Transformation Tuesday: The Healthy Path

My lovely sister-in-law, who is a dear friend and fellow Beachbody Coach, dedicated her Transformation Tuesday post to me today.  I’ve been struggling a bit lately, what with trying to nail down a new routine due to my new job, etc. so her post gave me some nice perspective.  The picture on the left was taken on a trip to New York and New Jersey.  I was already 6 months into my fitness journey by that point but you might not have noticed much change yet if you saw me every day.  I remember it being so hot that morning but my husband and I got up early, before it got too excruciating, and took a run in the industrial park behind our hotel.  Then we walked around New York city for a few hours.  (Boy do I wish I’d had my Fitbit then!)  It was a long and tiring day and I think we even went swimming that night.  That’s a lot of activity for a person that size, even one who was working out regularly.  It’s tough to look at my face sometimes in these older pictures but, in retrospect, I’m proud of that day.  It kept me on the path that lead me to where I am today.  I’ve gotten out of the habit of running (temporarily) but looking at where I am now compared to where I was then, I can imagine how much less taxing that kind of day would be on me now, or that I could run farther and walk longer, and really make the most out of the limited time we had in the city.

Speaking of walking, I went for a little spin on my lunch break this afternoon.  I wore a dress to work today, something I did rarely in the past.  This was mostly because it was uncomfortable for me to wear dresses or skirts unless I had pantyhose or shorts on underneath to combat my thighs rubbing together and getting chafed.  This is not an unexpected consequence when you’re an overweight woman but it’s not one that is easy to admit.  As my legs have gotten more toned due to my workouts I’ve noticed this is not really an issue anymore.  I don’t have that thigh gap so many covet, and I may never, but I can wear a dress with no hose or shorts on underneath and survive the day.  Such a small thing but just one of the many benefits of making my health a priority.

I guess the bottom line of this post is that I understand what it’s like to be really overweight.  I get how you hate yourself but you keep eating anyway.  I get that you think there’s no hope for you or that diets won’t work or that you’re not physically able to exercise the way you think you should to lose weight.  And to be honest, there was no real rock bottom for me.  I sailed past that number on the scale I thought I’d never ever see and that wasn’t enough.  I wanted to make a change but it was tough.  I’m the kind of person who thinks and thinks and thinks about something for a long time but when I finally make a decision I act on it as soon as possible. 

There were two things that were turning points for me.  I can’t remember exactly how the timing went but I think they happened at approximately the same time (say within a month or so of each other).  I had been a sort of going to the gym kind of person but had kind of fallen off the wagon after my wedding.  (That happiness weight, ya know? ;)  A coworker mentioned to me about this boot camp competition that was starting in a few weeks.  I’ve never told her this because in the end I was so appreciative of her telling me about the program but I remember first thinking something on the order of “WTF?  Is she only telling me this because I’m fat?”  And then I thought, “Well, wake up sister, you are fat.  Almost the heaviest you’ve ever been in your life.”  So I did my thinking routine.  I thought about how it might be embarrassing to do these workouts in front of other people and all that but then it finally occurred to me that I really had nothing to lose (so to speak.)  I could try this program for 8 weeks and if I lost 5lbs then I lost 5lbs.  And maybe, if I stuck to it, it would make an even bigger difference.  Which is exactly what happened.  I went to all 24 sessions and I lost over 18lbs.  You always hope for more but that really was enough to start me on my way.  I realized that working out actually made me feel better.  And not missing any sessions told me I had the drive and the endurance to do what needed to be done.  (My page is called Persistent Fitness for a reason.  Even if it’s 20 months later and I’m still working on my goals...It’s a long journey but so is life.)

The second thing was running.  I had heard a lot about couch to 5k programs and wanted to begin training for one.  The first step of that process for my husband and I was walking.  It’s such a simple but such a beneficial thing to do.  If you do nothing else but go on a brisk walk every day you will see your health start to improve.  Unfortunately for my husband’s sake, I had this hair brained idea in winter.  I distinctly remember those tentative first jogs we went on.  Wearing all these layers and dodging ice in the street and on the sidewalk in our neighborhood.  It’s a miracle neither of us hurt ourselves and I’m so thankful my husband loves me as much as he does and agreed to go with me because those runs were another stepping stone to me regaining my health.  I remember when the prospect of running for 10 minutes seemed so daunting.  Then 10 minutes was barely enough of a run.  That’s the wonderful thing about running.  Your progress is evident every time you do it.  But like I keep saying, it all takes that first step.

If you or someone you know is overweight then please reach out to me or send them my way.  I understand the difficulties but I’m also proof that you can overcome them.  All you have to do is try.

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The Fix is In!!

I’m sure a lot of you have seen publicity for the 21 Day Fix.  In my opinion this is a fantastic eating program coupled with killer workouts.  Most Beachbody exercise programs come with a diet to follow while on the program but the Fix food program is hard to beat in terms of accessibility and overall benefit.  The main premise is to eat a combination of different color-coded containers every day to give your body all the correct fuel it needs to be healthy, including protein, fruits, vegetables, carbs and healthy fats.  It focuses on portion control and not counting calories, which insures you do not restrict yourself from awesome foods like avocado just because it’s higher in calories.  

If you’ve shied away from other programs because you can’t live without carbs or life isn’t worth it without a glass of wine or some chocolate, then this program is for you as it provides for indulgences!  This is the real world, ya know, so you have to learn how to eat the best you can the majority of the time while occasionally allowing yourself that favorite food or dessert.  It makes the program that much more doable.  I now follow the Fix eating plan as my normal diet and I’m not chained to the plan book or the containers, though believe me, they are so helpful!

In my first 3 weeks with the Fix program I lost  11.4 pounds and 12.25 inches.  Way beyond my expectations!  The amount of inches in just 3 weeks really blew my mind.  In fact, as we speak, I have moved to a hybrid schedule of PiYo and 21 Day Fix workouts so I will most definitely be losing more inches!  The workouts are only 30 minutes in length so they are easy to knock out but boy do they make you sweat!  You will feel your muscles building in only a few days.

Autumn Calabrese is the trainer behind the Fix.  She shares a lot of wisdom during her workouts but one of the best pieces of advice she offers is not to kill yourself during a workout and then undo that progress in the kitchen.  This is a major struggle for me but something that was made easier by following the Fix plan.  Autumn also says that if you’re tired of starting over then quit giving up!  Progress can sometimes be difficult to determine, especially in the early stages of a healthy lifestyle change, but one of the great things about the Fix is the initial 3 week commitment.  If you commit yourself to following the program for 3 weeks you WILL see results!  Normally by the time that 3 weeks is over you will have made new healthy habits and be ready to keep your progress going!

If the 21 Day Fix interests you now is the time to invest in yourself as the whole program is on special through the end of September.  Ask me for details!

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The Ups and Downs of Shopping

I'm starting a new full time job soon so I thought my wardrobe could use a little sprucing up. You only make first impressions once, right?

Throughout the process of my weight loss I have only bought new clothes here and there, enough to last me until I could fit in the next size down. This summer, for instance, I bought two pairs of shorts and three capris, enough to wear in the evenings or on weekends in constant rotation. I have a lot of clothes, mind you, but most of them are too big anymore. It's a nice problem to have but sometimes it's also overwhelming. So last weekend I went on a closet cleaning binge and took a bunch of items to Goodwill. That left me feeling better about taking my 30% off coupon to Kohl's. :)

Kohl's and I are old friends. I was never a big shopper until I started going on my own. I loved the idea of being in a store as long (or as little) as I liked. When I lived in New Hampshire during my year with Americorps, I started going to Kohl's on the regular.

If you've read some of my other blog posts or follow me on Facebook, you're probably aware that I've been overweight for most of my life. I was used to shopping in the Women's section, where it was sometimes a struggle to find something I actually wanted to wear that wouldn't also work for a woman 20 years older than me. Stores like Lane Bryant and Torrid came along later but you can't beat Kohl's for the discounts and the Kohl's cash so that was still my primary store.

This year, though, I hadn't been to Kohl's too much because of my desire to not overbuy while I'm still losing weight. I did want a new dress for a wedding this Spring so I made the trip. Imagine my surprise when I realized the items in the Women's section were now too big for me! I looked at the smallest size they had and just knew it was too big. What?! Plus, there was nothing I even remotely wanted to buy in terms of a dress, so I went to the Misses section. And bought a J Lo dress. Really? Me? In a "regular" size? I was thrilled.

 My J Lo dress.

Before my most recent shopping trip, I'd only been to Kohl's one other time this summer, with a specific purchase in mind, so I didn't really look around the Misses section too much. I was floored when I went last week and realized what a huge section of the store the Misses department occupies. It had to be 1/3 of the first floor! The sales racks went and went and went. This is what I'd been missing! I finally felt like I was picking out clothes that went with my age bracket. Plus, when you buy clothes that actually fit you, people notice even more the changes you've made. (Don't hide in big, ugly clothes. A nice outfit can honestly make you feel so much better about yourself. Try it!)

I do empathize with anyone that is now where I once was, shopping in the big girls department and picking out the least objectionable choices. Especially after I have seen the options provided to the smaller women. It is great that plus size women have more options these days like Torrid and Lane Bryant or Old Navy (check out their plus size clothes online) but I still feel like most clothing stores (or their buyers) do not really understand what an average plus size woman wants. (I can't even tell you how many times I've seen shirts with horizontal lines on them and thought "In what world does someone think I want to buy a shirt to make myself look even bigger than I am?")

If you are a bigger woman, don't let the often confounding choices at a store make you feel bad about yourself or your body. Comb those racks for staple items like solid color pants and shirts to form the basis for your wardrobe and then splurge on bigger ticket items like dresses and jackets at more figure friendly stores where the cuts are more flattering and the quality is higher.  Let your clothes be an ally and not an enemy.

For me, it's still going to take some getting used to that my body is probably 1/3 what it once was.   Sometimes when I'm doing laundry I look a t-shirt and think it looks too small, that can't fit me, but I know that it does. At Kohl's I was half expecting weird looks as to why I was shopping in the Misses section.  But in the end I'm glad my weight loss process has taken as long as it has because it has allowed me tme to process these changes.

If you feel like you need to make a change, you have to want it for yourself. Don't get angry that everything at the store makes you feel like a house and try to lose weight for that reason or because someone said something nasty to you. You have to really and truly want it for yourself or you won't commit to a change. Have a reason that is personal to you and continue to revisit that reason to keep your motivation up. 

My husband says I have much more willpower than he does but I don't think that's necessarily true. I struggle on a daily basis and sometimes I eat what I probably shouldn't or I skip a workout but I've also made changes to my lifestyle and formed habits and that is what wins out in the end. I know if I go too long between workouts I get antsy and I don't sleep as well. I also know the residual effects of eating too much bad food. Plus, my desire to eat certain foods has diminished. So much of it is mental but being healthy is just like any other good habit (brushing your teeth, putting on your seat belt, etc.), it becomes automatic. You just have to keep at it long enough to get to that place.

If I can do it, anyone can. Like I said, you just have to want it. When you're ready, I'm here.

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Isn't that REFRESHing?

Weekends have always been tough for me. I do pretty well during the week because my routine is very similar from day to day because of my work schedule. On the weekends I tend to sleep later and my day is much more fluid in terms of what plans I might have or what chores I'm trying to get done at home. Consequently, I tend to not drink as much water, eat food that is not exactly on plan, and sometimes miss workouts. For that reason, I wanted to begin the 3 Day Refresh over a weekend to help me reset the habit of being "off" on weekends. A Saturday would have been ideal, but my Refresh package did not arrive until Friday and I needed time to read the materials and grocery shop so I began on a Sunday.

Day 1: I recorded my weight and measured my hips and waist. The Refresh plan advises drinking water first thing so I did that after my weigh in. I then enjoyed a Greenberry shake and some fruit. I also chose to have a cup of black tea with stevia for my tea time since I didn't have a chance to step down my morning coffee intake and did not want a headache. (Other than 1 other morning, I consumed green tea or herbal tea for all the other tea times.)
 

I usually have a bigger breakfast of eggs and Ezekiel bread, etc. on the weekends so I did feel a bit hungry after tea time. Luckily for me, the fiber sweep drink filled me up until lunch. I personally had no issue with the fiber sweep but I have added fiber mix drinks to my eating plan before and was used to the slightly gritty consistency. The book advises drinking the fiber sweep quickly after mixing. I made mine in my shaker cup, which helped as I could continually shake it between sips. The flavor strangely reminded me of Fruit Loops so it was not unpleasant. I also added a little additional water at the end to try and get the remaining bits of fiber that clung to the cup.
 

Lunch was a vegetable and a healthy fat from the list plus a Vanilla Fresh shake.

 

Vanilla Fresh Shake

 

The shake filled me up pretty quickly and kept me full until my afternoon snack and tea time. For dinner, I chose to have the optional organic vegetable broth and a vegetable stir fry. This was tasty and filling and it was satisfying to eat a warm meal. I also chose to put off my second Vanilla Fresh shake by about an hour to be sure I would not get hungry in the evening or overnight.

 

Broth with parsley and veggie stir fry.  I added curry powder to spice mine up!

My energy was pretty low throughout the day. I don't think this had anything to do with the Refresh as I was eating fairly consistently throughout the day. I just chalk it up to one of those days. I did not, however, workout due to this fact.
 

Day 2: This was probably my best day overall. I felt pretty good in the morning and followed the advised food schedule fairly closely, though occasionally it was more like 2 hours between certain parts of the schedule, but I never felt exceedingly hungry. I did switch my afternoon tea and snack so that I had my snack later in the day to give me energy for working out. I did a double PiYo routine. My energy waned a little by the end but this was about 50 minutes of exercise total. I had the soup and stir fry for dinner again and also drank my shake afterwards as I did on Day 1.

 

Kale and strawberry salad for lunch plus avocado and a little red wine vinegar.

Day 3: This was the only day that I mixed the fruit serving directly into my shake. For me, it was better to eat an actual piece of fruit to take up space in my stomach instead of adding it to my shake. However, this morning I was in a bit of a rush and knew my schedule would be off so I purposely tried to boost my breakfast. I also had an extra cup of tea because I was not able to consume the fiber sweep until late morning. I also got home from work later than usual and was not able to work out. I physically felt like I could but my husband and I had a lot of things to discuss so that took precedence.

Stir fry close up.

 

I had anticipated that dinner on Day 3 might be the hardest. This is mostly because it's your last meal on the plan before you can go back to eating whatever you wish. I guess that was mostly a mental roadblock, though. I was still satisfied by my broth and stir fry and my shake.
 

Other points: Water is very helpful in terms of helping you process your food and keeping you full so drink up!
 

I should mention that I primarily ate the same thing for all my snacks and meals. I'm not usually that way on a daily basis but it was much simpler for me to prepare my food that way and it wasn't boring to me. It could be because by the time I had dinner, I was very much looking forward to a hot meal.
 

As for the fiber sweep, I know some people have worries it will do a number on their digestive tract. I eat a decent amount of fiber on a daily basis so this was not an issue for me. I could tell the product was doing what it should and I had no adverse effects. In fact, I'd be really interested if Beachbody started selling the fiber sweep as a supplement.
 

So....drumroll....the end result: 6 pounds down and half an inch off my waist! Pictures don't do it justice because my waist is one of the areas that still needs a lot of attention so you'll have to take my word for it. :)

But I felt good and very energized.  One week out, I am back up about 2 pounds but I think that's pretty good overall. I do wonder what my results would've been if I'd worked out all 3 days but I'm still satisfied with the end result.

If you've been considering the Refresh please let me know if you have any questions. If you'd like some support, fill out the form below and join a Refresh challenge group. The Refresh Challenge Pack is on sale only through the end of July so act fast!

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With a Little Help From Your Friends

Support has been so key to my success.  My husband has been amazing all along and my family and friends have been very encouraging and invested in my progress.  Unfortunately some people do not have this type of support or are surrounded by Negative Nellies.  Now that I'm a coach I can be that friend and that supporter that others need. It's truly one of the best things about coaching.

If you've seen my Facebook like page or my personal profile, you've most likely seen me talking about Challenge Groups. I thought I would take some time to explain what a Challenge Group is and why it's successful.

I have personally participated in two different Challenge Groups - one for T25 and one for the 21 Day Fix. The T25 group was my first and lasted 60 days. That's a big commitment but boy was I glad I had committed to it. I was very nervous about the holidays approaching last year. It's a difficult time of year for everyone, let alone someone trying to lose weight. That group helped me survive the holidays AND lose weight and inches.

Challenge Groups are run in closed groups on Facebook. Your coach(es) post information everyday to support and encourage you and provide tons of information and answer any questions you may have. You and the other participants in the group check in everyday to discuss how your day went. You rate things like your food intake, if you drank your Shakeology, and your workout. (Like how well you followed your meal plan and how hard you pushed yourself during your workout.) You might be surprised by how much one Facebook post keeps you accountable. I often thought "don't want to post that I ate french fries" so I didn't eat them. Or even "better do my workout and not make excuses to the group about why I didn't."

As I said above, support is necessary and an amazing benefit of a group. Your coach(es) want the best for you and love hearing how the program is working for you or in what areas you might need help. You might struggle with things but you find out that others in the group are struggling with something similar. You realize change is hard and there's nothing wrong with you for struggling. You also find ways to get past your struggles and find a lot of motivation and togetherness in the group and people to cheer your successes.

I have personal experience with T25, the 21 Day Fix, Slim in 6, and Piyo but there are challenge packs and groups for any of Beachbody's programs.  If you think a Challenge Group might help you, fill out my form below and we'll find a program that works for you and a group to support you, too!

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Spinning Into a New Me

My turning point finally came in January of 2013.  A coworker suggested we join a boot camp challenge.  I thought it over for a few days.  I knew it was something I should do but change is difficult and I was at close to the highest weight I'd been in my entire life.  Could I do this?

I weighed my options.  I am a sociable person but not particularly outgoing so there was the risk of embarrassment, possible injury, the inevitable fear of change.  But then another thought occurred to me.  What if it made me feel better?  What if I lost weight?  Was that worth stepping out of my comfort zone?  Luckily, I decided it was.

The boot camp challenge offered prizes at the end, one of which was for perfect attendance at all 24 boot camp sessions.  This wasn't a goal of mine initially but after I survived the first few classes it seemed feasible.  I'm a classic over-thinker and in this case I tried not to think much at all.  I had class 3 days a weeks so I planned everything with those classes in mind.

Class was difficult.  It pushed me physically, and sometimes it was tough to get through, but I started to realize something...it was making me fee better.  There were days when I didn't feel too great or I didn't want to go but I had made a commitment so I went anyway.  And I came home feeling good.  (What?!  Exercise makes you feel better?  No way!)

My progress was slow at first.  This happens for a lot of people, especially when you are building muscle.  Don't get discouraged because your success isn't showing as much on the scale.  Go by how your clothes fit and how you feel.  Those two things should be enough to keep you going for a while.

By the end of the boot camp I had lost over 18 pounds.  It was a great start and lit a slow burning fire in me.  (I even squeezed in a run between work and cooking dinner for my mother one night because I was stir crazy and needed to burn off some energy.  I chose running over crashing on the couch for 10 minutes.  Me?  Really?)

 January 2013/April 2014

Over the course of the next year and a half I joined Weight Watchers, did Yoga and Zumba at work, started running, ran a 5k, joined classes at an exercise studio, started my first Beachbody Challenge Group, started clean eating and drinking Shakeology and eventually became a Beachbody Coach myself.  That's a lot of change and growth for someone who was scared of taking that first boot camp class.  What's the trick?  Just take it one step, or one class, at a time.

I had never thought of myself as being adventurous enough to take a spinning class but I did tonight.  I was presented with the opportunity and thought "Why not?"  That's a total attitude shift from who I was last year but I realized I'm not afraid of opportunities anymore.  Life is no less challenging but I feel so much readier to face these challenges head on.  So don't be afraid, be fierce!

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Welcome to my blog!

I've thought long and hard about starting a blog and I finally decided now was the time. There are so many things I often want to say that would make a Facebook post way too long or take up too many tweets so this blog is where I will spread my wings, at least in terms of word count. :)

My name is Michelle and I've been married to my husband for 4 years. We're hoping to have kids soon, which is part of the reason why I finally started to get my health in order. 

I'm a person that's been overweight the majority of my life. I am not where I want to be yet but I'm so much closer to my goal than I ever thought I'd be. I figured I would just be fat my entire life, that it was genetic, that there was nothing I could do about it. But you know what? That's not true. Achieving and maintaining my goals is hard work but I'm not much different than most people who have lost a lot of weight. And I think that's a good thing to realize. I am not different and you are NOT different. If someone else can lose 100 pounds, so can you! There is a method to it and if you find what works for you and you have dedication and perseverance you can do anything. 

 July 2013

 July 2014

I'm living proof of that concept (90 pounds down since 01/2013!) which is why I call this blog and my Facebook like page Persistent Fitness. Be persistent. Fight for yourself and your health. If you need support, I'm here for you.