Milly's weekly check in!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sat Dec 29, 2012 6:59 pm

milliem wrote:Well Merry Christmas everyone! A little late I know hehe I've been caught up in the holidays, lots of socialising and family time which has been nice! Has meant pretty much no NoS tracking though - I'm trying to keep vaguely to the structure but I always find it tough at this time of year so I don't think I've had a green day since mid December.

In good news, I'm only about one pound up from last time I weighed, so it hasn't been too disastrous! I do need to get back into exercising though, I'm craving a run but finding it hard to get motivated with this dreary, cold and rainy weather - such floods all over the UK this Christmas

Anyway, off out for a birthday party tonight, no rest for the wicked...

Merry Christmas to you too! I think I also gained a pound or two. Scale here doesn't work but my tightest jeans tell the story. Wish you could have our weather (it's perfect here). I have been getting out there and running, so I'm sure the weight will come off. Today I ran 25 min straight, day 1 of week 7.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 10:29 am

I always know when I'm not being very NoS compliant by my avoidance of the habitcal and the NoS boards. December is always tough for me! Especially years when the 'special' days (for me Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day) are midweek so are on top of regular S days. I just get into a pattern of eating badly that I find hard to break.

Anyway, January 2013! So far:

1st - S day
2nd - Green
3rd - Green
4th - Red

Yesterdays failure was a vanilla milkshake, a packet of popcorn and a couple of cherry liqueur chocolates.

I'm going to recommit to eating better foods next week, I've been trying to use up the leftover foods from Christmas which were in my fridge/freezer (I'm also on a budgeting kick and hate waste!) so have been eating a lot of cheese and savoury baked goods. Delicious and compliant with NoS but really not that great for me and I've been feeling sluggish and have had a sore stomach a bit! I'm craving fresh vegetables, fish and lean meats! Time to start meal planning I think

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:36 pm

milliem wrote:
I'm going to recommit to eating better foods next week, I've been trying to use up the leftover foods from Christmas which were in my fridge/freezer (I'm also on a budgeting kick and hate waste!) so have been eating a lot of cheese and savoury baked goods. Delicious and compliant with NoS but really not that great for me and I've been feeling sluggish and have had a sore stomach a bit! I'm craving fresh vegetables, fish and lean meats! Time to start meal planning I think

I've been adding fresh fruit or veggies to every meal this week, and it helps a LOT.Its been so simple too, a few veggie sticks at dinner, a sliced apple at supper. I feel much better and in control, you will too!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Mon Jan 07, 2013 7:30 pm

I've meal planned for the week and included a lot of veggies where I can! This evening is roast chicken, sweet potato and carrot mash and broccoli

So far so good today, hope to mark a green after dinner.

Ran week 8 day 1 (28 minutes) today, was tough as always but got there in the end!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Tue Jan 08, 2013 3:41 am

Good for you, keep it up and you'll have a great week! I'm going to miss this great weather. My 28 minutes went OK this morning, got out there a little late and it was a bit hot. One more run this week and then I'll be in Minnesota. I wonder if they allow running in the mall? There's a big mall near my Mom's house. I know they open it early for mall walkers, and I do jog pretty slowly! Sometimes fast walkers pass me up!!

gk · Post by gk » Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:22 pm

Great job with the meal planning! That can be so helpful, because it takes the "thinking part" out of it. If you know in advance, you can't let your cravings for the day sway healthful choices.

Keep up the great work!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Thu Jan 10, 2013 10:07 pm

gk wrote:Great job with the meal planning! That can be so helpful, because it takes the "thinking part" out of it. If you know in advance, you can't let your cravings for the day sway healthful choices.

Keep up the great work!

Agreed! I plan all our suppers when I'm in the states so I can shop once a week. Here I shop daily, but could still plan menus!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:53 pm

The week started well, ended not so great. Monday to Weds were green, Thursday and Friday were red. I'm pretty sure that a trigger for me is eating junk food on weekdays - even if it is 'allowed' the salt and fat etc. always seem to trigger cravings for more of the same!

The fails were chocolate after dinner both evenings.

