Run Like the Wind

This was a good week. Water aerobics was awesome on Wednesday night. The instructor, Heather, got in the water so we could all hear her better and she kept us organized so we didn't run into each other. (It has been a train wreck during the other classes.) We did really good arm and ab work. It burned! She only teaches the Wednesday night class and Ruth teaches Monday nights. I'm hoping Heather gives Ruth her notes!

I made a friend at my Weight Watchers meeting tonight. She is pretty outspoken in the meetings, but tonight was the first time she mentioned that she had started out 4 years ago at over 200 lbs. Then she started talking about surprises after she hit her goal weight - loose skin and lack of tone. I have been anticipating lack of tone, but I thought loose skin was only something that people who had surgery had to deal with. It was eye-opening. I approached her timidly after the meeting and she ended up being super friendly. We went to Starbucks for coffee and chatted for a while. She's a very interesting person. She is also a leader at that location on a different day and time. I'm so glad I approached her!

I tried on my size 14 pants last night on a lark. They are tight, but they fit over my hips and zip. What dawned on me is that with any luck, I'll never wear them again. They are both a heavy weight wool and lined. Definitely winter pants. Hopefully by winter they will be too big for me.

I have good news, I'm technically in the 180's! I'm at 189.8, so I have a little toe in the 180's, but I'm going to take it and run with it :) Well, not literally run. My knees aren't so good.

Get Healthy - Or Else ...

I just read what I find to be a disturbing article in Business Week entitled, "Get Healthy - Or Else" (click on the title of this post to go to the Business Week website). It is about a company that is regulating employee behavior (smoking, weight loss, exercise) to mitigate the rising costs of health insurance provided by the company. If you don't join the program, your insurance premiums go up while everyone on the program enjoys lower premiums.

I don't have a solution to how companies can reduce the cost of providing health insurance to their employees, but I do know that quitting smoking and losing weight are two personal struggles that people need to come to terms with on their own. They need to be ready to make the changes in their life, not be deemed unhealthy by their employer and forced into behavior they aren't comfortable with. The employer isn't respecting the dignity of their employees. These employers don't care about their employees and the fact that they are being self-destructive. They just care about the bottom-line.

Goals Redux

So I mentioned a few posts ago that I was going to reset my goals the week of my birthday. Well, I've looked over the past 25 weeks since I started Weight Watchers (it's gone by so fast!) and found that on average I have lost 1.2 pounds per week. Of course some weeks are up and some are down. So, I've calculated what weight I'd be at for certain milestones if I lost 1.2 lbs. per week. (I'm sorry it's so tiny, I couldn't figure out how to make it any bigger.) I'll write a post for each Goal/Milestone to say whether or not I've achieved it by the goal date. I didn't really have goals before. That's why that cell is blank until this week. I didn't reach 34 by 34, but I'm really happy to be at 32.4! I'm so excited that I could be down 49 lbs. by Graduation!

One Year Older ... and Wiser for It?

Today is my birthday - I'm 34! And I got the gift every kid dreams of ... a snow day! My classes on Tuesdays are at 3:30pm and 7:00pm and school posted a notice that they were closing as of 2pm today due to inclement weather. How cool is that?! Truth is it just means two things for me: (a) I have more time to work on an optional assignment I have due tomorrow and (b) I'm stuck at home alone because the roads are too bad to drive on. But really, what is there to complain about - I have cable TV, the internet, my bath tub and I went to the grocery store last night so I have a full supply of Diet Pepsi on hand!

I don't know if I've made 34 by 34 yet because I don't weigh in at Weight Watchers until Thursday. But, I don't think it is going to pan out because I had a big night out on Saturday - tapas. It was awesome. Six of my friends from school and I had dinner at a place called Jaleo. Shrimp, scallops, salmon ... can you tell I love sea food? Tonight's menu is chicken tacos. I'm allowed to have the flour tortillas because I didn't eat lunch today so dinner is going to be early and a big meal (about 14 points).

Water aerobics started last night. It's in deep water this time. They have us wearing floatation belts so it isn't hard to tread water at all. The class is about twice as big, so it is a little hard to maneuver. It was nice to see my friend from the shallow water class last semester. She looks great. She's lost a total of 26 pounds and her goal is 40 pounds (Go Nancy!). I think she's definitely going to achieve it. My swimsuit looks a little baggie (Yeah!), but I think it is more because it is so old than because of any weight I've lost. I have another suit that is newer that fits that I'm going to start wearing. Unfortunately it doesn't give me as much support, but we'll see how it goes.

Looking over the past year I have a lot to be thankful for. My family and friends are all happy and in good health. I live in a safe, comfortable place. I've almost finished my master's degree and I've lost weight, which is something I feared I'd never accomplish. And I've met all of you! I definitely feel blessed! Here's to being 34!

