Running: My (Almost) Identity Crisis

Howdy! 

First off, how cute & monstrous is this baby that D & I babysat last Friday night? 

I'm not quite sure this pic even does the largeness of this 5 month old baby justice but my aching back will testify that he is rather robust but oh so cute! Right now it seems like almost every one of our couple friends are having babies so we thought we'd give some of our friends a night out & watch this big little guy; let's just day it was definitely a good reminder for D & I to appreciate the time we have alone together right now. 

I'm really excited to share with you today something I recently went through that I would suspect maybe others out there have struggled with as well. 

Prior to training for my first 5K, I pretty much did a wide variety of activities at the gym (the elliptical, lots of spin classes, and some strength training) and I would say that if my fitness activities effected my sense of identity in any way, it was just that I saw myself as a "gym-go-er." 

However, I noticed that as I began running & training for my first 5K, as well as reading some running blogs & picking out running gear (which I will be sharing my faves of in an upcoming post!), that I began to form part of my identity around being a "runner." 

Running was something I never thought was even a possibility for most of my life so when I discovered that I actually could do it, it was as if I was discovering a whole new part of me- it was a big deal. 

And if all that wasn't enough, race day definitely sent me over the edge. Seeing myself among so many other "fit" people & being able to do the same thing they were was probably one of the proudest moments of my life. 

Everything about that day just felt epic to me- call me the biggest goober ever but I would probably have framed my race bib if it weren't for me turning it in for free tickets to a game! 

I guess I just felt like I finally belonged to some exclusive club of fit people that I had only dreamed about before that day. And it felt amazing. 

Until....

I started asking myself if I wanted to continue running and register for another 5K that some of my friends from church are doing & it was honestly a really hard decision to make. 

Why? 

Because I don't love running. While running may have given me one of the best feelings of my life on that one day, I don't love feeling like a slave to training for a race, worrying if I have to miss a training day, dealing with the various injuries, & just the overall pressure...and did I mention I just don't like running all that much? 

So, I decided I would be taking a break from running. And then I almost had a meltdown. 

The thought of no longer being identified with other "runners" or that I would no longer be able to identify myself as a runner was extremely disturbing to me. I had begun to develop a sense of pride & perhaps even superiority in regards to running & the thought of not doing it anymore just sent my world spinning. 

If I wasn't a runner anymore, what was I? Had I failed? Was I moving backwards? What else would I do? All of these thoughts plagued my mind for a good week until I got a healthy dose of reality. 

I had begun to allow being a "runner" to become form part of my identity, which in my mind is never a good thing. I do not want to define who I am based on the things I DO because those things can change (whether voluntarily or involuntarily) & they just aren't solid enough to determine something as precious as my self- identity. 

My identity is found in WHO I am and not what I can DO. 

When I began this journey 3.5 years ago I simply wanted to get my life back. I wanted to fight for me, I wanted to fight to be free from the control of food & old habits and that's exactly what I've done. 

I AM healthy & victorious because that's who I AM and not because of an activity I DO. 

If doing an exercise DVD, working out on the elliptical, hiking, spinning, running or biking will cause me to look like this: (sidenote: I am a firm believer that if you still look pretty after working out you clearly haven't worked out hard enough- can't you tell by this picture?! haha). 

Then I would say I am more than successful enough in my book. 

For the record, I do plan to continue incorporating running in my fitness routine; I currently run between 1-1.5 miles a few times a week & still plan to participate in 1-2 5K's each year because of how much I enjoyed participating in this last one and to keep me on my toes but I will not allow myself to feel ANY less healthy, successful or proud of how far I've come just because I don't love running. 

AHHHHhhhhhhhh....okay, now that I've got that off my chest, I feel much better! 

I still have my last 5lbs to lose to reach my goal weight so that, coupled with my newly gluten free diet, have me coming up with some pretty creative culinary concoctions: 

Breakfast this morning: a GF cinnamon rice cake, 2 tbls. PB2, 1 tbls. strawberry preserves & 1/2 an apple (a whole apple is pictured but I got full so I only ate half)= 175 calories 

Followed by a mid morning snack that had some people in my office giving me a weird look; it's okay though, I've gotten used to be the token health nut girl who eats weird looking things and I'd much rather be that than the girl I used to be: 

Hummus Filled Hard Boiled Egg Whites= 104 calories 

I've been getting more creative with my snacks lately as I kinda hit a wall with my usual go-to snacks of apples & peanut butter and just desperately needed a change. 

I'd like to know: 

1. Has anyone else ever struggled with building your identity around something you shouldn't? 
2. Have you ever felt "left out" of the fit community because you didn't enjoy a particular activity/food? 
3. What are your go-to snacks? 

Day #118 & #119: Apology Accepted?

So...

No surprise- my life has been insanely busy lately. I hate that I'm not able to dedicate as much time to blogging or reading blogs recently. And truthfully, the perfectionist inside of me is always switching back and forth between feeling incredibly guilty and questioning whether I should even continue blogging.

Don't freak- I don't want to quit blogging but it's just that I feel like I'm just not the blogger I used to be- that my topics aren't as interesting and that since I can't be the dedicated fully committed blogger that I once was (when I was able to blog and read blogs pretty much all day at work), that I'm a disappointment to those who have been reading my blog since the beginning as well as to all the new readers who I just haven't had the chance to get to know the way that I was able to a few months ago.

