Weigh-In Wednesday Weekly Stats
Weight Watchers Week Number: 22
Lbs Lost this Week: + 1.4
Lbs Lost Total: – 10.8
WW Stars Earned this Week: None
Food of the Week
It’s definitely starting to feel like fall around here, and I found a really delicious fall recipe, which I made this past week. It is just about 7 points a bowl for this Cock-A-Leekie-Soup – and it’s good!
Activity of the Week
None except some walking. I don’t know what happened to me since I ran in July and backpacked shortly thereafter.
Personal Weight Loss Goals (crossed off when reached)
I want to lose…
10 lbs
20 lbs
30 lbs
35 lbs
40 lbs
45 lbs
50 lbs
55 lbs
60 lbs
65 lbs
70 lbs
Personal Fitness Goals (crossed off when reached)
I will…
Run a 5K Read all about it here.
Run a Quarter Marathon or 10K
Run a Mud/Obstacle Race
Run a Half Marathon
Start Strength Training (again)
Backpack (more)
Start Biking
Reflections
I don’t know why I keep gaining weight when I am keeping my food under control. I’m pretty frustrated with it and while I know I shouldn’t think this way, I’m pretty near just giving up, throwing in the towel an settling for “always being this way.”
Reader’s Recap
Blog School is keeping me busy! In case you missed enrollment for this class, go sign up at Blog Genie for freebies, tutorials and great information – Like how to be prepared Blogging Apocalypse – it’s free and will spare you time, money and tears in an emergency. Also, check out some of my all-time favorite bloggers.
Photo Recap
Puppies make everyone smile, right? Gracie likes to think so!
Question of the Week
Have you ever given up on weight loss? Why or why not?
Until the next mile marker,
Follow
Don’t give up! I’ve been there and felt like you and those mind games are the worst. This last time I gave up for about 5 years. Why? I don’t know really. The negative voices in my head kept me sitting on the couch. I broke up with my boyfriend about the same time, but I was already on my way back to “that” weight. The weight I didn’t want to be ever again, but felt inevitably was my lot. Each time I had a setback of any sort, I’d get so discouraged and World of Warcraft just seemed so much easier than going to the gym. My hockey gear started “shrinking” in my hockey bag. I was very disappointed in myself for gaining back the 35-40 pounds I’d lost, always conscious that at my lowest weight was when I had my DVT/PE. It was 9 years ago this Friday to be exact.
I’m still in the process of getting back on track. I’ve lost 20, still have another 10-15 to go. It’s a lengthy process for me and this time I have an actual maintenance goal once I finally hit my goal weight. I’ve never had a plan before. I’ve also already had to modify some of my interim goals because I missed the mark. Right now I’ve been sitting at 20 for the last 4 weeks. Multiple reasons for that, but a resurgence of bad habits and the usual mind-feck are probably the most to blame.
You can do this. It might not be easy, but to steal a line from A League of Their Own, the hard is what makes it great. I’m three weeks from my 1/2 marathon. What if you challenged yourself to run 13.1 combined over the next week (or two). Who cares if it takes you 5 or 6 days to complete the total? It’ll get you back out there. Don’t worry about the weight, worry about getting fit instead. That’s what I need to keep in mind myself these days.
Don’t beat yourself up! (Says the pot to the kettle… LoL)
Hi Carolyn. I can’t tell you how much your words mean to me. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing your story with me. We have much in common, as you know. And I see today would be the 9 year anniversary of your PE – I am glad you are here to talk about it.
I will be thinking about you as you get closer to your half – that is awesome, Carolyn, and a true inspiration to me! Which one are you running?
I can honestly say the things you have said here are things I have thought, felt and been through and I am so happy to be reminded once again, that I am really not alone. I’m really good at telling other people that, but then rarely believe it when it comes to me feeling that way. I like the idea of the goal you said to run 13.1 over a given amount of time. That sounds more doable and even if it is a few weeks, maybe it can only help get me going back in the direction I need to be.
Thank you so much!! Take care.
I’m doing the Detroit International 1/2 on the 20th. Two countries in one marathon. 🙂 http://www.freepmarathon.com/
Awesome, Carolyn! I can’t wait to hear about it.
My 1/2 marathon went really well! Based on my 12 mile runs I expected to come in about 2:45:00 and wound up at 2:32:05! I walked at the water stations and stopped to take some pictures along the way to document my first big race, so I was probably a few minutes faster than that, but I am still ecstatic with the time!
The Ambassador Bridge was a butt kicker, but I had done a bit of hill training and it was early in the race so I was able to run the whole way up (except for those photo ops), and running down the other side into Canada I felt like I was flying. In fact, I decided I really liked the Canada portion of the marathon because it was all downhill. LoL. The tunnel back to the US starts out level, then goes down under the Detroit river and just starts to come back up right before the border. I stopped for a photo op there too, as did about 100 other people. It was really cool.
