Andi Loses It: Week 2

Oh yeah, that's right, I did it again! Down another pound this week!

I'm gonna be honest. On Saturday morning, I was actually down two more pounds in addition to this. There may have been a few french fries and a Caramel Brulee Latte from Starbucks that interfered with that between Saturday morning and today, plus, well, ladies, you know certain things happen at certain times of the month that add a little to the scale, and I'm gonna just leave it at that. But yay, I'm now down 5 pounds since November 1st.

Weight training continues to be the biggest factor in the weight loss trend. I don't know what it is, exactly -- I have been working out steadily for about six months now (with a break for holidays and vacations, of course) but since adding weights two weeks ago, it's like the metabolism furnace has been kicked on high. And I'm not complaining. My body fat percentage (as read by my scale) is dropping as well -- it was 57 on Nov. 1 and was down to 55.4 this morning, which tells me whatever I'm doing is actually removing fat and hopefully adding lean muscle mass.

I did poorly with tracking food last week, though. I added more protein, thus reducing carbs, and lost weight. For example, I replaced my afternoon snack of crackers or something similar and coffee with low fat cottage cheese and an apple, or pistachios and grapes, or other similar combinations.

Tomorrow, I have my routine physical as well as my dietician appointment. I got my bloodwork back this morning and everything looks good...the only thing on the low side was HDL cholesterol, but overall cholesterol was 152, which is good, and every other number checked (potassium, sodium, fasting glucose, kidney/liver enzymes, etc) all looked perfect to me...we'll see what the doc says tomorrow, though.

Above all else, though, I FEEL great. I used to have aches and pains and soreness in my hip and back and that's mostly subsided now. I have more energy...I didn't even take a nap this weekend.

So, here's hoping I lose those two pounds again this week, and keep this scale moving in the right direction.


By: Andrea Caruso

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Andi Loses It: Week 1

I'm back at it again. Blogging about weight loss.

The past few months have really been a colossal failure, in terms of healthy eating/weight loss. The odd thing is that I have been going to the gym regularly and religiously. 3-4 times a week. For at LEAST 30 minutes, if not more. So, why hasn't the scale budged?

I figured it out last week, I think. It's a combination of diet, and the type of exercise I was doing. So, last week I changed it up. I started paying closer attention to what I was eating, and started adding weights to my routine instead of doing just straight cardio. And, look what happened:

Bam. Three pounds gone in a week.

If I'm being totally honest, that's with quite a bit of pigging out on Halloween candy. So, even though I was "watching" closer, there was still a bit of diet cheating going on.

So, my goal this week: get better about tracking food. Like, actually recording it in My Fitness Pal. And add more weight training.

My weight loss will be updated in the ticker over there ----->

Also, for anyone who's interested: I've been using an iPod/iPhone app called GymPact to force me to go to the gym. It's a neat little way to get some "skin" in the game, because the way it works is -- you choose how often you plan to go to the gym, and set a dollar amount to be charged if you don't make it -- and then, when you get to the gym, you check in and check out. You have to be there for at least 30 minutes, and if you make your pact, you get PAID. I have mine set to a $20 commitment and 3 times/week, and in the past five weeks I have not missed out on meeting my pact even once. Even last week, when Sandy came through and kept me home on Monday, then knocked out the power in my usual gym for three days so I had to drive across town to another gym, I still made my pact. And I have earned $7.62. Not bad -- I get the health benefits and some cash too.

The only caveat is that right now, it's only available for IOS devices (Android is coming soon), and you have to either go to an actual gym, or use RunKeeper.

Anyway, if you're interested, sign up using the code hyperAndre and you and I both will get a $5 bonus after you complete your first workout.

So, that's where I'm at this week -- looking forward to checking in again next week with more good news!


By: Andrea Caruso

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Pity Party for One

I haven't really been keeping up with the diet/weight loss posts because, to be honest, I've spent the past few weeks throwing myself a giant pity party. Since moving to Boston, I've gained a lot of weight, and while I did exceptionally well (given my expectations) at the race a few weeks ago, I hit an emotional roadblock shortly thereafter and things just spiraled downward from there.

