Day 33: Back to the Grind

I did it! I got up early and went running this morning! The temperature dropped this week, so I went from mid-80s in Phoenix to low 40s in the morning. The first .5 mile or so was pretty rough, but I kept going. I did go out to lunch today, but that was because I was just back from traveling and someone asked me to go. I'm not happy about that and I'm probably going to have to do something about it eventually, but...blah. Yet another "I was just trying to be nice" scenario :(

Workout:
- Ran 2.54 miles straight with a total of 3.25 run/walk

Do:
- One thing of cereal for breakfast
- I went running!
- No snacks in between
- Soup and bread for dinner with no dessert

Do Not:
- Soda
- cookies

Day 32: Travelin' home

Didn't work out today. Had to leave too early and was shot all to heck by the time I got back (rough landing). Hopefully I can get back into the swing tomorrow.

Workout:
- None

Do:
- None

Do Not:
- A lot

Day 31: Buffets Day 2

Right, so it was another day of meetings. I told myself I wasn't going to work out this time, but again, I was already awake, so I just went to work out. And again, I screwed it all up with the food provided. But dang, that chocolate cake was good!

Workout:
- Ellipcital, weights

Do:
- Not much

Do Not:
- Too much :)

Day 30: Buffets!

So the meetings started today. It was much less scary than I thought it was going to be and it turns out that the guy I'm traveling with is actually pretty cool. I was worried it was going to be really awkward trying to be social. So, I got up really early and worked out before the meeting today. Basically, I'm still on East Coast time and I couldn't sleep, but it worked to my advantage. Then I destroyed all of that effort with the food provided and eating out. Oh well, at least it wasn't a total loss!

Workout:
- Sprints, push-ups and crunches

Do:
- Not much

Do Not:
- Way too much

Day 29: Leeeaavvviiinn' On a Jet Plane (Week 5)

Headed out to Phoenix today. My eating habits were shot all to heck, but I got to know my Mission Engineer much better. AND I tried to take a nap when we got to Phoenix, but couldn't sleep, so I went to work out instead. And that was after Cheesecake Factory. Yay me!

Workout:
- Weights
- Ellipcital Machine

Do:
- Smoothie for breakfast

Do Not:
- Too much to even talk about :)

Day 28: Peanut Butter

I'm learning that peanut butter is a weakness of mine. That means I have to get it out of the house :( I wish there was a way to get, like, half a loaf of bread. I don't think I'm going to be able to eat it fast enough. Business trip tomorrow. I'm really nervous about it, even though I shouldn't be. I really hope everything goes ok :-/

Workout:
- None

Do:
- didn't go out for lunch or dinner

Do Not:
- Soda
- Chips
- Hot Chocolate
- 100 Calorie Pack with Peanut Butter

Day 27: Yikes!

Hunger Games is kind intense! Like, all the reviews said so, but I didn't believe them. I didn't really like any of the characters, but I'm still glad I saw the movie. Anyway, I had Sno-Capes during the movie. My bad. I did get some other stuff done though, including taxes which is a huge relief. Also, so I was doing my waist measurement today and I got it to come in anywhere between 38 and 40 inches. That was pretty frustrating, but I think ultimately I put inches on this week :(

Stats:
- Weight: 201.0
- Waist: 39.25?

Workout:
- P90X Core Synergistics

Do:
- Not really much...I had eggs and a couple pieces of bread with peanut butter
- Worked out

Do Not:
- Sno-Capes
- Panera (soda and brownie)

Day 26: Little Victories

So, I wasn't perfect today (not by a long shot), but I had a few moral victories. I got up and went running. I didn't make it as long today before I started walking, but in the walk/run category, I did go a little further than last week. I got a soda at lunch, but I really wanted to get candy or brownies or something and I didn't. I also didn't eat my almonds, just the crackers. I didn't eat eggs for dinner tonight (I just couldn't deal with the stomach cramps tonight), but I also didn't go out for food like I wanted to. I ended up eating two PB&J sandwiches instead, along with a 100 Calorie Pack and some hot chocolate. I have a headache now though...I'm proably dehydrated. Oh well. Still, all around, I guess it was almost a win. Oh! Also, when I stopped to get gas, I wanted to get a Dr. Pepper, but I didn't and I almost went back out to get one after I got home. Yay me! :)

Workout:
- Run/Walk: 3.20 miles (actually, I hit the stop button at 3.19, but started it again, walked three steps and it rolled over to 3.20)

Do:
- Good breakfast, mostly good lunch
- Worked out

Do Not:
- Soda :(
- Bad dinner
- Hot Chocolate
- Extra 100 Calorie Pack

We'll see what happens at the weigh in tomorrow!