There really is a lot of energy to be drawn from all around and I think that helped me although I was running a little over 12:00/mile for the last couple miles. Still, I kept going, and I busted my expected time by 13 minutes!
I liked the experience so much, I have decided to sign up for the Cleveland 1/2 marathon in May 2014. I have family there and I’m usually in town that weekend for a charity hockey tournament. Plus, a really good friend and fellow neophyte runner who lives in Pennsylvania now is going to run it with me, so it’s a win-win-win-win. I get to see her, my family, play hockey and run a 1/2 marathon all in the same weekend. =)
I’m looking forward to it, just need to get back out on the road and keep up my base miles. And I need to get back on the weight-loss path too. As the miles crept up, I couldn’t seem to stop eating! So, I’m still at -20 with another 15 to go.
This is so awesome, Carolyn! Congratulations!! That is a fantastic time and one you should be very proud of! 😉 Thank you so much for coming back and sharing with me. I love the energy that comes with races and that is one of the reasons I miss racing so much. Reading your recap put a big smile on my face just to remember what that feels like! I have heard good things about Cleveland and I would like to go to that one someday too.
Keep in touch as I would love to hear more about your training and journey. Thank you! 🙂 Take care.
(Ashleigh from blog school here!)
YES I have given up on weight loss! I used to think weight loss consisted of working out for hours at a time and eating less than 1200 calories a day (some days I’d barely hit 800…terrible, I know!)…I had clearly been influenced by The Biggest Loser. And, surprise, surprise, I came to HATE the idea of weight loss. Loathe it with everything in me. I would always lose 10-20 pounds and then give up because I was beyond miserable with the process. And then, of course, I’d gain back even more than I lost. I eventually gave up on weight loss…FOR GOOD. I became convinced that I would be morbidly obese for the rest of my life. Kinda like you said…I had thrown in the towel and just settled on being like this for the rest of my life. I gave it one last ditch effort by going to a casting call for The Biggest Loser, and when I didn’t get a callback, sending in an audition tape as well. I thought that without professional help, I was pretty much going to have to be a lifer (in terms of obesity).
So yes. I have given up before. A lot. And the last time I gave up, it was a hardcore throwing-in-the-towel kind of giving up.
But then one day I kinda impulsively changed my mind. I realized that I’d never tried the opposite approach before — that of just taking baby steps and going sloooowly. So I gave it a quite hesitant shot.
And in 38 weeks I had lost 63.6 pounds!
But that’s not the end of my story. I deal with bouts of severe, hospitalization-inducing depression. Apparently I haven’t yet learned how to maintain healthy habits while experiencing a depressive episode, because I managed to gain 64 pounds over the course of 9 months…which is pretty much how long it had taken me to lose the weight.
However. I learned SO SO much about weight loss and about MYSELF during the time that I was losing weight that I found a determination and drive in me that I didn’t know I even had. I decided during that time that this was going to be the LAST time I ever tried to lose weight, and that I WOULD succeed AND keep it off. So even though I gained back all the weight, as soon as I hit that weight that topped my previous high by 0.4 pounds, I put things in reverse and started my baby steps again. Today I’m down 10.8 pounds from my highest weight. I have just a hair under 130 pounds left to lose to get to my goal weight. It’s harder this time around than when I initially lost the weight, and I’m still trying to figure out why that is. But the point is that I simply decided I was going to succeed, and that decision is what keeps me going.
Please don’t give up. You’re SO worth it. You deserve to be at a healthy weight.
I wonder if maybe Weight Watchers isn’t for you? I could be totally wrong (and I have nothing against Weight Watchers), but one thing that helped me succeed is learning what wasn’t working and trying something else. The other thing is making a serious commitment to myself and others that I wasn’t going to give up. That commitment has gotten me through all the rough times!
I don’t know if any of that helps, but my heart is breaking for you, girl! I know how hopeless this can all seem, but I just want to encourage you that it IS possible to succeed and you CAN do it.
Ashleigh, thank you for coming over from Blog School! I have been grateful to connect with you there and now, hearing your story, I am even more thankful for the connection. As I posted, I am still really overcome with emotion at the things said on this post. Thank you for being honest with me and letting me know there is hope even when it seems all has been lost in terms of fitness and health. Yes, what you said as helped IMMENSELY and while I am still working to process it and come up with a game plan (fitness goals, new programs, better ways to eat, etc.), what you said matters and I have taken it to heart. I am so grateful you shared your story here. I have to be honest with you, and I have been discussing this with Rita, I was about to give up on this blog because it IS about fitness and health and I feel like I am neither of those things right now. Reading that someone else can relate to me and that we can start a discussion out of it goes a long way to remind me why I started this blog in the first place. While I don’t know the direction my blog will take after class, thank you for giving me things to think about and remind me just a little of why I was here in the first place! XO
Honestly, I think these struggles you’re having will go a loooong way in making you more relatable! SO many people struggle with making healthier choices and living a healthier lifestyle, and you can use this platform to inspire others! I really think people who have struggled through the process are in some ways more inspirational than people who just barreled through, lost all their weight in one shot, and never looked back. They’re more inspirational because perfection seems unattainable…and even when you see people with a (seemingly) perfect journey, it still doesn’t feel quite attainable when you try it yourself. (Not sure if I’m making sense here)
But I think my point is that you still have the potential to touch a lot of people’s lives through your blog. So I wouldn’t abandon it (or change its focus) UNLESS that’s truly what you WANT to do (as opposed to feeling like you SHOULD do it).
