February Progress Report

I promised myself that I would continue my progress reports on the last day of every month, so here we are at the end of February.  Let’s see where we are at.

1.  Complete the 30 Day Squat Challenge in February.

I am doing this still.  I missed a few days from being sick, but with the amount of rest days in this challenge, I will catch up soon.  We are up to 220 squats a day.  I break it up to 50 or so and do it as many times as I need to.  I’m enjoying it.

Since I downloaded a 30 day challenge app with a lot of them in it, I’ve decided next month will be the burpee challenge.  We start small but end at 100 in one day.  Should be fun.  Well, should be challenging, anyway.

2.  Keep up my 2014 Run Streak for at least 30 more consecutive days (60 total).

I did not complete this.  I made it to 45 before I suffered a knee injury in a fall, and then I got sick.  I am getting back to running but I think it will be at least another few weeks before I can do it daily again.

3.  Run at least one race a month.

I did get in a race in February, the 4 miler I did on 2/8.  I have a 5K scheduled for March, but I was hoping to add a second to make up for the one I did not do in January.  I have a 4 miler in mind, if my schedule cooperates.  That will bring me back up to speed there.

4.  Run at least 2 10Ks this year.

There’s one at the end of April that I like.  I ran a Mother’s Day 10K last year, which I also liked, but it’s the day after our local animal shelter’s 5K.  Not sure if I want to back to back like that, so we’ll see.  But it’s early yet so I’m not worried about meeting this goal.

5.  Run a half marathon.

I registered for a race!  I will be running the Stratton Faxon Half Marathon on June 22.  I should have plenty of time to get ready for it.  I’m worried about it being warm that day, but I have heard great things about this race so I am psyched for it.  Plus it’s a big race, which I love, because it always means I’m not the slowest.  Maybe amongst the slowest, but not the slowest.

6.  Finally reach my goal weight.

I’m within ten pounds of this goal as of today, a damn sight better than I was this time last month.  And with our Bootcamp Fab, Fit and Fun challenge motivating me to stick to solid food choices and away from the booze, I’m feeling good about getting this one done this year.

Things are looking pretty good at the end of February!

Butternut Squash Hummus Tortilla Pizza

This recipe is too good not to write up for myself and keep.  Thank you to Running With Spoons for this amazing recipe.  I will be making this over and over again for myself.  I’m on the hunt now for low calorie, flavorful recipes now that I’m in my Bootcamp Fab Fit and Fun Weight Loss Challenge and this one delivered and then some.

Ingredients

1. 1 tortilla/wrap of your choice (I used a 100 % whole wheat wrap)
2. 2 Tbsp. squash or pumpkin puree (you can used canned pumpkin)
3. 2 Tbsp. hummus
4. spices of your choice (thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, etc)
5. small handful of baby spinach leaves
6. your choice of chopped veggies (mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, etc)
7. your choice of extra toppings (tofu, meat, cheese, avocado, apples, figs, etc)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place the tortilla on the baking sheet, spreading it evenly with puree first, then hummus, until the entire surface is covered.
3. Sprinkle on the spices, then create a thin layer of baby spinach leaves, discarding any stems.
4. Spread the veggies over the spinach, as well as any extra toppings that you choose.
5. Sprinkle the top with a dash of kosher salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 20 minutes and allow to cool slightly before enjoying. (I actually did 25 minutes, I think the sprouts needed a little more time)

This was extremely satisfying for lunch, even without any meat on it.  I didn’t have any spinach on hand so I left that out.  For my pizza toppings I used thawed frozen brussels sprouts, thawed frozen pepper strips, a handful of halved grape tomatoes and a 1/4 c shredded Italian cheese blend.  I added the bit about salt and pepper at the end because I did think it needed that little kick.

For my pizza, here is the nutritional information.  Yours will vary depending on toppings, tortilla, etc:

Calories:  384
Carbs:  46 g
Fat:  15 g
Protein:  17 g
Sodium:  705 g (625 without the added salt, I bumped it up because I put on some after)
Sugar:  7 g

Wednesday Weigh In

“I’m only one stomach flu away from my goal weight.”  Devil Wears Prada

Alright so it didn’t take me down to my goal weight by any stretch, but it did take me down significantly this week.  However, I did see the numbers start to rebound as of Sunday, when I started eating again.  They peaked yesterday, so I think that I can safely say that this is a real weight gauge, not just being super dehydrated.  I’ve been eating regular food for three days so I think this is where I’m at, with the losses from the stomach flu leveling out.

Down 3.8.  Stomach flu sucked, but damn, that’s the lowest number I’ve seen on a scale in five years, easily.

