Friday, September 30, 2011

Wow its a weird day...

So after my scale success yesterday - things got kinda rough. Food wasn't the best all day and when I got home from class, the hubby wanted to go out to dinner. I wanted to spend time with him (since I've barely seen him all week) so we went to Hot Tamales and had a fun time just hanging out. The food was good as always - but it didn't settle well with my tummy and it caused me to not sleep very well. Also, it was really cold in our house last night (we left the cooler on) and so that didn't help me get a restful sleep either.

This morning I woke up not feeling so great. Water weight made the scale jump again and I had ZERO appetite. I had planned on packing a lunch - but nothing sounded good at all. BLEAH! Just so I had something to eat, I grabbed 2 Clif bars on the way out the door - and forced myself to eat one around 630am just so I had something in my tummy but I just haven't had the appetite to even think about eating the other one.

I've been super thirsty all day - so I've been drinking lots of fluids. I had a sneezing fit earlier today that just totally messed up my sinuses - can't quite breathe, ears are all clogged up, nose is runny yet stuffed (like what happens after you've cried, ya know?) just feel YUCK!

I've had about 4 cherry lifesavers as well over the past few hours, but my appetite isn't coming back at all. I feel super tired and am looking forward to napping after work today. Being super tired also means I'm feeling super girly right now - fat, squishy, emotional, grumpy - just not good. I hate days like today - I just don't feel like myself.

Tonight the hubby and I are just gonna take it easy - we are gonna stay home, probably munch on grilled cheese sammiches & popcorn and watch a few movies on the Blu-Ray player. I've been so busy that just snuggling on our couch together sounds like the perfect way to spend the evening.

Given the way I currently feel - I don't think any workouts will happen today. I don't have any classes and so I think I'm going to take it easy today. Rest days are rare for me so I might just chill and try to get out of my "girly" funk.

I think that's about it for me right now - don't wanna blog too long for fear of becoming whiny - I hate reading whiny "woe is me" blogs and would hate to display the behaviors that annoy me so much. After work today, gonna swing by Sam's Club and pick up granola bars for the Zumbathon this weekend. Probably going to also stop at Barnes & Noble to see if I can find a journal. Considering how badly food impacted me last night - I think its really important to keep a log of how things are making me feel over the next 90 days. Granted, I'll still be using this online journal and Spark - but having a journal with me 24/7 will make it easier to track patterns over the day.

I hope I feel better after I get some sleep!! *fingers are crossed*

Happy Friday everyone!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Something is going right...

So the whole "intuitive eating" thing is starting to pay off...for the first time in WEEKS I saw something below 180 on the scale this morning! I saw a lovely 179.2lbs and I'm noticing my clothes are fitting looser as well which made me happy. I have been eating out almost every day, but I've been eating mindfully. I've been vegetarian almost all week and feeling pretty good. Sleep has been lacking, but that's getting better than it has been in a while. So I'm definitely happy with the progress my body is making!! Can't wait to see what happens in the next few weeks!!! Hopefully clothes will continue to feel looser :-D

Yesterday's crazy Wednesday was much better than the past ones. I walked/danced over 14,000 steps and burned over 3,000 calories (as I usually do) and my body is finally getting used to it after 4 weeks of the after school program. I was tired afterwards, but not wiped out like I was the first 2 weeks. I've been taking energy supplements that are amazing - they help curb my appetite a little, so I'm not eating everything in sight and up my energy levels so I can survive the crazy days.

Today is definitely going to be a little easier than Tuesday and Wednesday usually are - I only have 1 school to go to today and I'm getting out of work a little early to run some errands which will be nice. Hopefully I will be able to nap a little bit before going to the school.

Other than that, my last "official" weigh in for the next 90 days will be on Saturday. I want to go pick up a journal so I can document how I'm feeling when I'm not able to update my blogs online - I think that will be my mission for this weekend. Also this weekend, I have my normal Zumba class on Saturday, training clients both days and my Zumbathon on Sunday afternoon which will be super fun! I get to do 3 of my favorite songs, so I'm definitely excited!! Its completely sold out - which is great for the foundation we're taking donations for!! I'm super excited to be able to help out with this great cause! Hopefully someone will be taking pics!

