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Oh, You Got a Sandwich Goin'?Betsy's Fitness Blog With Special Blog Appearances by Amy and Lauren |
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July 03 I moved... Since it's kinda died over here, I'm blogging over at Blogspot now.... http://witnessthisfitness.blogspot.com/ It's gonna be great. I never liked spaces after it changed. And I'm sick of all the spam. So keep up with me there, please!!! :) June 28 Finishing StrongSix weeks ago, I blogged about how I started a walking challenge with my mama that was to last six weeks. I was tracking the miles walked and the other exercises I was doing. I took my "beginning" measurements and weight back on May 17th. I tracked my nutrition on sparkpeople and kept a little chart (on the clipboard of fun all Danny Tanner style) so I could actually SEE my workouts everyday (instead of having to hop on the internet.) Well today is the end of our challenge, and I'm ready to report my results. Drum roll please.....
I rocked it! I would have liked have lost a little more weight, but I'm proud that I lost, am at my lowest weight to date since we all started the MPMU, and am pretty impressed that I only had ONE bad week - when I was recovering from foot surgery and could barely walk. Here's how I did:
I walked a total of 87.54 miles over the six weeks.
I lost 3.4 pounds. Starting at 169.4, peaking at 171.4 (my bad week), and finishing at 166.0
I lost 12 inches all over! (My proudest accomplishment out of all of this)
-Lost 0.5" in my arms
-Lost 3.0" in my chest
-Lost 3.0" in my waist (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
-Lost 2.5" in my hips (again !!!!!)
-Lost 2.25" in my thighs
-Lost 0.75" in my calves
I'm beyond excited to have broken out of this plateau that I've been at for over a year. I am loving my workouts, enjoying the food (I haven't been depriving myself of ANYTHING!), and obviously have been tickled pink about the results.
I did great with the temptations this week too! Dinner with the girls was great. All of us have adopted the healthy lifestyle now, and we can't eat like we used to! That all you can eat sushi buffet was one plate we couldn't even finish! In the olden days, we would have had seconds and possibly thirds!! The chinese buffet lunch was again great! One plate each as compared to our three or four back in the day. I also noticed it wasn't as good as I remember. Maybe since I don't eat that stuff anymore it's lost it's luster. The eggrolls, fried rice, etc. just don't do anything for me anymore. The best temptation victory was the Taste of Chicago. Not only did I get to meet that awesomely amazing Michelle (yes, from spaces!), but I barely ate anything. I had a watermelon slice, a little bit of cheese/carmel popcorn, and peanut butter gelato. I will never give up peanut butter, chocolate, or ice cream. No way, no how. Michelle didn't have anything. How's that for ruling the battle of the bulge?! I forgot to mention that I made Lauren a bunch of chocolate/bacon desserts for her birthday. Peanut butter chocolate chip bacon cookies, brown sugar glazed bacon covered in chocolate and rolled in heath toffee, and an old Fannie May favorite - carmarsh: carmel, marshmallow, and chocolate. I've had little tastes throughout the week, but in small portions. Three days in a row of temptations and STILL a lost this week? Rock on!!!
I am going to make another six week chart and challenge myself again. I should think of something fun to shake it up or possibly just try and top my numbers from this past six week challenge.
I'm off to the movies now. I'm going to see The Hangover. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of this beautiful weekend!
Bets
xo
June 22 I'm back in the saddle again...Woo Hoo! I’m back on track. I kicked last week’s 4.6 pound gain to the curb and topped it for an even 5 pound loss. Success! I worked out almost everyday by mostly walking, riding my exercise bike, and strength training. My foot is healing nicely, although still a little too tender for a good run. My plan for the week is to continue with the rockstar eating, strength train at least three times, attend two yoga classes, and get in as much cardio as possible. It will be a challenge however, because I am busy and there are a lot of events with food where I need to stay in control. Thursday Amy and I are taking Lauren out for an all you can eat sushi dinner, Friday Lauren and I are hitting up our favorite Chinese restaurant’s lunch buffet, Saturday I was going to meet Michelle at the Taste of Chicago (Can’t WAIT to meet her! She is so inspiring!), followed by a party that night with lots of drinks and food, and then the movies on Sunday for a friend’s birthday – it’s one of those eat while you watch the show deals…yikes! I definitely need to make some plans and stick to them! It will be tough, but I’m determined to do it!
Have a great week! Betsy June 19 Yum, Yum, Cinnabon!Oh my goodness! I created a monster! While reading that Hollywood Diet Secrets book, they talk about how cinnamon helps you lose weight and that celebs put it in the coffee and cereal and everything. So, of course I've been putting it in my coffee every morning too. I usually have yogurt in the midmorning with some sunflower kernals or almonds/raisins. I got some Stoneyfield Farm organic french vanilla yogurt and was putting my sunflower kernals and raisins in there. The cinnamon was sitting right in my cubby too, so of course I poured that in there and WOW! It made my yogurt taste just like a cinnabon!!! With the french vanilla/cinnamon combo, it was pure heaven! The sunflower/raisins kinda made it funny, but today I made it with almonds and it was amazing.
