It’s been awhile since my last post…
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forwards to the new beginnings and new blessings of the New Year.
My leg is doing really well. I go back to Dr. Manning on January 18th. I’m so ready to be over this. I still have trouble with my leg swelling and it’s still sore at times, but I can feel my calf getting stronger and feel I am able to endure more each day. I haven’t worn the “boot” since before Christmas (yaay!) and have started trying to wing myself off of the compression wrap although it helps A LOT will the swelling and support when I get tired. So all in all I’m healing very well and doing much, much better – Thank you Lord.
So with all the fun and fury of the holidays I have found it really difficult to maintain these last two weeks. Like most folks I have barely been home, am always on the go and have and will be traveling out of state. I was recently introduced to a new snack (Thank you Aunt Dee for sharing!) that has really helped my “sweet tooth” during this time and has been super easy have with me on the go. LARABAR makes a gluten free, dairy free, soy free, non-gmo, vegan and kosher fruit and nut bar that I have completely fallen in love with. With all that “free” going on in the description you may not think these would be filling or taste that good, but they have truly been a life saver!!! They average around 200 calories a bar, so I’ve used them for a mid-day snack and sometimes even for breakfast. They have minimal ingredients that are recognizable – nothing artificial – simply the types of fruit, nuts and seasonings that are in the bar. My favorite by far is the peanut butter cookie! I love peanut butter and love love love that I get the taste of a peanut butter cookie with out all the refined sugar and guilt that comes along with it. The one thing that I’ve struggled with most, even more than the over eating and snacking was drinking my water. Water is so key to weight loss and health in general and I’ve found that I absolutely HAVE to pack my own water bottle or have access to filtered water at all times. Without it I find myself opting for more sugary options and I absolutely CAN NOT allow myself to get back in the habit of drinking any kind of soda – diet or not – or my favorite of all SWEET TEA. It’s just not that good for you even though an ice cold coca cola or glorious sweet tea with fresh squeezed lemon is a sip of heaven in my book, I have to be strong and do what’s best for me and do what will help get me to my goal which I consistently have to keep at the front of my mind. I’m quickly approaching the 1 year mark of my actual weight loss. While I’m still not near my goal, I’m not too far off from where I thought I would be. My goal was to lose 80 – 100 lbs by February 7, 2011. I’m currently maintaining at 60 lbs and feel very confident that I can lose 20 more lbs before then. As of January 3rd my workouts will be as aggressive as they can be with Dr. Manning’s blessing over what I can do with my calf and I will be back to planning all my meals and sticking strictly to my diet. Having a wedding dress to fit into on 02/26 is great motivation as well. A quick side note about my wedding dress…if you haven’t heard…I got to exchange it for a smaller size!!!! IT FELT AMAZING try on a smaller size and it fit like a glove!!! I also made another little discovery the other day….I have less than 100 lbs to lose to get to my goal weight. That fells pretty amazing too. When I started this journey I had 150 pounds to lose to get to my “goal weight.” And while I won’t disclose my current weight or my goal weight just yet, know that having such a BIG number almost cut in half is a wonderful feeling and a huge accomplishment. I know with a little more hard work and continued commitment I can be at my goal weight in another 9 or 10 months. Probably closer to 10 months since I will allow myself some indulgences while we travel during the honeymoon.
God is so good – he has blessed me beyond anything I could have ever imagined and without his love and strength, the love and support of my family and friends and the constant inspiration and motivation that I have found in the smallest and greatest of places I would not have been this successful or made it this far in my journey.
God Bless you all and may you have a safe and blessed 2011!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Fat Math!
Hello! I hope you have all had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! Mine was wonderful! My day was spent with friends and family who are very near and dear to me. I have so much to be thankful for and am so grateful to God for all the wonderful blessings he has given me and continues to give me each and every day. God is so good!
As Thanksgiving ends and the Christmas Holiday begins I have become very aware that time is flying right by me. Christmas, New Years, My Birthday and Valentine’s Day will all be here before you know it and then BOOM! THE WEDDING will be here!!! Michael and I could not be any more excited!!! As this time approaches I realize its time to dig in and lose a few more pounds before the wedding. At first this really threw me when I started analyzing it. I’ve really been off my game since I got back from UT. That whole 6 inch tear in my calf has really slowed me down. Thankfully I have been watching what I eat and even with some minor indulgences over Thanksgiving I have managed to maintain and not gain. (Thank You LORD!) However, it’s taken me some very methodical planning to get myself motivated to lose in a new way because of my leg and to get my “plan of weight loss action” in order. Let’s back up a bit to the day before I hurt my leg. At the resort the life coaches and trainers meeting with you a day or two before you leave and start asking you questions like, “What’s your plan for when you get home? How are you going to keep this momentum going? What support do you have? …etc.” So prior to my injury I had this whole “4 piece plan” in mind as to how I was going to keep pressing forward and bust through my weight loss goals. Well…a huge part of that was dependant on exercise. You have to have exercise – some good ole’ hard core cardio to increase that heart rate and burn that fat on a consistent basis, and let’s face it…treadmill, elliptical or any kind of spin or cardio class is NOT in my future any time soon. So my original commitment to myself to walk or treadmill everyday went down the drain! The past 17 days have really been a challenge mentally and physically. Thankfully, over the weekend, I was able to turn a page and get refocused a bit. It started Friday when I was able to go pretty much the entire day with only 1 crutch. Saturday when I woke up it was probably the first time that my ankles were the same size – wooo whoo! The swelling has gone down considerably and even though my calf is still swollen where the tear is, the tissue is softening and the bruises are all beginning to fade and thankfully my leg is no longer this horrible yellow, sallow color and the aches and pains are much better too. Ahhh…my leg is beginning to look and feel normal again. Then yesterday and today I’ve been able to walk, well hobble really, short distances without any crutches at all. The fact that I can put more weight on is very promising to me. Let’s hope Dr. Manning agrees on the 1st. While I’m not trying to over do it by any means, it still feels good to be moving more and getting some normal mobility back.
As I’ve been feeling stronger I decided that I needed to really put a plan in place and really get back on track with losing weight and getting strong…again. Have you noticed? This is a life long commitment. :o) One day, one week or one month does not fix my whole lifetime…anyway. I pulled out my calorie counter and my food journal – time to put these awesome tools back in action then I did what I like to call “Fat Math!” At the resort they gave us a tried and true formula for losing weight. It’s basically calories in / calories out, but they explain it in a very detailed way that once you get the hang of it is extremely helpful and is guaranteed to work. :o)
First – you need to know your goal, or the number of calories you need to burn each day to lose the weight. To lose 1 pound of fat you must burn 3500 calories. Multiply the number of pounds you want to lose by the number of calories needed to lose one pound. (Example: 10 lbs x 3500 calories = 35,000 calories to be burned)
Second – you MUST know your RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate.
(Definition: Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the energy required to perform vital body functions such as respiration and heart rate while the body is at rest. About 50 to 75% of one's daily energy expenditure can be attributed to resting metabolic rate. Thank you ask.com or basically the amount of calories you are allowed to consumer each day for your body to sustain itself and maintain weight)
You can pay for some high tech scientific testing by a physician or nutritionists to get your RMR or you can simply go to http://www.shapeup.org/prof/rc_index.php and use their resources. Their RMR calculator is free, it’s approximate, but it will definitely give you what you need to know.
Third – you will need to know how many calories you are burning during exercise each day. You can purchase a heart monitor or body bug that will track this for you or again, you can go to http://www.shapeup.org/prof/rc_index.php and use their Physical Activity Calculator.
Fourth and finally – you need to know how many calories you are eating each day. To find out the number of calories you can eat per day the Biggest Loser teaches that you are allotted 7 calories for each pound of your current weight in order to lose weight. (Example 200 lbs x 7 = 1400 calories per day) This total adjusts each week as you lose weight. Once you get to your goal weight then multiply each pound by 12 calories to get your maintenance intake. (Example 150 lbs x 12 = 1800) ***IMPORTANT: You should consult a doctor or a nutritionist, especially if you have any medical problems to determine the appropriate daily caloric intake for yourself. I’m happy to share with you every piece of information I have, but I can’t tell you what’s right for you. While these formulas will work for everyone, it is still a very good idea to consult your Dr. before beginning any exercise program. ***
Because I am limited on the exercises I can do right now, I am personally using a smaller daily caloric intake. I am using the 1200 calorie limit they used at the resort. You’d be surprised what you can do with 1200 calories.
OK! Now that we know how to get our numbers, let’s do some “Fat Math!”
I will use myself as an example.
Deb’s Fat Math to lose 20 lbs
20 x 3500 = 70,000
Divide that by the number of days you’d like to lose that weight in – be realistic!
70,000 / 88 days = 796
I need to burn an additional 796 calories each day to lose 20 lbs in 88 days
My RMR: 1918
+ My daily exercise: 360
- My caloric intake: 1200
= My daily burn 1078
Now multiply that burn by 7 to get your total burn for the week then divide that total burn number by 3500 to obtain the approximate pounds per week that you’ll lose.
