Friday, August 19, 2011

In and Out...

Hi Ladies...

I've been in and out lately...I'm mostly caught up on everyone :)  The in and out will probably continue but I'm always thinking of you girls!

It has been a crazy summer in the Floyd House.  I am 5lbs down from where I was June 1st so even weight loss has been slow this summer (but at least I didn't gain) :)  I was sick earlier this week so I'm sure this has helped to boost my weight loss this week.  I'm finally down to 210 so that makes me happy :)

I've started something new on my personal blog (http://www.fitfloyd.blogspot.com/) I've started a photo food journal.  I got the idea from Monica at http://www.runeatrepeat.com/.  I really enjoy doing it and it makes me really want to eat the food if I'm gonna make it look pretty then take a picture of it :)

Other than that...I'm getting back into running (after a week off) I plan to start tonight with a 2 miler if the weather holds out.  If not, I'll probably do a video.

I hope everyone is having a GREAT summer!!!! 

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Maybe getting back on track?

Last week I got barely 6 hours of sleep a night. I was going to bed too late and staying up even later reading. It has probably been going on even longer than just a week. So I was starting my days late (and cranky) and eating irregularly. Add to that that I haven't been exercising, and it's hardly surprising that my weight finally started creeping up this weekend. Daniel and I went to bed on time on Sunday -- but stayed up half the night talking, while I read and he played PvZ (thanks, Amy!). Yesterday we declared an end to this. We both went to the gym in the afternoon, we went for our walk in the evening, we munched on veggies (NOT chips or cheese, and no alcohol) during our nightly Doctor Who episode, and we were in bed not long after 11. I got a full 8 hours of sleep (but I woke up at 5:30 am first and had to make myself go back to sleep) and woke up with a lower weight today than I've seen in a while (142.0 -- though of course I know it's unlikely to be permanently there, unless I can make the other changes permanent).

I am not looking forward to the return of school and obligations to be out several evenings a week and having to bark at the kids all day, but, golly day, am I ever craving routine! We are not starting school until Labor Day (which is later than I realized this year -- I wish I had said we'd start a week sooner), but with Daniel starting classes next week things should start to smooth out a bit overall. And we start Game On the same week as school (if we can get more takers!) so that will be even better for me.

Walking Works launch

That was yesterday. I meant to post yesterday and got no further than getting on the blohg. Anyway - so yesterday was day one of Walking Works. I haven't uploaded my steps yet - but I am thinking I didn't break 3000. Maybe 3500. I have a new walking plan though. My plan is that I will walk 10 minutes before I leave for work and 10 minutes when I get home. I won't change my clothes or shoes or anything - I will just walk. Then I hope I can get another 10 minutes in in the middle of the day. Granted, that isn't A LOT - but it is better than what I have been doing. Right? I was also thinking that I need to add extra walking when I go to the bathroom. This is how I do my water drinking when I am focused on that (which, BTW, I started up again this morning). Everytime I go to the bathroom I chug a bunch of water first (or after if first seems like a bad idea...). So - last year I started walking the long way around the circle in our building to get to and from the bathroom. NOW, I think I need to take it further. I think I need to walk the long way around AND through the cafe. Or maybe follow it up with a lap around the parking lot. Anything to get the extra steps in.

My weight this morning was up by a pound - but still about four pounds down from my high.

I started tracking my food again yesterday. It is enlightening (not really) because my calories were WELL within what I am allowed - but I had NO good calories other than the stuffed pepper April gave me for lunch. I had WAY too much sugar! I need to get back to meal planning...

