Couch to 5k invitation

I don't have much time right now, but I wanted to throw an offer out there. I've been exchanging messages with jb, and we're going to do this Couch to 5k thing together.

Anyone else want to join the fun? The more the merrier! There's no time like the present! Strike while the iron is hot! Insert cliche here!

Seriously, if you're considering running, why not join us? We can share our experiences and compare notes. I've only done 1 day so far, so I'm just starting out, too.

If you're a beginner like me (who historically has only run when being chased, or maybe when someone dangles a carton of ice cream in front of me) it'll be perfect for you. It's a program that starts you out slow, with very little running and mostly walking. Then, over the course of weeks, you increase how much you run and decrease how much you walk. If you're having a hard time, you can repeat the weeks. The focus isn't on speed, it's on getting your body used to running so you can run 5k.

There's even a podcast that you can use to tell you when to run and when to walk, and it has good music, too. I used it for my week 1 day 1 run.

Someone else sent me this info, too ... I haven't read it yet. But I figured I should share it anyway.

Think about it! If I can do this, you can do this.

And a quick aside ... I'm probably not going to be on here much for the next few days, but I'll be back Monday for sure. I'm having a Valentine's champagne brunch party Saturday morning and I have to get ready. I haven't even been grocery shopping yet. Ack!

If I do find a spare moment, I figure I should spend it working out and not blogging. Crazy concept, right?

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.

Where am I? (Volume 1)

Now that I'm in the Healthy You Challenge, every Tuesday I'll be posting a "where am I in my weight loss journey" stats check.

Last week I posed the question "Should I report my pounds lost based on the heaviest weight I've ever been, or should I report it based on my recent weight loss, since this past fall?" Lots of folks said I should go with my heaviest weight ever. Even with all the encouragement to do it that way, I am waffling. (Mmmmm waffles...) The loss since this past fall is much more salient and meaningful to me. On the other hand, I do want to acknowledge that I've lost more than that in total, based on my heaviest weight.

So what's the verdict?

I'm doing it both ways! It's my blog, and if I want to track my weight loss two different ways and reward myself two different sets of badges, I'll do it. So there. I might just crown myself Miss America of This Blog next week. Because I can.

Wow. I'm a little drunk with power, eh?

Anyway, moving on, here are the stats! Drum roll please ...

Weight loss since last Tuesday: 1.4 lbs
Hey, that's better than I expected. Granted, last Monday and Tuesday I was all bloated and water-retainy from my trip out of town, but I'll take it. This makes me feel like the past week wasn't so bad after all.

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 12.8 lbs
Which means I get a 10 lb badge!


Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 27.4 lbs
Which means I get a 25 lb badge!



One would think that with a 10 lb badge and a 25 lb badge I could call this 35 lbs lost, but it doesn't work that way. Ahh well. Actually ... maybe I should count every pound lost, whether I re-gained it or not. Hmmm ... With all my yo-yoing through the years, this could be interesting.

• 1998 - lost approx. 20 lbs. This is my best guess, since I didn't weigh myself when I started losing weight.
• 2003 - I'd gained that 20 or so back, but then I lost it plus more - a total of 35 lbs lost.
• 2006 - I'd gained that 35 lbs back, but then lost it again. So that's 35 more lbs lost.
• 2008 - This is where I am now ... 12.8 lbs lost since last fall.

That's a grand total of 102.8 pounds! Jiminy Christmas!

I've never done that math before. Wow. I have GOT to stop this weight gain/loss/gain/loss cycle. Seriously. That's just crazy. I'm not awarding myself a badge for that foolishness.

Alright, guys. This is a good illustration of why I started this blog. I think being accountable to this community will help me, especially once I get to maintenance. I can do the losing weight thing on my own, but I clearly haven't been able to keep it off on my own. This time, I want this weight gone, and I want it gone for good.

I'm sure you all feel the same way. We can help each other along the way. Together we can do this. If we keep working on our own weight loss and maintenance, while at the same time supporting each other along the way, I am confident we can take our extra pounds off and keep them off.

I'm done with the yo-yo life. This time the weight will be gone for good.

Lost: Motivation. If found, please contact HappyBlogChick. Thank you.

I'm having some motivation problems.

This past Tuesday I was all like "It is time! Let's do this thing! I'm going to work out and eat right and blah blah blah!" Yeah. Right. I only worked out one time last week. My eating was not back to out-of-control Christmastime feasting levels, but I made fewer healthy choices as compared to earlier this month and pre-Christmas. I didn't drink my water, eat my veggies, limit my alcohol consumption (mmmm boooooze), or seek out whole grains.

I mean, I assume that pizza I had last night wasn't whole grain. Let's call Domino's and ask.

I think the only thing I've done that I said I would do is reach out to more healthy minded bloggers and build a support system. Maybe I should celebrate that I did work on that goal ... or perhaps I should recognize that reaching out to folks online is both good for my fitness goals and a good excuse for goofing off. *sigh*

Bottom line? My motivation is lagging.

It's not completely gone, don't get me wrong. I'm actively trying to figure out ways to get my mind back where it needs to be. Looking at the big picture helps ... I've lost a bit over 10 lbs since fall, and a little over 25 lbs if you compare now to my heaviest weight ever. I haven't forgotten what I've accomplished. But the problem isn't that I don't think I can do this weight-loss thing. I know I can do it. I'm not discouraged; I'm just not motivated right now. So, looking at how well I've done only gets me so far.

Sometimes what motivates me is trying on my cute clothes that don't fit anymore. I have lots of cute clothes that don't fit. That approach didn't do it for me this weekend, though. Most of the cute clothes that don't fit are summer clothes - shorts, cute summery lightweight tops, summer dresses, etc. Since I can't wear them right now I don't need to lose weight right now, right? I do have jeans that don't fit, but that isn't working for me as a motivator. There just isn't enough difference between the jeans I'm in now paired with a bulky sweater vs. my skinny jeans with a bulky sweater.

The way I see it, I have two options at this point. I can maintain where I am for a while, or I can find the motivation and keep going. When I sit here and contemplate those two options, maintaining at this weight is not appealing at all. So there's my answer. I have to find that motivation.

I have to find that motivation.

I am going to find that motivation.