I've never ran 6 miles in a row.....

Until TODAY!!! I did it!! CELEBRATING!!! Be back later today with some food blogging :) Just wanted to scream off the rooftops!!

I RAN 6 MILES TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

It took me 1:04:53 and my goal time is to run the half in under 11 minutes per mile!

Slackin' is my middle name....

I have slacked hard on the blog comment(and even blog reading) this week. We've been buying a dresser(gorgeous! Pics to come), purchasing tile for the backsplash, looking at 2 different places for the perfect wood floors, Love built and brought home the counter tops last week, and I had dinner with my Momma last night.

We went to Cheesecake Factory...YUM!!! I hade the bbq salmon, ate a little less than 1/2 of it, ate 1/2 of the potatoes, and a little of the corn succotash(my favorite)! Of course, I got the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake :) TO GO! Brought it home, gave it to Love and had 3 small bites. I know the calories aren't perfect, but I ate yogurt and granola for breakfast. I had a small burrito and veggies for lunch and 2 clementines during the day. So, I am doing pretty good.

Onto a more serious subject, my eyes have "caught up"! I couldn't be more ecstatic. For the longest time, I have always been "fat" when I look in the mirror. I weighed in at 126 the other week at the gym and my brain still registered 142 when I looked in the mirror. Well, last Friday, we went out for drinks for Love's cousins b-day(whom I love) and before I left the house I did the last look see. I loved what I saw. I was thin, for the first time in my life, I looked THIN! Last night, I threw on the 6's to go to dinner with my mom. They fit in the waste, but the legs were a little tight to the point that they would slide off of my waist and I was constantly pulling them up. Not last night. They  were baggy!!! YAHOO!!!

You guys are all doing so great!! I will catch up on reading/re-reading and commenting tomorrow after the traditional Saturday clean freak morning frenzy :)

Protein!

When we were at Lowe's I spotted the Hungry Girl 200 under 200 cookbook and grabbed up the last copy :) I am so excited to get cookin'!

After Lowe's and a quick stop to get Love a new phone, we went to the local market last night(which is the closest thing I have to a Whole Foods(until next January!!!!)) here in my spot in the US! I picked up some Jay Robb Protein powder packets to try, a suggestion from a "Flat Belly" book of some sort, as I ran out of protein this weekend. The Verdict? Loved it. I added the pouch to my greek yogurt(which next time will be added to something different as the serving size is HUGE!) and it was tasty. My only problem with greek yogurt is the consistency, it's not creamy but rather more chunky and I do not like that. The protein made it so good though for some reason! The kicker was that my breakfast had 38 grams of protein and I read that the average person should have 45g of protein a day. I am excited to go pick up the bigger bottle of protein to have on hand!

I did my first official tempo run today and it was hard, but I killed it. I ran 10 minutes at a 11:19 pace and then 15 minutes at a 10:06 pace. Mentally, I am working on the continuous running. It's hard, because often times, my brain wants to stop when my body wants to continue. I will continuously work on that.

I realized last week and even last night that I have no idea what portion control is, so I pulled out my best buds....the measuring spoons, measuring cups, and my biggest loser scale :). I measured everything for my dinner.

I had 4 oz. chicken
2 cups salad
2 tbsp mango vinagarette dressing
1 cup of broccoli with a sprinkle of cheese

Desert consisted of 1/2 cup peppermint ice cream and vita top chocolate

Today's eats:
Breakfast-1 Chobani Pineapple Yogurt w/ 1/4 cup granola & protein pouch
Lunch-11 oz. shrimp, 2 rings of pineapple, 2 tbsp teriyaki pineapple sauce. All over 1/2 cup jasmine rice. Salad on the side!

I am counting calories starting today. It's time to find new solutions for me, as I know I haven't done the best that I know I can!

Week 1 Down! Weigh In

Week one of half marathon officially ended with a 5 mile(56m03s) on Sunday evening! The first week was awesome. I felt strong mentally and physically for the majority of the week. I ran 10:00 miles on Saturday(2) and then got killer side pain and slowed the last mile to 11:42. I pushed myself a little harder than I should. However, it's so much easier for me to run outside than it is inside. The only problem outside is the horrid smog issues we have been experiences. I have a hacking cough after I come back in! Can't wait for it to clear up a little. I can't wait for the heat either. So, week 1 wasn't so bad. I have a 6 miler this Sunday. My longest run ever and I am pumped! I know I can do it!