1078 x 7 = 7546 / 3500 = approximately 2 lbs per week (2.16 actually) So with limited ability to exercise, which right now is weights for my arms and back, sit ups and a few stretches, and watching my daily calorie intake I can still manage to lose approximately 20 lbs in 10 weeks or approximately 70 days. :o)
So it’s easy right? Have I confused you any at all? Keep in mind what it takes more than anything is a commitment to yourself to eat better, eat less and MOVE MORE. If you would like some help mapping out your own personal “fat math” please email me. (debba.lee@gmail.com) I am more than happy to help you and motivate you in any way I can. :o)
As Thanksgiving ends and the Christmas Holiday begins I have become very aware that time is flying right by me. Christmas, New Years, My Birthday and Valentine’s Day will all be here before you know it and then BOOM! THE WEDDING will be here!!! Michael and I could not be any more excited!!! As this time approaches I realize its time to dig in and lose a few more pounds before the wedding. At first this really threw me when I started analyzing it. I’ve really been off my game since I got back from UT. That whole 6 inch tear in my calf has really slowed me down. Thankfully I have been watching what I eat and even with some minor indulgences over Thanksgiving I have managed to maintain and not gain. (Thank You LORD!) However, it’s taken me some very methodical planning to get myself motivated to lose in a new way because of my leg and to get my “plan of weight loss action” in order. Let’s back up a bit to the day before I hurt my leg. At the resort the life coaches and trainers meeting with you a day or two before you leave and start asking you questions like, “What’s your plan for when you get home? How are you going to keep this momentum going? What support do you have? …etc.” So prior to my injury I had this whole “4 piece plan” in mind as to how I was going to keep pressing forward and bust through my weight loss goals. Well…a huge part of that was dependant on exercise. You have to have exercise – some good ole’ hard core cardio to increase that heart rate and burn that fat on a consistent basis, and let’s face it…treadmill, elliptical or any kind of spin or cardio class is NOT in my future any time soon. So my original commitment to myself to walk or treadmill everyday went down the drain! The past 17 days have really been a challenge mentally and physically. Thankfully, over the weekend, I was able to turn a page and get refocused a bit. It started Friday when I was able to go pretty much the entire day with only 1 crutch. Saturday when I woke up it was probably the first time that my ankles were the same size – wooo whoo! The swelling has gone down considerably and even though my calf is still swollen where the tear is, the tissue is softening and the bruises are all beginning to fade and thankfully my leg is no longer this horrible yellow, sallow color and the aches and pains are much better too. Ahhh…my leg is beginning to look and feel normal again. Then yesterday and today I’ve been able to walk, well hobble really, short distances without any crutches at all. The fact that I can put more weight on is very promising to me. Let’s hope Dr. Manning agrees on the 1st. While I’m not trying to over do it by any means, it still feels good to be moving more and getting some normal mobility back.
As I’ve been feeling stronger I decided that I needed to really put a plan in place and really get back on track with losing weight and getting strong…again. Have you noticed? This is a life long commitment. :o) One day, one week or one month does not fix my whole lifetime…anyway. I pulled out my calorie counter and my food journal – time to put these awesome tools back in action then I did what I like to call “Fat Math!” At the resort they gave us a tried and true formula for losing weight. It’s basically calories in / calories out, but they explain it in a very detailed way that once you get the hang of it is extremely helpful and is guaranteed to work. :o)
First – you need to know your goal, or the number of calories you need to burn each day to lose the weight. To lose 1 pound of fat you must burn 3500 calories. Multiply the number of pounds you want to lose by the number of calories needed to lose one pound. (Example: 10 lbs x 3500 calories = 35,000 calories to be burned)
Second – you MUST know your RMR or Resting Metabolic Rate.
(Definition: Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the energy required to perform vital body functions such as respiration and heart rate while the body is at rest. About 50 to 75% of one's daily energy expenditure can be attributed to resting metabolic rate. Thank you ask.com or basically the amount of calories you are allowed to consumer each day for your body to sustain itself and maintain weight)
You can pay for some high tech scientific testing by a physician or nutritionists to get your RMR or you can simply go to http://www.shapeup.org/prof/rc_index.php and use their resources. Their RMR calculator is free, it’s approximate, but it will definitely give you what you need to know.
Third – you will need to know how many calories you are burning during exercise each day. You can purchase a heart monitor or body bug that will track this for you or again, you can go to http://www.shapeup.org/prof/rc_index.php and use their Physical Activity Calculator.
Fourth and finally – you need to know how many calories you are eating each day. To find out the number of calories you can eat per day the Biggest Loser teaches that you are allotted 7 calories for each pound of your current weight in order to lose weight. (Example 200 lbs x 7 = 1400 calories per day) This total adjusts each week as you lose weight. Once you get to your goal weight then multiply each pound by 12 calories to get your maintenance intake. (Example 150 lbs x 12 = 1800) ***IMPORTANT: You should consult a doctor or a nutritionist, especially if you have any medical problems to determine the appropriate daily caloric intake for yourself. I’m happy to share with you every piece of information I have, but I can’t tell you what’s right for you. While these formulas will work for everyone, it is still a very good idea to consult your Dr. before beginning any exercise program. ***
Because I am limited on the exercises I can do right now, I am personally using a smaller daily caloric intake. I am using the 1200 calorie limit they used at the resort. You’d be surprised what you can do with 1200 calories.
OK! Now that we know how to get our numbers, let’s do some “Fat Math!”
I will use myself as an example.
Deb’s Fat Math to lose 20 lbs
20 x 3500 = 70,000
Divide that by the number of days you’d like to lose that weight in – be realistic!
70,000 / 88 days = 796
I need to burn an additional 796 calories each day to lose 20 lbs in 88 days
My RMR: 1918
+ My daily exercise: 360
- My caloric intake: 1200
= My daily burn 1078
Now multiply that burn by 7 to get your total burn for the week then divide that total burn number by 3500 to obtain the approximate pounds per week that you’ll lose.
1078 x 7 = 7546 / 3500 = approximately 2 lbs per week (2.16 actually) So with limited ability to exercise, which right now is weights for my arms and back, sit ups and a few stretches, and watching my daily calorie intake I can still manage to lose approximately 20 lbs in 10 weeks or approximately 70 days. :o)
So it’s easy right? Have I confused you any at all? Keep in mind what it takes more than anything is a commitment to yourself to eat better, eat less and MOVE MORE. If you would like some help mapping out your own personal “fat math” please email me. (debba.lee@gmail.com) I am more than happy to help you and motivate you in any way I can. :o)
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Perspective…
From here, it’s clear that I can do anything. I may have begun the journey with doubt and fear. I may have cursed the sun for lighting my way so brightly. I may have imagined a hundred escape routes. But I put one foot in front of the other until I made it to the top. And I’ll do it again tomorrow.
The flight home from UT was ok. A little painful on the leg, but not so much that I couldn’t handle it. Monday was when it was the worst. My leg was swollen again from the travel and every time I had to stand up, which wasn’t often, it felt like gravity was pulling my muscle off of my bone – horrible. Tuesday was better and I was able to get in to see Dr. Melvin Manning at TX Sports Medicine. He confirmed that I had torn my right calf muscle (gastrocnemius). Its approx 6 inches in length and 3 inches in width according to the ultra sound, but no blood clots were found (Thank you Jesus) and I was given a very attractive and heavy boot to immobilize the muscle and to wear for the next several weeks. I am on crutches with the boot this week, then next week just the boot. I go back to see him on 12/01. I don’t know exactly how long I will be in the boot at this time, but it could be anywhere from 4 weeks – 4 months depending on the muscle and my ability to heal. Let’s all pray for a speedy recovery as I will be walking down the isle in 4 months.
So now that I’ve been home a few days and I’ve been able to go over my notes from the lectures at FR and reflect on my time there. I’m finding that I truly am forever changed by this whole experience, and not just because of my leg. I really am looking at food and exercise very, very differently. One of the things that they really drove home at the resort is that you have to have 4 key components working within yourself before you will see long term, quality results. Proper Fitness + Proper Nutrition + Proper Education about nutrition and fitness + Proper Rest, Relaxation and Emotional Health = Healthy Weight Loss. While the level of intensity will be different for each person in each of these areas, it still takes YOU working all 4 of these elements to achieve your fitness/health goals. We can all lose weight by eating better, but imagine how much better your body will feel if while not only eating well, you were also exercising and strengthening your heart and muscles. Add to that relaxation and you’d feel even better and top it off with a big ole’ helping of mental/emotional wellness – WHOOOOO BABY!!! You become one happy, healthy (not to mention FABULOUS looking) machine!!! It all seems so simple right? Why do we make it hard on ourselves? Why can we find time for everyone else in our lives, but not make time for what WE need? Or why do we feed into those things we DON’T need instead of doing those things that we KNOW we should? Because we are ALWAYS looking for the quick fix and the easy way out and I’m here to tell you when it comes to your weight and your health there are NO quick fixes nor is there an easy way out. Once I finally let that seep through my thick skull I found that what you perceive as difficult just might now be as difficult as you think.
One of my personal goals is to be the healthiest, happiest 150-160 lb person I can possibly be. (I’m almost half way there too! As of 11/14/2010 I’m down 60 lbs! Awesome!!!) The first time I wrote that goal down I was terrified. How was I going to get from my “ugly number” (ugly number = my heaviest weight of _______. Sorry…not going to disclose that just yet) to what seemed like an impossible weight of 160 lbs? Writing down my heaviest weight minus my goal weight of meant that I had a lot of weight to lose and I wasn’t sure how I was going lose it. More than that, I was completely disappointed in myself for being so lazy and not caring – not caring about myself so much that I allowed myself to balloon up to what is now the “ugly number.” I lied to myself A LOT too! “That # doesn’t matter…” “If God wanted me any different he would made me differently…” “Maybe I’m not meant to be skinny (the real lie there is that it doesn’t matter how skinny you are it only matters how healthy you are! You can be skinny and completely unhealthy!) These last 2 are my favorites – I hide behind them many, many times. “Just because it happened to my Mom doesn’t mean that it will happen to me….” “It’s hereditary, there’s nothing I can do about it…” The lies I told myself went on and on. I lied to myself because it was easier than facing the truth and the truth was painful. The truth was I was being lazy and complacent about my life and you could see it all over my fat, unhealthy body. The first time I wrote that “ugly number” down was on February 7, 2010. That was the day my journey started and the day that changed my life (The day of the BL 5K). Fast forward 9 months and 10 days and I’m no longer afraid of the truth or what might happen to me on the way to my goal. I know now that facing my fear was the 2nd greatest thing I could do for myself. Had I continue to live in that fear of what I “thought” I couldn’t do or couldn’t control I would not be living in the “I can” moment of right now. What was the 1st greatest thing I could ever do for myself? Love myself. Love myself enough to forgive myself of my past and love myself enough to move on and begin working towards a greater, better, healthier future for myself.
I am no where near my weight goal, but I’m getting closer every single day with every single choice I make. And I’m also learning you have to be a little bit selfish if you are serious about achieving your goals. Only you can make it happen for yourself and you ARE STRONG enough to do it. I am strong enough to do it.
