Rainy day blues

Move that body: 2.8-mile run (last night) and 2-mile walk (this morning)

To take Miles and the BOB or run my own race. That has been the debate in my head ever since it became clear that Mark's sprained ankle would keep him from participating in the 4-mile event at Fort-4-Fitness.

Well, yesterday, it seemed Mother Nature tried to decide for me.

 

Saturday's forecast was calling for thunderstorms and chilly temperatures. OK, chilly temps for an 11-week-old. I decided that it would be more prudent for Mark and Miles to hang out under cover at Parkview Field and wait for me to come into home (aka the finish line).

But it's Indiana. And the weather has shifted. 

That's a bit better. With a blanket, Miles would be just fine. However, I think I'm still going to leave him with Dad and run my own race. Get that PR.

An automatic one. I've never ran a 4-mile race :)

Good luck to everyone racing this weekend! Run like the wind ... or a gentle breeze, at the least.

Weekly weigh in: Slowly but surely?

Irritated. Frustrated. Pissed, even.

That's how I felt when I saw the number on the scale at Weight Watchers this morning. 138.4. I lost a whopping four-tenths of a pound. And while I'm the first person to tell someone that a loss is a loss, a move in the right direction, I was unhappy. I had been expecting better as I lost nothing last week and saw 136 on my bathroom scale on Tuesday.

I know this is how it goes, though. You have a couple good weeks and then a couple less than stellar weeks. You just kind of have to stay vigilant and ride it out. You definitely don't want to wallow. Or get the gun out of the safe.

If I'm feeling particularly desperate, I'll take a look - a good look - at the good ole tracker and see what's up. Am I underestimating the Points Plus values of food? Overestimating? Am I using my points for filler foods or filling foods?

What do you do when your weight loss slows?

The week in numbers

Weight this week: 138.4 pounds
Weight last week: 138.8 pounds
Weight loss this week: 0.4 pound
Total post-partum weight loss: 6.8 pounds

What's working

I've started tracking poor food choices in red pen so that they pop out from the good stuff. Instances when I write in red: when I eat foods lacking nutritional value; when I choose something despite a better choice being available; and when I eat just to eat.

What's not working

I think I need to get in a few more walks. I've done well with getting in three runs a week, and I've added in Jillian Michaels' "Ripped in 30." However, I haven't been doing much else. Cardio = calories burned. Calories burned = weight loss. Mark and I have discussed carving out an hour of me time for each of us each day, and I hope that focus will get me out of the door.

Note: I understand that me complaining that I weigh 138.4 (and not 122) might irritate some people. After all, at 5-foot-3, 138 is a healthy weight. However, 138 is not my happy weight and living a healthy lifestyle will always be a work in progress for me. I think it is important that those losing weight choose a goal that is not only attainable but for them and them alone. I do not believe that one weight fits all and only seek to encourage people to carve out their own happiness through a healthy lifestyle, regardless of a number. 

What I Ate Wednesday: Improvising

Last night, I wanted to create some kind of “Biggest Loser” drinking game except exercise would replace the shots. I thought I’d do 10 lunges every time Jillian made someone cry and then I remembered Jillian was no longer on the show.
Boo.
So I tried to think of a new game (and failed) while I watched, read e-mails, ate oatmeal and stole bites of Mark’s ice cream, saving Jillian for this morning.
What did you think of last night’s show? I am super excited that they are bringing back the marathon but I’m still not so sure about the trainers. I spent a good portion of the show thinking inappropriate things about Anna and Enrique Iglesias.
Now, for the main event – my eats.
Pre-run snack
 
Chocolate Cherry Almond Luna Protein Bar
Breakfast
 
Old-fashion oats with Peanut Butter Puffins, sliced banana and a splash of almond milk
Lunch

Lettuce wraps with Queso Fresco & Chipotle Laughing Cow, Spanish rice and Peanut Butter Finger’s salsa chicken; corn pudding; and Weight Watchers mini bar (unpictured).
Afternoon snacks

Hot chocolate (it’s so friggin cold in the office that I had no choice but to get one)

Carrots with hummus, string cheese and an apple (unpictured)
Dinner

“Make It Up As You Go” Stuffed Chicken with Dreamfield’s penne and broccoli. For my stuffed chicken, I pounded out a chicken breast (two actually – Mark thought he had to eat, too) and “filled” it with a Sundried Tomato & Basil Laughing Cow wedge and spinach. I then seared it on each side then finished cooking it in leftover marinara and a can of diced tomatoes. Completely yum.
Evening snack

Oatmeal … again. Supposedly oats builds boob milk supply, something I definitely need to do. I pretended it was dessert by putting some Nutella at the bottom and serving it in a glass dish.

Early bird

Move that body: 3.18-mile run

I had finally accepted - and embraced - that I was now an anytime runner. Then something funny happened. Miles slept for seven hours. In a row. And since Mark had already offered to take the first shift (aka rocking "Party at 2 a.m." Miles back to sleep), I got to rest/sleep in bed till 6:20.

Hello, morning run! Denali, Miles and I were ready and out the door by 7: 15.

 I swear there's a baby under that blanket.

Good morning, Miles!

In case you noticed - yes, yes that's a pacifier in his mouth. A little thing I swore I would never give him. But a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. I can happily report, though, that he promptly spit it out and was all smiles once we got started. For about 15 minutes. And then he decided it was a good time to nap.

Sadly, I sort of felt like was napping, too. Despite good (enough) sleep, I felt tired and heavy. Or maybe I just felt slow. And slow I was, the worst pace since ditching the intervals two weeks ago. No matter the result, though, any run is a good run. Each mile makes us a better runner.

Plus, today's run comes with an added bonus: I can watch "The Biggest Loser" with a bowl of sorbet guilt free!

Anyone else excited about the new season? One of the contestants is from my area so I'm anxious to see how he does. I hope he isn't sent home the first week!

Time of day

Move that body: 5-mile run

I used to believe that the only time of day to run was the morning.

If I wasn’t out the door by 7:30 on a weekday or 9 on the weekends, a run wasn’t going to happen. Period. Maybe, in the afternoon, I might get in a walk but that would only be because I was feeling bad about myself for not exercising.

Things have had to change since Miles’ arrival if I wanted to continue running. In fact, I’m not sure I have ran in the morning since I went back to work. Last week, I ran at 8:30 after he went to bed and at 6 p.m. because I postponed dinner.

And, today, I ran at 4:15 after a long day of shopping for a dress for my brother’s wedding. (Side note: Finding something that is nice and provides easy access to the girls isn’t as easy as one would think.)

It took a bit of getting used to, running late in the day, but there’s a few things that help.

Get in my belly. News alert: Fro yo is the new carb loading. Ha! This afternoon, I had a late lunch and a fro-yo cone at 3 p.m. It was just enough food to keep me going but not so much that I wanted to hurl. When I run later, my dinner has time to settle and when I run right after work, I have a small snack to keep me from eating myself.

Setting the mood. I feel bad when I don’t run in the morning. Not in the “skipping one run will make me gain 100 pounds” but “I feel like a total not nice lady.” And while I don’t proclaim that I’m actually nice, I do prefer to stay married for the time being.

Denali. You’ve heard it before but he motivates me to get out - usually by being the most annoying dog on the planet. Sometimes I run just to wear his @ss out. (Crap. I’m supposed to stop cursing as of today so Miles doesn’t get kicked out of kindergarten. I do it to exert some energy.)

Me time. With Mark in a boot (sprained ankle), I have the luxury of leaving Miles at home. Going out for a run might be the only time I have to myself during the day so I can think about important things – like why am I having wedding nightmares when it’s my brother getting married and my nuptials were nearly 3 years ago.

Bad jeans. I have three pairs of jeans. All of them not in a size I currently wear. They don’t fit over my thighs. And I would rather dump a million dollars buying cute hates for Miles on etsy and not new jeans. 

Fall for it. Hello, lovely weather. The change in seasons makes it nearly impossible not to lace up and get out of the house.

What gets you out the door?

By the way, did you see I ran 5 miles today? It’s the farthest I’ve ran in, like, forever. Or since my second trimester. I really had to work for that last mile but I should be good for Saturday’s Fort-4-Fitness.