Let’s Have THE Talk

Oh yeah… I’m bringing IT up: weight gain (and why I blame it on the marathons).

One year ago I was about 10 pounds over my happy weight. I blame it on the transition from being a student running around working two jobs to being a 50-hour-week lazy that spent her whole day in front of a computer.

Then in July I left my job, moved to Orlando, went vegan, became dedicated to training for the marathon and biking and slowly lost my 10 extra pounds. I know I hardly mentioned it on the blog, but I felt great. I was more comfortable in my own skin than ever before. I was training hard, watching what I ate and my healthy (and leaner) body reflected that.

Then came marathon #1, Thanksgiving, Christmas and marathon #2. Welcome back, 10 pounds and the inability to fit into my favorite clothes.

Sure, marathon training means tons of exercise, which makes weight maintenance (or even loss) very attainable during training. It’s the two weeks before and the two weeks after the race that will get you! Your marathon appetite is still alive and well, but your exercise decreases considerably- more than running 26.2 miles in one day can make up for.

I’m ready to get back to that healthier, leaner version of me. It’s better for my clothes, my speed and my energy level.

I exercise plenty, so I know it all comes down to what and how much I eat.

The kicker of it all is that I am least motivated when I have weight to lose. When I’m at my happy weight I see and feel the motivation to eat healthy. Silly, right?

I need to eat cleaner- and less! I’m going to work on choosing fresh fruits and veggies for snacks and watching my portions at meal times. Now more than ever I’m going to shoot for including most or all of my meals on the blog.

Speaking of running… meet my new friends: Brooks Trance 9’s! I’ve had them for almost two weeks and they’re heavenly. My glass slippers :)

How do you deal with weight gain? How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel so hot?

More to Love? More to be Desired.

Did you catch tonight’s premiere of the new plus-size dating show More to Love? I’m surely not in love with it.

“MORE TO LOVE, the new dating competition show from Mike Fleiss ("The Bachelor"), follows one regular guy's search for love among a group of real women determined to prove that love comes in all shapes and sizes. The inspirational new series is hosted by iconic supermodel Emme.

Luke Conley is a 26-year-old former college football offensive lineman who stands 6'3" and weighs over 300 pounds. He's a successful sub-contractor and real estate investor who has his sights set on building a long-lasting ...relationship.”

Sounds great, right?

First, let me say women do come in all shapes and sizes. Size is different for all people and in no way does height, weight or shape ever determine a woman’s (or a man’s) worth. Never.

So, with that, I hated this show. I felt More to Love was all about size when there is so much more to focus on. They make these women seem desperate. What bothered me most:

1. Along with the contestants’ names and occupation, their height and weight is shown. Really?? Isn’t the goal that women might NOT be judged by their weight? Is their size that important? Why list their weight on More to Love but not on the Bachelor?

2. Much of the interview segments from the women are them talking about how they’ve been so lonely and sad because of their weight and how it’s affected them. I’m sorry they feel that way but couldn’t we also focus on the positives in their lives? (One woman is a rocket scientist!)

3. When Luke welcomes the girls he basically says “I know it was hard for you to come here because of your weight.” Why is it assumed that because these women are heavy they are automatically insecure? I’d like to believe that’s not the case at all!

Degrading, degrading, degrading. Gah!

Have you seen More to Love? What do you think about the idea of the show?

Anyway… here’s what I ate!

I love the classic- 1/2 c. oats cooked with cinnamon, flax and a banana.. topped with a bit too much PB!

Then Dixie went crazy barking inside the house! Something was trying to get in!

I worked on a freelance project most of the day… Jack did all the work.

Lunch was in three parts… toast, green monster, more toast! I was hungry and busy and this fit the bill!

I was hungry today! Around 3pm I enjoyed a Pink Lady.. and a tsp of PB ;)

Then I went to the gym and ran 5.2 miles! I stopped running altogether after my last half-marathon when I was plagued by shin splints. Working my mileage back up as I prepare for my first full marathon is both challenging and exciting!

The run was awesome (5.2 mi. in 56 minutes- including warm-up and cool-down)… but I came home starving!! I knew I dinner wouldn’t be for a while so I had some blackberries, soymilk.. and another tsp of PB. I’ve never felt like I needed food so much!

Plus lots of rest, ice and elevation after a good stretch!

Dinner was hearty and healthy! TONS of spinach, broccoli and grape tomatoes sauteed in a lot of garlic and a tsp of olive oil- served with a crapload of nutritional yeast. Served with one of my trusty frozen Veganomicon black bean burgers :)

Dessert was a special treat that I’ll share tomorrow :)

Good night, friends.

[New Feature] Spotlight: Oh She Glows

Every so often I come across a blog that stays in my mind- a blog that inspires me and challenges me to be a little better, to push a little harder towards my goals.

So here on healthy ashley I am going to put the spotlight on a few of these blogs just in case you haven't yet found them yourself.

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"Oh She Glows is a health, fitness, beauty, and fashion blog created for women who want to lead full, fab, happy, and healthy lives."

Angela produces a beautiful blog, Oh She Glows. Her story inspires me because she has reached her goal (and looks fabulous!), but also because she believes in a healthy approach and overall happiness.

When trying to lose or maintain or keep up with an exercise routine weight it's easy to get caught up in the blahs. But one inspirational visit to Oh She Glows will remind you that health = happiness.

Her posts have shown me that green monsters are fun.

She encourages me to love my body.

Her Before+Afters make me want to work to look that good!

And you HAVE to check out her cat!

Angela was kind enough to answer a few key questions:

Ashley: What was your "It" moment that caused you to change your lifestyle to a new direction?

Angela: There was a clear turning or 'it' moment point that drove me to finally get healthy, stop binges, and give my body the proper nutrients it needed. It was when I was at the university health clinic. I was going to see the doctor about switching birth control pills. He asked me why I wanted to switch BCP’s and I said, among other reasons, that I thought this pill had made me gain weight. I was at my all time high of 147 pounds. He paused, as if thinking about how to say this delicately, and said, “Well, this pill is actually one of the least likely to cause weight gain….you know, being in university is a really easy environment to gain weight without even realizing it…there are late night study sessions, drinking….” He trailed off. I’m sure he could see the utter embarrassment on my face, the face that said, Crap, he’s right. I felt like I had let him down. I thought, he probably sighed to himself thinking, Yet another undergrad who gained the freshman 15….sigh….

That was the main turning point in my decision to get healthy. I felt I had hit rock bottom and I knew something had to change. Now that isn't to say that it was smooth sailing from then on out, but it surely served as motivation to take a step in the right direction.

Ashley: What is your motivation to maintain your healthy lifestyle?

Angela: My main motivation doesn't come from looking in the mirror (although that does help of course when you see results), but it comes from how I feel. When I eat poorly it immerses into every part of my life. My energy is low, my mood is lethargic and cranky, and my appearance doesn't have a happy glow. That is why I always say it isn't about the scale. It is truly about how you feel inside and out. When I stopped weighing myself and stopped counting calories I started to focus more on how I felt. Was I feeling tired and moody? That was possibly related to the junk food I ate the night before. Was my skin breaking out? Probably too much sugar. Generally, when I eat good, whole foods I feel my best. There is no better motivation than that!

I am currently challenging myself to 1 week SUGAR FREE...as part of Crap Free Week. My main vice is sugar so I am going 1 week without it and reporting on how it changes my life. You can follow along on my blog: http://ohsheglows.com/2009/02/23/crap-free-week-part-1/

I also get motivation from all my wonderful friends on Oh She Glows. Other people inspire me each and everyday to live a healthy life and to try out new foods and activities. I have learned so much since I started following other's journeys.

Ashley: If you could offer one piece of advice to those looking to lead healthier lives, what would it be?

Angela: Write down each of the following:

1) Short term goals: What you want to accomplish TODAY/ What you want to accomplish THIS WEEK/ What you want to accomplish THIS MONTH.