Day 25: Chicken Tenders

Were served at the cafeteria today. And I was weak...oh so very weak. So, yeah I went to the cafeteria and got chicken tenders, fries, soda and a brownie. I'm utterly ashamed of myself, but: I at least was good and didn't eat any of the other food I brought, so no snacks or anything. Oh, and also I didn't eat all the friesAnd I did go do some time on the elliptical. The real question is whether or not I'll make it to run tomrorow morning. We'll see.

Workout:
- ~30 minutes on the elliptical machine

Do:
- Good breakfast
- No snacks
- Worked out
- Good dinner

Do Not:
- Bad, bad lunch -> soda, brownies
- 2 PB&J sandwiches -> part of that is for energy to run tomorrow...so now I have to go :)

Day 24: Back on the Bandwagon II

I have a feeling that is going to be the title of A LOT of posts, but at least it means I came back, right? So I was actually really good today except for the PB&J sandwich I had. And that is mostly because I wasn't thinking and bought bread when I'm going out of town next week, so I want to at least try and finish most of it off. I also had the sandwich because I could feel the stomach cramps coming on again and guess what...it didn't help :( I wish I knew what was causing them. I guess I could cut out certain things and see what happened. My guess is the eggs, though, because I used to drink the protein shake all the time without any problems. Anyway, on the plus side, I did 18 push-ups in a row today! That's PFT passing! And if I'm doing 18 at 200 lbs, then does that translate into what I used to be able to do at 170/180? 2/3 requirements for passing the PFT down, probably be a long, long time before I get back to passing the others!

Workout:
- Weights
- 18/9/9 push-ups

Do:
- Good breakfast lunch and dinner
- Only ate one of my snacks
- No Soda!
- Worked out

Do Not:
- Had a PB&J after dinner (man, almost had a day w/o any "Do Nots!")

I also realized this is usualyl about the time I crash and burn on any diet/exercise plan. I can usually go for 3 weeks, and then things go downhill from there. I think the longest I've ever gone is the 40 some days back when I originally set up this blog. We'll see...

Day 23: Not entirely my fault

I was supposed to meet with a friend after work today (old AF buddy), but he cancelled on me AFTER I already got home. Which means I didn't work out. I'm going to try and be good tomorrow. Get back on the bandwagon

Workout:
- None

Do:
- Good breakfast, lunch and snacks

Do Not:
- Cheese
- Dr. Pepper
- PB&J for dinner

Day 22: It's the little things (Week 4)

You ever have one of those days where a lot of little stuff goes wrong and by the end of the day, you just want to crawl back into bed? Well, I had one of those days today. Just stupid little nit-picky stuff all day long! The upshot was that I just came home after work. I had other reasons, but we won't go into those here. Anyway, I just played Mario64 and ate chips and drank Dr. Pepper. And ya know what? I feel better now!

Workout:
- None

Do:
- good breakfast/snack/lunch

Do Not:
- Chips
- Dr. Pepper
- PB&J for dinner
- didn't work out

Probably won't work out tomorrow either. I think an old friend is coming in to town. We'll see.

Day 21: So weak

Weekend have always been a struggle for me. It's all about willpower and I just don't have any. That's not true...I do have willpower, I'm just not using it. And boy was I weak today.

Do:
- Ummm....pretty much nothing

Do Not:
- General Tso's chicken
- 16 oz of Dr. Pepper
- Tostitos
- Dove chocolates

Starting the beginning of a new week tomorrow, so maybe I can do better.

Day 20: Happy St. Patrick's Day!

You ever have one of those days where things just seem to work out for you? I had one of those days today. I got a lot of stuff done and found a bunch of stuff at different stores I've been looking for. Also I finally got some pictures and decorations finally put up. Anyway, just a very nice day all around.

Stats:
- Weight: 202.4
- Waist: 38.25

Workout:
- P90X Core Synergistics

Do:
- Had Eggs/Pepper for breakfast, Cheerios for lunch
- Worked out

Do Not:
- Had Panera w/ Dr. Pepper and Brownie for dinner
- Bailey's (it is St. Patty's Day after all)

Day 19: Running!

I went running again today! I felt much better after the run. I was pretty good about what I ate today, except for the soda and the extra Corn Flakes. I dunno, when I do this early morning run, I need something else to get me through the day. Also, so I went to get Sonic last night because I was feeling sorry for myself and guess what...no stomach cramps! :-/ I think it's protein vs carbs. If I don't have carbs, I get stomach cramps. Today I had eggs and a pepper again for dinner and the stomach cramps started again. It's very depressing.

