Finally Getting Fit

Because it’s the weekend and because I haven’t had such a good laugh in a long time.

Have a great weekend.

With my gym membership ending in a month or two, I’m beginning to think about all the things I’ll miss…

1. Common goals. People may be there to bulk up or trim down, but they’re all there to either get or stay fit.
2. Variety of equipment. There are so many things to do and use at the gym. If you get bored of one thing, you can just switch to another.
3. Direction. I don’t have a personal trainer, but built into the cost is meeting with one of the trainers every so often to get your routine set in place.
4. Support. People generally keep to themselves at the gym, but if you get them talking, everyone is very supportive.
5. Swimming pool. Admittedly I haven’t used it a lot, but I love having access to a pool.
6. Being able to watch five different channels at once. I usually don’t pay attention to the tvs, but it’s still cool.
7. Cafe! I know it sounds weird, but my gym has a pretty cool cafe built in where you can get coffee and healthy food.
8. Great floor plan. It may not seem that important, but my gym just flows. One area into the next, it’s easy to get around and see where anything you might need is.
9. Nice shower, bathroom and locker area. The gym I go to is very organized and clean. The little things make it all that much better.
10. Classes. There are all kinds of fitness classes available for all skill levels.
11. Ladies only area. Need I say more?
12. Stretches area. How cool is it to have an area just for doing stretches?
13. Last but not least, the lovely sauna…

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, and The Book Stacks

I decided that I am going to kick this plateau where it counts and get back into things. Well, not so much get back into things as try something new. I’ve added a large amount of weight training into my routine and man, was I sore yesterday. This morning was no treat either, but I got through the whole routine again and I feel great about that.

When I lived back in the States, I did a few physical labor jobs. I can tell you from what I’ve felt this week, there is nothing like a desk job to make you forget how good it feels to go out and get something physical done. Be it mowing the lawn, gardening…any sort of hard physical labor. It’s as if your brain releases the hormone ‘satisfaction’ along with everything else.

Before I have always been a bit nervous about doing weights. It seemed to me that the moment I started doing a weights routine, I stopped losing weight. I know there is the whole ‘you’re building muscle’ thing, but the weight stayed the same for weeks.

This weekend I was thinking about the plateau I’m in and thinking about the gym. Then it occurred to me – there would be no possible harm in starting weights up now because I’m already in a plateau.

Yes, I know. I’m a genius like that sometimes.

I will probably have to stop going to the gym sometime in the next few months because we could really use the money otherwise. (Sad face.) So I figure even if the weight training stalls my weight loss a bit longer, that’s okay because I’ll be building muscles in ways I won’t be able to do once I’m out of the gym.

How about you? Do you use weights?

Could a combination of exercise and a hormone keep you from gaining weight? A recent study seems to show it’s possible.

For a long time, the hormone leptin was thought to be the answer for helping people to fight fat. I remember hearing it on the news. But all that died off when they realized people were resistant to it. Imagine their surprise, then, when they found the key to unlocking leptin is none other than exercise!

According to the study, overweight mice on a high fat diet got the leptin to work by combining the hormone along with some time on the exercise wheel. It was that combination that got the leptin going.

I bet personal trainers everywhere are rejoicing.

Well, it’s good to see that they aren’t giving up on leptin just yet. If you aren’t familiar with what that is, leptin is a hormone that has effects on body weight, metabolism and even reproductive function. So it’s no wonder scientists have been poking and prodding it to figure out how to better use it for our benefit.

I’m not jumping up and down just yet because it will be years before we see anything our doctors are able to give us, but it does give me some hope. Just earlier this morning I was telling someone that it’s a bit more difficult for people with insulin resistance to lose weight. Having extra help is always welcome.

What do you think? Should we be cheerleading for science or should we keep our noses down with traditional proper diet and exercise?

Because I have been getting too depressed and serious lately…

It’s that time again, and I am more than less than enthused about the prospect. But I hopped (stepped) on the scale this morning anyway. This is what I saw…

SW: 256
LW: 248
CW: 248

I’m beginning to really dislike the number 248…

It’s the last Monday of the month and I’m left feeling like a failure. While we’re told often to focus on things besides the numbers on the scale and I know that it’s hard for someone with insulin resistance and PCOS to lose weight, it’s still hard.

I haven’t felt as committed or motivated this month to getting fit and that’s been hard to deal with. No one motivation works all of the time, but it would be nice to have two or three really strong ones that will always get me through the hard times.

Honestly, I just don’t care that much about myself. I know I want to get fit and deserve better, but… Maybe it’s because of my background or maybe it’s something else, but some days it gets really hard to answer the question, “What’s the point?”

Yet, even with all this, I worked out harder than I have worked out in a long time at the gym today. I was in a pissed off mood (which is great for gym time) and ended up pushing past what I thought were some of my limits.

