Walk This Way....

There is nothing that calms one's nerves after a long day at the office like a walk through the neighborhood with a friend.  Something about the combined movement of body, and the ability to vent unencumbered about annoyances big and small brings a sense of relief from the daily grind.

T and I walked about 2.5 miles (she also walked to my house and back home - she knows how to show that sidewalk who's boss).  The weather was nice, although the spring blooms did start to get to our various allergy senses near the end of the loop, and I was glad to retreat back indoors to escape the terror of pollen.  It was a beautiful evening, and I am resolved to have more of these walking excursions to keep my momentum.

I'm also feeling a little high today because I was able to bring my new belt down one more notch.  Score.

Dancing Away the Morning

This morning I was having some difficulty getting into motion (is it just me, or does it seem that most mornings are that way?) and as I scrolled through the many selections for my daily workout I struggled to find one that could inspire me to get up off the couch and up on my feet.

I finally stumbled upon some dance videos and decided, why not?  I got started with Dance Off the Inches - Tummy Tone Party Zone with Marie Forleo, intending on spending 15 minute or so moving around the living room.  Just enough time to say I gave a workout a shot.

45 minutes and three segments later, I am winded and sweaty, and surprised that I was able to keep moving well beyond what I had intended.  And my abs are KILLING me!

This Workout Brought to you by... Netflix

Recently, Mr. Kawaii and I joined the golden age of video rental by joining Netflix.  Although it's been around for years now, it took our local video rental store closing down for us to finally make the leap to give Netflix a try.  As we have been browsing through the instant downloads on our Xbox, I noticed that there are quite a few workout videos available to watch instantly, and DVDs available by mail.

This morning when I poked my head out the door and a blast of cold air hit me in the face, I decided to stay in and give the Netflix queue a try.  I quickly found Self: Bikini Ready Fast! and decided to give it a shot.  It was a pretty low-impact strength training workout, and I pulled my trusty Kidney Bean cans out of the cabinet to substitute for weights.  It was easy to follow along, and I was SUPREMELY pleased when at the end of the exercise the instructor gave tips on eating a healthy diet including a little bit of everything.  She spoke of the importance of including fats, carbs, protein and fiber into well-rounded eating habits as well as giving ourselves a break now and again to splurge on our favorite foods.

With all the hype of wildly popular shows like The Biggest Loser focusing on how to lose as much weight as possible - and fast - a big gap has been left for people who are looking for sustainable solutions.  Restrictive diets and hours-long exercise routines are difficult for most people to follow for more than a few weeks at a time, and it takes a big reality check for those of us who need to come to terms with understanding that eating 1,100 calories and spending 3 hours at the gym every single day is just not something we can do.

I have learned over the last year that the most difficult and rewarding part of living a healthy lifestyle is finding patience.  We need patience for ourselves so that we can move at our own pace and find long-lasting results, we need patience for others who think we aren't getting "enough" results and we need patience for our bodies to know that they will change in their own way and time.  Changing the way we live is a very difficult task, which is why so few people are able to see their goals through to the end.  The most important thing for me, and for you, is to just keep trying.  We'll get there when we get there!

Starting Off On The Right Foot

I woke up bright and early this morning to flip all of my calendars to "March" and get a workout in before moving on to work, errands and family responsibilities.  This drive to start the month off with a 30 minute yoga workout instead of a bucket of doughnuts came from talking to my most beautiful friend, E, about her firefighter training.  After our chat last night I decided that if she can get up in the rain, sleet, hail and snow to run 5 miles a day then I can certainly do some Warrior Stances for a half hour in the comfort of my warm and cozy living room.

When I'm feeling discouraged it often (if not always) helps to know that I'm not the only one trying to get a smaller bottom.  There are many others out there sweating on sidewalks, treadmills, monkey bars and in swimming pools in search of a more fit self.  It makes the whole early morning yoga endeavor seem like part of a movement far bigger than me.  Together, we can find fitness!

