Its been a while...

Hi everyone!  So sorry I haven't posted in a while!  Working full time and having two small side businesses, working out, back injury and family have been my priority! 

I received a fantastic email today, that I am sure has been circulating for a while.   It is quite relevant to what I have been doing - Eating Clean as often as possible and exercising for optimal health.  I just bought Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet Recharged and will probably be getting more of her books in the future. Any recipes I make I will post and share as well! You must see that Eating Clean is NOT boring!!

This email related the food we eat to our bodies functions. It is quite interesting and I wanted to share it with all of you! 

EAT LOTS OF SWEET POTATOES this is really interesting... old but a good reminder...  It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish...All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners... God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body! God's Pharmacy! Amazing!  A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes. A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.  A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain

kidney function and yes, they look exactly like

the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more

look just like bones. These foods specifically

target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium

and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't

have enough sodium in your diet, the body

pulls it from the bones, thus making them

weak. These foods replenish the skeletal

needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears

target the health and function of the womb

and cervix of the female - they look just like

these organs. Today's research shows that

when a woman eats one avocado a week, it

balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth

weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And

how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9)

months to grow an avocado from blossom to

ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic

chemical constituents of nutrition in each one

of these foods. Modern science has only

studied and named about 141 of them.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in

twos when they grow. Figs increase the

mobility of male sperm and increase the

numbers of Sperm as well to overcome

male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas

and actually balance the glycemic index of

diabetics.
 
 Oranges, Grapefruits, and other

Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands

of the female and actually assist the health of

the breasts and the movement of lymph in and

out of the breasts.
Onions look like the body's cells.

Today's research shows onions help clear

waste materials from all of the body cells.

They even produce tears which wash the

epithelial layers of the eyes. A working

companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate

waste materials and dangerous free radicals

from the body.

I cant get the pictures to show up no matter what I do. I am not great at that sort of thing! 

So there you go!  An interesting way to think of what you should be putting in your body and why!

Thanks!

Caren

Day 30 Turbo Fire Results with PICS!

Wow. I made it to day 30 of Turbo Fire!  I only missed one workout in 4 weeks due to massive pain of the female kind.

Today is my last work out to complete day 30 - I am not feeling very well, but I am going to do a low impact version of the workout and push through.

The following are pics, with dates. You will notice there is really only 3 weeks difference with the pics for the month of March. And still, you see results!  I am so excited to post my next 30 day journey! If these are the results I have got out of only 30 days I just KNOW the next 30 are going to produce!!!









March 3, 2011







Feb 11, 2011













March 21, 2011



                             

  



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Feb 11, 2011









March 3, 2011











Mar 21, 2011



Feb 11, 2011





Mar 3, 2011





Mar 21, 2011



So there you have it!  I don't have a scale, but I am pretty sure I must be down!  I'm getting there, and so can you!  For those of you thinking of doing something - ANYTHING...

TAKE YOUR PICTURES!!!!





You don't always notice the day to day improvements. But when the time comes to see just how far you have come, all you need to do is reflect back on these photos!  

We WILL survive this!  We WILL get healthier!  We WILL have our confidence back!

WE WILL JUST PRESS PLAY!!!!!























Changes

So I am day two into Turbo Fire Week Four.

Biggest change?

ATTITUDE!!!

That is nothing to complain about!  I haven't put myself down in about ONE MONTH!!  I don't tell my husband not to look at me. I smile. I laugh. I am POSITIVE. I have ENERGY.

I AM ENERGY!!

I am not only blown away by how much my attitude has changed and how I look, but I am actually floored by the amount of support I am being asked to give to others.

How did this happen?  How did an overweight, out of shape chick inspire all of these people?

Honestly, I think its because I just put myself out there - my Life on Display for the world to see. I am a ballsy kinda girl, but this was still a tough decision to make. I understand why so many of you wont go as far as I have to really show people what its like in the head of a woman struggling to lose weight and feel good about herself again.

But I ask you, what are you afraid of?  That people will see you?  The REAL you?  Maybe its what you need to do to be able to see the real you too. Make it raw. I promise you nobody will openly make fun of you. ( I am sure there are a few people who have said "gross" when they have seen my pictures. But those people are obviously cowards who would never say it to my face - so who cares, right?)

You may be able to inspire others as well!  I say take that chance. Do it.

If you just cant bring yourself to share, make sure you take your measurements and before pictures anyway. One day soon you will look back at those pics and you will WANT to show people how far you have come. Because with the physical change, will come a mental adjustment too. You will be confident. You will be happy. YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL.

Now get of your ass and just press PLAY!!!

By Popular Demand, 1 day Early! Before and After Pics, 30 day mark

OK.. well actually 28 days.

Feb 10                                                                              March 9

So there are my before and after pics, just after 30 days!!  It is a struggle some days - I don't always want to work out. I hurt, My legs are tired, but I just PUSH THROUGH and PRESS PLAY!!!

I have just learned that BeachBody does not offer the opportunity to be a coach in Canada. BOOOOO!!!!  So for now, if you want any help just ask me anyway!  Or better yet,  find a Beach Body coach like Liz Poin - or any other person you click with. They have a fantastic support group full of motivation, ideas, recipes and so much more.

JUST PRESS PLAY!!

I LOST 13.5 INCHES IN TWO WEEKS!!!

SERIOUSLY!!!  I DID!

On February 28th I took my measurements for the beginning of the Eat Clean Challenge.

Today, out of curiosity, I took them again....

Here are my results:

                     Feb. 28, 2011                    March 9, 2011             Lost
Neck                   15.5                                        15                       .5
Shoulders             47                                          46.5                   .5     
Chest                    46                                          43.5                   2.5
Ribs                      41.25                                     38                      3.25
Waist                    41.5                                       40                       1.5
Below Waist         46                                          46                       0 (boo)
Hips                      50.5                                      48.75                   1.75
Thighs                   24                                          23.25                   .75
Calves                   15.5                                       15                        .5
Arms                     16.25                                      14                        2.25


For a GRAND TOTAL of 13.5 inches lost!!

Now, if you are reading this and saying to yourself, "That's IT!  I have HAD it with this negative, fat, uncomfortable, depressive lifestyle I got myself into!"  - PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE  contact Liz Poin to see how you can begin your journey today!!!  She is the best!!! 

I am thinking of becoming a coach myself soon. I think I just want to get through a full 3 months of Turbo Fire first... what do you think?

I love all of your support and I would love to be able to help support you too! 

Its called ACCOUNTABILITY people!

JUST PRESS PLAY!!

What happens when you get a cold?

You Just Press Play!  That's what!

I felt it coming on for about a week, but last night I woke up around 2 am with really bad sinus pressure and stuffiness.

But I still worked out today.

You know why?

Cause I'm hard core.

At least I was till after the first fire drill!  I think my cold has put me at less than 100% and I began to fade a bit. But that didn't stop me from putting in as much as I could without collapsing and not finishing.

So for any of you readers out there, go check out my You Tube Channel and see some of my progress.  If you are wondering if you can do this work out, well I did. And I am fat. AND I have a cold. NO EXCUSES! 

JUST PRESS PLAY!
www.lizpoinfitness.com - order your workout today!

Caren

Round Two of Turbo Fire

So I have one workout left to complete week two of Turbo Fire. I am loving it!  With every workout I can notice myself doing more and doing it better!

It has been a fantastic first month. I am only beginning and the amount of people who are getting off their ass just because I have is super motivational. I feel like I cant quit or I would be letting not only myself down, but everyone else too!  So thank you so much for your support everyone! 

I will be posting my 30 day pics on March 11 or 12. Now you know how when you look at yourself in the mirror you have a harder time seeing the real you?  Well I need you guys to tell me honest truth.  Even if it isn't what I want to hear. Just be honest. I'm talking not just about physical transformations, but emotional and mental transformations too. I of course want to see a physical change. But I understand that 30 days is still soon.  Also, I am only going to be 3 weeks in to Turbo Fire as well.

