Oh the Places I'll Go...

So the challenge is officially finished.  In the morning I will post my final weigh in for the 60 day challenge to finish 2010 well.

There have been ups, downs, slips and slides but all in all I've consistently lost weight during the two toughest months of the year.  How cool is that?

Pretty cool.

My mom is reading "Oh the Places You'll Go" to my daughter next to me right now.  I love that book.  It was given to me when I left RTI earlier this year and has meant a great deal to me.  I love how it talks about how you will end up going to some places that aren't necessarily grand or pleasant on your journey but that you will at least be going somewhere.  Moving in a direction.  And that even with setbacks we are all destined for great things.  Mountains.

My weight loss journey has been much like that.  Oh, the places I've been.

This year I've become a runner, against all odds.  On January 1, 2010 I weighed 257.4 (down almost 30 pounds from my August starting weight of 285).  I lost down to 245 (40 pounds) and then fell down my front steps on February 19th and badly sprained/fractured my left ankle.  I had every reason then to give up.  And the old me totally would have.  But starting to blog rescued me from giving up.  I sat there designing the page with a cast on my leg up to my knee and dreamed of becoming a runner.  I wanted it so badly that once the cast came off I dove into physical therapy and worked my tail off.  I asked every week when I could run again.  The day my PT said yes I was ecstatic and I've been that enthusiastic about running since then.

My plan was to run a 5k race sometime this year, in spite of my injury.  I've run 4.

So the "place I went" to become a runner wasn't exactly the peachy journey I would have chosen for myself.  I would have run my first race way sooner...but man, 4 races?  And setting a PR in that last race over 4 minutes faster than my first one?  Would I have been so motivated had I not fallen like a spaz?

I'm glad things happened the way they did.  Because I became a blogger too. :)

This forum allows me to stay accountable and enables me to stay motivated.  Without having this place to check into, to download my thoughts, I wouldn't be able to look back and see as clearly how far I've gone...all the places I've been.  And each place has had some lesson, even when it was tough and I wondered if I could continue.  Each setback has made me that much stronger, more determined, and ultimately more successful.

So as you look back over 2010, and think about the places you've been, don't fret if you didn't exceed or even meet every goal you set for yourself.  Instead, look at the places you've been and see how well you came out of the setbacks.  If you're still struggling from them, decide right now not to.  Decide to learn from them and move on.  It's not too late.  After all, in a few minutes, right now will be one of the places you've been...

Be where you are!  More to come on inspiration to kick start the new year... in the meantime I'm not one of those people who thinks I have to be awake exactly at midnight to ring in the new year...sleep is calling my name!

Happy New year...and Happy Places We'll Go in 2011!

~Clara

Day 60 Checkin!!!

So Day 60 is finally here.  I am excited about my progress this holiday season.  I'm excited about losing weight in November and December while most people gained weight.  I'm excited about continuing to run even with it being freezing outside.  I'm excited that even with illness taking up half of December I will still post a loss overall.

I will weigh in the morning...may wait to count Saturday's weight - lets just see if that water weight decided to go away today...and if I am able to get up and exercise in the morning with how tired I am right now. 

Had a good run this morning - very steady and felt great.

Bought some more winter running clothes today.  I am in love with Fila shirts.  The long sleeved ones.  And I finally finally ordered gloves!  Also got some more hats at Walmart. Can't wait for them to get here.  One shirt I bought today was a medium.  Its tight, but I'm figuring I can wear it next winter too!

That said - I'm off to bed.  Here are my stats:
 

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1498
Carbs: 145
Fat: 67
Protein: 82

OUTPUT (exercise):
392 calories burned 2 mile run, 1/2 mile walk.

Day 59 Checkin

Day 59!  WOW!  One more full day left in this challenge.  I'll technically finish on Day 61 and may use my weight from Day 62...we'll just have to see how things "pan out" this week (aka when I lose my water weight finally - haha).

I'm excited to end this challenge and this year.  2010 held so many amazing things for me and I'll be posting motivational blogs the entire first week of the year.  I have so much to share about my year and my journey and I'm hoping to motivate others past just January.  I want to help people make decisions, not resolutions.  Resolutions historically don't last.  Decisions do.  We'll explore the difference more beginning January 1st. :)  Stay tuned...

In the meantime I want to focus on the next two days.  I didn't feel like working out this morning, very blah as I sometimes feel this week of the month.  Had a good day at work (albeit a bit silly at times, I get scatterbrained too) and then came home and did a heavy duty BL workout before church.  It felt GREAT. 

Had a pretty good eating day though I did end up going a little over my calories...darn hot chocolate chip cookies.  But the happiness that ensued was worth it. :)  hopefully I will still be able to say that on Saturday!

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1693
Carbs: 208
Fat: 66
Protein: 67

OUTPUT (exercise):
500 Calories burned BL Levels 1&2 Cardio Max.

Day 58 Checkin

I cannot believe I have only two days left in this challenge!  My official last weigh in will be Friday morning.  I'm nervous and excited about it!

Got up and ran in the COLD this morning.  When I say cold, its relative, of course, because I live in Florida. It was around 18 degrees.  The sweat that beaded up on my hat had frost on it when I got home.  That's pretty darn cold if you ask me!  I felt great.

I'm a little tired today as I only got 7 hours of sleep last night.  This was part of our lunchtime conversation today - much of those conversations wouldn't belong on this particular blog (lol) but back to sleep, I'm one of those people that needs 8 hours.  All 8 hours.  If I get 7 its terrible.  6 hours is better than 7 for me.  I wonder why?  I don't know enough about sleep to know it but I do wish I didn't need as much sleep as I do.  I got things to do!  I really envy those people that can survive on 5 hours.  More power to ya.  No retraining in the cards here.  I perform better athletically when I have the full 8 hours so that's what I'm sticking with!

Got a package from California today from my younger brother.  He sent us some awesome fresh San Francisco sourdough bread.  I had plans for grilled cheese and tomato soup for dinner so I just made cheese toast instead with the bread.  It was AWESOME.  We really enjoyed it.  I did ask him to make it whole grain next time.  But bread like that, every now and then, is not going to hurt me since I rarely eat "white" food.

I'm excited to be helping my friend make her family recipes/menu more healthy.  We're talking and discussing little changes to make here and there and I'm excited to see the changes it will make in her family.  I would love to do something like that for a living, coach people on healthy lifestyles.  Hmmm, maybe a life coach?

Anyway, off to spend some quality time with the family and then probably enjoy some hot tea before going to bed.  Then up early again to exercise - I have some huge goals for this week and need lots of activity to get there!

Here are my stats:

Tuesday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1610
Carbs: 209
Fat: 68
Protein: 51

OUTPUT (exercise):
392 Calories burned intervals of running and walking for 2.73 miles.

Day 57 Checkin

I cannot believe I've written in this blog almost every day for almost 60 days.  That's kind of a record for me...for doing anything for that long.  

Though there are other records to be celebrated here...



Someone asked "How Far Have You Come?" on SparkPeople the other day...

I've tracked my calories and activity for 60 days.  This is the longest streak I've ever had with that since I started my journey.  Cool, huh?

I've run 170 miles and burned 23,562 doing it since June.  


I ran four 5k races this year. Last year I couldn't give my daughter a bath.

I went from a size 24 to a size 14/16. I've never been so happy to shop in normal size stores.

285 pounds to 208. I have another 30-40 pounds to go.

I am stronger, more confident, and determined.

I've lost 59 inches. 

Now that I've come this far there is absolutely NO WAY I'm turning back.  Looking forward to finishing this year STRONG!


80 POUNDS DOWN, HERE I COME! :)  Then 100, then 120. :)


Here are my stats:

Monday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1601
Carbs: 186
Fat: 66
Protein: 75

OUTPUT (exercise):
400 Calories burned Biggest Loser Cardio Max Level 1.

