My Fitness Pal vs. SparkPeople

I just started counting calories a week ago, so it hasn't been very long, but all week long I tracked my food on both My Fitness Pal and on SparkPeople. When I was losing the weight in 2009 and 2010, I loved using SparkPeople for motivation. Reading the success stories and looking through other Sparkpages of successful "losers" was very inspiring to me! I've used SparkPeople for years to calculate the nutritional info in my recipes, too.

Several people mentioned that I should try My Fitness Pal, so I wanted to give that a fair chance, too. I decided to try out both for the week and see which I preferred (and which one met my needs better).

Here is a (very unscientific) conclusion:

Both apps have a barcode scanner, which is really nice! When adding a food to your food log, you can just scan the barcode and the product will pop up. Occasionally (on both apps) the wrong product would pop up, or the info was slightly off, but usually, the barcode scanner was super helpful!

SparkPeople has a new app that is much more user-friendly than the old one. It's a lot cleaner looking, with less distractions and less ads than before. My Fitness Pal is also very clean and user-friendly.

They both have a huge database of food. I think there was only one item out of the entire week that I couldn't find in the databases.

You can connect your devices (such as a Fitbit) to each app. On My Fitness Pal, the calories you burn may get added to your "allowed" calories for the day. On SparkPeople, your activity level doesn't change your target calorie intake. I prefer being able to add calories for exercise, because when I do a long run, I certainly need more food than when I have a rest day.

SparkPeople gives you a "daily calorie goal", which is actually a range. The range recommended for me was 1200-1550. My Fitness Pal gives you a specific calorie target (not a range), and they recommended 1200 for me. There is no way that I could be happy on 1200 calories a day, so I made up my own target. You can choose your own target on either app (for SparkPeople, I think it the change has to be made on an actual computer, and not the app--I couldn't figure out how to change it on the app). I like the idea of a range better than aiming for one particular number; because if you're aiming for, say, 1500 calories on My Fitness Pal, and you eat 1502, then it kind of makes you feel like you did something wrong for not being under your calorie goal. Having a range, like on SparkPeople, is nice because you can aim for the middle, and eat based off of your hunger level that day.

I like to measure food in grams and ounces, rather than cups and tablespoons, so I wanted an app that would allow me to do that. Both apps had issues with it. SparkPeople gives you the option much more often to log by weight; but several times, I noticed that the numbers didn't make sense (if I used only half the grams in the serving size, the calories didn't always reflect that). I didn't find any glitches like that with My Fitness Pal, but it took more searching to find a product that allows you to log by weight instead of volume. Take a specific cereal, for example: you might have to look at 10 different listings for that cereal before finding one that is listed by weight. You can always add your own food listing, though, so I ended up doing that with several foods that I wanted to log by weight.

100 grams of grapes has 67 calories,
according to the USDA

The biggest deal breaker/maker for me was whether or not I could log recipes. The SparkPeople app doesn't allow me to access any of the recipes I've inputed over the years, so I can't log them on the app (on the computer, I can, however). The only way I found to work around this is to create a new food item with the nutrition info from the recipe... but that is a huge extra step that is really unnecessary. My Fitness Pal wins for sure in the recipes category. You can use the app to create a new recipe, either by adding each ingredients manually, or by importing ingredients from a recipe on a website. Since I cook dinner almost every day, this was important to me.

One of the things I like about My Fitness Pal is at the end of the day, when you are done logging your food, you click "complete this entry", and you get a projection of what your weight would be in 5 weeks if every day were like today. There is something really motivating about seeing the projected weight!

SparkPeople has a different sort of motivator in the form of "SparkPoints". You can earn points by doing things such as tracking food, tracking water intake, reading articles, etc. The number of points you earn determines which level of "trophy" you have. You can also use the SparkPoints to buy virtual gifts for your SparkFriends.

If you're into tracking water, the SparkPeople app has a water tracker right on the same page as the food log, which is nice. I searched, but couldn't find a water tracker on My Fitness Pal. (ETA: There is a water tracker! I don't know how I missed it. When you press the little + at the bottom of the app, there is a button for water.)

A nice feature on My Fitness Pal is that there is a green checkmark next to the food items that have been verified as having the correct nutrition info. Since anyone can add food to the database, it's nice not to have to double check everything. (I'm not sure who does the verification, however.)

With SparkPeople you have to add each food item to your log individually. On My Fitness Pal, you can select several items and add them to your log at one time, which is a big time-saver! I could look at my "frequent foods" and just tap the little circle next to them, and add them all at once.

If you like having a meal plan that is created for you, SparkPeople offers that as an option. The My Fitness Pal app does not. If you turn on the meal plans on SparkPeople, you'll see that things are automatically added to your log; so you can look ahead and do shopping for the week if you choose to follow their meal plan. (I always follow my own plan, because what I eat just depends on what I'm in the mood for). As you eat each food, you check off the boxes. You can also add your own items in addition to theirs.

An example lunch with the SP meal plan

SparkPeople also has a Coaching Center, which I think is pretty cool. There is a "coaching" tab at the bottom, which leads to "Today's Tip" (a short tidbit that may be helpful or motivating), as well as articles to read.

As far as the social part of the apps, I'm too biased to really comment on it ;) My heart is with SparkPeople, because I've met some really great people on Spark. I haven't used any of the social parts of My Fitness Pal, so I can't say what the difference is.

Overall, I decided that I like My Fitness Pal for food logging. It was the recipes that swayed me! If SparkPeople ever allows me to access my recipes on the app (and add calories for exercise), I may change my mind. I'm still keeping the SparkPeople app, however, for the articles, social aspect, and motivation.

Anyone else have thoughts on which app you prefer? Or if there is something major I'm forgetting, please share!

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Wednesday weigh-in (and weight loss anniversary)

Today marks six years since I started losing weight. I cannot believe that it's been that long! I was trying to think of a good "anniversary" post, and when I read what I wrote last year, it still rings very true today. Last year at this time, I was really struggling with the weight I'd gained between March and August. I had stopped doing my Wednesday Weigh-in posts, because I got tired of seeing either a gain or the same weight I'd seen the week before. I wasn't getting anywhere as far as getting back down to goal, and posting the gain(s) week after week just felt sort of demoralizing.

I really like the post that I wrote last year about it. I had gotten a comment on my blog that made me feel kind of bad, and writing that post made me feel a million times better about what I've accomplished. Quitting the Wednesday Weigh-in posts was the right thing for me at the time. I've thought of starting them up again, but always chickened out. Until today.

Since I started counting calories a week ago, I thought it would be interesting to document how well it works for me--including the weight/body fat/waist measurement numbers. So, while I do this six-week calorie counting trial, I'll include my Wednesday Weigh-ins (good or bad). I hadn't done the body fat or waist measurements in a very long time, so I did those, too.

(Not a mole or melanoma on my toe... just an old ladybug tattoo)

My weight today was 155, which is down from 156 last week. Not a huge loss, but more than I was losing each week doing Weight Watchers, so I'll take it! (I wish I'd thought to take the body fat and waist measurements last week; but alas, I did not).

I am hoping to see these improve each week as I continue to count calories. Speaking of calorie counting, I've really liked the change from Weight Watchers! This week, my daily average calories consumed was 1,604. I'm going to stick with that number for another week, because I'm happy with the one pound loss on the scale.

I was using My Fitness Pal and SparkPeople apps this week, to see which I liked better. I can write a whole post about the differences, so I'll save that for later. But ultimately, I like SparkPeople for the social/motivation stuff, and and My Fitness Pal for the actual food logging. (I know some people have friend requested me on My Fitness Pal, but I haven't added any friends there--I'd like to keep my food log private, and since I don't use MFP socially, the food log is the only part I utilize).

I took Joey for a walk at the State Park today, and while we were walking, I thought about how it's been SIX YEARS since that fateful day I started losing weight. I realized that each year brings different successes and struggles, but if I compare where I am today versus where I was six years ago, I am in a MUCH better place. Here is a breakdown of the last six years (each year starting on Aug. 19):

Year 1: I counted every single bite of food that entered my mouth, and I was 100% on board with the weight loss. I lost weight every single week for 52 weeks in a row. I was extremely focused and felt like nothing could stop me!

Year 2: I broke my jaw, and spent a couple of months healing from that. I reached a low weight of 127.5 (thanks to the broken jaw; it was very short-lived). I ran my first half-marathon. I started researching skin removal surgery.

Year 3: I had a lower body lift, removing the excess skin around my midsection. I'm so so so grateful that I was able to have that surgery! I started marathon training, and my weight started to creep up. I ran my first marathon.

Year 4: My weight reached a post-weight-loss high of 156, and I joined Weight Watchers. I was very committed to the program and reached my goal weight of 133 in December 2012. I was really focused on my running, and got pretty fast. I ran a 10K in 49:23 and a half-marathon in 1:52:07. Maintained my weight for a year.

Year 5: Mark was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer, which was one of the hardest blows I've ever taken in my life. I spent the next four months visiting him several times a week and doing everything I could to make him happy before the cancer took his life. He died in March of 2014, and I took it very hard. I gained about 20 pounds really quickly, likely due to emotional eating. My running took a backseat, and I stopped racing hard (if I did a race, it was just for fun).

Year 6: The toughest year so far, in weight management. I got a stress fracture in December, and took about six months off of running (except for a couple of weeks in the middle, where I refractured it). Not running was really hard on me mentally. Running helps with depression and anxiety (as well as weight control), so I had to learn to make do without it--it was tough!

Going into Year 7: I've gotten to the point where I'm not as interested in racing as I used to be, and I'd like to use running for fitness. My injury has flared up again, so I will continue to look for other ways to stay active. I just started calorie counting (instead of Weight Watchers) to see if changing that up will help me to stay motivated in getting back to my goal weight. I've accepted that I'm far from goal, and while I think I look okay now, I'd still like to get back to where I felt my best. (I'm going to reflect back on this in a year, so it will be interesting to see how Year 7 plays out!)

I came across this photo of Noah and me at the Mall of America in probably 2006(?) and I found a recent picture to compare it to:

When we were at the MoA, I remember getting on a ride with Noah that had a lap bar that locked in place. My stomach was so big that I couldn't get it to lock. The girl operating the ride came around to check it, and I was too embarrassed to get off the ride, so I asked her to push it down really hard, and I prayed it would lock. It did (but barely). The comparison picture on bottom is Noah and me at Cedar Point a few weeks ago. I may not be at my thinnest now, but I fit very comfortably in the rides!

When I first made that decision to lose the weight, it was because I felt like a horrible mom. Noah wanted to learn how to ride his bike without training wheels, and I was too out of shape to run alongside his bike and help. In that sense, I am already at my goal--I am an active mom (even more active than my kids are, haha) and I know I don't have any real physical limitations due to my weight. The fact that I've maintained such a large weight loss for five years now is somewhat of a miracle ;)

When I started losing weight six years ago, I never imagined I would reach my goal one day, or that six years down the road I'd be maintaining such a large weight loss. I had attempted to lose weight so many times before, and nothing really felt "different" about this time. Comparing where I am today with where I was six years ago makes me feel proud of what I've accomplished, and hopeful that I can continue to look back each year with more accomplishments to add to the list!

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12-year anniversary (and new marathon plans)

Well, my long run didn't exactly go as planned on Sunday, and certainly not as I'd hoped.

On Saturday, Jerry and I went to his cousin's wedding. I wanted to make sure my run in the morning would be as pleasant as possible, so I didn't have a single alcoholic beverage at the wedding, and I ate plenty of calories at dinner to fuel up for 15 miles. I tried to get a nice picture of Jerry and me, but when he tries to smile instead of making the "Jerry face", he just ends up looking creepy ;) (It reminds me of that Friends episode where Monica is trying to get Chandler to smile for pictures.)

