Maintain!

So I made a decision. I am going to try to maintain, for at least 2 weeks but possibly a month. I decided that I wanted to know what would happen. I am continuing to train for my half marathon, and I will be running about the same amount each week that I have been running for the past couple of weeks, I will also be continuing my cross training on non running days, BUT I am going to up my caloric intake. When you want to lose weight you cut back on your calories, create a deficit, it works. I have also been paying attention to my net calories, never letting them fall too far below 1200. I have been trying to lose about 1.5 pounds per week, and so my calorie goal has been 1350 per day, since most days I burn 300-500 calories (sometimes more) I have actually been eating around 1600 per day to keep my net calories up (like I said, not letting it fall too far below 1200). I told my calorie counter that I wanted to maintain, and my new calorie goal is 2080 per day- WOW. I decided that I would not keep my net calories around 2000, but rather I will eat to my goal and if I happen to go out and run 13 miles and burn 1000 or more calories I will eat my way back to 1200 net.

I must admit, I am a little scared. I feel like I have been very good to my body, I have been kind, but my fear is that my body will say "What is this? We are getting more food than normal, we should store some energy, STORE STORE STORE!" I don't want to gain, I want to maintain. So like I said I will give it a try for at least 2 weeks, if at the end of those two weeks I have been gaining I will go back to trying to lose 1.5 pounds per week and I will worry about figuring out maintenance when I reach my goal. But, if maintenance seems to be working I might give my self two more weeks, a month off from dieting, wouldn't that be nice? So, wish me luck.

Week 42

Last Week- 161.2

This Week- 159.8

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Total Lost- 1.4 Pounds!

See that? 159.8......I am so pleased with that. Below 160- I know it is only .2 pounds below but hey, it's below! Now I have some decisions to make. Should I take a few weeks and see what happens when I try to maintain my weight loss. Maintenance kind of scares me. What happens if I start eating the "Normal" amount of calories and I start gaining weight? That would be completely UNFAIR! So here is my dilemma. I have read that you should lose 10% of your body weight and then maintain, then 10% then maintain, then 10% etc, until you reach your goal weight. But I also know that there are plenty of people who do weight watchers, and that kind of thing, who just go for the goal, you have to keep paying until you reach your goal so you don't stop until you get there. I am not sure what I should do. I am doing well, so I am a little worried that if I stop I won't be able to get started again. But I also think that giving myself an opportunity to practice maintenance would be a good thing. I will think about that on my run today.

Speaking of running, I have races for the rest of the year all planned out. In June I am going to run in the Blood Run, it is a race that benefits the Utah Hemophilia Foundation. Then in August I am going to run the South Valley Half Marathon. In October I am going to run the Love Your Body 10k- it's an all Women's race and on Thanksgiving I want to run the Human Race again- I am not sure if that one will be the 10k or the 5k. I am excited to have all these races to keep me going.

Week 41

Last Week 160.8

This Week 161.2

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Total Gained- 0.4

I was thinking I wouldn't post anything this week, after all, I wasn't to happy to have gained, even if it is only 1/2 a pound. There are plenty of things that can cause teeny tiny weight gain, like water retention, or eating 5- 10 deserts at a family party, I enjoyed those deserts, the brownies with marshmallow and melted chocolate topping, the yummy fruity and white chocolate cake bars, the Pumpkin Cake, the strawberry short cake, and some other random cookies. I enjoyed them all, and I apparently paid for that enjoyment.....So Next Week, Next Week I will be under 160! Unless I come across another dessert bar....and then who knows.

Week 40

Last Week 163.0

This Week 160.8

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Total Loss- 2.2

Happy! Maybe next week I will be in the 150's~that just feels weird.

39 Weeks

Last Week- 163.0

This Week- 163.0

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Total Change- 0 pounds

SO, no change, other than the fact that I am currently wearing smaller pants. hehehehe. Last week was an interesting week, food wise. I spent 2 days on the campus of Brigham Young University, I was away from my calorie counter AND my kitchen. I ate at a Buffet Style Cafeteria. It cost $10 and I very much felt the need to get my moneys worth, and I did- I ate 5 deserts that night. I also ran a 10k and on the day of the day of the 10k I did track my calories all 2500 of them (WHAT? 2500? Yes running 6 miles burns a lot of calories and I kind of ate 2 breakfasts, and a lunch and a dinner and some snacks. I was very hungry)

But anyway, I will take no change, especially since I figured I was going to gain a little, how do you eat 5 desserts and not gain weight? Run 6 miles!

