shrinkvivor challenge week 2

And we're back! Week 2 of the Shrinkvivor Challenge over at Shrinking Jeans! I will lay it all out here - I had a bad week. From Friday-Tuesday I didn't watch what I ate and the scale showed it on Wednesday with a gain of 1.3 pounds this week! Very disappointing for me but how can I be upset when I know what the reasoning behind it was? Because of my gain I was lowest % for my team so I have been moved over to Exile Island. And you know what? I'm okay with that. My team - Team Pink - AKA the Pinkbury Dough Girls - is an amazing group of ladies who didn't make me feel less than for my not-so-good week. And in past challenges or life in general when I screw up I give up. Not this time. As Ann (LOVE ANN!) texted me this evening - "...this isn't for prizes it's for health!" And you know what? Isn't the biggest prize of all being healthier for me and my family? For me? Absolutely. So yes I gained. Yes I'm okay with it. And yes I'm back on track this week. And it's a great place to be mentally.

This week's physical challenge is exercise minutes again - time devoted to exercise specifically. So I will be working on that and continuing to keep track of my foods and staying within my daily Points Plus target for Weight Watchers. I did well in the exercise department last week going from zero to 195 minutes which is substantially less than some but an improvement for me.

This next week will be better and I will keep plugging away. I'll check in with you again on Wednesday.

And this? When I'm feeling down I remember this. I will not let the number on the scale define me any more. It's not worth it. I am worth more.

shrinkvivor challenge week 1

This is it! Week 1 of the Shrinkvivor Challenge over at Shrinking Jeans! I almost wish I had waited and started back to Weight Watchers a week later since I'm down 4.2 pounds this week!

I am teamed up with some great gals for this challenge including Ann and Heather! We are part of Team Pink - AKA the Pinkbury Dough Girls! Cute, huh?
















This week's physical challenge is exercise minutes - time devoted to exercise specifically. So I will be working on that and continuing to keep track of my foods and staying within my daily Points Plus target for Weight Watchers.

The best part about this past week? (Excluding a nice loss on the scale, of course.) Energy. I actually am not dragging my butt, exhausted all the flippin' time. Guess my body was trying to tell me something. Obviously I'm hard headed occasionally. Or all the time if you ask my husband.

I am really looking forward to seeing what I personally and the Pinkbury Dough Girls as a team can accomplish not only this week but throughout this challenge.

Until next Wednesday...

spring in2 action challenge kick-off

Spring is coming and the Sisterhood is kicking it off with a new challenge - Spring In2 Action! It's a buddy challenge and I've teamed up with Kate aka @northdakotamom on Twitter. We're calling ourselves the Crazy Brownies.

As I posted yesterday, I'm currently (or was) at my highest weight in a while of *whispers* 202.2. Cue tears. Lots of tears and internally beating myself up. Enough. Ice cream never solved anything. Can I get an AMEN? That being said:

Weight at last check-in: 202.2
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.2
Change This Week: -1.7 (200.5)
Change for Spring In2 Action Challenge: -1.7
Total Pounds Gone since 3/1/2011: -1.7

My goals for this challenge:

• Watch the scale go down (and not just because I'm seeing the number when one of my kids is on the scale playing). Seriously give it my all and work on losing weight. How will I do this? Weight Watchers (went back yesterday) and water.
• Ah, water. My body needs it but I have a bad habit of filling it with caffeine (i.e. coffee and Diet Coke). Daily goal (because I'm hardly drinking any) is 64 ounces. I should probably aim for more but baby steps, right?
• Complete the 100 push-up challenge. Because I want smokin' hawt arms. It's true. I also want a strong core and this will help towards achieving that goal as well. Push-ups are done 3 times a week. I will walk the other 3 days for at least 30 minutes (or restart C25K if my back allows) and rest one day a week.

Speaking of push-ups, I decided to go with real push-ups (on my toes and not my knees). I was able to do a whopping 3 for my initial test. But I will get better and I will get stronger. You can count on it. (Pssst: Day 1 complete!)

I keep reminding myself "baby steps" because I tend to go full force into something and give up within a week or two because I've done too much. I'm truly working on changing that this time around and can't wait to see where I am at the end of this 6 week challenge!

the post i don't want to write...