At least I had that to work with. It felt great.

As a new month starts soon, I am going to make a recommitment to my health.

After all, no one is going to do it for me.

Dear Readers,

Recently my blog posts haven’t been coming up at all regularly. Sometimes there have been no posts for a length of time and then BAM a lot of posts, and other times it has been at least a little steady. I want to apologize to you all for not at least warning you that my life has been a bit wonky lately.

A few weeks back, I got sick enough to take me away from the computer some days. While I tried to stay caught up, it wasn’t easy.

Beyond that, a job opportunity recently came up. My husband and I discussed it and, while it was completely my decision to go for it, we could definitely use the money. I am paying bills just fine with my freelancing, but I’ll be paying them for the next ten years if something doesn’t change.

So I had to put together a resume and then go for the job interview after the week or so of being sick and along with road trips and volunteering.

Even with all this, I do know you all understand that life gets in the way of blogging sometimes (as it should). Despite that, I still wanted to apologize for things. As you can see, I have been a bit busy.

Thank you to everyone who has been commenting and participating in the contest going here until June 5th. Remember, we have to reach 100 comments before the 5th so someone can win the lovely Aussie prize pack I have on offer.

Thank you also to everyone who stops by, contest or not, and chimes in. It’s always nice to know I have readers out there who care enough about what I am saying to say something back.

Hugs and appreciation to you all. I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful weekend.

Brought to you by Dancing Down the Moon. Original story.

August 30, 2005

I nearly punched someone today.

The scene is Book People, a Monday evening. The cafe area. Having spent the day feeling like ass and laying around watching TV bundled up in various wubbies on the futon, I decided to make a pilgrimage to the library, then on the way back to Mecca itself, my all-time favorite bookstore and Austin landmark. I can’t count the hours I’ve spent at Book People curled up on a couch or in the cafe sipping chai and collecting recipes, or paging through the latest metaphysical tripe. It’s a comforting ritual and a way that my last couple of bucks could support local business.

So I score a table against the wall, put down my stack of cookbooks and various other and my purse, grab my wallet, and head for the counter. (My purse is in plain sight, don’t worry; I wanted it to mark my table.) Today’s coffee jockey is an adorable pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe, as most BP baristas tend to be. There’s one woman in line in front of me, waffling between a decaf skim milk latte and some other thing.

Now, this woman…oy. There are thin women, and then there are Skinny Bitches, and my radar went screaming off on the latter immediately. She’s standing there in her overpriced workout clothes–you know, the kind nobody wears to actually work out in, they just wear around town to make it look like they’re oh-so-health-conscious. She has one of those stupid little pink leather purses that should have a dog in it, and an armload of magazines about pilates and yoga; her hair is that expensive streaky blonde that’s all the rage in people trying to look young and hip. She’s making fake small talk with the adorable pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe, and taking forever to decide what she wants, talking herself into and out of a piece of cake about five times.

I’m barely paying attention, as I am scanning the menu myself (you know, making up my mind BEFORE I get there?), but she has one of those nasal voices that worms its way into your brain and makes your spine hurt, so before long I’m listening to her; I think she was trying to be flirty. Anyone with half an IQ would have known her charm was absolutely wasted on our friendly neighborhood cafe lad.

The woman is now weighing the pros and cons of having skim milk versus two percent milk in her latte, and she says, “God, I don’t know, I just feel so, like, fat today. I feel like such a big fat cow.”

Then she turns to me, and she says, GET THIS, “How do you stand it every day?”

I blink.

The adorable pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe blinks.

Several heads in the cafe pop up because nobody can believe this woman actually said this to a total stranger. I feel as if the sitcom camera is pulling in tight for a closeup on my reaction.

But the gods of snark are smiling upon me today. I reply, straightfaced, “You know, it’s normally not too bad, but today I’m having one of those days where I feel like a shallow dumb bitch. How do you stand it every day?”

Just then the barista, who is holding back laughter so hard he’s beet red, hands her her skim milk yuppie whatever and says, “Here you go, ma’am.” She too is kind of pink, but she doesn’t say a damn word, or leave a tip–she storms off, her cell phone already to her ear, because clearly she’s the wronged party here.

The pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe busts out laughing, and I notice a few of the popping-up-heads are laughing too. I’m both shell-shocked and proud of myself, because usually when I’m insulted I’m not quick on the draw enough for the witty retort. “Oh my God, I cannot believe she fucking said that to you,” he says, shaking his head.

I can’t, either, but at the same time I can. It’s not the first time people have made comments like that to me. They only do it when you’re alone, because if you’re with friends you’re upholding the Fat Girl Contract–you’re playing the part of asexual sidekick to whoever is the pretty girl. But if you’re by yourself, and gods forbid having a good time or–gasp!–eating something besides a salad with the dressing on the side, you’re fair game.

