Final Weigh-In Before the Holidays!

Ok, so I've been eating way too many Christmas cookies, but have otherwise been keeping my eating in check.  So what is your plan for actual holiday festivities??  We are headed to my in-laws for Christmas Eve, so I am going to be sure to bring a big veggie tray so I know there will be someting I can snack on without worry. 

For Christmas morning, I plan to make my special French Toast which my boys love.  I will have some too, but also am going to have a large fruit tray out to munch on so I don't go overboard with the French Toast.

Moderation is the key.  Don't deprive yourself - just exercise portion control and don't just allow yourself to 'graze'.  I'm also going to squeeze in a brisk walk or jog on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day just to keep my metabolism going. 

Merry Chrismas to all!

Weighing In Tomorrow...

...and it's not looking good.  This past weekend started the holiday baking and a cookie here, then a cookie there, then....well...you get the drift.  No exercise either b/c I have lingering congestion from this sinus infection.  I should be able to get some movement in tomorrow night, but for now I'm nervous as to what the scale may read in the AM. 

Checking-In and Recipe Sharing!

Just watched The Biggest Loser Finale - so glad Danny won - I really liked him.  That show always motivates me - I was hungry tonight but opted for a banana and a glass of water instead of a granola bar and a diet soda - same calories, but guess which one is better for you?!  Anyhow, I'm hanging in there with my weight.  I'm sporadically exercising, still not back into my groove yet, but hopefully I will be there soon.  I am not going to beat myself up over it - just going to try a few different approaches and see what sticks through the winter.  I'm temporarily sidetracked with a sinus  infection - I am so not a fan of being ill.  Ugh.  Hope everyone else is doing great.  I thought I would start to add a quick recipe idea to this blog every now and then.  Here is a super fast one from my sister, Kristen.  I named it : )

"Slow Cooker Chicken Salsa-lighto"
1 jar of your favorite salsa (I love peach mango)
3-4 chicken breasts, rinsed (ok if frozen)
1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
Wheat tortillas

Add a few spoons of salsa to bottom of slow cooker and arrange chicken breasts on top as evenly as possible.  Cover chicken with remainder of salsa.  Spread black beans on top (do not mix in).  Slow cook all day (6-8 hrs on low).  Once cooked, take two forks and shred chicken breasts.  Gently mix everything together.  Serve on warmed tortillas. 

This is fantastic tasting, healthy, and sooooo easy to make!!  Enjoy!

New Scale, New Motivation!

Ok, so I survived Thanksgiving without too much damage.  I didn't deprive myself, just exercised portion control and ate as many veggies as possible.  I also did a brisk walk/jog with my sister on Thanksgiving day to get my metabolism going before dinner.  I hope everyone else did well and had a blessed Thanksgiving.

I decided it was finally time to replace my 15+ year old bathroom scale.  I had heard great things about the Tanita scales because they also measure your body fat by sending a mild, harmles charge through your body (way more accurate than skin calipers, but of course not as good as a DEXA or hydrostatic scan).

So I bought a Tanita scale at Bed Bath and Beyond.  This is the one I ended up with Model BF-679W.  It measures weight, body fat and water.

I originally bought a more expensive model with more features (it also measured bone density and calculated your metabolic age), but it was complicated to use and slid around on my tile floor.  So I exchanged it for this one that was on clearance for $34! 

I was a bit nervous that I would weigh like 5 pounds more on the new scale, but was happy to see that my old scale was no more than a pound off.   I did all the readings for both myself and DH or the original more complicated scale, and we both got a big chuckle that my metabolic age was 14 and his was 31. So now I keep telling him this marriage is not legal!  I wouldn't put too much emphasis on that age thing though as far as accuracy goes - I totally don't feel 14!  LOL!

So this AM on my new scale, I weighed 119.4 and had 22.5% body fat and 53.5% water.  All within a healthy range for me.  I'm hopeful the fat percentage calculation keeps me on track to exercise.  My Nike+ Mini is getting mad that I'm not running more often (check her out by scrolling down and looking for her on the right hand column of this blog).

It's a Groove Thang.....

...and I currently don't have one!! 

I am a creature of habit - one of those people who orders the same thing in a restaurant every time - makes a list for everything and does best when sticking to a schedule.  But life doesn't always cooperate.  Just when I'm finally able to run again, daylight savings time hits and the weather changes, so my old routine of running outside when my 9 year old has evening soccer practice is history.  That was my 'thang' and it worked so well for 16+ weeks.  Now it is too dark to run in the park next to his practice field, and outdoor practices are coming to an end soon anyhow.

SOOOO - I'm in desperate need of new groove thang.  Anyone want to give me theirs???

Morning runs would be great, but I just can't seem to get myself going to run before work.  I can barely take a shower without first having a cup of coffee.  I have a great treadmill, but I get bored so quickly on it.  My runs seem so much longer on the treadmill than they do outdoors.  But evening outdoor runs are not an option for me - I won't run outside in the dark.   I sure hope I can get myself into a new groove before the holidays.  I baked a batch of peanut butter kiss cookies the other day 'for my boys' and I've been munching on them ever since - yikes!!

Holding Steady and Wearing Red!

Talk about holding steady - my weight has only fluctuated within a 3 pound range for the last several weeks, but I am most often at 120 - and have been on every weigh in day for the last several weeks!  Halloween was a disaster for me though - my boys were on fall break so I took 2 days off of work only to be surrounded by days of neverending candy.  I tried to keep in under control, but I have had a handful of days over the 2000 calorie mark, so I'm sure it will catch up with me soon if I don't get back on track!  So today I did just that - end of the day calorie total for me: 1355. Tomorrow I hope to do some walking/jogging.

Before I forget though, I wanted to do a quick update on the Nike+ Human Race 10k - I actually did it!! Here I was on 10/24, wearing RED - a total power color!

No, I didn't run the whole thing - only about 2 miles of it, but I walked the rest.  I was SO proud of myself for doing it - my hip hurt for the last 2-3 miles and I probably should have stopped because it put me back out of commission and I haven't even so much have walked since (hopefully that will change tomorrow).  The shirt I am wearing in the photo, I had won in a Nike+ challenge leading up to the 10k before my injury.  The day after the race, I bought myself a red long sleeve t-shirt to wear with jeans.  It feels good to wear red!!

The Fountain of Skinny - Could it be broccoli???

Ok, so it may not be the fountain of youth, but could it be something to help manage body weight?  Since beginning this journey, I have consistently eaten about a cup of broccoli per day (oftentimes more).  Raw broccoli with lunch, and sometimes steamed broccoli with dinner.  I haven't been able to run in weeks due to my hip injury, but I have been able to maintain my weight loss.  Could broccoli be the key?  I'm not sure, so I'm not taking any chances! 

No meetings today so I wore my jeans to work....my new jeans that I had to buy because my old jeans are falling off...my new size 2 jeans....ehhemm....did you see that...SIZE 2!  And this is no Talbots size 2, these are from The Gap - Boot Cut Size 2 jeans!  And yes, I can breathe!  Ok, so I know sizes have changed, and the new 2 is the old 4, yada yada, but I can't help feeling on cloud 9 that something I'm wearing is a size 2 - I don't think I've ever worn a 2 before...ever!

The hip is improving but not good enough for running yet.  Looks like I will be walking the Nike+ 10k on Saturday in two installments.  Hope everyone is doing great.  I'm sorry I haven't checked in in weeks - I'll try to get back to a weekly post going forward.

120!!! 120!!! 120!!!

Woo-Hoo!! 120 this am! I can't believe that I have lost 18 pounds!! What a great feeling. Journaling what you eat and exercising WORKS!!

These last 2 weeks have been tough from a running standpoint. Two weeks ago, I noticed that the muscles on the right side of my hip were hurting - not too bad - but enough to be annoying. I didn't think much of it, and then I had a busy week so I figured it was probably good to give everything a rest anyhow - but worried that I would get out of my routine.

So last Tuesday when I went to run, I purposfully ran in the opposite direction around the trail thinking that maybe the curve of the trail was irritating my hip. I ran through the pain and did just over 5 miles. I was feeling on top of the world, but the next day and for the rest of this past week, my hip was SORE. So I haven't run since then and have been using the heating pad and Motrin to help the pain. I made an appointment to see and Orthopaedic doctor tomorrow am, so I'll get the official word then.

For exercise, I have done my arm weights several times and my 8 Minute Abs video once. I adjusted my calorie intake to 1200 (I'm ususally around 1450) to account for the lack of running. So I was surprised that the scale was down 2 pounds this week. It may be a fluke so I won't panic if I'm up a bit next week, but for now now I'm enjoying it! Tonight, I plan on doing some walking and will see how that goes as far as my hip is concerned.

The Biggest Loser is on tonight, so that always helps in the motivation department too! Hope everyone is having a great week!!

Checking In

A few pics of me and the fam on my birthday last week - I turned 38 (did I just type that???)...

I weighed 122 on my birthday, and have stayed at that weight until today. Not bad for 5'5".

So, down another pound this week.

I can hardly believe it!

Life has been busy lately and I haven't had a chance to run as much as I would like. I was worried this would be the end of the line b/c I knew the day would come when life would get in the way of my running.

Trip out of town,

followed by family in town,

followed by birthday with pineapple upside down cake (my fav),

followed by school open house,

followed by being a bit under the weather, then just when I was feeling better the Mayweather/Marquez fight was on pay per view and we went to a party to watch (yes, I am a closet boxing fan).

BUT I adjusted my calorie intake when I could (and didn't panic when I couldn't). I just got back on track and my weight this am tells me I'm doing ok.

Tonight I ran over 5 miles, after not having run for a week.

I'm finally feeling like I am in control!!

Hope everyone had a great week!

Whirlwind!!!

Wow - I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post! I've had a lot going on lately - including a trip out of town which can be disaster for someone watching their weight.
BUT ;;;I'm here to tell you that a little planning goes a long way!
We had a long road trip, so I packed individual baggies of broccoli and carrots. I also popped some kettle corn and packed that as well. Didn't forget the apple-grape bites too.
Did you know Taco Bell has a new low fat menu? Well you do now.
I squeezed in a 4 mile run on Saturday morning (yes, I ran in the morning before coffee!), and did fairly well food wise for the trip. One stop at Ben & Jerry's but I 'treated' myself to their chocolate brownie frozen yogurt.
I was 124 the day we left, and 125 the morning after we got back. Since that time, I have bounced around between 124 and 122....did you see that...122!!! So far that hasn't stuck, but today I am happy at 123.
I've taken 4 days off of running, and I am feeling very lazy. Last Thursday's run was HARD and my knees and hips were sore - I hate when that happens. Tonight is Jack's soccer practice, so I hope to get a good long run in tonight without any discomfort.
Hope everyone else is doing great!

Join the Electric Highway!!!

I logged my longest run ever last night - 5.15 miles!! The extra motivation from my "on-the-scale" victory yesterday must have pushed me on. If anyone is looking for the magic weight-loss pill, let me tell you I have found it. It is RUNNING. Really, there is nothing else like it.

Nikeplus.com has been a huge motivator for me. I am signed up to run in the Human Race on October 24th. In the mean time, I am participating in a challenge from the Human Race Ambassadors. I am on Petey's Electric Highway team!! He lost 50 pounds by running. If you are interested in joining along, check out these links:

http://www.southernwoodshed.com/
and
http://www.nikeplus.com/
and
http://mrcrowder.com/post/173203399/10-reasons-you-should-join-the-electric-highway-run

Hope to see you there!!

123! I CAN'T BELIVE IT!!!

I was just working on maintaining my weight - sticking to exercise and eating healthy
and low
and
behold
the scale read 123 this am!!

I haven't been this weight since before I was pregnant with my first son!! Talk about motiviation - I am even more inspired on this health kick than ever.
I feel great.
My clothes are comfortable and look nice on me.
I am proud of myself.
I feel in control.

I am running 3-4 times a week, and logging about 3-4 miles each run. I had two running accomplishments to note this week -
(1) On Thursday I ran with someone for the first time. We ran 3 miles and I was dead tired at the end - it was a new trail and we were talking so it was much harder for me than normal but I was glad I did it.
(2) I ran very early on Saturday morning. I am a wanna-be morning runner (my runs are almost always in the evening). We had a very busy Saturday schedule: 2 soccer games; 2 birthday parties; my friends were coming over to crop in the evening and I needed to clean up and get ready for that. So the only time I could run was the am. I took Jack to his 8am soccer game (he had to be there at 7:30) and I did my 3.6 mile run during his warmups and the first part of the game. I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I did and was fine. It gave me hope that I may someday be a morning runner after all. The only downside was that in my morning groggy haze, I didn't push the start button on my Nike+ wristband hard enough and didn't notice until after I had run about .4 of a mile! Ahhh - if I'm going to run I want credit for it!!

I'm now officially addicted to Nike+ by the way!!

Just checking in..........

I'm still going to weigh in on Tuesdays to make sure I can keep my weight in check for a while. Still 126, so that is good!

I signed up for a challenge on nikeplus.com to run 15 miles in one week - which is a lot for me! I did it though - I logged over 16 miles and felt very proud of myself. Tonight I went running during my son's soccer practice and boy did the wind under my sails die down!! It was a tough run - harder than any recent run I can remember. I felt like my legs were two barrels of lead - it was hot and I was tired and almost gave up. But I hung in there!

I do not listen to music when I run - and tonight for some reason I was tuned into the pat...pat...pat of my feet hitting the pavement. I realized I could hear my feet hitting the ground. The pat...pat...pat turned into a slap...slap...slap. It was a sluggish, clumsey run, but a run nonetheless. I love when there is a spring in my step a soft push...push...push off the pavement. I tried to turn my slaps into pushes but it was hard! The pattern I seemed to repeat over and over: push...push..push...pat...pat...pat... slap...slap...slap! When I got to the slaps, I realized it was time to force myself back to the pushes. On and on I went until I was done. It was a long 3.6 miles!!!

Good Monday Morning and A New Read

Still holding at 126 and had a 'non-scale' victory this am. I put on one of my least favorite pairs of pants this morning that I haven't worn in a while b/c I always feel like my thighs look huge in them and they actually looked nice today! They are not the most flattering cut, but it doesn't matter now that I am down 12 pounds. It was a pleasant surprise for a Monday morning!

I finished Dr. H's book, and was searching the shelves of Barnes & Noble yesterday for a new read. As I've mentioned before, I like to read health and fitness books as I find they give me good information and motivation. [short aside here: One thing I have noticed is that the nutritional information is not always consistent even among reputable books, which just goes to show that there is probably a lot we still don't know, and there are a lot of funky extreme diets out there so you have to be careful with what you choose to read.] Anyhow, I picked up Chasing Life by Sanjay Gupta... CNN ran a documentary on this subject a while ago and I loved watching it. So when I saw the book, I knew I had to get it. I'm about 1/3 of the way through and many of the people he mentions in the book were featured in the documentary. The premis of the book is a world wide study they did of longevity. They visited places on earth where people lived the longest to try to draw some general conlusions for factors that lead to long life. Here are some of the factors I have read so far: a diet rich in fruits and vegetables; an active lifestyle; attitude and outlook on life; cultural views of the elderly. He starts off talking about advances in stem cell research in other countries, but once you get past the first chapter, there is a lot of good nutrition and fitness information.

If you recall my first post on this blog, the weight was only one of my concerns. I had noticed many physical changes in myself over the past year - cellulite in places where I never had it before, way more grey hair, differences in my skin texture and tone, feeling tired all the time, oh and yes, extra weight that wouldn't come off easily. I think I realized that I was aging and it literally scared me into this lifestyle change. The weight loss is only part of it for me. I want to live longer and live better so I can be around to see my children and grandchildren grow up (but not too soon!!).

It is a sad reality that our accepted lifestyle in the US is a very unhealthy one. Sanjay points out in the book that there are at least 20 developed countries that have longer life expectancy than the US. We are literally killing ouselves with overeating and underexercising. Let's face it - the generally accepted behavior is hard to go against. It is difficult to find healthy food on the run - french fries and ice cream are all around us. On a similar note, I make a point to send healthy lunches to school with my kids - but it is hard to respond when my 6 year old comes home and complains that Johnny (name changed for the example) gets Doritos in his lunch all the time, so he wants them too. I would explain over and over why I send fruits and veggies instead but he still thinks my lunches stink. Finally one day I said "Well Johnny's mother must not love him as much as I love you." So there. I don't even care if that gets repeated at school - if so then I hope Johnny goes home and asks his mom about that!!

GGGOOOAAALLL!!!!!!!!

Well it took 10 weeks, some more difficult than others, but I hung in there and officially reached my goal weight of 126 this morning!! That is a loss of 12 pounds. Woot-Woot! And I did it the right way - eating healthy (not starving myself) and exercising.

Who knew 10 weeks ago that I would be able to run 3+ miles on a regular basis now? My clothes fit better and I don't struggle doing a push up now. My husband says I look taller and he can tell my legs look thinner. I can feel all the muscles in my body now - usually because they are stiff in the mornings now (lol) but it is a 'good' stiff and at least now they are being used!

I re-read my original post this morning, and I have come a long way in 10 weeks. Check it out here: http://thegettinskinnyscrapper.blogspot.com/2009/06/blog-post.html
I can really tell a difference in looking at the original photo. I wish I would have taken measurements! But my original goals were to (1) lose 12 pounds (2) be able to run 5k comfortably and (3) gain muscle tone. I've accomplished all 3 of those and am just beside myself that I actually was able to set and accomplish these goals. I was so TIRED when I started, but now I have energy and feel great. Exercising truly does make a difference!

So now the challenge is to keep it off! I would like to lose another pound or two so that 126 is by 'heavy' weight. But for now, holding at 126 is the goal. I have also set some running goals for myself on the nikeplus.com site, so that will hopefully help keep me motivated on the exercise front.

Thanks for checking in with me today and if you get a chance, please leave a comment - it really helps keep me going [side note, a few of you have emailed me that you can't leave a comment without an error, apparently if you try again immediately after getting the error it will let you post - some glitch in blogger or something]. Have a great day!!