I finished week 8 of C25k though this week and had a fabulous run today! Looking forward to finishing next week and then figuring out where to go next

snapdragon · Post by **snapdragon** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 3:36 pm

Good job with your running! I really am so happy for you. I just wasn't ready for it. I can't bring myself to run in really cold weather. It's around 20 degrees here -6 Celcius. I do see people run on occasion, but I am afraid of slipping on icy patches.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Mon Jan 14, 2013 7:07 pm

Yikes that is cold snapdragon!! It's about 3 Celcius here which is plenty cold for me! Just did week 9, day 1 today - last week of C25k!! We've been doing the timed version, so week 9 is 30 mins running, but we (meaning I, my OH keeps pace with me poor guy

) are pretty slow so going about 3.7k in that time. We're going to start the distance version at week 6, which starts around 3.5k or so, and keep going on that one until we're actually running 5k. Then THE WORLD!

Weekend was pretty heavy, I noticed myself eating when I really wasn't hungry. Hoping to focus on really nice meals this week that don't involve take away, try and keep on track.

snapdragon · Post by **snapdragon** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:29 pm

Are there any 5k races you can look forward to participating in? That is a goal of mine this year. I bet you could finish one at this rate!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:52 pm

I'm surprised the cold hasn't really bothered me too much here in Minn.. Saturday it was 20F with quite a wind when I went out and ran. Had to be careful about icy patches, but did fine. Then it got colder! Yesterday I ran indoors at the mall with all the elderly walkers. There was one younger woman who passed me up walking fast. It was so much more boring, I like outdoors better. Today it's above freezing, and it was a pleasure to go for a brisk walk.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Jan 18, 2013 9:59 am

I'm actually looking to start doing our local Park Run - a regular 5k run on a Saturday morning, around a lovely nearby park. Might sign up to some races later in the year too

That being said have only got out running once this week, it's been snowing and I hate even walking in snow I have such bad balance!!

NoS wise, so far so green this week. I had pizza for tea on Tuesday, and although last week it triggered a sweets binge, this week I got a grip on myself

Working at home today due to the snow - honestly the UK grinds to a halt at any kind of weird weather, but snow happens rarely around here so we aren't prepped for it and I'm fortunate enough that working at home isn't a big deal. Hopefully I'll stick to my normal workday eating routine! Weight is slowly coming off after xmas/new year, hovering at around 171 at the moment.

gk · Post by gk » Fri Jan 18, 2013 9:55 pm

Just look at you go!.....participating in the regular 5k run and races later this year.

Great job on the green week and resisting the sweets binge on Tuesday. Goes to show that "try, try again" is worth the effort.

Keep up the great work! You are a constant source of encouragement and a calm and reassuring presence on the No S Boards. You have ups and downs but you work steadily on through and don't let it get the best of you, always having a positive outlook. I admire that and will try to aspire to that the next time I'm having one of my "diet temper tantrums".

Have a great weekend! Stay warm!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Jan 19, 2013 3:29 pm

Thanks gk, such kind comments!

Friday was green, so that's a full green week last week, my first of 2013! Hopefully not my last

I was very tempted to go for some chocolate last night after supper, but resisted. It's funny, I wonder how I ever gave up smoking given that I seem to find every minor urge for a piece of cake such a drama lol!

Today has been an ok S day so far - an early (and fairly small) lunch out while shopping, a small cake-bar and a chocolate dessert pot as treats this afternoon and that's it for today so far. Don't feel the urge/need to binge and just eat everything today fortunately. Also fitted in a bit of exercise this morning on the Wii, it's still too cold, icy and snowy outside for running.

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Sun Jan 20, 2013 9:26 pm

Hi milliem:

Had to drop in & say â€œhiâ€ & check out your thread. I must say you have had me roaring with delight at your rapid fire narrative, challenging & busy professional & social life, & outrageously joyful food choices.

Good on you with learning how to â€œrunâ€ again. That is a secret desire of mine that I somehow, somewhere hope to accomplish as well. I very much enjoyed reading about how you started running â€“ your experience gives me hope!

Congratulations on your 2013 GREEN WEEK ! I know you will enjoy many more as you run through the year!

snapdragon · Post by **snapdragon** » Mon Jan 21, 2013 3:19 pm

Thanks for the encouragement on my thread.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Wed Jan 23, 2013 8:01 pm

Hi noBS and snapdragon, thanks for stopping by!

