I’m back!

No excuses for posting that last message, and then not posting EVER AGAIN. I’m going to try and do better going forward.

Things have been good. I’ve been dealing with some stuff lately (not the main reason I haven’t posted much in the past two months, but a big part of my lack of motivation to think about stuff) but in truth, I do better with my weight loss when I post regularly, so I’m going to try 🙂

My weight loss has been pretty good. I had a lot of stuff in May (Graduation, Mother’s day, bachelorette weekend), and still started the month at 209.4, and ended at 208.4 . Not the two pounds I wanted, but not bad for all those meals out 🙂

This month, my goals are similar. I’m going to try and avoid sweets for the month of June (dessert has become more habit than treat for me lately…), lose two pounds, and stick with carb/protien/fat ratio. I’m trying to stick with lower goals for the week (1670 calories, 40/30/30 ratios) and the weekends go up to 1800 calories, so I can relax a bit. I’m hoping to be able to come back and see some results 🙂

Workout Wise, I’m hoping to hit 12,500 calories. I’ve been trying to work out 5 days now, and hit lower calorie burns some of those days. This is the first week, but already it felt nice to be able to take yesterday off and not feel guilty, because I’ve already done something 3 times this week 🙂

I promise I’ll post more. Pinky swear.

Till next time, heres some pictures 🙂

Hot day, long walk=major calorie burn!

Little Sister Graduated!

4 mile run!

Bachelorette weekend! Cute house, soso weather, real good time 🙂

Happy Birthday Boyfriend! I made blondies so decadent you can only have one 🙂

 

Time Flies

When life gets crazy, right? I hadn’t forgotten you (really! I hadn’t!)  I had some family stuff come up that took priority over everything, (and it’s all ok now), and life’s just been busy. Plain and simple. I am proud to say though that I haven’t fallen off the wagon. Actually, quite the opposite:

-Even though I didn’t hit my workout goal for the month of April (or really keep track after mid month, things just got too crazy), I did work out, and last week upped my workouts to 5X a week every other week (for now, hopefully 5X a week all the time). I’ve been burning around 2400-3000 calories a week.

I’ve been focused on my calorie/fat/carb/protien consumption, and more importantly, even on indulgent days I try to not eat more than 2000 net calories. I read this online and it really reasonated with me. One thing with Weight Watchers was that I felt like it almost enabled bingey behavior, where you could leave all your weeklies for one night and just go nuts. My Fitness Pal, I can enjoy myself one night a week, but still keep within a reasonable limit.  It keeps me honest, and from feeling guilty.

With all this, I hit all my goals. I tracked everything, I worked out consistently (even when I could have fallen off and had the excuses. I took 4 days off, and then jumped back on, and got my workouts in when I could). I’ve focused on keeping my meals balanced, trying new things, and planning ahead. With all that:

April 2013:

Calories Burnt: 10,166

Starting Weight (April 1:) 211.4

Ending Weight (April 26): 209.4

Total Loss: 2 pounds

Amazing isn’t it? I’ve barely lost one pound all year with following weight watchers, and one month of calorie counting, and having a higher calorie goal, and I lose 2. I’m sold 🙂

May Goals:

1. Stick to my calorie goals/focusing on ratios

2. Work out 22 times/burn 11,500 calories

3. Try 1 different workout, and 3 different recipies

4. Cut down drinking to 1-2 times a week.

My babysitting people got married this past Sunday, and as a result they won’t need me for the next 3 weeks. And then the week after that is a bachelorette party. So not over drinking and picking my nights wisely will be my motive for the month.

Happy May!

Today

Today for me, was a day like any other. I was maybe a bit more tired than I normally was, dragging all day. I just wanted to get home, go for a run, make dinner and watch my Tv shows. I occupied my day flipping between working and following a friend of mine who was running the marathon.

Then, around 3pm I heard someone mention something about an explosion. I thought “hmm wonder where it was, probably somewhere random”

right? because when you hear news stories like that, it’s never places that you know.

It’s never three blocks from where your boyfriend works. It’s never where the majority of your city is currently stationed, hanging out enjoying the atmosphere that makes up marathon Monday.

I went into total panic mode when I heard from someone else in my office that it was down by Copley, and even more so when I looked on a map and saw how damn close it was to Matt’s office. I grabbed my phone and saw he had already called. Thankfully he was fine, felt nothing more than a rumble (like a truck going by), and I could let out that breath I’d been holding in.

