my yoga DVD to find my zen.  Oh, and I got my Bondi Bands in:

I found a coupon code on RetailMeNot and bought all but the pink one on clearance.  I LOVE them.  The do a grrrreat job of soaking my my sweat and keeping my hair back...and I think they are super cute!

Days 64 and 65

Wednesday I had to force myself to exercise after work.  I took the bike out for a ride and came home.  I wanted to do upper body strength training after, but failed to motivate myself.  At least I did something...this is about moving more.

Today was supposed to be my early day at work, but the best laid plans of mice and men...you know how that goes.  By the time I got home I was not feeling the workout, but got on the treadmill anyways.  I did a 30 min hill walk @ 3.0.  After I started to prepare this week's meatless feast.  We were supposed to have Tagliatelle with new potatoes, green beans and pesto: 

But instead had spaghetti with fingerling potatoes, green beans and pesto.  It was delish!  Not the healthiest thing I have made, but yummy!  I also roasted the green beans at the same time the potatoes were cooking instead of steaming them and my pesto came from a sauce pouch.

I will probably take Friday as a rest day and ATTACK Saturday! :)

Day 63...AQUA ZUMBA

After work today, myself and two of my coworkers headed to the pool for aqua zumba.  It was so much fun!  There were about 20 of us and there was a nice mix of young and old and thin and not so thin. :)  We were told the pool is like Vegas...What happens in the pool, stays in the pool.  For an hour we jumped and danced and shimmied and shook.  It was awesome!  I was not so coordinated, but it did not matter...you can't see what is going on under the water and no one except the instructor was perfect--and even she messed up a few times.  Did I mention how much fun it was?  I think I got a pretty good workout because I feel plenty tired now.  If you have a chance to try aqua zumba I highly recommend it!

Days 61 and 62

Sunday I took the bike out for a ride as promised.  Then Jim and I set off in the kayaks to do some fishing in the canals.  We were gone almost four hours with a lunch break back home.  I caught the only fish of the day!  Unfortunately, we had a hard time getting the hook out because I did not st the hook fast enough.  I felt really bad for the little bass.  I did not hit the treadmill last night.

Today was HELLACIOUS at work--so busy!  I thought about skipping my workout, but I made a commitment to myself.  I walked/ran for 60 min doing the 2 min walk and 1 min run intervals.  I did 15 intervals and finished the hour walking @ 3.0.  I am beat.  I ordered my bondi bands this weekend and cannot wait until I get them!

Tomorrow is aqua zumba!!!

Days 58, 59, 60, and 61--Feb Month End Review

GOOOOOD SUNDAY MORNING!!!

Time to catch up the last few days...

Thursday I did not workout.  After work I met Jim after work for dinner at Pizza Fusion.  I had the veggie Farmer's Market personal pizza on the whole grain crust. Yummy.  After we went to the Barbara B. Mann to see Bob Newhart.  The opening act was awful, but Bob was funny. 

Friday I came home from work and walked/ran for 50 min.  I Changed up the intervals to 2 min walk @ 3.0 and 1 min run @ 4.0.  I did 14 intervals with a warm-up/cool down.  I thought I did 15, but I hit the emergency stop about half way through and messed up my count.

Saturday we took the boat out and it was a BEAUTIFUL day, although a little chilly while the boat was moving.  We had a nice lunch at the Pink Elephant on Boca Grande.  I had a very unhealthy salad and we split dessert.  We cruised around the canals and I found my dream house....just need to win the lotto.  Then we found a deserted sand bar and anchored to walk around and I found tons of shells, sand dollars and an urchin and a star fish.  It was lovely!  We came on back home and no exercising was done.

Today after I finish this post and my coffee I am going to take the bike out for a ride.  Later today we plan on seeing the Lego Movie.  This afternoon/evening I plan on hitting the treadmill for another run/walk with the 2/1 intervals.

