Is this realistic?

[StayCool]

Just to rip the bandaid off... I weighed in today and was up 1 lb. Not surprised. And I didn't go to Zumba last night. When I got home I was starving, to the point where my stomach actually hurt. So I need to do a better job getting a snack in at the end of my day to prevent that.

It's funny, I was thinking about this exact thing when I was running tonight and was going to say it to you. I ran outside tonight, which was awesome. And, I do some of my best thinking while I am out running. I have been wondering why I kept on running after my races last year. And I realized it was because this is all I do for myself. I know if I didn't keep it up I would become fat, tired, unhealthy, and just unhappy. I may be struggling with being alone, not being able to live my life the way I want right now, etc... But, I know it would be so much worse if I didn't do this for myself.

It sounds like you came to the same conclusion today. The truth is, there will always be someone who needs something from you. There will always be someone you could help. If you don't stop and say no sometimes then you will always have a built-in excuse to not take care of yourself. I know all to well that the kids will always be needing more and more from you. But it is OK to tell them to ask dad or encourage them to figure it out for themselves, or whatever the case may be.

You started this thread wanting to lose 100 lbs. You have 80 to go. Don't give up on yourself. You owe it to yourself to do this. And, your family would want you to do it. I hope you keep pushing yourself when the motivation isn't there and break through this funk. Eventually you will find the motivation. I am just waiting for the time when you are telling us you are dropping 10lbs a month because you found the right mix of motivation, diet, and exercise. Because the truth is, all the excuses we have used over the last few months (and I am including myself in the mix as I let excuses get in the way) are exactly what got us where we were last year. We can't keep giving in.

I did 4.12 miles outside tonight. It is so much harder keeping a slow pace on the road as opposed to the treadmill. This 80/20 thing will be difficult outside. My feet are on fire. My right leg is back to going numb at about 3-3 1/2 miles like it did last summer. It doesn't happen on the treadmill. So, I have a lot of work to do this summer but I now understand why I keep doing it so I am hoping to just enjoy the ride and see what I can accomplish.

Make tomorrow the best day you can. If you do that every day you will never have any regrets.

I go through spurts where I do things for myself and then I stop for a while. I just need to work on consistency and not feeling guilty for putting myself first sometimes. Easier said than done, at least in my head.

I will eventually lose the weight. I've convinced myself that when I lose motivation, as long as I maintain until I get going again I will be ok. I just don't want to go backwards. I am afraid that if I go full bore that I will just regain everything. That may just be me putting up a roadblock though.

Yay for getting outside. I wonder if the camber of the road is messing with you? I know that last year on the longer distances I developed hip pain and I think that was the cause.

Thank you. I honestly can't imagine being hooked on Mountain Dew. I never could stand the taste, and I honestly don't like most sodas anyway. I know I can't do much more than listen and so that's what I'm trying to do.

Can I just say how proud I am of you two for coming to this realization? You need to write it down and put it somewhere you will see it when you're struggling. One of the things the Navy teaches is "Ship-Shipmate-Self" It's sort of like the "I'm third" movement that runs around. I understand the basic mindset behind that thought, but I've come to think that it's backwards. If you haven't got yourself taken care of - health, mental stability, financial, (add in family when I'm talking about Navy stuff), and/or you don't take care of your shipmates, then you aren't going to be focused on the job at hand. So I've always told the people who work for me that they have to take care of themselves and take care of the people around them, and that by doing that, the ship will be taken care of, too. I think the same goes for families, too.

It's been a pretty motivating day for me. I managed 3/4 of a pull-up unassisted this morning, ran 7 miles this afternoon, and started an adult ballet class tonight. There was a woman in class who was well over 100 lbs overweight, and she did pretty darn well. I didn't trip over my own feet, much. It had been 30+ years since my last ballet class but I figure if I can't trapeze, I can work on my lines. Anyway, good day and I should sleep well. For your amusement, the things that ran through my head during today's run:
1. It's too hot to run at 1300 today.
2. It's also too crowded with clueless tourists to run on the north side of the river.
3. I don't know how many configurations of three people can take up 20 square feet of sidewalk space, but I think I encountered most of them today.
4. The only reason I don't go bowling for tourists is the fear of being the subject of a "Military Officers Gone Bad" segment on CNN.
5. Sorry, little boy, the Washington Monument is only 78.3* Shaquille O'Neals, not 100, but you were standing at the bottom of the hill, so I'll give it to you.
6. If your small child balks at the mention of One. More. Museum. then give it a rest. Seriously parents, you do not have to visit every single museum on the Mall. Ride the carousel, have a picnic, take a paddle boat out, chase the ducks (not the geese, they're mean), we have some amazing water features to romp in, just stop with the museums already.
6.5 Man, it's hot and I forgot water.
7. I like the Daffodils better than the Cherry Blossoms.

*Yes, I went back to the office and did the math. Because I am a nerd.

Yeah, the soda thing was a bad habit to kick. Now I rarely drink soda but every once in a while I will have a rum and coke or something.

Logically I know I have to take care of myself and I preach it every day in my office. I just do not do as well at living it. I believe I was 30 before I realized that I mattered. Kind of late to get it. I still slip into my old habits sometimes, like now.

I had to lol at your thoughts. Having been a tourist down there walking around with a million other people, I can completely understand how annoying it could be to deal with that regularly. I really liked the "bowling for tourists". Don't want to be the next military scapegoat. lol

I listened to one of the Half Size Me podcasts on my way home for the first time in a long time. Ironically, the topic was very fitting. She was talking about codependency and how it keeps us in unhealthy patterns. I've known that I was codependent for a long time and it is part of the reason why I do what I do. But, my relationship with most of the people around me (meaning family and friends) isn't any better. I do have a couple of friends that I feel are strong and we "lead" each other. Mostly though I tend to be the leader of the people around me. They listen to me and trust me. I even try to avoid putting myself in the role but find myself there anyway. The point is that when I lose motivation there is no one left to motivate me. With my husband, in order to eat healthy and exercise, I have to motivate both of us and that can be really difficult sometimes. I used to get very frustrated because he was a Staff Sergeant in the Guard and I have seen him be a leader. It was like a switch he turned on as soon as he put the uniform on. But when it comes to being a civilian he refuses for whatever reason. So I am pushing myself and dragging him and I get annoyed. We make it very easy for each other to fall off the wagon, too easy. So I have to dig deep to keep going. Last year this post and the responses was the only thing that helped. It kept me accountable. This year I have let life get to me and used it as an excuse. I am going to do some reevaluating and see what kind of permanent changes I can make to stop sliding into crappy habits.

As a positive ending, I found out last night that my son's solofest will not interfere with the super hero 5k so I guess I better get costumes for us and let the kids know. I hope they are excited!

 

[StayCool]

Another yay for the day. I offered to get my husband an entrance into the Super Hero 5k and he agreed! So now we are all going.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Okay, that's fair. And I'm really glad to hear that you guys have come to some form of understanding. I think if you guys are going to do a 50-50 time split with the kids, you're going to need to have that worked out ahead of time - else it become a hostile prisoner exchange sort of time that everyone dreads.

Can I just say how proud I am of you two for coming to this realization? You need to write it down and put it somewhere you will see it when you're struggling. One of the things the Navy teaches is "Ship-Shipmate-Self" It's sort of like the "I'm third" movement that runs around. I understand the basic mindset behind that thought, but I've come to think that it's backwards. If you haven't got yourself taken care of - health, mental stability, financial, (add in family when I'm talking about Navy stuff), and/or you don't take care of your shipmates, then you aren't going to be focused on the job at hand. So I've always told the people who work for me that they have to take care of themselves and take care of the people around them, and that by doing that, the ship will be taken care of, too. I think the same goes for families, too.

It's been a pretty motivating day for me. I managed 3/4 of a pull-up unassisted this morning, ran 7 miles this afternoon, and started an adult ballet class tonight. There was a woman in class who was well over 100 lbs overweight, and she did pretty darn well. I didn't trip over my own feet, much. It had been 30+ years since my last ballet class but I figure if I can't trapeze, I can work on my lines. Anyway, good day and I should sleep well. For your amusement, the things that ran through my head during today's run:
1. It's too hot to run at 1300 today.
2. It's also too crowded with clueless tourists to run on the north side of the river.
3. I don't know how many configurations of three people can take up 20 square feet of sidewalk space, but I think I encountered most of them today.
4. The only reason I don't go bowling for tourists is the fear of being the subject of a "Military Officers Gone Bad" segment on CNN.
5. Sorry, little boy, the Washington Monument is only 78.3* Shaquille O'Neals, not 100, but you were standing at the bottom of the hill, so I'll give it to you.
6. If your small child balks at the mention of One. More. Museum. then give it a rest. Seriously parents, you do not have to visit every single museum on the Mall. Ride the carousel, have a picnic, take a paddle boat out, chase the ducks (not the geese, they're mean), we have some amazing water features to romp in, just stop with the museums already.
6.5 Man, it's hot and I forgot water.
7. I like the Daffodils better than the Cherry Blossoms.

*Yes, I went back to the office and did the math. Because I am a nerd.

I know that everything I worked to accomplish with the wife can change tomorrow and I have been so disgusted with myself lately for still being in this position. I have two job interviews tomorrow and I hope one of them will give me the next step on moving on with my life ASAP.

Interesting read about your day. I can still only do one pull up because my shoulders are so weak so congrats on the progress. Awesome job getting out there and finding something new to challenge yourself while you can't use your upper body.

Just to rip the bandaid off... I weighed in today and was up 1 lb. Not surprised. And I didn't go to Zumba last night. When I got home I was starving, to the point where my stomach actually hurt. So I need to do a better job getting a snack in at the end of my day to prevent that.

I go through spurts where I do things for myself and then I stop for a while. I just need to work on consistency and not feeling guilty for putting myself first sometimes. Easier said than done, at least in my head.

I will eventually lose the weight. I've convinced myself that when I lose motivation, as long as I maintain until I get going again I will be ok. I just don't want to go backwards. I am afraid that if I go full bore that I will just regain everything. That may just be me putting up a roadblock though.

Yay for getting outside. I wonder if the camber of the road is messing with you? I know that last year on the longer distances I developed hip pain and I think that was the cause.

Logically I know I have to take care of myself and I preach it every day in my office. I just do not do as well at living it. I believe I was 30 before I realized that I mattered. Kind of late to get it. I still slip into my old habits sometimes, like now.

I listened to one of the Half Size Me podcasts on my way home for the first time in a long time. Ironically, the topic was very fitting. She was talking about codependency and how it keeps us in unhealthy patterns. I've known that I was codependent for a long time and it is part of the reason why I do what I do. But, my relationship with most of the people around me (meaning family and friends) isn't any better. I do have a couple of friends that I feel are strong and we "lead" each other. Mostly though I tend to be the leader of the people around me. They listen to me and trust me. I even try to avoid putting myself in the role but find myself there anyway. The point is that when I lose motivation there is no one left to motivate me. With my husband, in order to eat healthy and exercise, I have to motivate both of us and that can be really difficult sometimes. I used to get very frustrated because he was a Staff Sergeant in the Guard and I have seen him be a leader. It was like a switch he turned on as soon as he put the uniform on. But when it comes to being a civilian he refuses for whatever reason. So I am pushing myself and dragging him and I get annoyed. We make it very easy for each other to fall off the wagon, too easy. So I have to dig deep to keep going. Last year this post and the responses was the only thing that helped. It kept me accountable. This year I have let life get to me and used it as an excuse. I am going to do some reevaluating and see what kind of permanent changes I can make to stop sliding into crappy habits.

As a positive ending, I found out last night that my son's solofest will not interfere with the super hero 5k so I guess I better get costumes for us and let the kids know. I hope they are excited!

Another yay for the day. I offered to get my husband an entrance into the Super Hero 5k and he agreed! So now we are all going.

You sure had a lot to say today and there are so many different directions to take it. But the fact that you are now thinking about it all and figuring it out means you are close to breaking through I think. I feel the aggravation coming through the screen. I feel like you are tired of falling into these traps. Or maybe I feel that because I am currently at that point too.

I have been a bit more consistent as of late but I feel the same as you. I have been unable to consistently do my P90X3 because I am so tired in the morning I get the extra hour of sleep. And, I can't get into the DVD's yet because they are so different than the original. But, I know I need to do them. I know they will be very important to my success in my running goals. So I need to figure it out and break through as well.

As for the codependence issue. I had the same problem. Every time I got my exercise going my wife would pull me back into my safety zone. Let's face it, it is so much easier to sit on the couch under a warm blanket during the winter than it is to keep working out or going to the classes. And it wasn't until she said she wanted the divorce that I took this running thing on and decided to go for it. And I think I stuck with it because we were so detached from each other that there was no way she could pull me back in this time. She tried to ruin it. She tried to ruin my Disney trip. She didn't support my marathon, or even wish me luck, and I think there were many reasons for this. One of them being that she hated that I finally stuck to it and was improving myself. I am not suggesting your husband is going to divorce you but what I am saying is, don't wait for something like that to happen to do things for yourself because you will only regret it. Do it now and be the example.

That's excellent that your husband will do the run with you.

My oldest had to stay home today because she has conjunctivitis. So I took the day off from work. So I couldn't make it to the gym. But I am sore from running outside last night. So it is ok I am taking a rest. I have tomorrow off for my interviews (one at a bank and the 2nd interview to meet the owner from last week's interview). Hopefully I can get in a run tomorrow night. Once I find out about the job I will decide which races to sign up for.

Have a great night everyone.

 

[StayCool]

I know that everything I worked to accomplish with the wife can change tomorrow and I have been so disgusted with myself lately for still being in this position. I have two job interviews tomorrow and I hope one of them will give me the next step on moving on with my life ASAP.

Interesting read about your day. I can still only do one pull up because my shoulders are so weak so congrats on the progress. Awesome job getting out there and finding something new to challenge yourself while you can't use your upper body.

You sure had a lot to say today and there are so many different directions to take it. But the fact that you are now thinking about it all and figuring it out means you are close to breaking through I think. I feel the aggravation coming through the screen. I feel like you are tired of falling into these traps. Or maybe I feel that because I am currently at that point too.

I have been a bit more consistent as of late but I feel the same as you. I have been unable to consistently do my P90X3 because I am so tired in the morning I get the extra hour of sleep. And, I can't get into the DVD's yet because they are so different than the original. But, I know I need to do them. I know they will be very important to my success in my running goals. So I need to figure it out and break through as well.

As for the codependence issue. I had the same problem. Every time I got my exercise going my wife would pull me back into my safety zone. Let's face it, it is so much easier to sit on the couch under a warm blanket during the winter than it is to keep working out or going to the classes. And it wasn't until she said she wanted the divorce that I took this running thing on and decided to go for it. And I think I stuck with it because we were so detached from each other that there was no way she could pull me back in this time. She tried to ruin it. She tried to ruin my Disney trip. She didn't support my marathon, or even wish me luck, and I think there were many reasons for this. One of them being that she hated that I finally stuck to it and was improving myself. I am not suggesting your husband is going to divorce you but what I am saying is, don't wait for something like that to happen to do things for yourself because you will only regret it. Do it now and be the example.

That's excellent that your husband will do the run with you.

My oldest had to stay home today because she has conjunctivitis. So I took the day off from work. So I couldn't make it to the gym. But I am sore from running outside last night. So it is ok I am taking a rest. I have tomorrow off for my interviews (one at a bank and the 2nd interview to meet the owner from last week's interview). Hopefully I can get in a run tomorrow night. Once I find out about the job I will decide which races to sign up for.

Have a great night everyone.

You use strong words like disgusted when referring to yourself frequently. I hope some day you may be able to say disappointed. The situation will not get better over night and even then there will be bad moments. It's been 10 years for me, but my ex will still call and yell at me for some imagined slight or misunderstanding. You will get there.

I don't really expect anyone to figure me out. lol That post was kind of like talking to myself and I am trying to put things into perspective. Sometimes saying things out loud helps me. I guess I just get tired of pulling everyone along which then derails me. I'm working on it. I don't think my husband would leave but he definitely does not want me to change. Part of it is because he knows he will have to make changes too. I'm not one to sit by and do all the work without dragging my family along. It is easier with the kids because I do not give them a choice. lol

That stinks about conjunctivitis. Hope she is feeling better. Good luck on the interviews. I hope you find something you are happy with.

I got up this morning and put my fitness band back on. I stopped wearing it about 2-3 weeks ago. Baby steps I guess. The weather here is dreary and it is going to rain all day. Blah. Can't wait to get outside. It is supposed to be very nice on Saturday and I'm looking forward to it! Hope everyone has a great day.

