Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Officially off my arse - Couch to 5k

I have to tell ya, my realization yesterday that I've lost over 100 pounds is haunting me. How crazy is that? All the yo-yoing up and down ... all the weight lost, then re-gained, then lost, then re-gained ... I knew I'd followed that pattern to some extent through the years, but when I saw that number it was shocking. SHOCKING. It shouldn't have been shocking, but it was.

Man, if you've done the yo-yo thing and you want a serious reality check, add up those numbers. Damn.

Just think, if I'd lost the weight and then kept it off through eating well and working out, I'd be slender and super-healthy right now. Or, on the other hand, what if I'd lost all that weight at once. I'd weigh 65 pounds or so. Yikes!

Then this morning, I read this post over at Athena's blog, and it drove the truth home.

I have been making the choice to yo-yo like that. Every time I lose the weight and then don't keep it off, I've made the choice to let that happen. Because sitting on my arse is a choice, and eating piles of pasta is a choice, and having that second piece of cake is a choice, and dealing with stress and sadness by eating is a choice, and not tracking my food intake is a choice.

I choose not to do that anymore, thank you very much.

Instead, after work today I chose to go out and run Week 1 Day 1 of the Couch to 5k plan. I've been thinking about starting for ages, and there's no better time than the present. I ran, and I enjoyed it, and Sunday I'm going to go get new shoes just like Ashley.

I choose to be that crazy person running down the street in the cold, not the crazy person who keeps losing weight and gaining it all back.

15 comments:

Roni said...

SO true! It is all a choice. That doesn't mean the choice is always going to be easy but if you give yourself permission to choice something bad now and then it doesn't cause the domino effect. KWIM?

Holly said...

Good for you for starting the Couch to 5K! And kudos for realizing everything is a choice, and deciding to make a good one!

Paul said...

Wow, good for you! I never really got into running, but it's great exercise.

Amy said...

I swear I did a post awhile back about the same thing (I can't find it so maybe I just thought about doing it)! I counted up all my lost weight over the years and is was over 100 also.

Holy Schizoly. I thought the same thing. Man! If only I had just kept it off in the first place. I am a big yo-yo. I seriously think my metabolism is screwed over and my only remedy is to bust out massive amounts of exercise. It is what it is. Unfortunately.

Amy said...

Yay for running! You're my hero!

Chanda (aka Bea) said...

If I added up all the yo you weight Ive lost and gained back again over the years, I think there would be another person's worth (and not a particularly skinny one at that!). It is shocking, and one more reason to make it all stick this time. Great post!

Kate said...

I'm very lucky, I've never been a yo-yo dieter. When i got on Weight Watchers a year ago, it was my first and only serious attempt at losing weight. And I was also lucky I didn't have a 100lbs to lose.

That being said, I know how hard it's been, and by all means I never want to go through it again. So once I finally get to goal weight, i will do what I have to to stay there, because I don't want to go through it all again.

Great job for making the choice that this will be your last time! Good for you!

Hanlie said...

Great choice! I always believed that it would be easier to exercise when I'd lost some weight. Then I realized that I should stop worrying about easy, because it's never going to be easy, and start concentrating on what works. So I'm working out 6 days a week and loving it! And yes, it will get easier as I get thinner and the weight on my joints diminish and my range of motion improves. But I have to work hard to make it happen.

I may just do a 5K in future too!

Tina said...

Wow! Great post... life is all about our choices... I love your perspective.. and that you are doing the CP25K... You have motivated me to get off my couch too... I'm gonna do it (again).

Btw, thanks for the code thingamajiggie... I will be using it soon (wish I could plug YOUR numbers in though). :)))

HappyBlogChick said...

Thanks for the support Roni, Holly, Paul, Amy, athena, chanda, kate, hanlie, and tina, I appreciate it.

Sometimes it is hard to remember it is a choice. I've been in touch with this concept before, and then lost it.

No more losing it. Please remind me of this when/if I start to get off track. I give you all permission to give me the online-smack-down.

Anonymous said...

Woo-hoo! You're going to do great.

As I'm a C25k alumna ;), I'd like to offer a few tidbits of advice:

1) Definitely go get good shoes at a store that specializes in running. They should have you running up and down the store to check your gait; if not, go to a different store.

2) If you have large breasts, they'll hurt if you don't have a really good sports bra with LOTS of support. I recommend Enell sports bras. Pricey, but you can get 1 or 2 and just keep washing 'em.

3) Running socks that don't have the seams and are breathable helped me out. I'd recommend them. While you're at it, get some tops that are breathable, too. Running while wrapped in your own sweat isn't fun.

4) As you're doing the program, if you get to a day that's really, really hard or you get to the end of the week and you don't feel like you have it down yet, just redo the day or week. It's not defeat or a setback; it's just giving your body time to adjust to the running.

I finished Couch to 5k, which makes me believe anyone who's in decent health can do the same if they set themselves up for success. So I know you can do it!

HappyBlogChick said...

Sally - thanks for all the advice! It's very helpful. I'm such a newbie at the running thing. It's a little intimidating.

I went back through your old running posts, and was completely inspired by the post where you ran your first 5k. How exciting! That will be me one day, oh yes it will ...

juliabjerke said...

I just stumbled across your blog and wanted to congratulate you on giving up on yo-yo dieting! It sounds like you've got a great attitude. Plus, the Couch to 5k sounds like a good idea! I'll have to look into it.

*ccc* said...

You're making good choices now. That's all that matters.

(Me on the other hand, I stick to the ignorance is bliss mentality. If I think about all the weight I've lost--then gained--I just depress myself. And I'm no fun when I'm depressed!)

Anonymous said...

5K...I can only dream, lol. Great job and great post.