I need some help with motivation for working out. A co-worker sent me a training schedule for a half marathon. If I'm being honest, that is never going to happen. But I did look for a 5k training plan that would help me to improve my time. I found this:

http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Kinter.htm

This looks like a doable, yet kind of intimidating plan. I'm thinking of starting Monday. For any runners out there, how do you get past the casual running stage to the actually enjoying it stage?

One thing I've been working on is not snacking when I'm not hungry. Something I've been doing is chewing eclipse gum. It is SO minty, that it makes food not sound that appetizing. It has been working pretty well!

Bleu Cheese Turkey Burgers

I was going to take a picture of the final product, but I had a migraine and ended up asking my husband to make dinner. When he brought it to me it looked delicious, but my camera was on the other side of the house...and basically I was too lazy to go get it.

Anyway. Bleu Cheese Turkey Burgers:

1/8 lb 93% lean ground turkey
1 hamburger bun (I choose a larger, whole wheat bun. I believe it had around 190 calories. You could definitely lower the calorie count by just using a smaller bun, but I'm trying to stay a little bit away from white flour, and this was the best I could come up with).
2 T Bleu Cheese
2 tomato slices
2 pickle slices
Ketchup
Mustard

Form the turkey in to a hamburger, and cook using whatever method you prefer. We used the George Forman Grill. 1/8 pound may seem like a really small patty, but this is the size of a kids patty at most fast food places. It really is enough. If you think you'll still be hungry, you can always make a 1/4 pound patty.
Assemble the burger. The great thing about bleu cheese is that it has a really strong flavor, so a little goes a long way.

Result: This was delicious. I told my husband I could eat this every night!
Calories: 337
Fat grams: 11.9
Protein grams: 21.3
Fiber: 1.5
Carbs: 35.4

One great tool I have found is:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp

This will calculate the calories in any of your favorite recipes. It has been really helpful!

A New Beginning

I'm starting this new blog to try help motivate me get fit and lose weight. I will post my progress, recipes, tips, etc.

My goals for 2011 are:

Lose 20 pounds. This is the 20 pounds I lost in 2006/2007. I kept it off for awhile, but , as you can see from the before and after pictures below, after a few moves, getting married, and a new job, the weight is back with a vengeance!

Run a 5k in under 30 minutes - 15 pounds ago I was pretty close to this goal. I realize it's not super fast, but for me that 30 minutes is a huge mental block for me. Now that I'm heavier, I'm about 5 minutes away from this goal, which seems completely insurmountable.

Stop eating when I'm not hungry - I eat when I'm hungry. I also eat when I'm sad, lonely, happy, stressed, etc. You see the problem.

Drink more water, less Mountain Dew - I love Mountain Dew. Love it. It's the best. I dislike water. It's just not that good. But I realize I need it. I also realize that the artificial sweetener and caffeine in my diet Mountain Dew is not good for me.

So, any tips for me? Have you overcome any of these issues?