 

[Chiomaca]

I will eventually lose the weight. I've convinced myself that when I lose motivation, as long as I maintain until I get going again I will be ok. I just don't want to go backwards. I am afraid that if I go full bore that I will just regain everything. That may just be me putting up a roadblock though.

I think that's a good attitude, up to the point where you keep telling yourself just to maintain for longer than a month. Then you need to start looking around you and see what's going on.

Yeah, the soda thing was a bad habit to kick.

I shouldn't say I don't drink soda at all, because I do. Sometimes I just get a jones for the carbonation, so I bought a Soda Stream and made a bunch of my own fruit-based syrups. That way I control the sugar and I can carbonate a 1 liter bottle but just have a small glass. And when I do buy bottled soda, I go for the expensive, hard to find stuff like craft rootbeer and ginger beer. If I have to haul my butt to World Market to get it and pay $6 for a 4 pack, you'd better believe that pack is going to last a month! Hard cider on the other hand...I only buy once in a while because I will drink that every night.

Logically I know I have to take care of myself and I preach it every day in my office. I just do not do as well at living it. I believe I was 30 before I realized that I mattered. Kind of late to get it. I still slip into my old habits sometimes, like now.

I was well into my 30s before I looked up from the Navy and realized I wasn't living my life. I've always eaten well and exercised, but all I ever did was work. I've changed that and am SO MUCH happier.

I used to get very frustrated because he was a Staff Sergeant in the Guard and I have seen him be a leader. It was like a switch he turned on as soon as he put the uniform on. But when it comes to being a civilian he refuses for whatever reason.

That's pretty common. We spend so much time being the boss that we aren't interested in running things when we don't have to do so. With Tim and me it can be hard because we're both that way, which can lead to a weekend on the couch doing nothing unless there's a plan in place ahead of time. He hates planning, so it's always me. I'm the foodie though, so it means he has to deal with the meals I plan, which is nice.

Another yay for the day. I offered to get my husband an entrance into the Super Hero 5k and he agreed! So now we are all going.

Hooray! What costumes are you guys going to do?

Interesting read about your day. I can still only do one pull up because my shoulders are so weak so congrats on the progress. Awesome job getting out there and finding something new to challenge yourself while you can't use your upper body.

In December I was doing three sets of three, so this is proof that I haven't lost as much fitness as I feared, which is nice. I found my rubber band and threw that over the bar, so now I do a set of three assissted pull-ups every time I pass the laundry room. Hopefully that will build me back up.

My oldest had to stay home today because she has conjunctivitis. So I took the day off from work. So I couldn't make it to the gym. But I am sore from running outside last night. So it is ok I am taking a rest. I have tomorrow off for my interviews (one at a bank and the 2nd interview to meet the owner from last week's interview). Hopefully I can get in a run tomorrow night. Once I find out about the job I will decide which races to sign up for.

Ugh, eye infections stink. I guess a little extra bonding time is nice, though. How was your run last night - how far did you go? Good luck with the interviews!

I got up this morning and put my fitness band back on. I stopped wearing it about 2-3 weeks ago. Baby steps I guess. The weather here is dreary and it is going to rain all day. Blah.

I've seen reports that say people tend to be more active wearing the band than not, so hopefully that's a good sign. I went back to My Fitness Pal and started logging food. I should not have started on a day where bagels and cream cheese were out on the table, it seems. I got lazy and had them for breakfast and lunch that day and the numbers were miserable. Now that I reflect my usual lunch instead (baked salmon or cod and a bunch of roasted veggies), the numbers look less appalling. I think it's the same sort of function as wearing a band - I looked at some Easter candy last night after dinner and didn't want to log it, even though I hadn't used up my "allotment" of calories, so I didn't eat it.

It's a gray day here, but I'm going to go out to my first Team RWB group run tonight anyway. It's a 3.5 mile run around the city, which should be nice. I live a mile and a half from the meeting site, so I'm trying to figure out if I just walk there or I attempt to find parking. Near the Washington Monument. During the Cherry Blossom Festival. So probably just walking...

 

[Waiting2goback]

You use strong words like disgusted when referring to yourself frequently. I hope some day you may be able to say disappointed. The situation will not get better over night and even then there will be bad moments. It's been 10 years for me, but my ex will still call and yell at me for some imagined slight or misunderstanding. You will get there.

I don't really expect anyone to figure me out. lol That post was kind of like talking to myself and I am trying to put things into perspective. Sometimes saying things out loud helps me. I guess I just get tired of pulling everyone along which then derails me. I'm working on it. I don't think my husband would leave but he definitely does not want me to change. Part of it is because he knows he will have to make changes too. I'm not one to sit by and do all the work without dragging my family along. It is easier with the kids because I do not give them a choice. lol

That stinks about conjunctivitis. Hope she is feeling better. Good luck on the interviews. I hope you find something you are happy with.

I got up this morning and put my fitness band back on. I stopped wearing it about 2-3 weeks ago. Baby steps I guess. The weather here is dreary and it is going to rain all day. Blah. Can't wait to get outside. It is supposed to be very nice on Saturday and I'm looking forward to it! Hope everyone has a great day.

Yes, I do use those kinds of words about myself. I can't help it. I am so mad at myself for not seeing what my wife was like years ago and moving on then. Now I am stuck here for the time being and while we are getting along better it still bothers me that my bad decisions have put me in this position.

I think you have yourself figured out. You know what you need to do. You know your husband doesn't want you to change and why. You know you need to do more for yourself. All you need to do now is execute on a plan. You have tried a few things diet wise but you never seemed fully committed to one particular one. The only thing you need to figure out is what the plan is and then do the work to make it happen.

You are both right. Putting the fitness band back on and tracking your calories both make a difference. It is that little reminder that you need to move more or eat better than helps make better decisions. Happens to me every time I decide to track my calories when I haven't in a while.

Conjunctivitis is nothing. I'll take that all day long over other stuff.

I think that's a good attitude, up to the point where you keep telling yourself just to maintain for longer than a month. Then you need to start looking around you and see what's going on.

It's a gray day here, but I'm going to go out to my first Team RWB group run tonight anyway. It's a 3.5 mile run around the city, which should be nice. I live a mile and a half from the meeting site, so I'm trying to figure out if I just walk there or I attempt to find parking. Near the Washington Monument. During the Cherry Blossom Festival. So probably just walking...

I agree with Chiomaca. Maintaining is always better than gaining but until you reach your goal weight maintaining for 6 months is not progress. I maintained for 6 months, then I put 3 lbs back on. May 1st I will find out if I am back to making progress. I do understand the logic but I just want you to do me a favor. Pick something and do it seriously for a month. Put in the effort, no matter how hard it is and do it for a month. When you finish the month and you see the results if you want to stop, no problem. I don't think you will though.

It's been grey and rainy here for the last couple of days too. No run for me again today. The wife just got home from her second job and it is pouring out so I will just wait until tomorrow after work. I would have walked to the meeting site too if I were you.

My interviews went well today. I got a second interview at the bank, it just needs to be scheduled. From there I had time to kill so I went to Sports Authority to look around. Found some new running clothes on clearance. I bought them. Went to the second interview at the insurance company. I thought they were going to offer me the job right there but they didn't. I should hear by Friday. Now I hope I can get the bank scheduled soon so I can consider both jobs as I don't want to turn one down in hopes of getting the other and then never receive the offer from the second. Can't wait until it is all over and I can focus on whatever job it is I end up with and get a more consistent schedule.

On a side note, I have to say I am really surprised the Avengers isn't sold out yet. It's only at 65%. Perhaps the winds last year turned a few people off?

OK, have a good night everyone.

 

[Chiomaca]

Post-run, wind down check in!

You are both right. Putting the fitness band back on and tracking your calories both make a difference. It is that little reminder that you need to move more or eat better than helps make better decisions. Happens to me every time I decide to track my calories when I haven't in a while.

I haven't logged in years. I did WW about 11 years ago after I did South Beach with friends to support a friend who wanted to lose weight for her wedding. It will not surprise you to know that the one person of the five who did the program that didn't follow it was the bride, right? I hated SB because at the time to program didn't support active people and I was getting dizzy during workouts. I switched to WW and liked the points system. I'm liking MFP, although I'm not entirely sure I'm getting an accurate intake.

Conjunctivitis is nothing. I'll take that all day long over other stuff.

Yeah, I guess you would. Hope the little one is doing well.

It's been grey and rainy here for the last couple of days too. No run for me again today. The wife just got home from her second job and it is pouring out so I will just wait until tomorrow after work. I would have walked to the meeting site too if I were you.

