the skinny...

The final stretch

2011-07-02T07:38:00.000-06:00

I'm back and I'm rearin' to go. The task at hand... lose 11 lbs. I am proud to say that since this time last year, I have lost 20 lbs!

This is seriously the only picture of I have of myself last year. It's hard to tell, but the 20 lbs are there, I promise.

I feel great and I know that in some areas, I look great too. I'm talking about my legs and butt. See for yourself...

I think that's a pretty good lookin' butt, if I do say so myself. This is all part of my new way of thinking, to love my body and be happy with it right now, but to continue to work towards the way that I want to look. I think it helps to find a part of my body that I am happy with, and that is my butt and legs. Of course, I would love to have beautiful inner thighs and just be more toned all around, but I do like my legs right now. I am puting these pictures up as my motivation. Motivation to work on my shoulders, arms, back and core. I took another picture in my sports bra and spandex shorts, that will not be posted, but I need to look at these pictures to keep me motivated to get these last 11 lbs off.

These pictures have made me realize how short my legs are. Sad. Oh well. Definitely can't change that, so I will love my short, yet strong legs. :)

The work? I will be running mostly, but also doing yoga and p90x videos on my off days. There will also be a few days a week with swimming as my second workout, as I am doing the swimming leg of a triathlon in August.

The food? I am not really following a diet or food plan, but there are some specific things that I eat (and don't eat) that really make a difference. Pretty much every morning for breakfast I have a whey protein shake which consists of whey powder, oatmeal, a banana, frozen berries and milk or water. Sometimes I put some ovaltine in there. It's good and fast to make. I love not having to think about what to eat in the morning. Plus it's a great post workout food. I also drink a green drink a few times a week, for breakfast or lunch, which consists of spinach, avocado, grapefruit, cucumber and almond milk. It's a little hard to get down sometimes, but it's light and cleansing and a super power drink with hardly any calories. I try to eat good proteins: fish (we eat lots of fish), chicken, red meat once a week, egg whites. I try to eat quinoa and brown rice instead of white rice. I try to eat whole wheat bread. I eat all the fruits and veggies I want. I limit myself to one treat a week, or none at all. Chocolate milk made with ovaltine has become my saving grace. It totally satisfies my sweets cravings.

The prize? A week off of being a wife and mother to go on a trip anywhere I want, courtesy of my loving husband. I am already thinking of where I want to go. Any suggestions? :)

I have to say that I have really been enjoying this process of getting fit and just feeling good all around. I love moving my body and sweating and feeling like my body is strong and capable and healthy. I love the mental aspect of it too... always pushing myself to go a little further, a little faster, or holding a pose just a little bit longer, or doing one more repetition. It's such an amazing feeling. I don't ever want to forget how it feels to be active, and no matter where I am with my goals, I want to feel good and love my body.

Wish me luck!!

me too

2009-07-24T11:59:00.002-06:00

so morg, i have problems, too. i am in a great place right now with my diet and eating habits. i am rocking the casbah. for the last two weeks, i have stayed within my weight watchers points, i have exercised almost every day, i am totally in the zone. the problem.... i haven't lost any weight. nay, i've gained .6 of a pound. seriously depressing. all my hard work for nothing. when i read about your southern deep fried deliciousness of a dinner i think that i might as well be eating like that. why go to all this work and pain for nothing? any tips, suggestions, magic potions?

I have problems

2009-07-24T07:53:00.003-06:00

Last night for dinner I made southern deep fried chicken. Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes. For dessert I made deep fried apple pies. Healthy? NO! Delicious?? Oh yeah!!! I don't really know what was up with all the deep fried food. I blame it on the food network that I have been watching during the kids' naps. It makes me want to cook and bake. So I went online and that's what looked good. Once I got the idea in my head, there was no stopping me. I don't even want to think about how many calories and grams of fat were in that entire meal. The past couple of weeks, all I have wanted to do is eat and eat and eat. I feel like I have had absolutely no self control. All of the sudden I am this huge carb addict who eats whole loaves of french bread. I'll eat a fatty muffin, even if it doesn't sound very good. I have been having a really hard time cooking lately. I blame it on my stupid kitchen. When I watch the food network, I dream of a day that I will have a normal sized kitchen and be able to cook a meal normally, without having to juggle counter, sink and stove space. We are leaving on vacation next week, and I know it will be just the break I need to get things back on track when we come back.

I feel like I really need to get things in order for this winter, as I have a feeling it is going to be really hard with the boys... staying in this tiny apt most days. I want to be prepared with fun activities and games for them. I also really want to eat more healthy as a family. Both Nate and I are trying to lose weight and just be more healthy in general, and I feel like we need to make some big changes. Most of that starts with me and doing smart grocery shopping and meal planning and actually cooking. I need to get over my kitchen. I need to just accept that this is it and embrace it. Or at the very least, just deal with it without complaining. I am getting there.

Anyway, sorry, this is a totally random boring post. But I just needed to express some frustrations. I know I can be better at all these things... I just need to be organized and have some self control. I can and will do it!! But first, we are going to have a very fun month long vacation visiting our fams. Can't wait!

