Show Me the Weigh

According to my scale, I've lost a tiny bit of weight each day this week (like .2 lb. or so). I know a lot of people disagree with weighing yourself each day, but it works well for me, as I am able to use it to motivate myself almost whichever way it goes. If it reflects a little weight loss, as it is this week, I find it encouraging and it makes me want to keep doing what I'm doing. If it reflects a higher weight, I use it to remind myself to buckle down and follow my plan. By weighing every day, I can also start noticing things like monthly fluctuations, the effects of a high-sodium meal, and so on. But I absolutely realize that REAL weight loss has to take place gradually, over time, and that's really what counts.
I got up early this morning and did my run/walk routine on the treadmill at 5:30 a.m. I really like doing that on the days I teach (Tuesdays and Thursdays), as I think it makes me feel more confident and helps energize me for my 8:30 class.
And I'm convinced I MUST be burning mega-calories this week just wrangling my toddler in and out of her snow suit and other winter paraphenalia (the wind chill is 25 below today!), not to mention carrying her through the snow (she weighs 32 pounds without clothes on) or pulling her on her pull sled. Today it is simply too cold for the kids to safely play outside.
Looking forward to the heat wave next week when it might get into the 20's! Maybe I'll even do one of my runs outside...

Focus on Improvements

Weekly Weigh-In: 161.4. Down from last week, and I was even further down on some days in-between (saw the southern side of 160 on Friday!).
I need to get better about tracking my calories. On weekdays, I tend to be good about keeping track of them with dietwatch, but I don't always post my dinners (I just estimate, and by tracking the rest of the day I know how many more I can afford to eat), and I'm not good about tracking them on the weekends. I know from previous experience that it's too easy to let those totals slide upward if you're not religiously recording everything you put in your mouth. Once you lose the weight and get the habits established, it doesn't need to be done on a daily basis. So my goal for this week is to be a better calorie-recorder!
On the positive side, DH took my blood pressure last night, and it was lower than it has been lately: 122/84. Hope the trend continues in that direction. I've also been doing well with my workouts, and think I am JUST starting to see a LITTLE more definition in my biceps.
Here's to measureable (if ever so slight) progress!

Treadmilling in a Winter Wonderland

We got over a foot of snow overnight and now it's still coming down a bit and drifting around like crazy. Looks like I'll be working out on the treadmill today, given the wind chills are supposed to be dangerously cold. I'm starting Week 4 of the Couch to 5K running program I'm doing - it just doesn't seem like enough running for me! But I'm trying to hold back and not jump ahead. It's only 3 days a week, which is one of my problems with it, but I'm trying to do other exercise (lifting and walking or Lifecycle) on most of the other days. I'll be psyched when I'm done with this program and I can start a more rigorous, 4 day/week program, eventually building up to 5 days a week, which I've done before and enjoyed.
The kids will definitely want to go outside today and play in the huge snowpile the plow has created at the end of our driveway. Maybe if I wrap them up until they're unrecognizable, they can go out for 15-20 minutes.
I'm thinking a realistic running goal for this year might be a half-marathon in the fall, perhaps with the idea of a marathon the following fall. We'll be in Australia next spring, which should be a great place for putting in those long miles!
Hope everyone's managing to stay warm and cozy in this weather!

Naturally Thin?

I was talking today to yet another person I know whom I thought was naturally very thin. I found out that, in addition to having a job that keeps her active, she works out and also she claims to have a good deal of cellulite on her legs and fat on her arms (as she said: "You won't see me in a tank top!).
I have experienced this phenomenon a number of times - i.e., I'll have friends or acquaintances whom I think are just naturally thin and don't have to work at it. Then, as I get to know them better, I realize that they, too, work out a lot and/or carefully watch what they eat (usually both). Yes, some people don't have to work as hard as the rest of us to stay thin, but I think in reality there are VERY few people who can be inactive, eat bad foods, and still be thin - not to mention they wouldn't be healthy doing that. When I have these discussions, I just end up telling myself again - there ain't no such thing as a free lunch! Instead of envying these people, I should be emulating their exercise dedication and restraint when it comes to food.
So far, I'm happy with how I've been doing on eating and exercising for the past few weeks. I haven't been perfect by any means, but I'm working out virtually every day and generally keeping my food intake in check. Just hoping that my appearance and the scale start reflecting these efforts soon!
I took a peek at some marathon training schedules today, to get myself psyched. I'm still itching to run more when I do my run/walk workouts, so I'll be very happy when the time and mileage start to build up.

