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Monday, October 22, 2007

Trainers trainers everywhere...

A few interesting this occurred this past week.

On Friday, although I took the day off from work due to my cold, I was going stir crazy in my apartment and I could not deal with watching another Jerry Springer show. I jumped in my car and went to the gym. Ironically, I ran into a girl that I see all the time at the gym after work and we started talking. To find out, she's been sick too. I did an hour of light cardio, and headed to the functional training room to stretch. I get intercepted by Paul, another trainer. We start chatting about workouts and what-have-you, and he gives me the best compliment ever. "You really look great."

I stood in on Saturday, slept way too much. By this time, I had been on a soup diet for three days. On Sunday, though, I got up, went to church, and hit the grocery store because I felt I could possibly eat real food again. Since I've been sick, I tend to rely heavily on prepared foods and had some...how do you put it...garbage in shopping cart. Lo-and-behold, who do I run into at the grocery store? No...not my trainer, he lives up north...but another trainer, Scotty, who was one of the first ones to comment and compliment me on my dedication. I quickly put my hands over my cart, and exclaimed, "Don't look!" He chuckled and said, "Michelle, I don't care, don't worry about it." Of course I told Matt this story today and confessed my wrong-doings, and Matt said, "Scotty didn't rat you out, so you know he can be trusted." Matt wasn't too upset with some of the items in my cart...

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

I overreact again...

As usual, I overreacted again. I lost two pounds in the past two weeks. Go figure. :) And it's back to a 50lb weight loss! It was slightly amusing because I jumped on the scale, moved the weights and it kept telling me that I had a 10lb weight loss is 1.5 weeks. I kept saying, "This is impossible." Matt walks by and was confused with the look on my face. I told him that I didn't get it...a 10lb weight loss? So he jumped on the scaled and weighed himself. Everything was fine on the scale. I jump back on... DRUM ROLL PLEASE. I was weighing myself in kilograms not pounds. So the alleged 10lb weight loss was really only 2lbs. Really, didn't you know I was part blonde?

I'm coming down with an awful cold though. It's right there behind my nose, just sitting there waiting to explode. It's probably why I was so tired this past week, my body was trying to fight it off as much as it could.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

I overeat when...

1. I am stressed out.
2. I am bored.
3. I am angry.
4. I am sad.
5. I am impatient.
6. I am nervous.
7. I am tired.

I am currently going through a funky mood that I cannot get out of. Tomorrow's weigh in is going to be hideous, I know and feel like I have gained weight. It's probably due to the amount of food I ate last week while in Atlanta. I was going to post exactly what I ate, having created a spreadsheet for Matt, but can't figure out how to keep its format. I called it "The great, good, bad, and just plain ugly." It's going to be my first gain since I started with Matt in May. I feel like I let us down. I'm tired of screwing up. When will this get any easier?

I'm just super tired these days. I work 8-10 hours per day, am at the gym from 1.5 - 3.5 hours per day, and in the car 1.5 hours per day. This leaves about 8 hours to eat breakfast and dinner, and sleep. Something has to give before I go insane.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Confessions from a Fat Girl

I have decided to start a series called "Confessions from a Fat Girl" in which I reveal things that I have done and do because of my weight.

Since I just got back from a business trip, I will start with a traveling confession. While it is essential for me to travel by plane for work and for pleasure, many times I have been embarrassed to because I'm so big. I know people secretly think when I get on the plane "Please don't be sitting next to me." I claim to prefer the aisle seat because I like to have access to my things. While this is true in some respect, it's mainly because I like to have the extra room and lean into the aisle a little bit. It has also been super embarrassing to ask for an extension seatbelt because the regular one does not fit around me.

Luckily, most seatbelts on planes now fit me again due to my weight loss, but I still fear getting on and having to ask a steward/ess for one. I also had to sit in a middle seat while going to Atlanta, and for the first time, it felt like I was not imposing on the guy next to me. My thighs used to be so big that it would hit the button that leans your seat back, but it would keep it pressed in, so it would be nearly impossible to keep my seat up during take off and landing.

While I have made a lot of progress, I still have a bit more to go. I still can't use the tray tables on planes because they don't always lay flat, especially if the person in front of my has their seat back. Some day...

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Wellness Cell Phone



Photograph taken from Cell Phone Digest (October 4, 2007).

While reading the AP Health News this morning, I read the following headline, "New prototype phone gives fitness check." Japan's NTT DoCoMo, Inc. unveiled a new wellness cell phone at the 2007 CREATEC electronics show that has motion sensors to detect movement and can calculate how many calories you burn. Even more so, it can calculate your body fat and can give you advice based on your stress levels. This cell phone can even tell you if you have bad breath! The company is currently testing the phone's function on tracking meals and calculating calorie intake. There currently is no release date, but unfortunately for us in the United States, NTT DoCoMo, Inc. does not sell cell phones overseas.

