Day One, Biggest Loser

Background, the short version:

I started gaining a lot of weight after college and had a hard time keeping it off for almost 20 years. I’ve been up and down thanks in part to Jenny Craig, fertility issues & surgery, Weight Watchers, having a baby & gestational diabetes, battling depression and anxiety, migraines, chronic scleritis in both eyes (basically inflammation and agonizing pain in my eyes) and a bout of optic neuritis, and IgA deficiency (which basically means I get more sick than other people) and lots of lots of eating and sitting on the couch. I was my own worst enemy.

About 18 months ago, we figured out the eye thing somewhat and I got on meds to help with that and I found out about the IgA which helps me be more diligent about washing hands, surfaces, and keeping away from sick people (and, yes, I am a preschool teacher).

Also, around that time I got a not great blood sugar test which put me in a pre-diabetic stage. That was the last straw! That next week I visited my parents and read an article in Good Housekeeping by Dr. Oz about losing 10 pounds in a month.

http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/diet-plans/dr-oz-one-day-diet

I figured I could do it for a week and I ended up doing it for the month and felt really great. We had plans to visit Europe in spring of 2011 so I worked hard on my eating, walking, and using the recumbent bike regularly and lost 40 pounds. I kept it off through the spring and lost 5 more before our trip to Croatia in July.

In September 2011, I decided to take the leap and join a spinning class at the local community center. I’ve always wanted to try it, but felt too embarrassed to go to a gym, so the 30 minute beginner class was just what I needed. I loved it so much (even though it was hard at first) I moved up to the 55 minute class after about a month, and now I take spinning classes 2 times a week. It has been a revolution!

In November I heard about a local gym, Vision Quest in Canyon Park, and decided to check it out. As those things usually go, they enticed me with freebies and such and I joined. I met with a trainer, J.C., who helped me get a program going. The resistance training is really hard, really, really hard…I’m not going to lie. While J.C. does not yell at me, he does push me to exhaustion. I also discovered the elliptical machine…WOW! I love the feeling of jogging without the impact on the knees. It is a fun workout for me! Soooooo much better than the treadmill…boring! J

In December, J.C. talked to me about the Biggest Loser contest they were starting in Jan and I declined politely, never thinking I would be able to be so public. Then, I started to think about it. 1) This gym is super friendly and not intimidating. There are old, young, fat, skinny…all types and levels; 2) I’m kind of at a plateau and need some motivation; 3) I like to win.

The Biggest Loser:

That brings me to last night. We had the big weigh-in, state-your-goal, before pictures, rah-rah-rah thing and it was pretty fun, not as embarrassing as I’d once thought. One thing they encouraged us to do is share our goals with as many people as possible so here they are:

1) Lose 50 pounds in 91 days

2) Use the Yoli Better Body System daily for 91 days  www.yoli.com I will be talking about this more in future days!

3) Take Yoli and dotFit supplements for 91 days

4) Train with J.C. once a week and do resistance one more time each week on my own or with a partner and 2 boot camps twice a month...YIKES!

5) Do 180 minutes of cardio per week

6) Stretch and meditate daily for 91 days

The reward for winning the club-wide contest (1,000+ participants) is $5,000. The reward for my local club (100ish participants) is $500. My reward to myself would be a fabulous finale dress and a sassy new haircut! Plus, I’d need to go shopping, right?J

The rewards would honestly be much more than the material things...I want to be healthy, more consistently confident and happy, have more energy for my family, friends and career, and enjoy life more fully.
How can you help? Just cheer me on! Ask me how it's going or comment on the blog. Stay away from me if you're sick...I know that sounds harsh, but look up IgA deficiency if you need info:) Don't bring me treats or ask me to go out...for 91 days, at least! Consider coming with me to the finale on the evening of April 17th (or watching Wy so Paul can go.) It's super loud and annoyingly crowded, but it would be awesome to have some peeps with me! Most of all, just think happy thoughts my way...I need all the help I can get!

Today is Day One. I just worked out and had a Y.E.S. Shake. I feel awesome. I know every day will be different, but I am taking them as they come. As the CEO of Vision Quest said last night, “Anyone can do anything for 90 days…” Here I go!