I added a few more pictures to my Before Pictures Section!
I also plan to make a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page soon to answer things like:
"Do you have loose skin?"
"How old are you?"
"How tall are you?"
etc...
I am going to enjoy my last few hours of weekend-ness!
Cheers!
Jess!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
You Need Physical Therapy Because You Are Thin...
Last Monday I went to the Physical Therapist for the first time for my bad butt. She assessed my body and made me bend in all sorts of ways in the "comfort" of a hospital gown and my underwear.
Her conclusion: My body does not know how to be thin!!!
She said that my abs are good, which is something she always checks if there are lower back / butt troubles. It's just my butt and lower back are all tight and crabby from years of having to hold up a big belly!! They do not know how to carry a healthy sized person!
So now I've got a set of yoga poses to do daily to help the back. Once that is better, she'll start work on the coccyx (tail bone) which is the really painful spot. She said that it is a really delicate area to work on, and will most likely hurt A LOT before it gets better. Great....
She also said she has never seen a coccyx as protruded as mine. Fabulous! My ass sticks out further than any she's ever seen! ;) ( Although my butt has been getting rave reviews in my new skirt! ) ;)
I am still biking with the hemorrhoid ring to protect my tail bone, but my therapist said I should switch to an elliptical trainer for my cardio, so I will be off that tail bone!
Aaron and I plan to pick up a really nice one in a few months, maybe after we get our tax refund! :-D
Hope you are all doing well!
Jess
Her conclusion: My body does not know how to be thin!!!
She said that my abs are good, which is something she always checks if there are lower back / butt troubles. It's just my butt and lower back are all tight and crabby from years of having to hold up a big belly!! They do not know how to carry a healthy sized person!
So now I've got a set of yoga poses to do daily to help the back. Once that is better, she'll start work on the coccyx (tail bone) which is the really painful spot. She said that it is a really delicate area to work on, and will most likely hurt A LOT before it gets better. Great....
She also said she has never seen a coccyx as protruded as mine. Fabulous! My ass sticks out further than any she's ever seen! ;) ( Although my butt has been getting rave reviews in my new skirt! ) ;)
I am still biking with the hemorrhoid ring to protect my tail bone, but my therapist said I should switch to an elliptical trainer for my cardio, so I will be off that tail bone!
Aaron and I plan to pick up a really nice one in a few months, maybe after we get our tax refund! :-D
Hope you are all doing well!
Jess
Saturday, January 13, 2007
This is the Plateau that Never Ends...
It just goes on and on my friends...
My weight has been "145-ish" for over a year now. The first time I was under 145 was October 27, 2005. Since then I've had spikes as high as 152 (post Maui) and dips as low as 139.50 (then I stopped eating artificial sweeteners...). But over all in 2006 my weight was basically 145-ish.
As you can see in my weight loss chart - I lost nearly 50 pounds in 2004, about 25 in 2005, and 2006... I broke even. Even though I didn't lose any weight in 2006, I know I got healthier! :)
I never realized how stubborn those "last stubborn pounds" are!!! Luckily, as if they knew my dilemma, MSN's Diet and fitness section had an article titled "Fat Chances."
The article said that the closer you are to a normal body weight, the more your body will resist losing weight. Then it gave advice on how to get those last few pounds to finally budge!!
"...you’ll need to increase your level of exertion and endurance. Make sure you’re eating enough to sustain your workouts. If you reduce calories, don’t drop them too drastically. If you’ve greatly increased the number of calories you’re burning while dramatically reducing calories that you eat, you could have triggered your body to be extra-resistant to weight loss."
Fat is your body's "emergency energy stores" and it does NOT want to give up that safety net! In order to lose those last few pounds you need to increase your fat-burning arobic activity. You also need to increase your calories so your body doesn't feel like it is being "death-marched." You still need to have a slight calorie deficit to keep losing weight.
So I have switched to doing intense 30-minute programs on the stationary bike, 2 days on, one day off, and my calories are now about 2000 calories a day. This gives me close to a 250 calorie deficit daily, or about half a pound a week loss - In therory. I really hope is works in practice!
I was 144.25 this morning. At half a pound a week, I could be under 140 in about 8 weeks!!
I gotta head out now. I have to go to a Birthday party, and a Chili cook off. I am entering my award winning chili!
My weight has been "145-ish" for over a year now. The first time I was under 145 was October 27, 2005. Since then I've had spikes as high as 152 (post Maui) and dips as low as 139.50 (then I stopped eating artificial sweeteners...). But over all in 2006 my weight was basically 145-ish.
As you can see in my weight loss chart - I lost nearly 50 pounds in 2004, about 25 in 2005, and 2006... I broke even. Even though I didn't lose any weight in 2006, I know I got healthier! :)I never realized how stubborn those "last stubborn pounds" are!!! Luckily, as if they knew my dilemma, MSN's Diet and fitness section had an article titled "Fat Chances."
The article said that the closer you are to a normal body weight, the more your body will resist losing weight. Then it gave advice on how to get those last few pounds to finally budge!!
"...you’ll need to increase your level of exertion and endurance. Make sure you’re eating enough to sustain your workouts. If you reduce calories, don’t drop them too drastically. If you’ve greatly increased the number of calories you’re burning while dramatically reducing calories that you eat, you could have triggered your body to be extra-resistant to weight loss."
Fat is your body's "emergency energy stores" and it does NOT want to give up that safety net! In order to lose those last few pounds you need to increase your fat-burning arobic activity. You also need to increase your calories so your body doesn't feel like it is being "death-marched." You still need to have a slight calorie deficit to keep losing weight.
So I have switched to doing intense 30-minute programs on the stationary bike, 2 days on, one day off, and my calories are now about 2000 calories a day. This gives me close to a 250 calorie deficit daily, or about half a pound a week loss - In therory. I really hope is works in practice!
I was 144.25 this morning. At half a pound a week, I could be under 140 in about 8 weeks!!
I gotta head out now. I have to go to a Birthday party, and a Chili cook off. I am entering my award winning chili!
Thursday, January 11, 2007
My New "Carrot"
As you may know... the real key to my weight loss success has been self-bribery. Human beings are "hard-wired" to avoid pain and seek pleasure, so I've tapped into these 'primal instincts' to help achieve my fitness goals! :)
Exercise is often perceived as "pain." It's this horrible, sweaty, laborious chore that you have to, but really just want to avoid! So I dangle a "carrot" in front of myself to get me going. I give myself big rewards for reaching my big goals. ( My next "big carrot" is the DVD Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi, vol. 1!!!
) And as I work towards my big reward, I push myself along with small daily rewards, like :
"I will not allow myself to turn on the computer until I ride the bike!"
You can modify this statement into something that really motivates you!
"I will not allow myself to make phone calls..."
"I will not allow myself to watch T.V..."
"I will not allow myself to knit... "
You got the idea! ;) It's amazing how well this works when you push your buttons right!
But even with all these "carrots," I don't think I could have done this alone.
Aaron has been so wonderful through all of this, so I make sure to he gets rewards too! For helping me stay healthy, Aaron will soon be picking up the complete 1943 movie serial collection of Batman on DVD. It truly is where "Batman Begins" on the Silver Screen!
Well, I better wind it down for the night, and spend sometime with Mr. Perfect himself. :9
Cheers!
Jess
Exercise is often perceived as "pain." It's this horrible, sweaty, laborious chore that you have to, but really just want to avoid! So I dangle a "carrot" in front of myself to get me going. I give myself big rewards for reaching my big goals. ( My next "big carrot" is the DVD Ai Yori Aoshi Enishi, vol. 1!!!
) And as I work towards my big reward, I push myself along with small daily rewards, like :"I will not allow myself to turn on the computer until I ride the bike!"
You can modify this statement into something that really motivates you!
"I will not allow myself to make phone calls..."
"I will not allow myself to watch T.V..."
"I will not allow myself to knit... "
You got the idea! ;) It's amazing how well this works when you push your buttons right!
But even with all these "carrots," I don't think I could have done this alone.
Aaron has been so wonderful through all of this, so I make sure to he gets rewards too! For helping me stay healthy, Aaron will soon be picking up the complete 1943 movie serial collection of Batman on DVD.
It truly is where "Batman Begins" on the Silver Screen!Well, I better wind it down for the night, and spend sometime with Mr. Perfect himself. :9
Cheers!
Jess
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Booty Boo-Boo
I will be going to Physical Therapy soon for my coccyx. It's an old injury to my tail bone that has become inflamed. It's been bothering me for nearly a year now. IT HURTS SO MUCH!!! The first time I went to my Doctor for it, she gave me a shot and things felt better for awhile.
Then a few months later it flared back up again, so I went back in for my sore booty. Now the shot doesn't diminishing the pain... so I am going to Physical Therapy!
I experience a wave of nauseating pain just pulling my jeans over my butt, so I think I'll go buy some more skirts! ;) I also got one of those "hemorrhoid doughnuts" so I can sit and sleep. I also use "the ring" on my bike so I can keep active.
When I said I used the ring to keep biking my doctor was very impressed with my "dedication." But my "dedication" actually stems from past failure.
Back in 2004 my weight loss was totally stopped (it was even thrown in reverse) for months after I damaged the cartilage in my knee. I was supposed to have surgery on my torn meniscus, but due a lapse in my medical insurance while I changed jobs... I never got it done.
I was not able to workout for months while I recovered from that injury, but this time, I am determined to maintain my weight while I get over this physical injury. :)
I'll keep you all posted!
Take care!
Jess
Then a few months later it flared back up again, so I went back in for my sore booty. Now the shot doesn't diminishing the pain... so I am going to Physical Therapy!
I experience a wave of nauseating pain just pulling my jeans over my butt, so I think I'll go buy some more skirts! ;) I also got one of those "hemorrhoid doughnuts" so I can sit and sleep. I also use "the ring" on my bike so I can keep active.
When I said I used the ring to keep biking my doctor was very impressed with my "dedication." But my "dedication" actually stems from past failure.
Back in 2004 my weight loss was totally stopped (it was even thrown in reverse) for months after I damaged the cartilage in my knee. I was supposed to have surgery on my torn meniscus, but due a lapse in my medical insurance while I changed jobs... I never got it done.
I was not able to workout for months while I recovered from that injury, but this time, I am determined to maintain my weight while I get over this physical injury. :)
I'll keep you all posted!
Take care!
Jess
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Defying the experts, by just a tiny bit.
I wanted to "defy the experts" by losing weight over the Holidays. Well, I did it, but just barely. I've lost a quarter pound since Thanksgiving. I worked SO HARD for that quarter pound too!!! ;)
Just when I started making progress, a party or my period would hit the reset button. Why is it so EASY to gain fat and so hard to lose it!?! ARGH!
Okay, that wasn't just a whiny rhetorical question, I actually know why! :)
That's just how our bodies are built! Fat is the energy our bodies store in case of famine. Our bodies create fat whenever we have access to an ample amount of calories. All excess calories are then converted to fat for later use.
Thing is.. we don't really encounter famine, and getting our butts to move to burn off the extra "stored energy" is really hard to do! Speaking of which, my butt needs to get on the exercise bike and sweat away another cookie or two! ;)
I better get to it!
Cheers!
Jess
Just when I started making progress, a party or my period would hit the reset button. Why is it so EASY to gain fat and so hard to lose it!?! ARGH!
Okay, that wasn't just a whiny rhetorical question, I actually know why! :)
That's just how our bodies are built! Fat is the energy our bodies store in case of famine. Our bodies create fat whenever we have access to an ample amount of calories. All excess calories are then converted to fat for later use.
Thing is.. we don't really encounter famine, and getting our butts to move to burn off the extra "stored energy" is really hard to do! Speaking of which, my butt needs to get on the exercise bike and sweat away another cookie or two! ;)
I better get to it!
Cheers!
Jess
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