Trying to keep up with the weight loss wagon......yet again (new title, same journal)

[Rose&Mike]

Jan 13 continued
Some more thoughts on the marathon. It was quite the emotional day. I still get weepy when I think about it. It was so physically difficult. I don't know if you can ever be prepared until you actually do it, to realizie how far 26 miles is. The last 5-6 miles were so brutal. I would love to do another full, but I don't ever want to go through the back pain again. And I am not sure that there is anything I can do to prevent it. I think my physical therapist would be amazed that I even completed it, since this time last year I was still struggling with itbs and lots and lots of back problems. I think what made this possible was switching to minimalist shoes.

We finished at the same time as Joey Fatone--woohoo. Frustrating since they weren't calling anyone's names around that time--just talking about Joey Fatone. At least I know that I was faster than him since he started a corral ahead!

After the race we headed back to the room, got showers, I iced my feet and ate something. I tried to take a nap--but it didn't work too well. Mike was snoring as soon as his head hit the pillow. After our naps we headed to Epcot and got a walk up table at Rose & Crown. Our friends from home were in the area so they ended up joining us part way through dinner.

We had a great dinner and a great time hanging out at Epcot. I continued to feel both happy and relieved and disappointed all at the same time. We were all wearing our medals which was fun.

Mike and I talked about going to Jelly Roll's but decided to just hang out at the BW, have another drink and call it a night.

All in all I felt great. I did not feel like I had run a marathon. My back slowed me down so much that the rest of me had some left at the end of the day.

I consider it a huge success that I finished this race without being nauseous or feeling ill for hours afterwards. My fueling and hydration plan worked great! Once my back was stretched out overall my body felt pretty good. This really helps me to feel that maybe I wasn't undertrained. It was just not my day.

If you have read my ramblings this far, thanks. It has done me good to process this all a bit.

We still had two more days left at WDW, since we didn't go home until Tuesday night. More to come.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Monday January 14
We had one night and two days left at WDW and we wanted to enjoy ourselves.

Monday morning we got up and ran our mile around the boardwalk area. There were more people out running than we thought there would be. We were both feeling pretty good. Next up, showers and then breakfast at Captain's Quarters at Yacht Club. They do a nice job with breakfast. I had waffles with cherries and some marscapone (sp) and bacon (yep cheating on the veggie diet) and a fried egg. I was really hungry!

After breakfast we walked over to the BW bakery and attended another Wish meet. I was much less stressed this time and actually participated in the picture. It was great to see everyone.

We debated and debated what to do and finally decided to head to Typhoon Lagoon. We had an awesome time--though the next day our legs were killing us from walking up and down all the steps. Tuesday morning I could definitely tell I had run a marathon! It was not crowded at all and the weather was just right. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Monday night we headed to epcot to see if we could catch up with some wishers who were datw. We ran into one set of friends who were leaving epcot, but never found anyone else. We still had a nice time at epcot. Dinner that night was at Le Cellier. I know people love le cellier but I was hugely disappointed. We shared a cheese plate and they brought me a veggie plate since they do not have gluten free pasta. They had a decent amount of veggies on their menu but the plate they brought was bland at best. Mushrooms, carrots, potatoes, and cauliflower. All cooked exactly the same way--and they charged $25!!! Mike said it would have been cheaper to order sides. I get it that it is a steakhouse, but it is still a signature restaurant and c'mon they could have done a little better imo. Dessert was ok creme brulee. Unless you eat meat and/or gluten, I would skip le cellier.

Tuesday when we ran our mile the BW was packed with conventioners who were walking/running as part of one of their activities. There were signs directing them where to go. After running, we packed everything up and headed to MK. We had a great morning hanging out with Nancy and her family before catching the Magical Express.

All in all it was a nice weekend.

Was I ridiculously over stressed before the race--yep. Am I proud that I completed the marathon--yep. Will I do it again--I don't know. I did tell Nancy's husband that if he did it I would do it again. That was in a moment of weakness. Neither Mike or I are a huge fan of the morning Disney races. They are well done, but we just don't do well getting up that early.

