Moving on

Hey there guys! I'm sorry to have kept you waiting! Anyway, I wanted to let all of you know that I have started another blog. You can find it here. It's not that I don't love this blog, or what we started off doing, but since Tiff hasn't been posting lately, I feel kind of weird. I hate that I haven't been posting regularly, but this was originally supposed to be a "2-sided conversation" and that dropped off along the way.

There have been quite a few times that I wanted to post something different, but I didn't know if I should. Anyway, I would love it if you all would continue to follow me over there. If not, no hurt feelings! I can't promise that all of my posts will be weight-related. Actually, I can promise that they won't. But I can also promise you that you will hear from me more often... and hopefully get more pictures.

Alright. I guess that's it. Hope to see you soon!

Yes, I'm still alive...

Basically. no, I'm alive and kicking, I just don't feel all that great today. Stupid allergies and asthma. I love spring, but I hate the fact that we are now entering the season where I can't breathe. I also hate the fact that it seems almost random and will hit me for absolutely no reason in the middle of the day. I was fine Monday and Tuesday, then on Wednesday afternoon I felt like someone was trying to smother me. Yesterday I kept thinking about that scene in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie where Kiera Knightley said "women in London must have learned not to breathe." I need to look into some OTC treatments. It's times like these that I really miss having health insurance. Well, now, and when I want to go skiing. :-)

Anyway, my weight loss is going pretty well. I forgot to weigh-in on Wednesday (busy morning), so I did it yesterday and I was down to 208.8. I'm pretty darn impressed with myself, especially since I haven't really been a stellar fitness performer this month. My hours at work went up, both at the gym and at the schools. Which is great... except that my hours on the equipment at the gym went down. A lot.

I had been doing pretty well. I was doing the C25k training... again. I always seem to stall out at week 3. I was thinking it was a mind over matter thing and I was hitting a wall, but now I'm starting to think I'm just an idiot who keeps trying to do 5k training at the start of allergy season. I really do like running, and I'm hoping to be able to get back to it soon. I may just try to run through it. I did that the other day. It was a lot of pep talking that I COULD keep running for 30 more seconds, I was NOT going to die or pass out, I would be FINE. And I was right. So maybe I will try to run again on Sunday.

It probably doesn't help that I'm trying to do this regimented workout in the midst of a kind of crazy schedule. I have to work all day today, work from 6a-12p tomorrow, then be at the church at 2-3 to set up to cater a wedding. The reception starts at 6, and I really don't think I'm going to feel up to it that night. So I'm making a plan to go on Sunday. Maybe I'll make Greg go with me.

Ok, I think I've rambled enough for now. I need to get back to work. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your March!
- J

March March March

I can't believe it's already March! I mean, I know it's been March for a week, but I still can't believe it. I also can't believe that I will be 28 years old 2 months from today. Where does the time go? Oh well! At least it's been good!

In other news, today is Wednesday, so that means I had a weigh-in this morning. Can I just tell you it might be the strangest weigh-in morning I've had? I dreamed of my weight before I actually saw it. I was half asleep, thinking about what I needed to do today when a number popped in my head. 210. I saw a picture of the number in a red digital read-out and immediately laughed. It was just a random, pretty number and not one I thought I would actually see today. Hey guess what? It was the number I saw on the scale this morning! Well, officially my weight was 210.2, but I'm not complaining! That brings my total weight loss to 39.6 pounds. I am less than half a pound away from having lost 40 pounds! Are you serious??? Woot-woot!

I'm going to set a tentative goal to have lost 50 pounds by my birthday on May 7. That would also put me in One-derland for my birthday. What a present!

I have a few other things I was going to say, but I have a meeting this morning. I will post more later!

- J

March Madness

Well... we all know February was pretty much a bust for me, but March is off to a pretty good start. I wrote out my goals on Thursday. As of right now they are similar to February's, but I said I wanted to work out 3 times a week instead of 4. I also wrote that I wanted to go to 2 classes this month, and I already did 2.5 classes yesterday (I'll get to that in a minute). I guess I probably need to adjust that. I'm hoping I make better progress than this month, but as long as my number goes down, I'll be happy. Or at least I'll try to be.

