COURTNASTY82's SparkPeople Blog

i'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack...kinda.

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 15:19:18 EST

I can't believe it's been 2 years+ since I blogged on SP!

My life is SUPER amazing and SOOOOO different now...I'm still hovering right around 200 lbs (a little more over than under recently, semantics...) but I'm working to get back down into ONEderland, and then beyond before my upcoming nuptuals in October!

My fiance is named Brian, which is strange, since the last one was called Brian, too. But he couldn't be more different. He's my best friend, is super supportive, a...

life changes - moving on, moving up.

Tue, 4 May 2010 13:37:13 EST

i haven't been active at all on SP lately, and there is definitely a reason for it. for the last few months, i had been feeling like my relationship was not working the way it used to...for a multitude of reasons, which i won't get into, but basically boiling down to the fact that i just felt like i wasn't in love the way i used to be. when you're in love with someone, you sometimes overlook certain things that you wouldn't with someone else, and when my feelings began to fade, so did my to...

back, with my tail tucked firmly between my legs...

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 12:50:58 EST

i've had a rough time of it these past couple...gulp...months. i knew it would be a struggle to maintain weightloss while i have been losing my mind with student teaching, but i did not anticipate it being THIS hard! on top of all my responsibilities there, i also go really sick a few weeks ago, and it lingered for about two weeks!

now, not only am i really starting to feel better, but i also have only three days left of student teaching! WOO HOO! now, don't get me wrong, i'm goi...

WHAT WHAT!

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 12:30:06 EST

just realized i'm only 9.5 pounds away from being halfway to my goal weight! that means i'm almost up the hill...AMAZING!

hope you all had/are having a wonderful weekend!

beginning 10K training...AGAIN.

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:40:27 EST

it's been a long while since i have blogged, and there are some really good reasons/excuses for it. student teaching is totally kicking my butt...haven't gained any weight, but i haven't lost a significant amount either. also, brian (my fiancee) and i have been going through some growing pains, and that has been stressing me out. i don't really want to delve deeply into it, but needless to say, we're working on it...it has caused me to be overly emotional, and then comes the emotional eating...

plan for the week - jan 24 - jan 30

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 15:41:57 EST

last week was pretty great - lost a pound, did pretty well on food, and got some great workouts in! i'm trying to build on this, because i just realized a couple of things...

1) my birthday is in less than one month! i'm having a big bash at a friend's house, and i bought this skin tight dress that i would LOVE to wear:

in ten pounds, that is. meh.

2) my 10 year high school reunion is comin...

update and plan for the week!

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:33:48 EST

soooooo much has been happening lately - i'm going to give you the cliff's notes version:

- i started student teaching! it's been trying, amazing, tiring, enlightening, hilarious - totally awesome. i'm working with first graders, and they're ridiculous.

- i got a weird injury to my left ankle where i couldn't point my toe without severe sharp pain, and then it progressed to painful walking as well. this kept me out of the gym for the better part of 2 weeks. i finally ...

day one.

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 07:03:40 EST

i had my very first day of student teaching yesterday...in a first grade classroom, with a pretty awesome cooperating teacher, and some pretty ridiculous little kids. it's going to be so fun, challenging, exhausting, exhilarating...lots of things. and for being my first day back to a "real" job (i've been a college student with a part-time job for the last few years...it's weird going back to a 9-5 ish job) i did pretty well.

positive things i did yesterday:
- had almost eve...

first weigh-in of 2010

Sat, 2 Jan 2010 09:43:24 EST

i avoided official weigh-ins like the plague during the holiday season. i made the decision that i was going to focus on simply maintaining during the holidays, and enjoy myself, relax, what have you. i kept weighing myself periodically to keep myself in check, but i wasn't actively trying to lose weight. did i work out as much as i should have? no effing way. did i track all my food? nope. (but a couple of days i did! that was a triumph in itself.)

so i'm starting 2010 off at 2...

MAKING 2010 THE BEST!!!

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 13:25:26 EST

after recently becoming engaged (in october) the reality of the impending nuptuals is FINALLY starting to hit me. we'd been talking about marriage for a long time, but now it's truly a reality. when i started spark, i felt no real sense of urgency to lose all of my weight...slow and steady was my mantra, and i knew that eventually i would reach my weight loss goal. when we got engaged and started talking about a date for the wedding, though, a drop-dead date for weight loss came with it. <...

merry christmas! what a year!

