The restaurant turned out to be huge! Pretty much the whole block. There was a diner/bar section, the regular restaurant section, the back had a formal dining room, and there was an entire upstairs for rentals (weddings and such). It was old and cute.

I wasn’t starving so I ordered the soup + salad combo. I got the Chicken Caesar (she forgot the chicken and brought it out after I took the picture) and a cup of the salmon chowder.

I used to be a HUGE fan of clam chowder–if it was on a menu, that’s what I ordered. I haven’t had it in a long time, mostly because of the calories in a creamy soup like that. But when I saw that they offered salmon chowder I had to try it. It’s something I’ve never had before and have considered making it at home.

The chowder was pretty good; it was thick and very rich in flavor. It was on the sweeter side, but I suppose that is to be expected with a fish like salmon. I had one glass of Pinot Gris with my dinner.

The salad was pretty good, too. Caesar is a hard one. It can go horribly wrong quickly–too spicy and it’s overpowering, not spicy enough and it’s boring. Nothing compares to the intense garlic of my aunt Sheila’s Caesar dressing (it’s my favorite) but this one wasn’t bad. It could have been slightly spicier in my opinion.

Michael ordered the burger with bacon and Tillamook white cheddar (and tots–which were amazing, salty and crispy and perfectly flavored) with a spinach salad on the side. His burger was gluten free!!! The restaurant (in the middle of nowhere) had gluten-free options. The smoked gouda mac n’ cheese had the option of GF. We were shocked. He liked the GF bun and said it wasn’t as dry and dense as some of them are. The burger was decent but overcooked. That isn’t the fault of the restaurant though, most of the time when we go out and order a burger “medium” it’s cooked more than we’d like. I’m sure it has something to do with restaurant standards and such.

Anyhoo! The date night was really nice. After dinner we went for a stroll. Michael was driving through the old part of Oregon City (Main Street) and drove by some huge thing I’ve never seen before. I said STOP! Let’s look. So we did.

What IS IT?!?!?! Is it something out of Lost?! Is it Oregon’s Space Needle?

I had no idea, so of course we had to explore. Luckily it was a very nice evening, warm and sunny. We checked it out and apparently there is an elevator that goes from the bottom to the top of the cliff. Unfortunately, it was already closed for the evening so we had to take the stairs.

How odd is this? I need to learn more.

There were what seemed to be a thousand stairs. Luckily they were those shallow kind so not too hard on the knees. But boy did I feel it in my glutes (sore!) and Michael was moaning because he’d biked 25 miles already that day. We were both huffing and puffing by the time we go to the top. There were two waterfalls at the top.

Did you ever play the game Oregon Trail as a kid? I know I did, growing up in Seattle. Back in the day when the Apple computer was the small square. In elementary school we played the game “Oregon Trail“–remember, where you died of like dysentery and typhoid fever.

Oregon City is the actual END of the real Oregon Trail…you know, the one Lewis and Clark discovered.  :)

We finally made it to the top of the stairs. There was a museum (it was closed) and the top of the elevator that looked like a space ship was there. Also closed.

It turned out there was a Promenade at the top of the hill. I’m not sure how long it is but we ended up strolling down it until we got to a lookout point. The walk was nice. There were some other people around, a few runners,  lots of blooming flowers and some very old Victorian houses that would be perfect BnB’s.

There was also a kitty! He was super affectionate. He saw me and came running over and wanted pets. He definitely belonged to someone because he was so sweet and had a little belly. He seemed disgruntled when Michael and I went back to our walk.

There is so much history there! I was impressed and also embarrassed that I didn’t know a lot of the history. It turned out that area was an old Indian fishing village and it was also the home of the first locks.

Look at that crazy waterfall! It was a romantic walk and the sun was starting to go down over the hills and trees. Across the river is West Linn, another old city.

My knees did okay on the walk. It was starting to get darker so we turned around and headed back to the car. It was a nice after dinner walk.

I definitely want to go back and explore some more; check out the museums when they are open and the weird elevator! It’s always cool to discover something new in your home city!

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Do you know how to rest?

Like really, do you? I think it’s a legitimate question we should ALL ask ourselves. Especially these days. I know I’m not alone in this. I feel like technology has gotten so advanced that we are alway plugged in. Constantly. When Michael and I watch TV we’re usually both on our phone playing games. Addicted much? Do you remember the days when someone had to call back if you weren’t home to answer the phone? Or they had to leave a message and wait for you to call back? Always plugged in means you never really disconnect from “life”…from the drudgery…from work…from friends…you never really get a break.

Are you like me? Is your schedule planned out in advance (sometimes my schedule is booked out a month in advance, I kid you not)? If something in my schedule falls through and I suddenly have free time, sometimes I fill that with a gym session. Sometimes I fill it with the gazillion errands and chores and various projects I’m always multitasking. It’s exhausting.

I was talking to my mom and she said she was the same way–never really resting, always working on something or filling her time with something. She said I was like her and she’s right. She also said I’m not the type to do anything partway, it’s always fully committed, almost to the point of obsessive hyper focus. Yep, that’s me! I have a friend that loves to take naps and languishes in them. I so don’t get that.  I cannot relate. Napping? Who has time? I’d never fall asleep. I’d be laying in bed with my mind racing making lists of all the things I NEED to do, that I SHOULD be doing, etc etc.

With my knee injury and doctor ordered rest, I contemplated what REST really means to me. It usually means filling my time with things…projects, chores, reading, scrapbooking, watching Netflix, catching up on TV shows with Michael, playing with Fat Kitty.

You know what I think about when I think about REALLY RESTING? I think of two things.

The first thing is sitting on a beach with the sun warming my bare legs, the saltwater lapping at my feet, a light breeze keeping me cool and of course a very strong umbrella drink in my hand.

The second thing I think of is running away to a spa retreat somewhere in the middle of nowhere, like at Breitenbush. Nothing but the sounds of a fast moving river, the wind in the ancient trees and the sounds of forest creatures. Of course there are hot springs where you can relax and gaze up at the sky while you REST. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

It seems as though “Resting” for me really means “Escaping.”

Learning how to nurture our bodies and listen to what they are telling us is hard. If you’re like me, you are skilled at ignoring the cues the body gives you. I usually go hard until my body finally tells me to stop–and that’s when I get my bi-annual head cold that has me planted on the couch with a box of kleenex for a week.

I read this article, 12 Practical Steps for Learning to Go With the Flow, and it really spoke to me. It started out describing how we’ve structured the perfect morning routine that goes really well, then something happens to throw a huge wrench in that routine and we get frustrated and angry and stressed that the routine has changed (totally me!)…The article suggests to Go With The Flow.

I liked the suggestions the article gave and plan on working on them. The article is worth a read. The ones that stuck out for me were these:

Realize that you can’t control everything.

Breathe.

Enjoy life as a flow of change, chaos and beauty.

Accept change and imperfection.

Can I commit to trying to do those 4 things? Yes. Will it help me? Probably. I printed those four reminders out and taped them to my desk as a reminder.

So in the spirit of resting, I took a few days off from the gym. Even though I was cleared to swim, do yoga and upper body weights, I decided to just take a break. I took 4 days off and then eased back into the routine with a yoga class. And it was fine! The world didn’t end.

