Sun. October 28

I'm pretty tired right now but I realize it's been close to a week again since my last post, so I better write something. Just gonna keep it short and sweet and to the facts.

- I'm in Massachusetts right now. We left on Saturday (technically) at 4am, drove down and we're heading home tomorrow in the morning.

- I haven't been eating REALLY bad, but not all that good either. I'm scared to step on the scale when I get home.

- Assuming I don't lose any additional weight between now and Halloween, I'll pretty much be the same weight I was last year. What a waste of a year. :(

- If I'd really been determined, I could've used the gym at the hotel at least 3 times during our stay, but as it stands, I have not (and probably will not) go once.

- I still have a bunch of pumpkin stuff and prepping to do before Halloween. Not sure how much time I'll be able to get at the gym between now and then, but here's hoping.

- I'll still be dressing as a bunny regardless. And as much as I worry I'm gonna look like "the fat girl trying to be hot", I really am more concerned about how shitty the weather is probably gonna be. :/

- I had actually been really good for the days leading up to MA with my eating and gyming, but like I said, I'm sure that's all down the drain. Maybe I'll stick to just salad and cereal when I get home. lol

I think that's all for now. Wish me luck when I get home.

Vampire test. Looks like I passed. lol

Mon. October 22

Well, I had quite the weekend.

On Friday morning, I was down that 0.4lbs I wanted, which was awesome. Tried to be good during the day and then after work, I went out for a friends BDay. I just had one drink and then went to Wendy's afterward. Apparently, the burger I ordered was like 800 cals and I got fries with it. *face palm* So, I figured I'd be up quite a bit by Saturday morning.

I'll try to give you just the facts in regards to Saturday. I woke up at about 1pm, kinda hung around til a bit after 4 and then headed home to get ready for the Marlies hockey game I was going to at 7. I weighed myself since I hadn't had anything to eat yet and I was exactly the same as Friday morning. I knew it wouldn't last, but I figured I'd enjoy it while I could. From there, this is what my food day looked like...

5:30pm - breakfast - 2 oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate milk
8-ish - lunch - poutine w/pulled pork on it
11:30 - dinner - pot roast soup followed by deep fried cheesecake.

Ya, no wonder I felt bloated for most of Sunday. We went to Wonderland that day and at least I spent a decent portion of the day walking or standing on my feet, but that was all probably totally ruined by the fact my dad wanted to eat at the buffet they offered. It was $20 ($16 for seniors) and they wasn't too many options, but I tried to do my best to get our money's worth (read: lots of pizza and dessert). My next meal wasn't any better; I had 2 cherry cheese danishes from Tim Horton's. So... ya...

Today was better, kinda. Cheerios for breakfast, steak for lunch, orange and granola bar for snacks and a triple cheeseburger (lots of lettuce, one slice of cheese) before I hit the gym. I was able to go a full 30 mins at 5mph and talked to a friend almost the whole time. It really helped distract me so the time just kinda flew by. So, we'll have to see if I've redeemed myself in the morning after a good sleep.

Anyway, I think this is gonna be the game plan from here on out: minimal carbs and try to only have them earlier in the day, gym whenever I can, lots of water and next to no sweets. At this point, I know I'm not gonna drop like 10lbs by Halloween, but at least I'll have put in the effort and will hopefully see results.

Fat and muscle. Same weight, but clearly different sizes.

Thu. October 18

Whoa. Did not realize it had been a week since my last post. Sorry.

Anyway, good-ish news to report. I really tried to watch what I ate on Tuesday and had a pretty good work out after work and on Wednesday morning, I was down like 3lbs, which put me at the lowest I've been in a while. So, I decided to again be careful to eat only good things and went to the gym for an hour after work yesterday. I weighed myself this morning and there had been no change. I guess I should be happy I didn't gain, but even a minimal weight loss would've been nice. I've been pretty exhausted the last couple nights I've gone to the gym, so I'm kinda considering not going tonight, but I probably should. If I could just drop like 0.4lbs today, I'd be satisfied. I'll see how me and my feet feel though.

