Accountability Monday: 1/18/16

Good morning, friends!

Let's get right into this week-

Training:
Monday- Women's Running Strength Circuit, 10 reps, 3 sets
Tuesday- 2.73 treadmill miles, 30 seconds at 4 mph/30 seconds at 7 mph, 10:59 pace
Friday- Women's Running Strength Circuit, 10 reps, 3 sets
Saturday- 30 minute walk on the treadmill, 1.79 miles. Planks and light weight lifting (arms) while watching TV.
Sunday- 4.05 miles with Jen, 11:04 pace

8.57 total miles.

In addition to the goals I shared in my new year's post, I really want to tone up my arms. Since the wedding is only FOUR months away, I've started working on my arms (one of the areas I'm self-conscious about) while I'm watching TV- bicep curls, overhead presses, tricep dips, etc. Below is the "before" flex picture :-) I'll post progress photos each week and maybe we'll see some actual, visible progress!

Food Find:
These week, Matthew and I ate out quite a bit (helloooooo busy spring semester with no time to cook!). One of my favorite meals at Olive Garden is the Citrus Chicken Sorrento. It's part of their "Lighter Italian Fare" menu and clocks in with these statistics:

550 calories

4 grams saturated fat

30 grams fiber

23 grams sugar

58 grams protein

It's a little high in sugar but overall, it's a great choice for me. I usually eat half of it and take the other half home.

So yummy.

Weight:
149.8 as of 1/14/16
+2.4 from last week.

YIKES! I have no reason for this spike and even though it's incredibly disappointing, I'm still going to keep moving forward and keep working my plan.

Non-Scale Victory:
I finally got rid of all of my "before" clothes. A few weeks ago I bought a book about the KonMari method of tidying ("the life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing") and no lie, it has rocked my world! This weekend, I donated 16 garbage bags full of clothes and shoes to Goodwill. And then Matthew joined the purging and together we donated another 14 garbage bags of clothes, shoes, bed linens, towels, etc. There is still more to do, but I'm feeling awesome about our progress.

Donating all of my too-big clothes was exciting but also pretty scary. I don't have them to fall back on. If my current clothes get too tight (because I'm gaining weight), I'll either have to buy bigger sizes or lose the weight. I think I know what option I'll be choosing :-)

I still can't believe I had all this crap in our house!

Have a great week!

Accountability Monday: 10/5/15

Good morning, friends! It's been a few weeks- I am sorry that my writing has been a bit spaced out lately. I am publicly committing to posting at least once a week until Christmas. I tend to manage my weight and my workouts better when I am publicly sharing the results. So that's what I'm going to do from now until the craziness of the holidays!

Training:
...is on hold for the time being. I had an MRI yesterday and should have the results in a few days. As you may know if you follow me on facebook or instagram, my right foot has been painful lately. It's been kinda like the stress fracture pain from last year but without any swelling, which I'm taking as a good sign.

Cute leggings and crappy medical procedures

The x-rays and physical exam did not indicate any sign of a stress fracture but as you know, you can't diagnose a stress fracture unless you have an MRI. So that's where we're at, waiting for results. I'll post on social media as soon as I know.

Food Find:
I have two for you this week! The first one is Classico Light Alfredo Sauce. It is a light, delicious sauce that you can pour right out of the jar. I have used it with shrimp and whole wheat cooked pasta (and a sprinkle of parsley and Parmesan cheese) and it is pretty dang awesome. And it's just 45 calories, three grams of fat, and one gram of protein for a quarter cup!

Heaven in a jar.

The second is using non-fat greek yogurt in place of mayo for chicken salad. I know lots of people do this but I finally tried it this week and it was pretty good. It was definitely different than mayo, but still tasty. I also add salt, pepper, and a little spicy brown mustard for a kick. I also like to eat it with veggie crisps (or baked chips or pretzels) instead of bread to save some calories.

Weight:
148.8 as of 9/30
+3 from last week

Mother Nature is a jerk sometimes.

Non-Scale Victory:
I was at a work meeting last week for THREE HOURS, sitting in front of a Panera Cinnamon Crumb Cake the entire time, and did not eat a single piece. I stuck to my plan and only ate the food I brought. And I lived to tell the tale :-)



How was your week?

I'm back!

Hey y'all! Did you miss me?!

Things have calmed down (just a little, tiny bit) so I wanted to write a short post and just catch up a bit. For the last two years, I've posted here at least once week and it's helped keep me grounded and keep me connected with the running community. But this little break was so needed for my sanity.

I blog because I like to share my experience with others, connect with like-minded people, and keep myself accountable. But sometimes, it starts to feel like a job- one that I don't get paid for. Coming up with content, taking pictures, editing; it's a tremendous amount of work sometimes. I never want to feel like this blog is an obligation or a chore. So in the coming weeks, I'm going to be doing some soul searching on what this blog is about and where I want it to go. I just want to love it all the time, you know?

