Weightless

Jill sent me the link a blog this week and I am so impressed by it, I have to pass it on.

Weightless

"Weightless is about well-being, not weight; about fostering body image, regardless of your size. It’s about exposing women’s magazines, other mediums and so-called experts, when they’re touting unhealthy tips and promoting restrictive standards.

The goal of Weightless is to help women develop a better body image and work toward accepting themselves as they are, while being healthy and happy (fad diets and skinny-mini standards prohibited!); and to become sharp consumers, who can pick apart a commercial or magazine article and know which advice is helpful or harmful."

This is the kind of blogging I can get behind.

What say you?

Does it Matter?

Today I read this article about counting calories and how "it doesn't matter."

I'm kind of conflicted by it, actually.

I get what the author is saying, in a way. But I also feel like the article is misleading in that its directed at people who are interested in maintaining their weight, not losing.

I think counting calories DOES matter. I have tried every weight loss gimmick on the market and the only thing that has EVER worked for me was counting calories eaten vs. burned.

Working at a calorie deficit works. Its science. And the thing of it is, is that is doesn't necessarily mean working out every day for hours. A friend from high school and I both used this method differently, with similar results. We both counted calories we ate and calories we burned. I did about 30-40 minutes of cardio every day with very little weight lifting and lost 20 pounds. She walked her dog twice a day for an hour or more and lost the same. She didn't go to the gym once. She chose to do longer, lower impact things to keep her moving and I chose shorter high impact workouts and they both worked.
Being mindful of calories is what we both did the same.

When you are trying to lose weight, calories DO matter. I'm not suggesting you kill yourself to account for every sip and bite. But (I think) having a nonchalant attitude about calories is what resulted in me putting back on the 10 pounds I had already lost. A daily calorie surplus of 250 calories each day will result in the gaining of half a pound in a week. I'm not making this stuff up. 250 calories a day may sound like a lot, but its only a small non fat latte with no whip cream.

I am not suggesting restricting anything. As a former eating disordered person, I know that restriction leads people down dark and dangerous pathways, many times without them even knowing it.
I'm suggesting working the things you love into your daily calorie goals. Its a give and take and you can do it without over eating. I remember there was one night where I was just hankering for a soda. I never have cravings for soda but when it didn't go away for three days, I decided to give in. All I did was take the half and half out of my coffee that morning and skipped the feta cheese on my salad. I got to have what I wanted and I didn't blow my day by tacking on extra calories.

Just to be clear, I do not advocate counting calories for a lifetime. (Who even has TIME for that?) But while you are losing, it is the most effective way (I've found) to get results. (Disclaimer: I am not an expert. I am just a regular old person trying to lose weight safely and effectively.)

Once you are in maintenance, then you can adopt the "it doesn't matter mentality" that the article refers to. That's just my opinion but this is my blog, so deal.
Although I am always interested to hear what y'all think, too. :-)

Surgery is a total bummer, yo

Today is November, which means the holiday season is officially upon us.

I love Christmas music and things that smell like cinnamon and pumpkin and all that good stuff. I love the holiday season.

And for the past few holiday seasons, I have managed to not turn into a total cow through the cunning use of exercising whilst enjoying all the tasty treats of the season.

But, this year, on December 2, I'm having surgery. Which means exercising is going to be out of the picture for at least a week. I know I sound totally psycho, but I seriously cannot go more than 3 days without exercise. Its a mental health thing, really. I'm not "too" worried about that one week of total rest, as I fully intend to spend it in bed completely hopped up on Vicodin. I'll probably feel more like sleeping and chatting about my drug induced dreams instead of eating, if past experience is any indicator. ( I had a similar injury circa 2003).

Its the several weeks after that one week that I'm panicking about. Because I know I'm not going to be able to just hop on the treadmill and take off, good as new. I'm looking at months of physical therapy and I'm TOTALLY bugging out about it.
Especially with all that delicious food/wine/beer/general merriment everywhere!!

Sooooo I'm in the market for some good post-op workout ideas. I am sure that walking will be a large part of it. But if anyone has any other suggestions on how to burn some calories without there being any weird jerking motions that could mess up my good 'ol 'bow (elbow)....please let me know.
Because, by the time that surgery happens, it will be t minus 5 months until my wedding and I really can't afford to buy a bigger dress.

I know it is going to take a lot of energy to stay positive and eat as cleanly as possible post-op. But I am committed not only to that dress fitting, but to not blowing all of my hard work away on a pity party for myself. I will just remind myself that when I'm all better, I'll be able to lift even more than a could before, since my elbow will no longer be as messed up as it is now.

Injuries definitely suck. Surgeries are a total bummer.