The Body Fat Solution Winner and Friday Catch Up

The winner of The Body Fat Solution is:

Lori!!

Congratulations - now you can stop drooling, lol! Email me (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) your mailing address and I will pass it on to the publisher so they can mail you your book!

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Last week I won a giveaway from Jenn at Slim-Shoppin' (thanks, Jenn!) for a Special K New Years package and I have to say that I loved how they presented everything...the red bowl with the paper shreds, the New Years tiara, lei and noisemaker - how cute is this?!? So far I've had the Fruit Crisps, which taste like thin Pop-Tarts; the multi-grain crackers, which are good and I appreciate that you get a lot for one serving (17 crackers for only 90 calories); and the low-fat Granola, which is tasty as well! I had to make my husband take the fruit crisps with him to work - the calorie count isn't bad (100 for two bars), but I really try not to eat too much processed food like that. I am looking forward to trying the protein shakes next week after my workouts - they will come in handy when I have to run an errand or two right after but still need to get the protein in me to rebuild my muscles. My only issue with these products is the amount of sugar that is in everything, even the multi-grain crackers, which has both sugar and honey. I don't think this is necessary and would be more inclined to buy their products in the future if they would cut the sugar content way down. That said, this was a fun thing to win and I do appreciate the chance to try these products!

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Due to the fact that Blogger is not letting her comment, I've been emailing back and forth with Benita of Basically Benita. She's into fibers and spinning and weaving and knitting...oh, and losing weight...hence the emails. Anyway, she is starting a 10,000 Step Club and since not everyone can or wants to run (this was so me a year ago) here is another way to get involved with a group of like-minded people! Click here to join!

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Recently, I was honored to be the subject of a couple of interviews...if you haven't had enough of me already, here they are:

Monica on the Go featured me in this post - thanks, Monica!
I'm also profiled on thatsfit.com, thanks, Melissa!

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I know I said that last Monday would be the end of the giveaways for a while, but I got the chance to do another one where the winner will get two little pieces of Fiestaware, which I love - so I couldn't resist! Check in on Monday for your chance to win!

Wednesday Workout Update - Dork Edition

First things first: See this awesome new graphic right over here?->

Tina, of Fat Girl Dives In, made this for me! She is in advertising (and in fact has recently started her own business), and was so nice to create this for me when I asked her - in fact, she had it ready blazingly fast! Thank you, Tina - it's a great commemoration of Blogger Run Day™ which as you all know I hereby declared in this post. There are a lot of bloggers who will be running in various events on March 7th and I wanted to celebrate us! If you are doing a run, or are committing to run on Sunday, March 7th, let me know in the comments and I'll add you to the list.

Regarding my post yesterday, I have to say that I was nervous about actually hitting "publish" on it. And now, I'm blown away by all of the comments - you guys are truly amazing and have made me feel so good. I'm touched that several of you even listed YOUR starting and current weights...this blogging weight-loss community is such a wonderful thing to be a part of and I am so grateful to have you all in my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

OK, on to the Wednesday Workout Update...

I am happy to report that this was simply a normal week with Brad and Linda - we worked out hard, and I am feeling it, but am not questioning why am I putting myself through this, as I was last Wednesday evening...so that's good! We did a "Machine of Destiny" workout on Monday, where the person on the machine - in this case, the leg press - controlled how long everyone else had to do their workouts by how quickly they finished the leg press. I was up first - which I like, because my legs were not worn out by the other exercises. I had to do 100 leg presses at 225 pounds, which went well until I hit 40...then my legs started to shake and it got a little tough. But I did it in six minutes which is a decent enough time for me. Of course, we had the same workout on Tuesday afternoon (I am the only person in that group who works out on Monday, so lucky me, I got to repeat it <----just a little sarcasm there) - but at least I only had to do 75 reps, and the weight was lower, although Brad provided resistance on the last ten. Um, thanks, Brad?

I have been running on the weekends and ran all by myself on Saturday (big step for me) for 30 minutes, without stopping! I covered about 2.5 miles, which makes me feel pretty confident that I can do the 5K in under 45 minutes. I ran in a park, and a dad with a little kid called "good job!" to me as I ran by, which made me feel less alone. On Sunday, I met up with Jeri for a run, but I didn't last as long before having to stop and walk. I'm finding that when I run two days in a row, I don't have nearly the endurance on the second day. I guess I have to build up to that? Or should I run every other day? What say you, fellow runners?

