Before and Now – the Details

Anytime I see a “before and after” in a health or beauty magazine, I want all the details. Height, weight, clothing size, age, how much could she eat, how much did she have to exercise, and how long it took. A picture may be worth a thousand words but there are specific words I am looking for.

So, here goes the details for my “before and now”. It’s funny how I am reticent to list my weight when it is obvious I am a big girl. It’s just a number and it isn’t even one that I use to measure my success.

Before – April 2012
Age: 38
Height: 5’3″
Weight: 246
Clothing Size: 22

Now – June 2013
Age: 39
Height: still 5’3″ 🙂
Weight: 216
Clothing Size: 16

Looking at it like this is not so impressive when you consider the amount of work I have put into it. I am certain that Weight Watchers (and I am a member) would tell you that you could lose this much weight without exercising at all in 14 months but, since my physical activities are also building lean muscle, my weight isn’t down as much as it could be.

Here is the formula that is working for me right now, in addition to derby practice 2-3 times a week:

Diet (everyday): I am a member of Weight Watchers online. This keeps me accountable with my eating in a convenient iPhone app. I can easily track my intake and ensure I am not overeating. I like the Weight Watchers plan because I can eat whatever I want – a bacon cheeseburger, a cupcake, a margarita – so long as I account for it. It teaches me the discipline of what it feels like to hold back a little and behave after an indulgence.

Weight watchers also allows you to accrue activity points for exercising that you can trade for more food – and roller skating earns a lot of activity points! It has been my experience that I lose more during weeks when I use those points and eat more than when I abstain.

Oh, and even though I can eat what I want, on most days I only drink water and coffee.

Strength Training (3 times per week): I had been going to Planet Fitness for strength training but always found it hard to get there so now I do strength training at home. I have just discovered a great app called Gain Fitness. You can indicate what equipment you have available to you and it will tailor workouts based on your chosen area of focus and intensity. The app itself is free but you can buy upgrades to have more exercise choices.  I also clip workouts out of magazines such as Self, Fitness, Health, and Oxygen and keep them in a folder for future reference.

I have collected a number of items for my home ‘gym’. I didn’t buy them all at once. Most add weight/resistance though the stability ball is versatile for a lot of things and the mat is just for comfort because I have all hard floors. There’s a jump rope too – great for cardio and agility. I haven’t mastered the foam roller yet but I’ve heard it’s amazing for stretching out in particular and also working on very specific muscles.

Cardio (3 times per week): I follow a running program designed to build endurance in the formerly (or currently) sedentary. The original program is Couch to 5k but the app I use is called Ease into 5k.  I cannot really speak to the specific differences. I had been using Couch to 5k via podcast in the past but, when I got my first iPhone, there was no Couch to 5k app so I used what was available.

I have completed the Ease into 5k program once and am now going through it again at a faster pace to improve my time. It pushes you a little more on every run until you are running for 30 minutes straight. It keeps track of the intervals between walking and running for you and allows you to put your own playlist behind it for inspiration.

However, I hate running. I just know it is the right thing to do. Here’s how I make it tolerable…

1. I run inside. This is Florida. I am not trying to kill myself but I know I am lucky to have a decent treadmill at home.
2. Look at the magazine rack in the photo. I play Netflix on an iPad (usually Doctor Who) while my phone times my Ease into 5k intervals. So that I don’t have to wear earphones, I have an aux cable between the iPad and an old CD player. It’s loud.
3. I have a bulletin board of inspiration featuring almost all derby and family stuff.  There are photos, a flyer featuring my favorite skater, an award I received for being awesome, press coverage, valentines from my teammates, one of my favorite drawings by Elektra Q. Tion, and a decal from our awesome sponsor GirlTuff.I do have a couple fitness-inspiring magazine pages toward the top of the bulletin board. One says, “Push yourself to failure and you will succeed.” I had to think about that for a minute and then loved it. The other says, “If you can find a path without obstacles, it probably doesn’t lead anywhere.” It speaks to my experience with derby so far.