Weighty Ramble

As you can see from my ticker I lost 0.6lbs this week...which is good...right? I'm actually getting a little frustrated. As you can tell from my posts I've been very committed to exercise and eating "clean" these past few weeks. I've also done a good job journaling what I've eaten. Yet, the weight is coming off so slowly it's hard to stay motivated. I asked the receptionist at Weight Watchers this morning (she's also a good friend) if they ever recommend that folks who exercise a lot eat all of the activity points they earn. She said they don't recommend anything one way or another just leave it as an option. One WW food point equals approx. 50 calories and one WW activity point equals approx. 100 calories burned. I've been eating about half of my activity points for a few reasons. 1. After running for 50 minutes I'm HUNGARY 2. I didn't want to eat all of them for fear I over estimated my calories burned. But is the over calorie calculations are correct I should be okay eating all of them since I still have a deficit. I'm going to try and eat all my activity points this week but try and use them for healthy clean choices like nuts, other protein, low-fat dairy, fruit, etc. I'm going to use the weekly points allowance for "treats" like chocolate and wine. I'm also going to us SparkPeople to track actual calories in and out although after just one morning of using it I feel it's kind of a pain. I do want to lose weight but more importantly I wan to be healthy.
I "ONLY" have to work 10 hours today so when I get done with work I might hit up Old Navy. I bought some yoga stuff there and love it! I'm wearing the yoga pants at work right now because I'm headed to a noon class. With black boots and a nice shirt and vest they don't look half bad. I definitely want another pair.
Also, stay tuned for a post about the AMAZING speaker I heard last night, Greg Mortenson. We had to read his book Three Cups of Tea for grad school and it was truly inspiring. I ran home and immediately wrote a paper about the book (due for class). I just want to share this amazing man's story with you!

Ramblings

It's a lovely Fall morning here in the Midwest. I ran for 50 minutes this morning it was great! I didn't feel quiet as awesome as I did last Sunday but still, I couldn't ask for better conditions. It's about 58 degrees and sunny. I returned home for a green smoothie and got caught up on the blogs. Yesterday I was in class all day. It was great! My grad school courses really inspire and keep me focused on what is really important in my calling. Some how thought it gets me thinking about my dysfunctional situation at my job, I sometimes feel trapped and don't feel like I can be the type of servant leader that I am called to be. I know that I have to accept where I am for what it is and be the best leader I can be in that situation. Yet, I feel called to more. I'm not sure what that more is. I know that God will lead me or keep me where I am suppose to be. Speaking of work I need to head there soon so I better shower and clean up the kitchen a bit. My husband has been so awesome in taking care of the dog, doing the dishes, and making dinner while I've been so busy with my stuff. He's a good guy! I'm so blessed! Have a good Sunday!

Goals

Well, I gained this week. Only 0.2lbs but still a little bit of a bummer. Today at my Weight Watcher meeting we talked about setting goals as far as weight loss goes. I've reached my "goal weight" twice in my life. The last time I did this was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving in 2003 (wow! 6 years ago). Actually this was the day I got back into range (2lbs above my goal weight). I can distinctly remember how awesome that felt. I had just gone to the mall and bought pants in a size 8! Then the day before Christmas I actually got to my goal (I think). This made healthy eating during the holidays so much easier. I was so close to goal and I wanted to reach it and keep it and never let it go. Well here I am six years later and 15lbs heavier. The eve of Thanksgiving is actually 9 weeks away and the day before Christmas Eve is 13 weeks away. I could do this again. I want to feel that successful feeling I want that pride and confidence. I will reach it. I twill get in touch with those good feelings I had 6 years ago every time I am faced with a challenging eating situation. I will remember how I felt that day stepping on the scale seeing those numbers and knowing I had achieved my ultimate goal and I'll ask myself, "Do you really want to eat that?" Or when I'm tempted to turn off the alarm and roll back over in bed I'll think about those jeans that I eventually shrunk out of. I want more than to just feel comfortable in my clothes I want them to get lose and baggy. And they will! I will do this!

Thanks for listening to me rant. Sometimes I just need to get it out there for accountability. Check out this awesome give away on Heather's blog http://heatherbakes.com/2009/09/22/amazing-grass-giveaway/ I have actually tried Amazing Grass and really like it. I especially like it in my Green Smoothies after a long run or weight lifting.

I'm headed to Yoga in an hour or so then a lovely staff meeting! Have a good hump day. Is it just me or does Wednesday really feel like a big hump to get over in the middle of the week? Thursdays just seem so much better!

The right place at the right time

Well, it's the first day of fall and I awoke to dark skies and the sound of rain falling on our roof, the perfect day to roll over and stay in bed...and that's just what I did. Yep, that's right, I did not get up and go on my intended 5 mile run. Actually I mapped my run from the other day and it was almost 6 miles! Now, wouldn't you think the scale would be my friend after that kind of run? Not so much. It's down a little bit from yesterday but not those nice 160 numbers I saw last week. I'm really okay with not running this morning. I'm a little sore from weight lifting yesterday and it has been pouring out. I hope the rain stops after work so I can take the pup for an nice long walk. I need to get away from being obsessed with the number on the scale. To be fair I'm wearing a pair of pants that a few weeks ago I was able to put on but thought, "No way! I will not be comfortable in these." Anywhoo! Not much new here. I think work is finally settling into a nice rhythm instead of craziness! Brian shot a deer (bow hunting) on Sunday so last night I hung out with my mother-in-law watching Say Yes to the Dress and Dancing with the Stars, while my husband and Father-in-law processed the deer. You should have seen Brian as we left their house with a huge bag of meat, he was so proud to be filling our freezer!

