My Weight Loss Ticker!

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Three years!

Three years ago today I drug my Obese self to the doctor and asked him - "Why am I feeling so run down? - Why do I feel sick all the time? Why do I just not feel "right"?" His response to me was - "Your blood pressure is high and I think it's time to put you on some medication." I didn't and still don't like taking medications so I asked if there were other options. He told me I could stand to lose some weight and it might help me get off the medication but he couldn't guarantee it. I asked him where I could start and he told me he recommended Weight Watchers. I left that appointment with my new pills in hand and went directly to the Weight Watchers center. They were actually closing up for the day and the receptionist gave me the hours and asked me if I would come back for a meeting - then she looked in my eyes and saw something.... She told me that she was going to stay and sign me up right then because if she didn't I wouldn't come back. She explained the program, took my money, answered my questions and made me feel like there was hope. It was a very low moment in my life and walking through that door was about the hardest thing I have ever done, but what I have gained in the three years since is priceless! After I hit my 10% weight loss (26 pounds for me) I went back to the doctor, had him monitor my blood pressure for a month and then he took me off those darn pills! Huge victory number one!! They say there is something sweet about the taste of victory and I decided there would be many more moments to come! Hitting milestone after milestone, fitting into regular clothing and no longer wearing plus size stuff, completing my first 5K, 10K, 10 miler, Half marathon and the my first full marathon, feeling better about myself, wearing a sleeveless bike jersey for the first time, earning my 25, 50, 75 and 100 pound rewards at WW, hitting goal, making lifetime and maintaining my weight loss now for almost 8 months and many more I have left out due to time issues.

It all started with one step - the step into the Weight Watchers center and an interaction with a person who had been there herself and new exactly how I felt.

I think it is very appropriate that I have been asked to speak at an open house at our center on the 3rd anniversary of me making that first step. I hope to give back today and inspire someone else to take that first step, sign up and change their life!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Quick Weigh In Post!

On Sunday I was able to weigh in within my goal weight at WW! I was so happy!!! - I worked hard to get there this month and I'm going to work equally hard to not let myself creep up that high again! So I'm at 7 months of Maintenance - almost 8!

Saturday, July 24, 2010

SacFit Saturday, Emotional Eating and Slowing Down

So it's that time again! Time for a Sacfit Saturday post! - today I walked with the walking group (aka the purple group) and I did 7 miles in 2 hours and I had a great walking partner today that was good for my soul. I have been struggling with my body telling me to slow down - first the overall feeling of fatigue that led me to the decision to step down from the Gold group 12:30 - and move to the red group 13:00 - that run didn't go so well either and my ankle started giving me trouble so I knew my next decision would be to stop running for a while and the Purple group so graciously accepted me (it helps that my husband is the color group coach!) and I'm now a coach for them! Then there was the bike ride that broke me that slowed me down even more. Then on Friday my Dad called me after undergoing some tests and he has been diagnosed with lung cancer. It is early stage and a very treatable type of cancer, but still the word cancer just stops you in your tracks. He will be undergoing more tests and once those are done he will get a plan of attack and I have promised to be there for whatever he and my mom need. After I hung up the phone I wanted to go have a burger and fries. I guess I thought that that would help me process my feelings, but we all know it wouldn't. I didn't get the burger and fries and in the week that has passed I have resisted every urge to emotionally eat. I have been on track 100% and I'm hoping that I will be rewarded on the scale with a weigh in within my goal weight in the next week.

Along with all the lows in the last two weeks there have been a couple of high points.

First my Weight Watchers location is having an open house on July 31st and they have invited me to be a speaker! I'm super excited about this opportunity to inspire people to join and change their lives!

Secondly I got an Email from the Public Relations Manager from Weight Watchers telling me its time to celebrate my achievement as a Weight Watchers role model of the year contest winner! They are donating 100 pounds of food (equivalent to my weight loss) to my local food bank and there will be a photo shoot with me and the food at the center. That will go out as a press release to all the local media and they decide whether to pick up the story or not, but the center I go to is in a small town and I believe at least that local newspaper will pick it up. My leader seems to know everyone and is arranging to have one of the board members from the food bank there as well! I'm excited about being able to give back to the local community!!

So as you see I have been on a little roller coaster of highs and lows the last couple of weeks and I feel like I have done a great job of not only resisting the emotional eating that I have wanted to do, but I'm listening to my body and slowing down for a little while and taking time to enjoy the little things in life.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A Sunday bike ride interrupted by a stupid tree...

