New plan

So I'm trying to mix it up a bit.  My previous plan worked great for 3 months, and I lost 25 pounds!  But now my weight loss has slowed way down, and I'm starting to see maintains or slight gains!  So I'm thinking I need to switch things around.  

My new plan is to still do C25K Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but I'm going to start adding in strength training Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  I am also going to try mixing up my calories a bit - keep toward the high side of my goal one day, then go lower the next day, etc.  I'm hoping that these changes will kind of kick start the weight loss again.

I started this today, and I am embarrassed at how weak I am!  My original plan was to spend 20-30 minutes on legs today, but I couldn't do it!  My legs were too tired after about 8 minutes!  So I ended up doing abs and arms too.

Legs:

Squats - 3 sets of 15

Lunges - 5 on each side

Outer thigh leg lifts:  2 sets of 15 on each side

Inner thigh leg lifts:  2 sets of 15 on each side

Abs:  

10 crunches

Arms:

Bicep curls: 2 sets of 15 with 10 lb weights

Overhead 1-arm press:  1 set of 10 with 10 lb weights on each side

Tricep press:  1 set of 10 with 10 lb weights on each side

Fly-outs:  1 set of 10 with 5 lb weights

My legs and arms felt like jelly after!!  I definitely need to keep pushing.  I'm keeping a close eye on the scale over the next few weeks as I start to do this more.  I'm really hoping it'll cause some downward movement instead of up!

The other thing I need to do is make sure I rest.  This is something new I'm trying so it's all I can think about and I want to do more.  But I need to pace myself.

Need to shake things up a bit

So this Wednesday for weigh-in, I was only down another .6 pounds.  Still down, and I wasn't too surprised, considering I'd been up and down all week.  But then this morning I'm back up .4!  Very frustrating.  I know this is normal, but I'm thinking maybe there's something I can do to shake things up a bit and get things moving.  I'm going to try running every day...do my regular long C25K runs Mon/Wed/Fri, then do maybe an 8-10 minute run Tues/Thurs/Sat.  I'm also really thinking about starting to add in strength training.  Maybe I could try it for a few days and see what it does to the scale.  I do know that I didn't get as much water as I should have yesterday.  I've noticed that the days I drink more water, the scale reflects a loss.  So I need to focus on pushing the water as much as I can.

My Biggest Loser competition is coming to a close on Tuesday.  Pretty sure I've won this one.  We're starting round 2 on Tuesday as well.  This time, I'm running it.  I'm going to try to be more active on it - instead of just posting numbers, I want to post some questions that get people thinking.  Something that's going to help keep people focused on their end goal.  I'm thinking about having everyone post their overall goals and motivations, and then pick one thing that is the most important to them to focus on during the entire competition.  Then order the rest in order of priority, and take one each week, or every 2 weeks to add.

Just so confused...

So last night I weighed myself before bed and it was back up a lot!  So I was sure I was going to be up on the scale this morning.  Nope!  Down .2 pounds from Wednesdays weigh-in.  I don't get why I'm so up and down!  I mean, I'm happy that I was down this morning, and at this point I'll take ANY loss on the scale this week.  But it's an emotional roller coaster to have the numbers jump all over the place!  And the rational person would say, "easy fix - don't weigh twice a day!"  And the rational part of me knows that, but the irrational part wins out.

I did have some pretty cool success today.  When I went to walmart this weekend to buy jeans, I had to buy size 20's, same size as the pair I was wearing.  But the pair I was wearing was too big, but the 18's at Walmart were slightly too small.  So today I measures the waistband of my old jeans and the waistband of the new jeans.  The new jeans are almost 2" smaller in the waist!  So that prompted me to take my measurements, since it's been about a month.  My bust stayed the same (though not sure how since the cups feel big now), my waist was down .5", and my hips were down a full inch!  Finally some progress outside of the number on the scale!  It may not be much, but it's something!

