Blogging Break

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I'm taking a little blog break and will be back in 2011. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and New Years!

It's the Holiday Season...

I have not been able to get this song out of my head recently. At least people haven't been dressed up in gold costumes in my head.  I love this time of the year. Christmas is my favorite holiday! This week has been full of celebrating too.  Starting Tuesday I was suppose to have 5 holiday parties in a 6 day period. 

Tuesday started with my work department's holiday lunch at PF Changs. I thought this would be no problem I love their steamed shrimp dumplings and egg drop soup and it's very doable with Weight Watchers.  What I didn't know is that everything had been ordered for us ahead of time. They brought out tons of food for us. Appetizers and tons of entrees.  Luckily shrimp dumplings was one of the appetizers so I tried to get full on those.  When the entrees came I just had a little bit of a few of them.  I figured portion control was the way to go.

Yesterday was suppose to be my bigger work party but it was canceled because of the snow/ icy weather.  Work wasn't canceled though just the fun part of the day. Oh well the party has been postponed for January 5.  Too bad that is one of my department's busiest day of the year because of a deadline.

Tonight is Matt's unofficial work party which means one of his friends is just using it as an excuse to throw a  party, but not just any kind of party it's an Ugly Christmas Sweater party.  I have a sweater with a sparkly poinsetta on it just waiting to be worn tonight.

Tomorrow will my sister's in law's holiday open house.  My sister's mother in law is a good cook so I know there will be something good to eat there.  The best part is her recipes are usually healthy. Double win!  Sunday closes out the holiday parties with my Grandfather's side of the family "Smith family Christmas".  This party will be full of finger foods, relatives I don't see often, and a pretty vicious came of Pollyanna!

My plan to combat against 4 parties in 6 days is portion control, making good choices, and lots of exercise.  I also will make sure to eat something healthy before most of them so I'm not showing up starving. 

Happy Holidays!

Belated Weekly Weigh-In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
11/24/2010	-2	-17.4	-35.4	3
12/1/2010	1.2	-16.2	-34.2	0
12/8/2010	-0.6	-16.8	-34.8	3
12/15/2010	-1.1	-17.9	-35.9	5

This week has been kind of nutty so my apologies on this post being late.  Also because this week continues to be nutty so this is going to be a short and sweet post.  I lost 1.1 lbs this week. I'm happy with it. Basically anything that is a 1 lb loss or more a week is good for me.

I also ramped my workouts up again and worked out 5 times this week. My workouts were 4 runs and 1 Zumba class. This week is full of Holiday parties, but more on that in another post.

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
11/17/2010	0	-15.4	-33.4	3
11/24/2010	-2	-17.4	-35.4	3
12/1/2010	1.2	-16.2	-34.2	0
12/8/2010	-0.6	-16.8	-34.8	3

Another week past and a small lose to show for it.  After working out last Wednesday at lunch and writing about it here I realized I spoke too soon.  That night was probably the worst for my coughing fits. I think the running kicked my asthma into high gear.  I laid low for a few days after that and now I'm feeling a lot better! Still coughing at night but not nearly as bad. 

My workouts this week were 1 run, 1 workout on the Arc trainer at the gym, and then another lunch workout but on the elliptical this time.  I have so far really liked the few times I have worked out at lunch. I don't have to get up earlier than normal and then I love the feeling of knowing my workout for the day as already been completed.

My work has a conference center/ hotel for students when they come to residencies here and the staff have access to the gym there.  It's nice because it's right here at work. They have a locker room with showers and everything too. Why didn't I think of this sooner? I will use this as a way to get in my workouts when I have something to do right after work.  Like today I am going to the Duke basketball game tonight so I'll get my workout in during lunch.

Last night Matt and I put up our Christmas tree. I love Christmas time! It was so nice to eat dinner with the tree lights on in the background.  Now I need to wrap some presents to put under it!

Weight Watchers New Points Plus Program

A few weeks ago Weight Watchers announced a new program called Points Plus. I have been using Points Plus for the last week and so far I have mixed feelings about it.  I will start with the cons of the program so I can end on a positive note.

