Day 36 & 37: First Compliment

Hello and Happy Friday! (Or as I like to call it, "Cheat Day Eve"!)

I'm meeting a friend for a run this morning so this will have to be a short post. But I did want to share two significant things that have happened to me in the last couple of days.

Yesterday: I got my first compliment. I bumped into our building caretaker on our way out and she exclaimed, "You look slimmer!" I was so flattered, it was the first time someone (other than Husband or my mum) has said something. What made it so special was that she had no idea that I have been dieting trying to lose weight. It was a compliment borne of pure observational honesty. Love it. Don't things like that just make your whole day?

Also yesterday: I had planned on going to yoga all day with my friend. She cancelled on me at the last minute because she wasn't feeling so great after getting her flu shot. I decided that since I was running late myself, I may as well bag it and go for a run instead. I was really excited about the unexpected opportunity to go for a run because I was thinking about it all day and wishing I could run instead of go to yoga. It just felt like a running day, ya know?

So anyway, I missed the evening class of yoga and made my arrangements to run instead. I put Baby Girl down for bed and announced to Husband that I was going out for a run and I'd be back in about 45 minutes. He looked at me like I had lost my mind. He exclaimed, "A run?? Are you CRAZY?? It's POURING RAIN!!"

I was shocked. I had no idea. Like, seriously zero clue. I should mention that we live in a condo, way up high and completely removed from the elements. And I had been inside most of the day with nary a glance out the window. I stepped out onto our patio and sure enough, it was torrential out there. Huge gusts of wind, sheets of rain, it was just gross. So I didn't get to exercise and honestly, I was truly bummed!!

What a strange sensation. I though the fact that I had honestly attempted to exercise and then was given a last minute reprieve would have been a secret relief. But nope, I was totally sad about it! I never ever thought I would be the kind of person that not only enjoys exercise but actually gets depressed when it's not available for me.

So weird. And cool! I guess I am changing, inside and out.

Day 33 and 34: Faster and Stronger

Naughty blogger. No cookie.

Sorry I haven't posted my 1-month progress pics. Husband has been busy and I keep forgetting to ask him to take the photos. Ah well. Will do it this weekend.

I just came home from the most amazing run. I went after Baby Girl went to bed so it was quite dark out, which was a bit unnerving (I live in the middle of downtown Vancouver), but other than that, night running is where it's at. I am so proud of myself; I am really enjoying running now and can run for what seems like forever without getting winded. It actually feels really good the whole time. It's amazing how fast improvement happens. To think that only one month ago, I could barley run for 30 seconds and now, I can run for at least 40 minutes and I'm loving every second of it.

Hot yoga is also going well. In one of my classes last week, I really felt like I was starting to "get it". And the best part was that after class, the instructor pulled me aside and said (and I quote), "You have a beautiful yoga practice." What a compliment! I pretty much walked home on a cloud.

The Plan is going great. I am sticking to it like glue and the weight continues to come off. Slowly. Very slowly.

I have written far too much about Cheat Day over the last few weeks so I'm not going to get into it again in this post, save to say that I am still finding Cheat Days challenging. I look so forward to them all week but once I get to Cheat Day, I am just not finding them satisfying. It's really weird and I don't understand it.

Anyway, nothing too exciting to report! Oh, except for this: None of my bras fit me properly anymore! Haha...

Day 18 & 19: Scratch That Itch

I finally broke out of the 160's this morning! Hooray! That must mean I'm doing something right.

Although I also discovered this morning that my scale is not really that accurate. When I first weighed myself, it showed that I was 158.8. I jumped for joy. Then a few minutes later I wanted to show Husband so I got on again and I was 162.2. What?? Booooo. But that seemed weird to me. So I then proceeded to bump, move, step on, step off, relocated and reset the scale. Now I'm 161 even. Without moving the scale, I stepped on a few minutes later. 159.8. I have no idea what was going on but I decided to just keep that last number as it was kind of the average of all the numbers I got this morning. And an important lesson was learned: That number really does mean ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. So next time I'm celebrating a 2 pound loss or mourning a 2 pound gain, I'm going to have to take that number with a grain of salt. Because apparently, it's really give-or-take 3 pounds.

