A New (Out)Look for the Weekly Weigh-In

After over two years of weighing in once a week here on Eclipsed and inviting you to join me, I think it’s time for a change.

As you know, the last few weeks have been a bit frustrating for me and the last few months have sounded a bit like a broken record, as I’ve reported, for the most part, small gains and small losses the really amount, more than anything, to maintaining my weight-loss.

After deciding that I am going to recommit myself to really working to reach my goal of 125 pounds, there is still a little bit of that “refocusing” mentality floating around in my head – which isn’t a bad thing.

I’ll just tell you, I had a little bit of a gain again this week. That’s five weeks straight of small gains that keep me hovering right around where I was last August. If I chose to focus on that, I could easily get frustrated and give up.

However, yesterday when I was setting up my new fitness log, I noticed some changes that I found very exciting. From the first time that I started my fitbook (about a year ago), I have lost more than 20 pounds. I’ve also lost 3” in my bust, 2” in my arms, 4” in my waist, 4” in my hips, 2” in my thighs. That’s exciting!

Those aren’t the only changes I noticed, though. My big workout goal, at that time, was to build up to running for 20 minutes at a time. Now, I’m getting ready to run my second half-marathon a week from Saturday! I never, ever – back when I couldn’t run for 20 minutes at a time – would have thought I could do that.

So, while the number on the scale is a good indicator of where we all stand, as far as our overall health goes, it isn’t – and shouldn’t be – the only indicator. So, from here on out – especially as I approach maintenance – I want to shift the focus from only the number on the scale to other indicators of fitness progress.

What can you do that you couldn’t do a month ago? What progress have you made this week over last week? What positive changes have you made that have really begun to stick? What does your measuring tape say? How are your clothes fitting? What does your food log say about your overall health?

There’s more to fitness than a scale. Let’s celebrate the positive changes rather than being tempted to define our success by a number on a scale, knowing that some degree of fluctuation is normal.

How fit are you this week?

• I have logged my food for two days.
• I have done my strength training for two days.
• I have ignored the mini-Heath bars in my fridge since sometime last week.
• I have eaten a healthy breakfast every day this week.
• I have done cardio every day this week.
• I have consumed healthy amounts of water every day this week.
• I did not ask my husband to go out and get me a Frosty last night, even though I really wanted one.
• I have made a conscious effort to eat well-balanced meals, including lots of fruits and veggies this week.

Your turn!

Do or do not. There is no try.

Refocusing

So, last week, I was all ready to post this great post about shifting my focus. I even talked to my mom and sister about it when we went to breakfast on Friday. I was going to say something about how I was going to refocus and how I was tired of feeling like I'm in limbo because I've been losing weight for over 2 years.

It was going to talk about how I'm ready to get about the business of maintaining and being happy about my weight. I was going to say that I was shifting my focus to maintaining and toning what I've got – that I was going to keep weighing in, but losing wasn't going to be my goal for awhile, but that I was, instead, going to shift my focus to toning and maintaining and quit feeling stressed and aggravated about my plateau.

Then, Jill posted this.

I read it and I realized that she was right! I do want to do this! I want to lose that last 10 or so pounds. I want to reach my goal because I think it is a reasonable goal that was not set arbitrarily or with unrealistic expectations.

I'm not stuck because my body is resisting losing any more weight. I'm stuck because I haven't had any sort of real intensity with my workouts since August. Yeah, I've still been running, but studies have shown that distance running isn't the most effective way to lose weight because if your body does what you're training it to do – become more efficient – then it burns less calories for the same amount of work.

(That definitely doesn’t mean that I have any plans to give up the one physical activity that I’ve come to love. I just need to balance it with other activities.)

I'm stuck because I've been pushing the envelope with my eating choices. Yes, I can enjoy some treats in moderation, but the lines of moderation have begun to blur a bit and I'm sure my portion sizes have probably grown since, for the most part, I haven't been measuring. And, I haven't been tracking.

So, as of yesterday, changes are afoot. As of yesterday, I have started:

• Measuring and tracking my food again. I’m using a paper journal instead of My Fitness Pal, for now, but I may wind up using both since MFP will figure out the calories for me. I've got a composition book that I'm going to model after my fitbook, since the fitbook was the best workout/food journal I've ever found, but I don't want to plunk down another $25 on a new one.
• Start strength training again. Last week I bought a personalized workout plan from Tina Reale – Best Body Fitness. She worked with me to figure out the best workout for me. I started it yesterday. It was a lot more challenging than it looked on paper…but a good kind of challenging.

I’m also probably join our local Chick-Fil-A's Battle of the Bulge, which starts next Monday. I did the Battle of the Bulge a couple of years ago. The biggest benefit of signing up is that participants get free use of the YMCA for the duration of the program. I’m thinking that adding in the intensity of the classes and equipment at the Y could give me just the boost I need.

My plan is to really work this for the next 12 weeks and see where I'm at by that point. If I’m at my goal weight, great! If I’m still hovering around the same weight I’m at now, but have toned up just in time for summer, great!

