It's been about a month and a half since I've been following the Couch to 5K program, and a month since I've been tracking calories with the LoseIt! app. I've been planning to post a little follow-up on my progress for you guys, but it's not without some embarrassment that I do so.
See — I was doing really well. I was keeping up with C25K, building my momentum, and eating well. (By "well" I mean "better than the crap I usually eat." I'm not going to change overnight, people.) In four weeks, I had lost three out of the eight pounds I was hoping to lose! I felt great and motivated to keep going.
And then... and then... I got sick. Again. Just as I got sick halfway through my last attempt at the Shred, I was forced to throw in the towel for a few days while I got hopped up on Nyquill and made my way through about six boxes of tissues. (As an aside, I'm a generally healthy person. I can't help but wonder if I'm allergic to exercise and that's the reason I get sick every time I seem to commit to a new workout regime. I'm just sayin'...) Once I was feeling better, it was time to head down the shore for a long weekend with my family. My family and lots of food. My family and lots of food and some adult beverages. By the last day of our mini-vacation, I didn't even bother logging each thing I ate into LoseIt! — I just created a new food item in the app called "Caloriefest," estimated a whopping number of calories and called it a day. I told myself I'd start fresh the next day.
Well, the next day? It was like 97 degrees and humid in Philadelphia. The news stations were calling it a heatwave. And seeing as I have no gym membership, no treadmill, and an extremely whiny disposition when it comes to heat, I put my C25K runs on hold. For another week. I could have done some DVD or OnDemand workouts to stay active in the meantime, but I didn't. I just plain got lazy and didn't do anything, and, in addition, I slacked on logging my calories in LoseIt! all last week (and therefore ate too much junk).
I gained every pound back.
I'm mad at myself. I know it's not a huge amount of weight, but how disappointing to have done that well for a month only to throw it all away for some manicotti, cold beer, and some amazing lemon sugar cookies (among other things). I'm embarrassed that I've documented so many attempts at getting fit on this blog to no avail. What a bummer.
I can't let it get me down, though. Yesterday, I started back up with C25K (in case you're wondering, I'm stuck on week 4... but hey, at least I'm doing it), I'm back to logging what I eat into LoseIt!, and I'm trying to remember that I can't just diet and then splurge for a week and expect nothing to happen. Even when I'm not trying to lose weight, I need to remember that I still have to put a little effort into maintaining my weight, because clearly when I get lackadaisical, I gain. I'm not 17 anymore and I can't pig out like I used to without some love handles to show for it :-/ Sigh.
I'll continue to keep you all posted on my successes and failures as I work to get healthier and a little more svelte. In the meantime, tomorrow I'll be sharing a guest post from a good friend of mine who went from non-runner to marathon-completer — she is an inspiration and she'll be sharing some great tips for easing into the world of running. Stay tuned!
June 9, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Press on! You will get there--you are a champion! And thanks, by the way, for inspiring me in yet another way!
ReplyDeleteI'm stuck on week four, too. It's so frustrating to get in such a fantastic groove, only to have everything put on hold. I came home to my parents' house during my husband's deployment and I ended up hurting my back really, really bad, so I had to put working out on hold. And then I started eating all the delicious food from my hometown. I hate getting in non-workout funks, but I'm hoping to get back into my habit starting next week when I go back home.
ReplyDeleteI've been slipping a little on my C25K runs lately, too. I am on week 4, should be finishing week 5 today. Rainy evenings combined with some minor knee and back pain have made it a little hard to finish a full run. It's hard, but I'm determined to stick with it and run a 5K race sometime this summer. That's my motivation. I think I need to register for one in July or August to help keep me going.
ReplyDeleteI just started C25K yesterday! I'm not doing it to lose weight because I'm at my ideal weight, but I do need to get in shape and be more active. I hate the gym so I canceled my membership and started the C25K program. So far so good, but I hope I can stay motivated...
ReplyDeleteHang in there (I'm totally off the wagon) but if it helps your face totally looked thinner last Tuesday :)
ReplyDeleteBright side: The 3 pounds you gained from the weekend with your family may not be "real" poundage, know what I mean? I came back from celebrating Memorial Day weekend (drinks and more drinks with friends plus super indulgent dinner to celebrate my wedding anniversary) and I was up 4 pounds. No joke. But by Wednesday, I was only up 2 and then by Friday, I was actually down a little bit. Sodium + booze = evil scale combination. You just have to detox and get back on the wagon and it sounds like you're doing just that. Couch to 5k is such a great program! You can do it!
ReplyDeleteI really wouldn't sweat those pounds--I know I fluctuate all the time thanks to how much water/tea I drink, or hormones, or salt intake, or wine intake for that matter. One of my good friends has taken up running in the last few months and she's running for an hour nearly every day and hasn't lost that much weight, but she looks awesome because things are tightening up.
ReplyDeleteAs for the heat thing--it's probably better to take it easy on really humid/hot days and instead of running, maybe think of something low-key that you could do for a while like take a looong walk. Over Memorial Day weekend we ended up walking for over three hours and when I went to see what the calorie expenditure of such an endeavor would be, imagine my surprise when I saw it was nearly 1500 calories(!). Yes, it takes time, but it's a great alternative and an excellent excuse to wander around Fairmount Park or Center City. It may not be in line with the rest of your regimen, but something is better than nothing!
I've folded some of the Tracy Anderson method into my Pilates practice, and I know it's working because the husband is actually noticing. :-)
Thanks for the update and thanks for introducing me to LoseIt. I'm trying to approach the whole thing as a lifestyle change. I want to eat differently, make better choices, have overall better nutrition, and be a lifelong regular exerciser. Focusing on those other goals helps a lot. Dropping the pounds is just icing on the cake (it was quick at first, but now it's pretty slow going). If you want a LoseIt buddy, add me as a friend. I could use the extra accountability :)
ReplyDeleteDon't beat yourself up! You're doing great! The tough part about losing small amounts of weight is that your body fluctuates so much day to day that it really depends when you weigh yourself and what you consumed the day before!
ReplyDeleteKeep up the awesome job!