Try it!! :)
Bets June 15 Blah!Wait, what? What a week. I was up 4.6 this morning. Boo! I was so pumped these past few weeks, but I guess the lack of workouts caught up with me. Oh..and probably the couple instances of ice cream indulgence. It’s my own fault. Needless to say, I wasn’t very happy this morning to see that much of a gain. I’m definitely working on it now and am telling myself to snap out of the “woe is me” thinking and get back to doing something. Yes, my feet are taking their sweet time to heal, but I know I can workout on the bike without problems. I need to refocus and do it!
I go back to the doctor again today for my feet checkup. They are feeling better, but still tender and sore. I was planning on taking a water aerobics class that starts tomorrow so hopefully that will jumpstart some light activity and get me going again. I also plan on getting back on the strength training wagon. When I was doing that consistently, I was seeing great results. I will just push through the foot pain if I have any. What doesn’t kill me will make me stronger.
Nothing else has really been going on. I found a new show on Lifetime that I love – Cook Yourself Thin. I watched a bunch of episodes on the On-Demand and it’s so good! They had a ton of great recipes that I definitely want to try and a cookbook that I think I’ll look for next time I’m at the library. Speaking of cooking, I tried two new recipes this weekend from the latest issue of Prevention magazine. One was a grilled turkey burger stuffed with spinach and BBQ sauce. YUM! The other was a Mexican grilled corn. It was basically just corn on the cob, but with a sauce of sour cream and Mexican seasonings. I thought it was pretty tasty and a nice alternative to butter/margarine. I also made a no-bake oatmeal/nut/peanut butter/chocolate cookie I found on a gluten-free blog. I “healthed” it up bit by using I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter sticks, fat free milk, and Better ‘n Butter (for the peanut butter). They were delicious!
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Bets June 08 Down, down baby! Down by the...Suga, suga, cocoa - whaaat! Yippie Skippy! I’m down two more pounds! Woot Woot! I’m sorta surprised because I only did strength training once this past week and a lot less cardio than I usually do. I made some great choices this weekend in the food department, so that is good news. I even indulged in Mexican food, but ordered half of what I usually would, split some things with my sister, and saved the rest. Wow, that makes me sound like I still ordered the entire menu. I just had a chicken taco and a chicken quesadilla. The quesadilla came with two, so I saved one and then split the other with my sister. Then I split it with her again the next day. I had a few chips and guacamole too.
My feet are healing sllllloooowly, which is still frustrating for me. I rode my exercise bike for about ten minutes on Saturday. I was able to position my feet on the pedals where they did not come in contact with my wounds. I should have rode more, but I just woke up from a little cat nap and said I’d do ten minutes and then get on later…although later never came. Whoops. I skipped the outdoor yoga that I was very much looking forward to. Originally I thought it would be easy-peasy, thinking of cat pose and downward dog. Then I realized that there are quite a few poses where you ground your feet into the floor for balance and stability. I can’t do that right now. Hopefully soon.
I went to the library because the Jillian Michaels DVD, Banish Fat Boost Metabolism, that I requested arrived. I obviously haven’t done it yet, but as soon as I do I’ll report back on how it was. I still love her 30 Day Shred and was in tears at her No More Trouble Zones. I also picked up some other DVDs to try out: a couple yoga ones, a weight loss hypnosis (it was kinda dumb), and the Dirty Dancing Workout! I was so excited to see that last one on the shelf. I had seen it at Borders and considered it, but it was never a (financially) good time for me. Now I can try it for freesies! Again, I’ll let you guys know how it goes. Good thing I have all of these bad boys for three weeks. I’m hoping to be back up to speed by then. While I was in the diet section (I swear those circulation clerks must thing I’m some diet junkie because I’m ALWAYS checking out the fitness DVDs and books. I can’t wait for the day when I’m in there checking them out and have a svelte little body and can be like “these sure did work!”) I found a really cute book called “The Little Black Book of Hollywood Diet Secrets.” It’s a quick read and has a ton of good information! I think I might actually purchase it so I can refer back to it often. They have recipes, tips, and a bunch of other resources. Good times.
That’s all I got. I really wish I wore my Reebok Easy Tones today because my dags are barkin’! It’s very rainy and wet in Chicago so I pulled out the trusted rain boots, but they don’t offer the cushion and support that my RETs do. Grrr…oh well. In the great words of Scarlett O’Hara, “Tomorrow is another day.”