Also, I’m working on a series on my blog that might be helpful to you (please forgive me for the plug!). You mentioned that you’re working on coming up with a game plan, though, and my series came to mind. It walks you through the first 31 days of a “baby steps” approach to weight loss. Its aim is to really set a firm foundation in such a way that things can become habit (without overwhelming yourself with a bunch of major changes at once), with the end goal of a healthier lifestyle that lends itself to reaching a healthy weight. It does utilize calorie counting, but if you want to use Weight Watchers instead I’m pretty sure it would still work just fine. (If you want to check it out, there’s a button on the left side of my blog titled “31 days to jumpstart your weight loss journey”. That’ll take you to the table of contents, which can give you an idea of the info I’m covering.)
Anyway, I’m really glad you posted this before officially deciding to throw in the towel! And I’m glad to hear you’re working on coming up with a plan. And however that plan looks and however it plays out…just don’t give up! If the new plan isn’t working, tweak it some. Something WILL work, and I’m sure all these struggles will be SO worth it in the end!
**Hugs**
Thank you Ashleigh. I am working on the Reader Profiles part tonight, which has been the biggest struggle for me – coming up with a direction for my blog. Your words have given me a lot to think about, and I appreciate that. I’m actually using it to help me!
I will check out your 31 days of Baby Steps approach – that is something I would most definitely be interested in!
Thank you so much – I can’t wait to read and talk more. 🙂
I don’t know what I think about my weight gain/loss. For me, it was significant because it’s what tipped me off that something was medically wrong. I try not to ever go by numbers. We’ve had this conversation before. Numbers mean little because, as runners, muscle drives the number up and, in a number-happy society, that can be pretty devastating.
Don’t give up on the weight loss. You have scaled back your physical activity, so that might contribute. Have you had your thyroid re-checked recently. Because we all know what THAT can do 🙂
Thanks for always believing in me, my friend. You know that is something I cherish!! It seems like you always do, even when others don’t. Number-happy society – I had never thought about it like that before, but it’s true – I think I should be a certain weight because that is what society tells me. Granted, right now I need to be HEALTHY as well, but like it was said previously, I need to focus on health and NOT the number. You also know I have been through this before and maybe if I can just change my thinking into BEING HEALTHY, not looking a certain way, it will actually HELP with the weight loss.
Just had blood drawn for the thyroid actually, no result yet, but YES for all we know I could be even [more of] a walking disaster! I didn’t talk about it in this post, but I actually do not feel good as well – more than just not exercising and having gained. I feel bad on top of it. So, maybe you are right about my thyroid. BECAUSE just as the INR gets sorted out, WHY would the thyroid remain sorted out, afterall – it is my life! 😉
Don’t give up! I know it can be frustrating, especially with plateaus and gains, etc, but stick with it.
I’ve been where you’re at before and thinking it’s not worth it. Don’t beat yourself up – don’t let the “bad” weeks define you.
Thanks, Courtney! I let so many of the bad weeks DEFINE all of my weight loss. Definitely an ongoing and recurring problem for me. Thanks for this very important reminder.
DO NOT GIVE UP!!!! Have you ever tracked on an online program your eats to see exactly what is going on.. many people think they eat less calories than they really do – it is the little of this & that which adds up over the course of a day & week. Also, the proportion of carbs/fat/protein may be off. You may want to think about it just to see if you are eating more than you think you are…. Your activity plays a roll too so it all has to come together….
I track what I eat through Weight Watchers, yes, but I have been thinking about taking it in to a doctor and saying HERE is what I am doing- WHAT am I doing wrong?! I KNOW I am lacking on activity right now and I KNOW that plays a roll. Maybe I just need to start walking again and see where that takes me or set a goal to GO a certain amount of miles in a week/two weeks and start with the babiest of steps once again. Thank you, Jody.
Hola!Just came over to your blog from the #Fitfluential twitter chat! Congrats on crossing off some goals, a 5k is no small feet, neither is losing 10 lbs! If your short on time or motivation, try doing some Tabata, better than nothing and it is so quick and effective, one of my fave go-to workouts! Keep up the great work! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Sarah! After what I have been through with the blood clot, I know a 5K is no small feat and I do need to acknowledge that, I think. I tend to compare myself to what I was “before” (i.e. coaching and running half marathons) to what I am “now” and that is a very damaging comparison to me to make on a regular basis. I definitely need to focus on what I have accomplished. Like walking unassisted! Thank you and I’m glad we could connect.