Trying to balance food, fitness, and fun!
Monday marked the 6 year anniversary of when I joined Weight Watchers.
My keychain with 5 lifetime keys, 25 lb disc, 5K charm, and goal star. Not sure why I don’t have a 16 week award. This isn’t my original 10% keychain, that one was destroyed YEARS ago. Now this just sits on my spice rack.
The last year hasn’t been easy with my health issues, but i’m hoping for many more years to celebrate my success!
Posted in Weight Watchers
feeling good again!
I used to start every blog post out as a song title. Not sure when I stopped doing that, but I’d likely run out of song ideas by now, although I still do it occasionally. (if you didn’t know, that’s a Robert Earl Keen song).
It’s been a week on the new dosage of meds and so far I feel great! I am a little cautious/worried about heart rate but so far it’s been ok (they told me if they jumped me too much too fast on thyroid, I could have issues with that).
So far parts of me are working better. Some of the parts still aren’t working at all. It’s still early on this dose and combo of medications. More bloodwork in 10 weeks. Just hoping this progress isn’t covering up other issues.
Finally starting to feel more like my old self, 3 years later.
My balance at the gym is improving, as is my strength. My speed running is getting back to what it used to be (at least on short distances). My biggest issues are recovering from workouts, sleep, and the moodiness. That and the fact that insurance isn’t covering any of my medications.
I haven’t been this happy or optimistic in a long time. I can finally see progress and it’s made a world of difference!
Posted in Life
I’ve been going non-stop still, even though i’ve been back since Sunday night. I can’t even remember half of the last week.
I do remember this, made me laugh. Yes, the Crowne has a Cougar Room. Yes, I know U of H Cougars is likely the source of the name, but I still think it’s funny.
Friday: Met up with my new staff in Houston in just enough time for them to head back to Austin. The rest of the weekend I was flying solo, but i’m a pro at those things. (there was a pirate of the carribean theme this year). That’s Texas made out of zinnias. Unfortunately I didn’t really have time to walk around and look at the other booths since I was solo. Plus my booth was way off in the corner with the educational booths.
Saturday: Paid my $5 and ran my long run with Kenyan Way. Can’t beat that! $5 for pace group, aide, and a map. I was between pace groups, but it worked out great. Got a solid 10.5 miles in, which is the most i’ve done in a while. I was swimming in sweat when I was done.
Hit Whole Foods on the way back to the hotel. Salad bar again, but this time I got a smaller container, lol. I filled it with half post-workout breakfast (eggs, migas, sausage, fruit) and half for lunch (hb eggs, veggies, meat). So good!
Saturday night I went to dinner with Nicole at Freebird’s and then went to my very first Roller Derby bout. It was a lot of fun! I have friends in Austin and DFW that do it too, but i’d never before seen it live. I will definitely go again! It was so good to see Miss Nicole, I don’t see her often enough.
Sunday: Did runner’s yoga from YouTube (if you can’t find the one with the guy in the pink neon spandex, he’s actually pretty good, lol). Headed to the convention center early for exibitor’s breakfast aka Gluten Fest 2012. Chicken and waffles, pastries to the sky, and fruit. Grabbed a plate of fruit and dug into my bag for some nuts.
Show was 10-3 on Sunday. It was DEAD. Pouring rain outside. At noon I went to lunch with my cousin Kristen at Phoenicia, which is kind of like a greek version of Central Market or Whole Foods (another awesome salad bar). So fun! I hadn’t seen her since my grandmother’s funeral 3 years ago. I loved seeing her, wish I would have made more room in my schedule earlier in the week, it really had been too long. It’s a long story, but we’ve always been friends, even though our mothers (who are sisters) do not speak to each other since we were in elementary school. I am civil to all of my relatives, despite what my parents feel about anyone. I need to see her and her siblings more often for sure.
At 3 pm I packed the heck up and got on the road to the office. Dan picked me up at the office, then we had to head to his office so he could download files he needed for his trip to Brazil on Monday (he’s gone until Saturday afternoon). I grabbed dinner, met him back at his office and we ate and caught up. Sounds lame, but it was nice to finally see him and talk to him. By time we got home, it was time for bed!
Monday: The heck day. At least though, Dan’s flight was early, so I got to say goodbye. The whole day was a bust after that.
Tuesday: Day was much better. I finally got back into the gym (neither hotel I stayed at had weights, nor did the cities have Gold’s). I loved seeing my regular gals at the LUNA run after work. It was overcast and rained a little, which probably scared some away, but my regulars were there and smiling and really enjoying the 85 degrees!
Wednesday: Long day of training new staff, going away party at Chuy’s for our interns. Green Chile Fest is going on! I had the green chile shrimp salad, which was awesome. I wound up eating dinner and running afterwards, which is backwards to me. I was in a funk and didn’t want to run at the park. Tried Glutino English Muffins for pizzas. I pan fried them in EVOO before making the pizzas. They were ok, not sure i’ll buy them again (they are nothing like an english muffin in texture or taste).
Thursday: Been training new staff all day long. I’m off tomorrow, since I haven’t had a break from work since the 10th. Not sure what my plans are, other than putting together some goodie bags for LUNA and hopefully sitting by the pool and finishing my book. Dan’s not back until Saturday afternoon 
Posted in Life
I feel like I need a map to see where I have been in the last week and where i’m going in the next few weeks.
Since last Thursday I have: made a run up to Belton with Dan for a date night for an awesome concert and BBQ. We’d never gone to Belton before to Schopef’s for their concerts. Funny thing was, it ended up being faster than going to downtown Austin for us. I met Dan near his office and going North on 35 was a breeze! We were actually early, and got to kill time at an awesome truckstop (yes, there is such a thing). We got locally made food goodies like pickles and jams and some fabulous silly salt and pepper shakers for my office at work.
For some reason Thursday evening I got to a point where I couldn’t stand any more Woke up Friday morning with a tinge of pain in my right leg below my leg, which i’d never experienced before. DOR to be safe. I had run out of glutamine the week before, started it back up on Friday, maybe a small part of my leg issues.
Saturday morning the tinge was still there. I was supposed to tackle a challenging 1 way route with AK for part of her marathon training (I was not doing all 18 miles with her). Instead I hit the gym and did my usual Sunday workout on Saturday. Not a fan of the Saturday morning crowd, but I had a great workout.
Sunday I decided to try to run. Ran long with Hill Country Running and a group of fabulous people. My distance was another route took me away from them and I was solo most of the run, but it was nice. My leg felt fine and I clocked 8 miles. I’d set out for 7, but then a cyclist on Parmer shouted “good morning jogger!” as an attempt to be friendly as I was tackling the last portion and the long hill. Nothing pisses me off more than being called a jogger, so I ran an extra mile. HUMPF! So there 
Then groceries, made Dan a ton of waffles for his breakfasts, watched Olympics, did weekday prep, wrote my LUNA report, and did some LUNA run planning and other stuff. Mid-day Dan took me to the gun range where I proved that: my hands sweat too much, I am getting better, and that I am never wearing a tank top out there again (I didn’t want a farmer’s tan). I have a nice 9mm shell burn on my right collarbone. That’s going to look really nice at Saturday’s wedding we are attending.
Later that evening I went back to Hill Country Running to watch the Olympics at their watch party. It was a small turnout, but nice to hang out with others to watch. Dan tagged along, which surprised me, but I think he hated it. They had wings and beer, so we had to go next door to grab something for me to eat.
Things I’ve learned from the Olympics:
Hope to catch more Olympics this week, but it’s a hectic one. LUNA tonight, a handful of things after work every night this week, volunteering at a SPA day at local hospital for LUNA, wedding out of town that evening. Then Sunday an olympic watch party in downtown Austin at 8 pm. Then out of town for a whole week for work until 11 pm the following Sunday. WHEW!
When sister and I were in college down in Corpus, we always joked that we were going to write a book called “Note to Self”. For a short time, we even had a notebook with our random observations and comments.
We still joke time to time when we see something odd, stupid, or just nuts.
I think I am going to have to start blogging my notes to self, to chronicle the things that baffle me! Most of them will probably come from the office, because I know I could write a book on the people who work in my building for sure.
Lets start today. Note to self” Work Gym
#1 note to self on the work gym…Don’t use the work gym.
Posted in Life
Sunday was just awesome, all of the way around. I felt fabulous mentally and physically!
Hit the gym and probably had the best workout there in a really long time. I was able to do things I hadn’t done in forever 
It felt so good to be able to knock out a challenging workout and not being completely dead afterwards.
