Enjoying Summer as a WLS Patient

For the past 12 years, or so, I have been part of the planning (and graphic design) of a golf outing that happens in June every year. It's turned into a huge event that takes a lot of work. Because of the amount of work that I put into being a part of that planning committee, I typically lose out on the first part of my summer. June is shot and summer begins in July. At least the "relax at the beach or go on vacation" part of summer. 

So here it is the July 4th weekend and I'm finally feeling like summer has arrived for me. Lately I've been thinking about how my life is different after WLS compared to how it is now. 

I'm usually stuck being the camera, so having photos of me at the golf outing is not normal.
Here I am in 2006, a year before my surgery and in 2011, four years after my WLS. 

Before my weight loss, the golf outing was a major ordeal. A 14-16 hour day on my feet, in the hot sun, running around handling committee details where I was needed -- it took me days to recover and get my energy back. This year's outing was the same grueling routine but I was back to normal the day after the outing. Of course, the 60-70 hour workweeks leading up to the outing itself contributes to the overall exhaustion, so it's not just a one day thing. 

But it's officially my summer now and I'm in full blown SUMMER mode! I have a goal of being at the beach or in the water as much as possible. In fact, this weekend I'll be joining my family at the campground where apparently they are planning to go tubing down the river. I went kayaking last summer and I am itching to go again. My favorite beaches are calling me, as usual. And I'd like to take a couple long weekend mini-vacations to the west side of Michigan to enjoy the shoreline there. 

Since losing 100 pounds of excess weight, I'm more active, obviously. But I'm also more open minded about adventures and trying new things. I have more friends and enjoy doing things with them that I wouldn't have done 6 summers ago. But, of course, I didn't need to wait until I lost 100 pounds to do all this. I was moderately active and outgoing before my surgery... it's just that now I'm more apt to jump in the car and go do whatever I want without worrying about how much energy it would take to accomplish. 

So I'm off to enjoy a beautiful holiday weekend in the sun. What's your favorite thing to do since you had WLS? 

~Pam

Exercise Would Be Nice

I've got my walking shoes packed up and in the car. I've carved time out of my schedule and plan to hit the trails again as regularly as I'm able. It's time to get my butt back into a routine of regular exercise. I've slacked for too long. My weight is steady within my normal weight range, except it seems to be hanging out at the top end of my comfort level -- with a sometimes bump over the top by a pound or two, then right back into the normal range again. But I don't like hanging out in that area and I know that exercise will likely bring me back down to the bottom of that comfort level. Plus, I've been feeling sluggish lately and it makes me wonder if I need to pump up my activity level to counteract that.

As you know, I'm a big supporter of BodyMedia Fit -- (formerly known as GoWear Fit) the armband you wear 24/7 to track your movement, calorie burn, sleep patterns, etc. My armband is several years old and is on its last legs. The writing is all worn off the face of the device and the sound doesn't work anymore. I work my old one for about a year straight and then periodically for another several months -- so I got plenty of use out of it. It still logs all the data, but it's definitely seen better days. So I've just ordered a new one!

This time around I upgraded to the BodyMedia Fit LINK - which has Bluetooth capabilities that will automatically sync with my smartphone and no need to connect the device to my computer to download the data collected as I wear it. The BodyMedia website offers this one for $149, but I bought mine on Amazon for $116 and it comes with 3 free months of membership too.

So if I'm going to be wearing the armband and logging exercise .... logically I need to be logging my food intake too, huh? So I will. I've always preached about FitDay as my food log of choice. But unfortunately, they haven't kept up with the times so I've had to ditch them. I now use MyFitnessPal because it syncs with my desktop computer and my phone. Plus it sync with BodyMedia's logging system and lets me see my daily deficit.

GOALS:

What do I hope to accomplish with all this?  Well, I'm glad you asked. Here are my goals:

• Generate more "energy" and pep-in-my-step from the increased activity and hopefully not feel so sluggish. They say exercising makes you feel more energetic, so let's test that theory. 
• Drop a few pounds. I know my body will likely rebel against this notion, so I'm not shooting for anything crazy like 40 pounds or anything (although that would be nice, I know it's not realistic for my stubborn body). But if I can drop about 10 pounds, that'd make me happy.
• Make sure I'm on track. I talk about what it means to be on track with my eating, vitamins and exercise and it's been a while since I've really logged everything to check myself. So this will give me the opportunity to make sure I'm doing what I should be doing and that my calories/activity are in line.
• Keep me out of trouble -- now that my school schedule has been greatly reduced (only doing 1 class per term going forward, but I took this term off), I find myself with more free time than normal. So rather than use up all that free time in front of the TV, it's better to be productive, right?

I'll keep you posted on how things go...

~Pam

I'm So Proud

I'm so proud of Kristy, Jean, Tammie and Nan! 

They all finished the St. Patricks Day 5k Race in Bay City yesterday -- they all did amazingly well too!   Our WLS support group has planned a series of races to do together this year and this was the first on the schedule for us.  I couldn't walk yesterday because I hurt my back and didn't want to aggrevate it, but I was there to cheer them on and snap some photos of them crossing the finish line.

If you are a new WLS patient, look to these ladies for inspiration.  Kristy had RNY  4 years ago and just had a tummy tuck this pat winter.  Jean is almost 2 years post-op from her RNY and RAN this race - doing intervals of run/walk.  Tammie has the Sleeve less than a year ago and Nan just celebrated her 1 year anniversary of her RNY surgery.  They've gone from morbidly obese and unhealthy before WLS -- to a group of athletes who are fit, healthy and enthusiastic about exercise.  They are all amazing and such an inspiration to me.




Their finish times:

Kristy - 50:38
Jean -  39:09
Tammie - 55:56 (her first race!)
Nan - 43:15 (her first race!)

My Nature Trail

When the temp hits 50 and the sun begins to shine - even if it's still early March - Michiganders rejoice and celebrate. We start believing it might actually be springtime or something. Oh sure... We know it is likely that we'll get another snowfall but we celebrate spring anyway.

So this afternoon I stopped at my favorite nature trail for a workout. 3 miles is good for the body and soul. Todays walk was less about the workout and more about mental health. Just a bit of time to commune with nature and get my thoughts in order.

My fingers are fozen and my nose is running so I guess it's not quite spring yet, but it sure feels good to be outside. I stopped at a bench to write this so I'll sign off for now and finish the last 1/4 mile back to the car.

Pam

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Workout vs. Housework

Yesterday I did a little experiment with how I burn calories.

As you know, I wear the GoWear Fit and I am able to track exactly how many calories I'm burning throughout the day. Here are my averages: 2100-2200 -- non active, sedentary days 2300-2500 -- work day with a normal walking workout in the evening 2500-2900 -- active day of errand, shopping, housework with or without a formal workout.

So yesterday I decided to forego my typical 1 hour nature trail workout after work and instead dedicated 1 hour to brisk housework at home. At lunch yesterday I took a short walk (15 minutes) around the parking lot, then hit the grocery store on the way home from work. Then when I got home I cleaned the kitchen and did a bit of decluttering in the storage room, also putzed around getting lunches ready for the rest of the week and organizing cupboard a bit.

So in the end I put in a total of 1 hour of dedicated housework, then another 20-30 minutes of putzing around later.

Here's the comparison on calories burned:

2500 -- what I probably would have burned for the day with the 1 hour walking workout
2380 -- what I did burn without the formal workout and doing housework instead

Not bad, huh? And the best part?

I woke up this morning and walked into a gleaming kitchen. That's enough to put a smile on my face and give me a good start to the day. So today I'm going to mix it up a bit more. Going to see where I end up if I do about 30 minutes of a walking workout and 1 hour of housework. My goal is to find a balance that will keep me up in the 2500-calories-burned range.

Lately I've been feeling like I spend too much time out and about, running around or working out or at meetings and not enough time at home doing what needs to be done to keep a neat and clean home. I feel like lately I've literally just been sleeping at my house - not really living there. I get home late (8-9pm), drop my stuff, grab something to eat and head to bed within an hour or two of getting home. Then weekends are packed with either obligations or going out and playing or doing stuff. My housework has suffered and my goal of decluttering and purging hasn't been worked on at all. So I'm hoping this new balance will still give me the calorie-burn that I want, but also give me a balance in my life that makes me feel like I'm an actual home owner.

I'll keep you posted.

~Pam

Bikers Butt

My butt hurts! Who invented those tiny bike seats anyway? Don't they know we have bigger butts than that?!

So my doc recommended I try a different exercise besides walking because of the problems I've been having with my knee and the ongoing injury of my ankle.

I've been considering buying a bike and getting into cycling. Before I invested the money though, I wanted to give it a try. It's been years since I owned a bike and needed to make sure it was going to be something I'd enjoy. So I borrowed my nephew's bike and when for a spin. Actually I went about 12 miles this evening.

The good news --- I loved biking! It was so fast and I covered so many miles. While walking one of my biggest complaints is that it takes so long. So I loved that I could go so far and have the wind blowing in my face. Lots of fun.

The bad news --- My knee killed me! (The butt thing is just a side bonus.) In fact, my knee hurt so bad that for several hours after the bike ride I was limping when I walked.

