My Running  and Weight Loss Journey Part I

My 2012 New Year's Resolution was to lose weight. At 30 years old I weighed in at 192 lbs. Having recently given birth to my second child, instead of "losing the baby weight" I had just continued to pack on the pounds. I didn't like the way I looked. I didn't like the way I felt. So on the evening of January 1, 2012, I found myself attending my first-ever Weight Watchers meeting. 

  

Before 11-11-11 Size 16

The Points Plus Program assigned me thirty-some "points" a day and allowed for unlimited "free" fruits and veggies. The first meeting was fun and I liked the idea of being held accountable with weekly weigh-ins. The program structure seemed very supportive and conducive to my weight loss needs. One of my favorites tenets of the program was that you didn't HAVE to exercise! 

This appealed to me because I was not a big fan of exercising. Over the course of my adult life, there have been a few brief periods of time where I would get on an 'exercising kick' and I probably even lost a few pounds here and there. Still, I despised exercising. It was hard. It made my body sore. It took a lot of effort. It was expensive. I didn't have the time. And, at the end of a long work day, I certainly didn't have the energy. (Sound familiar?)

It didn't take me long to realize that I was WAY off-base with the whole "no exercise" thing. While it wasn't required as part of the WW program, participants could earn extra Points, called Activity Points, for exercising. And extra Points = extra FOOD. I may have not been motivated to exercise for the sake of exercise, but the idea of having extra Points to splurge on that slice of pizza on Friday nights was sure motivating!

I decided it wouldn't hurt to exercise for 15-30 minutes 2 or 3 times a week. But, I was NOT going to RUN. Running was not my thing. No way. 

When I was in middle school some of my friends got the bright idea to join cross country. They did great. They loved gossiping back and forth as we traversed the trail behind the school. They held full conversations during those runs. Meanwhile I was red-faced and panting and praying I wouldn't trip and fall flat on my face. Eventually I would have to stop and walk while they ran on. In middle school cross country the races were only 2 miles but it took me the entire season to be able to run the full race without taking walking breaks. While my friends were running 7 minute miles, mine were 13 minutes. Needless to say that was the first and only season I participated in cross country. 

My only other running experience ever was a 5k race that I ran/walked with no prior training or conditioning. The race was sponsored by an agency I used to work for so I felt obligated by my role in the agency to participate in the race. Yeah. Probably the sorest I have ever been in my LIFE. 

No running for me. I would use the elliptical machine or walk on the treadmill to earn my Activity Points.

My husband was very supportive of my weight loss efforts. We stopping buying soda pop and began buying more fruits and vegetables. I would plan my meals in advance and log my Points prior to each meal. (I found it helpful to log the Points before I ate so I would be less tempted to overeat.) I started setting aside two or three nights a week to go to the gym. My husband would 'pick up the slack' by making dinner on those nights - which has become our new routine to this very day.

Slowly, I began losing weight. 

2-18-12 Weight Loss 12 lbs. Size 14

One day - a few weeks into my new exercising routine - I decided to run for one minute at the end of my treadmill session. Then next day I broke my 20 minute treadmill session into two, 10 minute halves, and I walked for 9 minutes and ran for the other minute. By February I was able to run for 6 minutes straight. It had been about 6 weeks since I started WW and I had lost about 12 pounds and I was feeling GOOD! 

Then, something unexpected happened and my Weight Watchers journey and my newly founded exercise routine came to a screeching halt... 

Read what happens next in the second installment - My Weight Loss and Running Journey Part II. 

Sick Kids, Helpful Husband

There has not been one day since Thanksgiving that someone in my house hasn't been sick. It started with a stomach virus Khegan brought home from his mom's house the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was a short-lived 24 hour virus that he got from his sister. He was sick on Sunday night and seemingly better by Monday afternoon. 


Around this same time dear hubs and I were getting a 'cold' (from hell) but we didn't know that yet. 

So Thanksgiving rolls around. We hosted. There were had about 30 relatives at our house on the big day. Things went fairly well. Everyone brought a yummy dish. I managed to cook a decent turkey. The half dozen or so kiddos running around the house thankfully did not break anything, spill anything, or hurt anyone. After a fun filled day everyone went home, mama collapsed on the couch, and my helpful hubby finished the clean-up efforts. We were in bed by 10 o'clock.

At 11:30 Riley was knocking on the bedroom door, "Mommy... Mommy... MOMMY!"  Then I hear running ... bathroom door opens... toilet seat slams up... and the puking commences.

One by one over the next week and a half the stomach virus makes it's rounds. Not only with my little family, but also the extended family - all of our Thanksgiving day guests.

Luckily, little Micah man managed to avoid the stomach flu, although he did run a temp off and on during this time.

Meanwhile I have a cold that will not stop. I stock up on Dayquil, Nightquil, and cough drops. I suffer through work because I recently called off to stay home with sick kids. When you're a mom your sick time no longer belongs to you. You're sick - you work. Your kids are sick - you call off. 

Fast forward to Mid-December. 

Christmas Shopping. 

Picture this... Micah has been patiently drug along all day all day while DH and I do some shopping  - big kids are in school and we are taking full advantage of the opportunity. We hit Old Navy, Bath & Body Works, Khol's, we stop to pick up a few gift cards at various places, and even stop for lunch. Micah seems to be feeling a little under the weather, but he is being a trooper. One more stop on the way home. 

Walmart. 

