I Am Human

Honestly, this hasn’t been the best day. I am struggling to get back into the swing of things and I am feeling pretty sad about being away from my family again after having such a great visit with them. I am happy to report that I managed to keep the eating and exercise much more in line today, but it definitely feels like I am entering a fake-it-until-I-make-it phase. I just am not doing great.

I have been trying to sort through the last couple of days so that I can accurately record what led to such a large gain over just a weekend away, but I think I need to give myself a bit longer to really wrap my head around all of it. This is the first time I have strayed drastically from my plan – I know there have been bouts here and there, but they were just hours of difficulty, not days of blatant backsliding – so I am really examining what went on. It’s just hard to put it into words right now.

I have filled in my missing food and exercise lists for the past three days. As pathetic as they are, at least I kept track of everything still. I am nothing, if not honest.

My husband says this is just proof that I am human – that I have spent the last nine months moving forward with a robotic like drive and that this was bound to happen. He reminded me that it is okay to slip up.

He fully believes that I will be back to my normal healthy living right away. I wish I had his confidence. Things feel really hard at this moment. But I guess that’s all I have to get through just now: this moment… and then the next one… and the next…

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 4 glasses of water
- 1 pear
- 2 cups celery with light peanut butter
- 1 large golden delicious apple
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk
- 8 pieces of a California sushi roll with soy sauce
- 1 smoky hot dog on a sesame hot dog bun with cheese, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and relish
- 3/4 cup fat free strawberry yogurt with 1 cup fruit, seed, and nut granola
- 1 caramel rice cake
- 1 mug decaffeinated tea with milk
- 5 whole wheat crackers with cheese

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 15 minutes of rowing a dragon boat

Weigh-In For Week 42(ish)

150.6

I'm Baaaaack!

I have just returned home from my little trip and I am so wiped! I just wanted to check in before my head hits the pillow and go on record with the fact that - in a nutshell - my time away was absolutely phenomenal, but that the healthy choices were nearly non-existent. That's all I'm going to say right this second, but I will fully divulge all of the horror stories tomorrow. They will be preempted, of course, by my undoubtedly terrifying weigh-in in the morning. Until then...

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 4 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 2 slices toasted white herb bread with herb and garlic cream cheese
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk
- 1 large piece of a lemon macaroon bar
- 1/4 cup orange breath mints
- 3 glasses root beer
- 1 cream-filled chewy caramel candy bar
- 4 bites pepperoni stick
- 1 cream-filled orange popsicle
- 8 peanut M&M’s
- 2 chocolate cream-filled cupcakes
- 20 jalapeño potato chips
- 1 cheeseburger on a white hamburger bun with bacon, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, and Thousand Island dressing
- 1/2 cup celery with honey mustard sauce
- 4 French fries with honey mustard sauce
- 1 reduced fat mint chocolate bar
- 1 banana split with 1 banana, 3 scoops vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and cherry, pineapple, and hot caramel toppings
- 2 bites Smarties ice cream blend
- 10 peanut butter M&Ms
- 1 mug caramel and hazelnut steamed skim milk
- 1 sandwich on a whole grain bun with deli ham, cheese, lettuce, and mayonnaise
- 1/4 quesadilla on a soft tortilla shell with chicken, cheese, and red and greed peppers
- 1 cranberry almond multi-grain bar
- 1 peanut butter nougat chocolate bar
- 1 scoop root beet sorbet and 1 scoop grapefruit sorbet on a waffle ice cream cone

EXERCISE:
- 10 squats

Well Trained

I thought people might be interested in seeing what my training schedule for the half marathon is. I spoke with a couple of different experienced people when I first thought about doing this and I scourged the Internet too looking for information. I designed this plan based on all of that and on the time I had left between completing my 10K and when the half marathon that I wish to participate in takes place (which is at the end of June). I am really happy with how it is going so far although I have to say that the long runs are really mentally tough to push through.

I have managed to stay on track with this schedule so far, but I am open to adjusting it if need be. I know that I may have to make minor changes as I am away right now, for example, and I am fine with that. I think sticking with the overall format is pretty important, however, since all of the data I was able to pool on the subject strongly recommended this combination of shorter solid runs with a weekly long interval one. So far, so good... FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 2 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 2 slices toasted white herb bread with light peanut butter
- 1 large golden delicious apple
- 1/2 mug coconut steamed soy milk
- 40 sour key candies
- 1 scoop pralines ‘n’ cream ice cream and 1 scoop root beer float ice cream on an ice cream cone
- 2 bites Rolo ice cream
- 2 glasses white wine
- 3 glasses root beer
- 1 honey garlic chicken wing
- 1 piece calamari with tzatziki
- 20 tortilla chips with spinach and artichoke dip
- 2 cups sweet potato fries with spicy mayonnaise
- 10 oz. rare steak
- 2 cups Caesar salad with Parmesan cheese and croutons
- 1 piece chocolate explosion cake with drizzled caramel and chocolate sauces
- 1 bite chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream
- 1 piece carrot cake
- 1 slice toasted white herb bread with herb and garlic cream cheese
- 1 piece butter tart bar

EXERCISE:
- 30 stomach crunches

Self-Examination

It’s time to get a little introspective, people. I want to know…

WHAT IS HOLDING YOU BACK?

… and now I want you to tell me what you are going to do to break free from whatever you answered. And, yes, I do think that you are capable of knocking through pretty much any barriers you are facing. It’s you, after all. And we both know that you can do anything!

Note: I accidentally left this up on the bottom of my site for a couple of days after I had initially created it, so you may have already seen it even though I meant to have it publish for the first time here.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 4 glasses of water
- 1 mug coconut steamed skim milk
- 1 large golden delicious apple
- 10 key lime crème-filled cookies
- 1 cheeseburger on a sesame bun with lettuce, tomato, mushroom, onion, relish, and mayonnaise
- 5 French fries with salt and ketchup
- 10 peanut butter M&M’s
- 1 piece of a lemon macaroon bar
- 2 cups mint chocolate bar ice cream blend
- 2 sandwiches on white Kaiser buns with deli ham, cheese, light mayonnaise, and mustard
- 1 cup pineapple
- 1 cup strawberries
- 1 piece carrot cake

EXERCISE:
- 45 minute walk

Not Quite A Hiatus

I am going out of town in the morning to an area which does not have good Internet service. Knowing this, however, I did have the foresight to create a couple of entries ahead of time which I have scheduled for each of the next two evenings I will be away. I really hope that they work and that there are no issues with posting, but if there are at least you know why! Plus, I promise that will be back on Saturday night to drop a line in person once I return home!

There are a couple of things about this little excursion which will put a crimp into my normal routine. First, I won’t be able to post my food and exercise lists as I usually do. I am planning on keeping track of what I eat and do though, so I will be sure to edit my planned posts to include them once I am back.

Another wrench in the works is that I doubt that I will have access to a scale on Saturday morning. I figure that putting my weigh-in off for twenty-four hours will not be a big deal at this point in the game, so that is what I will do. It is important to adjust to the ebb and flow of normal life in this journey, after all!

The last thing I know will be out of the ordinary - and, unfortunately, very likely bad news for my newly scheduled Sunday morning weigh-in - is that there is a very large, very sumptuous restaurant dinner planned for Friday evening. And I have no intention of missing out. Maybe that is a mistake, but I am genuinely so excited about the people I will be spending time with (all of my immediate family who were last together for my wedding), the reason we are all getting together (my brother is graduating from university), and the fact that I am getting away for a few days that I am not wanting to feel like I missed out on any part of this trip. So, I am planning on the indulgence and am ready to face whatever consequences come as a result. Of course, I am not intending to stuff myself unnecessarily! And if I feel like salad than salad I shall have! But, I pretty much know what I am going to be walking into with this meal and I intend to enjoy myself without feeling bad about it.