Not sure why I'm even writing all of this but it's important for me to stay honest throughout this journey and the last thing that I would ever to with you all is feel like I'm being fake; and I'm not- I guess I'm just saying that I haven't just forgotten about blogging and I'm certainly still pursuing my goal of losing 100lbs this year- just been super busy.

I'm going to move forward with the plan that I put in place last month of blogging every other day and reading blogs the day's in between. If there has been one thing being on this journey to health has taught me it is that you prioritize that which is important to you and the truth is- this blog is important to me so I need to make it a bit more of a priority.

So there. I'm not going to harp on this anymore- just wanted to say "sorry" and that I'm still super thankful and dedicated to this amazing community.

And now on to some very cool business- I'm pumped that it's the end of the month because that means it's time to evaluate how I did on my April goals, do my monthly measurements, and set new goals for the month ahead so I'll be sharing all that good stuff in the next few days!

Cross your fingers with me because on Sunday I weighed in at 305lbs and that is what my goal for the end of April is so I'm hoping that when I weigh in tomorrow (since it's the final day of April), that I won't have gained anything. Secretly, I'm thinking that I've lost some weight- my body is changing big time and it's becoming more and more noticeable to me. VERY exciting!

And now, I'm off to watch some Survivor and catch up on your blogs!

You'll hear from me tomorrow friends :)

Easter Update & More!

Mornin'!

Weekend Update:
What a week it has been! As I mentioned in last week's post, last weekend we had our 2nd Annual Community Easter Egg Hunt and seriously, God did a miracle in that it was forecasted to thunderstorm all day and had been raining all week long and that day the hunt went off with sunny skies and a dry field. Simply Amazing. Anyways, I decided to post a pic of me from last year's hunt (see left) and one from this year (see right)- there are definitely better pics that are full body from last year but I just don't have access to them right now so that one will do. Happily, I see a difference :)

It was a great time and it was really cool to look back and see where I was a year ago. One fun change, last year I was wearing a TIGHT size XL t-shirt and this year,a comfortable size L! I've never been a size L in t-shirts. I also recently bought a size MEDIUM shirt from H&M :)

This weekend I also attended a super fun 30th Birthday prom that my good friend put on for his wife- it was a blast! AND- who says you never can reuse a bridesmaid dress??? Cuz I most definitely did! :)

Looking Forward:

I went into the past week (and today's weigh in), knowing that it was going to not be the most glamorous week for weight loss- because of the hunt I would hardly have any time to exercise and I also knew temptations would be abounding. Overall, I did pretty dang well in the nutrition department but the lack of exercise kind of put me in a funk.

Many parts of this journey (healthy eating, food prep, etc.) have almost become second-nature to me; which I am definitely THANKFUL for but I've also noticed that "new feeling" of making drastic life changes and the confidence that gives has worn off. It has been a long time since I've really focused on a goal or a picture of what I'm working for and I can feel that I need that back. I'm gonna take this weekend and really think about what it is that I want and what I'm working for. I guess I'm just trying to say I feel like I've lost a bit of my "vision" & thank goodness my healthy habits have kept me going through this little spurt.

Weigh In:

Last Week's Weigh In: 260lbs

This Week's Weight In: 260lbs

Result: 0 +/-

I guess I really can't be too upset due to the major lack of exercise caused by the hunt. This week though, I have every intention (starting today) of being HARDCORE & giving my VERY best and hope to come back to you next Thursday reporting I'm officially in the 250's and within a few pounds reach of joingin the 100lb lost club!

Eats:

Being that I'm trying to use up most of the food I currently have before buying more, (read: I'm a bit poor right now!) I've been coming up with some new concauctions! Omelets have been a dinner staple lately and this one was made with: liquid egg whites, mushrooms, low fat part skimm mozzarella, and red onion w/ a size of turkey bacod. DELISH! However, it has been turning into more of a scramble than an omelet- dang pans keep burning my omelets! lol

Well, that's all folks! This weekend I am looking forward to trying some new recipes that will be a little lower in carbs and adding some more fruits and veggies in my diet.

Looking forward to giving my BEST- who's with me???



Day #115, #116, & #117: Mixin' it up!

I really am a creature of habit. I have absolutely no problem eating the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day...well I've never tried it really, but I do eat the same things A LOT.

Lately, however- I have been trying quite a few new products that I flippin' LOVE so I figured I'd share with you all!

First New Love: Naked Juice- Green Machine!Now I've tried many of the other Naked Juice brands drinks that are more fruit based but the "Green Monster" has always been the one flavor that I've shied away from- primarily because when reading the ingredients list I came across words like: blue green algae, spinach, broccoli, and garlic... I was a bit skeptical about how appetizing this drink would actually be. Can you blame me? Well...to my utter shock and suprise- this drink is fabulous! Despite it's vegetablly (you like that word?? lol) contents, it doesn't taste like veggies at all- the taste is really more like kiwi and apples- YUM! Now, I should provide a word of caution- this drink really works better as a meal replacement (at least in my opinion) and definitely not something to do everyday, but it's something I like to work into my diet if, for example I know I'll be having a heavy dinner so I'll have a Naked juice for lunch. If you drink the entire bottle of this flavor naked juice the nutrition facts will look something like: 260 calories, 0g fat, 30mg sodium, 880g potassium, 64 carbs, 2g fiber, 50g sugar (ouch!), and 2g protein. Like I said, maybe not good for the everyday, but certainly not a horrible choice either! In fact, each bottle of Naked juice contains at least a pound of fruit in every bottle! Saweeet!

