Once More, With Meaning

Wow. Got a bit sidetracked there!

Had a few “off” weeks, gained a bit over my holiday but I’m already down again after a good 5 days (only!) back on track.  Lots of stuff was going on but we seem to be back at the old regular routine again. 

A few highlights:

1) I have to have an operation on my foot sadly, but this should correct that pain problem I’ve had for ages. I have Morton’s Neuroma. I don’t know when the op is yet, maybe in November (if I have my way anyway!).

2) I’m going to talk to my WW leader about it, but I’m going to only go to meetings 1x a month instead of every week. I need to watch my €€€ now and since I already pay for WW online, 1 x in person should be enough.

3) Regardless of the foot problem, I signed up for a 6 week running-training course with a group here where I live. I did this for two reasons - to learn from a professional the proper way to learn and to try and make contact with other people here since I have no friends here (even though I’ve been here 5 years!) That’s why I want to wait until after the course to get the op.

4) I’m still under my 10%, officially @ home weight 10% was 86.3 KG and I’m at 85.7 KG as of this morning (even when I got back from hols I was 86.2 KG).

5) I’m not sure I should keep this blog up and running and if it’s helpful at al to me or others, so I’m deliberating it’s future.

I’m still going to post regularly on 3FC and maybe my head is just in a weird place at the moment and I’ll snap out of it and keep posting in here too

I just haven’t had time!  Between work, social stuff (yes me!) and RUNNING (yes me!!) I just haven’t had time to update properly.  In just one working week I will be on holiday for 2 weeks and I will update in a most superb way, and everyone will be amazed.  Ok, maybe not. Maybe no one is really reading this blog and I shouldn’t even concern myself, but for ME I want to do it.  I just need time.

Weight this morning at home was an ALL TIME (well, in the last 5 years) LOW of 84.5 KG.  I even got on the scale, moved it and tried it again a total of three times because I just didn’t expect it or see how it was possible.  But it IS true.  84.5 KG, people!!!

Weight Loss so far officially at WW is -12.1KG. 

Running going well, sometimes… more on that later.  Oh and mustn’t forget to update on my foot.  And post some pictures.

That’s all for now! xx

I thought I would have time to update all my faithful readers (ha!) on what was going on, but at this very moment it’s a question of planning/ preparing for tomorrow or writing on my blog.  Like a good little WW’er I have to choose for the former!

I will try to get on tomorrow or Friday latest!

Week 1: 97.7 -800g
Week 2: 98.3 +600g
Week 3: 96.3 -2KG
Week 4: 95.2 -1.1KG
Week 5: 95.1 -0.1KG
Week 6: 94 -1.1KG
Week 7: 93.6 -400g
Week 8: 92 -1.6KG
Week 9: 91.2 -800g
Week 10: 91.5+ 300g
Week 11: 90.5 -1KG
Week 12: 89.1 -1.4KG
Week 13: 89.1 no change

While I’m still planning, measuring, writing, exercising, focusing, etc., I wonder… am I losing it a bit?  The last few days I feel like I’m not really “in the mood”.  So how do I get out of that?  I can’t afford to not be “in the mood”.  This is not a choice, this is crucial to my life.  I have to do this whether I like it or not or I am seriously going to pay the price.  I’m NOT going to go backwards.  Quitting is not an option.  So how do I get my “feeling” back to what logic tells me?

In the meantime, I’m on to Week 8 of C25K.  I even ran yesterday AT LUNCH.  That’s an NSV in itself.  It took me ages just to talk myself into it because I didn’t want my colleagues to see me.  Ridiculous, I know!  But I did it.

Maybe all of this is simply because I’m being visited my my Aunt Flo in her big red hat?

Oh my, has it really been since the 7th of June? 