I feel the same way about running right now. For a long time, I loved, I mean, loved running. I wanted to do it all the time, I was obsessed with racing, and I was totally committed to training. And now, I like running. I'm not as "in love" with it as I was but I still want to do it... sometimes. Maybe I'm in a rut? I don't know. I'm looking forward to the Charles Street 12 this weekend and am totally pumped for the Akron Half Marathon in just a few weeks. But training? It's definitely taken a backseat to life. And my new job(s). And planning a wedding.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still working out. It's just more walking than running right now. I did get 10 miles of running in last weekend and I'm feeling somewhat prepared for the race this upcoming weekend. It's just been a struggle to get out and run lately. Matthew broke his arm in July and has been unable to run. So it's been tough going out and running alone. After years of training together, it's different and kind of sucky to do it alone.

I also know part of the problem is that I don't have any major goals right now to work toward. I've reached maintenance with my weight loss and I felt like I got the monkey off my back with the Pittsburgh Marathon. So now what?

I don't have the answer for that.  But I'm confident I will. Eventually. :-)

In the meantime, look for race recaps this week/weekend (Baltimore Women's Classic, SU Service Fun Run) and follow me on instagram/twitter for live updates from the Charles Street 12 on Saturday!

My last few weeks, in pictures:

The name tag makes it official "official" :-)

Enjoying a date night at our favorite MiLB stadium,
home of the Harrisburg Senators!

This workout is NO. JOKE. I bought this as a present to myself for reaching lifetime status- it's awesome.

5ks are always better with friends.

We have had some beautiful sunsets here in the last few weeks. 

I'd love to hear from you- what do you like to read about? What kinds of posts would you like to see here? What subjects/topics surrounding running or weight loss are you curious about? Please share in the comments below!

AM: 6/23/15

Anybody else feel like you just looked around and it was the END OF JUNE?!? I can't believe we're almost through this month- it has flown by! At work we are right in the middle of New Student Orientation so we all have been working insanely long days enthusiastically talking to tons of students, parents, and families. I'm exhausted, ha!

Last week I committed to a few goals: get more sleep, stick to my daily PPV, workout at least four times. Well, I did average at least seven hours of sleep each night, stayed within my points all week (with about 40 to spare!), and worked out three times. I got a terrible sore throat Tuesday night that lasted until Thursday so I was only able to work out three times. But I did it. I won't say that it was fun or that my crappy lack of motivation streak is over, but I feel just a little bit more in control. 

Training:

Monday- Rest day

Tuesday- Rest/sick day

Wednesday- Rest/sick day

Thursday- Rest/sick day

Friday- 30 minute walk

Saturday- 2.5 mile treadmill run, 30:30 intervals, 12:19 pace

Sunday- 30 minute yoga video from Psychetruth

As a fun side note, while I was trying to do yoga Sunday night, it started thundering outside and Koda was so terrified that he would not leave my side. Like, literally would not leave my side. Have you ever tried to workout with a pet nearby?! It's near impossible. :-) 

I call this pose, "Downward Koda"

Nutrition:

In order to be successful, I know I have to plan my meals and actually cook things I like. Imagine that, right? But seriously, too often I will get fast food or go to a restaurant if I haven't properly planned lunch or dinner and end up spending too much money and too many Weight Watchers points. So last week, I went searching through my cookbooks and planned some meals that turned out pretty good. My favorite was the Honey Mustard & Dill Salmon from my Weight Watchers Easy Mains and Sides cookbook. 

We love paper plates in our house :-)

Weight-loss:

145.6 as of 6/17/15

-1.6 from last week

-44.8 since January 2013

My only comment- thank God we're on the way back down :-)

I know my posts have been spotty the past few weeks but I promise, I'm on my way back to a regular posting schedule. By the end of this week, I'll be sharing some fun recaps from our latest Disney cruise and I'll have another Galloway post- with some pretty interesting updates to the Galloway method! Have a great week!

AM: 4/20/15

Good morning and happy Boston Marathon Monday! Today is like the Super Bowl of running- I can't wait to track all my friends as they race- including Dani from Weight Off My Shoulders and Pam from We Run Disney!

Quick update on the ankle: I wore the boot almost all week and alternated icing and heating while elevating it every night. I ran the Sole of the City 10k (recap coming this week) and it felt totally fine. Later in the day, still felt great. On Sunday morning, I tentatively stepped out of bed and felt....nothing. Literally, my ankle felt fine all day long. Since I'm still not 100% sure what's causing the problem, I'm going to keep icing, heating, elevating, and stretching. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- 40 minutes of yoga
Wednesday-Rest day
Thursday- 30 minutes on the bike, 7.3 miles
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- Sole of the City 10k race, 1:11:00 total time, 11:27 pace
Sunday- Runner's World Core Workout, foam rolling, 20 minutes of yoga

6.2 total miles

Yoga makes me feel so amazing and so inflexible at the same time. 

