Days Off

We had one of those weekends where it was way too complicated to count points so I took a few days off. One of the best parts of WW right?

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I have to say as nice as it is not to worry about points and calories it isn't as amazing as it sounds. When you are eating fast food and above how many calories your body really needs you feel gross, bloated and have so much less energy. Is it really worth it?

the things no one talks about

Playing off my title from my last post

the things no one talks about

I would love to hear from you about the things no one talk about when it come to losing weight...

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Mine would have to be the confusing now of how big I am. When I was small I knew I was small, now I don't really know where I fit in.

Am I smaller or bigger than the girl I think is the perfect size?

The things no one talks about

Let me tell you one of the biggest downfalls to losing weight....

I can't find amazing deals like I use to be able to. I love J Crew and use to be able to find amazing deals there that would put Walmart prices to shame. I can still find good deals but most of the deals I find now are in a much bigger size.

I would take looking better in my clothes though than having tons of great deals. Clothes can boost your confidence but nothing is better than actually feeling good in them.

A new cheap meal

I found a great meal tonight that was only 3 points and super easy and fast to make! It wasn't huge but I still loved it. I picked up a bag of frozen mussels at Walmart the other day for only $3.50 for 8 servings. Mussels are one of my favorite things but I usually use a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis, it's her mussels, clams and shrimp in a spicy broth. It gets expensive because there are so many different ingrediants but I found a simplier cheap way to make it.

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The mussels are already cooked so all I had to do was throw a serving of them in a cold cup of water to get the frozen water off them. They are also already cleaned so they really couldn't be any easier.

Then I added them to a serving (1/2 a cup) of these Italian diced tomatoes that I had started to boil on the stovetop. It was less that $1 for the can with 3 servings in it.

The tomatoes were already seasoned but I figured it would make it taste more homemade if I added a dash of basil and a dab of this...

I love having some of this in my freezer. I don't cook very often so I can't justify keeping fresh herbs in my house but I know this is always available. My local grocery stocks it with the rest of the herbs.

I let this mixture heat up for about 5 minutes and they are ready to eat. If any don't open up when cooked don't eat it. Hopefully you will love it as much as I did. The greatest part was that I believe it cost me about $1 per serving.

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I also found this again at Costco...

They are 0 point if you measure them out correctly and can be used for so many things. They are great because they are not kept in oil like most sun dried tomatoes since the oil at least doubles the calories. Tonight I dipped them in a 1 point dip and ate them as a small treat. They are great in a salad or so many other dishes.

Carmel apple pops

These little suckers are one of my favorite 1 point sweet treats!

I found some at my local grocery store yesterday. If you love these I would stock up since they only sell them till October. I would buy anywhere from 3 to 5 bags to last the entire year. They are hard to find once they sell out, you won't be sad you did. Just make sure you are careful who you show your stash to, everytime I pull one out people also want one.

My race recap

Want to know how my race today went?

This picture may give you a good idea...

I was too fast for my husband's camera.

I had a great race and I talked to two different girls at it who were both super sweet. One of them even went out of her way to come ask me how I did since it was my first one. I love how everyone works together at events like these.

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Here is my race recap though for you.

I was a little nervous starting out, I wasn't sure at what point in the starting line I should pick because they weren't mapped out by pace like I have heard some races do. They asked the walkers to go to the back but I don't think that happened that much.

I made it through the starting line and started my new Nike+ sports band as I stepped over the starting line. I also had a chip attached to my shoe that would mark my official time starting and ending the race. The beginning was good, I started out slow and let people race past me. I was very good about keeping my speed constant and not tiring myself out. I was shocked at how many people were already huffing and puffing at the very beginning because they started too fast. I knew that this the hardest thing to control in a race though and I can tell you most people through out the entire race were running and then walking then they would run again. There was one girl about my age who did this nonstop. I soon realized that I was her marker, as soon as I can up behind her and start to pass her she would start running again and charge way ahead then I would see her again a few minutes later walking until she got almost even with me. It really started to drive me nuts by the end, I made it my additional goal to not only run the entire race but to pass her. I got a crazy bolt of adrenaline in my legs and I FULL speed sprinted past her at the last quarter mile. I don't think I have ever moved so fast in my entire life, my pace was under a 9 min mile for that short distance. I slowed down the last couple hundred feet but I knew that I blew way past her in the end, I kept my energy constant and gave it my all at the end. I know that may sound silly but I can't tell you how frustrating it was to keep catching up to her and then have her run ahead. Truthfully I think it was really hard for me because our body types were very different even though that has nothing to do with running I have found.

