Fitness – Page 9 – Yoga Pants Diary

October 5, 2014March 29, 2015

Meeting Your Goal

On Septmeber 11th I hit my goal weight. I haven’t posted about it because I’m still weeding through the feelings of what that even means.

I knew it was coming. My weight was really really close to finally seeing 165, healthy weight. When I stepped on the scale that morning, I didn’t know how I would feel. When I saw the magic number, 165, I felt…..nothing. I was hoping to feel relief, like, FINALLY it’s over! But if felt like weighing in every other day. I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t a celebration dance party or huge sense of relief.

At first it scared me. If I’m not celebrating reaching my goal after such a long journey, have I not learned anything? We did not go out for a special meal. I didn’t even buy myself a present or really celebrate in any sort of way. It felt weird! I thought for sure I’d want to go out for a Big Mac or banana split.

After a few days, I was proud of myself. After reaching my goal weight, I didn’t fall off the wagon. I didn’t want to eat a Big Mac or go out for ice cream. This new lifestyle that I’m following is real. It’s now been three weeks and I’m maintaining or dipping below goal weight. I guess I really have changed and it feels good!

I do not think it’s bad or wrong to celebrate reaching goals. However, I would recommend not rewarding yourself with unhealthy food. It’s very confusing for your brain. Celebrate with a day at the park, a hike, a gift or a manicure.

September 18, 2014March 29, 2015

New Fitness Goals

When I set out on my weight loss journey, I had three fitness goals in mind. All three seems pretty reasonable when I set them:

1. Fit into normal sized clothes all the time.

2. Be able to come up and down the stairs in my apartment without having to catch my breath.

3. Run the one mile loop in the park across the street.

Within my first year, I was able to meet all three goals. But, just because I’m in maintenance phase now doesn’t mean I don’t need goals. Now there are so many things I can do, I get annoyed by things I can’t do. So here’s the new list for the next year:

1. Be able to do 5 pull ups unassisted, (I’m currently still using 50 pounds of assistance at the gym)

2. Run a half marathon (WHAT?!? I get nervous even typing it! I just finished my first 5k)

3. Hike a fourteener (that’s a mountain with an elevation of 14,000 feet for the flat landers, I’m currently up to hiking about 4 hours)

I’m most nervous about training for a half marathon. I think this will be the hardest for me to meet, but that’s the point. These are just goals and I have a whole year to meet them. What happens if I don’t? Nothing!

Make sure you set goals for yourself along your journey. It gives me a huge sense of accomplishment and a way to measure how far I’ve come. When picking your goals I would recommend that you pick three different levels. Something that seems pretty attainable, something that seems reasonable but hard and something that seems nearly impossible.

September 14, 2014March 29, 2015

My First 5K

I have never been much of a runner. I find it boring and hard work on my body. Even in high school I never really enjoyed running but was fit enough to do it. This past year, I’ve wanted to become a runner and today I feel like I finally did.

Now I’m not only an athlete but a runner. That brings me great joy.

This morning I ran my first 5K. I do not run normally other than in my classes at the gym. I knew I could run a mile without stopping but I never even tried running 3.2 miles before today. I signed up for the Fit for Fire run in Washington Park. I know it seems crazy to sign up for a 5k without training but I wanted to use it as ‘baseline data’ for how fast I could run/walk a 5k. I choose this one because I attended as a bystander last year. My friend Kelley had invited me last year to hangout in the DJ van with her while all the hot firemen ran by. But this year, I ran with all those hot firemen.

I did not train to run but I thought I could do about half of it running and half walking. Before the race I had a lot of anxiety. There were a few things that I wanted to accomplish:

1. Finish in under 45 minutes

2. Not be the first person to walk

3. Run 50% of the distance

4. Feel like I’d done my very best at the end

What if everyone could run the whole thing like it was nothing and I was huffing and puffing the whole way? Oh well, let’s find out.

