My FIRST 5K and what I learned

Yes, it's official, I started and FINISHED a race....well kinda. It was a Run/Walk 5K and I mostly walked it. I actually surprised myself by jogging 1/8th of it. Really REALLY surprised myself, but I felt good and wanted to see how I would do. Soooo here is how the day went.

I got up at 6:30 to shower and put on my makeup. Yes, I don't go ANYWHERE without it and if I do...it's mighty rare indeed!

Abby and I headed out to gas up the car and grab some coffee, this would later prove a mistake :)

We arrived at the RBC Center and because we were pre-registered, we walked in and got our goodies and our numbers. We each got a nice long sleeve Tshirt and a $500 gift certificate from Red Star. They sell sunglasses and want to expand their market to the states, so every runner got one. Sweeettttt deal. The website has some AWESOME glasses!!

Then we treked back to the car to put our goodies in the trunk and put on our number's, hats and gloves cuz it was COOOOOOLLLLLLD out!

There were over 2,000 runners so it was a great crowd. We mingled a bit and then we got in the HUGE line to wait for the gun. I have to say, it was SO exciting. We got our Ipods ready and did some more stretching and waited.

Once it was on,the crowd got moving and got moving FAST! It was real quick that the runners broke from the pack and the walkers were left. I was surprised to see that there were MORE walkers than runners. I somehow thought it would be the other way around . Lots of couples with dogs and babies in running strollers and lots of walking groups, great crowd.

Now....these are the few tid bids I learned from my FIRST event so here goes:

1. EAT before a race. I know, I can feel those eyes rolling right now. NO I didn't eat, but then, I almost never eat breakfast. I'm just not a breakfast person. I have to FORCE it down and that's never fun. I had my orange juice and coffee just like I always do.

2. Speaking of coffee....I had to pull into a BP to use the bathroom on the way to the event. The coffee kicked in and I totally panicked that it would KICK in again, during the race. Thankfully it did not...but I won't do that again.

3. Bring water. I know, again, huge mistake. I thought, it's ONLY a 5K, we'll be okay and they'll have water there at each mile. Nope. They ONLY offered water at mile 2. I also got a headache around mile 2, another sinus headache, yeah me. I wished I had some sinus meds at that moment.

4. Shoulda brought Chap Stick. My lips got pretty dried out there. It was COLD, windy and of course, the sun was out.

5. I over dressed for this. I looked like a green snowman! I had on Wayyyyyy too many shirts under my thick hoodie. I got hot during mile one, but didn't want to stop to take EVERYTHING I had in my hoodie pockets, out and then take off the hoodie to only have to stuff my Ipod and keys back into my pockets, cell phone and tie the hoodie around my waist. Nope, I just suffered and sweat my ass off. Sweating is not a bad thing, but alllll those clothes weighed a lot too, so I would have felt lighter and better.

6. Wear appropriate socks and shoes. I have recently bought new running shoes and I LOVE them, but their not fully broke in yet. That being said, I KNEW not to wear those. I also don't have running socks, so I borrowed Christy's. Now she wears men's socks, and they were TOOOOO big for my feet. That meant the heel was up my ankle and the front of the socks were bunched up. Last night I had lovely blisters and the skin came off the top of one toe where it rubbed. The tennis shoes were TOO tight because of the HUGE socks, hence the blisters.

7. I DID learn that when some people pass you by, they say things like, "You got this, keep it up" and "Doing great".

8. I learned that as I hit mile 2.5 I got a sudden spurt of energy and started jogging, I knew I was approaching the finish of the race.

9. There is NO better feeling than seeing the FINISH sign. In all of my life, I don't think I've ever been in a race or passed through a finish sign so I was excited.

10. That I LOVE those ladies who saw me jogging and asked if they could finish with me. They said I was an HONORARY LEMON DROP for the day.

11. That at the finish line there are people who stick around JUST to cheer for the finishers. How nice is that?

12. I never expected to get emotional running under that sign but all I could think of is, "Remember when you were almost 350 lbs 7 years ago? Who would have ever thought I could do this?" There were tears....

13. I was and am forever grateful that Abby walked with me. She was SO encouraging and sweet. I love her so much.

14. The banana they offered after the race and Gatorade never tasted so good.

Sooo, I learned a few things and next race, next month will be better. I'm sure I'll be learning quite a few things as I participate in these things. I know this, it was an EXCELLENT experience and it IS addictive, I WILL be doing another one next month!!!

As always, I'll take it one bite at a time and one decision at a time.

My first ZERO weight loss week...

And let me tell ya, it just plain sucks. I can't blame anyone so I must take responsibility for my actions. I was sick for a few days and ate like crap. I started to feel better and ate worse. We went to our friends house and I drank too many lite beers and ate TOO much food. Ironically, my friends both do WW's like myself, but I was so excited about the 1 point foods they were offering, I ate a TON of them...that along with the beer, not so good. I hopped right back on the treadmill and have been eating on POINT again, but that just evened out what I probably gained. In the end, weigh in= ZERO weight loss:(

What have I learned from last week? Quite a bit actually. While sick at home, I was face to face with the kitchen and NO accountability. Just me and the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Those bitches eat out ALL the time...but I did notice they pick at their food and eat small portions. So yeah, I really do best when I'm on my routine. I have that accountability at work, because EVERYONE knows I'm doing WW's. At home, my partner & daughter are always there, so I do well then. However, when I'm alone and it's me and the kitchen, the kitchen still tends to win. Eating out is hard for me too. The temptations are huge. I seem to do better when we choose a place that I KNOW has a great salad and I KNOW how many points it is. It's when we choose Mexican that I fall to pieces. It's hard for me, and these are areas in my life I'm going to have to work through. I remember reading something from Sheryl, the woman online that I follow. She said she asked herself, these THINGS that I do that I KNOW are bad, they are the ONLY things that keep me from achieving my goal. Those THINGS are what is holding me back and yet, I HOLD onto them? It's the self destructive behavior that only I can break. That is why they call this a LIFESTYLE CHANGE, not a diet.

So here I am, back on track, feeling good and ready to move forward and not focus on last week. Last week was a lesson learned. I basically threw away the opportunity to loose 2 more pounds. I have to stay on my schedule to achieve MY goal and to do this, I can't afford another week of NO weight loss. Focus Chris, focus. See the big picture, know that my daughter's wedding is just 111 days away, and time is a gift.

I AM however, very excited about my FIRST Run/Walk event tomorrow. My daughter and I are walking it!!! We're doing the ALL STAR 5K event in Raleigh at 9am. WAYYY excited about this. I promised myself last year to do ONE event a month and I never did it. THIS year WILLLLLL be different. I'll let you know how we do in next weeks' blog. For now, I am taking this, one bite at a time, one decision at a time.

How can January be almost over?

Time, she sure is FLYING by...and I am desperate to beat the clock. Last weigh in, I lost 1.8lbs. To date, I've lost 23lbs, but according to WW's, just 13lbs. I've been keeping 2 separate tabs on my weight loss and as I've mentioned before, it is confusing, so I'm just going to post my WW totals.

I have had a great week with some minor victories. I tried on the cocktail dress I wore to my ceremony, back in Oct. WOW, what a difference. I've since been able to wear a pair of jeans I couldn't even get over my hips and I'm wearing a few blouses I forgot about. Slowly, things are are fitting better. It's nice to be able to go "Shopping" in my closet!

I need to get in the habit of taking a full body picture every 10lbs, so I can track my weight loss through pictures, as we know, those NEVER lie. People ask me all the time, where is your BEFORE pictures?? Ahhh, every single one of my wedding pictures, we my before. I cringe when I look at them.

I mentioned in a previous blog, that I have put up a collage of pictures with my head on some dresses and outfits, it sits right above the treadmill. I have to look right at it, it's my target, my goal. I need that, I have surrounded myself with pictures of my thinner body, all over my workstation. I also think I have found the gown I'll wear to my daughter's wedding. Again, it is also sitting right in front of me at work, ALL day long I see it. I am very aware of the fact that I have NO time to spare. I can't afford a "Few bad days". I have to make EVERY day count, as I've wasted too many days, too many years already. NOW is my time.

Tomorrow I weigh in and I am confident I will have made my goal of another 2lbs. If I can do that, I will be a few dress sizes smaller for the wedding and I'll be just 5ish lbs away from my thinnest since the LAST time I lost weight...for our VEGAS trip. I have so much coming up, so many amazing events that I want to look and FEEL great for.
I remember feeling horrible about myself at my son's wedding. I didn't want to get up and dance because of how huge I was. I didn't like my gown, but it was all I could find in my size...I refuse to repeat that again. I am in the zone...anyone who has ever lost weight knows what "The Zone" is. It's an amazing place where nobody or nothing can defeat you. Your so focused on your goal that you are able to SEE the final goal. I'm there. I know I will have weeks where I will work my ass off and loose nothing. I am aware that plateaus are very real. I'm just not there right now, so for now, today, I will enjoy this moment.

If you are doing Weight Watchers, then you must know how EASY this is? I mean,they've done all the work for you, all we have to do is eat the right foods and move. It's science. Less food in+ eating healthier choices + exercise= LOOSING WEIGHT

January has been an awesome month. I've found some great snacks. One of my favorites to munch on at work, is ANN'S HOUSE, SOY ENERGY BLEND. I found it at Costco. Just 4pts for 1/4 cup. It has soy nuts, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and almonds. GREAT energy booster, and it's crunchy so I LOVE that part. Very satisfying. I also found out from my WW buddy Ryan, that MGD64 is just 2 pts. WOW, I thought I was having to give up my beer or waste my extra points on that. Nope, there IS a low calorie beer. The taste is NOT like my beloved Blue Moon or the ever fantastic CORONA...but well, as with this whole journey, it's about choices.

I have also found I'm cooking more at home now. We look online for great WW recipes and we modify the old ones. I LOVE Beef Stroganoff and found a great one online. Again, all about choices. The days of opening a can and adding meat, or opening a box and adding water are gone. I make almost my entire meals now from scratch. We just feel more satisfied after. Amazing how that works.

Soooo, looking back, I've made it through the holidays, with NO weight gain, rather, a significant weight LOSS. I'm excited about what the next 12 days will hold. I would like to loose 4 more pounds this month, and I feel I can do it....one bite at a time, one decision at a time!

Little did I know..

Last week, I was feeling kinda, well, so-so. That was BEFORE I weighed in. Ahhh, 2.2 lbs folks!! I almost couldn't stand still I was so excited! Soooo, in a way, my goal of loosing 20lbs by the end of the year, almost DID happen. I have been keeping 2 running tabs of weight loss. The amount I lost before WW and of course my WW numbers. It's too confusing to everyone, so from here on out, I'm just mentioning my WW results. That being said, I lost 9lbs in Dec. Remember the goal of TWO pounds per week? I rocked that out AND it was the holidays!! Again, I could barely sit through the meeting!

I have to say, that really motivated me for this week. I am ONLY looking at my current week. Anything else and I feel the pressure of time constraints. So, THIS week my goal is another 2lbs. I'm finding that planning my whole days worth of food is best for me. I track my points online and create dinner recipes too. Tonight, Chris's Stroganoff, WW style. Just 9 points. For me, I need to know where my guidelines are and if I start the day off KNOWING how many points it will all be, I find I don't eat stuff I don't need. I know we have those 49 extra points, but I prefer to save them for the weekends. This weekend we're shopping for my daughter's wedding gown and her bridesmaids dresses! That means, eating lunch out with the girls and probably a drink. I need to save those precious 49 points!

