WW Weekly Weigh-In Week 6 Recap

As you may or may not have seen me post already on FB- I have a little streak going. Today marks day 25 of tracking using the Weight Watchers app. I recommitted to Weight Watchers 6 weeks ago today and in those six weeks I have only skipped one day tracking and that was the day I stayed home sick from work. I don’t know about you but when it comes to tracking, whether it be points or calories or just logging my food items, I definitely struggle with tracking while sick and tracking on the weekends. I am happy to report I have yet to skip out tracking on the weekends- which is an amazing personal accomplishment. Weekends are hard because a) I tend to eat out b) I tend to eat out at non-chain restaurants c) I tend to eat random vegan dishes in which I cannot find comparable listings in the WW app d) I have a hard time judging quantities of said random vegan dishes. This go-around I have just been better at trying to estimate the portion sizes and break my meals down by ingredients. No, I have no idea how much oil is used to cook it in or exactly each component but I know enough to guess. So that’s what I do. And to me, guessing is better than avoiding. That’s what I sued to do. I was queen of the weekday tracking and then I would just skip over the weekends. This time, I am more focused and more diligent and so I am making every effort possible to be better with the tracking.

Mondays happen whether we want them to or not- this shirt was perfect for how I felt this morning

This week went pretty well. As I noted, I tracked every day. I limited my drinking to one beer on Tuesday (at Trivia night) and I had two beers Saturday (beach day plus a concert). I finished up Cize week 3 which was definitely the hardest week/routines so far. This week is the last week of the program and it is a recap of all 6 routines I learned over the last three weeks. I started week 4 yesterday and am now through 2 of the 6 routines. I cannot believe I only have 4 more days left until I finish the program. This will be my first time every completing an entire at home DVD program. But honestly this one has been great. I really love this program so much so I wake up every morning ready to dance. I haven’t enjoyed something as much as I do this is a long time. And I have never enjoyed an at-home program enough to stick with it- so that’s saying something. I actually signed up for the Cize Live instructor workshop so that way I can teach Cize locally. This is my first real foray into becoming a fitness instructor so I am nervous but I feel good about it. I think this could be a great move for me.

Cize in the morning to complete week 3 then an afternoon on the beach- it's all about balance! 

I still can't believe this is where I live!!!

This week I saw another loss on the scale. I was down 1.4 pounds bringing my weight to 172 pounds which is a total loss of 10 pounds in 6 weeks. Not only did I earn a second 5 pound lost star, I also hit my 5% weight loss mark having lost (and exceeded) five percent of my starting weight. This also means that I have reached my first weight loss goal of reaching 173 by 8/29. Of course, I could gain this week and be above 173 come this Saturday but hopefully that won’t happen. I am hoping to at least maintain this week and be at the weight I wanted to be at for my first dress fitting. 

Disregard that body fat %- you cannot get anything close to accurate of a BF reading from a scale.

Feeling comfortable in my jeans again. Size 29 Lucky Brand Sweet and Low back into the wardrobe. 

In order to do so I have some goals set for this week to keep me focused and they are:

1.       Track every day

2.       Finish Cize week 4

3.       Log 85K (or more) steps for the week- not even a day and a half in and I am ~25K steps in J

4.       Training session with M for the Kids Marathon

5.       Sunday evening –Saturday morning no eating out (birthday cupcake on Tuesday is ok)

6.       No drinking until after dress fitting

So there you have it-my week 6 results and week 7 game plan. I will check in with you next week and let you know how it goes.

Do you have any goals for the week? Do you track or log your food? 

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxox

If You Always Do What You've Always Done...

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” ~ Henry Ford

My former Weight Watcher leader used to say that to us all the time and I 100% agree.

Meaning if we keep doing what isn’t working it will keep not working. If you want different results you need to do things differently.

Which is why I rejoined Weight Watchers after a 3 year hiatus.