Louie said he thought most of the weight I've lost so far is most noticeable in my butt.  LOL  I guess it kind of makes sense, though, with the running.  That works out mostly thighs, legs, and butt.  Guess I need to do something up too too!  Some women from my pregnancy group are doing a 30-day ab, glute, and leg workout. Maybe I'll try that and see how I do.  I really should start lifting weights too.  My arms need help.

YoYoing

I'm starting to get frustrated!  This week has been up and down!  I hit 25 pounds on Wednesday, and since then, it's been up!  I was back down almost to 25 pounds this morning, and now it looks like I'll be back up again tomorrow .  This is getting old!  I know I wasn't as diligent this weekend, but still stayed within my points (just didn't do any exercise).  Argh!!!!  Well, just have to keep on pushing on.  Maybe my body just needs to play catch-up.

Not the best day...

Today was one of those days where I just wanted to say "Screw eating healthy and exercising!"  It felt like the whole day was rushed and stressful!  Started this morning with getting Colby to baseball, which we were running late for.  Then came home, and fed Lily while Colby shot robots, then Lily and I went to the grocery store while Louie got Colby down for nap.  Lily was very fussy from that point on!  When Colby woke up, we went bowling, then shopping at Target, then picked up pizza for dinner. 

I felt tired and rushed all day, so didn't do any official exercise today.  We did do the bowling which counts for something.  Then with the pizza - I had planned to have 2 slices.  I had 3, and it didn't even taste that good!  I had the calories for it but wondered about the sodium!

But, I just weighed myself (my pre-sleep wright check), and I was 244.8...so that's actually 1.2 pounds below last nights check.  So maybe I'm ok!

Frustrated!!

So Wednesday I had hit 25 pounds gone!  I was 243 even!  Today, I was 244.6!  No idea why.  The only thing I can think of is that I had a grilled pastrami sandwich for lunch yesterday, and maybe the sodium got me?  Very annoying though!  I hate the ups and downs more than anything!  I am trying to tell myself that I just need to keep going, it's temporary, and that as long as I keep eating better and exercising, the weight will come off.  It doesn't matter how slowly, as long as it's coming off. But still frustrating!

I'm running 25 minutes straight today for C25K, and I'm so tired I don't know how I'm going to get through it!  But I'm going to push myself.  

I think I need to come up with some different ideas for lunches too...something lower calorie.  Maybe something lower calorie for breakfast too.  I love the fruit and yogurt parfaits but it is 300+ calories.  Maybe I'll do some recipe searches today and see what I can find.

25 pounds gone!!

Another mini-milestone today!  25 pounds gone!  Almost 1/4 of the way to my goal.  I didn't actually think I would hit that today because my weight loss had slowed down a lot.  But managed to pull off 1.8 pounds this week to hit it on the nose!

Today is Week 6, Day 3 of C25K and I'm running 22 minutes straight.  20 was tough but I'm going to keep pushing myself.  I'm going to do this and finish it out.  I've lost 25 pounds in 11 weeks.  Maybe I can lose 15-20 more in another 11 weeks!  Hmm, should I make it a goal?  40 pounds lost by June 4?  I wish the Biggest Loser competition was still going on longer for more than one week. Next week is our last weigh-in, and I'm pretty sure the other girls won't be interested in continuing.  I feel like it is highly motivating!  I guess I'll have to focus on keeping it up for the 5K, and then make my own goals to work towards.

Maintaining

After my crazy loss last week, this week is much slower.  I was 244.8 last Wednesday, and today I'm 244.4.  Tomorrow is my official weigh-in day so we'll see what that brings.  I had hopes to say I'd lost 25 pounds but that's unlikely at this point.  But I'm kind of okay with that, too.  I am starting to feel some changes in my clothes.  My jeans are getting looser, to the point where I can almost pull them down without unbuttoning or unzipping.  I haven't tried on any other jeans yet, but I may do that this weekend, or maybe I'll go look during lunch.  I'm also starting to see more definition in my waist.  So that's encouraging!  Still so anxious to get into the 230's but I'm also trying to tell myself that it's ok to take my time.  I've lost 23.6 pounds so far, and that's nothing to sneeze at!  I've done that in 11 weeks, averaging 2.15 pounds per week.  That's healthy and safe.  So I'll just keeping pushing forward and will see more losses.  

