Day 50 - SV + NSV = GR8!

Wow, soooo much info to cover! Where to start? Hmmm...  Forgive me if this post rambles a little or runs long. I'll try to keep my giddiness in check over today's events. Might be a tad hard though. :)

First off... my doctor's appointment yesterday regarding the pain in my left heel.

A little recap... About a month ago, I started the Couch-to-5K running program, only to be sidelined pretty quickly with severe pain in my left heel. While I am able to walk without much issue, any kind of running (even very short bursts) makes the pain flare up with a vengeance. As the ability to run is a top goal of mine, this was extremely disappointing. Still, I know better than to push myself without knowing all of the facts. I felt a trip to the doctor before trying to continue was necessary.

At the appointment, the nurse was absolutely wonderful! I received some great early feedback on my foot pain (she had dealt with it herself and is now able to run 4 miles a day). Then, when she took my vitals, she told me my blood pressure and pulse were right on! Woohoo! NSV #1 right there! Then she took my weight. All I can say is I cried just a smidge in the car later... just a tear or two of happiness. The last time I was weighed in a doctor's office, they had to put that large weight over to 250 and the small weight nearly off the bar. No longer! That large weight was at 200 and the little weight didn't need to move past the halfway point on the bar. Since I only track my official weekly weigh in (more on this later or see my sidebar), I won't reveal what it said. It was just another NSV (#2) for me. :)

The doctor examined my feet, asked some questions, and gave me a preliminary diagnosis of plantar fasciitis. She took some xrays and gave me a prescription for any pain I may experience. I should hear back sometime in the next few days on what, if any, kind of bone spur I may have and any specific types of treatment she wants me to focus on.

In terms of re-starting the C25K program, I have decided to wait off until I lose some more weight. It turns out that the force exerted by the body on the feet when you run is approximately 8x your weight. That is a tremendous amount of force and pressure on my joints and feet. So, I am temporarily holding off until I lose a bit more. My thought... sometime after I get below 200lbs later this year.

Next, today's weigh in...

Today was Weigh In Day for me at Weight Watchers. I felt good going in, pretty sure the scale was going to show a loss. I had been tracking everything, had tried to keep my sodium a bit more in check, and had a ton of activity points from both the gym visits and all of the swimming with my friends. I was feeling confident. But, as I've learned from past experiences, a good week doesn't guarantee a good weigh in, so I was still a little nervous. Turns out I didn't need to be. I lost a solid 3lbs this week! 3lbs is phenomenal!! I will admit to a couple of arm pumps and a brief Snoopy-type dance, but that's all. :)  Scale Victory!

NSV #3 came this morning at breakfast. I was standing in front of the fridge trying to decide what I wanted to eat. I was tired (son woke up quite early since he wasn't feeling well) and hungry and craving something not quite healthy. I was trying to decide between my mom's homemade enchiladas (not low calorie in the slightest), the last serving of fruit cobbler (which would have required ice cream), or turkey chili-smothered hash browns.

Like I said, healthy wasn't cutting it right then. Too boring... too "been-there-done-that"...

Then I put my hands on my hips... and felt them there, plain as day!

When I say "I felt them," I mean I actually felt the strong, smooth contours of my actual hip bone. No fatty deposits to squish down, no cellulite or rolls to move aside. I felt my hips!! They were the hips of a skinny girl... and they were mine!

O... M... G...!

What to eat for breakfast became a really easy decision: Egg Beaters with sauteed veggies, a Weight Watchers yogurt with fresh blackberries, half of a low fat whole wheat english muffin with a little light butter and honey, and a cup of almond milk. 4.5 points. Best tasting breakfast ever!

I have been feeling my hip bone all day, probably from shock. Kind of like pinching yourself to make sure it's not a dream. Maybe I just want to make sure those lovely hips are still there and that I wasn't fooling myself.

Nah... still there... still mine. :)

Oh, I did end up having a small serving of enchiladas, just for dinner with a large spinach salad and water. Worth every point. Soooo good!

As my weeks run from Tuesday to Monday, that means it's time for my Challenge Updates!!

I am currently participating in two challenges: the Freedom Challenge sponsored by Deb at Deb Will Be FREE and the Positive Effects Water Challenge (PEWC) sponsored by Kenz at All The Weigh and Sean at The Daily Diary of a Winning Loser.

