Progress

I made it through last week without exercising better than I expected. I was able to go on a walk (with my doctor's permission) the Wednesday after I received the Cortisone shot. I was so happy to get outside but I had to fight the urge to run the whole time.

Pic from my walk:)



I struggled with pain all last week and my hip felt loose (I guess because the swelling went done) which really freaked me out. I did not feel an improvement until Friday. On Saturday I attended my first cylce class since the shot and I was so glad to be back. I felt some discomfort that I wasn't expecting since I have never felt pain in cycle. By the end of class I felt great and I was relieved that the twinges I felt in the beginning of class passed.

Sweaty but relieved to be back

I was also relieved to know that I maintained my weight (I actually went down some from the previous week):

I actually went for a short (1 mile) run on Sunday. I plan to continue adding to that mileage to see if I can keep building up without too much pain. I didn't have much pain during my run Sunday but I can not believe how sore I was the next day! In spite of cycling regularly and strength training multiple times a week running still got my thighs burning;) I am praying that I will continue to build up the miles without intense pain. I plan on being very smart about my running this time and even though I only ran a mile I still stretched like crazy and foam rolled!



What I Eat

I spend a lot of time each week planning meals for my husband and I. Throughout the week I add to our grocery list and then on Fridays I grocery shop as soon as I leave work. I visit both Walmart and Whole Foods to get the foods we need. I was shopping at Kroger but recently I have started focusing on saving money and Walmart really does save me money. During the week I typically eat one of two different breakfasts. Most mornings I have a Thomas' Multigrain English Muffin with a wedge of light laughing cow cheese, chia seeds, an egg, and a small wedge of Cracker Barrel white cheddar cheese. When I get tired of this I will have oatmeal with chia seeds, a couple of dark chocolate chips, and a tablespoon of peanut butter. For the eggs I eat in the mornings I bake the eggs in the shells:

I got this wonderful idea from never homemaker. I am awful at boiling eggs so this makes things so easy for me. I bake a dozen on Sunday and then keep them in the refrigerator all week to take out for breakfast or for a snack.

For lunch, I ALWAYS take a big salad and some form of protein. Recently I have been making barbecue chicken in the crockpot and then I take it with my salad each day. For my chicken I dice an onion and a green pepper. I place 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crockpot with the onion, pepper, and some jalapeno pepper slices from a jar. I then add one bottle of Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce and cook it on low for 5 hours. With one hour left to go I shred the chicken breast (it basically just falls apart).

For dinners I typically rotate through dinners that my husband enjoys and that I can make healthy for both of us. My husband doesn't like vegetables as much as I do and he has no trouble maintaining a healthy weight so he gets more carbs than I do for dinner. Often I make fish, chicken, or ground turkey and then a large salad for me and mashed potatoes or another starch for my husband. Recently we have both been loving stir fry. I cook broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots and then add diced chicken breast and a stir fry sauce. My husband eats this with jasmine rice and I eat it with a salad. Recently I tried a great recipe for Turkey Pesto Stuffed Shells from Lovely in Pink that I loved and my husband also enjoyed. I actually enjoyed these best for leftovers the next day! I had to modify them because my husband is allergic to tree nuts so I couldn't use pesto. I used a basil paste instead as a substitute and I thought it tasted great!

Although we typically stick to a standard plan each week, I do enjoy trying new recipes as long as they don't have too many ingredients:)

I WON!

I won the giveaway from Parris Chic on Brittany's blog! I rarely enter giveaways but when I saw the amazing items offered by Parris Chic I had to enter (and then restrain myself from ordering everything before the winner was announced). My bedroom is decorated in black and white so the Parris Chic pillows are going to look awesome! I am planning to order this one:

and this one:

I am so excited to add them to my bedroom! I will do a post when they come in showing you how they look:) The items in the shop are so cute and make great wedding, engagement, or graduation gifts. I am also thinking about ordering this pillow for my office:

Since I work with middle school students I think it is a great message for them as well as me when I am having a tough day!

It's Been Awhile

The good news is I have maintained my weight loss. I fluctuate between 130 and 134 depending on the day. The bad news is that I am suffering from a hip injury that has completely sidelined my running:( I have been taking cycle classes at the gym 5 days a week and also doing weight training but I feel empty without my running. I have not been on a run since January 5th. The pain in my hip began in November. I slowed things down but continued to run. Over the holiday break from my job I stopped running for 2 weeks due to a particularly painful run the Saturday before Christmas. During that break I cycled almost everyday with no pain. Two weeks after my painful run I went out an ran a very fast and comfortable 5k. I felt great...until I stopped. My hip started hurting again.

That Monday I visited OrthoOnCall and was told that I may have a labral tear in my hip. I scheduled an appointment with a specialist for January 24th and went to physical therapy 3 times a week until the appointment. I had no improvement with physical therapy. At my appointment with the hip specialist I was told I needed an MR Arthrogram. I went the following week and then waited another week for my results. I have a hip labral tear...I also have a retroverted hip socket which predisposed me to the injury in the first place. The prognosis is not good. Surgery involves a HUGE recovery period (As you can see from Lady Gaga's recent cancellation of her tour dates...she has the same injury http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1701979/lady-gaga-cancels-born-this-way-tour.jhtml). The doctor is not certain he can fix the problem due to the retroverted hip socket and he doesn't want to put me through the surgery if he isn't more sure about the outcome.


Yesterday I went to get a cortisone shot for the first time to see how I react to that. For a cortisone shot in your hip you have to be sedated since it is such a complicated procedure. The actual procedure was fine but I passed out when getting the IV and when they took it out. I wasn't allowed to eat from midnight until the procedure (11:00) and I think that must have had something to do with it. I have no fear of needles but the doctor indicated that it is my body's natural response to "intruders" in my veins. I have been asked to take it easy for the weekend so I have been laying around, watching a lot of TV, reading, and trying not to eat too much:) Over the next week I cannot exercise....this terrifies me. Logically I know that not exercising for one week will not result in me gaining all of my weight back but it still makes me nervous. I have maintained this loss without having to track too much but over the course of the next week I will be using my Weight Watchers online tools and MyFitnessPal. I will also be going back to the original phase of the 17 day diet so that I will feel more comfortable about not getting my sweaty workouts in.

These past few months have been really tough for me. I love running and I often define myself by it. How far I went and how fast my pace was were things I felt proud of and bragged about. In addition, running is an amazing stress reliever for me. I know that I get great cardio benefits from cycling but I get something different from running. It is hard to explain but I am terrified that I will never be able to run again without pain. I don't really want to have the surgery. I would not be able to do ANYTHING for 4 to 6 weeks (no work at all). After that I would have to do 6 weeks of physical therapy and then I may be able to consider introducing physical activity back in to my life. I have come so far and I feel that I am in the best shape of my life. The thought of giving it all up for a surgery that might not even work is terrifying.

Neptune Festival 8k September 2012

I am trying to be positive and I am looking forward to the fact that after this week is over my doctor wants me to try running to see how my body reacts. I will follow up to see how that goes!

Source: http://pinterest.com/pin/60024607505416740/

Friend Makin' Monday

I love reading these from Kenlie's blog so I thought I would start participating! If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts.

This week's topic is groceries! Something I should be purchasing as we speak but I am putting it off until tomorrow.

In the Kitchen

1. How often do you cook at home? I typically cook about 4 dinners a week in the kitchen. I also pack my lunch everyday and eat breakfast at home 7 days a week.

2. Do you eat more fresh produce, frozen or canned produce? Definitely fresh. I struggle with it not going bad since my husband eats very little produce but I still prefer fresh!

3. What are a few unusual staples that can always be found in your kitchen?  I don't think I have anything unusual...maybe the 6 different flavors of peanut butter;)

4. Look in your fridge, then tell us about the healthiest thing in there. Apples from my grandfather's orchard.

5. Now share the most unhealthy thing in it.  Lunch meat

6. Do you eat leftovers? I will eat them but usually my husband snags them.

7. Do you use coupons at the supermarket? Yes! I have found that it is harder to use them now though since I have started eating better because most coupons are for processed foods.

8. How often do you try new recipes? Maybe once a month.

9. Do you make grocery lists? Do you stick to them? I typically make a list but I definitley do not stick to it.
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10. If you could buy one food item that would magically be calorie-free, which item would you choose? Pizza!

What I Wore Wednesday

I have seen many bloggers do "What I Wore Wednesday" posts and clothes are something that I love so I figured that I should jump on board! I have purchased a whole new wardrobe since my weight loss. My current favorite stores are The Loft and The Limited. Recently I allowed myself to get rid of the majority of my old clothes. Holding on to them felt like permission to gain the weight back. I took many of them to a Clothes Mentor that recently opened up in my area and I was able to get a fair amount of money for the clothes (much more than I feel I would be able to get at a yard sale). I will be donating the rest of the clothes to families in need.

One thing I do want to mention when discussing clothes is that I feel that it is much harder to shop now that I have lost weight (I know that sounds like the opposite of what everyone says!). When I was larger I spent more time evaluating whether clothes were flattering and I purchased clothes because they fit me well and looked good. Now I have a hard time distinguishing between whether I really love something or if I want to purchase it because it is a small size and it fits and that makes me excited. Does any one else who has lost weight struggle with that?

Okay...on to the outfit. I do really LOVE this outfit. It makes me feel confident and attractive:

Sorry for the poor picture quality and messy bedroom;) I haven't gotten the hang of the self portrait yet! The top and skirt are both from The Limited and I paid less than $30 total for them both. The shoes are from Shoe Carnival from a few years ago (They are SO comfortable). I won't be back posting until next week. I hope to have a good weekend of exercise and eating right and I hope you do too!

Before and Afters

Here are a few pictures that show what I looked like before and after my weight loss:

2008 Before ~180 pounds

 

2010 Before 153 pounds

             

          

                        

 

2012 After ~130 pounds

Today After a 5 Mile HOT Run:)