Energy-In/Energy-Out - Skechers! - Rest

Energy-In/Energy-Out
I got my new Skecher Shape-Ups today and the literature in the box was actually interesting. Have you ever heard of the Basal Energy Expenditure? It's the calculation of how many units of energy your body needs to function - this includes heart beating, breathing, digesting food, etc.  I googled it, and it's also known as Total Energy Expenditure (Basal was probably the guy who first came up with the equation or something).

Anywho, I did find this REALLY awesome Total Energery Expenditure calculator that will give you an idea of how many calories your body requires to function based on your sex, age, height and weight. Then, if you estimate your average daily activities, it will tell you how much you burn in addition to the energy it takes for involuntary functions of the body. It's pretty cool because it can help you figure out how you use your day - even down to sitting/sleeping.

The other calculator I found can be used as a second step. It's a Weight Loss calculator. Just enter the total energy expenditure from the first calculator, then enter the average number of calories you take in per day and it will give you a weekly and monthly approximate of what you can expect to lose.

This is the kind of information that I feel is good to know about your individual needs. And, for me, it helps me see that progress is possible and that there is a scientific method behind weight loss/gain. If you use the science to your advantage, then you you can help yourself set goals and tweak your routine and food plans to maximize your efforts. Granted, this energy-in/energy-out method for weight loss isn't the only factors. I think that some people are more affected by fat/carb in-take than others, so that is another thing to be mindful of. But, all-in-all, I think these are the best weight loss calculators I have found online! You should check them out.

Skechers!
My new shoes have arrived. My 11W Skecher Shape-Ups are the BOMB-diggity. I love them already. My poor little bruised toe is happy as a clam and has lots of room to wiggle around. They make me feel like an Amazon though - I tower over all my short co-workers when I add 2" (maybe 2.5"). But, for being a large shoe, both in size and in style, they really don't make my feet look too big. I think having the wide width helps. They really absorb the shock of walking too. I can't wait to try these puppies out!

Rest
I have taken the last 4 days off from the gym and I'm glad that I did. My body is started to unswell and feel better. My weight is going down again as well - back to what I was before I began my routine. Maybe I've been over-doing it? I a trying to find what works best for me and I think that maybe I need to think about low-impact and shorter durations until I loose some more weight. I think that I get all gung-ho and walk for 70 minutes and end up just hurting myself because I feel miserable. This morning was the first morning I've woken up feeling rested and without so many body aches! I think today I am ready to do something though...I'm not sure what. Maybe a walk with my new shoes, but I won't walk for more than 45 minutes.

Pensacola Beach - Clothes - Water Aerobics - Steam Room

Welcome to my new followers: Manda (who is new to the band and blogging so go check her out!) and Camille from over at Living Large in C.C.! Thanks for follwing!

Pensacola Beach
I just booked 2 nights in Pensacola for Memorial Day weekend and I am SO EXCITED. I have missed Pensacola and I'm ready to get back there this year. Last year's BP mess was a real downer and I'm ready to go back to PCB and help the economy a little. Granted, I booked the cheapest hotel room imaginable ($42 bucks a night!). We are budget beach-goers because well, we have to be. We stay in Pensacola and drive to the beach each day. I don't have to be ON the beach, I just gotta get there. We eat sandwiches and may have one nice dinner out, and then we can have a mini-vacation for like $300. I love living 4 hours from a fantastic beach. I'm SO pale right now, so unless I wanna get scorched out there, I've gotta be my tan on! I'm not really happy with my "beach body", but whatev. The great thing about PCB is that southern beaches are so non-judgmental. You see all kinds of things you wish you could "unsee" - folks let it all hang out. Memorial day weekend is a busy time in PCB, but we'll get there early and it'll all be good. Yippee!

I hope by the end of May I can be into an even smaller swimsuit even if that means I gotta buy another one. Changes sizes can be so expensive. I wish I could ditch the grandma suits, but my legs are awfully saggy :( I think that is my least favorite thing about the weight loss...the saggy inner thighs. I can deal with the sag in other places, but that one just...ugh. Very self-conscience about that one.

Spring/Summer Clothes
I have NO CLOTHES for spring/summer. It gets hot here FAST and I'm still wearing polyester black pants and boots. I've gotta do something, but I haven't been able to find anything cheap enough. I went to Ross yesterday and didn't see anything. I need some stuff in the $10 or less range. Some khaki capri pants and stuff like that. I do have some skirts that should still work, but I gotta hit the tanning bed up again. Then I gotta get a pedicure so I can put some nail polish over my ugly bruised toe! That way I can wear some sandals hahahaha. If anyone out there has some size 22 spring/summer pants they would like to get rid of, let me know!

Exercise
I went to water aerobics on Monday night. It was a new routine from the last time I went. They have bought a water aerobics program that is choreographed and it is SO LAME.  It's slow and just lame. I didn't do anything last night except run errands - I'm trying to slow down a little so that I can feel better. This pain is seriously taking a toll on me. Tonight, I'm not sure what I'll do. Maybe the lame water aerobics again or eliptical?

Steam Room
Omg. I wish I had one of these at my house. The main reason I might do lame water aerobics tonight is just so I can go to the steam room afterwards. I love it. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. It makes you feel so good and healthy somehow! LOL And, between the saltwater pool and the steam, my skin is loving it. I wish I had my own steam room so I can steam for 15-20 minutes and then go straight to bed. It's the ultimate in relaxing.

When will the soreness end?

Last week's exercise
Monday: 70 minutes walking
Tuesday: 45 minutes walking
Wednesday: 15 minutes wii (Gold's Gym Dance Workout) / 45 minutes walking
Thursday: 40 minutes wii fit stepping
Friday: 35 minutes eliptical / 20 minutes walking / 3 weight stations
Saturday: rest day
Sunday: Spring cleaning training (did nothing but clean the house for like 10 hours straight!)
Total: 4.5 hours cardio (don't worry, I didn't count the cleaning, but I know it was worth something!)

When will the soreness end? My legs and feet are KILLING me. I had to take a rest day Saturday and Sunday I made myself clean the house even though I felt like crap...I just kept going because I thought that is what you are supposed to do: soldier on. However, I'd really like to know when I will feel better.

I am still all swollen and crappy feeling and I'm beginning to doubt the benefits of all this. It's really REALLY depressing. I am going to cancel my doctor's appointment on Wednesday because I can't go back to him if the scale hasn't moved. This is just stupid. All this hard work and nothing but weight gain. It's not like I've been training to be a body builder...this has all been cardio, so I don't buy the whole "muscle" thing...I've been writing down all my food and I know that I'm burning more than I'm consuming.

Friday I tried something new for me, the eliptical. I was never quite coordinated enough before to get a handle on it, but I tried it Friday and wow...it's nice. I was always told how easy on the knees it is, but I never really knew until I tried it myself. It's like gliding! I really liked it and it burns some serious calories. I'll have to add that into my routine!

Thank you, Lap Band

Dear Lapband,
Because of you, I could only eat 3/4 of a BBQ sandwich and a few bites of two unhealthy side-dishes before I was full. I am eternally grateful to your ability to keep me from eating all that and STILL wishing for another sandwich. Before I met you, LapBand, I could have eaten twice my meal's size in a blink of an eye. You keep me in check LapBand. You rock.

I'm kinda surprised you let me eat the bread, but you are quirky like that - sometimes you are in the mood for bread and sometimes not.

You and I have a special relationship - sometimes you let me eat fun stuff like I did before, but just in smaller amounts. You've introduced me to the kind of relationship I always wanted to have with food and I'm so happy that we met. You've made me more like a normal person instead of the human garbage disposal I was before. If you ever want to be more strict, I would certainly let you because I know now that I can survive on less. You even help me plan ahead - like making sure I ate a smaller breakfast because I knew I was going to have this special lunch today. You're the best personal assistant a gal could ever have.

XXXOOO

New Habits - BYOC

New Habits

Poor little purple toe :(

Because blogbland can be boring without photographs, I present to you: My Toe. Yes, this is the bruised little piggy and it's been saying "Wee wee wee" for sure. See how he just sticks up there? He's too tall for his own good. I'm proud that between my purple toe and blisters I have continued on. I am trying to keep this up until finally it feels like habit and I can't stand NOT doing something. I already kind of feel that way. I feel like if I take a break, then I'm being lazy, which is a good way for me to feel. Last night I didn't go walking - instead I broke out the Wii fit and did 40 minutes of stepping. That was my "break". It was easier on my body than the walking, but I was still DOING something. Something that keeps my metabolism going and something that helps me stay in routine. I also went to bed at 9:30 and got a little extra sleep so today I am feeling better. I still need to take some Tylenol because my feet hurt today, but at least I'm not fall-over tired today!

BYOC

1. Regardless of what stage you are in - in your weight loss, get healthy journey – do you still consider yourself “fat”? Was there a point when you stopped feeling that way?
Yes. Because I am. I don't know that I will ever not be "fat", but that is OK as long as I'm healthy. I still have a hard time seeing the loss when I look in the mirror. Everyone else sees it, but I don't.

2. Tell us about your first kiss.

I didn't kiss anyone until I was 20. Believe me, there was no one worth kissing in the school that I went to, so it was fine by me. He was from the Netherlands and I met him online in a Janet Jackson chat room (and no, I am NOT kidding lol *rolls eyes*). We were an "item" I guess you could say. We spent time chatting, writing emails, and talking on the phone until one day he came to visit me for a couple of weeks one summer. His flight came into town on my 20th birthday and he kissed me in the airport. It sounds all magical, but he turned out to be an immature moron who really cared more about himself than anything else. And I was immature too, for that matter because I didn't see how utterly silly the whole thing was and boy did I take it seriously at the time! Ugh.

3. Describe your parenting style (either current or what you hope to do or what you would do if you ever had kids)?

I have a step-son and we get along really well. We are more like friends because I don't get to see him a lot, but if I had my own children, I would try to be a relaxed parent. Not a permissive parent, but relaxed.

4. How would your best friend describe you?

Goofy, creative, & funny. I think those words would be in there somewhere for sure.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week in blog land and in real life.

Blog Land: I've been catching up on other folks blogs and making use of blogging as a tool to keep me motivated again. It really does help to write a little something every day and get feedback. Thanks to everyone that comments! It really means a lot to me!

 Real Life: As I've been writing on my blog, I've been trying to make exercise my new habit and it seems to be working so far. Out of the last 11 days (not counting today) I have done some kind of exercise 9 of those days! That's amazing for me. 

I. Am. So. Tired.

Tired
Omagoodness. This is week 2, day 4 of trying to keep on track with exercising and my body is tired. It's good to know that others (like Dizzy!) understand. I read Dizzy's thread today and I could have copied it word for word, Aunt Flo and all. Today has just been crappy. I *might* leave a little early from work today if I can. I'll go get my walk (or whatever I do) started faster so I can get it over with. It's all I can do right now from putting my head on my desk and zonking out. I've been staring off into space for much of the day. LOL

Annoying things
So, You know how I reported a 5lb loss last week? Well, because of Aunt Flo and the working out, all 5lbs are currently back, which ticks me off to no end. It's so unfair to have to see that. I've been working my butt off and keeping track of each item I put in my mouth. I know I'm burning more than I'm consuming - no doubt about that. It's like when I was doing the wii fit I was losing and the walking has made me all swollen and achey and weight-gainy. It couldn't be muscle already, could it? In my legs? I don't know...I'm going to try to get past the frustration of it and give it more time, but dang-it...Just when I had weight loss as a motivator, it's been taken away from me.

More Shoes
I had a 40% off one item discount code for Jessica London and used it to buy a pair of those rocker-bottom Skecher Shape-Ups. They are not the most attractive shoe in the world, but I'm looking forward to getting them. I needed the 11 and I went ahead and got the Wide so I would be able to tie them extra tight. Hopefully these will have more space for my freakishly long bruised toes. hahahaha

Exercise Upate - Sore Toe - Liquid Advil - Restriction!

Exercise Update
Walked for 45 minutes yesterday at the same track. I did four 100ft sprints where I ran a little. I felt so strange...I looked around to make sure no one was watching and took off as best as I could. No knee issues from it, so I guess it's ok! Granted, I feel like 100 tons of stupid because I don't know how I look when I run, but it feels nice to amp it up for just a little stretch because it gets my heart-rate up. I did see my shadow one time and I don't think I look as stupid as I feel.

Sore Toe
My 2nd toe on both feet is much longer than my other toes. On my right foot, my toe is SO bruised. My toenail is purple. My right foot is strange...shoes never fit it the same way as my left. I think my toe actually scrapes the front of my size ELEVEN shoe and that is causing the bruising. I hate having long feet. I'm only 5'5"... I hate how I look with shorts/capris and bulky sneakers on. It's total clown shoes. Maybe I need <--- these for my freakishly long toes? :)

Liquid Advil
Do any of you take liquid advil (childrens) or Advil Liqui-gels on a regular basis? Cramps and soreness pulled me over the edge and I bought some Children's liquid advil. Tylenol just doesn't work as well. I would only need it a few times during one week a month and I follow it with quite a lot of water to wash it down. Surely this couldn't be a problem. For every other ache/pain I use tylenol. I know some doctors allow the liqui-gel tablets...I'll have to inquire on my next appointment.

Restriction!
After my last fill, I didn't feel much, but now it's like it's starting to finally kick in. Thank goodness. I was told and ready several times that good restriction doesn't normally come until around 6 months. I know that's just how it goes, but when you go for so long not having much and then you have it, you almost have to re-teach yourself some things. I have had to slow down more lately because I'll fill up quicker than I used to and end up being all slimey. Yuck. But, I'm SO glad to have the limitations again. I "pigged out" yesterday because I went to Earth Fare to try to find whole wheat orzo and ended up buying some snacks instead. Ugh. 1/2 scoop of dark chocolate covered raisins from the bulk bin and these Valdosta Pecans are HEAVEN. I ate all the raisins and half the bag of Peacans yesterday and still my daily calorie count was only 1,650. Thank you, band!

Exercise Update

Walking maniac!
Last night I walked for 70 minutes. I did 11.5 laps around the outside track at our gym. I wish I could get an accurate distance for the track. I got two different answers from gym employees and my GPS says something different too. But, I think the time spent walking is more important than the distance. I'm not really all that sore today and my feet don't hurt! That's amazing.

New Shoes
The new shoes were really comfortable! I still want the other type with the rocker-bottom though. I think that having both kind and switching it up would be a good idea! 

Tonight
I might walk again, but maybe a light night of Wii fit or I might go to the gym and try some indoor activities. Depends on the weather. Right now its pretty gloomy and wet out there!

Shame Doesn't Change People

On my way back from Savannah, GA. last weekend, I saw a childhood obesity billboard in Macon, GA. that featured a little girl who was overweight and the caption said "It's hard to be a little girl when you aren't Little". Farther on down the road, I saw another billboard with a little boy's image and some other tagline. My husband and I were both pretty shocked.

When I got home, I found out that these billboards are a Georgia campaign that has been drawing nation-wide attention. From what I can tell, people seem to be split on the appropriateness of these billboards. I checked out the campaign's website (stopchildhoodobesity.com) and I find that extremely inappropriate as well.

Why feature the children? Notice how they are all scowling? I don't know if they were trying to show them unhappy, but to me, they don't look unhappy - they look mean and that is another stereotype of overweight children. And believe me, I work in the advertising field, and they chose these images for a reason - scowling children will be more attention grabbing than happy children. I guarantee that they directed the children's facial expressions during the photo shoots as well.

The videos on the campaign's website are also demeaning...One little boy (Bobby) talks about how he likes donuts and puts chips under his bed to eat later. In another video a little girl (Tina) talks about how she gets picked on at school - guess what? All of Georgia is now picking on you. Shame on the parents of these children for letting them be a part of this.

My point is that this is not the children's fault, so why bring even MORE shame to them? It may not effect all children in the same way, but there are more positive approaches to this problem that would bring better results. I feel like this campaign is talking about the problem, but what are they DOING about it? The real target is parents. In either case, shame is not what is going to bring about change. Shame causes anger and more denial. If the purpose of this campaign was to make Georgia residents realize that their children are obese, then I think they are causing more problems for themselves.

Another little boy (Carlos) talks about how after school he is alone at home and plays video games rather than going outside to play.

BINGO! We are finally at the heart of part of this problem. Carlos' parents both have to work, therefore, he is at home alone and his parents probably tell him not to go outside and play when they aren't home in order to keep him safe. Personally, I feel like the biggest contributor to childhood obesity is the "new American lifestyle". If a child is lucky enough to have a two-parent household, usually both parents are working and when those parents are home, they don't have time to cook, so children are preparing easy meals for themselves which are typically unhealthy - and their eating habits go unmonitored.  Also, I'm sure there is some kind of link between low-income households and childhood obesity. Unhealthy food is cheap...peanut butter, bread, mac & cheese, pasta, etc... All affordable ways to feed a family. I feel like this "new American lifestyle" is not one that we purposefully choose, but one that many are forced into out of necessity during the economic downturn that we've been experiencing over the last 10 years.

OK, Georgia (and the rest of the nation) time to stop picking on little kids and outing their shortcomings to the world and it's time to start finding solutions. I would love to know what kind of foods are being served in rural Georgia school systems.

Your thoughts?

My Exercise Plan Report: Days 4-6

Amy W - you are badass all on your own! :) And you commented on my blog...I might faint ;) hahaha 

Thanks to everyone who keeps reading my updates and supporting me with comments-I wish there was a way to directly reply to each of you. I'm so glad to have a community of folks who understand! You all rock!

Wow
This is really working. I did 5 days of some kind of exercise (workouts varied from 25 min - 1 hour) and I lost 5lbs this week. I was/am flabbergasted. It's about time I saw that scale move again. I'm REALLY excited! I know I can't expect this much every week, but man, it really is a motivator!

My Weekend/Shoe Review
Over the weekend I had one really good workout and the rest of the weekend was spent catching up and running errands. Saturday I walked about 2 or 2.5 miles with my new, rocker-bottom shoes on. I LOVED the shape of those shoes - makes a BIG difference. At first, it was hard to get used to walking in them and my feet were cramping a little, but after the first mile, I didn't even notice the difference. The sole absorbs a lot of the shock in each step not only because the sole is so thick, but the shape helps that too. However, I do not recommend the Wal*mart Danskin version - I am going to return mine. They are already falling apart. The eyelets are almost completely stretched out/broken from having tied my shoes. I didn't even tie them that tight. I wasn't expecting them to be that good, but I thought they'd be a little better than that!

These shoes rock!

On Sunday I went out to get a pair of Sketcher Shape-Ups, but I couldn't find them in my size! I have to have an 11, Wide if possible, but lately Mediums seem to fit just fine. So, I was bummed that I couldn't find any! I did find another pair of Sketchers fitness shoes though. They are called Sketchers Ultra fit Shape-ups Toners and they are the most comfortable shoe I've ever put on my feet. They have little balance balls on the bottom of the shoe so that you are constantly having to use your muscles to control your balance. But, it's SO comfortable. I highly recommend them. They are pretty too! Black with silver and hot pink - just my style!

I am still planning on buying myself some of the rocker-bottom Sketchers though - they really do improve your walk. They make you feel like you can walk faster and they really are good on the knees. AND, I can they they really WORK because muscles that are not normally sore were really sore. My butt and the muscles right under my butt on my leg in the back were really sore the next day. They do what they say they do!

The Week Ahead
Tonight I'm going on my first walk with the new shoes. I'm so excited! I can't wait to see how far I can do. It feels so effortless with the right shoes! Aunt flo is in town, so water aerobics will have to wait. I know the commercials show you how women can do everything they normally do when Aunt F. is in town (and do it with White pants on), but I just don't roll that way - too much hassle. I think while the weather is so awesome, I'll take a break from my wii and walk until I get bored with it!

Next week I've set up a walking buddy schedule so that some of the girls from work and I will walk right after work on Monday. The campus around here is very hilly and will be a good workout!

I'm optimistic that maybe I can at least shed 3 more lbs this week! I'm ready for it! BRING IT! ;)

My Exercise Plan Report: Day 3

Btw: I was SO stoked when I saw that THE Amy W. was now following me. She's like a celebrity to me or something. *SQUEEE* :)

Trying so Hard but Life gets in the Way
It is SO hard to exercise every day. My house is a WRECK because I've been exercising when I normally would be cleaning. Last night I had to stop by the grocery on the way home to get milk and a few other odds & ends. By the time I got home, put it all away, and changed clothes, my husband was home. Last night was the first night this week he got home on time, so I wanted to spend time with him. So, I did a quick little Gold's Gym thing where I mostly just tried to learn some of the routine and made some dinner so I could hang out with him.


2am Ideas
Then, in the middle of the night last night I had a GENIUS plan. Tonight I have to go see my mom and I wasn't going to have time to do my exercise routine, so I thought "at lunch, I'll take a walk...a really long walk. I'll grab my headphones and listen to music on my android and walk for 30 minutes and then turn around and come back."... It's a BEAUTIFUL day and it would have been awesome. I was going to leave early to avoid getting talked into lunch with everyone else, but I got tied up in this incredibly hectic day and I ended up getting talked into going with my cooworkers to have the $5 special at the pizza joint. I only ate like 2/3 of my slice but, I felt so guilty every time I put a greasy piece of pizza in my mouth.

Tonight
I have to pick my husband up from work because his car died. He's 1 hour away, so I've got 2 hours of car time to look forward to rather than exercise. THEN, I have to go to my moms. Ugh.

This weekend
Hopefully with the nice sunny weather and mild temps continuing, I can pull out those walking shoes. I have been dying to do that! This would be a perfect weekend too - the pine pollen has not yet begun to coat everything is a yellow-green dust!

My Exercise Plan Report: Day 2

Quick Update
Just a quicky update about my exercise plan so far. It was so rainy last night I just opted to Wii again. I did 30 minutes on the low step with the hand weights the entire time. Then I got out my Gold's Gym Dance Workout game and tried a bit of that again. It's hard, but the tutorials are good, so I can practice. Maybe that'll even get me coordinated enough for Zumba one day.

Swimsuit
I bought myself a new swimsuit. It was so weird to be able to go in Kmart and grab a size 22, it fit and looked good and I paid and left with it. Normally I have to order them in the LB/Romans Catalog and hoped that it would work.  After-the-fact, I realize I should have tried a size 20 - if it were comfortable enough, that would last me longer. I'm still not used to not grabbing the largest sizes they have! I still hunt for 28 or larger - it's surreal sometimes.

My Exercise Plan Report: Day 1

Thanks for all the support and commentary on my post yesterday. As promised, here is an update!

My test run with Zumba
I haven't gone to a class yet, but I went home last night and used the wii to bring up this YouTube video of an acutal Zumba class to see if I could follow along. Talk about discouraging. I could have cried. I suck. I just stood there with my jaw open trying to figure out what the hell to do. I couldn't get what was going on fast enough before they switched and some of the moves are just too hoppy for me and my knees. Plus, my feet don't slide across the floor with shoes on like these people's feet do. I guess it's because of the weight? But, I don't want to exercise in sock-feet. So, I brought up another video on YouTube that must be from the at home instructional DVD or something. It shows you a few moves slowly. I did better, but I still wasn't getting it. Maybe it was just because I was already feeling so defeated. Never-the-less, I really could have cried. Ugh. I wanna do the Zumba tho! It looks like fun, but I suck. :(

Back to Wii Fit
So, after sitting there feeling totally defeated for a while I got up  finally made it through 46 minutes of stepping. Only 10 of those were on the high step because my legs were all crampy yesterday for some reason.

Some New Gear
After my Wal*Mart Vision Center© appointment this morning, I found myself some new workout pants to replace all my old giant ones that don't fit anymore.  It's so hot here that I have to have capri-style. They only had those in the Misses sizes, but I held up a XL and it looked larger than an XL, tried it on and Lo & Behold they fit better than the 1X womens sized Danskins pants I tried on. Strange, huh? I also got these Danskin shoes for $25. I had been wanting to try the Sketchers, but they are so expensive! These fit really well and even though they are made with cheaper materials, they will last as long as I need them too. They are super cushioned and I like the way they just roll through when you step. Looking forward to trying them out on a walk! I got two pairs of capris, one shirt, and some shoes - I feel like it was $58.32 well spent. The next thing I need is a new water aerobics bathing suit!


Today's Plan
Since it's raining today, it'll have to be Wii at home or maybe a venture back to the gym if it's not stormy! If I stay at home with the wii, I plan to get out my Gold's Gym Dance game and give that another try too.

Trying to Formulate an Exercise Plan

Unused Resources
After yesterday's post, I looked at my gym's website and realized that I am not utilizing the best resource I have. I have many classes that I could participate in including water aerobics and Zumba. There is also a steam room, all kinds of machines, weights, and TVs hooked to everything. I should be using that to incorporate some variety despite the inconvenience.

I used to do water aerobics and really did enjoy it until, believe it or not, it began to hurt my knees. I should try the Zumba class too - I hear it's really crowded, but I just need to deal with it and get in there!

I think before I even think about a personal trainer (which is pretty expensive at my gym) I need to figure out how to make moving around fun for me. Maybe down the road, when I am a few pounds lighter, I can think about a trainer who can help me make sure I'm taking care of more than just my cardio.

My Plan
Over the next 2 weeks, I'm going to experiment with some different fun things like water aerobics, zumba, the gold's Gym dance workout for the wii that I have, and whenever daylight savings kicks in the park, and outdoor things. I'm going to try different activities and different routines (like taking workout clothes to work and walking around campus immediately after work). Maybe even see if I can wrangle up a buddy at work to do it too.

This is also going to help me find my "zone"- the place where I am pushing myself to work hard, but not pushing my knees so hard that I'm in pain. It's been so long since my knees have felt this good that I don't know what I am capable of anymore. I know I feel MUCH better, but I need to use these knees now that they have had a load taken off them.

After my experimental 2 week period, I'll formulate a weekly plan that includes 2 days where I do something other than the Wii workout at home. And my wii workout can vary to include the stepping and the Gold's Gym dance game I have. The good thing is, on rainy days or days when a plan falls through, I have a backup of the Wii at home.

I'll report my findings here! Thanks for everyone's input on my last post! Wish me luck ;) !

Being Sick - Restriction Changes - Exercise

Being Sick
After two solid weeks of sickness I am finally feeling more normal! Talk about miserable. Coughing non-stop can really, really make the band difficult. I was really tight and it's hard to eat slow (or at all) when you have a clogged and/or runny nose. So, I was eating a lot of things that go down easily.

Restriction Changes
I feel like my restriction from my last fill has "kicked in" after I was sick? I got sick a week and a half after my last fill. At first I didn't really feel anything, but now I actually feel restriction again like I haven't had in a long time. Certain items like bread which I ate before in small portions, are becoming harder and harder to deal with and I've been avoiding them all-together. I think I'm at around 6cc in a 14cc band - my surgeon doesn't like to be specific about it because he says that he doesn't want us to get stuck on a number, it's not about the number, it's about how it's working. I totally agree, but it's annoying not knowing. LOL

Exercise/Personal Trainers
I really don't like the venue of a gym for exercise - I've been making expensive monthly donations for quite some time now and not going. I don't completely hate exercise,  I just need to find things that are both fun and easily scheduled into my life. For instance,  I really enjoy my wii fit because I can do it at home (which saves me time and wardrobe changes) and because I can watch my own TV while I step and the time just flies. I just bought a lift kit that makes the board higher and sometimes I add some 3 lb hand weights to tone my arms.

I don't hate the gym for normal reasons. I hate dumb things like the smell, the environment, the sound, the time it takes to get ready and go... I dread it. When I can just come home and exercise, I don't dread it. I thought about getting a treadmill, but my home is too small - there is NOwhere to put one!

But, I can't do wii step forever and I need to be doing more. I need to either use my gym membership or get rid of it and do my own thing. I'm not sure what I should do. I'm torn... I thought that maybe a personal trainer would give me some direction, accountability, and motivation. My husband would probably not like the idea simply because he'd be like "But, we can go together", but it's not the same thing. I need an outside party to be accountable to. I can't quite articulate why, but it's just not the same when you go with a spouse and I would just end up feeling inadequate to him and annoyed with myself, ya know? But, I don't know that a personal trainer would make me like it any better.

Now that the weather is getting better, I'm looking forward to going to the park and trying out a little slow jogging. The park here has a dirt trail where I can kind of drag my feet a little and do a sort of scuff-along jog that I can't do indoors. Does that make sense to anyone else but me? That method allows me to get more cardio and it doesn't hurt my knees so bad because it's not as much impact on them. Now that daylight savings time is almost back, it'll still be daylight after work and I can go out there while others are around.

Have any of you ever hired a personal trainer? What was your experience like?