I left at around 9:00 so that I could be in bed by 10:00. I set the alarm for 5:00 in the morning, in order to get an early start before the sun made it feel a thousand times hotter than it was. Jerry said he would come with me, and ride his bike while I ran. I felt as prepared as I could be for this run!

We parked the car at 5:45, and headed out onto the bike path. Immediately, I felt a sharp pain shoot through my ankle, including the spot where my stress fracture was. I was totally taken aback, because  out of all the things to go wrong, I really thought my stress fracture was done giving me trouble. I stopped to stretch for a second, and heard my ankle pop (in a normal way, like cracking your knuckles). I though that had to have been the problem, so I tried running again, and I couldn't even do it without limping. I knew I had to stop. I also knew that if I skipped this 15-miler, there was no way to "catch up" on my training for the marathon.

When that realization hit me, as I was limping back to the car, I stopped and just sat on the ground and cried. I did everything right--seeing a physical therapist, doing the PT exercises, getting my training approved, taking it easy when I felt the need to--but it didn't make any difference. Jerry felt really bad for me, and kept trying to help make me feel better, but there really isn't anything that can help.

We stopped at Kroger before going home, because we were invited to a barbecue later and I needed to make something to bring. When I got out of the car, my ankle felt totally fine. I hopped on one foot--again, no pain. I ran around the parking lot, and there was nothing. It felt totally normal! I knew I hadn't made up the pain earlier, because it was so bad I was actually limping even while walking to the car.

I briefly thought about starting my 15-miler from Kroger, but I think my body was probably giving me a harsh warning earlier that I was doing too much, too soon. Even if I got through the 15-miler, I still have several weeks of training and the marathon itself to get through. What if the pain came back, and all the training for was nothing? So, I stuck with my decision to drop the marathon, as awful as that made me feel.

I was glad we had something fun to do on Sunday, otherwise I would have let the marathon bother me all day. Sunday was Jerry's and my 12-year anniversary. On Saturday, my friend Eric and his wife, Maris, put together a last-minute barbecue at their house on Sunday, with several of our good friends from high school. It sounded like a fun way to spend our anniversary!

Maris made grilled chicken, Mexican rice, and refried beans (all delicious!) and we spent the whole afternoon hanging out with friends. Eric and Maris's house is just around the corner from the chapel where Jerry and I got married, and someone suggested we go take a picture there for our anniversary. Amy and Maris even cut some flowers from Maris's garden and made me a bouquet! I thought the photos were a great idea, so Jack, Amy, Adam, Jerry, and I walked to the chapel, where we took some fun photos.

Adam, pretending to marry us

It was a super fun afternoon, and even though we had thought about going out afterward for our anniversary, we had had a great time and decided to call it a day. We spent the evening at home watching a movie.

It's hard to believe it's been 12 years since we got married and 16 years since we started dating! In other ways, it feels like it's been so much longer. I can't even remember what my life was like before I met Jerry (as a junior in high school!). Our friends are awesome, and I feel so lucky that we still keep in touch.

The marathon was still on my mind all day, but there is really nothing I can do about that. I am just hoping that I'm making the right decision. I could drop to the half-marathon if I wanted (I have until August 26 to decide), but I don't even know if that's a good idea. I'm thinking maybe I need to focus on other things for the rest of the year--running short distances (10K or less) if I'm able, and doing more cross-training and "fun" ways to stay active (tennis with Noah, or riding my bike, etc.).

I have an appointment with an orthopedist next month for my back, but I'm going to talk to him about my stress fracture as well, and see what his advice is. For now, I have no "schedule" of what to do as far as exercise, so it feels odd; but I love the relief of not worrying about the marathon anymore. I was feeling SO much pressure to get my training in so that I could be prepared for it.

I also have some other news that is exciting (and a little scary)--I am going to be coaching cross country for second through fourth graders this fall! It's something I've been thinking about ever since I got my RRCA certification, and my friend Renee mentioned that she was thinking of it, too. So the two of us are going to coach the elementary kids. Renee came over this afternoon so we could plan. I was nervous, but after talking about it with Renee, I'm less nervous and more excited. Should be interesting, if nothing else! ;)

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Motivational Monday #118

Happy Motivational Monday! I hope everyone had a great week. I've been enjoying the change in plans (calorie counting instead of Weight Watchers). I'll write more about it later, but it's been fun to change things up and it's helped me to stay motivated.

I have a few Motivational Monday stories to share today. Enjoy!

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Jolynn recently joined an online support group that is run by a friend of hers (who is a Team BeachBody coach). She popped in a walking DVD and did that for three miles. The following day, she decided to walk outside. Even though she says running scares her, she even jogged a couple of times during her walk! She's proud to be off to a great start on her journey.

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Amanda ran her first 5K last November, and then, for some reason, stopped running. On Father's Day, her beloved father passed away unexpectedly and WAY too early. After having the roughest summer of her life, she decided to start running again. She completed the first week of the Couch to 5K program, and is proud that running makes her feel back in control!

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Last month, Mara shared the outcomes of the first 2 of 7 races in 37 days. She's completed her 7 races in 37 days, and is very proud of the improvement she's made in her running. She set a new PR for each 5K she ran over the course of a month!

6/27: 10K in 1:06:27
7/4: 6.75-mile relay leg in 1:08:28
7/19: 5K in 35:45 (with kids in a stroller)
7/22: 5K in 33:01
7/30: 5K in 31:49
8/1: 5K in 29:36
8/2: 5K in 29:30

Mara's friend, Alisha, asked Mara to share her story on Alisha's blog. She's lost a total of 60 pounds, and has (clearly) really taken off with the running!

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Amanda ran her farthest distance to date yesterday--6 miles! She's training for a half-marathon in September, and despite the awful humidity in the midwest this time of year (I can totally attest to that!) she's halfway through her training. She's going to rock her half next month!

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You can check out more stories (and share your own accomplishments) on the Motivational Monday Facebook post. Congrats, everyone!

