Top Ten: Why I Hate Exercise

I started working out again last week.  I have a love/hate relationship with exercise.  Basically, I'd love to love it, but I hate it. Hence, the love/hate relationship.

But now that I've completed four workouts in a row, I'm an expert on the matter.  Right?  So, here are my

Top Ten Reasons Why I Hate Exercise

 

 

10. It hurts. My body is screaming at me right now.  And it's using a lot of dirty words that I don't normally use myself.

 

9.  I'm old. Next year I turn 40. Now, to be fair, my birthday is later in the year so I haven't even turned 39 yet. But still. I'm old. And I totally feel it.

 

8.  I'm tired. I know that I'll feel better after I start shaping up a bit but I have to exercise to do it but I'm tired and I don't want to exercise. It's a vicious cycle.

 

7. I have kids. This is probably one of the biggest reasons why I NEED to exercise. But it's also a reason why it's so HARD! First, my day is consumed by my mommy-schedule. Second, have you ever tried to do a push up with a toddler thinking you make an awesome horse? In order to avoid these complications I need to exercise before the kids wake up and I have standards. Early mornings are against my personal creed in life.

 

6. The 80/20 rule. So, diet makes up 80% of how to get fit. That means that busting my butt in working out is only 20% of the equation.  What the heck? Everything I'm doing will be nullified if I can't control my eating habits? This depresses me and makes me want cookies. And Diet Coke.

 

5. My clothes. My workout clothes don't fit. Having three kids in three years (plus the other four before that) messed me up. Bad. But I don't want to buy new clothes because I don't want to stay this size.  So I wear a sports bra that cuts off circulation. It's awesome.

 

4. My carpet. Every time I get on the floor for pushups, burpees, core work, or whatever I'm reminded of how gross my carpet is. We knew when we moved in that we would need to replace it. That was six years ago. Yeah....

 

3.  It's boring.  It costs money to mix up the exercise routine. I'm cheap and I don't like spending money on myself, even if that means doing something other than the same video day in and day out. And I'm addicted to watching television so I'd rather watch Fat Amy sing and dance than watch the same skinny people easily do an exercise routine that winds me within the first three minutes.

 

2. My doctor warned me.  I had the unique experience of laying on the surgical table right after my last (and fifth) C-section and having my doctor warn me that my ab muscles are thin. I asked her if that would effect my healing.  She assured me it wouldn't, but it would make getting back in shape really hard. So now I have a built-in excuse for why I always want to quit.  And I use it. All. The. Time. "I can't do this exercise because my abs are thin." Unfortunately, they are the only thin part of my body, so that sucks.

 

And the number one reason I hate exercise....

 

I never did Kegels during my pregnancies.  Jumping is a bad idea. A very bad idea.

 

So now what?

 

Now I go to bed so I can get up early tomorrow morning and work out. Because I can do this, even if I hate it right now.

The Shawshank Redemption?

My parents are moving to Arizona.

Did I tell you this?

My dad is currently working his new job with the Border Patrol and my mom has been waiting for the house in Montana to sell (anyone looking for a home in Great Falls, let me know).  She'll be making the trip down with the rental truck loaded to the brim in just a week and a half. 

I'm so happy for so many reasons.

First off, Montana is a two full-day drive from here.  And it seems that something goes wrong every time we drive from Arizona to Colorado (or vice versa).  And I like driving through Utah, but I'd like to stay for more than 11 hours as we sleep, so that's always difficult when we're on a tight schedule.  Having Mom and Dad only 2 1/2 hours away will be a welcome change.

The second reason is pure selfishness.  I left some things at Mom and Dad's and I'm looking forward to getting them back.  I left my music stand.  Emma needs this.  Her school has no music stands for the band kids, so she has to carry her music stand back and forth on the days she has band.  Not cool.  When I get my stand back, she'll just keep it at school and won't have to carry hers around anymore.  Mine is old and cheap.  If it gets lost or stolen, it won't matter.

I know, you're thinking, "But Shelly, that's not selfish!  That's being a good mother to your daughter!"  I know.  I know.  I rock the "Good Mom" role (excuse me while I laugh).  But that's not the selfish part.  The selfish part comes into play with wanting my 5 lb weights back.  I left them behind and tried using my bigger 8 lb weights, but they were too big.  The more weight you lift, the bigger the guns.  My mouth is big enough to compensate for small guns. 

