2012: To resolve or not to resolve

That’s the question on most people’s minds right now right? 

First of all – how tired are you of reading about what people’s New Year Resolutions are?  I’m sure your blog feed is FULL of them all and you probably clicked “Mark All As Read” :-) 

At any rate, feel free to click “read” if you so desire.

I’m not completely sure if I want to set a baseline of resolutions for 2012.  I have no idea where this year is going to take me.  At the beginning of 2011 I knew I wanted to lose a few more pounds, start running, take & pass the PE… 

This year?  I have no idea what I am doing post-January.  Heck – I’m not even sure what January holds for me. 

I have seen around blog land some folks who do monthly goals.  I think for a while I am going to try this monthly goal thing.  (I will probably have to set a reminder on my phone so I don’t forget about setting my monthly goals… how sad is that?!)

January Goals

1. Jaw surgery. Get it done. Survive it. Keep eating enough calories when I am only able to consume liquids… so I don’t look like skeletore. Yeah, let’s get that done. :-)
2. Run the Greenville News 5k on January 21.  This depends on the un-scheduled surgery date that I am *patiently* waiting to be scheduled…
3. Finish 3 books.  Should be easy if I’m laid up on the couch, right? :-)

 

Anyone have any good suggestions for me?  What should my 2012 goals be?

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Sunday is a Run-Day

At least while I am out of town it is...  Sunday mornings are the only time that I have been able to say "Hey, I'm coming in to work late because I'm going for a long run."

The construction guys all think I'm "sleeping in" because I partied too much the night before... but they are staying in the same town I am staying in and I'm still not sure where these "parties" are happening on Saturday nights...

I am also slowly, but surely, trying to complete the 5K 101 training program.  I only started it in January.

Anyhow - there is a neighborhood behind my apartment complex and IT.IS.HILLY.  Wow, it's got some serious hills!  I have been running the "Run 8, Walk 2" sequence from the 5K 101 program. 

Today after running 8 minutes, I decided I felt pretty good (even with all of the hills) so I kept on trucking.  I did the "Run 12, Walk 3" sequence today.  It felt good and I repeated it 4 times for a total of an hour run.  Overall the run felt pretty good considering the amount of hills that I had to slowly ascend.  My legs were on fire!  There are a couple of just really long hills that kick my behind every time.  I need to improve my endurance for the "ups and downs" of the hills but I am getting better.

People have been asking me how far I have been running but I honestly didn't really know.  Today I decided to stick to a loop route and then map my run when I got back to the apartment.  I ended up running/walking a total of 5.25 miles today.  That is pretty awesome for me!  It was a little slow because it took me 70 minutes to do it all.  I walked for the last 10 minutes of the run.  So that ends up being just over a 13 minute/mile. 

Slow?  Yes.  But that's okay.  I'm not out there trying to win any races - I am just trying to be healthy!

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Ragged Around the Edges...

I'm pooped. And I feel quite "ragged around the edges".

I don't have anything excited planned for the weekend even though my never-ending to-do list says otherwise. There are things that have been hanging out on this list since before 2010 started. How embarrassing is that? Somewhat embarassing for me.

So what will my weekend entail? I'll give it to you on a list so that maybe I'll knock some of these old "2009" things off of the list.

• Finish wedding invitation order for Beth ...this sounds easy-peasy - but in reality will probably take up most of my weekend. Making screens and letting them cure/dry. Printing the invites, RSVPs, reception, direction, and accommodation cards with said screens. Letting them dry. Assembly required. And last, but not least, designing a monogram, creating a screen and printing itty bitty little squares for the pocketfold closure. I call this fun. You may call me crazy. :)
• Vacuum the house, mop the floors, and maybe seal the tile grout?
• Empty the dishwasher & clean up the kitchen ...yeah, I've got to put this on my "to-do" list because we've slacked off a little this week and I need to get this done ASAP. :)
• Sort old magazines and rip out useful articles. ...this is the project that I started in "2009" and just haven't finished yet. The pile has been sitting next to my bed saying "Please, finish this so you can put this ugly pile away!" So, hopefully this weekend the ugly pile will get put away.
• Shop for fabric for roman shade ...I keep thinking "Oh, I'll do that this weekend" and I keep putting it off. The reality of it is that I need to be doing it because I'm not going to find the fabric I want overnight. I mean, let's get real here.