Last week, eating was less than stellar. I drank 12(yes, 12!) cups of coffee with milk and creamer on Saturday. We went to Red Robin Sunday afternoon and I ate an entire bbq chicken wrap and more than half of the fries with a strawberry lemonade. Holy calories. Last night, at work(the mall job) I was craving sweets. I had 2 cookies(eep) and a diet coke. It was a weak moment, but I took a moment to think about how I felt and I can tell you, I won't be doing that again. I felt so gross and not happy. I did eat at least 1 type of dessert everyday. When I got on the scale this morning, those weak moments came back to haunt me....

128.8

That number stared me down and made me think,'You got yourself into this, what did you learn?'! This week, I learned that I need to pay attention to portion control and types of food I am eating. I should have eaten half the wrap and given 3/4 of the fries to Love and definitely gotten a water. I also didn't drink water much this weekend. Maybe 32 oz on Saturday and 50 oz on Sunday. 

This does help me refocus a little bit. I am going to start weighing in on Thursday mornings instead of Mondays. I am definitely not beating myself up though. I made the mistake of eating too much and not high quality foods and now I am just going to turn it around this week and lose all that I gained, plus hopefully a little more. I did gain a little muscle mass, so I know that 1.8 lb gain isn't all fat :) 

How did your week go? Did you have any weak moments? How do you deal best with a weak moment?

The Moment That Almost Destroyed Me>.....

So, as some of you may remember, when I first started blogging my parents suddenly told me they were getting divorced(after almost 30 years of marriage)! To say I was crushed is an understatement!! I walked around for a week in a daze of confusion, sadness, guilt, anxiety and denial. I was in the middle of training for a 10k and I didn't exercise once...not even an attempt...that entire week. I cried every single day, I feared that my own relationship would end the same as theirs did. Love and I had had problems before my parents told me about their divorce and my heart hurt to think that Love and I couldn't make it through anything! I didn't sleep well, I didn't eat much....I kind of just existed!

Then, came the back story. My 2 brothers saw it coming for years. Momma and Daddy's love died years ago. I had moved out 2 years prior and I had no clue! I thought that they would be the ones that made it, the eternal love. They didn't.....they gave up on the same day!

I realized a lot about myself that week. I opened my eyes to a lot of my weaknesses. I also realized that I have drive to not let myself or my weaknesses take advantage of me for the rest of my life. So, I took action!

I started talking to Love more about everything(after being closed off for so long), I worked on my weaknesses and continue to do so, but the 1 thing I really did was take my healthy lifestyle change to a whole new level. I got a gym membership and have used it all but maybe 10 days(minus Sundays when the gym is closed) in almost 2 months. I started eating according to my hunger and schedule, rather than eating my feelings or even NOT eating at all! I have lost almost 7 pounds and I am continuing to run!

I refuse to get down even with all of the stuff that comes up about my parents everyday! I am a happy person on a journey, taking control back of my life. I have grown immensely in a matter of 3 months! I am taking my life, my Love and my training to an all new high!

I refuse to lay down and give up! I refuse to wallow! I refuse to take my anger out on others! I refuse to put my feelings away like they don't matter!! I refuse to not live my life to the fullest!!

Thank you all for all of the support you have given me. It has meant the world to me and really you all inspired me to continue on and not give up!!

Day 4: I love cardio!

So, my schedule said I was to do a 3+mile run and strength today. Although my shins feel better, I didn't want to overdue it. So, I walked fast for 30 minutes going up one incline every 2 minutes, did the stair stepper for 8 minutes and finished with 20 minutes on the eliptical! I love the eliptical, but I found my true love at the gym....the Stair Stepper!! It burns so good :)

Eating yesterday was awesome. I have been skipping the clif bars and yogurt in the morning and having a cup of grapes as an afternoon snack, because I am always hungry 2 hours after lunch. So, it's like my desert :) TOM is coming though and I always want lots of chocolate! Not this month, I am not going to go overboard on the chocolate :)

Something for fun: When I was 5 years old, I skipped cheerleading practice to go ride my older friends bike. The bike was so big that I had to go to a curb to get on it. Well, when I was riding it, I miscalculated a turn and crashed into a chain link fence. The bike fell over and I followed planting my face into the handle bar of the bicycle. I don't want to be too graphic here, but I literally had a hole in my lips/cheek. I had stitches and plastic surgery, but it "spread" after surgery from me smiling too much. So, now I have a scar on my lower lip about an inch and a half long!! It took about 17 years, but I finallly accept and love the scar because it's a story, a part of my history :)

Have a great day everyone!! You'll be hearing from me later tonight :)

Day 3: Shin splints and positivity!