What are your health and/or wellness goals? Have you ever really thought about it? Do you even have a goal in mind at all? Once you have a goal in mind whatever it is, even if it’s not to lose weight – WRITE IT DOWN!!! That is the beginning of accountability to you. Don’t be afraid, we all start somewhere and today might as well be your day to start working towards your goal
**side note: In the photo I am standing on the lookout over Snow Canyon State Park in UT. Specifically overlooking the Stop Sign Trail and the Hidden Pinyon Trail. I had hiked almost that whole landscape over the past several days and had completed Hidden Pinyon just that morning. While at the look out taking pictures my friend Lisa said to me, “Look Deb, can you believe we did that? We hiked over all of that!” It felt completely overwhelming, amazing and AWESOME to look out and see that I had climbed those rocks, maneuvered through those trails and did something that I would have never ever thought I could do. I am strong and I now know there’s almost NOTHING I can’t do! (I said almost – thanks to my leg, I’m learning my limits) And I WILL hike those trails again someday!!! The “Red Rocks” will not defeat me! :o)
The flight home from UT was ok. A little painful on the leg, but not so much that I couldn’t handle it. Monday was when it was the worst. My leg was swollen again from the travel and every time I had to stand up, which wasn’t often, it felt like gravity was pulling my muscle off of my bone – horrible. Tuesday was better and I was able to get in to see Dr. Melvin Manning at TX Sports Medicine. He confirmed that I had torn my right calf muscle (gastrocnemius). Its approx 6 inches in length and 3 inches in width according to the ultra sound, but no blood clots were found (Thank you Jesus) and I was given a very attractive and heavy boot to immobilize the muscle and to wear for the next several weeks. I am on crutches with the boot this week, then next week just the boot. I go back to see him on 12/01. I don’t know exactly how long I will be in the boot at this time, but it could be anywhere from 4 weeks – 4 months depending on the muscle and my ability to heal. Let’s all pray for a speedy recovery as I will be walking down the isle in 4 months.
So now that I’ve been home a few days and I’ve been able to go over my notes from the lectures at FR and reflect on my time there. I’m finding that I truly am forever changed by this whole experience, and not just because of my leg. I really am looking at food and exercise very, very differently. One of the things that they really drove home at the resort is that you have to have 4 key components working within yourself before you will see long term, quality results. Proper Fitness + Proper Nutrition + Proper Education about nutrition and fitness + Proper Rest, Relaxation and Emotional Health = Healthy Weight Loss. While the level of intensity will be different for each person in each of these areas, it still takes YOU working all 4 of these elements to achieve your fitness/health goals. We can all lose weight by eating better, but imagine how much better your body will feel if while not only eating well, you were also exercising and strengthening your heart and muscles. Add to that relaxation and you’d feel even better and top it off with a big ole’ helping of mental/emotional wellness – WHOOOOO BABY!!! You become one happy, healthy (not to mention FABULOUS looking) machine!!! It all seems so simple right? Why do we make it hard on ourselves? Why can we find time for everyone else in our lives, but not make time for what WE need? Or why do we feed into those things we DON’T need instead of doing those things that we KNOW we should? Because we are ALWAYS looking for the quick fix and the easy way out and I’m here to tell you when it comes to your weight and your health there are NO quick fixes nor is there an easy way out. Once I finally let that seep through my thick skull I found that what you perceive as difficult just might now be as difficult as you think.
One of my personal goals is to be the healthiest, happiest 150-160 lb person I can possibly be. (I’m almost half way there too! As of 11/14/2010 I’m down 60 lbs! Awesome!!!) The first time I wrote that goal down I was terrified. How was I going to get from my “ugly number” (ugly number = my heaviest weight of _______. Sorry…not going to disclose that just yet) to what seemed like an impossible weight of 160 lbs? Writing down my heaviest weight minus my goal weight of meant that I had a lot of weight to lose and I wasn’t sure how I was going lose it. More than that, I was completely disappointed in myself for being so lazy and not caring – not caring about myself so much that I allowed myself to balloon up to what is now the “ugly number.” I lied to myself A LOT too! “That # doesn’t matter…” “If God wanted me any different he would made me differently…” “Maybe I’m not meant to be skinny (the real lie there is that it doesn’t matter how skinny you are it only matters how healthy you are! You can be skinny and completely unhealthy!) These last 2 are my favorites – I hide behind them many, many times. “Just because it happened to my Mom doesn’t mean that it will happen to me….” “It’s hereditary, there’s nothing I can do about it…” The lies I told myself went on and on. I lied to myself because it was easier than facing the truth and the truth was painful. The truth was I was being lazy and complacent about my life and you could see it all over my fat, unhealthy body. The first time I wrote that “ugly number” down was on February 7, 2010. That was the day my journey started and the day that changed my life (The day of the BL 5K). Fast forward 9 months and 10 days and I’m no longer afraid of the truth or what might happen to me on the way to my goal. I know now that facing my fear was the 2nd greatest thing I could do for myself. Had I continue to live in that fear of what I “thought” I couldn’t do or couldn’t control I would not be living in the “I can” moment of right now. What was the 1st greatest thing I could ever do for myself? Love myself. Love myself enough to forgive myself of my past and love myself enough to move on and begin working towards a greater, better, healthier future for myself.
I am no where near my weight goal, but I’m getting closer every single day with every single choice I make. And I’m also learning you have to be a little bit selfish if you are serious about achieving your goals. Only you can make it happen for yourself and you ARE STRONG enough to do it. I am strong enough to do it.
What are your health and/or wellness goals? Have you ever really thought about it? Do you even have a goal in mind at all? Once you have a goal in mind whatever it is, even if it’s not to lose weight – WRITE IT DOWN!!! That is the beginning of accountability to you. Don’t be afraid, we all start somewhere and today might as well be your day to start working towards your goal
**side note: In the photo I am standing on the lookout over Snow Canyon State Park in UT. Specifically overlooking the Stop Sign Trail and the Hidden Pinyon Trail. I had hiked almost that whole landscape over the past several days and had completed Hidden Pinyon just that morning. While at the look out taking pictures my friend Lisa said to me, “Look Deb, can you believe we did that? We hiked over all of that!” It felt completely overwhelming, amazing and AWESOME to look out and see that I had climbed those rocks, maneuvered through those trails and did something that I would have never ever thought I could do. I am strong and I now know there’s almost NOTHING I can’t do! (I said almost – thanks to my leg, I’m learning my limits) And I WILL hike those trails again someday!!! The “Red Rocks” will not defeat me! :o)
Saturday, November 13, 2010
BL Resort - Friday/Saturday
Ahhh Friday...I made it to Friday! Got up early and went to breakfast and ready for our last hike. We headed out to Chuchwalla Trail. My knee was really sore and I was really looking forward to this hike - it was supposed to be pretty easy and fun - supposed to be. Our group was about a mile out from the van and had made it to the top of Turtle Rock. I was climbing onto the ledge to get up next to this arch/hole in the side of the mountain - I wanted to have my picture taken and since I'd been pretty fearless this trip and climbed up on every other rock they put me in front of this one didn't seem like a challenge, however...when I hoisted myself up onto the side and sifted my weight to my right foot, my heal slipped off some loose rock on the ledge and I tore my right calf muscle. It made this crazy popping noise and honestly I immediately thought I had a major charlie horse. I had my picture taken then eased my way down the rock. I took a couple of steps and knew something wasn't right. Dennis, one of our amazing guides, slowly walked back to the van with me as I limped along. We iced it and got me back to the resort where Paige immediately sent me on to the Dr. Sadly the Doc confirmed my calf muscle was a torn and put me on a strict elevation and ice regimen for the next 24 hours and as long as my foot doesn't start swelling and hurting I can fly home on Sunday, BUT I have to keep my leg elevated while I fly and go see my Dr first thing when I get back. SO.....I've spent my last beautiful day here in UT inside my room (which is amazing) watching movies and updating my blog. :o)
As much fun as I've had here and - wow - I've learned so much, but as wonderful as it has all been I am definitely ready to head home tomorrow.
Fantastic Friends!
So while I've been here at FR I met 2 of the best people you could ever meet in your ENTIRE life. :o) Lisa Nielsen and Jim Trudeau - these two have cheered me on and encouraged me the whole time I've been here. They are awesome and each have their own weight loss journey they are on and are both completely inspirational to me. This morning they both completed the SHAC Triathlon in St. George - you guys are AWESOME!!! I hope to swim it/bike it/walk or run it with you next time! Plus these two are so much fun to be around! Thursday afternoon we played hookie from lecture and Jim took us out to Snow Canyon to take some awesome pictures from the overlook and a couple of other cool spots in the park. It was a great break to my schedule and so much fun and you can see. :o)
Thanks guys - you gave me great advice and made my stay at FR! Got much love for ya!!!
BL Resort - Thursday
I woke up Thursday morning sore - probably more sore than I've ever been in my whole life, but even though I was sore I had energy. I didn't go to 6 AM kickboxing, I took the opportunity to sleep in a bit and recover a bit. I went to breakfast then off to Hidden Pinyon Trail for another 2 1/2 hour amazing hike. This hike turned out to be my FAVORITE of all the hikes I did. Amazing-absolutely amazing! We hiked up to piano rock and to be honest there were moments when I didn't think I would make it to the top, but like with everything this week I found out that I am physically stronger than I ever thought I was. I made it to the top and it was amazing. Then we trekked across the petrified dunes - which by the way it absolutely amazes me that in the midst of this mountain made of hard sand rock there are places where little plants still manage to root and pop up. There are also these weird little rocks that come out of the mountain over time as the sand dune erodes away. Most of them are perfectly round?!?!? When we got to the top one of our guides pointed out these two circles that you could see between these two mountains - these circles were used by George Lucas in Star Wars as the place where x-wings would land and take off - I thought that was awesome and totally photo worthy :0) I love it! Honestly the guides were all fantastic! Thank you guys for all the site seeing and bits of history along the way. After the dunes we went to butterfly rock - I hope to go back someday when I'm at my goal weight and have my picture made on that rock again.
