McFatty Monday 7.18.11 - The Life is Good Edition

You all might remember my previous, emotionally-charged weight loss post from last week. Well, I'm happy to say that things are moving back in the right direction!

Let's talk about the Weight Watchers meeting from last Friday. I joined up to have accountability as far as weighing in. In the past, when I attended meetings, I'd go in, get weighed, and the receptionist would quietly put a sticker in my folder with my weight without saying anything, and send me on my way. It was nice. I was forced to weigh in, I got a record of my number, and all without judgement.

Holy cow, this past Friday was awful, though! I had weighed in before my meeting and was down about half a pound (257.5) so I was happy. Drank a couple glasses of water, got in my car, got to the meeting, jumped on the scale and got my folder with my little sticker with this week's weight.

As I'm getting my shoes back on (and not looking at the receptionist), she whispers, "You're up this week."

"Excuse me?" I reply. I wasn't used to having the receptionist tell me whether it was up or down.

"You're up this week." She replied. And then gave me a cold, judgemental stare, looked me up and down and then made a face at me.

"Um. Okay." I replied and went and sat down in the meeting.

Sure enough, that little sticker said +2! And 260! What the hell? I know in the span of 45 minutes I didn't gain 2.5 pounds. And then I remembered....the water. I drank about 16 ounces of water. So that must have accounted for at least some of the "gain".

This morning I was 256. All of that weight (and then some) has come right back off. I'm not sure what was up with Friday, but I feel good about today. I also followed my trainer's advice and went for a walk this morning. And I have interval training tonight. I love having a plan in place for real, healthy, sustainable weight loss.

I am glad to see that needle moving the right way, and I'm feeling it inside too. I have more energy than I did last week. For example, yesterday, Scott (who, by the way, is down 13 pounds in the last 4 weeks!) and I teamed up to clean our entire house, and we took Angelica to a local splash park, and I didn't bring a swimsuit (because god forbid anyone see my pasty white fatness!) but it was hot. And the "normal" me would just sit on the bench and watch. But Angelica was begging, "Come play with me", and I didn't want to let her down...so damn it, so I ran through the fountains, clothes and all.

And it was AWESOME.

McFatty Monday - Slow and Steady

Since I don't have a whole lot to say, this will be a quick post!

I just wrapped up my second full week on Nutrisystem, and I'm down another pound! 255 this morning and loving it.

This week will have a few days of temptation. I'm working on a Sweet Tomatoes review/giveaway, and buffets can be a recipe for disaster. Plus, a certain someone may or may not be having one of those days where she turns another year older this weekend...and I hear rumors that cake will be involved.

But the rest of the days, Nutrisystem will be my friend! And next week I'm looking forward to having another pound (or more) gone.

Mcfatty Monday - The Birthday Party Edition

Before I go any further in this post, let me disclose that although I'm on Nutrisystem, I am not one of the Nutrisystem Nation bloggers. I'm not sponsored by them in any way, shape, or form. I'm a paying customer, actually.

So, I broke even this week, and let me tell you, it could have been a lot worse! This past week was my first full week on Nutrisystem, and other than Angelica's birthday party, I stuck to it really well, and as of Friday night I was down two pounds. That's about the best that you can expect for healthy weight loss in a single week so I was happy!

Then came the party. The pizza. The cupcakes. The soda. I stuck to my Nutrisystem for breakfast, lunch and snack but the party hit me hard. I have a sluggish metabolism, so all of the junk I ate that night just stuck to me like glue, and it taught me a valuable lesson. MODERATION. You can completely undo a week of healthy eating in one session of pigging out. (Or, at least I can...maybe your metabolism is better than mine!)

The beauty of Nutrisystem is that on Sunday I knew exactly what I had to do to jump right back in. So I did, with both feet and it was great! No hunger. No crankiness (other than maybe the post sugar crash crankiness from the party).

