Great Expectations

As I have mentioned before, I entered this little adventure with the mind set that I would lose all of my weight and be at my goal in one year.  This is what my weight chart would look like:

This is the reality (actual screen shot):

Not quite the same.  I am totally okay with that.  I will explain why in a minute.  First, I would like to point out a few things about my real weight chart:  1. Yes, I really did start out well above 220 lbs.  Not a great thing on my 5'5" frame.  Very few people know that but, hey, we're being completely transparent here.  2.  Notice the significant (4-5 lbs) weight gain from our two major vacations this year. Now notice how it immediately dropped more than I had gained.  That's the ugly side of travel.  Typically lots of eating out = high sodium food (water retention) + constipation = lots of weight gained.  But when that is coupled with a trip like Vegas or Disney where there is TONS of walking, it at least evens out in the end.  3.  Notice the chaos that entered into my weight loss life between those two vacations.  After the Vegas vacation, I hit my 10% loss goal and was cruising along at a pretty steady clip until I decided that I had the program nailed and didn't need to track my food and exercise.   Mmm hmm...silly girl.  4.  The holidays.  Worst time of year to try to lose weight, right?  So many people throw in the towel at this point and decide they will recommit January 1.  As you can see, I held my own (at least not gaining) until just after Christmas where I had a pretty good sized gain but got back on track soon after.  A little blip surrounding my son's birthday (pizza, ice cream and TWO cakes worth of left overs!) then I was pretty well back on track.

So why am I totally okay with this chart that looks like a cross section of the ocean floor?  Because of the things that I asked you to notice above and a few more.  We went on vacation and I ate just enough like I was on vacation to be happy.  I had one of those Mickey Mouse shaped ice creams every single one of the four days we spent at Disneyland, thank you very much! I'm okay with it because I chose to stick it out through the holidays and, even though I didn't meet my goal of continuing to lose, at least I didn't quit!  I'm okay with it because I ate pizza, ice cream and cake at my kids' birthday parties.  Most important of all:  I'm okay with it because I eat pizza with my family every Friday night.  I have an insatiable need for chocolate that I fulfill pretty much every single day and not always in moderation.  I drink beer.  I did not reach my goal weight in 52 weeks BUT I have lost 53 lbs. in about 54 weeks and I have not felt deprived one single minute of it.  (Okay, that's a lie.  The six weeks that I spent completely wheat free I felt pretty darn deprived.)  People like to say, "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change".  Personally, I STRONGLY DISLIKE that phrase.  Semantics.  To me, it's more accurate to say that I have finally learned how to eat; just 36 years later than it should have happened.  That's one heck of a learning curve!

There is a woman who attends the same WW meeting that I attend.  I'll call her "Sally". 

"Sally" rarely misses a meeting.  This has helped "Sally" be a pretty successful WW member.  Check out "Sally's" weight chart:

Look familiar?  This is why I don't care too much for "Sally".  "Sally" has accomplished exactly what I set out to do but in less time.  One detail of which "Sally" likes to remind us all is that she has accomplished this amazing feat WITHOUT exercise.  (Insert curse word)  See, the thing is, "Sally" has bone spurs and CAN'T exercise.  This is why I DON'T envy "Sally" in spite of this being a huge rant about all the reasons why I DO envy her:  "Sally" never 'cheats'.  "Sally" doesn't eat pizza.  "Sally" doesn't eat chocolate.  "Sally" doesn't drink beer.  "Sally" can't do these things that I consider essential to life because, if she does, she'll gain the weight back.  "Sally"has to live this way for the rest of her life (or at least as long as she wants to stay thin).  Personally, I wouldn't consider that living  at all.  I would call that a DIET.  But "Sally" is doing what she has to do to make it work for her and seems to be okay with it.  And work it has.  The point of this little moment is that every "weight loss journey" is as different as the person experiencing it.  Very importantly, it may not look EXACTLY how you envision it and, at some point, you will have to decide whether that is okay with you or whether it's reason enough to quit.  If you think it's reason to quit, it's time to pull out some old pictures. It's time to check out that measurement tracking chart you've been keeping.  It's time to pull out your journal and revisit all of those reasons to begin your own journey that you wrote down after reading my blog post, Why Bother?  In short, just because it doesn't fit your ideal picture of how you want it to go doesn't mean that it's not worth continuing.  You and your health are worth continuing.  NO looking back.  




Excuse:  It's too hot/cold/windy/snowy to exercise today  Yesterday, it was an amazing 84º April day.  Today is forecast to be 47º with wind gusts up to 40 MPH. Today is a running day for me.  Forty degree temperature drop and strong wind sound like a perfect reason to me to skip it.  I ran anyway.  I ran because my girly had preschool this morning and it is one of only two kid-free mornings that I have to run.  If I didn't do it today, there is not tomorrow to make up for it.  One thing about weather excuses:  Once you actually get outside and get moving, it's rarely as bad as it seemed it was going to be.  And what if it is just as bad or worse?  You cut it short or you take it inside and do something else.  So what?  At least you tried.  The reality of this particular experience for me was that the warm day run was much more unpleasant.  It's only April and I'm used to running when it's cool or cold out.  Yesterday's run in 57º or so was a shock to my system.  Yes, it was beautiful but I was sweating WAY more than usual so I got much more dry than I should have and I don't carry water.  I ended up having to run past home, hurry in and grab some water, then go back out to finish.  Yuck.  
Here are my tips for dealing with exercising outdoors in adverse weather conditions:  


Too cold:  Once you are out and moving, you are very likely to end up comfortably warm or possibly a little hot if you are running.  The key parts that I need to cover are ears and hands.  They never seem to be warm enough.  I wear a regular 'ol winter ear band that's essentially a hat with the top cut off (very clumsy description, I know, but I have no idea what they are called!).  I have overheated very quickly wearing hats so these work well for me when running.  Walkers can probably do a warm hat.  I buy the 50¢ per pair stretchy little gloves.  They are just warm enough, block wind, absorb the sweat and snot that I wipe on them (and can go in the washer after that!) and I can ball them up in my hand to carry them if I need to take them off.  It is also no major loss when my fingers poke through the ends and I have to pitch them.  Layering clothes is very helpful (tee shirt, polar fleece and jacket, etc.) on your upper body.  I find capris to be plenty on my legs for running.  Walkers would probably want heavier and longer pants.  I really enjoy running when it's cold out.  It can be very invigorating.  However, I have found that below about 21º, especially with wind, just doesn't feel safe anymore.  I like all ten of my toes. 


Snow on the ground:  Assuming that it's been on the ground a few hours and stopped accumulating, run/walk in neighborhoods.  Homeowners usually get their sidewalks cleared before the city does (they seem to clear bike paths last).  I have run with a product called Snowtrax on my shoes to help with traction on snow and ice.  While it does provide great traction, I found the uneven surface of packed snow/ice to be uncomfortable and like I was begging for an injury to happen.  Running on snow is also a lot like running on sand:  A LOT of extra work.  Walking on snow and ice with the Snowtrax would probably feel just fine.  


Too hot:  Go early in the morning just before the sun is really up-just light enough to be safe but home before the sun is very far above the tree line.  Be sure to wear a light/bright color at this time of day as visibility will be diminished.  Another option is walking/running indoors.  Some schools or rec centers may have indoor tracks or gyms that are open to the public.  Malls are also a great place to walk and often have special hours just for walkers prior to the stores opening (saves you $$ if they're closed!)  If you live in a humid climate, be sure to check the news before heading out.  Reports of people dropping dead because of the heat index is a REASON not to exercise outside NOT an EXCUSE!


Too windy:  SKIP IT!  Just kidding!  Being outdoors in the wind can be pretty miserable.  Extreme gusts are probably not safe.  You don't really want a plastic trash can upside the head!  Moderate wind can be somewhat avoided by checking what direction the wind is coming from and planning your route so that you will be on the side of the street to have houses block most of it.  Other than that, I don't have much to offer.  Obviously, wind is unpredictable.  Once you plan your route to have it blocked, it will probably change direction.  Just grin and bear it and hope it's at your back most of the way.  


The bottom line is that if you wait for your idea of perfect weather to get outside and burn some calories, will you ever leave the house?


If you have tips of your own to contribute PLEASE post them in the comments or on my Facebook comment section linking this post.  


If you haven't figured it out by now, I am obsessed with Jillian Michaels' podcasts.  I listen to them over and over while waiting for the next new one to come out.  During a run today, I re-listened to an old one that I wanted to share here.  This podcast focuses on food switches that are a super easy way to make better choices.  Which is better:  brown rice or wild rice?  Listen to find out!  By the way, to download and listen to these, you don't have to own an Apple, Mac or i anything.  Just create an apple ID and password, and you can download it to any computer and listen to it on any computer or device.