Wait a minute...did you...

Over the next two weeks, I will be spending a lot of time working at one of my client's offices. I haven't been there in over two years but I have run into some folks between now and then.

Within my first hour at the office, the first person I ran into looked at me and said "I know there's something different about you. I want to ask if you've lost weight but sometimes you just can't go there." We had a chuckle and I confirmed that I did lose weight. About 30 minutes later, another person looked at me with similar commentary.

I understand that some folks are uncomfortable with commenting about somebody's weight loss because of the fear that it opens a can of worms. For example:

• "You look great. Have you lost weight." So are you trying to say I looked terrible? Are you trying to say that I was fat?

Not for nothing, I appreciate the validation and the compliments.

Hitting a plateau

I have been slacking something awful since the fall. Running has been the only thing that has saved my ass from having the scale revert to my previous numbers.

I will admit fault. Yes, I can say that life got in the way, I picked up a crazy workload, I'm dealing with personal crap, etc. but the fact is that I haven't been on top of my game.

A few weeks ago, I went for my Weight Watchers weigh-in and the leader addressed plateaus. He was spot on when he said that we will plateau when we get comfortable with our results and take it as license to get lax in our routines. That's exactly what happened to me. I lost 60 pounds and have been getting compliments so it goes without saying that I did develop a sense if complacency.

Yes, if my life was different,  I'm sure the extra weight would've been long gone but the reality is that I have a husband, a daughter, and a career that seems to revolve around meals and cocktail parties so it's a challenge to modify my eating.

I'm running my first marathon in less than 4 months so I will be doing a lot of training runs and some cross-training. To be on top of my game when I conquer those 26.2 miles on November 2nd, I need to work on other components between now and then.

Updated Measurements

Just wanted to get a more global perspective on my progress

Weight - 166.4 lbs (down 67.6 since I started)
Waist - 36" (down 8 inches since I started)
Hips - 43.25" (down 12.75 inches since I started)
Bust - 40" (down 11 inches since I started)
Chest - 32" (down 6 inches since I started)
Right calf - 15" (down 1 inch since I started)
Right thigh - 24" (down 7 inches since I started)
Right bicep - 10.5" (down 2.5 inches since I started)
Right forearm - 8.5" (down 1.5 inches since I started)
Approx BMI - 28.6 (down 11.6 since I started)

I just went on a 5 mile training run this morning and will be running a 15K this Saturday. It's 24 degrees, 11 with the wind chill. There was a time when I wouldn't want any part of being outside in weather like this, much less run in it. Talk about going through changes.

Latest numbers. Another 3-1/2 months have passed.

I'm supposed to take my measurements on a monthly basis but that hasn't happened. I took some measurements yesterday & noticed the following changes:
Hips - 46 (down 3.5 inches since March)
Bust - 41 (down 6 inches since March)
Waist - 37 (down 5.5 inches since March)
Right thigh - 24 (down 4 inches since March)

A lot of folks have noticed that I've lost a significant amount of weight. In addition to the kudos I've received, some are bold enough to ask me about my boobs; yes, they've gotten smaller but I'm not flat-chested.

Going for a run. How did that happen?

I'm training for my first half marathon and have been using RunKeeper, an app on my phone that maps out a training program and tracks my progress. The objective is to get you ready for a half-marathon in about 4 months; you will build your endurance and slowly add distance to make it to 13 miles.

I started the program after I completed my 10K in July. Yes, I should've been done by now but I was working on a project that got me off track with training. I was looking to do my first half either this month or next but that didn't happen.

My first half-marathon will be the Manhattan Half on Janary 26, 2014 and I will make two loops around Central Park (hope it won't be too cold). It's funny how a new activity becomes part of your life. When I was doing my 6-mile run earlier this week, I thought "a year ago, if you told me that I would be logging in a 6-mile run today, I would wonder what you're smoking." My pace isn't great but I'm getting it done.

I'm not doing straight running yet but I'm getting there. I did notice that I will do better at an event than when I'm by myself. I have a 5 mile event on Sunday. I knocked out a training run of a similar distance last Sunday in an hour and 4 minutes. It might be a hoot if I can knock this out in an hour.

Random thoughts during my first 10K

I did my first 10K yesterday. I started training in March after I did the Coogan's 5K. Until recently, I trained exclusively on the treadmill and I developed a level of endurance by doing so. Going in, I knew that I would be happy if I completed within an hour & a half but I was thrilled to learn that I completed in an hour & 26 minutes.