So this week, I'm still at 256 and loving it. Only down 1 pound since starting Nutrisystem ten days ago, but had I not been on Nutrisystem to guide me through "birthday party season" it could have been a LOT worse! (And mine is coming up in a few weeks! Eek!)

So, this week there are no birthday parties on the horizon...and the vertigo I mentioned on Friday is starting to subside, so I'm looking forward to hitting the gym full force again. I MISS running. I can't wait to strap on my sneakers tonight and hit the pavement.

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Want to check out a couple of fantastic Nutrisystem Nation bloggers? Check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too! Her success is so inspiring! And Sippy Cup Mom is really inspiring me too!

McFatty Monday: Memorial Day Edition

It's Memorial Day! I'm enjoying a day off of work today by spending time playing with my little big girl, but she's taking a "quiet break" (since she never naps at home) and I'm taking a blog break.

Today's weigh in: 256.8.

Three days ago, my first Nutrisystem order arrived. I decided, in a fit of desperation, that I needed to try SOMETHING new, since the I hit 257 again last week and it was disappointing and depressing.

So I ordered Nutrisystem's women's vegetarian plan, and so far I AM LOVING IT.

After the first day, I had already lost a pound. I, of course, cheated yesterday -- intentionally, because of Angelica's birthday. I had some birthday cake, which probably accounts for the little bit of weight that crept back on. But, today, I'm right back on the bandwagon.

I am LOVING it so far, by the way. This is, by far, the easiest "diet" plan I have ever started. You get your Nutrisystem food, pick out your extras (fruit, veggies, proteins and carbs) and your meals are pretty much planned for you. And I have had ZERO issues with being hungry...all at about 1500 calories a day. I am excited to see where things go over the next week.

And that's really all there is to this week, because I am expecting GOOD things next week!

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Nutrisystem. I'm simply following the plan on my own, of my own choosing, and I am in no way affiliated with Nutrisystem other than as a customer. Please check with your doctor before starting a diet, exercise, or weight-loss program to make sure it's the right one for you.

McFatty Monday: One step forward, two steps back...

So I'm up one today, instead of down two. 257. Should have been 254.

It was a rough week. Being prone to "filling the void" with food, so to speak, I ate my way out of stress, tension, boredom, and frustration. I didn't eat as bad as I normally would, but there was a "milkshake incident", and some very salty (but delicious) popcorn. Plus, I only went running ONCE last week, and even that was only for a brief 20 minutes. I was trying to squeeze it in before dark, so I took Angelica with me in her regular, non-jogging stroller. (I don't own a jogging stroller.)

First, let me say that a regular stroller? NOT GOOD FOR RUNNING.

Second, let me say that Angelica is a BRUTAL trainer. I would get worn out/annoyed with the stroller and stop running and she'd turn around and SCREAM at me, "RUN MOMMY! GO! RUN! You are not RUNNING!"

Oh, and when I was running? "GO FASTER! YOU CAN RUN FASTER, MOMMY!"

Then she got bored and wanted to go to the community playground. I was sufficiently pissed off at the stroller and decided to give in.

The rest of the week is a blur. Scott's work deadlines had him working late, and the Lexapro withdrawal had me feeling "off" -- but honestly, other than feeling a little off, a little tired, and some seriously weird dreams, coming off of it has been a breeze. I haven't had any of the bad side effects you get warned about. And then Friday night I came down with a cold, which I still have.

So I'm not surprised the scale went up. But I'm eager to see it go back down.

My blood pressure is holding steady. Yesterday it was 137/86. I have to go back to the doctor if it starts averaging 140/90 (either number) so I'm within the "safe" range. I even had one reading at 127/68 at one point this weekend. I'm encouraged by that.

That's it, the week in a nutshell!

BTW my good friend LeeAnn has had some AWESOME success this week with Nutrisystem! I saw her on Saturday and she looked fantastic! So go check out her weekly Nutrisystem Nation blogger post and cheer her on!

McFatty Monday: What NOT to do.

So this is what my life has become...

