Say NO To Diets!!!!

So I have decided to quit calling what I am trying to do weight loss...I am just going to call it getting healthy.  The weight has not changed much.  It is very small steps here people.  However, on a good note my size and/or shape is changing! :)  It is also slow, but I see results and I am very happy with that.  I still have to work on the healthier eating.  I am slowing getting the whole family on board with it.  It's tough to change the way things are done, especially when it can be so different.  I am proud of my gang though!  They are doing great! 


A lot of the girls here at work are also "getting healthy" but I don't agree with the way most of them are doing things.  One "diet" several of them are trying is so strange.  They are allowed no sugar, dairy, many other restrictions.  They have to drink the diluted cranberry juice.  It is suppose to cleanse their system and help them lose weight.  Some are trying these shakes additives.  They replace 2 meals a day with them, (reminds me of the horrid Slim Fast).  Don't even get me started on the HCG and their 500 calorie a day plan.  Of course you lose weight with that, you are not eating enough to sustain your daily bodily functions!  Jenny Craig, Medi-fast, NutriSystem...WHATEVER!

                                                             


OK, so you see a plan that interests you and you think you can stick with it.  You start this program and BAM!  You lose weight, week after week, after a few months you are looking good!  You start to ween off of the "diet" and oops!  They weight comes back.  WTF?!  If you do not plan to eat Jenny Craig food for the rest of your life then it probably isn't going to give you the long term/life long results you are looking for.  Do you really want to drink shakes and frozen meals for the rest of your time on Earth?  I sure wouldn't want to!


The point I am making is simple, if you want to look good, feel great and stay that way...you have to find something you can live with.  And that might mean a complete life style change.  There is no such thing as a miracle diet, and diet is a word flung around way too much our of context.  The word diet, according to Merriam Webster is this:food and drink regularly provided or consumed habitual nourishment.  Diet is simply what you eat and should not be thought of as anything other than that.  No one needs to go on a diet, we are on one already.  You can modify your diet and make it healthier to achieve your nutritional goals.  Now do you get the point?

So, all of these girls out there trying the latest "diet" pill, HCg, new fad weight loss program...STOP IT WILL YA?! All you are doing is making someone rich while they ruin and dash your chances at health.  If you want to change the way your body looks, then DO IT!  You have to do it.  You have to make the choices.  You have to get off of your ass and exercise.  No one is going to do it for you.  You cannot get fit in 10 minutes a day/3 times a week, either on some of those stupid machines they advertise on TV.  I better not start on that rant right now.  Start slow, walk.  Walk a little, then a little more and then even more.  Then pick up the pace, faster with each passing week.  Before you know it, you might be ready to start running!  But don't let that scare you, you can do it!  Even if you never run and just continue to walk, you are still moving faster than the person still sitting on the couch!


I am not happy with my body, but I AM doing something about it.  There are people of all shapes and sizes at our gym.  I have mentally listed them in categories for my own sick and twisted needs.  I will share a few with you: 

-The average Joes...people like me and my family.  Not in the best of shape, but not totally out of shape.  We are there to make a positive change for ourselves.

-The peppy/naturally slender ones who are spend more time trying to look like they are working out than actually working out.  They can be spotted very easily. They are the ones who walk slow on the treadmill or pedal slow on the recumbent bikes, and read or talk/text on the phone.  They move so slow that they are actually wasting their time at the gym, and they very rarely sweat.  Its more of a social outlet for them. Oh, and they usually have the cutest outfits with coordinating shoes.




-The over achievers: these people NEVER smile, ever!  They are the most unapproachable  acting people in the whole gym.  They think their superior body condition gives them the right to be an a$$hole to most everyone else in the gym.  They can be men/or women. Sometimes it is hard to decided which of the two they are, but...in their defense, they work very hard on their body and they should be proud.  But they should also get a life and a personality.  They're not the only kids on the playground and bullying is overrated. Your big muscles do not entitle you to anymore respect than the rest of us.

-The-Wanna-Be-#@%$..they are a mix of the preppy/naturally slender and the over achievers.  They have worked hard on their bodies, but never alone!  They must travel in packs or as they call them "groups".  They are the first to try out the new trends and usually look rather silly afterwards.  Especially all of them with tramp stamps and upper arm tattoos.  They tend to think they look like Angelina Jolie, but in reality they could never be a bad ass, (neither could Angelina, truth be told). They too wear some cute clothes and have store bought tans and boobs.  When your body fat is as low as their's, no way in hell those things are real! 


-The Real Deal- These are the people that are or were once VERY over weight.  They have worked their A$$ off (literally) and without surgery.  They had the will to succeed and that is just what they have done.  They may not be very approachable at first, feeling a bit intimidated at, but usually become chatty and more friendly as time go one.  They love to share their story in hopes of inspiring others.  


