Here's the dealio...

I am worn out, and it's only the beginning. I have 6 or 7 weeks left of this! :( I haven't been eating right or even tracking regularly for over a week now. And, even though my physical activity has been mild, I feel like I am running on empty.

Let's just say work might become the death of me! lol

Today, I am getting myself organized. Here is what I want to accomplish:

- Get my office into some sort of organized chaos (eval process starts next month - eek!)
- Write out my exercise plan for the next 2 1/2 weeks (I have to be out of the office and working nights on more than one occasion)
- Prepare a menu plan to stick to that will work with my crazy work schedule (I might have to look to some processed "diet" food for the time being just to keep my calories on point during this crazy time)

If I can get those three things accomplished, I won't feel so overwhelmed anymore. I mean, I will still feel overwhelmed, but it won't be quite as bad. ;) Just for an example, I came in on Tuesday and ended up finding out that I had to go do training in Lafayette that afternoon/night. It was a misunderstanding, and I just sucked it up. It's the little things like that I am worried about throwing off my best planning.

I just keep telling myself that everything will be ok. :)

Feeling pretty good.

Despite the obvious Easter candy setbacks, I have been doing pretty well. :) Last week was rough with work, so I didn't get in as many workouts as I would have liked. However, I am not letting any of those things derail me.

I think I am about to start my period soon. I have been irritable and exhausted regardless of how much sleep I get. Yesterday, I came home and took a 2-3 hour nap. I ate dinner, did P90x Arms & Shoulders, showered and went to bed by midnight. I also took a Melatonin, which may have been the problem. When my alarm went off at 7am, I turned it off accidentally and didn't get up until Michael was walking out the door. All in all, I had about 9 hours at least. But, I'm STILL dragging ass! It's right about time for Aunt Flo, so it makes sense. I guess I should get back on my birth control to see if it will help. I've been off for about 2 months or so. It hasn't necessarily been on purpose; I'm just absentminded sometimes.

Tonight, I am going to do chest & back with Melody. I really need to get some good cardio in, too. This Sunday is the Strawberry Strut 10k. We may also be doing a 5k the night before. So, I would like to get at least two runs in this week - maybe a 2/3 miler and a 4/5 miler. If I do the treadmill tonight, I would like to do a road run on Thursday.

So, I have decided that I want to plan a Bikini Day. This will be the day that I find my new summer suit (or at least start the hunt!). I want to use this as a mini goal/deadline. I haven't decided on the day, but I am looking at April 30th, May 7th and May 14th (at the latest). April 30th would give me a little over three weeks, and May 7th is right at a month. I want to check with Melody, but I think May 7th will be the day. Part of my goal is to post a pic of me in my new bikini to show my progress. The whole point of this is to get myself on the very brink of where I want to be, so that I can use the last 2-3 weeks before my birthday to chisel at the problem areas. I want to be in the low 120s by my birthday. More importantly, I want my body fat to be under 20% by then.

I know I can do it.

I got the feva...

Yes, I have been struck with baby fever again!! It was so bad yesterday... While I was grocery shopping, I stood and stared at the pregnancy tests wondering if I should buy one or two knowing full well that I am NOT pregnant! I keep telling myself that once we go to Disney it's game on, buuut..... I still have races that I want to do. Shit, an Ironman at that! And, honestly, I would need to get pregnant in late August/early September at the latest to make sure I don't go into the Summer for my due date. I would love to have an April due date, but would need to conceive in like July for that to happen. Since we will be at Disney in October, that is not an option. I guess I could be pregnant in Disney, but I don't want to be. I want to be a kid in the parks and enjoy the food & wine festival that will be going on. I don't want to have to hold back because I'm pregnant. Also, I am really pressing for us to vacation in Europe before kids. If Michael gets this promotion, we might be able to wing it next Summer. A Mediterranean cruise would be superb. In my perfect world, we would do Disney this year, finish my Ironman and then get pregnant in Europe next year. However, I see us getting pregnant sooner than that simply because we are both aching for a baby. The only thing that helps me keep my "perfect world" goal in view is that once the baby comes, everything changes.

Well, that and the fact that my ass will probably double in size when I'm pregnant.

I have come to realize that there are no good times to lose weight. There will always be something going on. Last week was Andrea's bachelorette party, and this week I have the OLOL Gala and Daniel & Andrea's wedding. The next week is Bunco, and the list goes on. The point is that you have to be ready for these things. Even if you have a week where you don't think anything will sabotage you, something WILL come up. So, you have to do your absolute best everyday to prepare for those slip-up nights/events that you can't get out of. And, hey, if for some reason you really don't have anything going on, then you just did yourself an added favor. Look at each day as the day before your cheat day. Sacrifice now for later.

Day 1 - again, kind of.

So, last week was an overall success. I did not make the Fat Boy 5k because I made the mistake of staying out the night before. We had going-away party for one of our providers, and I did not plan to go until my boss called asking me about it. Two beers later, I was easily convinced by some co-workers to hang out downtown. It was fun, and I hadn't done that in a while. However, it cost me precious sleep for the run. I am so proud to say that Michael went on without me and finished the race in about 40 minutes! This was hit first race, and I am so proud of him!!! He wants to do the lakes with me soon - maybe Friday when he's off. :)

This week marks the start of tracking again. Ugh. It's a pain, but see my last Wednesday's post for the reasons why it's a necessity.

