Week Eight - Day Seven

After the inspection, we finally decided to make an offer on the condo. And it was a lowball. But we got it - along with promises that it would be completely cleaned before we took possession.

Then the day came.

It was not cleaned.

In fact, our realtor had to stay with the previous owner's agent for several hours demanding he actually empty the place. We got a small concession in cash for cleaning.

It wasn't enough.

The carpets were filthy and there were actual cigarette butts on the floor.

The tile in the bathrooms and kitchen were stained beyond belief and repair.

And the appliances and kitchen were just....filthy.

We decided we couldn't move in yet. We'd stay in our apartment another month. The first thing that HAD to be done was cleaning, and the floors needed to be addressed.

So project one - every piece of flooring came up.

The WHOLE place.

Please note - the flooring was only TWO YEARS OLD - and HAD to be replaced.

But what a difference the new flooring made.

Brand new laminate throughout - except new carpet in the bedrooms.

And WOW. After that - a professional cleaning service, who estimated it would take 4 hours to clean the place...

Took nearly ten hours - and it was move - in ready!

Phase one complete.

We'd live in phase one for about a year before we began getting a sense of decorating and color.

And then we moved into the beginnings of phase two...

Which will COMPLETE this weekend - nearly a year and 8 months after moving in.

More pictures tomorrow.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Eight - Day Six

I HAVE DONE IT.

5.05 miles in 1:09:30. This pace is actually quite surprising to me - because I felt like I was walking more than I wanted to, but even so - under a 14 minute average pace! 

So today's roar is not one of anger - but one of accomplishment! Yesterday's food intake went FLAWLESSLY.

And today's will be no different! We are taping and painting today and tomorrow and hopefully putting the house back together on Monday! 

How's YOUR weekend shaping up?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Eight - Day Five

I am angry this morning.

But I'll get to that in a moment. I had a good weight workout today. Kept on track. And yes, Jeff, I'm pledging to run SEVEN miles while I'm in Disneyland.

Now - why am I angry? And at whom?

I decided before going to the gym this morning to check the scale. 

And I was heartbroken. You see - part of why I haven't been posting weekly updates is because I haven't changed much over two months. But what it turns out is true is that over several months I've slid slightly from around 286ish back up to around 292 (this morning was 291.7). And I just felt like giving up. I felt like throwing in the towel.

But instead I put on my workout clothes and drove to the gym.

And while I was pumping weight, I started getting less sad, and much more mad. 

Mad at myself. You see - every time in my 30 years of life I've tried to lose weight and get healthy, I've sabotaged myself eventually. And I was about to do it here, wasn't I?

Mad at every little snack that I haven't accounted for. Mad at every hershey kiss that "didn't matter" because I'd worked out that day. Mad at every half piece of pastry I'd "try" at the coffee shop because it was "small" and a "free sample". Mad at every extra pat of margarine I hadn't accounted for. Mad at every fig newton or dried apricot I'd pop because I had a quick pang of hunger, and not count.

And the madder I got, the more driven my workout became. 

And I found myself talking to myself.

"YOU DID NOT COME THIS FAR TO GIVE UP." 

"YOU ARE BETTER THAN THIS."

"YOU HAVE CONTROL OVER THIS."

And I kept yelling at myself through my workout and getting madder and madder. 

Now...I've calmed down a bit. But.

I am done fooling around with this. Either I'm serious or I'm not.

And I AM serious. Serious as a heart attack. Because guess what folks? If I get lazy and balloon back up - that's what's waiting for me.

I WILL NOT BACKSLIDE.

I will make good plans and follow them. I will eat as healthily as possible in Anaheim. I will NOT backslide. I will account for every morsel that passes my lips. I will not waste the opportunity I have here to make significant lifelong change.

And let's face it. Thank goodness I'm going through this now - instead of at 300, or 310, or 340. I did backslide slightly, but ONLY slightly. I can recover and push forward.

And push forward I will.

And frankly - it's about time I started getting tough on myself. The rest of you have been doing it for months. And now I'm on the bandwagon.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Eight - Day Four

We are ONE week away from heading out to DisneyLand! I am SO excited I can't even begin to tell you.

Granted - first I have to get past a long weekend of housepainting. But that's okay.

