I took Duke for a little walk this evening to fulfill my goal of walking with him every day for at least 1 mile. I had to pick him up six times and carry him while holding one of his paws in my hand to warm it up. He was getting snow and ice melt stuff packed in there, which happens during this time of year. As I carried him, he was shivering so hard since he wasn't moving to warm himself up. I decided that I need to revise this goal.
New goal: Duke and I will walk at least 1 mile every night -- as long as the weather is not dangerous for either of us. Monday they are forecasting a high temperature of -3 degrees F. Neither of us needs to be out in temps like that. I want to get healthy, not kill myself or my little dog.
I've been trying to be more cognizant of what I'm eating the past couple of days. At my youngest brother's recommendation, I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Hungry for Change." WOW! It was quite an eye opener. Of course, I realize that some of the viewpoints are slanted because of those who produced the movie, but a lot of the stuff they talked about with regard to the chemicals in our foods and drinks is spot on. I'm trying to move away from processed foods, but it's very hard when you have come to rely on certain convenience foods. I know this is not something that is going to come to me instantly. It's something that I will have to work on and make the changes as we go.
So thinking about what I've eaten in the last couple of days, if you look at the bottom line, I was under my calorie goal, I had a good calorie burn from exercise, and it appears that I should experience weight loss when I weigh in on Saturday. However, looking at the nutritional value of the foods....well, I could have done better. This morning, for instance, instead of the eggs, bacon, and apple that I normally have (don't hate on my bacon - it's low sodium turkey bacon and I love it), for some stupid reason, I grabbed a package of S'mores Poptarts and ate both of them. I don't really care for Poptarts of any flavor. And after eating them, I did not feel that I'd done myself any favors.
However, I still worked those calories into my day and made them fit. Does that mean I did a good thing since I was under my goal? Numbers-wise, yes. Health-wise, no. I want to lose weight, don't get me wrong, and the "eating less, moving more" idea will help. But I also want to gain optimal health, and eating those types of processed foods - even if they fit into my calorie budget - just isn't going to work. I'm not going into this with the idea that certain foods are off limits, though, because that is the easiest way to make myself crave something. The forbidden foods are usually the most desirable. I just need to limit my intake of those foods. With regard to the Poptarts, that's probably the one time this year I will eat something like that because it's not one of my favorite foods.
One step at a time!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
And we're off...
Today was off to a great start! Duke and I took a big walk early this afternoon before the 3-5 inches of snow we're supposed to get hit. We did the "Rushville Loop" which is a loop through town that is supposed to be 3 miles. I added just a little bit extra to it, but we still ended up doing 4 miles. Yay!
I'm not going to lie. There were times during the walk that I wanted to break down and call Mike to come get us. My knee was hurting pretty bad. But I hate, hate, hate to be a quitter, so I kept going. It was very exciting when we finally turned onto our street.
It was cold, but not unbearably so. I was sweating in my hoodie and t-shirt. I also had one of those face cover things - not a balaclava, but one of those that just covers the neck and lower face, my gloves, and a headband/ear cover thing. My hair was soaked when I got home. Mike thought I should wear my coat, too, but I knew it would be too much. Glad I didn't listen to him!
Since today is January 1, I figured I should weigh in and see where I am. The scale said I was 237.0 this morning. I'm up 12 lbs from my lowest weight of 225 that I hit in August. I'm going to try to get as close to 230 as I can by the end of January. With hard work and determination, I should be able to do it. My usual weigh ins from here on out will be Saturday mornings.
We are supposed to go back to work tomorrow, but I'm sort of hoping we are closed due to the snow storm. I'd love one more day off. But on the other hand, I'm looking forward to getting back to a routine. I'm also excited at the prospect of going back to the Rec so I can workout with my friend. She and I have some similar goals, I think, and it's good to have a buddy that will keep me accountable. We're both determined to make 2014 OUR year of being awesome!
I'm not going to lie. There were times during the walk that I wanted to break down and call Mike to come get us. My knee was hurting pretty bad. But I hate, hate, hate to be a quitter, so I kept going. It was very exciting when we finally turned onto our street.
It was cold, but not unbearably so. I was sweating in my hoodie and t-shirt. I also had one of those face cover things - not a balaclava, but one of those that just covers the neck and lower face, my gloves, and a headband/ear cover thing. My hair was soaked when I got home. Mike thought I should wear my coat, too, but I knew it would be too much. Glad I didn't listen to him!
Since today is January 1, I figured I should weigh in and see where I am. The scale said I was 237.0 this morning. I'm up 12 lbs from my lowest weight of 225 that I hit in August. I'm going to try to get as close to 230 as I can by the end of January. With hard work and determination, I should be able to do it. My usual weigh ins from here on out will be Saturday mornings.
We are supposed to go back to work tomorrow, but I'm sort of hoping we are closed due to the snow storm. I'd love one more day off. But on the other hand, I'm looking forward to getting back to a routine. I'm also excited at the prospect of going back to the Rec so I can workout with my friend. She and I have some similar goals, I think, and it's good to have a buddy that will keep me accountable. We're both determined to make 2014 OUR year of being awesome!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014!
With the new year comes changes! I've changed my blog and URL to reflect the changes. I can't do CrossFit any longer (see last post) and I'm not sure if I ever will be able to again, so it's dumb to keep calling this CrossFit Loser. I miss it and will always love it, but other doors are being opened and I'm not going to hesitate crossing the thresholds. It's exciting, actually!
So, yeah, I'm doing the trite "year in reflection and goals for the new year" post. It's my blog and I'll do what I want. This year has been full of changes. Some I didn't even see coming and got a little side-swiped by them. There have been some deaths of friends that still make my heart hurt. There have been some deaths of friendships that were kind of hurtful, too. There was the stupid knee surgery that still makes my leg hurt. And there was the loss of my husband's job due to the plant closing that really terrified me.
However, I have made new friends that make my heart sing. I have discovered new ways of getting my calorie burn that makes me feel good. I'm still dealing with the knee thing and am currently preparing to seek a second opinion to determine if another surgery is necessary. And my husband ended up with a wonderful, wonderful job that pays WAY more than he was making and has WAY better benefits. Though there were times that this year seemed really dark, it ended up being a great year overall.
And now I'm gearing up for an even better 2014.
After doing a lot of thinking about this, I've decided to set some goals for the new year. These are not resolutions, but goals that I aim to achieve. I've been told by several people how stubborn I am and how I can achieve what I put my mind to, but I've not really applied that to weight loss/health. And it is time to do it and see where I end up. So without further ado, here are my goals for 2014:
I am SO ready for this! This is going to be a GREAT year for me! Just watch!
So, yeah, I'm doing the trite "year in reflection and goals for the new year" post. It's my blog and I'll do what I want. This year has been full of changes. Some I didn't even see coming and got a little side-swiped by them. There have been some deaths of friends that still make my heart hurt. There have been some deaths of friendships that were kind of hurtful, too. There was the stupid knee surgery that still makes my leg hurt. And there was the loss of my husband's job due to the plant closing that really terrified me.
However, I have made new friends that make my heart sing. I have discovered new ways of getting my calorie burn that makes me feel good. I'm still dealing with the knee thing and am currently preparing to seek a second opinion to determine if another surgery is necessary. And my husband ended up with a wonderful, wonderful job that pays WAY more than he was making and has WAY better benefits. Though there were times that this year seemed really dark, it ended up being a great year overall.
And now I'm gearing up for an even better 2014.
After doing a lot of thinking about this, I've decided to set some goals for the new year. These are not resolutions, but goals that I aim to achieve. I've been told by several people how stubborn I am and how I can achieve what I put my mind to, but I've not really applied that to weight loss/health. And it is time to do it and see where I end up. So without further ado, here are my goals for 2014:
- Hit "onederland" - that beautiful land where my weight begins with a 1 and not a 2. I have less than 40 lbs to go to get there. I would love to get there by July 1, but with the potential surgery/recovery, I don't know if that's possible. I do know that I CAN do this though by the end of the year, so I'm not putting a time limit on myself.
- Get into a size that does not have an X in front of it. Since I haven't been thin in my adult life, I do not know what weight on me corresponds with what size. I'd love to be wearing a size large, or even medium, by the end of the year.
- Fit into a size 16 pants. A size 12 or 14 would be incredible, but I'd settle for a 16.
- Run/walk at least 6 5Ks (races) this year.
- Finish a 5K in less than 35 minutes. Current PR is 47:21, previous was 49:06 (Fallen Soldiers 5K @ WIU -- 2013, 2012). These were both a combination of run/walks...and both done with a torn meniscus in my knee! LOL Imagine what I could do with a healed knee!!!
- Complete a 10K (knee willing!) in less than 80 minutes.
- Earn 12 more semester hours toward my master's degree.
- Volunteer to help with planning of the next Fallen Soldiers 5K at WIU.
- Try at least 1 new recipe each month and discuss on here.
- Write in this blog at least once a week to discuss how things are going, good or bad.
- Walk at least 1 mile each day, regardless of the weather.