After the hike it was on to ball works (one of my favorite classes using weights and a stability ball), then treading (ugh - so tough, but so amazing!) In Treading you warm up then hit your max speed on a cardio machine for 5 minutes then recover for 5 minutes, then 4 minutes max and recover 4 minutes, then 3 - 2 - 1... I am terrified of falling off the treadmill so at first I just walked as quickly as I possibly could, but thanks to Lisa cheering me on I was able to run for the 2 minute tread, the 1 minute tread and our surprise 1 minute tread. And not only did I run, I was able to increase the speed to a 5. Faster and longer than I've ever run before....it felt amazing!
BL Resort - Wednesday
Wednesday started with 6 AM Yogalates :o) I love Yogalates!!! (Yoga and Pilates) I always feel so good afterwards. Then onto breakfast and another 2 1/2 hour hike. This time to "Stop Sign!" I was told it's a right of passage here at Fitness Ridge to complete it. Stop Sign is a little over 4 mile paved hike up a steady incline where at the end you have gone up a little over 1000 feet of altitude. Amazing! It was definitely a challenge. I loved it and hated it every step of the way, but when I reached the top I happily slapped the "Stop Sign" like so many before me. It was awesome and I felt so good.
After lunch we had an very enlightening lecture from the resort life coach, Jen, on emotional eating. I always felt like I was an emotional eater, but Jen's lecture really brought some very interesting things to light. Probably the best advice she shared was that emotional health and awareness of your emotions = healthy weight and/or weight loss. By confronting your fears and those things we avoid we break the cycle of addiction and put yourself in control. She also explained that restriction breads rebellion. If you love popcorn find a healthy way to incorporate that into your diet without making it your go to food that you reach for every time you are stressed or bored. Jen really shared a lot of GREAT information!
The rest of the day went great - in fact I not only tried something new, kickboxing, but I also overcame a fear...Mountain. Mountain was the last cardio class I did before I got sick on Monday so I was really dreading it. I'm so thankful that I bit the bullet (as I did contemplate skipping) because I was completely successful and increased my incline from 10 to 12! Awesome - I did it and was stronger than I was on Monday. Nicole, the trainer, also gave us an awesome quote that I have drawn from all week. "I do today what others think I won't so I can do tomorrow what others can't." Awesome!!!!
Completely exhausted at the end of the day I go back to the room and......zzzzzzzz
BL Resort - Tuesday
Tuesday I woke up feeling well, with a new attitude and ready to take on the day. Went to 6 AM class, Hardcore and boy was it! A combonation of stretch and toning all with your core. Awesome. Next was breakfast then off to 3rd Ravine for another 2 1/2 hour hike. Again the scene was amazing and totally beautiful!!! It was a very challenging hike but I made it and didn't puke - lol! Along our hike we saw the place George Lucas used in Star Wars where the x-wing fighter pilots fuled. It was pretty cool to see especially since I'm a fan of Star Wars. :o)
The rest of the day went rather well - challenging - but I succeeded. H2O Circuit, Deep Water Suspension, Cardio Intervals and Total Toning all before dinner. Whew! We also had a cooking demo that day with the resort Chef Cameron Payne. He is awesome and works with the nutritionists to keep all meals and snacks balanced and within the 1200 per day calorie budget. Naturally I LOVED it and bought both of the resort cookbooks. I can't wait to get home and get cracking on some of those recipes.
After dinner was lecture then back to the room where within an hour I was tucked in bad and fast asleep.....zzzzzzzz.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
BL Resort - Monday
Monday was the first full day that I was here and started the exercise regimen. 6-7 hours of the toughest exercises that I've ever experienced in my life! I went to 6 AM Yoga then breakfast then a 2 1/2 hour hike on the Anasazi Trail. The Trail was amazing and very challenging for me since I've never hiked or even walked on anything more uneven than asphalt. 6 miles later I made it back to the resort. Thank you Dawson (one of the hiking guides) for walking with me and telling me all about your family, your job and how you got to the BL Resort to help keep my mind off of how bad my toes were burning and how tired I already was. I recovered for about 25 minutes from the hike and BOOM it's time for my next class - Mountain. Mountain is this challenging cardio interval class where you start at your base (incline/speed) that is effort, but not your max then over a series of 10 - 12 3 minute intervals you increase your speed and or incline till you push yourself to your max and hold it for 5 minutes = BRUTAL! Amazingly I got my incline up to 10 on the treadmill. It was so difficult and I was so blessed to have met Lisa and Jim who got on treadmills on either side of me and walked/ran the last little bit with me. They are both so encouraging and have become my buddies. After Mountain it was time for lunch, which by the way - the food here is AMAZING! We are allotted 1200 calories of food/meals then there are optional pieces of fruit or a serving of raw almonds for snacks. I'm probably staying somewhere around 1300 - 1350 calories per day. So lunch was great then it was time for our first lecture. I began getting a headache in lecture and after class went to the little shop here on the resort for some propel and extra electrolytes to add to my water, but it was too late. I got sick and barfed! Thankfully I had made it back to the ladies locker room before that happened. Page the awesome administrator helped me into one of the massage rooms to rest. They didn't want me to drive back to my room since I'm staying off property. So I laid down after I finally stopped being sick and was able to sleep for about and hour and a half. I woke up with a dull headache, but tried to get up and around to go to dinner and lecture, but the minute I got up and got sick again. I went to the shop again and bought some pepto and advil and no more got a dose of the pepto down, literally for like 10 seconds and got sick again. Nicole (one of the amazing trainers) came in and told me to go back to my room for the rest of the day and try it again tomorrow. :o) Cody (the shop retail manager) got me a light dinner (toast and some veggies) to take back to my room. Everyone was so great and I felt really defeated. Nicole and Page both scolded me and said that I was not allowed to be angry at myself or feel like a failure. I had brought myself to a completely different place and asked my body to do many different things that it had never done before in a totally different climate and altitude. Thank you ladies - you are wonderful. SO... back to the room and to bed early I went.
Will try again tomorrow...
Monday, November 8, 2010
BL Resort Day 1 - I'm here!
It's 3:30 am here and I should be asleep, but I can't. Anxiety about over sleeping and missing my class maybe??? The fact that it is soooo quiet here???? For whatever reason I'm awake and so I will take a minute to reflect and to blog.
You can not believe how beautiful it is here. The colors in the mountains and the sky are so vibrant and rich. I can not wait to go on our first hike today and take pictures. I took a couple from the plane...amazing view. The photos do not do it justice.
I've only been here a few hours and know already that I want to come back. Everyone go ahead and start saving, because you will want to come experience this.
I met several people last night, but no one from my team yet. I'm on the red team...fitting since our wedding color is red :)
On the way here I read Ali Vincent's "Believe it, Be it." The ENTIRE book! I don't know that I've ever read an entire book in one sitting, but her story was amazing and so inspiring and just what I needed to prep my mind for this amazing leg of my weight loss journey. I highly recommend it. She's just an average girl who like most of us found herself gaining weight and losing life. Awesome inspiration!
Ok...I'm off to bed again... more to come later. I'm overwhelmed by this amazing blessing. I am so thankful I am here. It's only been a few hours, but I can already tell that this place is going to mold me and shape me. Thank you God for this amazing opportunity and Thank you O'Neal for seeing the ability in me to change when I couldn't.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Episode – disappointment / Resort – Excitement!
I will not be included in The Biggest Loser “Where Are They Now?” Episode scheduled to air November 23rd. Somehow the diary camera that they had assigned to me made it back to the studio, but no one at the studio can find the tapes. Somewhere between 6 – 8 hours of video MIA. Possibly tossed in the garbage or just sitting on someone’s desk under a stack of papers...who knows??? It’s very disappointing, but it’s not the end of the world. I was very nervous about my heaviest weight being broadcast across the entire NBC viewing network, guess I don’t have to worry about that now – lol. Someday I will broadcast that number for myself, but I believe I’ll wait until I’m at my goal weight and I’m much further away from it. Still it’s disappointing because I had put so much time and effort into that footage. Sigh…it is what it is.
ANYWAY…
I’m getting VERY excited about my journey to the Biggest Loser Resort in UT next week. It’s only a few days away…4 days away in fact. My darling husband-to-be took me shopping last weekend and bought me several new outfits for my upcoming week of hard work. :D Thank you sweetie! I’ve got to spend the next few days getting organized and getting packed. I’m told my day will go something like this:
6:00 am - Open Gym or Class7:00 am - Breakfast8:00 am - Hike / Walk (yes…that’s a 2 ½ hour hike/walk each day) 11:30 am - Water Aerobics 12:45 pm - Lunch1:15 pm – Lecture 2:30 pm - Kickboxing3:30 pm - Circuit Training4:30 pm - Stretch5:30 pm - Dinner 6:15 pm – Lecture
Sounds like fun huh? Some of the gym classes and education series change daily/seasonally so my activities will vary, but for the most part this is what my days will look like next week. I’ve looked at the website everyday this week. http://www.biggestloserresort.com/home/ I can not wait to be there! I’m also told that my calorie intake will be roughly around 1200 calories per day. They have fresh fruit (apples, bananas and oranges) available at all times then my calories will be broken down as follows: 300 for breakfast, 400 for lunch and 500 for dinner. I’m going to be a little sponge and absorb every bit of information they share with me. I’m really excited to have this full 6 day week to devote to totally and completely to my health and my workouts. I have really struggled with making time for my workouts. I pray this week of non-stop workouts will trigger something within me to help me keep my butt in the gym because that is what it all truly comes down to…calories in, calories out. Quality food being consumed and hard core calories burned in the gym. 1000% focus and commitment will be required from me and I fully intend to give myself to it fully and completely.
