Modification, not starvation

I didn't think it was possible to be any more sore than I was yesterday. I was wrong. I don't think there is a single muscle in my body that doesn't feel Tuesday's workout with Pete!

As I mentioned, I had a long conversation with Pete after his boot camp class, and I learned a few new tips for maintenance that I think will really help me. It's no secret that maintenance is HARD for me, mainly because of stress eating.

The questions I had prepared to ask Pete weren't necessarily about ME, but questions that I thought everyone might find helpful (after reading his book, "Lose It Fast, Lose It Forever"). But as we talked, I found myself asking for advice on the issues I face with maintenance. Some of these things may seem very obvious, but the way Pete talked about it put it all into perspective for me, and it made so much sense!

One of the things Pete learned to do during his weight loss was what he calls "modification, not starvation". He took his favorite foods and modified them to be fewer calories so they would fit in with his weight loss plan. He said the key is to pick foods that still satisfy the craving (so, for example, if you're craving ice cream, eating some yogurt isn't going to cut it). He used the example of popcorn--he used to love the large, buttered movie theater popcorn; now, he'll have the same amount of air-popped popcorn with a little butter spray.

He admits that you may not love the substitutions at first, because you're not used to them, but you're saving roughly 1300 calories by choosing the latter (in the popcorn example)! I told him that I'm an ice cream girl, and he suggested the 40-calorie fudgesicles; because even if I ate the entire box, I would still only eat about 1/4 of the calories that are in a pint of premium ice cream. Here is the example Pete used in his book about modifying his breakfast (notice that he's eating the same amount of food):

Pete's "before" breakfast

Pete's "after" breakfast

I talked to Pete about my binge eating, and while he agrees that bingeing is not okay, he knows that it happens sometimes. And he suggested choosing foods that are lower in calories (like the fudgesicles) to minimize the damage done during a binge. Basically the lesser of two evils ;)

When I first saw some of the examples of foods in Pete's book, I was surprised by the processed foods. I pictured The Biggest Loser Ranch to be void of all things processed. To quote from Pete's book, "At first, we modify only to form that Forever Habit and lose that next pound. Truthfully, we are only 'eating for weight loss.' After we see success in that area, we start modifying because we're 'eating for health,' or you might call it 'eating for life,' which will involve many more natural, whole, and unprocessed foods."

When I talked with Pete about this, he said that when he was over 400 pounds, he was going to die from obesity quickly; so his top priority was to cut calories and lose weight, even if that meant using processed foods. Gradually, he turned toward more unprocessed foods. He used the example of soda pop. For someone who drinks soda on a regular basis, cutting it out cold turkey is really difficult; so he believes it's okay to switch to diet soda, and then maybe flavored water, and then, eventually, just water instead of soda.

That is exactly what I did during my weight loss--I used fat-free sour cream, Crystal Light, Fiber One bars, and other processed foods because they helped me to lower my calories and stay on my plan. Eventually, as I lost the weight, I started to buy less processed foods. I eat fairly healthy, for the most part, but eating all unprocessed organic food just isn't realistic for me on a day-to-day basis.

I asked Pete if he still counts calories every single day, and he said no--that he knows what his limits are. He monitors his weight, and if it goes up a little over the course of a week, then he'll count calories again to get it back down, but he can usually look back on what he was eating and figure out what caused the gain. He said by keeping a log, you can usually see what went wrong, and then you can make a plan to fix it.

For example, I asked him about marathon training. I said that I'm always ravenous the day after a long run, and I eat everything in sight. Pete suggested that I eat a large volume of lower calorie foods; I should plan on having a lot of foods with a high water and fiber content (fruits, veggies) to really fill up the day after my long run without doing a ton of caloric damage. It seems so obvious, but I never thought to do that before!

I also mentioned how I tend to gain weight in the summer, typically from the stress of my kids being home and constantly fighting with each other. He said that I should make a plan for next summer, so that I know ahead of time how I will handle things without the stress eating. Since I know the stress is coming, I can plan ahead exactly what I will do.

I wish I had a whole manuscript of our conversation, because I learned so much, and it's hard to convey it here (I believe everything we talked about can be found in his book, though). But I've started to look at some of my regular foods differently, thinking about how I can modify them to be less caloric and still stay satisfying. And I'm definitely going to come up with a plan for the day after my long runs, as well as summertime next year.

Pete said I really need to start thinking more positively, because I told him that I worry every single day, "Is this the day that I start gaining all this weight back?" He's at the point that he doesn't worry about that anymore, and I really hope to get to that place someday! But I'm grateful that he took the time to talk with me :)

Make sure you enter the giveaway for Pete's book, if you haven't already! (Giveaway is over now)

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Book review and giveaway

Sore doesn't even begin to describe how my body is feeling right now!