I ended up driving. The museums start closing around 6, so I figured that I would be able to find parking on the Mall. It wasn't the best choice, but now that I know the regular route, I can plan for future weeks. It turns out that we don't do a loop, it's a point to point run from the front of the Washington Monument, up Capitol Hill (which is a doozy of a hill), into the Capital Hill neighborhood and ends at a local pizza place run by a former Top Chef contestant. It's a short 3.5 mile run, but it was a good speed workout for me because they're all faster than me. It was a struggle to keep up, but I did! And they treated me to a slice of pizza since I didn't realize there was food afterwards. The rain stopped for long enough to run, but then started up again on the 1.5 mile run back to the car. Next time I'll walk/jog to the meet-up so that the post-run walk home is shorter. I brought my foster pup with me, but think I won't do that for weekday runs anymore. I'd rather be able to sit and enjoy a slice of pizza and a drink without worrying about the dog.

My interviews went well today. I got a second interview at the bank, it just needs to be scheduled. From there I had time to kill so I went to Sports Authority to look around. Found some new running clothes on clearance. I bought them. Went to the second interview at the insurance company. I thought they were going to offer me the job right there but they didn't. I should hear by Friday. Now I hope I can get the bank scheduled soon so I can consider both jobs as I don't want to turn one down in hopes of getting the other and then never receive the offer from the second. Can't wait until it is all over and I can focus on whatever job it is I end up with and get a more consistent schedule.

On a side note, I have to say I am really surprised the Avengers isn't sold out yet. It's only at 65%. Perhaps the winds last year turned a few people off?

Glad to hear you feel good about the interviews. Will keep my fingers crossed for you. Clearance running clothes are the best! I got my winter vest that way this year.

I think the Avengers Half got sucked away by the challenge (which I am signed up for) and the addition of the 10K, which a lot of people like better than the half distance. Both those are sold out.

 

[StayCool]

I think that's a good attitude, up to the point where you keep telling yourself just to maintain for longer than a month. Then you need to start looking around you and see what's going on.

Sometimes maintaining is all I can handle. I get overwhelmed with life sometimes and just feel like I can't do everything. So diet gets dropped for a bit. That does not mean that I resume the old way. I just buckle down and stay put.

I shouldn't say I don't drink soda at all, because I do. Sometimes I just get a jones for the carbonation, so I bought a Soda Stream and made a bunch of my own fruit-based syrups. That way I control the sugar and I can carbonate a 1 liter bottle but just have a small glass. And when I do buy bottled soda, I go for the expensive, hard to find stuff like craft root beer and ginger beer. If I have to haul my butt to World Market to get it and pay $6 for a 4 pack, you'd better believe that pack is going to last a month! Hard cider on the other hand...I only buy once in a while because I will drink that every night.

I've looked at the Sodastream but I wasn't sure if I would actually use it or not. Is it difficult to use or make your own syrups? My weakness is ice cream...

I was well into my 30s before I looked up from the Navy and realized I wasn't living my life. I've always eaten well and exercised, but all I ever did was work. I've changed that and am SO MUCH happier.

That's pretty common. We spend so much time being the boss that we aren't interested in running things when we don't have to do so. With Tim and me it can be hard because we're both that way, which can lead to a weekend on the couch doing nothing unless there's a plan in place ahead of time. He hates planning, so it's always me. I'm the foodie though, so it means he has to deal with the meals I plan, which is nice.

As much of a control freak/Type A person I am now, I used to be much much worse. I'm working on being better about that.

I understand that he wants to shed that identity and it makes complete sense. Sometimes I would like to have him run things for a bit so I have a break though. And we spend a lot of time saying "what do you want to do/eat? I don't know, what do you want to do/eat?" lol

Hooray! What costumes are you guys going to do?.

No clue. I will be out looking this weekend. I even got my hubby to agree to do it! lol

In December I was doing three sets of three, so this is proof that I haven't lost as much fitness as I feared, which is nice. I found my rubber band and threw that over the bar, so now I do a set of three assisted pull-ups every time I pass the laundry room. Hopefully that will build me back up.

I'm glad that you are able to start using your shoulder again.

I've seen reports that say people tend to be more active wearing the band than not, so hopefully that's a good sign. I went back to My Fitness Pal and started logging food. I should not have started on a day where bagels and cream cheese were out on the table, it seems. I got lazy and had them for breakfast and lunch that day and the numbers were miserable. Now that I reflect my usual lunch instead (baked salmon or cod and a bunch of roasted veggies), the numbers look less appalling. I think it's the same sort of function as wearing a band - I looked at some Easter candy last night after dinner and didn't want to log it, even though I hadn't used up my "allotment" of calories, so I didn't eat it.

I definitely am more active with it on. I remember being horrified at how little I moved when I first put it on. Tracking my food does help me stop and think before I just put it in my mouth as well. There is always candy in my office so I try to have healthier options on hand and avoid walking by that stuff.

Yes, I do use those kinds of words about myself. I can't help it. I am so mad at myself for not seeing what my wife was like years ago and moving on then. Now I am stuck here for the time being and while we are getting along better it still bothers me that my bad decisions have put me in this position.

Do you ever think that you are treating yourself the same way your parents and wife always have? To be happy you have to forgive yourself. That can happen while you are still getting on with your life.

I think you have yourself figured out. You know what you need to do. You know your husband doesn't want you to change and why. You know you need to do more for yourself. All you need to do now is execute on a plan. You have tried a few things diet wise but you never seemed fully committed to one particular one. The only thing you need to figure out is what the plan is and then do the work to make it happen.

I generally always fall back on Weight Watchers. It is familiar to me and works well when I use it. I am an emotional eater and things this year have sucked. So I use it halfway. But I started tracking again on Monday and have been faithful to it. Because my emotions are attached to food I have to process that crap while I change. Which is why sometimes I don't change. I can only handle so many things going on at once.

You are both right. Putting the fitness band back on and tracking your calories both make a difference. It is that little reminder that you need to move more or eat better than helps make better decisions. Happens to me every time I decide to track my calories when I haven't in a while.

Reality checks.

I agree with Chiomaca. Maintaining is always better than gaining but until you reach your goal weight maintaining for 6 months is not progress. I maintained for 6 months, then I put 3 lbs back on. May 1st I will find out if I am back to making progress. I do understand the logic but I just want you to do me a favor. Pick something and do it seriously for a month. Put in the effort, no matter how hard it is and do it for a month. When you finish the month and you see the results if you want to stop, no problem. I don't think you will though.

The progress part is that I did not go back to where I was. To me that is progress. I'm content with baby steps if I have to. I can go full speed ahead, but I believe I would fail because I would get overwhelmed/tired, whatever and then just stop. It would be worse if I went backwards because I don't know if I would keep trying. I will see what I can do about sticking to weight watchers for the month.

My interviews went well today. I got a second interview at the bank, it just needs to be scheduled. From there I had time to kill so I went to Sports Authority to look around. Found some new running clothes on clearance. I bought them. Went to the second interview at the insurance company. I thought they were going to offer me the job right there but they didn't. I should hear by Friday. Now I hope I can get the bank scheduled soon so I can consider both jobs as I don't want to turn one down in hopes of getting the other and then never receive the offer from the second. Can't wait until it is all over and I can focus on whatever job it is I end up with and get a more consistent schedule.

Glad the interview went well. I hope you find something that works for you.

I haven't logged in years. I did WW about 11 years ago after I did South Beach with friends to support a friend who wanted to lose weight for her wedding. It will not surprise you to know that the one person of the five who did the program that didn't follow it was the bride, right? I hated SB because at the time to program didn't support active people and I was getting dizzy during workouts. I switched to WW and liked the points system. I'm liking MFP, although I'm not entirely sure I'm getting an accurate intake.

I ended up driving. The museums start closing around 6, so I figured that I would be able to find parking on the Mall. It wasn't the best choice, but now that I know the regular route, I can plan for future weeks. It turns out that we don't do a loop, it's a point to point run from the front of the Washington Monument, up Capitol Hill (which is a doozy of a hill), into the Capital Hill neighborhood and ends at a local pizza place run by a former Top Chef contestant. It's a short 3.5 mile run, but it was a good speed workout for me because they're all faster than me. It was a struggle to keep up, but I did! And they treated me to a slice of pizza since I didn't realize there was food afterwards. The rain stopped for long enough to run, but then started up again on the 1.5 mile run back to the car. Next time I'll walk/jog to the meet-up so that the post-run walk home is shorter. I brought my foster pup with me, but think I won't do that for weekday runs anymore. I'd rather be able to sit and enjoy a slice of pizza and a drink without worrying about the dog.