So, unfortunately (and embarrassingly), I already failed my 50 day yoga challenge. I want to say it was beyond my control, but I think I let it happen. I was exhausted and when Sunday got too busy for me to fit in a yoga class, I relented and kinda gave up. I went for a long run instead.

I'm not too upset, I certainly did try and I'm definitely going to keep going to yoga everyday if possible. I think if I alternate running and yoga that would certainly make for a good fitness recipe. I will be going to yoga tonight, hopefully, as long as I can get Baby Girl down for bed at an early time.

Running has been going great. I am really getting into it. I can run for 30 minutes - no problem. (Although it should be noted that I run really slowly, at a snail's pace). And when the 30 minutes is up, I always feel like I could do more. That's just where I want to be for awhile. It feels great! I am so pleased with my progress.

I have been really lazy about photographing my meals lately. Or maybe it's more that I'm so freakin hungry by the time I eat that I'm not thinking straight. But anyway, here are the highlights from Cheat Day:

Chicken and vegetable yakisoba (homemade with leftover spaghettini noodles) mixed with lots and lots of edemame beans. Yummers!
And of course, lots and lots of almond butter. Mmmmmmm.

For dinner, I made some turkey tacos which turned out just OK. No pics.

The funny thing about my last Cheat Day is I wanted something but I couldn't figure out what. In hindsight, I realize that it was that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen that's been all over TV lately. To satiate myself, I tried eating lots of almond butter, a 100-calorie snack pack of chocolate covered pretzels, and a HUUUUGE bowl of cereal but by the end of the evening I was stuffed, but unsatisfied. And the scale was not kind to me the next day so to me it really wasn't worth it.

My valuable lesson learned on Cheat Day: If I'm going to indulge, at least make it count. It's not worth it to eat for the sake of eating. If it's not delicious then I shouldn't waste my time.

I spent all day thinking about that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard from DQ and I never got it because I was trying to behave myself. And now I wish I'd just gone ahead and satisfied that craving, rather than eating a lot of other stuff that didn't scratch that itch, KWIM?

Now I know.

Day 15 & 16: I Amazed Myself

I'm writing to you from my second weekly Cheat Day! Hooray! I started the morning with a GIANT bowl of oatmeal with a creamy swirl of almond butter mixed in and topped with bananas. So, so good. Too good, actually, because I could only eat half of it!

On Thursday I arranged with my mum to look after Baby Girl so I could go for a nice (stroller-free) run. And run I did. I ran for 30 minutes. Albeit slowly, but without stopping. It was awesome! Truthfully, I probably pushed myself a little harder than I should have by I was just glowing afterwards. I totally amazed myself. I finally feel like I'm on the road to becoming the runner I used to be.

Good news! I dropped a dress size. From size 14 to 12. I discovered this yesterday, quite by accident, when I need to find something to wear and I was behind on the laundry. Out of curiosity, I tried on a pair of corduroy pants that I haven't worn in awhile and wow! They fit! Very comfortably! Made my day.

I'm feeling good and strong. So good in fact, that despite the fact that it's Cheat Day, my mum offered to give me some of her amazing hot-out-of-the-oven cookies and I declined. I did have a couple of nibbles (OMG were they good!) but I didn't want any more than that. I didn't need any more than that. I just want lots and lots of healthy food. Okay, okay, I admit, I am still thinking about that Pumpkin Pie Blizzard haha...

Went on another run today - this time with my dad. He is out of practice but he did really well. It was nice to run with some good company.

I took a few pics of my meals lately, but, well, I just don't feel like posting them. They're nothing all that exciting. I'm feeling lazy. And it's Cheat Day so I can do what I want!

