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inhale…exhale…and go

So I have been wanting to introduce myself to the muffin top gang all week but school has been hitting me harder than expected and work is a drag too so it kinda got put off. I’m one of the newest members and I’m a fat ass. *snort* In all seriousness though I am a mom [...]

Free & Cheap Ways To Lose Weight

There are a lot of reasons not to take care of yourself. Well, there are a lot of excuses. There are no good reasons, if we’re being honest with ourselves. But there are excuses that sure as shit feel like legitimate reasons sometimes. Like money. “I can’t afford to diet right now. Or buy healthy [...]

Forgive Me Muffintop, For I Have Sinned…

…it’s has been an obscene amount of days since I last posted here. At which time I began the Genuine Health Transformation Challenge. It was at that time that a lot of things were going on in my life that were out of my control and I was needed in many places at once. Cue [...]

Two steps forward, one step back

I wonder how some people do it. They just keep busting it out, no matter what tornado spins around them. I, on the other hand, go spastic in the brain when things get chaotic, and I seem unable to do anything more than one single thing well. If my focus is on work, my house [...]

The Hamster Wheel

Yesterday things just didn’t go right. I was feeling great until mid-afternoon when I completely ran out of gas. Like fall asleep at my desk out of gas. Unless you’re my boss, then I totally didn’t fall asleep. Of course. I hadn’t done anything to warrant such a dramatic bonk, but there it was. By [...]

inhale…exhale…and go

Posted by Penny on September 3rd, 2010

So I have been wanting to introduce myself to the muffin top gang all week but school has been hitting me harder than expected and work is a drag too so it kinda got put off. I’m one of the newest members and I’m a fat ass. *snort* In all seriousness though I am a mom of two boys…wife to a fatty hubster…school bus driver and lover of all things chocolate and Internet. I do not want to be a size 6 or even a 10 for that matter {although that would be a bonus} my goal is simple…get below 200lbs. I am half way to my first goal…just 36 lbs to go to be in “one”derland!!!

While this post did get sent to the back burner the exercise did NOT!!! I have been pushing myself to go go go and get up at the butt crack of dawn {4:30 to be exact} to get on that treadmill and work my hiney off….so far so good….I think. I was skeptical about the C25K at first when Karen first mentioned it to me {or possibly from seeing it while I was stalking her}. See I figure that if I get up early enough to workout then my brain will not be fully awake and will not know what is happening till I am done….right?!?!

I am currently at week 2 day one complete and it feels good. The only problem I have had {apart from not being able to breath this morning in my 90 seconds of running…lame I know} with it all is that I am a slave to the scales {so as to keep myself accountable for being dumb} and the weight gods were against me from the get go….i was up 7 freaking pounds after 2 workouts….that can’t be right can it?! well what ever the reason was….mah pants are getting lose people…woohoo!! I got it off again…lol! and I am resolving to weigh just once a week. I’ll let the inches do the talking!

Oh well…on to the next challenge….get rid of the rest of the edible temptations! {oh how I will miss you old friends}

Free & Cheap Ways To Lose Weight

Posted by Miss Britt on September 1st, 2010

There are a lot of reasons not to take care of yourself.

Well, there are a lot of excuses. There are no good reasons, if we’re being honest with ourselves. But there are excuses that sure as shit feel like legitimate reasons sometimes.

Like money.

“I can’t afford to diet right now. Or buy healthy food.”

“I can’t afford a gym membership. Or exercise equipment. Or workout clothes.”

There have been times in my life when I was certain this was my truth, and I know there are people today who stand by this logic. And I get it. I know when you’re standing at the bottom of two really big mountains – weight loss and money – it can feel impossible to try to tackle either of them. It can feel like you have to make a choice, and that the selfless responsible choice is financial health over physical health.

I know.

Forgive Me Muffintop, For I Have Sinned…

Posted by Sugarpants on August 24th, 2010

…it’s has been an obscene amount of days since I last posted here. At which time I began the Genuine Health Transformation Challenge. It was at that time that a lot of things were going on in my life that were out of my control and I was needed in many places at once. Cue driving music, because I was up and down the highways A LOT in the last many weeks.

I also missed 3 Zumba classes, many MANY runs, and one ball hockey game. I don’t think my bike seat saw my butt more than thrice in that time either. BUT! I kept eating halfway right and I did drink my Transform on a nearly daily basis. I really pushed that product to the test because honestly, I had many of the summertime temptations that we all succumb to: beer, marshmallows, graham crackers, chocolate, chips, pretzels, pasta salad, hot dogs…the list goes on.

I did not gain even one pound. Not one. I didn’t lose any either. I maintained. (Tho I may be a wee bit soft at the moment – I have work to do!)

I really give Genuine Health credit for this one. I was irregular with my Transform +, with my Abs +, heck, I was lucky some days to know which relative’s couch I was sleeping on, or what day I would get home! So taking my Genuine Health challenge and my vitamins didn’t always happen day to day. But I did not gain weight. And believe me, I DRANK and ATE SINFULLY this summer.

If that doesn’t convince you to at least try their products, I don’t know what will.

Regardless of how I abused my body this summer, I did a few things right. I kept drinking water. I kept playing baseball and ball hockey 90% of the time. I kept active, with yard work, deck building (which is still going on), sprinting with the dog, and playing with my kids. And even though I didn’t count every calorie (intake or output), I had one hell of a summer and I’m happy I spent these last weeks just enjoying life and the people I love.

Tomorrow, I’m getting back to LOSING weight.

Tomorrow I restart running, especially since I’ve committed to a team to Run for the Cure (please donate!) and that team includes my ENTIRE FAMILY, even my 6 year old!

Tomorrow I’m firing up Ease Into 10Km (like Couch to 5k but I’m starting back at Week 2 Day 1 again for my own sanity).

Tomorrow I’m firing up LoseIt again to start counting those calories.

Tomorrow my mission to get to 130-135 lbs is restarted.

GAME ON.

Summer is over, people. Put the beer down. Put the hot dog down.

Who’s with me?

Two steps forward, one step back

Posted by Angel Smith on August 22nd, 2010

I wonder how some people do it. They just keep busting it out, no matter what tornado spins around them. I, on the other hand, go spastic in the brain when things get chaotic, and I seem unable to do anything more than one single thing well. If my focus is on work, my house falls apart. If it’s on writing, work falls apart. And so forth.

The crazy thing is that I know exactly what will keep this from happening, at least to such a degree. I just need to figure out a schedule and stick to it until it’s all habit. Once you do something without thinking about it, it is hard to break back out of the habit without consciously trying. For some reason, my follow through leaves something to be desired.

Whether it is my persistence or my stubbornness is questionable, but I am still trying to get organized. I am thinking of ways to make staying on track easier, like being sure I have things ready to bring to work so I don’t grab a bite out, and I just got a divided casserole dish so I can easily cook and freeze home cooked meals to bring later. I’m hoping that these little changes are enough to keep me from developing bad habits again, because I fully expect the crap to hit the fan again, and again, and again in my life. I don’t want to have to keep starting over each time life becomes chaotic.

Do you have any tips or tricks you use to help develop or maintain healthy habits?

Support

Posted by Chibi Jeebs on August 13th, 2010

Everything is easier with support, right? Hell, life in general isn’t as hard to navigate when we have a support system. So what is it about humans (or is it just me?) that makes us resist asking for help and support?

At the beginning of the week, I had tweeted about dreading my workout that was still two and a half hours away. Almost instantly, I had a tweet from the lovely Sarahndipitea egging me on encouraging me by offering to be my “twexercise partner.” And you know what? It worked. I went home bound and determined to get my workout done because I didn’t want to let down this person I pretty much just “met” on Twitter. (We won’t get into why not letting myself down wasn’t motivation enough at this point in time.) We’ve spent the rest of the week checking in with each other to see if the other was planning on working out in the evening and how it went, cheering each other on for jobs well done.

Today, I had mentioned to her in a tweet that I was nervous about my weigh-in today (I think because I’ve been doing so well, I’m kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the “inevitable” failure to show up and ruin, well, everything (melodramatic, I know). But again, that’s a whole ‘nother post for a whole ‘nother time.) She came back with this:

A simple reminder and one I *really* shouldn’t need at this point, but it sure did the trick of refocusing my brain and making me feel a little more at peace with whatever tonight’s outcome may be.

Support can mean the difference between giving up and pushing forward.

I’ve posted on my blog about a couple of incidents with Chebbar in which I felt less than supported at the time. Not only was I confused and surprised – why wouldn’t he support my attempts to reclaim my health and improve my fitness? – I had this overwhelming sense of “Well, ‘eff it then. What’s the point?” Now, while I’m not saying anyone’s motivation should be wrapped up in anyone other than him or herself, feeling like people aren’t behind you can leave you feeling like you might as well just quit trying.