I am a stranger to shin splints. I think I have had them once in my life and that is right now! They hurt so bad. So, I iced for 30 minutes or so after coming home from the gym at 6:30 this morning :) Now, I feel fabulous! I saw the plug for Walgreen's on the show last night and will be stopping on my way home to pick up some ice packs :)

Today was Day 3 of training and crap!!! I didn't think the speed work would kick my butt, but it totally did! After 5X400 meter dashes, I was a sweaty mess. I do love the feeling of knowing I got a great workout in. Even if it was only 30 minutes :)

I have been reading a lot of blogs as of late and sometimes, I am so disappointed to see that people who lose .1-1 pound or so get so down on themselves. Even maintaining is an accomplishment. Not a reason to tear yourself down or beat yourself up. Every time I have a bad weigh in, I take it as a learning experience, reevaluate and move on! Whether it be cutting out the piece of chocolate or the 100 calorie pack, I know there is something I could do to be a little better. So, I see the .4 lbs lost and smile and say to myself, Good job!! Although it's not what you were hoping for, you still did an amazing job this week! Next week will be better!" This journey is about building yourself up and getting through the obstacles(no matter how many there are) and coming out proud of every pound lost and even every pound gained. Because you took the opportunity to LEARN and CHANGE!!

What are you proud of yourself for today? Throughout your whole journey? 

Remember, you are awesome and you CAN do this :) :) :)!!!!! 

Weigh In and Day 2!

First off, thanks for all of the comments on yesterdays post! You all had a lot of great things to say. The verdict for myself is definitely have snacks for a backup, but listen to when and what my body wants! Also, Morgan pointed out that I should be careful with the Clif bars, and she is totally right. I started eating a whole one and then went down to half, but I think that will be my AM snack for my long runs on Sundays and maybe half a bar before my evening workouts if I am ravenous! I am so excited to see NEW followers!! HI EVERYONE!! WELCOME!!

So, I weighed at my gym today and I am now at

127!!!

I lost .4 lbs and couldn't be happier! Especially because I had 32 oz. of Gelato(Italian Ice Cream) and that's A LOT! I didn't do fabulous on eating, but I think I did okay! Next week, I am hoping to see 125.something :) I am sure I can do it! Just got to stick to eating right and cutting back on the Gelato!!

Today is Day 2 of half marathon training and I feel GREAT!!! It is also Day 2 of the "30 Day Shred"!! That's right! I am going to do it for 30 days and actually stick to it!! I will be taking some before pictures hopefully tonight! It's going to be a tough 30 days, but the more I push, the better my body will be! I do need strength training pretty badly! My body fat is 26.2% and it was at 22% just a couple of weeks ago. The scale might be wrong, but I doubt it!

To Snack or Not To Snack....

Last Friday, I brought my typical morning and afternoon snack along with me. I eat a yogurt w/ a Clif bar in between my smoothie breakfast and my sandwich/salad or soup/salad lunch. In the afternoon, I typically have an apple or some grapes because I find myself hungry(not extremely, but slightly). However, I didn't end up eating either snack.

I had my typical breakfast(smoothie: handful of spinach, banana, protein powder, skim milk, 1-1 1/2 cups of berries) and I was not hungry until 12:30. I eat lunch at 1:30 and knew that if I ate even my yogurt, I would still be satisfied by the time lunch came around. So, I skipped it and just let my tummy grumble a little. The same thing happened that afternoon! So, I basically had 3 meals that day and was fine!

I have tried to incorporate snacking between meals in a small and subtle way, but now I am rethinking it. Maybe I will just do 3 meals a day, but I would like to hear your opinion!

What is your meal/snacking plan? Are you a 3 meals a day? A 6 meals a day? Do you eat when you feel hungry? What are your favorite snacks?

The Beautiful Missy over at The Ups and Downs Of Losing Weight has given me the Beautiful Blogger Award!  I especially like Missy because she is so open and honest with the struggles and successes of her journey. Not to mention she is a gorgeous woman :)

Let me tell you 7 random things about me:
1. Love and I met on the internet. Talked through messages and text for 2 months. Met in person and I moved into his house 4-5 months later. We have been together almost 3 years now.
2. When I was 5, I crashed my bike into a chain link fence. When I fell, my lip went right through the handle bar. After stitches and plastic surgery, I was told no more smiling for 6 months. I was a smiley 5 year old. So, the spot they did surgery spread from me smiling and now I have an inch long scar on my lip. I thought about getting plastic surgery to fix it again, but I am happy with it now. It comes with a great story :)!!
3. I have an older brother and a younger brother. I am the only girl! My brothers are the best brothers a girl could ever ask for :)
4. I work for a high end furniture manufacturer!
5. I used to sell Scentsy!
6. Love has a salt water aquarium in our room that has been complimented many times!!