Back to Reality

Weekly Weigh-in: 162.2. A little up from last week, but I've had lower numbers in-between, and I've been eating and exercising well, so I'm going to try not to worry about it too much. It's clear to me, both from my own experiences and those of friends I've talked to, that losing weight just takes longer after you turn 40!
Classes started this morning at the college where DH teaches and I teach one class per semester. So, I was up in front of the class at 8:30 this morning, and will be again tomorrow. I got my first run/walk workout of the week in yesterday, and will try to get up early to do the second one tomorrow morning. This afternoon I lifted, something I am finding pretty easy to do while the kids are with me. My two-year-old lies down on the treadmill next to the weight bench that I'm on, and pretends to lift weights. And we talk about how strong we are.
Things are going to be much busier from this week forward, so I'm hoping I can stick to those early a.m. workouts! At least I got some good cholesterol news from my doctor the other day: 186. It can still go lower, though, so I'll continue to monitor it as often as my doctor can order it for me.

Saved by the Ice

DH had a lot of work to do today in preparation for the semester starting on Monday (he's a college professor, and I also teach part-time), so I had a lot of time at home alone with the kids. It was one of those days when I couldn't spend two minutes away from them (e.g., checking email or getting something for one of them) without hearing one of them crying, screaming, arguing, or calling for me. I don't know how single parents do it!
After DH got home mid-afternoon, I took my son (he's 6-1/2) to open skate time at the semi-local skating rink. He took some lessons this year, but still has a lot of trepidation about the ice. I thought he'd do better going with me. However, he was thrown off by the fact that open skate was on a different rink than his lessons were on, and he just didn't feel comfortable. I, on the other hand, was having fun. I haven't skated in years, though I did it quite a lot as a kid (no formal lessons, but we had a small rink on my road that even had lights so we could skate at night). So, when he wanted to leave after about 5 minutes, I gave him some change to play video games and skated around for about 15 minutes. It felt great! And it was just what I needed after being cooped up with two whiny kids all day.
I'm also eating well today, and lifted, so I'm happy about that. And hopefully it will be a little warmer tomorrow so I can get the kids outside.
Well, my son's calling for me - I knew 5 minutes was too long to spend alone! - so I'm off to spend more kid time...

A Little Too Much Fun!

DH and I had a great time out to dinner last night. We drank more wine than I'm used to, though, so I woke up after only about 2-1/2 hours of sleep and could NOT get back to sleep. Needless to say, I did not get up at 5:30 to work out! I did, though, manage to get my workout in on the treadmill a little later in the morning, so I've now completed the first two weeks of the Couch to 5K running program from coolrunning.com.
I am not feeling too great today, due to the aforementioned alcohol and lack of sleep. And, while I've been eating well in general, I did finish the half of my dessert that I saved from the restaurant last night. Ah well, I've got the rest of the day - and the rest of my life - to continue to eat well, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it!
Kids are home for a snow day today. It was 66 degrees around here at midnight, then by 5 a.m. in the low 30's and snowing. Crazy!
Off to play with the kiddos...

To Sleep, or Not to Sleep?

After writing the other day that I wouldn't set an alarm to wake up early for working out, I did just that today. After looking at what my husband's and my schedules will be like starting next week (and agreeing to take on a couple of new work projects after talking with my boss yesterday), I realized that the only way I can count on getting my workouts in consistently is to do them primarily in the early mornings. So, this morning I was on the treadmill again by 5:30. As soon as I came back upstairs, around 6, both of my kids woke up. So much for relaxing with a cup of coffee after my workout...But I have heard that morning exercisers do the best at sticking with their schedules, and I've been feeling good all morning, so I'm glad I did it.
Now I just need to work on getting to bed early enough so that I'm not sleep-deprived all the time. It's so tempting to stay up late after the kids are in bed, just to have some non-kid time. But I keep reading more and more about how sleep deprivation leads to lots of health problems, including weight gain, so I've got to just commit to an earlier bedtime.

Feeling More Energy!

I have had a lot more energy the past few days, and am sleeping better (and earlier) at night. I remember having a lot of energy the last time I was in great shape, but I'm already feeling it just from working out regularly and eating very healthily. My hardest time of the day is "the witching hour" (late afternoon, for those of you non-parents out there), when the kids are cranky and difficult and I'm getting hungry for dinner. I'm trying to save some healthy snacks for that time of day, and it also helps that we eat dinner pretty early, since my husband has many evening commitments and I occasionally do as well (like tonight, when I have a meeting of the preschool board of directors that I serve on).
My 2-year-old daughter loves to bake, and I'm trying to find ways to do that with her but not have lots of sweets and fattening foods around the house. So, I've found a few healthy muffin recipes and have been making those with her. Last week we made apple-oat muffins, and yesterday we made bran-blueberry muffins. It works out great, because she gets to bake, which gives us nice time together, and the muffins are reasonably healthy for both her and me.
My husband and I are planning to go out to dinner together on Thursday night - our schedules have been very hectic lately, and will get even more hectic next week when we both start teaching again. So I'm looking forward to that, and it will also be a good reward for my (and my husband's) healthy eating lately.
Off to eat a healthy lunch and pick my daughter up from preschool!

Another early workout

Weight this morning: 161.8 lbs. (BMI = 26.1)
Down 1.2 pounds from last week, which is very reasonable.
I woke up before 5 a.m. again today, and got my run/walk workout in early on our basement treadmill. I really love doing that - nothing can take it away from you for the rest of the day! I won't set an alarm to do this, since sleep deprivation is a problem for my eating, but hopefully by moving my bedtime back earlier I'll wake up early on my own more and more frequently.
I can't remember the last time I set an alarm. I used to do it every day, when we lived in the D.C. area and I commuted from a Maryland suburb to Union Station on Capitol Hill (about an hour and 15 minutes each way!). Now we live in a rural area, outside a tiny college town, and at any given moment during the day, my husband, kids, and I are all within a 5-minute drive of each other (I telecommute to the same job I had in D.C., working from a home office). My husband and I waited to have kids until we were in this situation, and I'm very glad we did.
We also live in a beautiful area for outdoor exercise (though very hilly!), and I don't have to suck car exhaust when I run outside. I did enjoy my lunchtime runs along the Mall in D.C. when we lived there, but this is even better, at least for me.
I'm looking forward to a productive day with my workout behind me!

Playing in the Snow

It's beautiful outside here today, with snow clinging to the trees and about 6 inches on the ground. I didn't do a formal workout, but was out with the kids in the snow for about an hour and a half, during which time I pulled my toddler daughter around on her pull-sled and did a lot of other tromping through the snow. It was amazing to watch my kids play, and just see how much energy they burn up, with sheer joy on their faces. Scaling a snowbank, jumping or rolling down, getting up (no small feat with layers of snow gear on), then repeating - probably 50 times each. No wonder they're so slim even though they both have good appetites!
We had fun at our friends' house for dinner last night. This friend of mine (the wife) has two horses and I go riding with her sometimes. She'll be a great resource if I ever get a horse myself - one of my lifelong dreams! I think it might actually happen, some time after we get back from Australia in summer 2006 (my husband, a college professor, is leading a study group there for spring 2006, and we're all going - a family adventure!). The pending Australia trip is another motivator for getting in better shape, as I'd love to do some great running and maybe even racing there.
I'm doing well on eating this weekend. Feeling hungry, but getting used to it. Tomorrow I start the second week of the "Couch to 5K" running program I'm doing, and I'm already itching to run more. It's probably a bit easy of a schedule for the shape I'm in, but I'd rather start too easy and be itching to run than do too much and burn out.
Thanks for the comments on my last post!