Green week so far - a bit of funny stuff today though. I forgot to eat a third meal and realised I was very hungry before I started cooking supper (which isn't a quick prep meal!) I put some pretzels in a little bowl to eat and I'll virtual plate them onto my supper plate when it's ready. Not strict, but not a regular habit so it'll do.

Still no running for me

The pavements are still icy, slushy and slippy and I'm too cheap to pay for a gym and running machine! I did do some wii sports active exercise today though which I feel much better for! Hoping this snow buggers off soon though so I can get back outside

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Thu Jan 24, 2013 2:10 pm

Congrats on your green.

Oh, sorry about your bad weather.

I really love running outdoors, yesterday it warmed a bit so I bundled up and drove over to the sheltered side of the lake. It took about 10 minutes for my hands to warm up, but by the end of my run I had taken both pairs of gloves off. It was 10F, and there was about a quarter inch of snow, but that only served to cushion my run. I wouldn't have done it if it were icy. Only slipped a little once.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:58 pm

Its started raining today so hopefully will clear the snow over the weekend so I can run!

Yesterday was an S event in the evening but pretty sane eating overall. I feel in weekend mode today so will have to work hard to keep to the N day rules and not give in to S's before tomorrow! I might have a low calorie hot chocolate later as a treat

gk · Post by gk » Sun Jan 27, 2013 11:38 pm

milliem wrote:Its started raining today so hopefully will clear the snow over the weekend so I can run!

Boy, that's a sign of a sure habit if I've ever seen one! When you see bad weather as a bummer cuz you can't exercise versus "yay! The weather's too bad to exercise!", you know you've made it.

Keep up the great work.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 6:54 pm

Well it POURED down today but got out there and ran, felt great! We've finished the C25k plan going on the timed basis (ended on 30 mins running) but we were running about 3.6k at the end, so we're switching to distance based and working back up. Started at week 6 today which is a distance of 3.6k in various combinations of running and walking (mostly running!) I've also signed up for Tough Mudder later this year

Really hope I don't die a horrible and muddy death...

Anyway, NoS wise last week was 4 greens, 1 S event day which was positive! Ate a LOT over the weekend though, even when I really didn't need to and wasn't hungry. Well, not going to sweat it, can't fail an S day right? Weight is still hovering around where it has been the last couple of weeks, I'm always happy with maintenance.

Yesterday was green, today should be too if all goes as planned. Feeling pretty motivated after an awesome run!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 7:30 pm

milliem wrote:Well it POURED down today but got out there and ran, felt great! We've finished the C25k plan going on the timed basis (ended on 30 mins running) but we were running about 3.6k at the end, so we're switching to distance based and working back up. Started at week 6 today which is a distance of 3.6k in various combinations of running and walking (mostly running!) I've also signed up for Tough Mudder later this year Really hope I don't die a horrible and muddy death...

Anyway, NoS wise last week was 4 greens, 1 S event day which was positive! Ate a LOT over the weekend though, even when I really didn't need to and wasn't hungry. Well, not going to sweat it, can't fail an S day right? Weight is still hovering around where it has been the last couple of weeks, I'm always happy with maintenance.

Yesterday was green, today should be too if all goes as planned. Feeling pretty motivated after an awesome run!

Glad you could get out there! I had an awesome run yesterday after the 4 inch snowfall. It was so beautiful! All the trees looked like a Christmas card. They had the path plowed and it was above freezing. Not slippery at all, because the base was sleet, it was kinda like running on a cinder track. So I went all the way around our lake, which is just over 5k. I ran for 35 minutes, and walked for 18 to complete 5k.

How are you measuring distance? A pedometer? I might get one today.

I just checked out the tough mudder website.... Are you serious?

too tough for me!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:11 pm

Nice work on getting to 5k! I'm using a phone app which tells me when to run/walk and tracks my distance through GPS. Today we went 3.6k in about 32 minutes (which had some walking breaks). With a 5 minute warm up and cooldown each end we've been going almost 5k

It sounds lovely to have a lake to run around that you know is the right distance! There's a park not too far away from here that I might use to run around, although might have to hop in the car to get there - I generally like to start as soon as I step out the door.

