Fit Fridays- My Story

My weight loss journey has been a difficult one, but I wasn't always heavy.

In high school, I played softball in the summer, played soccer my sophomore year, ran cross-country for two years, and threw in track and field. I was very active. I even rode my bike a mile and a half to school my junior year.

Once I got out of high school, I worked a lot and late into the night. Oftentimes, I worked the closing shift at Disneyland and wouldn't get off work until 2 am. Taco Bell and McDonald's were my best friends when I was starving after a long shift.

In 2006 I was ready for a change. I went online to the Tyra Banks show and answered a casting call for weight loss. To say that I was shocked to receive a call back is an understatement. My sister and I went on the show and were one of three teams in the "Diet Wars." Each team got a diet/exercise guru and ours was Jillian Michaels. We trained with her once and kept in regular communication over the next three months until the "Results" show was scheduled.

Yes, this is me on the show when we met our trainer.

I ended up losing 12 pounds in the 3 month time frame and was berated on national television for it. Want to read about it? Check out this blog where someone saw the show and was appalled at the way we were treated. Yes, we were told that we "failed" and it was a horrible experience. I ended up not keeping up with it after that and gained even more weight.

It was a couple of years after that incident that I got back into exercising. I had just ended a three year relationship and felt fantastic! I started walking and was no longer eating to fill a void and I ended up losing some weight.

This is what I looked like when I started dating my husband in 2008.

I started dating my husband and started eating out a lot more. I gained more weight and reached the highest weight I had been at up to that point. In 2009 I started seeing a trainer at my local gym and started working out 4x/week! For the first time in my life, I loved exercising! It was such an awesome feeling and I looked forward to going to the gym.

In January 2010 things changed once again. I was in a car accident and the airbag deployed, hitting my right wrist in the process. Many doctors and physical therapy appointments later and I ended up getting a year and a half after the accident. During that time I tried to work out only to have my wrist hurt. It was terrible. After the surgery, it took a while to heal and didn't get better until my chiropractor started adjusting it. I went through a period of depression from the accident and my job so I ended up gaining even more weight.

I started weighing in at 224 pounds three weeks ago...Now, I am clocking in at 222.6 pounds...ouch! I have gained 50 pounds since I first met my husband.

I have a plan and so far I'm sticking with it. I am in my third week of working out! I go to the gym three days a week and do cardio and weights. I'm focusing on getting fit and not just pounds lost. The weight will come off in time if I'm making the right changes.

The first three weeks are the hardest for me and they're officially over!

I'm doing not doing this for anyone else, but for myself and for my future. I can't wait to be able to do more and I'm taking it all one workout at a time :)

*Due to many comments asking about my experience on the Tyra Banks show, I will be posting a more in-depth blog about it scheduled for Monday. If you have any specific questions, please leave me a comment and I will answer it in Monday's post!

Decisions, Decisions

I have around 6 personal training sessions left and three months until the wedding. My first thought was to buy more to get me through the wedding, but then what happens after the wedding? Personal training is expensive and I know that we won't be able to afford me to have a trainer for the rest of my life. I mean, I love the idea of having a trainer to motivate me and tell me what to do and talk to me the whole time to keep my mind off of working out, but seriously?

It's been no secret that I haven't been thrilled with my current gym. I've looked into other gyms in the past and decided that with the move, I should continue to look closer to my new place. So, I looked and you know what I realized? Unless I have someone holding my hand (aka a trainer), I probably won't go on a regular basis, so why pay for it? We don't really need to spend all of that money on a trainer or a gym membership, so why not just cancel it and figure something else out?

I've been thinking about this for weeks now and I finally have my conclusion. If I'm not going to go, then we shouldn't waste our money. Phil's parents have a perfectly good treadmill at home, they also have an exercise ball and Phil has some adjustable weights that I can use while being there and the new apartment has a fitness center I can use.

I've come to the realization that I can't have someone "holding my hand" through the weight-loss process. I need to take responsibility for myself and make it happen. I've had trainers before and I know what to do...now, it is up to me to make it happen. We have the equipment, so, let's use it!

