Countdown to my 46th Birthday

Wow.  A lot has happened since I was last here.  I had and now don't have a boyfriend.  Summer came and went.  School ended and started.  There was some really happy times and some profoundly sad ones.  Now that I am on the other side of all of that I have decided to brush myself off and try again to get in shape.  

I've decided I need to lay out a plan comprised of small goals.  Perhaps it will be best to take this day-by-day, which will add to week-by-week.  The first milestone will be my 46th birthday on October 26.  Starting tomorrow - indeed a somber reminder of how unpredictable life can be - I will challenge myself to see what I can accomplish in the 45 days until my 46th birthday.

I read several books this summer.  Two of the more profound ones were 'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch and 'Tuesdays with Morrie' by Mitch Albom.  Both reminded me that I can ill afford to procrastinate indefinitely; I must live my life to the fullest NOW.  I must quit wasting time and NOW go about the business of making myself happy.  I must live in the present moment to live my life to the fullest.

Some may argue that I already lead a very full life.  I will agree that I have (and take advantage of) travel opportunities, have great friends and am fortunate to have a very satisfying job.  But I can, want and will do so much more!

So that's my charge and I am excited about seriously living a happy and purposeful life.  I deserve and am worthy of it.  Here's to me!  Thanks for sharing in my journey.  :-)

I got my MOJO back!

I admit it:  I had not been motivated to stick to a healthy eating plan for nearly a month.  On a few days I would eat pizza for dinner following by warm brownies or chocolate bundt cake topped by vanilla ice cream.  YUM!  I took 10 days off from exercising after the L.A. Marathon, but had since only exercised about half of the time I wanted to.  I was in a rut.

Then I went to a Weight Watchers meeting where the leader talked about going shopping in his own closet.  He talked about having clothes with the tags still on them!  I was thinking, "Has he been looking in my closet?"  I have so many goal outfits that I don't need to buy clothes for years to come.  Heck, some of the fashions have been there so long they might be out of style.  :-)  However, there are plenty outfits that I really want to be able to wear!

The next thing that happened was me watching the Biggest Loser last night.  There is (well now, there WAS) a contestant named Courtney on there from Valporaiso, IN.  She has lost a total of 204 pounds.  Two-hundred, four pounds.  That is a whole person!  What's more, she lost the first 100 pounds on her own at home despite the fact that her family owns a Dairy Queen!  Are you kidding me?  She has such an amazing attitude and has come so far that I was completely inspired by her last night.  She said we can reach our goals by just taking it one day at a time.  Her amazing progress is proof positive of this fact.

So I got up this morning with a plan to go to the gym and run on the treadmill.  However, something made me decide to run outside on the Lakefront instead.  I also decided I would comfortably jog the whole way, but not pressure myself to go at a certain pace.  It was my first outside training run in a long time and I just needed to see where I am.  I am SO glad I decided to run outside.  I did 3 miles which now serves as my baseline as I run on the Lakefront from now until next winter.

One of the problems I have is not recognizing the value in taking small steps toward my overall goal.  I feel like I have to lose 5 or 10 pounds a week or train 5 days a week to get results.  However, if I consistently lose a pounds a week, that would be over 50 pounds in a year.  There are people who lose as much as I weigh by being HONEST and CONSISTENT, even if they are not running marathons.  They walk, take in fewer calories than they expend and have fantastic results.  So I have a new attitude in that I will try to be honest and consistent and not pressure myself to lose X number of pounds a week.  I won't have an all or nothing attitude but just stay the course so that one day I will look up and have reached my goal.

LA Marathon - A Nightmare in a Monsoon

It's has been quite a while since I last posted, but I did reach my goal of completing the 26.2-mile LA Marathon...in a rainstorm.  Don't misunderstand me - it was not my goal for it to happen in the rain, but it poured the WHOLE time.  It was Jackie's first marathon so I decided to walk it with her once I arrived to L.A.  I have to give it up for the walkers because we were out there for nearly 8 hours!  Here is a clip of the weather situation (listen with the sound 'on'):

 

Can you see why I called it a nightmare in a monsoon?  Thank GOD it's over!  

Now I am on to the next goal...

