Katie: Week 55 Coping with a New Year

ehhh...

Current weight (Week 55): 136 pounds
Last week's weight (Week 51): 130 pounds
Total weight loss: 34 pounds

Sigh.

I ate too much during the holidays.  Too much eating and not enough exercising.  Though, to my credit, I did go running once and to the gym once while on vacation.  And I have tried to go on walks as often as I can since we've been back from vacation.  But it's harder right now than it used to be.

My excuses/ struggles in not progressing in my weight loss goals as much as I'd like are three fold.

1. It's very cold outside.  
2. My daughter throws tantrums nearly ever time I go on a walk.
3. I still want all the goodies.

The first two problems are connected.  While I'm certainly not excited to go out and run or go on a walk in the frigid weather we've been having (since about the middle of December) I'm still willing to do it.  And once I get out and get going I don't really mind it so much.  So if it were just up to me I may skip a few days here and there, but I think I'd still be pretty good about getting out and getting some healthy exercise.

Unfortunately, it's not just up to me.  As a stay at home mom, my life is inseparably connected to my daughter, now almost 1 1/2 years old.  And she has developed two likes/ dislikes that have recently made it nearly impossible for me to enjoy outside walks.  First of all, she's officially started walking.  And with that new-found independence has come a dislike for being strapped into the stroller.  She does okay for a while, but after a certain amount of time she just screams when I don't let her out and walk.  This combined with her utter refusal to keep a hat or mittens on has made outside walks in the frigid cold an impossibility for me for the time being.  It used to be a somewhat manageable problem.  But with the temperature below freezing every single day, I just can't keep her outside without a hat and mittens on.  We have a great little snow suit for her and I've done my best to bundle her up, but she screams when anything covers up her hands or head and she screams when they get cold.  Agh.  So for now I've decided to surrender.  At least until the weather gets warmer or until she'll tolerate things to keep her warm, I've consigned myself to inside walks only.  Needless to say, we've been doing a lot of mall walking.  And it's good, but it's just not quite the same, you know?  Doesn't quite burn calories the same way as walking up and down hills and walking longer distances.  That being said, there are some definite perks to walking indoors, especially at a place like the mall.  Most especially, we can stop and go back to the car whenever we want and there's easy access to public restrooms.  Both of these are major pluses when your walking partner (i.e. my walking partner) is 8 1/2 months pregnant.  :)

As for the third problem, the eating too much.  Gah.  I don't know.  I know I've been eating a lot less at home than I was when we were on vacation.  And I'm glad about that.  But I'm still hooked on the little things--cookies and milk or a little bowl of ice cream at night.  And I don't feel ready to give it up.  I think mostly that's because I feel like I have to do all or nothing.  And I don't want to go completely without sweets.  I think it's a struggle I'll be working on for a long time.  It's hard.

Anyway, I'm not progressing as quickly as I'd like to be right now.  But I haven't given up.  I'm going pretty slow at the moment, but I am still going.  And, at least for now, I'm proud of that.
 

Mormon Messages: What Matters Most

Kathy Week 54: I Am a Wealthy Woman

For a novice runner, I couldn't ask for a better place to run. There is a middle school track at the end of my street. How sweet is that!!??

This is so perfect. I run out my front door, down the street to the path, and then across the field to the track. That's 1/4 mile. Then I run around the track twice--1/2 mile. Then back home for another 1/4 mile, and I just ran a mile!

I thought it was just the rich people who had something like a track in their back yard. I realize that I am a wealthy woman!

I ran this route on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week. Monday was slightly damp, Wednesday was overcast, and Friday was a light steady rain. Temperatures were in the high 30s or low 40s.

Mark ran with me on Friday, and I was able to run more than him!! Not that I mean to be competitive or anything, but I would just like to point out that this was the first time we've run together that he had to stop and walk while I kept running. Of course I was nice to him about it, but I have to admit that I was secretly just a little tickled.

My weight is still 134. The weather forecast is cold and icky this coming week, so I don't feel any pressing need to raise my weekly goal above three miles for next week. I think it's a good way for me to maintain my commitment to running.

A friend recommended this website for getting started as a runner. I read through the different pages, and realized that I am already way better at running than the "couch potato" status the website describes for beginners.

Are you just getting started on running? Not sure you can do it? You CAN!! I am 56 years old and out of shape, and for years I believed I could not run, but I am doing it. If I can do it, you can too. I don't run fast, and I don't run far, but I AM becoming a runner, a little bit at a time.

Will I lift some weights this coming week? Maybe...
Count calories?? Never can tell...

But for sure, my skinny friends, I will be running.

What makes you wealthy?

I'm not sure how much I weigh today

Hey Skinnies!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break!  I had a great time out in Virginia with my fun in-laws and then back here at home for my sister-in-law's wedding.  We ate and played and ate and played and ate and ate some more.  I literally gained ten pounds (I think) since Thanksgiving.  But I've already lost at least half of that since we came back--not even really from doing anything.  Anyway, we've still got some family in town and it's been pretty cold outside and my daughter has been sick, so I haven't really been getting back into my regular groove yet.  Part of me would love to switch back into mega workout and eat healthy mode, but the other part of me is content just to kind of ease back into daily life for a few more days while we've got family in town.  So, anyway, I forgot to weigh myself today.  But I did have fun watching my little girl count the days on the calendar and tell me what a doggie says about ten billion times.  Life is pretty quiet and slow right now.  I'm sure it'll pick up again soon.  Probably by next week.

Until then,
Katie :)

Happy New Year!

So I know it isn't my regular posting time, however I just wanted to wish y'all a very happy new year! My posts may be a little irregular in the coming weeks, but I am still thinking of all of you!

I will admit that this year it was a little bit liberating to have the new year roll around and not have to start trying to up my exercise or change my eating habits right away...I will get there this year for sure, however at about 8 1/2 months pregnant it isn't really the time to start doing sit-ups and such! But I want you all to know that the first thing I do each morning (besides brush my teeth and make my husband breakfast and a lunch, of course) is get out and go for a walk; it has been about a month since I stopped running but I still walk a couple of miles each morning. And you know what? I feel great! Sure my back aches here and there and little things like that, but for the most part I feel really good and I know that it is in large part to my staying active throughout my entire pregnancy. Mentally I am invigorated to get a lot done each day when I start with exercise while physically it has helped me to not be so achey and actually sleep pretty well still at nights.

So I know that this is a time when a lot of us feel a tad bit more motivated and pretty soon it just seems like too much hard work, but I can testify to you that if you keep at it you will feel fantastic. You will feel proud of yourself as well as healthier! 2007 was the year I whipped myself into shape and I wouldn't go back for the world...no amount of sleep or snacks or anything is worth how great I feel inside and out each day now! Lets make 2011 your year!

Good luck!

New Year's: Look Not behind Thee

Kathy Week 53: Hello 2011!

Dear 2011,

Ready or not, here you are, a brand-spanking new year filled with 365 mornings just waiting to surprise me! What kind of year will you be?

It's kind of hard for me to believe that Katie organized The Skinny a whole year ago! I've been a bit AWOL for the last while, but I'm ready to get back on track with my health goals again.

Remember this photo?

Ouch! One year ago today. Weight: 151 lbs. The weight can creep up so easily, no?

By summer I was here:

So much healthier and happier! My weight was just below 130 in this photo.

Today it's in between those two: 134 on the scale this morning, and for the last 2 or 3 weeks. Not as much fun as 127, but a whole lot better than 151.

Katie and I have both mentioned in earlier posts that we have love-hate relationships with the scale. Yes, it's a useful tool for monitoring one aspect of our health. But on the other hand, both of us have experienced times when worrying about the scale/calories/numbers has taken over our lives. How to strike a balance??

So in this new year, I've decided that I will continue to monitor my weight with a daily weigh-in...it's been a morning habit for years...but my focus is going to be on counting miles, not calories.

That's right, I said miles, as in, I want to be a runner.

When I mentioned this to one of my grandkids last week, he immediately wanted to know if I would be running a marathon. Ah, um, hahahahaha. I don't think so. Like I said to hubby today, I don't know if you can call what I do on the track "running," exactly. I huff and puff. Today (32 degrees plus a breeze outside) I only ran for 1/4 mile before I was beginning to wheeze a little and I just didn't have any oomph. I walked the rest of the mile.

But I'd like you to know, 2011, that I want you to go down in my history as the year I became a runner. Last week I ran a mile or more, on three different days, even though one of the days was rainy! I looked online for tips on how to run in the rain, and you know what? I didn't melt, I didn't freeze, and my shoes dried out just fine in front of the heater vent, with newspapers stuffed inside.

The forecast for most of the week here is clear and cold, but my goal is to get out and run at least a mile, at least three times during the week. I'll be checking in again next Saturday to let you know how I did. Until then, welcome, 2011!

Sincerely,  Kathy

PS - Dear Skinny readers - What are your goals for a healthier 2011?