Where Am I At?

Ok, I know I haven't really been on track the last week or so. I didn't post my weigh-in last Friday - mainly because I was really ticked off! I weighed in and lost NOTHING... that's right - nada! How in the world can I lose nothing - especially after walking nearly 40 miles on the treadmill and eating super healthy. I was really depressed about it and so Saturday and Sunday I ate whatever I felt like eating and I did not exercise... I didn't really OVER do it - but I did eat more than I would have usually. Oh, and Sushi on Sunday was AMAZING - I swear I felt so much better afterwards... probably because I had been CRAVING it like a crazy person for more than a week.

Depression Sucks!

A week and a half ago it all started with a random panic attack... completely out of the blue and no known trigger. I took my anti-anxiety meds and all was well - or so I thought. The next couple days I could feel the depression sinking its ugly way into my life again. I called my doctor's nurse and let her know I know my doctor is on maternity leave but I needed to see someone, and soon. I was having terrible thoughts - thoughts I'd rather not admit to so openly, but rest assured they were bad!

While they couldn't get me in for two weeks, I was grateful they could get me in at all - trying to get an immediate Psych appointment at Kaiser is next to impossible. The nurse told me to continue taking the anti-anxiety meds to help control the depression as needed. So I did as I was told - and I found myself having to take the meds at least once or twice a day... I was quickly running out so I called in a refill to the pharmacy and left a message with the nurse that I needed a refill.

Five Question Friday 02/11

Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky to appear Friday morning! And make sure you have fun!


1. Would you rather be on ABC's Extreme Home MakeOver or TLC's What not to Wear?
I would totally be on ABC's Extreme Home Makeover - the house we live in could use BIGGER bedrooms and bathrooms, we could also use another 2 rooms and a completely redesigned kitchen that would make my dreams come true!!!

2. Do you have any tattoos?
Yes, I have 1 tattoo on the back of my neck it's a about 1x1.5" and it says dream in Japanese.

3. Do you tell your kids about things you did growing up?
Oftentimes my girls actually ask me if I did something when I was little - I think they like knowing that I was little and did things they did too.

4. If the traffic signal turns yellow, do you stop or speed up?
I totally speed up - I hate waiting at traffic lights!

5. What's your preference: chocolate or chips?
I've never been a chocolate person - so I would totally go for the salty chips! Although, health wise - the chocolate is actually better for you than the chips, go figure!

Workout Wednesday 02/09

My weekly workout:

Thursday: 90 min on treadmill at 3.5mph - 5.25 miles
40 min walk with the kids - 1.75 miles

Friday: DAY OFF!

Saturday: 120 min (yes, a whole 2 hours) on treadmill at 3.5mph on incline 1 - 7 miles!!!

Sunday: 90 min on treadmill at 3.5mph on incline 1 - 5.25 miles

Monday: 85 min on treadmill at 3.5mph on incline 1 - 5.25 miles
40 min walk with the kids - 1.75 miles

Tuesday: 85 min on treadmill at 3.5mph on incline 1 - 5.25 miles
30 min walk with the kids - 1.6 miles

Wednesday: 75 min on treadmill at 3.5mph on incline 1 - 4.5 miles
30 min walk with the kids 1.6 miles

Total time: 9.75 hours
Total miles: 39.2 miles

This week's challenge? I'm going to try and do one of my Jillian Michaels videos at least one day this week. Those videos are tough - so wish me luck!

New exercise for this week... Walking Lunges
Courtesy of ABC of Fitness.com

The Lunge tones the legs and can give you wonderfully toned inner thighs and buttocks. But you should never do this Fitness Exercise if you have knee problems. The Lunge strengthens several muscles: your hamstrings, gluteals, and quadriceps.

The Walking Lunge is a variation of the Lunge. This exercise enables you to strengthen your muscles more. When doing the Walking Lunge, make sure to keep your back straight, your torso upright, and your abdominals tight. Don’t lean forward. Let your knee pass forward your big toe in the middle position.

STEP 1: Stand with feet hip-width apart. Keep your arms straight and hold your dumbbells at your sides.

STEP 2: Move your right foot forward, bending both knees and with the left knee pointing towards the floor. Keep your upper body straight.

STEP 3: Slightly straighten your legs and do another Lunge. Step forward using your left foot and bend both knees. Keep your arms and dumbbells at your sides until you finish the exercise.

Chicken Puttanesca with Fettuccini and Toasted Garlic Bread

Chicken Puttanesca with Fettuccini and Toasted Garlic Bread

Ingredients

12 oz Fettuccine
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped rather thick
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped rather thick
24 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs OR breasts, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 24 oz jar of tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/3 cup pitted and chopped kalamata olives
1 tablespoon capers

1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (can sub for Romano if desired)


Directions


Bring large pot of salted water to a boil; add fettuccine and cook for 11-12 minutes; stir occasionally.

In a large nonstick skillet heat pan over medium-high heat - add oil. When oil is hot add onions and bell peppers to the pan - sauté for 5 minutes or until onions are slightly translucent. Add chicken to the onion/pepper mixture and sauté for an additional 5-7 minutes or until chicken is cooked through; stir occasionally. Stir in salt, Italian seasoning, pasta sauce, olives, capers, and basil; reduce heat and bring sauce to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Arrange 1 cup of pasta on each plate and top with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken mixture. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese.

Serve with toasted garlic bread and side salad.


Toasted Garlic Bread

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread

5 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic paste/pureé


Directions

Preheat the broiler.

Cut French bread into 1-inch slices and arrange on a baking sheet. In a small bowl combine the butter, oil, salt, spices, and garlic; mix well. Spread about 1 1/2 teaspoons of butter mixture onto bread. Broil for 45 seconds - then rotate the pan front to back and broil for additional 45-60 seconds.

*You can top with a little mozzarella for a garlic cheese bread if desired.


WW: 11 points for the Chicken Puttanesca with Fettuccine

I only had 1/2 a piece of the garlic bread and counted it as 2 points. Otherwise it would likely be 4-5 points.

Sufficient Practice?

I admit, while I'm not particularly fond of it, homeschooling Aaliyah is relatively easy. She is extremely bright, and I don't just say that as her mom, she really picks up on stuff and has a stellar memory.

She also excels in science and math... she started 1st grade math when she was still in Kindergarten... and now she has completed her 1st grade math and is ready to move into 2nd grade math while she's still in 1st grade. I emailed her "teacher" to let her know Aaliyah is nearly finished and maybe set up an assessment so she can order Aaliyah's 2nd grade math curriculum... here's the email I get:

Thanks for the heads up on A’s progress, I dint’ realize she was that close. I am trying to get through the end of the semester paperwork so I am kind of behind on that. You are really moving through the curriculum quickly, that is good, but I just want to make sure A. is getting all of the material and having sufficient practice. I want to look at what she is completing more closely. I will contact you next week so that we can chat about things in more depth.

I didn't think we were moving through the curriculum quickly... we might have been a little ahead, but not by a significant amount. The school allots 1 hour for math each day. Aaliyah can do about 2-3 math lessons in 1 hour. So, if we truly spent an hour each day, then she would most definitely finish early.

I was also told that if Aaliyah knows the material that I can go ahead and have her take the assessment and move on. Now, all of a sudden, we're moving too quickly? I guess I'm just a little bothered by the fact that one of the great points of homeschooling is so the child can progress at their own pace... and now we're going to be evaluated because of it.

Believe me, I'm not doing any more work than I have to - again, I'm not particularly fond of homeschooling myself - I believe in it, I just don't like doing it (in all honesty I don't have the patience for homeschooling). What do you think?

Friday Weigh in - 02/04

Last week I finally succumbed to the idea that my goal of losing 2 pounds per week wasn't going to happen, especially after weeks of only 1, 1.4, and 1.6 losses. I tried not to let it get me down - and I certainly wasn't going to give up, although the thought did jump into my mind a time or two. I trudged on - continuing my work outs, and eating healthy. Let's see how that paid off...

