A Regular Walk Turns RAD

My friend Ani and I have been going on regular 3-mile walks about twice a week.  They started as a way for me to distract myself from the dreaded snack monster that hits me in the afternoon after work until dinner.  I figured that she and I could both use the fresh air and exercise, not to mention that our dogs love going on walks, and it’s a great way for us to catch up.

As I mentioned before, I’m really thrilled that I haven’t been experiencing any numbness, shin splints, or calf cramps. I think my weight loss has helped significantly, and I also think my shoes (ASCICS Gel-Blur 33 2.0)   have a lot to do with it.  Now that I can walk pain-free, I’ve been really interested in seeing how much progress I can make.  The competitor in me wants to push myself to be better with each walk, and it’s working!

We started out doing 3 miles in 60 minutes, and as of yesterday, 3 weeks into our walking sessions, we’ve already cut it down to 52 minutes.  I’m really proud of that! I told Ani that I want to be able to walk the 5K in 45 minutes, which would be a 15-minute mile, which isn’t bad for a walker of my weight.  From there, I’ll keep cutting my time until…who knows?

I was so excited by our progress that I told Ani we should sign up for a 5K, and since she’s always up for a new adventure, she loved the idea.  So, we’re signing up for the Color Me Rad 5K in September.  I love the idea of the colorful burst of powder at different intervals.  So fun!

It reminds me of Holi , which seems like such a cool celebration. I love the entire vibe that I get from the Color Me Rad website, and it just seems like something I’d like to cross off my fitness bucket list.

As if there wasn’t going to be enough color at the 5K, I’ve decided to buy a rainbow tutu to wear.  As I was perusing the Internet yesterday, I discovered Glam Runner, who makes custom tutus in any color you can imagine.  If you’ve signed up for a fun run/5K/10K this summer, you should definitely check out her site and buy one.  The prices are great, and when I inquired about plus sizes, she told me that she’d make me one to fit my exact measurements at no extra charge.  So great! To top it off, the proceeds support a Girls on the Run chapter.  (My niece is enrolled in Girls on the Run, and we’re all participating in the walk in May (as long as I’m not recovering from WLS)).  I’m ordering the “Glamiversary” tutu, because it will be PERFECT for the Color Me Rad 5K:

I love it when something as simple as a walk turns into a memory-making event, don’t you?  It’s definitely RAD!!

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Super Spring Weigh-In: Week 14

Spring has sprung! Which means that the weather is turning warmer, the days are getting longer, and fitting in outdoor activities is a whole lot easier. Spring is a time of renewal, and the spring of 2013 is going to be one where my life is Refreshed.  I’m living my life in full bloom! Now that I’ve made my pre-op weight loss requirement, all the pounds I lose this spring are just like extra petals on a flower, making my life just a bit more beautiful. Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. I’m embarking on more than just a diet plan, I’m establishing a lifestyle – my new beginning. My Sunday progress updates will be called Super Spring Weigh-Ins.

What a whirlwind this past week was!  I made it to my mini goal with the official Kaiser weigh-in; I walked two 5Ks without pain, numbness, or cramping; and I realized that my life is about to change very, very soon.

  So what did the scale say?

To be honest, I didn’t weigh in today.  I’ve peeked at the scale throughout the week, and it hovered right around last Tuesday’s weight.  One day I was slightly up (+0.4), another day I was back to the same weight.  I didn’t expect to lose anything this week, since I had such a huge weight loss last week.

One of the things I’m really proud of this week (besides the weight goal!!) is that I have been able to walk 5k (3 miles) without any of the annoyances (numbness, cramps, shin splints) that used to make it impossible.  I think losing weight is part of it, but I also think getting the proper shoes is a HUGE part of it.  I’m wearing ASCICS Gel-Blur 33 2.0

I love their bold colors, but even more important is their incredible arch support eliminate any pain I might have from plantar fasciitis.  I definitely want to get a second pair in black & white.

While I did walk two 5Ks this past week, those were the only real workouts I got in, which isn’t great.  I was just so busy grading, running back and forth to Kaiser (weigh in, EKG, etc), and getting ready for Easter that I ran out of time.  But this week, it’s back to it, full force.

Here’s this week’s workout plan:

Sunday: walk with Sofi
Monday: gym: elliptical + recumbent bike
Tuesday: 5K with Ani & pups
Wednesday: gym: elliptical + recumbent bike
Thursday: 5K with Ani & pups
Friday: Hot Hula
Saturday: cleaning + OnDemand workout

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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NSV: 10% Bracelet

I’m really excited to share my newest NSV with you! Yesterday when I weighed in at Kaiser, I was so excited about being below the first goal weight, it completely escaped me that I’d also lost a total of 31.4 pounds! Which means that I’ve officially also lost 10% of my body weight. Which means….

I can now wear the 10% bracelet I bought for myself 2 years ago! It’s sort of eerily perfect that I purchased the bracelet back in March 2011, and now in March 2013 I’ve finally achieved the weight loss. I’ve been keeping it in my jewelry box all this time, just waiting for this moment to wear it. Today I donned it proudly:

The charm is actually a key from an old typewriter, which is so appropriate for someone who loves writing and literature as much as I do.  I absolutely love this constant reminder of what I’ve achieved.  I’m going to wear it proudly every day.

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March Madness Weigh-In: Week 13 1/2

It’s March! Which means that the weather is unpredictable – sunny one day, rainy the next – but that just makes life more exciting. This year March is going to be incredibly lucky for me – a time when I will absolutely achieve my pre-surgery weight loss requirement, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Although luck will have nothing to do with it – it will be all about HARD work and motivation). Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. March means that spring is around the corner, and I’m going to use this season to refresh my outlook, because I’m embarking on more than just a diet plan, I’m going to establish a lifestyle. My Sunday progress updates will be called March Madness Weigh-Ins.

Today isn’t Sunday, but it was definitely a weigh-in day! Not only did I weigh in at home this morning, but I weighed in again at Kaiser for my official weigh in recording.

{Trumpets BLARING!!!!}

This morning I weighed in at 283.6, which is down 4.6 pounds from a week and a half ago. Which means…

I have made the mini goal!!!!!!!!!!!!

In fact, I’ve demolished it, and am on my way to meeting the final pre-op goal.  I have another 2.6 lbs to go to meet that final goal and I have the next several weeks to do it.

Now that everything is official, and my file is on the surgeon’s desk to review, I am so, so excited.  The only thing that would make me happier is finding out my surgery date.  As soon as I know, you’ll know, for sure.

Since the weather has been gorgeous lately, I’ve decided to make walking outside part of my regular workouts.  Yesterday Ani and I went on an hour-long, 3 mile walk.  I was thrilled because the entire time we were walking, I didn’t feel any numbness in my feet/legs at all.  I also didn’t get shin splints or cramps in my legs, and I wasn’t winded at all.  I definitely felt a difference in my overall fitness.  Plus, it was so beautiful outside:

So…Ani and I are going to set up a regular walking date on as many “B” days as I can make it.  A great part of our walk is that we walk 1.5 miles to the dog park, the pups play if they feel like it, and then we walk the 1.5 miles back.  Yesterday we did it in 57 minutes (not counting our dog park time), so it will be fun to see how our time improves as we continue on. I’d love to get to 45 minutes or less.

Here’s this week’s workout plan:

Sunday: walk with Sofi
Monday: 5K with Ani & pups
Tuesday: rest day
Wednesday: 5K with Ani & pups
Thursday: gym: elliptical + recumbent bike
Friday: walk with Sofi
Saturday: Zumba + walk with Sofi

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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Pinterest Perspectives: Inspiration

Are you as addicted to Pinterest as I am?! I absolutely love going on there to dream, to be inspired, to learn, and to grow. And, okay, to waste a ton of time. I find so many interesting ideas from Pinterest everyday, and I just wanted to share some of it with my readers on a regular basis. Hence Pinterest Perspectives.

It’s been awhile since I posted some of the inspiring pins I’ve found on Pinterest, so I figured today was as good a day as any to share some of the things that have kept my head in the game, lately.

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I DID It!!!!!!! {sort of}

I have fantastic news to share with you guys! This morning I went to the Kaiser Bariatric program because my scale had showed that I’d lost the required weight to qualify for my “5 lbs to go” marker!!!!

This meant that I had to verify the weight on the Kaiser scale, and then go through the psychological evaluation. I was WAY more nervous about making the scale weight than I was about “passing” the psych eval.

The evaluation was basically just a series of questions and some hypothetical scenarios to see if I had changed my lifestyle and to make sure that I had a realistic idea of what to expect from the weight loss surgery. Since Kaiser has all of my records over the past several years, the psychologist knows just how long my journey has been.  I mentioned to her that it had taken me far, far longer than most people who are able to do it in 6 months, and she said that there’s no specific time that’s right for everyone.  She looked through my chart and said that while I struggled for quite some time, I was obviously working on the underlying issues that were blocking me from completing the process.  It was clear to her that I was ready for this new lifestyle.  She made me feel great about myself and the struggles that I’ve been through.  The only note the psychologist made was that I needed to stop chewing gum and switch to mints. I didn’t realize that chewing gum can lead to air bubbles in the stomach, which can have the same sort of complications that drinking carbonated beverages brings. Now that I know, I’m going to make the quick switch to mints. Because I’ve noticed that as I’ve been losing weight my breath has gotten really bad, and I don’t want my poor students (or anyone else I come into contact with) to have to experience that, I’m going to make sure to have Altoids with me at all times.

But to get back to the scale….gosh, doesn’t it always come down to the scale for me?

With my clothes on, on the Bariatric department scale, I was 1 pound over what they required. {sigh} Which means that before my completed file can be put on the surgeon’s desk for review, I have to have the 1 lb loss documented by Kaiser. So, I’m going to make sure to lose 2 lbs and go to my local Kaiser, get weighed in, and then have them document it into my chart. Then I call the Bariatric center back and let them know that I’ve made the weight loss requirement. I plan to make this before the end of this week.

It takes about two weeks for the surgeon to review my chart, and then it can be up to 8 more weeks for my surgery date. I think that’s the hardest part – not knowing exactly when the surgery will be. But, I’m just going to figure that I’ll be able to see out the school year and I’ll be having the surgery in early June, after school is over. It’s not ideal, because I’d like to have the full 8 weeks of summer vacation to maximize my weight loss (and not have to use 4 weeks of that time for recovery), but it is what it is.

I think of people like Scale Warfare, who didn’t have any sort of summer vacation, and who lost her weight, worked out, and changed her life, all while working full time. If she can do it, so can I.

Everyone I’ve told about making it to my first goal has been so excited for me. I have amazing friends and family, all of whom are as thrilled as if it was happening to themselves. Those are people who really love me, and that makes me feel so special. All of this feel so surreal, as if it’s all happening to someone else. I’ve wanted this day to come for so long, wished for it, willed it to happen, and now that it’s here, I’m sort of in a daze about it all. I know that once my weight loss is finalized and on the books, I’ll feel better.

But for now, I do want to celebrate all that I’ve accomplished. I’ve made amazing strides recently, in both my body but also in my mindset, and I’m incredibly proud of all I’ve been able to do. I can’t wait to see where I go next!!

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March Madness Weigh-In: Week 12

It’s March! Which means that the weather is unpredictable – sunny one day, rainy the next – but that just makes life more exciting. This year March is going to be incredibly lucky for me – a time when I will absolutely achieve my pre-surgery weight loss requirement, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Although luck will have nothing to do with it – it will be all about HARD work and motivation). Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. March means that spring is around the corner, and I’m going to use this season to refresh my outlook, because I’m embarking on more than just a diet plan, I’m going to establish a lifestyle. My Sunday progress updates will be called March Madness Weigh-Ins.

Week 12 left me energized after a long, tiring week.  I think the time change really threw me, coupled with the fact that some sunny weather made the pollen explode (allergies!).  My workouts were confined to walking because most days my body was just too tired to get in a real workout.  I stayed on plan with my food, and overall, I felt good about the week.

Was the Luck o’ the Irish with you on the scale?

This morning I weighed in at 288.2, which is down 2.6 pounds from last week. Which means I have 2.2 pounds to go before I can call in to Kaiser and meet the next big weight loss requirement. 2.2 POUNDS!!!!  That’s sooooooo close.  I’m going to hit that this week, guaranteed.

I think taking the week off from strenuous workouts was what my body needed.  Even though I’ve been pushing myself to move past tiredness, sometimes I need to listen to my body and give it the rest that it obviously needed.  And I think Sofi enjoyed our long walks this past week.  Now that there’s so much more daylight left after work, I’ll definitely have the time to workout and fit in a good daily walk with Sofi.  More steps = more calories burned.

Here’s this week’s workout plan:

Sunday: Hot Hula Fitness + walk with Sofi
Monday: Wii Tennis & Just Dance 4 + walk with Sofi
Tuesday: gym: elliptical + recumbent bike + walk with Sofi
Wednesday: OnDemand kickboxing + walk with Sofi
Thursday: gym: elliptical + recumbent bike + walk with Sofi
Friday: rest day/ long walk with Sofi
Saturday: Zumba + walk with Sofi

I cannot wait to come back to you next week with the announcement that I’ve made it to my first mini goal.  I know that if I put it out there, it WILL happen.

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!!

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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March Madness Weigh-In: Week 11

It’s March! Which means that the weather is unpredictable – sunny one day, rainy the next – but that just makes life more exciting. This year March is going to be incredibly lucky for me – a time when I will absolutely achieve my pre-surgery weight loss requirement, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Although luck will have nothing to do with it – it will be all about HARD work and motivation). Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. March means that spring is around the corner, and I’m going to use this season to refresh my outlook, because I’m embarking on more than just a diet plan, I’m going to establish a lifestyle. My Sunday progress updates will be called March Madness Weigh-Ins.

Week 11 was mixed – I stayed on plan, got in some fantastic workouts, but was lacking in water and movement on the scale.

Hmmmm…. So, what did the scale show?!

This morning I weighed in at 290.8, which is up 1.4 pounds from last week. Which means I have just less than 5 pounds to go before I can call in to Kaiser and meet the next big weight loss requirement. I’m not too worried about this gain because I’m confident that it’s going to come off quickly. I know it’s water weight – I struggled to get enough water in this week, for some reason, and I’m also experiencing some constipation (sorry if that’s TMI). I’m also really sore from my workouts the last couple of days. All of which adds up to the fact that I’ll be back to losing in no time.

The other big thing that I need to be more vigilant about is letting junky carbs creep into my diet. I’ve been having PopChips or ChipIns at lunch and/or in the afternoons for a snack, and I need to cut them out. They don’t add any nutritional value, and I know they’re not helping my weight loss. But they taste so damn good! It’s back to bell peppers and cucumbers with Bolthouse yogurt dressing for me: they add the perfect combo of savory and crunch that any snack needs.

On the plus side, my clothes are all fitting me looser and I’ve been able to get into more of my smaller clothes, so I know I’m losing inches. All my workouts are adding up, and I’m so proud of how I’ve made them part of my daily life.

Here’s this week’s workout plan:

Sunday: Wii Tennis & Just Dance 4 + long walk with Sofi
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: Wii Tennis & Just Dance 4 + walk with Sofi
Wednesday: elliptical + recumbent bike + walk with Sofi
Thursday: U-Jam Fitness
Friday: elliptical + recumbent bike + walk with Sofi
Saturday: Zumba + walk with Sofi

In short, it’s time to get serious. I have less than 5 lbs to go, and I want to get there as soon as possible.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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Friday Five: March 8th

1. I’m really glad this was a short week (Monday was a furlough day) because tomorrow I’m losing half of my Saturday to proctoring the SAT.  On the plus side, I will (hopefully) get lots of grading done while I’m getting paid a little bit.

2. Today our faculty social club has organized a bowling excursion, and I’m really looking forward to it.  It’s been ages since I’ve gone bowling, so who knows how I’ll score, but it will be fun to hang out with my colleagues and do something a bit active.

3. Speaking of being active, I’m really looking forward to my Hot Hula Fitness class tonight.  I bought in on an excellent deal via Groupon, so this will be 1 of my 10 classes.  I can’t wait to shake my hips and burn some serious calories.

4.  The other day I found the BEST sweet snack: They’re almost too good, but luckily my willpower is intact, and I kept it to a serving size.  If you’re looking for salty, buttery, and sweet – get them.

5. And finally, I’ll close with a great quote:

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March Madness Weigh-In: Week 10

It’s March! Which means that the weather is unpredictable – sunny one day, rainy the next – but that just makes life more exciting. This year March is going to be incredibly lucky for me – a time when I will absolutely achieve my pre-surgery weight loss requirement, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Although luck will have nothing to do with it – it will be all about HARD work and motivation). Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. March means that spring is around the corner, and I’m going to use this season to refresh my outlook, because I’m embarking on more than just a diet plan, I’m going to establish a lifestyle. My Sunday progress updates will be called March Madness Weigh-Ins.

Week 10 was another great one:  I stayed on plan with eating, got in lots of strong workouts, and felt completely motivated.

Sounds great! So, what did the scale show?!

This morning I weighed in at 289.4, which is down 2 pounds from last week. Which means I have 3 pounds to go before I can call in to Kaiser and meet the next big weight loss requirement! I’m thrilled with this week’s result because I’ve been really enjoying the lifestyle I’m creating for myself.  I’ve been loving my food plan, trying a bunch of new recipes, but still staying within my calories.  I’ve been pushing myself a bit more in my workouts by increasing the time and/or the intensity.

Here’s this week’s workout plan:

Sunday: cleaning + bike ride + long walk with Sofi
Monday: Aqua
Tuesday: elliptical + recumbent bike
Wednesday: rest day
Thursday: elliptical + recumbent bike
Friday: bowling + Hot Hula*
Saturday: Just Dance 4

*I was so excited to find a Groupon for the Hot Hula Fitness class I love taking – $39 for 10 classes.  Normally the classes are $10 each, so this was an excellent deal. I don’t want to use them up all at once, so I’m planning on going about once a week or so.

I have a few new recipes in mind this week, but I’ll post about them as I make them and/or in my WIAW post.  I’m feeling so positive, so motivated, so UNSTOPPABLE, and I want to thank everyone for their support.  Your words of encouragement over the years have gotten me through the tough times, and now that things are completely in sync, I want you to know that they continue to lift me up and spur me on towards success.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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