Nutrition:
If you love apple pie, you'll love this new recipe I found this week in my Weight Watchers Weekly (weekly booklet full of recipes, tips, and helpful WW advice). Slice and microwave an apple until soft, then drizzle it with two tablespoons of non-fat plain yogurt mixed with splenda and a few drops of vanilla extract. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!

While it doesn't taste exactly like apple pie, it's still pretty delicious. Technically, it's 0 points if you only use two tablespoons of yogurt- if you use three tablespoons, it becomes 1 PPV. Either way, it's a great, healthy alternative to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Not a bad substitute for the real thing. 

Weight-loss:
142.6 as of 4/15/15
+.8 from last week
-47.8 since January 2013

Here we go again on this weight-loss roller coaster. I'm going to keep doing what I've been doing- I know the scale will eventually reach the goal I want it to. Just keep moving forward and stay focused on goal :-)



How was your week? Are you watching the Boston Marathon today?

On Declaring Goal Weight and Bikini Bodies

On Wednesday night, I finally did it.

I declared my goal weight at Weight Watchers.

I've been going back and forth about when and what my goal weight would be since I started this journey 27 months ago.

To be honest, I've been overweight my entire adult life. When I started Weight Watchers, I didn't have an end number/weight in mind because I honestly didn't know if I could lose weight successfully.

It feels super weird to have finally, officially declared a goal: 139 pounds. And it feels even weirder to be only a few pounds away from my goal.

It's weird in the sense that I thought "goal weight" would look different. Not that I expected to look like Jillian Michaels (seriously, she's my female body role model), but I kinda thought all my fat rolls would disappear. And my arms would have more definition. And my thighs wouldn't have the same shape.

That sounds so ridiculous as I type it. But it's the truth. Someone once told me that when you lose weight, you still look like yourself, just smaller. So if you had a round belly when you were overweight, you'll still have a round belly when you're at a healthy weight. Logically, I know this. But in real life, it feels different.

I always thought that once I got to goal weight I'd finally be happy with my body. I'd flaunt it in booty shorts and bikinis all summer long. Because I thought my body would look perfect once I was at goal weight.

But here's the thing: it doesn't. I've still got fat rolls. And I've got loose skin that jiggles along with the fat rolls. My boobs look different. I've got some weird little "wings" on the back of my arms- albeit, they are smaller than they were before I lost 50 pounds. My thighs still have cellulite. My body is just not what you'd call a typical "bikini body."

I always believed that you had to be a certain weight or look a certain way to wear a bikini. In some way, I haven't worn one since I was a kid because I've been waiting until I reached goal weight to do so.

But guess what? I'm damn near at goal, well within a healthy weight range, and I still don't have a typical "bikini body."

So what's a girl to do? Wear a damn bikini any damn way you please. 

Source.

I'm tired of waiting for the "perfect body" to wear a bikini. Somewhere along the last 27 months, I stopped waiting for all the conditions to be right. I didn't wait to do my first marathon until I was at goal weight- I finished it weighing in at 178 pounds. I didn't wait to finally wear cute shorts until goal weight- I bought tons of colors last year. I wore bright pink shorts! That drew attention to my non-goal weight butt! I didn't wait until I'd lost the weight to compete in my first aquathlon- I jumped right in the water and swam my heart out.

Source

So, I will be wearing a bikini next month on our Disney Cruise. In fact, I bought TWO of them to wear. Last summer, I made a promise to myself that I would wear a bikini this summer. It was never really about the number on the scale; I think it was about being comfortable enough in my own skin to wear one.

There are MANY women I look up to- women who don't give a crap about wearing a bikini no matter what size or weight they are. This woman, Nadia Aboulhosn, and Tess Munster are all equally fabulous in bikinis. When I look at them, I see confidence that I aspire to have.

I'm not going to wait for the perfect body or the perfect size anymore. This summer, I'm going to wear a bikini just as I am right now. And in case you were wondering, here's a chart from Huff Post Women to help you determine if you have a bikini body:

Here is my Friday message for you- don't wait for "perfect conditions." Do whatever you're waiting for now. You won't regret it, I promise. 

And just in case you don't want to take my word for it, here's a selfie of my new bikini, completely unedited, dirty bathroom mirror and all :-)

What's something you're "waiting" for?

AM: 4/6/15

Good morning: Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy Monday!

If you celebrated this week/weekend, I hope it was wonderful. In addition to Easter, yesterday way my mom's 60th birthday! My sister and I planned a surprise birthday dinner for her on Saturday night and somehow it all went off without a hitch. She was totally surprised and we loved getting to celebrate her. If you're reading- Happy Birthday (again), Mom!

