Audrey's Blog

How Pathetic Can I Be?

The answer is VERY. On advice of my OB and at Chris' insistence, I finally went and got a flu shot today. And, OMG, it hurt! And, it STILL hurts! <insert all kinds of pathetic moans here> Now, I'm off to make myself feel better with a chocolate milk shake. Because, we all know that ice cream makes things like this feel better, right?

Okay, so that wasn't much of a post, but I feel better for having gotten to whine publically.

Run the Rock

Me, run a marathon???

Okay - Now that you’ve had a good laugh I’ll admit that’s not very likely.  However, Chris and I have signed up to Run the Rock in the corporate relay challenge.  Chris’ new company (the one which specializes in authentication technologies) sponsored 5 relay teams last year (apparently the most of any company) and has decided to better that this year. 

They held a kick off meeting Friday afternoon for everyone interested in participating.  One of the VP’s nieces is a colligate All-American track star, a long distance running coach for Texas Tech, and is training to try out for the 2008 Olympics track team (10,000 meter).  She came in to give us a pep talk and a training schedule. Even though she doesn’t live here in Dallas, she’s basically going to be our long distance coach (no pun intended!), and she’s actually coming back in December to run the race with us. Pretty cool, huh? 

Saturday morning, we joined several of the other runners for a group run at White Rock Lake.  It’s been a while since we’ve pounded the pavement (literally), and it felt good!  We probably did about 3 miles at a very easy pace but it was enough to tire me out.  Running and cycling are two very different activities.  So, while Chris and I are both in reasonable shape, it’s going to take a little training to work up to the 5 miles which will be my responsibility in this relay.  But, in 8 weeks, I’ll be ready to Run the Rock!

Week 2 Weigh In

Weigh In: 168.0	Weekly Loss: 0.4
Goal: 140	Loss Since 9/7/04: 1.0
Pounds to Goal: 28.0

Well, the results weren't exactly what I was hoping for, but at least the scale is showing some downward progress and I got to post a whole paperclip!

Let's evaluate what might have contributed to my "success" ...

Cheers

• At a birthday dinner for Monica on Saturday night (stay tuned ... post & photos to come!) at the Bavarian Grill, I remembered that I was there for the company, not the food.  In fact, I honestly don't care for German food that much. I'm not even sure that I liked it that much during my youth in New Braunfels (yes, as in Schlitterbahn).  I especially didn't like it after working for a summer at our local version of Bavarian Grill, The Bavarian Village, dirndl and all.  So, I figured out ahead of time (planning is the key - most restaurants now have their menus online) that I would ask for the grilled chicken breast that I found on their gluten free menu. I did indulge in the warm potato salad.  I know it probably sounds down right ooky, but it's the one German dish that I love. 
• I did keep that deal with myself last thursday.  That was a pretty big cheer!

Jeers

• I'll admit that after dinner at Bavarian Grill Chris and I stopped at RaceTrac to get gas, and I might have purchased a package of cupcakes of which I might have eaten 1.  But at least I know that I gave one to Chris.    Not exactly clean eating, but at least I didn't eat both, right?
• Keeping a food journal has never been my forte.  In fact, I pretty much suck at it.  I'm good at planning what I'm going to eat in a given day, but I'm terrible at writing down what I actually eat. From my project management days, I can liken it to having a detailed budget or project plan and then never reporting the actuals. You'll inevitably see the outcome, but you don't know why you succeed (or failed) to meet the goal.

My goal this week is to JOURNAL - to be detailed and diligent.  Wish me luck!

Honor Thyself

How many times have you made a deal with yourself?  If I do X, then I get to have/do/buy Y.   Here's the bigger question ... How many times have you actually NOT done X but still let yourself have/do/buy Y?  Hmmm?  I'm pretty sure we're all guilty, and I'm the one leading the conga line to that special place in hell for people who do not honor thyself by reneging on this kind of deal.  I've done it too many times in my life to count, and we'll just leave it at that.

But, not today.

I made a deal with myself Monday night.  If I got up Thursday morning (that was this morning) and went to the gym (which I hate going to the gym in the AM!), I could go to a happy hour this evening and have a FREE drink (FREE as in not-my-credit-card-paying-the-bill FREE since one of my business associates was sponsoring the happy hour).   The alarm clock went off, and I hit the snooze - over and over and over again.  No gym this AM - no FREE drink this PM. Wow, I just kept that deal with myself.  When was the last time that happened???  Let's not think about that.  The point is that instead of getting to socialize with people I like and have a FREE drink, I'll be packing up and heading to Lifetime this evening for an hour long date with the treadmill.  Anyone want to join me?  :-)  I'll be one south wall with the treadmill that looks something like this. 

Happy pre-TGIF!

Week 1 Weigh In

Weigh In: 168.4	Weekly Loss: 0.6
Goal: 140	Loss Since 9/7/04: 0.6
Pounds to Goal: 28.4

Last night was my first week weigh in at Weight Watchers.  I lost 0.6 lbs.  It was a small success, but a success none the less. I had a pretty good week as far as my eating goes.  I can't even think of a significant slip up, and I'm usually willing to fess up the bad things I do.  (I've noticed that a strange side effect of my own maturation seems to be the inability to lie to myself.  Short periods of delusion - yes.  Long term lying - nope.  )  I'm pretty sure that a couple of specific things might have contributed to my less than drastic loss. 

(1) I'm really hoping that at least part of it is the process of converting fat to muscle and that my body getting used to a reduced calorie count with the continued high level of exercise (relatively speaking, of course). 

Guys - look away ...

(2) I also hope that these blasted hormones have something to do with it.  Ladies, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I'll take my success and run with it. 

Oh, yeah - Wondering what the weird image is under the weigh in numbers?  It is exactly 0.6 of one paperclip.  One thing that our leader does that I enjoy (being the very visual person that I am) is that she asks us to take a paper clip for every pound we lose.  It's just a way to "measure" progress, but I thought it might be cool to post it here.  As usual - it amuses me.  :-)

My next goal - make it to next week ... and see a bigger loss!

Back to Weight Watchers – AGAIN

October 6, 1997 (don’t ask why I remember the exact date)
Chris and I walk into a Weight Watchers meeting and decide to join.  We are seniors at Texas A&M, but were living in Dallas for the semester while we were co-oping.  With 4 years of college life (and all of the nutritional pitfalls that come with that) behind us and a lifetime of struggling with our weight, we decided that something had to be done.

And, we did it.  Both of us reached our goal weight the following spring.  I was a svelte size 6 at 130 lbs (which seems like a lot on a 5’3” frame, but what can I say – I have big bones!). 

Fast forward almost 10 years – September 4, 2007
After 10 years of yo-yoing and several false starts, I’m back and ready to do this.  But, first, let me be clear about one thing – Weight Watchers works and it works for the long term - if you actually make it a way of life.  The only person I have to blame is myself for not choosing to control what I shove in my pie hole.  Okay, to get back on track - I’ve been talking all summer about waiting to buckle down and get my body in better working order, and I’ve taken some steps to do that.  But, the fundamental weight loss part just hasn’t happened.  So, Tuesday night, I re-joined Weight Watchers for the last time.  And, I mean last time in a good way – as in never going to stop weighing in again for as long as I shall live (sounds like a real vow, doesn’t it?).   

And my timing couldn’t have been better.  The topic of the night was Winning Outcomes (i.e., goals).  The leader opened with by showing us a sketch of Alice having come to a fork in a road and looking up at the Cheshire Cat while asking which way shall I go.  The Cheshire Cat replied – Where are you going?”  Alice said she didn’t know.   To which the Cheshire Cat replied – Then it doesn’t really matter, does it?

Having never read Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (I know, how on earth is that possible?), I assume that what the leader described to us was actually an excerpt from the book, but I’m not sure.  All I know is that it spoke to me. 

