Boo-ya! Welcome to the 170's

Check it out!

Don't mind my poor cracked scale - there was a mother-in-law incident. Look past the crack, and check out that number - 179.8 lbs!!

There was no parade or statues erected in my name, but there was a hug and kiss from my fiance and a big ole smile on my face :-)

Here's to making the 170's a much shorter lived visit than the 180's.

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....

Little Choices

I didn't do the Shred last week like I said I would, and I didn't make a good choice during date night dinner. But, I have gotten myself back in gear all thanks to running. I have been talking about how much I want to go running, but the weather has kept me indoors and I loathe running on the treadmill. So, I hung up my running shoes until Spring. I had planned to start up again the same week as daylight saving time, but I miss it so much that I couldn't wait anymore.

I sucked it up, bundled up (it was about 20 degrees), and went for a slow 2 mile run with a goal of 10 min miles. The wind was so bad on some blocks, that I was almost running in place, but it was worth it. Here's what I ended up with:

It wasn't the best run ever, and it wasn't the fastest, but I did it and that's what counts. The run helped get me into a healthy mindset. I packed my breakfast and lunch yesterday for work and I stuck to them. I did get hungry in the late afternoon accompanied by a severe headache, so I went and bought a cliff bar instead of snacking on the office candy bowl.

Then, last night when I got home from work around 8pm, I was very sore and very tired. I skipped out on making a healthy dinner and fiance and I plopped ourselves on the couch with some leftover pizza and beer and good tv. I certainly didn't want to exercise after that, but the rest gave me the energy I needed to make it through the Shred followed by some nice yoga to help with soreness. Another little choice that went a long way- I already have more energy and feel better about myself and all this after only 2 consecutive days of exercise. All these little choices are what make the difference.

It's Clicking

Slowly but surely everything I know about weight loss and that my faithful commenters keep reminding me of is "clicking". I tracked everything I ate yesterday instead of adding up the points in my head from my best guesses. After lunch, I evaluated how many points I had left for dinner, and then I cooked a dinner based on the available points.

I rinsed and repeated today, but I went a step further and instead of eating a high point breakfast like I have been for the past 2 weeks, I ate a small 3pt breakfast and a 2pt snack 2.5 hours later. I ate a bigger lunch at 9pts and have a 1pt apple lined up for my afternoon snack. Low and behold, I am feeling more full and satisfied with my food.

It's amazing how we know these things- eat more filling foods, eat more often and in smaller quantities, track your points- but we sometimes choose to forget them or think we know them so well that we need not be mindful of them or even track them. I am not special nor am such a pro at weightloss that I am above tracking my points. Last time I had become too lax, it took me 7 months to realized that I couldn't just pay for the Weight Watchers eTools and lose weight. Hmmm, go figure! I hope I am able to continue to put these into practice so I can say this time it took me only a few weeks to realize the error of my ways.

How I Saved the Barnegat Bay with an 8K!

The Barnegat Bay from Lavalette, NJ

I saved the Barnegat Bay by running an 8K! How did this "save" the bay? I have no f*cking clue.

I woke up nice and early, dressed, ate some peanut butter on a slice of bread and drank some water. My fiance came along to take pictures and share in the moment with me. We drove over to the bay (a few minutes from my childhood home), registered, got our goodies, and hooked up a little race tracker to our shoe for time keeping.

Hooking up my race tracker

We stretched a little, but mostly hung out and soaked up the sun. There were a few real characters there though. Ya know, the ones that take themselves way too seriously even though it is apparent that they are not hardcore runners. They were doing some stretches that I have never seen before, and trust me, I have seen a lot of weird stretches before- I was a competitive cheerleader for 9 years.

Can you guess which set of legs works 10 hours a day inside and which two sets of legs belong to lifeguards?

Back to how we were "saving the bay". I really don't get it. Especially when there is a water station every mile where you grab a cup, drink/splash/pour it, and then throw it on the ground so that the garbage may blow into the bay before someone has had the chance to clean it up. This seemed illogical to me, but my cousins thought that it would be an opportune time to come up with a song to amuse themselves as I left on my headphones, running and panting, and trying to keep up with the tempo. Their little verse went like this....

Just take one cup at a time
there's no need to waste.
It's like Saving the Bay,
the month after May

It's going to happen when it's
supposed to happen.
When you find the reasons why,
one cup at a time.

Mile 2: Me, my cousin Brittany, my cousin Courtney

In all seriousness, the race was really really hard for me. The race started at 8:30am and it was so hot and sunny. I usually run after work and on shaded roads so I found the sun added a big challenge to the run. I also felt a bit faint at times during the race. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to finish, but I kept it together.

