8 1/2 mile this morning

I didn't get my long run in on Saturday because of heavy rain so I decided that after my regular run with my partner this morning that I'd keep running on my own. I walked 1/2 mile for warm up before I meet up with Daina then did the regular 4 miles then ran 3 on my own then did a 1 mile cool down.  My average for the 7 miles I ran straight was 9:47.  I'm very happy with that.  My average for 8 miles is 10:15. I feel good and the half marathon doesn't seem so scary now.

June 25th will be …

My sister and I are going to do this together and I am excited!  This race is her birthday present to me.  Our Dad died of Cancer and I have a dear friend who was diagnosed with cancer this week and now has less than a month to live.  This race is for them!

I better get going on my training with it being just 1 month away. I do my 4 miles 3 days a week but tomorrow night we are going out in the evening and trying for a long run.  I’ll report back on if that happens.  I hope I’m not crazy!

A Very Busy but Wonderful 38th Birthday

My day started early with being woken up by gusty wind at 5am. Since I was awake I decided to go ahead and do dishes and laundry. Dan had decorated the house with balloons and a sign. What a nice surprise came with a knock at the door at 6:30am. Bishop Dalton and Jill were there with this beautiful and delicious breakfast.  WOW was I spoiled! I have the best friend in the world and her family is AMAZING!!! After breakfast I got kids off to school then got ready for the day. Bekah arrived and we got the other 2 kids off to school and the two girls and I headed into SLC to return the Bike Rodeo equipment I borrowed for Pack Meeting last night. We stopped and got Happy Meals and made it back just in time to get Laura from Kindergarten.  Laura and I ate lunch (Jaimee and Bekah ate on the road) and then we went up to school for the Wax Museum.

Nathan had his Wax Museum today. He did a great job!  The girls loved it too!

After the Wax Museum I finished a task I promised a dear neighbor I would complete (mowing down weeds). I love working outdoors! Just before I was finished mowing two friends showed up with gifts for me. A third friend brought flowers while I was out.

Still half the woman I used to be! I got on the scale this morning to make sure. Last year on my birthday I hit the 50% weight loss goal and I’m thrilled to have maintained it.I meet up with Dan at Macaroni Grill after work and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner before going to Jack’s High School Graduation. My best friend and her incredible family.  Jack is the Graduate and Student Body President.

Stace and Kirk are the chaperones and game people for the ALL night Grad Party. I offered to make a cake for Jack and his class for the night. Their theme is Senior Zombie Survivor, hence the cake. It was so fun to make. (I spent many hours yesterday baking and decorating it as well as pulling off a Bike Rodeo for Cub Scout Pack Meeting and a Play Group Picnic at the Park. The last few days have been CRAZY busy!)

I think it turned out pretty well.  Jack loved it and that’s all that really matters!

Day 3

6:30am 4 mile run
9am
big green smoothie (350 cal)
4 cups water

Day 2 Checking In

8:30 am
breakfast: 1 carbmaster yogurt (60cal)
                2 thin slices toast (homemade bread) w/butter spray (150 cal)
                1 sugar-free apple cider packet (10 cal)
                 4 cups warm water
9:15 am
exercise: 3 mile quick bike ride pulling Jaimee in the bike trailer

10:15am  4 cups water
  broccoli (100 cal)
6 sweet potato chips (70cal)

exercise: 1 mile walk

12:30pm
lunch: 1 cup homemade vegetarian chili (150cal)
baked potato (120 cal)
thin slice of quesidilla (50cal)
3 cups water

3pm
snack: 2 bites ice cream off the top of a McDonald's cone (45 cal)
5pm
snack: 3 slices ham (75 cal)

4 cups water

6:45pm
dinner: 1 cup brown rice with 1/2 cup stroganoff sauce, 1 cup green beans (600 cal?)

10pm

exercise:1 hour elliptical, 40 min toning
4 cups water

Calories for the day: 1430 cal
20 cups water
exercise for the day: 3 mile bike, 1 mile walk, 1 hour elliptical, 40 min toning

My B-Day Present to Myself

This is my birthday week and I've decided that enough is enough with the eating whatever whenever.  I'm not eating horribly, actually I'm still eating really well but I'm slipping back into some old habits and I need to stop.  So my gift to myself is eating clean and healthy again.  I figure if I focus hard on it this week then it'll get me back on track.

