Randoms

Want to know one really awesome thing about losing weight before you get pregnant? More specifically, before you become 8-9 months pregnant during the cold weather season in WI? You don't have to go out and buy an expensive maternity coat!

That was my little win this weekend. I knew that my winter coat from last year (ok, actually that is technically this year) had gotten big on me at the end of the season but I broke it out of the closet to wash it in preparation for our first arctic weather plunge this week and it still fit. Score! I don't have a whole heck of a lot of extra belly room in it right now but I do believe it will make it until my due date next month and then I will be in smooth sailing territory after I give birth. 

So far I have only put on 23 lbs. It fluctuates between 20-23. My goal was 20-25 so...I may stay there or might go a little over. Either way, I'm happy with that. 

I am getting the running urge. I am starting to plan out what races I will want to run in for 2015. I highly doubt I will be ready for the Shamrock Shuffle again this year. I need to get a 5k under my belt before I go jumping back into an 8k. I'm sure my lung capacity sucks at the moment. I know I won't be able to do the Disneyland Half in August...because they moved it to Labor Day for 2015! I'm so pissed. I have a close friend getting married that day so we can't miss the wedding. Bummer. I was looking forward to a Cali vacation plus the race. 

Other than that, I have had a wonderful pregnancy so far. I'm 33 weeks now and will miss having bunny in my belly. I feel so fortunate to be here. Pregnancy is the best thing I've ever done :) 

Pregnancy Glow

Hi! I'm 19.5 weeks along today. *Almost* halfway done. Crazy!

I'm up 10lbs and feel great. I had to break down and buy some more maternity clothes. It's funny how much more comfortable they are. Ladies, don't keep squeezing into those tight pants. Buy the dresses, and mat jeans, and skirts. Trust me. 

My MIL and her co-worker keep thinking I've lost weight through this pregnancy. We laugh because it's so not true. It will especially not be true after this weekend because we are going to hit up the Wisconsin State Fair for the first time ever. A few years ago we saw a special on the Travel Channel and I've been dreaming of gorging on fair foods ever since. And naturally since this could very well be my only time going while pregnant, I'm going to indulge. Monday it will be back to gorging on the healthier foods that are a staple in my diet now, lol. I am a fruit monster lately. Bananas, apples, grapes, pluots, clementines, pineapples, melons, etc. Yum!

Other than that, I have been slacking on the regular walks. I did get out with a neighbor for a nice hour long walk this week so that was nice. I seem to do most of my walking in long spurts rather than little bits over multiple days. I think this will be my goal to work on the next few weeks. It's a great anxiety reliever and that is my only downside to pregnancy. 

Here is a bump pic from this last Wednesday. I've been told that I am glowing. I asked if that meant I was sweaty ;) But I think there is something to it. I have honestly never felt happier in my life. I love being pregnant. Absolutely love. I love my bunny bump!!!

Being pregnant after weight loss

You know, I've really been kicking myself for not blogging over here since getting pregnant. It just kind of dawned on me that there are other people who could be on their own quest to get pregnant or who are pregnant and also be on a weight loss (ok, hiatus for some of us) too. I'm far from the only one who is overweight and pregnant.

My main goal this pregnancy is to not balloon up or allow myself to gain back everything I lost. Sure, if I had been 130 lbs to begin with, gaining 40 would be no big deal. Except that was far from the case. I was 214 on the dot when I began our IVF cycle. I was really good with the bloat and the 4 lbs that I did gain from the cycle were minimal in my eyes. As of today, I'm 17 wks, 3 days pregnant and I am at 223.4, so just a hare under 10 lbs gained. At almost half way through this pregnancy, I'm happy with that. Especially since there have been complete and utter train wreck weeks. 

With it being summer, I do my best to never turn on the oven. That tends to limit some of the things I like to cook. At least K is the grill master and he grills some amazing dinners for us. I'm making a personal goal to try to get more veggies into my diet right away. I've been awesome with fruit but veggies have been sorely lacking. The bunny (baby) needs some carrots dangit! ;-)

You know what other goal I made? One that I'm not even sure I'll ever be able to test, lol. For my next pregnancy - and take this with a grain of salt as it took us 6.5 years to get here so who knows if we will have a second - I want to be thin enough to wear normal, cute maternity clothing. There is a huge gap in maternity fashion. I've been lucky to have a few pieces given to me by a friend, including an Old Navy dress I'm wearing today and to also be able to use some of my "fat kid" clothing still. Because of the 40 lb loss, I had a ton of room in many pants and tops. That's a huge bonus. 

So basically, here's my promise - I will try to keep blogging over here and not just on my every day blog. And as soon as I'm cleared after bunny's birth, I will be back on the train again.

Silence Explained

Hi!

No I haven't forgotten about this blog. Nor have I gone on a binge fest and gained back weight.

One of those is sort of true though. 

The Shamrock Shuffle was two days into stims (drugs) for the IVF cycle that my husband and I were undergoing. After that, no exercise was allowed by my RE (reproductive endocrinologist) through the remainder of the cycle. 

On 4/8 we had our embryo retrieval and then we transferred two perfect blasts on 4/13. 7 days later I got a BFP and it was confirmed with beta #1 two days after that! It had been six and a half years of battling infertility and was/is such a crazy reality right now. 

