Archive | January 2013
January 30, 2013  

Wednesday Weigh In

Yeah, I haven’t posted since last week’s weigh in.  It’s been that kind of week.   Too much eating out, too much cold weather and snow, not enough healthy eating or outdoor exercise.  I’m feeling it, for sure.  My mood is off, my choices are lackluster, and I can’t wait for warmth and spring.

I wanted to run a 5K last weekend but I decided the weather was just too awful.  It had snowed and the temperature was about 13 degrees.  I hit the treadmill instead.  I’d like to try again this weekend, although I might hold out for next.  There’s a 4 miler that I would like to try.  Except it’s called a “Sweetheart Run” and I think that means you’re supposed to sign up with a partner.  Yeah, that isn’t happening.  Either way, I need to find something soon, before my scheduled Shamrock Race on March 3.  It seems like a million years away.

Roni put up a perfect post for my mood last night.  “On Not Reaching Goals” was the perfect thing for me to read after I stepped on the scale this morning.  This weigh in kind of cements the fact that I won’t hit my goal on time, and I was feeling pretty crappy about it (despite posting a small loss this week).  But her take, which is the one that I take too when I am in a better head place, makes sense.  Sure, you’ll miss your goal.  It happens.  But it’s the continuing to strive for it that makes us move forward.  It’s practically the whole theme of this blog:  moving mostly forward.  There are times you won’t move forward.  But you have to keep trying.

So I’ll keep soldiering on.

Current Week:  -0.6 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  17.2 lbs
Weeks Left to Goal Date:  9
Age:  42
BMI:  28.7

January 23, 2013  

Wednesday Weigh In

Not a good week.

I could feel the complacency right from the start on Wednesday, when I “rewarded” myself for a loss by having 2 glasses of wine on Wednesday night last week.  And since the bottle was open, a few more on Thursday.  And then Friday was my son’s birthday party.  Saturday we had dinner at home, my husband done with his rough January period.  Heavy meal, more wine.  Sunday, we had his cousins over for dinner.  More wine, heavy appetizers filled with cheese and bread and oozy waist expanding goodness.  Monday, my son’s actual birthday, and a trip to the local Mexican restaurant.  Can’t go there without having a margarita or two, right?  Yesterday, my vow to be “good” on the final day before weigh in went to shit when my girlfriend and I went back to the same Mexican place and crabbed out our lives over good food and (more) margaritas.

The thing about it is, I know exactly where I slipped, how I slipped, and I was very conscious about making every one of my bad choices this week.

It’s because I’m close to the line.  The line of self sabotage.  There is a mental thing that happens to me when I get down to A Certain Number.  And below it, I feel lovely, thinner, healthier, and sure that I’ve finally conquered my weight problem.  Above it, I feel fat and foolish.  Last week, I weighed in just 0.4 above the magic number….I was there!  This week I’m above it.  Several pounds above it.

That’s because I gained 2.4 lbs last week.

I’m pissed, I’m frustrated and I just want to whine about all of it.  How hard it is, how perfect you have to be all of the time, how you can’t enjoy your life and be thin, how it doesn’t matter how far you run or how many strength building exercises you do, you can still feel fat and awful when you’ve screwed up your food choices and post a gain on the scale.

In my head, all of that is happening.  I am whining.  I’m frustrated.  And I have no one to blame but myself.

But on paper, I’m still going forward.  What other choice is there?  I can’t give up.  My timeline is pretty much blown, but I’m still going to get back to tracking today and have a better food day.  Any progress is better than none.

Current Week:  +2.4 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  17.8 lbs
Weeks Left to Goal Date:  10
Age:  42
BMI:  28.9

January 19, 2013  

Longest Run Yet: 7.42 Miles

So it was further than I’ve ever gone today, but definitely not faster.  A total of 7.42 miles, 7 of it the “run” portion.  I put that in quotes because there was walking involved there too.

I haven’t run over 5 miles since my 10K two weeks ago today, so it was time.  I needed to get a long run in, adding more distance.  Technically I probably should have done 6.5 miles today but I was itchy since it has been so long.  I decided to go for 7, even if it meant some walking.  I planned an ambitious route, knowing there were hills (“I need the practice,” I smugly thought to myself).  I wasn’t sure of the mileage, but I figured I’d adjust as I went along.

Yeah.  That.