Day 56 Checkin

Hey out there!

Had a good Sunday.  Huge lunch at Pizza Hut but just adjusted my eating the rest of the day to stay within my range.  :) Did NOT get up and run, my running partner texted this morning to cancel and I decided 20 degrees was no match for my warm bed.  Slept in which was great.  Did not take a nap this afternoon so planning to go to sleep soon then wake up early to exercise inside since its an early work day.

That said here are my stats:

Sunday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1693
Carbs: 240
Fat: 61
Protein: 54

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest day (impromptu).

ONLY 5 DAYS LEFT IN THE CHALLENGE!  Will I get down to 205, for a total of 80 pounds down so far?  We'll see!

Clara

Day 55 Checkin

Wow, doing a checkin at the end of the day its actually about...startling, I KNOW!  This is what happens when I have a day of rest, where I change from PJs to running clothes, shower then back to PJs.  No makeup, no leaving the house kind of day.  I honestly can't remember the last time I had a day like this.  It's been wonderful.
So I ran today for the first time in two weeks coming off of my illness.  It was AMAZING!  I loved being back out there.  I did just under 2 miles, mainly because it started drizzling as soon as I headed out.  But it was probably good to only do that much since I need to ease back into it.  Planning to go out and run tomorrow morning too.  It's forecasted to be 25 degrees, but if I decide now not to get up due to the cold, it will be a long, runless few months. :)  And thus, I'm getting out tomorrow morning, bundled up, but out there!

I'm on the hunt for good running gloves now.  I have a hat, which was incredibly helpful today when it was raining, kept my head dry (its just one of those pull on hats for $2 from Walmart).  It was so effective I'm totally buying another few this week.  It covers my ears too which was great for warmth.  And kept my ipod earbuds in place.  Another plus.  Did I mention it was only $2?  In looking further I have found some have a pony tail hole. Nike makes them for almost $20.  Maybe I can cut a hole into the ones I have and someone who sews (not me) can stitch around the hole to reinforce the fabric?  Yes I am cheap...you didn't know this??

More good news - I'm down another .4.  Kind of lame, I know, but given I only got to exercise one time in 12 days due to being sick, I'm pretty proud of having lost at all!  So I'm down 77 pounds as of today.  My new goal is to be down 80 by the end of the year!  This is my week to lose, so I should be able to do that.

All that said I'd better get to bed so I can be up at 6am.  I'm excited to meet up with my running buddy again, its been awhile since we ran together!

Another good day numbers-wise.  :)  Yay for staying on track during the holidays! It IS possible!

Here are my stats:

Saturday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1687
Carbs: 176
Fat: 64
Protein: 101

OUTPUT (exercise):
303 calories burned with a 1.78 mile run and warmup walk in the rain. :)

Good night & Merry Christmas!

Clara

Day 54 Checkin

Better late than never! :)  Christmas Eve was a great success - and even with cooking a huge meal and enjoying some amazing steak I still stayed within my range for the day.  That rocks.  :)

Looking forward to my run in a little while! Merry Christmas everyone!


Here are my stats:

Friday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1718
Carbs: 151
Fat: 67
Protein: 130

OUTPUT (exercise):
Work, then cooking and cleaning up a storm. :)

Day 52 &53 Checkin

Hey!  Quick post as its technically almost day 54.  :)  Had big plans to get up and exercise in the morning - we'll see how I feel when 5am hits.  Probably NOT like exercising but getting a few more mins of sleep!

Feeling SO much better, I'm definitely going to run Saturday morning.  I just can't wait!  I'm so excited - that will be one awesome present to myself...getting back out there.  I really believe I'm addicted to running.  Do I love it the whole time I'm doing it?  Not really.  I'm really silently saying bad words to myself - like why in the world am I doing this?  It hurts.  I can't go on.  Really.  That's mainly the battle between miles 1 and 2.  And that happened the day I ran 4 miles.  It is SO mental so I guess when I have a good run I feel like I won.  Over myself.  Wait.  Is that still a win? 

I have to weigh in the morning for my Biggest Loser weigh in...and we'll see how that goes.  The only exercise I had was last night when I shopped for a few hours.  Definitely felt it...but...we'll see.  :)  I may just wait until Saturday after my run if I don't like the number that pops up...

Managed to stay pretty well within my ranges.  I'm proud of that.  It didn't mean being miserable as the junk food (i.e. treats) floated around the office.  It meant being picky, and now that's not a bad thing.  Especially since I'm picky about what junk I will put in my body now, vs. picky about eating only fried food and drinking only diet coke...

And the stats you've all been anxiously waiting for:

Wednesday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1673
Carbs: 211
Fat: 64
Protein: 69

OUTPUT (exercise):
Work, then shopping until midnight. :)

Thursday:
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1560
Carbs: 208
Fat: 41
Protein: 99

OUTPUT (exercise):
Work, grocery shopping then wrapping presents!

Good night all!

~Clara

Day 51 Checkin

So we're in the final stretch, folks.  Just 9 days until the end of the year, and the end of this 60 day challenge to finish the year well.  I'm pretty happy with how things have gone, sans getting ill during the home stretch of course...

If I've learned nothing else this year, its that life isn't about everything going according to plan...its about adjusting your plan to fit your circumstances.

So much has changed for me in a positive way since August 2009 when I began my journey.  To finish up the 60 day challenge, and 2010, I'm planning a post about everything I've learned thus far...one item for each pound lost so far.  That's the plan...I know you'll be waiting up past midnight on 12/31 for it.  :)

I went to the doctor today and got some meds for the nasty cold/respiratory issue I'm fighting.  I already feel a little better and when I start the steroid pack in the morning I'm sure I'll be bouncing off the walls by lunchtime.  Maybe I'll just do that march around the office to my favorite Christmas song, (I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas).  Hehe.

Even with quite a few unplanned treats in my day, I managed to stay within my calorie range.  Having this cold has curbed my appetite some (stress the some) and it couldn't have fallen on a better week temptation-wise. 

So here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1626
Carbs: 224
Fat: 62
Protein: 54

OUTPUT (exercise):
Work, doctor, then rest. :)

~Gnight!
Clara

Day 49 & Day 50 Checkins

So here we are...only 10 days left in the challenge and I am...STILL...SICK.  I'm so over being sick.  Sick and tired of being sick and tired.  Seriously.  I want to go out and run a few miles so bad I am flat grumpy about it.  It's been almost a week sick now so I'm heading to the dr tomorrow as I tend to get ear infections and bronchitis pretty easily.  In the meantime, I'm just chilling and trying not to show my grumpiness to others (though I'm pretty sure it shows, right lunch buddies?).  lol.  Another shout out to my favorite blog stalker...quite possibly the only person reading this blog. HA!  Well, besides me.  And my friends with Input. :)

I'm trying to figure out how to adjust my game plan according to this bump in the road.  Do I cave and give in and just gain 5 pounds since its Christmas?  Or do I tailor my intake to my output?  That would make way more sense.

So the last few days I've definitely gone in the other direction - not in a major way, but in a 100 calories over my range each day kind of way.  An extra 300 calories would normally mean nothing but since the most calories I'm burning right now are by sneezing, I'm guessing it might mean something at weigh in this Friday. 

So my new plan of attack is as follows: eat in the lower end of my calorie range every day this week until I am feeling well enough to at least take a walk outside for a few miles.  And I'm really hoping to feel well enough to run a few miles on Christmas.  Hopefully that will get me back on track for losing this week.  I really don't want to lose any ground on this 60 day challenge due to a stinking head cold.