Mile 1

As the race was starting, I was really nervous but I knew that I could at least get through this first mile. My hubby had made me the perfect playlist to inspire me through me run. I quickly found an anonymous buddy that had the same pace as me. I put my head down, stared at her shoes and just kept running. The first mile was done before I knew it. As I was passing the first mile marker, I texted Dan that I had finished mile 1 and was still running. I couldn’t believe I had made it so far already. My breathing was good and my body felt great. He texted back that he was waiting at the mile 2 marker.

Mile 2

Knowing that he was waiting got me through the second mile. I didn’t want to let him see me walking. Also, my breathing was still in control and I wasn’t getting the burning in my throat that I was expecting. I was feeling pretty good. Seeing my hubby waiting at mile 2 was awesome! I couldn’t believe I had made it so far and was feeling so good. I had NEVER run this far in my whole life, I’m pretty sure.

Mile 3 to finish

I struggled with the last mile. At around 2.5 miles I got a pain in my side and my backside was starting to burn pretty bad. I chose to walk for a while and give my body a short rest. Considering I had already made it 2/3 of the way without walking, I thought this was ok. Looking back, I probably could have just kept running. I had never run this course before and had no idea where the turn to the finish was. I could see the finish but not how to get there. I stared at more shoes. I thought about all the things I’d learned in the last year. The next thing I knew there was a firefighter waiting in his gear to high five me around the corner to the finish. I saw that finish line and never looked back.

I can’t even describe the feeling of crossing that finish line. I had so much FUN proving to myself and my body that I’m an athlete now. The first thing I did was hug my hubby and might have even shed a tear. Running 90% of a 5k is just another thing on a long list of things I can do now that I never thought I could or would do. How did I do on my goals?
1. I finished in 36:22 (Goal was 45)

2. I was definitely not the first person to walk

3. I ran 90% of the distance (Goal was 50%)

4. I feel like I couldn’t have done any better!

This just goes to show I still don’t know what I’m capable of and I still think I’m weaker than I am. Although I suppose that’s better than being over confident or cocky, I’m still shocked at what I can do. I know I work out a lot and I consistently push myself and my body at the gym. However, a 5k seems so much more measurable. How many times have I passed or seen a 5k race and thought it was something I could never do. Last year I was a spectator and this year a finisher.

I even got to run for an awesome cause: Denver Fire Fighters!

September 11, 2014March 29, 2015

Holy Hiking!

On September 1st, Dan and I decided that we were going to go hiking. We have done quite a few short hikes and I was ready to pick a bigger one. One of my new fitness goals is to hike what’s called a 14er. There are several mountains in the Rockies with elevations of 14,000 feet, hence a 14er. Some are easier than others and I just want to experience one to see what it’s like. Also, you’re not a true Coloradoan until you’ve taken a selfie at 14,000 feet.

So to get to a 14er, we had to up our hiking. So I chose Herman Gulch off a list of ‘quickie mountain hikes’. Here’s a comparison of what hike we would usually do and then Herman Gulch.

Typical Weekend Hike: Trading Post Trail, Red Rocks

Distance: 1.4 mile loop Difficulty: Medium Elevation Gain: 500 ft.

This Weekend Hike: Herman Gulch

Distance: 7 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Gain: 1,600 ft.

On paper, it didn’t seem to bad!

It seems more than reasonable! I could run a mile and had yet to die while training at the gym. I kept thinking of my trainer’s voice saying, “Yeah but did it kill you?” During the first mile, it was pretty easy. Then I realized we were ONLY a mile in. We were starting at around 10,000 feet above sea level and found it wasn’t too hard to breathe since we are used to 5,280 feet. However, we were quickly getting tired.

During the second mile I realized we weren’t even close. My knees started to ache and my butt muscles were burning! However, my legs are really strong and there was never an option of turning back. We were going to do this, even if it killed us! Half way through you come to a beautiful meadow to keep you going! Near the end of reaching the lake (which to midwesterners is more like a big pond) we were stopping A LOT. The people on their way back down could see the desperation on our faces. They’d say, “You’re almost there! It’s just another like….30 minutes!” This is not encouraging! Don’t tell me I STILL have 30 minutes! Just tell me I’m not going to die before I get there. When we arrived at the lake, we were treated with a snowball fight. in the mountains. on September 1! After a snowball fight, water and a granola bar, we headed back down. I can say that they trip down is a TON easier than up! However, it does hurt your knees to be pounding at that angle for about an hour.

