MS 150

After the pictures were published from my Sprint Tri, I realized just how nervous I was about the bike ride.  The Sunday before the race, I had crashed into a ditch when a runner decided not to share the hike and bike trail that we were on.  She was running towards me and grabbed the middle, which left the edge for me.  It would have been fine, but I hit a crack and down I went. Thankfully, I was slowed almost to a stop before I crashed. 

So, the pictures came out, and you can see the look of pure terror on my face.  Smiles after the swim.  Smiles during the run.  "Oh dear sweet baby Jesus, just get me through this!" on the bike.   So, clearly, the most logical thing to do to beat my bike was to sign up to ride in the MS150.

The MS150 is a 150 mile (give or take) 2 day bike ride from Houston to Austin.  The ride raises money for MS research, and gives bragging rights to crazy people like me. I waffled about signing up for it, I considered every excuse in the book.   But I finally decided that if I didn't just suck it up and do it, then I never would.  Besides, I had a perfectly lovely bike just wasting away in the garage.  Why not ride it 150 miles?! :)

Several people from my office also decided to ride, and we signed up on the Conoco Phillips team.  Their team is one of the most (if not the most) organized in the entire organization.  They hold supported rides every Saturday leading up to the event, they offer training for new riders, feedback on safety on the road... the list goes on. I'm so thankful that I am riding with this team, because it has made the experience very enjoyable.

After the first "long" rides (I count "long" as anything over 40 miles), my body just completely crashed.  Either at a point during the ride or shortly after, I turned into a zombie and didn't recover until Wednesday morning.  Of course, I did some more googling, and found a few instances of people being warned against Metformin in endurance events.  So, I called my doctor, and told her all of my symptoms, how I was hydrating and fueling, and asked her opinion.  She assured me that Metformin has a low incidence of hypoglycemia, and suggested that I up my carb intake during the rides. 

So, last weekend, I enjoyed Cici's pizza on Friday night.  On the way to the ride Saturday morning, my ride buddy and I stopped at McDonalds, where I ate hotcakes (sans syrup).  On my back, I carried Fig Newtons (a google suggestion!), oranges (a soccer holdover), and some GU.  For the ride home, I prepared a bottle of Endurox (a carbohydrate recovery drink, similar to Gatorade).  At the rest stops, I ate Fig Newtons, oranges, and grabbed some trail mix (the team provides snacks at the rest stops). 

Saturday's ride was 55 miles of hills, and I could feel my hamstrings locking up with about 8 miles left.  I was trying to not eat any GU, to see if it would keep me from crashing so hard.  But when my ride buddy said he needed it with just over 6 miles left, I went ahead and downed one also.  I'm glad I did, because I just barely squeaked out the last hill!!!

After the ride, I felt great.  I continued feeling great on the ride home, and into that evening.  I finally came down (but didn't crash) about 7:30.  It was a much better feeling than the previous 3 weeks.  I'm not sure if my body is starting to adjust to the endurance, or if it was all the carbs, but something worked.  We're going after 63 miles at twice the elevation change this weekend, and I'm hoping my plan works as well!!

While training for the MS150, and knowing how many calories it takes to ride that far, I'm not intending on losing any weight for the next 5 weeks.  If it happens, that's great, but I'm not going to stress if it doesn't. 

Currently, I'm riding my bike 50+ miles on Saturday, hitting the gym T/W/Th (legs, back and chest, arms and abs), and running with my sister.  I am still doing my monthly races.  This Saturday, after my 63 miles, I signed up to do a Glow Run with my sister (a 5k in the dark).  The weekend before the 150, I'm doing the Blue Bell Fun Run, just to make sure my hamstrings are good and exhausted for the ride.  :)  So, while I've been riding and lifting, I'm also running 3-9 miles/week (depending on my sister's schedule).  We are loosely following the Hal Higdon 10k plan again, so that the 5k will feel super easy.  We haven't been very good at getting our mileage in, though (as you can tell!).

Aren't my cycling clothes flattering?!
 

Before and (almost) After

This is the post that I have been most excited about writing.

My weight loss journey started with pictures from Chicago, in July 2009.  In Feb 2013, I surprised the hubby with a trip to Chicago.  We both had been feeling restless, needed a little vacation, so I booked it.

I've always wanted to eat at moto, and though we go to Chicago often, we've never made it out there.  So, this time, I made reservations.  In January, I went shopping for a dress.  I felt great about my body, and wanted an excuse to dress up and strut a little.  :)  I found an adorable dress at jcp, in a size 14.  I was shocked, even though my original goal was to get into size 12 jeans, I never thought I'd get my boobs back into anything smaller than a 16.  Even back in high school, I rarely wore dresses (I usually bought separates) because of my size differential.

So, we went out, and I felt amazing.  When we got back to the hotel, I asked the hubs to snap a picture of me, to show how far I'd come.  At the time, I had forgotten just how bad my "before" was, and wasn't at all prepared for what I saw when I put these pictures side by side.

Chicago Feb 2013, versus Chicago July 2009

There is a lot of history in that white space in the middle.  That's 85 net pounds.  That's 151 pounds if you count baby weight and nursing weight.  That's 10 pants sizes. That's 3.5 years of hard work and a completely new lifestyle.  That's waking up every day and making the choice that I can do a little bit better.

