I've been sticking to my plan to change my activity level and food intake--better than I would have expected, actually. We've stocked the house with healthy foods, which helps a lot. And I'm getting used to getting up earlier in order to get to the gym.
So far, I've seen little in the way of actual weight or size reduction, which is a little disheartening--especially since my best friend and husband are shedding pounds like crazy. But I'm going to be patient. These are good changes, regardless of whether they satisfy my desire for instant gratification.
This weekend I got a free consultations with a personal trainer at our health club, which included height/weight/measurements, body composition analysis, and strength and flexibility tests.
The good news is, my blood pressure continues to be low, and my resting heart rate is lower than I thought. The really good news is that my strength tested at "excellent" (I hit a level that would have counted as excellent even if I was 18, which was gratifying). The bad news...well, let's just say I won't be sharing body comp or measurement numbers anytime soon. Maybe in April, if I've made significant progress, I'll share the "before" info for comparison purposes. Then again, maybe I won't!
Gerald decided to use the more prescriptive plan from Bill Phillips's book Body for Life, and after looking it over (and seeing how well it's working for Gerald), I'm going to give it a shot as well. The difference is really a focus on intensity, with a clear plan for 3x/week high-intensity interval-style cardio work, and 3x/week strength training. I did my first weights session last night with Gerald coaching, and it was definitely intense.
My blogging about my commitment to getting fit again had an unexpected bonus--I got email this week from another person who'll be attending this week's "search champs" event here at Microsoft, and we've made a pact to monitor each other's food intake at the various social events (at which large quantities of food are regularly served). It helps a lot to know that someone else is "in it" with me...and that someone will notice if I happen to reach for a brownie in the middle of the afternoon!
You know, maybe it's offtopic but watch "Requiem for a dream" movie. It shows a good example of getting thinner. I think people only need to eat less.
I'm really glad that you're doing this as a combination of change in diet and exercise. I worry when people just go on binge diet changes. In terms of body shape, remember what Esmee said about box gyms being boy's worlds. Most of the exercise equipment there is about building body muscle (and thus mass). If you really want to see a change in shape (in a girly direction, not a bulky one), i recommend combining gym cardio with Astanga flow yoga (a style of yoga that combines muscle gain, flexibility and moderate cardio).
In high school, i threw jav and disc. I spent years bulking up to look like a pear to have the muscle necessary to do that. As a result, my body always reverts to that shape. Yoga is the only thing that has helped me find a more feminine shape. Plus, there's nothing better than feeling all flexible and light in your body!
Hang in there! Both times that I've gotten serious about my eating and exercise, it's taken about a month for my body to show any changes in weight or shape. It is a bit disheartening, but your body will get into gear eventually - it's like, it takes longer for some of us to have our bodies say "oh THAT'S what you want!".
The trick is to find the combination of activities that works for you. I'm finding that twice weekly yoga, thrice weekly cardio, and twice weekly weight-lifting is a good blend for me.
Try this body media thing out
it may be something you connect with: if you really want to do it, let me know and we could get one and experiment with it.
I think its about 400 dollars for a trial use: maybe the microsoft folks will spring for it.
email me if you want to experiment.
--stef