Day 146 - Do the Plateau, yo. (1200-0-300)

Monday, November 12, 2012

Welcome to Monday!

I feel so AMAZINGLY happy today - for no apparent reason.

You see, I spent what is likely to be the LAST beautiful weekend of the year (or ever, if you subscribe the the Mayan Apocalyptic Calendar) either a) at work or b) in a windowless room playing games with nerds or c) in front of a video game console. In my defense I a) had to go to work (boo); had already bought my ticket to the con (stupid Mother Nature); and c) waited until after dark to play Borderlands.

Still, I feel like I completely wasted the weekend.

Sad Panda is Sad.

Yet, here I am, optimistic and happy.

Oh, and did I mention that my scale decided it's number was 196.6 this morning?

Oh Flying Speghetti Monster - WTF?

I mean, I thought I had busted my plateau on a three day streak of sub 195 - yet, here I am. Again.

I know why.

I just hate it.

I decided to lapse. I had pizza for dinner (and breakfast!) and I went out to eat three times this weekend. And I didn't get on the exercise bike as I had planned to.

So, obviously, I know I did this to myself.

Though, I did get 245 minutes in so far!

I think that's probably the hardest part for those of us who struggle with food and weight - ultimately, our old habits are going to be there. Ultimately, we're still going to have to make the same choices for the rest of our lives.

Because Maintenance isn't about just being able to eat more. It's about being able to continue to keep up our level of activity as well as be conscious of what goes into our mouths. It's about avoiding relapse. It's about being dilligent.

Really, it's not so different from where I am right now (and where you likely are, too.) The alluring thing about diets (and why they fail) is that they're temporary. Eventually you have to leave Alice's Wonderland and go back to the place where your old rules just don't apply anymore. Where there are no rules. Where you have -freedom.-

So, guys, here are my accountability goals.

1. Back down to 1200. No excuses. I did it for three months. I was happy. I felt better. Time to get back there again.
2. Deny entry of the snacks into my house! I don't mean all snacks - if it grows from the ground it's welcome. I've yet to find a Whopper tree - should anyone find one, well then I'll just have to be amazed. "0"
3. 300 minutes. Come hell or high water.

I know the formula. (1200-0-300)

I'm thinking of posting the formula everywhere.

What's the most creative thing you guys do to remind yourselves to stay on track?

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SKEETOR 11/12/2012 5:37PM

Dang it! I'm still looking for any way to stay on track (creative or otherwise).. Report Inappropriate Comment

REFFIE1 11/12/2012 2:10PM

I too am always teetering back and forth on the old plateau. I too, know why. It is nice to know that others struggle with this too. You are right old habits do creep in. You have the right attitude of just getting back on the horse and riding after a fall. Good for you! Report Inappropriate Comment

OLIVIANIGHT 11/12/2012 2:05PM

I don't know if it counts as creative but I have a lot of 'before-after' things around. There's a photo of me at my widest, with a big arrow pointing at me just to make sure I remember. I also have a kind of chart. On one side is a photo of me just before I started SP and on the other is a picture of my thinspiration girl. Thin girl is covered in blobs of blu-tack and every time I lose a lb I move one blob from the picture of her onto the picture of me. Like the old me is getting hidden and a new, thinner, healthier me is emerging. Report Inappropriate Comment

MJ7DM33 11/12/2012 12:40PM

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AURORAMILLET 11/12/2012 12:38PM

Looks like you are on the right track.. I have similar goals! I have post its on my desk to remind of my goals. I have one that says "13.1". Maybe I'll have that tattooed on me someday. Report Inappropriate Comment

Day 142: 1000 minutes in a week? 5000 calories? Huh?

Thursday, November 08, 2012

Good morning, Sparklers!

We're almost to Friday! I hope all of you are ready to have a restful, rejuvinating weekend! I know I am!

So, I changed the layout of my page to help me stay focused to May. Yep, me and 13.1 are going to keep close to one another's hearts until then!

To get to the focus of today's blog title - I have to admit, some of the things I've seen lately are driving me a little bit bonkers.

