End of the month recap

I didn't run in October.   I didn't run a single mile.  Guess I didn't even come close to any mileage goalie the month.   But let's be honest...I didn't set any either!!!!

My weight is hovering in that same 3 pound range and as of my last weigh in was hovering at the high end.

Let's be honest...after my food consumption this weekend (week) I will be shocked if it's still within that range...even barely!   Yes I aim for 1200-1300 calories. (Typically)   I haven't been too bad...1600 or so lost days...but Saturday...I went to breakfast with a friend...and ordered the cinnamon stack pancake thing at Bob Evans.  And yes syrup!  Yeah...over 1k on calories right there!   I was full and didn't really want lunch...but got an Italian soda....170 calories.   Dinner was pizza (two slices and wings...only three wings...and some blue cheese). 750 calories.  Then we got Ben and jerry's ice cream....and I ate almost the whole container (of course we got our own containers!!)...over 1k calories there!  That means I ate over three thousand calories!!!!  Ouch!!!

Oh wait...the silver lining????  I tracked!!!

So November....running?  I have some vacation time. Like a week and a half and then a really long weekend later)....and the holiday.  There is a chance that dad may be having surgery...we are assuming that's the next step...we will know more after the next appointment with the surgeon.   Realistically if I'm off work and staying at home getting a run in is easy!  But I know that Jason and I will be out and about....and if we are away (which we plan on being some nights) then running is much more difficult.   And if I am home but we are hooking up to hike or bike...well then running will be pushed aside.   So I don't want to place a super high goal this month...40 miles was a stretch before.  Not having run in the last month AND a crazy month ahead of me could make 40 a totally inachievable goal!  There are 14 days I will be scheduled to work in November. At least 4 of those will be early starts which makes running likely to not happen.   That gives me 10 days....2 miles each of those days is 20 miles.....and that will be harder if dad has surgery in November!    So my goal is 20!!!!!

20 miles!!!!  I can do this!!!!  (And if I do happen to hit a much higher number...I will just have to celebrate!!!! )

This last weekend we ended up taking it a bit easier....sinus pressure for one but also a slight stomach problem.  (It passed but we didn't want to push our luck!).  So we did some antiquing...some roaming and bike shopping (Jason is planning on buying a new bike very soon...which is why I mentioned biking earlier in this post....which reminds me...one if my bikes needs to come out of storage ASAP so I can make sure she is in working order!!).  We drove home and decided to take the ferry across the river.

And we walked about 6 miles on the canal...

A good weekend!!

Throw in the Towel

The last few weeks I have struggled.   I occasionally think about how awesome I felt at a lower weight and I want it again!    I think about the energy levels I had back than and I want it!!!!  And in those moments it seems attainable and even something that I really want and am willing to work for!!!

But a lot of the time I think about going through the bins of clothes that I have in the next size or so down.....and throwing them away (or rather goodwilling them!).  I think about just settling and buying clothes for me right now in this size....not constantly just buying the bare minimum because 'I'm going to be losing weight and won't be in this size much longer'.   I think (quite happily I might add) about never logging onto myfitnesspal again.  Never again thinking about caloric counts.   I think about walking away from it all and just being happy with who I am and not worrying about my weight.  

You see...Jason tells me all the time how beautiful I am.  He tells me all the time that I'm perfect and the woman of his dreams in every way!!  It is me that doesn't feel 'perfect'.    But when I think about his compliments and actually start to believe them I really honestly wonder why I am doing this?  Why am I beating my head against a seemingly indestructible brick wall???  Is it worth it?

You see....I stress myself out.  I am torn in half between wanting the weight loss and wanting the freedom.   I half heartedly try.  I half heartedly keep my finger in the pot.  I log onto myfitnesspal every day....gotta keep my streak going you know!!!   But I don't log religiously.....I log half heartedly.  And usually just breakfast with an occasional lunch tracked. It's sad really. 

 Half-hearted effort....and no results.   They go hand in hand don't they?  And what's worse they breed more of the same!!!

I haven't give up totally.   I want to live and be active up until the end.....and I know weight loss...or rather a healthy lifestyle is important to accomplish that goal.   And that thought alone is what is keeping that one wee little toe of mine in this race. 

My weight for this week?  Up 2 pounds.  Grrr.   I am right where I was in March.  I guess I should be happy that in holding steady within a five pound range.  (I have dropped on occasion but  I'm pretty much sticking within a 3 pound range....I'm at the top of that range right now)

So let's look at the positives.  

So far in 2016.......

I have hiked 180.67 miles.

I have run 157.89 miles.  

I have walked 369.63 miles!!! 

We have hiked and stood at overlooks.  

We  hiked to scenic beaches through nature preserves.

We have stood at the bottom of a waterfall and then a few hours later stood at the top of that same waterfall after a long climb up.

We have walked the beach....

And walked through graveyards and around ruins and other interesting places exploring...  

We have walked countless hours in museums.

And 

I have been somewhat active!!!  

So there are positives!!!

And as I reread what I wrote and looked at the positives one thing was startling clear in my thoughts.   I want to live!!!  I want to be looking at pictures of myself in 40 years of me standing at a waterfall....in a museum (and not as a mummy but as a visitor)...at a beach sunset....viewing an overlook!  Yes I'll be 84....it's doable!!!

I don't know how this is going to play out.  I am making no vows to be religious with tracking.  I make no vows to watch healthy.  I make no vows to never eat a chip again!   I make no promises at all!   

But maybe.....just maybe I can find some kind of happy medium!!!!

Slowly dwindling supply

I've had a few punches in my progress the last 12 hours or so......lets just call them whammys!

The first Whammy.....(and I apologize...number one may be a bit long). It's a whammy to my heart...but also a reminder to myself...an important lesson!

Sometimes we don't realize the impact that we have on others.  In a way it is mind boggling!  I was just reminded of this in a very real way within the last 24 hours....  Let me start at the beginning...about 30 years ago...junior high and high school.   I was friendly to all and counted most people in the school as 'friends....more acquaintance friends'.  I had some that I was a little closer with.....One of those was Jennifer.   We spent every lunch together sitting on a bench on the quad.   We rode the bus together.  We had multiple classes together.  She was quiet, smart and really sweet.   She had the deepest southern accent.  We got along great.  I moved away right around graduation...and we have not seen each other since then.  However we have faithfully kept in touch via Letters, Christmas cards (even during crazy college years when I almost no one got Christmas cards from me, I would go to hallmark and buy a special one for her) and once social media hit through Facebook and other such mediums. In recent years sadly it was only random 'likes' and comments on Facebook and the yearly Christmas card.  Last night when my cell phone rang with an unknown number I almost didn't answer it.  Telemarketer or some such none sense I was sure.   But the Dade City, Florida displayed on my phone made me curious...because well I lived in Brooksville which is right near there...and of course Jennifer lives in Dade City.   I answered it expecting to shortly thereafter hang up on a sales call. (Yes I need to get myself back on the do not call list...I must have fallen off that lost!).    The voice on the other end took me right back to the years I lived in Florida.  Deep southern accent ....it was Missy...Jennifer's sister (incidentally missy was just a year or two older so I knew her too).   She was calling to tell me that Jennifer had passed away that morning.  I was in shock.  I talked to missy for a while and found out what happened (she had cancer and had requested that it be kept as private as possible and since I'm 20 hours or so away by car I never knew).    

So a whammy to lose my friend....but also a huge reminder to myself that my actions and behaviors really affect people!!!   Here is someone that was shy and quiet ...I extended my friendship to her and 26 years after the last time we saw each other in person....and after years of not really having real contact I am on the call list that she left to notify about her death.  (can we count the FB likes and the Christmas cards as real contact...I'm going to say no!). I don't even recall sharing my cellphone number with her!!!  I either forgot or they had to search to get my number!  It tells me that my friendship had a larger impact upon her life than I may have realized.

I feel guilty....I could have been such a better friend in recent years!  The Internet opens up the world that makes it easier to stay in touch.    When I was in Florida a few years back (2014) I had thought about flying down a day earlier and visiting Jennifer but logistically and financially it would have been difficult.   But I SHOULD have!!! 

  How simple an act of kindness...the extension of friendship really is...but very far reaching in the hearts and lives of those on the receiving end!!!  

Whammy two came while I was on the phone with Missy.  I asked what type of cancer.   Colo-rectal....already spread to the liver at the time of diagnosis.   My heart stopped.   That is exactly what my father is fighting!  I heard the story of Jennifer's fight and while it started with the same diagnosis it sounds like she gave up and stopped fighting.  I'm going to cling to that and to the power of prayer when it comes to my father!!! (Dad is currently receiving radiation in Baltimore...which they indicate will be the last step before surgery....he is concerned about his cat that is home alone....with me and my cats!!!!  I sent him this picture last night.....and yes, shadow is definitely missing his daddy!!!  Just like Ethel is really missing her granddaddy!!)

Dad seems to be handling the radiation with flying colors....just like he did the first rounds of chemo!  We continue to pray!!

Whammy three?  Just the normal monthly ick.

Whammy four????   I woke up with draining sinus ick causing a sore throat and a sinus pressure headache!

You know your day isn't going to go well when you make a stop at the pharmacy and your purchases look like this...

Yes I made a few more purchases while I was there...

In fairness the sweet tarts were buy one get one for 25 cents.  And they are kind of a memory from high school (that's when I used to get them) so it seemed fitting!!

Ohhh and while Jennifer's death is just reminding me to take care of myself to try to be as healthy as possible so that I CAN live far into the future in a healthy manner.....today is just a day that I needed more...

I'm not falling off the rails...but for today I'm going to mourn the loss of my friend,  lament about my failure as a friend, worry about my dad, cough and sniffle through this sinus gunk, and just ride out the monthly ick and its corresponding emotions with a slowly dwindling pile of candy on my work desk!!!!

How time flies

So I haven't been here....and I haven't been eating super healthy.  Oh and I haven't been running!

I have hiked and walked!!!  Does that count for something???  

I think my problem now is that I don't want to go back to being that extremely strict girl that literally cried when I dropped my counted out chips..causing some to crumble.  Why did I cry?  I had already eaten some....I lost some to crumbs and I didn't know how many I had left to eat.  I don't want to be so anal that the mere thought of eating a French fry makes my blood curdle.  I don't want to stop living!  And in fact living that regimented while necessary at the time (it helped by teaching me valuable lessons in diet, my body and willpower) are not healthy emotionally for a long term existence!!!  

Yet I want to lose weight!   We once again saw an older couple out hiking together.   I want that to be me when I'm old and gray (ok older and grayer!!).   I don't want to have to use a walker or be in a wheelchair or worse.  I want to have the world by the horns and enjoy life until my dying day!!!!   Yes I can enjoy life as an overweight girl....but I also know that being overweight causes health problems and will eventually lead to debilitating illnesses and issues that will decrease my quality of life.  I don't want that.  I want to do anything and everything that I can to protect that future!!! 

So where does that leave me???   Not a weight loss nazi....but still losing weight? Seems reasonable to me.

First up?

Tracking...not so much to be so regimented...but to seriously and realistically know what I'm eating...and conversely what I'm burning through these walks, hikes and runs.  

Junk food....Chips....minimalize how many chips I eat!!!   Oh and red velvet whoopie pies...moderation.    I'm not saying I won't eat some French fries...or potato chips.   I just need to cut back.  Every other meal is not acceptable!  (Ok maybe it wasn't that bad...but I know I've eaten more chips in the last months than I have for years!!)

Focus on trying to get the fruits and veggies!!!  I have been woefully lacking!   Healthy food tastes so good too!!!   

So no big plan...just a slow shift to healthier eating.  And if it's a slow loss then that's ok too.   Healthy is what matters!!

I have been happy though!!!! Utterly happy!!!!

I love that picture...It just makes me smile!!!

So it's been a while.   Last weekend we spent some time in Manassas, VA.  It was fun and relaxing!  (And a bit windy)

  

We also finally made it to The Elephant Emporium.   This place was so odd that it amused me....Jason said it felt like a scene out of a 'b' horror movie!

Then this weekend we went to Dumfries, VA and spent some time there....also in Fredericksburg, VA and points in between.

We actually ate a bit healthier this weekend...

But not totally healthy...

But we saw the sites and got some walking in...5.3 miles on Saturday...and we finally got to see the 1780's cemetery in Fredericksburg (we've tried before but when it's cloudy they don't open it...go figure)

 We also went to Government Island...a park in Virginia....notable because it contains the remnants of an  old quarry that was instrumental in supplying certain stones for important buildings such as the White House and the Nations Capital. (And we got in about three miles of walking)

Here is a picture of us standing up on some of the stone looking over the quarry.

It was a short hike...but the scenery was nice!

(Yes the man is part of the scenery I was referring to!!)

And then on the way home we saw a spectacular sky!!!

(The pictures are unedited...the sky was that brilliant...and the pictures were taken about 5 minutes apart)

So onward we move as I try to adopt (re-adopt) a healthier lifestyle.   One that is healthy for all aspects!!!  Not just food but emotions!!

The past week

This past week was a week of a ton of food!!!  

This past week was a week of no running!

This past week I managed to basically hold on to my weight by the skin of my teeth.

Ok let's start with running!  A week and a half ago I wrote a post that laid out a detailed plan to actually reach my monthly goal of 40 miles.  Uhhhh yeah....that didn't happen!   I didn't run even once!!!  It was rainy some days.   I spent four days away.  My shoes were giving me blisters.   Yeah.  It just didn't happen.  So we shall see for this month. I bought new shoes yesterday (same shoes ...but through Amazon...so a whole lot cheaper than the store...and no shipping cuz I'm a prime member!).  That should help matters!!!   Maybe I can sneak in 40 for October!!!

Yes we were away for four days.  We went up to New Jersey.   We spent time in Atlantic City

 Wildwood 

and Cape May

Yes we climbed the Cape May Lighthouse.  We also climbed the Absecon Lighthouse...

We hit up Ripleys Believe it or not... And walked the Boardwalk down to Ventnor Coty and beyond.  (And the Boardwalk in wildwood)

And of course we walked many miles hand in hand on the beach!

  

All told we walked about thirty miles in 4 days....

So the walking, lighthouse climbing and time walking in unsteady sand on the beach kinda negated the food....

Why yes..that huge bucket of fries was lunch one day.   I didn't stop to take a picture of the delicious deep fried Reece's cups we found on the Boardwalk either!!   Or the delicious pizza....subs...barbecue...caramel popcorn...taffy. and other goodness!!

So it was with fear that I stepped onto the scales today.   But I was only up by about 6/10ths of a pound!    I am so happy with that!!

Back to the grind and back to watching and being healthy!  It's time!!!

Victory

Somehow I held on and had loss this week. 227.0 pounds.   I know it is a combination of the ick moving onward and the fact that I ate really lightly last night.    

Yes I know for some odd reason my emotions were on edge last night.  Let's just say that falling in love and risking my heart again has been an emotional roller coaster....i am ecstatically happy but I have days where I fear him walking away and breaking my heart....I guess that's natural!  Luckily they are now few and far between...but when they come they ache!!! 

Here is the thing.    Yesterday for lunch I had a packet of belvita breakfast bars (I've been eating them for lunch) and an orange...and dinner a pb&j.   I should have been hungry....but I actually was just fine without more food.   Thank heavens for emotions and a cat weighing me down and keeping me in my chair!!!   Makes me wonder how much food we eat that we really honestly have absolutely no need for!!!

It's hard to not eat food when it's there and available....and when we are bored...stressed...or any array of emotions!  Last night my lethargy caused by emotions and my old cat Ethel in my lap disallowing me to get up without a grumpy cat in my hands helped me make this realization.   But that was one night   I wish I knew how to easily stop and get it under control....because I can say that while I had my epiphany about the pb&j being enough To really satisfy me, I know that when push comes to shove if I sit back tonight and am confronted with food....it will probably have a different end result.  

Sweet Spot

Is it any shock to say that I am NOT enjoying this journey right now??   I am in a sweet spot with my weight though.....so that's a good thing.   What do I mean about a sweet spot?   Basically I am easily able to maintain my weight.   When I just throw up my hands in defeat...or when I buckle down...my weight stays within a one to two pound range.  

So I haven't written in a while..so here is the update....

I actually kept my eating somewhat under control...no didn't walk quite as much...but I did run and get some walking in!

Jason and I spent that weekend (the last weekend in August) roaming around old graveyards, churches and museums.

My weight held steady.

I am proud to announce though that my 40 miles in August was completed!!!!!   Not much wiggle room but it was done!!! I ran 40.48 miles!!!    So I am aiming for 40 miles again in September!  40 was a stretch for me with my pace, work schedule and life responsibilities.  If/when it starts to become easy to get that number is the time to up it!!!

This past week...well...food tracking had NOT happened!!!  Have I eaten within my budget?   Who knows?   I don't think it was crazy outside of what I normally eat....notice I said 'think'.   But I know it was more than normal!!

I have thought about it....and I know what I want and where I want to be.   And I know what I have to do to get there!!!  I just need to do it!!!!   

Plans?  

1.  Start using the gym that I pay for on a monthly basis. (In addition to my running)   Maybe try to hit a class or two here and there.  

2. Use the stair stepper leg thingy that I have at home....even if it is just 15 minutes a day!!

3. Upper body.....I am weak!!!   I need to fix that

4.  Resume tracking immediately!

5. Run run run....

Yes, I have noticed that most of my plans center around exercise.   And yes, I know that weight is lost in the kitchen and not the gym.  But I also know that when I'm exercising ...I may be hungrier but typically I tend to eat healthier!  Go figure!!

So this weekend Jason and went away.  The weather was gorgeous...perfect hiking weather!   However, we were feeling lazy and just wanted a low key weekend!!!  (Plus we hate crowds and I imagine the trails were wall to wall people!!). So we roamed through little towns...did some antiquing.....hit up old restaurants....watched tv.....talked and laughed together.  It was low key....and just what we both probably needed!!

I still think the straw hat should have been a purchase!!!

So back to the grind today!!   Work. Food.  Exercise!!!  

Epiphanies

I drew that line in the sand last week and said it was time to clean up my eating.  I did fairly well on Wednesday night.  (My breakfast and lunch had already done me in calorie wise but the evening I did pretty good).   Thursday night I fell apart.  Sheetz.....pepperoni pretzel melt and of course I couldn't keep it at just that.  I also ordered a fried appetizer sampler.   Tater tots, fried cheese and fried macaroni and cheese bites.   And I grabbed a package of Reeces Cups.  (At least it was the small package and not the king size!).    On Friday I would like to say that it got better....but uhhh no.  I had some cheese puffs and while it was a smaller bag....that bag was still 3 servings, and I ate them ALL!   Saturday I didn't do well either......hey, we stopped at a local fair and had fair food for lunch!
On sunday I started to turn it around though!    And while I'm not being 'perfect' in my eating. I am doing really well!  (Perfection only sets one up for failure, so I'm just aiming for 'good')

I have been active!  Lots of walking...and even some hiking!

My running.....well my work schedule kept me from running on Monday and Tuesday this week...so I am just starting to work on my weekly miles.  Not a biggie.  I ran this morning and managed 2.42 (not bad after a long mountainous hike yesterday).   That leaves me with 6.8 miles to run by the end of the month to meet my 40 mile goal.  Piece of cake!   

And I showed a nice loss!   Last week my weight was up and I wasn't expecting it...I think a lot was water weight and just what I had eaten the night before.  This morning I woke up thirsty and feared my weigh in results.  But I was down....

So on Sunday I had an epiphany.   I'm not going to go into it too deeply here. But I saw a commercial for a car.   I started to think about how my car is 12 years old and nearing 200,000 miles.  I am very blessed that it runs smoothly and well. (It's a litttle loud right now but that will be fixed when I get new tires and replace the control arm.....I'm just holding off on the tires to suck as much life out of them as possible...before winter for sure!)   It saddened me to realize that while I work full time, I struggle to get by...and I'm not really getting by.  I can't afford a new car (or a used one).  I can't afford an apartment on my own (Thank you mom and dad for the roof over my head!).   It's a struggle.     Once I went to that place in my head, I started to really delve into how my 'career' ended up here.  From teaching and what went wrong there (Yeah, I always get a little melancholy at the beginning of the school year) to various jobs that had I known what I know now I would have made my career instead of a 'job'.  To my dead end job that I currently have.   It wasn't pretty.  
At the same time, I started to think about other aspects of my life  such as relationships......my marriage.  Pride that I got out of a bad situation.  My relationship wtih Jason.  Happiness and joy to experience what I am experiencing with him.   
I thought about all the dreams and hopes that I had for my future.....some of them gone forever...some of them being revived.  (Thank you Jason).
And of course my coursing and weaving through these revelations and feelings were thoughts about my weight.   How I wished I had tried to lose the weight when I was 18 so that college would have been a different experience.   How I wish I would have tired to lose weight at 25 so that such and such would have been different.   And maybe losing at 30 so that I could have had kids. (Yes, sad to have that dream die but in reality a blessing when the marriage ended).  So much time wasted....and I know that life would have been different had I lost the weight.  Maybe not because the world would have treated me differently (Although I fully believe that some opportunities did pass me by because of my weight)  but more or less because my confidence has many times been tied to my weight...the higher the weight, the lower the confidence.  
I vowed to turn my life into a different direction.  The job thing is a priority......I am waiting for one or two things to be settled before I really delve into looking. (My father will most likely be having surgery for his cancer ...and that will take place in Baltimore, an hour away....so I will want and need to use some sick time to be there for that and to help get my mother back and forth while he is in the hospital down there.....kinda of hard to do at a new job).  The other thing?   This weight.   I'm tired of it.  I want the confident and vibrant woman that I became when I was thinner back!  I want to live!  I want to be healthy!  I want want want!
So my decisions made, I carried on with the day.   I don't know if Jason sensed my unrest or my thoughts or what but he started a long conversation about my weight and the war I have waged upon it.  (Maybe I actually mumbled my thoughts out loud instead of in my head! ha ha ha ha).  He was just curious about my highest and how I felt when I was higher and how I felt when I was thinner.  Then he laid it out there.   He personally had decided that it is time for him to clean up his eating.  He told me that he knows how much healthier he feels when he is eating correctly.  He said "I'm not expecting you to eat the same way"  but I just feel that this is something I personally need to do.   
Wow....what perfect timing!   I'm not saying that I couldn't do it without him but if he is eating healthier I know that I will tend to eat healthier.   And if he doesn't make the changes in his life?  No biggie.  I've got this!

Confusion

Today I stepped on the scales for my weekly weigh in.   I saw the number on the scales and I immediately stepped off. I stood in front of the mirror and I actually said to myself.  'I don't know what to do anymore'.  You see....I was up.   Two to three pounds up!  And in that short moment I felt helpless and the situation seemed hopeless!  Almost immediately I grabbed hold of myself...because let's be honest, I know what do do!

I didn't let the numbers on the scale deter me.... I put on my exercise clothes and headed out.   I had run on Monday. 3.85 miles...I needed to knock out at least 3 to keep myself on track with weekly miles so that I can reach my August target of 40 miles.   (Jason is already saying that next month I need to push it to 45 miles....we shall see!!).  Out I went this morning.   And I am happy to say that I achieved 4.25 miles.    I only have 1.9 miles left this week to reach my target!  Go me!!!

So here is my stats for the last week...

I thought quite a bit while I was running.  Lots of deep thoughts!

First and foremost I thought about my weight and my efforts. 

  So my first self revelation was the thought/remembrance that I have NEVER been able to eat my earned exercise calories and lose weight well.   It's a sad but true fact.  If you look at recent weeks...I eat those exercise calories and I haven't been losing.  Plain and simple. Cut the calories that I eat and I should start losing.   This one scares me because on running and big hike days (and sometimes the day afterward) I am hungry!  But I'm going to work on it.

 Secondly....Being brutally honest....chips have crept into my diet.  I've even had French fries on a few occasions. (more than I should and let's leave it at that).  I eat way too much macaroni and cheese.....way too many carbohydrates.   I have been working to up the fruits and veggies consumption but the bad stuff is there.    It's time to clean it up.   

Last nights walk saw 5 swans gliding over the water together.   The city park swans usually only travel solo or in pairs.

What did I just do?????

Well...I have NO CLUE what I weigh.  I will find out tomorrow morning....or Tuesday morning.  I'm not expecting greatness.  On Friday morning I was up a bit on the scales so......

BUT.....in my post on Friday, I wrote about a rough run and calling it a victory to get three miles in even though I still ended up .45 miles short of my weekly target.  We left for a long weekend in Richmond shortly after my run...so I knew that I had faced defeat in my weekly target.  BUT......our hotel room was only a few doors down from the fitness center.   On Saturday we were in and out of buildings....walked a fair amount in the blistering heat and when we landed back at the hotel I thought about that .45 of a mile.  So when Jason hopped into the shower to clean off the sweat and grime of sightseeing on a HOT summer day....I went down to the gym and voila........ Nothing extra.... but 10 miles completed...every bit of those ten miles!




So yes, Jason and I went to Richmond, VA for a long weekend.   We woke up on the first morning there and looked out the hotel window and saw the nutmobile sitting outside our window.  How fun is that????

It was REALLY hot outside.  Heat advisory warnings the whole weekend.  So we tried to plan our activities around Air Conditioned buildings.  (We spent a bit more time outside on Saturday than was probably wise...)  We found LOTS of things to do...and we are going to have to go back because we didn't even scratch the surface of activities.  (And because we didn't even have time to get to the Museum of the Confederacy...which is one of the reasons that I wanted to go to Richmond ....isn't it crazy how that happens!)