If you walk up to a black man and call him that dreaded “n word” or tell him he should be tap dancing and eating fried chicken, you’ll be thought of as a bigot, but if you insult someone’s appearance to their faces in public or tell a fat woman she should be on Atkins, it’s considered “helpful advice.” You don’t know this woman, why she’s fat, or anything about her life, but it’s okay to be cruel, because obviously she’s lazy and self-indulgent and you, as a skinny evangelist, have the right to say whatever you want if you think it’s for her own good. People don’t believe this kind of shit happens, but it happens every day.

I order a cherry Italian soda. The adorable pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe waves my money away. “On the house,” he says. “The comeback was worth two-fifty at least.”

I slip the two dollars in the tip jar and go back to my table, shaking my head, still too amazed at the whole thing to really process it. A few minutes later I hear a quiet laugh, and I look up to see the adorable pierced-and-tattooed boy en flambe holding a milk jug and grinning a little sheepishly.

He sees me looking and holds up the jug. “I think I gave her whole milk by accident,” he says, and winks. “Oops.”

If you’re at all like me, then at least at one point in the past you have rewarded yourself (and probably others, too) with food rewards. A cake. A pie. Sweets. A night out. His/her favourite indulgence.

And why not? It usually tastes excellent, isn’t something s/he eats every day, and makes the person feel good.

Well, that sort of thing isn’t so great for those of us trying to have a healthier lifestyle. While having a treat every now and then certainly isn’t the end of the world, it would make things easier if we just changed the behavior habits…

1. If you must make a food something, then make it healthy. Things like fruit pizza are usually very yum without as much of the bad stuff to worry about.
2. If you must go out for a meal, choose a place with a lot of healthier choices. Or a place the focuses on healthier food. That makes it easier.
3. Try a non-food outing. There are parks, theme parks, tours, market days… If you go out, it doesn’t mean you have to eat.
4. Try a CD or DVD. This can mean a lot more than food because it shows you pay enough attention to know what the person likes.
5. Gift cards. People think they are impersonal, but I think they’re nice. What’s better than letting someone pick out what they really want?
6. Go to the movies.
7. Spa day. While this might not work as much for the guys, it’s still a great idea. If you’re willing to spend money on the person, why not do something to enhance their life instead of hindering it (with not good for you food)?
8. Other shopping. Has the person got a new job? Clothes shopping. Has the person accomplished something tough? Maybe a new something to symbolize getting through that struggle.
9. A weekend holiday. Go somewhere new and have a little fun.
10. A lazy weekend. Declare a lazy weekend where you don’t answer the phone, wear your pajamas all day, and just relax.
11. Go out with a group of friends. Maybe shoot some pool, go for a drive, or do something else with your group.
12. Go to a sporting event or concert.
13. And sometimes a hug and a kiss is all that’s needed to make someone else feel great.

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, and The Book Stacks

Have you ever looked at the BMI chart and wondered where they could have gotten it from? Yeah, it makes sense – height and weight – but with so many body types out there, should people be so quick to adhere to what the chart says?

Some people aren’t so sure. And others? Well some others thing the BMI chart is the biggest heap of crap since that scene with the dinosaur poo in Jurassic Park.

One of the latter is the blogger at Shapely Prose. She has put together an absolutely amazing slideshow that will make you think twice before you start talking about how right and perfect the BMI chart is.

And before anyone gets into that here, think about this: Arnold. Ahnold. You know him. Governor of California. Terminator guy. Buff, built, and tall.

According to the BMI chart, he’s obese. (Maybe even morbidly obese, but I can’t remember exactly how tall he is and what he weighs.)

Therein lies the trouble with the BMI chart and with a lot of the other charts out there – there are too many body shapes among us to make a single chart that encompasses everyone. Some work better than others, but the current BMI chart certainly isn’t the chart that ends all charts.

Being a woman who is not only fairly tall but with broad shoulders and a big bone structure (I know you’ve heard that one before, but it’s true), I would probably not look so good at my ‘ideal’ weight according to the BMI chart. I can’t tell you that for certain, but looking around I can tell you it with a lot of confidence.

I’m not against the BMI chart, I’m just against it being the be all and end all of weight judgment.

Go here to check out the amazing slideshow and tell me what you think.

I have been going to the gym for coming up on a year now. While my weight has not changed dramatically by any means, I have toned up a bit. I am a bit stronger and some areas – only some – are not quite as flabby as they used to be.

Even what other weight loss bloggers so ‘lovingly’ call their chicken wings has toned up a bit on me. (Thank goodness for that!)

With this toning up, my stomach area has noticed some benefits. I am still pretty flabby there, but it has firmed up a bit an even shrunk a little. Unfortunately, that sort of toning hasn’t extended across my entire stomach area.