Yesterday was a looooooong day, but a good one overall. I had to work at the gym from 12-5, so I figured I would go ahead and go to Rush Ride (my favorite cycle class)at 9:00am. Then I could take a shower, go grab something to eat, and come back for my shift. Somehow during the week I was convinced to do the Core class that is scheduled right after Ride... it may very well have been my own guilty conscious about my lack of ab work. Anyway, I still had plenty of time to do both classes, bathe, eat, and get back to work. Then, yesterday I was putting my stuff in a locker when I saw the Centergy (pilates-ish class right after Core) instructor. I used to take Centergy with her all the time before I started working at the gym, and she convinced me that I could fit Centergy into my morning line-up as well. Well, that really wasn't going to work because that class ended at 11:35 and that would only give me 25 minutes to do everything else, but I felt guilty for her class size being low so I went until 11:00am. That made things a little tight, and I ended up getting a smoothie from Smoothie King and heading back to work with it. By about 4:00 I was EX.HAUS.TED! But it's all good.

Hmm, I'm sure I had more to say, but I can't think of it at the moment. I'm going go find something productive to do. Later!

- Jen

February's Final Weigh-in

Well, February was not a stellar month. My weight this morning was 212.6 pounds. That's an overall loss of a whopping 1.4 pounds for February. Sad and slightly ridiculous, but I'm TRYING to remind myself that at least it's a loss. When I weighed-in last Wednesday, I was back up to 214. I'm really not sure what my problem was this month. I know I didn't do a great job of meeting my goals. Obviously not weight-wise, but that was partially because I didn't meet them exercise-wise. I also had some insane eating days this month. Overall, it was a lack-luster month. But I'm hoping tomorrow is the start of a better month and more progress.

I'm going to have to sit down and think about what I really want to accomplish in March. Some of my goals may be the same, but I'm going to have to re-evaluate what I actually CAN get done and how I can compensate for that.

Alright, I have to be up early tomorrow for a sub job. Good night, everyone!

Wednesday Weigh-in

Ok, I'm going to make this quick, but I may try to come back and edit later. This morning my weight was 212.4. That's a loss of 2.2 pounds since the last weigh-in, and 1.6 for the month. It makes me sad that my overall is less than my week, but obviously I'm doing something right!

Ok, I need to get ready for church and whatnot. I'll post more later!

February's First Wednesday Weigh-in

I like alliteration. Anyway! At the end of week February's week 1 (2.1?) I'm afraid I don't have good news. I weighed myself this morning and I weighed 214.6. If you'll remember from last week, that's a gain of 0.6 pounds. :-( But if I'm being perfectly honest (and really, why be anything else?), I can't say that I'm honestly surprised. While I had the best of intentions, I had the worst of follow-throughs. Last week I went out to eat at least 3 times, and not once did I make the healthiest of decisions. And of course there was the oh-so-wonderful food at our Super Bowl party. Add to that the fact that I only worked out once (and it was yesterday), and no one should be surprised that I gained. I'm only surprised that I didn't gain more. But it allows me to recognize my mistakes and move forward. So let's do that, shall we?

I finally figured out how to upload my Goals & Accomplishments.... I think. Let's see...

Yay! Anyway, there it is. I already updated it with this week's weigh-in. I just wanted to put the goals in writing. I need to print it out and put it in my Plan. And maybe on the fridge. And I can accomplish one more of my goals for this month. And updated picture of me!

Ok, it's not the greatest but as you can tell, A) I took it with my phone, and B) I took it at the gym. I had planned to take a better picture but about the time I got my phone out someone walked into the room I was in. I felt like a dork lining myself up for the picture, so I just clicked and ran. I'm going to have to take a better picture because my arms are blocking my waist. Not to brag or anything, but it is disappearing! My waist that is. I'll see if I can't get a better pic and some comparisons with my original photos.

My DCBs were not limited at the football party, but I did manage to log my food on My Fitness Pal every day this week. Obviously I'm blogging, so that takes care of that goal. I tried a new healthy recipe yesterday. It was pretty good, and I'm working on a post for the Recipe Blog. Now I just need to work on meeting those fitness goals for this week and I will be good to go!

Alright, I think I need to go find something to do that's not me sitting on my butt. Hope you have a good week!

Hello, February!

Well, hello there readers! I've been trying to update this blog since Wednesday, but I haven't had time to sit down and think. But here I am!

