Weight Loss Bank Account and Setting Myself Up For Success.

I think that I finally, after all of these years, figured out how to stay on track with weight loss.  There is no magic pill, there is not secret formula.  What there is, is resource management.  Just like time and money, calories are to be budgeted in order for me to be successful.  This requires the dreaded calorie tracking.

You can tell those who budget their calories well and those who do not.

Oh but so and so just has a high metabolism, so she can eat whatever she wants.  She doesn't budget her calories!  Well maybe on a technical point she is not purposefully budgeting, but in reality she just has a bigger bank account of calories to spend (consume).

In reality this is just akin to someone with trillions of dollars in their account.  Just because they do not have to watch every penny on a level most people do does not mean that they are not on a budget - what this means is that they have a larger account to work with, they have more resources to spend. A person with a  high metabolism has a higher caloric "bank" account balance.

I have been using MyFitnessPal.com and the app on my phone to track my food intakes and my exercise.  Finally I have a target each day and I know if I go over or under and then I can see how that effects me. In addition to this I am a member of a group on Facebook that is all about getting our acts together, and a member of another one which is a Solstice to Solstice challenge.  I have found that the challenge, together with support from my friends who are also trying to get control of their weights, combined with the tools of MFP and my Ironman training has helped me see the road to success. 

I have learned a lot about the choices that I make for my meals and this tool, My Fitness Pal,  has allowed me to really plan ahead, setting myself up for the best possible opportunity for success.

Has it worked?

I got back from Germany on Saturday, weighed myself and then weighed myself today after using MFP all week.  I am down 6 lbs since Germany, a net 2.6 lbs since I left for Germany (yeah I gained some weight while there, or it could have been salt weight from my meals that weekend)  Either way - a net drop of nearly 3#s is good considering.

I have felt well fuelled for my workouts, and I have been able to see what types of foods had the best result for my hunger levels.  For me it all comes down to protein to keep me satisfied and not on all out binge mode.  Another thing for me is that I have spent a lot of time planning and prepping.  The necessary evils of being busy!

So when I say that I have spent a lot of time, what does that mean?  Well... my weekdays start on Saturday.

The weekend is my time for some long workouts as well as home type work, relaxation, date nights with Mike, and prepping and planing the coming week's meals for both us and our Pug Moose, since we cook him his meals too.

Sundays I prep for Monday and Tuesday breakfasts, as well as cook my lunch and dinner for Monday and my lunch for Tuesday.  By Sunday evening, I have packed my lunch and dinner for Monday, made my dinner for Tuesday or at least prepped for it, and have my breakfasts for Monday and Tuesday ready to cook, right down to my omelet mix in the fridge ready to pour and the omelet pan on the stove top ready to heat.

Mondays I am gone from 7am - 11pm.  I eat 3 meals and all snacks either at work or in my car.  I work, then go to the Lab for 1.5 hours of bike work, possibly a 10 minute run, and then an hour of swim drills with the team at Fraser H.S..  I come home and sleep.

Tuesdays I have my breakfast ready to pour and cook , and then throw my fruits and veggie snacks into my cooler with my pre-prepared lunch and head to work.  I come home and run and then prep and cook the meals for Wednesday and Thursday.

Wednesdays I am gone from 7am - 9pm. I go to work and then the Lab for 1.5 hours of bike work, followed by stretching.  This day I eat my 3 meals and all snacks again at work or in my car, so I have to be diligent about planning.  I come home and go to bed.

Thursdays I cook my breakfast which was already ready for me to go, and then I throw my veggies and fruits in my cooler along with my pre-packed lunch.  I am home after work (swimming and running day), and do my prep work for the rest of the week, making lunches and planning what we will need to buy the weekend when it starts all over again.


So while this may seem obsessive to some, I see it as a necessity.  I would quite honestly eat everything in site and be living at the drive-thrus if I did not plan this far in advance and take the time, no, MAKE the time to get it all ready for the schedule I keep.  

I have taken to heart that I need to be active in my weight loss and not just hope that the weight comes off because I am training for a large event and have a weeding in 6 months time.  This mentality has not worked out so well for me over the past, oh I don't know, let's say lifetime.  What I do know is that I need to set myself up for success each and every day, otherwise I am setting myself up for failure.


