Day 5, 6, and 7: Whirlwind Weekend

My logging over this past weekend was non-existent, and my exercising was sporadic. Here's the rundown of the craziness:

Friday was Kieran's birthday, and his class went on a field trip to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. How cool to get a cool field trip to one of your favorite places on your birthday? I went along as a chaperone, which was just great! Breakfast was steel cut oats with fruit and nuts and milk. However, I failed to pack my lunch so I ended up eating out after the field trip with my friend Rebecca, who was also chaperoning. Girl lunches like that are rare for me, so that was just awesome. We went to The Daily Planet, where I had a chicken salad melt (brie and chicken salad on whole wheat toast) and a cup of fruit salad. After school, we went out to the grandparents house for some family time, and Denise had made a big ham, sweet potatoes, and some of our favorite pea salad, so that's what was for dinner. Dessert was classic strawberry shortcake--so good. So--eating not perfect, but not terrible. No formal exercise time, but I walked a lot and I did my ab work.

Saturday was the party for K, so we cooked out and I made cupcakes after running all my normal Saturday morning errands (farmers market, etc). I forgot to eat breakfast, and then ended up eating half a ham and cheese sandwich while working in the kitchen--it was an insanely busy day. Dinner was a homemade burger with cheddar, lettuce, and tomato, baked beans, and my summer corn salad. Dessert was one blue velvet cupcake, and I am pretty proud of the fact that I have only eaten one of these. Kieran asked that I make both blue velvet with cream cheese frosting and chocolate with chocolate frosting, so I did. Again, there was no formal exercise time, but I spent literally the whole day on my feet.

Sunday, we got up from K's sleepover--his two best school friends, Marco and Julian (they're twins) stayed over--and I made brunch for both our families: buttermilk pancakes with duck eggs, bacon, chicken and sage sausage, cheesy scrambled eggs, and fresh strawberries. I actually felt kind of off for most of the day, so I didn't eat as much as I normally would have. I skipped lunch in favor of a nap, and then had some leftovers for dinner: grilled BBQ chicken thighs, corn salad, and baked beans. There was no way there was going to be any real exercise, and it was too rainy for a hike. Sunday was a true chill day--the first we've had in a long time.

Of note: we're hatching some baby chickens! We put the eggs in the incubator yesterday! In 3 weeks, we should have some babies!

Mental and Physical Re-Set

I am again re-setting my fitness goals. I am not apologizing for the gaps--this is just life, right? This whole journey is about making long-term lifestyle changes; not JUST working to lose some weight, but working to be a healthier person overall. I've changed the header of the blog to reflect this. What started out as a 90-day challenge has definitely morphed into something greater than that, which was the whole idea from the beginning. And life will cause periods of inactivity or over-eating or sickness, or any one of a thousand things that can get you off track. I will be glad to re-set as many times as I need to to keep heading toward the goals.

It's been a tough year for getting in shape. I've been sick a LOT, which has been quite frustrating. And then March--well--that was a wash in the name of high end eating and eating. It wasn't intentional to cluster so much high end dining all together, but that's just how it worked out. I can't say I regret that part--food and food experiences can be amazing, and Jason and I have been to Poole's Diner, Chef and the Farmer, The Boiler Room, Beasley's Chicken and Waffles, Mother Earth Brewing Company, and The Oakleaf, all during the month of March, in addition to a few trips to our local pub and out for good local sushi. Whew! April has been about getting back to cookingand eating at home, but we've been really off-schedule, which affects everything. Here's some of what's happening right now:

• You'll see that I've posted all of the pretty things from walks that I've taken since my last post. I like having those recorded here for posterity, and they make the blog way prettier than all my words do.
• I am back to the farmers market every weekend for fresh veggies. Yay for Spring! It makes such a difference in how I think about food, and how I cook and eat to have this wealth of local produce and meat available to me!
• We took the kids for a hike yesterday for the first time in a couple of weeks--we ALL needed it, and it was glorious to be in the woods! Hiking on the weekend really motivates me to keep moving during the week!
• The boys have started swimming lessons. I am giving that a little bit of time to see how it goes, but it sure would be cool if I could swim laps while they have their lessons. Something I am considering.
• This week is Make-It-To-Your-Classes week. I am seriously going to try to get them all in. I have been slack about that the past month because of some relentless stuffiness that MUST be allergies, even though I've never had them before. I can't let whatever it is stop me, though--I am starting to feel gross and sluggish again, and I DO NOT LIKE IT ONE BIT!

Here's what I have realized: I have to track. And the emphasis there should be on the word, "I." Some people don't need to do it. Some people HATE doing it. Some find it DE-motivational instead of stimulating. But for me, tracking brings discipline. For me, if i don't track my workouts and my eating choices, then I somehow don't feel like I am getting credit for them. This may go back to my childhood and my need to get points for all my right answers. I don't know. What I do know is that, when I am actively tracking everything, the self-inflicted accountability keeps me motivated, and it makes me not want to mess it up. So prepare to be re-inundated with everything. I will never meet my goals if I don't record my actions.

With all the craziness of the past few months, I've re-gained some weight. My goal is to get that back off, get headed back in the right direction toward the weight I want to be, and most importantly, to get to a place where I feel strong and healthy!

Rising Up

Goodness. What day is it? I've lost track!

After all my good intentions, I was brought low once again by a bout of acute bronchitis. I am still coughing, but it's finally starting to get better, and I have been trying to ease back since the weekend by walking and walking and walking. And stretching--I went to yoga class on Monday night, and it felt amazing to stretch out my very stiff muscles. I am trying so hard not to over-do it, but that's not really in my nature. I tend to be all in, or not in at all--and i am trying hard to accept that this is not always the right way to do things. I think I keep getting sick because I keep trying to jump back in full throttle before I am really better. Walking and yoga, I can do, though, so I am. And I am trying to rest and make decent eating choices. It's very frustrating! I am finally to the point where I WANT to exercise, and my body is pretty much betraying me.

So. I am walking and walking and walking. And I am stretching and stretching and stretching. And that's it for right now. Next week, I am hoping I can add back all my classes, and really get back at it.

As part of catching up, I posted all the pretty things from the walks I have taken since the last post. And I'll tell you, we went for a huge hike this past weekend that was just amazing. The boys made it 6.24 miles, which is just great! We have come a long way as a family since we started with a mile and a half at a time last January. I hope we can hit 10 by the end of the summer. Still loving getting us all out into the woods, and I certainly plan to do more of that.

For the next week or so, I am not really logging things, but I am moving. I am working my way back to being back on track. I am trying to kick out the last of my lingering congestion. And once I jerk all the wheels back on the bus, I'll be back to writing more regularly as well.

I am so glad spring is in the air!

Coming Back up for Air

Life happens sometimes.

Since the headache from January 28th,  I have been off. We had house guests for the weekend of January 29th, and a sick kid at the same time. I cooked things like lasagne, and there were biscuits and beignets and beer. Then a friend came for Sunday dinner, and there was a cream sauce and a pie. And what there wasn't was a hike. And well--I am not really all that sorry for that insane, fun, but completely off the chain weekend. However, since then, I have been sick--it's impossible not to catch your little guy's funk when he's sneezing all over you and coughing all the time. It's been at least a week and a half since I have gotten a good night's sleep, thanks to a hacking cough that's been plaguing me. Rest is so important, and I have not had nearly enough. I've managed some bits of activity here and there, but not enough. But the cough is abating, thank goodness. I am so hoping I can make it to at least a couple of classes this week. I have gotten the food part back on track, but I have been a little afraid of working out with this persistent congestion. Here's hoping I can make it to Zumba tonight at the very least--I am playing it by ear.

I find this so frustrating, by the way--I feel like, since the holidays, I take one step forward, and then two back. Every time I start to get a little bit of momentum going, something just derails it all. I am happy to report that my weight is holding through all this, but I want to work on it continuing to go down. I want to get stronger and not keep having to restart! But all that is just whining. I am still determined as ever.

And here's a little bit of inspiration I stumbled across today. For all that this is a Pepsi commercial, of all things, it sure does make me want to get in great shape! (Also, how was this around in 2011, and I just saw it today???)

Blowing Stereotypes out of the Water

"why plus size women shouldn't do yoga"Agency: lg2 for Penningtonshttp://adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/penningtons_yoga
Posted by Ads of the World on Thursday, January 14, 2016

I love this ad. I love that the woman in the ad is beautiful, and that she is unapologetic in her pursuit of health, strength, and flexibility. I used to be so intimidated by the gym and by the anticipated judgment from the other people in the gym. I used that intimidation as an excuse for not taking care of myself for years, and it took me until my 40s to say--to hell with you, judgy people! I care more about my health than about your opinion. I am grateful that I can say that with confidence now. There is no shame in ANY body type. Judgment has no place in the gym or on a hiking trail or in any other venue where people are striving for good things for themselves.

The Whole Package

I saw this on Facebook yesterday, and I keep thinking about it. This is just a great reminder to look at your whole package, and not get too focused on any one aspect of your life. Someone asked me recently what my secret to weight loss was, and all I could think was--there are no secrets to this whole thing. I am getting outside more than ever. I am eating better than ever. I am more active than ever. And it's making me feel really, really good. I feel stronger and healthier, and I feel like my immune system is stronger, too. Even when I got sick over the holidays, I was only sick for a few days rather than the weeks of lingering malaise I usually experience if I get sick this time of year. When I went to my doctor in the fall for my yearly physical, I was stunned to see that my vitamin D levels are now in the high end of the normal range, when historically they have always been low. My iron levels are good. I have more energy, and I feel more clear-headed now than I have since my children were born. There is no doubt that the physical care I am giving to myself is positively impacting my mental health as well. All of these steps I am taking now--they are truly a gift to myself and my family. These are just the first steps on what I hope is a long, happy, healthy journey.

Day 173: Weekend Update and Other Thoughts

This past weekend was one of running flat out all weekend long. There was very little in the way of formal exercise, but there was also very little in the way of stopping at all. I got up Saturday, went to the farmers market to grab my CSA with both boys in tow, came home, threw everyone in the car, dropped kids off at the grandparents' house, and headed with Jason to Ikea, which is about 2.5 hours away. There we bought ALL THE FURNITURE, and then we came back, grabbed the boys, fed everyone pizza and salad, and crashed. Sunday, as you might imagine, was a day of putting stuff together. That, along with the weekly grocery store run, and a ton of re-organization, ate the day. I cooked little, ate OK, but not great, and went to bed absolutely worn out. There was no logging and no blogging.

My weight dropped to 189, so yay for that!

Yesterday was mostly back on track, but man it's cold. Too cold for walking outside at lunchtime. My food intake wasn't huge, but it wasn't all great, that's for sure. But I did make it to yoga class last night, and I arrived early enough that I did a whole bunch of ab work to cover day five and to make up for missing day three of the 30 day abs challenge over the weekend. (Day four is a rest day, so I guess I didn't miss that one. lol) I was pretty proud of myself at yoga for managing a full on lizard pose, which I haven't been able to do before. That baby grasshopper pose, however? That still looks like something the human body isn't meant to do. I mean, just look at it! (Images are from here and here.)

Today--today, man. I am TIRED. But I got up this morning at 5:15am and dragged my butt out into the 18-degree morning to make it to barbell class. I spent the day yawning as a result, but I am still glad I did it. I need to figure out how to get some steps in when it's so abysmally cold outside--I really can't take being outside for long when it's like this. I guess this is why there are treadmills and elliptical machines.

I am so tired that I skipped knitting tonight--that's saying something when you're too tired to sit still and knit. Time for bed!

Log: 

Exercise:

• Barbell strength class with Tracy at the Apex gym
• Day 6 of the 30-day Abs Challenge: 34 sit-ups, 15 leg raises, 15 crunches, 25 second plank

Nutrition:

• Breakfast: two eggs scrambled with cheese, 2 Applegate chicken and sage sausage links, milk, tea with milk and raw sugar
• Lunch: turkey and havarti on whole wheat, cut up raw zucchini and red peppers with honey mustard, and a cup of fruit (honeydew melon, grapes, blueberries)
• Dinner: grilled chicken thighs, roasted sweet potato, and French green beans with olive oil and porcini salt
• Snacks:1 lemonade Girl Scout cookie, an extra cup of tea with milk and raw sugar, a handful of roasted peanuts

Stats:

• Steps: a pitiful 5210
• Calories: 1480 consumed, 327 burned
• Weight: 189 lb

200 Calories

Sometimes it's really helpful to have a visual. This image is what 200 calories worth of many common foods looks like. If you've never counted calories, it's pretty eye opening! (Click here for the full resolution image.)

Day 154: Happy New Year!

Hey, y'all. I am not dead, I swear, though I did take a break from all the tracking over the holidays. I knew I was going to keep moving but eat indulgently, and my goal was to stay active, to mostly maintain my weight, and to feel no guilt about it. So this morning, with a bit of dread at how much I might have slipped backwards and how much farther I may have to go to work off those indulgences, I stepped on the scale for the first time in weeks. I am happy to report that I am now at 192, just a pound more than the weight I previously recorded here. At one point in early December, I hit 189, but then you know--Christmas.

So now it's the new year, and my only goal is to keep going with the start toward a healthier self! Sadly, I am starting this year off with a nasty cold, but as soon as I can shake it off, I plan to get moving again! I forced myself to get up and get to the grocery store and the farmers market, so I am stocked up and prepared for some healthy cooking. I find that my best success comes when I plan and prepare meals before the week gets started. I cook or prep it all ahead of time, so there's only assembly to do to get a meal into a lunchbox or onto the table. Here's what's on the menu for this week:

• Asian stir-fry with skirt steak, Napa cabbage, shitake mushrooms, bean sprouts, ginger, and scallions
• Leftover pork loin (I made roasted pork with rosemary and garlic for New Years) with baked sweet potatoes and sauteed Swiss chard with brown oyster mushrooms, garlic, and lemon olive oil
• Radish top pasta from The French Market Cookbook
• BBQ chicken with roasted red peppers and cilantro
• Grilled salmon with roasted cauliflower and steamed asparagus
• Spinach and mushroom frittata
• Steel cut oats with pecans and dried blueberries

I can't wait to get back to healthier eating, and I think part of that is because I did let myself indulge over the holidays. I didn't go TOO far, but I ate things with butter and sugar and carbs galore, and I drank the sparkly wines and the cocktails here and there. And don't get me wrong--I enjoyed the heck out of all that--but I am definitely ready to get back on track. I want to eat vegetables, and I am dying to get moving! I want this cold to go away ASAP so I can get all my working out in this week coming week! As of tomorrow, I am back to tracking everything again, and hopefully I will see my goal weight in 2016.

What's In An Average?

This is one of the most interesting articles I have ever read about body image and how we see ourselves: http://nicolepartridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/MC05_FEAT_70kg.pdf. It's by Nicole Partridge and from Marie Claire magazine, of all places. I generally despise Marie Claire for photoshopping the women on their covers to near-unreconizability. However, this is pretty great. Each of these woman weighs 154 pounds, which is average in Australia. The article includes an interview with each one about how she feels about her body. Worth a read for sure.

90-Day Challenge Essay

The last step if the essay is to write a 5000-character essay about your experience with the challenge. I submitted mine today, and here it is:

In July, I got an email about the 90-day Weight Loss Challenge, just as I was searching for motivation to get moving again. I thought that joining might give me some much-needed accountability, so I decided to go for it. Like many people who have battled weight issues for years, I knew WHAT to do—I just needed the motivation to actually DO it. I didn’t spend a lot of money on this challenge. I haven’t hired a personal trainer or a nutritionist, and I haven’t purchased any supplements. I have tried to be smart and not set unrealistic goals for myself.  I have mostly stuck with my plans, in spite of a few life-related setbacks, and I came close to meeting my personal goal of losing 25 pounds, would put me about half way to my goal weight. In the end, I lost 21.4 pounds, which is 10% of my starting body weight, and I am pretty happy with that!

I have never been happy with my weight, but my attitude about it has changed a lot over the years. I used to view losing weight as a path to happiness, but I have realized as I have gotten older that happiness comes from within, and that weight is more about health than anything else. As a young’un, I used to diet stupidly and work out sporadically, and I truly had no idea what I was doing or how unhealthy my actions were for my body. In my 20s and early 30s, I went through a couple of periods of coming close to being in decent shape, but with a real lack of knowledge about what I was doing—it never “stuck,” and I always ended up back where I started or worse.