 7. Lenny and Abigail are the first dogs I have ever had! Lenny was the first puppy I ever learned how to train. Abigail was 4 months old when I met Chad. Lenny was 5 weeks old when Love surprised me with him!!

Now, it is my turn to pass on the beautiful blogger award.

1. Lisa at Diet Fix is an awesome girl! She always has interesting things to say and is taking on a vegan lifestyle!

2. Melissa at Get Healthy with Melissa! I have been following her since she started blogging. She does some awesome reviews of different  products! She had a great weigh in this week and her motivation inspires me everyday :)

3. Jenn at Shaun and Jenn-She is one of my very best friends in the world!!

And Everyone Else That Stops By This Post! I know Many of you have gotten this award, so I just don't know who to vote for lol!

I Think, I THINK, I might be Crazy!

So, last night one of my favorite girls in the whole world approached me about doing a half marathon in June! What did I say? Well, HELL YEAH, of course. That means in 2 months time I will complete not 1, but 2 half marathons!! And, I am excited. I will run the Salt Lake Marathon solo, but running the Utah Valley Half Marathon with Jenn will be SO MUCH FUN!! I can't wait. I love Jenn and am so excited that she is going to do this!

Right now, I am battling with the running. I wanted to get in a 5 mile run this morning, but I am hating the treadmill right now. I am so bored. I only got in a little over 4 miles and took a potty break at 2.5! This marathon training is going to be tough. I start officially training next Monday! The training plan starts out with a little less mileage at first. I just hope that I can stay on track with the mileage and get some outside runs going on SOON! I know I can(I AM DETERMINED!!!)

I have not skipped 1 day at the gym this week. I get there between 5 and 5:30 and I dont leave until I am finished!! It's so nice. The place has a lot of people, but they are all good friends! There is a group of ladies that are too cute. Love's aunt is friends with them, so she introduced me :) Now, I don't feel so strange being the only one to not know anybody!

I know that 127 sounds like a good number to be! I agree, I haven't been this small since junior high school. However, I am only 4'11'' tall. So, 127 is still on the high side for me! My other problem is that I am ALL lovehandles. Legs, slim and muscular! Arms, just a little flab! Boobies, going away every day :( Tummy, from the side it is flat! Love handles, FLABBY!!! Now, this is not me hating on my body necessarily.

My love handles are my LEAST favorite, but at the same time, I can't control that all that much. I have scoliosis(curvature of the spine). When I was born, it was discovered that my lumbar(lower spine) never fully formed. My x-rays are basically fragmented(fused) bone matter in my lower back. My upper back curved to compensate for my lower back. The left side of my body is what I would call "normal". The right side is about an inch shorter. Had my back fully formed, I would have been 5'2-5'3.

Anyways, that is my story of why my love handles are a problem for me.

What is your favorite exercise? And what do you do when you just don't want to finish a workout?

Day One?

So, started the routine this morning. I was pretty anxious last night, and kept checking the clock. Woke up at 2, 3 and 4 AM. When my alarm went off at 5:00, I was up, dressed and off to run 4 miles. I got to the gym and boy, are there a lot of people in there that early. I grabbed a treadmill. Miles 1 &2 were okay, then I felt extremely sluggish up to mile 3.5, when I stupidly hit clear. So, I just walked/ran the other .5 mile. Oh well, I will do better on Wednesday. I feel full of energy this morning and hope to carry that through the rest of the day!! WOOT WOOT!!!

On my new plan, I will only be running every other day. The days I don't run, will be all about the stair stepper, eliptical, and stationary bike. I am hoping to avoid injury before the half marathon so I am taking it SLOW my first time around.

I do have some awesome news! I weighed in last Monday and was 130.8. This morning the scale said 127.4!! Woohoo!! I hope to be below the 120's by marathon time, if I am not at goal :)

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend :)

New Routine....

I am participating in the "Beck Diet for Life" discussion group that Jen is hosting on her page! I am excited as I have read about 55 pages of the book. The thing about it is, I have already been following some of the Beck Diet without realizing it because I stopped the snacking before and after dinner. I used to snack like CRAZY! A package of licorice after dinner? Yes, please! How about a half gallon of ice cream? If you tempt me, I will naw your arm off!! It was pretty bad. I had horrible portion sizes, as well. Typical lunch was a Taco Bell Chicken Quesadilla and a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito....YUM!!!

