"If I only had the nerve"

Seriously I might fall over. I'm that tired. I am fighting off a cold, working backstage on the play and working long days at work. I can't seem to get ready to fall asleep before 11:30pm if I'm lucky. *sigh* actually *BIG sigh*

I'm still vegetarian. Last night I tried a veggie burger and I loved it! It was so much better than I thought it would be!! Mamasita had one too and she liked it too! I'm really glad I'm still eating fish. Otherwise I wouldn't have as many options as I do now.

I haven't gone to the gym since Tuesday. I have to miss tonight too because I have to go work backstage. *sigh* So now my gym plan for the rest of the week is:
Today- no gym :(
Friday- 45 min run at gym 1:30pm
Saturday- 20 min run, 35 min strength training, 20 min run
Sunday- 30-45 min run

That should be somewhat helpful since I have my monthly weigh in on Monday!

Here is my food plan for today:

Breakfast: Fiber one shredded wheat cereal, 1/2 banana, orange juice, coffee
Snack: Orange
Lunch: Tuna sandwich, Orange, granola bar, 100 cal pack strawberry cupcakes, pear apple sauce
Snack: Cheerios
Dinner: Who knows... Maybe a veggie sub sandwich...

Well wish me luck on my tiredness and fighting this cold. It's going to be a rough weekend! Oh and if you are around the area, come check out Wizard of Oz at the High School Auditorium- tonight, Friday and Sat nights 7:30pm and a matinee on Sunday at 2:00pm. Tickets are $5 each! Be sure to find me and say hi!

"Take it to the chorus"

I'm still a vegetarian. Even after a weekend in Detroit. I'm pleased as punch with myself about how well I'm doing. There are times when I miss chicken with my salad or when I think it would be nice to have pepperoni on the pizza, but all in all I really don't miss meat.

Yesterday I stayed on my food plan. I really need to get to the gym though. **Today I go to run for 30 minutes after school**

Last week my grandpa passed away. He was my mom's dad and a truly sweet man. My grandpa had four grandchildren- I am the oldest- Me, Tracy, Steve and Robin. He never ever showed that he loved one of us more than the others. He loved each of us equally. Even when my grandma was acting nutty, he kept his cool and never acted any different to any of us. He stood by her side and loved her. When she died last Valentine's day, he had nothing more he had to truly hold on to. He was in so much pain that it really was a blessing when he passed away. He's with my grandma and my uncle in heaven right now, watching us and hopefully he's proud of what he sees. I've been really concerned for my mom and that's been taking a lot of my time. I am trying to find time for myself too. It was good to be alone a little on Friday at my favorite hotel in Auburn Hills and it was really great to get away last night to hang out with my new friend. I actually smiled a few times last night. :)

My heart is hurting but I need to press on and keep working and keep going. I need to find the balance again and get back to going to the gym every single day with one day off. So my gym schedule this week is:
Monday- off
Tuesday- 30 min run
Wednesday 20 min treadmill, strength training, 20 min treadmill
Thursday- 30 min run
Friday- 20 min treadmill, strength training, 20 min treadmill
Saturday- 30 min run
Sunday- 20 min treadmill, strength training, 20 min treadmill

Should be doable even though the play is this Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun and I'm supposed to help with it.

Here is my food plan for today:

Breakfast: Egg sandwich, Orange juice, coffee
Snack: Banana
Lunch: Orange, Cheese sandwich, 100 cal cookies, grapes, granola bar
Snack: Trail mix
Dinner: Fish, salad

Tonight is Biggest Loser night!! Time to get inspired!!!

It's going to be a great, busy day!

Wacky Wednesday?

Well I'm still vegetarian! I stuck to my food plan yesterday but added a snack when I got home from my long day- carrots with low fat dressing and a 100 cal bagel. I didn't exercise yesterday since I worked 10 hours and my body was sore from Monday. I'm still nursing a wound on my foot today so I'm taking it easy one more day and going back to the gym for a full workout tomorrow.
Today is a normal day for me at school and then after school I'm going to Grand Rapids! :)

This weekend I'll be in the Detroit area to surprise my BFF "Baby" for her birthday. I am so excited to see her face when she sees me! :) I'm going to go stay in my favorite hotel for a little "me" time on Friday night and then stay with my friend Betty on Saturday night. It will be a good time! :)

We are starting a Wellness program for February and March here at work. We weigh in on the first of Feb, March and April and keep track of points each day for things like water consumed, nutrition, portions and exercise. The person with the most points at the end of each week is the weekly winner and the person with the most points at the end of the month is the monthly winner. I made up the calendars and I'm in charge so I need to get some prizes together. I enjoy heading up this wellness program. It's my part in promoting a healthy life.

