Colleen the Chocolate Fiend's Disney Life (comments welcome)

[DreamBeliever]

Hi Colleen,

Setting short and long terms goals is a great way to motivate yourself. For instance, you're working to make your dress fit better for the August wedding and new shoes is a nice way to reward youself

You are so committed to your weight loss journey that I'm sure you'll reach your goal for Disney. In addition, this fantastic journey will also give you the gift of good health ~ and that lasts a lifetime

 

[C_leen]

Cheerio! Thanks for checking on me Dream Believer! I hope your new roof looks spiffy & you enjoyed the long weekend!

Well on Monday I chickened out & did not go to the 8 am spin class. We had a campfire burning brush in our backyard. It was peaceful drinking coffee & burning branches. I did spend an hour at the gym though: 15 min summit trainer, 15 min elliptical (up to level 14!), and 10 min on bike at level 6. My stamina has really improved! I did weight machines in between all of the cardio.

My weight continues to hold at #159.8. This morning I walked Peanut 2 miles. Tonight I have Pilates, so I doubled up today. I am musing about building more dog walking into my routine. I should be happy that I maintained for as much eating as we did over the long weekend.

Here's my exercise goals. I'm still thinking about trying a spin class.:
Wed: gym (girl's night out)
Thurs. walk & 20 min pilates tape (working downtown)
Fri: gym
Sat: Body Pump at 9 am (DH possibly going to a car show)

I would still like to drop 2 pounds this week... I hope I can break through this plateau with some additional exercise mixed in and really watching what i eat.

 

[C_leen]

Hola!

Well last night when I got home from work, DH informed me the CEO got fired and a new CEO already in place. I think this is the third corporate shake up at this company & the first one he's experiencing at the corporate level. DH could be swept out as new management comes in. Yup, the Ben & Jerry's was just screaming for me to pull it out of the freezer.

Instead I made dinner and headed off to Pilates. Great class. We had a different instructor. I finished the pint of Cherry Garcia when I got home. I got 3 separate servings out of it, so I never once over did it too badly. But the serving info states 4 servings and each one is 250 cal. Hopefully Mr. Saboteur won't catch on I need a replacement... But since this is not a diet, it is my life, getting 3 servings out a pint is vast improvement!

No walking the dog this am as it was raining. Took off to the gym for a brief work out. Did 25 min cardio and 8 weight machines. Weight: #159.6 - As slow as things have been, I was pretty relieved to see a .2 drop! At the gym I tried an upright bike. Figured SPIN is still in my future & getting used to the upright bike won't hurt.

Really have to be careful today as tonight I am going to a fondue restaurant with a foodie friend of mine. Maybe tonight I can at least stroll with the dog post-dinner if the weather clears....

Tomorrow: Goal Walk Dog 2 mi & 20 min pilates tape
Fri: Gym
Sat: Body Pump 9 am (DS will need to go to gym's child care)
Sun: walk dog long walk...

 

[DreamBeliever]

Hi Colleen,

I know how scary company shake-ups can be ~ lots of nail-biting My DH has been through several ~ sometimes lucky and sometimes not so lucky. However, when he was forced to make a change, it worked out for the best. Hang in there and lean on us to share the burden. That's what we're here for.

I'm inspired by your will power. Choosing exercising over ice cream?!?!? That's awesom.

I just updated my journal with a May reflection. All in all, I have a lot to be thankful for and the good far out weighed the bad.

Have a great day ~ Ruth

 

[C_leen]

Hello everyone!

Well the fondue restaurant was fun but I was out until almost 10PM. No dog walking that late! The amounts were very small, but I felt like I over ate. I suppose the damage is in the sauces and cheese fondue. The dessert tray was beautiful & we got to dip fruit, marshmallows, and cookie bits into caramel melted with Bailey's Irish Creme. Oh, was that ever good! I only drank water, but I drank a TON of water yesterday. Weight up of course to #160.8. I really needed a night away from DH's moping and worry over job, so all in all I felt like I did OK.