So there you go, a few of the items on the list for this weekend. There are more - but they aren't nearly as interesting as mopping the floors or emptying the dishwasher. Actually, I'm saving them for another post...so you'll just have to wait and see!

What are you up to this weekend?

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Terrible, I say!

I've been quite the terrible blogger lately, haven't I? Shesh!

My workout partner, Susie, and I had an hour workout with our old trainer Elvis tonight. You remember Elvis, right? Whew! I am sore already so I don't even want to think about how bad it's going to be tomorrow (or even Friday!). For me the most burn and soreness is two days after a workout. We did strength training for an hour and then he had 35 minutes of cardio lined up for us. I think this is going to be a good workout overall - we just need to get used to it. Our last Monday/Wednesday workouts were cupcake compared to this one! But it's okay because I want to stay in shape!

I haven't done a very good job of recording and updating on my weight loss on the blog. It's been months... as a matter of fact, not since May 20. In reality there has been nothing to report. During the summer the food, the drinks, the friends, the family, the weather - it's my kick back time. I kept working out and trying to eat right - but I had weeks (yes, weeks!) where I splurged.

I am hoping to start doing the Wednesday Weigh-In posts again starting next week. I've got a couple of fall goals for myself!

(1) If I maintain 150 lb for 1 week I can have either a pumpkin doughnut OR a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. (And yes, I know I linked to the nutritional information. Haha! It keeps me in check!!)

(2) I am aiming to hit 145 by Halloween. Thanksgiving at the very latest. And I can totally do this!!

Otherwise, things are quiet and life is overall good. I could complain, but really things aren't so bad. I've got a few projects for people on the table which I will update about soon!

Sorry bloggy friends - I will try not to neglect you any longer!

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Weekend "To Do" List

I thought I'd share with all my blogger friends my long weekend's "To Do" list. On Tuesday, I'll try to update it with what actually got accomplished.

Friday

• go to the gym for weights & cardio
  
• remove stickers on Taurus back window
• wash & vacuum cars
• deadhead flowers
  
• finish Heidi's cards
• eat dinner with our neighbors

Saturday

• cut cardstock for favor card order
• print first layer of favor cards
• finish painting the "Welcome" sign
• research recycled papers for Beth's invites and save the dates
• work on art for 1/2 bath
  
• organize user manuals & paperwork upstairs
• watch football :)
  

Sunday

• put away miscellaneous items in the morning room corner
• clean windows
• dust all fan blades
• wipe down fridge
• finish inventory of the pantry
• start inventory of the freezer
• eat dinner with Beth and Bryan
  

Monday

• print the second layer for favor card order
• relax & finish the things that weren't finished.
  

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Wednesday Weigh-In

Just to preface - this post is going to be random.

Weigh In results:

Last week: 152.2 lb
This week: 152.4 lb

Pretty dang good considering what I ate over the weekend (and none of it is anything to write home about...ice cream, Texas straw hats, english muffins, more ice cream, tostitos and guacamole)

The running has been going well. On Monday I pushed myself as far as I could and did about 20 minutes of running. Ended at 2.5 miles at 30 minutes which is pretty good in my opinion for just having started a couple weeks ago. I had to start going to a new gym on Monday because the gym I was going to got shut down by a court order. Apparently they are $86,000 delinquent on their rent. Awesome. I guess my $11/month doesn't exactly help pay the bills. Especially since as much as I go, I am positive that I use way more than $11/month in electricity, water, etc. Oh well. I only have to go a couple more miles to get to the other gym and the locker rooms there are nicer - so that's always a plus.