I'm currently 11 weeks pregnant with one little baby - or "the bunny" as we refer to it. I am Team Green and will not find out the sex unless we have to for some reason. My due date is December 29th. 

My workouts are restricted right now. I'm not allowed to do anything too strenuous and my heart rate should stay at or below 140bpm. I wasn't allowed to swim until the first u/s either. Basically the only thing I have been doing is going for 30 minute walks in the evening...when I haven't fallen asleep at 7:30 that is...

IVFs tend to make you gain some bloat and/or pounds and I'm happy to say that even with the massive amounts of bloating I had from the 21 retrieved embryos, to date I'm only up 4.5 lbs from the beginning of the cycle. I'm not trying to limit my foods and I haven't been tracking on MFP at all. :( It was weird figuring out how many calories I should be at to maintain. That was nearly double what I was doing for my weight loss! I have felt like some days I've completely gorged but then when I add it up, I'm totally fine. My personal goal is to not gain more than 20 lbs. My doctor has not given me a talk about weight gain - mostly because he knows how much I worked at the loss. He has let me know that he will bring me in earlier for the dreaded glucose test because women with PCOS w/IR have a hard time processing insulin as it is so they are more inclined to develop gestational diabetes. Personally I'm almost banking on it for myself. I've indulged in cupcakes but I'm trying to do my best with the sugars. 

So...that is my update! I'm obviously not going to be doing the Disney Half in 2015 but I'm very happy to have this "excuse" to skip it. I've already told K that I'm going to run the 2016 Half. Once this baby is born the weight loss game is back on (obviously after I'm cleared to work out again) and I'm positive that I will continue to have success. 

Shamrock Shuffle Wrap-Up

Here is my BoA Chicago Shamrock Shuffle Wrap-Up.

I would run this race again for sure. Maybe next time I will be allowed to actually go hard. And not jalk. Or maybe you prefer wog. Yes, a jog/walk. To clarify though, I never once walked any of the five miles. I know my nurse said to walk it. But I ran it...and by ran I mean that I jogged so damn slow that I didn't even pass the freaking walkers! LOL. No joke, I kept pace with the walkers. But I ran that whole damn thing! And you know what? I am perfectly happy with my results - honest.

Anyway, first things first. I have an awesome sister and since she lives closer to downtown, she went ahead and picked up our registration packets at the expo at Navy Pier on Friday morning. She said it was a good thing because Navy Pier is under construction and it was a nightmare to get to. Because of the crowds and limited space (all had to be outdoors bc of the construction), she wasn't able to walk around and look at the merchandise. This is one of my complaints about a lot of races. They only have all the fun t-shirts and socks and hats and gear at the expos. On race day I know they would sell a ton of product because people cross the finish line and are feeling pretty dang good about their accomplishments. Anyway, I'm getting side tracked here already.

We got a ride into the Loop from my FIL and then waited for my SIL and her fiance too meet us. He and K were to be our personal photographers on course, hahaha. We were in the third wave, corral J, and scheduled to hit the course at 9:15. 

Pre Race Pics

 

And we were off! K and SIL's FI started off about a just past the start line to try to catch us coming past in the beginning of the race. K had some fun catching pics of some random people, although he is mad he missed getting a shot of someone dressed as King Koopa.

 

There I am :) 

After we went past them they had directions to go to State St. to try to catch us coming up the street with the Chicago Theater sign behind us (yes, I planned a photo op). We hit mile 1 without any difficulty but I knew I would have to hit the first set of porta-potties because it was that time of the month and it was a very heavy day. I told my sis to not worry about waiting around with me and to just head off on the course on her own. I think she was a little relieved because she wanted to have a better time than what I was going to end up with.

So I am sitting in the line for the potty and K finds me :) He said it was a good thing I was wearing my shamrock beret because that is how he spotted me. Anyway, so I get into the stall...and there is no more toilet paper. And I had to change a tampon. I was *not* a happy camper. Thank god we had some water and tissue in the backpack K was lugging around. That is all I will say about that. This paragraph is my only true disappointment with the race and the organization.

So I get going, K snaps some pics of me and I am off again. I won't plan on seeing them again until the end so I started to take pics of myself and the route along the way.
Mile 2

Selfie taken somewhere between mile 2-3

Mile 3

 5k mark (sorry, pic is a bit blurry)

Jalking/wogging past the Sears Tower (excuse the double chin, lol)

Mile 4 - almost there!

On the very last hill (Roosevelt Bridge) about to make the final turn

The final stretch and the finish line

Post Race

I DID IT!!!!

Shamrock Shuffle Complete!!!

And I ran it all! My time was laughable - but I'm still 100% proud of the accomplishment.

I am so damn sore in my right hip right now. We just got back to WI and I'm laying on the couch. I have a 6:45 am doctor's appointment so I am going to crash. I will write a longer wrap up, complete with pictures, either tomorrow or Tuesday. I have a super crazy week coming up- big boss in town at work, RE visits/meds/monitoring for IVF, bridal shower for SIL this coming weekend, appraisal on Wednesday morning for our refinancing, etc. so I will do my best to get the race wrap-up done asap. 

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Weigh In Wednesday

I'm holding steady which is slightly miraculous seeing as though I feel I've been eating like a 900 lb. trucker. I'm constantly hungry. I have a feeling it is because of the birth control pills I just finished up in preparation for IVF.

