5K Training!

I started an 8-week 5K training plan...um... over 7 weeks ago.  That's right... I am now on week 8!  So I guess it is going well :-)  .  My goal was to see if I could learn to like to run or at least not HATE it!  In the past whenever I would try to run I would head out and expect to be able to run 3 straight miles right away and in one day somehow establish a new habit and become a running enthusiast.  HA!  Yeah right.  Crash and burn every time and HATE it and not try again for years.

This time I found Spark People's 5K training plans and decided to follow one and NOT go overboard or try to rush through the process.

All Spark People 5K plans...


I chose...


5K Your Way Rookie Running Plan









The first few weeks were pretty easy and it was tempting to jump ahead but I resisted.

As it became more challenging I found myself thinking ahead to the upcoming weeks and wondering if I would be ready and able to get to the next level.  To my delight, I have made the transition every week so far and now find myself at the final week of my current program.

I have no formal race scheduled yet but I am looking for the right opportunity and I will be ready when I find it!  It is a great feeling :)

Let's Get Blogging!

I have been doing great at maintaining my weight and I have been moving on to some new fitness goals but I have not been doing well at keeping this blog up to date.  So I am going to start posting more often.  Even if it is just short notes.  There is a lot to catch up on.

Metabolic Damage

Article about Metabolic Damage by Tom Venuto
The above is a link to an excellent article that explains the dangers of low calorie dieting.  I wanted to share it and also save the link for my own future reference.  So there it is :)

It is slightly ironic that I am posting this during Lent when many at my church are fasting.  This is a good reminder that fasting is not a "diet."  It is a spiritual discipline.  Never fast for the purpose of losing weight!  Just sayin' :)

Lent and Fasting

 In case you didn't know, I am the worship leader at my church. [I am also the office manager but that is another story :) ]  We are having a congregation-wide prayer and fasting emphasis for 40 days during Lent.  The emphasis officially started today but some in the congregation started last week.

During the weeks leading up to this emphasis Pastor Herb and I (along with others) spent considerable time learning more about the spiritual discipline of fasting and then shared what we learned with the whole congregation on Sunday mornings.  On March 6 I shared a teaching time called "How to Fast" during our worship services.  Here is a link to the audio of my sharing time...

Wendy Talks About "How to Fast" at a New Song worship service

Spotlight on Success!

Curves International interviewed me after receiving my application for the 100-lb Club!  They made my story the "Spotlight on Success" in their March Inside Curves Newsletter...

Publication of Curves of Mt. Lebanon/Castle Shannon – March 2011

Spotlight on Success - Wendy Scott For years Wendy Scott was trapped on an emotional roller coaster. Her brother passed away in 2004, then her dad in 2007, and her mom in 2008. As Wendy grieved, she felt convicted to lead a healthier lifestyle. Yet, in the back of her mind there was a nagging voice asking her, how many times do you see a 260 pound person succeed at losing all that weight? In March 2009 Wendy approached her husband with the idea of joining Curves. She describes his initial reaction, "He looked at me as if I had five heads." Undeterred, Wendy joined a healthy lifestyle group at her church where she learned the value of a food journal. With the food journal as her accountability partner, Wendy quickly lost seven pounds! Wendy was thrilled and her husband took notice too. Was it Wendy's commitment? Or maybe it was the seven-pound weight loss. Nonetheless, Wendy's husband had a change of heart and surprised her with a two-month gift certificate to the local Curves for her 42nd birthday. Their agreement was simple-if Wendy went to Curves consistently and didn't miss for the entire two months, they would talk about a full membership. So, on June 15, 2009 Wendy walked into the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Curves with her two-month membership. Her initial goals were simple. Eat 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day. Try Curves for the next 2 months and maybe longer. Walk with the kids 1 or 2 times per week all summer. Drink only water when out to eat, and more water throughout the day. Keep a daily food journal and weight log. Two months zoomed by and Wendy saw pounds and inches steadily falling off of her. The "talk" with her husband was almost non-existent and Wendy became an official Curves member of the Pittsburgh Curves. Wendy's philosophy has remained the same since day one-make changes that I can live with for the rest of my life. She's successfully applied everything from the Curves Weight Management classes to her lifestyle. Wendy explains, "The Curves Weight Management plan provides me with the strategy to make my accomplishment maintainable for the rest of my life!" Today, Wendy is maintaining a whopping 112 pound weight loss! Pittsburgh Curves owner, Jill DePra says, "I'm so proud of Wendy. She inspires everyone on the circuit. She's amazing!" Wendy sums up her journey, "You've got to love who you are now, take one day at a time, and embrace every little milestone." Wendy's Everything Salad Spinach Tomatoes, diced Bell Pepper - yellow is Wendy's favorite Red Onion, chopped 5 ounce can of tuna with water - don't drain because the water will add with the dressing 1/4 cup black beans 1/2 ounce walnuts 1/2 ounce raisins Diced apple 2 tbs fat-free italian dressing 1 oz fresh avocado Combine and enjoy!

