I am trying to enjoy my last weeks of vacation time before school begins (for the last semester!) but I am still feeling very unsettled. 2013, you must be better than 2012. Truly, you must.
So what good things have happened so far this year? Well, my tattoo is basically healed - sorry I still do not have any photographs. Maybe I can get some while I am away this weekend. On that note, I am leaving Thursday morning to get a bit of sunshine in San Diego. I am visiting some of my friends from when I lived there in 2009-2010. It will be a short trip, but I am looking forward to the laid-back vibe in the city and just enjoying the sun. (Eek I need to pack!) One of my resolutions this year is to have a 100-day running streak. I have not run yet today, but today will be day 9. It is an arbitrary goal, and obviously if I am very sick or injured, it will be over. I am only running a little every day (some days just 2 miles) but it feels good to work toward a goal.
I have also been busy knitting and trying to get in some reading. I am nearly finished with a sweater and need to tie up the loose ends of some other projects. I am in the middle of By the River Piedra I Sat Down & Wept by Paulo Coelho. After I finish that, I may begin one of his other books, but I also have High Fidelity (Thanks Cinnamon!!), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, and Infections and Inequalities, in addition to a whole bunch of other books, waiting in the wings.
So the not so good news... the same problems continue to plague me. I miss Popi, I miss Juan, and I am fat. I think of Pauline every day, and it has been getting a little easier. I still have such a difficult time processing the fact that she is no longer here, on this earth, walking around and spreading her joy to others. As for Juan, he texted me a bit right around Christmas - we were both feeling nostalgic and all - and once on New Year's Eve, but I have not heard a peep since. I am so hurt by that. I will never understand how you can cut someone out of your life so easily. I am not making overtures of any kind, honestly. I just miss him and want to know how he is. I still love him very, very much, and I probably will for, well, maybe forever. It makes me crazy to think that I have no way to get in touch with him.
And then, as always, there is my horrific weight. This time last year I was hovering around 130 pounds and feeling somewhat ok. I wanted to lose more, be in the low 120s, high teens, but now I would be so grateful to have that back! I am hovering between 139-141 every morning. 140, yes you read that right. 140. Seeing or typing that number four instead of a three makes me a little mental. Luckily I have been running again and cutting back on portions (I am a vegan and I honestly eat NO junk, how is it that I ever carry extra weight? I don't understand...) When I am visiting my friend, I am sure we will be busy out-and-about, so I anticipate many cups of coffee and tea. That should help. I have to get this under control.
How is everyone? I hope your new year is getting off to a positive start. For those of you in the southern hemisphere, those of us in the North would love for you to send some sunshine our way.
Oh, and I finally managed to fix the links at the top of my blog, linking to my Pinterest, Tumblr, and Etsy. I also gave my tumblr a facelift the other day.
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knitting. Show all posts
Marathon Week 2
I apologize for only getting around to posting tonight. Honestly, I have been working a lot, between my four jobs, and have just been very tired since adding in this crazy running regimen.
Today, I woke up around four-thirty and was out the door by five in order to get in my fourteen miles. This is the furthest I have ever run in my life, seeing as prior to today, the longest run I had completed was my half-marathon last September (13.1 miles). I was very nervous about having enough water, my knees hurting, being alone for all that time, and a million other things, but honestly, it was great. I was a bit slow for the first five miles, and between five and seven, I had terrible stomach cramps. Then, I saw my turn-around point, and felt so relieved! I ate my gel, took a big drink of water, and actually picked up the pace for the second half of the run, managing to finish in 2:11:34, which is pretty respectable, I think. I went to bed after taking my shower, and slept another four hours. Amazingly, I have not felt guilty about eating in the slightest today (that run burned approximately 1300 calories), so hopefully tomorrow I will not have gained.
Other than running, I am making progress on a sweater I am knitting. I am excited to be finished and wear it. It's a little yellow blouse-type sweater. Maybe I'll get some photos when I finish it. I have some other projects I need to work on, including something I promised Peri ages ago, and something for Jeanne, since she sent my adorable slippers and mitts once-upon-a-time.
Unfortunately, even though the week was very busy, I did not manage to escape unscathed from some more bad news. This week, my mom was diagnosed with MS. Truly, my knowledge of MS is limited, and I think I am in denial about it. They originally thought she might have a tumor deep inside her brain, which would have been inoperable, so in comparison to that, it seems like a blessing. But, I know that while people with MS typically live quite healthily most of the time, when they get sick and sicker, it can be terrible. I am not entirely sure how to handle it, but I am going home to my parents' house on the 26th and am just looking forward to hugging my mom. I need to read up about dietary changes and alternative therapies so we can have all sorts of tools in our arsenal.