Fri, 25 Dec 2009 09:48:14 EST

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF MY AMAZING SPARKFRIENDS!

i know that i couldn't have achieved all that i have without your wonderful support! spark truly works, and it's because of all of you! i though i would make a list of all of the things that sparkpeople and all of my sparkies have helped me to achieve this year:

- i lost 40 pounds!

- i am healthier and happier than EVER!

- i ran my first 5K!

- i ran a 5K in under 35 min...

aerobic strength training - check!

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 12:30:14 EST

so, i followed through on a promise i made to myself and all of you, my wonderful sparkfriends...i went to my first aerobic strength training class last night with my pal gypsy. we both wanted to punk out on it at different times, but we both decided it would be better to go than not to go, so we sucked it up, stopped being whiny little babies and braved the elements to the rec center.

we got there super early because we were dropping in and didn't want the class to fill up before...

keeping on...

Wed, 9 Dec 2009 00:35:53 EST

i have obviously not been so active on spark lately. school is getting to crunch time with the semester ending, and of course thanksgiving and traveling didn't help anything! i haven't been working out hardcore, and i've been eating sort of crappy...i haven't even been weighing in regularly, but as best as i can tell, i've been fluctuating right around 218-220...so i'm not gaining a ton of weight - whew! i'm having a rough go of it, with a real lack of motivation and energy...this cold wea...

why is it so hard to ask for help?

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:40:07 EST

i have always had somewhat of a problem asking for help. i do most things on my own, and i've prided myself on being able to do so. but, at some point, my reluctance to ask for help has become a hindrance.

today, i was planning on going to my gym and doing strength training, and also taking advantage for the first time of their FREE personal training (since i joined the gym almost 2 years ago!) it’s not technically *personal* training, but about as close as you can get to it for f...

just when i was losing it...

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:27:58 EST

my motivation, that is...i wake up this morning (on the wrong side of the bed, might i add) and log onto SP, and I'm the done girl of the day! this is exactly the wake up call i needed, friends. lately, i've just been feeling sort of blah when it comes to working out and eating what i should be eating...and i need to WAKE UP!!!!

so here i am, vowing that i am going to fight - i'm back in this, ladies. reading the little blurb in the dgotd email made me remember why i was doing t...

one of those days...

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:36:03 EST

have you ever had one of those days where everything just seems wrong? today was that day for me. i had a great time at the party last night, but as i predicted, i overindulged (not TOO bad) and i definitely was angry at myself over it. couple that with the fact that i only got about 4 hours of sleep, so i have been like the walking dead all day. i had a test and a quiz at school today (both of which went well, thank god), but everytime anyone talked to me while i was at school, i just wante...

tonight's dinner...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:40:36 EST

i'm making delicious chicken parmesan tonight! are you worried, my sparkfriends? well, don't be! this is an AMAZING light adaptation of the normal fattyfat chicken parm you're all used to. it is grilled chicken breast tenders, spaghetti squash, heart-healthy sauce (read: the lowest sodium pasta sauce i could find at the store), sauteed garlic, spinach, zucchini and yellow squash and mozzarella cheese. i will put the recipe up after i make it tonight. if you've never tried spaghetti squash in ...

get it! plan for the rest of the week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:31:37 EST

i was totally naughty this weekend...i ate some things i definitely shouldn't have put into my body, and i didn't work out at all. basically, i was a slug...and i know the scale is gonna show it this week! (truthfully, i don't even want to weigh in at all, but i'm going to keep myself accountable for my terrible choices!)

i'm making up for my terrible eating by kicking it into high gear for the rest of the week. it's going to be kinda hectic with school and everything, but i'll jus...

plan for the week!

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:19:11 EST

after a so-so week, i'm ready to take this next one on with gusto! it looks like the weather is going to cooperate for a couple of great runs, so i'm excited!

i would like to see at least a pound lost this week (preferably two)...and a ladies taco night on tuesday, so i really need to commit to workouts and eating well. (don't worry...the ladies night is probably going to be a high sodium situation, but i'm bringing the taco meat (i'm buying the SUPER lean stuff) and also some lig...

pick myself up, dust myself off...

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:27:58 EST

i lost .2 pounds this week. there are reasons for this. i didn't work out as much as i should have, and i definitely had a candy-attack at a friends house earlier in the week. i could have KILLED her for having so much halloween candy around...but in the end, it was my choice to eat those delicious little fun size candy bars...bad courtney! it was my choice not to work out...it was my lack of motivation and overall laziness.

i could have chosen to be down on myself for not losing ...

plan for the rest of the week

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 18:58:09 EST

i've been slacking off majorly in the exercise realm since my 10K...boooooooooo! so, i'm making a concrete plan for the rest of the week. i'm feeling something weird in my right foot...like a tightness/pain in my arch/heel...i'm hoping it goes away by tomorrow and i'll be able to run. barring more pain, here's the plan for the rest of the week:

weds: run 3 miles
thurs: 50 mins cardio + ST
fri: 60 mins cardio + ST
sat: run 4 miles

just wanted to get it dow...

attack of the blahs!

