Day Two ... Accountability Test

Not too much interesting going on here. I'm talking to an old classmate from my MBA program about a job posting at his company this afternoon. Not a perfect fit from the description, but nothing's perfect. I'll let you know if I decide it is worth pursuing. I decided to apply for a part-time position at the local library. Too bad the one in our neighborhood hasn't been built yet, or I could walk to work :) I'll let you know if they hire me - hopefully someone will :)

I have been trying to be better about eating. I was good yesterday until dinner. I should have eaten more as the day progressed - note to self for the future. Actually, my old WW meeting leader said that we shouldn't say "I was good." or "I was bad." when it comes to food. We should just talk about the choices we have made and if we could make better choices. So, my choices yesterday were good until dinner. Actually, until I went in the hot tub at 6:30pm. That's when I decided to have a beer. It just sounded lovely. But today I have made better choices. I'll post yesterday's menu first (in chronological order) and then today's so far (it's 3:49pm PST).

Monday:
1-1/2 cups Cheerios
1-1/2 cups Light & Fit non-fat yogurt
2% milk
coffee
apple
1 Corona Light beer
1-1/2 cups of spaghetti
1/2 cup marinara sauce
3 meatballs
1 glass of red wine
2 servings of snaps pretzels
1 Corona Light beer

Tuesday (before 4pm):
2% milk
coffee
2-1/2 cups Cheerios
1 apple
1 Greek salad (lettuce, tomato, 8 olives, onion, 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles) no dressing at Panera's (I successfully avoided the bagel! :) Yeah me!)

My goal is to continue to make good choices for the remainder of the day. (Spaghetti was my downfall yesterday. WW says 1 serving of spaghetti and meatballs is 16 points!) We are going out to dinner tonight, so I may have a glass of wine or two. I know I can go to dinner without drinking, but if I can work it into my points, I'm going to indulge. But I'm going to balance that with a healthy dinner (no pizza!) But, I do think that I am going to save beer/alcohol for every once in a while (like when I go out) as I had been doing for the past 1-1/2 years. I agree with Jodi's comment, if it isn't in the house, it won't be a temptation. I usually don't think about having a beer until I see my Mom or Dad with a cocktail, so if I don't have it, I don't think I'll miss it. And Kim, thanks for your idea about the non-alcoholic beer. I've never tried it before, so it is something to think about.

Thanks for helping me hold myself accountable. I think I will get the hang of this during these 7 days of reporting to you all.

Day One

Okay, all I have to report today is what I ate yesterday. I super embarrassed to admit it, but I promised, so here it goes:

1 cup coffee w/ 2% milk
1 cup Cheerios
1 Cinnamon Crunch bagel at Panera's
1/2 oz. hazelnut cream cheese at Panera's
1 large hazelnut coffee w/ 2% milk at Panera's
1 pork chop (lean)
1 cup green beans
1 baked potato (plain)
1+ Corona light beers
1-1/2 servings of snaps pretzels

I was so good when I lived alone, I never kept beer in the house. Now it is a temptation. I'm going to see if I can keep myself from having beer every evening (my parents usually have a cocktail before dinner). If I can't succeed, I'm going to ask my Mom to stop buying beer because I'm the only one who really drinks it and no one will care if it isn't in the house. I'll keep you posted. Tomorrow I'll post what I ate today. I know, not one of my more interesting posts, but you guys are keeping me accountable. Thanks!

New Bad Eating Habits

I have started a new habit. When I go to the library, I stop at Panera's and get a Cinnamon Crunch bagel with hazelnut cream cheese. Usually I share it with my mom, but today I ate one by myself. At first I thought she was crazy for ordering one, now it has become a pattern I need to stop. I think I have only been having one per week, but that's like 3 too many each month! :) I think I have recognized the pattern in the nick of time. I think it has only been about 3 weeks that we've been stopping at Panera's. I never used to eat bagels and now I'm having at least one per week - eek! But I did go back to my roots yesterday and when we were out I had a big salad with salmon and no dressing. Now I know a salmon fillet is a lot of points, but because it was a late lunch, we didn't need dinner. (But in an effort for full disclosure, that meant that I ate 1-1/2 soft pretzels for dinner. Not good.)