2) Long Term Goals: What do you want to accomplish by the end of 2009/ What do you want to accomplish in 5 years.

Be as specific and realistic as possible.

Now do the planning to make these goals happen! How will you achieve these goals?

My best advice is to start small with your goals. If you are new to running a not so great goal is 'Run a marathon next month' and a great goal is 'Run 1 mile without stopping in a month'.

Tipping the Scales

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First let's lay two ground rules:

1. You must eat. Food fuels your machine- and the better the food, the better the machine.

2. You must exercise. Exercise makes sure everything everything is working right and makes it better. (It also sets your body up to burn more calories.)


I heard the most impactful weight loss tip: food outweighs exercise in importance when it comes to losing weight. I know, I know- we've heard this before... But have you ever thought of how resisting or substituting a high-calorie food you can save yourself an hour of trying to work if off. Think about the direct connection between food and exercise and your weight.

A 150 lb. woman will burn about 200 calories in 30 min. or aerobic activity.

A 150 lb. woman will take in 200 calories in 5 minutes with 8 Hershey's kisses. Or 1 unnecessary Larabar. Or one extra scoop of pasta.

Makes you think, right?

I love working out. Sometimes I am at the gym for two hours in one day. But then I'm also more flexible with my food not counting calories that day or adding in an extra treat 'because I worked so hard.' Heck, sometimes I eat all the calories I burned right after the sweat session itself! So I don't lose any weight. It's funny to spend all of your time in the gym and have the same jiggle wiggling around every day.

It all comes down to the food. Something to think about!

Re-Activating Your Lifestyle

I am great at maintaining- regardless of the specific number on the scale, my body will hold on tight without consideration of dieting, holidays or training programs.

So why has my weight jumped 4 pounds Christmas 2007 and 4 pounds Christmas 2008? "Did I really eat that much each Christmas?" I asked myself. After the gain I would try to lose the weight but the scale wouldn't budge. Like I said, I am great at maintaining. Up until Christmas 2007 I had always stayed within a specific 3 pound range.

Then it hit me.
Before Christmas 2007 I had balanced a desk job and school during the day with an intense waitressing job and social life at night. I was always moving. Christmas 2007 I quit waitressing. A lot less moving, 4 more pounds.
This past Christmas 2008 I graduated from college. No more parking 1 mile from classes and running around to catch the next. The farthest I have to walk now is from the parking lot to the front door. Hello an extra 4 pounds.
Sure I've trained and completed a half marathon and worked with a personal trainer as I was gaining weight... but it was the unintentional daily activity that really made the difference.

This more encouraging than saddening. Sure, I miss my (more) active lifestyle, but I am where I am and it's not changing yet. Hopefully one day I'll have a job away from the desk- but that is not today. And I'm not about ready to surrender to a sedentary lifestyle and welcome the pounds onto my frame.

So I'm going to do everything I can to add more movement into everyday tasks. I will finally walk to work when possible (it's only 1 mile!). I will park on the second level of Whole Food's parking garage and hike my way down to the store on the first level. I will take more stretch breaks at work.

...and I will use my new Gaiam Balance Ball Chair!

I've been apprehensive to spend so much money on a chair, but when I considered how much of my time is spent sitting in from of work's computer, I realized it is worth it.

How do you deal with a sedentary lifestyle?
Any little tricks you incorporate throughout your day? Please share them in comments!

Next Big Challenge

Last September I set myself up for a big challenge and completed it. I trained and ran my 5K, 10K and half marathon!

Now I am setting up (or revisiting..) my next challenge: weight loss. It's really gotten out of control. I am now 9 lb.'s higher than I've been most of my life and 12 lb.'s higher than where I want to be.

I exercise and eat mostly healthy, but the weight has continually creeped up. I know where I fault: afternoon snacking, too many sweets and eating too much with David or when there's a lot of food around.

