I've been wondering......I don't watch "The Biggest Loser," but I've seen parts of episodes, and of course have seen the commercials. HOW DO THESE PEOPLE NOT DIE DURING THOSE 8 HR WORKOUTS? At those weights, most people can't walk from the door to the car.
Or maybe, just maybe, a few of them DO die, and the program hides it. Maybe they start out with extra contestants, and when they expire on the treadmill with that woman trainer yelling in their face, they are simply dragged out of camera range, and later editted out of the telecasts of the shows.
I'm just sayin', maybe we should start watching it very carefully, looking for faces in the background that don't appear in later episodes.
1496 miles to Moab. And after 2 weeks on the big D, I've lost 3 lbs. My....husband.....has.......lost........7. *sigh*
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Near-death experience (not for me, tho)
Wow, what a hike I had today. I decided to hike a 2 mile loop on a couple of our trails here on the farm...down a fairly steep hill, thru the hollow, and up another long, steep hill. Two of our dogs went with me, Marley (Australian shepherd-mix rescue dog) and
Sigmund (Jack Russell terrier, but the calm kind, not the terrorist kind, altho when it comes to cats or squirrels, he's a little white death machine).
It's still pretty muddy here and some shaded areas have snow, but it's high 40s today. Great day to go. I had on flannel-lined jeans and high waterproof (thank heaven) heavy muck boots.
When we made it to the bottom, along the creek, and walked to the end of the hollow, the dogs discovered that a big black and white fluffy cat had, can you believe this?! ventured into "their" land. They ran to it like they were shot out of a cannon. The cat made it to a big tree and climbed up. Marley tired of barking within a minute and came along with me as I began to hike up the long, steep hill. Sigmund, being the dedicated cat killer he is, stayed at his post at the bottom of the tree, barking and repeatedly trying to climb the tree to get to the cat, who just sat there and looked at him from a high limb. I went on, figuring Sigmund would realize he had been left and catch up. How silly of me. He is one determined little dog.
After hiking about 1/3 of the way up the hill, occasionally stopping to whistle (when I could spare the breath) and call for the (now) extremely aggravating dog, I thought perhaps I'd best go back down and grab him, in case the cat's owner heard the ruckus, noticed the cat was missing, and brought a gun to defend the cat.
I was not happy. An old climbing adage is "never lose altitude." Words to live by, I say. I got back to the bottom and just as I was about to lay my hands on that ungrateful dog, the idiot cat jumped down from the tree, right in front of the two dogs! They gave chase, all 3 running across the clearing and thru the creek. Now what kind of cat runs into and thru a creek??!! It was about 6 inches deep where they crossed. I had to gingerly get down the steep bank, go down the creek, grab the dang dog, and get back on the trail, now unhappily carrying an 18 lb, wet, muddy dog. I did spank him on the bottom and used the mean mother-in-law voice to tell him what I thought of his cat chasing. He had a couple of bloodied scratches on his face, so at least the cat got in a few good swipes.
Do not for a minute think this would deter him. We've never been able to have barn cats here. He is a killing machine. I actually saw him kill a groundhog that had stupidly gotten into the shrubs by our back yard. A groundhog!
After walking back the trail the way we had come (do you think I was going to haul his 18 lb fanny UP the hill??) about 1/4 of a mile, I put him down, admonishing him to stay with us. He went running right back to the cat in the creek!!!!!! I had to jog (yes, I'm counting these miles toward Moab) back to the creek (in now-wet flannel-lined jeans and muck boots..I think it should count double mileage), negotiate the slick rocks, and grab the recalcitrant dog AGAIN.
This time I took the string out of the hood of my hoody and he was led, wet, muddy, and disgusted (both of us) all the way back to the house, where he now sits in exile in the utility room until he dries.
I'm thinking that was enough exercise for the day. Count it as 2.5 miles toward Moab. Not a pretty 2.5 miles by any stretch of the imagination, but still....
Sigmund (Jack Russell terrier, but the calm kind, not the terrorist kind, altho when it comes to cats or squirrels, he's a little white death machine).
It's still pretty muddy here and some shaded areas have snow, but it's high 40s today. Great day to go. I had on flannel-lined jeans and high waterproof (thank heaven) heavy muck boots.