I did a good run this morning, on pace, for my scheduled time - so that's good. :)

Food intake today is planned as follows:

B: oatmeal w/ butter (7); cottage cheese (3); toast with jam (3) = 13

L: Lean Cusine Pizza (8); Apple (1); Snackster (2); WW Carrot Cake (1); 100 cal snack (2) = 14

D: Chicken Breast (3); Rice a Roni (4); Veggie (1) = 8

Dessert: Fudge Bar (1)

Total: 36 points. Five under par. Let's see if I can hold to it and not use my 5 points!

And hey - I've already plotted out my five mile run for Saturday - AND my run for NEXT Saturday in Disneyland. Sadly, the loop I plan to do in Anaheim is 3.5 miles long. So instead of 6 miles I'll have to do 7. Oh darn. :P

MAIN STREET AWAITS! (In like a week!)

Week Eight - Day Three

Good morning Team Voice!

Today I want to respond to some of yesterday's concerns. I got comments here on the blog, as well as a few e-mails. And since Wednesday is a rest day - I figured I'd address them instead of addressing other things. But first - if you are a team voice member - I WANT YOU TO COMMENT TODAY. HERE. I want to hear from EVERYONE. WE ALL NEED TO STICK TOGETHER!

First of all - an admission. Yes - I've been sidetracked and inconsistent. I've plateaued with my weight around 290 (+/- a few pounds depending on the day). And yes, my training has NOT been perfect - although it has roughly matched the Penguin's plan. But the last two weeks even that has been sloppy.

I freely admit all of this. And I am working to change it - one day at a time (forgive the Schneider picture earlier).

Secondly - clarification. I am not competing with anyone else in the WDW Half-Marathon. I am competing with myself. I am also not expecting to RUN the WDW Half-Marathon. I am expecting to do some combination of speed walking and light jogging. Roughly how I train. I expect to finish this race in under 3:30. Hopefully under 3:00. But the most important goal I have for it is....

TO FINISH.

I can worry about time and speed NEXT year. And yes - you heard me. I plan on running this race again. And someday - the Mickey medal race. Perhaps even the Disneyland races. Or the Goofy. This is the START of this. And we must crawl before we walk.

My good friend Deb (and one of the Team Voice founders) e-mailed me yesterday. Here are a few snippits.

"THIS WEEKEND, go out and do 5 miles, no matter what. Walk it, jog it, run it, skip it - but do it!" Exactly my plan Deb. As is the progression of mileage UP UP and AWAY!

"Boy, I'm halfway thru this email and I don't know whether to send it. Who am I to advise you on training? I'm not even sure I"m going to finish the race successfully!" First of all - yes you ARE going to finish. Secondly - you're my friend and teammate - and that means your opinion ALWAYS counts. Never fear commenting or e-mailing. Even if you're being harsh, like mgreene often is. I truly DO appreciate every comment, because I know that it comes from a place of love. And much like you all love me and support me - know that I am constantly thinking of my teammates.

"I believe in you! And I believe in me!" And Deb, I believe in you too. All of us. And I will be at the finish line either to see you when I get there, or to wait for you until you get there.

This team concept is so wonderful - and the peer pressure is so powerful. And in that vein - and in the vein that Jeff and I have decided to "re-focus" - I'm going to remind myself, and you guys, of "WHY I DO WHAT I DO."

1. I choose to train to run this race - because it IS A DISNEY race. Disney is a passion for me, and the thought of running up Main Street motivates me like nothing else.

2. I choose to train to run this race - because I want to be HEALTHY and FIT for my family and my children. I've already lost 80+ pounds training, and it's not just about weight loss. It's about lifelong health.

3. I choose to train to run this race - because doing so is enabling me to help SICK children. We've raised nearly $3000 for the make a wish foundation, and I plan on raising the bar to raise even more before January. Those kids were the motivation from the start, and now they will be again.

You see - I've discovered that over time - since I've been training a year and a half now - that my passion has waned and waxed. But now's the time to PUMP IT UP! Now's the time to ROAR! Now's the time to focus on the castle, the resorts, the characters, the music, and the training to get there.

Believe me, my friends, I have the drive. I have the motivation. And I WILL NOT FAIL.

Tomorrow is scheduled a 40 minute run - then cross training on Friday - and Saturday's 5 miles are already mapped out.

