Nobel Ambitions 2.28.11

I have to exercise in the morning before my brain figures out what I'm doing.  ~Marsha Doble

Nemeses and Victories

So I met a plateau.  After eight weeks of regularly exceeding my weight loss goal, I have come to a halt.  Dammit.

On Wednesday, after 5 days straight of no downward movement I decided to stay off the scale until official weigh day which is tomorrow.  Yesterday I cheated and got on it anyway.  Nothing.

And actually, on Tuesday I was up almost 2 lbs.  I know it is impossible that I gained fat—I burn far more than I take in daily.  I have written the gain off to the jar of pickles I had been reaching into for three days.  Not a lot of calories, but they punch a big bloat.  I have sworn them off for a while.

I know that this is part of the process, but it is nonetheless discouraging.  Plateau, you are a villain.

Sometimes villains come in pairs, or they have evil sidekicks.  Look at the Wicked Stepmother’s snooty daughters or Ursula’s eel scary-fish thingies.  And I met the plateau’s nasty partner in crime--AKA:  Evil Inner Princess.  It is said that we are our own worst enemy.  So true, because the Evil Inner Princess is downright destructive.  For example:

Princess J: (steps on scale).  Ugh!  No change.  Okay—this happens, I will get past this.

Evil Inner Princess: Fat ass.

PJ:  No, I won’t think like that, this is a temporary problem.  Maybe I can speak to the fitness staff at the gym if it hangs on too long.

EIP:  Or you can go through McDonald’s for breakfast and reflect on what you know is true, you will fail just as you have before.  Fat ass. Fat ass. Fat ass.

PJ:  No.

EIP:  Oh yes, fat ass.  Aren’t you glad you told everyone you know about that stupid half marathon?  The heifer fat ass thinks she’s a princess!?!  Aren’t you sick of embarrassing yourself?  Ha!  Let’s go to Krispy Kreme.  Stop fooling yourself with that pickle excuse.  If you are going to get fat, enjoy it, fat ass.



You might look in the mirror and see a sweet face…but the Evil Inner Princess is always scheming!

Swiped from www.fanpop.com.  I don’t know who stole the princesses from Disney and dressed them in the garb of their enemy.



The Evil Inner Princess lives there inside me fueled by all my failures, insecurities and fears.  She, like all villains, is there to keep me from being happy.  This week I was able to avoid falling into her trap.  But I know she is waiting to pounce at my most vulnerable moments.  Come to think of it, she may be the supreme villainess and the Plateau may just be a sidekick.  Do you have a villain living inside you?  How do you shut them up? (Please don’t tell me with cookies.)

Two things got me through this week (besides my normal awesome support system), despite the plotting of the EIP and her tricky friend Plateau.

1.        I won a Kindle at the gym!  I was participating in a New Year’s challenge and I racked up the most workout time over 6 weeks.  I really wanted to win and I worked really hard to do so.  It was a great pick-me-up when they announced the winners.

I didn't win the Kindle.  I earned it!

2.       I got my first bib number!  I participated in a 5K this weekend, walking with one of my new morning gym friends.  It was high energy and lots of fun! 

Let's call this the first in a series. 

Introducing Digit

Rapunzel gets help from sassy Pascal.  Tiana counts on Ray.  Cute little Gus Gus is one of Cinderella’s
many rodent friends.  Rajah is a great companion to Jasmine.  Snow White can always count on
woodland furry creatures. Flounder pals around with Ariel.  Digit the Bodybugg is
this princess’ cutesy critter.  (Images belong to Disney and Apex Fitness.)

I really could have cast my Bodybugg as Prince Charming.  It is here to rescue me and I love it that much.  You may have seen Bodybuggs used on NBC's Biggest Loser, which is where I learned about them, but the show has never really spent any time sharing what it really does.  So let me tell you:  it does everything, and it is omnipotent in a friendly, magical way. 

I guess it isn't exactly magic, but it feels that way.  I copied this from the Bodybugg website about how it works:

• Motion: The armband contains an accelerometer that measures motion from multiple perspectives.
• Steps: The accelerometer counts steps by measuring the distinct patterns created by running or walking.
• Galvanic skin response: When you sweat, your skin becomes more electrically conductive. This measurement helps the device understand how active you are.
• Skin temperature: There’s an electronic thermometer inside your armband that monitors how hot you are.
• Heat flux: When you move, your muscles produce heat. Your armband measures the heat that’s flowing from your body into the environment.