And with that, I fell into the trap of telling myself that I "can't" do this. That it hurts too much/that it's too inconvenient/that it takes too much time/etc. And that's when I turned to my wonderful hubby and he gave me some options and advice.

Today I stepped on the scale and noticed I was actually down three pounds from the last time I stepped on it...I was 273. I don't remember the last weight I reported on here, but I had gotten up to 277, my highest non-pregnancy weight. And that is when the emotional breakdown began. But here I am, back down a few pounds and really, I am ready to get moving again.

Even if I don't do as well as I did two years ago when I started running (and was 20lbs lighter) I can at least try. I can at least do my best. And I will. I'm going to remove the self-criticism and just go with it. And everything will be okay.

Monday Moment of Truth: The June Weight Loss Edition

I think the last time I blogged about my weight loss efforts was back in April, right after I broke my toe. Well, the toe took three weeks to heal and four weeks after the incident that precipitated the broken toe, I got back to running. I decided to take a step back one week on the C25k program, so I wasn't starting all over, but I did give my body a chance to catch up.

So here I am, about to start week SIX of Couch 2 5k. I think this is about where I threw in the towel and quit back in 2010 -- not because it was too hard, but because, honestly, I think I was scared of completing it. I know that sounds weird. But I have a nasty habit of getting thisclose to finishing something and stopping just because I'm afraid of what comes after the finish line.

This time I can't quit though. I have a race that I'm running on 7/12, and I have a large group of coworkers who are running with me and so I have an impetus to finish. And I'm actually looking forward to it -- AND I have a plan for "what comes after" as well, so that I don't fall into the trap I fell into in 2010.

The running itself is really going well. I had a good, nearly 20 minute straight run on Friday, which is a definite improvement over six weeks ago when I was begging for mercy after 60 seconds. I only had to stop running 16 minutes into it because my stomach got upset. But I felt truly amazing that I made it that long. I gave myself mental high fives. All I know is -- when I left work, all I wanted to do was go home and sleep. But I pushed myself to at least try. And I made it. I ran 16 out of the 20 minutes and then hit the weight machines.

As far as the actual weight loss goes, though...that's a disappointment. I'm sitting at 276.4 as of this morning. Six pounds up from where I was in April, and despite the fact that I am at the gym almost every single day, that number is actually going up. I wish I could blame it on water retention or muscle gain, but my scale measures both of those numbers and neither has budged. I would love to be below 270 by the end of the month, but that may be an ambitious goal.

My good friend and I have an accountability group on Facebook (it's just the two of us) where we cheer each other on. She has been sick and hasn't been able to do the exercise, but she did the healthy eating, whereas I (admittedly) have been eating crap. She has lost like 5lbs since we started over a month ago. I have gained 2 since we started. I think the takeaway there is that exercise is important for many reasons but when it comes to losing weight, the proof is in that you really can't outtrain a bad diet. So there's that. I bought a bunch of healthy foods this week so we'll see next Monday what that impact was.

But, as my minister said in her sermon at church yesterday (which I know is out of context for the sake of this blog post, but I'm mentioning for the fact that I'm borrowing her phrase)...onward and upward, onward and upward. So here I go, onward and upward! And may the scale go downward.

Monday Moment of Truth - Week 2

This past week was incredible...right up until Sunday (Easter) morning.

I was getting a little frustrated by the lack of consistency in my exercise routine, so last Tuesday Scott and I had a discussion and worked out a really doable plan to make sure I could get on a regular exercise schedule. And wouldn't you believe it, I was able to do it. And stuck to it. And by Friday, I had lost two pounds, which was my goal for the week!

Saturday went great because we were mostly out of the house, running around and doing Easter related kids stuff, but I didn't step on the scale to see if I had lost any more weight because I wanted today to be a surprise. And then...yesterday morning...it all came crashing down.

Or, should I say...I came crashing down...right down the stairs.

I'm not even kidding.

I am probably one of the clumsiest people in the world, and since we moved into this place (end of January, mind you) I have fallen down the stairs four times. So yesterday when I fell down again I kind of rolled my eyes at myself and thought, "Ugh, not this again."

