9 Weeks to summer

If anyone ever told you losing weight was easy...they were wrong
If anyone told you that maintaining the weight you lose after you've lost it was easy...they're definitely wrong.

I have a confession to make to you all. Over the past few months, I've hit a wall. I've had no motivation, nothing. I will myself to workout and let myself down.

The other day I went to a friend's birthday. I saw pictures of me. I was bigger and I noticed. Maybe not everyone else did, but I certainly did. That's when it hit me. I started to wonder what happened to the girl who was so motivated and determined...and then I had to ask myself why I wanted to lose weight in the first place? Why did I fail so many times at losing weight?

I don't by any means consider myself a guru, a how to on losing weight. We all go through bad times and good times, but I really needed to see that picture, because it reminded me of who I was starting to become that I never wanted to become again.

During the summer I got down to 127.8lbs. I weighed in today at 141.8lbs. I thought to myself that it's only going to get worse from here. So here's the deal. Greg has started a 9 weeks to summer. In that time, I am going to lose 10lbs and be at least at 130.8 which was where I was at the end of August last year.

I am going to get to goal this year.

I am going to run my first marathon this year.


But my problem has been a lack of planning. I had such an ability to plan during the summer, that for some reason I fell out of touch with it.

So here we go. Here's my plan, and I want to hear yours too....if you're out there?

1)Plan. Failing to plan, is preparing for failure. Make my lunch ahead of time.
2)Schedule in working out like I schedule everything else. Just like I schedule work, schedule time at the gym, starting with spin class at 4:45pm tomorrow
3)Weigh in every week regardless of how bad I think the scale is
4)Stay accountable and report to you guys.
5)Journal my food and my feelings, since they are so mutually exclusive.

When you think about it, 10 pounds in 9 weeks isn't much. It averages out to just over a pound a week. Time to get bikini ready now!

Are you with me?

The Road to Resolution

So here is my first post since summer...

Yes! It's been that long, but I'm happy to report that I'm back in 2010!

So for anyone who watches my youtube channel, you may notice that I'm doing a challenge with trulyjess and thesiegster in which we make videos as we accomplish our resolutions.

Here are a couple of mine:

Run my second half marathon in March
Run my first marathon in October 2010
Learn how to play saxaphone
Complete my personal training certification
Track my food
Get to goal

So, I've had a couple people ask me what I eat in order to maintain my weight. Well I figured that instead of telling people what I eat...why not SHOW you what I eat? This week I've started taking pictures of some of my meals to give you guys a general idea of what I eat from day to day.

Some of you have asked my what types of exercise I do?
Well to that, I will answer you the following.

I think it's important to constantly change up your exercise routine. It can get pretty boring, pretty fast so it's important to be able to stay motivated by spicing things up.

I enjoy a lot of different ways of staying active
Swimming
Spin class
Hot Moksha yoga
Running
Cycling
Dancing

and my most recent favorite is Booty Camp!

Yes! That's right! I'm doing an 8 week Booty Camp session with www.bootycampfitness.com
After I'm done my 8 weeks, I'll be posting up before and after pictures with my results and I really can't wait.

Anyway, until next time I'll see you all later!

Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies- 1 point!

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that this is the BEST recipe I've had for WW chocolate chip cookies so far. Hope you enjoy!

Mini Chocolate-Chip Cookies Servings: 24 Preparation Time: 10 min Cooking Time: 20 min These adorable cookies will satisfy your chocolate cravings without blowing your goal for the day. Ingredients 2 tbsp butter, softened 2 tsp canola oil 1/2 cup(s) dark brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp table salt 1 large egg white(s) 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour 3 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup 1/4 tsp baking soda Instructions Preheat oven to 375ºF. Cream together butter, oil and brown sugar. Add vanilla, salt and egg white, and mix together thoroughly. Mix together flour and baking soda. Add chocolate chips and stir to distribute evenly. Drop rounded half-teaspoons of dough onto a nonstick baking sheet. Bake cookies for 4 to 6 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. Yields 2 cookies per serving.

