Kathy Week 74: Maintaining during a tough week

I promised myself that if I could just maintain (138 lb) last week, I would be happy. I knew it would be a week with almost zero exercise and strange eating schedules. Mark and I were in the high school play, The Hobbit both elves - you can see pictures here - which meant that there wasn't time to go to yoga class, or go running, and we had to cram meals into almost no time at all.

Plus we had company coming into town at the end of the week! Lots of opportunities to get off track, but I am happy to report that I still weigh 138 today. I recorded calories all week on the myfitnesspal.com website, and I was committed to plan ahead for shopping/meal planning, so we did not eat any fast food all week. (I made an extra batch of last week's quiche recipe, and we bought some frozen meals in the health food section at the grocery store.)

We have some beautiful weather today, so I'm headed out to work in the garden! Have a wonderful, skinny week!

Sold

So... I have a confession to make.

I sold our scale.  Weeks ago.

As some of you already know, we're moving next month.  We've decided that most of what we own is just junk anyway, so we're selling almost everything and just moving with what will fit in our car.*  So when one of my good friends sent me a message on Facebook a little while back asking if we were selling our scale, I said yes.  A few days later they came and got it and I haven't had any idea how much I weigh since then.

When one of my other good friends came over and took a tour of our empty apartment I was listing off some of the stuff we used to have in the bathroom and I mentioned that we had sold our scale.  I was both surprised and delighted by her response of, "Don't you love not having a scale?"

I'll admit that up until her comment I had mostly been considering the lack of scale to be a source of guilt and a bit of a nuisance.  But after her cheery comment about it being so great, I found myself instantly agreeing with her.  The guilt remained since I've been blabbing about getting down to 135 by my birthday, but it has actually been a huge relief to have no idea how much I weigh.  The truth is: I don't care.

As for my goal, I'd still like to meet it, but mostly because I'd like to slim down in general.  But I'm coming to terms with the fact that it may not happen by my birthday.  There are a lot of reasons why.  Here are some:

• I no longer have a scale, so I'll have no idea if/when I reach my goal.
• I sold both strollers (i.e. a little tricky to go walking).**
• One of my good walking buddies moved.  To Wisconsin.
• My other good walking buddy is enjoying her husband being home more... which means less time for walks.
• It has been raining.  A lot.
• We have been buying Oreos.  And I have been eating my fair share.  And enjoying it.
• Our lives are currently on no kind of regular schedule so I often go a few days before I realize I haven't gone on a walk.  

So, there you have it.  Those are just a few of my lame excuses.  Still, lame as they are, they are real.  Anyway, to those of you still working on the goal to be 135 by my birthday, I commend you.  Will I be meeting that goal with you?  Who knows.


*Both my parents and Bryan's parents are being kind and driving some of our stuff out to us later this summer.  And we've mailed about 5 boxes of books to ourselves via some nice friends who already live in the place we're moving to.


**This is actually a pretty lame excuse since a very nice friend has already offered to let me borrow hers.  Also, we should be getting a new stroller I ordered tomorrow.

I Am a Child of God

Kathy Week 73: Back on Track

I had a much-needed wakeup call this week.

I've been slacking off about food choices. An extra milkshake here. A light-night dish of ice cream there. They add up, and I was pretending not to notice.

Tuesday morning: 140 lb.  Oh, no!!
As long as I'm still in the 130s, I can pretend I'm not really gaining. I can't ignore it once I hit the 1-4-0.

Tuesday night: Relief Society, and a presentation on health and wellness.
Just what the doctor ordered!

The presenter was my dear friend, Liberty Fort. More about what she had to say in a minute. What really caught my attention was what she had to show. (Wish I'd snapped a photo with my phone...)

She had two small tables in the front of the room. Each table had food on it. Equal calories on both tables. But. There was LOTS of food on the table on the left. You guessed it--all healthy food. Enough to fill you up all day, and it looked delicious.

The table on the right...not so much. It was mostly processed foods, and the calories added up quickly. If that was what I ate all day, I'd have a rumbly tummy. She made the point.

