It is or was my anniversary....

I had my 6 month healthy lifestyle journey anniversary on Sunday and I didn't even realize it. How dare I!! I can't believe it has been 6 months. It feels like just yesterday I was running for 30 seconds at a time wanting to die the whole 30 seconds!

Miss Anonymous Fat Girl had an awesome post today. All too often people lose sight and/or motivation for what they set out to do. I think that some of the people that drop off of the blog-o-sphere don't realize how many people read their blogs, care about their blogs, and care about that person in general. I care about each and every person whose blog I read and I love encouraging them to push forward, even through the hardest of times. There is support all around this place and it is completely amazing to see us all helping each other through this.

However, at the end of the day, healthy living is our personal choice. No one is taking the chocolate bar out of my mouth, or tying my shoes to go running. We make our own choices to continue on our journey, because it is just that. It is our journey, our success, our bad decisions, and our failures....or not. Sure we hit bumps in the road, but that's what the game of life is all about. Every bump is a challenge and the true challenge is for us to figure out how to push through it and continue, not to just give up.

I must admit, I am extremely impressed that I have made it 6 months. I was telling Love tonight that he one of the biggest reasons I have stuck to it. He was VERY doubtful that I would do it, because he had heard me say for 2 years that I was going to lose weight. I lost 20 pounds when we met(thanks to less booze and earlier dinners) and gained almost 10 back in the 3 months before my journey start date. He would ask me everyday "Are you going running?" He asked everyday and before I had the opportunity to think of excuses I would blurt out "Yes! I am!" and I would go. Now, the challenging stuff I did by myself, yes, but without his questioning, I could have fallen off track easily!

So, in honor of my 6 month anniversary, here is a list of 6 things that keep me on track:
1. I wake up between 4:45AM and 5AM most weekday mornings. I go to the gym right after waking up. No questions asked(most of the time). It can be hard, but I feel more awake and aware for the rest of the day.
2. I decide what types of food I would like to eat during the week, make my list and go shopping on Sunday. I decide what to make for breakfasts and lunches the night before and make it in the morning before getting ready for work.
3. I remind myself on a daily basis of how good I feel versus how I felt prior to this journey. My confidence has grown so much and I love myself and who I am.
4. On the weekends, I allow myself to enjoy my mornings*cough*sleep in*cough* and do my workouts when I feel like it. It's my weekend, I don't like scheduling, so I go with the flow.
5. I eat sweets when I want. However, I watch my portion control and I have found I rarely crave sweets after not having them for a while.
6. Love's support is definitely a huge reason why I stay on track. If something needs to be done around the house or an errand needs to be done and he knows I still have a workout to do; he tells me to go do my workout and he will take care of the rest :) It's so awesome having his support day in and day out. I don't know what I would do without him sometimes!

How do YOU stay on track?

Abigail Marked All Posts In My Google Reader.....

As Read....and I had 133 left to read from about 600! Shit! Well, I still love y'all, but I have a lot of back reading to do. I will get it done.

Okay, with the remodel in full swing, my stove is unplugged. There are cabinets being stained on my old countertops. So, I have not room to really prepare food. My lunches are sandwiches, veggies, and leftovers. Dinner consists of take out from numerous restaurants. My portions and choices have been awesome, that's for sure. It can be hard to stay on track when eating out on a daily basis(2-3 times on the weekends), but I do believe it can be done. You just have to be aware of the menu and what to ask them to take off or put on the side. Also, portion sizes are a big deal. We are always given at least 2 or 3 servings worth of food and most of us can eat it all and believe it is one serving. For example, a pasta bowl from Noodles and Company can easily last me 2-3 meals and that is without having a salad or fruit with it. It's amazing to think that I used to get a whopper value meal supersized and eat it all, but still be hungry(or so I thought) afterwards. Now, I can eat half a whopper junior and a small handful of fries and be stuffed.

Okay, about the knee pain, I am going to go to my local running store and ask them about it. I do believe I will be purchasing knee braces and continue icing immediately after my runs. On long run days, I ice 3 times. It's just so discouraging having the knee pain start now. I am supposed to run 8 miles Saturday and I am going to do it....knee pain or not! I don't care how many walk breaks I have to take, I will get all 8 miles in!!