And on that note, have a good day everyone! Betsy June 05 Benched :(Yesterday I went to my foot doctor again because my big bad surgery in November did NOTHING! I had those icky plantar's warts and after my million dollar laser surgery, they came right back - worse than before. I went in to complain/figure out what to do next and what does he do, but suggest that we "relaser them." LOL...um...I don't think so, buddy. So we went with option b - burning them off. Annnnd he didn't give me any time to freak out or prepare to take the next day off of work. He did it right then and there. Ouch! The numbing of my feet was the most painful part, although it WAS entertaining to see my feet smoking. Hopefully this will take care of it and I won't have to deal with this problem anymore. The worst part now (besides being in a little bit of pain) are the giant holes in each of my feet. I was ALL set to do my Bob's Strength and Sculpt workout last night and now I can't be on my feet. It was TERRIBLE! I never thought I'd be so upset that I couldn't exercise. Last night, about four hours after my little procedure, the feeling came back into my feet and legs and I was going nuts. I had restless leg syndrome and was shaking my legs in bed and doing bicycles - they were just itching to go for a run! I was practically in tears! I am PRAYING that they heal super quick and I can be running and working out times a hundred again.
I didn't have a great week eating wise and I haven't been walking or riding my bike as much, so I don't know what to expect on the scale come Monday. I will try my best to stay on the food wagon this weekend and try to do as much as I can in the exercise department. I was supposed to go to my first outdoor yoga class tomorrow, but I'm not sure if that will be possible. I'm going to try anyways. I love yoga and I know how to modify the moves enough. I've never had this instructor, so I don't know what poses she's gonna pull. Should be interesting.
OH! And really quick. This is kinda interesting, although I haven't had much time to completely check it out, but I thought Kristie, Dee, and Corey would be interested since they are all the walking/running machines lately. I'm not sure if anyone has heard of or checked out this site - www.beewellmiles.com - but you can log the miles you walk and run and they donate $0.15 to breast cancer research for each mile walked/ran. I signed up, but haven't explored the site yet. Why not move for a good cause?!
Have a great day, everyone!
Betsy June 01 Aww man... I was really hoping to report a loss this week.  Not so. I was up 0.6. I'm not sure if it was because I kinda splurged the day before or what. Either way, no excuses. Nose back to the grindstone. I'm not going to let it trip me up, because I am doing so awesome. I fell a little short on my miles walked this past week. I only got in 23.25 instead of the 25 that I hoped for. It still is a great increase from last week, so I'm not going to complain too much. I don't really have anything else to report. My goals for this week are to walk 26.2 (hey, why not a marathon?) and to reduce my weight by 2-3 pounds. I'm going to work super hard. I really want my 159 pound reward. It's some yoga goodies:  9 pounds away. I got this. Have a good week everyone, you can do this!! Betsy May 31 SHUT YOUR FACE!!! OK, I know many people use "rewards" for reaching their weight loss goals, so I thought it might help me as well. I saw something in the latest issue of Body and Soul magazine about losing weight, blah, blah, blah. Jillian Michaels surprisingly gave some tips on setting goals and said this: Set smart goals: Michaels uses a pyramid to help the time-strapped make goal-setting as effective as possible. Draw a pyramid on a piece of paper, and at the top, write down your ultimate goal in as much detail as possible -- total number of pounds to lose, yes, but also what the number will empower you to do (run a race, embark on a job search). For the next row, break that larger goal into monthly goals. From there, you can set weekly and daily goals. I made my little pyramid and created some awesome rewards for myself. At the top was a Wii. I've been wanting one for the longest time and now they are coming out with all these new awesome fitness games and look what I found today: http://www.biggestloserthegame.com/ !!!! I will DEFINITELY be working my ass off for that!! May 26 FINALLY, it has happened to me!!Finally! I FINALLY broke through that plateau. I don’t even know if I can really call it that considering I was stuck there for a little over a year! Yesterday was a very happy weigh-in indeed; down another 1.2 bringing me to my lowest weight since the start of this competition. I knew it was coming. I could feel it. Like I mentioned in my last blog, I felt like I was standing at the edge just waiting to jump it. I finally did. Woo Hoo! I had a really great week too. Between bike rides and walks around town to a plethora of DVDs (still lovin’ the Biggest Loser Strength and Sculpt workout) I worked out everyday – loving every minute. I was telling someone that I’m so mad at myself for not doing all of this earlier. Like why didn’t I ride my bike to work when I was in college? Why didn’t I start running and lifting years ago? I love this feeling and it’s troubling to think I could have been experiencing it years earlier. I wish when I was in high school all of this was as important to me as it is now. Sure I had fun then, but I bet I would have had more fun had I been more active. Oh well…what’s done is done.