Richmond, VA here we come!

2009-07-11T06:26:00.003-06:00

Good morning to all of our dedicated readers... by which I mean you, Whitney! ;) Marathon training starts Monday, and so with that, I would like to lose the final 5 pounds to pre-pregnancy weight, and then another 5 for good measure {and because I wasn't in peak shape before I got pregnant last time}. I am not going to officially go back on weight watchers, but am going to keep it in mind when I choose my meals. Along with running, I will be doing some cross training of biking and swimming, which may change come September, but for now, that's what it will be. This last week I worked out everyday except Tuesday, and I have to say, I loved it! I love being active, especially when I get to be active in beautiful weather. For some reason, the summer weather here has been seriously delayed, for which I am truly grateful, as I really hate running in the heat. So wish me and my knee good luck as we start on this new training adventure. I'm excited!!

The knee...

2009-04-25T19:46:00.003-06:00

So I know no one cares, but I do, and I want to document it somewhere, so this is the place. My knee is doing ok. I have started physical therapy twice a week and have of course been resting it. Probably a little too much. It is so much harder to exercise when I can't run. Running is so easy. All I have to do is go outside and run. But when I go to the gym, I have to have music, a towel, a water bottle, my id card, goggles and swim cap for swimming, a change of clothes, etc... it is so annoying. Not to mention just walking to the gym adds 10-15 minutes onto each end, leaving less time to actually work out. To do everything that I would want to do at the gym without rushing horribly, I would need about 2-2 1/2 hours. I can usually do that on Saturdays, but not during the week. Oh well.

Today I did the elliptical and then I did some speed walking on the treadmill for 10 minutes or so, then I ran at a 12 minute mile pace (SOOOO slow), and I LOVED it! Not the slow pace, but running. I miss it so much. I just want to be able to run. That's all. Is that too much to ask? I made myself stop after only 5 minutes, (although I wanted to keep going forever) because I REALLY don't want to do anymore damage, so I am taking is SUPER slow. My physical therapist told me to start with the elliptical for a couple weeks, then work up to the treadmill, so I think I should do that. I am hoping that by the end of May, I will be able to start a regular running routine. In a week or so, I will start on the treadmill with just one to two miles at a time, and over a period of time, hopefully be able to keep doing low mileage (1-2-3 miles) at a faster pace. If I do that over a whole month, don't you think that would be taking it slow enough? I do.

Anyway... blah blah blah. No one wants to hear this, but I wanted to write my thoughts down. Wish me luck.

GREAT news!

2009-03-25T13:18:00.002-06:00

Only 5 more pounds to go to get to pre-pregnancy weight! YAY!!

here we go again

2009-02-23T13:59:00.002-07:00

time to start the weight watchers! i just had a baby a month ago and i'm ready to start firming up and ready for the extra fat to start coming off. i went to yoga for the first time since the birth on thursday and weighed myself... i have about 10 pounds to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. i was a little disappointed when i weighed myself... since i ran my whole pregnancy, i didn't think i would have that much weight to lose at this point, but i probably should remember that it's only been a month since i delivered my baby and i AM getting older. sigh. but all that running didn't go to waste... i am still in relatively good shape so the transformation shouldn't be too painful. :) here are my goals for the next few months:

1) reach my pre-pregnancy weight by march 31

2) stay within my weight watchers point value every week

3) no sugar in my diet for 6 weeks (until april 6)

4) run at least 4 days a week

5) practice yoga at least 2 days a week

6) weight train at least 2 days a week

7) get down to 125 pounds by may 30

8) get a time 1:50 or better for the see jane run half marathon

i really hate posting my weight on here, but i feel like it helps me have a sense of accountability. so for now, i will post my weight on the sidebar.

wish me luck!

Weigh In

2009-02-20T20:06:00.002-07:00

So I finally weighed myself tonight, and I am down another 4 lbs. Very good news. I think it would go a little faster if I was really a stickler with my points. I have been really good this week, but in the past, I was mostly just subconsciously counting points and not really eating sweets. But I have been running a lot of miles, so I think that has really helped get my weight down. The best thing right now is that my boobs are a lot smaller, I think back to my normal size, and I can button up my cute spring coat that I haven't been able to button for quite some time. Smaller boobs just look better on me. So I am happy that I am getting the weight off. Running has been so great, I am getting faster and feeling really strong. All positive things!

Update

2009-02-12T21:03:00.004-07:00

So, things are still going well on the weight loss bandwagon. I am not sure how much weight I have lost, as I don't have a scale, which is probably a good thing, so I don't obsess over every little pound. But I am feeling good and feeling smaller. I went running with a friend the other day who hadn't seen me in a while and she noticed that I had lost weight, so that's gotta be good news. I am not being super strict with my points counting, because I find that it kind of messes with my head when I do, but when I don't think about it as much, I don't feel the need to eat as much. I just try to keep my goal points in the back of the head, and make a mental note of about how many points I am eating. I have noticed a difference in my eating, as in I am not eating a lot of sweets, and am not eating a lot of unhealthy snacks. I try to make the most of the everything I eat. And what is really awesome, is that I baked a cheesecake, sugar cookies, and pumpkin cookies and only ate 1 pumpkin cookie out of all of that. It was for a bake sale in our building. Oh, I guess I did buy one of my own sugar cookies later on, so I had 1 sugar cookie as well. That's pretty darn good though for someone with a sweet tooth like me.

