Category — Weight Loss

I am not a big fan of Jenny Craig or most weight loss programs and their spokesmodels, but I love JC’s new one: Queen Latifah. At first I was a little upset that she was doing it because she has always been such a great role model as a heavier person. Who else has been a Cover Girl that wasn’t stick thin?

After reading a few interviews about the reasoning behind her choice think it is a great decision. Here are some quotes from the interviews:

“I saw a blip that said if you lose 5 to 10 percent of your body weight, you can cut your diabetes in half,” said Latifah, who wants to drop 15 to 20 pounds. “I enlisted everybody. As soon as they heard I might be doing Jenny Craig, they all called and said I want to do it with you. My sister is doing it. Two aunts are doing it. My partner Shakim is doing it. My dad is going to do it. My mom wants to lose 15 pounds.”

Latifah said she believes doing this publicly will keep her motivated and said her biggest problem isn’t eating incorrectly.

“It’s probably portion size. I eat a really varied diet. I don’t each a bunch of fried foods. I eat too much of everything I really love, and occasionally I like to have a nice cocktail,” quipped the Grammy and Tony winner.

The Hairspray star is the latest celebrity to sign up as the face of Jenny Craig’s diet programme. “I felt just like I can set an example for confidence,” she told US entertainment show The Insider.

But although she wants to shed a few pounds, Latifah said she was still proud of her curves. “I’m one of those people that believes beauty starts on the inside,” she told The Insider. “I’m a person who loves her body and loves her curves.”

“Being a big woman I can also set an example for confidence being healthier - having healthier curves.”

Speaking about the Jenny Craig program, she added: “It’s about helping people to become healthy, about losing five to 10 per cent of their body weight.

I am not sure if I agree with her last statement about Jenny Craig. I am pretty sure all previous ads and spokesmodels (oh Kirstie Alley) have been about losing massive amounts of weight. Not that losing 75 pounds is a bad thing, but it seems that focus is more on looking good and appearing thin and sexy than being healthy. I am really happy to see Queen Latifah, who knows she already looks good, focusing on her health and the benefits losing weight - like lowering the risk of diabetes

I am so excited about the Healthy You Challenge, especially because of all the supportive people involved. We will all achieve our goals, I can feel it.

For my first weigh in, I am at 227. Technically that is down a pound. I will only weigh myself on Tuesdays from now on so I have a better idea of my weight loss. The every day fluctuations are hard to rely on. But for today I will take it:

I lost a pound!! One down, 70 or so to go.

When I work out later today I will use that as a little motivation. Hopefully I will also be able to use that as motivation with my eating. The problem is, I am home ALL DAY these days and I have nothing to do. So I turn to eating. Munchy, munchy, munchy me.

It must stop.

Even so, I am progressing just by being more aware of the things I am doing and not doing. Posting my story yesterday, acknowledging my weight, was a HUGE step for me. At least that is the right way to lose weight - one step at a time.

I don’t normally talk about my weight, but I want to be open and finally reveal my weight - currently only known by me, my doctor, and God.

First a little about my story. For me, this is weight loss starting line number 2 and this time there is no specific finish line.

Weight Loss: My first major weight loss occurred the year after I graduated high school. I suffered through high school as an obese but smart and witty kid (personality counts for something, right?). I always had friends and was very involved, but never felt comfortable with my appearance or tried to change it. I knew I was fat, but never knew how big I really was.

After graduation I began working at the local YMCA as a receptionist. Being one of the fattest people working at a fitness center is not fun, but it did have its advantages. Everyone was willing to help once I showed interest in a more healthy lifestyle, so I took advantage of the free resources around me. I started working out and soon lost weight and started eating healthier.

I continued working and working out at the YMCA and dropped 50 pounds my freshman year of college. Beat that freshman 15!

After that initial large weight drop I got stuck and stayed at that weigh (around 200) for 2 years. My junior year of college I studied in Europe and lost another 10 pounds from snowboarding, hiking, and walking through every major European city on the weekends.

Weight Gain (Again): When I came home I was depressed because I was stuck in Memphis for the summer and missed the life I had in Europe. All of the activities I had enjoyed in Europe to stay healthy were impossible in Memphis, so my activity level took a sharp drop. Combined with my eating habits (a return to Southern comfort food) I packed on 20 pounds.

Since then I have added another 9 pounds or so because of the stress and sadness of things happening with my family. That brings the story to today and my desire to lose more weight and keep it off for good. I want to be healthy and fit from this day forward.

The Weight Stats: I have never told people my weight before without lying about it. Well, here are all the stats in their heavy glory.

Highest Weight: 255

Lowest Weight: 190

Current Weight: 228 (yikes!)

Goal Weight: 150

The Goal: The plan is to stick with Weight Watchers and keep training to run 5ks and triathlons. I need to weigh 40 pounds less than I have ever weighed, which seems like a huge goal. Even that is still on the heavy side for me since I am only 5′2″ tall. However, I feel like I can do this. I will do this!

Sometimes I wake up and think… this is me? In my twenties, living at home (just for winter break which is just long enough to make me feel weird about it), still over 200 pounds - definitely not where I thought my life would be.

Usually I wake up thinking about these things, quickly followed by “Oh well, at least have some fun today.”

And usually I do. But wouldn’t there be so much more fun in my life if I changed it?

Enter the “lifestyle change” king (or perhaps queen).

Hello, Weight Watchers.

Today I am starting weight watchers in an attempt to follow in the footsteps of many others who were once where I am and are now happily lighter and healthier. My aunt and uncle greatly influenced this decision because of their amazing success with the weight watchers program.

My goal, of course. is to lose weight. Remember that pesky new years resolution? But more importantly, I want to wake up every day and think, “I feel amazing and strong. Today is going to be so much fun!”

I know water is good for the body, no one needs to convince me of that. In fact, water is the only beverage I drink besides milk, but I still feel like I don’t get enough of it. Rarely do I meet the daily goal of 8 8oz. glasses of water. In order to help myself drink more water I have collected some ideas for increasing water intake.

Tips for drinking more water:

Keep it handy. If water is conveniently placed near you it will be easier to drink without thinking about it. Keep a glass or bottle of water next to you whenever you will be sitting for a long period, especially if you work in an office. Drink from it regularly throughout the day and soon you should be reaching for it automatically without realizing it. Also, keep a glass or bottle of water handy when you get home so you can continue drinking while watching TV, doing laundry, or other tasks at home.

Carry it everywhere. Try getting a cool water bottle that will make drinking more fun. Sometimes just the look of the water bottle will make you want to drink more. Carry the bottle with you everywhere you go. When it is empty just refill it and keep drinking.

Substitute water. When you normally order a soda or alcoholic beverage, order a glass of water instead. Make it a point to only order water when you eat at restaurants for one month. You will save some money and develop a habit for drinking water at restaurants.

Drink filtered water. Use a water purification system such as Brita or PUR for water free from contaminations and impurities. Once water is filtered store it in a glass container and keep it in the front of your fridge. Every time you open the fridge get a glass of water to drink.

Add a little flavor. If you can’t stand the taste of water, or just want something different once in a while, try adding lemons or limes to your water. Be careful and only add a splash, otherwise it might be too sour. Another option is freezing little bits of peeled lemons, limes, and oranges to use as ice cubes. You can also try letting mint leaves sit in a pitcher of water overnight. Crystal Light is another alternative, just add a pinch to add flavor to water.

Sneak it in. You don’t have to drink water to get water in your system. Eating water rich foods is another option. Watermelon is a great option since it is mostly water. Tomatoes also have a high water content. Fruits are not the only option, a piece of lean meat has a high water content.

Today I began my training! I am training now to run a 5k but my ultimate goal will be to complete triathlons.

Today’s workout: Walk 5 minutes, run 1, walk 4 minutes, run 1, walk 3 minutes, run 1, walk 4 minutes, run 1, walk 5 minutes. Easy, right? It was pretty easy, except for the fact that my shins hurt and my whole body was stiff from last week’s non activity.

My marathon-running friend Meredith is in charge of my training plan. I like the motivation she sent me before I started my training: “Consider yourself staring along a course looking at the finish line that you know, without a doubt, that you will reach.”

I like the system she has set up where she sends me a week of workouts and then we communicate after a few to see if anything needs to be adjusted to my experience that week. I have looked at training plans for triathlons online, and while they are similar to what I am doing, seeing the whole thing at once is overwhelming. This weekly system works better for me.

Well, one day down, many to go. I am excited!

I definitely spent less time on the internet last week as I was in Ohio for a death in the family. The time there felt like a break from reality. I did not pay attention to my eating habits at all. Surrounded by grief, I let myself wallow in the sadness of the occasion and used eating as an escape. Unhealthy and ineffective, my eating over the past week added a few pounds and set me back further from my goals.

Now I am back to my world and ready to get started changing my life. Tomorrow I begin my training program created by a friend in Illinois. Soon I will be running my first 5k and working towards bigger goals!