50 Miles Later

Weekly Stats
Current: 195.0
Weekly Loss: 0.4
To Go: 20.0
Total 130.0

Back from Scout Camp almost half a pound lighter than I started. I thought I might have lost a bit more, but the payoff of being able to hike 10 miles a day and complete the fifty miler with the Scouts was reward in and of itself. My feet took a bit of a beating even though. As most of you know, I have been hiking quite a bit in the past year, but not five back to back ten milers. Other than that, I feel pretty good and was even able to get back out this morning and run my usual 6.2 mile Monday route.

I do need to give a shout out to the scouts and Alan T. who went on the summer camp. The boys impressed me with getting up at 6am each day and heading out for another ten mile trek each day. They all struggled at one time or another, but none of them gave up or refused to go on. They inspired me and it left us all with a lifetime of memories of accomplishing something that was hard. They were all great!

When I started this journey over a year ago, I had no idea that I would be able to do what I am currently doing. I was hoping to take off the weight and get in better shape, but looking back, it is even hard for me to believe what I have been able to accomplish. I really do have to look heavenward and give thanks for the additional help I have received from the Lord and from a lot of you as well. I have felt nudged to do certain things. I have been lead to read and learn a lot about nutrition. I have been encouraged and strengthened when I have struggled from many of my friends who have followed either this blog, Facebook or on Daily Mile. Thanks again to all of you. I hope to be able to pay it forward as I go along.

Shout outs to all of you who are continuing to work hard! Gordon put together a good week of riding! Way to go! Bill and Andy put in 19 mile training runs and Todd continues to increase his distance and speed! Way to go guys! Phil is keeping at it to with impressive workouts. It will be fun to see how he has changed since I saw him last. Keep up the great work Phil! Hang in there and I will too!

10 Down - 20 to Go!

Weekly Stats
Current: 195.4
Weekly Loss: 2.0
To Go: 20.4
Total 129.6

I guess I am celebrating a little early with a 10 lbs star, but it is so good to see 195 on the scales and I lost 2 lbs! Also, I won't be posting anything next week since I am headed out to summer camp with the Scouts early Monday. By the time we are done, we will have hiked 50 miles in the beautiful Uintahs. I should come back a little lighter with all of the hiking we are planning on doing and with a big smile on my face as well!

I didn't take a break from working out even though I ran a race last Monday. Since I usually run that distance on Monday anyway, I just kept up the routine. I am trying to get biking into my training, but I have been having lots of fun with my bike. Tuesday, I got a flat with no spare, pump or cell phone. Walking the bike back 3 1/2 miles was not what I had planned on, but I guess I still go a good workout in. Thursday I tried again. This time the stem broke on a brand new tube. I was prepared this time with a pump and a spare so after a repair stop, I was able to ride home this time. Hopefully this won't happen again. I have yet to have a blow out on my running shoes!

See you in two weeks with a brief trip report from a week of hiking! Bill and Todd continue to post great mileage each week. They are a great inspiration for me. Phil continues to amaze with his dedication to working out and eating right. The pounds are coming off my friend! Way to go! Gordon still looks great! Keep up the good work the rest of you. Hang in there and I will too!

10K!

Weekly Stats
Current: 197.4
Weekly Loss: 1.0
To Go: 22.4
Total 127.6

We returned home from vacation late Wednesday night. Usually when I come back from vacation I have eaten way too much of the wrong thing. But as I posted last week, Rachel and Sarah made sure that I was well taken care of with lots and lots of healthy choices. Thanks again girls! Having lost a pound after being on vacation is a great success in deed!

I raced my first 10k at the Freedom Festival today. I was a little nervous going in just because it was my first race in a long time and I knew there would be a lot of people, but I got there in plenty of time and got lined up at the starting gate in a good place and took off with the several thousand other runners. It was a bit congested at first, but before long we all had more than enough space. I was glad I had my Garmin watch. It helped me keep my pace at a reasonable rate. I wanted to finish somewhere in the 60 - 70 minute range and my unofficial time was 65 minutes. I was cheered on along the parade route by people I knew mostly from work. It was fun. I got high fived several times as well. The last part of the race was uphill and my trail running paid off. I was able to maintain my pace even at the end and was able to pick it up when thing leveled off the last quarter mile or so. I was glad I ran it and would be willing to do it again. Thanks to Bill and Todd who have been encouraging me to enter the race and have given me great running support as well!