Last Thursday I had an appointment with my doctor. It's been a year since I started Lexapro, and since I was only going to be on it for 12-18 months, it was time to go in and talk about discontinuing it. Thursday night I began tapering off my dose and by the beginning of next week I'll be completely off of it. The good news is that so far it has been pretty seemless. I was kind of out of it on Saturday morning but other than that, I've felt great.

On the other hand...when I went to see the doctor, my blood pressure was HIGH. After he noticed that, I was handed the chart you see in the picture above by my doctor and told to track my blood pressure at least twice a week, and if after a few weeks it was still trending over 140/90, to come back in and we'd start medication. So in my head, I thought, NO THANK YOU, I'll just work my tail off to get it under control. The number you see in the picture, 137/71, is much lower than it was on Thursday. I've been stressed out, but I can't blame it all on that. The fact is, I was eating way too much salt and getting far to little exercise. So all of those health-related improvements I saw about six months ago (more of them here, too)...well...I un-did at least one of them.

Let me be the example of what NOT to do on a journey to become healthy.

The doctor also asked what I've been doing for weight-loss and I kind of fumbled around for an answer. The truth is, I had a lot of great ideas but haven't been so good at implementing them. He suggested Weight Watchers. I kind of laughed since I am a Weight Watchers failure.

That night I set out to create my OWN plan, following the Fat 2 Fit Radio philosophies, and setting a target weight loss of two pounds per week. Slow and steady wins the race!

And how did it go? Well, I started last week at 258. This morning I was 256! That's a two pound weight loss! I did it! Yay! Go me!

Oh, and lest I forget: I upped the intensity on my 5k training this past week. I came to realize that since I did the C25k program last year, starting over from scratch was too easy for me. I had convinced myself that I needed to when I really didn't. It was a crutch. Last night, I set out to get a baseline completion time. I took my GPS outside with me and ran and walked (but mostly ran) until I hit 3.1 miles. And I did it in: 49:41! I was HOPING to get it done in 45:00 so I only went over by a couple of minutes...and I beat my last race time. In 2006 I "ran" a 5k in 1:07:43. (If you want to read about that debacle, including my pre-kid days of griping about waking up at 7am, click here.)

Next week I should see 254 on the scale. That's the plan. For now, it's off to work!

McFatty Monday - Why Run?

Why running?

This week I made generous use of my new gym membership, and have rediscovered my love for running. Even though two of the three days this week I was running indoors, there is just something about the activity, the way it gets my heart rate up, the way each day I could run further than the last, the way I feel exhausted from head to toe when I'm done that just makes me feel like I got a real workout.

Last summer, I started running while on vacation in the middle of July. Those of you who don't live in Florida probably don't know how hot it is here in July, especially in the mid afternoon, but for some reason, I just strapped on my shoes one day and got started. And I ran three times a week until sometime in October when for some unknown reason I stopped. It's kind of like...I was getting SO close to being able to run a 5k and the fear of success gripped me and I just quit.

But I got the best results health-wise from running. My blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, and many other markers of health improved dramatically. And now that I've started again, I am just HOOKED. So when I go to the doctor later this week for a checkup, I'm hoping that these markers of health are still hovering in the healthy range.

Well, no more. I am so glad to be running again, and even when I weighed in at 258.2 this week (sigh...the scale went up again), I still know I am running in the right direction, quite literally.

And I have to smile a bit (or a lot) when I pick up Angelica from daycare and she sees my hair in a ponytail and asks, "Mommy, you have a ponytail because you were running? You look so pretty!"

McFatty Monday: A Tuesday Update

Today I am 255 again. So I think I was retaining some water from all the JUNK I had eaten over the Easter weekend. I only have myself to blame for that!

But, yesterday, I caved in and joined a gym. Now I have no excuse not to work out. It's open until 11:00 PM, it's about 10 minutes from daycare, five minutes from my office, and so there are many combinations of ways I can squeeze in a run or a couple of weightlifting sessions during the week.

I have a feeling I may start seeing the number on the scale drop. And I LOVE that.

McFatty Monday - 4/25/11

It's 8 AM and I've just weighed myself.
257.

I'm right back where I started in January (I think) and I'm rather disappointed in myself.

So here we go again. I had dropped from doing McFatty Monday, but I think I'm going to start linking up for it again. I could use a royal kick in the pants to get going again. Easter weekend did me in diet-wise, and I've been super lazy lately. I was going to lose 8 pounds in March, then 8 pounds in April, and I've actually GAINED about that much.

I'm recommitting today. Here's to a new beginning!

McFatty Monday: Food Hangover

I'm still at 248. And, I have a food hangover.

Yesterday we went to the Volusia County Fair. And with the fair comes FAIR FOOD. Fried pickles. Fried green tomatoes. French fries. See the theme there? You can be a vegetarian and still slaughter your diet on fried food and sodium. And boy, oh boy, did I ever. And today did I wake up with a screaming headache from all the garbage I ate yesterday? Yes indeed!

Combine that with the pizza we had Friday night, and the ice cream I had Saturday and the past few days have just left a path of healthy-eating destruction in my household!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I am way, way far away from the goal I had set for myself. But, no time like the present to at least try to get back on the wagon. And try I shall.

I at least have this awesomeness to look at. My weight loss since June 2008:

McFatty Monday: Accountability

248.

Yep, I gained five pounds over the last two weeks. And you know what? I HATE YOU HALLOWEEN CANDY.

Yep, I've been a bad, bad girl. Dipping into the bag of Halloween candy that Angelica got from trick or treating. I'm doing her a favor, right? She doesn't need all that sugar.

Oh, but neither do I, and the number on the scale certainly told me that today. That, combine with the fact that I pretty much replaced water with soda and only worked out one day last week.

This week will be better.

McFatty Monday: More Good News

(I meant to publish this Monday but I forgot to hit the "publish" button...so here it is, a few days late!)

243! 243! 243! Woohoo! I now weigh less than I did when I got pregnant! Can you tell I'm excited??

More good news...the doctor's office called today with the results of my blood work and it was all good. No need to schedule another follow-up or significantly modify the things I'm already doing to improve my health!

Vitamin D -- NORMAL. Though low-end normal. I may need to get outside more, or increase the amount I take via supplement just to be safe.

Cholesterol -- NORMAL. High HDL (good cholesterol), Low LDL (bad cholesterol). Normal triglycerides.

Glucose -- NORMAL. I'm not pre-diabetic.

Kidney/liver -- NORMAL. No fatty liver disease or compromised kidney function.

I love it. It's such great motivation to keep moving forward. The weight is going down and the signs are all showing that I'm making huge strides toward having a long and healthy life, and setting a great example for Angelica. This is a far cry from the days when my lunches consisted of McDonalds and dinners consisted of takeout and I felt awful all the time.

Speaking of that, I did have one day where I totally caved and over-ate, ate too much junk and didn't workout and trust me. I felt it. It was that familiar old achy, tired, nauseous feeling and I didn't like it one bit. I hadn't felt that bad in awhile and I don't want to feel it again anytime soon.

Anyway...that's the good news for this week! Hope everyone else had good news today!

McFatty Monday: The Late Edition

I contemplated not even posting a McFatty Monday this week, but it keeps me accountable. So here goes.

Weigh In:
Yesterday (Sunday) I peeked at the scale first thing in the morning and saw 245. Yay! Then this morning I stepped on the scale and saw 248. BOO!

I know that I once again did NOT gain three pounds overnight. I did, however, eat a lot of salty food yesterday since I was pretty much out of the house from 12 PM - 8 PM running errands and doing a photo shoot, so I'm blaming it on water weight. Oh, and PMS, because that's always the perfect scapegoat.

Diet:
As of last Tuesday, I'm back on Weight Watchers Online. Every bit of me fought it. I hate tracking food with a passion. I absolutely loathe it with every fiber of my being. But, obviously what I've been doing hasn't been working, and in spite of the fact that I've been running my gigantic butt off since July, I've only lost about ten pounds. Not. Fair. So back to tracking I go. I used to do SparkPeople...but I find that their site has SO many awesome things to do that I can lose myself for hours in there (literally -- especially doing random things to up my points with the site...I'm very competitive). With Weight Watchers, I sign in, log my points, and sign out. It's simpler. And for a week, I've stuck with it.

One interesting thing about Weight Watchers...I had joined (for probably the 20th time) about two months after Angelica was born. I rejoined using the same account and when I posted my weight, it said I had lost 25 pounds. So I guess that's good. That's a positive number to think about!

Exercise:
Also, speaking of running...my sister has a gym membership where she can bring guests, so I went with her Sunday afternoon and did my Sunday run on the treadmill. Up until that point, I had not used a treadmill in over a year, and I can say without hesitation that, as someone who runs outdoors on a regular basis, running on a treadmill was a very, very awkward experience. For the first few minutes my feet just didn't know how to handle the ground moving underneath it. It was hard to figure out how to pace myself. It was definitely hard to not have landmarks to use to pace myself either. (Usually, when I start to wear out I'll tell myself "oh, you only have to run to X point and then you're there!" There is no X point on a treadmill!) But, it was definitely a great experience once I got used to it.

My legs are literally throbbing from the weight machines though.

And here's where I'll stop for this week! I am hoping for a MUCH more positive update next week...where hopefully I will be able to say I am AT 244 (or below? Eek, that kind of scares me to think about!)

McFatty Blog Header Update and Stuff

First, lookie, lookie! I have a new blog header, especially for Fall! I took Angelica to the pumpkin patch a couple of weekends ago, and well, you can read more about that on my photography blog.
(Live in the Orlando/Winter Springs area? I have special rates on pumpkin patch photos!)

On to other things...

So, Thursday of last week I HIT MY GOAL. I took a sneak peak at the scale and was thrilled to see 244! So, why did I weigh in at 248 this morning? I doubt it's possible to gain four pounds in 4 days without being seriously sick or eating a ton, neither of which I did. In fact, if you've been following my tweets, you've probably seen that I started walking again last week. Aside from a few days of being profoundly sick (stupid GI issues...) I kept up with it, ate healthy and I really have no explanation for gaining 4 pounds in 4 days. So, I'm going to assume it's a fluke and say....

HOORAY PRE PREGNANCY WEIGHT! WELCOME BACK! IT'S ABOUT TIME!

This week I'm going to try to ease back into running again. And if I start to falter on the healthy eating, start forcing myself to track calories again, which I something I absolutely loathe.

Here's to another awesome week, everyone!

McFatty Monday: The "Almost There" Edition

Okay, so I haven't posted a McFatty Monday in who only knows how long. And why is that? Because, in true Andrea fashion, as soon as I'm one step away from succeeding I throw in the towel. Yep, I got lazy, ate junk, stopped running and pretty much figured I'd step on the scale this morning to be horrified, and super duper motivated to restart the clock on my weight loss journey.

Well, horrified I was not when I stepped on the scale this morning and saw 245. That means I am one pound away from my first goal -- my pre-pregnancy weight of 244. Hallelujah!

So that was definitely motivating...knowing I'm almost there...almost but not quite! I'm hoping to make it there by next week...and by the end of the month to have dropped out of the 240s, and slipped back into my wedding ring, which I haven't been able to wear since I was 6 months pregnant...and which I've been too stubborn to have resized.

I'm also trying to look at this from the perspective that on January 1st, I weighed in at 261. That means so far this year I've lost 16 pounds. I was hoping by the end of the year to have lost 114, and while I think that's REALLY far out of reach now (and would be super unhealthy to strive for), I'm still really proud of what I've done so far...and really excited to see what happens by the end of the year!

Here's to new-found motivation! I look forward to checking in again next Monday!

On the mend...

I'm glad to report that Angelica is back to her normal self!

