Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Where am I? Volume 11 (Alternate title: There was a little girl …)

It’s Tuesday – time to take a step back and get a feel for where I am in my weight loss health and fitness journey.

Weeelll … do any of you remember the poem:


There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
She was very, very good*
And when she was bad she was horrid.

Basically, I’m that little girl.

Well, minus the curl … my hair is straight as a board.

But “very good” and “horrid” describe the past week for me, when it comes to health and fitness.

Let’s get the “horrid” unpleasantness out of the way first. My eating. Ugh! The past week was horrid, at least until yesterday. I ate junk and crap, and then some more junk. I stress-ate on Friday and mindlessly ate socially on Saturday and Sunday.

Friday I pigged out on cookies and indulged in fried goodies food; Saturday I ate too many pancakes with full-calorie syrup and butter and later drank lots of beer and ate fried chicken strips; and Sunday I had lasagna, then went to a hockey game and ate (I kid you not) a couple cups of popcorn, a small plate of tortilla chips and salsa, 1 beer, 2 Dr. Peppers, part of a cookie, some cotton candy, and part of piece of cake. My stomach ached Sunday night, not surprisingly.

And also not surprisingly, the scale reading isn’t looking the way I’d like it to look at the moment. It’s above the maintenance range I’d set for myself. I’m over my 134 “stay below this weight” target, and my past-week average is over 133. The numbers did drop today vs. yesterday, and I’m back on track now so I expect it to get back down into my goal range in the next few days. But MAN! I lost it there for a few days.

Thank goodness that a few bad days don’t undo months and months worth of work.

And, from a health and fitness perspective, the past week was not all bad. Despite my complete lack of being on-plan from an eating perspective and slightly over goal, I had a very, very good week when it came to exercise.

In fact, I even earned my exercise badge:
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My goal last week was to do two couch-to-5k runs during the week, and run an official 5k on Saturday. I also wanted to do one full-body strength training workout and, later in the week, an upper-body strength training workout. I did it! I did all of it!

And in running the 5k, I beat my goal in terms of time. I’d walked a 5k in the past (with an occasional jog thrown in) at around 45 minutes. That time was without any real training – I was doing step aerobics so I wasn’t completely out of shape, but I wasn’t training to run or walk at all. I decided I’d try to beat that by 10 minutes, and aimed to come in at or around 35 minutes. When I did my test run on Wednesday I hit just over 35 minutes, and when I actually ran the 5k on Saturday my chip time was 32:08.

Not only did I meet my goal, I beat it! Woo hoo! And I officially graduated from the couch to 5k program – Hooray!

So, looking back at the past week, it wasn’t a bad week, but it wasn’t a good week either. My goal for this week is to be able to look back and say it was a good week.

Goals for the week:
- Eat on plan from Monday-Friday (Monday went well – yay!)
- Go to Mexico for vacation on Saturday and eat reasonably (but not perfectly)
- Do cardio and strength training Monday (done), and then run 30 minutes on Wednesday and Friday (or Saturday in Mexico … I’m aiming for Friday, though). I want to get an upper body workout in before the end of the week, too.

I’ll be away next week on Tuesday “where am I” check-in day, since my husband and I are going to Mexico for vacation for a week to celebrate our 5 year anniversary. We leave Saturday and return the next Saturday. I’m looking forward to a nice, relaxing week. I’m actually excited to be going to a place that I can wear a bikini. My body is by no means perfect (far from it!), but I’ve worked really hard on it, and it looks better than it’s looked in a long, long, long time.

My plan for the week of vacation is to eat reasonably (but I have no delusions that I’ll be perfect), and to do 3x cardio and 2x strength training (with one strength session being only upper body if my cardio is a 30+ minute run). There’s a fitness center, but I’m hoping there’s also a place for me to run outside. Cross your fingers for me.

I’ll post a couple times before I leave, but for those of you who are Healthy You Challenge Tuesday-only check-in-ers, have a great couple weeks!