And speaking of foods that fill you up, before I go any further, I want to share a new recipe I found today:

Crustless Swiss Chard Quiche

I made it this evening for dinner. It's a keeper!
Only 177 calories per serving, and get this: a "serving" is 1/4 of that pie!
Be still my heart. So yummy. So filling and satisfying.
I am excited to have leftovers to enjoy!

You can find the recipe and nutrition info here.

And speaking of tracking calories and nutrition info, I'm happy to report that I'm back on the wagon with myfitnesspal.com. Why do I ever stop using this friendly little website? So easy to track food and exercise. And free...

But now, back to...

Liberty's Wisdom

Liberty is a Physician's Assistant, so she has lots of know-how from her training and her work with patients. She shared five keys to living a long and healthy life. (I knew all of these, of course...but it was motivating to hear them again from a friend, especially on a day when I knew I had to make some changes.

The Five Most Important Keys to Health:
1. Don't smoke
2. No more than 1 alcohol drink per day
3. Eat at least 5 fruits/veggies every day
4. Exercise at least 45 minutes, 5 or days/week
5. Maintain an ideal body weight (BMI 19-25)

How am I doing?
#1-2--I've nailed those. No prob.
(So encouraging to know that I am already living the 2 most important rules!)
#3? Most days. If I'm not into junk food.
#4? Ouch. How do I come up with 45 minutes/day?
That's a tough one. But some is better than none, right?
#5...I'm working on it, ok?

One last thought...
Along with the food visuals on the two tables, the most motivating thing Liberty said was this:


My body is an instrument of service. And Christ paid the price for me to be here and serve.

Wowza. That puts healthy eating and living into a whole new ballgame, no? Like if I don't take care of my body, I'm disrespecting Jesus. It's not just about wanting to look good or live a long life. It's a way I can show my love, gratitude, and faith in the Savior. I guess that thought really hit home with me because it's something I've been trying to articulate for a long time, but I hadn't put it in a way that was quite so powerful before.

I have a killer week ahead of me, so I'm headed to the store in just a minute to stock up on fresh veggies that I can cut up and have all ready to go in the fridge. I'll buy a few frozen dinners from the health-food section (a little more moola, but they will help me stay on track during a week that I'm in the high school play). AND I'll continue to make healthy eating choices with myfitnesspal.com.

Have a great week, Skinnies!

Week 7

This one will be quick...I am getting up at 4am to take my parents to the airport! But I had to share the good news; I am getting so close!

143.8

Just over 10 more pounds to go to reach my pre-pregnancy weight! (Which is 133 for any of you that forgot!) Granted I know they will be the hardest 10 pounds, but it has only been about 4 months and so I am feeling really encouraged and really pumped about it all. Wahoo!

Week 6

Yes, I am late. But I did weigh in on Thursday...

144.8

Still moving in the right direction, slowly...and I have been so hungry the last couple of days and eating lots so who knows about this week. I am doubtful that in another month I will be down to 135 (anyone remember Katie's goal???) but at least I am not gaining any weight at the moment. Plus I have hope to be back to my pre-pregnancy weight of 133 before the end of the year which is my New Years resolution. And at least I did go on a jog this morning.

My arms are definitely getting some shape back...I have a little line and everything. This is mostly due to the fact that my baby boy is a chunk, not that I am really doing any great arm exercises. I will take what I can get!

I am exercising most days, however there have been a day here or there that I have skipped jogging in the morning and then never make it up later in the day.

Water is still my biggest challenge- and boy do I know it! I can tell at the end of the day just how thirsty I really am. I have a big water jug that I try to keep around me whenever I am home though and try to refill it more than once in a day (it holds 4 cups). I don't always make it, but I'm trying.

In other exciting news, I just signed up for another 5k...this time on the 4th of July in Provo, Ut! We will be there for a family reunion and there are probably already 20 family members signed up to do the 10k, 5k, or 1 mile race. I contemplated doing the 10k, but considering that Utah doesn't really have any air (well, at least that is what it feels like when you are coming from a humid and sea-level location!) I thought that the 5k would definitely be more fun...the 10k would have been doable, but the 5k will actually be fun. Wahoo!

