Kari’s Blog

The month of January felt like one big rollercoaster ride for me, and now I think I know partially why!? I have been tracking my weight daily and decided to make a graph of my daily weight from Jan 1 through today - it looks just like a rollercoaster!
(OK pasting it into my post didn’t work….but I uploaded it to my profile pics if anyone is remotely interested in looking at it :P)

Seeing it in picture form like this really helped me…..Looks like I started off strong, got a little off track in the middle of the month, but I’m back on a downward trend, so I’m OK with that!!? For my weigh in today, I am officially 3.2 lbs lighter than I started the year.? It’s not the 5lbs that I had set a goal for, but any progress is positive so I am going to be happy with it and work on losing at least 4lbs in February!
Yesterday I was home sick from work, but I felt well enough in the evening to go to the gym, so I did about 20 minutes on the elliptical machine and an hours worth of great arm strength exercises.? This upper body needs some serious toning for that wedding dress!? Today I’m going to hit the gym at lunchtime for a good 60 minutes of cardio, and some core strength training as well.? I’m lucky to have a boss who doesn’t mind if I sneak 2-hour lunches in once in a while, as long as I’m getting all my work done!
Speaking of work, I better get back to it…happy day, buddies!

First things first - I weighed in this morning and am down 2.0lbs from last week!  That’s good, but it’s a bummer that I had that ’slip up’ week the week before, so really all I’ve done is erase the results of that one.  I’m down 2.8lbs since January 1st.  Hopefully when I take my measurements on Wednesday I’ll see some results there too.

It’s VERY FRUSTRATING for me right now to have these numbers go down so slowly.  I know that 1-2 lbs per week is good, but when I look at less than 3lbs loss in 4 weeks….I want to scream!  At that rate, I won’t be where I need to be for my dress fittings. :(  I know it’s only been a month since I started getting really consistent with tracking calories etc, but it feels like a lot longer than that so I want more results faster!

At the good end of the things, my body fat % has been dropping and has been below 28% for about a week, which was my goal for January.  So there’s still hope that I will accomplish that one!

I’ve also been feeling a lot stronger on my runs lately….no walking up hills, and wanting to push it further & further…so that’s a good sign.  It’s nice to see the results of my persistent exercise in that way, even if the scale monster is still making me mad!

Tonight I have a work-related happy hour to go to, so I’m going to check out the menu of the place we’re going in advance, to decide before we get there what healthy option I will order.  For the “Happy” part I’ll just have one glass of red wine and that’ll do me fine!  Have a great day buddies!

I normally weigh myself first thing each morning & log my weight & body fat % on my little chart.  This morning, I was kind of groggy getting out of bed and forgot to weigh-in before breakfast.  Then I debated with myself….to weigh, or not to weigh?  On the one hand, I didn’t want to have a blank spot on my otherwise full monthly chart, but on the other hand, I had already eaten a big bowl of cereal and drank a large glass of tea and about 16 oz of water.  Well, I weighed, and MAN I shouldn’t have!!!  It showed up at 2.4lbs higher than what I weighed yesterday morning…now I didn’t go over my calories yesterday, and I ran 6 miles yesterday afternoon, so……I HIGHLY doubt I added 2.4lbs of true “weight” in 24 hours.  Tomorrow is my official weigh-in day, so I will definitely be sure to do it at my normal time, right after I wake up!  And if it is still that high, I am going to be pizzzzisssed!!!  I’m on my 7th OP day, and if it gets me no-change/gain from last week….well….I will have a rough time continuing to stay OP!

Anyway.  After the inconsistent weigh-in, I laced up and went for a 5 mile run, so hopefully if any of that 2.4 WAS real gain, I might have made some kind of dent in it.  Grrr.

We’re having friends over for dinner tonight and I’m making a roast w/veggies in our slow cooker….the house smells so good right now!  My big challenge tonight is going to be NOT eating 5 pieces of bread…I love having bread & butter with my roast & salad, but I know I need to focus on getting greens & veggies in me first, then a small piece of roast, and NO bread!! 

Fingers crossed for tomorrow’s weigh-in…ciao buddies!

Man, I’ve done a lot of walking already this weekend! :)? We walked to dinner to meet friends, and I had a lamb gyro, a small caesar salad, and a glass of wine.? Then we went to a movie and I treated myself to a small box of Junior Mints…yum!? When I logged all my food after we got home, I was only 80calories over my target for the day, and I think that’s compensated for since I did an extra run yesterday that I wasn’t planning to do.? In other words - I did it!!!? Five days in a row, OP!? Booyah!