Okay team - 140 days and counting. Who's with me??!?!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Eight - Day Two

Okay - first of all - this is NOT my house. This is a representation of clutter. And my house IS currently cluttered. More on this in a moment.

To answer the questions from yesterday - you're right. But I'm NOT going to focus on what I didn't do last week. I'm going to focus on what I AM doing this week. And so far - SO good. Had a great 30 minute weight workout this morning - and food yesterday was good. Today's plan:

B: Fiber One Cereal w/ milk (8); Fat Free Cottage Cheese (3); Two slices Toast w/ butter (2)

L: Turkey Sandwich (5); Snackster (2); Apple (1); Fiber One Bar (2); WW Carrot Cake (1)

D: Ronzoni Smart Balance Pasta (8.5); Red Sauce (2); Parmesan Cheese (2-3); Aidells Chicken/Apple Sausage (4); Veggie (1)

Total: 41

Now - as to the clutter.

Yeah - our painter NEVER showed.

So we decided after MUCH deliberation to take the bull by the horns and begin prepping the house to do the project ourselves. So far it's been kinda fun - and we're doing a good job, I think. We'll know soon. But the house is covered with paper, and tape, and we're not done yet. The hope is that we'll paint this weekend....we'll see...

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Eight - Day One

Okay - so it's another vague TV reference - but this time it's "One Day at a Time".

This week we're going to focus on making EACH DAY as solid as we can. So far - SO GOOD.

Already did 2.8 miles this morning in 39.9 minutes. 14.25 pace. Not bad.

Food today is planned as such:

B: WW Breakfast Quesadilla (I'm running late) (8) and Cottage Cheese (5)

L: Turkey Sandwich (5) Apple (1) Fiber Bar (2) 100 cal snack (2)

D: Boca Chick'n Patty (3) Bun (3) Cheese (1) Sweet Potato (3) Veggie (0) Varied condiments (2)

35 total - leaving 6 for snacks and whatnot.

See you all tomorrow!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Seven - Day Six - Fuel

Today, boys and girls, we're going to discuss fuel.

We all need it - and if we put the WRONG kind of fuel in our tanks (like I've been doing this week) - we can't GO as far (like I did this morning). Only 2 miles. BUT I'm not going to beat myself up about it. I'm going to fuel properly today (good whole food and no junk) - and TOMORROW hit the five mile mark. 

I got a great e-mail from my good friend Jeff yesterday. I wanted to quote some of it here - because he PERFECTLY sums up where we both are.

"I see we have something in common. We have both been on an extended plateau for some time. It's like a small roller coaster, but not a fun one."

No kidding! But both Jeff and I are buckling down.

"I challenge you and myself to really take the time to examine ourselves and come up with a plan."

I ACCEPT your challenge Jeff. I know mine - and it's not about not having Angie, or Christina, or even exercise. Mine is all about food intake and how the fuel I've been choosing is affecting my ability to train. 

"I hope my intent to motivate is coming through here. Depending on where you are today you are within 15-20 pounds of a 100 pound weight loss. Wow. And double WOW! I am tremendously proud of you."

THANKS JEFF! I'm proud of EVERYONE here. We've all had challenges and setbacks, but we keep on keeping on. Like Rae says, Disney people don't give up!

And if you have been struggling lately - don't let it get you down....

I mean - remember what the Monty Python boys say!

"NO ONE EXPECTS THE SPANISH INQUISITION!"

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Seven - Day Five

So here we are again approaching the end of a week that didn't go as planned in any sense of the word.

I have little time today for a post, so I'll sum up.

My trial didn't end how I expected, and as usual, I chose to beat myself up a little - despite the fact that I did all I could do. This resulted in some bad choices about food and exercise. However - I've shaken it off. Assessed the damage which, thankfully, was minimal, and am prepared to move forward.

Today will be a good day in terms of food intake. And tomorrow will be a 5 mile run.

What I have to learn how to do is conquer my own emotional triggers. Or else this will keep happening. 

But I am trying. Hard.

And making progress. Truly. 

So let's see what tomorrow brings in the running front. And as always, keep moving forward!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Seven - Day Three

I'm in another trial - and this time, things are going swimmingly. I won't comment too much since we're not done - but yesterday went quite well for my client. 

I love trials. 

On a related note, Amber suggested that I change another mindset last night.

I no longer want to "get healthy." I'm already there. 

Now I want to "get FIT." Which I'm not. See the difference? 

These subtle mind-shifts REALLY help. And I think will spur me onto greater success as the 140 days until the race start to count down. 

HOLY CATS!!!! ONE HUNDRED FOURTY!?!?!? REALLY!??!?

WOW!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

(Denny Crane)

Week Seven - Day Two - Inspiration

Yesterday I was hit with a thunderbolt, and, as per usual in my life, the smartest ideas I've ever had, seem to come from my Desperate Mousewife, Amber. (Side grammar note: could I USE another comma in that sentence?)

You see - I was griping all day yesterday that despite my running doing okay and my workouts doing okay - my weight had been cycling the same five pounds for two months or more. What's more, I haven't had the need to send out a sponsor letter in a while, so I'm not getting checks to keep me excited about the charity aspect of things. (Sponsors, please note: I will be sending out a letter in September, regardless to update you on a few things, and suggest new ways to help my charity drive!)

Add to that the fact that once my Doctor gave me that clean bill of health - it was like permission to get lazy with food intake. Hey - what's a little treat here and there, I'm not gaining weight, and I'm healthy!

And what it's added up to is inconsistent workouts, inconsistent eating, and inconsistent results. As a wise man once said: "If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten."

So I asked Amber what she thought I could do. She reminded me that the physical aspect of this challenge has never been the hard part for me. For years, it's been the emotional battle that's caused problems, or more appropriately, when I got started with this - the DRIVING force. Think of Kate's poem, or Tim's photo, or the charity checks, or the drive of being HEALTHY.

Well - I need a new emotional inspiration to push me further. 

And so Amber asked me "What is it you really want next in life?"

I was kinda at a loss...but she sounded like a woman with a plan.

"You want to be the best father you can be, don't you? You want to teach our future children good habits? And be able to carry them around WDW on your shoulders? And play games with them outside? And show them comfort and love without ice cream?"

Boom.

There it was. How could I have not thought of it myself?

And no - don't get excited - no announcements at this time. But it's part of the plan for our future - and something we're going to seriously discuss and consider AFTER the race. And yes - it's been a HUGE emotional drive for years. 

And so - now - armed with newfound motivation - deeply rooted emotional motivation - I think the slips will start to minimize. My footholds will solidify. And I can genuinely keep moving FORWARD. 

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Seven - Day One

This morning I had a very productive run. It was not, however, my full 40 minutes. It was in fact closer to 30. The reason it was shorter was that I ran into our elusive painter! He hailed me down and asked me to walk with him to chat.

See - we started this painting project three weeks ago, and have had ZERO progress. We discovered the second weekend that our painter (Dave) had a death in the family, which we totally understood. However, we didn't find this out until Monday, after waiting all weekend for him. The second weekend came and went with no activity either. 

And then this morning I found him. He'd been away all week dealing with the aftermath of his mother-in-law's passing. Which again, we TOTALLY understand. We just asked him to communicate that a little better. We know we're a side job, but we've been sitting around waiting...

He was very apologetic, and is planning on doing some more work tomorrow, and finishing this project BEFORE we go to Disneyland. 

So that being said - here's a brief trip down memory lane:

When we found this condo, on our first walkthrough, we were APPALLED. Our agent called the seller and told him to take it off the market. No matter how good of a deal it was - it wasn't ready to sell. It was FILTHY. We couldn't even get into some rooms. We'd looked because we liked the development, having seen other units in it, and it was listed VERY low.

Three weeks later, it went back on the list - even lower, and advertising CLEANED.

These pictures were taken during the SECOND showing - and trust me - it was BETTER than the first one.

You can see the stains on the carpeting. This place was TWO years old. Mess everywhere. 

Same with the master bedroom. That couch blocked 3/4 of the bathroom door. 

The owner took care of the place like he was renting it.

This is the hall closet. Nuff said.

However - what we saw was POTENTIAL - and a STEAL of a deal.

So we decided to move forward with an inspection. More about that in a later post.

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Six - Day Six

I found this image on Google, and couldn't resist posting it. Because this is how I feel this morning...

Like a runner about to FLY.

