Holiday Challenges

This holiday season has brought many challenges, in terms of staying in the box. For the past 4 weeks, there have been so many parties and birthdays and celebrations.  This week alone I've have something to be at almost every night.  And, with each of those events comes food I should not consume and drinks I should not swallow. 

I'm amazed I've lost a pound at all, much less 8!  And honestly... I do better understand now how so many people gain weight at this time. There have been claims that the average weight gain during the holidays is approximately 5 pounds, but a NY Times article states otherwise. According to them, most studies show that the average person gains 1-2 pounds in weight during the period between Thanksgiving to New Year's Day.  But, they also report that those who are already overweight (which is the majority of the country now), gain more and typically do not lose it.   Regardless, all this excess in a short period of time is not healthy. 

While I've really enjoyed these past few weeks of celebrations, I will welcome moving past them. 

Love the bug!

I'm loving the bodybugg.  It's pretty cool to see how many more calories I'm burning than consuming.  Plus, it gives me a physical activity log.... how many total minutes of "physical activity" I get in each day.  It also tells me how many steps I've walked.  (I'm averaging about 12,000 a day.)

It's just a pretty cool little system that reminds me to move around more... because I know it's tracking my every move!

BodyBugged!

Brandon got me a bodybugg for my birthday... it was exactly what I wanted.  Bodybugg's are great for tracking calories burned, and come with a program that also lets you track calories in.  Paulie has one and wears it all the time.  Many people have seen them on The Biggest Loser.  I have been wanting one, so I can better learn how my body works.  About 11 am yesterday, I had it all charged up and ready for use.  I put in all my food intake and wore it from 11 am until I woke up this morning at 6 am.  See my stats below.

So, here's what's bothersome.  I did about 2 hours of bike riding yesterday afternoon.  Can you tell?  I was surprised to find that between 2 and 4 pm (when I was exercising), it didn't seem any different than me just working around the house.  If you look above, my highest rate of calorie burn during the day was 5 calories a minute.  That's not what I was expecting.  Plus, it only logged me as having 20 something minutes of physical activity throughout the entire day (see below).  So, I started googling the bodybugg system and apparently it doesn't really work its best on stationary bicycles.  In fact, they recommend that you put the bugg on your leg when cycling for a better read.  So, I'll try that today and give it another go. 

 

Anyway, this is a pretty cool little bugg!

Christymas

December 25, 1972. 
Celebrating my first birthday!

December 25, 2010.
Celebrating my 39th birthday.

Christmas Day is my birthday.  This year was my 39th.  And, it was one of my best ones.  I was delivered to my parents at the hospital in a Christmas stocking.  The stocking goes up every year as my birthday stocking. 

I definitely was out of the box for Christymas... more than I wanted to.  I did not do a good job preparing for the day (food wise) and was, therefore, not set up to make good choices.  Plus, my cousin's wife makes the most delicious cheesecakes and I had to try both of them.  :)

But, it was a great day.  Woken up at 4 am by Lucy (my 6 year old) asking if it was morning yet.  Then my almost 8 year old, Kyra, got into my bed with her noisy, new Zhu Zhu pet (which made some pretty annoying sounds at 5 am). But, the first thing both girls said to me was "Happy Birthday!"  Very sweet.  I'm usually not remembered before Santa.  So, my day started off right. 

Brandon's parents came on Christmas Eve and spent the night.  So, they were with us for Santa.   We had a really special time with them. And, I was able to make hashbrowns for breakfast that we could all eat.

We then went to Lafayette to see my family.  I brought some veggies and no calorie ranch dressing.  I ate a lot of this.  Then I ate a lot of chex mix, cheesecake, and enjoyed my Westerhall.

I knew I'd be out of the box some and spent the two days prior to Christmas on my stationary bike. I biked 60 miles over those two days in hopes that it would help compensate for any mishaps I might have.  

After all I ate, I am VERY glad I did that.... though I think another 40 miles might have been needed.  Guess I got to get moving today!

The Eve of Me

It's early morning Christmas Eve.  I've been  up a few hours, already run an errand.... now getting the house ready for my in-laws to come later today.  I'm not too worried about the diet this week, though I am sure I will be off a little.  Mostly, I'm planning to drink.  After all, tomorrow isn't just Christmas.  It's my birthday.  And, I'm celebrating!  I've had quite a year.  Lots of great things happened this year, including my weight loss.  I want to enjoy and celebrate the day.

