Month: January 2016

WIW

Last week: 194.8 / 196.2

This week: 195.2

The good news is the scale read this number twice in a row today, so a win? I coming reeeeeeeally close to buying the fitbit scale – I’m trying to hold off for a sale or something. 

Bragging on my sissy

My sister just got a slot teaching Body Pump at a NYSC! It’s 6:30am on Mondays, but you gotta start somewhere. I’m insanely proud of her. She just got her certifications before the holidays. 

We have very different bodies and have had very different fitness/weight loss journeys. I am BEYOND curious to see her as an instructor – so if any of you are NYSC members and go on the upper east side – message me! 

MA Miles

Next Tuesday night I’m headed out for ~40 hours in Boston thanks to JetBlue’s crazy sales last week.

T is going to be in Boston for work all next week and I had visions of tagging along to visit my bestie and her husband at their new place. At $44 each way (including taxes and fees) I couldn’t say no and how the flights worked out I’ll only miss 1.75 days of work (at what happens to be a very busy time). 

I was in up in ME/MA in September for bestie’s wedding and managed to get my Maine miles in, but was too pooped for MA miles. So now I’m excited for the chance to cross MA off my list of states I’ve run in. 

Shedding the Heaviness

For most of my young adult life I was burdened with two major things – weight and debt. I felt enormous pressure to rid myself both which would ultimately lead to downward spirals which left me worse off than where I started. 

In 2010 something change, I changed. 

In January 2010 I started to take control of my weight and fitness. The way I started to take control was to PAY ATTENTION TO IT. To look at it head on and make note of it. I needed to know where I was before I could imagine where I wanted to be. Those first 6 of so weeks of paying attention and seeing change, made me realize I needed to face my earnings/spending/bills/debt head on too.

I had school loans, but with really low interest rates (thanks pre-market crash). I had two credit cards – one with a much lower interest rate than the other. Instead of trying to pay the same amount on both each month, I paid the minimum on the lower interest card and paid a combo on what I could I paid off on moth each month (minus the minimum paid) on the higher interest rate card. Seeing one card’s balance decline rapidly helped my morale. 

One thing that was glaringly obvious was that I was spending WAY too much money on a car loan. I loved the car but there was NO WAY I could keep it up, especially without spinning into insurmountable debt. Plus I could DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE CAR. I could trade it in for something cheaper which is exactly what I did. Car salesman don’t scare me, I’ve never shied away from a car buying inquiry. So in February 2010 (6 weeks into my weight loss journey) I got serious about trading in my car. I knew what my car was worth and I knew how much I wanted to spent a month. I ended up trading in my 2007 Toyota RAV4 for a 2007 Toyota Camry (it even had 3-4 thousand less miles than my car). I also cut my monthly car payment from ~$480 to ~$280. I’m FINALLY two payments away from owning the car. After it’s paid off in March I plan to put $200 in savings each month after it’s paid off and give myself a little more money in my budget. 

$0 credit card debt, $0 car debt (as of mid-March), and just over $5K in school debt. This will be quite the NSV (non-scale victory). 

Cooking Class

I just registered T and I for a “Date Night: A Taste of Tuscany” cooking class in early March.  T’s been interested in a cooking class for a while, so I booked it as Valentine’s Day gift for him. Based on our schedules and the class offerings the first one that worked and didn’t involve fish at all (I’m not a fan) is March 5. I always like “active” gifts, even if you have to wait a few weeks to take advantage. 

Went to the sports podiatrist this morning (I saw him first in 2012 between marathons). 

They took x-rays of both feet. My right one has been the painful one the past 6 months, but in 2012 it was my left so he wanted to look at them both. 

He believes over time I overcompensated for my left foot issues, by over-stressing my right foot. He was asking me to rate my pain levels. We talked through the pain management techniques I’ve already tried/use: foot roller, spikey hard ball, night boot, icing, cushioned/high support running shoes, etc. 

With my half marathon 10 weeks out he recommended we try a cortisone shot or an oral steroid. I bucked up and took the shot approach since I’ve rather treat the issue directly than take an oral med which may impact my otherwise well-functioning body. 

He numbed my foot with a cold spray and then shot a giant needle with tons of fluid (cortisone) into my foot (I may have 4 tattoos on my feet alone, but I’m still a giant baby about shots). He told me it’ll be numb and sore today. (I of course feel like I’ve been bitten by a radio active spider and am convinced it’s screaming through all my veins causing mayhem). He also advised I take a few days off from running.

He recommended “Super Feet” brand arch support inserts, but he’s going to have his staff check my insurance to see if they would cover custom ones (they’ll call me next week). 

I also remembered to ask this this time (unlike in 2012) about the purple underside of one of my toes. It’s been purple-y for YEARS. He said it’s a blood vessel lesion – most likely from my two toes squeezing together (from running, but also just shoes in general). He gave me some gel toe caps to wear (which I actually have a few and never used them). He didn’t seem too concerned, he said it was ever cut or something it would bleed a lot, but otherwise it’s just more of a nuisance. 

Check YO health. Last week I was at the GYN (all my results came back normal), this week was the podiatrist, and now I’m about to call to schedule a dental check up/cleaning for February! 

WIW

Last week: 195.8 / 197.4

Today: 194.8 / 196.2

I’m going to chalk it up to a loss, but my scale is driving me nuts. I see the first number when I first get on the scale and then when I double check it I see the second number repeatedly. 

Is there a science to which number to trust?