When Your Fat Jeans Become Your Skinny Jeans

Well day 2 of calorie counting was MUCH more successful! 1,651 so far…. 1,721 if I eat that Minute Maid Frozen Lemonade that’s calling my name! And that should be it for the day. Just finished up dinner: Chicken, pan-fried with lemon juice and a chicken bouillon cube, with corn and creamy garlic shells that have been sitting in my pantry for what seems like years (but only expired this month). My boyfriend and I really never cooked until recently, so throwing away expired food is pretty much a regular occurrence. We also have somewhat lax standards on certain items, and yes, that includes pasta shells and dry mix! Oh, and I finally got to use my food scale! All I’ve done is measure the chicken, but it was pretty exciting. I’m planning on using it tonight to weight out some pistachios to bring to work. I learned the hard way yesterday that a bag of 2.5 servings of cashews does not last very long once I open it :-( My plan is to only bring one serving with me to work to keep that from happening with the pistachios.

My running buddy and I were supposed to up our distance tomorrow to 3.4 miles, but the weather today was hot and super humid, so we’ll see how long we last. I’ve only run once since the last time we went out (Thursday). I did pretty well, walked only about 2 minute out of 3 miles. I need to set myself up on a better training schedule so I can hopefully see some more improvement now that I’ve almost hit my goal of being able to run a 5k distance on my own.
 
Well yesterday's running was hot and gross but successful! We completed 3.6 miles, and I'd say we walked about a half mile total, broken up in two sessions. That was key, our pace ended up being I think 11.27 minutes per mile, which is faster than the 3.1 miles I did on Monday morning in cool weather. Having a running partner helps, but I STILL hate that she has run a grand total of three times (all of them with me) and is a much stronger runner than I am. I'm the one limping along saying "I kind of want to die right now" while she's hopping along happy beside me. But it doesn't matter, I am not in competition with her, I am just trying to better myself, and I am!

I had the apartment to myself for about 5 hours tonight. Generally that means binge eating, since the boyfriend isn't around to see me. First I wanted sushi, then I wanted a buffalo chicken pizza (my #1 comfort food, but only from one particular place) and then I was at the grocery store standing in front of the Ben & Jerry's. What did I end up walking in the apartment door with? A bag of kitty food, two servings of Skinny Cow Ice Cream (one of which is still in the freezer), and an iced coffee (with no sugar). The coffee was so I could watch some of my online classes without falling asleep. That was a huge accomplishment for me right there.... the Ben & Jerry's always makes an appearance when the boyfriend is out for a while, and there is VERY rarely any evidence of its existence when he comes back. Not tonight! Laura - 1, Ice Cream - 0.
 
Awesome work on the eating while the bf was away!! I tend to do the same when I'm being bad! Sometimes him being gone is better because his temptations usually turn into mine after some talk about it.
Great work on the running too. I'm currently training for a half marathon and when I first started jogging I never ever thought I would be at the stage I am in now. You just got to keep at it! You should sign up for one next year and use it as motivation to keep going. It worked for me because I signed up for mine a long time ago and when the 1 month mark came around I knew it was crunch time. If I wouldn't have signed up I probably would have made an excuse to put it off till next year.
Great work so far! Keep it up and have a great long weekend!
 
Hey Laura keep it up!

I know the feeling of trying to succumb to junk food.. gosh. it can be so tempting some times! but if you work hard an put your mind into it, it works. and counting calories could be tedious but definitely works when you want to reduce your calorie intake in a more accurate matter.
xoxo and have a great weekend!
 
Hey thanks for stopping by we seem to be aiming for the same goal! Just an inch in height. Running is one of my desires and with chubbygirl and yourself making it sound so easy and fun I might give it a go in the next few days. The last time I ran was to chase my dog and that can hardly be called "structured exercise" lol. keep it up I look foward to seeing how things go! ^^
 
Great job succeeding in the Battle of Ben & Jerry's!! :rotflmao:I went and had frozen yogurt at my favorite guilty pleasure (Menchie's), but I will not be going there but maybe once a month from now on, IF I have met my goals. It's just too easy to make it unhealthy with all those candy toppings sitting there. Hopefully I can be as successful as you in defeating the ice cream and junk food! Also, awesome job on the running. You are doing so well! :hurray:
 
Big day for me!

chubbygirl said:
You should sign up for one next year and use it as motivation to keep going. It worked for me because I signed up for mine a long time ago and when the 1 month mark came around I knew it was crunch time. If I wouldn't have signed up I probably would have made an excuse to put it off till next year.
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Thanks for always being so encouraging! I am actually signed up for a Ragnar Relay in May with some co-workers. That would be a 178 mile relay for 12 team members, with each one of us being responsible for anywhere between 11 and 18 miles over a 24 hour period, broken up into three segments. That is currently more than I sometimes run in a week, so that's my motivation at the moment!