Bodybugg touts itself as a "calorie management system" which is a bit of an understatement.  For me, the three major things it does is:  1) Monitor my body and tell me with over 90% accuracy how many calories I have burned, 2) Allow me to log my food and calories consumed.  It has thousands of foods in the system to choose from and I can enter nutritional information for foods I don't find.  I also can put in recipes and it will figure the calorie content for me. And 3) (This is the best part) it shows me, whenever I wish to log on, what my calorie deficit is.  Well, hopefully it is a deficit.   It presents this info in a great little bar chart.

It does other things too like:

•  Act like a pedometer so I can monitor steps each day.
• Give me nutritional pie charts so I know how much protein, sodium,  fiber, carbs, etc. I have consumed.
• Help to keep me on track by telling me how many calories to eat and how many to burn to meet my goals.
• Allow me to see how effective any given exercise was, by breaking down how many calories I was burning while doing it.  I can look in 6 minute increments.  For example Zumba classes set my calorie burn sky high versus a warm-up walk on the treadmill.  When I review the day I can actually see when I was up and away from my desk throughout the day just by looking at the chart.
• Tweet my results to put my success out there in the cosmos.  I could Facebook it too, if I wanted.

And so much more!  There are message board communities to join, a health and fitness library to pull articles from--it even suggests a diet and plans meals!  I don't use all of the features it has--but there are a ton.  When I first activated it, I got a free "coaching" session on the phone with a Bodybugg rep, so it was easy to learn about everything it is capable of.

The Bodybugg is super light weight and straps to your left arm.  I honestly don't even realize I am wearing it most of the time.  I wear it all day except when I am showering or in the pool.  Some Bodybugg users wear theirs to bed, but I choose not to, at least not since the first few nights.  It has gotten to know me and already knows how many calories I burn while sedentary and figures it that way so I don't think it is really needed.

I have the basic model, but you can also upgrade to a digital watch, which allows you get real-time instant numbers.  There is also model that will communicate with your iPhone or Droid.  Although I don't have that model, I can still enter my food online on my phone, which is great. (This app is currently only available for iPhone and Android users.)

For me the Bodybugg system has been the most helpful tool for a healthy lifestyle.  It is based on a principle we all know is true--calories in versus calories out.  It takes out the guesswork out of weight loss and for me, those charts are total motivators.  Most importantly, it gives me a sense of control.

It isn't cheap.  I was glad to get mine as a gift.  You can purchase them at http://www.bodybugg.com/.  At the time I wrote this post (a couple weeks in advance of it posting) the basic model was $169, including 6 months of online access.  I think they run specials from time to time.  The advanced models are a bit more expensive, but the upgrades may be important to some people, especially athletes needing instant...digits.

And by the way, Digit is pink!  How perfect for a sidekick to a princess. 

Bodybugg did not request this review and has not compensated me in any way to review this product.  All opinions expressed in this blog are my own.  Should Bodybugg or another fitness product want to send me product or coupons, I would be happy to share my honest thoughts about how a particular item worked for me, and would disclose such perks to readers.

Nobel Ambitions 2.21.11

Life itself is the proper binge.  ~Julia Child

The movie Enchanted, and the character Giselle, belong to Disney, not me--for the record.

 Actor Amy Adams who plays Giselle also starred in a move about Julia Child! 

Official Royal Event

Here is a link to the official website of the Disney Princess Half Marathon.  Doesn't it look like fun?

http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/princess-half-marathon/

A Chapter Guide

Storybook princesses have exciting tales woven over chapters.  So do I.  Here is a key to what you may find in each chapter.


By Royal Decree

Goals & Announcements

Cutesy Critter
Every princess has an adorable creature to help her out.  Mine is a Bodybugg I call Digit.

Princess Ponderings
Personal reflections about my get-healthy journey.

Regal Goods
Healthy products, services and such discovered by this princess.

Nobel Ambitions
A bit of inspiration.

Villains
Roadblocks & Evil Spells

Glass Slippers and Tiaras
Silly Storybook Stuff

Real Royalty
What makes a princess?

Once Upon A Time

By Royal Decree, today, February 19th, 2011, shall be marked as the begining of the journey to prepare Princess J for a half marathon in one year's time.  This race, open to all princesses throughout the land,will be held at the most magical of kingdoms, Walt Disney World.