Momma Dukes, "little" bro, "little" sis, short me.

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- 25 minutes on the elliptical, 1 speedy mile on the treadmill- 9:50
Wednesday- 4 mile walk with Adam (my brother)
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- 7 miles, 1:20:08/11:27 pace
Sunday- Runner's World core workout, light strength training

12 total miles

While I'm not getting all the cardio I want, I still feel like I'm doing a much better job with marathon training this round- tons more strength and cross-training. It's not hard to improve when you were previously doing nothing. Ha! :-)

Oh, and the Pittsburgh Marathon is only FOUR WEEKS AWAY! What?! I can't believe I'm less than a month away from toeing the line of my second marathon. Matthew and I will complete our final long run- 20 miles- this weekend. I'm very curious to see if the changes I've made this training cycle will have an impact on race day. We'll find out soon enough!

What a difference a week makes! Glad the temperatures are finally warming up :-)

Nutrition:
This week, I made a dish that I absolutely LOVE when dining out at an Indian Restaurant: Chicken Tikka Masala. I found this recipe on Skinny Taste's website and bought all the ingredients except one: garam masala. Because I live in a small town, there are some food items that I don't have access to, like garam masala. Luckily, google told me that it was a combination of spices. So I made my own using all spice, curry, cinnamon, coriander, and salt. It was so good! Seriously, if you like Indian food, you've got to try this low-point version. It's 5 PPV for one serving. I added basmati rice to bring the total meal to just 9 PPV. Delicious!

Don't judge me for using paper bowls :-)

Weight-loss:
144 as of 4/1/15 weigh in
+3.4 from last week
-46.4 since January 2013

UGH. Can we discuss how much I don't like Mother Nature this month? I knew I would be up this week- despite having earned 57 points and still had 40 unused points left over by the end of the week- I could just feel it. I'm hopeful that it's just "monthly" gain and nothing serious. It's still super frustrating to watch the scale go up two weeks in a row when you know you haven't done anything differently.

It's times like this where I know I need to regroup, refocus, and not worry about unintentional gains. I have come a long, long way; too long for three stupid pounds to throw me off track. So, it's back to basics this week: honest tracking, meal planning, consistent activity. And lots of sleep and lots of water. Goal weight is coming, I just know it :-)



What have you celebrated lately?

AM: 3/30/15

Is it April yet?!

Happy Monday, y'all! I don't know about you but I am so ready for summer weather- it snowed this past week and yesterday the low was 19 degrees. Gross.

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- Rest day
Wednesday- 20 minutes on the bike, 4.6 miles, foam rolling, planks
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- 5 freezing cold miles, 11:10 pace
Sunday- 30 minute hill workout on the bike, 7.19 miles. Runner's World Core Workout, planks

5 total miles

Yeah... so it was another light training week. But honestly, after Shamrock last weekend, I was ok with taking the week to rest and regroup. On Saturday I had an absolutely awesome run- keeping an 11:10 pace felt so good; almost like I was never injured. Here's to hoping this trend continues!

While I love these pants, I will be happy to trade them in for shorts.

Nutrition:
On Saturday, I slept in, snuggled with Koda, and then made some delicious 5 PPV chocolate-peanut butter-banana pancakes. I have heard other Weight Watchers peeps talk about making pancakes with the WW Smoothie Mix and I decided to try my own version:

1 pack WW Chocolate Smoothie Mix
3 egg whites (or 1/3 cup all whites or egg beaters)
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp PB2
1/4 cup sugar-free syrup (if desired)

Whisk all ingredients together (minus the syrup) in a small bowl. Cook like regular pancakes. Top with bananas. Easy! One word of caution- they do NOT bubble like most pancakes to let you know they need to be flipped so you just have to keep an eye on them.

I would think that you could use any type of smoothie mix- it doesn't necessarily have to be the WW brand. Maybe I'll try that next and let you know how they turn out!

Yummy and exactly what I needed pre-run on Saturday.

Weight-loss:
140.6 as of 3/24/15 weigh in
+.2 from last week
-49.8 since January 2013
-61.4 since HW

Y'all know the drill by now- I lose, I gain, but hopefully by the end of the month the overall trend is down. We'll have to wait and see.

But! I have good news! My non-scale victory this week: fitting into a size SMALL pair of shorts at Express! I've never even shopped at Express before- I always thought their clothes were too small for people like me. But on a whim this weekend, I walked into an Express and tried on a pair of small shorts and by some miracle, they fit! I might have danced a little in the dressing room :-)

Even though the scale didn't say what I wanted it to this week, that doesn't mean it was a bad week. A wise WW'er once told me, "the scale isn't failure, it's just feedback." So I'm taking that feedback with me into next week and focusing on making progress towards my goals: reaching goal weight, finishing marathon-training, and increasing cross-training.


What goals are you currently chasing?