Day 11: Rock and Roll

Wow! I woke up this morning with SO MUCH ENERGY! I had a great sleep, and couldn't wait to get rockin' and rolling today. Baby Girl and I had a nice breakfast together - I had a big bowl of oatmeal with banana and cinnamon (I'm sparing you the pics - you've seen enough oatmeal for awhile) and then you know what we did? We went for a RUN! Well, I ran and Baby Girl sat in the stroller while I pushed her along.

Okay, we don't actually have a jogging stroller per se, but I'd say we did pretty well all things considered. I didn't go for a long run - just 15 minutes to the park, stopping to let Baby Girl have some fun on the swings and the slide, and then 15 minutes back. I worked up a nice sweat and it felt great. I am excited to know that I can now go for runs with Baby Girl, as opposed to being dependent on Husband's schedule so he can watch her while I go. My only complaint is that my upper arms are kind of sore, I think from holding the handlebars of the stroller. But I'm sure that will fade in time. All in all, an AWESOME morning.

I absolutely certain that my energy and mood today are thanks entirely to yesterday's yoga. In fact, I was feeling so great this morning that I didn't even freak out when I weighed myself and discovered that yesterday's Cheat Day resulted in a weight gain this morning of 0.8 pounds. Whatever. I'm not even thinking about it.

And because today is Sunday, I've updated my "Numbers" in the sidebar to the right (as I will do every Sunday). As you can see, I'm officially down 3.5 pounds. Not bad. But I've fluctuated so much over the last week, I'm starting to wonder if I'm ever going to get out of the 160's! What a great day it will be when that happens.

Anyway, I'm feeling fantastic, energized and healthy today. I think I'm going to make a big batch of homemade vegetarian chili for dinner tonight, even though it's Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. Yes, it's a very un-Thanksgiving meal indeed, but I'm cool with it. We're just gonna take it easy.

Monster hunger is starting to set in. Must go forge for lunch!

Day 7: Feeling It

The most peculiar thing happened to me yesterday.

I went my run. The air was crisp and sweet, the sun was starting to set casting a warm glow all along my running path. My heart was pumping, my muscles were warm and... I felt thin. My body felt efficient. It was bliss. I have never enjoyed running so much in my life.

Unfortunately the feeling was fleeting, and as I started pushing through my workout it faded. Eventually, I became winded and I went from being full of energy to feeling like I was lumbering along, huffing and puffing. Happily, my quads have forgiven me and I my run wasn't painful at all, but having a taste of what running should feel like made me realize that I still have a long way to go in my practice. But, for the first time, I feel like I'm getting there. Slowly.

When I got home, I started making dinner - which was some chicken marinaded in half teriyaki sauce / half hot sauce, wild rice and snap peas. The chicken turned out beyond amazing, I am definitely making it that way again. I seared it on both sides and then baked it in the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. I wish I had taken a picture of the inside because it was moist and juicy and I enjoyed every single bite of my dinner.This looks like a lot more rice than there actually was (only 3/4 cup), I guess it's an iPhone optical illusion! I didn't need to eat the whole chicken breast (although I easily could have), so I saved a small piece of it for my lunch the next day... I'll get to that in a sec.

Continuing on in my oatmeal adventures, I created a masterpiece this morning:Oatmeal topped with fresh raspberries and banana, and OF COURSE a cubic buttload of cinnamon. It was AWESOME.

After breakfast, I went for a walk with a friend and our babies. I was famished when I got home, and it was perfect timing because Baby Girl went down for a nap so I was able to sit and enjoy my lunch and not rush through it (a very rare treat in Mummyland!). I chopped up the rest of last night's chicken and a stalk of celery, and mixed in some light mayo and some really good stone ground mustard. And voila! Another fantastic chicken salad.I threw the works onto a tortilla in hopes that I could create some sort of chicken salad wrap, but alas, the filling was too plentiful and I had to settle for a weirdly shaped, but very tasty taco thing instead.Those tomatoes really were as red, ripe and delicious as they look!

I am feeling really silly about yesterday's scale discouragement. I never wanted to be one of those girls who agonize over every little ounce. I realize that this is a process and it takes time. Weight loss is not a straight line from A to B, it's more like a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of thing, at least for me. But seeing that number, for better or worse, really does get under my skin.

It has been suggested that perhaps I should not weigh myself everyday and I couldn't agree more with that sentiment. Unfortunately, my iPhone calorie counting app does require that I weigh myself every day if possible, in order to provide the most accurate and up-to-date data. I think what I'm going to have to learn to do is weigh myself, record the number, and just forget about it.

I don't know what I was so discouraged about yesterday anyway. It was such silliness. Looking at the big picture, I have already lost about 4 pounds - in ONE week. That is great! Not to mentioned that I am already feeling better, and feeling fitter. I really need to stay more focused on my overall successes rather than the day-to-day numbers. Lesson learned.

Day 5: Trying Something New

I think I spoke a wee bit too soon when I mentioned in yesterday's post that I am no longer sore from running. Yesterday's run turned out to be sheer torture, and not only did I NOT enjoy it (at all!), but I actually felt like I might be hurting myself. I powered through it, but when I got home my quads let me know that I really shouldn't have pushed so hard.

I had to lie on the floor all evening and stretch out. A hot shower did help, and a good sleep helped even more, but I am still going to take the day off from running today - despite my best laid plans. I am still going to exercise - I think a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes will do - but sadly, running is just going to have to wait for tomorrow so I can give my poor legs a break. They just don't understand what's got into me the last few days.

And now that the weather is turning cooler, I've decided to get back into hot yoga (Bikram yoga). I used to love it about 5 years ago and because of life changes and stuff, I quit and never went back. I am feeling the call again, and am looking forward to some nice hot workouts. The best part about hot yoga is the calorie burn. A girl my size burns about 700 calories in a 90 minute class. That is insane! I'm not sure I could burn that many calories running uphill for an hour!

I'm going to start next week after the holiday (Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving) and my dear friend L is going with me. She is really excited and it's contagious. I can't wait! I think a mix of hot yoga and running will be a great combination for me. I'd also like to try pilates, I've never done them. Maybe that's next?

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The scale hasn't really budged much in the last few days. I'm trying not to let it bother me, but I must admit that it is a bit discouraging sometimes. In the past, the first few days of losing weight were always so epic, and I feel like I'm off to a slow start. Oh well, I am feeling better already, and that's nothing to shake a stick at.

As I type this, I'm snacking on a crispy granny smith apple, and a small piece of sharp cheddar cheese. It's heaven. Wanna see? Of course you do.

Runner Up

T minus 12 days until I start The Plan! Much to do! (Can you tell that I am the kind of person that needs to feel ridiculously prepared?)

When I used to run 8 years ago, I remember getting started by using Hal Higdon's Website. He has a great beginner training program that worked beautifully for me, and I'd like to employ it again.

Speaking of running, Husband surprised me this morning by going for a run himself! Anyone who knows my husband knows that he never runs unless chased. But this morning, he just went for it - and made it a whole mile and a half! I am seriously so proud of him right now. Proud and inspired. And happy! My own weight loss regime will be a lot easier with Husband doing his thing.

I just ate TWO Klondike Bars. Sick, right? I told Husband that I am allowing myself to indulge in anything and everything I love to eat for the next 12 days and I refuse to feel bad about it. I am living it up with no limits until midnight of September 30th.

I hear you, I know what you're saying, you think I'm being stupid and borderline detrimental to my health by going on what is essentially a two-week binge. Relax. I'm not being insane or anything, I'm just eating a some extra sweets here and there. And maybe some chips. Limits or no limits, I can only pig out so much.

And it's weird, every time I feel like I've indulged a wee bit too much, it seems to strengthen my resolve to get healthy and lose weight. Isn't that strange? The more I eat and couch, the more I want to cut back and get active. I am starting to crave the feeling of having a body that's treated like a temple and functions like a well oiled machine.

Anyway, Happy Friday all! This weekend, I'm going to buy my new water bottle, an iPod shuffle and we're going out for dinner at one of my favourite Italian restaurants!