Have you seen the new show Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition?
If you haven't here's the gist of it: Chris Powell
spends an entire year with a morbidly obese person to get them to lose the weight. It's amazing. I thought nothing could replace my love for Bob Harper in the Reality TV Personal Trainer category, but Chris has come in and taken that crown in one fell swoop. Plus, he's way cuter. ;)
There's a point to this, I promise.
Basically, I've made it a goal to lose 20 pounds before I go back to school on August 14th. And it's hard. Really hard. You're looking at a girl who literally has not been healthy enough to exercise in over four years. That's a long time to not move! And that's how all this weight piled on, too. I used to be thin. And I'm tired of feeling horrible about how I look and having zero self-esteem. A major thanks goes to Mat and Ryann for already helping me start to work through the self-esteem issues. That in itself was a huge step forward.
But there's a lot more to be done.
The confusing/frustrating part is that my whole family keeps telling me I had to have lost weight because I look smaller, but I'm the type of person who relies on concrete details, and the number on the scale has gone up, not down. Well, you're probably thinking, "You're probably gaining muscle and losing fat, and muscle weighs more than fat." I know that (thank you, Lifetime Wellness), but it's hard for a Type A personality like myself to remember that when you work and work at something and aren't seeing results. It gets me frustrated and discouraged, hence the whole 'I wish I had Chris Powell' thing.
But anyway, I have an exercise bike that has been sitting in my room for a long time now, and starting yesterday, my plan (because another thing I learned in class is it's always good to have an exercise plan) is to ride it for at least 30 minutes a day. So far so good.
It's a good thing I'm extremely determined and even more stubborn. :D I'll keep you posted.
Good for you!! I have an app on my phone called "My Fitness Pal," and if you google it there's a website too. You plug in how much you want to lose and in how long, and how much you exercise every day, and it gives you a suggested amount of calories for the day. Then you can enter in your food to keep track. And the more you exercise, the more bonus calories you get. That's my favorite part! :) But anyway, it's definitely a good, concrete way to keep track of things! And what a cutie Mr. Powell is! :)
ReplyDeleteOoh good for you! If I were you I'd take measurements, Ms. Needs-Concrete-Results :) That will help you see that you're fighting the battle (& winning) on multiple fronts.
ReplyDeleteI second that -- take measurements -- and a "before" photo :o) I haven't lost any weight in 2011, but I've gone down one size, and I feel/look different. That'll likely change soon as I start my training on Monday.
ReplyDeleteOne of the biggest changes I made since last September was getting to bed before midnight, and sleeping consistently/regularly as much as possible. Being up past midnight fries the metabolism and doesn't give your body proper rest. It made a huge difference for me.
Keep it up, you're well on your way, girl -- there are results you won't be able to physically see in terms of numbers and such -- heart health, lung capacity, brain boost, etc, etc -- but they're just as important!
I didn't know about the new show, it sounds interesting!