I like WW. It is simple. MFP was ok too. I tried it to see if I could switch over and save myself some $ but I can't seem to commit.

I'm glad that you had a good run. It has to be amazing to run by all of that stuff. So much to look at.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I am not ignoring your posts. I didn't get a good night sleep because I am stressed about the job situation. I have a headache and haven't felt good all day. So I will respond tomorrow night. Have a good night.

 

[Chiomaca]

I've looked at the Sodastream but I wasn't sure if I would actually use it or not. Is it difficult to use or make your own syrups? My weakness is ice cream...

I like my Soda Stream a lot. I didn't like the "soda" syrup samples that came with it, but the "light" water flavorings I would use if I wasn't comfortable making my own syrups. For mine, I buy berries for the most part and cook them down with some sugar and a bunch of water - sort of the way you start jam but without pectin, just berries, sugar and water. Cook until it's reduced by half, then strain out the fruits and store the syrup in the fridge. I've done strawberry basil, strawberry balsamic, raspberry lime, and blueberry. It took a little experimentation to get the ratios the way I like them, but it's nice that I can just make a small glass of bubbly water when I want.

I understand that he wants to shed that identity and it makes complete sense. Sometimes I would like to have him run things for a bit so I have a break though. And we spend a lot of time saying "what do you want to do/eat? I don't know, what do you want to do/eat?"

Yeah, that's one reason I make plans ahead of time - but you don't really have that advantage. Then again, if he says he doesn't want to make the decision, then you get to decide and if he doesn't like it, maybe you could tell him that the next time it's his turn to decide.

The progress part is that I did not go back to where I was. To me that is progress. I'm content with baby steps if I have to.

Not backsliding in habits is a good thing.

I like WW. It is simple. MFP was ok too. I tried it to see if I could switch over and save myself some $ but I can't seem to commit.

I'm glad that you had a good run. It has to be amazing to run by all of that stuff. So much to look at.

I am really spoiled by my running locale. It makes it easier to go out of a run when there's a huge selection of pretty scenery to run past.

I'm slowly beginning to appreciate MFP. It starts me at 1200 calories but even my slack days I earn a few hundred extra calories, which is more reasonable. It's got a step tracker that works with the phone, so I use that. Mind you, it thinks I'm either very active (when I'm awake and not at work) or a complete slug (asleep or at work with no phone), so it vastly underestimates my calorie output. That way I don't feel badly if I go 50-100 calories over....it isn't recording at least a mile of walking daily.

I am not ignoring your posts. I didn't get a good night sleep because I am stressed about the job situation. I have a headache and haven't felt good all day. So I will respond tomorrow night. Have a good night.

Sorry to hear about the stress level. I hope you got some good news today.

No workouts the last two days. Kids were testing again this week - two weeks of testing is stupid - but we had some success. I gave them 15 minutes to pair up and come up with a funny/clown act and two of the six groups came up with original and genuinely funny skits. The others were typical 5th grades...disconnected, theatrical violence with no context. But I'll take it...sadly, that's what a lot of those kids are surrounded with daily.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I'm liking MFP, although I'm not entirely sure I'm getting an accurate intake.

It may not be accurate but it is an apples to apples comparison. For example, if you use this tool to monitor intake all the time then you can compare day to day. If you do 1400 one day and 1100 another than it may not be accurate but you know it is 300 less one day than another. I don't think my heart rate monitor is accurate but it allows me to compare my effort with each workout using the same inaccurate tool. Am I making sense?

Do you ever think that you are treating yourself the same way your parents and wife always have? To be happy you have to forgive yourself. That can happen while you are still getting on with your life.

I generally always fall back on Weight Watchers. It is familiar to me and works well when I use it. I am an emotional eater and things this year have sucked. So I use it halfway. But I started tracking again on Monday and have been faithful to it. Because my emotions are attached to food I have to process that crap while I change. Which is why sometimes I don't change. I can only handle so many things going on at once.

Glad the interview went well. I hope you find something that works for you.

I think I have lots of self doubt that comes from hearing nothing but negative thoughts about me all these years. It is easier for me to believe the bad because that's all I ever heard.

I am at a major point in my life. Sounds cliché but its true. I am getting an offer on one of the jobs. We missed each other on the phone but the owner of the company emailed me saying she will be extending an offer and will email me the details on Monday. So, if it is in the range I was told in my phone interview it is WAY more money than I am making now. The base could be $30K more a year. Here is the major point. This job is going to be hard for me. It is so outside of my comfort zone. I can sell, I have always been able to. Once someone is sitting in front of me that is an easy sale for me. This job will require me to go out and prospect for business. Make cold calls, etc... This is my weakest area of sales. But, it was always because of lack of confidence. Do I have the ability, yes. If I take this job it has the ability to do everything I want from a job. Money, flexibility (important when the divorce happens and needing to pick up the kids and stuff), etc...

So, do I take a chance of myself and do what it takes to succeed and possibly have a career I am proud of or do I go the safer route (the bank job which I have a second interview for on Monday) where I will enjoy the work, have more predictability, and a slower path to success but less risk? This is assuming I get an offer from both (but the bank manager said I was the only candidate even worth a second interview, so it looks promising). The bank job is way more money too so either way I will take one of them, of course this is assuming they stay in the ranges discussed in the interviews.

Its been dead at work so I run through all of this stuff in my head, over and over. I KNOW I can do both and succeed but the insurance job I just have doubts and I am scared to death. Very similar to doing my marathon last year. Why do I have doubts? Because my parents told me I would fail in life and my wife told me I would never amount to anything more than a custodian. It all ties in to what you asked me.

If WW works for you then stick with it. If you are comfortable with your progress that is all that matters.


Went for a run tonight after work. I couldn't miss another day even thought I got very little sleep again last night. Can't wait til I pick a job and am done with it. Only did 3.09 miles but it was better than nothing. It was in the 50's but drizzling. Still felt great. Tomorrow night is the father/daughter dance. I'm excited but I didn't even come close to my goal of 200 lbs. Kinda stinks but I know I lost major focus over the past few months so it's my own fault. I am getting more focused but I wish I reached this goal. Oh well.

Hoping to go for a run when I wake up, its supposed to be warm tomorrow.

I am tired and just want to go rest my head. It's been a long day of stress. Have a good night everyone.

 

[dizzyr]

I caught up on the posts yesterday and while I was reading I jotted down notes on what I wanted to comment on and then ran out of time to post and my sticky note is at work L I promised myself that even if this was the only thing I accomplished today I was going to post! I’ll try and remember all the things in no particular order (this will probably be a long one so settle in LOL!)

This has been a really busy couple of weeks. I for the most part don’t have a boss (I have one but he has no knowledge at all of accounting so he doesn’t check my work). Once a year we have an audit of our financial statements to satisfy our contract requirement so it’s the one time of year my work gets scrutinized and it’s extremely time consuming – it starts on Monday and I’m so not ready. We have had one computer problem after another at work and I’ve lost so much prep time. Our year end is March 31st so it’s already a short deadline between year end and audit start but I’m usually more prepared than this.

I just loaded Dropbox on my phone, work computer and laptop and now I can access all my stuff from anywhere – I think that will make my life so much easier but it’s been sucking up time getting it all set up and everything on there. I have sooooooooooooooooo many photos it scares me! I really really need more hours of the day to get all my projects done!

Waiting – did you hear anything about the 2nd job yet? Having to choose between 2 good jobs is a much better problem then having to choose between no jobs or two crappy jobs but I can understand the stress. I love my job and it’s exactly what I want to be doing but the salary is not where I want it to be. I may be getting an offer for a government job (just finished the third round of testing). I know I wouldn’t hate the job but I certainly wouldn’t love it – it would be way less challenge that what I’m doing now but it would be about $10,000 more a year and that would be tough to turn down. My hope is that I get an offer and my current job meets it. Either one you choose is a step up though so that’s awesome.

Staycool – I hope things get less stressful for you soon. I’m very sorry to hear about your dog. It sounds like we are having some of the same motivation struggles towards both food and fitness. I’ve been thinking of going back on to weight watchers but unless I know I will fully commit it’s just a waste of money and I’m not sure enough about my commitment level these days.