Jackie and I have decided to lose weight together over the course of the next 12 weeks.  This is the timeline because my next race is Grandma's Marathon on June 18 in Duluth, MN.  I am going to lift weights as well as do some yoga this time to better prepare.  Thanks for reading and stay tuned!

9 Days to L.A. - 5 Pounds to Milestone

I cannot remember the last time my weight was in one-derland.  I think I was living in Virginia, so that would be at least 3 years ago.  I am less than 5 pounds from that milestone as of this morning.  And as of two days ago, I was 7 pounds away.  It will be soooo nice when my weight says one-ninety-something.  I can hardly wait; it's so close I can taste it.  Okay, maybe that's my problem...I've been tasting too much!

12 Days to L.A. - Beating Stress

Good morning!  As my friends and family know, the week before grades are due tends to be very stressful for me and Stress = Overeating + Lack of Sleep = Weight Gain.  

Well this year I will try to have a different outcome.  I am trying to keep myself busy getting work done, blogging and exercising as opposed to eating and watching lots of TV.  (Speaking of which, why didn't someone warn me about all the channel available on cable TV?  Oh dear!)  Today's meal plan includes egg whites with spinach, tomatoes and onions; baked chicken and a yam; and salmon with salad and Greek yogurt.  This morning I'm headed out for the run.  Have a great day!

18 Days to L.A. - Sore legs and an afternoon binge

After the 20-miler on Sunday, I ran 5 miles on Tuesday.  My legs were REALLY sore Tuesday evening and I decided to delay the 8-miler until Thursday morning.  My legs are still a little sore, but I will just have to run through it tomorrow.  It's a mental thing now and I will not let my mind tell me that I need more rest.  I have come to close to stop now.

I generally try to eat every 2-3 hours but today I let 5 hours pass between lunch and my afternoon meal.  That was a big mistake.  At 5 o'clock when I got home I made a great salad of organic mixed greens, mandarin oranges, red onions, baked chicken breast, toasted walnuts and lite raspberry/walnut dressing.  It was a perfect meal.  However I was so hungry that I then had some chips and guacamole (I did measure both).  Then I had two Weight Watchers Almond bars.  A couple hours later I ate some pistachios then some pita chips with American cheese food.  YIKES!  When I wait too long to eat, I sometimes lose my mind and start binging.  I really have to try to avoid this in the future.  

Sigh...it's a lifelong process, Folks.

20 Days to L.A. Marathon - 20-miler DONE!

Completing the 20-miler when training for a marathon is a big deal.  It not only provides physical preparation but the psychological assurance that one can indeed finish the marathon.  Once one hits 20 miles, the final 6.2 miles are all mental.  Thankfully, I got through the 20 yesterday but my legs were shot after I was done.

Now I can start tapering (running fewer miles until the actual marathon).  This morning I feel a sense of renewal and commitment.  I got up at 4:15 to clean my kitchen and cook salmon, chicken breast and baked sweet potatoes for the week.  I also did two loads of laundry and am about to grade some papers.

Last Friday I wore a pair of pants that I have not been able to wear in at least two years, maybe 3.  I am wearing another pair that I found while "shopping in my own closet" this morning.  I also weighed myself last Friday morning and was down another two pounds since the previous week.  So that makes 13 pounds in 5 weeks.  Woohoo!  My goal is to lose at least 2 pounds this week so I can finally be in one-derland!  I will do this by really paying attention to my meals, running 4 days this week, and weight training for at least 3 days.  

I got a little spring in my step as a new season approaches.  :-)

25 Days to L.A.

Well this week has really been going well as far as both training and eating are concerned.  I did 8 miles Sunday, 5 on Tuesday and 1.72 as a warm up this morning.  I am planning on doing 10 tomorrow morning.  I also went back to the gym Tuesday evening to do an upper body workout and woke up this morning to do a leg workout after the short run.

I have also been cooking a lot:  chicken, salmon, asparagus, turkey chili and salad have comprised the meals I have taken to work this week.  I also bought some Chobani Greek yogurt that I tend to forget is quite good and satisfies my sweet tooth.  

I expect good results this week.  Life is good.

Month 1 Results

In the month since I started the blog and I have lost 12 pounds!  I was not always consistent in my healthy eating and blogging, but I am happy to weigh less than I did a month ago.  

