This is the final month of DI's "New You Challenge". I would really like to keep this group going, but it's been difficult to say the least. I had imagined 20 FIRED UP members all pulling for and supporting each other. Most of those that signed up for the Challenge seemed to have lost interest within the first month.
What's the problem???? Hmmm, excuses I’ve used in the past ? #1 – I’m busy...too busy to go to the gym today. #2 - Losing weight is HARD to do. #3 -Eating downstairs is very convenient..especially on Wing day. "I've totally screwed up my diet so there's no need to continue." #4 - "I'll start that tomorrow", or since it's the middle of the week, "I'll wait until Monday and start fresh". Sound familiar?
We all need motivation and the thought of taking home the $100 pot should be at least some motivation? Not enough? How about feeling good about yourself? Knowing that you're doing something for YOU and your health...TODAY! Aren't you worth it?
I know that most of you are aware of this, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again. The health problems associated with being overweight are numerous. It's not just a cosmetic problem. It's a health hazard. Someone who is 40% overweight is twice as likely to die prematurely as is an average-weight person. This is because obesity has been linked to several serious medical conditions, including: Heart disease and stroke, High blood pressure, Diabetes, Cancer, Gallbladder disease and gallstones, Osteoarthritis, Gout, Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for a short time during sleep) and asthma.
Doctors generally agree that the more obese a person is the more likely he or she is to have health problems. People who are 20% or more overweight can gain significant health benefits from losing weight. Many obesity experts believe that people who are less than 20% above their healthy weight should still try to lose weight if they have a family history of any of the medical conditions mentioned above.
I'm sure you noticed the cost of our medical benefits have gone up considerably? It's all relative!
The DI New You was created to help you work towards a healthier lifestyle. It's a choice you have to make. It's not something you can do in January and forget it for the rest of the year - until you can make that New Year's resolution...one more time.
I've been there and done that! I wasn't what some may consider obese, but to me...I felt like I was. When I reached 178 pounds, I said that's it! I'm miserable and I WILL do something about it. Most of my teenage years I weighed less than 100 pounds. Even after having 2 children...I was able to lose the weight and keep it off. Then I hit 30, then 40 and it's been a struggle. Now I'm headed towards 50! I was trying everything to lose weight. I was at the gym every day. I went thru 3 boot camps the Galleria Athletic Club. I had no idea what I was doing wrong. Why can't I lose the weight???
My daughter told me about a program created by a doctor in Newnan. The "Healthy Lifestyle Program". I used her as my "guinea pig" for about a month. When I saw how well she did...I went for it! Once on the program I was so excited to start seeing results SO quickly, I was telling everyone about it. I got the looks...like "why are you telling ME this??" or an unenthusiastic..."GREAT" and the "Yeah, yeah, good for you"
I just want you to know, the only reason I was telling everyone that would listen (and a few that probably weren't), wasn't that I was getting a commission for referrals or that I thought you needed my help...it was that I had tried EVERYTHING up to that point to lose weight...so I thought. I had absolutely no idea how many calories I was consuming during each meal until I started keeping track of it in a journal. I was limited to 1,000 calories a day...that's it...3 meals a day and no snacking! Sounds tough, but when you eat the right things in the right portions....it's really not. A portion of chicken isn't half a bird...it's 3 or 4 oz. I was told to weigh and measure everything. If you guess...your portions will get bigger and bigger.
Once I figured out that it wasn't rocket science...the pounds and inches began to come off. YES! I was excited and I still am about this program. I had something exciting to share, so yes, I was sharing/telling everyone! Those of you that were victim to my ravings....please forgive me for my enthusiasm. I started this program in late June of last year. I had reached my goal in January 2009. At that point, I had lost 48 pounds! I met my goal weight of 130 - From a size 14 to a 4! Excited? Well...YES I AM!! Since January, I managed to lose a few more pounds for a total of 53, (125 lbs.) where I am currently. I'm keeping the weight off and I'll keep the healthy lifestyle I worked so hard to achieve. It seems to work for me anyway.
This entry is meant to motivate...not to brag or offend anyone. I just want you to know that I have been where you may be right now. Frustrated, disgusted, miserable, tired... YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!! As Nike says...JUST DO IT! One day at a time and I've said before...NEVER BE TOO BUSY FOR YOU!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Well, that doesn't make ANY sense
Hi Gang - it's been a long time since I've blogged here or on my own blog, so I wanted to drop a line. I had an interesting encounter this weekend...
I was at the bowling alley (my family bowls every Sunday morning together... it's fun!) and the girl who works there, Betty, was welcoming me back. In late February I had a surgery and my doctor has just released me to go back to life as usual, which means bowling and hitting the gym one of these days, too. Well, I was talking to Betty about her resolve to quit smoking and I was so proud of her! She and I were speaking about the weight I need to lose for many reasons... health, happiness, maybe having a child someday and when I told Betty, "Well, you know I have A LOT of weight to lose, like 1/2 of me!", she responded with "But you're so adorable."
