Best Laid Plans

Whelp, I am going to push my training start date back a week. I woke up this morning with a sore throat, congested and sinus headache... UGH! I do not want to get full fledged sick so will be resting this week... I go to SLC next week for the Daddy/Daughter Opera Night and DO NOT WANT TO BE SICK! So one more week...

The temperature was 32 degrees this morning. I am not amused that winter has started in September! The horses got blankets last night and I put heat lamps up for the cats as well as the chickens. I think the weather change may have brought on my sickness... SO DISSAPOINTED!

Anyway, I am going to take plenty of vitamin C, drink lots of water and get a lot of rest and hopefully kick this thing quickly!

                                                               

Overnight Oatmeal

So, I just tried my first overnight oatmeal. The taste is actually really good, BUT the consistency is kinda pasty. I think I need to add more milk next time. Here is the recipe if you would like to try it:

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats
1/4 Cup Raisins
1 tsp Chia Seeds
1 tsp Honey
Sprinkle of cinnamon
Cover with milk, I used my Equate Protein Shake instead of milk.
Put in the fridge overnight and microwave for 45 seconds in the morning

As good as this was, I do miss oatmeal drowning in butter and brown sugar, but that is not very healthy. LOL! Today I do my meal prep for the work week. 10 chicken dishes and 5 fish dishes. I bought some skinny girl dressing to marinate and flavor the fish and chicken. It is fat free and sugar free and I really hope not taste free.

My official weigh in is tomorrow morning. May the odds be ever in my favor!

Next Week...

Boy that snuck up on my pretty quickly! My prep time is nearly over and the training program will being in 4 days. I wanted to be 185 when I started, but alas it looks like I will be in the neighborhood of 188-189. So far I have lost 11 pounds, in 2 months. I slacked off for a few weeks in month #2 but still managed to maintain so, I'll take it.

On Monday I will start posting about my workouts so I can easily track my progress. My basic schedule for Week 1 is:

Monday:      40 minutes, gradual speed increase include warm up and cool down
Tuesday:      3 miles, 1 minute at 6.0 4 minutes at 5.0 do not include warm up and cool down
Wednesday: REST (work outside, extra barn chores, etc.) WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!
Thursday:    40 minutes, Slow and Steady at 5.0 include warm up and cool down
Friday:         3 miles, 1 mile at 5.0, 1 mile at 5.5 1 mile at 5.0 do not include warm up and cool down
Saturday:     3 miles, Slow and Steady at 5.1 include warm up and cool down

I am loving DietBet. Having actual money on the line does make me think twice when I want a candy bar LOL. I am starting to "eat clean" next week as well, but truthfully, I will probably go back to counting macros.... I do need some variety in my diet!

I am excited and nervous at the same time. This has been a great summer, but I am ready to get back into shape! I really want to either run the full next year, or beat my time for the Half last year...

Report: Month 1

August 22: 245
Sept. 26: 232.6

Month 1: -12.4

Okay, Here we go. One month down. The end of August I hit my all time high weight of 245. It was just time to do something. I dusted off old reliable, counting calories. For the first two weeks I did great. Then week 3 came around and I lost my mojo. I was doing DietBet and had $35 on the line. I really needed to make it through week 4 and hit the goal they set from me. I decided to really clamp down and zero in on my eating. I decided to have one meal a day for the 4 days before my weigh in. During my days I had lots of lemon water and diet soda and tried to stay super hydrated. I barely made my goal of 236.4, and "won" $50. It was such a relief to make that goal, of course that day I had plenty to eat and was 238.4 the next morning.

I planed to join the 6 month/lose 10% DietBet after our China trip. But Sandy started one and I really wanted to be in the same group as her. I thought, why would I delay losing weight? So I plunked down my $ joined her group and they put my starting weight at 236.4. So now here I was 2 days into the challenge and already had 2 extra pounds to lose. Bummer. How was I going to make the goals they set for me?

I thought, now I am really committed. I signed up for 6 months. I have real and measurable goals. I would love to be 212 in February. That seems realistic to me. But somehow I just couldn't face starting over with My Fitness Pal and counting calories. So I read a little thing about "intermittent fasting." (Which is basically what I did my last 4 or 5 days.) Honestly it wasn't too hard, so wanting to feel motivated and focused I was looking for some books about it and just weight loss in general. Reading books always motivates me.  I found these two books:

I first read, "Delay, Don't Deny" and honestly it seems so simple and flexible but also effective. In the book the author quotes from, "The Obesity Code" so I had to read that too. Over the weekend I devoured both books. I even re-listened to portions for the audiobooks and listened to podcasts from the author of Delay, Don't Deny. I was feeling very motivated. I could do this!

The basic idea is you only eat during certain times and when not eating you are doing a "clean fast", which means only water. No lemon water. No diet soda. No calorie-free drinks. No herbal teas. No Nothing. ONLY WATER.  This was super hard for me. But the science behind it seems solid. So I have been doing the "clean fast." Now, I have ice water, hot water and mineral water to try and add a little variety.

The when not to eat is based on what works best for you, like I said super flexible. For me I find that "fasting" 20 hours and having the option to eat 4 hours works best. But you can basically choose any time from 18 hours-6 hours. . . to 22 hours 2 hours.

