Weight Watchers Weigh-In No. 29

At this morning's weigh in I was the same as last week - zero change. Fred was up one tenth of a pound.

I'm not sure what's going on with the scale, but I know we losing inches and improving fitness wise.

Today is the end of week three of INSANITY for us, our rest day. We should be ending week four, but we had to take a break after week two due to some hip pain I was having. We're still hanging in there though and getting stronger each day.

We've decided to switch to simply filling for at least a week. I'm sure it will go pretty well.

Weight Watchers Weigh-In No 28

I'm down one and eight tenths of a pound today, so no complaints here.

Weight Watchers was closed last Saturday so I had to go to a meeting on a Tuesday that week. I didn't post about it here because it hadn't even been a full week from the previous weigh-in. I just went to the meeting to not lose money. Today's weigh-in was the first since Thanksgiving.

One goal I have for this month is no fast food. I'm doing pretty good there. I've eaten out, just not at McDonald's or Wendy's.

Now I have a taste for ice cream. I wonder if Fred will go out and get me some. Does anyone else have an ice cream problem. Isn't it the greatest human creation EVER?  Yum, yum, yum! And yes, I've eaten PLENTY of ice cream during this journey.

Sometimes I want something healthy (beneficial) and sometimes I just want what I want.

Fred lost eight tenths of a pound. A loss is a loss is a loss!

Thanksgiving NSV

We had decided last week that we would run today in addition to doing our INSANITY workout. (I have REALLY missed running while doing INSANITY.) This morning I realized that I might not have the motivation later to run. I rarely workout in the afternoon. So we decided to get a run in and skip INSANITY.

Going out I knew we would get one mile in and I wanted to do at least two.  We haven't run in about four weeks so I didn't know what to expect.

Mile one was a typical first mile for me. It takes me a mile to warm-up. Half way through mile two I wanted to quit. My heart rate was at 180 and the twenty-five degree weather was making it hard to breathe. However, I went home with several NSVs:

1) I exercised on a day when I normally focus solely on food.
2) I stuck with a decision to run today even though it meant missing a scheduled workout (I might still get it in).
3) I pushed myself to finish mile two AND three.
4) I finished my 5k in one of my fastest times ever.
5) I burned one and half times as many calories in my run today than I do in a typical INSANITY workout.

We are INSANE!

This morning we completed day one of week two of INSANITY! The program really pushes us, but it's not so extreme that it can't be done. It's just fast-paced cardio with short, strategically placed rest breaks. We both agree that if we hadn't built or cardiovascular endurance with consistent running in the months prior, we would likely be pretty wiped out during the workouts. After the first workout, we knew what to expect and . could hang. Of course we don't look like the INSANITY workout crew - we do get tired and we have to build up to higher, faster everything. Still, we aren't discouraged, we pace ourselves, we know when to modify, and we know to never give up.

I am reluctant to take a break from running, but we want to know for sure how we benefited from INSANITY. I do believe we might go for a short two to four mile run on Thanksgiving Day. I am so grateful for the growth God has allowed in our lives, and I want to show my thanks by running - not stuffing my body with food.

The workouts we complete in rotation are below. Every two weeks, we complete a fit test. Other days, we rotate through discs two through five. The other discs will be used during month two. Each week we are to workout six days and rest one day.

Recap of Week 1

Weight Watchers Weigh-In No. 26

I just left one of the best meetings ever. We discussed our Thanksgiving plans and designed our plates. (I'll share mine on Thanksgiving, plus I can't upload pictures from this iPad.) Members were really engaged and having a good time. I really do love my meeting. That's very important on this journey.

This week I weighed in with a GAIN of one and six tenths pounds. My exercise changed this week, but I was on top of my points. It's not a big deal; I'm not defined by a number on the scale. When I look at the big picture, I'm headed in the right direction. (My cycle starting last night may have something to do with the gain. I know it had something to do with me enjoying the alternate bites of chips and cookies last night.)

Fred also had a gain - eight tenths of a pound. I'm pretty sure it's the exercise; he's not so sure.

Weight Watchers Weekly Weigh-In No. 25

We haven't posted in a while, but we are still here! Life has just gotten in the way. I do love blogging though, so I'm making plans to set aside time to get some blogging in.

This past Saturday I weighed in with a loss of three pounds with a total loss of thirty-four and six tenths. I lost one and eight tenths pounds during the weeks I didn't post updates.

Fred lost four pounds and six tenths pounds at this last weigh-in.

Hopefully in the next few days I will post progress pictures and provide an update of our workouts.

Our 1st Official 5K Run

This past Saturday we finally experienced our first official 5k run, "The Halloween Hustle". We were a little nervous about the race since we really didn't know what to expect. Upon arriving at the check-in site, we saw many individuals dressed up in some awesome costumes. At this point, I thought the race would be a joke. I wondered how those people were going to take the race serious dressed for a Halloween party.

As we got out of the car we could not help but notice how chilly it was. We checked, and the temperature was about thirty-eight degrees; I began to think that maybe this was a bad idea. After checking in and drinking a cup of coffee, I was relieved that some of the tension and nervousness were beginning to die down. I noticed one individual with some ultra-short running shorts on warming up; I thought, "Wow, either he is serious about running or he is seriously crazy." Well, come to find out he was seriuos about running. More on that later.

As we lined up to begin our race, I tried to signal for Bridgette to come up to where I was. She wanted to stay back, so I went to where she was. It was crazy to see so many people taking off with costumes on, but my attention was quickly turned away from others and to the race. We began at a pace that was faster than normal for us; however, I felt pretty good about it.

About a half mile into the race I have to admit that the inner competitor in me wanted to come out. I wanted to blaze  through the crowd and compete, but I know I would have not made it far and would have burned myself out. I found myself about twenty feet ahead of Bridgette but I was happy to see her still pushing on behind me. I knew in my heart that I could have finished with some of the runners who were ahead of me. Still, I didn't want to finish without Bridgette being that it were our first race.

After Bridgette caught up we finished our last mile or so together. Right before we made it to the finish line we heard a runner quickly approaching. And who did we see? Yeah, the individual dressed like it was eighty degrees out instead of forty. I found out that he was a very serious runner: he actually was one of the runners racing in the 10K run. Yes, he finished his 10K before we finished our 5K. This made me feel motivated to continue with my healthy lifestyle because one day I want to be in the same position as that fellow. In the end Bridgette and I cross the finish line together with her time being a couple of tenths faster than mine.

We finished our first official 5k run without walking. This was an anticipated non-scale victory for us both.