She slept in our bed on Saturday night since our room has a ceiling fan. She ultimately kicked her daddy out of bed (LOL) so it was just me and her. I woke up to her mumbling and asking for water around 8:30. She was still feverish, didn't eat much for breakfast, went down for a nap at 1 and finally woke up around 5:30 when Scott went in to check on her.

At that point, she was fever-free! She went outside, played on her swings, ate a good dinner, and then went back down to bed at 9:00...woke up today and ate a HUGE breakfast, polishing off all of her cereal and some of my yogurt!

Thank goodness for that! :)

As far as McFatty Monday goes...I keep forgetting to weigh in. I've been more focused on the physical feeling of getting fit rather than the number on the scale. I'm sure it's pretty stagnant though, I've been eating like crap lately and I actually did take a week and a half off of running thanks to my daughter causing me to tweak my back. Fortunately it's better today, and I was up and running before everyone else was awake today! I'll try to remember to weigh in next week :)

Belated McFatty Monday and other stuff

I gave myself almost a week off from running. Since I had been going for just about six weeks straight, I was having some serious lower body aches. They weren't bad, but they weren't good either, and it was seriously hurting my motivation. So, I ran last Wednesday, then didn't run again until yesterday.

The scale was not happy with me (251...ugh...only a pound since last week, but up from 246 two weeks ago) but my body was. I hit the pavement last night with a renewed sense of motivation and energy. And today I was greeted with the familiar aches and pains, but they weren't accompanied with the feelings of exhaustion I had by the end of last week.

Seriously, thanks to the exhaustion, this past Saturday and Sunday were a total wash for me...I woke up Saturday and a half hour later was already taking a nap, and Sunday I napped off and on from 8 AM to 1 PM. I. Was. Exhausted.

One of my best friends, Rachel, is in school for personal training, and even though she lives two hours away, I'm allowing her to use me as her "guinea pig" as far as advice goes. Obviously with the distance, she can't work WITH me, but she can give me pointers. So, starting tomorrow, I'm implementing them once again and I sure hope, hope, hope that next week I do NOT see a number in the 250s on the scale. Or else I might kick it. And that, my friends, would hurt my toes.

Anyway, I'm sure more of you are interested in reading about my adorable daughter than my inability to move my fat ass.

We hit another linguistic milestone with Angelica this past week. This girl loves to tell stories now. Complex ones at that. For example, yesterday when I picked her up from daycare, her teacher, Ms. Lisa, told me that she didn't want to sit on the potty that afternoon. So while I was loading Angelica in the car, I asked her if she used the potty at school.

She said: No, I was crying on the floor, and then Ms. Lisa put on my dinosaur diaper!
Me: Why were you crying?
Angelica: Because, the potty it was too big for me.
Me: Oh, did you need help?
Angelica: Yeah, because it too big and I scared.
Me: Oh, I see. Well, next time, just tell Ms. Lisa you need help, okay?
Angelica: Okay.

I also asked her who she played with at school, and she named every single teacher and classmate, and then said she didn't play with one of them because "she is on bay-cation!" Sure enough, that particular little girl is on vacation :)

Alright, so these conversations may not seem so cool to someone reading this blog, but they were cool to ME since I'm finding more and more that I can now have meaningful conversations with Angelica.

In other news, Scott introduced Angelica to the Nintendo DS this past weekend. He popped in Nintendogs and Animal Crossing for her. Nintendogs was her favorite and she even knows how to operate the menus to get out a bubble wand to blow bubbles for the doggies. She keeps walking around with the DS saying "Mommy, this is MY special, okay? You no touch it." And so the obsession begins... :)

McFatty Monday: One Pound At a Time

247!

I guess I'm now taking it off the same way it came on -- one pound at a time.

Last week I said that I'd be repeating week 3 of Couch to 5k. Well, on Wednesday, I got dressed, laced up my running shoes, walked out the front door, iPod and GPS in hand, locked and ready to go when I noticed...week 3 was GONE from my playlist. So I did what any logical person (HAHA) would do. I did week 4.

