Running and making wine

@goldsgym for #halfmarathontraining and my #injuredankle is not cooperating. I'll be headed to #pt in a couple of weeks. #runner #runnergirl #womenrunning #runnerproblems #injuredrunner #okc #ok #okwb #myoklahoma #runokc #runok #nike #nikerunner #run 

Another day and another @thinkthinbars for #breakfast. They're really good and high protein and easy. #yum #esthereats #food #foodie #myfitnesspal #eatinghealthy #okc #ok #okwb #myoklahoma

The grapes are growing like crazy in our backyard! 

So are the hops! 

I joined 9 other people to purchase 3 wine kits and make the wine at the brew shop. Gail, the owner of the brew shop, gave us a discount but she's one of the 9 people!

It was really easy to do! 

We all took turns at various points in the process. The yeast is currently eating all the sugars and we will meet in a couple of weeks to move it to secondary. 

I did have a glass of wine, which I wasn't gonna do but I wasn't prepared to say no. Then I went to Iguana to give my friend her birthday present. I ate some chips and drank water. I also had a full dinner. So the scale was not kind to me. It said a two pound gain, which seems crazy! This time, I'm sucking at losing weight. 

Lunch was good though. 

Stuff and things: running edition

I'm super proud to say that last year I ran a total of 800 miles. Woot woot!

Why aren't screen shots in focus? Weird right?

This year, I want to run 1000 miles. I have yet to figure out how to put that into my Nike app. 

Not possible perhaps?

I lost a lot of my speed since I took a break from running to go out of the country. 

This was the treadmill run, where someone touched finish on my treadmill when I wasn't finished. Boo!

Oh my goodness, this run I was out of breath the entire time! I was talking and I was running faster than normal. 

This run was bananas because it was snowing. It got to a point where running was not a good idea. So we walked and made it back with no injury. Winning!

So half marathon training is ramping up but there's a new class at the gym. Do I take the class and skip one run a week?

I am thinking about it. On the nutrition front, I will no longer enjoy the free breakfast on Wednesdays at work. Small steps being taken here. I'm considering veggies and eggs instead of oatmeal. I need all the protein and oatmeal can't provide that. 

Updates on stuff and things

1-Half marathon training is in full swing. I'm kicking some miles butt!

2-I'm losing weight and gaining weight. I've been more consistent with myfitnesspal (esthernorine, friend me!). Last week was a 3 pound loss and this week a 1 pound gain. Here's to next week where I hope to lose 1 pound with my hard work and half marathon training. 

3-Going to Cuppies and Joe tonight in OKC. It will be amazing and I will have the calories freed for it. 

From Picasso cafe and not Cuppies and Joe

4-I'll be at the vegetarian dinner at Picasso cafe next Tuesday for food heaven. 

5-When it cools down, I'll be seeing beer. It's too hot here to adequately chill the wort.  

PS does it seem like I'm obsessed with food? Maybe a little. I guess that's why I'm always trying to lose weight. 

Happy Friday!

I've been running and thinking about training for the Route 66 half marathon. It's in November so I have tons of time. 

I've been filling my Instagram with food and I wonder why I've gained weight. I'm at 145, which is too high. Cue the higher intensity at the gym and cutting snacks. 

I'll be getting rid of bananas. They've been mushy and gross. I can't deal with that. Maybe I need to cut the weekly shake too. 

Commitment can be hard at times. So happy Friday friends. I'll be drinking beer or something while I ponder the slow rise in my waste line. 

Happy

I'm doing the happy dance while I'm listening to "Happy" from Pharrell because I lost 1.6 pounds in 2 weeks!! That means I lost weight on vacation! How is that possible? Truly, I don't know the full reason.

My strategies included, no cheese and try to avoid dairy. I didn't have any cheese! Avoiding dairy all together was not entirely possible (Hello, red velvet cake, which I ate one amazing bite of.) Breakfast included proteins (eggs, bacon, sausage, and my new favorite smoked salmon) and fruit (mostly melons.) Finally, I did my very best to avoid bread. I forgot during one dinner and helped out on the bread basket. I still went hog wild on the drinks but I tried to keep it more towards rum and diet. 

