(Almost) A Week without Carbs

When I got back from vacation and a month of not tracking my points on Weight Watchers, my husband and I both jumped on the scale to see the damage. Last time I weighed myself in mid-July I was 183. Last Monday morning, I was 190. Yikes. That's a big jump in one month. I wanted to get back on track but knew that my typical pattern of eating well while at work then gorging at night and on weekends wasn't going to work.

I've never tried a no-carb or even low-carb diet before because it really didn't appeal to me, and I didn't think cutting out carbs made that big of a difference. But I needed to do something different, and I really wanted to get as far away from the 190s as quickly as possibly.

I didn't eliminate all carbs, but pretty close. Tuesday, I slipped up and had a few heaping spoonfuls of Bridget's macaroni and cheese, and I had granola on my yogurt on Monday. Otherwise, I was pretty good during the week even when the family and I went out to eat on Thursday. My husband almost ordered corn bread, though, and that would've killed me. Apparently, my telepathy worked, because he ordered potato salad instead, thankfully.

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

By Saturday morning, I was down 7.4 lb (!!!), but the real challenge was coming up when I was going to a wedding reception barbecue later that day and having my parents over Sunday.

Saturday

Sunday

At the party Saturday, I basically ate whatever I wanted within reason and managed to rack up an estimated daily allowance's worth of points in just a few hours. Sunday was back to business, but I did sneak one Megastuff Oreo. This morning was the moment of truth, and I weighed in at 183.2 lb, down 6.8 lb in a week. I'll take it! I don't expect to lose that much next week because I know you lose a lot when you first start a new diet, and then it tapers off, but it was a nice jumpstart.

While I had some serious cravings during the week for things like cupcakes, candy, and basically everything, and I even had a dream about eating cookies, I actually didn't go hungry. Being full, or at least satisfied, helped a lot. When I usually do Weight Watchers with all the carbs, I find I'm starving and torture myself with salads at lunch to stay within my daily points. I did have a couple salads this week, and I accidentally skipped lunch altogether on Friday, but I wouldn't say I was starving at all. Who would've thought? Oh yeah, anyone who knows anything about nutrition. Silly me.

I didn't exercise at all last week, but I do plan on getting back into my regular Zumba and yoga this week and see how it goes. I usually gain a little when I start working out again, which I know is a good thing because I'm building muscle, but I just wanted to see the numbers drop to get back on track first.

This weekend, we're headed to Nashville with some friends, and I know lots of wine drinking is going to happen, so hopefully I don't mess this up too bad and reverse everything.

The Lose It Challenge Is Complete

The 10-week challenge I was participating in at work is now over. Here are my results:

Initial body fat: 31.6%
5-week body fat: 30.8%
Current body fat: 30.7%
Down 0.9% total

Initial weight: 188 (actually 188.2, but 188 is what I typed into the machine)
5-week weight: 185 (actually 185.2, but 185 is what I typed into the machine)
Current weight: 182 
Down 6 pounds total

Pathetic. But at least I'm still going in the right direction. And I've definitely noticed a change - my face looks thinner, and my clothes are fitting differently. Now that I'm starting to wear my summer clothes again, skirts I haven't worn since probably August are noticeably looser than they were. Only 7 lb to go until I reach my short-term weight loss goal! It looks like such a small number, but knowing me, it's going to take the rest of the year to lose it. Sigh. Time to start running again!

As far as our team goes, the other two members both went down, too, but we don't stand a chance at winning. Which is fine. I didn't really expect to. We were chatting with another challenge participant while we were getting measured, and one of the guys on her team lost 20 lb! Men. Still, It was good to have another source of motivation for a couple months, even though I slacked off during the second half of it.

Lose It Challenge: 5-Week Update

As I mentioned about 5 weeks ago, I'm participating in a team wellness challenge at work. This week was our mandatory 5-week "weigh-in" (I put it in quotes since we measure body fat, not weight), and then our final weigh-in is in another 5 weeks. So far, all three members on our team are down in body fat percentage! The male member on our team is kicking both of our female butts since he works out for an hour nearly every night, but I'm just glad we're all down in numbers. Onto my stats:

Initial body fat: 31.6%
5-week body fat: 30.8%
Almost down 1 whole percentage point!

Initial weight: 188 (actually 188.2, but 188 is what I typed into the machine)
Current weight: 185 (actually 185.2, but 185 is what I typed into the machine)
Down 3 pounds!

It's not as far along as I hoped I'd be, but it's going in the right direction, so I'll take it. Ten pounds to go until my goal weight. My food intake has been pretty great lately actually. I've cut way down on snacking, and the only time I really stray is when I go out with friends. I just have to be more of a hermit, and I'll be on my way, haha. I need to be more active, though. Right now, I'm still only doing Zumba on Tuesdays and yoga on Thursdays. Adding more exercise into my routine will definitely get my numbers down faster. But I'm getting there.

Lose It Challenge

To give myself more motivation, I signed up for a Biggest Loser type competition at work with a coworker I do yoga with and her husband. It's a 10-week competition with 51 teams participating, and the team that loses the most body fat (averaged among the three teammates) wins. Even if we don't win, hopefully this challenge will give me the push I need to lose the 13 lb to my short-term goal weight.

On Tuesday we attended a meeting to get the basics about the challenge, take a team picture (I convinced my team to do a pyramid in ours, haha), and measure our body fat. The fitness coach running the session said that 3% body fat lost would be great results to have at the end, so I guess that's my goal although I care more about the weight numbers myself. It should be totally doable to lose 13 lb in 10 weeks.

Since the last time I did the health screening 2 weeks ago, I found that my BMI and body fat numbers went down. Normally that'd be great, but I was trying to get them up to have more to lose for the challenge. It may be because I was 29 then, and I put 30 in for my age to generate my numbers this time, AND I put 5'10-1/2" for my height instead of 5'10". I'm trying to be accurate here. Plus, I somehow lost 2 lb since my health screening.

So anyway, here goes nothing! Hopefully I don't let my team down!

Health Screening Results

Last week, I took my annual healthy screening at work. They're not required, but they're encouraged, and we get a little bit of a monetary incentive if we participate. I always come out of these with basically the same results - completely healthy, nothing to worry about, except the weight thing. Here are the numbers:

	My Number	Optimal Range	Result
Blood Pressure	102/76	Less than 120/less than 80	Normal
Body Fat	32.5	21 - 32.9*	Normal*
Body Mass Index	27.3	18.5 - 24.9	Overweight
Total Cholesterol	138	Less than 200	Normal
High Density Lipoprotein	56	Greater than 50	Normal
Triglycerides	74	Less than 150	Normal
Low Density Lipoprotein	68	Less than 100	Normal
TC/HDL	2.5	3.3	1/2 Average Risk
Fasting Glucose	87	Less than 100	Normal

*They gave us two different charts to compare our results to. One said I was worse than poor in body fat, and the other one said I was at the high end of normal. I'm choosing to believe the high end of normal one.

Each year, I forget how the body fat test is done, and I go in worrying that they're going to pinch my stomach fat with some tongs. Not the case luckily. That would be kind of mortifying considering these tests are done pretty out in the open in one corner of the cafeteria. Really, they just hand you something that looks like a large XBOX controller, and you have to hold it in front of you with your arms out straight for about 5 seconds, and somehow that measures your body fat.

Not surprised at all by the BMI number, I assured the lady who was taking my test (who didn't seem concerned in the least about my above-optimal number actually) that I just started up Weight Watchers and that I mostly have a problem with portion control and a sweet tooth. She gave me the friendly tip of using smaller plates for dinner, which I plan on doing from now on. That won't help my snacking problem, but it's something.

All in all, not too shabby. Now if I can curb my snacking and bump up my activity level, I'll be one healthy chick.

Wellness Update

Perkins blueberry muffin - my reward for being good yesterday

I've been back on Weight Watchers for two weeks now, and it's been going pretty well so far. The first week was rough - I felt hungry all the time - but I ended up losing 2-1/2 lb. During the first week is also when the following somewhat amusing conversation I had with a friend took place. This was a conversation over IM, so our punctuation is not all there.

Dude: i'm doing WW
Dude: 7lbs first week
Me: WHAT! Men. I hate you.
Dude: you what is even better about that
Dude: guess what my daily pts are
Me: A million?
Dude: 54!
Dude: now 53
Dude: 49 weeklies
Me: Son of a bitch! I have 33 and I'm frickin hungry ALL THE TIME
Dude: i left 30 weeklies on the board
Dude: i knew you were gonna be pissed
Dude: couldn't resist

That's the thing with men. They seem to lose weight without even trying. And with a smidgen of effort, they lose TONS of weight. I wanted to slap him when he said he was hardly using any of his weeklies. I use up every last point every week.

Anyway, my weight loss so far isn't even close to his, but it's progress. And I'm happy to report that I was much less famished the second week.

Besides eating better, I'm also taking two fitness classes - Zumba on Tuesdays and Yoga on Thursdays. Zumba is great, and it feels less like a workout (although I do sweat) and more like fun. I forgot how hard yoga is, but it's a good thing. I definitely feel it in my muscles the next day. I've also been ice skating occasionally. Now I just have to keep up this momentum and ideally add another physical activity in there. My bro and sis-in-law got me these cool earbuds for Christmas that supposedly won't fall out of your ears; I'm looking forward to trying those out sometime. I may have to locate a treadmill since I'm not going to brave the elements to go running.

Beginning weight (since beginning again): 194
After two weeks: 188.8 (down 5.2 lb)
Goal: 175

Running Update

Yesterday morning was probably my most successful run to date. I jogged the majority of the time, I wasn't in any pain really, and the dog didn't drive me crazy. In fact, since it's dark out during the time I'm running, I'm thankful to have the dog around just for some extra safety – not that where I live is unsafe, but you never know. Unfortunately, my morning started at 3:45 instead of 5 when my alarm was set to go off.

Before you give me too much credit, I'll admit that I've only been running about once a week lately. It's better than nothing, though, right?

Yesterday, I woke up at 3:45 to the cat growling at the dog, tried to fall asleep again, but then decided to just stay awake. I figured one more hour of sleep might just make me more tired when my alarm went off. After wasting time on my phone for a half hour or so, I got ready and got out the door a little after 5. Since I knew it was going to be a little chilly, I layered over my tank top a long-sleeved shirt I had bought about four years ago during the short stint where I dumped a lot of money into biking. It actually worked out perfectly since the biking shirt has two large pockets in the back where I stored my phone for music and a couple bags to pick up dog poop if need be.

Instead of listening to pump-me-up music, I decided to check out the new Ben Folds Five album I downloaded and go for more chill music instead. It worked out pretty well for me this time. Maybe I push myself too much when I have Foo Fighters blaring in my ears, or maybe I'm slowly becoming more in shape, but I felt like I was able to pace myself and not get as worn out.

Source

As for the album, I like every song I've heard so far, which is unusual for me the first time I hear new music from an artist I like. Normally, I have to warm up to the new stuff.

Although I warmed up quickly once I started running, I don't know how much longer this is going to last in the increasingly cold weather. I wasn't a fan of being cold during the five minutes of my warm-up walk. Very soon, I'll have to put on gloves and maybe buy some full-length spandex pants. Hopefully I can keep getting out there for the next month at least. I'm always amazed by how people run in the winter. Maybe I'll have to start going to the fitness center at work instead. Or maybe I'll just get fatter.

Tad Sloppy

Collared Shirt: Rock & Republic (Kohl's); Striped Top: Old Navy; Skirt: Gap; Shoes: Payless

This studded collar shirt is harder too style than I thought. I changed the shirt on top five times before I decided that this striped one would do. The finished product looked a tad sloppy for work, but I kind of liked it in a weird way. Next time, I'll have to either tuck in the shirt and wear it under a crew- or V-neck sweater, or wear it alone over skinny jeans.

It only took being at work an hour and a half before I felt self-conscious and tucked everything in. For most of the day, I actually looked like this:

In non-clothes-related news, I ran two days in a row! This morning, I jogged for a total of 20 minutes (not in a row, but I did jog for 10 minutes in a row, which is new), and walked the other 20. Shall we make it three days in a row? We'll see about that. Probably not.

Week Twenty-Four Weigh-in

Current Weight: 187.6 (down 3.8 lb this week, 17.4 lb overall)

It's a fluke. It has to be. There's no way with going to the state fair on Wednesday that I lost that much weight this week. Granted, I was pretty good the rest of the week, but still. Four pounds is unheard of unless I have the flu. It has to be  fluke.

But for now, I'm going to pretend it's not a fluke and that eating healthy this week will at least let me maintain that weight next week. Unfortunately, with this big loss of poundage, my daily allowance of points went down again. Ugh. Looking forward to a week of starving...

By the way, if true, this means that I'm down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Woohoo!!

Week Twenty-Three Weigh-in

Current Weight: 191.4 (down .6 lb this week, 13.6 lb overall)

Here's the problem. I never feel like entering points on the weekend. And I always feel like eating everything in sight on the weekend. Basically, I have to start saving all my points for Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen this week with state fair tomorrow (!!!).

To make up for my inevitably bad eating week, I decided to go for a run this morning. Not that it helps that much, but it's better than nothing. It does help me feel more energetic during the day. My knees hurt like crazy during today's run, and the dog was annoying as usual, but I'm still glad I did it. Depending on how late I stay up tonight, I may go again tomorrow. We'll see.

Speaking of energy, I've been coffee free for a week now. I got caffeine headaches the first two days; but by the third, I was good to go. Although I'm not sure how much difference it's making, I might as well continue with the lower caffeine content green tea. Maybe that's what helped me lose the half pound since I did kind of gorge myself last weekend.

Week Twenty-Two Weigh-in

Current Weight: 192 (down 2.4 lb this week, 13 lb overall)

I wasn't going to do a post this week if it was bad news; but since it's good news, I will. I was way too defeated last week for it to be bad news again. In addition to the weekly weight loss/gain number, I added my overall weight loss since I started these posts because I figured it'd be a good reminder to myself that portion control and exercise do actually work.

As far as the running goes, I only ran twice last week. My weekend was busy, and I developed a cold, so I didn't bother yesterday morning or today. Hopefully I'll find the motivation to get out at least once this week.

I read something yesterday that said green tea helps with weight loss, so I gave it a shot today by substituting my morning coffee with green tea. Not that coffee's bad for you, but I need all the help I can get. Unfortunately, the tea wasn't strong enough to prevent me from getting a caffeine headache. I may have to rethink my strategy.

Week Twenty-One Weigh-in

Current Weight: 194.4 (up 1.4 lb)

So...I skipped a few weeks there...or six. My last weigh-in post was Week 20, so I'm calling this Week 21 and ignoring all the junk I ate in the last month and a half. If only I could ignore the pounds I gained, too. To recap, last time I tracked my weight on WW, I was 191, which means I've actually gain 3.4 pounds instead of just the 1.4. I suck at this.

I've taking up running, though. I think I can officially say that now since I got up this morning at 5 AM and went for a run before work, which makes that my third attempt at running. It's going better every time. The dog was still annoying, but she needed the run, too. I jogged for longer spurts, and my hips don't hurt as much today. If I consciously put more weight on my left leg, it seems to help.

I also had a chat with my sis-in-law (an avid marathoner) this weekend, and she encouraged me to get running shoes, too. She told me about a running store that should be walking distance from work, and my friend Pete also commented in the last post about a store on my way home from work. So I'm set there. I just have to go.

So after all my hard work, I undid all of it by going to Dunkin Donuts this morning and buying a couple doughnuts. What? I needed more K-Cups! I really, really suck at this.

Running Attempt #2

First of all, thank you for all your comments on my last running post! I really appreciated the advice and words of encouragement!

Before. OK I'm really going to clean that mirror today...

Things went slightly better this time. Hubs insisted I take the dog again, but at least I had music. I downloaded Fun's CD onto my phone, which worked out pretty well. Some of the songs were great, like "Some Nights" for walking and "It Gets Better" for running, but the end of the CD was kind of slow. I'll have to switch it up next time.

As recommended, I used a retractable leash this time, and that helped. Plus, there were fewer bunnies this time, thankfully. I think I only saw one. The spandex shirt was a great idea - no jiggling or itching to speak of. I "ran" 50 minutes this time - 10 minutes longer than last time.

Now for the negatives. I definitely did not run anymore than last time. There was a lot of walking going on. Although the tighter shirt improved things, it also rode up as I ran. I ended up having to tuck it into my pants. I don't know, maybe I should go up another size, but I already bought one size larger than what I usually wear at Old Navy. Even though it looked kind of dorky, tucking the shirt in worked fine. I somehow lost my headband at some point, too. That was annoying. The only other problem I had with what I was wearing was with the headphones. I have the kind that clip to your ears, and they kept bouncing around and almost coming off. I'll have to buy a different kind.

I didn't have any knee pain this time, but I did get the achy hip halfway through again, and I'm sure it'll stick with me for a few days like last time. I'm starting to think one of my legs is longer than the other or something.

About halfway through, I turned from the bike trail onto the city streets. I stopped short when I saw tons of people running by. Oh jeez, there was some sort of run going on. And none of them were wearing spandex. For a second, I considered joining them, but that wasn't feasible with the dog. I retraced my steps on the bike trail and took back roads back home. When the sidewalk ended, I tried to get Dela to walk on my left side so that she wouldn't get hit by a car, but that dumb dog kept crossing over to the right side, which is the side that's she's used to. Uggghhh, I so don't want to take the dog next time.

When I was about to turn into the subdivision, I saw another race go by, but this was a bunch of bikers. What the heck? Anyway, I finally made it home and walked in to find Bridget watching The Lion King AGAIN!

So yeah, I still hate running and think it's overrated.

Sorry if this is choppy and disjointed. I kept having to walk away and take care of stuff.

After. This picture does not accurately depict how red my face was and how sweaty I was overall.

I Attempted Running Today

And it was miserable.

Before (there is no after picture)

I ventured out in my Saucony cross trainers (because I have no running shoes) and leggings to prevent jiggling and chafing (good decision. I think I would've been even more miserable without); and against my better judgment, I brought the dog. She had been exercise-less since we got back from Maine, so I felt sorry for her. Hubs stole the headphones, so I was also without music. These two factors probably didn't help matters.

From my running research last night, I learned that I should do a 5-minute warm-up, which I equated to a brisk walk. Once out of my subdivision, I took a deep, dramatic breath, probably said "here we go" to myself, and start a-running.

Let's just say, it quickly turned into an interval workout instead of just running. I ran for maybe 3-4 minutes, then got tired, noticed my left knee was hurting, and began to walk. After 5 minutes of walking, I decided I better run again. That time I only made it maaaaaybe a minute before my knee hurt again, and my fat started itching. Does this happen to anyone else? Probably not, but it happens to me all the time whenever I attempt to run. My fat jiggles and itches like crazy. Mostly my love handles. TMI? Maybe I should just wear shapewear whenever I run, but that doesn't sound comfortable in the least.

On top of that, apparently all the rabbits in the neighborhood are out at 7 in the morning, and Dela wanted to chase them all. Dumb dog. She kept pulling and getting in my way, and I just wanted to kick her in the butt and set her free. But I resisted and grumbled and swore at her instead.

Anyway, I continued these unbalanced intervals of more walking and way less running, and I noticed that the itching and knee hurting stopped, but then my hips started to hurt, which continued the rest of the way whether walking or running.

I only made it 40 minutes including stretching at the end, but it's a start, right? Too bad I never want to do it again. The good news is, I'm starting to feel OK already. My right hip is still a little sore, but otherwise OK.

So now I have questions for the many runners out there:

• Where is the best place to buy running shoes, and how much can I expect to spend? Keep in mind, I'm a beginner who doesn't stick to anything.
• What do you recommend for running attire? This is the fun part - clothes shopping.
• Have you ever run with a dog, and do you have any tips?
• Do you have any knowledge as to why my hips were hurting? If it's just my being out of shape, that's fine, but I'm wondering if it's my form.
• Do you run with a water bottle? I didn't this time.
• Favorite song to run to? I gotta make a mix.

Who am I kidding? I probably will never do this again... But here's hoping I do!

Week Twenty Weigh-in

Current Weight: 193 (up .8 lb)

See? This happens every time. I do well one week, and then I do poorly the next week.

I did OK Monday and Tuesday, but on Wednesday, I had a little impromptu night out in Chicago where some adult beverages were consumed, which do no favors as far as points are concerned. Worth it, but still. I was dragging the next couple days, and my laziness and sleepiness prevented me from caring about entering any points. Then the weekend hit, and I cared even less.

But I'm back to caring. I went to the grocery store tonight after spending a lot of time on the Weight Watchers website and picked up some healthy food items like tons of fruit, nuts, low-fat cheese, peanut butter and flatbread, etc.

Now if I can just stay out of the cookies I bought for hubs, I'll be good to go.

Week Nineteen Weigh-in

Current Weight: 192.2 (down 1.2 lb)

OK, we're going in the right direction. I did pretty well this week. By Friday, I had only used about 11 of my 49 weekly points (the extra points they give you for the week when you go over your daily points). With that in mind, I didn't bother tracking points at all this weekend. I didn't think I ate that much either, but I did have a few drinks Friday and Saturday. That always adds up.

I guess that's about all I have to stay about that this week.

Week Seventeen and Eighteen Weigh-in

Current Weight: 193.4 (down .4 lb)

This is one of those unexplained weight loss weeks. I didn't track points for two weeks, citing Mother's Day and having my mom-in-law as a house guest as my excuses this time. But I must not have been quite as bad as I thought I was. Awesome!

It's back on track this week. I will NOT go over my points. Let's see how I do.

Week Fifteen and Sixteen Weigh-in

Current Weight: 193.8 (up 1 lb)

Yeah... So what happened was, I was doing really well, and then hubs and I went out to eat Saturday. He insisted that points didn't matter that night and encouraged me to drink three adult beverages. Actually, he wanted me to drink four, but I stopped at three and switched to water because I knew going from liquor to wine was probably not the best plan. Then, I ate dinner and appetizers, which included the best onion rings on the planet. And then yesterday, I made s'mores bars, our Six Flags opening weekend tradition, and ate a couple of those along with some other junk food.

I wasn't even going to do a weigh-in post this week since I did so poorly this weekend, but I needed to have some accountability.

Hubs' mom is visiting this week, so we'll see if that helps or hinders my progress.

Goal/Incentive: Trying for Baby #2 when I hit 175. By the way, hubs lifted this restriction because he kind of just wants to get having kids over and done with (he's not a big fan of the newborn stage), but I don't want to start trying until the fall anyway. So I continue.

Week Twelve Weigh-in

Current Weight: 194.4 (down 2.8 lb)

I re-weighed myself four times this morning because I didn't believe it. Really though, I was pretty good this week. By the time the weekend hit, I still had 20 weekly points to play with (I start the week with 49 and usually burn through them well before Saturday), but I didn't track points at all Saturday or Sunday.

I feel like these fluke weight drops seem to happen like once a month, so maybe it's just the normal fluctuation of my weight. But I sure do like when they happen. My goal for this week is to maintain and not gain.

Goal/Incentive: Trying for Baby #2 when I hit 175. Hopefully this will happen by September because I'm definitely starting to get a case of baby fever.

Week Ten and Eleven Weigh-in

Current Weight: 197.2 (up 1.2 lb)

We decided to skip our Tulsa trip since we have an Orlando trip coming up in August, which means I was able to cheat on my goal of hitting 190 by today. And cheat I did, as you can tell from my weight gain this week. Week Ten, I actually had no change at all. Whoops. This week, it's back on track!

Goal: As of right now, I just have my long-term goal of working on Baby #2 when I hit 175.