Here are my not so awesome stats:


SUNDAY:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1551
Carbs: 111
Fat: 84
Protein: 94

OUTPUT (exercise):
Church, then more resting. :) 

MONDAY:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1819
Carbs: 234
Fat: 67
Protein: 80

OUTPUT (exercise):
Work, then resting. :)  

Day 48 Checkin

Had a great day visiting with my parents, saw the new Narnia movie, enjoyed some frozen yogurt and shopping.  Life is good - but I'm completely wiped out from the day and *still* being sick.  That said...my stats are below and I'm off to bed ~ I have another date with some Nyquil. Praying I get well soon - going crazy not running for a week now!  AHHH!

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1859
Carbs: 212
Fat: 71
Protein: 97

OUTPUT (exercise):
Shopping and resting. :)  that is all.

Day 47 Checkin

Despite being sick, had a good and productive day today.  Its not a debilitating kind of sick.  Though if I stand still I get dizzy and extremely nauseous.  The cold is manageable but I'm really hoping I get my voice back for Sunday morning or I will have a disappointed congregation...again...I feel so bad about that!

Anywho, a few interesting realizations this week.

1) I fit in a booth at subway - with someone sitting next to me.  This might sound really silly to some of you but this is a big deal to me.  I realized it when having lunch on Wednesday with a few folks from work.  There were 4 of us and we picked a booth.  When I went to get my drink I had a twinge of worry...would it be comfortable or would I be completely squished?  I got to my seat, slid in easily and the person next to me slid in and we each had plenty of room.  That felt good.

2) Grease ain't all its cracked up to be.  Since changing what I eat almost completely in the last year and a half, there are certain foods my body just can't tolerate any longer.  Today I had onion rings (the choice was that or home fries).  I ate about half of them and just felt terribly nauseous.  Now to be fair, I am sick, but still...I am 99% sure the grease would affect me the same way even without the illness.  So really, I think it will continue to be rare that I eat like that again.  It's rare now which is why it ended up making me feel so ick.

3) I really like losing weight during the holidays.  Its like a big challenge and I know others think I'm just crazy for trying but that is what makes it fun.  But its working, so I am going to keep it up! I used to be a victim of "eating for the sake of eating."  Because its there.  That's how I ended up morbidly obese in the first place.  There are treats EVERYWHERE at work right now (can I get an Amen JB???) and it is tough to avoid them.  Unless you decide only to eat the things you *really* want and are looking forward to.  For example, red velvet cake doesn't do it for me.  Never has.  Chocolate cake without chocolate frosting is again, not something I gravitate toward.  Now if someone brings in a pumpkin cheesecake I'll happily run an extra 2 miles for that.  :)  Bottom line is to only eat what you really really like and want.  And when you want something, go ahead and have it, don't deny yourself (unless you feel like having a 400 calorie chocolate chip cookie every day, then maybe there should be some denial).  Self (Control) and Will (Power) continue to be my best buds right now.

In other related news, I've lost another 1.2 pounds for a total of 76.6 pounds down!  Woohoo!  I'm at 208.4 and pretty sure I won't hit 199 before the end of the year, but man, I'm so happy with where I am that any progress will be welcome! I seem to have hit a good losing streak and I plan to keep it up.  Even if I can just lose another 5 (which my big week to lose is coming up last week of the month) man that would be incredible!

Off now to enjoy the weekend with my parents.  I love having them here! 

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1747
Carbs: 193
Fat: 69
Protein: 87

OUTPUT (exercise):
Does shopping at Walmart for an hour and a half count?  Still resting until I'm well.

~Clara

Day 46 Checkin

So I woke up this morning with a full on cold.  Sore throat, that felt clogged with goo and stuffy snotty head.  Ugh.  I hate that feeling.  I took some dayquil and headed in to work, feeling bleh.  Ate a larabar for breakfast, this one was Cherry Pie - not my favorite but like all of them, I like them to some degree.  I love love love the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, in fact, I'm ordering some now from Amazon.com, the only place I can find them in bulk in that flavor.  My 2nd favorite is the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip.  Just in case you were wondering.  Key lime pie is ok, not a huge fan of the Coconut cream pie but I did like the Apple pie flavor. 

OK, back to the story.  At work I ended up realizing I have a stomach bug.  Also.  Really?  Yes.  So almost a year not being ill even a day and here I am with a double whammy.  Sigh.

Could be worse - much worse.  I know people going through chemo right now that are also sick.  But they are way sicker and its much more risky for them to be sick.  All in all - I'm fine in comparison.

Will I be able to lose a bunch of weight this week?  Probably not likely - since I haven't been able to exercise.  This is why I set goals but give myself room for stuff to happen.

My calories were low today - not much appetite today, given the low physical activity the last few days I'm not terribly surprised.  Maybe I won't do so bad at weigh in after all.  We'll see!

I'm still going to end the year lighter than I began it...by alot.  There's something to celebrate.  Now, onward to bed to get well!

~Clara

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1415
Carbs: 185
Fat: 40
Protein: 76

OUTPUT (exercise):
Managed to get through work today - that was plenty. :)

Day 45 Checkin

15 days left!  AHHH!

And I have a cold.

How perfect is that?

I'm not 100% succumbing to illness - but I cannot deny something is going on in my throat.  Dang it.  Anyway, I will not be running in the morning again, but if I feel OK I may still get up and exercise.  I want to, I need to burn some more calories this week. I really am missing running - its been 4 days.  I am hoping I feel well enough Saturday to get a nice long run in.  We'll see!

In the meantime, I'll keep on keeping on, realizing that everything happens for a reason and everyone hits a wall every now and then.  I haven't been sick since this time last year.  Impressive for a girl who used to be sick every few months and on antibiotics.  :)  Sigh - going to drink more Emergen-C...

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1738
Carbs: 282
Fat: 53
Protein: 56

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest and don't get sicker day. :)

~Peace!
Clara

Day 44 Checkin

Quick post tonight - very sleepy and heading to bed.  Hoping my extremely sore tater eases off some - the Zumba last night and then the biggest loser workout this morning has literally kicked my butt! It hurt to sit down and stand up today - and this is only day 1/2.  tomorrow will be worse I'm thinking - a good stretch will be in order in the morning!

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1705
Carbs: 162
Fat: 71
Protein: 112

OUTPUT (exercise):
500 Calories burned doing Levels 1 & 2 of  BL Cardio Max

Gnight!
Clara

Day 43 Checkin

And it all comes down to a Chicken Biscuit, the one that wrecked my calories for the day.


This morning I was in a hurry and left the house without my Larabar - this NEVER happens so I had to stop and pick something up.  My first plan to was to go to McDonalds and get a fruit and yogurt parfait and some apples.  Then I realized I had too much stuff to be able to carry a bag into work too today, so I went to Whataburger to get a chicken biscuit that I could eat while driving.  I mean, how bad could that really be?  Like 300 calories?


Yeah.  Try 560 calories.  34 grams of fat.  SOOOOO not worth it.  Its funny that I have to keep learning these lessons the hard way - the-already-ate-it-no-going-back-way.  At least I don't make the same mistake more than twice when it comes to food choices.  Being accountable not only to my Sparkpeople tracker but also to this blog has really made me think consciously about what I'm eating.  I've tracked my food successfully for awhile now and I need to continue.

I'd be about 380 calories lower for the day had I opted for the fruit and yogurt parfait. Lesson learned!

Here are my stats!

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1744
Carbs: 233
Fat: 69
Protein: 64

OUTPUT (exercise):
567 Calories burned doing 1 hour of Zumba!

~Gnight!
Clara

Day 42 Checkin

Dude, I only have 18 days left in this challenge!  Holy Canoli!  I'd better get to work.

Today was kinda blah - had plans to go to church, do a Christmas musical (mostly solo since its a small church and no one else is willing to sing - lol) and my little girl was going to sing a special by herself...until she started puking before we left the house.  Sigh - hair half flat ironed and plans changed.  So I stayed home and bummed around the house with her all day - frankly I'm going a bit stir crazy.  It was a weird eating day, I managed to stay within my range, but I just kind of grazed all day on weird and random things.