Yesterday, I had some bad stomach cramps that I had to fight through in order to finish my workout. Because I am following a plan, I refused to not get it done. I think the reason for my upset tummy was my sodium intake from the weekend. My stomach felt like it was full of gas, and if I could just fart or burp (sorry for sounding gross!), that I would feel so much better. I could even tell when I was working out that my body had extra water stored up. My arms were swelling to the point that I had to move my armband with my iPhone down because it was so uncomfortable. So, while most people stress out about carbs and fat, you should always watch your sodium intake. Too much salt causes you to retain water and is bad for your kidneys.

Day 4 - I wanna hit the floor.

I guess it could be worse. My arms were definitely not as sore as I expected them to be today. They are sore, but I was expecting to not be able to lift a pencil after yesterday! lol I know it only hurt so much because I was sore from chest and back.

Instead of Ab Ripper X and back today, Melody and I are going to do cardio and legs. Saturday, we have a 5k, so Thursday and Friday's routines are being switched to make Friday lighter. The last thing you want is to run on extremely sore legs!

I'm pretty proud of myself so far this week. My diet and exercise have been great! Last night, Melody and I made our own personal sized version of Papa Murphy's Herb Chicken Mediterranean pizza. It was phenomenal!! Healthy, too! I listed the recipe below.

Homemade Herb Chicken Mediterranean Pizza
- 1 Whole Wheat Pita (we used the all natural ones from Our Daily Bread)
- 1/2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1 tsp Fresh chopped garlic
- 1/4 cup Fresh chopped spinach
- 1/4 cup Fresh chopped basil
- 1/4 cup Fat free shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1.5 oz Goat cheese crumbles
- 1 Tbsp Sun dried tomatoes
- 4 oz of diced chicken breast

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the chicken and garlic together until done (season with dried herbs of your choice). Drizzle olive oil on pita and lightly top with half of the shredded mozzarella. Add diced chicken and garlic, then cover with remaining ingredients. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheeses are melted.

Absolutely delish!!

Happy Little Green Man Day!

Day 3 - so far, so good.

One thing about membership parties at the gym is that they always attract a crowd. Crowds are great for business, but suck for regulars in Spin. Oh well. I still got my Ab Ripper X and lower back exercises in yesterday.

Today, Melody and I are working arms & shoulders, followed by Ashley's Spin class. We plan to do the weights before, so we will already be at the gym when the sign-in sheet comes out. I am trying to revert back to the "baby steps" approach. I had gotten so comfortable with being in a healthy lifestyle, that I felt immune to the failures that come with overloading yourself. The truth is that no matter what level you are at, there is always the risk of failure. This week I have been focusing on sticking to the work-out routine. Obviously, I always try to eat well, and now being more conscious than ever. Next week, I will start back with daily tracking. Melody and I are going to have to keep each other accountable there. It's so easy to be lazy and say, "Oh, I know I didn't go over my calories today." But, the truth is that you don't really know until you write it down. No matter how good your intentions are, the calories can add up FAST.

Perfect example - last night on Biggest Loser they had a cooking challenge. One team fixed a beautiful meal of salmon, wild rice and broccoli. However, they left the skin on the salmon (where a lot of the fat is located). That pushed the calorie count of the meal to 557. It's the little things that can damage you if you're not careful. Tracking helps you keep everything in perspective. If you're killing yourself at the gym, and the scale is barely moving or not moving at all, then all of your efforts might be being sabotaged by your diet without you even realizing it.

So, as much of a pain in the ass as it can be, track, track, TRACK YOUR CALORIES when you're trying to lose weight/cut fat/tone up.

*Yaaaawn*

So sleepy.... This caffeine fast is taking a toll on me. :( I might start taking a Guarana supplement in the morning to help with the drain. Part of today's problem might be that I tried to go to bed early last night, but had a hard time staying asleep. I kept waking up with a small cough, so I took about 1/2 a dose of my Rx cough syrup. Not sure what time that was, but it may be part of the reason I am dragging so bad today.

So, yesterday, I ended up doing P90x Chest & Back (w/worksheet in the gym), a 30 minute cardio treadmill run and 30 minutes on the stair stepper with 8 lbs weights in each hand. I am definitely sore today, but it's a good sore.

The stair stepper routine is basically this:
2 minutes w/no weights on level 10
1 minute hammer curls or tricep pulls w/weights on level 8
2 minutes w/no weights on level 10
Turn around and repeat. Try not to hold onto the bars as much as possible the entire time.

I felt fantastic!! It reminded me of when I first started and felt how working out really affected my mood in a positive way. I didn't track yesterday, but I know my caloric intake was pretty much perfect. If I keep this up, I will hit my target in no time.

The plan for today is to hit up Spin, maybe Body Pump, Ab Ripper X and lower back. All Spectrums are having a member party tonight, so anyone gets in free! If you're up for a party and some quality gym time, tonight is the night! :)