Fitzy Bitzy: Fitness Blog - Weight Loss Blog - Trainer Blog

Be all you can be ... when you lose weight

This story really is an amazing story.  For one, the weight loss that occurred with this woman is spectacular, but two, the way she did it is textbook.  As I've said before, weight loss is weight loss.  Too many times, people try to "fancy it up", but there's no need to.  If you stick with the basic principles, you'll be taking the right steps.

Ashley Barrett-Carter, who used to weigh 263 pounds, lost 113 pounds so that she could join the Army. 

How did she do it? 

She started out with small goals.  (I really could provide links of my blog posts to every step she took because it was so step-by-step, but I won't.)  Her small goal was losing two pounds per week to get to her 113-pound weight loss goal. 

How did she stay motivated? 

She hung a pair of size 7 pants on a door in her bedroom. 

How did she exercise? 

She started out slow.  She didn't start by throwing every possible technique at her body; she took baby steps.  She would walk around the block, and as she built up her endurance, she moved on to jogging, ridding a bike, and doing bodyweight exercises like push-ups.  She also exercised 5 days a week, and continues to do so.

How did she eat?

Well, she used to consume 5000 calories per day!  She started by eating less, of course.  She cleared her pantry of anything unhealthy.  She stopped eating sweets, fast food, and junk food.  She also decided to eat the right amount of portions throughout the day.  No longer would she indulge herself by overeating during a meal; it was all about spacing her meals and snacks out.

How long did it take?

This is why Ashley achieved her goal.  She had the right mindset going into it.  She knew it wouldn't happen overnight.  She knew it would require hard work.  She knew she had to stay consistent and committed to her goals, and she did.  After a little over a year, she's where she is today.  It didn't happen right away, but I'm sure she's glad she stuck it out and didn't give up when she got frustrated because it wasn't happening as fast as she wanted it to or there were weeks where she may have even gained.  Mindset, I say it all the time; it's what separates the successful from the unsuccessful in everything.  Before you start anything, you have to have the mindset that you'll do whatever it takes no matter what or how long.

What did she get out of it?

Of course, her 113-pound weight loss goal was achieved.  She also has been able to enlist in the Army.  She says she feels healthier, she has more energy, and she isn't limited in what she can do anymore.  Her weight no longer controls the fun in her life.  And what's even neater is that she became an inspiration for others.  Her mother is now eating better and exercising; I don't know about you, but to be able to create a healthy life for yourself, and then inspire your loved ones to do the same, that brings a smile to my face.

As you can see, she didn't do anything fancy.  It was basic stuff.  She didn't try any fitness contraptions.  She didn't go on any special diet.  She didn't take a diet pill.  She didn't even join a gym.  She stuck to the basics of eating right and exercising consistently, and guess what.  It worked!

Click her to read the full story.

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Government releases new exercise guidelines; did you make the cut?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services just released it's new exercise guidelines for adults.  I kind of see it as a Food Guide Pyramid for physical activity.  The department says these new guidelines were released to clear up any confusion on how much exercise we should be getting per week.  For the average adult, 2.5 hours of moderate aerobic activity is required, but if it is vigorous aerobic activity, then 1 hour and 15 minutes is the goal to shoot for. 

These new guidelines were created in an effort to put a stop to the rising trend of adult and childhood obesity in this country.  

Now some of you may be wondering what the difference is between moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise.  Health and Human Services says moderate activity includes things such as doubles tennis, gardening, ballroom dancing, brisk walking, and leisurely biking.  Vigorous activity is considered swimming laps, heavy gardening (using a hoe), singles tennis, backpacking, jumping rope, race walking, jogging, and biking over 10 mph. 

The important thing to remember with all this, if you are new to exercise, start out slow.  Those that are extremely obese may only be able to walk 100 yards without having to take a break.  It's sad, but true.  I have a friend who was interning at a hospital this summer and was telling me about this extremely obese person who could only muster up enough energy to shuffle forward a few hundred yards before having to stop to catch their breath.  Then they would shuffle a few more hundred yards, stop to catch their breath, and keep continuing down the hospital hallway like this.  Now this may be an extreme example, but the principle is still the same.  As I've written before, start out slow.  Start with some moderate activity exercise, and then once you get your body used to exercising for 2.5 hours each week, increase the intensity.  Health and Human Services says to work up to 5 hours per week.  Now, putting two and two together, that's 5 days per week because remember, if you truly are focusing on your exercises during this time, an hour a day will be plenty.

