Category Archives: Weight Loss

I joined a gym.

Posted on November 11, 2012 | 3 Comments

Given my finances post condo sell, it looks like a realistic time frame to move into the city is April 1st. Which is a good amount of time to get back on my feet, a good amount of time to figure out where I want to move, and a good amount of time to focus on fitness and training before the Little Rock Marathon in Arkansas.

So today I joined a gym.

One of my roommates and I (hi mom!) made the 20 minute drive to a place in the ‘burbs, expecting to check out the trial free week and make a decision later.

While plodding along on the treadmill, I realized how much I am going to miss my old gym. It was common to walk in knowing the person at the front desk, several more people on the way up to the treadmills, and wave hi to friends during my run. After working out, many people stopped to have a drink and play euchre in the bar on the main floor (yes, there’s a bar. In the gym. It is Wisconsin, after all). It’s where I learned to play cards, where I started my marathon journey, and where I met many of my Wisconsin friends.

But I’m in Illinois now. And I have another marathon coming up in March that I’d like to be better trained for. I also have some weight to lose (after all, there was a bar in my old gym).

So after a tour a huge facilities, a good sales pitch, two miles and $75 later, I was a member. As was my mom.

Let the countdown to Little Rock begin.

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Posted in Chicago, Running, Weight Loss

On Pins & Needles: Trying Acupuncture to Lose Weight

Posted on July 25, 2012 | 6 Comments

It’s no secret I’m trying to lose weight and have been for a while. I’m battling changing a diet that used to be full of wonderous mushroom and sausage topped pizzas, washed down with a glass of Cabernet, in order to win the battle of the bulge.

I started with grocery shopping. Each week, USDA stamped organic fruits vegetables now make their way into my cart. And low sodium turkey with no additives. And almond milk instead of cream for my coffee. And real peanut butter with no chemicals. The kind you have to stir (weird). And yes….sometimes a bottle of red manages to find its way into my cart as well. Let’s be real.

But with my new approach to food, I found myself open to other weight loss methods, as well. And I don’t mean diet pills or crash diet plans.

I’m talking about acupuncture. 

I started with researching the questions floating around in my head. Could acupuncture really aid in weight loss? If so, how does it work? How much does it cost? And how do I even go about doing this?

I found a local place, emailed the contact, and was sent a new patient packet that was several pages long to fill out. After doing my homework, I met with the contact and we talked for about an hour, assessing my needs.

Turns out acupuncture could help with my weight loss (by stimulating proper digestion and metabolism), my runner’s knee / I.T. band issues (by stimulating blood flow for healing), my asthma and allergies (by loosening up lung congestion), and my tendonitis (again with blood flow for healing). I ranked everything in order of importance, and set up my first appointment.

This particular place is more affordable – only $40 per session – because it’s community acupuncture. You experience your treatments in a room full of people doing the same.

True to myself, I was nervous before going the first time. As usual, I had nothing to worry about. Fully clothed with my pants rolled up to my knees, the acupuncturist got to work. Needles poked out of my forehead, ears, arms, and legs. Surrounded by strangers, I sat there a little freaked out, listening to soft music, until I finally started to relax. I repeated this for a few more sessions, sans anxiety

The first two things I wanted to work on where weight loss and my knee problems. I immediately lost five pounds and have kept it off despite some slip-ups with my diet. I’m also happy to report my runners knee and permanent I.T. band hardly cause any issues on my current running schedule.

So far? I’m a believer. And just scheduled another session as a human pin cushion.

 

 

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Posted in Weight Loss

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It’s a lot harder to keep an A, than it is to earn an A.

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 4 Comments

Sophomore year of high school, day one, third period English. A classroom full of 15 year olds, a new teacher, great news.

“You are all starting out with an A.”

Wait….really?

Yes, really. We could go home and tell our parents we already had a grade in a class and it was the best there is. In English. Third period. Sophomore year. But what the teacher said next stuck with me forever.

“I am going to warn you. It’s a lot harder to keep an A, than it is to earn an A.”

Wait…what?

You have to do the same amount of work, right? Studying, reading, writing, test taking. How could this teacher think this was harder? But as I sit here, 31 years of age and far past the sophomoric stage of my life, I often think about that statement.

Because, yes. Really. It’s when you don’t have an A, that you do everything in your power to get it.

When you’re the underdog in a sales market, you strive to be the leader. You think of creative, new ways to approach clients and earn their business. Or how about when you move to a city by yourself? You want to establish a social network, so you focus on connecting with people and being a great friend in order to earn friendship. When you sign up to run your first marathon, you train hard in order to cross the finish line.

You earn your A.

But what happens when we are already at the top? What happens when we lead our sales market? When we have a great circle of friends? When we are approaching our 13th marathon?

We stop trying to earn our A. And things slip.

Our competitors, now the underdog, are the ones driven to outsell us. Our already established friends may not get as much of our time. We may not train as hard, try as hard. And the list goes on.

When you get to the top, when things are good, when you’ve finally made it to where you want to be, remember third period English.

And always keep trying to earn your A. 

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Posted in Family, Friendship, Marathons, Running, Weight Loss, Work

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Weight Loss Journey: Breaking One Bad Habit at a Time

Posted on May 4, 2012 | 2 Comments

Working out and eating healthy will always be struggles of mine.

