Weekly Weigh-in #39: Headed in the Right Direction

Mr. and I both did well this week. I did well because I lost (yay) and he did well because he didn't gain (phew).

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 254 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 0 pounds
Total pounds lost: 47 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 181.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 2 pounds
Total pounds lost: 56.5 pounds


Honestly, I feel like I somehow cheated the scale this week. There were a couple of instances where I ate too much of bad things (all out at restaurants, of course--they'll get ya every time), plus I didn't exercise as much (only three days).

But I'm taking my loss as a big motivator to stay strong this week, avoiding crappy choices at restaurants and pushing myself to exercise at night. I'm also pleased that I finally fit into a pair of size 14 pants my mom gave me a while ago (she's too skinny for them now). When I first tried them on two months ago, they wouldn't even button. Now, they're snug but they look pretty good!

Another good thing: I am now using my new digital blood pressure monitor to check my BP daily (it's perfect, by the way). As someone with chronic hypertension, I really should have been doing this for years--but I didn't. The manual monitors are such a pain, and I just didn't make it a priority. Now I can just slap on the cuff, push a button and watch TV while I wait to see what my BP is. My doctor will be glad.

As for Mr., I still think he needs the kick in the butt of a good personal trainer, but we haven't connected with one yet. I'm working on it though. Too bad Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser isn't available--he'd be perfect!

Biggest Loser Winner Update

If you're a Biggest Loser fan like Mr. and I, you might be wondering how last season's winner, Ali, is doing. Check out Fat Fighter TV's new interview with her. Ali Vincent describes her life before, during and after the show, with tips for staying fit and fighting emotional eating. I'm glad to see she's going strong!

Guest Post on Cincinnati Losers

I am a big fan of the Cincinnati Losers blog, which is written by seven local ladies who want to get fit (including some very good friends of mine). So I was more than happy to oblige when they asked me to write a guest post for this new blogging venture. I decided to talk about how support and encouragement are essential to successful weight loss. After all, that's what the CL girls are doing for each other, and what Mr. and I have made a cornerstone of our own fitness journey. Read my Cincinnati Losers guest post here.

Getting Fit in NYC

A few days ago I traveled to New York City for work and a little fun. I have to say that if there's a single city in the United States that lends itself to a fit lifestyle, it has to be New York. Sure, you can ride the subway or take a taxi just about anywhere, but only if you have an unlimited supply of cash. For those of us who aren't made of money and won't drive in New York traffic the only remaining choice is to walk ... and walk ... and keep on walking.

In fact, while I haven't pulled out a street map to calculate the total distance I walked over my two days in New York, I feel confident that an estimate of six miles would be less than the actual distance covered on my two feet. Surprisingly, after returning home I hardly considered the amount of walking I did. If I had walked six miles a year ago when I tipped the scales at more than 300 pounds then I probably would have complained about my sore feet, sore legs, and sore back for at least two weeks.

As it turns out, my fit lifestyle helped me endure the brisk walking (and occasional running to avoid traffic) in New York with absolutely no pain and plenty of energy to spare. While I certainly felt like I was getting some exercise with all that walking, I never felt pain or discomfort from what I now consider to be "normal" physical activity.

I still want to lose more weight, as does Mrs., but this week I was reminded that there's more to "getting fit" than just weight loss. The ability to walk and run for miles in an urban jungle without feeling like I want to fall down and die is something that's probably more important than my waistline.

Thinking about Joining Weight Watchers?

Mr. and I have our own little weight-loss "program" going, but if you are looking to join (or re-join) Weight Watchers, check out Amy in Ohio's rockin' giveaway. She's got two three-month WW memberships to hand out. On the giveaway post, leave a comment decribing what part of YOUR life is affected by your weight and why you want to "lose for good." You could win and make some serious progress on your weight loss efforts!

