Weight Loss » Then Heather Said

Weight Loss Real Talk

Posted by Heather at 6:06 pm Weight Loss

Apr 162012

Real talk. Ready, set, go:

Last week’s goals for health & weight. Let’s review.

1. Run 150 minutes or more. My original plan was this: Run 40 minutes. Run 40 minutes again. Run a 70 minute “long run” during the weekend.

What really happened was this: Completed one 40 minute run. Skipped the other. Turned that 70 minutes into 61 minutes, instead. I’m still pretty darn proud of that 61 minute run, though – as I almost stopped after 3 miles and decided that if I didn’t want to do a full 70 minutes, I should at least go a bit father. I love that I was able to push through two more miles [it wasn’t easy – but I did it!] and prove to myself, once again, that I can do it if I put my mind to it.

2. Drink Water. Did much better at drinking water throughout the weekend. Still something I need to constantly remind myself to do, but it’s slowly turning into a habit.

3. No ice cream treats until Friday. GOLD SPARKLING STAR! I not only didn’t eat ice cream before Friday, I turned down an offer for a mid-week dish twice at work. During the stressful time that is April, this was an accomplishment in itself.

I ended up waiting until Saturday to order my ice cream from the Stewart’s counter – and although I purchased a hand-packed pint [they were on sale! ] I only ate about two small scoops worth of the good stuff, putting the remainder of the pint in the freezer for this week’s Friday indulgence.

4. Do 2 strength training workouts. After my 40 minute run last week, I did my favorite Shredded Shoulder workout. And, that’s it. Just the one strength workout last week.

5. Weigh In on Sunday. Victory is mine. Not only did I weigh-in on Sunday, but when I did, I saw a number almost 6 pounds lighter than when I first declared myself “back on the weight-loss train!” I have 4.2 lbs to go to reach my 10lb loss by June 1. Totally do-able!

Friday night, we went to a party. Our friends had just moved into a new place and there was celebration to be had because of it. Especially because the building they moved into was once visited by none other than President George Washington himself!!! Yes, of course, I had some excitement over this fact.

I also had some wine. And then, perhaps due to my intoxication, I may have also had some Dominos pizza and cheesy bread. [okay, okay: not only did I have the pizza, but I suggested the cheesy bread be added to the order.] And then we got home at 2:00 AM.

When Saturday morning rolled around, and I woke up at 6:30 per the regular – I did not want to run for 40 minutes, as I had originally planned. I didn’t want to run for 4 minutes, actually. I wanted to go back to sleep. And so I did.

A few hours later, when Nick and I were actually awake and ready to start the day, I mentioned that I was upset. I may have been a bit of a drama queen over the whole thing, because when Nick said “Heather. You are allowed to go out drinking one night of the weekend. Especially after a stressful week of work…” I realized that he was right, and perhaps I was blowing one night of less-than-healthy choices out of proportion to the past three weeks of making healthy choices.

With my head in the right place [thanks, boyfriend!] I finally took my own advice. I stopped being upset about the choices I had previously made, and instead focused my energy on making my next choice be a healthy one. And my next choice after that, too. And so on, and so forth, all the way until I made sure to be in bed at a decent hour Saturday night so that I could up and run my heart out on Sunday morning.

Moral of the story? One night of intoxication and pizza eating and staying out late does not mean the end of my weight loss. [remember, two days later I saw I was down 5.8 pounds!] Stop allowing the unhealthy decisions of your past suck all the energy away from you! Turn it into MOTIVATION and ENCOURAGEMENT for the next decision. Take it one step at a time.

On to this week’s goals!!

1. Rewrite my training plan, and follow it. I’ve been reading about a different kind of training the past few days, and I am really interested in giving it ago. It’s all about training SLOWER than I have been. Alyssa’s the one that got me started on the idea when she posted about changing her own training last week. I’ve always had a problem finding the right paces for me, and I hope that the changes I plan on making to my plan help me to find my groove.

2. Stretch after running. Once in a while I’m really good about stretching after I run. Usually I’m not so good. I want to make sure to spend at least 10 minutes stretching out after each run this week.

I know that just saying I want to stretch more isn’t going to do it for me. I need a plan! So here it is: When I finish from my run, I will take my water bottle to my back porch. I will set the countdown clock on my phone for 10 minutes. I will sing along to my new “stretching sing-a-long” playlist. THEN, and only then, I will shower. I always tell myself “oh, I’ll just stretch AFTER my shower…” and then it never happens.

3. Go on one bike ride. I’ve heard a billion times that cross training is important. I’ve thought about it about a billion times, too. This is another one of those things that I know I should do, but I’ve never actually made a plan for it. My awesome 1972 Schwinn [seriously – one of the favorite things I own!] is ready and waiting for me. I will ride my bike for AT LEAST 30 minutes this week.

4. Rock through two strength training workouts. Let’s face it: one will be the Shredded Shoulders workout that I love so much. While I was looking through old workout posts I had favorite in the past several months, I came across another one of Courtney’s gems – the 10 minute no-excuses workout! Since I seem to be having such a hard time committing to two days of strength training this month [the past 3 weeks I’ve managed only 1 workout a week] I think that this one may be a winner. NO EXCUSES! [p.s. please feel free to keep me accountable here, friends!]

5. Keep sleep a priority. I know the next three weeks of work are going to be crazy busy. My schedule has already become a mash of early mornings and staying late when necessary. I know that it’s best for me to get 8-9 hours of sleep a night – for my sanity, for my attitude, for my training, and for my weight loss progress, too. I plan to be in bed no later than 10:15 PM each night this week!

Holiday Weekend and Weight Loss

Posted by Heather at 8:52 pm Weight Loss

Apr 082012

This weekend full of sunshine and time off from the office, I did not run – I haven’t gone out for a run since Thursday, when I left the trail feeling frustrated by how things went and wishing I could feel good about running again. I feel like it’s been a really long time since I’ve had a STRONG run, and it’s starting to bug me. I still enjoy running, of course – but I haven’t had one of those gosh, I feel like I’m flying! I LOVE RUNNING!!! runner’s high moments in a long time. I’m ready for one.

Instead, I logged a few miles of the walking variety. And a 4.5 miles bike ride of errand running with Nicholas. I spent time sitting in silence and listening to the world around me. I stretched out my legs and reached my arms high into the air. I wrote with my hands, and hugged with my arms, and danced with my whole body. I pedaled with my legs, and I lifted with my back, and I laughed with my whole being. I felt my body do what a body is supposed to do and I felt good about it as it happened. When I got dressed and looked into the mirror I felt – HEALTHY – and ready to continue my journey towards the healthiest me.

This weekend I ate ice cream and dole whip, and a milkshake, too. I ate the ear of a chocolate bunny, half a Reese’s egg, Taco Bell, and a Wild Cherry Pepsi. I may have also eaten a chocolate covered marshmallow rabbit and a mini snickers bar. I may have made the unhealthy choice way more often than I normally would in a three day period of time.

I also ate orange slices, and homemade Chinese chicken and broccoli, and stopped eating while I was full. I drank water and snacked on grape tomatoes and raw broccoli. I made a few healthy decisions along with the not-as-healthy ones. And I know that I have the power to make the next choice a healthy one, and maybe the next one, too.

This week I want to set goals in a few areas to help me stay focused on making decisions th help reach my weight loss goals.

1. Run 150 minutes or more. For my 15K training plan this time around, I’m focusing on time rather than miles. I have two 40 minute runs and one 70 minute on the list to complete this week and I am confident that I will have at least ONE decent run to cheer about.

2. DRINK WATER. Up until Thursday evening, I was doing an awesome job of staying hydrated via the H2O. I’m not quite sure what happened, but I do know that I haven’t drank more than 32 ounces of water all weekend long. I want to get back on the sipping water all day long plan ASAP.

3. No ice cream treats until Friday. True story: last Thursday, I had ice cream three times. Once for breakfast, once after my horrible run, and once after dinner. I didn’t even TRY to use self control. I need to prove to myself that I am not ruled by that which comes out of the Stewart’s freezer.