Chiomaca – You amaze me with your dedication, not just to fitness but to your dogs, your students and just life in general. What is your secret?

There was some talk a while back about the Fitbit – I have the Flex and when I first got it I was super motivated and wore it all the time. Now I’m all humbug about it because I really want the one with the HR monitor. Does anyone know where the best place to buy it is? I can have it shipped to my US address so I’d rather get it in the states then pay the Canadian price. I’m hoping it will be a motivator for me since new stuff is fun to play with! I also decided I should try for baby step things so one of the things that’s toughest for me is stairs – I get winded super fast and avoid them whenever possible. I decided I will walk up and down our stairs a few times a day. It’s in the house and I don’t need to worry about anyone seeing me and I can do it multiple times a day without having to plan anything.

I know I had way more things on my list but I can’t think of them right now and I have to go dress shopping with my daughter (she’s graduating and moving on to high school – oooooo lala) so I better get this posted.

 

[Chiomaca]

It may not be accurate but it is an apples to apples comparison. For example, if you use this tool to monitor intake all the time then you can compare day to day. If you do 1400 one day and 1100 another than it may not be accurate but you know it is 300 less one day than another. I don't think my heart rate monitor is accurate but it allows me to compare my effort with each workout using the same inaccurate tool. Am I making sense?

You're making sense, and since I'm not all that rushed about losing weight, it works okay for me. But I think if you were genuinely trying to lose weight using the calorie tracking/deficit idea, you'd need to be much more precise than I am. Is my piece of chicken 4 oz or 6 or 8? That adds up. And then there's restaurant means....holy cow. I was starving Saturday afternoon (3 mile walk w/dogs, 3 hour dog event on my feet, and a race the next day) so I stopped at a new restaurant in the neighborhood - specialty Korean fried chicken. I ate too much and I knew I was doing so as I did it, but I was just so hungry. I went home and entered the food...essentially I ate more than 2500 calories in that meal alone. And it sat like lead in my stomach, too. It was SO GOOD but now I know that it's something to eat in a smaller portion (I over-estimated what I needed and then finished it all), and then only after a 10+ mile run.

So, do I take a chance of myself and do what it takes to succeed and possibly have a career I am proud of or do I go the safer route (the bank job which I have a second interview for on Monday) where I will enjoy the work, have more predictability, and a slower path to success but less risk? This is assuming I get an offer from both (but the bank manager said I was the only candidate even worth a second interview, so it looks promising). The bank job is way more money too so either way I will take one of them, of course this is assuming they stay in the ranges discussed in the interviews.

That's a challenging decision. Have you given it more thought? It the insurance job one that counts on commissions to bump up your pay, or is that increase in pay over your current level part of a base salary? I know that you're already working on commission, so it's not a huge change, but I do think it's something to consider.

The interesting part of your post is that you refer to one job as something you would be proud of and the bank job as being safe. Would you not be proud of the work you did at the bank? Either way, I'm glad things are looking up for you financially.

Went for a run tonight after work. I couldn't miss another day even thought I got very little sleep again last night. Can't wait til I pick a job and am done with it. Only did 3.09 miles but it was better than nothing. It was in the 50's but drizzling. Still felt great. Tomorrow night is the father/daughter dance. I'm excited but I didn't even come close to my goal of 200 lbs.

Congrats on the run despite the drizzle. Hope you both enjoyed the dance, no matter what your weight.

I just loaded Dropbox on my phone, work computer and laptop and now I can access all my stuff from anywhere – I think that will make my life so much easier but it’s been sucking up time getting it all set up and everything on there. I have sooooooooooooooooo many photos it scares me! I really really need more hours of the day to get all my projects done!

Welcome back! And it's cool that you can do some of your work that way. When I worked a job where I had a blackberry, I used to say that the great thing about it was that I could work at the Farmer's Market or Starbucks instead of my desk and that the awful thing about having it was that I had to work at the Farmer's Market and Starbucks.

Chiomaca – You amaze me with your dedication, not just to fitness but to your dogs, your students and just life in general. What is your secret?

Unlike the rest of you, I am single and without children...so it's infinitely easier for me to focus on me things, or on volunteering. And it probably also comes from being the oldest child of a single mother, which required me to be very focused from a pretty young age. And I got lucky enough to find things that I am passionate about.

I also decided I should try for baby step things so one of the things that’s toughest for me is stairs – I get winded super fast and avoid them whenever possible. I decided I will walk up and down our stairs a few times a day. It’s in the house and I don’t need to worry about anyone seeing me and I can do it multiple times a day without having to plan anything.

Someone at the race today was wearing a tee shirt with a quote on it that you just reminded me of - something along the lines to Every day doing just a little bit more than you think you are capable of doing. I think small changes eventually add up to big ones, so go for the stairs! How is the river walking/running going?

This weekend has been bittersweet for me. I'd been processing an adoption application for one dog when suddenly one came in for my foster pup, Wendy. They'd been looking at a dog that we've decided needs to live outside the city, and they needed a cat-friendly pup, so they agreed to meet Wendy. Turned out to be love at first site for all three: mom, dad, and 12 year old boy. So much so that I dropped her off at their house this afternoon. Now my own dog is moping and I'm missing her, too. We've been through this before, but four months is the longest we've had a foster and all the animals had bonded a great deal. I'll be honest that I've been looking forward to a quiet week or so before the next dog comes up. I'll miss that little goofball.

I did run the Cherry Blossom (almost) Ten Miler today - an hour before the start there was a pedestrian hit by a motorcycle on the course, after it was supposed to be closed, that turned into a crime scene. They had to re-route us without even remeasuring, they just looked at the map and made adjustments on the fly. We're told that we will know the official mileage by Tuesday. On the plus side, I maintained a 9:45 average across the race, which I think makes it my fastest race to date. I actually got to race, because my friend got over whatever mind games she'd been playing with herself and felt confident about running on her own. So, yay for a good run and a friend regaining her confidence!

 

[Waiting2goback]

Waiting – did you hear anything about the 2nd job yet? Having to choose between 2 good jobs is a much better problem then having to choose between no jobs or two crappy jobs but I can understand the stress. I love my job and it’s exactly what I want to be doing but the salary is not where I want it to be. I may be getting an offer for a government job (just finished the third round of testing). I know I wouldn’t hate the job but I certainly wouldn’t love it – it would be way less challenge that what I’m doing now but it would be about $10,000 more a year and that would be tough to turn down. My hope is that I get an offer and my current job meets it. Either one you choose is a step up though so that’s awesome.

Chiomaca – You amaze me with your dedication, not just to fitness but to your dogs, your students and just life in general. What is your secret?

There was some talk a while back about the Fitbit – I have the Flex and when I first got it I was super motivated and wore it all the time. Now I’m all humbug about it because I really want the one with the HR monitor. Does anyone know where the best place to buy it is? I can have it shipped to my US address so I’d rather get it in the states then pay the Canadian price. I’m hoping it will be a motivator for me since new stuff is fun to play with! I also decided I should try for baby step things so one of the things that’s toughest for me is stairs – I get winded super fast and avoid them whenever possible. I decided I will walk up and down our stairs a few times a day. It’s in the house and I don’t need to worry about anyone seeing me and I can do it multiple times a day without having to plan anything.

Welcome back. I have my second interview at the bank tomorrow morning and should be receiving the email with my offer from the insurance company tomorrow too. And, yes, I am being silly with the stress. Last year at this time I was stressed because I couldn't get an interview, nevermind a job offer. Now I might have 2 really good jobs to decide between. Poor me, right. It is just a huge decision because if I pick the right one I can end my living situation much sooner. If I pick the wrong one then AHHHHHHH!

I agree. Chiomaca, you are like a machine. You never seem down.

I don't think it matters where you get the FitBit. They are all the same price everywhere for the most part. You might catch a sale here and there but mostly the same. We sell them at work.

You're making sense, and since I'm not all that rushed about losing weight, it works okay for me. But I think if you were genuinely trying to lose weight using the calorie tracking/deficit idea, you'd need to be much more precise than I am. Is my piece of chicken 4 oz or 6 or 8? That adds up. And then there's restaurant means....holy cow. I was starving Saturday afternoon (3 mile walk w/dogs, 3 hour dog event on my feet, and a race the next day) so I stopped at a new restaurant in the neighborhood - specialty Korean fried chicken. I ate too much and I knew I was doing so as I did it, but I was just so hungry. I went home and entered the food...essentially I ate more than 2500 calories in that meal alone. And it sat like lead in my stomach, too. It was SO GOOD but now I know that it's something to eat in a smaller portion (I over-estimated what I needed and then finished it all), and then only after a 10+ mile run.

