Gettin' With It

**WARNING ** Long post ahead...

I've had a fear of weight loss challenges in the past, even though I made myself participate in a few. I think it's the fear of failure that I've always battled and was very strong when I started this weight loss journey. Each challenge that I attempted got a little better, but I've still not had great success with reaching the weight loss portions of the challenges.

However, finishing the Couch to 5K program has taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to. I may not be easy, but I am capable.

I've also learned that there was something about knowing I was not only following a program, but doing it as part of a challenge. This made me accountable for my C25K progress and made me press on each week. This same feeling came over me over the weekend when I did the "jumping in" challenge. I knew I had committed to something, so I needed to do my best to stick with it.

You may be wondering why I didn't feel this way when I started my weight loss journey, and I'm kind of asking myself the same thing. Yet, I think I had to learn to believe in myself and see that I'm not a failure before going on any further.

So, now that I know I'm capable of accomplishing great things *grin* I'm starting a new challenge for myself. This will last eight weeks, which is countdown to the anniversary of when I "officially" began my weight loss journey.

To commemorate my new challenge I created a badge for it and titled it "Gettin With It", because I am getting with the program to see myself lose more weight. I got the idea from something I remember reading over at Endurance Isn't Only Physical.


Basically she said that she started her weight loss journey with 21 days - if she could stick with her program for 21 days then she would allow herself to quit after that. Well, it got her well on her way to losing the 100+ pounds she's lost this past year or so. (You can read about that here.)


I decided to give this idea a try in my own weight loss journey as I want to have more weight loss shown for this last year than 25 pounds.


I've learned a lot about myself this last year, I've worked hard on some emotional issues and I am proud of that loss and all the work that came with losing it and maintaining. However, I know it's time to kick it back into weight loss gear and see that scale move again.


I've been thinking on this for about a week now, so when 266 mentioned the three-day challenge we did over the weekend it gave me a good idea of what goals I would put up.


My goals:

• First off ... I want to see at least 10 pounds lost. Seeing my weight loss history will tell you that this will be a great accomplishment for me. It will also lead me past my first goal of reaching 199, which is something I desperately want to do.
• Take my mutli-vitamin and calcium daily. I have not been doing this at all and I know I need to get into the habit of it.
• Drink 64 oz. of water daily. Six to eight glasses a day is good, but I want to start the habit of at least 8.
• One sweet treat a day. This will be a treat in weight loss portions - small. It may be 2 Tbsp. of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 20 M&Ms or a small serving of ice cream. And if I don't feel like I really don't want it, then I won't. I won't eat it just because I'm "allowed".
• Eat one fruit or veggie with each meal. I will be careful to not always have juice in place of fruit, but it might be that a few times. I'm shooting for having a fruit with breakfast, a fruit and veggie with lunch and a veggie with dinner. That's 4 a day and a BIG deal for me. :)
• No snacking if I'm not truly hungry. Eating only when hungry really signifies to me that I don't snack if I'm not hungry. I'm getting better at eating decent portions with meals, but I struggle with eating out of boredom.
• Exercise at least 4 days a week. This is a pretty regular habit now, but I thought I'd add it in for good measure. :) I will keep working on my running pace and get faster.

So I'm already in the middle of week one and I will update on my goals with each weigh in.

Now, I will finish up by saying that I created this challenge with the intention of making myself accountable to something. If you are so inclined to join me for the next eight weeks, then feel free to make your own goals and take my badge to use on your blog. I'd love it if you'd check back here every Friday with a link to your update.

If no one joins me, then that's fine. I feel better with my little check-list and the accountability to you all. :)

Oh, and thanks for reading this horrendously long post. I just couldn't make myself break it up into smaller posts....

Maple Syrup Giveaway

I'm not telling you that Lori at Finding Radiance is doing a giveaway and I'm not telling you that it's a 1/2 pint of real maple syrup from New York.

You also did not hear if from me that if you click here you can enter as well.

Because I'm selfish...kind of. :) Happy entering!! Good luck!!

My Momma Got Inspired

I'll start with a picture first....

This is my mom a year ago at preparations for my brother's wedding.

Weight loss was not on the agenda for either of us. We ate and enjoyed ourselves and she was at her heaviest. Though she was not feeling well she was dressing and acting like the wonderful, fun mother she is.