Today we’re walking down to the art museum to see an Egyptian exhibit, then walking to lunch, then walking to the hardware store to get some paint for our bathroom, then home.? After that I’m planning to take the dog for a run in the afternoon because she’s been restless and needs exercise in a bad way.? It’s such a gorgeous day that I think I’ll take her up to the park and run on some trails before they get too muddy again.

So that’s what we’re up to this sunny Saturday…I’m committed to making this a super successful weekend and seeing a significant loss on Monday when I weigh-in!!? Have a great weekend buddies!

Sometimes I don’t really know where my blog titles come from….this is one of those times.
Yesterday I made it a successful 4 OP days in a row!  I’m on such a roll now I’m wondering if I should just go for a full week.  The momentum builds & it is awesome!
I was supposed to go to the gym to meet with my friend & our trainer last night…but in the middle of the day we got an email from him saying that he was sick & wasn’t able to make it.  Oh, but did that stop us from going?  No no no, not even in the least!!  We still went to the gym at the same time that we would have met him, did our warm ups/cardio, targeted strength training (4 different leg exercises), and core/ab work.  It was awesome!!  We really pushed each other & I can feel the results today, so I’m very glad we went.
Regarding the leg exercises from last night; I have noticed that whenever I do lunges, no matter how hard I try to make sure I’m doing them the same on both sides, my right glut is always WAY more sore than my left one the next day.  How weird is that??  I even had my friend watch to see if I was going down further on one side, or lunging farther forward without realizing it something like that.  She didn’t notice anything, so I don’t know what the deal is.  Just one of those strange bodily quirks, I guess!
Tonight my challenge is to find healthy food to eat at a Greek restaurant.  We’re thinking of using this place for our rehearsal dinner and even though we’ve been there before, we want to go have their food again and check out the space through our “wedding eyes” to see how it stacks up.  I think dolmades are probably a good option…grape leaves, rice, lemon, garlic…nothing too bad for me there.  Hummus will be good too, I just need to control the portions on the pita bread.  And maybe sneak a piece or two of lamb from DF’s plate, just to satiate my meat-eating desires. :)  Wish me luck! 
I’ll do my best to check in this weekend, I hope some of my buddies will be around for company!

Today I did something I hadn’t done in several months - did an early morning, outdoor run on a weekday!  I met a friend downtown at 6:30 and we did about 3 miles.  Less than I probably would have done at the gym on the treadmill by myself, but it was soooo much better than being on the treadmill, and we took the dogs so they got some exercise too, and it was foggy and really neat looking outside, and I’m very glad I did it!  I’m still going to the gym this evening to do my 2nd strength session of the week, so I think 3 miles is okay for today.  Tomorrow I’ll go to the gym before work and try to get at least 50 minutes in on the treadmill.  Heck maybe I’ll make it a nice round hour!  I need to up the cardio a bit and burn these calories into history!

I managed to meet my goal for starting this week off right - three OP days in a row!  Hurrah!  This day is off to a great start, so I’m thinking I’ll make it four, just for fun.

I’m meeting another florist this afternoon to talk about wedding flowers…we’re not buying THAT many, since our ceremony is in a garden which will be full of flowers anyhow, but I do want to make sure that we get the best deal possible….it’s so easy to overspend on these things just because it’s “wedding stuff”, but I’m trying to keep it under control where possible. 

It’s been so great to see lots of new faces on BuddySlim this year - this site has been more valuable to me than ever with the increasing participation and all the great support.  Love ya buddies!

A certain someone challenged me to have 3 OP days in a row this week, to get myself over the bumpy weekend I had last week, and I’m happy to say that I’m two for three so far!  Today will be day 3, and I am off to a raring start.  I’m also already starting to see some good results at the scale!  Another certain someone challenged all of us to add 20 minutes of unplanned exercise yesterday, and I did that by taking an extra-long walk with my dog after work.  All that exercise really makes a difference!

After taking a couple of months off from seeing my trainer (holidays, moving, year-end at work, etc), I went back last night and got a great strength training session in.  I am SO lucky to have found this guy.  He only charges $25/session, and he lets a friend & I “double up” - I go to the sessions she pays for, and she comes to mine - so we basically get two for the price of one.  So for $100 a month, I get 8 personal training sessions with my friend. It’s pretty sweet.  Anyway, I do strength training on my own in between, but working with him always pushes me just that little bit farther, helps me keep good form, and I learn lots of new techniques and exercises from him.  So it’s worth the investment.  I’ll be going Tuesdays & Thursdays from now until I decide I don’t want to spend the money anymore.

Anyhooooo, not much else to say - I’m having a great week so far and I’m going to try REALLY hard not to blow is this coming weekend!  Too much hard work is going into this to let it slip away again!