QUESTION: Can you rest? How do you rest? How often?

Phase 1

My favorite exercises in the first 6 week program ended up being the triceps kickbacks, Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift and the bicycle crunches.

I loved the triceps kickbacks because it was an activity I previously thought I couldn’t do and slowly increased the weight each week until I was up to 17.5 pounds! That filled me with confidence and happiness.

The Single-Leg Romanian Deadlifts are good for me because it pointed out just how imbalanced my body was. I could stand on my left leg til the cows came home, but as soon as I switched sides to my right, I could barely stay upright. I spoke to my physical therapist about this and he agreed that there was an imbalance in my body. As the first six weeks progressed, I got a little bit better on my right side. I still have a LOT of work to do in that area. I’m enjoying seeing progress.

Bicycle crunches? I like them because I can FEEL them.

Even as I move to the new phase, I will still do the above exercises as part of my normal workout routine because I enjoy them! The important part of sticking to a fitness routine is LIKING IT!

Phase 2

I gave Suzanne my doctor’s orders for the 6 week break of all lower body activities. She said she was confident that she could build me a routine according to my doctor’s orders because she does a lot of plans for people who have had reconstructive knee surgeries and the like.

She gave me a new workout that is still focusing on my core, triceps and glutes. The lower body activities she gave me are more like the physical therapy exercises I’ve been doing with resistance bands.

There are two moves that were my favorite from the start of Phase 2. The first is the “Glute Bridge.” It’s similar to some of the glute bridge moves my PT gave me but this one includes a stability ball. The video makes it look so simple but it’s actually incredible difficult. I LOVE IT! It makes me feel like I’m working really hard to strengthen my glutes and core. I always feel this move! I think it will help my balance and stability, too.

The second move is not new to me and I’m wondering why I never included it in my workouts because I love it!

The rope pulldown for triceps is so much fun and it’s also incredibly hard. Even though I spent 6 weeks working on my triceps before Phase 2, this exercise always makes my triceps sore. I love that I can see definition and progress in my triceps.

There are a bunch of other exercises in the second phase but I’m not going to share all of Suzanne’s magic. I definitely encourage you to consider signing up for her services. I’m so glad I did. I think it’s kept me sane during this knee injury rehab. I paid for Suzanne’s services, and all of my reviews are entirely my own. No freebies and it was money well spent.

I’m currently in week 2 and so far I’ve noticed that I’m stronger now than I was just a few weeks ago and the moves are easier. I did not struggle as much to learn the moves in week 1 like I did when I first started the program. My trick this time around: I saved all the video descriptions she sent me in a Youtube playlist called “Phase 2 Workout.” So if there is a new move I’m unsure of, I just look it up super quick. So much easier!

Stay tuned for the before and after results of phase 2!

What is your favorite weight lifting exercise?

Imagine the level of exhaustion I felt after getting up at 6 am, working out, spending nearly 5 emotional hours listening to an idol, walking in the hot sun, sitting through a rock concert and then going out for a night on the town. I felt like the walking dead around 4pm but I powered through it because I was enjoying everything so much! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining–it was just a LOT of things to do in one day.

I left off with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Michael and I left our friends who wanted to stay for the rest of the concert and went home to rest a bit before our next outing. I was tired enough to take a nap, but I settled for snuggling with Fat Kitty while watching an episode of Upstairs, Downstairs before heading out.

This is the second Yelp Elite event I’ve been to. The last one was so much fun! Michael and I went with some friends who were also “elites” and ended up making some new friends there. It was a cool event! This second one was no different.

The first hour of the event was only for “elite” Yelpers, for free, and then the rest of the evening was open to anybody. (I’m not sure if there was a cover charge at the door.) The theme was “Poppin’ Tags” –i.e. whatever crazy outfit you could create from thrift store shopping.

It was a two night event. We went to the second night. It was at the Bossanova Ballroom; a place I’ve wanted to check out for years but just haven’t. There are a lot of events held there, including shows, weekly dance lessons and you can rent the space for events and weddings. It was such a cool old building! There was a ballroom with a stage; the upstairs area had three pool tables, arcade games, several bars, a bunch of tables and it overlooked the downstairs area. There were several bar areas on the main level and a few tables set up.

We mingled and checked out the food, all provided by local vendors. One of the things I love about these Yelp events is that there are always a few vendors that are totally new to me, and there’s usually a few that I’ve been wanting to try but haven’t yet.

Lots of drink options! The first one we tried was the Lavishment Vodka with lemonade in it. SO GOOD. I can see this becoming a summer favorite. A little vodka with a splash of your favorite lemonade…perfect on a hot day. (And Saturday it was hot! 87 degrees!)

The second drink we tried that night was the Warship Rum with Joia Pineapple, Coconut and Nutmeg soda. It was fabulous–like a pina colada. I tried the soda on its own and I am in love. I need to find this soda and get some! If you can find it in your neck of the woods, get it!

One of the first things I tried was at the front door, provided by Local Choice Market. It’s downtown in the Pearl District. Michael liked it and said he was going to try and go there for lunch one day. I guess they have a deli and sandwich bar and a juice bar (that’s what I want to try). They had a hummus dish with carrots (the hummus was really good). There was also a tiny bruschetta with roast beef and horseradish mayo. I didn’t hear the horseradish part and it surprised me! I wouldn’t say I’m a huge fan of horseradish (and I also hate wasabi) which is odd because I love spicy food.

The next thing was one of my favorites at the Tamale Boy table. He had several different kinds of tamales (Michael and I split the chicken) to sample. It’s a food truck that definitely deserves a brick and mortar store. I loved the tamale! It was soft and moist (sometimes tamales are a bit too dry for my liking) and the salsa was super spicy.

I’m DEFINITELY going to his food truck!

Next up: an appetizer from Smokehouse 21. This is another place I’ve wanted to check out. I think I will be doing that very soon because I’ve been craving GOOD BBQ lately! The snacks they provided were oyster shooters (which I skipped) and half a deviled egg with a spicy sausage on top. It was messy, it was too big to fit in your mouth at one time but too hard to eat in two bites. And I still loved it! I shoved it in my mouth and just went with it!

Straw and Salt Ice Cream parlor was there and I’m not ashamed at all that the ice cream was one of the first things I ate. They had two samples–the first was Coffee and Bourbon and it was delicious.  The coffee taste was pretty mild and the ice cream was creamy and smooth. The second was the Salt and Caramel and it was my favorite. There were chunks of caramel in it that melted in my mouth. This is definitely a must-do soon!

Andina is a fancy restaurant here in Portland that I’ve wanted to go to for years and never really made it there. They were at the Yelp party with two desserts–the first was a mini flan (red wine-caramel flan, served with baked Zamarano cheese, paprika-dusted brazil nuts, and cinnamon-grape sorbet but neither of us liked it) and the second was the “alfajores”. It was a traditional Peruvian cookie, almost like a macaroon with creamy caramel in between the two cookies. It was AWESOME! I ate two of those babies!

I’m still thinking about that cookie. Damn.