I'm going to get changed in a few minutes and do a good BL workout - so I'm tracking it NOW so I will HAVE to do it.  Then tomorrow night is Zumba - yay!

Hoping my baby girl feels better tomorrow and can go to school - if not thankfully Stephen is off until Jan 3rd, so he can watch her.

Here are my stats!

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1761
Carbs: 250
Fat: 65
Protein: 55

OUTPUT (exercise):
Unexpected sad news stuffed me up too much to exercise...rest day.

Hasta!
Clara

Day 41 Checkin

Feeling. Way. Better!  :)  And so glad.  I slept 12 hours last night.  That was amazing.  I woke up and started some chores, then had a run around mid-day.  The weather was gorgeous for my run.  I decided to do speedwork today and ran some quarter mile sprints as well as some shorter runs toward the end.  All in all a great workout - and I feel good.  I plan to get plenty of rest tonight as well and run in the morning.  I'm in serious need of winter running wear however - will hopefully get to buy myself some next week when I get paid again.  :)

Something kind of funny happened today - it was time for Dixie (see above - my beagle dog who is my running buddy) to have her visit to the vet to get shots and the like.  She weighed in at 24 pounds which is 4 pounds heavier than 6 months ago when we went.  You can see from the picture above she isn't fat at all - she is actually pretty muscular.  The chart on the wall said she should weigh between 13-16 pounds though so I was concerned...I asked the vet and he said two things that were funny to me.  1) just like people, dogs have different bone structure so that chart is there as a guide but not something they have to strictly stick to.  2) since muscle weighs more than fat, it is likely she has developed some new muscles since we began running 6 months ago. 

So my little puppy is big boned and muscular like me!  Gotta love that. 

In other AWESOME news, I'm down another 1.2, for a total of 75.4 pounds lost!  I weigh 209.6 as of this morning.  SOOO exciting.  That leaves me 9.8 to lose to get under 200 pounds by the end of the year. Not terribly sure if I can make that happen or not - but I'm sure going to try!  If I make it - awesome! If I don't, I'm that much closer.  I have already proven I can lose weight during the holidays - I plan to lose regardless of how much but I like having something to shoot for!

I can't remember the last time I weighed 2-0 something.  Seriously.  I vaguely remember being 196 at a doctor's appointment when I was 21.  Then I remember being 214 at my first OB appointment when I was 5 weeks pregnant with Elizabeth.  So this is quite the milestone, but when I get to 199...lookout, you will probably hear me cheering from my house!!!

Once I'm done with this challenge, I'll set up another one for after the new year.  Should be easier since everyone is on a diet in January - lol!  Then I will be alone at it again in February.  But man the cute dresses I have waiting for me in the spring will be so worth all of this hard work.

Best part about it all?  I'm never going back there.  To 285 pounds.  Or even to 211.  I'm never going to gain this weight back - because in the meantime, while I've been on this journey, I've become an athlete.  And while I won't always have to document every bite I eat, I will always be physically active.  That's a great change to celebrate.

So here are my stats for today:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1556
Carbs: 229
Fat: 52
Protein: 54

OUTPUT (exercise):
480 Calories burnt doing 3 miles of sprints/walking.


Hey - say a prayer for me tomorrow - we have a church dinner and I am planning to stay within my calorie range!

~Clara

Day 40 Checkin

Not. Feeling. Good.  But overall, still had a good week.  Fighting something, and taking a few days off of exercise was, I think, the right thing to do.  I really hope I feel better in the morning so I can go for a nice long run.  I'm grumpy and I know that not running is part of it!

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1747
Carbs: 240
Fat: 61
Protein: 76

OUTPUT (exercise):
More rest and rejuvenation. :)

Will be weighing in tomorrow morning!  Gnight all!
Clara

Day 39 Checkin - Executive Decisions

So, I had to make an executive decision today.  Not to exercise.  All week I've felt like I might be coming down with something and I kept pumping the Vitamin C not willing to believe it.  This morning was a run day but when I awoke with a sore throat and thought about running in 25 degrees I decided it would be prudent not to.  I'm bummed as I love my runs, but I am just taking today off. If I feel good in the morning I'll do a video before work but it is quite possible that I will take tomorrow off of exercising again, at least in the morning.  We'll see!

Either way - this is one executive decision I feel good about.  And the fact that I stuck in my range today on all points makes me feel pretty ok about it altogether.  Tomorrow is the first weigh in for our Biggest Loser December challenge - and while 2 more workouts would have been good before getting on the scale, my overall health and well being comes first.

So here's to getting back to 100% in time for a nice long run on Saturday!

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1756
Carbs: 264
Fat: 49
Protein: 77

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest and rejuvenation. :)

Be well!
Clara

Day 38 Checkin

Had a "hungry" day today - haven't had one in awhile.   One of those days I can't seem to stay full.  Funny part is I ate more fruit/vegetables than I have in a long time. I'm guessing my insatiable hunger today must have been brought on by a few days of being in the lower end of my calorie range.  Planning to burn it off in a few minutes doing my biggest loser workout before bed - which will hopefully also warm me up.  Its hard to get warm in "this old house."  Seriously!

That said its time to get changed and get my workout on.  I'm putting it on here like its already happened so once I hit "publish post" there is no turning back.  :)

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 2032
Carbs: 224
Fat: 90
Protein: 91

OUTPUT (exercise):
500 Calories burned Biggest Loser Cardio Max Levels 1&2

Hasta!

Day 37 Checkin

Hey!

So I'm having trouble getting my hair dyed.  Why?  Because I need to find a morning when I'm not going to exercise, and my hair is dry, and free of product.  This is challenging since I've only worn my hair straight once in the last few weeks - the wet scrunched look is way easier and quicker in the mornings.

Well, that was random.  But I wanted to write something. hehe.  I had a great day, even though it started of kind of rocky - our water wasn't working this morning as something under the house had burst and Stephen spent the day fixing it.  Of course I found this out when I was completely drenched in sweat from my run and my hair had been unwashed for a few days...no way to sponge bathe that and really needed to get to work.  Fortunately my friend Emily saw my hopeless sad facebook status and she called me to come use her shower!  I ended up late to work but still got a ton done today and I'm feeling pretty good about that.

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1576
Carbs: 174
Fat: 70
Protein: 58

OUTPUT (exercise):
616 Calories burned running 2.3 miles, walking 1.39!

Hasta!
Clara

Day 36 Checkin

Hey!  Great day today.  Great day at work, jalapeno pineapple thin crust pizza for lunch and Zumba tonight.

Funny thing happened today.  One of my best friends at work brought me a bag of hershey kisses, dark chocolate, because she is a sweetheart.  Anyway, we dug into it and after I ate about four, I mentioned it was less than half a serving so I was ok.  She was like, "I thought a serving would be one."  I pointed at her and said "and that is why you've never been fat, right there."  lol!  People who are naturally thinner just don't think about overeating all the time...and have never had to count their kisses apparently! 

9 hershey kisses are a serving coming in at 180 calories and 12 grams of fat.  In case you wanted to know.  ha!


Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1568
Carbs: 176
Fat:75
Protein: 58

OUTPUT (exercise):
567 Calories burned doing ZUMBA!

Gnight!

~Clara

Day 35 Checkin

Happy Day 35 all!

So I heard some good news today - I belong to a group on Spark People called "The Weight is Over."  This group is like a social networking group and we periodically participate in challenges, etc. for weight loss, exercise and the like.  I was involved on the Blue team for the Biggest Loser Challenge for the month of November.  A difficult month given the holiday...but not only did my team win, I won with the highest percentage of weight lost for the month!  I AM THE BIGGEST LOSER!  