Now, I called this my (almost) after because I'm not there yet.  When we got home from Chicago, I went to my parents' house, went to my old room, and pulled out THE JEANS from high school.  I also found a small pile of other clothes from high school, and decided "oh, why not?".

I started with a dress.  Size 13/14 from Express.  It fit.  Holy crap, it fit.

Not the most flattering dress, but hey!  It fits!

Next up, some shirts.  They all fit.  Another dress.  Fit.  Some skirts that I ended up just tossing in the Goodwill pile because they looked too "junior".  And then it was time for the jeans.

I unfolded them.  I checked them out.  They weren't as soft as I remembered them being.  My brain was in overdrive...  "Is this IT?  Am I "there"?  I don't look how I thought I would look, yet.  Oh goodness, let's just do this already."  One leg in.  Other leg in.  Pull them up.  Hmmm, a little snug in the rear (guess I developed a runner's booty?).  Aannnnddddd... not quite.  I need to lose another inch or 2 before they will comfortably fit.  Dang.  Oh well, maybe in another inch or 2, my gut will look more like what I thought it would look like.

Somewhere along the line, though, my goals changed.  When I started this whole thing, my motivation was to get back into 12s, so that I could shop anywhere I wanted.  I love (love, love, love, loooooovvvvveeeeee) fashion.  I wanted to be able to walk into ANY store and know that they would have my size.  I was aiming for the 12, because most designers include that size in their lines.  I'm going to buy myself a designer dress when I get to the end of this whole thing (whenever that is).  I've always wanted a DVF, or maybe something cooky from Betsey Johnson. But, once I got to the 14s, with an eye on those 12s, I realized that I could do better.

Meeting Tim Gunn, Project Runway Barbie in hand.
He didn't know that they had even sold the PR Barbie.
LOVE Fashion. LOVE.
PS I went to the Meet n Greet directly from Habitat for Humanity, which is why I look a hot mess

So, here goes.  My revised goals.
Number 1: Make the net loss a nice, even 100 pounds.
Number 2: Do it by my birthday, at the end of May
Number 2A: If it doesn't happen by my birthday, then it HAS to happen by August 1.  100 pounds in 4 years (even while having a baby) is completely reasonable, esp for a PCOS sufferer.
Number 3: Get rid of the "crease".

At some point, I developed a "Dunlop" belly.  Oh yes, I'm putting it ALLLL out there in this post.  :)  You know when men wear their pants under their beer gut, and you say, "his belly dunlopped over his pants."  Okay, maybe you don't say that, but I have tacky friends that do!  Anyway, somewhere on the way up the scale, my belly dunlopped.  Being a woman, I didn't tuck my pants under it, but it was there all the same.

And on the way back down the scale, it's still there.  It's much, much smaller, but it's still super odd looking.  Perhaps I will brave up and take a swimsuit shot, so that everyone can see what I mean (maybe someone will have some pointers on getting rid of it!!).  So, that's my goal right now.  To get rid of that crease.  I showed it to my mom the other day, and she's worried that it will take surgery to get rid of it.  I think I can get rid of the crease on my own, but I am starting to get concerned about the excess skin.  My gut looks like it got hit by a hailstorm, and I'm not sure that all of the ab work in the world will save it!  Either way, I will be happy if I can just lose the crease!

And now, just to end this post on a high note, let's take another look at those Chicago pics, shall we?

Struggling

After Body Back was over, I went back to the Jamie Eason program, full time.  I started back on Week 5 (even though I had progressed beyond that, part-time), and went back to following her work-outs to the letter.  I stayed with the same nutrition that I had been doing, though.  I worked through the end of Week 8, then sat down to try to figure out how to incorporate Phase 3 into my life.

Since it was December, and December means TONS of parties, and lunches, and dinners, and drinking in my profession (or in any profession, probably!), I couldn't figure out a realistic way to do the Carb Cycling that she advocates for Phase 3.  Thankfully, I had saved all of the workout logs from Phases I and II.  They were all stacked neatly in a kitchen drawer, along with Body Back workouts, and random workouts that I printed off of Pinterest.  Each morning, I would just grab a workout from the drawer, on my way out the door to the gym.

Also during December, some Body Back buddies decided to start a work-out class on our own.  We would meet up (1, 2, or rarely 3 times/week) and do a Tabata workout.  For those of you unfamiliar with Tabata, it's an interesting concept.  You go all out for 20 seconds, rest for 10, and repeat 8 times.  The idea is that you can get in a super intense workout in a very short amount of time.  We would usually do 3 cycles of 3 sets.  1 set would be 8 rounds of cardio, 8 rounds of strength, and 8 rounds of core.  When I wrote them, I'd try to alternate the strength between arms, legs, and full body.

I was also still running with my husband.  Our neighborhood is 2 loops, just shy of 2 miles, if you run every street.  He would set off walking, and I would run to the corner, jog back to him, then walk back to the corner.  And repeat, all the way around the neighborhood.  I call it Horses, but I think we used to also call them suicide runs in soccer?  Either way, it's quite the workout, when you add 30 pounds of toddler in a stroller.  And even more so when that toddler demands that you sing (thanks, Stroller Strides!).

With all of the partying, and with my work-outs lacking their previous intensity, my body settled in at 185 pounds.  And stayed.  And stayed.  And stayed.  Some days, the scale would say 188.  Some days, it would dip back down to 181.  And then I'd yo-yo from 183-185 for a week (yes, I weigh every day.  Get over it).  So, once again, I decided that I needed some sort of program or direction, or something to make my work-outs make sense.  And once again, I turned to google.

Dec 2012
Feeling pretty cute :)

This time, I came up with the Body by Glamour One Month Slim Down.  It suggests 5 or 10 pound weights ::snort:: so I adapted it, because I was used to lifting much heavier.  It prescribes lifting 4 days/week, and doing HIIT the other days.  I don't care for doing HIIT on machines everyday, and since it was winter, I didn't always get to go outside (because of rain, not because of cold).  So for the other cardio days, I downloaded the Nike Training Club app on my phone.

The One Month Slim Down was another program that I enjoyed thoroughly.  I could get in the gym, break a sweat without having to think about it, and then go on with my day.  Same for the NTC app, I appreciated that it's a complete workout, no planning required on my part.  I go to the gym, gather up the equipment, and get to work.  One of the trainers at the gym came over to ask me about it, and he even seemed impressed.

Still, even though I was lifting heavy and getting my cardio in, the scale was NOT my friend.  And I know everyone is screaming "muscle weighs more than fat, woman!" but I didn't feel like my body was improving. By this point, it was well into January, and I decided to make a goal for the year that wasn't weight related.  My thought was that if I was active, happy, and healthy, then maybe the weight would take care of itself.  So, I decided to do a race a month, just to have something to work towards.

I "ran" a 5k in December.  I say "ran" because my daughter decided to do it with me.  I had her in the jogging stroller, rolling along, and right before the 1 mile mark, she says, "I wanna run!" so, I got her out and let her take off.  She ended up running about 1/2 of the route, in her jammies and slippers, no less!  Crossing the finish line with her was quite possibly one of the proudest moments of my life.  My weight loss journey had taken on an entirely new aspect, showing my daughter that lifelong fitness is what is really important.

The Santa Hustle

We turned in a 1:03 time!
Yes, for a 5k. :)

In January, I ran a 5k with a SS friend, and we turned in a sub-40 time (not my best!).  I wasn't concerned about the time on that one.  It had been since April 2012 that I had run a 5k, so I wasn't really sure where my pace would be.  The friend that I ran it with is not a huge fan of running, so we did a walk-jog combo.  She says I went into "Beast mode" and that she was holding me back.  But for me, I just enjoy getting out and running with a buddy, I'm not so concerned with how fast we get where we're going.

In February, I went to Dallas for the Hot Chocolate 5k.  The original plan was to see if my sister had bounced back from having a baby (in December) enough to run it with me.  When it looked unlikely, I recruited my "cousin" SaraBeth to run it with me (by "cousin", I mean my "Aunt's" (my mom's BFF, no relation, but definitely my 2nd mom) cousin's daughter.. makes perfect sense, right?).  SaraBeth is an aspiring country music star, so I knew that she is fit enough to be my "rabbit" and push me to run a better race.  Sure enough, we hit the starting line together, jostled our way around the first corner at speed, and just as I was about to settle into race pace, she kicked it up!!  I tried to hang with her, but quickly got a stitch in my side.  So, I let her zoom ahead, but tried to keep her in my sights, to push me.  I turned in a PR time of 31:56.  Not as great as I had hoped for (I really felt like I was on pace to do 30:00), but still not bad for someone who hadn't run a true (non-stop) 5k in 10 months!  Oh, and there were hills.  Small ones, but still more than we get in H*town!  

Oh my it was cold
Silly me shoulda worn more clothing!

Now, I know that I said above that I spent most of January frustrated by a lack of change.  But, of course, you can see from the pictures that my body was changing.  It was changing drastically.  By the end of February, I was settled in at 175 pounds, and had just (barely!) squeaked back into a size 12.  YAY me!! :)

As my body changed, so did my nutrition.  My dad had the Gastric Sleeve procedure in October (and he's looking amazing!!).  He had to drink Meal Replacement Shakes leading up to his surgery, but then couldn't drink them after.  So, I inherited all of the ones he had purchased.  So, now a "normal" day is: egg whites with cheese for breakfast (and a sandwich thin if it's a double workout day).  Banana at 10.  MRS for lunch. Piece of fruit at 3.  Sensible dinner at 6 with the fam.  I still have splurges, where I go out to eat with co-workers, or chow down on a piece of cake (hello, dobasche!), but I always make up for it somewhere else. I was still taking the EFAs, the Multi-Vitamin, a Fish Oil, BCAAs on lifting days, and Metformin.  I also added Detonate (a thermogenic) to the mix. 

Live Fit and Body Back

In September of 2012, I discovered the Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer on bodybuilding.com: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html  It's an AMAZING 12 week program, and I'm so glad that I gave it a shot.  It changed my body drastically, and gave me the confidence to try all sorts of new things in the gym.