Why is the U.S. so behind in cell phone technology? If I could get a cell phone to calculate everything my BodyBugg does, I'd be so much happier not to have to wear an armband all day long!

Friday, October 05, 2007

Are Horoscopes True?

I get a variety of horoscopes on My Yahoo! page. Usually, I find them quite amusing because they really don't hit what is happening in my life, but today's overview caught my attention because it did!

"Overview: You're daydreaming about the next big thing and you may need to do something about it soon. Whatever you want to make happen, you can at least prepare for the future turn your life will take."

Matt and I chatted about something, and it reminded me of some dreams I had back a few years ago, part of the reason why I started to lose weight. All of a sudden, all these dreams have resurfaced, and I feel SO alive. I actually began researching one of them last night, to start preparing for the leap when I'm ready. Some day I will expand further on these dreams, but feel it's too risky to chat about now (you never know who's going to be reading this). All I have to say is that it feels EXTREMELY right.

Great Trainer vs. Good Trainer

The difference between a great trainer and a good trainer is rather simple:

1. S/he can look into your eyes and say, "I don't have to do this, I want to do this." And you know s/he means it.
2. S/he has the desire to help you without conditions.
3. S/he knows your limits and pushes you just past them every single time.
4. And lastly, s/he does not use high pressure sales tactics for things you do not need to increase how much s/he earns on commission or for a promotion.

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Are stingy parents the cause of fat kids?

As studies have indicated, the type of neighborhood a kid is raised in (Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992 Mar;16(3):169-75), socioeconomic status (SES), and if two parents have jobs can influence whether or not a child is overweight (Prev Med. 1999 Mar;28(3):293-6). I did not fully review the articles above, but did read the abstracts, so take them with a grain of salt. But all three items above tend to be correlated, meaning, those who have lower SES tend to live in rougher neighborhoods and both parents have to work to pay the bills. It makes sense that there is a higher prevalence of overweight kids in these communities because parents don't have as much control over what their kids eat (lack of supervision) and kids cannot really exercise in unsafe neighborhoods. While this explains the epidemic in urban kids, it doesn't get at the heart of suburban/rural kids.

Today I was at the gym and saw a parent working out their overweight child, a child that looked to be eight years old or younger. A policy at the gym requires only 12+ year olds the ability to work out with parents, so I brought this to the manager's attention (since I've gotten to know him a little bit) because I was concerned for the child's safety (equipment being too big to work the correct muscles). But this got me thinking... Children should be exercising by being involved in a sport that they are interested in. If parents have enough cash to belong to a gym, I'm pretty certain they have enough to enroll their kids into a recreational sport. Basketball is relatively cheap in comparison to other sports. OR better yet, go outside and play catch with them, both would then get exercise.

I have always been taught that being a parent means sacrifice. It just seems to me that some parents are stingy putting themselves and their needs before their kids even when they don't financially have to.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

I am worth it.

I won't lie, I watch the Biggest Loser. Sometimes the show encourages me to be better and do more, but other times it frustrates me to see them lose so much weight quickly. Granted, I could drop weight that fast too if I was to dedicate hours and hours a day to exercise alone, but alas, I have to work for a living. Anyway, sometimes there are some really moving moments that make me wonder or just really hit home for me. In this week's episode, a trainer kept yelling at one of the girls to say and mean the following while running on a treadmill: "I am worth it." Why wouldn't I be worthy of a great life? Are we not put on this earth to do great things and be the best that we can be? I think these four words are my new motto every time Matt makes me run a lap at the gym. All the pain, all the pent up anger, all the frustration, all the tears, all the successes, all the...joy... I AM WORTH IT.

While going through a spiritual gifts survey, I was asked to evaluate the following statement: I am willing to attempt impossible tasks for God. The more I think about this statement, the more it confuses me because all things are possible if you believe in God and yourself. I'm beginning to believe in myself. While I was driving to the gym today, I finally realized how negative I am about who I am as a person. I put myself down all the time, usually in the form of a joke or two or three or four. I have decided to try and stop doing this because I believe in the end, it will hurt my chances to lose and keep the weight off.

Oh yeah...I lost 3.75lbs this past week, but last week I was bloated when I weighed in...soooo....

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Games, Food, and Cramps

I've been playing games with myself at the gym. I'll try to do something faster or better than the last time. Today I did some track walking. Last week, I did a mile in 16:45, today? 16:35. Slowly it goes down.

This week I cooked my meals for the week, all fresh, all natural, and whole grain, which means lower calories. Also, work has been extremely busy, so it's been difficult to eat on schedule. But I'm managing the best that I can.

Cramps...I have been having many charlie horses. Two weeks ago, I had one in the thigh, quad, and both calves. Increased my water consumption to a gallon/gallon and a half per day. Last week, it was the left calf, and was the longest one I've had (~15 minutes). Tried adding a bit of salt to my diet yesterday and today. Today, the other calf. I eat enough potassium, so I'm not sure what else I can do.