Whatcha Eating Today VSGers? Monday 10/2/17

Good Morning! I had a fantastic weekend! Jon and I stayed in Bolton, VT so he could ride a mototrial. On Friday night we went out for dinner for his birthday at a local BBQ place. We left for VT at 5:30am on Saturday and I got in 5 miles of mountain hiking following him around to the different loops. He placed first in his class! Everyone in the trial got together for pizza, but since that's not really a food on my menu Jon and I ventured into Williston and went to Chili's where I able to get a perfectly acceptable 210 calorie cup of chili. Yesterday morning we did a 3.2 mile hike at Colchester Pond that was a re-creation of a hike we did on our honeymoon (10 years ago) when I was 100+lbs more than I am now. To say it was easier this time is an understatement. We had a moment where we thought we encountered a bear or moose (still not sure if we did or didn't) that was terrifying, but otherwise, it was great! Then, we went to Church Street in Burlington to the OGE store and both managed to find winter jackets. We had Five Guys for lunch and then headed home.

I had a kiddo up sick in the night, so it's going to be a long day. She woke up at 11:30 and I didn't get back to sleep until 2:30 and was out of bed at 5:15. This is my kid who doesn't really ever get sick though, so I hope she feels better soon.

QOTD: Do you get sick often? Are you one of those people who gets every cold under the sun? Or are you never sick? I am rarely sick (touch wood). I think my last really nasty cold was winter of 2015. I haven't had a stomach virus in over 10 years. I just knocked on so much wood over here.

8 months post-op/Maintenance/134.7lbs

M1: Coffee, PP, Miralax, HC

M2: Fage Total w/ SF Pudding Mix and Pumpkin Seeds

M3: Chili w/ Cheese and Sour Cream (Our house guest made a huge pot!)

M4: Chili w/ Cheese and Sour Cream

S: Yogurt w/ Pecans, Lemon "cheesecake", Nuts (trying to add in some calories here, I suck at doing this without it all being from yogurt).

Good morning. Your weekend sounds tremendous! Ours was good yesterday when we went to central Mass for a BBQ and to see DD (also got apples at an orchard).

QOTD: I very rarely get sick, and when I do it is usually just a head cold. I have to admit that once my kids got older and were not bringing diseases home, I've gotten so I am very careful about touching door handles and stair rails in public places (including work). I avoid touching them with my hands or wash my hands shortly thereafter. I'm not really OCD about it, just conscious of the germ potential.

1.5 years post-op (maintenance). 29 work days to retirement (11/13).

B: eggbeaters, cottage cheese and Canadian bacon

L: Emiepie's egg salad

D: Leftover tuna sashimi

S: Baked apple (?), Halo top (or breyers delight)

Good morning!

I've got a full to do list for the day but, thankfully, I don't have any errands until I head out for a second attempt at a Weight Loss Support group tonight. But, busy busy.

QOTD: I used to get sinus infections pretty much year round but those were finally resolved when I added regular allergy shots to my life. Prior to that, I was pretty much on antibiotics all year round. :/

1: protein shake
2: leftover steak
3: Prosciutto-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin with Herb Pan Sauce, roasted acorn squash

liquid and vites: I've been ending the days off track, I'm going to try really hard not to do that today.
exercise: nope - podiatrist tomorrow!

I tried the couch 2 5k yesterday, and only managed to do half of it. The minute of running was just too much. I'm going to download an interval timer and do 30 seconds of running for a few days, and then try the C25K again.

I teach, so I do get head colds fairly often. They're usually very mild (and could possibly just be allergies). Whenever I feel something coming on, I make a big pot of tea with fresh ginger and lemon.

B - 2% Fairlife latte, cottage cheese

L - leftover chicken

S - protein shake

D - skirt steak, broccoli

E - kettle bell workout, stretching

Water and vitamins on track

I'm copy/pasting what I've written for other people who start running, it might be useful for you. :)

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My #1 suggestion is "OMG DON'T DO C25K." Seriously, it's not the best program out there. I don't know why everyone swears by it! It's got this really stupid week, I forget which one, where you're like "WTF?! You want me to do WHAT?!"

