15lbs and Counting!

I posted this exciting news on my Facebook page on Friday: I've lost 15lbs in 7 weeks. I had several people ask me how -- what am I eating or not eating or doing or not doing. There haven't been any miracle foods. It's really been a combination of things.

About 8 weeks ago, I started taking a lunch time class that meets once a week. It is called "Healthy Weight, Healthy You." My job is sponsoring it. It is put on by OSF St. Joe's Center for a Healthy Lifestyle. Erin Kennedy, exercise specialist, and Kim McClintic, dietitian swap weeks. They are both very positive and very up beat and totally encouraging. One thing I like is that there are no forbidden foods and nothing you have to completely give up. Granted, there are healthier choices but they also don't advocating feeling deprived. Also, even though the title says "Healthy Weight" I feel like it more about health than weight. Though, everyone in the class wants to lose some.

Each week they advocate making small choice that lead up to big changes. Here is some of what I've learned:

• Set a reasonable short term goal. They suggested 10%
• Look at how clothes fit and how you feel and not just about the number.
• Watch portions. Americans are so use to SUPER SIZE that our portions are out of control.
• Realistically, our stomach holds about 2 cups without stretching. When eating a meal, try for 2 cups of food.
• Don't worry, because in a couple hours you get a snack! A snack is about 1 cup of food.
• Granted, you should choose wisely. a cup of MM's is very different than a cup of grapes.
• However, you cannot completely blow it in one meal or one day! A pound is 3500 calories. Even if you had a piece of cake (which I have had over the last 7 weeks), that does not equal 3500 calories. Isn't that good news!
  
• Try to get in 3 different types of food at meals and a couple different foods at snacks. Why? Because your body breaks down different types of food at different rates. It does carbohydrates first, protein second, and fat last.
  
• Exercise: 30 minutes most days for cardio. I've been walking Hadley about 45 minutes.
  
• Tidbit: the first 3 minutes of cardio you are burning protein. Minutes 3-20 you are burning carbohydrates. Everything after 20 you are burning fat.
• For best results figure your target heart rate. That is 220-age. Take 60% for the low end and 80% for the high end. You will burn the most calories in that range.
• Change up your exercise routine every 3 weeks or so to avoid a plateau.
• Do some strength training. A pound is a pound. However a pound of muscle burns a lot more calories than a pound of fat even when you are just sitting.
• Lift things around the house -- can of green beans, a gallon of milk, or your 4 year old. Do lots of reps with a little weight. Try 4 sets of 15. Rest a minute in between.
• Wait 48 hours in between working the same muscle group. One day you could upper body and arms. The next you could do legs and such.
• Here's the exception. You can do abs everyday. Aren't you so excited to read that?
• Try new foods. Kim has given us a new recipe each week. I've liked all of them .
  
• Read food labels. We've learned how to evaluate the health claims. If you want, another night I will post that. . . . .
• Keep a food log/activity log. It just makes you aware of what you are eating. You don't have to share it. We often overestimate the amount we exercise and underestimate the amount we eat or drink!
• Of course there is more like info on eating out, but too much to put here tonight....
  

Most importantly: only weigh once a week and as Erin and Kim say, "DON'T LET WHAT HAPPENS BELOW THE NECK WRECK HAVOC ABOVE THE NECK!"

So, I had to take Hadley to the vet yesterday for a booster shot. Go figure, with all of our walking, she's lost 2lbs! The only catch is that she didn't need to lose any!

Thanks Erin and Kim! Wed is our last class and I am bummed! They are such a hoot!

Bad Bloggy Friend

Yes, I know that it is important to keep up with the whole blog thing. And I have been missing it. My blog time has fallen victim to a few things:

• The cutest thing it has fallen victim to has 4 legs and the cutest, wagginest tail. Right now she is giving me a reprieve and is curled up on the floor at my feet. If I could only schedule that behavior. It is very much like having a toddler. But I am enjoying my Hadley.
• Having a puppy also mean puppy class. So, we are practicing. Hadley now throws "sit" and "down" my way whenever she thinks she deserves a treat.
  
• Running. I am running my first race since field day in elementary school. (Yes, that was a really long time ago. I didn't win then and don't anticipate winning now. But finishing would be good!) So, I've been trying to put time in running. The race is 4.37 miles (one sixth of a marathon as the folks that the running club like to point out).
  
• This makes an excellent prelude to my competitive spirit. Yes, I have one of those. At work, we are having an 8 week health challenge. Everyone in my office is in on it. We get points for every minute of exercise, for eating fruits, vegetables, and having dairy, for reading about a health topic, for making a healthy dish and sharing it, for any number of things. It might not be too bad except out of 37 teams we placed 6th the first week. So, I've set the sights on 1st. (Last week we were 2nd.) The only problem is that rank is determined by the average number of points per person on each team. The one person team currently out front has an advantage. But they are also missing the advantage of having everyone in their office eating smarter. Our monthly junk food/pot luck day was turned into "Healthy Food Day." For every healthy dish that was prepared and shared we got points! But the competitive spirit has kicked in. Why only exercise 60 minutes when 120 will get you double the points?
• Read immediately above if you cannot fathom why I'm tuckered.

But I hope to do better here soon.... If you think of it pray for me on Saturday at the race!

Catch the Wave Run Fun?

Okay, so a couple weeks ago I joined the Lake Run Club in Bloomington-Normal, IL. They have a beginners class called "Catch the Wave." I joined 2 weeks late and quickly discovered that I was in group 10 (the slow group.) Last week, they added a "transitional group" for those of us who were unable to run for 6 minutes straight. Of course, by last week, everyone was up to running 8 minutes walking for a few and running 8 . . . .

I felt a bit let down to drop into the transitional group. Last week we walked 2 minutes and ran 2 minutes. I managed to stay towards the front of the group.

Tonight I can actually said I had fun while running. Yes, I know this is hard to believe. But I was able to run the two minutes and only do one minute of walking. Amazingly, I could do it and hold a conversation. All tallied up, I ran about 20 minutes and between warm up and the walk intervals, exercised an additional 20. Total exercise for the day was 40 minutes.

But the amazing part is that I actually enjoyed it. Three of us are getting together Saturday for a "run."

Add to that, I've been working out at Curves. They have a machine that measures body fat. While I won't tell you my weight or what my total body fat count is, I will say that when they measured it yesterday it had gone down by three pounds of fat.


And at work, my office is participating in a county wide health challenge. It lasts 8 weeks. We participate as a team and get points for various activities (exercise, eating fruits/vegetables, reading something about health, drinking water.) Monday I managed to earn 45 points. Tuesday I earned 42 points. Today, earned 52 points. It's actually kind of fun to do as a group.

I just never imagined thinking of a run (/walk)as fun.

New Regimen

Just so there is no confusion, the picture to the right is not me. I may wish that it were, but I am not as brave as Lysa and Renee to post pictures of myself exercising.

However, I have started a new exercise regime. Since walking wasn't working all that well and it's cold out now, I am working out at a local place for women. The goal is at least 3 times a week. Since November 3rd, I've worked out 11 times. Today was a weigh and measure day.

I was a bit disappointed that the weight had only gone down half a pound. Sigh. (Why do I always weigh so much less in the morning? Are their scales rigged? Scales never match my bathroom scale.)

Anyway, there is good news. I lost 1/2 inch in my waist, 2 inches in my abdomen, 3/4 inch in my hips, and 1/2 inch in my arms. And they have this little machine that measures your body fat. My weight only went down 1/2 pound, but my body fat was down 1.62 pounds. Which means there is more muscle. While it doesn't help the number on the scale right away, in the long run it means burning more calories on a daily basis.

A pound of muscle and a pound of fat weigh the same amount -- a pound. But a pound of muscle is much healthier than a pound of fat.

And, hey, it's after a holiday and I didn't gain even with their rigged (just kidding) scale.

Following Up And Is She Runs on the Horizon?

So, this is my official follow-up to my post about my interaction with my ex-roommate last Friday. If you don't have the foggiest what I am talking about, just click here. I just called her at work because that's the only way I knew for sure she would answer. I asked her if she could have dinner tonight. (I know last minute.) She said she couldn't but next week would work. We settled on Wed. but need to firm up the plans later.

So, will all of you pray? Seriously, I felt incredibly awkward just in asking. And now I feel tearful. I know it is because it ended so poorly. Yes, it is a slow obedience on my part. I probably should have listened to God last week, but I didn't. All the nerves might be over with if I had! If you will pray, please leave your name. It would be a great encouragement to me. I'd love to have 10 people praying for whatever God might do?



PS. As Joy noted on my last post, I went from cookies to pie. I looked back and it was worse. I went from pie to cookies to pie in 3 consecutive posts. Can you tell what is on my mind while people like Lysa, Renee, Melissa, and Holly are all exercising? Heaven help me, they are bold enough to post exercise pictures and commit to things like half marathons. Oh, my, you don't suppose they'll add a track to She Speaks and call it She Runs? But I suppose after worship Sat. night Lysa could lead everyone in aerobics . . . .

I suppose the only "good" part is that I only had pie on the first occasion (note that I ordered a half slice). When I made Mark's pie last night, I only ate the 5 sugar, cinnamon coated slices that I just couldn't make fit in the pie crust. Really. I dropped the pie off this afternoon without cutting a slice out to test it. (Oh, dear. I do hope it is edible! Wink.)

