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Oct 11, 2010

The Leaves Are Falling & My Weight Is Too

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The stress of the past few weeks has been hard. Not only was I sick with a stomach virus, right in the middle of a crisis situation at work that required mandatory overtime, but then I came down with a cold last week just to feel completely miserable again.

It’s true – stress robs you of your ability to stay healthy. When you’re stressed and lacking in sleep, your body’s defenses are down and any passing infection can breeze right in past security without even a pat-down and get to work making you feel horrible. Viruses and stress are the original terrorists, working together to take us down from our position at the top of the natural order.

I’ve barely slept the past few weeks. I certainly haven’t had time to work out. And many of my meals haven’t been the best. (Although I’m still sticking to one Healthy Choice meal per day for my Better for BlogHer Challenge – honestly, grabbing a meal out of the freezer is the easiest part of my day.)

I knew my weight crossed into the 170’s after the stomach virus from hell, but I also knew it was likely temporary and that once I replaced my fluids it would bounce back up. As predicted, I stepped on the scale several days later and it was back at 181 pounds. Seeing the 180’s was a little depressing, but I knew that my short dip into the 170’s was really just a mirage brought on by dehydration.

For two weeks now I’ve avoided the scale. I haven’t had the time to focus on myself due to work, and I made the mental decision to not worry about the damage that happens during this stressful time and accept that once work calms down again, I’ll get back to running, get back to really focusing on my diet, and get back to finding some inner peace again. It seemed like the best decision to make, considering what I’ve been up against: stress, no sleep, long work hours, fast food when necessary (which is often), and no time to work out.

So I’ll admit I was a little surprised when I stepped on my scale before my shower Saturday morning and saw this number greeting me:

(Sorry for the blurry pic. I never expected to report the number, but when I saw this my iPhone camera was the only thing in reach.)

Of course I’m thrilled to see 177.8 pounds, although I’m not exactly sure how I got there. I know I’ve had more than an acceptable share of McDonald’s to eat and my running shoes can attest that they’ve been neglected for weeks now. Losing weight easily is a myth to me, so I’m a little perplexed by this development.

But I’ll take it, and as soon as work calms down I hope to get back to taking care of myself and working hard to drive that number even lower. My next mini-goal is to see the 160’s before the new year – a difficult challenge, indeed, considering the season of holiday eating is nearly upon us.

Anyone else ever have a surprise loss on the scale when you were certain you’d see a gain?

Filed Under: success, weigh-in · Tagged:


Sep 20, 2010

March of Dimes Night Moves 5K Results

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After the BlogHer 5K, I knew I needed to sign up for another 5K to keep me motivated or I’d simply stop exercising like I did a year ago.

I signed up for the March of Dimes Night Moves 5K for a few reasons. First, it benefits March of Dimes, a charity I have always supported. Second, it was at night, and since I work third shift I tend to do better running on a nocturnal schedule.

A few weeks ago I suffered a back injury that made it difficult to run for a little while. My training slowed as a result and I continued to be stuck at 25 minutes of running max. Last week I did manage one 28 minute run, but only to avoid social interactions. So I knew going into this race that it was nearly certain I’d be walking for part of it. My motto was “Just don’t finish last.”

Friday night the area around Front Street was packed with people, and I immediately felt excited when I walked into the plaza and saw the crowd. After I picked up my shirt and goody bag, I changed into my shirt and began stretching for the race.

Pre-race posing

Shortly after that, Brooke found me. She left a comment here last week saying she would be running this 5K as well, and I told her I hoped she would come find me. Thankfully she did and I quickly made a new blog pal! We talked about how neither of us had run a full 5K, and decided we’d run together. I warned her I was slow and gave her full permission to leave me in the dust if I started walking. (To be fair, she gave me the same permission, but I thought it doubtful that she would be slower than me.)

We cheered on the 5-mile racers as they started before the 5K runners, and then took our place in the pack. The run started on a hill – going up, of course – but the crowd was buzzing with excitement and as we started running I watched as other people darted around us. I was determined to keep it slow and steady, though, and not overdo it at the beginning. Brooke was kind enough to slow down and stay with me.

Everything felt great for the first mile or so. I fell into a good breathing pattern, and even managed to pass a few people who were already walking.

The second mile was harder, though. I started to reach the threshold of my running limits, and felt that sharp ache in my side. I tried altering my breathing to force it to go away, and it would help for awhile, but then it came back again. I could now start to hear my breathing over my music. My right shoulder started to hurt, too. The urge to walk was becoming stronger, but Brooke was still running, so I was determined to stay with her.