I am also in week 6 of my marathon training, and it has been going well. I think this is making the biggest difference with my weight loss. Last time I trained for a marathon, I was nursing, so I didn't lose a lot of weight, but this time around, I feel like weight is just melting away, which is great. I love how quickly my legs tone up when I start being really consistent with my running. Seeing results like that definitely help me stay motivated. I love seeing proof that what I am doing is actually making a difference.

I have been running mostly on my own, which is tough at times, but I always do my long runs with friends. The only downside to that, is that they are all faster than I am, so I am always pushing myself. But I am keeping up, and still finishing strong, and that is all that matters.

Ok, so that is all for now, just wanted to do a little update. I will try to weigh myself this week and post how many pounds I have left to lose.

Progress...

2009-01-10T10:58:00.002-07:00

So things have been going well so far. Running has been great, and I am loving getting back into my training. I love when you get in the groove in the middle of a run, and it just feels so good. I have decided that I love running in cold weather. If there were never snow on the ground, it would be great all the time. My first week of weight watchers was great. I am now in Spokane for my brother in law's wedding, so I am not counting points for the next week and a half, but am trying to be wise in my food choices. I am doing ok with the sweets, although I have had some, but am not going crazy AT ALL like I would normally do, which I am proud of. There is so much snow and ice on the ground here, so running hasn't been possible. I have some pilates videos that I need to get out and do... I have so far just been revelling in vacation life, but I am thinking today. I feel kind of gross and lazy, like I need to be active. I am hoping to use my sister in laws gym pass to do some running, even though I seriously hate running on treadmills. Oh well.

Probably the best thing about my trip so far was stepping on the scale for the first time in a few months. I just assumed that I was at the same weight I was the last time I stepped on. But I was NOT... I was 5.5 lbs LESS. It was such great news to find out that I only have 11.5 lbs to lose to get to pre-pregnancy weight, instead of 17. I'm not sure if any of that was weight loss from last week, but I assume if it was, it was just a pound or two. So anyway... good news. Now I just have to make sure that I don't gain all that back from this week and a half with family.

Wish me luck with my exercise... it's always hard to tear myself away from everyone, especially when it is snowy.

Day 4

2009-01-01T20:01:00.002-07:00

Just checking in... I have decided after only 4 days, that I love weight watchers. Those who know me, know that I love my sweets. Well, the good news is that I don't have to cut them out. As long as I stay within my points allowance, I am good to go. I think this will make it so that I can stay on this longer. I love that you can really eat whatever, just maybe not as much as normal. Like tonight for dinner, I had a hotdog with the rest of the fam, which you would think I shouldn't be able to have, but as long as I stay within my points... you get the picture. I even had 2 brownies for dessert last night and one tonight. I am not saying this is easy... it is amazing how much mindless munching I do, so I have really cut back on that and focused on having 3 meals and usually some sort of snack. The snacking is really the hardest part. When I get in the mood for munchies, I want salty chips or pretzels, or buttery popcorn. Instead, I usually turn to pickles or baby carrots, which are both filling and zero points. If anyone who has done WW before knows of any low points snacks, meals, and/or desserts, send them my way.

It is time

2008-12-29T17:32:00.002-07:00

Evening everyone... it's been awhile. I am starting my new years resolution early, as we are not around family, and really have no Christmas goodies to eat up, and will probably have a very low key new years, so I am not going to be too tempted with treats. I am in great need of losing 17 pounds. My ultimate goal is to lose 27 pounds, which is my dream, yet attainable weight. But I only need to lose 17 to get to my pre-pregnancy weight.

What am I doing to get the pounds off you ask? Weight watchers (trying for the first time), running, and pilates. I am very pumped to start in on my new regime. Today I started with about 40 minutes of pilates, and then followed it with a nice 4 mile run (during which I encountered my first dog attack... ok, so it wasn't really that dramatic, as he had a metal muzzle on, but he would have bit me if he didn't have it on... he was running straight at me, and slammed the muzzle into my back. It was a little scary, but not too bad). It was my first run in a few weeks, so it was a good work out.

My goal is to have the weight off by May, so I will keep you posted with my feelings and progress.

To start off... like I said, I am new to weight watchers, so I am still learning how it works and all that. But after my first day, I have been surprised at how much the little things add up, like pretzels and olive oil. But I didn't do too bad, and only had to use 1.5 of my weekly allowance points, thanks to my activity points.

Until next time...

no sweets for me!