In other weight loss news, I finally bit the bullet and bought some new pants. They day I never thought would come, has come. I can wear a size 10 in Express pants. That's insane because my first part of size 12 Express pants were a little on the tight side. I realized I needed new pants when I kept finding myself sitting down and feeling like I was swimming in my pants (standing up, my hips held them up and I felt quite comfortable in them). But I can't have my under-roos hanging out at work because my pants are just that much too big.

Also keep those ideas and/or questions coming for my 100th blog post!

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Today is a Good Day

I know, it's Monday. And Mondays are always tough because the weekends are soooooo relaxing.

Actually, the past two weekends I've been a masochist and I've wanted to go back to work so I could have someone to interact with. The silence in the house with the Mr. gone has been almost torture. (Almost, sometimes it was nice to sit on the couch with the TV off and relax).

I was slack this weekend and didn't mow the lawn - but two points in my defense: 1. it rained a lot this weekend and 2. I told the Mr. I'd do it tonight so it'll be okay.

And onto the topic of why today is going to be a good day. The Mr. has been on the road since April 30th. And by on the road, I mean he's been in El Paso starting up some turbines at a power plant, which is conveniently called "El Paso Power" if I remember correctly.

Ironically, I think he said they had to drive like 20 minutes to get mexican food - which seems a little bizarre considering they could throw a rock into Mexico from El Paso. Here, in SC, you can almost throw a rock and hit a mexican joint.

But, I digress. He's coming home today. Yay! He's on the plan now and will arrive here in G-Vegas around 2pm. He said he's going to go into work and make some more dinero (aka fill out his expense report). So I'll see him this evening when I get home from work.

I also went to the gym this morning for a run. The mental part of the running is what it getting me. I can be feeling fine, a little winded (but not terrible) and my brain thinks "Oh, you're tired. You've been running a while so you should walk." And then I do. But I don't need to. A little frustrating. So this morning I tried to push through it all by thinking "I'll run to 1.5 miles." And once I get there I'll think "I'll get to 15 minutes.", etc. So I did good this morning. I walked the last 10 minutes to cool down and made it a total of 2.5 miles in 32 minutes. That's a lot faster than I thought I could run. So my goal of running (and not walking at all) for a 5k is totally attainable. ...and my goal of losing these next 7 lb is totally attainable too. Rock on!

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Wednesday Weigh-In

Under the wire again... It was a busy day at work today! Going in about 8 different directions.

This morning when I stood on the scale, I rubbed my eyes and got off the scale. Got back on the scale. I did that three times. It was the same number every time.

Last week: 154.8 lb
This week: 152.2 lb

Huh? Really? I expected to be less than last week since last week I was bloated. But roughly 2.5lb less? I'll take it!

The 5k training (for the 5k that I have not signed up for yet) is going well. I have another jog in the morning. My hamstrings are really tight...so if you have any suggestions besides just stretching - let's hear it!

...there are more things going on in my life than just standing on a scale on Wednesdays. Some of them are "confidential" (work related...proposals and what not) and some of them I just haven't gotten around to posting. With Dauge being on the road the past few weeks and not getting back until Sunday life has been really quiet. My BFF isn't here - so I have been looking for any outlet to have a non-work related conversation. Some days that's hard. It's okay though. He'll be home soon!

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Wendesday Weigh In

Man, I'm coming in under the wire on this one!

This past week has been a pretty good week as far as cardio and food go. Overall I've been good. There were a few dinners that slide in there that I probably ate too much - but they were delicious!

Last week: 155.2 lb
This week: 154.8 lb

Woo! I'll take being down about a half pound. I've noticed that cutting out alcohol has made a pretty big difference. Having some wine once or twice a week is doing me more good than once or twice a night. :)

I have started to ease myself into running some. Beth has asked me a few times to run a 5k with her...so instead of saying "I dunno, maybe next time because I'm not ready for one." hopefully next time I can say "I'll try!" I'm not a fast runner by any means but I get there with some walking interspersed in there.

Tonight when I got home from the gym, I sort of got suckered into a spin class at the gym down the street from us. It's "Bring a Friend Week" at SportsClub... She just said she was going to ask me to go to a spin class and I told her I'd be up for anything if I were a member there. And how convenient - it's bring a friend week! haha. Oh well. I think it'll be fun and why not challenge myself, right? Nothing wrong with trying something new once in a while... I'll have to update on that next Wednesday!

...I have some other things I want to post too. I just haven't gotten around to uploading the pictures. This weekend should be a little more laid back so maybe I'll get some done then!

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Wednesday Weigh-In

...on Thursday.

But it's okay because I really did weigh myself yesterday. I just never had a chance to post about it. We'll make it snappy.

Last week: 154.6 lb
This week: 155.2 lb

And I'm okay with that because I did NO cardio last week. I got back on the treadmill on Monday after taking a full 7 day break (which I think I needed). But I'm back on the bandwagon.

I've found a class at the gym that's a real challenge to me. And I mean real challenge. I went to Elvis's Intense Body this morning at 6am. I'm not so sure intense is the right word. But if they called it "Brutal" or "Ridiculous" or "You'll probably want to puke about halfway though" I don't think anyone would come.

As intense as it was, I think I may go a few more times. It's a fast paced weight lifting/cardio workout. Very much in line with a weight loss workout - which is what I want to do, right? That workout (minus that sick to the stomach feeling I had) was 100 times better than a cup of coffee. I'm pumped about it right now. I might hate myself tomorrow or the next time I go. I couldn't keep up with the rest of the class - which was frustrating. But it was also my first time and apparently they are all regulars because they know each other and were chatting it up.

So here's to 6am workouts and showers at the gym. And here's to my new found motivation to not suck at that class.

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Weigh In Wednesday

This morning's weigh in went so well I decided to treat myself to a Grande Caramel Apple Spice at Starbuck's!

{Although now that I put those 380 calories into my Sparkpeople website - going out to lunch might've been a better reward... But what's done is done.}

Last week: 155.4 lb
This week: 154.6 lb

I'm pretty stoked because this is the first time in the "on-again-off-again" 2 years that I've been "watching what I eat" that I have seen a number below 155 lb. Not much below - but still - BELOW. Small victories, right? Things are going in the right direction and I need to just keep sticking to it and not get complacent with how I feel and look. I've still got some pounds to lose!

Short term goal? Lose another pound next week.

Long term goal? Get to 150 by the end of May.

Exercise goal? Get off my butt and go to the friggin' gym. I got lazy this week working long days and Dauge being gone. So I need to get moving!

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Weigh-In Wednesday

I'm sure all my followers have been waiting on the edge of their seats for my weigh in today. Right?! Right.

{I like to kid myself anyway}

Well, I did well last week and the first half of this week. A few slip ups over Easter weekend since we were visiting Dauge's parents.

{The mojitos were yummy and the angel food cake dessert was delicious.}

With that said here's the check in:
Last week: 157.8 lb
This week: 155.4 lb

I am down almost 2.5 lb. That is AWESOME! Next week I'd like to be down another 2 lb. That's my goal.

I'm glad to see that watching every.single.thing. I put in my mouth is paying off. It's not too difficult and I actually feel better.

I spent 20 minutes on the stair climber at the gym on Monday. As insane as it sounds - I'm looking forward to getting on it again tonight and doing another 20 minutes to work my booty!

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Weigh-In Wednesday

This week has been a good week. I've made serious, conscious efforts to do all of the following:

• Not drink so much (i.e. no wine/liquor/beer during the week. MAYBE one on the weekend. MAYBE)
• No more desserts until I get where I want to be
• Portions, portions, portions! No more seconds!
  
• Cut out mindless snacking - this one is hard, but I know it will get easier.

This is one of those weeks that I expected the scale to be up 2-3 pounds just from ol' mother nature. I closed my eyes when I got on the scale this morning, took a deep breath, and looked. I got back off and then got on again because I didn't believe it.