When we made it to the bottom, along the creek, and walked to the end of the hollow, the dogs discovered that a big black and white fluffy cat had, can you believe this?! ventured into "their" land. They ran to it like they were shot out of a cannon. The cat made it to a big tree and climbed up. Marley tired of barking within a minute and came along with me as I began to hike up the long, steep hill. Sigmund, being the dedicated cat killer he is, stayed at his post at the bottom of the tree, barking and repeatedly trying to climb the tree to get to the cat, who just sat there and looked at him from a high limb. I went on, figuring Sigmund would realize he had been left and catch up. How silly of me. He is one determined little dog.
After hiking about 1/3 of the way up the hill, occasionally stopping to whistle (when I could spare the breath) and call for the (now) extremely aggravating dog, I thought perhaps I'd best go back down and grab him, in case the cat's owner heard the ruckus, noticed the cat was missing, and brought a gun to defend the cat.
I was not happy. An old climbing adage is "never lose altitude." Words to live by, I say. I got back to the bottom and just as I was about to lay my hands on that ungrateful dog, the idiot cat jumped down from the tree, right in front of the two dogs! They gave chase, all 3 running across the clearing and thru the creek. Now what kind of cat runs into and thru a creek??!! It was about 6 inches deep where they crossed. I had to gingerly get down the steep bank, go down the creek, grab the dang dog, and get back on the trail, now unhappily carrying an 18 lb, wet, muddy dog. I did spank him on the bottom and used the mean mother-in-law voice to tell him what I thought of his cat chasing. He had a couple of bloodied scratches on his face, so at least the cat got in a few good swipes.
Do not for a minute think this would deter him. We've never been able to have barn cats here. He is a killing machine. I actually saw him kill a groundhog that had stupidly gotten into the shrubs by our back yard. A groundhog!
After walking back the trail the way we had come (do you think I was going to haul his 18 lb fanny UP the hill??) about 1/4 of a mile, I put him down, admonishing him to stay with us. He went running right back to the cat in the creek!!!!!! I had to jog (yes, I'm counting these miles toward Moab) back to the creek (in now-wet flannel-lined jeans and muck boots..I think it should count double mileage), negotiate the slick rocks, and grab the recalcitrant dog AGAIN.
This time I took the string out of the hood of my hoody and he was led, wet, muddy, and disgusted (both of us) all the way back to the house, where he now sits in exile in the utility room until he dries.
I'm thinking that was enough exercise for the day. Count it as 2.5 miles toward Moab. Not a pretty 2.5 miles by any stretch of the imagination, but still....
Friday, January 28, 2011
Let the whining begin....
*sigh* for some inexplicable reason, I have NOT lost 10 lbs this week. Nor last week, for that matter. Many years ago I taught Nutrition (notice that's capitalized ....?) and I know that there are 3500 calories in a pound. So a person (I'm not naming names here) needs to USE 3500 more calories than she eats to lose ONE pound. This apparently does not work the same for the male species. Nor on The Biggest Loser.
I jogged/walked my 2 miles on the treadmill yesterday and managed to jog a mile and a quarter of it. Last time I thought I maybe had a lung collapse (for those who didn't read that post, spoiler alert.....I didn't). This time during the second half mile I began to think maybe I was developing a stress fracture of my left tibia (shinbone). Then I went on to visualize my x-rays, then the cast, then exactly how fat I'd get with no exercise. (Why, yes, I am a drama queen/hypochondriac). By the time I run to Moab, I'll be dead and buried (in an oversized casket, of course) if I don't control my imagination.
Speaking of that, it's 1505 miles to Moab. I'm going to count my walking miles, too, so I've only 1499 miles left. I'll only count the miles since I started this blog. Hey, I'm perking up; 1499 sounds sooooo much less than 1505.
I might try to actually get on one of the horses today. Have to look back thru some pictures to make sure I remember.....let's see, I'm supposed to be facing the ears when I sit down, right?
