The first mile

Today was a rest day, my kids spent the night with my parents, and Jerry was at work this morning; so naturally, I would be wide awake at 5:00 AM! Whenever I have the perfect opportunity to sleep in, I wind getting up super early. Oh, well, at least I got some reading in.

Yesterday, after my long run, I only had two episodes left in Season 4 of Sons of Anarchy. Season 5 isn't on Netflix yet, so I really should have saved those episodes for a rainy day (literally), but I really wanted to see what happened. So last night, I walked on the treadmill for 45 minutes and watched one of the episodes.

This morning, with just one episode left, I finished the season. I wasn't crazy about the way it ended, but now I'm really disappointed that I don't have anything to watch when I'm on the treadmill. It has to be a show that REALLY sucks me in, like Sons of Anarchy. Breaking Bad was another one that I really liked. Any suggestions? For reference, some other shows that sucked me in like that are The Shield, Nip/Tuck, 24, and Prison Break.

At noon, I had a date with "That Loud Redhead" friend of mine, Stephanie. When I reached goal (on 12-12-12... easy to remember!), I asked her if she might want to take some goal photos for me. She did such a great job with the photos I needed for Fitness magazine that I was hoping she'd be willing to do more. She was thrilled that I asked, and suggested we wait for warmer weather.

Over the past week or so, we've had some really great days--in the 60's and 70's with full sun. Today, however, it was in the 40's and overcast. But Steph assured me that the pictures would look just fine.

I wanted to get some pictures with Jerry and the boys, too, so I cut the boys' hair this morning and got myself ready to go. I wore the lace shirt and dark blue jeans I just bought at Kohl's with my gift card. As I was walking out the door, I noticed that my shirt was ripped. Bummer! I was in a rush to meet Stephanie, so I just hoped it wouldn't show in the pictures. I'm going to try and bring it back tomorrow--I just took the tags off this morning, and I know I didn't rip it.

We met at my parents' house, because they live on the lake, and that would make a good backdrop for the pictures. We got a bunch of my family, a few of Jerry and I, and just the boys. Then Jerry took the kids home and Stephanie and I went to a couple other spots for pictures. I wore my red dress for some, and jeans and a red top that I really like for others. I'm excited to see them!

When Eli got home from school yesterday, he was SO excited to give me a Mother's Day present that he made for me. He didn't want me to wait until Sunday, so I opened it right away. It was homemade strawberry jam that his class had made at school. So cute!

I told him we would use it today for dinner, on a childhood favorite of mine: grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! (I make it just like a grilled cheese, only with PB&J instead of cheese). On homemade bread today, they were even better than I remembered.

I don't make them very often, because they're a lot of PointsPlus. This one was 10 PP. It was really filling, though, despite its size.

I am so glad to have made it through Saturday without going into the negative on my PointsPlus this week. For the past few weeks, Saturday has been my big downfall day. It's been really hard to stay on track. I almost caved tonight (to eat peanut butter right out of the jar), but I just made a cup of tea to hold me over until my wine and chocolate before bed. I'm going to do my best not to go into negative PointsPlus this week!

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At around 8:00 tonight, Noah got really tearful and said to me, "I really wish I could run better, like you." He's been having a rough time lately at school when they do the mile run. He's always in last place, and he can't do it without walk breaks. I keep telling him that to get better, he has to practice, and that I'll go run with him ANY time he wants. He never takes me up on it.

After he cried about it for a couple of minutes tonight, I said, "Do you guys want to go for a run right now?" It had just gotten done raining, and it was getting dark, but I wanted to boost Noah's confidence. I told them they would have to stay with me, and we were going to go very slow. Noah was really nervous, and said we should just do around the block.

I knew he could go farther than that, but I just said we'd take it easy and see how it goes. So we headed out (I was wearing my pajama pants!) and ran very slowly down the street. It was SO awesome--I could see Noah's confidence growing with each stride. About a quarter mile in, he said he thinks we should walk, that it feels hard. I told him, "Noah, I KNOW you can do a whole mile today. We're going nice and slow, let's get to a half-mile at least." So we kept running.

A couple more times, he suggested we stop, but I kept encouraging him. When I told him we'd gone 3/4 of a mile, he was really excited. And then with just a tenth to go, I pointed to a telephone pole ahead and said, "That will be one mile--there's your finish line!"