Second New Love: Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk!Ok, so no doubt if you've been reading weight loss blogs for any amount of time you've probably heard of this stuff and up until last week I hadn't gotten around to giving it a shot, but now I can say that all of the fuss is indeed true- this stuff= AMAZING. First off- don't be confused- this isn't non fat milk or even soy milk, it's almond milk; meaning it is a milk substitute made from ground almonds! And unlike animal milk, almond milk contains no cholesterol or lactose, and is completely vegan. This miracle milk has only 40 calories per serving as compared to the 90-100 calories per serving that I was getting with non-fat milk. And to top it all off- this stuff taste SO good. I've been using it with my cereal (Special K Vanilla Almond), as well as in my oatmeal (High Fiber Maple and Brown Sugar) and it is just so much creamier than regular milk. Seriously, I would have a hard time believing that anyone who tries this stuff wouldn't like it- PLUS it's cheaper than regular milk- I picked up a carton the other day for $2.80 or so!

Third New Love: Sam's Club Bruschetta!

No lie- this stuff is amazing. I probably use this at least once a day and sometimes twice. Tomatoe/garlic stuff is right up my alley and I love that it is premade and I can just scoop it onto stuff and it's already ready to go! Plus it's SO low calorie and is packed with tons of flavor! In fact, I even topped my breakfast sandwhich with it the other day...I'm all about keeping things SIMPLE and this is one of the most simple and usable grocery items in my fridge! Love it!

So folks, there you have it- 3 new items that will be making a regular appearance on my daily menu!

Have you all tried any of these products? What did you think? Any new "loves" of your own?


Peace out girl scouts!

Gluten Free??? Me???

Good news- I have finally come down from my post race high. I've had to do a lot of serious thinking about my fitness routine after the 5K- deciding whether I would continue to train for another 5K or even a longer distance or choosing another fitness route definitely plagued my mind for a solid week and although I'm still not completely sure, I think I've finally come to a decision I'm happy with, just not yet quite ready to share just yet as I'm still processing a bit. 

So something that I haven't talked about on the blog is that for the last 7ish months I've been dealing with some pretty severe digestive issues- I'll spare you the details but essentially, seemingly out of nowhere, everything about my digestive process changed. Over the last 7 months I have had almost every possible test you could think of done, been to the ER twice & seen 3 specialist, all without any answers. Zero. Zilch. 

2 weeks ago while feeding into my paranoia (aka: surfing web MD), Celiacs Disease or a sensitivity/intolerance to gluten was suggested as one of the many possible causes of the symptoms I had been experiencing. Honestly, I had no clue what gluten even was- in fact, I mistakenly thought it had something to do with sugar (glucose!) and thought it was more of a "fad diet" type of thing that I kind of just rolled my eyes about every time I heard anyone talk about it not realizing that it's actually an allergy issue. 

There's a lot to the subject but in short, people with an allergy to gluten experience a lot of digestive issues (among others) & one of the best ways to discover if you are allergic to gluten is to remove it from your diet for 4-6 weeks and see if your symptoms go away/get better and then to add it back in and see if you have a reaction. Yesterday marked my 2nd week off gluten & it's still a bit too early to tell what sort of effect it's having but I'm committed to remaining gluten free for at least a month and will happily remain GF if it means my symptoms will go away. 

I can't lie though, I decided to go GF as soon as I discovered that it could be the cause of my issues so it was very abrupt and kind of sent me over the edge for about 48 hours...haha. It was just hard because there was now multiple items in our pantry/fridge that I couldn't eat, I really didn't feel like I had a strong grasp on what I was allowed to eat & I kinda just drove myself crazy with all the research I was doing. I actually had to step away from researching/reading GF blogs as it was stressing me out and overwhelming me more than anything- so I'm keeping it simple. 

Once my amazing husband realized how overwhelmed the process had made me feel, he decided to plan a little day trip for us that weekend! It started out with us getting in the car & him handing me this envelope: 

It was filled with little origami papers w/ different times on it and on the inside contained an address to punch into the GPS but no indication of exactly where we were going- how creative is he!? 

We ended up exploring a bunch of po-dunk towns here in PA (which we love to do!), checking out some cute local stores, art galleries, an amazing BBQ hut & doing a mini-nature walk in the woods: 

In the end, it was exactly what I needed to clear my mind & relax- my goodness do I love that man. 

I'll definitely be sharing more on my GF journey in the coming days as it has definitely been an interesting one but just thought I'd put it out there for now. Just curious, any readers have a gluten sensitivity/intolerance or celiac's disease? I'd love to hear a bit of your story! 

 

Day #112, #113, & #114: I DO have clavicles!!! :)_

Hi Kiddos!

So first of all, it's weigh in day! I was pretty much anticipating a gain or at least a maintenance week after last week's B.I.G loss and turns out, I was right...

