Believing In Myself

For the first time this season, I felt that the "theme" of this week's Biggest Loser was actually legit and helpful. To be honest, this has probably been one of my least favorite seasons of BL. Not only did the contestants start out a bit smaller than in seasons past, they're also losing less weight as a result. Now I'm not saying that I only enjoy 400+ pound people getting wasted by Bob Harper, it just seems like the producers are trying a little too hard to have a "theme" to the entire season - "No Excuses."Although it was humorous to see someone voluntarily go home after Week 1 (because he'd 'learned all he needed to know'), and to see the first contestant EVER simply walk off the show (in a season toting 'no excuses'). Ha!

Past episodes this season seem to have stretched themselves a little thin just to try to prove common excuses wrong such as "I can't afford organic food," "I can't lose weight at home" or "I can only work out at a gym." Some of the in-house dynamics and actual workouts (complete with Bob & Dolvette words of wisdom) are the best parts of the show! I don't know...maybe I'm just overreacting.

Either way, I finally appreciated this week's theme - "I don't believe in myself." Maybe because it struck a chord deep within me and actually gave me something I felt I could relate to. Because to be honest, I think my self-confidence and doubt are my biggest hurdles in my weight loss journey.

I think problem #1 is that I look at my past performance - and there's nothing to brag about there. So after tallying up the number of times I've gained back all the weight I've lost, or thinking about how many times I've epic failed all over some fast food, I've wasted 45 minutes and missed my gym window. D'oh! And then repeat that patter at least a few times per week. Then it snowballs into resenting my laziness from the morning and eating junk for lunch, and yadda yadda yadda...I gain more weight.

But how about this - I start a brand new, higher-paying job in downtown Chicago on Monday (ballin, right?), and therefore feel more like an adult. Feeling more like an adult causes me to think that I need to ACT like a responsible grown-up. Thinking that I need to ACT like a grown-up puts pressure on me to actually give off the vibe that I have my shtuff together. And in order to show people that I can, in fact, BE RESPONSIBLE...I really need to stop being lazy!

Therefore, along with a whole, new work schedule will come a new gym schedule, a new focus on healthy (and controlled) eating and hopefully new results. Ready for the ride? I am!

Just an update - weekly weigh ins and measurements will begin NEXT Saturday - March 24th.

90-Day Challenge: Day 8

One of Amy's Biggest Loser 'before' pictures

In today's challenge, Amy talks about how embarrassing it was to take their Biggest Loser "before" pictures when they arrived on the ranch. "It was an intimidating moment having to walk in front of a photographer and pose with all your fat hanging out everywhere. I was quite embarrassed, but knew it had to be done."

She went on to talk about how, even thought it was embarrassing and humbling for everyone to see how much she'd let herself go, it was important to take an inventory of where she was and HOW she got there. The same goes for all of us - even if it's not weight loss! If you're trying to change bad habits, they only gain more power the more you attempt to keep them hidden. Amy goes on to say, "I believe that showing the world my faults is what allowed me to recognize the poor health and more toward healing."

Therefore, the challenge for today focuses on getting a bearing of where you are currently. Before starting the challenge, I measured all my body stats to get an idea of where I'm at. The book goes one step further and encourages you to get a physical as well just to get a comprehensive picture of your health. Along with my measurements I also got some blood work done in September which also gave me a picture of my inner health. I still have yet to take my 'before' pictures...I'm nervous, I won't lie. I'll take those next week. *GULP*

Since I have them available, here are some of my "starting stats" as far as measurements go. I'll take these measurements again towards the middle of December to see my progress and every month from here on out. The blood work numbers will be up here soon too.

Shoulders: 24 inches     Chest: 47 inches      Waist: 45 inches     Hips: 48 inches     

Thighs: 28 inches     Biceps: 16.5 inches     Abdomen: 51.5 inches

90 Day Fitness Challenge - Day 1

I've started and re-started this book many times, but I've decided to give it a go once again. Now I understand that it may not be the best idea to start some sort of health and fitness challenge right before Thanksgiving and Christmas, but maybe some challenges are what I need to keep my mindset and self-control in line with all that holiday food staring me in the face!

So for the next 90 days I will be attempting the "90 Day Fitness Challenge." It's created by Phil & Amy Parham - two former contestants on the popular reality show, "The Biggest Loser." They begin the book by telling their journey and telling you tips on what helped them not only while on the BL ranch, but also once they got home and didn't have the help of Bob & Jillian.

Each day I will try to post the day's challenge, and if I forget, I'll catch up with my next post. Some of them will be easy or be something I've already accomplished in my weight loss journey, and others will be quite difficult or impossible to do. Other daily challenges may deal with mindset, relationships or faith. 

If you're interested in learning more about Phil & Amy or the challenge you can visit their website. 

Challenge #1:

Before embarking on any journey, it's important to plan it out. Losing weight is no different. The first challenge is to write out your goals on a Post It Note or sheet of paper and post it somewhere you'll see it everyday. I'll probably put one on my computer at home and one at work. For starters, I listed my overall goal of losing 80 pounds. I also want to be strong over the holidays! Eliminating soda and fast food are also goals that I need to accomplish if I want to reach my goal.

What are some of your goals?