The last mile – especially the last half mile – was pain, pure and simple. My side hurt, my shoulder hurt, my lungs burned, and I felt like I was going to throw up. When we made the final turn towards the finish line, I wondered if I could make it or not. On one hand, I could see the finish line way up ahead, so it seemed silly to stop running now when I was so close. On the other hand, panic was beginning to set in and I wondered if I’d black out before I made it to the finish line. I could easily hear my breathing over the music now, which meant people a quarter mile away could likely hear it as well. I sounded like I was drowning in my own mucous.

With the finish line only a few blocks away, I made my mind up to finish this damn race running. Of course, that then meant I had to convince my body to go along with what my mind decided. I’m sure I was grunting at this point as I had to mentally force my feet to keep moving, force my arms to keep swinging, and force my body to move forward. I know I was swearing at myself to keep going.

And then at 41 minutes and 4 seconds, I crossed the finish line. Running. I didn’t plan this accomplishment – I thought myself several weeks away from graduating from the couch to 5K program. Yet there it was: I ran an entire 5K.

How did I feel after the run? Mostly happy that it was over, honestly. I had to sit down and suck in some air for a little while to feel OK again, and my legs still felt wobbly for the rest of the night.

Me & Brooke, post-race. I’m impressed I’m standing.

I woke up the next day feeling like I’d been hit by a car. Everything hurt – especially my back and sides. I guess my next goal will be to work on relaxing while running so I’m not so tense.

Big thanks to Brooke for running with me – I strongly doubt I would’ve kept running without seeing her still running beside me.

Up next? Well, I want to keep working on my distance, as I doubt I’ll be able to repeat that 5K in my own neighborhood with no one running next to me and no race to participate in. So I’ll go back to C25K and keep slowly working up my time. I might start working some intervals back in as well, trying to increase my speed just a wee bit.

And I’ve already selected my next 5K – the Fright Night 5K in October. Nothing like running through a haunted graveyard and woods at night to keep you moving! 

Believe me, folks – if I can do this, you can, too. I used to be the lump on the couch, the woman circling the parking lot for 10 minutes to get the slightly closer parking spot. It’s not easy, but it is possible.

Filed Under: c25k, running, success · Tagged: ,


Aug 16, 2010

My Lunch With Healthy Choice & Tara Gidus

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As part of the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer Challenge, I had the opportunity to have lunch with representatives of Healthy Choice and the Diet Diva, Tara Gidus, while at BlogHer.

During lunch, we got a sneak peak at all of the new Healthy Choice meals that will be hitting the grocery very soon. Just like their Cafe Steamers, these new entrees are designed to be steam cooked, locking in the flavor and nutrition of each ingredient. They pulled a few of the entrees out of their boxes, and you could see how brightly colored the vegetables were. It screamed FRESH!

While we ate our Hilton-provided box lunches, they passed around boxes of the new entrees, and suddenly my turkey sandwich and chips didn’t look so appetizing. I mean, which would you rather have – turkey on wheat and some generic salty chips, or Garlic Herb Shrimp, with big pieces of dark green asparagus and whole grain pasta. I started to wonder if the microwave in the corner of the room was functional, because I wanted to ditch the boxed lunch and warm up a Healthy Choice meal.

After lunch we each were given a private consultation with Tara. We had filled out health surveys ahead of time so she could customize her advice for each of us, and I wondered what advice she would have for me. I mean, she’s a dietitian and I’m a registered nurse – we’re essentially professional colleagues who both understand the challenges of staying healthy and the consequences of ignoring our health.

But my talk with Tara still provided me with useful information and insight. (After all, I spend all night worrying about the health of others – it’s too easy to overlook my own health.) She started by applauding my efforts so far, both in diet and in fitness. Losing nearly 30 pounds in a year and a half IS a big accomplishment, and a trend I want to continue. We then got down to the business of studying where I could make improvements.

Tara focused on my insane third shift schedule. Because I work while most people sleep, my scheduled meal times need a little adjusting. Tara pointed out that it’s best to eat something – even something small – within one hour of waking up, and then schedule my eating so that I’m never going longer than 2-4 hours without food. That way my hunger is kept at bay, preventing me from binging in a hungry frenzy or letting my blood sugar fall too low so that my energy levels drop and I get shaky.

