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:


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!?!

Body fat & other test results - woo hoo!

Yesterday I went to the gym and got a follow-up fitness test. I was originally tested back in October, right before I started working out with the personal trainer once a week. The plan was to re-test in January. The assumption was that I’d be at my goal weight in January – let me just say HA! to that. But anyway, now I am at goal so it was time for the re-test.

I am pretty darned happy with the results of the test. Check it out:


Some observations:

• Based on my body age, my husband is officially robbing the cradle. OK, maybe not, 15 years isn’t THAT much, but still. I’m a young’un.


• My husband was concerned that my blood pressure was too low, but I looked it up and I’m fine.


• I’m disappointed that my biceps don’t seem that much stronger. I can only lift 3 more pounds? Come on, really? That just seems downright WRONG to me. And how annoying is it that bicep strength is the only strength measure? Hello … I have a LOT of other muscles. But nevertheless, that’s the measure. I think I’ll be exercising my biceps a little more in preparation for my next fitness assessment. Full body workout, schmull body workout, I always say. (Kidding, I’m kidding.)


• My body fat is nice and low but not too low … either the low end of normal or in the athlete range depending on what chart you look at. I do wonder if it's accurate, though. Not to geek out on you or anything, but I really wish she'd repeat the test over a few days so we can assess test-retest reliability here. I'm half tempted to see how much it would cost to get a DEXA test done.


• My weight ALWAYS measures higher at the gym than at home. I figure that’s not a concern since when I weigh myself at home it’s the morning (vs. the evening at the gym) and I’m near-nekkid (vs. wearing workout clothes and running shoes at the gym).


• I wasn’t focusing on flexibility, but somehow I got more flexible anyway.


• In my real age, I got a year older. Dammit.


• All in all, those are big changes!

Yay!

In other news, my weight is 0.2 lbs above my goal (looking at the past 7-day average). I think this is completely annoying and I’ve decided the answer is to change my goal to “below 134” because I’m perfectly comfortable with how I look at the moment, I'm making healthy eating choices, this is normal fluctuation, and, quite frankly, to think I’m over goal right now is nuts. SO THERE. I thumb my nose at you, you stupid scale.

Couch to 5k Week 7: DONE!

Last night I completed week 7 by running my last 25 minute run. The run was extra-special and extra unusual. How so? My husband and I ran together! That has never happened in the history of our 7.5ish year long relationship. Granted, we’ve only been running for a few months, but even so … wow!

Hubby called on his way home from work saying “I’m heading to the gym to run.” At the time, I hadn’t done my run yet. I figured what the heck, and invited him to run with me here in our neighborhood. I was nervous about the idea … he runs faster than me, I’m used to running with music but didn’t want to be rude and play music while we ran together, we’d never done it before (what if I look funny when I run; what if we end up fighting about running and all hell breaks loose and bad things happen; what if my heavy breathing repulses him … or excites him…) … I wasn’t sure how it would go. But I figured it couldn’t hurt to try.

So try we did. I set the pace, which meant that he started out slower than he was used to. He said in the long run it was OK, though, because the pace felt right for him towards the end. Maybe it’s because this was my last 25 minute run but his first 25 minute run, I don’t know. Whatever made it work, I’m glad it seemed all right to him. And it worked for me, too. Although strangely enough I found I went a little slower yesterday than I’d gone in my last 25 minute run. I can’t explain it – I don’t know if I was just tired, or if having him with me changed my pace. I guess I’ll find out, because guess what?

Now we’re talking about making this a weekly thing! Woo hoo!

Wednesday night may become husband/wife running night. We might even invite a friend who works with my husband to join us – he was doing c25k too, last I heard. As long as he can tolerate my turtle-pace, the more the merrier. If I head across town to meet him/them near their office we could go to a number of different pretty running trails instead of running around our neighborhood.

This plan would be great for both hubby and me, since it means I have another reason to get out of the house (yay!) and we’ll end up always working out at least twice a week, on Monday (with the trainer) and Wednesday (doing our together-run). Some weeks hubby has a hard time getting all his workouts in – maybe this structure is the key.

My husband was SO sedentary when we got married. Looking back to 5 years ago when we were just about to be married, and then looking at now, it is AMAZING the difference. He’s eating better, he’s working out, he’s lost weight, and he’s gaining muscle. He’s no super-athlete, but that’s not what I’d want anyway. I’m just so happy for him that he’s becoming healthy.

And from my perspective, it’s great for selfish reasons, too. It’s easier for me to stay on track with healthy eating and exercise when he’s on the same page. It makes me soooo happy that this increases the chances of us having a long life together. And … um … TMI WARNING … the healthier we both get, the better the sex is (and I tell ya, it was good before).

Now THAT is a benefit! Hooray for being healthy!

People, people who need people ...

This past week was officially the worst couch to 5k training week I’ve had. I ran one time – only one time! – out of the three times I was supposed to run. I also did ZERO strength training. Phhhhhhhht.

When I look back at what I did instead of run, I have to say it was very good for me in a non-physical way. I saw my friends more this past week than I have in a loooong time. It sounds frivolous, and it was fun, but it was also a very good thing for me. Working from home, I really need opportunities to be around people. When I was working SO much week before last, I was getting a little crazy. My poor husband tolerated at least one meltdown that probably would have been prevented if I’d just gotten myself out of the house and into a face-to-face encounter with friends. It is hard on me mentally and emotionally when I go a while without seeing anyone but my husband, and I only see him a couple hours a day at most on weekdays. The working from home thing has its benefits, but it also has some serious drawbacks from a mental health perspective.

So although my physical health from an exercise standpoint went to hell this past week, I feel better mentally and emotionally than I have in a while. Although my not-running on Tuesday was due to house-cleaning, the rest of the time it was all about PEOPLE. I did dinner with friends on Wednesday, happy hour with different friends Thursday, girl-time shopping and dinner with yet another friend Friday, lunch out with friends and my friend’s new boyfriend Saturday, dinner out and then going to a bar with husbands/significant others Saturday night, and then my husband and I had our neighbor over for dinner last night.

Human beings! It was so nice to spend time out of the house with real-live-and-in-person humans. How I’ve missed the human beings! Oh, the joy of human contact!

I know you think I’m kidding, and I am being overly dramatic, but I’m dead serious about needing human contact to stay sane. And not just contact with people who bag your groceries or ring up your purchases – contact where you connect with people via in-person conversation.

The challenge for me is to figure out how to fit in exercise AND human contact AND eating well all at the same time. This past week I definitely got the human contact, and (even with all the eating out) I did fairly well at the eating well. I ate a lot of grilled fish and veggies, asked for lots of substitutions, and avoided a lot of breadbaskets. The scale is up a little this morning, but the pattern isn’t different from the pattern I see most weeks (up a little on Sunday, up a little more on Monday). The scale numbers will start dropping again tomorrow or the next day.

But anyway, how do I fit in all three – exercise AND human contact AND eating well – every week? I think that’s something I need to work on. I have some ideas, but if you guys have suggestions, I’m all ears.

Where Am I? (Volume 8) … Answer: RUNNING!

Life has been kicking me around a little this past week. I’m overdue on the blogging and out of touch on the reading. Rather than having a fun-filled weekend, I ended up working all day on Saturday. Instead of socializing on Sunday, I did long-overdue yard-work (which is fun in a way, but I'm beginning to miss human beings). To top it off, neither my husband nor I are sleeping well … he has the “can’t get to sleep” insomnia and I have the “stressed out about work and waking up extra-early” insomnia. It’s a barrel of fun around here, I tell you what.

In the midst of all of this, exercise and eating are going pretty well. Let’s discuss the gory details, shall we? Because it is Tuesday … time for the “where am I in my weight loss exercise and wellness journey” stats check.

Exercise: My goal was 3x cardio via couch to 5k workouts and 2x strength training. I did my couch to 5k runs, but (once again) I only got one strength training workout in. I probably worked my muscles some by doing the yard work (it involved hauling heavy stuff around), but in my opinion that doesn’t count as OFFICIAL strength training. So, technically, I did not meet my exercise goal.

HOWEVER …

I’m THRILLED to say that I successfully ran 25 minutes this past Saturday! Woo hoo! Twenty five minutes! That’s a lot of running. I ran slow but steady and I got it done. It wasn’t even that bad. I think the run before it was harder (two 10 minute runs separated by a 3 minute walk), which makes no sense at all. Thinking about what made that run hard and the Saturday run easier, I bet some of it was the time of day. I ran the two 10-minute runs at the end of a very long, hard work day. On the other hand, I did my Saturday run in the morning, post coffee but pre- everything else. Plus, it was a beautiful day, and I was able to enjoy my own music for the first time, and … it was a good morning.

I am NOT a morning person, but maybe I could become a morning person when it comes to running. Hmmmm. I’ll have to consider it. I can always try it, and if it doesn’t work out go back to afternoons. Besides, if I keep waking up well before my alarm, I might as well get something done, right?

Today I run 25 minutes again, then I do it again on Thursday (come to think of it, Thursday would be a perfect day to try a morning run, since I’m busy that night), and then on Saturday I go up to 28 minutes! Wow.

I read an interesting post by MomOf3 - she’s also doing the couch to 5k program. She mentioned that sometimes when she runs for periods of time that she’s never run before, she has the urge to just STOP. She isn’t in pain, she isn’t incapable … but something inside her tells her to stop. I SO can relate to this. I’ve experienced that many times during this couch to 5k program, and it’s very odd. What is it that makes us feel that stopping is the answer, even when the messages from our body tell us that we really can keep going? I have no idea. But the good news for me is that during my 20 minute run, I didn’t hear that "time to stop" voice. I had no strange urge to stop running … and I tell you, those last five minutes were uncomfortable. But I REALLY wanted it, and I did it.

Again, another example of how mental this running thing is. Who knew?

Anyway, the running is going well, and every time I put those running shoes on I’m able to do more than I ever thought I could do. That feeling is GREATNESS.

Now, on to weight loss (which, if you recall, is not my primary focus these days, but I still have my eye on losing a couple more pounds) …

Weight loss since last Tuesday: 1.4 lbs (135.4 vs. 134.0). I’m glad to see I took off that 0.2 lbs I gained last week, plus more. More than I expected at this point in my journey, actually. I guess there’s something to be said for working your tail off all the time … if you’re heads down at work, you’re not out making bad eating choices. (Honestly, I’d still choose less work, though.)

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 18.4 lbs (152.4 vs. 134.0).

Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 33 lbs (167 vs. 134.0).

All in all I had a good week when it comes to eating and exercise. No badges earned … but I earned the “I ran 25 miles!” badge that exists in my head, and that’s good enough for me!

Couch to 5k realizations

I considered going to yoga yesterday, and then based on the feedback I got in my comments I decided that wasn’t the best idea ever. Instead, I went shopping. That’s always better than an extra workout, right? OK, maybe not always, but it’s better for me right now while I’m doing this couch to 5k thang. Someday I’ll add in additional workouts. I’ll get back to you on that in a couple months.

About the couch to 5k program … yesterday I had two realizations about the program and my progress, and my husband realized something else and shared it with me. My two realizations are happy – his not so much. I’ll start with his … might as well get the unpleasantness over with first.

Realization #1: Hubby (who is also doing the couch to 5k) looked up the program info on coolrunning.com and calculated the miles per hour it assumes we’re running.

It assumes I’m running 6 miles per hour. HA! Now that’s funny. Or depressing. It kind of depends on the moment as to how I feel about that news.

It’s just not happening. I am NOT going that fast. I’ll have to work my way up to that. This info changes nothing, really, but I hated to hear that I am OFFICIALLY slow. Oh well. When I finish the couch to 5k official program, I have a couple extra weeks before my 5k … I’ll keep training and hope my speed increases during that time.

Now, on to happier things …

Realization #2: Over my last post or two I’ve talked about how my Week 6 Day 3 run today will be 25 minutes. Last Friday I did a Week 5 Day 3 run that was 20 minutes, then this week for Week 6 Days 1 and 2 I went back to doing walk/run sequences. I assumed after my Week 6 day 3 run I’d go back to doing walk/run sequences for next week, too.

NOPE!

This week’s Wednesday run was my last run where there is walking in between periods of running. From here on out, I’m scheduled to run 25 minutes straight, then 28 minutes straight, and then 30 minutes straight.

EEEEEEEEEEEEK!

I didn’t realize that I was at that point in the program until yesterday. When I was doing my run on Wednesday I had no idea it was my last day alternating walk/runs. I may have been blocking this out. It is overwhelming to think about those long runs. But hey, I’ll try. I’ll try, and if I am not ready I’ll back up a week and then try again. Hopefully I’ve progressed enough that if I run slowly I can do it, though.

Anyway, despite the long-and-concerning-length, there’s something wonderful about this “I will be running X minutes at a stretch from now on” thing. I can now discard the podcasts and listen to my own music. Woo hoo! Plus, I figured out how to use the timer on my heart rate monitor yesterday*. That means that once I finish my 5 minute warm-up walk and set my timer I won’t even have to watch the clock. After 25 minutes an alarm will sound. Cool stuff!

