Weigh In Wednesday: 11/28/12 - The Setback Edition

Last week's weight:                         242.1
This week's weight:                         243.8

Weight gain:                                       1.7

Total weight lost:                              66.2

I knew that there would be a week where I would gain weight and it's not surprising that it was Thanksgiving week.  I mean, when you eat 2000+ calories in one sitting, what do you expect? Honestly, I'm slightly okay with just the 1.7 pound gain.  The day after Thanksgiving, I had gained 3 pounds, so to be able to get it back down to 243ish was a good thing.

But, this is just a sign that the holidays are officially upon us and with that come the holiday parties, holiday drinks, holiday treats, etc.  Also, for me it means lots and lots of movies (and in addition: movie popcorn).  The temptation is going to be everywhere and the temptation to just throw in the towel for the next 5-6 weeks is very great.

However, I am going to keep trying  I am determined to buck the trend and lose weight this holiday season instead of gain it.  My official training for the half marathon is going to start next week and I'm determined to do well on that as well.  I hit a milestone the other night and was able to run a full 5K on the treadmill.  I felt great afterwards.  I'm really excited to have a training schedule again.  It's just another thing for me to be accountable towards.  If I screw up that, I can kiss the half marathon goodbye and that just isn't an option for me.

Something that I'm actually having an issue with that I haven't had to deal with before, is the desire to over do it.  I'm having to force myself to take rest days from exercise.  I think part of its because I'm eating back some, if not all the calories I'm burning off and so when I don't exercise I automatically feel like I've overeaten and that I'm a gluttonous pig (even though I'm attempting to stay within the range of calories my counting app has allotted for me to lose 2 pounds a week sans any exercise at all).  I don't think this is a very healthy way to view it.  I almost feel like I have a form of exercise bulimia or something.  Instead of making myself throw up, I'm exercising.  I don't think it's quite as bad as that yet, but if I don't try and change my mindset it could get into kind of a grey zone.  I could do some damage not just mentally but physically as well.  Yesterday I forced myself to take a rest day and I hated it.  I felt gross the whole day.  I was starving because I was trying to not eat more than 1500 calories, but meanwhile my hip was tight and was thanking me for taking the day off.  I need to listen to my body more than my mind right now.  If I'm hungry, I need to eat.  Not eat everything in sight and not horrible things, but an apple or some carrots, maybe even a string cheese.  When my body is tired, I need to stretch it and rest it.  I WILL NOT fall into the pit that I've seen so many weight loss bloggers fall into: they think they know better than their own bodies and end up doing damage both mentally and physically.  Again, just not an option.

Okay, so I'm sorry for this rambling post but I just had some of these thoughts rattling around my head for a few days and felt like I needed to share them.

Weigh-In: 11/21/12

Last Week:                              246.7
This Week:                              242.1


Loss This Week:                         4.6
Total Loss:                                67.9


I knew that I would have a big loss this week after seeing such a small one last week.  I would like to just say that in three weeks I've lost 12 pounds.  I'm EXTREMELY happy about this.  I know it will slow down, and that's okay too, but for right now I'm just going to keep riding this train.

I've had a couple of non-scale victories this week as well.  I decided to take my resting pulse the other day before I went down to the gym.  62.  I honestly had no clue what was considered a good resting pulse rate so I looked it up.  According to a website I found, the normal range for an adult is 60-100.  For an athletic adult, it's 40-60.  Um, holy crap.  The fact that my resting heart rate almost puts me into the "athletic" category kind of blows my mind.  My inner fat girl just put down her bag of Oreos and is reeling.

My other non-scale victory was at the gym.  As you know, I've been training for a half marathon and I realized that since I am traveling from city to city, and there are going to be quite a few cities that I won't want to run outside, I need to get used to running on a treadmill.  In days past, I could run 5, 6 miles outside no problem.  But the moment I got on a treadmill I wanted to die a quick painful death.  I would be bored to tears and talk myself into walking about 5 minutes into it.  Well, the other night I actually ran 2.7 miles on it.  Considering I'm consistently running 3 miles outside, getting that kind done on the treadmill really gave me the confidence that I will be able to successfully train for this half marathon.  It's still going to be insanely hard work, but I can totally do it.

In other news, I was very happy to discover that while I'm in Washington DC over the holidays there is something happening called "Commitment Day."  Basically it's a 5K race in over 30 cities across the country on the first day of the new year to celebrate people's commitment to living a healthy lifestyle.  I can't wait to do it!  I hope that everyone will look up and see if there is a Commitment Day race happening in your neck of the woods and sign up!  I think this is a great thing.

I hope everyone has a very Happy Thanksgiving!

My Massage Adventure: Part II

A while back, in the very early days of this blog, I wrote about a Massage experience  I had.  I had my first ever deep tissue massage, and I talked about my nose running while I was facedown on the table.