I haven't actually run since Saturday. I plan on hitting the treadmill for 4 miles tomorrow morning at 5AM. I wish my treadmill was working, so I wouldn't have to drive to the gym. I may just on the eliptical for a while after my run as well to make up a little time for the past 3 days.. Ugh....I really hate skipping workouts, but it is hard to get up at 4:45AM to workout. Even though I feel fantastic afterwards.

I have been extremely stressed out the past 2 weeks and really just want a break. Love and I are hopefully going to make a trip to Vegas in the near future. I really just need to chill out. Maybe I will start taking hot baths before bed again. That is definitely when I feel most relaxed :)

Today I made a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich for dinner. I had it with blue chips and salsa. It was such a superb dinner!! I was surprised with the way the sandwich turned out as it seems like an odd combination. I have seen it on a couple of blogs and I am so glad I decided to try it.

Tomorrow I plan on eating:
B-1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tblsp of crunchy peanut butter, 1 tblsp chocolate chips, and a banana.
L-1 pita pocket, tuna fish with mayo and honey mustard, a side salad(dark leafy greens, mushrooms, yellow peppers, cucumbers) topped with hummus.
D-TBD

I have not been doing much snacking lately and I have not really needed snacks, which is surprising to me. Even with doing my long runs, my body hasn't wanted extra fuel. So, I keep snacks just in case, but I never end up eating them. So, I think the scale is going to keep on moving in the right direction. I would like my February weight loss to be 2 pounds. So, I have some work to do this week. I am making my March goal to lose 3-4 pounds. I don't totally depend on the scale, but making a goal keeps me focused. I try to beat myself up as little as possible because this is a long process, not a quick fix!!

Thanks for stopping by! I am looking forward to reading your blogs this week and keeping up with them! I am also going to have some topic driven posts this week.

Have a great day and stay true to yourself!!

Weigh In and Knee Pain

Hi Ladies and Guys(maybe?!?!),

I still love y'all! I read the comments and am trying to catch up on your blogs. I need to organize my reader and get everything into groups. In Due Time, I Swear! The past week has been nothing but remodeling(and not knowing I was scheduled to work at my part time job today....was an hour late FRICK!). I have a headache right now. I am so excited for bed.

I did it.....7 MILES in 1:15:00!!! Under 11 minute miles....YAY YAY YAY!!! The pain in my knees during the last 2 miles was INSANE! They hurt the rest of the day. I iced 3 times and I finally felt better this morning.. I really hope y'all have some advice on helping the knee pain...PLEASE! Love suggested I stop running and maybe start biking, but I don't know! PLEASE HELP ME!

I also weighed this morning. 127.4!! Can you believe it? Down 1.4 pounds in a month. Not amazing, but still pretty frickin good!

I will be catching up every chance I get. We are still about a week or two away from being finished with the remodel!

I like it HOT HOT HOT!

I am so glad some of you wanted the recipe for the chili :) Here is what I did:

Ingredients:
2 lbs ground turkey
1 28 oz. can of canned tomato(Thanks to the future father in law)
2 15 oz. cans of kidney beans
1 medium onion
1/2 large green pepper
2T chili powder(Thanks again FFIL)
1T extra spicy chili powder(Thanks again FFIL)
A large pinch of salt
2 tsp of pepper
The extra little oomph was about 2-3 spoonfuls of sugar(I remember my mom always added sugar to hers)

I started by browning the ground turkey. I actually multi-tasked and cut the veggies at the same time. Added everything to the crockpot and cooked for about 8-9 hours.

Definitely not the most complicated recipe, but it is a step up from chicken and rice.

I brought it for lunch yesterday. I threw on a 1/4C of cheese and 2T of sour cream and OMG, it was the bomb diggity dig! It was spicy, but not too spicy. Love's dads chili powder really is awesome. I think that was what made it extra special. Love doesn't like chili....he told me it wreaked! Haha! It made so much. I am going to be eating it for 2-3 weeks. I froze half of it.

Food yesterday was rushed. Cereal and coffee for breakfast(not measured), chili and a side salad for lunch, dinner was a salad with peppers(red(my favorite!!), green, yellow, and orange), cucumber slices and 2T hummus! So perfect. Love also made kung pao noodles and I had an 1/8C of those with 9 pieces of shrimp. I was never super hungry yesterday. Which is strange because I always have AM and afternoon snacks, but yesterday....I didn't touch either.

So, yesterday was overall a good eating day.

I did my 35 minute tempo run today. It left me a sweaty mess. I really have pushed myself the last 2 or 3 workouts. I have to be ready for this half marathon and I will be ready. This Saturday is my longest run ever 7 miles. I am excited/anxious/worried all at the same time.

I have decided to start weighing on the wii fit and counting my weight on Sundays. I am going to Vegas in March and would love to be in the low 120's by then. I am going to work hard! I want to get a new pair of "size 4" jeans while I am there.

Today is the funeral. I called my childhood best friend last night to tell her about my grandpa and her grandpa(her dad's dad, just like mine) passed the same day, just 5 hours before my grandpa. How strange is that?

Anyways, I am feeling better and better, just trying to buckle down and focus. Getting up at 5AM has been hard the past 2 weeks, but I am giving it my all!


Thanks again everyone for all of the support, it means so much to me! You have all brightened my day :)

Prepared

Thank you for all of the kind comments on my last post! I am doing okay, still having moments of horrible sadness, but that is to be expected.

I think had I still been who I was before this journey, I would be eating to get comfort and I am sure gaining quite a bit of weight. This time, it's just different. I eat right and exercise because I WANT TO! I want to feel the runner's high, I want to look good in my clothes, I want to have an outlet for my stress and mostly I want to live! I believe that me being on this journey has helped me deal with all of this stress going on in my life. I don't cry like I used to. I don't stress nearly as much as I used to. I laugh MORE than I used to. I love myself now! It's an amazing feeling and one I will never lose :)

Last night, I made chili. Now, it may not sound like a big deal, but the biggest meal I have ever made by myself was chicken and rice. So, chili is quite a big step! I used ground turkey, kidney beans, green peppers, onions, chili powder(Love's dads chili powder...seriously amazing), cumin, salt and pepper. Oh, and a little sugar(my mom's secret recipe). It sat in the crock pot for 9 hours and it smells sooooo good! I haven't tried it yet, but I am so excited to.

After starting the chili, I cut up an orange, yellow, green, and red pepper for snacks. I also cut up a cucumber. Today, I brought a little of each with some garlic artichoke hummus for my afternoon snack! I am loving this snack as an option. It's low cal and gets more veggies into my day :)

I am going on a 3.5 mile run today(didn't run saturday or sunday) after work and I am excited! I have "Dessa" on my iPod now and she makes the runs go by so quickly, I love it!

I will be catching up on my reading and commmenting through out the day! Again, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the love and hugs! You all make this rough time easier!

Today, I am Heart Broken.....

I haven't posted in three days because I haven't felt like I had much to write about. I have eaten pretty much the same meals this whole week. Training is going great.

I hit up the gym this morning and geez....I kicked my trash. I did a hill workout. When the treadmill went up, I would run at 5.5(10:54/mile) and when it was down, I did either a 6.5(9:22/mile) or 7.0(8:45/mile). It was 1 minute per interval and I was SWEATY when I was done. Geesh! I felt amazing, I had the runners high and  a smile on my face.

So, I leave the gym and my cell phone has a missed call at 5:59. Who the hell calls someone that early? I figured it was bad news and I was right....

Let's back up a second so I can tell you a little story. I am a lucky girl who has 3(yes, 3!) sets of grandparents. That is a whole lot of love right there. I grew up around my mother's mom "Grandma Cookies" as my best friend calls her and her husband, my step grandpa "Gramps". My mom's dad comes around from time to time, but we aren't very close. That's "Grandpa G" and my step grandma is "Grandma G". I knew my dad's mom pretty well growing up, "Grandma" or "Mrs. R" as my mother called her. I always knew of my "Grandpa R", but never really "met" him until I was about 14 or 15. The summer of 2005  when I moved back in with my parents was the "summer I got to know my Grandpa R" and we got close. We would sit outside smoking(I quit, he didn't) and talking. He would tell me stories about his family, his mischievous ways, his tattoos, and I would tell him my stories. Last summer Love and I were having a really rough patch in our relationship and I was at my parent's house more and more. I started talking to Grandma R and Grandpa R a lot. They were my shoulders to lean on. They brightened my day and I did theirs. They would always say "Where's Tiff at?" "Is she coming over today?". I really think our relationship grew strong this past summer and I am so grateful for that.

Grandpa R passed away this morning! He had been in the hospital(I just found this out) and they took him off of life support at 6AM. He smoked for 70+ years, and lived on black coffee. He was 82 years old. Not many people are living to 82 these days, but I am so glad he did because I got to know and love him!

