Getting Back into Focus

This has been an interesting week in terms of getting refocused on my dieta (one of the Latin meanings of dieta is "way of life," which I like much better).

• I discovered and got sucked into FitDay.com's food and activity journals, not to mention the nifty weight charts and graphs.

• I attended a Weight Watchers meeting, and decided I enjoyed it, which included the weigh-in and a leader-lead class with others going through the same food issues. I got something out of the meeting, and think it'll help keep me accountable and motivated. While Weight Watchers eTools is available to me, and I should choose between the points plan or the core plan, I'm going to stick with the food and activity journals on FitDay.com for now and see how that works. I'm also going to continue to weigh every day, not just at WW meeting nights.

• I stopped by the Rice House this evening after work and caught up with a few people. It was great to visit Ginger and some other old Rice Diet buddies, and to remember the progress I made there. (Ginger is so funny and wise! I've missed her! She's going to visit Lenore, another good buddy from the Rice Diet, in Virginia this weekend, and I hope they have a blast!)

Change of Scenery

Being Saturday, I slept in a bit, then went for a workout at the nicer of the two gyms I belong to. I don't go there during the work week because it's farther away, and it isn't open when I normally get to the gym in the early morning hours. I so enjoy working out there sometimes on the weekends, though.

I did 50 minutes on the elliptical for 4.28 miles, which felt great. I decided to try the treadmill for a little while, and when I got on I noticed a lady I know from the Rice Diet Program across the room! I'd been running about 3 minutes with a little less pain than yesterday, when I noticed her get off her machine and head for the front door. After trotting a total of 3:14 minutes for .21 miles, I stopped the machine and sprinted after what turned out to be TWO Ricers, and we had a nice visit outside.

After that, I decided to call it a day in terms of the exercise, and take advantage of the hot tub and sauna. The heat felt really good on my back and legs!

The Elliptical is My Friend

I was back on the elliptical today, and felt better about it. I went 65 minutes today, for 5.2 miles and 665 calories.

I've listened to all my running podcasts for the week, so I listened to a couple other newsy podcasts, then went to my workout playlist. It's funny what songs get me going at different times. Right now, the two songs like make me "kick it up" the most are "Dancing on the Ceiling" by Lionel Richie, and "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa! Funny, huh? :)

I've got my starting weight for the Take 20 Challenge-yay! The Yahoo Group for this challenge is 10 strong, and there are several more on the Rice Diet Program's Online Support Forum who are doing it with me as well. Since this is going on for 20 weeks, I'm grateful for the company.

Breakfast at Home

I'm back from the gym this morning after running 46:34 minutes and 4.7 miles (a 9:54/mile pace!). The plantar fasciitis bothered me a little before I was warmed up; otherwise, it was a pretty strong run. I was a little tired from lack of sleep last night. I learned how to use one of my rice cookers last night, and was a little keyed up from cooking and stuff.

Yesterday was my last day at the Rice House, so I'll actually get to have breakfast at home today! I made lunch ahead last night, some rice and veggies, to which I'll add some fruit. I'm looking forward to being able to head straight to work from home. I'm also looking forward to drinking a Diet Rite (my favorite of the flavors available in the can here is Red Raspberry, wish I could find more white grape) while I'm getting ready for work. :)

Two runs

This morning I had two runs, split by a short elliptical session. I started with a 20 minute run on the treadmill for 1.80 miles (11:07 pace), and decided to stop because my left foot and ankle are still a little tender-mostly plantar fasciitis, maybe a little tendonitis. I did 5 minutes on the elliptical machine, and decided I could do a little more running, 15:02 minutes on the treadmill for 1.38 miles (1o:53 pace). So that's 3.18 miles of running for the day, and 15.45 miles for the week so far.

It's still pretty cold outside. Here, at almost 11:30 AM, it's 30 degrees, but feels like 24 degrees. That's cold! It's supposed to warm up a bit a tomorrow and continue into the weekend. Maybe I'll hit the roads again by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, I got my most recent labwork when I went to the Rice House for breakfast this morning. My cholesterol is down to 156, and my Hemaglobin A1c was 5.3! When I started the Rice Diet, my cholesterol was 178 and my A1c was 10.9.

Getting Back on Track

This morning I ran 30 minutes on the treadmill for the second time this week, for 2.71 miles! It was easier today than earlier this week, partly because I got more sleep last night. I also think my body's getting used to the idea of running 30 minutes on a regular basis. I hadn't planned on running 30 minutes this morning, maybe 15-20, so I picked up the speed on the treadmill. It felt okay, so I just kept going. It seems easier sometimes when I exercise in 5 minute chunks.