Housework and Yoga Go Hand-in-Hand

I began my morning workout by discovering that nothing makes you aware of the need to vacuum more than a poorly-situated Downward Facing Dog.  So it seems that I will be spending a fair portion of this beautiful snowy day indoors tidying up.  I've already gotten my yoga, vacuuming and dusting out of the way but it appears that sweeping, mopping, laundry and dishes are all equal parts of my future.

The nice thing about starting the day with yoga is that once you get used to the poses it isn't an overly thought-consuming activity and it gives you an opportunity to reflect on what you hope to accomplish during the day.  It gives you time to reflect on the things that are going on in your hectic life as you ascend into Eagle Pose, and makes you think that if everyone just took 5 minutes out of their day to perfect Pose of the Dancer then the world would be a much better place.

Another thing yoga in the morning does is punish you for skipping breakfast and remind you sternly that it is the most important meal of the day.  As I type, I am clutching a cereal bowl and vowing that tomorrow I'll eat before I attempt the Warrior Series.

Goodness, Yoga teaches me a lot.

Walking and Contemplation

I haven't been doing a great job of blogging (obviously), but I have been trying to get a little activity in as my back has been healing.  Gettting in a few squats here and there, burning calories cleaning up the house after my time stuck in bed and taking short walks have helped me to feel less like a bump on a log.

During the clean sweep of the house, I managed to find a very old roll of film that has been floating around the house for years, and after many reminders from my mom I was able to finally remember to drop it off to get it developed.  After another week, I finally remembered to pick UP said pictures from Walgreens and Mr. Kawaii and I sat down to go through them last night.

The photos ended up being from waaay back during the first Christmas Mr. Kawaii and I spent together (4 years ago).  It was fun to look back to the beginning of our relationship together, but inevitably the thing that I paid the most attention to was how thin I was 4 years ago.  I've gained a solid 50 pounds from that Christmas, and at first I got a little down on myself for my "failure" but on my walk this morning I re-thought my stance.

Back when those photos were taken, Mr. Kawaii and I had only been together a few months.  Just a year before, I had gone through a terrible divorce.  I spent months walking between 3 and 6 miles a day in addition to going to the gym and doing an hour of yoga every morning... I worked out constantly because I was miserable and quite honestly couldn't afford to do anything else.  I was in great shape, but I was unhappy.  I had no friends, no money, was at risk of losing my apartment and was very unsure of whether or not I'd get another paycheck.  Life sucked, and although I fit into some really cute size 8 jeans back then, there is no way I'd want to go back.

I reminded myself again that I haven't gained any more weight in 12 months - which is a huge improvement to where I was, gaining 15 to 20 pounds a year.  All I have to do is keep focusing on finding time in my schedule to get exercise in and continue eating appropriate portions and I'll be able to watch that waistline start to shrink.  I can do it!

Sweating Out the Turkey

After a few of days of nothing but turkey, yams and apple pie, I figured it was probably time to get back into the workout groove.  Luckily, when I woke up this morning I was full of energy and ready to go, so I ran with the feeling and popped Denise Austin's Fat Blasting Yoga in and pushed play before I had a chance to talk myself out of it.

Even though it's been a while since I last practiced any yoga poses, my body fell right back into it as if it hadn't taken a break at all.  I couldn't believe that I had enough energy and strength to complete the first segment, let alone all three, but here I sit an hour later with every muscle stretched and pose completed (except for the one where you sit cross-legged and push your body off the floor with your hands - that is just crazy talk).

When I first purchased this particular workout DVD years ago, it came with a 21 day challenge.  "In 21 days, you'll see great results," Denise promises at the beginning of the program.  So, what the heck.  I haven't done a fitness challenge in a while so I think I'll give it a go.  I've got nothing to lose but inches 'round the middle!

Recognizing My Own Success Story

I realized this morning that I have been blogging about my exercise adventure for just about 6 months now, and what a journey it has been.  I've seen my share of highs and lows over the last six months, have been witness to great changes in M and K, and even a few in myself.  I spent the morning on a 2.5 mile walk with Pooch, and we spent our time out on the sidewalk reflecting on where I've been and where I'm heading.

