Weigh In Wednesday 10/30/13 - Piecing the Puzzle Together

Last Weigh in:                                           222.0
Current Weight:                                        225.5

Current Gain:                                               3.5

Alright, so obviously there is some info behind this gain.  As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't work out a lot the last week of Boston because of just a general "wonky" feeling.  Well, my first workout after I felt better I made a rookie mistake, and one that I knew better to make...  I overdid it.  I felt so happy to be back on the treadmill that instead of easing myself back into my routine, I went whole hog and ran 4.5 miles.  It just felt so great to sweat again!  Well, the next day I was walking around Boston and all of sudden, BAM!  Knee pain in my right knee.  It never swelled up too much (just slightly) and I just had some shooting pain.  And just like that, I was out of commission until it felt better.  Let this serve as a lesson, don't overdo it people!!

So, I basically didn't exercise for over a week, with the exception of the run where I injured myself.  Then, to top it all off last weekend we played a casino.  A casino that provided us with food coupons.  The problem being that all of their food options were DOUSED with sodium and there weren't that many healthy options.  I felt so dehydrated and overloaded with sodium, that it actually hurt to bend my fingers in the morning!  They felt like they were in sausage casings!  The good news was that I started to ease myself back into my exercise routine over that weekend and got in a workout on the elliptical and a short run.  Slow, but steady start.

Needless to say, this week and from here on out I'm trying to get back in my routine and detoxing the sodium from my system.  I'm trying to not eat out this week and drinking as much water as possible.  It's tough, but I need to figure out a way to make this work on my new schedule this year.

That's where my puzzle analogy comes in.  The first year I was on this tour, I couldn't figure out the puzzle.  I had the pieces there, but I couldn't figure out how they fit together to make it work so that I could successfully continue on this journey and so it meant that I basically plateaued for a year.  I fluctuated between the same ten pounds, and by the time I started the second year of the tour, I was 15 pounds heavier than when I started the first.  However, maybe I needed that first year to happen because it sparked my motivation and I finally managed to put the pieces together and make it work last year.  The pieces were the same as the first year, I just figured it out.  I got in my routine and the results speak for themselves.  I am currently 30 pounds lighter than I was one year ago.

This year, however, the pieces have changed on me and I am still struggling with figuring out how they go together.  I am in cities for less amount of time.  It's harder to get to grocery stores.  I'm having to eat out at restaurants more.  I know that there is a way to make it work, but I just need to be patient and try and figure it out.  I am pretty positive that I won't have as drastic results as this last year had, but I would still like to see the scale moving in the right direction again.  I am tired of bouncing around the 220s.  I would like to break free!  Which brings me to my current plan, or as I have been referring to it, my Kickstarter.

This is my current plan:  I have downloaded a new running app called "Running for Weight Loss" that I am going to be using for a few months.  It should actually take me up until I need to start the actual training for the half marathon.  With this app, it incorporates walking, running and sprinting and it claims that with a ratio of these three things you should actually lose more weight than simply straight running and it is supposed to make you faster.  It is structured pretty similarly to a Couch to 5K or 10K program, and I like that it is going to make me run for about 45 minutes each time.  Less easy for me to cop out.  I am going to be more stringent about  my cross training in between these days and am going to make myself actually strength train this time.  I keep saying that I'm going to do it, and then I never follow through.  I have to admit, this summer while I was doing the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred video, I did actually notice a difference with how I felt and so I want to get back to that.

The diet is going to be the hard part, as it's the thing that throws the most kinks into the formula.  I am going to continue to try and eat out as little as possible, but I know that there are going to be times where that just isn't possible.  Somethings that I'm also going to explore is incorporate some paleo aspects.  I know, I know... I've been pretty anti-paleo as I haven't seen it as sustainable for me, but I think to get me over this hump, I'm going to try and incorporate it for a bit.  I need to do some more research on the topic, so I won't be doing anything until I fully feel like I have a grasp on what I am doing.  The other thing that I'm going to incorporate is intermittent fasting.  To be perfectly honest, I was trying to do this already but just didn't know that it had an official title.  I'm not going to any super extremes here, like not eating for 24 hours, but more that I am giving myself a timed window in which to eat and get in my calories.  Like I said, I pretty much was doing this already (I try to stop eating by 8 PM) but I wasn't as strict in the morning eating hours.  For now I'm going to try 10 am - 8 PM, and then slim it down a bit more over time.  I have more research to do on this topic, and hope to share some of it with you as I become more comfortable with it.

So, that's my plan at the the moment.  I hope every has a great Halloween.  Allow yourself a treat or two, but don't let it do a trick on you (see what I did there?) and try not to overindulge too much.

Have a great week!

Weigh In Wednesday - Something is not right edition

Hey there,

I'm not posting a weigh in today because I am not happy.  Something weird is going on and I have no clue what it is.

Like I mentioned before, I am weighing in more than weekly for this Diet bet, and I have inexplicably gained 6 pounds this week.  Actually, I gained 6 pounds in two days and the worst part is that I don't know why.  I mean, I will admit that I have eaten some more sodium this week than I should have and I did allow myself to get dehydrated on Monday but it was nothing that should have led to a 6 pound gain.  Usually I see an uptick of a pound or two, but 6 is ridiculous.  And I know it's water weight because in order to gain a pound, that is 3500 extra calories that you need to eat above and beyond your daily caloric intake.  There is NO WAY that I ate an extra 21,000 calories.