How did it happen? I can't say for sure. I never can. All I know is one second I was running down the stairs to watch Angelica open her Easter basket, and the next thing I knew I was flopping down the stairs on my ass. When I popped up, my foot was kind of sore, but nothing unusual for someone who had just fallen down stairs, so I hobbled over to the couch to watch her open her Easter basket.

And a half hour later when she was done and I went to get up, I immediately knew something was very wrong. As soon as I put pressure on my big toe, I had to use every ounce of willpower not to yell out words that would have been inappropriate to say in front of a three year old.

Angelica was very, very excited about the Easter Egg hunt our church was having, so, much to Scott's dismay, I insisted we go to church, and then right after services and the egg hunt were over, we went to the ER. Where I got an X-Ray.

Sure enough, I have a broken big toe.

My first thought was...but what about the race I'm already signed up to run in July? How can I keep training for it? Will I have to drop out? How can I exercise? What am I going to do?

(My next thought was, "Damn it, Scott's going out of town on a business trip on Tuesday, but that's more irrelevant to this story, though it is much more of an inconvenience.)

I went to an orthopedic doctor for a follow-up this afternoon, and he confirmed that yes, it's broken, but it's a minor break and I should be back up and running in 3-4 weeks. Much sooner than the 6 weeks the ER doctor had told me. So, I'm not officially "out" for July. I'll still have plenty of time to get back to training.

Until then, though, I can't put enough weight on my foot to stand on the scale, so I have no idea where i really stand right now. (No pun intended.) I guess this means I just have to ramp up my healthy eating efforts, and maybe do some upper body exercise.

So, that's my no-good, very bad weekend. I'm determined to push through and still reach the finish line, though. This is just a minor blip on the radar as I progress toward my better, healthier life.

Monday Moment of Truth - Week 1

Well, I did it! Last week I said I wanted my weight to drop below 270, and it did. It was 269.2. I think it was either 270.4 or 270.6 so that's a pound gone. It doesn't seem like much, but I'll take anything at this point, as long as the needle is moving in the right direction.

I am honestly a little disappointed, though. Mostly in myself. I was in a funk most of last week -- between having a few days of disrupted sleep and some nasty allergies, I slacked off on the exercise and had a day where I ate way too much junk food. I guess if I had been more diligent, I would be seeing an even smaller number this week.

On the plus side, I've been weaning myself off of diet soda for awhile. I try to avoid artificial sweeteners and diet soda was my last guilty pleasure. One day last week I was craving a Diet Pepsi, so I bought one, and it tasted awful. I'm taking that as a good thing. I crave water these days, which is a lot healthier!

I'm a little overwhelmed with scheduling, too. It seems like I'll hit a good stride and then as soon as any interruption comes along, it completely derails me and it takes me forever to get back on track. So, I suppose that's my goal for the week...to get back on track again, and keep that needle moving in the right direction.

I registered this morning to run on my company's team for the JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge on July 12th, though. It's slightly longer than a 5k (it's 3.5 miles) so I better get training!

Apologies if this post is a bit out of sorts. Last night was one of those "interrupted sleep" nights...Angelica had a stomach bug and came in my room at 3AM to snuggle because she didn't feel good.

Monday Moment of Truth - The Beginning

I've been wanting to start blogging about weight loss again, but I wasn't sure how to get started. I didn't want to jump on a bandwagon, so I didn't want to start it up as a McFatty Monday...though that was fun at the time. I chose "Monday Moment of Truth" because that's what every Monday morning has been for me lately. Every Monday I step on the scale and have a moment of total shock.

This morning I was 270.6. I haven't weighed that much in...well...I can't remember. 2009, maybe? I know my highest weight since giving birth to Angelica was 277, and at some point in 2010 I got down to 245, then got up to 155 again before dropping down to 241 for a short time last year after a super sucky six week period where I couldn't eat or sleep. Not exactly the healthiest way to lose it.