And yeah - cat's out of the bag. I'm currently doing IVF and that is why I can't run the Shamrock Shuffle this week. I'm still going to finish it though, even if I feel like a fraud just walking it.

But the good news is that I am back to 214 lbs and my 40 lb loss! That is something I am very proud of. I just hope that in a month I will be gaining some pregnancy weight.Keep your fingers crossed for me. If this fails (please no) then my plans for running the Disney Half are still in play. If it works and I am able to carry to term, well then...screw the race ;-) I've been trying to beat infertility for over 6 years now. I need this to work.

Tasty Tuesday

I'm trying out something new here for Tuesdays. Since I'm in a weird place in regards to training and races, I need some other regular ideas to post about. So here comes my Tasty Tuesdays series. I'm going to try to share some healthier food dishes with you. Many will be ones I haven't tried yet myself but I have a goal of making everything I share :)

For the first installment, I have Skinny Italian Beef and Peppers

(Photo courtesy of Skinny Mom)

Decription:

"Get ready to give your pizza cutter a rest and dig into my beef and peppers casserole! This dinner is my answer to the challenge of cooking low-carb Italian meals, and the results couldn’t be more delicious! Peppers, onions, celery, and a little surprise (garbanzo beans!) balance out the hearty ground beef in this perfect weeknight meal! This dish keeps well in the freezer, making it a great make ahead meal, and the leftovers are easy to reheat and still taste fantastic for a small lunch!"

Now...this Chicago girl knows that Italian Beef is nothing to joke about. You just don't go around calling any meat you want Italian Beef...but I will give this one a pass because it sounds like a tasty meal. A friend made it this weekend and is eating it for lunch. I forgot to ask her how it was but I will try to report back as soon as I find out :)

Motivational Monday

Today's message is simple. It comes at a time I need to remember that when I set this goal of completing this 8k, I had my doubts on how well I could do it. I didn't know how much weight I would be able to lose before this race. I also didn't know that because of another decision (to be discussed at a later date) I would be sidelined from actually running this race. 

The thing is, I still have a lot to be proud of. I still did it. I made it. I will be able to say I participated in an 8k after this week. That is something I am very proud of. 

1 Week Until the Shamrock Shuffle 8k!!

Eeek! It's race week!!!

Am I prepared for it? Well, had I been able to continue training I don't doubt I would have been able to run the entire 5 miles. I don't doubt I will be able to finish this by walking. I just hope that I'm not the only one that is strictly walking. If I don't see anyone else, yeah I'm going to hang my head in shame, lol. 

I don't have much of a training plan this week.
Monday: walk a couple miles and weight train (upper)
Tuesday: run a couple miles
Wednesday: pool? walk?
Thursday: run a couple miles
Friday: off
Saturday: off
Sunday: 8k

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

Weigh-in Wednesday

I like my sick weight from last week better than today's, lol. 

Last Thursday I hit a low of 214.2 - which brought me to 40 lbs lost. But between then and now, I am at 216.4. That still gets me to 38 lbs lost. 

I'm just at a holding point right now. Per doctor's orders my training is to be toned down and I will not be allowed to run the Shamrock Shuffle - only walk it :-( I know it's for the greater good so I'm trying to stay positive. Being on meds right now that normally cause weight gain is making it harder to lose plus you add in a week of being sick and you just get a case of the "blahs."

Enough of the whining though. I am still down a pound! Woo hoo!

Stay well y'all - I have heard of people in many other states battling the virus I had. it is not a fun time!

2 weeks until Shamrock Shuffle 8k

Well Hello!

I am still alive. I don't feel like I've been doing much else other than sleep, cough, and rest for the last 5 days. It all started with a cough on Tuesday. No other symptoms. By Wednesday at 11 am I was packing up my work laptop and going to work from home because I was rapidly declining. The aches were horrible. I'm sure I had a fever in there that I managed to break around 1 am Thursday morning. Of course I got the loving husband sick too. So now I think I am on the mend. I'm probably back to about 60%.

Needless to say, I have not exercised all week. My weight has been a yo-yo up and down. Some days I barely eat and others I just can't stop. Oh well. I honestly just don't care, LOL. 

I'm not sure when I will be back to working out. I'm not planning on it on Monday and Tuesday. If the cough (and the coughing up of all the congestion) is gone on Wednesday I might try to walk a couple miles and call it quits. I could run but I'm almost positive that will be the cause of my coughing up a lung. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week and do not catch whatever is making the rounds out there!

Sick time out

Basically....nothing going on over here except me being really sick. I haven't worked out since Monday and I didn't even weigh-in.

Sorry, as soon as I'm back on my feet I'll get back to the grind.

Motivation Monday

Today's motivation stems from the fact that I've had some up and down days over the last couple of weeks. 

It's ok to have a cheat day. It's not ok to have cheat days - especially right in a row. 

Weekends are my downfall. Always have been, always will be I fear. Workdays have a routine to them. I know what I am going to eat for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and most likely dinner. The guess work is gone. I even know approximately when I am going to be eating all of them too. I also have the added security of not being able to just go open the cabinet or fridge and grab something to eat. 

