I have lots of plans for when I reach my goal weight. Here’s a sampling:
Color my hair red. I don’t know why–I’ve tried this before and it’s hard to pull off but I long to be a redhead. I do have pale skin and a few freckles, at least.
Zap unsightly veins on my legs
Get another tattoo. I’m still trying to decide what and wear. Maybe a gerbera daisy on the back of my shoulder–too girly?
And if I get to my dream goal weight (even lower than the more sensible actual goal weight):
Get yet another tattoo. Maybe a cool bracelet design.
Get a Mercedes SUV. Seriously, the hot trophy moms in town all drive these. OK, I probably won’t do that because my husband would have to agree to that purchase.
Fig’s Note: This post is from one of the new contributors to Fit Fig. I appreciate Celeste joining me to write content! I promise not to interrupt her every post – just wanted to introduce her this once.
Well, let me start by introducing myself. I’m Celeste, I am married to Tim. We live in Annapolis, Maryland. I work in the marine industry. I have 4 “kids” that I adore. They are of the 4 legged variety. We have 2 horses (Frank and Tonka) and 2 Dogs (Muttsey and Sara). (I’ll introduce them more next time.)
I saw Fig’s cry for help and I’d been thinking about doing this on my own….and how ironic that Fig would post a help sign.
I’ve been struggling with my weight all my life. I’ve been exercising since 1997, lost 107 pounds….and when I got divorced, I put on 20 pounds….then I found my hubby…and he can eat everything and not gain a pound, I gain 30….oye. So, right now, I’m trying to lose 50. I’ve been struggling with this for a couple years. I did really well for a while and then the economy tanked and well…a lot of things happened to our little family. But, I’m getting my rear in gear. (more…)
I read this article on CNN.com last week and wanted to comment on it here but I’m just now getting around to it (I am really super-lazy when pregnant, what can I say?) The title is “As Nation gains, ‘overweight’ is relative”. Basically it talks about a) the fact that stores are changing sizes–what was once a 14 is now a 10, and so on (depending on where you shop it can vary widely, of course, as I know from experience) and b) people are less likely to describe themselves as overweight, even if they are (and we all know the average American is getting fatter all the time).
It’s great if people who are a so-called “normal” weight are getting more realistic about themselves and not seeing themselves as fat–that’s great news. But of course there’s the flip side of people who are heavy but in denial about it. The danger of that is they won’t be so motivated to lose the weight. They talk about this issue in the article, but I don’t know who those people are, because everyone I know who is overweight is well aware of it, and plenty of people I know who aren’t overweight seem to think they are. (more…)
MizFit rocks again. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate how very sensible MizFit is (though also often silly, of course — in a good way). She never fails to impress me not only with her extensive health and fitness knowledge but also with her downright common sense. Good stuff.
Back in March I had a post about the Pound for Pound Challenge. I don’t know how many readers pledged on the program, but wanted to give you a reminder that participants must log back onto www.PFPChallenge.com by May 5 to report weight loss to ensure it will result in a donation to your local food bank.
If you aren’t interested in losing weight, you can still contribute by donating directly to Feeding America by visiting www.PFPChallenge.com or www.biggestloser.com. I found this page with an easy “donate” button where I gave some money. I hope many of you will contribute to this great cause either by joining the challenge or simply donating!
You don’t have to spend hours upon hours in the gym to be buff and strong (unless perhaps you are really dedicated and planning to enter a fitness competition). Sometimes you meet people who spend hours and hours working out and it’s discouraging to think, “I’ll never have time to do that!” So I’m always heartened when I meet someone who is very fit but spends a sensible amount of time on her fitness. Of course I know different body types have different requirements. I also recognize that post-baby I’m probably going to need more cardio than someone at a lower weight. Still, I think some people unnecessarily overdo the exercise.
Our poll on the hours people work out is ongoing, so I’m curious to see where we all fall on the average week. I believe I said 6-10 though sometimes my workouts are only an hour long lately because I take frequent breaks (to take the 3-year old or dog to the potty or to go potty myself, to get some water, etc.) When I was working out more than 10 hours a week is also when I managed to injure myself last year, so I try to make sure I don’t overtrain now (well, especially while preggers, of course).