I want to get down to a healthy weight. During that sucky six month period I alluded to above, the one thing I kept telling myself was that I had to do my very best to eat (even when I didn't feel like it) because I needed to be healthy and strong and in a year's time, I would look back on that sucky, sucky time and be so proud of how far I came. I intend to make good on that promise to myself.

So, Couch to 5k is going well. I'm on Week 3, and although I had to take a day off from it to tend to a sick kid (more on that in another post), I'm still going strong. I've also been regularly attending yoga classes and just signed up for Zumba as well. The only missing piece in my plan is that I hate, hate, hate tracking food and calories, so I haven't been. But now I'm going to bite the bullet and just do it.

Next week I hope to have happier news, or at least have a weight that doesn't start with a 27.

On the mend and ready to go!

It's Monday, which means it's the typical day for my weight loss posts, and honestly, today I have nothing to report because I forgot to get on the scale this morning. Oops. I'm sure it's NOT pretty, though.

I'm coming off of a really rough week. I alluded to it a few times last week, but I had bronchitis and/or pneumonia and it was terrible. Wheezing at night. Fever of 101. Body aches, pains, incessant coughing (which, by the end of it, felt like my ribs were about to split apart). Needless to say, hitting the gym was out of the question and I probably turned to comfort food more than I should have.

Today is a new day though! Once I got to feeling better, I called and scheduled some make-up sessions with my trainer, and for the next few weeks I'll be seeing him twice a week so he can whip my butt into shape. This guy is seriously amazing, too. He gave me some nutrition pointers for the weekend and told me, in his words: "I'm YOUR trainer. If you have a question, just CALL ME. You need some help while you're at the grocery store? CALL ME."

Tonight will be my first training session in almost two weeks and I cannot WAIT. I am super duper psyched to get in there and work hard. I may still have a bit of a lingering cough but I'm still ready to just hit the gym hard and work out like a madwoman.

McFatty Monday 7.18.11 - The Life is Good Edition

You all might remember my previous, emotionally-charged weight loss post from last week. Well, I'm happy to say that things are moving back in the right direction!

Let's talk about the Weight Watchers meeting from last Friday. I joined up to have accountability as far as weighing in. In the past, when I attended meetings, I'd go in, get weighed, and the receptionist would quietly put a sticker in my folder with my weight without saying anything, and send me on my way. It was nice. I was forced to weigh in, I got a record of my number, and all without judgement.

Holy cow, this past Friday was awful, though! I had weighed in before my meeting and was down about half a pound (257.5) so I was happy. Drank a couple glasses of water, got in my car, got to the meeting, jumped on the scale and got my folder with my little sticker with this week's weight.

As I'm getting my shoes back on (and not looking at the receptionist), she whispers, "You're up this week."

"Excuse me?" I reply. I wasn't used to having the receptionist tell me whether it was up or down.

"You're up this week." She replied. And then gave me a cold, judgemental stare, looked me up and down and then made a face at me.

"Um. Okay." I replied and went and sat down in the meeting.

Sure enough, that little sticker said +2! And 260! What the hell? I know in the span of 45 minutes I didn't gain 2.5 pounds. And then I remembered....the water. I drank about 16 ounces of water. So that must have accounted for at least some of the "gain".

This morning I was 256. All of that weight (and then some) has come right back off. I'm not sure what was up with Friday, but I feel good about today. I also followed my trainer's advice and went for a walk this morning. And I have interval training tonight. I love having a plan in place for real, healthy, sustainable weight loss.

I am glad to see that needle moving the right way, and I'm feeling it inside too. I have more energy than I did last week. For example, yesterday, Scott (who, by the way, is down 13 pounds in the last 4 weeks!) and I teamed up to clean our entire house, and we took Angelica to a local splash park, and I didn't bring a swimsuit (because god forbid anyone see my pasty white fatness!) but it was hot. And the "normal" me would just sit on the bench and watch. But Angelica was begging, "Come play with me", and I didn't want to let her down...so damn it, so I ran through the fountains, clothes and all.

And it was AWESOME.

Warning: Emotionally charged weight-loss post

I've been skipping the weight loss posts lately. Honestly, there hasn't been much in the way of good news, so I just left it at that and moved on.