With the weekends, it's all a game as to what we're going to eat and when. We have been really trying to have a better idea of our game plan before the weekend hits. If we at least know where we will be out and about, we have a better chance of making better decisions. That is one of the things we are working on going forward. 

That is why I choose these motivational phrases today. Health, wellness, and fitness is always a commitment. It is always making a conscious effort to make the best decision you can. I am far from perfect when it comes to these decisions. But I always have these two thoughts in my head when I am "cheating." I cannot afford to just give up and let all the progress go down the drain.

3 weeks until the Shamrock Shuffle 8k!!

Today was one of the nicest days we've had here in Northeast Wisconsin all year long so I took the opportunity to actually get outside and get my run in. By nice, I mean about 38 with a feels like temp of 29 due to the wind, and partly sunny. But hey - it felt DAMN good to be out on the road getting that run in! I also had my longest run to date today - 4.09 miles according to Map My Run and I didn't stop once. I was/am pretty proud of that.

If the race was today, I know I could have pushed another mile out. I just know it. I felt it. If only it were today. I am still unsure if my doctor is going to allow me to do it. I'm honestly guessing no, even with my protests that my mile time is more than double an elite runner, lol. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get major side eye from him. Oh well, it's ok. It's for the greater good.

I believe it is supposed to be about 46 tomorrow and if I get home and there is still light out, I'm thinking about adding a nice and easy walk into the plan for the day. Maybe with the dog. I'm sure he would be in heaven getting out of the snow covered back yard. Thursday I have a doctor's procedure during the day so I'm not sure if I will have to make that a rest day or if it will be ok to keep trucking.

For the week ahead:
Monday: walk, stretch, strength (arms/upper)
Tuesday: 3 mile run
Wednesday: 4 minute cross train (try #3 for swimming)
Thursday: rest day or 2 mile + strength (legs)
Friday: rest or water fitness or Thursday's plan (play it by ear)
Saturday: play it by ear. If Th & Fri end up being rest days, 50 min cross train
Sunday: 4 mile run (man I'd love for this to be outside but forecast only says 26)

Have a wonderful week everyone! Keep up all your hard work!

Weigh In Wednesday...errr Thursday

So I'm a day late. Meh. ;-) 

I've been off my game this week. I was so drained on Monday I skipped the gym. Then I had to go to the doctor's office on Tuesday and they took a ton of blood (like, 10 vials) and I had a migraine by 4 pm. I went to bed early. 

Even after a stressful day and some shitty kids being disrespectful at the Y, I got an "ok" workout in yesterday. However, I got my 2 mile run in today and some weights so I'm happy. I also forgot to weigh in yesterday so I did that this morning too. 

The scale showed 217.2 this morning! That now makes 37.4 pounds lost in total. I hope to get to that 40 lb mark shortly! We shall see. I have some other things going on right now so I'm not sure that I'll be able to continue my pace but I will do my darnedest!

Happy almost weekend!!

Motivation Monday

This one is pretty self explanatory. I know I am guilty of this a lot around these parts. Each step and little marker that I take or make it to is a major accomplishment. 

It's so hard to be looking at the overall big picture and still see the goal barely on the horizon.  The problem is that you have to be able to see all the smaller details that you are passing along the way. How will you ever know how many miles you have to go if you neglect to look at the mile markers on the side of the road?? 

My grandma called me tonight and she was telling me how she was creeping on my pictures on fb (she fully admits she writes nothing on fb but uses it to only look at people's posts and pics, LOL) and she mentioned that she saw my picture from a couple weeks ago at Miller Park and how wonderful I was looking. Yesterday I got to see my other grandma and she also mentioned that she can tell I lost even more weight. I am so close to my grandmas and it made my day(s) that they noticed and gave me compliments on it. I am working hard at this. It isn't easy but I'm doing it. 

Along the way, make sure to stop and smell the proverbial roses. Take in the scenery. Check out the new sights and sounds. You owe it to yourself to completely experience this journey.

4 Weeks Until Shamrock Shuffle

I'm writing this post late. I was so tired by the time we got home and I plopped my butt on the couch to watch the Oscars last night that I completely forgot about writing this entry. Oops.

I managed to get a ton of exercise in by walking about 30 city blocks going to and from the Chicago Blackhawks game at Soldier Field on Saturday night. In 2 degree weather and 6 inches of snow coming down. Plus being outside for that many hours trying to stay warm had to have burned a million calories right??? I think so. I'm going with that theory. 

It was such a fun and once in a lifetime experience. My mom gave us these tickets for our Christmas present this year and I have to say it for sure ranks up there in the best present ever category, lol. Go Hawks!!!

For my training this week, since I skipped yesterday's run, I am just going to repeat last week:
Monday: stretch and strength (upper/arms + abs)
Tuesday: 2.5 mile run
Wednesday: 45 minute cross (swimming or elliptical)
Thursday: 2 mile run + strength (legs/lower)
Friday: 60 minute water fitness class
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 4 mile run

I hope you all have a wonderful week!!

Friday Food Thoughts

Or more specifically, super cheat day. 

I'm sitting here eating chips and salsa for lunch. Totally healthy I know. I don't even care. It tastes so damn good. I think that allowing these little cheats here and there keep me sane.

Last night my husband and I were packing our bags for our trip home this weekend and I was going through my capris pants and shorts for fun, trying them on to see if I can feel a difference. I had some that I could, some that I didn't. I was going, are you serious?? But it's ok. I know I am starting to see the difference. Honestly. I'm finally seeing it with my own blind two eyes ;-)

We then got to talking about how we should take the next step to clean up our eating choices. We're doing well with our counting calories - and that is great and much needed - but we now have to refine our choices. We are still very carb (mostly bread-y) heavy and we could stand to eat leaner proteins. Luckily I do not eat steak and pork (other than bacon) so those are easier for me. We are generally good with choosing leaner ground beef but we really let the grocery sales dictate our meat purchases. 

Every week we have been trying to have some fish fillets which is a positive step for me. I am allergic to shellfish so I've generally stayed away from any seafood in the past. While it's still not the best options out there, we've been getting some of the frozen fish fillets in various seasonings and breading. I've actually decided I like the plain old 90 calorie per fillet Van de Kamps version the best. I then put a teeny amount of BWW Asian Zing sauce on them and they are delicious. I could eat those multiple times a week.

I also have a major gag reflex reaction when any salmon or tuna is near me. Honestly, I'd rather shovel horse manure than smell tuna or salmon. When I waitressed my way through school, I used to have other people run my salmon dishes out to my tables for me. I don't know that I will ever be able to get past the smell in order to put it in my mouth. Have you ever had to get over something like this?? If so, how did you do it? With Lent beginning next week (and even though my hubby is a lapsed Catholic and my denomination doesn't do no meat on Fridays), I would like to be able to humor him with more seafood choices. Wisconsin is a fish fry paradise but the "fry" part totally defeats the purpose of eating fish. LOL.

Well, enjoy your cheat days if you are indulging in them with me. Just make sure to close your mouth at midnight and get back to the healthier options in the morning! 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Weigh In Wednesday

Guess what guess what guess what????

I saw a new second digit this week on the scale!!!

Today I was down to 218.2 lbs! That is a total of 36.4 pounds lost in total.

What a relief it was to see that "1" on the scale. I feel like I've been flirting with it for weeks now. I love getting the rush of accomplishment when the number pops up. It's also fun to see my projected weight on MFP when I plug in my food diary each day. Right now I'm usually around a projected weight of 206 in 5 weeks. Soon I will see 200...and then the number will begin with a 1. Holy cow. I can't wait.

In exercise news, last night's run was a bit hard. I was really hurting. My shin was very bothersome. I've been icing it on and off for the last couple of days and that does seem to relieve the pain when I do. Tonight I am going to possibly just do some swimming to keep off of the legs as much as I can. I'm going to do my 2 mile run tomorrow but then I am contemplating either skipping this week's Sunday run and just repeating this week's training schedule next week or just doing the 4 miles on the elliptical on Sunday. We shall see!

Motivation Monday

This week's motivation is prompted by some kind words I have heard lately. I've had friends and acquaintances .reading this blog and my facebook updates and have been inspired or moved by my journey. They have said how proud they are of me and how happy they are to see me succeeding. A few have mentioned how much they are motivated by me.

Of course this makes me feel good that I can help them in their own respective journeys. It's not easy to commit to this big of an overhaul on your life. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work. I don't always want to go to the Y and get my workout in. I would love to not feel extreme guilt when I eat some of my favorite foods. I just want to eat my cheese sticks in peace dang it, lol. Some weeks I think, "Wouldn't it be nice to have an 'off, no diet' week?"

But I choose to keep going because I have to, even in those moments I don't want to. Want is such a hard action or thought to overcome. Nobody wants to be fat. They just become fat. Nobody wants to diet and watch what they eat. You have to want to lose the weight. You have to want that more than you want instant gratification. My god is it hard some days. But I remind myself that one day I will look back at this time and I will know that I was strong enough to accomplish something that is truly life changing. I know what it is like to be the thin girl. I want to have that back more than

I hope that all of you that are reading this, those of you trying to find the courage and strength to start off on your own journey, find your own success. You can do it!

5 Weeks until Shamrock Shuffle!

Today is the last Sunday in February so next week's Shuffle update will be the first one I can say, "This month I'm running an 8k!!" Eeeek!!

Today I stepped up to 3.5 miles. I set my pace super slow because I wasn't sure how my knee and shins were going to hold up. By doing so, I still felt really good at the end of the run. I think around mile 2.75 I must have been putting my weight in a weird place when I landed because I got the tingling feeling in my right foot for a few laps. I slowed down and made sure to move my foot around and flexed it as much as I could while running and I was back in business in no time. 

This week's training schedule looks like this:
Monday: stretch and strength (upper body & arms)
Tuesday: 2.5 mile run
Wednesday: 40 min cross train (I'm going to try swimming laps)
Thursday: 2 mile run + strength (legs)
Friday: rest
Saturday: 50 min cross train. I'll be home going to the Blackhawks game. We'll be doing a lot of walking from the train station to Soldier Field so I'm going to call that good enough.
Sunday: 4 mile run

In non-training news, I'm sitting here watching the closing ceremonies for the 2014 Sochi Olympics and I'm so bummed that the Olympics are over. I watch any and everything I can for both the summer and winter Olympics. I love seeing all the top athletes of the world come together to compete. It might not have been the best showing for the US, but we still did very well. I have grown tired of hearing the complaints about how "bad we suck this time." We don't suck. We just got beat or we beat ourselves. It happens. That's life. It will make us hungrier for Pheongchang in 2018.  But first....my countdown to Rio in 2016 begins tonight! I can't wait for the summer games!

First signs of pain

I am feeling my first signs of possible strain or pain or injury. I'm not sure where to classify this as I'm not sitting on the couch sidelined nor am I about to head into the doctor for an x-ray or check-up. I'm also not mistaking it with the good sore pain. This is right knee pain and left shin pain. I'm really hoping that neither ache is the beginning of anything serious. 

Today I just did my water fitness class and that was it. Tomorrow is just going to be a rest day. Well, rest as in not actually going to the gym. Actual rest is probably unlikely as this will be our first weekend in three weeks that we either don't have guests or we're not out of town. We have a ton of cleaning and organizing to get done. Sigh. Sometimes being an adult is so overrated. Oh who am I kidding - *most* of the time being an adult is overrated.

I'm really, really hoping that my bones start feeling better. I have my longest run to date coming up on Sunday with my 3.5 miler. No lasting injuries please!!

Eff Foam Rolling & Weigh In Wednesday

Seriously. I was trying to keep the title of this post PG 13 but I really wanted to say Fuck Foam Rolling in all it's spelled out glory.

What masochist decided that this foam rolling thing was an awesome thing?? Oh yeah, skinny, fit people most likely. 

I went out and bought one from Target on Monday night because I was a little sore after my run on Sunday and multiple people have told me about them. I watched some online videos and thought, "Hmm, ok, I can do this." Yeah, no. It is painful. It freaking hurts. They *say* that it will get better over time but I'm not sure that can come fast enough. It helps if you have good upper body strength to begin with... Oh and no fat rolls. I was like a beached orca flailing around.

In all honesty, it might have helped me for yesterday's run because I ran my first mile at a 10:30 pace. That is amazing for me. The second mile slowed way down though, hahaha. But I felt pretty good all 2.5 miles. So I rolled out again (or attempted to) last night and I got a damn rug burn on my arm. Why do those hurt so bad?? I mean really?

Today I still feel sore in my right knee and hip. So basically the jury is still out on this whole rolling thing. I know many tout the benefits of it so I'll stick with it for a while. 

For anyone looking to get one, after the fact I looked into the different colors of them. The color actually means something. Go figure. I just went for my favorite color, green. The white ones are the softest version. The blue or green are more of a medium firmness. The black ones are the most firm and for the more advanced users. 

This is the one I bought:

As for weigh in...not a ton of movement. I was at 221.0 on the dot this morning. Still a small loss but not as much as I would have liked. Maybe I shouldn't have gone overboard this weekend in the food department ;-) Just sayin'...

Motivation Monday

Using these two for my motivational messages this week is helping me to remember to slow down mentally and remember why I started this journey in the first place. 

There are countless stories that highlight the pain of being overweight. The stigma, the embarrassment, the pain, and the heartache. I'm not sure there are many stigmas out there that are worse than being overweight or infertile. I happen to be battling both of those issues currently. Feeling like a failure and that your body is flawed is a huge mental road block. Some people are never able to get over them. 

I don't want to feel the pain of being fat anymore. I don't want to cringe at myself in pictures. I don't want to cry in a "normal person's" clothing store dressing room because I can't fit into the largest size they carry. I want to be healthier and thinner. Under no circumstances have I felt any pain from my workouts that can even compare to the pain of being overweight.

I also have to do that one pound at a time. There isn't a quick fix for this problem. Little by little, it will happen. Sometimes I get down on myself when I see other people have huge weeks with losses of 4-5 lbs. I have to remember that I'm not in a race with anyone other than myself - and there isn't a prize for getting there first. The medal only comes from reaching the goal.

6 weeks until SS 8k!

I'm another week closer to the BoA Shamrock Shuffle! Every Sunday it's like a flashing neon countdown sign in my head, lol. I'm positive these 6 weeks are going to fly by in the blink of an eye. My schedule is jam packed until then.

Today was another "step up" day in distance for me. I did my entire 3 miles!!! I only ran into a slight problem around laps 22-26 (of a total 33) when my feet seemed to go tingly. I'm not quite sure why that happened. I just kept on going and pushed through it. It wasn't that big of a distraction in hindsight. I probably wasn't saying that while it was happening though ;-)

I also got back on track in the food department and stayed under my caloric limit today. I feel a lot better (less weighed down with crap) tonight than I did last night, that's for sure. My face is still breaking out though. Sigh. Lots of acne cream in my future, lol. 

This week's training schedule will be:

Monday: stretch and strength
Tuesday: 2.5 mile run
Wednesday: 35 minute cross
Thursday: 2 mile run + strength
Friday: 40 minute cross (water fitness)
Saturday: rest
Sunday: 3.5 mile run

Well, have a wonderful remaining portion of your weekend! I hope y'all have a wonderful week!

Trainwreck

That is what my eating has been the last two days. 

We have some family up by our house visiting and we've eaten out twice. And I've stuffed my face entirely too much. It has tasted so damn good though. I struggle with how much I enjoy eating out and eating my favorite foods. I find it much easier to skip going places versus limiting portions or ordering something not as bad from the menu if I go somewhere. 

