Thursday, July 28, 2011

30 By 30

I have 3 years left until I am 30 so I decided to make my list of things I would like to accomplish before then. Here is my 30 by 30! (I started this list a long time ago and finally finished it. Maybe finishing my list should have been on my list! lol)

1- Lose 85 pounds total (~53 lbs to go)
2- Run a 5k (3.1 miles, currently can run 2 miles)
3- Have a baby (IVF hopefully the beginning of 2012!)
4- Buy an SUV
5- Pay off all credit card debt (plan to really start focusing on this after our vacation)
6- Join a church and attend regularly
7- Resume playing the piano (my parents brought my piano to my house and I play once in a while now)
8- Join a gym
9- Ride in a hot air balloon
10- Organize all photos into scrapbooks or albums
11- Make banana bread and actually have it turn out
12- Plant a tree
13- Ride a horse
14- Go to a drive thru and pay for the car behind me
15- (Re)Learn Spanish
16- Do 10 "real" push ups (currently can do 1, its a start!)
17- Give up soda (I will only have one on rare occasions, and its always diet)
18- Find a wine I love
19- Learn how to fully use my DSLR camera and take better photos (I've learned a few tricks, but much more left to learn!)
20- Take a dance class
21- Go skiing
22- Get a pedicure (planning on doing this for the first time before our vacation next week!)
23- Get Lasik eye surgery
24- Learn basic cake decoration
25- Travel out of the United States (probably the most unrealistic of my goals but I am still hoping!)
26- Get my wisdom teeth out
27- Donate blood again
28- Paint our master bathroom
29- Read the entire Harry Potter series
30- Get a Brazilian wax

I know some of these are silly but hopefully they are all realistic!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Remember...

Remember how I said Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred wasn't very hard for the most part? Well, my legs are finally feeling better after being incredibly sore the past few days since I did it Monday morning. I didn't really feel sore after Levels 1 and 2 at all. Level 3 must be better of a workout than I give it credit for!

Even so, I will be glad to be done with it! I am thinking of getting Jillian's Ripped in 30 next, and will start that after our vacation next week. I think I will continue the 30 Day Shred until we leave in a week.

No motivation

The past couple days I have been in a funk! I don't want to exercise and I want to eat everything in sight. I've also been super crabby. Maybe I am PMSing.

Monday I did Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred again but I didn't count my points. Tuesday I didn't have time to exercise because I was out and about all day and I was unable to count points (but I knew ahead of time that I wouldn't be). Today I have counted points (although I will probably go over into my extra points) but haven't exercised yet. I know I need to, so hopefully I can get my lazy ass off the couch and actually do it. I need to do C25K since I haven't done it several days. I don't want to lose my progress!

I should have no problem counting points and staying on track with my diet the rest of the week since I go back to work tomorrow night. When I work I don't do much besides eat and sleep so I have little time to overeat. Since I am working Saturday which is usually my "free" day I will still count points that day and hopefully still meet my goal of tracking for 5 days this week.

I am nervous about weighing in this week. If I see a loss or even stay the same I will be shocked. I am fully anticipating a gain this week and that sucks. I need to get out of this funk!

What do you guys do to get your motivation back or get out of a funk?

Monday, July 25, 2011

Measurements

I decided to take a sneak peak at my measurements today. Unfortunately, they are not what I had hoped. Most areas are either the same or only down 1/4 inch. My thighs were even 1/4 inch bigger! The only place with any noticeable difference was may stomach, which is down 3 inches! I'll take that! I am going to hope that part of this lack of results is because I just worked out and am "puffy" lol. We will see what my official results are for the month next week.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Not sure how I feel about Level 3!

I started Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred today. I am not sure I like it. Some of the moves seem incredibly easy, especially the moves in the second circuit. However, some moves seem impossible for my body to even do, such as the rockstar jumps and the jumping lunges. I also still need to modify any plank moves. I will stick it out until the end of the month but right now I am missing Levels 1 and 2!