First, my Freedom Challenge goals:

1) To do some kind of organized exercise at least 4 days a week (gym, walking trails, video, etc.)
Easily done this week. I had two great workouts at the gym, then had two barbecues at a friends' home. They have a large above-ground pool that I took full advantage of. Whenever I was in the pool, I didn't stop moving. Swam until my body was exhausted and my mind was at peace. Only downside to this is I don't have a pool to use on a regular basis at the moment and I LOVE to swim! Makes me all the more determined to find a way to pay for my old gym membership again... somehow. They have 3 pools, one solely for laps (which is my exercise of choice). I'm praying for good financial news in the next few weeks. While I won't go into specifics, if all goes well, I'll be back there in no time!


2) To work on one project on my To Do List per week.
I have been able to get a couple of more items checked off my list this week. Not as many as last week, but still moving forward on this.


3) To get a minimum of 6 hrs of sleep per night, especially during the week.
Ouch! This is where I didn't do too well. So much to do, not nearly enough time to get everything done. As my son needs most of my attention during the day (see Day 24 for more details), my "me" time begins after he's in bed, generally around 8:30-9-ish. Doesn't leave much time for reading, writing, commenting, emailing, etc. I do my best, but some days I just live off of 4 hours of sleep or so. Still, I manage for the few days I need to, catch up on sleep on the weekends, grab naps when I can and love doing everything I do. :)


4) To drink 2 liters of plain water per day, regardless of any other drinks I imbibe.
More on this in a bit...


5) To have 4 new "food adventures" during the challenge time period. This could include trying a new restaurant, making a new recipe, trying never-before-used ingredients, etc.
I can now say I have 1 of 4 done! This past week, I went shopping with a good friend on mine. While we were out, we decided we needed to try the new Vietnamese restaurant near my house. Now, I have never had Vietnamese food before and many of my friends were raving about this place. Sounded like a good choice to me. Oh boy, was it ever! Soooo yummy! So healthy! So "I-have-to-go-back-asap-with-hubby" kind of good! I learned about pho (rice noodle soup with fresh veggies & your choice of protein [tofu, chicken, beef] in broth) and had the best spring rolls of my life! The whole meal (1 spring roll, 1 "small" bowl of pho, 10oz diet cola, and 10oz water) came to 6 points. Inexpensive and delicious!

(I use the term "small" loosely for the portion was a normal-sized portion. The restaurant called it a small. Their regular size could feed 2-3 people!)

Ok, back to Goal #4 - Drinking 2 liters of plain water (67oz) each day. This goal is also the same goal as the Positive Effects Water Challenge, so my final water count goes towards both challenges.

Can I just say I feel like I rocked this? Yeah, I did! :) I didn't miss a single day and, let me tell you, the effects are insanely good!

Before starting on this goal, I had been following the WW guideline of getting in 6 cups of liquid per day. Absolutely a good idea, but I was using a lot of sugar free drink mixes to help with that. Rarely would I drink just plain, unflavored water. I had also been feeling very lethargic, very muddle-headed for quite some time. I couldn't figure out why. I was eating better... watching my portions and choices. I was getting in my required lean proteins, liquids, milk, etc. Still, I felt like I was missing something... some part of the equation. Where was the energy boost? Where was the renewed vigor?

I did know that I felt better when I worked out, but I thought that was because of the activity. It never occurred to me that during my workouts, I drink at least a good 20oz or more of plain H2O. It seems like such an easy correlation, but, if you had asked me just a couple of weeks ago, I would not have seen it.

I call it my "D'oh!" moment. :)

So, here we are... two weeks into the Freedom Challenge and one week into the PEWC. I have been drinking between 67oz (2 liters) and 110oz per day... plain, clean, clear water... in addition to whatever else I may drink (coffee, tea, soda, milk, sugar free drink mix with water). The effects are amazing!!!

I feel energetic! I feel the vigor! I am more alert, think more clearly, and eat less! I am more satisfied with what I do eat and stay satiated longer. I am able to push myself harder during my workouts. I even sleep more soundly! I truly believe that my drinking more water helped me to flush sodium out of my body and led to me losing those 3 lbs.

How can you argue with results like this?! I'm not. I think I'll keep going with this goal. :)

Yikes, this post is long! If you made it this far, then I thank you. You're either very kind or very bored. Either way, you're here and I am always humbled and grateful for that. You, dear readers, are an amazing bunch... and I better stop there before I go all Sally Field on you. ;)

 Until next time, dear readers.... dear friends. Believe in yourself and there is nothing you can't accomplish!

~H.