Overall: I didn’t die. There were times when I thought I would! There were thoughts that I had to push to the side of “You can’t do this” or “This is TOO hard for you!” But the truth was, it wasn’t! I was absolutely exhausted afterwards. Moral of the lesson: If I knew how hard it was going to be, I probably wouldn’t have done it. Since I didn’t know what I was getting myself in for, I was able to side step that fear and prove that I could. For those wondering, 1,600 ft elevation gain is equal to over 100 flights of stairs. Just saying!

Trip totals:
Calories burned: 1,800 Calories consumed in desperation: 250 Water consumed: 40 – 50 oz Trip Up: 2.5 hours Trip Down: 1 hour Feeling of making it: Indescribable Seeing this in person: Priceless

P.S. I swear these are all the same hike even though I’m in three different outfits! It’s hard to pack for 45 degrees when it’s 90 outside your bedroom window!

September 7, 2014August 27, 2015

It wasn’t worth dying for.

I have posted a lot of different reasons for changing the way I eat, exercise and basically saved my life. So here’s a list all in one convenient place. I encourage everyone to make their own lists and write it out with a writing instrument that makes you feel like a kid. Just because it will make you smile! Trust me on that.

10. Seats – I was embarrassed when I couldn’t fit in seats. Now, I would say that I did fit in the average seat 80% of the time. Movie seats, most restaurant seats, and chairs found in the average home were fine. However I could not fit in roller coasters, barely air plane seats, bus seats were uncomfortable, and booths were usually awkward. It was embarrassing to ask my husband to pull the table toward him. I was sick of it. It made me feel huge to not fit where I was supposed to fit. Was I really that big? Uh…….yes apparently. Duh.

9. Food – When living in such an incredible place like Denver (whoop!!) you get exposed to a whole new palate of food compared to living in the Midwest. I kept finding that I was unsure or didn’t like most of the awesome ‘local trends’ because my palate was akin to grease, ranch dressing, and milk shakes. (In case you haven’t noticed I will be observing the Oxford comma in this post. Why did it have to die? Back to the point.) So basically I was missing out on entire pages of menus and new fad restaurants because they didn’t serve food like you’d find in the MW. And how do the states rank on the Healthiest in the US scale? Colorado is 8th healthiest. Illinois is 30th. So yeah. Again I have to go with Duh.

8. Run – I live in a big(ger) city now and in this big(ger) city weird people are everywhere and weird stuff happens. Dan and I got into an altercation one night when a guy was trying to get into our building. I had been going to the gym for some time and I was able to defend myself easily. Before I don’t think I could have done anything. So I wanted to be able to run if anything ever happened that was seriously bad. You just never know. Paranoid? Probably but Denver has some seriously weird people. It’s the best place ever!

7. Clothes – When you are plus sized, you can only shop at so many stores. All of these stores seem to carry the exact same items, in the same fabrics, and often times even in the same colors. I wanted to wear things I saw other girls wearing. I couldn’t even find boots that would fit my midwestern-corn-fed-morbidly-obese-calves. Regular was too small and extended calf was too big. I wanted to wear things I saw on pinterest and even make my own clothes because I’m a super huge dork. Do you have any idea how much money you save when buying fabric for a body that’s 45% smaller? You guessed it, 45%. Ha!

6. I didn’t care – The long here-s-a-little-hint-i-don-t-care er I’m an adult the longer I realize that high school never ends. And in this said high school that we are all calling life, I decided I was done caring what people thought. I know this sounds backwards. Why would I lose weight if I stopped caring? Well, I was mostly terrified about losing weight because I knew my skin was already screwed. I gained my weight in batches that hung in weird places on my body. As I lost the weight, I knew those places would deflate and hang. More on how I feel about my skin another day…..back to the point. I decided I didn’t care how I looked when I lost weight. When you feel like you can accept what you’re going to look like after you lose the weight and you don’t look like a Victoria Secret model, it makes it easier. This is something you have to learn to do several times throughout your journey.

