running

Yes, you can

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, God, health, inspiration, running

My weight-loss spreadsheet is looking good now. I finally got all the formulas fixed and have updated all the projected pounds lost, so I have a pretty concrete date for reaching my approximate goal weight of 160 pounds (Feb. 10, 2012 – just in time for Valentine’s chocolate!). This is assuming I work hard and stick to the program.

I’ve had a few days of overindulging (my Indulge Friday wasn’t confined to Friday last week), although I didn’t go too overboard. But I decided that 0.6 pounds a week was a wimpy, cheater goal, and I’m going to go for it and make the weekly goal a full pound.

I’m also rethinking my Indulge Fridays. Still pondering that. I may change it to one indulgent meal a week rather than an entire day. I don’t want to get too stringent, but I had fattening meals three days in a row last week and am feeling yucky about it, mentally. (Wednesday I ate a burger and fries because I forgot that the Business & Professionals lunch at First Baptist on Thursday was going to have the awesome homemade chicken pot pie, then there was Friday night’s mac-and-cheese extravaganza).

I’m a bit frustrated that my foot hasn’t healed enough to get on the road again (did I really think it would heal in two weeks? No. Yes!) I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I’m anxious to get out there and run again. I guess the running bug bit me hard, once my body got over the initial shock of exercising again after such a long period of lethargy.

I’m doing stretching exercises with both feet, and today I stuck a fluffy pink house-shoe on my left foot inside the boot so that I could have a bit of arch support and some cushioning. The bottom inside of the boot is totally flat (and hard), and I definitely need arch support. I’m thinking of taking my workout gear to the office and trying out the recumbent bike in the basement. I’ve been on it a couple of times recently and really prefer the treadmill, but my foot just can’t handle the pounding right now.

Part of the reason I’m so antsy is that it’s so difficult for me to build lung capacity (I have issues), and I don’t want to lose the progress I made in the 10 weeks of the Women Can Run clinic. My lungs are a bigger deal than my legs when it comes to building endurance. If I’m off too long, I’ll get lazy and get out of the habit of running. So I just want this foot to heal!

Tonight we had our first Run for God Bible study. It’s a 12-week program for all levels of runner, beginning to advanced. It is designed not only to train participants for a 5k race but to help them get better at sharing their faith.

Tonight our class began with a video, the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt. So now that you’ve listened to me whine about my food and my foot, click on either (or both) of the videos below and you’ll see what a big baby I am in comparison to this father-and-son team. Their message: Yes, you can.

The first one is the video we saw in class, followed by another version of their story (there are many) that I found on YouTube. The first one is visually moving because of the images, and the wonderful song adds to the drama; this video will make you grab for the box of tissues. I like the second one because there is more than just music; Dick Hoyt tells the story of his son’s life and why they “run” together.

If their story doesn’t move you, your gears are stuck.

I Can Only Imagine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GphmdhLMGE&feature=related

(Note: Richard Holcomb, the guy at the beginning of the next video, has nothing to do with the Hoyts’ story. The two stories are apparently part of a TV news feature or maybe a documentary.)

Yes, You Can

Gut reaction

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, food, giving thanks, God, health, inspiration, running

“And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!’ ” (Nehemiah 8:10, New Living Translation).

I was preparing to write today’s post on Nehemiah 5-9 for my church’s Connect+Scripture blog when that verse hit me between the eyes – or should I say punched me in the gut. (My gut is the part of my anatomy that comes to mind when I read it.)

The occasion in Nehemiah was a celebration of the rebuilding of the wall around Jerusalem, which had been torn down when the Temple of God was destroyed and the Israelites were taken captive to Babylon decades earlier.

Now the Temple had been restored, the wall had been rebuilt and generations of exiles had returned home.

It was a time of celebration!

Why did Nehemiah 8:10 speak to me with such force? After reading of all that the great leader Nehemiah had done to help the Israelites restore the city wall (he organized, planned, inspired, admonished and defended, demonstrating not only his leadership skills but his great love of the God for whom the Temple was built), I noticed in particular the phrase, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks.”

We have become ashamed of eating.

In our overweight, self-indulgent, image-obsessed, dying-to-be-thin, dying-because-we’re-fat, out-of-control society, we have lost the pure pleasure of eating in celebration of what’s good. Oh, sure, some of us can enjoy ourselves temporarily, while we’re feasting, but how many of us can say we are left with not one ounce of guilt afterward?