Determining my Maintenance Guidelines

Now that I am no longer in weight-loss mode and maintaining, I am working on updating my daily plan/guidelines to support my changing priorities.  My new plan will address not only what and when I eat and my exercise regimen but also my sleep patterns and some Spiritual disciplines.

Some of the guidelines are very new and fresh but for the most part I have already begun to implement them over the past several months.  It is the putting them in writing and sharing them openly that forces me to think about them in a more rational and structured way so I realize they may need some tweaking.  But I have been thinking and thinking about them and it is time to start writing them down and seeing if they are useful at helping me create more balance in my life.

One new development/complication that I have to incorporate into my plan is my diagnosis of "Low Estrogen Secondary to Weight Loss."  After a physical exam and lots of blood tests, my doctor has ruled out other causes of my amenorrhea.  He does not want me to gain any weight as a solution and I think that he is anticipating that this is a temporary condition that should stabilize on its own as my body adjusts.  I have been looking into ways I might be able to help the adjustment with tweaks to my eating and exercise regimen.  I have been looking online at forums and blogs to find other women who have experienced similar difficulty and what they did to recover.  I am a little confused as to why I am having this problem because it typically happens to long distance runners and professional ballerinas.  I don't think I quite fit those profiles but here I am sharing a common problem with them!  I am listing the possible causes that I have identified so far and my thoughts on them...

• Rapid, Sudden Weight Loss?  (I lost my weight over an 18 month period at an average rate of 1.6 lbs per week)
• Under Weight?  (Ideal/Normal BMI range = 18-25.  My BMI: 21)
• Over Exercise?  (I exercise at Curves 3 to 6 times per week.  My new plan will require at least 20 hrs of recovery between workouts)
• Under Nourished?  (I get RDA or better for all tracked nutrition.)
• Extreme Calorie Deficit caused by combination of exercise and diet?  (I don't think so but I need to keep a better eye on this.  New plan will have calorie deficit parameters.)
• Low Body Fat?  (My BF % averaged 20% in December & January.  Most sources say it would have to be as low as 14% to cause amenorrhea.  Would like to keep BF % in the 18%-20% range.)
• Low Fat Diet? (I was guilty of eating too little fat earlier in my journey.  I had corrected this before the symptom began.  New plan increases my daily percentage of calories from fat.)

So as I look at those causes, I am left with a question.  What else do I change?  The doctor gave me no orders and no treatment.  From what I am reading, the only down side to Low Estrogen is the risk of bone loss and future osteoporosis.  I want to minimize the duration of this condition and the side effects so I am making common sense adjustments to my plan.

My priorities...

1.  Improve BALANCE in my lifestyle
        (Spirit/Emotion/Body) (Personal/Family/Work/Ministry)
       -- not sure how to measure this :/
2.  Restore Estrogen levels 
       -- not sure how long this will take :/
3.  Maintain an average monthly weight between 140-150 lbs
       -- easy to measure and track success :)
4.  Maintain "Superior" body fat %
       -- easy to measure, accuracy is a question and is "Superior" too low?

Every January "My One Word.Org" encourages the selection of one focus word for the year instead of making New Year's resolutions.

"This process provides clarity by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. One word focuses on your character and creates a vision for your future."

My word for 2011 is DISCIPLINE.  God is asking me to apply the same discipline that has given me success in my physical body to other areas of my life.  Ultimately I know this will help with priority #1 above.

A Bible verse that I read recently speaks to me about the importance of thinking of my Spiritual growth in the same way as my physical transformation... 

I Timothy 4:7-8 (MSG)  "Exercise daily in God--no spiritual flabbiness, please!  Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever." 

SPIRITUAL GROWTH GUIDELINES...

1. Daily Bible reading 1st thing in the morning (3-4 chapters) Matthew 6:33 (NIV) "But seek FIRST his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."
2. Attend weekly Christian accountability group.  (LTG with Christine & Marie)
3. Active and consistent participation in weekly church worship services.
4. Active and consistent participation in monthly prayer and fasting day(s). 

NUTRITION GUIDELINES...
1. Never Skip Breakfast! 
2. take good nutritional supplements every day
3. eat 5-9 servings of fruits and veggies per day or more :)
4. eat at least 25g of fiber per day (try to get above 50g)
5. aim for at least 140 g of protein per day (1 gram for each lb of goal weight)
6. at least 20% of daily calories from fat (try to get above 24%)
7. 2-3 Red Meat servings per week (3 oz servings)
8. Limit eating after 7:00pm (or within 3 hrs of bedtime)
9. Eat minimum of 2000 calories per day; creating desired deficits with exercise
10. Eliminate calorie deficit when weight is under 142 lbs
11. Minimal calorie deficit when weight is under 150 lbs
12. Daily calorie deficit never >800.
13. Spend no more than 7 consecutive days with a >500 calorie deficit. 

HYDRATION GUIDELINES...
1.  9 or more Cups plain water per day.
2.  12 or more Cups green tea per day
3.  Additional beverages allowed but must be non-caloric with NO artificial sweeteners.

EXERCISE GUIDELINES...
1. Continue at Curves 3-5 times per week (minimum of 20 hr recovery between workouts) 

SLEEP GUIDELINES...
1. In bed by 10:00 pm at least 5 nights per week.
2. Average 8 hrs of sleep per night.
3. Establish better internal sleep "clock" by striving for 10 pm - 6 am daily sleep pattern. 

HEALTH AND WEIGHT ACCOUNTABILITY...
1. Daily monitoring myself with FitClick.com
2. Be accountable to someone (person or group) and report status monthly.

February Update

Desired average weight range: 140-150 lbs 

WEIGHT MAINTENANCE STATUS...

FEBRUARY 1st:	142.4 lbs
FEBRUARY 28th:	145.0 lbs
FEBRUARY AVERAGE:	144.4 lbs
FEBRUARY HIGH:	151.4 lbs - Feb 7
FEBRUARY LOW:	142.0 lbs - Feb 22

BODY COMPOSITION STATUS...

FEBRUARY HIGH BF%	20.8% - Feb 14
FEBRUARY LOW BF%	18.8% - Feb 2
FEBRUARY AVG BF%:	19.6%
FEBRUARY AVG FAT LBS:	28.3 lbs
FEBRUARY AVG LEAN LBS:	116.1 lbs

GOALS REVIEW...
1st goal: (lose 65lbs) 203 lbs 29.98 bmi "overweight" ACHIEVED Jan 17, 2010
2nd goal: (lose 99lbs) 169 lbs 24.96 bmi "healthy" ACHIEVED Jun 9, 2010
3rd goal: Achieve "Very Good/Fit" body fat % (22%-<26%) ACHIEVED Jul 16, 2010
4th goal: (lose 111 lbs) 157 lbs 23.18 bmi (Curves 100 lb Club) ACHIEVED Sep 6, 2010
5th goal: Achieve "Excellent" body fat % (<22%) ACHIEVED Oct 16, 2010
6th goal: (lose 121 lbs) 147 lbs 21.71 bmi ACHIEVED Dec 5, 2010

7th goal: Achieve "Superior" body fat % (<19%) ACHIEVED Dec 13, 2010

8th goal: Join the National Weight Control Registry by Dec 2011