When I started this blog, it was with the idea that if I had some outside accountability that maybe I'd be able to stick with the whole "lifestyle change" concept long enough for it to start working.  Work it has, although not in the way that I had expected it to.  I was seeking instant results on the scale, expecting to drop 40 or 50 pounds within six months and be back to a size 8 before Christmas.

Although those aren't the results that I've seen so far, I am confident that they are on the horizon and I am taking one step at a time in the right direction.  Unfortunately, in my past I have done a number on my body through 10 years of binge eating and starvation topped off with 4 years of eating fast food roughly 12 times a week.  Because of my past diet insanity, my body is still afraid to let go of the pounds although it has started shifting things around and transforming some of those former lumps into muscle that are so real you can see and feel them lurking under my skin.

All those trips to the gym, laps around the track and yoga sessions in the living room have given me results that are frequent and substantial enough to keep me going, and through blogging about the craziness of trying to jog with a dog who wants to paint fences every 50 feet and being attacked by flora and fauna in equal doses in the back yard, I have been able to share my experience with others.

This experience has reminded me that sometimes we just have to recognize our own success story instead of comparing ourselves to others.  We might not all be millionaire-triathlete-raceway-superstars, but we are all treading the paces of our own journey to shape who we will become in the years ahead of us.  And while yes, it is great when there are enthusiastic people like M and K to encourage us along the way, there will always be those days when we just have to get up and be our own cheerleader.

So, in the spirit of cheering for myself, here are my awesome results that have stacked up over the last six months:

• Gone from barely being able to zip up my size 18 jeans to comfortably fitting into my size 16 jeans and size 14 dresses.
• Lost 3 pounds since starting this blog, and 6 pounds overall.
• Have traversed the gap in my belt, going from barely able to get into the last notch on the belt to now being 4 notches in.
• Discovered that I have "tank top arms" for the first time in years, with muscular shoulders and emerging biceps.
• Went from walking a 22 minute mile to being able to walk/jog a 16 minute mile.
• Have slimmed to a point where my fingers are thin enough to wear my wedding ring every day, even to sleep.
• Can see my wrist bones for the first time since 1997.
• No longer feel like I am "spilling out" over the edge of chairs, car seats or benches.
• Have more energy than I know what to do with some days!

Sure, I haven't met my goals of losing 40 pounds and dropping to a size 8, but look at all the things I HAVE done!  Most of the things I have achieved are things that I never even thought of as goals, but they went ahead and showed up anyway.  The proof is in the fat-free lactose-free sugar-free pudding, and I know that as long as I continue avoiding the drive-thru lane and keep finding ways to be active that I will continue to inch my way towards the smaller bottom of my dreams.

Nearing the Finish line at the 2010 Great Columbia Crossing
October, 2010

The Bottom, It IS Shrinking!

Today seemed like it was just another day at 24 hour fitness.  Basketball, weight machines, ab machines, and stationary bikes filled my morning and by lunchtime I was ravenously hungry.  All this working out has paid off though because I have finally, after months of trying, been able to fit back into a pair of size 16 pants AND BUTTON THEM.  Sure, they are still a little snug, but they fit damnit and no one can take that away from me!

M's suggestion to give Spark People seems to be working too, as it is opening my eyes to how I eat.  Most days I am well within a healthy calorie level, but earlier this week when I was having a Really bad day I somehow managed to take in almost 4,000 calories!  Although overall Spark People isn't telling me anything that I don't already know, it is pointing out that maybe my stress eating could be better handled with popcorn and sliced turkey instead of double-stuffed pizza and greasy-grimy cheeseburgers.

All in all, this has been a pretty good week for working out and exercising.  Not my most flawless week as far as consistency goes, but a week where positive changes in my body are making themselves be known.  Another few weeks and who knows... I might be able to start using my favorite belt again.

Never Stop

Before I go on about my exercise routine, first I would like to say that today is a sad day for America and I appreciate the sacrifices that so many have made in response to the 9/11 attacks.  Lost but not forgotten, I hope that time continues to bring peace to the hearts of those who lost loved ones.

