Easy runs

Yesterday was my long run, and it was the longest run I've done in a very long time--nearly seven miles. I say "nearly" because it was actually 6.84 miles. Like I mentioned, I'm checking out a 10K-specific running plan that lists each run by time instead of miles. Yesterday's long run was a scheduled 75 minutes.

I've been reading a ton about 10K-specific training, and something that I really struggle with is running my easy runs at an easy pace. There are two very beneficial zones for improving as a runner--the "easy pace" zone, which does all sorts of great changes for your body (I'll have to write a whole post about it soon); and the "aerobic threshold" zone, which is pushing yourself pretty hard. If you tend to run in the middle of those two zones, you're not doing much for your body as far as improving speed.

I am one of those people that does nearly all of my running in between those two zones. Yes, I can improve a little just by running regularly, but I should be running different paces to hit my full potential as a runner. Running at an easy pace is actually far from easy! Most runners (including me) actually run their easy runs too fast, which causes them to hit that in-between zone. (Again, I'll write a whole post about this later.)

So, in this 10K training period, I really want to focus on doing it right. Easy runs should be run at about 60-70% of maximum heart rate. My maximum heart rate is 182, and my resting heart rate is 60, so I calculate the percentages using the Karvonen formula:

Maximum heart rate minus resting heart rate; multiply that number by the percentage; then add the resting heart rate back on.

Example:
182 - 60 = 122
122 x 70% = 85
85 + 60 = 145

So, I should be running my easy runs with a heart rate of 133-145 beats per minute. My aerobic threshold runs should be done at 85-90%, which is 164-170 bpm. Based on my run data from the past few months, my heart rate for easy runs is typically 155-160 bpm--right in that "dead zone" that really isn't doing much for my running potential.

Yesterday's long run was the first run where I decided to try and keep my heart rate in the 133-145 range. I set the alarm on my watch to beep if my heart rate went over 145. Then I headed outside for a 75-minute run, not knowing in the slightest what kind of pace I'd be running. It was interesting! I knew I'd be going much slower than I'm used to, and I was okay with that. In fact, I was actually looking forward to running at a slower pace, because it's so much more enjoyable than huffing and puffing!

I realized that my "happy pace" (easy pace) was right around 11:00/mile. There were a couple of sub-11:00 splits, but that was when I had a tailwind. I felt really great the whole time, though, and it felt like I could run forever.

My average heart rate was 141 bpm and my average pace was 10:58. Much different from my previous outdoor long run, which was a pace of 9:12 and a heart rate of 160!

Twice per week, I'll be running in the aerobic threshold zone, which is when I do intervals or tempo runs. The rest of my runs will be at an easy pace like this one was. I'm very curious to see how it pans out!

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We got some very sad news yesterday. On Christmas day, Jerry's uncle apparently woke up with a severe headache. He went back to sleep, and later, his wife found him unresponsive and not breathing. It turns out that he had an aneurysm and a heart attack, and because of the lack of oxygen to his brain for so long, the brain damage was severe. He was on life support all day, and then at around 1:30 in the morning yesterday, he passed away. He was only 48 years old.

Aside from how sad it is for the family, Jerry and I were especially struck by how suddenly it happened. Jerry had the same complaint a couple of weeks ago--a severe headache--and because of what I'd read about aneurysms, I took him to the hospital. I'm so thankful that he turned out to be okay, but now I feel very reassured that we did the right thing. As we've started getting the medical bills in the mail, Jerry was thinking that it was stupid for us to have gone to the emergency room; but now we are sure we made the right call. I just wish that Jerry's uncle had been able to get to the hospital in time. He was a very fun, nice guy, and Jerry always enjoyed seeing him. The whole family was really shocked by it.

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This afternoon, my mom and I took Noah and Eli to a Harlem Globetrotters game. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but it ended up being really fun and entertaining!

Don't all basketball players jump up on the rim and take pictures
with a selfie stick? ;)

The kids had a lot of fun--they are at the perfect age for a Globetrotters game. (My mom had gotten them the tickets for Christmas.)

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Don't forget, tomorrow is Motivational Monday! I have plans with friends tomorrow evening, so I'll be putting the post together in the morning (here is how you can submit a photo). I know it's a busy time of year for everyone, so if I don't get many submissions, I will just hold off until next week.

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A very warm Christmas

Today doesn't really feel like Christmas! It feels like just any other day, really. Jerry had to work today, so we did all of our Christmas stuff yesterday.

Bright and early yesterday morning, we opened Christmas gifts. The kids were happy with everything they got, and it was fun to watch them open their gifts. Jerry gave me a nice suitcase (a couple of days early, actually), which I was thrilled with! I have been traveling quite a bit the past couple of years, so I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it.

It's super light weight, so I can pack more stuff in there without exceeding the airline's weight limit ;)

I gave Jerry a Keurig coffee maker. We used to have one, but it broke and we never replaced it. Jerry loves his coffee, and lately he's been saying that seeing the Keurig at the store makes him feel nostalgic for it. So, it was either going to be a ladder (something he really needs) or the Keurig for Christmas--I figured he'd enjoy the Keurig more than a ladder!

After we opened gifts, I made what is quite possibly the most indulgent breakfast EVER. I found the recipe on Pinterest, and it's called Apple Streusel French Toast Bake. It was AMAZING. It wasn't healthy in the slightest, but it was perfect for an indulgent Christmas breakfast. It basically tastes like a Cinnabon with warm apples and pecans.

It was 549 calories for 1/12th of the 13x9 pan! Totally worth it, though. I had Jerry take the leftovers to work with him today, so that I wouldn't be tempted to plow through it.

After breakfast, I went out for a run. On the schedule:
-1 mile warm-up
-6 x 2:00 fast with recovery walk to heart rate of 136
-4 x 1:00 fast with recovery walk to heart rate of 136
-Cool down

I've been trying some workouts from a sub-50 10K training program I found online, and the workouts go by time rather than distance. It seems like a nice, solid plan, so I may end up using it exclusively for my PR training. I still have about four weeks before I have to make a decision on a training plan, so I'll try it for a couple of weeks and see what I think.

I ran the one mile warm up, and then went right into the 2:00-fast intervals. It was tough! Last week, I'd done 45-second intervals, so 2 minutes felt like forever. I walked very slowly in between the intervals, so that my heart rate would get down to 136 as quickly as possible. As soon as it hit 136, I started the next interval. It was tough!

After the two-minute intervals, I had to switch to one-minute intervals. Those went by really quickly, because I'd gotten used to doing the two-minute ones. I was tired, though, and by the time I finished the last interval (at mile four), I was ready to be done. My splits were good! I've improved since the last quarter-mile intervals I did outside:

These are the splits from two weeks ago:

The average of the 2:00 minute intervals was a 7:30/mile pace yesterday; two weeks ago, it was a 7:40/mile pace for roughly the same amount of time. Not a super drastic improvement, but definitely noticeable.

After my run, I took a quick shower and then we went to Jerry's parents' house to exchange gifts with them. The rest of the day, we just took it easy. We watched movies in our pajamas and the kids played with their new toys.

Today feels nothing like Christmas, as I said--not just because we did "Christmas" yesterday, but because it's so warm outside. This morning, Eli and I went for a run. The kids had asked for hydration backpacks for Christmas, and he wanted to take his on a run. I was planning to do a 30-minute easy run anyway, but I took Eli along for the first mile (we stopped at my parents' house, and he stayed there). He looked so cute with his new storm trooper running shirt and hydration backpack!

After I dropped Eli off at my parents' house, I continued on. Running past the lake, I simply couldn't believe that it is actually December 25th. Look at the lake!

It was 43 degrees, but felt much warmer outside because it was so calm. My parents' next door neighbor was actually on a stand-up paddle board on the lake this morning... wearing shorts. Crazy!

Anyway, today is another relaxing day. I started working on a new puzzle--it's been a while since I've done a puzzle, and I kind of miss it. I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

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A quickie weigh-in (week #19)

Just a quickie post for a Wednesday Weigh-in...

I was 132 today, which means I am up 1.5 pounds from last week--but I'm still 1 pound below my goal weight, so I'm happy with it. Last week's weight was abnormal, because I'd had such a crazy week with Jerry being in and out of the hospital, and my calories were low. This week, I ate a "normal" amount of calories, and wound up at 132. My average daily calorie intake was 1,749.

This coming week is going to be a challenge for me. Tomorrow, Jerry and I are celebrating Christmas with the kids because Jerry has to work on Christmas day. I'm going to make an indulgent breakfast (Apple Streusel Baked French Toast--a recipe I found on Pinterest), and Jerry and I will probably have a glass or two of wine tomorrow afternoon. With the heavy breakfast, I'm going to try and keep dinner on the light side.

On Monday, Jerry and I invited some friends to a "Mystery Dinner & Bowling"--we posted the date and time, but not the location. We only disclosed the location to each person as they RSVP'ed "yes". It drives me crazy when people don't respond to an invitation, so I thought it might be a fun way to know for sure how many people to expect ;)

Renee's family invited Jerry, the kids, and I over to their house on Tuesday, so I'll need to plan for that as well. I'm going to enjoy all the stuff we have planned over the next week, but I'm going to try my best not to overindulge and to keep my weight in my goal range!

Sorry for the short post... Jerry and I have lots to do tonight to get ready for the kids' Christmas tomorrow morning :)

I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday!

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Winter Solstice Runs

I happened to join Smashrun just in time to try and earn the "Shortest Day" badge. The badge can be earned by running twice on the day of winter solstice: once starting before sunrise and finishing after sunrise; and the second run must start before sunset and finish after sunset. I have no idea how the creators of Smashrun came up with that badge, but considering I only have once chance per year to earn it, I wanted to do it!

Here, winter solstice started at 11:49 pm on December 21st--so I was a little confused whether to run on the 21st or 22nd. Thankfully, Smashrun clearly listed the date on the badge, so I knew that I had to do the runs on the 21st (yesterday). I asked Siri (on my iPhone) at least a dozen times what time sunrise and sunset would occur, so I could plan my runs.

Sunrise was at 7:57 am, and sunset was 5:04 pm. I decided to do a three-mile run for each, starting about 15 minutes before sunrise/sunset. I normally do a three-miler on Sundays, but I skipped it in order to do it yesterday instead. Since I had intervals scheduled today, I decided to do an interval run last night for the sunset run.

Of course, it would be pouring rain yesterday morning! I didn't want to do the solstice runs on the treadmill, so I decided I'd run in the rain, even if it was a total downpour. After I got Eli on the bus, I had about 10 minutes to kill before heading out. It was still raining--not a downpour, but not a drizzle, either. Once I started running, I was pretty soaked within a quarter mile, and my feet were squishing in my shoes.

I took a quick picture at 7:57 (the "official" time of sunrise). Then the rain slowed to a drizzle, which made the last mile much nicer. Once I got home, I saved the run and immediately checked to make sure that it "counted" toward the badge ;) One run down, one more to go!

I took a shower, even though it was pretty much pointless--I'd be running again later. What do people who work out twice a day do? Do you shower twice? Sometimes, I think I'd like to be an evening runner, but I like to shower in the morning, so it wouldn't really work out. I'm curious how other people handle it.

For my second run, I wanted to do the speed work that was scheduled for today. I decided to try out a different speed workout, just to shake things up a bit: 10 x 45 seconds, with recovery walks until my heart rate dropped to 136 bpm. I like the idea of recovery until reduced heart rate--sometimes, I feel like I don't get enough recovery after tough intervals. And running hard for just 45 seconds sounded nice! ;)

I headed out at around 4:40 for the second run. I didn't want it to be too dark when I finished. I ran a one mile warm-up before starting the intervals, and I felt really good--my legs didn't feel tired from running earlier in the day. Running fast felt good, too, and knowing that it was for just 45 seconds made it much less painful (mentally), haha. I was planning to jog between the intervals, but after jogging for about a minute, my heart rate still hadn't lowered enough; so, I slowed to a walk. Then a super slow walk. Still, my Garmin didn't beep to signal a run again.

I switched the screen to see my heart rate, and for some reason, my heart rate wasn't even reading! I pressed the strap to my chest, and then it showed up. The Garmin beeped to signal the next interval, so I started running hard again. It was interesting to see that the recovery intervals were growing longer (meaning it was taking longer each time for my heart rate to drop). I was walking very slowly to get it to drop faster.

It was kind of fun to see that I actually had some intervals in the 6:-something pace! Although, it was only for 45 seconds, so I shouldn't get too excited ;) I really liked this workout, so I will probably do some shorter intervals like this in the future, too.

I was thrilled when I got home, and saw that I completed the challenge and earned my badge!

The commentary that comes with the badges always cracks me up! Yep, I certainly didn't take the easy way ;)

Stephanie sent me a text in the morning to say that she had gotten up to run in the rain in order to earn the badge as well. She didn't realize it until afterward, but the Shortest Day badge is only available to "Pro" (paying) members of the site. I didn't know that, otherwise I would have mentioned it before! It's not one of the available badges for the free members--so if you were looking for it, and couldn't find it, that's probably why. Sorry!

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For Taste Test Tuesday this week, I tried a recipe for Crock Pot Cashew Chicken. I normally don't like crock pot recipes that require browning the meat before putting it in the crock pot, but this one looked really good, so I gave it a try. It was amazing! The sauce didn't thicken up as much as I'd imagined it would, but the flavor was really good. My kids even liked it (except they picked out the cashews--crazy kids!).

I made the recipe exactly as written, and divided it into six servings. Each serving ended up being 365 calories (not including rice). I will definitely make this again in the future!

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My pets are hilarious with my electric blanket. Ever since I brought it out of hibernation, I can't sit on the couch without this happening:

Today, I'm spending the day wrapping Christmas presents and watching movies! The kids' Christmas break starts tomorrow, so I may not get a chance to enjoy the quiet for the next couple of weeks ;)

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Motivational Monday #133

Happy Motivational Monday! Isn't it crazy that Christmas is THIS Friday? This year is almost over! Each year just goes by faster than the last.

I had a pretty fun non-scale victory this week that I wanted to share. I was looking for something in my closet when I came across this bridesmaid dress that I wore in my brother's wedding in September 2014. I'd been meaning to donate the dress, and just kept forgetting about it. I decided to try it on, just to see if it zipped much easier than it did on the wedding day.

I remember it feeling very tight the day of the wedding! I had just gotten home from vacation in Punta Cana, where we ate and drank all week long. I was actually worried I wouldn't fit into the dress--thankfully, I could zip it, and I squeezed into it for the wedding.

It was quite different a couple of days ago, however--not only was it loose, but I actually had to hold it up so it didn't drop to the floor! (Sorry for the bad pic, but I was home alone, so I couldn't have Jerry take a better one)

When I see the number on the scale, I can clearly recognize that I've lost a lot of weight recently. But it doesn't really register in my mind until I see pictures like this or try on old clothes!

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Here is a Motivational Monday story submitted by Jen. If this doesn't motivate you to get active, I don't know what will ;)

"Today, I completed the Hot Chocolate 15K for the third year in a row.  The difference this year is that in August, I got sick. I had severe joint pain everywhere that landed me in the ER when I crawled to the bathroom. Do you know how many joints are in your feet?! The pain was so much I couldn't walk. After many tests and many weeks of pain, I remain undiagnosed. I was sick for several weeks and was unable to even walk any distance for about 4-5 weeks, much less run! It was really hard to get back into shape. I signed up for the 15k well before I got sick (in May) and was really sad when I realized that I might not be able to do it. 

As I started feeling better I made it goal to somehow get across the finish line.  Luckily, I was able to start training and while the weather (unseasonably warm temps, wind and rain) wasn't what I'd choose, I shaved 52 seconds off of last year's time. My official finish was 1:47:06 (11:30/mile). And I want to share this because I want to encourage everyone to be proud of all your fitness accomplishments. No matter how big or how small... don't take your health for granted and be proud of every achievement. It doesn't matter if it's 1 mile or 10.  It doesn't matter how fast or how slow. There are people that wish they could do what you do, and there were many weeks when I was one of those people!"

(Jen blogs at I Like Warm Hugs) A huge congrats on getting back to running, Jen!

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Christmas Winers

Last night was my annual Christmas Winers meeting (if you don't remember, Winers is the name of a wine club my friend Renee and I started for our girlfriends). Christmas Winers has always been extra fun, because we do a white elephant gift exchange. Yesterday, my friend Melissa hosted, and made the theme an "Ugly Christmas Sweaters" party. I went to the thrift store and bought the only Christmas sweater I could find--thankfully, it was pretty hideous, even if it was ginormous on me.

It was kind of funny, actually... I had to drop Eli off at a birthday party at 6:00, and it was near Melissa's house. I had an hour to kill, because Winers didn't start until 7:00, so I planned to just pick up a couple of things from the store or maybe just browse before going to Melissa's. I could have sworn that I grabbed my coat when I left the house, but I realized that I hadn't; and it was FREEZING outside. All I was wearing was a long-sleeved t-shirt with the hideous Christmas sweater over it! I was too embarrassed to wear it into the store, so I just hung out in the car until going to Melissa's ;)

It was fun to see my friends--it's been a while since anyone has held a Winers meeting (we used to do it every month, but now it's been just a couple of times a year). Unfortunately, I couldn't drink any wine! This is so odd, but I have turned into a total lightweight. The recent weight loss, combined with the fact that I usually only drink once a week or so, has lowered my tolerance so much that even one glass of wine would have been too much to responsibly drive home. Jerry had to get up early to work today, otherwise I could have had him pick me up. But anyway, I was happy to be able to chat with my friends!

Amanda, Jessica, me, Renee, Shawna, and Kerri (there were actually 12 of us total,
but we didn't have anyone to take a group photo, so we did two separate ones.

The white elephant gift exchange is always fun. We draw numbers to determine the order we choose gifts. The first person chooses a gift and opens it, and then the second person can either steal that one away, or open a new one. Then the third person can steal one that's already opened, or open a new one. And so on. Then, at the end, the first person can steal any of the gifts.

Renee ended up with my gift, which was this wine glass that says "I love my cat" on it (and Renee is actually allergic to cats, so she doesn't have any!). I also threw in a wine trivia game.

The last person to take a gift ended up stealing mine, so I ended up being the last person to choose. I could either open the last gift, or I could steal someone else's. I decided to open the last one, and I nearly died when I saw what it was.

First, the back story: Several years ago (I believe 2009?) I wound up opening this gift of some ceramic bunnies. Everyone cracked up at how perfect a white elephant gift they were, and I decided to hold onto them for a year and then regift them at the next Christmas Winers. Somehow, I managed to get them AGAIN, so they spent another year at my house. Eventually, I gifted them away, but they still made an appearance each year at Christmas Winers!

So, it was hilarious when I opened the gift and saw bunny ears sticking up:

Why yes, I do have shoulder pads in my sweater!

Now the bunnies will be taking up residence in the Foster household until next Christmas Winers ;) Super fun Winers!

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This morning was my long run. I wasn't feeling confident after my failed tempo run on Thursday. It actually snowed yesterday, and the roads in my neighborhood were icy, so I decided to run on the treadmill. The best part about 10K training (versus half marathon or full marathon training) is that my long runs are short--so the most I'd have to run on the treadmill is eight miles or so. Today's run was a scheduled 6 miles, but I decided to go for 6.2 so that I could earn my 10K badge on Smashrun. (When you join Smashrun, all of your previous runs don't "count" toward the badges... so everyone is on the same playing field.)

I set the treadmill at 6.5 mph, and left it there the entire run. Almost immediately, I started getting those weird ab muscle cramps again. I have no idea what those are from! But I have realized that when I breathe deeply, they ease up, so I spent all of today's run breathing in for four steps, and out for three steps. My legs and lungs felt great, but the ab cramps made the whole thing a little uncomfortable.

I did earn two new badges on Smashrun, though!

I'm going to try and earn the Shortest Day badge on Monday... to get it, you have to run during sunrise and sunset on the shortest day of the year (Winter Solstice). The runs have to start prior to sunrise and sunset, and finish after sunrise and sunset. It only happens once a year, so I am looking forward to doing it! Any of my fellow Smashrunners going to go for it?

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Don't forget to send in your Motivational Monday submissions this weekend!

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Dinner date with Eli

This morning, it was just Eli and me at home; Jerry and Noah had left the house at 3:30 AM! For weeks, Jerry and Noah had been planning on attending a Star Wars movie marathon--all seven of the films--at the theater. It's been fun to see them get so excited about it! Every morning, Jerry would write a note to put in Noah's lunch box, saying things like, "15 more days until the force awakens us". It's been a special little bond between the two of them. Last night, Jerry presented Noah with matching Star Wars t-shirts for them to wear today.

When I got up at 6:30, they had already finished watching the first movie! Jerry sent me some pictures between movies (they had a short intermission between each movie).

I knew Eli wouldn't be able to sit through all those movies, and he's not as much into Star Wars as Noah and Jerry are, so I made plans to take Eli out to a special dinner tonight after he got home from school. 

I had a hard time getting moving this morning after I got Eli on the bus. I didn't sleep very well, and my stomach wasn't feeling too hot. I had a tempo run on the schedule, and I decided to go to the State Park to run. I set up my watch for a 5-minute warm-up, 16 minutes at tempo pace, and then an indefinite cool down. 

Once I got there and started running, my stomach was feeling even worse. I was putting pressure on myself to hit a better pace than last week (last week, I ran 14 minutes at 8:10/mi), and I didn't want to psych myself out. I ran slowly to warm-up, and then when I hit the half-mile mark, I picked up my speed. At first, I thought it was going to go well, especially when I glanced down at my watch and saw a 7:-something pace.

It didn't last long. I was really struggling, and I could feel myself getting slower and slower. My stomach was really bothering me, and I started getting those weird abdominal muscle cramps that I was dealing with a few weeks ago. I started taking deep breaths, to hopefully ease the cramps. Eventually, I just thought, "I can't do it anymore!" and I looked down to see that my pace was 8:50, which is much slower than it should be for a tempo anyway. I took a short walk break, breathing in deeply to ease the cramping, and then started running again.

It was then that I realized I'd accidentally set the Garmin to 14 minutes at tempo, instead of 16. So, I knew that my tempo portion would be two minutes shorter. At first I was mad that I made that mistake, but with the cramping, I honestly doubted I'd make it through 14. I ended up taking two more walk breaks during the tempo portion, and then another during the cool down. 

Overall, it was NOT a good run today, and it made me feel bummed out. I know that I have bad runs once in a while, and it won't be the last time; it still just causes me to doubt my training! Looking at the splits, though, I still managed 14 minutes at 8:42/mi, which was including three walk breaks. My goal pace for tempo is 8:23-8:36/mi, so I wasn't too far off. It just felt like it was because of last week's pace being 8:10. Hopefully it'll go better next week!

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Eli was so cute this morning when we talked about our plans for tonight. I told him that I would take him to Olive Garden, which, when I was a kid, we thought of as the fanciest of restaurants ;) He said he wanted to come home after school so he could change into nice clothes and do his hair. Before I picked him up from school, I made sure to dress up a little, too, so he would notice the effort I was putting into our "date". 

We came home so that he could change clothes, and then we were ready to head out. He looked so sweet!

I hadn't been to Olive Garden in YEARS, so I had no idea what I was going to order. I looked at the menu online, so I could try and come up with a plan, but I ended up just winging it. I ordered the Ravioli di Portobello (portobello-stuffed ravioli with some sort of cream sauce). It was insanely delicious! I was actually really surprised at just how good it was.

There were 7 ravioli for a total of 820 calories, but I only ate 4 of them. With my salad and three bites of Eli's dessert, my total for the meal was only 655 calories. Well worth it! Eli loved his dinner, too--he got the Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno--but we ended up taking most of it home, because he filled up on breadsticks ;)

It was really nice going out with just one of the boys at a time. I didn't have to break up fights between the kids or provide entertainment while we waited for our food. It was just Eli and me, so we were able to talk and enjoy each other's company. I'll have to make sure to do something like it with Noah, and Eli can do something with Jerry.

The kids only have three more school days until Christmas break! It feels like they just started this school year. Crazy!

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Calories vs. Weight Watchers SmartPoints comparison

Last week, I weighed in at Weight Watchers and got the materials for their new Beyond the Scale: SmartPoints plan. It definitely did not sound like the right plan for me (especially when I saw that my beloved dried cherries were 8 "SmartPoints" for a quarter cup!), but I was curious as to how many SmartPoints I'd eaten each day this week. I used the new Weight Watchers app to calculate my SmartPoints at the end of each day, just out of curiosity.

For reference, if I was doing Weight Watchers, my daily target to MAINTAIN my weight would be 36 SmartPoints per day, plus 28 SmartPoints per week. If I was trying to LOSE weight, my daily target would be just 30 SmartPoints per day, plus 28 SmartPoints per week.

I did not calculate the SmartPoints each day--I only did it after the week was over. I'd eaten the foods I normally eat, and I counted calories like usual. Note that this was a crazy week with Jerry's ER visits and all that, so my calories were rather low on a few days; but even on my low days, I was shocked by the high number of SmartPoints I'd eaten.)

Here is the result:

W: 1,681 calories; 65 SmartPoints
T: 1,239 calories; 51 SmartPoints
F: 1,972 calories; 63 SmartPoints
S: 1,442 calories; 57 SmartPoints
S: 1,354 calories; 58 SmartPoints
M: 1,240 calories; 44 SmartPoints
T: 1,578 calories; 65 SmartPoints

Totals for the week: 10,506 calories; 403 SmartPoints
Averages each day: 1,501 calories; 58 SmartPoints
(Weight Watchers recommends 30 SmartPoints per day for someone my size to lose weight)

That means, in this week, I would have gone OVER by 123 SmartPoints in maintenance, and 165 SmartPoints if I was trying to lose weight!! (Yet, I lost 2 pounds this week.) Shocking, right?

(Important Note: Since I count calories, and I'm not actively following the SmartPoints plan, I wasn't trying to get the most out of my SmartPoints. If I was trying to follow the SmartPoints plan, I could have made different choices about what to eat--trying to fill up on fruits and vegetables, and eat less sugar and/or processed foods, so the SmartPoints counts would probably have been lower. This is NOT a review of the new plan, nor was it an experiment as a week on Weight Watchers' new plan; all I did was calculate how many SmartPoints I'd eaten for a week, out of curiosity.)

Anyway, here is a sample day, based on things that I would typically eat:

Breakfast: Larabar (which is just dates, nuts, and dried fruit) with 8 g. peanut butter; tea with 1/2 tsp. sugar and 1-1/3 Tbsp. half and half (13 SmartPoints; 301 calories)
Lunch: Panera lunch date with a friend- 1/2 chicken caesar salad, 1 cup tomato soup, piece of baguette, unsweetened iced tea (25 SmartPoints; 680 calories)
Dinner: Homemade roasted red pepper and turkey sausage pasta (11 SmartPoints; 394 calories)
Snack/treat: homemade fudge (9 SmartPoints; 198 calories)

Total: 58 SmartPoints; 1,573 calories

This is a very typical day for me--not super healthy, not super junky, just average. I'm not going to bash the new Weight Watchers program, because I understand what Weight Watchers is going for--when "junk" foods are super high in SmartPoints, people will be more likely to make healthier choices. That's a good thing!

However... I find that the opposite happens with me. The more restrictions I have, the less likely I am to stick with the program. I get frustrated while trying to find a compromise between foods I enjoy and that fit in with the plan.

My Thoughts on the New SmartPoints Plan...

Weight Watchers used to be pretty simple when calculating Points values: there was a formula that used calories, fat, and fiber. That was the plan that I used to lose most of the 125 pounds I lost in 2009-2010.

Then they came out with a new plan, the slightly more complicated PointsPlus system, that then used carbs, fat, fiber, and protein to calculate PointsPlus.

Now, they are using calories, saturated fat, protein, carbs, fiber, and sugar to calculate SmartPoints. Instead of getting simpler, which is what you want when trying to get people interested, the plan is getting much more complicated and overwhelming.

As a newcomer to Weight Watchers way back in the day, the biggest appeal to me was that I didn't have to eat a super healthy diet to lose weight.

If I was able to stick with a very healthy diet (lots of fruits and veggies, very little sugar, etc), then I never would have been 253 pounds!

I'd tried making healthy choices God-only-knows-how-many times, but I was never able to stick with it. When doing Weight Watchers (the Winning Points plan), I was able to eat the foods that I wanted (in smaller portions) and still lose 125 pounds.

In August 2009, at 253 pounds and living off of pizza, Oreos, ice cream, and Dr. Pepper, I was looking for a weight loss plan that I could stick with. I didn't want to go from pizza and ice cream to salads and grilled fish overnight. I was willing to compromise, though, and Weight Watchers (as the program was back then) allowed me to do that. I could still eat pizza, just not half a pie. I could eat Oreos, just not a whole row in one sitting. And I started adding fruits and vegetables because they were low in Points, so I could eat more food.

With this new plan, it would be very hard to fit in even a small treat. I typically eat three meals a day, plus one treat in the evenings (a piece of fudge, for example, like I mentioned yesterday).

That 198-calorie piece of fudge was 9 SmartPoints--exactly one fourth of the SmartPoints WW would allow me to have per day on maintenance! 

And for a special occasion, like a birthday? A piece of carrot cake (my favorite) is 28 SmartPoints, which would use ALL of the 28 weekly SP allotment.

Again, I understand what Weight Watchers is trying to do in getting people to eat healthier--I just know that, for me, the new plan would make me feel like I was on another complicated diet and I would eventually binge on all the foods I couldn't fit into my daily allotment.

On one hand, Weight Watchers is responding to the trend in pushing more protein and less carbs; but on the other hand, it doesn't even feel like Weight Watchers any more.

I think the new SmartPoints plan is great for people who already eat a pretty healthy diet, and are just having a hard time losing weight. I also think it would be good for someone who has health issues, and has to cut back on sugar and/or saturated fat.

If you spend most of your SmartPoints allowance on lean protein, fruits, and vegetables, you could probably still fit in a small treat now and then. For people (like me) who are otherwise healthy and enjoy carbs, daily dessert, or eat processed foods, and who want to keep things as simple as possible, calorie counting seems to be a better fit.

I'm not suggesting that people don't give the new program a chance. When WW first rolled out the PointsPlus plan, I really didn't like it! That's why I used the old 1-2-3 Success Points plan to start with. Eventually, when I was ready, I really embraced the new plan and it worked out well for me.

As of now, I recently lost almost 30 pounds by calorie counting, and I'm 134 days binge-free (woo hoo!)... so I don't want to mess with that by trying something new, even as an experiment.

My recent weight loss from calorie counting

My friend Andrea did great her first week on the new SmartPoints plan, losing 9 pounds(!)--but she said that she wouldn't be able to do that plan for maintenance. She's hoping to get back to goal and then find a different maintenance plan that isn't so restrictive. My sister switched from Weight Watchers to calorie counting this week, because of the new SmartPoints plan, and she lost 2.8 pounds--which she was thrilled with.

There have been tons of mixed reviews of the new WW plan on social media, and it's been an interesting read! If nothing else, it seems to have caused a heated discussion among Weight Watchers members ;)

I know I'm always saying this, but everybody is different, so we all just need to find what works for us. Maybe it's Weight Watchers, maybe it's calorie counting, maybe it's macro counting, maybe it's intuitive eating, maybe it's something else. It's interesting to see all the different ways to accomplish one common goal!

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So, today was my Wednesday Weigh-in, and I can't say I was disappointed when I stepped on the scale this morning ;)

I was at 130.5, which is down 2 whole pounds from last week; and 2.5 pounds below my goal weight. I wasn't actively trying to lose weight this week, but I had a lot going on with Jerry being in the hospital 4 out of 5 days in a row. My average calorie intake was 1,501, which is on the low side for maintenance; but, considering the circumstances, it makes sense. (Next week, it'll probably be back up, and I'm fine with that).

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Treadmill Tuesday

It felt so good to get caught up on stuff yesterday! I did a ton of laundry, went grocery shopping, responded to email, and cleaned up around the house. It's been really nice to spend some time with Jerry, too--after the kids left for school, we curled up on the couch with the electric blanket and watched Bad Santa. With all that was going on with Jerry, it was nice to laugh and just relax. I wasn't even thinking about Christmas all this past week; and now Christmas is just 10 days away!

The kids spent a lot of time with my parents over the last week, since Jerry and I were at the hospital, so we wanted to do something fun (yet low-key) with them last night. We decided to make fudge (I rarely bake or make sweets, because it's hard not to go overboard and eat the whole batch; but the kids love baking, so they get very excited when we do it). We made Rocky Road Fudge (with walnuts and marshmallows) and it was delicious!

After we each ate a piece of fudge, we all went for a one-mile walk around the neighborhood in the dark. The kids thought walking the dark was a lot of fun ;)

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This morning, I woke up with ZERO energy. I have no idea why I was feeling so tired, but I really wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep some more. Usually, I'm wide awake in the mornings. I had intervals on the schedule, and I was really considering rescheduling them because of my lack of energy. Interval workouts are tough! But I don't want to get behind on my 10K training, so I got dressed to run and went out to the garage to run on the treadmill.

We had another warm morning--I think it was about 45 degrees. I actually wore capris and a tank! I am loving this odd December weather. Last week, I did my intervals outside; two weeks ago, I did 5 x 400's at 8.2 mph and 1% incline on the treadmill. Today, my plan was to do 6 x 400 at 8.3 mph and 1% incline.

First, I jogged for half a mile, and then I set the speed to 8.3 mph. Once I started running hard, I felt my energy level rise a bit, thank goodness. The first two intervals went by just fine. On the third, I was starting to get tired, and I wished I had more rest between intervals (one minute is ideal for me to take a break and recover, but not so long to where my heart rate goes back to the resting rate). I was really tempted to pause my Garmin and take longer during the recoveries, but I had done five intervals last week, so I knew I could keep going.

The last interval was extremely difficult to get through. I felt like I might not make it, and I would have to either drop the pace or quit. But, I just started counting (anything to take my mind off the running) and I pushed through. Six intervals, done!

The last couple of interval runs on the treadmill, I felt like I probably could have pushed myself a little harder; today, however, I definitely pushed to the max and I was totally spent when I was done. My legs felt pleasantly sore all day after that.

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For Taste Test Tuesday this week, I made a pasta dish called One Pot Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Alfredo (another recipe I found on Pinterest). This one was interesting, because it took three days to actually make it ;) I was in the middle of cooking it on Wednesday when Jerry's original headache started. I turned off the burner and took him to the emergency room, just leaving the pot on the stove.

I called my mom when we were waiting for the doctor, and she came to the ER to get the kids, while my dad went over to my house to get Joey. While he was there, he put the pot in the fridge so it wouldn't go bad. I figured I may be able to salvage it, because the residual heat had probably finished cooking the pasta. The next day, we wound up in the emergency room again; so, once again, we didn't get to eat it for dinner. Finally, on Friday, I took the pot out of the fridge and heated it back up on the stove. I threw in the spinach and parmesan cheese, and called it done.

It ended up being really tasty, and Jerry even said that it's his favorite dinner I've ever made!

I made a couple of modifications to the original recipe--I eliminated the goat cheese entirely, because I don't like goat cheese (I had planned to use cream cheese instead, but totally forgot to put it in there); I used turkey Italian sausage; I also added more pasta (16 oz total), which made it less calories (because I was able to get 8 servings out of it instead of 6). For one serving, it was 394 calories. It was very good! Jerry requested that I make this again often. Hopefully it won't take three days to cook it next time ;)

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Blood patch

Well, I guess I spoke too soon yesterday about Jerry being better. After I'd scheduled yesterday's post, and we were just talking about whether to go to the party, Jerry had another horrible headache--the worst one yet. It was another spinal headache from the spinal tap he'd had on Wednesday. When we went to the emergency room on Thursday for the spinal headaches, the doctor told us that if they didn't stop on their own by Monday, to go back in there and get a "blood patch". Well, yesterday, the pain was unbearable, so we went back to the ER to hopefully get the blood patch.

Here is the basic idea of what it is (at least how I understood it from what the doctor said): When Jerry got the spinal tap, the hole made from the needle didn't close, and his spinal fluid was leaking out of the space where it belongs (it surrounds the spinal cord and brain). Because of that, the spinal fluid level wasn't able to build back up to what it should have been. Spinal fluid surrounds the brain and acts as a cushion, and without it, the brain doesn't have that "shock absorber".  That's what was causing the horrible headaches.

To fix that, an anesthesiologist can draw blood from the patient's arm, and inject it near the original spinal tap site--the blood will then quickly form a clot over the leak, and the spinal fluid can build back up to a normal level again. When I asked why they don't just do the blood patch immediately after the spinal tap, I was told that ER doctors can do spinal taps (which are used for diagnoses), but they cannot do the blood patch; and usually, an anesthesiologist is not at their beck and call to do a blood patch whenever needed.

Anyway, yesterday evening, Jerry and I spent several hours in the ER again. They ended up admitting him to the hospital so that he could get the blood patch first thing today (and keep his pain under control in the meantime). Once they admitted him, I went home for the night.

I couldn't sleep at all last night, and I got up early to go for a run before heading back to the hospital. It was still dark outside, but because I wanted to go to the hospital early, I decided to go run in the dark. It's something I'd been wanting to do anyway. It was really warm this morning--55 degrees at 6:30! I wore a reflective vest and my super bright headlamp, and headed out for three miles.

It was creepy--there is something different about being outside at night versus in the morning, and I definitely prefer the nighttime. I kept seeing the glow of little eyes, and imagined scary beasts (they ended up being cats, haha). My imagination went crazy with all sorts of scenarios. Next time I run in the dark, I'm going to do it at night, and see if I like it better.

Anyway, I finished the three miles at a pretty slow pace (it felt like I was going much faster, but I think that's because it was dark and harder to gauge my pace). Then I took a quick shower and drove to the hospital. Jerry said his blood patch had been scheduled for 9:00. When they came to take him to the pre-op area, I went downstairs to the lobby and had some decaf coffee while I waited. I was told it would probably be an hour or so.

Jerry sent me a text when he got back to his room, and he was already feeling much better. He still had a mild headache, but within the next hour, it was completely gone (and without using pain meds). His back was slightly sore, but that was normal because of the blood patch. He was discharged at around noon, and was feeling a million times better than he had been over the last five days. The whole way home, I kept asking him, "How's your head?" because I was worried the headache would come back; but it didn't!

He still has to take it easy for a day or two, but the doctor said he should be fine to go back to work on Wednesday. I'm SO relieved! If the blood patch hadn't worked, I didn't know what we were going to do. Thank you all again for all of the thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes for Jerry.

With everything going on over the past several days, I've gotten super far behind on everything from laundry to email. I'm going to try and get caught up tomorrow, so I won't be posting a Motivational Monday post. If you have a submission, please send it anyway, and I will save it for next week!

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