Shrinking Days of Summer Weigh-In #7

This has been a better week!

This week has continued to be challenging in the eating department, but each day I have taken a step forward.  The steps have been baby steps, but nevertheless, steps in the right direction.  With summer being here, I have definitely succumbed to some of my summer "favorites" - Ice cream, Hot Dogs, Ice Cream, Pizza, Ice Cream - Notice a trend?  It started "here and there" several weeks ago and instead of being a one time deal, I have continued to dabble in all of the "delights of summer".  This week, specifically starting on Sunday, I made adjustments each day.  While not perfect, each day I made progress.

On the exercise front, this week was PHENOMENAL!  I got back to run/walking... about 10 total miles!  I swam (playing with the kids) two days and last night I decided to get wild and crazy and challenge Christy to Shred together... Of course, being the competitive hooker that she is, she obliged!  

Just for kicks, this is my "before shred" picture:

And THIS is my after pic... I was drenched!

And of course, Christy returned the challenge to me for tonight!  Like I tweeted to her last night... THIS is what the Sisterhood is all about and why I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Sisterhood!  We aren't afraid to challenge one another and love & encourage each other through the challenges! We will see how this goes with my run/walking.  I know I can commit to doing it on my non-run days and will feel out how the run days go.  

One thing I know for sure is that I am much more motivated to eat well when I am exercising hard and I knew that I had to get my exercise ramped up in order to be successful in getting back on track with my eating.  I also find that my emotions and my stress level are much more balanced, thus leaving me with less propensity to "eat my emotions". I have made HUGE strides in my exercising this week! 

 

So, here are my numbers... Finally I see 195 something.... I wondered if the day would come! Its a move in the right direction!

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
196.6

Today's Weight

195.6 lbs

Change from last week

-0.6 lb
Difference for the challenge
-1 lb

Total Difference

 -19.4 lbs

 

Shrinking Days of Summer Weigh-In #6

I seem to be having a string of BLAH weeks...

I read this post over on Christie O's blog yesterday and, well, I think she was spying on me and was writing about me as well.  I have definitely been going through my days unconsciously.  Unconscious of the food passing my lips, unconscious of how I respond to my emotions and unconscious of how I have been hurting myself.  

To be conscious takes SO. MUCH. DAMN. WORK!  Work to choose in EVERY MOMENT to honor my body and to honor my soul... work to eat clean, healthy foods... work to get my butt out of bed in the morning to exercise (even when I can't run... ) and work to feel my emotions rather than pacify them with food.


Work has become very stressful and while it is a much healthier and positive environment, I have a tremendous amount of pressure on me as one of the few senior staff left in our office.  As I often feel being a mom, I now feel that I have to be ALL THINGS TO ALL PEOPLE in my workplace too.  It has made for a lot of stress, a grumpy mommy, and a very tired wife.  I am realizing how incredibly important my training for the half marathon had become to my emotional health.  And yet, here I sit, unable to run until this past weekend, eating my emotions and not getting enough exercise.


Okay, this is kind of a downer post...
BUT
I had an amazingly humbling experience this weekend...
  Many of you saw this post over at the Sisterhood.  Well, let me share how I came upon it.  I woke up on Sunday morning with my kiddos snuggling with me - got my tweet that there was a new post, opened it up and stunned, saw my name chosen for sister spotlight... I had to read it several times to believe it, and then the precious, kind, humbling words shared by Brooke brought me to tears... By the end of the post I couldn't see I was crying so hard.  It is so much easier to believe the negative things about myself... Reading this was so profound for me.  It reminded me of all I have accomplished in the past six months and reminded me that 
I. AM. WORTH. IT.
THIS is what I love about the Sisterhood and what I love about the beautiful women I am surrounded by and have come to love.  True support... True commitment... True Sisterhood!


Time to put an end to the self-loathing and the post race slump.  I ran on Saturday and Tuesday and have officially begun training for my next half marathon on November 7th! Which, by the way, has the coolest finisher medal!  Lissa and I have agreed that we could continue entering races just to collect medals!  Whatever works... right?  I got back to my eating plan on Tuesday and had pretty good success.  While I expected to have less than stellar results this week, I am confident that I am turning a corner.