Well, I went for another deep tissue massage this week.  I've had a few massages over the past year, but this was the first deep tissue massage since the previous blogged about experience.  Gotta say, the other girl ain't got nothin' on this guy.

I thought that my previous masseuse worked it all out, but now I know what it really feels like to have a deep tissue massage: I HURT!

When I got into the room I told the guy to not go easy on me.  I told him that I've had massages where I've walked out feeling as though nothing had happened.  I told him that I would tell him if he was being too harsh, but that I had some massive knots that needed breaking up and the only way that was going to happen was if he put some elbow grease into it.  He was most definitely taken aback.  He asked me if I was sure, and I told him I was.  I explained I was training for a half marathon and that I had some serious lactic acid build up.  He agreed, and then it began...

I started out laying face up, which I always find a bit weird.  My back is always my worst area and when its left for the end of the massage I'm always worried that the back might get short changed in terms of time allotment, but this guy had good time management skills.   This again was one of those times when I was happy that it was a full body massage because my legs really needed some attention.

Also, for the first time in my life, I checked the box on the information sheet that said that I wanted my gluteal area worked on.  He kept it covered with a sheet and thankfully he only worked on that area for a few minutes because if he worked on it anymore I would have screamed out loud.  I was already doing the silent scream into the face donut thing.  My GOD that part hurt!  Since I was diagnosed with have a lazy ass I've been trying to do some exercise to target my butt.  I want it to be strong enough to handle all the running I need to do over the next few months and I guess I don't really stretch it correctly after I work out.  Seriously, I would never have thought it would hurt that badly to have my ass massaged!

Finally he reached my back and he dug down deep into those massive knots I always have around my shoulders.  I honestly could have used another 30 minutes so he could fully get rid of those knots, but at the end I did feel better.   SORE but better.

The rest of the day I spent recovering from the massage by drinking so much water I thought I was going to float away.  I did go to the gym that night but because my hip was sore from being beaten up, I didn't really push myself too hard.  I only walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes.  I tried to run, but because of the sore hip I was actually limping while I was running so I decided to call it a night.  Tonight I again went easy and did 30 minutes on the stationary bike and did a LOT of strengthening and stretching.  Hopefully tomorrow I will be back in tip top shape to run a few miles.

I realized that in order for this training to go as well as I would like it, I'm going to have to invest in massages more frequently.  Hopefully with more frequent massages getting all of the gunk out of my system, it will make the training go just a tad bit smoother.  I mean, I'm not expecting it to make it a piece of cake because this is supposed to be hard work, but I'm thinking it might alleviate at least a little bit of the lingering soreness.

And hopefully with not as much time between massages I will be mentally prepared for the after effects.   36 hours later and I'm still sore!!

Weigh In Wednesday: 11/14/12

Last Week Weight:                 247.4
This Week Weight:                 246.7

Lost This Week:                           .7

Total Weight Lost:                    63.3

Still going in the right direction!  Not as much as I would have liked, but this past week was a certain week of the month and therefore I'll take what I can get!  I'm still going strong with tracking my calories and I'm working out 5-6 times a week.

Even if I just get down to the gym for 30 minutes, I'm trying to move my body 6 days a week.  I'm pretty proud of myself that it's now been two weeks and I haven't really faltered.  I was expecting to have slacked off a tad already, but I'm not!  I think this really does have to do with having my boss doing this right along side me.  When I'm having a weak moment, I text him and he talks me out of whatever bad thing I want to eat.  Take this week for instance...  I'm always the weakest about food at night.  Well, this week I was craving saltiness like CRAZY!  (thank you lady parts...)  I was so bad, I was getting ready to bust into a prepackaged salad  just to eat the croutons!  But, I texted my boss and he talked me down and out of it, but while still laughing at me.  It's nice to have that kind of support out on the road.  I think it's what I really needed this past year.

Since next week I will be back to normal Maia again, I'm hoping that I will a slightly larger drop in number.  A loss is still a loss, but I want a bigger one!  I want the 2 pound loss weeks of the past.  I can do it again!

But for now, I have to keep my hand out of the pumpkin full of leftover Halloween candy.  Gotta go grab some carrots instead!

Weigh-in Wednesday: 11/7/12 Post Election Edition

Last week's weight:                        254.9
This week's weight:                        247.4

Weight loss for week:                     7.5 pounds

Total weight lost:                            62.6 pounds

This feels fantastic to see the numbers on the scale go down again.  I know that the vast majority of that was water weight.  I know that I will NEVER see that kind of loss again.   But I'm just happy to be back on the right track again.

I'm counting every single calories (which I haven't done in a very long time.)  Last week I worked out 6 days.  This week I'm slacking a bit already because I took last night (Election Day) off to watch the returns with my company.  I was going to go to the gym, but I was afraid I was going to be alone on the treadmill when they announced Obama the winner and I didn't want to celebrate alone in the gym.
But I'm changing into my running gear as soon as I finish this post and then its off for a run along the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale.