I am meeting with the coordinator for enrichment on Friday to go through the wellness program for kids/parents to be put in the brochure for the summer. I'm getting really excited about it!

Here is my food plan for today:

Breakfast: Quaker Corn bran cereal, skim milk, 100 cal bagel, low fat Cream Cheese, Coffee

Snack: Dry cereal

Lunch: Veggie pizza, orange, granola bar **Fresh fruit and veggie with kids at lunch

Dinner: Salad and ??

Should be a great day! I wish my foot was feeling better today so I could run though...

"Just Dance"

Gym. Epic. Felt like I was on "The Biggest Loser" training with Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. Yesterday I had records day and arrived at the gym around 3:30pm. I went on the treadmill for 40 minutes- 30 min run and 10 min walk. 3.0 miles and over 500 calories burned. Then I went to strength train. I was only going to do one of my circuits and completed all three! Then I went back to walk for 35 minutes and ended up running the last 5 minutes. I even ran at a 6.0! I hurt the back of my ankle on my shoes- I wore the wrong socks- and my legs hurt so bad later last night that I could barely walk up the stairs to go to bed!
I also stuck to my vegetarian food plan yesterday and feel very good about the entire day! Good choices and I'm really happy about it!

Today I am working until 7:30pm and have no time to go to the gym at all. After yesterday that's ok- I think my body needs a day to recover!!

Food plan for today:
Breakfast: Coffee, grapefruit juice, egg, english muffin
Snack: Dry cereal
Lunch: Veggie pizza, granola bar, orange, soup
Snack: Kix cereal, banana
Dinner: leftover seafood pasta, granola bar, orange

Should be a great day! :)

Veggie-a- saurus

Starting last friday I decided to try being a vegetarian. Well it's day four and I'm still going! I wonder how long I can keep it up! I am not cutting out all meat, I'm still going to eat fish. I would like to keep it up for the week at the least but I'd love to see how long I can keep going.

Today I'm going to run at the gym and hopefully get some strength training in as well. It's time to get back into the week and work off the weekend intake.

Here is my food intake for today:

Breakfast: Oatmeal, mini bagel with cream cheese, coffee
Snack: Dry cereal
Lunch: Veggie wrap, broccoli V8 soup, jello, granola bar, orange
Dinner: Seafood pasta and salad

Yum! AND it's the end of the day and I haven't eaten any peanut butter or school related anything at all! Hooray!!

"Gracias mama"

I do not know what my deal is with my nutrition/eating but I need to get with it and FAST! I ate Chicken Nuggets and a biscuit with my class at lunch. Ugh!!

Last night I worked out at 7pm with Amanda. I went on the treadmill for 55 minutes. I ran the first 45 minutes at a 5.0 and didn't slow down or speed up. I went 3.8 miles and then I finished up walking and ended up at 4.25 miles. I felt great!
I was considering running the 25k for the Riverbank run instead of the 10k, since I'm far ahead of the 10k training schedule. The only thing that makes me nervous about this is that I've been solely concentrating on running on the treadmill. I'm scared to death to run on pavement on snow and ice. I'm cautious walking on it, what would happen if I run on it?

I've decided to be a "Girls on the run" coach this spring. It starts in March and goes until May. Amanda is going to coach with me. I think it will be a lot of fun and I think it's a great idea to coach!

I also am going to meet to talk about teaching an enrichment class this summer which will help battle the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity. I'd do an activity with the kids and then do a talk with parents about nutrition and simple ways to be sure that kids get what they need- nutrition and smaller portion sizes. :) I'm having that meeting on Monday afternoon. More info to come!

Today I'm heading back to the gym after work at 4pm to do a short run and then about 45 min of strength training. I need to work my muscles- I haven't strength trained since last week Tuesday! Yikes!

My food for today:
Breakfast: Egg sandwich, grapefruit juice, coffee
Snack: Dry cereal
Lunch: Turkey sandwich, orange, jello, granola bar
Dinner: Smart Ones Lasagna, salad

I'm ready for a great day, and I'm ready to make smarter nutrition choices! I know I can do it!

"What have YOU done today to make you feel proud?"

Yesterday was not a good day. I let a lot of stuff get to me and I felt like crying by 4pm. Not good. I made poor food choices during the day and my legs were still hurting so I didn't get to the gym at all. My evening plans were cancelled by the time I was done teaching preschool and I was ready to go home and hide under my comforter until the weekend was here. *sigh* But then with help from a few nice people texting me their love and cheer, I was able to pick myself up, brush myself off and go on. I made a chicken burrito for dinner and enjoyed a long, hot shower.