I have also been loving all of the outdoor exercise I've been getting.  Saturday I did 30 miles on the bike, a 16 mile ride with my sister then a 14 mile ride with Brandon and Nathan (2 of my sons).  This morning I did my 4 mile run then 5 mile bike ride. I LOVE EXERCISE!!!  I can't believe the rain waited for me this morning.  I want it to stop so the kids and I can do our afternoon bike ride.

So I am going to blog all my food and water intake this week so that I am totally accountable to myself along with my exercise.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY week to me! As a bonus I feel really happy about my body today.  I feel so healthy and strong!!!

10am Report:

exercise: 4 mile run, 5 mile bike ride
water: 3 cups
food: 1/2 banana (45 cal), 1 carbmaster yogurt (60 cal)

12:30pm Report:

food: green salad with 3 mushrooms, 1/4 cup green pepper, 1 roma tomato and 2 slices ham (130 cal)
1 slice homemade multi-grain bread, 1/2 banana  (195 cal)
water: 4 cups

2:30pm Report

small apple (80 cal)
slice of fresh pineapple (75cal)

4:30pm Report
exercise 4 mile bike ride with Brandon

1 slice homemade bread 150 cal
3 cups water

6:45pm Report

1 cup pasta with fresh tomato marinara sauce (400 cal)
2 cups steamed broccoli (100 cal)
3 chunks fresh pineapple (40 cal)
1 slice homemade bread (150 cal)
4 cups water

Total Calories: 1325
water:14 cups
Exercise: 8 miles bike, 4 mile run, 1 hour elliptical, 30 min toning

9:35 average

I can hardly believe it!  My morning 4 mile run averaged 9:35 min/mile (6.4 miles/hour). WOW!  Just last week I was thrilled with a 10 min/mile average.  It feels so good to push myself!  Maybe a 9 min mile average is achievable. I just wish I would stop sabotaging my eating.  I need to get my mind back on eating right ALL DAY then I’ll be fully back on track. (I do really well with my eating till 4pm or so then I want the bad carbs.) The human body is AMAZING!!!

My Best is Enough

I have been beating myself up for the past 3 months over my eating.  I want to be able to eat what I want.  I want to feel okay with my food choices.  I don't hide what I am eating but I feel guilty since I have this blog that if I eat something not totally healthy that I am living a lie.  When did I become this person?  I am doing my best right now.  I am exercising like crazy and making healthy food choices 85% of the time.  I am amazed at my body.  I ran 4 miles at a 9:44min/mile average this morning. I consider myself a runner now.  I never thought I could run that far at that speed. I have started doing morning and evening exercise again (about 1 hour each).  I do 100 curls a night with 15 lb dumb bells or 50 push ups as well as 500 crunches.  I am fit, my body is healthy. My best IS enough.  I need to let the guilt go and just be happy with all I doing and darn it I deserve a few spoonfuls of ice cream or a graham cracker with icing!!!

Congratulations and Thanks

This is particularly for two sweet women who have been following my blog.  I began this blog with a deep hope that others would find it, learn from my journey and make their own changes.  I am thrilled beyond words to know that there are women who have been touched by my experience and are making changes.  I received a beautiful email from Becky this past week and I am so excited for the changes she is making.  She has lost 45 pounds in 2 months!!!  GO BECKY!!! There is another sweet woman, Brenda,  who is also making changes and although the weight loss isn’t as dramatic it is steady and her devotion to making her life healthier is inspiring.  It was  so wonderful to meet her and give her a big hug!

Both of these women make me want to live everyday a little better and keep going down the correct path.  Thanks to all of you that give me support and are helping me along my path.  Your comments and stories mean so much to me.  I am who I am today because of a great support system and also a kind and loving Heavenly Father that gives me strength to overcome my weaknesses (namely FOOD!).

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Here is a new recipe I “healthified”.  The original recipe called for 1 lb of butter, 2 cups of each sugar and white flour of course and just 1 1/2 cups oats. (40 less caloreis, 4 grams less fat and sugar per cookie.)

3 eggs

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups applesauce

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1  tsp salt

6 cups whole wheat flour

3 cups regular rolled oats

2 cups raisins

 

Beat eggs until frothy.  Add butter, applesauce, sugar, and vanilla. Mix well then add dry ingredients and raisins.  Bake for 10 min at 350 degrees. This recipe make 96 cookies with my small cookie scoop.

 

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 23 g

Amount Per Serving

Calories 69 Calories from Fat 8

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 0.9g 1%

Trans Fat 0.0g

Cholesterol 7mg 2%

Sodium 49mg 2%

Total Carbohydrates 14.1g 5%

Dietary Fiber 0.6g 3%

Sugars 5.8g

Protein 1.4g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 1% • Iron 3%

Nutrition Grade C

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Confession, Confusion and a New Reward

Hopefully I will have the strength and self-control this week so that I won't have another post like this for a very long while!

I must confess that I start each day with the best intentions of eating well but have fallen very short this week again!  I have been struggling with fitting into my spring/summer clothes.  I got most of them actually last August/September when I was at my low weight.  It makes sense that they don't fit since I am about 25 pounds heavier right now.  I ate too much healthy food and did eat chocolate cake that I made for my son's birthday but I haven't touched those chocolate chips that were haunting my thoughts the past few weeks.  So that is the confession.  I did however do 14 miles of running and 32 miles on the bike this week as well as 3 hours on the elliptical and 1 class of turbo jam at a neighbors house.  Exercise I can do no problem.  I just really need to get back to eating right.  I AM going to eat right from now on out until I slip up and then I'll get back on track and start again!

Now for my confusion... I am frustrated with my body because it is bigger than last fall or even winter.  I have put back on about 15-20 pounds from where I was maintaining. My waist is 2 1/2-3 inches larger than even January.  I felt good about my body at that weight.  I don't like my flabby lower stomach and thighs. Now for the confusion,  since I have put a little weight on I am getting many compliments on how good I look.  I get comments on how proportional my body has become and how healthy and strong/toned I look. These compliments are coming from women/men that I look up to and I consider very beautiful themselves. I have been told that at my lowest weight that I looked too skinny.  I couldn't believe that was possible because I was still 175 pounds.  So now my dilemma...  do I worry about the scale and just really keep my eating and exercise under control and base health on if my clothes fit right and comments of others or do I lose the weight I tell myself I need to so that I like the numbers on the scale.  AGGGHHHH,  what to do?

I know I need to eat better since putting on 20 pounds in 4 months is HORRIBLE! Yes I did have surgery but I let me eating go.  I am giving myself permission to eat sweets and snacks way too often and my portions have gotten larger.  So for now I still want the scale to be back in the 180's but probably not 180.  I don't want to look unhealthy or too skinny.  I just wish I could determine where I lose the weight.  So that's where my mind is right now.

I have a new reward to look forward to when I hit the 180's again.  I will choose between either a ticket to Celine Dion in Vegas or a Hot Air Balloon Ride.  Those are some pretty big rewards so I must also reach my personal goal of 500 miles (bike and running combined). I have been missing something to work toward so this is it.  

I DID IT

2 years  ago today I hit rock bottom.  I was sitting at the Hope of America performance but not with my family.  I was too big for the seats so I sat up high and to the side on a bench.  I didn’t want everyone to miss out on good seats because of me so I told them to stay where they were and I sat where I could. I bribed my little girl to sit with me so I wouldn’t be all alone.  I told myself that night that when my next son performed in Hope of America in 2 years that I would fit into those seats and baby I had room to spare!!!

These are the pictures from 2 years ago at the same event. 

Now pictures today:

Yes, I really did take that picture!  Plenty of room now!!!

 

What an amazing night!!!

I’ll write more later because my morning 4 mile run comes in 6 hours.

Today is a New Day

My whole outlook is changed and I feel more in focus once again.  I did totally ENJOY food Saturday but ate too many strawberries.  I haven’t allowed myself to lose complete control over food and still haven’t given myself permission to order anything with a cream sauce or a burger, fries, shake, etc…. since I began this journey almost 2 years ago.  I just got tired of being so restrictive on foods.  I am going to try to get portion control figured out.  I just don’t know if I can eat just one cookie.  I know that sounds ridiculous but if I east one then I want more. The thing I went crazy over was chocolate.  So this month NO CHOCOLATE at all.  I know I can do it but it’ll be difficult not to even have one chocolate chip. 

I was so pleased when I stepped on the scale this morning and I was down to 191 pounds again. I know most of the up/down is water weight but I’ll take a weight loss any day! YEAH!!!  I  exercised a lot last week outside.  Between the bike and running I hit 32 miles for the week!!! I’d like to break 50 miles this week if the weather man was correct with the warm weather that we have coming.  I love riding my bike!

I hope we all have a GREAT week. I am rededicated to eating right.  Thanks for all of your support and ideas,  it means so much to me!