In my mid-30s, I started to learn about nutrition. I read a book called “Fatland” that was a real game changer for me, and I started to change my diet. Over the next few years, I learned more and more, started cooking more and eating healthier. I learned a lot by going to the farmers market every weekend and trying anything that was unfamiliar. I read Jane Brody’s nutrition book, Walter C Willet’s fantastic guide, “Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy,” the South Beach Diet books, and many others. I learned to take an additive approach to dieting—trying to figure out ways to get more healthy things into my diet rather than focusing on depriving myself of things that were less healthy. I learned to make healthy choices most of the time, and not to beat myself up over occasional indulgences. I learned to plan meals for the whole week at a time, and to do a lot of cooking and prep on Sundays so that it was easier to keep up with healthy eating through the work week. I believe that our family eats really well overall. Food is not the source of my weight issues.

My biggest issue is time. I am a mother of two young children, and I have a full time, extremely sedentary job. I have had a huge amount of trouble finding time and a way to fit exercise into my life in a way that I could actually maintain. Through this challenge, I have tried to look hard at the bits and pieces of my day that were unclaimed by other commitments: early mornings, evenings after dinner and homework is done and before the kids are in bed, the brief time at night before I go to bed, my lunch hour at work... I have found classes and created short workouts for myself to fit into these holes in my schedule, and I have had a ton of support from my other half to make that happen. Time management has been a HUGE priority, and we have, as a family, achieved a level of organization I didn’t even know was possible. It’s working.

For the last 3 months, I have been utilizing the fool out of the classes at two locations of the gym. I am doing Zumba classes 2-3 times per week, Barbell Strength classes 2 times per week, and a Yoga class once a week. In addition to this, I am also doing daily core work at home, stretching a lot, and walking 11,000 steps/5 miles per day. Our family has been doing big family hikes on the weekends—we are having a blast exploring state parks and the local hiking trails we are so lucky to have all around us.  I have been tracking calories on the MyFitnessPal app, which I have linked to the Fitbit app and the MapMyWalk app. Last, but not least, I have been blogging the whole experience, including pictures, research, and rewards.  I have put some good habits in place and worked out a great schedule for our whole family to get us moving more and eating better. This whole experience has been so positive. I am confident that it has set me on a path to meeting my personal weight and health goals—this is our new “normal,” and I think it’s totally maintainable for our family. I feel better, I am starting to look better, I am setting a good example for my kids, and last night, I made it into my “goal pants” for a date night with my awesome and ultra-supportive other half. It’s all good.

Official Weigh-Out and Pictures

Starting weight on August 9, 2015: 211.5 on the home scale, 214.3 on the gym scale
Weight on November 7, 2105: 190 on the home scale, 192.9 on the gym scale
Current Loss: 21.5 pounds

Before Pictures:

Progress Pictures:

There are definitely some differences, but I certainly don't want to call the second set, "after pictures," because I still have a long way to go. I think the biggest difference is in my waistline. I didn't take full body measurements when I started, but I wish I had. There's a big difference in my waistline, which is most apparent from the side and back.

Jason and I are heading out on an actual date, and I am wearing these amazing bright green linen pants that I bought as a goal over a year ago, and I have to say--that's pretty awesome. I tried them on as a test, with very low expectations, and they aren't even the slightest bit tight. So exciting! I know it's November, and WAY past linen season, but people, I cannot help it--these things have to be worn!

Wild Child

I have mentioned before that we really notice the effect of going for walks in the woods on the boys. This is something I have been thinking about and that Jason and I have been discussing a lot for a long time. One of the main reasons I want to be fit and healthy and active is to set a good example for my children so that THEY will be fit and healthy and active. It is my fervent hope that if Jason and I set this example for them, they will have a good chance of enjoying lifelong benefits from the foundation we are building for them now. I want them to see for themselves how good it feels to be outside, to move, to run! I want Kieran and Finn to recognize the benefits of exercise and movement on not just physical health, but also on mental health, especially the attention issues that run in both their parents' families. We certainly see direct correlations between how well Kieran performs at school and how well Finn controls his temper when we get them out into nature. Jason and I both grew up playing in the woods nearly every day, and we really want the boys to have the same opportunity. Clearly, they love it, and it's so good for all of us!

