The Fit-Penga Plan - Part 2

After re-aligning my diet, I could then begin on the second half of my weight-loss plan:

Exercise

This is the real meat-and-potatoes of my weight loss journey. As I mentioned, I went to the library for some research. Well, the Bay Area, in all it's glory, has an amazing library system. They have an entire section devoted to workout DVDs. Over the course of 5 months, I think I've checked out two dozen or so. By genre, here's what worked and didn't work for me (click on the names for more info about the particular genre, definitions by dictionary.com):

Yoga - "2. any of the methods or disciplines prescribed, esp. a series of postures and breathing exercises practiced to achieve control of the body and mind, tranquillity, etc."

I love yoga, and the DVDs were great for stretching and relaxing. But I just felt that they weren't getting me anywhere weight-wise.

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Pilates - "A system of physical conditioning involving low-impact exercises and stretches, performed on specialized equipment."

These were killer on the muscles, and I enjoyed them immensely, but most of the DVDs required extra equipment (like that inflatable ball thing) and all I had was a yoga mat and some hand weights.

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Weight-training - "weightlifting done as a conditioning exercise."

There's nothing quite like realizing you have muscles for the first time. Maybe they don't help for weight-loss, but having your arms feel powerful is a great feeling.

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Dance - In secret, these were totally fun, but I didn't use these too much since Sak kept laughing at me. Nothing shelves a DVD faster than making a girl feel self-conscious! These two are my highly recommended favorites though:

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Kick-Boxing - "A form of boxing in which the gloved combatants may also kick with bare feet."

Once again, great for making you feel powerful, and a perfect stress reliever!

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Cardio Aerobics - "1. Also called aerobic exercises. (used with a plural verb) any of various sustained exercises, as jogging, rowing, swimming, or cycling, that stimulate and strengthen the heart and lungs, thereby improving the body's utilization of oxygen."

This is the type I ended up using the most. I felt they had the greatest impact on weight loss, as all the running and jumping certainly made me the most sweaty!

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After trying out so many DVDs, I settled into a few that really seemed to fit me best. This one became my favorite, and strangely enough, it is marketed towards brides:

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They have week plans set up, based on the shape of your gown (gimmicky sounding, I know). The basic idea is, if you have a strapless dress, you'll want to work out your arms more, whereas a form-fitting mermaid would accentuate the legs, etc. You can also customize, if you don't like the way the set-plans are arranged. With one, 30 minute session each night after dinner, I saw results. And results are a good thing, because there is nothing more frustrating than trying your hardest without seeing changes.

But with all things, you eventually reach a plateau. When the workouts started getting easier, and I was no longer seeing results, I stepped up the game and put myself on the waiting list for the infamous 30-Day Shred.

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If Jillian can't help me, no one can, right?

She did help, and I jumped off the plateau with ease. (Though finding motivation to do her grueling workouts was TOUGH.)

And all was well in the world...until Winter came. Suddenly, it was too cold to exercise. All I wanted to do is snuggle in bed or on the couch with a cup of hot something.

And I didn't resume exercising. In fact, I haven't used a DVD or lifted a weight since October. But I did try something else. I work in a high-rise, and instead of riding the elevator up to the double digits to where my cubicle resides, I've taken on the chore (it IS a chore), of walking up and down the stairs once a day. We're talking the 14th floor here.

And 22 pounds later, that's where I am today. Taking the stairs and watching the rice.
Yay!

I'm content at this point, so I'd like to at least maintain it. I'm going to continue my methodology, so if I continue to lose a little more, I'll be happy. But I think I'm done pushing the envelope.

But the best part? Now that I've reached my goal, I can start construction on my dress! Woo-hoo! We'll be making the first cuts in January!

Anyone else have a fitness regiment? What worked out best for you?

The Fit-Penga Plan - Part 1

Friends, it is with no small amount of pride that I write this post today. A post that I have waited five months to have the pleasure of writing.


I have reached my fitness goal!

Last time I wrote about how to best hide the size differences between Sak and I, and I mentioned the inclusion of some personal fitness goals. Where did these goals come from? Well, simply enough, they came from my Wii Fit.

The first weekend after becoming engaged, I stepped on the board/scale, and it spit out my weight and asked me to set a goal for a middle-of-the-road, normal BMI. Now we could talk about how BMI isn't necessarily a good measure of fitness, since it's height and weight ratio doesn't take into account muscle mass - but for all intents and purposes, it works okay for people like myself who have no muscles to impede the calculation.

Turns out I was on the very edge, floating between the "overweight" and "normal" cut-off line. 21 pounds would get me to the middle of the "normal" range. I balked at the number a little, threw in a bit of whining, but eventually got myself over to the library.

There I did some research, and came up with my plan. Like many wellness plans, it consists of two parts - diet and exercise.

Diet

I love to eat, so I was very perturbed by the idea of restricting my foodage. I ended up compromising with myself. Eat healthy, healthy, healthy at work (breakfast/lunch/snacks), and then eat something that makes me happier at home for dinner. This way I could get the benefit of healthy eating, while not restricting myself completely. And while my lunches have been somewhat boring (salads, low sodium veggie soups, etc.) for the past five months, it's not too bad. One plus being that I don't feel lethargic at 2:30 PM due to food-coma anymore.

For dinner, Sak decided he'd help me by joining me in the adventure of eating healthier. (Though he still has his not-so-secret stash of chocolate and Sky Flakes crackers he refuses to give up.)

Me: "Does this mean I can go on a sashimi diet? I think I could handle that."
Sak: "...No! We'd be totally broke!"

Mmmmmm(source)mmmm...

I won't lie - we are spending more on food. Leaner meats cost more, whole wheat costs more, veggies can add up if you buy them out of season. I'm chalking it up to the price of being healthy, but if we were smarter about checking ads for deals, we could probably avoid this problem.

My biggest food hurdle, however, was rice. We are big rice eaters, and used to make 2 cups a night to go with dinner. I pared it down to 1 cup, half of which consists of brown rice. Of that one cup, Sak gets 3/4, and I get 1/4. This was the hardest thing to do, and it still makes me somewhat sad. But like everything else, it's not too horrible, you get used to it over time.

That's it for the diet. Less rice, healthy lunches. Simple, no?

Did you start a wellness plan specifically because of your wedding? How do you keep things "on the healthy side"?