4. Do 2 strength training workouts. The past two weeks I’ve made it a priority to fit one short stretch training circuit after one of my training runs. This week I want to aim to fit in two workouts. I’m loving this Shoulder circuit from Courtney, and I plan to give this Strapless Dress Workout from Alyssa a try, too.

5. Weigh in on Sunday. I haven’t weighed myself since I first set a goal to lose 10 pounds by June 1 almost three weeks ago. It’s time for me to step onto the scale and do a bit of a self check-in. I also know that I will make smart, clean, healthy choices this week knowing that I will be weighing myself Sunday, which I’ll take as a bit of added motivation.

What are your own healthy intentions and focuses this week?

60 Days

Posted by Heather at 6:00 am Weight Loss

Apr 022012

Let’s talk about where I am in this weight loss journey, eh?

The last time I stepped on a scale was the day I set a goal of losing 10 pounds by the first day of June. Today we’re 60 days away from June 1. I don’t know if I will stay off the scale the next two months until my goal day for a dramatic Biggest Loser type weigh in or if I will end up checking my weight before the week is over. I’m not putting any pressure on myself to be scale-obsessed this go-around. I am confident that my day to day decisions will end in the results I’m going after.

Thus far, I’m pretty damn proud of how well I’m managing my five weight loss focuses. I’ve been happy with my healthy choice making, and taking things one step at a time. I haven’t been the perfect picture of health [can we say macaroni and cheese perfection?], but to me that in itself is a lot closer to my own healthy living ideals.

I’ve been drinking lots of water, especially during the week. I could afford to drink more water when I’m not at the office, though. Must work on that. Also, was totally freaked out during a twitter conversation about water bottle bacteria last week. I’m horrible about giving my at-work water bottle a good scrub as often as I should. Chelsea wrote a post about when her unwashed water bottle was making her sick. You should read it. And then wash out your water bottle, like woah.

I’ve been aiming for at least five servings of fruits and veggies each day, and for the most part have been able to manage. I have noticed, though, that I often rely on fruits to fill up that number when I should really be loading up on veggies first. I’m working on it. I even made “veggie fries” by cutting carrots, parsnips, and a sweet potato into strips, tossing in olive oil and sprinkling with sea salt and black pepper – then roasting for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. Delicious.

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I’ve been doing a great job at enjoying ice cream only once a week. This is especially a “woohoo!” worthy success, as Stewart’s has released their new flavors for the year and every one of them sounds delightful. I’ve tasted two of the new flavors [nuts over toffee and happy camper!] and both are delightful! I can’t wait to try another new flavor later this week.

Running is going well. I’ve been following along with my training plan and have enjoyed a couple of easy interval runs with my friend Kristine. Kristine is one of my favorite people to run with – I feel like we are pretty evenly matched not only in terms of running fitness level, but also in our determination and drive to put in a good workout. We are really evenly balanced and I truly love that some days Kristine has a really strong run which pushes me along, and other days I may have a strong run which pushes Kristine along. I am so lucky to have a friend who wants to spend time on the trail every week!

I’m really fortunate to have supportive people in my life who encourage and help me to go after my weight loss and fitness goals. Before my relationship with Nick, I wasn’t sure if there was an appropriate way for a boyfriend to support a girlfriend who was trying to lose weight. Weight loss is often labeled a taboo subject in our culture, and a sensitive one, certainly. Somehow this wonderful man I’m with has shown me that it is possible to feel his support without taking it as some criticism of who I am.

I know a lot of the credit belongs to Nick, for being honest, tactful, and encouraging, and taking care with his words as to not offend me. However, I think that I deserve a little bit of the credit, too – because the truth is I’ve changed. I’ve grown. I’ve understood a bit deeper not to regret my past mistakes – that it’s not about what I’ve done and where I’ve been, but about what I choose to do now, and where I’m planning on going.

I’m also so thankful for some accountability found in friendships. Emails discussing healthy goals for the day and inquiring on my struggles are helping to keep me focused on my goals. These conversations help to keep my mind moving with healthy decision momentum. Blogging these sort of “checking in” posts help to keep me moving towards the goal as well. Thank you for being here, my friends!

On to a great week filled with healthy decisions for us all!