breakfast:
frosted mini wheats (again)

lunch:
hot dog
potato salad
cantaloupe
carrot sticks

I desperately need to go to the store so we can quit eating Pioneer Day leftovers. They don't even taste good anymore.

snack:
chocolate zucchini cake
1% milk

dinner:
we splurged and took the kids to Chuck-A-Rama. I tried to make smart choices;
broccoli salad
a big green salad (romaine, spinach, watercress) with poppy seed dressing, oranges, mushrooms, onion, a small amount of blue cheese
whole wheat roll
some kind of Cajun white fish, not sure how it was prepared, but it wasn't fried.

I went out for a run at 9:00 pm. I actually rode a bike for the first mile. I was returning my niece's bike that she left here earlier in the day. It would have been a nice change if the bike was my size. It was too short and too low. Painful on the bummy. Good for the quads though. Then I ran a couple more miles. I'm not sure the exact distance. I'm guessing around three total. Maybe a little over. Madilyn went with me. Which brought with it a number of stops. And she talks a lot. And I can't. Still too out of shape. It was a good workout over all. Great weather.

I overslept this morning. Could have something to do with staying up to late watching a movie, and then being up in the night with various children. Now it's too hot to go running, and Stuart's leaving for work. I'll have to get something in sometime today.


breakfast:
frosted mini wheats


lunch:
I cannot believe what I just put in my mouth! I at two hot dogs! TWO! What is wrong with me???!!! Plus a helping of potato salad, and watermelon. I'm going to have to run for a week to burn off today's lunch.

dinner:
skillet chicken Italiano (chicken, zucchini, tomato, mushrooms, cheddar cheese, Italian dressing)
French bread
cantaloupe

Apparently I didn't learn anything from lunch today. I had seconds on everything at dinner. What is my deal?!!!

I went running after we put the kids to bed. Beautiful night for a run. It was dark, and my phone was dead, so I told Stuart I'd stick to the neighborhood streets. I took a route I haven't clocked before. It wasn't as long as I'd thought it's be. Not sure of the distance 2 -2.5 miles I'd guess, but I was only gone 35 minutes including my warm up and cool down. Not as long as I needed. Good run though. I felt like I kept a pretty good pace this evening.

I heard the alarm go off at 6:00 this morning, but I didn't get up. The baby went off every 15 minutes after that. I hefted myself out of bed at 7:00, got the baby breakfast. Ate my own sugar filled morning meal and then finally headed out for a short run sometime after 8:00. The weather was great for running. Today's run was better than yesterday's. The route was just under 3 miles, I think. When I finished my body felt like it could have done more, but mentally I wasn't in the game.


breakfast:
waffles
buttermilk syrup
1% milk
(it made me feel sick)


I'm so tired, I was dozing off rocking the baby earlier.

lunch:
grilled cheese on wheat
fresh cherries

snack:
1 graham cracker
cherries

dinner:
hobo dinners
root beer (lots of it)

Weigh in #14

Gained a pound. I'm not surprised. I deserved that pound. I'm still disheartened by it. I'm glad for the weight I've lost this far, but I've been yo-yo-ing for a month or two now. I'm still in the range that I've managed to get to before and never gotten out of. I don't know if I can do it.


I ran 3 miles without stopping this morning. It was a hard run. I never hit a stride. My breathing was never comfortable. Every step felt like it was the end of a long run. After 3 miles I walked up the hill plus some, maybe .5 mile. Then I started the last mile. It was a patchy walk/run. My legs hurt today. I felt so heavy and choppy while running. I thought a lot, "do I really want to be a runner?" I do, but I'm sure having a hard time feeling it right now.



breakfast:
frosted mini wheats

lunch:
leftover hot dog with mustard (I think that's the last of the leftover grill from the weekend)
grapes
potato salad
cake (I shared the last piece with Wrigley and the twins. Does that make it any better?)

dinner:
waffle with buttermilk syrup
a few bites of scrambled egg
bacon
1% milk

Between the cake and dinner, I sugared up again today. This morning I thought I'd be able to make it through the day. By lunch time I was hopeless. I'm really struggling mentally right now. Bleh...