Anyone else signed up for a race???

Kathy Week 71: Balega Socks ROCK!

I. Am. In. Love.

One of my coworkers gave me a pair of Balega running socks. (Thanks, Laura J!) She blathered on about how wonderful these socks are, how much I would love them.

I was skeptical, but she was right.

I put them on this morning before a quick run, and I kid you not, I could not believe how they felt. They molded softly to my foot. They felt so amazingly wonderful that I forgot I had them on.

I hate to admit it, but they were just what I needed. Ummm, have you noticed that I haven't posted for three weeks? Perhaps you thought to yourself, "Oh, she's probably too busy out running to take time to post..."


Not. More like too-busy-traveling-and-hosting-house-guests-and-stuffing-myself-like-crazy-with-all-kinds-of-naughty-food, and therefore feeling too guilty to post.

The scale showed, it too, with a couple of (yikes!) blips up to 139.

This morning, hooray, it was back to 137. And we are almost finished with the current round of craziness to our schedule. I love visiting family, and having them come visit, but it is so much more difficult--at least for me--to stay on track when there are so many "special" events going on. Anyone else out there have a hard time with that scenario?

Anyway, I haven't been out running for three weeks. It seems like every day I don't run makes it more difficult to convince myself to go out for a run the next day. And so I am in love with my new Balega socks. After three weeks of almost-zero exercise, I was short of breath, but my feet felt great. I wanted to run! Anything that can pump up my motivation is a plus in my book.

I checked online and found lots of info about Balega socks--just google the brand name, and you'll get lots of hits. They come from a small company in South Africa. The name means "to run with speed" in Zulu - how cool is that? I found the best online prices here and here. The pair I have are the "women's Enduro sports," and you can pick them up for about $6.50 per pair.

Why not indulge yourself? They feel so good on your feet! Treat yourself to a Mother's Day gift that keeps on giving--happy feet while you exercise. And speaking of happy feet, I'm going to treat myself to a manicure tonight before I go to bed. It's my Mother's Day gift to me...along with a good run this morning in some amazing socks.

Week 5

145.6

Progress. A little bit. It may be due to the fact that I hardly had time to eat anything...eating is so crazy with my little one. I rarely have time to make a real meal and so I am just snacking and such here and there and eating when he goes to bed- yes, all of these are really bad habits that I am aware of and planning to change...someday.

But nevertheless the scale moved- wahoo! I have been getting plenty of exercise lately and my arms are definitely getting a little bit of their definition back...the water intake could still improve even though I am doing better about drinking while I nurse my little guy.

And alas, no pictures yet of the exercises I had planned to share. If there is a moment this week where my son is awake (I use him for the exercises) and my husband is home (to take the pictures of course) I promise I will snap them!

Everyone go outside and enjoy that it isn't summer yet...because all too soon we will be wishing for a cool breeze! :)

Weekly Check-in

Good morning!

This is Lisa. Checking in to see how I did on my weekly goals.

They were:

1) Work on portion control.

2) Fruits and veg vs. cookies and ice cream and etc.

3) exercise for 1 hr. a day

And the results?

1) GOOD! I felt much more in control this week for the most part! I had to consciously think about not trying to eat as much as my husband and that helped. A lot. Also, drinking lots of water at meals helped. I think sometimes I'm actually thirsty when I think I'm hungry. Thanks to my mom for teaching my that little trick!

2)This went better. One night we "cleaned the sink" at Angie's (a local diner) and I was physically sick the whole night. There were three of us and it had been planned for a month or so, so I didn't feel bad celebrating. But I did go a little overboard. But we finished it!

3) Uh, this went ok. Could have been better. I got at least 30 minutes a day of walking, working in the garden, trudging up the hill to campus, so I feel pretty good about that.

With spring finally coming, it'll be easier to be outside, which for me equals happiness and shedding that winter weight. It's like coming out of hibernation. And spring is coming soon!!