I ran 16 minutes today...OK per plan there were a couple of walking breaks in there but the longest runs were 5 minutes and I survived them!!!

Plus a pair of pants and a skirt that were once a bit snug are noticeably looser..so what if the silly scale refuses to budge??! Yeah, I got on the scale...nowhere made it near to staying off of it until my birthday...but I can still put it up and try again...birthday is still a month off...a gift to myself!

OK, made it through the week...barely! I think I will take my neighbors' suggestion and try next week outside...who cares what others think when they see fat ole me running along!

Did another boot camp this morning. I can't believe I allowed myself to get in such a shape but I'm doing something to get it back.

And it may be just my imagination but the pants I bought a couple of weeks ago seem looser....

I will not stop, I will not quit! I will remember the joy on my daughter's face as she rode her bike down the hill for the first time yesterday without training wheels...she fell several times and had many a scraped knee but she persevered and she did it! Her chant "I'm a perseverer...I'm not a quitter!"

Week 3 Day 1...90 sec running, 90 sec walking...3 min running, 3 min walking...repeat. I can hardly get through the three minute segments...slowed my speed down...read that one of the mistakes beginner runners do is go too fast...got through the intervals but barely. Right now I think I really need to focus on getting my endurance up and then work on speed.

New shoes aren't so comfortable but I'm got giving up on them yet...I have a 30 day return policy as long as I only use them on the treadmill. Maybe the other shoes were so out of whack it's going to take a bit for my legs and feet to get used to these shoes.

Nutrition: Reading Body for Life for women...looking at the meal plan suggestions. I need something that fits into our life and is not a total overhaul, though some things need to be overhauled around here!

So I had a little trip to the ER last night...a fib...frustrating. Doing a good thing here by getting back in shape and this is how my body rewards me?? Arg!

But I've been symptom free all day...MT and I went out and got me a new pair of shoes...I love how she is so willing to mentor me through this...I hope I'm not being too clingy! She wants to show me her bike path Tuesday...just went bike riding with Child 2 and Child 4...actually she rode part of the way in the trailer with Child 5 since she had a hard time keeping up...gave me quite the workout!

Goal for the week...get some menu ideas written down....re3ally want to get teh diet end of this cleaned up!

OK, so a few days have passed with no post...I completed Week 2 of the running plan...seriously doubting if I will make it through this...knees are hurting...really need to get new shoes...

Did my own mini boot camp this morning as MN was out of town. A bunch of runners kept going by...I kept telling myself some day I will be like them...hurting knees will be a thing of the past...

Eating Cream of Wheat with PB for breakfast...except the cereal is really lumpy...nothing I hate to eat more than lumpy cereal..

Week 2 Day one of couch to 5 K has started...90 seconds of running followed by 2 minutes of walking...I tried to up the speed today...maybe I should wait until the end of the week to do that!

Worked out with MN Saturday...I can not believe how out of shape I am...I can really get disgusted with myself...sometimes I even want to choose not to go places with my husband because I don't like how I look in anything I wear. Negative self talk gets me down a lot so each time one of those thoughts creep in I will choose to turn it into a positive one...each day I run I am getting stronger...each time I work out with MN I will go a bit farther and a bit harder than the last time...like finish each rep she gives me not matter how long it takes to accomplish it. I give up too quickly. Today I really wanted to quit running on the treadmill but I pushed through, finished the workout and even did some Pilates (following suggestion of MN) after that...


What's my goal for today? Drink 3L H20. I told MN how crabby I'm getting in the middle of the afternoon...she said I'm probably not drinking enough water. She also suggested eating an apple sprinkled with cinnamon and 10 nuts as a snack. I fall completely apart food wise between 4 and 6 PM...children are restless, Daddy's not home and I'm exhausted...and the food choices I make in those 2 hours can reek havoc on an otherwise good day food wise. Since we have no nuts in the house, I'm going to sub a tablespoon of peanut butter...

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Breakfast: 2 pieces of toast, 1 piece of ham, coffee
Lunch: one cup barley soup, 1 container yogurt...shared it with the little man


water: 32 oz during exercise; 16 oz with lunch

Finished is Week One of the Couch to 5 K program...I was even upping the speed today...I looked ahead to upcoming weeks...it seems a bit daunting. However in the past I started some pretty scary knitting projects that ended up well...follow the directions, take a stitch or a step at a time and I may be amazed at the outcome! Funny how I can tie knitting in to about anything! Too bad I can't knit and run at the same time!

