4 months, 2 days

It is unbelieveable to me that it's already been 4 months since my surgery. Time has flown by. There are the occasional hiccups - but I am definitely grateful the vast majority of the days that I decided to finally go for it. Since my surgery I've lost 80 pounds. It's absolute madness that I've lost 150 pounds through this process....and that I still have so many to go!!!

About 2 months ago, my youngest sister Mackenzie (see also: my activity coach) said I should do the 5K walk at the "Rock the Pavement" even on August 20th (this morning). I thought that seemed like a reasonable timeframe to work up to walking 3 miles, so I recruited my kind friend Stephanie to walk with me. And a deadline was established. What better way to celebrate my 4-month surgiversary? 

In those 2 months we did a few walks that were about 3 miles - so although I move at the pace of a tortoise, I knew I could cover that distance. I was feeling pretty good about things - and then this week hit. I had my most exhausting work rotation, oversleeping and missing a walk, one day where I was not feeling well at all, a day in the 90 degree heat at the fair and a day of laziness to conserve energy. 

What I have learned is that apparently having a bit of an off week leading up to something with actual parameters/expectations will allow 495-pound Natalie brain to come in and completely fuck everything up. Now let me say that I fully understand there should have been no reason for panic or anxiety about this morning - - I have covered this distance in the not so distant past. I suspected our Uber would be able to drop us off near the starting line. But that mattered very little to my crazed brain......

I couldn't sleep last night. It was like I was somehow transported back to the days prior to losing some weight - prior to this surgery - where every event, especially those to a somewhat unfamiliar area, were cause for a total freak out. I was trying to figure out how the driver could get us as close to the starting line as possible (we were able to pull into a lot right near the action). I was losing it over the fact that I may have to walk a little over 3 miles to get to, and back from, the actual race/walk path - and I'd only ever really walked those 3 miles! Everything that was added on was pushing further and further from my tested distance! (insert extreme eye roll here) The only legitimate concern I had was the standing. I still hate standing...or rather, my knees still hate standing. But even that was going to be within reason. But try telling that to my whirlwind brain when I'm trying to sleep.

So we got there - and it immediately started to rain. I guess my constant requests to "please don't be too humid" were heard - - but overcorrected. It rained the entire time. we were drenched. My white tshirt was maybe not my best decision, but at least the logo was covering my boobs. Due to the crap weather, there wasn't the anticipated turn-out. We started our walk a little early - figuring if we were going to get rained on, we might as well be moving. I am still slow-as-shit, but we finished. I was grateful for both of my activity coaches today. I am also grateful that is over with.

Other than that, the last month has been somewhat uneventful. Just trying to eat mostly protein and some fats - - working in a carb here and there. So happy to have had pizza a couple of weeks ago - it is still my fave, so I'll have to watch that one. I have had a few protein shakes, and they don't seem to make me nauseous anymore, which is a total win. I recognize I'm in the honeymoon phase - and am happy to still be here. I have days every now and then where I just want to stuff things I don't need into my face (cheese curds, chips & salsa, french fries) but I think that's normal. So far these wants have been short-lived, which is awesome. I still miss diet coke everyday, but alas it is not to be. 

I'm trying to move my ass more - - I genuinely enjoy my walks (typically right around a mile & a half) so those no longer feel like absolute torture. I am slowly but surely seeing improvements. I still have shit for energy, which is somewhat frustrating - but will hopefully improve now that I can actually drink more of my protein - hopefully allowing some space for some well-placed carbs.

Most of the time, life is pretty damn swell. I'm trying to roll with it - not put too much pressure on myself, but also now allow myself to slip back into old/lazy habits. My body is changing - able to do more than I would have thought it would at this point. Now if I can just figure out how to shutdown my crazed brain when it rears it's ugly head, I'll really be getting somewhere..... 

the anti-recipe for success

Since I am in the midst of a segment of my life where I am the least of an authority on how to succeed, I figured I should share the results of some research I have performed that may help you avoid being a failure. That's almost as good as succeeding - right? I am working on serving a purpose, no matter what!

So here's what I've got - - PITFALLS TO AVOID WHEN TRAINING FOR A 5K - by Natalie Kath

Before I move on to sharing what not to do, let me paint you a picture of this period in my life. It was the first weekend in August, 2011. I had just started my new job 5 days earlier. It was a warm summer's eve...on a train bound for nowhere...I met up with the gambler....we were both too tired to sleep...wait! That's not it. So I had started a new job, after over a year of joblessness. I was trying to adjust to having actual duties during the day - things that I couldn't push off to a more convenient time. I was failing miserably in many areas - working out, eating well, prioritizing effectively.... During my month of "Move It 2 Lose It" success (June) I had gotten cocky, and signed up to do a 5K with my cousin-in-law while we were up at Family Fun weekend. Don't ever get cocky. No good can come of it. I don't know that I exercised since the day I signed up. I had also spent a fair amount of time eating like crap. It wasn't great. So now that I have somewhat set the stage, let's get this show on the road.

Pitfall to avoid #1...  when planning to do a 5K (and by "do" a 5K in my world, I mean: walk slowly), and you have a lot of bod to haul along with you on the route, you may want to actually exercise consistently beforehand. Maybe workout a few days a week, for at least a month or so, leading up to the walk/run. It is a bad idea to completely stop working out for over one month prior to this walk, and assume everything will be fine.

Pitfall to avoid #2...  completely ignore the fact that your body needs water the week before your "race". I'll admit it. When I started my new job, I struggled with how to drink as much water as I needed. When I was sitting at home, it was easy to keep the glass full - but as I was training in at my new gig, I would forget. Most days I only got a glass or two in when I got home. Considering you're supposed to divide your weight in 2, and drink that many ounces of water, I was failing miserably. Two glasses of water wasn't enough to support half the weight of my left foot, much less the entire mass of my bod.

Pitfall to avoid #3...  it may not be the greatest idea to eat greasy/fatty food for an extended period of time, and then only eat one meal the day before your walk (or run if you're super-ambitious). And it is definitely not a good idea to make that one meal a plate full of cheesy, salty hotdishes (or casseroles, if you're fancy). Sure...you can try and tell yourself that you're "Carbo Loading" - but the truth of the matter is that any beneficial carbs you may be ingesting are far out-weighed by the amount of fat/butter/salt/cheese, that is not going to help you be successful.

I did not obey any of these pitfalls, and it lead to disaster. I was not feeling great from the start, but when I was almost to the half-way point, my side started to hurt. I couldn't catch my breath. Then the pain got worse. I didn't finish because I felt like I was being jabbed in the side with a knife, and couldn't breathe! Ridiculous and unacceptable. I mean, seriously. I've done 5K's before. This should not have been something beyond my capability range. I know it seems silly - but when you don't take care of yourself, your body will rebel. It was basically Remus' way of telling me that he was winning. His "screw you" to me, if you will. Mark that one for Remus, zero for Natalie.

5k's of walking

Now I know that a 5K isn't that much. And for the most part, 3.1 miles doesn't seem like that much to me anymore, either. But when you take some time off from the treadmill, and spend the bulk of your cardio time on some sort of elliptical, your heels can become soft. At least they can when you are delicate and sensitive - like a peach wrapped in a flower - like I am. This is not the end of the world, but it will cause some issues when you hope on the treadmill for your beginning 5k for the 90DWLC! I was about 1/2 way through when it felt like I may have rubbed all of the skin off, and might be down to bone on my left heel. And when you walk like I do - sssllllooooooowwwwwlllllllyyyyyyyy - half way means you still have a lot of time left! So I gritted my teeth, focused on SportsCenter and the cute baseball players, and pressed on. I had another distraction when I was down to .55 miles left - my iPod died. It went silent. It locked up on me. But there will be more about that later.

ewwwwwww

By the time I finished my walk, I had grown immune to the pain. I didn't even look at my shoe or heel. I was on a high from having completed it. When I hopped in the shower I was reminded of the open wound now on my body as soon as the water hit it. But that searing pain subsided as well. It wasn't until 2 days later that I noticed that there was blood on my shoe. Gross. So basically - I need to get my ass on the treadmill more often, so my heels can toughen up a bit. I went through the same thing a few months ago when I started walking a lot more. This damn delicate body of mine can soften up in no time!

So my starting 5k time is 1hr12min14sec. The good news is that I have a lot of room for improvement. If I can maybe shed a decent amount of Remus over the next 3 months, I'll feel like I'm flying! So I was OK with my time. I realize it is slow as hell - but oh well. Life will go on. Then I was watching the times from the Boston Marathon come in. The fastest woman was at like 2 hours and 22 minutes. To run 26.2 miles. it took her one extra hour to go 19 miles. Holy shit! That is ridiculous!! Not that it makes me feel any differently about my time - but I just thought that was a shocking number to share! Amazing!

And here is my week's highlight. For those of you that know me well, you are well aware of my electronics obsession. I have had just about every iPod made at one time or another. I have a deep seeded need for a iPad, although I have no actual requirement for one. I love new phones and gadgets. I am the IT specialist for my parents, and usually have a "test" (something to look at and attempt to fix) or two when I visit. I have spent so many dollars with Apple, I hate to even begin to guess how much it might be. But here is where that comes in handy. When I got on my treadmill for my 5k, I couldn't get the tuner to come in clearly for the ESPN TV unless I had my iPod clipped to the collar of my shirt. Now...for the average gym-goer, this would be no issue. For me - sweaty mcsweaterson, it is a huge issue. I don't glisten. I don't look "dewey". I SWEAT! Like my whole t-shirt is drenched when I am done, sweat. So needless to say, my iPod got wet, which caused the "it died" issue. I took it home (not realizing that it getting wet was the issue) and tried to fix it myself (I have had many issues over the years - all of which I have been able to eventually fix on my own). I spent about 2 hours between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning trying to fix it. It would show glimpses of working, and then spaz out on me again. I surrendered. I called the Apple store at Southdale. I made an appointment for that afternoon. I walked in and got to see my guy right away. It took him 20 seconds to discover it was wet. He starts clicking away on his phone, and tells me they can get me a replacement for free. FOR FREE!!! Now I don't know about you - but that doesn't happen to me. I am guessing that when he scanned the serial number it showed them how many devices I currently own (3) and how many I have purchased over time (10+) and how many dollars I have spent on iTunes (45 bajillion). It was supposed to take 7-10 days, and it took one. The moral of this story is: Don't sweat on your iPod, but if you do Apple might just be awesome about it.

Hope you are all having a great week!