But I want to lose this weight to feel better in my own skin, run easier and fit into all my great clothes (that are currently out of commission).

Weight loss has always been like running was for me- the "it's great that others can do it, but I am just not made to do it" mentality. Well I proved that theory wrong with my half marathon, so now it's time to tackle my weight.

It makes sense that if I eat less and exercise more I will lose, but something inside me won't let that register. Something inside me says eating 5 chunks of chocolate doesn't matter anyway since I'm not going to lose.

So I'm heading into this half-blind.

Starting today I am counting calories (1,400-1,600) and eating most of my starchy breads and high-carb meals in the early part of the day without thinking too much about it or focusing on what I weigh right now.

My weigh-in this morning showed me a new, bad number, but that's only feedback. My short term goal is to get back to my normal weight (9 lb.s less than I am today). After that I would like to trim off another few pounds.

Here I go!

ps- I signed up for my next half- the Gasparilla Half Marathon March 1st! I'm going to train with a great girl I met on my last half!

Happiness and Simplicity

Happy last day of 2008!

2008 was a big year for me. I moved into my own apartment in a new town, had my car flooded, celebrated 2 years with David, went on an hysterical cruise with my mom, ran my first 10K, graduated with my BA, took the road trip of my life and signed the papers for my first real job! Whew!

I've been ever so blessed.

For 2009 my theme will be happiness and simplicity. Checking my food, finances, relationships, outlook on life, etc. against happiness and simplicity really keeps me in line.

Here are my 2009 Goals:

Run another 10K and half marathon. (My 1st this January doesn't count! I want another!)

Have more get-togethers with friends. I used to have big parties all the time. I don't miss the BIG parties, but I do miss fun times with my friends.

Volunteer. (I'm already signing up with a local women's organization to foster a pre-teen girl who is in foster care. I can't wait!)

Try new recipes in the kitchen. (I'm expanding myself... just not physically!)

Make whole foods my habit. Open up to more yoga and Pilates. (I recently tried a Body Flow class at my gym and am addicted!)

Spend more time with God and in the Bible.

Always look for the positive and have fun. (It makes life better!)

Cherish and spoil David and my family more.

Dedicate time to invest in healthyashley. (I love you guys and this blog makes me so happy!)

Get to a weight that's best for me. (Instead of a goal weight, I've set a stay under this number weight.)

Here's to an awesome 2009! Happy New Year!

**Trip recap will continue in 2009!

Just Left the Starting Line

After a week of food-centered events and overly-sugared treats, I am seriously suffering from a food hangover. I feel cloudy and have no energy! I am left with a sleepy Ashley and a stuck scale.

I want to clean up my diet and lose some of the mental cloud and physical chub. I have to do this right now.

In 15 days I run my first 10K.
One month from tomorrow I graduate.
The next day I am (hopefully!) road-tripping up the East coast.
In 2 months I run my first Half.
Not to mention the holidays!!!

I need to feel and look my best for all of this!

So I'm changing things up a little.
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My ideas of how to lose weight have been evolving lately. More than ever I realize it's not about any big 'secret' or 'trick'. For me it comes down to calories, food choices and happiness. If any of those are out of place I get off track. Silly rules and limitations won't do it. Weight loss really is simple. You might not be used to seeing happiness as a tool for weight-loss, but when I am happy I want to do good things for my body. Happiness means that I don't have to turn to food for any sort of fulfillment.

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To keep me going each day I'm turning to some guidelines based solely on my lifestyle and habits and what works for me. Bookmark this page, people- I'm going to need your help!!

1. Blog every day. Even if it's just a short update, I think posting how I did that day will help keep me in check.
2. No snack after dinner unless it's a 100-cal post-workout snack.
3. Don't add snacks to eating schedule. (Breakfast, snack 1, Lunch, snack 2, snack 3, Dinner + pre/post workout snacks if necessary) No standing in the kitchen with a spoon and a jar of pb!
4. Morning snack always to be fruit. I've realized that my morning snack sets the theme for my day. I need that to be one of health not HFCS!
5. For a while, don't by any questionable products. For me, questionable products are those that I might overeat/binge on (crackers, cookies, CEREAL, trail mix). We have to learn our own weaknesses.
6. No 'pieces' of snacks. Either I'm in or I'm out. Ha! How many times do I unwrap a bar planning on just having half and saving the rest for later and instead eat the whole thing!? This also relates to #3.