Okay, so we mingled around and saw some of the costumes people wore. There were some really crazy things! Lots of people showed up bathrobes or plaid mixed with flannel; lots of crazy wigs and hats. Just to give you an idea:

Michael and I both loved the DJ. He played some great music! We got his card just in case we might need it in the future.

We hung out upstairs and checked out the various local wineries and distilleries that were giving samples. There are a lot of new distilleries that are getting some traction in the market and I’ve had several that were much better than anything I’ve gotten in a traditional liquor store.

Warship Rum was the rum that was in my “pina colada” drink and it was so tasty with that soda. I had a small sampling of that and then a few tastings of the wines:

Most of the wineries were from the Willamette Valley. That’s not usually where I go tasting (Hood River is my favorite) but I should consider giving it another try. I loved the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Cuvee. It was smooth and mild for a pinot noir.

Lastly I want to leave you with the absolute favorite of the evening, the creme de la creme, the show-stopped. I give you: Kenny & Zuke’s:

Kenny & Zuke’s is a Portland favorite that I’ve never been to. It’s not like I haven’t tried, it was just always packed or the line was too long to get in there for my lunch hour. I mentioned it on my blog a LONG time ago but one of the owners/chefs of Kenny & Zuke’s got the news that he was diabetic and needed to lose weight. He wrote a column for the local paper about his journey to lose the weight to get rid of his diabetes. I was so impressed that I wrote him an email (and he responded!). The restaurant also added some “healthier” options to their menu.

The samples they gave out at the Yelp party were hands down the best of the night. There were two pastrami sandwiches–one with mustard and one with Russian dressing. I got both. The one with Russian dressing was my favorite. I can’t say that I’ve ever had pastrami before and now I can confidently say, I can never eat anyone else’s pastrami after Kenny and Zuke’s. Wow, times ten. The meat was almost like crumbly, soft bacon. That is the best way I can describe the texture and flavor. Holy crap, I WANT ANOTHER SANDWICH. It is was so good. Can you see me drooling??

After a crazy day of good food, friends, epic events and trying new things, we took our tired bodies home and crashed into bed. Luckily I got my clothes off before my head hit the pillow.

The Dalai Lama came to Portland this past weekend and I had the opportunity to go hear him speak. Michael came with me and my cousin Anna brought a few of her friends as well. I saw the Dalai Lama the last time he came to Portland (over 10 years ago) and it was one of the most compelling and memorable experiences I’ve had.

I think he arrived in Portland on Wednesday. People were abuzz. It seemed like everywhere I went for the next few days, people were talking about it! I met a friend for dinner at the Tao of Tea on Thursday and every table in the place was discussing HH The Dalai Lama and his speaking events. It made me even more excited to see him on Saturday!

Saturday morning I got up really early to get my workout done because the event was going to last pretty much all day. Michael and I met Anna and her friends at the Coliseum and we got in the monster security line. Security was very tight, rightly so, and it took extra time to get in and get to our seats.

There were about 10,000 people at the Coliseum to hear him speak. The first half of the day was the panel of guests, HH The Dalai Lama, Andrea Durbin (the executive director of the Oregon Environmental Council), Governor John Kitzhaber, Dr. David Suzuki, David Miller from Think Out Loud and Darren Aronofsky (he directed Black Swan).

The subject was the environment but the discussed all topics from clean air and water to politics, economic reform, religion and consumerism. What I took away from the panel discussion was that there is much more we can all do and it comes down to laziness and convenience. It definitely takes more effort to make choices that are better for the environment. For the last year or so I’ve been trying to get away from eating processed foods. That alone has reduced a lot of the waste that we have but it doesn’t get rid of all of it. There are still things I can do personally to reduce my footprint. It just takes effort.

I did realize that Michael and I both try pretty hard to do better things for the environment, health, our bodies, our home. Michael commutes by bike. I COULD take public transportation but I hate it. (I know, I know.) We grow our own vegetables, we compost, recycle. Michael keeps reminding me to turn the lights off when I leave a room (I know, I’m terrible at this). The Dalai Lama said he does his part by not taking baths. He said he takes showers (twice a day) and joked that the two shower a day habit was probably just as bad as a bath.

If you’ve never heard the Dalai Lama speak, it’s pretty surprising. He’s so down to earth and FUNNY. Seriously, he’s hilarious. I was laughing through the whole presentation. Someone asked him about his thoughts on overpopulation and the effects on the environment. His response was that “all life is precious” but that “maybe have smaller number of precious life.” It was the perfect response and got a good laugh from the crowd.

I apologize for the terrible pictures but you couldn’t bring cameras in, so iPhone it was! Our “limited view” seats actually turned out to be awesome! We were right by the side of the stage.

He stressed that the source of happiness is not consumption, but nature and nature is not free and unlimited. We are isolated from nature these days–even to the point of having artificial plants in our houses–and he said that the way to happiness was a lifestyle change. Boy did I agree with that!

Somewhere along the line, the pursuit of happiness that all Americans expect became the pursuit of money and success. The result of this is less family time, less community involvement, less time in nature. When we’re on our deathbed, we won’t be thinking about a closet full of fancy clothes or what possessions we may own, we’ll be thinking about our family, friends and memories. That is wealth.

He then said something that was pretty powerful for me. He reminded us all that Buddha was not born in a castle. He was born under a tree. And he didn’t find enlightenment in a monastery, but under a tree once again. So much of our history is tied into our nomadic ancestors that traveled around the world according to the seasons and what food they could find in season. Sure we’ve made progress and can go to the grocery store any time of the day or night, but I think something is getting lost in that convenience. I think that we’re out of touch with where our food comes from, what is healthy, how the body should work for it’s food and what happiness is as a result.

The conference broke for lunch and we had two hours before the second half started. The five of us ended up walking to the Queen of Sheba Ethiopian restaurant, which wasn’t too far from the venue.

It’s one of my favorite Portland restaurants and it’s been way too long since I’ve been there. We ordered: mustard greens, chickpea stew, a vegetarian dish with potatoes, cabbage and carrots, lamb in a spicy Berbere sauce, chicken in a curry sauce, spicy beef tips and one other vegetarian dish I can’t remember now. We ate it with the injera bread and pretty much devoured everything like a pack of wild dogs.

We left the restaurant with satisfied bellies and walked back to the Coliseum. It was hot out, about 87 degrees, and the sun felt nice.

When the conference resumed, the Dalai Lama was presented with some Portland swag by the Portland Trailblazers. He joked that he had “no use for the jersey” but that he loved the hat and he wore it the rest of the day!

The afternoon portion was just the Dalai Lama speaking to the crowd. There was no panel, it was just him and his translator who would pipe in once in awhile if HH couldn’t think of the word he was trying to say.

What I love most about the Dalai Lama is that he’s very grounded and realistic. He doesn’t have that “out of touch” kind of view that a lot of important people tend to have. Even our managers at work can be out of touch with the reality and the practice of day to day life and doings. How many of us have come across someone of importance who just seemed clueless about reality? Yeah, the Dalai Lama is not like that. “Buddhist practice is based on reality,” he said. “Reality teaches us. Ultimately, we are part of nature.” He also said that the solution to fixing the environment issues was NOT prayer, but education. Education was his answer to a lot of issues people brought up.