The tummy issues are gone (the weren't beef related, I think in fact, they might have been a small virus, OR related to a larger than normal quantity of dried fruits over a few days...fiber...ugh)...and so I went out for a workout this morning.

I took it easy on myself. About 80% speed walking, 20% jogging/running. 

And I did....

Are you ready?

Are you waiting?

I don't think you're ready...

Okay....

NOW you're ready:

4.77 miles in....1:07:49. A roughly 14 minute pace! And I feel WONDERFUL.

I'm pumped, psyched, and rearin' for more already!

Thanks for joining my pity party yesterday guys - but today - LET'S CELEBRATE our successes!!!

What have you done lately that makes you proud of yourself?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Six - Day Six

You ever feel like just when you take a step forward, life takes you two steps back?

Alright - it's not THAT bad. Things are okay here.

Food is going okay. Not perfect, but okay. But I've been waking up feeling horribly sick the last two days. Yesterday, I kid you not, I was in the bathroom for over AN HOUR. This morning I'm getting waves of nausea. 

This does not excuse me not exercising yesterday or today. But it does explain it. 

It might be the stress of my trial (which goes into closing arguments at 8am) or just a stomach bug. Either way, it's really ticking me off! I'm sitting here holding my stomach because of cramping, FULLY DRESSED FOR A RUN...

I started this week so strongly. And I still intend to do ~4.5 miles tomorrow (I say approximately because I think my route is a little more like 4.8). Then I'll plan a short run Sunday to capitalize on it. And hit the ground running again Monday.

That's the plan.

I feel bad when this happens, guys. Horrible in fact. Like I'm letting the team down. Letting myself down. I fret about it all day. I guess that means I'm dedicated, but it doesn't help. I'm having nightmares of getting swept at the race. My weight loss has plateaued. I'm just feeling lousy. And it's creeping into my daily decision making...an extra this here, an extra that there. Nothing major, but it adds up, I know.

So I'm going to make a conscious choice here. Today. Now.

That's how all this started for me - a conscious choice to try do this thing.

So now I make another conscious choice.

I choose to succeed. I choose to try every day to surpass what I did the day before. I choose to make food FUEL for my body - not a way to combat any emotions or boredom. I choose to exercise according to my plan - and do it HARD. I choose to PUSH myself. 

And most importantly:

I CHOOSE TO CONTINUE. I CHOOSE NOT TO GIVE UP.

It's been a bumpy summer. 

But that just means I have a lot I can improve on. And THAT will push me to do so.

Are you guys with me? Don't give up on me! I'm not giving up on you! I promise!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Six - Day Two - Legal Machinations

If you don't watch Boston Legal - go now and buy the DVDs from the first season. Watch them. Then come back.

It is hands down the best hour on television, in my humble opinion.

And this week (plus the next few) will be filled with Alan Shore type legal mumbo-jumbo as I head out this morning for some motions, while prepping four trials over the next three weeks. And may I say - I am PUMPED. I have some new tricks up my sleeve that the prosecutors I work with are never going to see coming.

In the meanwhile, I'll be doing my best to not let the fast-paced adrenaline rush get me off track. Did great today with exercise and yesterday with food. So far so good. Have a great plan for the week food-wise, and nothing will come between me and my exercise goals.

Let's face it - I'm pointed in the right direction again and all is well!

Oh yeah - and hey Lisa - GET BETTER SOON!!!! WE LOVE YOU!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Six - Day One - 289.0

Well - first of all - I'm down a bit of weight from last week - not much - but we're headed back in the right direction.

Secondly - today's run went quite well...2.2 miles in 31:50. I thought it was a longer loop...but c'est la vie.

Now - I want to publicly and openly congratulate JEFF W. for his marvelous event this last weekend. Not only was it GREAT fun - Jeff gave this team a much needed morale boost, and got everyone's head back in the game!

GREAT JOB JEFF!

Today will be a normal day - and a pretty good week - lots happening at work to distract me from snacking - and a few trials to get the blood pumping. :) And a 4.5 mile run awaiting me on Saturday. :)

Have I mentioned how much fun I'm having? 

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Five - Day Six - CORNFEST Basics

Yes folks - it's all ovah! 4.0 miles in 52:50!!! :)

I have officially completed the first annual CornFest - plussing it to 4 miles!