As I mentioned yesterday, I had an opportunity come up that made me extremely anxious. I was a nervous wreck all day, and was thisclose to canceling, but I realized I would really regret it if I did.

I was recently asked if I would like to review a book called Lose It Fast, Lose It Forever by Pete Thomas, who is the at-home winner of The Biggest Loser Season 2. He lost 185 pounds and has kept it off for 7 years! As you know, I am a huge Biggest Loser fan. I remembered Pete very well, and was really excited to have the opportunity to read and review his book. (The book will be on shelves Sept. 17th)

While I was waiting for the book to arrive, I even re-watched his season of the show, to refresh my memory. Pete was the kind of BL contestant that I like--quiet, not super dramatic, and did what he was told by the trainers. He started on the ranch at 418 pounds; went home after week 7, weighing 318 pounds; and at the finale, he weighed in at 216 pounds (he's 6'5"--very tall!).

Lose It Fast, Lose It Forever is marketed as "A 4-Step Permanent Weight-Loss Plan". Normally, I despise diet books, but because Pete has kept the weight off for so long, I really wanted to see if I could learn something new. In a nutshell, the book is about how Pete lost the weight, including some insider tips from the ranch; and more importantly, how he changed his whole lifestyle to keep the weight off. He details the diet and exercise changes we can use to lose weight "fast and forever".

Rather than give a detailed account of the book itself, I thought I'd share some points in the book that I found really interesting because they are strategies I used myself. I found that Pete and I had very similar strategies and ideas during our weight loss, which helped me feel like maybe I'm on the right track after all ;)

First, he stresses throughout the book that you need to tailor a plan just for you. You should make it fit with your goals and your situation, and he walks you through that. I am always stressing that same point--what works for me, might not work for you. What worked for Pete may not work for me... and so on. We are all individuals, so we have to find what works for us.

Pete wrote, "I was willing to give my all to get healthy again."  Pete had that determination that I always stress is more important than motivation. He was willing to do whatever it took to lose the weight.

Pete lost the weight by counting calories and exercise. That's exactly what I did. He lost it much faster because he was working out, oh, about ten times more than I was ;)

My very favorite similarity in our journeys? Pete writes: "My number one principle of nutrition is: Never, ever, EVER start a diet that you can't maintain for the rest of your life." I am ALWAYS saying that my best advice is to only make changes that you are willing to live with forever. He states, "You have to be able to stick with the diet in any and all circumstances for it to be long-term."

There are many more similarities, but I won't be redundant by listing all of them. Overall, I was really impressed with Lose It Fast, Lose It Forever. I love that it stresses tailoring the diet to your own life. Pete gives some great tips that even I was able to learn from. Pete doesn't say to give up any of your favorite foods, or cut out whole food groups. I think his plan is a very do-able way to lose weight.

I found it very interesting how he discusses in the exercise section about how often you should work out. He gives examples of how much you can expect to lose based on how often you work out. To achieve Biggest Loser Ranch-type results, you'd have to work out for 4 hours a day!

I really enjoyed the book, and I'm definitely going to give the workouts a try (more details about the workouts are below). And lucky for one of you, you can win a copy of Pete's book as well!! Just leave a comment on this post, and I will enter you in a random drawing. I will select a winner on Friday, Sept. 14th at 10:00 a.m. EST.--GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED.

I was really surprised to see that Pete actually lives in Ann Arbor, MI--which is where I go to Whole Foods! When I finished reading the book, I decided to send him an e-mail and see if he might meet me for coffee or something to ask him a couple of interview questions for the blog.

He wrote me back, and actually suggested that I go to his boot camp class. *Cue anxiety*. I knew it was a great opportunity, but I have only done a class ONCE (something with Jessica at the YMCA), and it did not go well. I'm terrible at stuff like that! Also, the "fat girl" inside of me kept saying, "You can't do that class! You won't be able to keep up. Everyone will stare at you. That's too hard for you." Etc, etc. I know that's a terrible way to think, but that's honestly what goes through my mind.

I invited my friend Adam to come with me, and he said that he's seen Pete lots of times working out at the gym in Ann Arbor, and that he's super friendly. Adam didn't want to go with me (I couldn't sucker ANY of my friends into doing it with me!). I spent all day yesterday thinking of excuses I could come up with to not go. But I decided that I needed to do it, to at least say I tried it.

I had to bring a mat, towel, "lots of water", and dumbbells. I chose my 8-lb dumbbells to bring. There were about 20-25 people that showed up, and about 8 of us were "newbies". The "veterans" had gone through his boot camps before. At first, all the newbies stayed in the gym while the veterans went outside with Pete's trainers. Pete stayed in the gym with us for the warm-up.