The conference was drawing to a close. Before HH The Dalai Lama left, though, he gave everyone a gift. We’d all received a rolled up scarf when we got back from lunch. He told us all to stand up and we put the scarf on. He explained that the Khata scarf was a blessing and a gift that symbolized unity and compassion and to symbolize that we are all one.

There was something truly amazing and emotional about 10,000 people putting on a Tibetan prayer khata and being blessed by the Dalai Lama. It was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I’m so glad I was able to see him again.

The conference was over and …. totally bizarre…. the Red Hot Chili Peppers played a concert after the Dalai Lama left. I wish they’d explained how the RHCP happened to go on tour with his Holiness, because it was totally odd. But the Chili Peppers were pretty darn good live! I’ve never seen them live, I was a big fan when I was 15 years old but haven’t been lately, and I enjoyed the show.

The rest of the day will be in another post. Sorry if this ended up being a super heavy post for a Monday!

Here are just a few things I made recently:

One that was a favorite and low in calories was a faux cheesy polenta and shrimp. I made the polenta in the microwave with a little bit of shredded Colby-Jack cheese in it, not too much. Michael cooked the shrimp in the skillet with some salt and pepper and dinner was served. Fast, easy, delicious, low in calories. Paired with a green salad it was very satisfying.

Another night, I was home alone and wasn’t sure what I wanted to make for myself. I was feeling very lazy. I decided to do a vegetarian dinner. I cooked polenta in the microwave and while that was cooking, I sauteed onions in the skillet and then added that to the polenta.

I cooked up some black beans (adding some cumin and taco seasoning) and topped the polenta with beans, a serving of shredded cheese, chopped olives and chopped tomatoes.

I LOVED this meal! It was so delicious. The polenta took on the flavor of the onions and beans and I topped it with a little sour cream and pico de gallo.

I had a serving of tortilla chips with dinner and when the food was gone, I wished I’d made more than one serving so I could have leftovers the next day. Delish!

The above meal shows up often in my life because it’s so simple and delicious. Really, you can do almost anything with polenta. I scoured the internet for some more recipes and came up with this:

Eggy, Crispy Polenta with Tomatoes & Mushrooms - minus the mushrooms, this looks amazing.

Polenta Chips  – what a cute idea!

Roast Potatoes Two Ways: Polenta-Crusted with Rosemary & Garlic - I’m definitely going to try this one.

Polenta French Toast - this looks interesting, albeit a little strange. I always imagine polenta as a savory dish, not sweet, but I suppose you could do it.

Creamy Polenta with Goat Cheese – you had me at goat cheese! I’m in!

All of those recipes look so tasty. They are on my “to-try” list. If you’ve never had polenta before, I suggest you give it a try. It’s simple, healthy and fairly low in calories.

So what about you? What’s your favorite way to use polenta? Any recipes to share?

Taking a break from working out isn’t a bad thing. It’s actually a smart thing to do periodically. Our bodies aren’t meant to go go go without a break. Having appointed rest days during the week is a good idea (I have two) and taking a week off once or twice a year is good, too. Why? Because our bodies get used to doing the same thing all the time and then we stop losing weight. Doing the same routine day in and day out will stall progress.

Taking a break has come up a few times on my blog. Check out the old posts here:

How to Survive the Off-Season

Why Wednesday – Why You Need a Break Sometimes

Mental and Physical Break Part 1

Mental and Physical Break Part 2

I don’t suggest someone just starting out on their weight loss journey to take an extended break because there is a benefit in using the momentum of just starting out. When I first started swimming I was losing a lot of weight! Like 10 pounds a week! It didn’t last long and the weight loss leveled out to 3-5 pounds a week. After 6-8 months it slowed down even more and 1-3 pounds a week was the norm. Seeing the weight loss on the scale each week (even if it was just 1 pound) was so motivating it kept me on track. USE THAT. It works! Starting over may be discouraging, but it can be done!

So while it’s beneficial to take an occasional break, how do you get back on track?

Getting Back on the Wagon

I don’t have a magic pill or an easy answer for anyone wanting to get back on track after taking a break from their weight loss journey. I know that’s what people want (me included) and it’s just not the way it works. We have to WORK for it and WANT it badly enough.

Schedule It!

This is truly the most helpful thing that worked for me. I schedule my workouts in my Google calender each week like I would my plans with friends, doctor appointments and volunteering. I build each week with things I want to do, things I have to do, and my workouts. Seeing it on the calender makes it easy to DO IT.

It may seem too simplistic but it really does work. Try scheduling workouts for a few weeks and soon it will become a habit and not something you even think about. (Read: 21 Days to a New Life.)

Fake It Til You Make It!

This works for a lot of things. Changing our perspectives and trying to have a positive outlook on things doesn’t always happen overnight, it takes practice. Years ago when I was really suffering from depression, I finally decided that I was going to be happy and not depressed. I certainly didn’t FEEL happy but I pretended I did. I smiled at everyone, I made myself laugh at things, I forced myself to socialize and I TOLD MYSELF I was happy. Believe or not, it eventually worked. Funny thing, I was talking to a friend of mine who is always so positive and upbeat about everything. I asked her how she did it. I said I was struggling with some of the things in my life that were making me unhappy (job, and other things) and I admired her positive spirit. She told me she was faking it til she made it some of the time. Really? Wow. I was surprised but it got me thinking. If I’m walking around in a funk about life, that negative energy just spreads. But if I change it to positivity, maybe THAT will spread too!

Clean Out The House!

Get rid of the junk food and trigger foods you might have bought during your break. Not having the temptations around you will make it easier to make better choices.

Just Do It!

It may be a cliqued saying but it’s true. If you just make yourself go to the gym or workout for a few days, it will be easier to get back INTO the habit of doing it.

I love the above quote. It’s so true, especially for me. I wanted to lose 100 pounds more than anything. Nothing was going to get in my way or derail me. Plateaus were not going to discourage me. I was focused and determined and that’s how I lost the weight. So really dig deep inside yourself and ask why you want to lose the weight and how important it is for you. If it’s that important, the excuses won’t come.

What worked for you getting back on track?

In light of that, I think it’s time to change things up. I’ve written before about how it’s not a good idea to get Married to My Workout. Having the same routine day in, day out isn’t going to show progress; instead it’s probably holding me back and may even be causing the injuries!

History of Injury

I’ve been through injury before. I had ankle surgery 8 years ago to repair a torn ligament. I had bursitis in my ankle once (thankfully it only lasted about a week). I had an issue with my sacrum and worked to strengthen the area and improve my running form to fix it. I had achilles tendinitis from running on the beach (that lasted about 2 weeks and I was in a boot for 10 days).

The most “severe” injury was an overuse of IT Band injury a few years ago and my doctor told me NO running for 6 weeks. I thought it was the end of the world and I cried, I yelled, I wallowed–for about a week. And then I pulled myself together and figured out what I COULD do. This injury is when I learned about weight lifting.