WooHoo! Check Us Out on Fat Fighter TV

I discovered the fabulous Fat Fighter TV website when I met Sahar at BlogHer this summer. She's a gorgeous, fit former TV health reporter who started the site as her way of fighting back against America's obesity epidemic. Fat Fighter TV offers healthy tips and the latest news on diet, fitness and the obesity epidemic, but in a fun, fresh way.

One cool feature on the site is the new Weight Loss WooHoos!, which highlights people who have successfully lost weight and feel great. Guess who's this week's WooHoo? Yeah, that's right, Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit! How cool is that?

I hope you'll check out the in-depth Q&A with Mr. and me about how we got fat, why we decided to lose and how we've done so far. I'm impressed with how accurate the quotes are, too (the former newspaper journalist in me might have been a wee bit worried about that ...) You may even enjoy a little more insight into Mr., who was quite candid in the interview (he tends to be a little bit reticent in his posts, I think).

Thanks to Fat Fighter TV and Sahar for featuring us! It's awfully nice to get a WooHoo for getting fit.

Weekly Weigh-in #38: Now That's More Like It

For the first time in a few weeks, Mr. and I both lost pounds at our weigh-in! Yay for us.

I can attribute my loss to two changes: working out daily (only skipped Tuesday) and cutting out wine. Mr. said he just ate pretty good and worked out--though not as intensely as he'd like.

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 254 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 1 pound
Total pounds lost: 47 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 183.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 2 pounds
Total pounds lost: 54.5 pounds

Together, we passed the halfway mark to our goal of losing 199 pounds. There's no going back. We refuse to gain this week, but rather will remain steadfast in our fit lifestyle.

I'm already visualizing how I'll look at our company's fancy holiday gala in December (I want to be SMOKIN'!) and how awesome Jay's liver enzyme numbers will be (he still needs to take this test and check his liver health).

Early Morning Workouts? Not for Me

On Thursday, I tried a new experiment: going to the Y for a pre-work workout.

I've only done this a couple of times since we started our fit life, and haven't been crazy about it. I'm just not a morning person. But I wanted to give it another shot. Lately, I've been slacking in the evening workout routine. I often run out of steam after a long day at work and an evening chasing my kid around and doing the usual household stuff. Then I don't work out, and don't lose weight.

Well, I had no problem getting up early (I purposely went to bed at a decent time so I'd get enough sleep). I should have packed my bag the night before, since I needed all my "products" to shower and get ready in the locker room. I also felt the need to clean up our kitchen before I left (can't stand coming home to a messy kitchen), which left me fewer minutes to work out.

Still, I made it to the Y a few minutes before 7. I was able to warm up and get in an entire weight-lifting routine. I forgot a few of my essentials (hello--water bottle?) but I managed. Showering in the locker room was a little gross, but not terrible. I walked out feeling good about having my workout over with for the day, and headed to Starbucks for coffee and oatmeal.

After I got to the office, I heard from Mr. Our daughter apparently missed me very much, asking "Where's Mommy?" every other minute. Even when she got to her sitter's house, she was quite clingy and sad. I must admit, I missed her, too. We get so few hours together as it is, with me working full-time, that giving up those precious morning moments seemed like too much--even for one day.

That's when I decided morning workouts aren't for me. I'll simply have to find a way to motivate myself to exercise in the evenings after Cassie goes to bed. Sure, it's going to be tough some days. But it's definitely worth it. I can spend as much quality time with her as possible and continue getting fit.

Weekly Weigh-in #37: Back and Forth

It seems like for the last few weeks Mrs. and I have been playing a game of teeter-totter: one goes up, the other goes down. Needless to say, since our mutual goal is to lose weight it gets a little frustrating when we seem to be stuck in a temporary cycle of yo-yo weight loss and weight gain.

This week, in a reversal of fortune from last week, I lost and Susan gained. We both had a difficult end to our week with the heavy winds in Cincinnati causing significant damage to the area and blocking us in at home for two days when a tree fell into our street and pulled down a power line ... cutting off the only road out of our neighborhood. We could have used the time stuck at home to focus on working out, but trying to occupy a little daughter who was going stir crazy inside left us with little energy for exercise.