And I suppose that is it! I am off to try and catch a little shut eye before we head out in the morning. I hope you are all doing wonderfully and that this little corner of the web behaves itself and continues to keep you engaged while I am away! Have a wonderful couple of days!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 5 glasses of water
- 1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with light peanut butter and light strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup lemon meringue yogurt with 1 cup fruit, seed, and nut granola
- 1 banana
- 5 cups spinach salad with canned shrimp, cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, mushrooms, asparagus, tomato, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 3/4 cup raspberry cranberry crumble yogurt with 1 cup fruit, seed, and nut granola
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 1 pear
- 2 cups mint chocolate bar and ice cream blend

EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

Beautiful People

A huge thank you to Laura from Mama’s (Soon To Be) Fit Life! She has bestowed the Beautiful Blogger Award onto me! I received this one quite some time ago so I thought it was time to follow the guidelines that accompany it once more and give you all something new to read rather than simply directing you to an old link. In the case of this accolade I am to write seven tidbits about myself which are not common knowledge and I have the privilege of passing this award onto seven others. So, without further ado:

1. I literally stop and smell the flowers all the time.
2. My hand weights, television, and cat were all acquired when I was a teenager (although the still working TV is now sitting unused in our basement since it was replaced last year).
3. I still play the alphabet game with my apple stems, but now I pull hard during my husband’s initials to make everything is right with the world.
4. I always knock on doors with the ‘shave and a haircut – two bits’ pattern.
5. I have had pink, purple, and green hair (although the latter was supposed to turn out blue).
6. I ate the exact same type of sandwiches through elementary school, high school, and for most of my adult life (a cheese slice with mayonnaise and margarine on white bread)
7. I will trip over myself and bend in all sorts of weird angles to avoid stepping on bugs when I am out walking.

Congratulations to the following beautiful bloggers!

1. Chris from A Deliberate Life
2. Dawne from 365 Days To A New Me!
3. Amy from The Not So Secret Life Of A Not So Super Together Mom
4. Jo from 282.5
5. Joania from Blueprint 2010: The Journey Continues
6. Enz from Downward Trenz
7. Tricia from Endurance Isn’t Only Physical

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with bacon, cheese, and an egg
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 1 cup high fiber grain cereal
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with canned ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 2 cups mint chocolate bar and ice cream blend
- 8 inch toasted sub on a white bun with ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 1 slice of lemon and raspberry loaf with lemon icing

EXERCISE:
- 15 minute walk

Carb-O-Hydrate

I spent the whole day craving carbs and water. It was weird, but I’m pretty sure it is directly related to hormones. It wasn’t a fabulous day for the amount of food that I ate, but I did pretty well with keeping my choices mostly healthy.

My hubby has returned this evening from his weekend away, so I am going to cut this short to snuggle up with him for the night. Sometimes the best thing we can do for our well-being is simply spending time with the ones we love!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 12 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 1 cup high fiber grain cereal
- 1 toasted whole wheat English muffin with light peanut butter
- 6 candy hearts
- 3 cups spinach salad with cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1 cranberry almond multi-grain bar
- 1 fun size Flake chocolate bar
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 3/4 cup fat free strawberry yogurt with 1 cup high fiber grain cereal
- 8 whole wheat crackers with cheese
- 1 mug coconut steamed skim milk

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 35 minutes of jogging with walking warm up, intervals, and cool down (1 hour and 20 minutes of actual jogging)

Happily Ever After

A good friend asked me a couple of days ago if I am happier now that I have lost the weight. My answer was immediate.

No.

I explained that I never let my size determine my level of happiness. I have always generally been a positive person and, whether I see 266 or 142 on the scale, I won’t ever let a number define my outlook on life.

That being said, I went on to share that what is different is that I have less to worry about now. I don’t stress out when I have to look for clothes. I no longer fear not being able to keep up with others. I am not scared that I will drop dead of a heart attack.

There is a lot that has been relieved from my shoulders as the weight has come off. I no longer feel weighed down in either a physical or a mental sense. And, of course, the emotions that have been able to show more clearly with such burdens removed are bound to be noticeable.

My friend summed up my feelings on this nicely. He said that dropping the weight has allowed my happiness to shine through more. I think that is quite apt.

Personally, I have always believed that we are the creators of our own level of peace and contentment. Life can get in the way and there are many trials to face as we move from one moment to the next, but ultimately we are in control of how we respond. We are the architects of our own happiness. Whether we build up great monuments to the cause or choose to tend only to tiny shacks we shouldn’t let something like our weight determine how much light we let into the place we dwell.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 1 mug butterscotch steamed skim milk
- 4 cups salad with deli ham, grated cheese, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, onion, black olives, and honey mustard dressing
- 3/4 cup fat free strawberry yogurt with 3/4 cup Multigrains cereal
- 1 1/2 cups heated tuna salad with grated cheese, grated zucchini, onion, mushrooms, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 cranberry almond multi-grain bar
- 1 3/4 cups strawberries

EXERCISE:
- 55 minutes of rowing a dragon boat

Prime Candidate

My most recent poll closed today. I asked you all if I should enter a half marathon and a whopping 74 people responded to my question. Nobody answered with the ‘yes, but just if you have a coach’ nor the ‘ha, ha, ha! Not a chance’ options. Out of the remaining three possibilities, the ballots were cast as follows:

17 votes for 'is it tomorrow? Go for it' accounted for 23.0%
55 votes for 'absolutely, with proper training' accounted for 74.3%
2 votes for 'you may want to think smaller' accounted for 2.7%

Well, I would say that the overwhelming opinion is that I can manage such an event and I am so appreciative for the (literal) vote of confidence. I still haven’t made up my mind completely about whether or not I will actually commit to something of this magnitude, but I have now finished my second week of training towards such a goal. Monday’s run will probably be the last deciding factor since it will be the longest one I have done to date. It will have intervals, but these farther distances are generally very trying and – quite frankly – a bit boring. I think that’s one of reasons why practicing such long runs are important though. It will help prepare me for the mental battles I would likely face if I do choose to go ahead with a half marathon.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, grated cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 3/4 cup fat free strawberry yogurt with 3/4 cup Multigrains cereal
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 1 1/2 gala apples with cinnamon
- 1 cup heated tuna salad with grated cheese, grated zucchini, onion, mushrooms, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper

EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

Weigh-In For Week 41

146.0

I am up four pounds.

The streak is over.

Sometimes, I really hate how honest this blog keeps me. By nature, I think of myself as a very truthful individual anyhow; I never see much point in lying to others. However, having to write down exactly what went wrong and having the level of commitment that I do to being accountable on this website can be a really difficult thing to face when mistakes have been made. That being said, honesty is exactly what I need the most right now…

I weigh daily. It works for me and has generally been an excellent tool to help me stay focused and working towards my goals. It is not something that I intend to give up and – although it may have contributed to the pitfall which I faced yesterday – I know that it has helped me immensely on this journey and will continue to be a part of my success.

Yet this whole week saw me fluctuating between numbers that were all higher than last Saturday’s weight of 142. That is normal and I was not concerned about it… at first. Then when I stepped on the scale on Friday morning, with only twenty-four hours until my official weigh-in, and saw that I was still a whole pound up from last week I got a bit scared. I didn’t think that I would be able to drop that plus a bit more to record a loss for today. Still I kept on with the morning and afternoon sticking with my plan, knowing that forging ahead was the best course of action.

Then the evening came and, with it, a planned girl’s night. I even stripped down and stepped on the scale before I left. I know that I tend to see a decline of about two pounds when I sleep and was hoping to note a number below 144 to give me hope for my weigh-in; what I saw was 145.4.