When we got to the telephone pole, I heard the Garmin beep--HE DID IT! He ran his very first mile without stopping, without walking. He was so excited and proud. Eli was excited too, but it didn't mean much to him; not like it did to Noah. Now both of the boys are talking about running a 5K with me ;)  When we got home, we took a picture to remember the occasion:

Noah, me, and Eli

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Palmolive brownie

Last night, I asked Jerry if he would mind getting the kids off to school this morning when he got home from work, so that I could head out for my long run first thing at 6:30. He, of course, said that was fine, so I planned to get up early and be ready when he got home.

Normally, getting up early is no problem for me--I'm always such a light sleeper. But today, I actually slept until 6:00, and I just wasn't feeling like hopping out of bed and out the door to run. So I changed my plans, and decided to just run when the kids left for school.

The weather app on my phone said 70% chance of rain. I was debating in my head whether to run outside or on the treadmill. It was like I was making the biggest decision of my lifetime, the way I was going over all the positives and negatives of each choice. Kind of ridiculous. I looked one more time at the weather, and saw that it was already 65 degrees. That swayed me toward the treadmill more than the rain did.

Since my next race over a 10K isn't until October, there is no real reason to run more than 8 miles or so. I figured I'd do 8-10, depending on how long the episodes of Sons of Anarchy were ;)  My main goal for the run was to keep my heart rate in Zone 3 again, regardless of pace. After yesterday's run, I figured that I'd be running 9:30 miles by the end of my run.

I set the incline at 1%, how I always do, and started at 6.7 mph. My heart rate wasn't going up much, so I increased it to 6.9 mph, and after about a mile, I was at the low end of Zone 3. I just decided to leave it there until my heart rate got too high, and then I'd start decreasing the pace.

As I ran, I thought about my sister, because today, she had her last long run before her half-marathon next weekend. She was going to be running 12 miles on the treadmill, and it made me feel like a slacker for doing "just" 8, so I changed my mind and decided to go for 12 instead. ;)

The first episode of SoA that I watched happened to be 60 minutes, which was unusual (usually, they are about 42-45 minutes). The timing ended up being perfect for 12 miles--I watched 2 full episodes and had time for a 2 minute walk at the end when I finished.

My heart rate actually stayed right in Zone 3 the entire time while running 6.9 mph (that was about an 8:40 mile); I had to decrease it to 6.8 for the very last mile. I was really surprised by the numbers! It confirmed what I've always thought, that (to me) it feels easier to run on the treadmill than it does outside. So based on that, I should be running faster on the treadmill than I do outside.

If I hadn't been focused on my heart rate, I would never have started my long run at 6.9 mph--logically, I feel like that's too fast. But using my heart rate helps me to see what I'm capable of, despite what my mind may tell me.

I had no idea what I was going to eat for my long run treat today. I wasn't sure if I was "allowed" to get something because of the no-grocery-shopping-in-May challenge that we're doing. Jerry said I'd better get something, or else I'll be sure to binge, and he was probably right. I could have made cookies, but then I would have eaten them ALL, so it was better off that I just buy one item, like I usually do.

I had to go weigh in at Weight Watchers, which is right next to the mall, so I decided to get something from Mrs. Fields. Jerry had to weigh in at WW also, and he came with me. He's been doing he Insanity workouts, so he asked me to get him a bar, too. I ordered our bars, and the girl working there said, "Those are Buy 2, Get 1 Free!".

Dammit! I thanked her for the (three) bars, and I should have offered the third one to the person behind me in line, but I didn't think. I just took it. It bugged me all the way home, thinking of what to do with the third bar. My kids don't need it--they get enough junk, and I've been trying not to bring anything like that home for them if I can help it. I could have put it in the freezer, but I know I would have pulled it out (probably tonight) and ate it. So, I did the only thing I could think of that would help me get it out of my mind--I poured dish soap on it. (Throwing it away doesn't work for me, unless it's destroyed)

That was VERY hard to do, but I felt strong when I did it. There is nothing wrong with eating one Dream Bar on my long run day, but I certainly didn't need two--and I most likely would have eaten it if it was still around. Dish soap has saved me from many situations like this! ;)

Today was Pizza Friday, and when I looked for the stuff to make pizza, I realized we were out of mozzarella cheese. And this since we're not allowed to buy groceries this month, I had to get creative. We had lots of cheddar cheese, so I decided to make BBQ Chicken Pizza--and it turned out really good. Two slices of it were only 7 PointsPlus, too--a bargain! Crap! I knew that it was too good to be true. When I was putting the ingredients into the Recipe Builder on the WW site, I realized I only accounted for half of the dough. So it actually has 5 PointsPlus per slice. I wish I'd realized this before I had a third slice!

