Weekly Weigh-in (Round 2) : Ready to start again

Starting weight: 192.0  lbs (7/13)
New Starting weight: 179.5 lbs (4/14)

Week 1 weight: 179 lbs (loss of 0.5)

Week 1 inches lost: No measurements taken this week

Week 1 Steps/Miles: I don't have an accurate step count yet because my Fitbit is not syncing correctly, but I know I hit my 10K steps three days in a row earlier last week and came really close all the other days, I ran a combined total of 5 miles, went on a short bike ride and went skiing a week ago.  A very nice uptick in activity.

Week 1 avg. calorie intake: Didn't count... :(

Moment I am proud of: I have the most uncontrollable craving for chips and salsa from Chili's.  Back in my single days (all sevens months of them... ;) I would stop and pick some up to-go like 3x a week.  I stopped for awhile, and then pregnancy cravings hit...  I haven't picked them up to-go for ages, but ever since Christmas I've been there like 5 times.. :(  Major cravings... It's difficult to even write about it - I'm salivating!!!!  Anyway..  I almost pulled into their parking lot 3 times this week, but each time I just kept on going.  It took every ounce of will power, I tell ya.  I need to change up my driving route so I don't even go by there.  I swore up and down I would never go back over the 180 threshold, and - as you can read - I am dangerously close!  That is motivation enough.  I'm trying to get to the bottom of the craving, and I think I am just in the throes of a major salty/sweet/salty/sweet see-saw.

Nutritional changes/observations: So yes - there is the salty/sweet cycle going on, and a major carb-loading period during the cold months that I am trying to get away from.  I feel it loosening its grip as the weather warms... I want more fresh stuff and less dense and creamy stuff.

What hurts: nothing really in relation to increased activity, which is a plus!  My shoulder has been aching lately, and my dang hip has never really stopped hurting.  I use a heated rice bag multiple times a day - almost every time I sit for a long period of time.  I still have this weird numbing thing that happens in the ball of my left foot.  That doesn't feel so good while running.

Confessional: I am having an impossible time kicking the 3-4 cups of coffee habit I've got going right now.. :(  It's tied directly to sweet cravings.  I am thinking that the warming weather will put a damper on wanting something hot to drink, but then there is the sweet tea demon waiting in the wings...

Deep thoughts from exercise delirium: When you transition from walking to running, why are those first 100-200 ft. so rough?  It feels like my body is going to fall apart!  After that it feels much better, except that my rear end just bounces all over the place.  I don't like that feeling - that's a lot of extra weight I am carrying around!

My goal for next week: reduce my daily caloric intake



Running Playlist

I made several tweaks in my playlist last month, in the hopes of finding something that would keep me motivated for the entire run.  Until I become a more seasoned runner, I don't think I can run without music.  I need it to help me keep a proper pace.  Sometimes I wish I could be in better tune with my surroundings, but I don't run along the street if I can help it, I don't run in the dark, and I usually have the dog with me.

Funkytown - single version**Lipps Inc.  (this just gets me moving!)
Roar**Katy Perry
Stonger**Kelly Clarkson
Ready to Go**Republica
Move Along**The All-American Rejects
Harlem**New Politics
Raise Your Glass**P!nk
Best Day of My Life**American Authors
Whirring**The Joy Formidable  (the end is when my runner's high kicks in!)
Levels - Radio Edit**Avicii
Good Feeling - Jaywalker Remix**Flo Rida (this is the best of the bunch!)
Xception - Original Mix**Starkillers, DJBl3nd
Titanium - feat. Sia**David Guetta
You Make Me Feel...-feat. Sabi**Cobra Starship
Uprising**Muse
Holiday/Boulevard of Broken Dreams**Green Day
Latch**Disclosure, Sam Smith
Cool down...
Swingin Party**Kindness
Hey, Soul Sister**Train
Royals**Lorde

Resolution Run 5K

 

Earlier this evening I dressed up for the cold, and took part in the Resolution Run 5K. I had made up my mind one hot July day when I was out walking that this was going to be my goal for the year. My BR surgery totally waylayed any kind of preparation after October, apart from a handful of runs between then and tonight. But here I was, ready to meet my challenge to myself, and I DID IT!