Yay! I’m so looking forward to my own music. And it’ll be good for me to not be reminded how far I still have to run while I’m doing these long runs. In the early weeks, the “you’re halfway done!” messages were reassuring – now they’re becoming a little anxiety provoking. Only halfway!?! Yeah, I didn’t need to know that.

Realization #3: I’ve been plugging along on the couch to 5k program, and somehow I did not notice until yesterday that I AM MORE THAN HALFWAY DONE WITH THE PROGRAM! Now granted, as noted in Realization #1 I’ll need to keep training for my 5k after my official Couch to 5k program is over, but still! Yay! Lookie here:



That’s where I am right now, before doing my run today. Woo hoooo! Look at that pie, with those more-than-half-finished numbers. (…mmmm pie…) I'm over 60% done, even before I run today! And next Wednesday is officially one month out from my 5k.

It’s all very exciting and intimidating at the same time.

Wish me luck on my run tonight!



* This makes a whopping two things I’ve figured out how to do on my heart rate monitor … 1.) look at the time and 2.) use the timer. Note that my heart rate has nothing to do with either of these things. Ugh. I’ll figure the durned thing out at some point.

Help! Questions for you yoga-doers.

On Monday I finally had to give up and set everything in Google reader to “read.” I hated to do it, but I just couldn’t get caught up. And now, after a busy work day yesterday, I’m behind on my reading/commenting again. Ack! Hopefully I can get caught up this morning. Yesterday at work I worked my ass off to get some stuff sent out, and as of yet NO ONE has responded to my email, given me feedback, nothing. So I’ll take some time to get caught up on ME stuff until I hear back from them (or until my next meeting, whichever comes first).

My point is that I'll be stopping by your blog soon.

Anyway, tonight my husband has a poker game, so I have an evening to myself. I looked at the gym schedule and there’s a yoga class I could go to. I’ve never really done yoga before … I did it one time around 6 or 8 years ago at the Bally’s I used to belong to, and I couldn’t walk for two days after that. I hear that’s not typical. I got a yoga mat for Christmas, though, so I’m tempted to try it. But I have a couple questions for those of you who do the yoga thang.

First, today is a rest day for my couch to 5k run. I try to take my day of rest as truly a REST day … I don’t do aerobics classes or strength training or anything that might make it harder for me to run the next day. This is especially important today, since I do a *gasp* 25 minute run tomorrow. So … what do you think? Would I regret going to yoga tonight? I tell you, my one other experience with yoga suggests the answer would be YES. But the way some of you talk about yoga I’m not sure that’s true.

Also, I’m truly a yoga beginner. They have beginner’s yoga classes at our gym, and the one tonight isn’t one of them. Do you think I should wait and attend the beginner’s class first?

Those are my questions – what do you guys think? I definitely want to do my run tomorrow; I don't want to do anything that'll prevent me from running. I don’t have time to run on Saturday, so if I miss my run tomorrow it’ll set me back in my training schedule. And FYI, I don’t know anything about the yoga classes at my gym, so I won’t be able to answer questions about the class tonight.

Any answers/opinions/advice/suggestions/warnings/encouragement is appreciated!

Where am I? (Volume 7)

Happy Tuesday! It’s time for a “where am I in my weight loss fitness and wellness journey” update.

I’m still losing weight, but last week I said the focus would be on exercise, and I mean it. This week I’m starting with exercise and non-scale victories and THEN I’ll talk about the scale.

Exercise: My goal was 3x cardio via couch to 5k, 2x strength, and 5x abs/planks. I met my cardio goal, but other than that I only got one strength session in and only did abs/planks 2x. I think the 5x abs/planks may not have been feasible with my busy week, but I should have been able to get my other strength session in. Oh well … it’s hard to be concerned because I had a fun week.

NSV #1: My brother commented on my weight loss and an old friend commented on my weight loss. Both comments were unprompted and they were said as soon as I saw them. Note to self – spend more time reconnecting with people who don’t see me often – they can see the changes!

NSV #2: I went on a mini shopping trip and I was able to fairly consistently fit into size 6 clothes. There were times I brought three different sizes into a dressing room because I wasn’t sure what size I would be, and most of the time the answer was a 6. I ended up buying a skirt and a dress. I didn’t try on jeans or bathing suits … I decided to stick with the more forgiving articles of clothing for this first shopping trip. Anyway, size 6 = good as far as I’m concerned.

NSV #3: I had a wonderful week which involved no obsessions about the scale, and I didn’t completely lose control … I ate reasonably the majority of the time, and I got some exercise in. I wasn’t in any way perfect in my eating, but I’m not striving for perfect.

With all those non-scale victories, I think a badge is in order:


Weight: Weeeell, I’m up 0.2 lbs. But my body fat percentage over the past week averages lower than my body percentage over the week before my last weigh-in. My goal was to maintain or lose each week for the next 1.5 months … I think I’m going to call this maintenance. Close enough, right?

My goals for next week are the same as for this week – 3x cardio via couch to 5k, 2x strength, and 5x abs/planks. I’m also aiming to maintain or lose from a weight perspective. I'm on week 6 with couch to 5k ... that means that on Friday or Saturday I'll be doing a 25 minute run! Ack!

I think it can, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can ...

(A big thank-you to Wikipedia for the image.)

Where Am I? (Volume 6)

Happy Tuesday! Where am I in my weight loss journey, you ask?


Weight loss since last Tuesday: 1.4 lbs (136.6 vs. 135.2). Yay! I’m super-close to goal!

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 17.2 lbs (152.4 vs. 135.2).

Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 31.8 lbs (167 vs. 135.2). I earned my 30 lb badge last week, so nothing new to report here.


As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I’m having some minor motivation issues. Nothing that is going to derail me completely, but I do think my heart isn’t in the weight loss groove as much these past couple weeks. I’ve been close to goal but not AT goal for a while now. My goal is 132-133, and I’m currently at 135.2. SO. CLOSE. I have to say that I’m eager to get to goal, but maybe not as eager as I should be. It’s a little frustrating to be so close to goal but not there, but …

While one part of me is a little frustrated, another part of me is OK with where I am, as strange as that sounds. Like I said, my goal is 132-133 lbs. Why such a strange number as goal? Because I bought a lot of clothes the last time I was at 132-133. I’d like those clothes to fit again, and I need to lose a couple more pounds and firm up just a little more for all of them to fit.

Right now most of the clothes fit, but a couple things don’t fit perfectly. The non-fitting clothes? One pair of shorts and a pair of Capri pants are a tad bit tight in the thighs. I can put them on, but the thighs are just a tad too big for them to be a perfect fit.* But have you looked outside? SNOW. I’m not exactly in need of shorts and Capri pants at the moment, and the jeans I bought at the same time do fit.

