Week Eleven, days five, six and seven....

Day five, Friday.....today I was a bit sore from my massage, and felt a little droopy all around. She said that I might feel that way because of all the toxins released...so I'm just trying to drink a LOT of water to flush it all out. I decided to take a rest day (sort of) and not do my usual pilates and weights today since I didn't want to push it and have a long work weekend ahead of me, so I just did some yoga which was nice to stretch everything out. Then off to work!

Day six, Saturday....today it was back to the gym for my weight training and cardio. I did a similar workout to what I did with my trainer on Wednesday, and then did my day five running stuff (20 minute run, 5 "strides", 6 minute run). It was a great and strenuous workout, but I'm just glad I felt back to normal energy wise and wasn't so sore today! It was good that I took a little break yesterday :) Then off to work again for a busy Saturday night!!

Day seven, Sunday....today I woke up with awful cramps and feeling the most bloated I've EVER been. Yuck. But I guess it is good timing because Sunday is a rest day anyway. So I took some painkillers, went to church in the AM and then off to work!

Week Eleven, days three and four....

Day Three, Wednesday....today I went to train with my trainer in the morning, and realized that this is my second to last session! So only one more next Wednesday, and then I'll be off to San Diego and will have to re-evaluate the plan. I wasn't necessarily planning on doing the training long-term, but it is so beneficial that I might just do a longer session every other week or something. If I decide I can afford it, I would definitely still do it weekly :) Anyway, she worked me hard as usual, and after training I did a half-hour of cardio, 15 minutes on the elliptical (med-high resistance) and then did the sideways running/sprinting intervals on the treadmill for 15 minutes. Great workout!! Then I had the rest of the afternoon/evening off to do some appointments (I had my first checkup in 2 years! Yay health insurance! Now I just have to schedule that dentist appt....ick), get groceries, and hang out. Sooo nice.

Day Four, Thursday.....this morning I went to my Pilates class at the gym which was again greatly challenging and rigorously worked my core!! Eben said he would come with me to class when he is home on leave, so I am anxious to see how he takes to the Pilates...it can be very challenging at first even if you are in awesome shape! Then after that I did my day three running stuff which is 10 minute run/5 "strides", repeat three times. After my workout I went over to the massage place next to my gym and made an appt. for later in the day, something I have been meaning to do for a LONG time. It was AMAZING! And very reasonably priced too, with the discount I get for being a member at my gym. They have a monthly membership deal where you get a monthly massage for $42 and anything additional is $35. So I'm going to try to make that happen once a month. My masseuse also happened to be engaged to a Marine! What are the odds....so it was nice to talk to her about her experience a little...her fiancee is just at the end of his four year contract and is officially out in a few months! He was stationed in Hawaii for four years....yeah, I could probably deal with that!

Anyway, she said that with all the working out and training and the physical stress of my job, it would really help me to come in once a month. I agreed. And now that I am in the mindset of doing nice things for myself and my body, I think I can definitely make that happen. It was also just so nice, toward the end of this crazy phase in my life, to have someone take care of ME for a bit! I have just been missing that physical, caring contact a lot too I think. But, having to take my own care so seriously of late has also made me realize that I don't have to wait for someone else to take care of me, I have every right to say "I need a massage today" or "I need to get more sleep, thank you very much. I am tired." and to realize that other people have to respect those decisions. And to not feel self-indulgent or guilty for saying so. Because so often Eben would make me slow down, relax, comfort me when I was stressed out, give me massages, reassure me, etc...and now that he's gone I have learned to provide myself with that support, care and comfort...and to realize that that is not only OK but absolutely necessary :) Man I am just learning lessons all over the place. All good things....

Week Eleven, days one and two....

Wow, week ELEVEN!! I realized I really only have two more weigh-ins before I leave for San Diego! So my week thirteen is cut short by my vacation....I'm going to be 126 when I get on that plane!! Two weeks from today!

Day One, Monday....today I was back to working my Monday double, and because it's slowed down a LOT at the restaurant it wasn't really that bad. I was done with my morning shift around 2:00 and had three hours to enjoy lunch with my coworkers, do a little shopping/returning at the mall, and sit in Panera and read for an hour or so before I had to go back to work. So though I didn't make as much as I have been lately, it's kind of nice how relaxed it's been lately :) So no working out, as I was away all day!

