Four Month Update

I'm happy to report that I participated in my first timed 5k race - the Dick Beardsley in Detroit Lakes, MN last weekend.  I even ran a little bit when I could!  My official finish time was 46:42, which considering I just wanted 48 minutes or less, was pretty good.  And now I have a baseline to compete against for next time.

Weight wise, the loss has slowed way down.  I'm down 36 pounds since surgery, but watching the scale is incredibly frustrating since I'll lose .2 pounds one day, then gain 3 pounds the next.  I guess it's a marathon, not a sprint.

I have lost another inch from my waist, and got the shock of my life when I bought new sweatpants at Walmart in size SMALL!  I know that's vanity sizing for sure, but it still felt kind of good!  I recently had to pull some XL t-shirts out of my closet to donate because I wore one last weekend and kept exposing myself it was so big!  My bra size is down from a 38C to a 34DD so I'm not losing a lot "up there" but I am losing inches.

I had a consult with a doc today about my sleep apnea.  Since I've lost weight again, it's time for another sleep study, with the hope that I can dump my CPAP machine.  And if I can't, I'm overdue for a new machine anyway.  The monster machine I have now is huge and is a real pain to travel with.  The new ones they showed me are tiny in comparison!  My sleep study is scheduled for September 28, so I have a couple more weeks to focus on losing as much weight as I can before then.

I realized yesterday that other than my coffee, I hadn't had any water all day.  That's bad, really bad, so I'm stepping up my hydration today - up to 6 cups of water so far, with a goal of 12 for the day.  I also skipped the last two days workouts, so I got out at lunch today for 30 minutes.  The so-called experts online say that a beginning runner or walker should only workout 30 minutes max, 3 times per week.  I've been pushing myself way harder than that, and my heart rate has been close to my max a lot.  Apparently that's not the best way to train your muscles, so today I followed directions and kept my heart rate in the "aerobic" zone throughout the 30 minutes.  It seemed too easy, but I guess I'll try it out for awhile.

Only three more weeks at my Summer Palace before I have to pack up and drive back to Texas for the long winter.  Boo hiss!