The 5k

Good morning friends!  This weeks McFatty Monday will be a bit different because again I am at the plateau that I can't get off of!  It is ok because it has been a stressful few weeks and I think I need to focus on something else and then the scale will move!  So because I did my first 5k on Saturday we will focus on that!

Saturday morning started off pretty chaotic.  I could not find anything I needed and was a hot mess!  I had to take a few minutes to remind myself I have run plenty of 5k races...just by myself!  I was not in it to win it, just in it to finish. 

Dave and I got to the race and prepped ourselves for the start.  We pinned on our numbers, put on our shoe sensors so they can track us and got lined up.  We showed up a the start about 5 minutes before race time so there was little waiting thank goodness!  I think the next race I do I will show up the same time!  It was a corral start so they line us up by mile times.  Dave and I lined up between the 9 to 10 minute mile group and the 12 and under/stroller group!  I did not want to get run over!

I realized as I lined up that this was awesome people watching. You had a person from every walk of life...old, young, baby, large, small, beginner, advanced, etc.  On that day we all joined together to be runners!

They played the National Anthem and then set off the siren and off we went!  The run was beautiful.  The weather was perfect and the neighborhood we went through was so pretty!  The only problems were the damn hills!  There were a ton on this run! 

I was making good time, at one mile I was at 11:30 and at two miles 22:30.  I thought I was on track to finish the 5k at 34:30 but then came those last few hills.  I tried my hardest but at around 2.5 miles I had to walk it off for a minute.  After 60 seconds I went back to jogging and pushed to the finish.  As I came up to the finish line I could see my David waiting for me!  I told him at the start that if he wanted to he could go ahead because he is faster.  I am happy I said this because he was front and center as I crossed the finish! 

As I came in the official clock said 35:30.  So like I figured a minute later then expected because of having to walk the hills.  But for a first time runner and racer I like to think this was a strong showing!  This was a great first race to show me what I need to improve on and that is my hill work!

I loved this race, everyone was so supportive.  The people that live in the neighborhood stood outside their homes and cheered as you ran by...it was so much fun!  And everyone cheered as you crossed the finish line.  It felt great!  And if you want to see a shot of me crossing the finish and looking good doing it check out the picture by Jennifer Romanowski! 

When I signed up for the race I set three goals.  They were:

1. Finish
2. Jog the entire time
3. Finish in under 40 minutes

Well, two out of three I will take!  Next time I will still have goal 1 and 2, but will change number 3 to come in under 35 minutes.  I will jog the entire time next time!

We already found a race for next time.  On July 9th there is a race near us we are going to do!  So this begins my training again!  Happy McFatty Monday and here's to hoping I see a loss next week!

I am having a McFatty kind of day

I think this morning I woke upon the wrong side of the bed...the fat side.  This will not be the normal McFatty Monday type of post.  I am not going to list my weekly progress or goals.  I just kind of want to crap out this week!

I am in a funk today.  Not about weight loss...about nothing in general.  I woke up on a plateau this morning...the same weight as last week...and I didn't really care.  I said FU to the scale and hopped in the shower.  I went on to have a pretty crappy day.  It was just that kind of a day.

I know all I really need is to go to sleep and have a relaxing evening.  So that is what I plan on doing.  I have a big week coming up so I am only allowing myself one crappy day, which was today.  Tomorrow I am back on track and pushing through this bad day funk!  I have my 5k on Saturday and I want to enjoy it.  So that is what I am going to do.

I hope everyone had a better Monday. 

Baby kisses and hugs

It is amazing how Nathan has the ability to make me want to send him away with the mailman one minute, but then the next minute he makes me want to cry.

This weekend was tough.  Nate put me through the ringer running me ragged.  He tore apart every nook of the first floor, threw tantrums, threw food, and made me want to pull my hair out.  By the time Dave came home from work this evening I told him to take the child away from me because I needed space.

And then he did two things that melted my heart.  The first happened when I lied down on the couch next to Dave when he sat down.  Nate walked up to me, bent over, and gave me a wet kiss on the lips while saying ahhh!  It was probably the sweetest thing I have ever experienced.  I didn't even ask for the kiss...he chose to do it because HE wanted to. 

Then an hour later...after some more throwing of food and tantrums I sat down on the couch to finally do some school work.  Nate walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me and gave me a big hug.

I always need to remember that when days get tough and I want to crawl in a hole and scream, that Nathan is my sweet and innocent baby that will always give me kisses and hugs.  No matter how hard of a day we have as long as he gives me those kisses and hugs my heart will be strong.  And as long as he keeps doing it I promise to not send him off with the mailman.

One Week

One week until race day!  I can't believe it is almost here.  When I started Couch to 5k 12 weeks ago I really wasn't sure if I would actually do a race.  I wanted to, and a few people didn't think I would follow through with it.  I love that I going to prove them wrong!  I am surprised I am not nervous.  I am also surprised that Dave is nervous!  The reason why I am surprised is because Dave runs.  He never had a problem with it.  Now he has in his mind that I am going to go too fast for him!  I find this to be really funny.  He has never seen me run so I don't think he realizes how pathetic I am and how fine he will be!

The plan this week is to run twice and cross train twice leaving Friday as a rest day.  I feel like I am ready though.  I am super excited and just want to do it.  The only thing I am really worried about is the crowd.  Hopefully I don't fall!  My plan is to start 3/4 of the way back and let the rush go so I can move at a good pace for me.

My goals for this race are:

1. Finish
2. Jog the entire 3.1 miles
3. Come in under 40 minutes

The last one I am pretty sure I can do even if I walk a bit.  On my Friday run I had to walk 2 of the 5 km because my allergies were so bad it messed with my breathing and I still came in right at 40 minutes.  So I am fairly certain number 1 and 3 are in the bag, but I don't want to get ahead of myself because who knows what the pollen will do to me that day!

On a side note I started using the new OTC Allegra 24 hours and I have to say within 20 minutes of taking it I felt awesome!  When I woke up this morning I felt like crap from allergies, but after taking the medicine it was a major difference!

So on that note it is time to relax and prepare myself!  I can't wait to update everyone on what happens!  I will be sure to get some pictures for you all to see!

I think I need a big hat and some tea

Unfortunately I don't have either.  But I need them because I have Royal wedding fever!  Am I the only one?  I read somewhere recently that the majority of the US population does not care about the royal wedding.  I find that hard to believe because TLC has been running royal wedding shows for weeks now!

But to be honest...I don't care what everyone else thinks because I love it!  I have my DVR pre-set to 5 am on Friday to catch every bit of it.  I asked the ladies at work if they wanted to wear hats that day to get into the spirit...they laughed.  I don't know if it was with me or at me...

I have decided I can't get enough and will be sad when it is over.  I guess I will just have to relive it by watching the wedding over and over, and watching the William & Kate movie on Lifetime that I have saved on my DVR!

I can't help this obsession I have.  I can remember being 15 with my best friend cutting pictures of William out of teeny bopper magazines because of how cute he was.  I still think he is super adorable and so is Kate.  I can't wait to see them get married! 

Bring it on royal wedding week!

Whatever happens is ok!

Wow...this has been a busy week.  I wanted to post more but just did not have enough time!  I hope to be on a bit more soon but with the holiday this week and daycare being closed a couple days I was working an odd schedule giving me little time do do even my schoolwork!  Hopefully things will calm down now and I can do some posting about stuff besides my weight loss!  But because today is McFatty Monday, and I made a promise to myself to keep posting until I reach my goal, you can be sure I will keep up with this!

Just as it was hard this week to keep up with everything else in my life, it was just as hard to keep up with my plan.  I made sure to run every other day to keep up with my 5k training, and I did well for most meals, but some days I just did what I wanted.  This is what happened yesterday!

At one point this week I was down to 174.8 and I was so excited, but knew it would not last to today.  And I was right!  I am ok with it because I had a great Easter meal that was totally worth it!  We went to an Easter barbecue that had steamed crabs, burgers, hot dogs, and all the good sides.  Like I said I was mostly good all week, and I ran 3.34 miles yesterday morning so I felt ok about it!  But because of it I had to accept a way lower weight loss number this week.  It is ok because I will come back strong next week!

Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 176.0 lbs
This week: 175.4 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -0.6 lbs
Total loss: 25.2 lbs

I will take 0.6!  I think we all have to realize that not every week is going to be a big one and that is ok!  I think I am starting to see an ok theme today!

On a side but completely related note I am only 12 days away from my first 5k!  I have been training hard and I am feeling really great.  I have increased my speed and distance since completing the Couch to 5k so I really think I am going to do well!  Yesterday I did my own 5k around my town and managed to finish in 34 1/2 minutes!  My goal for the race was under 40 minutes and to run the whole time and I am fairly certain that will happen.  I have about 5 more runs to get in before the race so I can get my endurance up.  I am so excited to race and plan on signing up for many more after this one!

If you are looking for a plan to help you jump start your exercise I feel that the c25k is the plan.  I was not a runner at all, but after I started week 1 day 1 I needed to keep going.  Now I love to run (maybe not the last 1 km) and get angry if I can't find time to do it.  I am seriously considering picking up one of those jogging strollers so I can get out on the weekends with Nate.  I think he would love it!

I hope everyone is doing well on their journeys!  I love to read them each week!  Have a great McFatty Monday!

McFatty Monday-Three months down!

Another week another McFatty Monday.  This weekend was a great one with activities and eating and I enjoyed every minute of it.  And in the end when I weighed myself this morning I somehow managed to come in with a loss!

I did this weekend the only way I knew how, I ate out with my family, went to Pork in the Park, but I also stayed active by walking 5 miles on Sunday, and by walking a lot the rest of the weekend. 

The proof is in the numbers!
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 177.6 lbs
This week: 176.0 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -1.6 lbs
Total loss: 24.8 lbs!!

I am feeling really great.  This time last year I tried  to avoid the pictures at all costs.  I compare last year's March for Babies to this year and it is an amazing change that I needed to make!  Take a look!

I can't wait to see what I will look like next year!  Oh and I totally have to shout out to my husband who has also lost an amazing 24 lbs!  He looks great!  Happy McFatty Monday!

March for Babies 2011

Today was the March for Babies walk and it was a great success for Team Super Nate!  While we did not raise as much as we did last year, we were still able to bring in $700!  I think this is very good for our 6 person team!  It was a beautiful day outside with bright skies and a great breeze.  It felt great walking 5 miles!

The only problem was my poor Nate came home with a sunburn on his face!  Mommy fail.  Or should I say mommy/daddy/mom mom/aunt/uncle fail because we all forgot about sunblock.  We are asses.  The good thing is Nate is fine and doesn't even notice it...we just feel terrible because it is so noticeable!  Oh well...it happens and we learn from it!

Here are some pictures from the beautiful event with an amazing turn out!

Nate getting ready for the walk

 All ready in our team shirts!

 Mom Mom and Nate Nate

 

Nate starting off his march

 Playing with his aunt Abbey

 Hanging at the picnic table with daddy

 Team Super Nate...minus me

 Crossing the finish line!

 Our happy little family!

Moving forward

I have finally moved forward from the dreaded plateau!  I am not sure what was up the past few weeks but that scale did not want to budge.  Finally this week it moved.  And it moved hard!  I finally hit the 170's!  I have been waiting for this moment since I started my journey.

About 6 years ago I started doing the Weight Watchers points plan with my mom.  I didn't do the meetings or online, just followed her books to know how many points I was allotted and she helped me by cooking and in about a month and a half I got down to my lowest adult weight of 160 lbs.  That was the last time I was truly successful at losing weight.  It didn't last because I stopped exercising, moved here, and stopped caring.

When I started that weight loss I was 177 lbs.  I told myself when I got to 177 lbs from the 200.8 lbs starting point that I had no doubt I could get down to my goal weight of 160.  And today I am at the 177 lbs!  Ok...177.6 but still the same!  I am beyond excited to have lost 23.2 lbs.  I can't believe I have had enough control to make it this far.

So enough of the mushy stuff!
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 180.8 lbs
This week: 177.6 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -3.2 lbs!
Total loss: 23.2 lbs!!

Goals for this week:

1. Finish Couch to 5k today!
2. Begin Gateway to 8k this week.
3. Keep loading up on water.
4. Try to not gain at all.

Weight Loss Goals:

1. Lose 10 lbs - Spa Pedicure (goal accomplished 2/14/11)
2. Lose 20 lbs - Massage (goal accomplished 4/4/11) (I need to schedule this!)
3. Lose 30 lbs - New dress and bathing suit for Florida in June
4. Lose 46 lbs (new goal is 154) - New Coach purse and matching wallet!

I decided starting next week I will weigh in on Sunday mornings.  I will still post McFatty Monday, but it will be Sunday's numbers.  The reason behind this is that over the next couple months when Dave has a Sunday afternoon game we will go to dinner after as a family, so I would like to not have to worry about the Monday morning weigh in!

You also may ask why one of my goals is to not gain.  That is because next Saturday we are going with family to the Pork in the Park festival.  It is a huge bbq festival in the area and I plan on enjoying a little bit of eating!  It is ok because the March for Babies is the next day and I will participate in the 5 mile walk which I am sure will work off any crap I eat!  But like I said, I plan on enjoying it.  I will not eat myself into a coma, but I will partake in some pulled pork bbq!

Well, I hope everyone has a great Monday!  Oh and if you would like to see a proof picture of my 23.2 lb loss, take a look at the post below of me and also one of my handsome husband 23 lbs lighter as well!

Baseball Season

This time of year Nathan and I lose daddy to the baseball season.  As I may have mentioned before, Dave is the head groundskeeper for a minor league baseball team, so we rarely see him 5 months of the year, unless we make the trip to the game, and let me tell you, with a toddler that will not happen very often!

But today we made the trip to the stadium to cheer on the home team!  Who won you ask?  I have no idea because I spent more time chasing after said toddler instead of watching the game. I will have to ask my husband when he gets home!

But here are two pictures of the occasion!  As you can see in both  pictures Nate has no interest in his parents...

Also what you can see in these pictures are both mommy and daddy each 22 lbs lighter!  Yay team!

What is wrong with the youth today?

Yesterday I had a pleasant conversation with a mother over the phone about her son getting a late fee on his rent.  I gave every answer I could to this mother and she would not accept that her BABY who is the smartest child in the world would be in the wrong with this situation. 

Well lady...I hate to break it to you but according to the MD state landlord/tenant law book you and you baby are completely wrong in this situation...even though you claim you are a landlord and what we are doing is illegal.  Well let me tell you lady...apparently everyone I talk to on a daily basis is a landlord and you are all the experts...not me and my rulebook I follow!  Can you tell I am not a customer is always right type of person?

By then end of the conversation I told her we will agree to disagree and we will giver her son the answer when a decision is made, not you because you are not the co-signor...and remember you are a landlord so you should understand the laws!

So to bring this post back to my original thought...my problem isn't necessarily with the mom...who does need to cut the cord...but with the son.  If you are old enough to go to college, and to live in an apartment without mommy and daddy, then you are old enough to fight your own battles.  I really hope this kids is not an education major, because if he is I would like his information because I will not let my son be taught by a BABY that cannot fight his own battles!  My baby will learn to fight his own and accept the consequences of his actions.

Ok...vent over!  Have a great Wednesday!

Plateau

For the first time in my weight loss journey I have hit the dreaded plateau.  The week that I hit said plateau I usually quit.  I trick myself by saying I am comfortable at this weight, my body doesn't want me to go lower so I will stop now.  It is a mean trick.  Even though I have told myself this in the past I need to make sure I don't today.

Although I think I look good right now, I am still not comfortable at this weight.  20 lbs lost is amazing, hell...if you count baby weight I have lost 34 lbs in the past 1 1/2 years!  While it is an amazing accomplishment, I am still not comfortable.  I want to see the 170's again, and not just the high numbers, I want to see 170 itself!  And then I want to see 160.

I was comfortable at 160.  Maybe a little too comfortable because I then stopped the plan and put on the weight.  I will say after I reached 160 the last time I then picked up and moved 3 hours from home and had to cook for myself again, and was working crazy hours, so that didn't help.

To my benefit, this time I did it.  I have done it with normal food that I make, I have added the work out plan each week, and now I am in a set schedule.  I just need to figure out what that next change will be to go the next 20 lbs.  I am going to try to adjust my meals a little bit more, I am trying to have one less lunch snack and work a little bit harder while training.  We will see where that takes me.

This week is my final week of Couch to 5k...yay me!  I am so excited to reach then end of something!  I feel like it will be the first time I followed through with something...I never follow through.  After the program ends next Monday I will keep up doing week 9 for the next three weeks preparing for my 5k...then I need a new plan to start!  I will keep running, because I feel like that has done the most for me...I just need to figure out if I want to work on speed or distance or both!

I just need to get off this plateau!  So this week I will work hard and hopefully see a change!

Stats from pas two weeks:

Last weeks numbers:
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Two weeks ago: 183 lbs (for the 2nd week in a row)
Total loss: 17.8 lbs

This weeks numbers:
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 183 lbs
This week: 180.8 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -2.2 lbs (but not really because I was re-losing what I was at Thursday a week and a half ago!)
Total loss: 20 lbs

So now I am done re-losing what I have for the past week and a half.  It is time to move forward.

Goals for this week:

1. Finish Couch to 5k by next Monday afternoon.
2. Majorly increase water intake.
3. Research and choose new running plan.
4. See the 170's by next week!

Well...that is it!  I hope everyone is doing better than I did last week!  Here is to the future weight losses!

I am still here!

Yes I know I have been absent all week!  I am sorry, I am crazy busy with all that has been going on!  Between starting the new/old job, taking care of the boy, niece's 2nd birthday party, ending one class/starting new class, Couch to 5k training...something had to suffer.  And this week it was the blog to suffer! 

But today I wanted to check in, tell you I am still here...still trying to lose what I gained last weekend.  As of this morning I was 0.2 away from being back...then we went to Red Lobster today...so hopefully I didn't eff up too much.  Tomorrow I will be good and I have a run scheduled so it should be ok (week 8 day 3!)...but I am pretty certain I will not make it to the 170's by Monday!  I will try...so we will see!

In other news...Dave came downstairs this morning,with no shirt on, big smile and said "guess what!  I have lost 21.8 lbs so I am winning!" 

ASS...

McFatty Monday came quickly!

Hello Friends!  I am not going to post my loss today because my weekend sucked!  Actually my weekend was great, it was my eating that sucked!  I am ok with it, I have been so strict over the past two months that I enjoyed the party.  As many of you read last week I got to the 20 lbs lost goal.  Well, not anymore!  I can tell you I am not higher than last Monday, but I pretty much eliminated the hard work I did!

I know by Wednesday I will be back to 20 lost so I am not to worried.  I am now looking to the future.  The next 20 lbs!  It seems like it is very achievable now!  I never thought it could happen!  But it will because I will keep training for my 5k and eat well.  I feel great, I am getting into clothes I haven't been able to in years, and people are noticing my loss!  So I will keep going.

I have two goals for this week.  The first is to lose what I gained over the weekend!  The second goal, which will be the tough one, is to see my weight in the 170's by next Monday.  It has been a long time since I saw that number...about 4 years!  So that is what I am pushing for.  Luckily there will be no travel this week so I don't have to worry about that throwing me off.  So lets get this started!

Have a great Monday everyone! 

20 lbs!

I wanted to post this now because who knows if I will still be this low on Monday after a weekend of parties and travel!  As of yesterday morning I weighed in at 180.8 lbs!  That is 20 lbs lost!  Half way to the 40 lbs goal and I can taste it.  I won't jump the gun and schedule my massage until I weigh in on Monday because that is my official day and I am playing by my rules!  But I needed to share with everyone how excited I am!

3 days in...

And I am already overworked.  I realize why they fought so hard to get me back...I need to fix everyone's mistakes from the past few months!  I decided I am going to fix everything, document it, and use it as a platform for a promotion and raise in a few months.  Oh...and they had me training a new manager today.  I had my welcome meeting with this guy so why am I training him?!  That is what I get for coming back!

I would type more, but I am so tired that it will come out all nonsensical.  Now I need to take care of my child and do school work...I can't wait until I finish school in October so I have one less thing to worry about!  Too much in my brain right now.

McFatty Monday

This week's post is going to be a short one.  I start my new job today and I have to go in a half hour earlier so I have less time this morning!  This week was good until Friday when we had Chinese food!  I got the shrimp and vegetable meal and drizzled a bit of garlic sauce on it so it wasn't too bad, but it still wasn't good!  On Saturday I had a bad eating day.  All I wanted to do was eat!  And I did!

Sunday I recovered, and I worked out four days this week, so that helped.  As of Friday morning I was 182.6 and was so excited.  But then the weekend came and I effed that up, but I still managed a loss!

Here are this week's stats:
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 184.6 lbs
This week: 183 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -1.6 lbs
Total loss: 17.8 lbs

Actually I managed a really good loss, but obviously I am capable of more so next week I will aim for it!  My one and only goal for next week is to get to my 20 lb weight loss goal.  So that would be 2.2 lbs.  It is high aiming, but it would be awesome and I know I can do it if I really work hard.

One final note, tomorrow I will be on week 6 day 3 of Couch to 5k!  From this point on out it is all running, no more interval training!  I am so happy I made it to this point, it truly transformed my body and I can't recommend this program enough!


Happy McFatty Monday everyone!

A fresh start

I am ready for this.  These past two weeks have been hell ending my last job.  I am happy to say I never have to go back to that place.  Some of the residents were so terrible it made me look at society in a whole new way.  At the end certain people were so horrible to me I couldn't run out of there any quicker.  I think it would have been better had there been another person working in the office with me, but that was not able to happen. 

I am very excited to go back to the old job.  It is a fresh start, in a new position, with a staff to work with!  I will go into it with a new attitude that I did not have two years ago because I am a different person.  I have a house and family now, so I have different worries.  I am school, losing weight, and training for my 5k and beyond!  So this time I can separate myself from the craziness!  I can handle this craziness, unlike the other place!

I am ready to move on...and tomorrow it begins!

My child is a bully

I realized this today when dropping him off at daycare.  He is now the oldest one in his baby/toddler room and is the next to be pushed up when space is needed.  I almost wish that they would just push him up with the older kids.  I say this because him being in the semi-baby room has turned him into a bully! 

Today I dropped him off and sat in the room watching him play for about 15 minutes before I went to work.  In that time he pushed over one boy 3 times, and another smaller boy one time.  Each time with a big smile on his face.  Now I know he is doing this because he doesn't know any better, but I feel that if he was with the older kids he would meet his match!  He is now so much bigger then the other kids that he looks like a 12 year old pushing around some 7 year olds!

I think it is about time I start pushing to get him up with the other toddlers.  I know they were hanging on to him because of his walking skills (or lack there of), but now he is motoring around walking more than crawling, so it is time to push the move!  These poor babies can't defend themselves against godzilla when he is coming over to them!  They are just learning to stand and my kid comes to push them down!  All the moms are going to hate me...

Wow...I did it!

I did something today that I don't think I have ever done in my entire life...I jogged 20 minutes straight!  Today was the dreaded week 5 day 3 of the Couch to 5K, and it had me stressed out since I finished day 2 on Sunday!  Thinking all the way back to childhood I can honestly say that I have never jogged that long, I always stopped and walked for a bit, but not today!  Today I sucked it up and pushed through.  The people at the gym probably think I am crazy because I talked my way through it..."you can do it you can do it you can do it."  I did that for the last 13 minutes of the jog!

This run came on the perfect day, I was just verbally harassed in the parking lot at work...so I had major frustrations to work out.  I will not even go into what was said...but it was enough to make the average person want to quit their job, so I am glad that I already did!  I needed this run.  As I jogged I told myself at first it was ok if I didn't make it through.  As I got further I said eff that...I am going to go all the way and tell those ignorant people from earlier to SUCK IT!  I just did something today that you will never do in your life because you are miserable and want everyone around you to be miserable.  But not me...and not today!  Today is my day!  Today I transition to the new and better me!

Next week I will be ending with a 25 minute run and then the final 3 weeks will be 25 to 30 minutes...I feel like I can do this!  While 20 minutes was tough...10 minutes is nothing.  So I will look at it as 20 tough minutes and 10 easy minutes!  It may not make sense to anyone else...but I am going with it!

My husband took some pictures this morning for my progress report...I will post them tonight in order from fat to now!  I can see a major difference!

McFatty Monday-Two months this week

This week marks two months down for McFatty Mondays.  I am loving the progress so far and you all are keeping me motivated!  Two months ago I felt my worst...I just wanted to crawl in a hole and not show my face.  I was embarrassed to see family and friends because I know they would see how big I had gotten.

I needed to make the change, I needed to save myself from getting any bigger.  I wanted the next time I got pregnant to be a lot smaller so I didn't look and feel very bloated.

When I started I wasn't really thinking a ton about fitness, I knew I would exercise, but never thought I would train for a 5k.  But here I am two months later, about to run 20 minutes straight tomorrow!  I looked back to when I first started running, it turns out I have lost 5.6 lbs since beginning C25K.  I completely recommend it to everyone!  Your body completely transforms!

Yesterday I went out shopping to get a few new things.  It turns out I am down 2 pants sizes!  I was a 14 when I started and now I am down to a 10!  Or at least a 10 in the brand that I got!  And I bought a large shirt...not an XL!  This is huge for someone with a larger upper body.

This is working, and I hope it is working for all of you too!  I am so thankful I made the decision to make this journey public...it keeps me honest and it keeps me going.  Like I said last week...this is a life change!

Here are this week's stats:
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 185.6 lbs
This week: 184.6 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -1 lbs
Total loss: 16.2 lbs!

16.2 lbs in two months is great!  I am officially 1 lb away from my wedding weight 2 1/2 years ago!  This also means I lost about 6 lbs this month, which I will take...at this point I should make my 40 lb goal by July!  That is one month earlier than I planned!  I know it may not happen, but I think it can.  I know I can even do better than I did this past month, especially with my eating!  So we will see what happens!

I am not going to post goals for this week...just to survive it!  It is my last 4 days of work, plus I have a lot of school work...so I just want to survive it!  I hope everyone had a great weigh in today!

Ouch continued

Man I am in pain!  But a good pain.  A pain I can own!  I woke up this morning to my body being tight everywhere.  I could feel every muscle in my body, and they were all yelling at me!  I was very worried about what the day would bring.  Today was week 5 day 2 of Couch to 5k so I was very worried I would not be able to complete the 8 minute runs.  I really wanted to complete them so I can keep moving on, I have not had to repeat a day yet and I didn't want to start while I was still in the interval training!

From the moment I got up I started stretching and drinking water.  At 9:00 am I went out to do my run.  I was nervous but determined.  I am excited to say that 35 minutes later I accomplished two 8 minute runs!  Of course the rest of the day I could barely move...even with stretching! 

So tomorrow I think I will take a rest day.  I worked out 5 days this week so I think I can afford one rest day!  Especially because Tuesday will be my 20 minute run!  This will be the first time in my life that I run 20 minutes straight!  I guess it was the first time I did 8 minutes also...so I believe I can do it!

Ooouuccchhh....

I just did 30-Day Shred for the first time a few minutes ago and all I can say is...F U Jillian Michaels!  I say that in the most loving way possible!  She kicked my ass...I am a little worried about my scheduled run tomorrow now! 

I realized in the 25 minutes of exercise with Jillian that my arms suck ass.  They are beyond weak!  I need to make sure that on days that I am not running that I focus on working out my arms with some strength training!  I am going to try to do the 30-Day Shred every few days when I don't go to the gym...probably on the weekends because Dave's work schedule does not allow me to get out very much!

So if you want your ass kicked...give it a try...it hurts!

Yay for my first award!

I want to thank Nikki for giving me my very first blog award!  I am flattered that people are still interested enough in reading what I have to say!  It is called "The Cherry on Top" award! 

To accept this award I have to do a few things though...so here we go!


List 3 Things You Love About Yourself.

1. I am a very hard and dedicated worker.  Whether it is at my job, at school, at home with my family, my workouts, my weight loss, etc.  When I have my mind really set on something I have to do it and do it well.  On the flip side though...if I lose interest then it stops right then!  But when I get going, I tend to work hard and overachieve.  
2. I am the one most people can count on when life or things get tough.  This may connect to the hard worker, but I am going to make t separate.  You can always count on me if there is a problem, I can come up with a solution, or a temporary fix, or a way to make you feel better.  I like to be a calming force to problems to make someone level headed and really think.
3. I love my obsession with 1990's boy bands.  I feel that when I share this with people it helps them understand that I am not as much of a hard ass as they think I am.  Because I have a fun side too!  Also, I love that it is the one thing that has not changed in my life over the years.  Heck...I am even going to see New Kids and Backstreet Boys in concert in June...and I talked every woman in my family to go too!  All 12 of us!

Post A Picture I Love

This picture is from the other day.  I let Nathan walk out of daycare not holding my hand...and I put his schoolbag on and he looked like a little boy catching the school bus...so cute!  I love the huge smile because he is so proud!  And don't worry...I was blocking him from the parking lot!

Pass on to 5 other blogs that you just adore!

Twins Plus One, Three Times the Fun

The (not so) Skinny Newlywed! 

Type B Mom Stays at Home 

Bonkers in Barnhart 

Doyle's Days 


 

One more week...

Less than one week to go in my current job!  It has been crazy busy and I have not been able to get much accomplished, but I still have a bit of time to get organized.  I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to getting out of that place.  Those residents have been doing things left and right to make me feel less and less worried about my decision!  From two fights, to one flood, to testifying in court, to another summons to court in May...I am ready to run away from that place!

I am excited because my last day won't even be a work day...we are going for a long lunch that day, and it is St. Patrick's Day so I am drinking a beer!  I took next Friday off as a day of me time between jobs!  So I scheduled my 10 lb loss spa pedicure for that morning and I plan to enjoy every minute of that hour!  I was hoping to wait to use it a lump in my 20 lb massage with the 10 lb pedicure, but I thought what the heck...I will spread the love out!

So now I just need to survive the next week and I will be out!

Happy weekend everyone!

A life change

I feel like this weight loss journey is a life change for me.  I am not doing this because I want to look good in a bathing suit or shorts this summer, I am doing it because I want to change my life and my child's future.  I want to feel healthy and good about myself in that I am able to accomplish something great.  I want to show my son that if he wants to accomplish something big, he can do it if he really commits.  I also want him to learn how to make healthy choices and to be active from a young age.

This journey is going to be the hardest, but best thing I do for myself.  I will not let myself quit this time, like I have in the past.  I can see and feel the changes in not only my body, but also my spirit.  I feel empowered in what I am doing.  My attitude is different.

An example, as you may have read last week I negotiated a new job with an old employer that let me go two years ago.  Not only did they come back to me after two years out of the blue and just offered me a job, they wanted me so bad that I was able to negotiate a higher position and approximately $11,500 a year more than I am currently making.  Kristina two months ago would not have done that.  She would not have thought she was worth the pushing I did.  She would have taken the first offer, which was $6000 less than the end offer, in the same position she is already doing, and be miserable.

Not anymore...I am worth more than that.  Like I said, I am making a life change.

Last week I signed up for my first 5k.  In previous weight loss tries, Kristina would begin strong, lose around 8 lbs, then quit.  She would begin exercising, then stop because she got sick, and not start again. Not anymore.  I started Couch to 5k, and I am going to finish.  I will run my first 5k in May, and I am so excited for it!  I have no plans to stop after that, I will move on to a 10k, and maybe some day...a half marathon?

I love to run...I could never say that before.  I love putting on my sneakers, and going 3.1 miles in a day.  I love the way my spirit feels, and I love the fist pump in the air that I give when I finish strong and beat my previous 5k time...I am down to 41 minutes!  I love the fact that on Saturday,  for the first time in my life I was able to run 5 minutes straight, three separate times!  Kristina two months ago would have quit at 1 minute.  Not anymore!

So now we get to the stuff you came to see...the numbers!  I am happy to say I did not go crazy at Morton's Steakhouse!  I kept to my plan last week, worked out before, and took my time there...no overeating.  Kristina two months ago would not have done that!  So I did not gain!

Here are the stats!
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 187.6 lbs
This week: 185.6 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -2 lbs
Total loss: 15.2 lbs!

I think my jaw just about hit the floor this morning!  Only 4.8 lbs until my 2nd goal of 20 lbs!  I have never lost 20 lbs before!  I lost 18 lbs before...but that is it!  I will make it to the 20 lbs and then I will be at my overall halfway point!

Goals for this week:

1. Keep up water intake...keep on drinking!!
2. Finish week 4 of C25k and do week 5 day 1 by Saturday
3. Exercise Train 4 to 5 days this week
4. Don't eat out more than one time this week
5. Lose at least 1 lb
6. Don't stress too much about the transition from old job to new job!

I am feeling great and I hope all of you are too!  I feel strong, and happy, and I plan to keep going!  Ok...and I will admit it...I want to look good in shorts too...

From exercising to training

I just took the big step today and signed up for my very first 5k run!  I am so excited and nervous all at the same time!  I know I can do it because I am now walking/running 3.1 miles every time I do the C25k.  After the session is over I complete the distance and when I get to 3.1 miles I stop.  I want to be sure I can go the distance!

So now my exercising has now switched to training!  I figured if I signed up it would keep me honest and I would keep going and not quit!I spent $25 on this thing so now I have to keep going!

By doing this I am not looking to be the fastest, I just want to run the race.  You never know what you can do if you don't ever try!  I was always the girl that complained and never tried anything...not anymore.  I am doing something about it!

So now I have until May 7th to train my butt off!

What is she having?!

I got the call this morning from my sister and mom on new baby and the results are...another GIRL!!  They have a name for her, but since this is not her blog and I don't want to share her children's name for their privacy I will be calling new baby CJ.  My other niece is K.  Which just happens to be what I call her anyway!  Now I think I will call new baby CJ when she comes...it will be cute!

Dave and I were crossing our fingers for a boy because we wanted to clean out the attic of clothes, but I guess that will have to wait until we reproduce and hope for another boy!

*******************************

Update-finished week three of Couch to 5k this morning!  My legs are so tired but I did it!  On to the 5 minute run next week!  I am going to do it Saturday in preparation of our trip to Morton's Steakhouse!

They sealed my decision!

Yesterday after I accepted the new job, and started the two week process of closing out my current work.  At about 3:00 pm I get a call from a resident saying there is a fight outside and I needed to get back there. I can hear the cursing through the phone!  So I get my maintenance man and we go to the back of the property. 

We get there and the first thing I notice is about 10 residents standing at their doors watching this group.  In the group there are 3 residents, two sisters, and one of the sister's boyfriend, who is 20 years older than her.  Then there is a man who claims he is a pastor (I think he is a con artist) and his older sister.  These people range from 29 to 65 years old.  Old enough to know what they were doing was wrong, especially at the time kids are coming home from the bus stop!

So we go up an have to break it up, I was thisclose to calling the police.  They were obnoxious an as I am trying to help one of them threatens to call and complain about me to my bosses at the main office.  I told him to go ahead and I will call and tell them how ridiculous this situation is and they will never listen to him again!  He is like the boy who called wolf! 

I won't go into all of the details because it is a long drawn out stupid story.  But it ends with the fight over and me crawling through the bushes looking for someones key (which I never found)!  It also wasted two hours of our time!!  So yeah...my decision was the right one.

March for Babies Luncheon

Today was the annual March for Babies luncheon to kick off 2011.  They had some awards for the 2010 walk and it turns out our family team was the third ranked team in the county!  Yay for us!  Hopefully we can do even better this year!  Last year was our first time so it was a learning experience, but this year we want to go big in fundraising!  So if you are feeling generous please click on the link on the right side of the page and make a donation!  This benefits the babies of our future!

Hardball...continued

Well...it looks like I am starting a new job soon!  The company came back and accepted my requests and that is that!  I talked it over with Dave, got his support, and that is it!  I knew I should have waited on that gym membership!  I won't be able to go at lunch!!  At least the new place has a gym on site at one of the properties, so I can go at lunch for free...I will just have to eat the cost of the three month membership!  Or try to get over there for a little bit of time!

Well...that is that...changes here I come!

What clicked for me?

Blair at The Heir to Blair asked when it clicked for me to begin my weight loss journey.  I think it was the fact that I did not want my picture taken, and hated any picture I was in.  I want to document this point in Nathan's life, and I want to document it with me in the pictures with him.  Dave is in a lot of pictures, but I just can't seem to do it.  I wanted that to change.

I want to look at a picture of me and my child and see how beautiful he is, and how happy and healthy I look.  I am starting to get to this point.  I can bare pictures more, so I will take more with Nate and Dave, and as time goes on I know I will look even better.  Heck...I am only 27.4 lbs away from my goal now!  It is a lot better than 40.8 lbs!

Hardball

It is what I am playing right now.  In two days of negotiations with my old employer I have gotten my hours changed (day 1), more money than the original offer (day 1), a higher position & more money than offered originally (day 2), and now I am requesting one more salary increase.  If they come through I am going to take it.  So keep your fingers crossed.  If it doesn't happen then I will be more than happy to stay at my current location...if it does happen then I can use the change in scenery!  Wish me luck friends!

Losing weight and feeling great!

I am heading in the right direction!  This week I decided to step up and show you all a picture progress report.  I am not nearly where I want to be yet, but I can feel the progress so I want to show it!  The first two pictures are from Christmas Eve.  I am in the black and white striped sweater holding the handsome little man.  Yuck yuck yuck!!  The second two were from yesterday.  This is officially 13.2 lbs lighter!!

I can mainly see a difference in my face, the upper body on the other hand needs more work...or maybe a different shirt!

So here are the stats:
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 189.8 lbs
This week: 187.6 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: 2.2 lbs
Total loss:  13.2 lbs

This week is going to be my biggest challenge though.  On Saturday my family and I are going to Morton's Steakhouse.  We go twice a year and you can't really leave there without eating too much!  So I am trying to plan ahead!  I figure I can do the broiled crab cakes, salad, asparagus and broccoli.  At dessert I told Dave he will have to share something...but he can have most of it!  And then I will also be sure to workout both Saturday and Sunday!

I pray I get out of there not too much fatter!  Dave usually gains about 5 lbs in a trip!  But this will be the true test.  I know the rest of the weekend my eating will be fine because my mom is doing Weight Watchers and my dad lost like 40 lbs this past year so he only eats healthy. 

Goals for this week:

1. Keep up water intake.
2. Work out 4 to 5 days this week.
3. Don't eat out at all until Saturday evening.
4. Finish week 3 and start week 4 of Couch to 5k.
5. Do not gain!

If I don't lose I will be fine...but I do not want to gain!  I will be honest next week and not cheat like I did last week weighing in early!

I mentioned in a previous post that I finished week 2 of the C25k.  I did week 3 day 1 yesterday and I am happy to say I survived it!  I actually ran two intervals of three minutes each!  I have never been able to do that!  I am very excited about that!

Well, that is it!  I hope everyone else did well this week!  Post about it in the comments!

Weird evening...

So I just got a Facebook message from my old boss asking if I was interested in coming back to work for them...

This is strange and here is why.  They FIRED me!  Yep...that is correct.  I have been fired.  Not because I am a bad worker, but for a dumb reason.  Small back story.  I worked for this company for two years.  They loved me and said I was their best manager.  I loved it up until the final 6 months.  The economy was tough, sales were tough, and we were getting threats that if we did not turn it around in 2 weeks then they would find our replacements.  So I took that seriously and began searching for new employment.  Then I opened my stupid mouth...I talk too much.  They found out and let me go. 

For my current job the previous manager gave a glowing reference and said I was not eligible for rehire.  Two years later this changes! 

Now I hate to say it...but I am kind of interested in what they have to say.  Here is why...I work on a really bad street and have to go to court to testify against a drug addict and his prostitute girlfriend.  The place kind of scares me!  So we will see what she has to say tomorrow.  Especially because I loved the people I worked with before...things just got really sucky.  But like I said...I was awesome in that job!  Or did I say that??  Oh well...it is true. 

Week two complete!

Hello friends!

I am excited to say I finished week two of the Couch to 5k program!  On to week three now!  If you haven't tried it I completely recommend it!  I can already tell the change in my body after two weeks.  After my work out on day one I went to Kohl's and got a new work out jacket.  It was a XL so I thought no problem, it should be loose, no need to try it on.  I get home and try it on over a t-shirt and it is tight and I look fat!

So I decide to set it aside and wait a little while before I use it in public.  Well today I started at my new gym.  I pack my clothing and gear, and I decided what the heck, I will bring it along.  I go to change into my gym clothes before I go to the gym, throw on the jacket over my t-shirt, and zip it right up!!  No rolls in sight!

It was the first sign that this plan is really working.  I am eating right, running/walking three days per week with the C25k, and feeling great!  I do not feel deprived by doing portion control, that is the main reason why I always quit before.  I would feel sick because I never felt like I ate enough.

I even snuck in a weigh in this morning for good measure...188.6 lbs!  Down 12.2 lbs!  I am super excited about that!  Hopefully I am still that low come Monday for my real weigh in!  I decided to weigh in today to see my progress from day one at the gym.  I want to see the improvement.

I think starting next week my work outs will go up to four days per week, three during the week and one on the weekend.  I need to up my game!  Cute bathing suit and dress for Florida here I come!!

How is everyone else doing?  I hope you are doing well!  Post progress in the comments!

Well I stepped up...

I decided since I have been keeping up with my three runs a week I would step up and join a gym!  I found a nice place two minutes from work so I can go during the day!  I was beginning to realize Dave's workload was increasing leading up to the baseball season (he is a groundskeeper), and my evening runs are getting pushed later.

After a conversation with the maintenance man at work I realized that I can go at lunch, eat at my desk when I get back (I work in an office alone), and just be smelly for the day.  Most of my residents don't shower for days at a time, so they will not know if it is me or them!

So starting tomorrow I will be going to the gym!  I did a three month membership just so if I don't go I am not held to a year!  It was only $4.00 more a month so totally worth it!  I am very excited!

McFatty Monday-One day early

Yes I am cheating.  But who cares...it is my own program so I can do what I want!  This week was ok and good.  Ok because my eating had good and not so good points.  I stuck to my plan for the most part, but I ate out four times.  I stuck to salads and soup for the most part, but I had a crab cake sandwich and macaroni and cheese this afternoon!  So that is the reason why I am weighing in as of this morning.  If I wake up tomorrow and I do better than today then I will post an update.  But I am expecting to break even as of tomorrow.  The past four days I came in at another loss, so I want to post that!

As far as the good for this week I completed week one of Couch to 5k and did week two day one today!  I probably shouldn't have because of my sinus infection, but I didn't want to fall behind.  So far I am really enjoying it!  Thank goodness for podcasts with good music, they get me through!

I have to say the only really bad thing this week was my water intake.  Not good at all, which may be the reason why I had very little loss.  So here are the stats!

Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 190.4 lbs
This week: 189.8 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: -0.6 lbs
Total loss: 11 lbs

I wanted to post this because I am back to the 180's!  This makes me really happy, and tomorrow I will most likely see 190.4 again so I will not allow it!!  I am happy for 189.8 because I have not been there in more than two years.  I was 190 when I got pregnant so it was awhile ago!

Goals for this week:

1. Increase water intake back to at least 50 oz (this will always be my hardest goal!)
2. Finish week two and do week three day one by Sunday in Couch to 5k
3. Do not eat out more than one time 
4. Lose at least one pound
5. Try to do some form of activity on the running rest days

So that is it for this week!  I will update tomorrow if there is a loss, but definitely not if I break even!  I am feeling good today and I want to stay that way!  I hope everyone else is doing well!  Post your results in the comments!

Thank you for the gift Nathan...

I would like to thank my loving son for the gift of a sinus infection this week.  As I mentioned a few days ago Nate has not been feeling well.  Over the past few days I have also started feeling crappy.  I finally take him to the pediatrician today and find out it is a nasty sinus infection!  And then the doctor goes on to say "sounds like he gave it to you too!"  So I would like to thank my loving son for the sickness he gave me!

But I didn't let that get in the way of my work outs this week!  I finished week one of the C25k tonight!  On to week two on Saturday hopefully!  If not then definitely Sunday!  How is everyone else doing on the plan?

Fruit...but the chocolate covered kind

I would like to thank my wonderful husband David for the Edible Arrangement with chocolate covered strawberries and apples he brought home yesterday evening!  I is beautiful and smelled yummy!  But David...are you trying to keep me fat!!??  While I love the thought, and the taste...I can only have one a day...if that!  So I think this is more for you than me...but it doesn't matter.  It was a wonderful gift and I am happy you did something even though you didn't need to!

McFatty Monday-One month down!

Today is a great day.  Besides my child still being sick and a mess, my husband being angry because he is the one who needs to stay home with him from daycare, it is still a great day.  As you may remember on Tuesday I weighed myself again and I came in at 192.8 lbs, which was much better than the 194 from Monday.  I knew Monday would be off because of the weekend.  My body recovered and I got back to work!

Well this week I was very good.  I ate proper meals and snacks, even had the opportunity to eat out once where I had the chili and salad, good choices!  I allowed myself a red velvet cupcake on Saturday and Sunday because I made them for Dave for Valentines Day.  (Made with applesauce instead of oil and egg whites instead of eggs!  Yummy!)

I worked out on Saturday and Sunday, ok not the full three days I wanted, but I walked a lot on the property this week.  I started the Couch to 5k program and didn't pass out!

So like I said today is a great day and you know why?  Because I am officially down 10.4 lbs!!!  I woke up to the scale telling me this morning I am 190.4 lbs!  I am super excited!  My clothes fit better and I am officially down one pant size, from a 14 to a 12!

Here are the stats:
Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 194 lbs
This week:190.4 lbs!!!
Loss (gain) this week: -3.6 lbs
Total loss: 10.4 lbs!!

This means I have officially reached my first goal!  When I get to work today I am going to call and schedule my spa pedicure!  And now I have 9.4 lbs to go until my massage!

Goals:
10 lbs (1st goal) - spa pedicure (reached 2/14/2011)
20 lbs (2nd goal) - massage
30 lbs (3rd goal) - bathing suit and dress for a friend's wedding in Florida
40 lbs (Final goal) - I don't know yet!  It needs to be a good one!

Small goals for the week:

1. Keep up the water intake at 45 to 60 oz a day. (I was floating last week!)
2. Complete week one of Couch to 5k and start week two day one by Sunday.
3. Keep eating well.
4. Lose at least one lb this week.

I am really happy with how this process is going and I want to thank all of you that come to read my progress and BA or "Blair" over at The Heir to Blair for posting my link and reading each week! You all keep me from quitting, which is too easy!  Now on to the next 9.4 lbs...because I really want that massage!

C25K

Today I did day one week one of the Couch to 5k program.  Boy does my body feel like jello!  But in a great way!  I was surprised I didn't keel over and hyperventilate as I was doing it from the lack of running skills and cold air.  I do need to invest in a pair of ear warmers or something because that started to hurt after awhile. 

It was a bit of a pain trying to keep time and listen to my music while running, but I did it!  I know there are podcasts of the program, but I need to find one that has music I like. 

I hope to keep this up 3 days a week, but we will see.  I told Dave I wanted to run a 5k in September and he was all for it.  Everyone else I told decided to bring me down by telling me how bad running was for my feet, knees, and legs.  I understand that...but it is better than sitting around!  I want to accomplish something, and I am totally into getting a finishers ribbon (I know I am lame)! 

So wish me luck on ANOTHER new journey.  But this journey I can connect to my weight loss journey so it doesn't add too much!  So how are everyone else's workouts going?

Always sick...

Why is it that when I finally feel like we are over the sick baby thing Nathan decides to get sick again?  Does he have an internal clock that goes off after a few weeks telling him to lick another child that has a runny nose?  That must be it.

This time it was from going to my parent's house to visit.  My niece had a cold...I kissed her...didn't think about it and then I kissed my child.  It figures it is mommy's fault this time! 

My poor baby started a cough as soon as we returned home.  Then it was the sneezing and runny nose, which finally led to the dreaded 102.6 fever yesterday afternoon.  And wouldn't you know it was the day when I was at a meeting 40 minutes away instead of 5 minutes from daycare like I normally am!  So the kid had to rough it out for almost an hour while I packed up and drove to get him. 

He woke up this morning at 7:00 am with no fever and happy.  I figure "yay he is getting over it!"  Wrong thought to have Kris...you just jinxed yourself!  I come downstairs two hours later after taking my final exam to find the poor boy with another high fever. 

Now he is sleeping off the fever with some Ibuprofen.  I really hope he gets better soon...especially because it is going to be in the 50's to 60's this week!  I can't have us miss an opportunity to go out walking after work those days!

I hope everyone else and their children are having better luck than us this winter!  Only a few more weeks to go!  Fingers crossed!

Well what do you know...

I decided to weigh myself this morning to see if my body regulated myself after a fat filled weekend.  And what do you know I am down to 192.8!  I think I just needed to not weigh in on Monday this week because of my sucky weekend!  That would put me down 8 lbs total!  Only 2 more to reach my first goal!  Cross your fingers that I get there this week or next!

And I am back to McFatty...but just for one week only!

I will start off with the bad news...I gained 0.4 lbs.  Actually that may be starting with good news too...I ONLY gained 0.4 lbs!  It could have been a lot worse!

I knew completely what I was doing as I was doing it so I knew what I would find this morning.  As I mentioned last week I went to my parent's house this weekend for my cousin's twin daughters' birthday party.  My mom was great making the food I needed, nothing out of control, good portion control, nothing bad for you.

But then came the party.  And I decided to let loose on the food department.  I did it because I wanted to and there were really no other options.  I told myself it would be OK and I would make up for it big time starting today.  Let me just tell you...I think the chocolate marshmallow ice cream was worth it.

Here are my Stats:

Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 193.6 lbs
This week:194 lbs
Loss (gain) this week: +0.4 lbs
Total loss: 6.8 lbs

Goals for this week:

1. Increase water intake to 60 oz
2. Exercise 30 minutes a day 4 days this week
3. Stay on eating plan
4. Lose at least what I gained last week!

I did exercise one day (woohoo)...but that is obviously not enough.  So I will exercise much more this week.  Good news is my dad offered to give us his elliptical that he doesn't use for free!  We just need to get it home!  I am so going to make that happen because I love the elliptical!

So that is it for my sucky week (scratch that...just the sucky weekend).  So how did everyone do?

Superbowl Sunday...

While most are warming up their TVs and bellies for the big game what am I doing?  Catching up on some good marathons.  Over the past 10 years I realized on Superbowl Sunday some of the best shows have marathons during the game.

So while everyone cheers on their favorite team...I will be cheering on the BAU this year while they track down the next sick serial killer.

Picture courtesy of TV.com

I love me some Criminal Minds!  Enjoy the game or marathon of your choice this year!

Rental court

One of the great duties I have as a property manager is going to rental court.  I spend two hours a month sitting in a court room wishing my property to be called to sit in front of a judge and tell him how many of my residents don't pay rent.  Lucky for me I usually only have about five, most of which pay it before court even happens.

I love those two hours because I get to learn a lot about the population I am surrounded by.  After going to court monthly for the past five years you tend to see the same people and then wonder...what the heck is their problem?  It is literally the same people every month!  Why are they still being rented to?

I also love eavesdropping on the conversations going on from the tenants sitting around me.  You will usually hear something like "I ain't paying nothing to that lady!"  "I am going to give them a piece of my mind!"  Then they get in front of the judge and you begin to realize that most of these people spend less time working to make money to pay the rent and spend more time watching Judge Judy by the way they want to fight the case!

Unfortunately for these people our judge is like a male version of Judge Judy and he will spend most of his time yelling at the people for wasting his time!  It is a great sight!

At least my residents are smart enough to not skip a day of work to come fight at court.  They try to make their payments and avoid it all together.  Most are too embarrassed to show up, I would be too! 

I was happy when I finished up and went back to work though.  No more court for another month!  I am free to get away from the crazies!  I get to my office and find 3 subpoenas for my property trespassers to go to court in a few weeks...I love court!

Hoping to be McSkinny this year!

Another week another weigh in!  I am very happy how this week went and proud of my accomplishments!  Here are my stats:

Starting weight: 200.8 lbs
Last week: 197 lbs
This week:193.6 lbs!!
Loss this week: 3.4 lbs
Total loss: 7.2 lbs

I made sure this weekend to not eat out at all.  We ate out one time the entire week actually, and I tried to make a healthy choice so it didn't put me behind.  Of course my jerk of a husband comes downstairs on Saturday and tells me he lost 7.4 lbs...3 days before his weigh in!  I wish it was that easy for me!  But I know men lose it faster, I just need to keep up with it! 

I have decided to make goal rewards for myself to keep me motivated, because we all need a little motivation!  I currently have a $150 gift card to a spa that I am holding out on until I reach some of my goals!

10 lbs (1st goal) - spa pedicure
20 lbs (2nd goal) - massage
30 lbs (3rd goal) - bathing suit and dress for a friend's wedding in Florida
40 lbs (Final goal) - I don't know yet!  It needs to be a good one!

Goals for this week:

1. Work out 3 to 4 days (last week I did yoga twice)
2. Drink at least 40 to 60 oz of water per day
3. Work out when I visit my parents house this weekend
4. Not fall off the plan when I go to my parents house this coming weekend
5. Do not gain!  I am okay with staying the same for a week...but do not gain!

So that was my week!  I have to say that I totally recommend the yoga!  It hurts like a bitch, but that is how I know it is working!  So I think I will do it again tonight!

How did everyone else's week go?  Post your results in the comments!

Beginners yoga...yeah right!

I decided this morning I would try beginners yoga.  There is a 45 minute session On Demand from Comcast.  I thought "how bad can it be?"  I only made it through 34 minutes!  It kicked my ass and I couldn't do the last 11 minutes!  Nathan sat there in his high chair giggling at me the entire time as he chowed down on his waffles while I groaned my way through stretches and balancing...only to give up at the end.  I decided at some point today I will finish the last 11 minutes.  Just not right now...now I will sit and wallow in self pity! 

I will get on track with this exercising thing though!  I was watching a video online interviewing Bob from The Biggest Loser and he said the best programs that work is where you change only one thing at a time.  Start with one thing like eating habits, then when you are comfortable add something else like exercising.  So I don't feel so bad because the eating is good now...I just need to work out my 3 days per week!

How is everyone else doing this week?  I hope better then me!

2 am police call

Yep...that is what I received last night.  As a property manager I have to deal with a lot of stupid people.  In this case I have to deal with people that are not even my residents! 

A little back story.  There are two people that come to the property and break into our vacant units to stay because they are homeless.  In August of 2009 one was caught and arrested, and the terms of her release was she never come back to the property.  After about 8 months she started coming back. 

Her and her "boyfriend" decided this was the perfect property to run their "business."  If you can call selling your body a business.  I told them numerous times they were trespassing and every time I saw them after that I called the police until finally they were caught and arrested in September. 

After they were arrested all of the property vandalism and problems immediately stopped.  They were again released in December under the terms they do not come back to the property...we we tried this before and I knew it would not last long!

It took a total of one day for someone to come to my office to report they were coming after I left at night. 

Yesterday things came to a head.  My boss and I were walking the property and noticed one vacant unit had a broken window, and the one next door had the window cracked open.  It was not like this the day before so we call the Sheriff's Department, they come, and we all investigate. 

In the apartment were clothes, bedding, and the heat was blasting!  They made themselves a nice little home!  We decided to leave the apartments like we never noticed a problem and the deputies patrolled all night. 

Finally at 2 am I received a wonderful call from the Sheriff's department that a woman was caught!  She couldn't tell me the name but it was one woman.  Another deputy calls me an hour later...they must think everyone in town is awake at 3 am!  He tells me they caught a different lady then the people we reported!  We must house the homeless now.

So now we are on the lookout for these two people still breaking into apartments...I like to call them the barnacles at the bottom of a boat because they have attached themselves to our property.  I used to feel sorry for them, but after so many chances from the court system and they still come back I am ready to drop kick an ass soon!

Well...at least we got one person.  Please tell me someone else has a job as annoying as mine??  I tried to quit yesterday but my manager wouldn't let me...oh the cruelty!

McFatty Monday-Week 2

Well that worked!  

Today I woke up and weighed myself and you know what the scale told me? 197 lbs!  I am beyond thrilled!  That is a 3.8 lbs loss!  So I consider this a strong start to my McFatty Monday weightloss challenge.  I know not all weeks will be this great, but it is a great start to the plan.

I was convinced this morning I would wake up to a smaller loss because I had a turkey melt and french fries for lunch yesterday, but the rest of the day I was a good girl!

Some goals for this week:

1. Keep increasing water intake.  I have been drinking about 40 oz per day, so I want to have more than that.
2. Start working out.  I had a sinus infection last week, and still a little bit now, so I didn't work out because breathing was a chore itself!  So I want to get my 3 days in this week.
3. Keep eating the same way I was last week.
4. Come up with some more healthy dinner ideas.
5. Lose at least 1 lb.

The great thing about all of this is that Dave is trying to lose too so he is eating well with me.  It makes life a lot easier!

So how did everyone else do?  Post your link in the comments and share with the group!

I am on strike...

At least for this evening.  Do you ever have a day where you want to be a stubborn jerk and not do anything?  Tonight is that night for me.  Let me give you a back story.

Dave is a great husband.  He is loving, a great father, a great cleaner, and works hard.  But he likes to play stupid.  Since birth I basically say when and what Nathan gets to eat, when he gets ready and goes to bed, when he gets his bath, brush his teeth, brush his hair, pick out his clothes/pajamas, give him his bed time milk, pick up/drop off to daycare etc.  Dave is very capable of all these tasks but when I ask him to take one he says I do it better.  I am calling bullsh*t! 

Recently it has bugged the heck out of me.  We both work full days, and when I get home after picking up Nate I make dinner and while it is cooking I feed him.  Then after that I get him dressed for bed, give him milk, brush his teeth, and put him to bed.  Then after that I do school work then go to bed.  It is exhausting.

This brings us to today.  It was a rather long day at work where my maintenance man threatened to quit and I had to do damage control.  I have a sinus infection and have been miserable all week as well.  I get Nate and when we get home I ask if we can just go to dinner because I don't feel like cooking.  We can feed Nate out and then enjoy the evening.  Dave says no.  I ask again, he says no why don't you eat a salad.  I say I had a salad for lunch and have cooked all week I want to enjoy the evening.  He then goes on to pull a salad out of the fridge and makes himself one!

So I go make myself a microwave dinner and say to him "you can feed Nate tonight, and try to think of something more creative than dry cheerios."  I eat my dinner alone wash my dish and sit down.  He takes Nate to the kitchen and wouldn't you know it he comes out and asks what he should give him!  I tell him he can figure it out himself!

I am pretty sure Nathan is eating cheerios right now!  Plus some yogurt.  So I can say that was pretty much a fail.  But I don't care, tonight I am on strike.  The boys can handle themselves because momma needs a timeout! 

**********

Update on McFatty Monday-I weighed myself this morning to see how my eating is going and I am down 3.4 lbs!!  Man I must have a lot of water weight!  I home everyone else is having luck!!

McFatty Monday

I have decided to join in with one of my favorite blogs and start McFatty Monday on my site!  I am feeling like a tub of lard lately so I want to do something about it.  So I woke up this morning and started fresh!

I weighed in at 200.8 lbs...yuck!  I want to try to get down to 160 lbs by the end of the summer...I feel like this is doable right?  If not I won't stress.  I will just keep pushing forward.

I am not following any specific plan.  Just healthy foods and portion control.  I also added on some snacks to my day which I did not do before.  I signed up to a free online website to track my progress and it said if I want to lose the weight I need to eat less than 1723 calories per day.  So far with today I realize I have room to increase my foods!  So that helps, I can add another snack in my day!  Yay!

My goal is to do my best and be active for 30 minutes 3 to 4 days a week and if I keep up with that I may splurge and join the YMCA.  But not until I can prove that I will keep up with it!

If anyone would like to join up with me just leave a comment...we can do this together!!

Sleep update

Good morning everyone!  The past four nights we started Nate's sleep training and I am happy to say we went in the right direction!  The 2nd night he got up at 3:20 and took about 20 minutes to get himself back to sleep.  He then woke up at 5:20 and I figured it was ok for him to get up so Dave went to get his milk, and by the time he got to him Nate was already asleep again!  He then got up at 6:10!  I was super excited because he cut out the first waking at around midnight, and because of falling back asleep after 5 am!

The3rd night I was worried because I figured the walking will mess up his sleep.  But to my surprise when he started crying yesterday morning it was 4:30 am!  I was so happy!  I decided to not get up at all and see what would happen.  He ended up falling asleep again, but at about 4:50 he got up again because of a poo poo!   So I got up and changed him, he fell back asleep and then got up fully again at 5:30.  I was ok with this so I took him downstairs to watch Sesame Street.  To my surprise by 8:00 am he fell asleep in his pack and play until 10:15 am!

Finally this morning he woke up at 6 am with no sound before that!  I won't count my chickens yet because I know it can change so we will just keep it up!  I am happy I waited until this point to cry it out though because I think he is understanding that we are not leaving at night and he is ok!  Plus I can handle it better!!  So thank you for your help this far friends!  I hope this is the last sleep update for now and I can get to some more fun topics!

I am starting to think we are well on our way!

Well it took 15 months and one week but...

Maybe that is why he isn't sleeping...

This is what happens when a toddler steals your phone in the morning when you aren't looking...

Note to self...clean up after yourself