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:31:20 EST

i had a totally triumphant week - last week. this week feels like a totally different story. i'm feeling lethargic, stressed and bloated (the last one is totally my doing...a wedding, bad food choices and generally debaucherous indulgence)...and i need to break out of my funk! i want to keep the momentum that i've had for the past two weeks going!

i know there are probably a few contributing factors to my current predicament. one, i no longer have a tangible, drop-dead goal going r...

mi vida loca...

Wed, 7 Oct 2009 13:49:15 EST

sooooo much to talk about!!!!!

first things first - i ran another 5K a few weeks ago at the detroit zoo. (i think i already blogged about this, but i just downloaded some pics which included this race, so i figured i'd mention it.) i didn't get ANY sleep the night before, so needless to say, i was a total whiny brat that morning...i had to get up at 5:50 in the effin' morning, and drive to my parents' house, and then drive 45 minutes to royal oak to run...we got there with about 1...

OMG! 10K!

Sat, 3 Oct 2009 17:21:52 EST

i'm running my very first 10K tomorrow. i'm trying to stay calm. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!

i'm really not THAT nervous, i guess...it's more being excited and anxious. i mean, there's absolutely no way i'm not going to finish...that's not even a thought in my mind. it's just such a crazy thing i'm doing...if you had asked me a year ago, i would never have guessed that i would VOLUNTARILY run 6 miles. but, here i am, running 6.2 MILES! wow.

i'm pretty prepared...lost 2.2 poun...

weekly wrap-up, long run and plan for the FINAL week of 10K training!

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:57:52 EST

i had my final long run today before the big 10K run next sunday. it went pretty well...i finished in about 73 minutes, which means i ran something around 13-ish minute miles. very respectable in my mind for a long run. i'm hoping to be able to finish the 10K in under 80 minutes...if the course is relatively flat, this should not be a problem...but, if it's hilly, it's gonna be a struggle. we shall see!

this week was okay eating-wise...had some days where i probably could have ma...

weekly wrap-up and plan for week 7 of 10K training.

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:44:06 EST

there is a tie for the biggest news i have to share for this week:

first of all, i ran my longest distance yet, without stopping, and it was outside...FIVE EFFING MILES! i was talking to a friend who lives near me about where i ran, and i was saying how crazy it was...and she said something like, "i know...i feel like that's a car ride for sure!" it just amazes me that i can do that...it's weird. but i did it, and i made good time, too. hovering around 13 min/mile, which is great...

running like the wind!

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:56:43 EST

today felt like the first day of fall to me here in michigan...cool and breezy, and obviously perfect weather for an outdoor run. of course, the thought of blowing off my scheduled run flashed through my mind for a second (as it usually does,) but i squashed that terrible thought and got out there! accomplishment number one.

i was supposed to do two miles today, per my 10K training program, but it was sooo nice out that i mapped 2.5 miles with another .5 mile cooldown walk. while...

and the winner is...

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:24:01 EST

MEEEEEE!!!!!!

you are looking at (or reading a blog from) a four-time, undefeated karaoke champion! on sunday night, i competed in the finals of a karaoke competition at my favorite bar (which is conveniently located about one block from my apartment), and i totally nailed it.

i sang kiss me deadly by lita ford, right as rain by adele and for the finale, i sang total eclipse of the heart by bonnie tyler. here i am with the traveling tropy:

it was totally weird...i was about 1 mile or so into my run, and i turned the corner and there ...

reminding me again why i'm doing this...

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 22:06:00 EST

so. as i already discussed in a previous blog, i definitely "fell off the wagon" a bit last week. i guess i just had a brief lack of motivation, and it totally crippled me in the workouts department. i also wasn't eating the best, but my downfall was my lack of activity for sure.

well, as i said i would, i got back on the horse today. and boy, was it HARD. it was pouring rain and chilly, and the last thing i wanted to do was get my @ss to the gym...my bed was soooooo warm and ...

back to it - week 5 of 10K training

Tue, 8 Sep 2009 11:27:34 EST

so, i've been slacking for the past few days...badly. i haven't been eating terribly or anything, but i also haven't been exercising at all. it's awful. but, i just tell myself that it's okay...not working out for a few days isn't going to kill me...true, i probably won't lose a lot of weight this week, but i'm okay with that. the back injury sucked, and it did lay me up for a couple of days, but the other couple of days were sheer laziness on my part. i was busy, and i just didn't feel ...

ugh, my back.