So I have completed another month.  Two months down, a lifetime to go--this is a lifestyle change after all!  For the month of February I have lost 9.8 lbs and 3.25 in.  This brings my 2 month total to 23 lbs and 11.75 in.  I am proud of my progress!  Below are my progress pics.  It is hard to see a difference because the original pics I took in front of the open doorway.  I thought better of that this time and we took the pics in front of the door.  I can see more "definition" of my rolls.  lol.

Day 57...MEATLESS WEDNESDAY!

At work today one of my girls said I was losing weight...This was the first time someone other than me or Jim has noticed.  I was on cloud nine, but tried not to make a big deal about it.  All they know at work is that I am trying to be good and exercise.  Myself and some of the girls from work are going to try an Aqua Zumba class next week thanks to Groupon!  I can't wait to try something new!

I came home from work and walked/ran on the treadmill for about an hour.  I tried bumping up the speed a bit to 3.2 walk and 4.2 run, but that only lasted for two intervals before I went back to 3.0 walk and 4.0 run.  About half way through I hit the emergency stop and had to start over.  I am tempted to tape it into place, but I am scared I will actually need it someday.  Oh well!

Tonight was Meatless Wednesday.  I made this:

Spinach & Vermicelli Soup with Fried Egg

Except mine was actually Kale & Angel Hair Soup with Fried Egg.

I thought it was DELISH!!  I used the Dreamfields lower carb angel hair pasta.  It was still a carb fest, but oh so good.  I ate it with chopsticks and felt so Asain by association.  I also added some of Trader Joe's South African Smoke seasoning and pepper.  Jim was not as thrilled with it, but said it was pretty good.  He did not eat much...probably had something to do with the two bowls of cereal he had to hold him over.  I will definitely be making this again.

Days 55 and 56

Yesterday I came home from work and rode the bike 2.78 miles.

This morning I went into work late so I did my upper body strength training.  I can tell you...I HATE ARM CIRCLES.  I worked late, so I came home and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes.  Heather suggested I improve my walking speed so I built up to 3.5 and did that for 20 minutes before going back down to 3.0 for the last 10 minutes.

Tomorrow I plan on doing a walk/run.  I think Wednesday will be meatless monday.

I got my lab results back and I am "normal"...what do they know?  I am disappointed to see my cholesterol was not on it.  I will be requesting that test when I see the doctor in March.

Days 53 and 54

Saturday was my rest day.  I spent the day with Mom and we took down my Christmas tree.  FINALLY!!  We went fishing on the dock and Mom caught two bream and I caught two bass.  Jim caught nothing.  Bwahahahaha!



Today I took Mom to the airport to go back home <sniff>.  Jim went diving and left me all alone.  I did my strength training, my walk/run and some ab work.  I feel like my recovery after running between intervals is starting to get quicker. Improvement, YAY!!

The scale did not love me today.  I weighed in @ 250.6--that is +.04.  Could have been worse.  I was off my game with Mom in town and all her good cooking. ;)

I am excited because at the end of next week I am taking new pics to post and taking my measurements.  I am looking forward to some non-scale victory.

Days 51 and 52

Yesterday I only rode my bike again.  I took a nap in the afternoon after loafing with Mom and was grouchy and unwilling to exercise.  Mom, while I was sleeping, cooked a feast of steamed fried chicken.  It smelled so good when I woke up.  I ate 2 helpings and finished Mom's.  Bad Lisa.  Steamed fried chicken is my FAVORITE meal of Mom's.

Today I got on the scale and wanted to cry.  I was up 3 lbs.  So I took the bike out for my 2 mile ride.  Later I did my strength training and increased the weight to 5lbs from 3lbs.  Disclaimer: I reverted back to the 3 lbs for arm circles and for part of the second video.  After I took Mom to dialysis  I came home and walked on the treadmill for an hour @ 3.0 with 10 one minute intervals running @ 4.0.  I am beat.
 

