TC1 vs. TC2

It’s been a very long time since I have checked in on my blog. The days are just so very busy right now. It’s the end of the school year, teacher gift ideas, classroom photography projects, wrapping up Box Tops contests, wrapping up the Challenge, etc, etc. Add to that the fact that May is just always a busy month for us with my daughter’s birthday, my birthday and Mother’s Day. And although I doubt any of you were thinking to yourselves, “hey, she hasn’t posted anything in a long time, what’s up with that?!?” I do apologize for my absence.

The TC2 is going well. I adore my team and my team trainer and have made some good friends outside the team as well in some amazing women and cemented my friendship with past TC gals and the trainers. As much as I walked away from TC1 saying it was the single best experience in my life, I can honestly say that TC2 was that much better. We are talking life changing here, for real.

Some of you might be thinking, “yeah, but isn’t that what she said last time?” And you would be right, it was indeed what I said last time. My goal going into TC1 was to walk away with working out and going to the gym part of my everyday life, a habit, done without even thinking about it. And it was. For a while anyway. And then I feel so completely off the wagon, I couldn’t even see its dust trail any longer.

Now, what makes this time around different? Why is TC2 different than TC1 and how am I going to keep from falling off the wagon again? That’s a good question. And seeing that it is the last week of TC2, I think it’s a good time for an answer too.

Things that make TC2 better/different than TC1:

1. My team

My team in TC1 was amazing, don’t get me wrong. And some of them will be lifelong friends. But we kind of all went our separate ways at the end of TC1 and we all had different ideas about how/if to continue the journey.

My team members this time around are all well aware that even though some of us are much closer to our goal than others, we are in this journey for the long haul. We are going to see each other through to our individual goals and then on to maintenance. This is a part of our lives. Period. We are a part of each other's lives. Period. Sorry, PSA, you are so stuck with me now!

2. My attitude

I don’t know if it was because Daniel was still getting up multiple times a night or what, but I was just so TIRED at the end of TC1. I couldn’t wait for it to be over and I couldn’t wait to ”sleep in” until 6:30 or 7 every blessed day - oh how my pre-child self would shudder to hear me refer to such an ungodly hour as “sleeping in!”

This time around, I have come to the realization that yes, I am a night owl by nature, always have been, always will be. But as much as I despise with my whole heart hearing the alarm clock go off at 4:30 or 5:30 in the morning and as much as I think it is all kinds of wrong to be driving into the gym while the moon is still burning brightly in the sky (thank GOD for DST or this would still be happening every morning!), and as much as I truly hate not seeing my children's smiling faces and getting their hugs and kisses in the morning, I have made peace with the fact that mornings are going to be my go to workout time.

Yes, I will take an occasional class in the afternoons/evenings as my schedule permits. Mostly because I love the classes like Combat and Rock Bottom and those particular ones aren’t offered in the mornings. Sadly though, I have learned that if I don’t get that workout in first thing in the morning, the odds of it happening later in the day are greatly reduced – slightly more than Tyra calling my name as the winner of ANTM, but not as good as a snowball in hell, if you get what I’m saying. In any event, working out in the morning would not be my first choice, that’s for sure. But it is the only time it is going to get done, so I am forcing myself to become a morning person, like it or lump it.

3. My plans

At the end of TC1, I don’t remember that I had specific plans. Yes, I was going to go to boot camp now and again and workout in the mornings and in the evenings. Heck, the TC was over, so I can workout whenever I want, right? Forget 6:30 MWF, I can do it at 7 am one day, 5 pm another, etc, etc. And while this point kind of blends with #2 above, it’s also about planning it out, no matter the time, day, etc.

My team and I are all going to get together Friday after our remeasurements and we are going to come up with a post-TC workout schedule. Everyone’s schedule won’t be the same, but we are each going to come up with a PLAN. Hopefully we can workout in pairs or as a team once or twice a week, but if not, we will all still support each other via facebook, texts, emails and phone calls. I will have a plan and my team will help me stick to my plan, just like I will help them stick to theirs.