I was in a rush to make the crust, and usually I make a yeast crust which takes a little time. Today, I made a quick crust out of Bisquick. It was really soft and bread-like, rather than chewy; different, but very good! I wrote out the recipe for the BBQ Chicken Pizza on my recipes blog, if you're interested. I'm definitely going to use that crust recipe again.

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RECIPE: Barbecue Chicken Pizza

My family eats pizza for dinner every Friday, and I found myself short on the usual ingredients. I had to throw something together really quickly, and I made this BBQ Chicken Pizza on the fly. It turned out really good! Next time, I think I would add some pineapple tidbits, too. If you're a pineapple on pizza person, you would really like that!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Crust:
2 cups of Heart Smart Bisquick
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup very hot water

Toppings:
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
6 oz. cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup Hormel crumbled bacon

To make the crust, just combine the Bisquick, sour cream, and water. It will look dry, but if you use your hands to knead it, it will come together. Roll it out onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Spread the sauce evenly over the crust. Top with chicken, cheese, onions, and bacon. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until crust is light brown and cheese is melted.

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National Weight Control Registry

Lately, I've been doing my runs later and later in the day. I used to practically roll out of bed and into my running shoes. I always liked to get it done first thing in the morning. Recently, I've been waking up, getting the kids ready for school and on the bus, then I eat breakfast, drink some tea, read e-mail, and eventually get in my run.

It actually makes the day pass really quickly when I run in the late morning, and I'm starting to feel like I don't have enough time to get everything done. I'm going to try and start running first thing in the morning again, so my day feels longer.

Today, I headed out for a four-miler at around 9:00 this morning. The high today was supposed to be 79, so I really wanted to get out there before it got too hot. I was actually really in the mood to run this morning, and I was considering doing my long run today instead of tomorrow. When I walked out the door, I wasn't sure if I was going to run 4 or 12 miles.

My goal (again) today was to keep my heart rate in Zone 3--70-80% of my maximum, 141-156 beats per minute. I ran at what felt like a very comfortable pace (just in case I decided to do my long run), and I was surprised at how quickly my heart rate went up. My first mile split was 9:07, and I was a little disappointed to see that. I had been doing my long runs at about an 8:45 pace, so 9:07 seemed slow for a short run.

But I really want to give this heart rate training a fair chance, just to experiment. My second mile was 9:06. That was the point where I had to decide whether to keep running or turn around. I realized at that moment that I forgot to put on sunscreen, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I decided to turn around. If I'd remembered the sunscreen, I probably would have done 12 today, because I felt really good.

During the third mile, it was actually pretty hard to keep my heart rate down. My mind would wander, so I'd forget and run faster; then I'd notice my heart rate was approaching Zone 4, so I would slow down again. My pace was going up and down the whole time. It's kind of interesting, because about a week ago, I was surprised how hard it was to get my heart rate up to Zone 4.

I really do think that the heat and sun make a difference in my effort. When it's hot out, or full-sun, my pace is always slower, even if I push just the same as usual. The further I ran, the higher my heart rate went, so I had to slow down to compensate. I'm curious to see what happens tomorrow on my long run.

Anyway, I felt fantastic throughout the whole run, and I'm guessing that's because I kept my heart rate in the right zone. Tomorrow, I'm going to set my Garmin to show only my heart rate zone, and not my pace, so it doesn't mess with my mind. It will be fun to look at the data when I get home. (Yes, I used "fun" and "data" in the same sentence--I love this geeky stuff!)

After my run, I went to the fruit/veggie market for some fresh produce. Jerry and I agreed that during our no-grocery-shopping-in-May challenge, we could still buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and milk (nothing else). We were down to onions and a couple of oranges this morning, so it was time to get some fresh stuff.