I’m not talking about gluttony, but of the pure, true enjoyment (in moderation) of well-prepared food and the fellowship that almost always makes it taste better.

I am not immune to the contradictions. I have found myself smack dab in the middle of the tug of war: One minute I’m an epicure, a glutton; the next, an ascetic who worships at the altar of self-denial. The accompanying emotions might battle it out for space in my brain at any given time.

No wonder the world is crazy; most of us can’t decide whether the piece of cake we’re contemplating should be angel’s food (fat free, and therefore “virtuous”) or devil’s food (chocolate, and therefore “sinful”). We’ve even created a moral vocabulary for our food insanity: “sinfully delicious,” “those evil brownies,” “She’s thin; we hate her.”

We have gotten so off track we can’t enjoy a piece of chocolate without feeling guilty. And I’m here to tell you, I believe chocolate is one of God’s greatest gifts (I secretly believe and fervently hope there will be chocolate in heaven).

I believe it’s time we got healthy – in our minds, our hearts and our vocabularies (our bodies will follow). In Bible times, God ordained times of celebration (and rich foods) for his children.

I am one of those children, and I’m on a journey to wholeness. It’s a lifelong journey, but it includes appreciating good food, eating it in moderation, being thankful for where it came from, sharing it with those less fortunate and letting it nourish my body (and soul) – one delicious bite at a time.

“So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them” (Nehemiah 8:12, NLT).

A good week

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, Crohn's disease, fitness, friends, health, inspiration, medical, running, work

So many things to tell:

  • Saturday morning, I get to have coffee! It’s the first Saturday morning coffee I’ll have been able to drink since the running clinic began in February. Why can’t I drink coffee before running? It’s the pee factor. I mentioned it in an earlier post, and I’m not gonna tell you again. (You’re welcome.)
  • My employer is open to the idea of a healthy-workplace initiative! We met Monday morning, and he started telling me some of the things we’ll implement (such as putting fresh fruit in the main break room in addition to the Friday morning doughnuts, all courtesy of the bank). I’ve done lots of reading on the initiatives in other workplaces, and it has got me excited all over again! I had no idea there was so much information out there, much of it from folks who are doing it right.
  • The reason I get to drink coffee tomorrow morning is the same reason I can’t run the local 5K that all my women-running (running-women?) friends – and some male friends – will be participating in: It’s these darned crutches and “the boot.” I should be rid of them soon, but I’m trying not to overdo. And running another race this soon would certainly fall into the category of overdoing. And I never overdo – just ask Bruce. (On second thought, don’t.)
  • We have the Crohn’s fundraising walk in Little Rock on Saturday evening (yes, evening. Why evening? I have no idea). Click here to donate to our team (Team Taylor Trotters) if you have a spare dollar or two. Any amount will be appreciated.
  • I plan to watch a lot of Food Network tomorrow morning, too – until I have to go gas up the car and run a few errands before we leave for LR.
  • Today was the second week of our second round of Biggest Loser at work. I lost a pound. I wonder how the other ladies did. Great, I hope. I made myself a spreadsheet and projected out several weeks – even beyond the BL challenges – to see how long it should take me to reach my goal. I’ll share more about that later. BUT I’m only 7.6 pounds from my next reward: summer sandals. And I will have the ER doctor’s endorsement of the kind I want – a cute pair of wedges, perhaps espadrilles, which have come back around in style (I know, it’s shocking that I would mention wanting to buy something that’s in style in the same decade that it’s actually in style). Anyway, Doc told me to wear high heels to help my plantar fasciitis. Go figure.

It’s bedtime, so that’s all the happiness I can talk about for now. More later. Gotta get up early and drink that big cup of coffee!

 

Welcome, race fans

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, friends, health, inspiration, running, sports

What an eventful day.

It started with a 3:45 a.m. wakeup before even the sun was up (I was actually awake long before the alarm came on – not because I was excited about the race but because I wake up every morning between 3 and 4 – darn hormones!).

Today was the Women Run Arkansas clinic’s graduation event in Conway – our 5K race. It was the culmination of 10 weeks of training – in the rain, the cold, the heat, the sunshine, all kinds of weather, all kinds of fitness levels, all kinds of women. Women from a wide range of ages, professions, personalities and philosophies. Women who made me smile, laugh, work harder and push myself farther than I thought I could go in 10 weeks.