I’m looking forward to another great week. Last week I tracked 16.25 miles walked, so my goal this week is to beat that and do 25. I already got in a 7 mile walk on Sunday and 4.3 yesterday so I’m right on track (no pun intended).
Have a great week everyone! Betsy May 19 Girl, you betta WORK!I can’t believe I’ve gone one month without a blog! Shame on me! I guess things have been slightly busy, or I just haven’t found anything worthwhile to write about. That’s stopping right now, because I definitely need the extra motivation and blogging always helps. I’ve been feeling REALLY, REALLY great lately, and I don’t want it to stop. I’ve been feeling good things coming and yesterday when I weighed in, I finally broke my plateau and made it back to my lowest weight since the start of this journey. I’m not letting up either. I’m going to keep pushing myself. As Corey recently posted, I can feel I’m on the brink of it. It’s like I’m standing at the end of the diving board and I’m soooo ready to jump – I can actually FEEL it! I think I’ve finally settled into the right mindset. Woo Hoo!
In running news, unfortunately I was unable to go to the Pig this year. Things became a big mess around the time it was scheduled and I couldn’t make the trip out. I was really upset because I was really pumped about it, but I guess there is always next year. Not to let all my training go to waste, I participated in a charity walk for Breast Cancer research on Mother’s Day with my mom. We did a 5K walk on a beautiful day and were still ready for more so we walked the additional four miles home from the event instead of taking the trolley. It was great!
Other fitness news: I went to the SELF magazine Workout in the Park this past weekend and saw Miss Jillian Michaels herself. UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL! Woooo!! I got some great pictures, and although I was unable to meet her, I’m fine settling in with her new book, Master Your Metabolism which is fantastic! She really shares a lot about her personal life and gives great diet advice. I highly recommend everyone read it! Also the event was partially sponsored by Reebok Easy Tone shoes. They had a tent set up where you could try on Easy Tone shoes. I’ve seen the ads in magazines, read a ton about them, and finally tried them on. Oh wow! It was like walking on air. I didn’t want to give them back!! I went out the next day and bought a pair and wear them everywhere. You can really feel it in your legs and butt!! Like the bottom of the shoe says, “Take the Gym with You”. Indeed I shall. High from our glorious mother’s day walk and still obsessed with my new shoes, my mom and I decided to beginning walking up to the farmer’s market on Sunday mornings. We started this past week and during that time we were feeling so great that we thought that we should walk more often. We developed a little fitness challenge that will last six weeks. Generically named, “Mom and Betsy’s 6-Week Walking Challenge” we are trying to walk (or run for me) as many miles in six weeks. I created a spreadsheet to log our miles. It also has our beginning stats and will have our finishing stats come June 28th. We’re both really excited, well maybe I am more so than her. She actually caught the last two episodes of the Biggest Loser with me and is now obsessed. She can’t stop talking about how great Helen and Tara look. Apparently Helen got her wish of inspiring all the 50 year old women out there, because my mom now talks about how we should do some of the exercises she’s seen on the show, especially the one with the weighted ball where the partners stand back to back and hand it back and forth to each other.
I also found out the park that hosts the Sunday farmer’s markets is having outdoor yoga this June and July on Saturday mornings! I’m so excited! I love yoga and I would love to do it outdoors and “be one with nature”. I am definitely looking forward to that. Millennium Park in downtown Chicago also has workouts in the park every Saturday morning from 7am – 11am. Hour long classes include Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, and Dance. One of my friends, and old Jazzercise buddy, and I are very excited and are looking forward to attending these. Not sure how many 7am classes, we’ll make, but still…
Speaking of yoga, I’m thrilled that it’s finally nice enough to ride my bike again! I plan on biking to yoga from here on out.
My eating has been great. A few indulgences here and there, but it’s ok. Everything in moderation, right? I’ve been working out religiously every day and have added Bob’s Strength and Sculpt back into my fitness DVD rotation and have been seeing excellent results. My arms are shrinking and my shoulders are appearing tinier these days. Some of my clothes are becoming too big for me. I went window shopping the other day and tried on a lot of pants and dresses and am in a solid 12. Not 12 jeans “with stretch”, the real deal. That’s always a good feeling.