ANYWAY…
I’m getting VERY excited about my journey to the Biggest Loser Resort in UT next week. It’s only a few days away…4 days away in fact. My darling husband-to-be took me shopping last weekend and bought me several new outfits for my upcoming week of hard work. :D Thank you sweetie! I’ve got to spend the next few days getting organized and getting packed. I’m told my day will go something like this:
6:00 am - Open Gym or Class7:00 am - Breakfast8:00 am - Hike / Walk (yes…that’s a 2 ½ hour hike/walk each day) 11:30 am - Water Aerobics 12:45 pm - Lunch1:15 pm – Lecture 2:30 pm - Kickboxing3:30 pm - Circuit Training4:30 pm - Stretch5:30 pm - Dinner 6:15 pm – Lecture
Sounds like fun huh? Some of the gym classes and education series change daily/seasonally so my activities will vary, but for the most part this is what my days will look like next week. I’ve looked at the website everyday this week. http://www.biggestloserresort.com/home/ I can not wait to be there! I’m also told that my calorie intake will be roughly around 1200 calories per day. They have fresh fruit (apples, bananas and oranges) available at all times then my calories will be broken down as follows: 300 for breakfast, 400 for lunch and 500 for dinner. I’m going to be a little sponge and absorb every bit of information they share with me. I’m really excited to have this full 6 day week to devote to totally and completely to my health and my workouts. I have really struggled with making time for my workouts. I pray this week of non-stop workouts will trigger something within me to help me keep my butt in the gym because that is what it all truly comes down to…calories in, calories out. Quality food being consumed and hard core calories burned in the gym. 1000% focus and commitment will be required from me and I fully intend to give myself to it fully and completely.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Paying It Forward
Paying it forward…what exactly is “paying it forward” and what exactly is “it” that you’re paying to others? :D Well to me “it” is every piece of positive and helpful information I obtain that helps me in my journey towards fitness and health and being able and willing to share that information with anyone and everyone who wants it or needs it. Today I had a moment to pay it forward and when I did it felt AMAZING!!!! When I share and encourage others I am not only helping them, but am in fact encouraging and motivating myself.
There is a guy here at work that was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. (Type 1 is the kind where you do not produce the needed hormones to break down glucose in the blood and depending on several factors you could either end up with too much or too little glucose in your system which both have adverse effects on the body) The diagnosis is very upsetting to him and he has been completely overwhelmed by this immediate life change he is being forced into. He was also very discouraged this morning to find that when he took his blood sugar it was 200+ and after a banana, a low calorie energy drink and his morning exercise it had shot up over 300. We started talking and I shared with him how sometimes synthetic sweeteners, while they have “no sugar” in them, can still increase your blood sugar levels and over time are really detrimental to your health, especially your joints. I shared with him my Aunt Dee’s story about how she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last summer and in just over a year she has been able to bring her blood glucose levels down to the doctor recommended healthy range and has also lost 60 lbs without taking any medications – all with diet and exercise. (I’m so proud of you Dee!) While Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are very different and require different regimens of treatment, they are both easier to maintain on a low-glycemic diet. I was so happy that I could share information and resources with him to help him on his journey and to offer words of encouragement and hope. While his journey is just beginning and will take a lot of trial and error on his part, the one thing I hope he realizes and what I pray my current and future conversations with him will impart is that there is hope for his situation. It will be difficult, it will take time and there will be days that are really good and days that are really bad, but through it all HE is in control and just because his blood sugar is over 300 today doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way forever. I am the only person who can control my health and wellness. YOU are the only person who can control YOUR health and wellness. While damage that has already been done can’t always be reversed, you can start this very moment and make changes to immediately start improving your health. And if you need some encouragement and help along the way, I’ll here. In my own pursuit of wellness and health - happy to share with you any information that I have that might help you on your journey whatever that journey might be :D
There is a guy here at work that was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. (Type 1 is the kind where you do not produce the needed hormones to break down glucose in the blood and depending on several factors you could either end up with too much or too little glucose in your system which both have adverse effects on the body) The diagnosis is very upsetting to him and he has been completely overwhelmed by this immediate life change he is being forced into. He was also very discouraged this morning to find that when he took his blood sugar it was 200+ and after a banana, a low calorie energy drink and his morning exercise it had shot up over 300. We started talking and I shared with him how sometimes synthetic sweeteners, while they have “no sugar” in them, can still increase your blood sugar levels and over time are really detrimental to your health, especially your joints. I shared with him my Aunt Dee’s story about how she was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes last summer and in just over a year she has been able to bring her blood glucose levels down to the doctor recommended healthy range and has also lost 60 lbs without taking any medications – all with diet and exercise. (I’m so proud of you Dee!) While Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are very different and require different regimens of treatment, they are both easier to maintain on a low-glycemic diet. I was so happy that I could share information and resources with him to help him on his journey and to offer words of encouragement and hope. While his journey is just beginning and will take a lot of trial and error on his part, the one thing I hope he realizes and what I pray my current and future conversations with him will impart is that there is hope for his situation. It will be difficult, it will take time and there will be days that are really good and days that are really bad, but through it all HE is in control and just because his blood sugar is over 300 today doesn’t mean that it has to stay that way forever. I am the only person who can control my health and wellness. YOU are the only person who can control YOUR health and wellness. While damage that has already been done can’t always be reversed, you can start this very moment and make changes to immediately start improving your health. And if you need some encouragement and help along the way, I’ll here. In my own pursuit of wellness and health - happy to share with you any information that I have that might help you on your journey whatever that journey might be :D
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Confessions of a Food addict
Hello, My name is Deborah and I'm an food addict...yes, addict. I love food. I love to cook it, eat it, shop for it, study it, talk about it...pretty much anything and everything about food...I love it. I probably spend more time thinking about food than just about anything else...except Michael :D This weekend was a blur of fast food and I absolutely did not make the best choices I could. Saturday morning was McDonald's for breakfast, Dickey's BBQ for lunch and Chili's for dinner. This morning I made a very yummy and nutritious breakfast of nummy organic wheat banana walnut pancakes with turkey bacon and organic eggs, but then for lunch I landed in a Sonic chicken fried steak toast sandwich with tator tots. Jillian would not approve. For dinner I snacked...snacked on crap. I found myself craving salt and carbs like CRAZY! To the point that I was actually thinking about going to the store to get me some French's French Fried Onion Rings (yes - the preservative filled fried onions that come in a can) and a Coke (mmmmm - nectar of the God's). In the midst of my euphoric sugar/carb haze I had this moment of clarity and thought REALLY?!?!?!? I immediately jumped up and went straight to Whole Foods to buy some fresh fruit and veggies. I can't do it! I can not allow myself to fall back into those bad food choices and habits. I have to be committed and prepared 100% of the time. When I'm not prepared, when I don't eat the proper foods I begin a spiral where I make bad decision after bad food decision. So...it begins immediately (actually it began about 6:30 or so) but from this moment on I promise myself I will be prepared. I will buy groceries and take my lunch to work and pack all my proper snacks. I will cleanse my body of the sugar filled carb-o-rific foods that I have munched on all weekend and begin filling my body with the proper fuel it needs. Wholesome, organic fruits, veggies, grains and proteins. As much as I love food I love myself more and love the progress I have made. I've come too far to turn back now.
I leave for the Biggest Loser Ranch in UT on 11/7. I can't wait!!!! I'm so nervous and so excited all at the same time. I am a little bit nervous about the action-packed schedule that I will have, but more than the nerves I'm looking forward to the challenge. My day will be packed with exercise, exercise and exercise from 6 AM to 6 PM for 7 full days. A 2 1/2 hour hike each day. Pool classes, cardio classes, gym, weights, yoga, lectures and nutrition classes....it's going to be amazing! I worry sometimes that I won't have the endurance to make it. While I've come a long way on my fitness journey I still have a long way to go and weekends like this are only steps backwards on my journey to healthy and skinny. In preparation and for a little motivation I bought my hiking boots yesterday. $135 later I have awesome hiking boots sure to make my feet feel fabulous on any length of hike. Wicking "wool" socks with arch compression and extra cushioning to help keep blisters at bay and amazing new insoles with fantastic arch support. I may not have any clothes to wear when I get to UT, but by golly my feet will look and feel AMAZING! LOL ;D
So...a lot of fun and exciting changes are coming my way. BL trip to UT, the "Where Are They Now?" BL follow up episode scheduled to air the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Michael and I celebrating our first holidays together AND OH YEA...THE WEDDING - WHEW! I'm excitedly overwhelmed just typing it all. :D God is so good...what more can I say. He is good and through Him I can do all things...even overcome silly little set backs like this weekend. ;D
I leave for the Biggest Loser Ranch in UT on 11/7. I can't wait!!!! I'm so nervous and so excited all at the same time. I am a little bit nervous about the action-packed schedule that I will have, but more than the nerves I'm looking forward to the challenge. My day will be packed with exercise, exercise and exercise from 6 AM to 6 PM for 7 full days. A 2 1/2 hour hike each day. Pool classes, cardio classes, gym, weights, yoga, lectures and nutrition classes....it's going to be amazing! I worry sometimes that I won't have the endurance to make it. While I've come a long way on my fitness journey I still have a long way to go and weekends like this are only steps backwards on my journey to healthy and skinny. In preparation and for a little motivation I bought my hiking boots yesterday. $135 later I have awesome hiking boots sure to make my feet feel fabulous on any length of hike. Wicking "wool" socks with arch compression and extra cushioning to help keep blisters at bay and amazing new insoles with fantastic arch support. I may not have any clothes to wear when I get to UT, but by golly my feet will look and feel AMAZING! LOL ;D
So...a lot of fun and exciting changes are coming my way. BL trip to UT, the "Where Are They Now?" BL follow up episode scheduled to air the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Michael and I celebrating our first holidays together AND OH YEA...THE WEDDING - WHEW! I'm excitedly overwhelmed just typing it all. :D God is so good...what more can I say. He is good and through Him I can do all things...even overcome silly little set backs like this weekend. ;D
Monday, September 27, 2010
“If you do not control your diet and lifestyle, eventually your diet and lifestyle will control you.” Michael Ewald D.C.