So, to prepare for those extra calories... I did 30 miles on the stationary bike yesterday.  It took 2 hours.  But, I need the extra exercise.  I'm hoping to do the same today.  We'll see if I can fit it in.  I figure if I can get in extra exercise (like I did at Thanksgiving) then I won't see any increase in weight.  Plus, I will enjoy my drink more. :-)  And, it seemed to work at Thanksgiving.  I lost 3.8 pounds that week!  I am not trying to lose this week... just not gain.

Ok.  I'm off.  Too much to do today!  Happy Christymas, everyone!

20 Weeks and 50 Pounds Lighter

Taken April 2010

Taken December 2010

20 weeks in and 50 pounds down.  Can you see a difference?  I've felt the most difference with the loss of the last 15 or so pounds.  I'm not sure why that is.  But, I definitely feel more active.  More likely to just jump up for something.  I didn't realize how heavy I felt before.  Weight is so restrictive!

Recently, my daughter had a project that would require us to run around all over town.  I remembered then how a few months ago I would have never wanted to do that with her... how exhausting it sounded, because we'd be running all over downtown from place to place.  But this time, I volunteered to take her.  I thought it sounded like a fun thing she and I could do together.  And, it was.  It is amazing how it changes your perspective, and your life!  I always thought I was fairly active.  Love to exercise, love to travel.  Now, there is so much more I can do.

It's great to end the year with such a great accomplishment.

SUPERSIZED

This weekend I finally watched the documentary Super Size Me.  Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock decides to embark on a 30 day McDonald's binge to illustrate how eating McDonal's might affect one's health.  The concept is inspired because of an unsuccessful lawsuit accusing McDonald's of causing the obesity of two teenage females. 

Spurlock thought the lawsuit was silly, at first.  But then, he kept thinking about the way McDonalds targets kids from such a young age, the way they manufacture their food, and their lack of transparency regarding the nutritional value of their food.  After hearing a spokesperson for McDonald's claim there was no link between the girls' obesity and their food... actually stating that McDonald's food is healthy and nutritious, Spurlock decided that he should then be able to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for thirty days straight with no side effects. He lived the "All American" way of life of over eating and under exercising for one month.

 

The results were mind-blowing.  In thirty days, Spurlock gained 24.5 pounds, his cholesterol rose by 65 points, and his body fat increased by 7%.  To make matters worse, his liver became fat and by day 20 many of the doctors he was working with throughout the exercise began begging him to stop the experiment.

Other side effects Morgan experienced as a result of the diet were depression, exhaustion, headaches and mood swings.  

We also learn that over the course of 30 days, he consumed 30 pounds of sugar. 

The results he experienced are the exact opposite of what I'm seeing with so many of my classmates in the box.  Many of them are going from several daily medications to none.  One woman began the diet using a walker to get around, and now she walks independently.  Everyone is losing weight.  Everyone is losing body fat. And, we saw results almost as immediate as Spurlock did.  

Super Size Me will definitely make you stop and think about what you eat and what it can do to your body.

By the way....

Shortly after the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, McDonald’s eliminated the “super size” option from its menus, denying that Super Size Me had any influence on this action.

140 Days

Monday marked my completion of 140 days (or 20 weeks) in the box.  What does all that time mean?  How much time is it, really? 

It's 20 weeks.  If I were pregnant, I'd be halfway done.  I'd have a little kid swimming around by now, if this was a pregnancy. Many religions practice (and have recently called for) 140 days of prayer.  Lisa Ling was held captive for 140 days in North Korea earlier this year. 


Recently, a New York artist Sally Davies illustrated McDonald’s sustainability in her McDonald’s Happy Meal Project. Her idea: To buy a Happy Meal and photograph it every day until it disintegrates. Sally is now more than 140 days into her project — and both the burger and fries are nowhere near disintegration. Scary!


Whatever 140 days is to you, it does signify a substantial amount of time.  I can attest to that.  I feel like I've been in this box a long time.  But, 140 days later... I have a lot to show for it.

Top 5 in Forced Wellness

I got a phone last week from our internal Wellness folks at the office.  These are the people who run our program for employees that encourages "wellness."  And, if employees participate in all the requirements, then their premiums are much lower.  So, at the office... it's often refered to as "forced wellness" or "forced fitness". 

In addition to the quarterly weigh-ins and seminars, they also have an annual weight loss challenge.  It recognizes the employees who have lost the most weight over the course of the year.  Apparently, I'm in the top 5.  And, they called to verify if I was wanting to be included in that.I think you're suppose to have signed up at the beginning of the year and they couldn't find a form for me.  After a brief hesitation, I said, "Sure.... I usually sign up each year.  Count me in."

At first, I thought maybe I didn't want the visibility.  It's embarrassing to be highlighted for having been fat.  Then I thought... why not?  Besides, EVERYONE seems to know I've lost.  You can obviously tell.  And, just about every member of our Senior Management team has said something to me.  In fact, three of them said something yesterday. So, why not?  They're going to wonder why my name isn't on there and now I'm eligible for some "stuff"!  I think last year the top person received a $500 gift card and the other high losers also received goodies.  (I know I'm not the top person since there is someone in the company who lost 100+ pounds over the last 15 months). 

Anyway, it's good to be on top... especially if gifts come along with that. :)

A Week "in" Boston

I did a training all week, a certification really... from Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship.  My entire team as well as internal stakeholders and several key external partners.  Boston CCC is considered one of the leading experts in assisting companies in developing their corporate citizenship programs.  I took one of their classes about 18 months ago in New Orleans and thought it would great to do a fast track certification program for my staff.  Eighteen months later, here we are.... all getting certified.

A week in training can mean a real lack of physical activity.  Lots of sitting.  It can also mean a lot of eating.  Breaks with food throughout the day.  So, more opportunity to cheat and less activity to help keep the calories burned.  One good thing about bringing Boston to me was my ability to control the food served.  My team are all aware of my diet by now, and knew I wanted a lot of fruits and veggies included at breaks.  And, that's what we had.  No afternoon brownies or cookies for anyone.  We had vegetable trays each day.  And, we had fruit kabobs.  There were fruit baskets and trays in the morning. We also had hot water for tea (which is no calories).

We received such great feedback from all the attendees on the healthy food options, as well as from the instructors - who claimed we were one of the best groups they've ever had.  (Course, they probably say that to everyone).  Anyway,  it's so much easier to stay on track when you can control your food choices.  It's just a shame that we can't do that for everything.

Let the Holiday Birthdays Begin

In addition to dealing with food and alcohol at the plethora of parties being thrown to celebrate Christmas, my family also celebrates numerous birthdays from Dec 22 - 31.  Five to be exact.  Six if you include my sister's mother in law, who we basically do.  Every year, we throw a holiday birthday party at my house for the kids (my two and my niece).  Today is party day.  Four hour countdown, actually.

So, that means there will be food.  Cupcakes, cookies, chicken fingers.  But there will also be A LOT of vegetables this year.  I have a HUGE plate of veggies to help -- offering me munching solutions, also allowing me to feel part of the party.

Sore to the Core

Basic core work

I've been doing the pilates reformer class at my gym for about 3 years now.  For most of that time, I've done the class twice a week.  Most of my Mondays and Thursdays start with pilates reformer at 5 am.  My instructor is a great gal from England.  And, she went home this year for Christmas. But, instead of canceling our classes.... she found some other instructors to take over on certain days.

Bridging

Leg circles

Yesterday morning I had a woman I've seen teaching their mat pilates classes.  In fact, I've taken one of those from her before.  And, it was fine. 

Eve's lunge

Typically, my English instructor challenges us and while their are some regular routines we do, she also changes things up so it's not always the same exercises.



But, after three years, you get to know the routines... and rarely do I feel sore from my reformer class.  On occasion, I will... but it is not often.


However, my workout yesterday with the Mat Class Instructor has left me sore to the core.  Not the kind of sore that's it hurts to walk or be active.  It's just an achy kind of sore right in my core area... where I can seriously feel the muscles have been worked.   This is exciting... it means that we did something just different enough that I worked my muscles differently.

Short spine roll-over

That makes me happy, actually... and, sure, it does make me wonder if my English instructor is keeping me on my toes enough.  But, I have felt like this before after one a class or two, but it's been a while.

 

All of the photos in this blog are images of actual exercises I do regularly.  Some I enjoy much more than others.  Some that just seem to be harder for me to do since I broke my foot (even two years later).... like "bridging" on just my left foot.  The Mat Class Instructor did most of these same ones... she just added some variations that seemed to cut right to the core.  And, I love it!


Feels great to be sore to the core!!

Out with the Old

Over the last few weeks, I have spent a lot of time in my closet.  It's not a fun thing for me.  But, it's necessary.  My personal downsizing has created a need to weed.  Out with the old!  Time to focus on where I am now and what I no longer need. 

For me, the task was daunting because I really had to try on a lot of the clothes.  My body shifts so much right now, I have no idea what fits on  regular basis.  Something can be too tight on Monday and by Friday it fits decently.  Or, pants can fit a little loose on one day and by the next week they are too big and need to be weeded.

One might think that this would be easily done on an ongoing basis... which is what I'm doing now.  But, at first, I think there was that fear that my weight could go back up.  No one who loses weight never wants to go back to being heavy.  But, those of us who have spent our lives in search for semi-decent plus size clothing know it is not easy to come by.  So, to let go of those commodities (even if I wasnt in love with any of them) which took years to accummulate is very hard to do. 

 

But, I took the stance that I would never need them again.  I just had to think that way.  Because that is how it has to be.  So, I cleaned out.  I went through everything.  I packed up bags and bags of clothes and starting keeping them together in another room.  I would add clothes to them over a few weeks of doing this and then left the bags there for a while.  I never (not one time) went back to the bags.  I never looked in them.  Never thought about what was in them and no longer in my closet.  Nothing needed to stay.  And, when I came to that feeling of acceptance, then were placed in my car and taken away.  And, I haven't thought about them since.



Determin-Ada

Last night was the finale of The Biggest Loser. 

This is a show I've never really watched before this season.  But, this season spoke to me... with my own weight loss challenge, I watched every episode.  In fact, many times I felt like I lived it with these people.  I was dropping pounds, having my own last chance workouts....  And while Ginah is no Jillian, I did have a coach with me along the way.

  

Never, over the course of the season, did my favorite contestant change.  From the beginning, I was immediately connected to Ada.  Armed with her nickname, the Terminator — for her core of steel in the gym and beyond — Ada was constantly upping the ante for the other contestants. And while her original motivation and purpose for doing this may have shifted from external factors to an internal covet, her determination always shined through.   And, she has been an inspiration to me. 

I mean, doesn't she look great?  She looks happy and healthy... and without ever knowing her... she looks like herself again. 

Ada's quest to beat the Biggest Loser's marathon record (on a recent episode) reminded me of my own competitive nature.  In many ways, I am very much like her.  Her focus was always around her own determined milestones and challenges -- which may or may not have anything to do with the other contestants.  That's how I feel about fat class.  I have my own goals beyond just losing weight.  And, the scale isn't a competition.  We're all dealing with our own challenges and inspirations.  We all want different things.  I, too, would like to run a marathon.  Most people in my fat class just want to be thin.  And, that's great too.  Or maybe they want to do something I don't.  Whatever it is... it's their thing.  And, I have mine.  Just like Ada had hers.

And I'm back!!!

I just walked in the door.  It's Tuesday, December 14 at 7:30 pm.  I've been gone all day, training then a rehearsal while trying to juggle kids.  Finally home and what do I find?  My laptop has been returned.  Completely fixed and ready for me to blog again.

The piecemeal additions I've made the last few weeks have been pathetic, I know.  It's been so difficult to get updates in.  But, I do have a notebook full of updates.  So, they will be coming.  In fact, I have documented every fat class I've not blogged about so far.  And, while this might not sound exciting to you, it does document this experience for me.  Therefore, making them all relevant. 

So, watch out.  I'm back, baby... I'm back!!

Community Shame

So. . .

One of the nonprofits I work with just published their Community Report and it comes out next week.  Last year I was on the cover in a decent photo.  This year, I am included on the inside -- a photo of several of us from the organization with the Governor. 

When I opened my copy yesterday I was so ashamed.  Embarrassed.  Humiliated.  Horrified. 

I look terrible.  Huge.  Swollen. 

I was mortified.  I just wanted to rip that page out of EVERY publication printed. I didn't want anyone to see me like that.  It's a reminder to everyone of how fat I was.  And, that really embarrasses me. 

The thing is... I don't feel like that is me.  I was watching the Biggest Loser last night.  The contestants ran a marathon.  They showed images of them before the program leaving a personal mesasge to their soon to be thin self.  They all looked so different!  And, their messages were all about being glad they found themselves again and not going back to being fat.  I was right there with them.  The image in that publication is a reminder to never go back... it's just unfortuante that the entire community gets to see it.

Laptop STILL Broken

The laptop is still out of commission.  It's getting fixed now.  So, updates are coming.  They are being written... just having a hard time posting.