That's a challenging decision. Have you given it more thought? It the insurance job one that counts on commissions to bump up your pay, or is that increase in pay over your current level part of a base salary? I know that you're already working on commission, so it's not a huge change, but I do think it's something to consider.

The interesting part of your post is that you refer to one job as something you would be proud of and the bank job as being safe. Would you not be proud of the work you did at the bank? Either way, I'm glad things are looking up for you financially.

Congrats on the run despite the drizzle. Hope you both enjoyed the dance, no matter what your weight.

This weekend has been bittersweet for me. I'd been processing an adoption application for one dog when suddenly one came in for my foster pup, Wendy. They'd been looking at a dog that we've decided needs to live outside the city, and they needed a cat-friendly pup, so they agreed to meet Wendy. Turned out to be love at first site for all three: mom, dad, and 12 year old boy. So much so that I dropped her off at their house this afternoon. Now my own dog is moping and I'm missing her, too. We've been through this before, but four months is the longest we've had a foster and all the animals had bonded a great deal. I'll be honest that I've been looking forward to a quiet week or so before the next dog comes up. I'll miss that little goofball.

I did run the Cherry Blossom (almost) Ten Miler today - an hour before the start there was a pedestrian hit by a motorcycle on the course, after it was supposed to be closed, that turned into a crime scene. They had to re-route us without even remeasuring, they just looked at the map and made adjustments on the fly. We're told that we will know the official mileage by Tuesday. On the plus side, I maintained a 9:45 average across the race, which I think makes it my fastest race to date. I actually got to race, because my friend got over whatever mind games she'd been playing with herself and felt confident about running on her own. So, yay for a good run and a friend regaining her confidence!

I would be proud about both jobs. I like the stuff I would be selling at the bank better. It is financial products. That's what the CFA is all about. But, I like the freedom and income potential more at the insurance company. It may not even be an issue. I might not get an offer for both so I could be stressed for no reason.

The base pay on both jobs would be at least $20K more. The insurance job has commissions on top of that too. Either way I will be making more money.

Your funny with the sentence about us both enjoying the dance. I had all THREE of my girls there. Hard to dance with 3 girls at once but we pulled it off. I did have fun and much like every other year I managed to cry a bit. Hate seeing them growing up! It is going by way to fast.

Sorry to hear about the dog but I am happy you found her a good home.

Good for your friend for having the confidence to run the race on her own. That's a big step. Great job on having your fastest race given the strange circumstances of the course having to be changed. That was strange. Oh, and I get what you were saying about the accuracy being important with the tracking tools we use. It does add up when you have a little here and a little there.

I ran 4.18 miles tonight after work. Weather was perfect today. It was 64' at the time of my run and it will be in the 70's tomorrow. Is it a problem that I don't really want to go to my interview because I'd rather go out for a run? I just can't wait to run during the day in the nice weather.

 

[StayCool]

I like my Soda Stream a lot. I didn't like the "soda" syrup samples that came with it, but the "light" water flavorings I would use if I wasn't comfortable making my own syrups. For mine, I buy berries for the most part and cook them down with some sugar and a bunch of water - sort of the way you start jam but without pectin, just berries, sugar and water. Cook until it's reduced by half, then strain out the fruits and store the syrup in the fridge. I've done strawberry basil, strawberry balsamic, raspberry lime, and blueberry. It took a little experimentation to get the ratios the way I like them, but it's nice that I can just make a small glass of bubbly water when I want.

I'm slowly beginning to appreciate MFP. It starts me at 1200 calories but even my slack days I earn a few hundred extra calories, which is more reasonable. It's got a step tracker that works with the phone, so I use that. Mind you, it thinks I'm either very active (when I'm awake and not at work) or a complete slug (asleep or at work with no phone), so it vastly underestimates my calorie output. That way I don't feel badly if I go 50-100 calories over....it isn't recording at least a mile of walking daily.

I will have to look into the Soda Stream and see if it is something I would use regularly.

I didn't know that MFP had a step tracker. Interesting.

I think I have lots of self doubt that comes from hearing nothing but negative thoughts about me all these years. It is easier for me to believe the bad because that's all I ever heard.

I am at a major point in my life. Sounds cliché but its true. I am getting an offer on one of the jobs. We missed each other on the phone but the owner of the company emailed me saying she will be extending an offer and will email me the details on Monday. So, if it is in the range I was told in my phone interview it is WAY more money than I am making now. The base could be $30K more a year.

So, do I take a chance of myself and do what it takes to succeed and possibly have a career I am proud of or do I go the safer route (the bank job which I have a second interview for on Monday) where I will enjoy the work, have more predictability, and a slower path to success but less risk? This is assuming I get an offer from both (but the bank manager said I was the only candidate even worth a second interview, so it looks promising). The bank job is way more money too so either way I will take one of them, of course this is assuming they stay in the ranges discussed in the interviews.

You are trying so hard to break the negativity cycle. Start with reframing your thoughts and consciously turning negatives into positives. It has helped me in the past. As far as the job situation, it is amazing that you have both opportunities. Since both are a big upgrade from where you are, there really is not a bad choice. In my opinion (not that you asked), I think you should take the less stressful one - whichever that is. Only because you already have a stressful life, so why add more?

I caught up on the posts yesterday and while I was reading I jotted down notes on what I wanted to comment on and then ran out of time to post and my sticky note is at work L I promised myself that even if this was the only thing I accomplished today I was going to post! I’ll try and remember all the things in no particular order (this will probably be a long one so settle in LOL!)

This has been a really busy couple of weeks. I for the most part don’t have a boss (I have one but he has no knowledge at all of accounting so he doesn’t check my work). Once a year we have an audit of our financial statements to satisfy our contract requirement so it’s the one time of year my work gets scrutinized and it’s extremely time consuming – it starts on Monday and I’m so not ready. We have had one computer problem after another at work and I’ve lost so much prep time. Our year end is March 31st so it’s already a short deadline between year end and audit start but I’m usually more prepared than this.

Staycool – I hope things get less stressful for you soon. I’m very sorry to hear about your dog. It sounds like we are having some of the same motivation struggles towards both food and fitness. I’ve been thinking of going back on to weight watchers but unless I know I will fully commit it’s just a waste of money and I’m not sure enough about my commitment level these days.

Chiomaca – You amaze me with your dedication, not just to fitness but to your dogs, your students and just life in general. What is your secret?

I also decided I should try for baby step things so one of the things that’s toughest for me is stairs – I get winded super fast and avoid them whenever possible. I decided I will walk up and down our stairs a few times a day. It’s in the house and I don’t need to worry about anyone seeing me and I can do it multiple times a day without having to plan anything.

I'm glad to see you are around! Things are getting better for me. I'm working on the commitment level. Sloooowly. And yay for choosing the stairs.

I was starving Saturday afternoon (3 mile walk w/dogs, 3 hour dog event on my feet, and a race the next day) so I stopped at a new restaurant in the neighborhood - specialty Korean fried chicken. I ate too much and I knew I was doing so as I did it, but I was just so hungry. I went home and entered the food...essentially I ate more than 2500 calories in that meal alone. And it sat like lead in my stomach, too. It was SO GOOD but now I know that it's something to eat in a smaller portion (I over-estimated what I needed and then finished it all), and then only after a 10+ mile run.

This weekend has been bittersweet for me. I'd been processing an adoption application for one dog when suddenly one came in for my foster pup, Wendy. They'd been looking at a dog that we've decided needs to live outside the city, and they needed a cat-friendly pup, so they agreed to meet Wendy. Turned out to be love at first site for all three: mom, dad, and 12 year old boy. So much so that I dropped her off at their house this afternoon. Now my own dog is moping and I'm missing her, too. We've been through this before, but four months is the longest we've had a foster and all the animals had bonded a great deal. I'll be honest that I've been looking forward to a quiet week or so before the next dog comes up. I'll miss that little goofball.

I did run the Cherry Blossom (almost) Ten Miler today - an hour before the start there was a pedestrian hit by a motorcycle on the course, after it was supposed to be closed, that turned into a crime scene. They had to re-route us without even remeasuring, they just looked at the map and made adjustments on the fly. We're told that we will know the official mileage by Tuesday. On the plus side, I maintained a 9:45 average across the race, which I think makes it my fastest race to date. I actually got to race, because my friend got over whatever mind games she'd been playing with herself and felt confident about running on her own. So, yay for a good run and a friend regaining her confidence!