The reason why I think the number is real is because our bootcamp started our weight loss challenge this week.  And this time, my head is in it.  I talked about hitting the reset on my last post about my eating habits and my drinking post flu, and it’s so far been two really solid days of good, clean eating and no booze.  The number on the scale peaked yesterday, and then dropped back down again this morning.  So that’s reflective of the real food I’m eating now, not the crap I threw up nearly a week ago.

This time the challenge feels different.  Our bootcamp instructor had us all not only weigh in, but measure our bodies in like 8 different places.  I wish I’d done that when I’d first started bootcamp classes, because I can tell my body has more muscle and is tighter.  Still, it will be good to see how that works on this challenge.  She also had us do a fitness test, like a baseline of how many of various exercises we could do in sixty seconds.  I was day one post flu that day so my numbers were low, but again, it will show good progression and be motivating as we go.

But the biggest thing so far I think that is helping is we’re all trying to share ideas, recipes and photos of the food we’re eating.  It’s helping to think that there’s like eight or so of us all doing the same thing together at the same time.  Seeing what other people are eating and how they are tackling food choices is motivating and gives me ideas on how I can do things differently.  We’re all interacting online doing this and it’s like having a 24 hour a day support group.  It’s so far, two days in, been really wonderful and has made all the difference in my head space.

So I’m happy with my number this week, knowing the struggle both during and after the flu that it took to be here.  I’m super excited to see a BMI that is closer to a healthy weight than obese for the first time in a long time.  And I’m looking forward to the days ahead and figuring out good, creative choices that will keep me on the path toward my goal.

Current Week: -3.8 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  9.6 lbs
Age:  43
BMI:  27.3

Reset

Last Wednesday night was like most nights in my world.  I’d had a late meeting and came home just before 9pm.  I settled down on the sofa with my husband and a glass of wine and some cookies.  The first glass led to a second, and then even a third.  It had been a long day and I wanted to unwind.  I didn’t give it a second thought, although I know I should have.

About three hours later I woke up with the most awful feeling that I was going to be sick.  I went to the bathroom and at first thought maybe I was wrong.

But I wasn’t wrong.  I was awfully, violently sick, for hours and hours.  By morning I was literally pleading with God to make it stop.

It did finally stop, but after it was all over and the mind numbing tiredness ensued from having been up all night with the sick, I slept.  I didn’t eat all day and the only thing I drank was water or ginger ale.  I was disgustingly tired and thirsty, but nothing else.  I had a headache.  I was wasted.

After four days and finally feeling recovered, it has really put a reset on me and my thoughts about what I am putting in my body.  In the days since the sick, I’ve been very careful:  will this help me feel better or not?  Is this a good choice considering my body’s current state or not?  I ate toast and soup for two days and pondered this.

It should really always be this way, this simple.  Will this food make me feel better, or not?  Will this drink help my body be healthier and well, or not?  Obviously the choices have been very simple for the last few days.  Now that I’m feeling better, they will get more murky, but the mindset is there.  I’m definitely more aware that my body is not invincible.  I cannot keep pumping booze and crap into it and expect it to still perform for me when I want it to.  I need to nurture my body not just in my exercise choices but in my food choices as well.

This illness was a wakeup call that was sorely needed.  Like pushing a reset button on my habits that had gotten so out of control I wasn’t even really conscious of them.  I’m not going to say I am grateful for getting sick, because it was absolutely terrible, but I definitely have a very different perspective on this side of it.

Wednesday Weigh In

Down 1.2 lbs this week, which feels really good considering the knee injury thing and being out of town this weekend thing.  Of course I was down a whole pound more before I left for said weekend, but let’s not go there, shall we?  Let’s just celebrate the loss and be happy with that.  Which I am.  No complaints here.

To be honest I don’t feel like I’m doing all that much differently over the last few weeks so this feels a little like cheating to see a loss on the scale.  I had cookies and wine over the weekend.  But then again there’s been a lot of snow here and I have been spending a lot of energy moving it.  I’m still doing my squats.  And I actually have pulled back on the wine drinking which if anything is probably the biggest reason for the drop.

I also have been really tired lately, maybe it is all the shoveling, but I have been giving into it and sleeping at least 8 every night.  Maybe that’s helping too.  Either way, I like the trend and I’m going with it.  It feels good to have two losses two weeks in a row.  Our bootcamp weight loss challenge is coming up again and I’d like to enter it in the right frame of mind (aka a losing frame of mind).  I’m not there yet, but I’m closer.

Current Week: -1.2 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  13.4 lbs
Age:  43
BMI:  28

My Run Streak is Over :(

My 2014RunStreak has officially ended.  I’m unhappy about it, but I know the prudent thing to do is to accept it and move on.