I followed the first 5 weeks to the letter.  I lifted when she said to lift, I ate what she said to eat, and of course I rested when she said to rest!  I ordered the supplements package that she sells (an EFA, a BCAA, a multi-vitamin, and protein powder).  Randomly, I was heating up my turkey muffins in the break room one day, and my Mentor asked what I was doing.  I explained, and he said he went out with Jamie in junior high, and that his wife had danced with her all the way through high school.  How crazy is that?!  Anyway, I was trucking along on the Jamie Eason plan, and LOVING it, when Stroller Strides did another round of their Body Back program.

Several of my Stroller Strides friends had done previous sessions of Body Back, and loved it, so I wanted to give it a shot.  It seems cheesy, but even after just 4 classes one of my BFF's body looked completely different.  Body Back is an 8 week (baby-free) program, that's kind of hard to explain!  It's part Boot Camp and part therapy session.  Classes meet 2 times/week, with an additional 2-4 work-outs on your own (outlined in the book you get at the first class).  We had a facebook group to share struggles and successes, we set goals to work towards, and meditated/reflected at the end of each class.

While in the class, I didn't feel like I was seeing results, because the scale wasn't moving as fast as I would have liked.  However, at the end of the 8 weeks, I lost 8 pounds, shaved 1.5 minutes off my mile time (bringing me very close to my high school mile time), and doubled the number of sit-ups and push-ups I could do in a minute (true sit-ups and push-ups!).  I also lost an inch in my chest and 2.2 inches in my waist.  Clearly, something was happening.

Throughout October and November, I was doing the Jamie Eason plan 3 mornings/week, Body Back 2 nights/week, and running with my husband as I could (usually 2 nights/week).  I was eating on the Jamie Eason plan for breakfast, snack, lunch, and second snack, but for dinner I was using Body Back recipes or just something that we cooked on our own.



Before and After Pictures from Body Back

At the end of the 8 weeks, I was 181 pounds, and just getting into a size 14.  I went out the morning of my daughter's party and bought some new shorts (because it was going to be in the 80s.  In November), which were a size 14 from Old Navy.

Goofing Off

After my Tri, I continued working out at 24.  I would sometimes swim, sometimes do cardio, and sometimes venture into the machines.  By May, I had gotten down to 207 (thanks Metformin) and was feeling a little aimless.

Resume Photo for my new job
May 2012

For my birthday, I asked for a training package.  I bought 13 sessions with Jason (now I don't remember his last name).  He was a former Marine, and a BIG fan of Burpees.  In 13 sessions, I lost another 7 pounds (2-3 sessions/week), and I was sitting at 200 by the end of June.  However, training with him and swimming was pretty much all that I was doing.  The gym was super crowded in the evenings, so I wasn't ever venturing over to the weights, because it took so long to work in.  After my training sessions were up, I switched back to morning work-outs, but never really enjoyed working out at 24.

In August, I convinced my Brother in Law to go back to Anytime Fitness with me.   We joined a different location than before, and starting hitting it 3ish mornings/week.  We put my daughter in gymnastics, and her class was at the same time as Stroller Strides.  So, my last SS class was in July.  By the end of August, I was back down to 196 and looking for some direction to my work-outs.  I was still mostly doing cardio on the treadmill and then strength on the machines.

So of course I turned to google, searching for some sort of training program.  I didn't need motivation or encouragement.  I just needed someone to tell me what to do, and when to do it.  And that's when I discovered the Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer on bodybuilding.com

Gaining while Training

At the end of Nov 2011, the scale started going up.  And up.  And up.  At 217 pounds by Feb 1, I threw my hands up in disgust.   I was eating right.  I was exercising.  I was training for a Sprint Tri.  I was still BFing my kid twice a day.  What was I doing wrong?!

I made an appointment with my doctor.  I told her that I had gained 22 pounds in 3 months, and the only change in my life was that I had stopped pumping.  And I was willing to give 10 pounds of blame to that, but 22 pounds seems extreme, especially when you as active as I am!

I met with her in February 2012.  I could see the judgement all over her face when she walked in the room.  She was ready to tell me to cut out fast food, eat sensibly, and walk 3 times a week, I could tell.  So when I jumped in and told her what I ate and when, and just how much I move, she was shocked.  When I told her that I was in the midst of training for a Sprint Tri, she was blown away.  She and I spent some time discussing my medical history, and of course PCOS.  She was surprised that I hadn't ever been told that PCOS is a life-long struggle, and that I may need help from Metformin to control my weight for the rest of my life.  She ordered a round of blood work to make sure there wasn't another problem, and then put me on 500 mg of Metformin daily, starting in April 2012.

In December of 2011, I joined a new gym.  I decided to try out a 24 Hour Fitness, because their 24 hour pool would allow me to get in some swims before work.  From January- April 2012, I swam 2-4 mornings/week, for 35-40 minutes, depending on how many times I hit the "snooze" button. :)  I also ran 2-5 nights/week (usually 3 miles, with the stroller) and rode my bike at least once on the weekends (anywhere from 5-15 miles).   I still went to Stroller Strides on Saturdays.

On February 15, 2012, I gave up nursing my daughter.  She was 15 months old, and we decided that it was time.  I share this just because it did affect my calorie burn for the day, and it affected my diet.  Once she was off the boob, I  jumped back on to my protein bars, and started eating one for breakfast every morning. I still ate a sensible lunch and dinner, along with 1-2 snacks (trail mix or a piece of fruit) each day.  And I still splurged on ice cream and beer and such.  :)

March 2012
Girls Weekend to celebrate my boobs' freedom

In April 2012, I competed in a Sprint Tri.  It was a 400m pool swim, a 14 mile bike, and a 3.2 mile run.  My goal was to complete it in 1.5 hours, not counting transitions.  I completed it in 1:38, after completely bonking on the run (and a brutal headwind on 10 miles of the bike).  I was moving along, feeling good, and all of a sudden, I was walking.  My brain was saying "RUN! GO!" and my legs just weren't responding.  It was the strangest feeling.  Luckily, I had some GU in my Tri jersey, which I knocked back right after the 1 mile marker of the run.  By the turn around (1.6 miles), I was running again, and finished with a smile on my face.  I landed in 2nd place of the Athenas division.

Finishing strong
1/2 mile left

Addicted to Running

After that first 5k, I fell in love with running.  I had always been a pretty big fan of it, what with how much running is involved in soccer.  But once I had the 5k under my belt, I knew I had found a long-term cardio plan.  There's something about running that is better than therapy.  Of course, it helped when I added my sister to my routine.

My sister and I started running together, and training for a 10k in October 2011.  I still had not re-joined a gym, so running and Stroller Strides were my only exercise.  I was still nursing, but my diet wasn't the greatest.  It wasn't as bad as it had been, but I was definitely letting it slide.

My sister and I (loosely) followed the Hal Higdon 10k Intermediate Plan.  We would get together several nights/week and run whatever was on the list for that day.  We quickly began to realize that the second mile (from 1.01 to 2.0) was our "Suck and Hate," and that once we were over that hump, it was easy to cruise through the remaining mileage.  We cheered each other on, and carried each other through low spots.  If I could tell she was fading, I would bring up a story to get her out of her head, and vice versa.  We chose a 10k that was two loops of a 5k.  Our goal was to finish a 5k before the winner of the 10k finished his race.  We finished our 5k in 32 minutes, 3 minutes ahead of the 10k winner.  Yay us! :)

After the 10k, I planned to take a few weeks off, and then start training for a Sprint Tri.  A few weeks turned into the whole month of November, as being a mom took over my life! November was my daughter's 1st birthday, and the giant party that comes with that.  I also gave up pumping on Nov 1 (I had been pumping 3 times/day), and was dealing with all of that.  At the end of November, I was still holding at 195 pounds, and decided that it was time to crank it up!

My daughter's birthday party
It was a Milk n Cookies Pajama party :)

Stroller Strides and more

In early January 2011, I joined Stroller Strides. For the un-initiated, it is a FABULOUS momma-baby group work-out.  Each franchise may vary, so I'll explain how ours works.  If you are pregnant/expecting/have a child in a stroller, I implore you to look up your local group.  Being a part of this wonderful group has been a life-saver for me.

Our group meets 4 times/week, at 2 area parks (alternating locations), for an hour each time.  You bring your munchkin in a stroller, and break a sweat.  We start with a warm-up, and then do a mix of cardio and strength work (using a resistance tube or body weight).  Then we "take off," either power walking or jogging to the next station.  Rinse and repeat 3-4 times (the working and running part).  Then we end up back at our starting point for ab work, followed by a cool down/stretch.  Oh, and of course, since it's a baby integrated class, we entertain the children as we work.  Sometimes it's squats to "Tick tock, tick tock, I'm a little cookoo clock", sometimes it's sprint away from the stroller, and then tickle your kiddo when you get back.  Whatever the instructors have in store, you can be sure it will be amusing. 



My daughter with her besties.  You can tell they're amused, right? :)

One of the things that I love most about Stroller Strides is that you can make it YOUR workout.  You can go all out, 110% for an hour, or you can give it your best and use the "take off" part to recover.  Either way, you're getting in some movement, and your kid is learning that fitness is an important part of a healthy lifestyle.  I know this sounds like a sales pitch, but it's an amazing organization!

In addition to Stroller Strides, I exclusively breast-fed the kid until she was 15 months old.  By April 2011, I had gotten back down to my pre-pregnancy weight of 195 (on the kid's 5 month birthday).  Lucky me, I was back in my pre-preg jeans within a few weeks of giving birth (I know, I know). I stayed right around 195 until I quit pumping in Nov 2011. 



Dec 2010

At first (while on maternity leave) I went to SS as often as I could (2-4/week).  Besides walking my Monster around the block in the afternoons, SS was the only exercise I got, until March 2011.  In March, my kidlet was old enough to go in a jogging stroller, so I joined a second Stroller Strides program, called Moms on the Run.

Moms on the Run is an 8 week program to guide you to running a 5k (or 10k, if you can already run 2 miles).  In earlier posts, I mentioned that I had tried and abandoned the Couch to 5k program.  Moms on the Run gave me the boost that I needed to get over that hump, and I ran my first ever 5k in May 2011 (in 36 minutes). 


May 2011

Baby time

From May 2010 through November of 2010, I scaled way back on the work-outs.  I was able to go to the gym and do something (what that something was varied) until I was 34 weeks along.  At the 34 week mark, I was too unsteady to get on the treadmill, and felt uncomfortable lifting weights.  So, I hung up my gym kit, and waited to meet my girl.

August 2010.
Around 24 weeks, I started to look less "fat" and more "pregnant"

Over the course of my pregnancy, I gained 44 pounds. Obviously, I was losing until week 10, because I didn't know.  From Week 10 until Week 24, I gained about 1 pound/week, for 17 pounds in 14 weeks.  At week 24, my doctor took me off of the Metformin, and I exploded.  I packed on the additional 27 pounds in the remaining 14 weeks, making no change besides coming off the Met.  At 30 weeks, my doc sent me to a nutritionist.  I kept the food log, the exercise log, and she seemed shocked that I was gaining so fast.

Around the same time, my baby went from measuring 3 weeks behind to measuring 4 weeks ahead.  That drew a round of testing for GD, Downs, you name it.  I had to go in for weekly NSTs.  I had to go to a High Risk Specialist for High Def Ultra-Sounds.   Terrifying.  And obnoxious. I could see it written all over that Doc's face, "here comes another fatty."  He couldn't have known that I was working to change me, but it hurt all the same.

October 2010

Looking back, I feel like my weight gain came as a direct result of coming off the Met.  I probably wouldn't have been worried half to death if I knew just how important Metformin is to maintaining my weight.  But, I didn't, so I worried.  And worried.  And worried some more.

But, my kiddo was born happy and healthy, and big.  And I left the hospital weighing 211.  When I checked in to deliver, I was 239.  Not bad for 2 days. :)

I took it easy for the required 6 weeks (even though I really wanted to get back in the gym after about 3 weeks!).  At the end of my doctor-enforced time-out, I discovered my beloved Stroller Strides.

Bring in the Professionals

In December 2009, I asked for a personal trainer for Christmas. I felt good about how far I had come, but I knew I could do more.

In January 2010, I started working 3/week with Brian Cansler.  He pushed me all over the place.  I learned new cardio moves, new weight lifting moves, and how much I HATE box jumps.  To this day, I'm terrified that I am going to break my nose every time I attempt them.

A typical session with him lasted a full hour, minus 5 minutes of warm-up and 5 minutes of stretching.  To warm up, he had me walk intervals of the treadmill.  1 minute at 7% at 3 mph, 1 minute, 1 at 15% at 3, then 2 minutes at 7% at 4 mph, then back to 15, then 7 back and forth until he got bored, I guess.  :)  Then he would pull me off the machine to do some lifting.  Good Mornings were a favorite of his.  Then back to cardio, usually we would go outside for frog jumps and sprints, and various other misery.  Then back inside for some more lifting.  Then some more cardio (this is where box jumps usually made an appearance), then some ab work, then done.  I left his sessions completely drenched in sweat, and grinning from ear-to-ear.



During that time, I was still working out on my own in the mornings (4-5 days/week).  Plus 3 sessions in the afternoon with him. If I was bored, I would go back and do two more on my own, on the other evenings.  And if it was a really rough week, I'd pop in for an hour or 2 on a Saturday.  I had also joined a soccer team, my beloved Storm.  So, I was hitting the gym 8-12/week, plus soccer on Sundays.


May 2010
195 lbs and 10 weeks pregnant
I played GK, but came out and scored a goal during the 2nd half

My diet stayed pretty much the same as it had in 2009, except that I added more protein, and less sweets. I tried to decide if the things I craved (like ice cream) were really worth redacting the hard work that I was putting in.  Some days it was, and some days it wasn't.  In mid April, I decided to try Oxy Elite Pro (a thermogenic) to see if I could get results faster.  Read on for what happened with that.

In early March, I came down with a horrendous case of bronchitis.  It lingered.  And lingered.  So I took some time off to try and heal.  I went back to the gym in late March, and was going strong through April.  In late April, I started feeling like crud during my work-outs.  I'd show up for a session with Brian, and he'd drag me outside for some frog jumps, and I just felt like I was trying to jump through a brick wall.  I was sluggish, exhausted, and sore.  I asked him if he knew anything about excess exercise causing bruising, because I started to notice huge bruises all over my legs and arms.  With the gym owner, we decided that I should go get my iron levels checked, and maybe dial back the exercise while I waited on results.

Meanwhile, my period had stopped again.  On the Metformin, I had managed to get on a 35 day cycle.  By late April, I was on Week 9 of no period.  I took three different pregnancy tests, and they were all negative (on days 42, 62, and 67, since you asked).  On April 22, 2010, I called my OB, told her I was on day 69, and asked if I could come in for blood work to test my iron and make sure I hadn't developed some sort of Metformin resistance.  She suggested that I swing by a clinic and get my blood drawn for a pregnancy test instead.

On Tuesday, April 27th, she called with the news that I was indeed 10 weeks pregnant.  To say that I was in shock is an understatement.  My first thought was to tell the husband.  My second thought was to write a nasty letter to all of the manufacturers of the pregnancy tests (I used 2 different brands).  My third thought was, "I wonder what that means for my work-outs?".  And my fourth thought was, "well, crap.  I've been taking Oxy Elite for 4 days, I hope that doesn't hurt the baby."