I considered not posting. But not posting does nothing for the whole accountability thing I've gotten going on with my weight loss journey. I'm up 2.1. Ugh. I know why. It's the stress resulting from the anxiety and nightmares I've been having. (When I stress I don't typically make good choices. I know this and I'm working on doing better. I really am.)

The good news is that the nightmares stopped a few nights ago (within a day or so of writing this post). Strange, huh? My mood has greatly improved and I am starting to feel better. Yay!

I need to be more productive and focused in general (not just with the healthy living journey) so now I'm working on a plan/schedule to keep me focused on what I need to be doing daily. I've been winging it for longer than I care to admit and I know that a schedule or plan will keep me grounded and focused. And my Holiday Hoe-Down Team (8 Sisters Shrinking!) is counting on me to do just that.

weekly check-in

*waving* Hi all! This is gonna be a quick FYI kind of post as I'm sitting on a conference call for work and realized I hadn't posted my weigh-in from this morning. I have so much going on in this little ole head of mine that I want need to share but it will have to weight. (Get it? Weight/wait? Totally cracking myself up here...)

Drumroll, please...



Weight at last check-in: 198.5
Change This Week: -1.0
Total Pounds Gone since 9/8/2010: 6.1

weekly check-in

Wow. I can't believe the Shrinkvivor Challenge is over! Of course, I disqualified myself last week by missing the check-in (gah!) but that doesn't mean I stop working at it, right? Right. So without further ado, here are my numbers:

Weight at last check-in: 199.0
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.1
Change This Week: -1.5
Change for Shrinkvivor Challenge: -3.6
Total Pounds Gone since 9/8/2010: 5.1

Ummm, do you see what I see?



Yes, 5# button, baby! And a 3.6 loss for the challenge...not nearly as great as I had hoped but dealing with a sick/hospitalized kid, being sick myself and hurting my back again, I am very happy with the overall loss. I keep telling myself that slow and steady wins the race but geez sometimes it feels insanely slow.

Oh and have you voted for the Top Shrinkvivor? There are 7 and seriously I'm not sure how ANYONE is supposed to choose just one winner...the entries are all phenomenal. Go vote, m'kay?

shrinkvivor challenge weigh-in #5

I am late posting this week (sorry!) but I did manage to check in on time over at Shrinking Jeans so I'm still on Exile Island. (insert big sigh of relief!)

Here are the quick deets:

Last week's weight: 199.0
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.1
Change This Week: 0
Change for Shrinkvivor Challenge: -3.1
Total Pounds Gone since 9/8/2010: 4.6

No change but no gain so I'm pretty happy with that. Will be posting more this week (hopefully by the weekend). And yes, that will include an "exposed" post. I'm scared but I'll do it because I need to do it. I took the pledge to love myself and this is another step in that direction. Till then...

shrinkvivor challenge weigh-in #4

Holla!!! I'm down 1.7 pounds this week. YAY!



Last week's weight: 200.7
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.1
Change This Week: -1.7
Change for Shrinkvivor Challenge: -3.1
Total Pounds Gone since 9/8/2010: 4.6

Last week, although in the Top 3 for minutes logged (GO TEAM PURPLE!), my team did not excel in the weight loss portion and were (sniff) sent to Exile Island. But being on Exile Island isn't all bad (there's a lot of awesome peeps over there, ya know) and you know what? We're all still improving our fitness and losing weight together and that's really the point of the whole challenge anyway.

Disney 1/2 Marathon training officially began this week. And I also had my best time for a mile at 16:15 which I realize is still slow but it's MY best and I'm super proud of it (considering my average in the spring was a 19 minute mile). Most of my girls are participating in the Disney full marathon but Karena and I will tackling the half marathon together. (Note: I cannot wait to meet my girls!)

Looking forward to another terrific week!

shrinkvivor challenge weigh-in #3

GO TEAM PURPLE, aka PURPLE POWER SHRINKERS!!!!



Last week's weight: 200.2
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.1
Change This Week: +0.5
Change for Shrinkvivor Challenge: -1.4
Total Pounds Gone since 9/8/2010: 2.9

I gained a half-pound this week. I started strong on the challenges for the week - no drive thru and 120 minutes of exercise by the weekend; however, the weekend took a bad turn and my 6 year old ended up in the hospital. Hospital = fast food, cafeteria food, etc. and because I promised I wouldn't leave him (and I keep my promises to my kiddos) I didn't exercise while I was there (even though running up and down the stairs would've been a good way to relieve stress and get minutes in as we were on the 4th floor).