I just finished so I am going to take a small break and then do C25K. I think I am just going to move on to week 9 since I have already been running 30 minutes a few times already. This way I will be finished on Thursday with the whole program. I am not sure exactly what I will do when I am done. I still want to keep up the running and I still am not up to a 5k (at 30 minutes that is just over 2 miles for me and a 5k is 3.1 miles, so probably around 45 minutes for me at my current level). I think I will slowly add on a few minutes until I reach 45 minutes, and then I will start to work on increasing my speed. Once I am able to run 45 minutes without stopping I am hoping to sign up for a 5k somewhere.

EDIT: I was only able to run 23 minutes before I had to stop, which was 1.5 miles. I wanted to stop after 10 minutes so I am glad I pushed that long. I definitely need to not do both workouts so close together. My calves were killing me and my bra was really irritating my sunburn. Total distance with the warm up and cool down walks was 2 miles. 

I didn't exercise yesterday because my sunburn was still really sore. It hurts to wear a bra, lol! My chest is still pretty sunburned but now my arms and face are just tanned. I plan to go out to the pool tomorrow with my friend again, so I need to make sure to use plenty of sunscreen and reapply like crazy! After tomorrow I won't get much sun until we go to Vegas, and hopefully by then I will be tan enough not to burn like crazy while we are there.

I stayed within my points today, even ended up having 3 points left for the day. Saturday I didn't count points. My goal is to count points at least 5 days this week. Tuesday I will be out of town with my parents so I probably won't be able to count points then.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Sunburn!

I didn't exercise yesterday because I got a pretty good sunburn while at the pool. It still hurts today but I am hoping by tonight I will feel up to working out. Its still pretty warm to the touch.

I forgot to weigh in before I ate yesterday, so I am going with the weight I was at Thursday night after my workout: 228.2. This is the same as last week, so no weight lost this week. I am bummed but I know I didn't do my best this week.

Friday, July 22, 2011

I ran 2 miles!

I did C25K Week 8 Day 2 tonight, and decided to keep going until I hit 2 miles. I ran at 3.9 mph and hit 2 miles in 29:30. I decided to just run 30 minutes total.

I didn't do the 30 day shred today, I think I am getting bored with it. Tomorrow I might try Level 3 just to do something new.

Today I had my nephew's birthday party so we ate out and I was unable to count points. I have my meals planned out for tomorrow though so I can try to keep on track for the rest of the week.

I bought another dress for Vegas today, and its an XL from a normal sized store! :) Hopefully soon I won't even be able to shop in the Plus sized stores.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Confession

I didn't exercise or count points yesterday. For no other reason than I was being lazy. I did so well from Sunday through Tuesday and then I gave up again yesterday. Dang it!!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Quick update

I am getting ready for work but just wanted to update quickly. Today I did 30 Day Shred Level 2 again. I am still struggling with the plank cardio. I think I will just finish out my 10 days at this level and move on, even if I am still modifying the moves. I've also kept on track with drinking my water and counting my points. I even have 2 points left to spare today.

Work has been so stressful and I had a mini meltdown this afternoon. I cannot wait for our vacation, I need it. I am getting so burnt out. Only a little over 2 weeks left!!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

C25K Week 8

I started week 8 of C25K today. This week is 28 minutes of running. Considering I ran 30 minutes a couple days ago I figured it would be easy. I struggled with the last 8 minutes though, but I still made it. I ran at 3.8 which is just slightly faster than my last run, and it was pretty hot in our house so I was sweating buckets. I think those two things are part of what made it more difficult. I ran 1.87 miles. I am hoping by the end of the week I can hit the 2 mile mark!

Friday and Saturday I didn't eat well. The weekends are always bad for me. Today, however, I am under my points by a lot. I have 15 points left for the day after I eat supper and I am going to work so I won't be eating again tonight. I only eat two meals at most my first night back to work and usually I make supper a bigger meal that day but tonight I didn't for some reason. I guess it will help make up for the weekend. I will be drinking at least 64 oz of water by the end of the day too.