But these pics are on their way!  I will be posing my measurements as well.  I took them the day before the Eat Clean Challenge and forgot to post them!  So they will come with the pics at the end of this week. Then, after the month of March when I will be 6 weeks in with Turbo Fire and about 9 weeks in to my new lifestyle change, I will post more pics and new measurements!

So stay tuned! 

Caren

Just so people can see...

I am going to do a Pre-Posting of pics..

I have been reading a lot of transformation stories. For those of you who know me, you know what I look like now, and what I looked like before.  So I am going to show people -who knows what you might relate to, right?!

I hope to show people with Hypothyroidism that maybe, JUST MAYBE this is possible.. Maybe you or someone you know has a before thyroid pic and after thyroid pic and is now feeling lost and depressed.  Well I'm gonna kick my thyroid back into gear. My doctor is a tool and I am going to do this myself!!!

These are my BEFORE skinny pics. Of course, I though I was so fat then. 1) my sexy hubby, 2) me in Florida and 3)me on the bus to a football game

NOW... here I am today

Sooooo.. I look like crap. I was pretty hot before.

I want that again. This is what Hypothyroidism did to me. IN THE BEGINNING. Then I gave up on myself. I was not diagnosed properly, leading to a 30 pound weight gain in less than 2 years. Then I was not medicated properly which lead to me not being able to lose anything despite having a personal trainer and nutritionist who was aware of my condition. Then I got pregnant and gained 50  pounds.  I still have 25 of those pounds left on me.. actually more.. more like 34.
So you see, I need to lose 75 pounds. 

Yes I want to do it for myself, bla bla bla.
 But HECK YES I wanna look sexy!!!  AGAIN! Cause Damn I used to be hot!  I liked feeling that way!

So Help me Kick my thyroids ass, and my fat arse! 

JUST PRESS PLAY!!!
www.lizpoinfitness.com

Getting Ready for Day 30

So Day 30 is quickly approaching. On March 12th I will be posting new pics of my results after 30 days. I am a little nervous.

A lot nervous.

I am so worried that I wont see results. I am so terrified of not losing scale weight.

My head is so confused. I know I FEEL fantastic, but for anyone who is fat, you know (for most of you) that that really isn't what you want. At least not SOLELY to feel fantastic. You want to LOOK better. Better than you did 30 days ago. Its hard not to compare to people who HAVE seen results in the 30 day span. My head screams

ITS NOT FAIR!!!!!

Of course that is that horrible negative voice that's in my head.  The real voice of the real me is starting to overpower this douche bag! Who the heck is she to tell me that I should think this isn't fair?

Maybe it isn't, but this is my life now. I am going to have to embrace the fact that this is not going to be as easy for me than someone else who doesn't have a thyroid issue. I am going to have to go all Charlie Sheen on this shit and "love it violently". (Charlie Sheen, WTF? right?)

By violently I mean of course I am going to kick it in the face with a Chalene Johnson front kick. Then roundhouse that bugger after upper cutting it square in the jaw. Then I'll do some sumo squats into a burpee and up for some jacks. No! Wait! some fly jacks!! 

TAKE THAT JERKSTORE!!! (Seinfeld)

As my countdown begins to March 12, I am still going to Bring It by doing my clean eating challenge for the month of march and busting it as hard as I can to Turbo Fire.

Are you with me?  Come on.. say you are with me!  I know you want to! I have had so many people in the last week tell me they want to do something too, that they are inspired by my workouts and posts on Facebook, and that they want to know what it is that I am doing!!  Well I cant stress enough how much support and motiviation I have found within the BeachBody community. I am not one to fall for gimmicks and infomercials, but seriously, DO IT!!  Go to www.lizpoinfitness.com  and register with your free coach today. Dont wait any longer. Or if you dont seem to click with Liz find yourself a BeachBody coach through their site. I found mine by checking YouTube for before and after transformations using P90, P90X, ChaLean Extreme and TurboFire. Do it. I still look at inspirational videos on YouTube daily to keep me pumped.

