Is your mind right?

It's here! D-Day is tommorow! I'm calling it D-day becuase it is my full on assault on my current habits and lifestyle. I'm going to eat less, eat better and move more! I'm really glad I took the past 10 days or so to get my mind right and didn't just have a couple of bad meals and said "that's it. MONDAY I'm starting over!" How many Mondays have we had? I feel focused! I have a plan and all the tools to make it work. I mean earlier this year I ran a freakin 1/2 marathon! I know I can be dedicated.

I've been loading up and researching all things Weight Watchers and reading up on my South Beach Diet. Neither one should really be called a "diet" both are about making the right choices. WW allows you to be more lenient and gives you the occasional splurge. The science behind South Beach makes sense and lets you make choices that keep you full longer and make your body work. A mix of the 2 should lead to a good healthy life.

I've been thinking about my workout plan and listening to my body. I really think I need to get more confidence in janky 'ol ankle before I start jumping around with Jillian. I'm go to keep it low impact this first 6 weeks and walk 20 minutes every morning before work and do pilates Tuesday and Thursday. Since I know I like to push myself I going to add in 100 pushups training program. It's a training program that gets you to 100 pushups in 6 weeks. Right now it sounds crazy but I need that structure. I liked my marathon training programs when they gave me an exact workout to get me to an exact goal. Gotta find what works for you right?? Wish me luck!

I'll be weighing in tomorrow and taking measurement and even a picture to log where I was when I started this crazy mess.

Preseason Update

Preseason is going pretty well so far. I’ve got out my measuring devices and am actually trying to figure out my portions by using measuring cups and the scale. I'm working on getting my eye used to seeing the portions I’m supposed to have. Does it take a little more time? Sure, but it’s not going to kill me. This weekend I researched some menu ideas for me to have during the week and started a good grocery list that can hopefully be the staples I keep around.


Last week I made dinner for me and Kb. I made baked chicken parmesan with whole wheat angel hair pasta. YUM-O and he loved it. I made enough to have leftovers for lunches during the week and even made him a chicken parmesan sandwich (on wheat bread) on Sunday. Look at us go!

I also had a little moment I’m pretty proud of… Fridays around here are pretty rough. The company gets breakfast for all of us. I’m talking, doughnuts, kolache’s, breakfast burritos, sausage biscuits from Micky D’s, anything and everything BAD. I woke up Friday wanting something sweet and I knew if I didn’t do something about it I’d eat a doughnut for sure, then be mad at myself because doughnuts really don’t fill you up, they just make you happy. So, my usual go to sweet breakfast at home is a fold over PB&J on wheat. (And by PB I mean the creamy kind, I don’t like rogue nuts in my food. You can ruin a good brownie for me by putting nuts in it) We didn’t have the PB I like and didn’t have any J. (Everything’s still at the trailer) So I had to compromise… I sucked it up and got out Kb’s crunchy peanut butter and made one of my mom’s creations when I was a kid: PB&S. Yep Peanut Butter and Syrup all mixed together in a gooey paste and spread it on a piece of whole wheat bread. It doesn’t take a whole lot of syrup but it’s soo good and it curbed my sweet craving, the protein in the peanut butter kept me full and most of all, I avoided having a doughnut. Ha! How’s that for a work around?!

Preseason...

I’ve decided to treat the next few days leading up to D-day like preseason football. (Especially since D-day is September 1st and the last preseason game is on September 2nd.. see where I’m going with this… huh…. Get it..) Anywhooo, it’s not real interesting but you find out where you stand before the season starts and are able to make a game plan with what you’ve got. I’m using this week as a preseason game to see where I am, figure out where my pitfalls are and a way to combat them. Here’s a few of things I’ve noticed…

1st & 10) Starting off with probably my worst vice.. I’m a salt-a-holic. I LOVE salt. I put it on everything before I even taste it. I have salt cravings in the morning around 10. I usually head down to the vending machine and find whatever salty goodness they may have in there. Usually it’s Cheezits or peanut butter sandwich crackers. Ohh the salt in the peanut butter crackers. If they had gum that tasted like salt that could help me kick this habit I’d probably try it… and like it.

2nd & 8) Tackling this one may help me get a little closer to the goal since I can control what I have around me and it’s probably the easiest workaround if I really put my mind to it: Sweets. & I’m not talking chocolate and sodas I mean full on sugar. Cakes, cookies, candy you name it I’ll crave it at least once a day. I give in to that fickle mistress too, I can’t pass up a brownie or a cupcake with icing, and ice cream, forget it, if it’s there I’ll eat it. This past week I even stopped to buy a bag of sour Skittles! Like, I wanted those damn Skittles and walked around Wal-mart until I found them not thinking “oh, it’s just a craving and you don’t need them anyway” I never do that, that’s how I’m know I’m outta control!