Out of the 1,925 women registered for today’s race, the Batesville contingent showed up in force – all 65 of us – our bright orange race shirts blazing a trail to the finish line. That 65 didn’t include the half-dozen men who came to support us – our coaches and spouses, all sporting bright orange shirts of their own.

When you get that many women together, the excitement is palpable (if you’ve done Race for the Cure you know what I’m talking about). It starts for the individual before she even arrives at the race site and doesn’t fade until, oh, maybe the next day. I’m exhausted but still pumped up about this day in my personal history.

I had done this clinic 10 years ago in Sherwood, but I don’t remember making friends with the other women as I’ve done this time. Nothing against Sherwood – we had awesome leaders and participants there, too – but there has just been something about this group of Batesville women that will leave a lifelong impression on me.

We have each other’s backs.

I need to check the official results once they’re posted, but Amber from our group was able to holler out my finish time when the results were printed and taped to the white van: 35:32. I think I had told Bruce I wanted to finish in “under 40” (I always have to ask him what I said – I can never remember, plus he’s my stats guy). I finished 402nd overall.

I have to give a shout-out to Maggie, who helped me finish the last 10th of a mile or so, UPHILL (if you don’t think .1 miles is a big deal, even on a flat surface, get out of your car and jog it sometime – when you’re already out of breath). And, by the way, I have a long list of Things that Should be Illegal, and making the last part of a race – of any distance – UPHILL has moved to No. 1 on the list.

Thursday night at our Batesville pasta party we saw a video featuring a young woman who ran a marathon, smiling all the way (she must have been insane). Her mantra was “I love hills …  I love hills.” And that crazy chick was still smiling when she got to the finish line! Do you know how long a marathon is? It’s 26.2 miles, honey. And this woman smiled the whole way!

But back to me.

When Maggie jogged back to take me in to the finish line, I breathlessly told her, “Tell me I love hills.”

“You love hills,” she said.

Now, I don’t remember this next part, but Jessica told me about it later, because she apparently was nearby when it happened, and it amused her.

After Maggie said to me, “You love hills,” I screamed, with my second-to-last ounce of strength: “KEEP SAYING IT!”

Jessica said it cracked her up. I don’t remember it, but it sounds like me.

As I’ve said to many people in the past couple of weeks, most of the trick with running is above the shoulders. Attitude is 99 percent of it (and a good bra helps, too). I have to tell my brain things it doesn’t really believe, such as “I love hills.” And when I don’t have enough oxygen to speak it myself (because it has to be said out loud), I have the Maggies and Janies and Jessicas and Jennifers and Ambers and Suzannes and Phyllises and Lisas and Theresas and Catinas to say it to me. What cheerleaders we have in this group!

I am happy to say that a bunch of us are going to continue our routine – to keep the fitness mojo going. Bruce is going to coach us, and we start Tuesday night at the cemetery (!), just as though the clinic had not ended.

I say “we,” but that leads me to the next part of the story. Here’s me tonight, a few hours after hobbling off the racecourse (note the concern in Salsa’s wagging tail):

This evening my mom talked me into going to the ER (after I called to ask if she still had my Papa’s crutches).

Apparently it’s not a stress fracture but merely a severe case of plantar fasciitis. I had been feeling the pain in both feet all week, but especially the left one and especially right before the race. I managed to run the race, but as soon as I crossed the finish line I started limping (kinda makes ya wonder how I could even finish the race, doesn’t it?).

By the time we got out of the car in Searcy to have lunch, I was hobbling to the sandwich shop. Which kinda hints at plantar fasciitis, because that condition is worse after you’ve been off the foot for a while (many people have their worst pain first thing in the morning).

This is a recurrence of a problem I had 10 years ago (last time I did the clinic), but never did it get this severe.

When the ER nurse asked me my pain level on a scale of 1-10 and I had to stop and think, Bruce said, “Remember you crawled down the hallway on your hands and knees this afternoon.” Good point. Pain level: 10.5.

So the ER doc put me in a walking boot and sent me home with crutches and a prescription for ibuprofen. I’ll be in the boot for 7-10 days, and I hope to be back on the running circuit in a couple of weeks. (I’m going to play it by ear.)

So, ladies of the Batesville clinic, if you’re reading this, know that you may see me Tuesday night, but instead of having my running shoes and my sports watch, I’ll be sporting an ugly boot and carrying a book. I may sit by the duck pond and read while you guys sweat along with Coach Bruce. And know this: Because I, too, am insane, I will wish I were taking every step with you.