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Food has gone better today...
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat with 1/2 T peanut butter, coffe with 1/4 c skim milk
Lunch: Ham sandwich, 1/2 avocado, tomato,
Snack: 2 cheese sticks
Dinner: grilled chicken, couscous, a grain salad whose name escapes me right now, and the not so good stuff: beer and boston creme pie...not together..yuck!

Then I took the children, including the neighbor for a walk...at least 45 min...with the baby in a back pack...up some decent sized hills...

Oh, the diet end of this needs a lot of work...not that I'm gorging out or anything but
I know those calories have a tendency to sneak up on you...

I hardly slept last night...was incredibly sore...thought it was from lifting weights but now I think it was from chasing children around the pool...tomorrow it's back to the treadmill. I checked a book out from the library today called "The 90 second Fitness Solution." Looks interesting.

Saturday I'm doing a boot camp with my incredibly in shape neighbor...I'm grateful for her support.

Goal: A lady from church mentioned that she met with a dietician from HyVee and they worked out an eating plan together. My goal is to call HyVee tomorrow to see if I can make an appt. with a dietician.

Week One Day two of couch to 5 k running plan is done. I didn't feel quite a bad today...no swollen fingers...I still wanted to quit but I just imagined Jillian Michaels yelling, "The only way you are getting off that treadmill is if you DIE!"

Yesterday I lifted weights in the AM, started the day off somewhat healthy with an egg beater, mushroom and spinach, lunch was a bowl of ramen noodle soup, snack was popcorn, and then it all fell apart...some Oreo cookies showed up in our house...I can't remember the last time I had a Oreo cookie...I didn't stop with just a serving...sigh...back on plan today...

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Breakfast: Oatmeal, applesauce, bacon
Lunch: spaghetti, apple





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Maybe I should actually sign up to run a 5K in about 10 weeks...I'll have to think about that! Running in public, not a good image right now!

Goal for today is to put the scale away. I get really hung up on the numbers and when they refuse to move I get discouraged and give up...so no scale no chance for discouragement!! Wish it were that easy! But I'm changing the focus from numbers motivated to exercising and eating better...

The blob stops here

Time to get serious...do I really want to be one of those people I sometimes see on TV that are 100+ pounds overweight? NO!

Do I really enjoy living with knees and arches that ache? NO!

Do I really want to continue being the fattest of my sisters...I look into their faces and I see the resemblance of my own yet they don't have issues with weight. I want to set a better example for my children. I never want them, especially my daughters to go through this.

So, today is the first day. I got on the treadmill and did the first day of a couch to 5K running plan. It felt awful...I thought I would get sick...my hands were so swollen my wedding ring hurt! I really can't see how I'll be running 3 miles without walking in 8 weeks. I may not reach that goal. I may have to repeat weeks on the plan but at least it's a goal. If it takes 10 weeks or 12 weeks, so be it but I bet I could be running that 3 miles by Janae's wedding in November. That's the goal. And my sisters (silly people!) think they need to lose 20 lbs by the wedding...even if I lost the 2 lbs a week that's safe to lose I won't be to goal weight by Nov. 20 but I could be a lot closer than I am now.

An article I read at my parents' house spoke of planning meals to be about 400 calories each including a snack. I've been thinking about something like that a long time...it seems doable. This is a life change not a diet. I'm going to want to continue to eat the fabulous meals my husband cooks but I need to make better choices...so maybe I should post my meal logs here...maybe it will keep me more honest about what I'm doing to my body...
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Breakfast: 1/2 banana, 1 serving Cream of Wheat with 1/2 T peanut butter, 8 oz milk
16 oz water multivitamin and iron supplement

Lunch: spinach, bacon, 2 sl low fat, 2 hard boiled eggs, apple, 16 oz water,

Dinner: considering we went to Long John Silver's after A's ballgame, I didn't think there would be many options for me but there was a salmon, rice and veggie dish for 350 calories...I think the thing that got me though was the coleslaw I stole from E...


Exercise: 5 minute warm-up,8 intervals of running 1 minute/walking 90 sec, 5 min cool down followed with stretching

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Now do I actually have the guts to tell others about this blog? What's the point if I don't? So, JB and MA (hopefully you know who you are!!) and NK if you haven't heard about this by the end of the week then I have failed at that goal, too. I don't expect you to respond or anything...just the fact that you may possibly read what I'm up to will be enough.

The blob stops here!
I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me!!!
Amen!