April 30, 2014

May challenge

I was pretty much expecting to see a five-pound gain on the scale this morning, after the weekend I had. I ate out a few times, and I went WAY over my points on Sunday at Jeanie's party. At best, I expected to have gained about two pounds, but five was more likely.

I think maybe the extra mileage I've been putting in has helped out, because I was very surprised to see that I didn't gain anything this week. I didn't lose, but I didn't gain, either.


After getting the kids off to school, I headed to Weight Watchers. I knew I wasn't anywhere near goal, so I just weighed in with my shoes on. I used to always weigh in with shoes, but I stopped doing it when my weight got very close to goal, because I didn't want to be over goal.

Anyway, I was disappointed to see that Glenda (my leader) wasn't there today. She was home sick, so there was a different woman who led the meeting today. She was very nice, and I felt bad for her--shortly after she started the meeting, a woman walked in, looked at her, and rudely said, "OH, Glenda's not here? I'm leaving then!" The leader (I forget her name) just said, "Glenda is great--I would probably choose her over me, too!"

I find myself really looking forward to seeing the "regulars" at the meetings each week. There are a few Lifetime members, which is nice; I like to hear how they do with maintenance, and all the ups and downs that go with it.

Today, the meeting topic was about plateaus. I've never really experienced a genuine plateau. If my weight stays the same, it's always been because I didn't measure my portions, or I went over my points or calories, etc. I think a plateau is when you're doing everything RIGHT, and the weight stops coming off for a while.

One of the things that the leader mentioned, which I whole-heartedly agreed with, is that when things are feeling stale, it can really help to go back to square one and pretend you're a new member. Set fresh goals and go back to measuring food to make sure you're getting the right portions. I've had to do that lots of times, and it really does help to change my mindset!

Speaking of goals, I decided I am going to go ahead and give up sweets for the month of May. I'm not giving up sugar altogether; just desserts/sweets. No cakes, cookies, candy, etc. But I put a teaspoon of sugar in my tea every day, and I don't consider that a dessert, so I'll still have that. I also won't give up items that contain sugar, but aren't dessert--like ketchup, jam, and cereal.

It's going to be really difficult for me--I love my desserts! But I really like focusing on one particular challenge. In February, I challenged myself to get in 10,000 steps per day, and that was at the forefront of my mind. Since it's "just" 31 days, I should be able to give up dessert for the month of May!


I decided to go for another goal of mine, too--I'm going to train for a sub-1:50 half-marathon this fall. It's definitely shooting for the moon, but I'm hoping that by writing it, I'll follow through and push my hardest to do it (or at least come close) ;)  My goal race will be the Monroe Half Marathon on November 9th--that's my hometown race, and it's very small--which is good for a PR. My current PR is 1:52:07, from 2013. I was about 131 pounds when I ran that half, and losing this extra weight would definitely help me get back to that sort of speed again.

Once I complete the Heartbreak Hill Hat Trick on June 7 & 8, I'm going to take a a week or so off, then do a few weeks of easy training, and then start with the training for a 1:50 half marathon. It's going to be tough, but I feel ready to push myself hard again! I'm actually looking forward to it.

22 comments:

  1. That is awesome!! Writing a goal ways helps me be more accountable. That is an awesome goal! My current half marathon goal is a sub 2:30 half and I would like to one day sub 2 hour. You are my inspiration for sure!

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  2. I lost a lot of weight a year and a half ago by making smart choices and reading blogs like this one. I started a new job, starting making less-smart choices, and gained it all back and more. Tomorrow I am going to my first Weight Watchers meeting.

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  3. Good luck with your goals! Restricting things tends to make me feel all bingey, so giving up sweets wouldn't work for me, but I've been thinking I should set a goal for myself during May too. Now if I could only figure out a good one... before I start my day tomorrow. Ha, no pressure there.

