About three months ago, I gravitated to an 80 percent vegetarian lifestyle. Intentionally, I've cut out a lot of the meat, and replaced it with a variety of fresh fruits, veggies and other lower calorie, high vitamin options.
The flavors pop, the produce fills me up more quickly, and I know I'm getting a great dose of vitamins and minerals.
When I got back from India seven weeks ago, I started drinking a lot more water and a lot less alcohol.
Challenging for this social butterfly, I've learned to pick up a Diet Coke or two over that extra Manhattan/glass of white wine/Blue Moon.
And four weeks ago I started running.
Okay, not Chariots of Fire running, but the Couch to 5K run/walking program, which serves up a great cardio workout and lots of sweating.
I don't know about you, but the only reason why I like sweating is because it's a sign my body's pushing itself.
I hopped on the scale for the first time Friday morning. It showed that I've lost about 15 pounds since my last doctor's visit in March, and about 10 pounds since before I went to India.
Those results are heartily welcomed by my wardrobe, much of which has been relegated to the recesses of my little walk-in closet.
I'm not trying to take on militant control with regard to this program.
If my mouth salivates at the sight of a burger or a slice of cake, so be it. I'd rather dabble in controlled indulgence than employ such extreme rigidity that it leads to complete reckless abandon.
That said, I've added a new facet to this regime: Weight Watchers. I've used the system about half a dozen times over the years, and I have a renewed enthusiasm thanks to the program's mobile apps and extensive online offerings.
I'm grateful for the positive reinforcement and copious compliments friends have given me upon seeing the changes in my physique. I can definitely appreciate some differences in my shape, and if you saw me naked regularly, you would notice, too.
You'll just have to trust me.
All of these tweaks lead up to a significant goal I haven't talked about much - some of my best girlfriends and I are heading out to San Diego to run the Carlsbad Half Marathon at the end of January.
No, I'm not crazy. I'm just determined.
It helps to have a far off goal to motivate me to run more, faster and longer. Right now, I'm running about two miles three times a week, and I know I could bang out a swift seven mile walk in one sitting. I'm pushing for more running, less walking and greater distance all around.
I can't wait to see what my body's gonna look like at the end of January.
If you see me along the way, please offer an encouraging word.
It's almost all the motivation I need.
Almost.
Kate's Random Musings by Kate the Great is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
4 comments:
Enjoy!
Besides my family, Jazzercise and Weight Watchers make mine a life I would envy if it wasn't my own. :)
Here's an endorphin toast to changes!
Kathy
You are A-MAZ-ING!!
Although you already know that I was very impressed by your story in this post, I figure I'd say it again. I kept this page open in a Chrome tab for a couple days, after I read it. I too am trying to run much more frequently, after several stints of letting it fall by the wayside. Currently, I am running two to three miles per run. Due to a few days I have been "too busy" to run, I have had to start closer to scratch, after running as many as 4 or 5 miles on some runs.
My goal for the week, partially due to your post, is to run at least 3 miles each day this week, six out of seven days. The reason for this? Well, two years ago, I ran my first race: the 2008 OTR 5K. I ran a decent time but I did walk a short portion at the halfway point. During that race, a friend of mine had run her first race as well. Since then, she has run a marathon and clocked very impressive times. Now, you are pushing toward a half-marathon, having never run before, I need to remain steadfast with a similar goal!
Changing my diet, however, will be a more difficult wholesale change. Since I started running again, I have not seen a change in my body weight. A regular schedule is crucial, so that you don't relapse on unhealthy food during droughts in your regimen...like I have. Your post reminded me that I need to remember to incorporate more of those vitamins and minerals, drink less alcohol, and cut meat consumption. As it turns out, running 3 miles is much easier than changing diet. Who knew!
Thanks for creating inspiration out of your determination. i need to get off my ass now! Let me know if you'd be interested in getting together for a run, since you seem to be at the same stage as I am.
If you get sick of paying for WW, check out myfitnesspal.com
I have been using it since January and have lost just under 40 lbs. A bit of a setback when I went on vacation, but it was a cruise, not India, so I anticipated a bit of a rebound. Let me know if you do it... There's a social/facebook like interface and the community support is awesome!
Congrats on your success and good luck!
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