Last Week's Weight: 304
This Week's Weight: 305
Result: +1lb

I'm truthfully not very upset about the gain, like I said- big loss weeks are usually followed by...not so big loss weeks :)

Don't have a lot of time today so I figured I just share some highlights from the week:

* I had about 3 pretty killer workouts! I've consistently been able to do 30 minutes on the elliptical; I can't even tell you how suprised I still am by that; I remember when I first started working out, I thought it would be close to a year before I was able to do 30 minutes! It's definitely been one of my proudest accomplishments thus far- can't you see that twinkle in my eyes??? ;)
* So I can't go into a lot of details, but let's just say that I may or may not have a lil' crushypoo on a friend of mine and this week that "special friend" told me twice that he thought I looked great and could tell I've lost weight! I can't even tell you how great that made me feel.* So let's just say that bones are popping out of my body- in a GREAT way! It seems that anyone who has ever been overweight can sympathize with wondering if they even have a collar bone (aka- a clavicle bone) and lately mine has been making an appearance! Whoo hoo!

All of these things make for a smiley Tiffany! :)

Newness: Pants, Phone, Exercises, Eats & More!

Good Mornin'!

Well, it appears as though I have settled into Thursdays not only being the day that I weigh in but also the day for my weekly blog post- yay for consistency! It's been a BUSY 7 days and I'm excited to share some of the coolness with you (in organized bullet points of course!):

• First up, today's weigh in: 260lbs (-1lb from last week). I was hoping to lose 2lbs, but I'll take 1lb- I know I did everything right this past week so it's only a matter of time before I lose every single pound that I want to. I'm gonna keep on keepin' on baby! I'm officially 8lbs away from losing 100lbs so hopefully no more than another month to go!
• I got an iphone 4! For the last 8 years I swear I've either had an LG Chocolate or Envy and it was high time I finally join the smart phone revolution. When I was at the store getting ready to make the purchase I was a bit apprehensive because I seriously didn't know if I would be able to figure out how to work it! Luckily for me, it is extremely steamlined and user friendly and I REALLY like it. Bonus? Better blog pics because of the sweet camera!
• I also wanted to share a meal that I probably eat for dinner at least 3 or 4 times a week: Chicken gyoza potstickers that I get from Trader Joe's (7 for 210 calories) & asparagus. I tried asparagus for the first time in my whole life about 3 months ago and although I've never been a huge veggie fan I LURVE asparagus. Add just a little low sodium soy sauce and you've got a dinner ranging about a 250 calories!

• I briefly mentioned in my last post that I finally got the courage up to try spinning. I have always been pretty intimidated by spin classes because I've heard how difficult they are. Well, I've gone 3 times now and although it felt like I had gotten kicked in the crotch after my first class, after I bought a gel seat at Target, everything was smooth sailing! I can't even describe how much I enjoy spinning. Our spin room is very small (there are maybe 8 bikes) and it's just a time to turn out the lights, blast good music, and get a kick bum workout that is pretty mindless for you (thx to the instructor) but is legitimately fun & burns an average of 800 calories per class! I seriously think I had a smile on my face the entire class yesterday lol- partly because out of everyone in the class yesterday I was probably the one who kept up with the instructor the most and that I no longer am bound by fear or intimidation but can actually DO something I never thought I'd be fit enough to do! Man, there's only a few things that can beat that feeling. This is a pic of me after last Saturdays 7AM (yes, I am nuts) spin class!

• ( P.S. Don't ask me why I can't get the pictures to rotate when I actually upload them- I'll figure it out later! :)
• Due to the fact that I've been having co-workers TELL me it's time to get new pants (hahaha) I figured it was probably time to get new pants! lol Well, I probably spent about 3 hours in Lane Bryant on Saturday trying to find a pair of dress pants that fit- seriously- 3 hours! Needless to say, at the beginning of the shopping trip I had picked up a bunch of pants in a size 22, which is what I thought was my size. Well, by the end I was actually more between a slack size 18/20!!!!! I seriously couldn't even believe it. I truthfully think it has been 7+ years since I've been in an 18/20! However, in jeans (which I think is a more realistic size gage) I'm still a solid 22 (which coming from a size 28 still makes me happy!) Check me out cheezin!

• My lunch creation for the week is based off of what may just be my favorite meal of all time (like I seriously eat it probably 5-6 times a month), which is a Chicken Burrito Bowl from Chipotle. I could eat it probably every day- no joke. Anyways, I decided to get a little creative and try to recreate my very own version of this meal at home, so I combined: brown rice, blended black beans, corn, chicken, guacamole, and HOMEMADE salsa! Yep, I actually made salsa! It's obviously not hard, but I'm a big salsa fan & critic and I can't even believe how delicious it is- I've probably poured it on just about everything this week haha. Here's a pic of my lunch all put together:

So there you have it folks, my week!

This weekend we have our HUGE Easter Egg Hunt that I've been coordinating and planning for for months. Last year was our very first one and we had over 600 people from the community come out and this year we are expecting even more! All of the busyness will mean that I won't be working out again until Tuesday but I'm going to watch my nutrition and just do what I can! I can't wait to share pics with you all from this weekend- especially to compare them with pics of me at last year's hunt.

