Running

Nearly 2 months after my half marathon, I think I'm finally starting to enjoy running again. I had a great run on Tuesday, and a solid run today. I woke up this morning and REALLY wanted to go back to bed... but I looked at the weather, and it was 57 out -- whoa! (it was 30 for my Tuesday run) That isgoing to be the warmest it is going to be for the rest of the week, so I knew I HAD to go and take advantage of it. And I'm glad I did. Plan was to run 2.5, but I was feeling good and did almost 3.5! I run at 5am (the only time it fits in my schedule, so I do it) and it's great to be out when no one else is, just running with myself, my headphones, and the stars above. I even went so far as to disinvite my boyfriend (who ran the half with me) from my morning runs because I want me time. Feeling great.

Happy Thursday, all!

Binging

This is definitely one of those posts that I'll come back and read from time to time when I'm feeling that desire to binge. If I got through it once, I can get through it again.

Original Post: I'm fighting a serious urge to binge right now. It's the first day of that time of the month so my hormones are all over the place and I'm exhausted, my sinuses are acting up, I'm freezing in my office and there is sawing happening outside my office window, work is super busy (and our internet has been down all morning, to boot), and I've got a ton going on personally. overall, just having a tough day. So here I am, looking for accountability. I hit goal yesterday, so I really don't want to mess this up (I'm worried about bloating/retaining water the way it is.). But MAN is that urge strong. Going to scroll through and hopefully get some strength from your posts! Encouragement is more than welcome right now!

Dietbet Encouragement:

• You can do it! Try drinking some green tea--the caffeine will give you some energy, the steam will help clear your sinuses, and the warmth will warm up and relax you. If the urge is still there, take a moment to munch on a healthy snack, slowly and without distractions. And I'll say it again: you can do it!
• Stacie, when I get the urge to binge, I'm usually just dehydrated. Can you drink something hot that's low-calorie? Tea? Hot water with lemon? Think how much better you're going to look and feel this summer and keep fighting. You can do it!
• I just went through the exact same thing last week - It was that time of the month and the bloating was unbelievable! I didn't eat that much but the more water I drank to flush it, the more I retained. I tried motrin and that helped a bit but I look forward to hearing any suggestions also.
• Go drink something calming and warm... maybe even splurge on a small hot chocolate. Remember again why you are trying to lose the weight. Refocus and ask yourself what you have to do to achieve it. Hang in there!
• Im having a terrible day as well! Everything that can go wrong is. I was considering binging after work too but heres what we should remember...tomorrow morning, when we dont binge...how great it will feel compared to a binge...ya know? We can do this! To reduce bloating...try no carb for a few days...helped me during that time of the month... ;)
• If I was in this situation, I would eat a few pieces of dark chocolate with almonds - good for your heart!
• You are so strong! Despite all of the excuses you have to binge today, you're not going to! I know you can do this!
• You've got this!! Best part is your realizing you want to binge before doing it!! That's a huge win .. Stink some water if you still feel hungry then grab some almonds or a yogurt something that's healthy to munch on . I always go to water first as I realize I'm not always hungry but dehydrated
• Its days like this that will test you to the limit, stay strong, keep plenty of flavored water around (I could not make it without my Dasani Drops) and ride it out. Above all keep track of what you do on days like today so that when you have another day like this one you can draw on the strength of you previous successes. You can do it!
• You can do it! I love to write, you? - perhaps you can start with ' Dear Craving, You are strong right now, but I am stronger.....'
• I am so in the same boat right now. Noone better walk by me with chocolate or I will spring on them like a wild animal....And MUST PEOPLE BREATHE!!! Going to put in my headphones and blast music until the blah goes away. We can do it!
• Stacie, it's getting through the tough times that really demonstrate we have a new PERMANENT lifestyle. Not that a slip here and there won't happen; of course it will. But when you can analyze, know why it's happening, and know dang well you don't want to suffer the consequences, you move on and succeed!
• Give your self some tlc...tender loving care...when your day is done....do something truly for you...take a hot bath...have a hot drink...tea....cocoa...& relax

Update: I have successfully avoided a binge today! This afternoon, I did take a break from work and walked to a coffee shop where I got a latte and a couple locally-made specialty caramels that I had been wanting to try. Was it a splurge? Sure. But it was DEFINITELY much fewer calories than a binge would have been! I had a little treat and have no desire to binge anymore! I'm going to hit up a zumba class after work to shake off the rest of the day's negativity and burn off the extra calories that I consumed. Again -- thank you so much for your support -- it definitely helped!!