Even with all of this training, I am feeling much too heavy. I don't think I have gained "real" weight, but perhaps a combination of my muscles being sore and retaining water, gaining muscle mass, and trying to stay hydrated is leaving my around 137 each morning. I just wish, wish, wish I could wake up and see 127. I know it obvious involves a lot of hard work and dedication to lose weight, and I am capable of it, but it seems not to happen. I never thought, after this winter, that I would be this heavy again.
Thank you to everyone who left me such sweet comments on my last few posts. I really appreciate all of your kind words, encouragement, and support.
Oh, I meant to share this before I hit publish, I wish I felt this way and believed these things - a truly beautiful message:
Today, I woke up around four-thirty and was out the door by five in order to get in my fourteen miles. This is the furthest I have ever run in my life, seeing as prior to today, the longest run I had completed was my half-marathon last September (13.1 miles). I was very nervous about having enough water, my knees hurting, being alone for all that time, and a million other things, but honestly, it was great. I was a bit slow for the first five miles, and between five and seven, I had terrible stomach cramps. Then, I saw my turn-around point, and felt so relieved! I ate my gel, took a big drink of water, and actually picked up the pace for the second half of the run, managing to finish in 2:11:34, which is pretty respectable, I think. I went to bed after taking my shower, and slept another four hours. Amazingly, I have not felt guilty about eating in the slightest today (that run burned approximately 1300 calories), so hopefully tomorrow I will not have gained.
Other than running, I am making progress on a sweater I am knitting. I am excited to be finished and wear it. It's a little yellow blouse-type sweater. Maybe I'll get some photos when I finish it. I have some other projects I need to work on, including something I promised Peri ages ago, and something for Jeanne, since she sent my adorable slippers and mitts once-upon-a-time.
Unfortunately, even though the week was very busy, I did not manage to escape unscathed from some more bad news. This week, my mom was diagnosed with MS. Truly, my knowledge of MS is limited, and I think I am in denial about it. They originally thought she might have a tumor deep inside her brain, which would have been inoperable, so in comparison to that, it seems like a blessing. But, I know that while people with MS typically live quite healthily most of the time, when they get sick and sicker, it can be terrible. I am not entirely sure how to handle it, but I am going home to my parents' house on the 26th and am just looking forward to hugging my mom. I need to read up about dietary changes and alternative therapies so we can have all sorts of tools in our arsenal.
Even with all of this training, I am feeling much too heavy. I don't think I have gained "real" weight, but perhaps a combination of my muscles being sore and retaining water, gaining muscle mass, and trying to stay hydrated is leaving my around 137 each morning. I just wish, wish, wish I could wake up and see 127. I know it obvious involves a lot of hard work and dedication to lose weight, and I am capable of it, but it seems not to happen. I never thought, after this winter, that I would be this heavy again.
Thank you to everyone who left me such sweet comments on my last few posts. I really appreciate all of your kind words, encouragement, and support.
Oh, I meant to share this before I hit publish, I wish I felt this way and believed these things - a truly beautiful message:
A new month, a clean slate?
Good morning everyone. For once I am actually feeling like it could be a good morning.
I just returned from the first training run of my three month marathon training program. Today, I just had to do four and a half miles with two, thirty second sprints after. I woke up early-ish (6:30) and was out the door in twenty minutes. The run felt pretty good, all around, except that it must have been seventy-five perfect humidity. I hope that the humidity lessens as the week goes on.
This weekend was... interesting... Friday afternoon I worked at the yarn store and received an email while I was there from the bride. The short story, since I would prefer not to publish her email here, is that she blames me for a bunch of things (the most troublesome being that I did not go to her bridal shower, and in fact she said that the girl who sabotaged me's father was in the hospital, deathly ill, and she came to the shower - which I think is warped, to say the least) and did not have a hint of apology. She said that she vomited when she read the email exchange between me and the other bridesmaids. Anyway, I am mailing my declined invitation today and this is the end of our friendship.
Then, Friday night, there was a HUGE storm, and 1,000,000 people in northern Virginia and Maryland were left without power, including myself. Saturday was a long, very hot day, as we waited for the power to come back. Luckily, our power was returned by Saturday night, though there is a lot of debris and people have much damage and still no power all around the area.
There is not much else going on in my life right now, just working a lot, trying to figure out when I am going to run, and knitting. Juan has been out of touch, working sixty-five hours a week and his phone is broken. Hopefully he can fix is soon and talk to me again. We've been emailing, but it makes me miss him a lot.
My weight is hovering around 135 right now. Not horrific, but I should have been 125 and continued downward so long ago. Maybe this training program will help me slim down. I think losing weight would be good for my joints, frankly.
