Shrinking Natalie

As a special thank you to those who have become regular followers and site members of this blog, I sent out an email asking them to submit the questions they would like answered by me. Any topic was fair game!

Body

What about extra skin? I have a significant amount of weight to lose and I am so nervous that no matter how much strength training I do, I will still have a lot of extra skin. Did you experience this? Do you have a solution or a method that worked for you? Lindsay

I have extra skin. My skin sags the worst on my inner thighs, tummy, and my underarms. My breasts look like those of a 50 year-old woman who had 3 kids. Whether your skin will sag depends on genetics and the amount of weight you lose. I had stretch marks from gaining the weight, so I knew I was probably going to have saggy skin. Its something I have had to come to terms with. Here's my view now: sagging skin looks a hell of a lot better (and is way healthier) than 85+ lbs of fat. To combat the sag I drink lots of water, use cocoa butter lotion everyday on my whole body, and lift weights.  I can tell that lifting weights has really helped because the skin around my thighs and arms has snapped back much quicker than that on my stomach and breasts. Do I rule out ever having surgery? No. Maybe after I am done having kids I will treat myself to a tummy tuck and breast lift. Will I hate my body if I never get the surgery? No. The skin is a reminder of how far I have come, and where I don't want to go again. And my body is strong and healthy - I love it, flaws and all.

Food

Do you eat all of your weekly points? How often do you change up what you eat? I easily fall into the trap of repeating my meals - any advice on how to avoid this? Kristina

I eat all of my weekly points, and dip into my activity points if I need to. I have been eating all of my weekly points since January 2009. Before that I would try to not touch them, but I was struggling (feeling hungry, getting dizzy, low energy etc) and not having very big losses. My leader recommended that I eat all of my weekly points, and it worked! I felt better and had more energy for workouts, and my loss average increased.

As for changing up meals, I eat pretty much the same breakfast every week. During the work week I either have a Smart Ones English Muffin Sandwich or Quaker's Weight Control Oatmeal with a banana. On the weekends, I always have 2 lowfat, whole grain waffles with sugar free syrup and veggie breakfast sausages. For lunch, I rotate my favorites of PB&J, Turkey Sandwich, and a Veggie Wrap - and sometimes a frozen meal. Dinners I constantly change. And here is where the tip comes in - I like having the static breakfast meal, and just a few options for lunch because it makes packing my food to take to work easier (I eat both meals at work). But to keep from getting bored, or my body getting in a rut, I always vary my dinners (which my husband always appreciates).  I also plan out my dinners for the whole week before going to the grocery store.

What do you eat for lunches and how do you fight temptation at night? Sara

For lunch, I usually eat a main dish (e.g. turkey sandwich, veggie wrap, smart one) with a piece of fruit (orange, apple, grapefruit) and something else nutritious (yogurt, string cheese, small salad). Sometimes, when I need a splurge, I will throw in 94% fat free popcorn or light Lay's potato chips. To fight temptation at night, I schedule a bedtime snack in every night. Yes, that's right, you read correctly. I have a bedtime snack every night. And its always a guilty pleasure - nothing nutritious. Most often its a low point ice cream bar, popcorn, or jello pudding mixed with berries and fat free whip cream.

Running

How did you get into running? Christy

I started running because a friend of mine suggested we sign up for a 5k. She thought it would be a good exercise goal for me when she learned I was doing Weight Watchers and was interested in getting in shape.  We signed up to run the 5k, which took place in October 2008, in the early summer; and I began training in July 2008.  See below for how I built up my training.

As a beginning runner, what things did you learn that helped you be most successful?  What kind of equipment helped you along the way?And lastly, I have large legs, not sure if you did when you started out, but did it seriously help "shrink" them? Meg

I learned that pushing yourself to go further or faster is good, but to not burn yourself out. Take small steps to increasing mileage using the 10% rule. Only go 10% further or faster than you went last week to prevent injury and frustration. Your body needs to get used to running. One thing I highly recommend is getting properly fitted for running shoes. You wouldn't play football without a properly fitted helmet, don't run without good shoes - you can do major damage to your joints and muscles. Other than that, you just need comfortable clothes! Some bonus things that made running more fun were wiki clothes (I suggest Target's C9 line for cheap but durable items), Garmin Forerunner GPS watch, Camelback Running Pack (to carry water on long runs), UVA&B running glasses, and an iPod!

