If Only It Was That Easy (????lbs - I've been on the road)

***Taking a quick break from working on some choreography for Zumba****

Today's Groupon for Kansas City had two "quick and easy" weightloss options...

1) For only $26 ($71.86 Value), one could get a pair of Weight-Loss Hot Pant.  Zaggora's pants "slim bodies by up to two jeans sizes in two weeks" by "using a...bioceramic material that emits infrared rays". Also, the pants helps eliminates cellulite targeting "thighs and other dimple-prone areas by galvanizing the skin's internal zamboni to promote a deep warming of body tissues and promote lymphatic drainage".  You can wear the pants by themselves or under clothes- whether asleep or active.

IF ONLY IT WERE THAT EASY....I would buy two pair...One to wear while the other was in the wash. As of 9:45, 500 people had purchased a pair of these pants. But...How many will workout? Cut back on fried foods? Eliminate the sodas? Get enough sleep?

 

2) $249 for HCG Weight-Loss Program (a $500 Value).

IF ONLY IT WERE THAT EASY...40 days of an extreme diet and injections improperly prepares anyone for keeping the weight loss off. Those 40 days weren't spent working out 3 to 6 days a week or developing the discipline of making time no matter what and pushing yourself physically. Those 40 days weren't spent forming the habit eating healthy lunches and dinners.

I loved the disclaimer..."HCG has not been demonstrated to be effective therapy in the treatment of obesity. Potential side effects include anaphylactic reactions as well as side effects resulting from low caloric intake."

It served as a good reminder...Weight Loss, Weight Management, and Healthy Living isn't always "easy". It takes effort and focus. Somedays - some weeks it may be "easy". Am I truly doing the things that produce the results I want? What am I really wanting? With 6 weeks (Just 48 days) left of the year...I really want to be back within my "healthy, happy weight" by the end of the year (135-137). But, really, I really want to be healthy, happy for the long-haul. Any positive steps to that effect should celebrated. 

Here's positive to thoughts to a healthy, happy, productive week! 

A Cheeseburger Away (145.6lbs)

That delicate balance between making progress and falling behind...that's where I am right now.

There's not too much room for leeway. Workouts need to be challenging, consistent, and full of variety. Meals need to be nutritionally rich and reasonable portion size. Missing a workout or two...Completing a workout or two that doesn't push the envelope...Eating a few meals over the calorie allotment....A dinner with too much sodium..A lunch without that balance of veggies, fruit, carbs, and proteins.

I've been here two other times this year. In January...I hovered around 139-140..so close to my goal weight...And again, in August. There were valid and not so very valid reasons why my weight creeped back up.

I've got to stay focused...Keep challenging myself. Reminding myself of that seemingly all so small extra serving of  - those moments of not pushing hard during the workout  - equates to that one cheeseburger too many.                                                                                                                                        

How Do You Feel Now?

My hairdresser asked me today....Now that you are healthier....(Another client had just finished her annual health check-ups and we were just chatting about those tests & doctors --- then health overall)...

I told her outside of the lower number on the scale...my numbers such as blood pressure and heart rate really haven't changed (they were good before...but I also know that was only a matter of time).

BUT

I have so much more energy, I feel better, my skin is clearer, my periods are better...

Yesterday I all it could think about was that which I haven't quite gotten a hold of.... 

Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal...Phil. 3:13 and 14 GWT

{BONUS...She said it looked like I was losing some weight :) I'll take that!}'

I Don't Want To Do This Again (143.8)

I looked at myself in the mirror and stepped on the scale today and thought that...

I just don't want to do this AGAIN. I don't want to do the hard work to lose these last 7 to 10 pounds...

I am frustrated with myself...How could I forget all the hard work? the workouts? the sacrifices? the tradeoffs? the prayers?

2 years ago...exactly...I was the same weight I am now....by December 31, I was 135. Something about this is all too familiar....

But, do it again I shall.....

15 to 20

I realized today that I have maintained a 15 pound weight loss for 2 years. 20 pounds for almost a year.

That's an accomplishment!

How did I do it?

1) Exercise...I exercised 3 to 6 days a week. 2) Good eating...Fruits, Veggies, Lean Proteins, Healthy Carbs...AND still treating myself to a soda, a dessert, etc. here and there... 3) reversing gains/unproductive behavior - for example...got back from a business trip and I didn't exercise or eat healthy for a week..get right back to work the next week - working out and eating healthy....

BUT....

I feel/look better at a 25 pound loss....SO, what will it take to maintain that for a year? 

I think I need to comtemplate this further....

I Need A New Drug (142.6)

I need a shakeup up to the workout routine..."a new drug", if you will. I am either un-impressed, bored, or unispired by the options that are readily available to me at 24 hour fitness. Not interested in bodypump or step or cycle. I teach Zumba 3 times a week and so that cuts into my ability to try out different workout classes. I'm trying to figure out something that would be a good challenge/routine for the next 6 to 8 weeks. I don't particularly like home workouts and I want more of a challenge then working out by myself at the gym. I need something that's affordable....

I'm not sure what to do.... 

(I'm thinking about blogging every day for the next 60 days...That'll be a bit of a challenge as I can't blog from work and I don't care for blogging from my iphone. So...we'll see)

60 Days (144.4lbs)

Left of 2011!

I am determined to start the new year as healthy as possible.

Here were my 2011 goals I set at the beginning of the year:
1. Exercise - 4 to 6 days a week including 1 to 2 days of weight training
2. Eat Healthy - Daily strive to Eat 3 servings of fruit, 5 servings of vegetables (starchy & non-starchy) a day, 6 servings of protein, 7 servings of Carbs/Starchs, 2 servings of dairy, and No more than 3 servings of fat/oil, 6 to 8 cups of water -
3. Teach Zumba Classes!
4. Maintain a healthy weight of 132lbs to 137lbs..

How did I do? I think I did a fair/to good job on these...I exercised at least 3 days a week most of the year. 4 many weeks. I want to bump that up to 5 to 6 days a week through the end of the year. Eat healthy - i did an okay job on this. I ate well...mostly. My dietitian mentioned that I need to check portion sizes and stay a little more focused...Teach Zumba! I am ecstatic to say that I'm still teaching...and have had some amazing experiences teaching zumba...including the Zumba Instructor Convention 2011, helping teach/organize a breast cancer awareness zumbathon party, and teaching in Colorado Springs, CO. Maintain a healthy weight of 132 to 137....This one...I just haven't done. Most of the year I've been in the low to mid 40s...Except, for the month of August, I was in the high 30s/140 flat. I really want to conquer this.

So, in these next 60 days...8 weeks...I will focus on getting the weight down to an acceptable range, boosting my exercising levels - particular weight training, and eat as healthy as possible.

I can do this thing!!!!!