I don’t want to give up, nor will I just because this person or that may not be on board with what I’m doing. I know that I need – want – to do this for ME. But at the same time, the journey is definitely easier with people in my corner, rooting me on and cheering my successes with me.

The Hamster Wheel

Posted by Lisa on August 3rd, 2010

Yesterday things just didn’t go right. I was feeling great until mid-afternoon when I completely ran out of gas. Like fall asleep at my desk out of gas.

Unless you’re my boss, then I totally didn’t fall asleep. Of course.

I hadn’t done anything to warrant such a dramatic bonk, but there it was. By the time I got home all I wanted to do was nap.

I put in my 30-day Shred video anyway. I phoned in the warm-up, but by the time I got to the first set of walking planks I was laying on the floor telling Jillian to just bite my flabby white ass. I wasn’t gonna do it and she couldn’t make me.

Take that, tiny drill sergeant woman! See? I’m laying on the floor and you can’t do anything about it! Suckah!

So I’m a little childish when I’m tired.

I started thinking about what really worked for me in the past. I’ve been going through a slump where, while I’m still losing weight, it seems to be going in such slow motion that pretty soon I’ll be going backwards. I’m getting a bad attitude because I feel like I’m putting in hard workouts, and I’m following my food plan, but I’m just not getting anywhere – well anywhere I actually want to be anyway. (I’ll get into this more later and what I’ve got planned to do about it).

A little argument started in my head.

Remember back in the beginning? When you actually used that elliptical machine that’s gathering dust in the garage?

I hate that thing. It’s like being on a hamster wheel with nowhere to go.

You were consistently losing every week when you were using that.

It’s hot out there. And there’s nothing to do.

What do you mean “there’s nothing to do?” THAT’S what you’re going to do. Plus it has a fan, you whiny whore. (yes, my Self called me a whore. Nice.)

It’s boringgggg!

Dooo eeeet!

Jesus, you’re such a bitch sometimes. FINE!

I grabbed my iPod and strapped it to my arm, and my iPhone so I could read the iBloggies while I was on the iHamster wheel, and I just did it. I warmed up and got going.

A funny thing happened while I was on the elliptical last night.

I felt stronger. I felt faster. I had more balance.

All of the strength training and widely varied cardio workouts I’ve been doing really have added up to a higher fitness level. When I first got back into the game I couldn’t go hands-free on the elliptical for more than a few seconds without feeling like I was going to fall off. Last night? I did damn near the whole thing hands-free. I even threw in some oblique twists for good measure. Around the mid-point of the workout I did some HIITs where I kept the RPMs up at 80 for a minute and then did a minute at the regular speed of around 65 RPMs.

I eeked out a 40 minute workout that way and ended up sweatier than I’ve been in a long time. I was tired, but I felt a whole lot better than I would have had I let myself lay there on the floor any longer, and I found out that all this work I’ve been putting in hasn’t been for nothing and progress isn’t always measured on the scale.

Keeping going through a slump (I don’t want to call this a plateau because I am making progress, even if it is glacial) is hard. There is really just no other way to put it, it’s hard and it sucks giant, hairy Wookie balls. But the alternative is worse. Giving up is worse. I will never give up, no matter how many times I think it sounds like a good idea.

Are you going through a slump, or just a period where finding the motivation is really, really hard? Gauge your progress by something other than the devil scale, and don’t give up. Never give up.

No Small Thing

Posted by Finn on July 27th, 2010

I started the lozenges to quit the cigarettes.

I started the Jolly Rancher Fire Candy to quit the lozenges.

I started the Lemon Drops to quit the Fire Candy.

Now I have to quit the Lemon Drops.

My small addiction, just four Lemon Drops in the evenings, a tiny 70 calories. But multiply that by about six days (I don’t indulge on Sundays, but that’s a whole other story) and you have 420 calories.

420 calories.

If I can stop, I’ll save that many calories a week. That’s 1,680 calories a month. I could drop a pound every two and half months. Before I know I it, that extra few pounds, that “menopause middle” could be history. And all I have to do is this one small thing.

Easy. Practically painless.

What small thing could you do?