As far that the overeating food thing, I did the same thing last Thursday. I ate an omelet and toast and was full until dinner. Puts how much I used to eat into perspective for me for sure.

That is sad about your foster dog, but at least you know that she will have a good life. It is an amazing thing you are doing.

Holy cow about the Cherry Blossom 10 miler. That is horrible. That is awesome about your pace though. Good for your friend too!

Welcome back. I have my second interview at the bank tomorrow morning and should be receiving the email with my offer from the insurance company tomorrow too. And, yes, I am being silly with the stress. Last year at this time I was stressed because I couldn't get an interview, nevermind a job offer. Now I might have 2 really good jobs to decide between. Poor me, right. It is just a huge decision because if I pick the right one I can end my living situation much sooner. If I pick the wrong one then AHHHHHHH!

Your funny with the sentence about us both enjoying the dance. I had all THREE of my girls there. Hard to dance with 3 girls at once but we pulled it off. I did have fun and much like every other year I managed to cry a bit. Hate seeing them growing up! It is going by way to fast.

I ran 4.18 miles tonight after work. Weather was perfect today. It was 64' at the time of my run and it will be in the 70's tomorrow. Is it a problem that I don't really want to go to my interview because I'd rather go out for a run? I just can't wait to run during the day in the nice weather.

Good luck on the interview. On the plus side, no matter what job you pick, it will get you on your way faster than the one you currently have!

Glad you had a good time at the dance. I am sure that it is a memory your girls will cherish.

This weekend I was able to prep some food. So I am trying those salads in a mason jar. I made one for each day this week so hopefully they are good. I cut up a fresh pineapple for the first time this weekend. It was a bit of a pain, but definitely worth it. Yum!

I meant to get outside this weekend but got sidetracked by spring cleaning. Too many pets = shampooing the carpet all day. And it needs to be done again. But at least it smells better. I was able to open up the house and we actually grilled chicken outside. All amazing.

I gave my husband a choice for tonight. Either we walk a 5k tonight or I go to Zumba. Guess I will hear his decision tonight. lol It is supposed to be almost 70 so I would much rather do the 5k, but I will go to zumba if I have to.

 

[Chiomaca]

I agree. Chiomaca, you are like a machine. You never seem down.

I do get down once in a while, but I work hard to find the positive in things. It works for the most part. And things have been going well for me for a while. It might be connected or it might not, but my peers who are more negative don't seem to be doing as well.

I would be proud about both jobs. I like the stuff I would be selling at the bank better. It is financial products. That's what the CFA is all about. But, I like the freedom and income potential more at the insurance company. It may not even be an issue. I might not get an offer for both so I could be stressed for no reason.

The base pay on both jobs would be at least $20K more. The insurance job has commissions on top of that too. Either way I will be making more money.

I'm glad to hear that both jobs would pay well and that you'd be glad to do them. I guess then it comes down to what you really want to do long term and what helps you get there best.

Your funny with the sentence about us both enjoying the dance. I had all THREE of my girls there. Hard to dance with 3 girls at once but we pulled it off. I did have fun and much like every other year I managed to cry a bit. Hate seeing them growing up! It is going by way to fast.

Ah, for some reason I thought this was just with your oldest. I'm glad you all had a good time.

Is it a problem that I don't really want to go to my interview because I'd rather go out for a run? I just can't wait to run during the day in the nice weather.

That just means you're a real runner. Sometimes when I'm driving home from a long run, exhausted and sweaty, I'll see runners out along to river or Mall and feel an itch to be out there with them. It's a sickness!

I will have to look into the Soda Stream and see if it is something I would use regularly.

I didn't know that MFP had a step tracker. Interesting.

I don't use the Soda Stream nearly as much as I did at first, but the inexpensive option means that it's pretty cost effective. They make a sugar free syrup that I like quite a lot - but I'd never use the brand name knock-offs. They're just gross.

In the exercise section of MFP, I think in the app rather than the web page, you can give it the option to track your movement. It's nice but I discovered that you still have to manually log your runs otherwise you get credit for the steps but not the pace or exertion levels.

This weekend I was able to prep some food. So I am trying those salads in a mason jar. I made one for each day this week so hopefully they are good. I cut up a fresh pineapple for the first time this weekend. It was a bit of a pain, but definitely worth it. Yum!

All of that sounds good! Let us know how the salads go.

I gave my husband a choice for tonight. Either we walk a 5k tonight or I go to Zumba. Guess I will hear his decision tonight. lol It is supposed to be almost 70 so I would much rather do the 5k, but I will go to zumba if I have to.

Which was it?

I had a ballet class tonight. Didn't go quite as well as last week...possibly because my legs are still a bit tired. Still, lots of fun and a good level of exertion.

 

[Waiting2goback]

Hey ladies. I am not ignoring you all, I promise. I have been reading the posts. I just had a really bad day yesterday and didn't feel like commenting. Today wasn't much better. I received the offer on the job finally. The pay was on the low end of what I expected but most importantly the offer letter had a very negative tone to it. I had some people read it too just to see if it was me or not. They agreed. So, I will be declining the offer right after I am done here. I have not heard from the bank yet, although they told me in the interview I did well and should expect to hear soon.

Between the realization I may be stuck at Verizon, among other things, it has been a crappy couple of days.

I did run tonight after work though. I looks like I may need some sort of lighting after all. It was really hard to see tonight. The street lights don't hit as many areas as I expected.

So its a short one for me tonight. Off to decline that job. Have a great night.

 

[dizzyr]

Hey ladies. I am not ignoring you all, I promise. I have been reading the posts. I just had a really bad day yesterday and didn't feel like commenting. Today wasn't much better. I received the offer on the job finally. The pay was on the low end of what I expected but most importantly the offer letter had a very negative tone to it. I had some people read it too just to see if it was me or not. They agreed. So, I will be declining the offer right after I am done here. I have not heard from the bank yet, although they told me in the interview I did well and should expect to hear soon.

Between the realization I may be stuck at Verizon, among other things, it has been a crappy couple of days.

I did run tonight after work though. I looks like I may need some sort of lighting after all. It was really hard to see tonight. The street lights don't hit as many areas as I expected.

So its a short one for me tonight. Off to decline that job. Have a great night.

I just popped in to check the free dining thread (waiting to see the fall dates in case I can manage a trip the first week of Sept before the kids go back to school) and was going to log off and call it an early night but I saw this post and wanted to respond. I'm sorry the offer wasn't what you were hoping for. What kinds of things did they say that made you want to decline it? Hopefully the bank offer will be something better. It sucks but I am sure you will find the right job and hopefully it will be soon. You are looking for a better job and that's often harder to find but when you do find it the wait will be worth it.

 

[Chiomaca]

Hey ladies. I am not ignoring you all, I promise. I have been reading the posts. I just had a really bad day yesterday and didn't feel like commenting. Today wasn't much better. I received the offer on the job finally. The pay was on the low end of what I expected but most importantly the offer letter had a very negative tone to it. I had some people read it too just to see if it was me or not. They agreed. So, I will be declining the offer right after I am done here. I have not heard from the bank yet, although they told me in the interview I did well and should expect to hear soon.

Between the realization I may be stuck at Verizon, among other things, it has been a crappy couple of days.

I did run tonight after work though. I looks like I may need some sort of lighting after all. It was really hard to see tonight. The street lights don't hit as many areas as I expected.

So its a short one for me tonight. Off to decline that job. Have a great night.

I'm really sorry that the job offer was such a let down. I'm also curious about what the letter said that disappointed you, especially if you still consider the Verizon job better despite the pay difference. Keeping my fingers crossed for the bank job.

Glad you got a run in. Sometimes a run to clear your head helps more than anything else.

 

[StayCool]

Waiting, I hope you have better news from the bank. Sounds like that is the one you wanted anyway.

I did weigh in yesterday morning and was down 0.6 lb.

I'm having a rough couple of days as well so don't worry too much if I stay away for a bit. Yesterday some jackwad hit my dog and we weren't able to save him. He never goes in the road so I don't know why. Anyway, I'm in a bit of a fog and just need to hole up in my house for a while. I will be sure to make the 5k this weekend but otherwise will likely hibernate from the world for a bit. I have to say that this year has just been one crappy thing after another. If it is going to keep on like this I will need to fast forward until 2016.