I'm working with Phil on a goal for me to attain. We've been talking about our budget and establishing weekly allowances for all of the little "extras" we spend on. I was thinking that maybe, in the beginning, I could earn my allowance by working out. Each day would be a set dollar amount and we would set limitations. I'm also looking into a "workout planner/scheduler" where I can write down what I did each day or check off all of the days I've worked out.

Basically, I'm trying to figure a way to motivate myself to do what I need to. No one can make me do this, it has to be my decision. I'm tired of paying for people to tell me to do what I already know how to just because I don't want to do it by myself. It's time for me to get motivated and stop wasting money!

mcfatty monday

I'm still maintaining my weight despite multiple efforts over the past couple of months. I've been discouraged and took a step back for a few weeks, but am ready to get back onto the bandwagon. I want to be healthy and not focus on just the weight, but how I feel overall. I've noticed that I feel better when I work out and eat better despite the lack of weight loss and I really like how that feels.

Right now I'm going to focus on avoiding the foods that I crave when I'm stressed. Of course, it doesn't help that when I walked into work this morning there are chocolate cupcakes sitting out waiting to be eaten. So far it's been easy to avoid them. I had a bowl of Special K cereal this morning and have no desire to eat the cupcakes, but that's probably because I'm not super stressed right now so we'll have to see how well this afternoon goes when the kids are running a muck in the house.

It's so easy to run and pick up something through the drive-thru when I find myself hungry. Hunger hits me quickly and once my blood sugar gets too low I need to eat something right-that-second so that the dizziness, shakes, and weakness goes away. It's been easier to make sure that I'm eating plenty of small snacks to curb the starvation problem and often times I will stop by my house for lunch since there aren't many "ready to eat" things at my bosses' house and I can only eat so many PB&J sandwiches...seriously.

The other things I'm gong to focus on is my water intake and regular exercise. I like going to the gym and the feeling of happiness that brings, but it can be difficult to get to the gym. It's a lot easier to go with a friend, but sometimes no one is available to go and I must make the decision to go anyways. I like to think that I'll do a video at home, but usually I end up avoiding the at home workout and just watch a movie instead.

I believe that the weight will come off naturally with living a healthy lifestyle and maybe by focusing on being healthier and more fit and less on the weight itself, it will put me in a better frame of mind and perspective to be able to do more.

Does anyone have any tips for getting past food cravings or getting the right frame of mind for the gym? Leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts!

Back on track

It's been a rough few weeks for me gym-wise. It was tiring having the emotional rollercoaster going back and forth between gaining and losing and it not being consistent. Oh, and my gym buddy jumped ship and I'm not sure when she's going to go again. My average has been 1 day/week for the past 3 weeks...not good. Luckily, my trainer called today saying that she is back in town and is starting to train again NEXT week! I am so incredibly giddy about that you have no idea. I absolutely love my trainer 100% and was really sad when she had to leave  for a family emergency. I can't wait to get back on track and really blast the fat and feel good about myself.

My job is winding down and there's only around a couple of months left for me full-time here. I am so excited about that! Not that my job isn't a good set-up, but to know that God has something different for me is exciting!

I have a lot to look forward to and feel good about right now and that's what I'm trying to focus on when I get down and exhausted which is almost daily at some point...usually from the exhaustion. Once the gym routine is back on track and the weight decides to come off I should feel much better and back to my happy, hyper, super energetic self!

Letter

Dear Fellow Gym Go-ers,

I think it is terrific, even admirable that you too are going to the gym. Maybe it is to get into better shape or just to be healthy, but whatever the reason it is honestly great.

I find it helpful that the gym has showers and a fantastic locker room with tons of lockers, mirrors, and a bathroom with granite countertops. In fact, this is the whole reason that I like the locker room. The showers are a nice touch even if I refuse to use them, but really, feel free to do so yourselves.

I must admit, however, that there is something that I saw this morning that I do not think is necessary. You see, the gym also has an extra changing room available so that you need not prance around in your old lady undies for everyone to see. I do not enjoy gathering my belongings from my locker post work-out to see an older woman in floral granny panties and a pink bra.

For future reference, I would like for you to consider one of the ample shower/changing areas available not in the open.

