The Bugg Year in Review...

Even though it hasn't been a full year, I thought that now is a good time to reflect on the my use of the Body Bugg. This blog post actually came about because I was responding to a thread on the BB Message board and got logged out. So, I thought perhaps I should come on over here, say my peace, and then get my booty on the treadmill!

So, this post is geared to anyone curious about the Body Bugg. Maybe you've recently purchased one, maybe Santa is bringing you one, maybe you bought one and haven't used it, or maybe you're contemplating the purchase. Regardless of your Body Bugg state of mind, I hope you find this post informative and helpful.

It's helpful to know a bit of back story, so here goes:

I started dieting on 1/15/2010. I had hit 265 pounds and after seeing 400 pound people on the Biggest Loser workout like insane people, run, and drop weight like crazy, I thought to myself, maybe I can drop a few pounds and get some distance between me and 300 pounds. With my 40th birthday looming in the distance (2012) I figured that was as good of a time as any. So off I went!

First, I joined a women's only gym. This is a fitness center in my town that offers cardio machines, classes, personal training, and spa services. I joined the gym and decided that a once-per-week session with a personal trainer might benefit me. Much to the trainer's disappointment, when asked for my "goal" weight, I said I'd like to be in the 250's.

She did not like this..."No, really....what's your GOAL weight?"

"I want to get into the 250's. At 259, we'll talk again."

I wasn't going to budge. I wanted small, manageable goals that I could fairly easily attain. I refused to put a huge goal on myself. She even tried me to say "I want to get under 200" but I refused. I wanted to get into the 250's.

In February my husband could see I was really interested in the Body Bugg, after seeing it on the Biggest Loser contestants. I had done lots of Internet research and really felt that this device might be a HUGE game changer for my weight loss. "Order it for your birthday if you REALLY want it" he said.

So I did. And that's honestly when EVERYTHING about weight loss changed for me.

I hit my "in the 250's" goal...then I hit the "in the 240's" goal, and so on. And now here I sit today, at 195. I'm not done yet. I have a new goal...any guesses?

Yeah, I want to be in the 180's.

But, right now, for the rest of this year, I'm content to celebrate what I HAVE done this year. I have lost 70 pounds. I have gone from wearing a 22/24 to a 14. I no longer buy 2X shirts...I buy a Large. I can run. I am stronger. I am healthier. And, amazingly enough, I am happier.

So, to new Body Bugg users asking "can I do this"...I have but one thing to say to you. ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY!!! You can and you will...but I do have a few tips for you.

1. Be honest. The BB will keep you honest on how much exercise you're doing, but for the BB to really work, you MUST be honest with the food. Buy a food scale and weigh/measure as often as you can. After a while, you will KNOW what 1/2 cup of cottage cheese looks like, but for a while weigh and measure everything. I know it's a pain, but seriously, it will make a HUGE difference.

2. Avoid eating out at restaurants as much as possible at first. You can control what you eat at home, but it's so easy to go overboard in a restaurant. If you must eat out, educate yourself BEFORE you go. You can get on the Internet and find "good" choices at restaurants. Make sure you STICK to that choice once you get there. Don't add in an appetizer or load a salad with dressing. KNOW how that meal is going to factor into your daily calorie target and adjust other meals accordingly. My personal favs are Subway and Applebee's.

3. Exercise! It seems obvious, but you have to exercise. The trick is to not look at "exercise" as being in a gym or on a machine. Small changes can make a huge difference. When I go to a store or the mall, I park WAY out in the lot. (unless it's bad weather) That extra walk will add up! A lot of my weight was lost by walking. In the evening if you're short on calories burned and/or high on calories consumed, walk in your HOUSE! If you have multiple levels, go up and down the stairs several times. Reset the "trip" meter and do the stairs or walk around until you hit 100 calories. Do step-ups. March in place. Do something!

4. Get support! I think that one of the most helpful things for me was having support. My hubby and kids knew I was trying so hard to eat healthy and exercise. They sometimes complained about a trip to the gym or dinner choices, but most of the time they knew that they needed to help and not complaining was a huge help. Friends also knew my struggles so they didn't sabotage me. I also got support from the BB Message Board. Find those sources of support and turn to them when you're struggling.

5. Set manageable goals! Obviously I'm not a long-term kinda gal! Had someone told me in January that I would lose 70 pounds I would have laughed in their face. However, by slowly chipping away at it, that mountain of 70 pounds became possible. I'm sure some people do well with big long-term plans, but not me! I needed small manageable goals that I could hit and then celebrate the success and then move on to the next goal. Just don't celebrate with cheesecake!

6. Speaking of cheesecake.....I think it's important to not deny yourself ANYTHING. That's right...I said ANYTHING. Now, sometimes when faced with the choice of eating something and then doing an extra 20 minutes of exercise to burn that special treat, I would CHOOSE to skip the food. But, sometimes, the food was totally worth it! And then I didn't mind that extra exercise at all. If you're going to a party or out to dinner with friends, exercise BEFORE you go and add in the extra time to burn those extra calories. I would never succeed if I thought I could NEVER have a glass of wine, some chocolate, or a nice steak again in my life. But, with the Body Bugg I can plan for that and still lose weight. That is just beautiful to me!

7. Water....lots and lots of water! Seriously. Drink a lot of water. When I was hard-core losing, I was drinking a lot of water. In addition to flushing out all that bad stuff, my skin looked great, my hair was awesome, and I felt generally better. I can tell that even right now I'm not drinking as much and I don't feel quite right. Can't stand more water? Crystal Lite packets....mix it in and drink down another serving!

8. Change ONE thing per week. Yeah, I said ONE. Hell, if that's too much, change one thing per MONTH. The point is, Rome wasn't built in a day and you're not going to conquer all of your weight loss issues in a few weeks. Start with small changes. If you drink regular soda, either switch to diet or mix 1/2 diet and 1/2 regular until you can get yourself off the regular soda. If you eat out all the time, start packing your lunch for work. Take a look at your life and make a list of the really bad habits that you have. Change one at a time into a good habit and then move on to the next one.

9. Finally, don't give UP! You're gonna have a bad day and not log food. Or, you're going to gain one week. Or you're just going to get tired of logging food and measuring and weighing, and it's all going to seem not worth it. But, stick with it...push through. Because it's not just weight we're talking about. It's health...it's your LIFE. I would've never imagined that losing those 70 pounds would make such a difference on not only my physical health, but my mental health as well. Don't get me wrong, I was happy before, but now it's a different kind of happiness. I was the 265 pound woman that was confident and happy with who I was....or that's what I told myself anyway. Now, at 195, I can tell you that I'm happier on a whole different level. I fit better into life. I can play with my kids and not get winded. I can cross my legs and not feel pain, and even look down at my muscular calf and think "wow...my legs are starting to look pretty damned good". Don't give up...your life is worth enjoying and you will be amazed at how much better you can feel.

There are probably more tips that I could share, but for now, that's it. Millions of us will make those New Years Resolutions, and plenty of those resolutions will include weight loss or lifestyle changes. Good luck to you on your journey and remember that YOU are in control!

The Struggle

The followers of this blog know that I have been using the Body Bugg to help me with my weight loss. Once I hit under 200 I thought it was time to take a little break from the constant logging of food and being so extremely diligent about my weight loss. A pound a week was probably very do-able without the constant logging.

...um, yeah....RIGHT.....

Here's the thing. I have lost. And then I'd gain. Thanksgiving was KILLER for me! I had lost a few pounds from Monday to Thursday, but then when I went to weigh in Monday...I had gained what I had lost and then some. All in a week's time.

So, what seems like a depressing reality to me is just simply reality. The reality is this...I have to be not only conscious of what I eat, but VERY conscious. So, I am logging food again. And what I saw today really surprised me.

I logged food for months in the Body Bugg program. Months and months and months. But, I also lost pounds and pounds and more pounds! So by the time I stopped logging I was pretty dead on for estimating my calorie target intake every day. Well, apparently for me that really slides when you add a little this here and a little that there.

I just sat down and logged in breakfast, am snack, lunch, and pm snack. That leaves me with a whopping 450 calories left for dinner. Really? I was pretty sure I had at least 6-700 available. Ouch. But, the most amazing thing wasn't the fewer calories, it was my NUTRITIONAL breakdown. When I was in the big "dropping pounds like crazy" phase of this I had a hard time getting enough fat in my diet. Yeah, you read that right.

So, imagine my surprise when today I logged in what I had eaten thus far and realized that not only was my fat intake WAY off the chart for me for a day, but my sodium was also. Ouch...did I mention OUCH?

Do I love logging my food? NO. But, am I going to get back to doing it to help me get those last 30 (well, more like 35 now) pounds off? YES. Abso-freakin-lutely. Because I didn't work this hard for this long to toss it away. I want to get a comfortable 20-30 pounds away from 200 so that I can absolutely say I will NEVER see the 200's again.

I must admit...I normally have NO problem getting the "calories burned" target in. I can hit that target every day, so I had this false sense of security that I was staying within my "calories consumed" target. Apparently I was hitting the target and then some. Time to get real. Granted, it's the holidays so eating healthy EVERY DAY will be a bit of a challenge, but I intend on being good MOST of the time and over-correcting for those days when I totally blow it.

Stay tuned....

Tomorrow is the day!

So anyone that's been around my blog for a while knows that I have participated in several "Biggest Loser" type challenges at my gym. These competitions are good for me, because frankly, I don't like to lose!

Unfortunately, I haven't been involved in any competition for a while and I think I'm in need of a good old competition. This is why, when recently I was browsing the body bugg website message board, a particular post caught my eye.

The post was for people needing to lose those last 20-30 pounds.

Normally I would've glanced at it and gone on reading posts that are relevant to me. BUT, I paused for a moment...20-30 pounds. Wow, that is FINALLY me. In all honesty, I'd be pretty happy with 15 pounds, but then the competitiveness of me kicks in. Why lose 85 pounds? Go for 100, 'cause really, doesn't "I lost 100 pounds" sound so much more epic than "I lost 85 pounds"???