I think I need to play around with my calories too.  I'm trying to tell if there's a pattern between how many calories I net in a day vs. the rate of loss.  I don't want to be eating too few calories but also don't want to be eating too much and have that be the reason for maintaining.  

Creeping again

Was down to 243.8 this morning but I'm not sure how accurate that is.  It was almost 9:00 by the time I weighed myself, and it's usually 6:00!  I did weigh less before bed last night so I'm sure I did have some loss, but probably not quite that much.  I'm just hoping it will continue to Wednesday.  Still really want to get solidly into the 230's by the time I go to NYC in April.  I'm only 4-ish pounds away from the 230's now!  Hard to believe that I am almost back to what I weighed when Louie and I got married, but I'm nowhere near the size I was. I was wearing size 16 dresses.  Though I do remember them being a bit tighter than they should have been.  But right now I'm still in a size 20 jeans.  I wonder when I'll see changes in sizes.  That's what I really want to see!

Sometimes I get sick of coming up with subject lines...

Seriously, it's hard to come up with a subject line every entry!

Was down another .2 this morning...244.6.  I'm less than 2 pounds away from the 25 pound mark.  25 pounds was my goal for the whole year, and here it is mid-March and I'm almost there!  Davy thinks I can triple that this year.  I'd be happy to even double it!

Well, that was unexpected!

244.8!  That was the number I saw on the scale this morning when I weighed in for my official weigh-in!  I was expecting maybe 245.8 or 246, but 244.8 was a complete shock!  So now I'm only 5 pounds from the next decade of numbers!  I don't think it's quite sunken in yet!  

Today is week 5 day 3 of C25K, and I'm running 20 minutes straight today.  Going to be interesting!  Lol. We'll see how I do!

Feeling positive...

After inching my way down the scale this week, I was happy to weigh-in this morning and see 246.8!  A total of 21.2 pounds gone so far!  And tomorrow is my official weigh-in day, so I'm hoping to squeak out a little bit more by then.  7 pounds til the next decade of numbers!

I'm so tempted to retake my measurements but I know I just took them a week or so ago...so not likely to be much change yet.  And I don't want to get frustrated with no progress there if I really haven't given it enough time.  Patience is definitely not my strong suit, but I do need to learn to be patient when it comes to weight loss and my health.  My biggest nemesis is unrealistic expectations!  I'm probably not going to be at goal weight by the end of the year.  I may not be under 200 by the time we go to the beach in August.  I'm most likely still going to have cellulite and rolls, and very likely to have loose skin.  But as long as I keep this up, regardless of anything else, I'll be healthier and in better shape than I am now!  And that's really what I need to focus on.  Sure, the vain part of me wants to improve how I look, but more importantly I need to improve how I feel and my attitude and my behavior.

Tomorrow is C25K week 5, day 3, and I'm running 20 minutes solid.  I'm worried about how I'm going to do,but it should give me a good idea of where I'm at in preparation for the 5K.  20 minutes is an estimated 1.75 miles.  Just over half a 5K. Should be interesting!

Well, at least it's down...

Yep, definitely think my body is just holding onto weight right now!  Why, you ask?  Well, yesterday I was 247.8 from 248.  Today - 247.6.  LOL  Yep, inching my way down!  But hey, at least it is down and not up!  Plus I think my body is battling hormones as well.  This would normally be my period week, but I've been bleeding for the last week already...so I think everything is just all out of whack!

Can definitely tell hormones are at play here because I've been so easily frustrated this weekend and so far this morning.  Borderline emotional, and all I can think about is having a day where I don't have to work, don't have kids around, and can just veg and do what I want!  I feel like I can't relax and yet I just want to go to sleep!