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Humid mileage with Steph

I've been getting a little worried about my running lately, because my training hasn't gone exactly as I'd hoped. Considering I'm coming back from an injury, I think I've done really well; but, I just hope it's good enough for the marathon in October. After cutting Thursday's run short, I really started to doubt myself. I just hoped that I'd have good runs this weekend!

I was scheduled for 6 miles today, and 15 miles tomorrow. Yesterday, I was trying to come up with ways to hopefully make my runs go more smoothly this weekend, and I decided to see if Stephanie was running (she usually does her long runs on Saturdays). She said she was going to do 9 miles this morning, and I could certainly join her if I wanted. So, we made plans to meet at 6:00 a.m. to run 6 miles together (and she'd do 3 more on her own).

I got up at 5:00 this morning to head out at 5:30. If I hadn't made plans with Steph, I certainly would have slept until 7:30, and then procrastinated until 9:30, when I'd do the treadmill because the heat would be too much ;) The temp was only 66 degrees this morning, but the humidity was 99%. Running in that kind of humidity is really tough!

If you haven't experienced humidity like that, the air feels really thick. It's like being in the bathroom after taking a steamy shower, where you can literally feel the moisture in the air. The problem with running in humidity, is that there is so much moisture in the air that when you sweat, your sweat doesn't evaporate. You just wind up hot and completely drenched in sweat!

Anyway, I got to the parking lot a little early, and Stephanie's car was already there, but she wasn't in it. I figured she decided to get her three miles done before meeting me (I wish I had that kind of drive!). She came running up to the car right at 6:00, and we headed out for an out-and-back along one of my favorite bike paths. We decided to do 5:00-run/0:30-walk intervals (I was just praying I'd be able to finish and feel good!). She doesn't normally do run/walk intervals, but she said that considering the humidity, the intervals sounded good.

It was still pretty dark on the way out, but it was so nice that the time went by so quickly because we were chatting the whole time. Stephanie typically runs about an 11:00/mile pace, which is perfect for me right now. Running with a friend is so much better than running solo!

I felt much better during the run today than on Thursday. I made sure to eat more yesterday, particularly carbs, and that made a huge difference in the way I felt. I looked back at my food log for Wednesday, and realized that for dinner, I had a chicken caesar salad wrap that only had 18 grams of carbs. It's rare that I don't eat pasta or rice or something that's high in carbs for dinner. So I think that may have contributed to my feeling very tired during my run on Thursday. Last night, I had 64 grams of carbs with dinner, and felt a thousand times better today.

Anyway, we stopped for a pic on the overpass (running over the expressway is the only way to experience "hills" around here, and it's tough!). I love standing over the expressway and watching the cars below--there is something almost mesmerizing about it.

Stephanie said she looks tired in the photo, but I think she looks adorable!

After the overpass, we had less than a mile to go. I briefly considered continuing on for another 9 miles afterward, just to get my 15-miler done today instead of tomorrow; but I wasn't at all prepared for it (no fuel or water). Even though it was miserably humid today, it ended up being a really nice run. I loved having Steph's company!

Today, Jerry and I have a wedding to go to. I plan to use the 700 calories I burned on a piece of wedding cake! Ordinarily, I would also take advantage of an open bar, but considering I have to run 15 miles tomorrow, I'll just be drinking water all night ;)

I haven't run 15 miles since I was training for Chicago in 2013, so I'm really nervous about it. I haven't planned any details about my route or fueling or anything like that yet. It's supposed to be 99% humidity tomorrow, also, and the temp is supposed to be a little warmer--so it won't be easy! I'm thinking I may use shorter running intervals (3:00 or 4:00 minutes instead of 5:00); and I'll take the pace very easy in order to just finish the run.

Tomorrow is also Jerry's and my 12-year anniversary. We were thinking of doing something really simple, like recreating our first date or do something nostalgic from when we were dating a hundred years ago. After my run, we're going to our friends' house for a lunchtime barbecue. The kids are going to a sleepover birthday party tomorrow night, so Jerry and I will be able to go out in the evening. Should be a fun day (minus running 15 miles, haha)!

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Tempo run, bonfire, and Larabars

Today was Day 3 of calorie counting, and it's still going well! I have to work on finding the right amount of calories for me, though. I had a really bad run yesterday, and I suspect it was from not eating enough the day before. I had eaten a little over 1300 calories on Wednesday, which, when I've counted calories before, is on the very low side. (I wasn't intentionally trying to eat so little; it was just a really busy day and that's what it wound up being). I think I would feel my best with a minimum of 1500 on my inactive days.

I was scheduled for an eight-mile tempo run (yes, eight miles!) yesterday. The Hansons tempo is slower than a typical tempo, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds. I decided to do it on the treadmill, so I could just maintain a constant pace and not have to think about it, and I figured I'd aim for 6.0 mph (10:00/mi). Since I don't have a marathon goal pace, I just have to pick paces that seem to work out for each run.

I had carbs for breakfast (two pieces of sourdough toast with coconut oil), and about half an hour later, I hopped on the treadmill. About a mile in, I just was not feeling well at all--I felt very tired and weak (which is actually "normal" for me on the first couple of days of doing Weight Watchers--going from eating too much to cutting it back is tough for a couple of days). I took a walking break, and tried negotiating with myself to at least get through five or six miles, but by mile three, I was really feeling run down. So I called it quits.

I can tough out cramps, or heat, or sometimes even nausea; but the feeling I got while running yesterday wasn't anything like that. So, today, I made sure to eat more (1600 calories) to hopefully feel better during my six-mile run tomorrow. I may have to do caloric cycling (having a lot on some days, and less on others) to feel my best. It always takes some experimenting to find out what works best for me! I have a very long run on Sunday, so tomorrow, I'll probably be eating well over 2,000 calories.

Anyway, the rest of the day was pretty low-key, as was today. This morning, I got all of our bills paid--strangely, I love doing that. Then the kids and I took Joey for a walk across the street to the access road, where he could run off leash. It's gotten pretty overgrown back there, and Joey loves jumping around and running into and out of the water.

Oh, I got the results of my MRI, too. I read them in the morning online, but my doctor called in the afternoon to go over them. The MRI was normal, except for the scoliosis/arthritis that was shown on the x-ray. I think that's a good thing? I was kind of hoping it was something that could be fixed, but maybe when I see the orthopedist, he'll have some ideas to make it less painful.

This afternoon, we did some yard work (why does it seem never ending?!) and Jerry made a fire to burn a bunch of wood that we had from when we built the garage. It's been sitting in the fire pit since last fall.

Jerry and I decided to plan a bonfire/get together this fall. It's something we used to do every year, and I always looked forward to it, but for whatever reason we haven't done it in a few years. We invite several friends from high school, and it always ends up being fun. This year, we're going to do it the night of the Detroit Marathon; that way, after the race, I'll be able to celebrate with my friends.

I did something completely idiotic today. I opened a Larabar (I love Larabars!!), and after taking a couple of bites, I thought it tasted weird, like the nuts in it were rancid or something. I looked at the expiration date, and saw it had expired in May. I just bought it last week! So I went to the pantry to look at the others (there were eight of them in there) and check the dates. All of them had expired in May and June.

I was super bummed (I wanted a Larabar!), so I dug out my receipt from last week, and brought the bars to Kroger to return or exchange them. The woman who was working customer service said I could go get new ones from the shelves, and I would just exchange them. So I went over to the section with the Larabars, and started looking at the dates. All the flavors I liked were expired--May and June, again.

I went back to customer service to let the woman know, and she called someone else over (probably to clear them off the shelves). She pointed out the dates, and then said, "Wait, it says 2016..." At first I thought it had to be just that particular bar she was looking at, but no--she went through each and every bar, and they all expired in May or June of 2016! I felt like a complete idiot, hahaha. Apparently, I just don't like the Cashew Cookie flavor, because that was the one that tasted weird to me!

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MRI experience

Well, the first day of calorie counting went smoothly! Several people suggested using My Fitness Pal, which I am familiar with--I've used that and SparkPeople to count calories in the past. My heart kind of lies with SparkPeople, because it kept me motivated while I was losing the weight in 2009-2010. However, for this whole first week of calorie counting, I'm going to use both apps and decide which I like better.

I am super bummed, though. SparkPeople apparently made another app called Pep, which is kind of like Instagram for fitness/weight loss. I thought it would be fun to try, and I noticed that all of my SparkPeople "friends" were automatically added to my "following" list on the Pep app. I had over 6,000 "friends" on Spark (I always just added everyone who added me), which is way too many people to actually follow (I like to keep my social media lists manageable, so I don't miss things).

I spent FOREVER going through and clicking "unfollow" to all 6,000-something people, leaving just the 40 or so that I know in real life or through my blog. (They don't have a "check all" button, unfortunately). I noticed when I signed into SparkPeople on my computer, all those people were deleted as my friends on Spark as well! I didn't want to do that--I just didn't want to see 6,000 people on my Pep newsfeed.

I didn't care for the Pep app, so now I have to go back and manually re-add all of the people I accidentally deleted. (If someone from SparkPeople is reading this, PLEASE add a "select all" button to the friend feed... thanks).

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I went for my MRI today. On Monday, I had the x-rays done of my back. The results of the x-rays were already uploaded to my chart that same night--again, I love being able to see my chart online! They said exactly what I expected: I have mild scoliosis and degeneration in the middle of the thoracic section of my spine. That's exactly where my pain is (right where my bra strap is on my back).

I was really nervous for the MRI. I wasn't sure if I'd ever had one (the memories of my night in the ER from when I broke my jaw are fuzzy... I think I had a CT scan, but not an MRI). Anyway, I'm a little claustrophobic, but not enough to where I thought I'd need anti-anxiety meds or anything. They had me change out of all of my clothes and into a hospital gown.

When I got in the room, I was relieved to see that they had an "open MRI" machine--instead of being very tubular, the sides are more open so it's not as claustrophobic.

Photo source

When I saw it, I felt much more relaxed. I had to lie flat on the little table, and then they started putting sponges (padding) around me (under my knees, under my arms, around my head, etc.). I was told that I'd be under the machine for about 30 minutes, then they'd pull me out and inject a contrast material into my arm, and then put me back under for another 20 minutes.

When they slid the table under the machine, I was taken aback at how low the ceiling of it was. I was surprised my eyelashes weren't brushing against it, because it was so close to my face. Suddenly, it didn't seem so "open" anymore (everywhere I looked, all I could see was the ceiling of the machine). I decided to just close my eyes through the whole thing, and hopefully I would forget that it was such a tight space.

When I read about MRI's recently, it kind of freaked me out--somehow, the magnets make all the protons in your body line up in the same direction. Then radio waves knock the protons out of alignment. When the protons realign, they send out some sort of radio waves, which eventually produces images of the body. I read that you don't feel anything, but I kept expecting to feel something crazy as the protons did their aligning and realigning. Haha! It sounds kind of crazy, though, right? I kind of wished I hadn't read about it.

Anyway, there was an intercom where the technologist performing the scan could talk to me and hear me if I talked. I was also given a button to press in case I panicked or something. Before each photo scan, the tech told me how long it would take. The first was three minutes, and then they kept getting longer until the last one was six minutes. I didn't feel anything--I just had to lie extremely still, and there was a loud noise that sounded like a jackhammer during each scan (I was given earplugs to wear).

After several scans, the tech pulled me out and then injected the contrast into my arm. Again, I expected to feel something with the contrast, but I didn't feel anything at all. He slid me back under the machine, and did round two. By the end, my head, neck, and back were sore from being in the same position for so long. It felt awesome to sit up after it was over.

I was given a disc with the scans on it... I wish I had a disc drive on my computer so I could see them! (Not that I would know what I was really looking at). The results should be uploaded in a couple of days. I'm really curious to see what's been going on and why my back pain has gotten so bad lately. My next step is to see a orthopedist who specializes in back pain. The earliest I can get in is September 16th. I'm not sure what they can do, because my scoliosis is mild (I don't need surgery for it or anything). But I'm getting ahead of myself... we'll see what my doctor says.