So I am going to try to get back into the habit of counting weeks, and as of today it has been 39 weeks since I had my baby. I think I am doing very well on my quest for better health. I am pleased. I am starting a new training schedule. My 1/2 marathon is in September, I believe I have plenty of time to get ready, the 1/2 marathon training program I have picked is only 12 weeks long, so I am starting with an 8 week "Intermediate" 10k program, it focuses on increasing speed and endurance. Maybe by September I will be running a 10 minute mile rather than a 10:45 minute mile.

That's it for today.

The Shrink

I was starting to get a little frustrated. I have lost weight. Lots of weight. From my highest, non-pregnant weight (202) I have lost 39 pounds, from my last, lowest, pre-pregnancy weight I have lost 20 pounds. Yet I still fit into the same pants. How is that? Well, the truth is, that is just how it felt.

I had regular pants, mostly size 14 and one pair of magic size 12's, and I had fat pants, mostly size 16 AND one magical pair of 14's. I have owned most of those pants for 7 or 8 years.

Last week I decided to try on a pair of button fly jeans that never really fit right. Well, they still didn't fit right. They were way too big, they were falling off. I was quite surprised. I almost put them back in the drawer, but then I thought to myself "I am never going to wear these jeans again" and I happily tossed them into the donation box.

I then tried on my other pants, for months they had been fitting better, then getting looser, now I realized that I needed to wear belts with most of them. YEAH! I tried on some of my skirts and I discovered that I had the same problem. I needed a new skirt, and possibly a new pair of pants.

Yesterday I went to Target, I had a gift card and I figured they might have a skirt. I found some very simple black skirts and picked up a large to try on. It didn't fit right. It frustrated me a little, I needed a new skirt. Then it struck me, it didn't fit right because it was TOO BIG, a large was too big! I hustled out and grabbed a medium. It fit, and I wasn't even making it fit, it was a perfect fit. I could have cried. Then I saw some cute tops and cardigans. I wondered if I fit well into Medium Bottoms, why not try Medium Tops- once again, perfect fit! I don't know when I have ever been so excited to get to the check out and buy my clothes. I kind of felt like I needed to buy them before they shrank and didn't fit anymore, those clothes were like a ticking time bomb, I had to make them mine IMMEDIATELY, and I did!

Today I was at the store with my boys and I remembered that for Christmas my boys had given me some workout clothes- They are smart boys, they let me pick out the clothes- and one of the items they had given me were a pair of Medium exercise pants. Medium- according to those pants equated to size 8 and 10. I haven't tried those pants on, I was saving them for when I knew they would fit, I figured that would be in September around the time I will run my 1/2 Marathon. But I had just purchased a Medium skirt. My mind went back and forth, Skirts are different from pants, just because you can wear a Medium Skirt doesn't mean you can wear Medium Pants. But I wanted to try. I found some cute Size 10 Capri pants. I was just trying them on. Even if I could just get them over my hips I would be happy. If I could zip them up I would be ecstatic. If they actually fit and looked and felt good I would buy them.

Well, I have a new pair of size 10 pants! The first pair of size 10 anything I have ever purchased, in my life. It is odd. I don't feel very different. I feel healthier, I think I look skinnier but not 2 or 3 sizes skinnier. I am amazed. I am happy. I decided that I would just buy the one pair of pants and the one skirt and the shirts. I want to see what happens next. After all, I have 25 or so more pounds to lose before I reach my goal weight. So how much more will I shrink?

In the end, I just want to be healthy. I want to nourish and strengthen my body. I want to be happy with my healthy body- whatever size, however I look. I think I have a pretty good chance to be happy.

Hope For Sarah 5k- 2011

I did it, I ran a 10k! I won! Basically because I ran a 5k (which I didn't win) and then at the finish line I turned around and ran the course again, finishing 6.2 miles in 67:25! I'm a winner!