Wisdom of sorts from a six-year-old

My very-soon-to-be-seven-year-old daughter was running up and down the hallway, into the master bedroom, and then back into the hallway again. On one of the trips into the bedroom, where I have been folding laundry, she offers this little nugget of wisdom. Or maybe I should have said nugget of truth.

CMD:Mommy, I’m running so I can lose weight.

Me: You don’t need to lose weight. You can run so that you can stay fit and trim, but you don’t need to lose weight.

CMD: But you do, right?

Me: Yes, I need to lose weight. Since Daddy will be off tomorrow I’m going to the gym in the morning when I get up.

CMD: Good. You need to because I’m pretty sure there’s not a baby in that tummy.

Thanks, kid. LOL This was after we watched Extreme Weight Loss this morning on the DVR and she told me I needed to go on the show.

Figuring Things Out

I have no idea what eating plan I'm going to follow - probably just cut back and count calories for now. I want to finish reading Chris Powell's Choose to Lose: The 7-Day Carb Cycle Solution and possibly get started on his eating plan. But, I'm not there yet. So I guess until I get there, it's cutting back.

I spent some time checking out the gym schedule online. I'm very eager to start off in the water. They offer four different water aerobics classes - WaterFit, AquaDrills, CardioSplash, and AquaZumba. And of course, I can still swim. My goal is to spend 1-2 hours in the pool everyday (well, 5 days each week) actually exercising, not just playing. I'm not counting playing with the kids in the neighborhood pool as a workout because I won't be doing it continually. It's activity, yes. But I want 1-2 hours a day of intentional workout time in the pool.

I also want to go in for a 1-hour class three days a week that isn't in the pool. That's in addition to the pool time. I know that this seems like a lot, but I need to make the most of my summer off. I need to see some significant weight loss in the two months of no school and to get my body used to working out so that when school starts back I have a better chance of sticking with it, even if it's for shorter periods of time.

So, to get started I took advantage of a Memorial Day sale on www.landsend.com today. I ordered a swimsuit and water aerobic shoes to wear so the pool doesn't tear up my feet. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of both and pray they fit. I also spent some time on the Lands End website and fell in love with some of their clothes. I think I just found some inspiration! I love their clothes, and I've already picked out a few things I'd love to own. I know they'll be out of style or out of season by the time I got to a size where I could/would order them - but I think they'll replace them with things I like just as much.

Oh, I forgot about something I'm going to do. It's called "DietBet." You join by placing your "bet" and then you have 4 weeks to lose 4% of your body weight. Those who lose 4% of their body weight split the pot. Pretty cool idea, I think. I'm excited about it and can't wait to begin. I like that I'm not trying to lose the most weight, I'm just trying to accomplish a 4% weight loss goal. It starts on June 1st. It's all online, so anyone can join. Pretty cool, huh?

Confession

I really, really, really don't like my body. I know I should love every inch of me, but honestly.. I don't. I was just in the bathroom changing clothes when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I don't usually look until I'm clothed. I just wanted to cry. How do I get to the point where I love my body enough to want to make it look better? Maybe I don't love me enough. Is that it? For the life of me, I wish I could figure it out. Because, maybe if I figured it out I'd finally be able to do something about it.

*sigh*

The Plan

I've decided to try this for one week at a time. I'm not going to worry about next month or two months from now. Yes, I do have a long-term goal. But I am not planning food or exercise for two or three weeks at a time. I get too overwhelmed.

Monday: Elliptical (and/or Zumba if soccer gets canceled)
Tuesday: BodyPump
Wednesday: Elliptical
Thursday: Body Pump
Friday: Either Elliptical or Body Pump (depending on how the week is going and what needs to be done to prepare for soccer this weekend)
Saturday: Free Choice - do something or nothing
Sunday: Free Choice - do something or nothing

Hubby and I talked it over, and meals are going to be simple. A grilled meat (love using the indoor grill) and a veggie most days. We need simple during these crazy soccer days. Plus, we're both working full-time, I'm working on my Masters, we have to shuttle kids to to soccer or ballet, he runs the soccer program, we both want to make exercise a priority, and we have church activities a few days a week. It makes for a busy schedule, but it's worth it. And some of it only lasts a few weeks. We can handle it, but we have to plan and be on the same page.

We also talked about a long-term goal. We want to do a four-mile run in August. I haven't run in a couple years. I wasn't the best runner (I usually finished last), but I did it. There's an organization we both support for a friend whose son receives their services. It's called the Lekotek run. We've decided we'd like to run it this year - hubby, "L", and me... maybe "C" as well. We'll have to work on her.

I did it!!!

OMGosh! I did it, I did it, I did it!!!!

OK, so this may not seem big to anyone else, but for me it's huge. My favorite class at the gym is Power. They've made some changes and now the class is called BodyPump. Same format, different program - I think. Anyway, that's irrelevant. I haven't been able to take this class is years. First it started with two carpal tunnel surgeries. I couldn't lift a weight bar if I had tried - believe me, I wanted to. Then, right after the second carpal tunnel surgery I injured my knee, followed by a knee surgery. Then, a year or so later I had surgery on my other knee. I had just about gotten to where I was ready to try and do the class when I fell at work and hurt, you guessed it, my knee. Fortunately it was just a sprain.

So, today I figured I'd give BodyPump a try. I freakin' did it!!!! Woohoo!!! I couldn't do all the squats and lunges - I'm just not there yet. But I did some, and I can definitely feel the workout all over my body. This is huge for me. I feel like if I can get back into this class I can start building up strength again. My next challenge is the elliptical. I need to get some aerobic activity in, and I just don't think I'm ready for Zumba yet. LOL It's fun, but that class is intense!

So, there you have it. My mini victory for the day. Can't wait till my clothes get too big for me. :-) I figure if I have to buy shorts this summer, I should at least have to buy them in a smaller size, right???

Going Slowly

OK, so I know some say that losing slowly is the best way for sustained weight loss. And I'm cool with that. With the exception of one week, I've lost a pound or more each time I've weighed in. It doesn't help that I missed two weigh-ins. I'm down 5 pounds since I started Weight Watchers, which isn't a lot. Of course, if it was gain I know I'd think it was a huge amount.

But seriously, I was all excited to be down a total of five pounds... and then someone else lost 5.8 this week. I decided I need to start putting more effort into losing weight and getting healthy. While a pound a week is good, I know I could possibly be doing more. I need to be more accountable with what I'm eating. I've done a little too much "guestimating" when it comes to tracking. And you can forget exercise. That's been hit-or-miss lately.

So, I'm going to take it one week at a time. This week I'm going to focus on tracking better and getting more activity in. I'd really like to see what I could do if I put forth a real effort.

Shopping

Note to self: When shopping for bras, even if you are buying the same size you are currently wearing, try them on before purchasing.

That is all. You're welcome.

Love, Me