It's a lifestyle change.....or supposed to be anyway!

Just checking in, have been SO sporadic in my workouts lately!  I am down about 10 lbs from the weight I had gained back, with about 10-11 more to go.   I have tried to get some form of exercise most days even if it is just a walk in the neighborhood.  That being said, I still need to get back in my weight routine especially - I can tell such a (negative) difference in how my body feels this year.  I am not toned, more cellulite on my legs and arms, just don't feel as strong.  The past couple weekends I've done a couple runs (4 miles and 3 miles, respectively) so I feel good cardio-wise for the most part but my weight training has suffered.  Oh and I HAVE to stop snacking on Oreos!! 

A lot of this I think is partly due to it being baseball season - I'm up late with games for Isaiah; but also it's just that my routine has changed.  Rob is a night owl and I have not been one for a long time.  So if I am with him, I tend to stay up later which of course, makes me miss the gym in the morning because the odds are, I'm not going to go to the gym on 4 hours of sleep!  haha

I should make it more of a priority though and that is my plan; I can still wear my shorts from last year but I'm a little embarrassed about how my legs look and that bums me out.  I know that will change though with some work and consistency!

One good thing, Rob is buying a house after renting for a couple years following his divorce.  There is a planet fitness within 1.5 miles of the new house - woo-hoo!  That is a good thing for me, assuming down the road within a couple years I may end up there as well.  :)

On Top of the World?!

Okay so maybe I'm not feeling that good...but I am feeling pretty great these days!  I've been super consistent with my eating.  Still logging everything into My Fitness Pal - that helps me a LOT! And I've tried to get some form of exercise every day.  I did miss a day over the weekend due to the holiday.  And I still am not getting to the gym every morning during the week like I used to -- 3:45am comes early!  I did go this morning however, and killed my legs/back workout!  I know the morning workouts will be easier with warmer weather.  I have still been walking a lot in the afternoons when possible to supplement and that is definitely helping. 

I've had 2 weigh-ins since I really started back with my plan and have lost weight at each weigh-in.  3 pounds at the first one, 2 pounds at the second one.  I probably won't weigh myself again until this Friday, so hoping for another 2 pounds.  As it stands right now, I have 14 to get back to where I want to be.  It's within reach!  At least in a couple months I hope?  Haha 

Tag Team-ing it Up!

It's always nice to have a workout partner....someone who enjoys the same things you do, who pushes you and motivates you.  I will say, even though Jerry wasn't the *best* husband (haha), he was a great workout partner.  I've gotten used to doing runs on my own and workouts in the last year and a half.  To the point it seems normal to me.  My boyfriend Rob, is not a runner.  And that is fine!  He and I have a lot in common -- I had lost 85 lbs, he had lost 70 lbs around the same time I did, though we didn't know each other at the time.

So we can totally relate to each other and to the struggles with boredom eating, not working out, getting stuck in a rut, etc.  Since we began dating, we have both gained some weight back....I like to attribute that to the fact that I am happy.  Haha.  Generally speaking, I am happy....with many areas of my life.  I think to the point that I got content...and lazy...and relaxed.  Too much!  He has done the same thing.  It creeps up on you, until you notice your jeans are too tight, shirts are a little snug, etc.

He told me he had gained weight and he was concerned I wouldn't be happy with how he looked...truth be told, I didn't realize he had gained weight until I saw an older picture of him from when we first started dating and I realized it was true.  Same for me - although I already knew it because of how my clothes fit.  Oh and the scale.  Haha!

For just over a week now, Rob has been back in his healthy eating routine and working out.  He is an extremely competitive person -- I mean college scholarship level tennis player when he was in high school competitive.  He is super focused when there is something he wants to do.  That can be good and bad.  For this purpose, it is good!  We live about 25 mins apart so we really can't work out together too often....but we are both using My Fitness Pal and are friends on there so we really keep each other accountable that way.  It's nice to have someone to share this part of my life with; especially him.  <3

Happy Trails....To You....

Ahhh springtime!  I was finally able to get a run in on the bike path in Southington (only about 5-10 mins from me) on Sunday morning.  I was out of town Saturday so made the plan to get a run in, if the weather cooperated, on Sunday.  Thankfully, it did so I got 3 miles in.  True to form, I ran it in just under 30 minutes. I always run a 10-minute mile, no matter whether I try to go faster or slower.  That's just my speed, I suppose. 

I felt great and even took a walk in the afternoon for a little extra cardio. 

I fell off the wagon for a few days after bringing in the troops (going to the casino, I've discovered, is tough -- free food and lots of it!) But I am firmly back in my routine now, counting calories and drinking lots of water and getting exercise most days.  If I don't get to the gym early in the morning, I try to get a walk/run in during the afternoon.

My goal is to lose about 15 pounds and fit into my summer shorts! (I can wear them for now but they are a little snug!) haha

Bringing in the Reserves....

So I had to take a drastic step to get myself back on track (haha).  I enlisted the help of my sister Cheryl and my sister-in-law, Leslee.  They both live very healthy lifestyles and have great tips for healthy eating as well as encouragement in my weight-loss journey.  I need someone to keep me accountable - i.e., check in with me to see if I did go to the gym, how is my eating, etc.  Cheryl & Lester are great for that.  At Leslee's suggestion, I also downloaded the "My Fitness Pal" app which has been great.  Especially for someone a bit obsessive like me -- you can track every calorie you eat for the day as well as water consumption and your workouts.  It has kept me on track very well so far - I am, however, just a week into this.  Haha!

My goals are to lose the 18 lbs or so I've gained and get back to where I was at this time last year - feeling fit and strong!  I'm on the way but have a ways to go...I can already feel positive changes though.  My jacket had been feeling a bit snug around my waist and I can feel the slightest change with that. 

I moved recently into a condo and I am loving it so far!  The complex where I live is quiet and is HUGE.  In the afternoons over the past 3-4 days, I have taken walks as the weather has been nice and a bit warmer.  I can take a 30 minute walk by doing a loop through various parts of the complex, which also includes a VERY steep hill.  The first couple times I walked the entire time; yesterday (small victory), I jogged up that VERY steep hill TWICE!  :)  I don't intend for these walks to replace my usual cardio at the gym or on the running trail outside; rather, I want them to supplement my workouts and just be almost an added bonus.  I know it will be great for my endurance especially with the hills. 

Stairway to Hell

I've been pretty firmly back in my routine for a couple weeks now (almost 3?) and feeling good so far!  Weigh-in is not until Thursday and I'm trying to prepare myself in case the scale doesn't move much. Reason being, I've been hitting the weights really well and I know that the scale number might be a bit misleading -- I could still be losing fat & gaining muscle so my weight might not go down as much as I'd like.  We shall see!  I do feel smaller already and not as lethargic as I have for a while so that is a win.

I had grown accustomed to doing longer runs on the treadmill back when I was in the thick of my weight loss journey (bad pun haha).....in the last year or so, I've gotten away from that and just done shorter runs.  I've changed things up a little bit the last few weeks, which I am hoping will boost my metabolism.  I have done HIIT (high intensity interval training) the past few times I've run on the treadmill....that is a workout!  Basically I run for 3 minutes, then raise the incline quite a bit and up my speed as well for a 30-second burst....then I slow it down for 3 more minutes, then another 30-second burst, slow it down, and repeat....I usually do this for about 30 minutes total.  I try to lengthen each 'burst' by 2-5 seconds as I progress through my run. 

So since my goal right now is to lose fat (not just maintain my weight as I've done for a while before I got lazy haha)....I wanted to add in something else for my cardio workout to change it up and keep my body guessing.

I have never used the stairmaster/step climber at my gym...until last week.  Holy cow.  Now I know why I haven't.  I thought I was going to die in Planet Fitness.  All the way in the last row.  Under the step climber.  This could be partly because I attempted to use it right after doing my 30 minute interval run on the treadmill...but I believe it's mostly because I've been out of shape for a while!

I wish I had it on video the first time I tried it.....I almost fell off just getting on the stupid thing because I didn't realize the steps will start moving as soon as you step on it.  haha  There was a younger girl next to me (cute Russian-looking girl, I'll call her Svetlana)....thankfully she was nice enough to show me how to use it...all the while maintaining her speed on the climber, seemingly without breaking a sweat.  Ugh...I hate Svetlana.  Haha  Anyway.....this day was a victory as I did 5 minutes on the step climber......and a few days later, over the weekend, when I did cardio again, I did 6 minutes! 

I am toying with the idea of trying to do the climber for my cardio routine next time (prob Thursday?) just to see if I can make it a whole 20 minutes (that's the normal default workout time on there and I'm curious if I can do it).  Just to switch it up a little, I may try that and then do a short, fast run on the treadmill after.  Will keep you posted!

In this corner....weighing one pound less than last week....

Ok so I am back to my weigh-ins every 2 weeks like I did when I first started my weight loss journey.  I have found that is the best 'weigh' to do it for me (haha I'm a dork).  I am often tempted to weigh myself every day to see if the scale is moving down....and sometimes, I will admit, I do take a sneak peek before weigh-in day.  But once I have my mind set to doing weigh-ins every 2 weeks, I'm pretty good about it.  It's almost fun to work your butt off and hope to see results at the end of that 2 week period.  It also keeps me somewhat honest with regards to my workouts and food choices, knowing that day is coming.  I have always done weigh-ins on Thursdays; I'm not sure why, that's just how I've done it.  So I weighed myself on Jan 9th (YIKES) and for the next week, I did go to the gym maybe once and did somewhat awful with my food choices.  The next week I buckled down and got fully back into my routine.

I weighed myself on Thursday, Jan 23rd and was down a pound.  That's a good thing since really, I had only been back on my program for one week.  Next weigh-in is Thursday, Feb. 6th so I'm hoping for good results then.  I also pay attention to how my clothes fit -- my pants have all been tight, to the point I can't even wear my black dress pants to work right now.  So I will monitor that as well; I can't wait to be able to wear all my regular clothes again!  I've just been going back & forth between the one pair of jeans that fit me and my leggings.  I have cute stuff that I can't wear and that's annoying!  Haha

PS - just a note, still doing great at the gym, I went Saturday AND Sunday and then did legs & back this morning.  :)  And my food choices have been really good too.  Only thing that was somewhat of a 'cheat' was my mashed potatoes & baked mac & cheese (small portion) with my tilapia from Ruby Tuesday on Saturday night.