I have a goal this month of losing another 13 (or more) pounds, writing in my blog more and taking fewer 'cheat' days.

31 Days to L.A.

I woke up this morning energized and motivated following my week-long slump.  It was relatively warm in Chicago so I decided to do my 5-mile training run on the Lakefront.  The run was fantastic!  I then came home to make my lunch after eating a breakfast of egg whites and salsa.  Unfortunately I left the lunch right on my counter and had to buy food from the school cafeteria.  I bought a grilled chicken wrap but ate it with vegetables only...no dressing.  Finally I followed the Weight Watchers program to the letter.  It was a great day!

31 Days

I have been feeling a little blah this week about working out and eating right so decided I needed something to shake things up.  I am watching a program called "I Used to be Fat" on MTV where they follow teens for the summer after high school graduation as they try to lose some serious weight before going off to college.  One thing they do is put a big countdown calendar in their bedroom that starts at a certain number of days left- I have seen 110, 99 or 90 - and counts down to 0 days.  Each morning when the person wakes up they tear the top number off the calendar.  

I like that idea and counted the days until my marathon.  Interestingly enough starting tomorrow morning it will be 31 days until L.A.  So I will check in everyday with at least one thing I have done to evolve to my healthier self...a virtual countdown if you will.  That way I have a short-term, manageable goal which feels less overwhelming than the big goal of losing 75 pounds.

Thank you Ruthie for today's motivation!

With friends like these...

I just received a message from my best friend, Robin, asking "What's up with the blog?  You are missing your entries and you said that's a must for you!"  See, that is why she is my best friend.  

Why did I not post my week 2 results?  Was it because they were not as dramatic as week 1?  Probably.  And you know what?  That is ridiculous!  I have to learn to appreciate whatever movement comes on that scale, especially when it is in the right direction.  Moreover, my NOT posting had a negative effect:  I was not as strict during week 3.

So here are my results:

Week 1:  -9.1 pounds

Week 2:  -1.6 pounds

Week 3:  +1.5 pounds

Total:  -9.2 pounds

This blog is all about me being accountable with the good, the bad and the ugly...and the pretty.  I am among friends and have no reason to be ashamed.  

I am still having to come to terms with the fact that I can run my little touche off (18 miles between this past Tuesday-Thursday alone, with another 18 miles to be done tomorrow) but will NOT have the results I want if I binge on frosted mini wheats with milk!  I mean, dang...I'm not even eating ice cream and brownies as a cheat meal but cereal and whole milk everyday at 4 p.m.!  Perhaps I will allow myself one treat a week, but I cannot have huge bowls of cereal each day.  And this is the thing:  I am actually writing those bowls of cereal down in my Weight Watchers tracker saying "It's okay, I ran a lot of miles this week."  But I really don't want to run just to be able to eat junk on a regular basis.  That is not what this is about.  It is about me making healthy choices the vast majority of the time.  It's about me choosing whole foods like honeybells and pomegranates and baked yams when I want something sweet on a daily basis.  I don't want to say I will never have ice cream (although it will have been a month this coming Sunday since I had that creamy coldstone concoction after running the Rock 'n' Roll half marathon...but who's counting?  :-)).  I just cannot choose those types of foods everyday.  Period.  (Note to self:  The Costco-sized box of cereal, like the Sam's Club-sized jar of cashews just cannot come into my house.)

So thank you for the kick in the butt Robin.  I really do appreciate it and am stating now to all of you:  I will lose weight this week!

Day 19 - Choices (again)

I am sitting in the cafeteria at my school, a place I am able to avoid most days because I choose to bring my lunch.  The only reason I am here now is I have duty every Tuesday to make sure no kids are acting up.  (Thankfully I have never seen that happen down here.)  Before I came down, it briefly occurred to me I could buy one of those yummy cream cheese/chocolate muffins that has who knows how many calories in it.  I thought to myself, "I ran 4 miles this morning, I can afford to splurge".  But the point of my exercise is not to buy myself more calories but to serve as another component of my healthy lifestyle.  So instead of bringing money down for a muffin, I decided to bring down a juicy honeybell orange instead.  I won't say the honeybell tasted the same as that muffin, but it was very sweet...to both my taste buds and my waistline!

