So the scale actually DOES move!!

I was beginning to think that the scale would be stuck on 178 forever... but low and behold, it moved to 177 today!  It's only a pound, but after the last 3 weeks... I'll take it!  I am just hoping this downward trend continues and I'm not stuck at 177 for the next 3 weeks.

Life... it gets busy!  Here's a little of what's been going on...

Last Friday I did a 3 mile run at the gym.

Saturday my dad and I went snowshoeing, we brought Colby along.  It was so much fun... and so rare that I get to hang out with just my dad!  We did 2 miles through my great uncle's woods... Colby was pretty tired & had a frozen body by the end :)

Saturday night I went out to Luxemburg and had dinner with a few of my cousins... after a yummy dinner it was game time :)  We got a little creative with our game pieces!

Sunday I did 5 1/2 miles on the treadmill at the gym.  I am sick of it being cold and snowing... I am ready for spring and nice outdoor running weather!

Monday I did Spin with Lisa :)

Tuesday I ran 3 1/2 miles on the treadmill at the gym.

Today... I baked :)  It's rest day!

I've been waiting to make this recipe from Emily Bites... Banana Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal Singles.  I tried a 1/2 of one, super yummy and planning for this to be my breakfast the next few mornings.  If you're following weight watchers they are only 3 points plus each! :)

 Since I'm terrible at having an open bag of chocolate chips in my house... I also made a batch of Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies.  I made a few, and then froze the rest of the dough for another day :)  I used good 'ole Betty Crocker for that recipe! :)

I've got a busy few days coming up... hopefully I can get a few more workouts in this week... I have lots of fun things happening this weekend :)

A lil update

The story of my life right now is FRUSTRATION STATION.  I weighed in yet another week and didn't lose ANYTHING.  Imagine how frustrating it is to be super strict with what you eat... no junk food at ALL, and working out, minimum 30 minutes a day... 6 days a week for 5 straight weeks, and NOTHING.  The scale doesn't budge an ounce.

So another week and I'm sitting at 178.  My trainer took my waist & hip measurements again on Tuesday... I stayed the same in my waist & lost 1/4inch in my hips... since 12/31.  I really thought I'd see better results as pants that I haven't worn in a few months are fitting & able to be worn again.  She did say that measuring me at the end of the day after I've eaten a few meals/snacks, would be different than morning results.  I guess I can't expect miracles in 5 weeks.

I posted on Facebook for recommendations about seeing a nutritionist.  I got a few recommendations from friends who offered me their materials before seeking one out on my own.  I read through some of the stuff I got today... and I am going to try some of the meal suggestions/and try and make them fit with Weight Watchers.  There are a few things I'd like to try before giving up on WW all together...

1) cutting out *most* carbs 
2) no processed foods
3) adding a bit more dairy back into my diet (I was having digestive issues, so I cut it out and it's been such a huge help to my system).  If I add more back in, it will be yogurt, cottage cheese & a glass of milk on occasion. 
4) going back to having protein shakes for breakfast instead of oatmeal
5) completely cutting out diet soda (I drink maybe 4-5 per week... diet coke or diet root beer)

If those options don't work, I am definitely going to see a dietician/nutritionist. 

Some of the things my trainer has recommended are:
1) Workout in the morning before I eat anything
2) Cut back my spinning and switch to all running
3) Try running outside as much as possible... you get better calorie burn outside than on the treadmill.  With days like today, it's kind of hard to run outside!

Ok, this picture was from Sunday's snowstorm... but you get the idea ;)

Here was my car after being at work for 9 hours today!

I really enjoy my two spin classes a week... if I gave one up, it'd probably be the weekday class.  I am really loving going to class on Sundays.  My running is going great, and I finally feel confident in my ability to just pick up and go for a run... here's a few pictures post-run from Monday...

That's sweat glistening on my face :)

$150 Running Shoes practically destroyed... will no longer be worn inside, I guess it's time to invest in a new "indoor" pair!

Monday's run was interesting & fun.  I knew I wanted to run outside on Monday so I rescheduled my personal training from Monday to Tuesday.  I got home from work & changed... and Colby knew I was headed out, so I decided to take him with me.  Well the fun with Colby lasted 1.6 miles, he had to be taken home because it was just too hard to jump puddles and run around sidewalks that didn't get cleared.  He had fun and was tired though.  Once I dropped him off, then I headed back out for the last 1.5 miles by myself.  It was a slower run (because Colby stops a million times & there were some slippery spots), but I still averaged about 11:40 per mile.

And finally... an update on my 2013 goals.

1) My savings plan is working great... I have put the allotted amount of money away each Sunday... and as of this weekend coming up, I will have put away $21.  It's fun to start watching the money grow quickly!  I also did my taxes last weekend and plan to use that money to continue to pay things off... the thought of one day not having any types of loans would be great!  Only a few years and a few thousand left on those darn student loans!

