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.

 `