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter & remembers to take time out for who this Holiday is really all about :)

Day #110 & #111: Grocery Store Diaries

Hey Kids!

So it's actually been awhile since I've shared exactly what it is that I'm eating and what "plan" I follow- and since I had a follower ask that I elaborate on the subject, I intend to do that with my next few posts...so be sure to stay tuned! :)

Well on the subject of food, yesterday I was in dire need of a trip to the grocery store and I decided that it was a prime opportunity to check out the grocery store that so so many swear by as being the healthy food mecca- Whole Foods. In case you have never been for a visit to Whole Foods, it's basically a pretty sweet grocery store entirely dedicated to organic foods. Well, I hadn't ever actually gotten a chance to go since beginning this journey and since I have some crazy affinity for grocery shopping, I was pretty much beside myself! I usually buy most of my groceries from the beloved Trader Joe's, but I'm always up for some change!

Look, I even took a picture of the outside of the store on my way in! lol
The verdict? Sorely disappointed!!!

Seriously!! Can you believe that I actually walked out of the store with nothing!?

First off, everything there is RIDICULOUSLY overpriced! Seriously, a small container of hummus that costs almost $5, an $2 advocado, $8 peanut butter? I mean, I know that it supposedly costs more because it is organic and sometimes gluten free, but I truthfully just don't really care enough about that stuff enough to cause me to pay double (or triple) the amount that I would pay anywhere else! I was literally in shock of how much more people are paying for the items there! At Trader Joes, I find that almost everything is reasonably priced, most of it even cheaper than what I find at the regular grocery store (which here in PA, happens to be Giant Eagle) lol. You still get cool, creative, healthy food at TJ's without paying a high status price.

Secondly, everytime I go to TJ's I am in awe of how nice all of the crew members are! Seriously, they are always so pleasant and helpful and the employees of Whole Foods were snobby and acted like you pretty much didn't exist. And maybe I'm being stupid but it seemed like even the customers were kind of...hoity toity...it was weird in general.

So, in short- this girl will be sticking with Trader Joes! :)


What do you guys think? Are ya'll big Whole Foods fans? Any faithful TJ'ers out there?

Day #108 & #109: A Weird Weigh In

T'was a weird weigh-in indeed...but a FANTASTICALLY weird weigh-in!

Why was it weird do you ask? Well, since when does not going to the gym 1 time the whole week= a 7lb loss?!? MMmmmm hmmm.

Since I knew that I wouldn't be making it to the gym very much last week I was sure to weigh myself numerous times so that if the scale did start to creep up I would know to be extra careful with my food intake, and surely all week long the scale keep dipping lower and lower and lower.

Isn't it just a kicker that on the weeks that we push it SO hard in the gym we can see little or no improvement on the scale, but then a week comes where you aren't able to work out at all and then experience a humongously awesome loss like this!? Ahhh..I'm not even gonna try and figure this one out- but I should mention that I did eat pretty darn flawlessly all week. I'm just accepting it with joy :)

I really can't tell you how much I needed this weigh in- not because I haven't had one like it in a while, but because I was almost beginning to believe that my body was broken or something and that I was never going to weigh any less than 312- but this proved to me that my body IS cooperating and changing!

Last Week's Weigh In: 311lbs
This Week's Weigh In: 304lbs

Meaning...total pounds lost thus far= 48lbs!!!

Wowzer. I. am. HAPPY :) I cannot believe that I am only 2lbs away from losing 50lbs (my half way mark) and even CRAZIER is that I'm only 4lbs away from being under 300- which is something I still have a hard time believing will ever happen.

One foot in front of the other :)

Thanks for continuing to follow me along this journey!

Day: #103-#107: Updates from this week!

Whew!

WHAT.A.WEEK! As you all know I started my new job about 3 weeks ago and my first 2 weeks were spent in training so this was my first week on my own and daaaaaang was it busy! Like seriously- yesterday I sat down at my desk at 7:00 am and didn't even eat lunch till 3:30! I'm not complaining- it beats being bored any day, but wow- it was an adjustment and has definitely put a funk in my blogging!

But- I've definitely missed you all and I've missed blogging- no need to fear though- eating wise, I've done better this week than I have in a long time- mostly because I've been too tired or busy to eat though lol.

Here's some highlights from the past couple of days:

- Update #1: I gave brussels sprouts a second chance...and guess what??? I liked them! I know I'll probably get some flack because of this but the first time I tried them I bought them fresh and baked em in the oven and...I just wasn't impressed. So when I saw this baby at the grocery store the other day, you'll understand why I was a little wary:Especially because I knew that since they are cooked in "butter sauce" (wtf?!) lol I knew it probably wouldn't be very healthy. Well, as you can see on the box the serving portion is only 60 cals and guess what? They were DELICIOUS! Most of the advice that I had gotten about cooking them fresh said not to cook them to the point of "mushiness" but these were mushy and I really liked that compared to the crispy ones! They even made a few guest dinner appearances this week:So, to each his own but I'm definitely excited to be making brussels a part of my meal repetoire!

- Update #2: I walked at least 8 miles yesterday! Yea, seriously! Last night me and my team from church were passing out fliers in our community for our upcoming service this weekend and we started at 6:30 and didn't stop until 11:30pm! Lots of hills, steps, and just plain walking! Here's a pic my roomate snapped of me...can you tell I'm exhausted!?! :)
Hahaha yea- I'm dog tired today, but that's ok because I haven't been able to make it to the gym 1 time this week; and I do mean "I HAVEN'T been able to." My own personal gym rule is that if there is ANY way that I can go, then I go- and I've only broken that rule maybe 2 times in the past 3 1/2 months so I have just been making sure that my eating is spot on and I've probably done better in this past week nutrition wise than I have in a lonng time. Yay!

Alright, and I think that's about it for me- I promise not to go on a crazy 5 day no blogging haieatous again! lol

See you on Sunday for weigh in day! :)

My 1st 5K!

Well...I did it! 

I did it!

I did it!!

I did it!!!

I did it!!!

I DID IT!!!!

I completed a 5K. Wow-freaking-zer! Can you tell I'm still on a post-race high? Cuz I totally am :) 

Here's the whole glorious story: 

On Friday evening we picked up our race packet & t-shirts- I'm the kind of girl that likes to be as prepared as possible and I thought being able to get suited up with any of these accessories prior to actually being at the race would be a good idea- and I was right :) However, I honestly had no idea what to do with most of it! 

With the help of my amazing hubby and creeping on some running friends FB photos, I was able to figure out the best place to put the running bib & time chip- I can't lie, when I put on the running bib, I felt pretty.dang.legit. We went to bed super early that night since we knew we were gonna be up bright and early the next morning for the race. 

The morning of we were up at 5:20am to do our devotions (aka: spend private/personal time with God), eat a good breakfast (after research I chose to have a slice of bread topped with peanut butter, half a banana & cinnamon) & we got all our gear together! A big thanks to D for getting my chip to fit oh so perfectly on my sneaker (which happen to be Brooks Raveena in case you were wondering! :) 

As soon as we stepped foot outside the door we realized it was FREEZING out. Since losing almost 200lbs I've become a baby when it comes to being cold- I'm always freezing and I really don't like being cold so I knew that if I wanted to let the 40 degree temperature & super windy weather that made it feel more like 34 degrees out be a deal breaker I could, but I just put my big girl pants on and bee-lined for the car :) 

Upon arriving to the race location, which was in downtown Pittsburgh, right outside of one of our country's most beautiful baseball stadiums, PNC park, and snagging a parking spot we decided to hang out in the car until it was race time instead of freezing our bums off standing around outside with everyone else. I'm glad I had about 20 minutes to take in what was going on around me and try to stay as calm as possible- but I still think I was looking a bit nervous, eh? 

We decided to hop out of the car to look for a bathroom since we had 20 minutes to race start time but all of the port-a-john lines were insanely long so I knew I would just have to run this race slightly having to pee- no biggie because I was too focused on how cold I was to even feel my bladder. No joke, my teeth were actually chattering & my body was shaking from the cold & the wind was absolutely crazy SO we decided to head over into the large mass of people and get in our section (we put ourselves somewhere in the middle) and it actually helped keep us a bit warmer with all the warm bodies standing around! Check us out: 

I've gotta say, when I first started training for this race I had not planned on D running it with me at all- this was something I wanted to do for myself and accomplish on my own but he desperately wanted to be there to support me & because I wasn't sure if this would be my last race or not, he asked if I wouldn't mind him running with me. At first I was going to say no as I just didn't want to have to think about anyone else and I thought that perhaps even having him run beside me would cause me to think more about how I was doing running and cause me to possibly want to quit, but I wasn't sure. So, like any good married couple, we came up with a compromise- he would run with me, but he would run in a separate group (he ran with the 9 minute milers and I with the10 minute milers). I just have to say I have the most patient, supportive and loving husband any woman could ever ask for & our compromise ended up working out great and I'm so glad we were able to share this experience together. 

Ok, back to the story, so we were all piled up on the Roberto Clemente bridge and it was a pretty surreal experience for someone who has ever only run alone to be surrounded with so many other people- I was ready to get started! 

Not sure what I was doing in this pic (haha) but we heard the whistle blow and it was go time baby! The only unfortunate mishap was that about 30 seconds into running I realized I had forgotten to put on my breathing strip! Not sure what's going on with my nose (I saw an ENT doctor who didn't seem to think anything was going wrong) but I have a hard time breathing through my nose freely so when I run I wear a Breatheright Nasal Strip and it helps immensley. So, I had to try and weave my way over to the side & try my hardest not to get run over by the crowd of people, pop my nasal strip on & got back into the race! 

Instead of giving every detail of the race, I'm just going to share the highlights & how it was different from any other running experience I've had thus far: 

• I absolutely loved running outside. I have done all of my training (with the exception of one run around my neighborhood) inside at the gym on a treadmill and I can't even explain how great it was and how much quicker the time flew when I had something else to look at other than just the gym wall, my C25K program on my phone, or what I can see just outside the gym window. The route was absolutely gorgeous. We basically ran along the Riverwalk Trail on the North Shore of Pittsburgh- most of it was pavement, some of it was dirt (with a few mud puddles in the mix to keep it interesting! haha) but it was scenic, primarily flat (with one random semi-challenging zig zag hill) & just overall a delightful run. 
• It was super helpful to be running in a group of people. It kind of gave me this heard mentality and helped me keep pace. I still don't think I would like to run with people I know because I just like to do my own thing & not worry about if the other person is stopping or if I want to stop or if one of us want to slow down/pick up the pace. Who knows, maybe that will change one day but at least for my first race, I just wanted to do my own thing. 
• I LOVED that weather for running! Sure, I was freezing when I was just standing around at the beginning and after the race my lungs and nose were burning like a mother but during the race- it was great! I don't even know that I really even sweated at all haha and I promise that wasn't because I wasn't getting a workout because I most definitely was. I really don't know that running in the super hot weather would be for me...I'm willing to try it out but probably wouldn't sign up for a summer race- but who knows, I'll never say never again when it comes to running. 