I had an awesome insight yesterday while talking with my spiritual director. I was sharing with her how glad I was to have attended the university I did at the time I did because of the great teachers and priest who are now gone. She said, "You've always been in the right place at the right time." This really hit home to me. I thought about all the wonderful experiences I've had growing up in an awesome parish as a child, attending the catholic high school in town when it was at its best, working at another parish with two awesome priests who are now gone, and so forth and so on. All of those places I attenuated or worked have changed but I got to be a part of them at a great time in their history. It didn't necessarily seem like I was in the right place at the right time, at the time but looking back I know it to be true. And so, I know that where I am right now today is the right place at the right time.

In TTC news...I've done pretty well not obesssing over this cycle but it's kind of hard to ignore the signs like lots of CM and little pains in my side and think myself I guess it's about "that time" Oh well, I'm not putting the pressure on us to BD so I guess that's good! I know God will give us a child at the right time.

So much to say

First of all let me report that my parents got home safe and sound. I did get a voicemail from my mom yesterday saying my dad had a bad infection in his leg. I should probably call them an see how he is soon.
My night out with my girlfriend was awesome. We drank WAY too much wine and enjoyed some delicious food, especially the chocolate dessert. I woke up Saturday morning feeling pretty crappy. I realized we really didn't eat that much. We split a appetizer plate and had our own dessert but that was it. I weighed myself and I was WAY down...so I was happy about that. I'm sure I was pretty dehydrated. I fully intended on going to Zumba at 10:30am. After eating and of course having a green smoothies I felt loads better BUT I realized Zumba was at 9:30 and I missed it! So, I didn't exercise Saturday. Very rare for me. It was okay. I did some produce shopping and got some new yarn and knitting patterns for some projects and hung out with my hubby. I had to go into work for a little bit but then we headed out to a wedding reception. We weren't invited because the guy getting married is almost 50 and this is his first marriage so the guest list was HUGE. He had to cut someone! So we just showed up for the dance and had a blast! I drank lots of champagne too!
Brian didn't think I'd be able to get up an run Sunday morning but I did and it rocked! I did 5 miles on a new route. I felt really great. Unfortunately the scale was way up Sunday morning and is still up today despite eating clean yesterday and the long run. I plan on eating well today and have to teach Group Strength too. It's my day off but I've got lots of cleaning to do!

Go'n Good!

Hello! Happy Friday! Yes! We finally made it to Friday! Too bad I have to work both Sat. and Sun.! Oh well! I'll enjoy the fun times when I can. I started out having a great. I let myself sleep in until 6:00am (wow I know!) and decided to run with the dog so I wouldn't have to walk her later. I enjoyed a nice green smoothie too! When I got to work I noticed a call on my cell phone from my mom. Last night she and my dad were leaving Hawaii to come home. I guess it was late afternoon there and evening here. So when she called this morning they were in Houston getting ready to fly back to the Midwest. I called her back and she said my dad was really sick with flu like symptoms. With all this H1N1 business going on that's kind of scary. Not to mention my dad is in pretty poor health anyway. He has extreme heart problems and is over weight. They kept calling and telling me all the activity they were doing in Hawaii and I found it hard to believe, he's so bad he can barely walk a few feet with out stopping to catch his breath. My mom seemed really upset so I'm pretty sure something else is going on. She's also really tired as it's 2am her time. So I'm a little worried about them and hope they get home okay. They are scheduled to land in Minneapolis is about an hour (I'm tracking their flight). Other than that my work day has been a blast! I went shopping and prepared bread with a student for a brunch we're hosting on Sunday. Now I'm just surfing the net and later I get to do Nia. I'm part of focus group who is trying to decide if this is something we want to offer at our church. I can't wait to go out with my girlfriend tonight but I'm a little bummed because some other friends are stopping in town on their way to Milwaukee and I might not get to see them. I hope tomorrow to have some time to myself and so the stuff I want to do before heading to church. Have good Friday everyone!

Success!

Whew! This week is kicking my butt! Is it Friday yet?? I feel really proud of myself! I stuck to my plan last night. I only ate 1 piece of lasagna and lots of salad with light dressing. I passed on the garlic bread and the home made brownies. I drank lots of water. At Youth Ministry the kid who was suppose to bring a snack forgot so I ran out and got some apples and cookies. I was feeling a little hungry, had planed (even wrote it down!) to eat an apple earlier but didn't so I had one. Then I came home (still hungry) and had a peach with cool whip and a touch of chocolate sauce on top. I counted all my points and felt really good about what I ate. My reward...168.8 on the scale this morning! (yes I do scale hop usually once a day in morning). Challenge 1 done! Winner Kristin! Okay so I'm just a little too excited about this! In a bit I'm headed to the soup kitchen to share a meal with the folks there. I'm sticking to my same plan!
I was kind of feel crabby and yucky about work this morning but I don't really want to rehash it as I'm feeling better now! I'm super excited to go out with my friend tomorrow. We decided to go to this place and eat in the tavern. It's pretty much the most expensive place in town but the tavern is pretty reasonable. I can't wait! Saturday I get to sleep in! I was thinking about setting an alarm and signing up for a class at the Y but then I thought, no! I'm just going to wake up when I go and see what time it is and then decide what my work out is. Today I went to group strength and I'm already feeling the ab work we did. Tomorrow I have a 40minute run planned.
The other day when I went shopping I bought these and these from Old Navy. They were even cheaper in the store and I LOVE them! Go check them out if you get a chance! Once I get into that good healthy phase I stay there...I hope!