I settled in to watch "The Biggest Loser" and instantly my outlook was so much better, that I was able to smile again! I just love that show. It motivates me every week. I started thinking about who I was when I started this journey and how I can't even recognize myself anymore. I also started looking at the way I am relaxing in my food/nutrition and that is starting to truly scare me. It's time to take back my journey and really account for what I'm eating and why I'm eating it. Am I falling back into eating just to eat? Actually I've started to fall into a new pattern. I'm eating because I'm afraid I won't have enough "energy" for my workout. I am craving peanut butter and I'm drinking a lot of coffee. I know this is not a good idea and it's time to make another change.

This season on Biggest Loser the contestants are really big. They are ready to change and they are ready to take their life back. I felt the exact same way when I started. I knew I was killing myself and I felt it. I was close to diabetes and had high blood pressure. I had so much fat on my abdomen and stomach that I knew that wasn't good on my organs. I was ready to change and I found a way to make that change.

I'm very impressed with Michael and Daris on this season. Michael is such a sweet guy with a big heart. He's also a cutie- even at his heaviest! (Yes, I have a little crush). Daris has curly hair and his comment last week about always being the one to dance with girls but he was always the one going home alone hit hard. I know how hard it was to date when I was bigger. It's hard to date now that I'm smaller. I had to be in love with myself before I was ready for anyone to love me. I had to find the confidence, and not "fake" confidence but real confidence. It's easy to be the hil-arious fat girl that everyone likes to be around but harder to be the funny yet serious girl that everyone wants to be around and may want to spend more time with.

Dating has been very hard to get into for me. I've gone out a few times and I have people that I text with and flirt with but it seems that a lot of people are telling me what I want to hear and then in person it just isn't the truth. I'm getting really tired of it and I think I've been working too hard at trying to find someone. I need to relax and move forward with my life and when it's time, it will be time to truly date. I am just impatient and I need to save some of the patience I use at work for my own life.

Today is going to be a great day and a much, much better day. I am at work until 4pm and then I'm going to the gym to run. I'm hopefully going to be able to run for an hour (as long as the gym isn't too busy) otherwise I'll run for 35 minutes and then do strength training before getting back on a treadmill for another 30-35 minutes. I would like to get 5 miles in again! I am going to keep it at a 5.0 the entire time without going up until the very end of the run. That might help me run the entire hour and not poop out for the last 15 minutes like I did on Monday.

Here is my food for today:
Breakfast: Coffee, Fiber one Shredded wheat cereal, cranberry juice
Snack: Dry cereal
Lunch: Oatmeal, orange, Jello, granola bar
Dinner: Grilled Chicken on salad


This blog really helps me to clear my head, especially after a day like yesterday. I think that it will be interesting to look back at these entries in 10 years...

Have a fabulous day!

"How do you solve a problem like Maria"

Best. Run. To. Date. Yesterday was amazing. Yesterday was epic. Yesterday I was on the treadmill for 63 minutes. I ran 4 miles at a 5.0 or better and walked 1 mile at a 4.0 or better. I went 5.0 miles. That's more than a 5k! I was amazing! My next big goal is to be able to run the entire hour. I'm going to attempt that tomorrow. Today my legs need to rest, they are super sore!

Food intake for today:

Breakfast: Coffee, fried egg sandwich, Coffee
Lunch: Turkey sandwich, orange, yogurt, granola bar
Dinner: Veggies, chicken wrap

Snack: Instant oatmeal


I am starting to truly feel like a runner! I am also starting to really love running and can't wait to get back on the treadmill tomorrow! Who would have thought I'd ever say that???

Crabby Pattie

Yeah I'm crabby today. I havent been to the gym since Wednesday and it's pretty much making me crabby. I'm at work until 4pm today and then it's time for the gym.

Food intake for today:

Breakfast: Fiber One shredded wheat cereal, coffee, yogurt, muffin

Lunch: Leftover home-made pizza, yogurt, granola bar, apple, carrots

Snack: Cheese sandwich

Dinner: Salad, ???

Workout: 45-55 minutes running at 5.0 or above
30-45 minutes strength training circuit

I'm exhausted just thinking about it but it's time to run!

Two years...

Exactly two years ago I started this weight journey. Two years ago I weighed 340 lbs and I was really miserable. Today I weigh 208.8 lbs (First time I weighed myself since the holidays). I feel full of energy and I am training to run a 10k in May. I make much better choices than I used to and I love to workout. I've had a tummy tuck and arm lift. I am starting to date. I don't even recognize myself in old photos.

