Confessions of a Fat Chick

It makes me laugh that my last post here was over a year ago and yet my struggle remains the same.

I did make it to my 10%... and then gained it and more back over the course of the last year.

I am still fighting the same fight, still knee deep in what feels like a never-ending losing battle.
But I'm not giving up. Still pressing on.

One day, I will prevail. 

As of last week's weigh in, I was 1.4 lbs away from my 10% with Weight Watchers.

I'm not really holding my breath for anything to happen this week. In fact, I'm bracing myself for a gain, because it's just been a really bad food week and I only worked out Saturday morning and Monday night... and on top of it all I'm dealing with the joy of my "favorite auntie" this week, so I'm bloated and have been on a what feels like a binge-fest all week long.

No matter what happens tonight, I will not let the scale rob me of my joy and excitement for how far I've come so far this year.

I think my goal for the year is to lose at least 60 lbs total in 2008... something totally doable in my mind. I'll have to set an end goal once I do actually reach my 10%

So to answer the question that the title of this blog asks... YES, I will make it to my 10%... it just might not be today. But that's okay. :) 

It's hard to keep up! Making it a part of your life on a consistent basis is really alot harder than it seems.

Saturday morning I did Turbo.
Sunday I didn't do anything.
Monday I waited until I was almost ready for bed to do 20 minutes of Turbo.
My goal is to make it to the gym this evening for water aerobics.

It's too easy to make excuses, to find other things to do.
I've got to work harder at scheduling it in and making it happen!

I can't believe it... I finally lost 25 lbs on the WW program. In the past I had given up by now. This is a HUGE milestone for me.

Wednesday my dad made comments about me not being "aerodynamic" ... and just now he compared me walking through the house to an 8.5 earthquake.

It's no wonder I'm as jacked up about my weight as I am.

I'm really happy... I'm trudging along.  I CAN DO THIS!

I just got done watching the finale for season 5 of The Biggest Loser (which BTW, I actually applied to be on and made it to call backs)... so I've been watching this season more than any of the other seasons.

A few of my favorite things from tonight:

• Make impossible your favorite word. - Jillian Michaels. I think so many times I think about my situation, how much weight I have to lose, and yes... it seems impossible... and that thought scares me, and it scares me away from fighting through what I think is impossible. I need to make impossible my favorite word and actually fight for the impossible... because who knows, I've been wrong before, it's quite possible that it IS possible.
• Eat less, move more, and trust God. - Bob Harper. It all boils down to this simple truth.
• You gotta believe it to be it. - Ali Vincent, season 5 winner and first female Biggest Loser. When Ali got eliminated, she said that she was going to be the biggest loser... and her confidence seemed to be exactly what helped drive to actually making that statement true. My connection with Ali came from her story about her life and her struggle... so much of what she said sounded like it came straight from my mouth. To see her accomplish something so amazing as going from 234 lbs to 122 lbs is so inspiring... it makes me honestly believe that I too can lose the 100+ pounds that I need to lose.
• What have you done today to make you feel proud? - from The Biggest Loser theme song. I've heard the theme song every day but never really listened to it. I think that needs to be the question I ask myself at the end of every day. It could be anything, big or small... but I need find those things and celebrate them.

Long story short, I HAVE to believe that I can do this and then fight to make that come true. I was really inspired watching the girls on the ranch work and accomplish some amazing weight loss goals. Granted I don't have the luxuries or 1 on 1 personal training that the cast on the ranch got, and I know that I won't get those kind of results in 15 weeks... but I know I can do this!

I don't think I posted after last Thursday here, so after my gain the previous week, on April 10th I recorded a .8 loss. So not quite a pound. I have a pound more to get me back to where I was before.

I am trying to decide if I want to rejoin 24 Fitness... more if I can afford it. I would love to join again, and I know it would really help my weight loss efforts.... right now if I sign up online it would be $87.97 to start and then $29 a month. It's very tempting. I've got to think about it for the day and see.

Anywho, other than that, I'm trudging along. I got compliments this week from different people noticing that I've lost weight. They can really tell in my face I guess, which is where I notice it most too. Just waiting for the rest of my body to get with the program now!  :)

From http://exercise.lifetips.com/

Sleep Benefits

Sleep duration and patterns can affect sports training and performance. Most people need 7 or 8 hours of sleep, and your body functions at its best when you have regular sleep patterns, generally sleeping at about the same time every night. So if your workouts, practices, or competitions aren´t going well, consider whether you´re getting enough sleep.