So, that is my sad, sick judgmental side...take me or leave me, I will still be here to tell my story if you want to hear it.  I am doing the best I can, and I hope to improve upon that.  I know I will never have that dream body, but I am OK with that.  Most of what you see on TV is enhanced anyways, lol...but I will make the best of the body I have.  I will try to keep the junk out of it, and put in more of the good stuff.  I will pump my muscles and run my a$$ until it falls off, all in the name of health without taking the way out.  Peace out...

To Zumba or Not to Zumba...

...that is the question!  Zumba seems to be a huge hit right now and I have to say I am interested.  But I want to know the pros and cons of Zumba vs. a regular workout.  And not to mention, I cannot dance...so how big of an idiot will I look like during one of these classes.  Everyone boasts the benefits of Zumba, but taking this hour long class will burn about 200 calories less than running on a treadmill for an hour.  I know what you are thinking, most of us wouldn't "run" for an hour anyway...me included.  It's just a comparison. Someday I will be up to that one hour, I hope.  

If they could promise I would look like the women in the above picture, hell yeah I would be at Zumba...twice a day, 7 days a week.  But back to reality, I doubt any of those people were ever over weight.  And I doubt they have to put as much effort in to look the way they do.  I would like to think they huge and obese and this picture was ran through a great photo shop program!  There, now I feel better about myself. :)  

Gyms can be intimidating.  They are filled with buff, lean, fit and toned pretty people.  For me it is a HUGE ego downer at this time.  I am still new (5 weeks strong!), and I feel a bit inadequate at times when I see the others working out.  I know I cannot compare myself to them, but I can't help but to be jealous at times.  The Zumba classes are held in a room just down from the cardio machines in my gym.  I have walked passed there and have seen the classes in action.  There are people from every make and model!  The pro now seems to be that I would fit right in!  

So, pros again: Zumba is a form of interval training and is a good core workout.  It might seem redundant to "dance" every time, but it looks like fun! If you love to dance, (I didn't say can, I said love! lol), this seems like a good choice.  Be warned however, it does not provide fast weight loss and it does not give you strength training.  I think it would be a good option to change up your normal workout.  Add a little spice to you workout life!  I will keep it open as an option for a later date, but for now I will stick with the cardio and weight training.  Let's get this exercise figured out and the body under control and then...

:o)

                                                 

                                  

                                                      

I SEE the Change

                                                      






Well folks, at the end of my 4th week, I SEE a change!  It is not huge and nothing to really brag about in the world of health and fitness, but it is a change!  The weight has not moved much, which still bothers me.  Everyone keeps reminding me that muscle weights more than fat.  Well, I don't think I have done enough just yet to build up any major muscle.  I just think I am s-l-o-o-o-w-l-y losing weight, the way you are suppose to.  They recommend 1 pound a week, and that would be about right for me, (sometimes a pound or 2 more, depends on when I weigh).  

I do have a fear that I am not doing something right, and today my suspicions were confirmed.  I heard from 2 people that I look like I have lost weight in my face!  Damn, I was working out the wrong cheeks!  I knew something was not going right! LOL  OK, it sounded funnier in my head.  I was hoping the weight would just start to fall off, but that is not the case.  I am no longer a 20 something year old, and my metabolism is shot to craps.  But I guess slow and steady is the preferred method.  It looks like I have no choice but to accept it. 

We started weights and it is going OK.  I know it will get easier, and for the most part it is not bad.  There are just a few of them that really kill me right now.  We are only doing one set of 20 on each of the machines for now.  As it becomes easier we can start a second round.  I am anxious to get into the weight a little more.  It is suppose to be a big metabolism booster!  And I need some boosting!!!!

                                                    

The cardio is getting easier, but at the same time, I keep upping it slightly.  Very slightly, lol.  I am in no hurry to break records and I am slowly getting the thoughts out of my head that I need to keep up with others.  I have obviously changed a lot in a few years and it is not a race to get back that point.  I know I CAN do this and WILL do this, just in my own time.  The only thing I grow impatient with is the weight.  I just want to see a BIG change!  But speaking of change, there is some slight changed in my body.  It is in the abdominal area and it is noticeable! :)  

Nothing much else new to report here, just plugging away at this whole health and fitness and looking for the changes.  I have to add that I am so very proud of my family for sticking with this.  My oldest son is doing awesome!  17 and not once has he griped about going.  He just does what needs to be done and makes me so very proud!  My 19 year old daughter is doing good, she usually does well, but if it interferes with her social life, she sometimes slacks at the gym.  Its a process and we are all learning it.  Keep wishing us luck!