I now have a ‘problem area’: my abdomen.

Unlike my stomach, my abdomen fat stretches across nearly my entire front side. It doesn’t look good and it doesn’t feel good at all. With my upper stomach slowly but surely coming right, I’m noticing my abdomen more and more – and hoping that other people aren’t.

My pants may be getting a bit loose around my waist, but my abdomen certainly isn’t. It makes for an odd shaped body and front, one I am growing a bit self-conscious of. As I search around for some yoga and other exercises to help me deal with this, I can’t help but wonder…

Do you have a problem area? What makes it a problem for you? What do you do about it?

Share your story. I’m off to find some abdomen exercises…

This weigh in is coming to you a little late, and I apologize for that. I do promise, though, that I weigh myself this morning. I just didn’t get the chance to write up the weigh in post. Things have been crazy stressful for me lately, but I’ll talk more about that later.

Now for the weigh in!

SW: 256
LW: 248
CW: 248

So, still no loss, but that’s okay with me, to be honest. Being on the road and being under a lot of stress otherwise has led me off the straight and narrow path a bit, so I’m happy that I haven’t gained anything (which I was sure I did).

It’s at times of high stress that make me feel like I need to gorge. Perhaps it’s the old instincts passed down over the many generations as a ‘flight or fight’ type of mentality, or maybe I’m still holding on to the times when all I really had for comfort was food.

They are things I really need to think about it I’m going to make progress.

This week isn’t looking good for a lot of gym time, but that’s okay because I need to really put my focus on to drinking more water. This has become a big problem for me because I’m not drinking nearly as much water as I used to. I feel like my lack of doing so is causing some of the headaches I’m having now.

Obviously my plan is to work in drinking more water.

What is your plan for the week? How is your healthy journey going?

Hi everyone!

I thought that it would be fun to put up a set of questions that any diet/fitness/weight loss blogger could answer. If you want to answer these questions and send them to me at sylvr451@tpg.com.au, then I will put them up with a link to your blog on here on this site.

It’s a great way for us to get to know each other and start visiting each other’s blogs! (So be sure to include a link to your site in the email!)

What do you think?

1. Who are you? Tell everyone about yourself.
2. How long have you been overweight?
3. What do you think caused your weight gain (besides the obvious)?
4. How much weight would you like to lose? Why that much?
5. What is your approach to losing weight?
6. What diets/strategies have you used in the past?
7. What worked? What didn’t?
8. Do you have a favourite exercise/activity?
9. What are five things that motivate you?
10. What are your biggest pitfalls when it comes to getting healthy?
11. What is one thing you need to reach your goals?
12. When and why did you start weight loss blogging?
13. Where can we find your blog(s)?

Check out my other Thursday Thirteens at Fiction Scribe, Write Anyway, and The Book Stacks

When I started this journey a year ago, I wrote this on my 100 Pounds to Go blog:

I’m Spunk, and I’m 100 pounds (about 45 kilos) from my ideal weight. I got married May 5th, 2007.The honeymoon is over.

If you’d like to join me on my quest for health, please feel free. People like to know they aren’t alone when they take on challenges.

When I wrote that, I was ready and rearing to go, not worried about anything going wrong or stumbling on my path. All I knew was that I wanted to get healthy in a hurry.

While the hurry part hasn’t really happened, a year on I am in no doubt that I am many times healthier. I feel better than ever, have more energy than ever, and I even go to a local gym on a regular basis.

I can definitely tell you I didn’t see that happening a year ago.

All in all, I may not be down in the pounds like I would like, but I’m still very happy with my progress mentally and emotionally so far. I’m in a much better place.

How about you?

A year ago I wrote these as my motivations:

I have my rewards as motivations, but dieters need more than just rewards. What do I want out of this? Why am I doing it?

• I want to be able to shop in the same section as my friends.
• I’ve been overweight for as long as I can really remember. I want to know what it’s like to be at a healthy weight.
• I want to be able to do all the things my husband does without being winded.
• I want to be able to bear children in a healthy body.
• I don’t want to sweat as much as I do now because I’m carrying all this extra weight.
• I want to be able to eat in public without getting bad or funny looks.
• I want to feel good about myself.

Back then my big concern and motivation was sweating. I hated how much I sweat even though it was a nervous habit as well as just a reaction to the heat. Keeping up with my husband was a close second followed by a curiosity about what it would be like to be thin coming in third.

A year has now passed and my priorities have switched.

Bearing healthy children in a healthy body is what has come to be most important to me. The welfare of my future children is already becoming a priority in my life. After that comes wanting to feel good about myself followed by keeping up with my husband (which I am better at doing these days).

Though the priorities have switched around, the motivations are still the same, and I’m glad for it. I want motivations that will ring true no matter how long it takes me to do this.