I'm sure the struggle I've had over the past two months is the same that many people face. There were birthdays and anniversaries full of fun and joy and good food to eat and I over indulged. I found my weight creeping back up until it hit the 260 mark again, and at that point I gave everything a giant WTF and just stopped.

I spent a few days after that soul searching. Nutrisystem wasn't cutting it for me, though no fault of its own -- it obviously works well for some people but for me, it just wasn't doing it. So I came to the decision that it was time to cancel it. If I was going to be successful, I needed to do it with modifications of foods that I actually enjoyed so that the temptation to cheat (or worse, go way overboard on the days when there was cause for celebration).

And then the panic set in. Obesity runs in my family. Type 2 diabetes runs in my family. Heart disease runs in my family (my dad was only 10 years older than I am now when he had his heart attack, which scares the crap out of me). I'm 31 and already have high blood pressure. These are all things I've told myself before, all things that I've taken to heart, and then I just got this vision of something happening to me and Angelica being left without a mom and it just floored me...and I realized I had to do something...anything...to get back on the right track and break the cycle of poor health. It's no longer about the number on the scale. It's about being strong, healthy, full of vitality. It's about not just being there when my grandchildren are born, but being able to play with them.

Shortly after Scott and I celebrated our 6th anniversary (about two weeks ago) I decided to sample some Weight Watchers meetings, because I felt I needed the accountability. I needed to go in and face the music, stand on a scale in front of someone and have them tell me I was either becoming even more fat than I was the week before, or, I was headed in the right direction.

Fortunately, two weeks and three pounds later, i'm sitting back around 257 this morning and glad to be seeing that needle moving back in the right direction. But there was still a missing, vital component. The Weight Watchers plan is fantastic as far as improving my eating habits, but I needed something else. Though I put myself through the wringer last summer with Couch to 5k, I "only" lost 12 pounds (and subsequently gained it ALL BACK and then some), so there was something missing from my workout routine.

The past few weeks have just been a complete emotional rollercoaster for reasons unrelated to weight gain (but which certainly contributed to it) and I needed something to get both my diet and exercise going in the right direction. I needed accountability, but I also needed someone who doesn't know me -- a third party with no emotional investment -- to literally kick my ass.

So I met with a certified personal trainer. Something I never thought I'd do, though I've always wanted to (and in all honesty, when I actually was fit and healthy, considered becoming one). And in only one session, not only did I get my head back on straight (and find myself hurting in muscles I didn't even know I had!), I learned what I was doing wrong, and why, despite running my ass off, I only lost 12 pounds last summer, why it was so quick and easy to gain it back, and what I need to do from here. And for the next 52 weeks, I will be meeting with him once a week. It will keep me accountable and keep me from heading right back into my tendancy to do all the wrong things.

There is no quick fix. My expectations to lose all the weight overnight are not realistic (and in fact, regularly losing more than 1-2 pounds a week is incredibly unhealthy). And really, it's not about the weight. It's about the health.

And the regular Monday weight-loss posts will resume starting next Monday!

McFatty Monday - Slow and Steady

Since I don't have a whole lot to say, this will be a quick post!

I just wrapped up my second full week on Nutrisystem, and I'm down another pound! 255 this morning and loving it.

This week will have a few days of temptation. I'm working on a Sweet Tomatoes review/giveaway, and buffets can be a recipe for disaster. Plus, a certain someone may or may not be having one of those days where she turns another year older this weekend...and I hear rumors that cake will be involved.

But the rest of the days, Nutrisystem will be my friend! And next week I'm looking forward to having another pound (or more) gone.

Mcfatty Monday - The Birthday Party Edition

Before I go any further in this post, let me disclose that although I'm on Nutrisystem, I am not one of the Nutrisystem Nation bloggers. I'm not sponsored by them in any way, shape, or form. I'm a paying customer, actually.

So, I broke even this week, and let me tell you, it could have been a lot worse! This past week was my first full week on Nutrisystem, and other than Angelica's birthday party, I stuck to it really well, and as of Friday night I was down two pounds. That's about the best that you can expect for healthy weight loss in a single week so I was happy!

