February 23, 2009

Post by “LoserAgain”

Hello everyone! Well, I’m very happy to report that I’ve topped my personal best of 398 minutes of exercise for the week!  I took a couple days off (one due to being sick with the flu–a flu that just keeps hanging in there), but I got right back up on the horse and have been using my treadmill at home religiously. I’ve been averaging between 65 to 75 minutes each night and going at a brisk pace. I’m not running, but I’m not loafing either. I’m able to go longer and without panting like a dog as I did when I started.

I’m very optimistic, and my eating habits have changed immensely thanks to the diet we’ve been placed on.  My meals are smaller, but I eat more often to keep my metabolism going. It’s actually the most challenging thing for me as I feel like I’m actually eating MORE on this diet, but the food is of better quality than what I was jamming down my gullet previously. (more…)

February 17, 2009

Post by “Loseragain”

Hello again, my losing friends. I’m happy to report that after weighing-in last week I discovered that I’ve lost three pounds. Yes, it was a very happy day to get that news. I think I may have lost nearly five pounds this week, but, as always, I’m skeptical of the scale at home. If I’ve only lost one pound, I’d still be just as happy, for I’ve come to think of this whole affair as a process. I’m in this for the long haul and not just for the 12 weeks of the program. I have much to lose, and in order to do it successfully, I must think of this as a lifestyle. Thinking about this deep down and not just on the surface has really hit me in a profound way. I started to realize that even if I didn’t lose weight at all during this, I would still be ahead of the game—because I’m not in this simply to lose pounds, but to be healthy. I’m eating better, I’m exercising, and, most importantly, I’m feeling good. Sure, I miss indulging in food that’s not considered the height of nutrition, but at the same time, I’m enjoying living with the knowledge that I’m putting things in my body that are good for me. My exercise routine has also become fully integrated into my life now. It’s something I look forward to every day. (more…)

February 9, 2009

Post from “LoserAgain”

Last Monday was a busy day. I actually expected to have lost upwards in the area of three pounds during the first week. Going in to the Fitness Center for my weigh-in, I felt confident as I mounted the scale. Then my feet were kicked out from under me. According to the scale I had GAINED a pound! It just doesn’t jibe with what I’ve been eating (no cheating and I was VERY careful!) or the fact that I’ve been exercising well. My trainer and I assume that I’ve possibly gained muscle, but no matter what, I shouldn’t be discouraged as the body does go through an adjustment period. I must admit that at first I felt like I’d been sucker-punched in the gut upon seeing those numbers on the scale, but I am not a quitter. I’m more resolute than ever to stick with it and to even redouble my efforts. (more…)

February 2, 2009

Week One (Post from “LoserAgain”)

“My first thought was, he lied in every word,
That hoary cripple, with malicious eye
Askance to watch the working of his lie
On mine, and mouth scarce able to afford
Suppression of the glee that pursed and scored
Its edge, at one more victim gained thereby.”

That first verse from “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came” by Robert Browning is, strangely, the first thing that came to mind when I decided to get back on the fitness horse. Over the years, I’ve often thought of exercise as an enemy to be scorned, bit, and kicked at. Of course, as so many of us often do, I also happened to forget that after tangling with that particular enemy, you begin to like it and, in time, come to look forward to the fight. So it was with me during my first week.

(more…)