Sunday, May 31, 2009

Running 101 - The plan I followed

Hey there people! Your prodigal blogger is back! I have been for lack of a better excuse, lazy! But now I'm back with a quite a few posts up my sleeve.

I promised in an earlier post that I would post the plan I followed to be able to get to the point of running 30 minutes straight. There are tons of beginner plans out there and some of them use increments of mileage to help new runners train but I found this plan years ago(I think it came from the Cool Runnings website, but I could be wrong), copied it into the jacket of a journal and have carried it with me everywhere I've moved to because I always planned to conquer the 30 minute hurdle, and now I have.

I prefer this plan to all other plans I've seen because while it's quite challenging, it's eases you in into increasing your time. At times, it may be tempting to jump ahead - I started the plan at week 2 - but my recommendation is that to avoid injuries and getting burned out before week 10, stick as closely to the plan as possible. Also, attempt to structure your training so you get a day of rest in between each workout.

Finally, common sense stuff: as with all exercise programs, make sure you SHOULD be running, get checked out by a doctor first. If something feels wonky, assess it and make sure it's not something that could lead to permanent damage, get some rest, etc. Get proper running shoes, go to a specialty running store so they can measure your gait and recommend the appropriate shoes. For instance, I need shoes that stabilize my ankles and are wide enough for me. Okay, fine, I'll admit it, I wear men's running shoes. Don't laugh! :-)

Alright, enough talking, here's the plan:

WEEK1: Run 2mins/Walk 4mins, repeat 5x
WEEK2: Run 3mins/Walk 3mins, repeat 5x
WEEK3: Run 5mins/Walk 2.5mins, repeat 4x
WEEK4: Run 7mins/Walk 3mins, repeat 3x
WEEK5: Run 8mins/Walk 2mins, repeat 3x
WEEK6: Run 9mins/Walk 2mins, repeat 2x, Run 8mins
WEEK7: Run 9mins/Walk 1mins, repeat 3x
WEEK8: Run 13mins/Walk 2mins, repeat 2x
WEEK9: Run 14mins/Walk 1min, repeat 2x
WEEK10:Run 30mins straight!

Let me know how it goes!

Happy Running!

Lara

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Home is where the food is...

Hi ya'll,
Sorry for being gone for a while. I was back home in North Carolina visiting family for Memorial Day. It's funny how wrapped up we get in our daily lives; so much so that I didn't realize it had been two years since I last visited NC.

Anyway, it was great being back. Although NC is my second home (my first being Nigeria), going back always leaves me feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and especially, loved. It also always has me slightly anxious where my weight is concerned; first, because it's a relatively uncontrolled food environment and I am always so relaxed and lazy that exercise is the last thing on my mind, and second, because weight is something that my 96 year old grandmother loves to talk about, especially regarding the gaining or losing of it on other people.

Well, this time was no different. I ate all the home cooking I could find, snacked unrepentantly and did not count a WW point. I got no real deliberate exercise and spent a large amount of time lounging. Surprisingly however, my grandmother was complimentary about my weight, saying I was "a good size" and hadn't gained too much. I'm not sure if that's because she hadn't seen me in a while and was being kind or if she really meant it, but either way I took the compliment because I expected much worse.

I'm back now and immediately launched back into my running, and boy was it hard on that treadmill yesterday, but I pushed through. I'm back to tracking as well. I felt for sure I had gained a few pounds but surprise, surprise, I weighed this morning and was down to 229.5 lbs!!! I AM THRILLED! I have been praying, begging, wishing for the 220's for a minute there and to have it happen when I wasn't even trying is a huge surprise and blessing. I think back to most of what I ate and I think the difference this time was that a lot of what was eaten was healthy, wholesome food. The snacking wasn't, but it was controlled. For instance,I took bites of cheesecake instead of whole slices, I ate a scoop of ice cream instead of a bowl. I ordered a salad and ate half a turkey wrap while having lunch with my mom instead of a grand, fried, saucy meal, so maybe it's finally happening. Maybe a healthier way of living is seeping into my consciousness. I sure hope so.

In the meantime, I will keep on keeping on. The struggle continues!

Hope your Memorial Day weekend was great!

XOXO,

Lara

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Food Review - Kashi Frozen Dinners


I am not a fan of frozen dinners. I find them to be bland, despite the typically high sodium count, and also not very filling. However, I am a fan of the Kashi brand of foods, which is why when I saw a four pack of their frozen dinners at Costco, I decided to give them a whirl. Additionally, because I have seen them featured on health food shows, I figured they could make a healthy addition to my diet for those days when I was crunched for time or needed a quick, healthy lunch.