No matter what happens, though, I want to know that I really, truly gave reaching my goal weight my best shot.

As an exciting side note, I was really excited to see the changes that have taken place in my body since I last used my fitbook (about a year ago). I started it at 153 pounds. In addition to losing weight, I’ve lost several inches since then, too. That made me smile.

What about you? Are you still plugging along or is it time for you to get back to a former level of commitment?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Just in Case You Wondered

Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In. Are you ready?

Me? I’m still pretty much holding steady at where I was back in August. I don’t know whether to consider it a plateau or maintaining.

On the one hand, I guess it’s plateau-like since I really would like to get to my goal weight, if for no other reason than to say that I officially did it.

On the other hand, as I’ve said before, I’m really happy where I am now and could be content here for a lifetime, so maybe it’s maintaining.

I’ve really been debating whether or not I want to continue to push for that last 7 pounds or so, or just consider this my “happy weight” and commence being happy about it.

I guess I need to decide. I’m kind of tired of feeling like I’m in limbo…but I really do want to be able to say that I met my goals.

What about you? How did the scale treat you this week?

Do or do not. There is no try.

I Ate a Doughnut

Last Monday, the kids started begging Brian to go get doughnuts. Not just any doughnuts, mind you. Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

If you’ve never had a hot, fresh Krispy Kreme doughnut, you’ve never had a doughnut. And, no, I’m not talking about a box that you bought from the grocery store and came home and heated up in the microwave. I’m talking about going to the Krispy Kreme store when this sign is on:

photo credit

They didn’t wear him down until Wednesday. I was going out with some friends for dinner. I didn’t tell them to save me one. They knew better than to eat them all.

Why am I telling you this on a fitness blog?

Well, we used to get Krispy Kreme doughnuts pretty regularly. Since the Monday before Thanksgiving 2009, I’ve had them once. Well, twice now. Yes, I was eating a doughnut and I wasn’t going to feel the slightest bit guilty about it.

photo credit

I got home late that night, so I waited until the next morning to eat my doughnut. I was headed out for my long run, so I figured that would be the perfect time – enjoy it, then, go run it off.

I usually read my Bible while I eat my breakfast. I couldn’t do it. I tried, but I actually had to close my eyes and just totally and completely savor each bite of that doughnut. It may have been because it was early that my eyes were watering – they do that – or those may have been actual tears of joy. I’m not quite sure.

All I know is, back in the day when I used to inhale two or three hot, glazed doughnuts, one after the other, I never enjoyed them like I enjoyed that one doughnut that I savored.

I thought of The Biggest Loser episode either earlier this season or last season when they cited a study that showed that an obese person had to eat three times as much to get the same amount of pleasure that a thin person did from a food. I honestly think that’s true.

I can truthfully say that I really think it was more satisfying to fully enjoy that one doughnut than it would have been to scarf down three of them. That’s truly what moderation without depravation is about.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I did eat one more doughnut at lunch later that day. I almost didn’t, but then I decided that, if it was going to be another year and a half or more until I could have another one, I could enjoy one more, guilt-free.

I won’t even tell you how many I would have eaten in the past. Let’s just say that Brian would have needed to have brought home more than the one dozen he brought home last week.

Have you had any moments lately when you’ve truly savored and enjoyed something and realized that truly enjoying a reasonable serving was much better than scarfing down a guilt-inducing, unreasonable amount?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Review and Giveaway: Healthy Treasures Cookbook

As y’all know, I’ve been working on fine-tuning my diet, so I was excited to have the chance to review the Healthy Treasures Cookbook from Designed Healthy Living.

Healthy Treasures Cookbook features dozens of healthy recipes from appetizers to desserts, soups to dressings, and main dishes to side dishes, all with the foundational eating plan of including 3-4 servings of whole grains (much more reasonable than current government guidelines) and 9 servings of fruits and vegetables, along with yogurt, water, herbs, and a small amount of meat protein.

Now, whether or not you follow the food guidelines, you’ll still enjoy finding some healthy new favorites in this cookbook that, for the most part, includes normal, every day ingredients that you would find in most supermarkets.

Some exceptions to the every day ingredients include sucanat, a sweetener available at many healthy foods grocery stores, such as Whole Foods or Earth Fare, and Bragg’s liquid aminos, a liquid protein concentrate. I didn’t check to see if that was readily available.

  There were a couple of things I really liked about the cookbook. First of all, we really enjoyed the recipes that we tried. The honey mustard baked chicken was really good and one that I will definitely make again.

And, although I already liked quinoa, one of the recipes for it gave me new insight on how to prepare it, making my former method much easier. Basically, now I cook the quinoa separately while sautéing whatever veggies I want to add to it. Then, I mix the two together. This is a lot simpler to me than what I was doing.