January was a good month. I lost 7.4 pounds. Not the 10 I was technically aiming for, but I'm not going to complain. I did meet my goals of working out 4 times a week and logging my food every day. But a loss is a loss, and I am not about to complain about any of it!

I weighed myself on Wednesday morning so I could get an accurate "where am I starting?" spot for the month. I lost another 0.6 pounds, so my February starting point is 214. That thoroughly amused me (214... 2/14 is Valentine's Day... ok, maybe it wasn't that funny). I created a pretty little Goals & Accomplishments sheet for February. I was trying to figure out how upload it to here yesterday, but I couldn't. I may try again tomorrow afternoon. But I can still tell you what they are for this month.
Weight Loss: Lose 8 pounds
Fitness Goals: Workout 4 times a week, go to 2 classes at the gym, have one session with my personal trainer.
Healthy Eating Goals: Log my food on MFP every day, try 3 new recipes, limit my DCBs (Diet Cola Beverages) to 4 per week.
Blog Goals: Update this blog at least once a week, post a new recipe, add new pictures.

I think those are all pretty reasonable goals. I didn't want to make them too crazy so I couldn't reach them, but I also didn't want anything so easy that I didn't have to work. I'm looking forward to getting to work this month. I'm getting into a rhythm of working out after my shifts and logging my food after each meal. Our Superbowl party on Sunday is going to make for an interesting food log. I'll just workout tonight and tomorrow and try not to go too crazy with the Egg Rolls. Alright, I guess that's enough for now! I hope you all are having a pleasant month so far!
- J

Month-End Check-In

Ok, so I have a lot I want to say, but I'm also pretty much exhausted. Here's the highlights:

- 1/2 weight: 222.0

- 1/31 weight: 214.6

- Total loss: 7.4

Overall, I'm happy with January 2012. I'll post more tomorrow. For now, I'm going to bed. Good night, loves.

Calorie goals and other stuff

Ok, so can I just say how much I love My Fitness Pal and it's corresponding Android app? Love that I really don't have an excuse to not log my food. If I'm not on my computer or near my phone, I'm probably asleep and hopefully not eating! And once I complete my day, it tells me "if everyday were like today, you would weigh ____ in 5 weeks." That's a nice motivator to know I'm heading in the right direction.

That being said, if I don't consume at least 1200 calories a day, it yells at me. By that I mean it puts this warning in red letters that I'm starving myself and to eat more. Ok... maybe that's not exactly what it says, but that's what it feels like. So sometimes I will look at my calorie intake and see what I need to do to reach 1200 calories for today. For instance, today I only ate about 1050 calories, but I felt full. So now I'm sitting here drinking a "latte" (only 150 calories) so I could hit 1200 and not get yelled at.

So how do you feel about that? The idea of eating at least ____ number of calories a day. Now, I guess I should say that I very rarely have to MAKE myself consume enough calories. And really, if we averaged the whole week I'm sure I would be around 1300 at least. I'm sure that warning is just there to discourage people from starving themselves in the name of weight loss. I guess I shouldn't feel so paranoid that it's yelling at me lol. I'm just sensitive like that!

In other news, the laziness demons tried to get me tonight. I had to work, so I took my clothes with me so I would have no excuse not to workout. Yeah, except that about an hour into the shift my stomach started hurting. So then I started wavering whether I felt up to it or not. I had all but decided that I would just come home and workout here (suuuuuuure I would) when a co-worker asked if I was going to workout. She and I decided to do 30 minutes on the elliptical. About 10 minutes in we both thought we were going to die, but we finished. That motivated me to be excited about an ab class tomorrow and my training session on Thursday. That will take care of all but one workout this week. Oh, and I have Saturday morning off, so I'm going to try to do my Ride/Centergy combo. So there's 4! Whoot.

Alright y'all, I'm going to jump off of here and get ready for bed. Have a lovely evening!!

Ides of January...

Yes, I did just reference Shakespeare. What of it? Anyway, I have been meaning to update the blog for about a week now, but every time I sit down with collected thoughts I have about 5 minutes before I need to jump up and be somewhere else. Such is life.

