Shrinking Shelli

I was so pumped. I couldn’t wait to get to the gym tonight to start my C25K program. I got there, I tied my shoes on tight and I started out. I got half way through and I thought I was going to die. It wasn’t the lungs, my lungs could totally handle it. My back had been killing me all day on the lower left side, kind of by my hip. It didn’t help to run. Every step felt like a jolt of electricity on that side. I think I tied my shoes too tight. My feet were killing me. And finally, my boobs were threatening to jump ship.

I am not defeated. I’m still going to do this. I just need to regroup. I need to get better shoes. I need a decent sports bra. And I need to recover my back. Or something. Don’t count me out.

P.S. Apparently this is my second “I Suck” post. That’s really pathetic.

I choose not to diet. I choose to Live-it. Even though it sounds cliche, this is a lifestyle change for me. I am trying to get healthy and, yes, of course, I’d like the getting thin thing to come along with that. So, I tell people that I am live-it-ing. Diet is a four letter word. I’m not doing this to die, I’m doing this to LIVE.

Last week, I talked about one of the tools that I am using and that was my Fitbit. I am still in love with it, by the way. But, I thought, I have a lot more things that I use to get me going, keep me inspired, help me track what I eat, what I’m doing and how I’m progressing. I thought I’d share them because maybe there is someone out there who is like me and is searching for ways to find a little bit of help on the journey to a better, healthier life.

First, and foremost, I am and probably always will be a Weight Watcher. Their program is easy and helpful. I have my group of friends there that I have known for years and we see each other on Saturday mornings and some of them meet me at the YMCA at least once and sometimes twice a week. It’s sort of like AA for me. Only for weight loss. I need my weekly meeting. In addition to Weight Watchers meetings, I use their eTools for tracking, recipes, ideas, information and inspiration.

I also use a couple other weight loss websites that I like to refer to as Facebook for people who are losing weight. Those are Sparkpeople and MyFitnessPal. I’ve belonged to SparkPeople for a couple years and I just joined MyFitnessPal. They both have different attractions for me. SP I like for the community support and for the way they get you coming every day and reward you for doing that and other things on the site. You can “huddle”, visit other SparkFriends, join groups of like-minded people or people who have similar struggles (for me a couple of them are an ankylosing spondylitis group and an autoimmune disease group), get and give SparkGoodies, blog and the list goes on. MFP is newer to me, but one of the reasons I joined was that it was recommended for tracking your running on the C25K site that I read (I’ll talk more about that in a minute). I like that MFP lets you make your food diary public because I need the accountability and tips that I can gain from someone looking at my food tracker. So, I’ll probably share my food diary with you all from time to time (don’t look yet, there’s nothing there–I’ll start there tomorrow). Having so many ways to track my food and my exercise (Weight Watchers, MFP and Fitbit) helps me get different information and be more objective. And, like I’ve said before, I need the motivation to track because it has always been my weakness.

Tomorrow (Monday) I plan to start the couch to 5K program, aka: C25K. I have searched and searched the web and the most inspirational and complete web program that I found was the Couch to 5K website. You can probably find everything that he has on his site all over the web, but he’s compiled it all in one spot and there is so much inspiration there. I can’t wait to get started.

Finally, the following blogs are my inspiration. I follow them. I read them when I’m down or need a little pick me up. The help me when I’m feeling like this is going oh. so. slow. When I’m tired or sick or sick and tired, I turn to them. I keep hoping that one of them will reach out to me and coach me along, but even if they don’t, I gain from just reading their blogs. Some are more inspirational than others, but they’re all worth a read.

I realize that this may make it look like I am obsessed, but I like to keep looking, keep searching for more information and try to find new ways to keep this journey fresh and inspirational.

Created by MyFitnessPal – Free Calorie Counter

Let me preface this post by saying that this is NOT a paid post. I am not making a dime, nor am I getting any product by talking about this topic. This is just me sharing with you something that I have found that is really cool and beneficial to me.

One of the tools I’m using on my fitness journey is called Fitbit. Some of you may have heard of similar tools like the Bodybuggor Bodymedia. I’ll be honest, I chose the Fitbit because of cost. First of all, the initial price is much cheaper (by about $100-$200) than the others at $99. (I used money that I got from Christmas to purchase mine.) Second, they don’t hold your data hostage by only making it available to you if you pay for the premium membership, or charge you extra for online access to food libraries/food tracking. You automatically have access to food journals, activity logging, goal setting, forums and online communities of people with similar goals, interests, backgrounds, etc. as you may have. There are extras that you can get by signing up for their premium membership (which is only $49.99/year), but I have been using it with just basic and so far that is enough for me.

So, what does the Fitbit do? I wear it clipped to the center of my bra, but you can wear it on your waistband or in your pocket. I chose to wear it in my bra because I’ve had the unfortunate experience of losing something in the toilet when I was going to the bathroom and I don’t want to have that happen if I can avoid it. At night, I wear it on a wristband while I sleep. It measures my activity level (inactive, lightly active, fairly active and very active), my steps, the miles I’ve walked, and the calories I’ve burned. It provides me with a place to upload my food intake and it analyzes the data to show me if I’m moving enough and to inspire me to move more and at a greater intensity. It also tracks how long it takes me to fall asleep, how long I’ve slept and the efficacy of my sleep; it can actually tell how many times I’ve woken up during the night! Whenever I’m within 15 feet of the base (which doubles as a charger when it’s running low on juice) it wirelessly syncs my data.

Here’s an example of some of the stats:

Now, you get back only what you put into them. By that I mean that you have to be active and you have to log your food, etc. You can see when I was at home, either on the weekend or when I was sick, I wasn’t as active and there are times when I probably didn’t journal my food as diligently as I should have. (I’ve circled or highlighted them in green.) Overall, though, it gives you a snapshot of how you are doing and, like I’ve said, it inspires me to do more. It really encourages me to track my food and I really need encouragement in that area as it is something I can’t seem to make myself do very often. Since having the Fitbit, I’ve been much better and more consistent about tracking.

I’m really excited about this and it’s really opened my eyes to calorie intake and burn. I hope that the excitement and inspiration that it has brought doesn’t fade.

And so it is. I am changing. This blog has gone through stages of dormancy as of late. Part of that is because I am changing. What once was a blog of grief and depression and dealing with those things is perhaps going to become something entirely different and, yet, similar. I have been focusing my life, or trying to focus my life, on getting healthier. I have felt like that people don’t want to hear about it here which is why I haven’t written much. But, here’s the thing…it’s me. It’s who I am right now and I feel like I need to blog it. Write it. Breathe it. Live it. Fight for it. It’s always on my mind and, if you wanna know about who I am, right now that’s who I am. Of course there will be the occasional post about some other aspects of my life, but mostly it will be about me. About me getting healthy. About me learning to love myself and the body I reside in. About me learning how I work and how to work harder to live a longer and more fulfilling healthy life. If it’s not what you want to read, I will miss your presence here. Truly. If you choose to stick with me and cheer me on, I thank you from the bottom of my heart, because I know I’m going to need cheerleaders along the way.

With all that in mind, I’m thinking of changing the title of this blog (not the URL, just the title) to Shelli Shrinks. What do you think? It has positive imagery for me. I need a positive image.