The first belly pic

With my Ob's blessing, I continued exercising.  Her rule was that if I could speak 2 sentences normally, then the baby was getting enough oxygen.  If I was having trouble speaking 2 sentences, I needed to stop or slow down.  She advised me against doing ab work, but said nothing else was off limits.

Since I had already paid for my trainer, I continued working with him until I was 17 weeks along, doing 2 sessions/week.  I continued going to the gym on mornings that I wasn't too tired to move (so, 2-3 days/week).  I continued taking the Metformin (again, at the advice of my doc).  I quit the Oxy Elite immediately.  I stopped eating the protein bars, and found other ways to incorporate protein into my diet.

From Jan 2010 through May 2010, I lost an additional 30 pounds.  I was 195 pounds, and wearing a 16-18.

Dirty Thirty

In August 2009, I joined Anytime Fitness.  My husband and I were living with my parents (trying to save a down payment for a house).  My soon to be Brother in Law (BIL for short) also was living with my parents (between ending his lease and moving into his home).  My BIL decided to get in shape with me, and also joined the gym.

From August through October, my BIL and I went to the gym a few times/week.  In recollection, I remember it being 3 or 4 times/week, but it may have been more or it may have been less.  I'm thankful for having a workout buddy to keep me on track, and to "compete" with.  We pushed each other to stay a little longer, or work a little harder.  If he was on the treadmill for 30 minutes, I went for 40.  I'm not sure if he knew that I was judging myself against him.  Guess he knows now!

In that time, I attempted the Couch to 5k on the treadmill.  And I got stuck on week 5.  I just couldn't mentally push myself past the 1 mile mark.  Maybe it was me, maybe it was the treadmill, maybe it was the program.  Who knows?

My gym routine was usually:
Couch to 5k on the Treadmill
Arm circuit or leg circuit on the machines (alternating days)
Finish up with a few more minutes of cardio (20 on the bike or elliptical, or 5 on the Stair Stepper)

The machines at that gym were pretty basic.  Legs were extensions, curl, press, calf press, and maybe one other that I'm forgetting.  Arms were row, press, fly, curl, and again maybe 1 or 2 more that I'm forgetting.  Basic things.  I would do 15 reps on one machine, hop to the next, the next, the next, all the way to the end of the row.  Then grab some water and repeat twice.  I lifted more than a beginner probably would, I think because I still had some old soccer muscles buried under the blubber (we lifted in the HS weight room for soccer).

In October 2009, the hubby and I moved back into the City.  I transferred my membership to a different Anytime Fitness, that had a wider variety of machines.  I upped my work-outs to more like 5-7/week, and upped my cardio (I abandoned the Couch to 5k) to 30-45 minutes on the elliptical (basically, I did it until I got bored). I still hit a circuit of the machines each time (either legs or arms), but started wandering into the free weights area.  I tried my hand at squats, and grabbed a bosu ball for some ab work.  Most days, I was in the gym for about 1.5 hours.  Before going to the office.  :)

October 2009
I went as an SEC ref :)

I also overhauled my food intake.  No, I won't call it a "diet" because it's not a diet.  Before, I was eating whatever I felt like, whenever.  During the first round of my transformation, I cranked up the protein, dialed back on the sweets, and tried to eat more sensibly.  I won't say that how I ate is right, I'm just sharing what I did.

Breakfast was usually a protein bar after the gym. If I didn't go to gym, then I usually couldn't stomach a protein bar, so I'd have waffles or maybe a Pop-Tart, something I could eat in the car on my commute.  Weekend breakfasts were usually pancakes or breakfast tacos.  I added in a morning snack, usually a banana.  Lunch was always a turkey sandwich on honey wheat bread, a piece of fruit, and 1 cookie (usually a Chips Ahoy).  I'm a boring lunch date.  Dinner was just a smaller version of whatever we were having.  We had always been heavy on chicken and fish, but it was usually accompanied by something cheesy or starchy. So I continued eating chicken, fish, and some red meat for dinner, with a small serving of the side, and tried to incorporate more green veggies.  If I had hit the gym after work that day (instead of before), dinner was usually a protein bar or shake after the gym, and then some cheese and crackers later on.  That drove my husband crazy.  :)

In my personal life, the husband and I had put the option of a baby up for discussion.  In April 2009, I went off the pill, and we started saving for an adoption.  I had always wanted to adopt, long before I found out about my PCOS.  Hubby thought it was only fair for us to be trying at the same time we were saving.  Always a good sport, I agreed, thinking there was no way in heck I was going to get preggo.

By August, I still hadn't had a period (thanks PCOS!).  I called my ob, made an appointment, got all checked out, and she urged me to consider Metformin.  In agreeing to try for a baby, I made it known from the start that I didn't want any drugs to get me there.  I wanted to just causally try, and told everyone that I wouldn't consider any IVF/IUI/Clomid/anything.  But, my doc had explained that Metformin isn't a fertility drug, it's just a drug that has a lovely side-effect of inducing ovulation in some women that suffer from PCOS.  After much consideration, I went on 1500mg/day, in October 2009.  At the time, I didn't know that another side effect of Metformin is weight loss. I found that out 3 years later, but I feel like it's worth including here.