Day Two, Tuesday...today I had to work lunch at the restaurant, and it was even slower than Monday!! I was done by 1:30 which was great because I planned on hitting the gym to get a cardio workout in on my way home. I had a date with my friend Tom to do dinner and get my hair cut (he has been my hair guru, and I don't use that word lightly or ironically, for the past...seven??...years now) so I wanted to get my workout in before that and still be able to leave for his house before rush hour since he lives about 45 minutes away, on the opposite side of the cities from me. I did the day one running plan but was starting to feel my stomach starting to eat itself which was sort of unpleasant :( It's hard when I work out at odd times of the day (especially after work it seems) because I just can't have the energy I need because I can't really eat at the right times. I tried to have a meal replacement bar about an hour before my workout, but it wasn't quite enough. I have heard that it takes about two hours for your body to really be able to start burning what you have eaten, so I guess what is in your stomach two hours before your workout has to be enough to get you through. Anyway, I was happy to be able to squeeze a workout in and then I had a fabulous evening (and even more fabulous haircut) with Tom!!

Week Ten results!!

It's the day of reckoning....SO CLOSE to my goal...
So I got on the scale this morning for my weekly weigh-in, and.....130!!!!!
I have officially reached my goal!!!! What a crazy feeling....after ten weeks of this, I have lost a total of twenty pounds and set into place a lot of good habits that I'm hoping will carry over into the future. I know I will stay active, but may scale down a little, and my eating may not be quite as strict (but let's be honest, I cheated in lots of small ways anyway and it didn't seem to matter all that much). But I think the two pound a week thing is a really easy, healthy goal and totally attainable for anyone.
So for the next 2 1/2 weeks until I leave for San Diego I'm going to keep at it, and see how much more I can lose and tone up. I would be really happy with an extra 2-4 pounds off. If I could be between 126-128 lbs, I think it would be a great place for me to begin my "maintenance" routine. It will be interesting to see how the loss sticks...I have complete confidence it will, unless I fall completely off the wagon eating wise, or completely stop going to the gym, which I don't see happening. Like I said before, I have definitely changed my habits, but haven't been a slave to the new plan, so I have been eating what I like here and there in smaller portions, enjoying a drink every so often, but for the most part being pretty good. I never have, in the whole ten weeks, felt like I was depriving myself food or craving something that was bad for me. Quite the opposite, a lot of the time I feel like I am forcing myself to eat MORE when I'm not all that hungry to keep my metabolism fueled.
I think that since it came off so gradually, and naturally, there is a high likelihood that I can maintain this current weight. I really really believe that anything that is worth achieving is going to take hard work...so I did this the old-school way, but I'm telling you, it works! Anyone looking for a quick fix with pills or starving themselves or whatever is not going to find it, it always comes back. So though 2 pounds a week sometimes seemed like a snail's pace (we all want gratification NOW, right? Especially when we are working so damn HARD at something!!) it was really good to take it slow and realize that the end progress would be so worth it :) Also, gradual, bit-by-bit changes in habits and routine over ten weeks is MUCH easier to incorporate into your life with hope that it will become your permanent habits...Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say, so waking up one day and saying that you are going to change your entire life around TODAY and hoping that it will stick forever is just futile.
So....here's to reaching my goal!! What am I going to do to celebrate? I feel like I must commemorate somehow. This is big :)
And, here's to keeping the momentum for another two 1/2 weeks! Or just hitting the gym enough that I keep busy and distracted because the time between me and Eben right now is just dragging by!

Week Ten, days five through seven....

Week Ten is over! Weigh in tomorrow....it felt really great to get back to the routine, and happy to say I made all my workouts this week for the first time since before Christmas!! YAY :) Here's the recap:

Day Five, Friday.....my third and last day off! Today I just took care of a bunch of errands and to-do things like getting my passport renewal stuff together and sent off (exciting....because I know I'll probably need it soon! For what or when exactly, I don't know. Welcome to my life). I did some pilates and weights/training at home, but I was actually feeling quite sore in my abs from my training session Wednesday and Pilates class Thursday!! Then a quiet night at home (after I took myself out to dinner) reading and backing up my hard drive on the old laptop. Sounds thrilling, I know, but believe me it was one of the best nights in recent memory! I'm really digging my unstructured alone time :)

Day Six, Saturday.....today I went to the gym to do some weight stuff, and pretty much did what I did with my trainer on Wednesday plus some other things with machines, etc. Then I ran for about 35 minutes, the day five running stuff. Then got ready for work, my first night back after a blissful three days off! It was busy, but nothing compared to the holiday madness of the past few months. Kinda nice! I'm not going to be making any money, but at least I'll have my sanity. After last week, I'll take the sanity, please.

Day Seven, Sunday....no working out today! Or tomorrow, because I'm back to the Monday doubles!! Here's hoping for 130 tomorrow when I get on that scale!!

Workout tally for the week:

Cardio: 4

Resistance: 3

Pilates/Yoga: 3

Week Ten, day four

Day Four, Thursday....first of all I just want to express how lovely and amazing it is to have free time again!! I haven't been doing a whole lot besides relaxing and reading and watching movies, occasionally seeing friends (and of course working out) which has been very therapeutic for me. Just what I needed! It has been bitterly cold here and we got more snow last night, so it is hard to get motivated to leave the house....and to be perfectly honest, I don't really want to! I feel like I'm re-charging my batteries in a way, so needed.
Anyway, this morning I went to my pilates class for the first time in four weeks! We did a lot of stuff with the exercise ball and it was feeling pretty tough, but a great workout as always! It was good to be back :) Then after class I ran eight minute intervals at a pace that was pushing it a little more than usual, most all of it on an elevation of one to two. I did eight minutes of running with a one minute walk, for thirty minutes! After all that I was feeling pretty spent, in a good way. I am happy to report that the scale seems to be moving again, and I think that 130 is totally reachable by Monday!!
Oh, and I FINALLY got not just one letter, but TWO from Eben!! It was wonderful to hear from him after such a long and emotionally wracked wait, and to hear that not much has changed with him in the ten days since his last letter. So excited to see him three weeks from today!!!!

Week Ten, days one thru three...

So it's a new week....I have put the craziness of the holidays, the emotional breakdowns, the stressful work hours behind me and am ready to tackle the last leg of the race! I can't believe in three weeks I will be at the end of the thirteen weeks and in San Diego!! (Which by the way is around 74 degress and sunny right now) Between now and then I am going to shed those last few pounds of fat, continue to build my muscle and endurance, and try to incorporate my pilates practice more into my everyday routine. And thankfully, work less!!! I am so so happy about that part :) Here's the recap...

Day One, Monday....today I was scheduled to work my Monday double but I had given up my evening shift earlier in the week because I knew I would be fried by then....SO glad I did that. Anyway, it was really really slow at work since most people are back to school/work after their holiday vacations, and I hate to say it but I LOVED that it was slow!! It was so relaxing and I actually got to spend time with my tables! So though I didn't really make great money, I don't really care! I was scheduled in "A" which means I could have been put in one of the two closing sections, but they put me in a non-closing A section which means that I didn't have to stay late and since it was slow I actually got out around 2, which was great because I had a couple hours then free that I wasn't expecting! So I took care of some errands on the way home and felt pretty good so I did some pilates and then went to the gym to do my day one running routine! It felt good to be back and to have some energy left over, even after work and working out! After my workout, my fabulous friend Jake treated me to dinner and we went to a movie, it was just what I needed.

Day Two, Tuesday....today I was again scheduled to work lunch in "A" so again I expected to close and be there til around 4:30....but there was some mix up with people switching shifts and the fact that there is another Heather at my work and I ended up being put in a C section by mistake, so definitely not closing! I'll take it. I got out around 2:30 and ran some errands, by the time I got home I felt kinda sleepy and just like relaxing, reading, etc. I was kinda expecting a letter but I again got no word (it's been 8 days now and no word, grrr) so that made me sad all over again....but my wonderful sister was there for me and let me cry/vent and made me feel better :) So no working out, but I badly needed a rest day at the end of my six day work week!

Day Three, Wednesday....the start of my three-day vacation!! This morning I had my weekly training session with my trainer and again she worked me real hard!! I believe I have just two more sessions left which actually works out perfectly because I have two more Wednesdays after this one, and then the third Wednesday I'll be on a plane to San Diego!! After my training I did the day three running stuff, and tried to do most of it on an elevation which was definitely a good workout!! By the time I was done I had gone almost four miles in 40 minutes (which includes five minutes of interspersed rest time) and burned over 400 calories! Yikes. I am noticing just in the past few weeks I don't feel as sore after my training or running, or even after long shifts after a day of running, so I guess that means I am getting into better shape! Yay! Tomorrow I am really looking forward to going to pilates class again...it was cancelled the last two weeks because the holidays fell on Thursdays, and the week before I was sick...so I'm real excited to get back to it! I know THAT will make me sore :) It was wonderful to have the day off, and I have Thursday AND Friday off too!! OMG it's so great to have free time to relax, see friends, work out whenever I want!!

Oh...by the way...I had to get new work pants last week because my old ones (which were new like two months ago) were waaaay too big, it was getting uncomfortable and the possibility of them falling off completely was really not an exaggeration. I went to the same store on the chance that they would still have ones like the ones I had bought two months ago because I really liked them and they washed nicely which is important in my job ;) I found the exact same pants, and ended up buying the same exact pair TWO SIZES SMALLER!!! And they fit very comfortably, even a little bit of room :) Woohoo!!! It's moments like those that make all this work and sweat so very worth it!