Reasons why today is a fantastic day already...

1-Weighed in this morning to 191.2 which gives me a total loss of 5.6 lbs since 9/4/08!!

2-Even though it's rainy and drizzley I still went for a 5.5 mile run this morning and now I feel AMAZING!! I broke my previous record of 66 minutes (yes, I'm slow but so what?) by 1 minute. I'm aiming to do 15 minutes of yoga tonight just to really stretch my legs.

3-Today is Friday! Yea for weekends!! We don't have any plans but there are a few movies we want to see and we might go to Stephen's favorite bar on Sunday to watch the Redskins and Dallas Cowboys.

4-Less than a week until we go to Oklahoma for the OSU/Texas A&M football game and I get to see my parents, my grandma, and my sis (and on her birthday even!)!!

5-In the month of September I have only missed 5 days of exercise and 3 of those were when I was in Puerto Rico!!

6-I'm wearing a great outfit today...very fall-ish, fashionable and still pretty darn comfy!! And my hair is looking pretty good (and it's even raining outside so I don't know how that happened)!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Running is my crack!

Hey all, I'm feeling much better (not really better but more at peace) about my brother leaving...it's hard but he's an adult (duh! he's 35) and can make his own decisions. I'll just keep praying and once he gets there start sending him fantastic care packages. :)

This morning I ran 7 miles! I started out with 9 minutes running, 1 minute walking and then once I got to 45 minutes I switched to 4 minutes running, 1 minute walking. By the end though my legs were jelly (but really tight at the same time) and I walked the last .5 mile. Once I was finished I spent at least 10 minutes stretching my legs. It was an amazing run...I really pushed myself. Seriously, running is so addictive, it's my crack! I love running!! Okay, enough gushing about running...I wanted to share a song I downloaded the other day as I was building a new running mix. The song is by Jordin Sparks and it is so motivating to me when I'm running and reminds me to keep hanging in there and be persistent (plus it has a great beat).

Here's the lyrics:
"One Step at a Time"
Hurry up and wait
So close, but so far away
Everything that you've always dreamed of
Close enough for you to taste
But you just can't touch
You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

[Chorus]We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

You believe and you doubt
You're confused, you got it all figured out
Everything that you wished for
Could be yours, should be yours, would be yours
If they only knew
You wanna show the world, but no one knows your name yet
Wonder when and where and how you're gonna make it
You know you can if you get the chance
In your face as the door keeps slamming
Now you're feeling more and more frustrated
And you're getting all kind of impatient waiting

[Chorus]We live and we learn to take
One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

When you can't wait any longer
But there's no end in sight
It's the faith that makes you stronger
The only way you get there
Is one step at a time

[Chorus]Take one step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

[Chorus]One step at a time
There's no need to rush
It's like learning to fly
Or falling in love
It's gonna happen and it's
Supposed to happen that we
Find the reasons why
One step at a time

Hey all...I had a good weekend that had one bad moment. Stephen and I had a ton of errands to do but we got them all done and I got in a workout yesterday. My eating wasn't too bad over the weekend and I made good, smart food decisions. So to the one bad moment of my weekend. I got a call yesterday and my brother will be leaving on September 30 to go to Afghanistan to work on stopping the heroin trade. I've known for a few weeks that he was considering going but I was still hoping he would decide not to go. It's extremely dangerous work. His wife (my sis in law) is on her way to Iraq so both of them will be overseas but in different countries. I'm already worried but all I can do is pray and send them care packages. I'm sorry that this post isn't weight loss or running related but my head and heart are with my big brother. Give me a few days of running to sort this out in my head and I'll be back to my happier self.