So I guess buying a bike is out of the question. Saves me a few hundreds bucks, but not I'm back to the drawing board to find what works for the knee.

~Pam

PS -- the pic here was taken with my Palm Pre while I was out riding.

The Calorie Game

I've been using my GoWearFit for 10 days now. Over the weekend I ran my first 7-day report that averages everything out and gives me a good overview of what I've done for the past week (it also does bi-weekly or monthly reports too). So here's the low down: Calories Burned per day: 2300 Calories Eaten per day: 1240 Calorie Deficit: 1060 At the support group meeting last night I talked to the other 3 people in the group who have BodyBuggs. Mike in particular because of his amazing success. He was stalled for 6 months but when he got his BB he was at his goal weight within 3 months (I think he lost 40lbs or something like that after buying it). He confirmed what I guess I already knew. My calorie deficit is too big and I need to close the gap. He suggested a deficit of 600-700 calories - which is where he saw weight loss every single week. The other two gals agreed. I had already come to a similar conclusion on my own, but was too afraid to say it out loud. This freaks me out. Seriously. Freaking out over here. Because that means I need to eat 1500-1600 calories/day at my current rate of exercise. And my exercise is only going to get more intense as my workouts get longer and more frequent in prep for the big races coming up. From the research I did yesterday, we don't want to jump calories suddenly ... but rather gradually over a few weeks. So I guess that's my plan.

I hope I don't regret it.

~Pam

GoWear Fit -- My First Week

UPDATED: June 26, 2009 Ok, so it hasn't yet been a full week of wearing the GoWear Fit. But I'm going to do an update anyway.

THE ARMBAND
Many have asked me if it's comfortable to wear or if its feels restricting in any way. No, it is definitely not restricting and now that I've worn it for several days, I really don't even notice it's there. The device came with a size medium band and it fits my flabby arm just fine - batwings and all. If you have bigger batwings than I do (my arm is 13"-or so) you might want to order the larger band that you can get directly from www.gowearfit.com.

THE DISPLAY DEVICE
Some have asked if this is really necessary. Technically no, you don't need it for the armband to work. However, I feel this is an essential part of the system because it gives you immediate feedback on your activity and calories burned. It updates instantly by syncing with your armband through magic. It tells you your calories burned, steps taken and total time accumulated of activity - both moderate and vigorous activity, plus it has a clock with the time. The device can either be worn on a wrist band (like a watch) but it's really ugly and doesn't go with my business attire -- or you can attach the device to a clip that you can wear on your waistband like a pedometer, which is what I do. I had to walk down to my car to grab something and I was watching my steps go up as I went. Without this little display unit I don't think the whole system would have the same effect on my desire to move more.

INSTALLATION OF THE SOFTWARE & ONLINE MANAGER
Ok, I admit it... the software and device set up on the computer was a big fat pain in the butt! It took me about 3.5 hours of fighting. I'm pretty tech savvy but I still had to call on my best friend - an IT tech - for help. The online Activity Manager doesn't play well with the latest versions of Internet browsers and of course, that's all I had installed on my system. So I had to figure out how to downgrade from IE8 to IE7 (which is a whole other rant of its own) and when that wasn't working well, I tried to downgrade from Firefox 3 to Firefox 2. And my Java version was too new as well and I had to downgrade to a lower version. Then after all that I still couldn't get it working and realized that I needed to manually install the device drivers for the armband. Unfortunately the GoWear Fit website doesn't have a good troubleshooting section on how to get things to install or sync initially. Lots of troubleshooting for other issues, but not this one. I dunno... maybe it was just a fluke and it was my computer that was causing the problems, but I was in a seriously pissy mood by the time it all got settled. BUT... now that it's all set up and stuff, it works great. In fact, I'm able to access the software through my prefered browser (Google Chrome) even though it's not a supported browser. But the initial set up needed to be done through the older browser versions.

UPDATE: I must be the oddball on installation. Virtually everyone else I've talked to has a super easy install with absolutely no problems or glitches.

THE ACTIVITY MANAGER
This is the online program that you use to upload the data from your armband and input your food for the day. Each evening (or morning) when you upload the data from your armband you plug it into a USB connection, click a few buttons and the software reads the data and then populates the report. It shows you a graph of your daily calorie burn for the full 24-hour period. You'll see spikes for when you were active and burning more calories per minute ... but even when you're sitting still or sleeping, there's still a calorie burn of about 1 to 1.5 calories per minute. It's fascinating to see little spikes during the day. Like that trip down to my car will show up as a little 4 minute spike of activity around 10:00 a.m.