I dragged myself out of bed this morning and again it was raining to foul up my dog walk. I popped the Windsor Pilates 20 minute tape in and the VCR destroyed it, permanently torn. Decided I would just sit and have a cup of coffee & a slim fast meal bar!!

I did realize belatedly that the next pint of Ben & Jerry's I am going to keep the container once empty & use it as a decoy for saboteur DH. Hopefully I can walk tonight. If not, I might just hit the gym and mess around with whatever cardio machine catches my interest. I can feel DH's stress and worry infecting me like a virus. I know my worry over DH has made me turn to food in the past & regain these 24 pounds. With plateau battle, I am very vulnerable as I am not losing enough to keep me motivated to be an . But I am going to keep plugging on with my exercise & try to not eat emotionally. I was reading that in essence, the key to losing weight is calories in must be less than calorie output. I haven't been counting calories & I'm wondering if I should?

DH might be going away to a car show part of the weekend. DS and I decided to see Shrek tomorrow to celebrate last day of kindergarten. Summer school starts next week, and First grade starts 7/19!

I printed off the Couch to 5K plan. I really don't care to run, but I think this might be fun for me to run a few 5ks this fall. I might start this next week in addition to everything else for a little variety. I challenged myself for 1000 minutes of exercise in June. I've never calculated my time at all, so this will be keeping things fresh as well.

Working hard to stay focused!

 

[C_leen]

Cheerio!

Well Thursday I was really down. On my way home from work I did some retail therapy. That was bad, but I have been dithering over new MB towels since we renovated it 2 years ago so I blew my money on a long awaited purchase! Bad me also bought a swiss milk chocolate bar. Yup. Super stressed to be buying chocolate! I ate a decent dinner and snacked on fresh sweet cherries. I did not exercise even though I felt like a super crab! When I checked the mail, our WDW travel packets had arrived from Small World, but even that didn't excite me! Talk about a bad mood! DH working with a friend on some house repair and clearly still in a horrendous mood. I drank 2 wine coolers, then sure enough I ate half of the chocolate bar. In my prior life, I would have eaten the whole thing. I guess I'll take the good behavior with the bad... My kindly Peanut ate the rest for me this morning while I was at the gym. She saved me from myself...

So I woke up early and wandered off to the gym. I started the C25K program, day 1, then I hopped over to the SPIN and checked in. Now why I had this class as some sort of mental block is beyond me. First of all, the instructor was nice and told me to pace myself & I did not do any of the 'jogging' on the bike, though I did do most of the standing uphill climbs. About 20 minutes in I started to think I wasn't going to make it the whole hour, but then she said, "This is our last hill and the last song is a 'road song.'" Well SPIN is only 45 minutes! I made it! I CAN DO IT!

I was feeling so athletic I got back on the TM and finished the C25K as I hadn't had enough time to do the whole 25 minutes pre-SPIN.

Weight: #159.4 So I am down another .2 pound. Tomorrow is my week weigh in.

So between the June Exercise Challenge, starting C25K, trying out SPIN, and a friend challenging me to a weight loss challenge, I am hopefully going to keep myself focused away from DH's stress. Anyway, I think SPIN can really help my legs firm up. I'm going to try to do it weekly, though with DH's travel schedule that might be tough.

Weekend Goal:
Sat: 9 am Body Pump/C25K
Sun: Walk Dog at least 2 mi

 

[C_leen]

Cheers!

Well I weighed in at #159.4, so I am down a .4 pound this week. I suppose that is better than zero or gaining. So to date, I've lost 9.6 pounds.

Last night I ate a box of Good-n-Plentys at the movies. 500 calories totally wasted. When I read the number of servings on the box (when it was nearly empty), I almost fell over (something like 4!). The whole waste of the calories made me extra cautious when I took DS to his favorite Mexican restaurant. I ordered gazpacho (which I disliked), and potato enchiladas. Those were OK but I didn't finish them and stayed away from those refried beans. But I did drink a beer. Eating dinner with 6 yo solo with a mariachi band made me totally need the beer. Amazingly, we did not finish a basket of chips. Guess I can thank that black licorice bad taste in my mouth... Frankly I was shocked my body allowed the #159.4 this am.