A Measure of Self-Control -- Hope Chronicles 55

Okay, I know I probably shouldn't use "self-control" in the title because it will scare some of you off. But if you can get past the word, please read on!



Mali is one of my cats. I got her as a six month old kitten. She had been a stray before turning up at the local Humane Society. We have routinely gone round and round in food battles. (Click here for more info on those.) She has been incorrigible and bold enough to try and steal from my plate. (No she is not allowed on the table, but if it involves food she will try anything.) If I do happen to give the cats a morsel of people food, Katy will sniff it trying to decide if it is edible. Before you know it, Mali has snagged it.



Katy does like cat treats though. So, I give them to both Katy and Mali and physically keep Mali from snagging all of the treats. Both cats scamper to me when they hear the lid to the cat treats come off.



I'm daring to hope that Mali has gained some measure of self-control, that it has sunk into her heart that she will always get fed. The other night, I opened the treat jar. Katy came right away. Mali lounged on the back of the couch. I rattled the jar. She still wasn't interested.



Last night I dared to brown some taco meat and eat without putting Mali in the other room. She wound around my legs and I admit to keeping a watchful eye. Amazingly, she didn't pop onto the counter or the table! I think my little monster has learned a measure of self-control. (For those of you for whom this raises concern, her other behaviors has been normal and she has eaten normal amounts last night and today.)



Needless to say, this has gotten me thinking about self-control in my own life. Can someone look and see or hear the difference in my life.



I think our thoughts have a good deal to do with self-control in any area. For example, two areas I need self-control over are eating and exercise. I find that I do well for awhile and then I fall into the trap of "I've done so well for this amount of time, indulging now won't hurt." That must be twisted thinking to reward yourself in the behavior that you have been working on.

I used my concordance to look up self-control in the Bible. I was particularly challenged by these verses in 1 Peter 1:13-15:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Too often I think of self-control just as a refraining from something -- like the M&Ms in the snack machine. Really, it is much more proactive than that: prepare your minds, be self-controlled, set your hope. Planning what I am going to have instead of the M&Ms or more than one meal in advance or when I will exercise is really the heart of self-control. If I just refrain, I'll feel deprived. If I fix my eyes on something more -- on Jesus -- even when it comes to exercise and eating and harsh words, I will have filled that "hole" with something far more fulfilling.

What do you do to enact a measure of self-control in your life?

Food Wars

In an attempt to fight a slowing metabolism and lose some weight, I've been packing my lunch religiously since the first of the year. This winter I took homemade soup and an apple. As the weather has changed the last week or so, I've moved to a sandwich and an apple as well as a healthy walk. (I don't want to be confined to a microwave and a spoon and bowl.)



Today was not my day. I realized too late that I didn't have any deli meat and would have to resort to peanut butter and jelly. I love peanut butter in cookies and such. But even as a kid, I didn't take to PB&J. But, it was all I had on hand, so made myself a sandwich.



Said sandwich and apple was left on the kitchen table. I didn't realize it until too late and decided I would have to go out but make a wise choice on what I grabbed.



It could have worked, but it was raining at lunch. I don't mean a sprinkle. It was torrential and I didn't think my umbrella would even do much good. I was hungry, so I opted for a pop and M&M's. Seriously, there was nothing else. Okay, I could have had water, but I was tired from a late night at B&N and craved the sweetness.



My lunch was mysteriously missing when I got home. Okay, that isn't quite true. I found the remnants of the Meijer plastic bag, a shredded napkin, and an otherwise untouched apple on the floor. Guessing that my ravenous little monster had made off with the sandwich, I looked all over the kitchen, living room, and under the beds while she ate her dinner. Did she eat the plastic sandwich bag as well as as an entire sandwich? Was I going to stumble on cat puke at any moment as a result?



Stowed far behind a couch I found this:



I'm not sure how Mali managed to eat the part in the middle, but I am sure that she ingested some plastic. (No cat puke yet, though! I think she must have an iron stomach.) I am glad she didn't eat the entire thing, but given where it was stowed, I will wager she was saving it for later! I'm just thankful that the plastic appears to have saved the carpet.

Thus, I wage daily food wars on two fronts.

First is with Mali. Everything edible and some inedible things must be securely stored. If I make cookies, I no longer leave them in Tupperware on the counter. They must got into the cupboard or the container will be knocked on the floor and gnawed on!


My other one is with my choices. I've hovered between losing 17-20lbs since the first of the year. Five weeks ago, I decided I wanted to lose another 10 before She Speaks June 20-22. Nothing is budging. I need to declare the war more loudly. While losing another 10 in two weeks and keeping it off probably isn't realistic, I will work towards 4.

I've fudged on my pop only every 2-3 days declaration. This may mean I need new resolve.


And hopefully it won't pour at lunch so I can walk!