Admittedly, I’m no expert, so I direct you to another blog to see a couple examples of the amount of time some much fitter women work out. Last week on MizFit‘s blog she and fellow fitness queen Kelly Olexa posted video blog posts about their typical workouts. Kelly works out much longer than MizFit right now, but that’s because she’s training for competition–Miz herself is totally buff without committing a huge amount of time to exercise. And as MizFit says, how you behave in the kitchen has a lot to do with it. (This of course has been my main problem–I usually work out plenty but I don’t eat so well–at least not with consistency.) Miz is all about the clean eating.
I’ve got all the books about clean eating (and a subscription to Clean Eating magazine) but I’ve been rather slow in actually implementing a clean diet. I guess it’s happening a little bit at a time. Lately my hubby has shown an interest in eating cleaner as well, which is probably the best development to help my own diet. I think if I can continue to clean up my diet, I’ll have more success postpartum at losing the flab and getting fit and strong.
I received some information about an interesting weight loss challenge that can also help feed those in need. It sounds like a great program and makes a lot of sense–lose weight and help feed others. Great idea, right? Well, I can’t personally lose weight right now (because of pregnancy) but I wanted to copy the info here.
General Mills has teamed up with NBC’s The Biggest Loser and Feeding America to encourage people to get fit and feed the hungry. People can pledge to lose weight at PFPChallenge.com and for every pound lost, General Mills will donate 10 cents, equivalent to one pound of groceries, to a local food bank based on the ZIP codes of participants.
Since the Pound For Pound Challenge launched in January more than 2.5 million pounds have been pledged. However, there is still time to get involved and food banks are needier than ever. Whether you are an avid The Biggest Loser fan, needing some extra weight-loss motivation for bathing suit season or just want to feel good and make a difference, the Pound For Pound Challenge is an easy way help eliminate hunger in America.
There are three ways to participate in the Pound For Pound Challenge:
Participants have until April 27th to pledge pounds and until May 5th to report their weight loss at www.PFPChallenge.com
Mail-in the Pound For Pound lids and seals from specially-marked General Mills products. For every lid or seal mailed in, General Mills will donate 10 cents to Feeding America. Brands with the Pound For Pound lid or seal are included in this press release.
Here’s a list of General Mills products carrying the Pound For Pound lid or seal:
Yoplait Light(r)
Cheerios(r)
Honey Nut Cheerios(r)
MultiGrain Cheerios(r)
Total(r)
Fiber One(r) (Cereal, Bars, Muffin Mix, Pancake Mix, and Yogurt)
Green Giant(r) Valley Fresh Steamers(tm)
Chex Mix(r) 100 Calorie
Warm Delights(r) Minis
Bisquick(r)
Heart Health(r)
Cascadian Farm(r) (Cereal and Bars)
Even though I won’t be losing, I plan to look for the seals to mail in (I buy a lot of these General Mills products already) and I also plan to make a direct donation in lieu of losing weight myself.
Who would like to join the challenge? Tell us what you think in the comments or talk about it over on Fit at Home.
I have seen ample anecdotal evidence that men (generally speaking) have an easier time than women losing weight. It was true of my mother and my stepfather, as well as of my father and stepmother. The men would decide to lose weight and they would do it faster and with seemingly less inconvenience than their wives. My own husband has never struggled with his weight as I have. He’s put a few pounds on here and there, but his weight has never fluctuated as wildly as mine has. And when he decides it’s time to lose weight, he just cuts out a few breakfast burritos and sodas (which happen to be two things in which I rarely indulge in spite of my weight troubles). Of course, it’s not all because he’s male, I’m sure. There’s also genetics and habits, etc. You can take a look at our families and see that mine is larger (both in number and average weight), though not everyone in his family is thin.
I had also read that men do lose weight more easily than women and various reasons why that might be true, such as:
women spend more time in the kitchen–sexist but true for many
men are more active
more testosterone means more muscle which burns more calories
men are more about the meat and women more about the carbs (definitely true of the hubby and me)
women have those monthly hormone upsets that stir up food cravings
women also have the babies and everyone knows that does funky things to the body
So I was a bit discouraged to read this article saying men’s brains fight the food urges better. I was discouraged but also glad to have another excuse, I have to admit. I know I should not embrace excuses, but sometimes it makes me feel better about my setbacks to have them around.
Anyway, I want to hear from you. Any other women out there with a husband/brother/significant other/co-worker who seems to lose weight more easily than you? Or do you think it’s all a lot of hooey and men struggle just as much as women? ( Or do you think I don’t know how to spell hooey? I don’t think I do, but the spell check isn’t underlining it.)
Comment below or head over to the Fit at Home site and start a discussion.
So, it’s 2009. I’ve been thinking about my goals (not resolutions–refuse to call them resolutions because it’s so high-pressure-sounding) for the coming year.
1. Get knocked up (but will save details for Mommy Fig blog). 2. Do Cathe Friedrich’s STS workout program (plan to start it within 2 weeks of finally receiving it–hopefully soon). 3. Lose 10 lbs (need to lose more but aiming for a reasonable first goal). 4. Potty train 3-year old better (will also save that for Mommy Fig blog). 5. Either a) finally decorate this house, b) move to different house, or c) move to different country (hey, it could happen–we’ve done it before). 6. Answer e-mails in inbox at least every two weeks. 7. I will continue my good work (OK, mostly good) of working out regularly–aim for 6 times a week but do at least 4. 8. I will eat cleaner foods but not beat myself up for little indulgences (I think that’s a good way to keep them little).
OK, that’s for starters–will have to contemplate further items. I should probably check my vision board for ideas.
Let’s try a poll below. Then please comment below about your goals/resolutions for 2009.
I’m still not fully back into the swing of things yet (don’t plan to return fully to normal until kids are back in school and hubby is back at work). I am also not stepping on the scale yet! Actually I ordered a new scale–this fancy one. Cool, huh? Yeah, not sure if I really want to know my actual body composition, but I’m taking the risk. I have a friend who owns it (or one very like it from the same company) and she said it was very accurate (as she’s had her body fat professionally tested as well). I’m hoping it will encourage me to focus more on changing my fat levels rather than just the weight amount (if that makes sense).
Yeah, you’ll notice I didn’t work out today. Um…yeah…it happens. That’s part of why I’m going to be swinging around a lot of kettlebells this week–such a great workout. I plan to do a post all about kettlebells soon, by the way.
In other news, I hope to have something good to give away by next week! (It’s in the mail coming to me now.)
Well, I hoped to be well-rested after last week’s so-called rest week, but I’m just plain exhausted. I planned to get back to the workouts today but it turned out to be yet another very busy day and it didn’t happen. I guess I’m going to get in the habit of getting up early or something (hmm, am I capable of that?) to get my workout in. I am really really really not a morning person, though. We’ll see.
I also still feel sick (did I mention feeling sick before?) I have a sore throat that I can’t seem to get over. It was just a bit painful to swallow but now I’ve moved on to coughing. Joy. Just in time for Christmas.
I also have to admit I have totally ignored my re-commitment to Weight Watchers–not much of a commitment, then, is it?
Enough of this, though! I am not going to be negative today. This is a new week; tomorrow is a new day; a new year starts soon! As Anne of Green Gables would say, “Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it!” I think I should go re-read the end of that Oprah article when I finish here.
I am going to be a bit casual about my workouts this week, but I AM GOING TO WORKOUT.
I plan to workout at least 3 days this week–starting with kettlebells tomorrow.
How about you? What do you plan for your eating/exercise during a busy holiday week (whether Christmas, Hanukkah, or other)?
I finally got around to reading the full Oprah article. There wasn’t a whole lot more to it than what I linked to online a couple days ago. However, I found couple of moving bits I want to share here. Oprah says this:
What I’ve learned this year is that my weight issue isn’t about eating less or working out harder, or even about a malfunctioning thyroid. It’s about my life being out of balance, with too much work and not enough play, not enough time to calm down. I let the well run dry.
Here’s another thing this past year has been trying to teach me: I don’t have a weight problem–I have a self-care problem that manifests through weight. As my friend Marianne Williamson shared with me, “Your overweight self doesn’t stand before you craving food. She’s craving love.” Falling off the wagon isn’t a weight issue; it’s a love issue.
There’s more to that but I don’t want to plagiarize here, only to quote a bit of the best. This is so true for so many of us. It’s not exactly about the food–it’s about emotional needs. And for me sometimes it’s about plain laziness or busy-ness. I’m spending so much time doing other things that I don’t take the time to take better care of myself, or I’m too tired to bother. I don’t even have the thyroid issues that Oprah has been struggling with–just two kids, a puppy, a husband, and a blog.
Near the end, Oprah says, “My goal isn’t to be thin. My goal is for my body to be the weight it can hold–to be strong and healthy and fit, to be itself. my goal is to learn to embrace this body and to be grateful every day for what it has given me.” I think that’s a very lovely sentiment (isn’t Oprah so good at lovely sentiments?) She’s also put it better than I usually put the same thought. I fight with concepts of body image. I am never going to look like fashion model or a svelte actress, but I can be a healthier, happier Fig, and I can be glad to be me.
This is definitely a week of ACTIVE rest. I’ve been pretty busy with pre-holiday preparation, vet and dental appointments, school events, etc. I have to admit I haven’t even thought about working out. Actually, that’s not entirely true. I just got Kelly Coffey-Meyer’s 30-Minutes to Fitness: Kickboxing workout and I’m eager to try it soon when life slows down a bit.
Anyway, today while buying groceries I saw O Magazine. I don’t normally buy O or watch Oprah (nothing against the O-Queen, but I don’t watch daytime TV). I did watch Oprah a lot when I was living in the Netherlands (they showed it in English with Dutch subtitles and it was always a couple months behind what they were showing in the U.S.) because it was a nice connection to American pop culture. So…back to me buying groceries. I saw O and on the cover is a thin Oprah and a fatter Oprah with the words: “How Did I Let This Happen Again?” I can totally relate as I lost weight in 2007 and gained it back this year. Ugh. I am hoping to make 2009 a losing year again.
So I grabbed the mag and put it on the pile of fattening Christmas food I was buying (seriously, all the holiday food the hubby asks for is meaty, starchy, and/or sugary). Being that I’m super-busy (OK except for the half hour I spent working on crosswords) I haven’t read the full article yet, but I did find something online about it here.
I think it’s sad that someone with the money, fame, and personal access to Bob Greene, Dr. Phil, and whoever else she’s chumming with lately can still have such a struggle with weight and still feels so self-conscious about it. I mean she’s Oprah, for Pete’s sake! I like to think if I were Oprah I’d let my butt get big as I wanted and I’d defy anyone to mess with me. I would be hauling my big heinie all over town and sitting it wherever I wanted. Or something like that. And you know she’s able to afford personal trainers, chefs, etc. ****sigh**** It looks like the article will probably end on a hopeful note and like she’s got a new plan for change. I’ll read it soon and let you know what I think when I finish it.
I’m back to weighing myself regularly as I’ve re-started Weight Watchers. If you’re a regular follower of this blog, you’re probably thinking, “Uh oh, here she goes again” because I’ve been on and off so many diet plans in the last year or so, including WW. Plus I’ve been trying to do Intuitive Eating. Unfortunately, the weight’s not coming off with my casual attempt at intuitive eating, so I’m going to be a bit less intuitive and do WW. I won’t call it a diet but just a choice to eat less. Or something like that. (OK, so we all know it’s a diet but please don’t tell me that in the comments.)
The good news is I lost 1.8 lbs this week doing WW. Of course, I know you always lose more the first week but I’ll take it as a good sign.
I’m focusing more on the healthy eating this week than on the exercise (need to learn how to do both at once still), so my exercise plan is going to be fairly flexible and casual. I do plan to do some more of the 1 Rep Max tests for Cathe Friedrich’s STS series (which should be out before the end of the month!) I did some last week and I’ll do some more for today’s workout.
So here’s the casual plan:
Monday…………..Walk wearing MBTs Tuesday…………..1 Rep Max weight tests Wednesday……..Cardio, perhaps Tap-Less and Sweat More with Deirdre Morris Thursday…………Kettlebells Friday……………..Cardio, perhaps kickboxing Saturday………….1 Rep Max weight tests Sunday…………….Rest, yoga
I was discussing this subject with a local friend of mine the other day (yes I actually have a couple local friends). She is fit and fairly thin. She can sling around heavy dumbbells and kettlebells with ease (and good form). She is also a better advertisement for fitness than I am, since I’m still overweight and flabby. Last year I got down into healthy weight category on my BMI, but this year it’s gone up again. I’m in the picture here with the fabulous Cathe Friedrich. I’m obviously the chubby one on the right.
Anyway, I said something about feeling like I was fit but fat (and of course I want to be more fit still) and what I love about this friend is that she was not one to say “Oh Lainie, don’t be silly, you aren’t fat” (though those friends are also nice to have other times). Instead she agreed with me and told me about some thin co-workers she has who can’t even get up off the floor because they’re so out-of-shape. If put in a line-up, I’d probably look more out-of-shape than they, but I’m not bad for all my flab. I can do complex step (with a little practice), I love to kickbox, occasionally I even jog. I also scoff and roll my eyes at the sissy pink dumbbells (but secretly wish my heavier dumbbells came in pink as well).
Anyway, that led me to search for articles related to this, and here’s one. I’ll be looking for more, of course.
OK, I lost 1 pound this week! Woot! Better than a gain, I say.
I’ve been following Weight Watchers, but I’m also busy reading The New Rules of Lifting for Women and might start following that plan once I get a good grasp on the details.
Today we went for a long-ish hike up a huge hill (or small mountain). I’m in the white shirt near the top right in the picture (if you can actually make me out there). We climbed up the backside of that cliff (which is called “Almost Perpendicular,” by the way) so our hike wasn’t quite so rough as the picture looks. By “we” I mean, hubby and 2 kids plus myself. One of the 2 kids is 3, so we ended up carrying him a good bit of the time. So it was a good workout (would be even without the extra 30 lbs of carrying a kid).
Anyway, after the hike I decided that was my workout today (I was really knackered) so I’ll have to rearrange the fitness plan for this week a bit. Tomorrow I’ll do my upper body and Pilates that I’d planned for today. I did at least do my pushups for the Hundred Pushup Challenge. Go me!
I just ordered a book called Intuitive Eating and I’ve been reading a lot of info over at the related website. I look forward to reading this book when it arrives and I’m sure I’ll write more about it then.
OK, get ready to giggle and snicker at me. Remember last week? I was all gung-ho about beginning the South Beach Diet. I even actually did the South Beach Diet for a little more than 24 hours. Then I got my braces adjusted and yowza, my teeth were really hurting. I could not eat much, and seemed to have very little in the house that was a) mushy or liquid enough, and b) also suitable for the diet. So I sensibly decided to postpone the South Beach Diet until this week when my teeth were healed up a bit more.
So, anyone want to guess how long I lasted this week? How about 3 hours? Yep, 3 whole hours on the SBD before I again declared it completely awful and went crawling back to my Weight Watchers website. And it’s not like I went nuts at that point. I ate very sensibly the rest of the day and stayed within my WW points. So there.
Feel free to laugh now.
As for my weight, haven’t weighed myself in a bit–maybe I’ll do that in the morning and come here to add that.
OK, this is almost embarrassing, but I’m trying the South Beach Diet again. Last time I tried it, I lasted a whopping two days before giving up in consternation–which is probably exactly why I need it. I feel stronger and more determined this time, and I think it could really be good for me if I stick with it, so here I go again. I recognize that carbs are my downfall–specifically bad carbs, of course. I’m looking at this as not just a diet but a way to work toward breaking an addiction. The first two weeks are strict and tough, maybe strict enough for me to make a lasting change. I do know that not all carbs are bad and I believe the best plan is usually just moderation, but I also know I need a serious kick in my nutrition pants. So here I go again.
I weighed myself today and was chagrined to find myself up 2 lbs since last week–see why I need a change? I have been up and down but basically maintaining in the same range for ages. Time to kick it up a notch!
We don’t claim to be fitness experts. We don’t dispense medical advice and we're not qualified to do so. We are also neither nutritionists nor personal trainers. We are just women on the journey to better fitness and a richer life. Please consult a doctor if you are starting a new exercise routine.
I read this article on CNN.com last week and wanted to comment on it here but I’m just now getting around to it (I am really super-lazy when pregnant, what can I say?) The title is 
Back in March I had a 
I’m in the picture here with the fabulous Cathe Friedrich. I’m obviously the chubby one on the right.
