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)

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)

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.

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...

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.

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.