Perphaps the most amazing part of this race was the way it ended. The hilly part of the race was toward the end and it was at that part that I started the inner battle of considering walking but since my big huge goal for this race was to run the whole thing, I decided to keep pushing- in fact, I didn't even stop for water at the water table! Right after the hill, I saw the stadium & I started thinking, "There's no way this was already 3 miles!?" but sure enough the stadium was in view and I knew that the finish line was right on home plate. 

They had everyone run right into the stadium & as we were running in, the people who had already finished were walking out on the other side cheering us all on. As I entered the stadium it was pretty freaking amazing- I'm a pretty big baseball fan and to be on the field and running the bases was pretty surreal. There were family and friends in the stands cheering people on & as I saw the finish line I started sprinting as fast as I possibly could. 

When I crossed the finish line and saw that the clock time showed 36 minutes (which I knew wasn't even my time since it had been 36 minutes from when they had first started the clock for the first wave of runners), I almost burst into tears. I had done it. I had completed a 5K. Not but two weeks before I had only run 1 mile one time and I had just run 3.1 miles without stopping!!! It was without a doubt the most surreal, great, emotional moment I've experienced on this 3.5 year long journey. 

Shortly after I found D who had finished just 3 minutes before me & was waiting outside the stadium and collapsed into his arms- when we finished our little hug/love fest, we both were misty eyed  :) 

I found some nice people to take our picture right after the race: 

Afterward we decided to check out the "after party" and snagged some great snacks & of course I had to get my picture taken with Pierogi Pete (in case you're not familiar with pierogi's, they are kind of like a Pittsburghers favorite food- they are basically like a potato/cheese/onion stuffed ravioli- very yummy!)

After grabbing some snacks we were both pretty much ready to jet. Check out D with his "Pirates Smiley Face Cookie": 

Once we got home I made us a quick post race snack (a mushroom/egg wrap) and we decided a 2 hour long nap was in order! However, as I lay in bed all I could think about was how I couldn't believe what had just taken place. My training for the 5K was not easy, I almost quit twice because of random injuries but in the end, I didn't give up. I know that without a doubt this was a journey that God was on with me. In fact, that morning as I opened up a book that I use to do my devotions with, look what the subject was for April 13th (race day): 

I know without a doubt that this was God's way of telling me before the race that He was with me & that He was going to give me the strength I needed and that He had seen the struggles I endured and the endurance I had developed through this process. God's love and care for my little life just blows me away- that He cares enough with all that is going on in the world to encourage me in a 5K run is just...divine. 

In the end, I achieved the two goals I had for my first 5K: 

1) My goal was to complete the race in under 37 minutes. My official race time was 34:07 (and I believe I would have totally run it in 33 minutes if not for my stupid nasal strip! haha) but regardless I am super happy with that time! 

2) My bigger goal was to run the whole thing without stopping, which I totally (by God's grace) did. I ran 3.1 freaking miles! It's still pretty unbelievable to me but it totally happened. 

I'm still thinking and praying about what my future with running will be but for now I'm still celebrating the miracle that occurred this weekend; that I can legimitately say: 

My name is Tiffany. 

I've lost 198lbs

I completed a 5K on 4/13/13.

How I'm Losing Weight: Now Edition!

Morning world!

Ya know, maybe it's just me (and it's probably not), but one thing that I wished more bloggers (particularly those uber 100+lb loss bloggers) would post more about what exactly they are doing/did to lose the weight. I've noticed that the typical pattern is that bloggers talk about their plans at the beginning and then just fail to mention it again; however, there are new readers joining every day AND if you are anything like me, your weight loss "plan" changes as you go along your journey (in fact, it almost has to!)

Recently I made some pretty significant changes to my weight loss routine, while others I just solidified and today, I'd like to share what I'm doing to lose weight. I BY NO MEANS am a weight loss expert or can say that what I'm doing is the most effective way for everyone (or even for me!) but it's what I've discovered so far at this point in my journey and I'm excited to share it with you all today! BUT FIRST... it's weekly weigh in time!

Previous Weigh In: 264lbs

Today's Weigh In: 261lbs (-3lbs)

Total Loss: 91 pounds!!!

