Weigh In Wednesday - Dec 31

Wednesday, December 31, 2014





It was my intention to finally be caught up and ready to go by this week's WIW but due to a friend coming into town last night, I totally forgot about the blog. Again. I guess it's a good thing that it's the end of 2014 - I can leave the forgetting and lack luster blogging in the past!

I'm going to do a bigger post with all my school/fitness/life updates but for now, I'm weighing in. The whole month of December has been pretty loosey goosey and I'm slowly getting back on track. I regained a few pounds during the holidays which I expected. First it was finals, then traveling and Christmas, then family time and getting our groove back in Indy. I definitely indulged in too many treats and foods I rarely eat, drank too many beers, and didn't get enough activity. Acknowledge it and move on. 

Weighing In
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 197.4
This week: 199
Change: +1.6
Total Loss: -37.2

Today I'm tying up loose ends for 2014 and anxiously awaiting 2015! I know it's going to be a great year for WIW!

Weigh In Wednesday -- Dec. 24

Wednesday, December 24, 2014





Nearly forgot that it was Wednesday! I'm rushing around today getting packed and ready to go for our Christmas trek back to the motherland - aka Cincy. N is working until 3pm this afternoon so I'm going to go pick him up and we'll leave straight from there.

Weight is still hovering in the same 3lb range: 195-198, depending on the day. I cannot wait to get back to the old routine soon!

Posting the link in case you plan to link up!


Weigh In Wednesday - Dec. 17

Wednesday, December 17, 2014






Posting the link for those that have updates! It's finals week and things are crazy! Will be back ASAP but until then, dance among yourselves!





Weigh In Wednesday: Dec 10

Wednesday, December 10, 2014






The Hump Day Blog Hop

Quickly updating -- the next two weeks are filled with finals and stress and exhaustion so I don't expect much other than to maintain my sanity and maintain my weight. If I can just stay right where I am amidst all the hullabaloo, I'll be happy. 



Generally, I'm not someone that is easily frazzled or excitable but I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. My OMM final on Friday is 30% of my total grade - actually it's 2/3 of my written grade for the course (and only 70 questions, I might add). On top of that, it's cumulative over EVERYTHING so I'm really focusing on aceing this thing! (For those of you who are familiar with OMM or are DO students, you're probably wondering why I'm worried about it. Our written exams are tough. Like way more tough than COMLEX practice questions.) 

I definitely cannot afford to perform poorly due to the magnitude of the exam. Make or break it. On top of that, I'm trying to stay caught up in my Repro course since I have my final exam for that class next Friday. I hate getting behind! 

At least I'm not the only one studying!

Weighing In
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 196.4
This week: 197.4
Change: +1.0
Total Loss: -39.0

A small gain this week. Like I said, I'm just trying to hover right where I am until we get through finals. I really need to start tracking more consistently so that's my goal for the rest of the week - just for the awareness. I get confused if I should focus on Myfitnesspal or WW points - it's too time consuming to track both in the apps! I like to pay attention to my macros but points is so much easier! Any suggestions?  May I could track WW on paper and do MFP on my phone? 

 I'll be squeezing in at-home workouts for most of the week - I have recently fallen in love with Les Mills Combat & I'll pepped in some Turbo Fire to keep it interesting :) I created a hybrid schedule using this tool, it's great if you have a few different Beachbody programs. Only a few weeks until half marathon training starts up again!

My med school nest - where I eat, study, and apparently drink from four different glasses.

What is your approach to health/weight loss during stressful times?




Friday Five Things

Friday, December 5, 2014


What a better way to wrap up the week than with a Friday Five things update? I'll try to keep this short and sweet!

  1. Food
It has been somewhat difficult to get back into the swing of things after Thanksgiving. Not really in the quality of my food selections but just keeping my portion sizes reasonable. With finals coming up, I have a tendency to get into a snacking mode - especially when I study for a greater portion of the day. I try to keep easy snacks like baby carrots, grape tomatoes, apples, clementines, almonds, Kind bars, etc. on hand for low calorie snacks! Baby carrots and tomatoes are my go-to - they take time to eat and have textures and flavors I enjoy. Much better than grabbing tons of chips or other crunchy snack (aka my downfall!).

I made this breakfast casserole LAST week but I eat a variation of this most days. I try to sneak lots of veggies into my eggs but sometimes if I'm in a hurry, I just go with a protein shake, overnight chia pudding/oats, or some fruit. I don't like eating breakfast too easy or else I will be hungry all day!




I always pack my lunch when I go to class -- our C-store in the med building is less than ideal. Lots of microwavable meals and processed junk. Not good to chance it!

2. Fitness
With winter approaching, I'm starting to be more flexible in my fitness plan. I will probably do a lot more at-home workouts using my many Beachbody DVDs (thanks, Black Friday!) just to save time & avoid the cold. I'm taking a small break from running until I start my half training at the end of the month. For now, I just want to focus on getting as much activity as possible - lots of cardio, some strength, and lots of stretching - and not so much following a specific plan. Winter is gonna be loosey goosey - I'm excited!

I went to spinning over Thanksgiving Break just to mix things up!


Some days I do online workouts or DVDs!

3. Faves
I have a new obsession - Podcasts! How have I never paid attention to these before? I love books on tape so when I realized I could download Podcasts for my car rides, I was like "sign me up!" Someone suggested I look into Serial - now I'm hooked! I can't wait to find out what happens!


Another fave of mine...Cuties! Why are they so delicious?  They make the perfect snack - sweet, juicy, easy to eat and they smell great, too!


4. Fun
I've probably shared this photo already but we've had our Christmas trees up now for about a month. Right after Halloween I was ready to go. Usually I don't get too excited about Christmas - it's always been kind of stressful and I generally am just not an easily excitable person. Since it's our first married Christmas though, I really wanted to make it fun and special! Plus, you know, I'm trying to be a more positive, upbeat person in general. 


On Wednesday I got together with some of my favorite med school girlies for a Christmas party and gift exchange! We had so much fun being silly and taking a break from the books. 

I know I've said this many times before but having a solid support network in school makes a HUGE difference! I'm so lucky to be in a class FULL of people who support and help one another. I've heard other schools have trouble with "gunner" behavior - people are just cutthroat. Not here. I love my school and I love the people at it - such kind, helpful future docs!


5.School
I have a lot of upcoming posts about school - I've have several people ask me questions about how I study, my favorite/least favorite parts about school, & balance in school. These are coming along - albeit slowly!

I have a little over two weeks left of school - one practical and four written exams. Just keep swimming! 

And because it's Friday...how about Flashback Friday to little Heather. :O



Weigh In Wednesday: December 3

Wednesday, December 3, 2014






The Hump Day Blog Hop

It's December, already? Where has 2014 gone?  Three more weeks of school left and then I'll be free for Christmas Break!

The next few weeks are about to be pretty crazy - lots of exams and assessments coming up so I apologize if I go a little MIA. I'm going to do my best to post a few times a week but I already feel behind so blogging tends to take a back seat.

I'm really excited this week because over Thanksgiving Weekend I reach a new milestone in my journey - 40 pounds lost! For the past few months I've been stuck in a rut - cycling between a 34-38 pound loss each week.  Two weeks ago I made the decision that I needed something to push me past the plateau and help me stay on track during the holidays/finals - enter joining Weigh Watchers again.    

When I was a senior in high school, I joined WW at the end of the school year and lost about 20 lbs (I got down to about 172 - my lowest weight at 5'8") so I knew it was effective. For the past year and a half, I've largely done this on my own - with added help from you all! But sometimes you need to stick your neck out and do the thing you really dread doing. For me, that is external accountability and forcing myself to go to meetings even when I don't like them. 