What We Need Here is a Good Old-Fashioned Butt Kicking

Posted by Lisa on July 25th, 2010

I had a hilarious post half written in my head yesterday about devil scales with split personalities. I have another one in the pipeline about exercise and fears and wanting to be a cheerleader.

I don’t want to talk about those today.

Today I am feeling overwhelmed with the sheer weight, pun only half intended, of the task in front of me.

Most days I remember that there is no timeline to reach my goal weight, if I ever actually figure one out.

Most days I remember that there is no finish line if I am turning this into a lifestyle.

But this morning I got on the scale for my weekly weigh-in and had lost a little over a pound. Normally I would be all woo hoo that’s another pound I don’t have to lose again, but today it all seemed like just too much and too little at the same time.

It’s at times like this that I’m a danger to myself.

I have choices when I get to this point. I can roll around in the feeling that I just want to be done and ask why is it taking so goddamn long and moving so motherlovin slow. Sometimes it feels good to immerse yourself in feeling bad, but sometimes feeling bad involves cheeseburgers.

I can push it to the back of my mind and ignore it. I can jam it into that jar of feelings I don’t want to acknowledge and screw the lid on tight and hope to God that the jar never falls off the shelf and breaks.

Or I can have a sit down with myself and remind myself that what I really want, more than anything, is to be an athlete. I’ve never actually said that out loud to anyone, but it’s true. Wallowing isn’t going to get me there, and lying to myself about my rotten feelings isn’t going to get me there. Staying the course, putting in the work, keeping my head in the game; those are the things that are going to get me there.

This week I need to shake things up. Kicking it up a notch is always good for re-igniting the motivational fires. I need a heaping helping of success right now and they don’t serve that up for free. This is the week for pushing boundaries and breaking barriers.

It’s butt-kicking time. Who else needs one?

Oh. My. Sweat.

Posted by Miss Britt on July 21st, 2010

I have sweat before.

Or rather, I thought I had sweat before.

After all, I was in sports in high school (cheerleading is a sport!), I have had to clean really quickly before guests came over, and I’ve been working out on an almost daily basis since about March.

And then I started to run.

In Florida.

In July.

Now I realize that I had no idea what real sweat was before. I am both amazed and mortified by how much sweat my feminine body can produce during a thirty minute run. My fingers sweat. I am literally sopping wet by the time I get home.

I tried running with an arm band my husband gave me tonight. You know, one of those little terry cloth bracelets that really lame kids wore in gym class in 80s movies? Yes. One of those.

One terry cloth bracelet is not enough to handle my sweat, my friends.

I’m going to need at least a pair. And probably a headband. I’m wondering if I can find a terry cloth belt to catch the belly sweat in time for the BlogHer 5K I’m running next month. There may not be enough terry cloth in the world to soak up the wetness that flows from invisible pores on my body when I run.

Oh my God.

I think I just figured out why the terry cloth jumpsuit was invented.

Fighting The Demon Within

Posted by Finn on July 19th, 2010

I was walking by a storefront on a recent trip when a chubby woman in a blue gauze skirt and white tank top caught my eye.

It was me. I was looking at my refection in the window. And I was horrified at what I saw. Just that morning I’d gotten dressed and looked at myself in a full-length mirror and had though I looked good. Now, mere hours later, I’d apparently gained thirty pounds.

Surely this was a problem with window, right? Except I looked at other people’s reflections as they walked by and they looked the same both in the window and on the street. Suddenly I wanted nothing more than to go back to my room and sleep for a week or so.

The problem, you may have surmised, is not in my body, it is in my perception.

Weight fluctuations like this have become quite common with me. One day I’m lean and mean and the next I have to resist the urge to moo.

It wasn’t always this way.

I was skinny kid, a skinny teenager, a skinny college student… you get the idea. I was always comfortable with my shape (OK, I wanted bigger boobs, but nothing’s perfect, is it?). Feeling overweight even when I know I am not is uncharted territory.

And the part that freaks me out the most is that it goes beyond what I feel – I actually LOOK bigger on my fat days. It doesn’t matter that my clothes fit exactly the same as yesterday or that I didn’t sit and eat an entire gallon of ice cream the night before; I look at myself and see big.

My brain knows that I am seeing myself through some emotional prism that is distorting my perception, but it feels so very real.

I don’t know how to manage this. No amount of exercise or clean eating seems to cut through this feeling. It’s not an everyday thing, but I don’t think it should be an any day thing.

How do you fight your brain?