May 23, 2012

Time for the blinders



I remember when I was losing weight, and someone asked me how I stay focused. I tried describing the feeling of determination, and I finally just said, "It's like putting the blinders on--you just pick a goal and put all of your focus on it!"

Easy to spot in bright yellow! ;)
Well, now that the marathon is over, it's time for my blinders once again. Like I said a couple of weeks ago, I am ready to commit to losing the last five pounds--and for some reason, these five are killer!

I haven't wanted to cut back too drastically on my calorie intake because of the marathon training, so my progress isn't exactly where I would have liked it to be as far as my weight. It's easy to justify eating too much junk after running 20 miles!

I have been working really hard on changing my habits, however--like I mentioned, the afternoon is prime binge-time for me, so I've been going for a walk every day after lunch to refocus and get away from the food ;) And I've kept my nightly snack to 300 calories, which has been difficult, but necessary...
This is my current-favorite 300-calorie snack: 28 g. of Skinny Pop Popcorn; 15 g. of Cinnabon cereal; 14 g. of peanut butter Cap'n Crunch; and 14 g. of Cocoa Puffs. It makes a huge bowl, probably 4-5 cups. I snack on it slowly and it lasts me a long time.

So with the walks in the afternoons, I am burning probably about 150 extra calories a day--not much, but it's definitely saving me calories by not binge eating at that time. I am also limiting my snacks at night to 300 calories. And now I am ready to kick it into high gear by consciously lowering my calorie intake on a daily basis. I do great with my meals, but I've been snacking way too much. So I will limit my snacks, and eat more slowly to feel satisfied faster.

As far as exercise, I got some new Under Armour clothes, which is making me excited to get back out and run! (By the way, I got a few compliments on my UA outfit that I finally decided on for the marathon--the capris were a hit!) I'm taking the next couple of days week off to rest my post-marathon legs, but I am actually looking forward to running again. I bought something completely out of my comfort zone--a pair of UA shorts! But they are longer shorts (7 inches), so it's working out ;)
No, that's not a smudge on the photo...
those are my pasty white legs.
They hit just above my knees, and they are compression fit, so they actually work out well for me! I really like the compression fit of the UA clothes because they hold all my loose skin in place rather than letting it flop all over (nice visual, I know). The compression fit also makes my legs look skinner, so that's always a bonus! ;) Trust me, that is the ONLY reason I like this photo of me:
Why yes, my post-op jaw is
twice the normal size--but my
legs sure do look skinny in
those compression tights! lol

Have any of you signed up for the UA What's Beautiful contest yet? The prizes alone are definitely worth it, but you could also use the site for the accountability of reaching your goal, like I am. There are tons of different goals you could come up with: Run a mile without stopping? Improve your 5K time? Lose 10 pounds? Run a half-marathon? All you have to do is pick a fitness related goal and put your blinders on! ;)

Under Armour is once again giving away a $500 gift card! You can enter into the drawing by leaving a comment in the form below, answering the question, "How do you empower your workout?" See the rules (and other ways to enter) below.

SWEEPSTAKES/GIVEAWAY RULES
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in the form below telling me how you empower your workout.
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion, including exactly the following unique terms in your tweet message: “#whatsbeautiful” “#sweepstakes”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post. To comply with FTC Guidelines (see http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm), entrants’ blog posts must disclose that they are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post.
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
Entries from all participating blogs will be pooled for winner selection; only two entries per household.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 5/23-6/11.
Be sure to visit Under Armour's page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews.

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