So the saga continues with the long bus and metro rides. I'm exhausted, and it's only Wednesday! I haven't been sleeping well lately, which I know is not going to help with my weight loss. The more stress I'm under, the more my body holds onto weight.
I'm getting used to the long trip, though. I'm making wise use of my time. In the morning on the bus, I put my makeup on and read a book. In the afternoon, I read a book or play Bubble Breaker on my cell phone. The time goes by pretty quick. The bad part is the lateness in which I get home. I'm thinking I might drive a couple of days a week and ride the bus on the other days, that way I'm not coming home late every night.
I didn't workout today, but I did have my 30 minutes of walk time between work and the metro. I also did 30 minutes of hula hoop tonight too.
Hubby is out of town this week. I'm out of town for 2 weeks starting Monday. And then he's out of town the last week of the month. Needless to say, we aren't going to see each other much this month. Yeah, more stress!
I hope everyone is doing great and staying motivated.
Okay, I know I'm way behind on blogging, but more on that later.
For starters, as you know, I was finally going to weigh myself on Friday. Well, I did and it wasn't pretty. I weigh 141.4 as of last Friday. UGH. After all my hard work last year, one 3-hour surgery has taken me back up to 141. Well, of course, it wasn't just the surgery, it was the fact that I couldn't really exercise after the surgery for a few months and haven't exactly been eating as carefully either.
I've had time to digest it now, and I'm ready to get serious and take care of this matter!! I have been working out regularly for a couple of weeks now and I plan to continue. My running is back up to about 3 miles at a time. And I WILL be ready for the Army 10-miler in October. I CAN DO THIS!
On to other things......I started over at my new office on Friday and things have been crazy ever since!!
I'm trying to find the cheapest, most convenient way to get to work, and so far nothing is good. As you know, last week I paid $17.00 to park for 3 hours.....
So I tried another option, which was drive to the metro, park, take the metro near my office building, and then a 15-minute walk to the building. Well, that took 2 hours to get to work. Yes, that's right, 2 hours!! Plus I had to pay $4.25 to park for the day and about $11.00 for the metro.
Hmm, there must be a better way, right? So I did some research and found that there is a bus near my house. So I drove to the bus stop yesterday, took the bus into DC, caught a shorter metro, and took the 15-minute walk. Well, that was only an hour and a half trip and cost me about $8.50 for the bus ride and $5.00 for the metro. (Oh, and did I mention the fact that I missed the bus in the evening and had to wait 10 more minutes for the next bus?) I left my house yesterday at 6:00 a.m. and got home last night at 7:20 p.m. About 3 and a half hours of that was traveling!!
So today I drove to work.... Another guy told me about a cheaper parking garage, so I decided to try that today because I had to come back to my old office for a little while anyway. He said it was $6.00 for the whole day, which is much more reasonable than $17.00!! So surprisingly traffic was light this morning and it only took me about 45 minutes to get to work. I got there around 7:00 a.m. and left around lunch and get this..... the guy did not charge me!! WHAT? Free parking for nearly 5 hours?? I didn't question it.....I was just so happy! I'm not sure why he didn't charge me, but I'll be using that garage a lot more.
So between the walking to and from work and the metro and my workouts, the weight better start coming off!!!
So I said I would weigh myself on 1 August, that's tomorrow. I'm really not looking forward to it.
Yesterday, I went to the gym after work. I did the following: 35 minutes on the eliptical; 28 minutes on the treadmill; and 37 minutes on the bike. I tell you having a TV on each of the machines sure gets me to workout longer!! It's hard to get off the machine during the middle of a show, so I usually just keep going until the show is over!
Later, at home, I also did 30 minutes with the weighted hula hoop, which is something I linked to in my last post. A couple of people said they can't hula hoop, but with the weighted hula hoop it is so much easier. Tatumsmom asked what my family thinks of me doing an hour on the hula hoop. Well, our family is very competitive, so we have challenges on who can go the longest, or do the most tricks, or use several hula hoops at once. If our family was on a reality TV show, we would be very entertaining!! We have two weighted hula hoops and two regular hula hoops. My youngest son, 7 years old, is the best at the tricks. He has a future in circus life! He can put them all four on at the same time and keep them going. He weighs nothing and can hold up 5 pounds of hula hoops!
Today is my last day at my current office. A couple of the girls are taking me to a Thai place for lunch. I already know that I'm not going to make good choices, but I'm going to skip my snacks today to compensate at least a little.....I haven't had Thai food in years. I can't wait!
If so, consider buying a weighted hula hoop. My mom bought a couple of them a while back and we have both lost an inch off our waists. We didn't buy the particular brand that I attached to the link, but it's very similar. It's so easy, you just hula hoop for about 10 minutes a day, which I always do while watching TV, and it's fun!