I hope everyone else has had a great month. I will try to be back on here as much as possible. Bikini season, here we come!! April 14 Scale HoppingI was at the library on Saturday perusing the new book section and I came across Prevention’s Flat Belly Diet. I’ve been avoiding any “fad diet” books; because we all know they don’t work….buuuuuuut the idea of a flat belly was enticing! There were a couple copies, so I figured this must be a popular book if they had purchased several copies. I checked it out and started reading. So far I’m still in the introduction portion and not yet to the “meat” of the book, but last night I read one of the little sidebar sections that summarized a study about weighing daily verses weekly. Apparently a study was done that showed people who weighed themselves daily lost 12 pounds in 2 years, whereas people who weighed in weekly lost 6 pounds over 2 years. Interesting. I can see some method to the madness. It would possibly keep you in check if things start to go up and up. Like if you gained a pound one day and then one more the next and so on, you could quickly nip whatever you’re doing wrong in the bud before you get on for a weekly weigh-in and see you gained 5 pounds. I don’t know if I should try it or not since the body’s weight fluctuates so often. I was tempted though and weighed in this morning. Same as yesterday. Phew. I looked up the article today online to share: http://www.prevention.com/cda/article/does-weighing-every-day-keep-pounds-away/906e68f271903110VgnVCM10000013281eac____/weight.loss/weight.loss.coaches
Can’t wait for the show tonight! I’m going to bike through it for an hour and then for the second hour do some strength training and stretching. Does anyone else still workout during the show? Also, I love Bob’s daily challenges on Facebook. I haven’t done any yet, but I think I’m going to start. They don’t seem impossible – bring it!
Betsy April 13 Things that make ya go hmmm....Yikes. Weigh in today didn’t go as well as I planned. Up 1.2 which I know is a result of jellybeans, various chocolate goodies, lemon cake, and seconds at Easter dinner. I do like weighing in on Mondays because it keeps me in check for the weekend. Knowing I have to weigh-in Monday morning usually leads me to make better choices Fri/Sat/Sun because I don’t want to be disappointed. This week, not so much. I was excited last week to see the 160s again, and I thought I could at least maintain that because of all the running I’ve been doing. Hmm…well no more excuses. I’m back to the grindstone. I’m off to a good start! So far I had a great day nutrition-wise and if the rain lets up, I’m out for a run tonight. If not it looks like Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and a long ride on the exercise bike are in my future!
Hope everyone had a great Easter and didn’t go hog wild on the candy. Hang in there, summer is RIGHT away the corner…scary! Gotta look good in a swimsuit this year! Go!
Betsy April 12 Here comes Peter Cottontail...RUNNING down the bunny trail! Well I've just been plugging along since my last post. Last week was a weird week as far as workouts were concerned. I ran about three days and biked the other days. It's funny how I can't not go without a workout! On Tuesday while I was watching Biggest Loser, I was all spread out on the couch watching it on the big screen, but for the second hour I was just itching to watch it while riding the bike. I ran upstairs and rode the bike for the last 45 minutes of the show, watching it on a tiny, old tv. Haha! How I've been training is running a long distance one day and then running a mile or so the following day (or riding the bike). I've been kind of off schedule (hence, where the bike came in), but I switched it up a bit this weekend and headed out to a nice little track my little village (gotta love the suburbs!) has. It was really nice! They had three routes. Blue, Red, and Yellow. The blue route was 0.3 miles, the red 0.5 miles, and the yellow 0.8 miles. I got out there and ran the red route eight times for 4 miles. It was awesome! I could have kept on going, but I didn't want to overdo it. I haven't been timing myself, and I'm sure I'm pretty slow, but that's ok. I have the endurance to be able to run continuously. I'm finding the first mile the hardest. Getting my breathing and pace steady is difficult, but once I hit that, it's easy-peasy from there on out! I'm really looking forward to my upcoming runs this week and my yoga class to unwind! My weigh-in is tomorrow and I hope it's a good one. I ate pretty well this week, although today and a little bit yesterday I definitely indulged in Easter candy and treats. I'm not going to deny myself that.  I am feeling "narrower" as Dee says. I have to wear a belt with my jeans now (a belt that never used to fit before too!) and can slide them off without unbuttoning them. So if I keep this up, new pants are definitely in order! -Bets April 06 Beans, beans, they're good for your heart!And full of fiber and other good stuff too! As I mentioned in my last blog, I have been very focused on the running. The Pig is now less than a month away and I can’t pretend that I’m not nervous about it. I’ve never ran as far as my stretch is before, and I fear that I’ll let my team down. I cannot let myself do that! I marked my “At-A-Glance” calendar with a schedule and am sticking to it! I have been running in the cold, the wind, and tonight – the snow! My new mantra is “bring it!” I tell myself when I’m running, “You got this. You got this times a million. You got this more than you’ve ever gotten anything.” And just keep going. I think of all the people I don’t want to let down: my relay team, my family, my friends, and most importantly – myself. As hokey as all this sounds, it’s true. If I stop now I’m letting so many down besides myself. It’s so easy to make excuses to myself, but even harder making them to others. If I can’t perform, well then, I failed. And that’s not an option.