I'm pretty proud of that.  Not because it was a ton of weight (4.2 pounds) but I can only imagine I would have gained at least that 2 Thanksgivings ago.  So losing anything in November or December is really a win.  That's what is so great about this challenge I've given myself. Will I meet the goal and be down another 10 this month?  I don't know.  What I do know is that if I'm down another 4 I'll be right skippy happy.  Seriously.  Because continuing to move in the downward direction is what its all about. 

I'm living proof that setting goals works.  That no matter how busy you are, you can find time to make your health a priority.  I look at it almost like on an airplane, when they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before helping the person next to you.  You are no good to them if you die before you can help, then you both die.  So think of it like this - if you are too busy taking care of everyone else and then because you don't take care of yourself, then you die, what good are you to those you are taking care of?  They no longer have you.  And they will be pretty darn bummed about that I'm guessing.  Can't find it in you to do it for you?  Then do it for THEM.

So there's my rant for the day.  Going to bed to get a great night's sleep in before a busy and early day at work tomorrow - tackling file mountain.  I wonder how many calories you burn filing?  hmmm..

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1702
Carbs: 222
Fat: 68
Protein: 58

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest Day!


Good night, from the November Biggest Loser on the Weight is Over team on SP!


~Clara

Day 34 Checkin

Happy Saturday!

I did not accomplish the many things I needed to in my house today - I opted for a day out of shopping instead.  :)  I know, probably not the most responsible decision but I had a great time with a friend and our two girls.  Found some great deals and enjoyed the fact that I don't look at the plus sized section much anymore.  I bought 4 shirts today...all size large.  :)  (and spent less than $20 by the way). 

I started my day well - and hit a new record for distance in running.  Four miles!  The farthest I've ever gone has been a little over three.  Today I felt like going for three, then when I hit three thought, hey, I wonder if I can go for four...and I did!  There's alot of self-talk that goes on during times like that.  Many times I felt like I could, or should quit.  I have a few trouble spots when running, like between 1-2 miles and then again at 2.5 miles.  I just decided I could keep going and I would keep going.  I swear 90% of your success and endurance with running is mental.  Some people do the Galloway method - or other methods like it - to run.  The plan is that you run for a period of time, and have walking breaks in between. Many people even race like that.  I don't disagree with that method, it just isn't for me.  I've always done better when I continuously run vs stopping.  Its SO hard for me to start again once I've stopped, except when I'm doing sprint/speed training since I know that's the purpose. Today I even had to do some doubling back and around to make the distance.  I just kept going and watching my Garmin Forerunner that tracks my distance, pace, and time until I knew I had crossed the four mile mark.  In total, I did 4.38 miles (4.04 running without stopping). The last half mile my knees were a bit sore and when I did *finally* stop running my legs felt like jello.  But the sense of accomplishment was SOOO worth it.  I feel great as I haven't had a great running accomplishment in awhile.  I just may pick back up on 10k training...we'll see how my legs do over the next few days.  My achilles tendon gave me some trouble when I was doing the 10k training before so I backed off.  The plan now - listen to my body and see if now is a better time to increase distance.  I watched my speed also and I know that is why I was able to keep on going.
 
Here are my stats for today:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1756
Carbs: 198
Fat: 48
Protein: 131

OUTPUT (exercise):
634 Calories Burned - Running 4.04 miles, walking .34 miles

Yay for the weekend!  And for new records. :)

~Clara

Day 32 & 33 Checkin

Sleepy tonight!  But a few quick things I want to say that I've learned the last few days.

1) Holiday buffets - require more planning.  Not so I can hang by the carrots and miserably watch people enjoy the festivities...but so I eat only what I really want and don't end up putting food on my plate that we all know I will not be throwing away...like today, I did really well not absolutely gorging myself...but I did put a hawaiin roll and piece of roast beef cold cut on my plate and made a little sandwich that was pretty unnecessary given I wanted dessert.  I had a tiny (like 3rd of a slice) of cheesecake that was pretty good and some icing (lol). (after reading this I felt I must clarify that I did also eat shrimp grits, some southwestern soup, strawberries with fruit dip and chicken salad - the little sandwich just pushed me over the edge - lol).  So I would have felt ok physically (not overly full) had I skipped that little sandwich.  Plan for next time - make a blueprint of my plate.

Good thing is I don't spend time beating myself up over this stuff anymore.  I just chalk it up to lessons learned and I feel that much more prepared for the next time I deal with a situation like that.  I'm pretty happy to be at that point.  Some of you may think I should be way over that stuff at this point in my journey...but when you deal with an eating disorder, even compulsive eating, you are never fully over it.  Kind of like any addiction.  You need plans in place to deal with them.  Period.  And while it becomes way easier to practice self control and will power over time, it is still always a challenge.

2) General Tso's chicken and Sesame Chicken will never make me ill again.  Because I'm not going to eat them again.  The last 2 times I've had it I've been sick the next 24 hours.  So duh, lesson learned.  I'm done and my body no longer likes it.  So my mouth isn't going to write anymore checks that my stomach and bowels (sorry) can't cash.

3) Just because the menu says something is "snack sized" doesn't mean it actually is.  We stopped after a great meal at a japanese steakhouse tonight at McDonalds to get Elizabeth a milkshake (the end of her birthday festivities).  I wasn't going to get anything until I saw they now had "snack sized" McFlurrys.  I was excited, and expecting a half cup serving of icecream with some crushed oreos.  No, what I received was a 340 calorie "snack."  Completely not worth it.  I totally could have had a hot fudge sundae with extra fudge.  What a waste!  I immediately regretted it - and not because "oh no look what I've done to my calorie range for the day" or "oh now I cheated" but more like "man that was so not worth the expenditure."

4) You can wear capri skinny jeans with knee high boots and no one will ever know.  My favorite jeans (really the only ones I have in my current size) were in the laundry and I knew it would be cold out tonight.  So I decided to try a new outfit tonight so I wouldn't get cold.  I wondered if people could tell...I'll post a picture so you can see if you can tell or not.  LOL.  If not, I've got a new outfit without buying the actual awful skinny jeans (I have such a problem with tapered leg anything, sorry). :)

5) Sleep is of utmost importance...and I need to stop staying up late enough to make the mornings so hard.  That said - GOOD NIGHT! (stats below)


Thursday 12/2:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1886
Carbs: 241
Fat: 67
Protein: 82

OUTPUT (exercise):
492 Calories Burned - Running 2.78 miles, walking .5 miles

Friday 12/3:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1945
Carbs: 193
Fat: 66
Protein: 130

OUTPUT (exercise):
400 Calories Burned - Level 1 Power Sculpt, Biggest Loser.

Gnight!
Clara

Day 31 Checkin

Happy Wednesday!  Day 31 was a good day.  Very busy at work and had to be there early so I made today another "rest" day which means I will be pushing myself hard the rest of the week to make my calorie burning goal.  Ahhh, such is life.  :)  

So short post as I have an early run in the morning. 

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1639
Carbs: 178
Fat: 70
Protein: 60

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest day!


Night!


Clara

Day 30 Checkin

That's it folks...we are officially halfway through this 60 day challenge!  I weighed in today at 210.8, so I'm down 4.2 since the start of this.  Not bad for 30 days...but I can do a little better.  I would love to be under 200 by 12/31, so that is what I'm aiming for.  We'll see if I can pull it off!  I realize how aggressive that is...and as you know from following me I'm not going to be crushed if I can't get there.

Can I just say "hello, I lost weight during Thanksgiving week - again!!!"  GO ME!

In the meantime I'm catching up on the Biggest Loser on hulu.com and getting in bed early as I have a very busy day at work tomorrow.  I love watching that show and being inspired - and excited that I probably wouldn't qualify to be on it anymore.  :)  That's pretty darn cool.  I watched it for the first time last year wishing I could be on there.  Now I am lighter than everyone at first, then they begin to catch up to me.  :) 

And the part that kind of chokes me up is that I am doing it without a show or a trainer.  Now I have certainly had support and help...but its me getting myself up in the morning.  That's pretty cool to realize.