Previously I’d tried incorporating strength training into my gym routine but I half-assed it at best, doing a few favorite machines once or twice a week for maybe 10 minutes tops and then wondering why I never saw results. I never saw results because weight training was a stupid waste of time! Or so I thought. The reality was that I was a cardio junkie and I didn’t do any DISCIPLINED strength training. I didn’t care. I didn’t like it. I didn’t spend time on it. I didn’t work towards building the results I wanted to see. I wanted instant results. That’s not the way it works.

Not being able to run (which I LOVED) for 2 months meant I needed to find other things to do. I started seriously lifting weights and after a few weeks, I actually liked it. It wasn’t the waste of time I thought it was and I saw results right away. I lost 5 pounds immediately–which was shocking because I had been struggling with those “last 10 pounds” for a good year. I saw some definition in my arms, I didn’t feel as flabby…I liked it! And I kept doing it, even after I was able to run again.

Stages of Grief

So as you can see, I’ve been down this road before. This current injury is by far the most lingering I’ve experienced. I don’t know why it is. I don’t know if I had taken an entire month off in October when this first happened if I wouldn’t be having this issue today. I followed what my doctors and physical therapists instructed. I thought I was doing everything right.

Since getting the MRI and seeing the specialist, I’ve been going through the stages of grief. I think the last few months have been the “denial” stage. I was making progress! I was doing better! Two steps forward, one step backward. A constant back and forth since October. I get better, then it gets worse. So frustrating.

I’ve felt despair. That’s the most intense emotion I’ve experienced beside anger. I’m furious. I’m angry. I’m angry at my body. I’m angry at all the “other people” who can do “ALL OF THE THINGS” I cannot do and not be injured. I’ve been in this place before. With the IT Band injury I deleted 95% of the running blogs I read and loved because they made me want to cry and scream with every race recap and running post they wrote. I just couldn’t deal with it, so I avoided it.

I definitely went through a “bargaining” phase. I’d say that was every encounter I had with every doctor (the sports medicine doctor, the physical therapist and finally the knee specialist) — “Please, doc, tell me what I CAN do. Give me SOMETHING.” Then of course there are the “what ifs” that plagued me this winter. What if I quit everything? Then I’ll gain back the weight. What if I quit biking and running all together? Then I have swimming–which I love, but is kind of boring because it’s too easy for me. What if I hadn’t gone for that run in October? Then I’d never be injured…

The last two stages of grief are depression and finally acceptance. I don’t think grief of any kind (illness, death, loss, etc) is linear. I think you can experience all of the stages and many more stages out of order, all at once and you can probably skip some, too. I’ve felt ALL of the stages so far, in a jumbled, tangled mess in my brain. The defining emotion? Depression. That’s been hanging over me for months. When you have a physical ailment it’s hard not to have all of your energy and attention focused on that. Especially when it’s something with your knees. I am super aware of my knees at all times because, obviously, I need them to get around in my day to day life.

What Does My Fitness Look Like Now?

Obviously things have changed a bit. Luckily I was already way into strength training and I was working on the 6 week program I bought from Suzanne. That definitely made the transition easier. I didn’t think “Oh my god I can’t do ANYTHING.” I knew I could.

Yoga has become a once a week thing now. I think it will help (eventually) but right now it’s often a struggle to do some of the poses and I haven’t noticed any increased flexibility yet. I’ve been thinking of doing an experiment and doing ONLY yoga for one week to see if there’s any positive change in my flexibility. I’ll let you know if that happens.

Swimming is still part of my routine. I do it once a week now instead of twice but that is because I added the yoga day. Eventually I might add back the 2nd swim day and drop one of my other weight lifting/cardio days.

Two-three days a week I do the weight lifting program. Suzanne was super accommodating when I told her what the doctor said. She said it wasn’t an issue and that she could create a plan for me working around my legs. She said she’s already doing that for lots of clients who have had knee replacement surgeries and what not.

So, I hope you guys hang in there with me as I make my way back. It won’t be a fast return. I don’t plan on focusing this blog on injuries or rehab. It will still be about weight loss and maintenance. Thanks for reading.

QUESTION: What is your injury history?

Saturday morning I got up super early and started Phase 2 of Suzanne’s program, which I will write more about later because I’m REALLY excited about it! Then Michael and  I drove to Seattle. We were going up there for my cousin’s wedding. It ended up feeling like we spent the entire weekend in the car. The good thing about driving to Seattle on a nice day is the view of the mountains! Hello Mount St.Helens and Mount Rainier! You’re gorgeous!

We stopped at Red Lobster in the middle of nowhere for lunch on Saturday. While I’m not usually a fan of chain restaurants, the Red Lobster is pretty much the best option in the middle of nowhere (i.e. the monotonous ride from Portland to Seattle). I do like that Red Lobster has a lot of low calorie options.

It’s a great choice for someone watching their weight. I ended up getting the grilled garlic shrimp and fried scallops. You can choose your side dish, which I got steamed broccoli. I also asked the waitress to only bring ONE of the cheesy biscuits.

I was kind of bummed the scallops were breaded and fried. I was expecting them seared. But lunch was tasty and low in calories. We got back on the road and got to my parent’s house in the nick of time. Then my mom drove us to Camano Island for the wedding (another 1.5 hours in the car!).

Camano Island was a gorgeous place. The island was covered in lush forest and the water lapped on secluded beaches that looked out at the Cascade Range. The wedding was in a state park and the ceremony was in the Cama Center. What a picturesque place to get married!

I loved the way it smelled there, like pine trees and salt water. The wedding was a really nice event and it was so good to see my dad’s side of the family after so long.

The wedding was short and sweet and the food was really good! There was coleslaw, green salad, potato salad, lots of fresh fruit, mac n’ cheese, shredded pork and chicken skewers.

I loaded up on salad, had one scoop of potato salad and mac n’cheese, some pork and 1 chicken skewer. It was all really delicious and good wedding fare. There was a champagne toast and then the cake was cut. They also had cookies and brownies. I had one brownie and then Michael and I split a piece of the cake.

The cake was vanilla key lime! I loved the flavors. The cake was so tall, though, that the lady cut a piece that was big enough to feed four people. I had four bites, Michael had two and we called it good. It was just too rich to eat much of.

The wedding was over and the sun was just starting to set over the mountains as we drove back to Seattle. The orange and red sky was beautiful.

The original plan for Sunday was to have breakfast with my Grandma, Helen. I wanted to take her out and she picked her favorite place to go to near her house. Unfortunately, the plans changed. Saturday night when we were driving home from Camano Island, my mom got a call from her cousin with the news that her uncle had had a heart attack.

My grandma’s brother was 88. My grandma’s history is pretty fascinating–her dad was a settler in the High Desert in Bend, Oregon. He was a sheep farmer and rancher back at the turn of the century. She had 6 siblings and now there are only two left. Her brother Fritz was a Marine in World War II and was stationed in the South Pacific. About a month ago her revealed to his family that he had been a POW by the Japanese for over a year. No one had known. He was told not to tell anyone. They had sliced both of his achilles tendons and as a result always had a strange walk (and no one knew the reason!).

