This weeks weigh in.........

Went well..... I lost 1.4 lbs. Not quite 2lbs like I wanted but not bad after an Easter brunch and a full weekend off of working out. We'll see how this week goes as I have a retreat this weekend, my redemption will be Zumba training and TONS of cardio on Sunday.

almost at the "last 20 lbs" mark!

Workouts can trigger weight gain.......

Yesterday my friend posted her status on Facebook, shocked that she hadn't burnt more calories running for a short time mixed with some fast walking. I found a great article on hungry girl about our misconceptions of calorie burn. very interesting, read on...........

We're not saying you should avoid excercise in order to lose weight (sorry lazy people!) But the truth is, research shows that people grossly overestimate how many calories they burn during excercise. Not only that, but physical activity often makes people hungry. And since we tend to think we burned more calories than we really have, we can end up consuming MORE calories than we've burned. Remember, it all comes down to calories in vs. calories burned. So don't use a workout as an excuse to pig out. Be realistic about how many calories you are burning while excercising. Use the data provided on the cardio machine if you have entered all your info (without lying to the machine!!!) Or check out online resources to get a good idea of the effect your workout is actually having on your calorie balance. Then you can make adjustments to make sure your workouts help you achieve your goals!

ps- I personally use livestrong.com to track my calories in vs calories burned. They will even let you know the exact number to eat to lose X amount per week or to stay steady in your current weight. Also will tell you how much you burned during any given excercise. Its a great site!

This weeks weigh in.........

Went well..... after being "stuck" again I lost another pound. I am being extra dilligent with my calorie tracking this week and my goal is to lose over 2 lbs. this week.

Training for 8k and Sprint tri.......

Has Begun!

Ben and I officially started training for our two spring/summer events.

We will be running the BMO Vancouver 8k and doing the Deschutes Dash sprint triathalon.

Megan Dahlman put together an awesome training program and we are almost done with our first week of training. I took a little break from running after 3 consistent months of "learning to run" due to shin splints. Got those under control and loved getting back to it.

No exercise feels as good as running when you are done!

Just a side note but if you are interested in learning to run, improving your running or looking for a program I would highly suggest going to www.dahlmanelite.com

Zumba in Pioneer courthouse square.

Follow this link to watch the video of me and some friends doing Zumba on KGW with Drew Carney. It was way too early and very cold.....but we had a ton of fun!

http://www.kgw.com/video/carney-index.html?nvid=345807&shu=1

This weeks weigh in.........

So I didn't update my weight last week because I stayed exactly the same. Duh! Since I was overeating by about 300 calories a day since "my daily plate" was set wrong. oh well.

After I figured everything out we are back on track and I lost 2.8 lbs! only 24.4 left to go!

Shamrock run.

Ben and I went downtown and met Michelle for the Shamrock run. It was our second year in a row.
We had a blast despite the neverending rain and wind. We did much better than last year.
We all ran in the top 1/3 of our divisions. Go Us!

......Next stop. Vancouver BC for our first 8k!!!!

This weeks weigh in.........

So I am so excited that I lost another 2 lbs this week!

I have lost a total of 7.6 lbs in the last 3 weeks.
Now the reality is I have 27 lbs to go....

Think chicken pot pie has to be bad for you.......think again!!!

Hungry girl kickin chicken pot pie.

ingredients:

8oz raw chicken breast cut into small pieces

3 cups petite frozen vegetables

1 can (10.750z) 98% fat free cream of celery soup

3 servings reduced fat Pillsbury cresent roll dough

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

cook chicken pieces until light brown but still tender, set aside

Heat frozen veggies in microwave according to directions on package

mix chicken, veggies and soup together in a bowl

put in a glass pie pan sprayed with non stick spray

place dish in oven and cook 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

(stir halfway through)

While dish is cooking, unroll 3 cresent rolls.

Combine together with hands to make one ball of dough

With a rolling pin roll out dough to cover top of dish

cook for an additional 15-20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

let cool a few minutes and enjoy!

(makes 4 servings)

210 calories and 6g fat per serving! Enjoy!

Two big things in one week!

So two big things happened this week on my journey to a fit me!

1. I reach my 10% milestone meaning I have lost 10% of my body weight. EXCITING!......then I realized I have to reach this goal two more times before im done. But still great!
(oh and I lost 2.8 lbs this week. I will do my weight update on Mondays normally, but was super busy this week.)

2.I am going to become a Zumba trainer for a new Zumba studio opening in Vancouver. Crazy things goin on here!!! I am so excited!

losing weight with a friend increases chances for success!

If You are really serious about losing weight and eating healthy, ask a friend to join you. A friend can be very beneficial to your success. Someone you can go to the gym with, share recipes with, and someone to share your ups and downs with. Another great reason is for support. It's often hard to stay motivated to keep eating healthy and consistently work out. Having a friend (or friends) that you can turn to when you're struggling can make a huge difference. It's not just about you having someone to turn to when you need motivation. It can be just as beneficial to you when you are the one giving the support.

Do you have a workout/dieting parter?

Magic Margarita Recipe......Better than a 100 calorie pack!

Hungry Girl Magical 100 calorie Margarita!

There are zillions of recipes for Margaritas. And, although they all vary as far as taste and ingredients go, most have one thing in common--they are incredibly caloric!

In fact, most have between 250-500 calories!

Margaritas are fun, and they taste great. You will love Hungry girls Magical Low Cal Margarita.

It taste like you are drinking the real thing!

Ingredients:

60z. Sierra Mist free (or other fave lemon lime diet soda)

1 shot of tequila (1.5 oz)

1/2 tsp. crystal light powder

1 oz. lime juice

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, pour over 1 cup of ice.

Garnish with a lime wedge, enjoy!

Zumba

I have been hearing about "Zumba" lately and have been interested but didnt know where I would fit it in my training schedule. They offer a zumba class at Firstenberg and today they had a free class to try it out. I went and loved it! It was so much fun. I felt like I was in High School again. I liked it enough to stay and do the class again totalling 2 hours of Zumba'ing today. I am back to running tomorrow, but I will also be taking another class tomorrow night and also Saturday morning!

Ready. Set. Go

Here I am 8 weeks into my running journey, and a lifetime into my weight loss journey. I am wondering why I want to share this with others??? My first post will answer this question I guess.

I want a blog for people who are "on and off" with working out and eating right and looking for motivation if they are wanting this to "be the time it sticks". I want to be vocal about when im struggling or when im doing good, so I can get either praises to keep me going or motivation to pick up and keep moving. I want a "journal" per se, so I can look back and see what I am accomplishing. I will be posting awesome food faves, workout tips (not from me but my trainers), info on upcoming runs, updates on my journey, and hopefully some running articles from some great runners i know!

So join me! follow my journey to the finish line and beyond!