If you are thinking about getting your own family outside more, I highly recommend this great book by Dr. Scott Sampson (the paleontologist from the PBS kids' show Dinosaur Train) called How to Raise a While Child. Jason's been reading this book, and we have been actively working on implementing some of its recommendations in our lives with these crazy boys. To be fair, we already were doing a lot of what he says, but it's still good to be reminded about why it's so important.

Partially to this end, and also for our own fitness goals, we started a tradition of going on family hikes on the weekends. We are fortunate to live in an area where there are many parks and semi-wild spaces around us, and we are trying to take full advantage of them. We seek out trails at the beach, in the mountains, and wherever we find ourselves. As the boys grow bigger and stronger, we are able to go farther and farther on these hikes, and it's getting glorious! And we are trying to let them lead us to a certain extent. Even on the greenway through our neighborhood, there's a stream in which they can stomp around in rain boots and get muddy, which is awesome. They are learning about our native trees and plants and animals--things that, as a child, I took for granted, but have realized as an adult that many people never know.

This weekend, we drove down to Raven Rock State Park and hiked almost 5 miles, our longest one yet, up and down big hills, along cliff tops and creek beds, and deep enough into the forest that we couldn't hear anything but the sounds of the trees and streams and critters. The weather was beautiful, the woods smelled like fall, and the dappled sunlight coming through those trees was absolutely rejuvenating. We were treated to stunning views of the Cape Fear River, and we saw many beautiful details along the path. Kieran ran almost the whole way, and Finn was a boss--he finally started to tire out at around 3.5 miles. We will definitely go back there.

As a bonus, my fitbit was so happy with that hike that it gave me a new badge. I always get excited by these, even though I know it's a little silly. :-)

Notes on Body Types

When I did my initial weigh in, the trainer who weighed me took one look at me and declared me an endomorph--he said that this means carbs are my personal enemy and that I should focus on strength training over cardio. I am just now getting around to doing some reading on this topic.

This site has what looks like a good analysis, and a quiz that helps you figure out your body type and how best to train for it: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

I took the quiz, and these were my results:

Traits
Endomorph: 38%
Mesomorph: 63%
Ectomorph: 0%

Your body is between an endomorph and a mesomorph.

Endomorph: Your biggest concern should be losing fat and adopting a lifestyle that keeps it off. Strength training should be done to get a better muscle-to-fat ratio, which will help to boost your metabolism. Use moderate weights at a fast training pace, allowing for very little rest between sets and exercises. Lower your calorie intake and eat frequent but small meals to make sure you're still getting adequate nutrition. Eliminate sugar, sweets, and junk food from your diet. Get your heart pumping by engaging in some form of daily activity such as brisk walking or biking. 

Mesomorph: You have a naturally fit body but, to maintain or improve it, you should adopt an exercise and diet regimen that compliments your build. You can strength train more often and for longer periods of time, but be careful not to overdo it. Train with moderate to heavy weighs and keep a moderate pace, making sure not to rest too long between sets. You'll find you gain muscle quite easily. Don't fear; you won't get "bulky." When you're happy with your muscle size, simply train to maintain. Stick to a good, healthy diet to stay lean and muscular, and watch for any slow-creeping fat gains. Engage in and enjoy aerobic activities, but be careful not to overdo it.

I would actually have guessed that I was more endomorph with a smattering of mesomorph. Lord knows that I always have a pretty high body fat percentage. However, I also have thin wrists and ankles, and it's easy for me to build muscle mass if I try at all. I can already tell a huge difference in my arms and legs after just over a month of strength training. If I wanted to become a body builder, as I actually thought about doing when I was in high school, I think that would be an easy path for me. However, I really, really, do NOT want to get bulky. Strong yes, bulky, no.

So it seems to me that what I am doing is about right. Watch the calories, avoid too many carbs, keep the sugar to a minimum, try to focus on building strength and muscle mass, and do some cardio, but not too much with super high heart rates that could be burning that carefully built muscle. It seems to me like the walking is probably better in the long run than the Zumba, but the Zumba is just too fun to stop, and it keeps me motivated. It's all about balance, right?