This morning - the painter is coming again (we hope) to finish the bedroom/office and begin on the 2nd bathroom...

Foodwise - we have a company BBQ tonight - it's a potluck - so we're bringing marinated chicken breast for us - and a nice WW Greek Salad to enjoy. No potato salad for me!

All in all - shaping up to be a great day! I wanted to wish you all luck in your CornFest runs - or congratulate you for finishing it! GO TEAM VOICE!!!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Five - Day Five - Back to Basics

Raul Ibanez hit a walk off homer to lead off the ninth in one of the most satisfying, yet short, baseball games I've been to in years! It was only 2 hours 9 minutes!!!! HOLY CATS!!!

Speaking of cats - THANKS RAE for saying the pic on the AATM show notes looks good. :) I feel great! 

No hot dog last night! But we all did share some "snacks" - including candy and popcorn. My tummy is a little upset today - but that's okay - I'll work it off this morning and tomorrow during CornFest. 

This week I've been focusing on getting exercise under control - and have succeeded for the most part (doing pushups/situps/leg lifts today instead of the gym - but still it's cross training) - and getting food back to basics - which has been a little more challenging, I seem to allow myself a "treat" a day - that I don't account for. Stopping that as of today.

But for the most part - this week has been REALLY productive in my mind in getting me re-jazzed about my progress and pumped for the race! 

How about you Team? Are you guys still jazzed? Do you realize before you know it we'll be jogging along changing leaves in the fall, and then we'll be....mere DAYS away from Main Street?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Five - Day Four - Back to Basics

No time for a long post today - just your basic goofy day ahead. :)

Good workout this morning - 2.8 miles in 43:30. A little slower than I'd have liked, but still under pace. :)

Food intake had a small bump yesterday - but nothing to fret about. Had a few points to spare. :)

Food intake today will be on track - no time to post everything - running late as it is - but I'm even stopping to have Subway for dinner BEFORE we go to a Mariner's game tonight - no hot dogs or nothing! Aren't you proud? 

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Five - Day Three - Back to Basics

A basic duck. No anger, no hair pulling. Just a duck. 

And a day of rest.

Everything went smoothly yesterday - and today is my rest day. 

That being said - my commenter from yesterday is RIGHT. I've been lazy on the Team Voice front too. And I'm making a commitment here and now to be more active in the blogs and forums. I've BEEN reading everyone's and keeping up with it - but a 'community' is interactive, and I need to be MORE interactive. So I will.

Promise. :)

As for food today:

B: Special K and Skim milk (6); 1 cup fat free cottage cheese (3); Sara Lee Delightful Toast w/ butter and/or jam (4)

L: Safeway Select Fresh Chicken Breast Sandwich (similar to subway - 12)

D: Buttermilk Brined Pork Chops (7); Idahoan Mashers (4); Veggies (0)

Dessert: WW Fudge bar (1) and maybe popcorn (2)

Total points: 39 (less than 41 - 2 points to spare...maybe I'll give up the popcorn and look for a side dish for lunch...)

Can I just say - we're five months away from these races, and I'm starting to get VERY excited?

Are you?

What plans have you made? What cool things are you doing on your trip? And what are you eating for dinner the night BEFORE the race?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Day Two - Back to Basics

A "basic" Mickey for today's posting.

Since this week is about getting back to the root of the basics of my program, I thought we'd look at some "basic" friends. Like the mouse. :)

Had a good weight workout today - 30 minutes - on track.

Did measurements with Christina - good news - although my weight hasn't changed much in the last month - my bodyfat is DOWN 1.5 pounds, and my muscle is UP 1.5 pounds. So that's hopeful, at least. We do another set in September - when I'm hoping for more dramatic results.

Oh yeah - and she challenged me. No bad sugars for this month - candies, pastries, etc. are out. The only "sweets" I'm allowed are my WW snacks at WORST - fruits are good, too. :)

As for food today:

B: Special K w/ Skim Milk (6); 1 cup fat free Cottage Cheese (3); Toast (Sara Lee Delightful) with 1/2 I can't believe it's not butter light and 1/2 sugar free preserves (5)

L: WW Meatloaf (5); Apple (1); 2x 100 calorie snack (4)

D: 2x Boca Flame Grilled Patty (3.5); Oroweat Bun (3); Sargento Light Provolone cheese (1); hard boiled egg (2); Big green salad (0); Spritzer Salad dressing (0)

Dessert: WW Cookies and cream bar (2)

Total Points: 34.5 (41 daily total) - so that leaves a 6 point margin of error.

