Week 10, Day 4 and 5

I shouldn't feel this way, but I do. I'm tired, sore, discouraged, and as hungry as if I hadn't eaten for a month. What's wrong with me? The weather is good enough that I should have gobs of vim and vigor. And yet here I sit...completely inactive.

Yesterday was a mixed bag, and it was so busy I forgot to come here and write a post until it was like 2 o'clock in the morning -- far too late for me to be writing something that should have some kind of coherent thoughts.

Here's the run down on the exercise: I biked for about 20 minutes first thing when I got up, and it felt good. Then I picked up a little around the house. Mid-afternoon we went to run errands at Whole Foods and the mall. I walked around Whole Foods a bit to get some more exercise. Then at the mall I got so tied up in trying to find a parking space that I forgot which store I needed to go to, and I ended up parking at the opposite end from where I needed to be. It's not a huge mall, but for me it was a lot of walking and I was really sore by the time we got back to the car. Then when we got home, I did more picking up around the house and got down on my hands and knees to spot scrub several doggie stains on the carpet. By the time I dropped into bed, I was in pain and exhausted. I'm guessing it was a "good" pain, in that it was evidence that I actually got up and around far more than I've been used to in a long time. But man...it has me stiff, sore, and tired. And, sadly, I haven't done very much today.

I've eaten well both days and was really pleased with the difference at the mall. Fast food places that a few months ago would have tempted me sorely just didn't have any appeal or pull for me at all. Changing my eating patterns, I think, is one of the hardest parts of dieting, and I was pleased to see that I have made some progress in that area. However, today I would kill for a chocolate chip cookie. Or an eclair. Yeah, that's it, I've wanted an eclair for a couple of days. Yogurt will just have to do.

The depressing part of yesterday was when I was sitting for a bit to rest on the way to the store I needed to go to. Across the corridor was a dark glass, and I could see my reflection. I realize maybe it distorted things a bit, but I did NOT like what I saw. I'm losing weight, I'm toning up, but I still look absolutely huge. It was completely disheartening. I know this takes time, but still...I wanted to sit there and cry. I don't FEEL like a fat person. I know I'm fat. But it is still jarring and depressing to have that visual image of the awful truth. It's times like this that it would be so easy to just give up -- it's taking too long, I don't have the patience to wait months and months until my body finally looks like it should. And I hate myself for letting me get to this point. Why did I do it? Why didn't I stop myself a long time ago? Now I'm stuck with this hellish looking body and stuck with pain and stuck with being tired. And I hate it. I guess that's what propels me forward -- it would drive me nuts to think I'd have to stay this way forever. Ugh.

Today's Tip:
As we become "me" focused in the weight loss journey, we have to remember to purposefully reach out to help others (not necessarily weigh loss oriented). Here's an opportunity. A friend of mine asked me to help spread the word about a special promotion that will benefit the March of Dimes. The radio station she works for is helping with this, so I KNOW it's legitimate. It's really easy, too, and it's great fun for the holidays. Plus, you can't beat helping a cause like the March of Dimes! Will you please help spread the word?

Here's the program: Get a text message from Santa for $5.49 on your phone (or your child's phone) and $1 of it goes to the March of Dimes. The top 3 markets also get a nice donation. Here is the link: http://omaha.textsanta.net/ Won't you please take a look and consider this for a kid in your life? And again, please help spread the word so even more money can be raised for the March of Dimes! Thank you!!!!

Week 10, Day 3

Used to be I'd send Adam into a store if he was shopping for something for himself or if there were only one or two things to get. I had neither the energy nor the lung capacity to accompany him. The past couple of days we've gone and run errands the better part of each day, and I've gone with him everywhere. Just one more bit of evidence that I'm making progress.

Did some walking today and some work on my arms. I'm going to get on the bike for a few minutes in a little while. I've had two sandwiches to eat and a small Orange Julius. And loads of water. I've finally gotten to the point where water is really very refreshing and I no longer have to force each glass down or even keep track of them.

Today's Tip:
I read a book today titled In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, by Michael Pollan. Man, this guy is good! It's an easy read but chock full of good information. It will change the way you shop forever, but without any effort. You will simply never look at food the same way again.

Week 10, Day 2

I bought a new pair of jeans today. My other pair had become annoyingly baggy and required far too often that I pull them up to keep them from falling off. Next step is to not have to shop in the fat people's section of the store. I have a ways to go to get there, but six months from now I'll be a different person. And that's why I only bought one pair of jeans today -- I'll slim out of these before they ever wear out. :)

I also finally broke my addiction to cola. It's been awhile since I've had any. But today I got caught at the mall with a sudden asthma episode, and I know a quick jolt of Coke or Pepsi will take the edge off and help the rescue inhaler. Oh my, what a completely awful experience! The taste was horrid, the sweetness was way beyond what I can tolerate now, and the caffeine made me so instantly jittery I thought I'd jump completely out of my skin. I ended up throwing the rest of it away. Ewww. No more cola for me unless I get stuck needing it for asthma again.

