I tried really hard to think of a catchy title for my first blog since re-joining Weight Watcher today but I cant think of anything witty. I guess a lack of sleep is interfering with my creative juices or something like that. Anyway, Hi! I'm back. To cut a long story down to a few short sentences here's the bottom line....I gained over 60 pounds with my last pregnancy and now I have to lose it. One doctor said don't diet, one doctor said yes diet. I choose to follow the yes doctor since I have consumed four bags of Isa's "potty treats" M&Ms since I had Joey three weeks ago. Let me clarify that the four bags of M&Ms were the massive Easter one pound bags, not the gas station four for a dollar bags. I also ate a dozen Cookie Connection cookies in two days and so on and so on. I pretty much don't need to diet for a while since nursing will knock off a bunch of the pregnancy weight, but since I'm eating like a dying bulimic about to go to treatment, I decided it was best if I started WW earlier than recommended. I was telling my mom that I simply don't care about all the sugar and fat I'm consuming because I needed it. Like a crack whore needs a dollar hand out, right? Anyway, here I am, against the OBGYNs request to not "limit my calorie intake" since she doesn't know my calorie intake came from Krispy Kremes not carrots.
Since I can't really exercise for two more months (c-sections still the way to go) I have decided to walk and follow WW as best as I can to battle the bulge. Here's my plan:
Plan: Do what normal people do.
Easy? Probably not for me. I am going to try to plan my meals for the week and then go to the grocery store with a list. I'm hoping that planning meals in advance and buying the food for said meals will help my waist line, my daughters nutrition, and the shrinking (due to a second kid) check book. I'm also going to try to buy only snacks for Isa that I can eat too, which means less Fruit by the Foots (they can be used for other things so Ive been told) and more fresh fruit. It will be tough for me since I'm home alone all day and the thought of grocery shopping in the rain with two kids seems disastrous, but I'm willing to give being a normal person a try. I really have nothing to lose. If I find any fantastic recipes I'll share them since I cant share work out plans or anything like that. My biggest challenge is going to be staying away from the Avalanche Bars I just found on Pinterest. Maybe there will be a play date I can make them for.... maybe that's not a good idea. Wish me luck. Glad to write to you all again. See you soon.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Runner's Prayer
I'm not going to force my religion on you and I'm not about to quote of scripture but hear me out on this one....
Pace bands are used by many "serious" runners during a race to help them keep on pace to finish a race in their desired time period. The idea is to use a slip of water-resistant paper on your wrist that has certain times that correlate to each mile. So if you want to keep a 12 minute mile pace throughout the 26.2 mile marathon, you would write "mile 1- 12, mile 2- 24, mile 3-36" and so on. You would then look down at your watch every time you pass a mile marker to see if you are keeping on pace and you adjust your running speed accordingly.
I wrote "serious" runner above because pace bands are way too serious for me. I usually just try to run the whole race and if I run more than a 12 minute mile, so be it. Just keep the legs a turnin!
With that said, I want to use a pace band BUT I plan on stealing Kristin Armstrong's (the ex-Mrs. Lance Armstrong, her book Mile Markers is good, get a copy) recommendation by turning my pace band into a prayer band. Now again I'm not a religious nut, but I do believe in prayer. There are several people in my life right now that could use some good old fashion prayer, so lets give it a try, shall we. IF (yes IF in caps) I can find a pace band before the July 16th Half Moo-Nlight Marathon (sign up today!) I will be assigning someone or something to pray for/ meditate over/ concentrate on/ send good vibes to during each mile of the 13.1 mile race. The course is supposed to be dark and down country roads so the scenery isn't going to keep me distracted, nor is loud music always a good idea when those unpredictable and vengeful cows are around. So to distract myself Ill be thinking about someone. Will it be you?
If you think you need some pray send over a message and Ill try to fit you into my lucky 13. You will get at least 12 minutes of love from myself and my maker.
Pace bands are used by many "serious" runners during a race to help them keep on pace to finish a race in their desired time period. The idea is to use a slip of water-resistant paper on your wrist that has certain times that correlate to each mile. So if you want to keep a 12 minute mile pace throughout the 26.2 mile marathon, you would write "mile 1- 12, mile 2- 24, mile 3-36" and so on. You would then look down at your watch every time you pass a mile marker to see if you are keeping on pace and you adjust your running speed accordingly.
