SHE"S BACK!!!

So, as many of you know, the "If I Were A Fit Chick" group had 8 people participate in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon on May 2nd and I'm happy to report that we all finished. Even given the rainy, cold, and exhausting conditions, we ALL finished.

I forgot to weigh myself that Tuesday and report to you my results (as I had planned), but instead weighed myself on Wednesday afternoon. I was so disappointed in myself, that I chose not to report. I know it wasn't the right thing to do because I know you all are here for me and support me, but I just couldn't do it.

Anyway, I went to the gym during the later part of the week, ate as healthy as possible this past weekend, ran at the gym yesterday, and lifted weights this morning. (Yesterday I failed to get up and go to the gym in the morning, but I forced myself to get in an hour and half workout after work even though I was tired.) Yesterday I also started day 1 of a six week training program so that I can participate in the Father's Day 5K run on June 21st in Pittsburgh. It was tough, but I did the workout without any modifications and felt great about it. Tonight I plan on meeting up with my fellow FIT CHICK Katrina and we're going to walk 3-5 miles in order to complete day 2 of the training. (We try to meet every Tuesday to walk together and catch up.)

My goal right now is to RUN a 5K every month till the end of the year. I have all the races outlines and their due dates for application are posted on my work bulletin board so I can't miss them. I will meet this goal!

So, this week, I'm happy to report a loss.

My weight last week: 224

My weight this week: 221

Loss of 3 lbs. WOOT!

Week 6

Sorry guys...I feel like a disappointment. I need to get control of my stress eating. The house hunting is rough and we're running out of time. So, I've noticed that I'm eating poorly and lacking motivation.

I need a turn-around again. But, I feel like every week is this way. I might have a good emotional week and then the next week it's sucky and I dont' care about the weight loss.

I need something...grrr

Anyway, this week's numbers:

Previous week: 218.2
This week: 219.4

Week 4 (part 2)

So, no stunning numbers for the week, but I'm feeling good about myself and that's a huge accomplishment. I managed to workout Last week Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for an hour and half each time (more importantly, at 6:30am!)

This week I worked out this morning for an hour and 45 minutes! My goal is to workout every morning for the rest of the week (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday).

The numbers:

Last week: 218.8

This week: 218.2

Loss: 0.6 pounds

Not stunning, but next week will be better. That's the goal, every week get a little better.

Thanks for following.

The Tides Are Changing

So this week started out a little slow with continued stress from the house hunting. But, I decided to make changes in my life and got a new haircut, updated my highlights, and went grocery shopping for better foods (while throwing out the overtly BAD foods). I also rejoined the University Club gym which I had canceled in order to save more money for the house. My agreement with myself was that the gym is $40 a month which comes out to about $2 a day (since the gym is only open on weekdays). So, for every day I don't go to the gym, I have to hand over $2 out of my pocket for the house. Then, I got sick and was obviously unsuccessfull with the workouts untill...

Monday morning (even with the time change), I woke up at 5:30am with Steve. He gets up at this time every weekday to head off to work. I hopped out of bed (which is impressive because I am SO not a morning person), packed my work clothes and lunch, and headed to the gym. By the time I actually get packed, get awake enough to drive, and commute to the gym (conviently located accross the street from my parking garage AND my office) it's usually 6:20am. But, I put in a solid hour and half before showering and heading to the office. It felt GREAT!!

Today, I did the same thing even though I had stayed up till midnight working on homework (yeah, I'm also finishing up my second masters in the midst of all this chaos). I was especially proud of myself this morning for getting out of bed and going because I was really tired. As I type now, I can feel my body really dragging, but I'm proud of myself and that pride will keep me awake all day!

So, I'm happy to report an weight loss this week for the first time since the beginning weeks in January.

Week 3 (Part 2)

Starting weight: 220

Current weight: 218.8

Weight Loss: 1.2

New Week 2: Surviving

So, this is the new week 2 and sometimes it's just about surviving another week. A wise person told me that sometimes, in those most difficult weeks, it is just about not gaining. This week is just that...surviving. It's been a rough emotional week.

Starting weight from last week: 219.2 pounds

Current weight this week: 220 pounds

Depression and Weight-Loss

So it's Tuesday March 2, 2010 and this is my first time back posting in a long time. I don't know what to say...I don't know how to say it...part of me feels like a failure and the other part keeps screaming from the depths to say "No, you are not going to stop. You must keep going. You must win this battle." It's a difficult fight from within, but then again, you the viewers are not aware of the turmoil that lurks beneath my skin and strikes a hard blow to my psyche every morning. So, here is your information...here is your insight. I do this not for pitty or awe, but for awareness. So that you can see that even those around you who you would not suspect, may be suffering.

