I wish I could afford a personal trainer to tell me whether or not I'm doing things correctly.
I tried to remember the stuff they taught us in high school when we had a unit geared toward using gym equipment and working out, the stuff I've seen on "The Biggest Loser" and other TV programs, and what other people I know have done.
When I go to the gym, I try to make the work outs last about an hour. I usually start by spending 30 minutes on an elliptical machine, doing basic cardio. If the machines I like aren't available, I use the stationary bikes or the treadmill -- anything to get the blood flowing, so to speak, and engage in some sustained physical activity.
It's strange, because as out of shape as I am and as much as I can tell it affects what I'm capable of doing physically, I can still do this. I mean, I get winded climbing a flight of stairs, but I can go for a half hour on the elliptical and, yeah, I feel it but I don't feel it in the same way. I don't feel as overwhelmed by it, physically, as I do when I try other things. Does that make sense?
After that, I go to the weight machines (because, frankly, the free weights -- used by all these muscle-building men -- intimidate me). I work out both the upper and lower body, hitting all the major areas: the biceps, triceps, chest, upper and lower back, then I work on the legs: aductor and abductor leg muscles, leg lifts and leg curls, calf presses. I do 3 sets of 10 reps, adjusting the weight so that I am straining, but not hurting, myself when I reach the 8th-10th reps of each set. (This is one of those things I remember from high school gym class).
When that's done, I use a giant exercise ball or a Bosu ball to do abdominal crunches.
Then I go home.
I usually feel it -- especially in the arms and chest -- the next day. Nothing too bad, but enough to let me know I've worked muscle groups that have been neglected for far too long.
And my goal is not to be a body builder; I find them to be physically unattractive and unfeminine. It's just to help boost my metabolism through strength training, which also has benefits for bone health and physical endurance.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Weekly Weight Check-In #1
I weighed myself this morning and here is the stats:
Current weight: 374 pounds (yikes!)
Weekly loss/gain: ---
Current weight: 374 pounds (yikes!)
Weekly loss/gain: ---
Reboot
Okay, adjusting to the new work schedule has been more demanding than I thought.
But I've been thinking about this blog and how I want to proceed with this project, so here goes:
But I've been thinking about this blog and how I want to proceed with this project, so here goes:
- I'm giving myself a firm goal. One year, and I want to be no bigger than a size 22-24 in pants. I don't know how much weight that's going to mean I need to lose, but it's going to be significant.
- And while my ultimate goal isn't a target weight loss number, I'm going to set a short-term goal of losing 10% of my body weight in 3 months.
- I'm going to post my weekly weight check-ins here on Saturdays.
- I'm going to go to the gym Saturday and Sunday mornings (because I finally have normal weekends again!) and twice during the week on whatever nights work best for me. Ideally, that would be Tuesday & Thursday to kind of space out the workouts.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Finding a balance
Started a new full-time job today. Upside: more income, better benefits, slightly later start time, paid holidays and no more getting up at the butt crack of dawn to be at the office on Saturday mornings (Can I get a "Yay!" from y'all?). But it's now a 40-hour, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm schedule, five days a week.
On top of this, I have a family with two small sons (ages 4 and 2, which accounts for some of the weight gain) and my husband (who I sometimes refer to snarkily as my "eldest son" when he gets on my nerves). With family comes housework -- as in, seemingly endless laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, picking up toys, feeding, washing dishes -- and we have a cat (scooping litter, filling food and water dishes). There are only 24 hours in a day and I like the thing commonly known as "sleep", so filling it all in is tough. The other difficulty is my husband's current work schedule (changing in about a week...thank you God!). He works until 6 pm way across town. Like me, he takes the bus but that's because he doesn't drive (and, trust me, it's a blessing for humanity that he doesn't get behind the wheel). So by the time he gets on a bus and gets home, it's after 7 pm so our evenings are shot.
Summer is less frantic because I don't have class. I finished my Masters and am working toward teaching certification, but am at a crossroads. Mostly, after a difficult semester -- both course-wise and personally -- I am extremely burned out and frustrated with academia. I don't know if I'm going to return in the fall, yet. We'll see.
