a So-So week

A couple of victories to tell you about...

First, I ran the turkey trot 5k on Thanksgiving morning and I finished in 36 minutes and 16 seconds, that is 2 minutes faster than my last 5K at the end of September. I was very happy with my time.

Second, I ran a 10k route 3 more times so I am considering that "hot 100" goal accomplished. Yippee!

The setbacks...

I didn't work out nearly as much as I should have this week running twice and taking one Zumba class. This wouldn't have been a big deal if it hadn't also been Thanksgiving week. I ate way too much on Thanksgiving and then had leftover stuffing and yams on Saturday (I threw away the leftover pie). Stepping on the scale Sunday morning I was prepared to see a gain. I gained a pound this week putting me at 199.8.

Today is the start of new week and my goal is to get rid of that extra pound plus a couple more.

The Hot 100 goals are going well...
I completed a 10k run 4 times and my weight is currently under 200 pounds (if ever so slightly under) so all I have to do is keep it under 200 and I can consider my Hot 100 goals completed.

Weigh-in Week 20

Last week was 202.4 and I was crossing my fingers to get into the 100's this week and I did. YIPPEE! 198.8 pounds showed up on my scale this morning, that is a 3.6 pound loss this week. I have really increased my workouts in the past couple weeks and it sure is paying off on the scale.

This week however is going to be a little different, and my goal this week is not to gain any weight. This is my long work week so fewer hours to exercise but I do plan on attending at least 1 zumba class and I am running the 5K Turkey Trot at the YMCA on Thanksgiving morning, add a couple more runs scattered through the week and I think I have an acceptable workout schedule. But then of course there is Thanksgiving and on Saturday I am helping my sister give a baby shower for one of her friends (both of which will revolve around good food).

Why do we do that? Why do celebrations always involve food? Case in point... at work we have had these rail cars filled with hazardous waste on our lot for a long time. We got a grant from the state to help pay for cleaning and disposal. On Friday they finally hauled the cars away. Afterward I get a call from the offices telling me to come down to the cafeteria and celebrate by having cake and ice cream. Cake and ice cream to celebrate waste disposal? Or should it be waist disposal?

The Hot 100 goals...
#1... be less than 200 pounds. Made it! Now I just have to keep it off between Thanksgiving and New Year and that goal is as good as done.

#2... run a full 10K, I have a 10K route and have been running/walking it once a week. This week with my 5 minute warm-up and cool down I did run the entire thing in 1 hour and 20 minutes. But I am not going to call this one finished until I run it a couple more times.

Weigh-in Day

I must say I have been a terrible blogger lately. I haven't posted since Monday but I have been reading - I promise. I have just had some things (unrelated to weight) on my mind this week. A couple weeks ago I, quite accidentally, came across a job posting for a position I think I would really like but it would involve moving to an even smaller, more northern town. I thought about it for about 1/2 a day and decided to apply anyway... hey maybe they wouldn't even call and then at least I can say I tried. Well this week they called for an interview. Just to set the scene; I enjoyed living in the city and I hadn't planned on moving back to the "North Woods" of Wisconsin but things just happened that way. Really, I am perfectly happy here and I don't regret trading concerts and vegetarian restaurants for more time with my family. Right now I don't see much of a trade off in moving further north. I told one of my Milwaukee friends about the job and he asked, "There is something north of you besides Canada?" I go back and forth between praying I don't get the job and excitement about having a different job (aka making more $).

Anyway, that is what has been on my mind while I was MIA this week just to reassure anyone who suspected I was elbow deep in a turtle cheesecake or something like that.

This weeks weigh-in was good... 209.8, a 3.8 pound loss.

Next week I am going to Milwaukee for Halloween. Hopefully I can keep up the diet over Halloween.

Hot 100 goals are still going strong... only 9.8 pounds to go before I weigh less than 200, that's exciting!
I am planning on running 4.5 miles again this week but am planning an increase to 5 miles next week. 6.2 miles here I come!

Weigh in Day: Week 15

I have been feeling extra vigilant this week about not eating sweets and getting my workouts done everyday. I wish I could say this comes from my own determination but really I think it is coming from fear. This is the time of the year when (in past experience) I give up on the weight loss and start eating my own weight in Holiday cookies. The vigilance paid off (whatever the reason is) because I lost 4 pounds this week, that puts me at 213.6 - drum roll please - that means I made the 50 pounds gone mark! Please excuse my while I dance around the room...

Ok... I'm back.

Accounting for the Hot 100!

Goal #1: Be 200 pounds or less by the end of the year (that is a 2 pound a week loss). Still doing good on that one... only 13.6 pounds to go.

Goal #2: Be able to run 10K. I increased to 4.5 miles this week and my pace didn't change, I am so happy with that.

Weigh in Day: Week 13

I did my weigh-in first thing this morning... 219.6 pounds (that's a 3.8 pound loss this week). Something about that number makes me giddy. I don't know what it is... maybe it just seems so much closer to the hundreds.

Accounting for the "Hot 100" goals:

Goal #1: Be 200 pounds or less by the end of the year (that is a 2 pound a week loss). Still doing good on that one... only 19.6 pounds to go.

Goal #2: Be able to run 10K. I increased my run by 1/2 mile this week (3.5 to 4 miles) and my average pace went way up, the last mile seems really long. However, I have decreased my average pace every day so I figure I will give it a couple weeks and increase another 1/2 mile.

Week 12

Today is weigh-in day... and the scale said 223.4 pounds that is a 3.4 pound loss. That also means that I hit the "40 pounds gone" mark today (40.6 to be exact). How exciting is that? I have also decided to use my weigh-in day as a reminder to account for my "Hot 100" goals for the end of the year.

Goal #1: Be 200 pounds or less by the end of the year (that is a 2 pound a week loss). Doing good on that one so far.

Goal #2: Be able to run 10K. I ran 5k yesterday and I am planning on expanding my morning runs from 3.5 to 4 miles in the next week.

So far so good!

Going out with a bang!

South Beach Steve at Log My Loss has come up with a genius idea. Make goals for the last 100 days of 2009, aka "going out with a bang." It is kind of like New Years resolutions, only the opposite. Does that make sense? Goals you want to complete before the new year. I think it's a great idea. I have decided to accept the challenge because I like to have goals... and I really do love jalapeno peppers (the possible challenge award).

One popped into my head right away, I want to run 10K before the end of the year. That isn't to say I want to compete in a 10K race I just want to be up to running 6.2 miles so I can run a 10K race next summer. I had a few other goals in mind like not eating any of the holiday cookies but I want to avoid goals I can easily forget. When I was member of Curves they had a list of challenges for the members to complete for a week and you got a prize at the end of the week. So I signed up to not drink any soda... well my first lunch break I mindlessly grabbed a diet soda out of fridge and was about half way through before I remembered the challenge, (Dang) then I felt bad all day. I would like to avoid that. I considered the 100 push up challenge, which I have been thinking about lately, but I don't want two fitness goals and I am not really sure I can do it so I will just try that silently on my own... just in case I fall on my face. Originally when I started this blog I said I wanted to be down to 200 pounds by the New Year so I think I will stick with that goal (that's about 2 pounds a week).

So the recap:

Goal #1: Be able to run 10K.
Goal #2: Be 200 pounds or less.

Good luck to everyone in the challenge I look forward to reading your updates.