And, yes, running does shrink your legs (and it shrunk my hips and butt too, but I genetically lose weight there faster). My legs are incredibly toned, too. The muscle definition you get in your calves and thighs is phenomenal!

Do you listen to music while you run, if so what are you listening to now? Kristina

Definitely! Some studies have even shown that people who listen to music, whatever music they like, workout harder and longer. I have a set playlist of 25 songs for my runs:

1. Don't Turst Me by 3OH3
2. Popular by The Veronicas
3. Hook Me Up by The Veronicas
4. Untouched by the Veronicas
5. Shut Up & Let Me Go by The Ting Tings
6. Umbrella by Rhianna
7. Bombs Over Baghdad by Outkast
8. Fly on the Wall by Miley Cyrus
9. Love Me Dead by Ludo
10. Let It Rock by Kevin Rudolf
11. Hot N Cold by Katy Perry
12. I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry
13. Foundations by Kate Nash
14. Sexyback by Justin Timberlake
15. Are You Gonna Be My Girl by Jet
16. Try It Again by The Hives
17. Tick Tick Boom by The Hives
18. Womanizer by Britney Spears
19. An Honest Mistake by The Bravery
20. Strange Times by The Black Keys
21. Pump It by Black Eyed Peas
22. Let's Get It Started by Black Eyed Peas
23. Hey Mama by Black Eyed Peas
24. Single Ladies by Beyonce
25. Time Bomb by Beck
    

I started running about 6 weeks ago. I do between 2-3.5 miles 6 times a week. I'm loving it..but still feel like it's as hard as it was the first day...I guess my overall question is- how do I get better at it? Nikki

That depends on what you are finding difficult. Are you bored? Maybe you need to find a running partner. Are yo having trouble breathing? I would suggest trying pilates and reading this article. Do your muscles still ache? Then I would try throwing in some speed and tempo training, instead of just doing flat out runs to increase endurance. Also, add in some yoga as cross-training to keep muscles long and suple. Finally, perhaps you are running too much and not giving your body enough time to recover. I would suggest dropping back to 4 times a week, but varying your runs (2 times at 2.5 miles, 1 interval run, and 1 long run of 4+miles).

I am very curious to know how you built up the running.  Some days I have to push so freaking hard just to GET to that one mile....so what did you do to get to where you are? Bethany

First off, I want to caution you that not all runs are created equal. I still have days where I go 1/2 a mile and feel terrible. Then I have days where I run 8 miles feeling great and in record time. Stress, sleep, what food you eat, hydration, weather, etc will affect your run. So, just embrace those days that are harder and chock them up to a bad run.

Second, as far as building up my running, I took it VERY slowly. First, I ran 1-2 miles a few times a week on the elliptical. Then I upped that until I was running 3-5 miles a few times a week on the elliptical. Then I switched to running outside - which was more like jog a 1/2 mile, walk 1/2 mile, jog/drag my ass 1/2 mile, walk a 1/2 mile. I did this for a week or two, then increased how much I was jogging.  Slowly, I got to jogging 2-3 miles at a time. After that, I stuck to the 10% rule - never do more than 10% from last week. So, if I ran 10 miles total last week - this week my goal was to run 11 miles total (over the course of the week, not at once).  For help on how to step up your running, visit the Couch To 5k page or Runner's World Beginner's Training program.

I am going to run my very first 5K in October with my sister. So I am starting to train myself now. Do you think I should focus on running at the gym or continue to change my workout daily as I have for the pastmonth? Deanna

The beauty of training for a race, is that you want to train your entire body to be as fit as possible. That means, yes, you will do training runs, but you also need to cross train.  When I am training for a race, I only run 3-4 times a week.  Usually, one long run, one short-easy run, a speed workout, and an interval workout.  The other days of the week I am doing cross training to strengthen my body. Particularly important for runners is pilates (to strengthen your core which helps breathing and running posture) and yoga (whichs keeps muscles that get bunched from running supple and healthy). Check out Runner's World's online Smart Coach to setup a training schedule. Any day they say to cross train, throw in some of the other activities I talked about, or some of your favorites!

Did running truly affect your metabolism? In the sense that it boosted your weight loss significantly versus doing other cardio like the crossramp/elliptical, stationary bike, etc. Lindsay

The short answer is "I don't know!" I had a steady rate of loss 1.8 lbs on average throughout my journey. I didn't start running until about 3 months in to the program. I did not really hit a plateau - which most people do - and I like to attribute that running.  So, perhaps it didn't speed up my weight loss, but just keep me from hitting road blocks. That said, I think any cardio that works your entire body for long periods of time is comparable (dancing, swimming, treadmill, etc).

Challenges

I guess my biggest struggle is on the weekends. How do you stay on track when you're going out with friends and going out to the bar? Nikki

 AND

What do you do when you have to go out for social interactions with friends-what do you get? I'm very social so it's difficult. Plus, when I drink, I eat crap food. Did you ever run into that? If so, how do you handle that? Sara

Alcohol + a Weight Watcher = Going Off Plan. Its true, drinking impairs decision making skills, which means you find yourself shoveling loads of cheese fries and cold pizza into your face after a night at the bar. Alcohol is also very pointy. My solution? First, all of my friends know I am on Weight Watchers, and that I will gladly be the DD if they (a) buy me one drink, which I savor and then switch to water, and (2) don't bug me to order more drinks/food, and (3) we go somewhere I can get a healthy meal.

I also needed to change my frame of reference. I DO NOT need to drink to have a good time. I DO NOT need to drink & eat just because I am out with friends. I DO NOT need that margarita/long island iced tea/malty beer as much as I need to look hot in my bar clothes.

As for staying on-track on the weekends - I try to treat them like a weekday as much as possible. I get up, and log what I want to eat for the day, ahead of time, in my points tracker. I also eat my meals at roughly the same time as I would during the week. This helps keep my body and mind in a rhythm its used. I also avoid sitting around the house in-between meals - I will workout, clean, run errands, do something with friends not involving food (hiking, shopping, etc) so I am not sitting in front of the TV snacking.

How do you handle compliments/comments from people that have seen your amazing transformation? I have had some people say, "wow good for you because you were getting really big and rounded" I wanted to slap them, but that wouldn't be very nice. Any advice on that? Kristina

Understand that it is awkward for the person giving the compliment. They noticed you have lost weight and want to say something, but know its a touchy subject. I have had all kinds of weird things said to me, but you just remember they are trying to compliment you on your hard work. Most often, just say "thank you, I have been working hard." Sometimes, as in your case, the compliment does sound a bit backhanded. I would respond with something like, "Thank you for noticing my hard work, but please don't disparage my previous weight - I am still the same person and it is still hurtful."

Exercise

What do you do for a workout? I really despise running, but hear how good it is for you. I'm currently going to several classes, but I was wondering what you found the most effective. Sara

Well, bad news, I am a runner. I LOVE running. So, most of my cardio is running 3-4 times a week. Although, this summer I am going to add in biking and swimming. I don't attend a gym, so all of my workouts are outdoors or at home. I also do pilates 2-3 times a week (video), yoga 1-2 times a week (again, video), and the 30 Day Shred for strength training. Finally, I like to hike when its nice outside on weekends - it gets me out of the house and away from snacking, and burns lots of calories! I think a combination of cardio and strength training is most effective - whether thats cardio through running, gym classes, or swimming doesn't matter. Same with strength training - whether you like to lift weights, use a resistance band, or do pilates - just do something to build those muscles.

How important have you found it to change up your workout at the gym? Deanna

I think its very important to change up workouts! I don't actually go to the gym, but I still find changing up my workouts is helpful because (1) my body needs to be challenged in different ways and (2) it keeps me from getting bored with my exercise and falling off the wagon!