Fri, 4 Sep 2009 08:16:16 EST

i did some ST on thursday at the gym that included torso twists on this machine...it really worked my obliques and my back, but i felt okay...just the normal soreness...until i lugged a bunch of speakers and other equipment from my parents' house to a friend's house to set up for her 30th birthday bash, which is tonight. after i was all done and got into the car last night, i all of a sudden felt a sharp pain in my upper back, near the middle by my shoulder blade. it hurt when i breathed in ...

random thoughts about my journey...

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 14:01:36 EST

"you're an athlete!" that is what emily, one of my very best friends, said to me regarding my running/fitness...and i have to say, it shocked me, and it really made me think.

i have never considered myself particularly athletic, even in middle/high school when i played indoor soccer, softball and did cheerleading (yes, i was a cheerleader...but only for a year, and i was effin' good at it!) i was always a bit chubby/overweight, and although i was unhappy with my body, i never mad...

september goals!

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 20:05:16 EST

so, i've decided to start doing monthly goal blogs in order to keep me accountable and motivated throughout the month. here are my goals for the month of september:

1. FOOD - TRACK EVERY DAY!

plan: i'm already getting a lot better at this, but i still slip up sometimes...my goal is to track all of my food for the month of september. a lofty one, but i can do it! it always helps me to stay on track!

2. WATER - AT LEAST 9 CUPS A DAY

plan: this will ...

long run and plan for week four of 10K training.

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 13:11:30 EST

well folks, i did it! i ran a little over 4 miles in about 52 minutes outside without stopping! i was definitely feeling it toward the end, but i did it...along with about .5 miles walking to cool down. so i guess i shouldn't be so surprised any more when i achieve a goal...i've proven to myself that i can do it!

anyway, enough with the accolades. week #4 of training is about to begin, and i'm definitely confident that i can keep this momentum going. the long run is only another...

weekly wrap-up and weekend plans.

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 08:49:39 EST

so this week was pretty awesome. lost 1.6 lbs, stuck to my calories, tracked my food, drank a lot of water and followed my training schedule to a "t". definitely ate out some, but i made the right choices (aside from A LOT of sodium...can't be helped eating out), and for that i am proud! it was really nice to have brian in town for a couple of days (he's leaving this morning sometime), and we even got to go to the gym together. it's nice to be a couple and be active together.

i...

i think i'm actually learning how all this works...

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:01:04 EST

so, today on my agenda was running 2.5 miles. nothing daunting, and although i wanted to get up and do it this morning, i also wanted to run outside, and it was pouring. i checked the weather, and it said it was supposed to clear up this afternoon, so i planned on doing the run when i got home from hanging out with a friend and her little baby (sooooo cute), and before hanging out with another friend this evening.

after getting home, i was starting to talk myself out of running......

long run and plan for the week.

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 11:08:15 EST

i did my first long run of my training schedule this morning. i was definitely apprehensive about the whole thing...i ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill and 2.2 miles outside this week, and both runs were a struggle, so i was scared that i would poop out on 3.5 miles, especially since i don't remember the last time i ran over 2.6 miles...i'm sure it was at least a couple of weeks ago!

so anyway, i dragged my a$$ out of my apartment to run (even though, again, my bed was calling to me)....

i want to ride my bicycle...

Sat, 22 Aug 2009 16:25:29 EST

so, instead of going to the gym today, i decided to get out my bike and go for a ride. (i almost let lethargy get the best of me, but again, i pushed myself to get out and do SOMETHING.) it's cooler than it's been in a while around here, so i thought it would be nice to be outside instead of cooped up in the gym. the sparktracker thing says i only burned 223 calories, but it HAD to have been more than that...i have a friggin' ONE SPEED CRUISER, and ypsilanti is HILLY. i really need to get a ...

weigh-in and end of the week stuff...

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:52:21 EST

i DID NOT want to run today. AT ALL. i didn't get a good night's sleep (again) because my kitten leopold harassed me about every two hours from 3 or 4 in the morning on. (i have a studio apartment, so unless i want to put him in the bathroom, i can't escape!) so, all i wanted to do was lay in bed and watch tv and basically laze around, but...

i did it. i ran...more than i was scheduled to even. it was a little hot, but a beautiful, sunny morning, nonetheless. while i was running, ...

feeling good!

