After EMAO

EMAO is over, and it is time report my final results and to upload my "After" pictures. For comparison, I recommend going to my Before EMAO post so you can see my "Before" photos.

If you read my regular blog Pondering Happiness, Hope, and Wisdom, you might remember that I started EMAO as an experiment to see if I could blog about one subject for a specific length of time. I was inspired by author Julie Powell who blogged about cooking her way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. That blog led to a book deal, which led to a movie, which led to more book deals—you get the picture.

Of all of the difficulties that I encountered while attempting EMAO, blogging every day about my experience was by far the hardest thing to do. Seriously. I don't like sticking to one subject, and I had to force myself to narrow my focus. Sometimes, I ran out of ideas. Sometimes, my ideas were crappy. But most of the time, I was too tired from too much exercise to write about it. Funny, eh?

Quantitative Results Table

EMAO reminded me that muscle weighs more than fat. I didn't lose one pound exercising my ass off, but I lost four-percentage points of body fat and inches around my waist and thighs. (I still don't know why my right thigh remains bigger though.) I exercised 54 out of 90 days and burned approximately 14,200 calories.

Before EMAO, I had a list of pants that were too tight for me: my red Victoria's Secret corduroys, my pinstriped dress slacks, my navy slacks, and an old pair of blue jeans. I'm happy to report that even though I can still squeeze some fat off the sides of my waist, there is less than before and most of the pants on my list fit comfortably now. The blue jeans, however, have seen better days; I wonder now when I actually fit into them. Maybe I just shrunk them in the dryer. (I can dream.)

EMAO didn't change my size, my weight, or my thoughts about exercise. I still need motivation, diversity, and goals in order to work out every day.

For any future EMAOers out there:

• I recommend a combination of exercise that includes strength training, cardio, and flexibility to maximize your results. 
• I would avoid Taebo altogether since Billy Blanks doesn't seem to believe in cooling down after an intense aerobic workout. 
• I love P90X, Yoga Booty Ballet, and Jackie Warner's Power Circuits for home exercise. 
• If you live in the San Fernando Valley, Yoga Blend is an awesome yoga studio that offers a variety of instructors to guide you in your practice. 
• If you like Latin music and dance, try Zumba; I didn't like it, but it is an energetic cardio workout.
• You do need to make adjustments to your diet if you want to see some real results, but don't overdo it. I don't consume artificial sweeteners anymore at home (they make you crave sugar), but I sometimes put Splenda in my Starbucks coffee as a treat. 

Thank you for following my EMAO journey. My 20-year high school reunion was amazing! Check out what I wore and how I looked.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. Since I quit EMAO, I have lost 3.5 pounds—proof that muscle weighs more than fat!

After EMAO

112 Pounds—An Unrealistic Expectation

Scary Back?

When my husband Corey and my father realized that my target EMAO weight of 112 pounds was what I weighed at my wedding, they both balked. Dad said, "You were too skinny," and Corey commented, "Some people thought you were sick. Your back was scary." I remember a friend of mine told me that she had never seen my legs look that thin before, and the tone in her voice was of concern, not congratulations.

Perhaps I should have been offended, but I liked how slim I was on my wedding day (9/9/06). The strange thing about the way I looked is that I never tried to lose weight. For some reason, the summer prior to my wedding, the pounds melted off. The year before I had suffered from food allergies so I limited my wheat intake, but I didn't exercise at all. Not once. Most people attributed my body to the stress of planning the wedding, but it wasn't that difficult and it certainly doesn't compare to the stress of planning a high school reunion. The most likely explanation is that my thyroid medication was too high during that time; therefore, I was able to lose weight without trying.

Doing the Time Warp

As my EMAO experience draws to a close with my high school reunion this weekend, I wonder if my goal weight of 112 pounds was an unrealistic expectation. I haven't lost any weight since I began EMAO despite the variety of exercise, the amount of working out, and the dietary changes that I have incorporated into my life. I started at 118 pounds, and I imagine I will finish at or above that weight. I know six pounds doesn't seem like much, but at 5'2.5" tall, it makes a huge difference on my small frame.

Acting GoofyLooking back at my wedding photos, I still don't think I was too skinny, and I wish it were that easy to be 112 pounds again. However, I know that I look good right now even if I don't like the number on the scale. I weigh today exactly what I weighed in high school, and I should be proud and satisfied with that achievement.

AWW – XoXo

112 Pounds—An Unrealistic Expectation

Help me if you can I'm feeling down ...