Then came the party. The pizza. The cupcakes. The soda. I stuck to my Nutrisystem for breakfast, lunch and snack but the party hit me hard. I have a sluggish metabolism, so all of the junk I ate that night just stuck to me like glue, and it taught me a valuable lesson. MODERATION. You can completely undo a week of healthy eating in one session of pigging out. (Or, at least I can...maybe your metabolism is better than mine!)

The beauty of Nutrisystem is that on Sunday I knew exactly what I had to do to jump right back in. So I did, with both feet and it was great! No hunger. No crankiness (other than maybe the post sugar crash crankiness from the party).

So this week, I'm still at 256 and loving it. Only down 1 pound since starting Nutrisystem ten days ago, but had I not been on Nutrisystem to guide me through "birthday party season" it could have been a LOT worse! (And mine is coming up in a few weeks! Eek!)

So, this week there are no birthday parties on the horizon...and the vertigo I mentioned on Friday is starting to subside, so I'm looking forward to hitting the gym full force again. I MISS running. I can't wait to strap on my sneakers tonight and hit the pavement.

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Want to check out a couple of fantastic Nutrisystem Nation bloggers? Check out The Life of Rylie...and Bryce Too! Her success is so inspiring! And Sippy Cup Mom is really inspiring me too!

McFatty Monday: Memorial Day Edition

It's Memorial Day! I'm enjoying a day off of work today by spending time playing with my little big girl, but she's taking a "quiet break" (since she never naps at home) and I'm taking a blog break.

Today's weigh in: 256.8.

Three days ago, my first Nutrisystem order arrived. I decided, in a fit of desperation, that I needed to try SOMETHING new, since the I hit 257 again last week and it was disappointing and depressing.

So I ordered Nutrisystem's women's vegetarian plan, and so far I AM LOVING IT.

After the first day, I had already lost a pound. I, of course, cheated yesterday -- intentionally, because of Angelica's birthday. I had some birthday cake, which probably accounts for the little bit of weight that crept back on. But, today, I'm right back on the bandwagon.

I am LOVING it so far, by the way. This is, by far, the easiest "diet" plan I have ever started. You get your Nutrisystem food, pick out your extras (fruit, veggies, proteins and carbs) and your meals are pretty much planned for you. And I have had ZERO issues with being hungry...all at about 1500 calories a day. I am excited to see where things go over the next week.

And that's really all there is to this week, because I am expecting GOOD things next week!

Disclaimer: I am not sponsored by Nutrisystem. I'm simply following the plan on my own, of my own choosing, and I am in no way affiliated with Nutrisystem other than as a customer. Please check with your doctor before starting a diet, exercise, or weight-loss program to make sure it's the right one for you.

McFatty Monday: One step forward, two steps back...

So I'm up one today, instead of down two. 257. Should have been 254.

It was a rough week. Being prone to "filling the void" with food, so to speak, I ate my way out of stress, tension, boredom, and frustration. I didn't eat as bad as I normally would, but there was a "milkshake incident", and some very salty (but delicious) popcorn. Plus, I only went running ONCE last week, and even that was only for a brief 20 minutes. I was trying to squeeze it in before dark, so I took Angelica with me in her regular, non-jogging stroller. (I don't own a jogging stroller.)

First, let me say that a regular stroller? NOT GOOD FOR RUNNING.

Second, let me say that Angelica is a BRUTAL trainer. I would get worn out/annoyed with the stroller and stop running and she'd turn around and SCREAM at me, "RUN MOMMY! GO! RUN! You are not RUNNING!"

Oh, and when I was running? "GO FASTER! YOU CAN RUN FASTER, MOMMY!"

Then she got bored and wanted to go to the community playground. I was sufficiently pissed off at the stroller and decided to give in.

The rest of the week is a blur. Scott's work deadlines had him working late, and the Lexapro withdrawal had me feeling "off" -- but honestly, other than feeling a little off, a little tired, and some seriously weird dreams, coming off of it has been a breeze. I haven't had any of the bad side effects you get warned about. And then Friday night I came down with a cold, which I still have.