Part of the course snaked through a neighborhood filled with locals who live there year-round and who (like me) have a certain pride in being from the area. There were so many people outside their homes cheering for us. There were a few awesome houses that even put out their own water stands and sprayed hoses into the air to cool off the runners- now that is gratitude!

I had wanted to run the 8K in 50 minutes because I new I could do it (10min/mile). My pace ended up being more like 11.5min/mile or 57 minutes. I'm not going to lie, I am disappointed in that time, but I know that's not what it's about. Would I do it again? Heck yeah! I can't wait! Me and my cousins have already planned to do it again next year but with more style- I'm going to design some cute tanks for us and get them screen-printed.

The finish line

Professional photos:

Start:

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=JMcCoy1454&gallery_id=1625284&tcount=149&scount=88&sku=1

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=JMcCoy1454&gallery_id=1625284&tcount=149&scount=89&sku=1

Finish:

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=JMcCoy1454&gallery_id=1625285&image_id=464&pos=465

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=JMcCoy1454&gallery_id=1625285&tcount=521&scount=466&sku=1

//www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?evgroupid=0&userid=JMcCoy1454&gallery_id=1625285&tcount=521&scount=467&sku=1

St. Patty's Day Smack-down

The bar can easily become my enemy- especially on St. Patty's Day when the drinks are free and the corned beef is served buffet style. I had to drive, so I easily limited myself to one drink. I don't really like st. patty's day foods, so I could resist the open buffet, but it was tempting when my friends started ordering plates of bar food. I have to give myself a little pat on the back for only eating the celery sticks off the wings plate.

I could have easily consumed a days worth of points at the bar- I hadn't eaten dinner, I haven't been out to a bar in 2 months, etc. I just wish I could have capped off a day of good choices with some exercise. If I do only one thing tonight, it will be exercise!

Body Love

I've been doing so much (too much!) complaining about my body lately. So, today when I was changing to my exercise duds I was pleasantly pleased with the shape of my legs. They've always been slim because I am top heavy, but the definition is amazing- Thanks 30 Day Shred!

One Full Year of Weightwatchers

So yesterday marked my first "full" year with Weightwatchers online and I think I can learn from my successes and failures. I use the term "full" loosely here because I was not committed to the plan that entire year. Here's a little breakdown of my weight loss by month for 2008:

1/2 January: -6.4
Starting out is the best part thanks to those big first losses
February: -2.6
Only on plan for half the month
March: +0.6
WW, what's that? I'm drinking and eating myself silly on spring break!
April: 0.0
I didn't step on a scale once
May: 0.0
Again, I didn't weigh myself all month, but I did graduate with a Bachelor's of Engineering, a full time job, and a new apartment to move into
June: -6.6
Finally weighing myself again and thanks to the new apartment I got in lots of exercise by lifting, cleaning, and painting
July: -1.0
Weighed in, but was away in Chicago half the month for a training trip
August: -2.0
Only on plan for half the month
September: -0.2
Not on plan at all
October: -1.2
Trying feebly to get back on plan
November: -0.1
Fed up with no results and being so close to under 200lbs I kicked it into high gear at the end of the month
December: -5.3
Fully on plan
1/2 January: -1.2
Kinda on plan thanks to my illness

I did lose over 26 lbs in total, but it's hard to feel entirely proud of the effort when I know that I was a slacker for more than half the year.

To infinity and beyond!

So far this week has been full of accomplishments:

+ Down 0.9 lbs (not huge- but I'm happy to lose!)
+ Lost more inches: I measured, but I keep forgetting to count and update my Shred results, but I will do it ASAP!
+ Went to a holiday happy hour last night and stayed within my points (yay!). I attribute this to making sure I ate steadily throughout the day, getting in all my fruits and vegetables before the event (including the apple I scarfed down as I was driving to the happy hour).
+ After the happy hour, I had to drive home in a snow storm only to walk in the door and exercise immediately. It was already 10pm at this point and I'd really rather be snuggled up on the couch with my boyfriend, but I pushed myself.

It's strange to think of how far I've come in the past month. I know my weight loss journey will have highs and lows, but right now I feel unstoppable.

A little nerdy math humor :-)

Cookie Challenge

I baked over 12 dozen cookies on Friday night in preparation for my annual cookie decorating party. I throw a party for close friends and my cousins where I bake the sugar and gingerbread cookies ahead of time and provide tons of decorations such as icing, sprinkles, candies, and we all have lunch, drink some wine, and decorate the cookies. Then, I pack up the cookies and ship them off with the people. It a really great way to indulge in my passion for baking, without being tempted to eat the goods myself.

I'm very proud of myself, I didn't eat a single cookie on Friday when I baked them! This was especially notable because sitting down and eating a few of the cookies I just slaved over had been the way I used to pat myself on the back: "Great job, Ashley. Now that you have tasted these cookies, you can certify that they are delicious!" Instead of the usual fattening reward, I celebrated my cookie making success by taking the time to appreciate how effortlessly I rolled out the rock hard sugar cookie dough (thanks to my sculpted back a la 30 Day Shred), and how I breezed through the night baking all those cookies and still had energy. I amazed myself!

The party was a big hit, everyone had a great time, and I realized that I am really enjoying this holiday season thanks to all the energy I have!

Rewards

I'm moving forward at a tremendous pace! The weight loss and inches lost have been so rewarding for all of the hard work I am putting in! I also finally surpassed by 10% weight loss goal, which I have decided to reward myself with is new jeans.

The motivation I have found by conversing daily with others on the WW 20 year old's board has been invaluable. These people are the reason I have been able to move forward at all. The most rewarding aspect of WW, however, has been the fact that I have started to inspire others as well! I started a "Shred Thread ~Shredding Sisterhood~" on the boards because people felt so inspired by the inches I lost this week. To think, 2 weeks ago I was longing to be just like the successful ladies on the boards, and now I feel like one!

I like to think of these rewards as WW rewards. They are just like credit card rewards: the more you put out, the more you get back (without all that complicated financial crap of course)! So here's a short list of some of the rewards I have received thanks to the all the effort I have put into WW:

Smaller sized clothing
MORE Energy
A new found self confidence
A revved up sex drive
Strength- physical and mental
Motivation
Inspiring others
A lower risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and having a serious back injury (genetic ailments from my family)
More satisfying relationship with my boyfriend :-)

Shredding Results!

I posted about the 30 day Shred exercise routine I've been doing, and the results are in! After only 1 week I have lost..... ::Drum roll::

Chest: -1.25"

Waist: -0.75"

Hips: -0.5"

Thigh: -1.25"

Arm: 0"

For a total of 3.75" lost!!!

Tips for Shredding and sticking with it:
Start at Level 1 "modified". If you feel like you are too sore to complete Level 1 again the next day, switch to Level 2 "modified". This way you'll be able to exercise everyday without feeling discouraged by the pain. Do this and you'll work up to Level 1 unmodified quicker. Then, full transition to Level 2 should be easier.

I also lost 2.5 lbs this week, and surpassed my 10% weight loss goal. So, as a reward for my hard work, I plan to get a new pair of jeans. This comes just in time, because my jeans are hanging off me.

Recipe: Jambalaya

I had a 2lb weight loss this week that brings me under the dreaded 200lbs!!
I haven't weighed this little in 3 years and it feels amazing. The following tasty and satisfying recipe is helping me lose weight while satisfying my need for hot comforting dinners in the winter months.

Jambalaya (adapted from a WW recipe)
Makes 4 servings
2 cups per serving- 9 points
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 17 mins

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion(s), sweet, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 medium green pepper(s), chopped (about 1 cup)
8 oz uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
29 oz canned stewed tomatoes, undrained
12 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 pouches Uncle Ben's Microwave Ready Rice (Cajun flavor worked nicely)
1/8 to 1/4 cup Frank's Redhot Sauce (Use caution if you don't like spicy food)
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tbsp Cumin
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Spicy McCorrmick Grill Seasoning (could sub in dried garlic, black pepper, salt, dried onion and red pepper flakes)

Directions:
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper; cook, stirring, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in chicken; cook, stirring, until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients, except rice; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir in rice; continue cooking until liquid is almost absorbed and rice is thoroughly heated, about 2 minutes. Yields about 2 cups per serving.

Thanksgiving: Thank goodness it's over!

So this was my first Thanksgiving OP (on plan) and it was interesting. I did a decent job during most of the day (healthy filling breakfast, an after dinner power walk), but then the drinking began.

I haven't had more than 2 drinks in one night since the summer. I had a good time though because I was with my brother and cousins (even my mom drank a little which is very atypical). The drinking put me slightly over what I wanted to eat that day, but then the snacking started. Rice pudding leftover from dessert and then a MAJOR weakness of mine: Cheese doodles! They are disgusting, and I realize that, but I can not have them around me or I will eat them in uncontrollable amounts! Needless to say, Thanksgiving day was a bust!



As detrimental as that day was, I didn't let the failure continue on throughout the weekend. It would have been very easy to overeat all weekend, especially because I was at my parent's house, but I didn't. As the ladies of WW's say "It's a holiday, not a holi-week".