I've hit my 5-mile running goal for the week, with 5.35 miles, which feels good. I'll stick to this goal for the rest of December, with extra being icing on the cake. I've been thinking about my next goal, and I'l probably shoot for 10 km (6.2 miles) a week next month.

I also did 21 minutes on the elliptical. Nothing like a good night's sleep to help me get more exercise!

Later this morning, I'm co-leading a class at the Rice House. Should be fun! I'm looking forward to hearing Andrea's story as well. I get the impression she's done quite well at home.

Jingle Bell Run 5K Race Report

This morning I ran in the Jingle Bell Run 5K in Raleigh, NC. It was a beautiful morning, but chilly! I wore a new pair of leggings, and a new longsleeve Duke t-shirt as well, so I felt comfortable. I got there early so I could be sure to get a decent parking space, and to walk around my old stomping grounds a bit. The race started and ended at St. Mary's School, where I graduated from high school! Much looks the same from the outside, but there have been some changes as well. I took my camera with me this morning and took some pictures. The picture on the left is one of the main buildings on campus. It's a pretty school.

There were some festive costumes out for the Jingle Bell Run! Although this picture is blurry, and I was on the wrong side of these people (the people in the boxes and the Santa), here's a sampling of what I saw outside the registration area!

The goodie bags for this race included a pedometer and some Burt's Bees Lip Balm (yay!), as well as a long sleeve t-shirt and bells for our shoes, a cute idea! They suggested we put the bells on the opposite shoe from the timing chip, and since one shoe already had my spare car key, I decided to go with just one bell, and that was plenty. :)

After I put my camera back in the car, I ran into not one, but two people I knew who were running as well! That's a first for me since I've started running again, so I was thrilled! I knew that someone on staff at the Rice Diet, who was going to try to make it with a friend of hers, and she did..ran into her in the restroom, of all places. (She was faster than I was, but yelled out to me whenever she passed me at turn-arounds! That was encouraging!) As I was leaving the registration area, I ran into a friend from the Junior League, whose blog I enjoy reading. I learned pretty recently that she's a runner too, but I didn't think to ask her if she was running this one. Of all the hundreds of people there, it was a treat to run into her without expecting to see her! I got to meet her hubby and a couple of their friends as well. (Wish I'd still had my camera!)

Near starting time, I went to the back of the pack, as usual. Lo and behold, my Junior League friend spotted me and encouraged me to come start the race with them. It was nice to have company for the pre-starting time stretching and chatting. As it turned out, S. (Jr. League buddy) and I were running in the same ballpark, as we ran mostly on Hillsborough Street, down to part of the Capitol area, then down to NC State and the Bell Tower, then back to St. Mary's School. She pulled out ahead of me at first, and I gradually caught up with and passed her. Then she caught up with me, and we pushed each other to the finish line! The official times haven't been posted, but we were right together at the end. It was a lot of fun having someone to run with, very serendipitous, since we hadn't traveled to Raleigh together, or even planned to meet and run together. We both had a really good race, finishing around 38 minutes! Turns out it was a PR for both of us!

My foot and knee aches and pains were pretty minor in this race, and for that I'm glad. The pf wasn't really a factor as I'd expected, since it was sore early yesterday morning. I spent some time massaging and icing it, as well as doing the ibuprofin thing. My right foot burned a little from the falling arches issue, and I felt some tendonitis on the right of my right knee, but it wasn't too bad. (I took at hot bath and some more ibuprofin when I got home, so I'm feeling much better!)

I feel relieved and happy to finally break 40 minutes! Now I'm looking to break the 35 minute mark, and branch out into longer races. There's a 4-miler in Durham I'm thinking about in February that's a good possibility! 10Ks, here I come!

When I know my official time, I'll post an update!

Latest Progress Pictures from the Rice Diet

Check here for the latest shot of me from the Rice Diet Program. It's been a great "diet" program for me. I feel so much better!

Friday Workout

This morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical. Still a bit tired, and my foot's sore from the plantar fasciitis. *sigh*

The Rice Diet reunion is this weekend, so things are really hopping there! A number of people I've met from the past year are back. It's nice to see so many familiar faces this week at the Rice House. I'm looking forward to being on the panel tomorrow afternoon.

Labor Day Workout

This morning I did 45 minutes on the elliptical before going to the Rice House. I'm still on a weight loss plateau (since last week! eeek!), so I'm planning to go exercise some more later. Gotta find away to jumpstart the ole metabolism!

Much more elliptical

Yesterday after lunch, I went to the Duke Fitness Center and did an additional 30 minutes on the elliptical machine there, after doing an hour at Anytime Fitness. It felt great at the time, but I felt really tired later, and am a bit sore this morning. I still managed to do an hour on the elliptical this morning, though. I'm glad, though I was hoping to be able to last longer. I'd like to get to the gym in time to do 90 minutes on the elliptical every morning!

I ran into Bob at Duke Fitness, was nice to chat with him about Rice Diet stuff. He was telling me about a good personal trainer he works with, but I've already forgotten the person's name. Bob exercises 4-5 hours a day, amazing.

Tired

I had a short workout this morning, only 15 minutes on the elliptical. I'm feeling especially tired today, both from yesterday's harder workout (I think) and getting to bed late several nights this week. Work has also been especially busy this week, to boot. At my check-in at the Rice Diet this morning, the nurse commented that I looked tired today. She suggested taking it a little easier on the exercise until I feel more rested. I need to get to bead at a decent time tonight!

Speaking of the Rice Diet, a couple of people returned this week who were there soon after I started. We recognized each other, and they were very complimentary and encouraging. That's helped perk me up! :)

Back to 60 Minutes

I did 60 minutes on the elliptical this morning, tried going backwards a little more this time.

Time at the Rice House has been interesting lately. I've been trying to move around a bit to sit with different people at meal time. It amazes me what people will say about what I eat, eventhough it's all on the program. One thing I hear a lot with newer people, as well as returning Ricers I'm meeting for the first time is, "You're eating THAT? For BREAKFAST?" To hear them, I may as well be a child getting caught eating a bag of potato chips and salsa for breakfast, when all it is is brown rice, TVP, chopped onions, a little wheat bran and balsamic vinegar. All mixed up, it tastes good to me, and is filling! (Of course, I have my fruit with the meal too, but don't mix that in.) Now some people I sit with are intrigued and say they'll have to try it (bit maybe for a different meal!). I just have to remember to be okay with doing my own healthy thing!

Progress pictures for George and me

The picture on the left was taken of the two of us a year or so ago, and the picture on the right was taken last Sunday. Interesting to see these two pictures side by side and be able to tell that we've both lost weight. I'm still on the Rice Diet, and George has been doing his own thing.

Old gym

Was back to my regular gym this morning. I like the elliptical machine there so much better. Spent 45 minutes on it this morning. I'll take a 15 minute walk around the quad today to fill out the hour of exercise. Did that yesterday, felt great!

Had blood work done at the Rice Diet Clinic this morning, will be interesting to see the results tomorrow.

I'm wearing a new pair of pants today, another size smaller! Yippee!

Wednesday workout

I did another 65 minutes on the elliptical this morning. Went to bed late last night, though, so I'm really feeling tired now. Need to get more rest before

I went to see the gynecologist for my annual physical yesterday, and he was pleasantly suprised and very encouraging about my weight loss. I love talking about the Rice Diet and sharing my story!

Before and Progress Pictures

I recently got copies of pictures taken the first day I started the Rice Diet, as well as pictures taked sometime in early February, I think. It's encouraging to see these pictures and to be able to notice my progress! (The pink top pictures are from the first day, and the blue top pictures are from February.) I still have a long, long way to go, but I'll get there. I have to remember the balance between taking things one day at a time, and remembering the big picture, both in terms of my health and in how I want to look, feel, and carry myself.

Wednesday workout

This morning I did the elliptical for 65 minutes, using the intervals program to switch things around a bit. It was a nice change of pace!

Yesterday I stopped by the Rice Diet Clinic, and was able to see my first face shot, and then a follow-up taken a couple weeks ago. I was really encouraged by the difference in my face and neck. :)

Melissa, a friend of mine, joined me for dinner at the Rice House last night. It was such a treat to catch up with her!

Another goal hit!

I did another 65 minutes on the elliptical machine this morning, and hit 5 miles exactly! In a bit of a numbers coincidence, that translated into 7333 strides, and 722.2 calories.

Earlier this week, I asked one of the nurses at the Rice Diet to check my resting heart rate, and it's down to 56! When I started the Rice Diet back in August, it was 70, and more recently, it was 60.

This morning, one of the nurses and I were talking about how maintaining the diet and exercise regimen is hard at times, but that it's a choice I'm making. I could let the diabetes win out, but then losing my feet, my vision, or kidneys to complications from diabetes would be even harder, in my opinion.

More exercise

Last night George and I went to the gym together and walked around the indoor track for about half an hour, then got into the pool and hot tub. :) It was fun to get some exercise and then some R&R and catch up at the same time. Between the walk and yesterday morning's hard workout, I'm still a little weary, so I took it a little easy this morning and did a 45 minute workout on the elliptical.

At the Rice House this morning, I met someone who's come all the way from Alaska to do the Rice Diet! Wow! :)