My own challenge: EA Sports Active – Introduction
By Andrea @ Red Knows How | July 1st, 2009 | Category: Featured Reviews, Momma's Say | 4 comments
I know you don’t know a lot about me, you know what I feel about products. You know what my family says about the the things we review too. What you don’t know about is the Moms behind Mommas Review. I want to share with you my struggles, experiences and more. Over time you will see more of the Mommas coming through on our blog. This is one of those times.
This is common knowledge for those who know me in real life. I am overweight. I always have been the bigger girl, it seems. I remember being twelve and going to the beach and my sisters all getting belly buttons pierced, because that is what they did. They were skinny and fantastic in their bikini’s. That was the year my mom suggested I wear a one-piece bathing suit, and I agreed. She promised me that if I lost the weight that I could get my belly button pierced too. Well the fifteen extra pounds on my short frame never came off. I tried Weight Watchers that year and lost ten pounds. It came back within a few months and then some.
At sixteen I weighed 155lbs, comfortably. I miss that size! I wasn’t overweight to the point that I felt like the “fat” girl whenever I walked into a room like I do now. I got pregnant at a young age, after I had the baby I was amazed at how fast the weight came on. I went up 30lbs and quickly. I got tested for everything: thyroid, diabetes, and more. All I could ask for is something to blame my weight on. But they all came back okay, the only thing I could blame the size of my butt on is myself.
After much YoYo dieting, and even losing 20lbs during pregnancy (I weighed the same at labor that I was when I got pregnant, it came back full force within months). Now I sit just under the dreaded 200lb point. Oh, how I hate admitting this for the world to see. Though, I think it’s important that I admit my faults first.
When I received the EA Sports Active, I said to myself “Yes! Andrea, you can totally do this. Let’s start tomorrow” And that tommorrow was June 1st. Except I didn’t. I woke up that day and in all the stress and daily life I went to bed thinking “Ok, I will definitely start tomorrow!” Now it is a month later and I’ve only done it once.
Once.
I’ve been delaying on posting this, because it means that I will really be starting. I will begin the EA Sports Active challenge. By doing so I will workout with this Wii game at least three times in the week. From Saturday to Saturday I will get up, turn on the Wii, put the leg band on and begin my challenge. I will tweet at each workout (@MommasReview) and I will need people pushing me. I will push right back if you need it. Accountability has always been my strong point. When I diet, I do it alone 90% of the time. I need to prove that I can actually do it this time.
For my first challenge week I will not be dieting. Only focusing on working out.
Goals Week One
- Workout three times this week with EA Sports Active
Are you working out? What has been your experience with weight loss? Any tips or tricks? Would you like to join this journey with me?
I am so glad you are finally going to try this – especially because I am coveting this game so I REALLY want to hear what you think of it!
I know you know my story – but the readers probably don’t so I’ll hash it out here quickly – my family is always really, really skinny until like mid-twenties or so – so I never had weight problems as a child or teenager. I was SKINNY but and this is a big but, I had terrible eating habits and never worked out. So when the other shoe dropped (college followed quickly by my first child at 23) the weight came on fast. I gained 20 pounds in college and another , um, 80 I think, with my first pregnancy. After my son was born I was around 220 lb. and didn’t have a clue what to do about it. I tried a lot of exercise ideas but I don’t like exercise so I didn’t stick with anything – likewise with dieting.
It wasn’t until a few months before getting pregnant with baby #2 last fall that all of a sudden I figured myself out – because my husband figured HIMSELF out and I couldn’t bear to be the only fat one in the relationship. We started counting calories which sounds so ughhhhhh but – it works. The math makes it easy. It takes a bit of dedication but with all the online websites out there to help get you started and help you look up how many calories are in this unmarked thing – it’s easier than you’d think. I don’t even use an online log since I’m home all day, I write it all out by hand – which means my math is getting better, too.
As for working out – walking actually seems to work the best for me but I also started using the Wii Fit which I love. The problem is – I got pregnant – so the amount of workouts I can do has steadily decreased. Right now a couple walks a week is probably all I get in (unless you count the fact that we live on the 3rd floor of our apartment building). BUT I am fairly confident that after I’ve had this baby I’ll be able to kick this fat to the curb. As for weight gain in this pregnancy? I’m due July 21 and I’ve gained about 4 pounds so far. Quite the difference, no?
Jen E @ mommablogsalot´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday: The Sweet Potato Queens’ 1st Big-Ass Novel
I’ll weigh in and tell you about how I’ve lost 10 lbs since I bought an iphone.
I suppose I’ve been the smaller one of the group since college, but I remember being envious of Jen’s small frame when I first met her. I’ve always had an athletic build, but I packed on the pounds after my first child. I didn’t even notice, and my husband was nice enough to not mention it. When I saw the pictures from Christmas of 2007, I knew something had to change.
I got pregnant right before that Christmas, so I totally could have been bloated, but I looked terrible and weighed close to 180lbs. Luckily, I didn’t gain ANYTHING during that pregnancy, and dropped 20lbs after I gave birth. I quickly put 10 back on, making me an unhappy 170lbs.
Over the past year, I started roller derby, which provides a great 2 hour cardio workout 3 days a week. Unfortunately, the pounds were not coming off. Jen told me about how calorie counting was working for her, and I started to count, but wasn’t too committed to it.
My family hosted a woman from Finland for a weekend in June, and she changed my life completely. She did a body fat (pinch test) analysis and told me that my insulin production is way out of whack. She said that I’m close to diabetes and I need to cut out most of my carb intake. This means eating more meat, which I don’t like the thought of, but I’m sucking it up and doing it. She also recommended I take good quality multivitamin and fish oil supplements three times a day.
After changing my diet, I felt so much better and had more energy, but I was still having trouble with eating too much of the wrong stuff. I bought an iphone last week and downloaded the “lose it” app. I just click a few buttons to add my food and excercise. Ta Da! 10 lbs lost in one week.
I’m so happy, and I can’t wait to lose another 20. My goal is to be closer to 140 lbs and to do more ab workouts.
I have complete faith in you darlin’. It takes a lot to put your true feelings out there, especially with something so personal. I know I’ve struggled with this ever since having Charlie. I’ve always been hmm, let’s say curvier. Usually in just the right spots, lol, but after having her it is more of an all over curve. That’s why I’m glad to have this little competition going on — I need that extra push to keep going most days. Sadly, the “win” is more my motivation than the overall health. I imagine that will change in time .. I hope to keep going strong after too.
Kick some butt!!
If you want a few tips let me know — I don’t have the EA sports active {totally want it though} but I’ve found some good general tidbits over the course of my challenge.
Mrs. Cox´s last blog ..W/W :: PhotoFunia
I’m so not a twitterer, though I do have an account (@zieglerlzms), but I will help if you need it. I need to get moving too and the Wii is nice and indoors. Not only is it cooler inside, nobody sees you look like a dork (big dork here!) I love your honesty, and I like the three time a week goal, though I think I’ll be using our Fit. I’m down to try, too!
Lori Z.´s last blog ..A Fish Funeral