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 255 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 1 pound
Total pounds lost: 46 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 185.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: (.5) pound
Total pounds lost: 52.5 pounds

On the bright side, we're both still confident in our ability to lose weight. Susan is starting a morning workout routine this week and I'm going to be watching the new season of The Biggest Loser over and over again while working out. That show always makes me work even harder when I see how bad obesity can be and how it's possible to get fit with some hard work and determination.

A Quick, Easy and Healthy Brunch

A good friend who's visiting from out of town is coming to our house tomorrow for brunch. We're really looking forward to seeing her and want to serve up some tasty morning treats. But of course, we don't want to serve gooey coffee cake and fatty breakfast meats (mmm ... fatty breakfast meats ...) because we need to lose this week! No more of that gaining business.

Another consideration: Time. We don't have much. Still have to clean the house, shop for groceries and make the brunch.

So here's what I think we'll make:

FiberOne Apple Cinnamon Muffins. These are so easy to bake and they taste unbelievably good. But you get 20% of your daily fiber needs with just one muffin! Hard to believe, based on their delicious, moist apple-cinnamony flavor.

Hungry Girl's Ginormous Oven-Baked Omelette. I haven't tried this recipe yet, but I trust Hungry Girl. There's eggs, fat-free milk and cheese, lots of veggies and some seasoning, all baked in a casserole dish. Sounds yummy!

Fresh Fruit. I'm going to see what looks good in the Kroger produce section tonight and cut up a mix of seasonal (or not) fruits. Probably will get some pineapple, strawberries, melon and apples.

That's it! A simple-to-prepare, totally nutritious brunch for our guest.

Weekly Weigh-in #36: Stalling Out

You know that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when your car's engine suddenly stalls in the middle of an intersection? That's sort of how Mr. and I felt this morning.

We both gained. We both knew last week sucked in terms of our eating and exercise. Yet we both are not about to give up--being fit feels too good to let it slip away.

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 256 pounds
Pounds lost this week: (1) pound
Total pounds lost: 45 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 185 pounds
Pounds lost this week: (1.5) pound
Total pounds lost: 53 pounds

There you have it. This week, we are determined to mitigate the damage and perhaps even lose beyond that. Jay needs to get the personal training going. I need to actually exercise daily. And we need to be extra disciplined with the food (and booze) we put in our mouths.

Snacktrition Review and Giveaway

It's no secret that Mr. and I love us some tasty, healthy snacks. When we heard about these new nutrient-enriched fruit and nut snacks from Snacktrition, we immediately asked the company if they would send us samples to try. They kindly shipped us several packages of their product and, oh, did we sample!

There are two sides to Snacktrition snacks, both of which we like: healthy and delicious.

On the healthy side, their nuts are baked in ovens rather than roasted with oils--which means less fat and more crunch. Snacktrition also seasons with kosher sea salt, and throws in a little extra calcium for good measure. Mr. can't get enough sea salt, so of course he was sold on that. And check out the nutritional results for a 1-oz. serving of Snacktrition almonds:

• 15% Daily Value of calcium per serving – Based on a 2,000 calorie diet
• 3 grams of fiber per serving
• 135 mg of calcium per serving
• 6 mg of vitamin E per serving
• 80 mg of magnesium per serving
• 5 grams of protein per serving

Impressive.

Now, for the tasty side. Salt and pepper go great on just about anything, but nuts? Yes, nuts. The Fiber Salt & Pepper Cashews have a deliciously different taste than any cashews we've tried (and we've tried a lot). And my personal favorite was the Calcium and Fiber Fruit & Nut Mix, combining sweet dried cranberries and blueberries with salty almonds and cashews for a power-packed snack combo. (Oh yeah, and they snuck a few little white chocolate chips in there, too. Nice!)