Hmmm... I'm confused. Flattered... but confused. I am so grossly overweight, I'm worth 2 people and I'm supposed to feel comforted that Betty at the Bowling Alley thinks I'm cute. Bless her for it and I don't want to sound ungrateful, but she was either being nice cause she didn't want to agree too enthusiastically, or she really thinks that being "adorable" negates that I don't take care of my insides the way I take care of the outside.
So, I don't know why this has been weighing on my mind, but this has happened before and I don't get it. I know plenty of overweight people that dress like slobs and look 40 pounds heavier, and those who fit in what they can get in... either way, I've got work to do. Hmmmm.....
- Heather G, "HAG"
I was at the bowling alley (my family bowls every Sunday morning together... it's fun!) and the girl who works there, Betty, was welcoming me back. In late February I had a surgery and my doctor has just released me to go back to life as usual, which means bowling and hitting the gym one of these days, too. Well, I was talking to Betty about her resolve to quit smoking and I was so proud of her! She and I were speaking about the weight I need to lose for many reasons... health, happiness, maybe having a child someday and when I told Betty, "Well, you know I have A LOT of weight to lose, like 1/2 of me!", she responded with "But you're so adorable."
Hmmm... I'm confused. Flattered... but confused. I am so grossly overweight, I'm worth 2 people and I'm supposed to feel comforted that Betty at the Bowling Alley thinks I'm cute. Bless her for it and I don't want to sound ungrateful, but she was either being nice cause she didn't want to agree too enthusiastically, or she really thinks that being "adorable" negates that I don't take care of my insides the way I take care of the outside.
So, I don't know why this has been weighing on my mind, but this has happened before and I don't get it. I know plenty of overweight people that dress like slobs and look 40 pounds heavier, and those who fit in what they can get in... either way, I've got work to do. Hmmmm.....
- Heather G, "HAG"
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Taking care of myself like I would take care of a child
"So I thought, 'What if I had a child. Would I treat him/her this badly? Not feeding him nourishing food? Not getting him out and moving around or making things so that he could be happy?" Well, of course I would take care of a child. So why am I not taking care of my own body and mind?"
A friend of mine wrote the above in her own blog the other day and it made me think. I know that if I had kids I would not let them get away with not exercising for three months. I tell myself that I have a lot of things I have to take care of at home so I can put off going to the gym another week, but when I was a kid I somehow managed to do my homework and chores, play with friends, and go to my swimming and gymnastics practices and meets. There's no reason I can't make it to the gym three or four times a week - I just need to stop being so lazy and take care of myself.
~Lindsay
A friend of mine wrote the above in her own blog the other day and it made me think. I know that if I had kids I would not let them get away with not exercising for three months. I tell myself that I have a lot of things I have to take care of at home so I can put off going to the gym another week, but when I was a kid I somehow managed to do my homework and chores, play with friends, and go to my swimming and gymnastics practices and meets. There's no reason I can't make it to the gym three or four times a week - I just need to stop being so lazy and take care of myself.
~Lindsay
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
BEST CLASS EVER!!!
Hi everyone. I just wanted to let you know about a great class that's held at 5:30 pm on Tuesdays at Crunch - Circuit City. Quite a few us from DI/The New You Challenge (me, Carla M, Linda B, Nichelle M...) go each week and welcome everyone else to join us. It's challenging, I'm not going to lie, but if you're looking for the most bang for your workout buck like I am (I don't want to be at the gym all darn day, everyday), this hour is it!
A class can have everything from trampolining to pushups/situps to kickboxing to "ball slams" and "woodchoppers". The exercises vary and you don't do any one for very long, so it's nearly impossible to get bored. You can also adapt each to your skill level quite easily. The hour flies right by! This is my one "can't miss" workout each week, so I wanted to get the word out about it. See me if you have any questions or want to use a guest pass to try it out. :-)
Meghan
A class can have everything from trampolining to pushups/situps to kickboxing to "ball slams" and "woodchoppers". The exercises vary and you don't do any one for very long, so it's nearly impossible to get bored. You can also adapt each to your skill level quite easily. The hour flies right by! This is my one "can't miss" workout each week, so I wanted to get the word out about it. See me if you have any questions or want to use a guest pass to try it out. :-)
Meghan
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Food Journal
Hey guys,
This is Doug again. I was talking about the online food journal that I use at the meeting today. I use a site called www.fitday.com . Although you can pay to use the service, you don't have to and they give you all of the features you would need for free anyways.
I find entering my food in there pretty easy, especially after the first few days and you have all of your "usuals" in there. You can search for pre made entries and adjust the portion to what you ate. They usually already have the nutritional information for what I am eating that is accurate enough but in case they don't have what you are looking for you can make your own custom entries with whatever calorie, protein, carb, etc., amounts you want. Once you have made a custom food made, you can pick it easily from a drop down from then on.
You can also keep track of a few other things besides food. If you track your exercise you do during the day then it will tell you how many calories you have burned, in addition to your base amount burned by your metabolism. Also you can enter in your weigh-ins and it will make a nice line graph of your progress for you.
Here is the public version of my food journal that you all can look at and keep track of my progress if you really want to.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=fraysh
If someone wants me to show them around the site, I can show you how I make use of it.