Dec 2009

From August 2009 to December of 2009, I lost 35 pounds. I attribute it to hard work, better food choices, and a kick in the pants from the Metformin.

About Me

I decided to start this blog as a record of my weight-loss journey.  As I've made improvements to my health and appearance, people have started asking questions.  They want to know if I followed a plan, or hired a trainer, or took some magic pill. 

The answer, of course, is that I worked my butt off.  I showed up day in and day out, and earned every last ounce of the weight I dropped.  But, I did have a lot of help.  I intend to credit every person who contributed to my success, because I owe them big time.  If you were part of this, be sure to watch for your shout out. 

Growing up, I was always active.  And I was always heavy.  My mom put me in soccer at age 4, to help control my weight.  Little did she know that I would fall in love with the sport ("obsessed" may actually be a better word).  Getting back out on the soccer field was one of my biggest motivators to get back in shape.

In high school, I was diagnosed with PCOS.  At the time, I just thought I would have wacky periods and maybe some trouble getting pregnant.  I had no idea that it can cause women to develop insulin resistance and pack on pounds.

When I left for college, my activity level dropped.  I started gaining weight, but wasn't too concerned about it.  I thought the Rec was for silly girls who wanted to lose weight.  Of course, I learned the hard way that you need to move to keep from gaining!  By the time it occurred to me to do something about it, I had packed on the Freshman 15, 6 times over (15 pounds for each year that I was in college- OUCH).

I hate most weight loss chronicles, because at some point, the author references late nights with a Super Sized Double Whopper and a milkshake.  Not everyone is like that, and it pisses me off when people imply that.  The truth is that I made bad choices.  I didn't say "no" when I was full, I said "yes" to ice cream entirely too often, and I didn't give any thought to portion sizes.  In the midst of gaining, I started a serious relationship, and fell right into the trap of cooking for 2: half on his plate, half on mine; never realizing that a large portion for a man is a SUPER large portion for a woman.   

And I hate the weight loss diaries that minimize the effort.  The women that say, "Oh, I walked 4 miles, 4 times a week, and dropped 60 pounds in 10 weeks!  YIPPEEE for me!!"  Great for them.  But when you have PCOS, your body messes with you, and holds on to every last iota of fat that it can.  I can bust my butt in the gym and drop 3 pounds in a day, and then get stuck there for a month.  Then when I think I've got it figured out, and crank up the effort, PCOS laughs in my face and packs 5 pounds right back on.  And just when you think you might scream of frustration, so you take it easy for a few days, VOILA 10 pounds gone. 

In the time that I've been on this journey, I've learned more about myself than I could have ever imagined.  I learned where my limits are, and how to smash them.  I've learned to count on my body to carry me harder, stronger, faster, and longer.  I'm in the best shape of my life, even if the mirror doesn't reflect it (yet!).  I've learned that people will try to bring you down ("Oh, share this dessert with me, it won't kill you"... it may not kill me, but it will certainly stay with me longer than it will stay with you!).  I've learned to say no.  I've learned to ask, "is it worth it?".  And I hope that if I put this all out there, it will inspire someone else to start their journey.

Reality Check

Chicago, July 2009

 

 

My sister, my mom, my sister's BFF, her mom, my husband, and myself all flew to Chicago to have a go at Filene's Basement Running of the Brides.

 

During that trip, the wheels started turning for me.  It should have been the trip of a lifetime.  I should have gone and had a blast, helping my sister choose a dress.  Instead, I got lost in thought. 

 

If you've never experienced the Running of the Brides, let me fill you in.  Hundreds of crazy brides, their friends, their moms, their gay boyfriends, their brothers, and even a few hapless fiancés rush in, grab as many dresses as possible, find a corner (and hopefully a mirror) and the brides start trying dresses.  The more outgoing groups (mostly the boyfriends) wander the floor, making friends, and bartering for new dresses.  One particular group caught my attention.  One poor man made a lap around the store, calling out for any dress in a size 24.  And then another lap.  And another.  And again.  He finally unearthed the ugliest monstrosity of a dress, which the bride didn't even bother putting on.  I watched her struggle to zip smaller dresses, trying to smile through the heartache, and maybe salvage some fun from the day.  The more dresses she tried, the rowdier her group got.  And the sadder I got. 

 

 It hit me that she could have been me.  Two years before, I had gotten married in a size 20 dress (wearing size 18 street clothes).  I was currently in a size 24 (street clothes).  I realized that I had placed myself out of every dress in that store.  That I was responsible for not being able to shop wherever I wanted.  That I had forfeited the greatest love of my life.  However, I pushed that thought aside, fast-talked another bride out of a KILLER dress for my sister, and went on with my vacation.

 

It wasn't until we got home, and my sister's BFF posted these pictures online, that I realized just how bad it was.  No more hiding.  No more thinking I was cuter than I was.  No more pretending that it's just a bad camera angle. 

 

I joined a gym and bought a scale the day after these pictures went online. 

I was a size 24, 259.6 pounds.

 

I was determined to get back into my high school jeans (size 12) if it killed me. 

I was determined to get back on the soccer field, even if I sucked.

I was determined to leave the Women's Department behind.

I was determined to rediscover my love of clothing.

I was determined to lose that girl forever.