Let's Get Serious

by Cara


What a struggle it has been! The last 3 weeks have not been my best, I will admit that. I might have already even mentioned that I am not doing well, just maintaining. Which is something right?


I need some accountability. I need to get back to setting weekly goals. I need action. I am feeling that lazy creeping on me. Today, was my first shift back in dispatch at AMR in about 2 months. I forgot how painful sitting for 12 hours feels. Sure I am sitting at my new job too, but for some reason at AMR there is pain, maybe its the pain of not being there full time that actually hurts my heart and soul but my legs and back were killing me today. So just when I started to feel the aches, I stood up and did a few minutes of squats and side lunges then some tricep-dip toe touches. Anyway. I will remind everyone reading and I will remind myself, NO ONE SAID THIS WAS EASY...if it was I would have already tackled it. 


With that said, using that as an excuse is no longer viable. If it is hard then deal with it. Last week, I only got 2 workouts in. I tracked food only 1 day. And only had one good night of sleep. I did wear my Body Media Fit CORE armband everyday. And I thought about working out...NOT GOOD ENOUGH.


Back to Basics, Weekly Goals:


*4 workouts: Monday w/ Michael. Thursday Treading at 24. Friday w/ Michael. Sunday Twin Peaks Hike. (work Tues. Wed. & Sat.)


*Track all food intake w/ MyFitnessPal--1600 calories per day


*Drink 3 Nalgeen bottles of H2O everyday


*(new goal)Find a spin class to add into the workout rotation 


There are a lot of things coming up. Tomorrow is never any better than today. So as I prepare for this week ahead and the month ahead my goals continue to grow. To everyone looking for inspiration, or that spark to get going or to keep going, its here, its there, it is within anyone who wants it.


Shout Outs: 
My husband, Ryan, is getting his butt in gear too. He is hitting the gym 2-3 nights (or more) every week. He is using the NIKE FUEL Band, and he is my support. I am so proud of him for all the hard work he is putting in. 


Betty: I really cherish our double sessions with Michael. Such a smart way to get fit together.


Nicole: thank you for taking care of my babies. It is hard for me to leave them and I feel guilt leaving them with you and guilt in taking your time. You know how important this is to me, and I really truly appreciate it.


Menne & Angie Bee: I am actually a little jealous of your runs. I am not kidding I really want in.


Fongster and Amanda: I love chatting about what works and getting fit. Thank you for talking with me and fueling my fire for health and fitness.


Michael: thank you for believing in me. 

Dog Days Are Over

"Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind you
Can't carry it with you if you want to survive"

-Florence And The Machine "Dog Days Are Over"

By Cara

This song takes me right back to The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge in Malibu. Hard to believe that it was over 3 months ago that I was there. Hard to believe how hard I have worked and how far I have come since then. Forty pounds later and I can see such an amazing difference in my entire life.

Today, Brianne and I met with Michael Friedman our personal trainer. We spent 50 minutes in the 24 hour Fitness Spin room. I have never in my life done a spin class. I did today. Just the 3 of us, an empty room of bikes and an awesome play list. Michael is currently training for an Iron Man, which is amazing in itself, but he clearly knows how to plan music to workout to. He taught us how to pedal to the music, allowing the beats to determine the speed of the pedals. Michael got us about 3 quarters of the way through our workout and asked us to focus on the bike and for the next 3 minutes we would close our eyes and listen to his cues. First, think of someone who you know cannot pedal a bike, someone who might have a disability or just is not able to be on a bike. Next, think about who we were 3 months ago, on our first day at the resort. We were pedaling for that person that we were. And lastly, 1 minute pedaling for who we are now, for the strong and the able and for who we are striving to be. WOW!!! What an amazing class we had today. I am so thankful for the chance to train with a trainer, but Michael takes us to another level. I feel like I am pushed hard and I am so thankful for that. 

As I get stronger both physically and mentally I can feel myself push harder, sweat more and feel more accomplished with each workout. I have been getting down on myself, because I have stalled a little in my weight loss. I want to say it was working night shifts for two weeks, or maybe the freaking girl scout cookie season, but there are no excuses. For me it is about tracking my food and getting in 3-4 workouts per week. In the end when I feel like I am failing,  I remind myself that I still have lost 40 lbs...40 POUNDS. That's some good work. I look forward to where I will be even 6 months from now. And to all of you: keep up the hard work. It's not easy, but no one said it would be.

This is my favorite outside workout. One hour hike to Twin Peaks. I am also really liking planking. So Ryan took these pictures of me on Twin Peaks on Sunday. He's a great workout partner too!

{One Hundred Days}

by Betty

Hundred days, feels like a long time when I say it out loud, but in just 100 days, I have lost 50 pounds. I recognize that this is just the start of my journey and that I have a weight loss goal that is still pretty far away, but WOW! FIFTY POUNDS. Cara spoke about our journey beginning back on November 27^th which was 100 days ago. In 100 days, I have changed my entire life. In 100 days, I see things completely differently. In just 100 days, I have taken control of an addiction that was completely out of control. And in 100 days, I have become a girl that believes in herself and the tenacity she has inside her. I am humbled by the experiences and stories I have from these last 100 days, but most of all, I am astounded by the support I have around me. It is in our nature as humans to find each other in the darkest of times and come together to make it through, but to actually feel it first hand is like nothing I have ever known. I have never been more thankful for the people in my life. I have gone back and forth through my years pushing people away. I have always struggled with vulnerability, but I have never been more vulnerable than after committing to this blog. Even more than accountability, this blog reminds me of the blessed life I am able to live every day. I have never felt truly worth the unconditional love and support that I have felt these last 100 days. I know that a huge part of my 50 pound loss comes from the support of the people I have in my life and I do not believe there will ever be words that fully describe the appreciation I have for them.