The Costco 4-pack included two flavors: The Sweet and Sour Chicken and the Chicken Pasta Pomodoro. The nutritional info for both can be found on the Kashi website or you can click on these links for more info:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Chicken Pasta Pomodoro

Both dinners in Weight Watchers points equate to 6 pts.

Now, for the most important part: the taste! The Sweet and Sour chicken was quite sweet. I still needed a bit of salt but it had a bit of a nice, smokey flavor to it. I loved all the different textures of the fresh vegetables in there, especially the edamame. I thought the sweetness overpowered the dish and could be toned down as they have a lot of really great ingredients that could shine through with less sweetness and slightly more of a saltier flavor. On a scale of 1-5, 5 being totally awesome, I would give this a 3.5. Note to Kashi - more soy sauce please!

The Chicken Pasta Pomodoro was slightly less exciting. I loved that they used whole grain penne pasta and that they were generous with the chicken. However, this was also a bit bland for me. I'm not sure if Kashi decided to go deliberately low in sodium to given the consumer the choice of amping up the flavor, but I found myself needing more of a couple of things in this meal. I felt it could have used more marinara sauce, more parmesan cheese, more salt and maybe a bit of pepper. I would give this a 3 for quantity, quality of ingredients, but not much on taste.

All in all, I think they are a great addition to any healthy eating plan. I would suggest, as I did, pairing them with a steamed vegetable or a soup as they leave you wanting a bit more. I look forward to trying some of the other flavors they have, especially the Lime Cilantro Shrimp and the Lemongrass Coconut Chicken.

Have you tried them or any other healthy frozen entrée? If you have, please do share your thoughts and suggestions.

Happy Eating!

Lara.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Weigh-In Mondays



Yesterday was my weekly WW weigh-in at work. Bah humbug... I stayed exactly the same, flat-lined from last week! 231.4 lbs. It's a bit disappointing but I know exactly why. Last week, even though I still kept up with my four weekly cardio sessions, I did not track like I'm supposed to. I started the week off tracking on Monday with the WW e-tools and the rest of the week lost absolute interest in tracking anything. Unfortunately, I also gained a renewed interest in all things chocolate and cookies.

If there is one thing I have learned over the past couple of weeks, it's how important tracking EVERY.SINGLE.THING you eat is. I know I want to get to a point where I never have to write things down again, but I'm certainly not there yet, particularly since I still have so many pounds to go. It is slightly tedious but the results are the reward. For example, a coworker of mine who had gained four pounds the week before when she did not track one morsel tracked last week and lost 4.6 lbs last week. Go figure.

Also, I need to continue to remind myself that eating right is about 80% of the journey, so I could workout every day of the week and still not lose; or even worse, gain weight. So here's to regrouping. We don't meet next week for the meetings due to Memorial Day so it will be two weeks before I know what the WW scale tells me but I will continue to weigh at home to monitor any changes I might be making in the meantime.

Here's to getting back on track!

Lara

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Obstacles to Progress: Food Pushers


Food Pushers come in many forms. There is the family member who shows love by cooking rich, elaborate meals for those they love. There is the friend whose idea of a good time involves lots of cocktails and fried, greasy, appetitzers and for whom your new weight loss plan has become a downer. There are also those people who see you making progress and subconsciously (or not) try to find ways to derail your progress.

It is hard enough trying to navigate the food land mines out there. On every corner, at every turn, there is some commercial food pusher. But then, even closer to home, one must still be a food warrior, slaying junk-food dragons.

The key, I believe, is in individual accountability. I understand that at some point in life, I have been the food pusher. My motivations might not have been sinister, but my actions weren't exactly noble either. Conversely, now that I am the one in the struggle, I am trying to understand that for whatever reason another person is encouraging me to stuff my face, it is up to me whether or not I succumb. I have had to tell a coworker or two to back off when they are hovering over me with some tempting food or the other, trying to get me to give in. For people whose feelings you must spare, self-control becomes the key. Taking a bite or two and leaving the rest is a strategy I have employed. A taste won't derail your plans, many tastes will.

I have also found that being open about your plans to get healthy can discourage a lot of the temptations. I often hear "Oh, there is some cake over at so and so's desk..." and then "Oh, but I forgot, you are on Weight Watchers." It might sound strange, but that helps remind me of my goal.

So, for those of you out there trying to lose weight, what are your strategies for dodging those food bullets being shot your way? Do share!

xoxo,
Lara

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Flight of the Penguin




I am not sure if what I do when I get on the treadmill can be considered running. It is more of a... shuffling. Perhaps, if I'm to be kinder to myself, I'd call it jogging. I don't run pretty; I don't have the light-footed gait of the long-limbed, gazelle-like high school track team that trains at the outdoor track I sometimes go to. In fact, I'm short, stumpy and flat footed. My ankles bend outwards when I walk or run(the experts at the running store call that overpronation, I call it needing new heels put on my shoes every couple of months because they are worn out on one side), not to mention the sticks of butter I lug with me everywhere. Yes, I look like a penguin when I run and I'm so totally okay with it. Why?

