Mission SLIMpossible Follow Up #2 °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

Trying to lose weight can sometimes be a real mind-trip.  I was in my boot camp class Wednesday in which we have a dozen exercise stations that we rotate through, that are scattered throughout the space.  When the timer sounds, we all move to the next station and do that exercise.  The 5^th station was facing a huge floor to ceiling mirror.  So I was forced to watch myself from beginning to end for a solid five minutes. 

This was not good for my self-esteem.

As you have read by now, my total weight loss has been 22 pounds.  I have lost enough that friends and co-workers are noticing and are commenting (my favorite one was "You've done something different to your hair, didn't you?").  My clothes are obviously fitting looser, but when you are still 60-80 pounds overweight, without a lot of gym-floor coordination and your shirt sticks to your body because you are drenched in sweat, that doesn’t help to provide much of a morale boost. 

To make matters more uncomfortable, I am the only overweight boot camper in the class.  It appears most of the members at this gym studio are female, around 24, perky bodies dressed in juicy couture, seem to be in perfect shape and never break a sweat.  Compared to them, I’m like Mr. Snuffleupagus, loping around the room.

All self-deprecation and shortage of self-esteem aside, as awkward as I feel in these classes, nothing is going to stop me from seeing myself through this goal.  Sure I have my challenges; I tend to get dizzy or hyperventilate when I over exert, and it feels like it’s taking forever for that to improve, but I am seeing improvement, slowly but surely (and I had to lay my old jeans to rest… they don’t even stay up with a belt any more).  Not only that, but I will never cross paths with those perky dancercisers again.

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The upside to the mind trip is this; the rocks that you see in the photo above are very symbolic for me.  Every time I hiked the Perimeter Trail of Piestewa Peak, and made it to the point that is referred to as the “Saddle”(this is the top to me; the trail continues over the saddle, but it goes back down and around the mountain), I would search for a small, white rock for a souvenir.  I even have a set of "rules" in place; I can't take a rock from anywhere except the very top, however, if I find a rock on the way up, I can carry it up and leave it in a hidden spot for the next time I climb.  I have a secret stash of a dozen rocks waiting to go home with me now.

But I digress...  these twenty-odd stones represent the twenty-odd pounds that I have lost so far. I certainly didn’t lose one pound on each climb, but they collectively stand for the weight that I am leaving behind on the Piestewa Peak trail.  Hopefully, when I’ve finished this journey I will have a collection of one hundred rocks.  It will be nice to see them displayed in a glass container so that I can think back on how many times I struggled with making it up that steep slope, always trying to beat my time from the last time I hiked.

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Back to the mind trip...  Today's official weigh in does not give me a lot of confidence.  It's only a 1 pound loss in 2 weeks.  I'm hoping this is not a plateau since it's been four months into my journey, and maybe the next weigh in will show a greater loss.

Official weigh in

Highest weight: 275 (January 1, 2012)

Previous weigh in: 250 (April 16th, 2012)

Current weigh in: 249 (April 30th, 2012)

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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What if You Could Be a Different Person? °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

Have you ever dreamt about running away from your life, and starting somewhere else, brand new?  A fresh start, but maybe this time you're a different person.  Maybe you'll change your hair color and style, maybe buy some colored contacts so that your eyes are blue instead of green.  Maybe you'll drop 80 pounds before you arrive so you can really change your appearance!

 

I'm not talking about impersonating, or stealing someone's identity.  I'm talking about making changes in your life that you may have been too frightened, or intimidated, or just not sure you could even pull off. You hear about people who have been in traumatic accidents, who then begin speaking with a foreign dialect, or even foreign language, but what if you could do it by choice?

And if you're going to change your looks, while you're at it why not change your personality? Maybe you know that you have a habit of showing up late, or twisting your hair, or laughing a little too loudly at dumb jokes.  Making a major move and starting over someplace new would be a perfect opportunity to make these kinds of adjustments.

 

Maybe even go by a new name, or nickname. Something you've always liked, but never caught on for some reason.

 

Maybe you've lived in the same part of town for years, and you're just tired of your job-you're not making a lot of money, there are no promotions on the horizon, and you're just sick of the politics. In fact, maybe you hate your job.  If you had the chance to move to a new state, a new part of the country, maybe things would be different…

 

I have all of these thoughts.  Some of them I will never do, but it still fun to run with the idea.

 

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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You Know Everything About Disney! (Part 2 of 2) °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

(Continued itinerary)

On the other side of the park is Tomorrowland.  Make sure you don’t miss the Small World ride on your way there.  The best rides for kids in Tomorrowland is the Little Nemo Submarine ride, Astro Blasters (it’s a Buzz Lightyear themed shooting ride), Captain EO (Michael Jackson 3D movie), and Autopia.  They also have a fun outdoors Star Wars show for kids; they bring up 10 or 12 kids to learn how to be Jedi’s.

Speaking of Small World… If you are going to catch a parade while you are there, try to see it in the curb area in front Small World.  It gets very crowded on Main Street, and you won’t need to walk all the way across the park to get back.

The rides I would avoid for young kids are: Star Tours (very shaky and causes motion sickness), the rollercoasters (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, etc.), The Mad Tea Party (just spins for 5 minutes). I would AVOID “Innoventions”-it’s a walk-through display about futuristic inventions and is very boring.

Something to remember is that there is a train that circles the park all day long.  If you need to go from one land to another, use the train!  You will love the ride, and your feet will love you! There are 5 or 6 stops all around the park.

Something else to see is Pixie Hollow to meet Tinkerbell.  Once you enter the area, you are the size of a fairy and you can take pictures and chat with Tink and her friends.

One last thing is that you should check into is using the Fast Passes. On certain rides (usually the adult ones like Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, etc., but Pirates and Winnie Pooh does, too), you use your ticket to scan the bar code on the back. It will print out a ticket with a time range printed on it.  When you return to the ride during that time frame you get to move to the head of the line.  These are FREE, and will save a LOT of time standing in line if there are rides you want to go on. The map you get when you enter the park will tell you what rides offer Fast Passes. 

Have fun at the park!  I wish I was there with you!

What do you think, Mouseketeers?  Did I steer her right with things to do for children under the age of five?  What other attractions would you guide her family to?

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Mission SLIMpossible Follow Up #1 °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

I started my weight-loss journey on January 1^st of this year.  For the most part, I have really committed to sticking to the diet and the exercise, so I have been losing. My mind is set on the fact that working out is a part-time job, and I don’t want to get fired for missing work!

I am really a fan of the outdoors, and being outside as much as possible, and I especially love to exercise outdoors. We are fortunate that Phoenix has mountain ranges right in the center of town, so I have been able to leave work in the afternoon, and be hiking a nearby mountain within 20 minutes.  One of the biggest challenges I think I face, however, is keeping up with the program during the summer months.  Phoenix is a lot like Orlando in that the summer heat is unbearable.  We may not have the humidity of Central Florida, but the scorching sun can drain you of your strength in just about 10 to 15 minutes, especially when the temperature rises up to 115° on a regular basis.  Air conditioning and climate control is required to live in the Sonoran Desert, much less to work out in.  I don’t know how I’ve managed to survive 28 summers here! (In fact, just last summer, Phoenix hit a state record of the greatest number of 110° or higher days ever recorded: 33 days!)

I guess the best solution to this problem would be to join a gym.  I wouldn’t mind that, but Mark and I are truly saving every single penny and nickel that we are able to. We have cut all unnecessary expenses and a gym membership is just not in the budget.  So I have to be creative.

In trying to formulate a plan to beat the temptation of taking a break from working out between May and Mid-October I set up a spare room in the house to store an elliptical cross-trainer, and a treadmill, so I’ve got my at-home work-outs covered.  When I have no other option, I will do my cardio in front of the air conditioner in the spare bedroom.

But I have found other options.  One day I received a Groupon offer by email.  If you don’t know, Groupon is a deal-of-the-day website that is localized to your zip code.  I have purchased dinners out, gift certificates to Amazon.com, even a Kindle Fire leather case, all for at least half off. This one was for 30 boot camp classes, for $18.  After reading the details of the offer, I decided to go for it.  The price was more than right, and I need the intensity that these classes assured me I would get. 

It turns out that this was the best purchase with the best value that I have made in a very long time.

I have only used 10 classes out of the 30 that I get to use.  I have to use them all by June 30^th, so I schedule two every week, usually a Tuesday and Thursday, and I hike the perimeter trail of Piestawa Peak on Mondays and Fridays after work.  This schedule helps me to avoid the boredom of doing the same thing day after day, and I am exercising HARD four times a week.

Just last week, I found another private gym membership; this one was $20 for unlimited use for the month of July.  I’m keeping my eye out for great Groupon deals to keep me working out in a gym for the rest of the summer.

Official weigh in

Highest weight: 275 (January 1, 2012)

Previous weigh in: 252 (April 16th, 2012)

Current weigh in: 250 (April 30th, 2012) 

Total pounds lost: 25

Would you like to join me on this journey?  You don't need to pick up everything and move to the other side of the United States, but we can compare weight loss successes if you want to be a support for each other. Let me know!

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken

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Mission SLIMpossible! °o° *•._.•* ' *•._.•* °o°

Just a few months ago, around the end of the year, I was taking my lunch break, sitting outside on a bench where I am often alone for the entire half hour.  Left to my own thoughts, I was repeating in my head again and again; “I have to get out of here”.  Of course, at the time I am thinking about my mundane, mental-stimulation-free job, but it applies to other things as well-not the least of all the city I live in, but also the body that I occupy as well.

I’m big on mantras and affirmations, even though they are not always warm and fuzzy or Confucius-like, they still work for me and they keep me motivated during moments of weakness.  I will often make up post-it notes with short phrases like, “Give that chicken fat BACK to the chicken” (referencing an old exercise song I used to listen to when I was a kid), or “You can always eat dessert LATER”, and “Don’t quit until you puke, faint, or die!”.  One of my favorite post-its is “Commit the crime… do the time”. All of these reminders serve to help me to keep my eye on my past, as I look toward the future.

Right around Christmas, I wrote a journal entry that I just found.  It reads, "I don't want to go to Florida this overweight.  This move is meant to be a new start to a new life.  I need to commit myself 100% to making the result something positive and uplifting for me and my future.  This means I really can't bring bad habits or other previous obstacles along for the ride.  Overcome them NOW, so that the new life is just that, a NEW LIFE!"

I made those words into a banner and posted it on the door next to my treadmill.  I see it every day now, and it is the ultimate motivation for me.  I have lost weight before, and quit after a few months.  This is my last chance to commit to the process fully before I get involved in the distractions of moving, something I know will be time consuming and mentally draining.   

As of January 1^st, 2012, I weighed in officially at 275 pounds, and I began my journey. As of this posting, I am 15 weeks into the journey and I have lost 23 pounds. All from hiking, signing up for “boot camp” classes, and keeping a diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and lean meats. More on that later.

Mentally, I am in a good place right now to make these changes.  I have been feeling motivated on a daily basis to make changes in my life.  I am clearing out unused or unwanted belongings from the house more than a year in advance of moving.  This “purging” if you will applies to my efforts to lose weight.  I am getting rid of things, obstacles, which are getting in the way of exercising. 

I am envisioning the changes that will come; a leaner, more energetic body, fewer material things, fewer bills or payments because of a reduced need to consume, more TIME available because I am cutting back on my television watching.  I’m even planning on changing my email address because the one I have been using for 15 years has always been too confusing for people to spell!

This post marks the first steps into my new life as a thinner future Central Floridian and potential Orlandonian!  I will update weekly, but it is now recorded at 252 pounds and countiung dowwwwwwwn.

Previous weigh in: 275

Current weigh in: 252 (April 16th, 2012)

Total pounds lost: 23

Comments are welcome. Positive feedback encouraged!

Mouseketeer Ken 

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