Stay Tuned

The last few weeks have brought forth a lot of change in our house, in respects to learning about food and how to eat properly.  We are currently on a mission to plan and execute a different lifestyle for our family -- and we are really excited!

I plan on writing about it, but am not sure if I'll do it here or dedicate a different blog site to that adventure, so stay tuned! 

Shake It Off

I haven't had the most successful few weeks.  Besides not keeping track of anything I ate, I haven't exercised in over 2 weeks.  TWO WEEKS, people.  All the hard work I did for months is steadily fading away.  We have all been sick in one way or another, my husband was gone for a week for work, and I've just been trying to survive.

I weighed in this morning at 155.8 - which is both down from last week, but up overall.  

Thankfully, spring has showed up early in this part of the world, and this afternoon when my husband gets home from work, I'm hitting the pavement. 

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming."

My Past Week

It's hard to put into words how difficult this past week has been for my emotions, my heart and my body.  I haven't had the time or the energy to even sit down and blog until now, and actually, I didn't feel much like sharing until now.

Let's just say the last week consisted of a 48 hour stomach bug that started Saturday evening, and landed me in bed all day Sunday.  Monday I woke up to the news that there was a school shooting that took place about an hour from our home, taking the lives of 3 students.  The news was nonstop all day and it was all I could do to tear myself away from it just to keep from breaking down.

On Wednesday morning, I woke up to my Facebook feed telling me about the previous evening's Coast Guard helicopter crash down in Mobile, where we just moved from.  Because of our time there, I have so many friends in the air community and my heart was in my stomach as I tried to learn who could have been on the helicopter.  My husband flew in the helos on several different occasions, the most notable being when he was a part of the Deepwater Horizon explosion rescue mission in April 2010.  And, as it turns out, because of his being so active on base in Mobile, he knew two of the four Coasties on board the helicopter.  We knew there was one death immediately after the crash, and as they searched for the remaining occupants, we tried to keep hope that they were found alive.  This morning, I learned that they recovered two of the three remaining bodies, and are searching for only one more. 

My heart is so heavy, and because I haven't felt right all week, I haven't even exercised.  I tried to stay on track with my eating, and even switched my weigh in day to Mondays with my husband {he didn't like Thursdays}.  I just want to sit on the couch and cuddle my kids, and snuggle close to my husband at night...and so I did. 

Hug and kiss the people you love.  No one has guaranteed time on this earth, so take a moment each and every day to let them know what they mean to you.  I promise it never gets old to hear it. 

Thursday Weigh Day

I was going to photograph my number on the scale this morning and post it, but then I remembered that it's been about 9 weeks since my last pedicure and I didn't want to make my toe ugliness public.  So, today is just another plain old report.

155!

Officially, my weight loss is at 9.8 pounds.  So close to 10 that I can taste it!  I cheated earlier this week and I was as low as 152, and I'm starting to think that I'm going to have to make some adjustments to how I eat when I run.

Speaking of running, my little widget over there tells me I've run 21 miles this year, which is 21 more miles than I've ever run in my life.  And, according to the UPS website, my new shoes should arrive by the end of the day today.  I am seriously excited about their arrival -- as if they're instantaneously going to make me a better runner.

Hey, if my 5 year old son thinks new shoes make him faster, why can't I?

Savvy Spender

Thanks to my amazing friends on social media {I mean, seriously, how did we answer life's most perplexing issues before Facebook?}, I was encouraged to have a good pair of running shoes and also directed to a website where I could have those $160 shoes for $104 with FREE SHIPPING. 

Check out Running Warehouse, and if you go through the button on Skinny Runner, you can save an additional 10%! 

I'm soaking in all the running tips I can right now, especially after buying new shoes.  The guy at the shoe store told me I can get a year's use out of the same shoes, but I'm learning that there is a certain amount of mileage I can put on before they've worn out.  Typically 300-500 miles, depending on the person, the way they run, where they run, etc.  So, I'll start keeping a record of how many miles my new/cheaper/awesome for my high arches shoes are used.  Skinny Runner suggested writing a note and placing it in the shoe when you're done, so you know exactly how much wear you have on them before you even start.

I'm beginning to sound like a real runner.  Who would have ever thought!

Buyers Remorse

On Friday, Patrick and I went and got fitted for new running shoes at our local, non chain, shoe store.  After a scan showing my incredibly high arch, the incredibly helpful employee returned with two pairs of New Balance shoes.  I tried both on and made my choice of the first pair based on his recommendation and the fit. 

I placed them up on the counter without a second thought.  I mean, I WAS using saved tax return money for these shoes so I didn't think twice about asking the price.  I figured they would be around $100-$115, since that's how much my husband's were, and I wasn't really that worried because I had a 10% off coupon.

I almost passed out when my shoes cost $160!  ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DOLLARS.  My 10% off coupon only saved me the sales tax on both pairs. 

I got in the car and immediately started having buyers remorse.  I love this little shoe store but I have never bought ANY pair of shoes that cost that much money in my life.  I can't bring myself to even take them out of the box and put them on. Surely there has to be a less expensive shoe that can handle my high arches, right?  I don't want to end up hurt from bad shoes, but man, $160 is a lot of money to be running around in.

Should I keep them or not?  My 10 day return period is coming up fast!

Thursday Weigh Day

I almost didn't do it.  I almost asked for a "gimme" this week after my failed attempt to get back on track.  I didn't want to see the damage because, let's be honest, I didn't really stand a chance this week - my girly times were approaching AND we had 3 days of Valentine's parties {READ: Candy bags} to get through?  Yeah.  The fail on that was epic.

The damage is done, though.  158.8  Ugh.

The positives?  I'm not back in the 160s.  I managed to stick only to Hersey Kisses for the chocolate I craved.

The negatives?  I was totally unmotivated, crabby and ravenous.  I only worked out once this week -- and I gave up during my run.  {Slacker}  And, I can really pack on a few pounds when I try/don't try.

Oh well.  Onward and upward.

I'm picking out my new shoes tomorrow afternoon and plan to hit the gym to break them in on Saturday morning.

Here's to a new week!