I've noticed, the more on point I am, the more I WANT to get on the treadmill and rock that out! I keep forgetting to post my mini collage of MOTIVATIONAL pictures. I keep it directly in front of me while I walk. The more I want to quit I look at the pictures and remember, I DO have a wedding coming up and I AM going to Vegas! I refuse to go to those events at my current weight. With each pound I loose, I tell myself, "Goodbye, I'll NEVER see you again!" It helps, to know this IS a lifestyle change. The old Chris is gone, really gone. I have more energy and I just generally feel better. I've only lost enough to put a small dent in me, but I have to say, I FEEL better and my attitude is charged up. It's also contagious. My partner just texted me her results on the treadmill. We're doing this together and it's awesome!

Thursday is my weigh in and I'm excited to see what I do this week. Key, just THIS week. Focus on the here and now. NOW is my time, today, here and now...I can feel it, one bite at a time, one decision at a time!

It's a NEW dawn it's a NEW day it's a NEW life...

And I'm feeling....so-so. Yeah I know, let down right? Me too. I didn't reach my 20lb goal by the new year. It's been an interesting few weeks. My daughter left to spend time with her dad and my partner left to spend time with her family. How did this effect me? I realized I NEED people for the accountability. When the cats away, well, I sure did mess up!! I didn't count my points, I averaged them. I skipped meals so I could eat the WRONG foods for dinner. I had more than ONE beer a night....did I gain weight? Yup, 4 lbs. Have I lost it? Yup, but that puts me back to square one before they left. In reality, I wasted a valuable week. I'm pretty upset with myself. I know what I did and I know what I SHOULD have done. I didn't eat the veggies and fruits like I should have and I never got on the treadmill. Now, in my defense, I worked overtime everyday. By the time I got home, got dinner, took care of dogs, it was late and I was exhausted. I just watched TV in bed and was asleep by 9. Now...I was OFF Friday-Monday. I had NO excuse for those wasted days. I could have exercised, I could have jump roped, I could have done my Wave workout. I chose not to. I hurt myself and nobody else. I back tracked and now I make up for lost time.
I'm in a huge time crunch here, so I started panicking. My good friend and WW hero, told me something I KNEW, but needed to hear again. IF I loose just TWO pounds a week, I would have lost 40 by my daughter's wedding and 62 by my VEGAS trip. That is doable to me. I may not have lost 50 by the wedding but to have lost 40 is VERY good and will make a big difference in how I look and feel. It also means I would look GREAT for the Vegas trip and THAT really excited me. Just TWO pounds a week..2 little pounds. I CAN do it.

It's a NEW dawn and a NEW day for us. The ONLY thing to keep us from reaching ALL our goals is our minds. I thought about that on the treadmill the other night. I was going over in my mind, about all the reasons I didn't workout the prior week and why I ate things I KNEW I shouldn't have. It ALL started in my fucking mind. It's not like my body just took off for the kitchen and I was screaming NO NO please don't make me eat those Frito's...please body I really wanna workout, why are you just sitting here watching those fucking fake women on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. No, it never went down like that, not even close. My BODY only does what the brain TELLS it to do. My selfish weak brain wanted the damn Frito's and my brain had NO desire to tell the lazy body to get OFF the couch and RUN away from those women whom I have NOTHING in common with. Nope, I allowed my brain to win over the body which by the way, NONE of you see how skinny my brain is, but you ALL see how fat my ass and thighs are. It's a no brainer, no pun intended!

So, all in all, yes I wasted a week but I can't fix that now. I realized I will still abuse food when given the opportunity. I still need to be accountable, I need rules and I need eyes on me at home. I realized only I can change my destiny and my body. And I realized that loosing TWO pounds a week is something I CAN do and it WILL result in awesome weight loss.

2011 look out because I'm SO ready for the challenge. This is MY year for transformation and MY year for gaining my confidence and strength back....one bite at a time, one decision at a time.