DO IT.

JUST PRESS PLAY

Think about it!  It doesn't matter how big you are or how fit you think you are, or even how fit you actually are!  Look at the extreme weight loss shows like Biggest Loser and Heavy.  If these guys can bust their ass 4-6 hours a day exercising and NOT DIE, then you can devote an hour a day, 30 minutes a day, 2 hours a day. 

JUST PRESS PLAY!

Caren

Thoughts of the Week

I am ending my first week of Turbo Fire and all I can say is "OMG". It is soooo intense from a cardio perspective. I honestly believe it should be called Holy Crap My Body is on FIRE.

Seriously.

My body is aching the good ache for hours after a workout on this!  Don't be fooled by the HIIT 15 class either.. So far I think it has been the hardest one!  But....

I feel good.  No.. I feel GREAT! 

All the knowledge I have about exercising and eating right has always been in my head. I have always had to work at maintaining any weight I am at. I KNEW my body would remember exercise and adjust faster than I thought. But that stupid voice in my head kept getting the better of me and I just went into Exercise Amnesia. 

I think I just created a wicked awesome term!  I RULE!

But that voice is still in my head.. I had a very hard day this week. On Tuesday I went for a weigh in at Herbal Magic (if I haven't told you that I do partake in this very very expensive program, I do). After all the work I have been putting in with eating well and tremendously increasing my exercise I GAINED A POUND. 

Yeah, yeah yeah.. I know all the crap about not paying attention to the scale, how muscle weighs more than fat.  BLAH BLAH BLAH.

If the number wasn't that important, why does EVERYONE post their weight on before and after photos and comments?  Why does the doctor or nutritionist need to know this in order to calculate BMI and all those other things that are related to the number on the scale?  Because it IS important.

To an obese person, and obsessed people the number means a lot. My number never bothered me when I wasn't fat. Not that much anyway. I mean, I paid attention to it to a certain extent but I went by my clothes and how I felt.

But when you are fat and you work as hard as I have been working, the number means almost everything. Same as how losing inches is a big deal.

I don't understand how it is scientifically possible that I have gained weight at my current number. I don't think I am starving myself.. Maybe I am wrong. I am doing everything I am asked to do. I increase my protein and veg when I work out. But I know that my body gained weight when I took in 2000 cal/day, 1700 cal/day, 1500 cal/day and even 1200 cal/day.

WTF?!  Right?

I don't have answers to this mystery yet, but I am searching desperately for them. My appointment with the specialist isn't until August, so its a long wait to do nothing. If you know anyone that has had this issue and figured it out, please let me know by emailing me at caren69@hotmail.com. 

But back to Turbo Fire.

I LOVE IT!!  Please go get it. Unless you aren't very co-ordinated. lol 
It is so hard, and so much fun. It is really helping me make my comeback.  I keep visualizing myself one day looking like my coach Liz Poin or any of the fantastically fit people in the videos. It is really helping me believe I can do it.

It may take me longer than most people who aren't in the midst of Hypothyroidism, but I'll get there one day.

And I'll totally walk around practically naked the rest of my life..

LOL

Caren

Holy Mary Mother of God!

I really only have to leave two words..........

TURBO FIRE

But I just cant leave it at that!  So here it is...

I ordered Turbo Fire last week.  It came today!  I was so excited to come home and jump right in!

A little background - I USED to work out all the time.  I was a rock star in Cardio Kickboxing class. So much so that I was designated the assistant in all classes I attended. My original instructor held such intense classes. The first class I did I thought I was going to die and that obviously these classes were for more advanced people (and in my mind what I actually meant was skinny, fit, muscle-y people who liked to show off their awesome bods and make fun of soft fat people behind their back. I am messed up.. i know).

But I kept with it and LOVED IT!  However, he stopped showing up for reasons unknown and every instructor and class i took after that paled in comparison to how intense and difficult this class was. I searched for years for that "high" and never found it..

Fast forward a few years and now I am fat and flabby and out of shape for so many reasons. Some legitimate (hypothyroidism) and most, not so much.

Fast forward to present day.

I HAVE FOUND MY HIGH AGAIN!!!  

For those of you who are not very co-ordinate, please, try something else first. For those of you, like me (despite my extra large frame) who have co-ordination and can pick up on moves quickly do yourself a favour and order Turbo Fire by Chalene Johnson.  Go and sign up for free at www.wowy.com and find Liz Poin and get her as your coach! She is fantastic.  Then order any Beachbody workout through her and you will be on your way to changing your life! 

I admit I even had a bit of trouble following at first, but I kept at it. It is so extreme and intense, but so much fun!  The music is fantastic, and despite the fact there isn't a beginner at all in the class - only super sexy fit beautiful people - I didn't find the class unrealistic at all.  What I mean by this is that even if you are UBER out of shape like me you can do it!! 

But MY GOD is it tough.  But I am going to use this first class as a measure of how far I will go week after week. 

WEEK ONE:

Not that easy, but quite fun. I love the punching - it helps me get out any rage that might be festering inside!  The Fire drills are extreme and I cant wait to be able to do them  more smoothly. Final result?  I am so out of shape.. This is ridiculous!  I keep thinking how the hell did I let this happen?!  This series is going to kick my ass from here to Texas. I just hope I can learn the moves a little faster. I kind of love it!

Now... I definitely need my protein shake!! 

Caren

Upping the Ante.. but not on purpose!!!

My P90 sweat/sculpt 1-2 DVD isn't working.

Now I just came back from an overnight with my daughter (a Valentine's Day gift from my husband and son). We just had breakfast. I ate food I don't usually eat.

I needed to work out.

In a panic, I convinced myself that doing level 3-4 wouldn't be that bad.

WRONG! 

OH MY. I wasn't prepared.

 But I did it anyway. Not well, but I did it. I probably needed to anyway seeing as I just ate twice my carb allotment for the day by 9am. So maybe this was a blessing in disguise.

A lot more intense because there are less rest periods, level 3-4 really put my aerobic abilities to the test. Despite my size now, I prefer (and always have) a very intense workout. I like to be challenged. And challenged I was. I am so out of shape at the moment I thought I was crazy for bothering.

That is the dark voice sneaking back in trying to take me back over. I feel like my body and mind have been in a deep sleep. There, but not available at the moment. Over the last two weeks I have begun to wake up. Not just my body, but my mind. That dark, evil voice is slowly being put in its place by the real me.

There are so many factors as to why this is possible. Just the plain fact that I have gotten off my fat ass is one. Support is another. Visualization is a third.  When I wanted to "throw in the towel" this afternoon I just kept visualizing my coach, Liz Poin, pushing me on, and I used her before and after photos that are burned in my mind to remind me that THIS IS POSSIBLE. I CAN DO THIS! (p.s.  I highly recommend Liz as a Coach - if you are interested in support, please check out her FB page http://www.facebook.com/#!/CoachLizPoin and follow her on twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/LizPoinFitness ).

And I did.   I finished. I didn't do as many reps as Tony Horton and his crew, but the ones I did do, I did with full force and form. I didn't do the Ab Ripper 200, I just did the 10 reps like in level 1-2. But i did them slower and with more precision.

That body ache I missed having yesterday (yes.. i just said I missed it) is back. I am no longer sore - as in I don't want to ever move again because of all the lactic acid build up sore.  Instead, I consistently have that "good" ache all over my body.  I love having it because it reminds me that I worked out, I did it for me, and I can do it again. When I don't feel like I can do any more, I remember Liz and the simple tweet from Chalene Johnson the other day.....

This moment will soon be a memory.

I can do it.

Caren

Hawaii Five-OH OH OH ERGH!!!

I am proud to say it has been more than one week and I am still workin' it! I am also proud to say I do NOT watch the new Hawaii Five-0.

When I have taken a day off I feel like I should do something extra difficult for me the next day and push through.

For me, as of right now, this is Tony Horton's Fat Burning Express Live from Hawaii. A little longer than the Sweat P90 (I am on level 1-2 right now), and to me, a lot more intense.

I have done this a total of 3 times in the last 2 weeks. Thanks to me sticking with the P90 workout I am already finding it a little easier! I even used a weight for the Groucho Pivots!  WHO KNEW?!?!?

That little voice in my head that has infected me, festering and brooding, is beginning to STFU. That would be Shut The F#*K Up for all you folks who don't follow today's lazy language of short form.

But it isn't gone. By the end of this work out it starts to creep back in. I slow down, don't do full reps and I feel guilty and defeated. I want to just lay down and sleep - cry "LEAVE ME ALONE! THIS ISN'T FAIR!" 

All is not lost though. As per my last post, I have been gaining support from old friends and new!  I even started following Chalene Johnson on Twitter (@chalenejohnson) as well as my new support coach @LizPoinFitness.  If you are looking for inspiration and support from people who understand and absolutely do not judge you should start with Liz Poin. From following her I have gained 4 new followers that are there to offer support whenever I am in need.

I even got a personal message from Chalene Johnson of the ChaLean Extreme fame. Now I admit, I had never even heard of her before last week. Within this time I followed her on Twitter, she messaged me after I ReTweeted her and amazingly this morning, the television was on a channel that offered infomercials (it is NEVER left on a channel like that - Hello.. Disney Channel 27/7). Her workout series Turbo Fire was featured.  I took it as a sign and purchased it!  I cannot WAIT to try it. It looks so intense and SO MUCH FUN!!!

In conclusion, I say the hardest workout for me right now is the Fat Burning Express Hawaii version, but I am quite sure that is about to change. 

Obviously I am looking forward to it.

Caren

A Support System is Key

Having a support system when attempting to overcome any obstacle is very important. So why is it that I refuse to graciously accept the support from my extremely supportive husband?

After pondering this subject quite a bit over the last few days I think I have realized the truth behind this matter.

1. I am embarrassed. I never used to be like this, look like this, or feel like this. The fact that he is trying to help and be encouraging only brings more attention to the fact that I am fat. And in my mind, that means I am disgusting. Hence I get my back up and become defensive.

2. I am angry.   And who do we take it out on when we are feeling emotional? - The ones we love. My poor husband, Dave, has been a punching bag (if only literally - i might have lost a few pounds!) for me anytime he tries to suggest something for me to do. He just wants to help, make me feel better, see me smile, and make me happy. But in my twisted mind I contort this into something like this, "WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT ME AND HOW FAT I AM!"  You see, in my fat person brain, I pretend that the girl Dave sees is the girl I feel I am inside. Not the physical monstrosity that actually stands before him.

There are probably more reasons, but these are the ones I am recognizing for now.

Like a lot of people, I am more willing to accept support from a stranger, or an acquaintance - someone I don't have to face everyday. Its a lot easier for me to allow people who don't really know me that well to see me struggle.

I feel like I have let my friends, my family and myself down by becoming this "thing". And I do consider myself to be a "thing". I don't feel human in this body. The real me is trapped inside this alien body desperately trying to escape.

I do want to thank the people who have been able to reach that part of me that is willing to accept your support.

Thank you Liz Poin for being my virtual coach. I have a feeling that this is the beginning of a new life that you can help me get to. You are inspiring.

Thank you Tracy and Amanda, for showing you care by responding to my Facebook Posts. It means so much to me to have you routing me on.

Thank you Katie for understanding and admitting your own struggle. As awful as it sounds, its nice to know that other people I know feel the same way. Its not a nice thing feeling alone.

Thank you to my friends Tammy and Ana and Dorothy for loving me no matter how often I refuse to go out in public  and say no to a girls night because I am feeling sorry for myself.

Most of all, thank you Dave, my amazing husband. I may not react the way you hope me to, but I love that you love me no matter what. I love that you see me and you still think I am beautiful. Even though I get my back up when you try to help, I thank you for continuing to try, because it does matter to me. I love you.

Thank you.


Caren

The Stairs

So today I attempted the stairs. 

We live in Ontario, Canada, where there is an escarpment. I live at the top of said escarpment. There are many sections along the escarpment in which there are stairs to go down the mountain.

Today I attempted to do this. I went with my husband and a couple we know. Both the men are extremely fit. The other girl weighs about 3 pounds. I weigh a million.  I did not expect to be able to do this more than once. 

My hubby said they were doing it 5 times. 

There are 289 stairs.

OH Crap.

I told my husband that this is exactly why I don't want to go out and do exercis-y things with him.  I cant keep up yet!  And I am a winner. I HAVE to do well and I usually have to win. Now I knew I couldn't win this one, but I at least hoped they would do it so few times that I could keep up!

I refused to do it 5 times.  Luckily so did my friend, Kim. Needless to say, her frame and weight gave her an advantage of not tiring out as fast as I. So after one trip down and half a trip up, I told her to go on without me.

Yes.. I thought I was dying.

I slowly made it back up. Long story short, the men lapped both us girls numerous times.

I can proudly say though that I did the stairs not once, but ONE AND A HALF times!  LOL!!!

Thinking I should make this a weekly thing (despite the fact that I HATE the cold weather - anything under 18 degrees is too cold for me) and maybe build up to more times a week when the weather gets warmer! 

Thoughts?

Thanks for supporting!

Caren

The Beginning.. Again

I got fat. It wasn't my fault - really.  I ate pretty healthy (with a few indulgences here and there) and I exercised regularly.  But I still got fat. My doctor is a big jerk who didn't believe me when I said "SOMETHING IS WRONG".  Instead he blamed my weight gain on my so called laziness and genetics (after all he knows what most of the women in my family look like and they are all fat so it was obviously inevitable that I would one day be in a permanent fat suit).

After a year and a half and a weight gain of almost 30 pounds and a clearly depressed patient, my doctor finally re-tested my Thyroid and - what do you know - I was Hypothyroid. Under active Thyroid. Thanks for ruining my life Thyroid.

The 30 pounds came just in time for me to get married.  I still looked gorgeous (of course) but I wasn't happy with my weight.

Then I got pregnant.  Oh crap. 

I was very very happy to be having another baby (I have a daughter from a previous relationship, who at the time was 8). But I was also extremely worried about the weight gain, and how my new "infected with Hypothyroidism" body would react.

I gained 50 pounds.

My once 5'5", 145 pound frame (I hold my weight well and I looked DAMN good at this weight) is now at 213 pounds. Post baby.

TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN POUNDS.

I am disgusting. I hate myself. I don't go out anymore because I know how people work.  You go out and they pretend to be all excited to see you and then as soon as you are out of ear shot they proclaim with shock in their eyes "OMG. She got FAT"!!!!!!

So I don't go out. I say No all the time to friends. I hate seeing other friends who have lost weight and look fantastic. 

Its NOT FAIR!  I busted my ass!  And this is how my body thanks me?!?!  EFF YOU!

I eat healthier than I have ever eaten before. Before I was at 213 I weighed about 226. So the food thing has helped me to lose 13 pounds. This came at a cost though as I joined Herbal Magic - which is working better than anything else I have tried because I have actually LOST weight this time. But it is VERY expensive. I don't care anymore.  I need to lose it all or I will go crazy!

So here it begins.  I started P90 - cause I don't think I am ready for P90X yet.  I gave up on exercise when my body attacked me and wouldn't let me lose anything. I am out of shape.

What I am about to do is very hard for me. But I am serious this time. I am going to post pics of my grossness now. and keep posting every 30 days or so.

Please follow me on my quest for the ability to be happy with my body once more.  I think I'll need all the support I can get!

Caren.