Crisis Averted

I really did dodge a bullet tonight. Hubby has been working all week and I've been on my own for dinner. Overall I've been doing fairly well having salads and chicken and doing pretty darn good. Tonight though I was teetering on the edge of a binge. I did not want salad or chicken. I did not want to cook. I did not want what was available. I decided to make the drive to Jack-in-the-box and get a burger. And a shake. And some fries. And probably stop for dessert. Yeah, that would have been bad. Really. Really. Bad. But I grabbed my wallet and keys, headed out the door with every intent of consuming more calories for dinner then I have all week. Thankfully something inside kicked in and as I got in the car I decided that was an incredibly stupid idea. I did continue driving but instead of going to Jack I headed to the grocery store. I had decided that I did not need a burger, fries, shake and dessert. I would settle just for dessert. So I got to the grocery store and got my go-to, all holds barred dessert. Magnum.

This stuff is expensive and worth every single penny. I paid $6 for a box of 3 - $2 each. But they are so, so good. When I really want a dessert and I haven't had one in a while (and I have not had any sweets all week) this is what I go to. So I got a box of these, went home and had a small sandwich. Nice. What could have been a 3,000+ calorie night ended up being about 500 calories. Considering I had salad and nachos for lunch and yogurt for breakfast, it's not bad at all.... I am pleased.

In other news. I love gadgets. I am a real tech geek. I am usually the first to have all the latest toys. I especially love toys that help with my fitness. I've had a Body Bugg, a Fit Bit, pedometers, Garmin, heart rate monitors, Nike+, and I'm sure there's more I'm missing. I really enjoyed the Body Bugg but it cost like $12/month to access the website and get the data off it. That got to be pricey. I had the Fit Bit for more than a year and I really liked that. It was small and easy to wear but rather limited. The website was a little clunky too.

Then last week I was watching Biggest Loser and they showed this new device they are using - I guess they dumped 24 hour fitness and had to dump the Body Bugg too. Anyway, it was a brief clip and the device was called a Slim Coach. I immediately went and Googled it. I found it and discovered that next month, February, the My Trak M2 is becoming the Biggest Loser Slim Coach. I wanted one. I looked up buying one and found they were $130!! Well, that's too much and I wasn't going to be able to afford it - nor could I spend that much in good conscious. But I kept looking around and reading reviews and found a bunch of people that really loved it. I then stumbled across a site with a discount code. I ended up getting one for $69.99 - woo hoo!!! The most amazing part was that I ordered it Tuesday night and it was delivered yesterday!!! From Canada!!! To Hawaii!!! Amazing..... Here is what it looks like:

Last night I got it all set up and I wore it today. The thing I like about it is that you set a fitness goal, calorie burn, and it starts the day red and changes to green as you get closer to meeting your goal. It's a fun toy. I like it and hopefully it will help me keep active. New toys!!!
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Playing games

I love to play games. The simplier the better. I don't like games that make me think a lot or require a serious strategy to play. After teaching all day I like to do some fun, mindless stuff. Well I found a new place to do this, Winster. It's a slot machine type game where you win points and earn prizes. You also play with others and you can help them or let them help you. It's fun and definitely relaxing. So check it out. You can click the link below or the banner in my sidebar. It's fun and you know you want to have fun....

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Self perpetuating

There are many sayings out there the promote positivity.

• Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you are right
• Where the mind goes the body will follow. 
• Where the body goes the mind will follow. 
• Fake it until yo feel it....

And so on.  These are all true. The hardest part is putting yourself into the positive mindset. Even if you are faking it. Some times you just have to drag your way through negativity, self doubt, and even self loathing to get to a point where you can create a spark of positiveness. The good news is sparks don't like to be alone. Create one and another will follow. And another. And another. And on and on and on.....

Yesterday I had some major triumphs early in the morning with my bike ride and my weight loss. Once I got home I decided to track my food, since I'm doing so well I should learn what I'm doing.  So I did. I also made an effort to get enough water - something I struggle with on the weekends - but fell a little short in that area. I also wanted to do a boot camp workout last night, but after my bike ride in the morning and walking the dogs in the evening I was really tired. So I passed on the boot camp. I ended the night feeling good and tired. I slept really well last night and woke up early this morning. I've been up for a few hours now and feeling pretty darn good. I have nothing earth shattering on the agenda today, some housework and maybe some school work, so it will be a relaxing day. I am going to get my workout in and I am going to go shopping for food for next week.The only thing negative in my life right now is my neighbors. Maybe I should look for some southern shores real estate to get away from these jerks. Or I can just do like I've been doing and ignore them...... 

Bottom line here?  Positivity breeds positivity......

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Conquering fears and being a loser

8 weeks ago today I crashed on my bike. It was pretty bad and I was in a lot of pain for awhile. Of course, all things considered it was not a bad crash at all which is what scares me. If I was in that much pain for that long and that wasn't a bad crash.....what would a bad crash be like? It took a long time for some of the injuries to heal. I have a scar on my arm that was probably the worst injury and I'm sure it will be there forever. For the last month or so I've been wanting to get back on my bike. But every week I find an excuse; it's too hot, it's too cold; it's rainy; it's windy,I overslept, etc. The truth of the matter was, I was scared. I was afraid to ride again because I was afraid to crash. My little crash caused a whole lot of pain, I didn't want to take the chance and have a worse crash. So I've been finding reasons excuses not to and that wasn't hard at all. Well, this morning I found myself wide awake at 5:30 am. It was not windy and there was only a little, morning rain. None of my excuses would fly this morning. So I got ready, got my bike out, and headed off to Weight Watchers. It was scary going I tell you. But I took my time, rode very conservatively, and it was great. I didn't take my mind off what I was doing for one second. I was so focused it was insane. But I did it. When I was getting near the intersection where I crashed I started getting a little anxious, but I went through it no problem. I do have to say that I did things I felt were safe but were not necessarily following the bike laws. I used some crosswalks to cross streets when I didn't feel comfortable going with traffic. I rode on the sidewalks a couple of times. But I was careful and safe and I'm glad I finally did it and my fear has been conquered.

Now, as for being a loser, I am :) I was down 1.2 lbs. Yeah!!! Considering the week I had, this really surprised me. I haven't worked out all week. Eating was not the best it could be, but I'm getting really intuitive about the eating. I did have dessert one night but basically I eat decent amounts during the day and stop eating dinner when I'm full. Some nights that's a lot of food and other nights it's just a little. The point is I'm paying attention and able to realize that I'm full and stop. When I do that I do not feel stuffed and bloated. And apparently it's paying off. Down 1.2 lbs Woo Hoo!!! Now this week I'm definitely going to track and work on getting my workouts in. I'm going to get up in the mornings and do my bootcamp even if I only get one round done. It's better than nothing. A girl at WW today said she gets and hour exercise every morning no matter how early she has to get up. Hmmmm....maybe I need to shift my thinking....

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Time to take control

After I wrote my post the other day it came to me that I'm not in as much control as I like to think I am. I was letting life and responsibilities get in the way of what I want to do. I was worrying about everything else and not about me. Wow! That's a huge change. When I first started WW and they would talk about how people with weight problems have a hard time saying NO. How they put everyone else's needs before their own and that ends up being part of the problem. Heck, they even talk about it on Biggest Loser. Anyway, I used to say that I don't do that. I take care of myself and do what I want to. It wasn't completely true then and now I've fallen further into the habit of taking care of everything else and ignoring me.

Some things I've noticed lately. I don't workout at night because we have to walk the dogs and I don't want to delay dinner too long. I don't workout in the morning because I don't have time because I've gotten into my head that I need to be at school by 6:30 - a full hour before I have to be there. I don't workout on weekends a lot because we have things to do and I don't want to delay hubby. I don't eat as well as I should all the time because Hubby makes dinner and I don't want to tell him what to do or make. Really???? Who is this person and where did they come from? I don't know but it's time to kick her butt to the curb.

It's 6:30 right now. I'm going to get my bike out and ready and I'm riding to WW. After that I'm going to carefully ride to the racquet club and check out the happenings over there - big national tournament starting tomorrow. Then I will ride home shower and clean up this room. Once that is all done I will get some work done on my thesis - that is starting to become critical. I will work out later and we will walk the dogs. I will consider it a good day if I fall into bed exhausted tonight. Tomorrow it will be more of the same only with football thrown in - the 9ers are playing :)

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Moving at the speed of light....

That's what I feel like anyway. I have been working hard and working to keep on top of everything and not let things slip. It's only the first cycle and I can already see where things can go wrong. I've been going in early and getting things ready. I have to admit that I haven't been doing anything at home at night. That is step one into changing my routine.

So I'm this huge advocate of choices. There is always a choice - Always!! You give me any situation and I will show you a choice. You may not like the options but they are always there. So why am I lamenting my own choices so much lately? Back to school and I'm tired and drained at the end of the day. I can't force myself to get up in the morning and by evening I'm wiped out. I want to workout, at least I think I do. I know that I don't want to feel the way I do and look the way I do. Wait! I think I just hit on something. My motivation is from the negative. That never works for me. My motivation has to come from a positive side or it just doesn't work for me. My motivation has to be things like, I want to feel better, I want to run faster, hell I just want to run, I want to not be so tired, I want to be fit and trim. I heard Oprah once say, what you resist persists, and it is so true. If I focus on the negative I will stay stuck where I am. I need to shift my view and focus on the positive. I know this in every other area of my life, why can I not get it together in terms of health and fitness? What is wrong? Okay, nothing, I just need to break old habits. Course it would be a whole lot easier if I was trying to do motor home repair, but I can do this.

Start small. One step at a time, just continue to make forward progress.

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New Shoes

Sometimes a new item will inspire me to get moving again. I don't do it often, but every once in a while I buy something new for my workout.

Yesterday I discovered I had a $25 coupon for Sports Authority and it expired yesterday. I had to go spend it, didn't I? Hate to see $25 go to waste. So I headed over to see what I could find. Being on the larger size I tend to go through shoes quickly. Also, with no cartilage in my right knee, as soon as the cushioning wears down a little I can feel it. So I figured I would take a look at the shoes on sale.

I ended up getting the ones in the picture. I have not owned Nikes in years and years. I wore them today and I like them. Doing a boot camp workout in my running shoes was okay but it's better in these....

Okay, I had a long, insightful post planned but I walked away in the middle to do laundry and now I've lost it. If it comes back to me I'll be back to finish this. If not, oh well.....

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My New Addiction

This guest post from Margaret Mills

I have recently become the biggest online shopping addict. Just in the last week I have ordered two pairs of shoes, a winter coat and a wine sampler from different websites. I started working from home about a month ago, so I have a lot more freedom to do what I want with my time. Of course this means I shop for shoes and clothes when I’m supposed to be doing work! I guess I could exercise or clean, but who wants to waste time with that? It’s so much more fun spending my time looking at and purchasing the latest trends. Sometimes I actually do look for things my family needs though, like wireless internet service deals. I figure that if I start searching for deals on things I really need I can offset the extra spending I’ve been doing. With the holidays coming up I know I need to get the best deals possible so I’ve really been doing my research this year on things I want to buy. It’s amazing how much cheaper shopping online can be than buying in stores. Getting great dealsmakes me feel so accomplished!

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Up and Down

Really tired of this cycle I seem to be stuck in. One week I'm up, the next week I'm down. I wouldn't mind so much if there was general progress in the down direction, but there's not. I'm very close to where I was when I first started WW again.

I was down 2 lbs this week. That is awesome. I'm feeling good and I knew it was going to show a loss. I need to keep this going though. I can't go ,'oh yeah, I lost. This week I can slack a little.' That's kind of what's been happening. I go down. I think I've got it wired. Then I lose focus. So I want to take a few minutes and look at what's working for me and how did I lose 2 lbs. this week?

First was the food. I did not track every day, but I was extremely mindful of what I was eating. Not only did I consider what I ate but how much I ate of it. I never walked away from a meal this week stuffed. Never. So mindful eating.

Second was the water. This week was back to school and back to the habit of drinking 64oz of water a day. I fill my 32oz cup up in the morning and at lunch. With all the talking I do as a teacher I need that to keep my mouth and throat lubricated. The fact that it also helps my body is an added side benefit. When I'm at home, no matter how much I try to make it a habit, I just don't drink that much water. So drinking my water.

Third has to be routine. Being back to school, I'm back on a regular routine. I eat breakfast at 7:15. I generally eat lunch at 11:30, I have a snack at 3:30-4:00, finally dinner is usually 7:30ish. I eat every 4 hours or so. It's not something I planned, it's just the way it works out. But it works for me. When I'm home I find it hard to stick to a schedule like that. I sleep later, workout and then don't eat breakfast until almost 10am. Then depending on what I'm doing, I can eat lunch at noon or not until 2pm. Or not at all. Then have dinner at 7 or 8. Now that I look at that, I can see that this is not good. So routine.

Finally the workouts. I have not worked out every day but I did workout 2 days and these are killer workouts. I'm doing the BCx Bootcamp and the workouts really kick your butt. I can feel my core muscles and I'm seeing muscles in my arms. The week before I did the entire week and I think I'm having residual effects from that, but these are great workouts. The success this week is that I did the 2 workouts at night. That is huge for me. I get these routines and schedules set in my mind and breaking out of them is difficult at best. For example, I have it in my head that I workout in the morning. That's it. I do. So working out at night just goes against everything that I believe and that makes doing it hard. Also, I have this routine in my brain: come home, walk the dogs, clean the bird room, relax, eat dinner, watch TV, go to bed. Relaxing usually involves 30-45 minutes on the computer. Watching TV is usually done prostrate on the couch and generally lasts an hour or more. Now, why can't I replace one of those two things with working out? No reason except that it's not on the schedule!!!! Stupid, I know, but true. So I am going to work on switching that around this week. I have this weekend and Monday off. I'm going to work out at 6:30 each night - that's generally the time I'm done with everything else. So that will be 3 days of working out. Then I'm going to try and do 2 more nights during the week. That will give me 5 workouts for the week. Yeah!!!

Someone at the WW meeting last week said that weight loss is an inside job. That is so true. And being successful at weight loss requires recognizing those thoughts and beliefs that are holding you back and changing them. Maybe I used to be a morning workout person but maybe I'm not anymore. Things change, people change, this too can change.

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