I was amazed at how much stuff I got for just $26! A bag of potatoes, 1 stalk of celery, 12 apples, 2 red bell peppers, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 lb. baby carrots, 1 seedless cucumber, 2 zucchinis, 3 pounds of strawberries, 8 bananas, 5 pounds of grapes, and 1 seedless watermelon. At Kroger, my grapes alone are usually $10-$15.

The grapes were still the most expensive part. If I hadn't gotten those, my total would have only been $18. But I love keeping a big bag of grapes in the freezer for snacking. Now we just have to make sure that none of it goes to waste! ;)

This afternoon, I took a survey for the National Weight Control Registry. I'd been wanting to join ever since I technically qualified, but I've been scared to, because I was afraid that as soon as I submitted the paperwork, I'd gain back all the weight.

If you're not familiar, the NWCR is a long-term study of successful weight loss/maintenance. They study real people that have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year to find out their habits and see what makes them successful.

I always kind of had it in my mind that I would join when I was SURE that I was going to keep the weight off. And last month, I finally filled out the paperwork. I had to submit some basic info and proof of the weight loss (either doctor's records or photos). Today was the first survey I took, and it was interesting. It asked a lot about my eating habits and exercise habits, both now and when I was losing weight. You can read some cool facts about the study findings here.

So, I've made it "official"... which means I'm feeling very confident in keeping the weight off. Even if I wind up 10-15 pounds or so heavier over the years, I don't ever see myself getting back up to 253 pounds again.

 

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Tea flavors

I'm so glad it's the start of a new Weight Watchers week for me. My weeks start on Wednesday (my weigh-in day), and I like starting a fresh week with a clean slate. After three days of being back on track, I hoped that the scale wouldn't reflect Saturday's binge. I was pretty happy when I stepped on!

I didn't post a weigh in last week because I posted Katie W.'s guest post. Two weeks ago, I was at 132, so I'm down half a pound from then. I'm very happy with that, because I had a couple of BAD eating days.

I'm almost back down to my "happy weight" of 131, so I'm going to stay in weight loss mode on Weight Watchers until I hit 131, then I'll switch back to maintenance. My main focus this week is just to stay binge-free. The first few weeks after a binge are really hard to stay on track.

This past week, I earned more activity PointsPlus than I've ever earned before--82! My goal was to reach 10 per day.

That gray line is my goal line (8 PP per day), and I reached it almost every day. On the days I run, it's not too hard to reach that line, but on my rest days, I have to find all kinds of reasons to move. 

Today was a rest day as far as running, but I definitely got in a workout.We had three yards of dirt delivered this morning to fill in the tire marks in our yard. The neighbors keep parking in our yard, which is SO annoying; so I passive-aggressively spread out the dirt and planted grass seed, and then staked it out so they get the hint that it's not a parking lot. And by "I", I mean Jerry.

I spent the entire morning pulling weeds, and picking up random sticks in the yard. I have a big blister on my palm from using the dandelion puller, but it kept me super busy. In the afternoon, I went to Kohl's to use up a gift card from Christmas. I got a pair of jeans for $8, and a cute lace top and cami for $12.

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A few people have asked recently what flavors of David's Tea I really like. I'm always saying how much I love their tea, and I've ordered it three times now, so I've tried quite a few of them. Here is a list of what I've tried (all are black tea unless noted):

Red Velvet Cake
Glitter & Gold
Toasted Marshmallow
Movie Night (green tea)
Cookie Dough  (white tea)
Toasted Walnut (green tea)
Read My Lips
Bollywood Chai
Banana Dream Pie
Buttered Rum
Salted Caramel
Ceylon Star
Coffee Pu'erh (pu'erh tea--no idea what that is, or how to pronounce it)

Other than the green teas, I always drink my tea with 1/2 tsp. sugar and 1 Tbsp. fat-free half & half per cup. I think the cream and sugar make it taste more indulgent, and it only adds 17 calories per cup, so it's worth it to me.

What can I say? I like variety!

My very favorite flavor is the Red Velvet Cake. I wish I had a candle that smelled like that tea, because it's heavenly. It really does have the flavor of cake.

