You don't drown by falling in the water.

You drown by staying there. - Edwin Louis Cole

So don’t worry if you make an unhealthy food choice, or don’t work-out one day. The important thing is that you change your behavior. I didn’t get to 244lbs because I overate and didn’t exercise for a day. I grew to 244lbs because I stayed in the same rut for a long time. Now I just have to get in a healthy rut:)

At my Biggest Weight-Loss class this week, we did a grueling circuit that included running around the track holding a long 2x4 above our heads with a partner. And there were stairs, and lunges, and squats, and fun core work outs. At one point, as I was huffing and puffing on the stairs, a woman came over to me and said "I know your trainer, her workouts are like boot camp. She will work your ass off!", and I said, "I hope so!"

Being a part of this team holds me accountable at a time I usually would start plateauing and getting bored. I also feel energized to be on a team in general! We cheer each other on, share our losses, and exchange our weight-loss techniques. We even got matching tee-shirts! I love being a dork!

Speaking of losses, I lost another 2lbs this past week, meaning I am 221lbs. (cue happy dance) So my grand total of weight-loss so far is 23lbs!! That means I have lost more than my age in weight!( I am 22)

On my jog today (yes, you read that right) I thought, “only 67lbs to go!” And I reminded myself that this life I am choosing to live is not about 67 more pounds. It is about the choices I make on a daily basis, it is about moving more, it is about the next pound, not the many pounds after that. So slow and steady wins this marathon. Channel the tortoise...

Update like you mean it!

So my goals for the past week were 1)do something crazy, and 2)open a Fitday account. I did accomplish both of my goals, but in different ways than I first thought. It’s funny how life takes your plans, does a little twist, and says, “now what?” But enough of my waxing poetic (nothing about waxing is poetic...where did this saying come from?) Here’s what happened:

I went jogging. *gasp* No seriously, I did. For the first time in at least a year and a half. I strapped myself in with two bras, leashed the dog, and alternated walking and jogging for 45 minutes. How CRAZY is that!? Now it gets insane because...I loved it.

(This is me striking a happy Losergirl pose in the backyard, while my

dog tries to catch flies in her mouth. Inspiring, no?)

I had been inside and driving all day and the crisp fall air combined with twilight jazzed me up and I kept wishing I could go longer! Too bad my dog had eaten a dozen muffins (including paper wrappers) the night before and threw them all up in the street. Good times, good times my friends:)

I started an account on Fitday, and am still learning how to use it. I found out that I am eating around 1800 calories on days I don’t have social events, and then I eat (and drink:) around 2100 calories. My intake also fluctuates with my work schedule, so that is something I have been more conscious of. One thing I appreciate about Fitday is that they do a pie chart for every day, letting you know how many of your calories come from fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

I have to be honest, I don’t enjoy calculating all this stuff out. Every once in a while is fine, but I prefer to just be mindful about what I eat, and try to exercise. This may change over time and as it gets more difficult to lose weight, but I focus on my breathing and sweat intensity on the elliptical, instead of a certain caloric number. And my food choices are focused on healthier foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and some tasty fat) in moderation, instead of a gaol number. That works for me.

So figure out your own method. How do you judge your health? Do you count calories expended/caloric intake? Are you cutting back on carbs? On sugar? Not eating late at night? What is your personal living healthy plan?

How to burn like Earth, Wind and Fire

So how do you burn 500 extra calories? Every person burns a different amount of calories during exercise, depending on weight and intensity. I know that if I walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes at an incline of 6% going 4mph, I will burn 351 calories. But someone lighter would burn less.

Here are 2 calculators you can use for figuring out how many calories you are burning: http://www.hsc.edu/fitness/calculators/calories.html or at: http://www.self.com/calculatorsprograms/calculators/

Playing Frisbie for 49 minutes can help me burn 501 calories! The question is, do they mean ultimate Frisbie, Frisbie toss, or Frisbie golf? I need details!

And if you are more of a chart person, check out this one: http://www.nutribase.com/exercala.htm

The chart is by weight, and the calories listed are per 30 minutes of exercise. It’s nice to know that playing ping-pong for 2.5 hours would burn 500 calories:)

Or you can just find three 500-calorie burning workouts in this article: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/cardio/no-treadmill/workouts-burn-500-calories/ There is one one the Stairmaster, one for the stationary bike, and one on the treadmill.

Remember that the less you weigh, the harder you will have to work to lose a few pounds. Try upping intensity or duration a few times a week from where you are right now, and being a bit more nit-picky about what you eat.

And how do you Excuseproof your workout? An article I read recently (from the February 2009 Self) recommended this strategy: Grab a few index cards and write down your biggest get-fit barriers on the front of each card. Then flip the card over and brainstorm all the ways you could bust those blockades. For example, if your top card reads, “I’m too tired,” the flip side might read, “I can go to bed earlier. I can play ‘Stronger’ by Kanye West really, really loud. I can treat myself to a shot of espresso. I can call my honey for a pep talk.” Now stash those around you and pull them out next time you feel the big “but” coming on (because that but might lead to another, bigger butt...I’m just saying:)

The Big Skinny

Here's a quick book recommendation for y'all (who has been watching Reba? Me...enjoy my typing drawl:)

The Big Skinny: How I Changed My Fattitude

by Carol Lay

It's a graphic novel about this cartoonist's journey to a lower weight and better health! How cool is that? Unlike hefty health books that overwhelm me with information, Carol Lay focuses on her personal journey, and basic healthy choices we can all make. It includes recipes and some ideas for exercise, and it talks about the emotional hurdles we take on when trying to lose weight and keep it off. Did I mention it's funny?!

While I don't think I could be as disciplined as she is (she writes down every single calorie as she goes...and seems to reject alcohol altogether...hahahahahaha...right;), I love how she puts herself out there with this book. She is real woman with a real goal. Check it out from the Library sometime, or check out the website: http://www.thebigskinnybook.com/ for a new kind of health reading!

Loser Girl out!

More on the BEE

I was discussing BEE (basal energy expenditure) with my friend Lauren, and felt like we were running in circles about what it means. The site I gave to help y'all to calculate your BEE is a wee-bit confusing. After reading more internet resources, I would like to share with you what The Free Dictionary has to say:

BEE is, "the amount of oxygen consumed while resting and fasting, extrapolated to 24 hrs, roughly equivalent to 25 kcal/kg. BEE is used to determine an individual's caloric needs. BEE is multiplied by level of activity–eg, 1.2 for bed rest; 1.4 for moderate activity and by an injury factor–1.2 for pneumonia, surgery, 1.3 for major injury, 1.5–1.6 for severe sepsis. "

Now, go to this website and figure out your base BEE: BEE Calculator

The next step is to multiply that number by 1.2 for bed rest, 1.4 for moderate activity, or by injury level. (go for 1.3 if you are just living your daily life). The number you now have is how many calories you can consume a day, at your usual activity level, and maintain your weight.

So my body BEE is 1863. That is how many calories a day I need in order to break even...if I am only breathing and doing nothing else. Yeah, right:) My activity level is about moderate, so I multiply 1863 by 1.4, and come up with 2608. That number seems shockingly high, but if I am active and overweight, I will need more calories to maintain.

If I weighed 170lbs, and none of my other factors changed, my BEE would be 1608, and I would need to consume 2251 calories a day to maintain that, at a moderate activity level. Is this making more sense? I hope so. Stick with me, now we are getting to the good stuff!

Now. I am not trying to maintain, I am trying to lose. One pound a week, to be exact. And one pound of fat=3500 calories. So in order to lose one pound a week, I need to cut an average of 500 calories a day out of my diet...or exercise to burn 500 extra calories...or split it down the middle, eating 250 calories less than usual and exercising to burn 250 more.

I have been shooting for about 2000 calories a day, and that is a good choice for me. Each person needs a different combination of exercise and healthy eating to lose 1-2lbs a week, so figure out where your 3500 calories are coming from, and take it one day at a time!

The Circuits of Life

Nice title, eh? Unfortunately, my post has very little to do with The Lion King...so sad. What this post is really about is: circuits! So much fun!

I have done 2 circuits in the past 24 hours, one with my biggest loser team, and one this morning called “Power Pump.” Both exhausted me, but Power Pump chewed me up and spat me out. SInce it was a mid-morning class, I was expecting a class of young moms, the random senior citizen, and maybe one guy. No problem, right?

Fact: The class is a mini boot camp that includes sprinting, skipping, stairs, push ups, jump squats, step lunges, and jump ropes...all done by men and women who look like they belong on the cover of a fitness magazine.

Fact: My face might have reached the color of a perfectly red, ripe tomato. And I might have soaked my shirt with sweat. And my triceps might be burning. But I had a good time...seriously. I pushed myself, and did the best that I could (because there was no way I could compete with the sprinters in the class!).

The class made me think of all the reasons I don’t usually enjoy high-intensity aerobics...which brings me to:

The bounce house that is my chest. If I had $75 for a great sports bra, I would snatch one up, but my selection is limited to whatever they sell at stores like Target and Kohl’s. Not the best for a large chest. Especially because *cue rant* the average sports bra doesn’t do a damn thing! It makes my shoulders hurt, has less support than a regular underwire bra, and smashes my chest into an oval lump! Every time I jog or jump I am tempted to work some magic with duct tape, just to keep everything still...don’t doubt that I would!

But the duct tape can wait, because my reward for reaching 220lbs is a great new sports bra! And I can almost taste that 220lbs, because at weigh-in this week I saw 223lbs on the scale.

I have lost 21 lbs!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAY!

Only 3 more pounds until I can buy a sports bra that locks and loads what needs to be locked and loaded:) Want to know what my rewards are for each weight? Look at the list below! Off to have your own adventure? Enjoy this quote from The Biggest Loser show: “I want to do great things...And to do that, I need to do great things for myself.” Do something great for yourself!

Rewards for Weight-loss

240- a new album from itunes to pump me up! (I got the Black Eyed Peas:)

230- new gym shoes (still working on finding the right pair)

220- great new sports bra!!

210- 2 new DVDs

200 (199 is halfway to my goal!)- professional massage

190- a special class of some sort (maybe dancing?)

180- a new fitness accessory of some sort

170- outdoor trip

160- 2 new albums for more motivation!

154- plan a trip to visit one of my siblings (Washington D.C. or New Zealand:)

Goals for *gasp* Week Six!

Almost a month and a half! Eating healthy and exercising are starting to feel like a natural part of my everyday life. So I am patting myself on the back today. Which is not as pathetic as it sounds:)

I have two goals for this week:

1)Start an account on Fitday.com (thanks for the tip Mandie!). It is a free calorie counter and exercise tracker! I don't think I am ready to give up my physical paper food journal, but it would be good to input random days for calorie checks. It also makes me feel very official and organized:)

2)Do something crazy! No really, I'm serious. I want to do an odd exercise this week, something out of the ordinary. Maybe roller-skating with friends, or getting my brother to the gym with me (yeah, not gonna happen), or playing frisbee golf! Time to mix it up.

Loser Girl, on a mission!