Doug
This is Doug again. I was talking about the online food journal that I use at the meeting today. I use a site called www.fitday.com . Although you can pay to use the service, you don't have to and they give you all of the features you would need for free anyways.
I find entering my food in there pretty easy, especially after the first few days and you have all of your "usuals" in there. You can search for pre made entries and adjust the portion to what you ate. They usually already have the nutritional information for what I am eating that is accurate enough but in case they don't have what you are looking for you can make your own custom entries with whatever calorie, protein, carb, etc., amounts you want. Once you have made a custom food made, you can pick it easily from a drop down from then on.
You can also keep track of a few other things besides food. If you track your exercise you do during the day then it will tell you how many calories you have burned, in addition to your base amount burned by your metabolism. Also you can enter in your weigh-ins and it will make a nice line graph of your progress for you.
Here is the public version of my food journal that you all can look at and keep track of my progress if you really want to.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness/PublicJournals.html?Owner=fraysh
If someone wants me to show them around the site, I can show you how I make use of it.
Doug
Monday, February 23, 2009
Fat Girl in the picture!!
So I celebrated my birthday with my girlfriends this weekend. Besides the obvious (that I drank, ate chips, salsa and cheese dip) I saw myself in pictures and was horrified. Why is it that you see yourself in the mirror everyday, but as soon as you see yourself in a picture reality sets in. I'm the fat girl in the picture and it made me so sad. So should I be more upset at the fact that all I notice about myself is that I'm the "fat girl" or that I let myself get that way.
Dena
Dena
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hey everybody,
This is Doug. If you don't know me, I'm one of the skinny IT guys, not the one with the beard. My goal is probably different than most people in that I am trying to gain weight. Hopefully the majority of that is muscle but if there is some fat in there it isn't a big deal. It is supposedly easier to just gain weight without worrying about exact composition and then reduce body fat afterwards. Right now I weigh around 172 lbs. When I started taking this seriously at the start of February, I was at 170, so there has been some progress so far. Of course my weigh-ins can vary by plus or minus half a pound depending on factors like when I last ate so I try not to hit the scales that often. My end goal is to be around 200 lbs but for now the short term is to hit 175 by March 20th.
The plan to reach my goal can be summarized pretty easily as "lift and eat everything in sight". I've started a structured weight lifting program that I might expand upon in a future post. And the diet is harder than one might think. It's a challenge to get yourself to eat 2700-3000 calories a day especially if you are getting them from healthy sources and not junk food. I'm also doing some cardio to get my cardiovascular fitness up but that is sort of secondary to my main goals.
Thanks for letting me share guys. I'll try to keep you all updated on my progress. If anyone wants some help with weight lifting or nutrition advice, I can share what little knowledge I have.
Doug
This is Doug. If you don't know me, I'm one of the skinny IT guys, not the one with the beard. My goal is probably different than most people in that I am trying to gain weight. Hopefully the majority of that is muscle but if there is some fat in there it isn't a big deal. It is supposedly easier to just gain weight without worrying about exact composition and then reduce body fat afterwards. Right now I weigh around 172 lbs. When I started taking this seriously at the start of February, I was at 170, so there has been some progress so far. Of course my weigh-ins can vary by plus or minus half a pound depending on factors like when I last ate so I try not to hit the scales that often. My end goal is to be around 200 lbs but for now the short term is to hit 175 by March 20th.
The plan to reach my goal can be summarized pretty easily as "lift and eat everything in sight". I've started a structured weight lifting program that I might expand upon in a future post. And the diet is harder than one might think. It's a challenge to get yourself to eat 2700-3000 calories a day especially if you are getting them from healthy sources and not junk food. I'm also doing some cardio to get my cardiovascular fitness up but that is sort of secondary to my main goals.
Thanks for letting me share guys. I'll try to keep you all updated on my progress. If anyone wants some help with weight lifting or nutrition advice, I can share what little knowledge I have.
Doug
I turned 40 on Monday and I am no where near where I wanted to be (health and fitness wise) at this age. Please Lord give me the strength to not continue to beat myself up and put myself down...I know this is half my battle, but it's also something I've done my whole life. Maybe that's why I've battle weight issues my whole life...hmmmm.
Dena
Dena
Friday, February 6, 2009
Welcome to All!!
I have been given the task of coming up with something incredibly motivating and inspirational for the first post on our "DI New You Challenge" blog. Our goal for creating this blog was to offer support as often as you need it.
I have come to realize that I need to do something different. As I am getting older the task of losing weight is not a simple as it used to be. Mother Nature is not kind and it's true what "they" say...it's much harder to lose weight the older you get. Everyday I renew my challenge to eat better that day (no cheating) and go to the gym and some days it works and most days not. My issue is really the weekend...I love to eat out and have some cocktails!! :-)
Last year I wanted to lose 30 lbs...instead I gained 10 lbs so this year's challenge is now up to 40 lbs. I really need to rely more on the people around me for support because (clearly) I can't find the motivation on my own. I plan to use this blog and our monthly meetings to make change in my routine by listening to what works for other and adjusting it to fit my lifestyle. I look forward to hearing from everyone and hope that together each of us can create a "New You" in 2009.
Dena
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