When I left my appointment, I was starving. The appointment was at 11:15, and by the time I got out of there, it was 12:45 (I usually eat lunch at 11:00 or 12:00). I should have brought something to eat when I was done, but I didn't think of it when I left the house. Anyway, with a half-hour drive home, I decided to swing through McDonald's and get something quickly (yes, even though I'm trying to avoid eating out this month).

It's interesting how counting calories instead of PointsPlus affects my decisions. I don't eat at McDonald's often, but if I do, my favorite sandwiches are either a Big Mac or a Filet O Fish. The Big Mac is pretty much out of the question, unless I did a long run or something that day, because it's 14 PointsPlus. The Filet O Fish is 10 PointsPlus, which is still generally much more than I would spend on lunch.

While counting calories, though, I saw that the Filet O Fish was 380--that's not too bad for a lunch. (I'm not saying it's a healthy lunch--just saying that spending 380 calories for lunch sounded like a good number). So, I ordered it--and it was delicious! I can't remember the last time I ate one. I counted the calories for it, and it fit nicely into my day.

One of the other things I've already noticed is that a lot of restaurants these days list the calories in their items right on the menu, which makes it so much easier to decide what to order--I always hated having to look up PointsPlus on anything I was interested in before deciding. It was very time consuming. Seeing the calories right there on the menu is nice.

I think the most time-consuming part about counting calories is probably calculating the calories in a recipe. Thankfully, I already have most of my favorite recipes saved in SparkPeople, so I won't have to do that again. I remember spending a lot of time entering them, though! One of the features on My Fitness Pal that I discovered and I think is awesome is that you don't have to type in all the ingredients from a recipe that's online--you can just plug in the webpage of the recipe, and MFP will automatically detect the ingredients. I was amazed! One of the biggest drawbacks to SparkPeople is that you can't log a recipe that you have entered (you can do it on the website, but not on the app). I'm enjoying comparing the two apps, so I'll write my findings once I do it for a week or so.

Anyway, the first day of counting calories was successful, and I'm feeling motivated and excited about doing it--which is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much for the kind comments and suggestions on yesterday's post. I love that I can write such personal things on my blog and not feel judged. Good luck to those of you who are going to take on this six-week challenge with me! Make sure you keep me updated on how it's going for you as well :)

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Shifting weight loss gears

It's August, and this month has a special meaning to me. The anniversary of the start of my weight loss journey is coming up--on August 19th, 2009, I saw 253 pounds on the scale, and that is the day I started losing the weight. A week from tomorrow will be SIX YEARS since that day! I cannot believe it was so long ago; but then again, it feels like another lifetime.

253 pounds (size 24) versus 133 pounds (size 4)

Anyway, the anniversary is bittersweet for me. I have successfully kept off most of the weight I lost, and I'm a much healthier person than I was back then. On the other hand, I'm not where I'd like to be. I'm always striving to get back to my official goal weight of 133, but I think my "happy weight" is anything under 143. Once I hit 143, my clothes get uncomfortably tight, and I just don't feel comfortable in my own skin.

Right now, at 156, I am not happy with my body. Yes, I am a thousand times happier with my body than I was six years ago; but I know I will feel much better if I lose 10-20 pounds.

A recent full-body shot: 156 pounds (size 8)

This same thing happened in 2012--on September 10, 2012, I joined Weight Watchers again because my weight had reached 156. I did great with the program, and reached my goal weight of 133 on December 12, 2012. Here is a "before and after" from the 2012 weight loss with Weight Watchers:

August 2012 and November 2012 (those last
10-20 pounds make a big difference)

If you've read my blog, you know the rest of the story: I maintained 130-135 for an entire year. After Mark died in March 2014 is when I really started the emotional eating again, and I gained back the weight I'd taken off in 2012. I've been struggling ever since to stay committed long enough to get back to goal.

[Side note]: I'm not happy to see that I'm back to where I started in 2012; but, I still don't consider myself a "failure". I've kept off a huge chunk of weight for a long time now! Recently, a reader pointed out to me that I am too hard on myself sometimes, and that lots of people would love to have my body as it is now. I never really thought of that, but that comment was eye-opening for me. It's true: when I first started losing weight, my "happy weight" was 185; and I would have KILLED to be under 160! At that time, I had no idea that it was even possible for me to see a number less than that.

Then at 253 versus now at 156

What I'm getting at is that I know I am definitely too hard on myself sometimes, and I'd like to try to stop that attitude. I tend to focus on my flaws, which will make me feel bad about myself no matter what. I want to lose the weight because I know I looked better and felt better at a lower weight; but at the same time, I do look good now. I think I'm pretty, actually (something that's hard to say out loud no matter what my weight is). And according to all the numbers at my recent physical, I am healthy. Dropping the extra weight would just be a nice bonus.

Sorry--these thoughts are all over the place, and I almost can't type them fast enough! Thinking about how well I did in 2012 has been really motivating me to do it again--giving it 100% effort, like I did before. The problem is, I'm getting burned out on Weight Watchers. In 2012, I started the new WW program, and it was refreshing to me! But now that I've been doing it on and off for three years, I really feel like I want a change.

Last year, I experimented with intuitive eating. It worked well for maintaining my weight, but I wasn't able to lose weight doing it. I think I do much better with structure...which leads me to calorie counting. I've done it in the past with SparkPeople, and it works just as well as Weight Watchers did. And it's really the same concept (eating less food); it would just be a new, refreshing way for me to hopefully lose this weight.

SparkPeople recommends that I eat 1200-1550 calories per day. I know from past experiences that I have to eat on the higher end of that--more like 1500-1800--to be happy and not feel deprived. On the days that I exercise, I'll add some extra calories, too.

Since I like to set goals and challenges for myself, I'd like to challenge myself to give the calorie counting 100% effort for six weeks. After that, I can reevaluate and see how I like it and how it's working. But for now, I'll focus on the next six weeks. I'd really love to drop 10 pounds before the marathon in October, which is about 9 weeks away. And I'd be over the moon to be back at my goal weight in 2015. The weight doesn't come off as quickly as it used to, but all I can do is my best effort and see what happens!

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Motivational Monday #117 (Jared's story)

Happy Motivational Monday, Friends! I am now exhausted after a super busy and fun weekend. Last night, I took the red eye flight from Portland back to Detroit--I left Portland at 11:00 PM and arrived in Detroit at 6:00 AM. It felt like I just completely missed an entire night. I was in the very back of the plane in a middle seat, and it was impossible to sleep. It feels so odd to me that I got home this morning and not last night. My internal clock is so messed up right now! The weekend was totally worth it, though ;)

Anyway, I have a very special story to share for Motivational Monday today. I was going to include this on the typical MM post, but there is just so much to tell, I felt it deserved a post of its own. Do you remember Jared, the young blind man that my parents hosted while he visited from Tennessee? He was a pleasure to chat with when I met him, and he said he was inspired by my weight loss. I was delighted to get some email updates from him telling me that he's been working hard on his healthy lifestyle. I'm so impressed with all he has done! Here is his story, in his words (with his permission), from his emails...

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"Hey Katie,

     It's Jared Jackson! You know, that chunky blind redneck from Tennessee? How's it going? I was just writing to tell you about my progress thus far with my weight loss. On February 22, I started walking for exercise. I'd not done so previously, due to getting horrible pains in my lower back after a hundred yards or so. I thought it might have been due to my wearing shoes that are at least four years old.

I asked my parents (with whom I currently live) for months, now if they'd consider taking me out to Subway at least once a day to start the Jared Fogle Subway diet, but they really didn't want to do that due to it being a hassle. So, I used some of the knowledge I'd picked up from having had a personal trainer friend give me some pointers, and from watching the Biggest Loser. "If you can't walk very far, then do what you can, but try to go farther each time."

     I also knew that if this plan had any hope of getting up off the ground, and not crashing shortly afterward, I wouldn't be doing this walking outside in my neighborhood because I'd find every excuse to not get out to do it--the weather, traffic, the hills, etc..  Well, for some time, my mother (who's also a very indoorsy sort of person) started walking in our house.

We have a condo with a connected kitchen, dining room, living room, and two hallways. It's flat, climate controlled, I can stop to get a drink or use the bathroom if I need to do so, etc..  So, as dumb as that looked to do, and seemingly unlike exercise, I tried it. I walked it in my house shoes to start, due to my tennis shoes hurting too much, and I only got in thirty laps before my back started hurting. After measuring, I found out that one lap was approximately 48 feet, and it would take 110 laps to do one mile. I couldn't walk much more than a quarter of a mile.

 But I've stuck to it, and continually increased my sets of laps, and then my number of laps per set (as my trainer friend says, "frequency before intensity"). In less than two months, I've gone from that tiny 30 laps a day to walking two sets of 220 laps (2 miles). So, I'm walking 4 miles a day, and ready to increase that soon. Oh, I'm also back into walking in my tennis shoes which weren't the problem; it was my being too overweight.  It took destroying a brand new pair of house shoes to get to here, but it's been worth it.

With some help from my Mom, I also diagnosed what it took to make the Subway diet sandwiches at home, and have done so with pretty good accuracy. My weight loss diet consists of a multigrain cereal, a small cup of 100 calorie yogurt, and some orange juice for breakfast; a low sodium turkey breast sandwich on flatbread for lunch; and a veggie flatbread sandwich with cheese for supper.  I sometimes have a stevia drink mix with water, or even the OCCASIONAL cookie.

On weekends, I keep my breakfasts and lunches the same, but will somewhat splurge for suppers. This does NOT mean that I'm "pigging out". I'll eat some of what I'd normally eat, but in smaller portions, and that's only if it's something I really want. This convinces my little, sick mind that I'm not being deprived.

With all of this being put to use, I've lost 70 POUNDS in 23 weeks. I have walked over 650 miles, and all of the walking has been in my house. I just thought you'd like to hear about this, and know that you helped inspire me to do so. Thanks, again for that. Please, pray for me that I'll be able to continue this diet and exercise. I've already had to exercise through a blood blister and a foot injury to follow. I'm working my way up to going to the gym. Have a good 'n'!"

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Jared sent me another update this week to say that he just recently has been able to see a little more than the "black and white blobs" that he was able to make out after his second surgery (the doctors told him he'd never see more than those blobs):

"Last week, I was able to see the freckly pattern of my wonderful (he said facetiously), mottled, Scotch/Irish/English/German skin on my legs. Though this might sound like kind of a bizarre and ridiculous thing to get excited over, to me, it's yet another example of God's wonderful mercy, grace, blessings, and providence in my life." 

I find Jared's story incredibly inspiring, and as proof that there truly are NO EXCUSES. He has found his way past so many obstacles, and he is now well on his way to a very healthy body and life. I will update on Jared's story again as he continues all of his hard work!

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Last-minute weekend trip!

A few weeks ago, my younger brother, Nathan, told me that he was going to Washington for work. He doesn't usually travel for his job, but this was an awesome opportunity. He'd never been to the Pacific Northwest, so when I heard he was going to be out that way, I told him he should try to drive down to Portland on his weekend off (August 7-9). When I was in Portland in March, I absolutely fell in love with it!

Later, my older brother, Brian, was talking about a big work trip he had coming up. He's a Delta pilot, and his trip was going to be 14 days flying back and forth from Japan to Hawaii (with layovers in each). I knew his Japan trips usually originate in Portland, so when I asked, he said yes--he would be going to Portland first to start the trip. He would be flying to Portland August 7th.

I couldn't believe the coincidence that BOTH of my brothers were going to be in my very favorite city at the same time! Brian knows I adore Portland, so he said that he'd give me a buddy pass if I wanted to try and fly out there at the last minute to meet up with him and Nathan. It wasn't an ideal weekend for me to go, because Jerry had to work all weekend (otherwise, it would have been awesome for him to come with me), but my mom said she'd take care of the kids.