The house is a wreck, but like a plateau busting momma, I headed off with DS to gym for the 9 am Body Pump. I also split the C25K work out between the class. The running thing is fine. But the Body Pump with the increased weights is tough. I still can't do all of the reps on everything, though I guess when I am shaking like a leaf, it's pretty evident I exhausted my muscle group... I am tracking my minutes, but my work out book is in my car. When we got home, we started cleaning the house. We made some headway, but it turns out the weight loss challenge has widened to 2 other moms. All 3 trooped over to weigh in on my scale. I was embarrassed my house was so cluttered with clean laundry, abandoned school supplies, and DS's toys everywhere! The vacuum was lying like a dragon in the TV room & I had cleaning supplies lying about everywhere. Anyway, with them visiting, I totally missed lunch. After they left, I made a few more swipes, then had to get cleaned up for church.

Our pews are the old fashioned wood ones with no padding. So DS already can't sit still & I am squirming bc my butt hurts from SPIN! Well at least I stayed awake. Picked up an Amy's Indian dinner. I ate some strawberries and some popcorn too. Watched "Night @ the Museum." That was about as lame as "Shrek 3". DH decided to stay at car show tonight too. Great. There goes early morning walk with dog. So since I have to work tomorrow afternoon, I'll be dragging DS along again on some work out. Not too fast though. Just a walk or bike ride perhaps. I am beat.

Hopefully I can pull the house together tomorrow morning & get a gentle work out in before DH returns and I need to leave for work...

 

[C_leen]

Gidday mate!

I could not believe the scale this morning. I truly put my eyeglasses on to be sure I was reading it right. #157.8. So I dropped 1.6 pounds finally! BMI: 27.1

I am getting ready to head off to work. I let DS sleep in today & worked on my housework instead of working out. I really should dust more often. Things were pretty grimy. There was so much dog hair floating about I gave Peanut a bath just to clean her up too! I might walk tonight, but then again, I might just rest after dinner meeting. I purposely put on my favorite red sun dress & it is fitting just fine! I'll have time for gym tomorrow as I am working at a hotel near the airport tomorrow which cuts my commute down by a solid half hour!

Just had to write down the weight I was so amazed!

Cheerio!

 

[mabenoab]

Hooray for busting that plateau (and even with the Good n Plentys!). Its got to be all that great exercise you're getting. You're so good about making sure you get the fitness in! You are doing so great, hang on in there!!



Did you say first grade starts in July?! Yikes, my kids don't even get out of school till the end of June this year.

Happy thoughts,
Beth

 

[C_leen]

Hello-

Sunday night I had a work dinner meeting. Couldn't resist a funky margarita but I did manage to not eat all of the funky salad. I was craving sweets horrendously & I couldn't get the other women to share dessert with me. The waitress suggested I drag the chocolate brownie sundae home with me. So I did. My DS was delighted to have mom come home from work and share a decadent treat! We both ate 1/3 of it, gave the excess vanilla ice cream to the dog, and threw the rest in the trash! I was pretty happy with myself to allow a treat, but manage a way to not overdo it. In fact I popped the sundae nuts in my oatmeal this morning for a little treat...

Monday I had a meeting at a hotel. I wore an ancient suit (pre-child) & I received several compliments. I was good all morning & ate a salad for lunch, but after the meeting, I stressed out and ate 2 cookies. That evening I was exhausted. I think I ended up eating too much chex mix, a blow pop & a Hershey bar. I kept thinking, "What is wrong with me?!" Then I realized it is PMS week - as if the moodiness, stress, lack of sleep, and exhaustion weren't enough clues for me. On PMS week, I should just eat the chocolate in as low as quantities as I can muster & not try to substitute.

On Tuesday I managed a weight watcher sweet & did OK the rest of the day. Today I am doing OK too. Weight up a little at #159.0.

