Well it doesn’t have quite the ring of “Debbie Does Dallas” but alas, this is more my speed! My dear friend Robin always asks me to call her “Fatty Patty” when she thinks she needs to lose weight so I’ve borrowed that name from her for the time being. Feel free to call me by that moniker until I make some bodily improvements.
Anyone who follows my ramblings knows that my weight is/has been a challenge for me forever and a day! I’ve never been obese but always seem to be fighting 5-10+ pounds that leave and then return when my back is turned. Sneaky little pounds!!! And they go straight to my gut too!
A few years ago I became a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers and stayed at my goal for 3-4 years – then my last year at the pesky day job, the gym time decreased, the eating increased and I basically said “to hell with it – I’ll worry about that tomorrow.” Spoken in my best Scarlett O’Hara imitation! I quit work, went back to WW, took off the pounds, life was good – then I turned my back and they attached themselves to me again. Always in my mid-section. Always!
I’m now about 6# over my goal which isn’t a tragedy by any means – but if I gain any more, I may need a larger size of clothing and I’m too cheap to let that happen. Time for action………any action……..what to do? I know I need to kick-start my work outs which consist of weightlifting classes twice a week, doing free weights on my own when the mood hits, swimming when the pool at the gym isn’t crowded, and my all-time favorite – stepclimber or elliptical machine where I can read and do cardio at the same time. Nothing like multi-tasking!
For the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying GTS Pilates classes and have now signed up for an 8-week session in July and August. The GTS machine looks fairly benign but so far is kicking my butt big time which is what I need – but I’m only getting one short session a week until the class begins. I figure it’s a start and is something new – a much-needed challenge for the mind and body.
Then I saw a flyer for Boot Camp – “if you are bored with your current routine or just aren’t making progress anymore, this program is for you.” Those words just jumped off the page at me – I’ve read them a gazillion times at the gym but the light finally went on in my feeble brain. And guess when they meet? 6:00 A.M. – a time when my eyeballs are generally viewing the backs of my eyelids. But I figure no pain, no gain – time to haul the butt out of bed and summertime is the best time to get me up early!
To further motivate me, I took the plunge – literally – and had a full-body immersion body fat test done earlier this week. The immersion method is the most accurate way to measure body fat – far superior to the caliper method because fat floats and lean sinks! Now I know why I’ll never have to worry if I’m on the Titanic when it goes down – I’ll float!
Within half an hour I took the test, got the results and met with a registered dietician who helped assess my nutrition needs and calorie requirements. I really don’t need to lose too much weight and if I can lose 5# and convert another 5# to lean, I’ll be pretty darned close to where I want to be. She and I both agreed that the body fat goal on the charts is truly unrealistic for my frame. I tend to have small bones and with lean arms and legs, I carry all my weight and fat in my mid-section – one of the few things I’d rather not have inherited from my parents but I did!
I knew going into the test that I wouldn’t “like” the results but as a number person, I needed to see them and accept them and that’s the incentive I need to make some changes. Laura, the dietician, quickly determined that my diet was lacking in protein and boy, was she right! I made sure I hit my goal of 80 grams today starting with a healthy protein shake for breakfast (thanks Tammy and Pavel) and with good snacks during the day, I was never hungry. Couldn’t even finish my sandwich at lunch which never happens to me.
But the real test came this morning when the alarm went off at 5:10 A.M. I hit the snooze once, got up at 5:20 and was walking into the gym before 6:00 feeling quite virtuous! The class was small – our instructor, Gina, and 3 other hardy souls – but the hour we spent was brutal! We did a few warm-ups and then headed outside for a 1-mile run followed by plenty of calisthenics – including planks and push-ups – in the parking lot.
It didn’t take long for me to really get into the class – I felt so challenged and energized and while I know I will feel the effects of it tomorrow, I’m so glad I did it. Next week is the last Tuesday morning class and then I’ll be shooting for Thursdays only.
Stay tuned as I try to drop the Fatty Patty label and buff up the bod!
You are right body immersion is the best method to measure body fat. I use a <a href="http://www.omronbodyfatscales.com/ ".body fat scale which is fairly accurate. As far as floating when the Titanic goes down, You may want to go down with the ship, cause those who floated away died of hypothermia. lol
You are right body immersion is the best method to measure body fat. I use a <a href="http://www.omronbodyfatscales.com/ "body fat scale which is fairly accurate. As far as floating when the Titanic goes down, You may want to go down with the ship, cause those who floated away died of hypothermia. lol