Anyways, I think that's about it for me! I'm looking forward to an easy day and some restful time this weekend! I am going to start prepping a new circuit for Curves this weekend and hopefully roll it out in the next 2 weeks, so that's lots for me to work on as well. Lots to do - but lots of fun as well!!

Things are going in the right direction for sure! Hopefully it will continue to go that way!! Woot!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

The Great Unknown and Learning To Trust Myself Again

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.
~ H.P. LOVECRAFT

There's lots of fear surrounding that which is unknown, but also lots of wisdom that can be gained when fears are overcome. Sometimes, when trying to attain a dream, an underlying fear can cause you to never be able to attain a goal and never truly evolve into the person you are supposed to be. It isn't until you overcome that fear, and learn to trust yourself that you can embrace the life you deserve to live.

I very strongly believe that life is a journey more of mental strength than physical strength. Without the mental determination, none of the physical goals can ever be reached. There are things I've done in my life that I've never thought I could possibly do - that I was terrified about...buying my first house, changing careers and turning to the fitness industry, becoming a Zumba instructor and performing in front of hundreds of people (EEP!), taking on running a 5K race when I HATED running, choosing to leave gyms if my ethics are compromised and venture out on my own, taking on an entire after school program by myself for the whole school year

Sometimes decisions are easy - and they come as naturally as breathing...accepting a wedding proposal and getting married, refinancing the house so that its now "ours" and not just "mine", working hard and crazy schedules to make our lives the best they possibly can be.

With all of these decisions - terrifying or not - I trusted myself enough as a person to be strong enough to be the person that I needed to be - wife, teacher, trainer, responsible friend and so on. And all of those times I've trusted myself - the risks paid off

Now - somewhere in the middle lies my health dreams and goals. I have lots of things I want to accomplish, but every time I try, something goes haywire. I track all my food, every workout, measurements, photos - yet something always seems to fizzle out. For some reason, I'm finding myself taking the safe route - like I feel safer being slightly pudgy. I find myself saying things like "I'm already at a healthy enough size (size 6)", "I'm strong enough to get through all of my crazy schedule", etc...

I'm a control freak - this is a fact. If I can find a way to measure, track or record something, I will do it (which is how I got so good at managing money!). I would track every piece of food I ate, and every calorie I burned in a workout, maintain a calorie deficit worthy of fat loss - yet I still wasn't seeing the progress I want - weight stayed within the same 10lb range for almost a year now, measurements changed a little but nothing major.... Yet, when I think back to the days when I didn't track my calories - the weight loss just seemed to happen on its own. Perhaps there's more to this theory....

So what happened here....do I not trust myself enough to be able to reach my goals on my own? Why don't I trust myself enough to stop eating when I'm full? Why can't I trust myself to not mindlessly munch when I'm not hungry? Why can't I seem to trust myself enough to make better decisions for myself? Where did I go wrong?? Is being so neurotic about tracking everything truly sabotaging any progress I might make??

Then I realized something (going back to something I blogged about a few months ago) - perhaps this is the "Inner Fat Girl"'s true impact on my life. Maybe I've spent so long trying to supress her that I am no longer able to trust in my abilities as a healthy person. I have all the knowledge and tools I need - so why is it so hard for me to embrace it?? Maybe her true motive is to sabotage the healthy person living inside of me - regardless of how hard that healthy person works.

So what am I so afraid of??

Am I afraid to trust myself and then have that lead to failure?? What happens when I can't trust my own actions?? I think that's why I'm playing it safe - at least I know that's working for me and it doesn't involve much risk. Its almost like I'm scared of reaching my fitness goals and I'm talking myself out of it - of finally reaching and staying at a healthy weight, of pushing my muscular strength and finally seeing my abs, of being proud enough in my own skin to not worry or care what other people might think, of rockin' a bikini at a moment's notice and not worry about having to sit or stand a certain way so I don't feel "fat", of being that "trophy wife" for my husband (yeah okay - I know that's totally a vanity thing, but it would be cool!)