7 Mile Run

Mile one and two felt fine.  I was going along my normal route, having done a five minute warmup walk.  The weather today was warmer than yesterday, perfect running weather for me (35 degrees, slight breeze).  Around mile three I started to feel tired, not terrible, but a little bit.  I thought at this point how maybe I should think about getting a water belt for these longer runs, as I was a little thirsty.

No big deal.  Around this point I thought about adjusting my route, knowing there was a big hill coming up.  But I talked myself out of it.  I needed to deal with hills.  So I kept going, finally letting myself walk a bit just before and after the hill.  That was fine.

Then around mile four I started to feel funny.  Like possibly maybe dehydrated.  I was in a slight incline and I decided there was just going to have to be more walking on this one.  I wasn’t going to stop until I hit 7 miles, dammit.  Even if it meant some of it was walking.

I felt better once I let myself agree to some walk breaks, and by mile 5 I was feeling pretty good again.  I was also on a flat road; coincidence?  Probably not.  I kept going, past the park at the end of my street and down a lovely hill to get myself up to the six mile mark.  Which I was loving, even though I knew it meant I was going to have to go right back up it on my way back.  During my last mile.  Of a seven mile run.  Probably not my smartest choice.

But whatever.  I ran/walked the hill, hit the last half mile, and ran the rest of it.  I had about .15 of a mile left to go when I hit 7 miles, and let that be my cooldown walk.  I was tired, probably wasn’t quite ready for this distance and probably a little dehydrated.  So I wasn’t going to push it.

Still, I feel fine now, and kind of amazed that I logged 7.42 miles (including warmup and cooldown).  It’s still kind of unreal to me that I can do this.  Maybe there is a half marathon in my future after all.

7 Mile Run

January 18, 2013  

Too Short (In A Good Way)

It’s cold.

It’s really freaking cold here.  The temperature outside this morning was 24.1 and dropping as I pondered whether or not I was going to indeed go out for my “long run” of 6.75 miles this morning.

Don’t get me wrong.  I like cold weather running.  My favorite running temperature is probably 35 degrees.  Once I’m out there I am toasty warm and eventually I get rid of the headband and the gloves because my blood is pumping so hard through my veins that I don’t need them anymore.

But somehow, the idea of running in 23 degree weather this morning put me off.  Way off.  It’s only 5 degrees.  Why am I such a wimp?

I felt lazy for a few minutes, and thought maybe I’d skip working out today.  I could do my long run tomorrow when it was in the thirties.  So maybe i could just sit on the sofa for a few minutes this morning instead and have a second cup of coffee.

I did, I thought about it.  But then I yelled at myself that this was stupid, because I hadn’t worked out at all yesterday, and after traveling this weekend, I couldn’t do another multi day slide.  So I popped in my favorite workout DVD and dialed up two workouts:  the hardest cardio one (which I never do because I remember it being so hard) and the strength training one (which I love).

And guess what?  That hard cardio workout, the one I always skip because I remembered it was too hard?

It was over before I even knew what was happening.  20 minutes of cardio and I was just getting started, but that workout was over.

Do you know how good that felt?  To realize how far I have come, that the once dreaded workout was now Too Short?  Man, that’s something else.

And I will do that long run tomorrow.  I will.

January 16, 2013  

Wednesday Weigh In

Another good week on the scale, though I’m still not back down to my pre holiday weight.  Still, another 1.6 lbs down feels good, and I’m seeing the good habits starting to be less conscious and more just part of the new reality.

Example:  I was out of town visiting family this weekend, and as there usually is, there was a big dinner with everyone together.  Burgers and sausages and lots of desserts.  I opted for a black bean burger with no bun, and lots of salad and veggies.  There was chocolate cake, and I had some, but it was about a third of the size piece I would used to have.

Yes, there was wine, and yes, I drank plenty.  But to make up for that indiscretion, I didn’t drink at all in the days following.  That may not sound like a big deal to a lot of people, but it’s a shift for me.  I am used to unwinding most nights with a glass of wine, and I didn’t this week, because I knew I’d kind of already drunk them.  🙂  Before, I just would have let Saturday night stand alone as a party night, and still do my usual every other night.  So I feel good about that.

Less exercise this week, unfortunately.  The traveling definitely took a bite out of my schedule, and work/school/life/kids is taking another one.  Today, for example, was going to be a run day, but there is snow on the ground.  I just spent 70 minutes shoveling, which is probably still a good workout, but I need to get a good run in soon.   Just typing that sentence shows that I’ve come a long way.