That was pretty much it. At that moment I knew that I was going to see a gain this morning and the first thing that went through my head was, “go out and make sure there is a legitimate reason for it.” I argued with myself the whole time I was on my way to my friend’s house. I kept on reminding the disappointed voice in my head that I have come so far, that my losses are tapering off and that this is to be expected, and that a small increase didn’t need to be a gigantic one.

I even spoke with my husband – who is away all weekend – and explained my thoughts. I told him how scared I was that I was going to totally throw in the towel for the night to feel like I had a reason for the gain I was so sure was coming. He comforted me as best me could and broke it down rationally for me, essentially echoing all my logical arguments against such drastic and unnecessary action. He told me he loved me and was a great support. But, I think at that point I had already made up my mind.

I could have caused minimal damage had I stuck with the three drinks and Caesar salad which should have been the norm I defaulted to on such a night. But the temptation of the cheese, crackers, and desserts proved much too strong and my resolve far, far too weak.

And after I got home I was so completely immersed in the conversely elated and disgusted feelings of my binge that I kept eating. I managed to scrounge up the few treats that are in the house and quickly made my way through them. My stomach was hard, my tummy upset, and my heartbeat quickened from the dominance of sugar in what I had stuffed in my mouth. I felt like vomiting, but even that didn’t stop me from sampling the flavoured jelly beans I have stashed for an upcoming event.

It felt familiar and foreign all at once.

I have some great excuses for all this. I am just a couple of days away from my time of the month, I was drinking which I normally don’t do, my husband is away and I miss him terribly, I was caught up in socializing… None of the reasons I can give result in making what happened okay though.

What does make things alright is the fact that I am still here. I am not perfect. I messed up, but I haven’t given up. I had a (massive) gain and while I am far from happy about it, I can still learn from the experience and move on to have more successes in the future. What I have done does not dictate how I will do.

The streak is over. But my determination is everlasting.

Self Sabotage

It’s over. This is a sure thing. I am way too exhausted to write about my poor behaviour at this moment, but the consequences which will be evident on the scale in the morning will certainly warrant an explanation then…

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 6 glasses of water
- 4 bites French toast made with brown bread, eggs, milk, and cinnamon and topped with syrup and icing sugar
- 1 banana
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 1 cup fruit, seed, and nut granola
- 1 large golden delicious apple with cinnamon
- 3 1/2 cups spinach salad with cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, mushrooms, yellow pepper, garden chives, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1 glass orange mango smoothie
- 3 cups Caesar salad with Parmesan cheese, croutons, and lemon juice
- 20 basil and olive oil crackers with Camembert cheese
- 4 large 7-grain crackers with jalapeño Havarti cheese
- 2 glass fruit cognac
- 3 pieces cinnamon coffee cake
- 2 pieces lemon meringue pie
- 1 glass Amaretto and cherry nectar mixed drink
- 1 orange meltie chocolate bar
- 1/2 glass 1% milk
- 1 mug hot chocolate
- 1 toasted raisin English muffin with margarine
- 1/4 cup flavoured jelly beans

EXERCISE:
- 20 minute walk

The Things I Have To Listen To Now

1. Go deeper!
2. Let me see more rotation.
3. Drive it straight in!
4. Push off with your inside leg!
5. How did that feel? Did you like that?
6. Those strokes need to be smooth.
7. I want to feel it jump!
8. Give it to me faster!
9. Lift your butt up.
10. Everyone gets wet.
11. Plant it in deep!
12. Bend at the hips and reach for it.
13. More, more, more…
14. Go long!
15. Pull it out and snap it up!
16. Close your eyes and feel the surge.
17. Power now! HUH!!!
18. Keep the rate steady.
19. Feel that glide!
20. Do you enjoy paddling?

Ahh… the joys of dragon boating! What did you think I was talking about?

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 2 homemade cranberry chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
- 1 pear
- 3 cups celery with light peanut butter
- 1 large golden delicious apple with cinnamon
- 1/2 cheeseburger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce, fat free Miracles Whip, mustard, and relish
- 1 mug decaffeinated tea with milk

EXERCISE:
- 45 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

How Rewarding

LauraLynne from Taking The Scale By Storm! has given me the Oh My Blog award! Thank you so much! As everyone probably already knows, I am always thrilled to get these accolades and especially enjoy passing them onto others. So, I am going to reference the first time I received this badge just in case anyone is interested in me following the rules and reading about my most embarrassing moment. But, I am going to take a few moments to forward this award a second time onto some great folks! I know very recently there has been a number of people who have joined up to follow my blog and others who are just getting started on their journeys or who could use a little extra encouragement, so I thought I would offer this nod of recognition to them! Following, in no particular order, are a handful of such fabulous individuals, but if you are not on the list and think that you fall into this category please know that I am passing it onto you too and that my oversight was not intentional! Congratulations:

1. Whitney from Fat Girl In A Wedding Dress
2. Anini from Adjusting Anini
3. Julie from Wine At The Finish Line And Other Stories
4. In Case You Were Wondering from 253 To New Me
5. Wishful Shrinking (Sorry, I couldn’t find a link!)
6. Bringing Pretty Back from Bringing Pretty Back
7. Tricia from Fight Fat Phobia
8. Amy from Amos The Lion Heart
9. On My Fitness Journey from What’s Going On?
10. Fat Mess from 151 Days
11. Missa from Losing Ethel
12. Lisa (Sorry, I couldn’t find a link!)
13. Niki from Does This Blog Make My Butt Look Fat?
14. Summer from Remedial Dieting
15. Jams from Running My Mouth
16. CJ from Weigh Too Less
17. Brandy Crosson (Sorry, I couldn’t find a link!)
18. Bella from Ciao Bella
19. Fat Little Black Dog from Fat Little Black Dog
20. Jessica from See How She Runs…
21. Luna Moon from Pretty. Odd. Luna
22. Jill from Shrinking Jill
23. Kwithme (Sorry, I couldn’t find a link!)
24. Tara from 263 And Counting
25. Amy from Finding The Fit Girl!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 2 egg wrap on a soft tortilla shell with cheese, onion, yellow pepper, mushrooms, and pepper
- 1 banana
- 3/4 cup fat free lemon chiffon yogurt with 3/4 cup maple almond granola cereal
- 8 pieces of a California sushi roll with soy sauce
- 2 small Mandarin oranges
- 1 cup steamed asparagus with margarine
- 1 cup four-cheese tortellini with Alfredo sauce
- 1 piece brown garlic bread
- 3/4 cup fat free black cherry yogurt with 1 cup fruit, seed, and nut granola
- 2 cups mint chocolate bar and ice cream blend

EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

What Do You Think?

SHOULD I ENTER A HALF MARATHON?

Edit: I am humbled. All I can do in return for this feeling is try to send people her way. Thank you, Niki.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 9 glasses of water
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 3 1/2 cups spinach salad with grated cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, apple, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 3/4 cup fat free black cherry yogurt with 1 cup maple almond granola cereal
- 1 pear
- 2 cups celery with calorie-wise three cheese ranch dressing
- 1 small Mandarin orange
- 1 bite chocolate cream filled doughnut
- 1 1/2 cups mint chocolate bar and ice cream blend

EXERCISE:
- 55 minutes of rowing a dragon boat

Every Journey Begins With A Single Step

I mentioned last week how I see different changes in my body now as compared to when I first started on this journey. The first few months, and seventy or so pounds, saw a dramatic change in my overall shape – the transformation was very noticeable to other people (once I lost the first fifty). But since the start of this year, as my losses have started to slow, it is the definition and the fine tuning of my physique that has been most evident.

When I began this pilgrimage to a healthier life I started slow when it came to my exercise. The things that I do now – the activities which I engage in on a regular basis – were not even a blip on my radar of possibilities at the time. It didn’t remotely occur to me that I might one day be running three or four times a week and paddling a couple of others.

What I did think, though, is that I could do some stuff to improve my fitness level. Moving was better than not moving – that much I knew. So I did what I could and was proud of the fact that I was accomplishing more than I had been.