Thanks to the support of my great buddies, Miss Jo’s challenge for 3 OP days in a row, and my general newfound bounce-back-ness, this week is off to a great start!  I know nothing I’ve done so far has completely erased the 2lbs that found me last week, but I’m back in the groove and I know if I stay on track I’ll be a much happier camper at next Monday’s weigh-in.

I am thrilled to report that yesterday I was 100% OP!  I did my workout in the morning, stayed within my calorie range for the day, and even drank all my water!  Today has started off on a good note too; I got to the gym and did the elliptical for 45 minutes, had a healthy breakfast here at work (yogurt & a banana) and have a Lean Cuisine waiting for me in the fridge for lunch.  It’s great to have things back under control again.

Last night, DF & I made our honeymoon reservations, so I’m very excited about that!  We’re going to stay at a bed & breakfast called <a href=”http://www.innatshipbay.com/”>Inn at Ship Bay</a> in the San Juan Islands up off the coast of Washington state.  The place we chose is such a gorgeous little inn, close to a state park with lots of hiking & biking opportunities, and just out of the way & quiet & relaxing.  It’s so exciting to be actually MAKING these plans now, instead of just dreaming & thinking about them.  July is going to be here before I know it - and I’ll be fit & ready to enjoy every minute!

I have had a weekend & a half in the past two days, let me tell you.  I had pizza on four - count them - FOUR separate occasions between Friday night & Sunday night.  I didn’t eat a lot of it - no more than two pieces each time - but still.  That can’t be good.  Add in a slab of birthday cake with a big scoop of ice cream on it at a birthday celebration on Saturday night….and the cake-tasting I did for our wedding cake selection on Saturday afternoon…and I don’t think anyone (least of all me!) will be surprised to hear that I gained back 2.2lbs since my weigh-in last week.

I have to acknowledge to myself & my buddies that I got into a little bit of a “who cares” attitude this weekend when I realized all the challenges that I would have coming my way.  And I overdid on treats & snacks, and I skipped my Saturday run, and hey, what do you know:  it shows in my results for the week.

However, the great news is that I am NOT letting this get me down!  No, I’m using it as a way to kick my butt back into gear and strive for my best week of 2007 yet!!  I got up early this morning and did a 4 mile run on the treadmill at the gym before coming to work.  I am 100% on plan so far today (Sure, it’s only 9am but hey, small successes, right?!?), and I have accepted Jo’s much needed challenge to start my week off with three OP days in a row!  I have no doubt whatsoever that I can and will do this - and I am so very thankful to have great buddies who look out for me & make me step up to the plate when I need to!

When all is said & done, right now I am only 1.0lb lighter than when I started 2007.  However!  It’s Mr. TOM’s visit in a couple of days, so part of my 2.2lbs might be related to that.  AND, I haven’t taken my new measurements again, and won’t do that until the 1st of Feb, so there’s still a good chance that I’m losing inches somewhere.  I have to believe I’m doing something right - I went shopping with my mom this weekend and brought home a piece of clothing in a size 6.  SIX!  Vanity sizing be damned, I don’t care if they’re putting smaller #s on the same clothes, it felt great!!

If only life were rational, you know??  The first two weeks of the year I was so busy at work, yet I managed to stay so easily on plan and get all my exercise in.  This week it finally slows down, and other things pile on (weather, etc), and it’s turning out to be a not-so-great week for me. 

Yesterday I didn’t blog because I was home from work with what I think may have been the first migraine of my life.  It was horrible, lasted all day, wasn’t helped by water, meds, or anything, and I was SO sensitive to light….even the idea of sitting in front of a computer screen made it hurt more.  So sorry for being absent buddies!!  But I’m back today.

Today is my busy busy busy day, I leave in about an hour to get started on it and then have appontments/committment all the way through to 8pm tonight, so I won’t be getting my cardio in. :(  I will do some crunches, push-ups, and a few other weight-training exercises before I go to bed tonight, and I am planning on counting the days I do those as “exercise” days, because strength training is a big part of building muscle to burn fat & tone up, so it should count even if it doesn’t bring the number on the scale down as quickly.

After my weigh-in this morning, I’m exactly where I started the week….so if I want to see week over week loss I’m going to need to be VERY good today…..which will be difficult.  But I am going to think of all my super-committed buddies, my Memorial Day Challenge, and those rewards I promised myself when I meet my January goals, so I know I can do it!!  Plus I will run tomorrow morning for a good hour or so and sneak in some more calories burning before the big weigh-in on Monday.  Fingers crossed!!