I ran down those miles, and those demons of doubt, disappointment and regret. I pushed through. I ran my fastest mile yet, at 11:18 for my mile 3 split. (I love how the Map My Run app breaks down the run into splits and averages and so forth.). That mile hurt! I was keeping pace with another lady, who remained just a few feet in front of me. She was determined to not allow herself to be passed by me. She must have been tired, because she kept alternating between running and walking, but I just couldn't get enough 'oomph' in my step to pass her. It must have spurred me to run as hard as I did.

I reached all of my goals:
1. Finish.
2. Don't hurt myself....Although now, a few hours later, I can't walk.... :/
3. At least pass somebody...and I did! The most gratifying pass was a skinny-little-something that must of had noooo stamina because I passed her after the first mile. That felt awesome. Fitness isn't about how you look, but how well you are conditioned!
4. Finish under 45 minutes. I did! 38:25 was my time. I even had enough left in me to sprint the last little bit.
5. It was a goal to run the entire way. I had a nasty cramp develop under my diaphragm at about 1 1/2 miles, and had to slow to a walk for about a half mile so that it could work itself out. I still feel a bit of pain from it, even now... The good news is that after a short rest it felt better, so I picked up my speed and ran for the rest of the race. I am soooo proud of that. It means more to me than if I had run the whole way.

My goal for this coming year is to run a 10K, and improve my time in the 5K.

I hope you were able to meet your exercise goals this year!

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A quiet month...

It's been quiet around here lately. I came off that terrific run while on vacation in OKC, got some actual running shoes and then...nothing. Bitter cold came to stay for a long time, and frozen streets and slippery sidewalks didn't look all that appetizing. I have also been waffling about getting a good sports bra. My PS recommended a sports bra that would mash my chest so tight that nothing moves. Period. Otherwise, I would risk floppity boobs allll over again in a few years. :(. That is all fine and good, but in the meantime, I'm not shelling out $70 bucks on a bra when I have no idea what size to get. Finally, after a long, long ten weeks of waiting and recovery, I feel like my new girls may have settled on a size and I hopped online and gave Amazon a little business a couple days ago. They're hurting for customers this time of year, you know... I chose an Enell bra, based on reviews from other mother-runners who had been through the enlargement/lift/reduction/reconstruction ordeal. It looks like a evil-constrictive thing, which is exactly what the doctor ordered. It has a front closure, with about eight hooks. Geesh! It is on it's way, and I can't wait to try it out. In the meantime, I'm TRIPLING the sports bras when I go out. That is the only way it is semi-comfortable.

 

So far, I am absolutely thrilled with the results of my breast reduction. I *think* my right side is about a C, and the left is still making up it's mind. Probably a D, which means I will have to go with a D cup bra. I hope that with another 25 pounds or so of weight loss, this might change. Most likely not, since most of what is left is glandular tissue. They feel pretty solid, although the left side is considerably more squishy. I am happy to report that, as of this week, I am finally 100% scab free. The scars are really red and noticeable, it will take a years' time for them to fade as far as they conceivably will. Which isn't much. Things still hurt - any kind of bounce when I have little or no support is painful. But I can bound up the stairs or drive down a bumpy road and weather it just fine when wearing a bra. I can whole-heartedly say that this was the best decision I ever made. I feel like a new person! Years of self-loathing have sloughed away...I wish I had done this sooner, but with the pregnancies and everything, that would not have made sense.

 

I am also happy to report that despite a solid ten weeks of very minimal activity, my weight has only fluctuated by two pounds. And I've put away an OBSCENE amount of Christmas cookies in the past couple weeks alone! Maintaining has always been my biggest worry, and so far, so good. But now I am ready to start pushing hard again. Really, really hard. Like Jillian Michaels in-your-face hard. I make the kids exercise with me during commercials. I park in farthest spot I can. I've revamped my playlist. I'm running a 5K in T-minus 9 days! Aack!

