Nicole's Journey-Marathon Dreams (Comments appreciated)

[npullen]

Hi, I hope it's ok for me just to jump in here and start posting. I have started to do this several times over the last few days, and always chickened out. I have never done an on-line journal before, I usually just do a written journal for myself. But everyone here seems so nice and supportive, and I think it might really help me to feel a bit more accountable and make me want to stay on track!
First here is a bit about me; my name is Nicole, I am 31, I have a beautiful 4 yr old DD who is currently dancing at the "Royal Ball" in the kitchen I have been married for almost 9 1/2 yrs to a DH who is very understanding and tries to be very supportive, but thinks I'm nuts for wanting to run a marathon. I guess I just keep asking myself why does a 31 yr old mom, who weighs in somewhere between 220-225 lbs, want to run a marathon. And I think part of my problem is I don't know. The longest I have ever run up to this point is a 10k, I ran the whole thing in 1 hr 16 mins, so not bad. I know training will help me lose the weight, I want to lose 65-70 more lbs, by the time I reach my goal weight I will have lost a total of 100-110 lbs. But I keep stopping and giving up, gaining some and finally starting again. I would be at goal by now if I had just kept going. It is such a mental game for me. If I can stay convinced that I can achieve this, I really think I can do it, but as soon as I start to doubt myself, I just want to stop and have a hot fudge sundea! I keep reminding myself that I owe it not only to me, but also to my DD. I am sure she does not want to grow up with a fat mom! So here I am, I will start my healthy eating and exercise plan tomorrow. I won't post my food journal, just post if I did good or bad, along with an exercise journal and thoughts for the day with weigh-ins once a week or so. I have until either the first or second weekend in Jan 2008, depending on what source I look at, to train for the WDW marathon. I am and have been mentally preparing myself to begin the journey officially with the new year. I do have a personal trainer, named Janiss, who I see about once a month, who I am sure I will post about frequently, as she is the one who sets up my exercise and who will be working with me on a training plan for the marathon. If I can just stay strong with this I know I can get to my goal weight in the next 50 plus weeks. Any thoughts, comments, support are all appreciated.

Nicole

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

January 13 2008 is what I read on WDW World of Sports website.

I did the half (first athletic event in 30 years) and Minnie last year,kept getting muscle problems this year so not doing marathon this year and can't wait for next year to do a full.

There will be plenty of company whether running or walking.

Every pound lost is one less to carry.

IF you stay at POR/POFQ or OKW you can walk to start.

Start training tomorrow!

 

[goldcupmom]

Welcome to WISH, Nicole!

With any luck, I'll see you next year as I REALLY want to do the 1/2 in 2008.

Have a Happy, Healthy New Year!

 

[npullen]

Thanks for the welcome Gold and Wish! It has helped me already I woke up with a headache today, and almost decided not to start, who wants to start when you don't feel good! But knowing I had to post here, I have stayed on plan, and I am going to exercise in about 20 mins when DH can watch DD! I am going to do my toning workout which takes about 40-45 mins. And I am going to be sore tomorrow! But I deserve it after slacking for as long as I have!!!
Today has actually gone much better then I expected. I have been really careful about my sugar intake, and I have been trying to eat lots of high fiber and protien foods. I have been a little hungry, but mostly I just want to snack, that has been the hardest thing to control! But I have done great so far and after my snack this evening I will be at 1550 calories, my goal is 1550-1690. It has not been nearly as scary as I thought it would be to start over. Now I just have 377 more days to go until the marathon, and about 64-69 lbs to lose! I weighed in today at 224. Pretty bad considering about 4 months ago I was at 207. Oh well, can't dwell on that or I'm going to want to give up and eat!
Thanks for the info about the marathon Wish. I kind of figured it would be that weekend, although I was hoping for the earlier one. Wanting to avoid MLK weekend and still have time for a good trip after the marathon. I also appreciate the info on the resorts! We are hoping to rent points for OKW, if we can find someone we trust. We have never rented points, or stayed at a DVC resort before, but OKW seems so nice and quiet, we have actually been thinking about trying to buy into it, if it turns out to be as nice as it seems! I think it would be great to own!
Thanks again for the support. My goal right now is to post everyday, as marathon training gets longer I may have to change that to every other day. We'll see.
Nicole

 

[npullen]

Today has been kinda rough so far. I want to snack so badly! So far I have done pretty good, but I am having trouble telling if I am really hungry, or if it is all in my head. I know if I can just make it through these first few days, it will get easier again, but for right now this is soo tough. I don't want to think of food as an enemy, but I think sometimes it is easier to fight the cravings that way.
I just needed to vent for a minute, hoping that it would help keep me on plan. I am going to post again this evening with my progress for the day, diet and exercise-wise.

 

[kimwim8]

Hi Nicole! Welcome to WISH journals. I am so impressed with you for setting such an awesome goal for yourself! You are taking care of yourself, not only for you, but for your DH and your DD. That is so wonderful!