Workout:
- Ran 2.10 miles
- Run/walk total: 2.75

Do:
- Good breakfast and lunch
- Worked out
- Didn't go out to eat when I really, really wanted to

Do Not:
- chips
- extra cereal
- Dove chocolates
- Soda

Day 18: Frustrated

This is never going to work. I am going to be fat and nasty for the rest of my life. :( I was going to try and go swimming today, but I could see a big storm was rolling in and right as I pulled up to the YMCA I could hear thunder. I just figured if I tried to get in the pool, it would start storming right then and I'd have to get out again. So I came home. And now I'm feeling totally depressed and disgusting. And I'm going to go get french fries. Screw you!

Workout:
- None

Do:
- Smoothie, good lunch

Do Not:
- Piece of cake
- Muffin
- Soda
- Sonic for dinner

And clearly, this is why it's never going to work because, again, I have no willpower

Day 17: Happy Pi Day!

I forgot it was Pi Day :( I haven't forgotten Pi Day in YEARS and I work at NASA for crying out loud! Oh well. So I was weak today: I went and got a soda. I wish I didn't feel so sick after eating dinner. This happened the last time I tried to do a high protein diet. I can't tell if this is the eggs or the peppers, but either way, it's causing cramping. And it doesn't feel like this is doing any good. Probably because I'm so weak and keep "cheating" Just have to stick with it and keep exercising. Gotta push past the frustration.

Workout:
- Weights
- Push-ups: 14,8,8

Do:
- Good breakfast (minus the muffin), good lunch, good dinner
- Hit the gym

Do Not:
- Bought a soda
- Will probably eat some cheese/orange juice later tonight to calm down my stomach

Day 16: Spare change

I wanted real food so badly today! French fries sounded sooooooooo good :( I ate some left-overs from Mom's cooking...it was a beef stirfry (it was very good) and I had a muffin instead of Cheerios, but other than that, I've been pretty good. I was going to be weak and get a Coke or something from the vending machine, but I was 10 cents short and refused to ask if anyone had any spare change. I went swimming today, but it didn't go very well. I only went 25 laps and it felt like I was dragging the whole time. I probably could have gone further, but my shoulder was starting to hurt, so I just left it be. I think I'm going to have to go forage, though, because I'm starting to get a bad headache and just feel generally horrible

Workout:
- Swim: 25 laps ~40 minutes (told you I was dragging)

Do:
- Had my smoothie and a good lunch
- Worked out
- Did not get soda or snacks
- Ate a good dinner

Do Not:
- Didn't swim as long as I should have
- Substitutued a muffin for Cheerios (I'm not gonna waste those muffins!)
- Whatever I go eat to make myself feel better

Day 15: Back on the Bandwagon...sort of (Week 3)

Today started out rotten. Nothing especially bad, just standard Monday stuff: forgot my breakfast muffin on the counter, spilled my smoothie on my dress/car seat (which apparently has a freakin' sweet stain guard). I was exhausted today too...I think daylight savings time hit me a little harder than I thought. Anyway, suffice to say the day got better as it went along. I think I got a really neat new project today. We'll see if I still think that as I get into it ;) Anyway, I got out of work late today and I was going to come straight him, but props to Sarah (a girl I work with) for encouraging me to go hit the gym.

Workout:
- Weights/sit-ups/push-ups -> I'm up to 12 (sad, right?)

Do:
- Had proper breakfast and lunch
- Hit the gym!

Do Not:
- Had a slice of pizza
- Ate the rest of the tostatoes for dinner
- Had muffin I left at home for "dessert"

Day 14: Recovery Day

Mom and Dad headed back today. Great time visiting with them! They wore me out though! Anyway, tomorrow is back-on-the-bandwagon day.

Workout:
- None

Do:
- None

Do Not:
- Chips and Soda
- Muffin
- Tostatoes for lunch (basically these are nachos on crack)
- Dove chocolate
- No idea what I'm having for dinner yet

Day 13: Mia Familia

Spend the day with Mom and Dad today. Very productive! Lots of stuff done. They kept me pretty busy, so I didn't work out today. Besides, it was a chance to spend time with my family. I knew it was a mistake because of how much I ate Friday night, but, I went ahead and did my Stats. The weight was incredibly depressing, but the waist measurement made me feel better.