Why the hell would I want to not order potato skins or fettuccine alfredo?? I sure as hell don't want to *not* order those items. I want to eat every single bite of that "3x what a normal portion size should be" plate of food. And then I want to scoop up every single crumb that is still left on the plate. And maybe drink the glaze in the ramekin. 

Can you tell I'm struggling right now?

I know this struggle was bound to happen. 

The constraints of being good at all times are bound to be tested. Indulgences are made. Trainwrecks happen. Getting the train back on the track is the key though. I'm aware of this and I know I will do it. 

Not that it's an excuse but I am 95% sure I'm in extreme PMS mode. As in I want to eat everything in the house and am craving sweets and I'm also breaking out. The crazy thing is - and I don't always go into a ton of detail over on this blog about it versus my other blog - if I do in fact get AF this week, that will make for a random "normal" cycle for me. I have PCOS, am anovulatory, and have a serious lack of regular (if any) periods. So while it's great that maybe I'm on schedule for once, I want to just lock all food out of this house before I eat it all. I know I'm really bloaty right now too. Knowing that, I really need to concentrate on cleaning up the wreckage so that when this is over, I can get back to losing weight instead of retaining it. Lord help me if I have to re-lose more than 5 pounds.

Side note - up until today, I've noticed a remarkable clearing of my acne trouble spots. I'm sure the water and cleaner eating is the only reason for the change and love seeing those positive results. But dammit if I didn't wake up yesterday to a giant honker on my chin/mouth area.  

The positive thing that I can report from today is that our lunch today was down at Miller Park, home of the Milwaukee Brewers, and I took a picture with my buddy Mickey Mouse and posted it on Facebook. I received quite a few very nice comments about how I am looking. :-) I don't mean to sound flippant or vain but it really does help to hear the kind words and the praise. I'm still struggling with seeing a difference right now. I also feel afraid to continue to say that last sentence because I don't want to be seen as someone just fishing for compliments. That is not my intention. I really and truly struggle to feel like I've lost 30 pounds. I just wish my brain and eyes would see it. 

I think the theme of this blog post can be that mentally I am struggling. I'm in this for the long haul and I keep reminding myself that these phases are normal. I just have to keep on going and find a new groove to propel me into the next 30 pound loss.

Anyway, I will share that photo here as well just to further my attention whoring. The jeans I'm wearing are still the same damn size as always for me - however - the Mickey zip up hoodie (can you tell it's Mickey in the pink now that I've pointed it out?) is one of the few clothing items that I feel the difference in the fit. It used to be super tight. It was on the roomy side

Damn Bagels

Ahhh, today's little post shall be quite fun to write. Let it be a lesson to others to double check your calorie database carefully.

Monday-Thursday I work in one town about 30 miles away. On Fridays I work in the area that I live in. On those days I treat myself to my Friday morning breakfast indulgence of a cheddar bacon bagel.Now, I fully know that it's not the most healthy combination. But it's delicious. And I adjust my calories for the rest of the day accordingly. I always put it into MFP too. I wasn't able to find the cheddar bacon exactly but I chose the asiago cheese one and then figured out the additional bacon calories and created my own "recipe" for it. Today I happened to be working out of the in-town location so I decided that I would have my splurge today since tomorrow is Valentine's Day and my in-laws are coming up and I'm sure we'll be going out to dinner.

Well, today for the first time I decided I going to finally change it up and make it into an egg sandwich. I've never had it before. It was fabulous. So I went back to MFP to add it to my food diary. I found the sandwich on there but with a plain bagel. So I thought, "Hmm, ok I'll use that sandwich, look up the plain bagel stats on the company website, and then add the difference in the calories manually to my breakfast section." Except something wasn't working out in my head and I went back to the company's website to double check myself. When my eyes hit upon the smoking gun, my stomach dropped. 

Their serving size was for half of the bagel. Half. MFP had the base for my bagel listed as a whole bagel for the serving size. I've been eating this for months. And now that means that every Friday my counts have been way off. My bagle-wich was half of my daily allotted calories. I'm not even joking. I wish I was. 

So I rethought my entire meal plan, cutting out a bunch of my snacks I packed, in hopes of not completely blowing the day. 

I ended up being over by slightly more than 300 calories before my workout. Knowing I had to bust my ass tonight I did my 2 mile run and then lifted weights for another 45 minutes. My burn was about 642 calories so I did end up with a deficit today...not without sacrifice though. I'm still hungry ;-) 

Needless to say, I will NOT be going to get my bagels every Friday. Maybe once every two months as a true "treat."

I'm still dumbfounded. 

Portion sizes are a bitch sometimes. Damn them. 

Weigh In Wednesday

I have good and bad news to share regarding today's weigh-in. 

I'll start with the bad first. 

Even though I was quite sure I didn't go too terrible with the eating in Chicago this past weekend, I still somehow managed to put 4+ lbs back on. I'm guessing the combination of being a tad stopped up and not drinking enough water is the main culprit for the gain. I had tracked my calories in MFP and even though I was over on Friday and Saturday, it wasn't an all out binge fest.

But the good news is that I dropped it all plus 1 pound for today's scale stepping.

My weight was at 221.8. That brings my total weight loss to 32.8 lbs!

To be under 220 is for sure my goal by this time next week.

