Confessions of a Sugarholic

Hey everyone!  It's a beautiful day in NE Ohio.  I mean we are pushing 70 degrees here in Ashtabula.  The windows are open.  The sun is shining.  I'm Feeling Good .  Well, I am kind of feeling good.   I'm a bit sore. As you know, I'm training for the Cleveland Half Marathon on 5/19.  I'm planning on walk/running.  I hope to do a 5 minute run/1-2 minute walk interval hoping to finish before 2 hour 50 minutes.  I hold myself if I accomplish that goal, I'll get myself another Tiffany charm, and this one I'll get when I travel to NYC at the end of June.    Anyway, yesterday was my first outdoor run since last year.  Back then I was completing slow intervals, and the most I ran was 4 miles.  I usually finished 4 miles in one hour.  My training protocol has me running 3 times a week, Monday and Wednesday, with my long run on Saturday.  Right now, I'm practicing 3 min run/2 min walk, and I'm running at ...

Happy New Year's Eve Readers!  Do any of you have any plans for the evening?  I'm happy to say that I do.  I'll be spending the evening with my sister enjoying a lovely meal at Hyde Park Restaurant in downtown Cleveland.  After that... who knows.  But it's nice to know that I actually have plans and not spending my New Year's secretly wallowing in self-pity like I normally did.  I was good at hiding my true feelings. There is so much on my mind right now as we're leaving 2012 behind and stepping into 2013.  This year was completely unexpected.  I didn't start 2012 with the plan to lose weight. As you know all know, it unexpectedly crept up on me.  I was actually trying to come to terms with the fact that I'd always be fat and there was nothing I could do about it at the beginning of 2012.  I know I was only fooling myself because I truly would have never been happy as morbidly obese individual with only food to console me.  I...

Hi Readers!  Did you miss me?  I missed you guys, and it's great to be back.  It's nice to take a week off here and there, but so much happens in that time, and I feel like I have monstrous entries when I return.  So get ready for another one.    First up, Dave Matthews weekend was THE BEST!  I had a great time down in Virginia, and CWN and family were such gracious hosts.  Thank you so much for opening up your home to me and the greatness that is The Dave Matthews Band.  It was like going to Graceland for DMB fans.  It was a weekend filled with fun, food, and friends.  And, believe me, I made sure to enjoy all of it.    It can be difficult to manager your food intake when you don't journal everything, and I admit that I didn't document everything that went in my mouth.  What I did do is remain cognizant of what I was eating and how much.  I also shared some meals with my friends.  Sharing meals is ...

Hey readers!  I hope everyone is having a good weekend so far.  Mine has been pretty awesome.  As you know, today was the American Diabetes Association Step Out.  I had a great time with my friends, who also happen to be my co-workers and work out buddies.  We killed that 4 mile walk - which actually ended up being 3.59 miles.  We even took the healthy detour, which took us down into the flats in Cleveland.  That also means a hefty downhill and uphill walk, and I smoked them both.  Considering that we were walking with hundreds of people, we were able to make good time and got done under an hour.     We even made a pit stop at the Cleveland Cavaliers Team Shop.  I needed some new slim gear to wear to the games this year.  It felt great to be able to buy a ladies jersey with my favorite player's name and number.  I've never had that experience before.  I'm even happy to be able to go to the games t...

Hey everyone!  I hope all is well with you.  With me...it's a mixed bag.  I'll explain. There is a very popular definition of insanity that was penned in author Rita Mae Brown's book called Sudden Death .  She stated, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results." I agree with her in most cases.  Doing the same thing over again and expecting something to change is pretty much insane.  And unstable.  I had someone tell me that it was insane how much I was exercising.  I know they didn't mean anything by it...or maybe they did. I don't know. I try not to spend too much time trying to dissect people's motives.  That's a whole other type of insanity that I don't need to encounter. So, I wonder if I am insane?  I am doing the same thing over and over again.  I exercise 60 plus minutes pretty much everyday of the week.  I meticulously document my food and portion sizes and count my cal...

Long time...no see, right?  It feels like I haven't posted an entry in forever.  I missed these entries because it's a way for me reflect on how my week went and it also keeps my honest and accountable.  And, can I just say that these two week were very trying!  My goodness!  My body completely revolted against me, but you know what? I gained control, and the revolt is over.  Let me fill you in. First up... the biometric measure test that I took on Wednesday, 8/22.  If you are new to the blog, check out the biometric page.  I also posted the full results so you can view them there.  I was aiming for 3 out of 5.  Secretly, I was hoping for 4 out of 5.  Good news was that I did make 3/5 so I will get some savings in 2013.  I am disappointed in my glucose test since I had tested within range earlier in the year.  But, I'm taking what I can get.  This is great news considering I wasn't planning on doing anything when ...

One down...Two to go! Good evening everyone!  As you can see by my entry title, I reached my first milestone.  At the end of my 20th week into my new lifestyle, I have lost 63.4 pounds.  That's an average of 3.17 pounds a week.  Considering I was only hoping to lose about 1.2/week, that's pretty substantial...and a full 32 weeks ahead of schedule! And believe me, I did have to prove that I reached my first goal.  My sister did witness the weigh in and happily handed over my prize.  It was such a pretty box that I didn't want to open it.  I just gazed at it this morning, happily smiling, as I ate my breakfast.  I didn't even take today off to celebrate.  I did a 4 mile interval walk/jog.  I'm getting my body used to running on asphalt.  It's quite a difference from the treadmill. I feel a great sense of accomplishment.  I'm glad the first hurdle has been jumped.  It wasn't easy.  There were many day...

 Good day Blog Readers!  I'm happy to say that week 10 went a hell of a lot better than week 9.  Work is still very busy, but I like it that way.  It keeps me busy, and it makes the day past quickly.  This week resulted in my fastest 3K walk-run.  I'm made it up to 3.3 miles in 60 minutes so each week I'm going to push for a 0.1 mile increase in an hour.  So, by the end of next week I should be at 3.4 miles.  I was also able to run for 2 minutes straight.  I also feel that my running posture is getting better.  I'm paying attention to how I place my feet when I walk and run, making sure that I lead with my heel and keep my head elevated.  It really makes a difference and harbors less stress on the body.  So, have you noticed my moodies?  They are pretty good at visually describing how I've been feeling.  My mood for this week is very optimistic.  In fact, I'd say my glass is over ...

So, now that I've made the conscious choice to change my life and improve my health for the better, I need to set my goals.  I do have an idea of what I would like my weight to be, but I don't want that to be my ultimate goal.  I have a two goals in mind.  My first goal is accomplished when my physicians says, "You don't need to take these diabetes and high blood pressure meds anymore."  I know the reason why I'm on both is because of the weight.  I also know that type two diabetes can virtually disappear with weight loss because it's happened to me before (see previous blog post). My second goal - get my weight down to 160 lbs.  Why 160 lbs. you ask?  Well, I'm being realistic.  I'm never going to be 135 lbs.  I've been overweight my entire life, and my body has made allowance for carrying all that weight around.  This will definitely be a work-in-progress, and I'll talk to my doctor about healthy weights.  But for me, t...