MODERATE VS VIGOROUS ACTIVITY
This is one of the super cool features that the BodyBugg doesn't have. The armband knows the difference between moderate activity and vigorous activity. Most of my stuff is moderate with walking and yoga and stuff. But when I do the walk/run things on days I'm feeling energetic those little running episodes show up as vigorous activity. So my 6 mile walk this past Saturday actually recorded about 4 minutes total of vigorous activity while I was doing some running and I could see on the graph where those run spikes happened.

SLEEP EFFICIENCY
This is also a feature that the BB doesn't have. This one amazes me! Wear the armband to bed and it knows you're laying down. Then it also knows when you're actually sleeping rather than just laying there awake staring at the ceiling. And if you wake up in the middle of the night, it knows that too! The other night, for instance I laid in bed for 8 hours but only slept for something like 6:45 and my sleep efficiency was around 85%. And a strange pattern I'm seeing is that I always wake up at 4:00 a.m. for about 15 minutes, then go back to sleep. I wonder why that is.

FOOD LOGGING
The GoWear Fit software has two options for food logging. You can do a 3-Day Nutrition Assessment where you just enter 3 days work of food during a week and the software uses an average to determine your typical calorie intake. Or you can do daily food logging and it uses exact numbers each day. You change this setting in your preferences section. The food database seems pretty extensive with lots of different foods and brand name items. You have to enter food by meal though -- breakfast, AM snack, lunch, PM snack, dinner, late snack -- so that gives you 6 meal times throughout the day. But sometimes those labels just don't fit my lifestyle, so I just enter food into whatever makes sense. I do not plan to keep using the food log inside GoWear Fit though, but for now I'm using it to get a sense of how the software works and get some baseline information. I much prefer FitDay and I have 3 years worth of custom foods in my account. I wish there was a feature in GoWear Fit that allowed me to manually enter my total calorie intake for the day.

UPDATED: I have continued using FitDay as my food journaling option. There IS a way to manually enter my total food intake from FitDay into the GoWear food logging system. At the end of each day after I've entered my food into FitDay, I open the GoWear food log and create a new custom food for "breakfast" -- this food includes the totals for my entire day as a single food entry. I name it "06.26.09 Fitday Log" and include the stats from FitDay for the day. The only glitch is somehow GoWear doesn't calculate carbs the same way FitDay does. So you have to subtract your Fiber gram total from your Carb total before entering it into GoWear -- this will still give you the same number of calories, but your carb/fiber totals will be off. But this doesn't bother me since the only thing I care about in GoWear is my calorie totals. My nutrient balance is dealt with over on FitDay. DO I LOVE IT??

Yes! Absolutely love this thing! It's like a little game with myself to see how many calories I can rack up throughout the day. Instead of writing an email to ask a question of someone down the hall, I'll get up and walk down there instead. It is making me much more conscious of my activity for sure. But more importantly, it's giving me hard data about what my body is doing and what it needs.

How many posts have you seen on this blog saying I'm changing my calorie intake -- based on advice from a nutritionist or some research I've done or just to experiment with what'll happen. But now it's not a guessing game anymore. I know for 100% certainty how many calories I'm burning per day and I know how much food I'm allowed to eat and still achieve the deficit I need to lose weight. I haven't changed anything yet.

I'm still in data-gathering mode right now. I'll give it another few days to see how things look after a full week or normal activity and eating. Then I'll determine if anything needs to change or if I'm on the right track.

I'll keep ya'll posted.
~Pam

My New GoWear Fit

I've been saying I wanted one for over a year ... and I finally did it!  I bought a GoWear Fit calorie tracking device.  Originally I'd planned to buy the BodyBugg (like the Biggest Loser folks wear) but after doing some research I settled on the GoWear Fit instead.

I got it Friday night and set it up with my computer.  Saturday was my first full day of wearing it and I'm pretty amazed so far.  I'll do a full review of it in a few days after I'm able to see some trends and establish some concrete numbers.  But my initial impression are good so far.  Here's a few thoughts:

• I burn about 600 calories while I sleep
• I wake up during the night more often than I realized. My sleep efficiency is at about 85%
• Yesterday I burned 2500 calories through my normal routine and exercise
• My calorie intake yesterday was much higher than normal because I ate too much crap - 1800 - but it was still low enough to create a calorie deficit overall
• When I'm wearing the GoWear Fit I want to move more
• Seeing the calories-burned-count go up all day long is a major motivator for exercise or just being more active in general
• It's 9:15 a.m. and since midnight I've burned 712 calories so far 

So I'm pretty excited to have it.  I'll keep ya'll posted on how it works out.