Today I am working until 11:45am and then I have my physical follow-up at the Dr. For the first time I'm not completely convinced that something is wrong with me. (I usually think that I have a brain tumor or something else). Watch this will be the time that something is wrong with me! Ugh!

Here is my food plan for today:

Breakfast: Quaker Corn bran cereal, coffee
Snack: Graham crackers
Lunch: Soup, grilled cheese, granola bar, yogurt, orange
Dinner: Pizza, Salad

It's going to be a great day!

Na na na na na na-na

Guess the song from my title? Do you know what it's from?

Yesterday was a great day however a crazy day at work! I kept to my food plan and ran 2.2 miles in 25 minutes at the gym. I had a great night with my new friend and I just keep smiling! :)

Today I have a work meeting until 5pm so I'm taking a day of rest from the gym. I am going to keep to my food plan and try to move a little more during the day than I normally do. Tomorrow I'll do an intense workout with running before and after. I also have to go to the doctor tomorrow to get the results from my yearly physical. This always makes me a little nervous, but I know I'm healthier now than I've ever been... :)

Here's my food plan for today:

Breakfast: Fried egg sandwich, coffee
Snack: Granola bar
Lunch: Turkey wrap, granola bar, orange, yogurt
Dinner: Smart Ones Lasagna, salad


Have a super day! :)

la la la la la la tonight...

My legs hurt a little bit but it's awesome. "Why is that?" you ask? Well because I ran on the treadmill for 25 minutes and then I did a three circuit workout before running another 10 minutes. I went over 3.5 miles! It felt good! :)
I pretty much stuck with my food plan yesterday too but ate some pretzals with peanut butter for a snack. It was a good day!

Today I am only running 25 minutes (just over 2 miles) at the gym and then I'm having dinner with a new friend.

So my food looks like:

Breakfast: Quaker Corn bran cereal, skim milk, fiber muffin, coffee
Snack: Dry cereal
Lunch: Uncrustable sandwich, yogurt, granola bar, orange
Dinner: Steak and veggies :)

It's going to be a great day!! Enjoy every minute of it!

"I'm learning to move and I'm moving to learn"

Yesterday was a great day! I went to the gym after school and ran on the treadmill at a 5.0 for 35 minutes. I went 3 miles! That is the longest continuous run I've had so far! It felt great to accomplish! (Especially since the last time I ran was last week Tuesday!)

I stuck to my food plan pretty much and didn't overdo it. I think I need to work on getting enough protein again though...

Food for today:
Breakfast: Fiber muffin, Quaker Corn bran cereal, coffee
Snack: Dry cereal
Lunch: BLT wrap, orange, granola bar
Dinner: **Unknown**

Last night I went out to hang out with Bridget and Allison. It was great to see them! I'm trying to make a better effort of hanging out with friends and doing things during the week other than just work and the gym. It's kinda hard though. We'll see how this week goes. I'm hanging out with a new friend tomorrow night after the gym. I'm pretty excited about that...

Well I'm off, back to work and back to my life!

Have a great day everyone!

2010

Weight loss is not a resolution. Most people that resolve to lose weight as a new years resolution fail. I'm already on a journey to the healthiest, happiest me possible. I started this journey almost two years ago and I'm proud of the person that I am.

I decided that in 2010 I will make every attempt to find the love of my life. If someone asks me out, I'll go and I will give every guy the benefit of the doubt. I will also take more than 10 minutes in the morning so I look better and feel better going to work. I am going to be more social with friends and co-workers this year and enjoy every minute of the new year!

It's important to make "resolutions" you can keep... :)

So today I'm back at work 7:30am-4pm and afterward I'm going to run at the gym for at least 20 minutes. Then I'm going to go home, shower, eat some chili and meet Allison and Bridget at Target for some girl time. :) I absolutely *heart* Target and I'm excited to see Bridget before she goes back to school and I want to spend more time with Allison- I miss her!

Here is my food situation for today:
Breakfast: Egg white omelette, english muffin and fiber muffin, coffee
Lunch: salad with grilled chicken, cottage cheese, jello, granola bar, orange
Dinner: Chili, veggies
Snack: Quaker corn squares cereal

I am making a game of school eating this month- I'm going to see how many days I can abstain from eating any processed school food. For every day I abstain, I treat myself to something at the end of the month. :) Let's see how I do! Today is a challenge- chicken patty on a bun! I can do it, I can do it...

Happy 2010 everyone!