So in the mean time, I'm pulling some "Prison Break"/"Lockup" substitute.  I've got 2 gallon jugs that I've half-filled with water and those are my current 5 lb weights.  Oh, I'm sexy.  I've got my exercise gear, my bodybugg, my cup of water, and my jug-weights.  Man, they suck. They're awkward, they are hard to stabilize, they're beginning to leak.

Remind me to never go to prison.  I don't care for their make-shift ways.

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Twelve

Last week saw two winners tied at 1% each: Mindy and Carina. So glad we've got a few more people in here with us.

We only have a couple of weeks left. Three, to be exact. Are you hanging in there?

I've hit a few realities this weekend. I'm late posting this (obviously) and it's because I haven't been into this at all. In fact, if I weren't hosting this competition, I'd have quit a long time ago. My heart has not been into losing weight, therefore I have lost no weight. I've actually gained five pounds since we began this. I don't know exactly why I'm struggling with this so much, but it's surrounded by excuses: It's too hot, I don't have time, My kids need me, My husband needs me, My family is in town, The bad food I bought the other day needs to be eaten and not wasted. It's everyone's fault but mine!!! I know that I'm not going to win our competition, but I sure am facing a lot of my obstacles and trying to learn how to overcome them. It hasn't worked yet, but maybe I still have some hope. Maybe I can figure out what I need. I don't need a huge body make over. I just want to slim down about 20 lbs so when I gain a little holiday weight I don't have to worry that I'm back in the overweight category. Or at risk for diabetes like both of my parents. Or look like the fat, mean ogre-mom I've become a few too many times lately.

So, post your weight lost, but if you can, please post something you've learned about yourself during this experience. Does a certain routine work better? A certain exercise? A certain diet? A certain hobby or habit? I could really use some inspiration. Let me know what's working for you. And that this competition hasn't been a waste of time!!!

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Ten

Last week's winner for the most weight lost was Carina with 1.41% lost. Congrats, Carina! You've had a really steady loss each week. That's great!!

My story is stuck in my rut. I don't know why I do this. I think my head has decided that I'm fine the way I am. I'm thinner than I used to be, which is good. And I have no major health risks or concerns, which is also good. It's just my vanity I'm trying to appease. If I can't get past this hump, then I guess that means I'm not a very vain person after all. Yeah, tell my ego that.

I did really well a few weeks ago when I wrote out my goals for the week. I'm going to try that again.

1. Do not eat after I put the kids to bed.

2. No candy or sugary snacks.

3. Exercise five days.

4. Drink three to four jugs of water.

5. Go on a bike ride every night possible.

6. Read my scriptures and Ensign everyday.

I have been loving going on family bike rides with the kids. Josh has been at work most of the nights we've gone, but it's still been nice to get out and ride around our neighborhood a little bit. The only trouble is that we have to go at night because otherwise it's over 100 degrees, but we can't go too late because the kids have to go to bed. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to leave the kids and just go alone so I have to cater to their schedules. It's tricky, but I like going.

So, calculate your loss for the week. I had troubles with the old calculator again, so it's the newer one. Let me know how your week went. Also, my friend Amy asked me to talk a little about all the contestants. So, even if you didn't lose any weight, leave a comment. I'll try to think of something nice to say about you. ;)

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Nine

Last week's winner was Mindy in her weight loss. Congrats, Min!

We are going to extend the competition to the 31st of July. That gives us all another five weeks to accomplish our goals. Whew. Let's do this, People!!

I'm late with this week's post because Abby was baptized on Saturday and we've had a wonderful time with so many of our family members here visiting. It's been awesome. But, I've overeaten and slacked on my exercise this week. Time to get back up and going. Tomorrow will be fun to reintroduce my muscles to those exercises they so desperately do NOT want to do. It's a good thing I'm mean like that and like to make things do something they don't want to. I get pleasure out of it. So, HA, Muscles. I'll make you nice and miserable tomorrow!

Do you ever eat too much and then think, "I'll start eating better tomorrow and it will confuse my body and I'll just dump a whole bunch of weight really fast!"? I may be the only one that thinks that. I'm still waiting for the huge dump of weight, though.

With summer in full swing, what are the activities you are doing that are helping you lose weight? Any seasonal ideas you'd like to share that we can all do? And remember to tell me how you've been doing. What's your weight loss for the week? Mine was nothing. But then, I've got a great amount of catch up to do and maybe I'll do better this week. Here's the calculator. It's a different website than usual because our usual one wasn't working. Don't know if it's gone for good or what. But, do your thing and leave your comment!

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Eight

Per Amy's request, here are the standings of our weight loss to date:

Cindy: 6.8%

Carina: 3.18%

Amy: 2.13%

Shelly: 0.63%

No one else posted their halfway mark, but remember, you can join us at any time! And if you're joining us silently from the sidelines, hope you're doing well!

This week I lost one pound for 0.64% loss. Not much, but I'm doing so much better for myself and my routine. I really want to lose more weight, but I'm really happy at how well I did this week. I exercised five times this week, rarely (if at all) ate anything after 8pm, watched my food intake, and along with all that, I read my scriptures every morning. The scriptures may not help me lose weight, but they helped me feel good about myself and sometimes that's all you need.

I've decided to continue focusing more on my attitude than my numbers. Do I feel good? If yes, I need to stay on top of what I'm doing so I don't lose my happiness. If no, what am I missing? Or, what am I doing that I need to cut back on. The healthiest thing I need right now is attitude. Once that is in place, everything else will get there too.

So, how'd you do? Any inspiration you've gained this week? Go here for the calculator.

Our poll this week is to see if anyone wants to extend our contest by a week or more. Please let me know if you want some more time. I'm up for it. Majority will rule.

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Seven

Okay, technically, it's Week 7, but we're doing our mid-point check in this week. So, use your beginning weight from the start of this competition (no matter which week you joined) and see how far you've come in the last seven weeks. Go here for the calculator.

I'm not happy with my weight loss for the past several weeks. I'm at a whopping 0.63% loss. But, considering all of my yo-yo-ing, I guess it's not too bad. Plus with all that no-kitchen-to-cook-in and no-exercise-except-the-self-forcing-to-pack-and-move, I'm just glad I'm not back to my mega-fatty state.

It's time to re-focus and do this thing. I'm going to commit to five days of exercise next week. I will not eat after 8pm. I will try to get 8 hours of sleep each night. Everyday I will drink at least two full drink-things I got from the hospital when Millie was born. Of course, this will all be in effect as of tomorrow, so for now I'll continue to eat my gummy bears.

I've been waiting for Josh to be home before I watched the Biggest Loser finale. He's been working since the episode was uploaded on the internet. Now he's home over the weekend, so we'll have to watch it. I thought I read somewhere that Mike won. If you need to let out your feelings about the episode, I understand. Hopefully I'll get to watch it soon, so.... you know what? Do it. Talk about it. Share your feelings. Get it off your chest! And while you're at it tell me how it's been going for you. Just do it. And then get off your butt and exercise!!

And then come to my house and take away my gummy bears. Please.

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Five

Last week's big weight loss winners were Cindy at 2.51% (go, Cindy!) and Carina hit a milestone with her 1.56% loss. Awesome job!

Calculate your loss and see how you did. Remember that next week is our midpoint weigh-in and we'll get our up-to-date weight loss. This week, however, use your weight from last week as your Start Weight. And it's not too late to join in if you want to play but haven't been posting.

I was pleasantly surprised when I LOST WEIGHT this week!! Hooray!! I've been painting and cleaning up a storm and had a 1.86% loss. Finally!!!! My secret this week wasn't exercising, although I was very busy. I did try to eat lesser portions and I did both the Slim Fast and Subway diets. I really don't know if that helped me, but it was much better than grabbing donuts and burgers all week long. I've got another week of transitions before I can start to settle down. We are hoping to fill a moving truck tomorrow. If I can get the house cleared out and packed. The worst part of moving 15 minutes away is knowing you don't have to pack everything perfectly securely, therefore you don't really pack at all. That makes the transfer to the new house a bit more difficult. Ugh. Enough about that.

This Tuesday is the finale of Biggest Loser. Oh, poor Daris. He and Koli are vying for the final position for the final three. His gain of 2 lbs hit home so much!! He went home for a month, trained for his marathon, broke the record of time to complete the marathon, and then justified his overeating with the excuse that he's exercising so he'll be okay to eat late at night and doubling his calories in those late hours of the day. How well I know this trap! Josh works nights and I spend several of them alone after the girls have gone to bed. My entertainment consists of TV and Facebook. I'm usually not tired enough for bed, so in my boredom I eat. And I inevitably double my calories for the day. I just identified with him so much! I rarely vote for reality TV, but I exhausted all my votes for Daris. I really hope that month of reality didn't end it for him. But, if he does lose the vote, he should be in good standing for the At Home Prize.

So, tell me. How'd you do? What's your weight loss for the week? Good things? Tough things? Highlights from the week?

Oh, and I'm running out of ideas for polls. Are they worth doing each week? Do you have a question you'd like to ask the group?

The Bloggest Loser -- Week Two

Last week Josh won the week in weight loss percentage. We've got to be careful, girls. His body can drop pounds like nobody's business. He'll win if we let him. (It's okay if you win, Honey. I love you.)

So, ----> check your percentage for this week. Remember your original weight because you'll need that for future weigh ins, but for now your Start Weight will be your Current Weight from last week and your Current Weight this week will be whatever you weighed in at this weekend. Get it?

I lost nothing this week. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Zip.

I'd be upset, but I'm still trying to recover from this week!! I ate better (except for yesterday's trip to the Chinese Buffet -- oh, but it was good) and I exercised. But my stress level was so high, I don't know if I could have lost any weight without a Bob or Jillian to be here and kick my butt. And without a second me to take care of everything that needed to be done.

"Let me e'splain. No. There is too much. Let me sum up." (Name that movie.) Emma had a huge research paper and project due yesterday. The teacher told us Monday. 3rd grade + Research Project = MAJOR PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT. She also had rehearsals for the talent show auditions that were also yesterday. Dad came to town. (The secret is out..... he got a job in Ajo, AZ, for the Border Patrol. He reports May 10, and Mom and Dad got a contract on their house in Great Falls last night. Things are happening fast for them.) Dad came to town a day earlier than I expected, so I was out running around with kids when he got into town and things just seemed to go downhill from there.

Friday was not your typical "Freaky Friday." It was "Freakin' Friday." It started around midnight when Dad finally got home from being stranded in the desert for a couple of hours. Then we slept. Then we all woke up and discovered that the game board Emma had made for her project had gotten into some water and was ruined. Then I fixed it from scratch in 17 minutes. The girls were late for school. As I checked them in we discovered that we had forgotten all the game pieces for her project. The second I parked in the school parking lot for the second time that morning I realized the girls had forgotten their lunches. I went home and tried to do school with Matt before the girls' lunch periods, but he didn't want to, so he sat in time out for about 20 minutes. The mortgage people called wanting more info and said closing will hopefully be next Wednesday. We finally did a little school. I took the girls their lunches. I got back and finished school with Matt. Then we waited for Dad, his buddy Ron, and Jabon to fix Dad's truck. We went to lunch. We went to Emma's audition (she rocked, btw). We went to the store. We went to Tara's house for dinner. I began making guacamole. I went to take a pit out of an avocado and chopped into the tip of my finger. It bled. Tara fixed me. I nearly fainted. A few times. We had dinner. Finally, we played some Rockband.

So, yesterday wasn't the best day. It pretty much summed up the way I've been feeling all week. If I can get through this weekend better than I did last weekend, I may actually have a good start to next week.

On to The Biggest Loser. I just love this show. I was so moved by the stories of the people in Texas at the 5k. Both of my parents have Type II Diabetes. I know I'm at risk. Ironically, they were living in Texas when they were both diagnosed. And at the weigh in, I actually was feeling so bad for the underdogs: Daris, Mike, and Ashley. It's not that I wanted Yellow or Grey to go home, I just wanted the individuals to do really well. I wanted Daris to win the challenge since he was working so hard by himself. We'll see what next week brings, eh?

Now tell me. How'd you do? Don't forget your weight loss percentage and tell me how your week went. Inquiring minds want to know!

Bloggest Loser -- Week 1

Okay, people.





It was our first week of our weight loss competition. Holy cow, could I have had any more temptations thrown at me than I did this week? (BTW, we are most likely delayed in the closing for our house because of the confusion of my maiden/married names. We were promised we wouldn't be charged the usual per diems for closing extensions. We should be signing the papers by next Friday.)



My eating was horrible. My exercising was sporadic. My stress level was HIGH and I justified the poor eating and little time exercising. I had a 1.38% weight loss this week.



So, inspire me. First, go here -----> calculate weight loss.



Next, leave your comment with your percentage weight loss. And, as always, add whatever other comments you have. What were your highs and lows?

Also, to keep it fair, I think we need to have our percentages turned in for the week by Monday evening so we're not getting too far into the week. And, remember, remember, remember this first weight you are entering. It will be the weight we'll use at our halfway check-in and our final weigh in.

Now, to some fun stuff. If you're watching The Biggest Loser, what are some of your calls for the Final Four? I'm not decided on this one yet. But, I love Sam and Koli. Also, I can't wait for make over week. I'd love to see Daris with a new 'do. I really like him too. And, I missed the first half of this last episode due to a DVR issue, but I did tune in soon enough to cry with O'Neal. Really, it's amazing how watching someone else's struggles can put your own into perspective. Do you think Vicky was the right one to vote off? I think she didn't get a chance to really "get" it, but I didn't want Sunshine to go.

And be sure to vote in the poll about exercise. We'll see if I can think of enough things for us to vote on each week.

One final thought (from Josh's cousin's Facebook status):

"I wish I was as thin as I was when I thought I was fat."

The Biggest Loser Invitation

During tonight's Biggest Loser, Bob said that offices all over the country are doing their own Biggest Loser competitions. Got me thinking.....

I need to restart my final 20-lb weight loss.

Again.

I need some fuel for my fire.

Does anyone want to play "Biggest Loser" with me? I sound like a little kid trying to rally friends to play Red Rover or something. ("Come play at my house!!!") But I need my competitive streak to pull me through this stagnation I keep wallowing in.

The goal would be for us to track our calories (a minimum of 1200/day) and do some sort of daily exercise (aerobic and strength training combination). Then, each week we'll post our percentages lost.

So, here's the deal:

1. We start Sunday, so get yourself prepared.

2. Please let me know if you're interested so I don't feel like no one's playing with me (I hate being the loner kid on the playground). If you really aren't into it, that's cool. You can tell me that too.

3. We need to figure out what the Biggest Loser gets. The winner needs something. Right?

4. How long should we compete? Three months? More?

5. Take a before picture and at the end we'll do after pics. (You won't have to show them, but it will help us track our progress.)

Wanna do this??? Please???

Gearing Up For the Week

Sometimes, you just have to say to yourself, "Self, I know you don't want to do this, but ya gotta."

Tonight I cleaned my house. Just the usual: finished laundry, did the dishes, picked up toys, vacuumed, scrubbed the kitchen floor, and bathed all the children. Not necessarily in that order.

I did this in an effort to prepare for my week. Because we are moving back to the school district the kids were in when we first got to Arizona, we've decided to put our lives back together and have the girls finish the year in their previous school. Then I will only have one child at home to teach and one baby to care for. Can I tell you that I am SO HAPPY about this decision? I know the girls will be fine in the school and Matt will finally have all the time he needs for learning. It was all a bit rushed with the three different grade levels to complete everyday. So what better way to prepare for a less stressful week than to have a clean house (and clean kids)?

Also, my exercise is resuming this next week. And my SparksPeople food tracking. My gut has returned. As well as my behind. Their reappearance doesn't make me happy. So, it's time to get everything back into place. Less stress. Less mess. Happier Mommy.

Here's to a good beginning to a good week!!

"I Will Triumph!"

Remember in the movie French Kiss when Meg Ryan is on the phone with her former future mother-in-law and she pitifully and pathetically says, "I will triumph!" and there in the background is the Triumphal Arch of Paris?

This is how I feel. It's pitiful and pathetic, but I will triumph!

This week's weight loss endeavor was as painful as the previous two weeks. One pound loss, so that's good, but only one day of exercise. School is taking over all of my day. I'm having a hard time falling asleep, which means I'm having a hard time waking up early enough to exercise before the kids wake up.

My solution is this: Insanity must wait. I've been wanting to finish the program so badly, but you have to commit to it. I can't commit to it right now. We'll return the disks to Josh's coworker who so graciously let me borrow them. Maybe by the time I have the time to do the workout I'll have to money to purchase it for myself. I think that's a reasonable goal.

In the meantime, instead of setting myself up to fail by having a painfully vigorous workout program, I'm going to start one of the other videos I have. It's less intimidating and therefore I shouldn't resent doing it or dread doing it or NOT do it. I'm sad I can't finish Insanity, but it's just not in the cards right now.

How'd you do?

Weight Loss Whoopsie

So, yeah.

This week wasn't my best week in the weight loss arena. This new school program may just be the death of me. We got our supplies Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday was mostly spent at the cardiologist, and so Thursday was our first attempt to teach with all the required materials.

Imagine with me: Three children, three curriculum plans, two children each needing to complete four hours of school and the third needing two, one laptop computer without wireless access so it was wired in the bedroom where Josh was trying to sleep after working the night before and the wire to the router is so short each kid had to sit with me on the floor against the bedroom door. We started school at 8:30am and finished sometime around 6pm. Needless to say, I missed some exercise, for a few days in a row. Then I fell off the bandwagon with a little bit of frustration and ate any chocolate I could find. (I was surprised how much I was able to scrounge up.)

So I lost nothing this week. Ugh. But, I'll just dust myself off and try again next week. And Valentine's Day and its plethora of delicious sugar isn't helping me any at all.

But, as we always say.....

WE CAN DO IT!!!

How'd you do?

How'd You Do?

It's that time again....time to admit how we did this week.

With all the new school stuff we're still trying to work through, I only got two days of workout this week. I've been a bit bummed about that, but it was recovery week and next week begins the really hard stuff.... {gulp}. I'm hoping my lack this week will not kill me next week.

In good news, I kept up on my food and I was able to lose another 2 lbs this week. My newest challenge is making sure I'm getting enough calories now. Someday I'll be able to balance it a lot easier.

It's a never-ending battle, isn't it? (BTW, Jeri Dawn, I'm very impressed with your FHE-cupcake-willpower. I couldn't have done it.)

My week was definitely overrun by school, but we'll try to do it again this next week.

How'd you do?

We Can Do It!

I've discovered a new tool. It helped me lose 6 lbs this week. Yeah!!! Can you believe with all the junk we're doing around our house, I was still able to lose 6 lbs. I'm happy.

Anyway, I took Tara's advice and checked out SparksPeople.com. It's really helping me keep my caloric intake under control. It's pretty much a goal-organizer. You input what your goals are (your current weight, your goal weight) and how much you want to lose a week. I said I wanted to lose about 30 lbs at 2 lbs/week. It figured that my ending date should be May 6. Our anniversary is May 8, so I actually changed my ending date to the 8th.

Then it gave me a suggested diet and workout program. It said how many calories I need to consume in a day to keep me on track and then I input the foods. It keeps track of my calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. It also helps me remember to drink 8 cups of water a day. Then I can add other goals I want to achieve. I've decided to monitor my sleep (at least 8 hr/night) and a reminder to take my daily vitamin (I always forget that!).

This first week with an online tracking system has been helpful. My suggestion is, if you need help figuring out your food, just check it out. It gives you the option to use their menu or add your own food. My only concern is that I don't know how many calories I burn using Insanity, so I may not be taking in quite enough calories.

Speaking of Insanity, if you are wondering if it's a program you'd be interested in, let me just say this.....

In the words of Shaun T (the Insanity creator), "That #$%@! is ba-nanas, yo!!" Twice this week I was scheduled to do the Pure Cardio workout. It's a little freaky when the instructor finishes the warm up and stretch with you and then says, "I'll be really honest with you, I'm really nervous about what's coming up." Uh, hello? I don't have the kick-butt abs he does. How the heck am I supposed to keep up? But I try and it's actually one of my favorite workouts.

If you're considering Insanity or P90X, I can tell you that you'll probably only love one workout or the other. Insanity is so much cardio and P90X is so much strength training. I love cardio, therefore I really like Insanity. Josh loves strength training and weights, therefore I think he'd like P90X much more. You know, in case you were wondering.

Anyway, it was actually a pretty successful week, despite my winter blues. I'm getting past those blues. Josh and the kids have been loving and patient with me. Tara watched the kids for us last night so Josh and I could head over the to Mesa Temple. That helped a lot.

I hope you had a good week!

How'd you do??

We Can Do It!

Yes, friends. It's that time again. How'd you do this week? I SUCKED!!!

I'm so mad at myself. It's the dang food. I always complain about it and it's always my weakness and I always give in to it. I suck. That's all I got to say about that.

In good news, I did my Fit Test for the Insanity program on Monday. I totally rocked it. I can't believe how much I improved in just two weeks. Then I sabotaged it all with missing two days of workout (one of those days was spent walking around the zoo and temple grounds, so I justified that). And my stupid eating. Stupid.

I watched a show about a woman who put her scale in the kitchen to remind her why she doesn't want to eat badly. If I didn't think my scale would be ruined by children, I'd do it.

I was also inspired early in the week by my cousin. I need to remember that. Anyway, he ran a half marathon in just about two hours. Yeah, 13.1 miles in 2 hours. Uh, hello? Can we say, "Holy heck!"? I'd love to run this race with him next year. He already plans on coming back down here from Oregon next year. Can I do this? I don't know. I need about an entire year to train. But first I need to be able to afford running shoes. Right now the choice is, "Buy a new house or buy running shoes?" I know shoes are cheaper than a house, but every penny counts when you're trying to come up with down payment money. Any independently wealthy people out there that need a charity write-off? I'll accept it. If you'll take care of my down payment, I'll buy my own shoes. That's being self-sufficient, isn't it? I've also heard of the book "Running for Dummies." That's my kind of training manual.

I really loved everyone's comments last week. You all help me so much. I hope you're all keeping up with your goals and I'm so grateful to have the chance to vent my frustrations to you!

We can do it!

Confessions of a Fatty

Not too many years ago, I weighed nearly 200 lbs. I was not pregnant at the time. You may be thinking one of two things:

1. Wow, she's brave to admit that. Kudos to you, Fatty, for putting it all out there.

or

2. How in the world could you let yourself go like that?

I've been trying to figure out my difficulties in weight loss. Why am I having such a hard time losing weight? Why did I gain so much in the first place?

Here's what I've come up with:

There's no such thing as baby weight.
I started gaining weight when I was pregnant the first time. I was pregnant for about a week. Within that week I adopted the mindset that I should eat what I want when I want. I was entitled to it because pregnant women are cute and chubby. Why wait for the natural "baby weight" to kick in? I wanted to be cute and prego.

Comfort Foods and Depression.
I've had a few times in my life when I've been dealt some devastating blows. I really was pregnant for just a few weeks that first time. I couldn't handle the loss of my baby very well. I found comfort in Josh's arms and with sugar. Five years later, when I was pregnant with Matt, I kept myself in pretty good shape. I was 5 months pregnant and sword fighting onstage--best workout ever! About two or three months later, we found out about Matt's heart and I slipped into another depression. My favorite comfort foods included cheddar jalapeno poppers, ice cream, popcorn, and soda pop. I blew up like a balloon.

Getting fat is convenient.
While Josh and I were going to school, we had no time to do anything. We woke up in enough time to take our children to various childcare locations so we could be to class by 8am. We spent all day in classes. We had workstudy jobs at the school, which would run until about 5pm. We picked up our children and by 5:45 we were trying to figure out what to have for dinner. I only had about an hour before I had to go back to school for play rehearsals, so we usually had fast food or homecooked fast food. Either way, we rarely ate salads, fruits, or lean proteins. Our carbs were hardly ever complex. My exercises consisted of walking around campus, sitting, writing notes, and eating. I'm pretty sure I didn't gain the Freshman 15. It was more like the Nontraditional Student Four-Year Plan 50.

Moms aren't supposed to be trim and fit.
All my life I've been told that moms should take care of everyone else. Moms come last. That means that if something's gotta give, it's gonna be momma's needs. The whole family can't wait for an activity because Mommy needs to finish her workout. If the kids won't eat whole wheat bread, than Mommy should just buy the stuff the kids like and give up. Also, if I've had a bad day with the kids, I should have a treat. The only treat I can get when I'm at home with sleeping babies is a late night freezer raid. But, as a mom, I'm entitled to unwind and if it's with chocolate, then so be it.

If I can't have what I want, at least I've got chocolate.
Being poor sucks. If I can't have my own house, at least I've got cake. If I can't have an easy day of bill paying, at least I've got M&Ms. If I can't buy the thousands of dollars of things I'd like for our home, at least I've got taquitos and sour cream.

So, where does this leave me now? I still have many of these same issues. Now that I know where so much of it stemmed from, how do I change this? Every one of these previous thought processes include the idea that I'm entitled to food because..... So I just have to change my habits. I don't need food as a reward. I don't need food as a comfort. Food is fuel. If I eat healthily (lean proteins, complex carbs, fruits and veggies, healthy fats), I can have the fuel I need to get through the day. And it won't make me fat, as long as I eat it in moderation.

There are so many theories of what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat. I'm quitting. I will eat three meals a day, with a small snack in between. I need to try to stop eating after dinner. I'll get the nutrition I need and stop focusing so much on "Am I doing this right?" I'm just going to live. I'll eat good foods and keep my exercising. I'll keep checking in every week to report my progress.

We Can Do This!!!!

How'd you do?

We Can Do It!

Upon Lori's suggestion (and Tara Bennett's endorsement---yes, everyone's opinions matter to me!!) I've decided to call the weekly weight check-in "We Can Do It." I also liked Jeri Dawn's idea of "Operation: Fit Into My Pants" but I wasn't sure if you had dibs on that one, JD.

Anyway, I've been religiously exercising this week. Everyday. We'll see how tomorrow goes, Saturdays are always so tricky. Especially since we have a trip to the zoo planned. My downfall is, and has always been, food. Either I eat too much or not enough. I can't seem to find the right balance. I use my Biggest Loser cookbook, but that only does me so much good when I pop myself a bag of popcorn at 8pm. Help!!! I really, really want to do something like the NutriSystem diet, but I'm scared to do stuff like that. What happens after I've lost the weight and begin making my own food again? I'll tell you what happens....

Hello, Fatty!!

I don't need that again. I remind myself quite often, that I began this journey two years ago. I was interrupted with a pregnancy, so that takes a year out of the count. In the year I've been doing this, I've lost 35 lbs. That's good. But why is this last half of my weight loss journey so tricky? Maybe it's because I keep changing tactics. I have become a bit of a connoisseur of exercise programs. I'm sticking with the Insanity program. This week has been a killer, but if I can stick with it, I'll see results soon, I'm sure. I've just got to keep exercising and working on my food choices. No more "cheat foods" or "cheat meals". Just because I did a good job working out, doesn't mean I've earned the naughty foods.

I'll try it out for a week and we'll see how it goes.

How'd you do?

The New and Improved 'Fess Up Friday

Okay, my friends, it is time to get that fire burning in our bellies. And our calves.

I have decided to take a new go at this weight loss journey. I have 25 lbs left. That's it. It doesn't sound like a lot until I remember that I've lost virtually nothing over the last six or seven months. This is going to happen, but I need your help!

I'm going to be starting a new Beachbody program called Insanity. I began it before Thanksgiving, but the holidays, moving and chocolate all got in the way. But I'm renewed. The daily exercise begins Monday!

Also, I'm going to eat better. I'm giving up soda pop. Completely. I'm cutting back on sugar and simple carbs. A lot. I think my mind is not convinced that this is going to happen, so I've got to just do it. I probably need to go cold turkey. I don't like cold turkey. Yuck!

The third thing is my weekly affirmation. I'm not digging the 'Fess Up Friday post name. I don't get to post every Friday and the inconsistency really bugs me. Any ideas of what this weekly post can be called?

Finally, I need some virtual support. I rally you, my friends. I rent my cloak and yell above the cheers of the crowd,

"Let's do this! Let's get in shape! Who's with me??"