I am doing my best so I will be able to perform. One is being trying to lose weight. I know that’s why we’re all here and what we’re all striving for. But I’m looking at it harder and thinking that the lighter I am, the easier it will be to run. Duh, right? I am being diligent that I am not eating too many calories, since that is what has been killing me. I’ve been keeping track of my calories on SparkPeople and one of the features I like is the option of tracking other essential nutrients like sodium, iron, fiber, etc. I’ve been seeing that I am constantly low on calcium, fiber, and iron. Now I’ve been trying to reach those requirements as well as staying within fat, calories, and carbs. OMG! Seriously?! What a fun little game! I have been eating so well and am really seeing the effects, especially the fiber. My co-worker was recently diagnosed with diverticulitis and we talk about our diets constantly (mine being no gluten). She needs to fill up on fiber and I told her I’m trying to do the same. It’s hard! I always try to “out-fiber” her. I’ve switched to tossing beans in my salads instead of chicken or turkey and replacing a lot of meat in my meals with lots of beans and veggies. I can really feel the difference. Eating well helps me perform well later in my workouts. I eat more fruit and veggies instead of rice cakes and other low calorie/low fat foods. I’m finally seeing food as fuel and what it does to my body than the calorie count and fitting it in my budget.
I guess all of this is good news, since I lost 3 pounds this week. I’m tweaking my diet slightly, because I’ve been eating a lot more fruit than vegetables. I’m trying to reverse that and eat more veggies than fruit. We’ll see how that works when I weigh-in next Monday.
Have a good week everyone. See ya soon at the Pig!
Betsy March 23 SamesiesHaven't blogged in a bit. Things are going well. Much of the same...weight wise that is. I've kicked up my running, because the race is right around the corner! I've been running outside, and it's going great! I feel so alive and I love running outside so much more than on the treadmill.
This past week, I wasn't working out as much as I wanted to. I've been doing Jililan Michael's DVD and wanted to do that as many times as possible during the week. I've only been getting it in about once or twice a week. I've been running 3-4 times a week, which is at least something. I've really enjoyed my yoga classes too. I'm quite surprised at how flexible I've become in the short amount of time. Plus it feels soooo good stretching and unwinding.
I've been eating marvelously, and I did have some more indulgences than I should have this weekend, which made weigh-in this morning almost the same as last week. (Down 0.6) I am slightly disappointed because I am getting frustrated, but I know it's my own fault, and that if I got the eating thing on track I would be seeing the results. I'm working on that.
Other than that, nothing new. Just keepin' on...
Take care everyone!
Bets March 08 Very good week indeed!I am proud to report that I had a very good week! I haven't officially weighed in for a while, but I weighed in today for Terry's challenge and I'm happy that I didn't gain since my original weigh-in. I still have my work cut out for me, but I've stayed within my calories this week and worked out pretty well. I didn't get to do my 30 Day Shred DVD as much as I wanted to. Finding a free TV in my house is hard these days, but I rode the bike, walked a ton, had a REALLY rough yoga class (I was sore for 2 days!), and did my DVD once. The previous week I was doing it every other day. I even hit the gym during my work day, I considered it my P.E. class, and ran on the treadmill. I can't wait to get outside again and run. The weather here as been terrible though. Tons of rain and flooding.
 As far as my diet is concerned, I've completely eliminated pop (er...soda?) from my diet, as well as cut back on sugar a TON! I can really feel the difference! Now when I have something sweet (usually fruit) it's so sweet to me. I accidently bought the wrong yogurts (I've been getting the carb control kind with the low carbs/sugar), and when I took the first taste, I could feel the sugar stinging my down jaw. I'm even having my morning coffee without splenda or other sweetners these days. I'm tracking my nutrition again on sparkpeople which really helps put things into perspective. My portion control is definitely back on track. Even at our GNI the other night I snacked on popcorn and hummus with carrots.
I'm looking forward to another successful week and a loss. I can feel it!
Have a great week everyone!
Betsy March 01 oh my goodness, where have i been?!it's been so long since i've been on here, and i apologize for the lack of updates. as i mentioned previously, i moved back home and things have been crazy. i'm not going to lie, it was rough. the whole process of moving was both physically and emotionally draining. i've finally adjusted and settled in, about two weeks later. it's very different from what i am used to, but i'm getting back into a very good routine and am proud of myself for getting back on track. for about a month i wasn't working out at all. i would come home from work and pack/organize/throw stuff out. (i had a lot of stuff) i was eating well to make up for it, but i did have some junky food (one last times on several of the neighborhood restaurants). the first week at home was spent feeling sorry for myself, but then i woke up last last sunday and said "no more" i can't sit around being a pity party of one. it won't get me anywhere. in fact it made me feel worse. so i started working out again. hardcore. and it felt great.
