World Championship Spartan Race + Race Entry Giveaway

What will you be doing on December 7th? I'll be watching the Spartan Beast World Championships on NBC Sports.
(1:00 PM on my TV! Be sure to check your local listings and set your DVR)





This past August I was bitten by the Spartan bug. Their tag line "You'll know at the finish line" really hit home with me. At the finish line I knew that I was much stronger and capable than I ever thought possible. Since my Spartan race I have become a little Spartan obsessed. Spartan is a culture of pushing, of support, of extreme motivation, of seeing how far our bodies will go and then going a little bit further. (Ignore the fact that I ran out of the room when I saw a mouse this morning. No mice touching in a Spartan race!)

I found this description of the event on the Spartan Blog:

Spartan Race, Inc., the world’s premier obstacle racing company, known for its innovative challenges, promises even bigger surprises for the 2013 Reebok Spartan Race World Championship. Spartan Race and NBC Sports Network are collaborating on a television special which will feature the World Championship and focus on the sport of obstacle racing.

Check it out!

Spartan World Championship

December 7, 2013 ~ NBC Sports

Guess what?!?!?!  I get to give away a Spartan Race entry for the 2013-2014 race season. I'll be running again in the August 2014 Washington Sprint and would love the company.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  

Don't want to wait to win? You can get a 15% off code by using this link: http://bit.ly/spartanwarrior

AROO!

~Kari







Quickie Weight Updated

It's been a week since I had my Bod Pod test. The dietitian suggested 1800-2000 calories a day. That amount of calories sounded crazy to me. Could I really lose eating 1800-2000 calories a day????

As Bob the Builder would say

Yes I can! In the week since I started recoding with my new calorie range I lost a pound and a half. Not a huge loss, but totally what I was aiming for. I'm sure part most of the loss was because I was recording again. 

Recording was different this time. 

There was no crankiness. No, but why can she have a cookie and I can't. No I don't want toos.

1800-2000 calories gives me room for a cookie if I want one. That makes for a happy Kari. :) 

For years people have been telling me- eat more to lose. It's finally starting to  make sense. 

I've also done some heavy lifting this week that felt OH so good. I started stage 3 of New Rules of Lifting for Women. I want to reduce my body fat. Muscle burns fat. I will not, will not, will not stop lifting. My goal is to lift 3 times a week, but will settle for 2 on super busy weeks. 

Headed out for a trail run with a friend in a little bit. 

What are you weekend plans?

~Kari

Bod Pod Test and Results

I'm going to let you read the end of the book first- My bod pod experience was liberating, but I'll get to that in the results portion.

The Test
I had to fast for 12 hours before the test. I celebrated the start of my fast with a  klondike bar 31 minutes before the start of my fast. Those things are so good. The morning of the test I intentionally got up late because I knew I couldn't drink coffee or eat. Why even get up?! 

I arrived at the office and was greeted by my tester, Lisa. We instantly connected. After talking for a few minutes she realized that we use to belong to the same gym. She remembered that I always "smiled when I exercised". I love this! I love that I look like I'm having fun when exercising because I really am. 

I shared a bit of my story. 165 pounds lost through what eventually became a 1200 calorie a day diet. 20 pounds regained after I stopped tracking. Looking for a realistic weight range for my body. 

Lisa explained the test to me and I got started.

First I took a Metabolic Resting test. I had to clip a plug on my nose and then breathe in to a tube for 10 minutes, while sitting still. Sitting still for 10 minutes is hard! 

Next was the Bod Pod. Lisa explained that there is so much air in the tube. That air remains constant. Once I get in the tube I take the place of that air, thus finding out how much volume I take up. She equated it to dropping an egg in a glass of water. Some water spills out. The difference in water is the volume of the egg. That totally makes sense. You have to wear your swimsuit (or tight clothing) for the test. I hopped in to the pod. Lisa showed me the eject button in case I needed to get out during the test. Eeek! This is serious business. The test was only 50 seconds long. Thankfully there was a clock that I could see so that I could count down the time. We did the 50 second test twice.

I got out of the pod and started to put back on my sweatshirt. She printed the results. The first thing she said was, "Don't ever eat only 1200 calories again".

WHAT?!?!! 1200 calories a day works.....


The Results
Where to start?!?!?!

