167.6 Lost 0.6 Lbs in September

I was actually 170.0 when I weighed myself today, but I'm going to take yesterday's "morning weight" as my end-of-the-month weight, since I'm pretty sure I weighed myself in the morning at the end of the month last month.  So just to keep things consistent.  And also to keep me working harder this month!

In order to reach my goal of 145 lbs by New Years, I need to lose 7-8 pounds each month for the next 3 months.  September was bad, mainly because of the vacation and starting the new job.  This month I will be kicking it into high gear--no unhealthy snacks and no drinking during the week.

Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 10 minutes, ran .75 miles, and walked 1 mile.  Here's what I ate:

1 serving kefir
granola bar
5 dates
large serving beef jerky
1/2 avocado
4 small slices of pizza
2 chicken wings
large salad with italian dressing
1 glass of red wine

167.6 Oktoberfest

This weekend was the St. Charles Oktoberfest, which we have gone to every year for the past 3 years.  I didn't actually take any photos this year; the above picture is from 2010.  We went for a short time both Friday and Saturday and each time I had 1 stein-full of beer (well, actually I couldn't quite finish either one).  There were a bunch of vendors there and we bought a bunch of sausage from a really good sausage company based in Hermann, some blackberry jam, and a homemade catnip-filled mouse for our cats (which they are now obsessed with).  And, like always, we ate sausage and potato pancakes with applesauce and listened to a (slightly ridiculous) "German" band.

I didn't get a chance to post the last few days, but Friday I was 169.4.  For my workout I did Body Pump then ran .25 miles and walked 1.75 miles.  Yesterday I didn't go to the gym.  I think the only reason I'm a couple pounds lighter today is that I went to the gym earlier, as opposed to late in the day after work like I do during the week.  I guess we'll find out tomorrow though.

Here's what I ate yesterday:

banana

1 serving kefir

grilled chicken sandwich from McDonalds

apple

weisswurst sausage with bun, mustard, and sauerkraut

2 small potato pancakes with small serving of applesauce

1 stein of Hofbrau beer

about 6 mini donuts sprinkled with cinnamon sugar

169.0 Back to Normal

I went running again today, and I think the effect of the altitude has worn off.  I didn't really feel the need to run faster than normal (my max speed was 7.0 mph), but I did run a total of 1.75 miles, with a walking break in the middle.

I didn't lose any weight yesterday, which I think may be because of going to body pump.  I really hope I lose a bit of weight in the next few days, because I want to at least break even this month!

Today Jack and I met for lunch at a Thai restaurant close to where I work.  It was nice to get away from my building for a bit, and the food was pretty good.

Yesterday for my workout I ran 1.25 miles at a max speed of 7.2 then went to Body Pump.  Here's what I ate:

Cereal
Ham and cheese on wheat bread with mayo
Small Greek salad with vinaigrette
Protein bar
Hamburger with lettuce and mustard on a bun
Small portion sweet potato fries
1hardboiled egg
5small squares of chocolate

169.0 Not As Easy Today

I lost a pound yesterday!  I would really like to lose two more by Friday.  As it stands right now, I have a net gain of .8 pounds this month, and I'd like to have a loss of at least 2 or 3 pounds.  So I have 5 days to lose about 4 more pounds.

Running today wasn't quite as easy as it was yesterday, but I ran for longer (1.25 miles).  I kept my speed at a maximum of 7.2 mph.  The Body Pump class also wasn't as easy as I thought it would be; I upped my weight in anticipation but found myself struggling.  I think I did pretty well though overall.

The above picture was taken on our hike in Aspen.  Starting from the left, it's Ben and Nicki from Ohio, Emily and Mike from Seattle, Jack and I, and Andy and Claire from Denver.  The dog was owned by the person who took the picture for us.

Yesterday I ran 1 mile, at a maximum speed of 7.4 mph.  Here's what I ate:

2 slices buttered toast
2 fried eggs
granola bar
grilled chicken sandwich with mayo
side of fruit
3 small beef jerky sticks
pulled pork sandwich on wheat bun with slaw
greek salad with light caesar dressing
handful of chocolate covered almonds
small milky way bar
slice of chocolate "pie" (chocolate pudding on graham cracker crust)

170.0 I'm Back!

I know I haven't posted in a long time.  For the last 10 days Jack and I were in Colorado, and for the few days or so before that my days were so full with work, workouts, and housework (so much working!) that I didn't have time (or didn't feel like it).  In the last few days before the trip I gained a bit of weight; I think I was around 169.  So I really only gained about a pound over the trip, which is better than I expected!