I decided on November 27, 2011 that my weight loss journey was about life and death. Should I have chosen to not do anything about my health, I know without reservation that I would not have lived very well or very long. I am 31 years old and 100 days ago I felt 71 years old. I wasn’t living. I was dying. In 100 days, I have completely changed how I feel. Today, I am living. Though, I do not hide how hard this journey is for me, I am constantly reminded its brilliance as well. I feel so much better. I feel the weight loss off my knees, back and feet. I feel clean from the water and fresh food. My mind is clearer and my heart is full. More than that, I know what kind of life I want. I want to wake up every morning to live as a dedicated, motivated, compassionate person for this world. I will continue to live in the present, be thankful for the past, and look forward to the future.

As I have said before, the last 100 days have not included pills, powders, deprivation, surgery or magical spells. I have just eaten less and moved more. I am mindful of every moment every day.

Shout Out’s:

I am blessed to have many strong women in my life. Two of which are Gretchen Jackson and Christine Owner.

                  Gretchen…HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I want you to know I have admired you from the moment I met you and feel so lucky to learn from you. You inspire me to be patient and thoughtful. I am so grateful for our friendship and your support.

                  Christine…this is a long overdue shout out. There is no one like you. I feel so honored to share our conversations of designer fashion, beauty secrets, handbags, relationships and Bali. You are a strong, lovely woman who lives fully and I aspire to be the same.

“There is time for work and time for love. That leaves no other time.” –Coco Chanel (Christine has this quote engraved in a bracelet she wears and I adore it).

To my support group…you know who you are…(and if you don’t, read my previous blog post shout outs and future ones too:)…I am who I am today because I feel worth it. I feel worth it because of the people in my life. Sharing life with the family I was born into and the friends that I was destined to love is all I have ever and will ever want. There will never be a moment where I am not inspired to live this life as I am surrounded by such unconditional love, support, humor, intelligence and thoughtfulness. You are all paving the path I walk (and sometimes jog) on this journey and I will forever be grateful.

You and I by Lady Gaga is one of my favorite tunes right now. I dedicate it to you. 

“You and I
You, you and I
You, you and I
You, you and I, I
You and I
You, you and I
Oh yeah!
I'd rather die
Without you and I

C'mon!
Put your drinks up!

We got a whole lot of money, but we still pay rent
'Cause you can't buy a house in Heaven
There's only three men that I'm a serve my whole life
It's my daddy and [San Francisco] and Jesus Christ”

Last, but not least…To me: You have lost 50 pounds. Believe in yourself. Trust the process. Change forever. I love you more than bread and butter.

Tips:

I was told at the Resort by Jessica the nutritionist that I shouldn’t need to take a mutli-vitamin if I am eating the right food. The right foods have all the nutrients and vitamins you need. I ventured out for my weekend shopping trip and tried to select a couple different foods to ensure I get what I need. Tonight, I made a dish with kale. Food is fuel.

Have fun! No I mean, like real fun. Friday night my sisters and I took my mom to see the play Mamma Mia. We ate, we drank and we danced. Enjoy all your days.

“Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, I've been brokenhearted
Blue since the day we parted
Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know,
My my, I could never let you go.”-ABBA

Fuel for the Fire

This journey started for Brianne and I on Sunday, November 27, 2011. We have been doing this now for 3 months (which is 14 weeks or 98 days). When we began we had each other. We went to the Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge Malibu with each other as our support because we knew that in order to do this well we would need each other once we returned home. Those two weeks were the best money and time that we have spent on ourselves. And when we returned we returned on a lasting high of weight loss and energy and excitement. We did well, we pushed ourselves harder than we ever had, and we had time to invest in our well being. Being "Survivors" of the Fitness Ridge program was enough to help make what we learned stick and last through the first month home.

I have to say that the people that we met at the resort have made the experience that much more amazing. We are surrounded by people who dedicated time to themselves and invested in themselves the way we did. We have so much support from the other guests that were there, but we also now have an amazing network of trainers, a life coach, and former Biggest Loser NBC Contestants that we can access with questions ALL the time. 

Week 1 at BLR. We thought we would die, but survived to tackle a second week. The people in these photos continue to inspire us.

As we get further and further away from our stay at the resort that empowered and successful feeling is getting smaller and smaller. We came home feeling so accomplished and feeling like we were unstoppable. As we started tackling it on our own, trying to make real life schedules work with our plans of weight loss and training, it was clear that this was not going to be as easy as it was for the two weeks we were at the resort. 

For the past month this journey has seemed to take a turn for me. I am not tracking my food the way I was and I am not as strict on my workouts. Yes, we took a huge step of introducing a personal trainer to the mix. And I have to say that Michael has made an impact, if I didn't have him I might not be where I am right now. He pushes me harder than I can push myself and he can even see when I question my ability and he helps me believe. It might be the most important part of my journey right now...believing that I can keep doing this.

And lastly the journey comes full circle because I am now giving eating and fitness tips to other people. Really, I have a long journey ahead (about 60 more pounds to lose). Last night I had the chance to talk to an old co-worker and friend who has just started this tough journey. We talked food, mental ques to help get through the tough moments, and working out. I sat there and was talking about what my life has become and I realized that in sharing this with someone else that spark from the resort is smoldering and when I can give someone else advice or just tell them what works for me it throws a little fuel on my fire, and I am reminded I still have it. I might have moments or weeks that aren't my best but I do have a tried and true routine and process that I can go back to because I know how to do it and I know it works. So I close this post with thanks to my friends and family and encourage anyone reading to ask questions or ask for advice because helping you means I am also helping myself!