I'm on the hook for an hour and a half so random thoughts come into play.
Waiting to start: "I'm stuck in the slowpoke section & I can't see the starting line."
Beginning of race: "Where is the starting line?"
Starting line: "Let's do this."
1 mile mark: "OK. We're making progress."
2 mile mark: "There's the one-person cheering section & her dad."
Somewhere between the 2 & 3 mile mark: "Hey, there's my car."
3 mile mark: "We're getting there."
5K mark: "If this was a 5K event, I can get out of dodge."
Somewhere between to 5K mark & the 4 mile mark: "Aye, aye, aye."
4 mile mark: "I still have a way to go."
5 mile mark: "Almost there." I also saw a friend of mine drive out of the park shortly after this point; she finished 25 minutes before me.
Somewhere between the 5 mile & 6 mile mark: "Are we there yet?," "Why am I craving hot wings?," "There's Mister Softee."
Just past the 6 mile mark: "These last point two miles are killing me. I can't see the finish line."
Finish line: Feeling great & accomplished.

The camaraderie was awesome. I met all types of folks along the way. Considering the heat wave that plagued the area last week, I couldn't have asked for better weather. That's done & now I'm on a mission to knock out half-marathon training.

Validation

I notice a difference in my clothes and my measurements but when other people notice your changes, it's pretty exciting.

My Weight Watchers leader has been very encouraging in terms of my progress but when you hear "wow, you look great" from other folks, it feels great.

A few days ago, I ran into a couple of my neighbors and one of them told me to get out of my car because he "heard that [I] was thin." I asked him where he heard such a thing and he said on Facebook. So I stepped out of the car & told him that I was down 50 pounds. He's not the only one that's commented but it's just awesome to hear and it gives the inspiration to keep going.

I hate to shop but have to bite the bullet

I hate to shop. I don't know how the aversion to shopping developed...maybe it's bad memories of shopping with my mom growing up or general dissatisfaction with selection, prices, etc. The irony is that I have a considerable amount of clothes. My approach to shopping is that the less time I spend in a store, the happier I am which means that I tend to go to stores that group clothes by size or genre in a small area; with that said, I have minimal patience with department stores where I have to go rack to rack for an outfit. In recent years, most of my clothes have come from Walmart and Burlington Coat Factory because I can hit a few racks, find some clothes that I like in my size, try them on, pay for them and get out of dodge.

I am looking to lose a considerable amount of weight and recognize that I will need to buy a few "transition" wardrobes along to way. Doesn't change the fact that I hate to shop. I'm also not crazy about the fact that I need to buy clothes that I know I won't be able to wear for more than a few months. Whatever. Fortunately, I work from home (or wherever I happen to be at a given moment) so I don't have to keep an extensive "work" wardrobe so I can get by on shorts. I basically buy dress clothes on as as-needed basis since I gave away a lot of clothes because they are too big.

Tonight, I'm meeting up with a group of folks I haven't seen since last summer. A number of them keep in touch with me through Facebook but we don't see each other in person. I wanted to buy shorts that fit so I can show off my weight loss (they've heard about it on Facebook & Twitter) so I went to Old Navy last night. I was annoyed by the slim pickings of larger clothes (must be the given location or all the bigger folks shopped there before me) and since I'm in between sizes, I usually try an item in two sizes & pick from there. I couldn't find anything in a size 18 so I grabbed a size 16 and hoped for the best. I was thrilled to see that the shorts I tried on fit and what I mean by "fit" is that I was able to zip them up & have room in them. What an awesome feeling!

50 down, 50 to go (give or take)

This post is a tad overdue but I was thrilled when I weighed in at Weight Watchers to see that I am down 50 pounds from my highest weight. As I mentioned in my blog description that losing 100 pounds isn't the end all & be all goal but I was striving to a better level of fitness and health.

I like the flexibility of Weight Watchers. I knew that I couldn't deal with the "restrictiveness" of other programs for an extensive period of time. Ideally, I would & should pre-plan my meals but life has a tendency to get in the way and that doesn't happen. Yes, I have gone to McDonald's, Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts, etc. and as long as I log in the point value of what I ate, it's all good.

Physically, I'm making strides. I'm doing a 5K tomorrow and a week from Sunday, I will be doing my first 10K. I am also starting half-marathon training and hope to be able to do the Philadelphia Half Marathon in November. There are a number of other races that I will be doing this year.

It's great to have experienced this weight loss but I hate shopping and it's come to the point that I need clothes. The problem with women's clothing is that you can be one size under one label but a different size under another label; in the words of Sweet Brown "ain't nobody got time for that." With that said, I consider shopping to be a chore but I'm beginning to feel ridiculous in loose-fitting clothes.

Let's get something straight, a pound of muscle & a pound of fat weigh the same

It really annoys me when I hear people say that muscle weighs more than fat & that's why they can't lose weight. Yes, it does get discouraging to spend a lot of time at the gym & make better food decisions only to see slow (if any movement) on the scale. Some folks will say "why bother" and abandon all efforts.

A pound of muscle & a pound of fat weigh the same but they take up different amounts of space. Here are some images that can break it down for you.

If that's not enough, here's something that can serve as motivation to keep going.

One that that I learned a few months ago is that when muscles are being developed, there is a tendency for them to retain water and that may contribute to the scale not moving "too quickly." Just keep at it and the pounds will go away.