The warm-up was tough! I actually was pouring sweat. Most of the exercises were ones that I did on the Wii Active challenge--and thank God for that, because if I hadn't done that challenge I would have had a MUCH harder time during the workout. We did lots of lunges, squats, squat holds, butt kicks, push-ups, etc.

After the "warm-up", which left me exhausted, we went outside with the veterans. We started the circuits (the specifics about the circuit training is all in Pete's book). He does what he calls ABC circuits--A is for "above the waist", things like bicep curls, lateral raises, and push-ups; B is for "below (or at) the waist, things like squats, squat jumps, and sit-ups; C is for "cardio", things like jumping jacks, sprints, mountain climbers, etc.

You do an ABC (each exercise for one minute) and then go through those three exercises three times. Then you switch up the exercises and do it all over again. We went through four sets of exercises, and I felt like I was going to DIE by the end. The workout was two hours in total, and my arms and legs were so tired they were shaking. My least favorite exercise was the mountain climbers. I wanted to scream when I saw we had to do them yet AGAIN. I can totally see how people get pissed and just lose it when they are working out on The Biggest Loser ;)

My strengths were actually squats and lunges (yay, Wii Active!) but I really sucked at push-ups and sit-ups. When it was finally over, I got a chance to chat with Pete. I asked him to sign my book, of course, which he did:

Pete was SO nice, and answered all of my questions. He actually stayed after class for an hour to talk with me, and I learned so much from him. He is very genuine in wanting to help people lose weight. He said that the reason he waited so long to write a book is to make sure that he "got it" and had some accountability to help others lose the weight and keep it off. He doesn't even doubt anymore that he will keep the weight off, which is a place I am hoping to get to someday!

I cannot believe I forgot to do this, but I didn't take a single picture while I was there!! I at least wanted to get a picture with Pete, but I didn't think about it until after I'd left. What kind of blogger forgets to take a picture in that situation?!

This post is long enough, so tomorrow I will write all about my conversation with Pete and some refreshing info I learned from him. I'm so happy that I didn't chicken out about going, and I really wish that I lived closer to Ann Arbor so I could do his entire series of classes! By the way, the classes are for people of all abilities--it was tough, but Pete helps to modify exercises if needed.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

(In full disclosure, I was sent a copy of Pete's book for free to review, but all opinions are my own.)

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Dill Triscuits

Today marks day three of Weight Watchers, and so far, everything is going well. I'm shocked at how little I can eat for the allotted number of points I'm given! I'm allowed to have 26 PointsPlus daily, but I've had to use a lot of my weekly points just to get by, because I was really hungry. Thankfully, I also earn points for exercise, so I plan on using those, too.

A couple friends on Facebook were talking about the Dill, Sea Salt, and Olive Oil Triscuits, so I decided to buy some and give them a try. Oh WOW, are they ever good! Today I made tuna salad and ate it with the Triscuits for lunch. I love the dill + tuna combo.

I've also made a snack by mixing a little bit of Italian dressing seasoning mix into some cream cheese, then spreading it on the Dill Triscuits, and topping with a cucumber slice. It's a delicious snack!

[Someone recently mentioned that I do "product placement" on my blog, so I just want to be clear that this is not product placement. I bought the Triscuits, really like them, and wanted to share my find. That's all :)  If I am given samples of something to review on the blog, or am paid for a post, I always write that in the post. Otherwise, when I write about products like this, it's just because I like them.]

Jerry's birthday is on Friday--he'll be 32. I went shopping for his presents today, but I obviously can't write what I got him until after he opens them. Jerry is pretty easy to buy for, fortunately. Jerry is off on Thursday, but he's working Friday, so I think we'll celebrate his birthday on Thursday. The kids will have school during the day, so it'll just be me and Jerry--I'm trying to think of something fun we can do that doesn't involve food!

Maybe we'll go for a bike ride in the Metropark like we did for my mom's birthday. Or maybe go to the batting cages (Jerry loves the batting cages). Or maybe we'll even go see a matinee, because we've been wanting to see the new Bourne movie and just haven't had a chance.

Well, I have to cut this short because yesterday's post was waaay too long by the time this post goes live, I will be driving home from doing something that is WAY out of my comfort zone. I spent all day trying to come up with excuses not to go, but I knew I should just do it. Will definitely write about it tomorrow! Hopefully all goes well... ;)

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Six weeks

Yesterday marked six weeks until my marathon, and there is something about that number that screams "do a challenge!" or "make some six-week goals!" Six weeks just seems like the perfect amount of time to focus on a goal. After thinking all week what type of "six weeks until my marathon" challenge I wanted to do, I actually came up with two things.