So that's my week. I plan to lose that half-pound by next Wednesday though and discover just how fast I can run a mile.

shrinkvivor challenge weigh-in #2

GO TEAM PURPLE, aka PURPLE POWER SHRINKERS!!!!



Last week's weight: 202.1
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.1
Change This Week: -1.9
Change for Shrinkvivor Challenge: -1.9
Total Pounds Gone since 9/8/2010: 3.4

My personal goals for this challenge...how I did this week:
- Water, water, water: 4 out of 7 days I hit my goal of 100 ounces
- Train for the Disney 1/2 marathon: No training this week with sick kids and the husband with a crazy work schedule. Hope to resume SOON.
- Count calories: Interesting to note that the same day I hit my water goal I also hit my calorie goal.
- Continue to work on silencing my inner mean girl: She's been pretty quiet this week. Success!

Given the fact that I've had a kid with horrible asthma problems this week, another with allergy/cold issues and a husband that hasn't been home (work), I am really happy with the week I've had. I'm tired but I did well given my obstacles. The one thing I *really* need to improve on next week is my training for the Disney 1/2 marathon. I may have to work on getting up earlier in order to get it done which is tough for me cuz I loves me some sleep.

shrinkvivor challenge weigh-in #1

Ladies and gentlemen (are there even any gentlemen that read my blog?), today is the official start of the Shrinkvivor Challenge over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans! Along the premise of the show Survivor, but SHRINKvivor, there will be 1 winner that will Outfit, Outlose and Outlast everyone else. Pretty cool, huh? I'm not really sure how they continually come up with awesome challenges like this but they do. They're so creative.

I am on TEAM PURPLE, also known as the PURPLE POWER SHRINKERS, and we've already started chatting it up on the hood and Twitter getting to know each other. I love it!

I will admit I've been up and down, up and down on the scale. I'm done. Done doing things halfway. Done losing a half pound only to gain 2. I need this challenge. Even if I don't win the grand prize I will still win in the end because I will be healthier and more fit. Not maybe. I. WILL.

One thing I'm changing this time around is posting my weight. I never have before because, well DUH, I'm embarrassed. And I don't want to admit the number. But I'm hoping that facing the number will help me address the issues. And I have many issues...but that's a story for another day. Or 4.

So I'm starting with last week's weight and working forward. On a good note I AM down this week. Yay!!!

Here's my picture. Taken post-shower with my cell phone so it's super-steamy but you can still see the number. I did you the courtesy of cropping out my toes. I'm so thoughtful. I know.



Last week's weight: 203.6
Challenge Starting Weight: 202.1
Change This Week: -1.5
Change for Shrinkvivor Challenge: N/A
Total Pounds Gone: 1.5

My personal goals for this challenge:
- Water, water, water
- Train for the Disney 1/2 marathon
- Count calories
- Continue to work on silencing my inner mean girl

confessions, check-in and more

Wow guys this has been a crazy, busy week. So busy, in fact, that I am still baffled by the fact that it's Thursday night. I can probably count on my fingers the number of hours we've actually been home this week (sleeping time excluded). But *big sigh of relief* starting tomorrow (Friday) it's not as crazy. Which is why I picked Friday to be my "let's try this again" day.

I did weigh-in on Wednesday and was up 1.4. I had a few thought-provoking comments last week (thanks, sisters) and Christie suggested maybe I was bored with Weight Watchers. At first I thought, nah I'm not bored, but after a little more mind-chewing on it I thought ok maybe she's got a point. It's not that Weight Watchers doesn't work. I know it does. When you follow the plan. My problem is my lackadaisical attitude towards it. So I thought - Hey, why not change it up? It's not like I'm 100% devoted to it (as evidenced by my weigh-in) and if something else doesn't work I try something else or even go back to counting Points. That being said, I've decided to try calorie counting. It will still require logging my food but I only have 1 number to deal with (for now) instead of 3. Something I've noticed is Weight Watchers is also all about the fiber and I'm not going to disagree that fiber is good for you but I've noticed, for me, it seems like the more protein something has the more filling it is and the less I want to snack/eat mindlessly.