I walked. I walked a whole lot actually. There are countless hours that I simply committed to strolling in the early days of this journey which I will forever remember as part of the solid foundation upon which I built my success. I walked and walked and walked, and I made sure that I never let myself feel smaller or less than the people I saw jogging or playing sports or working out in gyms. I was doing what I could and that was a really important cornerstone for eventually increasing my fitness.

They may have been small feats, but I was pleased with the way I progressed day after day. I remember vividly walking for 10K and then for 25K. I recall with a great sense of victory the time I slowly made my way up a mountain. And I still feel pride when I consider the time I had a short burst of energy that resulted in an impromptu two minute jog.

Those achievements may not mean much to anyone else, but they will honestly always hold a special place in my heart. I could never have gotten to where I am now without taking the initial steps I did then.

Walking, doing simple calisthenics, and riding my stationary recumbent bike are what I started with. I was soon taking on exercise videos, walking up multiple flights of stairs, and working out a little with arm weights. Since the start of the year I have completed the 30 Day Shred, taken a belly dancing class, and worked my way through a jogging program. And now? Now, I am dragon boating and running regularly and I know that the sky is the limit!

Having to start small never defined what I could eventually accomplish. In fact, building my strength and endurance progressively allowed me to get to the level I am at now. So when I consider how my body has changed – both closer to the start of this journey and more recently – I feel really good about the tangible differences that have taken place. I may not see the massive loss of inches any more, but the body sculpting that comes from my latest exercise regimen is undeniable.

Changing my routine over time has really worked for me. Pushing my limits and constantly looking for new challenges has yielded excellent results. Now the only question left is: what’s next?

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 2 Spartan apples with cinnamon
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 1 cup maple almond granola cereal
- 4 pieces of a California sushi roll with soy sauce
- 4 pieces of a dynamite sushi roll with soy sauce
- 2 pieces of a yam tempera sushi roll with soy sauce
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 1 piece spicy garlic barbari bread

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 25 minutes of jogging with walking warm up, intervals, and cool down (1 hour and 10 minutes of actual jogging)
- 1 hour walk

Burning The Candle At Both Ends

It’s bad to do this yet again, but I’ve got to make this a short post. I am up far past my bedtime already!

I have got to stop getting to sleep so late! This kind of schedule is going to start taking its toll. I usually do so well on the food and exercise, but my rest seems to be the first thing to go when my schedule gets hectic. At least I got a fair amount of stuff accomplished today…

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 1/2 cups strawberries
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 3/4 cup wheat flake and granola cereal
- 1 Spartan apple
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 1 pear
- 2 cups heated tuna salad with grated cheese, zucchini, onion, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 dessert wrap on a soft tortilla shell with 2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges and diced strawberries
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk
- 1 large piece of a chocolate pecan bar

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 15 minutes of rowing a dragon boat
- 35 minutes of walking completed in 3 outings (10 minutes long, 10 minutes long, and 15 minutes long)

Everyone Into The Pool

Midlife Swimmer from Swimming It Off has proposed a challenge that I just couldn't resist! She has suggested a fitness goal that simply consists of getting to the pool to exercise three times and to encourage at least one other person to workout in the water as well. The closing date for accomplishing all of this is June 21st - the first day of summer.

I love this! Not only will it incorporate a new activity into my normal routine, but it also promotes the spreading of healthy choices and the sharing of discussions about fitness with other individuals. Her post even examines some of the hang ups that many of us feel when considering donning a bathing suit and expresses how unfounded such hesitation is; the argument for swimming is undeniably strong.

One of the things that I loved most about this challenge is that it comes from a place of passion. It is so important to find the elements that will make us successful on this journey and I really think that Midlife Swimmer has done that. I also believe that such a genuinely enthusiastic approach to helping others explore new realms of fitness deserves to be supported. I guess what I'm saying is that, when it comes to this new project, I can't wait to get my feet wet!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 1 egg white wrap on a whole wheat tortilla shell with feta cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 mugs cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 3 cups orange pepper, broccoli, carrots, and celery with dill dip
- 1 Ritz cracker with cheese
- 2 sandwiches on brown bread with ham, cheese slices, and margarine
- 2 chocolate cupcakes with icing
- 2 cups spaghetti with meat and vegetable sauce
- 2 cups salad with lettuce, celery, cucumber, tomato, cabbage, grated carrot, peppers, cubed cheese, and sweet onion dressing
- 1 toasted sourdough English muffin with egg, bacon, and cheese
- 1 slice of lemon and raspberry loaf with lemon icing

EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

Weigh-In For Week 40

I am heading out for yet another busy day, but I have just enough time to report that I am down to an even 142 for a weekly loss of 1.6 pounds. That means that I have less than ten pounds to go until I pass the point where I will have lost more than I weigh! I never thought I would be here! It doesn’t really matter if I make it over that line or not; wherever my weight tapers off is fine with me at this point. But, it is still exciting to know that I am so close!

Dressed To The Nines

Tonight we had a big birthday party that we attended and since it was an opportunity to dress up we decided to go all out. I bought a new dress (I don’t even know when the last time I did that was) and I already know I will have a – out of the ordinary – chance to wear it again two or three times in the coming months.

It’s so odd to think about how much I love shopping now. I went into one of my new favourite stores, pulled a bunch of options in mediums, and had zero problems getting into each and every one of them. It is wonderful to know that so many clothing barriers are no longer an issue at this weight.

I have to say though that the best part about the dress I bought is that there is nothing about it that I ever would have gone near before. The print, the bright colour, the cut: none of those would have appealed to me 120-plus pounds ago. I love that this whole experience has opened up so many new avenues!
FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 4 cups spinach salad with cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, apple, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1 golden delicious apple with cinnamon
- 1 pear
- 1 1/2 cups carrot sticks
- 1 small Mandarin orange
- 2 glasses white wine
- 1 mini quiche
- 3 cups broccoli, asparagus, cherry tomatoes, and podded peas with garden ranch dip
- 3/4 cup pineapple
- 1/2 cup red grapes
- 1 small piece chocolate cake with custard filling and icing

EXERCISE:
- 45 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

Defining Differences

A little while back Melissa suggested that I do a side-by-side comparison of my before photo and of my current progress shot. I am actually going to hold off on doing that until I am officially in maintenance mode, but I did think that it was a good idea to look at how far I have come just since the beginning of the year.

The one other photo comparison I have done (which, funnily enough, was also the result of one of Melissa’s suggestions) showed a drop of slightly less than 24% of my body weight. It illustrated the difference between my August 12th starting weight of 254.6 pounds and my December 5th progress shot of 193.8 pounds. The comparison I am posting today actually shows the over 20% drop in body weight from my first weigh-in of this year – 181.2 pounds – compared to the one I just did this month which was 144.4.

It’s interesting for me to look at these pictures side-by-side. I don’t see the dramatic weight loss that I did in the first comparative set (although there is a significant amount of that too), but rather some very obvious changes to the definition of my body.

In the first photo I am very soft and rounded still, but in this most recent one I notice a lot of bone structure and muscle definition. No, there isn’t as much of a decline in the circumference of my waist, but there are lovely hollows along my neck and collarbone and there is more than a hint of strength in those arms that wasn’t visible before. I love seeing these changes!

I think that it is so important to recognize all of the different aspects of this type of journey. Weight loss slows as goals are neared, and it is important to key in on the many reasons that continuing along a healthy path is beneficial. Too often I hear that maintenance is hard and I think that it is because it is so easy to miss the excitement of dropping the pounds when there is no more weight left to lose.

