A whole new level of CRAZY + (My second weigh in!)

Hello all,

I was reading the news a few days ago when I stumbled upon this little GEM that I felt it was my duty to share with you all.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-16/news/31351239_1_tube-brides-nasogastric

It is an article about brides to be using nasal feeding tubes to lose weight before their wedding day.  

When did we COMPLETELY LOSE OUR MINDS?

The woman described in the link above paid $1500 to have a tube inserted through her nose, down her esophagus and into her stomach to receive nutrients. The side effects of which include nausea, constipation and dizziness and not to mention the SHOCK to the body of losing 20 pounds in 10 days which is the average of what people lose doing this.

In my humble opinion... this is on a whole new level of C R A Z Y. I can't lie... I have tried some bonkers things to lose weight but thankfully the thought of walking around with a tube in my nose getting nutrition from a pouch never crossed my mind. I'm miserable now that I cant have any chocolatey treats, imagine what kind of monster I would be if I was nauseous, dizzy, constipated and broke because I just spent $1500 on the "tube through my nose diet".

Why is it that we would rather torture ourselves with these insane diets and keep failing over and over instead of saying I'm going to bake my chicken instead of frying it? Why do we even try these fads if we know in our hearts that we will fail. Why are we giving the weight loss industry millions of our hard earned dollars every year?

I think I kept doing it because it was easier to point the finger elsewhere rather than at myself. If I didn't lose any weight on the sugar water diet, then its the stupid diet's fault not mine. 

Healthy eating and lifestyle change requires us to take responsibility for ourselves and our choices. It forces you to say, I didn't lost any weight because I couldn't stay away from the drive thru and that's not Ronald McDonald's fault, Its mine.

The hardest part of this whole thing for me, is accepting that if I mess this up... I'll have no one to blame but myself.

On Wednesday I weighed in at 203! That is 8 pounds down in 2 weeks... TUBE FREE! I am the happiest fatty in the whole world. Although I am not working out as often as I should. I am giving it a REAL effort and its paying off! By next weigh in I will be under 200 pounds for the first time in a L O N G time!

Here's my current workout.

Warm up with 10-15 minutes of cardio (my choice is usually the elliptical)

1. 20 body squats

2. 20 squat press with 5 pound weights (Don't make fun of me- I'm a beginner!)

3. 20 push ups on a BOSU ball  ---->   This is a BOSU ball- Don't worry I didn't know either.

4. 20 side steps with a level 2 resistance band on my ankles 

5. 20 Squat rows on the  with a  50 lb resistance

6. 20 Bicep Curls

7.10 leg curls on the balance ball... NOT FUN

    ( lay on your mat with your feet resting on the balance ball. Lift your hips off the ground and hold. Now roll the ball in towards your butt and back out. Repeat 10 times)

And my most hated exercise of all...

8. Plank for 20 seconds

Repeating these steps twice completes the workout.

Now readers... lets laugh. Tell me some of the craziest things  you have tried to lose weight. Have you spent weeks eating nothing but cabbage? Have you done the juice only diet or the grapefruit diet? Comment and share and don't be embarrassed, this is a judgement free zone. And as long as you aren't walking around with a tube in your nose... its not that bad!

*By the way- you no longer need to have a log-in to leave a comment

Very Truly Yours,

Emmy

"The 8 pounds down 7 to go... tube free... "Fitness Fatty"

  

When No One is Watching

I came through my junk food withdrawals like a champ and I feel great. This weekend felt so much better than last. I have found a new sense of self control that I never had before. 

I was strict with myself over the first week because I felt like any little thing could throw me off and send me spiraling down into an abyss of brownies and chocolate chip cookies. I can safely say that I feel comfortable enough now and have regained enough control over my eating to allow myself a once weekly cheat. I mean you didn't expect me to give up chocolate forever did you? A life without chocolate is no life at all... even if only occasionally!

On Friday I went to TCBY Treats. (

Western Avenue

just past Stuyvesant Plaza) 

 I encourage you all to go... its AWESOME! Although I went a little crazy at the toppings buffet, I still think I did alright! Before I started this program I probably would have filled that cup to the top, added all types of chocolate deliciousness and devoured it as though it were the last cup of frozen yogurt on the planet... I left feeling pretty good about myself!

All of these happy and new feelings of control, determination and commitment made me wonder why I couldn’t stay on track on any of the other programs I have tried. All of my friends used to pat me on the back when I would diet because in front of them I would only eat skimpy salads, rice cakes, low fat yogurts and those awful jenny meals. No one ever understood why I never ACTUALLY lost any weight. But, I knew that it was because of what I was doing when no one was watching.

Sneaking junk food, pretending I had completed my workout when I had really only done 1/4 of it, covering my skimpy salads in creamy Caesar dressing, eating steamed vegetables at the dinner table but Ben and Jerry's in my room afterwards... 

 It is so easy to say you are doing the work, pretend you are following the plan and make everyone else proud of you. It makes you feel good when the people around you commend you for changing and getting healthier.  The real change only comes when you stop pretending and when you start to realize that it isn't about what everyone else thinks, its about what you think, and what you are going to feel when once again you have to start over and try something different because you cant pretend anymore. 

This time around things are different. This weekend at the times when I was alone, I could have stuck yet another pop tart in the toaster, or polished off those girl scout cookies that I visit in my pantry from time to time but I didn’t. I did the right thing... while no one was watching.

I went to the movies with my nephew on Sunday and I could have had a little over priced popcorn covered in butter and I know he wouldn't have ratted me out but I didn’t, I drank my bottle of water instead... while no one was watching

And lastly, when I came in to work to check on things on Sunday evening, I could have sat around for an hour and watched TV or surfed the web... but I ran on the treadmill and did my workout (provided by the always awesome Bryan Nunziato) for 45 minutes... while no one was watching.

And that's why this time it’s going to be different.

Very truly yours,

Emmy

The seriously committed, no games, all or nothing, In it to win it "Fitness Fatty"

P.S.  Here is a great recipe for a healthy snack ... for all of you that hate protein bars- try this instead. Thanks to Sue from Synergy for bringing these in for all of us to try!

Protien Bar Recipe

Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8” square pan with wax paper.

2 cups old fashion oats (not instant)

½ cup coarsely chopped raw almonds

2/3 cup natural peanut butter

½ cup honey

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup rice krispies cereal

1/3 cup chopped dried fruit (cherries, craisins, raisins)

½ tsp salt

Combine oats and almonds on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

Combine peanut butter, honey and vanilla in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until all three are melted together.

In a large bowl, mix rice krispies, dried fruit, salt, toasted oats and almonds until combined.  Pour peanut butter mixture over the ingredients in the mixing bowl and toss until all items are coated with the peanut butter mixture.

Place the mixture into the 8” square pan and press down firmly until even.  Let cool for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars.

 Enjoy!

Drum Roll Please...

After my butt-kicking workout with Bryan Nunziato yesterday... I went home more sore than I have ever been in my life. I was concentrating so hard on not dropping anything because it hurt just thinking about squatting down to pick anything up. Walking up the few stairs to my apartment made my eyes water.

I was feeling horrible and it was all coming back to me... all the reasons I hate working out!
All of these negative thoughts reminded me of something I read online last week... I was helping my co-worker Akeem put into words his "training philosophy" and while looking up quotes we found this...

"If you are tired of starting over stop giving up" 

and now that I am going through the aches and pains of starting over on my fitness program, I see now that if I NEVER want to feel this way again... I can't give up.

And so, I came to work today ready to jump on the scale and give myself a confidence boost!

<------------------ This is Juice... My friend and official weigh in guy!
                                         (so you know i'm not cheating!)

Drum roll please......



   207! 4 pounds down! I feel like a rock star!


Everything on my body hurts! But I would rather be in pain have that horrible feeling that comes when I can't fit into anything in my closet.

Stay tuned for some workout tips and some healthy snack ideas.

Very Truly Yours,

Emmy
"The VERY SORE but feeling like a rock star Fitness Fatty"

Mother of God its MR. DING-A-LING!

This weekend was a real test for me. I spent most of the weekend at home which made the temptation to cheat on my diet... increasingly difficult to avoid. Time after time I would get up, walk to my pantry, see the cookies, touch the cookies, smell the cookies sometimes even talk to the cookies, then I would walk away, go back to the couch and think about the cookies, until I repeated that entire crazy routine. I actually took pop tarts put them in to toaster warmed them up and left them there! (sad I know)  I am so used to sitting around on a weekend and having coffee and cake or M&M's or cookies, that just sitting on the couch watching a movie or reading a book and not snacking, just didn't feel right.

The biggest test of all came while I was blow drying my hair. I had the bathroom window open when I heard it. A sound that used to make me and all of my friends smile, was now the ultimate test of my commitment to this program. When I heard the magical tune, all I could think to myself was... MOTHER OF GOD ITS MR. DING-A-LING! All I wanted was a vanilla/chocolate twist on a cone with rainbow sprinkles, Is that too much to ask for?  In the 30 seconds that it took the ice cream truck to drive down my street, I gave myself a million reasons to chase after the truck...

                   One ice cream cone isn't going to kill me!

                   I'll do a little extra cardio today.

                   I'll walk up every flight of stairs instead of taking the elevator.

      I'll skip all my other snacks today and I'll eat rice cakes for dinner.  I just want an ice cream cone!

But I stayed strong and much to my own surprise I have not cheated... yet

3 egg whites, .75 ounces of cheese, a slice of whole wheat toast, 1/2 of an apple,  and a teaspoon of peanut butter for breakfast. 

Turkey on whole wheat+flax seed sandwich thins with lettuce and tomato, a reduced fat sargento cheese stick, 1/2 of a banana and 8oz of fat free milk for lunch

Baked salmon fillets with steamed vegetables for dinner.

And a variety of things for snacks (mini meals) in between- small Luna protein bars, baby carrots,celery, 1/2 of a piece of fruit, rice cakes, pretzels... etc.

My friendly neighborhood fitness expert... Bryan Nunziato is going on vacation so it will be up to me to workout on my own.  45 minutes of cardio per day and a variety of functional and strength training exercises.

Here are some pics from today's workout.

So far... this sucks. Its hard! I constantly want throw on my sweats, curl up under my blanket and eat some Ben and Jerry's Half Baked.

I find myself zoning out a few times a day, having "fatty daydreams" as I like to call them where all I think about all the delicious treats I could be eating... the star of my fatty daydreams is currently the chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream...

Tomorrow is my first weigh in and I hope it is going to give me a boost in motivation and the strength to resist temptations... 

In the mean time post a comment and tell me about your biggest food temptations and who is starring in your "fatty daydreams".

Very Truly Yours,

Emmy

"The desperate for chocolate Fitness Fatty"

P.S. If you are reading this and have not yet become a follower. Scroll up to the top of your screen, click the FOLLOW link on your top left side, Log- in with your google User name and Password (whatever you use for g-mail or google docs) and become a follower! Thanks for the support!

The Last Supper and now...ITS ON!

When it hit me last night that I had just committed to this program in front of my friends,  family, co-workers and all over the internet I had a small panic attack. After it subsided I started to review my diet plan courtesy of Dr. Paul's Protocol and when I realized that chicken parm, girl scout cookies and hot pastrami and Swiss were not included... I had a mini melt-down .

 And then after that passed, I realized that this would be my last night of free, wild, irresponsible eating.  It had to be the best, fattest, bbq smothered dinner I could ever imagine.. so of course I turned to my all time favorite Wings Over Albany. My always supportive husband and I enjoyed every last little bit of our meals... (mine was boneless bbq wings, french fries covered in cheese and a can of coke) I said my goodbyes and now...
ITS ON!



This mornings breakfast, 3 egg whites on a slice of whole wheat, a teaspoon of salsa, a cube of cheese and 1/2 a piece of fruit was a harsh change from my usual 4 cups of coffee and a toasted croissant with butter but I'm feeling good!


Here is my before picture... 









Workout pictures & plans, meal ideas and more to come!


Very truly yours,


Emmy
On my way to being a former "Fitness Fatty"


P.S. A special thank you to my sister who supports every crazy thing I do, and has burned more calories laughing with me than on any of the crazy weight loss programs we have tried together!<3

                                              

Confessions of a "Fitness Fatty"

My name is Emmy and these are the Confessions of a "Fitness Fatty".

 .

For the past four years I have spent almost every day working at health and fitness clubs.  If you close your eyes and imagine what a woman who has spent approximately 1040 days at the gym looks like; I know that you are seeing a bikini babe with chiseled abs glistening in the summer sun and buns of steel. I my friends, am no such woman. I have spent the better part of 5 years weighing no less than 185 pounds. Right now, at my heaviest I am at a nice plump 211 pounds. I am what I like to call a "Fitness Fatty".

I meet other women just like me every day. Struggling with diet and exercise, wanting so badly to get back into their high school,  pre-marriage or pre-baby weight,  wishing every day for that one magic trick that will make this seemingly impossible dream, a reality. I sell those women gym memberships and personal training packages.

 I watch many of them drop the pounds and start to feel great, I watch others get discouraged, distracted  and fall off the "fitness wagon". All the while I sit at my desk ordering weight loss products off Amazon and sneaking Reeses peanut butter cups from my top desk drawer. Despite being surrounded by personal trainers and other fitness professionals, I can not seem to commit to getting my weight under control.

The best part of my job is talking with my clients. Relating to them on all the CRAZY things that we have tried to get skinny. When we do the math we laugh hysterically at the hundreds of dollars that we have spent trying to LOOK skinny without actually losing any weight. I call them "torture contraptions" you might know them as Spanx, girdles, corsets, and  body suits. We laugh at the shake weights, ab rockers, and those plastic sweat suits that make you feel like a turkey roasting in an oven bag. 

We laugh (while crying inside) about the THOUSANDS we have spent on the countless amounts of pills and teas and powders that swear to be like no other product on the market, promising to melt off those love handles (or chichos like my sis and I like to call them) in no time at all. I have devoted time, money and energy to looking skinny and getting skinny fast, but no time at all to actually putting in the work and getting fit.

I have had enough! No more sucking it in all day, no more torture contraptions, no more pills, teas, and powders. No more department store dressing room meltdowns, no more wearing my husbands clothes, no more baggy tee's and sweats. Most of all... NO MORE EXCUSES.

ITS ON!

Over the next 12 weeks- With this blog, the help of the trainers at Synergy Fitness and Nutrition and a solid nutritional plan provided by my friend (who just so happens to be a fitness expert) Bryan Nunziato,  I am going to stop talking about it and BE ABOUT IT! 

So for anyone reading this now, feeling the way I feel, procrastinating, hiding behind "torture contraptions", making excuses while looking in the mirror and feeling like crap... Take this 12 week roller coaster ride with me.

 Follow my blog, laugh with me, be frustrated with me, and post your progress as I post mine. Start off by creating a goal. My goal is to lose 15 pounds in 12 weeks... Whats' yours?

Very truly yours,

Emmy

The soon to be FORMER "Fitness Fatty"

Check back tomorrow for my before pics, diet plan and my first workout!