Venturing into the unknown and truly trusting my own abilities is a BIG step. I've done it in every other aspect of my life - marriage, homeownership, career, but why can't I seem to take risks and trust my gut when it comes to a healthy lifestyle??? Maybe because when I "let myself go" I gain weight so easily - but what if I didn't fully let myself go like I have in the past...what if I still ate healthy foods, work out regularly and trust my body's ability to tell me when it needs something???

Its natural to doubt your abilities until you prove yourself wrong. Its most common with me in workouts, "I don't think I can run that far..." "I don't think I can lift that much.." - but when you do it, that overwhelming feeling of bad-assery is just amazing. So what can I do to prove myself wrong and build trust in my abilities to adapt to a fully healthy lifestyle - consistent nutrition, healthy sleep patterns??? Everyone always says this is about a lifesyle change right??? How so I expect to go through my life not fully trusting my abilities as a person??? I don't want to have to track my food every day for the rest of my life, step on a scale to feel good about myself, be concerned about how one meal is going to impact my diet for the day. There's going to be lots of things in my future that are uncertain - how will I know that I'm strong enough to handle it???

I haven't tracked my food for over a week now - and you know what, the world hasn't stopped turning. I've actually stabalized my weight and its actually starting to come down - which is what spurred this whole thinking process. So what does this mean for my future?? After a few days of thinking about it - this is what I've come up with. The answer is simple - I need to learn to trust myself again. I need to learn to have enough faith in myself to know that I've made the correct changes to a healthy lifestyle already that I can continue it on my own, without having to weigh myself daily, track my food online or freak myself out over stupid little things.

So this is my plan - I've named it "The Great Unknown" and it will start on October 1st. I will weigh in, take measurements and photos that morning...but then after that - its all over for 90 days. I won't weigh myself daily, I will trust myself to eat what I need to handle my energy levels, I will learn to listen to my body and trust myself to be able to take care of myself.

I won't step on a scale (unless its at a doctors office & necessary) or measure myself until December 31st, 2011. I will have 3 months to kickstart my thinking, to learn to trust myself again and embrace this lifestyle I've chosen to lead. I will trust myself to get through the holidays without gaining weight and I will prepare myself to begin 2012 with a strong and healthy mindset. I will be keeping a journal (not sure if online or paper or a little of both) of HOW I feel, how certain foods make me feel, energy levels, sleep quality etc - so I can start learning how my body responds throughout this process.

This is the only body I'm ever going to get - if I can't learn to listen to what it needs and trust its abilities...no one will. I'm sorry this blog was so long - but it was just about getting all these feelings out into the world. In the 2 hours it took me to find all these words, I already feel lighter, empowered and stronger than I did before.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Okay...I feel better now...

I just strapped on my running shoes and hit the treadmill on my break at work. Knocked out a mile in 10:35 - not too shabby considering I haven't really ran in weeks (and with the exception of my shoes I'm not wearing workout gear!) I purposefully left my iPod on my desk and ran in silence (well with the exception of the huffing & puffing coming from the dude walking next to me) - but I was basically alone with my brain - which was amazingly active. I'm always astounded by the things that come up in my head when I run

The first quarter mile was tough, getting back into the rhythm of running. The second quarter mile was alright - slightly uncomfortable, but overall okay. Third quarter, I was on that "downhill stretch" and I started to get comfortable with my running stride and breathing again. And the last quarter mile, I found my stride, shut up my brain, picked up my speed and just ran. It felt fabulous!

Now if I only had the free time and energy to be able to do that every day...

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 121.96 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 18,145 Calories GONE

An Update From My World!

Hey everyone! I don't have too much time to post an official update but I wanted to let everyone know how things are going!

The Zumbatomic After School program is going amazingly well!!! I am having a blast, the kids love it and I'm definitely getting my workouts in!! Between 5 Zumbatomic classes a week, my Curves Zumba classes 3 days a week and my 40 hr/week 5am day job - I don't have much time for anything else! I'm averaging at least 500 calorie workouts 5 days a week (right now Friday and Sunday are the days I don't have any classes - so I'm lazy those days!)