Day 17 - Encouragement Abounds

As I was about to get on the treadmill for my 'short' 12-miler this morning, a woman whom I often see in the gym told me I am doing well.  When I reciprocated the compliment, she said she had just gotten out of the hospital and cautioned me not to overdo it.  I had noticed this woman runs really fast, but lately she had been on the elliptical trainer instead of the treadmill.  What I did not notice is how thin she is.  She told me to just make sure I eat.  I think she is anorexic based on some other things she said.  She then apologized repeatedly for turning what was supposed to be a compliment into a lecture.  I kept telling her that it was fine and that I appreciated her cautionary tale.  I honestly cannot imagine I would ever be anorexic as I love food too much and have a healthy and rational body image.  However, her experience just goes to show that some people do get caught up in some unhealthy behavior trying to get thinner, faster, etc.

For about a year now I have used my Facebook statuses to keep me honest with my workouts.  As I am preparing to head to the gym, Lakefront or yoga studio I state the training plan for the day.  Many of my friends and family members respond to this with comments that are very motivating.  They also tell me they are inspired to start working out because I am "a beast".  Most of the posts revolve around my desire to become fit and healthy.

Since I started this blog a little over two weeks ago, I have been talking to anyone willing to listen about the fact that I WILL succeed this time.  At the gym today I spoke with Susan who knows a lot about running, nutrition and health in general.  She gave me all types of tips and shared she is keeping blog as well.  I look forward to reading it and thank Susan for reminding me how important it is for us to take care of ourselves.

Day 14 - Snowbound Lessons

Today's lunch:  BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

I have been away from the blog for 4 days and that is not going to work for me.  For now, I need to check in daily or I will not track my food as I should, hit the gym first thing in the morning or get my proper rest.  These are lessons I learned as I sat snowbound in my condo yesterday.

As you may have heard, I did not have school for two days.  Yesterday I was surprised to learn that my gym was open at U of C and I planned to trudge over in the wind and snow to get my workout in.  I ate my runner's oatmeal to fuel up for the 8 miles, did some things online and promptly fell asleep.  By the time I got back up, packed my gym bag and put on layers of clothes at 2 p.m., the staff at the gym had packed it in and closed up shop.  I was kicking myself for procrastinating and promptly began to eat EVERYTHING in my refrigerator.  Okay, not everything, but way too much of relatively healthy stuff.  I did not plan my meals, did not get to workout, and pretty much had a bad day in terms of getting fit and healthy.   The upshot is I learned a lesson and the day is done.

My gym was closed again today by I was determined to get my workout in.  I learned that the Y near my house was open so I got up, drank my water and an apple and headed straight to the gym and bought a guest pass for $15.  I have a fantastic workout, completing 8.38 miles.  I ate according to plan and even spent an hour digging out my car.  Today was a good day and I am back on program.

10 Pounds in 10 days = Reward #1

Wow.  It was surprisingly easy to lose that first 10 pounds.  Okay, okay...I did spend hours on the treadmill and weighed and measured everything I ate, but it was easy in the sense that the "program worked when I worked the program".  So today I called Comcast and will be watching cable by the end of the week!  See you later rabbit ears.  :-)  On to reward #2.

Day 9 - 16 miles and fuel for the body and mind

With marathon weekend just 7 weeks away, I had a 16 miler this morning.  About an hour before heading out I had oatmeal with an apple, bananas, raisins, craisins, walnuts and cinnamon.  I call this 'runner's oatmeal' because it gives me energy to endure on my long runs.  In the past I would add butter and brown sugar, but the fruit provides enough sweetness and I don't get weighed down and sluggish from the fatty butter.

I take energy gels and drink G2 during my runs so by the time I'm done I don't want anything remotely sweet...yuck.  When I got home I looked in my fridge and saw some leftover quinoa and brown rice, sauteed some jerk shrimp and made a salad.  That meal was savory, healthy and yummy!