Right now, if the scale moves slowly downward I’m a-OK with it. I think I’m going to officially take my focus OFF the scale and focus more on exercise. I’ve decided that as long as I get these last couple pounds off by mid-April, I’m happy. The key for me is to not let it start moving BACKWARDS. As of right now, I’m aiming for a maintain or a loss every week for the next 5 or 6 weeks. If I can do that and exercise at the same time, I’ll be back in those shorts and capris just in time to wear them on vacation at the end of April.

So everyone, I have a couple favors to ask. Please support me in thinking that maintaining or tiny losses are great, wonderful, and exactly what I need.

Also, I want you guys to know that for me, reaching goal isn’t touching it one day. I weigh daily, so my scale goes up and down and up and down and up and down. In my mind, I’ll have reached goal when the average weigh-in for a seven day period is 133. I’m telling everyone this so that I don’t get lots of premature congratulations when I have a downward blip in my weight. It’s disheartening to have to say “Actually, I’m not at goal. See, the scale every day since then is 2 pounds higher.” Maybe on my daily posts I’ll start giving the running last 7 day average so we’re all on the same page.

Anyway, enough about that damned scale.

I think that I’m much more focused and motivated about exercise. This is a change – usually that’s the hard part for me. But I’ve really gotten into this couch to 5k program. I love seeing the progress, I love finding that I’m capable of more than I think I am, I love having a specific goal (running a 5k on April 19th), I love that I can do it outside when it’s nice and in the gym when it’s not … I love it.

Now, we’ll see if I keep loving it after this week. Tonight I run a couple of 8 minute periods – 8 minutes! Ack! Then the next run after that, I run 20 minutes straight. TWENTY MINUTES! I don’t even know what to say about that.

How did the exercise go this week?

Exercise: I did it! I earned my exercise badge! My goal was 3x couch to 5k runs and 2x strength training, and I did it. It feels good to say I met that goal.



My exercise goal this week will be very similar: Couch to 5k runs 3x, strength training 2x, and this week I’m also adding in a short abs workout 5x. As the week progresses I’ll keep you posted on how the progressively longer runs on the couch to 5k program are going.

It’ll be a challenging week to get all my workouts in. My brother is visiting from out of town, so my free time isn’t very free. But luckily I think he’ll understand completely, so I should be able to sneak out to get a quick workout in when I need to. I’m so excited about seeing him! I’m also curious if he’ll notice that I’ve lost weight since Christmas.

Anyway, I hope all of you have a wonderful week, and that you are successful in meeting your goals.



*Yes, some of that is muscle. But I can look in the mirror and easily see that it isn’t all muscle. Saddlebags do not equal muscle!

Q&A Day

I've had some questions in my comments over the past couple weeks, and I'm not sure of the best way to answer them. At risk of being tremendously boring and/or having the longest post in the history of blogkind, I'm going to answer them all at once.

If I missed any questions, let me know!

So, here goes ...

What do I do on my “intense” workout days?
For me at this point, my intense workouts happen once a week on Monday night. On Mondays, I head to the gym, do my couch to 5k run on the treadmill, and then I spend an hour working out with my husband, our friend, and a personal trainer. We save money on the trainer by all working out together. The trainer wants us to warm up before we get to her so that we’re ready to really work out by the time our hour starts – she loves that I do the couch to 5k run beforehand.

The trainer does a lot of strength training with intervals of cardio. I can’t tell you exactly what we do because the exact workout varies week to week, but by the end of each session we’ve always done a full-body workout. Sometimes we use weight machines, sometimes we use free weights, sometimes dumbbells, sometimes bosu thingies, sometimes balance balls, sometimes medicine balls, sometimes equipment-free exercises like planks and pushups etc. etc. etc. After the first couple months, she started having us work multiple muscle groups at a time. So, for instance, we might be doing bench presses while lifting our hips and holding a medicine ball between our knees with our feet up on a bosu. That crazy move works arms and legs and core at the same time. The cardio intervals could be sprints around the track, or running up/down the stairs, or jumping jacks, jump rope, etc. etc.


What strength training program are you doing?
I think “program” implies a degree of structure I don’t have! I do strength training 2x per week (or that’s my goal anyway). One day it’s with the trainer, and that’s described above. On the other day I do strength training post-running on my own. That workout could either be on machines or at home. At home I have dumbbells (5, 10, and 15 lbs), a balance ball, and an 8 lb. medicine ball. I don’t do the same strength exercises each time, but each time I try to get a full-body workout with a little more focus on abs and arms than legs (since the running is leg-focused).

For instance, last night after my couch to 5k run I worked out at home and did:

- 1 set of 20 reps of wall squats with the balance ball while holding 10 lb. dumbbells
- 1 set of 15 reps (x2 – one time for each leg) of single leg squats with the balance ball
- 2 sets of 20 reps of one-arm 15 lb. dumbbell rows with the balance ball (x2 – one time for each arm)
- 2 sets of 20 reps of 10 lb. dumbbell shoulder press on the balance ball (note that in this video the gal takes her dumbbells low – lower than a 90 degree angle. My trainer tells us not to do that.)
- 2 sets of 20 reps of 10 lb. dumbbell chest flys on the balance ball
- 2 sets of 25 reps of crunches on the balance ball, holding the medicine ball between my knees
- 2 sets of 20 reps of 5 lb. dumbbell triceps extensions on the balance ball
- 2 sets of 20 reps of 5 lb dumbbell reverse flys lying on the balance ball
- 2 sets of 20 reps of oblique twist using the medicine ball (in link, scroll to where it says “twist”)

I downloaded the workout above from SparkPeople.com – I tweaked it minimally, adding on the oblique twist and the use of the medicine ball when I did the other crunches. Sometimes I browse through a couple books I have or websites and come up with my own full body workout - but the SparkPeople site has made me a little lazy lately.



Am I running an actual 5k? When?
Yes, my plan is to run this 5k on April 19th. I don’t have a speed goal – I just want to be able to say I ran it. I’ve done 5k runs before where I walked most of the distance and ran a little, but this time I will run the whole time. (Notice how I say WILL instead of WILL TRY TO. Will Will Will. I’m working really hard to believe myself here.) I suspect I may run more slowly than some people walk it, but so be it. Speed will come later if I decide to continue this running thang.



