It's been a while...

I haven't posted in a while. I just haven't felt like I had much to say.

Today is exactly one year until my wedding. It's crunch time.

I will be walking down the aisle weighing 145 (or less), there is no other option.

I can ramble on about what I'm going to do but I'd rather just focus on doing it.

Small highlights of plan:
-workout 5-6x a week
-really reduce stupid carbs (i.e. pretzels, chips)
-focus on eating lean protein and veggies for most meals and snacks

Time to get going.

Small thing to note, starting today I'm going to track my foods on myfitnesspal.com instead of tracking points. I haven't been loving the new Points Plus system and think my calorie intake has been too high. I really like being able to see the breakdown of all elements of my eating. Calories, fat, fiber, protein, carbs, sodium, etc.

For instance today, I went 68 calories over my goal but managed my sodium intake well! I like being able to see those numbers instead of just points.

We'll see how it goes from now until next Saturday. The site also has a handy iPhone app.

I believe in Weight Watchers, but maybe I need something new?

party time

This will be a short post because I'm not feeling well. Last last light I started getting a sore throat and today it was still there and I feel a little weak and stuffy. Ick. :\

On to the good stuff, on Friday I had my weigh-in for the work Biggest Loser contest and I was down .6 and my teammate was down 1.4 so I was happy! We were heading out of town so I went to WW to weigh-in on Friday since I'd miss my meeting Saturday. My scale at home was an ass again and gave me the impression I'd be down a pound. I rush to get to my meeting and I stayed the same. Annoying.

Friday we went to a Magic game and it was really fun. We got sushi for dinner and I didn't track too well but I didn't go super crazy.

Saturday technically started my new week in terms of WW. Saturday was our engagement party! It was really nice and we had a great time. I didn't track and honestly didn't pay too much attention to what I ate. I don't think I went SUPER CRAZY OMG but I know I used a lot of WAP. I just went ahead and said I used all my 49 WAP for the week.

Today wasn't a perfect day like I'd hope and since I feel crappy I was sort of meh about things and ate random things throughout the day. Nothing crazy though I think I stayed in my dailies. I hope...

I have been bad about water since Friday and eating a lot of sodium so I really need to drink a ton of water the rest of this week and be super good. I am worried I will see a significant gain but I have to try and be positive and kick ass this week.

I have a feeling I may feel too icky to workout tomorrow but we'll see.

Time to go rest up but one last thing!

Congrats to Jen on finishing her first half-marathon with an awesome time!

John and I at our party. :)

All the bitches love me...

Sorry, I'm listening to that Dougie song which I half love and half think is a joke. :)

I realized I haven't posted in a while. Last week went pretty well. Towards the end I use more WAP than I would have liked. I ended up losing 1.4 putting me at 174.2. I was happy but was hoping for 2.

So far this week is going well. Yesterday I had a tough strength and cardio circuit type workout. I was super sore today. I still managed to drag myself to the gym and ran a 5k distance on the treadmill in around 35 min.

I am super sore so I may rest tomorrow or do light cross training.

Thursday I have spin class and Friday is a rest day and I will have to weigh-in Friday since Saturday is our engagement party. :)

I am trying really hard this week and hope to see at least 172.something on Friday!

Glee tonight was epic. I just downloaded two songs from the episode. Darren Criss is hot.

smelly cat

Tonight John and I went to our second official spin class at this new spinning studio in Tampa. The first one we went to (that I'm not counting as official) was an intro ride.

Let me just say, this week was way harder than last week! I was dripping with sweat and man do I smell, I need to hit the shower once I am done posting.

I think I mentioned it, but the spin the bikes they have move so you can "turn." It takes a lot of upper body and core strength to do it. A lot harder than traditional spin! John did great again, I'm proud of him and thankful he's doing it with me. Thanks Groupon! The thing that sucks is this place is way to expensive for us to go once our 10 sessions are up. :(

I'm happy to report I didn't snack at night for the third night in a row! Yay! I feel empowered in the morning when I know I wasn't a bad girl going to the kitchen at 3 a.m.

I've also been doing good since Sunday with points. I've stayed in my dailies every day! I feel really great knowing that I'm doing so well, it's reminding myself that I am capable of being a little more strict and kicking some ass.

In other news, my company is having a Biggest Loser competition! You make a team of 2 to 3 people and it goes from February 14 through April 22nd. The team with the highest percentage of weight loss wins $100 Amex gift card for each member. I made a team with my old co-worker Anna. She used to work on my team but hasn't the past year. We have a lot in common when it comes to diet and exercise so I think we'll make a great team! We're in it to win it!

I don't even care about the $100. To see that I've lose 10, 15, 20? pounds is a reward enough. The best part it is it ends the week after my birthday so it should help push me to be at a great place in April. Not only that, but I will be getting prepared to start my wedding gown shopping in May or June!

I know it's going to take a lot more than three good days to get to my goal, but I feel confident and good about it.

OH! One last thing, John and I had a dinner reservation at a nice steakhouse for Sunday (early V-day dinner) and I talked to him and we decided to cancel it because there would be no way for me to count points and it'd be inevitable I'd use a ton. We made a reservation at Seasons 52 instead where their full nutritional information is online and I can make smart decisions. :)

Ok, now I better really go shower!

Gym over lunch tomorrow, I gotta keep pushing hard so I see the number I want on Saturday!

Actions speak louder than words...

So here I am, about to be facing my first weigh-in and February and I am in about the same place I was several weeks ago when I mad an infamous IT'S TIME TO GET SERIOUS post.

This morning when I was getting ready for work and regretting my late night binge (because that's basically what it was) I thought to myself, "Today is a new day!" Then an a voice inside my head replied with, "Really? I've heard that one before."