Current weight: 245.9
Last week's weight: 248.4

Difference: -2.5 lbs
Total lost: -21.1 lbs

WOOOOOOOOWHOOOOOOOOOOO! Finally! I not only lost 2 pounds, but I lost 2.5 pounds! I am THRILLED! I couldn't be happier - ok, well, had I lost 3 or even 4 pounds I could definitely be happier than I am right now but I'll take the 2.5 pound loss and be ecstatic!

Now, with such a great week behind me - I'm not going to expect this to be the norm, since my previous weeks were a little lackluster. My main goal for this month is to hopefully make it to my -10% body weight goal which is 26.7 pounds. That means I need to lose 5.6 pounds this month to make my first short term goal - I can definitely do it!

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Where Did That Come From?

I was going about my daily routine - picking up the house, putting clothes away, etc... when all of a sudden I started having a panic attack. I have no idea where it came from or what triggered it - I wasn't doing anything I don't usually do. It just hit me and hit me hard... I went from being a normal person to a crying mess.

I was pleading with the kids to clean up, and they obliged because they probably felt sorry for me - wondering why in the world their mama was crying. Then Ilyas decided to start coloring on the walls again - which I had JUST finished cleaning the day before - I came even more unglued.

I couldn't keep functioning like that! Thankfully I remembered my doctor prescribed me special pills to take on those rare occasions when my mind goes completely haywire. They're supposed to be fast acting - so I took a few (don't worry, it was the right dose) and hoped they kicked in soon. Within about a half hour the episode was sedated - thank God!

What's ironic is I had just started thinking to myself, "I'm doing okay without my meds - maybe the exercise is really helping me." Guess I was wrong... now, if only my doctor could come back from maternity leave early!

Workout Wednesday 02/02

My weekly workout:

Thursday: 75 min on treadmill at 3.5mph - 4.25 miles
40 min walk with the kids - 1.75 miles

Friday: DAY OFF!

Saturday: 85 min on treadmill at 3.5mph - 5 miles

Sunday: 85 min on treadmill at 3.5mph - 5 miles
5 min weight training

Monday: 75 min on treadmill at 3.5mph - 4.5 miles
35 min walk with the kids - 1.7 miles

Tuesday: 75 min on treadmill at 3.5mph - 4.5 miles
35 min walk with the kids - 1.7 miles

Wednesday: 60 min on treadmill at 3.5mph- 3.5 miles
5 min weight training

Total time: 8.92 hours
Total miles: 31.9 miles

On Saturday and Sunday I felt amazing - I could have kept going and going. I was so proud to complete 5 miles! I keep encouraging myself to do more and more... but the reality is I should be taking it a little easy, especially as I'm just getting started and used to a routine. This is my third complete week of exercising and I really feel like it's helping with my mood swings.

I finally incorporated my weight resistance/training to my workout. I'm starting out slow with the weights because I don't want to overdo it and hurt something. I did the Dumbbell Squats I posted on last week's Workout Wednesday and the Bicep curls from the week before that. I also did Chest Flys - which is this week's focus...

Chest Flys
Courtesy of ABC of Fitness.com

The chest is made up of pectoral muscles - major and minor. The pectoralis major covers the front of the upper chest and is attached to the upper arm. This muscle is responsible for major arm movements such as flexion, rotation, and adduction towards the body.

Strengthen your pectoral muscles by doing exercises that target those muscles. The Fly is one of those exercises. When performing the Fly, don't bring the dumbbells down in such a way that your elbows are much below shoulder level. Keep the same angle of your arms through the whole movement.

To prepare your muscles and reduce the risk of injury, make sure to do some warm-up exercises before doing the Fly, or any type of exercise for that matter. Learn how to do the Fly in this section:

STEP 1: Lie on the bench, with your arms and weights extended to your side and your elbows slightly bent.

STEP 2: Move your hands above your chest. Then extend your arms out to the side. Alternately open them and bring them together above your chest.

The number of repetitions (reps) and sets you should do will depend on both your strength and skill level. It is important to use weight that is heavy enough to perform the desired number of reps and sets for your skill level while using good form. Try to increase the weight you lift by 5 - 10% as you increase your Fitness level. Depending on your Fitness goals, you may maintain certain weight and reps rather than increase them to build more strength or muscle.