Trying but Failing

I started out this morning very disappointed...I weighed and I was (am) 193.4. I was disappointed because that's up .8 lbs from last Friday. Then I started thinking and even though I worked out 6 days I also ate over my calorie allotment almost every day. When I sat down and figured it out my average daily calories was 2050 which is 250 more calories almost every day last week...that's why I gained. I need to stay closer to 1800 calories a day. Now that Stephen's home he is all about having dessert every night and even though I'm not hungry (and usually don't even want anything) I end up nibbling on his dessert. I'm going to get some sugar free pudding at the grocery store for me to have as dessert and I'm not making any more desserts for him...if he wants them, he can buy them at the grocery store. It's much easier to resist a package of store bought cookies than it is freshly made ones (especially with their intoxicating scent). I've also been taking little bites and tastes of things and those calories add up. So one of this week's goal's is no more of those bites and tastes...if I'm hungry and want to eat something then I can have a snack but just because I'm fixing my lunch for the next day doesn't mean I take a "taste" of peanut butter from the jar.

When I was running this morning (where I had all kinds of technical problems with my HR monitor and my MP3 player but that's another story) I was thinking about something I heard Jillian Michaels say on her radio show. She said that failure can be the best thing to happen to you because if you're failing at least you're trying. Better to be trying but failing than to not be doing anything at all. So even though I failed this past week at least I'm trying and I know what I did wrong as well as what steps I need to take to succeed. This week will be better! And on that note, have a great weekend!!

The old switcheroo

I took yesterday off...Stephen had an eye appointment so I switched my AWS day that was scheduled for Friday to yesterday so we could spend some time together. I went to the gym in the morning while he was at his appointment. I did 60 minutes on the elliptical...my knee started hurting at the end but I only had 5 minutes left so I pushed through. I wanted to do some strength training but I was hungry (and I even ate some cereal before going to the gym)...I went back to the apartment and fixed myself a small bowl of oatmeal and ate that and then I did 15 minutes of arms using my free weights. I am proud of myself for still doing my weights even though I had to take a refueling break.

I went running this morning and my knee was giving me some problems. Nothing too serious but it's definitely sore. I ended up walking most of my 5.5 miles and I'm about to fix myself an ice pack and start doing some icing.

Here's something funny...I was looking through one of my desk drawers (it's where I keep my tea, snack bars, popcorn, etc.) for some diet hot chocolate to drink while I'm icing my knee and I found a bunch of stuff I completely forgot I had...lifesavers, mints, packets of Crystal Light to mix with water. I feel like I won the jackpot...well, I'm not that excited but still it was quite exciting.

The first "cool" run of the fall

I went again early this morning for my run and it felt wonderful outside! It was only around 70 degrees and there was a slight breeze...it felt so nice to not be burning up 5 minutes into my run. I actually did a negative split and ended up with a time of 70 minutes for 5.5 miles which is slow but it was a good run and I pushed myself harder than I have in a long time!! Cooler weather does wonders for my running!

Other than that, I don't have too much to say today. Actually, I have something else to say...a couple of weeks ago at the grocery store I bought two Weight Watchers breakfast things to microwave. The first one I tried was a Stuffed Breakfast sandwich and it was delicious. It did have quite a bit of sodium in it but it was a nice change from my usual oatmeal. Today I tried another WW breakfast thing, an english muffin egg sandwich. It wasn't very good. I was hungry after my run so I ate it but it's not very good. I'll eat the one I have left but I won't buy that kind again.

What a blech weekend.

My weekend wasn't so good. It started off well enough on Friday--I went to the gym and kicked the elliptical's butt then Stephen and I had several errands to run so we did that. Then we proceeded to get in an argument and the weekend just went downhill from there. Stephen and I don't argue or fight hardly at all and when we've gone several months without an argument, I know we're due for one. I don't want to get into what this argument was about but something Roni said in her video last week really struck with me. She was saying that when she has a fight or knows something is going on between her and another person, she writes a letter...she has a hard time talking face to face with someone in those situations. I am exactly the same way. Anytime I have an argument with someone, I basically shut down. I literally cannot say what I'm feeling, my mind just closes up. But if I sit down and start writing, I can get those things out. Interesting observation about myself (and good to know I'm not the only one like that).

