Why BMI measurements and the scale can be EVIL.

According to a BMI calculator I found online, and the standard accepted measurements of what a "healthy" BMI is, I am severely OBESE. This is total bull. BMI is nothing but your height/weight ratio. So essentially, two people who are the same height and same weight would have the same BMI regardless of what their body fat percentage is. So you could have a 200 lb body builder and a 200 lb guy who has a lot of fat and very little muscle and they would have the same BMI and thus be categorized in the same way, regardless of their fitness levels or body fat percentage.

I agree that if I had an "average" amount of muscle for a woman and weighed what I do, yes that would probably mean I was very obese. Why? Because fat doesn't weigh as much as muscle, and the amount of fat I would have to gain on my body to keep my weight where it is without the muscle would be substantial. I've known people that weighed less than me, but who had a higher fat percentage and were less fit.

Everyone's body is different. We all have different fitness levels, muscle/fat ratios... to try and judge someone based on their height/weight ratio alone is ridiculous.

Due to the fact that muscle weighs more than fat, the scale can be deceiving. You could have been eating right, going to the gym, and see that you've gained weight. When I spent some time body building after college I gained 12 lbs of muscle. I looked and felt much better than I had before, even though I weighed more than I ever had.

For women, the scale can also be very misleading during those times when we're retaining water and getting a little bloated. So we should remember not to freak if we go up a couple pounds and instead wait and see what the longer trend seems to be before jumping to conclusions.

In my journey towards losing weight and getting healthier, the 50 lbs I want to drop this year is a guideline. I'm also paying attention to how I look, how I feel and what my body fat percentage is. If I only lose 40 lbs but manage to drop 10-15% body fat and a few pant sizes, I'll consider that a huge success!!

Day 4 - Gym!

I'm feeling really good today. Had 1 pc of wheat toast with peanut butter and a banana for breakfast, and not long after went to the gym!

I was actually rather impressed with myself at the gym. Did I burn an insane amount of calories? No. However, the last time I got on the exercise bike I did 30 min and 5 miles. This time, I did 20 min on the bike and 7 miles! Improvement! Afterwards I did a 5 minute cool down on the elliptical and then some abs work and triceps/back work.

My girl and I felt totally drained after the gym and my body was telling me it wanted meat. So we went to Buck's Naked BBQ (this great place up the street from us where all the bbq is served without sauce so you can add what you like). It was a nice little treat for us, and as I stared at the menu I realized that instead of getting my usual plate of meat and side of potato salad I would much rather have the Pulled Chicken/Pear/Walnut salad with mango lime vinaigrette. So that's what I did! I did get my potato salad, but I only ate a little bit and put the rest in a takeout box. With the chicken salad, I also ate only about 1/3 of it, and it is currently in my fridge for later consumption. :)

One of the things I have learned is that I should always stop and really pay attention to what my body wants. Not what my brain thinks I want. I even said while looking at the menu "do I really want the salad, or am I just trying to be 'healthy'?" Turns out, I really did want the salad. Not only was it totally satisfying, I am no longer exhausted.

And now I am off to do some laundry and go to the pool! A swim sounds like a great idea right now, unless of course the water is way too cold. Sitting in the sun with my book wouldn't be a bad idea either ;).

Day 3 - Work and such...

Not much to report today.

I did as planned and brought snacks and a good lunch with me to work, and I even had half my lunch left over! This kept me from wandering to the food court or the coffee shop, tho after a long boring day I did give in around 5:30 when a co-worker offered to bring back Starbucks. I don't think a medium iced mocha is going to kill me.

Note: While my liquid dessert of protein mix and banana etc was indeed a fantastic idea and kept me from wanting sweets last night, it also gave me a burst of energy that kept me awake till 3:30 am. Probably better done as a breakfast thing!!

Tonight we (my fiance and I) had dinner at a friend's house. He cooked potatoes and chicken/steak kebabs on the grill. While I probably could have eaten a little less, I didn't totally overdo it and the food was fantastic! Mmm... love me some marinated meat! Nom nom nom.

Just another side note... I started taking Ginko in the morning before work (just the pill kind you can get at the grocery store) and I have found that it gives me enough energy that I don't crash and crave caffeine as much. It also seems to be giving me better mental clarity and focus as my attitude and work performance has greatly improved!

I'm gonna wait a few more days to do an official weigh-in and see if I've made some progress. Give my body a little time to get used to this new routine before I jump to any conclusions about what's working or not.

Thanks for reading!

Day 2 - Groceries & Beach

I did really well yesterday eating small portions when I found myself hungry, making good choices and cutting out excess sugar, paying attention to what types of food my body wanted and making sure not to over fill my belly. This morning to my annoyance, I gained a pound! Tho, anyone who has ever paid attention to their weight gain/loss will know that often times it takes a while for our bodies to react to positive or negative things we are doing to it. So that pound could have come from the fast food I ate a couple days ago or bad habits from last week, so I am not fretting this small gain. Instead I am planning and preparing for a healthier future!

Last night (the night before pay day!) I made a list of some things I wanted to get at the grocery store. Things that I could bring with me to work to avoid the food court, and also items that I could mix and match so I don't get too bored with my options. This is what I got today:
-Wheat Bread             -Olive Oil
-Avocados                  -Low Fat Shredded Cheese
-Skim Milk                 -Eggs
-Soft Tortillas             -Bananas
-Granola                     -Low Fat Yogurt
-Graham Crackers      -String Cheese
-Salmon Filets            -Apples
-Salsa                         -Low Fat Cream Cheese
-Chocolate Chips       -Tapioca Pudding

We've already got couscous, rice, chicken breasts, steak, strawberry protein mix, peanut butter, etc. I figure, these items will be good to make dinners and lunches with, and also some snacks. Instead of having unhealthy sugar stuff in the evening, I'll do yogurt with granola, tapioca, or a smoothie with banana/choc chips/strawberry protein powder/ skim milk.

Other than some healthier food choices and planning, I have some other changes I'd like to make:
-EAT BREAKFAST
-Don't assume I am not going to be hungry before my lunch break and bring something to munch on, instead of going to the pretzel stand or coffee shop.
-No fast food. Maybe not all year, but not on a weekly basis. Maybe allow myself to eat at the food court once a week, as long as I pick something that's not total crap. This will also help me save $$!

Overall, today was a very good day. For food, and also for body and mind in other ways. We spent the afternoon on a little beach reading, sun tanning, and I even spent some time practicing martial arts in the sand. Plus it was good for my confidence because I went out in board shorts and a bikini top and didn't feel like a total  eye sore.

Now it's off to make chicken/avocado/salsa quesadilla for dinner! :)

The Beginning

Today marks the start of my challenge, but it is not truly the beginning. Let me give you a little background...


My whole life I have been overweight. I've seen doctors and nutritionists, been on every diet imaginable, and despite being very active and athletic my whole life, the pounds kept piling on. I weighed 160 in late elementary school and gained about 10 lbs every year till college where I yo-yo'd between 200 and 215.

A year after graduation when I hit 235 I had tried to get the scale tipping the other way... food journals, gym sessions, seeing a wellness coach weekly, participating in our workplace "Biggest Loser"... I even went as far as to start DRAWING everything I ate so I could physically see what was going in my body.



None of this worked and in the following months, I put on an additional 25 lbs. Bringing me up to 260 in the beginning of 2008.

At this point, I was starting to give up completely and just accept the inevitable: I was huge. I was always going to be huge, and I would never be able to lose the weight.

Then one night, while eating my emotions in my overpriced studio apartment, I came across tv show called "I Can Make You Thin." I decided to watch out of curiosity. Thank god I did...

Now, I could go into detail about what the show was about, but instead I am going to give you a name and if you care to look it up, go for it. Paul McKenna


The ideas in the show seemed to make too much sense to work. They were too obvious, too simple (simple, not easy, but simple). It was not a diet, not a fad, not about becoming Jillian whats-her-face or whoever else is out there promising six-pack abs and size 2 jeans. Just a charming, average looking English bloke saying "I can help. You can do this."

I tried it and lost 10 lbs the first week, which gave me the motivation to continue. Over the next year, by following this new found advice and adding in a little more exercise, I managed to lose a total of 40 lbs. The year after that, another 10. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't easy. I also wasn't at the gym all the time, or doing aerobics in my house every day, or on some crazy diet. The challenge was mostly mental and learning to reverse the bad habits and emotional connection with food that I had acquired over years of dieting.



Which brings me to now...


I've hit a plateau with weight loss, which I can attribute to lack of effort, loss of focus, and some laziness on my part. I've been "half-assing" it really. Eating right one day, going to McDonald's the next. Getting some exercise, then putting it off for 2 weeks. As of this morning, I am 214 lbs. Time to kick things back into gear!

Despite the weight loss plateau, I have seen some endurance improvement and have spent the last year re-learning and filling the gaps in my martial arts training. I stopped training regularly when I was about 14 after receiving my second degree brown belt. I've almost got all of my material back and I am hoping to test for my first degree brown belt this summer. I will not be ready for the black belt test in october, but I want to make sure I am ready for it the following year!

Today I am officially challenging myself...

Lose 50 lbs by May 27, 2011!!!!