Stress will not derail me...

Seriously, I feel just like that Zebra. I have had quite the stressful week. Well every week is stressful in my life right now. Im going through a really really hard time financially. (who isnt, right?) I was working two jobs up until mid July. I worked for 8 months like that...well had a break for 6 weeks due to surgery. And it was to harsh on my body, medically. I was having a really hard time with my thyroid and my body was definitely paying a price by me not taking care of it. So I quit. I have to say my health has been feeling better each day since I quit. Im getting the sleep I need, eating better, and exercising more. And the stress of a retail job wasnt on my mind...its amazing how much that can get to you. My day job has everyday stress, but nothing where Im going home stressing about it.

So as my financial situation seems to have gotten worse without the extra income...I have no choice but to go back to a second job. I am being a bit more pickier on where I go, and making sure I get the days I want. 14-16 hours a week, preferably nonconsecutive days. And afternoons or evenings on the weekends so I can still get in my walking. Of course this is going to be much harder going in and requesting such a set schedule so hopefully someone will work with me. Id also prefer to have any job but retail. I cant handle that. Some sort of data entry job would be nice. Im definitely not looking forward to working two jobs again..especially when Im at the level of training I am. But I have to do what I have to do. I just have to look at the big picture and how my stress will feel once I get some of these bills paid off, and more money saved up.

Ive had some stressors in other areas of my life this week to. I had a fundraiser at the Tigers game on Monday, working the concession stands...it was one of thee worse experiences of my life. And we definitely didnt do to well profit wise. Things have seemed to just down spiral from there. No need to cry out all my problems..so Ill just say...this hasnt been the best week. Today we were suppose to go to Cedar Point, and now we arent due to the weather. But I was looking forward to it since Ive had such a crappy week. Oh well. I am still taking tomorrow off, and working a half day today. I think some much needed me time is in order. Ill go home get a workout in today, and curl up on the couch with my furbabies and watch a movie. That sounds fantastic to me. :)

I have a slip up eating wise, last night at my 3 hour trip at the laundry mat...(dont get me started on that one!), but I didnt end up eating dinner since I got home around 10 so I guess it could have been worse. Usually in stressful times like this..Id eat everything in sight. Anything sweet, fatty, greasy, and salty! Not this time. I can work through this. Emotional eating...I got control over you. *sticks tongue out*

Okay my complaining is over. Time to remain positive. No matter what my situation is...I have to remember things really could be worse.

Weekend Progress

So my weekend definitely started off not so great, but I think I pulled through in the end. Friday night we headed down to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers. Going to the baseball game is one of my favorite things to do. Just being in the park, and watching the game live is such a fresh of breath air. Unfortunately there is tons of food that seems to call my name while Im there. And going to the park hungry isnt always the best idea. So it got the best of me. I was a little disappointed that I caved in, but didnt let it discourage me because I was focused on making the rest of the weekend better. I know weekends can be the hardest part, so I try to make good portion sizes rather than limit the foods Im going to eat.

So Saturday I got up bright and early to meet my friend for our 12 mile walk. We managed a 17 minute mile, and finished in 3.5 hours. We are heading out to more hillier trails now since the actual 3 day walk is on the West side. We live on the east side. East is flat, West is hilly. So I definitely felt my legs burning when we were done. After my walk I spent some time with my parents, and instead of shoving the eggs, bacon, and hash browns..I opted for a chicken salad with fruit. Than I had quite the experience Saturday night. Grant and I went grocery shopping and came out to my car that was completely dead. It appeared to be the battery so we tried to get a jump...unfortunately not to many people are willing to help out others, but we did get one person to help. It wouldnt jump. So I ran the groceries back in and asked if they could keep them in a cooler until I came back with our other car. Grant and I didnt have our cell phones and we dont know anyones number since its under their names in our cell phone...so off on foot we went. 4 miles. Hey I guess I walked more than I intended to that day. lol Except grant had on moccasins and I had on flip flops..needless to say our feet were a little sore when we got home. When we got back up there..the battery was shot, so we bought a new one (how convenient we were at Meijers), and finally headed home. But oh the groceries....they lost them. The guy who put them in a cooler left for the day, and they couldnt find them. So I had to reshop. I got half way through reloading my basket..and saw a walk in beer cooler...i thought hmmmm. Sure enough, there was my basket of paid groceries. So finally we headed home. All we could do is laugh on the way home. What a night!

Sunday I was meeting another 3 Day walker in Royal Oak, and Deb (my friend who I usually walk with) was going to meet us. Well she got chafed really bad the day before and cancelled at the last minute. She had a huge welt on her leg. I said, Body Glide, Body Glide, Body Glide... you cant live without it on the 3 day! To my surprise she ended up coming. I proud of her for pushing through :) The woman we met mapped out a nice walk for us through 4 different cities. We did 11.5 and took us a little bit longer, since it rained 80% of the walk. We headed to a family bbq when I got home...and I was falling asleep at the party so we called it an early night. I was in bed by 8:30. heh

Now that Im walking more..I definitely need to eat a little more. I thought I did good eating wise on saturday and sunday, but think I was so sluggish due to not enough food. Ill have to figure out what a good calorie range to aim for is...especially when Im walking for 3-4 hours a day.

All in all..I feel like I had a pretty good weekend :)

Measuring Up

So I took some pictures today, and also took some measurements.

Height: 5'4"
Weight: 162
Size: 12
Waist: 37
Hips: 39
Chest: 36
Thigh: 26
Arm: 12

Ill have to look online to see where chest actually lies when measuring...

Now I have a starting point. I'm really excited about this challenge. When I joined ediets a few years ago the thing that helped me the most was challenges. It just helps motivate me. And now that I have a partner, with a very cool first name, I am accountable for someone else. So hopefully I don't let her down! I'm hoping to lose 10 pounds this month. And going to try my hardest to reach that. But Ill be happy with 8 as well. I have a lot planned this month that could derail me, but I have to stay on track!

I'm glad I joined this group. Its taking a little bit to get use to the format, but this group is just what I needed. I'm glad Kristen told me about it. (and i get the bonus of talking to Kristen daily!) :-)

Eating Dinner WAY To Late

Morning Weigh In : 162 lbs.
5 day Average : N/A
Calories Consumed: 1739

I like the format some others are using on their daily posts. The calories posted will defintely help me feel more accountable. Im more likely to skip that last snack. Which leads me to late dinners... I tend to eat dinner 8pm or later. And seem to be going to bed around 9:30-10:00 pm. I know Im such an early sleeper. What can I say, I love sleep. I can try to blame it on my thyroid disease, but overrall...I love to sleep. Anyways, so I find myself eating way to late. Mostly Im out walking and get home late, or I just forget to eat till late. Unfortuntely for me, but fortunate for him...my boyfriend Grant can eat anytime of the day, and pretty much anything he wants.

Grant's metabolism is so high, that it seems like he burns fat every mili-second. Hes 6'1" and weighs about 150. Yeah. So here I am gaining weight just watching him eat! lol I do have to say that he has become more healthy concious in the last couple years, and he tries to make healthier meals when he cooks. I love him for that. Now that he is reaching 30, I think his metabbloism is slowing down. He has slowly started to gain weight, and has even talked about joining a gym. That would be awesome. :) The last few times he suggested things for us to do, they have been active activties. That makes me happy to. Maybe one day we can be those fit couples I always see out walking, jogging, biking, etc. So ultimately I am responsible for me, and only me. No one forces me to eat anything I dont want. So another thing to work on...make sure we are eating dinner at early time. :)

But last night Grant took on laundry duty, (our washer broke so its laundrymat time), and I stayed home and did a video. Tighter assets. And yes I felt my butt and thighs burning. But Im not to sore so maybe I didnt do as much as I could have. I should of went for a walk or jumped on my gazelle (the only machine I have at home), but nope I popped in a movie. Why did that still feel lazy to me? Although it felt like I sweated off a few pounds (we only have air in our bedroom). So didnt eat dinner till the movie was over at 9. Doh!

Tonight is 6 miles. I cant find a walking partner so I think Ill knock up my speed so I burn a few more calories.

Edit to add: Reading Kevins comment I wanted to dig more into this...increasing my speed on walks is increasing my heart rate which is why I would think it burns more calories..is that incorrect? My normal walks are usually not that intense. Just long. Since that is what the event Im training for more endurance so I can last walking 8 hours 3 days in a row. So when I train with others walking, it feels more like we are walking at a moderate pace, instead of a trying to lose weight pace. But I guess since we are walking at a moderate pace for a long period of time, that would be similar to walking faster a shorter amount of time?

Eat When Im Hungry, Stop When Im Not - what a tug of war

Yes, that is exactly how I felt last night. Tug, Pull, Tug, Pull. Ive read about this, how you should really eat when your hungry, and stop when your not...easier said than done if you ask me. I really need to listen to my body and see what it truly needs. Being a snacker and emotional eater...its very easy to get wrapped up in mindless munching.

Last night I went out for my walk. I met up with some other 3 Dayers, and got in 6 miles in about 2 hours. Walking with other 3 dayers is really helpful because you get to talking about the 3 Day, fundraising, training, etc...and you really dont keep track of time. One guy I walked with is doing all 12 walks this year. They are all over the U.S. Its definitely inspiring listen to his travels, and fundraising efforts. It was so freaking hot out. The temps read 91 degrees when we were out there. And that was when the sun was going down. It actually didn't feel that hot till we got to walking, and than the sweat dripped. So I definitely got that sweaty workout I was looking for. I was literally soaked when I was done :)

Now back to my tug of war, (as you can see I can ramble on) so before I left for my walk I popped a smart ones in the microwave. The quesidilla, which was quite tasty. And figured I could grab a bowl of cereal or something when I got home. Nope. Grant, (the love of my life hehe), decided to order a pizza when I got home. I said, that's cool..I'm just going to eat a bowl of cereal. I should have known better. That pizza came, and the smell took me into a trance. So I said well Ill have one piece. So I had one piece and tried to eat it slowly since another one of my downfalls is eating to fast. And when I was done, I stopped and said...hmmm are you still hungry? And I immediately thought but it tasted so good, and smells divine..well Im not full. So grabbed another. DOH! As soon as I was done with that piece...I thought omgosh, I'm stuffed. Yep I surpassed the I'm not hungry, to I'm completely full. Mission NOT accomplished! Chalk it up to another lesson learned.

So the lesson I learned yesterday - (besides that I'm obsessed with food), there really is a difference eating when I'm hungry and stopping when I'm not. Now if I can just find that happy medium point I may just be able to win this tug of war!