So anyways Saturday morning I got up and went to the gym. I told myself I only had to do 20 minutes. Usually once I get started, I'll go longer but my heart just wasn't in it so I only did 20 minutes. Then we went to the Oklahoma State watch party (they won!!) and I did very well at the bar. I only had one light beer and for lunch I chose the spinach salad with grilled chicken...it was really good and I was so proud of myself for making a healthy choice!!

Yesterday we did some more errands and we saw "Righteous Kill." It was an okay movie...about 1/2 way through I figured out what the ending was so the "big twist" wasn't really a twist to me. Other than that we watched football.

This morning I decided that instead of waiting until lunch to run I wanted to run earlier. (I'm back to getting to work by 6:30 now that Stephen's home.) So I went at 7 and it was much quieter and calmer by the monuments and museums. Plus it's good practice for me...I need to get used to running early in the morning since the half marathon starts at 6 am!! I think I'll go early again tomorrow.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Butternut Squash Recipe

I didn't really use a recipe for the butternut squash soup but here's what I did: I put just a little EVOO in the bottom of my huge saucepan and then added 1 massive clove of garlic (diced). Then I added the butternut squash (the entire thing except for the seeds) which I cut into small pieces and chunks. Next I added my seasonings--a little salt and pepper, 1 Tbsp or so of onion powder (if I had an onion I would have just diced it and added it with the garlic but since I didn't and I still wanted the onion flavor I added the onion powder), 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 Tbsp or so of cinnamon. I let that saute for 5 minutes or so then I added 2 cups of water (I would have used stock but didn't have any). That cooked for about an hour and then I added 3 more cups of water. I let it simmer away for two or three hours while I went to the gym. When I came back I added 6 oz of reduced fat cream cheese and let it cook for another hour before I ate. It made almost 10 cups exactly and I figured each cup to be about 100 calories. A couple of notes: (1) I add the reduced fat cream cheese because it really gives veggie soups a little extra creaminess, and (2) you could use a blender and puree the soup once it's cooked but I didn't do that because I like my soups to have a little something to chew plus the small pieces of the squash completely broke down and the only chunks left in the soup are the bigger chunks of squash.



When I went running on Monday I noticed that about 1/2 way through I just didn't have any energy left. I remember this happening to me when I ran last Thursday as well (at the time, I just chalked it up to not running for a week or so). But I realized Monday that I haven't been eating a morning snack lately because my oatmeal keeps me full. And I'm not hungry when I start running but about 30 minutes in I don't have any energy left and my tummy starts to feel grumbly. So note to self--even though I'm not hungry, I still need to eat a little something before running to give myself the energy to do my entire run.



Today's Plan:

Activity: 5.5 mile run at lunch

Breakfast: WW Stuffed Breakfast Sandwich, 1 banana, grapes and berries

Snack: Chobani yogurt

Lunch: Salad with 3 oz chicken, 1 serving butternut squash soup, 1 whole grain roll

Dinner: Baked chicken, salad, veggie--probably green beans

I love squash!

So yesterday I went to my annual exam. It actually wasn't too bad. They took blood and started me on the HPV vaccine--Guardasil. Guardasil is a series of 3 shots and I got the first one yesterday...I'll go back in two months and get the second shot. The doctor is also changing my birth control prescription to something with a little more estrogen in it.

After my appointment I went and rented "Baby Mama" (I always give myself some kind of a treat for doing my annual exam). It was a pretty funny movie...nothing too deep...I love Tina Fey, she's awesome!

I went to the gym yesterday afternoon and did the elliptical and bike--that makes 5 days in a row I've exercised. I also made Butternut Squash Soup yesterday for the first time ever...and why haven't I made this before?? It is sooo yummy!! I love it! I've got plenty of leftovers for lunches later this week.