 the day i moved in, my baby brother (well he's 13) came in to check out all my stuff. he's very into working out, so he was thrilled to see the exercise bike. he has a little elliptical that he works out on, but variety is the spice of life! more equipment = more fun! i have an excellent quick cardio routine that amy and i were doing at our apartment. when i first clipped it out of a fitness mag and taped it to the bike, we would tell each other how much it kicked our ass and how great of a workout it was. (it's basically just intervals, and interval training is AWESOME!) my little sister just told me tonight how she did "that little routine you taped to the bike" and how it's the perfect workout. i started out the week with jillian michael's new DVD "no more trouble zones" or whatever. it's on-demand on the cable thing, and omg...i was literally crying 37 minutes in. it's no joke. it's rough. and about an hour long. so that made me nice and sore, but did not defer me from keeping on. i've been doing my cardio routine everyday and every other day i add in Jillian's "30 Day Shred" workout. day 1 was kinda tough, but now i look forward to it! i've also gone back to my yoga class. but not my regular class. i'm going to the longer, more intense class. it's comparable to bob's weight loss yoga dvd, but without disgusting vicky and heba. oh..and i'm eating like a rockstar too.
so all in all, i got over my pathetic-ness and am back in action. i'm going to *try* and catch up on some blogs and be on here as much as i can. this week i'm planning on getting back on track with my running. i'll keep you posted on that...
have a good week everyone! miss you all!!!
bets
xoxoxoxox
February 02 What have I turned into?I'm signing up for the Women's Mini Triathlon this June in Naperville, IL.
...and to keep keep costs down, I think I might take a pass on the 10 mile Solider Field race...and I don't wan to burn myself out. BUUUUT, we'll see!
-Lauren January 30 Should I?Can I?...is more the question.
Since I'm already sweating about the 10k race this May for the Flying Pig...I'm a little weary about this: My roommate signed up for a 10 mile race in late May at Solider Field and extended the invitation my way. 10 miles? Really? I don't know!
I'm on the fence....so what are your thoughts? I don't know if I'm quite there yet, you know?
-Lauren
January 26 Lauren....Miss Sneezy if you're nasty!Can I stop sneezing? Please? I guess I should be thankful I'm on the mend considering last week's flu
 Wow, I haven't been that sick in years. I cried because I was so sick Wednesday night. I even called my mom at 12:30am. Sad. Soon I'll be back to 100% !!!So I obviously missed many workouts at the gym last week because I was basically glued to my bed due to said flu, but I hit the gym last night and I had the best workout ever! I beat my running record and ran 6.3 miles. I had to stop once for a few minute walk because my chest was tight since I've been sick and I needed to catch my breath and I had to stop another time real quick to take a poop. Hey I get the runners trots, but after and before the stops, I rocked it. I got in a good stretch afterwards and I don't feel so bad today. My back/arms hurt a little from using the weights, but that's cool. I know I'm using them properly and as they ay, "no pain, no gain!" But I don't wanna gain. You know what I mean ;-)
I weighed myself at my parents the other day since I don't own a scale and I'm too poor to even put gas in my car, and I went down another 3 lbs since the end of the year. Now I'm really needing more pants like I mentioned before. You'd think since I've been busting my ass at work, being so busy I can't even think straight half the time I'd get a raise or a bonus....nah. Still in the dirt poor boat, still needing new clothes. Awesome. I'm trying to figure out how I can buy groceries since I'm literally down to cans of black beans and potatoes and maybe a jar of peppers. Well if I mix them all together that'd be tasty! Well, looks like I'm going to have to apply for food stamps. It's really sad that I qualify for them having a full time job. How does THAT work?!
Life.
I hope everyone is well, and to my special loves, you've been amazing and helped me SOOOO much recently! Of course I am always here for you too.