I know the first few days can really stink...but you're DOING it! You made it through day 1 and are almost 1/2 way through day 2. You don't have to think of food as the enemy, but as fuel. We don't have to enjoy or salivate every bite we put in our mouth. Our body just needs fuel, plain and simple. (this is what got me through last year and is getting me through again this year).

Congrats on setting up some goals for yourself and for getting out there and working towards them! Visit some other journals if you have time - there are some REALLY inspiring people out here!

 

[npullen]

Well, didn't do great diet-wise, had a cookie at the grocery store, it is not a good idea to go grocery shopping when you're hungry!! But I still managed to stay fairly close to calories. I am at 1660, with the calories of 3 small Tootsie Rolls that I have no idea how to count. So I probably went over a little, but not bad for the second day, when I wanted to start snacking so early. I also did 30 mins on the treadmill, plus crunches and calf raises. I also did my toning workout yesterday, so I am a bit sore today. I can definitely feel all the workouts I missed. My treadmill workout today was what I used to do when I had cramps or a headache, as an easy workout. It was definitely not easy today! I have lost so much muscle tone, I could kick myself for taking so much time off. I have skipped most workouts since November, someone was sick almost everyday. We just kept passing the germs around between the 3 of us! But that is still no excuse! I should have been working out when I wasn't the one that was sick. Ok, enough feeling sorry for myself, my only option now is to get back in shape and not stop again!!

Kim-Thanks for the encouragement, this board has helped me more over the past 2 days than I ever thought it would! I really appreciate it!

 

[npullen]

Good day today, I cheated and weighed in this morning for some added enocouragement, and was shocked to see I have lost 4.2 lbs! I know most of it is water, I knew I was retaining water, and I always have a great first week, but that was wonderful to see! I am down to 220! I will lose that 20 lbs and be down below 200 in no time (for the first time in almost 12 yrs!)
I have done good diet wise, I will be at 1660 after my evening snack and I did a 40 min toning session today, I definitely pushed myself harder this time than on Monday, and it already feels better (probably mostly mental, but who cares! LOL) Hopefully I am over the hardest part now, and it will be easier, at least until PMS sets in!!!

 

[hockeygirl]

Hey Nicole! You are doing great! Keep it up!

I know the feeling about these boards motivating you. I just started training to do the 2008 marathon, and the fact that I know I have to post on my journal motivates me to exercise. Keep it up!

Laurie

 

[kimwim8]

Hey Nicole! You're doing great!! It's ok that you weighed yourself. As long as you're not checking it everyday, you'll be fine.

Keep it up girl...you're doing it!!

 

[npullen]

Thanks for the encouragement! I have been feeling really positive, and I really wish I could bottle this feeling and store it for when things get rough. Maybe reading through this journal when I'm feeling down will help! I have never tried that before.
I actually had what I am calling a minor breakthrough last night. I had calories for my evening snack, but nothing planned for it. I realized that I could have a couple of Oreo's but could not make myself grab them, because I kept thinking about how I would feel 20 mins after I ate them, when the sugar high was waning, and I was still hungry. So instead I had a string cheese and an apple, and felt soo much better, and very proud. I have never been able to look at it that way before, my sweet cravings always pretty much just take over and I usually don't care how I will feel in 20 mins, I want the sweets now! But maybe this time I am actually learning, this is really the first time ever that I have thought of a bad snack, and willingly turned it down in favor of a healthy one! It's about time I started getting smarter! I have been on diet after diet for the past 7 yrs, this time it has to stick!!!
Anyway, I have had another good day. My calories will be at 1650, and I am going to do a couple miles on the treadmill. I am still super slow. I have lost so much strength, but I am feeling stronger with every workout, and I know I will get back to where I was, and then surpass it! I talked to my trainer today, and she rescheduled our session from this Fri to next Fri due to a death in her family. She did however confirm my calories, set me at 1540-1680, a few lower then I had figured and she has me starting on a 6 wk program training for a 5k, that I won't be doing, which will then roll over into a 10 wk program for a 10k, which I will be doing on Memorial day. Then into a10-12 wk half marathon, which I am going to try to find one to do in Early September, which will then turn into 16-18 wks of straight marathon training. I will be continually doing longer long runs, I have a personal goal to be able to run the 9 mile loop around a nearby lake by March or April, so it looks like it has officially begun!

Laurie-It is so true that posting is keeping me honest! I feel like I have to confess here and it makes me really think twice before I do something really off plan, eventhough I know no one would ban me from posting, or even yell at me, this is such a great group and I would really feel like I was letting others down!

Kim-I really have to be careful to not weigh everyday. I got so bad for a while that my DH hid the scale! I try to remind myself to also think about how I feel and how my clothes fit, but that blasted number always seems so much more important than anything else!

 

[npullen]

Well, another good day. Today has been tougher though, the weekend has been calling me, I always struggle on the weekend! Plus, it is snowing here, again, so all I wanted to do today was bake and eat! Not good for trying to lose weight! But I made it, I only ate 1 cookie that my DD baked in her Easy Bake Oven and at work I gave in and had 3 gumdrops. I will end the day at about 1650 cals, and I did 40 mins on the treadmill. Had to fight to get that in, I just wanted to lay around and be lazy. But I finished it and I do feel better.
Plus, I actually ate a salad for dinner!!! Amazing for me, I hate veggies!!

