Wednesday

I had a really good run to start my day. I impressed myself. I stayed in the neighborhood because my friend wasn't heading for the track. I started out planning to run as I had before, 5 minutes on, part of the next 5 minutes, 5 minutes on, etc. But, instead I pushed myself. I simply tried to run as much as I could. I ran the first 5 minutes and beyond, then when I felt I needed a moment, I would drop to a walk, but would try not to walk for more than a 2 house distance. I must have done okay, I ran/walk 3.28 miles in 35 minutes. I'm still not to the under 30 minute 5K that my friend is now running, but considering that I still walked a portion of that distance, I feel really good about that number - my pace was 10:38 per mile.

Did you catch my post on the RunKeeper app? I really like it. I do find myself imploring the woman in the phone to talk to me, so that I can take a few moments and walk when I am running on time. But, besides from the likely funny looks I would get if someone heard me talking to no one, it is a great app.

Eating was good. Managed to forget my banana, again!

I felt really good when I checked my weight at bedtime, despite seeming to be up in the morning, I weighed less at bedtime than I had that morning. ??? Seems odd, but I will take it.

#s to Go: (morning) 26.0
Calories Consumed:
1350 calories
Calories Burned:
3.65 miles run/walk, 10:57 pace, 595 calories
1 mile walk, 15:00 pace, 120 calories

Tuesday

I started my day today with a run/walk. It felt awesome. I wasn't sure I could do it, and there were points on the first portion of the run where I didn't think I would get to the end of the lap. But, I kept pushing and I did it. I ran/walk on a 2/1 lap pattern. In the end, I ran 2 1/8 miles of the 3 3/8 miles at the track. I was very proud of myself.

A good run has it's drawbacks though I guess, because now I am dog tired. Falling asleep on the couch when I have a to do list a mile long (still trying to do the things remaining from returning from vacation).

Eating was pretty good. I forgot my banana this morning when I left for work and I found myself very hungry as lunch approached. I had my Chef Boyardee Be the Chef House Party tonight, I tried the dishes, but think I did good with the portions. I counted a full portion of each of the dishes that I tried, but think I had a little less than that.

Now off to get a good night's sleep.

#s to Go: 25.4
Calories Consumed:
1441 calories
Calories Burned:
4.69 mile walk/run; 12:05 pace; 630 calories

Monday

It was a little bit difficult to get back into routine today, but I did my best. I started my day with a 3-mile walk. I wanted to run, but figured with 10 days away from activity for exercise (trust me - I was active walking around, it just wasn't for exercise) I was better off walking the first day. I can definitely feel it, even as I sit here this evening. Tomorrow, I would like to work in some running.

I did pretty well with eating today. I figure I was close to 1400 calories, which is on the higher end of my target. I found myself craving something sweet at the end of my meals. Guess that is what a week of having dessert with lunch and dinner will do for you. I did grab a small snack size candy bar early afternoon to meet that craving.

My hope is that by getting back on track today, that I will find myself already in a better position tomorrow.

#s to Go: 26.2#
Calories Consumed: 1400 calories
Calories Burned:
3 mile walk, 14:30 pace, 370 calories

weeks....

Alright, clearly I lost steam, but I hope that now I am back. We took a family vacation and simply stated I enjoyed myself. Not only enjoying the time with the family, but also the opportunity to dine. I drank soda at most meals, which relative to my less than a glass a week norm was a significant change for me...this one should be easy to overcome and correct. We had dessert at many meals, it was free and I hate to be wasteful. This one will be a little harder to correct, you sort of become used to having a sweet at the end of the meal and it can be hard to overcome. Generally, my food choices weren't awful, frequently though, they were dictated by what was available and certainly there could have been better options, just not right then or there.

I don't have a direct reference, because I didn't keep up well while preparing for the trip, but I know that relative to where I was 20 days ago, I am up 3.6#. I am hopeful that this will melt away with a return to normal.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday

You know the thing about eating good and exercising? When you take a break - your body hates you!