Hunger and Weight

It's funny how you expect to weigh less if you feel hungry (or maybe that's just me). Yesterday morning, given my not-so-great previous day, I did not feel too hungry when I woke up. I ate well yesterday, and this morning I was starving when I woke up. I expected to see a drop in my weight when I climbed onto the scale - but my weight has been exactly the same for the past three days! Well, this is why I only record my weight officially once a week. There are obviously a lot of variables that go into it, and one day of being good or bad on eating and exercising is not always reflected on the scale the next morning.
I'm feeling hungry now, too, but I'm doing well today and am going to keep on track. I remember when I last got fit that one of the major realizations was that, if you're going to be at a healthy weight, you've just got to get used to feeling hungry sometimes. Go figure! It's a small price to pay for being healthy, and you do get more used to it over time, assuming you're not starving yourself.
We're going to the house of some friends for dinner tonight, but I already know the main dish is grilled salmon, so that should be fine. My friend is conscious about her weight too, and working on it, so she's certainly not going to push me to pig out.
I don't have a major workout planned for today - what with the kids home and all - but ideally I'll get some lifting in and maybe a short CV (cardiovascular) workout, like a walk or the Lifecycle. Or maybe I'll get the kids out to our sledding hill, given it's pouring down snow now and we're supposed to get 3-5" today. Walking up our sledding hill multiple times, sometimes carrying a 32-lb. toddler, counts as a workout in my book!
I'm finding some good and inspiring blogs to read, which I've now posted as links (along with a few non-fitness-related ones that I just enjoy reading). One of these days I'll break out of my shyness and start posting comments. It's nice to have a web-based community of people doing the same things you're trying to do.

A Less-Than-Perfect Day

Yesterday I was not perfect in terms of my eating. I drank a glass of wine while cooking dinner (my husband had the kids down in the basement playroom, so I turned on some jazz music, sipped wine, and cooked - one of my favorite things to do!), sampled some of the tortellini I cooked for my son's dinner, had some extra bread with my soup, and had some more wine after dinner while DH (dear husband) and I watched a DVD. I also didn't track my calories. But you know what? It doesn't mean I have to throw this whole diet-and-exercise plan away! I'll just do better today. And the day wasn't a total loss - I ate well in the early part of the day, I lifted weights, and I took the kids out sledding (they had a snow day), which meant climbing up a hill in the snow several times. And any parent can relate to the fact that the end of a snow day is a good time to drink wine. ;-)
So, today I'm doing better, will track my calories, do my run/walk combo, etc. And I won't beat myself up about yesterday. If this is going to be a lifelong change, I can't expect every day to be perfect. I even put in my plan that one day a week I'd let myself loosen up a little. This just happened a day earlier than I expected!
I was a bit depressed the other day when I realized that when my son (who's 6-1/2) was the age my daughter is now (almost 3), I ran a half-marathon and weighed about 20 pounds less than I do now. But I need to look forward, not back, and just continue towards my goals.
It's a new day!

Early workout!

