What I was reading last week...

I'm a little late posting this (darn husband!) but better late than never to share some interesting stuff you may not have seen yet!


Are you a responder or non-responder:
Does Exercise Make You Overeat?
I'm pretty sure I'm a responder :(

Maybe it is time to bring back something our Grandparents did to cut out all the processed food:
Canning for a New Generation

I may have wanted to be a thinner bride, but I never would have done this:

What Would You do as a Bride?

How about you?

   

While this is a great story, and the kid is smart and awesome, it makes me sad that in this day and age, the kids have to teach his parents about nutrition. 

A Child puts Himself on a Diet

I'm not at all saying it is the parent's fault, but society has evolved to a place where obesity is the norm for so many reasons!

Why always reassessing your goals and letting go of the unrealistic ones is good for you:
Redefining Life Goals can Foster Better Health
So no more unhealthy, unattainable, 50 lbs in 3 months type goals! OK?

Thought provoking since as much as we want to see "real" women in modelling and advertising, does our subconscious?

Do We Really Want See Real Women

I may have low self-esteem, but I refuse to let what other people think of me prevent me from reaching my goals!
Most Women Shy Away from Outdoor Exercise
(or at least I hope I have enough self-esteem to do that.)

Exercise is not only good for our appearance and health, but our minds as well:

What Kind of Exercise Benefits your Brain Most

I swear this is happening in shoes.  I used to wear a size 9 / EU 40.  Now I am in most size 8 / 38.  WTF?
I can wear a smaller pant size now! Or can I?

Use it or Lose it

To prove I'm an uber-geek.  I WANT!
http://bigbigpixel.com/

Stop saying "I'll do that when I'm skinny" for things you can probably do now, but just don't know it!
It is Time to get on with your Big Audacious Life

And now to prove how much I love baking and cute stuff, I want to make these now:
Cinco De Mayo Pinata Cookies

More reasons to get those berries in!
Berries may Reduce Mental Decline in Older Women

More reasons to stay active:
Daily Activity Tied to Lower Alzheimers Risk

How many of us experience poor eating when we're tired or running on empty?
Good Night Sleep Contributes to Healthy Eating


And now I need to go brush up on proper capitalization in titles and links.  Well... tonight when I finish work!

Happy Reading! 

Fat Acceptance?

Tuesday afternoon bootcamp plus 20 minutes of cardio after.

Well I'm getting there - I've burned 1042 calories in 2 workouts this week.  2458 calories to go!

To keep my motivation up, I've been reading more blogs, shamelessly checking out the blogs that others are reading and then if I like those blogs, I'm checking out what they're reading and so on and so on.

Doing this has exposed me to some great blogs and some that just make me go huh and others hmmm....  Some of the ones that make me go hmmm are the ones surrounding fat acceptance and such.  I've read through some of the latest posts on two or three blogs of people advocating fat acceptance and the largest thing I've taken away is the one statistic they all repeat ad nauseam: 95% of the people who lose weight gain it back, only 5% maintain the weight loss.

Armed with that fact, they keep repeating how weight loss is impossible, improbable, not a cure, and shouldn't be considered a solution to anything.  I agree with a large portion of what they argue.   As a fat person, I'm subjected on a daily basis to people judging me based on my fat.  They don't see me.  I especially agree with the fact that being obese or overweight is generally what doctors tell you is the cause of everything else that is wrong.  That losing weight is the magical cure to heal all.  Now I don't buy that, but I also don't buy the fact that the majority of obese people  (60+ pounds above a "normal" weight and not an athlete) are perfectly healthy.  

However, I will admit you can have extra pounds on your body and have great health.  I just don't think we should not be advocating weight loss.  From the studies that I've read, healthy habits equals weight loss.  However, since we are all individuals, no weight loss will be the same and just living a healthy life won't make some people thin and in the medically acceptable "normal weights."

But constantly repeating that 95% failure rate almost is like telling people who are obese and want to lose weight that it is hopeless and they shouldn't even bother ~ instead come and be a fat acceptance cheerleader with us, all fat people are healthy!! Celebrate being fat because the science is inconclusive on the health risks, be fat with us.  

Now, that may not be what the movement is about, but as a fat person just discovering the whole thing, it is the impression that I am getting.  

And where the hell is the study that gave that result?  I tried to google to find the actual study to read, but the first 10 google result page ended with blogs, fat acceptance websites, and new media sites which cite that statistic, but not one actually contains a link to a study which shows it.  

Can anyone point me in the right direction?   I prefer to read the actual studies versus media synopsis of them.

It frustrates me to no end that almost ever single post or blog entry I read on some of these sites are nothing but, you can't lose the weight, the studies don't prove that being fat is unhealthy, you can be super fat and still be healthy, etc, etc.  Then when I read other people's weight loss journey blogs, I see all these people posting how much more active and stronger they are, how much better they feel, how much nicer their digestive system is, how they have more energy etc. etc. once they lost the 50, 100, 150 extra pounds.

It is completely contradictory.  What is someone just starting on their journey (I'm in, well, the 25th year of mine so I'm not exactly a newbie) or looking for motivation (me), supposed to think?

The one key factor to the studies which show weight is inconclusive and an indicator for health all show that the obese people who are healthy all are active and eat their fruit and vegetables.  They lead a healthy life.  They have healthy habits.  

Why is it that that isn't what some of these blogs are promoting?  Why is it instead all about relishing in being fat and not relishing in being healthy?  I completely agree with most of the work they are doing in preventing people from judging others based on their weight, but I simply don't understand why they aren't blunt in saying sure you can be fat, we won't judge, but please, be healthy and fat instead of that couch potato!

I'm so confused!

Can anyone explain?  Point me in the direction of some good sites that promote fat acceptance but also promote being healthy.  That don't just celebrate being fat, but celebrate being fat AND healthy?

I think when I have a little more time, I'm going to do a lot more reading to see if I can wrap my head around it but in the meantime I'm going to keep on trucking with my healthy habits and lifestyle change!

I wish all the rest of you the best of luck as well!

I understand everyone smells... but jesh!

After taking yesterday off to hang out with my wonderful friend, I was back at the gym today.

I was out late last night and even though I woke up at 6 am to let the dog out, I crawled back into bed for another 2 hours after that.  I couldn't face doing a morning bootcamp, working for 8 hours, and then having a stretch of boring time at home trying to avoid watching the hockey game tonight.  So instead, I went to the 4:30pm class and am working late.

Now, I used to always go to the afternoon bootcamp.  It is a comfortable group of people where no one really pushes you and if you don't want to try too hard, you don't have to.  It fit me for the first few years I was doing the classes.  The crazy morning class where people want to be punished scared the hell out of me.

But, after having done the morning classes for the last few months ~ I want back!  The afternoon class has many more people on average (15 today vs. 6 in the morning) and trying to put it delicately, 2 or 3 who, well, smell.  REALLY REALLY bad, to the point their body odour will smell up the whole gym.  Or like today, the whole stairwell as you run stairs with them.  I don't know if they don't wear deorderant, don't wash their gym clothes, or if it is just their natural scent, but when you get all 3 in one class, combined with 12 or 13 other people ~ I can't handle it.  Pushing my heart rate to 190 while having to prevent myself from being neaseous from the smell just doesn't work.

While the calories weren't bad, I had a horrible workout.

I've talked to the trainers regarding the smell and honestly there isn't much anyone can do.  If they don't smell when they come in ~ some people are just unlucky in that regard.

I guess smell is like sweat.  I sweat like a freaking pig.  It just drips off of me and I feel gross and ugh.  I feel like others at the gym judge me for how much I sweat, equating being fat to the sweating.  Yet, there are people who sweat even more than me (trails of sweat on the floor when running) who are in fantastic shape.

When I'm at the gym, I try not to judge other people.  For the most part, we are all there to get in shape, workout, and do the best we can that day.  I know we all think others are watching us but I bet in fact, no one really is.  It is all in our head.  At my gym, there are one or two people who do watch others ~ who are persistent in calling out those they perceive not to be working hard enough either to others after the classes or during them by offering "advice".  However, when they do that, don't they realize that they can't be working hard enough if they are too busy watching and judging others?  We have a guy and a girl like that in the classes that drive me up the wall.  I've gotten good at ignoring people when I'm doing my thing, but still, no one should ever go into a gym and feel like they aren't good enough because they can't do what others do.

I know that is an idealistic view.  Many people, skinny and fat, aren't comfortable in some gyms due to the perceived judgements from others.   I battle that constantly.  I have to keep telling myself that no one is looking at me.  It doesn't always work and I try to hide in the back.  I tailor the clothes I wear to the gym so I don't offend anyone.  I make sure my shirts are long enough to cover all the chub and loose enough so the fat rolls don't appear.  I HATE doing jumping jacks or other things that make my fat all jiggle in front of others since I don't want them disgusted by me.  However, those clothes aren't always the most comfortable to wear.  Should I be concerned about offending people?  Who cares if I wear a tank top where you can see the rolls, I'm not showing any skin, just spandex controlled fat!

I'm going to a new spin class at the local recreation center tomorrow, one I've never been to, so I wonder what the atmosphere there is going to be.  I wonder if I'll be comfortable or try to hide again.

The gym is such a different social beast to navigate.

Question:  Are you comfortable at the gym you go to?  Do you avoid certain exercises so you're not judged?

Pictures of Fat

I finally found that stupid connector cord.  

And was able to see full body picture of myself.  I chose simple, body skimming black workout pants and a blue tank top.  No bra so we can see what it looks like without the help of Victoria's Secret.

Wow.  Nothing like putting it out there in its full glory.

Now lets pick it apart like all females do!

I actually don't mind my butt.  It could be worse, but it is much better than I thought. 

My boobs, ugh... I so want new ones!  I would love for my boobs to actually stick out further than my stomach one day!  

I don't mind my waist, I actually have some curves.  And in dark clothes, I don't look too bad from the front.  The sides though!  Mamma-Mia.  Thank gawd for Spanx!

Oh those arms... ick ick ick ick.  I have this feeling that I'll have to suffer through excess skin removal surgery there when I'm done.  

What else?  My calves aren't too bad, but to ever get to that elusive weight and body where my thighs no longer rub together... I don't know if that is possible!

I don't quite have a chin as a slope...  I don't really have a neck.  I eventually want to see a defined chin.. and a neck.. not triangle is trying to imitate one.

Hmm...  maybe in different lighting I'd look worse from the front, there doesn't seem to be any definition there, just a blob.

Yeah.. that is what I am.  Just one big blob of fat trying to write a blog.

The Blob Blog!  lol.

Okay... I've driven myself into delirium looking at how ugly I am.

I've got 80lbs of fat to remove from that body... wish me luck!