I was only up 0.2 lb from last week. Yay! And in the world of weight - that's pretty much no change from last week. Wow. So maybe next week the scale will be down? We'll see. I have to be good this weekend. We're going to visit Dauge's family down in Charleston for Easter and his parents like to make sure that we're well fed while we are there. So I'm going to have to keep a keen eye on what's getting put on my plate.

We made a pretty good pork tenderloin last night. The recipe came from Ellie Krieger who hosts "Healthy Appetite" on the Food Network. She's got some good recipes. Tomorrow night we're making Thai Halibut with Curry Sauce (or something like that). We need to eat halibut approximately once a week since we came home from Alaska with about 30 pounds of it! ...we've even given some away. It's insanity.

I'll let you know how it is. And I'll try to post the pork tenderloin recipe too.

Today? I'm pumping iron with Elvis. And getting in a good 30 minutes of cardio after that.

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Wednesday Weigh-In

Good news! I'm down 1 pound from last week. So overall I'm down 1.2 lb from the first weigh-in on 2/16.

My weight? 157.6 lb

Let's see what happens in the coming days. I've been tracking my food on Sparkpeople for a week now and doing pretty darn good staying within the ranges for the calories and other nutrients listed. This does help me think twice about adding creamer to my coffee or swinging into Chic-Fil-A for a chicken biscuit in the morning. (Although Chic-Fil-A chicken biscuits are pretty amazing...)

I'm working out with Elvis tonight and it's been 4 weeks since we last measured. I told him I'm not ready to measure again today. I don't think there will be any progress and it would probably discourage me - which is not what I'm looking for.

And last, but not least, I am NOT going to make excuses about why I should skip the kickboxing class on Thursday. I'm so there. (and I need to be there!)

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Weigh-In Wednesday

Ugh. Is it really Wednesday already?? That makes me sad.

Why? Because the scale wasn't friendly to me AGAIN.

What is the deal with this already? I started tracking my food this week, so I hope things get better. Otherwise its tempting to give up...but I don't want to give up. I want to be the skinny bitch in the kitch...

The only thing I can think of is that I had a rough weekend with food and now I'm paying for it. I was good on Monday and pretty good yesterday. I had one slip up that I knew was coming (dessert brought by some friends who came over for dinner). I knew they were bringing dessert and that I should leave some extra calories and fat for that...and I did! ...I know this doesn't happen overnight but I have been consciously working on myself since the beginning of December...4 months.

Pounds lost? 1 lb. 1 freaking pound. Just one.

Is that not frustrating? I mean W.T.F.? Throw me a bone and give me 2 pounds. Then at least I could say 1/2 a pound a month. I keep hanging out right at 157 pounds. I've lost inches. Or I did. I haven't lost any since my last measurement (I measured yesterday morning...still 42" hips. Ghetto booty.) People say 1 lb a week. I can only handle 1 pound every FOUR MONTHS!

I watch the Biggest Loser. They lose 4-10 pounds a week. Now granted they work out all.day.every.day. And I know those kind of results are not typical. Especially when I only do 30-60 minutes of cardio a day.

Should I do more cardio?
I drink a lot of water (48-72 oz/day).
I really don't know what to do. This isn't even a week where I would have expected my weight to be high.

I guess I can just keep on my futile road of weight loss and cross my fingers. It's just frustrating.

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Sparkpeople

I decided to start seriously tracking what I was eating again. I used Sparkpeople last year to help get my eating on track and I decided to go back to it again. I knew I had to be totally honest about everything also - which if this would have been me a year or two ago I may have conveniently ignored the cup of coffee with creamer that I had. Or even ignored my few bites of cantaloupe that I had after dinner last night.

Now? I realize that every.single.thing counts. And it's the little "lies" that keep me from getting where I want to go and the progress that I want to make. So yesterday I wrote down everything I ate...including the mayo that was on my sandwich and the protein shake I had. According to the website - doing 30 minutes of cardio everyday (Mon-Thurs) my caloric range should be 1230-1580. Yesterday, I can in right under at 1563 calories. Not too shabby since I decided on a whim to watch what I was eating.

