The post about getting to run, a yoga class and Santa Claus

My food logs from the past four days. Although there are some veggies I'm
avoiding right now ie: Dinner on the 23rd, the family's eating those.

• I am almost one week into my strict/clean eating plan. It's going well. Got right back in there. Just like riding a bike. And the bonus of doing it this time around? No processed carb and refined sugar withdrawal. If I felt off with anything, it was cutting back on my coffee the first couple days. But I'm sticking to my 2 cups a day rule...except for Friday. Had all day training on that day and I needed something to keep me awake! Also getting all the water in. I feel really good and it's no bother eating like I used to. I got lenient with some things and I think it's better to stay as clean as possible. So I'm reining it in. When I do reintroduce fruit, nuts and wine, I'm going to be much more conscious of serving sizes.
• I finally got to run on the weekend. Yay! I ran 3k on Saturday to test out the heel...it went well. I ran 5k on Sunday, and even though my heel was a bit sore throughout the day, it wasn't horrible. And it was non-existent when I wore my runners with the formerly useless orthotics I paid $600 for. They finally came in handy. I'm actually running in them now for better support. 

Just before heading into my first yoga class.

• Today is my rest day...I'm hoping to run tomorrow. Getting my ass kicked right now with a head cold. I'll run as long as the cold is not in my chest. I did attend my first yoga class yesterday. It was really very good for me to be so soundly humiliated. I am not flexible. Not even a little bit. It's definitely a challenge and I need to attend regularly so I can get more limber. I am a mess. But there is hope for me. I am supposed to be there right now. Instead I'm blogging from bed. Achoo! I'm considering getting up super early Wednesday and attending the 6am class...switching out my running rest day from Friday to Wednesday and striking a pose instead...DONE! Just like that. I'm up at 4:30 anyway.
• This past weekend seemed like a blur. I was on the go all weekend. We went to the Santa Claus Parade on Saturday. The lamest parade ever. And as my hubby and I complained to each other under our breath, it was totally worth it because Julien loved it. Saturday was a nice family day. Lunch out, then the parade, then home for a crock pot roast for dinner. 
• Sunday was a chore day. I woke up not feeling great. Went for a run, then the early yoga class. After lunch and a shower I went grocery shopping, put everything away, changed the linens, separated and began the laundry, folded laundry and made dinner. Julien had a friend over so I was also catering to those boys all afternoon. And I felt like crap by the end of the day. I kept saying I was going to bed, and hubby told me to go more than once, but I ended up reading bedtime books with Julien before finally heading to bed. Thought I was going to call in sick today, but felt well enough to go to work. I'm bagged now though. So a short and sweet check in post. 
• Tomorrow marks the end of week one of #operation...(something clever to go here). I'm feeling pumped and motivated. Can't wait to see the differences in my body. I know the scale isn't going to drop leaps and bounds. Not like when I was bigger and losing weight but that's okay. I bought a pair of very form fitting skinny red cords from Value Village. I can't get them done up...not even close. But they are my goal pants. Hoping to be wearing them comfortably in a few months and be confident enough to wear them out of the house. I will keep going till they do fit because I am feeling positive. I have the tools to get to where I want to be, I just need to apply them and stay focused. Challenge accepted!

Santa Claus is officially in Hamilton.

The post about a gain, a training plan and a strict diet

My sexy new scale I got from Amazon. It only measures
weight which is what I want. I will be doing bi-weekly weigh-ins.
#weighinWednesday
Link to scale

• Yesterday was my first day of strict eating again. Today was my first home weigh in since last year. I got a much needed rude awakening. I weigh 172 pounds. That's 7 pounds over my "normal" weight, 12 pounds over my training weight and 15 pounds over my lowest weight. I am not buying into the "it's muscle" theory. 
• My running has been pretty much non-existent over the past month due to my injury, but I have been eating fruit, nuts and drinking wine like I'm still running 50K a week. Doesn't compute. So starting Tuesday I began my food journal again and I began my 2-3 month plight of eating only lean protein and veggies grown above ground. No more fruit, nuts, root veggies, and limited higher carb above ground veggies (non-green). I'll only have those (ie: squash, red peppers), once or twice per week. And no more wine. I've also cut my coffee intake by 50% and upped my water intake by 100%. 
• This weekend I begin training for the Boxing Day 10 Miler. Although I was supposed to start yoga on Monday, work kept me from the first class and yesterday's snowstorm kept me from attending the 2nd class. I have penned all the classes till the new year into my agenda now...so I am taking that time for me and scheduling work stuff around the yoga classes. This morning I have physio and will be talking to Graham about private pilates classes. I want to do 2x per week and it can be billed under my unlimited physio benefit through work. So running starts Saturday, yoga Sunday and Pilates next week.

My training schedule for the month of December.
I'm hoping to do Pilates Friday and Saturday mornings

• I am super excited. Next month would have marked my 2 year maintenance anniversary, instead I'm going back into weight loss mode. I want to drop my weight by about 20 pounds. I was my leanest last winter while training for the Around The Bay 30K. And despite my painful foot issues, I ran a good pace (for me) for a 30K. I have big running goals this year. I want to get a PB (Personal Best) on the Chilly Half, Around the Bay, and the Niagara Falls Women's Half. Even an extra 5 pounds for a runner can make a difference with speed. So I am motivated!
• And I'm also pumped about seeing results again. Being the same for almost 2 years has been great, don't get me wrong. But sometimes when you work as hard as you always have and see no change because you're maintaining, it becomes old hat. I know that yoga and Pilates along with the running will change my body and make me a better runner. So this excites me. And having to restrict my eating again? I'm fine with it. It's not forever, just for now. And other than nuts and wine, everything else I eat is just fuel for my body. 
• I will be putting up my food journal daily on my Instagram and Facebook Page. I'll try to do regular updates on the blog, but depending on how hectic life gets, the blog may not be as regular. But it will be a couple times a week (I hope).
• So there you have it. My plan for the next few months. Dropping weight and getting my body fat% down. Would like to get down to the fitness level eventually which is 21-24%. I am super excited, motivated and relieved. I feel like I'm gaining strict control of myself again. And to be 100% honest, that is when I feel most secure with myself.

I don't pen in amounts that I eat because I'm following Dr. Poon's formula for
Phase 1 weight loss. Lean protein and leafy greens till full. All other (above ground)
veggies limited to 4 cups per day. 

The post about getting weighed, food journaling and phase one

Physio this week. I have started doing strengthening exercises and he's
using a suction cup on my foot. Not sure how I feel about that...

• It's that time again. Weekly check in time. Not much has happened this week. I'm still not running. I have 4 races coming up. So that could suck unless things get moving. My first race is the Boxing Day 10 miler here in Hamilton. I need to start training for that soon. My physio guy knows all this. He thinks that I can start running next weekend. I'll have make an adapted training schedule. It'll all be good. If I can't run it, hubby will have to run it in my bib. No big deal. Except that I want to run it...
• I need to be smart about my recovery. Having to give up the Boxing Day race would suck, but I really want to run the Around the Bay again. So I'm keeping that race in my sights more. And my recovery is going well. HUGE difference between last week and this week with the Plantar Fasciitis. Other than when I first wake up, the heel pain almost completely disappears as I move around more. Only first thing in the morning is it really sore. After moving around for about 10 minutes, it feels much better. 
• So I am trying to be very optimistic. And my PT is optimistic. He said I could do short runs this weekend if I really had to, but he want me to rest the full 2 weeks before running. That brings us to next weekend. I can do this. I went 10 weeks without running before and lived to tell. 
• My biggest issue is I'm going stir-crazy. So I am getting the bike out this weekend and going for a long ride up the mountain. I've also penned in Yoga and Pilates classes for the rest of the year. Penned them in ink I did. I have to do them now. My first Yoga class is tomorrow. So back to the gym I go. I need to work on my core and balance for running anyway. So it all works out. It's gonna be a fecken cold ride, but I'll bundle up in layers.
• I am blessed to have unlimited physio benefits through my work place. Real important for a runner. I can take private pilates classes through my PT practice and have it billed as physio. Definitely going to be taking advantage of that. Balance and core is my biggest problem.

Sunroof selfies from this past week. Yes I wore yoga pants for work on Friday. Rebel!

• I haven't weighed myself in ages. I got weighed at the gym in July during my assessment and my weight was in the same range (164 pounds) it always is. It tends to hover anywhere between 160 and 170 depending on how hard I'm training. Before that I didn't weigh myself since fall of 2013 when I broke my ankle. I got my weight down to 156 at that time, but went back up to where I always am once I started running again. I know I gained when I was in Stockholm and London with all the cheese and wine I consumed and all the running I didn't do. My clothes didn't feel right and once I got back and started running again, they fit well again. But I really should be tracking my weight. And I do want to get leaner. So I bought a scale through Amazon. It's arriving on Tuesday. I'm gonna weigh myself, start food journaling again and return to phase 1 of Dr. Poon's diet for a month or so. Which means no more wine, fruit or nuts. Oi! But it's only for a month. I can do that. I didn't have wine, fruit or nuts for over six months when I was in serious weight-loss mode. 
• I also have running goals. Which have to do with getting some PB's (Personal Bests). I want to PB in the Chilly Half as well as the Around the Bay. What will help with my speed is getting leaner. And I always have hip and butt baggage to lose. So I'm going to give it another go. I'm a bit excited to get back into weight-loss mode. Love seeing results. It's what makes weight loss motivational. The results. Maintenance is difficult because you still work hard, but nothing really changes. 
• I leave you with some pics of my food from last week. I ate out four times because work dictated that I had to. That will never change. Unless I change jobs, and that will not be happening anytime soon. So I adapt. And from Tuesday till Christmas I'm going to have to start asking for specialized meals again. No dairy, sauces, dressings. It's all good tho. I'll be enjoying my nuts, fruit and wine soon enough. So today I enjoy my last #winetime till the holidays. Cheers:-)

Food from this past week. Salads, stirfrys, roasts, breakfast for
lunch and clear soup...