Ran just shy of three miles without stopping this morning. Walked up the hill and then wimped out and kept walking the last mile. Usually I run it. Today I was wimpy. I don't know what the deal was. I'm disappointed in myself. This is coming off a terrible weekend for eating; fast food, cake, seconds, barbeques... I'm not expecting good news when I weigh in tomorrow.


breakfast:
frosted mini wheats with fresh strawberries and blueberries

lunch:
cheeseburger
baked beans
potato salad
cut fruit

dinner:
2 shredded pork soft tacos

FHE Treat:
cake

Not a good eating day for me. I sugared myself up by tasting the cake and leftover buttermilk syrup all day long. I did it knowingly and even purposefully. Self defeatist.

Between getting to bed late, the baby waking early, and my joints still un-recovered from last night's run I haven't been out yet today. Looks like another evening workout. I think I do better as a person if I run in the morning. I'm riding the mental roller coaster again today. I just want to shut myself in my closet. I'm also battling the munchies. Which I'm doing okay on. I had a snack, but at least it was fruit.


breakfast:
Frosted Mini Wheats
fresh strawberries and blueberries
1% milk


snack:
berry salad


lunch:
leftover cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard
baked beans
berry salad
chips (which I ate waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many of)


dinner:
shredded pork tacos (too many of them)
corn tortillas
lettuce
tomato
cheese
cantaloupe

I ended up on the treadmill for a late workout again this evening. I didn't feel like running by the time I got down there. I didn't push myself quite as fast (5.2). I was on the treadmill for 50 minutes or so. 500+ calories, around 3.5 miles. I can't remember the distance for sure. I'm so tired. My shins hurt (probably from carrying the extra weight of all the food I snarfed today).

I overslept this morning. I remember the alarm going off, at the same time Wrigley started fussing, so I waited for a few minutes to see if she'd go back to sleep or if I needed to go get her. The next time I looked at the clock it was almost 8:00 am! Now its too late (and too hot). I'll have to get something in sometime today.


breakfast:
oatmeal with brown sugar
2 slices of whole wheat toast with crunchy peanut butter
(I desperately need to go to the store)


lunch:
1.5 grilled cheese sandwiches (not healthy but, that's all there was)
grapes
half a glass of kool-aid


dinner:
cheeseburger w/ lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard (homemade and delicious)
baked beans
corn
berry salad (blueberries, strawberries, light sour cream, sugar, vanilla) that I ate too much of
pink lemonade


I had a rough day mentally/emotionally. I felt like I was trapped in a black hole of sorts. Instead of exercising during the day, I hid in my room, folded laundry, sewed and caught up on TV shows. Its much too hot to be out in the day time, and the treadmill sounded dreadful to me so I was shooting for an evening run. However, dinner was late. I ate too much and my stomach was uncomfortable, plus Stuart had basketball this evening so I couldn't go anywhere. I thought of putting the twins to bed and the running around the block a gazillion times while Chloe baby-sat, but it got late, and by the time I got everyone in bed it was 10:00 p. I went to change and started to get ready for bed instead of the treadmill. I loathe the treadmill these days. I rationalized that if I ran this late in the evening I'd be too tired for a long run tomorrow (which is probably true). But then something inside of me kicked in and I put on my workout clothes, grabbed my shoes and went to the basement. I haven't missed a day, other than for illness (whoops! There was one Saturday I missed due to massive cleaning projects) since I started this journey three months ago. Did I really want to break that record? Did I want to pave the way for more days of excuses? I knew I'd regret it in the morning.

I was surprised that I walked faster than I use to. I ran faster too. I was able to keep myself just under an 11 minute mile the whole time. I ran the entire 30 minutes. I never knew if I could run that long continuously or not. Due to treadmill boredom I skipped the last week of the 8 week program in favor of the outdoors. I don't wear a watch, so I just run until I can't get up the hills on my routes. I ran 3 miles non-stop (I thought I'd run 5k in 32:40, but I just remembered that .2 miles of the distance was done in my warm up. I needed to run .2 more miles to run the whole 5k. Too bad I didn't realize this before I got off the treadmill). That's progress from when I started. Can't complain about that!


The problem with exercising late at night is that now I'm wide awake, and it's almost midnight! Physically tired, mentally awake, but so glad I did it. I notice that I feel better after a run. I guess I really need it.