Hit the shower and then off to the Domain for free yoga at Lululemon. Yes, I showered before yoga, I didn’t want to stink. No one likes a stinker. LUNA sponsors the first one every month. Grabbed some Starbucks and did some people watching while I was waiting for the store to open for Yoga. Mostly people at some private event at Tiffany’s and others going to get brunch. The Domain is a large open air upscale shopping area. Good food, good shopping, and great people watching! I used to live very close when it first opened and would go almost every weekend.
There is all kinds of cool local art throughout too. This is the children’s area by Starbucks.
Yoga was great, a new place is hosting for July called Wanderlust. Music + Yoga. I’m sad I don’t have any more free Sunday mornings to enjoy it. In fact, I don’t have any more free weekends until like November! OMG!
After yoga, Dan met me at Zoe’s and we had lunch. Their salmon kabobs are terrific! It’s the only one in Austin, I wish they’d build another. I love their food. I’ve only had 1 bad experience, which wasn’t enough to stop me from going there. It’s just not close to work or home at all.
Then off to the movies. We FINALLY saw Bernie. We’ve been trying to see it since the day it came out. For the first 2 months, it was only showing at 1 theater and it was always sold out (drove way down there twice). It’s currently showing at a few more places. LOVED IT. Based on a true story. Jack Black, Shirley McClaine, and Matthew McConaughey were wonderful.
We never go to the movies, mostly because I am cheap and I think they are expensive. The tickets are bad enough, but then they rip you off on food too (I don’t eat anything they serve there, but Dan does). Since we just ate lunch, I figured no additional money would be spent…wrong. I hate spending money on what I consider stupid stuff. Dan got candy and a giant soda. *sigh* The same candy is less than a dollar in the same size box at the grocery store!
Then errands and home for chores and PIZZA NIGHT!
Had some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used, so Dan had it on his pizza and he made some caprese skewers. I hope my basil plant makes it through the summer, we both love basil! HEB chicken meatballs, all flavors, are awesome. I love my meat market manager and the fact he always puts them on special sale!
My pizza was on a different crust than Dan’s (his was the pre-made individual crusts). I used this recipe from Plain Chicken. I bake it longer and add flax meal to it. It’s good, not my favorite crust, but it’s gluten-free and I try to avoid pre-packaged gluten-free subs when I can. Pizza and salad, delish!
Penzey’s salsa salad sprinkles are the bomb. EVOO plus sprinkles=divine! I had pepperoni pizza, with lots of veggies. Forgot mushrooms at the store, which made me super sad.
Before I knew it, it was time for bed! Good days always seem to fly right by!
I stopped the estrogen on Saturday.
Started feeling better on Tuesday.
Doesn’t really solve the low estrogen issue, but it did solve some other things.
I don’t feel 100%, but at least I am not going to sleep at 7:30 pm and I was able to get back to a regular workout and extra-curricular routine! Sleep and waking my whole body up is still a huge issue, like it has been, but i’m improving in other areas.
I go back to the Endocrinologist in July (soonest I could get) to review labs i’ll do in a few weeks, plus another round of ultrasounds. This time maybe they’ll look more at the Hashimoto’s, since we aren’t looking at any tests for the adenoma.
On to other things….Gearing up for the weekend. Dan’s parents arrive Friday night and stay until Thursday morning. I really like them, although I am still nervous to be around them. I still get the impression every time I see Dan’s mom that she’s disappointed I didn’t make her son healthy. He is the only person who can do that. I learned a long time ago, that I can’t force anything on anyone and while he may eat what I eat at home, he eats 1-2 meals a day out and I do not influence his decisions.
I am hoping for a fun weekend away from work and life’s stresses! I am sure we will have a great time catching up and taking them sight-seeing on Sunday.
Congrats to my mom who is 1 year back at goal. She didn’t keep the weight off the first time on WW, sidetracked due to the death of her mother. She got back on and made goal Jan 24, 2011, which ironically was my grandmothers birthday. The 2nd time, which stuck, was done in meetings. Her total loss between 2006 and now is over 50 lbs. (mine is around 40 lbs)
Her initial loss with Weight Watchers was on the old program, she lost by counting points and walking. Her 2nd and final loss was right when Points Plus came out in fall 2010. She lost by doing Points Plus, run-walking, strength training, and some cross training. She still does everything she did to lose, just eating more P+ values.
She still tracks, works out, and attends meetings weekly, which I believe is key to her success. She’s seen what works for me, is really the structure she needs in her own life. Accountability is key.
Her first before and after is here. The before is December 2006, the first after is December 2007.
Here is a photo of us December 2011.
She’ll run her 3rd half marathon this weekend, which is also her 3rd in a year. That’s pretty awesome.
Posted in Running, Weight Watchers
I never learn. The office gym is ALWAYS a bad idea. It’s not crowded before work and I only use it when i’m running late (and can’t make it to Gold’s across the freeway). I was running late on Tuesday, so I settled for the work gym. BAD MELISSA! There are no rules and it drives me nuts! Here are the rules I am proposing…
RULES OF THE OFFICE GYM/LOCKER ROOM
That’s just my starting list. I may need more than 1 piece of paper. Yes, i’m only joking, but that all really happens, every single time I go in there. And I only ever see the same 2 people that early. Makes your head hurt, doesn’t it?
FOOD for Tuesday
PW: half apple, Adora disk, half serving pistachios
WO: weights at work gym
B1: omelette I made with those leftover stuffed mushrooms. It rocked, although it wasn’t pretty. Dan ate all of our eggs, so it’s whites until I go back to the store.
B2: DF latte
L: tuna spud cakes (new recipe from magazine), salad with EVOO and cracked fresh pepper, raw veggies
The tuna-spud cakes were tuna and sweet potato which were pan grilled. I guess they had potential but if I hadn’t added spices (recipe didnt call for any), they would have been super bland. Not sure i’ll make them again. I thought they’d also be a filling combo with the rest of my lunch, but they sadly were not.
S: half serving of pistachios, other half of apple
D: same as Monday (I recycled that photo). Pulled pork, slaw, but this time with broccoli., carrots came later
S: cooked carrots with cinnamon and coconut oil
Posted in Life
Or lack there of…
Last Thursday when I got to the gym, they announced they had to cut the electricity for 20 minutes. I guess they expected most people to leave, all of the people doing cardio and spin class did. I was lifting weights so I stuck around, you don’t need electricity for weights It was actually kind of nice for it to be mostly dark and workout. They were turned back on, I got showered up and went to work.
Later that day (5 hrs later), I had my Endocrinologist appointment. I was late leaving a meeting at work, so I was frantically rushing to get to the hospital. I was so aggrevated, because I am never late! Elevators out of service, so I had to run to the Main Wing, up the stairs, and back to the South Wing. Good thing I’m in shape. Guess what? No power, just emergency lights. They didn’t know I was late because the computers were down. They also had no access to people’s files to call and cancel and reschedule appointments. Or access to the electronic medical files to try to hold appointments. I was told I could call back after Christmas and reschedule. Unfortunately my Dr. has a long wait list.
She must have overheard me talking to the receptionist, because she came and got me and had an impromptu appointment with me with post-it notes in the hallway. Hope that stuff actually makes it into my file. She didn’t have my file or test results, so we just briefly chatted. It was better than nothing, but I was really eager to see if she wanted to try more tests or had any ideas. She did say, that at this point, she does not think it’s Cushing’s.
Later that day, the really sweet marathoner Rheumotoligst called to see how my appointment went with the Endo and get an update on what was going on. Unfortunately I had no updates for him
Fast forward to Christmas morning. We didn’t have power from 7:30-11 am at my parents house. I guess it went out right after I left for my hill run, I came home and my mom and sister were ready for their run, so I went with them. My dad had to drive our turkey to a family friend’s house to continue cooking it. Rediculous. Even more crazy is they have power outages all of the time at their house, it’s so annoying. The last 4 times i’ve been there, there has either been a water or electric outage or both!
I have no idea why electricity was such an issue last week, but I hope I don’t have that problem any more! I guess I always take it for granted and don’t realize what all we need it for. (like getting back from running on Christmas and having to settle for a banana and almond butter because mom didn’t want me in the fridge which had been off for almost 2 hours).
Despite the minor inconveniences, it all worked out in the end with the power outages. Now i’m just waiting for the Endo to call me back to tell me what to do next. Hoping she transferred the notes to the computer after we met. I WILL figure all of this out in 2012!