2) Making a new recipe each week.  I guess you could say that I have stuck to this.  Some of them have been much more simplistic (like making individual pizzas with flat out bread or soup), but I am sticking with it.  I plan to create some new, more intensive recipes in the coming weeks!

I was NOT a fan of this soup mix...  my favorite gourmet cheddar broccoli.  I found it in the organic section at Festival.  It had almost NO flavor.  I added frozen broccoli florets as well and that just did not help.

 Have a great snowy night :)

Is it Spring Yet!?!

Simply put, this week's weather really dragged me down!!  I am very ready for spring to be here.  I completed all 3 of my scheduled runs on the treadmill, which is very UNLIKE me.  However, I did it to save my body from the brutally cold temperatures.  I wussed out on this morning's run outside... and went to the Y instead, where it was HOT!

My Saturday runs seem to be going phenomenal, while my weekday runs are just ehhh. 

Monday: 2.1 miles on treadmill @ work... 25:01(11:55 pace)

Thursday: 2.1 miles on treadmill @ work... 24:33 (11:41 pace)

Saturday: 4.5 miles on treadmill @ YMCA... 47:48 (10:37 pace) & did an additional 1/2 mile at a jog/walk to finish up 5 miles

I ordered a pair of compression socks and got them this week... they are my new best friend.  I wear them after a run and it helps the soreness soooo much!

 I didn't post a weigh-in update on Wednesday because there was nothing to report... I stayed the exact same as the previous week, 178.0.  I am hoping for a good number next week!  I'd love to hit my first 5% (which means I need to lose 1.5lbs).

My concern is with working out 5-6 days per week, I might not be eating enough, so I decided to do some experimenting with the number of points I eat per day.  Friday - Tuesday, my plan is to eat my daily points & the points I earn from working out.  Maybe that will make a difference?

 I got a comment at work this week that I am looking slimmer... I don't think I can see it yet.  I'll try and take new pictures this week!

After my run, breakfast and shower... I took Colby to the dog park.  He had SOOO much fun!! :)  He was sitting and waiting for me to give him a drink of water...

Happy weekend everyone :)

Alarm.... Oh I hate my alarm!

My alarm was going off this morning... starting at 6:30am... and I really, really did not want to get out of bed.  I even got out of bed, looked outside, pretended it was snowing, and crawled back into bed.  I thought to myself, well, I can just go run later at the Y.  Suddenly it was like a light bulb went off in my head that said... get your butt out of bed and go to the training run.  There is no reason I couldn't go, so I hopped out of bed at the last minute (7:30), threw on clothes, let Colby outside and I was out the door by 7:45am.  Turns out, it was actually pretty decent outside... and I had a great run!!

The plan this morning was 4.3 miles, which I finished in 46:07 ~ 10:44/mile pace!  I also must have been running hard today because I burned almost 700 calories!

Mile 1: 10:28
Mile 2: 11:05
Mile 3: 11:05
Mile 4: 10:47
Last .3: 10:27

I got home and took Colby for a short run to finish out 5 miles.  In the early afternoon I then took Colby for a 2 mile walk... I think we can certainly say I got my exercise today!

Tonight I am curled up on the couch listening to the wind howl... watching Pitch Perfect.  So far this is a great movie!  I can't believe how long I've waited to see this movie!

I'm going to attempt a double spin class tomorrow... 1 hour 30 minutes.  WOWZA... my legs might be jello afterwards :)

Weigh In Numero Quatro (that's Spanish for 4)

Hey all, happy weigh in day!  Today was another positive weigh in... down another 1.4lbs this week!  That brings my total weight loss since Christmas day to 7.8lbs! :)  I weighed in at 178.0 this morning.

I had another great run last night... it was just two miles but I was able to run outside before I went to volleyball.  I am so happy it's slowly starting to stay lighter a bit longer.  I hope I continue to say my runs are going well as the distance grows!

I went 2 miles, and ran a 10:39 pace.  I am satisfied with how much faster I am running starting out this year as compared to last year.

I am also really learning a lot more on Heart Rate Based Calorie burn... http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

My garmin seems to be very accurate which is exciting for me.  What I learned however, is the Activity point tracker on Weight Watchers is NOT accurate at all.  So, for the last 3 weeks I've been using that way to track my workouts... even though I don't "eat" my activity points, it's still gratifying to know how many I earn.  So, what I am doing now is tracking my calories burned via my Garmin, and transferring those into Activity points.

I have learned that it exaggerates it by 1/3 to 1/2 more than I actually earn.  I read on the WW message boards that 1 AP = 80 calories.  So, I feel like I will be getting a much more accurate reading on how much I am actually earning!

Here's to 2 more great runs this week... 2 miles tomorrow & 4.3 on Saturday!