Marathon Mom

Today was the kids’ first day back to school. I worked all weekend, so it wasn’t my first day back on the job. But with the weekday routine back in place, it sorta felt like it. I like routine. It makes me happy.

FOOD

Preworkout snack: Fiber One Oats & Peanut Butter bar (150)
Breakfast: Oatmeal Pancake Muffin Thingy (198)
Lunch: Lean Cuisine Philly Steak & Cheese Panini (320)
Snack: Yoplait Light Apple Turnover Yogurt (100)
Dinner: Lean Cuisine Szechuan Style Stir Fry Shrimp (230)

Total: 1008 calories

EXERCISE

A.M.: Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD Level 1 (20 minutes)
Elliptical (85 minutes)

P.M.: Elliptical (90 minutes)

WATER

Billion cups of tea

FOOD

Breakfast: Oatmeal muffin pancake thing (198)
Lunch: Grilled Chicken Salad (220)
Dinner: 2 Jenny-O lean turkey patties (320)
            Green Giant Vision Health Veggies (90)
Nighttime Snack: Fat-free hot cocoa (25)

Total: 853 calories

EXERCISE

A.M. - 90 minutes elliptical

P.M. - 60 minutes jogging treadmill (3.25 miles)
          30 minutes elliptical

WATER

gallons of tea

FOOD

Breakfast: Oatmeal muffin pancake thing (198)
Snack: Yoplait light raspberry cheesecake (110)
Lunch: Carl’s Jr. Low Carb Burger, no cheese or mayo (390)
Snack: 10 almonds (90)
Dinner: grilled chicken salad (220)

Total: 1008 calories

EXERCISE

Elliptical: 60 min a.m.

WATER

Lots of tea, does that count???

I’ll update this as the day goes on.

FOOD

Breakfast: Knudsen’s cottage cheese doubles with peaches (130)
Snack: 11 wheat thins (90)
Lunch: Healthy Choice Cafe Steamer Roasted Chicken Marsala (240)
           Green Giant Immunity Blend Steam Veggies (100)
Dinner: Arby’s Melt (303)

Total: 863 calories

EXERCISE

Strength Training: Jillian Michaels’ Shape-Up Front DVD (20 min)
Elliptical: 60 minutes

WATER

64 oz today (plus several cups of tea)

Just finished Jillian Michael’s Shape-Up Front DVD. Even though I had the alarm set for 7:15, I woke up at 6:30. Without allowing myself to over-think it, I hopped out of bed, suited up and got my butt moving. And now I feel so accomplished. I’ve started the week on the right note. And I’m so thankful for that.

Now it’s time to hit the showers. My kids are all off school the whole week. Weird. But it makes for a much more leisurely morning for me. So I’m grateful for that too. I already have my food ready for today at work. I feel so prepared and relaxed. Plus, the secretary is back today after being off for a week - so I don’t have to cover her job anymore! YAY!! No wonder I’m looking forward to today! Oh, and I got the turkey last night. It’s in the fridge thawing right now. Could I be more on top of things?!

Finally the scale caught up with all my eating right and exercising. 156.2 today! I find irony in the fact that I ate twice as much yesterday as I had the previous two days! My brain just will NOT accept that I have to eat to lose. Yet there it is, in big flashing digit numbers. I eat, I lose. But I know that exercise is the key to that. I’m making sure to exercise at least an hour everyday. Period.

I’m currently reading the book “Secrets of a Former Fat Girl” by Lisa Delaney. She developed a mantra “INO - It’s Not an Option” and I’ve found myself using that a lot lately. Want to skip exercise? INO! Don’t feel like drinking that last bottle of water? INO! Run to the QuikStop at 3pm for a Snickers pick me up? I!N!O!!!

I feel good. Really good right now. I feel strong and confident and in control. And the number on the scale is great (wearing my size 8 jeans this morning is super great!) But the best is the feeling of making a plan, a commitment, a goal - and sticking to it. Knowing that I’m not going to fall victim to a rogue pastry.

I’ve gone all Boy Scout - BE PREPARED is my motto! I make sure the freezer at work and at home are stocked with grilled fish and chicken, bags of steamed veggies. I have boxes of green tea and fat free hot cocoa by my desks in both my home and work offices. And I even have raw almonds and beef jerky in the fridge at work, incase I need a snack or pick me up.

Why water has been so hard for me, I just don’t get it. Small fact: the water cooler in work is IN MY OFFICE! Yep, just a few feet from my desk. I keep a reuseable water bottle at my desk. I have literally NO excuse, just laziness, stubborness, juvenile rebellion (you can’t MAKE me drink water! I don’t wanna!!)

But I’m tackling the trifecta: food, exercise, water. They’re like the three legged stool, the most important leg is the one that’s missing.

So, the scale still says 157.6 - after only 400 calories yesterday and 90+ minutes of exercise, well, I’m a bit disappointed. But I’ve probably undercut my calories too much and am over exercising, like I tend to do. Then when I don’t get the results I expect, I throw my hands up in the air, utter “whatever!” and head for the nearest unhealthy food I can find.

Not this time. I’m sticking with it, though I’m trying to increase my calories. I’m still keeping up the exercise. I’ll only do an hour tonite. I was going to get up and do it this morning, but… I slept in instead. Until 7:15 - how extravagant of me! LOL!! But I’ll get my hour in tonite, first thing when I get home. Guess I better go make myself some dinner before I forget and then don’t eat enough.