I work the next 3 nights and then have an 8 night stretch off. I think my goal will be to work on my mindless eating out of boredom during that time. Its easy to stick to the plan when I work because I don't have time to overeat. My days off are where I struggle. I am sick of having to get back on track every week and make up for doing poorly. Wish me luck!!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Am I a runner?

Last night I was doing C25K again, week 7 day 3 which is 25 minutes of running. I ran about the same as last time, 3.7/3.8mph. It was much easier this time and when I got done I didn't want to stop. So I didn't. I kept going for 30 minutes! I could have gone more but didn't want to overdo it. I am really starting to enjoy running. I wish I would have been paying closer attention to my distance because I ended up running about 1.92 miles, just another minute and I would have run 2 miles.

I also did Level2 of the 30 Day Shred. The plank moves are still kicking my butt, even modified. This was my 5th day at this level.

Diet and water were not the greatest yesterday. I only drank 44oz of water and I didn't count points and definitely overate. I am glad I weighed in yesterday because today I am probably back up a bit. We have another wedding today so I will have to wait until tomorrow to get back on track.

Speaking of weighing in... 228.2 yesterday! That is a loss of 2.6 pounds for the week! I am so glad to be in the 220s :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

People are starting to notice

Last night at work I had 3 people mention my weight loss. They all said I looked good and asked how much I've lost. When I tell them 32 pounds I get strange responses. One girl said I am wasting away. Really? I am still well over 200 pounds, there is no wasting away here. I'd have to lose over 100 more pounds to be wasting away. Another girl, when I told her I wanted to lose at least 50 more pounds, said I would be way too thin if I lost that much. Um, no. If I only lose 50 more pounds I will still have a BMI over 30, I will be around 180 pounds at 5'4". I will still be technically obese.

I am one of the largest girls where I work. I think these girls just don't realize how much I really need to lose. To them, 32 pounds seems like a lot, but when you ultimately want to lose close to 100 pounds its not that much. I know most of them couldn't imagine losing 100 pounds so it probably seems crazy to them. They are thinking of the number, and not comparing it to the overall picture.

I am proud of my weight loss so far, but that doesn't mean I don't still have a really long way to go!

Success!!

Still on track today! I drank 88 oz of water yesterday and so far today have already drank 64oz. I stayed exactly within my points yesterday and am on track to do the same today.

When I got home from work I did 30 Day Shred Level 2 Day 3. The plank moves are still killer. I ended up modifying them by doing the plank with my arms on our coffee table instead so I could do the rest of the move more effectively. Those are hard!! The only other move I modify is the double jump ropes, I still have to do singles. I still am liking Level 3 better.  I'm not as sore today, which is good.

When I woke up this afternoon I did C25K Week 7. I am going to count it as Day 2, even though I didn't technically finish Day 1. I was able to do the entire workout today and I even ran for an extra minute for a total of 26 minutes of running. I wanted to get to 1 2/3 miles total which is why I kept going. Total distance ran was 1.68 miles, at 3.7mph. Total workout was 2.13 miles. I am so proud of myself! I think I should have no problem moving on to week 8 even though I didn't complete the first day of week 7 because today I felt like I could have kept going. The last 5 minutes were killer, but I pushed through and then I almost didn't want to stop!

The best news of the day... my weight was 228.6! The lowest its been in years! I am trying not to get my hopes up, since I won't officially weigh in for a few more days and last week that didn't work out so well for me. It just really nice to see that number though. The summer before our wedding I got down to 229 and that was my lowest in years then. To pass that up will be amazing :)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I love the feel of a good workout!