4. Accountability

At the end of TC2, I had no accountability to anyone but myself. Yes, the trainers encouraged me to keep coming in and asked about me when I wasn’t there. But this time, I feel a much greater sense of accountability to my team, my friends, my trainers, Weight Watchers, and myself. I signed up for the year-long membership which stretches out the cost of the TC2 over the course of a year, but also provides one hour of personal training per month. Not only will I look forward to getting my butt kicked by my trainer at least once a month, having to get measured by her will help push me as well. I also plan to keep attending WW meetings to be accountable to the scale there. The level of accountability I now have is a huge help in keeping me on track going forward after the TC2.

I think, no wait...I believe, no, hold on...I KNOW these four aspects of TC2 listed above will keep me on track toward my goal and beyond into maintenance.

Well, I have rambled on quite long enough. It really helps for me to write it all out, so thanks to anyone who listened.

I will post my WW and TC2 official results later this week or this weekend.

Scale Hoppers Anonymous, Anyone?

Hi, my name is Heather and I am a scale-aholic. I admit it, I am. I weigh myself every morning. I get up, use the bathroom, strip down for the shower and weigh myself. The timing has to be just that because any "water" that was in my system from the night is now in our plumbing system, and I haven't gotten into the shower yet so no chance of water weight from wet hair or skin. Crazy, I know, but that's my routine.

I know that my weight can fluctuate greatly from day to day with the overall number still coming down, but I still weigh myself. Every. Single. Day. Before TCII, it would almost always backfire on me. If I saw a good number on the scale, then I would end up telling myself, "Heather, you're doing great. The scale was down this morning, go ahead and have that cookie." Or if it were up, then my inner voice is saying, "You screwed up again, you obviously can't even maintain so how are you ever going to LOSE. Go ahead, have that cookie, it doesn't matter anyway." See what I mean?

The other thing scale hopping did was had me way to focused on the number on the dial. And I know this sounds way cheesy, but that number on the scale is really just that...a number! I know that. I know that if I weighed 200 lbs, but still felt great and looked good and my clothes fit, who cares what my actual weight is???

This last point was driven home recently by our dexascan. This is a scan of your entire body that gives you your percent body fat, amount of muscle, etc. It was part of the TCII and I was really excited to see my results. Well, they were better than I expected. Yes, I have a high body fat number, no surprise there. What I was surprised by was my lean muscle mass. According to the scan, I have 117 lbs of lean muscle mass. That's not counting the other organs and tissues and such in my body. That's a LOT of muscle! LOL When I was in college I was 120 lbs, but all I ever did was run, I never did any strength training. So yes, I was trim, but I wasn't really strong or fit. Sadly enough for any of you college students out there, starving yourself so you have more beer money for the weeekend and running your butt off between parties to burn off the beer calories probably doesn't count as being fit. Sorry, don't shoot the messenger.

In any event, what does that scan mean? That scan means that I will likely never get even CLOSE to 120 again unless I lose some serious muscle mass. And I'm okay with that. I have to adjust my expectations of what being healthy means. That doesn't mean I can't be a size 7 again. I'm just going to be a much more toned size 7.

The good news is that since starting TCII, my need to find the nearest Scale Hoppers Anonymous meeting has been greatly diminished. Now, that's probably because I am showering 4-5 mornings a week at the gym and don't have access to my scale at home. But my goal this week is not to step on that scale at home (or at the gym) until my next weigh in on Thursday. Not even once. I am going to work my tail off and hope for a good number and hopefully be surprised with a great number. It's an experiment. All in the name of science, y'all. :) Wish me luck and I challenge you to do the same and see how you do on your diet and exercise routine this week.

Stop and Think!

I was at the gym bright and early this morning at 6 am for a “last chance workout” before our Weight Watchers meeting at 6:45. The poor gal that weighs us in always has to deal with half of us TC-ers coming in sweaty and gross from getting our cardio in beforehand. But she always has a smile on her face anyway. What a trooper! :)

I was proud of myself this morning because I ran the better part of the 30 minutes I was on the treadmill, only walking a few minutes, and I didn’t feel like I was going to have a heart attack! That’s a big improvement for me.

I’ve been inspired to start running again by my friend the amazing , the wonderful, the marvelous Miss M. We ran side by side on the treadmill last week and I noticed her doing “sprints” where she upped the speed for short bursts of time. My competitive side kicking in, I thought, I can do that. So I did. I didn’t get the speed up to as fast as she was, but fast for me. So this morning I did it again. And it felt good. I don’t think I’ll go back to a 6 days a week running program like I did long ago, but I will definitely start adding running into my cardio mix.

I’ve also hit spin class a couple times in the last week. My butt hurts so badly! And I’m not talking about the muscles, I’m talking a seriously bruised booty! But nothing burns more calories for me than a good spin class, so I’m going to try to keep hitting that once or twice a week, sore butt or no sore butt.

My hard work paid off this week. Even with the holiday, I lost a little over two pounds making my grand total 6.6 lbs. It might be lofty, but my goal this week is to really step it up and get as close to, if not over, 10 lbs as I can. That is another 3.4 lbs. Probably not doable, but I am going to try. If I try and get even halfway, I've still done well.

On my way to work, I stopped at Edna Valley to pick up some water. As I was walking in, I thought, "I'm starving! I had a great weigh-in, I'm going to reward myself with one of their coffee cakes!" I went in and had every intention of getting one. I would journal it and yes, it would use up a lot of my points, but I could still probably stay within my totals for the day and certainly for the week.

Then I stopped and thought about it. Do I want the changes I am making to be permanent or temporary? Do I want to eat healthy and exercise every day or just on the days that it "counts" i.e. closer to weigh in? Do I want to do the best I can for my weight loss and fitness regime or do I want to just get by and just do enough? The answers to all those questions is the first option. This is a PERMANENT change for me. It has to be, otherwise, I'll slide right back into where I was and trust me, that is not a good place to be.

Can I allow myself to have something I really like and have been craving without going completely off program? Certainly. But if I make it a regular occurrance, like getting a coffee cake every time I have a good weigh in, then what happens when I reach my goal weight? "Oh, I'm at goal, I can have a coffee cake a couple mornings a week." I know myself, I am a creature of habit. If I start doing that, I will eventually go back to stopping there every day of the week on my way to work, picking up a coffee cake and a soda. And even if I didn't gain any weight back, I wouldn't be giving my body the nutrition and fuel it needs and deserves.

Another thing that this got running through my mind is how I use food. Is food really a reward? Or a comfort? Or a way to entertain myself? Because I have been guilty of using it as all of those things on occasion. Or should food be a way to fuel my body? It should be the latter, of course. If I can stop using food as a reward, then next I can work on my emotional eating, etc. Does that also mean I will never turn to food for comfort or as a reward? Heck, no! But I can make better choices in my "comfort food" and "treats." And I can use food in those ways much less frequently.

Long story short, I walked away from the coffee cake and went straight to the water case. I went to work and ate my breakfast of cereal, milk and fruit and I am off to Trader Joe's on my lunch hour to restock my work "pantry" (file cabinet drawer) and fridge for today and tomorrow. I should be poised for another good week. Check back next time to see if my change in attitude helped!

Transformation Challenge II - week 2 and 3 summary

I promised to post a brief summary of how the TC2 has been going so far this go 'round. All in all, it's been going well. I was fortunate to have a friend of mine from TC1 join in this year as well as a friend of mine that I have known for years. We were grouped with another amazing gal to make our team of four. I am so blessed to have this team. We are all so supportive of each other, so committed to this challenge and we make each other laugh. That last bit, I feel, is very important! And the trainer assigned to our team is Lauren - yay! She's scary hard, but in a good way. And while we won't be working out with her on a regular basis (other than in boot) I know she expects a lot from us and will be a wonderful source of support and knowledge through this all.

The first week of TC2 was "orientation week." We did our medical screenings and tests (curl ups, push ups and 3 min step test), got measured, weighed, etc, etc. We also had our first WW meeting where we got the rundown on how it works, how to measure food and calculate points, etc.

The WW part, at least, is old hat to me having been a repeat offender over and over again in the last 10 years. That is a bit of an advantage and a disadvantage. An advantage because I already know what I'm doing and don't have to figure it out. It's a disadvantage because I think I took these first two weeks a little too casually when it came to food. I journaled, I tallied points, etc, but I didn't attack it with the renewed vigor of a true WW newbie. It also didn't help that it was unfortunate timing with my hormonal cycle so these first two weeks of WW, I only lost 0.6 total. But it's a LOSS, right? And I am going to kick that scale's behind next week, for sure.

Boot camp is every bit as challenging as I remembered it. Natalie is doing the Monday boot, Lauren the Wednesday and Friday will be various classes the gym normally holds at other times of the day/week. I think this is a great idea because it lets people try out some of the classes and see which ones they like.

I am trying to get my cardio in before boot due to my work schedule, but that means, 5:30 AM cardio sessions. Which means getting up at - brace yourself - 4:30 to be out the door by 4:45. That's AM people! A!!!! M!!!! Ugh. It hurts my brain to even type those numbers out. I have been semi-successful at this so far. I caught a nasty cough/cold thing from the kiddos that has hindered my efforts there a bit, but I am trying to adjust to this new start time for my day. Wish me luck!

I am really liking the cardio class on Fridays at 5:30 AM and the RPM class on Mondays at 5:30 AM so I will definitely be getting in to those every week. Wednesdays I might try the Body Flow class before boot. I love Body Flow and while it's not considered cardio, it burns some good calories and I think it's a good recovery class to take once a week. I'll squeeze my cardio in after boot on Wednesdays.

Tuesdays I am thinking I will hit the 6:45 AM RPM class most weeks and Thursdays will be cardio on the treadmill or elliptical before our WW meeting.

Whew! I think that's all my workouts. In the afternoons, if I can get a walk or bike ride in with the kids, great. Same thing on the weekends. If I can get a hike or something in, that's a bonus.

So there it is - my summary, my workout plans. Please, hold me accountable. Part of the benefit of writing it out here is that i have to face those few people who read this blog and they will hopefully ask how it's going. And that is motivation right there! I don't want to have to hang my head in shame when I see you all at the gym or around town, so you can bet I will be busting my hiney!

Have a good week all!

She MUST be crazy, right?

Apparently people, I am. Crazy, that is. Insane. Seriously, out of my mind. Why, you might ask? Because I signed up for the Transformation Challenge again this year. Yep, I'm going back to 6:30 am workouts and killer trainers, journaling every bite that enters my mouth and drinking enough water to fill my kids' wading pool each day. I remember how hard it was last year. And when the alarm went off at 5 am last Monday, I thought to myself, "dear God, why did I do this again???" But as I was creeping down the stairs trying not to wake the family, sneaking out the front door and driving down to SLO in the pitch black of the pre-dawn hours, I remembered how good it felt at the end. How much better my body felt, how much improved my attitude was and how it changed my life.

So if it changed my life, why do I have to do it again? Apparently, I'm a slow learner. I let some of those changes fall off over time. I let myself become my own lowest priority after about six months. But I swear that I will not let that happen this time around.

If you want to refresh your memory on what the TC is all about, read my post from last year here. This year, EQ has added an element to the challenge that I am really excited about - they have teamed up with WW to help us with the food and nutrition side of things. We have a weekly WW meeting just a few doors down from EQ and I am looking forward to the accountability and support these meetings will provide.

So wish me luck. I am behind already on posting, but I'll try to put up a weekly update. If I have time, I'll do a week 1 and 2 summary later this week, then a week 3 wrapup this weekend.

The missing piece of the puzzle

Since school started in August, I have become low man on my own totem pole once again. I am a bit confused by it as it really seemed like through the Transformation Challenge earlier this year, I had really changed my lifestyle. I was making healthier choices in my food, my daily life and exercise had become a very good habit…going to the gym was a given, almost every day. Packing my gym bag was just part of my daily routine without giving it any thought. And while I hadn’t managed to lose any more weight from the time the Challenge wrapped up to the time school started, at least I hadn’t gained which was a biggie for me.

Then school started and I think every mother can relate to the craziness that is shuffling kids to and from school, working (at home or out of the home, it’s still work!), housework, laundry, lunches, sports practices, etc, etc.

I think what added to my chaos this year was our attempt to save some money by not enrolling Grace into the afterschool program we had previously paid $400+ a month for. We just couldn’t afford it any more. Between friends, family, Girl Scouts and adjusting my work schedule, we manage to get her picked up every day from school. But it adds to the stress and the time constraints that were already in my life. I do question whether the stress and time is worth the $400 a month, but it’s not really a question of that at this point. Money is tighter than ever for us and we just flat out can’t pay it this year. It’s not a choice, unfortunately.

Add to the changes in my work schedule (somedays working 6am to 2pm, other days working 9am to 7pm) my doctor put me on Yaz for PMDD. Boom! 10 lbs gained, the first week, without changing anything else in my life. Whoa! What is THAT all about??? Talking to friends, they all had the same phenomena occur. Lovely. So when I see my OB on December 21st and she asks why my weight isn’t down as she had talked about at our September appt, I can tell her because of the stupid Yaz, that’s why!

Ok, so enough background on the why’s of my being back to within one pound of my heaviest weight - which also happens to be the weight I started out the Transformation Challenge at back in March. What am I going to do about it? Why can’t I put myself first consistently for more than just a couple months? I think to get this weight off and make it stick, I really need to look at the reasons why I eat and the reasons why I obviously don’t feel I deserve to be thin or happy.

Really, my life is pretty darn good other than my weight. My marriage is stronger than ever and our sex life is still pretty happenin’ despite three kids and my weight gain. My kids are blessings, each and every one. My job is good – good pay, decent benefits, flexible and understanding about sick kids and field trip chaperoning. I have wonderful family and friends who are always so supportive and loving. It seems that being thinner and healthier would be the last piece of the puzzle to make it all complete. I just need to find that piece...you know, the one that you can't find, that you swear must have never been put in the box at the puzzle factory, that you look for and look for and look for in the shag of the carpet, or blame your husband for accidentally throwing it away or worse, hiding it from you on purpose. That piece that finally turns up right where you were looking all along.

My mission is now not just to lose weight and get healthy, it's to find that missing puzzle piece and make it all fit and make sense. Today, I start this weight loss journey for what will hopefully…nope, gotta be more positive than that…for what WILL BE the last time! Wish me luck!!

Christmas is a-comin!

I know many of you have little ones (kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, you name it) to buy for so I thought I'd pass along these great deals! Coupons.com has some amazing Hasbro coupons on a whole slew of toys. Many of them are for the toddler and younger set, but if you have someone buy for in that age range, this is a great savings opportunity.

1. Go to www.coupons.com
2. Select "toys" from the list on the left of the page
3. Click the coupons you are interested in
4. Click print

I have printed two copies of a few of these so while I know there is probably a limit to the number of copies you can print, I know it's more than two. And no photocopies because IF the clerk is paying attention, they aren't supposed to take them without the little polka dots on the expiration date which don't come through on a xerox. :)

Other tid bits:
- A lot of these coupons are for $5 off and some even for $10 off!!
- Target has a lot of the toys, but not all of them are in-store so you're dealing with shipping, etc
- If you aren't opposed to shopping at Walmart (personally, I hate the place, but would go there for some of these deals!) then you can save even more. Their prices are more reasonable than Target or even Kmart most of the time. But in this case, it might pay to do some research on the web before you go. You can check for in-store availability on both the Target and Walmart sites.
- Coupons don't expire until January 2010

Example: Playskool Step Start Walk n Ride for my nephew
Target price: $20 plus shipping
Walmart price: $16 in store (they have these in the Paso store - yay!)
Coupon: $10 off
Final price: $6!!!

Crazy low prices, ladies and gentlemen. Have fun saving!!