For unknown reasons, I popped awake at 5 a.m. today. After a few minutes I realized I wasn't going to fall back asleep, so I got up and went down to the treadmill to get in my workout (run/walk combo for 25 minutes). I'm following the "Couch to 5K" running plan from coolrunning.com. It's geared toward beginning runners, which I am not, having run most of my adult life, but whenever I've been away from exercise for awhile, I find this a good way to break back in. Anyway, I had worked out and showered by the time the rest of my family got up, which was a good feeling!
I'm still doing quite well on the exercise and eating. I didn't completely count calories yesterday - mainly because I was having problems with dietwatch - but I think I stayed in a very reasonable range. And I had a half-glass of wine last night as I was picking up the house, but I didn't have any problem stopping at that point.
I keep thinking of other things I really want to improve on - parenting my kids (especially their diets and TV watching need to be improved), cleaning the house, etc. But I don't want to take on too many new ways of doing things at once, so right now I'm focusing on the diet/exercise, and hoping to add on other challenges as the year goes on.
I've been enjoying reading some other running and mommy-related blogs, and need to figure out how to link to them. It's fun to find people over the internet that actually have a lot in common with you! One of these days, I'll start commenting. But I'm still sort of shy about this blogger stuff...

So Far, So Good

I had a good start today to my plan - worked out this morning (walk/jog combination), stayed between 1600-1700 for calories, and felt good all day. I realize this is just the beginning glow of a good fitness program, and I certainly won't be this good EVERY day, but after all, I should be making changes that I can keep up with for the rest of my life. So if I have a day when I don't/can't exercise, or don't eat as well as I should, I'll just go on to the next meal or the next day as best I can.
I have lots of other resolutions for the year - get on top of our budget, organize things better, parent my kids better, etc. Very original, I know - get fit, save money, organize, be a better parent - no one else thinks of these things! But I also remember how much energy I had and how good I felt when I was in really good shape a few years ago, and I feel as though it all comes down to fitness/healthiness, and then other goals become more easily achieved.
A little more about my fitness "a few years ago", so I can remember to inspire me...Hubby and I both got in great shape, both eating well and exercising. I trained for and ran a half-marathon, and he trained for and did some bicycle racing. These were great family outings (the races) and hopefully an inspiration for our son as well (he was around 3 at the time). During that summer, I became pregnant with our daughter and we began the process of having a new house built. The pregnancy threw us both off our good eating habits to some extent (especially me!), and the house being built really cut into our exercise time - we lived within a couple miles of the new place, so whenever we had an extra minute, we tended to pop up there and check things out - there was always SOME decision to be made, and if we weren't there, our contractor would make it for us.
But during that very fit time, which lasted for over a year, we slept better, had more energy, and were generally happier and more productive than at any other times in our lives. So I know what it feels like, and I want to get back to it!
One day at a time...

Starting Measurements

Well, I got the tape measure out last night. For the record, here are my starting measurements. I hope I can get all of them to go down!

Weight: 163.6 (gained a little over the holidays - ARGHH!)
Upper Arm: 12"
Chest: 37"
Waist: 32"
Hips: 40.5"
Thigh: 25"
"Belly": 36-1/2"
(my husband and I decided this last measurement is important, even though it doesn't exactly fit in one of the typical measurements. ;-))
Blood Pressure: 130/90
Resting Heart Rate: 76

I plan to take and post these measurements once a month.
I should note here that I realize my desire to lose 25 lbs. or so pales in comparison to the problems lots of others have. Many are struggling with the need to lose much more weight, not to mention the victims of the Tsunami and others in dire circumstances. It is a luxury that this is my main problem to be dealing with at the moment. Nevertheless, I only have one body and one life, and I want to make the best of them.

Goals, Obstacles, and Plans

In these first few posts I want to write down my concrete reasons, plans, and goals for getting fit, along with potential obstacles. I want to be able to re-visit these posts when my motivation lags or I hit a plateau, to remind myself of where I'm going and how I can get there.
I have successfully lost weight and gotten very fit before, and kept it off for over a year, so I plan to use many of the same strategies that worked for me then. And this time I don't plan to get pregnant or have a house built - both of which threw me off the last time!

General goals:
1. Get in good enough shape to ultimately run a marathon; after that, work on other distances or times as motivation.
2. Lose 20-25 pounds, while building muscle (gotta fight that after-40 muscle loss!).
3. Lower blood pressure to a healthy range.