Stats:
- 203.4
- 38.5

Workout:
- None

Do:
- None :)

Do Not:
- Too long to list here

Day 12: I did it! :)

I went running this morning! I dragged myself out of bed early and got to the gym in time to run! It was cold and a little bit rainy, but I sat there in the car and decided I couldn't face the gym so I was going to just suck it up and do it. I made it for about 1.21 miles before I walked, which is probably the furthest consecutive stretch of running I've done since I separated. So I was all set to be good and what not until I tried to eat my 100 Calorie Pack. I took one bite and noticed something wasn't right. Sure enough, my nemesis the mouse got it :( I was so disgusted I spit it out and ended up getting a soda and chips. Did I need that? No, but it made me feel better. Anyway, my parents are coming in tonight, so I expect this weekend to basically be one big "Do Not"...but that's ok, because I get to see my family

Workout:
- 2.25 miles/30minutes

Do:
- Worked out
- Ate a good breakfast and lunch; added Corn Flakes in the morning because I was there early and hungry after my run

Do Not:
- Soda and chips
- Wine, cheese and veggies with dressing
- Beef stirfry with rice
- Smith Island Cake

Day 11: Weather Changes

There's a front moving in. Which of course means I've had this pressure right behind my nose all day long. I was also REALLY hungry today, which of course led to massive failure. Yes, today I got soda and a big (and I mean huge) piece of cake from the cafeteria. And then, when I went to the YMCA, all the lanes were full so I almost turned around and went home, but I stayed. The girl in the lane I was going to share ended up being almost done, so it worked out. Tomorrow is the big test. I want to try and start running outside again, but we're supposed to have really bad windstorms tomorrow. We'll see. Shoot, if I can just wake up and get to work in time to workout it'll be a victory.

Workout:
- Swam 36 laps in ~50ish minutes

Do:
- Ate proper breakfast and dinner
- Worked out
- Didn't eat my two afternoon snacks because of splurge at lunch

Do Not:
- Can of Coke
- Big piece of cake (and it was soooooo good)
- Did eat my 100 Calorie pack, despite splurge at lunch
- 1 Dove chocolates
- Brownie remains (I baked some and was eating the leftovers)

Day 10:Minor successes

Today wasn't a stellar day for the diet, but it wasn't a crash and burn either. I REALLY wanted to go get something with bread today, but I resisted. Part of that was because I turned down a "lunch date" because I have too many chicken/beans/rice lunches which I think I blame on Joe for buying us lunch last Monday. Anyway, the chicken I buy has 5 thighs, so it's just perfect, unless I'm weak. But today. I wasn't weak. I also wanted to get candy or something, but I've taken all the spare change out of my wallet so I can't. As long as I can resist until 1:00, then I can't walk over to the cafeteria and get stuff either. I did manage to do 10 push-ups today and then two sets of 5 after that. I'd love to be able to get back up to my old PFT numbers (at least with sit-ups and push-ups) by the time I go back to Florida, but we'll see. My theory is that with all the weight I've put on, I'm doing MUCH more work than most of those AF boys. Anyway, I also got on the treadmill when I was done with my weight stuff. Not for very long, mind you, because I was running late, but at least I got on the treadmill.

Workout:
- Abs/arms -- various exercises
- ~7 minute cool-down on the treadmill

Do:
- ate proper breakfast, lunch and dinner
- did not go after the bread/snacks I so desperately wanted
- hit the gym after work

Do Not:
- 4 Tagalongs - I wanted to finish of the box tonight so I can throw it away and it'll be out of the house by the time company gets here

Swimming day tomorrow. I struggled on Tuesday, so we'll see what happens tomorrow. The real test will come Friday morning.

Day 9: Happy 100th birthday Oreo!!!

So, today has been a less-than-stellar day from the eating perspective. My friend brought in a Smith Island cake because I said I had never had one before. It was carrot cake and it was good, except I don't actaully like carrot cake. I ended up taking a huge piece because I didn't realize what way you were supposed to cut it. I couldnt even eat all of it because I started to feel sick. And then today was Oreo's 100th birthday, so I bought a 6 pack out of the vending machine and had one (gave the rest away). And finally, I went to Sonic to get an Oreo Blast or whatever they're called. I mean, it is Oreo's 100th birthday after all! I did go swimming this afternoon. I ended up stopping for a minute at 15 laps because my goggles were giving me a headache, but I adjusted them and kept going. Why is it that I feel even fatter when I work out? It's very discouraging, but I just don't think I'm pushing myself hard enough when I'm doing these workouts. Just have to keep trying I guess.

