Got the Spark!

What was the nutritional content of that salad I ate last week?  How many calories did I burn on the treadmill the other day? Last month, what strength training exercises did I do for my arms and back?  How much did I weigh three months ago? Have I been drinking enough water consistently everyday?

Listen, we all can vaguely recall foods that we ate and exercises that we did in the past, but it’s highly unlikely that you’ll remember every little scrutinizing detail.  Many people opt to keep hand-written notebooks to keep track of all their stats, but I much prefer tracking everything online because of the unlimited access to very helpful tools.  There are many fantastic sites out there, but the one I decided to use was Sparkpeople.

They have tools to track your nutrition, fitness, and weight/measurements as well as helpful articles, goal planners, and success stories just to name a few. And how could I forget the virtual wheel that you get to spin once a day to get points and reach different trophy levels.  Um, fun!  You can set goals and they give you a reasonable timeline of when you can reach them.  If you’re looking for extra support there are some groups you can join with people of similar interests and/or weight-loss goals – ‘20 Somethings with 50-99 lbs to Lose’ was right up my alley.  I don't think I'm alone when I say there’s something reassuring about knowing that you’re not the only one going through this journey.  

Receiving feedback from the site helped motivate me and having the design layout be so simple to navigate through made logging in almost everyday a convenient, enjoyable experience.  It's now interesting to view my nutritional tracker to see what foods I was eating a few months ago versus now and the same with my fitness abilities.  Looking back, seeing my progress, and recognizing how much I've learned is a pretty rewarding experience.  Totally recommended!

Just to show one feature, here's my weight loss tracker report from Sparkpeople starting in April 2011 to the present day.

Because Who Doesn't Love An Inspiring Quote On A Friday

The 3 C's of life: choices, chances and changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.

Kicked My Kicks to the Curb

           So I had a pair of casualwear Pumas for quite some time.  Okay fine, for seven years to be more precise.  Those were my go-to shoes on a regular basis especially when I was running errands so needless to say they were pretty beat up.  To make matters worse for my already flat and wide feet I also rocked these shoes at the gym when I made the occasional appearance.  Unsupportive and exponentially deteriorating, I knew it was time to retire my favorite obnoxiously pink and orange shoes.  After doing a little research I discovered a good rule of thumb is to replace your sneakers every 300-400 miles. Since I was already at the point of no return, I had to force my frugal self to dish out the money for this investment.   Hello Nike Shox!

          Before making my purchase, I checked out numerous company websites as well as consumer forums to get the inside scoop on what sneakers would be best for me.   Although part of me just wanted to pick up the first cute pair of pink sneakers I saw I knew doing the research would be more beneficial to me in the long run.  For example, did you know there were three types of running shoes – motion controlled (flat/low arches), stability (medium arches), and cushioned (high arches)?  Well if you didn’t now you do! 

        After narrowing my choices down to five different shoes I ventured to a place I frequent quite often: the mall.   I tried on the final five, and I instantly fell in love the Nike Shox.    They had great arch support, high shock absorption, and were extremely comfortable with my wide feet.  I had a Cinderella-esque moment in an athletic shoe store.

      Nowadays, I don’t get shin splints and/or joint pain due in part to my old shoes’ lack of cushioning, shock absorption, and stability.  It's amazing to run and not be in total pain – did I mention it was worth the money?  Moral of the story is don’t sell yourself short in getting great quality shoes – your body and feet, in particular, will thank you with a more efficient and effective workout!

I Couldn’t Pronounce It So I Tossed It!

           Upon embarking on this journey, one of the first challenges I needed to tackle was revamping my kitchen.  I needed to get rid of processed foods, foods with harmful additives, and no nutritional benefits (see photo above).  It was about getting rid of all the junk and only sticking with foods that I needed rather than the foods that I wanted or craved.  Although I knew I had to do it lets just say I was less than thrilled, but it was time to step outside of my comfort zone and adapt new eating habits.

Having an emotional relationship with food, I felt like I was parting with a life-long friend.  It's something that has always been there as a comfort when I stressed, upset, angry, and even just bored.  But unlike a solid, supportive relationship this life-long friend happened to make me feel sick and tired day after day.  True friend huh?  

Throughout this experience I felt like I was living in a moment all-too-familiar with anyone who’s an avid weight-loss television show junky like myself.  You know the moment when the trainer, with a face of utter disgust and disappointment, is practically shoving that loaf of white bread and tub of ice cream in their face yelling ‘What are you thinking?” or “Do you how terrible this is for you?”  I felt like there was an invisible trainer behind me, judging my every decision.   If there was an ounce of guilt I knew it had to go and I had to either cut it out of my diet or find a healthier alternative. 

The night ended with foods containing ingredients like high fructose corn syrup  and bleached enriched white flour, amongst others that are way too long to spell out let alone pronounce, meeting my garbage and then going curbside by morning.

Everyone's Got a Story...

    

 Anyone who has had difficulty losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle has a story and mine, just like many others, happens to contain a lot of excuses.  Since I was about 10 years old I have struggled with keeping my weight in a healthy range.  Discouraged,  I became less and less active throughout high school and college.  Mixed with poor nutrition and emotional eating I was walking example of what it is to be unhealthy.  Growing up I loved to play sports and be active whether it was basketball, volleyball, biking, hiking, and my all-time favorite skiing, but as the weight piled on I became more self-conscious of my body.  I didn't want to be the fat girl out on the court or out on the slopes so instead of being proactive about my problem I retracted and wallowed in self-pity.
     By the time I entered college I was 195 pounds and by the time I graduated college I tipped the scale at 235 pounds.  So much for just that freshman fifteen!  During this time I discovered that I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), which is a hormonal imbalance that makes losing weight more difficult than for the average person.  Less than one year after graduating college I managed to gain another 26 pounds, which again had to do with my sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy food choices.
     In early 2011 I had enough.  I wanted to make a permanent change to my life.  I wanted to be happy, but for years I convinced myself that I had truly tried to lose weight and that nothing worked.  With this self-defeating attitude I initially began looking for an easy way out: weight-loss surgery.  I went to a lap-band specialist for a consultation and he told me I'd be a perfect candidate for the surgery.  Initially, I was thrilled but then after coming to terms with the extensive amount of paperwork, doctor visits, costs, and post-surgical upkeep I began to second guess this idea.
     My life-changing moment was when I went to a seminar that all weight-loss surgery candidates must attend.  I remember walking into this huge banquet hall filled with many other overweight people like myself and just feeling absolutely ashamed of myself.  With all other aspects of my life, particularly academically, I've prided myself on working hard to reach my goals so why not with my health?  This was the very question I was asking myself over and over again as I sat there.  I knew from the moment I stepped foot outside that seminar that I was going to drop all excuses and begin a transformation into a healthy person.  No more fad diets or barely breaking-a-sweat-workouts.  Just hard work, self-motivation and determination, and the persistence to change my life for the better.  Since April 10, 2011 my life has profoundly changed.