We discussed what a Winning Outcome should be.  It’s kind of like setting a SMART goal.  They should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, & Timely.  So, I filled out the Winning Outcomes worksheet she handed out.  Here are some of my Winning Outcomes:

• To make a habit of spending 1 hour/day at the gym 5 days/week.

• To lose 10 lbs before leaving on our cruise (October 19th – 6 weeks away).

• To lose 20 lbs before January 1.

• To be at goal (30 lbs) before Valentines Day.

• Finally – the touchy feely goal – I want to want my husband to look at me.  (I’m not going to try to explain that one.  I’m pretty sure that any lady who has ever struggled with her weight will understand it.)

The challenge I face with this is going to be my desire to also incorporate the principles of the Eat-Clean Diet along with the accountability & motivation of Weight Watchers (which are the 2 primary benefits I get from that program).  I was turned on to the concept & book by one of our college friends, Tina (you may have read about it in my previous post, and I know that my other fitness idol, Monica, adheres to similar concepts.  (Hey Monica, do you like your new title – “fitness idol”?)  The Weight Watchers Core Plan is very similar but not exactly the same.  Over the weekend, I’m going to be doing some serious pantry planning to reconcile the differences and help set the stage for my success. 

Wish me luck!  I don’t plan to need it, but I’ll take it anyway. :-)

Back to the Gym & Oprah Worth Watching

After having been out of commission for most of last week with bronchitis and missing spin class Monday night for BFS (sorry Monica!), it was finally back to the gym on Tuesday for my fat butt.  And, gawd, did it feel good!  I was actually a little late getting there.  If I'm going in the afternoon, I usually try to get there by 3:00 so that I can be leaving as the after work crowd starts to fill in.  I got on the treadmill right around 3:40.  No big.  Except that when Oprah came on a 4:00, it caught my attention.  I got sucked in and ended up clocking in 80 minutes while I finished watching the whole show.  Ugh!  My legs were a little tired.  But, it turned out to be a well spent extra 20 minutes.  Read on ...

I'm not an Oprah fan.  I know people who are might take that personally, but please don't.  She just doesn't "speak" to me the way she does to others.  But, lucky for me, she wasn't doing much of the talking on Tuesday.  A likable fellow named Dr. Oz was the main mouth of the day.  Apparently, I've been hiding under a rock somewhere during the past couple of years, because I didn't have a clue who this guys was.  All I knew was that he was saying things that really did SPEAK to me.  For those of you that, like me, didn't have any idea why this guy deserved to be on a national talk show, it turns out that he wrote a little book called "YOU: The Owner's Manual".  It's all about how to take care of yourself and make the right choices that will enable you to lead a long and healthy life.  I know, I know ... every self-help guru out there has some formula that leads to this long and healthy life.  But, this happens to be the one who speaks to me. 

The whole show was pretty much just an overview of one case study.  They applied the principles in this book to help a woman whose "real age" (or body age) was 56 but her calendar age was 42 to bring the two more inline with each other.  Quiet simply, the results were amazing.  It was a 90 day case study, and she looked like an entirely different woman.  It wasn't just weight loss (although she did lose about 1.5-2 lbs/week).  It was how she felt and acted and how her skin glowed and her hair shone (now, I feel like I'm just waxing poetic about this woman, but you get the idea).  Suffice it to say that I was hooked by the concept. 

So, as soon as the show was finished, I hopped off the treadmill and beat path over to Half Price Books.  (I LOVE that store!)  And, sure enough, I was able to pick up "YOU: The Owner's Manual" (YOM) as well as "YOU: On a Diet" (YOD).  I've started YOM, and I'm even more enthralled with these guys (Dr. Oz is partnered with Dr. Roizen).  Their writing style is witty and easy to read, but they still conveying the gravity of the points they're trying to make.  If you care about yourself even a little, this book is a must read!

I'll augment this with a little more information that is mostly unrelated to the gym or Oprah.  Chris and I have a college friend named Tina.  Fitness and nutrition is a passion for her.  We coined a phrase years ago concerning food - "Would Would Tina Do" (WWTD - No disrespect meant to our Lord).  I'm pretty sure she never knew that, but maybe she does now if she's reading.  ;-)  Anyway, Tina and I were talking last week, and she pulled up my blog.  She was amused with my antics in the gym and shortly after we got off the phone emailed me some fabulous information.  She specifically guided me to 2 resources: The Eat Clean Diet and Oxygen Magazine.  From what I can tell (since I have the book on order), The Eat Clean Diet is mainly focused on eliminating all of the bad and processed junk put in our bodies that contribute to the "real age" vs "calendar age" problem.  Oxygen Magazine (which I have picked up and love!) is a cut-the-fluff women's fitness magazine that complements all of these healthy discussions beautifully. 

I hope this whole post hasn't come off sounding like I'm on a soap box.  It wasn't intended that way.  Mostly, I'm just excited to share the information I've been discovering.  If someone else happens to benefit, then all the better!  :-)

What does 60 minutes on a treadmill look like?

Well, a little something like this:

• 2 bottles of water – 60 minutes is a long time! 
• Crackberry – Who knows when that Million Dollar call/email will come in?  It is a Zone 2 workout (easy breathing/easy talking).  I could take a call if I had to. :-)
• MP3 Player – In this case, Chris’ Sensa.  It has an FM tuner on it (where as my iPod doesn’t).  I can listen to Russ Martin (a talk radio show to which I am secretly addicted) if I’m there in the afternoon or listen to one of the tv stations broadcasting in the gym.
• Book – Thank God that I don’t get motion sick!  I can read and walk without wanting to toss my cookies.  It’s a great way to satisfy my obsession.

Seriously, this whole “base” workout thing has really made a difference in the way I look at my trips to the gym.  I wasn’t “scheduled” to go to the gym today, but a little bit after lunch, I was thinking about what else my afternoon held, figured that it wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait, and decided that a trip to the gym was what I needed.  That hasn’t happened in years – if ever.  It’s amazing what a little understanding can do for a person’s frame of mind.  Now that I understand that I don’t have to leave the gym feeling whipped to have actually accomplished something, I feel freer to go on the spur of the moment.  (“Freer” isn’t quite the right word, but I can’t figure out what it should be, so “freer” it is for now.)  Again, let me emphasis if you haven’t had an O2 Map Test (or whatever they call it at your chosen place of sweat), do it!  You owe it to yourself!  It is quite simply the best thing I’ve done for myself in a very long time.

O2 Map Test - The Results

Friday afternoon, Chris and I ventured over to Lifetime fitness so that I could have my 02 Map Test done.  The words to describe this test would probably be interesting, informative, and a little scary.  I’ll explain …

Interesting – Thanks to Chris, I don’t have to try to paint you a picture of how freakish I looked masked and hooked up to the machine.  He snapped several picture for your enjoyment.  It was fascinating to watch the data collection as it happened.  The computer was charting in real time by output of O2 and CO2 as well as my heart rate. 

Informative  - The goal of the test is to find out what your Aerobic Base (AB) and Anaerobic Threshold (AT) are.  AB is where the body is most efficiently burning fat calories.  AT is where the body stops burning fat for energy and begins burning carbohydrates/sugars for energy.  The test basically works by measuring the volume of O2 vs CO2 (oxygen vs carbon dioxide for anyone whose high school chemistry is as rusty as mine) as you exhale.   Assuming that I understood enough of what was going on, AT is basically measured at the point where you are exhaling more CO2 than O2.  (Monica – if you’re out there, correct me if I’m wrong!)  The test took about 25 minutes then we spent the next 40 minutes going over the results.  It was enlightening to say the least.  I finally understand why I have struggled with losing weight even though I’ve been working out with intensity and eating fairly well.  Problem #1: I have been using an AT in spin class that is way too high – like 25-30 bpm too high.  Problem #2: The problem is that I simply don’t burn fat very efficiently.  The Solution – I need to build my AB.  And believe it or not that is accomplished with what are called “base workouts” which are 60-90 minute, low intensity workouts.  I learned that just because I don’t leave them gym completely drenched in sweat and exhausted doesn’t mean that I haven’t done my body any good.  So, my new workout routine is 2 “interval” workouts (i.e, Cycle 60) and 2-3 “base” workouts per week.  A base workout for me would be 60+ minutes on a treadmill keeping my heart rate at 110-120 bpm.  This goes to prove that slow and steady really does win the race!

