Princess in Training (PIT)

So here we are again. Signed up and registered for the Disney Princess 5K and Half Marathon in Disney World in February. BUT, this time will be different! WHY?! Because instead of starting only 2 months before the big race, I'm starting NOW. That's right. September 20, 2010 marks the starting point of my road BACK to healthiness and I plan to exceed the previous results.

I bought a scale last night. It's a weight watcher scale which creates a profile for you, and possibly 9 other people (who the hell has 9 other people living with them...or worse, SHARING A BATHROOM?). Anyways, it records and tracks your progress as well as measures your weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and water percentage. Yeah, fancy. Did I want it that fancy? NOPE. It was just the only one in Publix and I didn't want to fight with the crazies at the "friendly" Douglasville neighborhood Wal-Mart. So what did it tell me?! That I'm fat. That's right $25 for an electronic appliance to tell me something I already knew. But seriously. I'm off the charts fat. Ready for it? I'm only going to give you the weight. 242 lbs. Gained it all back (and then some) after a summer of self-loathing during 2 more drafts of my paper which ultimately got me a free ticket to START ALL OVER AGAIN. Yep. Had to start from scratch. That took 2 pints of Ben & Jerry's and a bottle of Merlot 2 nights a week just to stomach the news.

Regardless, it's been an ongoing struggle between keeping in shape and graduate school, and instead of constantly pitting one versus the other, I think I've found a compromise!

So what's the plan?

#1. DIET. This time, just to get the numbers down and ready to run, I'm going on the Atkins diet. Sure, I understand it's not everyone's favorite. You either have a friend that yo-yo dieted with it or you saw on the Biggest Loser that Bob, the trainer, HATES it, or you took a health class which said it's not the best idea. Well, after doing a little research, I've found that understanding how it works is the key. The danger is with people who don't read about the process first and then go out and try to kill themselves without eating carbs for 6 months while overloading on some bacon and gravy. Sure some of them look great, but DAMN. Here's what I've learned:

Phase 1/ Induction of the Atkins Diet requires you to live off of no more than 20 net carbs a day. What are net carbs? That is the gram amount of carbs minus the gram amount of fiber (if I misunderstood this part, someone let me know ASAP, but this is how I understood it). The point of doing this is so that your body will begin the process of Ketosis in which your body burns fat (including your own!) instead of burning primarily carbohydrates for energy. This will be particularly helpful since until I can move out of my current hell-hole apartment in the next month, I really don't have much of a chance to exercise, but that's a whole other story. But here is a list Akins' website provides for foods to eat during this phase. The website also gives you a meal planner with plenty of recipes. It's just a really good source of information altogether.

Phase 1 generally lasts 2 weeks, though you can go longer if you like. Most people burn up to 15 lbs in those two weeks. I personally would like to stay on Phase 1 for several weeks. When I'm ready for Phase 2 and the gradual introduction of carbs back into the diet, I'll be sure to update! Right now I've got the app on my phone and I'm red-ta-go!

My only concern about induction is this "Atkins Flu" I keep hearing about that lasts a couple of days, where your body is switching gears and going into Ketosis. Apparently, you don't feel sick, you just feel really tired for like 2 or 3 days. Doesn't sound like a big deal, but I'll let you know how it goes.

#2. EXERCISE. Ok, let's be honest. I got nuthin' here yet. Here's the dealio. I canceled my gym membership a couple of months ago thinking my job was going to be ending after the first week in October and I wasn't using the facility anyways. Well, SURPRISE! Two weeks ago we learned our jobs are renewed for another year. For me it's another 6 months, because after I graduate in December...and I WILL graduate in December...under the terms I was hired, I have 120 days before they have to let me go. It's a long bureaucratic story. But that's fine! With my degree I'll be able to apply for plenty more jobs and will definitely find something before that deadline. It never hurts to be able to work a job while looking for another one, whether you're in a recession or not.

So why not run around the neighborhood? Well, the neighborhood I moved into last year has since become The 'Hood and it's not all sunshine and daisies anymore...which is really a shame. After 2 shootings in broad daylight this summer at the entrance of the complex, I'm just plain uncomfortable with the idea of running out there anymore. It's really annoying when you can't get into your apartment complex because the police have to finish mapping out the shell casings. Not cool. So the apartment complexes I'm looking at all have pools and FITNESS CENTERS. Yay! So this way, I won't have to pay extra for gym membership, and I won't have to run with a helmet, mace, and a bullet proof vest (I hear they're heavy).

So there is a lot going on, but I know I can make this work and I'm tired of putting this off while I watch my stomach line get bigger and bigger and my pants feel smaller and smaller. I refuse to buy any more fat clothes just because I'm growing out of my current ones! That's just ridiculous. Being this big is just a whole other stress in itself and I don't think ignoring it is really helping me get anything else done. So I'm going to fix it.

Afterthoughts:
I'm trying to think of all the other things that weigh 240 lbs....

-my backpack in high school
-the metal desk in the office at work
-Mark Ingram while holding his Heisman...