I love you guys!

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, LADIES!

I’m such a loser!

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, health, inspiration, running

After our final Biggest Loser weigh-in this morning at work, we losers received this e-mail:

“We have a winner! Congrats to Suzy for a wonderful 5.52% weight loss! Request for another 12 weeks has been made. If you are interested, please let me know.”

After spending a few seconds basking in the glow of my loss-win, I e-mailed back and said I was “in” for the next go-round (and apparently so did all the other participants). Our leader said this morning’s results would be our baseline for the next 12 weeks, and instead of a $2 entry fee, it would be $5. Sweet! So I went to collect my $18 in winnings for the first victory and handed her a $5 bill out of the envelope.

If you’ve been reading Suzy & Spice for the past few weeks, you know I didn’t enter the contest to win a few bucks; I entered because I needed the accountability and motivation that had been so lacking in my efforts to that point.

About a month ago (two-thirds of the way into our BL contest), I finally got the mojo. At that point, I began thinking like a winner. I knew I was going to be victorious, even if someone else won the contest (success doesn’t always mean coming in first). And I’d like to point out something I had forgotten until I started looking at my stats this morning: I didn’t hear about the contest until Day 5, so the other participants had nearly a week’s head start on me. No matter; I was destined to be on this journey to fitness, so here I am, 11.4 pounds lighter (today’s weight: 195) and determined to keep going.

And if you read my April 13 post, you know I had a big idea that sort of sprang from that: to propose a healthy-workplace initiative to the CEO of my company. I e-mailed him this morning, asked him to read the 4/13 post and give me the opportunity to pitch him the idea. He graciously agreed and told me to get with his assistant and make an appointment for next week. I’m meeting with him Monday morning!

Also giving me the impetus to pitch the idea to my CEO was last night’s appearance by Mayor Rick Elumbaugh at the local Women Run Arkansas pre-race pasta party (our “graduation” is tomorrow morning – a 5k race in Conway – and 65 women from the Batesville clinic are registered!).

Mayor Elumbaugh spoke about many things, including the Growing Healthy Communities initiative that Batesville became a part of in 2010, and his 2009 heart attack.

He was and is a runner, very fit in general. His health scare wasn’t because of obesity but because of high cholesterol. He urged every attendee last night to find out his or her total cholesterol (both HDL and LDL, or what Drs. Roizen and Oz call “Healthy” and “Lousy” cholesterol in their excellent and motivating book YOU: On a Diet).

I wish I had taken notes last night, because the mayor had so many good things to say, but I definitely will be seeking an audience with him or his staff next week, even if my meeting with Mr. CEO doesn’t go as I expect it to. If I am not able to spark a fire at work, I at least want to be involved in the healthy-community initiative and, more to the point, a healthy-family initiative.

(Don’t worry, Mom, I’m not going to try to round up all the relatives and make them start exercising and eating better. I’m just talking about my immediate household: my sweetie and me.)

Here’s where you, my dear friends, come in. At the end of the April 13 post, I solicited healthy-workplace ideas but received no suggestions. This time it is closer to becoming an actual thing – still just an idea in my tiny little brain, but a step in the right direction. So I will need everyone’s help in figuring out how to make this go. It will be a big project. I would welcome your thoughts and, as always, your prayers.

This is a big idea, and I may get shot down before it goes anywhere, but I have always believed this:

ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Please post comments with your ideas and information (send Web addresses if you have them).

Are runners crazy?

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, health, inspiration, running

Don’t tell my mother (Mom, stop reading right here; turn on the TV and find a Cardinals game or something), but we ran during the thunder and impending storms this evening.

No one saw lightning, but our Intermediate Runners coach heard thunder before we started.

“I don’t want to be paranoid, but I don’t want to be stupid, either,” Coach said. So instead of running the entire 5K course, we ran just 2 miles.

I told him I’d rather be considered paranoid than get struck by lightning. Nevertheless, I ran right along with the rest of the crazy people. I needed it (I ate too many Baked Cheetos today).

By the time we finished, it had started to sprinkle, so it was a good thing we exercised caution along with our calf muscles. We still didn’t see lightning, though; I think it was a ways off.

But a normal person would have gone straight home and turned on the local weather. Which is exactly what I did – after we ran. Under the thunder clouds.