Yesterday

Hey followers,

So yesterday was pretty good. I really didn't want to go to the gym, but told myself I would go at 7:30 and I did. I figured I would be too tired to run very long, so I decided in my head that I would run for a half hour or so just so I could work up a sweat and go home.

So I get on the treadmill and an hour later I was still running. I did 6 miles yesterday! Definitely pretty proud of myself

So far the work out schedule has been like so:

Monday: Ran 3 miles
Tuesday: Nothing: bbq at Meg's house
Wednesday: 6 miles
Thursday: =today. Jess and I are going for a run and then doing some swimming, so hopefully get in some good AP's.


BTW, I kind of reinvented a better version of your typical parfait: Check it out..

1/4 cup of all bran buds (instead of granola)
1/2 cup of strawberry yogurt (I used 0 source)
1/4 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup of chopped fruit (your choice)

Delish!

Slacking

So I won't lie. I have been slacking a little on the half marathon training. I'm looking forward to having Jen to run with when I get back to Victoria to keep us both on track.

Victoria tends to be a lot easier for running outside. But I think that this week, I'm going to stick to the treadmill so I can keep up the distance. I'm thinking that I'm going to plan out a different running route to do in Victoria every day for 5 days. I'm not sure if I should be doing some strength training or not, but if I can I'll fit it in on the weekends since I've got some programs that have been designed for me.

I know I need to get back on my PT certification stuff too. So I'm going to try and do a chapter a week before school starts, and after that 1/2 a chapter a week since it'll be more manageable that way. I'll probably have to start around exam time. But okay. Today, I'm going to write down what my week is going to be like. I have 6-7 weeks before the half marathon. So I'm going to have to whip my butt into shape.

Monday: 3miles
Tuesday: 5 miles
Wednesday: 3 miles
Thurdsay: Off to Jess'!
Friday: 8 miles
Saturday: Off to Meg's!
Sunday: Relax and maybe dinner out. :)

Weight loss and my dating life

One of the things I found about losing almost forty pounds, was an increase in attention from the opposite sex. It seemed as though all the people who were formally mean to me in high school or elementry school started to become nicer, compliment me, give me attention. I didn't really know how to feel about this. Sometimes I wondered if it was only because I lost weight, or if it was because I had become more secure in who I was.

Socially, growing up it was always difficult for me. My parents had divorced at a young age and I didn't really make friends easily. I was quite often an introvert and usually found myself reading and trying to stay in at recesses to help out the teacher so that I wouldn't have to face the kids in the school yard.

For awhile after I lost weight, I started to question all my new friendships and relationships. It was constantly going through my mind: "Would this person still like me if I was fat?" I don't know that I'm the only one, and I'd like to think I'm not. An example of this occurred the other day when a guy I went to elementry school added me to facebook and started chatting with me. He said something along the lines of "Wow, you actually got pretty." I was like "I was ugly before?" He then proceeded to ask me for my number and wanted me to come over to his house to "watch a movie."

This guy was one of those people who made my days in elementary school difficult. He didn't hesitate to call me names, say things behind my back, throw tennis balls at me, write mean things about me in class and then pass the notes around while everyone else laughed.

I realized then that a year ago at my heaviest, I wouldn't hesitatet to either meet up with him and show off the fabulous me and make him feel bad, or snap back with a nasty remark. Instead, when he asked me for my number, I simply said "I'm not sure that I want to waste my time with someone who spent most of elementry school trying to make kids who were different feel bad about themselves. So no thank you, I wouldn't like your number and please don't contact me again." It was short, sweet and after that I stopped talking to him.

I guess that made me realize how much this journey really has impacted me. I have gone from someone who has always been insecure, to someone who is confident, happy and ready to take over the world, and I wouldn't give that up for anything.

For anyone who is trying to lose weight, just remember that being thinner and healthier isn't the only benefit. If I had lost the weight overnight, I wouldn't have had to deal with this difficult but rewarding journey, and I won't hesitate to say that it was all worth it.

If you're feeling down, if you gained, if you feel ugly today, that doesn't have to be permanent. Give yourself a kick in the butt and get back at it. It's worth it.

Some of my FAVORITE snacks!

Blueberries

Apples and Cinnamon

Clementines