...I have a long standing history with depression. While it is not as severe as I have seen, it still impacts me every day. It is very likely that it was a factor with my hidden unhappiness in my high school years, but became more evident during my college days. Finally, about five years ago, I sought treatment. Since then I have been on medication to help stabalize my emotions. I don't seek to have my feelings block by chemical means, rather what I've worked with my doctors on is finding the right medication at the right dosage that allows me to feel like me...to feel like I am capable of making rational decisions and see the world for how it is rather than the darkness that tends to cloud it. It works. It really does.

However, around the end of December / early January, the medication I had been on for the past two and half years finally hit is "leveling-off" point and I was greatly affected by it's inability to work with my body anymore. So, I had to change medications. The only issue, it took a few weeks for the medicine to build up in my system and left me in a vulnerable state. I was doing okay though. I had the support of my boyfriend, family, and friends. Everyday I would remind myself of the positives and keep ahold of those thoughts tightly throughout the day. Finally, as the medicine began to build up, it became easier and easier to be me again. That's when tragedy hit. Per my last post, I lost a very close friend and supporter on January 29th. She was a daily figure in my life as we worked together at the University. She was the only person in my office whom I had shared my history of depression with and she knew of my medication change and helped to keep me upbeat at work during the transition. Her loss hit me hard in the last days of this transition and threw me into a major swirl. As I tried hard to crawl back out of the deep hole depression often digs, the major snow storms hit and once again the hole got bigger. Many people are affected by seasonal depression, but when you suffer with long standing depression, the seasons can have a major affect.

With more snow and winter conditions surrounding my city everyday, and the constant absence of my dear friend which I am reminded of everyday I walk into my office, it's been difficult to think positive. It's been a struggle to think about me and what I need to get better. It's been a struggle to eat right, workout, and update my blog. It's been a struggle to get out of bed every morning, get dressed, and walk into an office that reminds me of a tragedy. It's been a struggle, but I'm still here. I'm trying to do what needs to be done. I started therapy last week and will continue for the next few months. I made a budget to help control my groceries and force me to make GOOD choices at the supermarket. And I'm telling friends that I'm not okay, that I need support, and that with there help and the positive changes I am trying to make, I will get back to taking care of me and meeting this goal. The year is far from over...it's not even a third over yet. I have a half-marathon I am still signed up for and will be walking or jogging or crawling in two months. I have friends who love me and keep asking where my blog is...and I have a great boyfriend who cooks with me every night, supports me every day, and reminds of the positives that are in my life. I'm going to do this.

So, I have no idea what week this would be if I had kept up with my bloggin, but we will call this WEEK 1, Journey 2.

Week 1, Journey 2:

Starting weight: 219.2 pounds

See you next week...promise.

Hearty and Fiber-Full Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

So, since so many have been asking for my bread recipe, here it is:

Whole Wheat (Heavy) Bread

Ingredients:

7.5 cups of whole wheat flour

2.5 cups of water

4 tea spoons of dry yeast

2 tea spoons of salt

4 tea spoons of sugar

And then whatever you want to add to your bread. We use:

-Oatmeal

-Flaxseed

-Sunflower seeds

-Fennel seeds

Pretty much just add these ingredients slowly until it’s evenly mixed in the dough. Use your best judgment.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 340 degrees.

Use a large bowl that you can use to mix all the ingredients in as you go along.

In this bowl, mix a half cup of water with the yeast, salt and sugar. Set this on top of the oven as it heats up. Let it sit for about ten minutes to help activate the yeast.

Then, add the flour and about one and half cups of water. Mix the dough together with your hands and knead it slowly. Add he last cup of water as you go. The goal is to get a soft dough that is well mixed. (You may need to add a little extra water as you go. Just add it slowly so as not to have a runny dough.)

Finally, add your mix-ins (oatmeal, flaxseed, seeds, etc). Once it is well mixed and kneaded, set it on the warm stove, cover with a cloth, and let the dough rise for about 40 minutes.

Knead the dough again and then form into a loaf shape. Place the loaf in a well greased tall (2” or more high) baking dish or large loaf pan if you have one. We use a large lasagna baking dish. Score the top of the loaf to prevent / limit cracking.

Bake for an hour and 20 minutes.