A loss and a direction

I'm writing this post in a whisper voice because things seem to be going really well, but I'm worried that if I tell people it will all start to spiral. I even got to wear my sassy skirt to work yesterday that hasn't fit in several months. 

Shhhhh..... just between you and me. :)

I LOST 1.6 pounds this week!

1.6 pounds is nothing amazing, but it is a loss AND it's a loss over a vacation week. I've really focused on protein this week, and while I am still not at 30% protein, I did make it to 28% protein last night. I'm trying to reach my protein goals without a supplement and it is VERY challenging. At some point I may introduce a protein powder, but I'd like to do it with real food.

On Sunday I realized that it is only 11 weeks until my half marathon and that I'd better get to training. Actually, my whole like is training for something, but doing the 1/2 requires me to add in long runs. I chose the 1/2 marathon training plan from FitSugar. It's a very beginner plan. I'm not a beginner, but after my last 1/2 I knew that I needed a plan that had my running less than 5 days a week and that incorporated strength exercises. This plan seems really balanced. I won't be breaking any speed records, but it will get me across the finish line. 

I started on week 6 this week and am doing great. None of the runs are longer than my typical runs and I loved the day that I did strength and stretch. I ended up doing 15 minutes of body weight exercise and 15 minutes of yoga. It was perfect. I was even muscle sore the next day, which surprised me. The 60-minute cross train on Wednesday will need to be re-evaluated. I did a 60-minute kickboxing video at home and it didn't work for me. There aren't any classes at my gym on Wednesdays. I can swim, but an hour in the pool is a lot . I could always go to the gym and do stairs/bike/elliptical. 

Any suggestions for great workout videos? 

Back to the long runs- Those really sucked the life out of me last time I trained. It took me a long time to figure out what fuel/hydration combo worked for me (snickers bar/Nuun). I am hopeful that this go around, armed with this important knowledge, that the long runs will be less life sucking than before. This weekend is 4.5 miles. This has become a typical weekend run, so I don't anticipate it being a struggle. The real fun starts next weekend. :)

Happy Friday!!!!

~Kari

Conference Eating

This week(end) I get to attend a math conference a few hours away from home. The family will join me later in the week and we will play before heading home. I am looking forward to seeing them later in the week, but this tired mama was pretty excited to just have to take care of me for a few days. Being a mom often means that your identity is wrapped up more in being so-in-so's mom or so-in-so's wife.

Uncontrollable food situations are really stressful for me. I haven't had a can of pop since July. Entering the conference dinner last night was a giant tub of ice surrounding cans of diet coke. So hard to resist! I did resist. There is just something about food/drinks at conference type meals that makes it all so very appealing.

Last night was a fried dinnerpalooza. I skipped everything fried and opted for spring rolls, some mini-sandwiches, and a bacon wrapped something. I found out later that the fried item was fried mac-n-cheese. Oh my! I knew that I couldn't have that and if I had some I would be toast for the rest of the weekend eating. I did have a bite of dessert. Just one. Not five. Just one. It was really good. Never once did I feel cheated because of what others were eating. I was satisfied.

On a bright side- I recorded, to the best of my ability, my dinner. Not knowing exactly what was in my food usually stresses me out. It didn't stress me out. I was able to shrug it off. My choices were good and I rested in knowing I did the best I could. This is a huge area of growth for me.

I got up early today to run on the treadmill before the breakfast buffet. Hopeful that there will be lots of protein options at breakfast. The fitness room had a huge set of weights. Tomorrow morning I plan on doing some lifting in the morning.

Off to start my day!

What are you best tips for eating on vacation and especially buffet style eating?

~Kari

Fats, Proteins, and Carbs! Oh my!!!

On Thursday I started watching my carb, fat, and protein percentages. 

I quickly learned that I don't eat nearly enough protein. I'm shooting for 30% of my calories to come from protein. That is harder than it seems! Well, it's hard for me.

Thur- 25%
Fri- 22%
Sat- 22%
Sun- 28%

I worked hard for those percentages. 

Looking at my food has also taught me that most of my calories come from carbohydrates. 

I also eat way more fat than I need. My goal is 20%.

Thur- 24%
Fri- 33%
Sat- 32%
Sun- 32%

Oy! I'm eating healthy fats, but too much of them. 

When it comes to my food, I am really focused on lean proteins every time I eat. I'd prefer to not do a protein powder or a bar, but am getting a little protein desperate.