The next couple fitness challenges that I know of (and want to participate in) are the CN Tower climb in April and the Mississauga Marathon in May. Now, I'm no where near being ready to do a marathon, but I am thinking about doing the 10K option. I have like half a year to prepare for those, so I think it's doable. I've discovered the "speed interval" setting on the treadmills at the gym and have used it the last few times I've gone. Just for those that don't know, you pick 2 different speeds to walk/jog/run at and then push a button to switch between the 2 for bursts of speed; both for working on endurance, speed and increasing your heart rate for better calorie burning. I've also started using the stair master. The first time I used it (this week) I had just given blood and could only do about 4 mins before I got the "something doesn't feel right" feeling and had to stop. The next time I did it, I got the same feeling at the 4 minute mark, but just pushed through it and finished my 10 mins. Last night, I did another 10 and was able to do like 39 floors. The CN Tower has 114 (1776 steps), so still got a ways to go, but I'll get there.

Um, I think that's all to report right now. I'm going to a Marlies game on Saturday, which I'm excited for and then Wonderland on Sunday and then next weekend, we're off to Boston and Salem for a couple days. Fun fun. :)

I am the master of balance. lol

Thu. October 11

It's another chilly night in my room, but that really has nothing to do with anything.

So, I was thinking today about ways to try and motivate myself to be good for the rest of the month. Ya know, cuz apparently Halloween and not being an unhealthy fat ass are not reason enough. I know I've mentioned that I don't drink pop any more. And even though I know it's been long enough that I don't need to worry about having a glass and opening the floodgates, I still choose not to drink it cuz I know water is much better and I have Crystal Light to give it flavour if I need to. Also, I like to be able to tell people I haven't had pop in XX months and be honest about, not having to say "except for those few times". It feels like an accomplishment. So, why can't I use that same logic and stop eating other things?

I know I could NOT go the rest of my life without eating things like chocolate or pizza or chicken wings. Buuuuuut I think I could really put forth a decent effort to really keep those kinds of foods to a minimum for a while and see how many days I can go without said items. After thinking about that statement for a minute, I remembered that this Saturday, there's some big poutine event on Saturday that I'm probably going to, so there goes that day out the window. lol. I really will try though. :)

Anyway, gonna get all snuggly and watch the Jersey Shore 1am repeat and hopefully get up in time to go donate blood and pick up some stuff from WalMart (strawberries are on sale ^_^) before work.

Handy info

Wed. October 10

Score one point for self control.

When I came home from work tonight, I was looking for something meaty and full of protein, but there seemed to be nothing in the fridge matching that description. So, I had a McD's apple pie, small piece of pumpkin pie and a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I still wanted something hearty and warm and substantial though. So, I've been laying in bed for the last little bit, contemplating digging into what's left of my chocolate stash. Finally, I decide to just have a few pieces for the flavour, but when I go to sit up, I get real sleepy all of a sudden. So, I took it as a sign to just go to bed as opposed to eating out of boredom and tiredness. Go me.

So, that's all from me tonight. :)

Push ups: 70
Crunches: 220
Plank: 1:03:79

Tue. October 9

Having a cleansing tea at like 4:30 and then deciding to go to WalMart and then the gym like 6 or 7 hours later was not a good idea. lol

I was able to do my bench presses and about 24 mins (out of 30) on the treadmill before I decided it was time to call it a night. On the bright side, I wasn't too uncomfortable for the time that I was on the treadmill, so next time I think I'll step it up a bit. Also, I'm thinking of looking into what I need to do to register for the walking up the CN Tower thing. But first, I should find out when that usually is. lol

Anyway, I'm tired and my legs hurt, so bed time pour moi. :)

Circular scarf thingy I just finished crocheting tonight.