Here's my exercise break down thus far:
6/1; C25K 1A (34 min)/ Spin (45 min)
6/2: C25K 1B (30 min)/ Body Pump (60 min)
6/3: Rest Day
6/4: Dog walk (40 min)
6/5: Dog walk (40 min)/ Pilates (60 min)
6/6: C25K 1C (30 min)/ upright bike (25 min)
Total for June Challenge: 364/1000

During my walks with Peanut, I picked up the following trash: 1 large cardboard box, 2 posters advertising garage sales, 2 smashed cardboard beer cartons, 3 grocery sacks full of trash, and 1 school binder. This is why my times are so high for a 2 mile walk. I am picking up people's refuse.

DH has meeting with new CEO on Friday. Part of me hopes he is just handed a severance package. I've been updating my resume. Worried about giving up what I know for the unknown.

 

[C_leen]

Hi there-

Well, well, well! Weight today: #157.4. I am down another .4 since Sunday! BMI now 27.0. I am making some real headway towards my goal weight #1. Legs a little sore but I did walk Peanut on a walk around my subdivision for 35 minutes after I put DS on summer school bus. It is a Winnie the Pooh blustery day which gave me some added resistance. Peanut petered out & kept diving into grass in defiance. So I did squats, kicks, and side to side motions while she laid in the cool grass.

My friend Kim was planning to run a half marathon this fall but she has had a foot problem that is going to require she walk it. She has asked me to join her. I am considering it, but I am not sure I can get all of the walking mileage in to train by 9/16. I guess I'll ask her what she is doing to train. It would be neat to get a medal for finishing. It might be a great thing for DS to see Mom accomplish something athletic. All in all though, I like my mix of weights & cardio. I fear I might be bored walking so much; however, training for a half marathon would be tackling the parks later that week a breeze!

One nice thing about training with walking & running is this will give me some time to plug into a new gym if we do have to move. Even if we are living out of boxes somewhere, I can strap on some shoes and light out to beat the stress. I found a job for myself in VA that would be a pretty big jump for me. I am going to apply tonight as I need to sit down and do a paper application. The job has been open forever, which is worrisome. But maybe no one has the patience to do a paper application!

 

[C_leen]

Hi everyone-

Hi Beth, yes starting school in mid-July is nuts! Our district follows a cycle calendar, so DS has a 2.5 week break in the fall (when we are off to WDW). To make it even worse, I placed DS in summer school which started yesterday through 6-29. So his summer break is really only going to be 2.5 weeks.

Well DH has meeting with CEO at 10. I worked on paper app for VA job at the pool last night. I think I can finish it this weekend. I warned DH he would not like the housing in VA, and he does not, so I know he peeked a bit on the internet. We are totally spoiled with a lovely home that is mid west cheap where we live.

I did C25K 2A this morning at gym. My left shin feels a little splinty. I also did Spin at 5:45 am. Today's spin instructor was harder, but I did everything. At the moment, my legs feel rather rubbery. Also having cramps - which is a blessing as I don't feel like eating even though I am totally worried about DH's situation. No weight today. Bloated yet terribly thirsty! I've already downed a liter of water, I'm drinking herbal tea and a propel right now, and I sucked down 12 oz. diet coke in the car on my way here! Tomorrow I plan to just walk on the TM to warm up for Body Pump.

New June Challenge total is 466/1000. I have never counted my minutes and I am a little surprised to realize how much time I am putting into working out. I'll probably be half way to my goal by tomorrow...

As for my WL challenge with friends, one has lost 8 pounds already. I will not win this challenge for sure, but at least I am motivated to have some pounds to report. Maybe I should propose exercise minutes challenge if we do it again? Well, at the very least, my thighs are now firming up.

I spoke to my friend about walking the half marathon. Her husband has said she should not do it at all & allow her foot to heal. Clearly if I take on this challenge, I need to go in planning to do it solo. I asked DH if he'd bring DS to see me finish & he said he would. With everything going on and up in the air, I guess I am crazy to take this on too. I am seriously already doing enough. But I can't get it out of my mind... I just think it would really top off my hard work to get in shape for our trip.

