One week after the game

Hello! Just wanted to give you an update! Here was the final result of the game for me:

I lost about a pound a week, which I'm told is healthy weight loss. I am going to implement working out like I used to into my routine because I have learned that is what my body responds to. I signed up for a gym closer to my work (which I have to pass regardless of the way I take home). I also got talked into a personal trainer. If I were rich, I would workout with one every day, but my budget allows for twice a month. In this program, I will write down what I eat and then my trainer will review and make suggestions. The days I don't work out with the trainer, I will have workouts on an app through the gym and also attend group classes. Hopefully working out will allow me to eat more "cheat" items and not feel guilty about it. 

Speaking of cheat items.... Check out what my team ordered with our winnings from the game: 

Carb city. Bad to the bone. 

I'm more conscience of the things I put in my body, but I'm not going to lie- I've been bad since the game ended. It's only been a week and I put back on 2 pounds (which is half of what I lost). I find myself having a cheese stick or banana dor a snack instead of unhealthy junk. How can it be so hard to take off yet so incredibly easy to put back on?! Tonight I'm going to a chili cook-off, so that doesn't help the situation. All the more reason why I went and signed up for the gym. When you put in time and work hard at a gym, you are less apt to stuff your mouth with junk because you know you will pay for it and what it takes to make up for it. 

Here is another picture of my team celebrating:

$85 total. We ate coming back for the  $5 thirsty Thursday martini special with the leftover money. 

The game was a great way to bond with new friends too! 

I'm off to enjoy my Saturday morning coffee- with cream and sugar!!  Have a lovely day. 

Email me at ashley.falkos@gmail.com if you try the game out!! 

The final countdown!!!

I made it home by 7:30 again! I even had time to mail this Halloween treat to my stepson in NC: 

I am proud to say, I have gotten much better at having somewhat of a life outside of my job during this game. I actually walked my dog most nights and even had time to run a lot of the evenings. Tonight I ran a mile and 3 quarters. My second split was even faster that my first- accomplishment!

 I felt good (and it totally helps to be hydrated). I think being hydrated was one of the most important factors of this game for me. I didn't drink my full 3 liters every day, but I did drink at least 2 every day, which is WAY more than I used to. I could get by on 1 16oz bottle of water B.G.O. (Before game on)! Now I don't drink anything other than water with meals besides a morning coffee, and I even cut back on that. The coffee isn't what is bad. What I put in it is bad! It's morning, I ordered an espresso with agave nectar and skim milk. I'm not gonna lie- I cannot wait for my full cream and sugar tomorrow morning, but the point is- I have learned to try healthier options and now I will supplement with those instead of being unhealthy most of the time. 

Sidnote: This is my final blog, so it may be a little lengthy.... I feel like I am back in college writing "reflections." I literally remember writing reflections on reflections by the time I was about to graduate. By the way, i am glad i taught myself how to blog. I got over 800 page-views!! If you are reading this, thanks!!! :) 

I also noticed that my body MUST get 7 hours of sleep since I started. Last night, I was up doing Just Dance 2014, then was energized and didn't fall asleep until 11:30! I also didn't wake up until 6:30 this morning- exactly 7 hours. Starting next week, I am going to try to get to bed closer to 10. Before I move on, yes, you read Just Dance 2014 (which just came out). My wonderful hubby bought it for me! Before you think "as, he is so nice. Maybe she has painted a bad portrait of him, but deep down, he is a sweet guy..." He recorded me on my iPad and posted it to Facebook!! He is yet to learn happy wife, happy life.

As I am about to consume The Last Supper of this Game On challenge (see picture above of hubby being forced into good habits), I think to myself, "We better win the pot of money tomorrow!" I feel like I should have lost a lot more weight than I did, but I also love the healthy habits I have formed in the last month. Yes, I said habits, which means I need to continue some of them in the future. I could see myself going crazy and not having anything healthy just because I dot have to, but then I see the weight coming back on and the energy slumping and -- no way Jose! I am going to get a gym membership at the gym I used to go to when I lived with my parents, which is much closer to my work. In fact, it is on my way home from work, regardless of the way I go. No avoiding it! I did love that gym, so once I make an effort to go every day, I think I will start seeing results. It's not like I haven't lost anything, it's just not as much as I expected for such strict rules. In the beginning, I thought I woke never remember all the rules! Now they are like second nature.