I did the 30 Day Shred Levels two and one again today. I am really liking level two more but it is kicking my butt! The plank moves are killer and I have to modify them all. I can't imagine being able to do them the normal way, even after ten days of it. I can definitely feel it in my arms. I am using my 3lb weights for circuits 1 and 3, and my 5lb weights for circuit 2. In level one I am using my 5lb weights for everything except circuit 1. Tomorrow I plan to do Level 2 in the morning when I get off work and attempt Week 7 of C25K again in the afternoon before work. I will slow down this time and probably run at 3.7mph again to see if I can make it through the whole thing this time.

I have my meals planned out of the rest of the day and will hit my exact number of points for the day. I also have my meals planned out for the rest of the week through Friday. I am doing well with my water intake so far today as well. So far today is going great! I am hoping to hit a one pound weight loss this week. I would love more but I think since I did poorly over the weekend I can't expect that. One pound will put me in the 220s!

C25K Fail

I failed. I had the best of intentions. I was going to do Week 7 Day 1 of C25K tonight before bed. I tried my hardest and was not able to make it through. I was running at 4.0 mph, which is fast for me, and was probably a mistake considering I haven't run since last Tuesday (almost a week!) I did the 5 minute warm up at 2.8 like I usually do, then started in at 4.0 mph. I made it 16 minutes and had to take a minute walking break. I tried to start back up and was only able to do 3 more minutes of running. I ran for a total of 19 minutes, which is 6 minutes short of what I was supposed to. I suppose I should be happy I was able to run 19 minutes, but I hate that I couldn't finish. Especially considering I ran 25 minutes last Tuesday and it was pretty easy. I will try again either tomorrow before work or Weds before work, along with the 30DS in the mornings. I really want to complete the program before our vacation and we leave 3 weeks from Weds.

You know what though? I ran for 19 minutes today and did 40 minutes of 30 Day Shred. That is something to be proud of. And next time I will make it through the whole thing.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Moving on to Level 2!

I'm talking about the 30 Day Shred, of course! Even though I missed a few days, today would have been the day I moved on to Level 2. I missed 3 days of Level 1, the day my shoulder was too sore, and both days this weekend. Today I decided to pull a double, I did both Level 1 and Level 2. I did have to take a few small breaks during Level 2 but I think that was just because I did the two back to back. I think I will like Level 2 better. I did have to modify all the cardio that involved the plank, those were hard!

Tonight I plan to do Week 7 of C25K after my husband goes to work. Tomorrow I will try to do both Level 1 and Level 2 of 30DS again as long as I am not too sore (maybe one in the morning and one in the afternoon). Then I am back to work for 3 nights in a row so my workouts will most likely be 30DS only.

I haven't counted points so far today so I just plan to have a sensible supper and start over with point counting tomorrow. We are grilling steaks and corn on the cob. We are also having cantelope with it.

Not so great weekend

I didn't do so well this weekend. Saturday was my "free" day, the day to not count points and we went out to eat. I ended up not having time to exercise either. Sunday I was simply too lazy to exercise and didn't count points either. The husband suggested we go out to eat so I probably would have gone over my points by a lot.

I am trying to get back on track today. I feel like a broken record. On track one day, mess up the next, getting back on track, etc. I need to get serious about this and do better! I am so sick of falling off the wagon all the time! I'm not sure what is wrong with me. All I know is this is hard.

I think I will try to take tonight and plan out my meals for the rest of the week. If I have everything written out then maybe I will do better at staying on track. I already have my workouts mapped out, the 30DS and C25K, but I am slightly behind since I didn't exercise all weekend.  I also think I am going to change my weigh in to Saturdays, since that is usually my "free" day and that way I have the whole rest of the week to make up for it.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Weigh in

I weighed in at 230.8, which is a loss of only 0.2 pounds this week :( I guess any loss is a loss but I was expecting more. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that I haven't drank much water at all in the past 24 hours. I am working on getting enough water in the rest of the night so hopefully that will help. I also used 8 weekly points today, so that probably impacted my weight as well. I need to start eating better around weigh ins!

