Working hard to get my fill

So, it's been a good week! No scale victories, as it were, but lots and lots of non-scale type victories.

I started week two of Couch to 5K yesterday, and did awesome, if I do say so myself. I'm especially proud of myself because the place I run (our parking lot) is on a very steep hill- so half the time I have to run up hill. I think it's definitely showing in my butt- firm like a ROCK. I was worried last week, so I was timing my runs so they were always down hill. Now that I'm running for longer that's not possible, I just went with it last night,and it wasn't so bad!

The running on concrete is killing my knees, though. They aren't so bad today, but during and after my run they felt terrible. All this weight pushing them down, only to have that shock from the pavement push back? I don't have any where else to do this at the moment (unless I use the mostly broken treadmills down at the clubhouse) so I'm going to have to adjust.Or lose more weight.

Though a friend did mention there is a track at a city park about a mile down the road we can use- I'd walk there but it's a mile down the road on a highway with no shoulder, so driving the whole four minutes would be best. I'm going to check it out this weekend. If it isn't concrete, or if I can run around the outside of the track, I may just start making the silly drive three times a week to save my knees.

I'm really starting to like running- I honestly hated it growing up, and would only run if I were being chased. Even then I would usually just give up. Good thing my life never depended on it! But now, it's something I want to do and look forward to. Even during my cool downs when I'm supposed to be walking, I tend to run at least part of it to burn off the rest of my energy.

And my distances have been getting so much better! Last night I managed to do 2.3 miles in 30 minutes. Just a few weeks ago I was only able to walk 3 miles in just under an hour. I feel very confident that, barring any injuries, by the time I go home in August I'll be able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes. And that will be on dirt roads,so even better!

My diet has sucked lately. For some reason this week I've been ravenous but nauseated. I haven't even hit 1000 cals today, and I'm starving, but when I go near food I can't eat it without wanting to throw up immediately. The past three days have been like that. Better not be pregnant!

I'm having a hard time figuring out the calories I should be eating, anyway. I was using a combination of apps and calculations I found online, and then averaging them out since they varied wildly. I had been shooting for 1500 a day, and 1600 on days I worked out hard (break a real sweat, want to cry when I'm done work outs, not three reps of squats and calling it a day work outs). That has been working- slowly. SLOWLY. Like, lose a pound a month slowly. So I was trying to vary it, going up a little, going down a little, but nothing seems to really work. Going down too little and I'm always hungry, going up to high and I feel gross and bloated.

So, what I've decided to do is focus on the two things I really need to make sure I get enough: Protein and Fiber. Fiber for my poor digestive track that likes to make my life miserable,and protein because, frankly, the only time I've seen awesome weightloss was when I was eating 100 grams or more a day. I'm participating in a round of 90 Days Goal over at Reddit, and sprint two kicked off this week, so that's my focus this month. Getting my protein and fiber and not worrying so much about the calories, and working on Couch to 5K.

I'm seeing crazy changes in my body, and I'm digging it.I'm not in danger of becoming a super model any day soon, but I'm not hating myself completely when I look in the mirror. And I'm looking in the mirror a lot more lately, to watch the changes. It's been fun.