What a difference a week makes

Sorry I am a little late on my week one check in but things have changed so much during the week that I didn't have a chance to write it all down.

February 9th kicked off the Biggest Loser challenge that I signed up for. Mac and I went on a huge shopping trip on Sunday and I cooked lots of food up front to make the very strict "Take Off" easier. I had hoped to go to the first training class on Monday morning but didn't get out on time so I waited and went that evening. I was walking in blind. No one had told me where to go or what to do. I finally figured out the group standing around in the back was where I was supposed to be. There was a trainer that had set up several stations for everyone. The plan was to do each station for 30-45 seconds and then rotate to the next. After one complete rotation, we took a breather and then did it again. There were more participants than expected so he had to quickly create a few new spots. The workout was tough but good. I was a little annoyed with how disorganized everything felt at the beginning but I soon learned I was not alone in that feeling.

After we finished the workout, Cedric, the head trainer, came to speak to everyone. He wanted to give us a chance to have a one on one session with him to find our best fit and discuss things more.  I signed up for a time just before lunch on Wednesday and went home. The diet was brutal. I was having horrible headaches mostly from caffeine withdrawal. I was having a hard time eating all of the protein especially since it was so bland. By Tuesday night, I was hating the food restrictions and wondering if I was going to make the full 15 days.

Wednesday I went in for my one on one with Cedric. I really loved the way the personal training session went and finally felt like I was fitting. He talked with me about my goals and where I was coming from. When I told him I was a runner and had done 11 half marathons, he said it was awesome and that we needed to work on my strength training to help me burn more calories, faster. I was so happy to hear that. When I went in for my initial assessment for the challenge, they told me absolutely no weight training for the first 3 months and that was discouraging. Having someone who understood where I was coming from and wanting to help me succeed made me feel great. He then asked me about the diet and said he didn't want me following the extremes it called for at first. I was so relieved. He wants me to eat normally, more or less, for the first month so that they can see what my regular eating habits are and help me make small but affective changes as we move forward. I'm not going back to the way I was eating but I am also not torturing myself anymore.

I was a little disappointed when I found out that continuing with the personal training sessions would cost more but I was not surprised. It is a big monetary commitment but it was the cheapest I have ever seen per session. They offer a discount for the Biggest Loser participants and that made it the most affordable I have ever seen. I wanted to talk to Mac about it so Cedric let me take the info home and scheduled another free session for me on Friday.  Mac and I talked about it for a while and he went with me to the Friday session so he could ask any questions he had and help me decide. After Friday's workout, we sat down and discussed things more and I decided to sign up for a year of personal training sessions. As much as I loved my sessions with Cedric, I will be working with a different trainer. This coming week is the trial period for my possible trainer Margaret. Cedric thinks she will be a good fit because she is a runner and can really help me. She is from Estonia and can come off as very intense but he assured me that she is a great trainer and he thinks it will work out. If not, there are other trainers I can try. Today was my first session with her. She is tough but good. She understands my running which is a great help. I think the big things is going to be agreeing on my nutrition, but we will see how it goes.

I was already excited about the possibilities but now that I will be working with a personal trainer as well, I am really looking forward to what this year will bring.

Unexpected help may be just what I need

I have recently taken the first steps to hopefully getting back on the right track and losing the weight I regained last year and this time I will have a little help.

Last weekend I received a postcard from a local gym that was looking for participants for a biggest loser program. I sent in an email and received a call on Monday. I thought that it was just something the gym was doing but once I went in for the meeting on Tuesday, I found out that it is actually a program run by THE Biggest Loser. They have a program that allows gyms to apply to host an affiliate program. Once approved, they send a regional rep to the area for the selection process. It is open to anyone that needs to lose from 15 to 100+ pounds and it is a 9 month program. After a few questions to make sure I qualified, the program was explained to us and we had the option to sign up. Participants cover the monthly gym cost but that is it, all other regular fees are waived. We didn’t have to buy any supplements or special foods, we just had to commit to the program. We were giving a nutritional plan that includes a 15 day "Take Off" and then guidelines for the rest of the program. Participants must commit to working out at least 3 times a week for 60 minutes. They have a list of regular classes available to choose from and then they have a special schedule set just for participants that allow you to take a smaller class with much more personalized coaching. Everything starts with a body assessment that takes measurements, calculates body fat percentage and pictures to visually track progress. This assessment is repeated every 12 weeks with a regular weigh in once a week.

 The program kicks off on Monday and the first 15 days are called the "take off" of the food plan. It is going to be TOUGH! There is a list of things I can't have during that time. It is designed to shock your system and get you ready for the long term changes. The big restrictions are no added sugars, no dairy, no added salt and mostly no carbs. The only starches I can eat are brown rice or sweet potato, which I have to have 8 ounces of either one every day and since I am not a fan of sweet potato, I will be eating brown rice every day. The nutrition is based on cleaner eating habits which I have adopted in the past. It will be hard but once I make it through the take off period, it is much more manageable. The regular nutrition includes cleaner foods and a sensible diet during the week with the weekends off. That makes it all that much easier to live with. There is no long term deprivation just keeping it clean and healthy during the week and not going overboard on the weekend.

Here is the list of "No-Nos " for the first 15 days

Once you make it through hell, I mean the Take Off, this is the suggested foods to include in your diet.

Thursday I went in and had my initial assessment and it was a huge wake up call. I knew how much I weighed but seeing the body fat percent really hurt. I have a long way to go but I am very hopeful that this process will help me get there. When they took the before pics, I had to keep myself from laughing. I was hoping for some good quality pictures to document my journey but they used a disposable camera and stuck us in a corner of the gym. I will be taking my own before and after photos with my good camera so that I have something of quality if I can pull this off this time.   Sunday, Mac and I will go shopping to get lots of produce because I need to eat 5 servings of veggies and 3 servings of fruit every day. We already have plenty of chicken breasts and ground turkey, as well as some fresh deer meat from my dad. Figuring out the food during the first 15 days will be tricky. I hate that Valentine's Day falls within that Take Off period but it's not that big of a deal to us so it will be fine. The hardest part will be if I go down to Disney to cheer for the Princess Half. That will be torture because the 15 days will end right after I return. Monday I will go in for my first workout class. I am going to try to go to the program focused classes since they will be smaller and geared towards our individual needs.

For the first few weeks, I will just stick to hitting the gym for my required sessions. I may go in a few extra times but I want to see what they can do for me first. Once I am adjusted to the new routine, I will slowly start adding running back into my schedule as well as hopefully adding weight training.  The program will end the Monday after the Wine and Dine Half Marathon, which Mac and I are planning to run this year. I think this is very fitting because I want to be in much better shape by then. I will use it as a sort of redemption race. Since it is at night, it will be perfect for me. Right now, my plan is for Wine and Dine to be my next half. I will still probably do some races but nothing over a 10K until Wine and Dine. It feels so weird for me to not have a major race on my schedule for the next 9 months, but I think that will be best. I think this will allow me to focus on my over all health and fitness and build a stronger running base so that I will be more successful in the future.

I'm really excited about this opportunity but I am also scared to death. I don't want to screw it up. I want to get it right this time. I want to make a lasting change. I am going to try to do a weekly check in post after my weigh-ins so you will all know how things are going and you can help keep me accountable. I have been wanting to make a big change for so long and I knew that I needed help but I was too scared or ashamed to ask for it. I really hope that this program will be the thing I needed to get things moving in the right direction. I am excited to see where this year will take me and what kind of runner I will be in the end.