The first, as I mentioned a couple of days ago, is to give up peanut butter for six weeks--not forever, but six weeks. I've been eating way too much of it, and when I binge, I always binge on peanut butter or something with peanut butter in it. So I am actually kind of excited to explore new snack foods. So far, there have been no withdrawal symptoms ;)

The second, is something I never thought I would ever do--I actually signed up for Weight Watchers Online. I've written before that I had bad experiences with WW, and that I did their program on my own when I first started losing weight. Eventually, I found all kinds of flaws with the (old) program and decided to switch over to counting calories. I did try the new PointsPlus program for a couple of weeks when it first came out, but I didn't have luck with it, and I never tried it again.

Recently, Mary gave the new program a try, and it planted the little seed in my brain that had me thinking, "Maybe I should give it another chance, I have all the materials..." Another reason I decided to try it is because of marathon training--my appetite is all over the place. Sometimes I'm starving, even after eating all of my calories for the day, and sometimes I feel just fine eating the low end of my calorie range.

The one thing that I liked about counting Points rather than calories in the past is that there are "free" foods--when I did the program, it was most vegetables that were free. But with the new program, all fruits and most veggies are free. So on those days during marathon training when I feel like I'm ravenously hungry, I can really bulk up my meals with fruits and veggies.

Also, as I've mentioned, I have been feeling kind of out-of-control lately with my eating, and I feel like I need some structure, at least for a while, to get back on track. When I mentioned WW to Jerry, he got really excited about it. He said that he really misses when we used to count Points together. He was bummed yesterday to see that his weight is up about 10 pounds as well, and he said he wants to count Points again to get it back down.

Now, I know there is nothing magical about counting Points (or PointsPlus, rather)--it really is just a glorified way of eating less. But sometimes I like to change things up and do things differently to make it fun for me. Enter the six-week challenge. I'm going to give the program six full weeks (last time, I only gave it about two weeks), sticking with it as carefully as I can, and just see what the results are. I would like to lose 5-10 pounds in that time, but most importantly, I just want to gain back a sense of control.

I always do best with my eating during the fall and winter, so hopefully I can get back into my goal range. And then I need to come up with a good plan to stay IN the range instead of going up and down with 10-15 pounds. But for right now, I'm going to try embracing the program and giving it a fair chance. My friend Stephanie does Weight Watchers, and I was super inspired when I saw her recent before and after pictures. She looks amazing!! She reached goal this year, but continues to count Points.

So anyway, today is Day 2 and everything is going well. I got off to a rocky start yesterday, because my friend Danielle was in town (she's moving from Minnesota to Washington D.C. and was passing through) and my mom made dinner. I ate there, and then had not one, but TWO pieces of dessert. I did look it up and count it, but I used up a lot of my weekly points already.

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I had an AWFUL morning as far as running goes.

Today, I had planned on doing an 18-mile run. Last night, I plugged in my Garmin to charge, plugged in my iPod for some new podcasts, laid out my running gear, mapped out my route, got everything ready so that the morning wouldn't be hectic. This morning, I woke up and got dressed in my running clothes, then got the kids ready for school. I left as soon as the bus picked them up, and drove the 20 minutes to park at the community center, where I start my run.

As soon as I pulled into the lot, I realized I forgot my Garmin at home. I was SO bummed. I thought about doing the run without the Garmin, but I really didn't want to. If it was just a six-miler or something, I would have run without it, but the Garmin gives me a whole timeline of my run, which is fun to have when I've run 18 miles. So I decided to go home and get it, and then go to the State Park instead (which is only 10 minutes away instead of 20).

So I drove home, grabbed my Garmin, and headed out to the State Park. I got almost all the way there when I realized that the heart rate monitor I put on wasn't working. I had put on an old heart rate strap because the new 910xt strap feels like razor blades under my boobs. Again, I could have just gone without it, but on a run as long as 18 miles, it's important for me to be able to monitor my heart. So I went back home AGAIN, switched out the strap, then went to the State Park.

As soon as I pulled into the lot, I saw this:

There was a sign next to it that said the trail was closed, and there were a bunch of trucks doing some sort of construction. At that point, I just screamed in frustration. It was already after 9:00, which is late to start a long run. In my pissed off state of mind, I just thought, "Fine--I'm just going to run 18 miles on the fucking treadmill!" Hahaha...

Got home, set up the treadmill and started running. I couldn't figure out why my pace was showing to be so slow even when I kept bumping up the speed on the treadmill. Then I realized that I had forgotten to turn off the GPS on my Garmin when I started running indoors, so it screwed up my pace. I didn't want to do all 18 miles like that, so I decided to just go outside, do a shorter run, and do my 18-miler on Friday.

I'm glad I at least got in a good run today, because I was just so frustrated and irritated by everything going wrong (made worse by PMS, I'm sure).