5. Health – I know what you’re thinking. 5???? Number 5 is health???? Shouldn’t it be higher or maybe even number 1? The fact is that I am fortunate enough to have so many other things in my life that are worth more than my own health. My number one goal was always to get healthy, not nesccessarily skinny. There are lists and lists of diseases and health risks associated with obesity. You can see them HERE if you are unaware, but in this day and age I don’t know a single overweight person that doesn’t know MORE about being heathy than a skinny person. I knew the risks and decided they weren’t worth it. I had been fairly lucky so far and I didn’t want to Press My Luck! (No whammies, No whammies!)

4. Time – The older I get, coming up to the big 3-0 this year, the faster time seems to go. Months fly by like I remember weeks or days going as a child. Holidays are less exciting but, being a teacher, I still live for summer breaks. Each day I get to spend about 2 hours with my husband before the bed calls our name. When I look at my life, I just want more time. I could no longer live with the fact that I would most likely die early for such a dumb reason as obesity. By controlling my obesity, I am able to get more time on this Earth to spend with those that I love.

3. Baby Maybe – The hubby and I are hoping to have children soon. We have always planned on having children in our lives. When I got diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome my dream of having children was all but out the window. One of the most successful cures of PCOS is to lose weight. If I couldn’t give my child a healthy environment for the first 9 months, what could I hope to give them after that? I want my child to crave healthy foods and not ask for a Happy Meal for dinner each night. In order to do that, I had to make sure I was showing them the model of a healthy lifestyle.

2. Dan – Of course Dan ranks high on the list. As I said above, I want as much time with Dan as I can get. He is my best friend and my absolute partner in life. How could I continue to make these choices when they would inevitably cost me my life with him. I wanted him to have a wife he was proud to carry on his arm. I 100% know that Dan loved me at every weight. He always wanted me to be healthier for myself but never pushed me to lose the weight. I gave him a list of things I needed him to do for our marriage. He accomplished everything on that list to ensure our future family together. In turn I promised I would get healthy. It took me a few years but I kept true on my promise. I’m now proud to be his wife and feel like we are a much more equal partnership.

1. It wasn’t worth dying for – In the end, this is my number one reason. Eating Big Macs and brownies is NOT WORTH IT. In the moment of consuming a Big Mac, it seems like not such a big deal. And of course, one high fat and sodium meal once in a while is fine. However, I was consuming meals like this on a consistent basis. In the end, 10 minutes of pleasure for that meal is not worth dying for. NONE of the reasons on this list were worth dying for. When I die, I want my headstone to say something like the picture above, not “She really loved french fries.” Really take a look at yourself and how you are treating the only body that you will ever get. Most people don’t consider that their diet could kill them. In this day and age we blame cigarettes, drugs, cancer and heart disease. However, being a healthy weight eliminates or drastically decreases your chances of TONS of different diseases. IT’S NOT WORTH IT.

August 24, 2014March 29, 2015

Success Feels Good!

This last week was very stressful for me. I’ve started at a new school with new people. It is always hard to figure out who you can trust, who to keep an eye on and where the faculty bathroom is. Due to this stress, I was not expecting to lose any weight this week. My body sometimes responds to stress by holding on to weight. Other times it will drop weight like crazy. So I went in to this week not expecting to lose my usual half to full pound.

For most of the week this happened. I couldn’t figure out if I wasn’t eating enough or at the right times. So I just kept doing what I’d usually done and knew my body would eventually get it together. I was especially bummed after going to an extra grueling workout at the gym and waking up to the same weight the next morning. I even went up for a day or two. This is when I have to remember my little successes:

What had I done, health wise, already this week to be proud of, even if it didn’t result in weight loss?

1. At Green Day with my fellow arts teachers, we were given catered box lunches. It had a huge cookie inside that was 370 calories. I could have eaten it. I had worked out that day. Instead I brought it home to my hubby. I felt even better about this decision after he told me it wasn’t even that great.

2. I had the opportunity to eat grilled cheeseburgers at Back to School night. Since I’m not much of a burger girl to begin with, this one wasn’t too hard. Instead I had a meal I’d already planned for: lunch meat, cheese, baked chips and applesauce. Then because of this decision it lead to a conversation at my table where I could share a little bit of my story with my new coworkers.

