Marathon Mom

Weight: 157.2

It’s amazing what eating right and a little regular exercise can do! It shouldn’t be, but it always is. I feel back to me again. Healthy, light, more alive. I’m refocused and back on track. Just in time.

I’m so glad that I decided to do this now, as we enter holiday/food season. I intend to partake of some of the holiday treats. But if I can limit it to the one or two days and not a two month long smorgasbord, then that is the mark of success. Because this is a new lifestyle, not a diet. And I don’t intend to abstain from pie, stuffing and cookies forever. At least, not yet. Maybe someday I’ll be there. But I’ve found that it’s the small increments that are the most successful.

I caved in last night and programmed the thermostat to turn on about a half hour before I wake up. That way the house isn’t frigid and I can function in the morning. Sure enough, I was able to get up and do my 43 minutes (1 Charmed episode on DVD) on the elliptical. I’m already showered, dressed and ready for the day! I have two bags of apples at work, so I’m getting my morning fruit in. Little hint - they aren’t kidding about that whole apple a day keeps the doctor away! I have several apples throughout the day and they sure help to keep things… uh… moving along!! Fiber is awesome! Trust me here, about 30 minutes after waking up each morning and… uh… my colon is completely “brushed”!! Too TMI? Well, that’s what I’m here for! Things you need to know but are too embarrassed to ask!

I also rediscovered airpopped popcorn last night. I have tendency to be in a snacky mood in the evening when I’m working on the computer and watching tv. Part of it is that my appetite takes a while to register its full. And part of it is bad habit. I was at the grocery store picking up garbage bags and looking for something that would work. I ended up on the chips, soda and salty snacks isle. Well I do NOT need to be eating a bunch of salt at night. No matter how awesome I eat during the day, how much water I consume, if I eat salty snacks at night the scale will definitely show a gain the next day. I’ve proven that time and again. So microwave popcorn is a NO - even the 100 calorie packs. Because they still use salt and oil, just less. However, airpopped popcorn is NOTHING but popcorn. No salt. No oils. NOTHING. It’s 31 calories per cup, popped. I can eat tons of it, it’s totally filling. And this may sound weird, but because it’s not terribly flavorful, I get tired of eating it fairly quickly. And by then, I’m out of my snacky mood. Is it awesome, or what?! I’m going to start making and taking it into the movies. I’ll try to feel less guilty about it.

The kids are all off school today for Veteran’s Day. And I want to take a moment to thank all our current and former service men and women. Thank you for serving our country and protecting our freedoms. Thank you for the sacrifices you’ve made for me, my children, my family and friends. For all of us. My 17 year old son is planning on joining the Navy when he turns 18. Nothing could make me prouder. Thank you.

Weight: 160.4

Monday and TOM have joined forces to add invisible pounds to the scale. I have nothing that could account for a two pound gain in two days. (They probably shot JFK too!)

I was totally going to get up and do my 45 on the elliptical this morning. The alarm went off and I hit the snooze again and again… until I just finally turned off the alarm and accepted that the exercise was not going to happen. I am refusing to turn on the heat yet. We live just north of SF, it just doesn’t get that cold here. Except that it dropped into the 30s last night. And that is freakin’ cold!! So the temp in the house is in the 40s and I was wearing light pjs with one blanket. And I was too cold to get up, much less think. I finally had to get up to pee this morning and THAT’S when I put on some sweats. And when I mentally gave up on the exercise this a.m.

I still have just a touch of congestion deep in my chest. But just a touch. Not enough to warrant no exercise anymore. I’ve now gotten into my lazy, slothful, winter hibernation phase. And getting up early to exercise is going to be ten times harder than during the summer. I need to put a big poster of Paris up in my room, to look at everyday and help with the motivation. FIVE MONTHS - the Paris Marathon is in exactly 5 months (April 11, 2010) which also means my 40th birthday. I had plenty of time when I made this goal four months ago. But now it’s getting to crunch time. I can’t believe I’m almost to the halfway point. And yet, my progress is not nearly there.

It’s not time to panic yet! But it is time to get seriouser. Yes, I said seriousER. I have got to get rid of this extra weight. I can’t run a marathon carrying around thirty extra pounds. Period. I need to buckle down. Instead I’m just kind of meandering about. Time to step it up. Time to lay out some plans. I do so much better with a schedule. I’ll be putting that together today. I am doing this. I won’t give up.

Weight: 159.2

I think I should retitle this Pile-it-on Challenge!!

Exercise - nile

Food - ehhhhh… not great.

Challenge - we don’t need no stinkin’ challenge!

