I'd heard about it happening in a variety of places.
I'd read about it on a number of blogs.
But I didn't really believe it would happen to me.
As I mentioned previously, I've been following the Cool Running Couch-to-5K program. My progress has been a bit jolted, though, as last Wednesday I came down with some crazy virus and I'm just starting to get back on my feet.
And when I say "jolted," I mean the gap between my "Week 2 Day 1" and "Week 2 Day 2" was about, oh, 8 days (2/11 and 2/19, respectively). I did Day 3 on 2/24 and figured that I would just keep going with Week 2 until I felt ready to move on, especially since I'm still hugely stuffy. I even labeled today's calendar as "Week 2 Day 4" and Saturday's run as "Week 2 Day 5."
But tonight I went in to do weights and the trainer put me on the treadmill between certain exercises for 90 second bursts. He didn't establish a pace, so I set my first burst at 5.0mph. My next was 5.2mph. And my last was 5.5mph. And the crazy thing? They didn't exhaust me. And that gave me hope.
So after the weight training, I got back on the treadmill and while I warmed up, I wondered if I was ready to move to Week 3. I hadn't even looked it up, but I thought it went something along the lines of "Run 1.5 min, Walk 1.5 min, Run 3 min, Walk 3 min" (turns out I was right, too, which is sorta cool). So I started my 90 second sprint, and when the 90 second rest was over, I was ready to push for 3 minutes. So I did. And at the end, I was tired. But I followed the sequence two more times ... then at the end, when I had only 10 minutes left on my treadmill somehow, I pushed through 2.5run/2.5walk twice.
And you know what?
It.
Felt.
Awesome.
In the month of February, I've logged 18.5 miles.
If you had told me last February that I would be able to do that, I wouldn't have believed you.
But I guess I'm learning to believe in a lot of unexpected things lately ...
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Weekly check-in, Feb 23
Remembering to write on a Monday, like I always hope to? This could be a sign that a good habit is forming ...
After my realization last week that my scale has gone SCHIZO, I decided to go back to using BOTH scales for a short while, to see if that would yield any results. (Oh my scientific brain!) I know they've both had histories of being bizarrely erratic, so here they are side-by-side:
Old scale: 192.0 lbs, 29.2 BMI, 35.4% body fat
New scale: 199.2 lbs, 30.3 BMI, 36.1% body fat
Because I'm a huge fan of numbers and metrics, and because I gain motivation from seeing little victories, (and because I am a big nerd!,) I've been tracking my weight on BOTH of these scales at different times on different pieces of software. So I just plotted them out (again, because I am a big nerd), and here's the spread:
For a while there, it seemed like the NEW scale (pink) was simply more accurate ... but I'm suddenly really glad I kept the oldie in order to have some continuity.
Who knew trying to track weight loss could be THIS tricky?!
Regardless, there is some great news in here:
- This calms my mind about weight fluctuation. Chances are, it's not my body doing weird things; it's the flipping scale having a panic attack!
- For all intents and purposes, I lost 7 lbs this week. I feel like a contestant on "The Biggest Loser!" (the kind who would get kicked off for not getting double-digits, but so what?) Since I haven't amended my goal of 164 by 12/31, that makes my goal graph much more comfortable to view:
Even if I continue to lose weight at my current pace (approx .75/wk), this eases me into my goal in early November. If I can bump it up to 1lb/wk, that'll be late August. Score!
- I can take a picture on my cruise next week (OMG it's next week!) for my 195-191 picture on my wall (I don't think I've mentioned this, but I'm taking pictures of my face as I lose weight so I can see the slow progression of a decreasing double chin and increasing facial definition).
Alright, I think that's it for this week. Hopefully I won't have any more calamities of the scale this year ... and if I do, the next one CERTAINLY won't be Taylor brand!