I wrote "serious" runner above because pace bands are way too serious for me. I usually just try to run the whole race and if I run more than a 12 minute mile, so be it. Just keep the legs a turnin!
With that said, I want to use a pace band BUT I plan on stealing Kristin Armstrong's (the ex-Mrs. Lance Armstrong, her book Mile Markers is good, get a copy) recommendation by turning my pace band into a prayer band. Now again I'm not a religious nut, but I do believe in prayer. There are several people in my life right now that could use some good old fashion prayer, so lets give it a try, shall we. IF (yes IF in caps) I can find a pace band before the July 16th Half Moo-Nlight Marathon (sign up today!) I will be assigning someone or something to pray for/ meditate over/ concentrate on/ send good vibes to during each mile of the 13.1 mile race. The course is supposed to be dark and down country roads so the scenery isn't going to keep me distracted, nor is loud music always a good idea when those unpredictable and vengeful cows are around. So to distract myself Ill be thinking about someone. Will it be you?
If you think you need some pray send over a message and Ill try to fit you into my lucky 13. You will get at least 12 minutes of love from myself and my maker.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Plateau isnt a plateau when you eat everything in sight
Hello all.... So last week I was knee deep in all my favorite outdoor activities. Mountain biking and trail running have left a permanent dirt tan line and I have greatly enjoyed all my freedom to participate in the activities I love. HOWEVER, I sure fell off the wagon over the last week when it comes to eating. I can blame two things for my calorie consumption. First, when on vacation, eat! Thats what vacation is for, to leave behind all your stressors and for me dealing with a diet is a stressor. And two, when in training for something eat appropriately. I am running the Davis Moo-Nlight half-marathon on July 16th and when Im required to run 8 miles in 100 degree weather you bet your ass Im going to eat. With that said, I do wonder how do you train on a diet?
I have never figured this out. Weight Watchers gives you extra points for exercise so I assume they want you to use these points for gatorade and power bars. But its still so hard in my mind. A plate of spagetti is like 20 points and I only get 29 a day. Do I just focus on the lower point diet versions of everything like G2 the low calorie sports drink? Or do I say F-it until the race is over? I hate this!! Training for events is second to getting pregnant when it comes to why I left Weight Watchers. Ill ask on Saturday at the meeting, lets hope she has an answer.
I have never figured this out. Weight Watchers gives you extra points for exercise so I assume they want you to use these points for gatorade and power bars. But its still so hard in my mind. A plate of spagetti is like 20 points and I only get 29 a day. Do I just focus on the lower point diet versions of everything like G2 the low calorie sports drink? Or do I say F-it until the race is over? I hate this!! Training for events is second to getting pregnant when it comes to why I left Weight Watchers. Ill ask on Saturday at the meeting, lets hope she has an answer.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
When the number isn't going down
Hello all. This week was full of yay-for-me events that I thought I would vainly share. First off, I finally broke through my plateau and weighed in at 178 on Saturday. That weight loss put me at my second 10% loss since I started Weight Watchers in January. I like to remind myself that I started losing weight before WW but at some point I'm going to have to give up and only keep track of one number.
The second exciting thing that happened was my return to Fleet Feet. I trained with FF from July- December while I was training for the Urban Cow half-marathon and California International Marathon (CIM to locals, and I only ran a leg of it, not the whole thing). Anyway, you would think that after spending a half a year with my coaches, they would remember me, right? Apparently NOT!!! Not only did Isa's growth completely shock them as she pulled all the Sharkie energy fruit snacks off the rack, but when I said "remember me" they were dumbfounded by my size. Technically they didn't say they were dumbfounded but their faces revealed that they had no idea who I was after losing at least 30 pounds since I last saw them. SO YAY for me, no one recognizes me.
The third exciting thing, and according to my personal trainer is the most exciting thing (so excited he told his mom), I lost 6% body fat taking me from the "acceptable" body fat range to the "fitness" body fat range. I guess the fitness industry folks can legally call me an athlete now that I am "fit." I still argue that you can be fit and fat but convincing snotty fitness employees this is not so easy (Read "Fit and Fat" by Sally Edwards, she proves the fact that it is possible). Anyway, I was excited to be in a healthy body fat category.