Here’s this week’s stats:

Current Week:  -1.6 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  15.4 lbs
Weeks Left to Goal Date:  11
Age:  42
BMI:  28.4

January 11, 2013  

10 New Go To Foods

I haven’t been writing a lot about my food choices lately, and I think it is probably the single most important element in a weight loss program.  I heard someone say once that it is really hard to work off 500 calories, but it is exceptionally easy to eat 500 calories.  I have been making a conscious effort over the last few months to make better food choices, so here is a list of some of my new go to foods.

1.  Plain Greek yogurt.

I use this for breakfast most days of the week.  I top it with frozen fruit, granola, sunflower seeds, real maple syrup, you name it.  It’s also a great item to have in the fridge for soups and a sour cream replacement.  I never used to like plain yogurt but now I realize how versatile it is, and it’s so much healthier for me to dress it up than a bunch of chemicals.

2.  Homemade whole wheat pancakes.

I used to always buy packaged pancake mix, but I’ve started to wean my kids off of them and moved towards the better, homemade kind that have five or six real ingredients instead of 30 fake ones.  The great thing about these is that you can freeze them, pop two in the toaster in the mornings and boom:  breakfast.  You can top them with the above mentioned yogurt, fruit or real maple syrup.

3.  Egg whites.

I always shied away from egg whites because I never felt full from them.  But now I combine them with one whole egg to get the protein and bulk.  You can buy packages of just egg whites, which is handy; I hate to waste.

4.  Bags of spinach/arugula blend

I never noticed these until recently.  I love the versatility of these.  Spinach alone feels kind of bland but mixed with arugula makes it tastier.  You can make a great salad with this, or use it in wraps, or cook it in omelets, soups, whatever.  I find myself tossing in a handful here and there in lots of different htings.

5.  Homemade pizza dough.

This could not be easier to make with a breadmaker.  You throw in water, salt, honey, flour and yeast and a few hours later, you have dough.  I keep a container of yeast in my fridge (the little envelopes get expensive if you use yeast a lot) and always have the ingredients for pizza.  It’s a great go to meal when you don’t have any other plan for dinner.  The last one I made had turkey bacon and carmelized onions and it was to die for.

6.  Nuts

I eat a lot of nuts for snacks, maybe too much.  I love a salty snack, and I find myself craving them.  I need to work on portion control with them, but I know they’re still a better snack than say, pretzels.

7.  Clementines

These are in season right now and couldn’t be easier to grab and go.  I keep a bowl on the counter.  When I want something sweet, I try to go for one of these first to see if that will take care of the craving.  They’re full of fiber and vitamin C.

8.  Diet Tonic Water

In my quest to reduce the booze, I still want a drink at night.  Diet tonic fills the need and gives me some hydration.  I choose this over seltzer or sparkling water, even though I know those are likely better choices, but it’s a start for me.  I love a gin or vodka and tonic, and it’s really the tonic flavor I like.  A diet version seems like a win/win.

9.  Spaghetti Squash/Roasted Squash

I discovered how easy it was to roast squash this fall.  Now I often will roast a spaghetti squash on the weekend and have it in the fridge for most of the week.  You can use the spaghetti squash in place of spaghetti.  It’s also super as a filler in soups to give them more bulk.  Any squash can be roasted this way:  cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, brush the flesh with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast face down at 400 for 30-45 minutes depending on size.  Butternut squashes, pumpkins, spaghetti squashes all work wonderfully this way.

10.  Kale

All summer long when I went to the farmers’ market I would get a big bunch of kale.  I would make kale chips out of it then, but now that it’s winter it’s great for soups.  I know some people eat it raw in salads, but I’m not a huge salad fan, and I think the flavor of kale is a bit strong raw.  But I love it as a filler in soups or sauteed like spinach with some garlic.  It’s great in pasta dishes as well.

So there you have it.  There are ten new go to foods that I’ve embraced in this journey to get healthier.  Did I leave one of your favorites off of the list?

 

January 9, 2013  

Wednesday Weigh In

Down 2.6 lbs this week.

I wish it were more.  I know, that’s ridiculous.

I am very glad to see it because of our overnight in NYC last weekend….let’s just say diet food wasn’t on the menu at the two restaurants we ate at.  While I ran my 10K and walked a ton, I also drank and ate plenty too.  But still, somehow, despite that, I was kind of hoping the 6.2 lb gain from Christmas break was mostly water weight and it would just “fall off” after I (mostly) got back in the game.

Oh well.

At least the scale is headed back in the right direction.

