Moving right along

Yesterday morning I was showing a maintain on my weight.  Life was grand.  Then Lancaster county PA happened.  About two months ago I navigated a day in Lancaster just fine.  Yesterday I folded.  I was more than a thousand calories over.  I still kept a reign on it..slightly.  (It was the desserts at the buffet that got me...I did good at the buffet...I didn't  go crazy  on bread, didn't have any in fact....but had two desserts off the bar..  )It would have been not as bad had I gotten up and ran before we went, like I had planned.    However when the alarm went off I was still just so sluggish and stiff from Mondays work.  Oh we'll.  One day will not be the death of me.  The most important thing is that yesterday's eating and behavior does not occur anytime soon.   I'm not trying to live in a perfect world.  There will be days like that.  It's ok, as long as they are few and far between!

In other news....I got a new hat to get all sweaty during my runs!!!

Mentally ready

Tested out my new shoes.  Yes, I bought new sneakers the other day.  I bought shoes specific for running.  I used to always buy Nike, but then for some reasons I switched to Asics (they just felt better on my feet).  However, this time around I had a $40 gift card at Sears so I was tied to buying my shoes there.  They didn't have many options for running shoes at my Sears.  I tried on every pair they had.  The New Balance ones felt the best...so that's what I bought. The shoes were about $70 bucks to begin with...on sale for $50.  I used my Sears/KMart rewards points (of which I didn't have many...but 4 bucks is four bucks) and then the gift card...so I paid $6 bucks for these shoes.  I'm happy to say that they felt wonderful!  :-)   (Unlike the zumba shoes I bought and tried out last night...those puppies are going back as soon as I can get back to town to return them.)

My run today went well.   My breathing never once became choppy and harsh.  I could feel myself breathing more deeply and heavily but it wasn't that out of control breathing that has negatively affected me.  Even though my breathing wasn't out of control, I still made myself think about my breathing.  I want to totally train myself to breathe right...that's the only way I will succeed at this running thing.  And let me tell you.  I do feel alive when I'm out there working on this goal.



Today I was thinking a lot about playlists.  I threw some music on my playlist that is within my c25k app without much thought.  Today was really the first day that I got to listen to that new playlist and I was blown away.  I started my run with "I'm too sexy"  by Right Said Fred.  I ran to some Twisted Sister, "I Wanna Rock" and then moved on to Chicago "Alive again" and "Feelin' Stronger every day."   I heard some "Brick house" and "Fantasy" by Earth Wind and Fire.  I had a little "Cheers" by Riahanna (ok ok ok and I heard S&M) also.  I was pretty amazing.  They were mostly songs that were peppy which is good but they were all just perfect for me.  They were affirming to me.  I'm too sexy...I"m alive again.  I'm feeling stronger everyday.  Seriously...could it have been any better?  (totally unplanned too!)   I had one song come on....Lady Antebellum.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with Lady Antebellum....obviously, as I was willing to put a song (or two) on my playlist.  But it just didn't fit into the mood that my playlist was generating. It wasn't generating that feeling of power...that feeling of kick-assed-ness that all the other songs were instilling in my mind.  ANd with that one song (which I do like in normal circumstances) made me realize exactly how important music and what we put into our minds really is in relation to our mental psyche.  Right now I need kick ass music.  I need take no prisoners music.  It matches perfectly with my mission and my determination.   The right music helps the mental battle....and this really is a mental battle.  And with my kick ass music this morning...I'm READY!!!

After my training run I went home and rushed around getting ready for work.  I didn't time it quite right so I only had about 20 minutes to shower, dress, eat breakfast and pack my lunch and head out the door. (luckily I had already packed my gym bag for zumba tonight after work so that was one thing I didn't have to worry about.....I just had to kick Desi, our white big cat out of my gym bag so that I could grab it when I left as he had obviously decided to take a nap in my gym bag).   I showered and dressed in record time and then headed out to the kitchen. Breakfast was easy.  I had made baked oatmeal the other night.  I cut a serving size...and then my head got in the way.  I was SOOO hungry that I cut a piece and a half and chowed it down.  It wasn't until I was in the car on the way to work that it hit me that I totally ate way too much baked oatmeal.  Uhhh seriously. I had accounted for ONE piece.  One piece would have sufficed for my bodily needs.   I didn't need that extra half piece!   I know my training run will have burned off the extra calories. But I just want to scream. (and yes, myfitnesspal has already been adjusted for the extra 1/2 piece).  What's worse.....I feel like a poor bird that has eaten some dry rice and it has puffed up inside that birdy.  I'm STUFFED!  Not sick..but full!

I will leave you with a picture of three of our cats. I apologize for the unmade bed.....but seriously...how could anyone with a heart disrupt these three cats to make a bed??????    Desi is the big white boy..he will be 11 years old this year.  He spent the day at the vets yesterday..his prognosis....he has asthma.   Lucy is the calico that is at the top of the picture. She is now 16 years old. She's starting to show her age..she's more wobbly and doesn't jump near as much because her legs are just getting old.  I put steps up to the bed for her to use...however she's too proud to use them. (Desi on the other hand LOVES them).   Ethel is the little squirt on the bottom of the picture.  she will be 13 years old this summer.  She is an absolute sweet heart to humans and to the other cats...during the recent cat flea baths that have occurred at our house....Ethel is the cat that sits and watches and cries right along with the cat that is being washed.  We have two more...two youngsters.........Winnifred and Mertz. Who knows where they were during the picture session...off being crazy is my bet for at least Winni.

It rears it's ugly head.

The weekend went well.  I managed to avoid all the pitfalls and temptations that a weekend normally holds.  I was hanging out with my family on Sunday and they went out to eat at fast food (Sunday is usually kids choice).  This struck fear for a moment in my heart.  First because I don't eat at fast food on my own and secondly because "holy cow, what am I going to eat!"   Not to be deterred, I calmly smiled at my family and said "sure".    I decided that I COULD and WOULD do it.  I went and with kids clamoring for my attention I studied the menu board.  I chose a grilled chicken wrap and a small french fry.  I noticed my father (my parents were also there with my brothers family) didn't get french fries....so I dropped half of my fries beside his sandwich and thus ate 1/2 of a small fry and a grilled chicken wrap.  I HAD left a huge chunk of calories for lunch because of the unknown factor so when I finally had a chance to get my phone back (my niece and nephews usually commandeer it to play games) I put in my food intake and low and behold...I did GREAT!   I even had enough calories to have 1/2 cup of ice cream after dinner that evening!   You can 'have your cake and eat it too'...it just takes planning and some minor adjustments.  I didn't order the CRISPY chicken wrap, I didn't order crazy.  I split down my fries.  I made minor adjustments and enjoyed the time with my family.

On Saturday night I made a casserole and we sat down to eat.  I knew what I was doing.  I had it all planned out.  My food was on my plate.  My food was all within my budget and I was OK caloric wise.    I ate what was planned and when I was done I felt a bit stuffed.  Not sick, but seriously full.  It was not a new feeling.  I had felt like that through most of the Christmas week.   I have felt like that a gazillion times.  It is a familiar feeling.  But seriously, after one week of eating in healthy amounts and healthier foods I was shocked at how icky I felt.  Seriously icky!  I do not like that feeling!!!! 

So why did I keep eating.  I had a vague notion inside me while I was eating.  A vague notion that said "maybe you should stop eating".   So why did I ignore that?  I ignored it because the food tasted SOOO good and I wanted to keep eating because it tasted good and filled me with that warm feeling of happiness.  Ohhh hell, that means my addiction beat me momentarily!

I still coun my weekend as a success.  I stayed within my calories.  I did great.  I was watching The Biggest Loser last night and I sooo wanted to go to the kitchen to get something to eat.  I had already eaten my snack of ice cream, and had no spare calories in my budget, at least calories that I wanted to eat.  I did not want to eat any of my earned exercise calories so I kept my butt firmly glued to the couch and ignored the craving and continued to sip on my water.  I navigated fast food.  I navigated a whole weekend and stayed within my caloric count.  VICTORY!