So what's the down side of Snacktrition? Portion control (or lack thereof, in our case). These nuts are so freakin' good, you might have a hard time stopping yourself at that serving size. As Mr. put it, if they are meant to be a "snack," then they should come packaged in individual portion sizes rather than little plastic boxes that contain multiple servings.

To be fair, they actually come in 3-oz. bags and 9-oz. tubs, but it would be awesome if Snacktrition did those sweet little single-serving deals like so many other brands have nowadays. Then we'd only eat what we're supposed to, getting all the benefits without packing too many calories in our afternoon snack.

Snacktrition Giveaway
Want to try Snacktrition for yourself? We're giving away packages of our favorite Snacktrition product, the Calcium and Fiber Fruit & Nut Mix, to five lucky Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit readers. Enter for a chance to win by emailing us at actionjackson03@gmail.com with the subject line "Snacktrition" before midnight on Friday, Sept. 12.

Update: Congrats to our five lucky Snacktrition Giveaway winners, Tammy H., Karen E., Rhonda M., Georgene H. and Amy C. Hope you like your fruit and nut mix!

Little Slips Are to Be Expected

Over the past few days, I haven't been on my fit game as much as usual. I know it's because I've been particularly stressed and busy, which usually leads to overeating and underexercising. How do you think having a baby led to me being 88 pounds overweight?

So I didn't work out on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday night. Instead, I went to bed early. Also, I've snuck a few hundred more calories than I should have--usually in the evening, when the stress of the day has built up to a breaking point.

Well, crap. Perhaps I reversed my 1-pound loss from last week. That's not so great. But here's the good part: I can slip up and it doesn't have to mean I'm instantly fat again and back to square one. Skipping a few workouts and eating too many goodies don't equal total failure.

Every day is a new day and a new chance to make healthier choices. I fully intend to head for the Y tonight after Cassie goes to bed. And I also plan to choose salad a lot more this weekend than heavier meals. It's still possible that I could lose at the next weigh-in--and even if I don't, I know I will the week after and the week after that.

Guest Post: Another Couple's Fit Story

For the first guest post on Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit, please welcome Megan Moore. She's my former coworker with an inspiring success story about her and her hubby's journey to fitness. Enjoy!

Tonight it hit me. I’m one of those people. Those people who have pants they can put on and pull the waistband out to reveal a space big enough for another person. Like on the Jenny Craig commercials. I have those size 14 pants. They are 4 sizes too big for me now, and 6 months ago I just BARELY fit into them.

In February of this year I weighed an all-time high of 185 pounds (or maybe more!) and wore a size 14 pants (just barely). Now I’m 140, into a size 8, and I feel fantastic. I even (gasp) bought and wore my first bikini EVER this summer. And my husband Chris has really jumped on the healthy eating bandwagon too – he’s definitely shed some pounds and improved his health as well.

Chris and Megan, Before

Chris and Megan, After

What are the keys to our success?

1. Portion control/calorie awareness


2. Eating breakfast
   
3. Eating filling/nutritious foods

Portion control
I never really paid attention to serving size before. Or really anything about the nutrition labels on food. Now I scrutinize each label before purchasing food or eating it. I make sure that if I do eat it, I eat only one serving size (or if I eat two, I count them both!). My husband, Chris, was even less aware of how many calories he could put into his mouth with an open bag of tortilla chips.

I’m really proud to say that we both are so much more conscious of the calories and fat we’re putting in. During the weight-loss period, I tried to limit my calories to 1200 – 1400 per day. Even now, if we choose to splurge and have a treat, we know how many calories and fat there are, and we choose carefully. A treat actually became a treat – not an everyday occurrence. I’ve been surprised at what I’m able to turn down – chocolate cake, ice cream, pasta – and found out what I really crave….Mexican food. Mmm….

Breakfast
Yeah yeah…it’s the most important meal of the day. I know. I know. But I never used to eat it. In fact, the thought of putting something in my mouth before 10 a.m. still makes me nauseous sometimes. But I knew that if I would be successful with weight loss then I needed to keep myself from ever being too hungry. And that means sucking it up and starting my metabolism up early in the morning – not waiting until 1 or 2 to eat my first bites of the day.