2008-06-11T20:43:00.003-06:00

Project "no sweets" is well underway, and going fabulously. I have actually been doing so great. I try to just take it one day at a time. I actually don't even have a specific date in mind as to when I will start eating then again, so technically, I could eat sweets tomorrow, which I won't, but it helps me to know that I can. Everyday, I just say: "I am not going to eat sweets today", and it is much less overwhelming, than saying I am not going to eat sweets for the rest of the summer, or whatever. It has only been a week and a half though, so I will let you know how things continue!

Week 1...

2008-06-07T14:15:00.004-06:00

I had a great first week of workouts. I got up early 2 out of the 4 days, and the other 2 days ended up being pretty low key for the fam, so it wasn't a problem to go a little later. I finished off my week with an awesome 5 miler. I know that sounds wimpy, but this was my first post baby 5 miler, and it went really well. The perfect mixture of comfortable and hard, with some good hills throughout. When it got hard, I tried really hard to concentrate on my breathing, and soon enough, things felt good again. I was even able to speed up a little toward the end and still finish really strong. So, I would say my first week was a success... I am happy to be running, as it really is my "me time", and I love the feeling of getting back in shape.

When I came home, Nate took Asher to the store with him, so I was able to stretch, shower, and clean up a little, so when they came home and Asher had a little "moment", I was able to be calm and turn it into a happy moment! I have found that when I don't have to do everything by myself with the kids, I am a much happier, and all around better mom!

Project Mama's Coach

2008-05-30T12:58:00.005-06:00

I am so PuMpED!!!!

My new "personal trainer", just sent me my first week of workouts for next week, and I am so excited!

My friend Keenan, sent me an email telling me about her cousin who is starting a business, Project Mama's coach, making training schedules for mamas who want to get back into shape with running, and train for a race. I was so excited that I was one that she chose to work with for FREE! I didn't realize this, but she is a serious runner. She came in second place, women's overall, in the Carlsbad marathon before she had her baby. Wow! She sent me a questionare about my running and what my goals were, what races I was planning on doing, etc. From that, she has made a training program just for little ol' me. I feel like this will really help me to reach the goals I have set for myself, as well as be accountable. I know that Kayla is putting a lot of time and thought into my program, and so I feel that I need to uphold my end of the bargain, and actually put the program to the test, so she can see the results. My training starts on Monday, June 2nd, and starting then, I am going to wake up at 6:00 am to run. This will be a huge challenge for me, as I still wake up once during the night with Sayer, but feel like he is close to sleeping through the night, and if I go to bed at a decent hour, I should be fine. Plus, I feel this is necessary in order to actually get the running done.

The month of June will be focusing primarily on building a base for my training, and increasing my mileage to prepare to do some speed work. I know this is going to be good for me, as I have been hesitant to start building my miles for some reason, but know that I can do it!

So anyway, wish me luck, and look forward to a new post in a week, with my progress and feelings from my first week!

noooo!!!

2008-05-15T18:26:00.003-06:00

seriously a sad day for me. my favorite go-to, healthy food was NOT at my local costco today. i LOVE this stuff. i eat it almost every day for lunch. really scrumptious. i found basically the same stuff at trader joe's last week, but it's more than twice as much... i could buy a package of six boxes at costco for eight bucks. ONE box at trader joe's is $2.79. yikes! at least i still have the option to enjoy it at all though, right?

what about you guys? what's your favorite easy, healthy food? i'm going to need some new ideas. :)

weigh in

2008-05-15T16:38:00.002-06:00

my weigh in on tuesday night wasn't great, but i was expecting some sort of gain. i gained .8 of a pound. not the worst of tragedies, but still a set back. i went way over my point allowance for the week... something like 40 points. we were all over the place last week, eating out and having meals at other peoples' houses. oh, and my friend brought over a dozen of these AMAZING rolls because i taught her primary class for her last sunday and i ate 10 of those rolls within a 24 hour period. 10!!! what the freak is that? have i no control? sometimes. sometimes not.

but i did do really well with my goal of no sugar and i am really stoked about that. on saturday, i'll have gone three weeks without any sweets... i never knew i had it in me. and i think it HAS made a difference with my running... i haven't had as many stomach problems during my morning runs.

speaking of morning runs... training is going well. i think it will be a cinch to finish the half marathon in under two hours. well, maybe not a cinch, but my body is totally capable and rearing to go.

Rockin' it!

2008-05-07T16:50:00.002-06:00

i'm not going to lie, i'm rockin' my goals. i haven't indulged (or even been tempted to indulge) in sugar or sweets for the last 11 days. i'm so proud of myself... i'm seriously a sugar-aholic, so this is a big accomplishment for me. they are serving chocolate at the finish line of the half-marathon i'm running on may 31, so that will be my treat for making it with no sweets until then.

i did go over my weight watchers point allowance this last week, but only by 4.5 points, so i'm not too boohoo over it. 4.5 points works out to be about 250 calories, so, again, not really that big of a deal. plus, i still lost 2 pounds since last week when i weighed myself last night at the gym after yoga class, so those extra 4.5 points must not have made a difference... maybe they even helped.

my running has been going pretty well... i've been getting up almost every morning to run and i've been getting more comfortable at a little bit of a faster pace. and, as always, i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE going to yoga twice a week. if i had the time for it, i would go EVERY night. it's like a little bit of heaven after a long day of potty-training. :)

Chocolate chip cookies are the DeViL!!!