Also in my top three four would be Toasted Marshmallow, Glitter & Gold, and Read My Lips. If you like cloves, you will love Glitter & Gold. Read My Lips is perfect if you like mint and chocolate together. It's hard to describe the Toasted Marshmallow one, other than that I love it!

Movie Night sounded very strange to me when I read the ingredients, but it's really yummy. It kind of reminds me of buttered popcorn. Cookie Dough really does smell and taste like cookie dough, although it's a more subtle flavor than some of the others. I like strong flavor, so that's why it's not in my top four. Toasted Walnut was another subtle-flavored one. I enjoyed it, but I don't think I'd order it again.

Bollywood Chai is very fragrant and strong, like pretty much any chai. It would be delicious with lots of sugar and cream, like a typical chai would be served, but I thought it was pretty good how I drank it. If you like chai, you will enjoy this one.

Banana Dream Pie really does taste like I imagined it to. I'm normally not a banana-person, but I do like this one a lot. Buttered Rum is good; I can't think of much to say about that one. I thought I would love the Salted Caramel tea, but I didn't care too much for it. I was kind of turned off by the smell of it, but the tea itself is milder than the smell.

Ceylon Star is kind of a subtle flavor, but it's good. I have no idea what "Ceylon" means, so I don't know if the name describes the taste ;) Star Anise is one of the ingredients, so that could be it. It reminds me a little of the Toasted Marshmallow flavor.

The only one that I really disliked, and has been sitting in my cupboard unused since, is the Coffee Pu'erh. The description says that even die-hard coffee people will like this tea, so I thought maybe it would be a nice one to have when I crave coffee. I really disliked the smell of it, and it tastes exactly like it smells.

David's Tea sends free samples with each order, and those always suck me in! I taste it, love it, and then order it (which I'm sure they're betting on when they send samples).

I'm not affiliated with David's Tea in any way, and I don't get commission or anything if anyone buys it (unfortunately, because I talk it up all the time!). I did e-mail them to ask if they would let me give my readers a discount code, and they said no :(  Bummer. Sorry! I tried.

If any of you have tried any of David's Teas, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts on favorite flavors. I just saw that there is a Birthday Cake flavor, which you know is going in my cart next time!

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Must keep busy

I've had a great couple of back-on-track days, mainly thanks to my sister (Jeanie) and brother-in-law (Shawn) being in town. On Sunday, Shawn and I drove to the running store, which is about 35 minutes away. He and Jeanie are running their first half-marathon on the 19th, so it was a good chance to chat about running.

When we got there, the store was closed! I guess I should have checked the hours, but it didn't even occur to me. Shawn needed a couple other things while we were out, so went to Best Buy and Dunham's before heading home. Spending the entire afternoon out and away from the house was just what I needed to stay on track. The afternoons are the worst time of day for me as far as binge triggers.

I got home later than planned, and was preparing to hurry up and make dinner before Jerry had to leave for work; but when I walked in the house, I smelled chili. Jerry had cooked lentil chili, so dinner was done already. I managed to make it through the evening without problems, and felt really good when I woke up that I had gotten right back on track after the binge on Saturday.

Yesterday, after I got the kids off to school and ate breakfast, I went out for a four-mile run. About a mile in, I stopped at my parents' house to see if Jeanie wanted to run with me, but she was still sleeping, so I finished out the run. As soon as I got home, I saw that she had sent me a text about 15 minutes prior, asking if I wanted to run three miles with her.

I was already sweaty and in my running clothes, so I said sure. We went to the State Park and ran the three-mile loop. It was a really nice run, and it made me think that I would probably actually enjoy running more if I wasn't focused on getting faster. We ran about a 12-minute/mile pace, and it was very comfortable and easy to have a conversation. I wouldn't mind doing that more often!

I came home and showered, and then Shawn and I went to the running store for his shoes. This time, we went to one in Toledo (about a 45 minute drive). As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Shawn realized he forgot his wallet! Hahaha, thankfully, I had mine, so I lent him the money for his shoes.

We came back to my house and chatted for a while, and by that time, it was nearly 5:30--so again, I stayed so busy that I managed to make it through another binge-free afternoon. Jeanie and Shawn went home to Illinois last night, so I was on my own today.

