Aquatard!

My awesome friend Becky* in Seattle has become quite the water aerobics pro. She suggested the aquatard to me a few weeks ago (Yes, that's really what it's called). From Junonia: the aquatard.






I finally got it yesterday (in turquoise). I'm super excited to try this out at water aerobics tonight. On top of being plus-sized, I am long-torsoed and carry most of my weight in my bottom half. So, I end up tugging most regular suits out of my backside all the way through my workout! Annoying! It wasn't cheap and Junonia deals are hard to come by (believe me-I am a pro at finding deals online). I certainly hope it's worth it!

*Side note: I get to visit Seattle for the first time in two weeks. I also get to see Becky for the first time in probably 14 years? Fun stuff! So geeked!

Milestones and "Graduation"

So, last week, I hit a big milestone. 50 pounds. My total loss is -50.6 pounds in 6 months.

I will now go into a "graduate" program with Target Metabolism. In this program, I will have monthly weigh-ins with the Bod Pod and quarterly metabolism testing for a year. It's much cheaper than the full program that I've been doing so far. I'm a bit nervous about only having one weigh-in a month, but I'll also have the healthy train weigh-ins every two weeks.

I have also joined the Y, and I'm taking water aerobics classes several times a week. I can't tell you how much I love water aerobics. It's amazing how much energy I have and how much I can tell the difference in my body already. After about 4 weeks, I was surprised to find quite a bit of muscle tone in my legs. I will also probably start doing other classes at the Y. I'm still working up the nerve for those though.

I am also working on a plan to blog more often, so stay tuned!

Comfort Zones

I hear over and over again on blogs and weight loss shows about getting out of your comfort zone. This is definitely something with which I do struggle. I find something I like, and I'll just keep doing that thing (whether it be certain foods or certain exercises). I'm very much a creature of habit. This often leads to me getting stuck in a rut, which leads to boredom, which leads to TROUBLE. Danger, danger, weight loss blogger!!

This weekend, the hubby and I went to a park in town that we've never been to. This park has some hiking trails. Like in the woods, with actual hills! Those who know me know I have a very Eva Gabor in Green Acres approach to nature. Yikes, that's probably a little old for some of you! What I mean is, I don't like nature, bugs, etc. We are not friends. One of my friends is trying to get me to go to Bonnaroo. I always look at the lineup every year and drool, but camping, port-o-potties, and hippies? No. I told him I'd reconsider once they put a Hilton in the middle of the festival.

Where was I going? Oh, comfort zones. I actually enjoyed hiking these paths. Granted, they weren't really long and not very far from civilization, but it was still outside of my daily comfort zone of walking a flat, paved path. I could also definitely feel the work I'd done the next day. My leg muscles were definitely tight, and I may have done something to my back. It's all good though. I plan on keeping those paths in my fitness rotation.

Get Outside and Blow Some of the Stink off of You

I will admit that my fitness regimens have been spastic and varied since I started them again in January. I have to keep myself entertained by switching things up often as I do tend to get bored easily. As I mentioned earlier, I started out with Walk it Out for the wii, which was awesome for the cold weather months, but I pretty much have solved it the whole game and moved on now.


I added in Just Dance for the wii back in March. This is super fun, and I use it to supplement other workouts I might do. I don't think on it's own that it would be a full workout. I do sweat like mad when I do it though! It is also fun to watch the cats stare at me as if I've lost my mind while I flail about like a methed-up squirrel having a seizure. I usually make my husband leave the room if he's home. Nobody needs to see that, really.


Over the last 4 weeks or so, I have started walking quite a bit. I started off doing 2-mile walks. These took me about 50 minutes. Now, I can do 3-mile walks in about an hour. I am starting to love walking again now that the weather is so nice (allergies be damned). So, I try to do my 3-mile walk at least 3 times a week. One of my coworkers (who is quickly becoming my friend) has been walking with me at least once a week after work. I enjoy this, but I also enjoy walking alone sometimes. I am reminded of what my mom used to say to me when I was a kid and on her nerves. Why don't you get outside and blow some of the stink off of you?


I have also tried My Fitness Coach. To be fair, I've only done this once so far. I was sweating for sure. I do like that it rates your mood when you start and asks how you were able to keep up once you're done. Maya (the trainer) is definitely a little creepy in a "real doll" kind of way though. Definitely something to keep in mind for rainy day cardio. I also have done the Biggest Loser Bootcamp with Bob Harper (mmmm, Bob). Even though in reality I would probably prefer Jillian's beatings to Bob's, I do like that he has modifications on his DVDs. My knees simply can't handle jumping jacks at this size.


That's what I've been doing for fitness lately. I try to aim for 5 days a week. Some weeks, I just do 4. It feels great so far. I can feel my stress levels lowering and my energy improving overall. Stay tuned for the next thing I try. I almost bought the zumba DVDs off the TV the other day, but then I decided I should step away from the informercials.

My Plan

I thought I'd give an overview of how I've been losing the weight thus far. Back in January, I had my metabolism tested at Target Metabolism. As I've mentioned before, my metabolism is high. This is partially due to my weight, but it is also higher than others who weigh the same as me. This is why I'd gotten stuck so many times in the past. I simply wasn't eating enough. This is a difficult concept to understand for many people who have tried to lose weight. Sometimes, your body isn't getting enough fuel, and it will hold onto every calorie it gets.

Anyway, when I started, my resting metabolic rate (RMR) was close to 3000 calories a day. This is what my body burns if I were to do nothing except sleep for 24 hours. Imagine that? That's almost a pound a day! Add in normal activity and exercise on top of that, and you're above a pound a day (before you eat, of course). They told me to start at 2500 calories a day. Target Metabolism weighs you in using the Bod Pod every two weeks. They are very focused on your fat:lean ratio and not as focused on the numbers. This is great, but I'll admit I still get hung up on those numbers. How can I not? Now, I kind of expected the weight to fly off the first two weeks, but it really didn't. I think I lost maybe 3 pounds in the first couple of weeks. I was admittedly not pleased with the results, but I felt I hadn't given it a fair chance yet. I think my body was just adjusting to everything, because it started to come off at a pretty steady pace after that. Slow and steady wins the race, right?

My metabolism was retested at the beginning of April, and I was told to take my daily intake down to 2400 calories a day. They give me a "danger zone" of 2200 calories (now-it will change later) that I am not to go below. So far, this is going well. I'm glad it wasn't a huge drop in calories yet. However, ask me again when in 75 pounds. I forgot to mention initially that I keep track of all of my calories and fitness minutes on Spark People. It's an amazing (FREE) site. Check it out!

So, what do I eat? During the week, I eat a balanced diet. I usually have 3 reasonable meals and 3 good snacks a day. I try my best to get in my fruits and veggies. Though I will admit I'm not always perfect at that. Some of my favorite snacks are strawberries, Fage 2% Greek yogurt with honey, almonds, and Clif Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bars (lots of protein!).

As for the weekends, I am usually busy, and I don't have enough time to get in my 3 meals and 3 snacks. I do, however, still track everything, and make sure I hit my calorie target. I also try to work out both days on the weekend. This is where I get to splurge once in awhile. It helps quite a bit! I'll have a reasonable breakfast (usually later in the morning), a bigger late lunch/early dinner, and maybe a snack later if I have the calories left.

All in all, I don't feel deprived at all. I think this will help me stick to it for the long haul. A lifestyle change, perhaps?

Fitness, etc.

When I started my (what do I want to call it? Not a diet, because it's forever-but "lifestyle" sounds cheesy-thing?). Uhm, back in January, my exercise consisted of playing "Walk it Out" on the wii. It was a great way to get moving inside, because we all know how lovely midwest winters can be. It helped me greatly and was easy for me to begin with as I hadn't worked out in so long that I was essentially a beginner again. Now, I've opened all the paths and songs on that game, and I'm beginning to get a little bored with it.

Last month, I started incorporating "Just Dance", which is a LOT of fun! I'm sure I look like a total putz when I do it, but who cares if the cats stare at me? I think it'll be fun to add into my routine once in awhile, but I'm going to need something else.

I've started walking outside here and there this week. I enjoy it, but most of the paths here are pretty busy, and it can be a little unnerving sometimes dodging bikers and rollerbladers. I did find a park with a small nature path near my home, so I'll be exploring that more. I think I might have to find a class or something soon. I have access to a free gym at work and at home. However, I have a shoulder injury (frozen shoulder), and my ortho doc has advised me to not do any weight-bearing exercises until it heals. It's gotten better over the last couple of months, but it's certainly not back to 100% yet. I really miss some of the classes that I used to take, but it's going to be a bit before I'm back to that level (or even close to it). Definitely a goal I want to work toward. One of my coworkers is trying to get me to go to her boot camp class that meets at 5:15 in the morning. Yeah, not happening.

Considering water aerobics....

I'm rambly today. I'll leave you with a pic of my binary solo necklace.