I've noticed my body is adapting to the new level of exercise well. Wednesdays are consistently 3,100+ calorie burn days according to my Bugg (since I work 8 hours then teach 3 back to back classes) and it was easier this week than last week - so I'm seeing endurance improvements. Yesterday (with only 1 class) I burned 2,489 calories on my Bugg - so my burns are super high right now. Gotta love a fired up metabolism *grin*

While this is great - but I've also noticed a slight downside....I'm hungry ALL the time! haha! Its been tough to eat consistently healthy all the time and eat enough to maintain my energy levels. Eating vegan/vegetarian, its really tricky to eat THAT much food - have you ever seen 2,000-2,500 calories of fruits and veggies?!?!?!? That's a TON of food to eat!! OY!!!

So needless to say, I'm having some issues with this ravenous hunger. I'm finding that I'm eating out a lot (mostly because I'm too tired to cook) so water weight is hiding any weight loss that might be happening. I'm still sitting right around 180-182lbs, but I can't really complain too much since I'm feeling leaner than I was before - so I know something is working right. My body is now capable of sustaining 3,000+ calorie burn days on a regular basis! I gotta be proud of that!

Also, because my world is being consumed by my Zumba classes, I'm starting to notice that I'm getting antsy. I need to do something for myself to help keep myself sane. The easy solution for this is to run - but my body can't quite handle that on Zumbatomic/Zumba days just yet and I can't run the risk of injury. I haven't ran anything longer than a mile in weeks and its starting to get to me. Even though its a rest day - I might strap on my shoes and just run a little bit today and/or Sunday. I've gotta maintain some sense of sanity during this crazy time! Part of me just wants to run and run and run until I can't run anymore - something about that total exhaustion sounds amazing to me right about now (yes - I am a glutton for punishment!)

I think that's about it! Hubby and I had a great date night last weekend!! I took pics, but forgot them at home - so I'm sorry they're not here to post!! We got to go to the Melting Pot (YUM!) and have a complimentary 4 course meal!! Cheese, salads, seafood/steak and chocolate fondue AND 3 glasses of wine for me (woot!) - it was super yummy!!! And our anniversary trip is coming up soon, so I'm super excited about that too! It will be nice to get out of town for a few days!! I seriously can't believe its been almost 2 years since we got married!! Time sure flies!!

Anyways, that's about it for me!! We don't have any plans for tonight - which is super nice! Gonna relax and watch some stuff on the DVR that's been waiting for me all week! Looking forward to a little downtime this weekend (hopefully!)

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Hiya everyone!

Hey there! I hope everyone is doing well!! I haven't updated this thing in a while, so I figure an update is necessary - even if its brief.

The after school program is definitely keeping me busy - but its going really well! Its taking a lot out of me to get through Wednesdays (on average 3,000 cal burn days according to my Bugg) and I'm sleeping a lot more than I am used to - but that's to be expected when I'm working as much as I am.

The Curves location I'm teaching at is a totally different story - the owner decided to not renew their franchise (which expires in October) and the location is currently up for sale. My students asked me if I would buy the location, but (after much discussion) the hubby and I decided against it. We have lots of plans for the next year or so - and taking on a struggling business isn't really one of them. If we were at any other point in our lives, we would have probably been willing to take the risk - but we just can't do it right now. SO - needless to say, if the location doesn't get sold by October, those classes will be ending for me in November.

BUT - in other news, I was offered a job teaching at another Curves location in town once a week, so that will help make up for some of what I might lose when the other classes end.

I've been struggling with nutrition due to my overall lack of energy. Eating happens when I can and I honestly haven't had a lot of "good" days in the past week. Weight has been maintaining though - on average between 180-183lbs depending on sodium intake. I've been struggling with excess hunger due to being so tired and find myself justifying poor nutrition to give me quick energy when I need it to get through the day. I haven't been tracking my food because I'm trying to teach myself intuitive eating patterns and I think its slowly starting to work. Food has been almost 100% vegetarian and that is helping me feel better too

Last night, the hubby, a friend and I went to Zio's for dinner and I had my usual pasta, soup and a few pieces of bread. We all shared an appetizer (which I had about 1/3 of), I ate 4 pieces of bread, half my soup and only about 6 bites of my pasta before I was full. I didn't force myself to eat anymore, felt reasonably full after dinner and brought the rest home for lunch today.

However, around 10pm last night my tummy felt AWFUL! I couldn't get comfortable in bed due to tummy pains, had hot/cold flashes, was constantly nauseous and desperately wanted to purge just so I could feel better (even though I didn't). I was waking up at multiple points in the night (about every 45 mins-hour) and feel totally wiped out today which isn't good since its a crazy Wednesday with work and my 3 classes. Needless to say, the leftovers will NOT be eaten today...UGH! I don't want to take the risk of feeling yuck again in case it was the pasta that messed with me.

I've barely had an appetite and have only eaten because I've forced myself too. I know that today is a 3,000 cal burn day and I need fuel to keep me going. I've managed to eat a Clif Bar and a plain cheese quesadilla from the cafe at work - which made me feel woozy, but the calories are helping clear my head. At least I'm keeping that down at the moment. Now I'm just sipping water and Diet Dr Pepper and I'll probably avoid food for a while. I don't want to get sick right now...no bueno! All I want to do is nap - but that won't happen until after classes today - which means I'll probably go home and just pass out until work tomorrow morning.

Okay - I think that's about it for me. Lots going on, and hopefully the next few weeks will go quickly! I'm excited about our anniversary trip and can't wait to get out of town!! OH - and I need to feel better....ASAP....

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Feelin' Good

Hey there! I hope things are good with everyone! Things are finally calming down and getting back to normal for me - which is awesome! I was able to run today for the first time in almost 2 weeks and it felt incredible! I didn't push it too fast and only ran 1 mile at an 11 min mile pace - but it still felt fabulous to get moving again.

Last night was my normal Zumba class at Curves - and we received some bad news. The owner of the location has decided to not renew the franchise when it expires on October 1st. So our location is currently up for sale, and if its not purchased by Halloween - our site will be closing! So sad!! I actually had a lot of my students asking me if I'd consider buying the location - and the hubby and I agreed that if it were ANY other time, we'd probably consider it. However, right now we are focusing on getting out of debt completely and don't really want to take on any more financial challenges or risks right now. Anyways, so if no one buys the location - my Curves classes will be gone at the end of October and it makes me super sad - I love all my ladies there!

In other news, yesterday I kept things 100% vegetarian and I'm already feeling SO much better. Would have been 100% vegan, but ate some leftover macaroni and cheese around lunch time that was super yummy. Weight dropped down to 180.2 this morning and today I'm staying 100% vegan and already feeling great today as well - definitely more alert than I have been. Made myself take a nice 2 hour nap before my Curves class last night (to help catch up on sleep) and got a good amount of sleep last night as well. I am starting to feel more rested and recovered from all the crazy of this weekend.

EDIT: Oh - and today begins day 2 of "eating by feel" - I haven't been counting calories and we're going to see how this works. The last time I actually made any decent weight loss progress in my life - I didn't count calories. So I think there's something to be said for trusting your body to tell you when its hungry and when its not - instead of forcing yourself to eat and messing things up. This seems to work really well for me when I'm vegan - since its tricky to eat over maintenance calories when I'm not being an omnivore or a "dirty vegan" - which helps with the hunger and weight loss/maintenance. I'm going to see how this goes for about a week or so and determine if its working for me (or if I should start counting again!)

This weekend (Sunday) was supposed to be my first 5K race of the year. However, we have a friend's wedding reception on the 17th and are still feeling fatigued from the past few weeks - so we have decided to not enter it this year. We would rather continue to improve and run individual races in October than try to push ourselves too hard to get to a 7am gun time the day after our friend's wedding reception.