What do you listen to on your iPod when you do your couch to 5k runs? Is it inspiring?
There are these free podcasts you can download for the couch to 5k program that tell you when to walk and when to run. They work great for me because I’d get very annoyed and probably lose track if I tried to check my watch the whole time. From what I understand I might be able to program a heartrate monitor to tell me when to walk and run, but I don’t have a heartrate monitor yet. The podcasts have music, and the music is good (not what I usually listen to, but good for running). The music does help keep me going, and it’s nice that the guy on the podcasts tells me “you’re doing great!” and “keep your shoulders relaxed and arms loose” and all. I’m looking forward to being able to run using my music though – it may help a little with the motivation, from what you guys tell me.

What do you look like? Where are your pictures?
You know, I have to tell ya, I'm a little freaked out by the idea of posting my picture on here! I have no problem with revealing my innermost self and thoughts and twisted sense of humor, and I’ll willingly share my outermost stats (like weight), but I could be in a very bad position professionally if someone I works with runs across this blog and reads about my frustrations with someone I work with, or my thoughts about possibly changing careers, etc. I don't think I've said anything that would get me fired (yet), but I’ve definitely said things that would make for a sticky situation. And better safe than sorry … being dooced is not something I want.
So ... yeah. I say “Not yet, maybe never” on the request for me to post a picture … or maybe someday I’ll post an "after" picture from the neck down (although unfortunately I didn't take a before pic). Maybe. I know the chances of any of the abovementioned folks coming across this blog are slim to none, but it is a small, small world. I've run into friends at gas stations hours away in different states, my brother ran into someone he knew when he was in London, I ran into someone I knew at an airport halfway across the country ... these things can happen!* It might be irrational, who knows, but I’m not paranoid about most things so I’m going to trust my instincts here. I don’t think my concern is unfounded. Hey, what did you say? Are you talking about me? Stop talking about me! I’m not paranoid! I’m not!

You’re almost at goal. How will going on maintenance change what you eat?
When I go on maintenance I can add a few more points a day to my daily points target. I start at 4 more points (so, approximately 240 more calories), and then experiment, gradually adding on from there if I keep losing weight (since the goal will be to stay the same weight). But from a “what exactly are you going to add,” I’m not sure. I’ve contemplated doing more to wipe artificial sweeteners out of my diet. I eat yogurt with artificial sweeteners almost every day, and ice cream bars with artificial sweeteners every couple days, and the occasional diet soda – I could switch from those products to the real deal, which will up the calories/points. It’s quite a debate, though, because being able to eat MORE food would be awfully nice. My points target right now is 20 points a day. That’s not a lot of food. So … I'm not sure. I guess we’ll see how it shakes out when it happens.

When you had the healthy-eating meltdown and ate the McDonald’s food over the weekend last weekend, was it at least good? Sadly, no. The burger was not fresh. It was a total waste of points. On the other hand, the French fries were a little bit of greasy heaven …

* Given the small world we live in, I recognize that theoretically someone I know could stumble on this blog, read it, think “this sounds just like someone I know!” and ask me about it. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Couch to 5k Week 4: It's all in my head

Today I do my couch to 5k (week 4 day 2) run. I did my couch to 5k week 4 day 1 run on Monday (and then an hour of strength training with some intense cardio mixed in – I was soooore yesterday, and I’m still recovering today!).

Monday’s run went better than I expected. It’s strange – at the end of every week I doubt that I’m ready for the next week, and so far every week I’ve been able to it. This week I have to run 5 minutes at a stretch two different times. I’m pretty sure I’ve never run that long in my life. I certainly haven’t run 5 minutes at a stretch in my adult life, anyway. And if I did it as a kid it would only have been when it was demanded by a brutish gym teacher.

I slowed my pace for the 5 minute run – I’m finding that I can’t keep up the faster pace that I was going when I was only running a minute at a time. (And my faster pace was pretty slow! Oh well.) I focused on my breathing and got through it with minimal discomfort. I was worried about side stitches, but they didn’t happen. I did have some very very slight pain in my right knee, which is new. Hopefully that won’t become a problem for me.

I am to the point where I’m starting to see that running is as much mental as physical. Running 5 minutes … well, this may sound wimpy, but it seemed like a long time. I had a lot of thoughts of “is the 5 minutes over yet?” and “why would anyone ever want to run this long?” and “if running 5 minutes feels this long, how am I going to run 30 minutes?” etc. etc. etc.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of positive self talk, and I told myself that I was doing great and to keep it up, and that the folks who designed the couch to 5k program know what they’re doing, and that people run 5k’s all the time and I’m no different from those people, and that I could do it.

So, I could talk myself into continuing using positive self-talk, but I also had all those other not-so-positive thoughts. I have a feeling that I’m going to have quite a mental debate on my hands for the next 6-8 weeks. If any of you guys are runners and you have any suggestions to the mental side of this running thing, I’m all ears. If I can stop those negative voices sooner rather than later it would be a good thing.

I’m a little concerned about having the positive talk, the negative talk, and the music/walk-run instructions on my iPod all happening at the same time. With all that, I’m going to be so distracted as I run down the street that I’ll get flattened by a car.

Ack! I want flat abs, but that’s not the way to get them!

Where am I? (Volume 5)

It’s Tuesday, the day to review where I am in my weight loss journey.

Where am I? Is sore a location? Because after my workout last night, I’m sore. Last night I did my couch to 5k week 4 day 1 run, and then an hour of strength training with some intense cardio mixed in. It was a great workout, and an interesting run. I’ll talk about couch to 5k run in more detail in another post, though.

Let’s talk about the weight loss part of this journey for now. Where am I in my weight loss journey? We’ll start with the data.

Weight loss since last Tuesday: 0.6 lbs (137.2 vs. 136.6)
Yay for a loss! I had a wonderful on-plan week last week until Saturday, and then I crashed and burned over the weekend. I’m glad to see the loss this week.

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 15.8 lbs (152.4 vs. 136.6).
I got my 15 lb badge last week, so there’s nothing new to report this week.

Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 30.4 lbs (167 vs. 136.6)
I earned my 30 lb badge! Woo hoo!


Exercise: Last week was the first week I’d earned my exercise badge, and I felt confident I’d earn it this week, too.

I was wrong.

I worked out Monday and Wednesday, but I dropped the ball on my 3rd workout of the week. Life got in the way on Friday and Saturday, and because of the intensity of my Monday workouts a Sunday workout is unwise.

I’m bummed that I didn’t reach my exercise goal for a couple reasons. First, I’m going to be in maintenance soon, and I’ll need to shift some of my focus from my weight to my fitness level. I don’t just want to be skinny, I want to be fit and healthy and strong. I need to ramp up the exercise, not slack off on it.

I’m also bummed because I’m training for a 5k that’s on April 19th. That should be completely doable; if I follow the couch to 5k plan by the books I’ll finish on April 4th or 5th. That means I have a couple weeks in between in case I need to repeat weeks … but only a couple weeks. I’m annoyed with myself that I gave up some of my ability to repeat weeks if I need to by missing my workout this past weekend. Life happens, I know that, but … well, I need to find a way to fit these workouts into my life.

Oh well. Maybe now that I’ve annoyed myself, I’ll be more focused on making sure I get the 3x/week couch to 5k run in, right?

My exercise goal for this coming week stays the same … 3x/week cardio doing couch to 5k and 2x/week strength training. I am going to try something different, though. I’d been doing strength and cardio on Monday and either Friday or Saturday, and cardio-only on Wednesday. Since my Wednesday evening is unscheduled, I’m going to plan to do strength on Monday and Wednesday this week, which means my Friday or Saturday workout is shorter. I can always do strength on Friday/Saturday, too, if I have time. Who knows, maybe if I do that I’ll get 3 strength workouts in, exceeding my goal. If not, maybe I’ll at least meet the goal.

And as far as a weight loss goal for the week, I’m not setting a specific goal. I’m going to stay on plan eating within my WW points, drink lots of water, and track everything I eat. If I do that, the weight will come off.

Oops.

I did not have the best weekend.

I mean, from the perspective of “was it an enjoyable weekend?” it was quite nice. But from a fitness and healthy eating perspective … ugh.

Friday night I met up with some friends for happy hour, and we ended up staying for dinner. Luckily we were at an Asian fusion restaurant, so I was able to have sushi for dinner. I didn’t drink much and I stayed on plan using a few flex points. It was all-good on Friday … my healthy eating halo remained untarnished.

But then Saturday came along.

To stay on plan, I would have needed to do my couch to 5k run on Saturday, and I’d need to eat reasonably but not impeccably on Saturday and Sunday … I had about 20 flex-points left. Completely doable, right?

Apparently not.

Remember late last week when I was saying that I needed to go to the grocery store? By Saturday morning, it was a desperate situation. If you opened the cabinet door, moths flew out.* Anyway, I got up Saturday morning, did some cleaning and organizing, and then got ready to head out of the house. My plan was to go visit a friend in the hospital, then go grocery shopping, then go to the gym, then go home and have dinner with my husband. Unfortunately, by the time I got out of the house on the road, I was RAVENOUS. I’d eaten a little something, but not much. And when I get to the point where I’m so hungry I could gnaw my arm off, I don’t make good choices.

And then I saw those golden arches. And as I was driving by, somehow a quarter pounder with cheese and a large order of fries jumped through the window and into my mouth. It happened just like that, I swear! Damn you, combo #3!

Ugh. That was definitely the largest single misstep on the eating side of things. But it all just snowballed … I got back from seeing my friend hours after I expected, making my grocery trip much later than expected (yay! We have healthy food again!), making going to the gym before dinner not an option, and the Saturday gym hours making a post-dinner gym visit impossible … ugh. That meant no weekend workout, since I didn’t want to do my couch to 5k run on Sunday because I knew I’d be doing couch to 5k and strength training tonight.**

Add a couple late-Saturday and Sunday not-horrible-but-not-the-best-choice-ever food choices to the Mickey D’s fiasco, and by the end of the weekend … well, let’s just say that by the end of the weekend my points balance was waaaaaaaaaaaay into the negative range.

All I can do after a weekend like this one is get up, brush the crumbs off my sweater, and move on. I’m trying to look back and learn from the weekend, and not beat myself up about it.

What went wrong? Looking back, it boils down to priorities. Not going grocery shopping did me in. I should have jumped out of bed Saturday morning and gone straight to the grocery store rather than doing cleaning/organizing. I’ve been trying to do some de-cluttering every weekend, but the de-cluttering should have been a lower priority than the grocery shopping trip. I shouldn’t have let myself get into the position of being that hungry, because I get irrational. I don’t give a rat’s ass about healthy eating when I get that hungry.

Also, I hate to admit it, but I should have gotten up earlier on Saturday. Beauty sleep be damned - there just wasn’t enough time in the day. If I’d gotten my arse out of bed there would have been more time. If I’d shifted the hospital visit to earlier in the day, there would have been time for the workout before dinner.

All in all, though, it’s not the end of the world. The scale is up, but it will go down again. I made some bad eating decisions, but I also made good eating decisions. My “bad weekend” was nowhere near as bad as the weekends I had before I was being health-aware.

I’m not having a terribly hard time getting over the food mistakes. I’m more annoyed with myself about not doing my couch to 5k run. Not doing the couch to 5k run has set my 5k training plan back; the missed run shifts the workouts I’ll be doing for the next 6 weeks. Since I’ve got my sights set on a specific 5k to run, now I have a tad less flexibility when it comes to repeating days or weeks as the running gets more intense.

Oh well. Time to move on. Tonight, the gym and I will get reacquainted. Sorry I blew you off Saturday, gym!



* Even though I suspect moths are a low-point choice, I'm not eating moths. Period. I ate a stir-fried silkworm pupa once when I was overseas ... I'm not eating bugs again. Blech.
** Remember, Monday is always workout night - I meet up with my husband, a friend, and a trainer.

Where Am I? (Volume 4)

Happy Tuesday! Time for the "Where am I in my weight loss journey" stats check for the Healthy You Challenge.

Let's start with the official numbers. The envelope please ...


Weight loss since last Tuesday: 0.6 lbs (137.8 vs. 137.2)
Well, I was aiming for losing 0.8, but 0.6 is a-OK. I'd been losing fairly quickly given that I'm close to goal. Losing 0.6 is completely respectable. I'll take it. I'll just aim to lose 0.2 or more this upcoming week, right?

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 15.2 lbs (152.4 vs. 137.2)
I earned my 15 lb badge!


Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 29.8 lbs (167 vs. 137.2)
So close, so close, so close to the 30 lb badge. Next week. I'll get it next week.

Exercise: I'd been having a hard time with exercise up until very recently. My current goal is 3x/week cardio doing the couch to 5k running plan, and then 2x/week strength training. Last Tuesday I couldn't say I earned my exercise badge. But this Tuesday ...

Ta daaaa! I met my exercise goal!

I did the couch to 5k run on M/W/Sat, and did strength training Monday and Saturday. I'm on track for earning the badge again this week, too ... I did my run and strength training yesterday, as well.