Amiba said:
and counting calories could be tedious but definitely works when you want to reduce your calorie intake in a more accurate matter.
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I've definitely noticed an improvement already in my decision making, even though I've only been counting for a few days. Seeing it written down is so much different than just reading it on the back of a package (or carton, in my usual case, haha).

xRougex said:
Hey thanks for stopping by we seem to be aiming for the same goal! Just an inch in height. Running is one of my desires and with chubbygirl and yourself making it sound so easy and fun I might give it a go in the next few days. The last time I ran was to chase my dog and that can hardly be called "structured exercise" lol. keep it up I look foward to seeing how things go! ^^
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I love hearing from people with similar goals! Start out slow with the running, that was always my plan and I even had to take a step back and make sure I was still sticking to that plan (I'll elaborate more on that in the rest of this entry). Gotta give chubbygirl a bit more credit in making things look easy with her 9 mile runs, but thank you for the compliment! It's so rewarding, and relaxing (to an extent).

BikiniBound2011 said:
Great job succeeding in the Battle of Ben & Jerry's!! :rotflmao:I went and had frozen yogurt at my favorite guilty pleasure (Menchie's), but I will not be going there but maybe once a month from now on, IF I have met my goals. It's just too easy to make it unhealthy with all those candy toppings sitting there. Hopefully I can be as successful as you in defeating the ice cream and junk food! Also, awesome job on the running. You are doing so well! :hurray:
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It really is a battle! I still can't believe I was literally standing in front of the case and didn't walk away with a pint. I used to walk by a Cold Stone Creamery on the way home from work, which is my favorite ice cream shop around here. Peanut butter, fudge, caramel.... delicious, but I definitely never looked up the calories in those concoctions!

So I went to the gym today. Thanks to ChubbyGirl (who has already gotten a personal thank you from me), I was able to mentally tell myself that it is ok to be slow when you are a new runner…. As a result of this I successfully completed a 5K distance on a treadmill for the first time! I have done a couple of actual 5K events without stopping, but could never get myself to go slow enough on a treadmill to keep it up for that long. I have only been running consistently for maybe two months now, and have been struggling with the desire to gain speed but also gain endurance. As a result, I had a haphazard training schedule that wasn’t helping me with either goal. I know that I averaged 5.5 mph at my last 5K, so that is what I did today. Next week I will up that a tiny bit, and I will continue up from there. Unfortunately, I feel as if I am sloppy and uncoordinated when I run at 5.5…. maybe it’s my height? My legs want to go faster, but just not for very long. Or maybe that’s a sign that it’s mental, and I really could run 3.1 at a faster pace? Who knows, but I am excited to have finally overcome this hurdle!

In other news, I weighed in after the workout at 155.6. That’s 3.6 pounds since the last weigh in on August 21, two weeks ago. I may be skewing the results a little by only weighing in after working out, but the way I see it, the results might end up a little lower than they should have but the change would be accurate since I’m always fresh off of a run. Is that logical? Seems like it.

Off to Texas Roadhouse.... will have to work hard to avoid eating like 8 of those delicious rolls with that amazing cinnamon butter!!
 
Hey Laura! My name is Laura too!! I totally know your closet eating situation--- i used to do that and still kinda do! I hate eating in front of peopl ebecause i don't want to be judged.....=( with healthier foods, it's ALOT easier...

I usually eat in front of my computer, watching a show or something, rather than sitting at the dining room table. I think that's something i'm going to do starting next week, probably eat less when i'm not distracted!

Good job on that running- super kudos on that! mmmm texas roadhouse! yummy!! have a good meal!
 
laureelee07 said:
Hey Laura! My name is Laura too!! I totally know your closet eating situation--- i used to do that and still kinda do! I hate eating in front of peopl ebecause i don't want to be judged.....=( with healthier foods, it's ALOT easier...

I usually eat in front of my computer, watching a show or something, rather than sitting at the dining room table. I think that's something i'm going to do starting next week, probably eat less when i'm not distracted!

Good job on that running- super kudos on that! mmmm texas roadhouse! yummy!! have a good meal!
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Thanks for coming by! I have been closet eating since I was little. I think I got it from my dad, he was the same way. My mom would wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or something and catch me making a delicious ice cream sundae in the dark and I'd always feel embarrassed, despite her trying to convince me that I shouldn't be. Guess I never grew out of that. And I bet eating at the table will help, I've always read that it does. And my Texas Roadhouse was delicious, thankfully we were not offered more rolls or I would have eaten WAY too many!!

And because I was looking up my past race times today, here they are! I'm hoping to break 33 tomorrow... I'll let you guys know how it goes!

9.06.10 Bad Habits Productions 5K - TBD
8.21.10 Cape Shore Foundation 5K - 33:55
7.17.10 Artesani Park 5K - 36:40
6.24.10 JPMorgan Chase Corporate Challenge 3.5 miles - 42:04
 
Way to go on all the runs! I have run a 5K and a 10Kin my life. I signed up for a bunch of others but never lost enough weight to actually run them... so I just forgot they existed. I love running.... I mean I hate it when I'm heavy, but I love it when I'm lighter. I'd like to ultimately run a marathon maybe. just one. But right now I am focusing on running a 1/2 marathon.. hopefully in May.

I used to calorie count as well and I lost a lot of weight! I also have a kitchen scale and I find that now I can eyeball a serving size much easier than before. It really helps!

Great work so far. Keep running and shedding those lbs! :hurray:
 
Hallo again! Things are looking freaking awesome for you right now keep it up! :) As for the sneaky eating I used to pig out when the last family member went to bed. I'd plan hours ahead what naughty yummy thing I'd make. :p Just keep running, just keep running hehe. I have decided I will give it a go myself, maybe in short intervals so THANK YOU SO MUCH alongside the other runners on this forum for giving me the courage! You make me feel more normal coz I worry about running slow, jiggly bits and my general unhealthiness. Lets do this! ^^
 
WOW! You're not new to running- Congrats on doing one every month! How great is that =)

You inspire me to look into that and sign up for one..What a great way for me to get some cardio in!
 
Just got home from the 5K and the boyfriend is in the shower so you guys are the first to hear that I met my goal!!! I was somewhere just under 33 minutes or just over 33 minutes.... I watched the clock hit 33 as I ran up to it, but the results sheet said 32:54, I think. Either way I am pumped! The results get posted online within a day or two, so I will let you know when it's "official" (I'm not really sure how official the timing is, since they don't use chips, but it's all I got.)

Thank you all so much for your kind words, they really mean a lot to me. I definitely recommend 5Ks to everyone, even if you can't run all/most/much of it. It's very cool to see improvement in your times, you get cool t-shirts you can wear with pride, you're burning calories... what's not to like?
 
AWESOME WORK!!!! That is amazing! I love the race scene too but I've never been fit for long enough to run more than one a year. But it's something I'd really love to get into. Winter is coming now though so I'll just stick to my mill till the spring. Just way till you break that 30 minute mark you will feel sooooo good!!!

wayy tooo goooooo!!!!:party:
 
Great work on the record!! keep it up and you'll be under 30 minutes in no time! Such a great accomplishment!
 
Well, it's been a week since I last wrote.... I will say that I definitely fell off of the wagon a bit. I had been doing well about at least keeping track of everything I was eating, if not counting calories, but I even let that slip for a few days. First it was Labor Day, which meant snacks and yummy food and dessert at the boyfriend's parents' house, then I was dealing with some serious PMS, and finally I got sick (wasn't anything too bad, but I left work early because of it, for the first time ever, and skipped my workout the next day). I only went to the gym twice last week, although yesterday I did walk 26.2 miles (yes, you read that right, I walked a marathon). Unfortunately I used that as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, because I felt like I "deserved" it. That is something I am hoping to overcome, the feeling that food can be both a reward for good things and a cure for bad things. And then today I failed to bring my lunch to work today which resulted in a tuna melt and chips from Cosi, meaning my lunch alone was over 1,000 calories. I REALLY wish I had consulted their nutrition page before making that meal choice.

That being said, I think I need to make myself more accountable for what I'm doing here. I am planning on setting myself up for a weekly weigh-in, and will try to post more of my meals. Help keep me on target, guys, pretty please!
 
Hey dont worry about your slip up week. Just dont let it take control of you. You need to be strong and tell yourself that tomorrow or the next meal or whatever will be better. And make that promise to yourself. Not sure if you've noticed but I've been making little, unofficial yet very real to me, contracts in my diary where I promise myself after a day of bad eats that the next day will be better or that the following week I wont give into that. It seems to be working because it is always in my mind. I have had 4 bad eat days (sometimes just one decent binge or bad meal in the day... only one day was it an all day thing) but I always make sure I promise myself to come back to where I want to be the next day and when I wake up my focus is there all over again. Just don't dwell on bad eats. You can't. It's the biggest downfall.

I also have that bad habit of "deserving" that because I worked out like crazy or whatever. It's something I need to work on. It's just a mentality we need to fight off I guess. Maybe try to substitute the food thing for something else. Dying your hair... buying an outfit you really want... getting your nails done. I often fight myself and say I refuse to buy it (even if I really want it) until I get my head in the game and complete a mini goal or whatever. Honestly just get back here. Dont dwell on it. Just get your head in the game. Dont lose to the ENEMY!!!! :)
 
Wow Laura, WOW! You walked a marathon??!!! Wow girl!!! How long did that take you? Were your legs sore afterwards? You rock madam! :)

I like the descriptions of the food you eat. You have so much delicious food over there in the US. Why not send some of it our way over the Pacific Ocean, here Down Under? hehehe We'll trade you our BBQ for all your stuff haha! Btw, I am totally the same as you with the lettuce thing! I eat it one day, then forget about it for a few days and next thing I know, I have a fridge full of slush. I've found a great way to keep it fresh though. Wash a head of lettuce, wrap it in a towel, go outside and swing it around and around till all the water sprays out of it, then use what you need and put the rest, wet towel and all, into a glass or metal bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge. It will keep for at least 2 weeks, nice and crunchy! Even longer if you're happy to just chop off the brownish bits and eat the rest. Anyway, keep up your great work and I hope to run a half marathon next year as well. Let's motivate each other and work towards it together! Yeehaa! :p
 
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