Well, not really, because both are totally epic, but to my deranged head, go for the wow-factor of 100!

So, sitting at 70 lost I'm thinking....20-30 pounds...that is ME! I'm going to join this group.

Now, please let me make perfectly clear...this group is NOT a competition. There is no prize for the person that hits their goal first. We weigh in on Monday, post our stats, and then the group organizer keeps track of all of that and reports on how we're doing.

It's just the whole THOUGHT of it for me, though. I want to see those other folks' numbers and see if I can just make mine a LITTLE better....what a nut job, right? Seriously, I am...total freaking nut job.

BUT...if THAT is what it takes to help me get these last 20-30 off, then SO BE IT! Bring on the competition moves baby, 'cause I'm READY and I NEED the motivation!

So tomorrow it begins. Today there is no accountability. I eat, I exercise, I lose a little, and life goes on. Tomorrow, it's on like Donkey Kong. Because tomorrow there is going to be someone else looking at that number from MY scale. And they're possibly gonna think "Hmmmm...she's about my weight...wonder if I can lose more than she does this month....". Or, maybe NOT, but there COULD be, and so because of that, I will be motivated.

Sick, aren't I?

The point in all of this is to know what motivates you, and if a little competition motivates you, then go for it! Or if a cute little black dress or pair of jeans that's a size smaller than what you currently wear motivate you....plaster it to the fridge! Find your motivation BEFORE you need it. Then, when you start to stall, bust out the motivation and work it! Use the motivation to help drive you closer to your goals!

I will keep you posted on how the first weigh in goes and which of the group members I've got my focus set to!

Lori

The HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!

Seriously, is anything worse for a person on a diet than the holidays? I think not. I think this time of year should be renamed the Terrifying Trifecta or some such, because seriously, this is a hard time to eat healthy.

BUT...it is NO TIME to give in, either. Now is the time to buckle down and get serious. I'm serious...time to get serious. I have decided that even though getting totally serious and continuing to lose 2 lbs per week would be GOOD, it is actually BETTER for ME to cut the loss back to maybe 1 pound per week and ENJOY the season.

That's right...I'm going to ENJOY the season.

Now, let me state right here and now (before some of you run out and grab a pint of Ben and Jerry's) that when I say ENJOY I don't mean GO INSANE.

I can enjoy an occasional dessert...I can enjoy some of the kids Halloween candy...I can enjoy a few glasses of wine at a party. But I'm not going to go insane and eat every thing within my reach and drink the liquor cabinet dry.

There is an easy medium between total denial and total free-for-all consumption.

You just have to find YOUR easy medium.

Here's what's working for me:

• Halloween candy: Yep, I ate some, and I continue to eat some! Today, however, I set my absolute LIMIT at 2 pieces. I enjoyed those 2 pieces and will not eat any more. I ate some on Halloween night...I even "helped" the kids demolish the scary gingerbread house. I didn't DENY myself, but I did enjoy SOME, but just not ALL.
• Pumpkin anything: I'm a sucker for fall flavors. Pumpkin bars, pumpkin soup, pumpkin spice latte, etc....etc....etc. I LOVE it. So, I will enjoy a bit here and there...again, not total denial, but I'm not going to eat the whole plate either.
• Thanksgiving: I host Thanksgiving at our home. My sister-in-law actually called me to make sure I wasn't going to be serving a "Tofu Turkey and/or all diet food". Ha ha! No, my Thanksgiving menu will be the same...the same stuff my Mom always fixed, and the same stuff I've fixed since taking it over 9 years ago. But, you can bet your sweet bippy that after enjoying all of that stuff I'm going to be making darned sure I burn a LOT of calories that day, the day after, and after that, and probably even after that. You've gotta off-set the extra consumption by extra burn!
• Christmas: Sorry...no wise words of wisdom here. I honestly have to get through Thanksgiving before I can wrap my head around Christmas. I wish the stores wouldn't put a single Christmas thing out until at least 11/15. But, I am sure inspiration will strike, and when it does, you'll be the first to know!

So, there you have it...my holiday plan is to scale back on the intense weight loss and expect a bit less from the scale. I still expect movement DOWN in the digits, but not as quickly as I've experienced at other times during this journey. I will enjoy all things, but in moderation. For me that is the only way to make this a sustainable life long commitment.

Good luck to you during the holidays and if you have a great "surviving the holidays" tip, please share in the comments below!

Lori

I Feel GOOD.

Oh, yeah, crank up the James Brown, 'cause I feel GOOD baby!

Seriously...I feel really good.

I went shopping last week. I met my niece and a college roomie and we hit the outlet mall. We hit it hard, too! I was in need of "fall/winter" clothes, and even a new coat if I could find something. Normally these shopping trips are all about kids' clothes, but this time...it was ALL ME, baby! And it was awesome.

Here's what was awesome about it. Before I went there I mainly got clothes from either Cato or Kohl's here at home. And I guess I had pretty much convinced myself that those 2 stores were really cutting their clothes big, 'cause I'm still pretty sure that I'm not wearing a Large shirt or a size 14 pant. Must be the generous cut those stores carry...right???

WRONG...guess what...those sizes fit me in every freaking store in the outlet mall. And trust me, I tested the theory! I got stuff at Tommy Hilfiger, Old Navy, Van Husen, Bass, and a whole bunch of other stores in between! There were a few stops that I thought the shirts were really short, and I didn't like the way they fit. And for once in my life, if I didn't LOVE the way it fit and how I looked, I could skip it. No more "well, this will have to do". Oh no...total love or leave it on the hanger.

In January when I started all of this at 265 and wearing a 22/24, had anyone told me that before Halloween I'd be under 200 and wearing a 14 I would've referred them to the nuthouse. I can't believe I'm here. Really...still can't...but going and trying on all those clothes sure put a dent in my confusion.

And you know what, this is for good. This isn't a short-term thing. This weight loss has been so manageable and so real-life that I KNOW that it's for good. I know I can continue to do this for the rest of my life. Fat Lori has left the building, and she's NOT coming back.

The other thing that is important to disclose, is that I honestly feel that the loss that I've managed so far is not just a physical test, but a mental one as well. My way of thinking has shifted. I finally see that I DESERVE to be healthy, happy, and fit. And I see now that losing the weight that I have has helped make me a happier person. I would never have described myself as sad or grumpy before, and I surely thought I was enjoying my life then. But now, enjoying it now...well that enjoyment seems so much more intense, and so much more capable of saturating my soul with sheer joy. My cup is totally running over, and I am so thankful for that.

Believe in yourself...surround yourself with people who believe in you as well. Dig deep and realize that YOU DESERVE to be healthy, happy, and fit. Do whatever it takes to get started and then find it within yourself to know that you DESERVE this and YOU are the only person that can control your success.

You're so worth it....

So Long...Farewell...Auf Wiedersehen...Goodnight

Today was a pivotal day...a defining day...a day that I have been waiting for.

Today I said good-bye to 200. I weighed in this morning at 199.0. No more "I weigh two hundred and .... .

Oh no. Now I will say I weigh ONE HUNDRED and ... .

Wow. Really? I can't believe I'm there. Remember back in January? My goal at 265 was to get into the 250's. Getting below 200 at that time was just too daunting of a task, so I broke it down into smaller reachable segments.

And here I am...ONE hundred and ninety-nine pounds.

You wanna know the craziest thing? It really has NOT been THAT hard. Seriously. I don't know if it's because my perspective of "hard" is really skewed due to seriously hard things, but I would not say that getting to this point has been that hard. My life style, my eating habits, my exercise habits...those are all things that I can see easily manageable in the future. And so, this weight loss will be permanent. This is not a quick-fix, but a change in thinking.

And that's what I've been doing a lot of today...thinking. Thinking and watching. I watch people. I watch them drive by me in cars, I see them pass me in stores, and my brain is just churning, watching, wondering why the rest of the world can't see how easy this really is.

Don't get me wrong...there have been really horrible, dreadful, miserable times during this year. I have wanted to quit and I have wanted to indulge, and I have wanted to just chuck it all and go back to my old ways. But the only thing that is going to do is make me unhealthy and set my children up for losing their Mom too soon. So, even if I can't do it for myself, I can and will do it for THEM. And becoming Fit is not just about me...it's about the whole family. My kids will try more vegetables. They know how to read a label and choose the more healthy option. They understand (although they don't always LIKE it) that you need to put good food into your body for FUEL before you eat any junk or snack foods.

Ultimately, the decision to change MUST be yours. You have to find that piece of yourself that recognized that YOU deserve it. In the long run, everyone around you will benefit from your own healthiness, but YOU have to realize that YOU deserve it most. Getting fit and living a more healthy lifestyle is not expensive, too time consuming, or just too plain difficult for anyone to manage. You can do it, but first you must realize that YOU deserve it.

To those people that have supported me thus far, THANK YOU. Thank you so much. Your comments on this blog, phone calls, Facebook messages, etc. have driven me when I had no gas left in the tanks. I appreciate the motivation so very much and I hope to pay it forward 10 fold.

Challenge Yourself...

Status quo is easy, really. You just settle in to that nice, comfortable familiar existence that has been serving you so well and don't rock the boat.

But what if the status quo really isn't serving you so well? Maybe it's time to challenge yourself.

I see that this blog has picked up several followers, and some of you have even contacted me saying how I motivate and inspire you. This not only flatters but shocks me as well. I'm just a normal woman, trying to get fit. But, if my stories can motivate you then sometimes I think it's important for me to really TRY to motivate you!

Today is motivation day, baby....

Many of you look to this blog for motivation on your weight loss. How's that going for you, by the way? Are you still chugging along, losing those pounds? OR...are you stuck...hit a plateau...lost your drive?

Well, here's my challenge to you...........

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Yep...that's right...an open ended challenge. No specific motivation from me today. YOU do it. Figure out some kind of challenge for your own personal weight loss and fitness goals and then get on it! I've joined a 500 mile challenge. Sounds nuts, right? It is, a little, but I'm doing it, and so are several other people...only one of whom I've ever met in "real" life. See the rest of them are bloggers, or readers of blogs. We've all come together for Ashli's 500 mile challenge. Walk it or run it, but the challenge is 500 miles in a year. I have a "widget" to the right that shows my progress. It shows you what I've done most recently and then my "lifetime" mileage.

That 500 mile challenge is motivating me and totally challenging me. I'm in that push to get under 200, so I'm working out a lot. I'm watching my food intake and trying to really burn a LOT of calories every day. But that 500 mile challenge motivates me even further.

For example, I record lots of stuff on the DVR...and laying on the couch watching those shows doesn't burn calories. BUT, walking a couple of miles on the treadmill WHILE I'm watching sure does! And those calories add up, baby...they totally add up!

So find something to challenge yourself. Maybe you challenge yourself to get up 30 minutes earlier 3 days a week and take a 30 minute walk. Maybe you challenge yourself to use that gym membership that has been coming out of your checking account every month even though you haven't set foot in the place in 2 months. Maybe you walk your kids to school instead of driving.

Whatever it is, challenge YOURSELF. Let's face it, folks...the holidays are coming up, and for me, that is NOT the easiest time to lose weight...or even MAINTAIN. But this year, status quo on holiday eating is NOT going to bring me down. Oh, no...this year it's a brand new game baby, and I'm gonna be my own starting quarterback!

Go forth....and CHALLENGE YOURSELF!

(...and PLEASE...post a comment and let me know what YOUR challenge is! If anyone is interested in the 500 mile challenge, post a comment and I'll get you the link)

Time Marches On...Are You Marching or Standing Still?

A year ago I was, quite frankly, a mess. I was a complete wreck...physically and emotionally. Everything came to a head one night after hitting the wine trail with some friends. A great friend...an old friend...had come along as my "date". After departing the drunk bus, we headed to McDonald's for some grub before heading home. She was staying the night to avoid the drive home, so we knew we'd have some good "girlfriend gab" time. It was just what I needed.

See, I think you have some friends that are surface friends. They see what's on the surface and don't dig any deeper. If you say you're fine...then you're fine and everyone moves on. Then there are those "below the surface" friends. Those are the ones that hear "I'm a friggin' mess" when you say "I'm fine" and they DIG...they dig deep baby, 'cause that's the kind of friend they are, and they WANT to help.

Debbie is a "below the surface" friend. We've seen each other through job changes, births, marriage troubles, family troubles, death, and just about any other miserable thing one can endure. Let me say...for the record...Debbie isn't my only "below the surface" friend. I am blessed to have several. But, she was there that night, and she did the digging that led to my return to life.

We started talking about the past 8-9 months. So much had happened in my life...Schuyler (my nephew) was killed in Afghanistan...my Mom died unexpectedly...physically I was a mess on a whole other level. My weight had increased to probably the highest it had ever been. I was severely depressed but hadn't admitted it to myself. But Debbie asked...she asked how I was.

"Fine...doing ok."

"No, REALLY...how are you DOING?" (this is digging deeper)

I thought about that and ended up breaking down completely. I lost it. I was not fine and it was time to face that.

Debbie and I talked at length that night. Maybe it was having a trusted friend...maybe it was the wine...maybe it was just time...or maybe it was a combination of all of these. But this would end up being the night that changed everything. Debbie encouraged me to talk to someone about medication. She got me to admit that I was depressed...really, really depressed. And she got me to realize that it wasn't getting any better as time went on, but actually getting progressively worse. She helped me realize that I needed help in getting out of the fog.

So, I ended up taking Lexapro to help me deal with the depression. Thankfully that worked really well for me and helped me climb out of the hole that I was stuck in. I made it through the holidays...those first holidays without Schuyler and Mom. I made it to January 2010...a new year and hopefully a happier year.

And what a happier year it's been. Life isn't without sadness...nobody should expect that. But, I have found that HOW you deal with those disappointing or sad times makes a world of difference. I'm not the eternal optimist, but I do try to see something good even in the most difficult of situations. I am trying to look at the simple things in my life that bring me happiness. The year after Schuyler and Mom died there was a LOT of family time...LOTS and LOTS....and those were really happy, really comforting times. The 6 hour drive to visit "home" isn't such a "task" anymore, but a destination where fun times and memories are being made.

Mid-January I decided that my mental health was on the right track so it was time to get my physical heath in check as well. I started this "Fit By Forty" journey, and honestly, I would NEVER have imagined I would be where I am today. In January I weighed 265 pounds. I was wearing a 22/24 and XXL shirt. I THOUGHT I felt pretty good. Then I started losing the weight. Initially I set small goals...at 265 my goal was to be in the 250's. At 259, my goal was to be in the 240's...and so on.

Here I am...the end of September and beating down the door to under 200! I am at 203 as of this morning. I am wearing a 16 jean comfortably, and a 14 is button-able and zippable, but not comfortable! YET. I buy Large shirts. My shoe size has even gotten smaller! From a 9.5 EE to a 8.5 B.

But, the best thing about all this isn't the numbers. It is how I FEEL. I feel energized. I want to go DO something...not just lay low. I am active...I am happy...I am fit.

Life is good.

So, this brings me to the title..."Time Marches On...Are You Marching or Standing Still?".

I was totally standing still in 2009. But 2010? Oh, in 2010 I'm Marching...I'm leading-the-band marching....and it feels GREAT.

Life is hard...nobody should expect it not to be. But how you deal with those curve balls you're thrown will make a HUGE difference in whether or not you march or stand still.

Maybe life is like living in the jungle...the weak, injured animal that stays still is going to be the one to get eaten by the mighty lion. It's OK to be weak and injured, just don't stay still for too long so that the lion has to go elsewhere for his dinner.

L

An Update

It has been a fair amount of time since my last post, and for that I apologize. Like everyone else, life has been crazy and I just haven't taken the time to write. So, here's what's been going on in my "diet world".

I bought a treadmill and have been using it a LOT! I am using Daily Mile to track my mileage because another blog that I read is doing a "500 miles in a year" thing and I need to be able to easily keep track of the miles I'm putting in each week. Hubby got wireless headphones, which are totally cool because I can watch something on the DVR and crank it way up so that I can hear it while running and not worry about waking the kids up! Sweet! Loving that! I ran/walked a 5K this morning on the treadmill...my burns this week have been really great (very high).

I hit 205 this week...so close to finally under 200! So, it is time to get back to business and get those pounds OFF! I have not been logging my food in the program for a while. I am paying attention to what I eat, and hitting my burn target, but I have not been logging/weighing/measuring like I was before. Granted, the number on the scale is going DOWN, so I'm not too worried, but it's going slower than before, so I think that it's time to get back to business to get it to move a little faster.

Today I logged my food for the first time in quite a while. I logged just under 1800, which is my target, so I think I'm doing pretty well keeping that running total in my head daily. When I hit 190, that will be 75 pounds gone. Then I'm going to ease up on logging the food and settle in to a slower pace for weight LOSS through the rest of the year. HOWEVER...IF I gain, it's back to logging the food. I think I can manage fine (if the past several weeks are any indication) but I love the fact that the Body Bugg gives me that tool, should I need it. It also gives me the flexibility of not logging the food and still being able to use the burn numbers to gauge where I'm at.

So, in a nutshell, that's where I'm at. I bought a pair of size 14 jeans this week. I started this wearing 22/24's. I bought the 14's because they were a great deal ($15) and was pleasantly surprised that not only could I get them on, but I could button AND zip them! Granted, I wouldn't want to wear them for a LONG time, because they were TIGHT, but I got them on and in 10 pounds, I'm totally rockin' those babies!

Keeping my eye on under 200!

Lori

The Race

On Saturday, September 4th I participated in a 4 mile road race in my hometown of Kewanee, IL. I was hoping to finish the race in under an hour...preferably without dying.

I finished. I so totally finished. I finished in 46 minutes and some odd seconds. That's a little under a 12 minute mile. HOLY MOLY.

Push yourself...strive for something a little outside of your comfort zone. You will be amazed at how amazing you feel when you accomplish that thing you pushed for.

Here are a couple of tips I figured out at my first ever organized race.

• If the race provides a chip for your shoe for "official" times, attach the chip HIGHER (toward your ankle) instead of lower, toward your toes. Why, you ask? Well, it is possible that the chip will wedge in your shoe in a spot and press down on your toe, causing your big toe (maybe even the one on your right foot) to go totally numb. (Can you tell I learned this from experience???)
• Don't get frustrated when what seems like the entire field of participants passes you before the first 1/2 mile! I was really getting bummed out, but I ran at my own pace, and finished in about 12 minutes less than I had guessed. Don't get frustrated...you're out there...you're doing it. Who cares of you're the last one to cross the line? You crossed it...that's more than most people can say!
• The race packet includes a bib (participant #) and 4 safety pins. Hey, guess what Einstein...they give you 4 pins for a reason. It's irritating if while you're running the bib flys up and hits ya in the face if you were too stupid to pin it at the bottom...I'm just sayin'...
• Some rockin' music is a great asset you respond to that kind of stuff...just make sure your headphones are secure (as in maybe UNDER your shirt) otherwise they're gonna get tangled in your hands and nothin' hurts like ripping the ear bud outta your ear several times!

And, most of all, have fun. Give yourself some credit...you're doing it. You're rockin' it!

Compliments

Compliments are nice, but not everyone knows how to take one. I'm one of those people. I never have been able to take a compliment. I usually pop back with some smart assed retort to make comedy out of the situation. Not a good thing, but just the way I am.

I've had a lot of compliments lately, so that whole thing has gotten really strange for me! People are noticing that I've lot a lot of weight, and comments are being made about that...people notice, then they compliment, then they ask how I'm doing it.

I'm really trying to get better at accepting a compliment and not get embarrassed. Yesterday, a friend's husband saw me, didn't really recognize me (I had sunglasses on) and then when I took them off, he came over, gave me a huge hug, and grabbed my ass. Now, this may seem shocking to some, but I am not the kind of person that this is going to offend, nor is my husband. And, this friend is not the kind of guy you'd be shocked at for doing something like that! It's just the way he is...and I'm ok with that! Hell, that's one of the reasons I like him!

Well, my face went BEET RED when it happened! It's nice to be recognized for my hard work, but some times it's just embarrassing!

Moving on...we're at the football game a few hours later. Jeff was talking to someone else and I was distracted and BAM...outta no where some guy is hugging me and grabbing my ass. Two times in one day? What the.... Well, it was one of our best friends, and again, this is not unusual behavior for him, so it's all good.

Maybe now I should start feeling like a hot momma....but I'm not quite ready for that.

Moving on to today. It's girls' breakfast...a little gathering of some of the gals for breakfast after the kids go to school. We sit, talk, eat, talk, talk...talk....it's just a nice time for all of us. One of the gals that lives in the neighborhood tell me that her son, who graduated high school in May recently said to her something to the effect of "That Lori Martin is starting to look HOT".

OH
MY
GOD

OK, now THAT one...well, that one takes the rice cake, folks! That completely cracks me up, and probably flatters me more than 2 good male friends giving me their "swat" of approval. Wow...seriously? Hot...me??? Oh my...now, that is flattering!

I hope you all have a flattering weekend, filled with plenty of compliments that you gracefully accept!

Competition Moves

My gym recently had a "Biggest Loser Couples" type contest. I talked Jeff into entering. I'm not sure why, because honestly, I didn't really like the first individual one I did, so I have no clue why I wanted to do another one. Temporary insanity, probably.

Let me clarify...I didn't like the first one just because I felt so restricted. Restricted by the competition. If I wanted to indulge in a glass of wine or whatever...no freaking way...I'm in the competition. And, I need another scheduled weekly event like I need a huge chocolate bar on my kitchen counter. THAT is why I didn't enjoy the first one.

So, off we go for 8 weeks of competition. Here's where I must confess. I am competitive...just a little. But the hubby...well, he's got some serious competition moves...he's gonna take you down, no matter who you are. He's competitive. And, after 15 years of wedded bliss...I know this about the man, so who better to team up to lose some weight and win some prize money...right?

Ugh...did I mention I don't like restriction???

He was good...oh, so good. No drinking...no eating badly. He dropped his daily caloric intake down to something less than it takes to keep normal humans alive. But he's in competition mode, so he's all over it. He's dropping pounds left and right. I'm just humming along like usual. I'm losing weight slow and steady, but I've done my kamikaze time and I'm ready for a little tortoise living. Slow and steady, baby....slow and steady.

Then we were out of town for a week for work. He was still good. I got enough exercise, but I ate and sometimes not the best choices. It's a crazy week and there were nights that if I didn't grab a slice or two of pizza then I wasn't eating, and as we've covered here before...I NEED to eat. If I don't, I'm gonna binge. Then, there was a dinner meeting...business stuff...you know. Yeah, well, red wine. That's all I'm saying on that matter.

So then we get back from that and we have 2 weeks of competition left. Time to dig deep, get serious, and see if we can win this thing. The team in 1st place was losing at a nice steady rate. We did the math and it was gonna take some serious commitment from us and some slacking from them. Commitment I can do...the other team slacking was looking doubtful.

Well, the day of the final weigh in, the husband on the 1st place team gained .5 pounds. Jeff and I both lost again, and that put us over the top. It was CLOSE...way close! They lost 6.65% and we lost 6.99% of our combined body weights. WOW...that was really close!

And now, we're out of competition, so I can get back to my wicked ways! I say that very tongue-in-cheek, folks. What I mean is that if I want to have something that's not particularly diet-friendly, I'm going to have it, but I'm going to have to get back on track with my eating and work out a little more to compensate for eating something more caloric than normal.

We took the kids to the state fair. I had some of Avery's snow cone...a fried tenderloin...some of the kids ribbon fries...some of Avery's ice cream...and a bunch of other fair food junk that I normally would not eat. My burn that day was high due to exercising and then walking all over the fairgrounds. But I don't even want to venture a guess as to how many calories I ate that night! But you know what? That's OK...and it's only OK because on Sunday, I went back to clean and healthier eating choices. I ran 4 miles. I did not let that one extravagance define my downfall. It was just a choice I made that day and then I got back on track the next day.

That's where success lies...it's not in NEVER falling off the wagon; It's dusting yourself off and getting right back on it the next day.

If you've been doing less than you expect from yourself lately, tomorrow is the day...make tomorrow the day that you re-commit to your goals and to yourself. Getting healthy is something we all deserve. Tomorrow is YOUR day!

Who Needs A Bugg?

Recently I was out of town for a little over a week for a yearly convention that I go to due to my job. I see many of the people only once a year at this convention. These are the folks that REALLY noticed my weight loss.

And you know what happens when someone notices weight loss...the question is going to get asked! "How did you do it?".

Oh, how I hate that question, because EVERY single time I've given the answer (the TRUTHFUL answer) I can see the disappointment and let-down on their face. They were hoping for an easy, quick fix to the problem. Here's how it goes:

"Wow...you look incredible. You've lost a lot of weight."

Me: "Thanks, yeah, I've lost a little over 50 pounds."

"Wow...how did you do it?"

Me: "Exercise and watching what I eat."

"oh"

Ha ha...it's sad, but true! They're looking for the easy fix. I often tell them about the Body Bugg and how it has helped turn weight loss into fairly simple math for me. This often leads to someone pondering if they, too should purchase one of these Body Bugg things.

Which leads me to my post title...Who Needs A Bugg?

Here's the thing...I don't think everyone needs one, because it's not going to work for everyone. That's right...I said it...it WILL NOT WORK for everyone. There is one simple reason for that statement...everyone will not work it, so it will not work for them.

Huh?

I think that in order for the Body Bugg to work for YOU, you need to be ready for the Body Bugg. I think that you need to start and stick to an exercise program. You should get 30 minutes of exercise 3 times per week MORE than what you've currently been doing. So, if you're doing nothing, then exercise 3 times per week for 30 minutes each time. If, however, you've been doing two 20 minute walks during your lunch hour each week, do not count this towards your 30 minutes 3 times per week goal. The 30 minutes, 3 times per week are IN ADDITION to what you're currently doing.

Then, I think for the Body Bugg to work for you, you also need to keep a food log for at least a month. In January, when this all started for me, I HATED the entire concept of the food log. What a freaking WASTE of my time, I thought. Well, folks, it works. Because if you're going to have to write it down, you're going to think twice about it. So, keep that little notebook with you and start writing it all down.

If you can do those 2 things for a month or two, then I really believe that the Body Bugg WILL work for you. It will help you speed up that weight loss and see results. It will help you get through those plateaus. And finally, one day, it will help you MAINTAIN your weight loss and keep it off for good. Here's why I believe in this so firmly. For the Bugg to really work, you have to be accurate. You have to accurately log in what you consume during the day. If you can't make that work with a notebook, you're never going to be faithful to getting on the computer and doing it. Also, if you can't get your butt to the gym or outside or whatever a few times a week, no weight loss program is going to work for you. Body Bugg has shown me that weight loss is simple math:

Calories Burned - Calories Consumed = Weight Loss (or sadly, weight gain)

So, if you cannot exercise and get that calorie burn target in every day, it's just not going to work. The other amazing thing that the Bugg showed me is that you don't have to hit the gym to get to that burn target. On the days I wasn't going to make it to the gym I took the dog for an extra walk (or two), parked at the far end of the parking lot and walked the store browsing while I shopped, I went up and down our steps several times to get a few more calories burned...I learned to do whatever it took to get to that burn target.

I don't think that Body Bugg will work for anyone, but I do think that if you're serious about taking the steps to weight loss that the BB requires for success then it will work for you. I tell people all the time that if they can add some exercise and log their food intake for a month and stick to it, then they should buy one. If you've spent that month doing what it takes to succeed with the Body Bugg then once the device arrives you're well on your way to a success story!

Stop Vacationing in Malibu....

I have been bad.

I have been very bad.

Suddenly I kinda feel like I'm in confession, and I'm not even Catholic. Here it goes...forgive me diet for I have sinned....

I drank two weekends in a row and ate bad and am not being faithful to my bodybugg lifestyle.

Phew...that feels a little better just to get that out there.

• Drinking
• Gluttony
• Adultery

I think those three translate into one big sin...acedia. What the heck is acedia you might ask? Well, acedia is the neglect to take care of something that one should do...um, like a DIET and HEALTHY LIFESTYLE maybe? I'm just sayin'....

*confession...I didn't know any of that, I just googled "7 deadly sins" and thought that one pretty much summed up the drinking, eating, and cheating on my BodyBugg!*

Here's what I've learned. The whole "no more booze" methodology isn't really good for me. Because then, when I do allow myself to drink, I go freaking nuts! I drink WAY too much and then eat bad food...'cause I've got this "pass" or something. You know...like when they give someone a "day pass" outta the mental hospital...that's what happens to me...I get my "day pass" and drink it up.

So, I'm thinking that I need to have a drink every now and then. Then when I have a special occasion I'm not going to go hog wild and drink too much and eat bad (pork, too, which is funny since I said "hog" wild...ha ha...I crack myself up).

Here's another thing I've learned. That number of calories you BURN doesn't mean CRAP if you eat and drink like a mad woman and then fail to LOG these calories. Ugh...the truth is dirty, ugly, and painful to see, but I've GOT to LOG those calories.

Now, a few smart readers are probably wondering what this all has to do with "Vacationing in Malibu"....the title of this confessional blog post. Most of you are going "Huh...there is a title...". Well, I discovered Diet Coke and Malibu rum...THAT's where things got ugly. Party like a rock-star ugly, not like passed out in the front yard ugly. Don't get me wrong...I'm not a fall-down-drunk boozer that ate a whole chocolate cake (although, cake DOES sound good), but for ME, it was not good. I just let go of my strictness and ultimately let MYSELF down. That's what this post is really about...I let MYSELF down. I thought perhaps I could handle "Girls' Weekend" without going overboard, but I didn't. I consumed WAY too many calories in food and booze.

So, here I sit...feeling a bit sorry for myself. Maybe I should just stop the dieting and healthy living and go back to my old (and sometimes more fun) ways.

Well, that's not gonna happen. It's time to get back on that wagon (ha ha...nice word choice) and get back to "clean" eating, lots of exercise, and ALL things in moderation (but no pork). It's time to get back to logging everything I eat, even if that means I log after every meal just to keep myself honest.

I have yet to have a "gain" week during my weight loss journey. My "official" weight in last week was a bit ugly...I weighed without pants on to help get myself to a 0.5 pound loss. (I did go to the gym to weigh in with jean shorts on, which are heavier than my normal workout clothes, so the trainer suggested dropping them...maybe she just was checking me out...HA HA HA) Now, I know that was stupid, but I could not deal with the emotion of having a gain. I'm afraid I might have to weigh naked tomorrow! What a wicked web we weave with this tangle of lies....even when the only person we're lying to is our self.

Tomorrow, I'm going in with the standard workout clothes and I'm taking whatever comes up on that scale. Honestly...I'm even going to enter that in the body bugg program and quite possibly see that negative feedback of the disapproving man wagging his finger at me like a bad kid (I've HEARD about this guy, but never seen him myself). It's time to get real, so tomorrow, it's real baby. (Am I the only one thinking "reality bites" right now????)

I do deal with it all with a bit (or two bits) of humor...if I can't laugh about it (while I'm correcting it) I'm gonna scream, so, much better to laugh, poke a little fun at myself, and MOVE ON. That's the key...move on....move past it and DO BETTER.

Now, on to other news of note, I have faced an incredible loss in my personal life. My partner and trusted feedback provider during this journey to Fit By Forty has left me.

That's right...my bodybugg died. Dead. Gone. Shipped to BodyBugg heaven. I'm gonna miss her...she really meant a lot to me, but a new, fresh BodyBugg is currently making it's way across the country to me so that I can continue with a new partner in this crazy journey. Today I went to the gym (for the first time since mid-February, mind you) without my Bugg on. First I ran 2 miles. Then I did some weights. While I was running those 2 miles (I am NOT kidding here) I swear to you I was having some phantom BodyBugg feeling...I kept feeling it on my arm as I ran along...I'd look down and nothing is on my arm, but I swear I could feel it. This does, obviously make me a bit concerned for my own mental health, but I'm gonna just hope that when the time comes and I no longer need the Bugg that I can stop wearing it and not have freaky phantom Bugg issues...time will tell!

Working out tonight without it was really difficult. I knew that normally on a 4 mile run I burn 1000 calories (that's the perk of being 215...you burn more than those skinny bitch 115 lb. runners). So, I figured I probably burned about 500 on the 2 mile, but I sure would've liked to have known FOR SURE. I told the trainer that it felt like wasted exercise, 'cause I couldn't say "I burned 650 while I was here".

Come on Brown...WHAT can you do for me? Can you get my Bugg back to me before Friday? I may go insane without it. God help the UPS man...I'm gonna be stalking him!

Oh, yeah, and just so you know...I am totally running now. HA! You guys have NO CLUE how funny THAT statement is. In January of this year I was a 265 pound girl who was NOT ABOUT to run for any reason. No....Freaking....Way.

Now I just hop on that old treadmill and run my little ass off. OK, big ass, but you get the picture. I did a bit of running research and have decided that I'm going to do one "long" run per week and then on the other alternating days do a shorter run and try to get a bit faster. I did the "long" run on Monday...4 miles. Tuesday was working with the trainer. (THAT bitch is the one that introduced me to Diet Coke and Malibu...we're gonna have to stop hanging out now...ha ha ha). Today I did 2 miles in 27 minutes and then some weights. I've decided that 4 is going to be my "long" run and I'll do 2 the other days. I'm going to gradually increase that "Long" run from 4 to 5 miles. That's where I'm stopping...5 miles is max for me folks. You heard it here first.

Well, it is time to step out of the confessional and get busy with my life. We're all going to face struggles from time to time. The key is knowing what triggers those struggles and how to get back on track. I know that drinking gives my brain some kind of carte blanche for eating poorly. Now I need to not drink to the excess where I say "sure, I'll have some of that....and that...oh, and a piece of that is great too". A long time ago (in a blog post far, far away) I said that the BodyBugg works if you LET it...you have to work it for it to work for you. You have to log that food...and you have to be HONEST about logging the food. Then, and ONLY then will you see the success that is totally possible with the BodyBugg.

Six Months

Today marks the 6 month "anniversary" of the day I first walked into the gym as a new member. My thoughts at that point were simple...



~workout a few times per week

~get out of the 260's

~gradually get more fit and have more endurance



I had no huge expectations...I was more than willing to take it slow and see how it went. I had no grandiose thoughts of "I'm going to lose 25 pounds" or "I'm going to drop 3 sizes"....I was just going in to improve myself, however slightly.



Well, it's been 6 months, and along the way lots of things have changed. First of all, my weight...



On January 15th when I weighed myself I weighed in at 265 lbs. My goal at that time was to get into the 250's...like I said...I like to take it slow and manageable!



Today, on July 15th when I weighed myself (and had my trainer look at the numbers while I looked up to the heavens) I weighed in at 213.5 lbs. That's 51.5 lbs. in 6 months! WOW! That just amazes me!



But, on a bigger level, here's what 51.5 pounds mean for ME:

• I started this wearing a 22/24 pant and usually a XXL shirt. Now I wear a 16 and most of my shirts are XL or L!


• I was shopping only in the Women's section of stores...now I can shop for clothing in the regular section!


• I got tired really easily...when outside I was looking forward to the next "break" so that I could go in, cool off, and sit down for a while. Now, I love being outside, and often find myself in the dark and having to go in because it's so late!


• I couldn't really keep up with my kids...I tried, but in all actuality, I could not. Now I can go, go, go, right along with them! They still wear me out, but not nearly as quickly as before!


• I fit better...just in normal everyday settings...I fit in chairs better...I don't feel uneasy sitting on something for fear that it will give underneath my weight. I don't worry about sitting next to someone and encroaching into their space...I fit now.


• My body is so much different. Sometimes it's hard for me to see that...I wonder if I'll always see "Fat Me" when I look in the mirror, no matter how much I lose. Many times I can see the difference, but most of the time when I pull those size 16 jeans out and get ready to put them on I have a split second of panic...these are NOT going to fit...they're WAY too small. Then I slide them on and am reminded again that "Fat Me" is shrinking away. My measurements are listed below...it amazes me how those numbers have changed in 6 months.

My fitness level has changed so much that it deserves a paragraph of it's own...not just a bullet! When I started coming to the gym in January I really thought I was OK fitness wise...not great, but not a total couch potato either. I could walk 2-3 miles...it wasn't like I was immobile. Well, now I feel really FIT! And I know that's only getting better every day!

I can run 2 miles now. I usually run 2 miles at least twice per week. I try to run a mile a couple of times a week also, in addition to my regular workouts. Wait...maybe you missed that...I CAN RUN 2 MILES NOW! All in one setting, too...no stopping to walk...no "someone call 911"...no joke. I can run 2 miles now. And, I'm going to run farther than that...yep...I'm gonna keep on going. I actually enjoy running. Never thought I'd say that!

I can do push ups...I can do planks...I know what a bunch of the equipment in this gym is called and how to use it! I can push myself and I can sweat like nobodies business....and you know what? It feels GREAT to push myself and to sweat. I feel a sense of accomplishment when I do all that...I feel like I've really done something amazing.

Personally, I feel great. I have more energy. I notice a huge difference in my mood when I don't go to the gym. I love it when people haven't seen me for a while and go "Wow...you've lost a ton of weight" when they see me. Or even better "Wow...you look incredible". That makes the sacrifices and the hard work SOOOOO worth it! But even more so, just feeling the way I feel now makes it all worthwhile. I am happier, more energetic, more confident, and I feel fulfilled. I feel like I can really do anything that I set my mind to, and I feel like I deserve all of this.

In 2009 I started working out, but a family tragedy got me off track. I worked out every day until February 24th, and then everything changed. My nephew was killed in Afghanistan. We "talked" online often and he would encourage me to keep up the great work with the exercise. He even suggested several times that we would go jogging when he was home in April for his leave. Every time I run now, I think of him, and I can almost imagine him by my side, egging me on! He wouldn't have been encouraging me on, he would've been egging me on! He would've been smack-talking me and using reverse psychology to keep me going! He would be razzing me about being old and out of shape and knowing the entire time that I'd keep running just to prove him wrong! I know he's watching and probably shaking his head in amazement that I'm actually doing it.

Measurements: (January 15/July 15)

Right Arm

15.5" / 13/5"

-2.0"

Chest

47.5" / 39"

-8.5"

Waist

46" / 37.5"

-8.5"

Hips

46.5" / 39.75"

-6.75"

I'm doing it...I am losing the weight, and more importantly, I am toning and shaping my body as I lost. I am getting more fit. I am gaining strength and endurance. I am eating in such a manner that I will be able to maintain it throughout my life. I am not eating a special program or special food. I am eating what I want, but in quantities that are healthy and reasonable. I started using the bodybugg after my birthday (mid-February). I followed it and let the program work for me. I started at 2050 calories consumed per day. As I lost weight and was able I decreased the amount of calories consumed. I currently consume 1600 calories per day. Some days I am hungry, so on those days I eat more and exercise more to offset the increased calories.

I realize now that weight loss is really simple math.

Calories in minus calories out = weight loss or gain

It's not rocket science. If I want to have that glass of wine or I want to eat a few Oreos, I do...I just work it into my calories in and calories out.

Also, I must admit, in January I was not a huge believer in the benefit of a Personal Trainer. I thought it was unnecessary. Having worked with a trainer weekly since starting this, I can now say I am a big believer in the benefit of having a trainer work with you! My trainer pushes me...sometimes WAY past what I think is possible. She motivates me and reminds me how far I've come in these 6 months. She celebrates my successes and reminds me that failure is a choice and only temporary if I get back and work hard. She shows me how to work those "problem areas" where my skin is getting saggy. She changes up my training to fit my mood...she understands that some days I NEED to kick and punch the bag! If you're on the fence about a trainer...give it a try. Find a trainer that works with you and pushes you to go harder and faster. You don't want a trainer that is easy...you want the drill Sergeant!

Wherever you are with your fitness and health goals, remember that you CAN do whatever you put your mind to. Six months ago if anyone would've told me that I would be running 2 miles and have lost 50 pounds by summertime, I would've thought they were NUTS! Take it slow and manageable. Don't change your whole life in one week, but one little thing at a time. Give up regular soda (or pop for you northerners)...drink more water...go for a walk after dinner. Stop eating fast food. Stop finishing your kids' plates. All of these things can add up to a big difference over time. But, don't try to build Rome in a day...take it one step at a time and you'll achieve BIG results!

~Thursday~

Thursday is a big day for me....thursday marks 6 months since I walked into the gym as a new member and began my "Fit By Forty" journey. I'm not going to be 40 until 2012, so I gave myself plenty of time!

Thursday I will weigh in and have the trainer do my measurements. I will post all of those results here on my blog for the whole world (or the dozen people that follow me) to see! My goal in the last few weeks has been to hit 50 pounds lost by the 6 month mark. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna hit that one...I did a little sneak peak today.

But, the 50 pounds being as significant as it is, is really just a small part of a bigger and more amazing thing. I have changed SO much in 6 months. I am more confident. I am extremely more fit, and yet I have more improving to go. I am eating much much healthier and settling into a way to make that healthy eating a part of my every day life...no matter where I am or what I'm doing.

Six months and a lot of lessons learned. I am so excited for Thursday to roll around so that I can weigh in, get those measurements taken, and then share how I am so changed in those 6 months.

Until Thursday.....

Flying High

That's how I feel tonight...I am flying high! I accomplished something today that I would've laid money on never happening. Big money. Cash money. Maybe even a couple of paychecks. 'Cause the odds are totally in my favor...this will NEVER happen.

Oh, but it has...now, maybe you're wondering "What already? What amazing thing did you do?".

Well, it's not that amazing for most folks, but for me, it's HUGE.

I ran a mile. I did not stop for a recovery walk...I ran an entire mile. And, I ran that mile in 13 minutes flat nonetheless. Time isn't a huge factor for me, but running an entire mile just amazes me!

I have NEVER been a runner. NEVER. Never ever ever...NO. NEVER. I hated the running days in grade school PE...same for junior high and high school...hated those days. Tried to figure out an excuse to go to the nurse's office and get an excuse for no PE those days. Did I mention I HATED it?

But since I'm on this whole Fit By Forty, I started running a little...mostly to mix up my workouts a bit. Many days I loathe it, but every few days, I really enjoy that time that I spent running. Today the run wasn't wonderful, but finishing that mile was AWESOME!

That's what Fit By Forty has been for me...a chance to move outside of my comfort zone and find out what I can really do. Can I lose 10 pounds? Can I run for 5 minutes? Can I work with a personal trainer and not feel like a total moron?

...Yes
...Yes
...and Yes

Seeing that I CAN do it is one thing, but going beyond it...well, that's just a total other level. It's a level of happiness and sense of accomplishment that I can't really explain. It's knowing that I pushed myself beyond what I thought possible and made it possible. And that my friends, feels GREAT.

Can I lose 10 pounds?

...Yeah...how about 44.5 and counting?

Can I run 5 minutes?

...Yeah...how about a mile in 13 minutes and now pushing for more distance...a mile and 1/4 is my next target!

Can I work with a personal trainer and not feel like a total moron?

...Usually! Sometimes I do feel a bit moronic when I can't do what she's telling me to do, but I'm stubborn, so I keep pushing until I figure it out, and that feels pretty darned great! Also working with the trainer has forced me to push outside of my comfort zone and do exercises that I didn't think myself capable of. She pushes me...that's good because I need that.

We all need that...we all need that someone or that something to push us past where we're comfortable. That push shows us that we ARE capable of doing it. Maybe not all the way right now, but keep pushing and you'll get there.

I challenge you to pick something that you think you can NOT do and push yourself. Go a little further each day...go a little longer....push yourself to accomplish it. You CAN do it. You just have to believe in yourself.

A New Program...

Well, once again I have hit my goal on my current program. Waaaa Hoo! So, in order to change things up and keep it all interesting, I like to create a new program.

The hubby and I have entered a Biggest Loser Couples Challenge at the gym I go to, so I figured now is a great time to hit it.

And I mean Hit. It. Hard!

So I now have the following targets:
Target Burn 2850 (only 50 more than before)
Target Consumption 1600 (that's 300 less than before)

I have to admit...less calories is the one thing that REALLY scares me about this whole dieting thing. And that's strange, because since January I have rarely felt like I was on a diet per se. I don't usually deny myself anything. I make different choices but I don't really deny.

So 300 less calories per day...this week I don't see that as a problem. The hubby is out of town on business so it's just me and the kiddos and the one rotten dog. I can fix whatever I want for dinner and not have to worry if it's too vegetable heavy for the anti-green-food-husband. Next week could prove challenging. Although, he's good at low-cal...I mean really good. He can cut back to 1200 calories a day and not turn into the devil. I'm not saying I'm the devil, but at times it can get pretty ugly when I feel deprived.

Tonight I had a really low cal high volume dinner. What do I mean by this? Well, lots of food but not a lot of calories. I buy shrimp from Schwan's (home delivery service). I used 6 ounces of the shrimp, and then about 3 cups of fresh zucchini and yellow squash that I had cut up last night. To this I added about 1/4 cup onion, one red pepper, a can of mushrooms, and sauteed that all in the wok. I did not add any oil or anything. I liked it a lot and it was seriously a lot of food. I think after I entered it all in the BodyBugg program it was something like 400 calories. I am under my 1600 for today and have surpassed the 2850 burn, so I'm good for today.

I'm really hoping that I can do the whole Hit It Hard for 4 weeks minimum. I'm currently at 223 and I want to get under 200 SO freaking badly! I'm currently wearing 16's and I can't remember the last time I was in a 16...under 200? That one isn't even on my memory radar...seriously can not remember....early 1990's....maybe.

So I will hit it hard for the next 4 weeks. I have a family reunion the weekend of the 4th. This will involve alcohol, so hitting it hard is going to be hard that weekend. I will have to use fitness to keep me on track.

I hope that wherever you are with your health and weigh loss goals you are doing well. The sad thing isn't getting off track...it's staying off track. If you're not doing as well as you want, let tomorrow be the day that you re-commit to your changes and make good choices tomorrow! Then do the same the next day and continue. You will see results. You can do this! I'm doing it and I know that it's within reach. Don't be afraid of the hard work...the payoff is your health, and that's a HUGE payoff!

Vacation

I just got back from a week-long vacation in the Florida panhandle. No, we did not see oil, tar balls, or gunk...you know you were gonna ask!

Anyway...vacation. Dieting. Dieting on vacation. How does this work exactly? Well, here's how it worked for me. (tomorrow when I weigh in I'll tell you how well/badly it "worked") I took the bugg off a lot...we were at the BEACH after all! Basically I ate what I wanted. Within Reason.

Seriously...this is no time to start wolfing down Big Macs or Angus Burgers, although it was a bit tempting. But, having been clean from that crack since January I thought it best to not take that first hit. So, when a fast food meal was on the agenda, it was 2 snack wraps for me because I know that's about a 550 calorie meal for me.

But, I did eat what I wanted. Really...I did. We had a condo, so breakfast and lunch were there and since I bought the food I knew what I was getting calorie-wise. The resort had a fitness room, which cost $7 per day for me to use. I used it 3 times while we were there. I also golfed 9 holes and walked and carried the bag...no pull cart for me, baby!

On the days I worked out I ended up at or over 1800 calories burned by noon. My target burn is 2800, so I knew that I could hit that 1000 and WAY more by the end of the day. On the other days, I just tried to be active and not go too crazy with my eating. I had pork on Saturday night (last day of vacation). I haven't had pork since January...except for an occasional bacon on a salad or something. Wow...that porkchop did a number on my belly. I'm still feeling the effects and it's been more than 24 hours!

The main tips here are this...don't go too crazy with your eating and be as active as you can. I swam a lot and moved in the pool instead of just laying about floating. I swam in the ocean. I played with the kids. I always took the stairs up to the 3rd floor condo. I walked in the sand. I walked at a good pace to the fitness center. I stayed active.

For eating I had a lot of grilled fish, but man those folks like to douse it in butter and sauces! I poured (yeah, I said POURED) butter off of my fish one night at dinner and filled my bread plate....ugh...gross. I have found that I enjoyed the meal most when it was more "naked"...little or no sauce...maybe just a grilled fish with a fresh fruit salsa on it.

I drank a few drinks...I know those are really caloric, but I had a few drinks. I didn't get bombed, but I did have a few drinks...I was on vacation for goodness sake! I had dessert twice during the week...I could've had it every night, but I only did that twice.

Today it was back to "normal" eating. I canoed on our lake for a couple of hours. Tomorrow it's back to total normal...back to healthy eating, logging all of my food, and back to the gym!

Getting fit by forty isn't something that I'm going to do and then go back to my old wicked ways...this is a new way of life, so I need to know that I can step outside of my healthy routine and be OK...I may have gained a few pounds, but now it's time to get back to the program and get losing again.

Lori

out of my element

I packed up the kids and the dog Thursday to head to my Dad's for the long weekend. We hadn't been up here for a visit in a while so off we went.

I realized suddenly...this is the first time since starting my "Fit by Forty" adventure that I'd be out of my element! No gym...no "normal" food...no gym....did I mention no gym?

So, here's what I have learned...it's hard to be out of your element! Or it is for me anyway. No gym...OK, well I can be pretty physical here at Dad's right? Well, kinda.

I've been going up and down the hill to his beach...I cleaned up the driftwood on his beach and made a couple of big burn piles...I've been riding his stationary bike (5 miles, 8 miles, and 8 miles). But, guess what...that's still not enough! Because, I'm eating a bit crazy.

I'm trying to make decent choices....salads with no dressing....grilled chicken...but seriously, it's HARD when you're eating at local places that have no website, let alone a clue what "nutritional information menus" even are!

But, I'm doing what I can and trying to make really good choices. This is an emotional trip for several reasons, so to top off being out of my element, I want to EAT like mad because of the stress. I'm doing what I can. I'm chewing the HELL out of gum! I've done about everything I can imagine outside for him. I even took my 2 kids on a paddle boat ride this evening.

I guess the point (for me, anyway) is to try and do the best I can while I'm out of my element. Try to get exercise, try to make healthy eating choices, and then be prepared to work like hell when I get home to undo any damage I've done this weekend.

If anyone has any "out of your element" tips, do share!

260's to 250's....250's to 240's....240's to 230's...

And finally, from the 230's into the 220's! Oh yeah, I'm in the 220's baby...and you know what that makes me think? Well, it makes me think that the 2-teens aren't too far off, which means that UNDER 200 is in sight.

In January when I started this journey at 265, under 200 wasn't even on my radar. Of course it's something I hoped to get to....

...by the end of the year or something...

But now, here I am. 228...in 29 pounds, I'm under 200 baby, and that thought keeps me going.

That's really the key to making a long term change, right...finding that thing that keeps you going. I've had many inspirations since January, but just how great I am feeling and looking is really what's driving me...that and seeing that yes, I CAN do it! I take a short-term goal approach to my weight loss. I literally set my first goal at "Get into the 250's". Once I got into the 250's, my goal was to get into the 240's and so on. I'm not so good at long-term goals! I know this about myself, so therefore I set myself up for success by setting goals that I know are achievable. If it's too far out of reach I am so likely to give up.

Another thing that is motivating me to keep chugging along right now is clothing. I finally broke down and had to go buy some new clothes. I ended up in a 16W pant/shorts. The stuff in my closet was 22/24W, 20W, and some 18W. Holy moly....16W. I think I wore 18W's when we got married 15 years ago, so I haven't worn a 16W in over 15 years. HOLY MOLY...

I am close to ditching the "Women's" section of the clothing stores! Once I can move from a 16W to a regular 16 Misses, I am out of the "Women's" section.

That is motivating me right now.

When it all comes down to it though, motivation isn't a one-size-fits-all thing. What motivates me may have the opposite effect on a friend and vice versa. My experience in getting "Fit By Forty" has shown me a couple of things about successful weight loss. First of all, you have to get to a place where you firmly believe that YOU DESERVE a healthier life. Once you get there you will find the time to get that exercise in. You will skip the bag of chips for a healthier choice. But you have to believe that YOU DESERVE it. Also, my journey has shown me that motivation is key. You have to find the motivating factor for YOU. Your spouse or workout buddy might have totally different things that motivate them. What you have to focus on is what motivates YOU and then use that to help you get through tough times. For example, I LOVE movie theater popcorn. Really. Love. It. I cannot eat one handful and I know this. On date night my hubby got popcorn and I'm OK with that. I can resist, right? As I sat there in the dark theater obsessing about having just ONE handful I thought to myself...WHY? Why even take that one handful, which will make you want to down the entire bag? WHY do that when you've worked SO hard to get from 265 to finally in the 220's? Does that popcorn really taste THAT good to risk undoing everything that you've worked so hard to achieve?

NO...that is what I realized. No, popcorn does NOT taste that good. But I knew that if I started, it wasn't going to be pretty. I was going to eat it. So I resisted because I deserve to be healthier, and I have worked hard. I deserve to NOT have it WAYYYYYYY more than I deserve to self sabotage.

So I skipped it, and I left the movie that night feeling pretty pleased with myself for resisting the urge and being stronger than that bag of popcorn!

Find your motivation and dig way down in there and realize that YOU DESERVE health. You deserve to have the energy and stamina to enjoy your life.

Out With The Old....

The past week or so has been really "telling" of my weight loss thus far. It's kinda funny how we see ourselves as the old heavier person, no matter how much we lose. Thirty plus pounds is a lot of weight, so when I got sick of being able to take my jeans off without unbuttoning or unzipping them I figured it was time to do a little shopping. My initial thought was no new clothes until I hit my goal weight, but this is unrealistic for several reasons.

First of all, I can't be walking around with my pants on the ground. Even though it's a popular song, it's not a popular sight for my friends, family, and perfect strangers. Also, since I don't really know WHAT my goal weight is, how do I measure when I'm there? So, it was time to grab the purse and head out for some new clothes.

I have a pair of jeans that my friend Tracy gave me while she was melting away. These jeans are 18's. Most of the pants in my closet are 22/24's. Well, just for grins I tried on those 18 jeans last week and do you know what? They fit. And not in a "lay-on-the-bed-and-don't-breathe" kinda way either. I wore 'em all night and a few hours after putting them on I found myself pulling them up. Well....maybe it was time to get a few new pants.

So off I went. Here's the mentality I went on my quest with...I will get some new pants, capris, and shorts for the summer. I will try on 16's and even though I'm sure they're going to be really tight, I'm going to buy those and let that tightness remind me that I'm still losing weight and I need to stay away from bad food! In the store I went...picking up some 16W's as I browsed around. This particular store has 2 sides...women's on one side...misses on the other. I've never been over to "the other side" as I had no need to see the smaller stuff.

I gathered a few things and proceeded to the dressing room. Here's where I really had to give myself a talking to. "Now is not the time to get frustrated and throw in the towel. The 16's are going to be tight, but that's what you're here for, so try 'em on, suck it up, and realize that you have to work for a few weeks but these clothes will be wearable soon enough." Or something like that, but that was the general gist of my conversation with myself.

I slipped that first pair of shorts on and amazingly enough, they zipped and buttoned without the jaws of life having to be called in. Hmmmm....interesting. So, I proceeded to shop and gather some more things. I am now shopping for shirts on the MISSES side, as the smallest size on the women's side is just too big. Zoweeee Mama!

Now, on to tonight. My closet is big. It is really big. And really FULL. Full of clothes. Big clothes. Really full of big clothes.

Mentally I know that I have to get rid of them...I do not need the crutch. I don't need them in case I fail. Failure is simply not an option anymore. Failure is going to kill me and I want to live.

Tonight was the night. I'm not sure why I was inspired to start sorting through, but I was, so I went with it. I took out pants and the occasional skirt. I sorted them into two piles...18/20's and 22/24's. The larger size is the larger pile. Every once in a while I'd hold up a pair of the 22/24 pants....they looked really big, but on the other hand, they looked like they'd still fit. Hell, I even pulled a pair on to make sure there hadn't been some crazy error of physics and I can actually still wear a 22/24. But, 'tis not to be...the 22/24's are WAYYYYYYYY too big, so into the pile they went.

Once I had gotten the pants out of one section of my closet I took the piles to the guest bedroom and stacked the piles. I think I'll try craigslist first and see if I can get some cash out of them. Many of them have tags still on them. Most are in really good condition, and the few really worn jeans went into the trash instead of the sell/give-away pile.

Wow...22/24. How did that happen? The sad thing is that when I look at my 16 body I don't see much difference. I still see that really overweight woman that's been staring back at me for so very long. I'm sure I'll start to get used to the 16 Lori in time. For now I'm going to focus on ridding my closet (and my life) of these clothes and focus on the next 10 pounds. I'm glad that I can get the clothes out and maybe even have a little extra cash for my next shopping trip.

My next shopping trip will come when I can transition from 16Women's to a regular 16. At that point I will no longer be shopping in the women's section...I will be Misses all the way! I bought a pair of 16 jeans to use as a monthly gauge. I will try those babies on the first of every month to see my progress towards the misses department. In the meantime I'm going to try and get a little more used to my smaller body, and try to make it a little smaller as I go!

Lori

Take Pictures

That's my advice for the day...take pictures.


More specifically, take pictures of yourself....



Oh yeah, I know...I say that too...I hate to see photos of myself. I'd rather be behind the camera than to see my behind captured by the camera. But, photos can also be a bit motivational. You see yourself every day, right? Well, because of that you don't notice the changed in your body.



Sure, you probably notice that your clothes fit better and you hear when other people comment on how good you look, but do YOU really notice how much you've changed? I don't think so.



Here's what got me to this point. I have lost 30 pounds since mid-January. I obviously feel that in my clothes...hell, I can take my favorite pair of jeans off without unbuttoning or unzipping them! But, most of the time I lose "sight" of the fact that I've lost 30 FREAKING POUNDS. That's a lot of weight. Granted, it's only a drop in the bucket for me, but I've lost 30 FREAKING POUNDS. This shows me that I can do so much more.



But I get frustrated...I get stressed out...I get "this is too hard" crappy attitude. I get "I don't have enough support in my house" or "I'll finish the kids dinner just this time because I deserve it"...whatever....the point is, I get unmotivated. That's when bad things happen.


But, over the weekend the hubby bought a new camera for work. The display window opens up (similar to a video camera) and even rotates. We were discussing how this made taking a self portrait sooooo much easier. So I did...I took that self portrait and then kinda forgot about it.



Well, hubby posted it on facebook today. My initial thought was "Good Lord...my hair looks like CRAP" but then I noticed my face....wow....I would see the weight loss in my face. WOW...I actually looked like I had lost some weight.



Now, the comparison is striking, in my opinion. I went to Vegas to visit my Dad in early January. As soon as I returned from that trip I began my new fitness and nutrition regime. Here's me just before I started and then below it is my self-portrait from Saturday.





















OK, sorry that my photo editing skills suck, but you get the point....I can see it. And seeing is believing. So now I have a renewed belief that I can do this...I can lost another 20 to make 50. And then after that first 50 I can keep going. I can get below 200 and keep on going until I feel comfortable in my own skin. I can do whatever I put my mind to. Did I mention that I've lost 30 FREAKING POUNDS? Well, I have.


So, get the camera out...take some photos of yourself. And then a couple of months later, take some more. The power of seeing will amaze you. It will amaze the skinnier, smaller, and more fit you!

I LIE!!!

Imagine this scene:

You walk into the DMV (that's Department of Motor Vehicles) to get your Driver's License. The workers there are always so completely pleasant and helpful, so they always ask you if you need to update any of your personal information. Well, I normally say NO, but the last time I went for my license I decided to get a bit closer to the truth and add 10 pounds to my previously lied about weight. I told the guy to add 10 pounds.

This was maybe a year ago.

Now, keep in mind that even with adding the 10 pounds I was still lying my ass off. I told him that I weighed 230. Ha ha ha. I'm sure he was thinking "Um, SURE you do lady". But, he added the 10 pounds and that was that.

Well, today I realized that I am only 6 pounds from my lied about weight on my Driver's License. This only made one thought pop into my devious head....

It's time to get a new license!

I'm thinking I'll kick it down to 190. But then I heard that Illinois now charges $25 or $30 for a replacement and I hardly think it's worth $1 per pound to lie a little more. I did draw the line in the sand with my own self though and decided that once I hit 199 I'm getting a new Driver's License.

And I'm gonna lie.

Oh yeah....I'm gonna lie yet again. I'm thinking when I'm actually at 199 that I'll tell the guy 170. That seems a reasonable lie...hell, I was shaving more than 30 pounds off before, so why not do it again! Plus, the way I see it is that it's another goal to shoot for...gotta get to that Driver's License weight so that I can go get it replaced yet again.

So, there you have it, blog readers. I LIE at the DMV about my weight. But, in 6 pounds I will no longer be a Driver's License weight liar!

Ugh...The Frustration!

So I am in the final week of the Biggest Loser competition at my gym. I have been in first place pretty much all along. Last week, someone nudged me out. If you follow my blog you know that I have been having some difficulty getting the scale to move.

After last Thursday's weigh in and realizing that I was no longer in 1st place, I kicked it into HIGH gear...really eating lite....lots of cardio. Well, sign me up for Mensa, cause this girl genius has screwed herself even WORSE!!! Oh, yeah, I said WORSE. Today I weighed and was up 2 lbs. from Thursday. I have been maintaining a 1200 - 1500 calorie deficit since Thursday. I am eating the target calories but exercising a LOT more.

...And I gained 2 lbs...

So today I had my trainer look at my BB program on her computer and see if she has any helpful hints. First of all, eating so LITE has bitten me on the butt. Apparently for a diet to be considered LOW FAT you consume 20% of your calories in FAT. Well, I've been getting 10 - 12%. So I have not been getting enough FAT. Wow...can't even believe I'm typing that "out loud"...not enough FAT. Who knew?

Secondly, I am getting WAYYYYYY too much sodium. Now here's the deal folks...my food log is pretty darned accurate. I weigh and measure almost everything at home. I'm also going over on my carbs. (Referencing the daily pie graph you can bring up under the "Nutrition" tab of the body bugg.)

So, here's the plan for the next 6 days until the competition is over...I'm eating chicken breasts, fresh or frozen fruits and veggies, and really watching my carbs. I'm going to drink a ton of water to try and help flush some of that sodium out of my system. I'm going to try like hell to avoid eating out, because there's so much sodium that I can't control.

I came home from the gym and took 2 bags of chicken breasts out of the freezer and put them on the grill. I figured having 9 lbs. of cooked chicken breasts in the fridge would be a sure-fire bet that I don't slack and eat something "easier" because what's easier than that?!?

Now, on to my Couch_To_5K training. Today I started Week 4. I had to download the remaining podcasts because honestly, I didn't think I'd make it to Week 3, let alone past that. Well, Week 4 scared me. No longer are the running and walking intervals equal. The walks are 1/2 of the run. This week was warm up, 3 minutes run, 90 second walk, 5 minutes run, 2.5 minutes walk, repeat intervals and close with a cool down.

UGH...Today was the first day I didn't "complete" the day, but I'm ok with that. I actually did better than I anticipated. I had to walk 1 minute of the 5 minute run intervals. So I ran 2 minutes, walked 1, and then ran the remaining 2 minutes. I did that on BOTH of the 5 minute runs. Not too shabby for an out of shape 240 pound woman. So, my strategy is this...when I can't "complete" a day I will repeat it. So, on Thursday I'll be back at the gym doing Week 4 Day 1 over again. Once I get that done without any alterations, I'll move on to Day 2!

I'm not sure exactly what strategy I'm going to take after Monday's final weigh in is over. I started this journey on January 15th, 2010. I got my Body Bugg towards the end of February. To date I have lost 25 pounds and 17.5" from my body. I am feeling good and ready to keep going, but maybe at not such a frantic pace.

Regardless, I think that it's really important for any BB user to make sure that you're watching that GRAPH at the bottom of the NUTRITION tab. Make sure that you're not going WAY over one thing, WAY under another, but hitting your calorie target. Obviously all of those things (fiber, sodium, carbs, protein, etc) make a difference, so we must make sure we're watching where we're at with those. If you're high on the carbs, watch that closely at dinner and skip the carbs for dinner time. If you're getting too much sodium (KETTLE) then watch out for those processed foods and focus more on fresh/frozen fruits and vegetables.

The lesson here is "It's not just calories"...I've hit that target and made those deficits...but I'm not losing weight. You have to watch WHERE those calories are coming from too. Now it's time for me to sign off and go eat some fat!

Lori

Oh, it's ON!!!

My gym is having a Biggest Loser competition. To date, 20 of us have lost over 200 lbs. in 6 weeks. I am mathematically in the lead, and that makes me happy.

Now, let's talk about what does NOT make me happy. I had a "no-loss" week last week and most of this week looked like it would be the same deal. Also, I have been hearing that some of the other women in the competition have posted big numbers this week so they're gaining on my lead. I do not like this at all...I do not like it Sam I am.

So, back to happy...I weighed in this am when I ran in for some cardio before tonight's group workout. I weighed in at 240. This is a 2.5 pound loss this week, and even more importantly for me, a total of 25 pounds since 1/15/2010. HAPPY!

But, before we get all "yippee---let's go eat cheesecake" about this loss, let's talk about what got me here. It's normal in any weight loss program to have plateaus. That's just a fact. But apparently I had gotten it in my head that I would amazingly be the exception to this rule and the math would carry me. Well folks, that's just not true. I hit the plateau and I'm pretty sure I would've stayed there for a while had I not changed things up.

Oh yeah, it was time to change things up. Since the Body Bugg is really all about math, let's consider this math. RMR....resting metabolic rate...this means how many calories it takes to keep your body going when you're doing nothing at all. When I started using the BB I weighed somewhere in the high 250's. When I started exercising and reaching for "Fit By Forty" I weighed 265. So, for this example I'm going to use 265 as my starting weight.

For a 5'6" woman that is 38 years old, weighing 265, the RMR is 1939. So my body is going to normally consume 1939 calories per day just to stay alive.

My initial BB program was based on this. The program said to burn 2900 and consume 2050. This gives a deficit of 850 per day. I lost very well on this program.

Then I hit the plateau...and I wasn't coming out of it. So, time for a change. Time to create a new program. Consider THIS math:

For a 5'6" woman that is 38 years old, weighing 242 pounds, the RMR is 1839. Hmmmm....suddenly I am burning 100 less calories per day just living life. One hundred per day...that's nothing, right? It probably doesn't make a difference at all....Consider that over a week though. Over a week we're talking about 700 calories. That's pretty significant.

So I created a new program and set new goals. Now I have a new target burn of 2800 and a new intake of 1900. My deficit is 900. This is not much different from before, but the little change in routine is doing a couple of things.

First of all, having less calories to consume means that I am more careful when choosing what to eat. It's only 150 calories, but I'm making sure that what I'm eating is good for me. Lots of protein. Low fat. I'm not going to waste 100 calories on something unless it's high in protein and will help carry me through. (thank you lite yogurt!)

Also, reducing the number of calories I have to eat is making me weigh, measure, and log carefully. I got pretty used to what 2050 calories was, so maybe I only logged once per day. Not anymore, buddy! I'm logging after every meal if possible and if not, I'm jotting it down and logging as soon as I can.

I am committed to hitting the cardio HARD for the next 2 weeks. (After that the competition is over at the gym) Once I'm not in that competition mind set anymore I will weigh every other week and do more strength training with the cardio. I want/need to burn, but I also need to tone as I go, so it's time to do some more strength training. This quite possibly will slow the actual pound loss down, but that will be OK once I'm not competing for the Biggest Loser challenge at the gym.

Plateaus or gains can be the kiss of death to any weight loss journey. It's EASY to say "Screw this...I'm not working THIS hard and getting NO results....I'm done....someone pass the cheesecake". Way too easy. The hard thing is to look at the speed bump, give it the finger, and keep on traveling down the road. Change it up...if you're a BB user, create a new program. Do something different at the gym or from your home. Just change it up...your body is getting used to the status quo and isn't losing as quickly.

Also, put things in perspective. Did your weight stay the same? Well, you didn't GAIN! Sure, the point is LOSS, but staying the same is better than a GAIN. Maybe you made some food choices that were less than stellar. Maybe you didn't hit the gym quite as hard as you were before. Whatever the reason, move forward. Don't let a tough time be the reason you threw in the towel.

You're WAY better than that!