Monthly Archives: November 2012

It’s happening, one week from today…

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I am hoping that at this time next Sunday, I am at some restaurant eating a deliciously high-caloric meal, drinking a large glass of wine and celebrating one of the biggest successes of the past year.

Next Sunday, my husband and I are going to be partaking in our biggest race of the year, of our lifetimes – the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vega Marathon and Half-Marathon. Yes, we will be running down Las Vegas Boulevard!

But, we are not doing the marathon, we are only doing the half-marathon! But it’s big enough in my book. And I am just going to say that even though I am excited as hell, I am also scared to death. Although, truthfully, I am not sure why. I guess I have been preparing and training. Well, kind of. Maybe. Okay, I didn’t follow a training plan. At. All. And the farthest I’ve run is only 10 miles. So, am I really ready? Did I really train enough?

I have no idea.

I guess time will tell.

So why a half-marathon in Las Vegas? Because I said if I was going to do a half-marathon, I wanted to do it up big because I have no intentions of ever doing another one. And I guess 35,000+ runners is pretty big!

I like running. Well, okay, I guess I kinda of love it (when I actually get out there and I am doing it!). But, I don’t particularily care for the long distance races. To be honest, I’m really kind of digging the 10K (6.2 miles) distance. It truly is my favorite. I honestly don’t ever see myself doing a full marathon. I really, truly don’t. Why? Not sure. Maybe it’s the training. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to push myself THAT hard.

I think it’s cool that people run full marathons. Those people are inspirations to me. Those types of runners are true athletes, true stars in my book. But I just have no desire to do one – a full marathon, that is.

I am psyched for our half-marathon. I truly am. But will I ever do another one? I guess we’ll just have to see how this one goes!

If you want to check out the Las Vegas run, here’s the website!

November 19, 2008…when it all began!

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So, I guess it’s been awhile, huh? Wow! I guess I let life get in the way. Or, maybe it’s because I’ve been lazy. Or, maybe it’s because I didn’t feel like I had anything else to say. Or, maybe I did’t think anyone was really interested anymore. Whatever the reason, I decided to come back. At least for now. :-)

Although I really don’t want to make any promises, I am going to try – really, really hard – to post at least once a week. Okay? Sound like a plan? Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal…I’ll post once a week if you, my dear readers, promise to check in on me and read what I write and maybe, just maybe, comment once in awhile. Provide me with some feedback. Is it a deal? Yes? Good.

Then, let’s begin.

November 19, 2008. Four years ago today.

Who knew back then how much my life would change? Who knew that walking through the door of my very first Weight Watchers meeting would make that big of a difference? I mean, really, it was supposed to be “just another diet.” Because, let’s face it, I had tried just about every other diet under the sun, why would this one be any different?

Let’s just say, it was different. WAY different.

For starters, it isn’t a diet. I repeat…IT IS NOT A DIET! It is one hundred percent – 100% – a lifestyle change. And if anybody thinks any differently, they don’t want/need it bad enough. That, my dear friends, is the difference.

A DIET. This is where you just want to lose weight as quickly and as effortlessly as possible. No change, really. No learning. No adapting. Not long term. No work. No effort. No desire. Nothing, really. Just get the weight off…fast and with very little effort. Truly, I don’t think I have met one person who has “dieted” and kept the weight off that they lost. Really. Truly. We’ve all been there. We’ve all done that.

A LIFESTYLE CHANGE. This one, on the other hand, takes work – HARD WORK, determination, desire, dedication, a willingness to change, much effort, support, trust and oh-so-much more. Truly, it is one of the hardest things to do short term, let along long term.

I can’t even begin to explain how grateful I am that I decided – FINALLY – to do the lifestyle change and not “just another diet.” It has been one of the most rewarding journeys I have ever taken. Truly. Honestly.

CHANGES over the last four years:

  • No more high blood pressure.
  • No more high blood pressure medication.
  • No more high cholesterol.
  • No more yelling stern talks from my doctor.
  • No more diabetes lingering.
  • No more obesity – yes, I was in the obese category.
  • A healthier body mass index (BMI).
  • Less fat and more muscle.
  • More energy.
  • An expanded, healthier diet – as in the foods I eat on regular basis. (Don’t get me wrong, I still eat my favs – cake, ice cream, cheese, crackers, cookies, chips, etc. Just not on a regular basis.)
  • A more active lifestyle – I am now a runner. (In 2012, my husband and I will have competed in 27 races, ranging from a 1-mile sprint to 5K races, to 10K races, to a 10-mile race, to our first half-marathon!)
  • A new career – I quit my job of 12 years as a newspaper reporter to becoming a leader with Weight Watchers. I now try and do what my leader did for me – give me a life, a much better life.
  • A different and better attitude.
  • More confidence.
  • A better relationship with my husband. (Not that it really could have gotten better as we have a pretty awesome relationship the way it is.)
  • A better outlook on life.
  • An active YMCA membership.

I know I could go on and on with all the changes that have taken place, but I won’t bore you any longer. All I know is that I am glad I walked through that door the very first time and I’m glad I kept walking through it, week after week, year after year. As cliché as it sounds, Weight Watchers truly changed my life. And I know, it’s only going to get better.