A Workout for the Exercise Challenged

I hate to exercise. And I resent that losing weight and keeping it off just about REQUIRES me to do some form of exercise.

I have a Fitness Flyer which I've tried to be diligent about getting on for 20 minutes a day. But given the chance, I will find just about any excuse to not exercise.

And I've tried taking exercise videos out of the library with the sincere hope that I'll find one that I really like where the cheeky host doesn't grate on my nerves in the first five minutes. Not an easy task. All those skinny, perky former cheerleaders who never struggled a day in their lives to maintain a single digit size....and the class participants with the same MO is enough to make me want to strangle each and everyone of them. UGH.

Last month, Claire, over at Burning the Scale, posted a blog entry about a promotion that Wrigley was doing in conjunction with the Biggest Loser. The Gumisgood.com web site wanted to know how gum had helped you in your weight loss efforts. Well, this was right up my alley since chewing gum has been one of the constants in my efforts. Keeps me from the vending machine.

So I signed up, told them my little story and in response, they sent me a gift of a water bottle, a pedometer, 5 packs of gum and a Biggest Loser workout DVD. Pretty cool, huh?

But remember...I hate to exercise.

But it was free. So first I took it out of the plastic...then it sat on my nightstand for 3 or 4 days.

Well, today I finally decided to give it a try. And I was REALLY pleasantly surprised.

Instead of the usual one-size-fits-all workout that is usually on things like this, there are 9 different segments to choose from. The opening menu allows you to chose which segments you want so your workout, not only doesn't have to be the same every day but you don't have to spend your time forwarding between segments in the middle of a workout.

The segments are:
Warm Up (5 min)
Low Intensity Cardio (15 min)
Boot Camp (15 min)
Functional Flexibility (10 min)
Cool Down (5 min)

You can also choose a High Intensity Cardio (10 min) or Power Sculpt (10 min)..one for Men...one for Women.

For my first time out, I chose the Warm up, Boot Camp and the Cool Down. (After I had done 15 minutes on the Flyer).

Best part of the whole thing? Bob Harper (the trainer) didn't annoy me. And the participants on the video were former Biggest Loser contestants. NO skinny perky cheerleader types. Real people. Real sizes. Very refreshing.

I'll try it again tomorrow with a different mix. And perhaps I'm on to something. We'll see.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Today's Epiphany

One week to go.

One week until I put my skinnier self on a plane and head to Florida for the trip I've been looking forward to and working towards for months.

And as I've mentioned before, I've been struggling with these last few pounds and I've come to accept that I may not get to that goal weight by next Thursday. I'm 2.5 pounds from it as of this morning. I'm watching what I eat and drink. I'm mixing things up so as to not fall into a rut and I've actually been (GASP) exercising. Last week was my first week using my inherited Fitness Flyer. I started out with 10 minutes a day...every day. I missed one day when I went to Boston but got right back on the next morning. This morning, as I close out the second week on the Flyer, I'm now up to 20 minutes. A true accomplishment from this self proclaimed couch potato.

But whether I hit that magic number by the time I step on a plane isn't the issue... because what is different THIS TIME as opposed to any other time, is that it is NOT just about losing the weight for this trip. It must be about losing the weight and keeping it off forever.

So what has changed?

Aside from making real life altering changes in the way that I eat and life altering changes in the way that I approach food in general. I've come to recognize that it is my responsibility as a wife, mother, daughter and friend to take care of myself. And that isn't easy. It's EASY to go to the fridge and put the first thing your hand touches in your mouth. And it's EASY to order dessert when you go out to dinner. But it's HARD to accept the responsibility for my actions if I take the easy way out.

And how can I expect to be an example to my daughters if I take a "do as I say not as I do." attitude?

I set out on this journey (this time) with that quest for the single digit size...but to be honest, I don't know that I 100% believed that I would get there. I had tried so many times before and fallen short. But I kept plugging along....and will continue to do so (beyond this glorious vacation). No one... and I mean NO ONE is more surprised than me at my success to date. At the ripe age of 42, am I finally showing some maturity and some responsibility for my actions?

I mean really? Whose fault is it that I was 177 pounds? Nabisco's? Breyers? Oh, I know, McDonald's!? Of course not. The fault was mine because I took no responsibility for what I put in my mouth. I blamed the food I ate for what it did to my body. I blamed the clothes in my closet for not fitting right. I blamed the fashion industry for not making clothes I liked in my size.

But in the end, it was no one's fault but my own. And I am certainly not saying it is easy. Everyone one of us who struggles with their weight...truly STRUGGLES with their weight and knows that it is HARD.

But keep going.

If you are struggling, keep going! The end result is SO worth it.

Stay tuned for less of me.

Turning a New Page

This dieting thing, it's certainly a work in progress.

Initially my goals were really to drop about 40 pounds and wear a single digit size in time for my big vacation next month. But that's truly just the tip of the iceberg.

Did I need to drop the weight? Absolutely. (you've seen the pictures!) But the bigger issue (pardon the pun) was that I needed a long term solution to the ongoing struggle I've had with my weight.

As many of you may know from reading my other blog, I travelled down the Kimkins road back in April and embarked on a low fat/ low carb diet that helped me lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. And as I've said before, no one was more surprised than me. I am down 33.5 pounds and now wear a 6 or an 8. A size I have not been probably since junior high.

Lately, however, I've done some careful consideration on whether this was a long term solution to my issues. And the answer was a resounding "no". A few weeks ago, I started digging around and asking a bunch of questions about maintenance on Kimkins (which seems to be made up as it goes along) or maintenance on Atkins. Or some other mutation. I figured that if I did enough digging, I would come up with an answer that made sense to me and the way I live.

It's that work in progress thing again.

Ironically, I think that once I started thinking this way, I started eating more Atkins-like anyway. I increased my fat intake and as a result my calorie count... and I still continued to lose weight. I am living a low carb life in a way that makes sense to me.

Add to that, the fact that I've been doing my own bit of research and been reading the blogs of several people who's opinions I trust (see the links on the right) and we all seem to be reaching these same conclusions.

So, somewhere in this whole mess is a tweaked version of a low carb life that works for me. It may take me a little while to figure out exactly what that is, but it is my new quest to do so. I've gone and re-read Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution. Read a few other low carb books on the market and reserved Atkins for Life from the local library. I'm doing my best to (re)educate myself and make decisions that are not just about that single digit size but about long term choices that will keep me there.

Yesterday, I started a new exercise regime...(translated: I started exercising at all!) I have a hand me down Fitness Flyer (like a Gazelle). I did 10 minutes last night (no easy feat, I assure you). And then 10 more minutes this afternoon. Trying to work my way up to 30 minutes without killing myself or losing my enthusiasm.

And tomorrow, I will do it again as well as I embark on an Atkins-like Induction to try and get the last few remaining pounds off before my trip which is less than 3 weeks away.

Stay tuned for less of me...and a better me. Will you join me?