Day 50

I woke up this morning pretty achy.  After my morning coffee with Mom, I took the bike out for a ride this morning and went 2 miles.  I wanted to stop after the 1.5 and go home, but I told myself if I did it yesterday I could do it today.

When we got home late this afternoon I took a nap.  I was wore out after running around all day.  For dinner I made my Asian Chicken Salad.  Yummo.

I did not exercise tonight; I read online that you first start out training to run you should do it every other day to let your body recover and adjust.  Back on the treadmill tomorrow night.

Tomorrow morning I am getting my labs drawn and have a follow up appointment with my doctor March 18.  I am hoping for good results.  It has been a while since I have had labs done.

Day 49

I am off this week with Mom in town.  It is nice to get up and not have to rush to get to work.  I am sooo not a morning person.  I took the bike out for a ride and went for 2 miles instead of my customary 1.5.  Later in the day Mom and I went to The Seminole Casino in Immokalee.  We made our annual donation to the tribe and came home.  I got back on the treadmill tonight and walked for an hour at 3.0 with 10, one minute intervals of "running" at 4.0.   I am a sweaty mess right now.  Last night I found this:

I think I will be making an order soon.  On another note...tonight we are having Mom's chicken and rice for dinner!!  MMMMMMMMMM. I will try not to overindulge. ;)

Days 47 and 48

Sunday, as promised, I took the bike out for a ride in the morning and walked 30 minutes on the treadmill.

Today I also rode the bike 1.5 miles and walked/ran for 1 hour.  I only ran for a total of 7 minutes, in 1 minute intervals, but you have to start somewhere.  I have a new goal...to run a 5K.  I have my sister, Heather, on board with me to do the annual Turkey Day Run in Charleston, SC.  I am super excited.  I have never ran a 5K, but she has and I know some others who can hopefully give me tips to train...Liza!  Anyone who would like to join us is welcome.  We have almost 9 months to train...so no excuses!


Tonight for meatless Monday (I am actually doing meatless Monday on a Monday) I am making this:

I just had to put in back in the oven because the sweet potato in it was still raw.  Let's hope that after an hour of cooking it will be done because I am STARVING!!!  It is starting to smell good, so here's hoping it tastes good!

Days 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47

Goooood  Morning!!  Forgive me for not posting for a while.  Here is the rundown of the last few days...

Day 43, Wednesday:   I did not get up early to exercise.  Boo.  We had our early Valentine's dinner @ Misto.  It was delicious.  Needless to say I did not exercise when I got home either.

Day 44, Thursday:  I came home from work and finished my cleaning for Mom.  Unless you count the cleaning as physical activity, I did not exercise.  I also used some of the enchilada meat mixture leftover from Monday's Bubble up Enchilada and mixed it with brown rice to make stuffed peppers. mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Day 45, Friday--What a nightmare:  Work was great up until 5:45 when I was supposed to leave and there was a balancing snafu that kept us at work until 7:30.  Poor Mom, I forgot to tell her I was running late and Jim was coming to pick her up instead.  I felt really bad.  When we all finally met up at home about 8:30, we decided to go out to eat.  We were hoping since it was later that it would not be so bad getting in someplace.  We decided on a Cuban restaurant near the house as Mom requested to go there sometime during her visit and we thought it would not be so bad on Valentine's day.  We got a table easily, but it took 15 min for someone to take our drink order, another 10 or so to get the drinks and bread and over an hour to get the food.  While the wait was long the food was good.  We did not get home until well after 10.  I went straight to bed.

Day 46, Saturday:  I did not want a repeat of the last few days, so I took my bike out for a ride early.  Later in the evening  I walked about 45 min on the treadmill.

Today, day 47...I'm not sure what the plan for today is yet, but I am going to finish my coffee and take the bike out for a ride.  I weighed in this morning @ 250.2 for loss of 3.4lbs for the week.

Day 42

Today was my early day at work.  I came home and cleaned house for Mom.  Not quite done, but it will be much easier come Thursday night to finish.