But my plate is full. I blog, yes, and check out Facebook and Twitter (under my personal account -- I'm a Twitter addict. I think.) and other blogs I read. I like to comment and discuss politics or social issues, but that takes up a fraction of a percentage of my day. I have an 85 WPM typing speed, faster when I'm typing from my head rather than a document, so it takes me about 5 minutes to put up a post (provided I don't get waylaid by the needs of small kids). And -- despite my body size -- I'm not sitting on my duff eating bon-bons. In fact, I don't think I've eaten a bon-bon in my entire life.
So there.
I am going somewhere with this, however: Exercise and how I plan to incorporate it into my daily routine.
First, and here's a big plus, my new employer doesn't offer parking (it's in a metropolitan area). There's plenty of lots around the building, but those cost mucho denero, so I'm going to be taking the bus. Yeah, I pick it up at a commuter lot, so there's not a long walk, but I will walk about a quarter-mile each way from the bus stop to the office building. So that's a half a mile a day, times 5 days a week, which equals 2.5 miles of walking a week.
Not worthy of a marathon, but it's a start.
What I'm looking to do is not become a gym rat, or a body builder, but someone who goes above and beyond the daily activity - sweeping the floor, vacuuming the carpet, making the beds -- for at least 30 minutes about 4 times a week. This includes simply going for a walk around my neighborhood -- there are great little trails that wind between the yards here, which I've walked once or twice. Anything more than 4 times a week is gravy; anything less than 3 days a week is not an option.
I have a gym membership, so I don't see the sense in paying them not to use their facilities. It's a no-frills gym with a reasonable membership rate, clean facilities, relatively friendly (but not saccharine-sweet overly friendly) staff, and decent clientele -- as in, there are people there who look like me, not just models who make me want to run into traffic because they've got super-hot bods and are whining about not fitting into a size 0 but have to settle for a 1. Gag me.
When I go to the gym, I try to do some cardio for at least 30 minutes. I find it goes fast if I have my MP3 player and some magazines to read. I like the elliptical machine better than the treadmill because I can burn more calories in 30 minutes on the elliptical. Then I do weight lifting for either the upper or lower body, 3 sets of 10 reps with varying weights depending on my level of soreness and ability. I pick weight that's just enough for me to feel some strain (but not pain) when I get to 8 or 9 reps.
Right now, with the heat, I'm not feeling the greatest, so I'll be taking it easy today. Cooler weather is forecast for the next couple of days, though, so this week I'm going to the gym Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
When Saturday comes, I'm also going to post my stats -- weight, body measurements -- so I can track my progress on a regular basis. I've decided to keep this going for a year, and to give myself a deadline of June 1, 2012 to get myself down to, at maximum, a size 22.
On top of this, I have a family with two small sons (ages 4 and 2, which accounts for some of the weight gain) and my husband (who I sometimes refer to snarkily as my "eldest son" when he gets on my nerves). With family comes housework -- as in, seemingly endless laundry, cleaning, vacuuming, picking up toys, feeding, washing dishes -- and we have a cat (scooping litter, filling food and water dishes). There are only 24 hours in a day and I like the thing commonly known as "sleep", so filling it all in is tough. The other difficulty is my husband's current work schedule (changing in about a week...thank you God!). He works until 6 pm way across town. Like me, he takes the bus but that's because he doesn't drive (and, trust me, it's a blessing for humanity that he doesn't get behind the wheel). So by the time he gets on a bus and gets home, it's after 7 pm so our evenings are shot.
Summer is less frantic because I don't have class. I finished my Masters and am working toward teaching certification, but am at a crossroads. Mostly, after a difficult semester -- both course-wise and personally -- I am extremely burned out and frustrated with academia. I don't know if I'm going to return in the fall, yet. We'll see.