Ugh! I’d be frustrated with myself, if I had the time! Yikes!! At least I haven’t hit the 160s yet… of course, that could all change the minute I step on the scale tomorrow. I have got to get back on track. I haven’t run in weeks. I feel so OFF of everything. I even had a burger and fries the other day (and then a bad case of uh… Montezuma’s revenge later. My bod is not having any of THAT!) I’ve been drinking Diet Coke again… not even close to previous amounts. But still, I’ve started to crave it again. Bleck.

Oh, and since I’ve been drinking it again (maybe one a day, if that) I’ve noticed my energy sapped and more noticeably, my headaches are back. Almost daily. My sleep schedule is all f***ed up. It is NOT good for me at all. And yet, I have a cherry Coke Zero on my nightstand (empty, just finished it.) What is wrong with me? I need to cut them back out completely.

I’m back on NOW. Which, since I’m sitting in bed, isn’t really all that hard! But the point is, I’m not saying tomorrow, I’m saying as of this second. NOW! It is ON!!

I am going to sleep as soon as I sign off here. I will get up in the morning and hit the elliptical (still need to stick to the run schedule, which means run on Tuesday.) I will EAT BREAKFAST (I’ve been skipping again!) and lots of fruit. I will have a big, healthy salad. I will have healthy snacks. I will go to the gym (can’t remember the last time I stepped foot in that place!) I will get this back on track NOW!

And I will go back to daily blogging. I will finish this challenge! Dammit!!

Weight: too much pork and apple stew last night!

Sorry, everyone. I’ve been a bit MIA around here. I have a lot going on at home and I’ve not been able to spend any time blog reading. As it is, I’m barely eeking out a few minutes to post here. I’m hoping after this week things will calm back down a bit and I can get back on track.

Today is my oldest son’s 17th birthday. Finally, he can go to R rated movies without me. He’s jazzed! We’re going out to dinner with my parents tonite to celebrate. We rarely eat out because of a) expense and b) Sean’s food allergies. However, my ‘rents are paying and we’re eating at Mary’s Pizza Shack who offer a gluten free pizza crust! Yay!! They do not have casein free cheese, but you have two choices there. Either bring in your own cheese and they’ll make the pizza with that (I’ve done that in the past, it’s worked great!) or just get the pizza without cheese (which is the option we’re choosing tonite.)

My plan for today is to eat but keep things on the extra light side and just have one slice of pizza tonite. We’ll see how that goes. Oh, and there will be cake! And I will probably have one small piece. Cause TOM is here with a vengence right now and I LOVE CAKE!! If I don’t have a piece at dinner with everyone else, I’ll just obsess about it and end up having a super huge piece when we get home, eating two to three times as much as I would have if I just had a regular piece with everyone else. I know me. I don’t need to set myself up for a binge. And so I won’t. It’s ok to eat normally, to have a small piece of what you want. It’s the denial, the “bad or forbidden” foods list that jacks everything up. That’s not to say that I have foods I won’t eat because they are trigger foods for me. Like chips. And muffins. But I can have a small piece of cake and be satisfied. Unless I’ve denied myself the cake and then cave later on. Oh BOY, is that the set up for an out of control food orgy! No more. I know myself too well.

UGH - it’s just pouring rain out and I do not want to get up and moving today. I want to stay snuggled up in bed and sleep all day. Why must my life suck so? Ok, it doesn’t really suck. I’m just tired and lazy today.

Have a great October 13th everyone!!

Weight: yeah, uh, let’s not go there. K, thanks!

Who suggested the low fat crackers and laughing cow cheese?!!! I’m guessing you didn’t mean for me to eat the whole box and entire wheel in one sitting, correct?! Next time, specify that please!!

PMS - I blame it for all the worlds’ ills… and my own. Cramps - PMS. Food cravings - PMS. Lethargy - PMS. Global warming - PMS. See, it works for everything!

I am trying so hard not to lose my focus. Exercise has gone right out the window. Why? I do not know! I’m not one of those people who hates exercise. In fact, I really love it. So WHY does my slothful, lazy, good for nothing mind keep convincing my body that it sucks?! I’m at a total loss here!!

I ordered some really cute shirts from Charlotte Russe last week and they came yesterday. This is a juniors’ clothing website and I got larges. I put the shirts on and they button up but… well… I need about 10 lbs off for them to fit properly. Great incentive, right? I have them hanging prominently in my closet, so I see them when I open it. I’m going to keep thinking of those shirts - 10 lbs ain’t that much. And I’ll have almost lost all the weight I put on over the summer. Keep FOCUS!!! KEEP FOCUS!!