 

So, here are my numbers...

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
196.6

Today's Weight

196.2 lbs

Change from last week

+0.2 lb
Difference for the challenge
-0.4 lb

Total Difference

 -18.8 lbs

 

Shrinking Days of Summer Weigh-In #3

This was a week that was full of getting back into the swing of "normal life"... I am still reeling from my amazing experience with Team Shrinking Jeans in San Diego!  You can read all about it HERE.


Overall, I am getting back into my eating routine... The only caveat has been sugar.  I am still getting back to the business of dropping the sugar.  I don't really struggle giving up starch, bread and other carbs that I have been really limiting, but there is something about sugar and sweets that is just purely addicting to me.  This go around it has been ice cream - maybe because we ate quite of bit of it on vacation and maybe because it is so flipping hot here.  Regardless, it has to go and as of Monday, it is done and over... 

On the exercise front, I am still tired and still recovering from the race.  I attempted to run/walk on Saturday and only made it two miles and had to walk most of it because of leg pain.  I tried again yesterday and wile I was able to do more running, I still felt like my legs were huge tree stumps to lug around.  General consensus has been to give myself some more time and cross train in the meantime... Great advise, I just am impatient and itching to run!  Plan to start 30 Shred today, now that I am not in the later weeks of training for a run.

 
So, here are my numbers... Definitely a loss... getting back to baseline before the race.  Thilled for the loss - next week I will definitely be in the negative for the challenge!

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
196.6

Today's Weight

197.2 lbs

Change from last week

-2.2 lb
Difference for the challenge
+0.6 lb

Total Difference

 -17.2 lbs

 

Shrinking Days of Summer Weigh-In #2

What a week!  I completed my Half Marathon and had an amazing time in San Diego!  You can read all about it HERE.


I made the decision after my weigh-in last week, that I would loosen some of my eating habits in light of the race and taking vacation with my family.  I allowed some extra carbs and definitely ate what I wanted after the race... potatoes have never tasted quite so good.  I also allowed myself to let loose and have drinks at the after party and the next night.  It was a blast!  The SAH's at the Sisterhood definitely know how to have a good time!

On the exercise front, I am still amazed at what I have accomplished through my training for the race.  While entertaining, my stats on dailymile.com are really astounding...
Since the beginning of my training in February, I have 

logged 178.6 miles
burned 8 pounds
spent 39.59 hours running
and
burned 169.06 donuts!

Pretty amazing perspective!
 
So, here are my numbers... I expected a gain, given all of the above and the extra FUN had in California.  I was blessed with my monthly womanhood on the night before the race as well.  Between that and all of the electrolytes and alcohol, I can feel the water weight.  No doubt next week will be an exciting weight on the scale!

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
196.6

Today's Weight

199.4 lbs

Change from last week

+3.4 lb
Difference for the challenge
+2.8 lb

Total Difference

 15.6 lbs

 

Shrinking Days of Summer - Kick Off

It has been awhile since I have been here!

I have been a wee bit preoccupied with long working hours, training for a half marathon with THESE amazing women and just overall survival!

Life has been pretty darn exciting these days... I am discovering new and amazing things about myself on an almost daily basis!  I am pushing my body to extremes it has never experienced.  I am actually feeling ready for this half marathon and know with every fiber of my soul that I will cross that finish line and that it will be one of the most triumphant moments of my life!  


I have gone from eating ice cream while watching Biggest Loser to really being able to tap into my own strength and worth to release close to twenty pounds since the first of the year.  I sat tonight watching the Biggest Loser Finale absolutely mesmerized and closely in touch with the joy of conquering the issues that hold us back from being the truly best we can be... drinking my water!  I can't wait to see where I am in eight weeks!


So bring on the new challenge!  I am ready and I am going to continue my journey to take myself on, value myself, challenge myself and honor the incredible woman that God made me!


Here is my before picture:

Starting Weight

215 lbs
Starting Weight for this Challenge
196.6

Today's Weight

198 lbs

Change from last week

 1.4 lb

Total Difference

 18.4 lbs