2008-05-03T19:40:00.005-06:00

So I just finished the last, amazingly delicious, chocolate chip cookie from the batch I made this week. Don't worry that I ate pretty much all of them by myself! Why do they have to be so freakin' delicious?! I am such a bad sweets-aholic... seriously, BAD! Something has got to be did! I actually am quite surprised that I am not already a cow, considering the number of whole pans of brownies, and entire batches of cookies that I have eaten on my own. I'm sure that if I don't get this vice under control, it will all catch up to me in my later years.

So, I have made myself some goals. Not just for the sweets thing, but because I just had a baby, and am ready to start shedding some of that weight. I have some long term goals, but I am just going to start with the short term ones so that I don't get too overwhelmed. I actually, am not that bad of an eater with normal foods. I don't eat a ton, and I eat relatively healthy (ie. whole wheat bread, oatmeal, salmon, chicken, fruits and veggies, not a lot of processed or fast food... some, but not a lot, etc). So right now, it is the sweets that I am going to tackle, as I really think that is the main problemo with my eating. Doing that, along with adding exercise into the mix, should produce some desirable results.

The following are my goals for the end of May...

1. can only eat treats ONCE a week. (I know that I don't have the will power/desire right now to cut them out completely, so I am allotting myself once a week so that I won't have to fail)

2. prepare meals more regularly (for breakfast, lunch and dinner). When I do this, I am more likely to eat balanced meals, instead of snacking and grazing, which results in eating more than I realize

3. yoga at least once a week

4. running at least 3 times a week

5. start doing some biking and swimming here and there, to start gearing up for my triathlon training

6. go on a leisurely walk with the boys at least twice a week (if the weather is nice)

7. be able to run 5 miles comfortably and at a good pace by the end of May

8. start adding tempo runs to my workouts by the end of May

** I don't have any specific weight loss goals right now, as I am nursing, and tend not to lose all my weight until I stop. So, for the end of May, I would like to be able to fit into my American Eagle pink and white pinstriped shorts!! That's all I ask.

Ok, so there are my goals. For the last 2 weeks I have been going to yoga and running consistently, so I just need to keep it up! I'll try to keep you posted with some of my progress. Wish me luck!

new motivation, new goals, new success!

2008-04-30T23:00:00.002-06:00

after almost 2 months of eating quite poorly, i've finally realized that i just cannot bring sugar into my house or i will devour it all in a split second. i bought waaaaay too much candy for easter and then we had family come and visit and then we went on a few trips to visit family... a recipe for disaster in my weight loss quest. all in the past though...

i've turned over a new leaf and made some new goals. i'm pumped and i know i'm going to do it this time! i'm running a half marathon on may 31, which is the time frame for my new goals. after my half marathon, i will reevaluate where i'm at and make some new goals if i need to.

here they are:

1) finish the half marathon in under 2 hours

2) each week stay under my weight watchers point allowance

3) no sugar or sweets until after i finish the half marathon (i really want to refrain from sugar as an experiment to see if eating no sugar will positively affect my running, and also just to see if i can actually go without sugar for 5 weeks :)

4) fit into my favorite pair of too tight jeans

5) fit into my favorite too tight dress

my last 2 goals were spurred on by glam's "too tight ____ (insert favorite item of clothing that doesn't currently fit here) challenge."

i'm still going to weigh myself every week just because it's the only way i have to measure whether i'm moving in the right direction or not, but i'm not going to post my weight anymore... just whether i lost or gained. the real test will be if i can fit into the aforementioned clothes by may 31.

let's rock!

Gus-Gus

2008-04-29T21:34:00.004-06:00

This morning I went on my second post-baby 3 miler. It was awesome. I felt like I did really well, even if I am still a little slow. However, I wore the tank top that I wore when I ran the Ogden marathon, and I felt a little like Gus the mouse from Cinderella ( I love that movie, by the way). You know how when Cinderella first puts his little shirt on and it rolls up because his hips and bum are too big? Yup, that was me, the whole run... pulling down my shirt because it kept creeping up, because my love handles are too big. So sad! But, it helped me get a little more motivated. I am blessed to gain my baby weight very proportionally, so every one keeps telling I look so great and blah blah blah, because my tummy isn't really big, but my whole body is all just a little bit thicker. So it's times like this morning, and this evening at yoga, being forced to look at my chub in the mirror for an hour, that I gain the perspective that I need to help get my rear in gear. I am actually way pumped to be active again and get back in shape. I just need to stop thinking about where I need to be, because it seems so far away. I would rather just enjoy the process of working out and reaching my many small goals, one by one. So here's to getting back in shape, one day, and one workout at a time!!

salt lake city marathon

2008-04-24T10:37:00.002-06:00

for a full update on my fabulous salt lake city marathon experience, click here. hope everyone's weight loss success is going better than mine... i'm having some motivation issues right now, but i hope to be back on board asap!