I guess the reason I am bragging has to do with my BMI and current weight. According to my BMI, which most people consider to be the end all decider of fitness and healthy weight, I am still overweight and only .3 away from being obese. This frustrates me so much because people base their weight loss and self-esteem while losing weight on this number and their current weight. I guess I'm a little POed myself. How can I have three YAY-for-me moments while still being borderline obese. Uhh frustrating.
Anyway, I attached a picture of my most recent inches and body fat lost from my trainer Jereme Scott (24 Hour Fitness, Roseville, look him up, he rocks!). I'm going to share his excitement and forget the BMI BS for a while.
The second exciting thing that happened was my return to Fleet Feet. I trained with FF from July- December while I was training for the Urban Cow half-marathon and California International Marathon (CIM to locals, and I only ran a leg of it, not the whole thing). Anyway, you would think that after spending a half a year with my coaches, they would remember me, right? Apparently NOT!!! Not only did Isa's growth completely shock them as she pulled all the Sharkie energy fruit snacks off the rack, but when I said "remember me" they were dumbfounded by my size. Technically they didn't say they were dumbfounded but their faces revealed that they had no idea who I was after losing at least 30 pounds since I last saw them. SO YAY for me, no one recognizes me.
The third exciting thing, and according to my personal trainer is the most exciting thing (so excited he told his mom), I lost 6% body fat taking me from the "acceptable" body fat range to the "fitness" body fat range. I guess the fitness industry folks can legally call me an athlete now that I am "fit." I still argue that you can be fit and fat but convincing snotty fitness employees this is not so easy (Read "Fit and Fat" by Sally Edwards, she proves the fact that it is possible). Anyway, I was excited to be in a healthy body fat category.
I guess the reason I am bragging has to do with my BMI and current weight. According to my BMI, which most people consider to be the end all decider of fitness and healthy weight, I am still overweight and only .3 away from being obese. This frustrates me so much because people base their weight loss and self-esteem while losing weight on this number and their current weight. I guess I'm a little POed myself. How can I have three YAY-for-me moments while still being borderline obese. Uhh frustrating.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Tornado in town, so its onDemand time
Today is National Running Day so I was going to run outside, however since we Californians are being pounded with hail, watching for tornadoes, dodging lightening, and comforting terrified of thunder dogs, onDemand it is. I know I have a treadmill but I am really excited about my new "lets try it" project so I got right to it and looked at what my too expensive cable had to offer.
OnDemand has an option called Sports/ Fitness and on this screen you can find Exercise TV. Once on Exercise TV you have a table of contents that will send you to every living room exercise available. You can try yoga, Jillian Michael's 30 day program, weight training, and dance among many more options. I chose Crunch Burlesque and Belly Dancing for Fitness. Here are my first attempts at reviews ;)
Crunch Burlesque
I found this dance to be quite silly and impossible to follow if you are uncoordinated. Hows that for an opener! Really you just spin around and follow around on the floor trying to look "sexy." It could be fun if you are a dancer, but the rest of us look silly trying to keep up. The only strenuous part was the pelvic thrusts you had to do from a body bridge position.
Duration: 22 minutes, warm up and cool down included
Sweat Factor: None (good if you have something to do after and don't want to look like a mess)
Chance of a repeat visit (scale 1-10): 0
Belly Dancing for Fitness
I took belly dancing in college and loved it. Belly dancing is made for people with bellies and we do seem to be better at it than the flat six packers. So I would totally recommend Belly Dancing, whether it be the onDemand version or a real life class. This class worked my arms and shoulders more than anything else. You keep your arms up for most of the routine so be prepared to feel it a bit later.
Duration: 13 minutes, warm up and cool down included
Sweat Factor: None (good if you have something to do after and don't want to look like a mess)
Chance of a repeat visit (scale 1-10): 6 (not as a work out on its own since its so short in length, plus I prefer the real class with an instructor)
Parkour.... what?
