I'm alive!

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth or the health wagon.  I am still sitting at between 195-199.  I haven't lost any more nor have I really tried.  Life has been busy and my in-laws are staying with us until 11/6.  They arrived on 9/7 from Thailand.  They will be spend a weekend in the desert and about 10 days in Oregon/Washington otherwise they are staying with us.  It's been difficult on the sleeping arrangements.  They took my daughters room and she is staying in my sons room.  She starts out in his room and then sometime in the night she ends up in our bed. Every night since they arrived she has come into our bed without fail.  It's getting old and we still have a long way to go.

I completed the Color Me Rad 5k at Fontana Speedway a couple of weeks ago.  It was a lot of fun.

Before, all clean!

After

So we have been busy, but I'm still here and I'm NOT gaining weight back.  

Hello There

Hello there little blog,  It's been awhile since I wrote.  Since the last time I completed the Hero Rush 5k Fire Fighter themed obstacle course with my husband and I had many bruises to show for it.  There were 19 obstacles with a lot of water  too.  It was a lot of fun and a really cool medal to show for it.  I ordered some pictures at the race hoping there were some good ones, but I don't have them yet.  I will have to add them later.

The 4th of July was a pretty nice day.  We had the family over to our house and BBQ'd some hot dogs and burgers.  We also had some potato salad, fruit salad, chips, and watermelon.  We had banana pudding for dessert.  The kids played in the pool and the adults played a game.  Then that night we just went out to the front yard and watched the fireworks all the neighborhood people set off.  It's legal where we live to buy and set them off.  The last two years we weren't around for all the good stuff that happens just in our neighborhood.  We had no idea.

I was 198 this morning so no real big losses in the last two weeks, but I have been able to hold steady under 200 which is really nice.  I finally broke down and bought some more jeans. I kept putting it off because I don't really want to buy to many things when I hope to keep going lower and lower.  But my jeans were super baggy and unattractive.  I actually managed to squeeze into some stretch 14's today.  If they weren't stretchy i wouldn't have fit into them, but it was nice to actually fit into them.  They fit like a glove though.  Pretty tight so it will encourage me to lose some more weight.  We are going on vacation in two weeks to my family reunion.  I am looking forward to going to it a lot smaller than I was last time.

I hope you all are doing well and that you had a nice 4th of July.

What a busy week!

This week has been crazy busy.  My mother had some back surgery on Monday. We had Vacation Bible School (VBS) at church Monday-Friday. And I had a stomach bug on Tuesday afternoon/evening.  I lost 3 pounds overnight with the stomach bug, but put it back on the rest of the week.  I am the same this week. 199.6.  I actually saw 197 after I was sick, but I knew it wouldn't last.

Yesterday we did a 5k called Little Heart Warriors.  It was for a non profit organization for kids born with congenital heart defects.  It was their first time doing a 5k and the organizer was hoping she would get at least 150 people to participate and it turns out there was about 450 people there.  It was a great success for the non profit organization.  My husband even got 3rd place overall.  How great is that?!  I ran/walked it with the stroller and my friend and finished in about 41:52.  I'm pretty pleased with that.

After the 5k we went shopping for a birthday present for an 8 year old girl, went home cleaned up and then went to the birthday party about and hour away.  Then after the party we went to my mothers house who lives close to the party and brought dinner over.  We wanted to see how my mom was doing after her surgery.  She is doing quite well by the way.

Today we went to Church and then there was a BBQ potluck afterwards to end the VBS week.  We will be taking a dip in the pool soon and then just relax for the evening.  I am looking forward to a much more relaxed week this week.

Next weekend is Hero Rush 5k Fire Fighter based themed obstacle course.  I'm scared, but excited about it.  I haven't strength trained like I should have, but it will be fun either way.  Have a great week everyone.

RFSC Wk 7 and GFCTC wk 5 Update

Hello Everyone, I hope all you moms out there had a great Mothers day.  I know I did.  We celebrated on Saturday because my husband had to work Sunday.  We bought me a dress, sweater, shirt and shoes for the new job.  We had lunch and went to see the Hunger Games too.  Yesterday was Church and relaxing.