So what are some things that you do to keep on track of it all?  What are some thing that you wished you did?

What steps are you taking today to set yourself up for success tomorrow?

Hey Weight... GO away!

So... obviously I am not terribly happy with my current weight. I have lost 30lbs and that is great. Heck I am back in my size 10's again (yippee!). I have however, 30 to 40 more to lose.

Last weekend when I crossed the finish line at AA I knew one thing - I finished stronger than I had started. I was a triathlete forged out of dirt and blood. It made me so happy to finish a race stronger than I was to start it. In fact, I finished stronger than I have felt in a long time. I broke myself down and rebuilt myself up over those 19.5 miles. And not once did I argue about the time. I took my mind off of a finishing time goal and just completed the race at my best effort. What a huge difference in my athletic life that was. Wowie wow wow.

I am in love with triathlons. The variability in it all. The variety. The strategy. The difficulty. The excitement!

It resparked my love of running, which I had been missing for years, previously running for all the wrong reasons - as an escape versus a pleasure. It introduced me to cycling, which I am pretty good at (hills excluded). It introduced me to swimming, which I feel happy doing (embrace the inner fishy!). I actually love all three disciplines. And I have pushed myself to grow in each sport individually, not just as bricks and multisport events.

However, I am still a runner at my core. And with that an internal alarm has sounded. Fall racing season is coming! This week kicks off the fall marathon training season. 16 weeks out from a good number of serious distanced races. Well I am doing it. I am throwing my towel into the endurance ring once again. I have a bone to pick with the 26.2 distance, so I am leaning towards my safety zone of 13.1. 8 weeks into my training I either suck it up and go for the long haul, or I pick up the speed and work on refining my half. So in 2 months I may just post that I am going for the Marathon... or that I plan on PRing in my half. We will see how I tackle the 16 milers to come before then... it is afterall a big mental game,and one that I am not positive I am up for this year.

This weightloss will help me keep on going stronger and stronger. I feel this amazing body waiting to crawl out of the fat shell I keep it in. I have a full 2008 schedule of races and travels, and with that I need to remain focused on dropping the weight FOR GOOD.

• JUNE - AA triathlon, Wisconsin trip and Big Fish triathlon
  
• JULY - Chicago 4th celebration with Shar/Matt and Carl's family triathlon
  
• AUGUST - Mexico trip, Lansing Legislator triathlon (oly?), T-Rex Triathlon (maybe?), Island Lake of Novi triathlon, CRIM 10 miler
  
• SEPTEMBER - Michigan Tri and Du championships, Autum Colors duathlon
  
• OCTOBER - Brooksie Way half marathon, Detroit (half) marathon

Seeing the pictures of me from the race last weekend shocked me a little. The biking pictures especially. Dang. I feel that I did not do myself justice. I got to 30lbs down then I just sort of stopped. I feel that I am not taking myself as a healthy person seriously. I contradict myself and it is ticking me off. I do not consume sugar in my meals, but in that bag of dark chocolate peanut M&M's? THAT sugar doesn't count.

Hey a browie is zero points. It is a neccessity afterall. You cannot live without brownies!

I need to free myself from the shackles of this weight. But I have been trying to do this for years. Why will this time be different? Because this time... I REALLY want it for myself.

What I need to do is get back to tracking my daily inputs and expendatures. I balance my checkbook for my monetary health, why on earth did I stop balancing my "checkbook" for my overall health?

I really would love to push for the Olympic distance tri in August and the Marathon this fall. The only thing keeping from reaching those goals is me. I have dedication. Can I make the time to put in all that effort into swimming a mile? I need only 6 weeks or so to get there... so I know that I have JUST enough time to get to the distance if I start now. Do I have the mental power to overcome my fear of the 26.2 mile run? If I can keep time out of it, then yes. The problem is that the longer the race, the more concious about my pace I become. I have too much time to think and play numbers games. I need to teach myself to love to run that long distance. I need to fall in love with 4-6 hour runs. I can do it, I just wonder how long it will take me to get there. Run it and it will come. That should be my new mantra for distance events!

I guess that this is GO time.

