March 24: Don't miss it

"Oh how much you miss."

Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)

 

                Had I stayed in my cozy bed this morning, I'd have missed out on some nice things.  I'd have missed the friendliness of the CVS employees when I stopped for more bouncy ponytail holders.  I'd have missed out on my upper arm fat waving goodbye to me on the cross-trainer.  (It was waving rather furiously though; until it is merely a half-hearted wiggle, I don't think my arm fat really believes its days are numbered.)  I'd have missed stumbling upon (nearly tripping over) Easter Bunny or a close relative thereof sitting quietly on my front lawn.

 

                Had I stayed in bed, I would have missed burning 400 calories before breakfast.  I would have missed getting another star for my chart.  I would have missed quiet time to pray during the drive, and I would have missed some of my favorite music while I exercised.

 

                I can feel my morning person-ness returning after a brief time change-induced sabbatical.  It's nice to be clear-headed in the mornings again.  That said, tomorrow is Saturday, and I certainly hope to enjoy my cozy bed until at least 6AM.  The bunny and employees and arm fat can do without my attention for one morning.

 

~Karin

March 24L Lighter Than Air!

                Who'd have thought I'm now lighter than air?  During the treadmill portion of today's workout, the machine stopped and displayed a message like "can't sense user."  I assure you that I was there striding along, arms swinging, heart pumping.  So clearly I must have briefly weighed absolutely nothing.  Or air now weighs more than 230 pounds.  J

                Another nice treadmill moment: I started my day with a five minute fit test on said treadmill.  The result: I'm average!  Woohoo!  I'm not below average anymore!  Awesome!

                Weightlifting was stinkin' fun today.  We revisited lifts we haven't done in many weeks, and it turns out I can lift way more than I did even then.  How great is that? 

                Spin class has become a regular part of my week.  Aside from still not being able to get my own foot into the pedals, I'm getting the hang of it.  Yesterday I even panted out the count for a set of up/downs. 

                I've donated another bag of clothes I've outshrunk, and have inherited some snazzy new duds to see me through the next while.  I really do need to go shopping for pants though.

                My hair is at just the right length for a bouncy exercise ponytail, my nails aren't shredding, and even my feet are getting skinnier.

                So come Saturday, no matter what digits the scale shows, I'm doing FANTASTIC – YAY ME!!! (spoken with all required humility)

~Karin

March 22: Countdown Interview

                After enjoying a bunch of Lighten Up blogs, I thought I'd hop on the Countdown To Weigh-in bandwagon.  Here's an interview by me, with me.  ~Karin

 

Q:           Are you looking forward to the March 26 weigh-in?

A:            Yes.

 

Q:           How do you think your number will be?

A:            I presume you mean the number on the scale.  It's not going to rocket me into first place – I have a snowball's chance of even placing in the top 3 in this contest – but it'll probably be a loss, so that's something.  I'd love to know how many inches I've lost in my waist, though!

 

Q:           Last month you fell apart physically and emotionally in anticipation of the contestants' weights being published in The News Herald.  Is that going to happen again this month?

A:            No, I think I'm better prepared.  Everyone I've heard from has been supportive of the efforts of all the contestants, especially me since they're my friends; they haven't been judgmental.  If I'm my harshest critic, I can handle it.  But I still have my prescription just in case.

 

Q:           How has March been different from February for you?

A:            For one thing, this is the first time I really put my head down and rammed through a plateau.  My badly-timed plateau last month did more than make me despair, it made me angry.  Other than that, I've simply done what I've been doing: hard physical and emotional work and healthy eating.

 

Q:           Have you received comments about your weight loss or Lighten Up?

A:            Honestly, since I live in Cuyahoga County, not many people I know read The News Herald (which is really too bad, since with the loss of The Sun Journal, my community is in dire need of local news) so I don't run the risk of strangers recognizing me.  I have received compliments about my changing shape, though.  The best was at the Euclid Y this morning.  Curtis, who keeps the Euclid Y shipshape, called me "Mrs. Consistency."  I'm proud that people know I'm persistent and consistent!

 

Q:           Do you have advice for people who want to lose weight?

A:            Yes!  Though we hear time & again that weight loss is about calories in/calories out, that's an oversimplification that will leave many people frustrated.  I needed to quit thinking about "losing weight" and focus on "becoming strong and healthy."  I needed to turn a negative (lose weight) into a positive (become strong).  Once I switched my mindframe, I was able to look for tools that would fit my goals.  I've read books, talked to friends – and strangers!, journaled my thoughts, tracked my food, asked for help.  I guess my advice is to reflect on what you want to achieve and why, then talk with people who can help you find your way.  And never take yourself too seriously, but don't sell yourself short.

March 21: Good-bye, my friend

                I think we both knew it was our last ride to the gym together.  We drove along in the moonlit sky, neither of us making a sound.  We've covered a lot of ground together and conquered situations I never imagined.  Today it seems we come to an end.  Someone is coming to buy my old van.

                A sentimental person, I run the risk of becoming maudlin over this.  Part of me knows a van is metal and plastic, but part of me sees the headlights as eyes and the grill as a smile.  I think about why we bought the used van in the first place.  Before our 2^nd child was born, we realized that my 2-door cherry red Cavalier wasn't conducive to car seats and my bad back.  I think about all the growing our family did in my old van, Christmas trees it carried, the time my friends helped me nurse it home along the Shoreway after some hoses had sprung and it was overheating.  If I had my way, I would have extra money and extra space and be able to keep my old van till it gave up the ghost entirely.

                If there's one lesson I been taught from a young age, it's that things change.  From  leaving my favorite stuffed animal (Bunny) on an international plane to from broken friendships to the deaths of loved ones, change can be scary and sometimes overwhelming.  Change and loss can sometimes seem like good reasons to fall under the spell of comfort food and the couch.  But, as we talk about in WW and as I'm learning more from Shrink Yourself, the only way to grow into who we are is to learn how to handle the emotions and situations of our lives: to bravely face them head-on, without crumbs and belches.

                I'm pretty sure I've conquered emotional eating.  I no longer, as Carole says, eat when "happy or glad or sad or bad."  But I'm still a stress eater.  When there's something that needs to be done and all I can do is spin my wheels, I'm tempted to hit the snacks.  I'm working on teaching myself how to cope with stress.  And just like my friends and I got my old van safely to the mechanic, filling it with water every few yards, I'm sure I can reach my goal by filling myself with information and motivation, and by relying on those who love me to help me along.

~Karin

March 20: Can THAT be right?

                Upon returning home after my weekly Weight Watchers meeting, the first things I do are eat and enter my weight into the online tracker.  Whether I'm happy or not with the number, I enter it.  While inputting today's weight, I had to stop and recheck my WW booklet a couple of times.  I was sure that the middle digit I had typed couldn't be correct.  I forgot that in losing more than 50 pounds now (yippee!), I am actually losing pounds.  I focus so much on strength that I forgot about the number on the scale.  After that awful plateau last month, it's a little disorienting to see a lower number.  Disorienting, but definitely fantastic.

~Karin