What I Do Not Like about Points Plus 

- Points are now calculated on fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber. Anything I had previously entered into my online plan manage is now obsolete and has to be entered again. This by far is the most annoying thing. I had tons of stuff that isn't in their data base entered. I also had recipes in there. Recipes are time consuming to enter!
- I can no longer guesstimate points in my head based on the calories.

- My little Weight Watchers points calculator is no good to me.
- A lot of the things I eat are more points than they use to be. This is mostly a mental thing because I do get a bigger point allotment pre day.

What I like about Points Plus

- Points are now calculated on fat, carbohydrates, protein, and fiber.  I like that Weight Watchers is now looking at the bigger picture and taking more into consideration than calories, fat, and fiber. Why don't calories matter anymore though? Because the other things are what make up the calories?
- Even though a lot of items are more points now it seems to still work out about the same. I typically end the day right on track with my points or by using a few of my weekly points just like I did with the old program.
- Most fruits are now zero points. I'm not exactly sure how this works but I'll take it.

Overall the new plan is okay. It really comes down that I will need time to get use to the new program. Hopefully eventually I will able to figure out how to mentally guesstimate points in my head. Before I knew that every 50 calories were usually 1 point. If an item is high in fat it would take it up to more and if it was high in fiber it would take it down. This is when I wish I was still going to meetings. It would be useful to hear what a meeting leader has to say about the program. Does anyone know of a good way to guesstimate points values with the new program?

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
11/10/2010	2	-15.4	-33.4	5
11/17/2010	0	-15.4	-33.4	3
11/24/2010	-2	-17.4	-35.4	3
12/1/2010	1.2	-16.2	-34.2	0

The week of Thanksgiving doesn't count right? I was talking to my friend Beezus the other day and was telling her I was not going to have good results for this week. She was told me "that everyone knew the week of Thanksgiving doesn't count".  She also advised that I write a blog on just that. I thought about doing just that. I could list a lot of reasons why this last week shouldn't count but in reality it does count.  The scale still read this morning that I have gained 1.2 lbs and in the end the scale wins.

Zip, zero, zlich, zot, aught, nought, null workouts for me this week. I do not remember the last time I did not work out at all in a week. I had an awful cold that made me get out of breath and not be able to breathe well when I would just walk upstairs at home. Actually I coudn't breath well if I was just sitting on the couch. I did attempt a power walk one day but that turned in to a major coughing fit.  In the past when I have these colds I workout anyway. Every time in result though I get an asthma flare up. Remember this? I decided to not workout this week to avoid the asthma flare up, but I did walk some and try to be more active than sitting on the couch.


The good news is that last night was the first time in a while that I actually was able to sleep most of the night. Mind you I still took my codeine cough syrup before bed but this time it won over my cough. I know Matt was thankful because me up most of the night coughing equals him up a lot of the night. Since my cough seems to be better I knew it was time to get back on the workout wagon.  I already have completed 1 workout for this week.  I took advantage of the small gym we have at work and got on the tread mill during my lunch break.  One down and at least 4 more to go...

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
11/3/2010	-1	-17.4	-35.4	5
11/10/2010	2	-15.4	-33.4	5
11/17/2010	0	-15.4	-33.4	3
11/24/2010	-2	-17.4	-35.4	3

Woot! I lost 2 lbs this week. It isn't a mystery to me how that happened either. I worked my butt off for those 2 lbs!  I brought my lunch for work most days. One day I did eat out with my coworker but we went to a delicious salad place where they chop up your salad and you get to pick the toppings you want. There are so many toppings that it's easy to go a little over board, but as long as I was picking wisely then I will pay the extra fee for a few more veggies.

I wish I had gotten more workouts in this week but I did what I could at the time. My plan was to get a 4th workout in last night but then I woke up feeling pretty crummy yesterday. I was achy and couldn't breathe well so I figured I shouldn't push it and work out.  I might have worked out if this week wasn't Thanksgiving and Matt's family wasn't coming in town, but since it is I was focused on getting better as fast as possible. I'm not 100% today but I'm definitely better than yesterday.

This year for Thanksgiving Matt's family is coming to town to have Thanksgiving with my family. It will be the first time the families meet each other. I'm a little nervous but not really because I think our families will mesh well and if not then both families are polite enough to pretend. :)  His parents are staying in town until next Wednesday so they can go to a Duke basketball game and football game.  This means there will be a lot of eating out this coming week.  That's okay because I will just make good choices when I eat out and work out as much as possible. I think a reasonable goal for this coming week with everything going on is to maintain my current weight.