 So if you're thinking about trying this game, I hope I haven't scared you. It really has been a journey with ups and downs, but I am glad I did it. I learned a lot about myself and it was just what I needed to focus on being healthy when life got busy. Thank you for reading my blog. If you decide you are inspired and want to try this game- I recommend you read the book. You don't have to, but if you're like me, and need justification and reasoning behind what you do, the book is great. Plus, it's hilarious and an easy read (but not for you if you are easily offended by bad language). Let me know if you try it and how you liked it!! 

I will post one last time tomorrow to let you know the results of the game. Crossing my fingers for a good weigh-in.  Let's hope I am a richer woman tomorrow!!!! 

One dinner and one full day left!!

 

Yuumm- dinner. I can't wait! This is what I end up looking forward to after eating salad, string cheese,  fruit and some nuts during the day. REAL, hearty food is what I am craving right now!

I just went to go for a run, which turned into a long walk with Lucky, wich turned into my hands freezing and me going inside, without the running part!  I am so lucky it was such gorgeous weather for the duration of this game. Otherwise, it would have been a great excuse to not do anything active. I did do the Wii last night (before bed- bad idea because then it energizes you). My husband said he will get me Just Dance 2014. I hope he meant on the way home from work....

Today I made motivational messages to put in my team's mailboxes. The quote on the picture said, "sweat is fat crying." That made me giggle. One of my teammates stopped in my office after she got it and we chatted. We agreed that we should pool all our winning money together and go out for a celebration dinner. WHEN we win, that is. Seriously, we've been ahead the whole game, if anyone swipes the title now, I will be very disappointed. Anything could happen, so I better stay on track!

The Last Tuesday

Back to the routine. I feel like America could really benefit from mandatory 3 day weekends. Just enough time to have fun and still get a day to accomplish adult things. We need more fun in our lives.

I ate pretty well today, but probably not as much as I should have. I really like the Belvita biscuits I have discovered. They are tasty! Ihad a Lean Cuisine for lunch and some all-natural baked pretzels with laughing cow cheese as a snack. I also made myself a warm caprese panini with the tomatoes from the fresh market and fresh bread. Perfect with some soup on a fall evening!

I didn't have time to go for a run because I was on the phone and then it got dark. Looks like it's going to be an in-home workout for this chick tonight. I'm so not motivated once I change into comfy sweats. I also need to start chugging water. It's 8:40!!!

Day 3 of the 3 day weekend

You would think being off work would make an eating schedule easier, but not really! Sleeping in automatically makes me miss a meal and then my whole day is thrown off. I am looking forward to being off the 5 meals a day mandate because on weekends I am just not that hungry and I actually find it hard to eat all the food. I made whole wheat pancakes for breakfast and threw in some cinnamon and brown sugar for taste. I also used almond milk, which gave them really good flavor. I am glad I have tried new foods during this diet, makes me venture outside of my comfort zone.

After a little while, I wasn't very hungry so I ate some Mandrin oranges then later on I had a cheese stick and some sunflower seeds. They were easy to throw in my purse as I was out and about. I will keep snacks on hand after this game is over because I usually just wait to eat until I get him then I am so hungry I eat more than I should (or resort to a drive-thru). Not anymore! 

My husband and I checked out a fresh market on our way home this afternoon. Loved all the fresh produce ! I should have been shopping there this entire game! We stocked up on fruit and fresh meat. Quite expensive, but I should be good to go for the remainder of the game (3 days!!!). Check out my fridge- I am stocked. 