Fast forward about nine months. We are visiting with my brother and his wife and my mom mentions that she's lost 20 pounds. I'm happy and a little surprised.

You see, I had started my weight loss journey in May and had talked to her about it. She was very supportive and encouraged me to do well. I wondered if she'd work on her weight, because I knew it was an issue for her as well. She suffers from RA and has bad knee pain. Weight loss would be a big help for that pain, but I never suggested it to her. I knew she had lost weight before and I knew if she was motivated she'd do it again. I also knew that I didn't want someone suggesting weightloss to me when I wasn't in the mood for it, so I didn't want to do that to her either.

Well, it's been a year and look at her now!

She is halfway to her weight loss goal (about 45 pounds down) and is doing great! The pain is still there from the RA, but she said she is feeling better from having lost weight. She is not following any certain plan. She simply watches what she eats, has lots of fruit and veggies daily and is careful about too much bread and sweets.

The lady has surpassed me in numbers and I'm so proud of her!!!!!!

I asked her a month or so ago what made her want to lose weight and her reply was, among other things, "You inspired me, Leah." I was a little surprised because I haven't lost a lot, but I was also flattered.

Her weight was of concern to me because of her health. Yet, by not saying anything except to keep her updated on my weight loss progress she became inspired to begin her own weight loss journey.

Together I know that we'll feel and look much better as the months and years go on!

I WON !!

Well, what a fun thing to start my day off... this morning I had an email from Diane letting me know that I won her SHAPE magazine giveaway. What fun! I haven't won anything in a while.

I have a friend overseas that I send magazines to every few months because it costs too much for them to order them over there. She and her husband are both physically active and workout, so I'm enjoying knowing that not only will I get to read this magazine, but I can pass it on to her as well.

I'm working on a post to introduce "y'all" to my mom. I may or may not get it up by tomorrow. Today got busier than I planned, but it was full of exercise, much-needed grocery shopping and errands, so it's been a very productive day.

I hope you all have a great week!

Jumping In - Day 3 Update

Sundays are a bit more interesting on the food front because we attend a church service both in the morning and evening. But I did pretty good. :)

My Goals:

• Drink 6 -8 cups of water daily. YES


• Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal. Minimally. No fruit with my oatmeal in the morning. Carrots with luch. No fruit/veg with my snack/small dinner after church, unless green olives count. :)


• Be mindful with eating. Again, pretty good.


• Only one sweet treat a day. YES. And I even resisted the pastries someone brought to church in the evening, because I'd already had my treat for the day. That was a bit hard, but I was proud I resisted temptation. :)

Jumping In - Day 2 Update

My Goals:

• Drink 6 -8 cups of water daily. YES .. got at least 6 in today. :)


• Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal. YES. I had a clementine with breakfast, applesauce with lunch and 1 cup of green beans with dinner.


• Be mindful with eating. Again, pretty good. Not sure if I stayed in weight loss portions, but definitely did not overeat mostly.


• Only one sweet treat a day. YES. Today my treat was to dip into the M&Ms, but I waited until the evening to enjoy them. Wait, I also had three donut holes. oops...so maybe this was more of a "partial".

I also got some toning workout stuff in today on top of house cleaning and doing all the laundry. I'm tired and about to get myself to bed for a nice relaxing day tomorrow between church services.

Kettle Worx Giveaway

Tricia at Endurance Isn't Only Physical is having another giveaway for some Kettle Worx products. Feel free to learn more about it and enter it by clicking here.

Good luck!

Jumping In - Day 1 Update

My Goals:

• Drink 6 -8 cups of water daily. YES for today!


• Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with each meal. YES. I had a banana with breakfast, a V-8 with lunch and a salad with dinner.


• Be mindful with eating. Pretty good. I had to eat lunch when I wasn't very hungry yet, but it was a time situation and I didn't stuff myself.


• Only one sweet treat a day. YES. This may sound crazy, but I'd been dipping into the M&Ms and other sweets during the day, so this is a big deal for me. I saved my sweet thing for after dinner and enjoyed every bite of it. I wanted more and more, but knew I was satisfied and I didn't need any more. :)

Here's hoping to a good 2nd day coming up!

Thursday P.S.

I was showing my kids the post Diane did the other day on being featured in SHAPE magazine when my son says, "Someday that'll be you, Mommy!"

Such hope "out of the mouths of babes".

It encouraged me to keep going, because, Yes, someday that will be me sharing my weight loss story with the world. It may not be in a magazine, but I'll be happy to share it none the less. :)

Weigh-In ... Jumping In

Today's Weight: 205

Loss/Gain: -1.5

Total Loss So Far: -26.0 lbs

Well, the scale has gone back down and I'm grateful. I'm getting back into my groove and feeling ready to tackle my weight loss journey with some renewed vigor.

To help me in that I've decided to join the 3-day challenge over at 266's blog. You can view it here. Her idea goes right along with some thoughts that have been brewing in my mind for a week or so. I wasn't planning on doing anything serious until Monday, but something in me says I need to just do this and get going. Don't put it off any longer.

My goals for these three days will be:

1. Only one sweet treat each day.
2. Get 6-8 cups of water in each day.
3. Eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal.
4. Be VERY mindful of eating and stop when satisfied, not when full.

Misc. Thoughts

I worked a full day again today, but I managed to fit in 30 minutes of exercise while my son had soccer practice. That was good.

Funny, I wasn't in the mood to jog at all, not one bit, but I couldn't help myself. After about five minutes of a very brisk walk I just started jogging. I only jogged for 15 minutes and then I walked some more. Silly body..can't be satisfied with brisk walking sometimes.

Tomorrow is weigh-in. I'm not expecting much. I've never been one to put much weight in the whole sodium thing greatly affecting my body, but I've had some salty food lately and hardly any water for two days. So, that will be my excuse tomorrow....

No,seriously, I haven't overeaten much at all, but I haven't eaten very strict. There are plans of change brewing in my mind that are going to come to fruiting some time very soon. Change for the better. My one-year anniversary of starting this journey is in May and I want to show more than a 25-pound loss.

Also, I plan on having a very interesting post coming up by Monday at the latest. It inspires me and I know you'll be inspired as well. :)

I'll catch up with everyone in the morning for a quick weigh-in post.

It's My Teacher!

Today I went to the gym at the church while my son had soccer practice out in their fields. I decided to do some jogging on the treadmill and then weights.

As I was jogging I saw four students from school pass by the hallway. The first was one of the sweetest little 3rd graders who always hugs me when I'm subbing. When she turned my way her face lit up like, "I know her!! She's a teacher!" I waved to her and she happily waved back.

Also a teacher and her husband walked by and they waved. I waved back to them also, while jogging my slow little jog and turning beet red in the face. :)

Was I embarassed to be seen in my capris, t-shirt and sweating like a pig while jogging SLOW??

No, as a matter of fact something in me was so happy to have the students (and other teacher) see me jogging. I think it was a happy pride of sorts. I'm not totally sure.

Yes, I'm chubby still, but I do exercise and it was kind of nice to have the students especially see me doing something good for myself.

I'm not sure if I'm getting my point across right, but it was just a nice feeling...for some reason... I guess it was one more thing that made me proud that I made the effort to fit a workout into my busy day today.

Ever have little happy moments like this that you'd like to share? We'd love to hear about it!

Progression Pics 10 Months

Well, my weight is up half of a pound from the last time I took pictures (two months ago). I didn't want to take or post pictures today, but I know I skipped it last month for the same reason - no significant loss. So, I made myself do it.

Compared to the first picture it's great progress. Compared to two months ago I can see a little more toning.

Now it's time to get that scale moving down, so that next month there will be more of an actual weight loss showing.

I'll tell you one thing...looking at these pictures makes me want to keep going. I see that there has been change and I know I can keep losing weight if I just get my act together.

Weight Loss Progression Pics

I'm working the first half of this week, so it's "The Biggest Loser" Wii workouts for me in the evenings. They may not be jogging on the treadmill, but they kick my butt. With my husband still having to study most evenings, they are also perfect so I can get my workout in here at home while the kids read and get showers done.

So, while you new followers peruse my pics and you oldies check in on how I'm lookin' these days I'm going to go get to that workout!

Have a great week everyone!

Saturday Check In

I wanted to stop in and thank you all so much everyone for your supportive comments on my weigh-in post yesterday. It's encouraging to know that I'm not in this alone and that I'm not the only one facing these weight issues.

Busy day with laundry, babysitting three toddlers overnight (friends of ours) and BAD allergies. yuck..on the allergies part... So, I've finally had a minute to catch up on blogs and be encouraged yet again by the successes I'm seeing.

I hope you are all enjoying a nice weekend!

Weigh-In ... Getting Rid of It

Today's Weight: 206.5

Loss/Gain: +1.0 lb

Total Loss So Far: -24.5 lbs

I have nothing really to say to justify my gain. I wasn't careful, and though I've exercised all five days I haven't eaten "weight loss portions" as Steve puts it. Basically I've maintained my weight for five months now. The newness of really beginning to believe I could lose the weight and seeing myself lose those first 20 pounds has worn off and I'm a bit frustrated.

Frustrated in a good way - in the way that I know I need to get going. It's given me plenty to think about. You know, my husband started working out last summer, but hasn't really changed his eating habits. He has dropped inches and a few pounds and everything fits him better and he's looking great and feeling great. He's never had a weight issue like me and I can't solely depend on working out to lose the weight, unless I want to work out for hours and hours a day, which I don't and can't do anyway.

So, as I packed away the snowmen decorations last week and I am going through the house cleaning out old stuff, in preparation for a city-wide yard sale in a few months, I had a mental conversation with myself.

It went something like this: "Self, springtime is coming. Just like you're going to plant flowers soon you also need to plant more good seeds of healthy choices and portions into your life. You're seeing the bulbs you planted last fall coming up and are enjoying the beauty they have to offer, but you plant more because you won't be satisfied with just daffodils and pansies. So, you also can't be satisfied with where you're at in your weight loss journey.

Also, you've packed away the snowman stuff and are getting rid of old things you no longer need. Well, there are habits you no longer need and they need to be given away also. You need to realize that they aren't helping you and they are just cluttering up your life.

Your thoughts are cluttered with feelings of defeat and failure because of this extra weight. Your body is cluttered with layers of fat that you know are hanging there around the muscle you are building with your regular exercise.

You have begun jogging and have proven that you are capable of much more than you ever thought. You have lost and kept off 10% of your body weight. This proves you have what it takes to get with the program and break 200 pounds and go even further.

Spring is coming and it's time, Leah, to plant some good seeds in your weight loss journey and watch what will take place if you'll care for them properly. But only you can do it, no one is going to do it for you. Now get to work. "

So, that's where I'm at. I know it's not easy...I would almost be to goal if it was, but I know it can be done.

Please bear with me as I continue on in my weight loss journey and work hard at planting more good seeds and getting rid of those bad habits. I appreciate all of your support and your successes, they are the "gardening books" of sort that help me see what can be done if I follow through.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A Jog in the Park

I just got home from jogging 3.2 miles in the park. This is my first 5K'ish run outside. I figured I'd better try it at least once before going to my run/race in two weeks.

Good: It was a beautiful sunny, 60 degrees out. People were out walking their dogs and kids were playing in the park, so I found many times to use my smile.

Bad: It took me 48 minutes, which makes me a little sad, but I realize that it's the effect of inclines and wind. I've decided to pray for little to no wind on race day...I can dream...

I also noticed that a person doesn't realize how slow they jopg until they are being passed by runners. You know, on the treadmills at the gym I know someone is running faster than me on the machine next door, but they can never get ahead of me no matter how fast they are going or how hard they sweat.... We just run next to each other. LOL

I was going to skip working out today, but (of course...) now I'm glad I did it. I spent all day on my feet cooking and cleaning and babysitting three toddlers, so I'm ready to shower and enjoy an evening with just my family.

Tomorrow I'll be back with the news about my weigh-in for this week...be it what it may.

Getting it Together

Good morning! Though I sat down and did some evaluating of my habits, etc, last week things have not really changed drastically yet in my eating habits.

I know they need to, and I'm not going to make excuses. I'd like to post a great thing on here about something I've learned, but I feel like a hypocrite because I'm not following everything I "preach".

Things not only need to change to see my weight go down, but also because I know that my running will get easier when I am smaller.

So, I keep reading blogs and am trying to get motivated to watch my portions and make healthier choices. I also keep exercising, because I know that I'm feeling the best I've ever felt due to the exercise and losing that first 10% body weight.

Now to get the rest of it together. I need to want it badly enough to do what it takes.

Preparing for 5K

A little background first....

The treadmills at the gym on the base only allow you to use them for 30 minutes at a time. They will actually shut down into cool down mode after 30 minutes. You can reset the treadmill, but you have to stop it to do so, or you have to keep pushing a button for a few more minutes and up the speed each minute. Hmm... this makes it hard for yours truly to run 5K on the treadmill, because I have to keep pushing the button to extend time for about 15 minutes to reach 5k. :)

So, on nicer days I'll go run at the park (maybe) for distance, but mostly I needed to figure out how to "train" on the treadmill. I decided to work on my pace and do intervals of fast pace/slower (comfy) pace.

Today I added the "hills" setting so that it would automatically put the incline up and down every couple of minutes. I did this for a solid 30 minutes at 4.3 mph, which is the fastest speed I've stayed at for that length of time.

It was hard towards the end, but I didn't let myself lower the speed. I felt like I got a good, hard cardio workout in. I think adding incline to my runs will help prepare me for running outside more, and my 5K run coming up in a couple of weeks. :)

Spring Break

It's Spring Break here for us and schedules have been a little out of the norm. We're staying busy and the kids are enjoying it so far. Since my husband is a full-time student he is also home all week.

Each morning the kids have been going with some neighbors to a Spring Break vacation Bible school. My husband and I are taking advantage of this time to go to the gym each day while the kids are gone. It's been nice! I was a little worried about when I'd fit in trips to the gym, and planning to utilize workout DVDs here at home, but I'm happy that I get to make it to the gym after all...and in the daytime like I like to.

I hope you are all having a nice week. I'm going to do my blog-reading rounds. The next couple of days shouldn't be so busy, so I should be back soon!

Have a good day everyone!

Perfect 10 Final Update

Well, it's here. March and the last update on the Perfect 10 Challenge sponsored by Steve at Log My Loss.

Let me start by saying a two things:

First, I'm sorry this is so late. I wanted to have it done on Saturday, but we had a family concern arise Friday night that took precedence over any blogging for a bit.

Secondly, when we started this challenge my main goal was to finish the Couch to 5K program. I added the other two goals because they are something I consistently need work on. I had been walking since May 2009 and I wanted to start running. I could hardly believe I'd actually be running by March. It seemed so far away...but here we are. :)

My Perfect 10 Goals Are:

1. Complete the Couch to 5K program. Yes!!!!!!! I finished the program in week 9. Last week I ran 5K on the treadmill and I've ran 30 minutes on the treadmill three other times in the same week. AND.... I SIGNED UP FOR A 5K RUN!!! It's a local event and my family will come to cheer me on. I'm nervous and excited. I know I'll finish, but I'm sure I"ll finish slow. That's okay, it'll give me a starting point to work from to get my pace faster. :)


2. Drink 6-8, 8 oz. glasses of water daily. Better, but not completely. I got 6-8 ounces of water in at least four out of seven days. Getting out my old WW drinking cup has helped immensely in getting that water in.


3. Adjust my eating to see weight loss. I saw a 1.5 loss, which is good. I had a good talk with myself about evaluating what I need to do to see more consistent loss.

As for the little tidbit on me....

I'm a diet rebel. I confess. It's something that can be good, but can also be very, very bad.

When I started working on losing weight I knew that signing up for a diet would mean failure for me, so I refused to follow any specific plan. I cut out a few things and started walking.

This baby step showed good results, but I'll be honest in telling you that it can only get you so far to just "cut out a few things".

I still refuse to get on any one diet plan, because I know what I need to do to see weight loss. I believe everything in moderation is okay and I'm working on not rebelling against healthier food choices.

That's the honest truth and I'm not totally proud of it. However, I'm working on it and I plan to see my goal weight reached someday with learning to eat intuitively and adding healthier foods into my diet.

If I can go from never completing a full mile in a jog to running for 3.1 miles at a jogging pace, then I know I can reach my weight loss goal as well. It's simplygoing to take the same perseverance it's taken to reach my first running goals.

I can and will reach the end of not only my first 5K, but my weight loss journey as well.

Weigh-In ... Self Evaluation

Today's Weight: 205.5

Loss/Gain: -1.5 lbs.

Total Loss So Far: -25.5 lbs.

I'm happy with the loss for this week. The food still wasn't the best, but I did try some.

I tried some.

This is a problem I have and I've been spending some time reevaluating myself the past few days and looking at what I do, or don't do, that affects my weight loss journey.

Our pastor preached a really good sermon Wednesday night on choices. He talked about how many times we don't think we'll pay the price for the choices we make, but eventually they will catch up with us. This is so true in everything, but you know for me it was especially true in my weight loss journey.

I remember last fall reading on someone's weight loss blog something along the lines of "if you give 50%, then you're going to see 50% results". That's how I've been.

Honestly, I can't write and say a miracle is going to change and I'm suddenly going to give 110% and see the weight drop off, but I am going to work at upping my level of commitment to more than just 50%.

I gave 100% to the Couch to 5K program and I got 100% results. If I can do that, then I know I can give more effort towards my eating and see better results in that area as well.

Positive Step for Today

I woke up in a bit of a funk today. Not exactly sure why, though I have a small ideas as to a few factors.

Throughout the day I had self-doubts coming and going through my mind in regards to my weight. I want to see my weight come off and I'd like to see it happen a bit quicker than it has. This means that I have to get my food under control. I know it and I am facing it. Though, honestly, I felt like giving up today.

But I won't and I can't. It's just not an option for me.

This was a day when I have to not go by feelings and instead reflect on how far I've come, and just believe in myself - no matter what my emotions tell me.

One thing with my food that has been seriously lacking is my water intake. Thus the cup.

I pulled out a 32 oz. green and blue insulated mug I purchased during my last Weight Watchers attempt years ago. I can drink water so easily with this cup and the straw that came with it. I took it out, filled it and the first 32 oz. is almost gone.

That is my positive step in the right direction for today.

One More Mile Giveaway

No, I'm not the giveway queen, but I know one... Trish at Endurance Isn't Only Physical has some of the greatest giveaways!! :)

Today's is a t-shirt from One More Mile. You can click here to read all about it.

My favorite shirts from that site are:

"Dear God, please let there be someone behind me to read this."

"Find your happy pace."

"This IS my race pace."

Feel free to tell us your favorite(s) if you were going to buy one.

I Made It All The Way

Short story is....

I ran a complete 3.1 miles/5 K yesterday!!!!!!!!!

(on the treadmill)

Long story is...

As most of you know I finished the Couch to 5K program last week. For me it meant being able to jog 30 minutes straight, but not exactly 5K (or 3.1 miles). As I was talking to my husband about my accomplishment I told him that upon finishing that third 30-minute jog I wasn't really winded and dying to quit. It was tough, but I knew I could've kept going.

hhhmm... That got me thinking, "I wonder if I can jog a full 5K yet?"

So, yesterday I decided I would try it, or at least jog as much as I could. I started out at a brisk jogging pace for me (4.2 mph) and kept that up for the first mile. The second mile I took it back down to 4 mph, then back up to 4.1 where I finally fell into a steady rhythm that I felt I could keep up for a while.

The sweat was pouring down the sides of my face. It was great!

Suddenly twenty five minutes rolled around and I realized that if I was doing my "normal" jog I would be done in only five minutes. I realized then that I could probably keep going for the entire 5K. I kept it steady, bumping up the pace for the a minute or two at different intervals.

At thirty minutes the treadmill decided it was time for me to be done and I had to reset my time for fifteen more minutes. Unfortunately, every minute it tried to go down into cool down settings, so I had to reset my pace every minute. That was interesting, but thankfully it didn't wear me out or make it hard.

And at about 44 minutes I reached that magic number of my running dreams thus far

3.1 (miles)

At the same moment the little trail on the screen showed me crossing the 5K mark.

I was so happy I was smiling and I wanted to turn and shout it to everyone in the gym. LOL Instead I texted two of my best friends and my husband with the news. I also told one woman in the stretching/core room, because I couldn't contain my excitement. (And there were no guys in there at that particular moment...*sheepish grin* )

The best part of this entire story is that I was NOT exhausted at the end of my jog. I jogged 3.1 miles and I wasn't dying to stop during those last few minutes. This shows me that I can endure a race.

So....yes, I'm going to start looking for a 5K race to run in this spring. I'm so excited and can't wait to see more health goals reached in my life this year!

A Waste Either Way

One concept of Intuitive Eating that really caught my eye as I was listening to the audio companion book the other day was that throwing away excess food is okay.

The author commented something along the lines of, and I paraphrase, "You may not want to throw the extra food away on your plate when you realize your no longer hungry because you think it's a waste of food. However, if you're eating beyond full isn't the food still a waste, even if it's in your body? Now you've just added something to your body that you don't need."

Isn't that interesting?

Extra food, whether it's left on your plate or eaten and in your body, is a waste. We simply have to decide which waste is better.

She didn't condone, and neither do I, cooking tons of food just to throw the extra away. However, she did mention trying to do it a few times to allow yourself to get rid of extra and not feel the emotional pull to eat it just because it's there. I believe this is what they call the "clean plate club", and many people won't stop eating when there is food on the plate, even if they are full simply because they don't want to waste the food.

I've never really been a "clean plate club" eater; however, when I want to overeat I try and ask myself if I really want that waste of food in my body, or should I just throw it out?

So, going along the lines of wasting food last week I decided to clean out the candy supply that has accrued in our pantry. My kids still each had a bag of stuff from both Halloween and Christmas, plus Valentine's parties added a few pieces each. So, I made them get their bags out, pick out their favorites that they might eat soon and we threw the rest away.

This is what we threw away. I believe it was probably 85-90% of the candy that was stored. Yes, even chocolate got thrown away. I decided that while some may think this is a waste it's a much better waste in the garbage than in our bodies where it is not only not needed, but not even wanted.

Are you a member of the clean plate club? Do you have a hard time throwing food away after you realize you are full? Feel free to share your comments.

Have a great week everyone!

Perfect 10 Update #9

Here's my second to last update for the Perfect 10 Challenge. While the weight isn't moving too quickly and the water has been a struggle I have to admit I'm excited that I've completed my main goal of this challenge!

My Perfect 10 Goals Are:

1. Complete the Couch to 5K program. Yes!!!!!!! I finished week 9 on Thursday. So, I have officially completed the Couch to 5K program!!! I am not running a full 5K yet (3.1 mi), so I will be continuing my runs and adding a couple of minutes each week until I reach that distance. Then I plan on working on my speed.


2. Drink 6-8, 8 oz. glasses of water daily. Kind of. Four days this week I got at least six glasses in, so that is progress with the water.


3. Adjust my eating to see weight loss. No, but TOM has arrived and PMS seems to bring a gain lately. I'm trying not to use PMS as simply an excuse for such a large gain, but I know it is a fact of life. I'm confident it will come off next week, so I'm not worried.

As for the little tidbit on me....

I enjoy scrapbooking. I've dabbled in it for the past twelve years. It's a hobby I absolutely love, but I also like other crafts, so I don't sit and put all my extra time into it. In my dreams I have this ultra organized scrapbooked space with everything at my disposal to just sit and create. :) I'm thinking this will happen more when (A) I keep my scrapping area clean and (B) my kids are grown or even (C) I just make myself go spend 30 minutes once a week and get a page or two done.

About two years ago my neighbor friend introduced me to the world of digital scrapbooking. I now really enjoy that also. It's not traditional at all, but I really like that there's no mess and I just enjoy using the computer and designing pages.

I don't have these scrapbooks that are totally up to date, but I work on them when I can. I also use both my paper scrapping stuff and my digital scrapping stuff for card making and such, so I know the investment in supplies has not gone to waste. :)

At the top of this post you can see a sample of a digital scrapbooked "card". Originally, it's 4x6 in size. I can print it like a photo and adhere it to cardstock folded like a card. This one will probably get printed and put in a little 4x6 album of mini pages of our family.

Any time you see something like this on my blog I created it myself, unless I give credit to someone else.

Some of my favorite scrapbook sites are:

Shabby Miss Jenn Designs

Shabby Princess

Two Peas in a Bucket

Scrapbooks Etc.

Weigh-In ... M&Ms and PMS

Today's Weight: 207.0

Loss/Gain: +2.5 lbs.

Total Loss So Far: -24 lbs.

My eating this week hasn't been all that horrible. I'm still learning to stop eating when satisfied, but after a day or two of "letting go" I was back on track.

However, a few days ago I couldn't get enough of the dark chocolate M&Ms. I tried some milk chocolate ones, but they just weren't doing the trick. I have a little (like one cup bowl) full of them, um...well, it was full and I would dip into them and grab about 10 at a time. I kept wondering what was wrong with me?!?! I wasn't eating them until they made me sick, just dipping into them throughout the day. hhmm.....

Yea. Then it hit me. It's "that time" coming up.

It's crazy how for three-and-a-half weeks of the month if I overeat it's because I just overate, but there are those couple of days where I can't get enough of one or two certain things - usually chocolate and Pepsi. So weird. I didn't crave soda as much this time, but definitely those M&Ms.

I don't think it was reason for a 2.5 pound gain, but it did give me the clue of what was coming. So, I've done better the past day or so and I still see this rather large gain. Oh well.

I know it will come off next week after things are getting back to "normal". :)

p.s. Check back tomorrow for some exciting news on my progress with the C25K program!

Busy Day

Well, I have a busy day ahead of me, so I'm popping in to say that I hope you are all doing well. I have the signs of TOM coming to visit and I'm afraid a gain will show itself on the scale tomorrow.

So, I keep reminding myself the scale is a tool and I'm not going to beat myself up over a PMS gain...as vexing as it may be.

Maybe I'm all nervous for nothing and that would be a nice surprise. We'll see.

In the meantime, I shall go on with my busy day and check in with you all tomorrow. Have a good one!

Chat With the Skinny Girl

Today as I was doing my 2nd 30-minute jog on a track a slim woman who was jogging faster than me pops by and says, "I am so impressed with you!!". To which I called out, "You are my goal!!" and laughed... She said something about needing to go faster, but I couldn't hear her because she was leaping ahead of me.

Me? Impressive?

You know, having someone who is thin and jogs at a nice quick pace tell you (the chunky, turtle jogger) that you impress them is a great encouragement. It made me think I could on forever!! :)

After I was done with my jog I happened to see her as we were walking out to our cars and I told her how much it meant to me that she would say that. This was her reply:

She gave me a *BIG HUG* and gushed, "Oh, but you did. I am so impressed that you just kept going. I saw you and thought 'She'll quit any minute' and you didn't. You just kept going."

Her mother (I assume) interjected that her husband (who she had been walking with) even commented on how I just kept going.

Amazing. :) Even as I type I'm so tickled with this.

They asked how long I've been running and I told them that this is my ninth week. :) We talked about just keeping going and then bid each other farewell.

I'm so excited! Not only because someone noticed that I didn't quit running, but because I'm actually doing it. I'm doing something I never dreamed I could. Today on the track there was probably 10-15 people walking and only 3 jogging.

I was one of those three and you have no idea what a miracle that is. And to top it off... the skinny chick said I impressed her. That, my friends, was the icing on the proverbial cake.

What a great feeling!!

Another Giveaway

Okay, looks like it's giveaway week! :)

Well, as much as I love chocolate, I really love buying new socks and underclothes. Silly, I know, but I enjoy having new stuff (maybe because it's not an everyday thing). It's even better when I can afford to buy good quality, so that's why I'm posting about this great giveaway consisting of some Bridgedale socks. I haven't tried them, but Trish's husband says they are wonderful. My socks are getting loose, so I'm going to need want more soon.

However, because I want to win I'm not going to tell you that it's being offered by Trish over at Endurance Isn't Only Physical.

I'm also not going to tell you that you can click here to get in on the giveaway yourself.

Yes, because I'd like to be picked I'm not going to wish you good luck! *wink* :)

ATTUNE giveaway

Lori at Finding Radiance is doing a giveaway of Attune bars. I've never tried them before, but I hear they are wonderful. So, I'm going to enter her giveaway and you can too by clicking here.

Breaking Through

I've started the last week of the Couch to 5K program today. So, I ran for 30 minutes straight. Woo Hoo!

However, about 13 minutes from the end of my run I started experiencing this sharp, jabbing pain in my lower right side. OH, it hurt so bad!! I wanted to quit, but I knew I couldn't. I told myself that if I couldn't keep going because it got worse, only then would I stop.

I'm not sure if it's the lack of water that caused the pain or the quick pace. I have this feeling I started out a tad faster than normal and maybe that was the problem.

So, I slowed down my running and kept getting those laps done until I realized that the pain wasn't so bad any more.

Do you know how good it feels to push yourself past some pain and finish what you set out to do? Boy it was horrible, and I was even jogging for a few minutes with my hand on my side, but I wouldn't quit. It was a good feeling to get through it and I'm so proud I did that today.

How about you? Feel free to share a time you broke through something that could've stopped you on your weight loss journey. How did it feel when you came out victorious? I know we'd all love to hear about it. :)