Lots to update but let’s first start with numbers:
Week 1: 97.7 -800g
Week 2: 98.3 +600g
Week 3: 96.3 -2KG
Week 4: 95.2 -1.1KG
Week 5: 95.1 -0.1KG
Week 6: 94 -1.1KG
Week 7: 93.6 -400g
Week 8: 92 -1.6KG
Week 9: 91.2 -800g
Week 10: 91.5+ 300g
Week 11: 90.5 -1KG
Week 12: 89.1 -1.4KG

Berlin was brilliant.  For the most part I took care of myself as best as I could - that meant eating my “normal” breakfast of fruit, yoghurt and cereal and taking care at lunch time that I had a salad or at least a diet-friendly sandwich.  I did drink beer and eat sausage.  I also went out for Mexican :)  On the movement front though, we went running in the Tiergarten, we did a 6 hour bike tour and we walked a lot (after Mexican we walked a good 3KM before we decided to get on the U-bahn back to our apartment).  There was a 300 gram gain when I got back, which I thought was pretty decent damage control.  The last time I went away it was a lot worse!  I also weighed in that week at a different WW meeting, simply because I had to work from home that day and I wasn’t going to schlep all the way out to Amsterdam to weigh-in!

I feel like things are going really quite well :)  I’m still working on C25K - we are currently in Week 7 and it is taking a while, but it’s been hard on my lungs with the humidity and heat.  It took me 3 tries to get Day 1 complete and that finally happened by doing it at 5am instead of in the evening.  I’m going to try for Day 2 today or tomorrow.   I am also working on the 100 pushups program - am in Week 2 and currently ready to do Day 3.

I went out on Thursday evening and had a bit too much to drink.  I need to still find a balance in preparing to go out and enjoy and not killing myself beforehand with exercise and limiting my intake (that’s what I did and let me tell you it doesn’t work).  I think that is actually the hardest thing about changing the way you eat and move - maybe it’s more about damage control after instead of trying to prepare before?  I thought I was doing quite well, saving up my regular and activity points, but by Thursday during the day I was not happy - headache, cranky and starving.  I need to just eat normally and then learn moderation in going out as well.  Well, this is all a learning process, right?

So that’s my update.  Kind of boring isn’t it?

Update since Tuesday:

Last dance class was fun, but I was really tired last week. We went to a Moroccan restaurant as I mentioned, and the food was divine and I had wine, bread, olives, lamb… I did NOT tally up my points for the day because I simply do not know 1) the quantity of what I ate as far as grammage goes or 2) the point values of what I ate (because it comes from a restaurant and I have no idea how those things are made. I think in some cases, it’s OK to just make good choices, do your best and chalk it up to a life experience that you had less control over. I majorly planned the day before by preparing not only my breakfast/lunch/snacks for Thursday, but also for Friday (had everything in the fridge at work). I spent the night in Amsterdam (I work in Amsterdam and my class/dinner was in Amsterdam) and the next day my lovely host (a colleague) prepared some beautiful food for us to have for breakfast, which I politely declined, because it was back on track for me again. One dinner out is no big deal… but drinks on Wednesday (which were all within the points budget), dinner/drinks on Thursday, and eating willy nilly on Friday was NOT going to happen.

But that leads me to the C25K program… Friday was supposed to be C25K W5D3 (20 min non-stop running) but I missed it because I was in Amsterdam. Then I missed it Friday night because I got home late. Then I missed it Saturday morning because I was busy with a few other things AND I had a nail appointment and some shopping to do (and frankly, Mr. Velveteen was in a state from being stressed out about school so I spent some time with him talking through some stuff). I pretty much decided yesterday that Week 5 would be a do-over. Today I went out to test out my Nike + iPod sensor/receiver (yay!) so I *kind of* did W5D1 again, but officially we are going to re-do that one tomorrow. By the way, Nike + iPod… BEST. INVENTION. EVER! Love it! I can’t wait until I’m really running - and this is something I AM going to keep up with. I feel so good after each time that I achieve a workout. To me it’s like 1000 times better than a gym.

So, with re-doing C25K and going away on Tuesday to Berlin I had a quick look to see if there was somewhere we could go to do the program near where we are staying. And, duh!! We are right down the street from the Tiergarten Park

(if you click the link, and then move the screen to the right, you’ll find the park.  http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&q=Bismarckstra%C3%9Fe%2028%2C%2010625%20Berlin%2C%20Germany&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl ) which is the most famous and largest park in Berlin.  Know the Brandenburg Gate? 

Yeah, that’s at the end of the park.  And of course there is the Berlin Victory Monument (or Chick on a Stick as American Soldiers Used to call it) is right in the middle.  So, there will be really no excuses not to complete week 5 just because we are away.

We are going to see Depeche Mode on Wednesday, but on Tuesday evening already is the “Convention of the Universe” (the album is called “Sounds of the Universe”) which will be fun and drinks and music and dancing…  Thursday and Friday we are actually going to do something cultural and Saturday we are coming home.  When we went last August we said we wanted to go back and spend more time… well, I think we’re going to have to go back yet again because the city is HUGE and there are so many things to see and do and learn.  I can’t wait!

What else?  Hmmmm.  Not much.  That’s it.  I have to go and prepare my food for tomorrow now.

Start weight: 98.5
Week 1: 97.7 -800g
Week 2: 98.3 +600g
Week 3: 96.3 -2KG
Week 4: 95.2 -1.1KG
Week 5: 95.1 -0.1KG
Week 6: 94 -1.1KG
Week 7: 93.6 -400g
Week 8: 92 -1.6KG
Week 9: 91.2 -800g

Yeah, baby!

Since my last post:

Re-doing the bedroom (removing wallpaper, putting up fibreglass wallpaper, painting, new carpet, etc)

C25K - as of today am on Week 5

Work - interesting few weeks and was actually headhunted and seriously considered leaving to start another job. After lamenting and discussing, I’ve decided to stay put.

Bellydancing - next week is our last week for this course; we are going out to a Moroccan restaurant where we will DANCE as a group! Yikes!

Mini-Goals - hit 89KG on the home scale (buck nekkid) so I rewarded myself with new running shoes:

also got running socks (yes!), and ordered the Nike + iPod packet to use with my shoes. Also ordered a sports bra (mine makes my boobs look like a Madonna video - hello, Cones!) and a new pair of running pants. All of my workout pants are high-waders and I deserve a proper pair.

Interesting fact: I’ve saved around €375 since I quit smoking on Christmas Day. €375! So I felt no remorse or guilt spending part of that savings (yes, it’s in my savings account) on a new, healthier habit!

what else - yesterday we went to Pinkpop (a music festival here in NL). I made the choice to be relaxed and enjoy everything around me and even had some “bad” food, some beer, etc. Even with all my points from yesterday (39.5) I had earned 9.5 activity points (we were literally parked an hour away walk from the festival grounds), and had 9.5 points already in my “bank”. Which means I did not go over yesterday… in fact, I still have 2.5 in the bank I do love Weight Watchers! Moreso, I love that I am totally working the program in a way that works for me with no guilt, with even “fun” stuff added. I love being accountable! I’m a Weight Loss Nerd!

Tomorrow is w/i day again - and once again I am looking forward to it! I have to start thinking of some other mini-goals and rewards… I have a bathing suit I want to get into but I think I may still look sausage-like if I try it on now and take photos (it’d be good to have a photo storyline to go with it, no?)… I’ll see…

On June 9th we go to Berlin for 4 full days. We are staying in a little studio apartment with a kitchen so it should be no problem to stay on track during the days. I’m allowing myself a little freedom with the understanding that it could stall my weight loss. It’s OK - this is life and I’m LIVING it!

Start weight: 98.5
Week 1: 97.7 -800g
Week 2: 98.3 +600g
Week 3: 96.3 -2KG
Week 4: 95.2 -1.1KG
Week 5: 95.1 -0.1KG
Week 6: 94 -1.1KG
Week 7: 93.6 -0.4KG
Week 8: 92 -1.6KG

Got the week planned (dinners) and the shopping list ready. Seems like it’s getting a lot easier to make these lists and plan out meals. Tomorrow I’ll plan a few days around the dinners as well. Wednesday I go out with a friend (will ask him already if he knows a good place with meal salads).

I’ve got some challenges coming up, but I’m certain now that no amount of stress can derail me. I feel confident and in control and that’s good!