I loved the drinks there! Reggae tops, banana daiquiri's, purple rain, blue hawaiian, and then of course the local beer and wine. Why not have wine with dinner or lunch or both? All inclusive resorts are the best. 

I almost forgot to mention mimosa's. I'll need to repeat that good decision sometime around here. So successes were had on many fronts (not gaining 5 pounds and having a fantastic trip. Getting home safely was another success.)

The full review of the resort will be coming soon but I can't say when because I need to blog all about it on the computer where the photos are at. #mobilebloggerproblems I would like to say that Sandals Grande Antigua is a fabulous resort, which I will need to revisit ASAP. 

A letter...

...to the 140s.

Dear 140s,

We have seen each other far too many times to count. I'm looking forward to saying goodbye and I hope its the last time I see you. However, I lose my focus and you have been too easy to return. I will continue my training and tweaking nutrition until you are gone. The struggle between us is real but I will prevail in the end.

Sincerely,

E

*I'm only halfway serious in this post and I'm linking up with the weigh in wednesday girls in spirit. It's too busy for blogging activities at work.

Half marathon training - an update

The Memorial Half/Whole Marathon is the largest race in Oklahoma City and possibly the state. This will be my first year participating. Since I just ran the Go Girl Half, my training for the next race has not been spot on. 

This would be in part to the upcoming holiday. I also took 4 days off of running after the half. If I maintain focus, I'll get 7 miles this week and 9 next. The race will be here before I know it. 9 miles on vacation is ambitious and may have to be accomplished when I return. 

Upon further reflection, I can eat more when I'm running long distances. Maybe I'll run tons and that will balance out the extra calories. (New sunnies for the trip!)

Weight Loss Wednesday

Welcome to another edition of Weight Loss Wednesday. This is my opportunity to share my journey towards weight loss maintenance. I remember being the overweight girl in junior high and high school. I didn't accomplish my weight loss goals until in my 30's, which meant I had struggled with losing weight for about 10 years. 

Recently, I started a Facebook group to help keep myself and my friends accountable. If you'd like encouragement, find me on Facebook and I'll add you to the group. If you are starting out in your weight loss journey, I would like to give you two solid small steps toward your goal.

(spoiler alert: I've mentioned these before in previous posts)

1 - Don't drink your calories. Personally, I am guilty of this in the form of beer and alcohol and the occasional smoothie. I try to keep those calories in balance with my workouts.

2 - Walk every day. I am good at this one. I actually go to the gym 5 days a week and I run on Saturdays with the Runhers organization.

If you can make these two small changes to your routine, you will lose some weight. Remember that losing weight is a long time journey and it never ends. (Even at goal, I am still needing to stay focused.) I really wanted to link up with some of my favorite bloggers because they are an inspiration to me.

Weight Loss Q & A

I would not say that I am a yo-yo dieter, although I have lost the same ten pounds three different times now. I would say that finding balance and maintaining a healthy weight is all together something different from losing weight. Its all too easy to go back to old habits and watch the scale slowly climb back to my uncomfortable top range. This last time, I was so successfuly, that I fit into a pair of shorts I thought were impossible to fit into. (I'm not entirely sure why I bought the shorts in the first place but I am a sucker for a good deal and a good brand.) My current goals are to finish a half marathon and not gain weight (unless its muscle.) I just want my clothes to keep fitting nicely and I'd like to enjoy my shorts in the summers. I had two summers where I was too fat to fit into my shorts. I was uncomfortable. Last year was my first summer in which shorts were not a problem. I was overjoyed!  

 

I can safely say that I am good at losing weight and want to share what I've learned to help others. I try to find a healthy balance and I can help you find it too. Please visit the Weight Loss Q & A page and post your questions. Feel free to email me at estherdavison@gmail.com if you prefer a more private setting.