I set up my Garmin to display my heart rate zone along with the beats per minute, so it's easier to see at a glance if my heart rate is where it should be while I'm running. My goal today was to keep it in Zone 3 for the whole run. It took about 1/4 mile to get it in the zone (I was going to write, "It didn't take long to get it up..." but then I re-read that and changed it for obvious reasons, haha).

About a mile in, I got a really sharp muscle cramp in my abdomen. I so badly wanted to walk, but I kept running, hoping it would go away. It lasted for the next two miles, which made for a miserable run. But finally, at mile three, it went away. The last mile was a little harder to stay consistent with my pace. I naturally tend to start running faster the closer I get to home, but that brought my heart rate up too high. Anyway, I was glad to be done.

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The no-grocery-shopping-in-May thing is going well so far, but we're starting to have to get creative. Some of our "usual" foods have run out, so we have to make do with what we have. I made a loaf of bread today, and it turned out SO good. We used it to make BLT's for dinner. Can you believe that Jerry had never eaten a BLT before?! He really liked it.

I've been using my homemade English muffins to make mini pizzas for lunch, which has worked well to use up the feta cheese in the fridge. Last night, for a bedtime snack, the kids and I made Cook & Serve chocolate pudding. Eli had the idea to top it with peanut butter (my habits are definitely rubbing off on him!). Warm pudding with peanut butter was the perfect way to spend 5 PointsPlus.

I have a ton of pudding in the pantry, so I'll probably be eating that a lot this month. I'm thankful that I always have a stockpile of wine, so there is no chance I'll be running out of that for a while ;)  This no-shopping challenge has been fun so far! But we're only 7 days in, so we'll see how I feel about it at the end of the month when we're down to the bare bones of our pantry...

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OH! This was in my daily Buzzfeed e-mail yesterday, and it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen. I burst out laughing with every one of these photos--if you have a cat, you MUST check out this post, The Best Of "First World Cat Problems". Here is one of them...

 So true.

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Motivational Monday #14

Happy Motivational Monday! Thank you all so much for your nice comments on my last post. As hard as it was to write about, I knew you would make me feel better, and I do. I stayed extremely busy yesterday and today, which has helped me get right back on track and not dwell on it anymore.

And of course, reading all the Motivational Monday accomplishments always makes me feel ready to take on anything! ;)

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Alison was spring cleaning when she came across this shirt she used to wear 80 pounds ago. You can see on the right how tight it was, and now it just hangs on her! She's training for a 5K, and has stuck with her goal of walking a mile every single day until her race.

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Andrea ran her first 10K (and is now registered for a 15K!) after losing 90 pounds over the last year!

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Bethany ran a 5K with her (5-year old!) daughter, finishing in 50 minutes! (Don't they look adorable in their tutus?)

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Briana ran her first half-marathon! She had her husband at her side, and finished in 2:11. She's down 65 pounds and counting!

Recently, I asked if any of my readers would like my race bib for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon, since I wasn't able to go. I got an e-mail from Carolyn, who said she was a little nervous about it, but that she would love to do it. Her friend was already registered, so she thought it would be fun to meet up with her. And she did it! She finished in 2:16.  (Carolyn is on the left)

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Christina rode her bike 100 miles as part of a fundraiser for Camp Kesem and World Bicycle Relief! She says, "The trick to riding that far? Just keep going. When I struggle, I say, 'Just keep spinning, just keep spinning,' like Dory from Finding Nemo."

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In March 2012, Julie Anna made a goal to run a 5K with her mom and sister. They all ran together, and then this year, she and her mother made a goal to run a 10K together (her sister became pregnant, and had to stop running). They just ran their 10K, after Julie Anna's mom lost 33 pounds and became quite a strong runner throughout the past year! (Here is the race report) Julie Anna is super proud of her mom.

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 Julie ran a 5K, and then accompanied her three-year old daughter on her first race--a kids fun run!

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Kelly started running last summer by following the Couch to 5K program, and she just ran her first half-marathon! She was very worried about not finishing in the allotted time frame, and the race shutting down, but she surprised herself with just how well she did. She finished in 3:13:43. She says, "Running has become this amazing outlet for me to help calm my stress level, lose weight, increase myself esteem all of which makes me a better wife, mother, and employee"

 Linda started running almost a year ago to keep off the 25 pounds she'd lost. She ran her first 5K in October and has run one or two a month since then. Saturday, she ran the Komen for the Cure 5K, and it was a very rainy, cold race. She is proud that she powered through the first mile that was all uphill--she does all of her training on the treadmill, so she wasn't used to that. She ran the whole way, and felt great!