After my realization last week that my scale has gone SCHIZO, I decided to go back to using BOTH scales for a short while, to see if that would yield any results. (Oh my scientific brain!) I know they've both had histories of being bizarrely erratic, so here they are side-by-side:
Old scale: 192.0 lbs, 29.2 BMI, 35.4% body fat
New scale: 199.2 lbs, 30.3 BMI, 36.1% body fat
Because I'm a huge fan of numbers and metrics, and because I gain motivation from seeing little victories, (and because I am a big nerd!,) I've been tracking my weight on BOTH of these scales at different times on different pieces of software. So I just plotted them out (again, because I am a big nerd), and here's the spread:
For a while there, it seemed like the NEW scale (pink) was simply more accurate ... but I'm suddenly really glad I kept the oldie in order to have some continuity. Who knew trying to track weight loss could be THIS tricky?!
Regardless, there is some great news in here:
- This calms my mind about weight fluctuation. Chances are, it's not my body doing weird things; it's the flipping scale having a panic attack!
- For all intents and purposes, I lost 7 lbs this week. I feel like a contestant on "The Biggest Loser!" (the kind who would get kicked off for not getting double-digits, but so what?) Since I haven't amended my goal of 164 by 12/31, that makes my goal graph much more comfortable to view:
Even if I continue to lose weight at my current pace (approx .75/wk), this eases me into my goal in early November. If I can bump it up to 1lb/wk, that'll be late August. Score!- I can take a picture on my cruise next week (OMG it's next week!) for my 195-191 picture on my wall (I don't think I've mentioned this, but I'm taking pictures of my face as I lose weight so I can see the slow progression of a decreasing double chin and increasing facial definition).
Alright, I think that's it for this week. Hopefully I won't have any more calamities of the scale this year ... and if I do, the next one CERTAINLY won't be Taylor brand!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Reality Check
I know I may have come off sounding hard on myself last entry. I am annoyed at these up-and-down weight changes from the past year (above, against my goal for the year), but I need to remember that in the long run, each time I go up, I am still a little less than my last "up" ... and while I may be "behind" schedule this week, I could easily be ahead next week.
I also want to point out that this isn't typical for me. I also ran a weight report for the last 12 months and it looks like this:
In other words, this yo-yo thing has really only cropped up recently. And see that big jump around the beginning of the year? That was when I switched scales, because my first scale was schitzing out in a different way - one minute I would be 180lbs and the next I would be 205lbs. Then again, this past week it read me at 193, which would be reasonable weight loss on track with what I was doing last year ... maybe it's worth looking into ...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Weigh-in, Feb 16
Body Weight: 199.0 lbs.
Change since last week: +2.4lbs (Change in two weeks: -1.8lb)
Total Body Fat: 36.1%
Body composition: 71.8 lbs fat/127.2lbs lean
Total Body Water: 47.6%
Body Mass Index: 30.3
Total loss, 2009: -3.2lbs (Avg/wk: -.53lb/wk)
Ok, not gonna lie, this yo-yo-ing is getting sort of old.
I know the reason why it increased this month - I was at a week-long training, so I ate out for lunch and spent an additional 1.5 hours in the car daily. Fair excuse. Valid excuse.
But do you know the problem with excuses? They don't solve the problem - they validate it. I can make plenty of excuses this week.
"But I was socializing with classmates!"
"But my days were long and I was tired!"
"But the facilitator passed out candy!"
"But I was too busy with homework to track my calories!"
Enough. The only thing these buts did for me was to expand mine. (Butt, that is. Oh yeah, I went there.)
So for the next two weeks, until that butt of mine is in Miami, it will be in gear. It will be running, down-dogging and squatting. It will be getting tanned and toned, not flabby and pasty.
Earlier this month, I turned 25 ... and it was a wake-up call that I need to start paying attention to and taking responsibility for all my actions. All of them, even the ones that I don't like.
On the bright side, while I was in training I met up with some classmates that I hadn't seen in a while. One of them who hadn't seen me in two months looked me up and down for about ten seconds and then clapped her hands and said, "That's what it is. You've lost weight! Your face, it's just more ... defined. What have you been doing? You look fabulous." And that? That made it all (almost) worthwhile.
Change since last week: +2.4lbs (Change in two weeks: -1.8lb)
Total Body Fat: 36.1%
Body composition: 71.8 lbs fat/127.2lbs lean
Total Body Water: 47.6%
Body Mass Index: 30.3
Total loss, 2009: -3.2lbs (Avg/wk: -.53lb/wk)
Ok, not gonna lie, this yo-yo-ing is getting sort of old.