Workout:
- Swam 36 lengths in ~50 minutes

Do:
- Ate proper breakfast, lunch and dinner

Do Not:
- Stopped swimming during my laps to adjust googles
- Oreo Blast
- Carrot Cake
- Oreo cookie

I really don't want to go to Florida looking like I do now :(

Day 8: Weights (Week 2)

I don't think this is ever going to work. I've tried this before in years past and it just never works. But I'm not going to give up. Not yet, anyway. Besides, even if I don't actually lose any weight, it's still better to work out for my health. And besides that, I'm going to Florida to see friends who care about me, not my weight and if my old squadron mates want to look down on me, then so be it.

Workout:
- weight training (lots of stuff)
- 10 minutes on the stationary bike -> I know I should've gone to the treadmill, but they were all full up

Do:
- ate proper food for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- hit the gym

Do Not:
- 3 Tagalongs

Day 7: The Problem Comes into Focus

I think I'm beginning to see why I can never lose any weight. I have ZERO willpower on the weekends. Today was especially bad. I don't think I'm going to do the stretch video because a)it's getting late and b) my legs are KILLING me from yesterday's workout. I'm going to try again though, this coming week. Because that Florida trip isn't going away (Lord willing) and I don't want to be an embarrasment down there.

Do:
- Nothing :( ...although I may try to do some push-ups and planks later

Do Not:
- Had General Tso's chicken for lunch/dinner
- Bought (and ate several of) a box of Girl Scout cookies :( (it's once a year)
- Had a 20oz Dr. Pepper

Must do better tomorrow

Day 6: Star Waaaarrrrrssss

Today has been a good day. It's Saturday, so I got to sleep in, but I didn't sleep so late as to lose most of the day. I did the Core Synergistics workout from P90X (which I will probably regret tomorrow :) ) and while eating lunch, which was eggs and a bell pepper) the "Gingerkids" South Park episode came on. That one is my favorite and it seems like I never catch it. I was also surprised to learn the The Phantom Menace had survived in the theater for one more weekend! They just re-released them in 3D, so I used a free ticket I had to go to the movie. Silly, I know, but it's Star Wars and that lightsaber battle at the end is pretty freaking awesome. Anyway, I didn't have time to get a snack, which is probably a good thing, so I ended up going to Panera after the movie. Totally a "Do Not", but I feel soooooo much better after eating some carbs. Today has just been very...peaceful.

I was pretty disappointed with my weigh-in/waist measurement this morning, but given how bad I was this past week, that was to be expected. But, I didn't give up after seeing the numbers: I just know I have to try harder this coming week.

Status:
Weight: 201.6
Waist Measurement: 39.5

Workout:
- P90X Core Synergistics

Do:
- I worked out today!
- I had eggs, bell pepper and my protein drink for lunch
- I did not get a snack at the movie

Do Not:
- Got Panera, with brownie and soda
- Ate two Dove chocolates

We'll see what happens tomorrow. I think I'm going to try and do the Stretch P90X video, but we'll see.

Day 5: Battle of Wills

Well, the first week is complete. Pretty rough start, but at least I started. Let's see, this has been a day of total battle of wills. Some battles I won, some battles I lost, but I'll document that in the Do/Do Not list. I am learning to try and re-think this battle a little bit. Looking at this as the ultimate goal, everything is way out of my reach, so I need to break it down a little bit. First of all, my first goal is to hit 185. I know I weighed that at least in October, because that's when I got my license and I know I had seen that on the scale at least relatively recently or I wouldn't have put it on there. I also foud in one of my older "documentaries" that in November of 2010, I weighed 179 lbs. This is not really anything to be proud of, because I've still put on 30 lbs since April, but it does give me a little hope. My first weigh-in/taping will be tomorrow morning. I'm not really hoping for a lot here because there were a lot of ways I didn't follow what I need to. But I learned some things and hopefully that will help me next week.

Workout:
- Swam 30 laps in ~35 minutes (I really have no idea when I got in the pool)
- 1 plank; 15 sec plank

Do:
- Ate proper lunch
- Didn't eat snacks
- Went swimming...and this was a struggle, because I REALLY wanted to go home
- Ate a proper dinner

Do Not:
- Had hot chocolate and Lucky Charms for breakfast
- Had Snickers bar at lunch
- Debated all day whether or not to go running, but I didn't

We'll see what happens tomorrow. Weekends (especially Saturdays) have always been my downfall

Day 4: Do Not

Today was just plain awful for what I'm trying to accomplish. Having said that, I had a lovely time with some friends from work at the beer tasting event. The food was outstanding and it was so nice to get to go out and do something with people I enjoy being around. I also learned that if I'm going to do this, I need to be uber-prepared. I forgot a couple things at the store this week and it's setting me back now. Guess I'll have to just keep trying