I've been playfully complaining to K that even with all the pounds lost I haven't been able to move down a size yet. It's slightly frustrating. I know there is a difference because people comment on it. I'm just having a hard time *really* feeling it. It's just another layer of the weird view of my body that I have many days. 

Want to know the one place that I have noticed the difference?  

When I'm in the shower and I'm washing my face. 

I am one that faces into the water and when I put the soap on my hands to lather my face and wash it off, I can feel that my face is smaller. Isn't that weird??? I think it is. But I like it. I hated my fat face. 

Anyway...here's to hopefully seeing the changes happening a little more clearly soon!

Motivation Monday

Ah Monday. Good old Monday. 

I stayed up way too late last night watching Olympics coverage. I am so thankful tonight is only a stretch and strength day. There's no way I'd be able to get through a strenuous workout this evening. Tonight I am going to focus on upper body and abs using free weights, machines, and the fitness ball. 

After that we'll go do some grocery shopping and then head home. Where I am going to have to manage to not turn on the Olympics again... ;-)

Have a great Monday all! For today's dose of motivation I will leave you with:

7 weeks out from the SS 8k

Well I have to say that I am quite pleased with myself tonight. 

We were at home in Chicago this weekend and this morning I got up and headed to church with my grandma. I got to spend the rest of the morning into the early afternoon with her and it was wonderful. I am so lucky to have a chance to spend time with her. I miss being at home and being able to pop in whenever I feel like. 

The only negative to this was that it cost me some travel time back to Wisconsin. The Y here in town is only open until 6 pm on Sundays. From my in-laws house, it is a 3 hour drive. We ate some lunch from our favorite local Mexican fast food hole in the wall (Taco Burrito King or TBK if you're curious) and then hurried to pack up the car. 

We left at about 2:45 and I really thought that there was no way I was going to make it up here in time to get in a run. It was my "move up" day in training and it was really important to me. Today was the day that I needed to move up to a 2.5 mile run. I was really, really bummed out. 

The traffic gods must have taken pity on me because somehow we managed to make awesome time. Well, truth be told I'm pretty sure that K was driving more along the guidelines that I use when driving. Ha!

We were rolling into town at about 5:15 so I made a comment about how he should just drop me off at the Y since we would have to pass it to get home and wait for me in the car with the animals. He said, "Well, if you want me to drop you off, I will. I'll just go drive the animals home, unload the car, and come back for you." Knowing that the only choice I had was just sucking it up and running in my thicker yoga pants and a heavy t-shirt on the track and getting in my actual run or having to fake it and do it on the elliptical at home, I chose to be dropped off. 

I was pretty nervous to get this distance accomplished, especially since I wasn't really "prepped" to go and was literally just getting out of the car after a 180 mile road trip. But I freaking did it. I felt pretty good during it as well. A couple times my legs threatened to go to jello but I pushed through. I did not have a repeat of the breathing issues from Thursday, thank goodness. I guess the only explanation for that bad run is simply being off on my breathing. Oh well. I obviously sucked it up and moved past it. It's the only thing that you can do if you're going to continue to transform yourself. 

The rest of my week looks like this for training:
Monday - stretch and strength
Tuesday - 2.5 mile run
Wednesday - 35 minute cross train
Thursday - 2.0 mile run + strength
Friday - likely rest day - I have a noon conference call that conflicts with my water fitness class
Saturday - 40 minute cross train
Sunday - 3 mile run (holy shit)

Well, I am exhausted and I should have gone to bed an hour ago. Have a wonderful week!

The 3-0 club

Nope - not my 30th birthday. That's not until August ;-)

But I hit the other type of Big 3-0 this week and that is 30 lbs. lost! 

Actually, as of this morning I weighed in at 222.8! With my technical starting weight at 254.6, that is a total weight loss of 31.8 lbs. I am very happy right now!

You know what also finally happened? I had a bad run last night. I know it was bound to happen and it finally did. I've never had a run like this - even when I was starting out last year after having no exercise under my belt. 

It was horrible. On the track I run on, it takes 22 laps for a 2 mile run. I was laboring in my breathing early on and when I hit lap 18, my side was cramping horribly. As I approached my water, I had my salad dressing kind of come back up and I had to stop to get a couple sips of water. I walked a half a lap and then pushed through the remaining laps I needed to do. It was hard. I felt disappointed. Really disappointed. I guess I am hitting a little mental road block that I should be able to do more than 2 miles right now. I know it will take time so I will just have to be patient and shake it off. One bad run won't stop me. And it will happen again. That much is for sure. 

But....enough with the bad! I'm 31.8 pounds lighter!!!! Hell yeah!!! Woo Hoo!!

Weigh In Wednesday

I am so guilty as charged with doing this. I also refuse to step on the scale without having gone to the washroom and pretty much in the nude. Hey - I'm not into finding out how heavy my clothes are! ;-)

I had another good week and my weight in this morning showed me my reward of 225.2 pounds! I am so close to hitting 30 lbs lost now!

The one thing that has me a little worried is that we have now made plans to go home to Chicago this weekend so that will mean lots and lots of foods from my favorite places. Not good. I also have to figure out how I am going to get my long run in on Sunday. And how to not gain about 5 lbs this weekend. This is going to be extremely hard. 

If there is one thing I love most in this food world - it's my hometown grub. Say a food spell for me that I lose my appetite.