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The best run EVER...

It's been 46 days since my surgery, and 47 days since the last time I ran. That run had been my best run in years! (And, sadly, the farthest I had run in years). I ran just over a mile, and it felt smooth and...loose? The kind of feeling where your stride has a good cadence, you body carriage feels controlled yet you can make minute adjustments at ease... It just felt really good. I think I could have kept going that day.

Yesterday, I finally ran again. It was 32 degrees out. Cold. Like, humid cold. Oklahoma cold. Dean and I were walking the neighborhood, and I suggested running down the length of a long, straight street. We ran. I told him I had to keep it slow - VERY slow, so I wouldn't bounce anything that wouldn't react well to bouncing - like sutures, 6 weeks after surgery.

You know what? Those first few strides hurt. They really hurt. Things moved around a bit anyway. (Note to self - time to get a fitted sports bra in the new size. Not that I know what that size will be, because it changes on a daily basis.). But then after that...it kind of actually felt good. I held my upper body a little tighter than I should.. Maybe squeezed my arms inward a bit to protect what I could...but at the end of the street, I felt like I wanted more.

Dean was cold (silly man - only packed thin exercise shorts), so we swung by the house (the inlaws, where we are staying) and he stayed behind, and I grabbed my headphones. I walked for one song, and then my feet just started running. It was not a conscious decision. I ran, and ran, and ran. It. Felt. Awesome. I relaxed my upper body a bit..and then my arms. Hey!? This actually doesn't hurt! I don't feel bounce! Let me repeat that - I DIDN'T BOUNCE! For a person who is recovering from a breast reduction - this is huge. For the first time in 20+ years, it didn't hurt. It didn't look awkward, feel awkward...I was just your average runner, blending in.

I ran just over two miles. I ran two miles (in addition to the quarter mile Dean and I ran) and I daresay, I could have run more. I had a good pace (10 minute mile), I wasn't cold, the neighborhood streets were quiet, with almost no patches of ice. I got my bearings in this brand new neighborhood our inlaws moved to, and I ran in sort of a circle. I cried the last half mile - tears of happiness, not pain. I felt like I had triumphed over a nasty personal demon that has haunted me for years. I even picked up the pace at the end, for a strong finish.

Since the surgery, I have only seemed to manage three extended walks - each only slightly more energetic than the last. I've had excuses aplenty - pain, discomfort, being sick, too cold outside... So I have lost a bit of the conditioning I had built up since July. But it blows me away that out of the blue I could manage to run so well. I know that the change in altitude from Colorado to Oklahoma has everything to do with it. I plan to continue to take full advantage of it for the rest of our stay.

This also means that running a 5K on NYE is totally feasible - so I'm in!!!!!!

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One month post BR

It's been one month (almost 5 weeks) since my reduction surgery.  Healing is going well.  I still have a couple of open spots, but they are coming along.  I am very thankful that no complications have arisen yet.  I am on a BR forum, and there are several women who have not been so lucky.  I don't know exactly how things went wrong in their cases, but in several cases it is due to the patient being a smoker.  Wound recovery can be a huge deal in the case of a BR.  I mean, we're talking an average of 30 inches of incisions - and six different points of intense stress on the sutures.

After looking at hundreds of different outcomes, I can rest very assured that I came out smelling like roses.  Nothing is looking off in unwanted directions, things are even, proportionate and healing.  I feel very lucky.  I did research my PS, (but perhaps not as well as I could have/should have), and he did an excellent job - no complaints.   In hindsight, the best advice I can give to anyone thinking about getting a breast reduction is to arm yourself as much as you can with research about the procedure, the risks, the surgeon, the methodologies, the recovery and so forth.  Go armed with realistic expectations, a firm idea about what end result you expect, and a list of questions particular to your case.