My new job has kept me busy this last week and not allowed me to snack regularly like I have been in the few weeks prior to the new job.  I believe that is the reason I actually LOST weight this week.  Don't get me wrong, it's not like I was over snacking, but I was having a nut bar everyday which can pack on the calories pretty quickly.

Last Weight: 208.2
Current Weight: 206.6
Loss: 1.6

So, Wahoo, I actually lost this week.  Finally, past that slump.  I hope to continue downward now.  I ate a little to freely over the weekend, but I'm back on track now.

I ran/walked another 5k over the weekend.  The time was just over 43 minutes.  My next 5k will be the Shrinking Jeans Run the Hood virtual 5k on 5/28 and then we will do the Hero Rush 5k obstacle course on 6/30.  I really need to start working on my strength training for the obstacle course.  I am really lacking in upper body strength.

CDCC Update Week 8 and 5k Race Recap

Hello everyone.  Here are my stats:

CDCC start weight: 235.8
Last week weight: 226.4
This week weight: 225.6
Loss this week: .8
Loss so far during CDCC challenge: 10.2 pounds

I'm pretty proud of that.  I hope this next week will be good.  I have indulged a little in the last few days and tomorrow is my birthday so I'll have to step up the exercise some this week.

Speaking of exercise, today was my first official 5k.  It was a nice cold run at about 50 degrees with rain threatening to pour on us.  The first half of the course involved going up a slowly increasing hill which means there was lots of walking for me.   I certainly didn't expect hills and I came along side another racer and she said all she needed to do was finish and I said I just hoped to finish in 45 minutes.  She said that was her goal too.  The second half of the course was getting to go down a gradual downhill.  Yeah for downhill.  That is also where our only water stop was.  The water was super cold and refreshing after doing the hills.  I did a lot of run/walk intervals the rest of the way back. The final sprint section of the finish line was back uphill though so that made for a slower sprint to the finish line. I finished in 42.11.

That is a better time then my Run the Hood Virtual 5k on 10/22 which I completed with a time of 45:42.  It felt good to run with other people. My husband ran his first 10k today and finished with a time of 48:57.  His best 10k time on his own was 52 minutes so he really pushed himself today.

My parents were at the finish line with my kids and even got a video of me coming in to finish the race.  It was really nice to have someone waiting for me.  The rain didn't start up until after we had both finished our races and they were doing the 1st-3rd place trophies for the 5k when decided there was no way either of us got a medal so we left.  You see, they hadn't put up the official race times for the 10k yet so when they finally showed up online this afternoon we found out my husband finished 1st in his age division.  There ended up only being 3 people in his division.  I really hope they mail him the trophy or call him up and see if he wants to come get it.  That would be really cool to have.

I don't really have much else to say since I just did a good update on my book and all.  So have a great week everyone and make good choices.

What have I been up to?

I’ve been pretty absent from this blog in the last couple of weeks.  I guess I just kind of lost the blogging mojo recently.   I haven’t been running as much due to the darkness in the mornings.  That should all change with the time change this weekend.  It should be lighter in the mornings so I can get back to running before work.  My run this past Sunday was pretty good.  I did 35 minutes total and 25 of that was straight running.  Then on Wednesday I did a run after work and it was absolutely awful.  It was like I was back to the begging learning how to run.  I was tired and can honestly say I am a morning runner instead of an evening runner.  I have my first official 5k on Sunday and now the forecast says that it could be raining.  As of right now it says rain likely after 11am which would be a dry race since it starts at 8am, but there is still a few days to go. I am praying that if there is going to be rain on Sunday that it waits until the afternoon/evening to arrive.  I really don’t want to run in the rain.

I have been doing pretty good with my food intake and staying away from most of the Halloween candy.  I have allowed myself one piece after dinner.  I have really wanted more than that, but so far I’m staying in control.  I’m still trying to drink more water.   I just took a few sips as I wrote that sentence.  :-)

I’m a little behind in my book, but some recent ideas are as follows:

Day 33 - Fullness Scale 

0= neutral, not hungry, not full,

+1= satisfied, comfortable, just right

+2= too full – a little uncomfortable

+3= stuffed, miserable

Try to recognize the cues your body is giving you when you are at the +1 and stop eating.  If you get to the +2 remember how you feel for next time and then stop eating before that.  If you learn to recognize the feelings of fullness you will be able to stop overeating.