I walked 45 minutes on the treadmill in my new shoes.  I have to say that I love them.  I listened to my body, as my friend Emily suggested, and brought down the incline when my foot start hurting.  That helped tremendously.  The last thing I need is another foot injury.

For dinner tonight we had the leftover Bubble Up Enchilada.  It reheated well and was yummy in my tummy.  Tomorrow night we are going out early for Valentine's, YAY!  My goal is to get up early to exercise, because I am going to need it.  Jim has already told me he plans on dessert....

Day 41...Just another manic Monday!

Another super busy Monday @ work.  I was told that they officially hired a new store manager, and that he/she is a current store manager from Nebraska.  That is exciting because they will hit the ground running and won't need to go to training.  It will take a load off me!  I had to stay late for a conference call and I binged on fruit snacks.  Bad Lisa.

I did come home to make dinner.  Tonight's dinner was WW Bubble Up Enchiladas

Mine did not bubble up quite so pretty...maybe if I had put it in a smaller dish to bake.  I added a can of rinsed black beans and a small can of drained mexi-corn.  I also doused it liberally with hot sauce.  maybe next time I could just buy the med enchilada sauce.  It was pretty good.  Jim rated it a 12 on a scale of 1 to 10 for my "diet meals".  I also used lean ground beef, but if I made it again I would use ground turkey.

No, I did not exercise tonight.  I am using it as a rest day since I exercised both Saturday and Sunday.  I get off work early tomorrow so I will have time to clean house and get ready for Mom and exercise.  It will be helpful that I will not have to cook dinner as we will be eating the leftovers.

day 40--New Kicks

This morning I changed out the seat on my bike to the no pressure one I ordered from Amazon, and took it for a ride.  Well, the back of my rear was OK, but now the there is too much pressure where my legs meet my rear.  I will try readjusting it a little downward before my next ride to see if that is any better.  BTW, I made it through the entire ride with out stopping.

Later Jim took me to The Run Shoppe to get my new shoes.  I am now the proud new owner of the Brooks Addiction.  They actually measured my feet, help me put the shoes on and the nice young man even tied my shoes.  They have excellent arch support and the sole is very solid.  I was told it was a good walking and running shoe and of course it was recommended by my doctor.  I wore them out of the store.  It was not until I got home and looked at the box that I noticed that they are wide width.  That was a blow to my vanity, but hey if the shoe fits...

I also weighed in @ 253.6 this morning for a weekly loss of 1.4 lbs.  I'll take it!

Day 39--Mexican!

Today we had to take the boat in to be serviced.  We take to Port Charlotte, which is about an hour plus from the house.  While Jim was working on the trailer, I readjusted the bike seat and then went for a ride.  Still uncomfortable, but it is probably as good as it is going to get.  I will probably try out the new seat next week.  The good news is I was able to finish the same ride without stopping this time.  I kept telling myself:

I also think a big difference today was the fact that it was much cooler.  Also I did not take my water with me to tempt me to stop and drink.  Don't worry it is not that long a ride. ;)

So after that we hit the road and dropped off the boat.  Then we went to the best Mexican restaurant we have found since moving to FL....La Esperanza....oh how do I love thee.  Thank God this restaurant is over an hour from the house or I would never diet again. This is what a cheat meal should be.  I literally danced in my seat with every bite I took.  I told Jim that I was OK if this were to be my last meal.  Truly Heaven.  I did resist ordering a margarita or beer.

To make up for this I came home and walked on the treadmill for an hour.  I played with incline slowly upping it to 7 and then slowly lowering it back down.  I stayed at a nice easy pace of 2.5 the entire time.  I did try to run @ 4.5 but it lasted only a minute before I put it back down.

At the doctor's and Susan's recommendation I am going to buy better shoes tomorrow.