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Today was a beautiful day outside, and I met K this morning for a couple of miles around the track.  At some point at Dragon*Con (I was too delirious then for me to remember what day it was now) I tweaked my knee walking around downtown Atlanta.  After an afternoon of bandaged support and a night of rest, I thought the pain had gone away and that the pain was more a symptom of exhaustion than an actual injury.  Until today, anyway.  The knee started acting up this morning, and so although K and I made good time on our first two miles (just under 45 minutes) I wasn't able to continue on.

I did come home and do some of the ab exercises that I learned last month during the 10 Pound Slimdown Challenge, and I'm pleased to say that my abs ache as if the ExerciseTV minions attacked my midsection.  I'm hoping that keeping a focus on the abs will help to tone it up and make zipping up my "almost fit" jeans a little bit easier!

On the writing & exercising fronts, I have been given the opportunity to join Curves for a week to write a review on their gym, and so sometime next week I am going to get that started.  I'm looking forward to trying something new, and seeing how it adds to the workouts that I've done thus far.  Every time I try something new, I learn a little bit more about myself and my capabilities and I can't wait for this opportunity to keep growing mentally and shrinking physically!

I hope that you all have a peaceful day and as you reflect on your perhaps not-all-perfect physique, please do take a moment to remember that our battle with the scale is small (fat-free) potatoes compared to what is going on in much of the world today.  We are blessed to have the luxury of worrying about our waistlines instead of wondering how and when our next meal will come and all things considered, it isn't the worst problem for any of us to have.

Monday Meandering

Ah, Monday.  I woke up to find no rain for the first day since early last week, and so I got up and got outside!

Actually what happened was I got up, looked out the window, decided maybe I'd go for a walk.  Started to put on my sweats and picked up my running shoes from the closet in our bedroom with the door closed.  Pooch somehow detected my intentions from his spot curled up and asleep in the living-room.  Before I even had my shoes on he was outside my door thumping his tail and tapping his little toes in excitement.  Trying to casually talk to my husband without seeming like I really WAS going for a walk didn't work. Pooch started running back and forth from his leash hanging by the back door to the living room and back again.  I don't know how he knows when I'm going for a walk vs. when I'm going to check the mail - but he KNOWS.

Still overcast, it was the perfect kind of weather for going on a good long walk around the "big-big loop" in our neighborhood without overheating.

My husband, Pooch and I have broken up our neighborhood into different looped walks that we can do in as little as 15 minutes or as long as 45.  We use these looped walks to get outside and walk and talk problems out, to train for 10k's and to breathe in some fresh air when we're feeling cooped up in the house.

The "little-little loop" goes from our end of the street to the end of the street and back and is 3/10 of a mile.  Not a big hike by any means, but the perfect little walk to warm up for another activity or to walk off a full tummy.

The "little loop" goes from our end of the street to the end of the street then crosses over a block and comes back down the neighboring street, and is just under 1/2 mile.  Not much longer than the "little-little", but long enough to get your heart beat moving before going on a bike ride or playing Wii boxing.

The "big loop" goes down our street, up five blocks to a trail that goes around the back of our neighborhood and then comes back to the street we live on, and is around 1 mile.  It is a really pleasant walk, especially the trail portion that borders a wetland, and is a great way to keep an eye on what all our crazy neighbors are doing.  It is on this loop that we discovered the neighbor who complains that all the basketball hoops scattered around the neighborhood are an "eyesore" has a basketball hoop himself!  Not that we're nosy or anything.  Really.  We're just exercising.

Then there's the "big-big loop" that goes around our entire neighborhood, the neighborhood adjoining ours, and a third neighborhood on the other side.  This is quite the walk, just over 2 miles.  The "big-big" loop is my favorite, not because of the exercise, but because it is an interesting walk.  In 45 minutes you get to walk across 3 different income brackets, 3 different HOA's and 3 very different ideas of what an "ideal house" should look like.  It's nice to be able to say good morning to other people walking and jogging towards their perfect waistline (especially the ones who are struggling right along with us - all those skinny bitches can go to hell), and to "window shop" all the houses for sale on the loop.