Screwed up treadmill splits

Outdoor splits

So I got in 66 minutes of running today. I'll run again on Wednesday, and then do 18 on Friday.

Wow, this post is way too long!

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Reader Questions & Answers #24

On Sundays, I will answer some readers' questions in a post. If you have a question that you would like me to answer here on the blog, just send me an e-mail with the subject "Q&A", and I may include them in a future Q&A post. They don't have to be about weight loss or running--anything is game!  (Remember, I'm not a doctor or dietician, or any sort of medical professional--I can only answer questions from my own experience).

It's been a few weeks since I've done a Q&A post!

Q. Did you have to re-size your wedding ring after losing weight?


A. My engagement/wedding rings have actually been the same size since we bought them in 2002! That's not to say they didn't NEED to be re-sized, however ;)  When Jerry and I first got engaged, I was about 180 pounds (after a short bout of dieting). I have no idea what size my ring is--I think 7.5? My weight went up and down, and sometime during my pregnancy with Noah (2003-2004), the rings stopped being able to slide off. 

I remember being in the hospital, and the nurse asked me to take off my rings because she was going to insert an IV and my hand might swell a little. I couldn't get it off! After that, my rings were actually stuck on my finger from 2004 until after I lost quite a bit of weight--I believe it was early 2010 when I was finally able to get the rings off. That was a big NSV (non-scale victory) for me. Now, the rings actually fit pretty good. I've always had big fingers, and they didn't shrink a whole lot when I lost the weight. The rings can come off easily, even on my puffiest days, but they never fall off.

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Q. After you finished your weight loss, how many calories did you (and do you now) eat? Did you ever feel deprived because of the restricted diet while losing weight, and if so did it lead to binges after your weight loss?

I reached my weight loss goal, but having been feeling deprived of food and I find myself eating a lot, and then realize I gained weight and then go back to calorie counting to loose it. This has been going on for a month. I just feel like it is an never ending battle, and am trying to find some kind of balance. Any advice?

A. I didn't have a smooth transition from weight loss to maintenance, like I'd hoped. I was just 10 pounds from my goal when I fainted and severely broke my jaw--I had to have two surgeries, resulting in my jaws being wired shut (and a liquid diet). I lost the last 10 pounds while I was recovering, and because of the liquid diet, I wasn't counting calories anymore. As soon as the wires came off, and I could eat solid food again, I ate a LOT to make up for the deprivation, and the 10 pounds came back right away.

I never really picked up counting calories again for more than a few days at a time. I've tried numerous times to get back to counting strictly so that I can get back down to my goal weight, but I never last very long. And quite honestly, I'd be happy to stay right where I am if it means I don't ever have to count calories again! But I'm always trying, because I'm afraid that I will just go up and up and up if I don't. 

So to answer your questions, I wasn't counting calories when I hit maintenance, so I can't tell you exactly how many I was eating. But I had formed so many healthier habits while I was losing weight, and I continued those habits after I hit maintenance, which is how I've managed to keep the weight off.

Ice cream at a farm with the family? Sure!
Ice cream on the couch by myself when I'm
feeling lonely? Nah, I shouldn't.

I think it's important to find a balance you can be happy with--you don't want to feel very deprived, but you can't go back to your old habits, either. The way I live now, I don't feel deprived very often, but I certainly do have to make sacrifices! 

I post often about junk that I eat, so it might seem like I give in whenever I want something. But the truth is, if I ate ice cream every time I had a craving, I would be 253 pounds again for sure. Sometimes I allow myself to have it, and sometimes I don't--so I don't feel deprived in the sense that I DO still eat ice cream; I just wish I could eat it for three meals a day ;)  Am I making sense? 

What I would suggest is eating foods that you really, truly love--then you won't feel deprived. You can count calories and plan to have a special snack or treat every day that you really enjoy. I did that throughout my entire weight loss, which is why I didn't feel deprived (most of the time; like I said, sometimes you have to say no to things you really want, and that's okay too). 

My binge eating definitely stems from emotional eating rather than deprivation, which is an entirely different issue. But if you think you're binge eating because of deprivation, then the solution would be to stop depriving yourself--just make sure you plan for it so it's not impulsive.

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And now a question for all of you...

What are you most looking forward to this fall? As you know, fall is my very favorite time of year. I love it ALL--jeans and hoodies, crisp air, colorful leaves, apple-everything, cozy blankets, cool running weather, all things pumpkin... 

And speaking of pumpkin, I made a Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Shake today that was reeeally good! You can find the recipe here: Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Shake

I even tried to get a pretty picture for you ;)

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RECIPE: Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Shake

This shake makes me super excited for my favorite time of year--fall! It turned out so yummy it actually deserves its own post ;)

One of my readers requested that I create a pumpkin protein shake. I tried a few recipes that I found online, but wasn't crazy about any of them. A lot of the shake recipes use bananas to sweeten them, and I just wasn't crazy about the combo of pumpkin and banana.