But other elements of this journey can't be forgotten or overlooked. The definition of certain muscles, a growing level of fitness or endurance, a lack of joint pain, the ability to play freely with one's children, and the satisfaction of walking into a typical clothing store and not feeling out of place are all things that should be enjoyed and recognized as a continuing part of healthy living. Even when weight loss progress slows, and eventually tapers off completely, there are still many changes to be proud of and to celebrate!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 2 cups grapes
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 2 1/2 cups Caesar salad with bacon bits, Parmesan cheese, and croutons
- 4 bites of a garlic wedge
- 4 slices of apple
- 1/4 cup red grapes
- 4 large sesame whole grain crackers with cheese
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 1 plum and pomegranate energy bar
- 2 Oreo cookies

EXERCISE:
- 30 stomach crunches

When One Door Closes...

Two and a half weeks ago I ran in a 5K as a finale to the nine week C25K program. On the first of this month, I participated in my first dragon boating regatta. This past Sunday I completed a 10K race and saw the conclusion of a five week training program that I created to get me to a point where I could run the entire course. And Monday was the final session for the Body Strengthening class I have been taking.

Now what?

I think I know what I want to do next. I'm pretty sure I have a plan that could work to help me reach this potential goal. I am fairly certain that the direction I am leaning in makes sense...

But it is a big, scary, and significant ambition that I am toying with undertaking. Am I ready? Do I have what it takes to commit to something so out of the ordinary? Am I dreaming beyond my capabilities?

Who knew that I would ever consider a half marathon...

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 6 glasses of water
- 1/2 banana
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 2 cups grapes
- 3/4 cup fat free field berry yogurt
- 1 1/2 cups pineapple
- 1 heated tuna salad sandwich on a white Kaiser bun with tuna, cheese, zucchini, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 2 golden delicious apples with cinnamon
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk

EXERCISE:
- 30 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too

I was pretty proud of myself for deciding to get a salad tonight instead of indulging in the four large pizzas that were ordered to feed the group at the birthday party I was a part of this evening. I truly felt like I was back on track. Then they brought out the cake. I took a relatively small piece, but now I am feeling a bit guilty. I didn’t need it. It looked (and tasted) so good that I guess I was worried that if I turned it down I would feel deprived. Where has my resolve disappeared to?

I’m not sure why I am struggling more than I have been with the food this week. I am happy, feeling well, and still wanting to drop a little more weight. But I am battling with just caving in lately. I have been demonstrating less determination and more complacency. I need to get back to basics.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 3 cups spinach salad with cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, apple, and Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 9 pieces of a California sushi roll with soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups pineapple
- 2 cups celery with light peanut butter
- 1 banana
- 4 cups salad with sliced deli ham, grated cheese, lettuce, tomato, green pepper, black olives, onion, and honey mustard dressing
- 2 bites Hawaiian pizza
- 1 slice strawberry cheesecake ice cream cake

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour of rowing a dragon boat

...GO!!!

I woke up yesterday feeling excited, scared, happy, and nervous. There was definitely anxiety, but more so there was a sense of building eager anticipation for what was to come. The fact that I was about to embark on a 10K was monumental in my mind, and I enjoyed every single second of those pre-race moments.

My husband and I arrived early to avoid feeling rushed and there were already thousands of people milling around in the downtown core where the run was set to begin. This was a large event! Apparently it is the second biggest 10K race in the world, and there were over 51,000 participants in this year’s event.

We found our assigned area – which was organized according to your estimated finish time; we had both guessed we would complete the run sometime in the 1:01 to 1:15 interval – and had lots of time to get water, use the washroom, ask questions, check out the start line (which was about two blocks away from our section), and drop off our bag at one of the gear transport trucks. At nine o’clock we were completely ready to begin and excitedly counted down the start of the race with all those in attendance.

And we were off… or not! From talking with people beforehand I knew full well that it would probably take about twenty minutes for us to cross the start line due to the sheer volume of people participating. Because everyone had time chips attached to their shoes it wasn’t a concern since each individual’s personal time would not begin until actually going past the beginning marker. It ended up taking longer than forty-five minutes, and about seven or eight waves of different commencements counted down by the organizers, before we got up to the start line. Finally we were ready and, after a quick kiss exchanged with my hubby, I was on my way!

I was prepared too. I started my stopwatch at the right moment and began the music on my mp3 player to help me with my pace. I had walked the route as closely as I could last week so that I was familiar with the hills and turns. I also had a fairly good idea of where the halfway and three-quarter points were; I had even figured out approximately where the last kilometer started so that I could push myself during that final stage of the race.

What I was not totally ready for was the number of people. I knew that it would be crowded, but I had not anticipated that it wouldn’t let up and thin out at some point. For the entire time I was running I was surrounded by other participants. There was no real chance to fade into any type of jogger’s zone; it was completely necessary to stay focused to avoid crashing into someone else at all times. Even with paying close attention it wasn’t always easy to anticipate the actions of those around me and there were a few individuals whom I accidentally lightly bumped into throughout the race. There were no serious collisions or anything though and I always said sorry when I knocked into someone. Where the water stations were located, especially, I noticed that many people slowed down suddenly, and so I found it best to stick to the centre of the pathway during those sections to minimize such problems.

There was a slight downward slope within the first few blocks so I went faster along that without overdoing it. Then the route leveled out and I settled into my pace. Generally I felt like I was passing people much more than I was being passed, but that wasn’t important to me apart from the fact that it served to help me figure out which paths to take through the crowd. If a strip of space opened up in front of me I ran more rapidly to take advantage of it because I soon realized that there would be many moments where there would be no gaps during which I couldn’t go as quickly as I would have liked.

The majority of the first half was relatively flat which was great, but by the time I was nearing the biggest hill I was getting a little anxious because I was losing my confidence about how far along in the race I was. I hadn’t noticed any distance markers apart from the 1K one much earlier in the run and was really wondering how far I had gone. While my main aims were to simply finish the 10K and to complete it within my estimated time of 1:01 to 1:15, I also had my usual “secret” goals in the back of my mind too. I really wanted to do the entire race without walking or stopping and I (probably foolishly) thought that I might be able to do it in under an hour. When I hit that first real hill I wasn’t sure that I was far enough along to accomplish that latter ambition.

But I kept my head down on the hill and climbed it without any problem (it was pretty steep, but not very long) and about a block later had a slight incline to face as I went over the first of two bridges. The downward slope leading off the structure was nice, but not nearly as rewarding as the 6K marker that I passed at its end. That was when I knew that if I kept up my pace that I could meet my goals.

I was, however, also aware that nothing was decided since the second half of such a long run generally goes slower than the first half. As I hit the next flat patch I promised myself that I could slow my rate slightly at the next incline, which I did about five minutes later. After that I had another straight, flat stretch so I went back to my normal pace. I also had the chance to high-five a woman who looked like she could use the encouragement as I ran past her.

Then I hit the second big hill. It was a ramp leading onto the final bridge and I climbed it with determination, knowing that its crest meant that I only had about a kilometer to go. I knew I had done it. Nothing was going to stop me. As my husband said afterwards, it was the point where even if you had fallen down with broken legs, nothing was going to keep you from crossing that finish line.

I picked up as much speed as I could. There were still countless people around me and I was surprised that there was not more of a push by the masses to finish strong. I did the best I could in the space that I had available to me. I got one really nice open stretch for the last few seconds of my race where I really pulled it out. I finished with a time of 57 minutes and 1 second.

57:01.

I ran the whole thing.

I still can’t believe it.

My husband completed the race less than a minute before me with a time of 56:05. He was waiting for me off to the side, perhaps a hundred meters past the finish line. I walked up to him, fell into his arms, and burst out crying. I do that a lot these days, but with good reason I think. It’s hard not to put all of these accomplishments into the context of where I am now as compared to when I weighed 266 pounds. Happy tears are a good thing.

It’s more than twenty-four hours after the event and I am still feeling the same way. I can barely believe that I participated in a 10K… running the whole time… in less than an hour. I even placed 367th out of 2,584 females in my age division and 8,387th overall. Of 22,301 women, I earned the 2,162th spot. My pace was 5:43 per kilometer, or 9:11 per mile.