Weighing In
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 197.6
This week: 196.4
Change: -1.2
Total Loss: -40.0

I zoomed back up weight wise when I started - whoops! 

May 2013 to November 2014 - 40 pounds down!

So that's where I am now. WW at least through the holidays, probably until I reach my goal weight. I feel like the methodology is more simple than IIFYM (what I was doing earlier). I have been tracking in myfitnesspal concurrently to make sure I am getting close to my macro goals (I want to make sure I'm not over or under eating, as well!) I'm probably eating about 1800-2000 calories a day, give or take which I think is completely appropriate for my goals. Slow and steady, maintain muscle mass, and fat loss. 

I'm loving that fruits and vegetables are (in general) zero points for WW -- these are my go-to snacks and the main components of my meals. Like I said, I'm still tracking MFP so I make sure not to overdo the fruit. 

Don't forget to submit your entries for the Virtual Turkey Day 5K & also check out the giveaway I'm co-hosting with a bunch of awesome bloggers! Both are in this post.

Any WW people out there? Have you had success on it?





Thanksgiving, the 1st Annual Turkey Day 5K, & a Giveaway!

Monday, December 1, 2014


Hi friends! I have a lot of exciting things going on today so make sure you scroll through the whole post!

Thanksgiving
I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving surrounded by friends and family! Mine was a little different this year - my mom & my aunt were out of the country so I stayed in Cincinnati for the week to help out with my grandpa. I'm sure I've talked about him before - he has Multiple Sclerosis and is wheelchair bound. Despite all that, he is probably one of the most easy-going, positive people you'll ever meet. He never complains, he gets up every morning and does that very BEST he can. What a perfect reminder of what it means to be thankful and gracious. Anyway, someone needs to stay with him at night, help get him up in the morning, and do things around the house so I was happy to spend some extra time with him! We love watching Jeopardy together -- I try to impress him with my useless knowledge so he knows my college education (that he helped subsidize) did not go to waste! 

So in addition to staying with my grandpa, I also had Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws and the whole family. There were so many good things to eat! My approach to Turkey Day was simple -- controlled enjoyment. I did not eat myself into oblivion but instead I allowed myself to have what I wanted in moderate portions. Green beans and brussell sprouts? Yes. Mashed potatoes. UHHHH do you know me? Turkey and MY homemade stuffing balls? Duh. BUT, I didn't feel gross or super full or like I have overeaten. Earlier in the day, I kept things light. I had my typical breakfast of eggs with onions and peppers (and cheese...its Thanksgiving!) which kept me full and happy. Overall, it was successful and I'm proud of myself for exercising moderation. 



Virtual Turkey Day 5K
If you remember correctly, I was signed up for a Thanksgiving Day 10K. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it downtown in time for the race because I was caring for my grandpa BUT I still got some miles in! To add insult to injury, I left my bib hanging on my fridge in Indy --  I'm pretty bummed I didn't plan ahead and messed it up. Oh well, I did my own turkey trot!  

Speaking of turkeys...this turkey took a nice tumble in the middle of her run. I tripped over some uneven sidewalk and went flying head first. Luckily I rolled midway through and veered left, scrapping up the left side of my body.  I'm such a little baby -- I cried and hobbled down the street and then I decided to finish up the darn run. Just 2 more miles and I would be fine! 



So now I want to hear about YOUR Turkey Day 5Ks.  If you participated in our challenge (with Ash from A Step in the Right Direction & Erin from She's a Big Star ) then don't forget to enter via the Rafflecopter below! In addition to documenting your run and tagging us on Instagram, you can get additional entries so go check it out!

Here are a list of the prizes...
One of the prizes is from Jasmine from Fleurty Bands. Go check out her shop and order some her her amazing headbands. Her business has exploded in the last year and she is amazing. She makes her products herself as well as being a mom, a school nurse, and girl trying to lose weight.


Another one of the prizes will be from Motivational Bottles! We all drink water and who doesn't want a fun bottle to house their water in.