* Apparently this line should actually be “She was very good indeed,” but that’s not how I learned the poem. I’m mis-quoting it the way I learned it. Also, this poem was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Who knew!?!

27 comments:

Unknown said...

Well done for your couch to 5k time. That is fantastic! And i really like the poem. have a great week

Kathy said...

Those darn pancakes and syrup...I don't do them at home but when we eat breakfast out, they are always calling my name! Glad you're having a good week.

Cammy@TippyToeDiet said...

Thank goodness for the exercise or it would have been a complete and total meltdown. :) In all seriousness, during those periods where either eating right or exercising just aren't happening, isn't it nice to have the other as a 'safety net' of sorts. Good for you for getting yourself back on track!

Pattie said...

I grew up hearing that poem over and over because yes, I have naturally curly hair. And I HATED it when I was growing up in the 60's, when stick-straight hair was all the rage! See, we're seldom happy with what we have. :-)

Congrats on graduating the C25K program! Wear that bikini next week with pride, girl - you've earned it!

Lora said...

Good for you on the Couch to 5k! My sisters and I started it this week. Yesterday was day one.

Have a great time in Mexico and flaunt that body on the beach - you deserve it!

Kate said...

your goals look wonderful, and very ambitious, especially exercising while in mexico, go you! Have a wonderful time.

healthy ashley said...

Happy- Snap out of it! You will be back at it in no time flat.

Happy anniversary! Have a great trip! We'll miss you :(

Grumpy Chair said...

I think recognizing and stopping not the norm eating behaivors is what will carry through for a life time of maintaining your weight.

Congratulations on the exercise badge.

Heather said...

just put it behind you and keep moving on. things like that will happen and will awlays happen and if you can just move on and get back on track, they really wont deter you from your goals.

Paul said...

Ha, that poem (your version) appeared on our family calendar last year, with an evil looking picture of my daughter. Hmm, actually, here's an uncropped copy of it: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1236/1133934740_f065c1c5a6.jpg

Doesn't she look wicked? And she's got the curl, too!

Awesome job on keeping up with exercise. Enjoy your vacation!

Irish Mom said...

I hate when I have bad weeks like that!! You have a great plan!! That poem describes my 3 year old redhead perfectly!!

briy said...

CONGRATS! YOU DID IT!

And congrats on going to Mexico! I'm so jealous! Mexican food is my absolute favorite, and there's simply none of it in my small town in Korea (which is probably why I've managed to lose weight here. :)

Reading yours and RunRunner's accounts of your races has made me soooo excited for my own! :) And we seem to have had the same week. My eating was out of control, but I managed to stay on exercise track until I got sick yesterday. Bad with the good, I guess. Congratulations, and have a wonderful vacation! You've earned it! We'll miss you~

MMalloy said...

I'd say your great week in activity outweighs your overindulgences over the weekend. I know the scale will go down over the next couple of days!
Mexico sounds so great right now. Have a blast and get in some relaxation and fun while you are there too!!!

st said...

have great time in mexico! and i'm so excited to be a part of the healthy you challenge!

Anonymous said...

You know, I think maintenance is a real minefield...you have to take the great behaviors and habits you've learned and somehow translate them into the whole rest of your life, without being able to reinforce them with a drop in the scale. I think it's very hard and takes most people some time to find their feet.

In that perspective, I think you're doing great. Exercise is probably the first area I would slack off and you definitely haven't. And you're SO right; a few bad days do not undo all the good you've done.

I think weight probably will fluctuate so your moving average is a really great way of tracking. It keeps you paying attention and you know when you're slipping before it becomes a big 10-pound problem.

I hope that you have a great week getting ready for vacation! :-)

V.

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Amy said...

I'm planning my vacation as well. You definately need that gettaway to balance your life out. Just go easy on the booze and suggary snacks!

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theresa said...

Keep up the good work and don't beat yourself up! The key is to get back up again and it looks like you have got that down!

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Dan said...

Well done on the km time....good work

Dan said...

What a great effort for your first 5KM

Dan said...

you go girl, very proud of your 5km run time