Resisting temptation

I've got 129 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sitting in my living room.   We picked them up on Sunday and, surprisingly, I haven't opened a box yet.   Normally, I might have gotten a box of Thin Mints, expecting to have just a "few."  Only to later realize that I'd eaten the entire package... and once you screw up by eating one package, what's the point in avoiding the other package??  You might as well eat the whole damn box!  

We'll see how long I can hold out.   I'd love to be able to make the entire month without having any...... ahh.. who the hell do I think I'm kidding?   I'd like to eat an entire box of each kind before the month is through!  LOL 

But.  I won't.  Even Girl Scout cookies aren't worth it.

A new perspective on 'those' jeans...

Thanks, everybody, for your support during my mini-meltdown on Friday.   I've been able to keep the overly-critical part of me (mostly) in check since July, but Friday it just took over.  Friday night and early Saturday morning, I really thought about what everybody had posted and I started to view those jeans more objectively.

First off, it was probaby 20-ish lbs. ago, not 30, that I could squeeze into them.  Second, they are "lower" rise jeans that are supposed to sit just below the waist, but I couldn't wear them like that.  Since I have that extra blubber around the midsection, I pulled the jeans up over it.  (I never tuck in my shirts, so they aren't obviously dorky looking pulled up too high.)  Now, though, they do sit just below my waist because I can't pull them up over the blubber - there's not enough to hold them up that high!  And.... in the rear, they are a loose, relaxed fit not tight or even "fitted." 

Yesterday, I wore those same jeans... (Hey, don't look me like that! I know some of you get more than 1 wear out of your jeans, too! )  I also wore a new sweater that's a smaller size than I have been wearing, and two people made comments about how much weight I have lost.  So, I guess it's noticeable, even in the same jeans!

Thanks, Hope, for reminding me that feelings are not facts. And thanks to everyone else for helping me to put it into perspective and letting me know that I'm not alone. 

On another note, my WI today was 215.  That puts me only 5 lbs. away from my original half-way mark!  Yay!!!!

Have you ever had one of those days....

.....when it feels like every bit of the weight you've lost was just water??   That's how I feel today, like I've lost 40 lbs. of water and not one ounce of fat.   It makes me just want to go stuff my face. 

I wasn't feeling this way when I woke up this morning.  There was just something about taking a shower, seeing myself naked, seeing the ever-present muffin-top (even naked), and then....... putting on the same pair of jeans I could fit into 30 pounds ago.   What the hell is that about, anyway?   Even if I SQUEEZED myself into them 30 lbs. ago... they should be baggy as all get out by now.   But, they aren't.

I think I may burn these jeans.... 

What was I thinking?

I was so focused on modifying my exercise, I didn't even THINK!   Yeah, right, Shannon, you're up blogging until after 11 PM and you want to get up early before work to do a loooonger workout?  Huh?!  lol

Needless to say, when the alarm went off at 4:45 AM, I did not get up.  In fact, since the alarm and subsequent thinking about whether or not was actually going to get up interrupted my sleep.... I stayed in bed longer than normal - until after 6! 

I did go to Jazzercise this afternoon and was having a really good time, so I pushed it a little harder than normal.  I burned 522 calories in 56 minutes, but only 35% of those were fat calories.   I would have done just as well with the fat burning if I had walked at a moderate pace for an hour.    Oh well.   At least, I have managed to create a good caloric deficit today.

Well, I'm off to read about more of you before I hit the hay.   Good night!

Off 'target'

I think I'm becoming obsessed with my food and exercise regimen . . . which may mean that OCD is rearing its ugly head, or it could mean that I'm going to end up being a health & fitness freak (which would not be a bad thing).   One thing is certain, though.  I've never put so much thought into what's going on with my body before.  I've never been a calorie counter before, and oddly enough, it doesn't bother me to do it.  I actually feel empowered when I know what's coming into and going out of my body.

After several days of exercising (Jazzercise & interval walking/jogging) and recording my heart rate and calories burned, I've realized that my heart rate is popping out of the "fat burning" target zone more often than I'd like.   While any exercise is better than no exercise and I'm expending a good number of calories, I want to see what happens if I throw in a couple of longer, but lower-intensity cardio workouts per week.  Supposedly, my body should use more fat as fuel during those workouts.

So, I started today.  I hopped on the treadmill and paid very close attention to my HRM.  Every time it started beeping to let me know I was out of my target range, I adjusted my speed and/or incline.   I didn't burn near as many calories as I have during other workouts, but a higher percentage of them were from FAT . . . which is what I want.  Tomorrow, I'll be getting up early to do it again.

Now, I know there's a bit of controversy around this topic.  There are plenty of people who say that at the end of the day, it's about the total number of calories burned, not necessarily the percentage of fat calories burned.  However, I can see some logic in doing lower-intensity cardio first thing in the morning before eating breakfast, so that your body is using stored fat as fuel rather than the carbs you've eaten throughout the day.

Tomorrow, I'll have to make a workout schedule for the rest of this month because I'll still be going to Jazzercise, doing strength training, as well as interval walking/jogging to build up my endurance for the 5K I've vowed to do.

Ugh...hopefully, focusing on my exercise goals will keep me distracted through February.   Folks......... Girl Scout Cookie sales (in Texas) are almost upon us.....January 19th - February 22nd.....and I'm the "Cookie Coordinator" for my daughter's troop this year, so I'll be surrounded by it / them for the whoooole month.   

Yay!