3. I decided I didn’t care if I didn’t lose weight this week. It’s enough just to get back in the swing of things.

Each one of these things made me proud this week! I could have used my first week back at work as an excuse to eat horribly and blame the stress if I saw a weight gain. But I stayed true! The result was seeing the lowest weight on the scale I’ve seen to date at my weigh in on Saturday. I think the comfort of knowing I could fail or not lose this week helped take the pressure off!

I can’t explain the high of being told how good you look. One time during the middle of my weight loss, my best friend Bree said “I feel like you’re skinnier every time I see you!” It filled my heart with joy to be able to say, “That’s because I am!” The small successes everyday is what keeps me going. Small choices like no cookie today makes me one step closer. I’m dying to see that magical number on the scale that means I’ve made it! I have now been dieting for 15 full months and I have no idea what it’s going to feel like to know I did it. I know that when I see the number it will be a relief, but at the same time I’m ready to eat this way the rest of my life. When I see that number, the sense of accomplishment will stay with me forever. Along the way I’ve set small goals, monthly goals or even sometimes just daily goals. The success of these small goals has lead me to facing down my biggest obstacle. Small things add up to big things. It is literally day by day! Celebrate the small things and eventually you’ll get there. If you don’t count the small successes along the way, the big goal at the end will always seem out of reach.

August 15, 2014March 29, 2015

Changes Are Coming

Hey guys, today will be my last DAILY post for a while. I’m hoping to keep posting twice a week but I will be going back to teaching full time starting Monday. With it brings a lot of anxiety for me. I, of course, am very anxious to meet the kids and am unsure how the year will go. I’m also anxious about getting back into a routine for eating.

I have to say, I thought I would do much worse over the summer. I’ve lost 12 pounds over the summer but my real goal was to hopefully not gain! At the start of summer I was really nervous about not having an eating schedule and being stuck in the house. Of course my eating schedule varied from day to day but I made sure to stay active throughout the summer. With so many birthday parties, cook outs and events, it was often hard to stay true. BUT I proved to myself that I could do it. While I was hoping to be at my optimal goal weight by the start of school, I don’t think that was ever realistic. My weight loss has slowed A LOT since the beginning and it’s true that the last pounds are the hardest by far.

I am excited to get back into an eating schedule. I’m a very orderly person and like having a schedule. It’s hard for me in the summer to be motivated to do my regular ‘stuff’ when I have all the time in the world to get it done. School provides an easy eating schedule as I can only eat at my designated times. I’ve already scheduled out when my snacks and meals will be in my day. Even though I’m sad that summer has come to an end, I’m happy to have the stability of school back. Have you set an eating schedule for yourself? Do you work in both snacks and meals during the day? Take a look at when and how you’re eating and try to make just one easy change a day!

August 8, 2014March 29, 2015

CNN iReport

Hey Everyone! I just uploaded my weight loss story on CNN.com. Be sure you check it out!

The Real Deal

August 8, 2014

Awesome Moms

Sometimes I feel very fortunate that I have so much time to focus on my own goals. I know a lot of you have kids and struggle to balance both. I would never claim to know what that’s like! However, I do know that there are mothers out there killing it! It can be done.

My sister is a stay at home mom and home schools her children. All my life I’ve envied her for being built like our father. She’s tall, thin and beautiful! I just always assumed she was naturally this way. However, now that fitness and health are more a part of our conversations, I realize she works hard to look how she does. From what I know, she’s never struggled too much with her weight. However she does work to maintain how she looks. She does crossfit videos, stays active with her kids, runs and takes care of the house and kids. Amazing!

My friend at work, Nikki has a four year old boy. She joined me on my journey this past school year to get healthier. At first it was difficult for her to find the time to add fitness into her routine. I know she experienced a lot of guilt for taking the time away from the family. However, as she dedicated some time here and there, she found she had even more to give to her family when she got home to them. She also found ways to incorporate her family into workouts such as playing at the park or dance parties. She’s now a short distance runner and adding years to her life with her family.