I had done a leg weight training session on Thursday night so my legs were tired even before I started running this morning.  At 12.86 miles I almost stopped because by then I had 'dead legs'.  Besides, next week's run is 12 miles so I figured I could just switch.  But I told myself that I will have to keep going in that marathon even if my legs are tired.  I remembered how I wanted to say in this blog that I finished my training this week.  I remembered my goal of looking fantastic this summer.  I kept telling myself I was strong and could do this.  But most of all, I just wanted to be DONE!  So I ran the final 3.2 miles at a pace faster than the previous nearly 13 miles and walked away proud that I stuck with it.  Nice!

Week 1 - 9 Pounds Lost!

WOW!  I knew I was on track but that's a 'Biggest Loser' type number.  :-)

Here is a summary of the past week:

Workouts (mileage; weight training):  Fri 3.1, Sat 8.6, Sun 10.4, Tues 4.1, Wed 8.1, Thu 4.0; Mon Upper body, Thu Lower body

Nutrition (typical meals) and LOTS of water:  

1.  oatmeal with raisins, apple, banana, wheat germ, walnuts, ground flaxseed, cinnamon

2.  boiled eggs and a pomegranate

3.  grilled chicken breast atop organic mixed greens with tomatoes, sweet red pepper and red onions with Newman's Own balsamic vinaigrette dressing

4.  grilled chicken atop mixed greens with fresh mandarin oranges, toasted walnuts and red onions with fat free raspberry vinaigrette dressing

5.  wild Alaskan salmon with green beans drizzled with olive oil, a pear

6.  ground turkey sloppy joe on whole grain sandwich thin with a slice of cheese

7.  curried chickpeas atop quinoa and brown rice

8.  jerk shrimp with wild rice, beet salad

9.  (cheat meal)  Peanut butter cap'n crunch cereal with whole milk

On to Week 2!

Day 7 - Rewards

I have no problem setting goals:  completing a race, losing a certain number of pounds, wearing a particular dress.  But when the amount of weight I want to lose is daunting or the race is far into the future or the dress will not fit for months, then I have to set mini goals to keep up my momentum and motivation.  As I reach each of those goals, it is also important to reward myself in a way not related to food.  So I have chosen the following rewards for myself:

205 - 10 pounds lost - cable TV (after not having it for 1.5 years)

195 - 20 pounds lost -  Goddess Treatment at Korean Bath House in L.A. (post marathon relaxation)

185 - 30 pounds lost - treatment at Kiva Spa

175 - 40 pounds lost - Seasons 1-6 of Curb Your Enthusiasm

165 - 50 pounds lost -  Tiffany bracelet

155 - 60 pounds lost - hiking trip to Sedona

140 - 75 pounds lost - GOAL!  Trip to Hawaii

Each time I reach one of my goals I will mark the date of the milestone, enjoy my reward and immediately focus on the next goal.  So now it's off to the gym...I'm tired of looking at TV with rabbit ears!  :-)

Day 6 - Choices

We celebrated another birthday in the math department today.  Included in the offerings shown in the first picture was a fruit tart, red velvet cake, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate chip cookies, chips with guacamole, brie cheese and crackers, and juice.  My desk is right next to this table and on my desk sat my lunch pictured in the second photo:  3 ounces of grilled chicken breast, steamed asparagus and a tangerine.  I chose not to eat anything from the first picture but everything in the second.  :-)  After running 8 miles this morning, I did not want to blow it by mindlessly eating delicious but unhealthy choices which are not aligned with my goal.  And with my weigh-in day coming up on Friday, I am not taking any chances!  I am happy with the choice I made today.

Day 5 - Weighty Issues

Today I told a few more people about my blog.  The one thing I was nervous about was the fact that I publicly announced my weight a la "The Biggest Loser".  Most people are surprised I weigh over 200 pounds, saying I don't look like it.  I guess I'm just dense, thick, muscular, solid or whatever other term comes to mind.  Perhaps I am a perfect example of the incorrect statement "muscle weighs more than fat".  (Actually a pound of muscle takes up less space than a pound of fat.)  Still I was shy about sharing the number.  But as my friend Julia put it, I'm just "putting it all out there".  I think this takes courage, but so will doing whatever it takes to make the transformation - which includes losing a lot of fat - to my healthier and happier self.