Honestly, I don’t really know how all of that information measures up. I don’t care. My standing compared to others doesn’t matter. For me, what is important is that I far surpassed my own hopes and expectations and delivered above and beyond what I have been capable of in the past. Yesterday was about more than a 10K race. It was about living.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 2 1/2 cups celery with light peanut butter
- 1/2 pear
- 3/4 cup fat free strawberry yogurt with 1 cup maple nut oat cereal
- 4 cups spinach salad with sliced deli ham, cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, mushrooms, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1 golden delicious apple with cinnamon
- 4 cups low fat butter flavoured popcorn
- 1 banana
- 2 mugs chai tea with honey and milk

EXERCISE:
- 55 minute Body Strengthening class

Postponing The Finish Line

So I was all prepared to write about my 10K race recap, but I am so exhausted that I just don’t feel like I would do the experience justice if I attempt to describe it tonight. For now, it suffices to say that it was awesome and I will definitely journal about it tomorrow.

On a different topic, you know when your husband says to you, “I think that’s the worst thing I’ve seen you put in your mouth in the last nine months,” that you are likely making a bad decision. And then, when you actually end up making other poor food choices after that, it’s probably best to just write it all down and make sure you learn something from it. At least, that’s what I would do if that ever happened to me. Not that it did. Yeah. Look away from the food list…

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 11 glasses of water
- 2 scrambled eggs with cheese, mushrooms, and pepper
- 1/2 small Mandarin orange
- 1 mango juice drink box
- 1 fudge brownie protein bar
- 1 cheeseburger with onion, ketchup, and mustard
- 1 banana
- 1 piece garlic bread
- 4 cups fettuccine Alfredo with scallops, shrimp, mushrooms, spinach, and pepper
- 5 sweet potato fries with spicy mayonnaise
- 1 bite of sticky toffee pudding
- 1 brownie dessert with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and peanuts
- 1 scoop pralines and cream ice cream and 1 scoop key lime cheesecake ice cream on a waffle ice cream cone
- 1 mug caramel apple spice drink with whipped cream
- 1 fun size Flake chocolate bar

EXERCISE:
- 10K race completed in 57:01

On Your Mark, Get Set...

This has got to be brief! Today was a good day in general, but a bit lackadaisical on the healthy lifestyle front. I didn’t really do anything in the way of exercise plus quite a few treats and overly processed foods managed to find their way into my mouth. I am planning on doing much better tomorrow, but I know that we have a family dinner to attend in the evening which tends to limit my options. I will make the best choices I can!

I am so excited and nervous about the big race tomorrow! I really hope that I can do it… 10K seems like such a long distance! I can only imagine what the old me would have thought if someone had told her a year ago that she would be planning on running in such an event. Let’s just say that a sense of disbelief would be a gross underestimate of what that reaction would have looked like.

I am off to try and get a good’s night rest in preparation for the morning’s activities! I hope I can sleep! Wish me luck!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 10 glasses of water
- 9 inch wood-fired baguette with ham, brie, lettuce, apple and pear chutney, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard
- 5 individually wrapped clotted cream fudges
- 3/4 cup fat free peach yogurt with 1 cup maple nut oat cereal
- 1/4 cup chocolate protein drink
- 1 banana
- 6 pieces of a California sushi roll with soy sauce
- 5 pieces of a dynamite sushi roll with soy sauce
- 4 bites of a baked pita with cheesy spinach dip
- 4 sweet potato fries with garlic dip
- 3 cups salad with goat cheese, spicy glazed pecans, dried cranberries, roasted red peppers, apple slices, and mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette dressing
- 1 piece of cornbread
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk

EXERCISE:
- 30 stomach crunches

Weigh-In For Week 39

I am happy to report that even though I did not have access to a scale over the past couple of days, that I stayed on plan and have seen a bit less than a one pound loss since last week. I am really glad to know that even though I was on a mini vacation that I was still able to drop a little more weight.

Obviously the losses are slowing down as I approach whatever my maintenance weight will end up being. I am okay with that. I would love to reach my goal of 130 – and, really, it is less than fifteen pounds away so I still think that it is possible – but I already surpassed my original aim of 150 so I don’t feel like I have much to complain about if I don’t quite reach my secondary goal.

It is so much more important to feel good about where I am than to worry about a specific number. Again, I am still going to strive for 130 – but not to the detriment of any aspect of my life. Where my body ends up leveling out naturally should be fairly obvious. As I am continuing to see small losses I know that I am not there yet, so I will be sure to keep up my efforts and remain focused in the weeks ahead. However, it feels great to be comfortable with how this particular component of the journey is slowly coming to a close and with knowing that maintenance is just around the corner.

Home Again, Home Agian, Jiggity Jig

I have returned safe and sound and am currently typing away on my new netbook while lying next to my fabulous husband. There really is no place like home!

We managed to hit an old work friend’s music gig tonight which was greatly entertaining. I even got my man up and dancing with me for a few songs. I love the dual fun factor and calorie burn that grooving provides!

One of the best parts of the evening though was that my old co-worker had no idea about the weight loss and last saw me pretty much exactly a year ago right near my heaviest. When I first went up to him tonight he had no idea who I was and was amazed when he realized that it was me. He kept on telling me that I was ‘freaking him out’ by how different I looked!

He is actually someone who always supported my weight loss efforts as he lost a significant amount himself before I knew him (about seventy pounds), and so I think he understood how hard it can be. I was pretty excited to meet up with him tonight to show him what I have accomplished. His reaction couldn’t have made me prouder.

My time away was such a great investment. I feel refreshed, recharged, and rejuvenated. I didn’t get nearly the amount of writing done that I had hoped, but I still think the trip was extremely worthwhile. I feel like I am back in sync with myself!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 5 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 9 inch wood-fired baguette with ham, brie, lettuce, apple and pear chutney, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard
- 1 lavender shortbread cookie
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk
- 2 1/2 cups celery with light peanut butter
- 1 scoop key lime ice cream and 1 scoop cotton candy on a waffle ice cream cone
- 1 pear
- 1 apple
- 2 small Mandarin oranges

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down
- 2 hours of walking around sightseeing
- 20 minutes of dancing

In Training

One of the things I have been meaning to post about is what I have done to get ready for my upcoming 10K. I intermittently wrote about the C25K as I was doing it, but I haven’t really touched much on what I have done in preparation for this Sunday’s event.

During my last week of that first running program I started thinking about how to improve my jogging endurance. I chatted with a couple of Running Room employees, scoured the Internet for resources, and eventually came up with a plan of my own based on the recommendations I was able to amass.

I knew that I only had five weeks from the end of the C25K until this weekend’s race and that I would be pushing it to try and cram all of the training into such a short period of time, but I also really believed I could do it. I carefully crafted what I believed was a doable schedule and immediately started working towards my goal. Basically, I followed the same three days out of seven I had already been doing, but upped the amount of time and made changes to the intervals every two days rather than at the start of each week.

Sessions 1 & 2
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 7 minute cool down walk

Sessions 3 & 4
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 20 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 20 minute run
- 5 minute cool down walk

Sessions 5 & 6
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 10 minute run
- 6 minute cool down walk

Sessions 7 & 8
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 15 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 15 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 15 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 15 minute run
- 7 minute cool down walk

Sessions 9 & 10
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 20 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 20 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 20 minute run
- 5 minute cool down walk

Sessions 11 & 12
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 30 minute run
- 1 minute walk
- 30 minute run
- 6 minute cool down walk

Sessions 13 & 14
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 60 minute run
- 5 minute cool down walk

Session 15
- 5 minute warm up walk
- 65 minute run
- 5 minute cool down walk

I am proud to say that I have stuck with my plan and have had a lot of success with it! The only thing that was off is that I made a mistake and mislabeled my podcasts for the last two sessions so I accidentally did the final one yesterday instead of the fourteenth one. (It just means that I did an extra five minutes of running.) I still have no idea what the results of my efforts will be come race day, but I do know that I pushed myself to do the best that I could and that I feel like I accomplished a lot in a relatively short amount of time.

On the other hand, since completing our 5K program my darling husband – who has pretty much stayed true to his ‘never running again’ mantra for the past month – decided on Tuesday that he wants to do the 10K as well. I have no doubt that he will do fabulously despite the fact that he hasn’t rounded a track since the beginning of April. Hmmm… maybe next time I should just try his approach!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 6 glasses of water
- 1 banana
- 9 inch wood-fired baguette with ham, brie, lettuce, apple and pear chutney, mayonnaise, and Dijon mustard
- 1 wood fired fruit custard tart
- 3 crab cakes
- 2 cups Caesar salad with shrimp, Parmesan cheese, and croutons
- 5 bites of a baguette
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk
- 1 gala apple
- 2 small Mandarin oranges

EXERCISE:
- 6 hours of walking around while sightseeing

No Weigh!

Sometimes taking care of our emotional and mental needs really does have to take precedence over everything else. By no means am I neglecting my physical self nor operating off track, but my priorities for this mini vacation are different than they normally are. And I think that's a good thing. I'm so glad I decided to get away for a couple of days! I may even sleep in tomorrow...

One interesting thought that I had when I was on my way here was confirmed upon my arrival. I have no scale. My official weigh-ins only take place on Saturdays, but I actually check my weight every morning (and occasionally at different points in the afternoon or evening too). It has been an invaluable tool for me to assess the day to day and while I know that it is not something that would be of use to everyone, I have personally found this practice very helpful. Being able to view the fluctuations throughout the week without becoming emotionally tied to the ebb and flow of the numbers is so important, and I believe that I do a really good job of staying detached in that aspect. But, now that I am suddenly put in a position where I haven't any access to a scale, I must admit I am feeling a bit out of sorts.

It makes me a little nervous to think about winging it for a couple of days without the reassurance of knowing exactly where I am at. Generally, if I see a big jump I can assess whether it is due to hormones, sodium, or simply overeating and I can make a tiny adjustment - often just in my attitude - to keep me seeing progress. But suddenly I am flying blind!

Oh well. I suppose it is good practice; I will certainly have other times in my life where a scale will not be available and I will just have to deal with it then too. I just really hope that I manage to stay on track so that I don't have any nasty surprises come weigh day!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 9 glasses of water
- 2 egg wrap on a soft tortilla shell with grated cheese, red, orange, and green pepper, onion, and pepper
- 2 1/2 cups spinach salad with cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 3/4 cup fat free strawberry yogurt with 1 cup cranberry almond granola cereal
- 1 cup dehydrated apple, peach, and pear
- 1 mug cherry white chocolate steamed skim milk
- 15 lemon lime flavoured sports energy jelly beans

EXERCISE:
- 1 hour and 5 minutes of jogging with a 5 minute walking warm up and a 5 minute walking cool down

Gotta Get Away

I need a vacation. In fact, I have needed a vacation for quite some time. For months now I have been promising myself a get away to celebrate the success I have had on this journey and I just haven't been able to make it happen.

So today when I realized that:
a) I am feeling totally overwhelmed and under appreciated,
b) I am noticing that my normally sunny demeanor is taking a back seat to a less patient and more abrupt version of myself, and
c) one of my best friends is in possession of an unoccupied apartment a few hours away even though they are not actually moving there for another week or two,
I decided to take action.

Thus, I am packing up an overnight bag and heading out to spend a couple of evenings with myself. The price for getting to where I am going and back is negligible, and I have free accommodations thanks to my friend handing over his keys tonight. So, thankfully, the only real expense for this trip (apart for the emotional cost of being away from my darling hubby) will be food.

My plan is to keep completely on track with my meals and exercise; there is no reason for me to do otherwise. I know that I may end up with a little extra sodium in my diet as I will be eating out more, but I don't think that it is something that has to be extreme so long as I pay careful attention to my menu selections. Admittedly, I may make a special allowance for an ice cream cone, but we will see.

I also invested in something tonight that will make this holiday extremely fruitful. I bought a netbook. I have been debating doing so for about a year and have been doing a lot of research into them over this past month, and this evening I finally took the plunge. I am going to be catching up on a lot of writing (and hopefully blog reading, depending on available Internet service) while I am away, and my new tool will make that process a whole lot easier. In a way I suppose that makes this little mini vacation more of a working trip, but I am so passionate about putting pen to paper - or fingertips to keyboard, as it were - that it makes such tasks enjoyable. I think it will actually relax me to spend time completing some of my writing projects.

Hopefully I don't have any issues with posting here while I am away. I intend to still put up my normal entries, but if something goes wrong than know that I will be back to the homestead on Friday.

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli ham, cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 3/4 cup fat free raspberry yogurt with 1 cup cranberry almond granola cereal
- 4 cups spinach salad with cubed cheese, croutons, dried cranberries, tomato, mushrooms, and calorie-wise Greek feta and oregano dressing
- 1/2 large Spartan apple with cinnamon
- 1 mug caramel latte
- 1 banana
- 2 1/2 cups Caesar salad with bacon bits, Parmesan cheese, and croutons

EXERCISE:
- 2 hour walk
- 1 hour and 5 minutes of rowing a dragon boat

Recognition

A couple of pretty noteworthy things have happened in the last twenty-four hours or so. First of all, yesterday afternoon a good friend phoned me and told me that he wanted to swing by my placed to drop something off. A little while later he showed up at my door with an envelope containing the exact amount of money that I spent to register for my upcoming 10K race! What a guy! I told him that he didn't need to make such a generous gesture and I assured him that I was already signed up for the event. But he insisted, saying that he really wanted to reimburse me for the run because he was extremely proud of how far I have come with getting fit. I was incredibly touched! I have some pretty stellar friends, let me tell you!

Then, today, I reached a new all time personal best with my jogging. I set out on a beautiful, scenic stretch of an ocean side walkway which runs along the perimeter of a huge park in a nearby community. I have mentioned this particular path before because if figured in a couple of very early victories for me at the start of this journey. Well, this afternoon, I actually started out jogging it and didn't stop until an hour later!

Obviously I have been training for my approaching race, but this is the very first time I have tried to do such a long distance without any walking intervals. I can't believe that I was able to do it! There are markers placed at every half kilometer along the route up until the 9K one, so based on those, and my timing up to then, I am pretty confident in inferring that I went further than 9.5K but less than 10K. In all fairness it is a lovely, flat path so the run was easy in theory; in practice, however, about a quarter of it had me running squarely into an extremely forceful wind so it wasn't as simple as I had anticipated.

The very best part about that run today wasn't actually going for an hour straight - although I am beyond thrilled that I was able to pull that off. The most incredible aspect was actually that I was able to do it without feeling like I had nothing left to give. I actually enjoyed myself! The amazing thing is that I accomplished a significant fitness milestone and didn't find it all that hard. I am in awe of the fact that I have gotten to this point!

One other thing happened today that left me feeling really great. As I was walking down a busy street to meet up with my husband after I had completed my run, I heard my full name being called from behind me. I turned and looked for the source and quickly zoned in on an old work friend, leaning out of the passenger side of a van that was facing in the opposite direction as it sat at a stop light. The last time I saw this particular person was exactly three days before I started this blog, so I know precisely what I looked like at that time!

Well, when I waved at him he exclaimed, "That is you?!" in complete surprise. He obviously thought that it was more likely that he was calling to my much thinner doppelganger than to me! I started to jog after the vehicle as the light changed green and he called back at me, "Holy $#!+!!! Look at how small you are!” That sure brought a grin to my tired mug in a hurry! As they pulled away I shouted back that I was down 120 pounds and he drove off with a huge smile and a look of amazement on his face. That was a really fabulous moment!

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 8 glasses of water
- 1 pan-fried banana and light peanut butter wrap on a soft tortilla shell
- 1 mug toffee nut steamed skim milk
- 1 egg white wrap on a whole wheat tortilla shell with feta cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 small Mandarin oranges
- 1/2 cup corn with margarine
- 1 1/2 cups steamed broccoli and cauliflower with margarine
- 1 cup Salisbury steak with tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup fat free cherry yogurt with 1 cup Vector cereal

EXERCISE:
- 45 minutes of walking completed in 3 outings (10 minutes long, 20 minutes long, and 15 minutes long)
- 1 hour of jogging with a 5 minute warm up walk and a 5 minute cool down walk
- 1 hour Body Strengthening class

Oh My...

The fabulous Fitcetera has bestowed the Oh My Blog! Award unto me and I am – as always – very excited to be one of the recipients of such an accolade! Thank you, K! I just love these fun badges!

As with most such award, this one has a few guidelines to follow. I must admit that these rules are a little more intriguing than normal:

1. Get really excited that you got the coolest award ever!
2. Choose one of the following options of accepting the Oh My Blog! award:
(a) Get really drunk and blog for 15 minutes straight, or for as long as you can focus.
(b) Write about your most embarrassing moment.
(c) Write a “soundtrack of your childhood” post.
(d) Make your next blog a ‘vlog’/video blog where you’re basically talking to the camera about whatever.
(e) Take a picture of yourself first thing in the morning, before you do anything else (hair, make up, etc) and post it.
3. Pass the award onto at least three, but preferably more, awesome bloggers and let them know.

Okay, this actually took me a few minutes to decide which choice to pursue. Ultimately, I don’t have easy access to large amounts of liquor nor a good video camera, I do not think my childhood was exciting enough to warrant an entire soundtrack (though my teen years probably deserve several full compilations), and I assume that photographing myself and then posting a picture with a big black circle in the center of my face would be considered cheating for this task. So, option ‘b’ it is!

The problem is that I don’t actually embarrass that easily. I don’t know why, but I generally don’t get that red-in-the-face feeling. I guess I just feel like we are all human and everyone has those moments once in a while so it’s not that big of a deal. Last week, when I was trying to leave the boat after rowing practice, I fell backwards into the vessel and squarely onto my behind with my feet in the air, and I just laughed when my whole team plus about thirty strangers scrambled to make sure I was okay. So what do I actually find bad enough to be humiliating? Those of a sensitive nature may choose to skip the following paragraph…

Did you know that partially digested apricots float? Sometimes they don’t completely break down and when they exit your system they look pretty much as they did when you ingested them. But their second time around, rather than harmlessly peeking out at you from a muffin, they are jeering at you, bobbing around atop the water in a toilet bowl… in a hostel bathroom… that you are sharing with a dozen other travellers… four of whom are standing outside the door listening to you flush the dang low-flow contraption for a third time as you plead with the blasted piece of produce to go down the pipe. Gives a whole new meaning to the term ‘fruit bowl’, doesn’t it?

Anyhow, I am going to allow the following, much classier, folks to enjoy this award now:

1. L. from One Hundred In Twelve
2. Lainey from Shrink!
3. Sheilagh from Sixty Is Good

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli chicken, grated cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 banana
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 Spartan apple with cinnamon
- 1 cheeseburger on a whole wheat hamburger bun with spinach, tomato, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and relish
- 4 sweet potato fries
- 2 small Mandarin oranges
- 1 large coconut macaroon with a maraschino cherry
- 1 mug coconut steamed soy milk

EXERCISE:
- 30 stomach crunches

Draggin' Boating

I am pooped! If I were a betting woman I would wager that tomorrow will be a major sleep-in day for me! I honestly can't believe that I am still awake right now since I can barely keep my eyes open, but I really want to briefly recap the days events.

The dragon boating regatta was phenomenal! I can't even begin to express how much fun it was and how proud I am to be a part of such an incredible team! We finished fifth overall out of twenty-five teams which - according to everyone who has taken part in these types of races before - is pretty incredible for a relatively non-competitive group like ourselves.

We rowed in four races which were divided into five sets of five boats each. We came in first place for the first two sets we rowed in, but placed fifth for the third and fourth ones. I feel sort of bad because they let me paddle as lead for those last sets, but at the same time we were competing against the best rowers there for those two races. Plus, we had sloppy water (lots of wind and we were in the outside lanes) for those runs which meant I literally had water pounding into my face with every single stroke for about three minutes straight. I did the best I could and I learned a lot for next time! Besides, I think everyone on the team was thrilled with placing fifth in the regatta!

The day turned out to be extra special because our team performed a Chinese lion dance and a dragon parade which raised money for a local scholarship fund, and I even got to be the one who operated the lion's head (which, believe it on not, was on my life list and is now happily checked off)! Then, on top of that, the coach choose me to be the guinea pig for a team building exercise in which I laid down, had each team member placed a single finger beneath me, and then lay still as they lifted me up about five feet off the ground (yes, I'm serious; it was incredible and so very cool). It's a good thing I am so trusting! I even brought my Paralympic torch down to the event so that it could be symbolically passed between all the teams' captains! It was truly an amazing, albeit exhausting, day!!!

We are the team in the background in the white boat.

I'm in the big mask with the cape being led by a teammate.

In case you haven't guessed, kilts are part of the team uniform.

I don't usually get to see this view because I am in the front.

I also must note that Tammy’s Summer Challenge has now come to an end. Sadly, I was not quite able to meet my goal, but I did manage to walk away from it 8.4 pounds lighter than I was at its commencement! I am really proud of that! Considering how far into this weight loss journey I am I think that I did really well, and I am so thankful to Tammy for hosting this fun online event as I really felt that it kept me on track throughout April. Now, I just need to stay focused for May...

FOOD & BEVERAGES:
- 7 glasses of water
- 1 toasted raisin English muffin with light peanut butter
- 1 banana
- 1 cheese biscuit
- 2 small mugs spiced apple drink
- 1 wrap on a soft tortilla shell with deli chicken, grated cheese, dried cranberries, spinach, fat free Miracle Whip, mustard, and pepper
- 1 fiber chocolate delite bar
- 20 sweet potato fries with spicy mayonnaise
- 5 cups Caesar salad with shrimp, Parmesan cheese, and croutons
- 6 tiny ice cream and sorbet samples
- 1 scoop root beer sorbet and 1 scoop green apple sorbet in a waffle ice cream cone
- 1 piece of a homemade blond brownie with icing
- 1 Cadbury cream egg

EXERCISE:
- 9 hours at a dragon boating regatta (approximately 1 hour on the water)

Weigh-In For Week 38

Eeek! It’s the first weigh-in of the month which means I am to update my measurements and post a new progress shot! Good thing I thought ahead so that I got up early enough to make all that happen. I am now on my way out the door to my very first dragon boating regatta so I really have to get going (and, yes, although I’m not at one hundred percent, I am feeling much better than I did last night)! I’m so excited for what the day will bring; I can’t believe that I have gotten to a point where I am competing in team sports!

Weight - 144.4 lbs (-110.2 from start / -6.0 from April)
Bust - 36.5 inches (-13.5 from start / -0.5 from April)
Waist - 31.5 inches (-16.5 from start / -1.0 from April)
Hips - 39.5 inches (-15.5 from start / -1.0 from April)
Arms - 13.0 inches (-4.5 from start / -0.5 from April)
Thighs - 22.5 inches (-10.0 from start / -1.0 from April)
BMI - 22.6 (-17.3 from start / -1.0 from April)