In other news - one of our most favorite restaurants in town is moving locations, and has invited us in for a complimentary dinner on Friday night so that they can "get accustomed" to the new location! WOW! We are so excited! What a fun experience! I need to call today and confirm our reservations - but YAY for DATE NIGHT (especially a FREE one!). Anyways, that evening will DEFINITELY not be vegetarian, but the food is high quality and shouldn't cause me any issues. So excited for it!

Today starts the second week of the after school program - and today I'm hitting 2 schools after work! I'm excited and it should be super fun! Hopefully it will go really well!!! I am having a really good time with this program and can't believe I've been given this opportunity!!

I think that's about it for me - starting to feel better and ready to get back to the crazy of my normal routine! Hope you all have a great day!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 120.96 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 17,985 Calories GONE

Monday, September 12, 2011

Its been a while...

So - Its been a while since I updated this thingy. The Zumba Bridal shower was a blast and this past week was super busy. Started the After School program and am LOVING it! Was running ragged getting everything set up for my friend's wedding (which was Saturday). Ate nothing but fast food for about 3 days since things were so busy. I didn't have time to step on a scale or get any kind of workout in. The wedding involved lots of Hardcore Cider and the hubby and I had a great time spending the night at a hotel together.

This is gonna be a super brief blog - just to catch up with everyone. The wedding is now over and life can go on with just our crazy stuff (and not everyone else's too). Yesterday the hubby and I went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and then stopped at the Farmer's Market & Sunflower for lots of food. I cooked lots of yummy stuff to get me through the next few days.

Even after all my hellish eating this weekend - woke up to a solid 181.6 this morning (wtf?!?!) I was expecting something as bad at 185+ - especially considering my diet consisted of McDonald's, Taco Bell and Burger King all in the same day! So I'm definitely happy with the 181.6 this morning and its going down from there. Now that I don't have to worry about eating and surviving someone else's schedule - I'm 100% vegetarian again. I'm going to try to eat by feel and not count calories this time around, just to see how it works. Also now I can focus on getting my sleep schedule together so that hopefully I'm not tempted to eat simply because I'm tired.

Anyways - I was worried I'd have to play "catch up" after the wedding....but I don't. My weight has been hovering around 179-181 for a few weeks now, so to still be here is actually a relief. Hopefully my body will like the vegan/vegetarian foods I'll be eating this week!!

Friday, September 2, 2011

YAY!!! NEW PR!!!! WAHOO!!!

So I am SUPER stoked right now!!! I haven't ran in over a week - and got an itch to just tear it up on the treadmill this morning...I was literally antsy and bouncy at my desk until my first break rolled around. I took it earlier than usual because I just couldn't wait anymore - I *HAD* to run!!! This is what I truly love about running...that random desire to just whoop my own butt!! Its amazing!!!

So I was hesitant to go for a new PR today....I haven't ran in a week and I didn't know what I was going to be capable of. I didn't want to push myself too hard and risk injury, but I wanted to push myself hard because I needed to run. Before I went to the treadmill, I reviewed my last PR run so I would have an idea of what I needed to hit. I also wrote my last time of 8:35 on a Post-It and put it on the treadmill - so I was forced to look at it the entire run.

I pushed myself to start at a nice 7.0 MPH and was good for the first quarter mile. I put on "Human" by The Killers and was totally jamming out. The second quarter mile I started to get my blood moving and I relaxed into the tempo of the run. By the third quarter mile, I was starting to feel the strain of running that fast, but I knew that I still had to pick up my pace if I was going to beat my last time. Halfway through the third quarter mile, I picked up my pace to 7.5 MPH and maintained that for a full quarter mile (still rockin' to The Killers - I put it on repeat since it was a good running song) - then, for the last 2/10 of a mile, I let myself go and topped out at 7.7 MPH! I felt like my legs were going to fall off and my lungs were straining to breathe - but I also felt incredible and accomplished! I finished in 8:23 - that's 12 seconds faster than the last PR I set for myself in July!!

I definitely count that as an accomplishment and am SUPER proud of myself right now! I haven't ran in a week...had no idea what I could do...and STILL shaved off 12 seconds off my fastest time!! I am THRILLED!!!