I now eat a breakfast of 130-200 calories each morning – usually a Kashi breakfast bar once I get to work (and after the first cup of coffee). Eating a breakfast that’s high in fiber really helps me keep full until lunch-time, AND gets me the protein and fiber I need to keep my energy up. On the other end of the day – I try not to eat after 9 p.m. – my husband and I used to have a pension for late night snacks. Now if we’re hungry after dinner, we at least reach for the veggies.

Fiber and protein
Nothing like empty calories. Cutting back my calories has really made me conscious of how I spend them each day. I ask myself a few key questions before choosing something to eat. “Will this fill me up and provide me with the energy I need to keep going?” If not, then I ask myself if it’s worth it. Sometimes the answer is yes – like if I’m out to eat for a special occasion. Adding in food high in fiber really helps with the full feeling - not to mention its great for lowering your cholesterol!

And it worked. The pounds just shed right off in the first few months. And I find myself eating much much less, and eating much more healthy of foods. My habits have changed.

I’m not sure what made me do it right this time. For the last three years, my husband and I have done South Beach or a form of low-carb dieting each winter. We each will drop 10 pounds or so, but it always went back on. Also, we would get REALLY REALLY tired of eating the same stuff all the time. Plus the bread cravings would set in.

Now I’m gradually increasing the amount I’m eating, aiming for maintenance and not more weight loss. I did decide to add in some more regular exercise. Throughout my weight-loss, I played sports about 3 times a week, but I wouldn’t count it as a regular exercise routine (especially not the beer-league softball!) I joined Urban Active, a local gym that seems to cater to the young professional – and I’ve done a decent job of going three times a week. The TVs in front of the cardio machines help me keep from getting bored.

And….so far so good, I haven’t gained any weight back and I’m looking forward to maintaining this healthy lifestyle and body for a long, long time!

Congratulations, Megan and Chris! Thanks for sharing your story with Mr. and Mrs. Get Fit readers.

Weekly Weigh-in #35: Making Progress

We did good this week.

Our diligence and workouts paid off, though Jay hasn't met with his new personal trainer yet. Once he does, we expect his weekly losses to pick up. I'm going to keep doing my thing at the Y and at home. Plus, we'll be hitting the veggies and fruits hard. 'Tis the season!

Jay
Starting weight: 301 pounds
Current weight: 255 pounds
Pounds lost this week: .5 pound
Total pounds lost: 46 pounds

Susan
Starting weight: 238 pounds
Current weight: 183.5 pounds
Pounds lost this week: 1 pound
Total pounds lost: 54.5 pounds

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

Nothing like seeing some old, fat photos of yourself to bring on the motivation to lose weight.

A couple of days ago, I was searching through our online photo album and came across our vacation photos from last year's Labor Day weekend. I couldn't believe how fat I was.

Count the chins: 1, 2, 3!

Lazy Susan, indeed.

We were wearing mufflers of fat around our necks!

I don't mean to sound self-hateful. But I do hate that we let ourselves get that overweight, out of shape and unfit. At the time, I remember us thinking we looked bad in our vacation photos. But did we really believe we had what it took to shed those mufflers of fat and bad habits, in order to become fit, happy people? Not so much.

Which brings me to today.


Damn, I'm proud of us. A year later, we're almost 100 pounds thinner as a couple. The fat mufflers are nearly gone. We have tons more energy than we did on that Labor Day vacation. We feel so much better in and about our bodies. Hooray!

Now, I'm looking ahead. What will we look and feel like next Labor Day? I hope and believe we will be at (or very near) our goal weights. We will not only be eating, moving and thinking like fit people--we'll look like fit people, too! We'll be the healthiest we've been in our adult lives. Maybe I won't have to take medication for hypertension. Maybe Jay's liver will be completely normal and healthy, and his cholesterol under control.

It's exciting to think about all the possibilities!