I need to get back on track with my eating habits. I didn't officially weigh in last week because I wanted to go to the WW meeting tomorrow morning. The scale said 137.5 vs. 136.2 at WW the week before, but I don't remember what my mom's scale had said the week before, so it isn't an apples to apples comparison. I think I might try blogging about what I've eaten every day to insure accountability. I'm going to promise to do it for a week and see how it goes. It will be embarrassing, but at least it will make me face the music since WW etools hasn't been enough of a wake up call for me!

Back in the Saddle

I feel much better today. I ran my 8, 8 & 5 minute intervals yesterday and felt good afterward. I am much more confident running for 8 minutes than running for 10 minutes, but I'm going to work up to 10 minutes at a time. I think tomorrow I am going to do three 8 minute runs, walking for 2-3 minutes between each. I am no longer following C25K because they want you to run for 20 minutes at least at this point and I'm just not capable of that at this point. I wish I was still on the program, but I feel better doing what works for me rather than push myself doing something I'm not ready to do.

Today my Mom and I went with her hiking group to the Red & Black Mountains in Boulder City, NV. We hiked for 6.5 miles. It was tough going up. There was a lot of loose rock and I only had running shoes on. Actually, the shoes are coming apart. The stitching is gone on both of them. They definitely need replaced. I think I am going to get another pair of New Balance. I have been running in them and haven't had any foot problems, so I feel kind of loyal to them. The view from the top was amazing. You could see the Las Vegas strip in the distance to the north and Lake Mead sort of south east. Very cool. It continues to amaze me what my body is now able to accomplish. I feel inspired again. I'm definitely running tomorrow and I think we might hike again on Saturday.

Thanks for all your support! As always, I appreciate your comments immensely.

Losing my Motivation

So to answer the burning question ... Did she do pilates? I must admit the answer is no.

I have been uber-lazy the past few days. I'm not sure why. It isn't like I couldn't fit the exercise into my "busy" schedule. I guess, like everyone else, I get into moods when I lack motivation to move. It is just easier to surf the net or lay like broccoli in front of the TV. Or, I say I'm "busy" with errands and household chores and applying for jobs, even though I could totally push those items off my to do list for a hour or two and work out. I guess the important thing is not why I lose motivation, but dusting myself off and jumping back on the proverbial horse so that I don't go down the "slippery slope." I will put it in writing ... I am going running/walking today. There, see, now I can't back out! :) My Mom likes to walk to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, so I go with her and then run home. I'm going to extend my route home today so that I can add onto my work out. My plan is to do two 8 minute running intervals and then a 5 minute run. I haven't run for that many minutes total before, but I have done longer intervals, so I think I'll be able to handle it. It should be interesting.

I have decided to skip my WW weigh-in this week in favor of attending a meeting next Tuesday. I think the meeting leader is someone I will like listening to for a 1/2 hour and I figure I will just weigh myself on my Mom's scale on Thursday. It feels weird not to go this week, but they told me that they were only giving me "courtesy weigh-ins" since I'm Lifetime and they won't write my weight in my book. I guess they won't write in my book until February, since I think the rule is that you have to go back during Lifetime once a month to get weighed. I suppose it makes sense, but I often wonder how much scientific research went into making up these rules. I'll let you know next week if I found a kindred spirit in this meeting leader. Fingers crossed! Have I in the last 5 minutes that I miss my old leader Melvin :( Sorry, had to give the shout out. I know, I'm a little stalker-y, but I think a restraining order will be unnecessary.

Okay, time to get back to work. Take care!

Music to Workout to ...

So Kim over at Discovering Me recently asked everyone what music they listen to when they workout. A lot of great song lists were posted in the comments. Today I saw an article on NYTimes.com about the "right" kind of music to workout to entitled They're Playing My Song. Time to Work Out. They talk about how many beats per minute (B.P.M.) a song has ...