 Hollah,
Lauren January 25 Hip Hop Hooray, Hooo, Heeey, Hoooo! What a difference a week makes. Seriously, yo. This day last week I got a bomb dropped on me, was crying my eyes on the following day, couldn't eat or sleep, and was a complete wreck. With the crazy love and support of my friends (and lots of the crazy awesome chicas on this site!!) I made it through. I finished off the week in a great mood and am ready to take on whatever comes my way next. This week was a rough one in that my eating was off and so was my exercise. I didn't make it to the gym and I actually quit Jazzercise (I'll explain that in a minute) so I was only left with my walking and I did hop on the bike for about 45 minutes one day. Not good. I also went out Friday and yesterday and drank a lot of alcohol and made some bad food choices. Let's see, Friday my good friend who is moving to Cleveland had a going away party and I had about 5 drinks and somehow ended up the night shoveling pizza fries in my face. Yesterday Lauren and I had a bridal shower and ate there and then went out to a bar afterwards (hey, if you had to go to a bridal shower, you would be hitting up the nearest bar afterwards too...those things are torture!) and had two dessert martinis and sandwiches with the fries and coleslaw. I worried that I would be up this week. Right before I hopped on this morning I told myself. 173.6, 173.6, 173.6. That would be one pound down from last week. I got on and looked down....F'n 173.6. Booya! I was SHOCKED and so happy! BUT, I'm not letting myself get too excited. It was a fluke week. I can't continue to make these same choices and expect the same results. So I have my battle plan for next week all set and am sticking to it. Hoping for another loss. I usually have a gain/loss/gain/loss/gain/loss pattern, but this year I want to just lose and be done with it! OK...my sad Jazzercise departure. I can't afford it anymore. I don't think I really touched on this in my last blog, but my life is going through a big change. As someone wrote in their blog, getting through this recession is tough! Both of my roommates lost their jobs, and I was unemployed for the entire summer. I'm barely making ends meet now and one of my roomies isn't making ANY ends meet. We decided to break the lease on our apartment and move. I'm moving back home with my folks and will pay down debt, save money, and hopefully bring up my credit score so someone will rent me my next apartment. Amy's moving in with her boyfriend while she continue to looks for a job. We're really sad about this, but know it's for the best. I can totally relate to Michelle's "reorganization and purge" fest, because I'm trying to do the same thing. We have over 1600 square feet jammed packed with mostly MY stuff. I will be going from THAT to a teeny, tiny bedroom. I'm not even bringing my bed. Just my futon and like a suitcase of clothes and my exercise bike. Ha! I'm renting a storage unit for all my boxes of junk and some furniture...which isn't a lot at this point. We've sold off a ton of stuff. It's kinda weird having a semi-empty apartment, but c'est la vie. I tell my friends this move is gonna be like the Biggest Loser. It's only going to be for a few months, and I'm going to be far from my friends. My parents house is going to be THE. BIGGEST. TEMPTATION. EVER! Seriously. I have a teenage brother who eats like an army, and my dad who loves his chips and beer. My mom's like a pound and doesn't cook terrible unhealthy, but she does buy all the "regular" stuff, not fat free dairy or "light" stuff like I do. I'm going to have to tell her to surrender the kitchen to me. She might actually like that. And I might be able to whip my family into better shape than they already are. (Read: I'm the ugly duckling of my family. The fatty amongst size 6 sisters and a size 4 mom) So we'll see how this goes. Since I'm far from friends I hope to spend a lot of time working out and training for my race. Wish me luck! Hope everyone has a great week! Bets January 21 HOLLAHHHHHHH!!!!Oh gosh. I've been away for a few days and I feel like I was gone forever! I've had an E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y ROUGH weekend/past coupla days that took a toll on me emotionally, mentally, and physically. Things are not in a very good place in my living situtation right now. As what's-her-face said in the Breakfast Club, "my home life in unsatisfying". I'm not going to go into it, but I was literally sick. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, my mind was all over the place, and I was just a mess. I feel a lot better now. Miss Dee gave me some EXCELLENT advice and I know I'm going to be able to handle anything that comes my way now.
The brightside to all of this? I weighed in Saturday and lost 3 pounds! Woot Woot! I'm hoping to continue the momentum and keep peelin' off those pounds. As I think I said earlier, I would like to be down 30 pounds by May so I can run that race easier (maybe faster too!)
Hope everyone has a great week. I'm going to try and catch up on blogs now. I only read a few, but it looks like everyone was rockin' out on the scale. Go us!!!
Bets January 13 Bob and Jillian on Larry King - Watch it now...If you missed Bob and Jillian on Larry King last night like me, here is the link...
Better AlreadyOn a more positive note from yesterday's blog, I'm doing better already! I was very proud of myself yesterday for doing my workout. The weather in Chicago is terrible. Blizzard warnings, weather advisories, etc. I skipped Jazzercise because I had to stay a little later at work, but I had planned on missing it anyways because of the "dangerous travel conditions". I didn't let missing my class ruin the day. I made a healthy dinner (My daily totals were at the low end of my total daily calories..woo!), rode the exercise bike for half an hour, and then finished off strong with Bob's Strength and Sculpt workout (the FIRST BL DVD...which I still hold near and dear to my heart). I love exercising at home, but sometimes it's difficult because I have roommates and they are in the living room watching TV too. I usually use that excuse, but last night I cleared out a little space in my bedroom and did my workout there. GO me! No more excuses!
This time of year is so miserable and cold that all I want to do is curl up in a million blankets and eat comfort food. Our apartment is FREEZING, so it's hard to get going, but it's well worth it in the end. Today I packed a bag to run at the gym right after work. Usually on Tuesdays I like to go home, watch the Biggest Loser, and then head back to work (it's only about a 10-15 minutes drive), but it's supposed to be -4 or something and I don't want to dig out the car and trek back to work in those conditions. Oh and there is also another scheduled blizzard from tonight/tomorrow. This way it will be out of the way and done!
Hope everyone has a great day. Be strong! Enjoy the show tonight!
Bets
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