Last Night's Finale

Last night's finale for The Biggest Loser was GREAT! Everyone looked awesome, with the exception of Kathryn. I gotta give her credit for showing though, unlike Nick. (I knew he wouldn't.)

The show has really inspired me to do my best in this weight loss journey. If they can do it, so can I!

I'm headed out to walk at lunchtime. I brought my headphones along with me for some music. Tonight I'll do some strength training.

So far food has been on target--about 700 cals so far today.

Stuffed!!

The turkey wasn't the only thing stuffed at Thanksgiving!! The scale read 320 this morning!! Alan's reading wasn't much better--242 lbs.

Thanks to Anonymous for his/her comments. My BMR varied from 2165-2169 depending on which calculator I used. I rounded up to 2170, with 500 cals subtracted from that leave 1670. This is if I do no exercise at all. What I can't figure out is how many calories to add daily if I exercise.

I think I'll pose the question on 3FC and see what kind of response I get.

Gratitude...

First of all, thanks to Karen for her comment regarding my calorie intake for the day. I couldn't stick to my plan even for a week because I was STARVING and I did set myself up for binges. The question is how should I adjust my calories to coincide with my current weight of 310? Any helpful suggestions are welcome.

Looking towards Thanksgiving, I realize how lucky I am. I have great health in spite of my weight, a great job, an improving financial outlook, a wonderful partner and great friends. I want to practice an attitude of gratitude every day, and not take anything for granted.

Wishing all of you a great Thanksgiving!!

The Bitch is Back

Man, I am feeling BITCHY today!! I think it is a combination of being hungry and worrying about money. Alan's job ended today, so he is starting over....I trust him to make the right decisions for everyone involved.

Tonight is his office's goodbye party at the local joint...not sure what the mood will be, but I have a feelin' the booze will be flowing tonight! Since I will most likely drive, I won't have anything....well, maybe one....;)

One of the good guys

Last night on TBL, we said farewell to Dr. Jeff. I was pretty emotional about it....he was my favorite to win, mainly because he was genuine--the real deal. His after pictures, though, were fantastic!! He looks great and is able to play with his kids for the first time in a long time. I wish him well! I love that show! It just gives me the motivation to stay on plan and to work hard. Yes, it would be nice to be isolated for 3 months to just concentrate on getting in shape, but who can really afford to do that? Still, it would be nice.... Today is another 1200 calorie day. It's days like this that have me feeling like I am starving! But it will also make me appreciate the higher calorie days coming up in the next few days. Tomorrow night is wing night at the local pub where we gather with Alan's (soon to be ex) workmates. They have more than wings, thank God! I will probably have a nice chicken salad. but I'm thinking too far ahead already! One day at a time!! PS: Robyn, thanks for your comment! I do love Jillian--she is very inspirational!!

So far so good!

Yesterday was on plan.....total of 1240 calories consumed. But Man, was I hungry!!

I didn't get to work out as hard as I wanted--I need at least 30 minutes of walking to be able to eat the average of 1600 a day. I will probably walk at lunchtime, then do some strength training this evening during TBL.

Planning ahead

Thanks to Jude for her (?) encouragement!!

One of the things I am sorely lacking in my weight loss venture is planning ahead. I made a template for planning my meals for a week so I can stay in control.

So here's the plan so far:

Monday: 1200 cals
Tuesday: 1500 cals
Wednesday: 1200 cals
Thursday: 1800 cals
Friday: 2000 cals
Saturday: 1800 cals
Sunday: 1500 cals
WEEKS total cals: 11,000

This is based on my AMR number as determined in the book Winning by Losing by Jillian Michaels.

As far as exercise goes, I will start out doing 30 minutes of cardio (walking) and 30 minutes of light weight training. My orthopedic doc says to take it easy at first and not do anything too heavy or too far over my head. I'll also do stretching, maybe a bit of Pilates in front of the TV. I'd love to learn yoga, but I think I'm too big to do it right now. I can work my way towards it.

I feel better knowing I have a plan....

TOM, you bastard!!

I absolutely HATE my period. I feel like a bloated Elvis! I get cramps and backaches and headaches. Today is Day 2, which is usually the worst. I'm hoping that it will all be done by our weekend trip on Saturday! One less thing to worry about.

Not a bad weekend....

Went to help C & D paint at the new house. Progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go. I put the first coat on the master bedroom. I doubt we'll get up there again to help this week, since we're headed to the other coast for the weekend. Come to think of it, not sure when we will be back at all--Ang and Bryan will be here the two weekends after that. The only way to help would be to go after work in the evenings. Maybe once they get electricity up there and will be staying there we can come up after work in the evenings. I want to help them as much as possible, since we will be living with them rent free.

Stomach is feeling queasy--probably a combination of TOM and one bite from a bad salad....man I hope I don't get food poisoning from just one bite!

Changing blogs

I started blogging at another site--what a piece of crap! This is a much better site.

Since I just started at the other site, I'll cut and paste the blogs I have done. Oldest post is at the bottom.