Back on

2008-04-03T21:30:00.002-06:00

Greetings again! I am pleased to say that I am back on the band wagon to a life of better health and fitness! My Doctor said that I was good to exercise as soon as I felt up to it. Well, to be honest, I have felt great since about 2 weeks after I gave birth, but it wasn't until just after 4 weeks, that I finally got things together and did my first run! It was only 2 miles, but it was great! Not only did I do pretty darn good for not having run for 10 months or so, but it was the perfect night for my first run. Cool but not cold, just before sunset, around dinner time, so I could smell all the BBQing and cooking, etc. It smelled like the campground at New Brighton Beach, which is such a great nostalgic smell... I LOVED it! It really was just great all around. I am sore today, which again, feels great... it means things are happening. Can't wait to see how tomorrow's run will go, and can't wait to get in shape and feel great again.

minus 1.4

2008-03-05T16:15:00.003-07:00

woohoo, i'm truckin'! hopefully i can keep it up. i'm sure my progress will slow down sooner or later, but for now, i better enjoy it. by the way, i seriously LOVE weightwatchers. after i had my second kiddo, i was trying to lose weight on the sonoma diet and train for a marathon at the same time and i was ALWAYS tired. no energy. but i think it was because i wasn't eating enough calories. while the sonoma diet was fabulous for helping me to eat better (it taught me the importance of whole foods and veggies and it gave me lots of yummy recipes), i could never figure out a good balance of how much to eat. i'd either eat not enough which equaled no energy or i ended up eating too much and didn't lose any weight. with weightwatchers you have a daily points target to aim for, but when you exercise you earn extra points. i ALMOST ALWAYS use up my activity points that i earn from exercising, which, i think, has been the key for me to having enough energy for my marathon training and to keep losing weight at the same time. okay, i'm done with my shameless plug now.

minus 3.0

2008-02-28T16:43:00.005-07:00

not too shabby. that sounds like a lot my friends, but it was over three weeks. haha. i've had a crazy couple of weeks, with my kids getting sick and going to disneyland with my family, so blogging took the back seat. i guess a pound a week is okay (slow and steady wins the race, right?)... i just get so impatient. i just need to think of it as a lifestyle change and not a diet, because if i keep eating the way i am now, i will just gradually drop the weight. and it's not like i'm deprived... last night i had a bowl of that dreyer's slow-churned cookie dough ice cream. man, that stuff is to die for. you'd never know it has less fat and calories in it. if any of you dieters out there are in need of a little treat, go and try any of those slow-churned flavors... you can't go wrong.

i decided that i'm going to make a mini-goal of losing at least 1 pound by next week. hopefully that will help keep me motivated to just keep going with the weight loss instead of always feeling like it's too hard and too hopeless and i have so far to go. how about you people? what do you do to stay motivated?

countin' some points

2008-02-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

so, i started weightwatchers today. after i had worked so hard last summer, and got down to 132 pounds, i gained it all back... and a little more. at the end of august, we moved out of our apartment in utah and stayed with family for almost two months. then we moved to california, stayed with more family for a couple weeks, and then hit the holiday season where we stayed with even more family off and on for several weeks... i just couldn't establish a routine for my eating habits and my exercising went down the tubes. after the new year, i started exercising again and training for another marathon with my husband, which helped me feel a little better and get some tone back, but i just couldn't motivate myself to stick to a food plan long enough to lose any weight, so i decided to try something new. i'm doing the online plan because i don't really have the time to go to meetings right now, which means... i need a little support from whoever tunes in to this here little blog. i'll post my stats every week after i weigh in on tuesday nights after my yoga class.

starting weight: 143 pounds

first goal weight: 130 pounds

ultimate goal weight: 125 pounds

so here i go...

pregnancy goals...

2008-01-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been awhile since we've posted on this thing. Seeing as how I am pregnant, I don't have any current weight loss goals, but I do have some fitness goals, as I feel that I am becoming a whale much too early on in this pregnancy, and I want to help my labor be nice and easy by doing a little exercise. So...

Goals for the remainder of my pregnancy...

Do something active for 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week

ie. go for a walk with Asher, (maybe even add a little speed walking, so long as it doesn't feel like the little guy will fall out of me!), prenatal yoga dvd, go for a walk around the mall, stretches, etc.

This is a very small goal, and you would think it would be easy, but so far it is not, and so I turn to the blog to help me be accountable. I am going to try to talk about my pregnancy workouts a little and how I feel during and after, etc, etc. It should be a thrilling ride, and I could definitely use all the encouragement and tips I can get.

Wish me luck!

it's good to lose some things...

