Thank You, Stomach Flu!!!

4.9 pounds lost this week!

(Thank you, Stomach Flu!)

59.1 pounds lost total since 09 May 2011!!!

I am thiiiiiis close to the 60 pound mark!

I am now at the heaviest weight I was before I met my husband and had babies!

I can button up my jeans that I wore before I got pregnant! With my very first baby!!

It's Thanksgiving this week!!

Uh-oh.

If I could just shut my mouth...

...then I wouldn't be so embarrassed on Monday morning when I haven't lost half of the ten pounds I said I was going to lose before Thanksgiving. Or lost any pounds for that matter.

At least I didn't gain.

I have a feeling that if I could just shut my mouth I would also be able to lose those ten pounds. (Chocolate covered pretzels what?!)

*groan*

I'm done. I can't do this. Not now. Not through the holiday season. I've had it.

New plan of action.

Maintenance.

Until New Years.

Why does this not feel like the brightest idea either?

Making it Happen Monday

Here it is quick and dirty.

I'm still here.
I have been so so bad at this weight loss thing for the past two months.
While I haven't gained, I haven't lost either.
I'm sitting at 227.3.
54.2 pounds lost since May 9th.

For some reason Labor Day weekend undid me and I've never been able to get the pieces put back together again.
I've been eating and drinking absolute junk for several weeks now.
I'm ready to get my act together today.
Thanksgiving is right around the corner.
I can't face my family or the inevitable holiday family pictures without giving this the effort it deserves.
So I'm back.

I'm readjusting a bit.
No pop.
No eating after 8 pm.
Cut back on the carbs.
Just aim for half an hour of exercise everyday.
If it turns out to be more...so be it.
If not, don't beat yourself up over it.
I'm a busy mom.
I'm often a single mom.
Half an hour is better than nothing.

So...there it is.
My new goal is to lose 10 lbs before Thanksgiving.
Lose 10 more before Christmas.
Lose an additional 10 before Cee's first birthday.
Bringing me to my goal of being under 200 by Cee's birthday.

I can do it.
Bring it on.
That is all.

But the bandwagon looks so small from here...

A month?!

I let a whole month go by without updating the Jolly Green Giant?!

Yikes.

Well...there's a few excuses reasons I let that happen.

I've been a little sick.
It's hard to want to exercise when you can hardly breathe already and ache all over.

I've been a little busy.
School is well under way and with two kids with two different pick up times and two sets of daily homework assignments it's busier than ever.
Then there's dance classes and friends over and church activities and this and that and that and this.
And you don't have four kids and not be a little frazzled at least nine different times a day.

I've been a little depressed.
I was laid off from my work from home job.
This greatly strains our financial situation.

I've been a little lazy.
I don't know if I would call it so much "lazy" as just not having as much self control. "Busy" and "depressed" combine into one nasty little one-two punch that knocks out my self control in no time.

I've been a little overwhelmed.
We just found out our daughter has something called Celiac Disease. This means her body attacks itself when she eats anything with gluten (wheat) in it. While this can be controlled with a gluten free diet, it is a life long condition that there is no cure for. The diet is pretty intense and as I look through my pantry I can't help but feel overwhelmed when I see that 85% of our food has wheat in it. And I already struggled with what to make for dinner every night. *sigh*

I've been a little embarrassed.
I didn't exercise consistently. I ate a lot of junk. Even a couple of Dr. Peppers. I gained a few pounds back. I couldn't face the blog with my failure.

So...now that I have gotten all the excuses out there, it's time to take control again and get back on the bandwagon. Even if it does look so teensy tinsy from here.

I gained a few pounds back, but after a 3.4 weight loss this week I am currently at 227.7. That means since 09 May 2011 I have lost a total of 53.8 pounds. And that, my friends, is nothing to shake your head at. I will not let the last sloppy month destroy the success I've already had. Onwards and upwards.

As I try to shake the plateau and get back on course I have finally entered the world of calorie counting and with the help of loseit.com it's easier than I anticipated. I'm still breastfeeding 8.5 month old Cee so I added on 300 calories in my daily allowance. How long can I get away with that one, eh? ;)

I restarted P90X last week and made it through all six days. I know it's only been a week but I can already feel a difference in my muscles. I'm rather excited to see what can happen in 90 days. I don't want to look like a steroid body building Amazon woman or anything, but a little tone and definition wouldn't hurt.

Please don't think I'm so hard core by doing P90X. I don't do the pullups. Instead I use my hand weights and imitate what the people with the resistance bands are doing. I figure there's time for real pullups later. I only have a set of 3 and 5 pound weights so I'm not pumping eye-popping weight either. For right now, 5 pounds is enough. I plan to get on KSL.com and find an inexpensive weight set soon. Oh and I haven't started following the P90X diet yet either. I just can't seem to get on board with one carb, one fruit, and seven--SEVEN!--servings of protein a day.