I find it helpful to take the time and prep the food so it is accessible and I actually eat it (especially for mornings when I am in a hurry, which is most of the time).

After we put the food away, my husband and I went for a run together (this is kind of a big deal). He is a Marine, so I ran a mile in under 8 minutes in order to keep up with him. That is a normal pace for what I used to run, but now i don't run every day so i am slower. That was a minute and a half off my last spilt time! whew. I think he is going to start some weird fruit diet this week. Have I inspired him?

Here is what we had for dinner: 

Wish me luck to finish strong!!! 

I plead guilty. Very guilty.

Hello, my long-lost blogging friends!

I lost points for the first time on Friday because I forgot to write! I went for a drink after work with my co-workers and by the time I got home, totally forgot to blog. Good thing I'm allowed a beer with my meal off, because, let me tell ya- I needed one after the institute day we had. Our Game On teams decided we could spread the day off over the course of the week, so I had my drink Friday night and my meal off this afternoon. I ate at the best Italian place, Vinnie Vinuccis, for lunch today. Plus, I had great company, so it was a double-whammy of goodness. Shout out to my BFF, Nicole (the only one who has commented on this blog and been a faithful reader- this is why I love her)!!!

In case you are wondering why we are standing in a bathroom, it's because we got into our college apartment and took a walk down memory lane....which brings me to tell about the rest of my weekend from diet hell.....

I have to admit, I really, really, really took advantage of my day off this weekend. I headed back to my home-away-from home, Dubuque, IA. I went to college there and it was homecoming weekend, so I got to relive my glory days! I started off my trip with a grande, not my usual tall, but a GRANDE mocha (not mocha lite, in case you are wondering). I knew I was off to a bad start.... then I had popcorn and some nachos when I arrived at the tent party. I also had a few carbonated drinks with alcohol, and then found sweets (which  haven't had in a while). It was bad. A couple hours later, we went to a nice dinner and I indulged in a couple martinis (one was a "slimrita"- I was being 1/2 good). I ate a fillet dinner (but again, the salad and asparagus was okay, right?) followed by cocktails while out on the town. Good thing I am only allowed to step on the scale on Friday mornings because I'm pretty sure I undid all of last week in one day! Yikes.

I realized the healthy lifestyle is not easy, but easiER, to follow when I am on somewhat of a routine, like the workweek. When my social life comes into play, forget it. So far, I've had a wedding and a homecoming during this game. Thank goodness for days off. I do, however, find myself paying more attention to the havoc I'm wreaking on my body. Prior to this diet, I probably would have felt guilty, but not guilty enough to make up for it the following week. Overall, this is making me form better habits by paying closer attention to what I am putting in my body (and how much of it). I have to admit, I am ready for it to be over. 5 more days. The real test will be tomorrow when I am off work and around my husband whose favorite line to me lately is, "I can eat whatever I want, I'm not on a diet." Wish me luck- I may be ready to kill him in his sleep by the time we go to bed.

12 hours until weigh-in # 3...

 I definitely increased my workouts and I feel better (physically) now that I've been running a little more consistently. I used to run religiously, to the point where I felt off if I skipped a day. I miss those days...before life took over.

I don't feel like I've had a lot of food intake, especially with burning more calories. But I also don't feel as particular about my meals as I used to. I still try to portion and follow the guidelines, but I'm not such a freak about it anymore. I hope I'm not being lax and will pay for it tomorrow when I step on the scale. I'm hoping I'm just getting more used to the lifestyle and not stressing about it as much. I definitely am more used to the portions, but I've been bad about timing my meals and water intake. I've already lost more than 10 points for not drinking all my water. That will be my goal for next week.

It's my 3 year "engagement anniversary" tonight (10-10-10). Too bad I can't have my husband wine and dine me. He's picking up carry-out instead. I ordered a chicken and avocado club and substituted the fries for a small salad. I'm really looking forward to my meal off tomorrow night....

Cross your fingers I make weight tomorrow. This will be me if I don't: