What a difference a day can make!

Just by going on a bike ride by myself yesterday, controlling my calories (even though it was fast food), and walking with my husband, I feel like I'm back on track. The second I feel like I'm being successful, I'm motivated to do more and I LOVE it!

The plan for today is to do 18 miles by myself (for a total of 20 with my work commute) and 10 with the hubby later. I think that 20 is going to be my minimum that I want to go by myself so that even if the hubby gets home late, I'll still have gone a good amount.

After I got home from riding yesterday, I was ready to turn right back around and do it all over again. It's so funny how something that used to exhaust me now invigorates me!

I have an appointment today, but I'm hoping to be home by 4 so I can get in my 18 miles by about 5:30ish. Hoping the hubby will be home by 6:00 so I can get right back on my bike.

It's so exciting to see how much progress I'm making according to my little chart. I've got 60 miles until I'm already at my March goal! So cool that I was way below my February goal, and now I'll be well above my March goal! Crazy that I'll have ridden more in 2 months than I did all last year too!

Sidenote: I had Jack in the Box a few nights ago, and when I put in the calories from what was a regular meal I would have eaten back in the day, it was 3,500 calories. Funny because then MFP said if I ate like that every day, I've be 175.2 in 5 weeks. So I was probably eating between 3,000-4,000 calories a DAY! Gross!

Dedicated

I haven't been riding on my own using the excuse that it'll make me too tired to go riding with my husband. We didn't go for a ride last night and now I feel like I've completely fallen off the bandwagon. I just view fitness in terms of extremes and so I feel like if I slip up one day, I'm ruined for life. I have not been eating well which I KNOW is contributing to my overall sense of blah, so I'm rededicating myself.

I'm dedicated to going 16 miles by myself today. I'm dedicated to going on a bike ride with my husband tonight. I'm dedicated to cooking dinner for myself this evening rather than buying something.

It just kind of hit me that I am 4 lbs. away from my original goal. I'm 2 lbs. away from my lowest post wedding weight. I'm just excited about the fact that I am doing this, and that I am going to keep doing this well past 160.

I looked at my reflection today, and I thought I looked small.... Now at 6 feet, I never feel small, but my body looked so feminine, toned, and just beautiful. I felt gorgeous and I know that eating fast food is just going to make all my hard work vanish. I love how I look and I plan to just keep getting better.

***

I did the 16 miles! Unfortunately, the hubby will be home late tonight, so no epic bike ride together :( I also have a hankering for Panda Express, so I'm thinking we'll have that for dinner.

It's not everything, but it's a step in the right direction :)

I feel amazing: 164

My clothes look great. I've gotten so many compliments on my outfit today and I know it's because I am so confident that I am carrying myself so much more beautifully.

Rode my bike to work today and plan to try for 30 miles today, but it depends on when my husband gets home. I'll know more around 4 or so.

Today has just been a great day overall. I love how my body is looking, even though looking at old pictures makes me a little discouraged. The cool thing is that I look at those pictures and I look in the mirror and I see that I'm getting closer, day by day :)

I'm ahead of where MyFitnessPal said I'd be and I've reset my personal goal to get to 150-155. I'm not going to try to go lower than that, but I love how I look at 150 and it's what I lie and put on all the forms anyways, so it seems like a good number ;p You know what's crazy? I'm 5 pounds away from seeing a 5 in the tens place on the scale! AND I'm 2 pounds away from the lowest I've been since my wedding!

Just super stoked today and feeling SO GOOD! I plan on doing another dress test soon :)

Down 10 lbs! 164.6

Got soooooo sunburned because the hubby and I went for a bike ride yesterday and what was supposed to be a 10 mile/40 minute bike ride turned into a 27 mile/1.5 hour ride. I am VEEEERY fair skinned, so I got fried. It's 100% my fault and makes me so mad because it was so avoidable and it really messed me up.

I decided to weigh myself today, even though I knew I wouldn't have made much progress due to water weight from my period. I was happy to see that I'm another 1.2 lbs. down which made me hit my 10 lb. mark. MyFitnessPal readjusted my calories so I'm eating fewer. It thinks I'll be at 157 in 5 weeks, so that'll be interesting.

I decided to have a cheat say and I'm at about 700 calories over where I should be, but I wanted to just enjoy myself and not really think about it. 

Hoping to get over this burn quickly so I can get back out on Sheila.

***

I am feeling much better after slathering on sunscreen, putting on a white workout jacket, and getting back out on Sheila. I also finished the 5 miles I needed on the stationary so I can put that away and just focus on the real riding until the weather goes bad again. We did 15 miles today, so our total this weekend was 47 miles :) I've got 100 miles until I am already at my monthly goal for bike riding, so I'm very proud of that.

I'm thinking the hubby and I might be able to do 18 miles when he gets home, as the days are getting longer, which is really exciting. I'd go 2 miles to and from work, 10 miles after work (maybe), and 18 miles with him for 30 miles a day! I'm trying not to set the bar unattainably high, but it's still exciting to think about doing a 200 mile week with our weekend rides :)

I feel like I'm getting addicted to bike riding. It's something I crave, I'm cranky and tired if I don't go, and I feel fantastic after I go!

Now that I'm feeling better, here's the difference that 10 lbs. makes!

 Facial progress. I see a bit, not much but enough to be happy. I realize the lighting and angles are different in the photos, but I'm really trying to get them as comparable as possible, not trying to "cheat" by making after photos look better thank before photos.

ABS! I love how much more definition I'm getting in my waist! Now I really need to start cranking out those sit ups to get the definition I want in my lover stomach.

 And in case you've ever wondered how to sweat so much that even your sweat is glowing, here ya' go.

Bump in the road: Pros and Cons

I'm sick. I'm not fighting off a cold, I have a cold and I do NOT deal well with being sick. Sinus pressure, post nasal drip, and a runny/stuffy nose make me want to kill everything! But, there are pros and cons to this situation that I'd like to take a moment to examine and realize the bright side.

Cons
-I feel blah
-I probably won't be up to ride (wasn't up to ride to school)
- I am cranky

Pros
-I have very little appetite
- I go to bed early which cuts of my eating time even earlier
- I want to drink a lot of water, which is helpful

I'm hoping to do 12 miles with the hubby tonight, but if I don't start feeling better, I don't think it'll happen. I just wanna curl up in a ball and watch TV.

***

Didn't ride. Need to go at least 2 tomorrow and I may do 5 more on my bike in 1 mile increments this weekend. I do NOT feel good, but at least I'm not hungry. The only problem is I don't feel up to anything, eating is the least of it. All I want to do is drink ice water.

I was looking at old photos and it made me really upset. I know, it takes time to lose weight and get in shape and I know I haven't been working on my abs nearly as much as I used to, but I am still really bummed. I look at what I used to look like and see myself 10-15 lbs later (which is 20-25 lbs from my start point!) and I'm just disgusted.

Retaining water due to my period and being all bloated isn't helping either. Got a new outfit today to maybe make me feel a little better.

I just want to be skinny. I like how I look at 155-150. It's only 10 lbs. away. I've been at this for a month and lost almost 10 lbs. already. I'd love to be 150 (-15 from now) in a month, but I know that can't happen healthfully by my anniversary. I'm hoping I get there by my birthday in May. I know I am doing better, but I want to be looking sooooo much better.

I'll try my dresses on next week.

Nightly ride

So the hubby and I are planning on another bike ride this evening if he gets home in time. We won't be able to go this weekend and I won't be able to go after work because I have a friend coming into town (eeeee!). I'm a little bit worried about calories because we like to eat together (like constantly snacking, grazing, munching) but I am hopeful that I will be able to stick to my eating habits.

I was thinking about the fact that for the next 6 months or so, I will be able to ride 22 miles every weekday what with:

1: commute (2 miles)
2: solo ride (10 miles)
3: duo ride (10 miles)

So that in and of itself is 110 miles! Then if I do 20 each day on the weekend, BOOM! I'm at 150 miles a week! It's crazy that I've gone 310 miles in a month an a half when last year I went about 475 miles the whole year! Last year was just really bad for me, and I am so happy to be leaving it behind and making such positive changes! I'm hoping to get to 500 miles by the end of the month.

Sidenote: Started my period today so I am going to skip the weigh in this week so as not to be discouraged by apparent lack of progress that is likely due to water retention. Plus, all the more weight next week :)

***

Nice ride tonight with the hubby. Hoping to still get in a bike ride this weekend and to maaaaybe get 5 more miles on the stationary before I pack it away. I have 40 miles until the end of a line and it's sooooooo doable!

It just keeps getting better!

I'm feeling much better today. I rode to work and that really makes a huge difference. I have to leave 5 minutes before the official sunset, but it's not dark by the time I have to leave. I find if it's dark when I wake up, I just immediately decide to take the car. This morning, I committed to taking Sheila even if it was still pretty dark outside because I have to break this negative cycle.

I'm gonna try to get out on the trail today. Really nervous, but I just need to do it and not let my fears hold me back.

It is kind of unreal that when I put in my calories, MyFitnessPal says I'll be 156 in 5 weeks. That just isn't even on my radar. I am still really committed to getting to 160 and the thought of there even being a possibility of going further is just unreal to me.

I realize that I have been 147 living this lifestyle. At my height, I can be anywhere from 130-180 and be considered healthy, but I want a sustainable weight. I feel like 160 was kind of the stasis point a few years back, but it was 150 before that and 140 before that. I am just going to keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens.

Now that I know 160 is going to happen (hopefully in the next two weeks) I am hesitant about setting another goal. I feel like sticking to the mileage goal will necessarily drop my weight down, but I don't know if I should realistically set out to lose more weight. I don't know, I guess we'll see.

Little victory
Last night, I made eclair because I've been wanting a donut and thought it would be better than fried food. I ate one piece and was so overwhelmed by the sweetness that I didn't want anymore! In the "old days" I could probably eat a whole cake worth of is, but not anymore :)

***

I did it! Went 14 miles on Sheila so that by the end of the week, I'll have banked 10 miles on my work commute. Hoping the hubby gets home early enough tonight for us to go another 10 miles. I'm just thinking how great it would be to be able to go another 10 miles today. 14 miles didn't feel like anything and it's just crazy how much stronger I'm getting! The bike ride was smooth and I didn't get lost at all, just took the wrong exit but it didn't mess anything up.

We plan to go get pizza for dinner too, but ONLY if we go bike riding, so I am soooooo hoping we do, otherwise it's bacon and eggs for dinner and pizza sounds so much better!

***

DID IT! Rode another 10 miles and got me some pizza! I usually eat 1/2 a pizza (4 slices), but tonight I wanted bread sticks too, so I went for it. Ate 2 slices of pizza, 4 bread sticks with sauce, and a can of Coke which was altogether fewer calories than 1/2 the pizza.

I'm trying to motivate myself to do 5 miles on the stationary as I've already accumulated 5, so I could fill in yet another square!