March 01, 2017

Hello, March!

Happy March!

There is something about February that I just don't enjoy (probably because it's usually the coldest month here in Michigan), and I'm always relieved when it's over. The highlight of my March was definitely the spontaneous trip to San Diego to visit John. It lifted my mood a lot, and helped me to start picking myself up from this depression. I was inspired to make plans with people and meet new friends. I decided that I'm going to start planning a trip to someplace warm every year around my birthday in January so that I have a get-away to look forward to. (Sunshine and margaritas with a good friend are just what I needed!)


I will get to my Wednesday Weigh-in in a moment, but for now, I just wanted to post my 1 Second Everyday video for February. It's not anything very exciting, but most of my life isn't exciting--it's just normal.

I realize I tend to rely on my pets for entertainment in my videos, and I use them probably too frequently! This month, I'm going to try to use the pets sparingly. They're just easy targets, I guess, because they're cute and funny ;)


I love love love using the 1 Second Everyday app. It's so fun to watch the entire month each day after I add a new clip.

Onward... today is Wednesday, so that means Wednesday Weigh-in. I had a very big drop on the scale this week!


I was at 158.0 last week (and for several weeks in a row), so I am down 6.4 pounds. Of course, this is mainly due to water weight, as I made some changes this week: increased my carbs significantly, quit drinking alcohol, started a new antidepressant, stopped running, and increased my walking.

I decided to quit drinking alcohol for a while as my body gets used to the new antidepressant. I also haven't run since Friday, and running always makes me retain a certain amount of water weight in my muscles--so, when I don't run for several days in a row, I drop quite a bit of water weight. If I start running again, it'll come back on. It's just a pattern I've noticed over the years, and it doesn't bother me any.

It could just be a placebo effect, but I feel like maybe my new antidepressant is helping even out my moods a bit, which also means less emotional eating. I've only been taking it for a week though, so I could just be imagining that. Anyways, I'm thrilled to finally see some progress! I was starting to feel discouraged, because I felt like I was doing everything "right" but I wasn't seeing any progress on the scale. I'm glad I kept at it, though, because today's weigh-in was nice :)

If you may remember, I chose to challenge myself to eat a salad every day in February. I have to say, I am quite glad it's over now. I was getting so tired of salad! All things in moderation... including salad ;)  Here is a collage of some of them through the month...


There were only a few days that I skipped, and it wasn't necessarily on purpose (I missed a day in California, and over the last week I missed a couple).

My very favorite salad of the month was with black beans, corn, cheese, avocado, and tortilla chips with buttermilk ranch dressing. I felt like I could just eat that one every day and be happy. I tried a very unusual salad with leftover spaghetti on top--I was not a fan of that one! haha. I also tried making a "Big Mac" type salad, with a veggie burger patty, thousand island dressing, pickles, and cheese. I really liked that one! If I had to choose just ONE topping to be my favorite, it would (surprisingly) be corn! Corn is one of my favorite foods anyway, but I never expected it to be so good on a salad.

Anyway, the experiment was fun, but I'm totally ready to move on. For March, I had already decided (at the beginning of the year) that I was going to challenge myself to get 10,000 steps per day. This will be VERY challenging if I'm not running, but I think the timing of this challenge is great, considering my last blog post. This will make sure that if I don't run much, I will at least be active enough to get in 10,000 steps. I did this challenge a few years ago, and it was very difficult, but I remember it fondly. I would play silly games around the house with the kids in order to get in all my steps.

This time, I'm going to alter the goal to be 10,000+ steps on 5+ days per week. Ideally, I would aim for every single day, but there are some days where it's just not going to happen. (In retrospect, I probably should have done the same thing with the salad challenge--five days a week instead of all seven.) Maybe I'll give myself a reward if I can get in 10,000 steps every day--like a new set of sheets! I've been wanting a set of Brooklinen sheets for a long time, so that would be a great incentive.