So I'm not surprised the scale went up. But I'm eager to see it go back down.

My blood pressure is holding steady. Yesterday it was 137/86. I have to go back to the doctor if it starts averaging 140/90 (either number) so I'm within the "safe" range. I even had one reading at 127/68 at one point this weekend. I'm encouraged by that.

That's it, the week in a nutshell!

BTW my good friend LeeAnn has had some AWESOME success this week with Nutrisystem! I saw her on Saturday and she looked fantastic! So go check out her weekly Nutrisystem Nation blogger post and cheer her on!

{CLOSED} Research Shows You Can Eat Potatoes and Lose Weight! {Review & Giveaway}

As a vegetarian, I'm always looking for ways to incorporate satisfying and healthy, natural foods into my diet. Staying satiated within my calorie range is a big factor in the foods I choose to eat, and one of my favorite ways to do this is with potatoes. They're delicious, they're starchy, they're filling, they're natural, they're full of vitamins...and did I mention, they're delicious?

A medium potato only has about 110 calories, half the daily requirement of vitamin C, and more potassium than a banana. I don't know about you, but if I can pack in some of the healthy vitamins and nutrients that I need while eating something that will satisfy my hunger and taste good, you can bet I'm going to!

That's right, potatoes are for more than just french fries and tater tots! There are many healthy ways a potato can be prepared - don't fry it or slather it with butter. My favorite? Mashed potatoes with broccoli and peas mixed in, and maybe just the tiniest bit of butter for taste. I'm talking less than a tablespoon. I'm easy to please.

The US Potato Board (USPB) recently conducted a research study that shows that you CAN lose weight and eat potatoes too! A lot of people get caught up in the low-carb craze and cut potatoes out of their diet, but this study shows that you don't have to!

McFatty Monday: What NOT to do.

So this is what my life has become...

Last Thursday I had an appointment with my doctor. It's been a year since I started Lexapro, and since I was only going to be on it for 12-18 months, it was time to go in and talk about discontinuing it. Thursday night I began tapering off my dose and by the beginning of next week I'll be completely off of it. The good news is that so far it has been pretty seemless. I was kind of out of it on Saturday morning but other than that, I've felt great.

On the other hand...when I went to see the doctor, my blood pressure was HIGH. After he noticed that, I was handed the chart you see in the picture above by my doctor and told to track my blood pressure at least twice a week, and if after a few weeks it was still trending over 140/90, to come back in and we'd start medication. So in my head, I thought, NO THANK YOU, I'll just work my tail off to get it under control. The number you see in the picture, 137/71, is much lower than it was on Thursday. I've been stressed out, but I can't blame it all on that. The fact is, I was eating way too much salt and getting far to little exercise. So all of those health-related improvements I saw about six months ago (more of them here, too)...well...I un-did at least one of them.

Let me be the example of what NOT to do on a journey to become healthy.

The doctor also asked what I've been doing for weight-loss and I kind of fumbled around for an answer. The truth is, I had a lot of great ideas but haven't been so good at implementing them. He suggested Weight Watchers. I kind of laughed since I am a Weight Watchers failure.

That night I set out to create my OWN plan, following the Fat 2 Fit Radio philosophies, and setting a target weight loss of two pounds per week. Slow and steady wins the race!

And how did it go? Well, I started last week at 258. This morning I was 256! That's a two pound weight loss! I did it! Yay! Go me!

Oh, and lest I forget: I upped the intensity on my 5k training this past week. I came to realize that since I did the C25k program last year, starting over from scratch was too easy for me. I had convinced myself that I needed to when I really didn't. It was a crutch. Last night, I set out to get a baseline completion time. I took my GPS outside with me and ran and walked (but mostly ran) until I hit 3.1 miles. And I did it in: 49:41! I was HOPING to get it done in 45:00 so I only went over by a couple of minutes...and I beat my last race time. In 2006 I "ran" a 5k in 1:07:43. (If you want to read about that debacle, including my pre-kid days of griping about waking up at 7am, click here.)