Anyway, my mom took Grandma to the hospital Sunday morning to say goodbye to Fritz so we didn’t go to breakfast together. Instead, I got to catch up with her a little when they got back to the house. I’m glad she got to see Fritz, he passed away Sunday night, and I’m glad I got to see her for a little while before Michael and I headed home.

It was a nice visit, despite the change of plans and the sad news. When we got back to Portland I went for a quick swim and then we went to our friend’s house for a BBQ. Like I said, it was an exhausting weekend and I really needed one more day to just relax and decompress!

How was your weekend?

So if you’re just starting a workout program and you’re not sure where to start, this post is for you! It was inspired by an email from a long time reader:

“Hi! I’ve been a follower of your blog for a few years now and I want to start swimming for exercise. Are there any tips/advice you can share with a beginner? Wondering if a cap is necessary, how many minutes/laps to start with, what brand of goggles, etc? Maybe you already have a blog post like this, not sure? Thanks!”

It’s a fantastic question. I’ve written a lot of posts about swimming and you can check them out here:

My Favorite Swimming Gear

Swimming Tips for Beginners

So You Want to Be a Swimmer

But what do you REALLY need when starting a workout program? Honestly, you don’t need much. You can get all the bells and whistles and spend a lot of money on gear but it’s not necessary.

What You Need: Swimming

A lot of what you need starting to swim is based on personal preference. If you want to go the simple route you need a swimsuit, goggles and a swim cap. That’s pretty much it. My personal preference is to have ear plugs and nose plugs. I’m just more comfortable with those extra things and they don’t cost much.

Try different goggles. I can’t really recommend a specific brand or style because it really is based on what fits YOU. I’ve tried a million goggles over the years trying to find the right ones that fit my eyes and don’t leak. I’ve settled on TYR goggles but Speedo makes some good models, too. The swim cap is recommended for two reasons, whether you are male or female: 1) it’s good hygiene in the pool (no one wants to see clumps of hair floating around) and 2) it’s so much easier to enjoy your swim when you don’t have to mess with your hair in your eyes.

What You Need: Cycling

Read Michael’s post: Day Zero – Bike Purchases. It’s very informative. So, you need a bike, a helmet and probably a decent pair of cycling shorts for comfort.

When it comes to cycling, you can go into debt buying all sorts of fancy things: the shoes, the sunglasses, the gloves, the gear…You have to decide what is absolutely necessary because really you just want to be comfort sitting on your bike and protect your head.

I have arm warmers, compression tights and click in shoes. I also have various types of clothes depending on the weather. Weather can be unpredictable in Portland so I need stuff for rain and sunshine–we can have both in a single day.

What You Need: Running

All you really need for starting to run is GOOD SHOES. Get fitted at a running store before you start any program. Prevent injuries before they happen. I cannot stress this enough. It amazes me when I see people running in shoes that looks 10 years old. When I got fitted at Foot Traffic, I was fitted for Brooks Ravenna. Love them! They are fantastic.

That’s it. That’s all you need! Good shoes. But if you want to get a little more…I recommend some good wicking clothes (you don’t have to spend a lot of money on fancy Nike clothes–running shorts should not cost $60!). I love my Polar Heart Rate monitor and could never go back to working out with one. You don’t need one, though, and you don’t need a Garmin. There are so many free apps for iPhone that you can use for mileage.

What You Need: Weight Lifting

If you’re working out at home then you’ll want to buy some free weights, maybe a medicine ball or a kettle bell. If you’re working out at gym you’re set. I’d suggest gloves. You can buy gloves that are specific for lifting but I just use my old cycling gloves. It’s worked well for me for years. Gloves are a personal preference. I wear them so that when I get sweaty I don’t slip or drop the weights but there are some schools of thought that say gloves prevent you from developing grip strength. I also wear gloves to prevent calluses (which I’m getting anyway!).

A training journal or notebook is a good idea to keep track of what exercises you are doing, what weight you are at and how you’re progressing. When I started working out with Suzanne, I got a journal to record the workouts and my PT exercises. I can’t believe it took me this long to get one!

What You Need: Walking

Just like with running, you need good shoes. It’s worth it to spend a little money on nice shoes. If you are an avid walker and want to track your mileage, you don’t need to buy a fancy gadget or pedometer. If you have a smart phone, there are free apps you can use to track mileage. I use Cyclemeter because it tracks my miles for any activity I select. I use it for biking and running.

Bottom Line

Bottom Line: you don’t need to spend a ton of money to get in shape. Please don’t let cost keep you from starting your weight loss journey. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. And in the long run, getting fit and healthy will save you money!

QUESTION: What is your “must have” gear for working out?

From “A Call to Action”: The Short No B.S. Guide to Changing Your Life Forever

I really want to try this recipe from My Bizzy Kitchen. It looks amazing: Gyros Pita Burgers. But then, most of the stuff she posts looks delicious to me!

This was a great post from one of my favorite bloggers, Lori: Waking up in a Victoria Secret body

This post about “Asking for Help” was really thought provoking for me. It made me think about some of the challenges I had when I was starting to lose my weight. I definitely asked my friends and family for help. But for me, that help meant just be supportive. I didn’t want to go out to restaurants or happy hours with friends because I was tempted to eat “bad” things so my friends were AWESOME and we hung out doing other things that didn’t involve food. That was very very helpful.

I also liked “The Rule of 5 – Your Associations“. The writer’s posts are often insightful and spark good conversation. “Whether you’re aware of it or not, the people around you have an influence on you, and depending on how conscious you are of this – it could be significant! The rule of 5 states that you are the combined average of the 5 people you spend the most time with – your closest peers. That could be the average income, health, attitude or even the average jokes, so if you’re spending time with people who have awful jokes – don’t expect yours to be any better!” <–So true!

I LOVED THIS POST! Women And Weight Training – An Enigma Every woman must read it. He also wrote another good one: How To Keep Your Fitness And Weight Loss Motivation

Now For The Books

I’ve also read some pretty interesting books of late.

1. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

This book was a chilling futuristic novel that was a little too close to home. Sometimes I wonder if society is heading this way…Scary.

2. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

I loved her other book, Gone Girl, and it’s a book that has stayed with me long after I finished reading it. The characters she’d developed in that one were so complex and evil. I didn’t think any of her other books would compare. Sharp Objects was her debut novel and I think it was even better than Gone Girl. It was, by far, the darkest book I’ve ever read. Sometimes when people discuss a scary book or movie, they describe chills it gave them. This is the first time I’ve actually experienced physical chills and a sinking stomach at reading the horror in this book. Definitely makes it to my top 20 of all time books. Truly terrifying.

3. Burning Man by Alan Russell

I LOVED this book. The characters were fantastic and I was sucked in immediately. I wanted to finish reading the book in one sitting I loved it so much!

4. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

This book was a slow start and I almost gave up but I am so glad I stuck with it! I loved the story and the characters and cultural things in this book. So good!

QUESTION: Have you read anything worth noting lately?

Sunday afternoon we made our way over to Reed College to see the Portland Baroque Orchestra perform Haydn’s Three Symphonies (Symphony No. 6. Le matin, Symphony No. 7. Le midi, Symphony No. 8. Le soir.). It’s been awhile since I’ve been to the orchestra and I’m so glad I got us tickets! It was a fun performance and the auditorium at Reed College was pretty intimate.

