In the Beginning

Well, I am finally getting this blog up and going.
Knowing where to begin - well that is a bit of a predicament.

Because, let's face it, I've been trying to "lose" forever.
Every diet out there - it feels like I've tried it.
Tried Weight Watchers so many times I think I should have stock in the company.
It all works, a bit, for a bit.

THIS time I'm trying something sort of novel.
I'm in the "Biggest Loser" contest at SWAT gym (local to me).
Now along with my low GI (glycemic index) diet and counting calories a bit for now I am exercising like a fiend. Or, I suppose, like a healthy person!

So, this is the beginning.
The contest officially started (working with the trainers) on August 31st and I started working out at the gym on August 28th.
My knees and legs hurt a bit lately - I jogged/ran/walked for over an hour yesterday (ouch) so I suppose that's to be expected. Other then that I have discovered that I H-A-T-E push ups. YICK, YUCK, and EWWW! Unfortunately it seems like they are the exercise of choice for many reasons, so I will be sucking it up (but I can't promise I will do so without complaint...).

I am going to leave you with a quote that really hit home for me:

"Most people lose lean mass (mostly muscle and water) as well as fat when they lose weight. This is especially true if they diet by cutting calories without exercising. When the weight comes back, most of it is fat. With each loss/gain cycle, the percentage of lean mass decreases and percentage of fat increases, all of which slows your metabolism. For every pound of fat you gain, your body burns a mere 2 calories a day, compared to an average of 50 calories for each pound of muscle you put on. So, if you lost 5 pounds of muscle by overly restricting calories and not exercising, you're burning about 250 fewer calories a day." (from "The Biggest Loser Fitness Program")

Yipe.

I always knew the yo-yo thing was bad, but never had it explained to me in quite that way.

Let's hope I can turn things around.

I hope, if it's your desire to do so - you can too.