On Sunday morning I had plans to meet with Glenda for a 20ish mile ride down the American River Bike Trail -Since we came from different sides of the river we both parked and then met at the Guy West Bridge - Such a great bridge that is on the California State University Sacramento Campus! Glenda snapped this pic as I was coming across the bridge to meet her! We started our ride and I was feeling pretty good - I was testing out a new water backpack since bending down and getting the water bottle is not my strong suit and everything was perfect. The weather was still cool (we met at 7AM) it was quiet on the trail and I had the best company - Glenda is amazing to me and so inspirational to me - she is always able to get me out of a funk!

We were about two miles in when we heard this loud cracking noise that seemed to have lasted forever - at first I wasn't sure what it was - but then I realized it was a tree going down and Glenda was peddling fast and yelling "Pedal Sabrina, Pedal!" I never got sight of the tree but I could tell it was big and coming down close to me, but had no idea which direction so I peddled and then I could hear it behind me - I tried to look back to see if I could see where it was going or if it was going to hit me and that is when I lost control of the bike. I ended up off the trail into the loose stuff and my bike stopped and I didn't. Over the handlebars I went and luckily I was far enough off the trail that I landed up underbrush and loose stuff and not on the trail itself or the hard edge of the trail.
A picture of my crash site - Glenda still kicks herself that she didn't get a pic of me laying in the bushes with my bike on top of me but she was too concerned making sure I was OK! I'm thankful for the soft stuff there or I would have been hurt much worse.


Here is a pic of the tree that came down, is was huge and thankfully it didn't come across the trail and landed where nobody really would have been since it was off the trail (but of course since I never caught sight of it - I didn't know it wasn't going to hit me...)


So I get up, evaluate myself and other than a little soreness I think - hey I'm OK! The adrenaline was pumping and I was so wired I don't think much would have stopped me at that point. Glenda even said - OK lets go back and I told her that we had only done two miles and that I was fine to go on! I did stop at a park about 5 miles later and let her continue on for a bit and I brushed myself off some more and ate something and called a friend. But when I was done I continued on and met her part of the way back. With about 4 miles to go to the car I started feeling like something wasn't right - I was having trouble taking deep breaths and I was winded more than I should have been. I was also having trouble keeping up with Glenda and she had to keep slowing down for me. She rode with me back to my car and all told I did a little under 19 miles (16 of that after the crash!).

After I got home tightness and soreness set in and I had a hard time taking a deep breath without pain in my upper back on the right side. I called Kaiser and I had a phone appointment set up and the doctor I talked to said I probably had bruised ribs and to take Ibuprofen and alternate ice and heat but to call back if anything got worse. The next morning I made an appointment with my regular doctor and he did X-rays and such and diagnosed me with a separated shoulder and a cracked rib underneath my shoulder blade. I consider myself lucky - things could have been so much worse. I was lucky to fall where I did, I was lucky that tree didn't fall on the trail (or on me or anyone else) and I'm lucky that I wasn't by myself.

I talked to a friend after I came home from the doctors and she told me that this was just a speed bump in my road - it may be enough to slow me down a little, but once I'm on the other side of it I will take off again full speed! I have an amazing support system and I'm so thankful for everyone of them that keeps me going when I'm down!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

SacFit Saturday!

It's been a bit since I have posted a Sacfit Saturday post - mainly because I have been so busy! So the new season started several weeks ago and I have been on the move! The first two weeks I went with the gold group 12:30's. I had signed on to be the assistant coach for them, but after a couple of weeks I could tell that something was not quite right. I have had some tightness in one of my calves for sometime and it was only getting worse. I knew after last weeks run that I had to step down and go with a slightly slower group - which I thought I would be OK in the 13:00 Red group. In the red group we do 3 and 1 intervals instead of 4 and 1 and I thought that would make a difference, but then on the way to the run this morning my bad ankle started bothering me and I took that as a sign that I'm not going to push it - I'm going to listen to my body. I go out with the red group and after a little over 2 miles my calf is tight and my other ankle hurts....

I turn around and walk back - end up doing a little over 5 miles total and decide that I really need to listen to what my body is telling me and take a break from running. I'm still going to be out there - I'm going to walk with the purple group (an amazing supportive group of individuals!) and the hubster and I have found a marathon that we can do together - Morgan Hill has a marathon where the time limit is 7 1/2 hours so that will be his first full marathon and I get the privilege of being with him every step of the way (as long as I don't slow him down!)

I'm very excited about what the season holds for me - I was really worried about doing a marathon with such a short time cut off and now I don't have that worry and I get to see my hubby finish a marathon and payback all the support he gave me during my first full marathon!