Thank you,

Your Fellow Gym Patron

Day 1

The motivation I had yesterday to get started with the trainer has really kicked in. Today was my first day with my new trainer...and...I loved her! She was everything I was looking for in a trainer. After the last trainer I had, it was great to have someone who seemed interested in my goals and what I have to say. I'm really glad that I requested her and was adament about it. I figured that if she is always in the gym working out, then she must be pretty decent at it and seemed nice.

We talked and figured I would do 3-4 days a week with her and some extra classes of cardio when I am not working out with the trainer. It was a bit costly, but will hopefully be worth it. She was so encouraging and made sure to give me only one homework assignment for my diet for this week which was to eat one more fruit or vegetable per day than I normally would. Easy enough! She said she didn't want me to get overwhelmed with the workouts and completely changing my diet all at once because then I would be more likely to give up on it....See? She rocks!

I have another appointment with her tomorrow morning since she has decided to come in even when it wasn't in her original availability. It is so great to work out with someone who is encouraging and will push me when it needs to be done.

Hopefully we will see some results next month when we do the next set of measurements and weigh in!

Let's get the party started

Let's face it, I've gained 20 pounds in the last year. That's kinda a lot and I am not happy with it at all. The weight gain has been mostly because of stress with some "love weight" thrown in there by falling in love with an incredible man. Either way it needs to go.

I'll be the first one to admit that I am a procrasinator. The gym to me seems like a great idea until it is time to go. I'm also the best excuse maker ever --due to years of practice when I was a kid --to get out of anything I did not want to do.

I'm also a stress-eater. When stress comes my way so does my appetite. Cheeseburgers, pizza, bacon, ice cream, chocolate, cake, cookies...you name it, I want it.

Because of all of these things it has been really bad on my health. I have back pain, knee pain, and I get winded going up and down stairs. When we were at DisneyWorld this past summer, I couldn't even walk around the whole time. My back was in so much pain. My knees hurt, and my feet were so swollen I couldn't even fit into shoes or my sandals I had brought! It has gotten so bad that part of my leg feels swollen and will hurt if I have it bent too much. Unfortunately Phil's sister in law is a doctor and said it is not swollen. This of course means that it is just my fat that hurts....ouch :(

I am, honestly, about 55-60 pounds away from my goal weight. It's been exhausting to not be able to bend down while sitting to get things without having my belly get in the way. Phil will actually volunteer to do many things for me to help because he knows that it is incredibly uncomfortable for me to do myself--like carrying things up the stairs for me at his house. I'm not incapable and I do many things, but the weight does get in the way more than I would like it too.

I had just about had it today when the realization came that my insecurities all stem from my weight in some form or another. The once a month personal training is not working because we only meet once a month and other than that the average gym trip has been once a week...not too good.

Phil and I had talked about how I need more training from a professional multiple times a week to really see results and be motivated. With feeling so insecure lately I decided to talk to him about actually doing that and headed off to the gym to get prices on different training options. He agreed, surprisingly, that it would be a good idea to have me try it out for 3 months meeting with a trainer 4 times a week! This way I am guaranteed to go to the gym 4 times a week for the next 3 months and there should be some kind of significant progress by that point.

My first appointment is tomorrow with my new trainer. I am hopeful that it will go well and that it will be the kick in the butt I need to get going with weight loss and living a healthier lifestyle.

The Gym is Totally Kicking my Butt

I've been slacking lately on going to the gym. In the past three weeks I have been once per week. I have been eating better since Friday and have already lost .8 of a pound! I've decided to try to go to the gym more often, but not to pressure myself or there's no way I'll go.

This morning there was a Combat class (like kickboxing) and I went to that right after the little one got picked up from school. It is one of my favorite classes and teachers at the gym and it was great to be able to go. The class is an hour long and I stayed for all of it except the last part where they do some crunches, push-ups, and stretching. Throughout the whole class I...thought....I....was....going....to....die. It's a great workout, but it's exhausting!

They say the gym is supposed to make you feel great and give you tons of energy, but it doesn't so much when you are out of shape to begin with. I am so ready for a loooong nap right now. Hopefully I can continue to go more this week and start to feel the "energy" from going to the gym afterwards, but for now I need a nap!