I mean...

1000 fitness minutes in a week? a 3000 calorie burn? How in the world is this POSSIBLE?

Am I doing something wrong? I'm checking out people's stats (because I'm competitive like that) and I'm seeing numbers that make my jaw drop. Now, I know I'm not at the head of the minutes/calories class; but, I'm no slacker, either. I do my 2-3 mile runs 4 or 5 times a week. Now, the basic rule of thumb is - one mile equals 100 calories burned. So, let's say I average 2.5 miles over five days - (250x5) that's 1250 calories. How are people getting these impressive numbers?

I mean, I won't even go there on SparkPoints; but, this whole calorie thing has me all "huh?"

Do you guys ever look at stuff like this and go "What am I doing wrong here?"

I know I shouldn't compare myself to others; but, it's only human. More than that, when I'm looking to improve I want to know that I'm working to the best of my ability to challenge myself.

Sorry, my head's just spinning... Really.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CINDYAST 11/9/2012 8:05PM

Yeah, it does seem like a lot, but some folks count everything they do. Like walking from the car to the store, walking the dog, etc. I count just my workout, except for today. Missed the gym, but had to shovel 15 tons of gravel into a wheelbarrow and around the yard all morning. I didn't count the 3 hours I spent raking leaves and gathering sticks and debris off the lawn though. I think if you have some sort of tracker, you probably count every step. To each his own, but that's just too much trouble for me. It's just whatever works for you! Report Inappropriate Comment

POMATOJUICE 11/8/2012 7:25PM

Ooh! Ooh! Compare yourself to mine! I don't update it! Lol. It's really hard not to compare yourself to others. As we grow up, it's practically ingrained into us to compare ourselves so we can fit in. I still compare my calories and weight to other people's even though we all have wildly different heights and body types...exercise and calorie needs. I think it's only natural! And I will continue to be jealous of people who eat more than me, even if they weigh more! Lol Thanks for the advice on running clothes! I picked up a pair of snug Capri workout pants on clearance. They are much better than my usual men's shorts that ride up. I passed on the long sleeves, since you suggested I dress for 10 deg warmer. :D Report Inappropriate Comment

REFFIE1 11/8/2012 6:41PM

There is such a thing as overexercisers and that is where injuries happen. I wouldn't compare myself to others just be the best you can be for you. Report Inappropriate Comment

MSMOSTIMPROVED 11/8/2012 3:55PM

OK- I am so busted right now! Before I read your blog, I checked on the Pepper Party fitness minutes. I've been pretty consistent with my workouts so, I just knew I'd be able to break my arm patting myself on the back with being at the top of the charts and I was being nosey. I'm not even in the top 5. I think our team has been infiltrated by crazy fitness ladies or undercover aerobic instructors. The November Challenge is on and poppin! Look Frack, we'll just need to add some yoga or pilates at the end of the day or first thing in the morning to get in more movement and calorie burn. Since we're runners and all, we have to do more low impact cross-training on our off days. Are you with me? Second place can be all yours!! LOL!!!! Report Inappropriate Comment

HEALTHY-SPARK 11/8/2012 3:44PM

lol. I totally get where you are coming from. When I was doing a lot of hiking (daily or every other day), the calories piled up like no tomorrow -- but now that I'm doing less hiking, and more low-calorie burning stuff -- not so much. I do think the SP calculator tends to overestimate the calories burned on some activities (at least for my body), so I try to only count intentional exercise on my tracker. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, especially judging by your success! Report Inappropriate Comment

CATMAGNET 11/8/2012 3:22PM

I'm one of those crazy women who typically does 1-2 hours of exercise a day, every day. Two of those activities that I do 2-3 times a week each are running and swimming, which burn a TON of calories. So I'm doing 600-700 minutes a week and about 6000-6500 calories burned. However, once I hit maintenance, I'm going to have to re-think my exercise schedule, because I'm not sure I can eat that much! I'll figure it out eventually, but it will be hard...I love everything I do (running, swimming, Zumba, spin class, boot camp and yoga)! Report Inappropriate Comment

ESCHLETZ 11/8/2012 2:55PM

For the minutes, I'm lucky one of my jobs is yard duty supervision at my youngest child's school, so I get 2 hours of SLOW walking in per day, which works out to about 560 calories each day. Plus I throw in zumba and yoga a couple times a week (30 minutes each time). Weekends I don't do much of anything though, other wise I'd probably be over the 1000 minutes a week. I think the high calorie counts for some people are because the larger you are the more you burn. As we drop weight it also takes more effort to burn the same amount of calories. Even at my size I'm no where close to 5000 calories burned this week. It's only Thursday but I'm sitting at 3026. And I'm guessing you're a lot lighter than me, and in much better shape, which accounts for my high calorie burn. Report Inappropriate Comment

Day 141 - Really breaking the plateau

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Well, everyone, we survived another election. Hopefully nobody lost too many friends and everyone is still speaking to their families.

Oh, and to steal a page from Pomato juice - "Oh, your guy won/lost? Awesome/Sad! I totally agree with you!" It's multiple choice, you can choose what response from me will keep you happy :)

Politics blow.

So, yesterday I ran all the way to Club - but map my run decided to crap out and lost my data! I know it's about two miles and I think it took me about 25 minutes... I have to guess. So bummed about this :( I really, really hope someone gets me a GPS watch for Christmas. (Or may have to go and buy it myself!)

We also did a lesson on Cardio Kickboxing at club yesterday. 20 minutes - and it was pretty fun. I have to admit that I'm just ridiculously uncoordinated, so most of that class was just... me flailing. But, at least I had fun flailing. I also positioned myself behind the girl who works as a zumba / dance instructor so that I would always have somebody in front of me who was moving correctly. That, friends, is called planning. We also found out that either the last week of this month or the first week of December we find out if we get the Bodymedia Armbands. Here's hoping! Otherwise, I may just haul off and get myself one!

So, this morning I'm down to 192.4. Which is awesome. I'm so close to the next trophy I can taste it!

Let the countdown begin: One week until the Run 4 Fall 4 miler!

What are you guys counting down to?

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

SKEETOR 11/7/2012 10:17AM

Oooh, almost to the 180's ....I am soooo jealous. I checked and depending on this Friday's weigh-in I still have 10 lbs to get outta obese range. Report Inappropriate Comment

REFFIE1 11/7/2012 10:17AM

Haven't tried cardio kickboxing but I love that Zumba. I am always in the front so that I can see the instructor. Too bad for those people behind me that have to see me flail! - hee, hee. Good for you for losing even more. With all the exercise you do no wonder you are seeing progress. Report Inappropriate Comment

CAGMUAHFO2 11/7/2012 10:11AM

Sorry to hear about your map. I hope you get the GPS watch your wanting for Christmas!! (Keeping my fingers crossed for you.) Cardio Kickboxing sounds fun. But I myself am not coordinated at all either. I would have put myself behind someone that knows the moves too. Hope you get the armbands. on the weight loss. I'm counting down until the end of my Insanity workout. It's 60 days but there is also the Recovery week so it's 67 days. I just started but I have 65 days left. Report Inappropriate Comment

Day 140 : The Scale finally moves and fun statistics

Tuesday, November 06, 2012

Well, guys, on this election day in the US, I hope that those who can vote, do. I don't care who you vote for (frankly, it's none of my business); I just care that you take the time to influence our country.

Now, onto Sparkling relevent topics.

First off, my scale finally moved this morning. I'm down to 193.6 after spending 17 days teetering around 195 - 196. Here's hoping a trend has been broken! I hope my plateau is dead!

Yesterday was my first cold weather run... ever.

I mean that literally.

It was 40 degrees, a little breezy, and sunny. A lot like today.

And I loved it.

I wasn't too hot - I wasn't too cold, and I felt like a real trooper! I mean, there was just me and a hardcore looking runner out there. LOVED IT. So, I'm running again today over to FKC. I'm also hoping their scale agrees with my scale that I'm down about 2lbs since they last weighed me in.

