Week 16: How did I do?

I think I'm going to change up the way I write these posts. I think I'm going to use these posts as just a reflection of the previous week, and to write about the things I did well and the things I fell short on.

Day 110

Breakfast

Mom's Best Honey Nut Toasty O's

Blueberry Muffintop

Day 109

Breakfast

Organic Raisin Bran

Blueberry Muffintop

Snack

Toffee Crunch ice cream bar

Lunch

Apple with peanut butter

Dinner

Turkey breast and ham 6" on wheat from Subway

Dessert

(4) Oreos

Total: 1,490 calories

Exercise (3 hours)

Housework (2 hours)

2.8 mile walk with dad (1 hour)

Day 108

Breakfast

Organic Raisin Bran

Cranberry Bran Muffintop

Snack

Chocolate custard @ Kopps

Veggie Chips

Dinner

(1/2) Turkey & Swiss sandwich

Apple w/peanut butter

Cornbread Muffintop

Total: 1,338 calories

Exercise (1 hour, 40 minutes)

Strength training - upper body (10 minutes)

Dog walking (30 minutes)

3.1 mile walk (1 hour)

Day 107

Breakfast

Organic Raisin Bran

Cranberry Bran Muffintop

Snacks

Veggie Chips

German Chocolate Cake custard @ Kopps

Dinner

(1/2) Turkey and Swiss sandwich

Leftover black beans and Mexican Rice

Dessert

Blueberry Cobbler Multigrain cereal bar

Total: 1,484 calories

Exercise (40 minutes)

Swam laps (breaststroke)

Day 106

Breakfast

Organic Raisin Bran

Cran Bran Muffintop

Lunch

No. 5 Salad @ First Watch

Snack

Oreos

Dinner

Pork Tamale and Chicken Toastada combo @ Jose's Blue Sombrero

Chips & Salsa

Total: 1,450 calories

Exercise (1 hour, 5 minutes)

3.1 mile walk with dad

Day 105

Breakfast

Ham & Cheese Omelet Pita

Cranberry Bran Muffin Top

Lunch

(1/2) Roast beef & Swiss sandwich

Veggie Chips

Raspberries & black grapes

Snack

English Toffee Crunch ice cream bar

Dinner

Steak (Sirloin)

Pasta Salad

Fruit Salad

Dessert

Ice cream sandwich

Total: 1,493 calories

Exercise (1 hour, 45 minutes)

2.8 mile walk with dad (1 hour)

Zumba Fitness for Wii (45 minutes)

Comments: This morning I got on the scale and was happy to see I lost another pound. My real weigh in day is the 30th but most likely the number will be higher than it showed this morning for lady reasons. If it is, I'm taking 145.4 as the end weight for June. I need to stop eating two ice cream treats in a day (which only happens if I'm at the house; they have the ice cream sandwiches). Oops. I won't be able to swim nor will I have the energy to run this week much, but I can do Zumba and dance to the Michael Jackson game in small increments, maybe twice a day, and get the same amount of calories burned. I'll also go to the gym for the Step class on Tuesday morning and go to ride a bike one day. So hopefully this week starts and ends with a bang.

Day 104

Breakfast

Pancakes

Banana Nut Muffin Top

Snacks

Black grapes

Cheez-Its

Dinner

Bratwurst

Pasta salad

Fruit salad

Dessert

Ice cream sandwich

Total: 1,425 calories

Exercise (1 hour)

2.8 mile walk with dad

Comments: Not great to go over 1,400 calories on a low exercise day, but next week I'm picking up my exercise (as much as I can- it's not going to be a good week, if you catch my drift) and definitely going to eat more fruits and veggies - trying to make chicken and peas for dinner at least 4 nights next week- I have 4 chicken breasts, after all. I'm hoping by June 30th I weigh a little less than I do now (bc I've only lost 2.2 pounds this month) but considering what time of the the month the 30th falls on, I'm not exactly counting on it. I dropped another pants size and that feels a lot better than a few pounds on the scale. The next time I drop a size, I'll be at my goal size (and one more after that before I reach ultimate). Can't complain.

I'm a size 8!

I nervously walked into the Goodwill dressing room today, carrying 5 pairs of size 8s in my hand. May 11th, I felt the same way as I carried the size 10s.

They fit! I'm an 8 again!

8 is "where I started". It's about the smallest I've ever been. Briefly, I was a size 6 after I had mono. I haven't been this size in at least 5 years. I am pretty excited right now. I bought a pair of jeans and 2 pairs of capris. It gives me incentive to work out hard in the month of July, hoping I can be a size 6 by August! That is my goal size. I'd love to be a 4, and I'll work toward that, but when I become a size 6 I'm rewarding myself. :)

Week 15: How did I do?

GOALS MET (4/11)
Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies a day
Log 1750 fitness minutes in June (Currently: 1,884)
Ride the stationary bike once a week
Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

GOALS NOT MET (7/11)
Consume 50g of protein 5x/week
Drink 8 cups of water/day
Go to Bally's class once a week
Log 30 fitness minutes per day 6x/week
Run 2x/week
Sleep 8 hours/night
Swim 2x/week

School got in the way. Plain and simple.

Day 103

Breakfast

Pancakes

Lunch

Corn Muffin Top

(1/2) Roast beef & Swiss sandwich

Veggie chips

Grapes

Dinner

(3/4) Chipotle veggie burrito bol

Dessert

Toffee Crunch Ice Cream Bar

Total: 1,307 calories

Exercise (1 hour)

3.1 mile walk with dad

Day 102

Breakfast (170 cals)

Van's Natural Buttermilk Pancakes

Snacks (210 cals)

Black grapes

(2) Gingersnaps

Lunch (385 cals)

(1/2) Roast beef and Swiss sandwich on rye

Veggie chips

Black grapes

Snack (150 cals)

Brownie Bites

Dinner (400 cals)

Chicken Taquitos

Dessert (100 cals)

English Toffee Crunch ice cream bar

Total: 1,415 calories

Exercise (65 minutes)

3.1 mile walk with dad

Comments: I've been bad on my water and my exercise. This week has been busy.

Day 101

Breakfast

Waffles

Raspberries

Banana Nut Muffintop

Lunch

(1/2) Roast beef & Swiss sandwich

Snacks

Gingersnaps

Dinner

Pepperoni Pizza

Dessert

English Toffee Crunch ice cream bar

Total: 1,322 calories

Exercise (1 hour)

2.8 mile walk with dad

Day 100

Breakfast (310 cals)

Waffles

Banana Nut Muffin Top

Snack (130 cals)

Veggie Chips

Lunch (310 cals)

Peanut butter sandwich on rye

Snack (160 cals)

Raspberry Cookies

Dinner (420 cals)

(1/2) Roast beef and swiss cheese on rye

Black grapes

Veggie Chips

Dessert (100 cals)

Weight Watchers English Toffee Crunch Ice Cream Bar

Total: 1,430 calories

Exercise (1 hour, 13 minutes)

Stationary bike (45 minutes)

Walk with dad (28 minutes)

Comments: Wow, day 100. Nifty. Unfortunately, the class this morning was ADVANCED, not Basic Step, so my mom and I did the bikes instead. I only went to Step once; I definitely am not ready for Advanced yet! I got my bike workout out of the way this week which means, since I can't go to the Step class on Thursday morning, my mom and I will go on Saturday morning. My dad would have taken a much longer walk but it was all we could do before it started to storm again (literally, we just missed it). Went to Grash Foods today to replenish my produce - got apples, black grapes, and raspberries this time. Also got some frozen peas to go with my chicken breast the next time I make it. I've been weighing myself daily, just not recording it unless it's the first, 15th, or last day of the month, and I am not happy with my current trend. Hopefully by the 30th it will drop a little more so I can lose more than a pound this month. On a happier note, I'm closer to becoming a size 8. I might actually BE a size 8 .. this weekend I am going to Goodwill to check.

Day 99

Breakfast

Cascadian Farm Organic Raisin Bran

Banana Nut Muffin Top

Snack

Veggie Chips

Lunch

Cottage cheese topped with grapes

Raspberries

Rye toast with peanut butter

Dinner (400 cals)

Chicken Taquitos

Dessert (84 cals)

(2) Hershey's Miniatures

Day 98: Happy Father's Day, daddy!

Breakfast (390 cals)
Waffles
Cranberry Muffin Top

Snacks @ the Indy race (391 cals)
Black grapes
Twizzlers
Pistachos

Dinner (465 cals)
Chicken Taquitos
Veggie Chips

Dessert (150 cals)
Brownie Bites

Total: 1,396 calories

Comments: A little high because it was a rest day, but not too bad. I managed to not eat very much at the race, which was impressive. I definitely need at least one rest day a week with the workout regimen I gave myself two weeks ago. Yikes. When I got home and had dinner, at 6:30 I had only had 2 cups of water, so I majorly hydrated for the rest of the night.

Day 97

Breakfast (390 cals)

Van's Totally Natural Waffles with Cary's Sugar Free Syrup

VitaMuffin Cranbran Vitatop

Snacks (250 cals)

Luna Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Bar

Smoked string cheese

Lunch (395 cals)

(1/2) Peanut butter sandwich on rye

Black grapes

Raspberries

Veggie chips

Dinner (335 cals)

Turkey and swiss sandwich on rye

Garlic crispy breadsticks

Dessert (160 cals)

Ice cream sandwich

Total: 1,530 calories

Exercise (1 hour, 53 minutes)

4.26 mile run (58 minutes)

3 mile walk (55 minutes)

Week 14: How did I do?

GOALS MET (7/12)

Consume 50g of protein 5x/week

Go to Bally's class once a week

Log 30 fitness minutes per day 6x/week

Ride the stationary bike once a week

Run 2x/week

Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

Swim 2x/week

GOALS NOT MET (3/12)

Drink 8 cups of water/day

Eat 5 servings of fruits/veggies a day

Sleep 8 hours/night

GOALS IN PROGRESS (2/12)

Complete up to Unit 18 for online class (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

Log 1750 fitness minutes in June (Currently: 1,596)

Day 96

Breakfast (410 cals)

Van's Totally Natural Waffles with Cary's Sugar Free Syrup

VitaMuffin Cranberry Bran VitaTop

Lunch (300 cals)

Cottage cheese topped with black grapes

Sensible Portion Veggie Chips

Dinner (574 cals)

Chicken breast with peas topped with Korean Teryaki Stir Fry sauce

Rye bread and butter

Grapes

Desserts (180 cals)

Skinny Cow Fudge Bar

(2) Hershey's Miniatures

Total: 1,483 calories

Exercise (2 hours, 18 minutes)

Swam laps (80 minutes)

3 mile walk (58 minutes)

Comments: I hovered really close to the top of my range in sodium today, but I altered a few things so I would stay under it. I know being on the top of the sodium range isn't good for weight loss, so I made sure to overcompensate with my water intake. While sauces do add sodium, I have discovered that simply tossing chicken breast with a flavorful sauce makes the dish a lot more interesting. You'd think I would've figured that out a long time ago, but I used to just put a little salt and pepper on chicken when I'd cook it, and eat it basically plain with some vegetables. Now that I've discovered I can buy Asian sauces at the grocery store ... I'll never cook chicken another way again! I had a little bit of a hunger battle today, but that happens from time to time.

Day 95

Breakfast (318 cals)

Cascadian Farm Organic Raisin Bran with skim milk

VitaMuffin Cranberry Bran VitaTop

Snacks (125 cals)

Edy's Fruit Bar

Smoked String Cheese

Lunch @ The King & I (523 cals)

Panang Curry w/beef

Thai Iced Tea

Dinner (385 cals)

Van's Totally Natural Waffles with Cary's Sugar Free Syrup

Grapes

Dessert (80 cals)

(2) Hershey's Miniatures

Total: 1,435 calories

Exercise (1 hour)
Step Aerobics Class

Comments: That step class at 9am kicked my butt! I felt like I was the only one completely exhausted, lol. The woman leading it was filling in and was from another gym so maybe the regular person is easier! It definitely woke me up, though, and now I feel like I have tons of energy for the day. I now understand why people wake up early to work out. I'm not going to do it every day, but at least every Thursday for this class. I didn't take the walk with my dad today - bummer - but there is always tomorrow!

Day 94

Breakfast (368 cals)

Health Valley Organic Blueberry Cobbler Multigrain Cereal Bar

Toast with peanut butter

Snacks (310 cals)

Raspberry Cookies

Cheez-Its

Dinner (554 cals)

Chicken tossed with water chestnuts and peas with Kung Pao sauce

Rye bread with butter

(1) Hershey's Miniature Mr. Goodbar

Dessert (100 cals)

Skinny Cow Chocolate Bar

Total: 1,332 calories

Exercise (2 hours, 15 minutes)

Strength training - upper body (20 minutes)

2.8 mile walk (55 minutes)

Stationary bike (60 minutes)

Comments: Over 18 pounds down. So close to 20. Also getting closer to dropping a pants size, but not there yet. I wore an 8 in high school but haven't since. It'd be nice to slip into a pair of those again. I was pretty stoked my grocery store carried Kung Pao sauce - I used that on my chicken breast and it was heaven. Not as good as TGI Friday's did it, but I'll get better, lol.

Day 93

Breakfast (358 cals)
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax cereal with skim milk
Health Valley Organic Blueberry Cobbler Multigrain Cereal Bar

Snack (45 cals)
Edy's Fruit Bar

Lunch (375 cals)
Nectarine
Veggie Chips
Peanut Butter Sandwich

Snacks (250 cals)

Snack Wells Brownie Bites

Skinny Cow Chocolate Bar

Dinner (400 cals)

Taco beef & cheese Taquitos

Dessert (160 cals)

Ice cream sandwich

Total: 1,588 calories

Exercise (92 minutes)
3.1 mile run (37 minutes)
2.8 mile walk (55 minutes)

Comments: I've noticed that I've started to run slower, but I can run longer. Not sure if I'm happy about that. But an accomplishment I did achieve today, despite running kind of slow, is that I ran the entire thing. I would walk up at least 3 of the 4 hills on my route before, but I jogged up them all. Even if I was jogging slow, I wasn't walking, so that's something. I didn't eat the best today, mainly because I didn't add the Brownie Bites right after I ate them, so I shouldn't have had that ice cream sandwich. And what I chose to eat today wasn't super great. I'm running low on produce and my milk goes bad tomorrow, so once I get fresh fruit, eggs, milk, some meat, etc., I'll start feeling better and more nutritionally balanced.

Day 92

Breakfast (358 cals)

Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax cereal with skim milk

Health Valley Organic Blueberry Cobbler Multi-grain cereal bar

Snack (170 cals)

Luna Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Lunch (375 cals)

Grapes

Veggie Chips

Rye toast with peanut butter

Dinner (450 cals)

Chicken Taquitos

Fruit salad

Total: 1,353 calories

Exercise (2 hours, 10 minutes)

Swam laps (75 minutes)

2.8 mile walk with dad (55 minutes)

Comments: I am sick of this losing half a pound a week thing. I'm consistent, but at this rate, it'll be a year before I hover around my goal weight. I am not okay with that. So if the plateau would like to break, I'd really appreciate it. I've given up trying. I decided I'm going to exercise as much as I can, eat right, drink water, and assume EVENTUALLY my body will respond.

Day 91

Breakfast (330 cals)
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax cereal with skim milk
VitaMuffin Banana Nut VitaTop

Lunch (300 cals)

Turkey and cheese sandwich on rye

Grapes

Snacks (280 cals)

Cheez-Its

Health Valley Organic Blueberry Cobbler Multigrain Cereal Bar

Dinner @ Chipotle (440 cals)

(3/4) Barbacoa Burrito Bol with guac, rice, green tomatillo salsa, and black beans

Dessert (100 cals)

Skinny Cow Chocolate Bar

Total: 1,450 calories

Exercise (55 minutes)

2.8 mile walk

Comments: Today is my official 3 month anniversary of healthy living (day 1 was when I was simply tracking my food to see what a typical day had been like). I have 17 pounds lost and a one smaller size in jeans to show for it. Not bad, but I'm anxious to lose 17 more and to drop two more pants sizes (maybe even 3?). I really wanted to swim but it being Sunday, it would've been too rushed by the time I actually could go. I decided my workout regimen will be 1 rest day, 2 swim days, 2 run days, 1 day on the stationary bike, and 1 day at a Bally's class per week. This is not counting my usual walk, which I'll do with my dad every day.

On this day, God wants you to know

that it is time to finally forgive yourself. You've carried the guilt, the shame for long enough. You've kept your wounds open for long enough. The time has come to let go, to heal. Keep the lessons and let the pain heal. Yes, you know what we are talking about.

Yes I do. Easier said than done. But I'm working on it.

Week 13: How did I do?

GOALS MET (4/11)

Consume 50g of protein 5x/week

Log 30 fitness minutes per day 6x/week

Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

Swim once a week

GOALS NOT MET (6/11)

Complete 6 units/week for online class

Drink 8 cups of water/day

Ride stationary bike once a week

Run 2x/week

Sleep 8 hours/night

Work out with Jillian 6x/week

GOALS IN PROGRESS (1/11)

Log 1750 fitness minutes for the month of June (Currently: 896)

Day 90

Breakfast (390 cals)
Van's Totally Natural Waffles with Cary's Sugar Free Syrup
VitaMuffin Banana Nut VitaTop

Nectarine

Snacks (537 cals)
Grapes (x2)
Veggie Chips
Snack Wells Brownie Bites

(1) Hershey's Miniatures
Apricot
Banana

Dinner (383 cals)
Leftover Dragonfire Chicken and Rice
Grapes
Rye bread with butter

Dessert (130 cals)

Raspberry Cookies

Total: 1,447 calories

Exercise (1 hour)
2.8 mile walk with dad

Comments: I've been a little lax on exercise lately, but tomorrow I plan to swim. Monday I plan to run, Tuesday I plan on going to the Step class at Bally's, and Wednesday I plan on going to Bally's to ride the stationary bike.

Day 89: Happy birthday, daddy!

Breakfast (268 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

VitaMuffin Banana Nut VitaTop

Snacks (205 cals)

Grapes

Veggie Chips

Dinner @ TGI Friday's (785 cals)

(3/4) Green Bean Appetizer (130 cals)

(1/2) Dragonfire Chicken (250 cals)

Leinenkugels Summer Shandy (130 cals)

(3/4) Oreo Maddness (275 cals)

Total: 1,258 calories

Exercise (52 minutes)

2.8 mile walk (52 minutes)

Comments: Happy birthday, dad! Gotta say, I did an excellent job calorie-wise today. I'm quite proud of myself, and I had quite a yummy dinner. If I package up half of my chicken and split the appetizer and dessert, I can easily have all of it comfortably. This is what makes my diet not so terrible.

On this day, God wants you to know

that you've been driving yourself too hard lately. Sure, there is time to invest yourself fully into work, but there is equally important time for joyful resting. And for you, this time is now. What is the absolutely most wonderful little treat you can give yourself? Do it today.

I do think this is true when it comes to my exercising, possibly, and could be a reason I'm a a "plateau". I do think I am going to take an honest "rest day" once a week starting next week and see if that helps. You'd think resting wouldn't make someone lose more weight but I'm desperate and will try anything!

Day 88

Breakfast (485 cals)
Van's Totally Natural Waffles with Cary's Sugar Free Syrup and butter
Grapes

Muffin top

Snacks (465 cals)
Blueberry Cereal Bar
Grapes

Veggie Chips

Dinner @ Brewers game (511 cals)

Italian Sausage with mustard

Total: 1,461 calories

Exercise (82 minutes)
3.8 mile walk (72 minutes)
Wii Fit Plus (Soccer Heading) (10 minutes)

Comments: My Nike+ band was way off, so I factory reset it (because it was so off that when I tried to calibrate the 2.23 mile walk it thought I did to the 3.8 mile walk it actually was, it said "out of range") and now the nikeplus.com website isn't working. Grr.

On this day, God wants you to know

that prayer is real only when done with your whole heart. Reserve the sound of your voice for other people. God hears only what's in your heart.

Yes. God knows when my "whole heart" isn't in my prayers. How He responds to my prayers almost solely depends on my sincerity. I've been a little lax in my prayer life lately and I am trying to work on it.

Day 87

Breakfast (457 cals)
Kashi Go Lean Crunch Honey Almond Flax cereal with skim milk

Snack (352 cals)

Peanut butter sandwich

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

Dinner (460 cals)

Van's Totally Natural Waffles with Cary's Sugar Free Syrup and butter

Red grapes

Dessert (250 cals)

Snack Wells Brownie Bites

Skinny Cow Fudge Bar

Total: 1,575 calories

Exercise (65 minutes)
Swam laps

Comments: I cheated. I said I would only weigh myself the 1st, 15th, and last of June, but I weighed myself today. In the last week, even with mixing up my workout, eating right every day, etc., I'm exactly the same weight. Not even a tenth of a pound down. It's been about 5 weeks like this, so I'm POSITIVE I'm doing something wrong now. However, I got this weird urge to swim, so I found my swimcap (which didn't really work) and went to Bally's and just.. did it. It was a lot more tiring than I anticipated (because I haven't swam laps since high school) but it's also relaxing. If only you can listen to calming music while you do it! Going in the whirlpool after you finish = perfection. The swimsuit though I bought two years ago (when I was a lot fatter) and I threw away the bottoms (or else I just can't find them) and bought boys swim trunks as bottoms to hide as much of me as possible. So basically .. not ideal for swimming. So I might have to buy a suit. I wanted to wait until I was a size smaller but if I want to make swimming a part of my weekly routine - which I do - I might have to buy a new suit and some goggles.

Day 86

Breakfast (228 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Grapes

Snack (170 cals)

Luna Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Lunch (168 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Dinner @ Noodles (560 cals)

(Half) Japanese Pan Noodles

Flatbread with butter

Snack (192 cals)

Grapes

(1) Hershey's Miniature

Total: 1,545 calories

Exercise (90 minutes)

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 2 Day 3 (20 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus (20 minutes)

3.9 mile jog on treadmill (50 minutes)

Comments: I was having a not so good day, so I will admit I was crying during the 30 Day Shred. Not because I was having a particularly hard time - the workout is hard, but I push through it - I am just fed up with my online class. I know I have to suck it up and get through it, but it is beyond frustrating. I am definitely feeling soreness in my shoulders and abs, mainly, from Level 2. I don't do it nearly as well as any of the ladies on the DVD (maybe the "beginner" one), but I push myself as hard as I can. I am really hoping in 8 days when I get on that scale that I am down from 148.4. I don't care by how much; it just better be a pound.

On this day, God wants you to know

that every day you are choosing either to be grateful or to be disappointed. You can worry to no end about what you don't have. Or you can marvel at God's breathtaking gifts: the morning dew, the sun, the clouds, the trees, the flowers, the birds. Could you create any of these? These miracles of life are always around you, ready to be celebrated, ready to be welcomed into your life.

What I wrote here ... I don't want to really post publicly. So I deleted it. Let's just say I have a lot to say about this one.

Day 85

Breakfast (226 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Snack (170 cals)

Luna Mint Chocolate Protein Bar

Lunch (360 cals)

Grapes

Sensible Portions Veggie Chips

Kashi Cheese Crackers

Toast with peanut butter

Dinner (650 cals)

Organic Spinach & Cheese Ravioli

Toast with butter

Total: 1,406 calories

Exercise (66 minutes)

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 2 Day 2 (20 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus (16 minutes)

Various housework (30 minutes)

Comments: Day 2 wasn't as bad, but it's still pretty terrible! lol. I enjoy the challenge though. I'm getting up early tomorrow to go to Bally's Step class. I'm kind of nervous and anxious about going by myself, but hopefully it is worth my while! I might actually go to Bally's later that evening to run, too, lol. That'll be a first for me - going to the gym twice in one day.

On this day, God wants you to know

that today is a whole day for you to do good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a whole day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; and in its place will be something that you had left behind... let it be something good.

Oftentimes I forget that every breath I take is a gift from God. He put me on this earth and NOT for my benefit, but for His! To do His work here on earth. In fact, I don't forget it - I have a hard time remembering it. Each day is a clean slate, and not only that, it's a brand new opportunity to do something for Christ (or something good, for those who don't believe in God). I am going to try to honor Him today by doing a lot of homework and some housework.

Day 84

Breakfast (323 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Rye toast with peanut butter

Lunch (330 cals)

Grapes

Nectarine

Veggie Chips

Snack (170 cals)

Luna Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Dinner (476 cals)

Peanut butter sandwich

Chicken Taquitos

Kashi Cheese Crackers

Dessert (126 cals)

(3) Hershey's Miniatures

Total: 1,423 calories

Exercise (78 minutes)

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 2 Day 1 (20 minutes)

2.8 mile walk (53 minutes)

Jumping Oblique Twists (50) (5 minutes)

Comments: Yikes, Level 2 is so hard. I hope I only have to endure a few more days of utter pain before the moves start to get a little easier. I'm glad some of the moves are completely doable, but a lot of them - strength, cardio, and ab moves alike - are very difficult. My dinner WAS going to be more normal, but I discovered my microwave isn't predictable anymore, so I wasted a Kashi frozen dinner I bought. :( Guess I'm going out to buy a new microwave soon!

On this day, God wants you to know

that it's your heart that knows who loves you, not your ears or eyes. Listen to the words, and you can be fooled. Look at the actions, and you can be fooled. Feel deeply into your heart, and then you will know the truth. Who makes your heart soar now? Well, what are you waiting for?

This is an interesting one to come up today, considering how horrible I feel emotionally. Don't have any comments to this one.

Proverbs 24:30-34

I went past the field of the sluggard, past the vineyard of the man who lacks judgment; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest -- and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.

Week 12: How did I do?

GOALS MET (5/9)

Consume 50g of protein 5x/week

Log 30 fitness minutes per day 6x/week

Sleep 8 hours/night

Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

Work out with Jillian 6x/week

GOALS NOT MET (3/9)

Complete 6 units/week for online class

Drink 8 cups of water/day

Run 3x/week

GOALS IN PROGRESS (1/9)

Log 1750 fitness minutes for the month of June (Currently: 401)

I didn't run three times this week, but this is the week where I have about half of my energy level. I did run on Tuesday at the gym and on Friday I did go to the gym and did a bike on random intervals for 45 minutes. I missed the water one day this week. I only completed 4 units for my online class - but next week I'll get 8 done so I'm back on track (yuck).

Day 83

Breakfast (323 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Rye toast with peanut butter

Snacks (450 cals)

Nectarine

Red grapes

Luna Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Veggie Chips

Dinner @ Applebees (655 cals)
(Half) Oriental Chicken Salad (Crispy Chicken)

Dessert (60 cals)

Jello Temptations Dark Chocolate Decadence

Total: 1,488 calories

Exercise (107 minutes)

Crunches and curl-to-press (10 minutes)

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 Day 10 (20 minutes)

Wii Sports (Tennis) (35 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus (42 minutes)

Comments: Finished with Level 1! I can do the entire thing without resting at all. I could do the majority of it the entire time, but I had to sit out a rep on the squat and press and side lunge with lateral raises at least during the second set until about day 7 or 8. I made tons of progress from Day 1 to 10. I'm nervous to try Level 2 tomorrow, but I'm sure my body will react positively and maybe by the 15th when I weigh again the scale will actually have gone a POUND. lol.

On this day, God wants you to know

that how bad things may look right now means nothing, - it's how good they can be with God's help that counts. In life you can absolutely count on one thing, - everything can turn around in one day, in one minute sometimes. Don't you dare to give up, - you might be a moment away from a windfall.

I, along with most people I know, can testify that this is true because it certainly happens in daily life all of the time. I try to always thank God for my blessings because I know that since He gave them to me, He can take them away just as easily.

Day 82

Breakfast (391 cals)
Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk
Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Lunch (339 cals)

Cottage cheese topped with grapes

(2) Apricots

Sensible Portion Veggie Chips

Snack (170 cals)

Luna Mint Chocolate Chip Protein Bar

Dinner (538 cals)

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Apricot

Total: 1,437 calories

Exercise (75 minutes)
Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 Day 9 (20 minutes)

Random incline bike workout (45 minutes)

Crunches and curl-to-press (10 minutes)

Comments: My dinner was kind of huge .. and I ate it in increments .. but I knew I didn't have enough calories for the day especially with working out twice. The dinner was weird too because I wanted to remain under 2300 mg of sodium if possible. And I'm hovering right at 2,228 (seriously).

On this day, God wants you to know

that you will feel better if you notice the sweetness of life. Notice the smiles of children, the songs of the birds, the caress of the sun's warmth. This sweetness is for you. Allow it to soothe your soul and bring a smile to your face.

My soul definitely needs a little soothing right now, for a lot of reasons. My heart is really crying out and I'm not sure quite what to do. I've had this sort of spiritual dilemma before ...

Day 81

Breakfast (391 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Lunch (302 cals)

Grapes

Apricot

Apple

Sensible Portions Veggie Crisps

Dinner @ Noodles (680 cals)

(Small) Indonesian Peanut Saute

Flatbread

Dessert/Snack (120 cals)

Kashi TLC Cherry Dark Chocolate Chewy Granola Bar

Total: 1,493 calories

Exercise (138 minutes)

(100) Crunches (5 minutes)

(20) Curl-To-Press (5 minutes)

Clean & organize hall closet (75 minutes)

2.8 mile walk with dad (53 minutes)

Comments: No Shred today. I had kind of a stressful evening. Tomorrow is a new day.

On this day, God wants you to know

that if you relax, it comes. Don't seek, don't search, don't ask, don't knock, don't demand - relax. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, God shows you the way.

This is definitely something I need to hear right now, particularly when it comes to my weight loss. I am trying so hard and I have hit a confusing plateau that I can't figure out how to get out of. Because I've tried to mix up my exercise and mix up my calories, I'm now almost confused as to what the right balance is. I thought I knew. But I need to pray more. Not just about this, but about everything. I need to strengthen my relationship with God, because I know it's lax right now. I'm very ashamed for that.

Day 80

Breakfast (391 cals)

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Snacks (122 cals)

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

Special K Fruit Crisps

Lunch (270 cals)

Sensible Portions Veggie Chips

Green grapes

String cheese

Dinner (400 cals)
Grilled pork tenderlion
Corn on the cob
Fruit salad

Snack/Dessert (330 cals)
Nature Valley Granola Thins

Veggie Chips

Kashi TLC Cherry Dark Chocolate Chewy Granola Bar

Total: 1,513 calories

Exercise (109 minutes)

Custom exercises (25 minutes)

- Crunches

- Curl-To-Press

- Alternating Row

- Modified Deadlift

- Lateral Squat

2.8 mile walk (53 minutes)
Frisbee (11 minutes)

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 Day 8 (20 minutes)

Comments: The scale finally moved .. 8 tenths of a pound from yesterday to today. Not much, but it got me out of the dreaded 149 point something. My plateau had me stuck at 149.6, 149.4, 149.2 for weeks. At least now I'm 148 point something. I'm not going to weigh myself until the 15th now, though, which hopefully means the scale will be down at least a pound or two rather than merely tenths of a pound. I love those veggie chips - 38 chips is 130 calories. They're pretty small, but 38 chips still takes up almost an entire plate.

On this day, God wants you to know

that decision is only wishful thinking until you take that first irreversible step. You can tell yourself that you have already decided, that nothing now can stop you, but if that step backwards is so much safer than step forwards, what will hold you true to your path when the going gets tough? Sometimes, the right thing to do is to take that first irreversible step, the one after which you cannot go back. And now, for you, is one of those times.

My run today!

Distance: 3.33 miles

Today's time: 39:00

Previous time: --

Mile time: 10:58

Slowest speed: 4.0

Fastest speed: 6.0

It was kind of a blah run though ... I did a lot of intervals because I knew from the start I wasn't going to be able to run 5.5 the entire time to run the 5K in the time I wanted. Oh well. At least I went to the gym. I consider that a victory.

Day 79

Breakfast (391 cals)
Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk
Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Snacks (500 cals)

Kashi TLC Cherry Dark Chocolate Chewy Granola Bar

String Cheese

Small piece of cake

Dinner (425 cals)

Chicken

Fruit salad

Toast and butter

Dessert/Snack (174 cals)

Kemps 1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese

(2) Hershey's Miniatures

Total: 1,490 calories

Exercise (142 minutes)
2.8 mile walk with dad (53 minutes)

3.3 mile run at Bally's (39 minutes)
Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1 Day 7 (20 minutes)

Kitchen cleaning (30 minutes)

Comments: The scale will NOT move. But I decided I am going to weigh myself the first and last day of every month as well as the 15th of every month. No weekly weigh-ins anymore. My plateau is too depressing to see every Saturday. I wanted to run the 5K distance in 34 minutes but due to hormones my run kind of got off to a bad start. But at least I went and gave it my all. I hope when I run on Thursday or Friday I'll do better but due to hormones I'm not counting on it, lol.

On this day, God wants you to know

that when you need some energy and inspiration, step outside. Touch the Earth with your feet, lift your face to the sun, breathe the air, listen to the birds and the wind through the trees. Glory in the creation that surrounds you. (1)

I found the God Wants You To Know app on Facebook, but I feel like I shouldn't post the messages on my wall out of respect to those who aren't Christian. I decided instead to post them here every day. Without being a paid subscriber I can't see previous messages but this way I can archive them here.

Day 78: Happy Memorial Day! God bless our Veterans.

Breakfast

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Snacks

Cheez-Its

Peanuts

String Cheese

Grapes

Dinner

Grilled chicken

Fruit salad

Vegetable medley

Dessert

Piece of marble cake

Total: Unknown*

Exercise (160 minutes)

1.2 mile walk to Memorial Day Parade (20 minutes)

Frisbee and Outdoor Activities (120 minutes)

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred Level 1 Day 6 (20 minutes)

Comments: I couldn't track my snacks, dinner, and dessert. It was Memorial Day. I tried to eat sensibly and drink a lot of water (and some Crystal Light Iced Tea, which is mostly water). I didn't get home until 11. I had been outside the majority of the day, and it was incredibly humid and 90 degrees (which is miserable in Milwaukee). I was exhausted when I got home, but I already had my rest day for Level 1, so I did it. I'm glad I did. Tomorrow is supposed to be just as hot and muggy, plus storms in the afternoon, but I really want to go for a run. I haven't run in a long time, so I'll get it in tomorrow even if it means going to the gym. Even if it means a jog, because my calves are still tight (though getting better).

Day 77

Breakfast (451 cals)

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with Market Pantry Peanut Spread

Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk

Grapes

Snacks (200 cals)

Kashi Cherry Dark Chocolate Chewy Granola Bar

String Cheese

Dinner (571 cals)

Jimmy John's #1 (Pepe) with no mayo

Cheez-its

Dessert (200 cals)

Mini Ice Cream Sandwich

Special K Blueberry Fruit Crisps

Total: 1,422 calories

Exercise (73 minutes)

2.8 mile walk (53 minutes)

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1 Day 5 (20 minutes)

Comments: I wrote a blog about this but my woo-hoo moment of the day was definitely when I did the Shred. My calves were still super sore so I figured when I tried the Shred that I would have to modify a lot of moves like the lunges. I didn't! I didn't push myself to further injure myself, but I also was able to do the entire workout. So that was awesome. Tomorrow will probably be the same thing - walking and the Shred. Can't run until my calves feel better (boo).

Week 11: How did I do?

Starting weight (5/21): 149.6

Current weight (5/28): 149.2

GOALS MET (5/8)

Consume 50g of protein 5x/week

Drink 8 cups of water/day

Log 1500 fitness minutes for the month of May (Currently: 1,981)

Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

Work out with Jillian 3x/week

GOALS NOT MET (3/8)
Log 30 fitness minutes per day 6x/week

Run 3x/week

Sleep 8 hours/night

Still in my plateau. Still in my rut. I tried a few different things this week to no avail. Next week I'm going to try something ELSE new. I'm desperate to get out of this rut. No one can say I'm just sitting back and letting it happen. I'm certainly trying to figure out how to fix it.

Day 76

Breakfast (330 cals)

Kashi Go Lean Cereal with skim milk

Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with butter

Lunch (442 cals)

Kemps 1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese

Grapes

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

Kashi TLC Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Soft Baked Cookie

Snack (120 cals)

Kashi TLC Cherry Dark Chocolate Chewy Granola Bar

Dinner (413 cals)

Thomas Whole Wheat Bagel Thin with peanut butter

Grapes

Special K Blueberry Fruit Crisps

Dessert (45 cals)

Edy's Fruit Bar

Total: 1,350 calories

Comments: Today was a rest day. Emotionally I had a horrendous day for a variety of reasons and my calves were really sore from yesterday. I decided that realistically I do need to give myself a rest day once a week and that does include the Shred, so I'll designate one rest day per "Level" (10 days).

Day 75

Breakfast (330 cals)
Kashi Go Lean cereal with skim milk
Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with Earth Balance Buttery Spread

Snack (75 cals)
Grapes

Lunch @ Galena Brewing Company (400 cals)
Half Cuban Sandwich with half green salad

Snacks (265 cals)
Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
Grapes

Dinner (340 cals)
Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers
Kashi Apple Spice Cereal Bar

Total: 1,310 calories

Exercise (35 minutes)
9 flights of stairs (15 minutes)

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred Level 1 (20 minutes)

Comments: Today was a weird food day. I left at 9am to take the 3 mile drive southwest to Galena, Illinois, home of former President Ulysses S. Grant. We walked through the town, went to the Grant/Civil War Museum and toured his house. I hope my lunch estimate was correct and I'm slightly surprised to find out that half a cup of ice cream is only 200 calories. But hopefully my estimates are close. I wanted a light day due to just doing the Shred and because I went over my calories accidentally yesterday.

My run today!

Distance: 3.71 miles
Today's time: 44:55
Previous time: 46:08

Mile time: 11:51

My pace was slower this time in parts, but yet I ran more. I ran up the death hill at the end which I've never attempted before. I only walked twice - once very briefly around 2 and a quarter miles and then up death hill number one. It felt like a good run, it was faster than before, so I consider it a good run.

Day 74

Brunch (418 cals)

Nature's Path Organic Optimum Cranberry Ginger cereal with skim milk

Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with Earth Balance Buttery Spread w/Olive Oil

Apricot

Snacks (599 cals)

Cottage cheese topped with grapes

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Granny Smith Apple

Hard-boiled egg

(2) Hershey's Miniatures

Luna Lemon Zest Bar

Dinner (615 cals)

(2) Granny Smith Apples

Grapes

Peanut Butter Sandwich

Hard-Boiled Egg

Total: 1,632

Exrecise (119 minutes)

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (20 minutes)

2.8 mile walk (53 minutes)

3.57 mile run (46 minutes)

Comments: DAMNIT. I WENT OVER BY ALMOST 100. ON COMPLETE ACCIDENT. I forgot to log the Luna bar and so I planned my dinner anyway and UGH. THIS SUCKS. I won't beat myself up over it, I hope it doesn't do any damage. This was a heavy workout day, but STILL. Damnit. And tomorrow I'm going to be gone all day (day trip) and I have to try to eat light because of this. That puts a damper on my otherwise good day.

Day 73

Brunch (494 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal with skim milk

Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with butter

Strawberries and grapes

Snack (130 cals)

Kashi Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Soft Baked Cookie

Dinner @ Chipotle (555 cals)

Burrito Bol

- Steak: 190 cals

- Cilantro-Lime Rice: 130 cals

- Cheese: 100 cals

- Green Tomatillo Salsa: 15 cals

- Black Beans: 120 cals

Dessert (140 cals)

Jello Temptations French Silk Pie

Total: 1,319 calories

Exercise (55 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus (20 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

30 Day Shred (20 minutes)

Comments: No walk with dad today - the low pressure made me feel really off today. Plus it was rather cold and rainy. I did do the Shred and some Wii Fit. I wanted it to be a light day, because I was a little sore and worked out pretty hard yesterday. I'm going to do the Shred Level 1 for 10 days straight and see how that goes. When I started the Shred on Easter I was doing it every other day. But I'm going to suck it up and see if I can do it 30 days in a row!

Day 72

Brunch (405 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal with skim milk

Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with Earth Balance Buttery Spread with Olive Oil

Apricot

Snack (45 cals)

Edy's Fruit Bar

Lunch (337 cals)

Cheese quesadilla

Cottage cheese topped with grapes

Snacks (193 cals)

(3) Hershey's Miniatures
Banana

Dinner (400 cals)
Amy's Cheese Tamale Verde

Total: 1,428 calories

Exercise (148 minutes)

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred (Level 1) (20 minutes)

Housework (7 minutes)

3.57 mile run (46 minutes)

2.8 mile walk with dad (52 minutes)

Housework (23 minutes)

Comments: I didn't do housework last night which was an oversight, so I did 30 minutes today to make up for it. I went over my sodium by a TINY bit but I'll make up for it tomorrow by making sure I don't get too close to the top of the range. I'm really craving Noodles' Indonesian Peanut Saute again, but THAT'S high in sodium. Maybe in a couple days. :o) The Tamale was good - one of Amy's products I'll regularly buy. I'm also on the hunt for some spicy low in sodium Asian food. I had to have that third piece of chocolate bc I had a minor kitchen emergency and I was stressed out. At least I had 42 calories of chocolate instead of a 200+ calorie candy bar.

My run today!

Distance: 3.53 miles
Today's time: 46:08
Previous time: ---

Mile time: 11:46
5K time: Unknown

It was a meh run. My muscles were kind of tight from the bike workout I did last night at 8:30 as well as the 30 Day Shred I did only a couple hours earlier, but I wanted to give it my all anyway. Hopefully Thursday's run will be better, but I'm just doing casual runs this week and will start pushing myself more starting next week.

Day 71

Breakfast (338 cals)
Thomas Everything Bagel Thin w/Earth Balance Buttery Spread w/Olive Oil
Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal w/Skim Milk

Snacks (322 cals)
Banana

(2) Apricots
Luna Smores Protein Bar

Lunch (371 cals)
Kemps 1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese topped with red grapes

Strawberries

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Dinner (276 cals)

(2) Scrambled Eggs topped with Sargento Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

Granny Smith Apple

Total: 1,357

Exercise (123 minutes)

Upper body dumbbell exercises (25 minutes)

2.75 walk with dad (53 minutes)
Bike at Bally's (45 minutes)

Comments: I brought a book with me and read on the bike at Bally's. Well, I read for 30 of the 45 minutes. I also had it set on random which was challenging enough for me. I think I'll make that a weekly thing. It'll also help me reach my goal of reading 45 books this year. I'm going to take advantage of summer and only having two classes, and reading a ton of books "for pleasure". It's been awhile since I enjoyed a book.

Day 70

Breakfast (388 cals)
Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal with skim milk
Thomas Everything Bagel Thin with Earth Balance Buttery Spread w/Olive Oil

Snack (369 cals)
Banana

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Kashi Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Soft-Baked cookie

Dinner @ the house (400 cals)

Mexican chicken

Brown rice

Broccoli & Cauliflower

Dessert (140 cals)

Jello Temptations French Silk Pie

Total: 1,297 calories

Exercise (15 minutes)

Housework

Comments: I wanted to vacuum .. but it was storming. So instead, I went through my book collection to find the ones I could truthfully donate/recycle. I have to go through all of my closets to weed out some clutter so I can better organize them.

Day 69: Happy birthday to me

Breakfast (295 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate Cereal

Thomas Everything Bagel Thin

Snack (299 cals)

Banana

Luna Chocolate Dipped Coconut Bar

Lunch (239 cals)

Banana

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Dinner @ Bonefish Grill (~620 cals)

Bread (150 calories)

Chilean Sea Bass (150 calories)

Pan Asian sauce (60 calories)

Steamed Broccoli (60 calories)

Au Gratin Potatoes (200 calories)

Dessert @ Bonefish Grill (~250 cals)

1/3 - 1/2 of the Creme Brulee

Total: 1,600 calories

Exercise (51 minutes)

First 5K race! (36 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Comments: Yeah. I went over my calories. I tried not to go over it by much. But I'm also trying not to care since it was my birthday. The scale has not been my friend lately, but I'm going to run 3x next week, join a Bally's class at least once a week (if I like any of them), and start up the Shred again. So HOPEFULLY my plateau can be broken and the scale can go down again. I won't take out the scale until Saturday, and I pray to GOD it's 148.6 or less. A pound a week should be doable! Ugh.

Week 10: How did I do?

GOALS MET (7/9)
Consume 50g of protein 5x/week
Do 15 minutes of housework/day
Drink 8 cups of water/day
Log 30 fitness minutes per day
Log 1500 fitness minutes for the month of May (Currently: 1,503)

Run 3x/week

Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

GOALS NOT MET (2/9)

Sleep 8 hours/night
Work out with Jillian 3x/week

Cut out the calories goal because I need to eat more calories temporarily to get my body out of a plateau. Cut out the weight loss goal because I'm AT a plateau and I'm sick of not even losing a pound a week. So I'd rather not put that under "goal not met". It's something I have no control over.... so it shouldn't be a goal!

My first 5k!

I didn't sleep the night before, and that was only partially attributed to nerves. It was also really hot in my apartment and I have a hard time sleeping when I'm hot. On top of that, because of the temperature, my cat wasn't laying with me. As lame as this may be, she lays with me every night so when she isn't there, I wake up because I need to feel her there. I got up at 6:15, showered, and had a bagel thin with butter.

8am was the beginning of registration so I got there right at 8. It was cloudy, foggy, and in the 40s. I went to register and got my free tshirt, which I put on for warmth (I wore my new racing tank top) for awhile. I walked around, did brief jogging spurts, ate my banana, drank water, etc. until my parents and brother got there.

Right before race time, this lady from some local gym warmed us up but she was way too intense and annoying. A lot of us were aggravated lol. Then we went to line up... I started near the front because I'd rather be passed than feel like I had to pass up a lot of people haha. In the end I suppose that was a good strategy.

I maintained basically the same pace, give or take 20 seconds/mile, the entire time, which I found impressive. When I'd train outside, I could hardly run 2.14 miles without walking let alone 3.14. But I just had to go for it. I had nothing to lose. My goal from the beginning was to be able to run this entire thing but my runs outside lately had been less than impressive.

Well, I ran the entire thing. :) Despite there being like 2 or 3 hills per way, I ran the entire thing. According to my awesome Nike+ Sportsband, it told me I ran my first mile in 11:15 (which is off by a few seconds because I started the timer before the horn was blown), the second mile in 11:27, and the third mile in 11:07. The hills were between like 1.5 and 2.5 miles. When I rounded the corner and knew the finish line was really close, I gave it all I had and sprinted as fast as I could to the finish line ... my calves felt like lead, lol! My final time was 35:53 (according to my band) and 35:44 (according to the guy at the finish line).

I absolutely loved it. I'm not a very competitive person, but it was just the adrenaline and the energy of all of the racers around me that really kept me going. It was so different running in a big group of people than running outside by myself. I look forward to my second race, which is June 26th to raise money for Epilepsy and Seizure Awareness!

Day 68

Breakfast (343 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal with skim milk

Rye toast with peanut butter

Snacks (190 cals)

Grapes

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Lunch (232 cals)

Amy's Organic Spinach Pizza

Snacks (252 cals)

Hershey's Miniatures

Toast with peanut butter

String cheese

Dinner @ mom's (375 cals)

Spaghetti with ground chicken and vodka sauce

(1/2) Corn on the cob

Salad

Total: 1,398 calories

Exercise (80 minutes)

Walk to and from campus (25 minutes)

Hoops & frisbee with Trev (40 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Comments: Scale went up. Not by much, but this is frustrating. Based on my stats/program, I'm at a plateau, and that scares me. I'm not sure how to deal with it. I need to eat more, but I don't want to eat too much. I need to mix up my exercise, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do. At least the stress of the semester is gone and I only have one thing to stress about. I just wish I could drop 1-2 pounds a week like normal people. All of this hard work only to plateau is not worth it. It's really not. Bleh. Felt full and gross by the time dinner was done. Idk about this 5K tomorrow. I'm gonna give it all I've got but I don't feel ready.

Day 67

Breakfast (198 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal with skim milk

Lunch (470 cals)

Cheese quesadilla

Grapes

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Snack (178 cals)

Piece of rye toast with peanut butter

Dinner (390 cals)

Amy's Organic Spinach Pizza

Granny Smith Apple

Dessert (84 cals)

(2) Hershey's Miniatures

Total: 1,320 calories

Exercise (65 minutes)

2.14 mile run (25 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Dumbbell Exercises (same as yesterday) (25 minutes)

Comments: I calibrated my 4.01 mile run last night (bc it said I went 4.53) and today when I went my known 2.14 mile route it was right on the money. Way to go, Nike+ Sportsband! That was a way bigger lunch than I had intended, oops. I ate it around 2pm and was hungry 90 minutes later. I hate days like that. Amy's Spinach pizza is delicious though. Downfall is that a serving is only a third of the pizza, but I can turn that into a positive: that means I can eat it for 3 different meals. :)

Me at 149 lbs.

The big difference between this and the 10 pound loss picture is the fact that these are size tens. And my mid section might seem a little smaller, too. Still baby steps, despite the fact that I lost the equivalent of an average bowling ball in weight! Still don't feel thinner. I do love putting on those size 10s, though.

My run today!

Distance: 2.14 miles
Today's time: 25:28
Previous time: 23:35

Mile time: 11:28

Ugh. This is the first time I didn't improve. It was really humid out or something (plus I ran 4 miles yesterday). I'm not going to fret over it, bu I really don't feel ready for Saturday. Tomorrow I'm going to take a leisurely 2 mile walk and then I race on Saturday morning. My goal was to be able to run the 5K. If it were on a treadmill, that's a piece of cake. But being outside in that thick midwestern air proves difficult. We'll just have to see. The good news is my Nike+ Sportsband was right on the money in terms of GPS accuracy. So that's awesome. Calibrating it after yesterday's run must have done the trick.

My run today!

Distance: 4.01 miles

Today's Time: 50:26

Previous Time: 73:00 (approx)

Mile Time: 10:28

5K Time: 34:26

The numbers might be slightly off because my Nike+ wasn't completely calibrated. It was really accurate on the trial jaunt yesterday, but on a known 4.01 distance, it said I went 4.53. I mean obviously I know I ran 4 miles in 50 minutes, but still. Don't know if the mile and 5K times are accurate - 34:26 seems pretty fast for me, lol. Tomorrow I'm going for a lighter run - the 2.14 mile route and hope that it's accurate or that I can try to attempt to recalibrate it again. I know it will work eventually and that it's accurate. I look forward to being able to go on runs with it on a random route so I know what the distance is. :)

Day 66: 15 pounds lost!

Breakfast (198 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal with skim milk

Snacks (210 cals)

Granny Smith Apple

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Lunch (289 cals)

Cheese quesadilla

Grapes

Snacks (42 cals)

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

Dinner @ Noodles (470 cals)

Indonesian Peanut Saute

Dessert (100 cals)

Mini Cadbury Creme Egg

Jello Temptations Dark Chocolate Decadence

Total: 1,309 calories

Exercise (90 minutes)
Dumbbell Exercises (25 minutes)

- Dumbbell Side Bends

- Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls

- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press

- Dumbbell Hammer Curls

- Dumbbell Chest Press

4 mile run (50 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Comments: Stepped on the scale this morning and saw exactly 15 pounds lost. Awesome. I'm in the 140's! I can't remember the last time I weighed in the 140s. So I decided to treat myself (staying within my calorie range, of course) to Noodles for dinner because I had a free bowl due to my birthday coming up. I didn't get enough protein today and I was 400mg away from being at the top of my sodium range for the day, but at least I didn't surpass it. I am starting to get nervous for my 5K on Saturday even though I have an American History final to be nervous for first.

Day 65

Breakfast (198 cals)

Total Blueberry Pomegranate cereal with skim milk

Snack (180 cals)

Luna Chocolate Dipped Coconut Protein Bar

Lunch (485 cals)

Grilled turkey and cheese sandwich on rye

Birthday cupcake

Snack (130 cals)

Kashi TLC Cheese Crackers

Dinner (323 cals)

(2) Kiwi

Red Grapes

Toast with peanut butter

Total: 1,316 calories

Exercise (75 minutes)

2.75 mile walk with dad (56 minutes)

.37 mile run (4 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Comments: The final I took today gave me so much stress. So glad THAT class is behind me. The last two I have left to deal with are my history courses. Being a future history teacher, I don't mind so much. I got my birthday presents today because tomorrow morning my dad is leaving to go out of town and won't be back until about the time I start my race on Saturday. Some of my gifts were running related, so they wanted to give them to me now. I got the Nike+ SportsBand, which tracks your runs (super awesome!), running tops and a pair of running pants, a hat from my brother, and an iPod armband. I also got the Apollo 13 Blu Ray, an iPod dock/player, a ALUMA WALLET (lol), a gift certificate for my new favorite grocery store Graush Foods, and a cute little bag from Florida. I also got a birthday cupcake! Yum! Not bad! By the way, since it looks weird, the .37 mile run was an attempt to calibrate my Nike+ Sportsband. Going for a real run tomorrow!

Day 64

Breakfast (238 cals)

Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola with skim milk

Snack (40 cals)

Mini Cadbury Creme Egg

Lunch (355 cals)

Cottage Cheese

Grapes

Rye Bread w/buttery spread

Snacks (180 cals)

Kellogg's Peanut Butter Chocolate Protein Meal Bar

Dinner (389 cals)

(2) scrambled eggs topped with mozzarella cheese

Rye toast w/buttery spread

Kiwi

Dessert (72 cals)

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

(1) Mini Chocolate Egg

Total: 1,334 calories

Exercise (102 minutes)

3.05 mile walk (57 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Wii Fit Free Step (30 minutes)

Comments: The protein bars are okay but I need to find actual foods I can eat in place of those to get my protein in for the day. Eggs and cottage cheese are good but even when I eat those in a day, I need more to get my 50g. I wanted to post this but I have not yet done my 30 minutes of Free Step... I will when I get home after studying. It'll be my nice "reward", lol.

Day 63

Breakfast (332 cals)

Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola with skim milk

Banana

Lunch (390 cals)

Peanut butter on rye sandwich

Granny Smith Apple

Dinner (464 cals)

Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola with skim milk

Kemps 1% Lowfat Cottage Cheese topped with red grapes

Dessert (120 cals)

Jello Temptations Double Chocolate Pie

Total: 1,306 calories

Exercise (110 minutes)

4.99 mile run on treadmill (65 minutes)

Dumbbell Lateral Raises, Alternating Dumbbell Bicep Curls, Dumbbell Chest Presses (15 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus Free Step (30 minutes)

Housework (15 minutes)

Comments: When I joined Spark, I set goals for myself every two months. So for May 15th, my goal was to weigh 148.5 pounds. In reality, I weighed 150 this morning. (Same as yesterday.) That's not terribly off, but I changed my goals a little bit so I can hopefully meet July's based on how many pounds I lost per month these first two. Yes, I had the granola twice today - I go through granola cereal like crazy; I LOVE IT. I added a weekly/daily goal of doing 15 minutes of housework a day. I'm going to set my cell phone alarm and tidy for those 15 minutes. That is a lot less daunting than doing it all at once. I got the idea from a Sparkpeople Challenge on one of the forums.

My run today!

Distance: 4.99 miles (ugh, wish I had hit 5!)
Time: 65 minutes
Walking speed: 4.0
Fastest running speed: 5.5

5K time: 38:20
Previous 5K time: 38:48

Mile time: 11:25

Previous mile time: Didn't record

So it was 45 with wind gusts up to 41mph. As much as I wanted to run outside, per usual, Wisconsin weather still blows. So I went to the gym to use the treadmill. I had set the treadmill for 60 minutes which would automatically go to a cool down for the final 5 minutes. I should've pushed it a couple more seconds to get 5 miles, lol. Busted up my leg in the same place again. Aggravating. I don't get the side cramps anymore, and I COULD go longer ... if it wasn't for that one upper thigh muscle that always seems to get sore!

Week 9: How did I do?

GOALS MET (4/10)

Lose 1-2 pounds/week

Run at least 3x/week

Stay under 2,300mg of sodium 5x/week

Sleep 8 hours/night

GOALS NOT MET (5/10)

Consume between 1250 and 1350 cals/day

Consume at least 50g of protein 5x/week

Drink at least 9 cups of water/day

Log 30 fitness minutes per day

Work out with Jillian at least 3x/week

GOALS IN PROGRESS (1/10)

Log 1,500 fitness minutes for the month of May (Currently:935)

Changed my nutrition goals (minus my water and calorie ones) to 5x a week instead of every day. I'm going to strive to meet them every day, but I'll feel better if I meet my goals once in awhile, lol. :) And yeah, it looks like I did horrible this week. But I DID drop a pants size and the day I didn't log 30 fitness minutes, I logged 26. This is the end of my semester so I'm BUSY. I also added a goal: sleep 8 hours a night.

Day 62

Breakfast (262 cals)

Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola with skim milk

Plum

Snack (87 cals)

Edy's Fruit Bar

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

Lunch (399 cals)

Banana

Cheese quesadilla

Snack (140 cals)

Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Soft-Baked Cookie

Dinner (344 cals)

Beefsteak Soft Rye Toast w/Market Pantry All Natural Peanut Spread

(2) Scrambled Eggs topped w/shredded mozzarella cheese

Snack (110 cals)

KAME Sesame Rice Crackers

Total: 1,332 calories

Exercise (60 minutes)

Wii Fit Free Step (x2)

Comments: 150 pounds! Woohoo! If I'm PATIENT and wait until Saturday to weigh myself again, most likely the next time I weigh myself I'll be in the 140s. Honestly I can't tell you the last time I was in that range. On a different note, I can't believe it's been almost a week since I've done the Shred. I pulled a muscle in my shoulder/arm/upper back yesterday as I tried to use the dumbbells so when I did Free Step today, no dumbbells, so I increased the time to 30 minutes. I like turning the sound off and going at a faster pace than they suggest. I also do punches the entire 30 minutes, and I definitely get slightly flushed by the end.

Day 61

Brunch (220 cals)

(3) Mini Muffins

Pita Chips

Lunch (360 cals)

Kemps Lowfat Cottage Cheese topped with black grapes

Granny Smith Apple

365 Organic Cheese Crackers

Snacks (220 cals)

Kellogg's Protein Meal Bar

(1) Mini Muffin

Dinner (458 cals)

Raspberries

Black Grapes

(2 pieces) Toast with peanut butter

Total: 1,257 calories

Exercise (99 minutes)

2.14 mile run (23 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus Free Step (20 minutes)

2.75 mile walk (56 minutes)

Comments: I tried free step yesterday and decided to not only do it 20 minutes to the TV today, I decided to use my dumbbells and do bicep curls as I stepped. My goal was to do it for the first ten minutes. And I did - but I pulled something in my shoulder, ugh. I never KNOW I'm pushing it too hard until afterwards when I get an injury. I am going to make Free Step a regular thing, maybe do it daily for 30 minutes, and without the dumbbells until my shoulder and upper arm heals. :|

My run today!

Distance: 2.14 miles

Today's Time: 23:35

Previous Time: 25:41

I was able to run the entire route except for the quarter of a mile at the end, because it's kind of uphill and I had run out of gas. I was really psyched I managed to push myself to run the entire route, because two days ago I only ran the first half and then did intervals for the second half. The weather was also better today - 50s, cloudy and humid vs. mid 60s, sunny and humid. I'll run Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and then Saturday is the race (and my birthday). AHH.

Day 60

Blogger was down for over 24 hours. So here is what I did yesterday. I backdated it to publish on Thursday (the right day).

Brunch (428 cals)

Toast with peanut butter

Cascadian Farm Fruit & Nut Granola with skim milk

Snacks (400 cals)

Raspberries

Edy's Fruit Bar

365 Organic Cheese Crackers

Kellogg's Special K Protein Meal Bar

Dinner (420 cals)

Kemps Lowfat Cottage Cheese topped with black grapes

Raspberries

Granny Smith Apple

Total: 1,249 calories

Exercise (78 minutes)

Wii Fit Plus (23 minutes)

2.75 mile walk w/ dad (55 minutes)

Comments: I love those walks with my dad, so much. I'm so proud of him - aside from going on the 2.75 mile walk with me, my dad did that route TWO OTHER TIMES yesterday. :)

I'm a size 10!

Dropped a pants size. This lifts my spirits a little bit (considering the scale is not moving). I want to be 2 or 3 sizes smaller than this, so I'm going to buy secondhand until I reach my first goal size (6)! Bye size 12s. Hello size 10s. Got 2 pairs of jeans (one pair that are kind of tight in the tummy; looking forward to those fitting better) and a pair of capris.

Day 59

Breakfast (193 cals)

365 Organic Maple Spice Oatmeal with skim milk

Snacks (702 cals)

365 Organic Cheese Crackers

Edy's Fruit Bar

Granny Smith Apple

Hard-boiled Egg

Luna Smores Protein Bar

365 Organic Maple Spice Oatmeal with skim milk (again)

Dinner @ Jimmy John's (385 cals)

#6 (Vegetarian) without mayo

Total: 1,280 calories

Exercise (26 minutes)
2.14 mile run (26 minutes)

Comments: I wanted to do the 3.48 mile run I did on Monday but I knew I didn't have the time, so I shortened it and hoped to actually run the entire thing. I didn't, but my time was almost 3 minutes faster than when I did it before. As I was running I felt it was a horrible run. I already blogged about it so I won't again. I can't believe 11 days into May and I'm the same weight I was on May 1st. I have lost and gained the same 6/10 of a pound this entire time and it's really stupid. On the plus side, my size 12s definitely seem loose enough where I might be able to fit into a 10. So tomorrow or Friday my mom and I are going to Goodwill to see if I can find a pair that fits, to hold me over until I fit into a size 8. (Size 6 is my goal size; that's when I buy the new pairs.)

My run today!

Distance: 2.14 miles

Today's Time: 25:41

Previous Time: 28:32

I wanted to run the 3.48 mile version of this route like I did on Monday, but I had to shorten it because I knew I didn't have the time. I needed to get on campus as soon as possible to continue studying for my 2pm exam. I didn't run the entire thing, and I thought I had a horrible run (though my time was better obviously). My legs were immediately tight when I started running and I just felt like a big fat blob who has made no progress. I know stress with school and my bad day yesterday contributed to my negative attitude as I ran, but still. Despite my times being better running is still way too much of a challenge for my liking. I work so hard and make microscopic baby steps. A lot of days it doesn't seem worth it.

Day 58

Breakfast (193 cals)
365 Organic Maple Spice Oatmeal

Snack (140 cals)
Jello Temptations French Silk Pie

Lunch (358 cals)
Peanut Butter Sandwich

Dinner @ Chipotle (515 cals)
Vegetarian Burrito Bol
- Cilantro-Lime Rice (130 cals)
- Black Beans (120 cals)
- Green Tomatillo Salsa (15 cals)
- Guacamole (150 cals)
- Cheese (100 cals)

Dessert (60 cals)

Jello Temptations Dark Chocolate Decadence

Total: 1,265 calories

Exercise
Upper and lower body workout from Sunday (30 minutes)
- Alternating Dumbbell Press Curls
- Dumbbell Chest Press
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- Single Leg Squats With Chair
- Bridges
- Calf Raises With Chair

Comments: Today was a bad day emotionally plus I was stressed. The good thing about a bad day is that I go to bed knowing the following day will be a clean slate. I really wished I could fit more exercise in, but I just couldn't. The last two weeks of my semester are crazy (a week and a half officially now). I'm just proud that I can eat within my calorie range in all of this stress.

Day 57

Breakfast (230 cals)
(2) Scrambled Eggs topped with Organic Valley Shredded Mozzarella cheese

Snacks (87 cals)

Edy's Fruit Bar

(1) Hershey's Miniatures

Lunch (237 cals)

Blueberries

Granny Smith Apple

365 Organic Cheese Crackers

Snack (335 cals)

Peanut butter sandwich

- Market Pantry All Natural Peanut Butter Spread (135 cals)

- 365 Organic Mighty Multigrain Bread (200 cals)

Dinner (310 cals)

Amy's Black Bean Chili

Toast w/Earth Balance Buttery Spread w/Olive Oil

Desserts (sort of) (98 cals)

Lundsberg Honey Nut Rice Cake

(1) Marshmallow Peep

Total: 1,297 calories

Exercise (54 minutes)

3.48 mile run (46 minutes)

0.4 mile Warmup/Cooldown (8 minutes)

Comments: This is my week from hell (school wise), but I wasn't going to let that interfere with my workout schedule. At least when it came to running - the Shred has to wait. I weighed myself this morning after having that huge dinner and I was actually down 0.6 pounds from the morning before (putting me at my weight on Friday). That isn't going to give me an excuse to push the limit at a restaurant very often, but it does make me realize that if I stick with my exercise schedule and go back down to my normal calorie range the next day, things will be fine.