I am 34 days into this crazy experiment, and I am failing on several counts:

1. I am not blogging every day. In fact, I have not posted in four days, which is my largest gap yet. I could give you an abundance of excuses, but I hate it when people do that to me. 
2. I have not shed one pound. Not one. Not even half of a pound. It is frustrating beyond belief. I appear to have lost almost 1/4 inch in my waist though I could be pulling the tape measure a bit tighter just to make myself feel better. 
3. I am not working out every day. A recent study showed that if a woman wants to maintain her weight, she needs to work out for an hour every day. Apparently, moderate exercise three times per week is still good for our health, but it is not enough for we women to maintain our girlish figures. Fantastic.

Okay, enough of my complaining. I need to do two things: make serious changes to my diet and vary my exercise routine, which I love, but it isn't working for me. I'll report on the dietary adjustments in future posts, but I want your opinion regarding my future workouts. Even though I am reaching my target heart rate during my strength training workouts, I don't think I am doing nearly enough cardio each week to burn off the fat around my abs. I can feel my core muscles becoming tighter and stronger. I am positive that I am simply building muscle underneath this layer of fat, as I engage in numerous crunches in a variety of positions.

I have researched several programs that focus on cardio while creating a flatter stomach. I'm not going for a six pack; I just don't want the extra fat around my mid-section.




Here are the workouts that I am checking out:

• Jackie Warner Fat-Burning Cardio and Strength training
• Mari Winsor Slimming Pilates
• Shaun T. Hip Hop Abs

Please vote for the one that you think I should do by taking the poll (on the right beneath links). There is also Shaun T's Insanity program, but I am not ready to be insane. Yet.

AWW – XoXo

P.S. And I do appreciate you being 'round to read my blog. More than you know.

Help me if you can I'm feeling down ...

Before EMAO

I have delayed posting my "Before" pictures (even though I took then awhile ago) because

1. I don't like posting many pictures of myself online (I edit my husband's Facebook uploads),
2. I don't want the photos to haunt me years from now, and
3. I look horrible.

However, I think it is important for my motivation that I "see" these pictures all the time, not that I need photographic evidence of my excess weight. As Dr. Ian K. Smith from Celebrity Fit Club likes to say, "The scale doesn't lie." I would add that tape measures also don't lie, and pants tell the truth as well. In fact, my two favorite and recent humiliating "fat" stories are related to pants.

My Victoria's Secret red corduroys, which I had altered when I first bought them because the waist was too large, seemed a bit tight the last time I wore them. Bit tight? Well when I lay down to relax after eating, one of the buttons snapped right off. I couldn't believe it. Stunned, I didn't move because I was too afraid that the other button would pop, too. Thank god I was at home. I haven't worn them since that day.

Last week, my husband complimented me on my pinstriped dress slacks. Now, I have worn these pants around him before, and I know he likes them, but he usually doesn't say anything. On this occasion he said, "Like those pants, honey. Nice and tight." I didn't tell him that I wanted to burst into tears because they are not supposed to be that snug. I can't wear tight pants when I tutor small children. Again, thank god I was at home.

Now some people look at me and think that I am small. According to a 2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the average American woman stands 5'4" and weighs 164 pounds. I am currently 5'2.5" tall and weigh 118 pounds giving me a body mass index (BMI) of 21.3, which is within normal range. After my thyroid was removed in 1996, my weight ballooned to 142 pounds. As I mentioned in My Haphazard Health History post, the Synthroid that I must take every day affects my weight so I do have to see my doctor soon to have my thyroid checked.

However, "small" does not equal fit. I may look fine in clothes, but I am not in shape or comfortable with the way I look right now. I think my too-honest-for-his-own-good husband said it best, "You are tiny. You just have a few pounds to lose. Things (e.g., ass, abs) will get tighter." I swear there was a gleam in his eye when he said that last sentence. I wonder if he realizes when "things get tighter" that my pants will get looser. Hmm ...
Anyway, here are my current stats and my EMAO goals:

The waist, hips, and thigh measurements are what my sizes were 18 months ago. I remember because that is when I bought the P90X workout program, and you have to write down your "Before" body measurements in the book. Yep—that's right—I am trying to get back to the way I was ... before Advair, before pneumonia, before 2009 was one of the most wasted years of my life. I weighed 112 pounds at my wedding so I think that goal is achievable even though losing that "last ten pounds" can sometimes be the toughest part of any workout regimen. I am not sure about the body fat percentage, but 21 seems like a reasonable (and lucky) number.

The numbers aside, at the end of this journey I just want to fit comfortably into all of my pants again. No more buttons popping off for me! 

AWW – XoXo

P.S. It is a good thing that my husband doesn't read this blog. ;-)

Before EMAO