Posts from — April 2008

This site is so neglected!  Sad day.  I guess weight loss is on the backburner for now… at least until I get past this crazy amount of work to do in the next few weeks.  :)  Then its gym time!!

But I am blogging on a different site a little more regularly.  I don’t know why, but since I don’t have time.  Anyway, if you feel like it… check me out here.

Btw, you’re not fat, you’re obese.

Wow, worst comment ever.  From someone I don’t even know.    I mean, it might be true, but does saying this in a mean way make a person feel better about themselves?

Oh yeah, and yesterday was my 22 birthday.  I am older now!  Woohoo!

I have been such a blogging slacker!  School is just taking up so much of my time and thought that I can barely do anything else.  But I am going to try to sneak in some time.  My class this morning was canceled so I am going to go read some blogs.

News for me:

• 5k is off for May because I actually have a wedding to attend that same time. Oops.  I am bad about getting dates mixed up.

• The 1600 cal diet is turning into more of a flexible 1800 cal diet, which is okay because it will probably still be         effective.  I am already tired of counting up calories though, so we shall see how long it lasts.
• School is crazy because it is that time of year and because of the crazy lack of work we did in the beginning thanks to the tornado.  So now its hardcore and I am not enjoying it.
• Looking for a job is not going well.  I am going to graduate and end up working at Starbucks.  :) I can’t tell if I hate that idea or am in love with it.

Ooops!  Time for an update on the new diet… featuring lots of fruits and veggies!

I am trying to combat terrible time management skills right now just to stay afloat in my classes. I have a hard core case of seniorities. Frankly, I just don’t care about this school stuff. I probably should care about the fact that I don’t have a job lined up after college. But it turns out that I don’t. I am just very apathetic.

However, I am not apathetic about the weight loss thing. Im totally ready to start a new eating plan. Basically its a 1600 cal a day diet, but I will plan out my meals beforehand.

I realized that most of my over eating problems comes from the fact that I never know what I am going to eat next and make really poor last minute decisions. I hate planning, but I think if my meals are planned out it will prevent me from overeating as much. Sounds good, right?

I found a great website with information specifically for college students at UNC Chapel Hill’s Health Services site. I will be using their 1600 calorie a day meal plan with my own variations.

The Tigers lost the NCAA championship.  They soo had it. I can’t believe that guy made the three to tie it.  Overtime was not our friend. I am going to go be sad now, maybe cry a few blue tears. Peace.

Today Thomas Beatie, the “pregnant man” is on the Oprah show today.

Only thing is, the pregnant man is only legally man. Biologically he isn’t. He is transgendered, born Tracy, a woman who still has all the reproductive parts necessary to produce a child.

The news reporting on this is really annoying. They keep saying he is the first pregnant man, but in reality he isn’t. Men don’t have babies, which is something the media is so quick to overlook. There is definite misrepresentation going on in all this hype.

Thomas may feel like a man, and legally be a man, but if he is having a child he is obviously not a man in the traditional sense. Men don’t have babies. The media needs to stop saying they do.

Here is a link to a New York Post article about the story.

Hmm, what do you think of all this?

I have definitely skipped a couple of check-ins. Oops. I forget. Tuesdays aren’t the best days for me.

So this week has been great, compared to spring break.  My eating is back on track and I have worked out for at least 30 minutes each day.   I am feeling better already.  Its funny how bad junk food makes my body feel when I eat it. Yet I still manage to ignore that feeling and eat it anyway.

 It is a challenge not to buy fast food this week because I have nothing in my apartment and little time to buy groceries and cook.  Still, my goal for the week will be to limit my fast food intake to the weekend when I can’t help it because I won’t be at home. I may eat soup all week, but at least its not greasy fast food.

Another goal: work out hard to get ready for the race. Grrr.  My aerobic capacity is decreasing these days since I let spring break be such an easy week.  My goal for this week is to do all my workouts and then some (the extra is because rec softball is starting and we will start practicing. wooohoo!).

Speaking of which, Meredith never sent my training plan. Im gonna have to call that girl!  This week is busy but gonna be great!

LOS ANGELES – Of the 20,230 finishers in the 2007 LA Marathon, close to 8,000 were women. Holding the record of being the fastest female runner in the 5K events run in her age group, the fourthfastest 10K time, fifth fastest for half marathon and seventh fastest in the full marathon is Rosemarie Hernandez Jeanpierre.

Five years ago, walking just a short distance was an extremely difficult task for Rosemarie. Badly obese through her life, Rosemarie at 5’2 weighed 220 pounds. Now literally half the woman she used to be, Rosemarie has shed half of this and now weighs 110 pounds. She has competed in many races, has won a lot of medals and has come to be a part of the Los Angeles elite runners’ class.

Recently, Rosemarie has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Shape magazine, More Magazine and the L.A. Sports and Fitness magazine. She will also be appearing in an infomercial with Billy Blanks TAEBO T3 this March and in the Competitor magazine soon.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be able to become an athlete and accomplish anything like this, “ admitted Rosemarie to Asian Journal. “As a child growing up in San Fernando, La Union, I was always the heaviest student in the class.”

Around the mid-80’s, a friend introduced Rosemarie to an American, Kenneth Jeanpierre, who works for the IRS and became her pen pal for three years. In 1988, Kenneth went to the Philippines and married Rosemarie.

“Before I got married, I shed about 50 pounds but it was in the wrong way. I starved myself so all the weight crept back after I got married,” said Rosemarie. She weighed 130 pounds on her wedding day.

Three years after she moved to the US, she was pushing 200. She took up LVN in California and upon passing the State Board Exam, worked as a nurse in the Western Convalescent Hospital for 12 years.

Rosemarie tells her incredible weight loss story in a voice that reveals her own amazement.

“In 2003, I have been having severe migraine attacks and was constantly not feeling well. I decided to have a physical exam and tests showed that I have borderline Diabetes Mellitus, hypertension and out-of-range cholesterol levels and at high risk for a heart attack. It was also the first year anniversary of my father’s death who died of a heart attack as a complication of his diabetes. It was a wake-up call for me. I decided I had to do something about my health,” she said.

Changes within

“I knew I had to do major changes in my lifestyle. But, knowing in my heart that with God, all things are possible, I was able to overcome my health concerns. I started to do a lot of researching on how to manage a healthy lifestyle. I started educating myself by going to the library and getting all the information I could find that had something to do with fitness and health. And I do believe in the saying, the more you know, the better you do,” she said.

“It was really very difficult at first, but with strong faith in Him, I was able to be guided in abundance. With lots of hard work, will power, determination, consistency, persistence, and self-discipline, support from family and friends, I was able to accomplish my goal. I started to eat healthy - like high in protein, low in carbs and fat. I watched my calorie intake. I exercised, I started walking at first, for at least an hour a day and weight training as well,” she added.

Letting go of rice

“It wasn’t easy specially since I had to cut back on my rice intake. But I don’t deprive myself of Filipino food. I grew up with Filipino food so I love the taste. But now I just load up on the healthier dishes, the ones with a lot of gulay. I’m blessed because I’ve always loved vegetables. I love pinakbet, diningding, all of that, ” stated Rosemarie.

Walking and running was simply an everyday part of her life that Rosemarie didn’t think they would become her passion.

“That was the turning point in my life, when it became a passion for my staying fit. In 2005, my nephew suggested I join the LA marathon. And I realized that I was really ready for a marathon. For that year, I was able to participate in 3 full marathons and did well. I did not stop there. I started running several half marathons as well. And before I knew it, I was being recognized as one of the top three runners in my age division in LA.”

“I never dreamed in my entire life that I would be known as an athlete or a runner, but there I was getting medals and trophies for something I absolutely love doing. I did not run to compete, but just for the sake of the joy running brings me,” she added.

Now working at the Pacific Alliance Medical Center, Rosemarie happily states that she’s enjoying good health and the migraines are gone. “I am so thankful to God for His blessings that He’s given me - doing such a complete transformation in my life. With these accomplishments, I believe God has a purpose in my life, and this is to share my story, to motivate and to inspire others to set positive goals and to set good examples in fulfilling and achieving healthy lifestyle. I want to encourage others to step out from their comfort zones, to do something worthwhile in their lives to release their full potentials,” Rosemarie said.

Today, one of Rosemarie’s dreams is to have a running event especially for Filipinos.

“At all of my running events, I don’t see nearly enough Filipinos. I wish more Filipinos would participate in events like these [such as the L.A. marathon]. I hope we can have our own running event, you know, with sponsors and everything so we can raise funds for the less fortunate in the Philippines.”

With her faith in God, Rosemarie truly believes this will happen soon. “All things are possible with God,” she stresses.

Story found here.

Awesome lady.  All things truly are possible with God.