Matt agreed with me that going home felt eerie. Like the city was completely quiet, no one was really saying anything, and the train had a truly pensive feel. I still went for my run, and went about things as normal. It was almost  a relief to get home, just to see my neighborhood still milling about like normal. It was a reminder that the world didn’t stop. Things are moving on , life moves on. I still went for my run and tried to just enjoy being outside, and taking in how pretty of an area it is that I run around. The sunset was spectacular tonight, and I was happy I could appreciate it.

Senseless violence is just that: senseless. It doesn’t make sense, and while it might seem like a lot of it happens, and people are awful, it’s important to pay attention to all the good that comes out of situations like this. People who step up, the first responders who were running towards the explosion to help people. The police who found the other bombs and took care of them, which surely prevented a lot of deaths.

It truly warmed my heart to see and hear how many people banded together to help one another today. It reminded me that even in the face of something terrible like this, the majority of people have good in their hearts. The people (person, they still don’t know) who did this deserve to burn in hell, in my opinion. But thankfully, for every one person who has the desire to kill and hurt others, there are countless others who will step up and perform good deeds.

We’ll see how this turns out, and whether it was one person, or a dozen people. Whether it was a political statement, the result of mental illness, a religious hate crime, or something completely different. No matter what, their nature is cruel, and they deserve whatever punishment they get. But I’m thankful to live in a world where in the face of adversary, the majority of people band together and help one another.

Making moves

1. Lose 2 pounds in April: Pretty much maintained this week, which I’m ok with.

2. Track Everything! I did well with this this week. What’s more, I’ve found its a lot easier to eat balanced when eating 1750-1800 calories. Today for example, I ate meals between 400-700 calories, and 2 snacks. And I burnt almost 900 calories at the gym (feeling like crap might I add. I always use feeling sick as an excuse to not work out, but today I pushed myself to the gym, and I’m glad I did. I feel better from it)

3. Burn 14,000 Calories in April

Off to a slow start, 2403/14,000, I didn’t work out Friday (my hip was bugging me, and I had awful shin splits), Saturday I was out all day, and Sunday I felt like crap. Hoping to still finish this week with 2 more workouts (tomorrow and thursday)

4. Focus on 50-30-20 ratio

That is 50% carb, 30% protein, and 20% fat. Already I’m at least really aware of my intake, and working to try and stick to that, especially in the next week.

So overall, I think so far I’ve been pretty on. My workout schedule has been skewed, but I’ve been diligent about tracking, and I really think that having those extra calories (working off 1800 vs 1600 or 1400) helps make a big difference, and might help make me more successful in my WLJ. We shall see, right?

 

 

 

March Review and April Goals

March Goals

1. Lose 2 pounds in March 

Start of March: 212.6

End of March: 211.4

So 1.2, could be better, could be worse.

2. Burn 10,000 Calories, work out 4X a week

If I did well with anything, it was getting back into a routine and really enjoying working out again. I ended up burning 13,000 and worked out four times every week except for the last one.

3. Cut drinking down to 2 nights a week, only one of those nights being more than 1-2 drinks

I did better with that, ultimately at the end of the month, I moved my weigh in day to Friday so that I would be less tempted to drink on Thursday. And it worked. I really wanted to drink on Thursday night (I didn’t work Friday), but I resisted, and seeing that pound lost was really worth it.

4. Go Low Carb

Eh I did ok with this, I was definitely more mindful. Matt and I decided that going forward we are going to focus on one meal no carb (meaning no rice, no potato, no pasta), and one no meat. I think this will be nice to have.

So not a bad month, but I do think I can focus more. As part of that, I’m doing this program at work that focuses on “Getting people healthy”, and you participate in a 10 week program that teaches you healthy living tips, diet, exercise, the whole 9 yards. Part of that they have you wear an accelerometer, and they focus on BMR, and eating at a deficit from that. Anyways, today they really focused on balance, and  it really jived with me. The idea of eating a balance diet, not trying to eat little, and just focusing on portions is really what I’ve always wanted, and I think using this program will be great. As a part of that, I’ve decided to go back to calorie counting, and focus on that for awhile, and achieving that balance of carbs-protien-fats. If after 10 weeks I don’t feel like its working still, I’ll go back to weight watchers, but I feel like I’m a lot more in control right now, and that this could be a good move for me.

Now onto April Goals!

1. Lose 2 pounds in April

2. Track Everything! In March, I noticed a lot of little nibbles and grabs, or a chocolate that I didn’t want to think about. I need to focus on pre-tracking and sticking to that, or tracking after the fact, at least

3. Burn 14,000 Calories in April

It’s a bit large, and I might not hit it, but I want to push myself, so there it is.

4. Focus on 50-30-20 ratio

That is 50% carb, 30% protein, and 20% fat. I’m really hoping that really focusing on this makes a difference.

Happy April, it was like 38 degrees out today. I really hope this warm weekend wasn’t a fluke!

I had a great day today, like truly one of my favorites in awhile. I woke up at a reasonable hour, saw I lost a pound (woo hoo!), and  did a quick circuit (super quick, mainly core focused), and then went for a walk. Well I planned to walk, but I got out there, my hip felt strong, and I decided to go for it and try running for the first time since October.

And, while now, almost 12 hours later my hip and thighs are super tight (because, you know, I haven’t run in almost 6 months), there’s none of that funky pain, which was exciting. Really exciting actually.

And then I went to lunch with Matt, to Flour where I had a curried tuna salad sandwich (which was fantastic) and headed over to the MFA for an afternoon of art. It was so lovely, and inspiring. I just took the afternoon to reflect and take it all in, which I hadn’t done in awhile, and deeply loved. I really hadn’t been to the MFA in years, so I took advantage of my work’s membership and spent my day off there 🙂

http://www.mfa.org/collections/object/boston-common-at-twilight-32415

It was truly fantastic. I even had a glass of wine and sat alone for 15-20 minutes, enjoying the malbec’s flavor, and getting revived before I took on the second half of the museum 🙂

And now, Matt and I are home, full of pizza, enjoying some nice bears while we watch Lincoln. My type of Friday 🙂

Some Stuff Thursday

• I’ve actually done well this week. I gained at my last weigh in (I can’t remember if I said that on here), which was disappointing since I’ve been working out like crazy the last two months and haven’t lost a damn thing. And been pretty good about eating. I could be better, but I still feel like my efforts are enough that it should get me somewhere, you know? Sigh. I’ll keep at it though
• Oh, so by “good this week” I mean that I’ve made plans and kept to them. This weekend I was careful not to over drink, since I was going out/ doing stuff 2 nights. Matt and I did a trivia night out on Tuesday, and I went in with a plan, and stuck to it. I only ate half my burger, and half my fries (even though it was SO GOOD), and had the drinks I preplanned.
• For this week, I have used all my weeklies, but none of my activity points, which I think is a positive thing, considering all the meals/drinks out I had. I’m pretty psyched at this.
• This is the first week in awhile that my hip has been a bit sore. I did a circuit/jillian michaels workout combo on Saturday, and I definitely used a lot of muscles I hadn’t used in awhile because I was painfully sore in my back hip on Sunday haha. I felt better by Monday, but ever since my Monday workout (which was a lot of cardio I’ll admit), my left thigh has been really tight, and my hip has been naggy. Not sore… just tight. So I just bought a foam roller, because honestly I think that was the main thing besides the stretches that really helped.
• I really want a glass of wine tonight haha .But I’m glad I moved my weigh ins to Friday (did I tell you guys that?), because I think drinking Thursday, Friday, and sometimes Saturday night  has been sabotaging me, a lot.
• Easter weekend should be quiet. Tomorrow is “Marie Day”. I have the day off work, so my general plan is to wake up early, go to the gym, meet Matt for lunch, and then go to the Museum of Fine Arts for an afternoon. I’m so excited 🙂 I’m not an artist, but I love and appreciate good art, and some of my favorite days have been spent at Art museums. The MFA, The National Gallery in London, the Tate/Tate Modern (I went to a lot of art museums in London haha). I really need a day to myself, to do something for myself. So I’m excited 🙂
• Other than that, not much else going on this weekend. Lots of family time, cleaning (hopefully), and hopefully relaxing. I’m hoping to get in one workout other than tomorrow. And to being careful with all the food and desserts on Sunday.

Happy (almost) Friday!