Just where I am going to? Well now, that is a question for my life's journey. We will just have to wait and see for the answer!

Keep on running!

})i({ RG

700 yards of heaven

Today. What a good, albeit busy, day.

1 - Still need to solidify the travel plans for the next month or two - but for sure on the plan are Mexico (1 week), Wisconsin (1/2 a week - if only for the cheese curds!), Boston (maybe 2 days), and Texas (4 days).

All this by March. Potentially.

2 - Good news - I am also going to Florida for almost a full week with Mike for a vacay... Miami, Del Ray Beach, West Palm Beach - you name it we will be there.

3 - Weighed in at work today for my challenge with a few co-workers - I am down 5.6 lbs since we started on 1/7, and down over 11lbs since 12/25. VICTORY! I hit my January weight loss goal a week early. :o) I WILL be down 25-30 lbs by Florida. Darn it!
and quite possibly the sweetest of all things -

4 - I set out tonight at the gym to repeat my 400 yard workout from last night. NOPE. Was not having that. I did 200 yards of 25's followed by 300 yards of kick drill 50's (front and back kicking), rounding out a stellar and quite easy 400 yard workout - then decided to crank out some more 25's and then add in 50's. At 600 yards I decided to cool down with an additional 100 yards this time of breatstroke. I even did 1 flipturn in that 100 yards just to see how the CO2 would go.

Not so bad.

SWEET. And wow - that 700 felt like 400. I think my plan of swimming everyday is going to do wonders for my Saturday long swims (whatever I can finish in 1.5 hours).

Well I am dried out - tired - and ready for bed.

Night all!

meh.

So I have been sorta bad on my diet/exercise/lifetyle change lately. I am suffering a case of burn-out. No, not on running this time. On work.

I seemt o work through all holidays and PTO days. I need a break in a bad way. Unfortunately that break will not ocur for some time. I am thinking that I will need to take a week off sometime before fall launch of cars (I work in the automotive industry). I usually only take an extended weekend occassionally around bigger races.

This year I see that I will need to be dilligent on taking my time off.


As for exercise and diet, you know my lifetstyle change mission, I have been less than great this week. I have been really not focusing on points. I have been exercising, running, and getting in some tempo and cadence runs on hills, but as far as the food goes - yeah I have been less than stellar. Still not anywhere's near what I was before WW, but not as good as I had become.

So I am expeting a weight gain if not at least a stall for tomorrow's weigh in. BOO me. :(

But hey I am not expecting too much of a gain. I have been exercising, I have been eating better than before, and I just need to lax my rules a bit for a week. Not to mention the multitudes of martinis I consumed with my friends Par, Ryan, and of course Mike alst night. Woopsy!

Oh well... I now have 9 weeks to get down that second 20. I know I can do it. I just need to hold on to my gumption and get it done already!

Today I am going ot head out to Kennsington Metropark (KMP) in Milford and run 4 miles or so. Maybe I will push for 5. Then afterwards, I am going to go lay on the beach (KMP has two beaches, 1 wavepark, bike/running trails, horse riding trails, nature walk trails, a farm, a nature center, a boat launch (well two acutally), and a marina for you to dock your own boat and keep there). Needless to say it is heaven to nature enthusiasts!

Off for a bite to eat, then to pack up and head out to KMP for the rest of the day. I may even bring my boat out if I decide that I want to lounge on the lake!

Progress and a hydration question

I am finally feeling and seeing progress! I am seeing the body that is starting to take shape, and loosing the weight again after a quick gain.

My goal is now 20lbs in 10 weeks. I think that it is doable and safe - heck in 6 weeks or so I lost 17. After I hit that goal, which happens to fall on the Chicago Distance Classic and my Birthday, I will set another 20lb goal, and keep doing this until I feel satisfied. I think looking at my weight loss in mini-goals is easier than seeing the" 52lbs to go" badge on Traineo! 20 seems to be more attainable than 52. Motivation!


On the training front, I am able to get in my distance runs without issue. I am feeling stronger out there. Not so much quicker, although I do hit patches when I feel my speed increase and it feel good. I am trying to push a little harder in intervals while I run.


I decided to go ahead and start training this week instead of next. I will do the first week of training twice. I am getting antsy!! Very very antsy!

So far my training schedule for the next two weeks will be the following:

MONDAY - Legs and Shoulders
TUESDAY - Back and Bis, Run 3.5 miles
WEDNESDAY - Chest and tris, Run 2miles
THURSDAY - Legs and Shoulders , Run 3.5 miles
FRIDAY - Back and Bis
SATURDAY - Cross-train (Bike, row, or elliptical for 30 minutes)
SUNDAY - Run 5 miles


Well I hope all is well for you all! I am finally able to be more active in the blog - things have been hectic! Travelling for work, and general busy work at home as well.

Oh - I also picked up some Accelerade for my runs. I tried some last night - the fruit punch flavor - and it really did taste good. I like the consistancy of it, so I think that I will have no problems uing it during the run. I will start to use it during my workouts as well. We will see how it goes!

If anyone has any hydration/fuel suggestions, please let me know! I have heard about nuun as well, but do not know if I would like that - no carbs. Which could be a good thing given the number of gels I consume in my longer run... I don't know. I have always been a little confused on this subject so any help and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I downloaded the podcast on Phedippidations about this topic last night so I will give that a listen as well.

Keep on moving!
})i({ RG

45 minute runs feel good....

Last night I ended up doing a 45 minute fun run. I wasn't going for any particular distance, but I think that I went about 3 miles. I am still disappointed a little, but then again, I know that I have slowed down since becoming less active... plus I am following the run-walk-run method at 2:1 intervals. The real test will be Sunday at Kensington Metropark when I run a 5 miler using the 2:1 ratio.

I felt really good out there. Strong. Happy. :) I know that I could have pushed it 3:1 but I decided to give this 2:1 ratio a shot through the 5-miler. This is a new philoophy to me... so I am trying my bet to emrace it fully.

I have plenty of time to get my pace back up to where I want it. I am not worried long term about it. I know that this time around I will enjoy it, so if that means I will become a slower runner, then albeit!

Today is a rest day, tomorrow my 5 miler and some early morning strength training.

On a weight loss note - I am down a total of 17lbs as of this AM! :) That is cause to celebrate right there people.

The rest of thi morning will be devoted to finding a new template for my blog. I love the one that I have now, but I am sort of bored with it. I want something a bit brighter... you know - like my personality! LMAO - ok... whatever. ;)

Keep on running everyone!
~RunnerGirl

My first WW milestone!

I joined WW on 4/10. Now.. as of 4/23 I am down 6lbs - which means taht I have earned my first milestone star - the 5lbs lost star. *geeked*

My mini goals are to be down by 15lbs by Memorial Day, down 10% of my start weight by July 4th, and down 30 lbs by my birthday, August 11th.

I feel good and strong, and motivated! SO far so good.

Well, off to run.. oh yes you heard me... RUN.. before hitting the gym for legs and shoulders.

Wish me luck!

~RunnerGirl

Finding the inner beauty.

I have realized some very important thing lately. At the top of that list - is the fact that I can feel comfortable and beautiful in my skin as it is... while wanting to improve upon it And I think that that is vital for me to proceed forward with the weight loss.

I feel cute again, I feel admired again... dar I say it? I even feel attractive again. And it has been a long time since I felt that I was attractive to anyone other than Mike.

I know a lot of it stems from cat calls at clubs... just kidding... a lot of it has to do with itting the gym 5 times a week. Lately I have been walking with a self-confidence I had lost a long time ago.

I think that confidence is down right sexy. So I decided to give it a try. For the past two weeks I have been really taking the time for myself. I get up early so I have time to wake up. I check emails, I make a nice hot breakfast, I spend time on me.

This has set the mood and pace for the remainder of the day. I am more assertive at work, and I carry myself better.

I am thinking that I am pretty under the weight, and I think that this is shining through. Now when I go to stores, people come from all over to help me. Be it to load groceries in my car, or to help me get something from the tock room... they are coming from out of the woodwork.
At clubs and when we go out in general, I have been getting more and more comments. General winks and lingering glances that make me feel good about myself. I no longer hide in the corner hoping not to be seen. I am proud of my curves, and respectively show them off.

When Mike looks at me and says "Wowy wow wow" that makes my heart skip a beat. Because at the end of the day, if he feels special to have me on his arm, then that is all I want. ;)

By changing my outlook on me internally, I think that that really does show through externally.
I am very excited to have lost nearly 5# since starting WW (yeah that would have been on 4/10). So in 10 days I have lost almost 5#. That is awesome to me!
I am sticking to the plan, because I want to look at beautiful as I feel. :) All in all I feeling pretty good!

Have a good week everyone!

I don't hate bald people... not as a group anyways. -+

Today I was in rare form. Juices were flowing... and I felt great! I went to my "home" location for work - Troy, and decided to be there a majority of the time this week.

I am dually located, so I work out of two offices - Troy and Auburn Hills. If you are familiar with the metro-Detroit area, then you will know that these two cities butt up against each other. My two offices are only 6 miles apart in fact.

Anyhow - at Troy is that jerk who likes to call me fat. The one that I rant about often. I saw him today, and decided to take aim. I walked up to him and asked... "so Uttam, do I still look fat?"

Since a co-worker was with me he just shook his head and laughed. Once to co-worker walked away - he looked at me and said, "You have not lost 1 pound. Not pound. Why don't you work out?"

OK - profanity alert in...

3......




2......



1.....

ASS.

He is a complete and utter asshole. Pardon my french.

But I did something awesome today. I laughed in his face and said "See you in 1 month buddy. Then who will be fat? Because in 1 month, you will still be bald. Have a nice day... you ASS."

And then I walked away.

Pat's self on back.

So I am off to the gym soon, to complete another week 2 portion of the C25K program.

I feel more like my old running self daily. I have given three friends running advice (they came to me out of the blue mind you) in the past week, which seemed odd to me but honestly I have a lot of knowledge in my little head. That happens when you have been a serial runner for 4 years.

What this also proved to me - was seeing how freaking geeked I got to talk about running... I think... oh yes... that I just may have my passion for running back.

The topics discussed this week were pretty intense... HRM vs. GPS vs. "naked" running. Which GPS monitor to go with... and my personal fave - people who think because they can run 1 mile - that they are ready to train for a marathon. Another few topics discussed over the past week with different people - the pressures from peer groups associated with running (i.e. feeling that you HAVE to do something because someone else is sort of pressuring you into it, etc.), how races can sour you, and of course training plans.

Another thing that lets me know that my passion is back is that I am getting downright IRATE at a few running people. One person in particular is influncing a running friend of mine and it is really ticking me off. Said person has been putting severly negative thoughts into her head... such as she is not ready for the marathon that she is about to run in less than 4 weeks, that she is a horrible runner because her half marathon time was 2:35 and change, and that she is making excuses for why she is a slow runner because she has TS. I call Bull-crap on all of these.

People like that make running miserable for the rest of us. They are self-absorbed petty petty people and it drives me crazy... especially when they completly and outright PUT DOWN someone's accomplishments. I am sorry - but there is no such thing as a bad Half marathon time... if it is your first one!!!!!

My running friend has put so much into this training, she has some health issues she is trying to overcome, as well as she has a low self-esteem to begin with... that this cow has been having a very negative effect on her.. and with only 4 weeks left until the marathon - she is pretty down and out. :(

Cows. Udder cows... lol. ;)

Anyhow - jerks are among us. We just have to learn how to deflate their comments and not let them effect us on that level.

OK enough rambling... I have some taxes to attend to and some running to do. ;)

Run on y'all!
~Runner Girl

Motivation comes in a new form....

The sight of me this evening in a pink tank top and a long jean skirt is enough to justify my actions in getting back into running.

WOW... so NOT cute.

Oh the joys of inactivity...

So how exactly does one jump up 40lbs in just 2 months? *shudders* I am just concentrating on getting this weight off, and trying to form those habits which will keep the weight off permenantly. I am so sick of this darned yo-yo of weight I have battled my whole life.

So-long are the days of my size 6 body. But that does not mean that I need to settle for the body I have now.

What a wake up call. But alas... I WILL do it this year. I just need to work a bit harder at it... and no more lazy arsed excuses. 5 weekss of being sick taught me that I need to overcome obstacles.. and really make them passable, if they cannot be avoided.