 

[C_leen]

Hi-

DH rang me at 11 regarding his meeting with new CEO. He told me he was given a $20k bonus that would be divided up over a 6 mo period. So basically they are going to pay him not to leave the company! I was shocked, but I was a good support wife & told him he didn't have to stay if he didn't want to! I think he already decided he will & that will be a fair shake down time frame to see if the new CEO is going to improve things. So I'll probably be in the area for at least 6 more months.

To celebrate, I am going to walk the Lewis & Clark Half Marathon on Sept. 16! I found a 12 week training program I am going to focus on that will start July 1. Until then, I am going to keep doing what I am doing.

 

[C_leen]

Hello-

Well the period thing is calming down... Weight today normalizing at #157.4.
I'm getting ready to head to gym to do Body Pump and 2B of C25K in a few minutes. I'll be going on an involuntary Body Pump break for at least 2 weeks as the gym is renovating the aerobics room. I'm also signed up for Spin tomorrow am (5:45 am!). We are going out of town this weekend, so I figured I'd knock out all of my tough stuff early in the week & concentrate on walking all weekend (& trying to eat right)!

Saturday I did a hill-speed walking interval on the TM for 25 min before Body Pump. On Sunday I rested & even took a big nap. New June exercise total: 551/1000.

My neighbor told me last night that I was doing too much. I did ponder this a bit. I laid on my bed last night and took an inventory on my body & although I was tired yesterday, I was not sore or achy from the exercise. So, I decided that she is a little jealous that I managed to kick start my commitment & have the physical ability to follow through harder than she can (she's at least 22 years older than me). Also, I started working out the marathon training plan & I am going to draw up an exact calendar to follow each day.

 

[C_leen]

Hello:

Old total: 551/100
6/11: Body Pump (60 min)/ C25K 2B (30 min) = 90 min
6/12: Spin (42 min)/ Pilates (60 min) = 102 min
6/13: Library walk w Peanut (2 mi/ 35 min) = 35 min

New Total: 778/1000
New weight: #156.6 / New BMI: 26.9
I am half way to my first weight goal!

Yesterday I had a great food day. I did not snack in the evening though I wanted to. I just marched myself up to bed. Today is a rest day for me & tomorrow I plan to run up to the gym and do C25K 2C as soon as DS is on the summer school bus. I'll be at the cabin starting Thursday night & plan to do at least one C25K session there & I'll be walking too thru the weekend. We usually eat terrible at the cabin, so I will need to really determine what is worth splurging on & what I need to decline.

Yesterday I took the half marathon training guide & transferred it to a calendar for myself. I will be starting June 25th. It is a little freaky to see myself typing in these long walks. I know I can do it, it is just the time commitment. My trip in July is fine, I know I can work the training in, but in August I have an 8 miler when I'll be in Michigan. I might need to move it up a day & have my folks help me locate a track nearby or a bike path. Today I averaged 17 minutes and 30 seconds per mile. This is a good clip as my walk has two hills & I am dealing with dog sniffing... This was a comfortable outdoor pace for me, & on the TM I am walking in the range of 3.8-4.0 mph. I know I have gotten speedier in the last 2 months. This morning when I pulled on some shorts I noticed my thighs are firming up! I keep looking for a rib, but no luck. I know I have seen a few at 145, so I'll keep working! I bought some non-cotton exercise clothing online yesterday, & I am curious to try the running skirt I bought. Since my chest appears to be shrinking, I will deal with marathon worthy bras later this summer...

 

[C_leen]

Hello!

Did C25K 2C this am at the gym. Ran most comfortably at 5.9 mi today. Left shin feeling splinty again. Instead of walking to cool down, I did the recumbent bike for a bit. New exercise total: 823/1000.