I’m on my third cup of tea this morning. I’m trying to keep drinking it instead of snacking… hmmmm…. crackers and laughing cow cheese…. NOOOOO!! CUTE SHIRTS CUTE SHIRTS CUTE SHIRTS!!!

Oh, and the shirts are all plaid and flannel and girly - just like the ones Bella wears in Twilight!! I’m going to be so adorable… even though I’m mere months away from turning 40. Is it sad that I want to dress like a teenage heroine in a vampire movie?

Weight: 158.2

What happened to day 4? Eh, we don’t need no stinkin’ day 4!!!

Yesterday was good back on track, mostly. My mom brought one of those Costco size boxes of Wheat Thins into her office. That stuff is like crack! Everytime I walked into her office, I grabbed a handful without even realizing it. It was reflexive. My sister was at work yesterday and I noticed everytime she walked into mom’s office, she’d reflexively grab a handful. Is it genetic? But then, so did my brother-in-law! Has anyone done a lab study of Wheat Thin’s ingredients???!! What the hell is in those things?!

After the third handful, I went to Safeway and got some pita chips and hummus. Sure, they’re just gloried chips and dip. BUT, I was making a conscious choice to eat something healthy instead of an unconscious reflex to eat those tiny squares of EVIL!! And I didn’t even eat the whole bag (it was a small, snack size bag) or all the hummus - which is a first!! I ate a little more than half and put them both away. Hurrah! AND I didn’t have any more Wheat Thins after that either. I was done and it wasn’t a problem after that! Thumbs up for conscious eating!!

Other than that, yesterday I had several clementines, sushi for lunch (and a little TMI - I haven’t had sushi in like a month cause it’s fairly expensive. Well, it kept… uh… repeating on me last night! Ewwwww!!! It might be a while before I have sushi again! And I LOVE that shit!!!)

Then I came home and made Pumpkin cookies! My friend posted a regular recipe found HERE and I was inspired to make a GFCF version found HERE. And oh man, are they delicious!!! This is my favorite time of year to bake! I could easily spend all day and night in the kitchen baking baking baking!!! Zucchini bread and apple pies and all sorts of cookies… have I mentioned that carbs are my achilles heel??!!

Exercise…. yeah, I don’t wanna talk about that just yet! I know I need to get it back on track. I’m getting there. My knee is just frustrating me. I need to step up the cross training. That’s where it stands.

Before everything else: If you have the chance to go see Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D, GO!! It was so excellent. I forget how incredibly clever and funny those movies are!!! Over 3 hours (with a 10 minute intermission that’s almost too entertaining to miss!!) wasn’t too long at all. My two youngest only went to the bathroom during the intermission, which is saying a lot. The more bored they are, the more trips to the potty!! They were glued to the screen the entire time. However, I ate way too much popcorn and Sour Patch Kids!! And I drank a large Diet Pepsi (water just wasn’t cutting it, and drinking the soda kept me from eating even more.) I still feel sick this morning. Probably because I took Tad to see Zombieland last night (OMG - if you don’t mind gore, which I totally don’t, then you have to see this!! It’s brilliantly funny! Definitely!! Right up there with Shaun of the Dead! I loved Woody Harrelson in this movie, and I can’t STAND Woody!!) and I split and order of pretzel bites with him (though he ate more than half!! Brat!) and a large box of Junior Mints (I ended up eating more of those - UGH!) and I stole a few of his Reese’s Pieces (WTF was I thinking?!!) So this morning I just feel GROSS!! I mean GROSS!! All bloated and fat and just like I’m oozing grease and oil. Oh, the fruits and veggies are ON today!

I don’t know that I’m doing much with this challenge. I’m keeping it up right now just to help keep my focus. I had to bail on my 10K today. Last night, the slicing pain through my knee cap returned. There is no way I can run a 6.5 mile trail run with a 1000 foot elevation. Even if I somehow managed to make it all the way through, the risk of doing long-term damage is too great. And I need to keep my focus on Paris. So, I’m doing the right thing and not running. Which sucks. Cause I already paid for it and I’m a cheapskate and hate that I’ve shelled out money for something I can’t participate in!!!

So instead I’m taking advantage of the extra hours that’s giving me at home. It’s 6am and I’ve already been up for a half hour. As soon as I finish blogging here, I’m hitting the shower and then it’s cleaning time!! My oldest son didn’t do his chore (again!) last night and I just got him up so he can do it before he goes to work at 9 (I’m such a mean mom!! But he’s almost 17, he is old enough to do his chore!!) And when the cleaning is done, it’s decorating time!! I have more Halloween decorations than Christmas ones! It’s my favorite holiday.

I also plan on making Saturdays my weekly food and menu prep day (since it’s usually my only day off.) So I’ve been looking up recipes and trying to get things organized. We need to be eating healthier. And it’s going to take planning and preparation. I need to do that. So I’m starting today. I love fall - all the soups and stews and chilis. I heart my crockpot! Greatest invention EVER!!

As for today’s food and exercise. I’m going to try not to snack, keep to my calories, and clean the heck out of the house!! Have a great Saturday, y’all!!

Weight:155.6

Yesterday I figure (through My Daily Plate) that I ate around 1500 calories. Which mentally has me in sort of a panic because that is a high calorie day for me, which makes two in a row. But I had all really healthy food (except for the two marshmellow ghosts made by the Peep people, but oh how I love those. I had two and gave the rest of the package to the kids since they are gluten and dairy free. So even Sean could enjoy a few.) Yesterday’s menu was full of apples and clementines, a big salad with chik’n strips (meatless chicken like soy protein - delish!) and black beans and corn. The kids had pizza for dinner, so I had a Lean Cuisine BBQ chicken pizza (one of my very favorites!!)

So, when I got on the scale this morning, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see a loss on the scale. But I was. Because I ATE yesterday. And didn’t exercise. I’ve been getting an occasional twinge in my knee and with that 10K looming on Saturday, I’ve decided the best thing I can do is rest it completely until the race.

Even though I’m on day 2 of the challenge, I’m in my rest days. And that feels weird. I’m challenging myself to eat and do nothing! You know, in some ways, that is harder than working out 3 hours and eating a super restrictive diet!!

Speaking of today, I’ve taken the day off work. My two youngest have been home from school all week. Skye is still recovering from her surgery and Sean’s asthma has been in high gear. They are actually both doing fine today. But they missed all week and its Friday. Honestly, I don’t see any point in sending them to school today. So we are all playing hooky and going to see Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D!!! I also plan to get a little cleaning done, move around some furniture, and set up my sewing center in my bedroom. I’ve been meaning to do that since… uh… April!! Yeah, I am right on top of things! I don’t list procrastination as my biggest vice for nothing!!!

I better get moving. I am like a little kid excited to see Toy Story again!! I absolutely love these movies. And you should have seen me in the theater when I saw the first teaser trailer for Toy Story 3! I literally squealed really loud! I am more excited about that then New Moon, blasphemy I know!! But still true!!

Have a great Friday everyone! TGIF!!

Weight: 154.4

I’m not eating enough. There. I said it. I know my calories are way too low. Like probably below 800. Ok, definitely below 800. This is a problem I have. When I finally start losing weight, I get addicted to seeing that number go down everyday. And I gradually eat less and less and less. I’ve had problems with anorexic behavior in the past. I’ve lived on 50 calories a day for months before. Yes, fifty. I know this is unhealthy behavior. But my brain has issues with the whole concept of “eating to lose”. I need to get past this.

Today will be one of those days I’ll struggle to eat much at all. I’ve got multiple appointments through out the day and I’ll be jumping back and forth to work inbetween. My regular routine is non-existent. I didn’t get up and work out this morning because last night was another rough one with Skye. If she keeps waking up again tonite with pain, I’ll have to take her to the doctor tomorrow too. I’m exhausted. Today feels like a barely functioning day. I need a nap!!

Weight: 154.6

Skye woke up every four hours last night, that’s when her pain meds would wear off. Being woken up by a sobbing 5 year old several times does not make for a restful night’s sleep. Difference is, she gets to stay home and nap all day. I have to go to work. UGH. At least it’s Cali’s day off, so I don’t have to bring Skye in to work with me today like I did yesterday. Though she is good and took a 3 and a half hour nap on the floor of my office!! She hasn’t been sleeping well at night since her surgery. I was hoping she’d be more on the mend by now. I need a decent night’s sleep!! It’s like having a newborn all over again!

I was just too tired to get up and work out this morning. Part of it was attitude, I admit. Tuesdays are supposed to be a run day and since I have that 6.5 mile trail run coming up on Saturday, I need to rest my knee as much as possible. So running was out and I was going to hit the elliptical. I like the ellip ok, but I miss running in the morning. I guess I just wasn’t into it today. I’m going to be sure to hit the gym at lunch today, though, to make up for it. Its good cross-training anyway.

I better get moving. I still have to get Sean to school on time. And I promised Skye I’d run and pick up Monsters vs. Aliens on DVD this morning before work, since it was just released today. Very cute movie. I highly recommend it!!