When I look back at my childhood, I don’t think it was too active or health focused. (sorry Mom!) I watched my mom yo-yo diet and exercise and be self-conscious about her appearance. We ate at mostly at home and had our own garden. Where I struggled was balance. No one taught me it’s ok to have a milkshake if ____________ or desserts are for _________. These were lessons I had to learn that hard way. In the recent past, I’ve noticed some super moms out in public. Recently I was walking my dog in the park in the morning. I came across a Mom pushing one kid in a stroller and another was walking. As I passed she said, “Ok. Let’s race to the dumpster down there and the we will go have lunch.” They ran the whole way laughing and racing. I thought to myself, not only is she incorporating her children into her workout, she’s teaching them that exercise comes hand in hand with eating. Several months ago I saw a mom at IKEA that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. During this time I was really struggling with answering the question, why am I fat? So I’d already been thinking about my childhood and my models for health. She had two kids with her, a boy and a girl. At our IKEA they have a super cool escalator/moving sidewalk thing. The mom and girl headed for the stairs while the boy headed for the escalator. The mom said, “Remember we have to use the stairs if you want to have ice cream.” The boy thought about it and then chose the escalator. When he got to the bottom, his sister was teasing him that he couldn’t have ice cream. Even though it wasn’t obvious or explained, that mom was teaching her kids balanced eating.

So, to wrap up, I don’t know how mom’s do it but it CAN be done. Go for it moms! Think about what you’ll be giving back to your children by getting yourself in a healthy state!

August 7, 2014August 7, 2014

Food for Fuel

Successful weight loss requires a shift in how you think about food. Food has its place for holidays, events and special occasions. Although food should not be entertainment. The entertainment should be the company. As your body cleanses itself of sugars and fats, it will need fuel to keep going. Until now your body has been functioning ‘the best it can with what you’re giving it’ now train to run the very best it can!

Fuel Your Body

This shift in focus in difficult at first. What does your body need in order t do what you want it to do? I put my body through a rigorous fitness routine and it needs lots of protein to stay healthy. Without protein, my muscles are unable to repair themselves and are sore. Some bodies need more fiber or certain vitamins. It’s important to LISTEN to your body and feed it’s needs. It’s also important to get regular blood work done with your doc in case there are any gaps in your nutrition. I would recommend at least an initial consultation with a nutritionist or dietician. P.S. The more you talk about weight loss, the more people you’ll meet who give you free advice, ie. woman I met in line at Whole Foods that happened to be a nutritionist. Back to the point.

But it’s so yummy!

I am not trying to say you can’t enjoy your food. While dieting I think it’s essential that you find food you love to eat. Some meals I definitely eat because I want to not because I need to. However, when asking my body to do the things I do, it asks that I give it something in return. When I need protein, I try to eat the yummiest protein dish I can think of. When I need something light, I eat a salad. When I binged on candy at the movies the night before, I eat extra light and sugarish free. Try to start thinking about what your body needs, not just what your head wants as much as possible. As your body ‘detoxifies’ from sugars and fats you will learn how your body feels when it’s healthy. When I wake up in the morning, I can usually tell if I’ve eaten way to much sugar or grease. It’s amazing when you’re listening what you can hear.

Food Obsessed

One thing that has never gone away during my journey is thinking about food. I don’t consider myself a food addict or an emotional eater. I was a pleasure eater. I still am. Some days I don’t think about food at all until it’s time to eat. Somedays I don’t find food interesting at all and have to force myself to eat what my body needs. Other days though……..I’ve planned my meals before I get out of bed. If I am dying to have reverse chicken nachos from Illegal Petes (shout out! YUM!) then I plan my day to make sure I can eat those nachos and it won’t throw me off track. I make sure my stables like carbs, protein and sugars are on track in my other meals to cover what I might miss during dinner.

I think it’s ok to think about food and eat for pleasure AS LONG as you’re listening to your body and paying attention to its needs!

PS – For those wondering since yesterday’s post, I dropped those two pounds and was back to my expected weight this morning. Moral of the story: Sometimes the scale goes up for no reason. Keep making good choices and it will level out.