I started my streak on January 2 and my last day was February 16, so 45 days.  That’s not too bad considering my last one was 30, so it’s a 50 % increase.  I ran on days I traveled, I ran out of town, I ran on treadmills because of bad weather, I ran outside in temperatures colder than I have ever run in.  I ran 83.5 miles in 45 days, an average of 1.86 miles a day, every day for 45 days.

I’m glad I did it.  It was really motivating to have to get that mile in, every single day.  I’m proud of the miles I logged.  I know that I would have not done most of them if it wasn’t for “having” to.

But on Sunday, I fell.  I fell forward with things in my hands so I couldn’t put them out to brace my fall.  So instead I fell hard on my knees, the left one taking the brunt of the fall.  I knew right away that it hurt, but I played it off because I didn’t want to call attention to myself in the room full of people where it happened.  The knee was sore all day but I didn’t have a chance to ice it.  I went to bed that night with it aching.  I woke up the next morning with it still aching. I debated for a second if I should try to run on it and instantly knew that my streak was over.

There’s a time to push yourself and there’s a time not to be stupid.  This feels like the latter.

I don’t think that there’s any real permanent problem going to happen here.  I think I just bruised it and it needs some time to heal.  It’s only really bad if I put pressure on it (pushups on my knees will not be an option for a while).  I did some squats this morning and while it didn’t hurt during, it’s a bit achy now.

I am thinking I might hit the treadmill (because it is snowing….again) and walk for a mile to see how it feels.  But I think I’m going to wait to run on it for at least a few days.

It is a good reminder for every time I’m huffing and sweating and pushing myself hard that I am lucky to be able to do so.  Because injury happens and then you can’t huff and sweat and push.  As hard as exercise is while you’re doing it, it’s harder not to do it, sometimes.

Weekly Weigh In

I am down 0.6 over last week.   A little frustrated that it’s not more to wipe away last week’s whole pound gain, but the frustration lands squarely on myself, no where else.  I know that this week’s result is squarely on my shoulders.  There were times when I made really good choices.  There were more times when I made really lousy choices.  I think the biggest reason for the loss as opposed to what could have happened was simply that there was very little eating out this week.  I cooked most every night at home, didn’t have lunch out at a restaurant.  So even a lousy choice at home will still be a better result than a so so meal out of the house.

I was struck by the weight of choices and the inability to make the right ones last night watching My 600 lb Life.  I have never watched this show before because I wondered if it really was along the kind of fat shaming mode of programming (TLC isn’t exactly known for its high class offerings these days….remember when they were the Learning Channel?).  Anyway I got sucked in by watching this story last night of this morbidly obese woman trying to lose some of the weight.

And the whole time, from the outside looking in, you could see it.  Her repeatedly, over and over, making terrible food choices. She and her kids eat so much fast food, it is no wonder she has a weight problem.  But lord, she could make food more cheaply if she cooked from scratch and made big batches.  The lack of knowledge and the lack of will to want to change habits was hard to watch.   She went months and months losing just a pound or two, even after gastric bypass surgery.

When did the story finally turn around?  She started seeing a counselor.  She had recently lost her husband, had a troubled childhood, and those were the real reasons for her obesity and mindset.  Once she started working on her head, the rest of it quickly started falling into place.

It was interesting watching the story.  I still think the show is definitely on the gawker side of things, but the message in last night’s episode was clear.  Your head is the biggest obstacle to your weight loss.  Work on why you keep making the wrong choices, and the ability to make the right ones will start to be easier.

It’s a lesson I am thinking about this week.

Current Week: -0..6 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  14.6 lbs
Age:  43
BMI:  28.2

Sweetheart 4 Mile Run Race Recap

I ran my first race in three months on Saturday.  I was nervous going in because it had been so long, and also because of the weather.  It’s been cold, so cold here, and the forecast wasn’t all that great for Saturday.  No snow, which was a plus, but cold temps for race time:  maybe 15-20.  And between you and me, I’m really freaking tired of the cold.

When I got up that morning, I felt unprepared.  My girlfriend texted me just before I left that the highway that I was supposed to go on was actually closed due to an accident.  Shoot!  I had to quickly figure out a new route; fortunately the area is not entirely unfamiliar to me, so I was able to go back roads and my GPS finally caught up with my intent.

When I got to the race site it was 16 degrees.  Ugh.

For this race, you can pair up with someone and combine your times and ages for prizes.  Last year, I declined to do so, figuring I was too slow; I wouldn’t want to drag anyone down.  I had planned the same course this year, but I ran into someone I knew while we were waiting for the race to start.  She encouraged me to partner up, and volunteered to find someone nice and slow for me.