The final prize is a package from the three of us! We have put together a nice little package for the winner.

Good Luck - Winner will be announced on Friday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway


Finally! Erin is hosting a holiday giveaway with a BUNCH of AWESOME bloggers. 

Here's a list of prizes that one lucky reader will win...

$10 Chipotle e-Gift Card from Erin @ She's a Big Star
$10 Target Card from Courtney @ From Here to Eternity
$10 Target eGiftCard from Ashlee @ Ash's Right Direction
$10 Target eGiftCard from Tia @ Hands On, Pants Off
BUXOM Mascara from Sephora from Laurie @ Stylin' Savanna
Stress, Energy & Sleep (travel-size) Lotions from B&BW from Erin @ Living a Love Song
$10 Starbucks Card from Jess @ Keeping up with The Casey's
$10 Starbucks Card from Janessa @ Running On Empty
$10 Starbucks Card from Heather @ Pretty Strong Medicine
Nail polish & Lip Gloss from Faith @ Finding Faith's Future
Earrings from Retrospection from Chastity @ A Cowboy Life
$10 Amazon Card from Steph @ Life According to Steph
$10 Starbucks Card from Stacy @ Dixie Bell Designs
$10 Brady Bands Gift Certificate from Sonya @ Healthy Sew
2 Fleurty Bands from Jasmine @ Fleurty & Fit
Leopard Print Scarf & Tech Gloves from Angela @ Mean Ang

The giveaway starts today and will run for one week. Then next week, we can't wait to fill up someone's mailbox with all of these goodies. Happy Holidays to YOU and good luck!

Weigh In Wednesday: November 26

Wednesday, November 26, 2014






The Hump Day Blog Hop



Just quickly posting the linkup - I have a Repro exam this morning at 8:00 am so time to do some last minute studying/cramming :)  Happy Wednesday! 

Don't forget tomorrow is THANKSGIVING and our Virtual 5K :)

Weighing In
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 199
This week: 197.6
Change: -1.4
Total Loss: -38.6

Weigh In Wednesday: Nov 19

Wednesday, November 19, 2014






The Hump Day Blog Hop


I'm just gonna get right to it today. I stayed exactly the same as last week.

Weighing In
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 199
This week: 199
Change: 0
Total Loss: -37.2

When I woke up and hopped on the scale this morning, I was feeling great. I felt that familiar soreness from working out the night before - which was a home workout using Dailyburn.com. In addition, I've been hitting my calorie/macro goals, even with a few treats here and there. But still, no movement.

Buns, Hips, & Thighs + Metabolic Hip Hop last night -- too cold to leave my house :/


I thought to myself, "but I was 197 yesterday!" How does hitting my calorie goal and burning an additional 500 calories or so equate to two pounds GAINED?  BOOM. There's my problem. Wake up, Heather! You are being ruled by the scale again. 

The whole point of WIW is for accountability and to keep track of my progress. It isn't to give myself a complex about the scale. There is no reason for me to weigh myself MULTIPLE times a day. I certainly don't want to go down that road again - restriction and binging, that is. I just want to focus on eating healthier and getting more movement into my day (not just workouts). 

I don't know what the BEST course of action is. I feel like if I don't weigh in, I'm losing my accountability. If I do weigh in, I constantly stress about it.  As someone who has a pretty crappy body image already, scale victories or defeat tend to infiltrate other areas of my life, too. 

I think it's time to take a step back and realize my whole goal here is to be HEALTHY and HAPPY, not reach a certain number.  Maybe by focusing on fueling my body and training with purpose, I will start to embrace those goals again. In addition to diet and exercise, I need to continue to focus on getting enough sleep, water, and quiet time. Unplug and unwind. 

Finally, I want to end with this quote that I found last night. I love it because I think we all have a tendency to compare ourselves to other people, maybe even get a little self-righteous if we are further along in our journey than others. 


What an excellent thought...the only person we need to be better than is who we were yesterday! Let's get out there and make it happen today!