"... For a stroll walker going at a pace of around 3 miles an hour, a remixed track has a count of 115 to 118 B.P.M.; for a power walker going 4.5 m.p.h., the count is 137 to 139 B.P.M., while the B.P.M. for a runner elevates to 147 to 160...." Supposedly dance music is consistently in the 120 to 140 B.M.P. range, and so is a lot of rock music.

It's a very interesting article and has some links to playlists. I need to update my iPod with new (to me) music I've gotten out of the library (Keane, White Stripes, No Doubt, The Shins). I need to make a run/walking mix. I haven't run since Friday - today I just took a walk with my mom. Lazy, I know. I might do pilates tonight, but I said that last night as well. Will she? Won't she? It's all very exciting and cliffhangery, I know :)

Not Sure What to Call This One

Thanks so much for all the pilates advice. I had no idea there were so many devotees out there. I'm definitely going to do it again, but with a mat or towel under me b/c my tailbone hurt for about a day and a half afterwards. In fact, I may do it tonight.

So, the WW chicken/broccoli recipe turned out nicely, but I didn't use broccoli. I substituted green beans and it turned out fine. Just put salt, pepper and thyme on chicken cutlets. Put garlic in pan and brown. Then brown chicken. Add chicken broth and bring to boil. Add vegetables and allow to cook through. I served it with rice, but I didn't eat it. It was good.

I discovered on WW etools today that I have been TOTALLY overestimating the number of activity points I get from hiking. I had been putting in too many hours. I realized it today b/c my mom and I went on a short hike for only about an hour and it was only 3 activity points. Oh well. It makes much more sense now :)

I've decided for the time being to not apply to be a WW receptionist. I'm just not totally comfortable with WW meetings in Vegas yet and I don't want to push it unnaturally by having to work at the various locations. I think I might have found a meeting leader I like. She was the receptionist when I weighed in on Friday and she said she has a meeting at that location on Tuesdays. So I'm planning on stopping by in the next week or so. I didn't stay for the meeting on Friday morning because I didn't like the vibe I was getting from the meeting leader who was walking around talking with people and she looked anorexic and that worried me. (Oh, and the last meeting I sat through the leader said that we were all there because we were all food addicts and WW is like our 12 step program. I totally disagree with her and think it is quite dangerous to be throwing out terms like that when you don't know what they mean. I think it is possible that she thinks she made up the term and doesn't realize that there really are people out there who have an addiction to food/certain kinds of food.)

Okay, the hot tub is warm enough now for a dip :) Talk to you later!

Pilates!

I just finished my mom's pilates DVD. It was very interesting. I've never done pilates before. There was only one exercise I couldn't do ... stretching my legs to the ceiling and making small circles with my feet. My stomach muscles weren't having any of it! It was a nice change from running and walking, but I have to admit I missed having an aerobic workout. My muscles felt weird during most of it. I do think I will do it again, but I didn't love it. Maybe it will grow on me.

I decided to postpone my WW weigh-in and meeting until tomorrow (Friday) morning. I didn't really bond with the meeting leaders on Thursday for the past two weeks, so I figure I'll give Friday's meeting a chance. I'm still not ready to stop getting weighed every week. In fact, my mom has a scale and it is sometimes hard not to weigh myself every day. I don't want to weigh myself every day, but it is so tempting with the little digital devil just sitting their innocently enough in the bathroom. Maybe the novelty will wear off.

I am starving. That's a problem since it's my turn to cook dinner tonight. I'm making a chicken and broccoli recipe from WW online. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Come on Over

Whew! I'm outta breath. I just got back from running and did 18 minutes total - one 8 minute run, walk 3, and then a 10 minute run. I don't know what the mileage is because I'm running on streets. I suppose I could drive it to find out. That's an interesting idea. I listened to Shania Twain on my iPod. Good times.

I watched Dreamgirls with my mom last night. It was really good and Jennifer Hudson is amazing. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.