Here’s my schedule: I wake around 4:30pm. I then usually eat dinner with my family between 5:30-6:30pm. Around 10 or 11pm, I usually have a small snack. Then I eat “lunch” at 1:30am. My other break is scheduled at 4am, when I usually have another small snack, and then I eat a little more when I get home at 8am, right before I go to bed for the day.

The emphasis here is on feeling satisfied. She pointed out that each meal should be just enough food to get you through until you eat again, not enough to create a “full” feeling. I believe her exact words were “Eat until satisfied, not until full.” Eating small, frequent meals and snacks keeps your body from reaching those extreme peaks and troughs with blood sugar and instead creates a more stable system, giving you more energy and helping your metabolism work better.

My goal, of course, is to continue losing weight. I’m no longer in the “obese” BMI range, but I still have a long way to go before exiting the “overweight” BMI range. Still, thanks to the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer challenge as well as my own determination, I’ve finally broken through my plateau, and I plan to continue eating Healthy Choice meals to help me reach that goal. They’re simple to make for someone like me with no time to spare and each meal is so full of flavor – I’m loving how easy this is!

And the results so far? I’m going to brag a little and say I looked pretty good at BlogHer:

Size 10, baby!
(Although none of my other clothing is size 10 yet. Still.)

Full disclosure: I’m participating in Healthy Choice’s Better for BlogHer challenge, and as a participant I have been provided compensation as well as coupons for many Healthy Choice meals. All opinions I express about Healthy Choice are my own and are genuine. Also, the scale doesn’t lie, even when I wish it would.

Filed Under: success · Tagged: ,


Aug 12, 2010

BlogHer 5K: We Came, We Put on Tutus, We Ran!

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At BlogHer09, there was a 5K that I fully intended to run. I had the best intentions, but after about 5 minutes of running I slowed to a walk. I tried a couple more intervals of running, but none lasted even 3 minutes. I simply wasn’t in good enough shape to run the full course yet. (But I did complete it by walking!)

So when the BlogHer10 5K was announced, I knew I had to do better this time. I started training for Couch to 5K again (remember, as of BlogHer I was only starting week 7!) and vowed that while it may be too soon to run a full 5K, I was going to run more than walk this year.

To further add purpose to the run, it was announced that the 5K would be partnering with Tutus for Tanner. I continued training while picking out the perfect tulle to make my tutu.

And then last Tuesday came, and I packed my Brooks running shoes, tutu, and princess Bondi Band (great sweat band!) into my suitcase for New York. I was nervous, wondering if everyone would pass me by in the run. I specifically signed up for the earliest time slot – both to get it over with before it got too hot, and to make sure I wasn’t the last person dragging my sorry butt across the finish line. I had at least 45 minutes over the final group of runners.

Thursday night of BlogHer was filled with parties, and I wore my stunning black & white dress and heels. What I didn’t count on was that my comfy heels wouldn’t be so comfy this year, and when I got back to my hotel room I discovered that the tops of both little toes were nothing but giant blisters. Worse: I discovered this when I dragged my foot across the carpet and tore one of them open. Ouch.

I woke early on Friday morning – 5K day – feeling dry mouthed, underslept and sore. As I swung my legs out of bed and placed my feet on the floor, I knew the pain was coming before I even put any weight on my feet. And oh how it hurt when I stood! My roommate Amelia suggested that running may not be the best option for me with feet like that, and I understood her concern. These feet were in no condition to run.

But I guzzled half a Pepsi Max, ate a zucchini muffin and took some pain meds to dull the sensation as I wrapped two bandaids around my little toes. I winced as I pulled on my running shoes, limping across the room to fetch my tutu. I didn’t come all this way to not run. Pain be damned, I was going to do this.

Hobbling down to the lobby, I met up with the other early morning runners, also outfitted in their tutus. We got a map of our path through Central Park, posed for a few photos, and then walked outside to begin our journey.

Jenna & me, ready to run
(Photo credit: Jenna Hatfield)

I was expecting a 5 minute walk to warm-up, like I usually do. But when we crossed our first street, Jenna said, “Let’s go!” and started jogging. I had a momentary pause, as I’m sure my eyes bugged out of my head, but then with a small hop I shifted into a slow jog. My feet screamed in agony, but I just turned up my music to tune them out.

As we reached the edge of Central Park, we paused momentarily to check the map. Once we were certain we knew the way, we were back to running. The park was blissfully shaded, although no amount of cover could block out the humidity as we made our way through the soupy air, our tutus gracefully flowing around us.

