I had really planned to write this blog yesterday but it seems that my husband decided this week to make me and the house come undone by re-arranging the study...which meant no internet for a while and things are a big old miss around here...more than usual. He tends to do these things without really consulting me...like if it is a good time to destroy the house...
So if you read my previous blog, "Come Undone" all the way to the end you know that I achieved 2 goals this week:
I'm under 200 pounds
and
My weight loss total is now at 100 pounds
And here is another awesome thing...I watched "The Biggest Loser" this week and I am thrilled to say that for the first time in like, forever, I weigh less than any of the contestants!!!!
Now all of that should be rather horrifying to most of you...because the fact that I am just now under 200 pounds after losing 100 shows you just how fat I was. Depressing, really...
I mean, I don't have a friend among you that needs to lose anywhere near that much weight.
And even more depressing...I didn't need to be at such a sad state like the one I was in. I should have gotten hold of myself LONG before that scale was almost at the 300 mark. I should have fixed it before 250...before 200...
But you see, it really gets easier to NOT do it the heavier you are. You figure that you are so far gone what is a little more. And then you basically give up.
Losing weight and getting fit is hard. And I think that goes for whether you have 5 pounds or 50 or 150 to lose. Because lazy is EASIER. And losing 5 pounds at 298 is so much easier than losing 5 pounds when you weigh 130...so it is all relative. You have to change things about yourself that aren't always easy to do.
You might have to:
1) adjust your schedule so you can exercise
2) cook more
3) grocery shop more
4) cut out junk food
5) spend more $ on meals (because lean protein is more $$$)
6) pack a lunch
7) get up earlier
8) skip the chips and salsa
9) sweat
But look at it THIS way:
1) you make time for yourself...because you deserve it! So if you need to take an hour to go to the gym, or find someone to pick up your kids so you can attend a class or bootcamp, aren't you worth it?
2)ok, cooking more isn't always fun but it will save you money over going out to eat or buying processed food. In the long run it is in investment in yourself and your wallet because you aren't paying for someone else to do the work...AND you get control of every ingredient (and how much oil and salt) is in your food. Read my "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog for some tips on saving time in the kitchen and good recipes.
3)grocery shopping more can be a positive because you will be putting healthier food into your body (instead of eating out) and pushing that cart burns calories...so does lugging it into the house and putting it away.
4)no one needs to eat junk food...this one is easy...and yes, I do love me some Lays Potato chips but they leave me feeling bloated, greasy and full of salt...now I like to munch on veggies and fruit or healthy crackers (and before the divirticulitis, I ate nuts). No one EVER needs to eat a Twinkie...
5)lean protein will cost more to eat than the cheap stuff...so yes, salmon will cost you more than a chicken nugget but you get so many benefits from the GOOD foods you put in your body...on the other hand, chicken and turkey are CHEAP so you can go pretty far with them. The "Hungry" blog will give you more information on how to incorporate some good lean protein in a yummy way...
6)packing a lunch saves you money and calories...so if you work, plan for it and you will be better off in the long run...or go to Fit Food and bring that. The "Hungry" blog will give tips on great things to pack for lunch that will make you the envy of your co-workers...
7)getting up earlier to exercise IS a pain in the neck, and I HATE to do it, especially this "run/walk 30 minutes before eating" business Dimples has me doing...but it is working so I just drag my butt out of bed and do it...and I try to go to bed earlier...David Letterman isn't all that interesting anyway...
8)chips and salsa can equal almost as many calories as your dinner in a Mexican food place. It's not the salsa...it's the fried chips. Some places serve baked (just ask) or skip it...it won't hurt you...and tell them to just not bring the chips and you won't be tempted.
9)Sweat is beautiful. Jay-Vee and I are going to make t-shirts that say that. I'll let you know when we take orders. Sweat says you are working hard. I sweat buckets when I workout (poor Dimples...thank goodness he can handle it)...if you aren't breaking a sweat, you aren't trying...
Right there are some of the things that have helped me lose weight...I got over being grossed out by sweating buckets, I cook more, I have found a way to love salmon, I put myself as a priority in my life.
Today I got up at 6:30 and went for a run/walk and then followed that with Body Pump for an hour and an hour of spinning (thank goodness for the Amazing Katherine cheerleading me through all 7 minutes of "Money for Nothing" or I might have passed out on the bike!). I tried to do mat Pilates for a bit but I am still having trouble finding my love for it---but I'm not giving up! And since J'taime Jamie teaches it, I will keep trying it. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning and I burned over 800 calories doing it.
I've become rather notorious at the gym as the formerly really fat chick...and that is ok...a few women have told me that I have inspired them...that is ok too...because they will go on and inspire someone else! I'm just paying it forward.
The sad thing is that we are getting ready to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge of our own and I so could have totally OWNED that contest...I would have been a big-time winner...
But you know what? That's ok that I have done the bulk of my loss before the challenge...it will motivate me to work even harder AND maybe what I have done will inspire someone who is as big as I was to realize that THEY can do it too...and THAT will make me a winner---if I get just one fat chick or guy to realize that she/he can lose 100 pounds without pills or surgery too.
Dimples wants me to take some photos as I progress. I told him I TAKE photos, not model for them...but he says it will motivate me and show me how positively I have progressed. I'll do it for him...but not because I want to. I might make Coach Cuteness take the photos for me so at least I have a shot at looking decent...Dimples wants me in gym clothes (really? now you KNOW how much I love him if I will do that) and Cuteness will have to be sure that he gets me at my best angle (which is me NOT being in the photo). I am a notoriously bad subject in pictures...I just don't photograph well...
Right now I have to say that it has been hard to do this but not as hard as I thought it would be. I've had a lot of help and support along the way. I still have some more weight to lose but I feel like someone who is looking at a road map and I see where I left from and I see my destination---my destination is getting closer and I am enjoying all the sights along the way...I'm in no hurry to rush by everything...slow and steady will get me there just the same.
It took me 10 months to lose the 100 pounds. Not bad...not bad at all...
So thank you friends, thank you Dimples, thank you JayVee, thank you J'taime Julie, thank you Fitness Goddess, thank you Spinderella, and thank you Fit Foods.
If you haven't read the "Hungry Like a Wolf" blog, read it for tips on what to cook and how I eat...just posted it.
Now if I can just get Oprah to read this blog and invite me on her show and give me the Vera Wang gown...I will be notorious for sure!
Inspiration Song: "Notorious" by Duran Duran. Because I am a bit notorious for being a loud mouth...
Bye Darlings...read the Hungry Like a Wolf blog if you haven't already...
Showing posts with label Fit Foods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fit Foods. Show all posts
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Days Go By
Goodbye 2010...Hello 2011!
Another year has gone but for me it has been a huge year of change...change for the better!
The days have flown by...
As I look back on the year, I have some very good memories that I will carry with me into the new year...
Last New Year's started off as I will this new year---celebrating with a quiet evening with some dear friends. Once upon a time I enjoyed a big spalshy party but now I prefer staying in the neighborhood and spending the evening having wine and dinner with people I truly love...and tonight I will get to do that, with the same people I did it with last year. THAT is a good thing...
Last February I saw my very beautiful daughter, Ke$ha Barbie, as a real grown-up girl as she took my breath away when she went to her Cotillion. She looked beautiful...
March changed my life. I went up those stairs with Precious and Adorable History teacher and realized that there was no good reason for me to spend my life getting winded as I walk up some stairs. When he asked me if I was ok, I knew that even though at that moment I wasn't...I would be...
March also brought me back to the gym...by the end of March I had decided that I needed to add exercise into the mix and so I stepped on the elliptical and pushed "go"...
In April I returned to my true love---spin class! Spinderella taught classes that reminded me that sweating on a bike was how I liked to do cardio. April also was when my son's class had Greek Festival and I had a blast helping Precious do it. The kids had fun and Precious and I survived...and I had more energy to do it since I had been working out for almost 6 weeks by then. And April is when I discovered "My Fit Foods" and I'm not tired of it yet...I love their food!
In May we presented Cinderella...and the lovely girl who was "Cinderella" in her beautiful blue gown took my breath away. Having to tell her I found a better dress than she did almost killed me because I hate making a 14 year old cry, but when a small child in the audience screamed out "Look! It's Cinderella!!!!" I burst into tears...it was a good, no make that GREAT show!
In June I stared this blog...what a difference it has made to me to be able to share my thoughts, frustrations, feelings, highs, lows, triumphs, tragedies, ups and downs, and ideas with you all. Thank you, V, for getting me to do this!
In June I also had a blast helping GOTT and TTG do a summer drama camp and I met Fitness Goddess at the gym and she showed me how to use the weight machines for a good workout. I missed The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) while he was at camp but stayed busy with our camp, working out, and having fun in my pool. Oh, and it was Jane's birthday...Jane (you know, the best person in the world?!?!)...we had a blast...she has great friends to have fun with!
July---celebrating GOTT's birthday was a high point. Once again I was reminded that I absolutely cannot bowl to save my life. And once again I was reminded that GOTT can do anything...
I also got to share TCBITW's joy that he won a big award at camp and I was overjoyed to pick him up and see his adorable face again. July also brought a big goal to fruition...50 pounds lost. I also was hit with an attack of diverticulitis (ok, that is NOT a memory I will treasure). It's a lot easier to say "no" to movie theater popcorn (with all of it's fat and calories) since I know I could get very sick from it!
I also got to see the worlds best Sister-in-law and the cutest niece and nephew ever in July. I love my SIL...she is beautiful, sweet, and a great mommy. And I got to see my Aunt Gayle and my cousins...family is a treasure...
August...ah, August...school started again, football started again and I was down over 60 pounds. It was hot but I didn't mind. I loved having Precious walk right by me and then realizing it was ME because he didn't recognize me with the weight loss. And he wasn't the only teacher at the school that did that. LOVE THAT...I don't mind not being recognized because I look so much better!!!!! I also had a great time celebrating GOTESS' birthday and NOT singing karaoke with the rest of the musical theater people. I can't bowl, I can't sing...next year GOTT and GOTTESS need to have parties I am not a "fail" at!
September...it's almost a blur because it feels like all I did was photograph football games. I gifted myself with my new camera that month and Coach Sweetness has had his hands full trying to teach me how to use it properly. Oh, but I got another good gift in September---Coach Dimples! I started running his life (football-wise) at that point when I walked over and told him to quit moving the boys' backpacks and to go coach my son. I reminded him of that moment yesterday and he laughed and said he was glad I did it and barged into his life screaming and waving my arms at him to "Stop! Because I have minions to do that!". I'm glad I did it too...because now I have him helping me and he is EXCELLENT at it.
October---more football, Ke$ha Barbie's other Cotillion (and the supershort dress), and GOTT, TTG, me and the kids gave our audiences a great "Seussical" show. GOTT's Halloween party was a blast and I learned that maybe risking my blonde locks for one night of black hair was not a gamble I want to take again.
November brought another birthday for me...and I was glad to welcome it as a healthier and lighter person. TCBITW's football team went undefeated! I also started working out with Dimples because football season was over. I didn't want to start training with him until football was over because I needed him to love me as a team mom until then...and I needed to love him as a Coach...now I love him because I love him (he is a really good guy)...and because he is helping me to reshape my body and taking me to a new level of fitness. Oh, and I discovered my new obsession---Tasti D-Lite for a healthy treat that helps feed my need for something sweet. If you haven't gone yet, go and try it...try the peppermint sundae...yummy!
And now December is coming to a close. We had a nice quiet Christmas, I cooked a perfect turkey, I've worked out like mad and the scale hasn't moved but clothes are looser so I am letting it go as far as my frustration with the scale. My family is happy and healthy and I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.
It's been a year of many changes.
I drink more wine but gave up fries and cookies.
I've logged about 5000 minutes on the spin bike...yes, I did break out the calculator to try and figure it out and 5000 is just about right. That is 83.333 hours...
I've spent about 10,000 minutes doing other cardio...166.67 hours...about 4.5 per week...yes, that is about right...5 hours per week at cardio and another 1-2 hours at spin...I rarely take a day off. OCD, I know...and I am lumping my training time in there too...Basically I work out for at least an hour every day but some days I do 2 hours...again, it is the OCD...
And no, Oprah has not called to tell me she is featuring me on her show and getting Vera Wang to make me a dress...yet...
In the past I have found myself making resolutions on New Year's Eve that I know I won't keep. This year I will make ones I can keep...because I know what I CAN do. I'm not going to promise myself a dress size, but I will resolve to continue to be fit and healthy. I'm going to help others as I help myself. I'm going to de-clutter my house. I'm going to think about getting a teaching certificate (notice I said "think about" it because I need to see if I can do it...but I do resolve to give it thorough research and thought). I'm going to put up a Christmas tree next year and decorate my house for the holidays. I'm going to cook another perfect turkey. I'm going to get to the point of being able to burn 400 calories in a session with Dimples (it's harder than you think). I'm going to be able to run over a mile...maybe 2...
And at some point I am going to put on my Mama's dress and wear it to a party. And I know she will be proud of me...and I will be proud of me too...
I might just wear her charm bracelet too...and as it jangles on my wrist, it will be music...
Inspiration Song: "Days Go By" by that country hunk Keith Urban. Oooh la la...Nicole Kidman is a lucky girl...
Chorus...take these words to heart:
Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by
Happy New Year, Darlings! Look ahead to 2011...how can you change your life for the better? And how can you change someone else's?
Another year has gone but for me it has been a huge year of change...change for the better!
The days have flown by...
As I look back on the year, I have some very good memories that I will carry with me into the new year...
Last New Year's started off as I will this new year---celebrating with a quiet evening with some dear friends. Once upon a time I enjoyed a big spalshy party but now I prefer staying in the neighborhood and spending the evening having wine and dinner with people I truly love...and tonight I will get to do that, with the same people I did it with last year. THAT is a good thing...
Last February I saw my very beautiful daughter, Ke$ha Barbie, as a real grown-up girl as she took my breath away when she went to her Cotillion. She looked beautiful...
March changed my life. I went up those stairs with Precious and Adorable History teacher and realized that there was no good reason for me to spend my life getting winded as I walk up some stairs. When he asked me if I was ok, I knew that even though at that moment I wasn't...I would be...
March also brought me back to the gym...by the end of March I had decided that I needed to add exercise into the mix and so I stepped on the elliptical and pushed "go"...
In April I returned to my true love---spin class! Spinderella taught classes that reminded me that sweating on a bike was how I liked to do cardio. April also was when my son's class had Greek Festival and I had a blast helping Precious do it. The kids had fun and Precious and I survived...and I had more energy to do it since I had been working out for almost 6 weeks by then. And April is when I discovered "My Fit Foods" and I'm not tired of it yet...I love their food!
In May we presented Cinderella...and the lovely girl who was "Cinderella" in her beautiful blue gown took my breath away. Having to tell her I found a better dress than she did almost killed me because I hate making a 14 year old cry, but when a small child in the audience screamed out "Look! It's Cinderella!!!!" I burst into tears...it was a good, no make that GREAT show!
In June I stared this blog...what a difference it has made to me to be able to share my thoughts, frustrations, feelings, highs, lows, triumphs, tragedies, ups and downs, and ideas with you all. Thank you, V, for getting me to do this!
In June I also had a blast helping GOTT and TTG do a summer drama camp and I met Fitness Goddess at the gym and she showed me how to use the weight machines for a good workout. I missed The Cutest Boy in the World (TCBITW) while he was at camp but stayed busy with our camp, working out, and having fun in my pool. Oh, and it was Jane's birthday...Jane (you know, the best person in the world?!?!)...we had a blast...she has great friends to have fun with!
July---celebrating GOTT's birthday was a high point. Once again I was reminded that I absolutely cannot bowl to save my life. And once again I was reminded that GOTT can do anything...
I also got to share TCBITW's joy that he won a big award at camp and I was overjoyed to pick him up and see his adorable face again. July also brought a big goal to fruition...50 pounds lost. I also was hit with an attack of diverticulitis (ok, that is NOT a memory I will treasure). It's a lot easier to say "no" to movie theater popcorn (with all of it's fat and calories) since I know I could get very sick from it!
I also got to see the worlds best Sister-in-law and the cutest niece and nephew ever in July. I love my SIL...she is beautiful, sweet, and a great mommy. And I got to see my Aunt Gayle and my cousins...family is a treasure...
August...ah, August...school started again, football started again and I was down over 60 pounds. It was hot but I didn't mind. I loved having Precious walk right by me and then realizing it was ME because he didn't recognize me with the weight loss. And he wasn't the only teacher at the school that did that. LOVE THAT...I don't mind not being recognized because I look so much better!!!!! I also had a great time celebrating GOTESS' birthday and NOT singing karaoke with the rest of the musical theater people. I can't bowl, I can't sing...next year GOTT and GOTTESS need to have parties I am not a "fail" at!
September...it's almost a blur because it feels like all I did was photograph football games. I gifted myself with my new camera that month and Coach Sweetness has had his hands full trying to teach me how to use it properly. Oh, but I got another good gift in September---Coach Dimples! I started running his life (football-wise) at that point when I walked over and told him to quit moving the boys' backpacks and to go coach my son. I reminded him of that moment yesterday and he laughed and said he was glad I did it and barged into his life screaming and waving my arms at him to "Stop! Because I have minions to do that!". I'm glad I did it too...because now I have him helping me and he is EXCELLENT at it.
October---more football, Ke$ha Barbie's other Cotillion (and the supershort dress), and GOTT, TTG, me and the kids gave our audiences a great "Seussical" show. GOTT's Halloween party was a blast and I learned that maybe risking my blonde locks for one night of black hair was not a gamble I want to take again.
November brought another birthday for me...and I was glad to welcome it as a healthier and lighter person. TCBITW's football team went undefeated! I also started working out with Dimples because football season was over. I didn't want to start training with him until football was over because I needed him to love me as a team mom until then...and I needed to love him as a Coach...now I love him because I love him (he is a really good guy)...and because he is helping me to reshape my body and taking me to a new level of fitness. Oh, and I discovered my new obsession---Tasti D-Lite for a healthy treat that helps feed my need for something sweet. If you haven't gone yet, go and try it...try the peppermint sundae...yummy!
And now December is coming to a close. We had a nice quiet Christmas, I cooked a perfect turkey, I've worked out like mad and the scale hasn't moved but clothes are looser so I am letting it go as far as my frustration with the scale. My family is happy and healthy and I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life.
It's been a year of many changes.
I drink more wine but gave up fries and cookies.
I've logged about 5000 minutes on the spin bike...yes, I did break out the calculator to try and figure it out and 5000 is just about right. That is 83.333 hours...
I've spent about 10,000 minutes doing other cardio...166.67 hours...about 4.5 per week...yes, that is about right...5 hours per week at cardio and another 1-2 hours at spin...I rarely take a day off. OCD, I know...and I am lumping my training time in there too...Basically I work out for at least an hour every day but some days I do 2 hours...again, it is the OCD...
And no, Oprah has not called to tell me she is featuring me on her show and getting Vera Wang to make me a dress...yet...
In the past I have found myself making resolutions on New Year's Eve that I know I won't keep. This year I will make ones I can keep...because I know what I CAN do. I'm not going to promise myself a dress size, but I will resolve to continue to be fit and healthy. I'm going to help others as I help myself. I'm going to de-clutter my house. I'm going to think about getting a teaching certificate (notice I said "think about" it because I need to see if I can do it...but I do resolve to give it thorough research and thought). I'm going to put up a Christmas tree next year and decorate my house for the holidays. I'm going to cook another perfect turkey. I'm going to get to the point of being able to burn 400 calories in a session with Dimples (it's harder than you think). I'm going to be able to run over a mile...maybe 2...
And at some point I am going to put on my Mama's dress and wear it to a party. And I know she will be proud of me...and I will be proud of me too...
I might just wear her charm bracelet too...and as it jangles on my wrist, it will be music...
Inspiration Song: "Days Go By" by that country hunk Keith Urban. Oooh la la...Nicole Kidman is a lucky girl...
Chorus...take these words to heart:
Days go by
I can feel 'em flying
Like a hand out the window in the wind the cars go by
It's all we've been given
So you better start livin' right now
'Cause days go by
Happy New Year, Darlings! Look ahead to 2011...how can you change your life for the better? And how can you change someone else's?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Ready to Start
So the comments I got on my last blog have inspired this one...
This is where I am going to go all Ann Landers and Dear Abby on you and give advice.
Not that I am an expert...because I am not...but I think a lot of people don't want to always ask an expert about something but would rather ask a friend...
things like:
"How did you get started on your diet?"
"What do you eat? How much do you eat?"
"What do you think has been a bigger factor---diet or exercise?"
"what do you do at the gym"
"where did you find that adorable dress?"
"what is your favorite Fit Food?"
"Mrs. D, where is my costume?" (whoops...that just slipped in...hear it all the time)
all of those questions, and more, will be answered in this episode of "As the Shrinking Violet Blog Turns Young and Restless and Bold and Beautiful" (I am a CBS soap fan).
You need experts for things like the following questions:
"how do you do a Venetian plaster effect on a wall?"
"how do you find "x" when y=mx+B?" (some of you can do that...I can't remember how)
"how do you sou vide something?" (I watch Top Chef so I know what it means, but not how to do it)
"if the other team runs a shotgun offense, what defense do we run?"
I am an expert in NOTHING.
But here are my qualifications to give advice on this weight loss stuff:
I have gained and lost enough weight to have made several clone versions of myself
I have tried every fad diet and even phen-fen
I hate going to the gym as much as any of you
I have a closet full of clothes that I want to wear and a closet full of clothes I never want to wear again
I am a prima ballerina, in my bathroom, when no one is looking...
OK, I threw in the last one for fun...but I do dance in my bathroom when no one is looking...
Last time I told you about "the incident"...the one on the stairs where I think Precious and Adorable History teacher thought he might have to go find the school nurse to save me. That is what got me going on this journey.
So that sparked it...but how did I start...
First, you have to be ready to start. After the incident on the stairs, I knew I WAS ready to start...to start losing, to start to get in shape, to start wearing cute things again, to start going up stairs without needing an oxygen tank.
For me the gym was THE MOST INTIMIDATING PLACE IN THE WORLD. So I started with my diet. Basically if it was fried, had sugar, had cheese, had a lot of butter, or had bacon in it, I had to NOT eat it...basically it felt to me like "if it tastes good, spit it out".
I did not quit wine. A girl has to have something to look forward to and I regularly look forward to shiraz, gigondas, merlot, chardonnay, savignon blanc, pinot grigio, pinot noir, malbec, granache, etc. etc. etc.
Then I discovered My Fit Foods. Well, that was a "no-brainer"...fresh food that was portion controlled and tasted good. Sign me up! I have lived on Fit Food breakfasts since March (breakfast tacos...that is what I like) and eat Fit Food for lunch at least 4 meals a week. Right now my current addiction is the "Give me more chicken salad"...I literally crave it.
Fit Foods encouraged me to eat 3 healthy meals a day with 2 snacks...so that is what I do. For snacks I eat:
Fage Yogurt (any flavor)
Oatmega Bars (any flavor)
fruit
Fit Food black beans
Fit Food ginger chicken
breakfast taco
Special K crackers
Fat Free Feta
edamame
lowfat cottage cheese
cilantro shrimp from Costco
Skinny Cow Dulce de Leche ice cream (sooooooo good)
I drink a lot of water. Sometimes I add Crystal Light.
I drink a "liver cleanse" every morning. It tastes sooo bitter but I swear it works. Most of the fat you eat is processed through the liver. This liver cleanse combination is the way I start my day...every day...and I really think it makes a difference.
Combine the following in a glass...I use a wine glass for irony...
4 ounces pure unsweetened cranberry juice (Knudson's...see note below)
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1 tablespoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 ounce liquid B12 (optional)
1 ounce liquid glucosomine (optional)
you can dilute it with up to 8 ounces of water...but I drink it straight.
You can get the juice at Fit Foods or Whole Foods or a health food store. You want the real, pure stuff...not Ocean Spray!
I started doing this juice cleanse after I had my divirticulitis episode and had to take massive dossages of antibiotics.
Once I got the diet going I hit the gym.
Let me tell you, the first day I walked in and faced the elliptical machine I was afraid the EMS was going to have to come. I didn't start working out until I had lost about 10 pounds (which was not much considering how much I have/had to lose).
I climbed on the Precor elliptical and...
I did an hour...
And the EMS did not have to come!
I know that an hour seems excessive but I have a little OCD in me that makes me sort of crazy-commit to things when I decide I have to do something.
I forced myself to go back the next day and the next day and the next day...and so on...
I didn't take a break for almost a month.
Excessive, I know...
I even had a few days where I did more than an hour of cardio. The first time I did an hour and a half I threw up.
After a while I added spinning to the mix.
Spinning is my favorite form of cardio. I would spin every day if there was a class I could take. I schedule meetings around my spin classes. I actually cancelled an entire year's worth of scheduled committee meetings and rescheduled them to another day because the club gave J'taime Jamie (finally gave her a name) a spin class.
I. am. obsessed.
If you have never given spin a try, and you can find a class...DO IT! It is so fun. Don't be scared...you are in control. You are in charge of how much tension is on your bike. And if you don't want to be "up", stay in the saddle. A good instructor will not be bothered if you modify.
And don't use bad knees as an excuse...I have had 2 meniscus surgeries...
But an instructor can make or break a class for you. A good instructor will keep the pace balanced and play good music. If you watch a class and see that they are out of the saddle and going crazy on the bike the whole time, find a different class and instructor.
Sometimes I give myself a spin class on Sundays when the club doesn't have any group exercise classes. I just pull a bike into a room and hit a playlist on my iPod and go. I use the same playlist for the arc trainer and elliptical.
Here is some of my playlist...it is a funky combination...
"Tell Em"---Sleigh Bells
"ghost inside"---Broken Bells
"Waiting for You"---Seal
"King of Anything"---Sara Barielles
"Where You Goin Now?"---Damn Yankees
"A Dios Le Pido"---Juanes
"Help I'm Alive"---Metric
"Sooner or Later"---English Beat
"I'm Still Standing"---Elton John
"Stupid Girl"---Garbage
"Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"---Sting (from his Symphonicities albumn)
Strange mix, but it works...sometimes I throw in a Glee mix, sometimes I add in things like Nine Inch Nails...depends on my mood...
Find some music to get you moving...that's all you need...get moving!
I started doing weight training about 2 months after "the stairs" incident. I started working with a trainer and once I got comfortable with what she wanted me to do I felt I could do it on my own. But I have to confess, I don't like it very much and I do better if I have Fitness Goddess standing over me yelling. I told Coach Dimples today that I might start working out with him but only after football season is over---I don't want to be yelling at the man who is in charge of my son on the football field. I need to love him right now and I know I won't love him when me makes me do squats, lunges, and push-ups. But the reason I am considering him is that I think he can take me to another level and I can seperate that training time with him from what I do at my club. He doesn't work at my club but has his own business so I can have him punish me away from my friends. But right now I just want him to keep coaching my son and thinking I'm a nice, helpful mommy who takes lots of great football pictures. Like I said, I can hate him later...but not his dimples...can't hate those dimples...
Since I am not very disciplined with the weights I decided to try Body Pump. Body Pump is available at a lot of clubs so if your club offers Les Mills classes (Body Pump is a Les Mills class), give it a try. It is a weights workout to music. It is fun and it gives you a total body workout in a little over an hour and I like having music to keep me going. I am now addicted to Body Pump. I often do a cardio workout in the morning and then go back to the club in the evening for Body Pump.
Yes, I do two-a-days...
I told Coach Dimples I did that...his response was "wow, you do that every day?" (He started backing away from me like I was crazy)...I said "no, just 3 days a week"...and that is when he asked me what I did in the class and when I told him and asked if it was good, I got the dimples (a smile)...and then he told me to be sure I always took a day off in between my weight workouts (I do) to let my body recover...
So there you have it...my diet and exercise plan that has let me lose 74 pounds since March.
What is the most important component? I think they are ALL important.
Just dieting helped start me off but it was the exercise that made it start to melt away. My husband walks every morning but doesn't watch his diet (and he should...he is very overweight too) but he hasn't lost any weight...why?...because he will walk and then eat a plate of enchiladas.
That works when you are at your goal weight...
but not when you need to lose 100 pounds...or even 10 pounds...
And the weight training is helping to sculpt me as well as helping to burn additional calories and fat.
So maybe you don't need to lose anything...but maybe you just want to do something different...or maybe you want to just feel better and tone up...or maybe, you want to lose the weight of a 5th grade child that you are carrying around on your body...or maybe you want to get your legs in shape for ski season...
or maybe you want to learn a new skill? or maybe try a class? or maybe go back to school? or maybe go back to work?
it can be anything...anything to improve your life...change your life...
are you ready to start?
All it takes is deciding to do it...
that's all...just say "yes, I am ready' and go...
no excuses...just do it...
Inspiration music:
"Ready to Start" by Arcade Fire...on my playlist...gets me warmed up every day...
bye darlings!
This is where I am going to go all Ann Landers and Dear Abby on you and give advice.
Not that I am an expert...because I am not...but I think a lot of people don't want to always ask an expert about something but would rather ask a friend...
things like:
"How did you get started on your diet?"
"What do you eat? How much do you eat?"
"What do you think has been a bigger factor---diet or exercise?"
"what do you do at the gym"
"where did you find that adorable dress?"
"what is your favorite Fit Food?"
"Mrs. D, where is my costume?" (whoops...that just slipped in...hear it all the time)
all of those questions, and more, will be answered in this episode of "As the Shrinking Violet Blog Turns Young and Restless and Bold and Beautiful" (I am a CBS soap fan).
You need experts for things like the following questions:
"how do you do a Venetian plaster effect on a wall?"
"how do you find "x" when y=mx+B?" (some of you can do that...I can't remember how)
"how do you sou vide something?" (I watch Top Chef so I know what it means, but not how to do it)
"if the other team runs a shotgun offense, what defense do we run?"
I am an expert in NOTHING.
But here are my qualifications to give advice on this weight loss stuff:
I have gained and lost enough weight to have made several clone versions of myself
I have tried every fad diet and even phen-fen
I hate going to the gym as much as any of you
I have a closet full of clothes that I want to wear and a closet full of clothes I never want to wear again
I am a prima ballerina, in my bathroom, when no one is looking...
OK, I threw in the last one for fun...but I do dance in my bathroom when no one is looking...
Last time I told you about "the incident"...the one on the stairs where I think Precious and Adorable History teacher thought he might have to go find the school nurse to save me. That is what got me going on this journey.
So that sparked it...but how did I start...
First, you have to be ready to start. After the incident on the stairs, I knew I WAS ready to start...to start losing, to start to get in shape, to start wearing cute things again, to start going up stairs without needing an oxygen tank.
For me the gym was THE MOST INTIMIDATING PLACE IN THE WORLD. So I started with my diet. Basically if it was fried, had sugar, had cheese, had a lot of butter, or had bacon in it, I had to NOT eat it...basically it felt to me like "if it tastes good, spit it out".
I did not quit wine. A girl has to have something to look forward to and I regularly look forward to shiraz, gigondas, merlot, chardonnay, savignon blanc, pinot grigio, pinot noir, malbec, granache, etc. etc. etc.
Then I discovered My Fit Foods. Well, that was a "no-brainer"...fresh food that was portion controlled and tasted good. Sign me up! I have lived on Fit Food breakfasts since March (breakfast tacos...that is what I like) and eat Fit Food for lunch at least 4 meals a week. Right now my current addiction is the "Give me more chicken salad"...I literally crave it.
Fit Foods encouraged me to eat 3 healthy meals a day with 2 snacks...so that is what I do. For snacks I eat:
Fage Yogurt (any flavor)
Oatmega Bars (any flavor)
fruit
Fit Food black beans
Fit Food ginger chicken
breakfast taco
Special K crackers
Fat Free Feta
edamame
lowfat cottage cheese
cilantro shrimp from Costco
Skinny Cow Dulce de Leche ice cream (sooooooo good)
I drink a lot of water. Sometimes I add Crystal Light.
I drink a "liver cleanse" every morning. It tastes sooo bitter but I swear it works. Most of the fat you eat is processed through the liver. This liver cleanse combination is the way I start my day...every day...and I really think it makes a difference.
Combine the following in a glass...I use a wine glass for irony...
4 ounces pure unsweetened cranberry juice (Knudson's...see note below)
juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1 tablespoon unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 ounce liquid B12 (optional)
1 ounce liquid glucosomine (optional)
you can dilute it with up to 8 ounces of water...but I drink it straight.
You can get the juice at Fit Foods or Whole Foods or a health food store. You want the real, pure stuff...not Ocean Spray!
I started doing this juice cleanse after I had my divirticulitis episode and had to take massive dossages of antibiotics.
Once I got the diet going I hit the gym.
Let me tell you, the first day I walked in and faced the elliptical machine I was afraid the EMS was going to have to come. I didn't start working out until I had lost about 10 pounds (which was not much considering how much I have/had to lose).