Since today was the halfway point for this month, I decided to hop on the scale before updating. As of this morning I weigh.... *drum roll please*... 215.6! WHOO-HOO!!! For those of you keeping track, that is -6.4 pounds for the month and -34.2 overall! My goal was to lose 10 pounds this month, so I am right on track. [Insert happy dance]

I've done pretty well with my eating. I had a couple of high-calorie days, but not too many or too bad. I logged my food everyday, even when I had my "bad" days. I think that was part of my problem before. If I went over my calorie goal, I just wouldn't record it that day. I didn't want to admit I messed up. But let's be honest, whether I logged it or not, I still ate it. The scale kept track of it for me. Then I got in the habit of not doing it at all and stopped paying attention. Hopefully the lesson has been learned.

Hmm, I probably have more to say, but I need to start getting ready for church. It will just have to wait for now! Hope you have a wonderful week!

- Jen

P.S. I really need to update my picture on here. I'll have to see if I can't find one!

I am......

Hurting. Ouch. So Sore.

Two Smoothies today and no workout. 

Yoga: A Vent

Yup, that's about the only yoga pose I'm good at...Downward Facing Dog

It is so hard to find a Yoga DVD/program that isn't too advanced for this chick. I have been to a few yoga classes and I thoroughly enjoyed them but man oh man, I tried one out today that was supposed to be "the basics in 10 minutes" (I have a short attention span) and WOWZERS! It was NUTS. We were doing sun salutations with backwards leg thrusts and I was sitting there (in downward facing dog because I know how to do that one!) looking at the TV thinking...how in the heck am I supposed to do THAT?! and then she wanted me to just drop my body down into a low plank (holding my entire body up just two inches off the ground with just my toes and hands (my arms couldn't even touch the mat) HA! Forget about that! I laughed and said (to my TV) "sorry chica, this ain't workin' out for me" and clicked it off. Thankfully I'd done a work out before the yoga so I got it in today but holy heck. I'll be going back to my lovely yoga DVD I did yesterday. It's back from 2002 and is geared toward lower back and shoulder pain. It is very basic and lets me use a chair for some of the moves. I can do a lot of it with ease but there are a few parts that have my legs shaking so at least I can work into the moves and move on as I get steadier and a little more flexible! AND! BONUS! I was able to sleep relatively pain free last night (not sure if that was the Yoga or because I popped 500 mg of Naproxen for the headache I was having)!

Also, I've gone back to shakes for a meal...I had a tub of Lean1 leftover from when I worked at Smoothie King and did that crummy weight loss competition (which I did lose weight, but it was still crummy). Anyway, I had been given a tub of Banana Cream which wasn't being sold in stores yet, not sure if it is now since it went nation wide last year, I combined that protein powder with two tablespoons of cocoa powder, 5 ice cubes and about 2/3 cup of water and blended up a nice Chocolate Banana Cream smoothie! DELISH! For lunch I'm having some leftover buffalo chicken on a hoagie roll (bread may be my enemy but it is so yummy) and possibly some hummus. As soon as pay day rolls around I'm going to get some more veggies for me to snack on. The only veggies I have are the canned ones and those are so chock full of sodium that I can't eat them...plus, who likes to snack on hot green beans?!

Alright, I must go and actually clean my kitchen. darn dishes!

Start of Year TWO.

Bring it on Round 2!

I'll just jump right on into things:

Starting weight from 1/3/11: 211.8
Current weight (starting weight for 2012): 203.6

Yes, I did get down to 185.4 a total of 26.4 lbs lost BUT if you read past blogs. I just couldn't keep it off. I got a little depressed, didn't step on the scale for months at a time and jumped back up to the 200's. So my goal currently is to be down to 150. My close range goal is to be at 190 by my birthday which is 5 weeks away. just over 2lbs a week. My extremely close range goal is to be out of the 200's by next sunday, I'm looking for a loss of 4 lbs this week. Totally doable in the first week.

What else is new? Oh, I joined a volleyball team...we're the mamacitas (warning DO NOT google image search the name looking for "clip art" to go on our shirts, even with safe search on it brought up some raunchiness that I might need a second shower to get rid of). We practice on Saturday, games on Sunday. So that's two workouts I don't have to worry about! In light of my foot injury, my cardio is lacking but today I did as many sit ups, push ups, jumping jacks (those kinda hurt my foot) added in some kick boxing moves and then a little yoga. That will probably be my routine for days I have off. I haven't figured out what I'll do when work picks back up. I'll figure it out.

I'll post some pictures on my bio page and then I'll do one on the main page, I don't have bangs anymore, time to update!