Thanksgiving highs and lows

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, I can reflect on how things went.  We traveled to Tennessee to spend the holiday with my in-laws.  I always love going there, and getting to spend time with a great group of people. Here are some highs and lows from the trip:

Highs

• I did not eat one morsel of food that was not on my flab to fab plan!  This is the biggest high for me!  I said "no" to coconut cake, my mother-in-law's famous chocolate cake, stuffing muffins, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, and mashed potatoes.  It was very difficult to do, especially because I eat when I am stressed.  You will see why I was so stressed in the lows below.  If you are curious what I ate, here is a small list: ham, turkey, baked sweet potato, beans, green beans, carrots, and paleo stuffing (delicious!).  I am sure I am missing something, but the point is, I did not starve! 
• We got to see the majority of my husband's family.  As I have previously gushed, they are a wonderful group of people who have welcomed me into their family with open arms.  Plus, they just adore our son.  
• We stay with my mother and father-in-law while we are in town.  They live in the beautiful Tennessee countryside.  The air smells so fresh and natural, the way it is supposed to smell.  I can't describe it, but I just love it there.  
• The drive to and from Tennessee with our 11-month old wasn't bad.  It took longer than normal, but it was pretty easy and stress-free.  

This photo was taken about an hour before we left town.  It is my favorite from our time in Tennessee!  This is our son and his Meemaw.

Lows

• The day before we left for Tennessee, I woke up and could barely swallow water.  I promptly went to the doctor since we were about to leave town.  Thank goodness I did, because I had strep.  The entire time we were in Tennessee I was exhausted and I felt awful.  This is no way to spend the holiday!   
• The lowest of lows for me was our normally outgoing, friendly baby became shy and terrified of everyone, especially men with facial hair.  On Thanksgiving day, he cried almost non-stop.  If you know him, he rarely cries... ever!  This was not the first time we'd been to Tennessee, and he's met all of our family before. He's not normally afraid of strangers, let alone his own grandparents.  I swear I don't keep him locked up in his room all day.  I swear I take him out of the house to interact with other humans.  At the end of the day, I was exhausted, sad, and angry with myself for somehow being a deficient parent.  I left Tennessee feeling like a terrible mother.  I guess it's a good thing we're staying home for Christmas, my fragile ego can't handle another episode like that.               

Four months down...

Can you believe it has been FOUR months since I started this challenge?!  I can’t either.  Time is seriously flying by.  Before I know it, my 12-month challenge will be over and I will have to report my final results.  It only scares me slightly to have to put my body weight and body fat percentage on the Internet again!  But, since I don’t have to do that for another eight months, I am going to put it out of my mind. 

On to happier things!  Results: I am now five pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight!  Can I get a woot-woot?!  More importantly than weight loss, my pre-pregnancy clothes fit better than ever.  I use this as my litmus test, because it can be a good indicator of body fat loss and body fat loss is the cat’s meow.  I don't think I am going to see huge changes in weight loss in the coming months, but I do hope to keep the body fat loss rolling!

My workouts are now getting a bit better.  If you have been following my physical training blog posts, you will know that I've decided not to lift heavy weights again until 2013.  I am using this time to let my lower back heal.  I have been enjoying my running and metabolic conditioning workouts (as much as you can enjoy those).  It is actually a nice change of pace for me.  Although, the fact that I am getting weaker is making me crazy.  It's a vicious cycle, I guess.

This is me doing an overhead squat.  Please excuse my albino legs.  It is November, although my legs would probably be the same color in July.

FYI, I may let my food log go by the wayside.  Have you ever tried to write down every single piece of food that goes into your mouth?  Try it!  It is a full time job.  Being that I already have one of those, I think I may stop keeping track of my food intake.  That is, unless my throngs of loyal fans oppose (all eight of you).  I will, of course, disclose if I "cheat" on my diet at any time.    

Speaking of food, as of right now I have not “cheated” on my diet.  That is four months of clean eating!  I am pretty proud of myself, as I doubted my ability at the beginning of this challenge.  I will admit that I am pretty glad I get to post about this before Thanksgiving.  I think Thanksgiving will be the biggest test of willpower I've had thus far.  You see, while I am not the best cook in the world, I have family members who are.  Cakes, pies, cookies, macaroni and cheese, homemade biscuits, cornbread dressing, and the like are going to be staring me in the face in a few short days.  Can I say no?  Can I walk away and not go cry in the corner?  I’ve spent the past four months eating according to my “rules”.  I don’t really want to fail now, with only eight months left.  But, boy oh boy is it going to be a challenge!  I guess only time will tell.  No matter what happens on Thanksgiving, I only have eight months to go!  I can’t wait to see where I am then!

Physical Training Log

Another week down!  The workout I did on Tuesday destroyed my hamstrings.  I am still paying for it! I think I am ready for a week off, so as a Thanksgiving present to myself, I will be taking next week off.  Aren't I nice?!

Remember, the workouts listed below are a representation of what I completed this week.  Please consult your physician before beginning a physical training program.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Run my neighborhood loop + a bit more

= 16:33

* This loop is approximately 1.5 miles.  I added a bit more distance this week.  I think I probably ran about 1.65 miles.  I am trying to increase my distance each week.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Deadlift (65 pounds) x 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
Burpees x 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
= 10:42

* During this workout, you deadlift 10 reps, do 1 burpee -- deadlift 9 reps, do 2 burpees -- deadlift 8 reps, do 3 burpees -- and so on.  Make sense?  Good!

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Sled drag forward and backward (45 pounds) x 2
Row x 250 meters
Run to the neighbor's mailbox and back
Complete 3 rounds
= 15:54

* The distance to the neighbor's mailbox and back is approximately half a lap on the track.  I was a little slow in completing this workout, as my hamstrings were sore from the previous one.    

Thankful

During the month of November, many Facebook users list what they are thankful for each day.  Instead of participating via Facebook, I thought I would express what I am thankful for on my blog.  I actually stole this idea from my sister-in-law (thanks Martha)! This year, I find myself more thankful than ever. 

First and foremost, I am thankful for my husband.  Without him life would be boring, quiet, and far less humorous.  He loves me for who I am and vice versa.  I don’t have to worry about him judging me or trying to change me.  Our relationship may not be perfect, but it works perfectly for us.  

I am thankful for my baby boy.  God blessed us with the most wonderful, sweet, loving baby boy.  For that I am eternally grateful.  His laugh, big mouth smile, and sweet smooches make every day worthwhile.  I cannot imagine life without him!

I am thankful for the ability to be a stay-at-home mom.  It is not a glamorous job, but it is the best job for me.  You may not agree with it or understand why I gave up my career, but that doesn’t matter to me.  What matters is spending as much time as I can with my sweet boy while I can.  One day, he won’t want to snuggle or spend time with me, so I am going to take full advantage of it now.  Plus, who wants to wear work clothes anyway.  

I am thankful for my real friends.  Not the ones who just want something from me and give nothing in return.  I am thankful for the ones that know everything about me and love me anyway.  The ones I can call at 2:00 am for anything.  You know who you are, and I hope you know I am blessed to call you a friend.  

I am thankful for my family.  We are flawed, crazy, and strange.  But, we are family.  Some of my best memories involve my family.  I may not see them as much as I would like, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t at the forefront of my mind daily. 

I am thankful for my in-laws.  I pretty much struck the in-law lottery.  I have the kindest, friendliest, most wonderful in-laws a person could ask for.  They didn’t seem to bat an eye when their son/brother brought home a strange girl from the west coast.  Instead, they welcomed me into their family and here I’ve been for nine years. 

I am thankful for our home.  Our home is my safe haven, and I cannot imagine being anywhere else.  We’ve only been here a short time, but we’ve already made so many memories here. 

Physical Training Log

It's a new week of PT and I am feeling pretty good!  I still have back pain on occasion, but it is no where near as often as I had it previously.  I am happy with my new program -- for now -- and am excited to see where it takes me.  

Remember, the workouts listed below are a representation of what I completed this week.  Please consult your physician before beginning a physical training program.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

Run my neighborhood loop

= 15:15

* This loop is approximately 1.5 miles.  Last week, I only ran a mile of this loop!  I eventually want to be able to run this loop twice, so hopefully you will see incrementally longer distances each week.

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Snatch balance (18 pounds) x 10

Row x 250 meters 

3 rounds 

= 7:15

* Here is a video demonstration of the snatch balance.  http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/cfj-nov-05/snatch-balance.wmv

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Push Press (15 pound dumbbells) x 25

Sit-ups x 25

Run to the entrance of the neighborhood and back
2 rounds
= 16:40

* The total distance I ran was approximately 1 mile.  

Physical Training Log

Let me begin by saying my heart goes out to everyone sifting though their water soaked lives in New York and New Jersey.  In 2005, Terry and I lost most of our belongings to a flood.  I know what it feels like to sift through your worldly possessions, hoping to find one dry treasure.  The only piece of advice I have is to hold on to your loved ones, they are irreplaceable.  All of the "stuff" can be replaced and fixed.

On to the PT!  I decided to try my hand at lifting this week.  I've had a few weeks off, and I decided to see what happened.  My workout went fine.  I found one repetition maxes on the overhead press and back squat.  I was excited, as I had improved from the last time I found my one repetitions maxes.  Then it happened... I was standing at the sink brushing my teeth and my back seized up.  I thought I was going to fall to the floor.  At that moment, I decided I am not lifting heavy weights for the rest of the year. So much for being able to hulk smash people.  I am going to concentrate on running and metabolic conditioning workouts (metcons).  I will put the deadlift, back squat, and overhead press into my metcons, but I am not doing them separately.  It is causing my back too many issues, and for goodness sake, I love carrying around my 20 pound boy!

Remember, the workouts listed below are a representation of what I completed this week.  Please consult your physician before beginning a physical training program.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Run/walk my neighborhood loop
= 18:45

* This loop is approximately 1.5 miles.  I probably ran a little over 1 mile and walked the rest as a warm-up and cool down.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Press (find a 1 rep max) – 45, 55, 65, 70, 80

* On 05/17/12, my 1 rep max was 75 pounds

Back Squat (find 1 rep max) – 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, 105, 115

* On 05/14/12, my 1 rep max was 105

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Run to the entrance of the neighborhood and back
Overhead squats (18 pounds) x 10
Run to the stop sign and back
Overhead squats (18 pounds) x 15
Run to the farther than normal mailbox and back
Overhead squats (18 pounds) x 20
= 15:54

* The total distance I ran was approximately 1 mile.