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:35:31 EST

so it's midweek, and i'm feeling REALLY good! strong, confident, happy...albeit a little tired. i've worked hard the past couple of days, and my food intake is good. no binging AND staying at the lower end of my range. also, last night i hung out with a good friend who made me dinner...and i have the habit of staying over there late, and then coming home and snacking. well, i resisted temptation and went to bed without that last snack of the night, which made me feel AMAZING! my workout today...

training for the 10K - week two

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:02:16 EST

so, this week is officially the second week of training for the 10K. i did not do so well with training last week...i was on vacation in toronto, and i got a terrible cold right before i left. i only ended up getting one run in...i did soooooooo much walking, it was all i could do to keep myself upright, and i didn't want to work out as well and overtrain. the last time i did that while i was sick, i made myself even sicker and it lasted for two more weeks! anyway, it's a new week.

...

bummer.

Sat, 8 Aug 2009 07:11:05 EST

well, i was SUPPOSED to run a 5K this morning...but i woke up and my knee was soooo sore and stiff...i can't stand up or sit down without holding onto something. yesterday, i helped a friend move like 4 different pieces of furniture from ikea to her apartment, which is up about 3 flights of stairs. it started aching yesterday while going up and especially down the stairs, and also when i stood up or sat down. awesome. i'm happy i got to help her out, but i'm totally bummed that i hurt my k...

today was a good day...

Thu, 6 Aug 2009 22:02:36 EST

i had a great day today, both food-wise (pretty much) and fitness-wise. i say pretty much when it comes to food because i went to friday's with two of my girlfriends...and as you may know, friday's is a healthy eater's NIGHTMARE. no nutritional info, lots of tasty and terrible-for-you food..but, i got soup and salad, which was not so bad...those bread sticks though...THOSE BREAD STICKS! they were ridiculous...and i had three. oops.

but, here's the kicker: i am allowed to eat whatev...

another AMAZING recipe.

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 17:15:11 EST

this is one of my family's faves...my dad freakin' loves it. it's soooo simple, it's insane. very easy to prep and cook, even for a novice. don't be alarmed by the simplicity...it may seem weird to simply squeeze a lime on top of the salad, but you'll be shocked at how perfectly the flavors go together! (i know i was.)

from real simple magazine:
www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/brow
se-all-recipes/chicken-roasted-sweet-p
otato-salad-00000000008027/index.html

dinner tonight!

Wed, 5 Aug 2009 17:07:09 EST

so, a friend is coming over for dinner tonight, and i'm making one of my favorite light recipes. i'm obsessed with mushrooms, so it's right up my alley. leeks are delicious, and they have a wonderful mild flavor similar to onion...it's awesome. the best thing about this recipe is that people are always totally surprised that it's not uber-fattening...it is creamy and savory and YUM! (and good for you, too!)

another great thing is that it's pretty economical...leeks are pretty chea...

rough...

Sat, 1 Aug 2009 10:29:24 EST

so, i've been bad...haven't been eating well in the evening, not working out as much as i should...i'm sort of going through a lull. i know i'll get back on the horse, but i'm going up north with my family, and i know healthy eating is not on the agenda for them. so, i'm going to have to try to stick to the healthiest things they have as my staples, and not indulge in the bas stuff too much. my training program for the 10K starts next week, so i know working out will get better, but my eating...

training for a 10K

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 13:09:38 EST

so, i have made the decision to begin training for a 10K in august. i found an 8 week training program for novices that seems pretty doable.
( www.halhigdon.com/10ktraining/10knov
ice.htm )
the only race that is approximately 8 weeks out is the big house, big heart race in october 4th...so i have to start the regimen next week! AHHHHHHHH!

the cool thing about this race is that not only is it for charity (ALS, u of m hospital and mott's children's hospit...

something silly...

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:02:32 EST

i forgot to add something adorable/slightly embarrassing that my boyfriend said. he made a comment that he can tell that my bum is getting smaller and more muscular since i've been running! now that is a great compliment, and a great motivator to keep going with this running business! i only wish i'd started sooner!

feeling the spark.

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:33:40 EST

so, i haven't been feeling that awesome weight-loss spark lately. i got laid off from one of my jobs and haven't had much to do...so, i've been sort of lethargic. i always said that this summer i was going to knock it out of the park with my eating/exercising. that has not been the case thus far. although i have not gained any weight, i also haven't been losing much either...which is disturbing in its own way. i haven't been eating well all of the time, and i haven't had as much of a comm...