However, the past few months, I have kept myself pretty occupied. It's to the point that I don't even notice the ice cream or candy that Love always HAS TO HAVE :)!!! That guy has a sweet tooth like you wouldn't believe. He never gains an ounce though. I am so glad that I have the will to resist the temptations!!

I have decided to get into a new routine. I am going to get up and out the door between 5:15 and 5:25 to hit the gym every morning Monday-Friday. Workout for an hour to an hour and a half and come home to cuddle with Love for a few minutes before he has to be up for work. Then, I will get ready for work myself. Go to work and work all day(while planning eating and snacking). Come home. Get right on the cleaning, dinner making and household business. After dinner, pack my  lunch, lay out my gym clothes and shoes for the next morning, get my breakfast necessities ready. Then, to bed before 10.

I have found that once I start a schedule, I am pretty diligent about keeping up with it. It is just getting into the routine and getting used to the alarm at 5AM lol. So, wish me luck.

Today, I have already had the repair man over to fix my dryer, started and mostly finished laundry, scrubbed the kitchen, read my "Beck's Diet for Life" book and started making my Response Cards and Advantages List. I think it is just about nap time for this tired girl :)

Have an amazing day, y'all!! Thanks for visiting!

Updates and Let's Talk....

Okay, so I have gone to the gym 4 days this week for no less than an hour!! I switch off workouts every other day. Monday was eliptical and walking. Tuesday was running for 3 miles walking for 1 and stair stepper for 20 minutes(my first time using one). Wednesday was eliptical and some weights/abs. Today ROCKED. Quick 3 miles followed by more stair stepper! It's not hard for me to get to the gym because I pack my stuff before work and go to the gym right after.

Food has been awesome. I will give you an example:
Breakfast: Spinach, banana, peach, honeydew, strawberry, blueberry, pineapple, whey protein and a dash of milk........made into a smoothie!! Seriously, DELISH!!!
AM Snack: Yorgurt with a little pinch of Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal.
Lunch: Hummus, cucumber, and turkey in an arnold sandwich thin. I ate that with a cup of salad and dressing(only 10 calories) and 2 dill pickle spears.
Pre workout snack: Honey crisp apple(seriously....I would LIVE off of these and I have always hated apples) and a Clif bar.
Dinner: Turkey, Cheese and mustard in an Arnold Sandwich thin with a cup of Amy's Minestrone(AMAZING)!!

Eating like this I think will make that scale go down nicely on my Monday weigh in! Oh, and I have been drinking between 100 & 128 ounces of water...thanks to the SIGG bottle Love's Aunt J picked up for me. I love her :)

Now, let me take a moment to vent about something that has been bothering me. I mean no offense to anyone when I say this.
I was reading a blog about 2 months ago and the writer wrote something about a WW leader only had to lose 12 pounds or something like that. Once I read that, I really felt bad. I know people who have 100 pounds to lose and people who have 5 to lose. Myself, I am shooting for about 20. Does the fact that I "only have 20 pounds to lose" make me less worthy to be seen as an inspiration? If you want to get technical, my heaviest was 175 about 7 years ago. I lost 40 pounds without thinking about it(and without eating, really). Losing this 20 though, it's a bitch....a BIG bitch. I eat well, I exercise and the scale...........it is STUCK!! I don't understand the difficulty of losing 50-100's of pounds, but I do understand how hard it is to lose 1 pound.

My point is, I respect people who are trying to lose 50, 100, 200, and 300 pounds, but shouldn't someone trying to lose 5, 10, 15, or 20 pounds get the same respect? 

Anyways, I hope that didn't piss anybody off, but opinions are welcome!

Lastly, I need to make some goals for this blog. I have no direction with it, but I would like to!
*Write in my blog once a day, even if it is just high.
*Get a little more in depth on my training and nutrition.
*Brainstorm and talk about different topics at least 1-2 times a week(motivation, drive, diet, emotional issues, etc.)

I will be stopping by your blogs tonight :)

Santa Came A Little Late, But It Is Well Worth It!

Saturday morning, Love and I ventured to our local running store. We looked around at clothes, shoes, headbands, and watches! I started asking questions about Garmins because I have wanted one for about 2 months now. So, I got all the info I needed and told him I would research it :)

Well, we got home and I decided that I really did want it and I should have bought it when I went the first time! So, Love and I went back to the store and picked up my first ever Garmin Forerunner 310XT running watch and I couldn't be more excited!!! I took it on a 4 mile run yesterday and it is awesome!!

I will do a real post later tonight, but it is time for this girl to get ready for work :)

What is a good name for my Garmin?