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know Lou Lou got the package I sent her, Dani is back to posting, and Isobel is cleansing like crazy!
I just returned from the first training run of my three month marathon training program. Today, I just had to do four and a half miles with two, thirty second sprints after. I woke up early-ish (6:30) and was out the door in twenty minutes. The run felt pretty good, all around, except that it must have been seventy-five perfect humidity. I hope that the humidity lessens as the week goes on.
This weekend was... interesting... Friday afternoon I worked at the yarn store and received an email while I was there from the bride. The short story, since I would prefer not to publish her email here, is that she blames me for a bunch of things (the most troublesome being that I did not go to her bridal shower, and in fact she said that the girl who sabotaged me's father was in the hospital, deathly ill, and she came to the shower - which I think is warped, to say the least) and did not have a hint of apology. She said that she vomited when she read the email exchange between me and the other bridesmaids. Anyway, I am mailing my declined invitation today and this is the end of our friendship.
Then, Friday night, there was a HUGE storm, and 1,000,000 people in northern Virginia and Maryland were left without power, including myself. Saturday was a long, very hot day, as we waited for the power to come back. Luckily, our power was returned by Saturday night, though there is a lot of debris and people have much damage and still no power all around the area.
There is not much else going on in my life right now, just working a lot, trying to figure out when I am going to run, and knitting. Juan has been out of touch, working sixty-five hours a week and his phone is broken. Hopefully he can fix is soon and talk to me again. We've been emailing, but it makes me miss him a lot.
My weight is hovering around 135 right now. Not horrific, but I should have been 125 and continued downward so long ago. Maybe this training program will help me slim down. I think losing weight would be good for my joints, frankly.
I hope everyone had a good weekend. I know Lou Lou got the package I sent her, Dani is back to posting, and Isobel is cleansing like crazy!
Broken record
I am sorry it has taken me a little while to write another update. Though it's hardly a valid excuse, I am incredibly busy right now. School began again, and I am collecting data for two different research projects for my assistantship. In addition to my assistantship and nine hours per week at the law firm, I began working at the local yarn shop this week too (eight hours, but I think normally I'll be working six).
I squeezed in a few runs this week, last weekend I ran 10.5 on Saturday, then took a few days off due to my schedule/lack of motivation. I only ran 4.5 on Thursday and now it's Saturday again and I have not run. Maybe I will find the time tomorrow, but tonight I am babysitting until quite late, have to attend a church service in the morning to hand out some surveys, and my friends are coming over for dinner at 6:30. In between all of that, I have a study design and policy analysis to complete, among other assignments. It's funny, because when I am in the midst of doing all of these things, it really does not seem so overwhelming - but when I write it down, it seems a little crazy.
I am still trying to sneak in some knitting time - I am finishing my brother's scarf, I need to complete an embroidery project this week too, and then I have things to knit for my Etsy shop (it's empty right now but it will be filled with cowls soon!), surprises for Peri, Mich & Jéanne (among all of the other lovely bloggers I would love to knit for too), and for Lulu's sweet daughter (among about seven or eight additional projects).
My weight this morning was 132.8 - I am working hard on getting back to <130. I did so well for a while - even through the holidays, but lately I have been waking up around 133. I am sure that taking yet another rest day will be shooting myself in the foot, weight-wise. Tomorrow, I am going to try and sneak in a short run in the morning. A few more during the week, and then my 10-mile race is on Sunday the 1st.
Fortunately, (well, really unfortunately), I cannot go grocery shopping again for a few weeks. I need to pay off the small balance on my credit card and then it will be time for rent/utilities/car/renter's insurance again. I am really lucky that I have these few part-time jobs that allow me a little cushion for luxuries like a hair cut, or sending packages to my friends, or buying yarn. Next month will be the first in six months that I will finally be able to put a little money away. And, my mom told me I am getting money back for my tax return - this is a great relief, since I literally live paycheck-to-paycheck and on student loans, and if I ever needed emergency money (like if something happens to my car), I will either have to beg my parents or be up the creek. My parents are very generous - they still let me remain on their health insurance and handle the cel-phone policy (I pay for my own line, but it's much cheaper being on their plan than by myself). My grandmother sends me a little money each month with instructions to "buy vegetables." I have to be grateful for what I have, because I know many people have much less and get by.
So, I suppose I am leaving this post in the same place I have been for a while - busy, feeling fat and physically incompetent, emotionally tired, and trying to be hopeful that I can handle all of the work, run further, faster, and finally see the scale tick down under 120, and somehow find peace. I am a broken record.