- Log 100 miles per month - any form of cardio with measurable distance, such as walking, biking, treadmill, elliptical, arc trainer, rower, etc.
I am SO ready for this! This is going to be a GREAT year for me! Just watch!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Changes
My knee is injured again. It has been for a couple of months and the doctor is taking a very conservative approach and having me try different anti-inflammatories. They are not working. I fear that another surgery is on the horizon, and that makes me sad/angry/disappointed. There are so many things that I still cannot do that I could do before the surgery. It has changed my life in many ways.
One of the biggest ways is that I've had to accept the fact that I cannot do CrossFit any more and I do not know if I ever will be able to. There are some things I could do, but many, many things would have to be modified...some to the point that they wouldn't even resemble the original workout in any way/shape/form. It is still painful to see that others can do it, but I can't. This is NOT what I had envisioned when I had this stupid surgery. I was convinced that it would be the complete opposite - this would open lots of doors and I could run again and life would be grand. Yeah...not so much.
So I'm doing the best that I can, but I have lost so much strength that it's just ridiculous. I'm having to learn a whole new strength training world that I thought I was done with. It's not my favorite, but it is necessary. I have been able to go to the gym as much as I would like due to football games, but those are now over, so no excuses. I should be able to hit the gym every night after work, and then some. And hit it HARD.
Let's do this!
One of the biggest ways is that I've had to accept the fact that I cannot do CrossFit any more and I do not know if I ever will be able to. There are some things I could do, but many, many things would have to be modified...some to the point that they wouldn't even resemble the original workout in any way/shape/form. It is still painful to see that others can do it, but I can't. This is NOT what I had envisioned when I had this stupid surgery. I was convinced that it would be the complete opposite - this would open lots of doors and I could run again and life would be grand. Yeah...not so much.
So I'm doing the best that I can, but I have lost so much strength that it's just ridiculous. I'm having to learn a whole new strength training world that I thought I was done with. It's not my favorite, but it is necessary. I have been able to go to the gym as much as I would like due to football games, but those are now over, so no excuses. I should be able to hit the gym every night after work, and then some. And hit it HARD.
Let's do this!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Satisfaction
I set a goal for myself to go to the gym and do at least 2 hours of working out. Then when I got up this morning, I didn't want to. I was comfy in my chair and wanted to stay there all day long. Thankfully, my husband told me I had to go. And so I did.
Today was also weigh in day for me. I climbed on the scale with trepidation because, although I've been working my butt off, I've seen a little gain every week for the last 3 weeks and it was starting to upset me. However, I made a couple of small changes and they paid off. I had a loss of 3.25 lbs. My weight is now 229.25. I have lost a total of 48.25 lbs since I began this journey so many years ago. Slow and steady...but we need to pick up the pace again!
I haven't been in the 220s for probably 20 years, so the feeling of hitting that number is pretty awesome. Now the goal is to hit the 2teens. Trying to take this journey 10 lbs at a time. That way I won't get overwhelmed thinking of how far I have to go.
My ankle was still hurting today, but not as bad. I really wish I knew what was going on, but I'm also afraid to know what's going on. Speaking of pain, I haven't really been able to do push ups on my knees since surgery. The pressure on whatever is healing below my kneecap was just too much. Today, I decided to give it a try. I couldn't do them exactly like I used to (with my knees bent, all pressure on kneecap), but I was able to straighten my legs and do them. I did 125 of them, as a matter of fact. Along with 125 lat pull downs @ 55 lbs, 125 squats, and 125 sit ups. I also did 20 minutes on the stationary bike, and 45 minutes on the treadmill (which included Week 1, Day 3 of C25K). And then hubby and I went for a 60 minute walk this evening.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to get my hands on some fresh kale. I've been wanting to try it for a while, but just never worked up the nerve. I'm very hesitant to try new foods sometimes, for fear I won't like it and I'll have wasted my money. A local produce farm is selling it in a farmer's market-type setting, and it's only $2 for a Ziploc gallon bag. I can spend $2 to try something! And so I'm going to. I can't wait to see what other veggies they have for sale. I'd rather support a local family and get garden-fresh produce than buy the picked/shipped from who-knows-where stuff at the grocery store or Walmart.
So perhaps I'll have a report coming soon on my experiment with kale. I'm really hoping I fall in love with it (like I did asparagus)!
Today was also weigh in day for me. I climbed on the scale with trepidation because, although I've been working my butt off, I've seen a little gain every week for the last 3 weeks and it was starting to upset me. However, I made a couple of small changes and they paid off. I had a loss of 3.25 lbs. My weight is now 229.25. I have lost a total of 48.25 lbs since I began this journey so many years ago. Slow and steady...but we need to pick up the pace again!
I haven't been in the 220s for probably 20 years, so the feeling of hitting that number is pretty awesome. Now the goal is to hit the 2teens. Trying to take this journey 10 lbs at a time. That way I won't get overwhelmed thinking of how far I have to go.
My ankle was still hurting today, but not as bad. I really wish I knew what was going on, but I'm also afraid to know what's going on. Speaking of pain, I haven't really been able to do push ups on my knees since surgery. The pressure on whatever is healing below my kneecap was just too much. Today, I decided to give it a try. I couldn't do them exactly like I used to (with my knees bent, all pressure on kneecap), but I was able to straighten my legs and do them. I did 125 of them, as a matter of fact. Along with 125 lat pull downs @ 55 lbs, 125 squats, and 125 sit ups. I also did 20 minutes on the stationary bike, and 45 minutes on the treadmill (which included Week 1, Day 3 of C25K). And then hubby and I went for a 60 minute walk this evening.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to get my hands on some fresh kale. I've been wanting to try it for a while, but just never worked up the nerve. I'm very hesitant to try new foods sometimes, for fear I won't like it and I'll have wasted my money. A local produce farm is selling it in a farmer's market-type setting, and it's only $2 for a Ziploc gallon bag. I can spend $2 to try something! And so I'm going to. I can't wait to see what other veggies they have for sale. I'd rather support a local family and get garden-fresh produce than buy the picked/shipped from who-knows-where stuff at the grocery store or Walmart.
So perhaps I'll have a report coming soon on my experiment with kale. I'm really hoping I fall in love with it (like I did asparagus)!
Friday, June 28, 2013
Frustration
I had to scrap the C25K last week and restart it this week. I've been able to do 2 days so far, and I'm hoping to do day 3 tomorrow. Now that the knee is feeling decent, I'm having ankle problems. I've developed a sharp, stabbing pain in the inner aspect of my left ankle. It was so bad today that I could barely walk.
I know I probably need to go back to my ortho to find out what's going on, but I'm kind of scared to find out. I am worried that I've messed up something big and it will require several weeks/months of fixing. I will NOT have surgery again, though. I just cannot go through that again right now. I'm going to give it a little more time and see what happens. Hopefully it will just get all better magically. I can dream, can't I?
I know I probably need to go back to my ortho to find out what's going on, but I'm kind of scared to find out. I am worried that I've messed up something big and it will require several weeks/months of fixing. I will NOT have surgery again, though. I just cannot go through that again right now. I'm going to give it a little more time and see what happens. Hopefully it will just get all better magically. I can dream, can't I?
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Couch 2 5K has started!
To get started on my half marathon training, I downloaded a C25K app to my phone and started using it Tuesday. I was really scared to take those first running steps. I was afraid that the pain I'd had before surgery would still be there. Much to my delight and surprise, it was not! My knee felt awesome - very little pain at all! However, my ankles were a different story.
I don't know what caused it, but the inner aspects of both ankles had shooting pains with every step I took - running or walking. I still finished my training, though. Yesterday I could barely walk, though, and took a self-imposed rest day to recover. I'm still having some pain in the left ankle today, but it's getting better.
One thing I have done to help with this is to reach out for some expert running advice. If the contact I made isn't able to help, I've got some people at work that may be able to help. I'm wondering if my stride is messed up or something. I'd also like to get some tips and pointers from someone who does a lot of running. I know I can stand to learn more!
If I cannot find the source of pain and correct it on my own, then I will have no choice to head back to my ortho. Ugh! I dread the thought of doing that because I'm sure it will involve physical therapy. I would prefer to never do PT ever again in my life. It's very frustrating to make progress only to be knocked back a few more steps. But I'm not giving up.
I don't know what caused it, but the inner aspects of both ankles had shooting pains with every step I took - running or walking. I still finished my training, though. Yesterday I could barely walk, though, and took a self-imposed rest day to recover. I'm still having some pain in the left ankle today, but it's getting better.
One thing I have done to help with this is to reach out for some expert running advice. If the contact I made isn't able to help, I've got some people at work that may be able to help. I'm wondering if my stride is messed up or something. I'd also like to get some tips and pointers from someone who does a lot of running. I know I can stand to learn more!
If I cannot find the source of pain and correct it on my own, then I will have no choice to head back to my ortho. Ugh! I dread the thought of doing that because I'm sure it will involve physical therapy. I would prefer to never do PT ever again in my life. It's very frustrating to make progress only to be knocked back a few more steps. But I'm not giving up.
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