Speaking of protein, I'm going to totally change topic here, has anyone tried Chobani Greek Yogurt? Oh. My. GOSH. It is the BEST yogurt I have EVER tasted. And the bonus? Zero fat and 14 grams of protein. It. is. awesome. If you like yogurt, that is. It's a little pricier than the other brands. Sale price at my local store was 10 for $10. But definitely worth it.*



Ok, back to my thoughts here (by the way this post has been writing itself in my head all week): Calorie counting is what I'm going to start tomorrow. I have a plan in place and a guide (thanks, April...you are awesome).

Exercise also needs to make its way "back" (get it, my back problems? Ha!) into the picture. My back is doing great and there's really no sense in putting it off. Game plan? 3 days run/walk (Couch-to-5K program) and 2 days strength training. I am working with Team in Training to get rescheduled for another half-marathon and am going to start looking for a local 5K to train for (gotta have a goal, right?).

WATER. Must. drink. water. We all know my crazy addiction to Diet Coke. And I KNOW it's not good for me. New plan = 80-100 ounces of water and 1 Diet Coke only if I meet the water requirement first. (This one scares me.)

So next week when I check in I will visit with you on how it went with calorie counting, exercise and water.

And finally, I need accountability. I was going to request a volunteer to be an accountability partner and I would return the favor - BUT seeing as Shrinking Jeans is starting a new challenge on Sunday and it includes teams, I'll be counting on my teammates to kick me in the butt if necessary.

*Photo courtesy of chobani.com. No one requested or paid me to post my adoration for this yogurt but I would definitely consider promoting these yogurts if contacted. I love 'em that much. Hey, I'm just sayin...

shrinking days of summer - finale

Today marks the end of the Shrinking Days of Summer Challenge over at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans. This week I am down 0.6 but up 2.0 for the challenge. I'm not beating myself up, I'm not stressing about it, I'm really okay with it. There's always next week and the week after and....well, you get my point. It's a daily commitment. It's a daily choice. Some days I choose to stick to Weight Watchers and count my Points. Other days I don't. And until I make that commitment DAILY, I'm not going to see much change. I'm going to continue to gain and lose the same few pounds. I know this.

The challenge I am having is sticking with it daily. I know I can do it and I know it works (lost 60 lbs on Weight Watchers before). But that was before kids. I also know that I'm struggling with life at the moment and the stresses associated with it. I know I need to take care of me regardless of what hurdles come my way. I say I will and then something is thrown in my path that catches me off guard and I am sidetracked for however long. Any suggestions on how to stop getting distracted and FOCUS?

shrinking days of summer: week 7

Umm, wow, it's been a while since I posted weigh-in deets. I've kept it updated in my sidebar but haven't actually blogged about it.

I'll be perfectly honest. I haven't been as successful with this challenge as I had hoped but I also know that I really haven't given it a whole lot of effort. And I know that in order for ME to be successful I need to do the necessary stuff (the stuff that works for me/keeps me on track) - like drink all my water, write down my food, stay within my calories, etc.

This week I'm down 1.0 pound. I'm not sure how with the daily cake servings I've had but I am down and I'm very happy about that. Knowing my body those pesky carbs will grab me on the scale next week.

I've also decided to change my weigh-in days to Tuesday morning so that I'll have time to write my post and schedule it for Wednesdays. I'm really hoping that will work better for me and I will actually do this again weekly (which also keeps me more accountable!). This weigh-in actually took place on Tuesday this week so it's nice to go to bed on Tuesday knowing that this is all taken care of.

Hoping all of my fellow Sisters did well this week! They are an amazing group and lots of support. Love them!

shrinking days of summer: week 3

No change for me this week. I did sign-up for Weight Watchers online again this morning. I'm going to follow the program online until we move at the end of the month. If I'm doing well I'll stick with online. If I'm not really sticking to it and need the additional support (which I very well might - Weight Watchers meetings are terrific for accountability!) then I will find a meeting in July and start going in person. Wish me luck!

shrinking days of summer: week 2

I'm up for the 2nd week in a row - 1.6 pounds. Not being able to exercise stinks. MRI results will be in next week. I'd love to get the green light for some activity even if it's light activity. Something is better than nothing. The end.