Zumba class went great last night and weight was still steady at 180lbs this morning (even after eating a 1/4 vegetarian twister burrito for dinner last night!) so I'm happy with that as well! Tonight I have my friend's Bachelorette/Bridal Shower Zumba Party, so that's going to be super awesome! I also just found out that my Big Boss is letting us leave at 830 this morning as a "Happy Holiday Weekend" gift!! Yippee!! I'm sensing a Vampire Diaries marathon is in my future!!! I've got laundry to do as well, so the extra time at home will definitely be appreciated!!

Hope you all have a safe and happy holiday weekend! Lots of love to all of you!!! *hugs*

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 119.96 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 17,825 Calories GONE

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Quickie Update

So I don't really have much to update on. I started my 5am shifts and I'm perpetually tired all the time (joys of adapting to a new shift). Because I'm tired - I'm wanting to eat almost everything in sight. However, I've been as good as I can. I've kept it vegetarian every day this week and only had tummy problems after my Omni meals this weekend - otherwise I've been good and haven't experienced any unexpected tummy issues. Weight has been chillin' around 179-180 the past few days and I have been eating between 1700-2200 calories a day so I figure that's right around maintenance or at a slight deficit (according to my Bugg)

Clothes are still fitting well (happy size 6) and I only feel squishy when my sodium is higher than it should be. Last night the hubby and I went to dinner with the family at Saggio's and I had a fabulous calzone filled with veggies (mushrooms, black olives and broccoli) and I treated myself to a chocolate cannoli for dessert, which was super yummy - and I still woke up to a stable 180lbs this morning (no water bloat at all! Woot!)

I haven't been able to run since last week because I've been so sleepy and I don't want to over-exert myself right now. I've been napping almost every day after work and just feel crazy tired. I've been drinking more caffiene than I usually do, but that's what adapting to a new schedule is like. There's tons of stuff I've been wanting to get done (like my running workouts) - but wedding stuff for my friends take priority. Their wedding is September 10th so they're getting down to the last little bit of crazy times.

I've got another friend's bachelorette party/bridal shower tomorrow night that should be super fun. She is also getting married on September 10th, but her reception is on the 17th, so even though we have to miss the wedding (due to the other one) we still get to celebrate with her and her hubby. She's one of my Zumba students and she asked me to lead a Zumba party tomorrow night for all of our friends - which should be fabulous. I also have a friend hosting a Mary Kay party on Saturday and then my nephew's birthday party on Sunday - so this weekend already seems busy for me. Thankfully I have Monday off and I'm going to use it to get everything finalized with the Zumbatomic program which starts on Tuesday.

I have Zumba class tonight which should be awesome - I'm looking forward to an exhausting workout so I'll probably push myself a little harder today than I normally would just to try to get some energy out. Since I've been trying to recouperate and adapt to this new shift as much as possible, I've been reading more than I usually do. I've already torn through 4 books in a week and already started another one today. It kind of feels nice to be a book nerd again - but I don't like feeling lazy, so I'm having to force myself to relax....which feels weird, even though I know its necessary. I can't afford to get burned out, exhausted or injured prior to starting this after school program - so the resting is a necessary evil at this point in time. I don't feel bad about taking time off from working out since I'll be working out consistently starting next week

I also was asked to help instruct classes for a Zumbathon to benefit the Susan G Komen breast cancer foundation in early October - which will be totally awesome! I sent the organizer my selection of music today so hopefully I'll be able to lead a few of my new songs - which are super fun! I'm going to be getting the information out to all of my students tonight and hopefully we'll have a good turnout! Its on October 2nd at 2 in the afternoon, so that should work out well with my schedule and be all for a good cause at the same time!

Okay - I think that's about it for me... any more rambling and I'll just stop making sense (plus I'm on a conference call and really *should* be more engaged! haha) I have some errands to run after work and then I'll be heading home for my daily nap before class tonight. I haven't been sleeping very well (which is to be expected given the circumstances) so my naps at least are helping me feel more human again. Fingers are crossed that I'll be able to get myself a run done on Sunday morning!! Hopefully it will happen!!