I squeezed in a few runs this week, last weekend I ran 10.5 on Saturday, then took a few days off due to my schedule/lack of motivation. I only ran 4.5 on Thursday and now it's Saturday again and I have not run. Maybe I will find the time tomorrow, but tonight I am babysitting until quite late, have to attend a church service in the morning to hand out some surveys, and my friends are coming over for dinner at 6:30. In between all of that, I have a study design and policy analysis to complete, among other assignments. It's funny, because when I am in the midst of doing all of these things, it really does not seem so overwhelming - but when I write it down, it seems a little crazy.I am still trying to sneak in some knitting time - I am finishing my brother's scarf, I need to complete an embroidery project this week too, and then I have things to knit for my Etsy shop (it's empty right now but it will be filled with cowls soon!), surprises for Peri, Mich & Jéanne (among all of the other lovely bloggers I would love to knit for too), and for Lulu's sweet daughter (among about seven or eight additional projects).
My weight this morning was 132.8 - I am working hard on getting back to <130. I did so well for a while - even through the holidays, but lately I have been waking up around 133. I am sure that taking yet another rest day will be shooting myself in the foot, weight-wise. Tomorrow, I am going to try and sneak in a short run in the morning. A few more during the week, and then my 10-mile race is on Sunday the 1st.
Fortunately, (well, really unfortunately), I cannot go grocery shopping again for a few weeks. I need to pay off the small balance on my credit card and then it will be time for rent/utilities/car/renter's insurance again. I am really lucky that I have these few part-time jobs that allow me a little cushion for luxuries like a hair cut, or sending packages to my friends, or buying yarn. Next month will be the first in six months that I will finally be able to put a little money away. And, my mom told me I am getting money back for my tax return - this is a great relief, since I literally live paycheck-to-paycheck and on student loans, and if I ever needed emergency money (like if something happens to my car), I will either have to beg my parents or be up the creek. My parents are very generous - they still let me remain on their health insurance and handle the cel-phone policy (I pay for my own line, but it's much cheaper being on their plan than by myself). My grandmother sends me a little money each month with instructions to "buy vegetables." I have to be grateful for what I have, because I know many people have much less and get by.So, I suppose I am leaving this post in the same place I have been for a while - busy, feeling fat and physically incompetent, emotionally tired, and trying to be hopeful that I can handle all of the work, run further, faster, and finally see the scale tick down under 120, and somehow find peace. I am a broken record.
Finally a bit of an update
I really am terribly sorry for being away for so long. I have been reading and not commenting on a thing, because as you all know I'm suffering the drastic consequences of a breakup with the man I intended to marry in the not-so-distant future.
So where am I right now?
Well, I went home for about ten days after the break up. I spent some time wit my family, my brother came home on leave from the Navy, and I saw my friends often. I knit a sweater. I didn't exercise even the slightest bit while at home, but started Bikram yoga at a local studio before I left. I have 10 more classes to take and then I'll have to stop, I guess, or maybe go once a month. The studio is VERY expensive. I had a six-week hiatus from running, but I have a 10-mile race in April and soon I am going to register for my first marathon in September. I ran on Tuesday and a slow three miles today. School started on Monday and so far I think it will be a good semester. Fortunately, being a totally broke graduate student is doing wonders for my diet - as I am comfortably at 129 pounds. If I can lose between 10-14 more, I will finally be at my ultimate goal weight. For once, I think it is attainable.
As for Juan - it is really, truly over, unless there is some earth-shifting miracle. He finally confessed that he had been planning to break up with me and had been having doubts since Thanksgiving, but did not want to ruin my Christmas (which he did anyway). He thinks we are ultimately incompatible (amazing, since only a few months ago he was going on wax poetic about how I was the woman he wanted to have a family with). I mailed him the last of his belongings, and once I get my package with my things in it, I guess we never have to speak again. My heart absolutely aches. I miss him so much. I love him every day. I know he is being a royal asshat right now and I do not want to be with someone who chooses his job over me, but we had a wonderful relationship for the past year and a half. Despite all of the traveling and missing one another, we made it work so well, until he chose to be selfish and give his work the attention I deserve. It really just hurts so much and nothing will make it better. I am not completely in the depths of despair, only because I know I have obligations and have to keep living my life. One day at a time.
I am going to get caught up on some blog reading and finally send out some comments and thank-yous to the people who have been incredibly supportive of me through this.
I hope things are going well in this new year for all of you. Each of you deserves to be happy and at peace.
So where am I right now?
