The Future of My Fat

According to the official Choose 2 Lose scale, I lost seven pounds!

But I’ve also bulked up in muscle. Here’s a photo of me flexing (or “sucking it in” as some may say)…

 And here’s another…

I worked hard for that seven pounds, but I know I could’ve worked harder. I got off track several times and when I was off track, I was off track for a while. I would go a whole week or two without running.

Since I was a member of the Choose 2 Lose Committee (a subcommittee of Asbury Heights' Wellness Committee), I had the luxury of talking with many of the participants. Everyone was eager to lose weight. Some people wouldn’t eat lunch until they weighed in. A few others wouldn’t eat anything all day. And while it was nice to see everyone so focused on losing weight, it was a bit unsettling to hear what people were doing to get there. And honestly, many of the participants were at a healthy weight to begin with. Why were they so desperate to lose more?

We’ve all heard it before:  Society puts pressure on everyone to be slim and attractive.  Blah, blah, blah. Well, what’s society? A group of people, right? Why can’t we (the people) settle for healthy? Why the hell are we so obsessed with being “magazine cover hot”?

Lindsey Smith had it right a few days ago…

It's not about being skinny, it's about being healthy.
— Lindsey Smith (@LindseySmithHHC) May 6, 2013

She’s spot on. Choose 2 Lose was about getting healthy, not starving for the grand prize or that skinny summer body. Heck, maybe the committee wasn’t that clear… and maybe I was starting to fall into that trap too.

Seven pounds is fine. I’m happy with that. I’m living a healthy life and I’m happy with my body. Like anything else, the body needs maintenance. Exercising regularly and not eating a lot of junk is what it takes. That’s basically what I’ve discovered these last 12 weeks. And yes, I still eat junk food but less of it.

Okay, that’s probably all the “healthy blogger” I have in me, but it was nice regularly posting to a blog. I may have to resurrect Jonfiction or Gray Collars soon.

Week 11: Running Outside Calls for Stop at Hospital

I weigh a little over two pounds. I’m now below my birth weight! This competition is mine!

Okay, so the battery needs replaced in the scale. This will need to happen before next week since Monday is the beginning of the end – the final weigh-in week!

To say that the last month has been unproductive is a major understatement. I’ve started eating more, drinking more pop and exercising once a week (if that). I haven’t (seriously) weighed myself in a few weeks and, well, I’ve lost steam. Did you notice there haven’t been as many shirtless photos lately? My winter body and it’s layer of chub has decided to stick around for another month or so and it’s just embarrassing at this point. Like March, I went into this competition with the ferocity of a lion and whimpered out like a lamb… or maybe a fat 30-year-old lion.

When the weather started getting nice last week, I decided to take my fat lion ass out to the streets. “See you later, treadmill!” I said as I headed out the door. Yes, I really said it.

I was a little shy about running along the street at first because I knew there would be a bunch of people looking at me as they drove by. (I know this because I do this when I drive.) But the nervousness washed away into the gutter as I tried to run uphill. Yes, run up a hill. It wasn’t long before I was walking uphill.

And I discovered something while I was out and about: Running on concrete hurts like hell! Every time my feet hit the pavement, it felt as though by bones were slowly starting to break apart. My brain felt as though it was bouncing and sloshing in my skull. It was torture.

I ran (but mostly walked) from Asbury Heights to St. Clair Hospital. I thought about going into the hospital for treatment, but I just sat on a bench near the entrance for about five minutes. I am weak.

But I did some more running on the way back, so I wasn’t totally beat. One of my coworkers (who runs in her sleep) ran passed me less than a quarter mile away from work. After she passed, I did my best to keep up with her until we were back on the Asbury campus. She had no idea I was behind her until we entered the campus. I startled her and she said she thought I was a dog. I know I’m hairy, but I don’t think I have as much hair as a dog. Maybe it was because she heard me panting.

“Let’s keep going,” she said as we ran up the slight grade of the road leading to the main building. To make a long story slightly shorter, I ran up the slight hill to the main building, but I walked the rest of the way once I reached the level. I was pure deadness.

There’s one more week. Should I give it my best shot? I’m not sure, but I am sure of one thing: Trying to get fit (and lose your tubby tummy) is tough. I really didn’t have a lot to lose and it was STILL hard for me. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for someone completely out of shape. Damn.

Next post:  My final Choose 2 Lose weight and the future of my fat.