But my plate is full. I blog, yes, and check out Facebook and Twitter (under my personal account -- I'm a Twitter addict. I think.) and other blogs I read. I like to comment and discuss politics or social issues, but that takes up a fraction of a percentage of my day. I have an 85 WPM typing speed, faster when I'm typing from my head rather than a document, so it takes me about 5 minutes to put up a post (provided I don't get waylaid by the needs of small kids). And -- despite my body size -- I'm not sitting on my duff eating bon-bons. In fact, I don't think I've eaten a bon-bon in my entire life.
So there.
I am going somewhere with this, however: Exercise and how I plan to incorporate it into my daily routine.
First, and here's a big plus, my new employer doesn't offer parking (it's in a metropolitan area). There's plenty of lots around the building, but those cost mucho denero, so I'm going to be taking the bus. Yeah, I pick it up at a commuter lot, so there's not a long walk, but I will walk about a quarter-mile each way from the bus stop to the office building. So that's a half a mile a day, times 5 days a week, which equals 2.5 miles of walking a week.
Not worthy of a marathon, but it's a start.
What I'm looking to do is not become a gym rat, or a body builder, but someone who goes above and beyond the daily activity - sweeping the floor, vacuuming the carpet, making the beds -- for at least 30 minutes about 4 times a week. This includes simply going for a walk around my neighborhood -- there are great little trails that wind between the yards here, which I've walked once or twice. Anything more than 4 times a week is gravy; anything less than 3 days a week is not an option.
I have a gym membership, so I don't see the sense in paying them not to use their facilities. It's a no-frills gym with a reasonable membership rate, clean facilities, relatively friendly (but not saccharine-sweet overly friendly) staff, and decent clientele -- as in, there are people there who look like me, not just models who make me want to run into traffic because they've got super-hot bods and are whining about not fitting into a size 0 but have to settle for a 1. Gag me.
When I go to the gym, I try to do some cardio for at least 30 minutes. I find it goes fast if I have my MP3 player and some magazines to read. I like the elliptical machine better than the treadmill because I can burn more calories in 30 minutes on the elliptical. Then I do weight lifting for either the upper or lower body, 3 sets of 10 reps with varying weights depending on my level of soreness and ability. I pick weight that's just enough for me to feel some strain (but not pain) when I get to 8 or 9 reps.
Right now, with the heat, I'm not feeling the greatest, so I'll be taking it easy today. Cooler weather is forecast for the next couple of days, though, so this week I'm going to the gym Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
When Saturday comes, I'm also going to post my stats -- weight, body measurements -- so I can track my progress on a regular basis. I've decided to keep this going for a year, and to give myself a deadline of June 1, 2012 to get myself down to, at maximum, a size 22.
Heat helps: Observations on eating habits
Yesterday was probably the third or fourth discernibly hot spring day we've had around here. The temps reached the high 80s, probably low 90s in some places, with humidity. Now, I'm not complaining. Not after the winter we had -- complete with a blizzard so bad government officials issued a "civil alert" or something like that, which basically means if you went out in the blizzard and got stuck in a snowbank, they weren't going to come help you and you should enjoy becoming a human Popsicle. Not good.
So after a winter of waist-high snow and drifts taller than our van, I vowed never to gripe about weather no matter how hot the thermometer reads. I don't have to wear boots, coats, hats, dress my kids in 6 layers of clothes, or dig our van out of its parking space. I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on heat or curl up beneath piles of blankets to keep warm. I can wear flip flops and t-shirts and crop pants. This is my kind of weather. Despite that, I am sensitive to heat and sun (comes with being fair and blonde and of European descent) so I have to be wise in the decisions I make when the temperature jumps and I'm not able to stay in air conditioned buildings.
One of the ways is to eat lighter.
And yesterday, I noticed I referred to the word "diet" a couple times (and it's in my anonymous handle), so I should probably clarify what I mean by "diet."
I do not mean a "diet" in the sense of self-deprivation, or some special program (think Atkins or South Beach), or pills (think Alli or whatever that is). I basically don't mean anything that's meant to be short term, temporary, or a "jump start" to losing weight. When I say "diet" I mean eating habits: eating habits that are sustainable for the long term.
To me, I see no point in being thin or healthy if I am not going to be able to enjoy food and the social component of eating. There is no point in looking like a supermodel if all I'm ever going to be able to munch on is tofu, celery, and water. Blech. Or allowing myself to "binge" and then frantically hitting the gym for hours on end trying to work it off. I'd rather be fat and enjoying the finer things in life than thin and forgoing the turkey and sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving or spend days on the treadmill. Not for me, thanks.
It's completely and totally possible to eat pretty much anything* you want, enjoy it, and still lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle. Same goes for me, who is trying to lose weight.
With yesterday being a holiday, and hot, I was able to go to two events and only eat one plate of food at each. And not a heaping plate, mind you. Just a plate with reasonable serving sizes and I even had birthday cake at one of the events -- but not the other. See? I can exercise a modicum of self-control every now and then, even when the desserts look delicious. Because of the way heat can affect my body, and since both places we went to did not have air conditioning, I ate light. Even dinner was a sub, with watermelon on the side (the best summer fruit in my opinion) and lots of water. I probably drank half my weight in water yesterday.
This is great from now until September, when the temperatures start dropping again, but what happens in the winter, when heat isn't a factor? I keep going. Keep eating reasonable portions, in one serving, and no snacking (and I didn't snack much yesterday, just a handful of potato chips before the first lunch).
And today I start a new job, so I packed a lunch -- salad, dressing, cheese cubes, some crackers, a granola bar and a peach. I just finished a travel-cup of cereal (on sale at my local grocer 2/$1.00...wish I would have bought 30, they're so convenient).
Dinner is leftovers, and since there aren't many, it's a reasonable serving by default.
Up next, I'm still considering whether or not to post stats to track my weight loss -- keeping in mind I have no set weight loss goal...I'll think about it today.
Until next time...
So after a winter of waist-high snow and drifts taller than our van, I vowed never to gripe about weather no matter how hot the thermometer reads. I don't have to wear boots, coats, hats, dress my kids in 6 layers of clothes, or dig our van out of its parking space. I don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on heat or curl up beneath piles of blankets to keep warm. I can wear flip flops and t-shirts and crop pants. This is my kind of weather. Despite that, I am sensitive to heat and sun (comes with being fair and blonde and of European descent) so I have to be wise in the decisions I make when the temperature jumps and I'm not able to stay in air conditioned buildings.
One of the ways is to eat lighter.
And yesterday, I noticed I referred to the word "diet" a couple times (and it's in my anonymous handle), so I should probably clarify what I mean by "diet."
I do not mean a "diet" in the sense of self-deprivation, or some special program (think Atkins or South Beach), or pills (think Alli or whatever that is). I basically don't mean anything that's meant to be short term, temporary, or a "jump start" to losing weight. When I say "diet" I mean eating habits: eating habits that are sustainable for the long term.
To me, I see no point in being thin or healthy if I am not going to be able to enjoy food and the social component of eating. There is no point in looking like a supermodel if all I'm ever going to be able to munch on is tofu, celery, and water. Blech. Or allowing myself to "binge" and then frantically hitting the gym for hours on end trying to work it off. I'd rather be fat and enjoying the finer things in life than thin and forgoing the turkey and sweet potatoes on Thanksgiving or spend days on the treadmill. Not for me, thanks.
It's completely and totally possible to eat pretty much anything* you want, enjoy it, and still lead a reasonably healthy lifestyle. Same goes for me, who is trying to lose weight.
With yesterday being a holiday, and hot, I was able to go to two events and only eat one plate of food at each. And not a heaping plate, mind you. Just a plate with reasonable serving sizes and I even had birthday cake at one of the events -- but not the other. See? I can exercise a modicum of self-control every now and then, even when the desserts look delicious. Because of the way heat can affect my body, and since both places we went to did not have air conditioning, I ate light. Even dinner was a sub, with watermelon on the side (the best summer fruit in my opinion) and lots of water. I probably drank half my weight in water yesterday.
This is great from now until September, when the temperatures start dropping again, but what happens in the winter, when heat isn't a factor? I keep going. Keep eating reasonable portions, in one serving, and no snacking (and I didn't snack much yesterday, just a handful of potato chips before the first lunch).