Our pack ran on the sidewalk until we came to a point in the road where the sidewalk disappeared. We paused again – this time for about 2 minutes – as we tried to get our bearings and determine which way was the right way to go. Comparing the map with the iPhone GPS, we decided that turning left was the correct path, forcing us to now merge with the (surprising number of) runners and bikers on the road.

I somehow thought the bike lane was supposed to be reserved for those on bicycles, but it seemed that the runners had control of this lane while the bikes shared the road with cars. I was a little nervous of joining other runners in the lane. After all – I wasn’t a runner, right? I was just pretending to be one for a day, wearing my sparkly tutu and faking my best smile as I huffed down the road.

We were somewhere around mile 1 at this point. My feet no longer ached. I had reached that lovely state of numb that I seek out when I run, and I settled into keeping that state by distracting myself with anything around me. Jenna and I compared our running music – showtunes at the moment for her, Lady Gaga for me. We waved as cyclists sped past, yelling “Looking good!” at us. Police officers and tourists gawked at the parade of tutus running past them.

My pack – Jenna, Kari (yes, the woman who runs half marathons!!), and Nicole – all stayed with me despite my slow pace. As we reached a hill, I was finally forced to walk for a minute, and everyone was kind enough to slow and walk with me. My neighborhood at home is fairly flat – hills were a new challenge for me. I had to walk again during a second hill. But we kept motivating each other and our running pace would soon resume as we continued through the park.

Eventually other tutus caught up with us (I said I was slow), and our pack grew in number as we reached the edge of Central Park again. I was dripping in sweat, breathing hard, and totally ready for my cool down walk. But as we crossed the street to the first city block, the pack again took off. I refused to be left behind, so I reached way down into my mental reserve and vowed to keep going. I’ve never been so thankful for red lights in my life as I gasped for breath while waiting for the light to change to cross the street.

And then – just like that – we were at the hotel again and it was over. Carmen was there to greet us as we went upstairs to the BlogHer 5K breakfast, and it felt a little odd that it was already over.

BlogHer 5K breakfast, post-run -see how we glisten?
(Photo credit: Shannon Entin)

I didn’t run the entire 5K, but aside from a couple of walk breaks, I ran most of it. And that totally rocks. Not only did I run the majority of a 5K, proving that my body CAN change and adapt, I also helped bring awareness to an important cause, and I developed a closer bond with my running mates.

I want to thank Jenna, Kari and Nicole for keeping me going as we ran through Central Park. Peer pressure may not be the best motivator, but because all of you were still running, you made me want to keep running. And I want to thank my roomie, Amelia, who had to walk most of the 5K due to being very, very sick (and probably shouldn’t have even walked), because even though she felt miserable, she showed amazing determination to go through with it anyway.

Next year? Oh yeah, I’m running the entire 5K for sure.

(Full disclosure: Other than the 5K breakfast, sponsored by Pepsi Co, any product mentioned here was purchased by me at full price because I’m lousy at finding a good sale.)

Filed Under: c25k, success ·


Aug 4, 2010

See You At BlogHer!

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So I’m leaving tonight for the BlogHer conference in New York, and as I look over the suitcase full of clothes, I’m pretty happy with what I’m seeing. Two dresses that I absolutely love. Jeans that fit well and – just as importantly – I look good in. Lots of comfortable shoes and soft, easy-fitting tops.

Since last year’s BlogHer, I’ve lost about 10 pounds – most of it in the last few weeks. I’ve taken 2 full inches off my hips and an inch and a half off my waist. I’ve lost 3% of body fat in the past 3 weeks. A combination of running and eating better have made all the difference.

Years ago, I worried about how people would view me. Now? I’m not that concerned. I’m dressing for comfort and my own personal fulfillment. I didn’t get my hair cut or colored (mostly because I had to spend $110 for my daughter’s doctor’s visit), and while I did buy some new clothing, I plan to get a lot of use out of each item beyond the conference.

And I’m running the BlogHer 5K this year. Last year I participated as well, but walked more than I ran. This year I plan to run more than I walk. I’m going to find a steady pace with some of my running friends, and then focus on putting one foot in front of the other until the end.

I’m really looking forward to this year’s conference. I’ve worked hard to look and feel good about myself, and I’m going to enjoy the results of that work. If you’re also coming to BlogHer, be sure to say hi sometime this weekend!

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Filed Under: success ·