(You thought it should be the other way around, didn’t you?)

There is no way around it: losing weight takes a LOT of effort.  It is a heck of a lot easier to gain weight by not paying attention to every calorie (most of us already count carbs; now you want us to count calories too?!) than it is to lose weight by following the calories in, calories out fail-proof method.

Especially when that jug of peanut butter or ice cream is calling to us.

We all have a special notion of how big we are, and we all have a special notion of how big we should be.  (That’s “should” for ourselves, from our own mind.)  When we find out those two notions are very far away from each other, it can be a life-changing moment.

For me, I was 23 years old, standing in the second floor women’s department at the Robinson’s-May in Santa Barbara.  I was staring at the displays of QUEEN-sized underwear, about make a purchase.

Yeah; that’s a life-changer right there. 

(And yes, in case you didn’t know, the size on the label is literally in all caps: QUEEN.)

But then once you are fortunate enough to have that moment and know there is no going back for you, there is a heck of a lot of work for the next several months and years ahead.

So you’ve got to recognize that you have a lot of work ahead of you AND you have to work on ways to mark your sure progress along the way.

If you think you should be a size 6 yet all of your pants you can put on say size 22 on their labels, you’d better make temporary friends with size 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, and so forth.  (I say “temporary” friends because you want to make this journey a ONE WAY ticket, never to return to the bigger sizes.  Never ever is your goal!  Seriously; are you enjoying the work of losing weight?  If not, do it right and only do it once.)

I can also tell you the day I was standing in a Macy’s and realized I could shop just as easily in the women’s department, plus sizes, and petite department.  Wacky!  It was kind of like standing in that spot where you can stand in four states at once…. (I think I spent a lot of time shopping for clothes before I realized some self confidence was in order.) 

Recognizing and marking your progress as you move towards a weight loss goal is essential.  Without recognizing the progress you are making, you will undoubtedly lose momentum, lose your way, begin to feel badly about yourself, and head back to the jug of food.

Some weight loss plans suggest you stand on a scale every week.  Some say every day, and some say never stand on a scale but judge your progress by the way your clothes fit and feel.  I think there are ways that work for each of us, but I do think that avoiding a scale altogether can be as dangerous as avoiding the idea of losing weight.

I think you need to see for yourself the way the numbers on the scale change: how they climb, how they fall, and how they seem to stand still for days on end.  It’s exactly like a blood glucose check: just data. 

Just data to help you figure out the next steps you will take.

I went for a run last night after my afternoon D.O. it Bootcamp class.  Going out for 7 miles at 5:30pm was one of the last things I wanted to do right then, and knowing I had some tough hills ahead didn’t make it any easier!

It was really cold, and I only had a pair of shorts to run in.  I was very glad I had a long sleeved shirt and gloves if I wanted them.  But still: it was very windy, and just the thought of being out for an additional hour was just making me sad and tired!

So I puttered around for a few minutes, checking my voicemail and email.  Anything to put off my departure!

And then I realized I had puttered away 15 minutes, waiting around in the cold in my shorts.  That seemed pretty silly, so off I went.

I got to run downhill for about a mile, and then start the trek up my first hill.  I was running at a busy time for cars, in an area I needed to watch the sidewalks for cracks, so I was concentrating on being aware of my surroundings as I went.  I was happy gravity was helping me start my first mile.

After about 15 minutes, I was on my way up my first steep hill and suddenly it dawned on me: I never regret getting out there and DOING something. 

My run was still only a third of the way done and here I am getting all nostalgic over what running has brought to my life!

Great.  Maybe I should run by a friend’s house and ask for a tissue.

But in all seriousness, this is a very good thing for each of us to think about.  What are you going to let stand in your way?  What are you going to learn how to figure out so that you can keep going toward your goals?

I was lucky a number of years ago to work for a doctor who ended up being a friend as well.  I still remember the day he came out of an exam room after seeing an 85 year old woman.  I guess the two of them were discussing her life and he asked her if she was happy with what she had experienced over her eight and a half decades or if she had any regrets.  In response, she hit the arm of the chair and said “I wish I had said YES more!”

That lady and her saying that to her doctor has stayed with me ever since. 