I am feeling pretty good.  I guess I am experiencing less back pain - I just need to really work on my posture.  There has been no change in my shoulder indentations.  I wonder if they will ever go away?  Things are beginning to settle, there is less swelling - one side more than the other, and a little less discomfort.  I feel like I have an extremely tight underwire bra on, at all times.  Of course I am not wearing one (hope I never have to again), but the incisions feel that way.  I still have a rather painful opening on my left side, where my incision begins, right at band height.  It is about the size of a nickel.  It is so slow in healing - I am feeling a bit frustrated with that.

I went for my first all-out walk yesterday, and it felt...okay.  There is some 'bounce' now, and that doesn't feel so good...  But it certainly is not anything like it used to be.  It just feels so good to get out and moving again.

I didn't do a weigh-in post last week since there has been no activity on my part.  I am entering my third week of cold-nastiness.  I'm in the last stage of the frustrating crap that never seems to leave your lungs, but I have my energy back so I am moving again!  The great news is that even after five weeks of relative ZERO activity, I've moved down the scale 5 lbs.  Okay... 3.1 lbs of that was 'boob', but the other bit I'll take as a gift, because I certainly didn't earn it.

I went to my family doctor last Monday because I had come down with pink eye - yay!  :( - and the intake nurse did my usual height/weight/temp/BP.... I'm down 20 lbs...and my doctor makes no mention of this.  Surely you would think they would say something?  Even if just to make sure that you were losing weight intentionally (and in a safe way) and not because of some underlying condition?  Hmmm.  I have my actual annual physical next week, maybe she will say something about it then.

Weekly Weigh-in: WEEK 12

 

 

Starting weight: 192.0 lbs

 

Week 1 weight: 190.5 lbs (loss of 1.5)

Week 2 weight: 188.0 lbs (loss of 2.5)
Week 3 weight: 187.0 lbs (loss of 1.0)
Week 4 weight: 186.0 lbs (loss of 1.0)
Week 5 weight: 184.0 lbs (loss of 2.0)
Week 6 weight: 181.3 lbs (loss of 2.7)
Week 7 weight: 179.4 lbs (loss of 1.9)
Week 8 weight: 179.6 lbs (gain of 0.2)
Week 9 weight: 179.0 lbs (loss of 0.6)
Week 10 weight: 177.1 lbs (loss of 1.9)
Week 11 weight: 176.0 lbs (loss of 1.1)
(two week break for surgery)
Week 12 weight: 171.6 lbs (loss of 4.4)

Total loss: 20.4 lbs

 

 

Week 1 inches lost: 0.75"
Week 2 inches lost: 0.75"
Week 3 inches lost: 1.25"
Week 4 inches lost: 1.5"
Week 5 inches lost: 1.5"
Week 6 inches lost: 0.75"
Week 7 inches lost: 0.75"
Week 8 inches lost: 0"
Week 9 inches lost: 0.25"
Week 10 inches lost: 1.0"
Week 11 inches lost: 1.0"
(two week break for surgery)
Week 12 inches lost: 3.75"

Total loss: 13.25"

 

Week 1 Steps/Miles: 106,731 / 45.89 mi.

Week 2 Steps/Miles: 109,858 / 48.48 mi.
Week 3 Steps/Miles: 102,225 / 50.13 mi.
Week 4 Steps/Miles/Running: 104,213 / 49.63 mi. walking and 1.6 mi. running!!
Week 5 Steps/Miles/Running: 96,139 / 47.10 mi. walking and 0 mi. running
Week 6 Steps/Miles/Running: 99,991/ 49.01 mi. walking and 0.5 mi. running
Week 7 Steps/Miles/Running: 83,568/ 40.92 mi. walking and 0 mi. running
Week 8 Steps/Miles/Running: 57,164/ 27.99 mi. walking and 0 mi. running
Week 9 Steps/Miles/Running: 77,896/ 38.76 mi. walking and 0 mi. running
Week 10 Steps/Miles/Running: 80,376/ 39.60 mi. walking and 1.9 mi. running
Week 11 Steps/Miles/Running: 49,679/ 24.32 mi. walking and 0.8 mi. running
(two week break for surgery - still on activity restriction for 4 additional weeks)
Week 12 Steps/Miles/Running: 45,651/ 22.35 mi. walking and 0 mi. running