BTW -- if you're going to buy one, get it on Amazon.  I got the armband, display watch and 3 months subscription for $209.  Here's the link.  Scroll down to the section called "Best Value" and you'll see an option to buy both the armband and the display together and save $50. 

Talk to you soon!

~Pam

Race Day

Yesterday morning I met up with Kristy and Lori for the 5k race at the Bay City State Park.  It was Lori's first race and she did amazingly!  Kristy rocked too finishing just 9 seconds behind me. 

This race was actually pretty tough because of the course. Much of it was on hard-pack trails with gravel. Then some of it was also over grass which was wet, too long and obviously not on even ground. 

I have been practicing some speedwalking techniques in my workouts lately - upright posture with shoulders back, buttocks tucked in, core engaged, shorter steps, arms close to the body and used to propel me forward.  When I'm on pavement I feel like I'm walking much faster than my normal pace - it doesn't work so well on rough terrain though.  I've yet to time myself with the speedwalking to see if it's really making a difference. 

Here's the results for Kristy, Lori and I:

32. Pamela Saginaw, MI 39 50:21.09 197 

33. Kristy Bay City, MI 51 50:30.18 198 

39. Lori Saginaw, MI 42 51:20.84 205

My Stats:

Distance: 3.1 miles

Time: 50:21

Pace:  16:15

Weather: 55-ish, chilly and drizzily

18 Month Post-Op Appointment

Yesterday was my 18 month anniversary. I had an appointment at the bariatric clinic and met with the PA and Nutritionist. There are changes on the horizon and I've still not fully digested everything that was talked about yesterday.

LABS
The PA said that for an 18-month patient that my labs are outstanding! Yeah me! However, there were a few key areas she had concerns about. Enough concern that she's requested a re-draw of labs in 4 weeks after some changes. Her biggest concern was my

Prealbumin - it's too low even though it is within the normal range, she wants it higher. (Result is 24 on a scale of 18-38.) This is a measure of my protein intake and how the body is utilizing it. I already get 120g protein per day. I'm bumping that up for the next 4 weeks to see what that does. (Below I talk about the increase in protein shakes during the day... the lab result is the reason I'm going along with it.)

She also didn't like my Ferritin number. She's having me stop my iron supplements to see if the iron is screwing with the ferritin. This really doesn't make logical sense to me, but I'll do it and see what the results say next month.

I personally am concerned about my Vitamin D. But the response I got was that results in the 30's was typical of WLS patients and they were fine with that number. But from my own research I know that anything under 50 indicates that my body is simply using the supply as fast as I'm taking supplements. It's only after I maintain a level of 50 will the body actually start to store Vitamin D for use later. I'm doing the 50k, once per day regimine for 30 days, then backing off ... I'll have a redraw for Vitamin D next month too. We'll see.

Copper / Zinc interaction. I'm still reseaching this because it doesn't really make sense to me - but the Nut said that I need to keep my zinc and copper doses far apart from each other. So I'm now taking zinc in the morning, copper at night. Somehow they interfer with each other, but I need to understand this better before I'm convinced its true.

EDITED: Yep, copper and zinc don't like each other - so I'll separate the doses as recommended.

FOOD
This is where the big changes are happening. I know I've posted about my nutritionist before and I'm not always thrilled with her advice. In fact, the advice I got yesterday is the exact same advice I've gotten since I was 2 months post-op. As you all know I've been struggling with really, really slow weight loss. Since August last year I've lost 15 pounds and 5 of those pounds came off in the past 4 weeks. So in an attempt to figure out how to make me lose weight faster and have a "more predictable" amount of loss, the Nut has suggested going back to the same plan I was suppose to be following when I was 2 months post-op. Here's the plan:

• 8am - breakfast
• 2-4oz dense protein
• 1/4-1/2 c. veggie/fruit
• (suggested meal: 1-2 egg veggie/cheese omelet and 1 slice melba toast)
• 9am -12:30pm - fluid time
• 16oz water
• 8oz protein drink
• 1pm - lunch
• 2-4oz dense protein
• 1/4-1/2 c. veggie/fruit
• If not full... 1 additional side item (veggie/fruit/starch)
• (suggested meal: wrap sandwich w/ 1oz turkey, 1oz cheese, lettuce on 1/2 tortilla)
• 2pm - 5:30pm -- fluid time
• 16oz water
• 8oz protein shake
• 6pm - dinner
• 2-4oz dense protein
• 1/4-1/2 c. veggie/fruit
• If not full... 1 additional side item (veggie/fruit/starch)
• (suggested meal: 1-3oz grilled chicken, 1/4-1/2c steamed broccoli, 1/4-1/2c cantaloupe)
• 7pm - bedtime - fluid time
• 12oz water
• 8oz protein shake
• 2 popsicles

Ok, so my Nut wants me to change things up and give a new eating plan a try for two weeks. (EDITED: I'm re-thinking this... might not try it, we'll see.)  

She's banned yogurt and any slider foods (even though I didn't complain about getting hungry after a yogurt meal.) I'm not allowed food-based snacks anymore, she wants all snacks to be a protein shake instead. She said some days I might only get 600 calories, but some days might be 1100... and that was just fine, but to worry about portion size rather than calories or nutrient grams. (Even though I don't believe I have any issues with staying within my portion size requirements and if I don't eat enough calories, I know my body revolts and I have a tendency to binge on crap.)

At one point she asked me: "Can you eat 2-ounces of dense protein AND 1/2 cup of vegetables in the same meal?" .... as if my pouch was still 1-ounce in size and that eating 4-ounces at a single meal might not be possible for someone who is 18 months post-op. I was flabergasted, of course, because the amount of food I eat now (8-10 ounces/meal) is expected and typical of someone at my stage. How can she not know that?

EXERCISE 
So the Nutritionist also said my exercise routine wasn't anything out of the ordinary and simply met the minimum recommendations. I am now doing 6 days, 60 minutes per day. Apparently the minimum recommendation is 4-6 days per week, 30-60 minutes each. So even if you're at the top end of the scale, it's still only the minimum apparently. "When I start doing more," then I will need to adjust my eating to accomodate the added exercise. (Meaning when my half-marathon training keeps me on the road for more than 60 minutes per session.) Life is not "The Biggest Loser." Normal people don't have 4 or 5 hours every day to spend in the gym. It's very difficult for me to understand that 6 hours of exercise a week -- walking/running 25-30 miles a week -- is not enough to be more than the minimum expectations.



What's Next?
I've got some thinking to do. Planning and rearranging. And I need to figure out how to have peace with some of the stuff the Nut has told me and advised me to do. I need to do some research on the vitamin and mineral stuff to see how true the information is that I've been given. I need to come up with a food plan that I can live with that won't make me feel like I'm on a diet. Thankfully I have yoga class this afternoon. At least that will give me the chance to focus on my center... relax a bit and let all these issue melt away for an hour.

~Pam

Exercise and Being Busy

I'm busy. My calendar is jam packed and there is no relief in sight. My busy life is starting to infringe on my workout time. And it's starting to worry me. I started really using my Google Calendar and putting everything on my schedule ... it was eye-opening to realize how much stuff I have going on and how few days there are when there are no obligations at all. One thing I haven't put on my calendar is my non-scheduled workouts. Meaning the times when I'm just exercising on my own and not meeting a group or an exercise class. One side of me thinks I need to start putting those workouts on my calendar, but then I also think that I want to avoid doing that because I don't want my workouts to feel like an obligation that I'll come to dread and resent. I did have my workouts on my calendar for a while, but then whenever I couldn't hit the gym or keep that scheduled appointment with myself, I'd be riddled with guilt for missing it and it became a point of disappointment and failure in my life. And I've made the commitment to myself that I will never set goals for myself that I don't 100% believe I can acheive... Here's a sampling of a typical week for me. Monday through Friday I work ... leaving the house at 7:00 a.m. and (on a good day) getting home at about 7:00 p.m. If I stop on the way home for a workout, I get home around 8:30 p.m. I try to get to bed around 11:00 p.m. most evenings but sometimes don't even make it that late. So on a good night, I have about 2.5 hours of "Pam Time" to get stuff done like cook and eat dinner, do homework, grocery shopping, cleaning the house, getting in a workout (yoga or Shimmy) with a DVD, deal with family obligations, do any leisure activities like crafts or surf the net or watch TV. But its rare that I actually come straight home after work. In addition to this typical schedule, here's what else is on my calendar: Monday -- three Mondays a month is my WLS support group meetings Tuesday -- I'm trying to dedicate Tuesdays to homework, but soon it'll be Crim Training to meet my walking group each week for a long workout. Wednesday -- right now I'm doing class on Wednesdays from 6pm to 10pm then driving home (40 minutes) and usually straight to bed Thursdays -- meeting my support group for walking training night Fridays -- after working a 60-hour week I'm exhausted and try to save Friday nights to do "nothing" but usually am so tired I am in bed before 10:00 p.m. Sometimes I meet my girlfriends-group for an appetizer party or dinner Weekends -- usually booked with family obligations or other stuff. I still try to reserve at least one day of the weekend for absolutely nothing, but that hasn't been happening lately. Technically I'm still able to fit about 4 workouts in per week. So really, that's not horrible. But I really want to be doing more. And once Crim training starts I need to do more to keep up with my groups training schedule (which is 6 days per week). I know I'm rambling. I guess I'm just trying to figure out how to fit everything I want to do, everything I have to do and everything I need to do ... into an already packed calendar. Something has got to give and I don't want it to be exercise. I've got some thinking to do, huh? ~Pam

Race Day

I was really worried that I wouldn't be able to find a second race for April.  But earlier this week I discovered a little race in my hometown to be held today.  There were about 40 racers total with only 5 walkers (me being one of them).  The weather was gorgeous and sunny -- definitely a perfect spring day!