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  4. I decided to do a sugar detox for the month of May also- but all sugar except fruit for me. I'm leaving my job tomorrow and won't be working for a bit, so I don't have to worry about the initial crankiness and lethargy getting in the way of my work performance. I know I have a problem with sugar and I go in and out of addiction cycles and I'm deep in one right now and I just feel like crap all the time. I'm hoping by giving up all sugar for a month I can feel better and more energetic and also reset my tastebuds so they're more easily satisfied by smaller amounts of sugar.

    Did you find your binge book also helped you with just general sugar cravings? I'm not a binger but just struggle so much with snacking on sweet things all the time.

    But good luck! I'll be cheering you on!

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  5. My husband and I are doing the Whole30 for the month of May. I'm excited and scared. I know my husband can do it... he eats just because he has to. I eat because I enjoy food. We'll see how this goes. It should be an interesting May!

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  6. I like that idea for May! I'm going to try as well!

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  7. Awesome! I'm doing a week of no sugar (actually just fruits, veggies, nuts, and beans) to put an end to my latest season of over indulging. I'm going to add meat, dairy and grains back in next week. And then a little sugar the next week. 2 weeks is enough for me though. I can't imagine a whole month! Good for you!

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  8. I have hit a plateau before, and it's really hard not to get discouraged. In fact, last time I did, I wound up having surgery and not being able to exercise for a while, and then had a complication 4 weeks post op, which meant more time without exercise. Then my mom had surgery and I was the person taking care of her, ethics meant no time for me. By the time I got back, I had gained and gave up on what I was doing. That a bad place to be. I have never gotten back to where I was when I hit the plateau since. No one ever talked about it with me, so I never figured out what I needed to do. It is really discouraging.

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  9. AnonymousMay 01, 2014

    Good luck with the challenge, Katie! I might copy you and do the same, as I've pledged to make May a healthier month... And like you, I have a really sweet tooth.

    Catherine

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  10. You go girl :)

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  11. Nice work on the weigh in Katie! I felt the same way and was happy to see I only gained a half pound. Your gonna rock the Half I know it!

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  12. Oh man, I need to follow your steps about no desserts.. I LOVEEEEE desserts, I could eat them after every meal, even breakfast.. I should do that same as well...I dont think it will be too terrible(ya right, yes it will) but I think I could benefit from it...

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  13. I'm so impressed with this difficult goal you set for yourself! It inspires me to dig in, and...wait for it...try to be more consistent through each week. I've hit my goal weight, and eat great Monday through Thursday, but the wheels fall off Friday through Sunday, and I typically gain 5 lbs. Generally it's off again by Thursday, but I don't feel this is a healthy cycle and that I'd be much better off if I was simply more consistent. So, for the month of May (and hopefully beyond), a month when I will run my first and second half marathons, I commit to eating more consistently over the weekends, as you give up sweets. Good luck!

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  14. Wow! You can totally do without sweets for May! Just like running a marathon it's mind over matter. Saying no should make you feel great about yourself. And you deserve a congratulations on not gaining over the past week!

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  15. I love that your WW leader is named Glenda, like the Good Witch. The substitute leader at least had a sense of humor, though.

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  16. So your going to have to change the name of your blog to "Runs for......?

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  17. Dear Katie
    I always look forward to your posts. Although I record everything I eat from Monday through Saturday, I don't on Sunday.

    Thus, my goal this month is to track each & every bite I eat on Manic Sundays.

    Cheers for a good weekend.

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  18. It sounds like you have some awesome goals to work on! You can do it! I'm doing an intuitive eating challenge in May and looking forward to it.

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  19. Great goal with the 1:50 half marathon. You can totally do it!

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  20. AnonymousMay 01, 2014

    Best of luck on your no sugar challenge! What is your plan for overcoming a sweet tooth? What will you replace it with?

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  21. Great job on staying the same--sometimes, that's as good as losing! :)

    I'm excited for you to shoot for a 1:50 half--I know you can do it!! I'm thinking about doing the Monroe half, too. But much slower, lol! I hope we can do some runs together this summer!

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