Slimfast, Green Smoothies, and Jillian Michaels

I've jumped back on the weight loss wheel.  You know the one; round and round it goes, when I'll give up, nobody knows...  I think we've all been there.  Unlike some people, I was never a heavy kid - I was far too picky for starters and for another I was too active for calories to stick.  Once puberty hit though, the battle started (thank you genetics).  In high school, I was relatively trim but was larger than all of my closest friends.  I lost about 20 pounds just before graduation and was able to maintain that weight loss for a couple of years.  However, landing a desk job did nothing to help my slowing metabolism and I started to steadily gain weight. 

Over the years, I've tried various diets from Weight Watchers to P90X.  The issue has never been the diet so much as the time required to put it into practice and the inflexibility to eat what I want, when I want.  Each time, I am consistent for about two weeks and then give up.  My excuses are many; too busy, family get together, bored, depressed, rewarding myself, etc.  While there is some validity to each of my excuses, they are still just that - excuses. I've long since recognized that I have a lack of self discipline and that I am the one making choices that are making me unhappy in how I view myself.  I also recognize that being fit and healthy is a lifestyle and not simply a goal.  Rather than jumping on the oh-so-familiar wheel, I'm taking control now and setting the pace for the rest of my life. 

That being said, the first element of health and weight loss - diet - is what intimidated me the most and therefore I tackled it first.  In early July I returned from my sun and sand vacation determined to make a few changes.  The more I thought about it, the more I came face to face with the reality that I don't have a schedule conducive to spending hours planning 3 healthy meals a day.  Someday I may but I can't live in the someday and right now my life has me on a constant time crunch.  Initially it was tough to admit that what I'd done in the past, relative to food, was continually set myself up for failure.  As I considered my options for healthier eating I was committed to finding something that wouldn't end in another failure.  I knew I needed something quick with as much nutrients as if I were eating 3 balanced meals a day.  The week I returned from vacation I purchased my first six pack of Slim-fast; taking my first step toward change.

Its been over a month and a half and I can say with confidence that its working for me.  I'm now 14 pounds lighter and I've stayed consistent - I love it!  For starters, its quick and easy (perfect for my insane schedule).  I wake up and slam my "breakfast" shake before hitting the shower - no muss, no fuss and the cans are recyclable.  I've reclaimed my lunch hours too.  The other plus is that the one I like, Creamy Milk Chocolate, tastes like chocolate milk; a treat I used to regret for hours after consuming it.  Now I get two "chocolate milks" a day.  YAY!!  The money I'm saving by drinking my $.75 meals is now being redirected to more fruits and veggies for snacking.  If I'm honest, due to a busy summer, I haven't changed my evening meals to be majorly healthy.  However, I'm still seeing about a 2 lb decline when I step on the scale each week and my pants are fitting a little better on my legs.  I'm excited to see what improvement will be made when I become more intentional about making healthier dinners.

One of the blogs I follow is that of a weight watchers addict who lost 80 lbs 8 years ago and has kept it off.  In a post a month or so ago, she put up an intriguing photo of a green smoothie and, after discovering all of the ingredients were things I don't hate, I decided to wipe the dust off my blender and give it a try.  After all, on Slim-fast I have to be more intentional about getting a decent amount of fruits and veggies each day.  The first attempt was less than appealing for various reasons; a) I forgot a couple of key ingredients, and because of that b)the sludgy green goo made my gag reflex kick in.  Much better the second time.  I actually really like them!  I don't drink them daily because they do require a little bit of time and a couple of ingredients I don't always have on hand but they're great a couple of times a week.  When I have more time I'll post a pic and the recipe.  Definitely a step in the right direction health wise - something that looks horrible must be good for me, right??

My favorite element of healthy living is exercise.  I say "favorite" loosely.  I really enjoy lifting; cardio not so much.  Don't get me wrong - I enjoy the benefits of a great work out and once my body has warmed up, I do actually enjoy pushing myself.  However, I'd much rather work up a sweat by working hard at something productive than by spending an hour forcing myself to stay on the treadmill.  After a month on Slim-fast, I decided to take it up a notch and finally add a consistent workout to my life.  Hello Jillian Michaels!  I recently started her 30 Day Shred and its already kicking my butt.  My first day I spent my 30 minutes with Jillian in the morning and went for a quick but slightly challenging bike ride with friends after work.  The following day I was well aware of how little I'd previously used those muscles.  Its a good pain though - as Jillian would say, "stressing your body, changes your body."  I'm hoping that the scale reflects my expectations of the amount of calories I'll burn now that I've added exercise to my healthy living routine.

Once I've made it to Level 3 of the 30 Day Shred, I'm going to add more cardio.  Jillian says that cardio is like weight loss extra credit.  That's how so many of her contestants on Biggest Loser drop as much as 20 lbs a week.  Its not a realistic goal for me but I'm all for adding some "extra credit" to see where it takes me.  I've done enough research to know that you need to continue pushing your body rather than maintaining a consistent routine and work out.  I'm hoping that adding more cardio to my 30 day shred will help me do that.  I would like to see myself at least fifty pounds lighter by the new year and I'm willing to bet that I'll need a bit of extra credit cardio to get there.

One thing that's really encouraged me and motivated me is reading through various weight loss success stories.  People who had convinced themselves that they couldn't do many things in life are now taking on things they never thought possible.  I want to join their ranks.  In order to do so I have to not only address my diet and exercise bad habits but also my mental ones.  For years I've told people that I'm the opposite of athletic; uncoordinated and clutzy.  While I never participated in a sports team, I have a history of being an active person.  When I was a kid I was so active that I was skinny and knobby kneed and I loved gym class, even in HS.  Yes, there are sports I'm not excellent at but there are other sports that I really enjoy and, given half the chance, I could probably be good at them.  That's my goal.  I would love to swim a mile without wimping out, maybe take on tennis again and learn to play so I'm not constantly chasing the ball, even play on a church softball team.  They're not lofty dreams...  more like a diving board to bigger ones; maybe a triathlon someday.  I want to achieve goals that help other people believe they can do the same.  I want to burn the wheel and be a success story!!