shrinking days of summer: week 1

I weighed in on time Wednesday morning but am just now getting around to posting. I am up 3.0 pounds. Gah. I know why (injury = no exercise and depression = me eating crap). Now to figure out a game plan and tackle it head on. Just because I can't exercise until my injury is figured out and on the mend doesn't mean I can't take care of myself. And to be perfectly honest, I haven't been taking care of myself. I've let the doom and gloom of being physically broken take over my life. Enough is enough. I'm working on a game plan to get back on track. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. (Oh and for those not caught up I will be posting an injury update soon.)

new challenge & a weigh-in

Yesterday, the Sisterhood started a new challenge - a revisit of an oldy but goody - 21 Days. The premise behind it is the saying or thought that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. So the goal is to form a new habit or habits over the next 3 weeks.

So here are my goals for the next 3 weeks (I seem to revisit these a lot but I'm trying to form good habits here, people):

• 64+ ounces of water/day
• Eat breakfast. (Why is this one sooo hard for me?)
• Stay on track with exercise - specifically my 1/2 marathon training. It's June 6th. And I MUST beat the sweeper van. Oh and I need to raise more money. Help a girl out, would ya? (Seeing as I still need to raise around $1,680. Yikes!)

And that's really it. These are healthy habits that need to continue throughout my life so I think they're good ones to focus on.

Ok, I missed weigh-in on Wednesday but did weigh-in Thursday morning and I'm down 1.1 pounds this week. I would like to continue to see the scale move in a downward pattern BUT I have promised myself not to stress if it doesn't. Remind me of that if I weigh-in and the scale is up, m'kay? Thanks.

where to start?

I'm not even sure where to start this post. It will be 2 weeks tomorrow since my last post so maybe bullet format would be best so I can cram everything into one big post and not worry about making sure what I'm writing matches my title. Yes, that's what I'll do.

• Today is the final weigh-in for the Spring Fling Challenge over at the Sisterhood. My total loss for the challenge is 2 pounds (up 0.2 this week). The last few weeks I have checked in with my Challenge Team but haven't been keeping up over at the Sisterhood site.
• My kids have been sick for the last week and I have since joined them. The oldest was diagnosed with bronchitis and woke up throwing up with an ear ache and sore throat. The toddler has a ferocious cough and has for over a week. Both are going to the doctor in about an hour.
• Going through a rough patch with my husband. No I will not detail it on my blog because it is very personal. But we are working through it.
• Last Wednesday I had someone stop by my house. My landlord isn't paying his mortgage and the house I'm in is being foreclosed on. Nice.
• Started house-hunting this past weekend. I'm tired and my head hurts. Looking at houses is fun but also very stressful. Especially when we just got settled in this house and were planning to rent for at least another year or so.
• Closing on Minnesota house is still on schedule for April 30th. YAY!

That would be the last few weeks summarized. I will try to be better about posting. Really. But if I don't someone stop by and drag me out from under the covers of my comfy bed. Cause I totally wanna hide there.

Oh! YES I'm still training for the LLS 1/2 Marathon in June. I still need to raise funds, too! You can help by clicking HERE. Please? Pretty please?

spring fling challenge weigh-in #6

Although I didn't blog about it last week I did weigh-in and post in my sidebar over there on the left. Week 5 I gained 1.3. This week I'm down 1.4. I have tried to be more conscious of the amount of food I'm putting in my mouth and not eating randomly and when I'm not hungry (which I'm really good at - the eating randomly, that is).

I decided to join a gym. I know. Today was my first day there and because my biggest concern is child care (i.e. will my child stay and have fun?) I was more than a little nervous. Well combine that with the fact that I haven't set foot in a gym in a few years and I had just about talked myself out of going. But I went. And I'm glad I did. My little one thoroughly enjoyed herself, I got a few miles in on the treadmill and am ready to start working this into my daily routine. I have a 9:00 a.m. appointment with a personal trainer who has assured me he'll "whip me into shape" and I'm officially scared. Will someone hold me please?

My friend Lissa takes a muscle work class lovingly called "Death by Barb". I'm totally thinking tomorrow morning's visit will be "Death by Derrick". IF I can move I'll let you know how it went.

This week's goals? Water, water, water. And try not to kill myself at the gym.