Yesterday's food went according to plan with the exception of frozen yogurt out last night - which was a nice treat, and fat free. :)

So how come nobody's commenting? Have I gotten so flakey that you guys are giving up on me? Is this week the week I prove to you I am committed and bring you back to the fold???

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Week Five - Day One - Back to Basics

First - I had a great run this morning. 2.8 miles in 40:12. About a 14.5 minute mile. There were a few hills in there that were KILLERS and slowed my pace a bit - but I finished it and did great!

Second - yes - believe it or not, I'm going to agree with mgreene. Mr. Excuse has been rearing his ugly head. Well - more Mr. Explanation. But either way, I've been lazy for about the last month, and not only has my exercise suffered, I've lost and regained the same darn 4-5 pounds several times.

The cycle must end here. :)

So this week I'm focusing on the basics of my program - solid exercise (40 minutes today - CHECK) - good diet (posting points momentarily) - and faithful blogging.

And we'll see how this Monday compares to NEXT monday. :)

Today's menu:

Points: 41

Running: 1 clif shot (2)

Breakfast: Special K Red Berries/Skim Milk (6); 1 cup fat free cottage cheese (3); 1 whole wheat bagel (5)

Lunch: WW Chicken Parmesan (5); Apple (1); 100 calorie snack (2); Fiber One Bar (3)

Dinner: WW Oven Fried Chicken (5); WW Caesar Salad (3); Veggie (0)

Snack: WW Fudge Bar (1) OR WW Cookies and Cream Bar (2)

Total points: 37ish - and that leaves a little wiggleroom if I want/need an extra snack or a skinny latte or something.

See ya'll tomorrow!!!

Oh yeah - the bedroom looks GREAT!!! (once ALL the painting is done, I'll tell the story of this place....)

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

2.86 miles - 41 minutes

First of all - stretching is our friend, right Baloo?

Man - after no running for a few days, and messing the schedule, again....I couldn't get to the 4 mile mark. I gave it a good try though. Regardless, I know now that I REALLY need to stick to my schedule in order to succeed.

That and this last week has just been....off. As you know.

So what do we do about next week?

We make it ON. :)

How? Well here we go:

M: 40 minutes

T: 30 minute weights 

W: Rest

Th: 40 minutes

F: 30 minute weights

S: CORNFEST - I'll be doing a 4.0 mile run!

Su: Rest

And as for the home improvements - they're coming along. What I might do, if you'd all like - is show some pictures of BEFORE we moved in - AFTER we moved in - and then AFTER the paint. :) Are you interested in our tale of home creation?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Slight Changes - one day shift

Tomorrow is my long run - 4.5 miles.

Why not today?

The darn alarm went off late - and sadly I don't have time to be late today. We have a painter coming at 9am to paint our bedroom and begin painting our house, and we have to prep for that...

Move things...

Clean...

Etc. 

I barely...

Have time...

To blog...

"COMING DEAR!!!!"

Gotta run!

MAIN STREET AWAITS!

Day Six - Cross Training - Calisthenics

We march together across this desert. We march towards our destinies.

And what do we march AWAY from?

Our unhealthy pasts.

We leave behind our bad habits, our bad energy, and our bad emotional responses.

Sometimes we do get bogged down in them. But we persevere. We go on. We move forward.

Today I did cross training at home - calisthenics - push-ups (25), sit-ups (50), leg lifts (50 per side). I am running short on time this morning. I had intended to get to the gym, but received an e-mail that needed some attention.

But much like not letting our past habits get us down, I refused to let this e-mail keep me from my exercise. 

I won't go into the subject of the e-mail here, as it really doesn't fit with my blog's theme. But at some point in the future - it will garner a reply. Rest assured.

That being said - Happy August folks! Here's to a great one! Let's really leave our pasts behind us and march together towards our future! 

ARE YOU WITH ME TEAM VOICE?!?!?!?

MAIN STREET AWAITS!