The Power of Full Engagement

Where to begin? I'm feeling great! I have met a scale goal, an exercise goal and a non-scale goal this week:

• I lost 3.2 lbs. so I am on track to make 34 by 34!
  
• I exercised 5 days this week for a total of 225 minutes!
  
• I can actually button my suit jackets and they don't pull across my chest!

I mentioned my leadership class in a previous post. We have a lot of outside reading to do, but only one required book, The Power of Full Engagement. It is awesome. I'm recommending it to anyone who wants to take a look at how they are spending their energy and what they are spending their energy on. There was one passage that really struck me:

"When we feel challenged rather than threatened, we are more willing to extend ourselves, even if that means taking some risk and experiencing some discomfort along the way."

That passage speaks to me on so many levels, about weight loss, about going back to grad school, and about dating. I've posted a link to the book on Amazon.com at the end of this post.

Thanks to all of you who responded to my last post on flirting and potentially dating in the future. It is so wonderful to be vulnerable and reveal something you are scared of and get support back. It isn't something I'm comfortable talking to my friends about. And to answer a few questions: the only thing I am involved with outside of school is hanging out with my sister and brother-in-law, I graduate in May and I am definitely not staying in this area after I graduate. And to clarify, I actually think Match.com is great. I have many friends who have met their boyfriends/fiances/husbands through Match. I just don't want to seek out advice from Dr. Phil.

The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz http://http//www.amazon.com/Power-Full-Engagement-Managing-Performance/dp/0743226755/sr=1-1/qid=1171048176/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-5419621-3385551?ie=UTF8&s=books

DVD Recommendations, please!

It was great hearing about how integral your WW leaders have been in your journeys. This Thursday night meeting also seems more cohesive, like a real group, so it will be interesting to see the personalities come out week after week.

So, I'm looking for recommendations for exercise DVDs. I really like riding the bike at the gym, and water aerobics is starting next week (yeah!), but I think I am going to need another option to keep from getting bored. So, to get you started thinking of ideas, here is my wish list:

1. I need relatively low impact moves. My knees aren't what they used to be. (And I'm sure my neighbors below me would also appreciate low impact!)
2. I love to dance, so anything dance related would be great! (I know, kinda hard to incorporate with #1) p.s. I don't like Richard Simmons.
3. I hate floor work, sit ups are the worst!
4. I'd like something that incorporates weights. That's one thing that is lacking in my exercise regime. I have hand weights right now.
5. I don't have room for a step. (Back in the day I loved my Reebok Step!)

Many thanks in advance for your suggestions. Any and all are welcome (even ones that don't fit my ridiculously narrow parameters!)

Leadership

Good news ... today was my weigh-in day and I lost 4.6 pounds last week! That more than makes up for my wild NYC weekend. I guess all my kvetching about 11 flex points really wasn't that big of a deal. I think now that I'm back under 200 again my daily points allowance changes from 26 to 25. I think that's doable. I was worried it was going to change to 24. I know 1 point isn't a big deal, I think it's just the idea of losing 2 points at the same time that had me scared. A gradual loss of points is more manageable for me.

So, my goal of 34 by 34 is potentially doable at this point. It would mean I'd need to lose at least 3 pounds each week for the next 2 weeks. I think I'm going to go for it. Even if I don't make it, I'll still probably be down 30 by the time I turn 34. Believe it or not the numbers aren't a big deal to me. It's more a game I'm playing with myself to keep myself entertained. After a while losing isn't as exciting. I can't believe I'm actually saying that. In fact it's a little bit of a lie. I was worried after NYC that I had somehow plateaued and I wouldn't be able to get past 200 again. It's nice to see counting points and exercise does works.

I didn't make my exercise goal as you can see from the ticker up top. I went 3 days out of the 5 I had wanted to go. I think it was more of a stretch goal than a realistic goal. But, I like the idea of a stretch goal. I'm going to set the same goal for next week ... 225 minutes in 7 days. School is getting busier now that the semester has started in earnest, but I can read for class on the bike so it's multi-tasking!

I'm taking a leadership development class this semester. During the first class we had a discussion on the difference between managing and leading. Managers focus on getting the staff to accomplish tasks while leaders focus on motivating the staff to achieve the company's higher level strategies and vision or mission. My Weight Watchers meeting leader tonight got me thinking about leadership. (I switched from Tuesday night meetings to Thursday night meetings.) The Thursday night leader, Melvin, is awesome. He is so energetic and actually funny. People laugh at his self-deprecating humor instead of the faint-hearted smiles the Tuesday night group would give our leader when she tried to make a joke. He engages the members and makes it a safe place to share. He is successfully leading the group and fulfilling the Weight Watchers vision. (I know, I have totally drank the kool-aid.) It is great to see that in action. While I have only been a member since August 2006, I haven't had any inspiring leaders until now. I'm looking forward to next Thursday night!