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After losing a collective 175 pounds, Lindsay and her husband ran the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon! She met her goal of sub-2:30, and her her husband finished in 2:01. Here is a before pic and a pic from the race:

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Marcia (left) recently reconnected with high school friend Rosa via Facebook, after not seeing each other for 20 years. They discovered that they had each lost a lot of weight (Rosa lost 93 pounds, Maria lost 70). They also discovered that they had each signed up for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini Marathon, and were planning to go alone; so they decided to drive there together, and felt as if no time had passed. They both ran a great race and reached their goals!

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Nicole and her husband, Ben, ran in the American Odyssey Relay (200 miles from Gettysburg to D.C.)!

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And there are lots more to read on the Facebook post, so make sure you check it out! Here is a snippet:

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237 Days

This is a really difficult post to write. I want to ignore it, and pretend it didn't happen, but I know that a lot of you enjoy reading my blog because of my honesty (particularly when I'm honest about difficult times through weight loss/maintenance).

I binged yesterday. I ruined my 237-day binge-free streak.

I'm trying really hard not to beat myself up about it, but I'm just so angry with myself and disappointed that I let it happen. It was like a perfect storm of events--my kids were spending the night with my parents, and Jerry had to work all night. Just before he left for work, we got in an argument, and then he had to leave. The argument was over something really stupid, and I knew he'd call me when he got to work and we'd apologize, and everything would be fine.

Instead, I just wanted to eat out of anger. You know that expression, "Don't cut off your nose to spite your face?" Well, I was mad at Jerry, and a binge almost felt like I was getting back at him somehow (which I know is stupid, because I'm the one that has to deal with the consequences). I'm not at all blaming the argument for the binge, because we've argued many times over the past 237 days, and I managed not to binge because of it.

Like I said, I'm trying to just let it be, and not beat myself up over it. I'm starting a new binge-free streak today, and I'm going to do my best to make it longer than 237 days. I got on the scale this morning, just like normal. I know that weighing every day isn't the best idea for everyone, but when I start to avoid the scale, my weight goes up FAST because it's so easy to ignore the consequences of poor eating. My weight was up to 136 today, which I know is mostly water weight, but it was still pretty sobering to see that number.

I know that if I get right back on track, I can be back down to 133 or so in a few days. Because I'm over my "panic weight" of 135, I switched my Weight Watchers settings to "weight loss mode" instead of maintenance. So now my daily PP target is 26 instead of 32. I'll keep it there until I get back down to about 131-132.

I'm really determined not to let yesterday's binge become a defining moment of gaining back the weight. I will not let it turn into another binge, or "just one more day" of bad eating. And, as much as I want to pretend it didn't happen, I'm not going to lie to myself either. It happened, it's over, and now I can go back to the norm.

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This morning, the cats woke me up (wanting their breakfast) at 6:00, and I couldn't go back to sleep. Lately, I've been eating breakfast, drinking tea, checking e-mail, and some other stuff before running, but I had the urge to run first thing today. It was light outside already (the bonus to springtime), so I ran outside.

Today, I was going to try and get my heart rate to Zone 4 (156-172 bpm).

I figured this would be about an 8:30/mi pace. I was surprised just how difficult it was to get my heart rate up that high! My legs and lungs told me I was working hard, but my heart rate was right around 152-154 most of the run. This heart rate training is pretty interesting!

While I was running (and thinking), I had an "Aha!" moment. I always gain 15 or so pounds during the summer, and then manage to take it off again in the fall. I assumed this was because my kids were home, and constantly bored or bickering, which is stressful.

July 2012

But I realized that's not actually the reason I gain. I tend to gain in the spring, and then I just hold onto it all summer. And the reason for this (my "Aha!" moment) is that in the spring, when the weather gets nice, I get a very carefree attitude. The nice weather makes me want to hang out on the back deck, with a beer or margarita, go get ice cream with the family (or by myself!), snack on chips and dip all day, etc. It's pretty hard to work all of that into a daily diet, and I get frustrated with having to count everything I eat; so then I start to think, "Well, normal people do this stuff. Normal people don't have to count everything, or measure food. I can do that, too."