Temptation

So one of the reasons the past few weeks I’ve been doing so well is I’ve been avoiding super sugary stuff. Cutting out the chocolates, sugary drinks, and candy. And you know, when you cut out stuff like that, the magical thing is, after a few days, you don’t really crave it any more.

And then you have it once, and it’s all you can think of.

That was me on Monday. Sunday night, I indulged a little bit, and all day Monday, all I wanted was a damn chocolate bar. It’s amazing how quick the habit comes back.

Sigh. I resisted, for the most part, and today instead of continuing that streak, I had a big ol salad for lunch, and felt good about my efforts.

Unfortunately, this damn snow got in the way of me getting back on track work out wise. When Boston schools are closed, my gym turns back into the community center it really is, and is open limited hours so the kids have a place to go. which is great, but sucks because I can’t get to the gym between 9-6 pm.

Sigh. And I babysat last night, so workouts didn’t happen then either. I’m planning on getting up early tomorrow and getting the fourth in (I did get to the gym both days this weekend, although Saturday I felt nauseous and had to cut my cardio short. Sigh)

I’m also exhausted. I couldn’t fall asleep last night, and all day I’ve been dragging. so basically, not my best weekend, but not my worst either. Hoping to make up for it going forward 🙂 Night!

So Close!

March Goals

1. Lose 2 pounds in March 

Week ending March 14: -1.0 211.4. Super psyched, this was the first time I’ve had 2 losses in a row in a long time. And I honestly feel it was deserved. I drank 3 days, but focused on limiting myself, pretracked pretty much everything, and really pushed myself working outwise

2. Burn 10,000 Calories, work out 4X a week

At 7370 calories right now, including this morning’s workout. Also, awesome

3. Cut drinking down to 2 nights a week, only one of those nights being more than 1-2 drinks

Slightly failed at that, although I did focus on limiting myself, and didn’t get crazy any of the nights, which is good.

4. Go Low Carb

Eh, I focused on balanced meals, but didn’t do great with this, to be honest. Honestly, this has shown me how carb centric my meals are haha. I have been more conscious of my carb intake, and made some general cuts, which is positive.

So overall a pretty good week, and I’m hoping to make this continue. As I’ve said, this is the first time in a long time that I’ve felt on track, actually enjoyed going to the gym, and felt like I was actually making progress 🙂

My plan for this weekend is to do a lot of cleaning, take the GMATs (tomorrow), and relax a bit. Tomorrow night Matt and I are going to a fundraiser a friend of ours is having. She’s running the marathon, so we’re going to support her for a bit.

Friday- Lunch-UBurger (pretest)

Dinner- Penguin Pizza! (post test celebratory pizza)

Activity- rest day

Saturday

food-undecided

Activity- Gym (strength/cardio)

Sunday-Breakfast- Egg sandwich

Dinner- Corned beef and cabbage!

Activity- cardio

I’m aiming for five days this week. Lets go!

Waking up Yesterday

sucked big time (daylights savings time), but I won’t lie, I Loved walking home tonight. The air felt like spring, the snow was melting, and it was light outside. Its been way too long since it was bright outside on my walk home from work. It got me excited for Spring and Summer. I love the area I live in, for no other reason than its a 2 minute walk from a gorgeous pond, and an arboretum (maintained by Harvard), both of which are awesome for walking/running in nice weather.

Anyways, sadly we’re still in winter mode up here, for the time being anyways. Besides GMAT studying, my weekend was spent doing my taxes, dog sitting, and working out! I woke up early on Saturday, for no real reason, and hit the gym. It was crazy busy, but I used that to my advantage. I just kept on doing weights/mat work until a treadmill opened up, and then I ran into the cardio room and did my thing 🙂 I ended up having a great workout, and was really sore the next day. Like, hurt to sit the next day sore. I was nervous at first, because the pain was so close to my hip area, but then I realized, I’ve had these pains before, this is what working out feels like 🙂

This week is more of the same, I’m hoping to get my workouts in Monday (check), Tuesday, and Thursday, with a big one on Saturday.

My low carb stuff is going..ok. It’s hard where so many of my meals have been based around carbs for so long, so my main focus has been cutting back, and cutting it out of days that I don’t work out. Saturday, for instance, I opted for no roll with my salad for lunch, and dinner was salmon, veggies, and potato (I did work out). My real goal this week is Wednesday to focus on no carbs. Well see how this goes.

Here’s my schedule: