Why the word DIE is in DIET!

After stepping into the shower yesterday, after a grueling workout - only to find out that I've gained 4 lbs - it occured to me that when someone came up with a word to describe the process of trying to lose weight...it's only fitting to use a word like DIE and finishing if off nicely with a T.

The rollercoaster ride of emotions that one partakes in when trying to lose weight can always be compared to the situation of dying. You watch what you eat, work out until you can barely move, only to find out that all of that hard work has gotten you 4 added pounds on the scale is a killer!! I also don't want to hear "well, muscle is heavier than fat - so when you work out, you gain weight cause the fat is turning into muscle". Blah to that!! When all the access fat is gone from my body, and then I start to see hard muscles developing -then I might be happy with that excuse, but don't feed me that line of crap now!

No wonder thousands of women fall off the wagon when they try dieting! I find a workout schedule that really puts my ass to work, sweat dripping off of me and every muscle in my body screaming for mercy - and I think, keep screaming muscles - cause until your lean and beautiful you're going to keep working! Then I jump on the scales and think - this is it, I've worked so hard, there's got to be a small improvement. Oh, no - congratualtions fat ass - you've just gained 4lbs!! Really? That's what I get to see? Come on - what else can I do except starve myself?

The positive note to this rant, though, is rather than running to the fridge to grab a quart of ice-cream to drown my sorrows - I ran to my salvation, this blog. I thought - don't waste the work you've done...just spill your guts about how miserable the weigh in made me feel. That's what I'm doing. I also started thinking of excuses...well, I'm drinking more water so obviously it's water weight...or it's just about that time of the month, so I must just be bloating.

I feel a sense of change in myself - even a 4lb gain can't take away from me. That's a plus. I've also decided that I'm not going to weigh myself every day I work out (like my Wii Fit tells me I should do) - but just weigh myself once a week. Then, hopefully, I will start to see a process of change. (one can only hope). I figure I'll start weighing myself on Sundays -which is the first day of my weekly workouts - so that's a good day to do it.

There's my post - a rant of the week, if you will - keep your fingers crossed that my next post will be better...till then. ;)

Memorial Day Meltdown

There's something about holidays that make people run out, spend tons of money on food, and then sit around eating all weekend long. Memorial day is no exception to that rule. This year, however, even though I wasn't a total angel - I did behave much better than I have done for previous engagements.

This weekend turned into a family swap session between my house and my parents. They came over on Saturday for a barbeque, and I went to them on Sunday to spend the night and have dinner with them on Monday. Even though it rained on Saturday, I still made my dear fiance go out in the rain and cook -but I was in control of the food being prepared. We had the usual hamburgers, hotdogs, ribs, etc. - but I also served salad. I ate more than I should have - but didn't totally overdo it. I went over my 1200 calorie limit, but not over the 1500 calorie maximum.

Sunday, before heading to my parents for the night, I kept my appointment with my "fitness coach" and did my 15 minute workout. Even though the workout wasn't as grueling as the one I had endured on Friday - it was still a strenuous workout with plenty of sweat. I love the fact that each of the 5 workouts focus on something different. My first workout was a cardio workout and Sunday was a core strength workout. My next scheduled workout is tonight - so I will doing that. I'm excited to see what my "coach" has instore for me tonight. I was so glad to see the weight on my progress chart down to 256lbs!! That's another 2lbs down - many, many more to go.

Anyways, back on subject, my parent's house was a willpower test when it comes to food, like it always is. My dad always feels the need to feed me, and I'm just to much of a pushover to decline. I did pay attention to what was being piled on to my plate for each meal, and was sure to limit how much of it I ate. I wouldn't be surpised, though, that I've gained a few pounds over the course of my stay - but that just means a more active workout tonight.

The picture above is of me and my mom - I see a skinner face on myself, but it may just be the angle of the camera..LOL

Till next time.

My Fitness Coach

No, I didn't join a gym or hire someone to come to my home - I invested in a new game for the Wii! I actually bought the game a few months ago, but didn't open it until tonight because I've been pretty content with the Wii Fit. Well, it occured to me last week that before being more cautious with my eating my weight had flatlined, and I just didn't feel like I was working out anymore after using the Wii Fit. So, I decided to see if the My Fitness Coach was any better.

To begin, you have to create a profile. This step in itself felt like a workout. Rather than just entering your name, weight, height, etc - you also have to perform a routine of exercises just so the "trainer" can get an idea of your fitness level and how difficult to make your program. After I was done with the set of jumping jacks, crunches, push ups, and squats - I then started my first "workout session". The sessions scheduled for me by my trainer consist of 15 minutes 5 times a week. Each session will vary and could be yoga, strength training, muscle toning, or aerobic - today's session was aerobic. The session is performed to music, and it doesn't require the use of the Wii Fit board. The game doesn't measure what you do, the purpose is just to follow along with the trainer. You can opt to use the Wii board as a step for step aeorobics, and you can also use hand weights and other gym equipment (it asks you before the workout if you would like these things worked into the session).

After my session, the sweat was literally dripping off of me. The 15 minutes I spent jumping around my living room felt like an eternity - but my heartrate was pumping, and I really "felt the burn". I'm scheduled to do another workout on Sunday - which I'm actually excited about. It's been 2 hours since I worked out, and already the muscles in my legs are sore - a great indicator that I did something right. The Wii Fit was a great start-out tool - but it's a child's game compared to the Fitness Coach. The best thing is it only cost me $20 at Game Stop!

For the first time, I'm really feeling progress. I'm down another 3 lbs!! WOO HOO!! With the help of Sparkpeople.com and the Fitness Coach I think that my process will continue to be positive. Can it be that a video game and an online food journal can really be all I need to lose weight? I guess we shall see.

Spark People - Totally FREE Help!

Throughout my dieting crusade, I've always tried to find tools to help me with my weight loss. I've bought books, I've looked through thousands of online support sites, I've talked to people - most of it costing me quite a chunk of change. If I could go back and recoup all of the money that I've spent on books, DVDs, exercise equipment - I could pay for a semester of college! The saddest part is, that most of it has been collecting dust since the day I bought it.

Now, I'm beginning to find that my greatest tools are the new friends that I'm making in my "mommy & me" group, and my Wii Fit. It's funny to think that a video game has been giving me the motivation to get off my fat ass and do some exercise. I own a treadmill, I own a home gym, I own dumb bells, yoga equipment, exercise videos/DVDs and yet the only thing I use is my Wii Fit..LOL

In my first post, I mentioned that almost everyone and everything I've ever looked to for guidance in my weight loss journey has told me to keep a food journal but I really have never stuck with it. However, this past week, I recouped a tool that I found a couple of years ago - and like everything else, it just basically got put on the back burner. A few years ago, while doing an online search for FREE dieting websites I came across one that actually had some potential. This website? www.sparkpeople.com

This website really did help me a couple of years ago. For the two months that I actually stuck with it, I lost over 20lbs. This website really does have it all: meal plans, a food journal, exercise plans, exercise journal, support groups, calorie counters, helpful tips, a weight loss blog, you name it - they got it. Being that my "spark" of losing weight has come back to me, I decided it was time to blow of the dust and set up my account again. For the past few days I've been logging all of my food and exercise - and I'm amazed at how much my fat ass is throwing into my mouth. The first day that I tracked my food - I ate a whopping 2181 calories!! It was like a big slap in the face, and since then I've stayed at or below my 1200 calorie limit. Everytime I pick something up to eat, I think to myself - what's this going to look like on my food journal? It really is a powerful mindset to be in.

So, I know I'm contradicting some of my earlier posts about how I couldn't be bothered to track all of my food - but this really is something that's VERY important to someone losing weight. Another thing that appeals to me with the site is the fact that you earn trophies for the little accomplishments that you do. Being that I'm very competitive by nature, it's a good motivator for me. I like to see how many points I need to get to earn my next trophy - and then I focus on getting it done.

The website works in stages. You start out on a stage called "fastbreak". It's this stage that you set little goals to help you get into the mindset of doing little things like drinking more water, packing your lunch, taking a walk - just little things to get you started. Then after you've grown accustomed to doing the little things, you move up to a more intense level, and then get comfortable with that, and so on and so on. You can utilize as many of the tools on the site that fits your preferences, and even if it's just for the food and exercise journal it's well worth it, being that it doesn't cost a single dime to use. What's better than free? So, there's my tip of the day or week I guess...join sparkpeople!!

Till next time!

Find A Support Group

People have been telling me for years that it's much easier to lose weight when you find a person to do it with. I tried that, it didn't work. When you work with a person that is in the same situation as you weight wise, and has as much will power as you (ie - none!) then it's highly doubted that much success will come from the duo.

However, what about finding someone to help you who is a health junkie? They eat, live and breath healthy food and exercise? That, my friends, is a plan for success!! Now throw in the mix an attitude like Jillian Michaels - and bam, you're on your way to serious weight loss!!

Of course, by all of this I'm making very quick assumptions, but I've found someone like this - not just someone, but a group of someones. I joined a playgroup full of women that dedicate their lives to health and fitness. I honestly thought that my fat ass would stick out like a sore thumb when I walked into the home of the group leader - and it did - but they didn't act like they noticed it. The women were friendly, understanding to my issues, and most of all - fun.

Even though they are "into" a healthy lifestyle - it's not all about yoga class and veggies. They enjoy doing activities that the kids can participate in, food that won't make you say "yuck", and a night out on the town every now and then. They do participate in gym sessions, yoga, and hiking, but there are also other fun activities like sports, swimming, walking around the mall and markets - just stuff to get you up off the couch and having some fun at the same time.

The best part about this group is the fact that one of the organizers used to be a personal trainer before she had her baby. She now has focused her talents on the group of mommies all dying to get into shape or stay in shape. She plans a lot of the activities for the moms only - and a lot of the playdates she shares great tips on how to make yummy snack foods that are good for you!!

So, I'm going to try this out. I went to my first playdate last week and had a total BLAST!! Jada really enjoyed herself too. This week, we have a couple of activities planned that I'm going to go to - but I'm also going to start working out tonight again. My goal is EVERY night for 30 minutes, and then whatever I can do during my playdates and trips. I will do this for a couple of weeks - then up the workouts to 60 minutes a day plus the extras. I forgot to weigh myself this morning to see what my weight is - but I'll get it when I do the Wii Fit tonight. I'm curious to see how much I've put on in the last week -cause I've been pretty lazy, I know, shocker right?? LOL

Till next time!

A Month Later

I want to make a quick apology for my lack of posting over the past 3 weeks. Even though I hate this excuse, I really have been too busy to even think about this journal. I'm a college student who is graduating next week, so I've been run to the ground doing presentations, studying for finals, etc. Have I lost weight the past couple of weeks? Hell no - BUT I haven't gained any either, so for that I guess I'm happy. I've slacked on my working out, due to the same time constraints, but I have made a step that will hopefully change all that for me this summer.

Being that I'm not taking any classes during the summer - the excuses are gone! I did something the other day that I'm really proud of, and will really help (hopefully). I joined a "Mommy & Me" group that focuses on health and fitness. I was kind of nervous, because I assumed that it would be a bunch of skinny bitches that spent all of their time in the gym. That, however, is not the case. The group is made of up of "normal" women (some skinny, some average, some overweight), but basically stay at home moms that are on a mission to get healthy and shed pounds (or maintain their healthy weight) by supporting each other. The group gets together for fun activities to help with this misson. They do things like "mommy & me" gym sessions, "moms only" hiking and yoga classes, weekly visits to the farmer's market, and weekly "playdate" support groups where things like healthy recipes are prepared and shared while the kids all play together. After my older two kids get out of school, the group also has fun activities planned for them - so there's a benefit not just for me, but for the kids too.

I'm excited to make some new friends, and also some people that are in the same situation as me to help me get through this. I've set a new goal from my joining this group. The group dedicates some of it's time helping in charitable events, such as working in soup kitchens, donating food and clothing to the homeless shelters, and it also has a team that runs in the Susan G. Koman Race for the Cure each year. My goal, and plan, is to run in next years 5K race. It's a very big goal, but one that I'm really excited about. I never in a million years thought that I would ever consider doing something like that, but I think it's a great goal and a very motivating one.

My first "playdate" is Friday. I will be meeting the team organizers and some of the other mommies that I haven't yet met. I'm excited, a little nervous, but ready. I think, and hope, that this group will be a very positive and motivating part of my life (or at least the next 3 months), so I'm excited to update you all on the adventures. Till next time. :)