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

I've been checking in almost daily

But nobody has been around and we were all in mourning after the house fire anyway. I have not been exercising much (but Daniel dragged me out for walks several nights last week, just 30 minutes, two miles on very flat ground, and once to the gym, and I have ridden my bike to commute a couple of times, and I jogged after the kids to downtown and back twice this weekend -- OK, so not as lazy as I thought, but not active) and have been eating whatever the heck I feel like. Reveling in the non-diet, actually. And my weight has remained completely, stubbornly constant, except for a 3-day scale-freak-out where it went up 2.5 pounds overnight, then went down the same amount afterwards. Poor scale is getting elderly. Then, today, after being exactly the same weight every day except those three, since we got back from Spain, it went DOWN a half pound to 143.0. I don't get this at all. It tells me that the scale is not broken (I've never seen such consistency before) but not much else. Maybe my muscle is reverting to fat? They use the "you're gaining muscle" excuse when you fail to lose weight, so surely the reverse can be true when you fail to gain.

I'm up for Game On! My bad habit is going to be Cafe World. I've given it up twice before, but it has a horrid way of coming back. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the good habit. Plenty of time to think, if we're going to start in September.

Nothing is wrong with me!

I just haven't been posting since it looked like no one was reading, what with the fire and all.

But I've been quietly racking up the miles on my bike and feet, and keeping my weight steady (140.4 today). Having missed my long bike ride the day of the fire, that put me back a week with adding distance, so this past Saturday I did a 36 mile ride. This week I'm planning two weekdays of cycling and two of running (both cycling days will be commuting) and a 40 mile ride on the weekend--my mileage should be just over 100 for the week. Then we leave on vacation for a week, which will drop my mileage down to nothing (except the occasional odd hike) and I'll have to start all over when I get back. But the Subaru is officially dead now, so I can see a lot of bike commuting in my future. I think I'll get back into shape quickly.

So does anyone want to join us in a round of Game On in September? It's a four week challenge, so that'll get us through the transition from summer to fall. We'd form teams (presumably two teams given our small numbers), choose a prize and everyone would contribute to that prize. In those four weeks you get points for diet, exercise, drinking water, sleep, communication with other players, dropping a bad habit, and picking up a new good habit; you lose points for snacking, collusion (that is, trying to convince a player on an opposite team to cheat along with you), weighing yourself more than once a day, and drinking alcohol. You get one meal off each week and one full day off each week (at which point you CAN drink alcohol, snack, stay up late, and ignore everyone). The diet is very specific--no refined sugars, no white flour, rice, etc. (all whole grains all the time). Each meal has to contain a lean protein, healthy carb, and healthy fat, with strict portion control of each. Five meals per day. Three liters of water each day. You get bonus points each week for reaching your goal, which could either be a weight loss goal (must be 1% loss each week; more is fine, but you can't set your goal to be lower than that) or a fitness goal (mine would probably be a mileage goal). Sleep 7 hours a night. Work out at least 20 minutes six days a week (and it has to be aerobic--you need to get your heart rate up for those 20 minutes. FWIW, in the game we played the players who only exercised 20 minutes a day didn't lose weight--more exercise led to consistent weight loss).

I'd recommend reading the book (I have a copy if you want to borrow it; I think libraries have it too. I got it from Amazon for about $10). You can also find more information here: http://www.thegameondiet.com/ The "how to play" tab is the most informative.

What the heck is wrong with us!?

No posts in HOW long!?

I weighed in this morning. I weighed at some point last week, but I can't remember which day it was. I was a little bit up. This morning I was down from last week - and down from my scary high of a month ago - but still over the dreaded 250 point. I need to get below that!!!

I just updated myself on April's blog... I need to start reading that daily! I love the way you have organized yourself April. Even with the "bad" weekend - you confessed to it all - and that is really good. You can see where you made your less than perfect choices - BUT, you need to forgive and move on... which you also did.

I want/need to start a daily journal again. I will try not to get obsessed, but I need to get back on track with my food. Katie and I were remembering fondly last night the days where we used to have structured meals. I am fine eating the same food every day - I just need to do it. I also need to STOP waiting until I get to work to eat breakfast, because I end up not eating until 11am and I know that throws me off.

When are we going to do the Bridesmaids version of the Move it or Lose it? Or - what is the name again? Sports thing... OH! Game On! I think we need to start on August 15th. That is just about a week away - and also the official start of the Walking Works challenge.

What do we need to do, Sarah?