I read a quote today that stuck with me - "don't treat your stomach like a garbage can."  Really made me think about the kind of food we put in our bodies.  That is part of why I don't drink sodas anymore - have you seen what happens to the engine of a car when coke is poured on it?  Why do my innards need that kind of cleanse?  Now I still have a diet coke once every 6 months or so - but I know really, its like putting trash in my body.  Now if I could channel that same resolve around marshmallows...lol.  Small changes, folks, small changes. 

So here are my stats for today:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1711
Carbs: 203
Fat: 68
Protein: 72

OUTPUT (exercise):
420 Calories burned: Sprints & Speedwork for 42 minutes (almost 3 miles)

Finishing WELL!

~Clara

Day 29 Checkin

A beautiful Monday it was.  I enjoyed a great week off last week and while I paid for it a little bit at my desk today, I know it was worth it.  It was also good to be back at work, really.  I love my job.

I did have a slight binge issue today.  I haven't done that in awhile but I'm chalking this one up to hormones...and it was on a super food at least...dark chocolate covered almonds.  I had some at my desk and I could tell the person who filled in for me last week had gotten into them (lol).  I had a handful and then just wanted, really wanted more.  I tried to stave off the craving, even putting some back but I ended up finishing them.  All 400 calories worth.  Geez!  Well, again, it was a superfood.  And I'm pre-menstrual and usually have some sort of chocolate attack around this time.  Next time I will have plain dark chocolate around so I don't have all the added fat of the almonds.  I love almonds and absolutely believe they are heart healthy...in small quantities (like the dark chocolate). 

So I won't buy dark chocolate covered almonds again for awhile.  It is safer to keep my chocolate and my almonds separate.  Especially when I see that I burned that exact amount of calories in my workout tonight.  lol.

I did not go over my calories, but did go over the fat intake by a little.  And I was a bit short on protein today, will remedy that tomorrow.

I could not get up early but did manage to get in a Biggest Loser workout tonight.  It was great.  I am planning on getting up early tomorrow and running some intervals with a friend.  I am excited about that and looking forward to kicking another 500 calories in the teeth.  Take that, hormones.

So here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1655
Carbs: 221
Fat: 73
Protein: 39

OUTPUT (exercise):
400 Calories burned: Biggest Loser Cardio Max Level 1 with warmup/cooldown.

Have a great Monday night!  See ya tomorrow!

~Clara

Day 28 Checkin

I did not run this morning.  At 6:30am it still felt like 2am so I slept in (as much as you can when you have to get to church - hehe).  I wish I had run - but as tired as I have been, I also realize sometimes my body needs a good rest.

So I'm almost halfway through this end of the year challenge.  Pushing my official weigh in to this coming Tuesday - I can tell I'm retaining water, likely from eating more sodium than normal and all the travel.  The interesting thing is, coming off a week of tons of calories burned, my body looks different than it did last week as strange as that may sound.  Small changes I notice, like my waist getting smaller and my pants looser and I think toning really occurred last week. 

There's this defining moment with clothing that I have come to learn - when I realize it is time to retire an article of clothing.  As much as that is a happy time, its also kind of a bummer...like today, I love my black pants that I wear now, love them.  Today I realized that it would be time to retire them when they kept slipping below my drawers.  And there are no belt loops on these pants...so that's it.  Retirement time.  Makes me sad but happy at the same time.  Then there's being in between sizes - that is also a pain.  I have quite a few pairs of pants that are a size 14 that I'm not quite in yet (remember my only 14s I can wear are compliments of Daisy Fuentes).  I am not willing to wear clothes I can't breathe in so I'm waiting...at least I know I have a bunch of clothes waiting for me but I am definitely a set 16 now, 18s are being retired.  Sigh.  Like I said, happy but also kind of a bummer.  I'll be so happy when I can wear my 14s though that I will probably not be bummed - its different when an entire wardrobe awaits!

That said, I hope you are ending your holiday weekend well.  I'm too tired to think about getting up early and working out tomorrow morning but I definitely plan to.  Going to do another hard hitting week of exercise to see what other changes I can make this week!  :D

Here are my stats:

INPUT (food facts):

Calories: 1610
Carbs: 183
Fat: 69
Protein: 65

OUTPUT (exercise):
REST DAY #2! :)

Happy Sunday night!
 
~Clara

Day 27 Checkin

Hey!  Quick post today - very tired from the packing and ride home.  Also stayed up late last night spending some time with my favorite people.  I had a true rest day today once we got to home sweet home.  May or may not get up to run in the morning - we'll see how I feel when the morningtime comes!  I could use some rest. :)

Here are my stats for today!  excited to get on the scale tomorrow...

INPUT (food facts):

Calories: 1744
Carbs: 227
Fat: 73
Protein: 54

OUTPUT (exercise):
REST DAY!

Finishing the Thanksgiving week WELL!

~Clara

Day 26 Checkin

Hey all!

Today was another good day, the last day of vacation.  I'm looking forward to my own bed, my own food and my own routine.  :)  Not that any of that have been bad here, I'm just ready for some normalcy!

We shopped for about 6 hours today so I put my calories into an online calculator to figure out how many calories I burned (http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc).  I've tested this and compared to Spark People and my Garmin in regard to activity for running so I trust the rest of it. :)  We also took an extra walk of about a mile or so later on in the afternoon.  Rightfully so I was hungry!  So I went over my calories but also went way over my activity too (today was supposed to be a rest day).

All in all a great week - excited for my date with the scale Sunday morning!  Tomorrow will be a hectic day of loading the car, driving, unloading, unpacking, etc...but it will be a "rest" day from true exercise (like today - haha).


INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1805
Carbs: 262
Fat: 54
Protein: 75

OUTPUT (exercise):
1,087 Calories burned - 4 hours of shopping (was actually 6 but I cut it down to 4 due to driving around, etc) and a 1.5 mile walk when I got home.

Also, feel free to check out my friend Anwen Elizabeth's photography blog www.anwenelizabethphotography.com/2010/11/clara/
- I am honored to be a guest blogger on there today talking about my journey and showing the before and "current" pictures.  Enjoy it!  I can't wait to do my "after" pics with her in the spring/summer!

~Clara

Days 24 & 25 Checkin

Hey!  Sorry for the delay in posting.

Here are my stats:

Wednesday November 24 
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1393
Carbs: 191
Fat: 46
Protein: 77

OUTPUT (exercise):
500 Calories burned - Biggest Loser Cardio Max, Levels 1&2 plus warm up/cool down.

Thursday November 25
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1599
Carbs: 201
Fat: 46
Protein: 72


OUTPUT (exercise):
672 Calories burned - Sprints/Walking 4.34 miles total (2 separate workouts)

It's been a wonderful week.  Time spent with family, and TONS of physical activity.  I log my activity/calories burned into Sparkpeople and I need to burn 1900 calories a week to stay on track.  So far this week I'm up to 2787.  I am going to update my profile on there to add more activity (which will add more calories) since this will be a typical work out week for me going forward.  I do plan to take a "rest" day tomorrow and hit some stores with my mom!

Thanksgiving doesn't fill me with the dread some face of gaining holiday weight.  I lost weight last Thanksgiving - and I'm pretty sure I will lose this week too.  It's not that I don't indulge or eat what I want - its that there is a good balance.  And I have TWO Thanksgiving meals to attend so I have to be extra attentive.

So this morning I started out by getting in a good 3 miles doing strictly speedwork.  I ran 20 sprints with walk breaks in between up to the 3 miles.  It was a great workout and I burned 465 calories.

