Woohoo!!

Howdy ladies-

Well I went to bed last night......at 10:00pm!!! I was so tired because I didn't nap during the day and I ran between 6-7:30pm and tuckered myself out. Instead of just running and wiping myself out, I used the first week and first day of my running program. It was very simple. Basically you run for 30 seconds and then walk for 4 minutes and you repeat that pattern for 35 minutes. I did alter it slightly at times because for some cycles, running only 30 seconds was easy so I bumped it up to a minute. I could have gone longer than 35 minutes but I made myself stop so I didn't ruin my hamstrings for days. My legs feel fine (so far) today and I look forward to running either tonight or tomorrow night. It was really fun running while I watched Seinfeld and family guy. It helped the time pass by faster since my mind was halfway distracted with comedy. I was hungry when I finished running but I only wanted good stuff. The apple I ate afterward was amazing and I made a sandwich with sour dough bread, fresh veggies, and ham. I still have to have a slice of cheddar cheese on my sandwiches but I use real cheese, not that processed sliced crap made by Kraft.

I did notice that my heart rate monitor in my treadmill wasn't horribly consistent. Sometimes it would work well and my heart rate would be in the right range but at other times it would say my pulse was between 74-90 bpm. Considering how much I was panting, I know my heart rate was always above 140 bpm. The sensors are on the handle bars so I don't see how I could be messing up the process. And my hands were plenty sweaty so the signal should have been conducted well. I just wanted to make sure I was between 143-168 bpm so I was in my target heart rate range.

Ironically the next part of Love Hunger is about discipline. If I come across any repeating information I'll leave it out so we aren't reading the same stuff more than once. Plus I can already tell that I like Nicole's source a little more when it comes to this subject. The first question asks, "How were you disciplined as a child?" If I remember correctly I was spanked, yelled at, and had things/activities taken away from me if I was rotten. How were you disciplined when you were older? I remember being yelled at as a teenager about a multitude of things but my parents never grounded me. And since I worked when I was older, they couldn't take the car away or really keep me at home. But I didn't do things that were that horrible until around the time I got pregnant. But even at that time, the fact that I disappointed people seemed to be punishment enough. I think my constant worry about disappointing people could be a negative and positive for my weight loss. I don't want people to think "oh jeez, she still can't manage to get her weight under control" but at the same time I need to do this for ME and not worry about what people think.

The first part of the chapter then makes suggestions about maintaining discipline with your diet. The first suggestion states that you should not keep any food out in the open so its always out of sight therefore out of mind. I think this one is a crock. You have to diet and change your lifestyle so you can trust yourself with food and simply hiding it doesn't seem to promote that. I think its fine to leave fruit on the table. I'd like to think that leaving healthy snacks out in the open makes you more likely to want those when you're hungry.

They also suggest that you put healthy stuff in the front of your fridge or cupboards. Not sure what I think of this because I know that I still have junk food if it's in the apartment. I don't simply forget even if a box of Wheat Thins is hiding my licorice. But maybe that works for others. I also hate to hide food in the fridge because then it may not get eaten before it expires. I'm not fond of wasting money.

They also mention something that I've suggested in the past (I feel so smart!). You are encouraged to change travel routes so you aren't tempted by fast food, restaurants, or even grocery stores. This is why I typically avoid Lincoln Way when I drive through Ames since all the tempting places are located close to this street.

They also suggest that you use salad plates or small plates when you eat so you are disciplined about portions. I've considered doing this but haven't made the transition yet. I also like this last suggestion. Put extra food away BEfORE you eat. Don't let it sit on the stove or table during the meal. Another one of those out of sight out of mind deals. I always let the food sit on the stove and I do often go back for seconds since it's right there. I was taught to let food cool though before you put it away so it doesn't create condensation all over the tupperware. I'm sure I can handle some condensation though. It's worth it if it helps me shed pounds.

The last part about discipline requires a big task. I'll talk about it next time since we have plenty to read and do on here for now. Not sure why I'm all about blogging lately but its better than never blogging at all.