Counting points is tough...

Well, since I completely blew all of my goal points from last week—and when I say "blew" what I really mean is completely obliterated! I've decided to give it my all this week and try those goals once again.

Although, I think I'm going to take another look at those goals and re-write them a bit:

• High intensity workout, 3 times
• Walk for 30 minutes 7 days
• Stay within my daily points
  
• Apple or almonds (or something high in fiber) for morning, afternoon, and evening snacks
• 64 to 80 ounces of water a day (8-10 cups)
  
• No eating after 8pm. Period!

So far, I'm not doing too bad, but I'm not doing that great, either. I'm not eating after 8. I'm drinking my water. I'm having the healthy snacks. I'm walking every evening. But I've only done 1 high intensity workout this week.

And, for the life of me, I can't figure out how to stay under 21 points of food each day. Like, here's what I had today (and this is typical, though I'm eating different foods each day):

• Breakfast: Kashi Go Lean cereal with low fat soy milk (3 points)
• Snack: Small apple
  
• Lunch: Peanut butter & Banana sandwich (reduced fat peanut butter (2 tbspns), small banana, 1/2 tbspn honey, 2 slices of whole grain wheat bread (7 points)
• Snack: Nabisco NutriGrain Sour Cream & Onion Thins (2 points)
• Dinner: Smart One's Lasagna, steamed corn, tbspn butter (10 points)
• Snack: 2 reduced fat banana muffins (home recipe) (2 points)

24 Points Total

Okay, so if I would have done without the butter at dinner, I could have shaved 3 points off my day. But plain, dry, steamed corn is just nasty. I don't have any reduced fat butter in the house. I could have probably shaved 2 points off if I'd had that in the house.

But seriously, I'm hungry all day.

And this is how my days have been going this week. Eat very little, count points, go hungry, try to ignore hunger pangs. Ugh!

I didn't exercise this morning but I went running tonight.

It was a bittersweet victory...

I found some motivation from Jason's blog. He's a runner who's lost 130 pounds by running (and WW). I love biking and running, but they both kick my butt! But he left me a note that said to take it slow. So I started out tonight taking it slow. My goal was to go around the block twice—3/4 mile. So I started out jogging. My heart rate got up to about 178-179 and stayed there the whole time I was jogging. I didn't want to run. I wanted this to be as slow as possible.

I made it 2 laps around!!

Then I went for 3.

I made it 3 laps around!!! Woo Hoo!!!

Then I thought, what the heck, lets try for 4 laps.

I made it FOUR LAPS AROUND!!!!!

Man, I couldn't believe it!! The last lap was really a cross between speed walking and jogging. I was breathing deep and trying to stay calm. But I did it. I ran (well, jogged) for ONE AND A HALF MILES!

That's almost a 3K (about 2.5K).

I walked for 5 minutes before and after my four non-stop laps of jogging.

Then I came in and read the amount of calories I burned, which I really thought was going to be like a thousand or something, and I had burned a measly 321 calories.

What!!!!?????

I burn 300 calories walking for an hour with the girls in the morning!!

I can't believe I only burned 321 calories.

Oh, well, I got 4 activity points out of it. Better than nothing, right.

At least I can say, proudly now, that I've actually ran around my block 4 times without stopping.

.