And today I start a new job, so I packed a lunch -- salad, dressing, cheese cubes, some crackers, a granola bar and a peach. I just finished a travel-cup of cereal (on sale at my local grocer 2/$1.00...wish I would have bought 30, they're so convenient).
Dinner is leftovers, and since there aren't many, it's a reasonable serving by default.
Up next, I'm still considering whether or not to post stats to track my weight loss -- keeping in mind I have no set weight loss goal...I'll think about it today.
Until next time...
Monday, May 30, 2011
Here's the deal
In plain, if sometimes callous, English:
I'm a fat girl. I don't want to be a fat girl anymore.
I'm starting a new job this week, and as part of the hiring process I had to undergo a physical. Everything was fine -- blood pressure good, hearing and vision (with glasses) okay, blood work looked fine as far as cholesterol, etc.
But my weight, well, it's an issue. As in a 365 lb issue.
Not good.
So the doctor who saw me, at my employer's expense, said this: Consider weight loss surgery.
It would've been kinder if he'd hit me with a dumbbell across the head. Several thoughts crossed my mind: Was I really that bad? Did it get to the point where I needed surgery? How did I let myself go? Can I save this without going under the knife?
Short answers: Yes, I'm that bad. No, not yet. I let myself go for several reasons: laziness being one of them. Yes, I can rectify this situation without surgery.
So here we are. I've decided to blog about this to share my experience with other people, people who -- like me -- either don't want or can't afford surgery, who need to lose weight, and who also can't stomach or afford fad diets or taking weeks off work to go on a show like "The Biggest Loser."
I've thought about my goals, and they're pretty simple:
I'll work out things like links, comments, and possibly a Twitter account later on as this process moves forward.
Until next time...
I'm a fat girl. I don't want to be a fat girl anymore.
I'm starting a new job this week, and as part of the hiring process I had to undergo a physical. Everything was fine -- blood pressure good, hearing and vision (with glasses) okay, blood work looked fine as far as cholesterol, etc.
But my weight, well, it's an issue. As in a 365 lb issue.
Not good.
So the doctor who saw me, at my employer's expense, said this: Consider weight loss surgery.
It would've been kinder if he'd hit me with a dumbbell across the head. Several thoughts crossed my mind: Was I really that bad? Did it get to the point where I needed surgery? How did I let myself go? Can I save this without going under the knife?
Short answers: Yes, I'm that bad. No, not yet. I let myself go for several reasons: laziness being one of them. Yes, I can rectify this situation without surgery.
So here we are. I've decided to blog about this to share my experience with other people, people who -- like me -- either don't want or can't afford surgery, who need to lose weight, and who also can't stomach or afford fad diets or taking weeks off work to go on a show like "The Biggest Loser."
I've thought about my goals, and they're pretty simple:
- Watch what I eat. No, I'm not doing some macrobiotic, no carbs, special diet pills/bars diet. I'm not spending a dime extra on what I consume. I'm just going to do three things: watch my servings (portion size and limiting myself to one serving), avoid snacking, and avoid sweets (with the exception of special occasions).
- Exercise regularly. This doesn't mean 2 hours a day, 7 days a week. It means 3-4 times a week for an hour, and doing little things -- parking farther away from the store, taking stairs rather than the elevator, going for walks -- in between.
- Blog whenever possible. I want to share what I'm doing with the world to see if I can help one other person and to share my success with the world.
- Be realistic. I don't have set weight loss number in mind. The government says I should weight something like 117 pounds. Guess what? That isn't happening. I will never be 117 pounds and I will never wear a size 6. But I'd settle for wearing a size 18-22, which is a lot less than what I'm wearing now.
- Be honest. This won't get anywhere if I'm not honest with me and honest on the blog. I'm not going to pretend things are going well when they aren't, lie and say I had celery sticks for a snack when I really ate a pan of brownies, or pretend I walked 8 miles on the treadmill when I sat and watched reruns of "COPS" on Tru TV.
I'll work out things like links, comments, and possibly a Twitter account later on as this process moves forward.
Until next time...
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