June Progress Report

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Start weight: 236
End weight: 234
Weight lost: 2 lbs.
Weight lost since the beginning of the year: 23.5 lbs.
Total weight lost: 64 lbs.

Fitness minutes: 1,050 – I reached the 1,000 minutes mark again this month!!

Miles: 48 miles, up from 43 miles last month.

Plateau – I broke through my “siesta”!

Measurements:

2 inches off my hips!

Grade for the month: B+. My goal was to lose 4-6 lbs., and I only lost 2 due to my “siesta”. I couldn’t give myself an A for that, although my non-scale victories and fitness accomplishments do outweigh the weight.

Fitness accomplishments:

• I ran my first 5K! (details in blog)
• I am on week 7 of C25K and can run for 25 minutes straight!
• Incorporated strength training into my program and feel stronger!
• I actually want to work out and run, and FIGHT to do it. I make sure I leave work on time, and am firm w/ my husband. Of course I want to go home to my family, but 2-3 days a week doesn’t kill them to lose me for an hour.

Non-scale victories:

• We had Totino’s Pizza one night because it was just “that” kind of night and I only had half, and I added broccoli and carrots to the top of it to make it healthier!
• My husband told me that my legs were getting “boney”
• The t-shirt size I requested at the 5k was sold out (2x, the size I was when I registered for it), so I was given an XL – and it fit PERFECTly!
• I won’t eat a sandwich unless it has spinach on it – lots of spinach!
• I was able to fit back into a size MEDIUM shirt that my best friend gave me over 10 yrs. ago!
• I broke through a plateau, ahem, I mean PARTY, SIESTA, FOREVER!
• Have had numerous compliments! My husband said to me one morning “Man, you are lookin’ skinny!”
• I realized I hadn’t updated my heart rate monitor since I purchased it and went to update my weight and I had lost 20 lbs. since purchasing the monitor (for my 40 lbs. lost reward) at the beginning of 2010.
• There was sweat on my shirt after working out – I’m not an easy “sweater”, so to me this is a victory!
• I am putting myself first. I can’t be there for my family if I am obese and unhealthy. The reward will pay off later.
• But I am learning to savor all of the small moments, holding my daughter, dancing the baby, it all counts and it’s all good!
• I realized that I’ve lost the equivalent of two of my 3 yr. old daughter! 64 lbs., baby!
• I’m starting to lose my double chin and see “chin bones”
• My feet are getting a smaller! I don’t need a wide width anymore and have gone down ˝ a size.
• Better sex
• I bought a size Large dress because it was on sale, didn’t try it on until I got home, and it FITS! I could wear it now!
• Started the Shred by Jillian Michaels. I bought it before I got pregnant with my second daughter and have been too intimidated to start them back up again.
• I wore a sleeveless shirt to work on casual Friday, and I brought a shrug to wear over my shirt – now usually I would have worn the shrug IN the car, coming OUT of the car and through the lobby, into the elevator, going to work because I don’t like showing my arms, despite the fact that it is 90 degrees and humid out. But this day I left my shrug in my purse and didn’t put it on until after I was at my desk, I walked to the kitchen, put my lunch away, my co-workers saw me and I was NOT embarrassed, insecure or in any way uncomfortable!
• I had to return a dress that was a size 18 and get the 16 instead.
• I packed a “healthy bag” for my vacation and snacked only on healthy foods and also worked out while on vacation.
• I bought the most comfortable, cutest dress and on a 92 degree day, I wore it to work. (I never wear dresses or skirts for that matter to work). One of my co-workers and good friend was gushing about how great I looked and even snapped a picture of me. She, who is a fitness trainer and very fit, said she was jealous of me and wanted to go home and change!


A picture of me in the green dress that my co-worker and friend took of me.

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You'd better be running...

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

My sister shared this quote with me and I love it SO MUCH. It inspires me as I'm in my 7th week of C25K, with no more intervals, just straight running.

If I can do it, YOU can do it!

~~~

Every morning in Africa, a Gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a Lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest Gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a Lion or a Gazelle...

when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.

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Houston, We Have a Problem...

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

I was PMSing SO badly last night and ate the following:

1 triangle of brie cheese and a few crackers –OK, HEALTHY SNACK
1 babyel cheese wedge – OK, I’VE HAD ENOUGH CHEESE
1 mini Dove chocolate ice cream bar – WHAT AM I DOING?
1 container of Skinny Cow Strawberry ice cream – MORE ICE CREAM?

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

I actually put a tablespoon of chunky peanut butter INTO my ice cream AND added strawberry sundae sauce.

And to top all of that goodness off, I had 2 glasses of wine.

What is going on?

Today was my weigh in day and somehow all of this mess hasn’t made it to the scale – yet.

The only good thing was that I worked out and walked 3 miles w/ weights, so I actually had a calorie deficit of about 100 calories after all was said and done.

But I wanted to blog about it to remind myself, and others, that we all have our "off" days, "bad" days, whatever you call them, you have two choices.

1. Let it defeat you.

2. Go on as if nothing has happened, and continue along the path to health.

It all evens out in the end. If we let days or nights like this sabotage our efforts, then we really are taking 3 steps back. But if we continue on, one foot in front of the other, we will truly reach our goals.

Oh, and remember to drink lots of water along the way.



And ok, a little coffee can't hurt things.

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Turning a Plateau into a PARTY!

Wednesday, June 09, 2010

Ok, so I am stuck. In a dreaded plateau, the very word plateau sounds defeating to me. It is a negative word. I looked it up in the dictionary, and the definition is:

1. Period during training when no observable progress is being made.
2. A relatively flat highland.
3. A temporary or more permanent leveling off in the recovery or rehabilitation process.

Wait, there was one word of hope there. TEMPORARY. Yes, perhaps I can't see the progress being made, but it is there, somewhere, hiding and lurking, waiting for me to have the strength to endure this dreaded valley and come out a slimmer me.

I think what has really made me so mad and frustrated is that these past weeks have been the BEST weeks of my program. I mean, if someone was handing out gold stars for performance, I would have gotten several. I stayed within my calorie range and tracked it - even on the weekends! I worked out above my typical level AND I ran a 5k. I mean, what else do I have to do??

SO I am going to stop. Take a deep breath. And regroup.

I am officially renaming the Plateau. It is now called A Break, A Party, A Siesta. This is a perfectly normal thing and my body has to adjust. I am going to have a little party with my body, I am going to work out, I am going to eat right, I am going to have a little healthy party while my body decides to accept these changes I am putting it through. I think it will come around to my side, eventually.

Perhaps a little glass of wine will help.

And I'm also going to make a few tweaks during this happy, healthy party. From what I've read about these, ahem, BREAKS, is that the best single word of advice is to make a change. Not to make the mistake of doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result (Ben Franklin's definition of insanity).

Here are the changes I am going to make in the next few weeks:

1. Zig-Zag Calorie Intake (or Calorie Cycling)
Zig-zagging, or calorie cycling is the process of varying daily calorie intake, while maintaining the same weekly intake. Instead of consuming (for example) precisely 1800 calories each day - you can mix it up. Eat 1500 calories one day, and 2100 calories the next. This can be as simple as halving then doubling a portion size, or adding a post-workout shake into the plan. Just keep your body guessing.

2. Strength Training - 3x per week.
If you are not doing this as part of your program or lifestyle, then it's time to start. Working your muscles will help to strengthen bone tissue, increase lean mass, and ultimately boost metabolic rate.

3. Change Your Exercise Routine - Adding a gym class and maybe swim
So you go walking a lot? Then try jogging, or swimming, or cycling -- anything that will change the way your body is working. If you are doing low intensity cardio work, then try some high intensity exercise.

4. Alter Macro-nutrient Intake - I am going to try less carbs.
Although it sounds complicated, once again, the idea is to change what you are eating. If (for example) you are eating a moderate diet that is higher in carbs - try eating less carbs and more protein. There is no need to get super-technical over the whole thing. If you have a carbohydrate snack every day at morning tea time - change it to a protein snack. Whatever you are doing consistently - try mixing it up a bit.