Potential obstacles:
1. LACK OF SLEEP (I have a 2-year-old who still gets up in the middle of the night occasionally; I often don't go to sleep early enough; my husband takes night shifts as a volunteer EMT, and I listen to the scanner while he's on calls so I know where he is and what he's doing).
2. UNHEALTHY FOODS AROUND. Usually I'm pretty good about keeping sweets out of the house. But when we have company, or the kids have sweets, they come into the house, and my resistance to them is VERY low.
3. WEATHER NOT CONDUCIVE TO EXERCISE. I live in central NY, where the winters are very long, snowy, and cold.
4. NOT ENOUGH TIME. I telecommute P/T for a government job, teach a college class twice a week, volunteer on our nursery school's board of directors, and raise two kids (with whom I'm home in the afternoons). My husband's schedule will be extremely busy this coming semester, leaving me with lots of "single parent" time.

Plans for accomplishing goals and overcoming obstacles:
1. GO TO BED EARLIER. I will gradually move back my normal sleep time from about 10:30-11:00 to 9:30-10:00. Given that the kids are often up by 6 or 6:30, this is necessary for me to get a full night's sleep and not crave carbs the next day.
2. KEEP HEALTHY SNACKS EASILY ACCESSIBLE. In case unhealthy foods sneak into the house (which I will try to avoid), I'll keep lots of fruits, veggies, pretzels (in limited portions) around for when cravings hit. I'll also try to limit the unhealthy foods around.
3. PLAN HEALTHY BUT DELICIOUS DINNERS THAT ARE QUICK TO MAKE. I have lots of resources for this, including Cooking Light magazine. My husband and I found the last time we lost weight that it meant a lot to have a delicious dinner to look forward to. It made us feel like we weren't depriving ourselves.
4. PORTION CONTROL. Nothing needs to be completely off limits - but a small portion of the less-healthy foods needs to be enough.
5. TRACK MY CALORIES. This worked last time; it's too easy to under-estimate how much you've eaten. A log also keeps you accountable. I belong to dietwatch, and will use their calorie-tracking program to do this and also to make sure I'm getting the right proportion of different nutrients. I'll shoot for 1600-1800 calories per day, toward the lower end at the beginning to get jump-started.
6. WEIGH MYSELF FREQUENTLY. I'll weigh every day (which worked last time), but only record once a week. In this blog, I'll post my weight once a week (on Mondays), and post other stats (measurements, blood pressure, etc.) once a month.
7. RUN 3-4 TIMES A WEEK, TRY TO WALK OR DO SOMETHING ELSE ON MOST OTHER DAYS. I'm going back to a beginner's running schedule I've used before (starting with run/walk combinations), and will try to walk at least 20 minutes or so on other days. If the weather's bad, I'll use the treadmill or Lifecycle (I'm lucky enough to have both), or do step aerobics to a videotape in the basement playroom. I need to plan well to get those runs in - will try to plan them toward the early parts of the week, so I have make-up days if necessary.
8. CUT DOWN ON ALCOHOL USE. I've gotten used to having a glass of wine or two almost every night. While I enjoy it, and I don't think I abuse it, that's just empty calories. I'll start by cutting down to 3 nights a week.
9. LIFT 2 TIMES A WEEK. I definitely need to build that muscle mass, to fight off the natural loss of muscle that comes with age and increase my resting metabolism. This shouldn't be too hard, as I can usually do it even with the kids around (their playroom is in the basement, where our weight bench and weights also are). This also fits in with setting a good example for them.
10. ENCOURAGE MY HUSBAND'S FITNESS EFFORTS. We both need to get in better shape, and it will work better if we encourage each other. Even if it means having obsessive discussions about each calorie we've taken in that day. ;-) Taking a walk is also a nice way to spend time together during our busy days.
11. ALLOW MINOR SPLURGES ONE DAY A WEEK. This also worked last time. I was less obsessive about counting calories, and had a heavier dinner, usually on Fridays.

That's it for now - tomorrow I'll post my current weight and other info. - maybe a photo.
Happy New Year!