A great lesson learned - and some great coaching from Amy

On Monday I talked to a friend (Chris) who was in town from Philly & we decided to grab drinks on Tuesday after work. With that news I had to form a plan for Tuesday (Small Lesson - be prepared). My plan was to get up before work and do Yoga and then do a late afternoon workout prior to dinner. I added this extra workout session to compensate for the planned wine. IMPORTANT LESSON - To email / communicate this plan to my coach. Therefore I wouldn't skip the morning yoga because I knew she would ask me about it. And the next morning when I got up I was sore and tired from the day before but I did a 30 minute restorative yoga video and it was great. For my afternoon workout I went to the gym with a friend (another Amy) and we walked on the treadmill doing incline intervals for 50+ minutes.

At the office I asked Chris what he wanted for dinner and one suggestion was Twin Anchors. A GREAT rid joint in Chicago. But I said no - because wine was going to be my vice for the night. This inspiration came from a great email I got from Amy (my coach):

Are you and Chris eating, or just meeting for a drink? If eating, I
would remind yourself that the drinks are the splurge, so you should avoid
the bread basket, dessert tray, fried appetizers, etc. I think that is the
downfall of most people. When they eat out, they don’t pick the one thing
that’s important to them (drinks, in this case) and splurge on anything and
everything.

Chris & I decided on Sushi and we had a very healthy meal (mostly pieces with a raw appetizer, split 2 rolls, edamame, no rice). We split a bottle of wine. And I will tell you I was really tempted to have another drink. But again I told Amy that I would have 2 and I had to stick to that plan. And even better she texted during dinner to say she hoped I was having fun and encouraged me to make good decisions. Overall Tuesday was a HUGE success and I am so happy that I had Amy supporting me. On to the next day.

Coach Pound1: Amy W.

I want to post a little some about each person who is coaching me through a pound!

Pound 1: Amy
Amy & I met at Accenture and have known each other for a couple of years. We worked very closely on a deal in Vancouver for a couple of months. Amy traveled weekly from Dallas and I from Chicago. Some of our favorite moments on this project included Sushi dinners, a weekend trip up to Whistler, the Veggie Sandwich at the airport, getting assigned the Westin Workout rooms, and enjoying the other food & drinks available in Vancouver. But overall Amy & I just have fun hanging out (plus she is a great co-worker).

I knew Amy would good for this challenge because she herself is very healthy. Amy is often known to work out 2x a day which isn't always for me. But when we worked together she definitely always pushed me to get in a workout, even if it was short, after work and before dinner. She also is a prime example of moderation in enjoying the finer things but not too much.

I'm excited to have her share some of her secrets & encouragement to her healthy lifestyle. Thanks Amy!

Not Perfect

This morning the scale showed I lost a couple pounds this week - and I realize that this isn't going to be a perfect 1 pound 1 friend.... because of water weight it appears pounds may flucuate a bit. So I will have to be a bit flexible but I am still a believer on how this is going to work.

So right now I will draw my first friend and tomorrow I will weigh myself. They will coach me through 1 pound. I have listed friends 1-23 based on when they responded to the email (below). Using http://www.random.org/ here we go.... The lucky winner was #1. Amy Welborn


1 Amy Welborn
2 Kara Harmon
3 Holly Masters
4 Julie Chamberlain
5 Bridget Swan
6 Becky Utz
7 Kim Giannini
8 Leslie Wehrs
9 Andrea Gillum
10 Shannon Fitzgerald
11 Lauren McIver
12 Natasha Cambpell
13 Jayme
14 Laura Chubb
15 Emily Fadden
16 Erika Roberts
17 Jen Cole
18 Kristin Stobe
19 Cari Lyons
20 Erica Badke
21 Lee Ann Shoker
22 Emily Elloitt
23 Clare Schueren

Day 2 Email

Thank you everyone for the outpouring of support.  I will be drawing a name shortly!  This week I have successfully lost 0.6 pounds (and I was traveling to Kansas City).  So hopefully by Monday one of you will be my #1 draw to help me move forward.  I have heard from 19 of you and am excited to get started.  Today I have a facial – as a treat to my first pound.  A little premature but also an excuse to enjoy a Friday night without drinking.

The Email

Below is the email I sent out to start this journey - No Turning Back Now!

As some of my closest friends – and more appropriately those who I can be myself around and not be embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. I need help! As you may remember over a year ago I had my annual doctor’s visit and learned I had slightly high blood pressure & slightly high cholesterol. And I nipped that in the bud and got back into shape while participating in a run for the American Heart Association. In the last year I have let my weight creep back up through stupidity (travel, work, vacations, bars, etc.). So I plan to make my own dollar contribution to AHA in honor of my commitment to get healthy but I need help.

So here is my plan… that includes all of you!
Each of you represent one pound. That is all. When I start I will randomly pick one person who will coach me through one pound. After I lose that pound I will pick a new person (randomly) to coach me through the next pound. And so forth until I lose the weight (and regain the health).

I thought of some examples of coaching:
• Text messages, emails, phone calls to remind me to eat healthy during the day.
• Encouragement to only drink 1 glass of wine at night and not a bottle.
• Tell me a favorite exercise to do or class to take.
• Call me at 6am and make me get up and walk
• Send me a favorite healthy receipt.
• Join me – and lose a pound with me.
• Share a favorite exercise tip.
• Ask for my food journal each day.
• Ask me for my pedometer count to be greater than 10,000 a day.

The healthy way to lose weight is to lose 1 -2 pounds per week. So you would be committing only a little bit of time.

Think about it and let me know. I weighed myself Monday before departing for Kansas City and the first pound is for me. So I anticipate starting this crazy coaching adventure in a couple days. I will only include you when requested and if I draw your name and it is a BAD time then just say so and I’ll switch you out. I know you all have your own lives and I want to make this fun for both of us. I think it wil also be a great way to reconnect with some old friends for a couple days too!!!!

Love,
Kristin
Thanks Erica B for getting this idea spurred in my head today at Yoga!