And honestly, P90X is not as bad as everyone makes it sound to be (except for the diet). They sure intimidate the sweat right out of you with all the commercials on TV. All those sweaty, ripped beasts cranking out pullups like nobody's business. It's totally doable as long as you're willing to follow Tony's motto: "Do your best and forget the rest!"

I haven't ran in a few weeks. I miss running, but with Joe being out of town all the time, the weather cooling off, the days getting shorter, and my mommy schedule, running has to take a back seat for a bit. My hope is that doing P90X will help me be a better runner when I can get back to it.

And there it all is. The excuses, the failures, the updates, the hope. Bandwagon, here I come! Happy Monday everybody!

Good News and Bad News

Good news and bad news.

Which do you want first?

No weight gained, but none lost either.

This is the second week in a row that I've maintained my current weight.

While I'm grateful I haven't gained anything, I'm frustrated with this plateau. I have a goal of being under 200 pounds before January 20, 2012, Baby Cee's first birthday. I don't care if I'm at 199.9999 pounds. I just want to see a 100 on the scale versus a 200.

As of today that means I need to lose 30 more pounds in four months. That is totally doable. I just need to get strict with myself again. I have been anything but strict lately. Skipping workouts and eating chocolate covered pretzels isn't exactly "dedicated". It's time to change things up.

Blah. I hate change.

Joe and I decided to start P90X today. I read over the material last week and we even did the Fit Test to make sure we "qualified". I barely qualified, but qualify I did.

I'm afraid I don't have the most positive attitude in starting P90X. It just seems brutal and brutal isn't for me. But I need to do something different and the program is already sitting in my house. Might as well use it. Plus, Joe said he would do it with me and I will do just about anything to get him on board with this get-healthy journey.

Funny thing is, we were supposed to start today and he headed out of town on a business trip. Looks like it's just me and good ol' Tony Horton. Ugh.

Here I go. Hold me to it! Today is the day I finally start P90X.

(I have my "before" pictures but I'm only willing to show those side by side with the "after" pictures.)

I am Mom. Hear me run.

5:10 am.

The baby wakes

Ready to be fed.

Ever the good mother

I rescue her from her nocturnal cage.

As she eats

Toasty and nuzzled by my side

I ponder on Frost and his two roads.

Such deep thoughts for such a shallow hour.

I ask myself

Which road do I take?

The well traveled road,

The one that lets me lay here toasty and nuzzled between sleeping babe and sleeping “Babe”?

Or do I take "the road less traveled",

The literal road that asks for an RSVP of Tennis shoes and sweat?

I chose the latter.

“I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

As I emerge from the warmth of the house I strap on Orion’s Belt

And take a greedy swig from the Big Dipper.

The constellations are my running companions

As is the wind that grouchily shoves at me and grumbles,

“Go back to bed. Go back to bed.”

But there is Frost in the wind

And as I run I take the literal road less traveled by:

A new running path.

One that takes me away from my rut of a route routine.

I run in solitude as the stars slyly wink at me, silently cheering me on.

The twinkling headlights from early morning travelers

Connect in manmade constellations.

They travel a different path than I.

I run

Uphill

I run

Past a cluster of cranky teenagers biding at the bus stop.

I cast my eyes to the ground,

Embarrassed that I’m far from the teenage dream

But soundlessly giggling with wicked premonitions of paunchy bellies and receding hair lines.

I run

Determined to propel myself through the entire distance.

With a half and three miles behind me

I finish.

And just as I enter my house

The sun peeks over the mountains

And gives me a swat on the bum as if to say

“Job well done! I’ve got this.”

Another day has hardly begun

And I am yet again accomplished as a runner.

I traveled the road less traveled by.

I gave wear where wear was wanting.

And as my day is underway

I can see

That it has made “all the difference”.

The Funny Thing about Goals...

I made a rather tough choice today.

I decided to drop my goal to run a half marathon. At least a half marathon in October. At least one I have to pay for.

I received some rotten news earlier this week that has seriously impacted our family's finances. There just isn't going to be extra money to be used for stuff like racing fees.

This doesn't mean I'm giving up on running altogether.

But in a way...I'm kind of relieved that I don't have the money. I'm losing my oomph when it comes to running. It's getting really boring actually. I find myself beginning to dread the long runs. Just too long. Too much time away from my family and my mommy duties. It's getting too hard to fit in to a busy school day as the weather gets colder, the days get shorter, and the kids need more mommy help with homework, reading, etc.

My goals need a little freshening up. I'm not giving up on weight loss. I'm not giving up on running. I'm not even giving up on a half marathon. I just have to delay it for a bit. The goal is already set to complete one in September 2012.

I want to try something different. Maybe a little Zumba? A little spinning? Some P90X? These happen to be other goals of mine. And if I can convince Joe to join me...Even better.

The funny thing about goals is...they change. As I change they are changing with me. And that is a very good thing.