Saturday, March 10, 2007

Weekly Weigh-In & Exercise Explanation

I'm down 15 pounds total now since Jan. 1st! Woo-hoo! That also means that I'm over halfway towards my first goal of 28 pounds by May 28--a goal that was intended as a guideline, not something to fixate on . . . but which may turn out to be attainable! I ordered a bridesmaid dress for a June wedding in a 14, and it should at least fit me well now, if not be a little big. I'm certainly not going to complain if I have to get it taken in.

I have a new shirt in a size medium that fits me. Yes, it's a fluke--I would normally be in the large size range, especially given my 36DDD boobs. But I'll take it. It's a cute shirt, anyway, and I've gotten lots of compliments on it. (I gotta tell you I think a company could make a lot of money selling clothes that were sized a bit larger. If a woman who's normally in a 12 can fit in a 10, I'm guessing she's more likely to buy.) I also tried on a pair of 16 jeans that I possibly could have pulled off of me--they were that loose zipped and buttoned. I found another pair of 16's that are a lot smaller and fit me well; I bought those. (I was at a discount store, so things are entirely hit-and-miss size-wise. I got a pair of Michael Kors jeans for I think $30.)

Someone emailed me to ask about the Couch-to-5k program. As I believe I've mentioned before, I tried a similar plan when I was in college and failed to do it. But this time, there have been a few differences: I was already getting cardio for at least half an hour almost daily with my long walks, I bothered to go to a running store and get expensive shoes that actually fit my gait and foot pecularities, and I have my mp3 player--thanks to my husband's computer-geeky ways--set up to beep when I need to switch from running to walking and back to running again. Those three things have all made a big difference. Thanks to the global warming of the past 20 years or so, Atlanta is much more pleasant for exercise in February and March than it was when I was a kid (nice for me right now, bad for everyone in the long term), so exercising outdoors now is easy. About the middle of May, it will suddenly be up in the 90's with very high humidity, and I will constantly feel like I'm melting into a puddle.

I tried out my new Enell sports bra that I bought from Two Roads Fitness (an online store for women's fitness products--my stuff shipped very quickly with great customer service). That sports bra kicks ass. It keeps my boobs strapped in, comfortably, even with running. It's pricey but I highly recommend it. It's awesome.

I use Cool Running's Couch-to-5k program. I'm working on adding in appropriate stretching. If you don't have a computer-geeky husband, I would encourage you to utilize a podcast that tells you when to switch from walking to running and back. If you want me to send you my version with the beeps in place, email me at veggiepaparazzo at gmail dot com.

Week 2 starts tomorrow, and I'm really excited! I've also signed up to have a personal trainer create upper body exercises I can do at the park to supplement my work-outs on my not-running days. I need to go pay the fee and then I should have someone helping me!

14 comments:

gaga said...

You said: (I gotta tell you I think a company could make a lot of money selling clothes that were sized a bit larger. If a woman who's normally in a 12 can fit in a 10, I'm guessing she's more likely to buy.)

Regarding the bridesmaid dress thing - when my sister got married about 10 years ago I weighed 133 (5'6"). People regularly told me they thought I should GAIN WEIGHT! (Oh for those days again). I had to order a size 18 bridesmaid dress and the only alteration it needed was a bit taken up at the hem! I was wearing a 10/12 at the time BTW. I've always wondered what the deal was with the bridal sizing thing. It makes no sense to me. Seems backwards. I would rather be an 18 and fit in something labeled a 10 - I would feel much more confident and pretty.

Also, the girls thank you for the bra link!

K

Salma Gundi said...

Congratulations on your mile stone. Good luck with C25K this week!

SuMarie said...

Yeah, I have 42DDD boobs to deal with. I am right there with ya sista'.

Kim said...

CONGRATS on the 15 pounds!! Amazing job!! You are on fire girl!!!!! :)

TrixieBelden said...

congrats on the 15 lbs. and finding a bra that works for you! That is awesome. I am very intrigued by the couch25k I keep hearing about. I must admit that I am intimidated b/c when I was young and healthy I couldn't run for sh*t and came in last place in my age group in a July 4th fun run. Sooooo embarrassing. But now I'm wondering if I have the mental capacity to do it. What do you think ... is running more mental or more physical?

Grumpy Chair said...

Veggie: Congrats on the weight loss! And your Couch to 5K training (I'm gonna start in April).

As a Houstonian, I know what you mean about Feb and March being the comfortable running months (May will be 96 degrees with 110% humidity).

I will probably email you later in the month for the download.

I just love reading your blog, so inspirational and great veggie recipes!

Marathon Someday said...

15lbs!!! Way to go!!! And a PT will be a great supplement for your running - you're going to see some incredible results, I know it.

Keep up the awesome, awesome work!!!! You're incredible!

I'm looking into Enell as we speak - someone else recommended it, but now that i've seen a couple of endorsements, I'm ready to invest.;-)

Meg said...

Congratulations on the 15 pounds! That's wonderful!!
You're right about the clothes--you would make an absolute killing with that! A lot of people would be thrilled with that idea too, I'm sure!
Thanks for the tip on Enell...I'm going to check it out myself.

angelfish24 said...

Way to go on losing 15 lbs this year! woo hoo!
I've heard a lot about the couch to 5k and it seems to work for everyone. Maybe I should try it instead of my own walk/run approach as I haven't progress past 1.5 miles yet.
I heard of the Enell bra from the oprah show that someone told me she wears. I did try some on and they seem real good for us busty women but I did buy a different brand. The only thing I didn't like on the enell was the garment ridge/seem on the front. Maybe I'll have to think of getting it though as I'm upping my training and need to hold these puppies in better!
Like all your recipes you post, it inspires me to cook more, which I haven't been doing a lot of.

Chris H said...

I wish I could get excited enough about running to try it! It just isn't there... I am excited thinking about doing the 4hr Gorge Walk by mid year, now that's going to be a personal challenge! Ah, buying clothes is a personal favourite thing to do! Enjoy

Sally JPA said...

K.--I don't get the bridesmaid dress size thing either. Fortunately, I've worn an Alfred Angelo dress before to know that they are sized at least close to correctly. But so many bridesmaid dresses make you order ridiculous sizes. I tried on another size 14 bridesmaid dress that came in tonight (for a wedding I'm in in October--the dresses were clearance so we snapped them up, and I plan to just have mine taken in later), and it looks so fantastic on me! I'm loving this weight-loss thing!

So you ordered the sports bra?

Salma, thanks!

I'm--with your chest, you definitely should try out this sports bra. It kicks ass. We large-breasted women have to take care of the girls so they don't reach our knees in 10 years!

Kim, thanks! I'm very excited.

Trixie, I think you have to keep telling yourself "I really can do this" when you're trying running; part of it is definitely mental/emotional. But I think setting yourself up for success physically is very important as well. Talk to me when I actually finish the program and let's see what I think! I encourage you to try the C25k if you've been working out regularly, but if you haven't, I encourage you to work out/walk/whatever regularly and then try it in a month or two.

Grumpy, thanks for the support! I'm glad to share. Please let me/us know when you start C25K so I can share stuff with you and cheer you on.

Sonya, thanks! Seriously, buy that sports bra. I rarely tell people to buy stuff, but it's awesome if you have large boobs (and maybe even if you have medium-sized ones).

Meg, thanks.

Angel, I'm glad the recipes are supporting you in your efforts. Blogging about them is definitely helping me. The Enell bra is not the most attractive bra, but it is definitely the most functional one I've ever had as far as really strapping me in without hurting me. And I seriously love the crazy shiny red color of the one I got.

Chris, a 4-hr. gorge walk certainly sounds challenging. I hiked the Samaria Gorge on Crete a few years ago, and it kicked my ass.

Cory said...

Congrats on the loss. That's great.

Thanks for sharing about the bra too! I've bookmarked it so I can make an order when I have money again!

Mal said...

Goodness! Congratulations on the changes you're making and the way they're reflecting in your body. I am amazed also to hear about your C25K progress, since I have this awful belief that if I ever tried it, I would crash and burn horribly. In a way, you're a little bit my hero right now. Congratulations!

I'd be interested in hearing the mix your husband made... if you wouldn't mind firing it off to me -- mal at latebloomerlog dot com. Awesomeness.

Sally JPA said...

Cory & Mal, thanks!