My first weigh-in for 2008 was a good one!   The scale read 216.8 this morning!  I checked it 3 times just to be sure and the last time, 216.6 popped up there. 

I'm really happy about that because I peeked at the scale yesterday and I was at 218.8, which wasn't bad considering that I had just spent 5.5 days at my parents' house with no JC food and no exercise to speak of.   But, my plan for yesterday was to get back into my normal routine and to drink lots of water to help counteract the water retention that I normally experience after traveling.   Looks like it paid off!   I am thrilled and hope that now that I'm back on plan, I'll be shedding more pounds soon!

As far as exercise goes, I didn't do too much yesterday since I was catching up on laundry, but I did hop on the treadmill for 15 minutes late last night just so that I could say that I did something.  Today will be a Jazzercise day.

I'd really love to go riding, but now that I'm back in Austin, I can barely step outside.   It's "cedar season" - the joyous time of year when Mountain Cedar trees (Ashe Juniper) are putting out their pollen.  When I first moved to Austin in 1994, I didn't have any reaction to the mountain cedar pollen . . . I was blissfully unaware.  Fast-forward 13.5 years and now I know.   For the past 2 or 3 years, I had noticed that I was becoming sensitive to this particular allergen, but it wasn't debilitating, just annoying.   This year, though, I'm having a bad time of it.  In part, I think because the trees are putting out more pollen than normal due to the heavy rains we had this summer, but also, I just think my body is more sensitive to it than ever.  Even opening the front door sends me into sneezing fits!   So, until February, I guess my treadmill and I will become more intimate with one another and my bike will be, quite literally, left out in the cold. 

Goals for 2008

1. Reach "half-way" - 210
2. Get to "Onederland" by March 21st  (I hope!)
3. Hit goal weight of 160 by December 31st

I don't know if I'll hit Onederland by March 21st, but I'm going to try.  There's a losing weight challenge on the JC boards and I'm going to do my best to get there.  I'll definitely hit 210 early in the year, though, so reaching 160 by December 31st is attainable.

As far as fitness goes, I'll be focusing on the following goals from my first list that I posted months and months ago:

1. Participate in a 5K run/walk  (even if I finish last)
2. 5K run/walk...  and do reasonably well (not last!)
3. 10K run... and finish
4. Participate in the Danskin Women's Triathlon... and finish (maybe, but the first 3 are "definites" for 2008)

So, there it is.  In black and white.  Again.   I will stay focused this spring and get more jogging in instead of always going to Jazzercise.   (I'll keep going there, but I need to be more balanced in the way I'm getting exercise.)

On another note, I think I've done pretty well while visiting my parents.  I have had a couple of Cokes that I wouldn't normally have had, but I don't think I've done anything that would drastically set me back.  I've tried to moderate portions and keep track of calories on most of the days I've been here.  So, we'll see what the damage is when I get home and can weigh myself on Saturday.

I hope everyone here is doing well & has gotten 2008 off to a good start!

Last Weigh-In for 2007

I tend to weigh myself every day, but today's WI will be the last for 2007 since tomorrow I'll be at my parents' home.   While I may peek at the number on their scale, I don't want to count that as an "official & reported" weigh-in since it will be a different scale, not to mention that I will have just finished a 4-hour drive.

Today's WI put me at 218 which brings me to 42 pounds lighter than I was when I started this blog.  It's also 46 lbs. less than my highest weight of . . .(264) in June 2007.  (Yes, I did whisper that number.)   Anyway, I am soo proud of myself!  I've been able to make some significant changes in my eating habits, my exercise regimen, and most importantly, I've found a real desire to do what's right for my body.  I'm not doing it for a specific event, a trip, or any person . . . other than myself!   Doing what's healthy makes me feel good physically, mentally, and emotionally and it's much longer lasting than the temporary happiness and "high" that my favorite donuts bring.     

For the first time, in a loooong time, I am completely optimistic about what a new year will bring.  I'm ready to tackle 2008!  It's going to be a GREAT year!

EP pals, I hope you all enjoy some fun & safe New Year's Eve celebrations tomorrow.   Have a happy & healthy 2008!!

Oh, yeah!

Ok, so I managed to get myself to the 8 AM Jazzercise class today so that I could get in some good exercise before my eye exam at 10:30.  I wore my HRM, of course, and found that today I burned 475 calories in 58 minutes.  WOO HOOOOO!  That is freakin' awesome . . . and even more awesome to know it!

I got it!

I knew my hubby would come through for me!  He got me the Polar Watch!  Now, it is pink, but he said it was the last one they had.  So, I'll just have to forgive him for the overly-girly color. 

Anyway, I've been playing with it for the past couple of days.  On Wednesday, I wore it for about 18 hours and it showed that I had burned 2200 calories, give or take a few.  I purposefully wore it for an extended period of time on a "no-exercise" day to get an estimate of how may calories I expend just sitting around or  doing routine daily activities.  I'll probably do that again in the near future to see if the results are similar.

Today,  I wore the HRM to Jazzercise.  I burned 455 calories in 52 minutes.  Yay!!!   I know this will sound dorky, but I can't wait to see what tomorrow's results will be.  (I like my new toy . . . uuhh . . . I mean, tool!)

On another Jazzercise note, I've been 5 times this week!  I went on the 22nd, the 23rd, the 24th (yes, on Christmas Eve!),  the 27th, and today!  The Christmas pounds I added from eating banana nut bread and chocolate, peppermint-flavored truffles will not be sticking around into the new year.

Ok, folks, I'm signing out so that I can check on all of you!  Have a great day!