5. Change Meal Frequency - Plan snacks, no unplanned eating.
If you are eating three square meals a day - start adding snacks in between (which may mean reducing the portion size of the main meals). Eating often is an old and common style of eating - once again, you are trying to boost your metabolic rate.

I am also going to chill out and stop obsessing. My body just needs to realize that it is the guest of honor at this party, and gladly accept the gift of a thinner me.

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My first 5k! (Pictures)

Monday, June 07, 2010

Total time: 39:31
Pace: 12:45 per mile
Place: 1408 out of approx. 1700 timed runners
Calories burned: 665



I did it! I ran my first 5K!!!! Thanks to SparkPeople and the Couch to 5K program!



I have been sick with a cough and so each time I breathed in I had to cough, so that wasn’t helping me. BUT I ran the entire thing; I only stopped once to walk for about 30 seconds.

My longest training session prior to the race was Friday night, and I ran for 20 minutes straight. I am on Week 6 of the Couch to 5K program, I haven't graduated yet (but will), however I still finished the 5k in about 39 minutes, so I doubled my time. So I pushed myself, and I’m a bit sore from it, but I did it!


Me, my daughter Lucy and my sister Kris before the race

I was so nervous the night before the race, I wanted to do everything right. I had a healthy dinner of protein with some carbs (chicken kabobs and rice) and made sure I drank lots of water in the days before the race. That morning I had a simple breakfast of cereal with a banana. I also had a half cup of coffee. I prayed to have the strength to finish the 5k.

As we lined up the sense of excitement was so strong, I just knew it was a special thing I was doing, and that I had worked so hard for this! I didn't know what was going to happen, but I knew I was going to give it my all. My sister snapped a picture of us and then the whistle blew.


Me (right) and my sister Kris (left) before the race, taken from her cell phone.

The first 1/2 block or so was hard, to get into the mental frame of, I AM going to run 3.1 miles. So I stopped thinking of it like that. I stopped looking at all the fit people running in front of, and WITH me, and behind me, I realized that I WAS one of these fit people, I belonged here no matter my size or the number on the scale. I was in the ZONE.

The course was awesome and was held at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. All proceeds from the races went to benefit the zoo. We ran past the baseball fields for MILE 1, then onto running through the zoo to be greeted by cheering crowds (including my cousin and her husband) and flamingos onto MILE 2, then the hardest part for me was MILE 3, which was a little boring and run on a gravel paved path to the finish line. I think MILE 3 got to me mentally because I could see how far we had to go (it was in a straight line) and then all of the runners returning, so it FELT long to me. This is when I had to stop and walk for a bit.


Flamingos in Mile 2

My sister Kris ran with me the whole time, even though she normally runs at a faster pace. This helped me so much; her support has been really awesome. Before each mile marker she would call it out to me. Before the finish she pointed out the finish line and then even stopped to take a picture of me as I ran toward the finish! Running through the zoo past the animals really kept me distracted and entertained at the same time.

I was so proud of myself for running this 5k, my first 5k! I still can’t really believe I actually DID it. My training has paid off, and my weight loss and new lifestyle have as well. My sister told me that the girl in that picture at the finish line couldn’t have been me a year ago – this is a NEW girl – leaner, stronger and more confident. THIS is a girl who will capture her dreams and hold them captive. THIS is a girl who is DONE being a fat girl, and onto being the girl she was meant to be!


Me running to the finish line (I'm in the grey pants)

After the race they had lots of munchies (popsicles, bagels, bananas, oranges, apples). I had an orange Popsicle and it really hit the spot! After that I got professionally stretched out by ATI Physical Therapy. It was complimentary to the runners and it felt so good!


Me, my sister Kris and my daughter Lucy after the race



I ran into a good friend of mine that ran the race as well, we didn’t even know that we were both running in this particular race, and we work out at the same health club and talk about training, so it was a crazy coincidence. It was great to see him!


Me and my friend Tom

Then I changed out of my sweaty clothes and got to spend time with my family and walked around the zoo, had a picnic we brought from home, and I even rode the carousel with my 3 yr. old daughter Lucy.


Me and Lucy on the carousel.



Afterward I relaxed pool side (baby pool side) with the kids.



The 5k course map.

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