We spend about an hour shopping and our cart is full to the gills. As we proceed to the checkout line, DH notices Micah's ears are draining (kiddo has had so many ear infection that he to get tubes last March and the ENT said if we see drainage that equals ear infection). So there we are in line to check out. John is holding Micah. I am pushing the cart. John says Micah feels really warm. I turn to feel his head and inspect his ears that's when it happens... how that much PUKE can come out of such a little person is beyond me! ALL over John, all over Micah, all over the floor. Some one me, but I managed to avoid the worst of it. 

As the responsible parents we are, we get Micah's ear drop script filled ASAP and start treating his ear infection. We give him drops for 10 days. He starts to feel better as we approach Christmas. 

I'm still hacking. John still has a sinus infection. Micah's ear infection appears to be improving. Then, Christmas Eve, Riley uncharacteristically asks to go to bed at 9 o'clock - he's not feeling well. That develops into another stomach bug for him. 

Micah seems to start getting worse, not better. During the week after Christmas, he gets congested again and then starts running a temp again around New Years Eve. Thinking it has to be a cold (remember, we've already treated the ear infection) his daily treatment consists of baby Motrin, Vicks Vapor Rub at naptime and bedtime, and extra cuddles. No improvement.

Finally, I call the pediatrician yesterday and they asked us to bring him in to make sure the ear infection did actually clear up. 

Now, since I've used so much sick time over the last month staying home to take care of sick kids, my helpful hubby, being the great father he is, makes arrangements to take this morning off and take Micah to the doctor's office. He had to call the office today because you can't make a 'sick visit' in advance. They can't get him in til 11 ... they wait in the waiting room til 11:30 ... and then another hour in the exam room before the doctor sees them. And guess what?

He STILL has an ear infection! 

So by the time DH goes to Walgreens to pick up the antibiotics and a new dose of ear drops, it's after 1 pm and so much for the work day, right? He calls to give me a quick update as he heads to the pharmacy and then home to relieve our nanny, who has been patiently waiting for several hours (thanks, Nyla!).

The point of this long, rambling, story?

It is STRESSFUL when you're sick and your kids are sick and your husband is sick and you're trying to juggle your family AND your work responsibilities!

Thank goodness I am no longer a single mother! And thank the Lord that my hubby is not afraid to roll up his sleeves to take care of sick kids, change a diaper, clean the house, fold laundry, or cook us a meal. I am truly blessed to have such a great husband who is always willing to step up to the plate and take care of anything (and everything) that needs done. 

New Beginnings

As we usher in the new year, it is time to celebrate our accomplishments from the previous year, but more importantly, it's time to look ahead to what new adventures 2013 has in store for us!

Nationally, 2012 saw both moments of  great accomplishment and joy as well as moments of grave sorrow. We watched with pride the events of the 2012 London Olympic games. We witnessed Facebook 'go public'. We voted in the 2012 presidential election and (like it or not) re-elected President Barrack Obama to office. And, we held our breath with anticipation as the Mayan calendar predicted the end of the world on December 21st. We also watched in horror as the events of  the Colorado theater massacre and the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary unfolded before our very eyes. (My thoughts and prayers go out to those babies who senselessly lost their lives as well as their families who must somehow find a way to go on without them.)

Personally, 2012 also gave way to moments of great accomplishment as well as moments of grave sorrow. I (finally) made the commitment to lose weight (35 lbs!!) and get fit once and for all. My husband, John, and I  joyfully celebrated 3 years of a successful marriage. John accepted a new job opportunity. I declined a new job opportunity. My oldest son, Riley, challenged himself by playing TACKLE football for the first time and by learning to play the recorder. My stepson, Khegan, advanced from the k-4 elementary school building to the intermediate school, where he earned straight A's on his first-ever 'big kid' report card. Both of the 'big boys' got sMart phoNes for Christmas (Oh my!)! And, my baby, Micah, developed in to the sweetest, fastest, ornery-est, little chatterbox you can imagine! He is such a tremendous blessing to our family. 

Amidst the happiness of 2012, my family also experienced sorrow following the miscarriage I experienced in April. It was a tough time, but we have faith that God has a master plan for us and that our baby is looking down on us from heaven.

Now, as we embark on a new year, it is a time to look beyond the accomplishments and sorrows of 2012 and focus on New Beginnings!

This year I plan on giving this blogging thing another try AND training for a half marathon.  

Although these may sound like lofty goals, they really go hand in hand. As a busy, working mothers, we need OUTLETS for our stress. We need INTERESTS & hobbies outside of our jobs and our kids. Running is my stress outlet. Blogging is both an interest and a hobby (albeit an old interest and hobby that I had, up until now, given up). And, get this - I can BLoG about ruNnInG!!!! 

Coming soon... check out my half marathon training page.  

Other things I am looking forward to in 2013... paying off the last bit of our credit card debt (can I get a WOOT, WOOT?!), the start (and hopefully completion) of several household maintenance projects, potty training the little man  (maybe), #4 wedding anniversary, continued fitness and weight loss, watching my sons grow into little men, and possibly even a (much-needed) family VACATION!

As I look ahead to my hopes, dreams, and goals for 2013, I - like many others - face doubts in my own abilities. Will I be able to keep up with all the work my goals entail? Will I be able to achieve my goals? What unforeseen circumstances could contribute to my failure? Will I fail? Or, maybe, just maybe, will I taste the sweet taste of success?

What are you looking forward to in 2013? Please drop me a comment and let me know what New Beginnings are in store for you.