I just made a HUGE faux pas in my weight loss endeavor

...And thought it
apropos to share. OK, so I'm pretty experienced at this whole weight
loss/fitness thing--that's fairly clear. But even I'm vulnerable to
being "taken" when it comes to "healthy food." Let me
explain…

First of all, I know you're thinking "And why, in God's name, are YOU
losing weight, Vawny??" Well, if you've seen my Beachbody
Fitness site, you'll know that I gained ten to lose ten, so that you
could watch my progress and know that I feel your pain. I'm 50 years old, so
it's not a ridiculous idea to think I could hit a weight loss plateau. However,
I have a strict diet and I workout frequently and intensely. Needless to say, I
was a bit shocked when my metabolism seemed to stall out on me. Now, I'm aware
that I don't lose weight as easily as I did a decade ago--in fact, I've joined
the ranks of those who gain weight by virtually looking at fattening foods,
(such a bummer…) but this time, I was really mystified. Nothing seemed to be
budging my weight--cutting carbs, increasing cardio, etc., until a couple of
days ago, that is...

I decided to stop at the grocery store that carries the only ground turkey that
I truly love (oops--duhh--red flag Vawn) and since the price had gone
up, yet again, I started reading the labels to find a comparable product. Well,
guess what I found? Yeah...I'm an idiot. It said that right on the label--“Vawny
is an idiot!“ The reason I loved that ground turkey enough to go out of my
way to buy it?? The damn FAT CONTENT!!! I couldn't have been more shocked--or
incensed, for that matter. While the store “muzak” morphed and
hammered the Freddy Krueger soundtrack through my head, the words "17
grams of fat per serving; serving size 1 oz" jumped off the label like
a landed tuna. GOOD GOD! I had been eating about four ounces per meal!
Once I recovered from what felt like an impending apoplexy right in front of the
meat section, I was able to pull together some gratitude for the fact that I
didn't actually gain a bunch of weight--fat head notwithstanding…Whew!
So, I'm sharing this with you because I know how cunning, baffling, and
powerful the food industry can be, and I know how insidiously fat can creep
into ones diet. I can already see the difference in just a couple of days of
changing to a low fat ground chicken. But I'm sending out a warning to you
all--READ THE DAMN LABELS NO MATTER HOW HEALTHY YOU THINK WHAT YOU'RE BUYING IS!

The food industry in general, has one goal and that's to make a profit.
I thought I'd struck gold when I found that stuff--and I know better! That, my
friends is called "Denial" with a capital "D" and most of
us are vulnerable. To assume that “because it’s ground turkey, it must be
low fat“ is some weighty rationalizing. I'm embarrassed--hanging my
head in shame, (and from the fact that my head now weighs more). I need to
clean house. Confess. So that my blunder is not your blunder--and not in vain.
Is all this label reading/weight loss information driving you to near
psychosis? Contact me at Beachbody Fitness and liberate yourself from
guesswork with our unparalleled support! You are sooo worth it!!

HOW DOES ONE TRAIN FOR A RUNNING EVENT?

coachvawny@gmail.com

IT'S THE WEEKEND! FITNESS SURVIVAL TIPS..

ARE YOU A SKINNY FAT PERSON?

DID IT! ONCE AGAIN I DIDN'T THINK I'D GET THROUGH IT..

That was AWESOME! Allergies were really bad by the time I got done with work tonight and I just wanted to sleep. I didn't, because I knew I'd be up all night if I closed my eyes as early as 7:00pm. It was of course, temping to "blow off" my workout, but as per usual, a very sweet Beachbody friend had sent me an invitation to work out in WOWY (the Beachbody virtual gym). As a result, and because I feel relatively bonded with these people at this point, I couldn't even consider skipping my workout. Now, you may think, "Geez Vawny! Why not just rest if you're feeling so tired? Isn't it unhealthy to push like that when your body's clearly tired?" My response to those of you pondering that question is a resounding "NO!" Not in this case. I've been doing this a long time now and I know when I'm truly sick and in need of rest, and when I'm struggling with my challenged immune system because it's spring, everything's in bloom, and it was hot and humid (already) today. Yes, I could succumb to the weather induced fatigue, but it becomes a never ending cycle of feeling worse and worse because I'm getting no exercise on top of everything else. My circulation slows, the allergic reaction doesn't move through me quickly, I become more bloated from lying around, as well as gain weight. All that to say that I actually get far sicker from letting the allergies run the show, so I do what I can do in terms of a workout as long as I MOVE and keep my metabolism moving the allergens through, and out of my body. I sleep better, I feel better in general and of course I'm not freaking out about my weight continuing to climb because I'm 51 years old and not doing any exercise. Am I happy that it's so challenging for me sometimes? Not particularly, no. I've had to guard against feeling sorry for myself right along with making sure I exercise almost daily--they go hand in hand. Is it worth it? You betcha! When I see others my age that aren't taking care of themselves through diet and exercise, they certainly aren't happier than I am--or happy period, for that matter. On the contrary, they tend to be downright miserable and in and out of the hospital with far more undiagnosable/fixable problems than I have.

Let’s face it--I'm 51. I'm a healthy 51 compared to most, but I'm not 25...or even 35 anymore, and that's ok! I don't have to try to be that age--only to work with what I have, what God gave me, and do the best I can. As a result, I feel good about me, good about my life, and hopeful for improvement--which by the way happens on a regular basis believe it or not! So hang in there, reach out for support. You're NOT unique--not where these issues are concerned, and there are plenty of others right here that wanna be there for you as well as NEED you to be there for them. Who wants to be alone in the end? Not me...

Thank you again for reading, supporting, caring; I'm eternally grateful to you all! : )

ACCOUNTABILITY--DO YOU HAVE IT?

Just worked out in WOWY and I'm so grateful that I've been far more committed to recording my workouts here! Last week was AWESOME in terms of energy and I totally took advantage of it by pushing my workouts to the MAX! This week's not so good as far as my energy level goes, but that's ok and to be expected. I suffer from some chronic fatigue issues and have a very restrictive diet that helps a great deal. So I've managed my workouts this week, but not with the energy of last week, and I'm working hard to be ok with that. As a fitness lifer, it can be hard not to beat myself up for not doing more. I've learned, however, how important it is to listen to my body and allow it more recovery time than others may need. I'm careful not to compare myself to those who are achieving difficult goals at a much faster pace and I find that I actually do better with that attitude and make more progress in the long run. If I force myself to push when my body's telling me it's too much, I wind up with some illness that requires bed rest and frequently, antibiotics. My food is paramount to my health and fitness and my most difficult challenge. To this day I struggle with the restrictions that I need in order to keep things like migraines at bay--especially with the seasonal changes like spring and fall. Life is good overall though, I've learned how to cope and even manage many if not most of my symptoms. I'm generally a happy camper with two fantastically wonderful teenaged children and the greatest love I've ever had. Lucky me lucky me--a great career and lots of love! At 51 years old, I feel like life is just beginning!