Fri, 04 Nov 2005 10:11
Jillian wrote me back--Part 2
Here's Jillian's response to me:
Jen - you are so cute. Don't be scared or discouraged :-) I won't hurt ya... well, maybe just a little. Seriously, the key is to push yourself to YOUR limit. Not my limit or anyone elses for that matter. Remember the part about doing cardio? In the book I ask you to work at 85% of your MHR. What it will take to get you to 85% is totally different then what it will take to get me to 85% and so on. Listen, I won't be the one to tell you "oh just do what you can or just 8 minutes in the morning" blah blah blah. Listen, that stuff is placating and condesending. You are better off being told that it takes work because it does. But, that doesn't mean you have to hurt yourself or work at a level you are not ready for. The whole point of pushing you is to empower you not to disempower you. How about this, you put in 4 hours a week at and push yourself as much as you can. If you can't do what's in the book right away SO WHAT! You WILL get there... just keep pushing. Don't be scared... start out with 30 min of resistance training and 30 minutes of cardio. Does this make sense? Listen to your body - you will know when you can do more and when you need to lighten up. Also, eleanor Roosevelt said you should do something every day that scares you... when you conquer your fears it can only make you stronger. I promise you Jen - you CAN TOTALLY DO THIS. I think you have no idea what you are capable of... take the leap. It's the only way to move towards change momma. I am right here to help in case you get scared again.xojJillian is right....I need to TAKE THE LEAP!!

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 10:11
Jillian wrote me back--Part 1
Jillian Michaels, one of the trainers on THE BIGGEST LOSER, has written a book called Winning by Losing. There's a support group on 3FatChicks.com for those who are reading the book and following the plan. Lo and behold, Jillian herself shows up on the group and answers questions about the plan!! I posted the following to her:.........................
Jillian:I have to say--you absolutely, positively freakin' ROCK!!!! How awesome for someone as busy and as famous as you to come here and read our questions and actually ANSWER THEM!! I'll be honest--you scare me. Actually, I think your book scares me. I haven't read it all the way yet, but I have been reading all the posts here and all the answers, and I guess I am just SCARED of those intense workouts!I am a 300 pound woman who has not been very active in recent years, and I am scared that they would be so intense I couldn't do them, and then I would once again feel like a failure.HOW do I get over this mental block I have about these workouts?? Thanks in advance for your answer!Mad love at ya girlfriend,Jen

I'll put what she wrote back in the next post.

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 20:11
Forgot to mention...
I'm five pounds down from Monday...drinking all the water is a big help!
It's Wing Night!
For the last several months, Thursday nights have been spent at the local pub for Wing Night, where they sell chicken wings for 35 cents each. Alan and I usually eat a more healthier meal than that, although we might get a few to nibble on. Alan's co-workers are the folks we hang out with there. Since the announcement of the plant's closing a couple of weeks ago, Wing NIght has been more important than ever. The topics of conversation include what is going on presently at the plant and what everyone else is planning to do.....Alan and two of his co-workers are starting a new company with a BIG project already in pocket. It has been great to see the fire back in Alan. His other job just smothered his creativity. Now he is looking forward to each day at work!

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 20:11
AT LAST
I got off my butt and MOVED! I walked the stairs at work for 10 minutes...that's enough to get your heart thumpin'!......................I've done some OP things so far today--ate every 3 hrs, have already drank 90 oz water, ate healthy foods like tuna on a green salad and apple and yogurt.................I have to remember it is a process. I didn't get this way overnight, so it won't get all better overnight either. Hard to remember sometimes...............I've been letting stuff at work bother me today. I work with all men and one woman. M has been with the company for five years, and is well loved by everyone. I've been here about 9 months, and I don't feel accepted by the others. I think they tolerate me and that's it. The guys that sit within close range of me act like they can't stand me. M and I get along very well...I don't know, maybe it's me. Sometimes I get in this pity party mode (Nobody likes me, everybody hates, me, guess I'll go eat worms...). That's always been my issue--feeling like I have to be liked and accepted by everyone. The real world does not work like that. So...I guess what I need to do is not worry about everyone else and just do my job. I also need to remember I have a life outside of here, and I enjoy my time with Alan and our friends................so screw'em if they don't like me! BFD!~!!!!

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 18:11
A quote from Oprah
Oprah said the following to a woman who was lamenting that she could not afford a gym or a personal trainer:..............."You do not need a personal trainer or agym to get fit. You need a DECISION. A decision on your part to take action, which means educating yourself about what to eat and making a commitment to start moving--a half mile, then a mile, two miles, one step at a time. My point is this: If you can't find time to work out, then you don't want to lose the weight. It's simplu a matter of physics. So ask yourself what you're willing to do. And if you aren't prepared to exercise and cut down on your volume of food as a way of life, stop wasting time feeling bad about your weight and move on to someting else.".............This really struck a chord in me--are all my bullshit excuses about exercise a sign that I really don't WANT to lose weight? How badly do I want to do this? Bad enough to get my ass up off the couch and walk? I could easily make excuses, but in the end they don't hold water..............................I NEED A DECISION.

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 20:11
I'm not alone on this road...
I love reading other people's weight loss blogs--it reminds me that I am not the only one who has struggles with food. One thing that has alarmed me in my reading is how these young gals have such a negative body image.......One of the blogs described how, at 130 lbs, she felt like a fat cow, and that eating only 700 calories a day will get her to her goal weight of 100 in no time....yeah, it wil get you thin...AND sick. I know Hollywood has really projected that unless your bones stick out of your neck, you may as well forget ever working.....There is such pressure around to have 0% bodyfat so you look like a boy. That is so sad...no wonder anorexia and bulemia are running rampant.

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 17:11
Ya gotta start somewhere...
Hi, and thanks for reading this. A little about me: I'm a 40 year old administrative assistant living in Florida with my handsome boyfriend Alan. My weight has never been an issue in our relationship....but it has been an issue with me. I've tried everything out there. My most sucessful stint was losing 70 lbs in 5 months on a liquid diet. I ended up gaining 50 of it back after I divorced and moved 1100 miles to Florida. Now, I'm trying a balanced approach. I'm eating 1500-1800 calories a day and eating every three hours. I haven't incorporated any daily exercise yet, just hit and miss. I'm changing that!!.............I'll probably check in from time to time today to add stuff.