The plan for 2013 is to keep up with my mile a day challenge, get stronger, lose ~10 pounds, and decrease my half marathon time. I want to enjoy running a race again and not feel so stressed. I think the last time I really had fun at a race was Princess 2010--before all the injuries started. We definitely plan on running W&D this year and a couple of other halves. We will skip next year's marathon and think about it again for 2015.

I highly recommend wdw for anyone running their first marathon. The entertainment and distractions on the course are great! I just don't know if I want to put my body through that again.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Finally back to the weight I was at before we left for marathon weekend! Downward from here. I have a goal of 10 pounds but would love to lose closer to 16. We'll see how it goes.

I had insomnia for much of the fall and was hoping for a day to catch up on sleep but it has been one of those days. At 7:00 am someone in our neighborhood came by and took the sink out of an old countertop we had at the curb for large trash pick up day. It was really loud cause they basically stomped it out of the countertop. Our dog went crazy. My DS called at 7:30 on his way to work. And for some reason both our dogs are very barky today. So no sleep, but I did get some meal planning finished.

Here is the plan with exercise for the week:
January 20-26
Sunday--Grilled cheese w/arugula pesto and soup (Ran 1 mile, 20 min total)
**Delicious, will make again!
Monday--Apple, Pomegranate, and Beet Salad (Ran 1 mile, 50 min strength class)
**Amazing and easy! Added goat cheese and lightly candied pecans
Tuesday--arugula pesto pasta (Ran 4 miles on TM--really struggled but finished in 45 min)
**Used left over pesto w/ roasted red onion, red pepper and brussel sprouts--good, but use a fresher lemon when making pesto next time
Wednesday--twice baked sweet potatoes w/chipotle sauce and beans (goal--1 mile and 45 min pool run)
**Really tasty, but sweet potatoes took forever to bake.
Thursday--Pomegranate chipotle bean sliders (goal 4 miles)
Friday--African Stew Sweet Potato Stew (Goal 1 mile and maybe cardio blast class)
Saturday--Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks over Smashed Peas with Tarragon (Goal--speed work on tm)

 

[Rose&Mike]

Having a good food and exercise week, though I am fighting a cold. Running my mile is going to be challenging today. Might walk more than run.

I am loving pinterest and all the great recipe ideas! Lots of fun.

Speedwork on the tm planned for tomorrow. Not being able to breathe might complicate things a bit. haha.

Thursday 1/24/13--Pomegranate chipotle bean sliders (goal 4 miles)
--The bean burgers were great. We baked them and made the pomegranate glaze with pom seeds instead of juice and it was yummy. I ran 3 miles (run 3 walk 1) in 34 min and walked another .8 in 12 min.

Friday--African Stew Sweet Potato Stew (Goal 1 mile and maybe cardio blast class)

Saturday--Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks over Smashed Peas with Tarragon (Goal--speed work on tm)

 

[Terapin]

The meals sound amazing!

 

[Rose&Mike]

The meals sound amazing!

Thanks! I don't know why I fight meal planning so much. I turn it into this big complicated---I don't know what. Anyhow, LTS encouraged me to join pinterest and I have gotten so many good ideas and been so motivated! I don't do well eating out cause of the gluten stuff so I might as well enjoy what I cook.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Friday 1/25--African Stew Sweet Potato Stew (Goal 1 mile and maybe cardio blast class)
--Wasn't feeling too great today so exercise ended up being: 1.12 in 12 min; 1.27 in 20 walking. The African Stew was delicious as always. I was lazy and just added the pb at the beginning and it worked great. Cooked on stove instead of crock pot in about an hour.
Saturday 1/26--Cornmeal and Macadamia Nut Crusted Tofu Steaks over Smashed Peas with Tarragon (Goal--speed work on tm)
--The speedwork went well. 2x880 at 6.8 mph. I stayed on the tm for about 4 miles total. The peas and tofu were ok. Mike liked it more than I did. I thought the peas were a little too oniony (they had shallots in them).
Sunday 1/27 Green Chile mac & cheese
--2.5 on the tm (1.1 in 12 min) The mac and cheese was delicious! Under cooked the noodles, and need to under cook a bit more next time. Perfect spicy/zestiness. Better than gluten in my opinion! Served with broccoli.
Monday leftovers!
Tuesday sweet potatoes with pecans, goat cheese and carmelized onions (make in crockpot over weekend???)
Wednesday artichoke quiche (maybe use chex mix for crust)
Thursday Roasted winter vegetables with polenta
Friday Gluten free almond pizza

