Reaching goal doesn't mean I'm cured

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In the past whenever I tried to lose weight I went into it thinking that I needed to lose X pounds by X date or before a wedding or other event.  It shouldn't be surprising that I felt like a failure when it didn't happen exactly that way and then I'd quit.  This time when I joined Weight Watchers I didn't have it in my brain that I'd lose a certain amount of weight by a certain date.  In fact, I never thought that I'd actually stick with the plan.  Frankly, I thought it'd be something fun that my friends, Sheri & Bri, and I could all do together.  And it was, don't get me wrong but I really made an effort to actually resist thinking about what would happen if/when I reached my goal weight.

The struggle is worth it

I think this was helpful along the way because had I focused on the number 215 pounds I would have quit.  That's A LOT of weight to lose, especially in the beginning when you're just trying to lose those first 5-10 pounds or so.  However, now I find myself struggling to maintain the weight that I lost.  I realize that I am not cured - weight problems aren't like other addictions where you can just avoid the trigger.  I mean, no one says to an alcoholic to go ahead and just have one drink per day.  I know that I don't want to perpetually live in a state of "scale is boss" but right now I am.  I am still slightly above my goal weight and that frustrates me.

It actually made me stop and think that if I had a member or a friend ask for advice on what they should do when it hit me.  I'd been half ass-ing my workouts after spending the majority of 2013 training for one half marathon or another.  I considered this time to be true recovery for my muscles and my brain because come January when training starts again in full force I will be ready.  So far I have 4 half marathons on the schedule, though I haven't registered for any of them officially but I know that I'll be training for a long time so this recovery time is also important to me.

In addition to training for what seemed like the majority of 2013 I became a little more relaxed with the food and portions but when I stopped training I didn't change the way I was eating.  So, the last few weeks I've been struggling to get back on track.  I changed my tracker back to the "lose weight" setting rather than maintaining and dropped my DPT from 28 to 26 in an attempt to lose the 10 pounds that have crept on since early November.  It seems to be working but just reinforces the notion that I will always have to be diligent about what, and how much, I eat and drink.  Especially during the holidays when there are so many temptations around every corner.

How are you going to manage the temptations around the Holidays?

Holiday Gift Ideas

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This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Koss.

I was crafting this post when I received an email from a co-worker who knew I was a runner.  She is shopping for a gift for a runner friend of hers and wanted some advice.  It was at that moment that I realized I needed to finish this post since the holidays are already upon us!  Here are a few fabulous ideas of things I'd like to find under my tree or in my stocking...

KOSS Fit Series Headphones.  This is a perfect gift for the active woman in your life.  Koss’ female designers teamed-up with Gold Medalist Dara Torres to create the world’s first headphones designed specifically for women, by women. They come in Fit Clips (as seen to the left) and Fit Buds (no over the ear piece).

I was lucky enough to receive these from KOSS as part of my Fitfluential Ambassadorship and I've been wearing these headphones all week while working out and am in LOVE with them.  They come in a bunch of different colors including coral, mint, blue, lime and purple.  In addition to the fun colors they are comfortable (they come with 3 different cushion sizes), sweat resistant, don't fall out and, best of all, the sound quality is AMAZING!  Find them at Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Walgreens, Kmart or Sears.

For those who are looking to buy some clothes for that special runner girl in your life look no further. Swirlgear is an all-woman, local (to me, at least) company that I found via social media a few months ago.  I own the Pink Running Hoodie and the Pink Cap Sleeve T-shirt.  I wore the T-shirt during the hot summer months while training for a couple different half marathons and was amazed at how cool it kept me.  I wore the hoodie during the half marathon last month.  The temperature dropped pretty rapidly in the days before the race and I was worried about what I had planned on wearing.  Well, the hoodie kept me warm while we were waiting to start and kept me cool (and mostly dry) while I was running.  I sweat heavily so I was also worried that I'd get cold during the race as the hoodie wicked away my sweat.  It wasn't until the last 1-2 miles that I actually started feeling cold so I consider that a major victory.  You can purchase Swirlgear online and if you use code 936 during check out you'll get free ground shipping on your purchase!


Another product that I absolutely love and rarely (if ever) run without is a Bondi Band.  As I said, I sweat pretty heavily and I hate having sweat roll into my eyes so back when I started getting active I read a lot of blog posts about these bands.  I decided to try them out and found it to be the perfect solution to my sweaty problem.  I like them because the band is wide enough that I can use it to cover my ears/keep me warm on cool days or tuck it behind my ears on the hot days.  The bands have a backing that helps them stay put so it doesn't move around while I'm running.  You can buy these bands online or at some local running stores.  They now come in fleece headbands and I'm thinking I need to add that to my collection for these cold, midwestern winter runs!

I keep drooling over the Erica Sara Designs website but haven't added anything to my collection yet.  Maybe Santa will read this post and put some in my stocking!  I love the 13.1 necklace or the Say It Do It bracelet but I think all of the designs are gorgeous!

I think any or all of these items would inspire and encourage you to log a few miles or hit the gym.  What's on your wish list?

Healthy Snacks

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Last month we talked about slowing down and sipping water between bites.  I have a hard time with that routine but will continue to work on it this month.  I feel like I have extra time to continue working on this routine because I already have the December routine perfected.

The other day I ended up taking my car to the shop because the check engine light was flashing.  I'd packed a couple of things to take with me and I was certainly glad that I did.  What I hoped would only be an hour or so of work ended up being more than three hours.  I know that had I been sitting there without a snack I would have either gotten something out of the vending machine or tried to eat nothing until I got home at which point I would eat everything.

This has become my routine.  Whenever I leave the house I think about how long I will be gone and where I'll be going.  Depending on the amount of time I might just take water.  Yes, water can be a snack because sometimes dehydration will fool us into think we're hungry.  If I know I'll be out awhile I'll usually take water and a snack.  Generally, my snack will be an apple because they are one of the more durable fruits that I can toss in my bag.  If I know I'll be out for a significant amount of time I'll either pack a couple of snacks, including some protein.

How do you deal with being out and about and realizing that you're hungry?  Do you pack a healthy snack before you leave the house?