the plan Archives - Page 2 of 2

July 19, 2010 By Christina

I realized a few days ago that I have been running (well, running and walking) for a month now. I’ve kept to a single program for a month! Anytime I reach an accomplishment like that, I have to remind myself that despite the criticisms I’ve acquired throughout my life, I can do just about anything I put my mind to!

Of course, then a day like today happens. Week 5, day 2 of the couch to 5K plan, and I had to run two 8-min intervals, with a 5 minute walk in-between. It sounded do-able, but I didn’t make it. I managed to squeak out the first 8 minute run, and even recovered pretty quickly during the 5 minute walk. But halfway through the second run, I lost any pattern to my breathing and felt sick. I had to walk for 2 minutes of that interval, and I felt miserable. Probably didn’t help that it was insanely hot and humid, too, but I was more focused on my fault, not the weather’s fault.

Thankfully, friends came to my rescue online and reminded me that this is a hard week of the program, but that one setback isn’t failure. They’re right, and I’m going to try again on Tuesday.

Also, another little stroke of luck came my way last week to help me in my goals of shedding the weight and getting healthier. Healthy Choice is hosting a Better for BlogHer Challenge, and I was one of the bloggers selected to participate! As part of the challenge, I’m replacing just one meal a day with a Healthy Choice meal, and at BlogHer I’ll be meeting with Tara Gidus, “The Diet Diva,” for a one-on-one nutrition, fitness and wellness consultation.

Eating one Healthy Choice meal a day will be the easy part in this journey – I’ve already been eating them several nights at work, because they’re easy to pack, easy to prepare and taste better than many frozen meals out there. The real challenge will be consistency.

To go along with this new challenge, I’m also going to rev up my fitness routine. Right now I’m running three days a week and not doing much else otherwise. I plan to work some other type of fitness routine into some of my off days, whether it be biking, swimming, walking, or just doing some crunches.

We’re just over 2 weeks away from BlogHer, and my goal for the next two weeks is to make that scale show a number lower than 187 – where it’s been stuck for MONTHS now. Nothing has made it drop lower than 187. Last week I stepped on and it flickered between 186.8 and 187.0 several times before giving me the digital scale version of the middle finger and settling on 187.0.

That number will be lower in two weeks.

Full disclosure: In exchange for my participation in the Healthy Choice Better for BlogHer challenge, I am being compensated with product coupons and gift cards. No guarantees were made for positive reviews, but if this helps me get below the 187 mark on the scale, I might just kiss the Healthy Choice reps at BlogHer!

A New Year, A New Blog, A New Weight

January 14, 2010 By Christina

Last year I found myself depressed by my weight, wanting to do something about it before going to BlogHer in July. Thankfully, I wasn’t alone, and several others banded together to support each other in our efforts to shape up and feel good about ourselves in 2009. I did it by my Hot by BlogHer challenge, and by joining up with the Shredheads.

Overall, I lost 20 pounds last year before BlogHer – not a bad effort for five months! I felt so much better about myself, too. But after BlogHer, I came home to a new full-time job, with new full-time exhaustion, and most of my exercise habits slipped away as sleeping became my top priority. I kept some of my eating habits, but I’ll admit even those suffered when your job doesn’t give you a set lunch break and you have to grab something on the go most of the time.

So of course, when the new year started, I knew I wanted to get back on track again. I don’t have as much leisure time to exercise when I want anymore, but I know I’ve got more weight to lose and I want to get motivated again. Hence, this new blog: Losing My Hind. I could have gone back to Hot by BlogHer (and may bring that up as a challenge again), but I wanted a blog that didn’t have a time limit, so I could use it year round.

Thankfully, I’m still not alone in my goals. The Shredheads are going strong, and Loser Moms just gave me an ideal jump start: they’re having a Biggest Loser challenge, where $$$ is on the line for the winners. Sure, a smaller dress size is a great motivator, but a little cash to buy new dresses is a powerful motivator as well!

Yesterday I began the Loser Moms challenge, which involved my first weigh-in. I hadn’t stepped on the scale for awhile, and was worried I’d crept back over 200 – something I vowed to never do again. The scale gave me my starting number:

193.6. Woo-hoo! I already feel like I’ve won, considering my lowest weight last year was 192 pounds. Sure, I haven’t lost anything since BlogHer, but it means I really haven’t gained, either. I’m hoping to lose at least another 20 pounds this year before BlogHer, and hopefully at least 10 for the Loser Moms challenge.

This time, working a full schedule (on nights, no less: 7pm-7am is murder on your metabolism and circadian rhythms) will make it difficult to do a structured, formal weight-loss program. Weight Watchers was great, and I still believe it works well, but I need even less to think about at the moment. Instead, I’ll focus on smaller portions, less processed foods, and lots of whole grains, vegetables and water. Exercise will be sporadic on my days off, although some nights at work could probably count for exercise.

I’m ready – let’s do this!