I have a few things fun things on the calendar this month: I have the RRCA Level II certification; Ariana Grande concert; local From Fat to Finish Line meet-up; and a game night with friends (I'm hosting at my house). The MOST exciting thing of all will be the arrival of my nephew!! (He is due to arrive on the 20th). I cannot wait to be an aunt! March is looking good :)

20 comments:

  1. When I finally found an anti-anxiety medication that worked for me, I swear I felt it start helping within the first few days of taking it. Sometimes it takes longer to feel, but sometimes it really does start helping quickly, depending both on what the medication is and how the person's body works in terms of absorption and such. So I think it is totally possible it is helping, and that it is awesome you have hopefully found something that will help.

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    1. I certainly hope so! This has been a very good week for me :) Thanks for sharing!

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  2. You have a Garmin - are you doing any of their step challenges on the Garmin mobile app? Or the auto step goal? The auto step goal automatically gives you a daily goal and then adjusts it a bit the next day - if you keep meeting your goal, it goes up, but if you don't, it goes down a bit. I know it's all a computer algorithm, but it still keeps me motivated. I will not reveal how often I pace around the house at 10pm to get those last 1000 steps to hit my goal before I go to bed. :)

    I also enjoy the automated weekly step challenges and the challenges that you can do with your connections, but I realize the idea of competing with other people is not for everyone.

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    1. The Garmin that I have is actually an older model from 2013... so unfortunately, it doesn't track my steps! I just wear a cheap Fitbit Zip for step counting. My husband has a Garmin fitness tracker and loves it though!!

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  3. Were those raisins on the salad??? My fave!!!

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    1. They're actually dried cherries... which are MY fave! ;)

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  4. I usually eat a salad M-Th. at work for lunch but I have found it very hard to want to eat salad on the weekends because of it. What I am most sad about is my all or nothing mentality and cravings. Because I use to eat eggs most mornings for breakfast for months I am soooo sick of eggs right now.

    Actually kind of "sickly" with eggs....if I am going out for breakfast I can order something eggy otherwise, I just don't eat them at home. Totally burnt out...so I get the "being over salad thing".

    ;-)

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    1. It's a pattern that I tend to fall into--I eat something over and over until I get sick of it, and then I move on to something else. I should have kept the salads to 5 days a week instead of 7 ;)

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  5. You are such an inspiration thank you!

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  6. I loved loved the video! A- it was fun to hear your voice, B- the laughing was wonderful, and C- the clip of Joey staring made me giggle.

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    1. I love when I accidentally get genuine laughter on video! Those are always my favorite 1-second clips. We taught Joey to take his treats gently from our hands instead of grabbing them, so he was doing very well at practicing restraint ;)

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  7. Hi Kate! I enjoy your one second videos so much, even with your pets, pets are the best! I'm a travel agent, so if you would like some help with planning your annual trip, please hit me up, I would be happy to help you plan something! We do a lot of camping trips in the winter, I live in California so it's possible to do. We just head for the coast and regardless of what the weather is like, it always raises my spirits!

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    1. That would be awesome, Shanon! I've been wanting to plan a girls trip for next winter with some friends. If you're interested in helping, I'd be grateful :) Feel free to send me an email. Thank you!

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  8. Hiya Katie! Quick question. Any chance you are a type A blood type? I ask because I am A positive and I also noticed a big change when I increased good carbs and decreased protein and meat consumption -- my body just prefers the former. My blood type apparently favors fruits and veggies and complex carbs over proteins and meats. So I was just curious if you were blood type A as well.

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    1. I'm actually O+, but that's so interesting to note! I've always been curious about the protein thing... everywhere you turn lately, someone is telling us to increase protein and decrease carbs. But when I've tried to do that in the past, I always feel awful! My body feels and functions best when I eat high carb/high fat/low protein. My doctor was stunned at how good my blood work was recently, too, so it's working out well for me. Thank you for sharing though--it's nice to know I'm not the only one!

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  9. I love my Brooklinen sheets! They are worth every penny: crisp and cool without being stiff. They're a great reward, Katie!

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    1. Oh, good! I've literally been lusting after them for a few years now, so it's a great incentive :)

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  10. I switched to Wellbutrin a few months ago and oh my lord-the inference for me was noticeable almost immediately. It really curbs my emotional eating!

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    1. *difference, not inference. Thanks autocorrect.

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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