I'm glad I did. It was completely exhilarating. I went in feeling like there was NO WAY I would be able to do it. Here's why: I struggled with week 3's workout. And let's compare them:

Week 3:
5 min. warmup
Run 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Run 3 mins
Walk 3 mins
Run 90 seconds
Walk 90 seconds
Run 3 mins
Walk 3 mins
Cool-Down

Week 4:
5 min warmup
Run 3 mins
Walk 90 seconds
Run 5 mins
Walk 2 mins, 30 seconds
Run 3 mins
Walk 90 seconds
Run 5 mins
Cool-Down

During week 3 I fought with those 3 minute runs, and I went into week 4 thinking there was no way I'd make it through one, much less two, five minute runs.

But I did. I did it two of the three days! (The exception was last night, when I was NOT in a good mood and didn't want to run in the first place but I still went.)

So, we're on to week 5 and halfway through the challenge! WOOHOO! This week is going to be SUPER difficult. It's three different workouts, culminating in a 20 minute non-stop run. I don't think I have ever run twenty minutes straight in my entire life. I'm looking forward to the challenge, though!

This morning, I was listening to Dave Ramsey's podcast when he quoted the phrase "People with goals succeed because they know where they're going." I think that's why this program is working so well for me. I KNOW the goal I'm working toward (both financially, but in terms of this post, physically), and I know how to get there. Progress is being made. :)

McFatty Monday: Holding Steady (Again)

Here I am at 248, week 2.

I'm not fretting this week, either. Why? Because I LOOK different. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. At my niece's birthday party, when we arrived at the party, so many people told me how GREAT I look. And each and every one of you who said that -- I LOVE YOU PEOPLE. You made my day.

I went up a notch on my belt. I had to retire a couple of shirts that were so big they slid off my shoulders when I wore them. I must be losing fat and building muscle and that's why I'm maintaining.

Oh, and my energy level? Now that "that time" is over with and my energy levels have returned, I feel A-MAZING. I was able to keep up with the kiddo at Chuckie Cheese's last weekend instead of feeling exhausted...and we hit the mall afterward also. Woohoo!

So, no complaints about maintenance this week. I feel so lucky.

In Couch to 5k news, I completed week 3 last night and I'm glad to have it over with. So glad, in fact, that I am pretty sure I will be repeating it this week. It was a tough workout and I just don't feel ready to jump up to week 4's level yet. My overall running speed dropped this week and I think it was because of the fatigue caused by it being "that time" of the month. Another week at this level and I think I'll be ready to progress, and still complete the program in time for the 5k I want to run this September!

Hope everyone else had a great weekend :)

McFatty Monday: Two steps forward, one step back

248. Up one pound.

I'm not fretting about it, because (TMI alert) Aunt Flo is visiting and I always pick up a pound or two of water weight around that time. Oh, and the overindulgences on chocolate and ice cream probably didn't help.

I finished week 2 of the Couch to 5k program last night and I am SO pleased with how it's going. Every day I'm able to run just a little bit faster and a little bit longer than the day before, and during last night's run I was finding myself reaching the end of the 90 second sprint and thinking, "That's it?" It's such a stark contrast to the first day of week 1, where the sprints were only 60 seconds and I was struggling to finish that.

The only "bad" run I had this week was Friday. I had a lot going on that day so I decided to do my run during the day, and unfortunately I didn't get going until right at 12pm. The. Hottest. Part. Of. The. Day. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the heat index was 106, so I felt like I was running through a pit of FIRE.

This week should be good. On Wednesday I start Week 3 of the program, where it REALLY gets amped up...alternating 90 seconds walking/90 seconds running and 3 minutes walking/3 minutes running. I'm excited to see how THAT goes because some of those runs essentially double the time I ran last week. I'm going to try to add in some strength training to improve my speed and endurance as well.

And with that, I'm really out of things to day. The rest of you who are on McFatty Monday, here's hoping you had success this week!