So a couple observations about today.  

First, when I am part of a race where there are very few walkers I usually end up at the end.  Today I finished last.  It is so discouraging to finish last even when your brain is telling you it doesn't matter.  

Second, I need to learn some techniques for walking faster.  I was booking today and I can't figure out how to get faster.  Hopefully the pace training that is a part of the Crim Training Program will help me figure this out.

The good news is I got a medal today for 1st place in my age group for walkers.  The bad news is that I was the only person in my age group, male or female.  Still kinda cool to get a medal.

ALSO --- today's time was my best ever.  Felt good to beat myself, at least.

Distance:  3.1 miles

Time: 49:38

Pace: 16:01

Weather:  58, sunny and beautiful

Proud and Inspired

Last night I met about 15-20 members of my support group, their friends and family members and a couple folks from my surgeon's office. Last night was the second week in our walking training -- we're working toward the goal of finishing a 10-mile race together. Each week we'll increase our distance by 1/2 mile until we are all ready to walk 10 miles in August. This is the same race I did last August -- and also signed up for the race's official training program that meets on Tuesdays. But our support group training program is being lead by our leader, Jim, and it's not a part of the official training program.... just a bunch of highly motivated people working together to accomplish a major goal as a group. This group of people are amazing! We have people who had WLS and are fairly athletic already. We have people who never had WLS but are there because a friend or family member invited them. We have kids and a dog. We have the director of the bariatric center where most of us had surgery and also a nurse from the center too. And there's also Nancy. She is why I'm writing this message today. She inspires me and makes me so proud! Nancy has been fighting the insurance company and fighting for medical clearance for her WLS for months. Her surgery was scheduled but cancelled because of a last minute medical issue that needed to be fixed first. She just got clearance and is now back on track to have her WLS soon. While waiting for her RNY she's lost 45 pounds on her own. WooHoo!! She walks with a cane and needs two knee replacements... but needs to lose the weight before her doctor will do those surgeries. But still she walks. And she walked last night with a smile on her face and a brilliant positive attitude. I'm so proud of her! She inspires me to be more faithful with my own exercising program. So next time you think about giving up or wimping out on a workout. Think of Nancy, happily trekking along with her cane, sore knees and a smile on her face. If she can do it, so can I! ~Pam

Race Day

Well, technically yesterday was race day... but I'm just getting around to posting about it today.  BTW - Happy Easter all!

Saturday was the Tax Trot in Flushing.  After I signed up I found out my friend Kristy was also registered, so we rode down together for the race.  It was pretty chilly and we were bundled up in sweatshirts and coats, mittens and head bands.  It was fun though.  

I used my Sansa media player to listen to Podrunner.  I used a mix that kept me on pace with 139 beats per minute.  These really help me keep up my speed all throughout the race. 

I still need to find a second race for April.  Because my next two Saturdays are already booked, I'm having a difficult time finding something that fits into my crazy schedule.  I have some new race lists from yesterday's race, so I'll look through that this afternoon.

Distance:  3.1 miles

Time: 51:09

Pace: 16:30

Weather:  34-degrees, very windy on parts of the course

Researching Races Today

Things have been busy for me the last couple weeks so I haven't had a chance to do as much research for upcoming races as I'd like. But today I'm planning to find some races and get my butt registered. Need to fill the April 18-19 weekend and start work on May and June. Kristy gave me a great list to start from .... but I also need to find some "destination" races too. Ya know, places near a BEACH cuz that's my favorite spot in the world. (Can you tell I'm an Aquarius?) What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fun?! I'm meeting a new photography group on Sunday for a photowalking event -- hopefully we won't get rained/snowed out. I also need to get my taxes finished this weekend. So a balance of fun and not fun at all for me. LOL! ~Pam

Race Day - St. Pat's

Today was the Bay City St. Patrick's Day 5k Race.  I'm so thankful that I got to do the race with 4 other members of my support group (and some hubbys too).  It was the first race for almost everyone and I'm proud of how well they all did!  We're already talking about the next race.

