Holding Steady...

Here's the headline:  I didn't lose any weight last week.  I didn't gain, but I didn't lose. 

Let's look at what I did well this week and what I could improve on:

Where I did well

- I did not go over my daily calorie limit on any day this week.  This included a dinner out with friends at an Italian restaurant.

- I ran 11.5 miles.  I walked 5.85 miles.  I did 2 hours of Body Pump, 30 minutes of kickboxing and this 40 minute weight circuit (I love Jackie). 

- On Saturday, I ran 3.25 miles on the treadmill without stopping.  Last night, I ran 1.75 miles outside. 

Where I could improve

- I only ate about 6,000 calories.  This number should be more like 7,000 at least if I'm trying to build muscle and tone.

- I only ate 231 grams of protein.  This number should be more like 490 at a minimum.

- I only did two-a-days on Tuesday and Saturday.  I only did 4 hours and 17 minutes of cardio.  This number should be closer to 6 hours.

- I didn't drink enough water.  I should be getting 100 oz. every day.

- I didn't take my vitamins and calcium every day.

How I'm going to course correct

- I'm going to take my vitamins and calcium every day.  When I bring them to work with me, I take them consistently.  When I don't, I don't.  So I packed them up into a little container this morning - enough for a week - and now they're sitting in a prominent position on my desk. 

- I'm going to drink at least 100 oz. of water and log it.  When I log my water, I usually manage to drink 100 oz.  I've already had 24 oz. this morning. 

 - I'm going to get at least 70 grams of protein every day.  I need to start eating breakfast again - when I was making myself an omelet every morning, I was doing better on this front.  Tonight, I will go buy eggs and get back on the omelet train.  For now, I will have a protein bar.

- I will eat at least 1,000 calories a day.  I struggle with this, because I have a difficult time eating when I'm not hungry.  My last fill got me very, very close to the green zone - I am almost never hungry.  As a result, I had a couple of sub-800 calorie days last week, and I know that's not good with as much as I exercise.

- I have scheduled my workouts for the week:

Monday:  6pm, 60 minutes treadmill
Tuesday:  6pm, Body Pump; 7pm, 60 minutes treadmill
Wednesday:  6pm, 60 minutes treadmill
Thursday:  6pm, 60 minutes treadmill; 7pm, 60 minutes Body Pump
Friday:  6pm, 60 minutes treadmill
Saturday:  9am, 60 minutes treadmill, 45 minutes with Jackie
Sunday:  6pm, 3 mile outdoor walk/run

This will put me at 6.75 hours of cardio and three toning sessions, which is closer to where I want to be, activity-wise.

- I'm going to update my blog with how I'm doing on these every weekday this week so that I can hold myself accountable.

I'm also working on some more concrete goals for myself, as up until now I've just had kind of vague things that I've been aiming for, like "lose weight" and "work out more."  I think having SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goals will really help me work toward something, rather than just working hard with no real goal in sight.

Goals

- I want to be in Onederland by Christmas.  That's 15 weeks from now.  I have 30 pounds to go to get there.  An average of 2 pounds per week seems realistic to me.

- I want to be able to consistently run (without stopping) a 5k outside by Christmas.  I can do it on the treadmill now, but I want to be able to do it outside.  As the weather gets cooler, I'm going to transition my indoor runs outside.

- This is a more difficult goal, because I can never be sure what size I'll wear at what weight, but I want to be a size 12 by Christmas.  On Saturday, I tried on, fit perfectly into and thus bought size 14 jeans from Target.  14 is the smallest size I have ever been in my adult life - I was here for the blink of an eye about 3 years ago.  I have never been a size 12.  On average, I lose a size every 15 pounds or so, so a 12 by Christmas should be attainable.

I have decided that if I can reach all three goals, I am going to reward myself with this for Christmas.

There's no way I'm not getting there.  That watch will be mine.  Oh, yes.