Weight Loss Wednesday: Week 2

Welcome to week 2 of Weight Loss Wednesday!

I don't know if I've lost weight because I didn't weigh myself when I started. Like I said before, I'm not going to stress over numbers.

However, when I was putting my make up on Monday, I did feel like my face was a wee smaller. That made me happy.

So, things are still going well. This is going to be a slow process, and I'm okay with that. I don't want to lose weight really fast and then gain it back. I want to lose the weight and keep it off with a lifestyle change.

Workout Log

• Thursday 7/4: Off. Gym was closed due to 4th of July. I did do a lot of running around with my pals, though.
• Friday 7/5: Off again. I had every intention of waking up Friday morning and hitting the gym before work. But I only got two hours of sleep Thursday. I could have gone after, but I also discovered Friday that my debit card number was stolen. So between no sleep and that stress, I needed to go home and sleep. I didn't even go out with my friends that night.
• Saturday 7/6: First day of Couch to 5k Training! (More on that later). 30 minutes of walking/running mixed, then did weights for my arms.
• Sunday 7/7: Circuit training: 10 minutes on the Nustep, 12 minutes on the treadmill at a fast pace walk and 3.5 incline, 15 minutes on the bike, weight rotation, ab/core workout to finish.
• Monday 7/8: I squeezed in a workout in between work and going to my monthly volunteer role at Gilda's Club. I was able to do my circuit training again, this time doing a lot of ab/core workout. Which is probably my least favorite thing in the world.
• Tuesday 7/9 My alarm didn't go off at 5:15, and I woke up at my normal "work wake up time" of 6:20. So instead I hit the gym after work and did my day 2 of couch to 5k training. And then did weights for my arms, followed up my 2 miles on the bike. When I got home that night, I didn't think I'd make it off the chair.
• Wednesday 7/10 Swam laps for 40 minutes before work. This is my new swimming routine: 2 laps freestyle, 2 laps on the kickboard, 2 laps breast stroke,  2 laps on the kickboard, 2 laps back stroke, repeat four times.

What about food?
Well, you see, folks, this was a Holiday weekend. Which made eating healthy even trickier. Plus we had a lot of friends in and out of our little house. But I give myself a pat on the back, because I think I did pretty well.  I'm sick o  f the pasta salad/potato salad gunk though. I can literally still feel it sitting in my tummy and I didn't even eat that much of it.

I am finding it kind of fun to go out to eat and find healthy options. I get tired of salad's fast, so instead I get creative. Saturday I went out with my parents to Olga's, my favorite. Normally I would have gotten a Three Cheese Olga and fries. Instead, I got a cup of white bean chicken chili (only 170 calories!) and a grilled chicken Olga. On Sunday I went to lunch at Logan's with Sam. I found their "health nut" menu and ordered grilled chicken with a mushroom skewer and side "health nut" salad which is just lettuce, carrots, and vinaigrette dressing.

One of my favorite things to do on Sunday nights is cook dinner. Because I take it easy on Sunday's, I tend to muster up the must energy in the evening to actually cook, and not just my usual pop a turkey burger in the George foreman. I mean COOK. And this past Sunday I made one of my favorite meals I've ever done.

I chopped chicken breasts into cubes and cooked them in the skillet, adding pepper and garlic for taste. At the same time, I boiled penne noodles. Once the chicken was cooked, I dumped it out onto paper towel. Then, in the same skillet, I put asparagus and mushrooms in there plus a cup of low sodium chicken broth. I let the veggies steam for about 5 minutes. When the noodles and veggies were done I mixed everything together. I did not add cheese or sauce, to cut on calories. It was DELICIOUS. Next time I might add more veggies and maybe just a hint more garlic, but other than that it was really good. I realize noodles aren't the best option, but it was a filling meal and I liked making and eating it.

I'll keep you posted on my cooking adventures. We bought a small, 14 inch grill over the weekend and we're looking forward to grilling outside. if you have any recipes, send them my way! I want to keep cooking on Sunday's, and I usually cook enough for my roomies to enjoy as well.