Another thing I really liked was all the general information that was included in the book, such as:

• The best types of utensils and cookware to use
• A detailed guide to healthy ingredients (This information led me to change the type of baking powder we use.)
• Information on flour, including the history of white flour
• Tips on getting the most from your fruits and vegetables
• A chart showing the foods with the most and least amount of pesticides, to help you know which should be purchased organic only
• Information on the types of and uses for beans and lentils, as well as tips for cooking them
• A guide to the different types of spices
• Tips for adding healthy proteins
• A guide to the variety of sweeteners available

Finally, I liked the fact that the Healthy Treasures Cookbook explained foods likely to be unfamiliar and gave tips for how to prepare them.

This cookbook can also be used as a component in the Treasures of Healthy Living Bible study and optional homeschool curriculum, which I’m reviewing today on my homeschool blog.

For the most part, the recipes were straightforward and simple to prepare and were things that my family would enjoy. The main thing that I didn’t like about the cookbook is that it doesn’t include nutritional information for each meal.

While all of the meals are created to be healthy, that doesn’t always mean they’re low in fat and calories. And, even if they are, I like having the nutritional information available because it makes it easier to track my calorie intake for the day.

The Healthy Treasures Cookbook is available from the Designed Healthy Living website for $18.99, though it’s currently on sale for $16.14.

Be sure to visit my homeschool blog to read my review of the related Bible study and homeschool curriculum.

I’m giving away a copy of both the cookbook and the Bible study – one cookbook here on Eclipsed and one Bible study on my homeschool blog, so be sure to enter both!

**This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to commenter #4.**

How to enter:

• Visit Designed for Healthy Living’s recipe page, them come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me which recipe you’d most like to try. (Mandatory entry)

For a bonus entries (optional):

• Share about this giveaway on your blog, Facebook, or Twitter. (Please include @Kris_RunnerMom in your tweet to make sure I see it.)

Rules: Leave a comment for each entry (up to two separate entries). This giveaway is open to United States residents, ages 18 years and older only. Giveaway ends on Monday, February 6. The winner will be selected at random using Random.org.

The winner will notified via email and given 72 hours to respond. In the event that the winner cannot be contacted by email or does not respond within 72 hours, the prize will be forfeited and and alternate winner selected.

Click to read the complete rules. By entering this giveaway, you indicate that you have read and agreed to abide by these rules.

I received this product free for the purpose of reviewing it. I also received monetary compensation for the time invested in writing the review. The opinions expressed are my personal, honest opinions. Your experience may vary. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.

Do or do not. There is no try.

 

Weekly Weigh-In: Taking a Pass

Happy Wednesday! It’s time for another Weekly Weigh-In. Um, yay. (Yes, that’s me being less-than-enthusiastic.)

If you’ve ever done Weight Watchers, you know that they give you a pass that you can use every so often when you want to skip a weigh-in.

Well, I’m taking a pass today. {sigh}

I did actually weigh yesterday and, as you have probably guessed, it was a gain.

Again. Yes, that would be the third week in a row. I think that’s a first.

It wasn’t that much of a gain, but still. Yes, I know what’s caused it. Yes, I’m aggravated, but with myself. It’s not the quitting kind of aggravated. It’s the “it’s time to quit goofing off and get back to the basics” kind of aggravated.

It all boils down to two things: I’ve let myself get lazy with my workouts and I’ve been pushing the envelop with my eating.

Lack of motivation. It happens to all of us. The last time it happened to me, when I finally rediscovered my motivation, I got busy and lost 15 or so pounds fairly quickly. So, if I’d just do that again, I could be at my goal weight in no time.

That’s all I have to say about that. Enough excuses. Enough laziness. It’s time to rein this thing in and get back to business.

What about you? How are you doing on your weight loss?

Do or do not. There is no try.

Weekly Weigh-In: Spinning My Wheels

Is it Wednesday again already? Where did the week go? It’s time to weigh in. Remember, if you weigh in on a different day, I’d still love for you to stop by and post your results whenever you’ve got them.

As for me…{sigh}. I thought I’d maintained, but I actually gained 0.2 pound. That isn’t much and I actually thought, until I double-checked, that I’d lost 0.2 of a pound and I was still going to say that I’d maintained because that’s really just normal fluctuation.

It’s different when it’s a gain, though. Two weeks in a row. When you’d said that wasn’t going to happen anymore.

I don’t know if I’ve gotten lazy with my eating habit or my workouts or if my body just seems to like 132 as a set point. I can’t say that I’m terribly upset by that, though I would like to reach my goal weight.

The same thing happened to me around 162, though. I stayed there for months before I finally started losing again.

While it’s frustrating to have to keep reporting tiny little gains and tiny little loses and while it’s frustrating not to be at my goal weight, it’s really hard to be upset with 132 pounds when I started out at 220. I never thought I’d see 132 again.

So, I’ll just keep plugging away. I’m actually thinking, though, that today is going to mark the beginning of a serious effort in Operation Kick Jill’s Butt, so watch out, Jill! {grin}

Do or do not. There is no try.