The last time I tried to use a buddy pass (to go to Phoenix to visit my friend Sarah), the plane was too full and I wasn't able to get on the flight. I was really skeptical about making it to Portland, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to hang out with both my brothers there. Brian listed me on a flight that connected through Minneapolis, and then he and his wife, Becky, would join me on the flight to Portland. It would be so fun if it worked out!

So, Friday morning, I actually made the 7:25 am flight to Minneapolis. The flight was wide open--there were actually about 30 empty seats on the plane, even after all the stand-by people got on. I get nervous about stand-by because you don't get to choose your seat, and I hate sitting in the back of the plane. I always prefer a window seat as close to the front as possible. Anyway, I wound up in a window seat of an exit row, which meant I had a ton of legroom. And the seat next to me was empty. Score!

Once in Minneapolis, I had a long walk to the gate for the connection to Portland. Brian had told me there were 12 open seats, and I was #11 on the list... so I was nervous I wouldn't make the connection! I saw Becky and Brian waiting at the gate, and we stood around waiting to see if Becky and I were cleared on the stand-by list. Finally, we got seat assignments, and then it became a reality--I was going to Portland for the weekend!

They assigned me the very last seat on the plane (and this particular plane had the engines in the back, so it was an extremely loud place to sit). Becky was assigned a few rows ahead of me, so she offered to switch me. After we sat, the flight attendant asked if I'd like to sit with my friend (Becky), so she asked the woman next to Becky in the back if she'd like to switch. We did. I was terrified to be sitting in the back, but a little more comforting to have Becky with me.

A couple of minutes later, the flight attendant came back to us and said there were a couple of open seats together about 10 rows up, and asked if we wanted to move out of the super loud seats. That was a relief! Finally, we took off for Portland. Brian was sitting in the Delta Comfort+ section, and there were a couple of empty seats next to him. Apparently, he asked the flight attendant if Becky and I could move up there, so after take-off, that's what we did. Delta Comfort+ has more legroom, free drinks, premium snacks, etc. So I ended up going from the back of the plane to the Comfort+ section, which was awesome.

Anyway, we made it to Portland, and it's been a gorgeous weekend!! There is way too much to write about, but here are some of the highlights:

While we waited for Nathan to drive in, Brian, Becky, and I went to a Beer/Food/Wine Festival on next to the river. It was a gorgeous day for it.

Once Nathan arrived, we stopped and had a drink while we waited to go to dinner.

We headed to Killer Burger for dinner, where we met up with Thomas and Libby. There was a Timbers game that night, so after dinner, we went there to watch the game. The Timbers won, so that was exciting.

I wanted to stick with my running schedule while I was here, so I did a long run on Saturday morning. I would have loved for Nathan to run with me, but he wanted to do trail running, so he drove to Forest Park for his 26-miler(!) and I just started my 10-miler in downtown Portland next to the river. I planned an out-and-back route that went across the river and along a path that led to a park, then went a couple of miles into the park before turning around to head back.

I'd forgotten to bring my handheld water bottle, but I had a small bottle of water from the plane that I brought with me. I hoped there would be water fountains along the way that I could just refill as needed. My stomach was not feeling good (no doubt because of the beer I drank the day before), but I just tried to enjoy the scenery and be happy I was running in Portland.

My mind was just blown at how many people were out running or bike riding or walking. There were HUNDREDS of people along my route! It was honestly like running in a race, because there were that many people around. I've never seen anything like that before. I got a little confused at one point as to which direction to take, and before I could even pull up Google Maps on my phone, a man on a bike stopped to ask if I needed help. I learned he was from Michigan, too, so we chatted for a few minutes and he explained where I needed to go.

I passed one water fountain at around mile two, but I hadn't even started drinking my water yet. By mile five, I was really thirsty, but I hadn't passed any other fountains, so I started trying to ration my water. I was dying of thirst by mile six, and I just kept hoping to make it to the fire station, where I remembered the water fountain.

My run wasn't going well at all. My pace was slipping more and more. During mile six, I even switched my running intervals around (they were 5:00-run and 0:30-walk). I switched them to 3:00-run and 1:00-walk, but I was still struggling. When I finally made it to the water fountain (mile eight), I nearly cried with relief. I chugged down three bottles of water, and then just sat down for about 20 minutes.

I had been hoping to do 10 miles, but I thought I'd better just take a shortcut back to the hotel, which was a mile away. I started running up a bridge to take me across the river, and got really nauseous. I knew chugging all the water at once was a bad idea, but I was so thirsty I couldn't help it. I stopped on the bridge to hopefully let my stomach settle, and I took a couple of pictures.

Then when I tried running again, the nausea came back. Ugh. I decided just to walk the rest of the way to the hotel. Brian and Becky had to leave for Japan that afternoon, so I wanted to hang out with them a bit anyway before they left.

So, my run wasn't a success, but it wasn't a total failure. I was technically only scheduled for 6 miles Saturday and 10 on Sunday (I was just going to flip them around). Since I wasn't going to leave until Sunday evening, I decided to go ahead and try again on Sunday morning. I asked Thomas if he knew of a route I could do around here for 10 miles, and he actually offered to come with me on his bike. That sounded great, because then he could carry water for me ;)

The run went MUCH better than Saturday's! I got in all 10 miles (at a relatively slow pace, but I wasn't worried about that). The scenery was beautiful, and I had my BFF's company (and drill sergeant attitude when I wanted to quit early, haha), and it was all-around a good run. It was SUPER hot outside, but I'm glad I toughed it out. Nathan had to run 10 miles today, too, but he wanted to do trail running, so I'll meet back up with him in a little while. Then, sadly, it's time to head back to Michigan.

It's been a super fun weekend, and I'm so glad that it all worked out the way it did! Other than the beer on Friday, I did pretty well with my eating. Even though I ate some not-so-healthy stuff, I didn't eat too much and felt good about my choices. Last time I was here, I used the same strategy and I didn't gain anything, so I hope that's the case this time, too. We'll see ;)

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