Weekly Weigh-In

I've been working really hard over the last week -- staying mostly on plan (other than the 2 days i was at home sick) -- and it worked! I lost 3.4 lbs this week and am at goal with a half pound to spare! I have a personal goal of losing another 1.2 before the end of the month, so going to keep on keeping on this week -- but I'll be happy if I just maintain this week (it's that time of the month, eep). I'm so proud of myself for my work this month and so happy with the results!

Prioritizing ME.

I've had a really hard last week. Life (and depression) got in the way of my well-planned-out week and overall, it was just bad. I did a lot of walking, but I didn't get my gym workouts in. My eating was "eh" -- but off from what I'm normally at (more meals out than normal, too many snacks, etc.). Long story short, I'm up a pound this week. Honestly, I thought it'd be a little worse. I only have 2.9 lbs left to make my round 1 goal, so I know it's still in reach.

I'm going to focus really hard this week to meet my goals. I'm really going to get my eating back on track. I packed my food for all day today (I'm away from home from 645am-after8pm) and I'm going to limit myself to just that. I made cookies for my coworkers and boyfriend this weekend, so I need to focus on not eating a million of those (they're so good!). Overall, I just need to prioritize me/my health and make this week a better week.

Weekly Weigh-In

Today is my normal weekly weigh in. I had peeked a couple times throughout the week and was regularly seeing a 2.5 lb loss. This morning I got on the scale and was totally bummed to see only a 0.6lb loss. I KNOW I should be happy because a loss is a loss, but I definitely feel like I worked harder than a 0.6lb loss. I'm sure it was something I ate yesterday having more sodium than normal and retaining some water, but it was a serious let down this morning. I only have 1.9lbs to lose in the next 2 weeks to make my goal, I just expected to be closer at this point.

Anyway, the weigh in put me in a bad mood. I was having a pity party for myself and SERIOUSLY wanted to binge. I instead made myself a healthy breakfast and decided that if I got to work early enough, I would walk (mile+) to Starbucks and get myself a latte. The walk and the coffee got me out of a bad mood and now I'm ready to have a healthy day. I'm going to keep working hard and hope for a big loss next week.

Being home alone = recipe for disaster

Well, I learned this weekend that being home alone all day means that I'll eat ALL the food. If I'm at home on a weekend day, my boyfriend is usually there with me, so I don't eat things I shouldn't (because then he'll KNOW, haha). But he was working this weekend and I ate too much crap. It wasn't all out binge, but it was more than I would have normally eaten. I think the next time he has to work on the weekend, I'll make a more conscious effort to make plans with friends so I'm not tempted by things in the house.

Overall, though, the week has been really good. I look forward to jumping on the scale tomorrow morning (Tuesdays are my regular weigh-in days) to see how the scale says I've done.

Strength Training

Does anyone have any guidance/websites/apps on beginning a strength training program? I've done some weights before, but I've always felt that i was just wandering around doing exercises that I know. I'd love a personal trainer, but that's just not in the budget right now. Both free weights (at the gym) and body weight (at home) recommendations are welcome!

Suggestions by fellow Dietbetters:

• Website/App: Cody
• http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=BeginnerWorkoutPrograms
• The book "New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women"
• Pinterest has lots of great suggestions for exercises and sites. I'm sure that a search on "beginning strength training" would give you a wealth of info. YouTube would probably be the same.
• You tube. Google. Classes at the local gym

More suggestions are welcome!

I want to EAT.

Today is one of those days when I just want to EAT. Anything you put in front of me, I'm going to want to eat. I just finished breakfast and I'm wishing I had more food just to eat. You know what I'm talking about. Going to focus on staying busy at work (after I read through all of the updates since I was last here) and keep my mind off of food. But boy, I could do some serious damage today, left uncontrolled.

Weekly Weigh-In

Tuesdays are my weekly weigh in day and today I was excited for it. I've been working really hard to eat healthy over the last week and it worked! I'm down 5lbs this week! Sure, last week was my TOM, so I'm sure I was retaining some water, but I'm proud of this loss. I celebrated by taking a short walk before work (I was 10 minutes early, so I walked a couple of blocks) and eating a healthy breakfast. Here's to another healthy week!

NSV

I've been avoiding all the post-holidays treats in our breakroom by having a peppermint whenever I'm craving something sweet. I really wanted a cookie after lunch, but I told myself that I'd have a peppermint then, and if at 3pm I wanted the cookie instead of my healthier snack, I could. Turns out, it's almost 3pm and the sweet craving is gone and now I can have my healthy snack guilt-free! It's the little things.

Not exactly what I was planning...

Starting 2015 off with severe lower back pain is not exactly what I had planned! Hopefully this IcyHot will work wonders and I'll get back to feeling fine tomorrow! I had to reschedule my gym session today for this weekend (I can still make 5x for the week). Guess my body just needed a day off. BUT, my eating has been on point the last couple days, so I'm not too worried about it!