When I lived in NYC I often spent time with the Health editor at Marie Claire and she would tell me glamorous stories of a particular job that I would give up cuddle time with the sharp clawed Gato for.... I want to be the gal who gets to test stuff!!! The girl at Marie Claire got to test out sports equipment and rate it and now I am reading about a girl from Shape magazine that was in charge of testing out different sports activities/ trainings/ classes etc. In this edition of Shape she is trying Parkour, the crazy jump off of buildings martial art that looks more like a stunt devil workshop then Tai Kwon Do.
Anyway, since Marty left Marie Claire and I live in a boring suburb instead of the amazing NYC, I guess my chances of being the "tester" for a magazine are probably not going to happen. Therefore I am going to try to be a tester for Roseville's sporting options. I am going to try to do demo classes at a bunch of different places and I will get back to you and post how they went. I will post about both gym classes and private studios, as well as outdoor activities as well as workout DVDs. If you would like me to test something for you in advance, please let me know and I will do my best.
The only rules I have are:
1. It must be free. Im a stay at home mom so the dough is not exactly flowing.
2. I must have child care. I would be willing to pay for child care, just as long as she is safe somewhere so that Im not focused on her.
3. Im not jumping off a cliff into water, this is stupid, not to mention so not a sport.
So if you are interested let me know what you would like me to try and I will try it. I will try to send out some feelers to see who offers free demo classes. I will also try to re-try and evaluate things I have already done so that you can read about them too. Lastly, I will try to figure out some sort of scoring system to rate each activity. If this works Ill try to do something similar with recipes as well. Here we go!!!
Anyway, since Marty left Marie Claire and I live in a boring suburb instead of the amazing NYC, I guess my chances of being the "tester" for a magazine are probably not going to happen. Therefore I am going to try to be a tester for Roseville's sporting options. I am going to try to do demo classes at a bunch of different places and I will get back to you and post how they went. I will post about both gym classes and private studios, as well as outdoor activities as well as workout DVDs. If you would like me to test something for you in advance, please let me know and I will do my best.
The only rules I have are:
1. It must be free. Im a stay at home mom so the dough is not exactly flowing.
2. I must have child care. I would be willing to pay for child care, just as long as she is safe somewhere so that Im not focused on her.
3. Im not jumping off a cliff into water, this is stupid, not to mention so not a sport.
So if you are interested let me know what you would like me to try and I will try it. I will try to send out some feelers to see who offers free demo classes. I will also try to re-try and evaluate things I have already done so that you can read about them too. Lastly, I will try to figure out some sort of scoring system to rate each activity. If this works Ill try to do something similar with recipes as well. Here we go!!!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Is this why I plateaued?
Today on "Rob, Arnie, and Dawn" Arnie said that fat people don't want to lose weight, they choose to stay fat. His argument: People know what to do to be healthy and they choose not to do these things. Enter stab to the heart from Arnie and stab in the back from myself. Am I stabbing myself in the back if I make the decision to not follow all the research, studies, advice, and well known knowledge that tells us how to eat and when to move?
I know that food is supposed to be fuel for the body, but really what about the pleasure you get from eating your favorite food? What about special occasions that revolve around breaking bread with your family and friends? Bread isn't good for you and neither are the booze that I want to drink with friends. So am I really making the decision to stay this plump? I guess so.
It really sucks to think that I would be making myself overweight when I'm trying to be of average weight. Talk about burning from both ends of the stick (is that the saying? I don't remember). I guess Ill have to make more sacrifices here even though I don't want to. I don't want to not like chocolate. I really don't want to think about the effects of junk food on my arteries as I consume it, but I guess that's what I have to do if I want to get off this plateau.
I know that food is supposed to be fuel for the body, but really what about the pleasure you get from eating your favorite food? What about special occasions that revolve around breaking bread with your family and friends? Bread isn't good for you and neither are the booze that I want to drink with friends. So am I really making the decision to stay this plump? I guess so.
It really sucks to think that I would be making myself overweight when I'm trying to be of average weight. Talk about burning from both ends of the stick (is that the saying? I don't remember). I guess Ill have to make more sacrifices here even though I don't want to. I don't want to not like chocolate. I really don't want to think about the effects of junk food on my arteries as I consume it, but I guess that's what I have to do if I want to get off this plateau.
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