2007-07-13T14:46:00.000-06:00

...like extra pounds. :)

i weighed in after yoga class last night and was pleasantly surprised. here's my stats:

current weight: 133 pounds

goal weight: 125 pounds

pounds to lose: 8 pounds

that a 1.5 loss since last week. woohoo! i AM making progress, even though it's slow. i guess slow is the best way, though. although, i think my diet needs some tweaking... i'm training for another marathon with my husband and i just feel so tired during my runs. i have a feeling i'm not eating enough calories to support my running activities, but i just don't know how much is too much. any suggestions?

yoga made beautiful

2007-07-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

okay, yoga is already beautiful and wonderful, but why not make it a little more beautiful? i'd like to get a new yoga mat because my current mat is about 5 years old and is getting kind of old and crusty... ewwww. after searching the internet, i found these two that i really love.

green....

...or brown?

delicious! if you want one, too, you can find both mats here.

plus one half

2007-07-06T09:30:00.000-06:00

well, i weighed myself yesterday and i had gained half a pound. i was grateful it wasn't more, though. on the 4th we had some friends and family over for a BBQ. there were three different desserts present and i'm not going to lie to you... i had a full serving of each one, plus more. yikes. so here's my stats as of now:

current weight: 134.5

goal weight: 125

pounds to lose: 9.5

i'll just keep plugging away. i'm leaving for washington in a couple of weeks and my goal is to lose at least a pound a week until i leave. i'm also going to need to have a plan of attack for when i'm in washington because when i stay at ben's parents house, all reason and self-control just fly out the window and i can't seem to stop eating. they have so much junk food around... all the time. at christmas time we were there for just over two weeks and i think i gained something like 8 pounds. yeah, totally ridiculous, i know. but i will prevail this time!

ben and i ran the provo freedom run 10k on the morning of the 4th of july. it was great. i absolutely love running. it's definitely my favorite way to exercise and i love the way i feel after a really hard run. you can click here to read my full report of the race on my family blog.

break through!

2007-06-29T14:38:00.000-06:00

this week i started running again with a vengeance. i had been taking time off speckled with runs here and there because my right knee had been bothering me since i ran the marathon. i decided it couldn't wait any longer, though, because ben and i are running the provo freedom 10k on july 4th. the thought of running a race without being prepared does not sound fun to me. anyway, i started running on monday and my knee hurt slightly by the end of my run. but i just kept stretching my IT-band before and after runs and paying really close attention to my form and at the end of my run this morning, i realized that my knee didn't hurt at all! totally wicked awesome cool. i've had someone at my local running store tell me before that the best thing to do for an IT-band problem is to stretch it A LOT and keep running regularly, but i guess i didn't believe him until i had no other options. i totally wasted a month of training time. pretty dumb. oh well. we live and learn, right?

in other news, i weighed myself after yoga last night and was quite pleased with the outcome.

current weight: 134

goal weight: 125

that's a loss of 3.5 pounds since last week. only 9 more pounds to go...

a pretty good weekend

2007-06-25T13:45:00.000-06:00

i had my parents in town and my friend, janaya, which always means more eating out and more treats around all the time. plus, my cousin, aaron, got married on saturday and we attended a BBQ on sunday after the baptism of an old friend of ben's and then proceeded to another friend's house for dessert. it was a long weekend filled with lots of sugar just staring me down saying, "eat me!" i did pretty well, though. i didn't have any wedding cake, no m&ms, no cheese cake, no brownies, no snickerdoodles... all of these were things that i had at my dispense this weekend. the only sugar i ate the whole week was the last gathering of the night on sunday. it was oreo ice cream pie... um, how could i pass that up? but i was proud of myself for doing as well as i did. it's really hard to have self-control when you are eating what other people put in front of you. even if i don't have a huge amount of weight loss this week, what's most important is that i feel great because i have been eating so well.

First 2 days...Success!!

2007-06-19T23:18:00.000-06:00

So the first 2 days of el dieto have gone smashingly. I ate only what I said I was going to and nothing more. Even though both days I have wanted to snack snack snack! But I have resisted the urge! It is so hard. I guess I don't realize how much mindless munching I do. I will just have a graham cracker here, a popsicle there. And watching Casino Royale without popcorn was pretty much torture. The buttery smell just kept teasing my from across the room! Hopefully I will get a little more used to paying better attention to what I eat. I am also excited for next week when I can eat fruit. I feel like just the little bit of sweetness that fruit gives me would make SUCH a difference.

So our parents are coming into town tomorrow, and I am a little bit nervous about eating well. But I think it will help that me, whit, and my mom are all trying to eat better. I am also baking cakes this week, that I know I will be tempted to eat, but I shall prevail!!

Now I just need to be better at my exercise regime, and I'm good to go!!

Off to a good start...

2007-06-19T15:33:00.000-06:00

So, Day 1 of the diet went well for me. For my exercise, I ran 4 miles in the morning. Here are the meals that I had planned and I stuck to them perfectly (yeah me!):

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs and a piece of whole wheat toast (no butter, of course!)

Lunch: Spinach salad (about 2 cups of spinach), with one red bell pepper and sprinkled with feta cheese, pine nuts, avocado and 1 Tbsp. Italian dressing - this is like my favorite salad in the world and it's totally scrumptious!