I jogged/walked my 2 miles on the treadmill yesterday and managed to jog a mile and a quarter of it. Last time I thought I maybe had a lung collapse (for those who didn't read that post, spoiler alert.....I didn't). This time during the second half mile I began to think maybe I was developing a stress fracture of my left tibia (shinbone). Then I went on to visualize my x-rays, then the cast, then exactly how fat I'd get with no exercise. (Why, yes, I am a drama queen/hypochondriac). By the time I run to Moab, I'll be dead and buried (in an oversized casket, of course) if I don't control my imagination.
Speaking of that, it's 1505 miles to Moab. I'm going to count my walking miles, too, so I've only 1499 miles left. I'll only count the miles since I started this blog. Hey, I'm perking up; 1499 sounds sooooo much less than 1505.
I might try to actually get on one of the horses today. Have to look back thru some pictures to make sure I remember.....let's see, I'm supposed to be facing the ears when I sit down, right?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Detour from the straight and trying-to-get-narrow
Well, if I knew how to make a sad face with those symbols, and if I didn't think it was dorky, I would. Yesterday was not a good day in Diet City. Started well, did fine for b-fast and lunch, then all he** broke loose. (now, how does it make a difference if we substitute symbols for letters......might as well write the word. You know what the word is, right?) Back to my tale of woe. I didn't have time to get on the treadmill. Michelle O'Bama may have the fortitude to rise at 4:30 a.m. to get her workout in, but not this fat girl.
Then I went to another city about an hour away to see "The Social Network" on the big screen with a couple of the best friends a girl can have. By the way, the movie is terrific. I'm late to this party because I thought, "How could a movie about this be interesting?" Well, the better question is ....how could I underestimate Aaron Sorkin, a writer whose work I really really like?
Anyway, I ate. There, I said it. I ATE. Eating while driving is a particular vice. It's a habit I just canNOT break. Could have been worse.....I ate little cinnamon tubes, aka Hot Tamales. Then I ate dinner at Rafferty's with friends. There are not many, if any, low cal choices there. I looked and looked for the Nutrisystem column. Nada. We did share a dessert. So, it could have been worse.
Back to the treadmill today. But first, I have a question: if obesity is such an "epidemic," and the percentage of fat people is sooooooooo high, why is everyone on TV/movies skinny? They MUST be running out of skinny people to put on TV/movies. The pool must be getting pretty low. Do they have a farm system somewhere, like raising salmon, where they're breeding and raising skinny TV/movie people? Genetic selection, low fat diets, forced exercise?
I gotta tell ya.........I'm the fattest, by far, of my friends. Always the fat one in the group. Maybe, instead of losing weight, I need to find a new set of chubby homies! Oh, wait, the health thing.....hmmm, I'd better think about this one. On the treadmill maybe.
Off to Moab.
Then I went to another city about an hour away to see "The Social Network" on the big screen with a couple of the best friends a girl can have. By the way, the movie is terrific. I'm late to this party because I thought, "How could a movie about this be interesting?" Well, the better question is ....how could I underestimate Aaron Sorkin, a writer whose work I really really like?
Anyway, I ate. There, I said it. I ATE. Eating while driving is a particular vice. It's a habit I just canNOT break. Could have been worse.....I ate little cinnamon tubes, aka Hot Tamales. Then I ate dinner at Rafferty's with friends. There are not many, if any, low cal choices there. I looked and looked for the Nutrisystem column. Nada. We did share a dessert. So, it could have been worse.
Back to the treadmill today. But first, I have a question: if obesity is such an "epidemic," and the percentage of fat people is sooooooooo high, why is everyone on TV/movies skinny? They MUST be running out of skinny people to put on TV/movies. The pool must be getting pretty low. Do they have a farm system somewhere, like raising salmon, where they're breeding and raising skinny TV/movie people? Genetic selection, low fat diets, forced exercise?
I gotta tell ya.........I'm the fattest, by far, of my friends. Always the fat one in the group. Maybe, instead of losing weight, I need to find a new set of chubby homies! Oh, wait, the health thing.....hmmm, I'd better think about this one. On the treadmill maybe.
Off to Moab.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
I know you're wondering...did I eat it?
Just started the car to warm it up, and there, right in front of me, was that carmel chocolate heart that I bought on Monday. MONDAY!!! This is Wednesday and I haven't eaten it. For the non-fat-challenged lucky ones out there, let me spell it out for you: this is progress. Heck, it was big progress that I only bought one.
I saw a Weight Watchers commercial this a.m. Of course, I've joined WW probably 10 times over my lifetime, and gotten to my goal once, but had stopped going, so it didn't count. This last time I was at a meeting and the very sweet, skinny, lovely leader was gushing about her birthday cake: a WW staple, angel food cake mix, made only with a can of crushed pineapple. That's it, no frosting (to me, frosting is the ONLY reason to have cake. I think of it as a dish of frosting, with a base, preferrably thin, of some other substance; I believe they call it "cake.") Anyway, right then and there I thought, "Holy cow. She's been at her goal weight for 20 yrs, and she has that poor excuse for a birthday cake? Live it up, go wild, for crying out loud!" And yes, that's exactly why I'm not at "goal weight."
Another thing about WW: there's a very, very nice woman who checks you in and she's been a member, at goal weight, for something like 25 yrs. I asked, and she had 8 or 9 lbs to lose when she joined. Are you kidding????? Maybe I should set my goal weight for 10 lbs less than my current weight, which, if you're wondering, is "small whale." But they might be on to that technique.
Ok, off to the grocery. Agan. With 2 of us trying to do Nutrisystem, (I'm about done with it; it's too yucky. and this from a former ICU nurse with an iron stomach) we go thru a ton of fruits and vegetables/day. So off to the evil, tempting mine fields of the grocery.
I just about fainted in joy this a.m. when I put on my jeans and they were a bit loose. Then I realized I had grabbed one of my larger sizes. I have at least 3 sizes of everything in the closet. Pathetic, just pathetic.
I saw a Weight Watchers commercial this a.m. Of course, I've joined WW probably 10 times over my lifetime, and gotten to my goal once, but had stopped going, so it didn't count. This last time I was at a meeting and the very sweet, skinny, lovely leader was gushing about her birthday cake: a WW staple, angel food cake mix, made only with a can of crushed pineapple. That's it, no frosting (to me, frosting is the ONLY reason to have cake. I think of it as a dish of frosting, with a base, preferrably thin, of some other substance; I believe they call it "cake.") Anyway, right then and there I thought, "Holy cow. She's been at her goal weight for 20 yrs, and she has that poor excuse for a birthday cake? Live it up, go wild, for crying out loud!" And yes, that's exactly why I'm not at "goal weight."
Another thing about WW: there's a very, very nice woman who checks you in and she's been a member, at goal weight, for something like 25 yrs. I asked, and she had 8 or 9 lbs to lose when she joined. Are you kidding????? Maybe I should set my goal weight for 10 lbs less than my current weight, which, if you're wondering, is "small whale." But they might be on to that technique.
Ok, off to the grocery. Agan. With 2 of us trying to do Nutrisystem, (I'm about done with it; it's too yucky. and this from a former ICU nurse with an iron stomach) we go thru a ton of fruits and vegetables/day. So off to the evil, tempting mine fields of the grocery.
I just about fainted in joy this a.m. when I put on my jeans and they were a bit loose. Then I realized I had grabbed one of my larger sizes. I have at least 3 sizes of everything in the closet. Pathetic, just pathetic.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Running to Moab
The sun is actually shining; the snow is melting, and I have the horses fed. Bigger news is that I did my 2 miles on the treadmill, jogging 1 of them. Here is my training method:
Do not warm up, not in any way, shape, or fashion. I find it best for me to sneak into it. Don't let my body know what's about to happen. Just get up there on that thing and begin. I can get a quarter mile done before my body even knows what's happening. Surprise is to my advantage.
Walk a quarter of a mile, then jog a quarter. Continue this pattern. Yesterday I did it in half mile increments, but today after the first quarter mile of jogging, I thought there was a strong possibility that I'd dropped a lung. (in medical terms this means that a part or all of one of your two lungs has collapsed, isn't exchanging air with the outside world, and consequently not providing you with air. not a good thing). Come to think of it, in nonmedical terms it could mean that you've lost a lung somewhere along the road or on the treadmill, so it's not too far off the mark in terms of sigh, gasp, "I canNOT breathe." However, I didn't die from lack of air; so much for my diagnosis.
When I jogged on the road, back about 10 yrs ago during my "skinny for a year or so" phase (I actually wore a size 6 pants for about 20 minutes. No kidding, by the time I got them hemmed it was too late.), I began by running the distance between 2 telephone poles, walking the next, running again, etc. Then I worked up to running between 3 telephone poles, walking one, etc. You get the idea.
The only other training tip I have is LOUD MUSIC. Makes a difference for me. I like hip hop, disco (yes, I do, and it is not dead), country, and Motown. Michael Jackson is the KING. Sorry Elvis.
Sheesh. Enough for today. So my total for this week is 2 running miles, 4 total. I'm going to run to Moab. Better look up the mileage.
Do not warm up, not in any way, shape, or fashion. I find it best for me to sneak into it. Don't let my body know what's about to happen. Just get up there on that thing and begin. I can get a quarter mile done before my body even knows what's happening. Surprise is to my advantage.
Walk a quarter of a mile, then jog a quarter. Continue this pattern. Yesterday I did it in half mile increments, but today after the first quarter mile of jogging, I thought there was a strong possibility that I'd dropped a lung. (in medical terms this means that a part or all of one of your two lungs has collapsed, isn't exchanging air with the outside world, and consequently not providing you with air. not a good thing). Come to think of it, in nonmedical terms it could mean that you've lost a lung somewhere along the road or on the treadmill, so it's not too far off the mark in terms of sigh, gasp, "I canNOT breathe." However, I didn't die from lack of air; so much for my diagnosis.
When I jogged on the road, back about 10 yrs ago during my "skinny for a year or so" phase (I actually wore a size 6 pants for about 20 minutes. No kidding, by the time I got them hemmed it was too late.), I began by running the distance between 2 telephone poles, walking the next, running again, etc. Then I worked up to running between 3 telephone poles, walking one, etc. You get the idea.
The only other training tip I have is LOUD MUSIC. Makes a difference for me. I like hip hop, disco (yes, I do, and it is not dead), country, and Motown. Michael Jackson is the KING. Sorry Elvis.
Sheesh. Enough for today. So my total for this week is 2 running miles, 4 total. I'm going to run to Moab. Better look up the mileage.
ok, ok, I'm doing it
I'm about 3 or 4 hours late, but I'm making my way to the darn treadmill. Had to make a cake (yes, "had to") to check how it turns out for a dinner Saturday nite. And yes, I did lick the bowl, but I need to BE SURE it tastes ok. In case you're wondering, it's coconut macaroon cake, and yes, it's wonderful. Doesn't coconut count as a fruit or vegetable?
For dinner yesterday I had Nutrisystem chicken and dumplings, and let me just say that it was so vile that I almost couldn't choke it down. Note: almost....I was very hungry. Think I'm about over this Nutrisystem thing. But yes, yes, I'm going to continue my quest for insert harp music here healthy eating and fitness....so i can "live" another 6 months in the nursing home.
Do I sound bitter? Sorry. Off to the treadmill.
For dinner yesterday I had Nutrisystem chicken and dumplings, and let me just say that it was so vile that I almost couldn't choke it down. Note: almost....I was very hungry. Think I'm about over this Nutrisystem thing. But yes, yes, I'm going to continue my quest for insert harp music here healthy eating and fitness....so i can "live" another 6 months in the nursing home.
Do I sound bitter? Sorry. Off to the treadmill.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Kinda creepy
It's kinda creepy to post again, twice in one day, but hey, it's my blog, just for me, so I guess I can post hourly if I want. And ya know, it just might be helping me with this eating thing. I actually thought about it before eating something I shouldn't, for maybe once in my life.
Ok, so here goes: one of my weight goals is for my boobs to stick out more than my abdomen. Especially when I sit down. Especially on a horse. Gross. Another goal that I sometimes think about is I want to wear, now don't laugh, jeans and a white t-shirt. That's it, no bikini or anything silly like that. Now, I want to look decent in the jeans and tee. Another goal, of course, to be more healthy....blah, blah, blah.
Today is my mom's 80th birthday. I stopped to get her some little gifts, including some candy that she enjoys. Of course, as per my usual habit, I couldn't resist buying one (hear that, ONE) caramel heart shaped chocolate for myself. Checked the label: 120 calories. The same as the yogurt I was supposed to eat. Hmmmm, which to do. Would that caramel/chocolate heart be the start of the slippery slope that ruined my healthy day? If you're thin, it's not a big deal. You eat it or not. For those of us who struggle, it's a big deal.
And speaking of those who are thin, STOP SAYING "I'M SO FAT." You're not; you know it and so do I. You either are incredibly disciplined, or you are incredibly lucky. Good for you.
Guess I should comment on the "run" part of the blog. "Run" is both literal and figurative. I did a bit over 2 miles on the treadmill this a.m., and 1 mile of it was jogging. Not bad.
This is how bad my problem with immediate gratification is: I usually cannot get the mail from the mailbox without sitting or standing there and looking thru it to see what we received. How sick is that? Get in the darned house and look at it.
Ok, enough (again) for today. This is so narcissistic, but if it helps.......
Ok, so here goes: one of my weight goals is for my boobs to stick out more than my abdomen. Especially when I sit down. Especially on a horse. Gross. Another goal that I sometimes think about is I want to wear, now don't laugh, jeans and a white t-shirt. That's it, no bikini or anything silly like that. Now, I want to look decent in the jeans and tee. Another goal, of course, to be more healthy....blah, blah, blah.
Today is my mom's 80th birthday. I stopped to get her some little gifts, including some candy that she enjoys. Of course, as per my usual habit, I couldn't resist buying one (hear that, ONE) caramel heart shaped chocolate for myself. Checked the label: 120 calories. The same as the yogurt I was supposed to eat. Hmmmm, which to do. Would that caramel/chocolate heart be the start of the slippery slope that ruined my healthy day? If you're thin, it's not a big deal. You eat it or not. For those of us who struggle, it's a big deal.
And speaking of those who are thin, STOP SAYING "I'M SO FAT." You're not; you know it and so do I. You either are incredibly disciplined, or you are incredibly lucky. Good for you.
Guess I should comment on the "run" part of the blog. "Run" is both literal and figurative. I did a bit over 2 miles on the treadmill this a.m., and 1 mile of it was jogging. Not bad.
This is how bad my problem with immediate gratification is: I usually cannot get the mail from the mailbox without sitting or standing there and looking thru it to see what we received. How sick is that? Get in the darned house and look at it.
Ok, enough (again) for today. This is so narcissistic, but if it helps.......
My first day...am I going to like this?
Well, not really my first day. It's a lifelong problem: health/fitness/fatness/EATING. This first blog will be short, which is not my usual MO, but I'm not sure I'll like it. I mainly want an outlet for my ramblings/frustrations, so I'll stop sending extremely long emails to my friends.
I'm middle aged, fat, but active. Ride horses, hike, ......is that enough to qualify as being active? I guess. Add: clean the barn. The biggest problem is that I enjoy eating, especially sweet things.
I need to lose some weight. My knees are hurting, and if I may be blunt, it's even difficult to stand up from the toilet. I've lost before, then gained, then lost, etc. You get the picture. So...again.
My husband and I started Nutrisystem a week ago today. This is my last resort. If this doesn't work I'm going to lap banding. The Nutrisystem food is NOT good. I've also gotten back on the treadmill, walking and beginning to run a bit. Now, when I say "run," it's a relative term. My kids say I walk faster than I run. Think: George Burns in "Oh God." Still, I'm running, a bit at a time, on the treadmill.
That's enough. I'll see how this goes.
I'm middle aged, fat, but active. Ride horses, hike, ......is that enough to qualify as being active? I guess. Add: clean the barn. The biggest problem is that I enjoy eating, especially sweet things.
I need to lose some weight. My knees are hurting, and if I may be blunt, it's even difficult to stand up from the toilet. I've lost before, then gained, then lost, etc. You get the picture. So...again.
My husband and I started Nutrisystem a week ago today. This is my last resort. If this doesn't work I'm going to lap banding. The Nutrisystem food is NOT good. I've also gotten back on the treadmill, walking and beginning to run a bit. Now, when I say "run," it's a relative term. My kids say I walk faster than I run. Think: George Burns in "Oh God." Still, I'm running, a bit at a time, on the treadmill.
That's enough. I'll see how this goes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)