For the last two months I have been consistantly losing weight, 8lbs in just the last 2 weeks actually, and I believe that the new changes I've made to my plan have not only helped me break past the plateu I was on, but have also been significant in the changes that I've been seeing in my body. So let's cut to the chase- here's what I am *currently* (as in the past 2 months) been doing to lose weight:

Nutrition:

• I adopt the general principles of weight watchers, however I count calories rather than points (I just find it easier and I'm more thorough with it). By "general principles" I mean that no food is completely off-limits. For example, I almost never eat fried chicken (although I love it) because it is not healthy for me, but it's not necessarily off-limits. As soon as I decide that I can no longer have something, I will automatically start to crave it and my rebellious side will lead me into eating it even if I don't even really want it. With WW, no food is off limits, it's about choices & balance- so if you eat something higher in fat/calories for breakfast, have a lighter lunch. This journey is one that I will be on for the rest of my life and I cannot realistically sustain a lifestyle that I don't like- and telling myself that I can never again have a cookie, a slice of pizza, or even fried chicken isn't realistic. HOWEVER (see next bullet point!)
• I eat between 1200-1500 calories a day- there is no way around this. I write down everything I eat in a food journal, which is where I keep my calorie count. I do not necessarily restrict or count any other nutritional value (fat, sodium, etc.) although I'm sure as I continue to get smaller and it becomes harder for me to lose weight, that I'll need to pay more attention to those things. HOWEVER (again, see next bullet point! ;)
• A month or so ago I had to have a heart to heart w/myself- my weight loss wasn't happening very quickly and while I was tempted to blame it on a plateu, when I looked back over my food journal, I realized I really wasn't giving my BEST in regards to what I was eating. Now, this might tick some people off (and please keep in mind my first bullet point), but the truth is- I (nor anyone else) will not consistantly lose weight by eating pizza, drinking fatty coffee drinks, indulging in fried food appetizers, or having 3 cookies for dessert. It's just a cold hard fact. Sometimes just because I no longer sit down for McDonald's or Taco Bell lunches I can trick myself into thinking that these little "extras" that I indulge in don't count- WRONG.
• I am beginning to pay more attention to carbs but am not entirely sure where this will go (I know it won't go to an Atkins lifestyle!) but I'll keep you posted :)
• In short: No food is completely off limits, count my calories, stay between 1200-1500, write it down, re-evaluate often. If you notice, these guidelines are really checks and balances of eachother (ahhh balance!)

Fitness: This has been the most signifcant area of change that has take place in the last 2 months. Previously, I my fitness routine looked like this: I went to the gym 3-4 times a week and did the elliptical for 45 minutes each time, I would also try to do a circuit on the machines once a week and toward the end, I started going to Zumba. And, if it it were not for my great friend turned trainer JZ, I would probably still be doing the same thing, dreading every second of it, and not progressing in weight loss or in my phyiscal strength and ability. Now my fitness routine looks something like this:

• I now workout 5 times a week. The truth: anything less shows that this is not a top priority of mine. Sure, there are weeks that it may be less, but it will be less because of a weekend trip, funeral, or I'm literally on my death bed- NOT because I'm super tired, a friend asked to go to dinner, or I need to go to the store. Savy?
• I now focus ALL of my workouts around HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). This is where I may really rustle some feathers (and believe me, JZ ruffled mine big time when he was trying to get me to understand this), but our bodies adapt SO quickly to what we do that me doing 45 minutes of straight cardio repeatedly was not doing me very much good concerning weight loss (while it is always good for my heart!). From doing research, I now understand that the fastest and most effective way to lose fat is through high intensity interval training. This has been a DRASTIC change in my mindset and workouts. I'll have to get into all that this means in another post, but essentially, I now do HARD short periods of strenght training AND cardio, followed by short periods of rest instead of long periods of cardio at a maintainable pace. Truth is: while you may burn more calories in a 45 minute cardio session than in a 20 minute HIIT session, you will continue to burn calories for up to 72 hours after you end your HIIT session because of the muscles you have torn down and consequently end up burning more calories in the end. I know there may be some skeptics, but check out this article.
• Variety is key for me- I refuse to hate exercising which is why I need to not feel like I'm doing the same thing every day so this is what a week of exercise looks like for me: Monday: Rest, Tuesday: 30 minutes of jogging intervals (Jog 1 minute, Rest 2 minutes) which as the weeks go on change (for example: next week I will begin Jogging 1:30 seconds, resting 2 minutes) followed by 15 minutes of HIIT strength training, Wednesday: 1hr Spin Class followed by 15 minutes HIIT strength training, Thursday: 45 minute cardio class followed by 15 minutes HIIT strength training, Friday: 1hr spin or 30 minutes elliptical followed by 15 minutes HIIT, Saturday: Rest, Sunday: 30 minutes HIIT strenght training.
• Update: Yesterday I went to my first spin class!!! Thoughts: It was definitely a good workout, challenging, doable, and my crotch is killing me today (aka- I'll be purcahsing a gel seat asap!)
• In short: I exercise 5 days a week, place equal value on cardio & strenth training, I do everything in intervals, make sure I don't get bored or complacent by doing switching things us, and NEVER think that I'll be keeping this fitness routine forever because it has to change and get harder as I become more and more fit!

Alright folks, so that's what I'm doing. I will say that everything I've shared is important but I wouldn't be able to do ANY of it if I wasn't mentally strong and have the right set of beliefs about myself, my abilities, what I want out of life.

SOOOooOOO let me encourage you bloggers to begin sharing what YOU are doing to lose weight on your blogs so that other bloggers (like myself) can learn from you!

Peace out girl (and boy) scouts!