It's always good to have a goal to work towards. This 10K was a short term goal. Our scout summer camp where we will be hiking 50 miles during the week and also hiking Timp in September are still ahead! Set some goals and keep going! Hang in there and I will too!

Home Away From Home

I am on vacation this week. I didn't pack my scales with me since I wasn't sure if it was on the TSA approved list for carry on. I will post my current stats next week.

We will head back tomorrow. We have had a great trip. I thought that I would have to fend for myself on the meals here at my daughters, but Rachel and Sarah came up with a great menu for the entire time! Vegetables, whole grains, fruit, healthy fats and proteins! It has been wonderful!!!! I don't know how I could have tailor made a better solution myself. Everyone has really enjoyed the healthy meals as well. I will have a whole new set of recipes in my arsenal when I get through. Thanks Sarah and Rachel! i can't thank you both enough!

I have exercised every day that I normally would, plus we have been active most days sight seeing and hiking. It has been a lot of fun. I have had fun running around with my grandsons as well!! There is no way I could have done even half of this a year ago. The biggest challenge has been dealing with the humidity! Yesterday when I finished up my run, I was stretching when my son-in-law came up and asked if I had got caught in the rain. Nope just 110% humidity!

Just some encouragement to us all. Even when you are away from home on vacation, work or whatever the reason, if you will think things out before you go, you can have a great time and still keep up your fitness goals. You will feel better while you are gone and have no regrets when you get back! Hang in there and I will too!

Celebrate successes

Weekly Stats
Current: 198.4
Weekly Loss: 0.2
To Go: 23.4
Total 126.6

I'm a little disappointed in the loss this week. Last Wednesday, when I weighed in, I was at 195 so I thought this week would be a decent. Wednesday for some reason is my lowest weigh-in day so it isn't unusual to go back up just a bit. Just not this much! Having expressed my minor disappointment, brings me to me topic of the week: Celebrate successes!

I have a few things to celebrate this week. I took the scouts in our troop out on an overnighter. We had fun, worked on advancements and had a great campfire! The scouts surprised me when I only had to ask them once at 6am to get up to go on a hike. They got the camp broke down, we had breakfast and then headed to Stewart Falls. None of them had been there before. I really enjoyed the hike. I couldn't believe how much easier it was for me and it was fun to see the boys see the falls for the first time. It was indeed a celebration for me! I was able to come home after dropping the scouts off and spent the rest of the day working in the yard. That would have been impossible a year ago. Hiking to Stewart Falls would have taken it all out of me, but I had plenty left in the tank after this hike! Another success to celebrate. This morning was another celebration as I ran my fasted Monday run of the year and felt great most of the way. I have been training to get a bit faster and it paid off! Yet another celebration! Yesterday, one of my daughters in her Father's Day card said how proud she was of me that I had lost all of that weight. She is one that I want to inspire. She is working on eating better all the time! A huge success to celebrate! I rewarded myself last week by signing up for the Freedom Festival 10K. In the past this would have been a punishment, but I am really looking forward to running in my first race in many years and my longest race ever! Hope to see some of you either running one of the races or along the parade route.

Shout outs to all those who ran Ragnar/Wasatch Back this weekend. What an impressive run. Bill and Andy's team three-peated their division this year and came in 7th overall. Matt N., Todd and Ellie A, Leslie and Roger K also ran. Great job to you all! Maybe one day for me too! Thanks for all the support you all give me! Keep up the great work everyone. Hang in there and I will too!

Get Real

Weekly Stats
Current: 198.6
Weekly Loss: -0.4
To Go: 23.6
Total 126.4

Had a small gain this week. I think I know what the problem is and more importantly how to fix it. I have been struggling with keeping track of my calorie intake. I found a program called Calorie Counter for my phone and it syncs up online. Just from breakfast this morning, I found out that I was eating too much of a good thing! By just measuring what I ate and tracking the calories, I figured I saved myself about 200 calories. I was way off in estimating this particular breakfast! That adds up quick even if you do exercise a lot. I will let you know (or you will see in next weeks weight loss) how it goes. Other than that, I had a great week. My back, though still a bit tender, is doing a lot better. I am careful in how I run and make sure I stretch the particular muscles that are giving me grief and that helps a lot. I had a great trail run on Friday and a great hike on Saturday. I took my trekking poles with me on Friday to give my back a break. I thought I wouldn't like having them, but it made the run fun! It was like a combination of skiing and running. My back felt good after as well. My hike on Saturday, was a 10 miler and I enjoyed it as well. I missed out getting wet in the rain as my timing was perfect in between storms.

One point of motivation is being realistic. Today's weigh-in has a couple of reality checks in it. Even though we may want to lose 10 lbs a month or run a half-marathon or what ever motivates you, there are going to be stretches when it is hard to stay on course. You might get sick and not able to work out as much as you would like. Perhaps you hit a plateau and are not on track to lose that 2 lbs you had hoped for this week. These things are going to happen. The biggest obstacle to overcome is discouragement. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst! Don't fall back into to bad habits because you are discouraged, fight through the obstacle and find a way up, over, around or through! Forward is the direction that you want to be headed. Choose feeling better, being more healthy. Take a deep breath and look back over the ground you've covered up to this point. I have learned that from my hiking. I will be tired from a long, steep climb, but if I take half a second and look back, I will be amazed at how far I have come! Catch your breath and move on. You can do it!

Keep up the great work everyone. Phil keeps pushing his exercise and eating right and is seeing great success in losing weight. Bill H and Todd A ran some great mileage this last week. Todd also had a great race! Hope the rest of you are having great success as well! Hang in there and I will too!

Sugar Roller Coaster

Weekly Stats
Current: 198.2
Weekly Loss: 1.2
To Go: 23.2
Total 126.8

I was happy to see a weight loss again this morning. I worked really hard this week, but the scale was all over the place. I am dealing with a slight injury as well. Usually when I have back problems, it is my lower back, but this time it's my upper back right around the shoulder blade areas. If I don't concentrate on my posture when I run, it gets really sore by the time I am done, especially on a longer run. My daughter who is a massage therapist said that the muscles up there are quite tight. She showed me a few stretches I can do and an exercise that will help. She also gets a much awaited chance to work her old man over tonight! I'll try to remember to let you now how that goes.

I thought I would briefly talk about a principle that I believe is crucial in weight loss. I have mentioned this several times before but it bares repeating. Last October I was on a very restricted calorie diet. Maybe not the best way to approach weight loss, but it was better than gastric bypass in my opinion. Why? I was eating small portions of healthy food. No refined sugars at all. The first week was a killer as I felt those sugar cravings appear as "almost" headaches. The brain was used to getting the instant hit of sugar and it wanted more. For me it was like coming off a drug addiction! This may sound extreme, but I really believe that there is some addictive quality to sugar. I am no expert in the field, but from the amateur research that I have done, I have read how after you eat sugar, it hits the blood stream. The body needs to compensate for it by releasing insulin. In a relatively short period of time, your blood sugar level goes down and before long, you need another hit to get your blood sugar level up. The brain itself, as an organ, runs off this and when the blood sugar gets low, it lets you know it. The fix is simple, but the first week or so is hard. Limit simple sugars as much as you can! It will make all the difference in the world once you get past the initial craving. Does this mean no sweets at all? No way! Just get them as nature provides them. Fruits are great! The contain fiber and nutrition that you need. It takes the body a bit to break them down and so the release into your blood stream is at a more manageable rate. White bread and pasta has had a lot of fiber refined out of them as well and so they can have a similar effect on blood sugar as well. That is one reason that whole grains are so much better for you. That extra fiber and bran also contains important nutrients as well as slowing the digestive process. Get off sugar for two weeks and you will notice a big difference! It will cut your craving down a lot! Your chances for weight loss have increased dramatically as well!

Keep up the great work everyone. Bill H still amazes me with his running abilities! Todd A keeps making great progress coming off an injury. Phil gets the Mr. Persistence award for hanging in there. Nan gets a nod for her great support of Phil! Lisa H. 5K!!!! Great job. Jean W. - Wow a 5K for you too! Thanks to the rest of you for your constant support, encouragement and inspiration! Hang in there and I will too!