Weigh in #13

No loss this week, but no gain either. I'm still out of the 2's, which is amazing. Which is all I was hoping for, but if I'm being honest I'm a little disappointed. Probably because when I first stepped on the scale I'd lost a pound, then I was dumb and stepped on it again only to gain that pound back. As many times as I stepped on it, that pound stayed. Considering last week's weigh in had a big loss, my many eating indulgences, the shorter work outs, and a couple of complete misses due to illness I should count myself lucky. And I am. I guess I just always want more (or less in terms of weight loss).

breakfast:
pancakes with buttermilk syrup (courtesy of my sweet husband)
milk (regrettably we only had whole in the house)

lunch:
ham and cheese with lettuce and tomato
misc. fruit (melon, cherries)
..
dinner:
2 eggs Benedict (not so healthy I'm sure, but it was the only thing in the house)
more fruit

I ran a little further today. It was a hard run too. So many times I wanted to quit. I rationalized many times that walking would be okay, that I'd done enough. Then I'd reason my way into continuing on. The last mile the wind was fierce. I thought about giving up again and then I had a thought. The wind is like Satan pushing against me. Trying to stop me from reaching my goals. Not just my fitness goals, but family, and life goals as well. It seems that every time I find I'm making progress in any area, there's always a massive resistance. I couldn't let the wind push me back. I had to win, and I did! I need to clock my run today in the car. I'm not sure how far I went. Over 4 miles I'd guess.

I just got back from clocking the route in my car. Here's the break down:

warm up walk: 0.3 miles
run: 2.7 miles
walk break: 0.3 miles (stupid hill!)
run: 1.2 miles
cool down: 0.2 miles

total: 4.7 miles

Sooooo... 4.7 miles is cool. I'm disappointed in my continuous running distance. I was hoping it was closer to the 5k mark. I figured out a few things I can tweak. If I walk around the block and start running from my house I'll run 3.0 miles before I reach the dreaded hill. Then, if I can ever get my big rear up that stupid hill it'll be 3.2 miles. Got work to do (especially after that calorie laden dinner that's weighing heavy in my stomach)!

I didn't make it out for a run on Saturday, but I did spend the entire day cleaning like a mad woman. That's gotta count for something right?


New week. I went running this morning. It was good to be out in the cool morning air, wind and all. Monday's are a little tougher than the rest of the week. Especially if I miss Saturday as well. Two days off makes it all the more difficult to get started again. I knew I was slow, but I was totally schooled by what I'm guessing was the high school cross country team blowing by me this morning. They just kept pulling away, further, and further, and further...


breakfast:
a bowl of frosted mini wheats with fresh strawberries and blueberries
(unfortunately all we had was whole milk to pour on it)

lunch:
mixed fruit
fruit dip
chicken tikka masala over rice

snack:
low fat raspberry yogurt

dinner:
3 pancakes with home made syrup
scrambled eggs
fruit
milk

later:
OJ

Today was not a fabulous day for eating. Not my worst ever, but not good either. I'm going to be lazy and not go into details, but I hope to do better tomorrow.

I made it out for a run this evening. I looked forward to it all day. Its like my day doesn't start until I go. I'm getting to a point where I almost crave it. I never would have thought that when I started 3 months ago. Today's run was not as good as yesterday's. Yesterday I went for a good long run in through farm country. I felt like I was running faster than normal. It felt good. Today I got out even later and took a different route that would keep me near houses. From the start I felt heavy, slow, and awkward. It was a shorter route. I stopped when I got home. My mind said I was done, but I think my bloated body wanted to keep going. I had to walk off all the momentum I'd built up. Too bad my body and mind weren't in sync. I'll have to run longer tomorrow. I'm hoping to make it up the canyon tomorrow. As for now, its time to do the dishes, shower, and go to bed.

After feeding the baby I went back to bed. No run yet. Skipped breakfast. Still tired.


lunch:
left over pasta from last night. Feels like a brick in my stomach. I don't know why I ordered it I don't really like pasta.
grapes
2 bread sticks

snack:
granola berry trail mix stuff

dinner:
ham and cheese on a roll with lettuce and tomato
strawberries
carrot sticks
grapes
a handful of chips
one glass of lemonade

I finally made it out for a run after the kids were in bed. I left at 8:45 pm. Late enough for it to cool down some, also late enough for the wind to start back up. It got dark on the run. Which was fine, except for the stretch of trees I run through. That was a little uncomfortable. Also I passed a snake on the sidewalk early on, so it made me a little jumpy every time I heard something on the side of the road. It was a good run. It's around 4 miles. So glad I did it.

