It's a Family Affair

Well it's official.  I'm addicted.  I love going to the gym.  I look forward to it and I'm just absolutely psyched that the kids are going to go with us.

Tonight was our first night together and it felt good.  I didn't worry that they were at home by themselves, there was no time constraints, we could do things at our leisure with no real timeline to worry about.

We started out on cardio equipment, and the kids experimented with all the different machines.  They went on the stair stepping machine, the treadmill, the eliptical and the bike.  It was awesome to see them get into the activity.

Meanwhile I stayed on the bike for 30 mins.  I did branch out onto the eliptical for two minutes.  Tomorrow I'm going to aim for three. 

The ab roller is still kicking my butt, but I did do two sets of 15. 

 

I feel so good.  I'm happier, I have more energy.  I can't believe I waited so long to do this.  I'm not even worrying too much about the results.  I feel confident I will see a difference the next time I weigh in, right now it's all about what I can accomplish.  How I can push myself. 

I'm quite proud of myself I must say. 

 

Each visit I get more confident.  I don't even really worry too much about what people are thinking.  All I know is that I feel good, physically and mentally.  Things are now back in my control and I know it's all going to work out.

 

Interestingly enough, Dateline had a show on about gastric bypass tonight.  I was reading the subtitles as I was pedaling away, reading about a man whose journey to fitness was cut dramatically short by the extreme mortality rate of those kinds of surgery. 

I freaked out about going under the knife for an appendectomy, whose mortality rates are 1 in 700.  The fact I was obese increased those risks.  The mortality rate for gastric bypass surgery is 1 in 200- and can even be as high as 1 in 50 depending on the experience level of your surgeon.

For me that's just too high.  I'm working my butt off (literally) to save my life, not risk it. 

 

And you'll hear the people say they've tried every diet under the sun.  But it's not about a diet, it's about eating less.

The only reason gastric bypass works is you are physically unable to overeat.  Why not just stop eating after taking in the same amount of food?  The inability to stop eating is not the fault of the diet, and it doesn't go away with the surgery.  Eventually you're going to have to learn portion control. 

 

Richard Simmons has a great system, using the same kind of nutritional guideline as the food pyramid and the National Diabetes Association.  The heavier you are the more you get to eat, which I think is key.  People who aren't watching what they eat have outrageous calorie intakes.  If you just scale it back by 1000 calories a day you'll see a big difference.  My fastest weight loss came at the beginning of the journey.  Just being a conscious eater can make an enormous difference.  It's not about cutting all "bad" foods out of your diet, if you just learn how to eat the proper portions you're way ahead of the game.

 

One thing that excites me about the exercise is that I know the food restrictions are going to be a lot less just by incorporating activity into my routine.  I can never go back to eating the way I used to, but I don't have to starve myself either.  Which is nice.  It was extremely frustrating when I would cut the calories way back and still see no difference.

I just have to "diet less" and "exercise more". 

And, miracle of miracles, I'm really quite happy to do just that.  Remind me again why I waited so long??

 

It really makes me rethink so many other things I'm afraid to do.  The fear paralyzed me, when there was never really anything to fear at all.  My worst fears (laughter and pointing) just never happened.  In fact, if anyone is thinking anything it's probably "Good for her, she's making the right changes." 

So the other things that scare me, maybe I just need to tackle them head on.  Maybe it really is true the only thing to fear is fear itself.  Nothing could be as bad as I imagine it to be. 

And it's not truly living to sit here locked behind these four walls and letting life pass me by.  I need to be the proactive hero in my own story.

 

Tip of the Day: EATING OUT, PART II.  Hurdle number one:  the bread basket.  You know it.  I know it.  There's nothing better than a warm buttered roll right from the oven.  You know the kind I mean, the kind that melt right on your tongue.  It's a little bit o'heaven right on your plate.  But there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.  If you indulge, make sure you watch your portion control (meaning you can have one roll, not five).  Once you're done, send the basket away to avoid over eating. 

 

Stats:

Calories: 1793
Fat: 20%
Sat. Fat: 7%
Fiber: 42g
Calcium: 1232mg
Sodium: 3562
Water: 72oz
Exercise: 30 mins bike, 2 mins eliptical, 30 crunches w/ ab roller, 30 mins weight training/ legs.

DAILY AFFIRMATION: I am stronger than I realized.