Day 38 --what a waste

After work we went out for dinner.  For the second week on a row, Jim wanted pizza.  I am not a huge fan of pizza, so we split a salad and I ordered a chicken sandwich.  It sucked. I am pissed at myself for having an unhealthy meal that I did not even enjoy.  It was such a waste.  We boxed it to take home, but I threw it out as soon as we got back.  We also ordered a cannoli, which I normally love, but even this wasn't very good.  I will workout tomorrow.

Day 37--MEATLESS THURSDAY!!!

I got off early from work today so I took the opportunity to take the bike out for a ride.  It was BRUTAL.  I did the same ride Saturday, but today I stopped 4 times to drink water and rest my legs.  I thought exercising was supposed to get easier as you did it.  Oy.  Saturday the horn of bicycle seat hurt my naughty no-no.  I went online and ordered a new no pressure seat.
When I got it I realizes it did not have springs on it like my current seat does.  I did a little research and found out you can adjust the angle of the seat.  So before my ride today I angled the seat down.  Well I angled it down too far and today there was too much pressure on my beehind.  I am going to try and adjust it one more time before I try out my new seat.  We shall see how it goes.

Since I was home early I had time to cook and we had meatless Monday tonight.  I made Spaghetti Zucchini Pie

I loved it and thought it was delicious.  Jim was not terribly impressed--he said it was just OK.  I think he was just unhappy with the number of dirty dishes I made preparing this....WORTH IT!!

Day 36

Today was nothing special, but I did manage to come home and exercise.   I just stuck with my strength training and core routine from Sparkpeople.  I am tempted to try kettle bells.  They  are supposed to be a great total workout.  Things to ponder.  Tomorrow will be meatless Thursday.

Days 33, 34 and 35

Day 33 was Sunday.  I did not do much.  I felt sinusy so I used that as my excuse to sit on the couch and watch TV.  I was very disappointed that Netflix did not have the final 8 episodes available until the end of February.  BOO!

Monday was a a super busy day at work and I was pretty tired.  I managed to go to the grocery store, but it was too late and I was too hungry to attempt meatless Monday.  I also did not exercise.

Today I did not get out of work until 6:30 and I was so tempted to come home and sit on the couch and veg, but I had to remind myself

So I got on the treadmill and walked.  I did do more than the doctor recommended, but I figure I will do something different tomorrow to rest my foot.

I will go meatless one day this week, probably Thursday.

Days 31 and 32, Month end Review

Friday I got home from work and went out with Jim for dinner.  He had pizza and I had a salad, although I did eat his crust.  We came home and finished a movie we had begun Thursday night.  I did not work out.  Side note, my foot was hurting more last night after a busy day at work.

Today to rest my foot, I plan on taking out the long neglected bike for some cardio.  I will also do some strength training and am going to restart the planking challenge--modified so that I am on my knees instead of my feet as Susan suggested.  My friend and inspiration, Renee, is doing over a 2 min plank at this point.

In a way this first month has passed quickly.  I hope that I am building habits that will sustain me going forward.  My vow to start was to move more, and I am definitely doing that.  There have been days that I skipped and days that I have eaten terribly, but I did not let them derail me.  I have so many supporters who have kept me motivated and accountable and I want to thank-you all--especially my Dad, who never fails to leave a supportive comment on every post.  

At this point I am not following a strict diet.  I am just trying to make healthier choices when I eat and avoid fast food.  Fast food is my downfall.  Last year I had a fast food lunch probably 90% of the days I worked.  This has been detrimental not only to my waistline and health, but also to my wallet.  Eating out adds up in more way than one.  This month I have packed my lunch most days and on the few days I did not I picked up a salad or subway.  I know at some point the weight loss will slow down and at that point I will have to start watching what I eat more carefully, but right now I plan to continue on as I have.

My starting weight Jan 1 was 268.2 and as of today I weigh 255 for a total loss of 13.2 lbs.  If you are reading this blog online (not your mobile device) you can check out the sidebar that shows my measurements.  I have lost a total of 8.5 in this month.  At the end of next month I will retake pictures and post for a comparison.