Day 4 - Just Say NO to Poppy Seed Cake

The math department has treats on a weekly basis.  Today one of my colleagues brought a whole poppy seed cake.  It does not help that my desk is directly across from the table that holds all the goodies.  That cake was calling me but I just refused to listen.  I am going to need serious determination for the long haul to reach my goals.  Fortunately I had taken some fruit with me so it worked out okay.

I HATE working out in the evening.  Ugh.  I would rather wake up at 5 everyday instead of dragging myself to the gym at night.  However, I had to grade papers this morning so I had no choice but to go the the gym this evening.  Fortunately, I needed to lift weights instead of running.  Somehow I am able to muster the strength to lift in the evenings while just the thought of starting a run at night wears me out.  Once I got there I was all business and had a fantastic upper body workout.  I will hit the gym in the morning to do a 4-miler.  With the marathon less than 8 weeks away, I am FOCUSED!

Time for bed...good night.

Day 3

I got through the weekend relatively unscathed.  I will be happy to get back to the structure of my weekday which usually works better for me in terms on eating at regular intervals and keeping busy (which prevents me from thinking I am hungry when I may actually just be looking for something to do).

Today while I was on the treadmill doing my 10.44 miles, an apparently very fit woman next to me told me that I was her inspiration!  She said that she was telling herself she had to stay on the treadmill because I was still going.  I was motivated to go a little further after she said that and kept it up until my leg started to feel sore.  After 3.1, 8.9 and 10.4 miles during three consecutive days, it was time to stop.  I will lift weights tomorrow and run again on Tuesday.

My sister Debra took my measurements today.  (Thanks Sis!)  I am looking forward to those numbers going down!

I have decided I am going to invest in a treadmill.  It's somewhat expensive, but better than waiting for the gym to open and worrying about not being able to sign up for hours when I need to do long mileage inside.  I think it will be a great investment in my health and help me reach my goals.

Day 2

Today was another good day in my pursuit of health and fitness.  After run/walking 3.09 miles yesterday, I did 8.55 miles today.  I will go again tomorrow and see what I can do before taking a day off from cardio to start weight training on Monday.  

Knowing I am keeping this blog has already kept me accountable:  I usually work out in the morning but did not get to the gym today until 3:00.  Any other time, I would have skipped the workout, rationalizing that I would do it the next morning.  However, knowing I was going to make this blog entry tonight got me to the gym today with plans on going tomorrow as well.

I read the Winter 2011 Oxygen Collector Issue Fat Loss for motivation and watched a program on MTV while on the treadmill called "I Used to be Fat".  Both were very inspiring.

One meal I enjoyed today was a salad made of organic mixed greens, fresh tangerine sections, baked chicken breast, toasted walnuts, sliced red onion and fat-free raspberry vinaigrette dressing.  Yummy!

I am trying to get more sleep, so I am off to bed.  Goodnight!

Day 1

Hi and welcome to my weight loss blog.  Thank you for stopping by!

I profess to be a person interested in my health.  I sign up for marathons and complete them.  I enjoy non-processed foods and know that building a diet comprised primarily of them is an ideal path to reaching my goals.  Just today one of my students said that she does not know anyone else who eats fruit and vegetables as often I do or anyone who wakes up at 5 a.m. to run 5 miles.  However, I am still obese, weighing in this morning at 215 pounds. 

There…I said it out loud.

There was only one time in my adult life when I was truly happy with my body and weight.  I had just spent a year in Ethiopia and was in the best shape of my life.  I was teaching college physics in the countryside, free of stress.  I ate organic, non-processed foods and exercised on a daily basis by running in the mornings before walking to work.  Dinner was lean meat, beans and vegetables, and dinner was fruit.  Without even trying, I lost 50 pounds in a year and a half and was very happy with the person staring back from the mirror.

Thirteen years have passed since that time and I have often yearned for my “Ethiopian body”.  I have taken countless “before” pictures, started innumerable diets and run hundreds of miles.  I have thrown out all of the “bad” foods and vowed to eat like I ate in that far off land when I felt my best.  There has been just one problem:  I have never been completely honest and consistent with myself and have allowed myself to make excuses year in and year out.

Well I am hopeful that this time will be different.  I am hopeful that this weight loss blog will keep me accountable.  I am hopeful that I can finally take those “after” picture.  Today the journey begins.

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