AM: 3/24/15

No matter how hard I try to prevent it, it always happens: post-race weekend depression. This year's Shamrock Marathon Weekend was no different; I am super sad it's over! In a nutshell- friends, PR's, family, and beer. AKA, awesome. It was my first distance race and my first multi-day challenge since September and my feet survived! And my brother ran his first half marathon! Look for recaps coming this week.

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- Rest day
Wednesday- Rest day
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- Rest day & worked at the expo
Saturday- Shamrock 8k, 57:29- new PR!
Sunday- Shamrock Half Marathon, 2:46:59, Mimosas, beer, and Oreos on the course :-)

17.98 miles total

I really would have liked to worked out more last week but it just didn't happen. I had wanted to rest, just not that much. I want to do a better job of cross- and strength-training each week; I've just got to get a better routine going.

Nutrition:
Since last week was a race week, nutrition and hydration were very important. This was probably the first race that I felt adequately hydrated for. I aimed to increase my water intake by about 25% each day and I felt like I reached that goal every day. Also, since I'm still not 100% sure that I don't have gout, I avoided any foods that would cause a flare-up: beef, pork, caffeine, beer, etc. Overall, I'm proud of how I prepared for last weekend's races.

And I'm also really proud of how I celebrated after the races: Five Guys! If you don't know the goodness that is Five Guys Burgers & Fries, I'd highly suggest you try it once or twice. I hadn't ate there in over four years but on Sunday, I had the BEST burger and fries I'd had in a long time- to the tune of 28 Weight Watchers points (daily goal is 26). But it was so completely worth it.

Heavenly.

Weight-loss:
140.4 as of 3/18/15 weight in
-.8 from last week
-50 from January 2013
-61.6 since HW

I LOST 50 POUNDS!

I cried last Wednesday when I weighed in and saw that I finally had reached 50 pounds lost- it's been a rocky 26 months but I wouldn't have had it any other way. Slow and steady is working for me and with only five pounds to go until goal (wow, I never thought I'd be saying that!), I am focusing on taking this journey one week and one weigh-in at a time. :-)

On the left: January 2013, one week before I joined WW. On the right: March 2015, Shamrock Half Marathon.

How was your week?

AM: 3/16/15

IT'S FINALLY SHAMROCK WEEK!!!!!!!

If you can't tell, I am SO excited that Shamrock Marathon Weekend is just four days away! Look for more posts this week detailing all the fun stuff this weekend will hopefully bring.

As you know, the last two weeks have been a bit of a struggle- some of my food issues resurfaced; specifically bored/lonely eating. But I'm proud that I was able to recognize what was going on and stop it before it got too out of hand. Two or three years ago, I don't know if I would have made the same decision. Progress!

Training:
Monday- Short core workout
Tuesday- Walk Away the Pounds, 3 mile walk
Wednesday- Rest day
Thursday- Rest day. Toe flared up around 10:30 pm and was painful through the night until 11:30 pm Friday night. Ugh.
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- Rest day
Sunday- Shamrock 5k in Baltimore, 37:36, 11:48 pace. Toe felt great!

I wish my feet felt this great every day!

So, this freaking toe. On Thursday night, as I was laying in bed, it flared up. Swollen, painful, wouldn't move- I could barely walk on Friday. After work on Friday, I put on my boot (the one from the stress fracture) and could get around much better. Then as randomly as it started, it stopped hurting and being "frozen" around 11:30 Friday night- about 25 hours of pain. I have no idea what the heck is going on with it except that the flare-ups are lasting longer and longer each time. I have an appointment with a sports medicine podiatrist this morning so maybe I'll get some answers. All I know is that I am hoping and praying that I don't have any more flare-ups; especially this weekend. I just wish I knew how to prevent these painful flare-ups.

Nutrition:
Not much to say here- I didn't try anything new or noteworthy. But, I did a much better job of staying within my daily PPV range this week. And I did a lot of cuddling with Koda- that counts for something, right? :-)

This little face is the greatest. 

Weight-loss:
141.2 pounds as of 3/11/15 weigh in
-1.8 from last week
-49.2 since January 2013
-60.8 since HW

After a two pound gain last week, I was happy to see the majority of that gone this week. I am still struggling to get past the 141 mark. I've set my goal weight at 135 but if the scale won't budge anymore, I may have to readjust that goal. For now, I am hoping to be at goal by the time we go on our second Disney cruise in May- less than two months from now. We'll just have to see what happens.



Are you running any St. Patrick's Day themed races this week?