Well, I went home for about ten days after the break up. I spent some time wit my family, my brother came home on leave from the Navy, and I saw my friends often. I knit a sweater. I didn't exercise even the slightest bit while at home, but started Bikram yoga at a local studio before I left. I have 10 more classes to take and then I'll have to stop, I guess, or maybe go once a month. The studio is VERY expensive. I had a six-week hiatus from running, but I have a 10-mile race in April and soon I am going to register for my first marathon in September. I ran on Tuesday and a slow three miles today. School started on Monday and so far I think it will be a good semester. Fortunately, being a totally broke graduate student is doing wonders for my diet - as I am comfortably at 129 pounds. If I can lose between 10-14 more, I will finally be at my ultimate goal weight. For once, I think it is attainable.
As for Juan - it is really, truly over, unless there is some earth-shifting miracle. He finally confessed that he had been planning to break up with me and had been having doubts since Thanksgiving, but did not want to ruin my Christmas (which he did anyway). He thinks we are ultimately incompatible (amazing, since only a few months ago he was going on wax poetic about how I was the woman he wanted to have a family with). I mailed him the last of his belongings, and once I get my package with my things in it, I guess we never have to speak again. My heart absolutely aches. I miss him so much. I love him every day. I know he is being a royal asshat right now and I do not want to be with someone who chooses his job over me, but we had a wonderful relationship for the past year and a half. Despite all of the traveling and missing one another, we made it work so well, until he chose to be selfish and give his work the attention I deserve. It really just hurts so much and nothing will make it better. I am not completely in the depths of despair, only because I know I have obligations and have to keep living my life. One day at a time.
I am going to get caught up on some blog reading and finally send out some comments and thank-yous to the people who have been incredibly supportive of me through this.
I hope things are going well in this new year for all of you. Each of you deserves to be happy and at peace.
Finals are over, time for the last weight loss push of the year
So, as I am sure you gathered from my title, I am finished with finals. I am currently sitting in "my" room at my parents' house with my kitty and my knitting.
My leg still is not 100% better, but I went for an hour-long walk yesterday and a 3 mile run today. I partied on Friday night like none other, so I need to be extra disciplined this week.
Friday was an absolute blast. I went to the faculty Christmas party at the school where I coached this past spring. It was so much fun to see my friends, get quite drunk (which I rarely rarely do) and dance my little tushie off. I was something like 129.8 the morning of the party and then obviously ate and imbibed that evening. This morning I was 131.6. I have eaten some toast, hummus, and coffee today - so with more coffee and some water, I should be able to get under 131 by tomorrow. Then, I am going to try my absolute hardest to drink water, eat veggies, and stay away from chocolate so I can be somewhere closer to 125 by Christmas. I will be please as long as I can be 125 by the 30th, when Juan arrives. Since I am going home on the 28th, I know I will barely eat that day and likely the 29th out of nerves, which should help. I will be really sad if I cannot make that goal.
2012 is finally going to be the year where I will be thin. I will get to 118 this year. I will be so busy/stressed this spring and trying to save money, thus I will get rid of extra stress with long runs and reduce my grocery bill by eating less. I am finally going to do it, and maintain it. I really do not want to have to diet for my wedding someday, and that means finally being thin and staying that way. 118 is my magic number. I will do it.
How is everyone? I am sort of enjoying home so far - things are relatively low-key at home and I simply have knitting, wrapping, and catching up with friends and family on my "to-do list."
I really hope I can do this girls. 125 by the 30th. I have 11 days. That does not seem like enough time, but I have to try.
One last thing, Juan helped me choose my outfit for the party via Skype, and when I was modeling, he asked me, "Have you lost weight?" Oh, those four beautiful, inquisitive words...
My leg still is not 100% better, but I went for an hour-long walk yesterday and a 3 mile run today. I partied on Friday night like none other, so I need to be extra disciplined this week.
Friday was an absolute blast. I went to the faculty Christmas party at the school where I coached this past spring. It was so much fun to see my friends, get quite drunk (which I rarely rarely do) and dance my little tushie off. I was something like 129.8 the morning of the party and then obviously ate and imbibed that evening. This morning I was 131.6. I have eaten some toast, hummus, and coffee today - so with more coffee and some water, I should be able to get under 131 by tomorrow. Then, I am going to try my absolute hardest to drink water, eat veggies, and stay away from chocolate so I can be somewhere closer to 125 by Christmas. I will be please as long as I can be 125 by the 30th, when Juan arrives. Since I am going home on the 28th, I know I will barely eat that day and likely the 29th out of nerves, which should help. I will be really sad if I cannot make that goal.
2012 is finally going to be the year where I will be thin. I will get to 118 this year. I will be so busy/stressed this spring and trying to save money, thus I will get rid of extra stress with long runs and reduce my grocery bill by eating less. I am finally going to do it, and maintain it. I really do not want to have to diet for my wedding someday, and that means finally being thin and staying that way. 118 is my magic number. I will do it.