So there are a few things I want to address.

I was down last week, .8 to be exact. Nothing that was going to get me to that 165 goal for our engagement party. I have been half-assing my diet. I've been doing this long enough to know that even though I'm working out it won't do shit if I don't stick to the program.

My biggest problem is, like I've mentioned before, I'm a TERRIBLE snacker. I have a hard time identifying my true hunger signals (or maybe I choose to ignore them?). I've tried many things, reward jars, notes on the fridge reminding myself not to snack but what it really comes down to is that it's a deeper change I need to instill in myself.

Also, I don't snack on fattening/bad foods. I eat very healthy things but I eat too much of them. NOT GOOD!

I've actually been better about my night snacking. I have talked myself out of it a few times even! I have figured out though that when my anxiety is high and I'm not resting well my tendency to snack at night is greater. I'm guessing it's a comfort thing.

Well, last night was the worst snack night in a while and possibly ever. I ate a ice cream sandwich (4PP, snack mix 4PP and a mini-granola bar 2PP) at like 1 a.m. Really Danielle? REALLY?!

I can't really tell you what went though my head. Other than that I wasn't sleeping good, I felt crappy (my knee hurt, my facial pain was hurting) and that I clearly felt like I was very hungry. I wasn't.

So there is my confession. It really does have to stop. Even if it means keeping no snacks in the house until I can learn to control myself.

I do have a positive thing to report! John and I got a Groupon for 10 classes each at a spin studio. The bikes are crazy and you can "turn" on them which works your core and shoulders. It's intense!

Anyway, I'll end this by saying tomorrow is a new day where I can make new choices. No, screw that, right now is a new MINUTE where I can make new choices. If I make the right ones, I'll succeed and if I don't I'll face set-backs.


I hope to report that I'm down a pound on Saturday, so those good choices need to start now.

So I won't get my Magic jersey reward, it sucks but a deal is a deal. However, if I get under 170 by the 26th I can get a new dress if I choose to for our engagement party.

Wait! I did have one more thing to mention! My "no wedding dress shopping until I'm 160 or under" rule is still in play. I want it to be a happy and positive experience, not a depressing one. I don't really need to start looking until summer so there is plenty of time! I will be one hot bride.

Trying to stay positive.

I checked my weight this morning and it wasn't showing a loss. I felt really disappointed because while this week isn't perfect, it's going pretty well.

Monday I had a great workout, I ran two miles, did upper body strength training and incorporated time on the stair climber to keep my heart rate up.

Yesterday I was off from the gym because I had a lot of chores to do.

Today I am working out over lunch. If I have time, I'll go a Body Sculpt class at noon, if not just hitting the regular machines and weights.

Thursday is a 5k run and Friday I am doing some cross training and weights over lunch.

I need to stay focused with my workouts, stay in my daily points and watch my sodium. I really hope I see at least a two pound loss on Saturday.

In other news, John and I have been thinking a lot about our wedding and are coming up with fun ideas for things. I'm so excited to see it come together over the next year. :)

We got our engagement photos back, they are great! If we're friends on Facebook please check them out.

Here we go.

So tomorrow is my first official weigh-in in oh, five weeks. Yeah...

Between my NYC trip and the holidays I need to face the facts that I'll be up. Especially since my last official weigh-in was right when I completed my cleanse.

I am going to cross my fingers and hope my run this afternoon helps that I'll only be up 4lbs.

I'm going to do a 5k distance run today. I know it will be rough with a few weeks of no running but I am going to do it!

Considering everything, it could be a lot worse.

So far I really like the Weight Watchers Points Plus system but next week will be my first full committed week back on program. I'm excited!

I realized that there is a lot of negativity all around us (as well as within us) and I need to try harder not to let that affect me. I have to spend my life doing what is right for me and those I care about most.

I am hoping my weigh-in is no more than 175.8. That means a 10.8 lb loss for me to get to my goal before February 27th. It's super doable and I want that Magic jersey! :)

That will also put me close to a place I'd like to be for starting wedding dress shopping. Yay! I am really liking these two-in-one dresses. It's a long, formal gown with a removable skit so that it turns into more a cocktail dress for the reception!

I must run, but wanted to make a post before my weigh-in tomorrow. I will not let the gain bring me down, I will use it to push me forward and work to see a 3lb loss for the next week!

I hate posting without photos so I'll leave you with a picture of John and I on New Years Eve at dinner.

Lots of updates!

So it's been a while since my last post but I come with lots of updates. I'll try to keep it short though.

1. I'm engaged! John and I got engaged when were in NYC. I am so happy and we are so excited for what the future holds. No solid wedding plans yet but it looks like the date will be in Spring 2012.

Here is a photo from right after he asked me! :)

2. So as far as my weight goes I'm not sure. After our trip and the holidays I knew I'd be up. I got down to 171.8 before the trip. If I can get out of this and not be over 175 I'll count it as a success. I'll update this weekend about where I'm at.

3. I only have one more challenge coming up which is New Years dinner/drinking. I'm going to try and be as good as I can but I'm also going to consider it a last splurge.

4. Assuming I'm around 175 I need to lose 15lbs before I'll start trying on wedding dresses. I refuse to try them on before I hit 160. My goal is 145.

5. It's time to get serious for 2011. Not only do I want to make my goal for myself but now with a wedding coming up I need to get serious!

6. Running, what's that? I haven't been running much the past month. I still have a 5k distance in me but I've def. lost my 10k endurance.  I am going to start running again this week because I want to maintain a 5k endurance but I also want to focus more on strength training and toning.

7. I got a bike for Christmas! John got me a bike so we can start riding together.

Okay! So that is my quick update. I hope everyone had a great holiday!