 

[hockeygirl]

Nicole-Keep up the good work. It really sounds like your trainer has a good plan to get you ready for the marathon over the next year. I am thinking maybe I will try to follow the same sort of plan for the next year. Always remember that some days are always going to be harder than others, but don't get down, you are doing a great job. And as you stick to your plan it will get much easier over time.

 

[npullen]

Well, I figured out why yesterday was so rough. My DD woke me up at 4:20, and I had a migraine. It was gone this evening, after lots of Advil, and a Vicodin. It made today tough eating wise, it always seems much harder when I feel bad, I really want comfort foods. But I have managed to stay on plan calorie wise, plus I did 2.5 miles tonight on the treadmill. Have I mentioned I hate running on the treadmill!! But, I did intervals, and it felt pretty good. I can't wait for all this snow to go away, so I can get back outside!!! We already have something like 10 inches more than the average for the enitire season, and we still have at least 3 or 4 more months to go!
I will weigh in officially tomorrow, hoping to have lost 5-6 lbs total for this first week.
Laurie- I am looking forward to working my training that way, it makes sense to me, and I am confidant I can make it easily through the 10k training, and hopefully by then I will be at or at least close to goal weight and my running will hopefully improve greatly without so much extra weight.

 

[npullen]

Well, I weighed in today, at 219.4. A loss of 4.8 lbs. I won't lie, I was a bit disappointed, since I weighed on Wed morning at 220, so that means I only lost .6 lbs over the last 4 days. But my monthly friend is trying to come early, and I almost always have either a small gain or a no loss week when that happens, so I am trying to stay positive, after all, I did lose almost 5 lbs this week!
Anyway, today is my rest day, and an easy diet day. I am not calling it an off day, because I can't go crazy and eat everything in sight, but I am supposed to treat myself to a few of the things I have been craving thru the week. So we'll see how that goes. Janiss says to try this, and if it is to hard to get back to the true eating plan on Monday, or I just go to far overboard, then she will give me a higher calorie count for one day a week, to use as a cheat day.
I have also decided I am going to post my weight with my signature, hopefully to remind me how far I've come

Nicole
267/224.2/219.4/160 -4.8 lbs this week
Orig start wt/current start wt/current wt/goal weight

 

[npullen]

Well, today has been a rough food choice day. I have not done very well. I will be under my calories, so I am pleased with that, but I have eaten to much sugar. I made the mistake of buying some little butter cookies, that I did not remember being so addictive, and I could not stop at 1 or 2. But I counted the calories and included them in my day and I will make it, although I am hungry and calorie less right now. Hopefully I will remember this the next time sugar calls me! I would have done great if not for those cookies.
I also got in a full toning session, took about 45 mins, but I should probably subtract at least 5 mins for taking a break to tend to an injured wrist, my DD tripped, and needed hugs and an ice pack. But it was a good workout, and I can tell I am able to work alot harder now, after only a week, my muscles are shaky, and I know I will be sore tomorrow!
So, all in all a pretty good day, and I seem to be getting back on track after taking a cheat day on Sunday. I will have to really watch though to make sure I get right back on it, or stop the Sunday "off".
We are supposed to get more snow Thursday thru Saturday!! At this rate I will still be treadmill running when my training hits 15 or 20 miles!! I don't remember the last time we got this much snow, just one right after another. This is the 4th week in a row with a snow storm!

 

[hockeygirl]

Nicole---sounds like you had a good day even with the tough food choices. Always remember it will only get easier. Like you said with your workouts, you already can tell that you can workout longer! The dieting/nutrition will get easier also.

Hang in there with the weather! Before you know it, spring will be here and the warmer weather will follow!

 

[npullen]

Did ok today. Too much sugar again, but time of the month will be over soon and things should get much better! I also managed to do the treadmill, cramps and all. Not much else to report. Just trying to hang in there till I feel a little better. This has been a weird hormone month, glad it is pretty much done.

Hockeygirl-Thanks for the support, I know you are right, sometimes it is just hard to hang in there until it does get easier, it is hard to break those bad habits!

 

[npullen]

Missed posting yesterday, ended up with the worst headache I've had in a long time. Was in bed pretty much from 2:30 on. Finally got better late last night. I feel like I got hit by a truck today, I am tired, crabby, my neck aches, and my head feels sore. I hate migraines! I did not even manage to get my treadmill walk in. But at least I was only at 1465 cal for the day, which is very low for me, so the day was not a total bust. I will post again later with how I have done for today, diet and exercise-wise. So far it has been pretty good. The worst of the sugar cravings seem to be gone.

Nicole
267/219.4/160

 

[npullen]

Well, still feeling kinda icky, and crabby, but I did manage to do the treadmill, plus abs and calves. I have also done really well on my calories. I will be at 1630 after my evening snack.
My trainer is supposed to come tomorrow, if the snow doesn't get to bad. I am looking forward to seeing her, it has been a while since she has been here, due to weather, illness and the holidays. She's gonna kick my butt, so it should be interesting.