The above two pictures are both from Estes Park, which we visited after a couple days in Denver.  We stayed at The Stanley (the hotel that inspired The Shining), and that male elk, along with about 20 females, was hanging out on the grounds outside the hotel around dusk.  I got very close to him, which was a bit scary, but it makes a great picture, right?  The other picture is from earlier that day, hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.  The next day we went to Ft. Collins (apparently the beer capital of the US), then back to Denver for a couple more days before going off to Aspen for the weekend.  We shared a cabin there with three other couples (Jack's friends from high school plus their wives/fiancees, who have become my friends too).  One couple was from Denver, one from Seattle, and one from Ohio.  The cabin was beautiful, and we took a great hike up a mountain in Aspen which was very difficult, especially with the altitude (we were at 12,000 feet), but I was able to keep up with Denver couple (who are very fit and active) the whole time, so I felt pretty good about myself.

I knew that being at high altitude for a while improves athletic ability (mainly because there's less oxygen, which makes your heart work harder to get the oxygen to your muscles), so I was looking forward to running after getting back to see if it was easier.  I did that today, and it was easier, but not in the way that I expected.  I thought the difference would be in my endurance and breathing; that I would be able to run for a longer time and not be huffing and puffing the whole time.  What actually happened is that I was just able to run a lot faster.  What felt before like a hard run (7.0/7.1 mph) felt like a mere jog, and I kept wanting to go faster--actually I got to 7.4--but the breathing was no less difficult.  In fact, I was breathing so heavily I decided I should stop for fear I would pass out or something, even though my muscles weren't tired at all.  I only ran a mile.  Tomorrow I will try a different approach--not going any faster than 6.8/6.9 and see how far I can run.  I'm also going to Body Pump tomorrow and I think it will be interesting to see if that's any easier.

I didn't write down what I ate yesterday, but let's see if I can do this from memory:

granola bar
2-3 servings of Naked juice
powerbagel with almond cream cheese from Einstein's
airplane peanuts and cheesits
airplane cup of ginger ale
grilled chicken sandwich with cheese, jalapenos, and sauce
side salad

? Beautiful Day for a Bike Ride (And a BBQ)

Today when I woke up from a long, luxurious sleep with the window behind the bed open, I felt the light, cool breeze and saw the clear blue sky and thought, "I absolutely have to take a bike ride today."  Fortunately I got my bike back from the shop yesterday, so that's just what I did.  My legs felt like jelly afterwards, but I felt like I was going much faster up the hills than I was before (maybe the spin class has helped).

Our friends John and Lauren (the ones we have cooking club with) just moved into a new place the other day, and today we are going over there to grill some steaks and shrimp.  It's a great day for that as well.

Yesterday for my workout I did the elliptical for 20 minutes and walked for 25 minutes.  Here's what I ate:

chocolate protein shake
2 dates
small glass of orange juice
1/2 leftover grilled cheese
small portion beef jerky
raspberry cheesecake jello temptation
french dip sandwich
fried chicken drumstick
side of cottage cheese
2 Mich Ultras

167.2 Donuts Are the Bane of My Existence

Last night Jack and I went out to a bar with a couple friends, and when we got home I had my heart set on making donuts.  I made them very poorly--the oil was too hot so they cooked too fast on the outside while the middle remained uncooked--but I loved them anyway.  So much that I ate 4 small ones and 2 large ones.  Why???  Seriously, these donuts are like my achilles tendon.  They are sent from the gods.  Why did I have to discover them?  Curse you, Pinterest.

Anyway.  I'm not sure what I weighed yesterday, but I'm assuming pretty much all of the weight gain was because of that, so I'll assume my weight yesterday was the same as Thursday, 166.2  That means I lost 2.6 lbs last week!  It's definitely because I did more cardio and less muscle strengthening.

I did not workout yesterday.  Here's what I ate:

cereal
large portion of sushi (white rice)
apple
small portion of tuna salad on 5 saltines
6 chicken wings
a few fries
3 Mich Ultras
2 glasses of red wine
4 small and 2 large donuts
glass of skim milk