 But I don't take into account the fact that I'm NOT a "normal, average person". I've lost 120+ pounds, and I'm maintaining that loss--most "normal" people haven't done that. So I can't eat the same way they do and expect the same results. My body works differently. Through trial and error over the last few years, I've learned that I have to measure and count my food to maintain my weight. I've tried "intuitive eating", but it leads to binge eating every single time.

So this time, when I find myself thinking that I don't have to count PointsPlus (or calories or whatever), I'm going to keep all of this in mind. Maybe I will actually be able to maintain my goal weight this spring and summer. I would love to experience summertime at my goal weight!

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The winner of the book giveaway "Honey, Do You Need A Ride?" by Jennifer Graham is:

Congrats Crystal! I've sent you an e-mail. Hope you enjoy the book :)

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Food talk

A few days ago, Jerry and I decided to see if we could go the entire month of May without buying groceries. We have a ton of food in the pantry and freezer, and it would be nice to use some of it up. We agreed we could still buy milk and fresh fruits/veggies.

Yesterday, I ran out of English muffins (which I eat nearly every day), so I looked up a recipe for them online and made some. I used this recipe by Alton Brown, but instead of following his mixing instructions, I just put everything in my bread machine on the dough cycle. I didn't have shortening, so I used butter; and I used bread flour instead of all purpose. I didn't have any rings to pour the batter/dough into on the griddle, so I used aluminum foil to make some. They worked out really well!

It was hard to tell when to flip them, and you can see I flipped a couple of them too early, but the texture and flavor was fantastic. They have the little nooks and crannies that are characteristic of a good English muffin.. I am definitely going to continue making my own English muffins instead of buying them. These are really good, especially after toasting.

Last week, I stopped by this wholesale store that sells stuff from other stores that may have damaged packaging. You can buy dented boxes of cereal, or food that is close to it's sell by date, among other things, for pretty cheap. I like to stop in once in a while to see if there is anything good. Anyway, last week they had Fiber One products for 88 cents per box!

I know a lot of people can't stomach Fiber One stuff, but I love their Oats & Chocolate chewy bars and their Coconut Almond protein bars, so I picked up some of those. I also decided to try the chocolate chip cookie bars, the chocolate brownies, and the chocolate peanut butter brownies.

I've tried them over the past few days (each bar/brownie is only 2 PP), and I LOVE the cookies! I would definitely buy those again.

The brownies are just okay, but I don't think I'd buy them again. They reminded me of those Snackwell's devil's food cookies, which make me think of the old early-90's diet days. But the cookie bars are really good!

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Ever since my Oscars party, when I made the red pepper and feta dip, I've been craving more roasted red peppers. I bought a couple of jars a while ago, and they've been sitting in my pantry, because I wasn't sure what to do with them.

My boys were at my parents' house today for dinner, so I made dinner for just Jerry and me, and decided to use the red peppers. I turned them into a pasta sauce, and the pasta dish was SO good. It was the perfect way to use them! I posted the recipe on my recipes blog, and you can find it here.

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The mail just showed up with my latest David's Tea order--check out this flavor!! I'm super excited to try it :)

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RECIPE: Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Pasta

I love the combination of roasted red peppers and feta cheese. I had a couple of jars of red peppers in my pantry, and some feta in my fridge, so I turned them into a simple, yummy sauce for pasta. Jerry and I both loved this dish! The red pepper flakes make it a little spicy, and it goes really well with the sweet roasted peppers. This is written for two main dish servings, but you could easily double it.

Here is a printer-friendly version!

Red Pepper & Feta Pasta

6 oz. dry pasta
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 (12 oz) jar of roasted red peppers
1/4 cup heavy cream or half & half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 oz. feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until softened, a few minutes. Drain the roasted pepper and add them to the pot, along with the half and half.

Use an immersion blender to puree (or put everything in a food processor or blender, puree, and then put back in the pot). Add salt and pepper to taste, and the crushed red pepper flakes.

Let the pepper mixture simmer for a minute, and then stir in the feta cheese and cooked pasta, and toss to coat.  Makes 2 servings (approximately 1-1/4 cups per serving, depending on the shape of pasta used).

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