Fingers crossed!

For those that have been keeping track a while, you know I have all my charts and graphs. Well, today it was fun to look at my numbers.

To date I have a net-loss of 26.4 pounds since starting the IDEA study. That's actually 36.4 since my all time high. This loss is a 12% reduction in my total body weight. I have 33.6lbs to go until I reach my goal weight. Last, and certainly not least, my BMI is at 29.4. Getting much deeper into "overweight" and away from "obese."

These are today's numbers. I hope they keep on doing what they're supposed to!

So, today's parting message: VOTE!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

MSMOSTIMPROVED 11/6/2012 3:07PM

Doing my happy dance! Whoop whoop! *insert fist pump* You are such an inspiration! Report Inappropriate Comment

SKEETOR 11/6/2012 12:24PM

Yay! I can't wait until I get out of the "obese column"! I have to look and see what that is for me. I know I have a few pounds to go... As for the election, may the BEST person win! (Even if, as hard as it is to believe, it's not the one for whom I vote!) Report Inappropriate Comment

ADARKARA 11/6/2012 11:53AM

Well done! I don't think I could run in 40 degrees. I can barely walk the dog this time of year! lol Report Inappropriate Comment

POMATOJUICE 11/6/2012 11:15AM

Great work on your numbers! That is so exciting. What is it they say? reducing your weight by at least 10% adds like 10 yrs to your life and lowers your chances of disease by a ton, or something like that? Way to go! What do you wear for the colder runs? I have no idea what to wear on Sat, but I don't think it's going to be THAT cold. I mean.. it's Tx. It never really gets THAT cold! lol. I'm wondering if it's windy and in the 60s, if I'll be ok in shorts& a T shirt. I mean, after a point you warm up anyway! Does your club check other things like blood glucose and cholesterol and all of that? I bet your cholesterol is down too! Oh yeah.. and election... I have been searching high& low for my voter's registration card, and it's not where I left it! Ack! I gotta find it, or I can't get out to the polls today! boo! Report Inappropriate Comment

ONMYMEDS 11/6/2012 11:00AM

Congratulations and keep up the good work. Those plateaus can be quite discouraging. Report Inappropriate Comment

REFFIE1 11/6/2012 10:45AM

Congratulations on your recent weight loss. Those dreaded plateaus do take patience and persistence to overcome and you have managed to have both. Nothing like a handsome man jogging to get the heart rate up! Report Inappropriate Comment

Day 139 - What's in a size?

Monday, November 05, 2012

Good morning everyone!

Welcome back to Monday! For those who have been so kind as to comment on my Vlog, I appreciate it. I see a lot of you like the 'old fashioned' and 'traditional' oats - I'm not really a big fan unless my Dad's making them for me. They take a while to cook and leave a lot more mess than just adding in hot water... So, toast it is!

Now, the one thing I didn't have time to mention in my vlog is that the new shirt I got (Helllloooo Runner of Steel!) is a size SMALL.

You read that right.

Size SMALL.

WTF.

Now, I want you guys to put this in perspective. I weigh 195 pounds. I'm 5'8" and my pants size is a size 16ish. (Sourteen? Six+Four-Teen?) In any event - that does not seem like a small to me! I just found it amazing to think that shirt was sized right. I mean, It's snug and it's made of stright up cotton (not tech, drifit, or stretch) and it seemed to fit fairly well in pretty much every place.

So, this leads me to a question: If THAT can be a small; what in the world was their large like? Sometimes it's so easy to get fixated on the size that's on a label that it's hard not to see that what's important is that something FITS well. (Or doesn't fit well.) As any lady will tell you - you can be a size 8 in one store and a size 12 in another. Things that don't change? Well, your numbers on the INSIDE don't change from place to place. What amounts to a healthy blood pressure, sugar level, or cholesterol count isn't going to vary from one place to another (at least not as much as size measurements do in stores!) Maybe those are the numbers we need to focus upon.

I think my other favorite 'number' is right here on the Spark. It's under the 'weight' tracker portion I believe.

From 1 to 5 - how energetic are you feeling today? How does that compare to a coupe of days ago. How does that compare to a couple of weeks ago? A few months ago?

So - my challenge to all of you - look at the numbers that matter when the scale or the tag in your dress don't look how you want.

What's your favorite number?

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DEBBY4576 11/6/2012 10:21PM

I read that in the 1980s, the standard size law was done away with. And that is why today you can't find sizes similar in any two stores. I so agree with you that the cholesterol, and blood pressure, and diabetes numbers are the ones that count, and they vary very little from one machine to the next. I have a couple of pair of jeans that I could wear 15 pounds ago, and they still fit. They are stretchy material. That being said, I still get a thrill out of the smaller sizes fitting. Just can't help myself. Report Inappropriate Comment

KTIERNAN09 11/6/2012 1:53PM

I think most of us have had that sort of WTF moment. It's so bizarre how things are sized at different places and that a simple number can make such a big difference in our confidence! I have a friend who is fond of questioning the change in our attitudes if we just ripped out the tags altogether and she might now be wrong. My favorite number is 19 and has been since I was young (it's the number of letters in my full name). Interestingly I'm also hovering around a 19 pound loss...perhaps I liked 19 TOO much. Report Inappropriate Comment

ADARKARA 11/5/2012 3:13PM

I am 215 lbs and in the last 3 weeks have successfully tried on a medium sweater AND size 12 jeans. I can't remember the last time I was wearing these sizes. High school? Heck, maybe even middle school. No matter what people say size does matter, because smaller sizes give self-confidence. I will never, ever in a million years be a size 2. But I may just make it to single digits and a size 8. It's so exciting to me! Congrats on your size small shirt! Report Inappropriate Comment

GRACEOMALLEY 11/5/2012 2:50PM

Thanks for the well stated reminder. Size is not always what the label says, which is why there are dressing rooms to try things on. Yes - Old Navy is terrible on the sizes marked - they are all smaller than most other places for the same stated size. No matter hoe it camke to be - you're wearing a small and should continue to wear it proudly! Good show, Lady! Report Inappropriate Comment

MSMOSTIMPROVED 11/5/2012 2:21PM

I know size isn't supposed to matter but, if I ever squeeze my head through a size small turn to CNN to see the hometown parade I'm throwing to celebrate. I'd proabably buy it in every color to fill my closet out with size SMALL, LOL! As for fav number, its any increase in the # of push-ups I can do or the minutes I can hold my plank. Not to long ago, both were GOOSE EGGS. Now, I can hold my own at the gym! Your blogs are always so much fun to read. You've got me thinking about running into private office to see if the plank number can go up! Report Inappropriate Comment

REFFIE1 11/5/2012 10:53AM

Thanks for the inspiration! Energy level is a great measurement. Recently, I had a similar experience and I had to get a small size skirt. It just depends on where you shop, sizing is not consistent at all. It is more important you just get a flattering fit and ignore the size completely. Enjoy wearing your shirt. Report Inappropriate Comment

SKEETOR 11/5/2012 8:40AM

Your blog made me think of one of my teachers. She was Chinese and she said in China it was hard for her to find clothes. She said she was lucky to find a "larger" xtra-large to fit into as she was tall and larger than most Chinese. She wasn't overweight though the XL made her feel that way. Then she said with a huge smile "But here in the USA, I am a SMALL!" Comment edited on: 11/5/2012 8:41:10 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

ENCHANTEDMAMA 11/5/2012 8:24AM

It's always nice to be a size smaller - no matter what the scale. I do like keeping track of how I'm feeling on the weight tracker, too. If you look at the trends over time you can really get a good picture of your journey. Keep sparking! Report Inappropriate Comment

BRAVENEWGRL 11/5/2012 8:22AM

OMG I so know what you mean! Sizes do my head in! It makes me nuts that I can fit into a small in one store and then in another I'm lucky to fit in a large! Old Navy is a pretty awful with this.... You've totally inspired a blog though and a new goal for this fall! Thanks and keep up the good work! Report Inappropriate Comment