She found me Rich, a 67 year old man who had been running for just a few years.  We both apologized to each other about how slow we were, and then we registered in the 110-119 combined age category.  LOL.

Race time quickly approached, and we were all relieved to see that the sun was warming up the temps to the lower twenties.  Our small group of 150 runners took off.

I found my pace without a problem and watched as most of the runners dashed off ahead of me.  Rich and I had talked repeatedly about just having fun with the super hilly course and not worry about time, so that’s what I did.  I made it up the first hill without stopping to walk, but when I hit the second, I allowed myself a brief walk before moving on.

I was so grateful that I was staying warm despite the low temps.  I had layered appropriately and it was paying off.  Normally my hands get very numb when it is super cold out, but I’d even layered my gloves and I was fine.  I stopped for a quick sip of water at mile 2 and kept going.

I started to pass a few people here and there but for the most part I knew I was near the back of the pack.  I tried to conserve my energy for the monster hill that I knew awaited me at mile 3.  Last year I was unprepared for the steep slope, so high that no one even bothered to try to run it.  This year I knew, so I slowed my pace going up and finally dropped to a walk about a third of the way up.  I didn’t beat myself up about it; like Rich said, I was going to enjoy this race, not hate it.

Once I passed the summit I started a slow jog again, but it was hard to catch my breath.  It took a few minutes and another quick walk break before I felt OK again.  Fortunately the big hill had rewarded us on the other side with some downhill action, and by mile 3.5 I was feeling strong and good again.  I even overtook a woman who had been in front of me the whole time.

I finished the race feeling really good, like I could have kept going.  I was surprised to see that my time was slower last year as a result; I felt so much more confident this year.  I finished in 51:30, a whole minute off of last year’s time.  But I felt great, and tried not to be upset about it.

I went inside where my partner Rich waited.  He brought me a bottle of water and informed me he’d finished 8 minutes ago.  My 67 year old partner beat me by eight whole minutes.  Talk about an ego crush.  But all of that faded away when we discovered that we had actually scored second place in our Really Old Combined Age Division.  I was awarded with a medal with two hearts on it.  I couldn’t believe it!  I actually won something at a race!  It was kind of funny but we weren’t even last in our age group, there were third place finishers behind us.  So even though I was super slow, I wasn’t the slowest.  And it was really fun joking around with my new friend.  By the end of the awards we were making plans to carpool for upcoming races.

So all in all, a good race.  I showed up, I ran, I completed the course feeling strong.  At the end of the day, that’s all it is really about.

Wednesday Weigh In

If I had to write a recap of this week, it would be a very positive one.  I had my first run of more than six miles since last October (and when I looked back in my RunKeeper, only my sixth or seventh ever).  I haven’t really done too many runs of that length.  But when I went out on Sunday, I told myself:  six miles at least.  No matter if I had to run/walk it.  No matter how much walking was in that mix, I would do six miles.  Nothing less.  And I did.  It honestly felt really, really great.  I was sore and my feet hurt after, since I haven’t even have a run above five miles in quite a while, but still, I did it.

Why was I so hell bent on six? Because I signed up for my first half marathon this week.  It’s not until June, but now that I’m signed up, I am committed.  I need to start getting in my head that runs aren’t just a mile or two miles.  I have had trouble this winter with the weather and my aging treadmill getting good runs in.  But now that I am signed up, I’m in the zone.

I also had some great workouts this week at bootcamp.  I’ve noticed lately I’m feeling stronger, have more stamina.  Last night, ahead of the storm that is now blanketing us with many inches of snow (looks like six or seven so far and it’s still falling), our instructor called a 1.5 hour class since today’s would be cancelled.  It was hard, and I am sore this morning, but I did it.  I felt good.  I sweated so much my headband was saturated and the sweat still streamed down my face onto my mat.  I’m doing exercises that I couldn’t do when I started, that I couldn’t do even two months ago.

So my feeling this week is positive.  Yet, when I stepped on the scale this morning, it was up by a whole pound.  I’m now at a weight I haven’t seen on the scale since last October.  I’d like to think some of this is water retention or too much salt yesterday, but I know the truth.  It is still me not making the right food choices.  This week featured not one, not two but three parties over the weekend and while I thought I did well, I guess even well at a party is worse than stuff I’ve cooked myself at home.  The scale is up now two and a half pounds since Christmas and I’m disappointed in that.

I refuse to let the scale take away my feeling of strength and progress on the exercise front.  I’m still going to call this a positive week, despite the gain.  That being said, enough is enough.  The scale is too high and it’s not OK.

Current Week: +1 lbs
Total Weight Left To Lose:  15 lbs
Age:  43
BMI:  28.4