Yeah I think I might be slightly insane signing up for this thing

In fact I'm sure I am, I was watching a video of it earlier thinking 'that looks FUN'... It's going to be crazy tough, but you do it as a team and everyone helps each other. I'm hoping to work up to running 10k by the summer and doing some upper body exercises as well, I think I need to be strong to get over some of those obstacles!

gk · Post by gk » Wed Jan 30, 2013 3:02 am

milliem wrote:Well it POURED down today but got out there and ran, felt great!

I've also signed up for Tough Mudder later this year Really hope I don't die a horrible and muddy death...

Anyway, NoS wise last week was 4 greens, 1 S event day which was positive!

Weight is still hovering around where it has been the last couple of weeks, I'm always happy with maintenance.

Yesterday was green, today should be too if all goes as planned. Feeling pretty motivated after an awesome run!

All sounds so wonderful! It's always so encouraging to read your posts.

And, the Tough Mudder? I cannot WAIT to hear about that experience!

It's great to hear you are doing so well with exercise and No S, and having fun in the process!

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Wed Jan 30, 2013 8:08 am

Wow - you've been doing great on your running! And a Tough Mudder? That is hardcore! Thanks for being an inspiration to the rest of us!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Feb 01, 2013 5:42 pm

I'm already halfway regretting signing up for it haha

Oh well in for a penny in for a pound as they say...

Monday to Thursday all green this week - mostly good solid platefuls of pretty healthy food as well, and although I've noticed hunger, I haven't felt deprived. Last night and tonight are plates of takeaway, not feeling guilty about it as I know it's allowed! Also fit in two days of running so far, hoping to also go on Sunday, and one day of resistance work.

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:48 am

milliem wrote:I'm already halfway regretting signing up for it haha Oh well in for a penny in for a pound as they say...

Monday to Thursday all green this week - mostly good solid platefuls of pretty healthy food as well, and although I've noticed hunger, I haven't felt deprived. Last night and tonight are plates of takeaway, not feeling guilty about it as I know it's allowed! Also fit in two days of running so far, hoping to also go on Sunday, and one day of resistance work.

You are doing well, you can train for the Tough Mudder and then go watch it.

gk · Post by gk » Mon Feb 04, 2013 2:05 pm

milliem wrote:Monday to Thursday all green this week - mostly good solid platefuls of pretty healthy food as well, and although I've noticed hunger, I haven't felt deprived.

Awesome!!! Keep up the great work! Let's go for another GREEN week!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 6:52 pm

Last week was all green - I noticed I've reached 21 days on plan hooray! That did include one NWS day

The weekend was... ok. I didn't permasnack but I did eat a lot and had a couple of meals out. Small steps

Monday was green, today ok so far. I did some resistance work yesterday and a run today, and now I ache, ugh! It's really making me think about what I eat though, as I need to make sure I have enough energy and nutrients to work out, but I know running will be a lot easier if there is less of me to lug around!!

SpiritSong · Post by **SpiritSong** » Tue Feb 05, 2013 7:47 pm

Congrats on your green week and 21 days on plan!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 1:41 am

Milly, kudos to you an the green week and the 21 days! Soon you will be svelte and buff with all the greens and working out, and the soreness will be worth it!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:10 pm

Well I'm not so sure about 'buff'

but hopefully fitter!

Tuesday and Wednesday were both green this week. Not struggling too much at the moment, think I'm getting into a NoS groove. I've realised that hunger is ok (I often feel hungry in the morning and evening, but I know I'm getting a decent amount of calories and nutrition) and I must say that having a fitness goal is quite the motivator! I've never set myself a goal related to fitness or even weight before, and knowing I'll have to push myself hard physically is giving me pause for thought if I think of cheating or picking up an S. I'm not going to turn into a crazy dieter, but hopefully it will help me be more motivated to keep N days green, and more mindful on my S days. I'll have an S event this Friday for a family get together, planning on just my normal lunchtime meal and a perhaps a mini-meal in the afternoon, not going to use it as an excuse to eat all day!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 12:44 am

Good plan, you are doing so well! Keep it up!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:23 pm

Well this week will be a success - four green days and one S event this evening. I'm in for a heavy weekend (two nights out plus it's rugby season!) but going to try and be vaguely sensible about it

I enjoyed greatly a small seafood pizza last night after my run, it's such a relief to know that I can make that choice if I want to and will still be sticking to NoS!