I allowed myself to splurge a little with dinner out on Sunday - I got Beer Cheese Soup and a Chicken BLT Salad. It seemed like restrained splurging...problem was, the salad was like a salt lick. There wasn't bacon, but rather seemed to be more of a corned beef. The chicken had been marinated, but was so salty, I could barely eat it. I fished around trying to find a piece or two more of lettuce, but it seemed to be sparse in my salad. Totally disappointed. I asked for a wedge of lime when I got my fifth refill of water. Sprinkled with sugar, it finally helped to remove some of the salt flavor from my mouth. Then, after the show we saw, we went out for a drink. I had only intended to have one glass, but wound up with two. I did avoid having Taco Bell when the others stopped.

Then, Monday we were at a picnic. My meal was well balanced with a cheeseburger (no mayo), an ear of corn (spray butter), a dab of potato salad and some watermelon. I sat at the table and there were pita chips and spinach dip. I didn't take much, at a time, but after sitting and visiting for a while, I am sure that I ate a lot more pita chips than I consciously realized. I also had a couple glasses of wine.

Today, I felt major yuck. I didn't sleep well last night and haven't felt fully normal at all today. I did make a concerted effort to eat better today. I think it is helping and hope a good night's sleep will help further.

I got out for a walk this morning, but had to hurry home, only doing about 2.75 miles. It is supposed to be rainy the next few days, so it is likely I will have to work out at home. That was about the only thing that kept me from going back to bed this morning. Well, that and my weight - over the course of the weekend I had gained 4#. Of course, much of this is not real weight, but it was still a shock to the system to see that number. Thankfully, when I was upstairs, I peeked at the scale and it was already down 2# (and that was post-dinner, so it should certainly look better tomorrow!)

Tuesday -
#s to go - more than it should be
Calories Consumed: 1200 calories
Calories Burned:
2.75 mile walk, 13:45 pace, 415 calories

Saturday

It was another hot and muggy day. My foot was still bothering me, so I opted to not even do a walk today. I hope I don't regret it, but I figure sometimes you just need a break.

I am happy to say that I did lose a little, even with my girls night in last night.

I had another busy day and we decided to take the family out to dinner. I had a little bit of the appetizer - loaded homemade potato chips, then I had a chopped salad with dressing on the side, a 16 oz Prime Rib and a baked potato. Then, we walked over to Cold Stone and my daughter and I shared a Love It size creation (my husband and son also shared one). I probably overdid eating a little bit, but we will see what the scale says. After all, eating out is part of my lifestyle, my hope is that my body is able to handle the occasional dining out with out significant impact. I expect I might be up tomorrow, but expect that over the next couple of days, I should recover well.

#s to Go: 22.6

Friday

My foot was still feeling a little sore this morning, so I wound up just going for a walk, not that there is anything wrong with that, it just is that Friday would normally have been a running day. It was probably a wise decision on my part, it was like pea soup out there. The air was so warm and humid - oppressive even. It was really strange though, on my second time through the neighborhood, the fog had settled in and it felt strangely cooler.

Eating was a bit of a challenge, as there was a shower for a woman at work. I did my best to fill my plate with salad and lean chicken, but the pasta with cream sauce was so tasty. I opted for not eating all of my chicken and went back for a bit of pasta and salad. I had a piece of cake to finish my meal - it was just too yummy. I left some of the cake behind, but couldn't resist the creamy frosting. Dinner was leftovers, but when there weren't enough to go around, I opted for brie on some pita chip crackers (or something similar from Kashi). It was tasty and satisfying. In the evening, my friend came over and and we watched a chick flick. I enjoyed some red wine and some crackers and cheese. It was more than I should have had, but it was good that I resisted my husbands offer of Chipotle, I could have eaten that whole burrito if I had him get me one.

#s to Go: 22.8#

Thursday

I awoke to thunder, must have been around 3:30 am. I was certain that meant that I would not be going out to walk this morning. When my alarm went off, it was clear. A quick glance of the weather map and I discovered I was good to go. But, maybe I should have taken a break? My foot was a little tender when I woke up and whereas it didn't bother me while I was walking, I could tell that I was walking at a slower than normal pace. At first I was a house behind, but before long, I was a few houses behind pace. It wound up taking me longer today than it did yesterday - walking 2.87 miles vs walking/running 3.44 miles - over 1/2 mile less and it took 15 s longer! Maybe tomorrow I take a break?

#s to Go: 23#

Calories Burned:
2.87 mile walk; 15:22 pace; 450 calories