Today is Week 5 Day 2 of C25K, and I have to run for 8 minutes, walk for 5, run for 8.  It's going to be interesting.  I kept getting twinges in my knee yesterday while going up and down stairs...I hope I'm not developing joint issues!  I'll be mad if I can't run after all this time!

Slowly, Slowly....

I think my body is trying to hold onto every bit of weight possible lately.  I was 248 on Friday, and today (Sunday), I'm only down to 247.8!  I was hoping to be a bit further...but oh well.  I have til Wednesday to lose more for my official weigh-in.

I'm taking today as a rest day from exercise.  I've done 6 days this week, and I can feel some strain in my calves.  Tomorrow is going to be a big running day in C25K...running 8 minutes at a time, twice.  So definitely need to rest up for that.

I went shopping at Old Navy yesterday and tried on some clothes.  I got 3 shirts in a XXL, and 1 shirt in an XL.  I also got another running shirt and a zippered jacket for running.  I spent more than I intended but I was happy that I was able to find clothes I liked that fit!  I'm going to take my measurements at the end of every month and see if I can see a difference over time.  

20 Pounds Gone!!!

My sodium gain has finally gone, and this morning when I weighed myself, I was 248!  20 pounds gone!! Now to keep pushing forward!  Next step - get below 240!  9 pounds away.  Trying to get there by end of this month is going to be tricky, since I only have 3 weigh-ins left between now and then, but I'm going to get as close as I can!  

Today starts week 5 of C25K.  Today I'm jogging for 5 minutes, walking 3, jog 5, walk 3, jog 5.  I'm actually feeling pretty pumped about it!  I'm starting to believe that maybe I really can do this!  I think I really might be able to run the 5K.  I'm sure it's going to be tough, and my legs are going to be exhausted by the end, but I'm starting to really think I can do it!

I've been considering starting strength training.  I've read a lot of articles saying that it's very important and beneficial...but I'm so afraid to add weight regardless of whether it's muscle or not.  I think what I may do is wait til I'm below 200 and then start.  That seems like a long way off but I'm hoping to be there by September or October.

Finally going in the right direction again

Weighed in this morning and was still up from last Wednesday, but only by .8 pounds.  Hopefully I can work to get to that 20 pound mark for this coming Wednesday!  I'm disappointed to have lost a whole week but I also need to realize that this is a journey, and there are going to be bumps in the road.  And it could have been so much worse, so at least I'm grateful for that!  I just need to refocus and work my way toward the 230's!  

First reported gain. :(

Today was my official weigh-in day, and I had to report a gain due to the sodium from this weekend. It just kept hanging on!  But I weighed myself this evening and tomorrow should look better (though will probably still be higher than last Wednesday).  But at least it seems to be on it's way back down!  Maybe I can make that 20 pound mark by next Wednesday!  And apparently I need to be very very cautious about sodium!  I've lost a full week of progress so far, and am still not back to where I was.  It's just not worth it!

On a more positive note, today I finished week 4 of the C25K.  Friday starts week 5, where I'm doing 3 sets of running for 5 minutes straight.  5 minutes this week was tough, but I know the time is just going to keep increasing!  It needs to, if I'm going to make progress, right?  I have 4 weeks left of the training, and 6 weeks before the 5K I signed up for.  And I want to run the whole thing so badly! More to prove to everyone and myself that I am serious about this and can do it!  I just have to keep pushing and results will be visible!

Dealing with a sodium gain again

I suppose it's not overly surprising, considering we ate 3 meals out this weekend, one of which was Chinese.  I'm up to 250.4 this morning - up 1.4 from Wednesday, and 1.6 from my lowest.  Last sodium gain dragged in for 3 days.  Hopefully this one doesn't or I'll be reporting my first gain on the Battie TBL challenge!  Going to drink a lot of water today, and it is a C25K day as well.  Hopefully that will help.

I am so tired today too.  I wish I had another weekend day to recover before going back to work.  I'm tempted to fabricate a doctor's appointment just to sleep in a little bit.  I'm sure I'll feel a bit better once I'm actually up and around.  Right now I would give anything to just close my eyes again and go back to sleep!