So you have to ask yourself, "Where am I right now?"  Are you getting at least 2.5 hours in per week?  If not, you may want to consider it.

For more information, visit the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

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Every American adult will be fat in 40 years

Could it be true?  Could we all be fat in 40 years?  According to a new, government-commissioned study, it's a harsh reality that we need to confront.   

Researchers say that if the trend over the past three decades continues to play out, by 2030, 86% of American adults will be overweight, while an alarming 51% will be obese!  By 2048, we could be facing a scenario where ALL U.S. adults are overweight to some extent.  That's a pretty bold statement considering some people's body types seem to not allow for this weight gain, but it's something that scientists say doesn't matter because the number of overweight adults in this country continues to climb with no end in sight.  Even if the entire country isn't overweight in 40 years, the fact that, according to Reuters, the U.S. is already two-thirds overweight is very disheartening.

This outlook doesn't just look bleak for our health and waistlines, but also for out pockets.  With this rise in overweight and obese Americans, healthcare costs are projected to rise to $957 billion in 2030; that accounts for weight-related costs doubling each decade. 

If this finding isn't a wake up call for us as a society, I don't know what is.  It's time to take a stand to this trend.  We need to change the way we live as a whole.  We need to change the way we eat and the way we move because as you can see, if we don't, we could be in for a pretty rocky future.

MSNBC has a great article on this study.

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How obese is your state?

On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the results of a new study that showed obesity is climbing at an alarming rate in this country.  In fact, from 2005 to 2007, the number of obese adults in the U.S. has grown by nearly 2%.  

The study showed that unfortunately, there's only one state that has under 20% of its population being obese; Colorado was found to be 18.7% obese.  The most shocking finding has to be how much the obesity levels of states have changed from 1985 until 2007.  To sum up how much obesity is on the rise, in 1985, Mississippi had such a low percentage of obesity that it wasn't even reported.  Now, as of 2007, Mississippi is now considered to be the most obese state in the country with 32.0% of its population being obese residents.  Two other states, Tennessee and Alabama, both less than 10% obese in 1985, are now over 30.0% obese, as well.  Over 30 states had an obesity percentage equal to or greater than 25%. 

The CDC has made available the results for each state, and something that's astonishing is an animated map that shows how obesity has grown throughout this country from 1985 to 2007.  If you've never seen this map before, I strongly encourage you to look at it right now.  You'll be amazed at the transformation we've gone through over the past 20+ years!

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It's a small world after all...or is that fat world?

According to the LA Times, Disneyland is having to shut down the beloved "It's a Small World," because the boats are getting stuck.  Disneyland blames this on years of patching the canal floor making the floor higher, but we all know, it's the fat people in the boats causing the boats to sink in the water more that are making the boats get stuck.    

Guess what Disneyland does for those they have to kick off the boats?  They give them a voucher for free food at one of their eleventy billion concession stands strategically placed throughout the park.  The good news...Disneyland plans to lower the canal floor, so it should only be closed from January 2008 to October 2008.

If this isn't proof enough that America has an epidemic of obesity spreading like wildfire, I don't know what is.  For those of you who fall into this category and are taking the steps to change, I can't be prouder of you!  Keep up the awesome work!  You deserve the results because as you know, losing weight isn't a walk in the park...in Disneyland that is!  For those of you who haven't started toward a healthier weight, I can't think of a better time to start than now!  Before Thanksgiving and Christmas eating sneaks up on us, make an effort to develop a healthier lifestyle to get you through this season and propel you into the New Year.

Better chance of becoming PHIT...support the bill

There may be good news coming to the fitness world very soon.  A bill called the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Bill has been introduced to Congress to allow for individuals to be able to pay for things such as health club memberships, personal training, and exercise equipment using pre-tax accounts such as flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs).  These types of accounts are already being used by people to pay for things such as visits to the doctor, medicines, Band-Aids, etc.  My wife and I have an HSA account, instead of regular health insurance.  The thing we like most about it is instead of having that feeling of "throwing money away" by paying a monthly premium to an insurance company, we essentially pay ourselves because we can put money into the HSA account each month and use that for medical expenses when we need it.  It's a really neat concept.

This bill is continuing to gain support from members of Congress, but it's still not enough.  I really urge you to talk with your state representatives to see this into law.  Imagine the impact this could possibly have!  By allowing costs such as gym memberships to be paid through these pre-tax accounts, the hope is that even more people will make an effort to develop a healthy lifestyle.  If this bill is passed into law, what a great step America could make toward a healthier country.  What do you think...if passed, would you take advantage of it?