How is everyone? I am sort of enjoying home so far - things are relatively low-key at home and I simply have knitting, wrapping, and catching up with friends and family on my "to-do list."
I really hope I can do this girls. 125 by the 30th. I have 11 days. That does not seem like enough time, but I have to try.
One last thing, Juan helped me choose my outfit for the party via Skype, and when I was modeling, he asked me, "Have you lost weight?" Oh, those four beautiful, inquisitive words...
Still doing ok
130.8 this morning. I cannot wait to see numbers starting with 12 soon.
I am still in the midst of finals, knitting, and dealing with stress from Juan/family/my leg being swollen.
Today I am going to complete my biostatistics final, work on my study guide/flash cards for epidemiology, and have a study break with my friend and go for a run this afternoon. My leg still hurts, but I think it can handle 4-6 miles every other day.
Sorry to be so brief but I have to get back to work.
I hope everyone is doing well. For those of you that are students, the end of the semester is in sight and for most people, the holidays are approaching.
Much love, and thank you, as always, for the support.
I am still in the midst of finals, knitting, and dealing with stress from Juan/family/my leg being swollen.
Today I am going to complete my biostatistics final, work on my study guide/flash cards for epidemiology, and have a study break with my friend and go for a run this afternoon. My leg still hurts, but I think it can handle 4-6 miles every other day.
Sorry to be so brief but I have to get back to work.
I hope everyone is doing well. For those of you that are students, the end of the semester is in sight and for most people, the holidays are approaching.
Much love, and thank you, as always, for the support.
Busy busy busy
Down to 131.8 without any exercise. My latest strategy is simply that I do not want to go grocery shopping until after I come back from Christmas holidays and I would rather spend my very limited funds on Christmas gifts.
My leg is still bothering me - not sure if I mentioned that - so I did not run much last week, I ran on Sunday and woke up in pain on Monday, and am just going to wait it out. Maybe I'll finally feel better on Saturday. Not running is making me totally stir crazy.
My days have been filled with much studying, reviewing, writing papers and statistics reports. Whenever I get a break, I sneak in a bit of knitting. I finished one hat, I'm almost done with my roommate's little neck-warmer, I have one hat to finish by Sunday and two more by Thursday night. Then I have three more knitting projects before Christmas. Just another hat, neck warmer, and bed socks - nothing too crazy, like last year's sweater for Juan.
I hope everyone is enjoying the spirit of the holiday season. I do not really enjoy the crowds involved with shopping, but I love gift-giving at any time of year. I obsess over the perfect presents. I ordered a great safety razor set with a brush, stand, and soap for Juan. I have it shipped directly to him, so he can open it on Christmas and will not be forced to check his luggage when he comes to visit at the end of the month (24 days!!!). I know he will really appreciate it. I need to box up my friend Pauline's gift and get that mailed off to France. I need to work on knitting some other little things for blogging friends too - I started a fun surprise for Peri, but it's been on hold with the Christmas things. I'd love to send some hats and mitts to various corners of the globe.
How are you all doing? I feel like I am in an okay spot now after all of the drama with my family and I'm just trying to stay focused on school, drink many cups of tea, and snuggle with my cat. I sound so lame, huh?
Here's to reaching 130 before Christmas (looks easy at this point) and with any blessing, 125 before Juan arrives. That's a little less than 7 pounds and I haven't even been running lately. I am finally getting closer to my goals. I can hardly believe it.
My leg is still bothering me - not sure if I mentioned that - so I did not run much last week, I ran on Sunday and woke up in pain on Monday, and am just going to wait it out. Maybe I'll finally feel better on Saturday. Not running is making me totally stir crazy.
My days have been filled with much studying, reviewing, writing papers and statistics reports. Whenever I get a break, I sneak in a bit of knitting. I finished one hat, I'm almost done with my roommate's little neck-warmer, I have one hat to finish by Sunday and two more by Thursday night. Then I have three more knitting projects before Christmas. Just another hat, neck warmer, and bed socks - nothing too crazy, like last year's sweater for Juan.
I hope everyone is enjoying the spirit of the holiday season. I do not really enjoy the crowds involved with shopping, but I love gift-giving at any time of year. I obsess over the perfect presents. I ordered a great safety razor set with a brush, stand, and soap for Juan. I have it shipped directly to him, so he can open it on Christmas and will not be forced to check his luggage when he comes to visit at the end of the month (24 days!!!). I know he will really appreciate it. I need to box up my friend Pauline's gift and get that mailed off to France. I need to work on knitting some other little things for blogging friends too - I started a fun surprise for Peri, but it's been on hold with the Christmas things. I'd love to send some hats and mitts to various corners of the globe.
How are you all doing? I feel like I am in an okay spot now after all of the drama with my family and I'm just trying to stay focused on school, drink many cups of tea, and snuggle with my cat. I sound so lame, huh?
Here's to reaching 130 before Christmas (looks easy at this point) and with any blessing, 125 before Juan arrives. That's a little less than 7 pounds and I haven't even been running lately. I am finally getting closer to my goals. I can hardly believe it.
Thank you
Many many words of thanks, again, for those of you who were kind enough to give me some positive feedback on my hair. I really appreciate it and feel even surer about my decision now :)
I haven't been doing a great job with restricting my calorie intake lately (one good day, two bad days, etc.) but I have still been exercising quite a bit. This morning I warmed up for 15 minutes on the elliptical, took my 45 minute class, and then another 15 minutes on the elliptical - according to my heart monitor I burned 739 calories. I was 130.0 after the gym - oh 129, why must you evade me now?! I'm now eating a healthy brunch of soy yogurt, frozen mango and berries, about six pecans crumbled up and a sprinkling of rice chex. I know it sounds like a lot, but I skipped breakfast and it is mostly fruit.
Both Adeline and Dani have nominated me for the Honest Scrap, so I am trying to come up with 10 interesting things about myself :) Stay tuned for that.
And lastly, I have been knitting quite a bit lately, I have to post photos of the baby things I am making for some friends of mine - a stuffed turtle and two sweaters - and then I am knitting linen placemats for a friend's engagement. I'm a busy little bee... idle hands tend to end up with food in them, now don't they?
Comments and honest scrap nonsense to follow shortly...
P.S. I can't get this song out of my head!
I haven't been doing a great job with restricting my calorie intake lately (one good day, two bad days, etc.) but I have still been exercising quite a bit. This morning I warmed up for 15 minutes on the elliptical, took my 45 minute class, and then another 15 minutes on the elliptical - according to my heart monitor I burned 739 calories. I was 130.0 after the gym - oh 129, why must you evade me now?! I'm now eating a healthy brunch of soy yogurt, frozen mango and berries, about six pecans crumbled up and a sprinkling of rice chex. I know it sounds like a lot, but I skipped breakfast and it is mostly fruit.
Both Adeline and Dani have nominated me for the Honest Scrap, so I am trying to come up with 10 interesting things about myself :) Stay tuned for that.
And lastly, I have been knitting quite a bit lately, I have to post photos of the baby things I am making for some friends of mine - a stuffed turtle and two sweaters - and then I am knitting linen placemats for a friend's engagement. I'm a busy little bee... idle hands tend to end up with food in them, now don't they?
Comments and honest scrap nonsense to follow shortly...
P.S. I can't get this song out of my head!
Plateau
The words just haven't been flowing the past few days.
I'm at a plateau, my dear girls, meaning I hover between 128.8 (after my run) and 130.2 ever morning for the past week.
This calls for some drastic action.
No more food for the rest of the day for me (I had rice cakes and tea for breakfast, a few pieces of chocolate, and a spinach salad with Morningstar strips, roasted red peppers, and sundried tomatoes for lunch). I had to run errands and help my mom out this morning, so I did not have a chance to get in my workout. Yesterday, I ran 3.2 miles in 27:30. I am hoping that I can break 27 minutes on my 5k on Thursday morning.
Tomorrow, I am meeting my roommates from college for lunch. I plan to wake up early, go for a run, and be ready by 9:15. For lunch, I will have a salad, of course, since there is barely anything else for me to eat at the diner we are going to.
I wanted to be 125 by Thanksgiving, but it is not happening. I apologize to all of you beautiful, hard working girls for letting you down. I will do better.
Salad for lunch, only, tomorrow. Thursday is the race and Thanksgiving, so I will have a small piece of my vegan shepherd's pie and a slice of my vegan maple cake. Friday, out for another run and nothing after breakfast.
And for my darling Adeline. Pardon my French, but I fucking adore you. I am sorry you have been hurt, but please take comfort in the fact that it was likely not intended that way. I think people have simply been inspired by you. If you have to leave us, I understand, but I will miss you terribly.
Way too kind
Thank you, my loveliest of lovely ladies for all of the kind words on yesterday's post. Everyone had such nice things to say and it warms my little heart :)
I am still a little down about hitting some kind of plateau here, because I keep fluctuating between 129.something and 130.something every day. Today, 130.6. Ugh. I think I am going to possibly adjust my goal weight day, if by the end of the week I am not down to 128.
