Three Things Thursday: Tales of a weight loss success

I was a puddle of sweat walking down the stairs at the YMCA, enroute to the locker room. It was slow going, tired after 5 miles, and so I fell behind another gal headed to the same place.

I had seen her before and, by before, I mean before I lost weight. I saw her before the gym was a habit and when I would try to make it to a strength class twice a week but usually made it twice a month.

"You used to come here a long time ago?" she asked.

I nodded.

"I thought you looked familiar."

I nodded and exchanged pleasantries as I wiped my face and unlocked my locker.

"You lost a ton, a ton of weight."

Yep. That's me. By the way, 120 pounds is only six-hundreths of a ton.

"How did you do it?" asked another gal, who was getting dressed in business attire and ready to head to work.

There - that was the part of the conversation that made me cringe. I get asked the question a lot, and I know it's because people want some insight. They want a clue as to how to do it, too. But, I always feel like such a disappointment because there's no gimmick or secret to share. I started exercising, I ate better more often than not and just got stubborn. I told her that albeit with a complete lack of enthusiasm but added that I did go to Weight Watchers for part of the journey. As a consolation.

The conversation made me think about the one thing people should ask: What helped. Everyone can do Weight Watchers or Paleo or South Beach but each person will find different things that helped. And this is what helped me.

1. A community. Whether it's Weight Watchers, a Diet Bet challenge or friends, a good support system substantially improves your chances of getting on track - and staying there. I found great help with my weekly meetings and, as I "graduated," in the blogging community. In addition, surrounding yourself with like-minded people helps reduce temptations, improves chances of engaging in a healthy activity and adds a bit of good-spirited peer pressure.

2. Knowledge is power. During my first attempts to lose weight, I thought you ate less, moved more - and it's true. However, I often focused solely on calories and not the nutrition of the food. I could eat a side salad and fries for lunch because it was 400 calories. And I did. OK, sometimes, I still do. However, I do so with a little more understanding and a lot less frequency.

As I immersed myself in Weight Watchers and blogging, I began to educate myself about what I needed to do and why. It made certain choices more obvious - like "splurging" on a grilled chicken salad with light dressing and skipping the fries - and it gave me permission to make different decisions.

Also, the process of learning about healthy eating, running and exercise, can make the information much more interesting and the journey less of a chore.

3. Get organized. I am a Type A person, through and through. I like planners, calendars, spreadsheets and, when it came to my weight loss, all of those things helped me immensely. I scheduled my workouts and posted a calendar on the fridge. I planned out a weekly menu and then, the night before, planned out a day's meals. I looked ahead to see when a night out or big event might require some padding, points wise, and planned for it. I carried my WW Points book and food log with me everywhere, and I set workout reminders on my phone.

After all, it's great to have information but you need to set in action and getting organized creates a system to make you accountable to the most important person in the process - YOU.

The number game

It was just over two weeks ago, in the middle of BODYPUMP, when it happened.

We were on track 4, performing deadlifts, when I felt my BodyMedia armband start to slide down. I wasn't in a position to readjust it so I let it fall to my wrist and subsequently flail around as I performed cleans and push presses. It was awkward to say the least but the class must go on.

I tried to guide the participants through the stretches as I struggled to get it positioned correctly. But I couldn't. I took it off, threw it in my Lug Life gym bag and resolved to take care of it later. I came home and inspected the device as I chatted with Mark, lamenting that my beloved BodyMedia could be broken ... or not. As it turns out, the grippy circular piece of Velcro that keeps the armband secure was no longer attached to the end plastic piece. Seemingly all I would have to do is get some super glue and put it back on.

The weekend passed and days soon did, too, and I not only didn't fix it - I didn't even go to the store to get the glue. I was a bit taken aback by my lack of interest in doing anything as I had become reliant, to say the least, on the armband that measures daily calorie burn and uses software to sync with MyFitnessPal, giving me all kinds of statistics on my eating and exercise habits. I would only sync and charge the band if it coincided with a shower because I didn't want to lose any information. The 15 minutes at night to take care of those tasks seemed like too much time without it. When Mark asked to wear it out of curiosity, I quickly shut him down because a) it was mine; and b) I didn't want to lose a day's information for his experiment. On the days I charged it, syncing the data, I would anxiously review the data to see if I had burned calories I deemed sufficient while managing to eat within a certain range. I considered it a valuable tool for weight loss/maintenance.

The more time I spent without the device, the more I began to wonder just how many numbers one person needs? Do I need to know how many calories I burned while I was sleeping or teaching BODYPUMP? Do I need to to know how many fat grams are in my breakfast? It was 15, if you are interested. Do I need to know how fast I run a mile, how many I log in a week? I can tell you that, too. How much water I drink? Because the truth is that you can have and log a number for just about anything, especially with the advent of smartphones and the near rush of apps being created.