And who am I kidding? My mother isn’t watching the Cardinals; she’s watching Ned, Todd and Barry on Channel 7 – the same weather guys I’m listening to as I write. But it’s a good thing I get UACCB alerts – I just got a text saying we’re under a tornado warning, but I didn’t hear the KATV guys say that (Ned, you have to speak louder when I’m typing!).

Are runners crazy?

Yeah, just a little bit.

I was just kidding

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, books, fitness, food, health, inspiration, reading, running

A couple of weeks ago when I said I was going to blog daily about my fitness journey, I didn’t really mean it.

I did mean it, really, but now I realize how boring it will be to everyone – including me – if that’s all I ever talk about. I still want to try to write at least a little something each day, but I won’t continue to bore you to tears about how much I’ve eaten, how fast (or slowly) I ran or how much I weigh.

I am not giving up those things – I’m just giving us a break from it for a little while. That starts tomorrow. Tonight I’m going to do what I said I was going to do, and that’s to tell you what I ate today, because I weigh in tomorrow morning.

Breakfast:

  • Coffee with fat-free hazelnut creamer.
  • Bran flakes with skim milk.

Midmorning:

  • Black cherry “energy drink” mix (the powder stuff in the little packet that you pour into a bottle of water).
  • Banana.

Lunch (with Kristi, at Morningside Coffee House):

  • Veg Head Sandwich (veggies, pepper jack cheese, hummus, alfalfa sprouts on focaccia bread – yum!).
  • Unsweetened tea.

Midafternoon:

  • Coffee with hazelnut creamer (even though I usually don’t drink anything in the afternoons before I run, I was soooo sleepy after lunch and decided to risk the consequences of drinking coffee).
  • 1 piece of Werther’s Original coffee-flavored hard candy (a recently discovered special treat).

Dinner:

  • After the running clinic, Bruce and I went to Sonic. I debated between the grilled chicken wrap (my usual) and the sausage breakfast burrito. The burrito won. We got home, I took one bite and said, “Oh, shoot, I have to write this in my blog!” Bruce was amused.

I do need to continue reporting my daily food intake until it becomes such a habit for me to make the healthy choice. I know we will all be bored to tears before that day comes, but I hope you’ll bear with me.

I promise I will write about more interesting things. I have lots of topics in mind. But for now, I gotta get that first 10 pounds off. Which reminds me … I set a couple of goals this week, for my 10- and 20-pound milestones.

  1. When I’ve lost 10 pounds, I get to buy myself a book.
  2. When I’ve lost 20 pounds, I get a pair of summer sandals. I’m thinking those platform shoes that are fashionable now. This in itself is a milestone; I typically join up with the fashion world about the time the latest thing has faded into the sunset. But I don’t hate those shoes; in fact, I’ve seen some really cute pairs. I told Bruce that if I make that my 20-pound goal, I will hurry to reach it because I don’t want summer to be over before I can wear the shoes.

That’s as far as I’ve gotten on the goals. Once I reach the first one, I’ll set the next one. Here’s the catch: I’ve been up and down so much, losing 2 pounds and gaining 1, losing 1 pound and gaining 2, that I have to maintain the particular goal weight for a week before it’s official (and before I get my reward). That oughta keep me motivated.

So there you have it. I’ll let you know tomorrow night how I did on the scale at work in the morning.

Share your tips with me by posting a comment.

Holding steady

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, food, health, inspiration, running

Today was another birthday celebration at work. Why we had another, separate one after having the big April blowout two weeks ago is beyond me, but at least there was less food this time. A little less.

I had forgotten about the e-mail that went out yesterday (“Tomorrow is Stephanie’s birthday. We’re getting a cake. If anyone wants to bring other snacks …”), so I walked in unawares this morning. The snacks immediately tried to strike up a conversation: Surprise! Lots of food here! Calling your name! Your specific name, specifically and loudly!

But I was strong. I went straight through the department, past The Cake, the tortilla chips, cheese dip, salsa (at least it wasn’t Karen’s homemade salsa this time), the brownie bites and on and on … and into my office. I turned on my computer while telling myself and my officemate, “I’m not going to eat any of that today, especially after all I ate two weeks ago.”

Then I went back out to go to the bathroom. More food had appeared. That’s when I saw (cue the Jaws music, or the Psycho music) … the fudge-filled Oreos.

I had never seen, much less tasted, a fudge-filled Oreo. And, oh, if you knew how much I loooove Oreos. Well, you can probably imagine. And these were FILLED WITH FUDGE. Fudge. Filled. Oreos.