A bit of a setback in running though, I have some pain in my hip flexor after this weeks runs that just isn't going away, so I think I'm going to have to rest it for a bit and maybe visit the doctor to check on it. Although it felt ok during the run on Thursday, it was sore before and after and I'm hobbling a bit today!! I don't want to make things worse for myself in the long run.

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sat Feb 09, 2013 2:25 am

Oh, so sorry to hear about your hip! Praying that you're better fast!

gk · Post by gk » Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:06 am

Hope your hip feels better soon!

By the way - great job on all the green.

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Sun Feb 10, 2013 8:38 am

Thanks for stopping by my thread, Millie!

I'm sorry to hear about your hip - take good care of it! I had the same thing - my hip would feel fine while running but afterwards I'd be hobbling around like an old lady... I hope it gets better for you soon.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:07 am

Well this week has been a success - although two S 'events' (pancake day and valentines day). Our valentines day treat after supper was even more pancakes - I always forget how much I love them until Shrove Tuesday rolls around! So some sweets involved but no red days

My hip flexor is still sore and painful when I attempt to run

I can feel it twinging when I walk... I'm going to stretch it this weekend, attempt to run on Monday and if it's no better ask the doc for some advice!

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Sat Feb 16, 2013 10:26 pm

Congrats on your SUCCESSes, milliem!! And your running.

I hope your hip issues are resolved quickly.

Your hilariously cheerful & active life makes me smile every time I read your posts. Thanks, eh.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 11:31 am

Heh thanks! Glad I can provide a bit of cheer to anyone with my ramblings

Yesterday and today are of course S days. Felt like I ate too much yesterday so going to log it:

breakfast - 1/2 bagel with chocolate spread
lunch - chicken dippers, sugar snap peas, 1.5 krispy kreme doughnuts
dinner - fish pie, pineapple slices, ice cream bar
evening snack - 1/2 slice of birthday cake

I don't think it's actually THAT much for an S day but I ate lunch and dinner quite close together as we were out at a party from 6.30pm so I felt full. Probably more than I needed to eat though. Stuck to mainly soft drinks as I was designated driver which saved money and empty calories!

Not sure what I'm eating today but I know there are a pile of pancakes with my name on them defrosting next door (yep, still on my pancake kick!)

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:06 pm

Milly, I agree with No BS, I always enjoy reading anything you write,makes me feel very cheerful. If you run tomorrow, go easy! Hoping and praying it goes well!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sun Feb 17, 2013 9:15 pm

Logging today's S day again, gotta stay accountable for the choices I make on S days

breakfast - 2 small pancakes with maple syrup
lunch - chicken kiev, roast cauliflower, carrots
afternoon - 2 more pancakes

(and a chocolate bar)
'dinner' - crisps and an ice cream

Lunch was very late, so I didn't really have a proper evening meal (plus was out at the cinema). Not the best choice but glad I had a decent plate of lunch which helps me feel not too awful about my eating today!

I have been keeping up with my upper body workouts while my leg is resting/healing. Got some resistance bands and practicing hanging off a pull-up bar - not strong enough to actually pull myself up yet! I am planning on running tomorrow though. I'll go for 4km and see what happens...

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:22 am

milliem wrote:Logging today's S day again, gotta stay accountable for the choices I make on S days

I do the same, milliem. It helps me better track how I am doing & what works for me, seven days a week.

MJ7910 · Post by **MJ7910** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 2:39 am

i like this idea, just writing down what I do on Sdays. That way at least I can see what it was and really know if it was overdone or not.

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:33 pm

It's S days that are my 'problem area' at the moment and are the thing I really need to be mindful of. I'm finally feeling more comfortable with N days - another three green under my belt this week. Actually I haven't had a red day since 11th January

Longest streak yet I reckon! Cue a ginormous fail in the next few days haha

Mind you there have been a fair few S-events in that time (six in two months) but they are S events, not S day free-for-alls at least.

So, tracking just S day food works for me. I need to just eat less on S days. I figure it will come. I've already gone from permasnacking most weekends to largely sticking to meals (but big ones, with dessert).

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Wed Feb 20, 2013 11:19 pm

Congrats on the Green Streak!!!

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Thu Feb 21, 2013 1:51 am

Aha, milliem, the sweet smell of SUCCESS is permeating your thread!!

Good job!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sun Feb 24, 2013 3:42 pm

Back to log my weekend eating

Monday - Thursday were green, although some funny stuff on Thursday. Went to book club and had a small plate of food for dinner there, but I also had a small dessert of homemade indian sweets, themed for the book. Invoked my rare mod of accepting sweets on an N day if they are homemade and unusual! Notwithstanding the fact that it was a sweet, I pretty much virtual plated for one plate of food in any case. Friday was as normal during the day, an S event in the evening (out with family for a multi course meal).

Saturday:
brunch - eggs benedict
mid-afternoon - pistachio nuts, black pepper breadsticks, large slice of almond tart
dinner - pizza (3 slices - fit on half a plate) and cucumber.
post dinner - a chocolate bar and a few pringles

Sunday:
brunch - hot dog at Costco
snack - milkshake and some jelly sweets
dinner (planned) - turkey burger, sweet potato fries, veggies

I imagine I will fit in another treat or two today as well

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 7:41 pm

Sunday was as planned, except with the addition of an entire bag of chocolate covered toffee popcorn

That stuff is LETHAL I had real trouble stopping once I start eating it!! Probably just shouldn't buy it but damn, it's good.

Anyway back on N days now, so far so good (although it's only Monday)

) Also back into running - ran 4.4km today in 34 minutes, not bad considering I've only run once in the last 3 weeks! My leg is feeling a ton better, didn't bother me at all today or since, hooray!

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 1:55 am

CONGRATS on your happy leg & your run!!!

Your chocolate covered toffee popcorn sounds delicious! I definitely could make a big dent in a bag of that

!!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 3:39 am

Milly, so glad your leg is better and you can get back to running! Yes!!!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 12:06 pm

Well, another all green week for me! No S-events this week either and as far as I can recall, no funny stuff! I did have some post-work beers last night with my dinner, out with friends, but resisted the temptation of the post-beer burger that my OH was having...

So February was all in all a success! I was 92.7% compliant with no failures which I'm very happy with. I don't think I'll have nearly as many NWS days or events this month so hopefully that can creep up a bit in March. I've noticed that my weight is hovering around the 170 pound mark at the moment whereas a few months ago it was hovering around the 177 mark consistently. I'm looking forward to it hovering in the 160's at some point

I'm also back to running - today was Week 9 day 1 of C25k (distance version) - 4.8km solid running! By the end I was feeling very tired, and my leg still feels quite week, but I felt awesome that I managed to run without stopping. By the end of this week I should be running 5k

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 3:39 pm

milliem, what an awesome week and an even more awesome month! Super stats! Fantastic news on your running leg!

Your hard work is really paying off!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 4:39 pm

Thanks No BS, I just noticed my terrible typo - WEAK not week!

At least my eating is currently better than my spelling

Going to continue tracking S days, this is where the work needs to go! And by work, I mean keeping a vague eye on it and hoping that I eat less at some point...

Saturday 2nd March
breakfast - blueberry porridge with peanut butter and sliced banana
post run snack - little tub of dried fruit and nuts
lunch - burger and chips (left about 1/3 of the plate, I was full!)
afternoon - cup of tea and a little portion of cake
dinner - TBD...

I've been ordering one of these Graze boxes on a Saturday for the past couple of weeks, containing dried fruit, nuts and a few little treats. Over two days I think it might make a nice little snack treat. That's if I can prevent myself from also eating a ton of other stuff!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sat Mar 02, 2013 5:55 pm

milliem wrote:Well, another all green week for me! No S-events this week either and as far as I can recall, no funny stuff! I did have some post-work beers last night with my dinner, out with friends, but resisted the temptation of the post-beer burger that my OH was having...

So February was all in all a success! I was 92.7% compliant with no failures which I'm very happy with. I don't think I'll have nearly as many NWS days or events this month so hopefully that can creep up a bit in March. I've noticed that my weight is hovering around the 170 pound mark at the moment whereas a few months ago it was hovering around the 177 mark consistently. I'm looking forward to it hovering in the 160's at some point

I'm also back to running - today was Week 9 day 1 of C25k (distance version) - 4.8km solid running! By the end I was feeling very tired, and my leg still feels quite week, but I felt awesome that I managed to run without stopping. By the end of this week I should be running 5k

Milly,
You are doing AWESOME! I'm proud of you, my friend!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 5:28 pm

Hi Milly,

I'm doing a 21 day gratitude challenge, posting daily on a Facebook page, Here's what I posted today:
Day 5: Today I'm thankful to be able to run. I never thought I could do this, but thanks to my friend Milly who shared about the Couch to 5K program, I can now run for 35 minutes straight, and I'm losing weight, down about 9 pounds, maybe 30 to go. I feel so much better, stronger, and have more energy!

Thank you!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:24 pm

Wow thanks Patty! I'm happy my random enthusiasm for running has helped someone

Unfortunately I'm back to no running, Saturday was fine but on Monday as soon as I started to run I had shooting pain in my leg and it just wouldn't go away

I've booked an appointment with my doctor to ask their advice about how to help it heal, hopefully I can do *something* other than sit on my bum!

A bit of a random week but I had 4 GREEN days and one S day (sick) on Thursday. I went away for two days training, and my usual mod is to have one sweet or snack if I like on training days (brain food!) but I only had one small mint chocolate on one of the days. Funny how saying no to sweets and snacks becomes quite second nature. I managed to get a virus from somewhere on training though and felt awful on Thursday. It would have been green but my OH kindly bought me a Wispa chocolate bar to help me feel better

Willpower is not so great when I'm ill hehe! Thankfully I think I've fought it off mostly so today should be green - only a couple of hours til bedtime, may have a mug of ovaltine or something later if I fancy but no more food now.

Looking forward to the weekend now, got some rugby to watch then a meal out with friends and another nice meal out with the family for Mothers Day.

SpiritSong · Post by **SpiritSong** » Fri Mar 08, 2013 8:50 pm

I had a couple of sick days in February, and I found a few chocolate chip cookies with my decaf made me feel MUCH better.

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 12:49 am

milliem wrote: Funny how saying no to sweets and snacks becomes quite second nature.

I find it simply amazing to discover the gentle habit of self-restraint has quietly snuck up on us when we weren't looking! What a bonus!

Have a great weekend, milliem!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 2:27 am

milliem wrote:Wow thanks Patty! I'm happy my random enthusiasm for running has helped someone Unfortunately I'm back to no running, Saturday was fine but on Monday as soon as I started to run I had shooting pain in my leg and it just wouldn't go away I've booked an appointment with my doctor to ask their advice about how to help it heal, hopefully I can do *something* other than sit on my bum!

Ouch! Aarrggghhh! So sorry!

I'll pray you get better fast, and there's something you can do... Walking... Elliptical ?

I probably should see a doc too. I've got several people telling me to walk instead of running. I guess I could work up a sweat walking fast. I'm NOT going back to the couch, however, and I hope there's a way for you too. It feels so much better to get some exercise!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 9:09 am

One of the reasons I love running is that it's free and outside, so I don't have to pay to go to a gym and use an elliptical or something! I'll see what the doc says next week though, I may well have to try something new

I'm still not feeling quite right, have an annoying cough keeping me up at night, but at least it's the weekend so I can chill out and use the healing power of chocolate to keep me going

Have a great weekend all!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:34 am

Ugh so far this week has been a sick week

Some horrible virus has got me coughing, sore throat, sneezing and generally feeling exhausted and nasty! I think (hope) it's easing today, but I'm finding it gets worse in the night so I'm not sleeping well. One decent nights sleep would do me the world of good I think!

Eating hasn't been great - I've not wanted to eat loads but am definitely taking comfort in food, which generally means something sweet

Fingers crossed this will pass soon and I'll be back to normal!

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:58 pm

Get well soon!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Tue Mar 26, 2013 7:39 pm

Well that was a slightly longer absence than planned! I was sick for pretty much 2 weeks, although towards the end I could have eaten better, but was just off habit and then had a couple of pre-planned S days.

