A NSSV

No, I didn't stutter - I said N S S V - or a Not So Small Victory

I have had a goal to start working out in the mornings before work, but with all the late hours at work, I just didn't have the energy in the mornings.

Well, this morning, I had the alarm set for 6:15am and I promptly got out of bed and got dressed to exercise. It was pouring so I opted for a DVD instead of a run.

This may seem like no big deal but I NEVER get up earlier than absolutely necessary to get ready for things. Seriously, I am the girl that does everything at night (shower, pack my lunch, pick out clothes, etc) so I can wake up 30 mins before I have to walk out the door.

So, this morning at 6:30am I did the 30 Day Shred and I am so proud :-)

I need to re-focus on myself

If my life only consisted of work, then I could easily say that things are awesome. I am a person, with needs, and what I really need is to re-focus my energy back on myself.

Honestly, my life is revolving around work right now. I am working so hard to get a promotion and I am well on my way, but I am starting to feel like my life is suffering because of this.

Case in point: My "normal" work day is 9.5 hours. The past two weeks I have put in 12 - 16 hours and my health is definitely suffering. We order in food when we work long hours. I have done a decent job of making healthy selections (the good choices: steamed vegetarian dumplings, edamame, chicken satay, miso soup; the bad choices: bagel, cupcake, chicken tikka masala, and a small amount of mac and cheese), but there is absolutely no time for exercise. It is beautiful outside - I should be running! At the very least, I should be popping in the Shred to stay toned. I find it impossible to squeeze in exercise as the long work hours require a certain amount of sleep to maintain focus and energy.

I miss exercise...
I miss running...
I miss yoga...
I miss toning...

I miss weighing-in and seeing a loss every week....

Breaking it up into bite sized pieces...

How am I going to lose more weight when it seems to want to stay on me?
Break it up into bite sized pieces - 5lb pieces at a time.

What's my goal?
Get to 180lbs (again).

How will I do it?
Using the basics - exercise and tracking my food while focusing on whole foods like fruits and vegetables

How am I doing?
There were times of weakness and binges this weekend. I have started off Monday with a clean slate. I ate well all day Monday and Tuesday, ensuring that I consume plenty of vegetables

Monday
B: Plain oatmeal, almonds, dried cranberries and splendaSkim latte with splenda
L: 10 vegetable soup with 7 grain bread
S: 2 hersey's kisses, 20 mini everything breadsticks
D: 4 steamed dumplings, 4 skewers chicken satay without the peanut sauce
S: mixed berries with a sprinkle of sugar and whipped cream

Tuesday
B: 1/2 apple, grapes, brie and cheddar cheese, skim latte
L: Hummus, 1/2 wheat pita, chickpea salad
S: 8 starburst, 3 hershey's kisses
D: Roasted Moroccan vegetables over cous cous
S: fat free fudgesicle
E: 30 minutes cardio kick-boxing

Alive and well

It's been about a month since I've showed my face around these parts. I know sometimes everyone assumes that things aren't well when someone doesn't blog regularly. Well, I can assure you that I was not barricaded in a room somewhere stuffing myself full of food, sky-rocketing my weight.

I'm happy (well, not happy exactly) to report that I am still at 185lbs. I'm happy because in my past, death of family has always equalled eating for comfort, and I have not let my grandmother's death become an excuse to eat. On the flip side, no real progress has been made to chip away the pounds.

Since my last post, I've had some great weeks of exercise and eating, with one not so great week throw in there. I ate lots on Valentine's Day when my fiance and I made a wonderful 5 course meal:

Are you drooling, yet?

I had a tasting for my wedding - I showed surprising restraint because the next day I was flying to the Bahamas and my parents and my fiances' parents joined us for a great night:

Joe, Me, Mom, Dad, Donna, and Joe

It felt amazing to be in the sun and completely forget about work for a bit:

Since then, I have been working really hard. Even though I do find time to read everyone's blogs on my train rides to work, I really miss posting and commenting. It's the interaction with everyone that I crave.

Until next time, be well everyone!