I got a call about a potential job opportunity today. An old friend might have a position in her office back in the D.C. area. It would be so insane if I ended up going all the way back there. It still is just a possibility. But I figure her call will make me happy for the next 4 days. (At least that's how much mileage I think I can squeeze out of it :)

New Blog Title: Taking the Long Way

Yep, I decided it was high time for a new title for my blog. "Last Pick" was what I felt like 10 years ago when I was a young 20-something in New York City and I didn't feel as pretty as my friends. (It was also how I felt at the start of my weight loss.) But now, I wanted something more accurate, more fitting, and hopefully more positive.

"Taking the Long Way" is the name of the Dixie Chicks latest album. There is a song on it called "Long Way Around." I really feel like that has epitomized my life for the past 2 or so years. I decided to change my life by going back to school to get my MBA - not the quickest way to change your life. I decided to take weight loss one day at a time and not rush it - and it took me over a year. Now I am looking for a new job/career. I've been looking since last May - so I am definitely taking the long way in that regard. I figure, I'd rather take the long way. It's like I quoted in a recent post - life is what happens when you are planning it. It may be frustrating to not be able to find a job and feel like my life is on hold, but I figure it will all be worth it. I should enjoy this time for what it is - time with my parents, time to exercise, time to figure out exactly what I want. (Please remind me I said this when I get frustrated! :)

** The url is still obviously lastpick.blogspot.com. I'm not computer savvy enough to know how to change it.

What Do I Know?

I just ran for 10 minutes without stopping! I'm excited! I was out doing my run/walk and I had to go to the bathroom, so I decided to just try to run home. Lo and behold, it was a 10 minute run. I can't believe I did it! I think I'm moving onto Workout 2 of Week 5 now. Although, I don't think I am going to do Workout 3 (which is a 20 minute run). That's too crazy even for me at this point.

Some how I gained 1.4 pounds this past week. I'm not sure how ... I earned 24 activity points and had 16 flex points left over. But, I'm under my goal weight, so I know I shouldn't complain. I was actually worried I was going to lose more weight this week (I know, what a problem to have!), so if anything I am perplexed. I guess I still don't have this weight loss thing figured out yet after all!

I'm thinking of applying to be a WW receptionist. I don't think I want to be a leader. I'm too critical of their performance during meetings, and I don't think I could live up to the standard of the really good leaders I've seen, and I just don't think I have the knowledge base to be a good resource for people. But, I am starting to go stir-crazy. The community college here is looking for part-time marketing instructors, but I don't want to commit to anything for a full semester because I am hoping to have a job soon (fingers crossed!). I would feel terrible quitting in the middle of a semester and leaving the students hanging. It just feels different than quitting a job and giving 2 weeks notice.

Red Rock

Hey there, just got back from a run/walk. It always feels good after I'm done. Although, I still look forward to how I feel during it so far. But, I haven't been pushing myself past my comfort zone, which I'm sure some people may disagree with. I'm going to do one more work out of three running intervals of 5 minutes each and then move on to the Week 5 workout that has an 8 minute interval. Yikes!

My mom and I did a great hike yesterday with her hiking group through part of Red Rock Canyon. You've got to click on the links of the trails on the right to see any decent pictures. We didn't do any "rock scrambling" which is basically climbing over large boulders, but we did cover more than 6 miles. The second half of the hike was very scenic, but it got quite cold. It was about 39 degrees and windy. I know it doesn't sound that cold to much of the U.S. in the winter, but when you think of Las Vegas, you don't think of cold weather.

Not much to report. Same old, same old ... writing cover letters, applying for jobs, networking with contacts via email, going run/walking or hiking, walking to Starbucks and using my Christmas gift certificate ... We are going to a nice buffet at a casino tonight, so I have an excuse to put on my nice jeans and makeup. I got a 2 for 1 coupon and my Dad is getting comp'd because he plays craps there. I'm excited because they supposedly have sushi (Hand rolls. I'm not adventurous enough to eat raw tuna steak. Rare yes, raw no.)