*****Warning - Dork Alert*****

So I finally decided to join the 21st century and not only create a playlist on my iPod Touch, but actually go for a run with it! What inspired me was a comment left on this post - a new blogger, Swimming it Off said that my bruised knees reminded her of this song, and I have to say that I loved it - I felt all "rah rah go girls, we rock!" when I heard it. So one download and several fits and starts later, I had my mixtape playlist. Now, I've never run with headphones and music, but since I was going by myself, which was a huge step for me, I thought I might run longer with some distraction. I was set: my mother had just mailed me a cute little expandable runner's belt thingie that holds everything from ID to a cell phone and more, including my iPod. I got all geared up, and had to laugh at myself as karma once again came back to bite me when I strapped the runner's belt on...you see, I remember teasing Hotch Potchery when she bought a belt that held several bottles of water, so she could stay hydrated on her runs. When will I ever learn?!?

Anyway, I started my music and took off running, only to hear a beep and then have the song change. With.every.step. What the hell?! I stopped and couldn't figure out how to make it keep playing - I even tried holding it in my hand, but every time I shook it, the darn song changed! Very frustrating...I ended up leaving it behind and took off for my run sans music or partner (what a sad lonely figure I made). Once I got home I emailed my technical staff sons and was informed that the "shake and shuffle" feature was turned on, and all I needed to do was to turn it off...and I believe the word "dork" was bandied about. Yeah, I felt like a dork, but really, how was I to know? OK, you all can stop laughing now!

The Big Reveal - My Starting and Current Weight

You may have noticed that I've never actually posted my weight on this blog. Oh sure, I've posted how much I've lost over the last twenty months, but my starting weight never made it onto the blog. Why? Well, at first it was because I couldn't believe that I weighed as much as I did. I mean, we were talking linebacker heavy. Bigger than most men. More than twice as much as my mother. So yeah, it was a little hard to face. Truth hurts, ya know what I mean? That day in my doctor's office, when I actually looked at the scale instead of closing my eyes (yes, I literally did this for years - I just didn't want to know) was shocking. And when I faced that number and realized that even if I lost 100 pounds, I would still be overweight - well, I almost quit my diet right then and there, before I even started. But somehow I managed to put that number in the back of my head and concentrate on moving forward and NEVER seeing it on the scale again.

And I haven't. It's been a long process, but I've seen pretty steady movement down the scale...I am definitely the epitome of "slow and steady" to be sure! As the months went by and my weight dropped, I had some issues (that is putting it lightly) weighing in. Sometimes I would be exactly on plan and my weight wouldn't change. Talk about frustration, especially when I would have passed up eating a special meal or dessert! Other times, I would not have been particularly strict with my diet and would get a loss on the scale. And knowing how much it affected me, I tried, with the advice of many experienced losers out there in blogland, to NOT let the number on the scale matter so much. To measure my success in inches lost rather than pounds. To know that even when the scale doesn't move very much, I can fit into smaller clothes, so obviously my body is changing, even though the scale hasn't caught up.

This is why the focus of my blog has not been on a particular number. Heck, even my goal weight is a random number that I pulled from thin air - well, almost...I think it's the highest number that is recommended for someone of my height to weigh. Why did I choose the high number? Easy...I want to not have to starve myself to maintain it. I really have no idea if it will be the right number for me - I'll have to see how I feel once I get there.

One thing that has shocked me is seeing how much I weigh now, combined with what size I fit into. That is directly related to working out - I know that if I had simply lost this weight without all of the exercise, I would be wearing much bigger sizes. I cannot stress the importance of combining exercise - both cardio and strength-training, along with diet. And believe me, this was a hard pill to swallow in the beginning, as I was the couch potato queen! But as I lost the weight, I gained more energy and truly, through reading about other bloggers who were working out, I was inspired to finally get active.

Why reveal the numbers now? Well, I was going to wait until I hit my goal weight, but my blog has been receiving more attention lately and I've done a couple of interview-type things...and I finally listed the numbers on one that should be posted tomorrow. So I felt that it was only fair to let my readers know first. OK, here are the numbers:

Starting weight on May 14, 2008: 256
Today's weight: 152
Goal weight: 138

I started this journey just before my 45th birthday. Today I'm 46 1/2 and in the best shape of my life. But I'm not done yet - I'm still overweight. If I can lose over one hundred pounds, you can lose the weight you need to as well. Join me, won't you?

The Body Fat Solution Review and Giveaway!

If it's Monday, then it must be another review and giveaway, right? I know it feels like that's all I've been doing lately, but with giveaways it seems like it's either feast or famine, and well, we've been feasting this month! This is the last one for a while, though...then we will get back to our regularly-scheduled blogging (i.e. a normal post on Mondays).

I was sent a copy of The Body Fat Solution by Tom Venuto at the same time as Core Performance Woman, which I'm sure you all remember from last Monday's R&G™. I have to say that based on all of the words on the cover, which sent my short attention span into overdrive, I wasn't looking forward to reading it. In fact, I waited until oh, Friday to pick it up...a little late considering I needed to write the review on Sunday, wouldn't you say? That was a mistake. Why? Because I'm finding that this is a really good book and unfortunately I haven't finished it yet! What I can tell you is that this author is really speaking to me - I find myself nodding in agreement and also having a few a ha moments as well.

Here's just a few examples of some things that caught my attention:

• From page xxvi: The Body Fat Solution is for the layperson who wants simple explanations and practical action strategies to apply in daily life. Perfect - just tell me what to do...no need to get into a bunch of minutia that will have my mind wandering (I also think this is why I get so much out of my workouts with my trainers - I just do what they tell me - easy peasy!)
• From page 27, talking about reasons why we are susceptible to weight-loss myths (this has to do with the FTC and lawsuits against diet scams): In one highly publicized case, a Los Angeles bodybuilder swore under oath that he was paid to stop working out and eat ice cream and doughnuts to fatten him up three weeks in advance of his "before" photo shoot. Then he used his bodybuilding expertise to get back into his usual top shape for the "after" photos. Ha! I KNEW those guys on the commercials who get the six-pack abs by taking a certain pill or using a certain exercise system were fakers!!!
• From page 69: If you want to get leaner, you must establish a caloric deficit, which means you're probably going to be hungry sometimes. Accepting this has been a key factor in my weight-loss journey - yes, I may be hungry, but if I've eaten enough good healthy food then I'm not going to starve and in fact I probably will lose some weight!

I also have to say that I kept thinking that Crabby McSlacker from Cranky Fitness would love Chapter Five - Mental Training Solution: Setting Goals and Reprogramming Your Mind for Automatic Success. It's full of information and interesting studies on how your brain works and other cool things that she likes to write about.

This is a cool book - and based on what I've read so far (about 1/3 of it, if you really want to know), I am pretty confident that I will like the rest of it and get some great tips to help me continue my weight-loss journey.

I have a copy of The Body Fat Solution to give to one lucky reader...to enter, just leave me a comment - yes, it's that easy! Contest is open to U.S. residents only and will close at 10:00 pm on Thursday, January 28. I'll use random.org to draw the winner who will be announced on Friday, January 29. Good luck!




FCC Disclaimer: I was given a copy of The Body Fat Solution to read by the publisher, who will also be fulfilling the giveaway.

Book Winner Plus Friday Randomness

First things first. The winner of Core Performance Women is:

DeeAnn!!!

Congratulations!! Email me your address (40somethingsjourney@gmail.com) and I'll forward it onto the publisher who will send you your book - enjoy!

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If you read my last post, you know that I had a pretty tough week with my workouts. Some weeks are harder than others, and this one was a doozy! As I lay in bed Wednesday night, in pain, wondering why oh why do I PAY GOOD MONEY to beat my body to a pulp, I decided I'd better stretch so I could walk the next day. Being supremely lazy wanting to conserve my energy, I decided to continue lying down, so I did a hamstring stretch with my legs at a 90 degree angle up toward the ceiling. My jammie pants slid up to reveal that my knees were all bruised up as a result of the crazy things we did this week and I felt very sorry for myself! So of course I had to get my camera and document the evidence - yes I know I choose to do these workouts, but dang, they are hard on this poor old bod!

Supreme ouchiness!

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Did you know that March 7, 2010 is Blogger 5K Day? No? Well, maybe that's because I just declared it to be so...I can do that, right? Anyway, Kelly from Happy Texans and I will be running a 5K here in my town, and Fran will be running one in Holland! It seems to be a popular day for 5K's - is anybody else running one? If you are, let me know - I love the idea of a bunch of us all running on the same day!

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Last but not least, I have been given two awards! The Beautiful Blogger comes from What a Splurge - thank you!

This award dictates that I tell you seven things about me that you might not know, so here goes:

1. I'm left-handed and so is my husband; our kids are not, no matter how many times I put rattles in their left hands when they were babies;
2. I was a journalism major in college but did not complete my schooling;
3. I still don't regret that decision;
4. I never needed braces as a kid but always wanted them;
   
5. I started babysitting at eight and always have had a thing for babies;
6. My favorite job was working at a photography studio where I got to hold lots of cute babies;
7. My dream job would be to own a bookstore just so I could read all the new books as soon as they came out.

The next award comes from Katie J - thank you!

For this one, I'm supposed to list ten things that make me happy.

1. The way my dog greets me with unbridled enthusiasm every time I walk in the door;
2. My bike - she's a beauty and such a sweet ride;
3. Shopping for clothes now;
4. Chocolate;
5. Babies;
6. The internet - being able to instantly connect with friends everywhere is fantastic;
7. My library card;
8. Fiestaware - I love the bright colors;
9. My cell phone with unlimited minutes;
10. My family.

Have a great weekend - come back Monday for one last giveaway - another book!

Wednesday Workout Update - Running Update Included!

OK, I think this was the week that Bob and Jillian - er, Brad and Linda were trying to kill us. Monday we did a "split" Filthy Fifty - not only was our group split into two, but the workout, which normally is all done in the weight room was split with half in the cardio room and half in the weight room. My group (Jenny, Kathleen and I) started in the weight room. For those of you lucky enough to not be familiar with the Filthy Fifty, it's ten sets of exercises with 50 reps each. For time. So we wore ourselves out in the weight room doing crazy things like kettlebell halos (hold a 26 lb. kettlebell with both hands and roll it around your head *like a hal0* 50 times), pull ups using a gigantic rubber band, push ups and a whole bunch of other stuff that I've blocked from my memory. THEN we went to the cardio room, where we had to run a half mile on the treadmill, row 50 calories on the rower, do Ab Dolly crunches, ball slams and of course, box jumps. Now you all may remember that just last week I finally was able to DO a box jump - but 50? At the end of a grueling workout?!? Holy moly! Linda liked the determination that showed on my face and grabbed a few shots with her cell phone. Pictures below show that I did do them - I am not fast, as I still have to psych myself up for each one, and I'm not jumping on/off/back on like everyone else in my group...but I knocked those 50 box jumps out!

Step one: Telling myself I can do it. Please note that my arms are not as huge as they look in this picture - they are side-by-side and it's an optical illusion (why yes, I still have some body issues, why do you ask?!?). Please also know that Kathleen has not keeled over - she was merely taking a rest while doing those Ab Dolly crunches!

Step two: Liftoff - flying through the air! Kathleen has now completed her set of Ab Dolly crunches and is slowly regaining her will to live. Please note the PVC pipes in the background, which are not used to beat us with as I first wondered when I started out, but are used when we do the dreaded bottom-to-bottom Tabatas. Also, if you puke during a workout, you get to sign your name and date on one. So far I haven't had to do that!Another view, which is important for a couple of reasons: One, my sweatband has made my hair look like I have a bowl cut - what do you think...can I rock that look or what? Also, you can see Jenny in the background slowly regaining her will to live after running a half-mile on the treadmill. And finally, you can see the clock in the background, which shows it was 9:00 am. We started this workout at 8:00 am. That, my friends, was one loooong hour!

Tuesday's workout was another toughie with a bunch of upper body work - yay, more push ups! And today? After Linda had us do quick (haha) rounds of 60 sets of push ups, lunges, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, high knees and burpees (not me!), along with a one minute plank hold and wall sit, we went to the weight room for ANOTHER Filthy Fifty - only Brad made it a Filthy Forty since we didn't have the entire hour at that point. Hey, guess what? More push ups, box jumps, kettlebell swings...I finished that one in 35 minutes and I am beat down, I'm telling you!!! So looking forward to Thursday and Friday, where all I have to do is go to work - no exercise!!!

And now, on to my running update: My workout friend and running partner, Jeri, met me after I was done with work on Saturday at 2:00 pm. Since my workplace is at the edge of a big park, we started out running from the parking lot to the park, all through it, looping around and eventually ended up back in the parking lot. She carried her iPhone with her that had a running app with time and distance, and guess what? We ran 2.4 miles!!! In about 31 minutes!!! With only a couple of short walking breaks!!! I think we can actually do the 5K in February! Our goal is to run the entire time, so we have to keep up with the practice. Because of that, I went running on Sunday, but it was much harder to get going. I don't know if I was just tired, or the fact that I was alone, but I wanted to quit after about three minutes. I summoned Linda's voice in my head and she "ran" with me the rest of the way - my goal was 20 minutes, and I actually did 22 before I stopped. Probably could have done more but I am a baby when I run by myself, which is something I have got to get over!

Jeri and I have another running date for this Saturday - until then, though, I'm on rest time!

P.S. If you haven't already, click here to enter my giveaway for the book Core Performance Women - it ends Thursday night at 10:00 pm!

My Diet

I realized not too long ago that I don't actually talk about my diet here like I used to...in the early months of this blog, food was the main focus. Why isn't it now? Sure, I like to post pictures of my favorite meals, but what has changed? I'm still trying to lose weight - I need to drop about 20 pounds and re-evaluate if that is a good weight for me - but have I become complacent after losing 100 pounds?

The answer to that is sort-of, mixed with a side of moderation and topped with a sprinkle of easy. Yes, I said easy! Don't hate me...it's just that I've been doing this for more than a year and a half and my "new" way of eating has become second nature for the most part and actually, I no longer consider it new. This is just what I do. It has become normal to hit the grocery store or Sam's Club a couple times a week to put fresh fruit and veggies in my fridge. I keep my basics on hand at all times so mealtimes are a breeze, even when I don't have anything planned. I rarely let myself get so hungry that I'm scavenging for food - and I never skip meals anymore. I used to not eat breakfast, be so hungry that I'd eat a huge lunch, and then be too full for dinner at dinnertime, but would end up eating later in the evening. Which would make me not hungry for breakfast, and the whole cycle would repeat itself! Now, I eat breakfast, even on the days that I meet my friend for lunch...the difference is that I have a small lunch - I found out you can do this, even at a restaurant. Did you know you don't have to eat everything they serve you?!? I'm joking a little, but really, I used to be a card-carrying member of the clean plate club at Johnny Carinos! Now, if I'm done, I'm done...no matter what my plate looks like.

As far as moderation goes, I still eat "non-diet" foods like chocolate, and when the occasion merits, I will have whatever special food is being served, as long as it's great. For example, we have an evening artist reception once a month at my work, and most of the time the food, while good, is bought from Sam's...things like pesto for crackers, bruschetta for little slices of sourdough bread, cheese platters, fresh fruit and little cheesecake bites. I make sure I bring something for a healthy and hearty late-in-the-afternoon snack on those days, and rather than mindlessly eat food that isn't all that special, I'll have some fruit and call it done. But if we go out to a nice restaurant, you can believe that I'll be eating things that I wouldn't normally have - but in the correct portion size, for the most part. This way I can partake without feeling stuffed and full of regret afterward.

Now, as for losing that last 20 pounds...I hear it's the hardest, and I wonder if that is really true. I have been doing an excellent job for the last month or so of maintaining my weight, although it's finally started dropping a bit. Is that because of the "last 20" curse? Doubtful. It's more likely due to the fact that I am a slow loser - and while that can be frustrating at times, especially when I compare myself to other bloggers who are dropping weight like nobody's business, I have to acknowledge that I also have not seen the scale see-saw up and down, so there's that. Plus, I will admit that I haven't logged every calorie into my food journal over the last few months. I used to, and it really kept me mindful of everything I put into my mouth. But the flipside is that without doing it, I haven't gained any weight, so my eating has pretty much been on track.

So, what's my plan (gotta have a plan!) for now? Well, with running, I'm working out more, so I'm hoping that will help with the calorie burn. The other thing I am focusing on is eating more...yes, you read that right! It seems that when I am working out a lot (like I did over the summer when we were bike riding 5 - 6 miles an evening), if I don't eat closer to 1500 calories, I don't lose. So I'm adding more protein and fruit to my diet. Honestly, it doesn't take much to go from 1200 calories (what I've been doing) to 1500 - and besides that, I'm hungrier now. I'll check back in on this in a couple of weeks to see if the scale has moved. I'm hoping it will, because I would like to be done with losing by the time my birthday rolls around in June - I've already told my husband that I want a shopping trip to the very nice mall in Austin for my present!