I climbed on the Precor elliptical and...
I did an hour...
And the EMS did not have to come!
I know that an hour seems excessive but I have a little OCD in me that makes me sort of crazy-commit to things when I decide I have to do something.
I forced myself to go back the next day and the next day and the next day...and so on...
I didn't take a break for almost a month.
Excessive, I know...
I even had a few days where I did more than an hour of cardio. The first time I did an hour and a half I threw up.
After a while I added spinning to the mix.
Spinning is my favorite form of cardio. I would spin every day if there was a class I could take. I schedule meetings around my spin classes. I actually cancelled an entire year's worth of scheduled committee meetings and rescheduled them to another day because the club gave J'taime Jamie (finally gave her a name) a spin class.
I. am. obsessed.
If you have never given spin a try, and you can find a class...DO IT! It is so fun. Don't be scared...you are in control. You are in charge of how much tension is on your bike. And if you don't want to be "up", stay in the saddle. A good instructor will not be bothered if you modify.
And don't use bad knees as an excuse...I have had 2 meniscus surgeries...
But an instructor can make or break a class for you. A good instructor will keep the pace balanced and play good music. If you watch a class and see that they are out of the saddle and going crazy on the bike the whole time, find a different class and instructor.
Sometimes I give myself a spin class on Sundays when the club doesn't have any group exercise classes. I just pull a bike into a room and hit a playlist on my iPod and go. I use the same playlist for the arc trainer and elliptical.
Here is some of my playlist...it is a funky combination...
"Tell Em"---Sleigh Bells
"ghost inside"---Broken Bells
"Waiting for You"---Seal
"King of Anything"---Sara Barielles
"Where You Goin Now?"---Damn Yankees
"A Dios Le Pido"---Juanes
"Help I'm Alive"---Metric
"Sooner or Later"---English Beat
"I'm Still Standing"---Elton John
"Stupid Girl"---Garbage
"Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"---Sting (from his Symphonicities albumn)
Strange mix, but it works...sometimes I throw in a Glee mix, sometimes I add in things like Nine Inch Nails...depends on my mood...
Find some music to get you moving...that's all you need...get moving!
I started doing weight training about 2 months after "the stairs" incident. I started working with a trainer and once I got comfortable with what she wanted me to do I felt I could do it on my own. But I have to confess, I don't like it very much and I do better if I have Fitness Goddess standing over me yelling. I told Coach Dimples today that I might start working out with him but only after football season is over---I don't want to be yelling at the man who is in charge of my son on the football field. I need to love him right now and I know I won't love him when me makes me do squats, lunges, and push-ups. But the reason I am considering him is that I think he can take me to another level and I can seperate that training time with him from what I do at my club. He doesn't work at my club but has his own business so I can have him punish me away from my friends. But right now I just want him to keep coaching my son and thinking I'm a nice, helpful mommy who takes lots of great football pictures. Like I said, I can hate him later...but not his dimples...can't hate those dimples...
Since I am not very disciplined with the weights I decided to try Body Pump. Body Pump is available at a lot of clubs so if your club offers Les Mills classes (Body Pump is a Les Mills class), give it a try. It is a weights workout to music. It is fun and it gives you a total body workout in a little over an hour and I like having music to keep me going. I am now addicted to Body Pump. I often do a cardio workout in the morning and then go back to the club in the evening for Body Pump.
Yes, I do two-a-days...
I told Coach Dimples I did that...his response was "wow, you do that every day?" (He started backing away from me like I was crazy)...I said "no, just 3 days a week"...and that is when he asked me what I did in the class and when I told him and asked if it was good, I got the dimples (a smile)...and then he told me to be sure I always took a day off in between my weight workouts (I do) to let my body recover...
So there you have it...my diet and exercise plan that has let me lose 74 pounds since March.
What is the most important component? I think they are ALL important.
Just dieting helped start me off but it was the exercise that made it start to melt away. My husband walks every morning but doesn't watch his diet (and he should...he is very overweight too) but he hasn't lost any weight...why?...because he will walk and then eat a plate of enchiladas.
That works when you are at your goal weight...
but not when you need to lose 100 pounds...or even 10 pounds...
And the weight training is helping to sculpt me as well as helping to burn additional calories and fat.
So maybe you don't need to lose anything...but maybe you just want to do something different...or maybe you want to just feel better and tone up...or maybe, you want to lose the weight of a 5th grade child that you are carrying around on your body...or maybe you want to get your legs in shape for ski season...
or maybe you want to learn a new skill? or maybe try a class? or maybe go back to school? or maybe go back to work?
it can be anything...anything to improve your life...change your life...
are you ready to start?
All it takes is deciding to do it...
that's all...just say "yes, I am ready' and go...
no excuses...just do it...
Inspiration music:
"Ready to Start" by Arcade Fire...on my playlist...gets me warmed up every day...
bye darlings!
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