So today, at the end of the "big-big loop" I'd walked 2 miles in 45 minutes.  Not fast enough to win any trophies, but right on schedule for training to get a 10K done in 2 hours (which is 6.6 miles in 2 hours - I'll need to shave the walk down to under 36 minutes, and be able to complete it 3 times to make it).

I'm glad that I was finally able to do some exercise outdoors again.  Although there are so many workouts that can be done in a gym, with an exercise DVD or with Exercise TV, there is nothing like being outside to make all the work more interesting and engaging.  When you get a chance, map out your own loops and see where they take you!  You may be surprised at all the interesting things you find, and the people you meet along the way.

I'm Not Obese, I'm Bacon Enhanced!

Well, I've been talking about doing a blog to follow my quest for a smaller bottom (and waist and arms and legs and...) for the last year.  Now that I am precisely 105 days away from my target, and no less large than I was a year ago I figure it's high time I get myself in gear and make myself accountable for losing enough poundage to look like Lara Croft.

So, to start off, let's take a look at where I'm at and how I got here.

Here I am today:

No, I'm not Master Chief... that's me on the left.  The one with the crazy face.  I was originally conceived in a scientific experiment that involved melding human skin with an LCD screen.  The results are really amazing, albeit a bit pixelated.  You'll be able to download your own LCD Skin app from Apple in 2025.

Note in the photo that I've accumulated what we like to call a "Bacon Enhanced" physique.  I tip the scales at very near 200 pounds.  196.8 to be exact.  It's hard for me to type that... but it's the truth.  Four years ago I weighed 50 pounds less than than I do now.  I hovered between 145 and 150 and was a size eight.  I started to say "was a happy size eight", but that isn't really true.

I've had weight issues all my life, which I blame primarily on my upbringing (sorry, mom and dad).  When I was 12 my uncle told me he was thinking about breaking up with his girlfriend because she weighed 120 pounds.  At 12 I was as tall as I am today, and I weighed 125 pounds.  Now, that single exchange isn't what has caused me to focus so squarely on what the scale says every morning.  No, there were many such comments made by almost all of my family members about my weight, their weight, and the weight of just about everyone around them.  So, it's been something that I've worried about all my life and I've struggled with both Anorexia in my teens (I weighed an average of 107 my Senior Year of high school) and Binge Eating throughout my Twenties.

But somehow, I was able to gain and maintain a steady weight of 145 - 150 for about three years and while I always wanted to be "just one pants size smaller" in reality I was super healthy with exercise and balanced eating both included in my daily habits.  

Sadly, I lost my ability to control my eating and keep an active lifestyle when I got an amazing opportunity to spend 4 years sitting at a desk for 10 hours a day with unlimited free fast food at my disposal.  I've learned a lot about myself and about business over the last 4 years, but "healthy" hasn't been a part of my vocabulary in quite some time.  Between the chili-cheese-burritos and mozzarella sticks, the thousands of hours spent slaving away in an office chair and the stress of meeting deadlines I lost the drive, energy and desire to focus on the scale.

So now I am a curvy size 18 instead of a svelte size 8.  Being classified by my doctor, my BMI and my Wii as "Obese" really sucks although truth be told I do enjoy being called "Curvy", "Voluptuous" and a "Big, Beautiful Woman".  But it's time for me to go back to some middle-size so I've set a goal for myself to drop to 160 pounds and a size 10 by September 3rd.  It's totally do-able if I stick to it (and I do need your help, dear reader to keep me on track), and now that I've kicked the desk-job to the curb and distanced myself as far as possible from the free fast food I know that it is something that I can maintain long-term too.

So I ask from you, reader of blogs, to please comment on my posts with your own weight loss frustrations and victories.  I will in turn start posting my thoughts and activities several times a week (I'm shooting for daily, but as I'm spending more and more time outdoors I forsee there may be a few days I don't make it online).  By helping each other we can all meet our goals, whether they are the last stubborn 5 or 105 pounds on our trek to healthiness.  Let's put down the bacon, and look forward to a thinner tomorrow!