I know the reason why it increased this month - I was at a week-long training, so I ate out for lunch and spent an additional 1.5 hours in the car daily. Fair excuse. Valid excuse.
But do you know the problem with excuses? They don't solve the problem - they validate it. I can make plenty of excuses this week.
"But I was socializing with classmates!"
"But my days were long and I was tired!"
"But the facilitator passed out candy!"
"But I was too busy with homework to track my calories!"
Enough. The only thing these buts did for me was to expand mine. (Butt, that is. Oh yeah, I went there.)
So for the next two weeks, until that butt of mine is in Miami, it will be in gear. It will be running, down-dogging and squatting. It will be getting tanned and toned, not flabby and pasty.
Earlier this month, I turned 25 ... and it was a wake-up call that I need to start paying attention to and taking responsibility for all my actions. All of them, even the ones that I don't like.
On the bright side, while I was in training I met up with some classmates that I hadn't seen in a while. One of them who hadn't seen me in two months looked me up and down for about ten seconds and then clapped her hands and said, "That's what it is. You've lost weight! Your face, it's just more ... defined. What have you been doing? You look fabulous." And that? That made it all (almost) worthwhile.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Weigh-in, Feb 9
As I watch "The Biggest Loser," I realize that I didn't post this week. I know no one is reading, but I need to be accountable to myself and know that this information is publicly available:
Body Weight: 196.6 lbs.
Change since last week: -4.2lbs (Change in two weeks: -1lb)
Total Body Fat: 35.3%
Body composition: 69.4 lbs fat/127.2lbs lean
Total Body Water: 48.0%
Body Mass Index: 29.9
Total loss, 2009: -4.6lbs (Avg/wk: -.75lb/wk)
Exciting metrics:
- My BMI officially slid from Obese to Overweight! Ok, I did this before, on my other scale, before it went totally crazy and told me I weighed 60lbs. And there's a chance I could sneak back up, but don't plan on that, yo.
- It is crazy how much my weight has been fluctuating this year. When I look back at my weight charts for the last quarter of 2008, my weight loss was either steady or plateaued - I never had this up-and-down before! I guess it is a reminder that this is a long-term plan, not a quick fix ... therefore I need to stick with it, even when I'm up 3.2lbs in one week, because I can be down 4.6 the next.
- I think that's why I looked at the average lost in the past six weeks. If I can keep up a .75 loss weekly, I will make it to that next BMI range, from "Overweight" to "Healthy," by the end of 2009. A weekly loss of .75/wk will get me to 164 ... and so far I am 1.8lbs ahead of schedule.
Alright, that's it for now ... unless something fantastically motivating happens and I need to share!
Body Weight: 196.6 lbs.
Change since last week: -4.2lbs (Change in two weeks: -1lb)
Total Body Fat: 35.3%
Body composition: 69.4 lbs fat/127.2lbs lean
Total Body Water: 48.0%
Body Mass Index: 29.9
Total loss, 2009: -4.6lbs (Avg/wk: -.75lb/wk)
Exciting metrics:
- My BMI officially slid from Obese to Overweight! Ok, I did this before, on my other scale, before it went totally crazy and told me I weighed 60lbs. And there's a chance I could sneak back up, but don't plan on that, yo.
- It is crazy how much my weight has been fluctuating this year. When I look back at my weight charts for the last quarter of 2008, my weight loss was either steady or plateaued - I never had this up-and-down before! I guess it is a reminder that this is a long-term plan, not a quick fix ... therefore I need to stick with it, even when I'm up 3.2lbs in one week, because I can be down 4.6 the next.
- I think that's why I looked at the average lost in the past six weeks. If I can keep up a .75 loss weekly, I will make it to that next BMI range, from "Overweight" to "Healthy," by the end of 2009. A weekly loss of .75/wk will get me to 164 ... and so far I am 1.8lbs ahead of schedule.
Alright, that's it for now ... unless something fantastically motivating happens and I need to share!
Friday, February 6, 2009
New personal best
Yes, I was way too forgiving in the last post. The reason why? Running.