There's apps to journal food (I use MyFitnessPal), track mileage on runs, to calculate BMI, to practice Tai chi. There's even one, not so shockingly, to track water consumption. For at least three months, I used the Waterlogged app to keep tabs on how much I was drinking throughout the day after seeing Lauren at Oatmeal After Spinning write a post about it. Drinking enough water should be a priority for everyone but even more so for those with an active lifestyle, and I was "concerned" that I was not staying hydrated. I set an arbitrary goal to drink 80 ounces of water a day - mostly because that's what Lauren did - and started getting Waterlogged.

What I discovered, though, is I drink enough water. More than enough water. I usually drink two big glasses - 32 ounces - before eating breakfast, bringing me more than a third toward my goal. One glass at lunch and dinner add up to another 32 ounces. Then there's the two water bottles I usually drink at work for about 40 ounces. If you are bad at math, I'll tell you that's 104 ounces - 24 over the goal and 40 over the recommended 8 glasses. The more I realized I drank enough, the more cumbersome it got to track. The more cumbersome it got to track, the less I did it. The less I did it, the more the app reminded me that I wasn't. And then I just got annoyed. The app got deleted, and I've been hydrating just the same.

Of course, it wouldn't be so easy to just let go of some of the other numbers I track. I see success and progress in my splits, average pace and mileage. It's also an important aspect of training for a distance event. I find security and confidence in tracking my food (usually), knowing that I am not eating too much and can review my good selections.

As I contemplated this post, though, I wondered what it would be like if I just stopped logging my food and try to eat intuitively. I have been at this game long enough that I should know what to eat and when, how to eat to fuel my body and when to say enough is enough. I thought it could be an interesting experiment to give it up a week and see whether I gained weight, lost weight or stayed the same. But I couldn't commit. A sense of fear hung over the idea, and I was reluctant to give up the control, unwilling to risk gaining weight.

I considered the flip side, nonetheless. By stopping the numbers game, I can stop the fixation. I can settle into a pattern living life and not living to eat. I could stop trying the manipulation and numbers game that I play every day to get things the way I like. Rather, I could eat foods based on a nutritional profile and not label.

I have had a taste of that intuitiveness by not wearing the BodyMedia. Have I gained weight? Well, I was up two pounds on the scale yesterday but I don't weigh myself frequently enough to know whether it's a trend, water weight or the over-cited muscle growth (because obviously I'm now a meathead). I know whatever the reason, the weight gain is not because I gave up those numbers - though I will say that it made me reluctant to give up the numbers in terms of calorie counting.

What are your thoughts? What numbers do you track?

Fit to be tried: Gear

With the new year - and its resolutions - rapidly approaching, I'm highlighting some of my favorite fit things of 2012. 

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People like to tell you that all you need to run is a pair of shorts, shirt and shoes. You lace up and head out the door in this romantic fashion, complete with a bouncy step, midfoot strike and effortless pace. The skies will be clear, the sun out and the air temperate. You go for as long as you like, your body cooperating with every step.

OK. Now that whole scenario is just getting ridiculous.

While I'd love to be an old-school runner who would feel best in cotton,drawstring shorts and an old cotton race Tee, I'm not. I need things. Technical things. I rely on wicking fabrics to keep my comfortable, gadgets to help me test my limits (and keep me in check) and accessories to keep me fueled.

Clothing. This year, I got my first tastes of lululemon, Running Skirts  and a more minimal shoe but I think my favorite product has been the handful bra. It's comfortable, the straps don't slide and, to be frank, it makes me look like I actually have something going on.

Gadgets. Wouldn't it be awesome if I put the MOTOACTV here? Just kidding. While I'm still using the MOTOACTV nearly a year after trying it and like the interface, it doesn't come close the reliability of a Garmin. Period.

My favorite gadget has been the BodyMedia FIT armband. It seems like a bit of a luxury for me, someone who is merely maintaining weight loss, but the amount of information it provides is so helpful and motivating. You know how many calories you burned throughout the day, how many steps you took and whether any activity was considered vigorous. As long as you are tracking your calories honestly, there should be no surprises on the scale.

Accessory. I was running 12 miles through the pouring rain the morning of the women's Olympic marathon. My Under Armour hat was pulled down over my head and I braved the streets of Fort Wayne in just a pair of shorts and sports bra. On my left wrist was the MOTOACTV and, in my right hand, was a plastic baggie of Swedish fish. A baggie.

While it's definitely functional, carrying a baggie for 12 miles was no more comfortable than keeping them stuffed in my cheeks - though an interesting idea. It was after that run that I ordered myself a SPIbelt.