Then we ate our first Thanksgiving meal at my inlaws.  See, the food is completely different at each place.  My husband's family is southern style and mine northern.  So at my inlaws, I know I'm going to have to have some sweet potato souffle, "dressing" (which I thought was salad dressing when they first mentioned it to me over a decade ago) and this year my MIL made a healthy broccoli salad.  I was in heaven!

Then we went for a walk - about 1.5 miles, beautiful weather and nice company.  We came back to my parents house and finished the prep for the meal there.  I had stuffing (my mom makes this incredible stuffing with bread cubes), a small serving of mashed potatoes (no butter), cranberry chutney and gravy made with turkey stock/wine.  It was amazing.  Oh, and of course pumpkin pie - crustless pumpkin pie that is.  I don't like crust and alot of fat is stored there so every year Mom makes me one without the crust!

I did have a little bit of turkey at both places.

Overall I definitely feel more full than normal but I don't feel miserable or disappointed in myself.  I had alot of activity today to make up for the extra calories.  That's the way to go, folks.  No regrets, no disappointment, no self-loathing.  I really enjoyed the time with my family and some of my favorite holiday food.

All that said, I hope you were able to enjoy your Thanksgiving meal and didn't have to unbutton your pants.  :)  This day usually starts a free for all for folks lasting into January.  Some people gain anywhere from 1 pounds to 10 during the holiday season.  And studies are showing that the issue with even 1 pound is that it is almost never lost from there...Yikes.  A pound a year would be 20 in 20 years!  That does not sound good to me.  So stay strong, keep up your activity and if you are trying to lose weight, the holidays are as good a time as any to practice will power and self-control.  I definitely feel I've learned a thing or two about both of those things in the last year and it has made my life and the journey that much easier.

Looking forward to finishing 2010 WELL with you as I reflect on all I have to be thankful for this year.  I'm truly blessed!

~Clara

PS - here is a sneak peek from the amazing photo shoot we had last weekend with Anwen Elizabeth Norman, an incredibly talented photographer.  Check out her blog in a few days as I will be guest blogging there and you'll be able to see more pictures like this one!  :)  Kind of a silly shot but I love how strong my legs look.  :)

Day 23 Checkin

Happy Tuesday! Had another great day.  Spent some time with my Dad having lunch and shopping and some time just reading through my magazines (3 months of one magazine I have a subscription for - I am that far behind!).  

I've got to tell you Beef O'Brady's has moved up on my list of favorite places to eat.  They now offer Whole Wheat tortillas for their wraps!  Pretty amazing.  My Dad and I split a Grilled Chicken Wrap, steamed broccoli and a salad.  The salad could have used more "real" lettuce but overall I was happy and felt great about our food choices.  Also, since we shared, they brought us each our own plate of salad and our own plate with half a wrap and steamed broccoli.  It was awesome.

Another great day of staying within my calories, even with incredible temptations around like M&Ms that everyone else was diving into.  Not worth it to me!  Also had a great exercise day.  All in all, I'm pretty happy.

So here are my stats:


INPUT: (food facts):
Calories: 1517
Carbs: 169
Fat: 58
Protein: 90

OUTPUT (exercise):
634 calories burned with a 3.35 mile run (some walking) and another mile and a half walk later on. :)

This Thanksgiving Week (one in which I plan to lose weight) is off to a fantastic start!

~Clara

Day 22 Checkin

Happy Monday!  :)

I had a great day ~ spent some time visiting some of my wonderful friends at RTI ~ and here's a special shout out to those that went to lunch, Jenny, Cass, Pete, Tracy and Catisha (extra special to my blog follower(s) in that group).  Had a great time with you all!  And the food was nothing to turn your nose up at, we ate at the Buttery Sweet Bakery & Cafe in Alachua, Florida.  I highly recommend the Angry Asian sandwich and Summer Strawberry Salad.  The sandwich is turkey, bacon, gorgonzola cheese, avocado and chipotle mayo.  I get half the sandwich (which is large enough as is) and half salad which has dark greens, strawberries, cheese, walnuts and lime coconut salad dressing.  Can I say yum?  Seriously.  I love that place.

This evening I tried a new exercise - Zumba!  I've been invited about 50 times to a class but never had the nerve.  Tonight I went with my mom and figured I would never have to see those people again so I didn't mind. I loved how there were no mirrors and shades on the windows.  It was fun - a fast and high impact workout that lasted the solid 60 minutes.  My legs kept up fine, but my arms will be in serious pain tomorrow I am sure.  I was never so out of breath that I had a tough time, probably being a runner helped me there.  It was a good experience.  I enjoyed it and think I may consider adding 1 Zumba workout to my weekly regimen...we'll see.

So another good day, even with eating out:

INPUT: (food facts):
Calories: 1433
Carbs: 188
Fat: 52
Protein: 64

OUTPUT (exercise):
674 calories burned (estimated based on high impact aerobics) in 60 minutes of Zumba.

Excited to start the week well - looking forward to more time off to enjoy and make progress!

~Clara

Days 20 & 21 Checkin

OK - so we're combining blog posts tonight since this is the first internet connection I've had since we got here.  :)

Travel day was ok, stayed within calorie range and was pretty happy about that.  It was a busy and long day but we made it to our destination. Today was also pretty good, all things considered food wise - it was the day of the annual family reunion and an opportunity to completely gorge ourselves and feel sick.  I did a few things right - first, I picked a kid's sized plate.  Then, I only got what I knew I would like, and not a bunch of it.  I did have dessert too, and I enjoyed it.  And I didn't feel too full! :)

So here are my stats for Saturday:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1467
Carbs: 158
Fat: 65
Protein: 71

OUTPUT (exercise):
None today - unless 6 loads of laundry and packing count?  :)

And my stats for today - still trying to figure out how I did not go over my calories for the day:

INPUT: (food facts):
Calories: 1550
Carbs: 234
Fat: 46
Protein: 65

OUTPUT (exercise):
331 Calories burned - 2 miles in 24 mins.  :)

On to the rest of the week - may try Zumba tomorrow night with mom! Will let you know how that goes (if I get on the internet).

Until next time!

~Clara

Day 19 Checkin (late)

ok, ok, so another late post.  Forgive me all those I know who check my blog hourly to see what I'm up to.  LOL.  Just teasing.  Really, yesterday ended a crazy busy week and I think I put in almost 60 hours.  I was exhausted last night and fell asleep when we returned home from the viewing/visitation of one our church members who passed.

We made a poor food decision on the way home and tried a chinese buffet.  I woke up in the middle of the night sick and it was all I could do to not puke!  I just don't eat like that anymore - bleh bleh bleh.  I wish we had gone to Subway - this isn't a time when I go over my calories but I'm happy about it - this is one of those times I go over, it wasn't worth it and it becomes a lesson learned. Subway for me next time!  Especially on a day I didn't get to exercise.

All that said, I will be out of touch a bit over the next week as there is no internet at my in-laws house.  I'll post when I get to my parents house, ok? :)

here are my stats for Friday:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1821
Carbs: 226
Fat: 65
Protein: 86

OUTPUT (exercise):
Another Rest Day - was good for the exhaustion I've faced all week!


Planning on finishing this next week well - including Thanksgiving. Remember to eat the things you really can't live without having but also get up and MOOVE!  I walked a total of 5 miles last Thanksgiving (3 separate walks) and I lost weight that week even with having 2 Thanksgiving meals in one day.


Balance it ya'll!  Can't wait to see how I do.


~Clara

Day 18 Checkin

So, I managed to miss Day 17 - so sorry!  It has been a crazy busy week for me.  I'm about to fall asleep right now sitting here.  Anyway, I did well staying within my calorie ranges, though I did take another "rest day" since I'm so worn out from working.

My weigh-in went so so - I ended up being up .2 pounds - I know some of this is remnant of my eating during my travel last week as well as water retention.  It should be gone soon (in fact it already is).  I'm looking forward to what next week will bring!  Blogging will be challenging as I will be at my in laws house...so hopefully I will find a place I can use my computer or just run to my parents and do it.

Anywho, here are today's stats:

 INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1372
Carbs: 116
Fat: 62
Protein: 87

OUTPUT (exercise):
393 Calories Burned.  Ran 2 miles at a 12mm pace.  Felt great (albeit cold!).  :)

Day 16 Checkin

Day 16!  Very busy day at work.  I'm going to weigh in tomorrow morning as I didn't record a weight this morning- crazy day!  Looking forward to seeing how week 2 has been to me...and how I've recovered from all the crazy travel and eating! :)

Here are my stats for today - had a hungry day and went a little over but legitimately so:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1671
Carbs: 228
Fat: 53
Protein: 76

OUTPUT (exercise):
395 Calories Burned.  Biggest Loser Cardio Max workout - 22 minutes plus warm up.  Lots of sweat! :)

Day 15 Checkin

Hey!  It's day 15 of my 60 day challenge to finish 2010 WELL!  I'm 25% of the way through the challenge!  Exciting times.

Looking forward to my weigh in tomorrow.  Last week was a little rocky with the travel, and now my running schedule is a bit threatened by this rain but I'm not letting it get me down!  No way.  I'm excited, energized and ready to get even closer to my final goal.

Here are my stats for the day:

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1629
Carbs:197
Fat: 59
Protein: 96

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest Day

Day 14 Checkin

Hey all!

So tomorrow I start my 3rd week of my 8 week challenge to end the year well - to Finish Well.  I'm excited about what the next 6 weeks will bring, and can guarantee it will have ups and downs with everything I have going on.  Tomorrow morning marks the beginning of one of my busiest weeks of the year, followed by a *hopeful* vacation (if the busiest week of the year doesn't bleed over) back home for Thanksgiving week and a photo shoot with an amazing photographer-friend. 

So let me rant on one subject for a minute - the photo shoot I'm looking so forward to.  Last December we had family pictures done and the lady at Sears did not listen to me.  At all. Instead of taking multiple family shots for us to choose from (we had a coupon and intended on purchasing just one picture in multiples) she took just a few of all 3 of us, then a bunch of my gorgeous daughter and made me feel guilty for only purchasing the intended "family" picture that I didn't even like that much.  I left there in tears.  Later on, I did buy some of the other pics online (I hope she didn't get commission on it) but vowed never again to feel that crappy about myself or let some wanna be photographer make me feel like a fat jerk.  At that point I had lost about 25 pounds and I was hoping it would show.  Well, my double chin did still show and I was heartbroken.  I had taken great pains to pick our outfits and that is how it turned out and she rushed through our family shots to get to the money shots.  Sigh.  There is always this year!  And celebrating being over 70 pounds lighter.  That's kind of awesome.  I had thought maybe I should wait until I reach 100 or closer to my goal, but you know what?  I am not miserable with how I look anymore.  I'm not near where I want to be but I'm the lightest I've weighed in almost a decade.  That is something worth celebrating - and capturing.

That said, here are my stats for the day - interestingly I didn't end up going over my calories even though we had lunch with our church to celebrate an early Thanksgiving at a buffet restaurant.  Yes, buffet, country style.  You fill in the rest.  I'm really glad that my light sushi dinner tonight made up for the cals spent earlier this afternoon.  It's all about balance folks!

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1502
Carbs: 178
Fat: 54
Protein: 80

OUTPUT (exercise):
Calories Burned: 351
2.29 miles in 31:22 mins (alternating intervals of running/walking).

Finishing Week 2 WELL!  How about you?

~Clara

Day 13 Checkin

Hey!  Long time no post (lol).  Had a great day spent with my little girl.  We ate lunch at Chik-fil-A (I had the grilled deluxe sandwich on a wheat bun and fruit) and did some light shopping.  It was fun to shop at Cato's today and only find items on the "skinny" side - not one thing I picked up came from the plus sized side.  I like that.  Alot.

So quickly here are my Day 13 stats. 

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1326
Carbs: 160
Fat: 40
Protein: 79

OUTPUT (exercise):
Calories Burned: 654
30 Day Shred - 20 minute circuit with warm up and cool down additional 7 mins.  Walked 2 miles with Elizabeth after that.

Chat at ya tomorrow!  Finish well!

Clara

Day 12 Checkin (better late than never!)

Hola!

So I got in pretty late last night from my trip and didn't have the energy to post.  Here it is....

I had a great week finished by a great trip.  Friday (Day 12) I did go over my calories by alot (like almost 1000).  Am I freaking out about it?  No.  Will I work out extra hard today to make up for it?  Yes.

One thing to note is that I'm 200 calories over my minimum to burn this week - and today's workout will probably make me go over by about 800-1000 over.  So I should still be ok. Haven't been on a scale yet, but will after I exercise in a little bit.  My official weigh in will be Tuesday so don't get any ideas about me posting a weight # early.  LOL!

I'm feeling really good (other than a little ill from eating so much junk yesterday).  Overall, while I know eating like that is how I got unhealthy to begin with, I had more than just travel reasons for it.  My travel buddies will know what I mean but I will certainly not go into it on the blog as it might gross someone out!  hehe. 

Anyway, I am excited, refreshed, renewed from a great work trip and ready to conquer yet another week of this challenge.  I will finish well, and it will include good days, bad days and maybe an ugly day every now and then.  :D

Here are my scary stats (lol):

INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 2476
Carbs: 316
Fat: 102
Protein: 74

OUTPUT (exercise):
Rest Day #2 for the week (lots of hours in a car). :)

Day 11 Checkin

Hey Ya'll!  Think I forgot about ya?  Never!

I'm excited to report that I had another great day, travel and all!  I started off running a 5k this morning on the treadmill in the gym.  Burned a bunch of calories then had a nice late breakfast at IHOP.  So, I've been craving those pumpkin pancakes they have been advertising and here is what I did - I ordered the Simply Smart healthy omelet of egg white, spinach, tomato and mushroom with swiss cheese and fruit.  On the side I ordered 1 pumpkin pancake.  Of course, they didn't want to give me just one.  So I got two and ate just one.  :)  So there IHOP.  Anyway - it was so worth it!

We got to our meeting a little while later and they served an early lunch - I made a sandwich and wrapped it up for later on - sure enough around 2:15 I was hungry again so I ate my sandwich stealthily during the meeting.  No one saw me.

I am a ninja. Did you know that?

Anyway - we went to Benihana for dinner and it was an experience!  The food was great and there was SOOO much of it.  I hated wasting what I couldn't eat but what I did eat was delish!  I even tried two new kinds of sushi - one with eel and one with raw salmon.  They were both really good, especially the eel.  What an adventure!

I'm excited that I have stuck close to my calorie range all things considered.  That's a great feeling.

So here are my stats for Thursday!


INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1697
Carbs: 144
Fat: 69
Protein: 130

OUTPUT (exercise):
Calories Burned: 551
Running, 3.1 miles, Walking, .25 miles
40 minutes total

Finishing the week and the trip WELL!  Hope you are too.

~Clara

Day 10 Checkin

Crazy travel day!  But overall went well.  Kept my snacks and food decisions in check.  Pretty pleased with that - the scale showed another few pounds down this morning which was a little crazy, but I'm planning on getting up early and hitting the gym here at the hotel so maybe not so crazy! :)  I'm on it!


Here are my Stats:
 
INPUT (food facts):
Calories: 1358
Carbs: 110
Fat: 55
Protein: 109

OUTPUT (exercise):
Calories Burned: 450
Biggest Loser Cardio Max Levels 1 and 2
40 minutes total


Finish Well!!!


Clara