Virginia War Memorial and Museum

Hollywood Cemetery  (We want to come back and explore it by foot when it is cooler)

Virginia Holocaust Museum

Tibetian Monks....art

Chimborazo Civil War Hospital

St. Johns Church....site of Patrick Henry's famous speech "Give me Liberty......"

Virginia Historical Society Museum

Voices in My Head

The voice in my head were loud and clear today during my run....and the voices were not pretty.......

* Why bother running....you aren't losing any weight
*  Turn around now....it hurts
* It's hot
* This is a waste of your time!

Yeah, those things went through my head and so many more ugly nasty phrases.   I know a lot of the negativity was because the numbers on the scales are just holding tight and not going down.  I"m exercising and moving a LOT!   I'd think the numbers would be dropping.  But NOT!   Yeah  yeah yeah.  I know...weight is lost in the kitchen and not the gym.  And I also will say that after a run....or a long hike...or whatever that I am ravenous!   Starved.  It's crazy!  And it's hard to combat that!   But I have to figure it out!

So the run?   I had to do roughly 3.7 miles today in order to meet my weekly goal of 10 miles...to keep me on track for my monthly goal of 40 miles for this month.  It was a struggle from the get go.  I had planned on at least 4 miles.  I wanted to call it quits so bad and just do 2 or 2.5 miles...but I knew that I would be more than a mile off my weekly mileage and that would upset me  So I kept going...pushing for the 4 plus miles.  Well...eventually I decided doing the 3.5ish that I needed would be fantastic.    And then it went down to ......3 miles would be a victory....and be enough to keep me 'in the running' for my monthly goal.  I knew that there are a few days leftover at the end of the month so that if I run 10 miles for 4 weeks I would have 3 days or so that would be 'extra' to make up for any missed mileage.  So I wasn't TOO concerned..

3.21 hard fought miles were completed today.

My first thought when I was done?   Dangit!  .45 miles short of my weekly goal.

The hotel we are staying in this weekend has a fitness center.....maybe I will hit it up for a few short minutes before hopping into the pool to knock out a half mile......or maybe I will just be thankful that I was a half mile over last week....so that I am technically a little over 20 miles in for the month ...which is RIGHT ON TARGET!

Either way......running today and completing 3 miles was a victory!

Well then

Well...I had a pretty good week.  I was active....I didn't eat crazily for the most part.  I drank water.  I did really good!

My weight is just hovering at the exact same place......

I admit...I'm not being anally perfect in my eating.  But I'm not way off base.  I have been trying to get more fruits and veggies into my diet.  I've done good at curbing the 'bad stuff'.  

I need to shake something up!

Skinny & Co

In my blog I have written a post or two about my hair and being concerned because it seemed to be falling out at a MAD rate...   I have pondered so many thoughts about why my hair seemed to be just dropping from my head like crazy.   I tried medicated shampoos....I've tried to not wear my hair up in clips and pony tails as often.....I started to be more religious about taking my multivitamin......I've tried to up my consumption of fruits and veggies.   It just seemed to have no affect.

Some of the websites advised to use coconut oil on hair to help restore the balance and the health to hair.  I thought about it but just never got around to getting out to buy any product.  So in late June when I was contacted by Skinny & Co. to try some of their coconut products I jumped at the chance.  I was super excited...because at that point my hair was still falling out a LOT!
I waited anxiously for the product.   Almost a full month passed.   Miraculously, in that month my hair started to restore itself.   It was a gradual thing that I didn't notice at first becuase I was still obsessed with the fact that my pony tails (when I went running or hiking) were feeling thinner.  But eventually I actually brought it up with Jason.   We discussed it and we both agreed that the  hair that had plagued us (he had for months laughed about having enough hair clinging to his clothes and belongings that he had enough to make a wig) had definitely eased up.   Ironically enough we had that discussion on a Friday night....and when I got home?   Voila...there was my next miracle cure for my hair woes.

I was still excited.  There was still an obvious imbalance of Ph or something going on with my hair.  Maybe this would solve the problem and keep the hair in place (because having a relapse of mad hair loss is something I do NOT want to have happen!).  

I opened the box and checked out my product.   I had gotten the shampoo bar.   

Yes, a shampoo bar!   As per the instructions....lather it up in your hands and use the lather to wash your hair.

I looked forward to my next shower so that I could use the shampoo.   
It was kind of weird to lather up from a bar of soap to wash my hair...but surprisingly it produced a good amount of lather and I was able to get my head all sudsy.   For my longer hair I did have to lather twice....once for the top of my head and scalp and the other time for the rest of my hair.  It washed just like normal....  

Immediately I could tell that my hair had a weird 'feel'.   I thought that maybe it was just because this shampoo had cleaned out impurities or something.  I thought about using some conditioner.....but decided that using a shampoo that was cleaning impurities out of my hair would be counter productive if I just slathered my head with conditioner immediately afterward.

Oh my word.....bad decision.   Brushing my hair the rest of the day was just murder.  My hair had a gummy sticky feeling to it.  It just felt nappy.

Undetered, I grabbed the shampoo bar the next time I was in the shower.  It still had a weird feel after I was done shampooing my hair (not was bad as the first shampoo though)....but this time I conditioned.   And my hair felt fine afterward.    Each day of using the shampoo my hair has felt much less 'off'.....so maybe my hair was just really messed up and is taking a while to straighten out.

My only complaint?  By the evening, my hair feels more greasy and heavy than normal....but maybe that is just the healthy balance of my hair righting itself!!!!  

If you want to try the products.... visit https://www.skinnyandcompany.com/     You can get 15% off by using the code SKINNYCO15

A little about Skinny & Co.


 Skinny & Co. coconut oil and coconut oil products are 100% natural:

● Cold Processed: cold-processed oil, not just cold pressed. They use a patent-pending Nutralock System and never heat the oil above 97 degrees. It's the only 100% raw, alkaline coconut oil on the planet. Other coconut oils are acidic, but Skinny & Co.’s alkaline oil registers between 7.3 and 7.8 pH. All of their coconuts are hand picked and wild-harvested from the Ben Tre jungles in Vietnam. Their oil is truly tree to table!
● Five Ingredients or Fewer: all of their beauty products have five ingredients or less, are non-toxic and edible. *Why would you ever put something on your skin if you wouldn't put it in your body?
● 100% Raw, Alkaline: cold-processed from wild-harvested coconuts using a patent-pending Nutralock System. Never heated. Pure.
● From Tree to Table: no chemicals. No fillers. No Preservatives. Skinny coconuts are pesticide free and handpicked from the jungles of Vietnam.
● Health Benefits: Skinny only uses the highest quality ingredients to handcraft products that benefit your entire body. Non-toxic and edible.

Moderate....my foot

I am absolutely beat!  Even after a night of sleep at home.  I'm also a bit achy!  

My week weight wise has been going ok....I have gotten some walks in....some runs in....and a nice hike in.   

Food wise...well....it's been not bad.    I'm HUNGRY though....running and hiking seem to do that to me!
So, the weather seemed to break just a wee tad bit....so Jason and I started walking outside a bit again in the evenings.  YAY!

Running...I ran three times last week.  I laid down a challenge to myself.  In the month of August I will run at least 40 miles.  That is 10 miles a week....(with 2-3 days leftover in case I am behind).  It kept me on target last week.  My first run I went a little over 4 miles.  I knew that if I skipped one of the other two 'easy schedule wise' runs (The mornings when I go into work later meaning I don't have to be up at 5 and outside running in the dark!) that I would struggle to get my 10 miles in.  So I went out every morning that I planned and got in my miles...10.54 miles for the first week....right on target.   

This weekend we were toying with what to do....we WANTED to hike...but we were afraid the weather would prohibit it.  (OK.....only prohibit in the manner that we don't mind being hot and sweaty...but add misery of high humidity and high temps and it just isn't worth it!).   We pondered and hiking won out.   We headed for a trail that was labeled as  moderate 6 miles round trip (with incredible views at the one point).   

Well.....my tracker shows that I hiked 10 miles.....take that!   We have hiked a variety of trails....difficult/strenuous...moderate....easy.  In March we hiked in Colonel Denning Park on a 'most difficult' trail .....so I know what they can be.    The difficult/strenuous trails are difficult....don't get me wrong.  But this trail was NOT what I would call moderate.  It's in the section of the A.T. that is 'affectionately' known as the roller coaster.   We hiked a different section of 'the roller coaster' a few weeks back...and I would call that one moderate.   This trail was pretty steep ascents  and descents.....all on rocky terrain.    At the end of the hike....my legs were WOBBLY.   I'm going to say it's because we haven't been hiking as much in the last few weeks.  

So the view?   Was it worth the hike?????

And just for the record....we hiked mountains for 4 hours or so.....I was carrying a pack.....and myfitness pal says I burned over 3000 calories!