 

[Rose&Mike]

For dinner tonight I am trying yet again to find a homemade pizza crust I can live with. We are going to try crust made with almond flour. Not even going to try to pretend it is anything like traditional pizza crust, but rather would just like something that tastes good.

ETA--2/6/13 The pizza crust turned out pretty good and even reheated well. Definitely worth making again. Tastes nothing like regular pizza, but it was edible.

 

[mrsdrake625]

Hey, I just saw this on the WISH journals and thought, "hey, that's Rose from the exercise boards..." and now I am subscribing, your food sounds DELICIOUS!!!

Re: pizza crust, we also make a homemade one (king arthur flour recipe) but I also wouldn't mind finding a frozen one that I can stand eating. We are living up in the New England area currently and somebody makes one locally, many restaurants use it and it's very very good. I need to get the name of it.

Pizza is the bane of my GF existence, I could probably put down a whole pizza on my own normally but GF crust is hard to deal with/eat/make sometimes. Makes the pizza experience a little different, haha

 

[Rose&Mike]

Hey, I just saw this on the WISH journals and thought, "hey, that's Rose from the exercise boards..." and now I am subscribing, your food sounds DELICIOUS!!!

Re: pizza crust, we also make a homemade one (king arthur flour recipe) but I also wouldn't mind finding a frozen one that I can stand eating. We are living up in the New England area currently and somebody makes one locally, many restaurants use it and it's very very good. I need to get the name of it.

Pizza is the bane of my GF existence, I could probably put down a whole pizza on my own normally but GF crust is hard to deal with/eat/make sometimes. Makes the pizza experience a little different, haha

Hi!
Are you on pinterest? It has been a great place for finding g-f ideas and for motivating me to cook.

If you figure out what the pizza crust is I would love to know. It would be worth seeing if they will ship.

I swear pizza is just the one thing I desperately miss because let's face it, g-f crust just isn't the same.

And I don't know if you have tried it before, but I love tinkyada pasta. It is my favorite and actually, doesn't taste that different than regular pasta.

****
My latest project is try to make hummus that is as yummy and creamy as Sabra. So last night I soaked dried chick peas. Today I cooked them in the crockpot and removed the skins. Froze half the bag. Tomorrow I am going to try mixing it up and see how it goes.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Made this for dinner tonight and it was really good and really easy.
Added a bit more chili powder and corn to the bean mixture.

http://theshiksa.com/2012/05/01/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/
quinoa black bean burrito bowl

 

[mrsdrake625]

Hi!
Are you on pinterest? It has been a great place for finding g-f ideas and for motivating me to cook.

If you figure out what the pizza crust is I would love to know. It would be worth seeing if they will ship.

I swear pizza is just the one thing I desperately miss because let's face it, g-f crust just isn't the same.

And I don't know if you have tried it before, but I love tinkyada pasta. It is my favorite and actually, doesn't taste that different than regular pasta.

Yes - pinterest has been great for inspiration. My husband got me hooked on Cooks Illustrated, which has been helpful for understanding why certain things work GF and others don't - they do not do GF recipes, but they explain the science of food in general, so if you're into that kind of thing, it's pretty cool. So taking pinterest ideas and running them through CI's basic recipes has been our habit

Never tried tinkyada... only recently have we lived in an area that has a decent selection of gluten free stuff. I'll have to look out for it. We like the corn/quinoa blend, Ancient Harvest I think?