Day 35 The Eating Pause

When you pause in your eating by taking a deep breath you’re usually at the exact point where you feel satisfied or comfortable.  Stop eating then and don’t go back for more food.  You are probably already at the point of fullness.  If in 20 minutes you are still hungry then go back for more.

Day 41 – Motivation is a Choice

You create motivation through your thoughts and your attitude. You can access it if you want to.  NO one can force you to stay motivated.  You need to work on it and do and say things that will keep you motivated.

Day 43 – Choose To, Not Have To

You need to change your words from have to, to choose to.  I choose to lose weight, I choose to exercise, I choose to clean the house, I choose to eat healthier.  By saying I choose to instead of I have to you are tricking your brain into believing it’s what you want to do and aren’t forcing yourself to do.

And one final one for today:

Day 44 – It’s Not The Right Time

It’s easy to use the phrase it’s not the right time to lose weight or exercise more or eat healthier.  It’s easy to say I’m too busy or I’m going through this in my life right now, but the reality is that there is probably never going to be a right time.  You have to MAKE the time to do it.  How important is it to you to be healthier and feel better?  You will always have things going on in your life, but if you really want to lose weight and eat better than you just need to make the time to do it. 

If Jo at A Well Kept Life can keep at it and stay positive while trying to be there for her brother with a spinal cord injury then do you really have an excuse why you can’t make better food choices while dealing with your own obstacles?  If you work a lot or have to run the kids around to their activities and regularly eat out, just pick the healthiest option available.  Don’t allow yourself to provide excuses for why you can’t do it.  Find ways you can make it happen and achieve your goals.

I’ll be back Sunday with a race recap and CDCC update. 

P.s for those interested,  I’m still in the Shrinkvivor challenge, but since I’m on Exile Island I just didn’t feel like doing an update post.  I did however win the Body Glide giveaway this week  WooHoo for me. 

Run the Hood 5K

Today was the Run the Hood Virtual 5K &10K put on by the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.  I participated in the 5K.  I did a run/walk.  It wasn't a very good run.  I did a whole lot of walking.  I just wasn't feeling the running today, but I finished in 45:42.  It was a nice cool morning so at least is was nice weather.  Here is a picture of me in my shirt.

I am really looking forward to the race medal.  :-)

I am scheduled to do another 5k on 11/6 but I'll be with other people then.  I hope it goes better next time.

The Journey starts with the first step!

I've been spending a lot of time lately looking at other peoples blogs.  I am really looking for the blogs that showcase people who are on a journey to lose weight and become healthier.  I came across the blog called Ben Does Life and found inspiration!  Ben started on his weight loss journey as a promise to his grandmother to lose weight and become healthier.  He started working out and took up running. He has lost 120 pounds the hard way.  No surgery for him.  Just plain hard work and making better eating choices.  He has recently completed an Ironman.  I can't even imagine what that must feel like. Ben has even begun the Do Life campaign.  He is currently on tour doing 5k's.  31 of them in 40 days.  That is pure crazy is you ask me, but it is such a great concept.  He is getting people out there getting active.  It's not even about the running, it's about being together, walking, running, biking, rollerblading, etc. There is usually a healthy meal together afterward.  He will be in the Los Angeles area on July 23 and it is my goal to be there and experience it myself. I may walk most of the 5k but at least I'll be out there with other like minded people on a journey to be healthy!  If you want to check out the 5k cities the web address is http://bendoeslife.tumblr.com/post/6057365146/official-do-life-tour-details.

I was going to call my blog Denise's Journey, but that was already taken.  Since it was Ben's post that really got me motivated I decided to follow suite and name my own blog Denise Does Life.  It may not be original, but I like the idea behind the name.  I want to participate in life and not just watch it pass me by.