I just want to keep the scale moving in the right direction.  I'm ready to see some numbers that I've never seen before!

There and Back Again: A Wandering Maia's tale

Well hello there.  No, I did not forget about this blog.  I have been busy traveling the globe and taking a bit of break from life, pretty much.

The last you heard from me, I was in Japan sweating my ass off.  While it was hot and I did lose some weight there, the experience in Japan was more of a "life journey" one rather than  "weight loss journey" one.  Aside from the quick visit I made for work about a month prior (in which all I saw of Tokyo was from inside a taxi cab) this trip I was able to go out and explore.  I soaked in the culture, and I can't lie... the food.  Hey, Tokyo is pretty known for it's food!

Shibuya intersection.  Right in front of my hotel

Japan was quite a trip and I am so glad that I was able to go and experience such an amazing country.  Unfortunately I was not able to really work out there AT ALL.  The hotel we were staying in did not have a gym and the one that hotel guests were able to utilize required you to wear their provided clothing.  Honestly, I couldn't get down with that.  Also, since I was staying in Shibuya (the Times Square of Tokyo) taking a run was pretty much out of the question.  Have you ever seen the movie "Lost in Translation"?  Well, basically that movie was shot all around where I was staying/working.  It will show you what I'm talking about.

When all was said and done when I got back from Japan I had actually lost a few pounds simply from sweating like a beast and walking around a lot.  It wasn't any significantly huge number, but it was something.  Unfortunately that loss disappeared in the weeks following.  Why?  Because I had 5 weeks off from work while our set was being shipped back to the States and I took advantage of it.

By doing what?

By going to New Zealand, of course!!

Seriously, GO TO NEW ZEALAND!

For those who don't know, my little sister lives in New Zealand and I thought having 5 weeks off from work would be the perfect time and excuse to go and finally visit her and see a beautiful country.  I took two out of my five weeks and flew BACK to the other side of the world (I came back to the States for ten days before I flew out.  Gotta rack up those frequent flyer miles!)  I did and saw so much in those two weeks.  I got to spend some great quality time with my little sister touring primarily the south island and seeing the breathtaking landscapes that this country has to offer.  I saw the breathtaking Milford Sound and hiked a glacier!!  I mean, come on... how cool is that?

While in New Zealand, I did a lot of walking but that's about it.  I wasn't really careful with my diet and even though I had brought my running gear with the best of intentions of taking a few runs along the waterfront in Wellington, I decided that chatting with my sister over a cup of tea was more important.  Needless to say, I didn't lose any weight while I was down there.  I did gain back the five pounds I had lost in Tokyo and brought back an extra couple just for good measure.

My little sister and me on Fox Glacier.  Admit it, we're awesome.

The real damage I think that I did came in the days upon my return to the States.  I flew back to NYC and had ten days before my trip back to the world of "Million Dollar Quartet" and my life on the road.  I should have taken advantage of this time by taking some runs through Central Park and watching what I ate.  Did I?  Nope.  I was lazy.  I knew the entire time that I was making bad choices, yet I just kept right on making them.  Telling myself that it was okay because I was still technically on vacation (um... no) and that I would just lose whatever weight I gained from said bad choices once I got back to my "real life."

Yeah, I ventured back into the headspace of Maia circa 2010.  I didn't think I would ever see the day when I started saying stuff like that to myself, but I did.  And what was the result?  I gained another three pounds.

On my last official weigh-in on 7/29 I was 249.2 with the hopes of losing 15 pounds in three months.  As I mentioned above, that did not happen.  Instead I came back to this:

254.9

That's the highest weight I've been in a LONG time.  Well over a year.  I have no excuses except that I was enjoying myself.  I wasn't taking care of myself, but I was enjoying myself.

I know that the journey I'm on and what I'm doing is a marathon and not a sprint.  I know that there are going to be set backs and this is one of them.  That's why I'm not really all that worried.  Because I've been back at work for four days now and I've worked out all four of them.  I'm tracking my calories carefully.  I'm making pretty good choices when it comes to food.

Also I am pre-training for my half marathon at the end of February.  I lost some of my stamina and I need to get back up to being able to run 3 miles consistently if I want to be able to complete this thing.  

Between moving my butt and tracking my diet I know that I'll get the weight I gained off, and I'm ready to keep right on going!  I'm tired of telling people that I have more I want to lose, I want to go right ahead and lose it!  I want to hit that goal weight!  I want to drop two more pants sizes.

These are all achievable goals and I'm in a pretty good mindset to do it.  My boss is doing really well and so we are supporting each other through this.  A simple "I'll see you in the gym tonight!" helps so much...

So, that's where I'm at.  Some amazing experiences in the past three months, with the pounds on my thighs to show for it.  But I'm refocused and ready to go.

This will happen.  I know it.

Why?  Because I'm going to MAKE it happen.