I am starting to feel that my body is starting to changed shape and size.  The strength training I’m doing is definitely giving my arms some definition.  I am fitting back into the smaller bras that I bought when I lost weight the first time five (!) years ago.  I noticed in Florida clothes that were snug last summer fit.  So that part is feeling good, and motivating me to continue.

And the running continues to feel good.  After a few days of rest, I went out for a 3.5 mile run yesterday and it felt great. I’ve signed up for 2 5Ks in March:  a St. Patrick’s Day race early in the month and a Sandy Hook Relief race later in the month.  I’d love to do something before then, but I’m going to kind of hedge my bets and watch the weather.  This time of year, I don’t want sign up for something only to have it snowed out.  So we’ll see.

This week’s stats:

Current Week:  -2.6 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  17 lbs
Weeks Left to Goal Date:  12
Age:  42
BMI:  28.7

January 6, 2013  

Central Park 10K Recap

The Joe Kleinerman 10K in Central Park.  In a word?  It was AWESOME!

We went into the city Friday night, as I mentioned.  I took the subway to the Upper East Side to pick up my race packet (and my friend’s who couldn’t make it) while my family got settled in our hotel for the night.  I worried a bit at the red plastic toe timer attached to my bib; how did THAT work?  I stopped by the guy in the doorway with a helpful how to about it.  My bib was purple and number 7200.  I like the round, evenness of that.

Took the subway back down to Times Square to meet up with my family and had a fabulous dinner with my husband’s cousin and his family from Spain (Uncle Nick’s for anyone in the area….highly recommend!).  I carb loaded with moussaka and red wine (what, not the traditional sense of carb loading?).

Of course I couldn’t sleep and I was up by 6 to get ready for the race.  I donned all of my cold weather gear and was ready to head out.  I honestly like cold weather running.  Firstly, I sweat a lot, so I sweat less, and secondly, you have places for everything.  I didn’t need to do a bag check because I had so many pockets in my warm fleece.

Anyway, I took the subway back up the the 68th street stop on the 6 train.  I hadn’t been sure where to go from there, but fortunately there were several other runners exiting the train, and I followed them easily.

Can I just say that I actually gasped when we came upon Central Park?  So beautiful!  I’ve been there only once before.  It was just awesome.  Thank goodness no snow on the ground, and so many people!  I followed people in and saw the corrals all set up (my bib, I saw, was color coded for the very last one, which I expected).  I warmed up a bit and before you knew it, it was time.

With the thousands of people, it took me over four minutes to get to the start line.  I honestly broke into a grin.  I planned on enjoying every minute of this, not worrying about time and taking tons of photos.  How many times was I ever going to get to do this?  I was a bit worried from the hills in the description, but I figured I’d take everything as it came.

The first mile wasn’t bad.  The start was slightly uphill, but then it eased up a bit and was flat and then downhill.  I felt great.  The second mile, the same.  More downhills, great views, and I started not to worry so much about how hard it would be.  I made a decision early to take advantage of the five water stops (!!!!) and walk through each one.  The first came up quickly, somewhere between mile 1 and 2.

Then I hit mile 3.  This was where the big hill was that I remembered from the race description:  a 600 foot climb.  It was a challenge, no doubt.  I did walk a portion of it, but not that much.  On the plus side, there is a downhill to reward you after any hill, so that made up for that.  Between mile 3 and mile 4 was probably the hardest part of the race.

Mile four saw some little hills (I think they called them the Harlem Hills in the race description).  But by now I knew we were past the half way point and things were getting easier.  I stopped taking the water at the stations because I honestly didn’t need more.

By mile 5 we were getting closer to the race start, and things looked familiar.  I was definitely tired by this point, and had that discouraged feeling you get when you see the fast runners coming back for either their extra miles or their slower friends.  I encouraged myself on with two things:  the view of a mostly downhill or flat course from this point on and the fact that most people around me had resorted to walking.  I still had the mileage in me, I could feel it, and I wasn’t about to walk it.

Mile 6 was at our starting point, and I started to feel that energy you get when you near a finish line.  It wasn’t as far as I thought it would be, and I blew out the last little bit.

I had wanted to finish around 80.  I wasn’t sure what to expect from the course, so I worried it might be closer to 83 or even 85 if it was super hilly.  I hardly dared to hope for something less than 80 minutes.

I wasn’t sure of my exact time when I crossed the finish line, but I knew it was below 80 based on the length of time it took me to reach the start.  I was psyched!  And I didn’t feel wrecked at all.  I felt totally fine, and after I’d had water and a bagel, I felt totally energized and ready to take on the day.