Next week I should see 254 on the scale. That's the plan. For now, it's off to work!

McFatty Monday - Why Run?

Why running?

This week I made generous use of my new gym membership, and have rediscovered my love for running. Even though two of the three days this week I was running indoors, there is just something about the activity, the way it gets my heart rate up, the way each day I could run further than the last, the way I feel exhausted from head to toe when I'm done that just makes me feel like I got a real workout.

Last summer, I started running while on vacation in the middle of July. Those of you who don't live in Florida probably don't know how hot it is here in July, especially in the mid afternoon, but for some reason, I just strapped on my shoes one day and got started. And I ran three times a week until sometime in October when for some unknown reason I stopped. It's kind of like...I was getting SO close to being able to run a 5k and the fear of success gripped me and I just quit.

But I got the best results health-wise from running. My blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, and many other markers of health improved dramatically. And now that I've started again, I am just HOOKED. So when I go to the doctor later this week for a checkup, I'm hoping that these markers of health are still hovering in the healthy range.

Well, no more. I am so glad to be running again, and even when I weighed in at 258.2 this week (sigh...the scale went up again), I still know I am running in the right direction, quite literally.

And I have to smile a bit (or a lot) when I pick up Angelica from daycare and she sees my hair in a ponytail and asks, "Mommy, you have a ponytail because you were running? You look so pretty!"

McFatty Monday: A Tuesday Update

Today I am 255 again. So I think I was retaining some water from all the JUNK I had eaten over the Easter weekend. I only have myself to blame for that!

But, yesterday, I caved in and joined a gym. Now I have no excuse not to work out. It's open until 11:00 PM, it's about 10 minutes from daycare, five minutes from my office, and so there are many combinations of ways I can squeeze in a run or a couple of weightlifting sessions during the week.

I have a feeling I may start seeing the number on the scale drop. And I LOVE that.

McFatty Monday - 4/25/11

It's 8 AM and I've just weighed myself.
257.

I'm right back where I started in January (I think) and I'm rather disappointed in myself.

So here we go again. I had dropped from doing McFatty Monday, but I think I'm going to start linking up for it again. I could use a royal kick in the pants to get going again. Easter weekend did me in diet-wise, and I've been super lazy lately. I was going to lose 8 pounds in March, then 8 pounds in April, and I've actually GAINED about that much.

I'm recommitting today. Here's to a new beginning!

Running My Butt Off: Week 13

Hi, my name is Andrea, and I'm a foodaholic.

Week 1: 257
Week 2: 254 (-3)
Week 3: 254 (-0)
Week 4: 254 (-0)
Week 5: 252 (-2)
Week 8: 251 (-1)
Week 9: 252 (+1)
12. Week 12: 252 (-0)
Week 13: 252 (-0)

Thanks for all of your support and suggestions last week. I'm proud to say that I am now finally able to eat a good, healthy breakfast. This morning I enjoyed a bowl of original Cheerios with one cup skim milk and a banana, followed by 12 ounces of water. At least I'm getting the week started off right.

Unfortunately I gave in to food cravings almost exclusively this past week. I feel very fortunate that the scale didn't give me a higher reading.

And I'm having a hard time with the exercise. I want to run, so, so badly. But I keep making excuses. The house is too messy and I need to clean. It's too late. It's raining. It's too early. The ground is wet. So on and so forth. I've contemplated just breaking out the workout DVDs to get around the worries about the weather, but some how I've psyched myself out of doing them. I just love running. I love the freedom. I love the accomplishment of being able to run just a little bit further or longer than I could the week before.

So what's my hang-up? I just need to make it a priority. Last October, when I was in the swing of things and running was going really well, I had gotten my health issues under control...most importantly, blood pressure. Well, I took my blood pressure last weekend and it was right back where it was before I started and it made me angry. I worked so hard to get that under control. That's a number that's infinitely more important than the readout on the scale.

It's pouring out today, but if it clears up tonight, I AM going running. I've also got a running date with a good friend on Friday. No more excuses. This is happening.