Turning Point

I really need to get on the ball with this blogging thing. I enjoy writing but it's hard for me to sit down and write because so many things are happening with me right now that it's hard to put them all down. The last two weeks have been busy because the hubby's grandparents were in town one weekend and the next week my grandparents and aunt were in town for 6 days. Needless to say I am glad it's over. I am glad they came to visit but having people in the house for extended stays can become a little trying on my nerves.
Since our last talk about diets and whatnot, I decided to try an over the counter diet pill and boy was it working. In the first week and a half I lost 4 lbs and my appetite was suppressed to the point where I was only eating about 800 cals a day. I was loving it. However, a week and a half late I developed a sort of rash all over my midsection and back and it has gotten progressively worse over the last week and a half. It's nothing contagious or gross but the Dr. said it could be ezcema or an allergic reaction. My husband says the only thing I have changed was those pills so I've decided to not take them for a week in order to see if the rash goes away.
So far I am not fareing well. I have been eating everything in sight, candy and crackers at work, a little fast food here and there, more than a single serving of dinner. I am not happy about this turn of events. I really do not know what to do anymore and the days are getting closer to where I have to be in shape for ROTC.
Not sure how this is all going to turn out but I need to get back on the bandwagon and see a dermatologist about this skin irritation and get back on the diet pills or find another one to suppress my appetite so I can see some results by Christmas.

Birthday Wishes and Pumpkin Lattes...

I know it's been almost a month since I've last blogged but things have been slightly hectic. My diet and workout program are not showing the improvement that I wanted to see at this stage in the game. I haven't lost any weight but we have been improving on the run and increasing our distance. I am getting frustrated with the lack of progress that I went and got my thyroid tested. If the problem isn't with my thyroid, then the doctor said we can explore the option of using a diet pill. It would only be for 6 months though because they are dangerous but I am so desperate at this point I don't care.
On a happier note, yesterday was my birthday!! It was so exciting getting packages in the mail from my aunt and grandparents and all the birthday wishes from my friends. I went out yesterday and treated myself to my first Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and I am pleased to report that I am in LOVE!!!!


This weekend the hubs and I are going to the city to do some shopping and go to my favorite restaurant in the world... The Melting Pot! Let's just hope I don't get another speeding ticket on our way to the city tomorrow. UGHH.... These Oklahoma cops have nothing better to do than set up speed traps, and I thought California was bad.... Two tickets in 2 WEEKS!!! I wasn't even speeding, they got me on a technicality.
Well I will come back and post pictures of our adventures this weekend. Happy Friday!!

Minor Setbacks

Well after doing my diet for two weeks, I am sad to announce that nothing changed :( My weight didn't go down, my measurements didn't change, and I am pretty disappointed about it. I know occassionally I cheated by having oatmeal here and a sugar free cookie there but I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but it did. Maybe I do need to get my thyroid checked or something because increasing my workouts to 7 a week and eating less didn't make any difference. On the flip side, maybe it is just taking my body that long to get used to the new regimen? I have decided to stay in Phase 1 of the diet and see where it takes me while still maintaining my workouts. This really is a demoralizing process but I need to pull it together and I will accomplish my goal.

Second Week of Diet

So far so good, this week is the last week of phase one and I believe it seems to be working. I have cheated a little bit on what I ate this weekend (two cocktails, two pieces of bread, and 3 pieces of pizza) but I will just have to make up for it this week. I get measured on Wednesday I hope to see some progress. I haven't weighed myself since last week so I don't know where I am. The running and gym workouts have been great, we are improving everyday with our runs and starting tomorrow we are going to add a half mile to our current course and maintain that for 2 weeks.
My goal is to lose 20 lbs by the end of the year and another 15 lbs the beginning of 2011. In October I am going to Las Vegas for a sorority sisters birthday and I want to have somethings to show for all my hard work.
Everything in my life seems to be going good right now, all my credit card debt is payed off, I am saving money for Vegas, DH is doing awesome with all his training, and I should be finishing ROTC in the spring, then hopefully starting law school in the fall of 2011. Right now I am enjoying working, making money, and being able to spend time with those I care about. After the Vegas trip, I am going to California to visit family and friends and go to Disneyland. Can't wait to see how everything turns out!

Diet: Day 4

So far, everyday that I am on this no carbs kick the diet gets easier. I am finding more foods I am able to eat and I am even trying to satisfy my sweet tooth with some low carb desserts. :) I am also feeling better due to all the working out my friend and I have been doing. We have gone running now two days this week and I can't believe how out of shape, in regards to running, I am. We slightly improved from Tuesdays run, instead of running an embarassing 15:00 mile, we ran a slightly less embarassing 13:30 mile.
I guess we all have to start somewhere and she hasn't run in a while and I haven't run since December because of my knee and physical therapy so we are on the same learning curve. Yesterday I was so sore from running and doing weights at the gym, it was painful to sit down in a chair or climb stairs but that just means it is working.
Saturday, the hubby and I are taking Blitz to OKC for his weekly training sessions and while we are there I need to run some errands and get groceries for my low carb diet I can't find in the town I live in. They have this health food store called "Akins Natural Food Center" and from what the website looked like, it's similar to a Whole Foods (which, by the way, they have ONE in OK but it's all the way in Tulsa which is too far of a drive to get groceries but if I'm desperate I will make the trek. I digress). I am actually getting really excited for this low carb diet, I have already lost 1.5 lbs since starting on Monday and I hope that in a week and a half I will have lost a lot more.

Diet: Day 2

So yesterday wasn't so bad (probably because I cheated and had two pieces of Halloween candy) but at the end of the day I didn't fell full even after dinner. I need to find more "Phase 1 Approved" snacks to curb my hunger. Right now I am so hungry because usually I get up at 730 to be ready for work an hour later, but a friend of mine and I are starting to go running in the mornings at 6 so after our runs I eat breakfast, almost 2 hours before I go to work. I am snacking on honey peanuts (again, probably cheating) waiting for my lunch to start so I can run some errands and make a tasty salad :). However, even after only doing this diet for one day I already feel great. I don't feel as bloated as I did before and it's pushing me to drink a lot more water than I have been.
This afternoon after work, I am going to head to Curves to do a quick round of circuit training then I am going to head to the gym. The plan is to run Tue/Thur/Fri mornings, go to the gym and do strength training Tue/Thur and I am going to still go to Curves Mon - Fri. I am getting weighed and measured again on Wednesday and so far without the diet I have lost 6 lbs and 9 in. so if I don't see a major difference come Wednesday, I am not sure what I am going to do :(. So far though, everything is looking up and I have a great feeling about this.

South Beach Diet

Recently a friend our mine and my husbands announced that she was starting a diet to prepare for her wedding, the South Beach Diet. I have been hearing about this diet for years but was never into traditional diets so I wrote it off. But as I am becoming painfully aware of how much weight I need to lose in order to get to my ideal weight, I have decided to move away from my calorie counting and exercise since none of it has been working for me for the last 3 years, and try this South Beach Diet plan. From what I have read about it online and the different phases involved, the first two weeks seem like the hardest, basically giving up all carbs and sugars.
Today is the first day of my diet and so far it has not been easy, I am so tempted by all the things I used to eat (carbs, carbs, and more carbs) around me that I can already tell this is going to be a rough week. Hopefully, at the end of this first phase, I will have something to show for it.