Fat Girl Gets Fit

I started school on August 31st.  A program in Web Design & Development that condenses a 4-year bachelor’s degree in 27 months.  It’s an intense program, with strict deadlines.  Class started on Monday, and had my first assignment due on Wednesday.  And another due on Friday.  And a test on Saturday.  And it just keeps going from there.  Add to that my already busy schedule of working and being a single mom and all the stuff that comes along with it.  Yeah, crazy busy…

So how do you fit working out into all that?  My trainer, Lisa Johnson, created a routine based on modules to fit it in, that’s how.

A module is a 10 minute fitness block.  It might be a cardio block or it might be a resistance training block.  It can be done at any time of the day, and because it’s only 10 minutes, I can fit it in wherever I have a few free minutes to spare.  It also makes a nice break when my brain is starting to get clouded from schoolwork or transcription or web design or whatever.  A few minutes break here and there, and still managing to get my workouts in.

The modules are working very nicely for me, because while it can be a pain to find an hour during a busy day, it’s fairly easy to carve out a few 10 minute chunks.

So how do you fit fitness into your busy schedule?

One of my mini-goals was to weigh less than my [ex] Husband.  He weighed in a couple of weeks ago at 213, and so that mini-goal was to hit 212.  I hit that today   I’m a very, very happy girl.  Especially since he’s been gaining a bit of weight the last few weeks LOL  He says it’s sympathy weight for his pregnant girlfriend.  I say it’s him getting older.

I start classes tomorrow.  It’s going to be busy and very hectic around here, so I’m going to really have to work to get my workouts in.  I’m going to push myself to do those workouts first thing in the morning, so that I’ve got the rest of the day to do everything else that I have to do.  It’ll be interesting!

As always, I’m a bit behind the times.  I’m watching the show More to Love on Hulu, and I’m not sure what to think of it.

On the one hand, these are gorgeous women, and the show is doing a good job of showing that.  I like that.

On the other hand, they seem to have picked nothing but women who have become convinced that they could never be loved because of their size.

And that is just bullshit. (more…)

I hit 215 today  It’s been a LONG time coming.

A really, really long time.

I started this blog in February at right around 230, which means it has taken me over 6 months to lose 15 pounds.  But at least I’ve done it!  Woohoo!

And so now to give a shout out to the sponsor of this pound! Whalertly!  Whalertly is your home for reviews, politics, and fun!

If you’re interested in sponsoring a pound or two or more, email me at fatgirl@fatgirlgetsfit.com with your proposal!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had people tell me, “It’s just calories in, calories out.  Burn more than you eat, and you’ll lose weight.”  Usually, it’s a person who has never struggled with obesity telling me that.

It’s frustrating, because while it literally is that simple, in reality, it’s much more complex.

Yes, if I burn more calories during the day than I’m eating, I will lose weight.  But how in the heck am I supposed to know how many calories I’m burning in a day without spending a crappola load of money that I don’t have on heart rate monitors or calorie burn monitors?

Well, honestly, I’m not.  And that’s where it gets complicated.  Much of a successful weight loss program is experimentation.  Finding out about your body.  Discovering what does and doesn’t work for you.

As much as various programs would like you to believe that one solution will work for everyone, that’s just not true.

I’m still in the experimentation phase with my calorie intake.  One week, eating 1600 calories a day might lead to a 5 lb weight loss, while the next week, the very same intake might lead to a plateau, or even a weight gain.

Our bodies are tricky.  Our metabolism can slow down to the point that we aren’t burning nearly as many calories, and so we aren’t able to eat as much.

Sometimes, all we can do is experiment, and hope for the best.  Just keep eating healthy, working out, and be the best we can.

I’m going to start a series of Thinspiration posts here at Fat Girl Gets Fit, where I highlight other weight loss and body image bloggers.  These will be bloggers who have lost weight or are trying to lose weight or want to lose weight or just talk about their bodies in a positive way.

First is A Fairy Princess.  Belinda started her weight loss journey at 335 pounds, and has lost 191 pounds.

191 pounds.  Wow, that’s a whole person!  I am in complete awe of her accomplishment, and encourage you to visit her site, congratulate her, and look to her for Thinspiration!

I’m down to 216 today.  Freaking awesome!

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll remember that one of my little goals is to weigh less than my [ex] Husband.  He’ll be coming over soon, either today, or early next week.  When he does, I’m making him get on the scale and weigh himself.

Because the last time he weighed himself here, he was up to 215.  Which means I’m almost there!

As odd as it may seem to some, I don’t really have much of a problem with overeating.

No, seriously.

I know, I know.  “Well, why are you fat, then?”

(more…)

I am a number geek.  I admit it.  That’s one of my dirty secrets.  Yep, I have quite a few of them… but one a day will do for now.

Being a number geek, I’m always analyzing and looking at the numbers.  How many pounds do I need to lose?  92.6

At 3500 calories a pound, that’s 324,100 calories.

If I cut 500 calories a day, that’s 648.2 days, or 1.77 years.  Wow, I don’t want to wait that long. (more…)

I loved BlogHer.  And I’m so, so, so glad that I went.  But I have one, teeny, tiny, itty, bitty little rant.

Not everyone can wear a size medium t-shirt.

The first t-shirt I got was in a bag of swag at a Body Image session.  It was an awesome session, led by the girls behind We Are The Real Deal, a collaborative body image blog.  Thw sponsor of that panel provided small swag bags, and each had a t-shirt in it.

There was a size medium t-shirt in mine, as well as in several others that I talked to.

I cannot currently wear a medium t-shirt.

Someday, yes, but not right now.  I can get it on.  And medium t-shirts stretch enough that I could wear them around the house.  But I wouldn’t dare wear them in public, because, well, as uninhibited as I am on my blogs… I don’t really want to emphasize every. single. fat roll. when I’m in public.  Yeah… not so much fun.

The other size medium t-shirt that I got came in a swag bag at a party that I went to on Friday night.  Freaking awesome party.  LOVE the bag the swag came in.  Wearing my slippers right now.  And if you were at the party, you so know the slippers I’m talking about.  I wore them around BlogHer all day Saturday!

So here’s my minor irritation.  In the effort to make people’s jobs easier, or whatever, all the t-shirts are the same size.  When really, it wouldn’t be all that difficult to have multiple t-shirt sizes, put a size sticker on the outside of the swag bag, and allow people to swap to find the right size t-shirt for themselves.

Just sayin’…

But really, I think this points to a pervasive problem in our culture.  The idea of one-size fits all.  That everything, and everyone, should fit into a mold.  That beauty comes in one size.

And we don’t.

We come in many sizes.  From XS to S to M to L to XL to XXL.

Luckily, the big party Saturday had multiple sizes of t-shirts.  Those were for sale, $5 each, and the funds went to Autism Speaks.  And I proudly wear the XL that my roomie bought for me!

And really, even when/if I get to a size medium, I may continue to wear the XL, simply for the fact I like my clothes to be comfy!