But I walked past them and never looked back (well, I think I looked, maybe one more time, at the Oreos – in their lovely little blue package. Filled with fudge). I used the facilities, returned to my office and ignored the junk food – all day.

Aren’t we proud of me?

Here’s what I did eat today:

Breakfast:

  • Coffee with fat-free hazelnut creamer.
  • Bran flakes with skim milk.

Midmorning:

  • Another cup of coffee at work, with hazelnut creamer (has fat – I’m still trying to teach my errand boy [Bruce] how to read nutrition labels – he saw “no saturated fat” and thought it meant “no fat at all”; the skinny boy is new at this).
  • 1 large grapefruit.

Lunch:

  • Sonic grilled chicken wrap and Route 44 unsweetened tea. (I finally made it to the grocery store at lunch, plus I didn’t have time to make a sandwich this morning, hence the drive-through lunch again.)

Midafternoon:

  • 1.4 ounces Hershey’s Extra Dark chocolate. (Who needs a stinkin’ fudge-filled Oreo when you’ve got extra-dark chocolate? Not me!)

Dinner:

  • Turkey sandwich with low-fat cheese, spicy mustard, pickles and red onion.
  • Green tea with lemon and a bit of apple cider vinegar (story for another post).

At 12:30 p.m., about an hour before I left for my lunch break, I wrote this: “IT’S OK TO BE HUNGRY!” This was in response to the bounty of junk food outside my door and to the rumbly in my tumbly (as Tigger would say). But I didn’t give in.

The trick, I have discovered over the years – even though I haven’t been successful at convincing my stomach of it – is that it’s all in your head. Well, it’s mostly in your head. Hunger pangs are often legitimate, but much of the time, for a food addict, they are a figment of the imagination. That’s one reason I think diet drugs will never be successful. For many of us, we don’t eat because we’re hungry; we eat to fill another kind of void: loneliness, sadness, anger, fatigue, depression – a hole that only God can fill.

Tomorrow I will run for the first time in nine days. For various reasons (fighting off the insanity pod being one of them), I haven’t been with the running clinic since last Tuesday. I look forward to being out there tomorrow, humidity pods aside (Oh, Lord, can’t you just put the humidity pods aside this summer?).

Did I just say I’m looking forward to running in the humidity tomorrow? This, in itself, is a sign of insanity.

Hey, chefs: Do you have a good recipe that disguises the taste of cooked spinach? If so, please share.

Biggest loser, or a winning idea?

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, food, health, inspiration, reaching out, running, work

I had a shock today when I received this group e-mail from my co-worker who is leading our 12-week Biggest Loser competition:

Happy Hump Day! This Friday will be week 9 of our biggest loser. Suzy is in the lead with 4.26% weight loss. Go, Suzy! We still have three weeks to go. Sisters, a lot can be done in three weeks, so don’t give up! I look forward to seeing you Friday morning. Final weigh-in is Friday, May 6.

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that I was in the lead, but it made me sad for all 10 of us. Why? (You probably think it’s because I’m insane.)

It’s because I know how much I have struggled on the roller coaster these past several weeks (years, really, but we’re talking about contest weeks here). And if I – who yo-yoed up and down, up and down for two months – am in the lead, it means everyone else has been struggling to stick with the program, too. On the other hand, there are people who are bigger than I, and because the contest is based on percentage (not pounds) lost, I may be leading only percentagewise and not poundwise. But still.

Our little group of losers has a weekly weigh-in but is not really a support group with meetings or any other type of interaction. I think that is why I have struggled; there is no accountability factor except the scale. I think it’s why others have struggled, too. Friday I ran into another participant when we happened to go downstairs at the same time to weigh in (there is no set time to weigh, as long as it’s on Friday). She admitted struggling, too, and I have to believe she and I are not the only ones.

I didn’t even know who the other participants were until recently. There’s nothing formal about the plan except for the weigh-ins, which are recorded by the leader and not really reported to the group (except for the first week, and today).

Nothing against our leader; she’s doing a great job under our time constraints. We’re all busy, we’re doing this on our employer’s time, and there’s not a lot you can coordinate under those circumstances. It takes up about 5 minutes of my time (going from the third floor to the first, weighing, then turning around and going back upstairs) and maybe a half hour a week for the leader (I’m just guessing). But I, for one, would be willing to stay 30 minutes late for a weekly meeting to interact with the other participants and get support and encouragement. I just know that the personal contact is what works for me.