You see, my journey thus far has kind of looked like this:

-Tried to lose weight on my own by just changing what I eat/reduce calories- lost about ten pounds

-Joined WW at the encouragement of a friend and stayed on the program for a little over a year- lost 100 pounds

-Changed focus from weight loss to training as I began running and was building up to running a half marathon- lost 20+ more pounds and hit my ‘ideal weight’ based on nutritionists recommendation

-Continue running, training, taking on new challenges and maintaining weight loss up until my surgery in December of 2013

-Spent the entirety of 2014 rebuilding after two surgeries and once I was cleared I began running again. Did not focus on my weight at all, instead I focused just on trying to get back to where I was physically before the surgery. *I should note that I maintained a healthy weight range throughout the year and I even PR’d my half marathon time and finally got a sub 30 minute 5K PR.

-Early 2015 was all about getting ready for Ragnar in May. Between the HM in November and Ragnar in May I ran a total of 7 half marathons, 2 of which I ran back to back.  My late winter/early spring was all about running. So by the time Ragnar came I was completely burned out. I am not one of those people that could run every day. I am not a run-streaker person. I am a variety person. I need change to hold my interest. I was ready to start my running hiatus the minute I returned from MA and that I did.

-Spent a couple months post Ragnar just living life very unstructured. I worked out, some days. But there was a period in May to early June where I didn’t do much of anything. I even started to slip with my eating habits and my practice of 80/20 started to look more like 60/40…50/50…and the weight gain happened. Not much in the grand scheme of things, but enough to notice. And enough to be concerned given it happened in a very short period of time. Maybe 15 pounds between May to July. And I felt it. 

I tried to go back to calorie counting using MFP and get back into weight loss mode but I just couldn’t. It was a struggle. It just wasn't working. Or maybe I should say, I just wasn't working it. 

So I decided that I needed to do what worked for me before, Weight Watchers. Even though I do have a few gripes with the program and there really isn’t much difference between tracking points and tracking calories/macros in my opinion. But mentally, there seems to be a difference for me. WW worked before. I am not sure why- maybe the fact that I was paying for it helped keep me accountable. Maybe it was all the fun features with the app that I enjoyed. Who knows? But I am back at it and for now, for what I need, it is working.

I started back just over a month ago when I hit the 180’s for the first time since I left the 180’s years  ago. That number scared me. Not because it was higher than I would like, but because I felt like I had lost control. I needed to get my shit together and get back into the habits that keep me feeling good and keep my body healthy.

Tomorrow is my weigh in day so I cannot give you an exact number of what I have lost so far but as of last Saturday I am down 5.8 lbs. in 4 weeks. My mini-goal is to be at 173 by August 29^th with my long term goal to get back between 156 and 166- my ideal weight range.  So no, it’s not a whole lot of weight I am looking to lose, especially compared to how much I had to lose to get to this point, but I knew I couldn’t get there without making some changes. And I am so happy I did.

I also started the Cize workout program which is by far the best thing I have ever done in terms of at home DVDs. It is so much fun and I look forward to it every day. I love it so much that I even post videos on my blog page documenting my progress. (this is my affiliate link in case you are interested in Cize or anything else Beachbody- that's about all I will say about that) 

One of many (probably too many) sweaty selfies I have been posting after my workouts :)

And because I firmly believe no man is an island, I started a FB group for accountability and support. We are all doing a hodgepodge of programs and activities and I love it. Please feel free to join us if you are looking for the same.

Lastly, I have the Pensacola half marathon in November. Training is set to start August 30th  and I was so not looking forward to it. I honestly think after the spring races I have already registered for I will be taking another hiatus from running. I think I am falling out of love with it…but that is for another post. What I am looking forward to is helping my Little Brother train for the Pensacola Kids Marathon. Now that will inspire me to be a really great role model and cheerleader for him. I am super excited about that! 

I think I am on a roll, I am feeling excited and happy about the things I am doing and that is making it easier to keep doing them...go figure ;) It's a good feeling to be back in this place again. 

Who doesn't love puppy pictures? 

Carousels are not strictly for kids ;)

What about you? What are you doing today to help commit/recommit to a healthy and happy life?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxox

A Quick Hello

Hi everyone! I just wanted to drop in for a quick hello!

I have two days left in my final semester of my EdS (God willing) and I am trying to not lose my shit over the volume of work that still remains to be done.

I have a project due tomorrow and I am, best guess, 75% finished.

I have a paper (a huge, huge, gigantic 35 page paper) due Thursday. I talked about this same paper in this post. This is the one I am writing about the Black Lives Matter movement.  Well, technically I am writing to answer the question ‘Why Do Black Loves Matter’. Normally, especially when I am as organized and prepared as I am now, I can write pretty quickly. When I get into it the words just flow and writing a paper of this length would typically take me two days tops. Right now I am about half way through and it has taken me more than two days to get there. Yikes. I am so slow in the process of writing this particular paper because a) I am overwhelmed with data and resources and b) because I want to do this topic justice. This isn’t just a normal grad school paper. This one is different. It’s hard. It’s complex. And the topic is so fucking upsetting. It’s been rough.

I will definitely need a beer or six when this is all over.

I started Cize this week. I love this program so much. DVDs/at home workouts are usually not my thing but this one is different. It’s doable and enjoyable and it keeps me craving more. I have been doing the program for a couple weeks but started officially with the 4 week program on Sunday. And as I mentioned previously, I am now a Beachbody coach. I am not trying to sell you on Cize though, I would still be writing about it even if I wasn’t affiliated with BB. But if you are interested in the program you can check out some videos I have posted on my FB page or even join in my (non-affiliated) accountability and weight loss group I created last week. We talk about Cize there too, although only a couple of us are doing the program. The group is open to anyone that just wants some help and support.

That’s pretty much it for now, I think.

I am really looking forward to getting back into blogging regularly again once the semester is over. I have missed the last two Mental Health Monday link ups and I still want to continue on with the Eat, Move, Love series. I miss sharing with you guys!

Oh and Gordie was chosen as one of the top 5 cutest dogs in Pensacola. The contest ends tomorrow. Voting is taking place on FB and if you want to cast a vote for our little furbaby just click this link and ‘like’ his photo.

Thanks!

Hope you all are well!

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxo

Well That was Tough

Well folks, I did it.

I survived week one of T25.  Woo hoo!

It may not seem like much to most but for me it was a huge accomplishment.  

And along the way here is what I found…

Pride- This is the most intense workout I have done since surgery. I still am very limited when it comes to cardio endurance and core strength so to get in 6 pretty freaking intense workouts over 5 days was beyond amazing

Strength- Not only did I feel accomplished by completing the workouts I also realized how much strength I had started to gain back when I did burpees for the very first time since surgery. Burpees are the worst. I hated them before the surgery and after I was unable to do them. Until now. This is a good indication that I am ready to resume boot camp classes in the fall, if my schedule allows it

Determination- And not only was the workout tough, it wasn’t always easy fitting it in to my schedule either. Sunday morning I couldn’t work out because E’s BIL was sleeping in the living room (AKA my fitness room) and so I had to move my workout until the evening- AFTER I spent the day moving. I was exhausted and still pushed myself to get up and do it. That was both surprising and rewarding.

I love this program so far. It is intense, for sure. It is no joke. But it is short and I can fit it in most mornings before I get ready for work.

 

Super sweaty after my 'double down' (back to back workouts) this morning!

But what I really love is having weekly and daily goals again. I was starting to feel a bit aimless, a bit lost. I think that’s to be expected though. I spent like 18 months super focused on weight loss goals, then I spent almost a year focused on half marathons and that training schedule, then there was the triathlon, and then after that…nothing.

It wasn’t long after the triathlon that I was separated, then divorced, and then had surgery and wasn’t able to do anything. And after I was cleared to work out again I slowly got back into it only to have another surgery and further residual fitness setbacks. Since I was cleared a second time to work out again, 6 weeks ago, I have been traveling and traveling and packing and moving. Just all over the place. So I am beyond ready for some structure and focus again.

This week, and then again in two weeks, I will be traveling. But this time I am planning on setting myself up for success and bringing both my laptop and T25 DVDs and will try to stick to the training plan, as best I can, as outlined. Not necessarily because I feel that I need to but more so because I want to. I do better with a bit of structure, some goals, and time to focus on my fitness and strength.  

Just like everything else in my life, it is all about balance.

Don’t think for a single minute that this re-established focus means no more beers…that will never happen.

I shudder at the idea ;)

Have you tried T25 or any of the Beach Body programs? What are/were you thoughts?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxo