Growth

So today a friend brought to my attention how proud she is of me on how Ive grown. I guess I sort of seen it but didnt really give it the recognition it deserves. So I will right now :)

Its been a trying week, and Ive been hit with some personal stuff that is stressing me out to the max. This usually would cause a down spiral of eating and drinking. While I have let things control my moods lately, the one thing I can absolutely stay in control of is what goes in my body and what I do with my body. So today when I got home I did something I normally dont, I told myself no. I will admit it was hard. I really wanted to just take a nap, and eat something fried, or something sweet...I even told myself go ahead you will feel better. And than I thought...feel better for a second, but later Ill feel like shit. So I vented a little to a friend, and than decided to put on my running shoes and get out in the sun. Ironic how I asked for nice weather and today it was nice out. I must be in good with mother nature. Ill put in a word for all of you guys to ;)

So I got in my run (which was not the most pleasant task), and guess what? It worked. When I got home I was in a much better mood, and felt more positive. Im sure Grant was pleased with that decision since he has been dealing with the monster of mood swings Ive been having lately. So we cooked dinner, watched American Idol, and wouldnt you know....my night has definitely turned around :)

It feels good to be able to make smart decisions like the one I did today. Sometimes I wonder if Im making progress, because it feels more less than more. But today I guess I did prove to myself, I am making healthier changes. Who would of thought me, Miss Queen of addictions, would use exercise..running at that, as a stress reliever. :)

Workout: 4.5 miles - 51:39 (struggles on my run today, couldnt find my groove)


Calories: 1925

B: Oatmeal w/ cranberries, sausage link
S: Banana
L: Subway Turkey & Cheese w/ bacon, Baked BBQ chips
S: Banana, Reeses 100 calorie wafer bar
D: 2 scrambled eggs, 4 turkey sausage links, 2 pcs of multigrain bread

Accountablity

So yeah, this definitely is going to whip me in shape. I can already tell that the blogging what I eat is going to help. I passed on a few things today that if I didnt have to announce I ate them, I would have probably indulged. I had some horrible woman pains, (trying to keep it clean for the boys), so normally would want to eat everything in sight but didnt. Yay for that. But the pains were a little to intense so did not workout. I was going to run outside but the winds were insane. So that makes Monday and Tuesday no workout days. Which means I will workout the rest of the week. So bring it Melis. Bring it.

Calories: 1754 - cutting it close!

B: English Muffin w/ Peanut Butter, Oatmeal
S: Banana
L: Subway 6 inch Turkey and Cheese w/bacon
S: Lays Baked BBQ Chips
D: Lasagna w/ 2 pcs of multi grain bread
S: Reeses 100 calorie Peanut Butter Wafer Bar

I definitely need more protein, and fat. I never have felt nutrition is my strong point, so maybe Ill learn a few things during the next month.

Im really really itching for Spring. While I dont mind running in the cold, its getting old. And the wind and snow arent really helping. I have 6 weeks till my half marathon and was hoping to get all my running outside from now on. Its like Spring keeps peeking its head out but just for a tease. I promise Ill be outside and enjoying you Spring, please please come play with me :)

Day 1

So Im glad Carrie suggested this little challenge, I really need something like this. I can only benefit from it! On that note, I am short on time so just a short blog tonight.

I did not get any workout in. I went straight from the day job to the night job. So just got home and ate dinner at a very late hour. I am starting to track my food again, because I need to feel accountable for one, and it black and white, its staring me at the face if Im doing what Im not suppose to be doing.

Starting Weight: 149.5

Food for today:

B: Yogurt
S: Chex Mix
L: Tuna on lettuce, carrots/celery
S: Cheddar Popcorn
D: Lasagna w/ multiigrain bread

As you can see, I need some work. I came in at 1700 calories, and had 96 ounces of water.

I have been eating junk, and drinking tons of pop lately, so cutting out pop and no fried foods is my goal this week. So goals for this challenge are:

• A new mini goal each week
• Workout 5 days out of the week
• Eat under 1800 calories a day

Just keeping it simple. Grant and I are actually going on vacation to Arizona in April, so the challenge will end right around there. Id love to be in a size smaller than I am now :)

Corktown St. Patricks Day 4 Mile Race

I love that feeling you get from running a race. I ran in the Corktown St. Patricks Day 4 Mile race this past Sunday. The weather was a bit chilly, and the wind was in full force but that didnt stop all the people coming out. Im not sure of the final count but Im sure there was well over 2000 runners. I do have to say the event was very disorganized. I registered at Total Running beforehand, but still stood in line for 40 minutes to get my chip the morning of the race. And from what I hear they ran out of chips and tshirts. The line of people registering that morning were actually done before those that preregistered.

Anyhoo, the sun left for the race which was a bummer. But as soon as we started running I warmed up. When I crossed the start line I noticed there wasnt a pad, so apparently the chip was only timed at your end time. Well I was 3/4 of the way back in the pack, but if I would of known that the start wasnt timed I may have tried to get closer to the front. I did wear my stop watch, so started it up as soon as I crossed the start line. I used my good ol stop watch in my last 4 mile race because we didnt have chips.

The route was a nice route, it ran through downtown Detroit. We started at old Tigers Stadium, looped around Campus Martius, than ran by Comerica Park (one of my favorite spots), and looped back and we ended at an old Michigan Central train station. Everyone was decked out in their St. Pattys gear, they were pretty entertaining. Along with everyone along the route. There was a parade shortly after the race so the streets were packed.

I kept a pace of 10 minute for each mile, and was pretty pleased with that. Every mile was marked so I kept checking my time with my stop watch. It was a pretty nice run, very comfortable. I found my zone and my feet just glided :) I wasnt sure how that would go due to the drinking I partaked in the night before. lol I did run into a few mishaps - around mile 3 the wind started to blow in my face, so that wasnt to much fun. And I had some side stitches I had to work though. Damn those things are a bitch. I thought I was over those things by now! But I kept on trucking along. I crossed the finish line at 41:37, but my faithful ol stop watch said 39:49 which was more accurate. Which means I shaved 51 seconds off my last 4 mile race time! I was pretty stoked :)

And you have to love a race that passes out beer at the end ;) This race was definitely the motivation I needed. Especially since Im hitting my halfway mark in my training. Its pretty amazing how I compare my first 5k, to this race. I have come so far, and it feels pretty awesome :) Next up is my 10k on April 5th, Im excited for it!

Fighting Back

So things are still pretty much the same as they were last post. Still fighting the small things everyday. Still trying to gain control. I have been just trying to take each day and each hour as it comes. Seems easy right? I wish it was. My food definitely is on an up and down roller coaster, and slowly Im grasping it. But seem to be easily derailed. I have been consistently exercising,but its not really up to the standards that I like. But I have been doing it even when I can find fifty other things Id rather be doing.

Ive also been trying to find things that will motivate me. Things that bring my mood up. Things that will boost my self confidence. So Ive buried myself into my running book lately, and its definitely sparked some motivation in me. I also signed up for the Corktown St. Pattys Run that is tomorrow. Now my runs this week have been so bad, so I could of easily said no. But yesterday I went and registered at the running store and my parents are going to tag along with me. Theres a fun parade afterwards and they are suckers for that kind of thing. :p So even though I dont think my running is up to par lately, I know running in that race will be nothing but a positive feeling. Also running in that race will help me lay off the booze tonight which I feel has been another big problem. Nothing but empty calories. We are heading to Grants bosses house for the annual work St. Pattys day party. This guy has a Irish Pub in his basement, seats 20 people. Its pretty awesome if you ask me :)

I decided to take the day off from working out today and save my energy for tomorrow. According to my training plan that is actually what I should be doing, but on the plan tomorrow calls for running a 5k. My run is a 4 mile race, so I hope I can at least get the time I got on my last 4 mile race I did on NYE.

I got some ink done today, but due to lack of time only got in two hours. The flower is colored. My next session should be my last, she thinks roughly 3 hours. But she cant get me in till May. Boohoo!

Struggling

Well its been two weeks since my last blog. I have sat down a few nights this past week to blog but really couldnt think of anything to type about. I have been pretty busy with work, and than I went out of town last weekend. I went to Tampa with a bunch of girlfriends. This was the group of girls I met online at www.ediets.com, 5 years ago. So considering how we all met, we kept each other in pretty good check. All of us even went for a run one of the mornings :)

Sadly, my weight is creeping up. I even saw the 150's this weekend. This is not good. I just dont know where my will power is at this point. I have great moments and than I have not so great moments. Its like I cant stay on track if my life depended on it right now. Im trying to figure out why and I just dont know. I know what I have to do, but dont do it.

I have connected with someone who is doing the half I am doing, and I think that is going to help. Accountability is always a benefit. She is getting me really excited for the event to :)

Like Kristen, DEMF has always been a goal date for me. Of course I want to look hot. :) So let the countdown begin. DEMF 06 I topped at 175lbs, and DEMF 06 I was at 160lbs, so DEMF 08 Im hoping to be around 135lbs. So I have 11 weeks to bring it. Roughly that is around 15lbs. Totally doable, and I can do this.