Even when I have a refrigerator stocked full of healthy options, I will always be tempted by the $5 hot and ready pizzas across the street. Even when I’m excited about running my next marathon, I will always be tempted by pajama pants and my couch. Working out and eating healthy are just not natural habits of mine.

Which means losing weight is not going to be naturally easy.

Often, no matter how good my intentions are at the beginning of the day, at some point stress and hunger take over. And I skip a workout. Or I eat something completely unhealthy. Or both. And then I throw my hands up in the air and say “To Hell with it! I’ve already ruined my diet!” and start eating $5 hot and ready pizzas while watching television on the couch like the world is ending and the only thing I can do to survive it is to eat $5 hot and ready pizzas.

But then my friend Nicolette shared a great phrase with me:

And the next time I ate unhealthy food during the day, I re-read the quote, took a deep breath, and just got over it. Instead of throwing my hands up in the air, I made it to the gym after work, and ate a healthy dinner.

And with a conscious effort, I broke a bad habit.

So I’m curious. If you struggle with weight loss, eating healthy, and/or working out…can you share how you keep motivated? Inspired? On track? Do you have any bad habits you’ve been able to break?

 

 

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Posted in Weight Loss

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Weight Loss Journey: Food Plan Redirect and New Inspiration

Posted on May 1, 2012 | 4 Comments

My “diet” was not working. The whole just-work-out-more-and-eat-whatever-I-want-plan  helped shed a total of two pounds. And also helped gain a total of two pounds. Basically, I would just yo-yo up and down on any given day of the week.

It was time to re-evaluate and change-up my plan.

So I did. And went shopping. And stuck to my list. And this morning I had organic oatmeal, a Chobani and fresh fruit smoothie, and almond milk instead of cream in my coffee. 

I know what you’re thinking. How boring. And I totally agree. But then I found a motivating idea to help inspire me to stick with it:

A day-to-day visual reminder of what you have to lose. I’ve seen other variations of this idea on Pinterest. And I love it. 

My goal is to drop 28 pounds to get back to a healthy weight. Seeing 28 tangible items in the “pounds to go” jar will put a harsh visual on the results of recent decisions, and hopefully inspire me to make better ones in the moment.

Now. I just have to figure out what items I want to use to represent my pounds…

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Posted in Weight Loss

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Applying Wisdom from Confessions of a Shopaholic to Losing Weight

Posted on April 1, 2012 | 5 Comments

I absolutely adore Sophie Kinsella books. They’re light, funny, and about girls who have a humorous track record when it comes to dating. And spending. And being a grown-up.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise I relate well to her main characters.

There’s a part in the shopaholic series where Rebecca Bloomwood is trying to find a balance between money coming in and money coming out. At first, she tries to spend less. And it ends disastrously. She then exercises the only other logical option: make more. This is the solution that works best for her. She’s able to still enjoy shopping (though perhaps not to the same excess as before) and pay her bills.

Replace “budgeting” with “losing weight” and welcome to my non-fiction world. I have two considerations: eat fewer calories, or workout more.

To be honest, I gave the first option the good old college try. And by that, I mean I started my days with the intention of eating well only to end up consuming beer and fried food by the end of the day. So I have to go with the only other logical option: workout more. This is the solution that works best for me. I’m able to enjoying beer and fried food (though perhaps not to the same excess as before) and lose weight.

For me, it’s a balancing act.

But if Rebecca Bloomwood can make it through an entire series and still end up with the ability to shop (and with the guy!), then my God there’s hope for all of us.

Anyone else on the tightrope-walk of dieting and enjoying the foods and drinks you love? How do you find your balance?

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Posted in Running, Weight Loss

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I hid the bathroom scale.

Posted on March 23, 2012 | 11 Comments

Before coffee, eating, showering and getting ready for work I had a part of my routine that could make or break my day:

I’d weigh myself.

Ugg, I know. As if Monday morning could get any worse, I would voluntarily step onto a daily reminder that I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. Super.

It became a habit after reading some silly article on weight loss. The author suggested weighing yourself daily, so you could stop a small problem before it became a huge problem (like my ass).

But the thing is, I’m a stress eater. And lately I’ve been really busy. Which makes me really stressed. So in the morning I’d weigh myself. And I’d be heavier than the day before. Which would stress me out. So I would eat more. Which would make me feel guilty. Which would cause more stress, and…you get the picture.

So then I started training for my next marathon. And I thought “Hurray! Surely the weight will fall right off! Maybe not the first week, or even the second, but by the third I will for sure be down one pants size.”

Well it’s a few weeks later. And my weight is hovering around the same stubborn number. And I’m still zipping up the same size pants during my morning routine. So I decided to protest.

And I hid the damn scale.

Now I know my weight is my weight and my size is my size and that’s that. I know I’m eating healthier and running more. And I know I didn’t gain weight overnight, and I can’t lose it overnight. But, you guys. I just couldn’t take it anymore. The daily reminder of being heavy, despite sweating in the gym. The awful feeling in the morning after seeing the number, and mentally carrying it with me all day. It may work for some people, but it is not my thing.

And just like that, I eliminated a daily morning stress.

I now have an entirely new way of going about things. My weight loss plan in the months leading up to Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, is just run and eat healthy.

Instead of stressing about a stupid number.

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Posted in Running, Weight Loss

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