Week 2 - So Far..

I just finished Week 2, Day 2 of C25K.. and I gotta say that this week sucks in comparison to last. I have to resign myself that there will be good days, and bad days. It also doesn't necessarily mean that there won't be bad weeks either. My next run day will be Saturday (What!? No sleeping in!?), and hopefully it will go better than the last 2 days:

Day 1

Workout time - 31 min
Alternating 2 min of walking with 1.5 min of jogging
10:46 min per KM


Day 2

Workout time - 30 min
Alternating 2 min of walking with 1.5 min of jogging 
10.54 min per KM 

On the bright side, this week hasn't been a total failure when it comes to running. I have finally figured out how to use a playlist with my C25K app. Yes, I'm that technically inclined that it took me nearly 2 weeks to figure out. This should make choosing the music a little easier, now that I can make several appropriate playlists to use as I go. Also, let me just say that there's something about hearing "Fight for Your Right" that totally gets me moving. Maybe it's the the "Kick it" at the beginning, maybe not. Whatever it is, I sort of feel like I could just run with that song on repeat for the entire 30 min I'm out there. Just sayin'.


This week is also marking another week that's showing no weight loss. I am losing inches, so I know I'm doing something right. Since I started this whole running thing I've been starving, so I have decided to up my calorie intake - not my much mind you. In doing so, I find I'm not feeling so grouchy and I don't feel hungry all. the. time. Now, that said, my bright idea to eat more is probably contributing (at least right now) to the lack of weight loss, but I'm sure that once my body adjusts to it a little more, it will start coming off again. That's the idea anyhow. I know I need to eat enough to fuel my body, and being hungry all the time is not a good thing.


Now, that said, I've also decided to take a little break from tracking my weight. I'm not saying that I'm going to start eating French Fries (oh, French Fries.. how long we've been parted.. ahem) at every meal, I just don't want to get discouraged when I see the little needle on my scale not moving. I'll still be tracking everything I eat, everyday, and I'll still be exercising. I'll probably measure a little more to see progress that way too. I'll check back in with the scale in a few weeks and see where we're at.

C25K Week 1 is done - Halfway to my First Weight Loss Goal!

It's a big day for me, it seems. I finished Week 1 of C25K, and while I grumble each morning about going out and doing it, I feel absolutely fantastic once I've finished the workout (once I've showered the sweat off of myself, anyway). It's getting easier, and while today felt slower, I think I paced myself a little better.

Anyhow.. workout log shows as such:

Day 2 

Workout time - 30 min
Alternating 1.5 min of walking with 1 min of jogging
10:40 min per KM


Day 3

Workout time - 30 min
Alternating 1.5 min of walking with 1 min of jogging
9.44 min per KM


I absolutely love how I can feel myself improving with this program too. On Monday, when the virtual trainer chimed in to say "Halfway there!", my first thought was "Oh God! Only half? I'm going to die!". Today, it was more like "Really??".


I'm also not checking the countdown, and watching it like hawk, counting down the mere seconds until I can walk again. I'm actually a little surprised when Constance (that's the virtual trainer, I didn't name her) says it's time to walk again. And today, I only had to psych myself up for the last running interval.. as opposed to, well, the last 5. 


At any rate, I'm very much looking forward to what next week will bring with C25K.


Today also marks a bit of a milestone for me. On Wednesday when I weighed myself, my scale was showing that I had gained 4 lbs!! Now, I was thinking that was almost impossible. When I told my Mom about it, she said that she usually bloats a bit in warmer weather, and as she keeps saying that I take after her (I love you, Mom!), I thought maybe that was it. 


This morning, I stepped on the scale, and was down 5 lbs from Wednesday (which is also a little not possible). That puts me to 25 lbs lost in total, and halfway to my first "mini" goal of 50 gone.


I'm also coming to feel less and less like checking the scale. I've got a lot of NSV happening. My improvements in running, the increased amount of energy that I have, I have less anxiety than I used to, and overall, I just feel better.


Don't get me wrong, weight loss is still a major goal for me. But the overall idea was also to get healthy, and fit. I'm feeling more and more like I'm on the right track.


I also have an amazing support group in my life, and I am thankful for each and every one of you.

Holy crap, I actually did it!

Workout time - 30 min
Alternating 1.5 min of walking with 1 min of jogging
10:50 per KM

Ok, not a great time.. but I don't really care about that. The only reason I'm posting it is so that I can see how I improve over time. 

Now, before I get into it, some things I noted:

1.  I really need to invest in a sports bra. One that will hold me in place.
2.  I really need to figure out what to do with my keys. I ended up looping the key ring around my middle finger so I didn't have to actually hold them, or worry about them falling out of my pocket
3. Finding something that will hold my iPhone will also be an asset.
4. Finish loading songs onto a playlist to keep me all motivated and energized through the workout. (Like a perfect 80's training montage, the first song to play, with the iPod on random, as I started to jog this morning was "Eye of the Tiger" - no lie)

I started out strong, thinking "oh, I can totally do this, no problem!". Now, though I kept a positive attitude the whole way, those thoughts slowly turned into "already!?" when it was time to jog, and "oh, thank heaven!" when it was time to walk. 

Still, I did it. I completed the work out, and didn't "cheat" once. I may have looked more like a senior citizen power walking at the mall by the end of it, but I did it. I can do it again. I will do it again. I will do it better when I do it again.

** As a side note, I was going to post to a Rocky training montage for the link, but the original Survivor video was just too cheesy to pass up.

Tomorrow Starts Day 1 of C25K

I've pretty much just cruised through the last week.. and have been a little bit bad too. After having both a night out for sushi and a night out for some tasty Indian food.. well.. let's just say I'm fairly confident I didn't gain anything.. but I also don't think I'll have lost as much as I'd have hoped.

I've also started using my pedometer (either my actual pedometer, or the one built into my phone) more when I go walking. I'm not entirely sure how accurate either one is.. maybe I need a better one.. maybe a heart rate monitor would work better? I don't know.. At the same time, is it bad that I kinda-sorta want a Fitbit? 

In other news, I think I've hit the point in the "nice" weather where I want to start the C25K. I've told the good old BF to make sure I get my lazy rear out of bed nice and early tomorrow so I can get day one done and out of the way. I got some new shoes last week (they're not the greatest shoes, but certainly better than what I had), so I have no more excuses. To be honest, I'm a little nervous about starting it.. but what do I have to lose? I want to push myself. I want to work up a sweat. I want to feel like I've accomplished something. Hopefully this will help me do that.
 

Losing Again!

It's been almost a week since my last weigh in, and with last week's total loss of 0 I was getting a little anxious to see if I'm still on track. I'm very excited and happy to say that as of this morning at about 9 am, I am down 2 more pounds!

I think seeing this is exactly what I needed to get me motivated again.

I've also committed myself to doing the 8 week challenge with a friend. Eight weeks of eating nothing but whole foods and getting at least 30 minutes of some kind of exercise each day. I'm told that the diet is very restrictive, and anything that puts the words "diet" and "very restrictive" together really does scare me a little. I'm also sure that the boyfriend isn't looking forward to practically being forced into this new eating plan as well. The challenge starts April 16, though I should be getting some material before then so I can get used to the diet change a little bit before I'm in it 100%.

Still Trying to Jump Back on the Wagon

About 6 weeks ago, I started all of this. I had a plan. I was dedicating myself to it..

I watched what I was eating. I forced myself up and out of bed each morning to exercise. I was seeing the pounds coming off, happy and extremely proud of my results.

Somewhere along the way, I stumbled. The past few weeks have been a huge struggle for me, not so much with what I'm eating, but with getting up and moving. Getting up in the morning has been my biggest struggle, and by the end of the day I'm usually so tired and miserable that I haven't wanted to walk home from work (it's a pretty good walk too).

Today, for the first time this week, I walked home. The weather outside is gorgeous. I didn't need a heavy coat and it felt great. During that walk home I made a decision: I am back on track. No more of this "getting there" attitude. Starting right now, I am back, and I am going to succeed.

Nothing Gained, Nothing Lost

After two weeks I finally had another weigh in, only to find myself exactly where I last left off. So, while I've not lost any weight, at least I've not gained any either.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly content to remain at the same weight, but I know that this will happen. I know that soon enough it will be coming off again.

I haven't exactly been as "good" as I should have been this past week. My meals have been pretty good, but I've totally slacked on the whole exercise thing. I'm forcing myself to get back into the swing of things again tomorrow by waking up and getting a good workout in. I'm also going to plan out my meals a day ahead again to make sure that I'm still under my calorie goal each day.

I've worked really hard thus far, and I'm going to continue to work hard to get to be a healthier me.