No running today - it's raining, raining, raining. I actually feel pretty lousy anyway, because I have cramps, even though it's not the right time for that.
I had coffee and a rice cake with one tablespoon almond butter and a bit of jam (45+90+20+20 = 175) for breakfast. Then, I just made lunch, and decided to make it my dinner meal, so I had veggie/tofu fajitas. According to the package, if made with chicken, one two-tortilla serving is 340 calories. I am going to assume my tofu version was about that or less. So, that puts me at 515 so far for today. A good place to stop, I think.
Hmmmm, the sweater is nearly finished! I will take photos as soon as it is done, I promise.
I also bought a super sexy pair of boots today :) I have been eyeing them for ages and this morning a 20% off coupon popped into my email. I took it as a sign.
I might bake cupcakes today, for my family and brother. If so, I will have one, only one. I have to stop eating so much.
I took a few more photos this morning... should I put them up?
Not good.
I had a terrible day, eating wise.
Rice cakes for breakfast (fine), pomegranate seeds (great), home-made pumpkin spice latte (fine), and then it went downhill. One of our tech reps brought Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadsticks. The soups were either meaty or creamy, so I skipped and had salad. Sounds ok, but I has three pepperoncinis a few olives, light dressing on it, and then TWO breadsticks on which I put olive hummus. Then, I proceeded to snack on candy all day. To make matters worse, I got home from work, made a salad (arugula, three sundried tomatoes, Morningstar chick'n strips, vinegar) and ate the last of the loaf of bread. MORE BREAD?! UGH!!!
I had LAci-le-Beau tea before bed so that I would empty everything this morning but my weight soared back up to 130.4. Disgusting. I know much of that is salt/water retention, but it is still horrific.
To make matters worse, it is raining today, which means no run. And, my mom had knee replacement surgery yesterday and is trying to keep comfortable on the couch in the room where our treadmill lives. FML.
Nothing but liquids today - sounds like a perfect idea.
I finally started my school applications yesterday. Columbia's deadline is magically December 1st, which makes my life more difficult, since that is terribly short notice for writing letters of recommendation. I have to just buckle down and get that application written. I really am not a last-minute kind of person, but it is what it is.
Have a better day than I am, please.
Moderately satisfied
So I suppose I am officially at my first goal weight. 129.6 yesterday and 129.8 this morning.
As I say practically every day, I have to be extra good today so I can be less tomorrow. I am setting a new goal, 125 by Thanksgiving. Considering how well I have been doing lately, I think this is completely realistic. 5-6 pounds in 25 days. Bring it.
As I say practically every day, I have to be extra good today so I can be less tomorrow. I am setting a new goal, 125 by Thanksgiving. Considering how well I have been doing lately, I think this is completely realistic. 5-6 pounds in 25 days. Bring it.
I went for a chilling run this morning. I actually felt pretty good, but I am in serious need of a new pair of sneakers. My shoes have way too many miles on them. Funny thing is, this boy who I used to date, who still has feelings for me, offered to buy me a pair. I know that sounds weird, but he was the top XC runner when I was in college. He lives in NYC and coaches/paces for a running club (that is sponsored, and I think he has pretty nice swag hookups). Last year, while he was finishing his MBA, I helped edit almost every one of his papers - and he is not a native English speaker, so by edit, I really mean halfway re-write. I did it because he is incredibly nice and sweet, I just don't feel the same way about him. Anyway, he offered to buy me a new pair of Asics as a "thank you." Unfortunately, a little shoebox has yet to arrive at my door. I do not expect him to buy them for me, but if he did, I do not want to buy another pair. Does that make any sense?
I bought four different kinds of tea on Saturday - regular chai, apple spice chai, green tea with mint, and green tea chai - YUM! I just love drinking tea. It warms me up, makes me feel full, and I think it is so good for your body.
Right now, I am drinking a homemade pumpkin-spice latte. No $5.00 Starbucks for me! I whisked one heaping tablespoon of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix) with about 2/3 of a cup unsweetened almond milk, a pinch of pumpkin pie spice, one packet of Splenda, and a teaspoon of vanilla. I poured that into some strong, freshly brewed coffee, and voila! WAY less calories and all of the yummy fall spiciness!
I hope everyone has a great day. Just a tip, keeping your hands busy, with knitting, for example, is a great way to stop snacking! When I knit, I completely forget to eat :)
Moi
- désespérée de maigrir
- I hate: my weight. I love: being a vegetarian, France, tulips & poppies, anything by Paul Coehlo, baby animals, gin, knitting, dresses, kirs, cake decorating, Johnny Swim & Matt Nathanson, running, Casablanca, my best friends and family, and an amazing French man who makes everything in this world so much easier to take on