Drinking Sodas

Coke or Pepsi? When you're training, neither. Go easy on the soft drinks in your sports nutrition diet.

There has been some indication that drinking a lot of carbonated sodas, especially cola, can have an adverse effect on bone strength in teenage girls. (This would probably also be true of diet sodas.)

This is very controversial and far from proven, but there is no doubt that it alters your body´s pH levels. But the possibility plus the proven fact that many people, especially teenagers, consume a large percentage of their calories as soft drinks, which have no nutritional value and displace a proper sports nutrition diet, should make you think twice about drinking a lot of soda. Like a sports nutition supplement, you don´t have to give up soda; just don´t make it a major part of your sports nutrition diet.

Places to Walk

Here's another reason Americans are fatter than Europeans. American cities, in general, are less walking-friendly than European cities. Distances, lack of sidewalks, and traffic make it harder to find good walking areas.

Don't be discouraged from your fitness walking regimen. Look for high school tracks, paths in parks, industrial parks which often have lots of flat streets with sidewalks, shopping malls, golf courses, or playing fields where you can walk around the periphery, or any nearby open area. In the mall, walking for exercise is more fun when you're window shopping!

Dance Workouts

Switch it up! Take a cue from square dancing caller and do-si-do and switch partners when it comes to your body building workout routines.

Strength Training and Resistance Bands

Get on the resistance bandwagon! Resistance bands are easier and more flexible than barbells, dumbbells or even hand weights. Your weight training routine will benefit from adding at least one strength training exercise that uses a resistance band.

Try doing squats while pulling on the resistance band wrapped around a doorknob (this weight training exercise strengthens the butt, thighs, back, chest, triceps and biceps).

Be careful in your resistance band strength training to:



• Secure the band around objects, otherwise the ends can come loose and possibly cause an injury

• Before and during every session of your weight training program, make sure your hands aren't damp, sweaty or slippery



If you're accident prone, look into buying a resistance band with safety features (the B-Lines Resistance Bands Upgrade Kit includes a door attachment with safety strap, so you can attach your band to a doorjamb or even a tree and pull, pull, pull without fear).

Diet and Weight Training

No fat, no muscle gain. Sumo wrestlers in Japan know this. (So does Hilary Swank, who had to eat 210 grams of carbs per day while weight training for “Million Dollar Baby”).

Before embarking on a weight training routine, adjust your diet. Try infusing your diet with flaxseed oil, high in fat (Omega-3 fatty acids), and also egg whites, which are high in protein. Drinking protein shakes can also give you energy during your weight training program.

You might not need to eat quite as demanding a diet, depending on how demanding your strength training exercise is. But as Suzanne Somers has said, fat is not the enemy. This is doubly true if you're doing strength training. “Eat your greens,” Mom's sage advice, holds true for a weight training diet as well. You'll need to add nutritional supplements, particularly if a high-protein diet (or egg whites) doesn't agree with you).

I subscribe to the "Losing It With Jillian Michaels" newsletter emails... and I've really enjoyed them. She puts in lots of good tips and motivation. Here is one of the recent blurbs that stuck with me.

In weight-loss terms, fat is energy and the best way to lose it is to use it. You have to do it with diet and exercise. If you diet without exercise, the majority of your weight loss will be from muscle. The minute you stray from your diet, the weight will come right back.

The only way to lose it for good is to get moving! Exercise not only helps you burn calories, it also helps build, strengthen, and maintain lean muscle. Exercise has another benefit called "afterburn." A great cardio routine keeps burning fat not just during your workout, but for hours afterward. Not bad, eh?

Doing any kind of physical activity is healthier than sitting on the couch downing a bag of chips. Activities like bowling and golf burn calories, but not enough. To see dramatic weight loss, you must do cardio. Cardio is defined as any activity that is rhythmic, continuous and requires large muscles like the legs, back and chest. While bowling and golf get you moving, the action is stop and start. There's no reason to give up those hobbies, just be aware that you must put in time on the treadmill (or some other cardio activity) as well.

I am working very hard to stick to exercising. I know how much better I feel afterwards, and yet I make every excuse possible to avoid it. 

Just gotta keep on working and not give up!