Hello. I've been gone for a while. So here's my "excuse": I joined the 20/20 program to well, get my body and mind in order. Or in other words, the Biggest Loser club, only without the TV cameras, Bob and Jillian and the insane competition.
Why? Well, a few weeks into boot camp this spring, I had an epiphany: I wasn't going to run faster carrying around extra weight. My endurance was so-so, and I really wanted it to increase. As I thought about this a little longer, I realized that despite leading a fairly active lifestyle, with the whole running and gym thing and living in a neighborhood where I walked everywhere and trying to be a healthy eater and avoiding processed foods, I was still "fat". Clinically, according to the handy-dandy BMI chart, I was obese. Kind of an odd contradiction, as I always thought of the obese as spending quality time on the couch, eating copious amounts of McDonald's, cheetos and freetos, not waking up in time for 6AM grueling trail runs. But still, the numbers don't lie.
And then I started to think about other things, like how I'm enrolled in the privileged cancer club. Genetics has already put me at risk for the breast (horror!) and colon type; fat around your middle gives you a VIP club entry. Thanks to free screening at work, I discovered that my bad cholesteral was high (and oddly, the good cholesteral normal. whatever). And, since I'm now 36 and officially an "older mother" candidate, it goes without saying that the debate about whether or not to reproduce has begun, and from what I can tell, a healthy body from the start is a good thing. And then I realized that despite all of my best intentioned efforts over the years to reduce, I had always, always hit a wall and just couldn't move past it on my own.
Since starting at the Big M, I'd heard about a program at my gym, called 20/20 Lifestyles. I didn't really know much about the details, asked around, and word on the street said 20/20 was a good thing. I even heard things like "exceptional" and "life transforming" and "if you do it, you won't regret it." People, considering that this comes from colleagues, all of whom are required to be type A and highly critical to work here, well, praise like that can not be ignored.
I made a decision to enroll, and over the span of three weeks, got doctors permissions, approval from my insurance company, and booked a bunch of appointments for things like blood work and health and fitness assessments and more doctors appointments. Oh, and I boozed it up and said farewell to a few foods.
On July 8, I officially started the 20/20 program.
You're probably wondering what this really means, right? Well, first, the basic facts of my 20/20 life. I work with a trainer three times a week and promise "cross my heart" to work out on my own twice a week (hello, boot camp!) I track my meals, I meet with a nutritionist once a week. I attend individual therapy sessions and am working my way through 10 group therapy sessions. At the end of 16 weeks - approximately the beginning of November, give or take, I begin 12 weeks of maintenance, with personal training twice a week, complemented by my own workouts three times a week, a nutritionist appointment every other week, and more individual therapy. Plus, there's the time spent cooking and organizing for the next day or the next week.
This is serious stuff: I signed a contract, I wrote a check, my insurance company wrote an even bigger check, I agreed that I would dedicate 10-15 hours per week to the program, which in reality has expanded to 15-20 hours per week. Basically, I'm participating with all of my heart and soul.
So what about the results? All goodness, to report. First, my running speed is up, not a huge amount, but enough to make a difference. But my running endurance, wow, has zoomed up - very little walking, and runs that seemed to take forever now just zip along. Poundage has been lost. New clothes in smaller sizes are being acquired. It is all downhill from here. Or really, down poundage.
Oh, and my BMI? Now, I'm just "overweight".
I had big plans to blog about my experience, and started a journal. But a week and a half in, I just couldn't write. I was depressed and it just seemed, well, not fun or interesting. And then, for a long time, I just couldn't bring myself to write in this blog. Not that the food part is bad - the flexibility is amazing and I've made some tasty stuff - but what could I say? So I've been silent for a while. Plus, I've just been wiped - it's a lot of stuff going on at once, but that's for another entry. Which there will be more of - thought pieces, touching on topics like the food situation, life sans alcohol and the emotional stuff.
So now you know all about my excuse. It's my 20/20 life.