I did 30DS today, day 7 of level one. I think I will only do 9 days of level one since I missed one day so I can keep on track to finish in 30 days. We'll see how I feel on day 9!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Still sore

My shoulder and neck are still pretty sore today, but nothing like yesterday. I was able to do the 30 Day Shred today. Now I am off to work, hopefully I can make it through the whole night! Last night was rough, I really should have taken a sick day.

I don't know if my mind is playing tricks on me, but I feel like my scrub pants are getting looser from the past week or so. I can't wait until the end of the month to do my measurements and see how well the 30DS has worked for me! Tomorrow I plan to do 30DS again and Saturday its 30DS and starting week 7 of C25K! Hopefully my shoulder cooperates and I am able to do well.

I've done well with my diet today, I am ending the day with 2 daily points left. I also have drank 68 oz of water, not too bad.

Tomorrow is weigh in day, wish me luck! I am hoping to be down 1-2 pounds but we will see. TMI - I've been kind of backed up the past couple days so that might have a negative impact on my weigh in, lol.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Pulled Muscle

Now I am really starting to think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder instead of sleeping on it wrong. It hurts the same as when I pulled a muscle in my back in Feb. It hurts behind my scapula and radiates all the way up the side of my neck. I feel okay if I am just sitting or just standing but any kind of movement kills. I have to work tonight and cannot afford to use any PTO taking a sick day since we have vacation next month. I am having them put me in the nursery rather than on the floor (I am a postpartum nurse) so hopefully I will be able to make it through the night.

It probably wasn't such a good idea working out last night with my sore shoulder, I probably just made it worse. I definitely am not working out today. I have some Vicodin left over from when I hurt my back and am trying some more Aleve and ice as well. Hopefully it helps!

I don't really want to go to the doctor because I am pretty sure its just a pulled muscle like last time and they will just give me pain meds and make me stay home from work. I probably should set up an appointment to talk to my doctor about maybe getting on some muscle relaxers to this stops happening.

I am so disappointed that I can't exercise today. I was doing so well. I'm praying I feel better by tomorrow so I can exercise. At the very least I should be able to walk on the treadmill, but hopefully I can do the 30 Day Shred so I can stay on track.

Losing a point

I know today isn't my official weigh in day and things might change by Friday, but I just weighed myself at 229.8! This puts me down to 31 points a day (remember, I am doing the old points system). Sad to lose a point but so freaking excited to be in another decade! Hoping it stays that way for Friday. This is especially impressive considering AF also arrived today.

I am so glad to finally start seeing some movement. I feel like for the past couple months I have been losing and gaining the same few pounds.

Won't be doing that again!

I was able to get my workouts in for Tuesday. Technically I did them after midnight but I am still counting them for Tuesday since I will be going back to bed in a bit and will be working out this evening before work. My workout was C25K Week 6 Day 3 and 30DS Level 1 Day 5. On previous days where I did both workouts in the same day, I started with 30DS and ended with C25K. I found the 30DS left my calves sore, making C25K a struggle. This time, since I am at the point in C25K that I am doing all running and no walking, I knew I needed to be at my best.

I decided to start with C25K and it went really well! I ran at 3.7, which is slightly slower than I normally run, to ensure I could make it through the whole 25 minutes. Honestly, I was impressed. I can't believe I ran 25 minutes! And it didn't get tough until the last 5 minutes or so, but even then it wasn't so bad. It ended up being about 1.6 miles of running. Now each week will be strictly running for the next 3 weeks.

I decided to go right into the 30DS to get it done with and that was a mistake! I was so wore out from running I really struggled. It was my 5th day at level one so it should not have been that difficult. I ended up having to modify one set of jumping jacks, one set of jump ropes, and the last set of abs. I also used my 3 pound weights for the anterior lifts at the end, when I had been using 5 pound weights for them. I made it through the whole workout but it was definitely hard. On the days where I do both workouts I think I need to do one in the morning and one in the evening in order to do my best.