Because twelve weeks ago, I started a running plan that started me off with run/walk intervals which increased in time weekly. My first week was a run 3 mins / walk 3 minute/ repeat 5 times split. IT.WAS.NO.FUN! But I stuck with it and today, I'm running 30 minute straight! That was an ultimate goal that I was finally able to realize. Even as I was doing it, I had my doubts I'd finish the plan because I had tried several times to follow that same plan and always gave up.

The difference this time? I allow myself to run slower than I think I should. I "run" at a pace that many people walk at: 3.8 - 4.0mph, but it's enough for me. My heart rate is always high, I sweat profusely and I don't feel like laying down immediately afterward. Most importantly, yesterday, at a certain point in my run, I thought "I love this!" It was a foreign and completely absurd thought that the once couch potato is up and running without much prompting. It is truly an exciting change I see in myself.

So if you are interested, here are some great running sites for beginning runners:
www.coolrunning.com
www.runnersworld.com
www.jeffgalloway.com
www.johnbingham.com

Waddle, waddle, friends!

Lara
*image of penguins from www.outboardmotoroilblog.com/date/2008/10/*

The Happy Dance...

There are few moments in life when I break out my happy dance: when I get some unexpected money, when I find a great pair of shoes, and more recently, when the scale is kind to me and shows a downward trend or when I'm able to fit into something I couldn't before.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. You see, about five months ago, I went to Old Navy to buy a pair of jeans. Now let me preface this by saying that I only in the past two years started wearing jeans again after a long hiatus. The reason being that after I hit about 180 lbs, I felt I stopped looking good in them. Also, jeans usually tell you more about your size than you might want to know. I could bear the thought of wearing an XL in an a dress, skirt or shirt, but not a size 18 and eventually 20 in a jean.

Anyway, long story short, I eventually reluctantly sucked it up and purchased a few cheap jeans from Old Navy...the stretchy kind, in a 20. WELL, a few months later, I was feeling smaller and decided I needed a new pair of jeans (I hadn't officially started any real plans to drop pounds, so the smallness was wishful thinking) . Anyhoo, I walked into Old Navy and did the the neck test(that's when you wrap the waist of a pair of buttoned up jeans around your neck and if the edges touch, it means it will fit...no need to try them on, yeah right!), figured, "ehn, the edges touch, albeit snuggly, I'll get these!" and walked out there with my new jeans.

Let me tell you, I got home, and never have I been so betrayed by a piece of clothing! I could not pull the jeans up past my thighs!!!!!! Cold sweat, panic, resignation and perhaps all the other stages of grieve were felt in that moment. "But these were a size 20! " my mind screamed. The same size as the others I'd purchased! I took a gander at both jeans and realized I'd picked up a 20 regular! No stretch! SO, humbled, I folded up these new evil jeans and put them in plain sight and vowed to one day fit into those jeans if it killed me!

WELL, I am here to report, yesterday, after my run, I was feeling...dare I say, svelte - and I slipped on those jeans. Well, it was less slipping on and more jiggling, tugging and coaxing them on, but lo and behold, I was able to button them up and they fit! I even wore a belt! Needless to say, that was a moment of true triumph for me. It took losing 60 sticks of butter, but I met a goal I set for myself. It felt and still feels amazing!

So comrades, is there an outfit you can't wait to get into? Do share! I would love to hear your stories.

Monday, May 11, 2009

GENESIS....

1 pound = 4 sticks of butter
I want to lose 100 lbs, hence the title of my blog.
My name is Lara, and after over a decade of battling with my weight, I have finally, finally, finally, decided to cut the crap, and plunge head first into the deep, murky waters of weight loss.

This blog is meant to chronicle the struggle - the joys, the pains, the "eureka" moments - of my journey. At the very least, I hope it's a journal I can one day look back on and smile with pride at how far I've come. BUT, truth be told, my deepest hope is that someone, somewhere, will read my blog and be inspired to change his or her life for the better.

I have read many success stories over the years and now I'm ready to write mine. My method? Weight Watchers. I'll write more later about why I chose this plan over all the others I've tried over the years.

My stats:
Height: 5'3"
Age: 31 years old - 32 in a month.
I started Weight Watchers on 02/02/09 at 245 lbs. Today, I weigh 231 lb.s. I am down 14 lbs so far.

I will share my weekly gains and loses as well as new things I'm trying, my workout regimen and so on. I am open to comments and suggestions but request only positive and constructive energy.

Happy Shrinking!

Lara