I also would like to try to skip desserts and drinks for the next two months. Everyone keeps telling me that drinking wine is better than drinking a beer. I just put into Sparkpeople red wine and beer:

Red wine (3.5 fl oz) = 74 calories
Light Beer (12 fl oz) = 103 calories

Now, let's get real - who really pours a glass of wine to exactly 3.5 fl oz? Probably no one. (And these numbers may be off slightly...it came from Sparkpeople). So you're drinking the same amount of calories (if not more) than a light beer. If I have extra calories left over at the end of the day - then I will treat myself to a drink. If I don't, then I won't. I can't. I won't get anywhere and I'll just keep spinning my wheels.

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Weigh-In Wednesday

And here we are again...a week later. I am slack about posting between Wednesdays - and I will try to get better about it! I have a few things up my sleeve to post about.

But onto the real news...the weight. I did "okay" with my cardio this week. Elvis kicked my butt last week at our workout and hopefully will do the same again this week. I'm finding that I'm not as sore anymore the day or two after my workouts - which indicates that I am getting stronger and in better shape. So that is positive!

And since my weight this week fell back in line with my weight from two weeks ago - I'm calling last week an outlier. It was bogus, in my book. So I'm still doing well and I just need to get my cardio back up again.

Next weeks goal is to be at about 155...I think I can lose about a pound in a week without a problem. Wish me luck!

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Weigh-In Wednesday

A picture says a thousand words, right? This picture says a thousand words about my complete and utter frustration.

That last "dot" is for my weight this week. Up 3 pounds.

Now the first question is this: Did I really gain three pounds in a weeks time? I seriously doubt that.

Then that brings the second question: Did I really lose 1.6 pounds the week before? Maybe not.

So where does that leave me? So totally confused. Every single time I track my weight this happens. Down, then up, then down, then up. And I never really get where I want to go. I just fluctuate in the range between 155 and 160. Could my scale throw me a 154 one day? I'd appreciate it.

Perhaps I need to step up my workouts again. Or revisit my food.

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Weigh In

I haven't posted a weigh in for quite some time. I have decided to change my "weight in" day to Wednesday's for several reasons:

1. That's the day I work out with Elvis - so I get measured every 4 weeks or so
2. It's middle of the week...instead of immediately after the weekend. That can be discouraging sometimes.
3. Why not? :)

So here we are... based on my Progress Spreadsheet:
Starting Weight: 158.8 (on 2/18/08)
Last week: 158 lb
This week: 156.4 lb
Difference: -1.6 lb
Total Difference: -2.4 lb

Yay! And like I mentioned previously, Elvis weighs me about every 4 weeks or so. Mainly whenever I remind him... 4 weeks ago my hips were 44" around. Last night? 42.75". Yeah! That means I have lost a little over 3" around my hips since the beginning of December.

I am really, really pumped about that.

Apparently I'm doing something right. And with any luck I will feel comfortable in my own skin when bathing suit seasons is upon us!

My next short term goal is to get the ol' hips under 42". The long term (4-6 weeks) goals is to get to 41". I know it doesn't sound like much but it's difficult for me to lose around my hips...so I'm trying extra hard!

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101 in 1001?

I've tried making a 101 in 1001 in list several times... but they are always the most inopportune times. When I actually have time to think about it I can't write anything down! Driving...on the treadmill (and I tried writing here...but doesn't really work)...at the grocery store...

I am going to work on it though and I'm going to really try to do it. Don't know what 101 in 1001 is? Well, go here. You make a list of 101 in goals that you plan to accomplish in 1001 days. There have to be qualifiers too...you can just say "I'm going to cook more." It has to be "I'm going to cook a new recipe once a week." or something like that.

I intend to work on this...I have more free time than I think I do I just need to use it more wisely. :)

So look for that 101 in 1001 list coming soon!

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