What's My Payoff..Really?

Since I am into bike riding my bike now, it got me curious..what's my payoff? What sort of benefits will I reap? I know one thing, my legs are tight and killing me. When I finish riding, I am worn out and cant more for 30 minutes so I gotta be doing something right. So, it had me snooping to find the benefits to bike riding and here's what I found. In an article from Healthy Women...
Bike riding lets you add a fitness activity into your day even when you think you don't have time for a workout. "You get the same cardiovascular benefits from cycling that you get from any other form of aerobic exercise—walking, jogging or dancing," says Lisa Callahan, MD, medical director of the Women's Sports Medical Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. "It can be a very effective cardiovascular benefit."
Your muscles get a boost, too. Bike riding strengthens your thighs, hips and rear end. If your route includes climbing hills, your arms and upper body will benefit as you stand to pedal. What's more, cycling is gentle on your joints and helps preserve cartilage. That's especially advantageous for women who suffer from muscle strain, foot problems, knee troubles, back pain or impact-related injuries caused by running, jogging or walking, Dr. Callahan explains.

So there ya have it..seems there are good benefits to biking, so if you are like me and can't walk..try biking. I have logged so many miles in this week and quality time with my kids too all by riding my bike. And ya know what, I dont care if I look like a round blob on a bike, Im having fun!

I always like to give a good tip, so here's one if you have knee pain while walking or bike riding. Walmart sells a knee support strap..not a brace but a strap. It goes just under the knee and its a strap. It's from the makers of Mueller and it is amazing to stop knee pain. It's under $5 too!!! Here's a pic..

Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

Don't you just wish you could wave a magic wand and the pounds just...poof? Well, here in the real world, it don't work that way, so we gotta start somewhere. My start began with pulling back what I ate (portion control) and drinking lots of water. For me however, it's now enough. Im flabby. Yes, I confessed it..I got dimples everywhere except where it's cute. So I need to exercise. Tone up. Iron out the old flab. Unfortunately as I said before, I cant walk long distances so someone suggested a bike.
Yesterday I bought a bike, It's nothing fancy. No bells (Oh I wish!) or whistles. It's just an old fashion bike with a large seat(Oh God, not large enough though).
Wow, it's been a long time since I rode a bike, but I guess once you learn you just don't forget. So off me and Toby went, riding. This kid is going to burn this flab off me one way or another. We rode 2 miles and let me say this, when I was finished, I literally thought my legs were made of rubber. I could NOT walk. Haha! Today we rode 2.5 miles and went adventure searching. It was fun! And I already feel the burn. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. But, I finally have a start again.
Those dimples aint gonna iron themselves. So, I got to start somewhere. I wont see a difference in a week, but soon..I will. I say all this to say, if you want results, you have to start somewhere. Pick something you enjoy, and start.

Here's my pretty new bike...

No Pain, No Gain

I have pain! Oh the pain! Since gaining back all my weight, I have had a lot of set backs to exercise. The most recent set back is, the pain in my feet are back and I have developed a heel spur. I find it funny, when I am not really able to exercise, that's when I want to.
 We just moved into a beautiful neighborhood and the streets are all lit up at night, and I discovered, with the heat, its actually very peaceful to walk at night. Plus, I work nights so things get very stressful here and if I get a break, a nice walk around the block is good to relieve the stress. The problem is, the next day when I wake, I can barely walk, and I am all swollen.
 For me, it's a catch 22. I need the exercise to lose the weight, but I need to lose some of the weight before I can exercise. Im looking into a bike when the finances will allow. That may help. And no one at night will see a crazy fat blonde circling the neighborhood 5 or 6 times riding a bike screaming, weeeee. Ya, it's been a while since I rode a bike, can ya tell?

                                                                                                                                                                 

OK, so here's a tip for today. I hear so many people say, I hate water. Well, if you wanna lose it, ya need to drink up and drink plenty. There is a product called Mio, that you squirt into you water for flavor. It's expensive so I discovered Walmart has a brand of their own. One flavor is called Cherry Limeade! Oh come on...who doesn't love Cherry Limeade?  And speaking of cherries, I have discovered a new love in fresh fruit. Fresh cherries. They taste just like a mini plum. It's good to try new things.

Im baaaack!

Well, my last blog here was 2 years ago. Wow! And..I think it's been that long since I actually was serious about losing weight again. Seems life got the best of me over the past few years, but I am back, and I am stronger than ever.
One thing I have learned, you aint gonna lose it unless you are either determined, committed (and not in the institutional kind of way, although...hmmm),serious, or scared into it for health reasons.
 It's amazing how tempted you can be, once you made up your mind to lose weight. In order to stay focused, you have to look the other way so many times. I just keep telling myself, I don't want to undo the progress I just did. In one day, I can undo a weeks worth of hard work. To me, at this point, its just not worth it. So..here I am, back to "Blogging Away The Blubber" and hoping someone may jump on board with me. I promise to make you laugh, think and give plenty of ideas along the way.
Some of you may know me from SugarFree Me. Wow, how I miss teaching those classes and all the people. I am not a novice when it comes to nutrition and weightloss. I, like so many others just lost my way. Let's just hope I have found it again. I hope to blog regularly again and post any tips I find on the way, and I love comments so if you have a tip..share away and I will pass it along.

Sabotage

I hate the weekends! I always seem to sabotage myself on the weekends. I see the weekends as "fun food times". I know, it's only a matter of changing my outlook, but that is at times easier said than done. Why couldn't I have just been born with a "skinny" gene? LOL
I've been reading a wonderful book about learning to love myself, and I read an amazing quote. It said, I need to challenge what I believe I am, especially the beliefs that limit the expression of my life. (Like how I treat myself with food) If I am constantly treating my body like a garbage disposal, what do I think of myself. Is that an expression of love? Eating crappy food is not a reward, it's a punishment! And It's definitely not an expression of love toward myself. When we love something, we treat it with care.
So, I continue to learn on this journey. I know as I learn to love myself unconditionally, I will take much better care of my body and what I put into it.

Changing Gears

I must confess something, but first apologize for not blogging much lately. Michael and I decided to redo our kitchen cabinets and it has consumed us just a little. I am so glad I am doing this though because  I am able to relate the transformation of my cabinets to my own personal life. It has been amazing! I feel I am being transformed as the cabinets are also transformed.
Now to my confession...I can no longer tolerate this HCG diet. This does not mean however that I am quitting, because I am not! I am only shifting gears to another plan. I am going on a more healthier plan for me. I truly am one who believes every "body" is different and so should be their diet. We are not "one size fits all" by no means! So therefore, neither should our diets be. I want to say however, please don't allow my opinion of the HCG diet effect your decision to try it. We all need to form our own opinions.
I will continue to post what I will be eating so you may follow my progress and continue to witness my weight loss progress.
The plan I will be doing, I have done before and had amazing progress with. I lost 67 pounds before I got pregnant with Toby. It's called Michael Thurman's 6 Week Body Makeover. Some of you may have heard of it. If you want more information on it, just post a comment and I can help you with it.
Tomorrow I will post my meals and explain more about the plan.

Day 19 Admitting To Failure

For the past several days I have had an unexpected, yet pleasant house guest. This is the reason I haven't blogged in several days. When you have guests stay with you, you tend to eat out at some point, or at least we do. I have to admit I cheated several times because of eating out. I do have regrets, of course. But, the beauty of falling is, you get back up! My plan is to get right back on that horse and keep on riding.With the help of my friend, I learned a lot about myself over the past few days. She helped me see why I do some of the things I do.

I must admit, I am scared to get on the scale tomorrow. I don't doubt I have gained so I know it's crack down time for me. Look, we all flub at some point in our diets, don't we? I am willing to be completely transparent and admit I cheated. Before, I used to hide it. The beauty of it is, we learn from it. I must say, I feel miserable right now, not mentally...but physically. I feel like a stuffed pig! I hate that feeling. Thankfully, it will only be temporary! Tomorrow is a new day!

For the sake of my dignity, I wont post what I have been eating the past few days. LOL