I used Torani Pumpkin Pie flavored syrup in this--if you really can't find it and/or don't want to buy it online, you could probably just use some sort of sweetener (1 Tbsp. of maple syrup would probably be good!) and extra pumpkin pie spice.


Here is the printer-friendly version of the recipe


Vanilla Pumpkin Protein Shake

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk (I prefer whole milk, but use what you like)
1 serving vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp. Torani Pumpkin Pie flavored syrup (you could substitute with 1 Tbsp. maple syrup and extra pumpkin pie spice if you don't want to buy the Torani syrup)
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
about 10 ice cubes
(optional) 1/4 tsp. each xanthan and guar gum* (see note below)

*I use the xanthan and guar gums in this shake, which are always optional (I like the thick, creamy texture they create). If you don't use them, I would cut back on the milk to about 1/2 cup, and freeze your pumpkin before using to get a thicker texture.

Directions:

Throw all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Top with whipped cream and pumpkin pie spice, if you'd like! Makes 1 large serving (16-18 oz) or 2 small servings.

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Family day

Jerry was bummed that he missed out on garage sale-ing yesterday, so I told him we could go this morning to another city-wide sale. I was hoping to have better luck than I did yesterday, but the sales were still pretty sporadic. I did buy a few things, but nothing that was very exciting. At one sale, I saw this nice box (about the size of three shoe boxes put together, so it was big) for $1, so I picked it up. I like to keep mementos in boxes like these (pictures, cards, letters, etc.)

 I was surprised once I opened it up--it was filled with gift boxes, gift bags, and bows. Definitely worth more than $1!

I also got a few Dean Koontz books. I used to read his books a lot when I was in high school and college, and kind of forgot about him. Then I got a book at the library the other day, and flew through it in 24 hours. Books have to be very suspenseful and interesting to keep my attention enough to finish, and all of his books do that for me. Normally, I don't buy books (I just use the library), but these were only 25 cents each, and now I don't have a time limit with them ;)

At one sale, I saw a tag that cracked me up!

Notice the "Never worn, too fat"... Bahaha, I love the honesty.

While we were garage sale-ing, I noticed that there were people standing in the street holding signs, and I got that exciting thrill that maybe a race was going on. And then it hit me--it was the Run for Ryan, a 5K that I had been planning all year on doing! I was going to try for my sub-26:00 5K at this race, because it's a very small race.

The city couldn't have done worse planning, with the city-wide sale AND the 5K on the same day... I felt so bad for the runners having to dodge all the cars that were lining the streets for the sales.

That is where the runners were coming from, and see all the cars in the way?

While we were out, we noticed a farmer's market going on, so we stopped to check it out. I'm so glad we did! I know farmer's markets are usually about the fruits and veggies, but I happen to love the baked goods ;) It's so great to try homemade baked goods--the boys talked me into buying some cookies. I also bought some local honey and apple-rhubarb preserves. Jerry bought a seasoning packet of dill veggie dip--we sampled it at the market, and it was fantastic!

After the sales and farmer's market, we went to Jerry's work for a family day picnic-type thing they were having outside. They did the same thing a few years ago (right after I started losing weight) and it was a lot of fun, so I was looking forward to going again. They had inflatable bouncers, pony rides, one of those trampoline bungee jumping things, a hay ride, games, and food.

Jerry tried out the bungee thing. I really wanted to, but my bladder isn't exactly as strong as it was before I had kids, if you catch my drift...

Jerry made me feel better by saying it wasn't that great, and he's glad we're done having kids, because he probably would be infertile after that thing.

We rode the hayride, which ended up being much longer than we expected--we went around the entire plant where he works.

After that, we ate lunch--they had grilled steak, chicken, and hot dogs; potatoes; baked beans; chips; salad; and brownies and cookies for dessert. I took a hot dog, but the bun was really stale, so I didn't end up eating it. The potatoes and baked beans weren't very good, so I ended up eating just my salad and then too much dessert. The brownies were SO good--really moist brownies with a peanut butter frosting on top. I ate one three in the three hours we were there.

Jerry and I played cornhole (like a bean bag toss game) with his coworker Daniel and his girlfriend Kristeena. I'd never played before (or maybe I did a long time ago!), but it was really fun. I was ready to leave at that point, but the kids wanted to stay a little longer, so Jerry and I laid on the grass and digested our food ;)

It was a fun day, but I wish I hadn't eaten the two extra brownies... I felt gross after that. I talked to Mary yesterday, and somehow peanut butter was brought up--I mentioned how peanut butter is ALWAYS my weakness, and everything I overeat seems to contain peanut butter. So I was thinking of maybe trying to make that part of a six-week challenge until my marathon... no peanut butter for six weeks?? That would be extremely tough!