Fat %- This is the only number I didn't like so I'll start there. :) There is a Body Fat Table that breaks down like this:

Risky- 40% or higher
Excess Fat- 30-40%
Moderately Lean- 22-30%

My body fat percent was 40.5! I was stunned for a minute. Lisa told me that the .5 was a pound or two and that I could consider my fat "excess" instead of risky. I'm going with excess fat, which still sounds awful. 

I was surprised and disappointed with my body fat percent until I started to consider what my fat percent must have been at 356 pounds. 40's not good, but it's leaps and bounds above where I was. I did the math and could get down to 35% if when I lose those 20 pounds that I regained. If I did the math correctly, getting down to 180 lbs would put me in the moderately lean category. 

Resting Metabolic Rate- If I did nothing and stayed in bed all day long my body would burn an estimated 1661 calories. Doing nothing I am burning more calories than I had been eating. Doing nothing. I also learned that my metabolism is 8% above the "normal" range. That shoots my "I have a slow metabolism" mantra out the window. Lisa said that my activity level probably contributes to my higher metabolism. Another reason to love my workouts. 

From my base RMR they calculate a calories per day energy output- mine was 2,450. To maintain my weight I need to consume around 2500 calories a day. This calculation is based on my exercising moderately three times a week for 30 minutes and we all know that is not true. 

Drum roll please......

My suggested calorie range to LOSE weight is 1800-2000 calories a day. 

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! 

I need more fuel. My body needs more. 
This is probably not a shock to anyone reading this. 
People have been telling me for years that I need to eat more. 

I have been scared to "eat more" and still track. So, instead of eating more and tracking I had given up. The middle of the road is hard for me. Giving myself permission to eat more, but not eat EVERYTHING is hard. 

My nutritionist reminded me that eating more means eating an apple, not eating a snickers bar. 

What now?
Now I track, but I now track with a 1800-2000 calorie range! I eat and exercise with a fat loss goal in mind. The weight will come off. My goal is to get down to below 30% body fat. Not going to lie, that goal scares me. 

Maybe I should make a smaller goal? 

I'm going to do the Bod pod test again in June. My nutritionist said that if I didn't see the weight slowly coming off that she does nutritional counseling and that we could sit down for an hour to look at my food logs. I am totally going to her if I get a month in to recording again and don't see a 4-5 pound loss in the next month. 

Anyone still reading????

For me spending the time and money to do the Bod Pod test was one of the best things I've ever done when it comes to my own health/fitness. It liberated me to fuel my body. It gave me a clear picture of where I'm at. It reset my focus. I want to do a pull-up. 

Have you ever done a Resting Metabolic Rate or Bod Pod? I'd love to hear about your experience!

~Kari

Me? Addicted?!

Last Sunday I stepped on the scale. Up. Again. I texted a friend who I knew would get what I was feeling. She talked me off the scale edge and reminded me that I have lost more than I have regained. Here's the thing, a regain is not OK in my mind. While losing my inital 165 pounds I would occasionally "gain" a pound or two, but it always ended up being water weight. The 2-3 pounds doesn't scare me. The 20 pounds that I have gained scares me. Tomorrow if my Bod Pod test and I am SUPER excited about it. I can't wait to have something other than a BMI chart give me some guidance about my body composition and ideas about future goals.

I started recording again on Sunday. It works. It keeps me focused on my goals. It helps me to maintain my weight. When I stick with it I know that I will lose that weight that I've regained.

After only 3 days of recording, I can tell you that I already feel better. I feel in control. I have more energy because I am fueling my body with healthy foods. Never once have I been HUNGRY. I'm eating every few hours. It is enough.

Have you ever visualized a food addict in your head? I see the 500 pound person who drives through the drive through and orders three extra value meals. I see the person hiding candy bars under their bed. I see the person standing in front of the fridge in the middle of the night looking for a snack.

As I've been reflecting on my recent struggles with the scale and my eating choices I've realized that I'm a food addict. I'm not what I ever visualized a "food addict" to be. Tracking gives me a control over food that I don't have when I am left on my own. My food tracker is my support system. I know it sounds ridiculous. How can an online tracker be my support? I look to my tracker to remind me of what I've eating, of how far I've come, and my goals for the day. I have other support systems in place, but when it comes time to deciding what to eat, I look to my tracker. Most of the time it guides my decisions.

I want to be an "intuitive eater". I want to pass on a donut because it doesn't sound good. I'm not there. Yet. 

Part of me doesn't want to post this for fear of judgement. 

With deep breaths, I'm putting it out there. I am addicted to food. I have a very hard time controlling my portions. I struggle in situations where I don't have direct control of my food (restaurants, parties, potlucks). I snack nonstop on unhealthy choices. 