As far as diet yesterday, I earned 7 activity points and used 6. I am glad I haven't used any weekly points yet, and today as long as I stay on track I will be 4 points below my daily limit. I drank 60 oz of water yesterday, not my best but I fell asleep early. So far this morning I have drank 48 oz so I should have no problems getting enough in today.

I also think I slept wrong, because my right shoulder is very sore. I am not sure if it is from working out or if I slept wrong, but I didn't feel it hurting during any of the strength moves so I am leaning towards slept on it wrong. Right now I am icing it and I took some Aleve and Excedrin and am going to try and go back to bed since I work overnight tonight.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Some things I've noticed

- The 30 Day Shred, while still challenging for me, has been much easier this time than in the past. I can do the entire workout without stopping and am only modifying the pushups. I take this as a sign my fitness level is improving!

- It is much easier to get enough water in when I drink through a straw

- Running 10 minutes straight has become relatively easy

- I eat out of boredom more than anything else. Definitely something I need to work on.

- I've reached the point of no more walking intervals in the C25K and it scares me! But at the same time I cannot believe I have made it this far

- I am so mad at myself for not taking progress photos and measurements at the beginning of my weight loss, I have a hard time feeling like a have made any progress some days. I know having lost 30 pounds I must look a little different, but I just don't see it

Exercise success and diet fail

Monday I did great as far as exercising. I did 30DS Level One, C25K Week 6 Day 2, and my husband and I took our dog for a 30 minute walk. I also got 72 oz of water in so not too bad with that as well. However, I went completely overboard with my diet! I would have been fine but I binged on chocolate chip cookies. I don't even want to admit how many I ate but I will to be accountable for my actions. I ate 10 cookies. 10! What kind of fat ass eats 10 cookies in a day?! Apparently this fat ass.

I am so disappointed with myself but I am choosing to move on and not dwell on it. I am proud of myself for counting all my points though, even though I went over. I used up all my activity points. I didn't want to use any of those points this week since I ate so poorly over the weekend. I just need to do better the remainder of the week. I have today off and then I am back to work which will make it easier to stick to my diet. I definitely tend to overeat more on the days I don't work, probably due to boredom.

Sunday, July 3, 2011

Holidays are tough!

I am having a hard time sticking to my diet today! We are making so much good food for the holiday that counting points went right out the window. I know I have to get back on track tomorrow so we will be sending any leftover goodies home with my parents to get them out of the house.

I am doing well with my water intake, 48 oz so far and its still early! I made homemade lemonade for tonight but I made a small batch so I will still be drinking some water too.

I really did not want to exercise today. I have been in major cleaning mood and baking and preparing food since 9am. I told myself I could just do it tomorrow or do it later. But I know I won't do it later. We will be up to watch the fireworks and then I will probably go to bed since I've been up since 7am (which is extremely early for this night shifter!). So I bit the bullet and did the 30DS. Its only 20 minutes of my day, I don't know why I resist so much. I've spent more time today goofing off on the computer. I am just lazy!

I have to shower and get ready for my parents to get here soon, so I won't be able to fit C25K in today. If I don't get it in tonight, that will be okay because I gave myself some extra days in my workout plan, so I won't fall behind. (I work 12 hour shifts, 3 days in a row and don't want to do 2 workouts on those days, so each week I have a 3 day stretch of only 30DS, so I can get a day or so off with C25K and still be able to make it up. Just means less sleep for me!). I will try to do it tonight after the fireworks but like I said, I might be too tired.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Day two was a bit more difficult

Day one of the 30DS was relatively easy, but today when I did day two I struggled! I think my muscles were still fatigued from yesterday. I was able to do the entire workout but it was tough. I ended up doing my workout in the bedroom since the husband was sleeping in the living room. Its a good thing I did because I am in no mood to exercise now that we are home. I'm ready for bed!

Like I mentioned before, today we were out of town at a wedding so I was unable to count points. I plan to assume I used most of my weekly points and try not to use any of them the rest of the week. I also know I did not drink enough water today. Back on track tomorrow though! We are having my parents over and grilling out but I plan to calculate my points and calories for everything I make.

Tomorrow I plan to do C25K and 30DS, but we also have to deep clean the house before company comes over so if I only have time for one I will do 30DS and do both on Monday. We bought a ton of fruits when we went grocery shopping this week so I plan to try some smoothies to incorporate more fruits in my life.

I hope everyone has a great 4th! We will be grilling steaks, corn on the cob, and I am making baked macaroni and cheese (don't worry, I will only have a small helping!) I also plan to make Oreo cupcakes. We plan to hang out on our back patio and watch fireworks (we have a great view from our backyard).

Weigh In

Sorry I forgot to post my weigh in yesterday. I weighed 231.0, for a loss of 2 pounds for the week. Since June 1, I have lost 5.6 pounds. Not too bad!

My first day of July went well. I drank 72 oz of water for the day. I ate exactly my number of points for the day and the calorie count was 1483 for the day. I even deviated from the plan since we didn't have time to make supper and went to the drive through, and was still able to stay on point.

I did the 30 Day Shred level 1 and C25K week 6 day 1 yesterday as well. I have mapped out all my workouts for the month of July and I am challenging myself to finish C25K and do the 30DS for 30 days straight. I have never made it past level one of the shred so it will be interesting to see how I do.

I did struggle with C25K yesterday though. I think because I haven't done it in a week and since I did it after the 30DS. Maybe on the days I do both I need to do C25K first. Week 6 day 1 is 5 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 8 minutes running, 3 minutes walking, 5 minutes running.  I did the first run at 4.0mph, the second run at 4.1mph, and the last run at 3.9mph. All walking was done at 2.8mph.

The 30 Day shred level one is pretty tough for me still. It is a 20 minute workout but it is intense for a beginner! I use my 3 and 5 pound weights throughout level one. I only use the 3 pounders for the overhead presses. My shoulders are weak. Everything else I do with the 5 pounds. The bicep curls I could do with more but I don't have anything bigger. I was able to do the majority of the workout without modifications too. I made it through all the jumping jacks, which I usually can't do! The cardio part I struggle with is the jump ropes. I can do one set, but the second set my calves burn too much so I modify them by doing alternating legs rather than both at once. I also have to do the girly push ups.

The husband and I are heading to a wedding out of town today, so I won't be able to count points. I am not sure when I will get my workout in. Right now my husband is sleeping in our living room which is the only room with enough room to exercise in. I might have to exercise after the wedding tonight.

Also, a NSV (non scale victory) - I bought a couple dresses from LB last week for our Vegas vacation and for some weddings we have this summer, and I bought size 14/16 which is the smallest size they make. And they are both slightly loose! Soon I will be able to buy dresses in the regular stores! I do wear a smaller dress size than pants size though, I am in size 18 pant still. I cannot wait until I can buy regular clothes!

Friday, July 1, 2011

New Motivation

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that my great grandmother passed away. I had always known that I would be getting some money when she passed away, but we all thought it would be a few thousand tops for us great grandchildren. My mom just informed me today that it was a lot more than we all thought. I'm getting more than I make in a year in 5 savings bonds. I am completely shocked!

 We had already decided to use whatever we get to put toward IVF, well now we will only need to cash in one of the savings bonds to have enough to do IVF. Therefore that is my new motivation! I want to lose at least 30 more pounds (be below 200) but preferably closer to 50 more pounds before we do IVF. However, I would also like to be able to do IVF by the end of 2011.

That will give me about 5 months before we would have to start the process. 30-50 pounds in 5 months is completely attainable if I put my nose to the grindstone. I bought a monthly calendar and am going to plot out my exercise plan and track my daily weights so I have something I can easily look at. I also think I am going to spend the next week tracking calories along with points, to see how much I am really taking in. I want to see if counting calories might be a better system for me than counting points. I am pretty good about sticking within my points but I don't eat the most healthy food.

I am really hoping having a concrete goal will help me do better. I need to do this!!