3rd &15) Uh oh, here’s a setback and one of my bigger pitfalls: Portion Control “Mama didn’t tell ‘em like she told me.. Girl you need portion control! Aahhhhhh Portion Control” *See all this sugar is getting to me and I’m channeling the little purple man.* I have no portion perception. If I like it I eat it, and lots of it. An open bag of chips/box of crackers/sleeve of cookies is an empty bag of chips/box of crackers/sleeve of cookies. It’s not like I eat everything in a sitting, only a fatty would do that, nooo way I’ll spread it all out in a day or maybe 2 and wonder where it went. Like that makes it any better…

4th and Goal) I know this one will rush me down the field but I don’t eat near enough fresh vegetables. I like them and think this should be something easy to add back in and help me stay on track. I know they’re low in points so you can eat as much as you want and the fiber should help you stay fuller longer. Here’s where the excuses come in…”but fresh vegetables go bad if you can’t cook them in time”, “they can be expensive if they’re not in season”, “they take longer to cook than other preservative laden canned vegetables”, “it’s so much easier to just pick up some mashed potatoes or fried okra from our local chicken place.”

Great, now I know what I need to work on before the season starts. Much like the Cowboys.. I know what my cravings are and need to plan ahead for better choices throughout the day. I need to pack healthier alternatives so when any of my pitfalls are sitting out waiting to be shared by everyone in the office I can have something else. If it's a sweet I'll have a sweet alternative, if it's salty I need to have portioned out what I can have so I won't feel deprived. I know there has to be a workaround for just about any kind of craving, I just have to figure out what works for me. Happy Hump Day People! Oh and if you can't tell...



I CAN”T WAIT FOR FOOTBALL!!

Path to Self Destruction

For the past couple of months, I’ve been on a path to self destruction. The past couple of weeks that path has taken a hard left turn and headed straight down hill. As I’ve said before, I’m not a good dieter if I’m not working out. The Janky ol Ankle has kept me from working out and I’ve been blaming my lack of working out as to why I’ve been eating so horribly. Eating horribly = LBs gained. I didn’t know snowballs could stand this heat but I’m rolling up a pretty big one as I go round and round with excuses. I mean, isn’t that how everyone ends up gaining weight? Excuses, excuses… I’m to the point now where I have no regard as to what I’m putting in my mouth. It’s almost like if I keep eating I’ll eventually be at my heaviest and I’ll have no where to go but down once I start Weight Watchers right? I mean my 1st week’s loss is likely to be 20lbs by simply eating right a doing a few workouts huh? Umm right, I didn’t get this way overnight, I’m not going to be back to a comfortable size overnight either. I keep telling myself “Self, just wait until you have your kitchen back, then you can cook good for you foods, it’s not your fault you have to get fast food for almost every meal” “Self, if you eat leftovers, there’s like half the calories in it than when you got it from that restaurant since you paid for those up front” “Self, you better enjoy that chicken fried steak and peach cobbler cuz once d-day gets here and you can start working out again all this mess will be ovah!” I’m sick of excuses, I’m sick of eating out, I’m sick of feeling bloated and gross, I’m sick of putting on clothes that are too tight and hoping that a button flies off to give me some relief!



The ortho doc officially released me, we have a fridge and all my cooking supplies moved in, so now there are no more excuses. D-day is upon us my friends. My goal this week is to go to the grocery store and stock that fridge and cull out all the bad stuff in there and get started anew. I’m working on a post that logs where I am now and where I’m headed, and goals I’d like to meet along the way. I’m really thinking it through this time and feel good about getting a game plan together.



Happy Monday All!

What to do..

I’m working on a plan of action for my new journey. I’ve decided to call September 1st D-Day. We should have all the moving done except for a few boxes but for the most part actually LIVING in the house. I can start grocery shopping again and filling the house with good for me foods. I’m going to try to surround myself with only good snacks and things in the house that make my choices pretty easy.

I’ve also decided I’m going to start Weight Watchers. I’ve tried it in the past, albeit half heartedly, but this time I’m going in head on. I’ve read so many success stories and know people who have done great, it just has to work. The little bit of time I’ve used it, I believe if you follow it, it helps you make the right choices. Obviously you can eat more of what’s good for you so you really have to strategize on your daily intake. I can track online and on my phone so I like that.