This year I am thankful for my amazing fiance, family, friends! I'm also thankful that I have the ability to be able to work out and make myself healthier.  What are you thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
10/27/2010	1.3	-16.4	-34.4	4
11/3/2010	-1	-17.4	-35.4	5
11/10/2010	2	-15.4	-33.4	5
11/17/2010	0	-15.4	-33.4	3

Today I need to focus on having a positive attitude so I am skipping my regular post and instead going to have a Wordless Wednesday (well almost wordless).

Free to Breathe 5k with Club Shannon

Saturday morning Matt and I rolled out of bed bright and early at 7 am.  (Kelly if you are reading this I know you are thinking “wait until you have kids!”, but I don’t have kids and 7 am on a weekend day equals too early)  I had a light breakfast of toast and a little bit of milk followed by a lot of water.  My friend Amanda and her new husband came over to ride with us and we were off. 

We got to the race and met up with the rest of Club Shannon.  JMJE from Making Stuff is Fun appropriately made the ladies “Club Shannon” t-shirts to run in.  I liked them because it made it easy to spot my friends during the 5k and well of course because they are fabulous.  After a short delay and some confusion on where the race starts we were off.  I started with Matt next to me for about 2 seconds until he zoomed off ahead of me. That was fine I didn’t expect for anyone to run with me and really to be honest did not want someone to.  I do not like when I run with Matt (or anyone) and they are right in front of me. It makes me feel like I need to catch up with them the whole time and I don’t need that stress when running.  Also this race was about me. It was about me crossing the finish line knowing I did my best and pushed myself. It was not about me being faster than my friends (which is good since I wasn’t).

About a mile into the race we approached the first turn around of the loop. A guy from a radio station was at the turn around and was saying “Good job you are half way there”. I got really excited until I looked at my iPhone and realized it had only been 12 minutes.  I then knew he was either a big fat liar or I was going to majorly improve my 5k time.  Sadly he was spreading lies to everyone.

For some reason I had a really harder time than normal running this 5k. I have decided to try why and I have come up with the following reasons:

1. My Nike sensor thing didn’t start working when I started off, I knew the time, but not my pace or how long I had ran, and I don’t do well with the unknown

2. It’s really hard to not focus on the run when you are in an actual race and are surrounded by other people running

3. I had never run this course before and had no idea where the half way point was (see number 1 to reference my feelings for the unknown)

4. For some reason I had negative vibes in my head…things like “why in the world did I decide to do this” to “I feel like I might die” and also “that’s it who cares I’m going to walk”

Despite my poor attitude I didn’t walk at all. At times I jogged s-l-o-w-l-y but that’s okay as long as I didn’t walk.  I finished the 5k in 37 minutes and 37 seconds. 37 seconds over my goal but I’ll take it, especially since my real goal was to finish it without walking.  I don’t want to stop running now that the 5k is over. I think a spring 5k is in my future…anyone game to join in?

Team Club Shannon after the race. (And yes that is my fiance in the winter hat and gloves that you can't see while we are all in short sleeves. He's such a Florida guy!)

PS - How could I forget one of the best parts of the 5k which was the celebration brunch after wards with everyone

PSS - Of course the really best part of the 5k was that it raised over $75,00 0 for Lung Cancer research

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
10/20/2010	-1.1	-17.7	-35.7	5
10/27/2010	1.3	-16.4	-34.4	4
11/3/2010	-1	-17.4	-35.4	5
11/10/2010	2	-15.4	-33.4	5

Big fat boo! I'm not sure what really caused the 2 lb gain this week.  I have been feeling bloated the last few days and it is that time for me so hopefully that's to blame... I really hoping I'm just retaining water. I guess next week the scale will tell me if that's the case or not.

I worked out 5 times this week. My workouts were 3 runs, 1 Bikram Yoga class, and 1 Zumba class.  On Sunday I ran a full 5k in 37 minutes. I am getting pumped for the 5k that I'm running with a group of friends. The 5k is this coming Saturday and I'm ready to do it. My goal is to run the whole thing without stopping to walk in 37 minutes or less.