But I think if I could do that, I would feel back in control, and it would be a huge boost in my confidence. Peanut butter isn't a bad food, but the way I consume it, it's not healthy. I have too much, too often, and it's usually with a load of sugar. So maybe giving up for six weeks would be a good thing! I would definitely have to get creative as far as snacks go... I'm so used to having peanut butter.

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Hoodie season

I don't know what came over me this morning--I was having a dream (that I rescued a cat that someone hung from a tree--weird!), and I woke up at 5:20. Without even thinking about anything, I just jumped out of bed, threw on my running clothes, and made the decision to get my run done before waking the kids up for school.

Literally five minutes later, I was on the treadmill. I was scheduled for five miles today, and I did a tempo run. I ran one mile at 6.0, then bumped it up to 6.5 and ran three miles, then went back down to 6.0 for the last mile. I watched Nip/Tuck again, and I was done running before I even fully woke up!

I told my mom yesterday that I would go garage sale-ing with her this morning, so I had been planning to just run when I got home; but getting it out of the way beforehand was so much better. I showered, and then woke up the kids and got them ready for school. I made a quick chocolate raspberry protein shake for breakfast, and then my mom picked me up.

Someone recently asked me if I eat before or after I run in the mornings. I've tried it both ways, and I much prefer to eat after I run. I love to sit down and take my time eating breakfast while I read e-mail, and I wouldn't really be able to relax if I was waiting to go out for a run. Also, eating before I run sometimes gives me an upset stomach midway through the run.

The only exception to this is when I have a longer run scheduled (like 12+ miles). If I'm running, say, 16 miles that day, and likely wouldn't get home and showered until lunchtime, I'll eat a small breakfast (toast with peanut butter, or half a serving of oatmeal with a little peanut butter) before I run. And when I'm running more than 12 miles, I have Gatorade and/or Gu during my run.

Some people say it's better to eat before you run, some say it's fine to wait until after... but like I always say, one thing I learned while losing weight was to screw what everyone else says and do what works for ME ;) What works for me may be the opposite of what works for others, and vice versa.

Along with my mom and me were two of my mom's friends, and we picked up my aunt while we were out. There was a city-wide sale, but unfortunately, not many of the sales started today. I only bought a couple of things--I got a skateboard for Eli (he just asked me yesterday if he could get one, and I found one today for $5); a couple of hoodies for me (that's what happens when I'm psyched for fall!); and the movie Gremlins for the boys.

$1 Hollister hoodie... it's a little big, but this is
the most COMFY hoodie I've ever worn in my life!

I paid $4 for this Gilly Hicks hoodie, but I don't have
a pink hoodie, and it is super soft inside!

I was a little disappointed not to find something really exciting today, but Jerry said he wants to go tomorrow, so maybe I'll find something then. Most of the sales start on Saturdays. I've missed garage sales! I don't think I went at all this summer.

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Sunday will be exactly six weeks until my marathon. I'm thinking about doing some sort of challenge for myself. I really liked doing my Wii Active 30-Day Challenge, and it gave me something to really work toward. One idea I have is to burn an extra 100 calories every day--something above and beyond what I would normally do. One hundred calories wouldn't require too much extra effort, and it would be fun to think of creative ways to do it. I was also thinking maybe it should be some sort of food challenge, since I really can't seem to drop these 10 pounds I picked up. I'll think about it some more today and tomorrow, and then start the challenge on Sunday!

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Youthberry

I had such a lazy day today! But it was definitely needed. I actually planned on doing my 30-Day Shred DVD, but I couldn't find it for the life of me. I think the last time I used it was about a year ago, so I don't have a clue what happened to it. I'll search some more tomorrow (I need to clean anyways).

My Teavana shipment arrived today! I always get a thrill out of seeing the UPS or FedEx truck outside. It was pretty sobering to open my package and see just how little tea you get for the cost! But hopefully it will last longer than it looks like it will...

That's 8 oz. of the Youthberry Wild Orange Blossom blend, 4 oz. of Chai, and 1 lb. of German rock sugar. It also came with a free sample called Blueberry Kona Pop, which I decided to open and try right away. It suggested having it iced, but I wanted hot tea, so I did that instead. It was really good! The sample had the rock sugar already in it.

I was never really a tea person until I quit drinking coffee; and even then, I couldn't understand that drinking loose tea like this could be that much different than tea bags. Boy, was I wrong!

While I was drinking my tea, Estelle found a nice cozy pillow to lay her head on...