AM: 3/2/15

Welcome to March! Springtime weather is just around the corner!- Maybe :-)

Before we get to the regular check-in, here's a fun announcement from Enell! They've got a brand new, limited-edition color that just released this morning:

Because I'm an Enell Ambassador, they sent me one of these beauties last week and let me tell you, this color is simply gorgeous in person! This is the only multi-color Enell that has been made for mass production- the bra is a beautiful pink trimmed in tangerine orange. We had a snowstorm this weekend and I jumped (literally) at the chance to try it out. It shows up more pink in person, like the photo below. If you want this amazing new color in your collection, check out Enell.com for local retailers or instructions on how to purchase one online. These are limited edition so once they're gone, they're gone!

Yes, it was FREEZING. But also kinda fun!

Ok, let's get down to business-

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- Rest day
Wednesday- 20 minute elliptical workout
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- Rest day
Saturday- Rest day
Sunday- 15 mile training run on the treadmill. 3:22:03 total time, 13:28 pace

15 total miles

It was another busy week at work- I was there late (like 11 pm late) four of the five work days and I was still trying to rest my toe. As I planned with my ortho, I am going to replace 1-2 runs a week with the elliptical and keep the long run for the weekend. However, this week it was really tough to even get in small workouts.

But, I am happy to report that I rocked those 15 miles on the treadmill with very little pain in my stress fracture foot or in my left big toe. My feet did really hurt for the first two miles- I don't know what that's about- but eventually it went away. Weird. I did have some struggles with my breathing, leg and hip pain, and just mentally getting through 3+ hours running again. But, I hope those issues will get better the more I get back into marathon training.

Nutrition:
After last week's train wreck, I was determined to turn it around this week. Even though I had late nights at work, I still cooked and meal-prepped almost every night for the next day. Favorites this week include egg whites and ground turkey (4 PPV per serving) ; Zattaran's Jambalaya Rice and turkey kielbasa (12 PPV per serving the way I make it).

Breakfasts and lunches ready for the week. I spy a not-so-hidden Mickey!

Another win for this week was the discovery of Torani Sugar-Free Syrups. A few weeks ago, Torani reached out to me and offered to send some of their sugar-free syrups for review on my blog. I expected them to send a few small samples, however they sent three full-sized bottles: Vanilla, Caramel, and Raspberry. At first, I would just try each one in my coffee. Then I wondered, "what if I tried raspberry and vanilla TOGETHER in my coffee?!" This was life-changing, y'all. Then I discovered that I could put two pumps (equal to two tablespoons) of caramel into my Weight Watchers Chocolate Smoothie with some PB2 and I just about lost my mind. So delicious! I can't wait to find more ways to include these yummy, 0 PPV per serving syrups into my weekly routine.

Coffee and Sugar-Free Torani Syrups: a match made in heaven.

Weight-loss:
141 as of 2/25/15
-1.2 from last week
- 49.4 since January 2013
- 61 since HW

Weight loss is a funny thing. Last week, I had one of the toughest weeks I've had in a long time and somehow I lost 1.2 pounds. Other weeks I do everything right- eat well, earn activity points, get plenty of sleep- and I gain. It's a total mystery sometimes. However, I'm at the lowest weight I've ever been in my adult life. The last time I was in the 140 range, I was 13 years old. Insanity.



That was my week- how was yours? Any new food or products you're loving these days?



Disclaimer: Torani and Enell sent me products in exchange for a review on my blog; I did not receive any additional compensation.  As always, all opinions are my own.

AM: 2/24/15

Good morning! I hope your Tuesday is off to a great start! This is a longer, non-traditional Accountability Monday post. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in :-)

So, let's just start by saying this- last week did not go as planned. I ate all of my APs, all of my Weeklies, and maybe even dipped into the negative- and still felt ravenous, crappy, and out of control. I had a ton of stuff going on; both professionally and personally.

I performed in our university's version of The Vagina Monologues three nights (and had rehearsal three additional nights), hosted two different family members at two different times, had two doctor's appointments- including an early-morning MRI, and had a flat tire. And I ran ten miles. I was stressed- mostly for good reasons- but I'm learning that stress and anxiety bring out my emotional/binge eating habits unlike any other emotion/situation.

I was stressed about the show. I was stressed about my feet and the pain they were causing me. I was stressed about training. I was stressed about making sure the house was clean and we had enough to feed all our guests. So, I did what I used to do daily; I sought out food for comfort.

These past two years had been so full of growth for me. Finally, I felt like I had confronted my disordered eating habits; that I'd finally figured out a way to eat that wasn't connected with my emotions. I was able to eat like a "normal" person- only when I was hungry. I was making good choices 90% of the time. I had achieved what I thought was true balance.

But this week, I quickly felt like I was spinning out of control. I kept finding myself craving certain foods and then fulfilling (and overfilling!) those cravings- and they had nothing to do with my hunger level. Being busy and stressed and tired makes it easy to make the quick/easy/unhealthy choice. And then I feel like crap about not making good choices so I make more unhealthy choices. It's a vicious, sucky cycle that feels impossible to get out of. That's how I ended up over 200 pounds. I just stayed in that circle of crappiness and kept eating and eating and eating.