The SPIbelt allows runners to think a fanny pack is still cool. Made of  Lycra and Spandex, the belt has a pouch that expands to fit everything you need on a long run - phone, key and Swedish fish.

Or, if you are a badass ultra runner, some salted potatoes.

Did you try any new gear this year? What was your favorite?

Armed and ready: A product review

I consider myself to be an active person. I run. I teach BODYPUMP. I chase after an energetic toddler.

But everything I thought about how much I moved was turned upside down within three days of wearing the BodyMedia FIT armband.

I was recently given an opportunity to try the armband and online activity manager. I have worn it for about a month, day in and day out, during 20-mile runs, BODYPUMP classes and lazy days. And let's just say it's been an interesting month.

The basics:  BodyMedia FIT is an on-body monitoring system that consists of the BodyMedia FIT Armband monitor, online Activity Manager and free apps for mobile device users. BodyMedia FIT Armbands automatically track the calories burned during your daily activities, works as a fitness monitor to measure the intensity of your workouts and monitors the quality of your sleep. Using four sensors, the Armband captures over 5,000 data points per minute — from heat and sweat to steps and calories burned — every minute of every day. The information tracked can be managed with BodyMedia's online Activity Manager. The LINK armband, which I selected, also allows user to transfer information to a BodyMedia App via Bluetooth.

Ease of use: I figured it out - and that's saying a lot. The setup for the armband is as easy as plugging the device in via a USB cord and following a series of steps on the online interface. And once you've done that, you are good to go.

You wear the armband with the device facing the back of the arm and a series of beeps singles that it has made the "connection." It sometimes takes a couple minutes and a few days to figure out the "sweet" spot. I've found that it feels better and more secure with a snug fit but the manual says to wear it slightly loose, with two fingers being able to slide between the band and arm.

Surprises: When I had my resting metabolic rate tested., I was told that I would burn 1,310 calories a day if I did nothing. I assumed then that, when I had a rest day, I would burn 1,300 or 1,400 calories a day. And that's not the case because, well, we never just do nothing. I think the least amount of calories I've ever burned is 1,700.

What shocked me most wasn't how many calories I burned but actually how few I burn ... during BODYPUMP. Les Mills touts that participants can work off up to 800 calories in a single class, and I've always "tracked" BODYPUMP as a circuit class, which calculates a 450-calorie burn. However, I've never come close to the 450-calorie number much less 800 calories. Heck, it doesn't even consider BODYPUMP a vigorous activity.

At first, I thought it was a mistake and the armband was faulty but the burn seemed accurate when I was running (about 100 calories/mile) and other activities. I guess BODYPUMP isn't as much of a burner during the class - but it does give you an after burn!

Annoyances: One of the features of the BodyMedia Activity Manager dashboard is that there is a food diary. And it does exist. However, the diary is limited. I found myself still tracking my eats on MyFitnessPal, and it was cumbersome to try to track it on both. I felt like I was living in two different weight loss applications. However, this week BodyMedia partnered with MyFitnessPal, and users of both can link their accounts. You still use both but the two "talk," and I feel like I get an accurate read between input and output to manage and maintain my weight.

I also found that I didn't use the Bluetooth feature often and rarely opened the BodyMedia app on my phone. A user still has to connect the device via USB to a computer to charge, and the online interface was much more user friendly and interactive than the app.

Favorite feature:A lot of people are able to maintain their health, fitness and weight by feel. Intuition, if you will. I am not one of those people. I like numbers. I like lots of numbers. I track the miles I run, the pace I ran those miles at and how long I was running. I look at nutrition labels and log the calories I eat. For me, it's what I need to do to be successful. BodyMedia gives me those numbers.

More than that, though, it gives me an awareness. Looking at my physical activity on the dashboard, I've really realized just how much I sit at work. There will be hours when I don't register any movement if I'm not mindful. Wearing it has inspired me to try to get out at lunch, walk to the chiropractor, use the bathroom that's farthest away. It makes me want to get up and move.

The fine print: The armbands start at $119 but there is a $6.95/month fee for the online Activity Manager. You can use the coupon code STRIDES15 at the BodyMedia Store through Oct. 31 to get 15 percent off the armband.

Bottom line: The BodyMedia is a fantastic tool for weight loss and maintenance. But it's just that - a tool. You cannot magically lose weight by wearing it, and you don't need it to lose. It won't teach you how to eat or how much to exercise; it can only encourage you to do better with friendly reminders. However, if you have those things "down," the one-time cost and reasonable monthly fee can be a way to avoid the costs of programs like Weight Watchers. For me, it's a great way to avoid the pitfalls of overestimating my activity, and I'm excited to have it in my arsenal as I come down from marathon training and return to a more normal (for me) activity level.