It was so great to cross the finish line and recap the race for my husband. I even cried at the end I was so overcome with what I had accomplished. I was thinking today about how even when I was in 7th grade and my friends were running cross country I never thought I would run that far at once.

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Here are a few pictures for you!

The day before the big race

Today is the night before my first 5K. So most people don't think a 3.1 mile race is a big accomplishment but for me it is HUGE.

I am asking myself if am I really prepared to do this?

I guess I felt the exact same way last week when I was preparing to climb a mountain. I made it though and I was fully prepared. I am even doing another one the day after my race!

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Here are the thoughts running through my head right now.

I need to sign in by race number, better write that on my hand in Sharpie.

Wow I forgot to run at least once without my iPod.

At least I remembered to train on the track at the gym. It was too warm to hit the streets for training and I wanted a harder surface than the treadmill or trail. Let me tell you, 31 laps around the track is a great time especially two days in a row.

Have I eaten enough today to fuel my body for tomorrow even though I know I don't need to carb load for a 5K.

How do I attach my bib to my shirt? Do I need to bring safety pins?

They are all so silly but it feels like packing for a trip and asking if I have everything I may need.

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I will be running with my new toy tomorrow...

It is a good addition to my heart rate monitor since I wanted to know my pace and distance but didn't want to spend a ton of money. I will write more about it soon.

New favorite low point foods!

I have two new favorite foods I wanted to share with you!

The first is a new twist on scrambled eggs for only two points. I combined two different recipes I have found online. I take 4 egg whites and scramble them with water instead of milk. When they are about 3/4 done I add dried basil and a little salt. I then add a light laughing cow cheese and stir till melted! To me I think it tastes light and fresh, very different from typical cheesy eggs.

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My other new favorite is imitation crab. I had some at a friend's house the other day and remembered loving it as a child. From what I am finding online it is about 1 point for 2.5 oz, a pretty decent amount. I like to pull the meat apart and eat it slowly. Remember eating your food slowly is more satisfying.

Yes I am!

My husband just asked me if I was really eating M&Ms before bed.

I told him that I had counted them into my points and it was a big deal that I was actually on track with my points for the day.

You gotta splurge at times don't you! Even if it is a 4 point bag of candy.

my bad running habit

I have a bad habit lately of looking at the runners treadmills next to me to see how fast or slow they are running. I run anywhere from a 3.5 to 4 mph so 10 out of 10 times I am running slower then they are. Then I realize one thing, I run for a lot longer periods of time then they do. If I wanted to sprint then walk I could run at the same speeds they do. My goal is to run the entire three miles I am there not wear myself out and force myself to walk.

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Even though I have already mentioned it before I can't tell you what motivation signing up for a race has been. It was 100% of what got me into the gym for my run today and quite a few other days. I find that I take one day off and before I know it weeks have gone by without me getting in. The days I struggle to get there I usually am so glad that I got in a run. I have only had one day where I didn't complete my planned workout.

I have two more runs to get in before I am taking two days off to rest before my run.

I also plan on doing another 14er on Sunday with some of my girls!

My climb

I did a full recap of my climb with tons of amazing photos on my other blog if you are interested.

Simple Yet Classic

I decided to wear my heart rate monitor for our hike just to see how many calories I could burn. Over 7 hours and a seriously strenuous hike I had burned 3,500 calories total. This is the equivalent of burning one pound. It is also my weekly goal of calories to burn from an entire weeks worth of workouts. Most of the time my heart rate was between 70 and 84% of my max. This is the range you want your workouts to be in.

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Besides the amazing views and the feeling of accomplishment I have a new huge respect for food and why we need to eat. The food that I ate along my hike gave me fuel to keep on going. It wasn't the enemy or something to do because I was bored. I needed every single bit of food to transfer it to energy.

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By the time I got home I was completely spent and needed to reload on carbs and take a much needed nap. I am pretty exhausted today still from working so hard.

Next big goal is my first race then another 14er!

3,500 cal in one day

I burned 3,500 calories (1 pounds worth) climbing this today...

I will give you a recap tomorrow after I get some rest!