So, in order to pull myself out of this crappy cycle before it goes too far, I want to focus on the non-scale/non-eating things that did go well last week:

I got to spend time with my dad and his girlfriend and see an awesome Beatles tribute band, RAIN, in concert.

I was able to sneak three runs and a strength training workout into a very busy week.

My brother Adam came to visit for the weekend and we ran 10 miles together!

I performed on a stage for the first time in 13 years. And I didn't forget my lines once! :-)

I also gained last week- .8 pounds. I'm pretty confident I'll gain again this week. Not a big deal. It's happened before and I'm sure it will happen again. Here's the good thing- it's not 49 pounds. I can't undo all the hard work I've put in in just a week. I have control over what and how I eat. I know how to right this ship before I've sailed far, far away from the eventual destination.

That doesn't mean it isn't difficult. Knowing what to do and actually doing it are two different things. I'll always be an emotional eater. My first response when things are crappy will always be to eat. But I do have a choice. I can choose to keep my long-term goals in mind rather than succumbing to the instant gratification of unhealthy/large amounts of food. I can choose to remember that it's just food and that it doesn't have power over me. I can choose health over addiction. I can choose to deal with negative emotions in a healthy, healing way.  I can do this.

Today is a brand new day. And I can totally do this. :-)

AM: 1/26/15

Well hellooooooo, Monday! It feels like forever since I've done an AM post. The last few weeks were pretty hectic but now that my life is back to its normally scheduled routine, let's talk about this past week's accountability.

Training:
Monday- This core workout from Runner's World. AMAZING. Best part- no crunches!
Tuesday- 4 miles with a running group, 12:42 pace
Wednesday- Runner's World core workout
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- 6.1 miles with Matthew, 12:12 pace
Saturday- 15 minutes on the recumbent bike, strength workout (biceps, squats, quads, chest), 2 mile walk with "Walk Away the Pounds"
Sunday- Short recovery run with Matthew. Tried 30:30 intervals and felt pretty awesome. 13:43 pace

12.94 total miles.

This week's training is brought to you courtesy of my awesome new Oiselle training journal that Steph sent to me! I absolutely love the idea of keeping a handwritten journal- it's something I haven't done in such a long time.

Isn't it beautiful?

Also- here's a little update on my stress fracture foot: it still freaking hurts. Not as much as before, but still, I had hoped to be better by now. Even worse, last weekend I stepped on my left foot (the good foot) kind of weird and now I have what feels like stress fracture pain somewhere between my third and fourth metatarsal at the base of my toes. It would be my luck to fracture the OTHER foot now wouldn't it? I have an appointment with my orthopedic doctor on Wednesday to see what's going on with these wonky feet I have. Hopefully all is good and I can keep training.

Nutrition:
One of my and Matthew's resolutions was to eat at home more often in 2015. So I have been cooking up a storm lately- and even meal prepping on Sundays! Who the heck am I?! But really, it's saving us money and saving me Weight Watchers points. Here's my new favorite grab and go breakfast:

Cook ahead of time: 1/2 pound of ground turkey (I use 85% lean) and egg whites (I use the small container, approximately 10 egg whites)

- Reheat 1/4 of the turkey/egg mix
- Toast a Thomas's Bagel Thin
- Spread two wedges of Laughing Cow cheese on the bagel.
- Use the turkey/egg mix as sandwich filling between the two halves of the bagel.
- Enjoy!

It's 8 PPV for the entire sandwich and keeps me full until lunch. And it's super yummy. And really easy to throw together before work.

Weight-loss:
142.4 as of 1/21/15
-3.4 from previous week
-48 since January 2013
-59.6 since HW

Woohoo!! The plateau has officially been broken! For the last eight weeks I have been losing and gaining the same two pounds. It was awesome to see a significant loss this week.

I did two things differently: 1. I ate less fruit. 2. I didn't use my 49 weekly "extra" points. I think these two changes helped significantly in finally seeing a loss on the scale. It's getting tough to lose weight the closer I get to goal- I have to change some things up and not keep relying on what helped me lose the first 48 pounds. That's still insane to think about- I've lost 48 freaking pounds! Crazy. Here's to another week closer to goal :-)


How is your 2015 shaping up so far?

Promises

Two years ago today I made myself a promise.

It was early 2013 and I was unhappy with myself. I was unhappy with my weight. Running was getting more difficult as the scale was creeping up. My size 14 pants were getting a little too snug. I was starting to not recognize myself in pictures.

2013 Family Fun Run 5k in Walt Disney World.

I'd made myself lots of promises before- promises to work out every day, to severely restrict my calories, to berate myself until I finally lost weight. I tried every program, diet, workout plan there was. All of them had failed.

But two years ago, I made myself a promise.

Just one simple promise; just one simple thing I was going to change.