I have only been doing this for a couple of weeks, so I guess the jury is still out. But I have made a pledge to myself that I will give it 6 months. Once I am in maintenance mode I will probably go 18/6 or something like that. But for now I am down 12 pounds! I am feeling great and love the idea that this is something I can actually do long term. No counting calories. No foods are off limits. I really love the idea this. I will write another monthly report the end of October, when I get home from China. I am hoping I can keep it up while we are traveling.

2 weeks off...Back at it

So after 2 weeks off the wagon, (aka MFP and logging things in) I am back at it. My weight this morning was 191.2 (I gained 3 since my weigh in for DietBet on Wednesday) In all honesty, I saw that coming. I cut my calories down to 1000 per day to "make weight" and as soon as I did, I went back to "normal" eating. I will still be counting my macros this week, but next week I am starting a cleaner diet program. Here is what my daily intake will look like:

Meal #1
Oatmeal (Night Oats: recipe to follow)
2 hard-boiled eggs

Meal #2
1/2 C Brown or Wild Rice
5 oz Chicken, Turkey or Fish
Dark Green Veggies

Meal #3
1/2 C Brown or Wild Rice
5 oz Chicken, Turkey or Fish
Dark Green Veggies

Meal #4
Protein Shake

Meal #5
5 oz Fish
Dark Green Veggies

So, I have room to play as far as what veggies I eat, as long as they are dark green, and what meat I eat. I can only use sugar free sauces (yuck) and no added salt. I can only season with Mrs. Dash or herbs. My water goal is 1 gallon a day... ONE GALLON! UGH! I'm not really sure how this new diet will play out, but I am willing to give it a try. I might be back to counting macros after a week or two.

So, here we go, on to the next chapter...

Here is the Night Oats Recipe:

In a clean glass jar (with a lid) add:
1/2 C rolled Oats
Cover the oats with milk (almond or soy milk will work here too)
1-2 t of honey
1 t Chia Seeds
1/4 C raisins

Put in the fridge and let sit over night. You can add anything you like really: fruit, maple syrup, cinnamon, whatever you think will taste good!

So, my trainwreck week has consequenses...

I am up almost 3 pounds this week. I saw it coming so am not really that surprised. The only thing that kept it from getting any worse was my meal prep (5 servings for fruits and veggies a day) and drinking 60 oz of water a day. I missed several of my runs and just plain chose to jump off the wagon. Having Chris home all week was just plain too hard on my routine.

This week things are back to "normal." I plan to hit the treadmill for 1 mile everyday and drink 100 oz of water per day. My macros and calorie goals will be staying the same this week, but next week I am moving towards a cleaner diet. Jessica, my personal trainer and health coach, is sending me some "clean" recipes to add to my diet.

Marathon training starts Oct 1st, so I do not have any time left for dilly-dallying. I want to start training at 185 to lessen the impact on my joints so I've got 8 pounds to lose before then. I still have not decided between the half or the full but have plenty of time to figure it out.

In the meantime:

Super Rough Week

Chris's schedule changed at PDX so he has been home since Monday and will leave again Friday. This entire week has gone to the birds... My schedule is practically non existent and I have been getting very little sleep. I am trying to keep up with walking/jogging and watching what I eat, but seriously, this week has been a train wreck. I will be glad when I can get back to my routine.

On a good note, I joined another DietBet Challenge. This one is also a step challenge so now I am competing in 2 different challenges! I sure hope I will have some kind of loss next week... With $60 on the line, I gotta dial it in next week for sure!

Week in Review Pt 2

While I was hoping to see a bit more of an improvement in the pictures, I am pleased with my progress overall. Here is my report for the week:

While I did go over on my carbs, I did stay under on my calories and hit the treadmill everyday, at least for a walk if not a jog.

I am learning to dial in my diet: What and how much I can eat. It has been hard to keep within my macros and I am very glad I took August to practice with. September starts my 12 Week Challenge! Here are my current macros:

Carbs:     75
Fats:        66
Protein:   162
Calories: 1542

Slightly less than what I practiced with last month.

Last month I did HIIT every other morning and my back really started hurting... too much twisting. This month I plan to just walk/jog on the treadmill and do basic body resistance exercises. This week on DietBet we have a veggie/water challenge! My meals are cooked and prepped: Spaghetti Squash, Asparagus, Stir fry all with shrimp. High protein, low carb and calorie meals! Now if I could just drink enough water.

Week in Review Pt 1

My real review will be tomorrow as Sept is a new month, my macros will be charging. In the meantime, here are my 1 month pictures:

Week 2: Monday Weigh in

Starting weight: 242
Today: 236.4
Weekly Loss: -1.4
Total Loss: -5.6

Last week I averaged 1597 calories.

I had a good week. I had one crash and burn day, but was able to recover and make close to my 1500 goal an average.  I think dietbet is really helping, I think previously if I had a crash and burn day. . . I just wouldn't record and then try to refocus whenever the next Monday was. But knowing I had to be accountable to my group and also to my $35 I was able to get right back up.

I really really want to hit 226 before we go to China = 10lbs in 45 days.

Here are a few tips: