Thursday, October 27, 2011

Wow its been a while!

I haven't updated this thing in a while! Oops! Sorry! So after our trip, we had every intention of getting back in line with nutrition - but that ended up not working out so hot. I ended up eating out almost every day and my weight shot up. I wasn't feeling comfortable in my own skin and something needed to change. I realized a lot in the past 3 weeks.

First of all, I can trust myself to eat until I'm full - but getting full on a plate of nachos has a lot more calories than getting full on a plate of chicken and veggies. Since we came back from vacation, its been tough getting back on track. Just overall lack of motivation - I know what I want to accomplish, but being sick and super tired all weekend just didn't help with anything and I ate more yucky foods than I wanted

Next realization - though I enjoy being Vegan, its next to impossible to eat that way with my hubby and current lifestyle. I found myself choosing crappy foods that just happened to be Vegan and that wasn't helping to solve anything (fried mushrooms & pickles anyone??) So needless to say - the Vegan thing just isn't going to work at this point in my life. When I started this program - I wanted to learn to trust myself again. So - how is being a Dirty Vegan the best thing for me and showing my body that I trusted it??? Well it wasn't.

So, two days ago I started a new eating plan - its similar to Paleo but instead of the nuts & other fat sources I'm eating non-fat dairy. So lots of lean protein (chicken, turkey and boca burgers so far), non-fat cottage cheese, non-fat greek yogurt and nothing really high in fats or super high in carbs (even though I'm getting carbs from the dairy so I'm not crashing or feeling crappy) Since the food is all low fat, all my digestion issues have disappeared as well, just like when I went vegan - so I'm thinking this is a good compromise. Plus I haven't really been hungry in 2 days...can't complain about that. The hubby is doing this plan with me as well and I'm excited to see his progress as well!

Its working great and I'm feeling awesome so far. I've dropped 4lbs in water weight overnight and weight is now a more stable 182.2lbs. As I stated in prior blogs, once I get my weight back to around the 180lbs it was when I started this thing, I'm going to refrain from weighing myself until the end of the year. However, in order to help track progress that I might be making with this new eating - I will be taking measurements and progress pictures every two weeks or so....I think that sounds reasonable to me

I also haven't been feeling well due to allergies & a sore throat - so that didn't help with nutrition either. However, workouts were still there. I've taught all my classes and even ran a 5K this past weekend in 35:06 for the Duke City Marathon. I was impressed considering I haven't ran the distance in over 2 months! Go me! Race pics are in my SparkBlog for this week if anyone wants to check it out!

Otherwise, I think that's it. I don't have class today due to conferences, so I think I'll be running on breaks just to get some activity. I need to go to my car and see if I have any socks in there (I wore flip flops today - not the smartest decision) - if I do, the running is ON! If I don't, well then I'll just walk briskly for about 20 mins on lunch...either way I'll get my movement in!

I've been keeping a daily log in my Nightmare Before Christmas journal of how I'm feeling and hopefully I'll be able to update this more frequently - I'll definitely try! I've also picked back up on reading and hopefully that will continue throughout the rest of the year too! I'm keeping a list of all the books I've read so far in 2011 and I'm making a decent list so far! Woot!

Total Miles Ran in 2011: 125.08 Miles
Total Calories Burned "Running From My Issues": 18,645 Calories GONE

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Back to Reality...

Okay - so today is back to the real world (as much as I might dislike it!) This past weekend was totally amazing! The hubby and I went on our anniversary trip to Nevada and had a blast! I ate and drank way too much - but that's what vacations are for right??? We walked a ton and I snuck a peek at the scale this morning (because I was curious about the damage I'd done) and it wasn't too bad. Water weight and everything showed 186lbs this morning, so can't really complain too badly.

The hubby and I are now going to start focusing more on nutrition - over the next few weeks we are going to eat at home more and that should help with the weight loss as well as saving some money. Even though I'm not tracking my food, I'm thinking about trying to put myself right around 1600 cals a day - which should make for a good deficit but be enough to fuel through my workouts. I'll have to play around with it for a little bit and see how that works out.

I didn't get to run on vacation like I'd planned - after walking for 3 days straight, my knees felt totally wonky and I didn't want to risk injuring myself by going out for a run. Some friends want us to run with them in a 5K in a few weeks - which normally wouldn't be an issue. However, I haven't ran that distance in months and I have no idea what I'm going to be capable of. When your cardio is mainly Zumba classes, any other cardio may or may not improve - just depends. I think I'll try to hop on the treadmill this weekend and see what I'm able to do! Either way - its only $27 per person to enter, and we get a shirt for participating - so its not a biggie. Might not hit my sub-30 goals, but right now its all about learning to adapt to what life is currently handing you....and right now its handing me a pair of wonky knees and minimal free time. YAY!

Anyways - hope things are well with everyone. Got 2 classes with the schools today after work, then I'll be able to go home and rest. Looking forward to some relaxation for sure!!

Monday, October 3, 2011

The Great Unknown - Getting Started!!!

So I am on Day 3 of the Great Unknown adventure - I've had a super busy weekend, and am just getting to update all this crazy stuff now. I took "before" pics on Saturday morning, measurements and weighed myself for the last time until December 31st! EEP! So - now that I have all my information - I wanted to get it posted here today so I have it for accountability!!

I bought myself a new journal on Friday afternoon to help me keep track of what I'm feeling and what I'm eating during the next 3 months! I love it!!!
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So here's all my starting measurements & stats:

Starting Weight: 180.8lbs
Starting Body Fat Percentage: 26.64%

Measurements:
Neck: 13.5 inches
Shoulders: 39.5 inches
Bust: 38.5 inches
Chest (under bust): 34 inches
Waist: 33 inches
Belly Button: 34.5 inches
Lower Belly: 39 inches
Hips: 41 inches
Butt: 42.5 inches
Thighs (Upper/Mid): 25.5/23.5 inches
Calves: 16 inches (both legs)
Forearm: 11 inches (both legs)
Bicep: 12.5 right/12.25 left
Wrist: 6.75 inches (yeah - I'm kinda big boned! haha)

So here's my "Before" pics - I think I might take pics every 30 days - even if I don't weigh or measure...that way I can really see if progress is being made

Tummy Shot:
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Left Arm:
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Right Arm:
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Back:
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Left Side:
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Right Side:
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So overall - I'm actually happy with these pics. Granted, I'm a little fluffier than I have been in the past - but I know my body is strong and healthy. I have a hard time feeling upset when I am at a 26% body fat at 180lbs. I have amazing cardio abilities, I am strong and appreciative of everything my body is capable of doing. I can't wait to see what happens in the next few months!! Looking forward to it!!!

Also - because I thought it was a super cute outfit - here's what I wore to my Zumba class on Saturday morning! haha!
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