On January 16, 2013, I promised myself that I would attend a Weight Watchers meeting every week.

That's it. I didn't set goals about what I wanted to weigh or when. I didn't have an end date or a goal event in mind. As long as it took for me to lose weight was as long at it was going to take. I just promised to change one little thing- make it to a meeting every week.

104 weeks and 46 pounds later, here I am.

No matter what the scale said, no matter if I gained or lost or stayed the same, I made it to a meeting and weighed in every single time. I looked up meetings where I would be on vacation and I rearranged my schedule to make sure I could get to one. I went to an earlier or later meeting if something with work interfered with my regular meeting. I turned down social engagements if they were on my meeting night. My weekly meeting has become sacred- and it's done so much for me.

This one small thing, this one small change has lead to thousands of other changes. It's changed how I fuel my body for running, how I take better care of myself and the people around me- it's changed how I think about myself and what I believe I'm capable of doing.

Was it discouraging at times? Of course. Did I want to quit? Yup. But I didn't. I held on to that promise I made. In my first year of Weight Watchers, I lost 12 pounds. 12 stinking pounds. That would have been enough for the Sarah of years past to throw in the towel and quit. But I stayed. I re-focused. I found mentors- both online and in-person. In my second year on the program, I lost 34 pounds.

2013, 2014, and 2015. 190, 178, and 144 pounds, respectively.

Since making myself that promise two years ago, I have set some goals related to weight-loss, but there's no deadline on when I want to be a certain weight. And I'm ok with that. Slow progress is still progress after all. 

These past two years have taught me more about commitment, perseverance, and dedication than I thought was possible from a weight-loss program. I feel ready to start 2015 with a renewed focus and a reminder that I can accomplish anything I want to- as long as I put the work in and stick to my promises. 

2102 and 2014 Jingle Jungle 5k in Walt Disney World.

If you can't tell by now, I'm a bit of a sentimental person. Dates are important to me. Today feels a little extra special because of that one simple promise I made- and kept- two years ago. I hope I'll be celebrating this anniversary for years to come- hopefully with some new promises and accomplishments under my belt :-)

What is something you've promised yourself for 2015?

AM: 12/15/14

Good morning! Well, it's another Monday folks. This week was full of celebrations: holidays, babies, and new marriages. In other words, lots of food! It's easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and to put fitness/weight-loss goals on the back burner. I've done this probably a hundred times! But this year, I feel super focused on reaching the goals I want to reach before 2015- and part of that is continuing to publicly post my weekly results here. So thanks for keeping me honest, readers! :-)

Training:
Monday- Rest day
Tuesday- Ran 2.25 miles, 13:44 pace, 4/1 intervals and Recovery Yoga from Runner's World
Wednesday- Rest day
Thursday- Rest day
Friday- 2.17 miles, 13:47 pace, 3/1 intervals
Saturday- 3.0 miles, 13:29 pace, 2:30/1 intervals

7.4 total miles

I'm a little disappointed with my training this week. I have got to commit to more cross training so 2015 will be injury free. I think I need a more specific training plan- I will look into it this week and post about what I find next week.

Also, as I talked about last week, I reset my ActiveLink and I think the results are MUCH more accurate than the last time- it says I'm earning five PPV per day and the "challenge" will slowly work up to seven PPV. I'm cool with that!

Nutrition:
So let's talk about holiday splurges. For most of the last two years, I have avoided sweets- especially in the form of drinks. But not during Christmas! This is the one time of the year that I love spending my PPV on yummy seasonal treats.

This weekend, Matthew and I went to Christmas Candylane at Hershey Park. There are awesome Christmas lights, carolers, reindeer, holiday entertainment and more. But what I was looking forward to the most was hot chocolate made with Hershey's chocolate. And it did not disappoint! Matthew and I split a hot chocolate with "the works:" marshmallows, whipped cream, and Hershey's chocolate chips. Oh sweet baby Jesus, it was divine. We also split a "S'more" made with two chocolate chip cookies, marshmallows, and Reese's peanut butter cups. It was everything I could have imagined and more!

Heaven.

We also found the largest chocolate bar in the world and I calculated the PPV for the entire bar- 360 Points! To be fair, it is five full pounds of chocolate. Wow!

Don't worry, I only took a small bite.

Weight-loss:
145.4 as of 12/10/14
-2.0 from last week
-45.0 since January 2013
-56.6 since HW

I high-fived my WW receptionist when she told me I'd lost two whole pounds this week! I've been struggling since the boot came off over a month ago so I was overjoyed to see some progress towards my goal weight.

Speaking of, I am only 10.4 pounds away from my goal weight. WHAT?! I can barely believe that I'm so close to a weight that I've dreamed about since I was in middle school. It's such an unusual and scary feeling. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it- I'm sure it will be a blog post soon :-)


QOTD: What's your favorite holiday treat?