An Exercise in Self-Confidence

Thanks for all your kind words of congratulations about reaching Lifetime. It is so special to be able to share it with people who have seen me through the journey thus far - both the good times and the bad. I couldn't have done it without all of you :)

Got another job rejection today. I was pretty bummed. But I pulled myself up by my bra straps and sucked it up and applied for another job I think looks pretty interesting - corporate training in New York City. I just finished teaching marketing in D.C. for a semester, so a have some teaching experience. We'll see if they are interested. I got nothing to lose at this point. I'm also applying for another job tonight with a financial services company in their marketing department. Nothing like picking yourself up and dusting yourself off to start all over again.

And, I went for a jog/walk today. That definitely made me feel better. It was nice to be able to do something that no one can tell me I'm not capable of. I now know I am capable of running for 5 minutes non-stop without any trouble. I don't have to prove it to anyone. I just can do it. It makes me feel confident and successful while the job search is making me feel anything but. I didn't know exercise could make you feel empowered, but it has for me :)

Some people have asked why New York City since I drove all the way to Vegas. Well, it's really because that's where the opportunities are and that's where my contacts (not that they've been helpful thus far) are located. I lived there for 9 years before going back to school to get my MBA so it does feel like home. And it is a great, dynamic city. Although I have to admit, I was getting excited about moving somewhere new. It sounded like something that would be fun. But, who knows what's going to happen next! I could end up anywhere at this point!

Hitting the Ground Running (or Walking)

So all the activity I got in today felt like a great way to start off Lifetime:

* This morning, I walked with my Mom to the grocery store and back to pick up stuff for dinner tonight. (I'm making lettuce wrapped shrimp tacos - yum!) It was a total of 3.1-ish miles.

* This afternoon, I walked/jogged Week 4 of C25k. Instead of the running intervals of 3, 5, 3 and 5 minutes. I ran 3, walked 2, ran 5, walked 2, and then ran ... 8! A good song, actually my favorite running song, came on - "Ready to Run" by the Dixie Chicks. It totally inspired me to keep running. I stopped before the end, and probably could have pushed myself to run for 10, but I didn't see any need to kill myself yet. I want to continue to enjoy this, so that I don't lose the motivation to go out and exercise. I'm not sure of the mileage on my jog/walk. When I was doing C25k on the treadmill (Weeks 1-3) I was doing about 1.25 miles.

I also went to the library and got more CDs out (The Shins, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Coldplay, Dixie Chicks, Death Cab for Cutie and Velvet Revolver). I also got 3 movies (Zodiac, Starter for 10 and The Last Kiss). It's better than Netflix!

Lest you all think I am completely lazy, I have been looking at job postings. The job with the casino/resort in Vegas didn't work out. I was bummed for about 30 hours, but now I'm fine and ready to move on. That most likely means moving on to NYC to live with a friend for 2 months and try to find a job there. I am also looking into going back to my old company in a different capacity. My car will stay in Vegas, and I'll just take the essentials on a plane to New York. It isn't a done deal yet. So, I'll be in Vegas for the near future. I'll keep you all posted on any major turn of events.

Weight Watchers Lifetime!

Okay, so I went to my WW meeting and got weighed and I made Lifetime tonight! I had to explain that I had already hit Goal six weeks ago (I was down this week). They didn't seem to understand that I had been doing maintenance for six weeks. I supposedly get my certificate next week, which means I have to start going to the meetings. I mean I went to the meeting last week, but I just couldn't stay for this week. I was depressed again when I went in to get weighed and just couldn't bear to stay. I miss my meeting leader and I'm just in a mood where no one else will do. I am really happy about reaching Lifetime, but I guess I am just depressed about my job search. I wish I was happier about it, but I just can't seem to see the good things in life right now. I should work my way out of this in a few days. Reaching Lifetime really does mean so much to me. It is a scary responsibility to try to continue to maintain, but it is something I am willing to do. I've changed my life so much over the past 16 months that I just can't imagine going back to the life I used to lead. I don't know if I truly believed that I would reach Lifetime. I thought 83 pounds was just too much to lose. But I just concentrated on one pound at a time, one week at a time, and it worked - slowly but surely. If I can accomplish this, so can you!