When I looked at the stats later in the day I found that I’d finished in 1:19:22, or 79:22.

A word of shoutout to the New York Road Runners, who organized this race.  It was so amazing to be a part of such a large, well organized event. There was a great speaker system so you could clearly hear everything as we started the race.  Each mile was so clearly marked.  There were plentiful water stations and even porta potties ALONG the route, not just at the start/finish.  There were plenty of enthusiastic volunteers cheering us on and pointing us in the right direction.  The signage, everything was clearly marked.  There were plenty of bagels and apples after, even for me who finished near the end.  I know part of this comes from running so many races and having so many people participate, but still.  It was so well run and that made my experience that much better.

At lunch afterwards with my husband’s cousin, he asked how I felt.  Was I tired or sore.  And the honest answer was that I felt exhilarated.  I felt excited and full of energy.  Such a different feeling from my first 10K!  I felt terrible after it, and never wanted to do it again.  And this time, I walked away from the race wanting to do another.  I couldn’t be more grateful to my girlfriend who suggested this race (although I missed sharing it with her since she couldn’t attend).  I never would have attempted something so big without her nudge.  And I’m so glad I did.  The idea of a 10K no longer intimidates me.  I will always credit her with having that faith that I could do it when I wasn’t sure I could.  Thanks Gabi!

Bring on the next 10K!

January 4, 2013  

Pre Race Jitters

I’m gearing up for my 10K tomorrow.  I am nervous, very nervous.

Originally when I signed up for this race, a girlfriend of mine suggested we do the race together.  She’s a veteran NYC runner, and was going to drive us in and show me the ropes.  These races aren’t like the little country runs I do up here in CT.  These are thousands of people, so many that they corral you into groups based on ability.  So many they have a bag check for your things because you would never park close enough.  This is a race through Central Park.

But my girlfriend, who works in our public schools and is therefore deeply embroiled in the transfer of the Sandy Hook school to our district here in Monroe, CT, has been overwhelmed with everything she has had to do in the last few weeks.  When I saw her two days ago, she clearly had forgotten all about our race, and said that she wasn’t sure she was going to make it.

Cue in my panic.

This race starts at 8am.  I live an hour plus from NYC.  I still have yet to get my race packet, and had planned on doing tomorrow morning.  You have to do that by 7am.  Then you have to truck yourself the 19 blocks south from where the race packets live to the start line.  You have to be there by 7:45 to be in your corral.  This means likely I’d need to leave my house no later than 5am.

Which don’t get me wrong, is doable and all, but since I am not familiar with driving in the city (I usually take the train in, which takes longer), it freaked me out.

Please don’t misunderstand me.  I don’t have any problem with my girlfriend begging off whatsoever; she’s been doing God’s work and I understand completely.  I just needed to figure this all out.

Cue in serendipity.

My husband has a cousin who is coming into town, suddenly, this week.  He’s staying through until Saturday, and he wants to meet up with our family in NYC Friday night.  So as luck would have it, we will now take the train in this afternoon, I can get my race packet this evening, have a nice meal with my husband’s cousin and our family, spend my sleepless pre race night in a nice hotel room in Times Square, and grab the subway in plenty of time to get in my corral by race time tomorrow.

Whew.

I’m still nervous.  The course is a bit hilly.  It will be cold (but thankfully, not as cold as it has been recently).  6.2 miles isn’t a cakewalk yet for me, even on a flat course like the beach I ran on last week.  Still, I feel as prepared as I can be, and I know I’ll get through it.  I plan on trying to take photos with my phone during the race, something I wished I’d done during my last one.

So wish me luck!  Joe Kleinerman 10K Classic, here I come!

January 2, 2013  

Wednesday Weigh In: Holy #$@# Edition

Up 6.2 lbs in two weeks.  Holy Cannoli.

And fruitcake.  And champagne.  And wine.  And mashed potatoes.

I didn’t think it would be quite that bad.  I didn’t think I was quite that badly behaved.  Even two days ago I was showing four pounds up, not six.  Holy crap.  It is what it is.  I’m up a lot, it’s time to move on.  You really can’t eat and drink whatever you want and not have it show up on the scale, even if you do exercise a lot.  Lesson learned.

Current Week:  +6.2 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  19.6 lbs
Weeks Left to Goal Date:  13
Age:  42
BMI:  29.2

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