I understand the science of weight loss, burning more calories than you take in = weight loss. I also understand how I work. I won’t diet or watch what I’m eating if I don’t workout. That may not be the healthiest stand to take but it’s my stand just the same. Hence, the situation I’m in right now. So, eating plan – check, workout plan – well, this is where it gets tricky… I have to admit I’m a little scared of the ankle. While I like miles of jogging outside that’s probably not the smartest for me just yet. I need to start small and work my way back up. I’m going with Jillian’s 30-day Shred, with a little modification. I like it because it’s only 20 minutes or so, probably the right amount of time for me to get started. My goal is all 5 workday mornings to get up and get my Shred on. I’ll start with Level 1 for week 1 and level 2 for week 2-3 and level 3 for week 4-5. After 5 weeks I’ll need to switch to something else. Anything I do outside of that will be bonus. I may try walks after work, or hitting the elliptical or bike. Either way, I just need to get my body moving. I’m going to try to use this as my daily diary to look back on and see my progress, and to log the good days and bad.

Hello Strangers!

I’m baaaaccckkk! Yes, I know I’ve been gone a while but I’ve had this thing called life get in the way. Here’s a quick update

•  I’m tying the knot! We’ve even set a date! April 16, 2011. ~ My simple country wedding sure takes a lot of planning.
•  I sold my house in da Hood!! ~ I put it up for sale on a Thursday and got an offer the next Friday. I didn’t even have to put the hard sell on them by telling them the 2nd Tejano Band in Waco practices right across the street every Sunday!
•  Kb and I bought a house! I closed on the house in da Hood on a Tuesday and we closed on the house in the country the next day
•  We’ve been remodeling the house in the country! We busted up and replaced tile in the game room and kitchen, stripped all 3 layers of wall paper off the walls in the whole house, painted the entire interior, ripped off wainscoting to find mold behind it, replaced the moldy sheet rock, rewired the electricity and bought all new fixtures. ~ that too takes a lot of time and effort. While all the remodeling was going on Kb and I lived in a 31-foot travel trailer for about 6 weeks. Nothing keeps the love alive like a 31 foot trailer with a slide out.

Before all the remodeling took place I had a set back in my new found running hobby. I sprained my ankle during a floating trip to the Guadeloupe River at the beginning of June. I mean, it was bad. It still is. I went from crutches to a walking boot/cast and am now in a sport type ankle brace and going through physical therapy. The therapist said absolutely no running until I’m 8 weeks out of the boot. *YIKES!* That puts me sometime around October, but as wonky as it is I don’t see that happening too soon.

 

Between the injury, living in the trailer and between houses, I haven’t been able to work out and Kb and I have to eat what we can when we can which has resulted in A LOT of eating out, which has resulted in A LOT of lbs gained. Not good for someone trying to look good in a wedding dress in a few months. I’ve had a few unflattering photos taken recently that have highlighted the position I’m in. I’ve seen those creases from when the fat rolls over for too long, soft arms and shoulders that used to be more firm and even the wiggly flying squirrel arms. Umm.. not pretty and not how I want my wedding photos to turn out.

   

So I’ve decided with the new house comes a newly improved me. I go back to the Physical Therapist and Ortho Dr this week and I’m hoping to get the all clear from both to start getting back to a workout program. I’ve tried to take a few 30 minute walks but the wonky ankle puts my knee all out of sorts and I have to take off a day or 2 to get back to right.

  

I’m working on my strategy to get fit, eat right, and look smoking h-o-t in my wedding dress. Stay Tuned!

 

Gym Rats

The past couple of weeks I've been to the going to the gym to really focus on some strength training & cross training on the elliptical and bike. I've been to the gym and all different times of the day, depending on my schedule. Mostly it's been in the morning, but I have had some evening and even middle of the day workouts. At these workouts, I've been taking notes of all the different gym rats that frequent my gym and thought I'd a little bit of an open letter to the ones that stand out. Here goes....

Hey skinny guy lifting about 20 pounds more than you should - There's no need for that painful grunting that early in the morning.

Dude that smells like you just walked out of the bar and came straight to the gym - maybe if you lay off the smokes, you'd have a better result with your workout.

Musleman in the shorty shorts - At least I hope you had shorts on under that t shirt. It was hard to tell.

Guy stretching in the shorty shorts - that's enough stretching for today, thanks

Hey Lady all beefed up looking like a roided up man - shades at 6:15am in the gym? really? is that necessary?

Dudes on roids - work out your bird legs for a change. You're starting to look a little freaky

Attention ALL you SKINNY LITTLE SLUTS that roam the gym floor never breaking a sweat, in your matchy matchy outfit and your perfect braid with your lip gloss on - go home! or work a street somewhere else. You're taking up some of my much needed air

ANYONE on a CELL PHONE - Are you really getting that good of a workout yapping away on the phone while your're walking 2.3 miles an hour on the treadmill.

Trainers - yeah I know who you are. Stop looking at yourself in the mirror while you're trying to train some poor fatty

Guess that'll do for now. I'm sure you know some of these people at your gym.