Short run again. 2-2.5 miles. Very tired. Stayed up waaaaay too late last night. I can still feel last night's pizza indulgence in my gut. It was hard to run tired and weighed down by the massive calorie intake. Especially with the wind (there's no wind in the evening).


breakfast:
some conglomeration of generic cereals. I think it was suppose to be Honey Bunches of Oats mixed with Wheaties

lunch:
I told myself I wasn't going to eat anymore of the pizza, but come lunch time there was literally nothing else in the house (the reason I ordered it in the first place), so I had 2 slices of veggie pizza.

dinner:
Stuart and I splurged and went out before heading off to see Harry Potter 6. We went to Olive Garden and I ordered some kind of shrimp pasta with tomato sauce. I picked it because it was on the low-fat list, but if I'd really been thinking I would have ordered something grilled and without the pasta. Pasta is soooo heavy on the tummy. It was good, but It didn't wow me. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn't busy being consumed by the guilt of our fiscally irresponsible indulgence. I had a salad, and a couple bread sticks. I brought half of it home with me. And the I ate the chocolate mint they handed out with the check.

Weigh In #12

I overslept this morning so I haven't managed a workout yet. I did weigh in and much to my surprise I've lost. In fact it's a big loss of 6 lbs. I stepped on the scale multiple times to make sure. As cool as it is, I'm not super excited about it. I don't know that I believe it. Last time I had a big loss, I'd gained it all back by the next week. Plus every time I get under 2, I just end up above again the next week. I've missed two days of working out due to strep throat as well. So, I guess the challenge for this week will be keeping the weight off. I really hope I can.


breakfast:
Kashi with fresh strawberries


lunch:
grilled salmon
rice
salad (carrot, lettuce, tomato, jack cheese, croutons, honey mustard dressing)

snack:
low-fat raspberry yogurt

dinner:
ugh. In last minute desperation we ordered pizza and I did not restrain myself. I ate waaaaay too much. 4 pieces. Ugh. That's probably more than 1000 calories. Good grief. Talk about self defeat.

I finally made it out for a run this evening. I didn't go too far as it was my first time out after coming down with strep. It was 2 maybe 2.5 miles. I took two short walk breaks. I was gone 30-40 minutes. I think that's okay for my first day back. Especially since I won't have a full 24 hrs. of recovery before my next run. Although I should have run a marathon to burn off my dinner. I'm going to have to be really good the rest of the week.

Strep Again

I didn't end up running on Saturday. By the end of the day my throat was quite painful and I was exhausted from cleaning the kitchen. Sunday morning I went to the doctor and sure enough I have strep throat again. Isn't my health suppose to improve from exercise? It's irritating me that I have to take a couple days off of my exercise. I really want to get out of the 2's! I've been eating well this week. Except for this morning. I hope to feel well enough to ease back into the workout routine tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

breakfast:
waffle with homemade buttermilk syrup
fresh strawberries
1% milk

lunch:
pulled pork sandwich with cheese (we had a lot of leftovers)

dinner:
grilled salmon
rice
salad (romaine, spinach, carrots, tomato, jack cheese, honey mustard dressing)
cantaloupe

later:
OJ
a couple strawberries

We took the kids to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open house this afternoon. I wore some shoes I haven't worn in a couple years (due to pregnancy) and they left big blisters on both my feet. We'll see how this effects the workouts.

breakfast:

Kashi with strawberries and blueberries
1% milk


I'm debating on my run today. I want to go, but I woke up with the beginnings of a sore throat, so I'm wondering if I should rest. Plus I'm really tired and want to go back to bed. Maybe I'll wait until this evening and see how my health plays out. Hmmmm... I hate to skip it.

pre-run snack:
a few strawberries


I tried a new route this morning. It had different hills, less cars, and lots more wind. It was a good route. I think it was about 4 miles. I've clocked it before, but I can't remember what the distance was for sure. I'll have to check it again. It has the same long hill towards the end as my other route. I still can't make it up. Baby steps I guess.


breakfast:
bowl of Kashi Go Lean with blueberries and strawberries on top


lunch:
pulled pork sandwich with cheese
a few pringles
nectarine

snack:
peaches and strawberries
1 t. of peanut butter

dinner:
roasted chicken and cheese on white, lettuce, tomato
fat free peach yogurt
carrot sticks
crystal light

I managed to resist all the yummy, pop-able snacks and treats at scrapbook night. I planned ahead and brought my own munchies: strawberries and grapes. More than I probably should have eaten, but at least it wasn't M&M's.

The last week of training had Thursdays as a walk day. I'm not sure if it's suppose to stay that way, but I took a day "off" anyway. My hip and knees are bothering me. Probably because I ran down a steep hill yesterday. I walked about 2 miles. I didn't go very fast, but it took me about an hour, so I imagine it was worth something.


breakfast:
1 egg
1 piece of toast
OJ
a fresh peach

lunch:
roasted turkey and cheese on white, with lettuce, tomato
grapes
cantaloupe

snack:
nectarine

dinner:
pulled pork sandwich
corn
chips (150 calories)

I resisted the temptation of ice-cream and cookies at a family gathering in the evening. I probably wouldn't have if Stuart hadn't been bragging about my new resolve against sugar and the pounds I've lost thus far. I'm glad I did. But.... I was really hungry before bed time and instead of just going to bed I rationalized a bowl of cereal (Kashi Go Lean) with strawberries and blueberries on top. I must not have been that hungry because I was really full afterwards. Oh-and I had a glass of OJ.

I did about 4.2 miles this morning. I ran the first three. I couldn't make it up the long hill at the start of the fourth mile, so I walked it. Then I couldn't get started again. I tried, but it just wasn't in me. I'm kind of disappointed. Those hills are quickly becoming my nemesis.

Running was harder this morning. Probably because I was so tired. Probably because I got out later, and it was getting warm, and I didn't have water with me. I kept telling myself, "you can do this. Run out of the 2's. You can do this. Your body was made from the same basic blueprint as people who run marathons! Keep going." I tried to stay positive. A line from my patriarchal blessing kept popping into my head (I had to look it up for exact wording), "You will have the ability to attain to what you want most in life. So seek for the very best." I need to take a minute to read the rest of it. I haven't in a long time.


breakfast:
oatmeal with 1 T of brown sugar, topped with strawberries and raspberries
1% milk

lunch:
roasted chicken on white, with lettuce, cheese, and tomato
grapes

snack:
nectarine
a couple graham crackers

dinner:
Ugh. We roasted hot dogs in the fire pit (I had mustard on mine), baked beans, a handful of chips, cantaloupe, a glass of kool-aid

I did, however, resist the temptation of the s'mores the kids were making.

Weigh in #11

I haven't given up. I'm just trying to spend less time on the computer. I haven't been that successful, but there has been improvement. That said, today was a weigh in day. It was disappointing. I gained 7 of the 8 lbs. from last week's loss back. I expected to gain some back since last week's weigh in was coming off a flu bug, but I was really hoping to stay out of the 2's. Really hoping it. I just can't seem to get under 2 and stay there. Never, in all my attempts have I managed it. I was really hoping it'd be different this time. I get so tired of loosing the same pounds over and over again. In my body's defense, I haven't fed it well this week. Fourth of July indulgences were a caloric nightmare. I've fallen into old eating habits in a big way. I really need to rededicate myself to healthier eating. Hard to do with zero grocery budget, but I can eat less, and I can control the sweets. At least that's what I tell myself. I need to. I've done it before. I can do it again.

pre-workout snack:
banana

I ran, ran, ran this morning. I figure it was about 4 miles. Maybe a little under because I skipped one of the hills. I wanted to be able to walk the rest of the week. I did a different hill instead. Other than that alteration it was the same as the route I did last Tuesday, which was 4.2 miles. Gotta run out of the 2's.

breakfast:
frosted mini wheats with fresh raspberries and 1 % milk

lunch:
there wasn't much left after the kids ate, a couple pieces of ham, half a cheese stick

snack:
low-fat raspberry yogurt
2 little graham cracker pieces

dinner:
we splurged on Subway to take to the ballpark. Not fiscally responsible, but there was nothing in the house, and it was yummy. I chose from their lite menu; sweet onion chicken teriyaki something. I was sooooo hungry I ate the 12 incher! A few apple slices, and a few bites of yogurt.

later:
OJ

I'm hungry, and tired. I stayed up too late working on a blog post for Wrigley's first year. Today is her 1st birthday. I feel badly about not doing anything to celebrate it. I know she doesn't care, but I do. I haven't finished the post yet, but I got the pictures uploaded. Oh! I'm so tired. It's almost midnight! Time for bed...