Did.  Not.  Happen.

Right now I feel puffy, swollen (the skin on my fingers actually feels tight) and I have a slight headache even though I've been drinking water constantly so I shouldn't be dehydrated or still retaining water.  It's not that certain time of the month, so that's not the reason why this is all happening...  To add to all those feelings of wonderfulness, I couldn't work out last night because the headache that I still feel came on quite suddenly and intensely last night and the very thought of working out almost made me vomit.

There is something just not right going on and I can't wait to figure it out and get back to feeling normal and on the right track weight wise.  I feel gross and I hate it.

On a happier note though, I have a major announcement!

I signed up for another half marathon!  And this time, there is no escaping it because I have to go to another country to run it!

I signed up to run in the Edinburgh Half Marathon!!

I was already planning on going to London next May during a scheduled week off from work and I decided to see if there were any races going on while I was over there.  I've always wanted to see Edinburgh and this will be the perfect way to do it!

I like that I have plenty of time before I actually have to start training, so I can spend the next few months working on building up my stamina and my speed.  I plan on incorporating some interval training at least once a week to try and get my pace up and while I still plan on doing the run/walk method for this, I want to lengthen the time I spend running.  I would love to get to where I'm 10:1, but I don't want to push it.

I'm super excited because a friend of mine who has been one of my biggest cheerleaders (Hi Jamie!) will be running the full marathon that day.  He's continually said that he has wanted to run with me on my first half and having him there as a cheerleader will help push me through.

So despite how I feel right now, I can't wait for the next few months.  It's going to be exciting!

Hopefully I'll feel better next week and will have some idea of what's going on with me.

Have a good week people!

Weigh In Wednesday: 10/9/13 - Movin' Right Along Edition

Last Week's Weight:                                   223.1
Current Week's Weight:                              222.0

This Week's Loss:                                          1.1

Total Weight Lost:                                         88.0


Yes, it's a loss but I must admit that I'm a little disappointed.  Over the weekend I got down to 220 and now I'm up a couple of pounds. I really need to remember that even though I'm weighing myself more frequently because of the Diet Bet the only ones that really count are these weekly ones.  I need to remember that weight can fluctuate greatly throughout the week and what it says on Saturday doesn't necessarily mean that it will read that same number, or lower, on Wednesday.

But... a loss is a loss.  The scale is overall moving in the right direction and I'm moving right along towards my goal.  This month for the Diet Bet I have to hit 215, so I got some catching up to do with regards to that, but even if I don't hit this month either I'll just be happy to get as close as I did this last month.

I will admit that I haven't been as careful with my eating the last couple of days.  I definitely overindulged with the salty goodness and one night have a ravenous hunger that just wouldn't be silenced.

My plan for the next two weeks in Boston is to try and be as good as possible, and I actually want to try and run a 10K on the treadmill.  I've been pretty consistently running 3 miles several times a week and I would like to get that 6 mile distance under my belt again.  After our Boston run we aren't in one place for longer than a few days for a while and I feel like this is the best place to try and go for it.  I don't know what the hotel gym situation is going to be like in some of these places and I need to try my hardest to make it work the best I can.  I have a feeling Jillian Michaels and I will be getting to know each other pretty well on some of these shorter hotel stays.  Maybe if I do a couple of her videos back to back in my hotel room I'll be okay.  Who knows though!  It's going to be trial by fire!

I just really want to get out of the 220s.  I've been here all summer long and it's time to bump down into the next bracket.  Gonna have to put my nose to the grindstone to do it I think, but I know that I can.

Alright, that's all from me for today!

Words of Wisdom or Maia's Two Cents

Dear Parents (or Grandparents) staying in hotels with children:

Please remember that the hotel gym is not, in fact, a playground at your disposal to tire your children out so they will fall asleep.  Allowing them to run races on the treadmills on steep inclines is not only dangerous, but can potential damage the incredibly expensive equipment (how would you like to see THAT pop up on your hotel bill?).

If you absolutely must take your children to the gym please remember that if other people are in there attempting to work out, even if they have their headphones on, that you should remind your children to use their inside voices and not shriek at the top of their lungs sounding as if they are being murdered.

It's not cute.

I know that the hotel says that children are allowed with adult supervision, but do you call this supervision?

For many adults, their workouts and gym time are their moments of reflection and their "me time."  Having your children running frantically from one machine to another, turning them up to top speed, laughing at how cool they are and how fast they are going even though you are standing directly next to them, infringes upon others.

Please remember these other people are paying to stay in this hotel too.

Signed,

A (near deaf from having to turn her iPod up to max volume) hotel guest

Diet Bet 10 - Month One Summary

Official Diet Bet starting weight:                                           228.8
Official Month One weigh out:                                              222.4

Total Weight Lost in Month One:                                              6.4

Weight I needed to lose to win Month One:                               .5

In a weigh in post  from a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I joined a new Diet Bet, but that this one was different than the previous ones I joined.  This one was a beta test version of a six month long bet they are calling "Diet Bet 10."  It's called that because rather than the standard bet, where you are betting you can lose 4% of your body weight in a month, you are betting you will lose 10% of your weight in 6 months.  I am much more of the "slow and steady wins the race" mentality and was glad they adopted this approach as well.

Well, the first month is complete.  This first month we were betting we could lose 3% of our body weight.  I, unfortunately, was a half a pound off, but I'm okay with that!  1.) I signed up for the bet late.  There were only 3 weeks of the month left when I joined.  2.) I didn't even really get my head in the game until half way through the month.  So, in essence, I lost those 6.5 pounds in the last two weeks.  I know that most of that was water weight from the crap food and lack of exercise for the past month, but it's still nice to see the drastic drop.

I'm happy to be back in the low 220s again.  It's so weird, and such a mental thing, but I really do feel like I look drastically different when I'm sitting around 220, than I do when I'm around 230 (like I have been the last few weeks.)  I feel like my legs look leaner and my stomach flatter.  For a person of my height, I know that ten pounds really can't make that huge of a difference, but oh well!  The mind thinks what it wants to I suppose!

I must admit that I like this six month version of the bet so much better.  Even though I was only required to lose 1% less this month than the standard bet, that's still (in my case) a couple of pounds.  When losing weight, a couple of pounds can be HUGE and a lot of work.  I was losing close to 10 pounds in a month in those standard four week bets.  That's no easy fete and honestly, in my opinion, shouldn't really be done on a consistent basis.  It's too much weight to constantly be striving for.  If someone wants to jump start their weight loss, or has been stagnant for a while and needs a boost?  Sure, I say go for it.  But the staggering of bets (people sign up for multiple bets at a time and they will have one or two bets that end per week and then cycle through) that's where I think it gets to be too much.  But, that's just my opinion.  I guess if it works for them, and they are winning?  Who's to say it's bad I suppose...

Anyway, I figured I would write a little round up post for this first month of the bet.  My goal weight for this next month is 215.1.  So, I have four weeks to lose 7.3 pounds.  It will be hard work, but I think I can do it.  These next two weeks I'm in Boston, and while there is lots of good tasting (but bad for you!) food choices there, I also know that there is lots of good tasting (and good for you!) food as well.  My hotel is right next door to a YMCA and I'm hoping to get in a couple Zumba classes per week while I'm there.  Would be silly not to!

Alright - that's it for this post.

Diet Bet 10 - Month One.  Complete.

Weigh In Wednesday 10/2/13 - The OH YEAH Edition

Last Week's Weight:                                                 228.2
Current Weight:                                                        223.1

Current Loss:                                                               5.1

Total Loss:                                                                 86.9

I knew I was going to have a big loss this week.  After I eat poorly and don't exercise for a while, the first week back of being strict and diligent always shows a big loss.  I assume a large portion of it is water weight, but hey!  It still counts!

So this week was a pretty good week!  I got in a couple of runs.  One really great one, and one not so great one, but that's the life of a runner I suppose.  You can't win them all!  The rest of the week I exercised by walking (and walking and walking).  My tour is in DC for two weeks and so I've been walking all over town, and it's a good thing I saw as much as I did because now everything is closed due to the shutdown (I'll restrict my opinions on THAT subject...).

Also, this week (for those who might not already know) I was featured on Huffington Post's Healthy Living page!  I was the weight loss story!!  Everyone has been so supportive and been giving me such wonderful words of support and encouragement.  It's been quite mind blowing.  A few new people have found their way to my blog through the HP piece, so "hi!" to the newbies!

My new 6 month Diet Bet is going well.  The weigh in for this first month is tomorrow and Friday.  I'm currently 1.2 pounds away, so there is actually a chance I could win this first month!  I REALLY didn't expect that to even be a possibility.  I really thought that I would just have to lose as much as possible and just try for the second month instead.  It's nice to be in the running already!  I really do like this longer "slow and steady" format that they are trying out.  It's just not so "HURRY UP AND LOSE WEIGHT!"  I mean, I get their theory behind the one month formats, to push yourself as hard as you possibly can (and it's not supposed to be an easy fete!) but for me to win I was having to go beyond where I was comfortable and it resulted in me overindulging.  This 3% weight loss just feels less drastic, so I'm glad it's working so far.

Fancy new shoes

I finally broke down this week and bought new running shoes.  While I was in NYC this summer I went to a running store to get refitted and I overpronate (my ankles come in) pretty bad, so of course that means I need the most expensive running shoe that companies make.  I didn't have the money this summer, but now that I'm back to work full time I was able to swing it.  I'm kind of in love with the new shoes.  I feel very "Jem and the Holograms" when I wear them.  I do feel a difference while I'm running, although it's definitely going to take some getting used to have the additional support.  It's good, but just different.

Anyway, sorry this week was a bit long winded.  Just had some stuff to say evidently!  To the newbies to this blog, I hope you stick around.  I have some exciting stuff on the horizon (100 pound mark, end goal approaching) and I would love to share that with you all.

I hope everyone has a good week!