Exercise Plan:
Fri: Walk at least 2 mi
Sat: C25K 3A
Sun: Walk hill route
Mon: C25K 3B
Tues: spin/Pilates
Wed: rest day
Thurs: C25K 3C
Fri: Walk dog
Sat: Body Pump (pending gym rehab)/ C25K 4A

Packing for trip to cabin. Haven't worn my shorts much as I am usually in work out clothing or capris. My size 10 shorts fit - every single pair!

Lewis & Clark Prep:
My running skorts have been shipped & I am anxious to try them out next week.

My Uncle purchased me an ipod for my exercising & the half marathon. I will have to buck up and learn how to load it. I am pretty excited about it & am considering just choosing songs in the interval time I want to run/walk. I think it will have enough memory to hold music for working out and music for me to run the C25K with or try a pod cast?

Bunco last night. I did not eat very well - got into the cheese nips & pretzels. I should have eaten a salad before I went...

 

[C_leen]

Had an OK weekend. Full of bug bites and DH had to pull ticks off of me & the dog last night!

I ate real food this weekend. I had pizza, onion rings, fried chicken, starbursts, doritos, and cheetos. Trying to recover today & get back in the groove. I will exercise tonight.

I did exercise. Friday I walked 2.9 mi. Saturday I ran C25K 3A. I also did a rocky trail for about a mile in a state park. On Sunday I ended up resting. New total 928/1000.

 

[C_leen]

Hello-

Well my insomnia has crept in again. Clearly stressed about DH's job situation & not knowing where home will be... With 2 bad nights, I was too tired to get up for Spin on Tuesday morning. So last night I restarted my sleeping med & it worked like a charm. This morning I had enough energy to get up and run with the dog on what was my library walk. Now it is my timed running track.

Weight: 156.4 (down .2)

Tuesday: Pilates 60 min
Wednesday: C25K 3B & walk: 31 min
New June total: 1019/1000

So I am hanging in there.

 

[C_leen]

Hello-

DH absolutely miserable at job. He has tossed his resume into the ring for a job out of state. Company bit within 24 hours and he passed first phone interview. Next phone interview with next level should be within 5 days. I am praying to every entity in the universe to let this be the path for DH. Executive Interview Process takes FOREVER so I am urging DH to apply for at least a few other jobs...

He is so miserable, I don't even care if this messes up our trip to WDW.

Stress level very high, but so far I am not eating to dull these issues. I am just trying to live like we aren't moving. I have a half marathon to train for starting next Monday! Why should I eat poorly when I have to haul this body 13.1 mi in a short 12 weeks? DS finishes summer school next Friday, and begins first grade 7/19!

Ran C25K 3C this morning & walked to cool down (31 min). Felt good - though for some reason this week feels easy. I'm very glad I got off the TM and am using a timer. Quadricepts starting to get defined. Tummy pooch looking more like a kangaroo pouch. I was looking at the week 4 runs and it is too many varying intervals to remember, so I'll be on the TM next week for week 4. After that I think I can totally come off of the TM as the distances are decent. I have some mileage to run with my car this weekend to pick out a few longer routes to extend my 2 mi Library route. The nano came, so I need to figure that cute little thing out!

Weight: 156.4 still (slow!)
June Exercise Total: 1050/1000

 

[C_leen]

Hiya-

I guess I'm looking at my new plateau. #156.4. I didn't exercise this am, I tried to orient myself to the nano & paid bills instead.

I was dancing around with my ipod in the bedroom, sort of mimicking the apple commercials on TV. DH said to me, "Are your breasts smaller?" Poor fellow, he then quickly said, "You still look fine." But at least I know it is not just me. The girls are shrinking. Fine with me!

Since I hate to iron, I tried on a size 8 sundress that has been hanging in my closet for several years & it zipped up! Too tight to wear out, but I tried this dress on a few weeks ago and it could not be zipped up! Then I pulled out a flirty little black skirt that was also too tight before, and now it looks just fine. So I wore it to work & I feel happy despite the darn plateau.

DH going out of town today. I'll figure out some sort of exercise with DS in tow. I need to scout the gym anyway & see if the aerobics room's renovation is complete...