Adventures in Carb Cycling

[GME]

Monday 5/12

It is the strangest thing.... my school internet will let me look at the pages that list all the posts, but not read them. I can go to the user control panel and see subscribed posts, but not click to read them. It will let me "reply" though. So if someone else has posted in my journal (or any other thread) I can post. Otherwise I journal in FitDay and copy it over here later (I try to journal somewhere everyday). So thanks Twyla... for the wise words and the ability to post

You are so right about taking time for what I need to do. This week is shaping up to be like last week. We came in late last night and DH was talking about all the things we need to do this afternoon. I said, "I'll be home about 5:30." (that's the time I get home if I stop to run). He said "but we need to do xxxx and xxxx" and I just kept repeating "I'll be home about 5:30." I have gotten good about making sure I get enough sleep no matter what is going on. Now we'll work on exercise

Most of the rest of the work world works until 5:00 and doesn't get home til 5:30. We will live. I think I may take a "mental health" day Wednesday though. Too much is going on.

My weight was up this morning... 223.5. I know I didn't gain 4.5 lbs since Saturday. I am in the middle of TOM, I had some iced tea before I weighed this morning and though I didn't eat any food off-plan yesterday, we went to a buffet and a party for Mother's Day and I have no idea what my totals were.

I had sausage for breakfast, packed tuna in mayo for lunch, have lots of green tea and water ready, plan on getting macs where they need to be today with carbs low, run this afternoon, and let things fall back into place.

[GME]

Tuesday 5/13

220.5 today. Still don't know what's going on. Maybe it's the usual bounce. I'll keep carbs low again, while keeping cals up. It seemed to work for 3 of the mystery lbs.

I ran W4D4 yesterday. It was tough. Not the running as much, but the tide was in and I ran way up in the soft sand. I was really feelin' it. My leg muscles were all twitchy and even my arms were tired. I think I'm going to go ahead with week 5 Wednesday. If it was any of the at-home or stationary exercises I have tried in the past I probably would have quit. Runnning is different

We put the offer in on the house. The realtor did some more research and found out the bank is owed much more than we are offering, but you never know, they could just be anxious to unload it. We're crossing our fingers.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by GME

Tuesday 5/13

220.5 today...................

Running is different

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RUNNING IS LIBERATING!

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[GME]

Wednesday 5/14

219.5 today. Almost back where I was.

I'm playing hookey today, but I jinxed myself. I had been thinking about being "sick" today, then I woke up yesterday really feeling poorly. My "sick" turned into sick. I do feel a little better today but I already called the sub so I stayed home. I'm going to run, maybe go to the grocery store (steaks are on sale) and then take it easy.

I'm loading the week 5 podcast C25K in my phone right now. Day 3 of this week has a 20 min straight run . But, you know what? I totally think I can do it. I almost can't believe I'm typing that. Running is liberating. I like doing it and I especially like knowing I can do it. I like thinking about it, talking about it, reading about it, and checking out the "stuff" that goes with it in the Title Nine catalogs (How did they know? Marketing research may have gone too far... they must be spying on me. That or the fact I ordered my running shoes online).

It doesn't look like the house is going to work out. They got two full price offers when they got our lowball. Silly people, it isn't worth what they're asking. Maybe we can pick it up in another foreclosure in a couple of years. I really wouldn't wish that on anyone, but I can't believe the financial decisions some people make. I guess that's the thing, they aren't making financial decisions, they are making emotional decisions. But their finances get dragged in.

I have no particular real estate knowledge, but I knew the market would come down when the io periods were up and all those adj mortgages started adjusting. The guy that lost the house we offered on was a mortgage broker, why didn't he know better? The house we've been renting since we moved here is one of TWO bought at the top of the market by our landlord the realtor. Neither one is worth what they paid for it anymore. They are very nice people, but what were they thinking? Oh well, this isn't the real estate message board. Another house will come along.

My podcasts are loaded up so I'm going to hit the beach!

