5ks....and running in the right direction

I really, really want to be a runner.  I just need to start running in the right direction...you know the one that actually has me "running" and not sitting on the couch.  I love the idea of races....I love all the different themed 5ks.  I like that you can travel to different places to do them or do them right in your hometown; I like that they can be social events and I like that you don't need any special equiptment.

I like all those things so what is the problem.....it seems the problem is just doing it!  A few years ago, my husband and I did a 5k in Disney World.  A friend of ours was running the Goofy 1/2 Marathon and since I am always ready for a trip to Disney we went too.  I wanted to complete a 5k so I signed myself and my husband up for it.  We walked the whole thing and it took us 1 hour.  My husband kept asking if I wanted to run and I was like "ummmm, No! why would I want to run?"   With the finish line in sight, my husband said, "Want to run acrosss it?" and again, I was like "No, why would I start running now?".

Fast forward another 2 years and I decided to do the Couch to 5k program.  I loved this program.  It made me feel so accomplished.  I could dooooo this!!  I did it on a treadmill and at my own pace (which was far from fast) but the point was I was running.  I rocked the 20 min run that I had dreaded up to that point.  And there as a few times, I even felt myself entering "the zone" that I hear so many runners talking about!  It felt great!  But, alas, I got complacent and stopped before completeing the final few weeks.  A few months later, I signed up for another 5k with a different friend.  This time we ran the first 3/4 of a mile and then walked the rest and I completed it in just under an hour. 

And since then....nada...no running, no treadmill walking..nada!  But I have been running in my mind and setting a goal for myself....its a lofty goal but I want this....I CAN DO THIS!!!

 

1 5k Every Month for 1 Year

 

I have even started to plan them out!  Here is what I have so far:

 

November - YMCA Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day (has walk option and I am planning to complete this one with my family -- should be a nice change from our usual big breakfast out on Thanksgiving Day)

 

 

December - Reindeer Run in Havre de Grace

 

January -  If all goes well this will be surgery month so I am going to skip this months 5K

 

February - Frosty's Cupcake Virtual 5k

 

March - Bunny Run 5k in Havre de Grace & Shamrock 'n' Roll 5k in Belair

 

April - Hero Rush (this one definitly would involve some major training!!)

 

May - Color Run in Washington, DC.  (The one I am most psyched about and honestly my whole reason for wanting to do 5ks)

 

June - Foam Fest 5k in Pittsburgh, PA

 

July -

 

August -

 

September - Would like this one to be one for 9-11

 

October - Disney's Wine & Dine 5k through Animal Kingdom at Night!!!! (not sure $$ this one will be possible but its a great thought)

 

November -

 

And then????????  Shhhhh.....but I really want to go to Disney again for the Princess 5K in March!!!

Eeeeek....time flys by

I have been writing blog posts in my mind but can't seem to find the time to get them posted and when I finally log on to post one I find out is has been 3 months since my last post!  How in the hell did that happen?

It has been a busy 3 months, though!  I have been diligently meeting with nutritionist every month.  I have completed all my pre-surgery testing except one new one that has developed.  My EKG had a slight abnormal reading so my surgeon is requiring I get cardiac clearance before surgery.  I met with cardiologist last week.  She felt that everything was fine.  She did another EKG and did get the same slightly abnormal result but she felt this was nothing for concern.  Just to cross the Ts and dot the Is, I am going to have a stress test and echo-cardiogram done this Tuesday but she didn't see any reason why I wouldn't be approved for surgery.  One step closer and I must say it is reassuring to jump through all these hoops and find out that I would be healthy on surgery day to maximize my success and outcome. 

I have also been dilgently researching more about the surgery...ordering a few protein and vitamin samples but have not tried any yet. 

I also purchased and having been using for the last week the Fitbit.  The Fitbit tracks your daily steps, stairs climbed, and calories burned.  It uploads wirelessly to the Fitbit website and you can also use it to track your sleep cycle.  By using it the last week, I have been able to glean what my baseline is for activity.  I only average around 3500 steps per day.  Far, far less than the recommended 10,000 steps.  This is something I will definitly be working to improve.  I also likes that the Fitbit syncs with My Fitness Pal which I plan to use alot. 

I have been reading everyones blog religiously....I don't comment but I am there following along! 

Progress

I am moving forward in my progress towards surgery. 

Accomplished so far

1.  Met with the surgeon.  He agreed with my choice of the Sleeve and feels that as long as I "don't lose any weight" between now and the last appt before we submit for insurance I should not have any trouble getting approved.  He also gave me the list of tests I will need to have done and scheduled my next appointment which will be with the nutritionist.  At the appt with nutritionist I will find out if my 3 months of Weight Watchers will be accepted by my insurance as 3 out of the 6 months of supervised visits.  This will tell me whether I can expect my surgery this Fall or in the Jan/Feb timeframe.  He also asked me how much weight I would like to lose.  He said for my height (5" 1.5") the recommended weight is 105.  I can NOT imagine weighing 105.  I told him I had a weight in my head of 132 from when I was in late middle / early high school and felt that was a good weight for me at that time in my life.  He said he thought 140 would be a good goal weight.  Does anyone have any thoughts on this?  How did you/your physician decide on what was a good goal weight?

2.  Had the following tests done -- bloodwork  and EKG. 

3.  Scheduled psyc eval for 8/14. 

4.  The only other tests I need to have are a chest xray / abdominal ultrasound and upper GI.  I am going to schedule them this week.  I am hoping to have them all done at the same time.  I was SUPER happy that I did not need to have a sleep study done :-)

Concerns that I have thought about so far

1. What if I can't find any foods that I like to eat after the surgery?  I am a picky eater....I always thought that was an oxymoron...how can I be overweight AND a picky eater?  But yet, there it is!  And the foods I like are all the ones I shouldn't eat..........

2.  General concerns about the surgery itself...mainly the whole anesthesia process.  I have never had surgery w/anesthesia before.  My only surgical experience was a c-section with my second child.

Goals I have set for myself

Week 1 - give up liquid calories - Done (beginning week 2)
Week 2 - begin drinking 64oz water/day
Week 3 - begin tracking everything I eat in My Fitness Pal
Week 4 - begin walking 2 miles per day / 4x per week
Week 5 - learn to chew slowly
Week 6 - refrain from drinking 30 min before & after meal
Week 7 - begin eating breakfast from HOME before work

Any other suggestions of goals to set for myself pre-surgery to help me afterwards?

There you have it...my progress so far!

Moving forward

I met with my PC doc today and as I expected she approves of my decision for wls. She weighed and measured me and documented my BMI as 50.2 so I will have that on file for insurance. I know I need a 6-month physician supervised weight loss attempt for insurance but what I do not know is if my BMI drops below the required 50 during this period am I still ok? What weight will insurance use to make their decision? I have also told my mother and sister of my decision and they are supportive too.

Patience is a virtue I do not have

Now that I have planted the seed for weight loss surgery I want to get moving with the process. Unfortunately, I had to reschedule my 1st appointment for July 30th so I home time to wait. In the meantime, I started looking into my insurance requirements for the sleeve, which is the surgery option I am leaning towards, and from what I can tell I need to have a min BMI of 50. When I calculate mine I am getting between 48.5-50 depending on my exact height. I always say I am 5'2" At my current weight this would give me a BMI of 48.5. The other day I measured myself at 5'1.346" which would give. bMI of 50. Uggg, I just hate the unknown part of what the insurance will approve. Will they accept my BMI if it is slightly under? This also makes me feel like I am caught between wanting to jump start this endeavor with making changes in my eating and exercise habits but if I do that now and do manage to lose weight in the next month my BMI will be even lower at 1st surgeon visit and lower my chances of getting approved for the sleeve. I have also told someone else about my plans besides my husband. I told my step-daughter this week. She had gastric bypass in January and has lost 83lbs. She looks awesome and has been helpful with answering my questions. She had initially wanted the sleeve, as well, but for a few reasons was not a candidate for it.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step...

Last night I attened the bariatric information session at my hospital. I say "my hospital" because I also work there. I was a little nervous going but when I left session I just had this feeling of excitement. Excitement at this new chapter in my life. I had a really good feeling about the doctor who did the presentation. He is one of two that do the surgeries. I turned in my paperwork and scheduled an appt for my consultation on the first date he had open....July 16th. Between now and then I also have appts for my annual GYN exam and a physical with my primary care doc. During the session last night, the doctor said most people in this session who move forward with the process would have their surgery date sometime in Nov / Dec. My husband went with me and is just so amazingly supportive. When we left the first thing he said is, "I want to make absolutely sure you are doing this for You.". One thing that does have me thinking is I was pretty much set on the lap band surgery when I went to the session. I had ruled out gastric bypass for a few reasons and had really done some research on the band, however, I had not considered the sleeve and after the doctor presented those three options last night I am now torn in my decision between the sleeve and the band. This is something I will discuss in more depths with the doctor in July.

Getting in the right frame of mind

Surgery for me is far from definite at this point as I haven't even gone to the informational seminar offered by my hospital but I am trying to get in the right frame of mind for when it becomes a reality. These are the steps I have taken so far: 1) made reservation at bariatric center info session for wed 6/13 2) made appt for my annual gyn exam on 6/15 3) made appt with my primary care doc for 7/3. This was first appt I could get with her. I am pretty sure she will be on board with my decision for wl surgery because this is something she mentioned to me as a possibility approx 2 years ago. 4) began researching req of my insurance carrier. From what I can tell so far, I meet the BMI req. They also req 6 months of (can be non-concurrent) of a weight loss program in last two years. I am hoping they will accept proof of my time spent doing weight watchers as part of req and that I will only have to do a 3-month phys supervised. This could give me a possible surgery time of this Fall. 5) approx 9 months ago I set a goal to develop a normal sleep schedule. For years I was staying up till 3 or 4 in AM and existing on 4 hours sleep then catching up on days off work. Not the best schedule for anyone and I know lack of sleep has been linked to obesity. I am happy to say I achieved my goal and now get. Solid 7-8 hours of sleep per night. These are my next steps: 1) eliminate sweet tea from my diet. This is the only drink w/calories that is my weakness. I rarely drink alcohol and only drink soda if sweet tea is not available. This is a hard habit to break for me & one where I must give it up 100% to be successful. 2) begin & stick with a walking program. 1st goal: 2 miles per day, 6 days per week 1 month. Endurance wise I have no problem waking the 2 miles it's getting in the right mindset to make it a PRIORITY and commitment! 3) look to purchase a used treadmill 4) experiment with protein shakes to find some I like. I do not like chocolate anything so this rules out some off the bat. 5) try to learn to like Greek yogurt 6) get in a water drinking habit.