Do you have a favorite quotes? 



Choosing My Fate and a Weekend of Rest

Monday, November 17, 2014

Just wanted to do a quick weekend update because I'm not ready to start studying again for my next course which is Reproductive and Genitourinary Systems. AKA MY LAST SYSTEM COURSE OF THE SEMESTER! Yipee! 

So on Friday I had my Endocrine final and well as an Endocrine group exam. Soon afterwards I had a group Simulation lab where we get to play with SIM man (like on Grey's Anatomy) and pretend to be a team of doctors (who don't know how to push meds or insert IVs...help, I need my nurses!)

. SIM man is pretty cool - he is hooked up to real monitors, you can infuse fluids and medications, pull up lab and imaging results, and more. His belly distends with air, he becomes diaphoretic (sweats), he can turn blue, and you can detect a pulse and hear heart/lung/bowel sounds! Pretty sweet - we even have a woman SIM person who can be pregnant and simulate delivering a baby.  

Even though the SIMs aren't really that accurate compared to "real life" (no nurses, techs, ancillary staff), it's still nice to practice going through the history/physical plus patient care plan in a more emergent, yet controlled situation. As you might remember, we also have one-on-one standardized patients that simulate more of a primary care atmosphere.

I was pleased at how well our team worked together -- we diagnosed and managed our patient appropriately! A couple of people I know had their SIM man code/die on them so it was a good feeling to know that we didn't lose ours!

The latest in studying chic

After a very long Friday, I was FREE!  No new material to study, no further obligations, just a free weekend!  We had tickets to the Pacers game through Nick's work so we rounded up a few friends and met downtown for some fun.

We had great seats! I'm not very interested in pro sports (I much prefer college basketball) but it was still fun to get out for the night.  Sadly, I feel that old granny Heather is starting to take over because I was very happy to get home, put on some pajama pants, and go to sleep when we got home. No going out and getting crazy for this girl!



On Saturday, we spent most of the day relaxing. By we, I mean me, because Nick has been studying hard for his upcoming licensing exams. I have to admit I took some enjoyment from not being the one locked away in our guest bedroom all day. I happily watched 6 weeks worth of Scandal that I was behind in and leisurely folded laundry. Magnificent.

Later in the day, I worked on a project for Emergency Medicine club with some of my fellow club officiers. We are making "busy blankets" to donate to local emergency rooms. Often when patients with dementia/confusion come in, they start fiddling with things - including pulling out their IVs and messing with their monitors. Busy blankets are a great way to focus their energy in an unfamiliar environment and also provide some much needed comfort.





These are a little more elaborate than what we were able to put together...still lots of activities and objects to fiddle with. I hope they will be useful!

Saturday night was a little date night. One thing I love about our little town is the cute little restuarants and shops on the main street in town. We went to a place we've been to before - most notably for brunch - but this time we went for a hearty dinner. We shared an appetizer & then Nick got a burger and I got a shrimp flatbread. Yummy!

My favorite part? A chocolate milk stout!  N and I both enjoy trying new craft beers -- I love how flavorful they can be. Nothing like that crappy college beer. With craft beers, you tend to savor the flavors more and one is just enough to enjoy with dinner.

  

Sunday was a pretty chill day as well. Nothing too exciting, just meal prepped a bit and got organized for my next exam for Intro to Clinical Medicine which is this Thursday. Then I'll have my first Repro exam the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and it will be time for another break.  After Thanksgiving is when the real "fun" starts -- TONS of practicals, exams, and the impending doom of constructing my board study plan!

One more thing! This Friday we get to participate in a lottery to choose our 3rd year clerkship rotation groups. I'm starting to think about how I want to organize my third year schedule. Basically we all have to do nearly the same rotations 3rd year - our CORE rotations- just at different hospitals.
These include:
2 months Family Medicine
2 months Internal Medicine
2 months of Emergency Medicine
1 month Pediatrics
1 month OB-Gyn
1 month Psych
1 month Ortho/Sports Medicine
1 month Radiology/Vacation
1 month Elective 

**1 month of FM or EM carries over to your fourth year, which ever you don't get to. For fourth year, we have a lot more control over our schedule - lots of electives and time for sub-internships.

I've heard a lot of different theories on how to create your schedule: start with specialties that you don't want first, start with family or internal med to get your feet wet, etc. For instance, I'm 90% sure I won't be entering a surgical specialty so I'd like to get it out of the way if possible. I want to save my Pediatrics/Emergency Medicine/OB-Gyn rotations for the middle of my 3rd year after I have a little more experience in the hospital.  I would also like to have a FM or IM rotation near the end of my 3rd year as a good review for boards. Ah so stressful!!!

Regardless of all the upcoming craziness, I'm happy to say I'm feeling rested and ready to conquer the last month of school!

Weigh In Wednesday November 12

Wednesday, November 12, 2014






The Hump Day Blog Hop
Holy crackers and soup....is this THREE posts in a row? Must be a new record. If you usually only stop by for WIW, please go check out my post about the Thanksgiving Virtual 5K - we would love to have as many people participate as possible! Anyone can do a 5K -- my grandma and my great aunt walk a 5K multiple times a week. As a child learning to crawl, I probably crawled a 5K...ok that's silly. My point is, this is very doable! And if you grab some friends or loved ones, it's sure to be a good time. Beats arguing over the TV remote, amirite?



Speaking of Thanksgiving...just received this in the mail a couple days ago - my bib for the Thanksgiving Day 10K. It was the perfect motivation I needed to get my training back on track (I haven't been running outside much....just whatever is part of my workouts). I feel like the treadmill really messes with my running so it's best for me to go outside. I hate being cold. Grrrr. I'm also tired of relying on my Nike app to calculate my mileage. I think it's time to invest in a Garmin watch (**hint hint Christmas**)  I no longer have unlimited data on my phone service so I worry that running is gonna send me over as well.

So weighing in...I expected to gain a little bit after the weekend home. There was wedding food & cake, family dinners, and not a lot of working out. I did catch up on a lot of sleep - like going to bed at 10:30 most nights and sleeping until 7:30 or 8. It was heavenly and much needed! Not worried...back to the grind!


Weighing In
Height: 5'8"
SW: 236.2
Last Week: 197.6
This week: 199
Change: +1.4
Total Loss: -37.2

Meal prepped for the week (first half of the week...) which is probably my FAVORITE meal ever. Green beans, potatoes, polska kielbasa (the good kind), and a very healthy serving of saurkraut which is not pictured. I think I could eat this most days and be happy.


For a treat this week, I made some chia protein pudding to satisfy my after dinner sweet tooth. 2 TBSPs of chia seeds, about 1.5 cup of plain coconut/almond milk, & 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder (I use Vega) = two servings of delicious! I let the chia seeds and milk soak overnight and then add the protein later.


I think I missed the pretty autumn scenery window...the leaves are mostly gone and the trees are bare...winter is right on the horizon. Go away, cold weather! We don't want you. 


Yesterday's weather was actually pretty balmy - I definitely had too many layers on. I busted out 4 very sluggish, unenthusiastic miles right before the rain started. Perfect timing.


After getting some studying it, I realized I wasn't getting tired enough to go to bed so I headed to the gym for a little WOD action - the Fallen 15 WOD in honor of Veteran's Day. I definitely modified some of the moves - I'm not comfortable doing a "power snatch" yet (LOL) so I did a clean and press. I attempted handstand push ups and then switched to regular ones :) It was a great workout! Not on my Becoming Extradordinary program - honestly I'm getting bored with it and can't wait to start a new week. For about 4 weeks its been the SAME moves...not a fan. I need lots of variety or I do this and deviate. Boo.


Time for me to run...two exams on Friday so I need to hit the studying grind hard. Can't wait for the weekend!