My mom told me once, "I admire you for so many reasons. The one that stands out most is your passion and how deeply you feel your emotions and even others!". I am doing better than expected. At this point, it doesn't feel real. I can still see his face saying "I love you"(the first time he said it to me a year ago!). I can still hear the joking we did back and forth. He was spunky, just like me! My mind grasps it, but my heart just isn't ready yet. He is with his 3 sons now and I take comfort in that. RIP "Old Man"....I would love to hear his response right now "Who you callin' old?"!

Thanks for reading, I just needed to tell some stories about him :)

I am not letting this put a halt on my journey in weight loss or to my first half marathon. Onwards and upwards! I plan to train harder and stay focused. Running is my therapy.

Running After a Break is Hard with a capital HARD!

I ran 3.5 miles yesterday! The first run in oh.....4 days! Ahhhhh....and it was hard. I am used to running once every other day. It was a hard, cold run. I stopped about 3 times, but I really wasn't having it. My stops were less than a minute and consisted of stretching. My muscles are really tight.

Last night, I had Salad with leftover Sicilian lasagna. The sicilian lasagna is an Iggy's lasagna and it was GOOOOOODDD!! Spinach, artichoke pasta is what it basically was. I paired that with the salad(like I said) and 2 tbsp of spinach artichoke dip. I am loving spinach and artichokes as of late. I just need to learn how to cut and cook artichokes.

Breakfast: cinnamon raisin english muffin with peanut butter
Lunch: Tuna with a touch of mayo and honey mustard(a new favorite) on a sandwich thin. I paired it with a salad with tomato, mushroom  and light ranch dressing. A chocolate bar slid into my mouth and I do NOT feel bad about it!
Dinner: Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden, a side salad and 3 breadsticks. Had a little too much, but I am skipping the dessert! :)

I don't think I hit my 1600 calorie target, but I will have to calculate it out.

I will post something more interesting tomorrow. I am exhausted today!! Have a great day and stay true to yourself!

Weekends, What?

First things first, Annie is hosting a wonderful giveaway! Her blog is inspiring and amazing, so go check her out!

Zero...the number of times I worked out!
Two...the number of decent healthy meals I had!
Half...the number of pints of beer I had at a concert!

This weekend, it wasn't great diet/exercise wise. I discovered I am a week ahead on my training schedule for the half and instead of using it as an advantage to train a little more, I decided taking all weekend off from exercise would do the trick! Now, I did do plenty of things for the remodel. Think painting, sanding cabinets, lifting and moving boxes. So, I did get some calorie burning going.

We went and saw Dessa, Grieves, and P.O.S last night! They are amazing musicians and you really should check them out! The show was supposed to start at 9:00, but like every other time, it didn't start until 10! The show ended at around 1 or so! Today, I am TIRED!! Got a nice big coffee(with a touch of creamer). Seeing them(this was the first time I saw Dessa and she was AMAZING!) was so worth the exhausting day I am sure to have.

Breakfast: Cinnamon Raisin english muffin with Peanut Butter
AM Snack Yogurt with Cinnamon Raisin granola
Lunch: Cup of Corn Chowder and a 6'' turkey sub
Afternoon Snack: Honey crisp apple
Dinner: TBD

Exercise planned for today: 3.5 mile run and Level 2 of the 30 Day Shred(my favorite level so far!).

Goals for this week:
1. Drink 128 oz of water a day.
2. Eat between 1400 and 1600 calories.
3. Track calories.
4. Stick to training plan!

Goal for February:
Be at 125 by February 28! Only weighing once a month!

Can't wait to catch up and find out how your weekends went :)

3 Things....

The Redhead just put up this list and it really brightened my day to think about goals, so I am going to go ahead and post my goals here!

What are three things that you want to accomplish or do before you die?

1. Qualify for the Boston Marathon! I didn't realize how much I really wanted to run a half marathon let alone a full until about 2 years ago!

2. Graduate from college! The first step is getting back into school! I will be going for accounting and business management.

3. Write a book! I have always toyed with the idea of being a serious writer, and I know I am capable. I just have to find a starting point and a subject! I have always written poetry, which has been a wonderful outlet for me. I do believe writing is a great outlet for me as well. Hence the fact that I have and LOVE blogging!

Mission (Un)Accomplished!

I got on the scale and it read 129.4!!! I couldn't see my body fat percentage or fat in lbs like usual because the scale at the gym was not acting properly. I wanted so badly to be at 125, so I was completely bummed to say the least. I thought about all of the things I could have done better and things I did that were wrong, but I do know I was really good last week. Even though I went to Cheesecake Factory! I am confident that I did everything I could have last week. So, I am moving on!

No More Weighing
I will not be weighing at all during the month of February! I will be taking measurements tonight and on the last day of the month. That's what matters to me right now. I want to kiss the lovely handles good bye!

I don't always have good days emotionally. As far as eating healthy, I have small splurges every now and then and I have moments where I overdue it, but I always get right back on track....sometimes when I realize I am going overboard! Overall, I have more emotional bad days than I do "food-wise" bad days. Which is something I am proud of because I am an emotional eater!! I know plenty of people are, but admitting it has been so hard for me!! I've known it forever! I can't believe how food/alcohol had the power for so many years of my life!

This week has been a hard week, I am exhausted! I usually wake up at 5, go to the gym, come home, make my lunch, wake Love up, send him off to work, feed the dogs, let dogs go potty, play with dogs, clean what I can, get myself ready, grab my lunch, go to work, work until 5, come home, feed the dogs, clean, make dinner, run errands, read blogs(yay!), get clothes for the gym ready(so i don't have to in the mornings!), cuddle with puppies, and go to bed! May not seem like a busy day, but by the time I get into bed it is 10 or 11 o'clock.

This week, I am not doing it, I am emotionally tired. I have gone to the gym once(3 mile run), done the shred once, and did half of my speed work training run. The one thing I haven't done is turn to food! I was at the grocery store 2 times this week looking at the skinny cow ice cream. I didn't buy any! I need to stay away from the deserts and deal with my emotions!

Next week will be better and I will be my positive me :) Who knows the positive me may come back later today!

Level 2! Week 2! Eats!

First things first, I just got done doing level 2 of the 30 Day Shred and I AM IN LOVE!!! It is so much better than level 1! I do believe it will be my favorite!! I am taking my starting measurements tonight! Speaking of measurements, I measured my tummy at the belly button and have lost 1 inch in about a month!! Go me!

Week 2 of half marathon training was great! The tempo run was good, although I need better treadmill music! What is/are your favorite workout song(s)? I did some walking/eliptical/stair stepper/bike for cross training 1 day and it was nice to switch it up! The 6 mile run, as you probably read below was so amazing! I came home enthused, but exhausted! I laid down(I got up at 6 AM Saturday morning and cleaned/made breakfast from 6 til about 11) to try and take a nap, but the runner's high took over me! I couldn't sleep and was up until 3:00AM. I love love love running and I used to love love love sleeping, but now my energy level is high and I feel more alive every day! Goodbye naps, Hello Life :) I am so motivated and I only grow more motivated by the day!!! :)

Now, on to the eats from Saturday! I had an exceptional eating day that day. The morning started out with cleaning, a run to the grocery store and then it was coffee time!

 

 My coffee is typically with 1 tblsp fat free coconut creme creamer and a splash of milk.

I got hungry at about 9:00 and decided to try some eggs with spinach and mushrooms. I had a kiwi on the side!

 

I loved the spinach and mushrooms sauteed in a tsp of olive oil.

After my run, I came home to a protein shake....made with Jay Robbs' vanilla protein powder, water, and a banana!

I was starving at around 9 Saturday night and decided to have a bean and cheese burrito(whole wheat 100 calorie tortilla) with a side of broccoli topped with cheese.

 

 I also had a make your own frozen yogurt, but ate about 10 small bites and put the rest of it in the freezer. Love ate the rest the next day(I had a few bites too).

Todays eats were awesome.

Breakfast was pb and banana sandwich on a whole wheat arnold sandwich thin and a cup of coffee with creamer and milk.

Lunch was a salad with mango vinigarette for starters. Then, I made spaghetti squash and topped it with spaghetti sauce with protein soy crumbles(saw this product in the skinny girl cookbook) and cheese. It was sooooo good!! I could hardly tell the "meat" wasn't real meat. 

Afternoon snack was a cup of fruit. 

Dinner was rice and chicken with a tapioca cup for desert. YUM!!

I have had about 100 oz of water so far today and should get in about 28 more before bed.

I am so excited for my weigh in on Thursday morning. I will be at 125 or below :)