Distance:  3.1 miles

Time: 1:00:21

Pace: 19:28

Weather: 35, bitter cold wind, overcast (sun came out near end of race)

To Train or Not to Train

Last year at this time I signed up for the 20-week training program that ended with a 10-mile race in August and a half marathon in October. The applications for this year's training program are due out any day now.

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to do it this year or not. I know I'm not doing the same half marathon in October (because I'm working the race instead) .... but I know I want to do *A* big race sometime in the fall, I just haven't found the right race yet. I also know I'll be doing the 10-mile race with my WLS support group and we're not doing it for the best time... we're doing it to finish together no matter how long it takes us.

So the question I'm struggling with right now is "To train or not to train" --- not that I won't train either way, but do I want to sign up for the formal training or just do it on my own?

The formal program will be a built-in motivating factor because I will HAVE to meet my group every week for specific walking distances and I HAVE to do the mid-week homework walks in order to keep up with the increasing weekly distances. The formal program is going to cost me around $175. Yes, I get free race registrations with that price and a bunch of other free stuff.... so money isn't really the factor.

I guess the question in my mind is if I really want to be part of a formal program or if I want to do it on my own. For those who know me, I tend to be a loner and enjoy my own company. I like to travel on my own, go to movies or dinner on my own, walk my nature trails on my own. A group is fine once in a while, but I'm really not a group type of person.

The training program did change my life last year because it helped me achieve goals I fully doubted being able to accomplished on my own. But now that I know I can achieve them, can I do it on my own this year without the help of the "group" ?? And do I really just want to acheive the same old goals I've already acheived or do I want to move on to other things that I haven't yet set my sights on. If I lock myself into 20 weeks of training will I restrict myself from moving in a different direction? Or will switching from walking to learning-to-run be enough of a "new goal" for me?

I really can't seem to decide. So I thought writing it out here might help me figure it out. So far it hasn't. LOL! I'll be pondering the decision in the next few weeks. We'll see what happens.

~Pam

It's all about fresh air

I walked tonight.  Outside.  It was cold, but the fresh air was worth it.  I was amazed at how great I felt during the entire workout simply because I was outside.  

This whole depression, not-sleeping, anxiety thing I've been battling for the past month.... I now believe it all stemmed from not getting my exercise in the great outdoors!  Yes, really.  I came home full of energy and spent a couple hours doing chores and cooking and getting stuff done.

Being cooped up in the gym all winter finally wore me down.  I didn't realize how bad I was feeling until I experienced the energizing workout I had tonight.  

I can't wait until tomorrow when I can do it again. 

~Pam

Traveling Race Mania

My best friend, M, says I need a new goal to reach for.  After finishing the half marathon in October, I neglected to set a new goal to achieve in regard to my workouts.  He's right.(I hate when he's right all the time!)  So I'm setting a new goal now.

Traveling Race Mania

So the new goal is still in the formative stages, but at least I'm starting. I haven't worked my way up to running yet - I'd like to eventually get myself up to that level - but no matter if I walk or run...  I want to race.  5k's, 8k's, 10k's and maybe another half marathon or a 25k. I'd like to be in a race an average of two times per month... so every other weekend ... between now and October.   

But even better than finishing races, I want to travel as much as I can to participate in races all over Michigan.   And if I can combine a race with a weekend getaway, all the better.  And if that weekend getaway location includes a beach, I'm a very happy girl.

I just emailed an inquiry about a race next weekend (March 7th) near my home - I'll probably freeze my butt off, but at least I'll have begun.  I'm registered for a race on March 22nd with my WLS support group gals.  I'm committed to do the 10-mile race in August with my other WLS support group. I need to decide if I'm doing the 20-week training program again this year (registration for that will begin in a couple weeks).  So I'm already on my way.

These races won't necessarily be about the best finish time or winning -- it's about being involved and getting in the miles.  Yes, I'll push myself to do my best.  But right now I just want to get back out on the road! 

I'll begin a race calendar over in the navigation bar in the coming days and add races as I get registered so you can keep track of how I'm doing.  If anyone wants to join me in a race or two ... I'd be happy to have a race partner!

I woke up this morning at 7:00 thinking about my conversation with M last night about goals and this idea started forming in my brain.  As ya'll know from the last few posts, I've had a tough few weeks dealing with the mental crap that goes along with this WLS journey.  But I'm feeling excitment again with this new goal I've set for myself.  I was focusing too much on the food and the scale -- I needed a new focus and this is it.  Thanks M!

It's still winter here in Michigan, but planning races and looking at schedules and thinking about weekend getaways that just might happen to include a race and a little beach time.... it's beginning to feel like spring. 

What's your goal for spring?

~Pam