They have different sizes (weights) of hoops. We have a 2-pound and a 3-pound. We both prefer the 3-pound because it's easier to keep up on your waist without it falling down. I'm considering upgrading to a 5-pound hoop now that I'm adjusted to the 3-pound hoop. They also sell one that you can take apart and put into a carrying case, so I thought that would be perfect for how much I travel.
I will warn you, though, do NOT go overboard the first few times you use one or you WILL be bruised! Trust me on this one.
I'm moving offices from Washington DC to Crystal City. I stopped by there yesterday to see my new office. I parked in one of the parking garages for 3 hours and it was $17.00!! How crazy is that? I just wanted to see my new office and it cost me $17.00.
Looks like I'm going to be taking the metro every day versus driving. I start on Friday and need to figure out the metro schedule to get there on time. Plus, to top it off, the metro is still a 10 to 15 minute walk from my office building!! Arrrggggghhhhh!!!! Well, at least it's a no-excuses way of getting in some extra exercise every day.
There aren't many perks to changing offices, but my new office does have a window and the building has a gym in the basement, which is free for me! And I noticed several eating places within the building, one of which is a full salad bar. I love salad, but I'll just have to bring my own low-cal dressing!
Since I went over there and stayed a little later yesterday, I did NOT work out. Instead, I decided to get a manicure and pedicure. I really needed it. Not only because my nails were looking rough, but I needed the time to myself to relax and unwind.
So this will be a weekend update since I haven't blogged since Friday morning.
Friday after work I went to the gym again. I did NOT have the motivation to go, but as usual, once I got there I did great. I'll never understand why it's so hard to get there.... Anyway, OMG, I thought I might die. I did 1 hour on the treadmill. No big deal. But then I decided to use the stepmill. WOW. I haven't used a stepmill in over a year and I forgot how brutal this machine is. I was on it for 25 minutes (including 5 minutes for cool down) and I was sweating soooo bad. It was disgusting. I was dripping sweat onto the bottom of the machine and making little sweat pools. I know, gross, huh? Thank goodness there are no machines next to it! It took me several minutes to spray down the whole area and clean up. But I burned a lot of calories on that thing.
Saturday morning I decided to clean the house. Well, I didn't get the whole house cleaned because I got out my Dyson Animal vacuum and ended up vaccuming the floors, walls, and ceilings for 2 hours. I LOVE my Dyson Animal and tend to go a little overboard every time I get it out. It sucks up so much dirt that you have to wonder "Is my family really this messy?" So it's chores, exercise, and therapy all in one!! I get my vacuuming done; I burn calories; and I feel so good when my house is clean that it's like therapy.
We went to see Dark Knight on Saturday. It was really good.
Not much happened on Sunday and on Monday I was sick. I'm feeling better now, though.
Nutritionist Nancy Clark shares 10 tips all runners should know if they want to drop some pounds.
1. To lose 10 pounds of body fat a year, you need to eat 100 calories less per day. Cutting too many calories from your daily intake will sap your energy level and increase your hunger, making you more susceptible to splurging on high-calorie foods.
2. Don't skip breakfast. Eat within two hours of waking.
3. In fact, eat more breakfast than you think you should. Trade in some of your dinner calories for more calories at breakfast.
4. Don't allow yourself to get hungry. Eat at least every four hours, and split a meal in half to make sure you properly fuel up pre- and postru n. For example, eat part of your breakfast before your morning run (a banana) and the rest of your breakfast afterward (a bagel with peanut butter).
5. Eat at least three kinds of food each meal from these four categories: breads, cereals, and grains; fruits and vegetables; low-fat dairy and soy; and lean meats, fish, and nuts. Breads, cereals, and grains should be the foundation of each meal, with protein as an accompaniment.
6. Shoot for a gradual loss of body fat. You're more likely to put the weight back on (and more) if you drop weight too quickly.
7. Liquid calories add up fast and can lead to weight gain. Minimize the amount of sodas, juices, store-bought smoothies, sports drinks, coffee drinks, and alcohol you consume.
8. Eat closer to the earth, enjoying fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Minimize the amount of processed foods you eat; they tend to offer less fiber and are less satiating.
9. If you can't resist fast food, ask for nutritional information before you make your choices (or check in advance via restaurant Web sites). Avoid any menu items with the words "fried," "crispy," and "special sauce," which are guaranteed to be high calorie.
10. Remember that the calories in the energy bars, sports drinks, and gels you consume during a run add up, even though you're running. Consume them only as needed.
I saw this article in one of my favorite magazines, Runner's World, and thought I would post it here. These rules seem so simple, but why are they so HARD to follow and stick to?
I have always had a hard time eating a lot of breakfast. I am not a breakfast person. Plus, the thought of a small dinner just plain scares me!! I grew up in the South and dinner is always your biggest meal. For instance, last night for dinner I had a Boca burger, large salad with light dressing, and lima beans. Although the meal was fairly low in calories, I need a LOT of food on my plate for dinner or I feel cheated. For me, breakfast usually only consists of an english muffin. I need to work on this one!
I'm very good at not drinking my calories, though!! I NEVER drink anything that isn't diet. I usually only drink water, Crystal Light, or unsweetened tea. I like to EAT my calories and the thought of drinking my calories and having to eat less just doesn't appeal to me.
Okay, on to other things. I went to the gym again after work. I did 35 minutes on the eliptical and 50 minutes on the treadmill. For dinner, my mom made spaghetti (which I love) but I passed on it and had my Boca burger instead. All in all, yesterday was a good day!
My wonderful hubby doesn't sabotage me on purpose, but sometimes he convinces me to eat out even when I had no intentions! I know I should have self control and just say no, but it would suck to watch him eat takeout in front of me!!
Last night, I had perfect intentions of having a Boca burger for dinner with some vegetables. I went to the gym after work and did 35 minutes on the treadmill and 35 minutes on the bike, so I was feeling very disciplined.
On my way home, hubby called and said that the rest of the family was going on a boat ride and it was just the two of us. He said he didn't want to cook and what should we eat. I said I didn't know. Then he suggested he get Chipotle while I took my bath. Well, folks, I have a very soft spot for Chipotle, and I caved! I pigged out on a burrito bowl and chips/salsa. I was so disappointed, but it sure tasted awesome! Sigh.......
I should have just told hubby to eat his food at Chipotle while I took my bath and then I could have made my Boca burger later and ate by myself. He just made it sound so good, though!
So it's back to the gym again tonight to make up for all those Chipotle calories.....
Have you been looking for a cheaper way to buy low cal food and track your calories? Have people suggested Jenny Craig, but you just can't budget for it?
I am a huge fan of Jenny Craig because that's how I lost my weight, but it sure did get expensive. Well, if you can't afford Jenny Craig but still want to have pre-prepared food, track your food, and count your calories, please check out the Lean Cuisine website I found yesterday. I love it!! I used it to track all my food yesterday and it tracked my calories for me.
I would suggest you find a sale on Lean Cuisine, buy enough for a week, input your selections into the lunch and dinner portion of the "Meal Planner" on the website, then add in your milk, fruit, veggies, bread, and snacks into the planner until you reach the calorie level you want to be at for each day. And BAM, you have a cheaper way! It will even allow you to print a shopping list, if you choose to do your inputs first and then go to the grocery store.
So, as I said, I tracked my food and calories yesterday using the website. I ended up at around 1500 for the day. A little over where I want to be but my mom cooked dinner so it was hard to stay at 1200 calories. Oh well. But I did go to the gym again after work. I did 35 minutes on the eliptical and 35 minutes on the treadmill.
This time I watched Oprah at the gym....Dr. Oz was on talking about age and health. I love Dr. Oz! Did any of you read one of his books called "You on a Diet"? It's a great book!
I dragged myself to the gym after work last night. I had no motivation whatsoever, but I did great once I got there! Yeah, me!! I did 32 minutes on the treadmill and 35 minutes on the bike.
I love reality TV and the new reality show with Denise Richards was on, so the time flew by. It was kind of a stupid show, but I'm a sucker for reality TV. During the show, she was complaining about how fat she was because she was going to Hawaii with the girls, which made me more motivated because if she's fat, then I'm a cow!! Thanks, Denise, for getting my butt moving at the gym last night!!
Ladies, I haven't weighed myself in weeks. I'm so scared to step on that darned scale. Since my surgery in February, I've probably gained 10 pounds or so, and I'm so disappointed in myself. Although I wasn't allowed to run or bike for 4 months, I could have watched more closely what I ate and went for very long walks, but I didn't. I have an estimate of what I weigh, but I don't want to SEE the number.
I'm going to set a date of 1 August to weigh myself. In the meantime, I'm going to get serious about returning to the "fit" me and hopefully the number won't be as bad on 1 August. Wish me luck.........
Yeah, more stress!
After all my hard work last year, one 3-hour surgery has taken me back up to 141. Well, of course, it wasn't just the surgery, it was the fact that I couldn't really exercise after the surgery for a few months and haven't exactly been eating as carefully either. 
I left my house yesterday at 6:00 a.m. and got home last night at 7:20 p.m. About 3 and a half hours of that was traveling!!
We have two weighted hula hoops and two regular hula hoops. My youngest son, 7 years old, is the best at the tricks. He has a future in circus life! He can put them all four on at the same time and keep them going. He weighs nothing and can hold up 5 pounds of hula hoops!
But I burned a lot of calories on that thing. 
Sigh.......
Thanks, Denise, for getting my butt moving at the gym last night!!