Now that the business is taken care of I can get to what today is really worth celebrating for....

Happy 1st Birthday to the sweetest niece ever!  

Bikram Yoga Take Two

Last night I went to my second Bikram Yoga class with my old roommate.  This time was a little better than last time. I think the biggest difference was that I knew what to expect during the whole class.  There were still times when I had to sit down and take some deep breaths before I could keep going. The heat is just so intense!

I also had a big towel under me this time which makes a huge difference.  Trying to do those poses with sweat dripping and then you slipping on your sweat is not so awesome. I made the mistake of not knowing my instructors name the last time I went so I ended up with the same one this time. She sounds like she is a  auctioneer instead of auctioning things off though she is demanding you stretch into awkward poses. She says "lean back, way back, keep going back, push back, you might feel like you are strangling yourself but you aren't, keep pushing back". I wanted to tell her "that I was going to push her back, way back.".

The pose I probably hate the most is the Locust pose. It's the most painful and unnatural thing. You have to somehow cram your arms under your body with your palms facing up. Your elbows are suppose to be under your body too. My old roommate and I were in the back row and were trying to figure this pose out when the instructor looks at us and says "just because you are in the back row doesn't mean you can not do it, I can see everything, get your elbows underneath your body". What? Really? I wasn't trying to cheat the teacher I was trying to figure out how to get my body to move in that way.

Looks like a lot of fun...huh? The best part of class is at the end when you get to just lay there and they bring you a cold washcloth for your face that has a citrus scent to it. Then after class when I finally get to breath in air that is not over 100 degrees and they give you an flavored ice. That flavored ice is the best 25 calories.

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
10/13/2010	0	-16.6	-34.6	5
10/20/2010	-1.1	-17.7	-35.7	5
10/27/2010	1.3	-16.4	-34.4	4
11/3/2010	-1	-17.4	-35.4	5

So I lost 1 lb this week. Not terrible but not amazing either. I worked out 5 times this week.  All of my workouts were training for the 5k I have coming up in a 1 1/2 weeks.  I really have been able to see progress.  On Sunday I ran 3 miles without stopping! Well it might be safer to call it a jog since I averaged a 12 minute mile. Like I said before though I'm not really concerned with speed right now. 

This coming weekend I am headed to my hometown for JMJE's 30th Birthday extravaganza. Very excited for that and to hang out with my besties. Nothing much else going on this week out of the ordinary.

Weekly Wednesday Weigh In

Date	Change	Total	Total From Beginning	Work Outs in Week
10/6/2010	-1	-16.6	-34.6	5
10/13/2010	0	-16.6	-34.6	5
10/20/2010	-1.1	-17.7	-35.7	5
10/27/2010	1.3	-16.4	-34.4	4

Boo! I gained 1.3 pounds this week.  It really didn't come as much of a surprise to me.  I feel like I didn't have a great weekend with eating. Not terrible but not as good as I needed it to be.  For some reason then I just wrote the whole week off which was stupid. I am back to tracking every bite today and making sure I can make up for last week this week.

I worked out 4 times this week.  All 4 workouts were runs to prepare for the 5k I'm running in November.  This week I really was able to ramp my runs up.  My last run on Monday I ran for 36 minutes with just 1 1/2 minutes of walking in the middle.  It really helped that I went running with my friend Mrs. Acorn and her dog Barkley.  Amanda's pace is a little faster than mine so she was ahead of me for the most part, but not so far enough that I couldn't see her.  If we went around corners and I got out of Barkley's site he would turn around and look for me.  I should run with Barkley more often! We ran 3 miles in the 36 minutes which puts me at a 12 minute mile.  If I can run the 5k doing a 12 minute mile I will be happy. Nothing wrong with slow and steady!

This morning I also have started a new breakfast.  I like to eat breakfast at my desk in the morning. It gives me more time at home in the morning and I find eating later helps hold me over to lunch.  My new breakfast is instant oatmeal and then I add unsweetened applesauce to it.  I also will have a banana with it.  I wasn't sure how the oatmeal was going to taste but with the added applesauce it was actually really good.  I need to bring some cinnamon in to work. I think with an added sprinkle of cinnamon it would be even better.

Okay mine didn't look as fabulous as this but I'm sure if I had thrown pieces of apple into it then it would have.