I don’t know that I ever truly realize how much control I actually have over my own body. Seriously, the power I have to own and control my personal health and well being. So often I take for granted that my body will always function like it’s supposed to regardless of what I do or what I eat, but that is absolutely not true. The further I go on this weight loss journey, the more I educate myself about health and wellness the more I find that I do in fact have a huge amount of control over my body and my health. Mentally, physically and emotionally – I have control over all these things and I through the grace of God have the power to overcome my own laziness so that I can work out, eat healthy and be the very best I can be so that I can reach my goals and accomplish all I would like to accomplish . Through Christ I have the power to ignore those voices in my head that say, “You’ve earned it...” or “It’s only one bite...one ice cream...one whatever...” There is always a battle in within me (mostly in my head – lol) fighting over old habits and easy choices. However, the choice in the end is mine to make. It is a choice I have to make every single day. Really, every moment, I have to make the choice to be fit and be healthy. I have to make the choice to surround myself with healthy foods and snacks, the choice to make exercise a priority and the choice to put myself and my health first above “my busy schedule.” There is time to exercise if I make it. There is time to prepare proper foods and healthy snacks if I make it happen. There is a very clear and obtainable way to reach my weight loss and fitness goals. I just have to choose it every day. Like Nike, I have to “just do it!” I am the only one who stands in the way and determines if I will reach my fitness goals or if I’ll reach for the bag of Cheetos!
Sigh...
I’m getting nervous. The Biggest Loser has sent me a diary camera to film some footage of me for an up coming “Where Are They Now?” episode that will air the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Among the requirements and requested footage is me on camera saying, “Before the Biggest Loser I weighed XXX and now I weigh XXX!” XXX = three horrifying numbers that I have never uttered aloud. Not even my life long BFF Christy knows that number. She knows where I am today and she knows closer to where that actual XXX lies, but to say that ugly number out loud? To America??? On TV and the Internet???? Oh my goodness...can I do it? Am I willing to be that venerable? I am accomplished so much in the past 7 months and I’m very proud of it, but I know I could have done more. I guess a part of me doesn’t feel like I’ve lost enough to say that sentence. I don’t even know that that sentence or what amount of footage will end up in the episode. But I do know that there is a huge lump in my throat when I think about sharing my actual weight with the world. But, there is also a peace that I feel coming with it as well. If I can have the courage to be on TV in front of every person I’ve ever known and say that horrible starting weight and where I am today, I may just be released from the “weight” and shame that that number carries. Maybe by exposing my scar of how out of control I let myself become I will inspire someone else to confront their “ugly” number and make the necessary changes in their life to fix it. God give me strength to stay focused and continue on my journey and let me share all that you give me with those around me.
Sigh...
I’m getting nervous. The Biggest Loser has sent me a diary camera to film some footage of me for an up coming “Where Are They Now?” episode that will air the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Among the requirements and requested footage is me on camera saying, “Before the Biggest Loser I weighed XXX and now I weigh XXX!” XXX = three horrifying numbers that I have never uttered aloud. Not even my life long BFF Christy knows that number. She knows where I am today and she knows closer to where that actual XXX lies, but to say that ugly number out loud? To America??? On TV and the Internet???? Oh my goodness...can I do it? Am I willing to be that venerable? I am accomplished so much in the past 7 months and I’m very proud of it, but I know I could have done more. I guess a part of me doesn’t feel like I’ve lost enough to say that sentence. I don’t even know that that sentence or what amount of footage will end up in the episode. But I do know that there is a huge lump in my throat when I think about sharing my actual weight with the world. But, there is also a peace that I feel coming with it as well. If I can have the courage to be on TV in front of every person I’ve ever known and say that horrible starting weight and where I am today, I may just be released from the “weight” and shame that that number carries. Maybe by exposing my scar of how out of control I let myself become I will inspire someone else to confront their “ugly” number and make the necessary changes in their life to fix it. God give me strength to stay focused and continue on my journey and let me share all that you give me with those around me.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
renewed, refreshed and recommitted
Once again it’s been awhile and I haven’t bothered to blog. I’m very disappointed in myself about that because I really want to use this as a tool for myself and for others to learn from and grow from. But...as the old saying goes, “It is what it is” and what I must do is simply pick up where I left off and begin again – renewed, refreshed and recommitted to my journey and to sharing my story and lessons learned with all of you.
So what exactly have I been doing since I lasted blogged...here’s quick recap!
I have to start even before my last post. :) The end of June I met the love of my life. Little did I know that is when I was set up by my sister to exchange weight loss stories with this “awesome guy” who was a patient at the allergy clinic she works for. The moment we met there was an immediate connection that sparked a whirlwind romance that lead to a proposal on 8/13. We have set the date for 02/26/2011 and I couldn’t be happier. We took a wonderful trip to Florida to see his brother and his family and enjoyed some of the best seafood I’ve ever eaten. We had such a good time! Shortly after that I took a vacation to Mexico – Amazing! Thank you Deana and Bryan once again for being such a wonderful host and hostess. In Mexico Deana and I did an amazing job of staying committed to our workouts and made it a point to exercise everyday. Eating was much more of a challenge and despite my efforts in the gym and at the table I still managed to gain 5 lbs. somewhere between FL and Mexico. “Not horrible,” I told myself, “it will be a cinch to take off.” YEAH RIGHT!!! As I am approaching the 50 lbs lost mark, and having been home for over a month now I find myself moving up and down the scale with that same 5 lbs. My weight will drop 49 lbs then it will move up to47 lbs then back to 48 lbs then up to 45 lbs...44 lbs...43 lbs... So on and so on until I found myself having gained back 10 of my lost lbs. Sad, sad day, but instead of allowing my “gain” to breed disappointment and self loathing I instead will learn from my mistakes and do more and do better.
What is the biggest lesson I learned from my little back slide you ask? That would be that you have to be 100% committed 100% of the time. I and my weight loss have to take first priority. I must plan ahead and have healthy low calorie snacks and meals readily available and with me at all times regardless of if I’m at home or if I’m traveling. I have to press on and schedule time into each day for exercise even if it is something as small as a brisk 30 min walk. And I must make time to rest. With out proper rest all my efforts in eating and exercising will be for not because it takes all 3 get the results I (and you) want to see
So what exactly have I been doing since I lasted blogged...here’s quick recap!
I have to start even before my last post. :) The end of June I met the love of my life. Little did I know that is when I was set up by my sister to exchange weight loss stories with this “awesome guy” who was a patient at the allergy clinic she works for. The moment we met there was an immediate connection that sparked a whirlwind romance that lead to a proposal on 8/13. We have set the date for 02/26/2011 and I couldn’t be happier. We took a wonderful trip to Florida to see his brother and his family and enjoyed some of the best seafood I’ve ever eaten. We had such a good time! Shortly after that I took a vacation to Mexico – Amazing! Thank you Deana and Bryan once again for being such a wonderful host and hostess. In Mexico Deana and I did an amazing job of staying committed to our workouts and made it a point to exercise everyday. Eating was much more of a challenge and despite my efforts in the gym and at the table I still managed to gain 5 lbs. somewhere between FL and Mexico. “Not horrible,” I told myself, “it will be a cinch to take off.” YEAH RIGHT!!! As I am approaching the 50 lbs lost mark, and having been home for over a month now I find myself moving up and down the scale with that same 5 lbs. My weight will drop 49 lbs then it will move up to47 lbs then back to 48 lbs then up to 45 lbs...44 lbs...43 lbs... So on and so on until I found myself having gained back 10 of my lost lbs. Sad, sad day, but instead of allowing my “gain” to breed disappointment and self loathing I instead will learn from my mistakes and do more and do better.
What is the biggest lesson I learned from my little back slide you ask? That would be that you have to be 100% committed 100% of the time. I and my weight loss have to take first priority. I must plan ahead and have healthy low calorie snacks and meals readily available and with me at all times regardless of if I’m at home or if I’m traveling. I have to press on and schedule time into each day for exercise even if it is something as small as a brisk 30 min walk. And I must make time to rest. With out proper rest all my efforts in eating and exercising will be for not because it takes all 3 get the results I (and you) want to see
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Rabbit trails and winding paths
It's been awhile since I've posted a blog... I seem to be so busy lately, but in the best of ways. I'm currently down 45 lbs with only 5 more to go to make it a huge milestone of 50 lbs lost. I'm so close and am so excited yet know I have so much more to lose and so much more yet to accomplish. I still struggle with balance everyday. Keeping focused about working out and eating properly has been a huge challenge the last couple of weeks. I'm scattered and unfocused and can't get into a good daily rhythm. I know exactly what I need to do yet I struggle daily with doing it. Making the right choices is very easy to say yet sometimes so much harder to do. Carbs continue to be my biggest enemy yet something I crave the most. Just yesterday I went through all my cabinets and took out anything and everything that was a carb or a bread. Regardless of how "healthy" or "low-fat" or "only 100 calories" it might be it is still my enemy and keeping me from destiny and from my health. I did take a physical through work and found that my blood pressure was excellent 119/78 and my fasting blood sugar level was 103. My HDL and LDL cholesterol were both very good, but my triglycerides were still high. All of this made me feel really good until I got to the section that said my BMI was still like 40. That's considered obease - that was so disheartening. Almost 50 lbs and I'm still obease. Sigh - just got to keep on...
Sometimes I catch glances of myself in the mirror and I say "who's that skinny girl?" Other times I just move away from the mirror as quickly as possible because I still see that "fat girl" I've been my whole life.
Regardless of my "unbalanced" moments God is still so good and is giving me the strength and the motivation to keep pressing on towards my goal of being skinny and healthy. All I can do is give 100% of myself to my goals everyday. Continue to make my health and weightloss my #1 priority and not let myself get lost on rabbit trails and winding paths for very long. ;oD
Sometimes I catch glances of myself in the mirror and I say "who's that skinny girl?" Other times I just move away from the mirror as quickly as possible because I still see that "fat girl" I've been my whole life.
Regardless of my "unbalanced" moments God is still so good and is giving me the strength and the motivation to keep pressing on towards my goal of being skinny and healthy. All I can do is give 100% of myself to my goals everyday. Continue to make my health and weightloss my #1 priority and not let myself get lost on rabbit trails and winding paths for very long. ;oD
Sunday, June 6, 2010
YOU can CHOOSE to quit, YOU can CHOOSE to be less than what you are and less than what God intended but don't ever tell me "YOU CAN'T!" ~ Jillian Mich
The past couple of weeks have been a bit of a challenge. While I haven't completely fallen off the "wagon" or slid back into old habits, I certainly have been dragging my feet. When I weighed yesterday I hadn't gained, but I hadn't lost any either. I felt very lazy and discouraged and I really didn't understand why. When I look in the mirror I can see how much I've accomplished. When I put on my clothes I can CERTAINLY tell that weight is being lost - my body is completely changing and for the better. I'm proud to say that when I began this journey in January (and this is hard to type or share, it's hard to admit that I had let myself get so big - anyway) I was wearing a women's plus size 24 pants and a women's plus size 22 shirt. As of today I'm wearing a women's size 18/20 pant and women's 14/16 shirt. I've even been able to buy a couple of shirts that were misses size or normal or not plus sizes. I'm down 11 inches over my entire body. It feels completely AMAZING!!! So why this little funk??? I'm not sure - I'm really now. For whatever reason I haven't felt the excitement and dedication. I only worked out once this week and it really wasn't a workout that Jillian or Bob would be proud of. SO...what to do??? How do you refocus, recommit and get rejuvenated. I started talking to the "Program" aka Eric, my cousin who's been my biggest encourager and who himself is committed to health and fitness for his family. After some re-evaluation of my habits and heart with him and re-watching the Biggest Loser Episode of the Dallas 5K I was able to see where I was slacking and lacking. My BFF Christy, who is also my biggest cheerleader and champion reminded me of what Sunshine said to me during the 5K, "Whenever you get discouraged remember how you feel in this very moment. Remember how awesome this day feels...." And that's exactly what I've been doing the last couple of days. Revisiting that day and those feelings and remembering that each and every day it is a CHOICE to do this. This change will not come just because I want it to. My goals will not be met and I will not succeed just because I would like to see them someday. Each day I have to choose to make myself, my health and my goals a priority. I even looked up the word "choose." To choose is to select freely after consideration. Which completely sums it up for me. Each and everyday it's a choice and only I can make it. Good or bad, right or wrong, only I can make the choice and so with new commitment to myself and my goals I choose ME. I choose my health and to love myself enough to work towards my goals. Yesterday I bought a new food/exercise journal that I plan to carry with me all the time along with my BL calorie counter book and I will write down every single bite of food I put into my mouth. I will also track every step I take and record every bit of exercise I do each and every day. I will be totally and brutally honest in this book and will weekly give it to Christy for critiquing. She will be my accountability partner. I will also make my workouts a priority. I will schedule them into my day and week and no matter what happens, no matter the time of day I WILL go workout. I choose to make my diet and my exercise a priority. I know that I will make mistakes and I will have days that are much, much more difficult than others, but I CHOOSE this. I CHOOSE ME - A HEALTHY, HAPPY ME!
Above is a recent picture :) Despite the lull or small set back I can't deny that my body is changing and what I am doing it changing it all for the better.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
LOVE for 5K
5K. 3.1 miles. In some ways it sounds a significant distance, but it other ways its not very far at all. When I first started training for a 5K back in Oct/Nov of last year it seemed like such a long distance especially since I was about 40 lbs heavier than I am today. Now, here I am 4 - 5K's later and I can't wait to do another one. In fact I'm ready to up my distance and try for a 10K. I would like to work my way up to a 1/2 marathon this year. Saything that today sounds like such a stretch. It sounds like something impossible for my current body to do. I have to keep reminding myself that in Feb I didn't think I could do a 5K, but I did. I walked it. Then in March I did one with my friend Whitney and was able to jog a little bit. Then another one in April with my Aunt where I jogged even more. Sometimes I feel like I have so far to go, but then I think of what I already done. Don't ever think you "can't" do something. Never say "can't" until you at least try. Someday I will be able to run an entire 5K. Someday I will be able to do a 1/2 or full marathon. But I know that to reach that goal and to make any of that happen I have to keep trying. I have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and keep on moving. Each step I take helps me lose the weight and makes it easier to jog. Each jog I take is moving me towards a run and one day I will run. One day I it be easy to run. I will be thinner and healthier and I will run. :) I can't wait!!!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Good Workout/Bad Workout
Yesterday I participated in my first Spin class - brutal! It was a definitely one of the toughest workouts I've had to date. It was really hard and a couple of times I felt like stopping, but I wouldn't let myself quit moving. Once I had finished I really did feel a since of accomplishment. I may have not done quite as well as some of the others in the class, but for me I had done my very best and it felt great! Today my legs and booty are CRAZY sore. I went to the gym this morning feeling my usual motivation. Ready to hop on the elliptical for my hour of cardio then onto some weights. Well...not so much. I did hop on the elliptical and cranked up my tunes and got started. No surprise I was feeling every step with the soreness of yesterdays workout. I struggled through 15 minutes then decided I would do some weights then finish my cardio after. I was really beginning to hurt so I decided not to work my lower body. So I worked my upper body, chest, arms, abs...etc, but I just really wasn't feeling it. SO, I thought I would scrap it for now and do some evening Yoga later. I was on my way out of the gym when I spotted 2 new cardio machines that a girl in spin class was telling me about yesterday. New Precore cardio machines that on the sides kinda look like a pump-jack. I decide not to give up just yet and go try out the new machines. I hop on but I couldn't get it to start. I keep trying and FINALLY the switchboard lights up and I can begin my workout. Its some sort of step climbing/running machine. I get a good rhythm going with a comfortable intensity and set the timer for 30 min. I made it about 15 minutes before I felt like I was going to pass out from climbing/running. I stopped got off the machine and came home. So now, here I am...home...feeling sore. :) It certainly wasn't one of my best workouts, but I'm glad I went. That's the attitude I have to keep to succeed on the weight loss journey and what I have to remember all day every day, no matter how much it hurts, regardless of when or how your stumble along the way, pick yourself up and NEVER, EVER, EVER GIVE UP! Don't give up on your journey and NEVER give up on yourself.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Struggling
Sorry it's been so long since I posted anything. Life has been pretty busy lately and I have been struggling. Struggling with the diet at times and definitely struggling with work outs. At first I had a pretty good attitude and just kept on trying and not beating myself up too much for missing a workout or splurging a little here and there and honestly didn't think much of it. Then more and more time kept creeping in between workouts so I started whining about it to my friends and started getting really discouraged. Work has become a huge hurdle in my work out routines. At first I tried to work out at 5 AM each morning, yea that didn't work out so good. Then I tried going straight to the gym right after work which typically is a great work out time for me, but here's where work began throwing me a hurdle, my schedule has changed a little and instead on closing one night a week I now close 3 sometimes 4 nights a week. This is a problem because not only do I not leave until 6:30 most days but I have a 40 + minute drive home from work. By the time I get home I'm so pooped and hungry I don't make it to the gym. SO - wah wah wah, blah blah blah. Fast forward to today. I was thinking about how all this junk I've been griping about is just life. There is always going to be something that is going to keep me from going to the gym or tempting me to blow my diet. The BIG question is "WHAT AM I GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?" After a lot of great counsel from my friends and watching last night's Biggest Loser I have decided that I'm going to consciously make "the choice" 24/7! It is up to me and me only to reach my goals and keep me on track. I'm going to talk to my manager and ask if we can rearrange my schedule some so that I can commit to working out twice during the week and also work out on both Saturday and Sunday. I'm going to keep motivators and reminders of how far I've already come on this journey all around me and how far I still have to go and how the gap between them is shrinking daily. I will choose to celebrate the small victories as well as the big ones (and not with ice cream) God has been so good to me and he continues to bless me each and every day. Each and everyday I have a choice. A choice to follow God and a choice to make myself and my health a priority. "How bad do you want it Deb?" "Are you willing to make the right choices and the sacrifices it will take to achieve your goal?" The answer...YES! I love myself enough to do just that. So that's what I'm going to do. Now the question is, What are you going to do about it for yourself? :)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Biggest Loser Episode
Awesome, Awesome, Awesome! That doesn't even really begin to describe how I felt when the BL 5K episode filmed here in Dallas finally aired. It was so surreal to see myself on the big screen, but at the same time it was so much fun. I am completely honored and flattered that they put so much of "my story" in the episode. My friends and family were there to support me and watch with me. It was so wonderful to have them all there with me. Thank you guys so much - I love you all very much!!! My best friend Christy even had a sign made for me. I love my sign - I've already hung it up in my apartment - what an awesome reminder that I'm loved and have such an awesome support group to cheer me along on my journey. Seeing the episode made me excited and motivated all over again. As of Tuesday (4/27/10) I'm down 34 lbs and 11.5 inches. Accomplishing that makes me want to lose the next 30 lbs! And as if all the wonderful words of encouragement and support weren't enough to keep me on this amazing high I received a message on facebook today from a woman I don't even know in Minnesota telling me that my story inspired her. Wow - I was so flattered and excited. My ultimate goal is to lose the weight, but even more than that I want my journey to inspire others and encourage them to be healthy and happy and feel as amazing as I do. And by the Grace of God I believe that is beginning to happen. Praise God - to HIM be all the glory. God is so good!
I haven't talked to O'Neal since that day, but I really hope he knows what an awesome inspiration he is to me and how that little bit of time I spent with him that day changed me forever and set in motion this awesome journey that I am on.
I love you O'Neal - Thank you!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
I heart the elliptical!
Got up early this morning and went to the gym and had an AWESOME workout. I have to say that my favorite part of my workouts are on the elliptical. On this machine I work my entire body from my arms down to my legs. I'm able to focus on my breathing and my posture while keeping a steady pace. I have found that my core balance is strong enough now that I can even close my eyes and not lose any balance at all. Tummy held in, glutes taught and breathing in my nose and out my mouth at a very steady pace. I love it! The best part is that because I am (and I say this with the most pride and love within me)an eternal band geek my feet are ever in step with whatever beat is pumping through my head. Today I really amped up my workout by increasing the incline and the resistance to make it harder for me to keep time with the beats of whatever song I was listening to. It was AWESOME!! What a great sweat!!! (LOL - never thought that I would enjoy being sweaty and gross) Probably the best cardio session I've had. OH, but don't think I stopped there today - no, no, I added a 4th set to all my reps on the machines and even added some extra weight. I really, really feel good today - healthy and strong - RAWRRRRR! :)
Today - do something out of your norm. Something that makes you feel strong and proud of yourself.
Today - do something out of your norm. Something that makes you feel strong and proud of yourself.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
WOW!!!
Just when I thought I had my excitement all under control I see the preview for next weeks Biggest Loser episode - AAAAHHHHHH!!!! It is so surreal to have experienced it and now to actually see it on TV and on the internet. WOW!!! Seeing myself in the preview and looking at myself today really shows that all my hard work is beginning to pay off. The excitement bubbling up all over again just makes me that much more committed and more willing to meet my goal this time.
I'm not comfortable enough to reveal my actual numbers just yet, but there will come a day in the future when I will disclose my heaviest weight, my current weight and my goal weight. Last time I weighed I was down 26 lbs from BLD (Biggest Loser Day 02/07/10) and down 36 lbs from when I went to the Dr in January. It's all so amazing and I hope it's ok to admit that I'm really proud of myself and love myself in a very healthy way. I am truly feeling great about myself and loving myself in a way that I have never done before.
OK - here's the link:
http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/video/the-biggest-loser-next-on/1220928/
Can't wait till next week!!!!! Ahhh!!!
OH - and to all my followers, I'd like to start giving little words of wisdom and encouragement with each post. Todays encouragement is find 3 things about yourself that you love. Be it the color of your hair or a trait of your personality. Own each one of those things about yourself and let yourself shine. It you start feeling discouraged about yourself remember those 3 things and know that you are loved - loved by your heavenly father and loved by me! Have an awesome day!!!
I'm not comfortable enough to reveal my actual numbers just yet, but there will come a day in the future when I will disclose my heaviest weight, my current weight and my goal weight. Last time I weighed I was down 26 lbs from BLD (Biggest Loser Day 02/07/10) and down 36 lbs from when I went to the Dr in January. It's all so amazing and I hope it's ok to admit that I'm really proud of myself and love myself in a very healthy way. I am truly feeling great about myself and loving myself in a way that I have never done before.
OK - here's the link:
http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/video/the-biggest-loser-next-on/1220928/
Can't wait till next week!!!!! Ahhh!!!
OH - and to all my followers, I'd like to start giving little words of wisdom and encouragement with each post. Todays encouragement is find 3 things about yourself that you love. Be it the color of your hair or a trait of your personality. Own each one of those things about yourself and let yourself shine. It you start feeling discouraged about yourself remember those 3 things and know that you are loved - loved by your heavenly father and loved by me! Have an awesome day!!!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Biggest Loser Day!!!
Some of you may have already read this, but this is where/how my journey all began.
Sunday February 7, 2010
WOW – I will always refer to this day as The Biggest Loser Day! It was truly AMAZING!!! I can honestly say that it was the single most motivating and inspiring day of my whole life. I am completely motivated and renewed about weight loss – my life will never be the same again as far as weight loss is concerned. It all started Friday on my way to work when I heard on the radio (96.3 KSCS) an interview with 3 of the BL contestants. They were in town to do a 5K and if you called in you could win a slot to run with them. I tried and tried and tried to get through, but was unable to. I immediately called Christy and she looked online to see if she could find ANYTHING about it. She found NOTHING except a talk radio station that would be talking to 3 BL contestants between 8:30 & 9 AM. Once again I tried and tried and tried to get through using both my work phone and my cell phone, but nothing…no win for Deb, but the last radio station said on air that you could go down to the Cotton Bowl to be a spectator and cheer them on. I called Christy again to tell her we could go down and watch and she was all in! We searched all day Friday for info about this 5K and literally found NOTHING – it was not advertised at all. So in true whirlwind fashion we just decided to show up and see what would happen. Sunday morning we met at my house around 7 and got to Fair Park about 8:30 and literally just drove around looking for and asking people where to go. We just happened upon this one guy who was putting out a “ BL3K" marker and he told us to go to the blue building next to the Cotton Bowl to check in. We were set – we parked the car and headed that way. We got to the building and were instructed to sign in and to sign releases to watch since “our likeness might” be on TV. The BL producers/workers also gave us each a number which we were told was like a "pass" to be onsite. I was BL 80, Christy BL 81 and Bev BL 82. So we hung around while they were getting everyone checked in and organized. While waiting we met Michelle Aguilar (Season 6 winner) and Tracey Yukich (Season 8 @ home winner) both are the Dallas area. Tracey lives in Allen and ended up talking to Christy and me for like 20 minutes and invited us to meet up with her for a workout sometime. We were completely star struck and THRILLED!!!
The producers welcomed everyone and started separating people in BL t-shirts from those of us who were numbered. The people in BL t-shirts were those who had won slots to run/walk with the contestants on the radio. After counting up how many people were on each team, the producers then called the numbered people over and thanked us for being there and said they wanted us to wait at the start/finish out on the field and cheer everyone on. We were told we would get t-shirts and/or some goodies for being there today. To give out the t-shirts the producers started calling the numbered people. During this time when they were giving out the t-shirts the producers came back over and said that they would need some “extras” and they would call us over by number when they were ready for us. I nearly flipped when they called our numbers. We went over to the t-shirt table and requested yellow t-shirts thinking we may only be getting t-shirts to be in the crowd. Christy wanted pink, but I said, “No, we have to all match.” So we got the yellow t-shirts – which I loved because it was so bright. As the girl at the table handed us our t-shirts she tells us to wear them over whatever we are wearing. And we happily did. So we are just hanging around waiting to be moved to the Cotton Bowl when a producer walks by and told us to move over with the people in the other yellow shirts that we would be running/walking with Yellow Team - we were so excited and like WHAT?!?!?!? So the producers take us all down to the middle of the field at the Cotton Bowl and we do a huge group warm up with some trainers from 24 Hr Fitness. From this point on pretty much EVERYTHING we do is being taped. Christy, Beverly and I were on the front row of the warm up and watched the camera man run/walk by us several times. After the warm up they split us up into our color groups again and we are told we will meet our contestants shortly. The Yellow team and the Gray team both still had two contestants so those groups were split in two. Soon we could see the contestants walking down the big entry way into the Cotton Bowl – it was so awesome and so exciting. Our contestant walked over to us and it was Mr. O'Neal Hampton Jr. He and his daughter Sunshine make up the yellow team this season (Season 9). O’Neal is a 50 yr old USPS Station Manager from Minneapolis, MN. He shared with us so many neat stories about himself like that he was a Green Berea and showed us scar where he had been shot. He also shared with us his story about how he and Sunshine were the only members of their family who were over weight. His starting weight on the BL was 389 lbs and as of that day he had lost approx. 120 lbs. He also shared with us that his weight was so severe that he could no longer bend over and put on his own socks and shoes prior joining the show and that he didn’t even know if they were actually going to let him on the show because of his knees. Both of his knees were bad and basically bone and bone and he would not be running the 5K, but walking and anyone wishing to run was welcome to. We of course opted to walk with O’Neal and support him. We walked the entire 5K and just talked and talked and talked. They were filming us the entire time too. We asked his so many questions about the ranch and about him and BL which he very kindly answered. After a while O’Neal began talking to all of us and asking us questions about our lives and our stories. There were so many amazing people there. A woman whose husband was a partial quadriplegic, she shared their challenges about how difficult it is for him to exercise, but that he was committed and with the help of crutches and braces he had been able to walk a mile recently. There was also a man who had broken his back twice walking with his mother who was poor physical health.
About the 2 – 2 ½ mile mark O’Neal’s daughter, Sunshine came back to finish the 5K w/her Dad. She was so incredibly sweet and talked to all of us and motivated us. She told us to “always remember how you feel right now, and then when you are having a bad day you can use this excitement and energy to push you through.” Shortly there after Alison Sweeney, the host, met up with us too. She greeted everyone and walked with O’Neal and Sunshine for a bit then started talking to me and asking me about my journey. At one point Alison and I were walking arm in arm. She was so encouraging and she told the me they wanted me for Season 10 (to which I immediately looked at the camera and said, "IS THAT ON TAPE?") and that she wanted me to twitter her progress reports and if I "fell off the wagon" she was going to come back to Dallas and slap me. She was HILARIOUS!
We were the last team to complete the 5K, but it was still amazing because when we turned the corner and headed down the hill to the field everyone was cheering and rooting for us. It was the most amazing thing. We had done it and I had with no trouble at all walked my very first 5K ever. Alison climbed up on the side of the host with the timer on it and thanked everyone for participating and announced that while we were all walking and talking, the contestants were challenged choose 1 member from their team that they were inspired by and wanted to award with a special prize. O'Neal was first and he said that he was motivated and inspired by talking to everyone on his team today, but he wanted to give the prize to was ME because he could see in my heart that I really wanted to change and he wanted to give me that opportunity. What was the prize? A 1 yr membership to 24 Hr Fitness and a 1 week, all inclusive stay at the Biggest Loser Resort @ Fitness Ridge in UT. I started crying, Christy and Beverly were crying. I walked up to O’Neal and hugged him and said that this was the beginning and that he was changing my life. He said he wanted me to keep in touch with him and let him know how I'm doing and said that he wanted to motivate me and encourage me in anyway he could.
They immediately pulled me aside and got my contact info and asked me to wait to be interviewed. OH – there were only 7 contestants there so they only gave away 7 of those prizes. While waiting I got to meet Sam & Koli (gray team), Daris (orange team), Ashley (pink team) and Michael (white team). They were ALL amazing and looked so good. I actually got to see Michael before the race and talk with him for a moment and give him a hug. After I had won my prize and he was on his way up to give his away he grabbed me and hugged me and said, “Congratulations! That’s so awesome!!!” Later when I went over to get my picture made with Michael and ask him to sign my t-shirt he grabbed me again and hugged me and said he was so happy that O'Neal gave the prize to me and then joked that he would need a date for the finale. We flirted a bit; he signed the back of my t-shirt and wrote "call me baby." We had our picture made then I slipped away and jotted down my number and email and gave it to him and told him he had no excuse not to call me. I told him that even if he didn't call me to be his finale date that he better call me and he said, "Oh I'll be calling you - I'm going to check up on you..." I did my interview w/the producer and literally can’t even remember what I said. We were told they would be contacting me with the info regarding my membership and to let me know when the episode would air. I don't know how much of "me" or "my story" will be in the episode, but they told me yesterday that it would air sometime in April.
Whew - my head is still spinning.
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