Okay, sorry for all the caps :P

Are you running at all now? Or is running a new thing for you?

I think the "couch" in C25K is misleading. I know, for me, I had to claw my way up to the couch first and only then could I start a 5K program. I think that the initial intervals are too much for someone who is obese, and perhaps for any non-runner.

What's your fitness level at now? Are you able to briskly walk for 30-60 minutes without feeling out of breath or having any joint/leg issues? If you're not, work on that first :) If you are, yay! This would be the progression I'd suggest:

Week 1: walk 5-10 minutes to warm up, run 15 seconds out of every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, walk 5-10 minutes to cool down. STRETCH. (If you don't stretch, you need to start. Seriously. I didn't stretch for forever and it was life changing when I started.) Do this 3x in the week.

Week 2: walk 5-10 minutes to warm up, run 30 seconds out of every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, walk 5-10 minutes to cool down. STRETCH. Do this 3x in the week.

Week 3: walk 5-10 minutes to warm up, run 45 seconds out of every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, walk 5-10 minutes to cool down. STRETCH. Do this 3x in the week.

Week 4: walk 5-10 minutes to warm up, run 60 seconds out of every 5 minutes for a total of 30 minutes, walk 5-10 minutes to cool down. STRETCH. Do this 3x in the week.

You can use most any running app (I like Runkeeper) to set up your intervals. Keep increasing in this manner, adding 15 seconds of running each week. Work up to running 4 minutes out of every 5. If you need to repeat a week, do it.

Once you're at the point where you're running 4 minutes and walking 1, and this feels survivable, consider an app like the Zombies Run 5k Training plan. It's much better than C25K in terms of development and progression. Plus it includes things like stretching and heel lifts and knee lifts that help keep things interesting.

This probably sounds like a insanely slow progression, but, believe me, it's worth it. The number 1 route too injury is trying to do too much too soon and that's even more so for people like us who have jacked up body mechanics due to our obesity. You'll also need to replace your shoes more often than a normal weighted person will - I have to change mine every 200 miles to stave off shin splits. My normal weighted friends can get away with closer to 400 miles between shoes.

If you haven't already done so, get yourself to a speciality running store to get properly fitted for running shoes. You might also consider seeing a podiatrist for custom orthotics, especially if you've had issues with plantar fasciitis in the past! They're a lifesaver for me.

I'm not trying to sound dire or like I'm warning you off running, since I'm not. Running is amazingly awesome and races are the best feeling and the running community is the best ever :) I think everyone should run :D But it's so easy to totally screw yourself up and then you're out of commission healing and no body wants that.

Thank you! That's really helpful.

QOTD: I usually get a couple colds a year. I had a terrible stomach virus last November. That was the first of it's kind in more than a decade.

Breakfast: egg white sous vide bits from Starbucks

Snack: latte

Lunch: chicken breast, okra, and new potato

Dinner: chicken breast and broccoli

Exercise: Plan to take a walk

QOTD: Do you get sick often? Are you one of those people who gets every cold under the sun? Or are you never sick? I don't get sick often, but I do get allergy flare ups especially when the weather changes. I got the flu maybe 3 times within the last 5 or so years!

1.5 months post op/still on soft foods/184.4lbs

M1: one scrambled egg, coffee w SF creamer

M2: 2 oz tuna

M3: 2 oz tuna

M4: bbq chicken breast w/ steamed veggies

S: premier protein clear drink, cheese cubes while I'm at class tonight

EXERCISE: I finally got my restrictions to exercise taken off, so I did a 30 min resistance band workout this morning. I feel awesome!

Good morning everybody! After a quick jaunt to get my blood drawn this am for my thyroid, today I'm doing a hike (more a walk really) around the Back Bay of Newport. It's a pretty estuary near me.

QOTD: I rarely get sick; maybe one doozy of a cold every couple of years? I hear the flu is supposed to be pretty bad this year and that the flu shot isn't a great match. Hopefully this isn't my year!

B - coffee and yogurt

L - carnitas (I made a big batch to freeze for meat week and I'm eating some now. Recipe I used pork tenderloin)

D - carnitas

S - turkey and cheese roll

Yum Cecily :)

Im going to give this one a go - looks delicious