Good night all - I am exhausted and so not looking forward to work tomorrow. However, tomorrow is my "Friday" due to the holiday I get a 3 day weekened. Niiiiice.

Oh I forgot to tell ya...

In case you do not read the header to my blog where I have links, etc... I am down 12.4 lbs!!!

Oh yeah baby! You hear me... 12.4lbs. Now that is pretty cool.

Coming clean... with myself.

I am completely aware that my weight loss could very well all be waterloss... but so far I am 9 lbs down. Being sick helped me there as I did a few days of Jello only, and now I am eating smaller helpings of foods I would normally eat, which as it turns out are what most people consider an approriate portion size!

I have cut out most carbs, obviously I still consume them for runs, but in everyday eating I am better off without them. I was a devout vegetarian for the past few years, and found out that my body is so carbohydrate in-efficient that I needed to get back to eating animal proteins and meats again.

I am able to eat meat again, mainly poultry/fowl and fish/seafood.

I drop weight easily when I cut down on my carbs. I just need to find the balance where once I have met my weight los goals, how many carbs can I intake and not gain, nor loose any more weight. Once I get to that stage, I will be one happy camper!

So I am not putting much stock into my nearly 10lbs weight loss so far. My body always drops weight quickly in the beginning. I have been hydrating like mad, taking my multi-vitamin, and eating mostly salad veggies and chicken in MUCH smaller portions that I normally would.

That has been a major issue for me, portion control. For me it was never about weight or appearance as I was a size 6 with a killer rack (lol). For me it was about control. Control over my life.

I know that I am a binger. It gets to a point when I literally CANNOT stop eating. But that all stems from emotional eating

I have been doing a lot of soul searching over the past 5 months or so. I have come to a point, the apex if you will. My sole desire now is to get better, and in order to abolish this BED, I have had to confront all anger inside me, confront all sadness inside me, and really confront what my issues are. In engineering we call this root cause analysis.

Well I did that. The culmination was my freak out last Saturday night. I had finally gotten so many things off of my chest! It felt wonderful to finally just get it all out in the open. I let out my feelings, so I could finally deal with them.

And the amazing thing, I no longer look at food for comfort, because I am healing myself through friendhips that are true, and bringing the unconditional back into love. Now whenever I see something that even a mere week ago I really would not have thought twice about shoving in my face, I am not even tempted. I am facing all the things that I do not like about myself, and finally doing things about them. I am taking the power out of my insecurities. I am empowering myself in the precess.

Please know that I am not denying myself anything, but I am simply not wanting any of it. I think that I have actually taken the power away from food. It is fuel, not emotional healing. I really need to remember that.

It feels good to finally face all of my demons, all of the things that I have let hold me back. It feels good to come clean with myself and look forward as a new day approaches. I am now actually looking forward! I feel no need to reflect on the past me, as I know that that me was hurt so badly in her life. The forward thinking me is grateful for the friends she has now, and looks forward to getting her life back on track.

Oh. Dear.Lord. *sigh*

The picture is not the most flattering of any picture of me.

It is darn right reminiscent of my heavier years, before I lost about 60lbs. Oh wait, it is EXACTLY like then.

Seeing these pictures from the wedding resulted in a huge cry fest Saturday night. Needless to say it cheesed Mike off to see me so upset. I even managed to offend him as well as insult the holy bejezus out of myself. Smooth Jenn.

Way to not only kick yourself when down, but manage to drag those who love you down with you. I know that I need to take action and quickly.

I have seen my Dr. about a possible thyroid issue, we will see. My thoughts are that I am just fat and lazy. But I am working on that. Dropping some carbs and increasing the exercise should do the trick. I just need to get my butt in gear, you know, like I am always saying. It is funny how it takes a few pictures to show you the reality of the situation. I do not like the reality I am seeing, so it is time to change it.

I joined Traineo for extra motivation, and I am being very cautious with my emotional eating issues. SSo we will see where it all goes, but I know that I am doing something for myself. Something that I really really have needed to do for a long time.

And I think that all of life's trials and tribulations really help us grow not only as people, but as runners as well.

Here is to today.