I'm hoping for at least a pound gone each week, but I'm not setting any specific number goals or end date. I'm going to be rigid about this until I feel clean and until I fit comfortably into my favorite Seven for All Mankind jeans. I think that will be about 137, but I'm focusing more on me than a number. I've been 147 all this week.

Stay tuned, lovely bloggers. For my sanity and scale, please stay tuned!

When Maintaining is Not Enough

I shouldn't be writing this. I am frustrated and severely lacking motivation. But I work hard to make this blog real- all of my ups and downs in striving to be "healthy ashley." So I write tonight to represent women who are frustrated when their hard work just doesn't pay off.

Tonight I used the LifeCenter at my gym (a small booth that measures and tracks weight, cholesterol, heart rate, body fat, etc.) before my appointment with my personal trainer. End result: the numbers are the same as two months ago. All the numbers are the same. Even body fat- so it's not like I've just "gained muscle."
I feel great. I'm happy and strong and feel tight all over (woohoo!). But I am over the weight I should be. I don't fit into my normal jeans-- and I really don't fit into my skinny jeans.

So I get new workouts from a personal trainer every week, exercise as much as I can, limit my calories and eat mostly whole foods. Yet I maintain. It pisses me off.

Really I know I need to hit the calorie range 1400-1500 each day and I will lose, but right now I'm really upset that the things I'm doing already should be working... yet nothing changes at all.

So tonight I cut my workout short, ate a bowl of cereal and am going to bed without cleaning the house.

So when you're fed up and need to quit for the day, it's okay. You're not alone. Tomorrow I will think of my half marathon in January, how strong I am from my new workouts and the nutrients I consciously put into my body each day. But tonight I am pissed that every stupid number stayed the same. And my jeans still won't fit.

Druggie!

All my life I've thought of anything claiming to change my weight/metabolism was bad for my body. Even the all-natural options. I haven't considered them once. My mom has taken them and got short-term, temporary results, but I try to keep any kind of pills out of my body as much as possible.

So when the personal trainer at my gym recommended a weight loss supplement, I was confused. She said it will promote greater weight loss without causing any side effects on your body. It doesn't contain any caffeine and won't "speed up" anything. "If it's this good," I thought, "then why isn't everyone taking it?"

The product she mentioned was APEX Fat Burn 1 . She then quietly told me to just use milk thistle because it does the same thing.

Basically, what milk thistle does is clean out the liver- and the liver influences the processing of fat and metabolism. So a healthy liver= uninterrupted weight loss.

I couldn't find much evidence backing up the relation between milk thistle/healthy liver and weight loss. Tons of research did talk about milk thistle cleaning out the liver, so maybe we're just supposed to make that connection ourselves.

I did find this source which says the following: "The liver is the major fat burning organ in the body and regulates fat metabolism by a complicated set of biochemical pathways. The liver can also pump excessive fat out of the body through the bile into the small intestines. If the diet is high in fiber, this unwanted fat will be carried out of the body via the bowel actions. Thus the liver is a remarkable machine for keeping weight under control, being both a fat burning organ and a fat pumping organ."

I thought "what the heck" and bought it. I found this- 200 caplets for $13. I wouldn't buy a "product" put out by a company, but this is different. It's not that different from taking Vitamin C, right?

Help me out here people. Tell me your stories, curiousities, rumors, etc. MizFit, I know you'll especially have something to add here!

As for my two tablets daily with a meal, I'll keep you posted. I started last night.

**Check out milk thistle if you're allergic to anything else. Also, pregnant women and new moms shouldn't take it. Make sure to do your homework!