Today I am set up for success. My meals are planned. Today will be a good day in my ongoing struggle with food.

~Kari

Race Recap- Turn Back the Clock

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to run the Turn Back the Clock. I love smallish local races. There isn't the intensity of a big race and it's easier to focus on your personal goals. This event is usually put on by the city, but budget cuts meant that it wasn't going to happen. The local running club decided to host the event and they did an amazing job.

I run solo, but when it comes to racing I love having others with me at the starting line. For this run I had 3 coworkers there with me at the start. Pictures don't lie- I look like a giant next to these ladies! 

If you follow me on Facebook than you know that I've been working towards a goal of running the entire 5k. When I've done 5k's in the past I've done a run walk. I had been adding total running distance for the last 6 week. My last long run was 3 miles on the Wednesday before the race. I was set! 

I thought I was set! The Friday before the Sunday race I got super sick. Cold, headache, cough, fatigue. Sick.

No running Friday.
No running Saturday.

Sunday morning I woke up and felt better, but still not amazing. I was going to race. A friend texted me and told me that I could still meet my goal. I might need to slow down my pace, but I could still do it.

Never underestimate the power of a 30 second text to a friend.

I could do this! My training pace had been a 12 minute mile. Don't laugh! I can run faster, but not for 3 miles. If I stick around a 12 minute mile I can keep going.

The race started and I was feeling strong. There was a small hill. My Nike app was off a bit from the race signs (We hit a mile a block before the race mile). 1 mile down- 11:25 pace. Whoaaaaa. Time to slow down. Mile 1.5 at the turn around point- 11:40 pace. Go a little slower. I thought about walking. I thought about stopping for water. My friends were actually right behind me. There would be witnesses if I stopped. Must keep running. 

Mile 2- 11:42 pace. I've got this. 

The race was on the sidewalks, but they had police officers at the roundabouts stopping traffic. This was awesome because if I had to stop at this point I would have been one sad chick.

Mile 3- 11:50 pace. I can see the finish line. I start running towards the finish line. People were cheering for there loved ones. I kept running. They had no idea. No one knew this was the first time I had run the entire way. No one knew that I use to weigh 356 pounds. No one knew that I have been struggling with the 20 pounds that I have gained. None of that matter. I had run the entire race. I exceeded my goal pace. 

EEEEEKKKKKK! I ran the whole way.

~Kari

Floundering....a bit

To flounder: struggle or stagger helplessly or clumsily in water or mud

I'm floundering in my healthy living right now. I'm not dead. I haven't given up. I'm just sort of moving around trying to find a large body of water to immerse myself in. My large bodies of water in the past have included: recording with obsession, way-to-limited calorie intake, intense 1/2 marathon training, a balanced happy place where I was able to maintain a 165 pound weight loss for nearly a year, and most recently a slow and steady gain of 20 pounds over the past year.

I need a pool of water that is balanced, manageable, and attainable for the rest of my life. 

Next Thursday I will be having a body composition test done using Bod Pod technology. Part of me thinks that I should be working out like crazy and eating very little so that I can get the BEST results possible. Unfortunately that part isn't winning. The part that is winning is the part that says "Why bother, get bad results so that you can improve?". 

I'm doing the Bod Pod test to get a clear picture of my body- my muscle mass, my fat percent, my bone density. I need to know more than what the BMI chart will tell me. I need honest feedback. Tracking works. I was *stuck* at 192 pounds for over a year even though I was working out 6 days a week and seriously limiting my calories. 

Soooo right now, today, I'm floundering. I'm not helpless. I have amazing supports in place. More than floundering, I'm waiting. Waiting for results of an unbiased assessment to give me a clear picture of my body. Until then I do what I know is good for me- fruit and veggies, oatmeal for breakfast, milk instead of sweet creamer in my coffee, stepping away from the trick-or-treat bag, water, water, water. Oh, and a little bit of exercise. ;) 

I want to lose this weight that I've found, but I want to lose if with realistic goals in place. I tried and failed at getting down to 177 pounds (my BMI suggested HIGH "normal" weight). Part of my regain was due to a frustration with not being able to break through the 190's and reach my "ideal normal" weight. A small part of me gave up because I could never do enough.  

How do you set healthy goals? Do you focus on a specific weight? building muscle? servings of fruits and veggies? eating 6 times a day? I'm curious what goals you are striving towards. 

~Kari