Goals?
Well, like I said, I know this is going to be a process. I do plan on weighing myself this weekend and then checking twice a month so that I at least know that I'm doing okay.

My main goal that I work for right now is to burn at least 600 calories in my workouts. So far I'm hitting about 300-400 in 5k/circuit, 600 in swimming, and 1,000 with Zumba. I'll get there with my 5k and circuit training, as soon as my endurance builds up and I'm able to push myself more.

I'm also really working on watching my sugar intake. I haven't been so great at that but I will start looking more closely at it when I put my food into myfitnesspal.

Noticing any changes?
Like I said, my face seems to be smaller. That could just be wishful thinking, but I swear it does.
I feel more energetic, especially on the days I go to the gym.
I found myself wishing the gym was open on the 4th of July.
I had a freaking dream about the gym.
I went grocery shopping after my workout on Sunday and was so full of adrenaline that I had to resist the urge to jog up and down the aisles.
I make up Zumba dances in the car.
I look up weight loss success stories.
I track everything I eat with a calorie counter. You don't want to know how many calories are in one potato skin. You also do not want to know how many calories are in Costco muffins. Holy. Smokes.
My calf muscles are getting stronger. This was the very first change I noticed.
I don't mind getting up at 5:15 in the morning.
I got my first "you look like you're losing weight" comment yesterday and I did a little dance.

What's this about a 5K?
Alright, so listen. I've done a few 5k's before. I even walked a 1/2 marathon back in 2010. So signing up for a 5k may not seem like a big deal.

Except this one is, because I'm running it. Not walking, running.

The date of the 5k is October 12th, and it is to raise funds for Gilda's Club. Gilda's Club is a free cancer support community. I volunteer for it, and it's one of the coolest things that I am part of. It has dozens of support groups for each kind of cancer, lectures, workshops, grief support groups, and social events. My volunteer role is front desk duty. On the 2nd Monday of each month, I sit at the front desk and make phone calls to members about upcoming meetings/groups, greet members and direct them to the proper room for their meeting, answer phones, etc. So I get to see all the cool things they have going on, and let me tell, you they ALWAYS have something going on. In each room of the house, there is a different meeting happening. The people there are the sweetest, the members are incredibly brave, and the mission of the organization is truly amazing.

Because it's a nonprofit, they rely on their fundraising events to keep the whole "free" thing going to the members. The 5k is one of their biggest fundraisers, so I am participating to help them raise money to continue to run such awesome programs.

And I'm training to run the freaking thing.

I am not a runner. Duh. Anyone on a weight loss journey is probably not a runner. I hate running, but I am going to become a runner for this event.

I am using the Couch to 5k training plan. I have an app on my phone that I can use while training. It's a cool app because all you have to do is hit start, and it tells you what to do. The first time I used it I literally thought I was going to die right there on the treadmill. And Day 1, Week 1 is just running for 60 seconds, walk for 90 seconds, repeat for a total of 20 minutes plus a 5 minute warm up and cool down. Doesn't seem that tough...but it was. I was sweating so much I felt like I was in the pool. My legs hurt, my lungs were screaming. But I did it.

The Couch to 5k training program takes you through 8 weeks of training, so by the time I'm done I should be able to run for a straight 30 minutes. The thought of that right now makes me want to cry, but I know I can do it if I work hard enough. The key is not to give up. The training is 3 days a week, so I have mixed it into my workout schedule. I talked to my trainer at the gym about it too, and he thinks it's a marvelous idea to help with weight loss, and encouraged me to continue to do the core/weight exercises on those days too. I laughed when he said that, but he was serious.

So yeah, I'm GOING to run this 5k. No doubt about it. I might be slow, but it's going to happen.

If you want to support me, I ask that you do so my donating to Gilda's Club through my runner page:

http://gildasfamilywalkandrun.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1073855&lis=1&kntae1073855=2D51FB40CDBF48B28778225B459F0778&supId=387820401

I would like to raise $100, but of course, will be glad with any I can help donate to Gilda's Club. And if you live in the area, please consider joining me to do the 5k or come cheer me on!

So that's this week's update. Thanks for reading :)