Back to work and working out!

 
Yesterday back at work I was swamped.  My new job has me hopping, but I love it.  I no longer dread coming to work, and I do not find myself watching the clock any longer.  I feel very blessed.

I feel guilty because with Thanksgiving and Cole being sick I did not work out.... not once.  I am heading to the gym tonight and I am anxious to get my buns back in gear once again.  I know that my body is craving it because I am beginning to get that tired feeling.  You know the one, the one from sitting on your "ASS"!  The one I had for most of my adult life.

Working out is the best thing that has ever happened to me.  Sometimes it is hard to get yourself to go, but I have never not ONCE regretted it once I am done.  I always feel 100% better for going.

 
Someone at work, is counting the days til Christmas.  She has this nifty little sign that changes numbers each day.  I am almost done shopping so I am ready whenever it gets here.  I am enjoying my decorations so it can take its time.  I am sure by New Years that I will be ready to have them down and put away and my house back!

I did some shopping at Kohl's on Monday with my Kohl's cash from my Christmas shopping on Saturday.  I had $150 to spend and it was exciting.  I bought a pair of Lauren Conrad leggings in size L...can you freaking believe it a size L. (I had purchased XL a week before and they swam on me and I could pull them up to nearly under my boobs, Nichole said you need a smaller size so a size L). I was so pumped by this. 

I also got a Sweater dress from Elle and one from Daisy Fuentes and I love them both.  Nichole called me a "skinny bitch"!  Lovingly of course. I know that I am far from skinny but I am beginning to feel good about how I am looking again. My most prized purchase was an Apt 9 black sleeveless wrap around dress from the clearance rack for $16.90.  It fit me so perfectly. I mean really, a wrap around dress that was not in the "big girl" section  (do they even make wrap around dresses in those sizes)?  Do you know how long it has been since I did not have to shop in the "big girl" part of the store.  Well, none of anything I got was from there.  I can kiss that part of my shopping from days gone by "ta ta"!  Good rid dens and I am not sorry to see it go.

I feel good about the work I have done since July 5th and that fill.  I know that I can complete this journey now, and that I am not on a time table.  I think that when I lightened up on attacking myself for not making certain weights by certain dates, that things have sort of fell into place for me.

I am making healthy choices 95% of the time, and I am following the band rules and Commandments that I like to call them.  I know that by doing this, I WILL be successful.  I just cannot let the "excuse ass" get back in the door.


I think that is why my body is changing, because my mind is also healthy.  I am happy, and I feel good about myself, exactly the way I am right now.  I am still fat!!!!!!!!!  However, I can honestly say, that I am happy, because I know that being skinny is NOT what is going to bring me happiness.  I love that I have learned this.  Without this knowledge, I would still be beating up myself and my self esteem, which is a huge commitment and confidence crusher in my humble opinion.  It is what lead me to fall off the proverbial wagon!

Liquids are going semi OK, I did eat some turkey chili for supper last night, but I was hungry.  So I do not feel bad about doing it.  I have told myself if you are hungry, then eat.  If not, then don't.  It is working very well.  I am getting lots and lots of water in this time.  

I love my MIO!!  It has made sticking with drinking my water easier than ever.  My favorite is the Berry Pomegranate...YUM!  I will not drink anything that has aspartame in it ever again or eat for that matter.  I proved to myself over the past four years that it causes us to crave carbs.  When I stopped drinking crystal light, I was no longer hungry between meals, when I stopped chewing gum laid en with it, I was no longer hungry between meals.  I have been using MIO for over 5 months and it does not increase my cravings one little bit.  Yeah for me!

I have done posts on the importance of water, and why you have to drink water to be healthy and to lose weight.  I know that WATER is one of the keys to success!

I am looking forward to ZUMBA tonight! 

Bandaversary 4 years!

November 5, 2007

It took me awhile to decide what I wanted to say for this post, and now that finals are over I can actually sit down and do it.


November 9, 2007, four years......where have I come?  I have been around the block of banding I can tell you that much.
I vowed before the band that I would never, ever go back to my old habits of abusing and misusing food, but I did.


I also vowed that I would never regain those 85 pounds that I lost back then, but I did.


I watched as my broken and sore body, became fitter, and actually craved exercise, and I found myself addicted to it, only to find excuses to keep me from doing it.


I basically broke all bandster rules, and I did it in no time at all.  It only took me about 6 months to put back on 50+ pounds, and it was hard for me.  I became depressed and angry at me, myself and I.  


Then I found blogging, yes I had already put on the brakes to my insane falling off of the wagon, but it was not until I found Catherine55 and others blogs, that what I had done truly changed my life for the better.  She now knows what she did for me because I was so fortunate to meet her at BOOBS 2.0.!

Catherine and Kristin BOOBS 2.0 Chicago

So what were the rules that I broke you ask?

1.        I stopped measuring my food.
2.        I got a fill that was too tight to eat solid protein.
3.        I did not go back to the Surgeon to be unfilled.
4.        I began to eat around my band (eating sliders, things that would pass easily through it mostly high calorie liquids, ice cream yes lots of ice cream) eating out more than cooking.
5.        I stopped stepping on the scale.
6.        I was not diligent in drinking my water.
7.        I stopped logging my food.
8.        I had no idea if I was eating enough protein, I stopped doing my protein shakes.
9.        I began to eat sugar again in large quantities.
10.        I began to drink orange soda again like it was OK! (only orange though I never went full bore back to all soda)  like that was an alright move on my part.
11.       I ate out of the site of anyone, I closet ate.  Denying even to myself what I was eating.
12.       I became depressed and did not ask for help.
13.       I stopped going to support group for my lap band.
14.       I would not listen to those who love me that I live with, when they began to notice my gain!
15.       I made it OK, to eat pasta and rice and even bread again, when I know this NOT on the bandster diet.

These are the things that I did, that I vowed I would never, ever do again.  These are the basics that I let slip away and I was  WRONG, I did them all.

I stopped the madness though, on June 28th, 2011, I saw my beloved surgeon once again and after a much needed ass chewing on his part.  Kristin at 276 pounds hung her head, and then smiled and said I am going to change my life once and for all.  On July 5th I had the second fill in my LapBand. Only the second fill I have ever had.  I remember that day so vividly, I was scared.  I was afraid of being to tight as I was after the first one so long ago.  I told myself you silly girl, you can eat 4 small pieces of pizza, you can eat bread, you need this fill and you need it NOW!  Stop the whining, and Just Do It!  I stopped at Taco Bell, and I had two taco's before getting filled.  Wow, I was a full fledged addict even still.


Since July, I have gotten my ass back in the gym.  I began to go each and every day, and I did something amazing.  I began to swim laps!  Me, the fat girl, who could never pull her ass through the water before, actually did and I increased and increased those laps and times til I can now swim for 60 minutes and I feel amazing when I do.  I started taking Zumba and found that I totally love this class and dancing.  It is fun and not like working out at all, I have even begun to run.  Yeah you heard right,  I can now say I run, not far mind you.  The most I have done is 1.5 miles and that is walk/ running.  But hey, it is a far cry from where I started.  I am down to 234.5 and I know that I still have a long way to go, to get where I need to be.


I am happy though, I feel I have turned that corner, I have really decided to not USE food for comfort, or think it is OK to eat the things I should not be. Maybe when I reach goal, I will go easier on myself with this, but for now, I am strict when it comes to everything.  I measure, I log, I count, I weigh and I move! I drink water, eat my protein and I thank god everyday for my BOOBS!


Going to BOOBS this year, really gave me motivation, to stay on track.  Seeing these amazing and beautiful women all in one location, and knowing that they all struggled with the same issues as me, made it OK!  I was not horrible, or a failure, I was simply a food addict, who needs support to get past it.

I have lost a freaking lot of weight.  I have lost over 130 pounds since my banding date of November 7, 2007.  I would be at goal if that weight loss had not included the 60+ gain.


If anyone takes anything away from my post, let it be this.  Your band is your best friend, treat it as so!  Your band will see you through the rough times, if you let it.  Your band is there to make you eat SOLID PROTEIN and Vegetables.  Your band is a tool, and you are it's source of power and enable it to do it's job effectively.  When you start making excuses, stop!  Walk away and reevaluate what and why this is happening, do not put it off.  You owe your life to it!

I am happy for the first time in a long time, truly happy.  I am not at goal and have much more work to do, but I know that I can get there now, because I have admitted to myself why I ate, and worked through it with counseling. 


I now EAT TO LIVE and I no longer LIVE TO EAT!  What a great feeling that is.

Kristin, Alan and Nichole November 11, 2011

10 ways to find time to exercise

What is the number one excuse or reason you have for not working out?  Lack of time!  Sure we are all busy, with handling multiple priorities and rushing around from here to yonder each and every day.  However, I promise that no matter how busy you are, someone even busier than you are is working out right now.  If you look closer, you will discover that you do have the time to work out - and that you deserve to USE THAT TIME FOR YOURSELF!

Squeezing in just a few minutes of physical exercise a day has huge benefits on your health, gives you energy and perks up your mood. In fact, a new study published by The Lancet found that if inactive people increased their physical activity by just 15 minutes per day, they could reduce their risk of death by 14% and increase their life expectancy by three years.  Also please remember that working out does not have to be in a gym or last an hour.   10 minutes bursts of exercise over the course of the day can add up to big fitness and health gains too.

So you still are not convinced that you have the time to exercise?  Here are some pointers on how to fit in exercise into your busy, hectic life.

• Wake up earlier - sleep is definitely important to overall health and weight loss, but could you hit the sheets just 30 minutes earlier, so that you could get up and exercise just 30 minutes before you begin your day?  Working out in the morning has definite benefits including regulating your appetite, boosting energy and probably the most beneficial thing is that your exercise is check off for that day 1st thing!  Because really, how often have you had the best intentions to make that workout in the evening, but been held up at the office, or something come up with the kids, or find yourself too exhausted after the stress of the day!  By working out 1st thing in the morning your time problem is solved.

• Cut down on media - For just a few days log how much time you spend watching TV, on the Internet, checking email, playing video games.  You might be surprised at how much time is eaten up by these activities these days.  You might be surprised how much time is spent on Angry Birds or Facebook.  Just a few minutes here or there can add up to a whole hour or more each day.  Cut out just some of that screen time an Viola you have workout time for 10 - 15 minutes even on the busiest of days.

•  Be an Active TV watcher - don't just sit on the sofa,  do some jumping jacks at the commercials, sit on stability ball and do some crunches or just dance, move try not to sit for more than 20 minutes at a time. 

• Try an active commute - if you can bike to work, or walk to the store, take the bus - walk to the bus stop,  if you do take the bus, get off a stop or two before you need to and walk the rest of the way.  If you drive to work park as far away as you can and walk.

•  Make it part of your routine - one reason it is so hard to fit into our busy schedules is because we are not used to doing it.  Heck, it takes time to brush your teeth in the morning but you do it don't you?  You brush your teeth because it is important to your overall health and it has become second nature.  Try this with exercise, make it routine, whether it is walking your dog, yoga, running, walking or Zumba and my favorite swimming.  Make it a tradition, like hitting the Starbucks each morning, or showering.  When you incorporate it into your daily routine like hygiene you take the process away from willpower and make it habit.   

• Mix socializing with working out - plan events with family and friends that get you moving.  Go for a hike, play a game of tag football, make a date on the treadmill.

• Turn chores into exercise. While cleaning might not be the most fun activity, it's something we all have to do, and it can definitely be a workout if you want it to be. Set a kitchen timer for 20 minutes and see how much of the house you can clean. Try to be as efficient and quick-paced as possible, and I guarantee you'll work up a sweat. If you're doing lighter housework that is harder to get your heart rate up (like laundry or organizing), throw in some lunges or push-ups every few minutes to start feeling the burn!

• Schedule an appointment. If you had scheduled a doctor's appointment, you wouldn't miss it would you? How about that important business meeting? Of course not. Working out is actually as important as going to the doctor or any other obligation that you prioritize, because it helps you perform better as a worker, parent, student or volunteer, and keeps you in tip-top shape. So whether it's scheduling in an hour to go to that group exercise class, investing in personal training sessions or even making a date with yourself to do that workout DVD over your lunch break, write it in pen in your calendar and treat it like any other appointment you can't miss!

• Find an activity you love. Think of your favorite hobby or pastime. Do you have trouble finding time to do it? Most likely, you make time for it because you enjoy it so much. It's the things we don't enjoy that we put off and don't feel bad about missing. That's why it's best to choose a physical activity that you actually enjoy and look forward to. Not only are you more likely to do it, but it also adds more fun into your life. And we all could use some more fun in our busy lives, right?

• Say no. If you've gone through this entire list of tips and don't think a single one will work in your life, then it's time to look at your priorities and responsibilities. Do you really have to bake cookies for that fundraiser? Babysit for your sister? Take on that extra project at work? Attend that wedding shower of your second cousin? Remember that there's nothing wrong in saying no.Yes we all have obligation to others, but do not forget about your OBLIGATION to YOURSELF to take care of your body and your health.

Remember, exercise gives you energy and keeps you healthy to keep going in that busy life of yours! So don't think of exercise as another to-do to squeeze in on your already busy schedule. Instead, think of it as maintenance for your health and a way to de-stress and do something for you!

ZUMBA!!!!!!

I went to my second Zumba class tonight after work with Nichole.  WOW! I actually made it the whole 60 minutes.  The first time I went was two months ago, and I stayed 25 minutes.

  I have to tell you this is a kick ass class!  I loved it.  I did not know all of the steps but I did my best.  I know I will improve each time.  Jose` was my instructor and he was awesome.

 I will be looking forward to Monday nights for sure.  I thought I would feel out of place but there were other fat people in the class.  I think that is one reason I never wanted to got to a gym, I was self conscious about how I looked.


But I realize now, you gotta start somewhere.  Not everyone is in shape that goes to these classes.


I plan on doing Zumba weekly and maybe twice once I get better at it.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to kick butt and burn some calories.