Dinner: at Morg's house, Chicken Marsala, brown rice and salad - also totally yummy!

I'm off to a good start. Hopefully I'll have the self-control and determination to stick with it until I reach my goal weight - actually, let's just say that I WILL stick with it until I reach my goal weight. If I'm positive about succeeding, I'll reach my goal!

Today also went well. I purposely didn't run today because I've been having some IT-Band problems on my right knee. It usually just hurts me for the last mile or so of a run, but yesterday it was bothering me a little more than usual, so I wanted to rest it. I'm hoping that I'll be able to get my knee feeling better VERY soon, because running is my preferred choice of exercise, plus I have races coming up that I would really like to run. Here's what I ate today and I'm proud to report that I didn't eat anything extra... none of my kids' fishy crackers, none of their leftover yogurt... just what I planned.

Breakfast: 1 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch with 1 cup skim milk

Lunch: Whole Wheat Tortilla with 1 Tbsp. shredded colby-jack cheese, 1/4 c. black beans, half of a chopped tomato, 1 cup romaine lettuce, and 1 Tbsp. of guacamole

Dinner: Easy Balsamic Chicken (recipe below - you have to try this, it's super easy and fast and tastes like it took you forever) and a spinach salad

I rode my bike to yoga class tonight and weighed myself afterwards. This is basically my starting weight since I just started yesterday and wasn't able to make it to a scale before that.

Starting Weight: 137.5 pounds

Goal Weight: 125 pounds

I was a little bummed considering last time I weighed myself before I left for all my trips, I weighed 133. I guess I was a little out of control. Woops. So, there you go. Now the whole world knows how much I weigh. It's a good thing hardly anyone reads this. Haha! I only have 12.5 pounds to go. That's a totally attainable goal. Feel free to leave any comments of encouragement for Morgan and me. We need all the help and support we can get.

Easy Balsamic Chicken
Prep: 15 minutes, Marinate: 1 to 4 hours, Grill: 10 minutes, Serves: 4

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1-1 1/4 lbs.)
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Place each piece of chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/2-inch thickness with a meat mallet. Discard plastic wrap.

Add all ingredients except chicken to a zip-lock bag and mix together. Add chicken to bag and seal it. Turn the bag to coat the chicken with marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

Grill chicken for about 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway through or until chicken is no longer pink. If cooking in the oven, place chicken in a shallow roasting pan and roast for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Okay, this has been WAY longer than I wanted it to be, but I do want to be completely honest about all of my eatings and doings. :)

Day 1

2007-06-18T10:31:00.000-06:00

Good morning! And what a good day it is... the first day of our new eating plan. I have to say that I was dreading this all last week, but I got up and ran four miles this morning and felt renewed and awesome when I got home. It made me really excited to start eating healthier, which was a relief, because without a lot of determination, I would never get anywhere doing something like this. I love the way exercise makes my body feel. After I exercise, I always want to put fresh and whole foods in my body so that I keep feeling as good as I did when I was getting such a great workout.

Tonight I'll report what I ate for the day and how I did. My family is going over to Morgan's house to eat tonight - yummy Chicken Marsala! I can't wait. If anyone is looking for a new eating plan to try, you really should check out the Sonoma Diet, because it has the most delicious and flavorful recipes. I actually look forward to eating this healthy stuff... so good!

morgan's menu for the week...

2007-06-16T12:14:00.000-06:00

So I decided to post my menu for the week to make it a little more official. Plus, then if you are reading this, you can get some lovely ideas of your own! I will also spare you what I am having for breakfast and lunch, as I'm sure you probably don't really care. But just so you know, so I can be held accountable, it is going to be a lot of eggs, and whole grain, fiber cereal for breakfast, and lots of wraps, salads, and leftovers for lunch.

Monday:
Chicken Marsala w/ whole grain pasta

Tuesday:
Chipotle steak w/ cauliflower and brown rice

Wednesday:
Wildrice chicken soup w/ steamed broccoli and whole wheat bread

Thursday:
BBQ spiced rubbed salmon (yum!) w/ green beans and brown rice

Friday:
Spaghetti (my yummy cappelini pomodoro sauce w/ whole grain noodles) and salad

Saturday:
Sauteed shrimp w/ tomato and basil w/ brown rice

Sunday:
Pork roast

Also, just so everyone knows, my husband will be getting white rice, white bread, and as much dressing as he wants!! It will be a little bit more work to do that, but I would rather have a happy husband. That is, unless he decides he wants to do this with me. What do you say Nate? It never hurts to eat healthy! :)

Let's get healthy...

2007-06-15T15:47:00.001-06:00

So, starting on Monday, June 18th, Morgan and I are going to begin the Sonoma Diet together. We decided to create a blog as a food journal and to help us to stay organized with our meals. Also, we'll record how we're doing with our exercise regimen. We will have weekly weigh-ins on Thursday nights after yoga class... Aaahhh! Hopefully, the fact that our weight will be posted every week will help us to be accountable for our eating habits. :) Good luck to us in our endeavors to have more healthy habits!