 

Week 1 avg. calorie intake: 1,955

Week 2 avg. calorie intake: 1,621 (much better - I met this week's goal!)
Week 3 avg. calorie intake: 1,823 (yikes!)
Week 4 avg. calorie intake: 1,745
Week 5 avg. calorie intake: 1,579
Week 6 avg. calorie intake: 1,603
Week 7 avg. calorie intake: 1,613
Week 8 avg. calorie intake: 1,539
Week 9 avg. calorie intake: 1,564
Week 10 avg. calorie intake: 1,523
Week 11 avg. calorie intake: did not track
Week 12 avg. calorie intake: did not track

 

Moment(s) I am proud of:

First - Fit bit sent me THIS: :)

Thanks Fit bit! I love the weekly overview emails, and the congratulatory emails you receive when you hit a milestone...

Second, I tried on my wedding dress that I wore on our wedding day - July 24th, 2005. It fit! I weighed 165 then, so I am very, very close. Why did I try it on? Well, I need to wear it in the beginning of December when Dean and I DANCE in the Nutcracker!!!!!! EEEEK! We are playing the part of one of the couples in the party scene in Act 1. The performance attire for the ladies is an evening gown. Technically, that is what my wedding dress is. Since it was my second marriage, I didn't go all out with a fancy gown (been there/done that), so I opted for an ivory cocktail dress with a stoll. Turns out, it is perfect for the performance! Now I just have to figure out how to dance in heels. I've been cooking this up since August, when the plea for parent participants went out to all families of the dance academy, so I knew this was looming. It has been a very good motivator for me, actually.

Third, I'm having to start taking in some clothes. I'm not ready to go out clothes shopping yet. My breasts are still very swollen, and I still have 20 more pounds to go to get to my goal. I may have to go to the second hand store to buy a few things to get me by.

 

Nutritional changes/observations: I am not tracking still... But I need to be. This is the habit that is the hardest to keep going. Water, water, water. I think that the biggest reason I am having an issue with swelling is that I am not drinking enough water. In the 2-3 days after the surgery, I could not get enough. Then after that, I backed off considerably. Not a good thing...

 

 

What hurts: My boobs are still very, very sore. I have paper tape over 80% of my incisions, the rest is still in the process of scabbing up. Everything is closed up so I don't have any more seepage, but some of the scab areas are quite large - dime size. I don't react well to paper tape - there is something in the adhesive that irritates my skin, so I will need to go back to the PS tomorrow to purchase some scar serum that they recommended. If I use that serum, I don't have to wear the tape. I did go without the tape a day ago, and I felt ....vulnerable?? Like if I stretched above my head I would rip something open. There are also bruises still fading and new ones appearing, so I feel tender. I officially 'walked' twice last week. The first one, at the beginning of the week was a rather short one - I got tired very quickly, and the second sports bra was adding an incredible amount of uncomfortable compression. My second walk was yesterday, and it felt much better. I noticed no 'huffing' in my breath as I moved. Before, the boob bounce would actually make me huff with each step. Now there is nothing!! :)

 

 

Confessional: Halloween Candy? The good thing is that I have not purchased ANY! (self back pat...) The bad thing is I was with my family last night watching my nephew in a marching band competition, and I was downing candy right and left every time a bag was passed down the row. I completely ignored the snacks I brought with me to avoid the candy in the first place...

 

 

Deep thoughts from exercise delirium:

 

 

My goal for next week: Get a walk in - no matter how short - every day.

 

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