 

[Rose&Mike]

Made hummus tonight following this basic recipe and it is amazing!
http://mamasweeds.com/2011/08/04/how-to-make-awesome-hummus/

I used dried beans that I soaked overnight and then cooked in the crockpot. I froze half of the cooked beans for another time. The remainder made about two Sabra size containers of hummus.

I used about 1/3 cup olive oil rather than canola but other than that pretty much followed the instructions in the recipe. It is so good! I have been trying and trying to make creamy hummus without much luck, but this worked great. It takes a few minutes to take the outside off of the beans, but Mike and I both think it was worth the extra time and since premade hummus is kind of pricey it was definitely worth trying to find a recipe we liked. Mike said it is as creamy as Sabra with a better flavor.

 

[Rose&Mike]

dinner tonight: white bean and mozzarella sandwich w/arugula.
ran outside today 5.23 miles (4:1), day 100/365 of running or walking at least a mile

 

[Rose&Mike]

dinner tonight: spaghetti squash with peas, tomatoes, onions, red pepper, pecans, goat cheese, balsamic vinegar and olive oil (baked)
run on treadmill 31 min (101/365)

 

[Rose&Mike]

dinner yesterday: homemade pizza with a premade crust
walked 1.58 on the tm (102/365) and spent 41 min in the pool

 

[Rose&Mike]

Here I am yet again! On the weight loss---or at a minimum can't afford to gain another ounce--wagon.

Am I frustrated with myself--absolutely.

But I refuse to just give in. It would be so easy to do, as I continue to fight injuries, and I think just middle aged girl issues.

I want to come out of the other side of these life changes healthy and thin and fit. Not overweight and sedentary.

So I am coming clean and trying (no trying, I am going to do this!) to get back to a good place. I did not fall too far this time, but I do feel very out of control.

Statistics:
height 5'7"
weight 1/2010 189
weight 3/2011 137 (honestly, this was probably a little low for me)
weight 6/26/2013 159.6

Yep, put 22 pounds back on since giving up gluten. Some of that is just some very, very bad choices. Some of it is just not getting into a grove since going g-f.

But honestly, this is getting ridiculous. My clothes are all too tight. I don't like what I am seeing in the mirror. And I have that "what do you expect, you are a failure" feeling.

Well you know what? I am not a failure. Did I mess up? You betcha!

And I know I could easily put those 30 remaining pounds back on.

But I'm not going to!

So the goal:
1 pound a week, with a goal of 140.
60 minutes of exercise a day (at least 30 min of cardio)
At least one meal planned a day.
And as silly as it sounds--15 min of straightening up around my house, to try to keep my environment calm and happy.

I plan to report in at least once a day--I mean c'mon how long does it really take to update?

I can do this! And if you want to join me I would love the company along the way!

 

[Rose&Mike]

6/26/13
exercise: 30 min elliptical; 55 min yoga; 29 min walking at a 14:40 pace

dinner: beet/bean/goat cheese/ pecan/ balsamic vinegar warm salad; meal planned for tomorrow

My DS and 4 of his college friends are coming for the weekend, so I started cleaning up to get ready for that.

I tracked in mfp and I am under for the day.

One day down.

I took off tomorrow to get ready for the visit. So lots of cleaning and some running are one tap. We are going to a baseball game so I need to save some calories for beer.

 

[Rose&Mike]

check in (late) for Thursday.
94 min of cardio.
tracked (mostly) in mfp and was under my goal for the day

60 min on cardio complete for today.
Might be a little off with the food, because we are on the go with company for the weekend, but glad to have gotten in my workout.

 

[Rose&Mike]

Ok so the updating every day is not going so great, but I am going to keep trying.

Been keeping up with my exercise, but we had company this weekend so I did terrible with the tracking.

Ready to get back in the groove of things tomorrow.