Back to it this week though, yesterday was green, and today is too (so far at least!) It was weirdly hard to motivate myself back to N days, but easier than I thought to achieve one. I had to just give myself a stern talking to and remind myself that I don't HAVE to eat chocolate and I don't NEED cake, I can go a few days without goshdarnit!

I think part of the habit slide has been not being able to run, my leg is still bothering me and my GPs advice is not to run on it until it's completely better

I'm having trouble motivating myself to find alternative exercise to do!

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:15 am

Good grief, milliem, I missed you. Welcome back!

I hope you are back on the mend & get your usual bounce back PDQ!! There are lots of wicked bugs going around up here, too.

Sorry about your leg. Do you swim? I know we have kept horses in condition swimming them when they were injured & couldn't be exercised otherwise.

Sometimes swimming is loads more fun than grinding it out at a gym.

gk · Post by gk » Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:44 am

Good to see you still around milliem! I took some time off but as usual I found my way back here.

Sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well and about your leg. It can be so frustrating when you actually WANT to exercise but can't because of an injury. Well, just think of it this way.....maybe this is a round-about way of you finding a type of exercise that you might like even MORE than your running. For instance, I NEVER thought I'd love yoga and only tried it because my feet and hip bothered me too much to do my usual walking. Now I look forward to it just as much as I did my walks. I guess we don't know until we try, huh?

Hope you feel better soon!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 2:17 pm

Thanks NoBS and gk - some good ideas! Swimming and yoga sound like great ideas, apparently if I strengthen my core it might help my hip flexor muscle and get me back to running eventually

So far so green this week, just need to keep on track today and then I'm good for the long Easter weekend! Nice to ease into getting back to NoS hehe. It's funny how quickly it can become normal just to eat whenever, whatever but I'm glad I've not caved this week. There's no reason to, any time I'm tempted I just remind myself that just because I WANT something sweet doesn't mean I NEED it or should have it.

Sweetness · Post by **Sweetness** » Thu Mar 28, 2013 4:27 pm

Milly, good to see you back and working at those green days. Sorry you were so sick, praying that your leg gets better fast. ((Hugs))

No BS · Post by **No BS** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 12:17 am

Have a great Easter weekend, milliem!

Rowing and cycling are two other exercises I can think of that shouldn't stress your hip/leg.

Amy3010 · Post by **Amy3010** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 8:08 am

I hope your hip improves soon - I know how frustrating that can be, I've had hip problems for a long time and am currently not running because of them. I've found that working out on an elliptical does help and allows me to get almost as sweaty as when I used to run!

Have a happy Easter weekend!

milliem · Post by **milliem** » Fri Mar 29, 2013 9:00 am

Thanks guys! I know there's loads I could do but I'm struggling to get back into the habit of exercise - with running I knew I could just throw on my running gear when I got home from work and head out straight away, and it was an easy routine to keep. Now I have to think about joining or attending a gym to find something suitable and it's so COLD outside right now!! I need to just get up and DO something

15 minutes a day of anything would be great.

Anyway, checking in with another GREEN day for yesterday. I even have hot cross buns and mini-eggs in the house but managed to resist them! Going to try and keep to a NoS structure for the long weekend, but allow a treat or two for Easter goodies

Hope you all have a great Easter weekend!

gk · Post by gk » Sat Mar 30, 2013 3:52 am

milliem wrote: I know there's loads I could do but I'm struggling to get back into the habit of exercise - with running I knew I could just throw on my running gear when I got home from work and head out straight away, and it was an easy routine to keep. Now I have to think about joining or attending a gym to find something suitable and it's so COLD outside right now!! I need to just get up and DO something 15 minutes a day of anything would be great.

Have you ever tried DVD's at home? The past couple weeks I've drug my feet to go to the gym. This week, with a sick one at home, I just threw in a DVD every day, and found that I actually loved the simplicity of just going downstairs and starting right in. Maybe an option?

You're doing great with your No S habits. Enjoy those Easter goodies! Have a great weekend!

gk · Post by gk » Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:32 pm

Hope your April has been very GREEN!