Stephen called yesterday and he's coming home today instead of Friday. He finished all of his work in Puerto Rico so he's coming home early. I have to admit that at first I was a little ticked because I was looking forward to my alone time but now I'm excited. I'm definitely one of those people that doesn't like for plans to change.

Today's Plan
Activity: yoga and abs, arm weights
Breakfast: Total Cinnamon Crunch, skim milk
Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup, banana with 1 tbsp peanut butter
Dinner: ???--maybe out, depends on when Stephen gets in and what he wants to do

Just a quick check-in this morning. I'm off for my wonderful annual gyno exam this morning...happy, happy joy. I'll have a longer post tomorrow. Have a great Tuesday!

A New Direction

A confession...I've been really half-a$$ing things lately--weight loss, exercise, job searching. And that's got to stop. I saw a high number on the scale (196.8) last Friday morning and realized how close I truly am to being back at my highest weight (200). I've known for the last couple of months that I was gaining...my clothes were getting tighter and things that were once comfortable are not so comfortable anymore. So Friday morning I sat down and mapped out my week and what I wanted to accomplish. No more of putting in a minimal effort. Putting in a minimal effort yields a minimal result. And I don't want a minimal result, I want a fantastic awesome result! So my goals for the week are (1) take vitamins every day, (2) exercise every day, and (3) follow a calorie schedule in which I've got higher days and lower days. My reward (besides looking and feeling better) is 1/3 of the way to buying "The Office" season 4 on DVD. I have to complete 3 weeks on plan before I can buy "The Office." My plan this week is a bit stricter since Stephen's gone until Friday and it's easier to workout and eat healthy. Not that Stephen doesn't eat healthy but he eats a small breakfast and a large dinner and I'm always much hungrier in the morning so I like to eat a large breakfast and a small dinner.

After making my plan, I bought a new notebook and new stickers. I felt like I needed a new start (plus I miss buying school supplies) in a new notebook. I'm making my goals for the week and then every night going over that day and making notes as well as making goals for the next day. I got some star post-its to mark the days I do well and smiley faces for making smaller goals. I already feel so much more encouraged about it than I have in the last couple of months.

And for the job searching, I don't have any work-work right now so I have no excuses. I've got to find another job...my contract is up in two months (and it can be renewed so I won't be unemployed) but I need to get another job for my own mental health.

On that note, I'm off to hunt down some jobs and do some applying!

Puerto Rico Pictures

So here's a few of the Puerto Rico pictures...the first one cracks me up everytime I look at it. Between Stephen's super cheesy smile and me squinting into the sun, we look like quite the pair.


Here's some snorkeling pictures. Snorkeling was sooo much fun!!

Picture of me at San Cristobal with San Juan in the background.
Us at the hotel hot tub. At first we thought, "Why does a hotel in Puerto Rico need a hot tub? It's like 80 degrees with 80% humidity every day." And then one day, it was chillier and windy and we understood the hot tub.
Us at San Cristobal.

Us hiking in the rainforest.

Me in La Mina falls in El Yunque rainforest.

The view of the ocean from the hotel's infinity pool. I spent an entire day here reading and napping, it was so peaceful.
Us at the Bacardi Rum Factory.
On the ferry from Catano (where the Rum Factory is) to Old San Juan. Stephen's got an Elvis smile going on.
El Morro in the background.
That's just a few of our best Puerto Rico pictures. It was very overwhelming trying to decide which pictures to post so I stayed away from all the scenic/monument pictures.

Back from PR

Well, I'm back from my vacation in Puerto Rico. I've got over 300 pictures to upload and sort through...I promise I'll post some pics when I get them all uploaded (and I promise I won't post all 324!).

I had a good trip. Stephen was cranky or in bad mood for part of it...I don't know what his deal was but it was annoying. We did a lot of walking around, hiking in the rainforest, kayaking, snorkeling and so forth but I'm sure that I ate most of the calories I burned off. Could've been worse though.

Not enough time today to do a lengthy post...I'm trying to get caught up at work. Talk to ya'll tomorrow!