:)

Sun. October 7

I feel like about 50% of the "quick tips" you hear about to lose weight don't really apply to me.

One of the ones I hear a lot is to cut back on pop (even if it's diet). I haven't had pop since Feb of '11. Now, when I gave it up, I'd definitely say it helped drop some pounds; not sure exactly how many, but I know it did. Another one I hear is to try to cut back on alcoholic drinks. I rarely go out drinking. Like it's usually just a handful of friend's BDays every year (mine included), not clubbing once or twice a week, every week. So, the best I could do there is just try to cut back or make all my drinks doubles to cut down on sugary mixers. And the last big one I hear is to cut back on caffeine. I don't drink pop, I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea. So, again, not an option. Now, I'm not complaining that I already don't do all these things so how come I'm not thin? I know that some of the food I eat is still pretty crappy, I just wish there was a list of tips for us... less normal consumers? (For lack of a better description)

A couple other tips I could probably touch on are being told to get more sleep (which I already do) and trying to walk more. I already walk most places. Unless I'm going downtown or something, I don't really take the bus. I walk to work, to the mall and spend about 8 hours a day on my feet at work. Again not complaining, just stating how some of these tips aren't helpful as they don't apply to some of us.

Now, having said all that, I've been thinking of slowly cutting back on some food as the month progresses and seeing if I notice any differences in any aspects. Like, maybe from here on out, no fried anything? Then a week later, cut back the carbs and then after that, strictly chicken caesars when I dine out? This is all obviously simple shit to figure out, but it's also easier said than done. Just gotta bite the bullet and get it done.

Push ups:60
Crunches: 200
Plank: 1:01:75

The dessert options we had for Thanksgiving dinner. I had a little of each. :/

Thu. October 4

Whoa. 5 page views for Monday's post and 4 for yesterdays. It's nice to know I'm not just typing this for no good reason ,but it's also a little scary to be putting myself out there to have friends and family know about my struggles. I guess if the outcome is good though, it's worth a little embarassment and shame. lol

So, today was good. I was supposed to watch Jack for the afternoon, but not long before that was gonna happen, my sister informed me that my services would no longer be required. At that point, I rushed to get ready and headed over to the gym. Started with some benching, ran for 30 mins (5.1/mph, 1.0 incline), a few leg machines and some hand weights and called it a day. I'm thinking that as well as increasing my running speed gradually, it would probably benefit me to increse the incline as well (for ma butt, lol).

Afterward, I went home, cleaned up and got some Chinese food with a friend... sorta. We went to a place with mainly Chinese food, but they have a few Indian options as well, so I got butter chicken and sweet garlic beef. The beef was alright, didn't eat most of it though. I'll probably add a ton of broccoli to it and take it to work for lunches for the next couple days. The butter chicken was really good though. A little overly oily, but it had good flavour without too much spice. It would've been a touch better with some naan bread, but I survived without it and probably saved myself some calories in the process.

When I was done eating, I set an alarm on my phone for 2h30m to make sure I gave myself enough time before I had food again. I had brought some chocolate with me to my friends place, but just in case I really wanted something sweet. Jeez, that such a girl thing to do; bring "emergency chocolate" with you. lol. After almost 2 hours, I decided to have some gum to see if that would help with my cravings and it kinda did. The flavour of my gum generally lasts about an hour so I don't like to spit it out anytime before then cuz it feels like a waste. When I did spit it out though, I felt fine and thought I could go the rest of the night without anything. However, my boredom/want got the best of me and I checked the nutritional info and decided I'd only have 100 calories worth of chocolate; just enough to taste, but not ruin the day. I guess I'll see if my plan works the next time I weigh myself.

Push ups - 40
Sit ups - 110
Plank - 48.88 secs

Skinny pants I bought a several weeks ago. C'mon autumn weather. :)

Wed. October 3

So, I was good-ish food-wise yesterday, except for the night time when I brought home some stuff from work that I shouldn't have. And had a little chocolate after that. Oh well. :/

Today was better. I had a pretty good work out at the gym. I'm benching 105lbs these days; I tried 115 once a few weeks ago, but it's not something I can maintain right now. I also wanted to make sure I could still jog/run cuz I hadn't gotten any physical activity since the 5K (3 days ago). So, I just gave myself 30 mins and only went at 5mph. There were a couple times I was feeling good and thought I could up it by a couple points, but I kept reminding myself I was doing this to make sure I can still go at that pace for that length of time. And I did. So, the next time I run, I'll either go 5mph again or just up it by .1 .

I went out with a friend for dinner and had half a spinach dip app, full chicken caesar (dressing on the side) and a bowl of broccoli soup. I was really hungry at the time, but I figured I'd only get half way through the salad and just take the rest home. That didn't happen though. I ate all of it and almost 2 full large glasses of water. I was definitely full, but not really uncomfortable. Not sure if I should proud or disgusted that I was able to put all that away. lol

I had a granola bar a while later and figured that'd be it for the night and was congratulating myself on a pretty good day when my friend brought up going for ice cream. I kept trying to tell myself I'd just regret it, I'd get over wanting it and it'll always be there so there's no need for me to have it now. But I did reeeeally want it. Anyway, long story short, the DQ was closed so we went to a McD's (where there no longer have Smarties as a flurry topping, bullshit) and I ended up with a strawberry sundae. I probably shouldn't have had it, but I'm sure it was less cals than the blizzard I would have gotten. Baby steps. Guess I'll just have to drink lots of water for the rest of the night and see what I weigh tomorrow.

Also, I'm trying to do push ups, sit ups and a plank everyday as both a little extra physical activity and to see how much better I get every day. Today:

Push ups: 27
Sit ups: 75
Plank: 42.37 secs

Hopefully tomorrow will be better. :)

Not yet, but maybe one day.

Mon. October 1

Ok, time to get get back on track.

So, I did my 5K yesterday and did pretty well. I was on roads as opposed to a treadmill, so there were more inclines than I was used to. After the first few minutes, I was already asking what I'd gotten myself into, but there was no way I was gonna stop, so I just pushed through. 2Ks down: just gotta keep going.. just gotta keep going.. almost to the half way point. 3Ks down: Oh God.. over half way done.. just gotta get to 4Ks.. Oh God.. Oh God. 4Ks: so friggen close.. just gotta push.. gotta push. At this point, there was one last steep-ish incline and I had been jogging/running consistently, but I just had to power walk it. Once I was on level group again, I started running again and things started looking familiar, so I knew I was close. I've heard of people really pushing themselves for the last minute or so and "finishing hard", but that was not an option for me; I kept running, but finishing hard was not an option for me. I was friggen done. However, my time was 31:30 which I was a little surprised by and proud of, but then I started thinking if I had running a little faster during the downhill portions and not slowed down to power walk, I might have actually been under 30 mins. Oh well, guess it gives me something to strive for next time. The only other 5K/8K run I know of left this year is being put on by GoodLife on October 27th, but that's my dad's BDay and I'll probably be on my way to Massachusetts that day. Guess I'll just have to keep an eye out for local ones next year.

Anyway, now that the run is over, my next "thing" to be fit for is Halloween. So, I'm really gonna try to be good this month; more salads, little to no fried foods, more consistent work outs. Here's hoping I can be down maybe a dress size by the end of the month. We'll see.

Also, I just switched cell providers and I now have unlimited data on my phone, I'm hoping this'll make it easier to make random and more consistent posts, but I tried logging into blogspot and tumblr and was having some difficulty, so I'll need to try and figure this all out.

So, that's it for me for now. Gonna try to get a bit of sleep before Jack wakes up (I'm on baby duty tonight, lol). :)

Me, before the 5K, showing off my shirt.