15 May 2014

Mid-May Update

Several things going on right now....


First up, Mile a Day May.  HOLY MOLY do I feel strong.  I've shared here before that I am slow and I am totally fine with that.  BUT this morning's two mile run was amazing.  I wasn't worried about the amount of time I had left, my speed, my distance, etc.  I was just running.  My first mile, it's hard to quantify my speed because it also had my warm up walk in there.  But my second mile, well, that was pretty strong, for me.  Mile two was 12:07.  Given that my fast mile (a one-off) was 11:17, this is a very strong second mile.  It was one of those mythical runs were you feel like you could just keep going forever, if only you had unlimited time. (I don't,  I have to hurry back from my run so that Raj can go to work)- Yesterday was intervals and I struggled through them all.  Weird.  But maybe that 12:07 is like my happy pace?? I just don't know.

Second, Sugar.  I am not missing sugar at all.  My food cravings are way down and I am sitting around 1400-1800 calories per day.  I'm naturally eating more on days when I have CRAZY high activity.  I'm very happy right where I am at right now and hope to carry on like this.

Third, scale?  Honestly, I don't know.  The scale was making me crazy, so I am off it right now.  I will go to Weight Watchers for weigh in and meeting on Sunday, but I'm really pulling all the way away from Weight Watchers right now. 

Fourth- Weight Watchers.  I'm trying to make peace with the program.  I'm still paying for it, still going to meetings (most weeks) but I am NOT using the tools. AT ALL.  I turned off my active link, am wearing a fitbit instead.  I'm counting calories instead of points and doing really well.  So mainly I am paying $42 per month to go stand on a scale and talk about food with others.  I enjoy my meeting, but that's a pretty hefty price to pay for an hour of talk a week. 

Fifth- wheat.  I don't miss it.  I had been missing pasta, but really, what is pasta but a vehicle to eat sauce?  So, I got a Veggetti and OMG, I AM BACK.  In my opinion, pasta sauce tastes better over zucchini than it does over noodles.  I'm so happy eating this way.  I just registered for a big work conference and listed wheat as a special diet consideration.  I don't think I have a gluten problem, but I am afraid that suddenly eating wheat after weeks and weeks without could cause... uhm, embarrassing problems at a work event.

So, no loss on the weight front, that I know of, my my runs are telling the real story.  I am happy and comfortable where I am, eating the way I am and I have no intentions of making any changes.  I'm still trying to decide what to do about Weight Watchers.  I'd welcome anyone's advice, guidance, or words of wisdom.

07 May 2014

Mile a Day May

At the end of April, the end of my challenge, I was looking for something to do.  I'd already been doing Couch to 5K so it seemed natural for me to challenge myself to run a mile every day in May.  So far, this has been going very well.  My run is getting stronger, I'm getting faster, I'm forcing myself to work hills and am generally happy with my run.

Know what I'm bad at/about?  Stretching.  If you run, you  need to stretch after, y'all.  I get bored from this so I like to act like I am totally immune to the needs of stretching but OMG, one pole dancing class was enough to let me know that I am tight in the legs and hamstrings.

So today, I set my HIIT timer to chime every 30 seconds.  I'm able to just focus on stretching and not wonder how long I've held each stretch.  I totally felt my muscles releasing tension and am energized after my run.

I continue to feel like I am working off of Weight Watchers message, but the accountability of the meetings is really important to me.  So, I'm counting calories, moving more and most importantly, avoiding sugar and wheat.   Somewhere after the 4th day of no sugar, I stopped wanting it.  I don't want fake sugar, I don't want real sugar.  I don't want honey (with the exception of some granola bars I made for my son!)  I just want real, healthy food. 

Having a couple of challenges going at once and I'm enjoying life quite a bit.  I made a bit of a life change because I started running before work.   It's good for the dog, who is a jerk, because he gets exercise before he's crated all day.  It's good for me because I get a minimum of 30 minutes of  activity before I get a chance to decide not to do it.  It's good for me because it helps me set my intention for the day.

I'm not losing any weight right now, for some reason.  That's ok, but it is disappointing.  I've got at least 50 if not 80 lbs to go.  I just keep working hard and moving towards my goals, little by little, day by day.

01 May 2014

OOOOH Sugar

So the whole 'No Sugar, No Wheat' thing is getting easier and easier.  I don't feel like I am missing anything, I'm way less hungry and the natural sweetness of food really shines through now.

I'm also starting to understand a little more about the way my body works.  For example, this week we added a second fruit back into to our diets.  I was happy because I missed that fruit so I packed up a banana to go with my homemade yogurt and frozen cherries and headed to work.  All other things were normal.  I had fewer vegetables to compensate for the extra fruit.  WELLL, I was ravenous with the addition of the banana.  Maybe the banana plus the cherries plus the carrots was too much for me?  All I know is that I probably ate about 500 calories more eating the banana over not eating it.  Interesting.

So yesterday instead of a banana, I took strawberries as my second fruit.  I had no such effect.  Another observation I've made is that I'm no where near as hungry, so I can definitely scale back my portions.  First a little then maybe a lot in the future.

I've been taking quinoa tabbouleh with chicken and avocado for lunch.  Delicious and filling but I need to shake it up next week so I don't get bored.  Snacks have been veg with hummus and yogurt with fruit.

Workouts have been pretty good.  I couldn't face the thought of 30 Day Shred coupled with running and a lunchtime walk for May, so 30 Day Shred will get moved to June and I will alternate Yoga Meltdown with a few other workout DVDs.  I'm also incorporating a lot more  yoga as I need to make sure that I get some good stretching in after all those workouts.

One thing I'm really torn with is Weight Watchers.  More and more I feel like my idea of what's healthy diverges with Weight Watchers.  I'm still going to the meetings for the accountability and the friends I have there, but 45 bucks a month is a lot to pay for friendship. 

So here's where I diverge with Weight Watchers.  1) Weight Watchers seems to be, at its heart, a low carb, low fat diet.  I believe that eating MORE heart healthy fats trigger your satiety points and in turn you eat less.  2) Weight Watchers allows unlimited 'free' fruits and vegetables.  These foods are not without calories and they should all 'cost' something. 3) (Most importantly to me) Weight Watchers sells a ton of nutritionally void processed crap, both at your local supermarket and in the front of their meeting locations.  It's literally not possible for me to disagree with that more.  That kind of stuff TRIGGERS more overeating in people like me.  I feel like the moment they hitched their wagon to that kind of stuff, they should have re-evaluated if 'healthy' was their prime objective.

I can't tell you how many of the meetings I have attended over the years where I hear someone talk about hacking a recipe, driving down the points value for some junk food by adding fiber one to it.  STOP ADDING FIBER TO SHIT AND JUST EAT REAL FOOD.  So I'm struggling with that and trying to formulate a plan where I leave Weight Watchers and keep up my health living journey.

I'm not convinced I am strong enough to go it alone yet... But I bet I can sort something out.

I'm going to try to check in more in this space and keep you all informed about what I'm up to.  I'm still here, still plugging away. 

Be well, everyone.