One positive of the increased protein and decreased carbs- I feel fuller on a good 200-350 calories less a day. It's pretty incredible! 

I've learned so much about food over the past few days. I've been counting and recording calories for 4 years, but knew little about the energy of the food that I was eating beyond the number of calories and the unique skill to cut an exact size of an ounce of cheese. (I'm REALLY good at that!)

Next week brings a work conference, which means a lot of food available that I can not cook or pick. Ugh! That always throws me for a loop. I'm hopeful there will be good options at each meal. 

How do you increase your protein intake? Do you notice a difference when you consume more of your calories for protein?

~Kari

Growing and Learning

0.3 pounds.... Less than 1/2 a pound in 2 weeks. Well, I have 2 choices

- Pitch a fit because I should have lost 3-4 pounds
- Celebrate how far I've come

I choose to celebrate! I'm growing in my understanding of how food works in my body. I've moved beyond eating the lowest calorie food I can find to eating foods that really fuel my body and meet my nutritional needs. I pass on non-fat yogurt and diet soda. I eat vegetables because I like them, not because I have to eat them. If I don't like a food, I cook it differently to see if I like it prepared in a new way. I have more than cinnamon as a spice in my cupboard. (True story- before I was married that really was the only spice I had!) I plan out my meals. I read about nutrition. I exercise because I want to, not because I have to. 

I'm growing and that growth will last a lifetime!

At a pound a month it will take me 2 years to get back to my all-time low of 193. 2 years. That seems like a long time. I should live another 40 years if all goes as planned. 2 years is such a small amount of time (5%) compared to the rest of my life. I don't want it to take 2 years, but if that's what it takes, then I am willing to put in the time. 

All we have is time.
I choose to spend mine growing and learning. 
How are you spending yours?

~Kari

Examining Goals

Here’s a well know secret about me- I don’t “enjoy” reading. I teach reading. I enjoy reading with my kids. Never will you find me curled up on the couch enjoying a good book…..unless it’s a fitness book. J I am currently reading “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle”. Chapter 6 is devoted to goal setting and reminded me of my goal that I shared in November about wanting to decrease my body fat percentage from 40% to 30%. Eeek! Did I really say that? Ok, I’m going with it. I want to decrease my body fat to 30% based on Bod Pod testing. I plan to test again in June. That is in 5 months. Can I really do that?

 The book asked 3 questions about my goals that really resonated with me.

1.       What is important to you about reaching your goal?

It’s important to me that I reach my goal through healthy eating and a balanced approach to exercise. The timeframe isn’t significant, but I definitely want to see some movement towards my goal by June.

2.       Why is that important to you?

Excess body fat leads to a series of medical complications, it slows me down when I run, and doesn’t look as pretty. Not going to lie, appearance does matter. It’s not #1, but it does have an impact on how I feel about myself. Additionally, a reduction in body fat and increase in lean muscle mass will mean that I am burning more calories when at rest, which means that I can eat more.

3.       What impact, specifically, will achieveing this goal have on your life?

For one, my clothes will fit better. I will be a faster, stronger athlete. My risk of developing fatty tissue related diseases will be reduced. Hmmmm, I really don’t know how else my life will be better with a lower body fat percentage. It won’t give me more friends or make me happier. It will make me healthy, which is what this is all about.

 

Do you set goals? What criteria do you use to set or evaluate your goals?

~Kari

Not What I Weigh

I am not what I weigh.
I am not what I weigh.
I am not what I weigh.

I am a mom, wife, daughter and friend.
I am a 1/2 marathoner.
I am a triathlete.
I am consistent with my nutrition and exercise (day 26 today!).

I'm not what I weigh, but what I weigh is constantly on my mind and heart. I wake up and wonder what the scale would say. I feel hungry and get a little excited that my body might be burning a tenth of a pound. 

My official 2 week weigh-in is on Friday, but I did look this morning. I have been obsessed with wondering and decided to just sneak a peek. I am 2 pounds over what I was a week and a half ago. WHAT?!?!?! 

The only thing that I can think is that it must be fluid retention. I haven't been drinking enough water. Truth be told, I haven't been drinking any water. I know, I know.

Increasing my fluids starting right now! 

I'm not what I weigh, but I sure would like my weight to reflect my nutrition/exercise. Going to hydrate my body and then reevaluate on Friday. I''ve been sticking close to 2000 than 1800 calories a day and am wondering if I should be closer to the 1800 range. 

Goal for today- 80 ounces of water. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.

~Kari