During the intermission we walked around the campus a little bit. It was a gorgeous hot day and students were laying in the grass hanging out, listening to music and studying with friends. It made me wish I’d gone away to college right after highschool and experienced that adventure. Instead, I went to college part time while working full time throughout my 20′s. I don’t necessarily regret that because I got the experience of living on my own for almost a decade. That kind of independence is important, I think.

But still, I wistfully watched the students and part of me wished I’d gone to one of the schools I’d been interested in. Of course as a 17 year old student I was looking at colleges AS FAR FROM HOME as humanly possible. There was one in Vermont and one in Boston I was in love with, as well as Reed, Evergreen and Grinnell.

Isn’t Reed a gorgeous campus? It’s especially beautiful in the springtime.

We went back to the auditorium for the final performance. The director was a vibrant, enthusiastic performer and the rest of the orchestra sounded flawless. It was such a nice, uplifting performance. I was particularly interested in watching the violinists. When I was in elementary school I really wanted to learn how to play the violin or cello. Unfortunately it was the piano for me–since that’s what my parents had. Oh well! Maybe someday I’ll try to learn it.

There wasn’t time to linger at Reed, even though it was a perfect day to do so, because dinner was cooking in the crockpot at home. This recipe is from Skinny Taste. I’ve tried a few of her recipes in the past and usually they are pretty good. I figured you can’t go wrong with chicken and soy sauce.

I might have added a little more of the sriracha sauce than the recipe called for…but that’s typical of me! I like SPICE! The recipe was super quick to throw together. I halved the recipe to make 4 servings instead of the 8. That way there would be enough for dinner and maybe a lunch or two this week.

This is not a good recipe for a week night. It only takes 4 hours to make and that would be hard to do during the week, but it’s perfect for a weekend when you are in and out of the house all day.

I made brown rice to go with the chicken, which was a good combo. The chicken was probably a lot spicier than the originally recipe was supposed to be but I liked it spicy! I wish there was more of a sesame flavor to it, but the spice and the tomato paste and the soy were the dominant flavors in this dish. I think a little more nutty sesame flavor would be a nice finishing flavor.

The chicken was a tad on the dry side–maybe because I used boneless, skinless chicken cutlets instead of breasts? Or maybe it needed to be cooked for 3.5 hours instead of 4. Whatever it was, it wasn’t a big deal. The dinner was still delicious and I would make it again!

QUESTION: Are you a fan of classical music? Where did you go to college?

After my gym session, Michael and I had a little date day together. We went back to Cartlandia for lunch. I was tempted to go back to the wrap cart I told you guys about but I thought I should branch out a little and try something new. After perusing all the options we ended up splitting an entree from the Thai Mango cart. It’s been AGES since I’ve had Mongolian Beef and the last time I had it (PF Changs), I remember it being super greasy and covered in sauce.

Thankfully it wasn’t like that this time. It wasn’t greasy at all. It was the perfect amount for two people to share for lunch. I’m glad we decided to split it. My only complaint about the delicious dish was that the broccoli should have been cut a little smaller. It was kinda hard to eat with a plastic fork! And we might have gotten another order of those cream cheese and jalapeno wontons. Might have…

After our lunch in the sun we caught a movie. It was such a nice day out–upper 70′s–and I was in shorts and a tank top! I wanted to spend the afternoon soaking up the sunshine. But sadly there wasn’t much we could do with my knees all borked and the doctor’s orders to rest. Soooooooooo lazy day it was. We ended up seeing the Evil Dead remake. DO NOT GO if you are squeamish in any way. It was pretty gruesome, but decent for a horror flick. (I did keep thinking about THIS movie the entire time, though…)

The rest of the afternoon was spent reading (two mindless chick lit books) and Michael watched sports. Fun times, huh? I wasn’t feeling up to doing much honestly.

Dinner Saturday night was simple and lazy as well. Michael grilled up some spicy bratwursts and I had some slices of that fancy English Cheddar cheese on the side. I also created a fun little snack!

It was super easy and tasted great. We had it as a side dish with dinner. I know, not as healthy as say broccoli or Brussels sprouts would be but I loved it! I’d make it a little bit spicier the next time I make it. It was a fun little snack and a much better way to eat celery.

The weekend wrapped up and April ended with a lackluster fizzle for me. I’m hoping May is a little bit better…

MAY 2013 GOALS

I think it’s so crucial to make attainable, achievable, realistic goals. If your goal is to lose weight, saying you want to lose 100 pounds in 4 months is NOT realistic (or healthy for that matter), so why not set the goal to lose 30 pounds in 4 months? I understand the desire to be an overachiever but in the long run, a methodical, planned out journey to reach your goal will be much more successful.

April Goals

1. Complete the 6 Week personal training program with Suzanne and possibly sign up for another 6 weeks, if needed. YES! I totally rocked this. Check back soon for the recap and final results.

2. Go for a bike ride if weather and knees permit. I did! I went for two bike rides in April.  Both rides went really well. Unfortunately, I had another flare-up of my knee issues after the second bike ride. This sparked a tearful call to my sports doc who scheduled an MRI. I also did about 8 weeks of acupuncture in hopes that it would help me.

3. Try once again to get back at running! Okay, I think it’s time to stop putting this on my month goals for awhile. I’ve been tried to get back to running since January and it hasn’t happened. So, I’ll stop for awhile.

I’m pretty happy with my April goals, despite the knee flare-ups and the frustrations of not being able to run. My goals for May aren’t really shooting for the stars. My doctor ordered rest period is kind of putting things on hold for awhile. I guess this is time for me to learn HOW to rest…

May Goals

1. Work on my core strength and glutes/start Phase 2 of Suzanne’s program.

2. Follow knee specialist instructions and REST knees for 6 weeks.

3. Try and find other fitness activities I might like.

Of course I’m disappointed that my goals this month don’t involve commuting to work on bike or getting back to running. I think I’ll live in denial for a little while and NOT think about it. I’m debating on taking a full week off from ALL activities to just give myself a break and to process things but I’m still on the fence with that…

QUESTION: Do you have any goals you want to achieve before summer arrives?

What I loved most about the plan Suzanne built for me is that pretty early on I felt STRONGER. This is the part of the post where I admit that I felt up my butt (good god, the Google searches that are going to arrive at my blog…) and found that I had muscle! My glutes FELT stronger and rock hard. It only took about 3 weeks for that to happen. While my butt didn’t look different yet, it felt different. It didn’t look like Kim Kardashian’s (maybe I just genetically have a flat butt) but it FELT stronger.

In general I just felt more muscular. In turn, I felt more confident in my body image.

Week 3 - I noticed around the 3rd week that I wasn’t sore for 1-2 days after a session like I was in the first two weeks. That first week I was sore for days and it was awesome! But that feeling quickly went away and I needed to increase the amount of weight.

For example, the first week I did the 1 arm tricep kickbacks I used an 8 lb weight and it was difficult but I could finish the 10 rep set. By the end of week 2 I increased it to 10 lbs (struggling to finish the 10 reps) and week 3 I did 12 pounds.