I know I used to quote my favorite local band, "I only run when I'm being chased." Ironically, that band's music has become my most motivating running music. I actually told the lead singer when I last saw him that he's like a second personal trainer.
I used to think I hated running; turned out I just hated running on a treadmill. So last fall I got myself a Nike+ and started running in the morning before work and I wouldn't say that I loved the actual running, but I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment before I even really began my day, and I liked exploring my new neighborhood on foot. I even started the Cool Running "Couch-to-5K program" so that I wouldn't overextend myself ... then the weather got colder and I hung up my running shoes - well that's a lie, I still use them for cross-training, just stopped running outside.
Then about 2 weeks ago at the gym, I found myself on the treadmill, doing interval drills and not hating myself in the process. A few possibilities why:
A. I used to get shoulder pain from the impact of the treadmill, but I think my shoulder has gotten stronger through weight training and is less susceptible to injury.
B. I am carrying less weight, so it is easier to propel myself forward.
C. My heart is stronger and running doesn't tire me out the way that it used to.
I had planned to re-begin the Couch-to-5K when the weather got nice, like mid-March ... but I had a realization that there was no need to wait anymore, I could start on the treadmill.
So I did.
And yesterday? Yesterday I hit my personal best time for the mile: 13:32. I ran 2.34 miles in 31'43". And at the end, I wasn't even all that exhausted. In fact, I felt awesome.
The best part of it all is that yesterday was my personal best - that I'm going to try to beat tomorrow. And next Tuesday and next Thursday, as I get into week 2 and my sprints get longer while my resting decreases.
I never thought I would enjoy running this much. I guess I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
Twenty five is going to be a good year.
I know I used to quote my favorite local band, "I only run when I'm being chased." Ironically, that band's music has become my most motivating running music. I actually told the lead singer when I last saw him that he's like a second personal trainer.
I used to think I hated running; turned out I just hated running on a treadmill. So last fall I got myself a Nike+ and started running in the morning before work and I wouldn't say that I loved the actual running, but I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment before I even really began my day, and I liked exploring my new neighborhood on foot. I even started the Cool Running "Couch-to-5K program" so that I wouldn't overextend myself ... then the weather got colder and I hung up my running shoes - well that's a lie, I still use them for cross-training, just stopped running outside.
Then about 2 weeks ago at the gym, I found myself on the treadmill, doing interval drills and not hating myself in the process. A few possibilities why:
A. I used to get shoulder pain from the impact of the treadmill, but I think my shoulder has gotten stronger through weight training and is less susceptible to injury.
B. I am carrying less weight, so it is easier to propel myself forward.
C. My heart is stronger and running doesn't tire me out the way that it used to.
I had planned to re-begin the Couch-to-5K when the weather got nice, like mid-March ... but I had a realization that there was no need to wait anymore, I could start on the treadmill.
So I did.
And yesterday? Yesterday I hit my personal best time for the mile: 13:32. I ran 2.34 miles in 31'43". And at the end, I wasn't even all that exhausted. In fact, I felt awesome.
The best part of it all is that yesterday was my personal best - that I'm going to try to beat tomorrow. And next Tuesday and next Thursday, as I get into week 2 and my sprints get longer while my resting decreases.
I never thought I would enjoy running this much. I guess I still have a few tricks up my sleeve.
Twenty five is going to be a good year.
Weekly check-in, 2/2
I know, four days late to post Monday's numbers. I'm calling birthday pass.
Body Weight: 199.0 lbs.
Change since last week: +1.4lbs
Total Body Fat: 36.3%
Body composition: 72.2 lbs fat/126.8lbs lean
Total Body Water: 47.2%
Body Mass Index: 30.5
Two excuses:
1. Birthday celebration!
2. Got the period.
I'm gonna be forgiving about this one ... this time.
Body Weight: 199.0 lbs.
Change since last week: +1.4lbs
Total Body Fat: 36.3%
Body composition: 72.2 lbs fat/126.8lbs lean
Total Body Water: 47.2%
Body Mass Index: 30.5
Two excuses:
1. Birthday celebration!
2. Got the period.
I'm gonna be forgiving about this one ... this time.
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