Left to my own devices, I will go nuts, veer off course and be right back where I started, if not worse off. Now that I have gone public with my struggle, revealed my weight and committed to blogging daily about my journey to fitness (click here to read my “Going public” post), I have the blog (and you, my support panel of readers) to keep me on track, but the rest of the group will have the same routines to go back to after the contest unless something changes.

A few months ago I tentatively suggested we ask our CEO if we could have a Weight Watchers chapter at work after hours. I approached a marketing person because I know her better than I know the HR people and she has been at the bank since the beginning. She told me it was really a human-resources matter and that she would pass along my suggestion. I didn’t follow up because then the Biggest Loser contest was starting.

Emboldened by a recent round-table luncheon hosted by our CEO and COO (it was called a “thank-you lunch,” but our leaders invited feedback and questions), I’m thinking of skipping the Weight Watchers idea sent through channels and going directly to the CEO with an even bigger proposal. I’d like to see some type of initiative in our workplace that challenges employees to give up unhealthy habits. Lots of companies offer incentives to its employees for losing weight, quitting smoking and other positive lifestyle changes. Money motivates people, and even if it doesn’t motivate all of us to make permanent changes, it will do so for some. And if I could see one person quit smoking or lose unhealthy poundage – maybe even head off diabetes or heart disease – it would be worth it to me (and, I hope, to my employer, who is so generously involved in community service it astounds me sometimes).

Once I get up the nerve, I’m going to approach Mr. CEO with a deal: If he’ll put some cash behind the initiative, I’ll do the research and find out what has worked for other companies, coupled with statistics on how these programs improve lives and cut employer costs, then I’ll present the options.

Our company gives a lot of money and effort to this community and, I have to say, to its employees, so I think my idea will be received graciously even if the answer is no.

And if he doesn’t bite, I’ll know I tried and I won’t hold a grudge. And then I’ll bring it up again next year. 🙂

Please post a comment and give me your ideas for a program that could work for my company of 200 employees.



Salad days

Suzy Taylor Oakley accountability, fitness, food, health, inspiration, recipes, running

Tonight the women’s running clinic did its monthly Miracle Mile. Most Tuesdays and Thursdays we’re in a scenic neighborhood (or cemetery), and on Saturdays we run at the BHS  track. Once a month, though, we run or walk a timed mile at the Southside High School track.

A month ago, I ran my mile in 11:47. Tonight I shaved 41 seconds off my time – I ran it in 11:06!

Sometimes it’s hard to know whether you’re making progress, but the timed mile puts it in perspective. Bottom line: I am getting better (more fit).

When I got home tonight, I was so hungry and really wanted to go to Sonic for a grilled chicken wrap and a Route 44 iced tea, but Bruce had taken the car to church, so I had to make do with what was in the fridge.

I had just enough spring mix left to make one more salad, so I just dumped everything into the container it came in. I had almost all the ingredients I usually put into my all-time-favorite big salad. Here’s what I use (no amounts listed – I just keep adding until the bowl is loaded with veggies):

Suzy’s Spring Mix Salad

  • Baby spring mix (spinach, arugula, radicchio, romaine lettuce – some mixes include herbs, such as my favorite: cilantro!)
  • Onion, chopped (my favorite is red, but I also like green)
  • Radishes, thinly sliced
  • Tomatoes (chop a big one or use cherry or grape)
  • Celery, chopped
  • Turkey lunch meat (all natural, no preservatives)
  • Slivered almonds (you can substitute chopped walnuts, which are also really good for you)
  • Dried cranberries (I use Ocean Spray Craisins) or dried cherries
  • Shredded cheese (Parmesan is my favorite, and I love to grate it fresh)
  • Low-fat or fat-free balsamic vinaigrette (my fave) or ginger-lime vinaigrette

Tonight I added a boiled egg, but I don’t often have those already prepared, so it was a bonus.

I usually put everything but the cheese and the dressing into the bowl, then chop everything again with my hand-held chopper. (It’s not as messy to eat when the greens are in tiny pieces, and the flavors just seem to blend better.) Then sprinkle on some cheese and drizzle on the dressing.

Delicious! My friend Betsy makes a similar salad, and maybe she’ll share her recipe with us.

This salad is fairly low in fat (depending on how much cheese, turkey and dressing you use) and has a good amount of protein, not to mention all the vitamins and other goodies in the veggies.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Please post a comment sharing your favorite salad or fresh-veggie dish.