Yes, that is the remote control. Ridiculous cat.

I went to Hobby Lobby this morning to get the fabric to finish off my quilt. Someone suggested flannel, and that sounded very cozy. Since the quilt is pretty ugly, I wanted to just go with it and possibly make it even uglier... so I chose red flannel. I backed the quilt with it, but I haven't tied it yet. I am thinking I might just leave it as-is right now...

There is already a ridiculous amount of cat hair stuck to it. If there is one thing I've learned today, it's that flannel attracts cat hair like Nutella attracts ME. My favorite part about the quilt is that it has pockets! I have no idea why anyone would need pockets in a quilt, but I just used the pockets that were already in the sweatshirts and pants I cut up.

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As of today, there are only 7 days left on our Kickstarter page! It's looking pretty hopeless, unfortunately. We've gotten about $9,000 in pledges, but it will all be returned if we don't get a total of $50,000. To those of you that have pledged, THANK YOU--from the bottom of my heart, honestly. Even if we don't get funded, it means so much to me that there are people out there who really believe in our project!

It's actually kind of crazy to think that in less than four months, I'll be in Florida, running from Miami to Key West. I've never been to Miami (or Key West), so that is exciting in itself; but just three years ago, I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I'd be doing something like this! I've always been super introverted, and I had to step waaay out of my comfort zone for this whole project (remember, my entire team were strangers to each other when we came together this year).

Three years ago, I never would have imagined I'd be running, let alone running a relay race with 11 strangers while it's all captured on film! My hope with this whole film is that people see what we did, that we are totally "normal" people who lost a lot of weight through diet and exercise, and now we are doing things we never thought possible. If all of us can do it, ANYONE can. I really believe that!

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Pet Weight Translator

Thanks to Chandler, I got pretty much zero sleep last night. Chandler isn't exactly a small cat, and for some reason, he's been wanting to sleep on the bed lately. I swear, he takes up more space than I do:

He actually looks kind of small there, but don't let that fool you. Jerry and I were joking about how much space he takes up, and Jerry went in the bathroom to weigh him. The last time we weighed him, he was 23 pounds. Yesterday, he was 25! I Googled "cat BMI calculator" and found this website that gives you a human equivalent to your cat's weight. So if Chandler were me (a 5'4 woman), he would weigh 363 pounds.

I don't know how Chandler got so big--our other cats weigh less than 9 pounds each. Anyway, I just thought that translator was pretty fun!

Today was my boys' first day of school. I got them ready to go, and then walked to the bus stop with them. While they were waiting for the bus, they spent the entire time fighting:

Play fighting, but still trying to throw each other to the ground. Typical boys.

Once they were on the bus, I was very tempted to play hooky from my scheduled run, but I knew I would feel more "worthy" of relaxing later once that was done. The plan was to run eight miles, and I chose to do it on the treadmill because it's much easier on m knees, and I'm still scared my knee injury is going to reappear. I really didn't feel like watching The Biggest Loser, so I decided to start watching Nip/Tuck from season one. I loved that show!

I decided to do the eight miles as a progressive run. A progressive run is just where you start out comfortably, and then gradually increase your pace over the course of the run. So I started at 6.0 mph, and then each time I hit a mile, I bumped it up by 0.1 mph. The last half-mile, I just wanted to be done, so I bumped it up faster and faster.

I kept thinking of a million excuses to quit early, but I stuck it out. And of course, I'm glad I did. But I was pissed when I saw that I forgot to shut off my Garmin while I checked my e-mail (notice split #9)...

Actual time was 1:14:20 (9:09/mi average)

When I was done running, I showered and decided to go to Sam's Club. My membership expired in March of this year, and I wasn't sure if I was going to renew--every time we go, we spend a small fortune. But when I was shopping for things like meat, nuts, dried fruit, etc, I was paying a small fortune at other stores, so I decided to renew my membership today.

I probably spent more money today than I would have all summer if I'd still had my membership... but this will last us a long time! I got snacks and lunch stuff for the kids for school, meat to portion out and freeze for dinners, lots of nuts (including a bag of Castachios--a mix of cashews and pistachios, with salt and pepper--yum!), and a bunch of other stuff.

That is what $275 looks like at Sam's Club (and that doesn't include the membership fee, which was $40)!

By the time I got home, it was already 1:00--I had a quick lunch and then tried to catch up on e-mail, which was my original plan today. Cleaned up the house a little, and the boys were home at 4. Time flies by when the kids are at school! But they had a good first day, and I made goulash (at their request) for dinner.

I almost forgot that my new weekly goals start today. Here is what I'm going to work on this week...

Food--Replace my nighttime snack with tea.
Fitness--Do Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred twice.
Misc--Back and tie my sweatshirt quilt.

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