All in all it wasn't a bad week; in fact, it was pretty good. That said, my scale numbers drifted down until Saturday and drifted back up through today. I don't pay much attention to one number on one day, but I do watch trends. I'm slightly concerned about this upward drifting. It might just be normal weekend weight gain combined with some water retention from the exercise, but it might be that I need to focus a little more.

In case it is a lack of focus, here's my plan for the week:

• Meet my exercise goal again. That's 3x cardio via couch to 5k runs, and 2x strength training.
• Eat on plan, and journal everything. I think I've been on plan, but I've been slacking on journaling lately. I keep a running total of points in my head, and generally it works OK, but it is much safer to write it down. It keeps me focused and helps me plan. I'm less likely to go over my daily points accidentally if I write down what I eat. So ... I've got to get back to journaling.
• Water and more water. I suspect some of the upward drift on the scale is water retention. I'll fight back by being extra-focused on water. As soon as I finish this post I'm going downstairs to fill a pitcher to the line I measured years ago when I first started Weight Watchers. I'll do that daily, keep it in the fridge, and I'll make sure it gets emptied every day.

The last two bullets are very "back to the basics of the Weight Watchers plan" for me, which is exactly what I need when the scale isn't sayng what I want it to say. I'm not sure I have a scale issue here, but I'm not taking any chances.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to a great week. Hope you all have a great week, too.

Couch to 5k Week 3 Day 1 (aka, OUCH)

Yesterday I ran C25k week 3 day 1. This week includes warming up, running for 90 seconds, walking for 90 seconds, running for 3 minutes, walking for three minutes, and then repeating all the run/walk patterns again.

Weelll … I did it, but OW! I had the worst side stitches. They started during my first 90 second run, eased up some on my 90 second walk, then got REALLY uncomfortable during my 3 minute run. I kept going and worked on my breathing, but it didn’t ease up until I started walking again. Thankfully, by the time my next 90 second run the side stitch was gone, and the second 3 minute run was much easier.

I looked up the side stitch thing on CoolRunning, and it says that it could be that I was running too fast (maybe, but I ran more slowly this week than in the past because I knew I’d run for twice as long at a stretch), maybe I ran too soon after eating (I know this was not the problem), or maybe my breathing isn’t controlled and disciplined. I suspect it’s the last one. I need to do some homework on how to fix my breathing, because that side stitch quite frankly sucked.

Although I guess I should be grateful that I don't have runners trots or bloody nipples, which are both mentioned on the same page as the side stitch issue. Thank you, no. I'll pass on those other two.

Anyway, after the running I did strength training. I was at the gym so I got to play on all the machines – it made me realize how much I enjoy working out with machines sans trainer. I can get a good workout at home with my dumbbells and push-ups/sit-ups/planks/etc., but the machines are a nice change.

Today I’m pleasantly sore but not incapacitated. And I’m pleased to say that on Tuesday, when I check in for the Healthy You Challenge, I’ll FINALLY be able to say I met my weekly exercise goal.

Couch to 5k Week 2 is ...

... DONE!

On to week 3!

Oh, and I got some good advice from Erin at Our Wicked Weighs. She said "Don't necessarily tell yourself you know you will have to repeat a few weeks; you may be surprised at how fit you get and how quickly you are able to do it! Don't sell yourself short."

Thanks, Erin. That's good advice. No more saying "I KNOW I'll have to repeat a few weeks." Forget that. I may, but that's sure not my goal. My intention is to finish this without hurting myself, but I will absolutely stretch myself to achieve this goal. Maybe I can do it without repeating weeks. Maybe I can't, but maybe, just maybe, I CAN.

Erin also mentioned in her Couch to 5k post that she found Couch to 5k programs for 4 and 7 month intervals. The C25k thing I'm doing is a two month program, but that's not going to be a good fit for everyone. I was happy to know there are other options, so I wanted to let you know, too. There are links in Erin's post if you want to check it out.

Week 3 starts Saturday. I also need to get a strength training workout in. Ugh - the weather Saturday looks like it will be 100% rotten, with a slight chance of extra-crappy. That means I have to get over to the gym to do it. I have to try to convince husband to join me. If I can get him on board, it'll be much easier to make myself go. Wish me luck!

And Happy Valentine's Day!

No pain, no gain?

Oh my gawd, yesterday I was SO sore. It hurt to move. My muscles were very upset with me. My Monday night couch to 5k run which I followed immediately by a very difficult strength/interval training session just about did me in on Tuesday. Somehow the pain and discomfort got worse as the day went on, too. Ugh! I was staggering around the house like Frankenstein. Eventually I got into a hothothot shower and stretched, and that helped a little. Today seems mostly (although not completely) better, thank goodness.

If I feel like that every Tuesday, I really have to re-think the Monday exercise game plan. I love the idea of knocking out both the couch to 5k run and a good long strength/interval training session in one day, but man. I was hurting. The Monday night training is with my husband, friend and a trainer, and the trainer just kicked our butts this week. I’ll try this another week or two and we’ll see … the trainer thinks it’s a great idea to do the run before our session because then I’m all warmed up for her, but … damn.

I just kept telling myself that all this pain will equal a big loss and a nice toned body. Of course, I was responding to myself by saying: shut it; at this rate I’ll need a walker. Or maybe even replacement limbs. It was like I had the whole devil on one shoulder/angel on the other thing happening. Gotta love the internal dialogue.

I don’t know if it was because I was so physically exhausted, but I ended up having a bad day at work. Nothing major happened, but lots of little annoying things happened, and these were the same kind of little annoying things that have been happening a lot over the past year or two.

The little annoyances got me thinking about something I’ve contemplated more and more lately … maybe I should consider a career change. But although it is appealing, I am terrified by the idea of starting down a new career path at this age. I have a well-established career and I have a decent salary. I make a little more money than my husband, so without my job our household loses more than half our combined income. Although we’re not wealthy, right now we aren’t struggling to make ends meet, either. That wouldn’t be our situation if I stopped working at my current job; it would become a struggle if I went back to school. Plus, it would take years to re-establish myself in a new industry. It all seems so risky and scary.

But at the same time, life is short. I’m beginning to wonder if I’m going to look back at my years at my job and wonder why I didn’t get the heck out of dodge. I like some things about my job, but less and less as time passes. I’m afraid I’m limiting myself. Right now my entire work existence is about being analytical, and I feel like my creative side is being stifled. It might be hard, but maybe it would be a positive change in the long run. Life isn’t all about being comfortable, you know?

Hahaha, maybe my ability to tolerate my physical discomfort made me think about my ability to tolerate financial discomfort.

Anyway, I’m mulling it over. This is something I’m going to have to think about a while.

Have you guys ever been through he same thing?

Where am I? (Volume 3)

Happy Tuesday! It's the Healthy You Challenge stats check day.

Weeeeell ... I had a kick-ass week last week, but indulged a little on Sunday and a little on Monday (damned bagel), and now the scale is up a bit from late last week. The official numbers are a-OK, though.


Drum roll, please!



Weight loss since last Tuesday: 1.4 lbs (139.2 vs. 137.8)
Woo hoo! I'd set the goal of trying to get 1.2 lbs per week for this week and next week in order to earn a couple badges next week, and I made it! Next week I need to lose 1 lb to stay on track. Possible, but it might be challenging with the long weekend this weekend.

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 14.6 lbs (152.4 vs. 137.8)
Wow, 0.4 lbs until my 15 lb badge.

Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 29.2 lbs (167 vs. 137.8)
Ooooh, 0.8 more lbs until my 30 lb badge.

Hmmm, I'd said I needed to lose 1.0 this week to earn my badges, but it looks like it is 0.8 instead. And I do math-y stuff for a living. How embarrassing.


Last week I also set out to earn my exercise badge. I'm doing the couch to 5k, and I wanted to do those three runs as my cardio workouts plus two strength training workouts. Unfortunately I only did 3 cardio + 1.3 strength workouts (since my strength workout was interrupted Saturday). Oh well. Next week! Next week I will earn the exercise badge. Same goal - three runs/cardio workouts plus two strength training workouts.


Oh, I did earn one badge this week - I had a definite non-scale victory. Ta daaaa!

I talked about this in my post yesterday. I went in to the office (a rare event), and one person said I look thinner (yay!) and taller than I used to look, and another person mentioned I looked “about a foot taller.” Taller ... crazy eh? Grumpy Chair asked if I'm doing pilates because apparently that makes you stand straighter and feel and look taller and leaner, but I'm not doing pilates. I’m interpreting taller as thinner + well-fitting dark pants + boots with a heel. Hey, and (even sans pilates) maybe I am holding myself better. I'm feeling a lot better about how I look these days.

Maybe feeling better about how I look is a kind of non-scale victory, too. I am no supermodel, but when I look in the mirror I like what I see. I'm back in 95% of my old tops, and I can wear my old jeans now since they have stretch through my thighs, which are my trouble spot. I have shorts and pants that are still obscene, though. My fingers are crossed that a few pounds from now and a few more workouts from now, I'll be back in those, too.

Exercise, Interrupted

Yesterday I officially ran couch to 5k week 2 day 1. It went well ... I could tell it was harder than week 1 when I was running it, and today I'm a wee bit stiff. Since I was doing some walk/run alternations on the treadmill before I started the official program, I think my body was ready for week 2. On the other hand, it is safe to say that week 3 will be out of my comfort zone completely. I'm very interested to see how that goes. Interested, and fearful, and excited, actually. All at the same time. Nothing like a little emotional stew to make the exercise interesting, eh?

When I was out in my neighborhood running yesterday, I had a paranoid thought. If I keel over on the road next week, I can't call anyone. I don't carry my cell with me. Hey, runners out there: Do you guys carry your phone when you run? Where do you put it? And if I pass out cold, I have no ID with me, either. Do you carry ID? Where?

I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE!

Riiiiiight. OK, shake it off, shake it off. But I am curious.

Anyway ...

After the run, I came home to do strength training. I did lunges down the street, and then came inside to do abs and arms and more legs. I have dumbbells and a balance ball and a medicine ball in a corner of our living room. I call that decorating style "Early American Losethebadonkadonkbutt." But I digress.

I was saying, after running and lunges I head inside to strength train. Fate was against me, though. I got a phone call 1/3 of the way into the strength workout, and by the time I was off the phone I was out of time for working out. Typically I don't answer the phone when I'm working out, but I had to take this call. I guess this means that I didn't officially reach my exercise goal this week. THAT STINKS! I was so psyched to be able to say I actually got all my exercise in. POOP.

Technically, I could do strength training today and meet the goal, but since tomorrow is my evening with the trainer and we'll do LOTS of strength training, I don't want to it today, too. Every other day, recovery time, blah blah blah. Bummer.

Nevertheless, I'm happy with the progress I'm making on the exercise front. The momentum and motivation are finally there. Yay for that!

Where am I? (Volume 2)

It's Tuesday! Know what that means? It means that twenty-four states are holding caucuses or primary elections. But that's not what this post is about ... Tuesday also means I do a "where am I in my weight loss journey" stats check for the Healthy You Challenge.

Weight loss since last Tuesday: 0.4 lbs
After this past weekend, I'm shocked to see any kind of loss. Since I expected a gain, this wee little loss is a happy surprise. Hey, I'll take it! All the little losses add up over time, right?

Weight loss since fall 2007 (most recent leg of weight loss journey): 13 lbs
I gave myself a 10 lb badge last week, so 2 more lbs until my 15 lb badge.

Total weight lost (entire weight loss journey): 27.6 lbs
I gave myself a 25 lb badge last week, so 2.4 more lbs until my 30 lb badge.

Slowly but surely I'm taking this weight off. I have 2.4 lbs until a couple big milestones ... I'm not going to try to take that much off in one week, but I'm going to set a mini-goal to lose 2.4 lbs by the Tuesday after next. Losing 1.2 lbs/week seems completely possible, but it also seems like I'm going to have to focus.

As far as other goals go, I'm doing a little better when it comes to exercise. I'm not awarding myself an exercise badge, though. This past week I didn't meet my minimum 3x/week cardio 2x/week strength training goal. But yesterday was the start of a new week, and I have confidence that I'll acheive that goal this week. Now that I'm doing the couch to 5k program, I'm a lot more motivated.

It's not too late to join me and Ashley and jb in the couch to 5k program. We're doing this together so that we can support and inspire each other. I'm only at the end of week 1, personally, and I think Ashley and jb are about where I am. I expect before too long we're going to end up on different weeks since it is a self-paced program, so if you start out now you're still very much running with the pack, so to speak.

Having a structured, specific goal of "I want to run a 5k by following this program" is definitely helping me focus, and it's given me a sense of purpose that I didn't have before in regards to exercise. In all honesty, I'm a little intimidated by the idea of running 5k. I don't see myself as a runner. But I've looked around and I see how many other people have done this program and met their goals, so I know I can do this. To everyone who did this before me, thanks for setting an example and giving me hope.

Anyway, last night I did week 1 day 2 of the program. But wait, there's more! Afterwards, I did an hour of strength and cardio intervals since Monday is the night I work out with a trainer along with my husband and a friend. That's 90 minutes of exercise, my friends! Yay!

I'm a little stiff today. Gee, I wonder why?