I try to say YES to new experiences even if they scare me.  The way I see it, saying NO can be the scarier option.

It’s why I never regret getting out there: I’m saying YES.

What about you?

Feeling a bit scattered as I sit down to write today: I’ve got a couple things I’ve been meaning to say but none of them are really worth a full 500 word post… so I’ll just jot a few here and we’ll see if we can’t cobble something together in which you can find something  useful.

1. Hats off to my mom, reporting in from my sister’s place where my mom and dad are visiting to help my sister get ready for the Spring.  My mom says “For me personally, I just helped Dad hoist a 4×8′ sheet of pressed board up into [my sister]’s garage rafters, and I was far more concerned about his shoulder than anything to do with me.” Sweet!
2. Hats off to my dad, for returning after taking six boring months off of his 12 plus years of daily bootcamp routine for some shoulder surgery, and for his working hard to get his cardio capacity back to what it once was!  Every time I see him he reports how many additional laps he can get in around the track since the previous week.  Awesome!
3. Hats off to my parents’ friend, also a regular bootcamper, who is in her 70s and considers straight-legged pushups her “party trick”.  J  She just had some stomach surgery and was able to come home from the hospital within 24 hours of the surgery. Impressive on both counts!
4. Hats off to my bootcamper last year who won a trophy for being the first finisher at a stair climbing fundraiser at the Transamerica building… he made the (approximately) 50 flight climb in 6 minutes!!  (This year he wasn’t able to attend and the first finisher came in at 8 minutes!)
5. Hats off to my other bootcampers who joined in the fun this year at the Transamerica building… and they went up TWICE that morning, finishing their second trip 9 minutes FASTER than their first trip!
6. Hats off to one of my personal training clients who has mastered her fear of climbing hills!  I got an email report from her the other day that she and two of her friends spent the afternoon that day not only climbing her dreaded hill once, but TWO TIMES.  That makes me so happy for her!
7. Hats off to my teacher bootcampers for all the work they have been doing on themselves since September!  It is SO FUN to walk on campus and get stopped by other teachers.  Most conversations begin “are you the bootcamp lady?” and end up with huge massive compliments paid to how great the campers are looking and feeling and sounding as they embrace a more active life through exercise!!

Tell me why I should take my hat off to honor YOUR efforts!  I’m all ears!!!

I read the Joslin blog from a few weeks ago written by C. Ronald Kahn, MD about Obesity and Diabetes.  He writes about the importance of cutting insulin resistance as much as possible in both Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes.

It’s a frustratingly shallow article, overall.  Especially when it’s written by someone with such expertise!!

So here’s my take on some of the topics he mentions:

Cut down your body weight to decrease insulin resistance.  While the Joslin blog doesn’t explain why insulin resistance is considered harmful, I’m willing to pose a few ideas:

Insulin Resistance leads to elevated blood glucose, which in turn leads to damaged micro- and macro-vascular systems that lead to traditional complications of kidney and eye damage.

Excess Insulin removes free fatty acids from the bloodstream and sends them to your body’s fat storage cells.  This creates a circular cycle as added body weight in the form of increased fat stores also increases your body’s resistance to insulin.

Dr. Kahn also says the bottom line is what you see when you step on the scale.  I disagree.  I think the bottom line is somewhat more complicated than that.  I think your body composition matters quite a bit as well as your weight.

You need to increase or at the very least maintain your lean muscle mass if you want to keep yourself strong and healthy for the long haul.  As you age, your body begins to lose its lean muscle at the alarming rate of about 1/2% each year after the age of 25… and that loss doubles after the age of 60 UNLESS YOU STAY ACTIVE with exercise and resistance training.

(Because muscle is more compact than fat, you may be a muscular trim size 6 and weigh more than a weak flabby size 4.)  To maintain your body’s performance, you need to work at preserving and hopefully increasing the lean muscle you have.  It’s never too late to start!

Joslin says it’s important to work with your physician, nurse or dietician to lower your body weight to a healthy weight.  I would also like to jump up and down, wave my arms, and shout “WORK WITH A KNOWLEDGEABLE TRAINER, TOO, TO KEEP YOUR BODY WORKING AT ITS BEST!”

You know where to find me!