Only one more week until we go to Iowa for Thanksgiving...and for me to play with Little Man, of course. I'm going to work extra hard this week to make sure I have the stamina to keep up with this energetic 18-month old.

I had my usual sandwich today and a bowl of cereal. I have a new favorite cereal, but I can't find it everywhere. It's by Cascadian Farm, and it's called Flax Right with pomegranate, cranberry, and raspberry juice clusters. It's organic and has whole grain wheat, rice, corn meal, whole oats, flax seeds, and cane juice instead of other sugars or high fructose corn syrup. The cereal looks like Chex brand, but it's very dense and filling, and I'm really pleased with how tasty it is. I highly recommend it.

Today's Tip:
A reader asked me if I knew of a good calorie counter. I recommend the The CalorieKing Calorie, Fat & Carbohydrate Counter 2010. There's also a calorie counter by Biggest Loser that's a great book, but it's a few years old. Since the Calorie King is updated each year with restaurants as well as grocery store food info, I prefer it. With over 14,000 foods, both brand name and generic, you can't beat it. A great feature is the "book-within-a-book" with a Fast Food and Restaurant Chain section, listing menu items from 200 chains - more than any other counter!

Sliante!

Week 10, Day 1

After 9 weeks, I have hit a 22 pound loss. That's about 20 percent of my total goal. I have a long way to go, but somehow hitting this mark makes me really believe rest of it is possible. My sub-goal now is to drop another 10 pounds by Christmas.

My appetite is still down with this stupid cold I can't seem to get rid of. But I have managed to eat over the course of the day a footlong from Subway -- turkey breast, ham, green peppers, tomatoes, and lettuce. 600 calories. And a cookie because I've been a good girl.

Today's Tip:
Eat This, Not That on the Men's Health website as a slideshow of the 39 Healthiest Foods in America. You can get to it here: Men's Health

Bon apetit!

Week 9, Day 5 and 6

Full blown fever, fatigue, aches, and all kinds of gunk in my head. Ugh. The past couple of days I've been mostly in bed sleeping. I did manage to get in about 30 minutes each day in exercising. A little biking, a little walking, a little weight work with my arms. I've had about 2 liters of water. I managed to keep down a sandwich each day, just to make sure I ate something. And lots of sleep. The good news is that I weighed myself, and I've lost two pounds. The silver lining.

Today's Tip:
I saw on one of my water bottles something really encouraging for those of us who are soda pop addicts. A 12 ounce sugared beverage ... pop, fruit juice, whatever...has about 140 calories. Replacing one sugared drink a day with water, and you've trimmed over 50,000 calories a year from your diet. I did the math for a 20 ounce bottle of Sprite, and the figures are even more stunning. A 20 ounce bottle has 240 calories. Removing one bottle of Sprite (or similar soda pop) a day from your diet saves you over 87,000 calories a year. That's like 25 pounds GONE! Amazing!

Now I'm going back to bed. I'm such a wimp. ::sigh::

Week 9, Day 4

Okay, I'm really not happy with Mother Nature right now. I don't know why in the middle of November my allergies are still going nuts. And after today, I'm not even sure anymore it's just allergies. I got incredibly tired this afternoon and took a nap. When I woke up, I had a fever. Not a terrible one, but enough to make me feel crappy. Body aches, headache, fatigue. Ugh.

Here's what I've been doing the past couple of weeks to fight it: 2 capsules of echinacea-goldenseal, 2000mg of vitamin C, 2000mg of garlic (odorless, of course), and a multivitamin. Plus, of course, I've been drinking loads of water (Mom taught me well). If anyone knows of anything else to make this crap go away, please let me know. I don't want to cover it, I want it gone.

In all the time I've watched the Biggest Loser show, I've never seen any advice about how to keep the fitness regimen going when a cold or the flu hits. I didn't do any exercising today except about 15 minutes of arm stuff with weights before I got up from my nap. I don't have a lot to burn off, though, because I've only had a sandwich to eat today. I wouldn't have eaten that, but I need food when I take my vitamins. No appetite, though. None. The only benefit I can see to all this cold or flu or whatever, I hope, is that my stomach will shrink and in the long run I won't crave as much to eat.

Today's Tip:
This is from the book The Biggest Loser Fitness Program, page 99. "There is nothing you cannot achieve if you put your mind to it, and this is certainly true when you think about your own body. Before long, you'll create the results you are looking for. You are in charge of your fitness destiny."

URGENT NEWS

Looking for a ONCE IN A LIFETIME opportunity? Liz Young, one of the contestants on the Biggest Loser, asked me to post this about a casting call for a new weight loss show (not Biggest Loser -- this one is on ABC). They're coming THIS SATURDAY to Nashville. If you're within driving distance of Nashville, Tennessee, or if you know someone who is, don't miss this! Liz says she can get VIP passes for you, too. Please help me spread the word!!

SAT. NOV 14th

Casting Call for Weight Loss Show
Buffalo Billiards
154 2nd Ave. N.
Nash. TN. 37201
10:00 AM-4:00 PM

Week 9, Day 3

I was a good girl today. It's early in the evening, so I still have time to be a VERY good girl. I am having a salad for dinner, watermelon for dessert, and yogurt for a bedtime snack. I've walked for 45 minutes. And I am going to put in another 30 minutes or so doing miscellaneous exercises this evening. WooHoooo!

Today's Tip:
This is something from the book The Biggest Loser Success Secrets (don't forget, it's on sale for only $6.98 at Barnes and Noble!). Jenn Widder is from season five of the show, and she has this advice, "Eating too fast causes you to eat more. I've learned to eat more slowly and drink water with my meals, so that the feeling of satisfaction will register better." Thanks, Jenn! I had heard, too, (and I can't remember where) that sometimes we eat so fast that we don't ever savor the flavor. We eat so quickly that we hardly even realize we've eaten! In addition to overeating, eating too fast leads to digestive issues. I've made real efforts to try to slow down and appreciate the feel of the food in my mouth, both the flavors and textures, and to make sure it's all really chewed thoroughly before swallowing. Which I intend to go do now ... bon apetit!

Week 9, Day 2, Part 2

What a great day! I felt so energized all day after last night's Biggest Loser episode and with all the great support I've gotten this past week! I'm still huge, but I'm beginning to feel like a skinny woman, like a butterfly emerging slowly from a fat cocoon. I don't know how to explain it better. I didn't feel this way the last time I lost weight, and I think that's why I put some of it back on. Back then, I still felt like a fat person on their way to being thin. I "owned" the fat because it was a part of me. But this time I feel like a skinny person. That's not to say I feel skinny. Quite the contrary. Of course, I'm still very overweight! But I am feeling the presence of a new me underneath the fat. Almost like the fat doesn't even belong to me anymore, and I'm just trying really hard to get rid of the nasty stuff.

I've worked hard today -- hard for me. I spent 15 minutes doing arm work, 10 minutes doing calf raises, and 45 minutes walking. I'm still feeling the effects of this cold or allergies (I think it's actually allergies since it's stuck with me so long), so my breathing is still labored. But that just means I had to stop a couple of times when I walked so I could catch my breath. I'm not sure, but I can't help but think that losing weight will help my asthma. Surely these past few years of my asthma getting worse and worse can't all be part of the aging process. I never had to go to the hospital with it until I got fat. We'll see...but I'm hopeful!

Adam and I went to Jason's Deli tonight. I had a tuna salad sandwich with lettuce, six baked chips, and a small ice milk/cream cone. I was glad the tuna salad seemed to have only a teeny bit of mayo on it...if any, and just a few egg bits. I would have like a bit of celery in it, too. But I can add that when I make it at home. And I was a good girl...even though it was on multi-grain bread, I took the tops off and only ate the bottom slice. The ice cream cone is made with ice milk, so it had fewer calories. But it was still too much. I was way too full when dinner was over. So next time, new rule -- no desserts AT ALL when we eat out. If I need something sweet-tasting, I'll have yogurt at home. :)

Today's Tip:
We also went to Barnes and Noble this evening. And I saw in their bargain section some of the Biggest Loser books. All of them only $6.98! I got The Biggest Loser Success Secrets. Wow! VERY amazing book! I bought an extra copy for my sister for Christmas. When I got home, I could hardly put the thing down long enough to post this! If you can get a copy, you'll love it. Either way, I'll post some of the wisdom from it in coming days here in the Today's Tip section of each day's post. :)

I hope your day was great! And if you're a veteran, I hope your day was extra-special!

Week 9, Day 2 Part 1

I'm going to write another entry this evening after I've gotten a little bit more accomplished today, but I had to share this with you. In one of the earliest posts here on A New Suit, right after the first episode of the Biggest Loser, I was trying to figure out who I was going to root for this season. I mentioned Liz, the 49 year old grandma, because that's what I am too and she was starting out at about the same weight as I am. Well, I got the sweetest note from Liz today. As many fans as she has and as busy as I'm sure she is with the finale of the show coming up in just a few weeks, I was touched that she would take the time to share this-- "As I have found out , That is really what the show is all about....paying it forward.....I have done it now I need to find a way to help others......YOU CAN DO IT". My friends make me cry tears of gratitude nearly every day, but I also find it quite remarkable when a stranger reaches out. Thanks, Liz! And thanks to each one of my peeps who is lifting me up and moving me forward in the journey!