A Little Scary – When I signed up for the test, they asked a series of questions one of which was am I claustrophobic.  Answer: nope, never have been.  It seemed like an odd question – at the time.  But by the end of the test, I understood why they asked.  When someone puts a small mask over your nose and mouth which pinches your nose and forces you to only breathe through your mouth and makes you do that for 25 minutes, a certain sense of panic sets in.  For me it was only about the last 3 minutes.  Not ever having really felt that kind of phobic panic before, I was all much more panicked because I didn’t understand why my body was reacting that way.  By the time she told me I could take the mask off, I was almost frantic.  That first breath of fresh air was such a relief. 

Overall, it was an awesome experience.  The engineer in me still likes to know how things work, and our bodies are the most complex machines on the face of the earth and as such are utterly fascinating!  For anyone who likes to work out on a regular basis or is interested in losing weight, this test is a must do.

The 8 days of Shnook-ukah have begun!

I love birthdays!  How many women around the age of 30 can say that?  Chris and I have always believed that birthdays are important.  They should be all about the honoree.  From sunup to sundown, it’s all about what the honoree wants to do.  Some favorites tend to be movies (especially since Chris’ b-day falls right around the release of a lot of summer blockbusters), visits to our favorite or rarely visited restaurants, and outings with friends.  It’s even better when our b-days fall around weekends.  Then it becomes an extended celebration which is the case for me this year.  My 4th annual 29th birthday (do the math … if anyone gets it right, there will be a prize) is this coming Sunday, and we have a 3 day weekend of food, fun, and friends planned. 

You might be wondering about the title of this post.  First, I’ll start with the “Shnook” part.  That’s simple – it’s Chris pet name for me.  It dates back to our college days when one of our perpetually still single (but seriously hot – go figure) friends was making fun of us being all lovey-dovey.  The accused Chris of calling me Shnookums which of course he didn’t, but at some point after that, the pet name of Shnooks (or sometimes Shnookie) stuck. 

As for the second part – A few years ago, Chris did 8 days of small gifts leading up to my birthday.  It became known as Shnook-ukah (no offense meant to any of my Jewish friends!). 

So, there’s the back story – now to present day.  The 8 days of Shnook-ukah have begun!  Yea!  There probably won’t be 8 gifts because the first 2 have already been not small.  But, he did start on the 7th day before my birthday – last Saturday.  On the way out of spin class, he asked if I’d like to go make the appointment for my O2 Map Test which was to be my first gift.  For a techno geek type like me, this is very cool.  An O2 Map Test (aka a metabolic exercise test) will tell me what my precise Anaerobic Threshold (AT) is.  (A person’s AT is the heart rate at which their body begins burning mostly sugar and burns less fat.  For more information, check out the 2nd page of this pdf)  It’s a pretty important number to know for good healthy training.  Chris actually surprised me with a new heart rate monitor back in July.  That along with this O2 Map Test will make me a healthier, happier, techno-geekly girl! 

The 2nd gift came on the 2nd day of Shnook-ukah.  It was a 1GB stick of memory for my laptop which bumps me up to 1 ½ GB of memory.  Woo hoo!  My laptop is running zippier than it has in a while. 

Wow – I really am a techno-geek aren’t I?  <big happy grin>