I breezed through week 4 and 5. I increased the weight on a lot of the exercises I was doing because they got too easy. I barely broke a sweat or I wasn’t sore afterward. I kinda like that “I worked out really hard last night” soreness…

Week 6 - The final week came and I knew the routine well and my transitions between exercises were faster. It look less time to set up and get started, which was nice. That was my frustration in the beginning. The final week I was up to doing 17.5 pounds for the tricep kickbacks. It was a pretty awesome feeling to be able to do 3 sets of 10 at a higher weight!

Final Results

I went into this experiment with the goal of strengthening my glutes and toning my arms. I believe I achieved both. I’m in no way “done” and still have a lot of work to do but I made progress. My physical therapist said my glutes were much stronger and that was music to my ears.

When I discussed my goals with Suzanne before starting, weight loss wasn’t even on the list. Which is strange for me–considering my background and my mindset. It just wasn’t the focus. Getting strong and healing my knees and toning my lunch lady arms was all I cared about!

I stepped on the scale for my first weigh-in since March. I hadn’t weighed myself for the 6 weeks that I was doing the program. I didn’t lose weight, in fact I gained 1 pound. But that could be inaccurate. My weight can fluctuate between 2-5 pounds depending on the day I step on the scale.

As you can see, I lost about 1/2 an inch on my hips and waist. Now for the horribly awkward “before” and “After” photos. I felt incredibly foolish posing, hence my dumbfounded look and Michael was teasing me telling me to do my Hulk Hogan pose.

The changes may not be totally obvious in these pictures but I can feel them on my body. My triceps, deltoids and biceps are stronger and more defined.  My thighs are a little more toned and muscular. The underarm and “side” fat (I don’t even know what to call it) is a little less. All in all, I’m pretty happy with the results. I can SEE a change. I can FEEL a change. I like it. And I’ll work on getting better pictures for the next round.

Thanks for following along on my experiment. Stay tuned for Phase 2.

There’s good news and I’m trying to focus on THAT. Nothing is torn. I don’t require surgery. That’s good. The original diagnosis: A sprain in the inner ligament of my knee and mild swelling of the joint between the knee cap and the thigh bone. I was referred to a specialist.

I was most definitely an emotional wreck about this. While it’s not worse-case-scenario bad, and I recognize that it could be much worse, it still felt like a pretty bad diagnosis. Maybe I was foolishly hoping that my doctor would call and say I was fine and I’d be magically cured. Who knows.

There are a lot of other issues that swirling around in my psyche as I digest this diagnosis and news. Yes, I am a confident person and successful in my weight loss and have kept the weight off for 5 years now. But that doesn’t mean I still don’t have the occasional fear in the back of my mind that at any moment I could gain all the weight back. It’s an incredibly difficult toll on my emotional state at the moment. Exercise is also something I love to do. I don’t feel good physically, or mentally, if I take a bunch of time off.

That being said, I have followed all of my doctor’s and physical therapist’s instructions and restrictions. I’ve done all the PT exercises they recommended diligently (and recorded it in my journal). I asked every provider I saw along the way what activities I COULD do, what I couldn’t do, and what timelines I was looking at. I was responsible. I listened to their instructions and I also take 2 rest days a week no matter what. And yet, I still got injured. It’s frustrating for sure.

The specialist I saw was an orthopedic surgery who specializes in sports injuries and knees. I had 7 days of waiting, anticipating, dreading and stressing about the appointment. I had butterflies in my stomach when the day finally arrived. At least it was a sunny day. I was the youngest person in the lobby. Discouraging.

The specialist was nice. He liked that I had typed up a timeline with details to my injury, what treatment I’d done so far, what worked, what hadn’t, what I thought were the triggering episodes along the way. He did a bunch of tests on my knees and announced that structurally I was sound.

He went over my MRI results, which was kind of cool to see, and explained everything. He disagreed with the radiologist and said my knees were NOT sprained. Good news. He said my cartilage was good; my joints were great; no tears. All good news.

So what’s the verdict? Mixed. He said basically it was runner’s knee (which is overuse) and ordered me to rest my lower body for 6 weeks. He said he was going to treat it like a stress fracture (even though it’s not) and that’s pretty much it. He said if I had horrible pain walking, I’d be leaving in a wheelchair or crutches. I said I had discomfort but that that was a stretch in my opinion.

NO LOWER BODY ACTIVITY. Beyond walking around, obviously. But no walking for fitness. No squats. No running. No biking. No stairs. No elliptical. You get the point. What can I do? He said I can do yoga, I can swim (no breaststroke), I can do upper body exercises like weight lifting.

After 6 weeks of rest and no pain, I can start slowly introducing things back into my routine. The plan is to do an activity in SHORT DURATION and MILD INTENSITY. Basically, starting over. I am to increase the activity and duration by 10% each week and if there’s one week I have any pain, I have to rest the remainder of the week and go back to the previous week’s duration and intensity.

It’s not all bad news. At least I have a plan. At least I can do some activities to keep me sane and not spiral into depression.

That night Michael took me out for dinner because I was home moping (and watching Upstairs, Downstairs). We went to Cartlandia, the food cart area right off the Springwater trail. I’m glad he made me get out of the house and enjoy the sunny evening.

We got an appetizer to share from Kesone Asian – the jalapeno and cream cheese wontons. Holy smokes were they spicy! They were also bigger than we were expecting but oh so good. I loved how spicy they were.

There were so many choices. I love the carts because if you can’t agree with your mate on what kind of food to get, you each can get whatever you want. There was Mexican, Asian, Russian, burgers, gyros, pizza…You name it, it was there. We ended up going to the Good and Evil Wrap Company and that might be my #1 favorite food cart. While we were looking at the menu, another couple came and apparently they eat there a few times a week and were gushing about how delicious the wraps were.

Their menu was creative and divided by “good and evil” (healthier and not as healthy).

Michael got the Pepper Jack Steak wrap but got it as a salad instead. I had a bite of his salad and it was spectacular. The creamy dressing was flavorful, the fresh avocado went perfectly with the pepper jack and steak.

I ordered the Buffalo Tempeh bowl. Next time I want to try their wraps! Originally I wanted the chicken buffalo salad but he was out of chicken. I went with tempeh instead. I realized that I have never eaten tempeh before. I thought I had but it was definitely a new thing for me. It was kind of weird–like flavorless rice baked into a stick. Sometimes there was a nutty flavor but overall it was pretty bland. Can’t say I’m a fan of tempeh!

Doesn’t my salad look divine? It was SO GOOD. I’m going to be craving it for awhile, I can tell. It had lettuce, tomato, blue cheese, bacon, onions and celery in it. The dressing was buffalo sauce flavored and tangy and delicious. I want to go back NOW!

I’m glad we went. It was a nice evening. I needed to get out of the house. Like I said before, I was kind of moping and crying that I was defective. Michael assured me I wasn’t and he still loved me. Awww, kudos for saying the right things. I’m going to be looking into other activities I can do that I previous dismissed because I wasn’t interested. Maybe I will find something else I really like to do besides biking and running!

QUESTION: Tell me some good news from your world and describe your favorite wrap!