[GME]

Thursday 5/15

Back to school for me today. No more hookey. Yesterday was a really nice day though. I got my run in in the morning, got a few errands run and chores done around the house. We are going to an archery tournament this weekend and its DS's birthday so we'll be busy.

219.0 this morning. Down to last Friday's weight, but unless I pull some weight loss magic tonight, there's no net loss for this week. I've run, kept my macs where they need to be & no junk . I guess that's why patience is a virtue, its easier to be impatient. On the up side, any fast weightloss I've ever had in the past just came right back even faster.

[GME]

Friday 5/16

Weight is frustrating today. I got on and saw 218.5- Yay! a half a pound down. But I always more than once because sometimes I get different numbers. Second time, 219- not so bad, same as yesterday. Goin' for two out of three-220. I saw 219 more than once so I'll just stick with that for today. That means no net loss this week .

I know people say get rid of the scale, but for me out of sight is out of mind and I tend to go off-track.

Totals for yesterday:

Total: 2062
Fat: 154 1390 69%
Carbs: 56 169 8%
Fiber: 13 0 0%
Protein: 112 448 22%

I'm running W5D2 today after work- three 8 minute runs with walk breaks in between. Then we are off to an archery tournament. It's on the coast, but it's still supposed to be 97 degrees. We've got ourselves a little heatwave going on.

We've only been on the coast about a year and a half. I grew up in a place where 100+ was the norm all summer (May-Sept). It was 81 here yesterday and people acted like they were going to melt.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by GME

Friday 5/16

Weight is frustrating today. I got on and saw 218.5- Yay! a half a pound down. But I always more than once because sometimes I get different numbers. Second time, 219- not so bad, same as yesterday. Goin' for two out of three-220. I saw 219 more than once so I'll just stick with that for today. That means no net loss this week .

I know people say get rid of the scale, but for me out of sight is out of mind and I tend to go off-track.

See Posts #602-603

CALLANETICS CHALLENGE MAY 2008

[COLOR="Red"]97 degrees! That's hot ........REEEEEEEEAL HOT!

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[GME]

You're right about the scale, I know it.... really. I've even given that advice. "No one knows how much you weigh, but everyone can see your butt. That's what matters."

I feel and look tighter. My legs are less cottage-cheesey, my buns are riding higher and my calves are firmer (from the running I'm sure)... but at some point I have to lose weight too. I don't need 219 lbs of muscle. I'll wind up looking like our Governator

I do think I'll buy one of those handy things though. I don't know why, but I had in my mind they were really expensive.

[GME]

Monday 5/19

We're back. The tournament was fun, but OMG it. was. hot. At least 98-100 walking around in the sun (there was some shade). I drank probably over a gallon of water and didn't have to "go" once from 9:00 to about 7:00. And their was a rattlesnake! Since this was an archery tournament and there were people all over carrying bows, the little devil got shot. I felt a little sorry for it, we were in his "house", but there were kids all over. I don't think we'll be going back to that range.

We went to a really good steakhouse for dinner though (it was DS's 15th birthday). He's so grown up now, he ordered his steak rare and blue cheese dressing on his salad. I had a big, juicy ribeye, green beans sauteed in butter with bacon, salad with buttemilk ranch and steamed veggies. Yummy.

I was totally wiped out all day Sunday. That heat was killer, even though we got back to our happy little 69 degree, foggy place by the sea. I watched two movies, took a nap and finally realized I needed to take some potassium and vitamins to do something about my leg and foot cramps. I felt better today and ran W5D2.... I ran two intervals of 8 minutes straight . Next, is 20 minutes.

Weight has been frustrating. I weighed in at 220 Sunday (up a pound) and I thought surely there would be a loss after the monstrous day before. And worse yet, I'm up to 222 today. Ack Maybe my body is retaining water in case I decide to torture it again.

Being able to see my running progress is saving me from going of the deep end of the scale though. Five weeks ago I was gasping after a one minute run and today I was coasting along thinking "Eight minutes is over already? Well, what do you know."

Maybe I'll have some good scale news tomorrow.

Today's totals:

Total: 2124
Fat: 180 1623 76%
Carbs: 39 118 6%
Fiber: 10 0 0%
Protein: 97 387 18%

Protein was low and fat was high, I'm not sure why. I was low in cals so I just had about 3/4 cup pecans. That was on top of mayo for lunch and a good amount of butter with dinner. I guess I do know why.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Gina, make sure you drink plenty of water today -- go for another gallon if you can, and up your protein just a tad today.

Weight fluks. Life happens.

You're doing great.

[GME]

Monday 6/9

Man, its been a long time since I posted last. Partly its because the end of the school year is crazy busy and we have had houseguests and three archery tournamnets in a row, but a lot has to do with being stalled. I feel like I don't have anything to say because I haven't lost anything (inches or pounds) in over a month. I feel like if there is no payoff, I shouldn't be investing so much in this weightloss thing. The more I focus, the more frustrated I get so I have been trying to lay off a bit.

I suppose I do have some some good things to report:

*I am still running- I am up to 27 minutes straigt run time and still enjoying it.

*I just FEEL LIKE doing more active things. I played in the student-teacher soccer game at school (I would NEVER have done that before) and played OK. I was able to run up and down the field and not feel like I was going to pass out.

*Our archery tournaments consist mostly of walking up and down hills for 6-7 hours at a time. I can do that without a break and I am keeping up with everyone else and not lagging behind. I can carry on a conversation and walk up a hill at the same time.

*I am stronger. I got a new bow that is heavier and is harder to draw- and I can do it.

*We got a Wii and Wii Fit (because I wanted it.. not the kids) and I enjoy boxing and KO-ing little cartoon guys and hula hooping.

*My eating has still been pretty good, even though I hadn't been using FitDay and fretting over every bite. I haven't gained.

All in all I guess it isn't as bad as I was making it in my head, but the weight is sure frustrating. Today is the first day of vacation so I'll have some time this week to start FitDay again and get a handle on what's going on. After this week I am going to be in classes for two weeks and in Yellowstone for another week. I'll get back to normal again July 7th.

[GME]

Tuesday 6/10

I have been thinking maybe what my body needs is to mix it up. When I started this journal I was planning on trying carb cycling, but I upped what I was eating and got rolling again so I never went any further with the cycling idea. I think now I'll try throwing in a few lower cal days and see what happens.

Yesterday I was 220.5. I had a lower cal day:

Total: 1605
Fat: 141 1267 79%
Carbs: 29 70 4%
Fiber: 12 0 0%
Protein: 64 257 16%

and today I am at 219. No new ground, but the lowest end of my bounce parameters.

I'm going to give it another day or two and see what happens. I'll shoot for more protein today. I don't want to stay here too long though, this is the level I stalled at last time.

I had a happy shopping experience yesterday. I like Eddie Bauer clothes. There is a nice outlet mall not too far from us and there is an Eddie Bauer store in there. I belong to their little club and I get coupons, etc. so I buy a lot of my stuff there at reasonable prices... everything except pants. I have to buy pants from the catalog because the store only goes up to 18 and I need a 20 . The shirts and tops go to XXL so those fit OK .

Well, my pants are all saggy and I'm having to wear a belt with everything. I have put off buying any new stuff because I wanted to lose more, but I'm going on vacation and to a couple of trainings this summer and I really need a few things to tide me over. So I pick out some capris and pants I like, pretty happy I'm just picking up 18s from the shelf and not special ordering 20s, take them into the dressing room and they are too big too.

I go back and get 16s and they fit. I also bought a couple of XL (not XXL) tops and I'm feelin' pretty happy. I went over to the Levis outlet (which doesn't carry anything bigger than 16) and tried on some stuff there too- it fit! I didn't buy any of it, but it was fun to try on .

[GME]

Tuesday still...

I posted this in the C25K thread, but I wanted to add it here too...

*****

W7D2 down for me... sort of...

I say "sort of" because I went out with the intention of running 25 minutes (as the program says). I got kind of tired of the podcast music and don't really need them for straight runs so I have been checking my time and going it alone.

So I do my 5 min warmup walk, check the time, look over my playlist and figure roughly how many songs (at 3 minutes) each I would hear before it was time to check the time again. I figured I needed to run through Suicide Blond by INXS (love them for running BTW). So I run until the end of the song, check the time, thinking I would have a couple of more minutes to go...and I had "accidently" run 30 minutes. And felt like I could go longer!

I am still by no means fast, but if you could have only seen me during week 1, huffing and puffing, willing 1 minute to go by faster....

*****

I have a beef roast in the crockpot and my cals are on track for about a 1700 day. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

[GME]

Wednesday 6/11

Finally, a new pound today!!! 218! My first new pound in a month... looking back, I hit 219 on 5/8.

It sure feels longer ago than that... but still, that's over a month of running and other exercise, cals at 2000-2100, fewer than 40 carbs and no loss.

The body is a mysterious thing. I've been reading Good Calories, Bad Calories and now I'm convinced we don't really know much of anything, not even what we thought we knew. The "blame the fat victim mentality" that has gone on for so long is just sad and annoying. I appreciate how Taubes brings up, over and over, if its just a matter of choosing to eat less and moving a little more, why do so many people stay fat when it is so unpleasant? There must be more to it.

I liken it to being gay (can I talk about this in my own journal?). Some say its a choice, but it has made so many people's lives so difficult in so many cultures for so many years, why would they choose it? I believe there must be some underlying physical cause.

I think our body size and composition is more like our hair... you have what you have. You can live with it the way it is, or you can put in a lot of effort to change it. I could have red, curly hair, but it would mean spending a lot of time and money at the salon and spending an hour every morning with the curling iron. Is it worth it to me?

I have a friend who has always been heavy. A few years ago she decided to change that. She spent two hours a day on exercise and meal planning & prep (she worked PT from home, never scheduled anything before 10:00 so she could workout in the morning and took a break in the afternoon to prep dinner). She lost weight and stayed relatively thin for 2 or 3 years... as long as she maintained that level of focus. Later, she went to work FT outside the house, still walks on her breaks and watches what she eats, but has steadily gained.

I'm hoping to find some middle ground. I know I will never be stick-thin, I just want to reach a place where I'm fit and healthy and not have to give up my life to maintain it. I think with LC the eating part is easier to do that than WW or low cal, and I'm trying to coax the family along with me into activities, so its not me going off to do an exercise video, its us heading out to the beach or park and fittness is just a normal part of life, not something extra to be fit in.

I think the fitness bug is catching in my family. I started bringing better stuff into the house and the clamour has died down. DS15 told me the other day that sugar makes him feel sluggish and has started drinking unsweetened iced tea or water when we go out. He is a big boy. At 15 he is about 5'10" and weighed 220 when I took him to the doctor last summer. He didn't look fat, he has broad shoulders and is "stout." For Christmas he asked for a weight bench and has been working out and yesterday he asked if he could move the stationary bike in his room to do cardio. We've had to buy him new pants because they were falling off so I new he was losing (or shifting weight around), but yesterday he got on the Wii and he weighed 193. He has lost weight WHILE gaining muscle and he complains much less about being tired and not feeling well. I'm proud and happy for him .

I went off on such a tanget, I almost forgot yesterday's totals

Total: 1717
Fat: 126 1137 68%
Carbs: 30 90 5%
Fiber: 7 0 0%
Protein: 112 450 27%

I'm happy to be losing again, but I don't want to stay too low for too long. I'll stay here for a couple of days and then I think I'll go back up. Maybe I'll inch up slowly back to 2000-2100 and see what happens along the way.

[GME]

Thursday 6/12

Down another pound this morning to 217.

Yesterday's totals:

Total: 1829
Fat: 121 1093 61%
Carbs: 28 87 5%
Fiber: 6 0 0%
Protein: 153 613 34%

I have been keeping to lower carbs and cals since Monday and I feel good, except my run Tuesday. I ran the extra time without really meaning to and felt good about that, but my legs seemed "heavy" and I was more tired the rest of the day. I had eaten cottage cheese before I ran for a little carb boost, but maybe it wasn't enough.

So this morning I had cottage cheese again, but cut up a peach in it. I would have liked berries or cantelope, but the kids are home for summer vacation and its like there is a food vacuum in the house somewhere (I really am glad they are eating the fruit ) My run did feel better. I usually seem to crave a bit of fruit on running days.

I'm going to up my veggie carbs and lower fat a bit for the next couple of days and see how the run feels on Saturday.

I'm in week 8 of C25K which is 28 minute runs. Next week is 30 min runs and the end of the program. I went looking around on the internet for another program to follow after that. I found a 5K training program, but it seemed kind of complicated.... it involves hills (which we do have in my neighborhood), speedwork, timed 880s (I would have to go to a track for) and just more than I want to undertake right now. I'm happy just running along on the beach, watching the pelicans and dolphins.

I found something called "One Hour Runner" and its supposed to take you from running 30 min 3x/week to running 60 min in 10 weeks. I'm going to try that when C25K is done. That will take me through the first week of September, then I think I'll try the 5K training schedule. My first 5K is in early November. At this point I don't really care about time, I just want to finish (OK, I'd like not to be last, so I do care a little bit). That will give me some time to lose more weight too.

I started C25K on April 10 at 226, so I lost 9 lbs in 9 weeks. I'd like to be well under 200 when I'm done with OHR and 175 when I run the 5K. That's 42 lbs in 21 weeks. Doable if I quit stalling out so often. I'm sure -42 pounds will help my time. Imagine someone running a 5k carry a big bag of dog food.

[GME]

216.5 today. Another half a pound down

I had a higher total day yesterday:

Total: 2175
Fat: 178 1602 75%
Carbs: 55 141 7%
Fiber: 20 0 0%
Protein: 102 408 19%

Fat didn't wind up lower, but a big chunk of that was from avocados. I looove avocados.

No running today so I think I'll drop back down to 1800 or so cals and 25ish carbs. I'm going to have to make a plan, because were going to the movies tonight (Indiana Jones III) and probably out to dinner.

[GME]

Saturday 6/14

Another pound down... 215.5 I read other people's posts that say they have big whooshes overnight of 4-5 pounds. I never do that, just a pound a day for a few days. Not complaining, happy to have it.

Last night wound up to be a little victory. We were going to the movies, but hadn't eaten dinner and there wasn't enough time before so I snacked on some chicken. I packed two of my TJ dark choc bars in my purse for movie snacks.

On the way to the theater we stopped at Long's to pick up snacks (too cheap to pay movie prices for candy) and the guys picked three things they all liked so they could share. Sweets have been scarce at our house lately. So we get there, settle in (its pretty crowded), and I wind up with a bag of Starbursts on my lap. The movie starts (still love Indy) and no one wants Starbursts yet. I sat there with that bag of candy on my lap for two hours, barely even noticed and didn't care! I didn't even get out the stuff I had brought for myself. Go me!

After the movie I got a SF latte in the bookstore, then we walked down to PMH for slices and I had a salad and felt totally satisfied. I had the plan of haveing a couple of drinks when we got home, but I drank one and noticed I had NOT picked up the SF kind. I already had two in FitDay so I just left it, but I have a feeling the one has way more carbs and sugar.

Anyway....

Total: 1713
Fat: 126 1132 66%
Carbs: 41 149 9%
Protein: 68 274 16%
Alcohol: 22 156 9%

I'm going to go down and run this morning, do a few things around the house and go to the Boardwalk tonight. They're having fireworks .

[GME]

Sunday 4/15

Ugh, 217.5 today . Just bounce I guess, didn't eat anything I really shouldn't have. A little extra fruit and protein too low maybe- ???

Total: 1747
Fat: 118 1059 61%
Carbs: 49 167 10%
Protein: 129 516 30%

My run yesterday was good. Two sand dollars and a pod of dolphins. The fireworks on the boardwalk were nice and we ae dinner on the wharf. I had a shrimp salad

Going to be busy today, taking the kids to grandma's and having a little Father's Day get-together and then back home. That's six hours of driving in one day.

[GME]

Monday 6/16

Back down a pound to 216.5, but what's crazy is that's still up a pound from Saturday on the bathroom scale, but the Wii says I'm down 1.1 from Saturday. It seems silly to worry so much about A pound, but I know me... if I don't worry about a pound, pretty soon I'm not worried about 5 lbs... and on it goes.

Had a weird eating day yesterday between the road trip and the in-laws. I had a good breakfast and then we took off. Didn't eat again until about 5:00 and they had made enchiladas, beans & rice. Luckily I had stopped and gotten a salad and veggies on the way. I ate the salad and some beans. I got hungry on the way home (in the middle of nowhere), but I hadn't packed any snacks but cherries and strawberries for the kids so I ate those. When we got home I ate chicken, but tried to keep it low fat since I had already eaten pretty high carb. Its seems to have worked out OK because I was down that bounce pound and I haven't had cravings or bloat or anything.

The class today went pretty well. I took some roll-ups in case the catered lunch didn't work out, but they brought the fixins for tostadas so I made a taco salad with meat, cheese and sour cream. They have a really nice cafeteria with a grill and salad bar there too so I won't worry about bringing stuff anymore.

I can sleep a little later if I'm not making lunch. I didn't enjoy leaving the house at 6:30 and people in San Jose drive like crazies!

My run tonight was tough... rising tide, headwind, no dolphins, no sand dollars and a dead harbor seal on the beach . I just kept thinking about the poor folks running in the hot, sweaty humidity and decided I shouldn't complain. What's that saying? "A bad day fishing is better than a good day at work." I guess a bad run on the beach is better than a good run in a 100 degree city .

Three more runs and I am a C25K graduate!! I have been thinking about calling it early. This week is supposed to be 28 minute runs and week 9 30 minutes, but I've just been running 30 for some time now. I think I'll officially stick it out just so I can say I did it .

*****
Just noticed the two pound bounce was the day after I drank the sugary drink. Duh

[GME]

Wednesday 7/9

Back after a long, busy while....

I finished my two classes and we made it home from Yellowstone safely. That trip was amazing! Anyone who has never been there should go.

The morning we left I stepped on the scale... 217.5. My meal choices were pretty good the the whole time, but... I ate ice cream just about every day. The morning after we got back I got on the scale again... 217.5. Whew, not too much damage.

I got back on the wagon Monday, put down my ice cream spoon and Tuesday I was 215.5 (the low end of my current bounce cycle)... yipee! Stayed strong on Tuesday (only a little bit of lc ice cream) and woke up to 214 this morning!

I have come to the conclusion that my tweaking this and that aren't really doing me much good. I think I am just programmed to lose once a month, a few pounds at a time, and then maintain for three weeks or so. It is an ongoing pattern with me. I used to blame it on BC pills, but I'm not taking those anymore so that's not it. Maybe it is tied to my cycle somehow... who knows? Looking back at my journal here, FitDay and the litle notebook in my underwear drawer (that one goes back a long time) it has always been pretty much the same.

If I start a new "diet" I lose pretty well for awhile, then stop. I stay there for 2-3 weeks and get frustrated because it "isn't working anymore." I stay frustrated for a few days and either a) give up, or b) tweak something. If I give up I usually gain 2-3 and then maintain (Its been a long time since I gave up completely since the carby stuff makes me feel like crap). If I tweak something I'll start losing again and give credit to the tweak.

My tweaks have included more calories, fewer calories, VCO, more fat, less fat, cinnamon, more exercise, different exercise, the list goes on....

I think I'll try just sticking with it. I feel good eating to my BMR (I would rather "stall" at 2100 calories than 1700), I like what coconut oil does for me so I'll keep that and continue exercising of course. Other than that I'll just keep lc and let my body do its thing.

Losing what I did sure made Yellowstone a better trip. I had set a goal of being under 200 a few months ago. I didn't make that but I'm glad I lost what I did. I didn't get winded walking around, even at elevation. My butt didn't get stuck in the kayak and they didn't have to give me the "big" lifejacket (they are sized by color). I think the best thing was buying t-shirts. I still wear an XL, but not XXL. I used to just take whatever they had an XXL (or buy nothing), but this time I had my choice of cute Ts. I bought two

I have a lot to do today and may not be back here for awhile. My folks and niece and nephews are coming tomorrow and staying until Friday and then the in-laws are coming to stay the weekend. The joys of living at the beach . DH and I will have Friday night free though (between company, kids gone) and we are going to the Boardwalk to see Eddie Money. That will be fun.

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Hey, Gina!

Congrats on your success and staying power!

What you said about staying the course, totally wise words, girlfriend.

I'm much like you, there's a few days out of the month when my body says, fine, then, go! And the weight leaves.

Staying the course. Good approach!

[GME]

Still Wednesday

Good to see you Twyla! Did you bring home a lot of shells from your vacation? I've never been to Florida but it looks gorgeous on TV and in photos. I love our coast, but it is chilly most of the time. You need a wetsuit if you are going to be in the water much surfing or kayaking or whatever.

I really hate housework, so to avoid it I have been going back through my journal and Fitday and found that I lost more or less in spurts.... April 10-20, May 4-8, June 11-14 and now in July I've lost on the 8th & 9th. Not counting July, I've lost 12 lbs since I started keeping track in FitDay in April. That's 4 lbs a month on average and almost all of them have been in those date ranges. If the trend holds I'll get down to 211 or 212 this week and then hold steady again until August.

I would like to move a little faster than that, but it is certainly better than gaining. The good news is I don't feel deprived and I don't gain 10 lbs in a weekend if I slack off a little. Slow and steady wins the race I suppose.

[GME]

Thursday 7/10

Did I jinx myself by figuring out I should lose this week? No loss today, in fact up .5 lbs to 214.5

I did eat kind of late last night and man was it salty. It was a chicken alfredo dish I make all the time, but I used canned chicken. Between that and the jar sauce the sodium count went through the roof. My ring is feeling tight. I'll hit the water today and see what happens tomorrow.

My parents and the niece and nephews are coming today to spend the day at the beach. I'll make a good breakfast so I'm going into the day well-nourished and make some egg salad to pack in the cooler. We have nuts, cheese sticks and some good snacks to pack too.

I may put on DS's wetsuit he outgrew and try boogie boarding today. It sure looks like fun when the kids do it.

I plan on getting back to running tomorrow. The last week of C25K will overlap with the first week of One Hour Runner. Its harder now with DS15 in summer school because I don't leave DS11 home alone by himself yet so I can't run til the evening. With the vacation unpacking and houseguest cleanup I haven't had any energy left by afternoon. I'm out of the groove and I don't like it. My folks are taking DS11 with them when the go Friday morning so I can run then and next week at my fave time of day. We'll see what happens to my schedule after that.

Better scoot.... I still need to shower, get dressed, make & eat breakfast, make egg salad and vacuum before the company descends for summer fun.

[GME]

Friday 7/11

Well, its official, I jinxed myself 216 this morning. The only thing I can figure is too much fruit. I suppose its not that bad in the big scheme of things, but the 216 is there just the same.

The folks and kids left a little bit ago and I'm getting ready to go down and run. We went to the beach yesterday, just to hang out and let the kids play, and my feet were itchin' to take off. The fog rolled in and it got cold so I didn't get in the water.

Had a good breakfast of sausage and eggs this morning and will probably do egg salad for luch. Need to get to the grocery store for green salad fixins before the next wave of company comes.

[GME]

Saturday 7/12

214.5 today. Who knows?

The in-laws are coming......

[GME]

Sunday 7/13

215 this morning. Went to the Boardwalk last night and had a lot of fun. Didn't eat anything really off-plan, but a lot of sodium. My rings were pretty tight this morning. I'll go heavy on the liquids and easy on the processed stuff today. Had a good breakfast of sausage, eggs and a little watermelon. Getting hungry for lunch so I'll go see what we have.

I haven't been using FitDay lately, maybe I'll get back to it tomorrow.

[GME]

Monday 7/14

213.5 today. Hope the downward trend continues.

Looking back through FitDay, I have averaged .778 lbs lost per week over the past two months. That seems so slow, but its better than a kick in the pants I suppose. That's like losing 3 sticks of butter worth of fat off my body every week. That really isn't bad I guess.

Years ago, on another LC board, someone had a saying in their sig line... "Every time I take a walk, I leave a little fat in every footstep." If I think about it that way, if I run 3x/wk I'm leaving a stick of butter's worth of fat down on that beach each time. That's a cool way to think about it. I think I'll put that in my siggy line.

Went to Costco and the grocery store yesterday so I'm stocked up on good LC stuff for the week.

I skirted jury duty for today, but I have to call tonight to see about tomorrow.

I'm going to e-mail the principal later today to bail on the VP interviews Thursday- I may still have jury duty and the folks are probably coming back.

We have an archery tournament this weekend and guests coming Saturday morning I think. That airbed just isn't going to come down at all this month. We need a house with guest room.

On my schedule for today.... go down and run, enter today's food in FitDay, call the mechanic about the van, e-mail the principal, go to Wally World and the archery shop to get my new arrows, shoot a little in the backyard, and catch up on the filing & paperwork & bills. I sorted a big pile of mail yesterday in front of the TV while I watched Hope Floats. I love Harry Connick Jr.

[GME]

Tuesday 7/15

213.5 again today.

I only got about 3/4 of my to do list done yesterday. I have a meeting at the SCCOE this morning, and jury duty says I have to call at 11:30 to see if I need to report in this afternoon

Typing the date this morning made me realize how little of summer is left. I haven't accomplished any of the around-the-house projects I had hoped to. Too much time sitting here is the biggest problem I think.

I measured myself yesterday- I'm down a bit here and there from last month, but I'm going to put the measurements from March and July here next to each other so I can get a better picture. I don't see much change looking at the previous month's measurements only.

................March 13.......................July 14...................Change

Bust..........46.0...............................4 5.25....................-.75
Upper Arm..14.5...............................14.0...... ................-.25
Upper Ab....40.0...............................36.5..... .................-3.5
Waist.........40.5...............................3 8.75....................-1.75
Lw Ab........50.0...............................47.25 ....................-2.75
Thigh.........27.0...............................2 5.25....................-1.75

That's 10.75 inches lost overall . Looks better that way.

I can really tell its coming off my lower body. Its the running I'm sure. I started doing wall push-ups every day before my shower. Maybe that will help with the arms.

I think if I was measureing on other places I would see results there too. I have a lot less back fat. I can't tell you how happy I am about that Ugh, I looked awful from behind .

I have measurements in my little notebook down to 200 lbs and my bust doesn't shrink much. I wouldn't mind if it did some though. Maybe under 200, it seems to be going in waves.

I bought some new jeans at the Levi outlet yesterday. 16s just slid right up and buttoned. I tried on 3 different kinds and instead of buying whatever I could cram on, I bought the ones that fit BEST.

I have to stop with the new clothes though, some 16s I bought just a month ago are sagging a little and I bought them tight. I haven't really lost that much in pounds since I bought them though. Kudos to exercise

[GME]

Wednesday 7/16

212.5 today Feels good to see the scale moving.

I got all the pictures organized on the harddrive yesterday. Today I send them to Costco for printing and then they go in the album! If I can get the photo albums all caught up that will be a summer accomplishment. I'm going to try to get the garage fridge cleaned out too.

My state field archery medal came yesterday in the mail. It makes me want to practice for Sunday's shoot.

I really have accomplished some good things this summer... I lost 8 lbs (so far), graduated C25K (last run is this morning when I get off here), went to Yellowstone, got certified as a trainer..... but none of those things are household chores.

Looking at it that way, it doesn't seem so bad. That garage fridge is still icky though.........

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Hey, Gina!

Girrrrrrrrrrl, you're doing great! Wanted to cheer you on and give you a HUGE pat on the back for your hard work and positive attitude.

Have a great day.