The P.J. Weight Reduction Challenge Update 1

I used to be thin and now I’m kind of–the term my husband uses is “shapely.”  And, indeed, there’s a whole lot of shape.  It doesn’t help that I used to be skinny, and had (previously and foolishly) thought that I “had trouble” losing weight.  Which essentially meant that not every outfit was equally beautifying and that ticked me off.  Well…humility, thy name is P.J.

I’m 5’9 and until a few years ago I was a size 6 or an 8.  Then a combination of depression, medical issues, and finally pregnancy kind of torpedoed that.  Which, I’m not complaining.  I put the Cheetos in my mouth when I was depressed and I would’ve gained any amount of weight to have my awesome son who is (to me) perfect.  But the upshot is that I’m now 50 pounds heavier than I was and a robust size 16.

Which, all of this is embarrassing to admit.  But I figure, on the off chance that anyone else is going through the same thing, I’m going to share my adventures and hopefully we can have a bonding experience.  My initial goal is to lose 35 pounds before my 10 year wedding anniversary, which is this coming February.  We’re having a party.  My entire family is flying in from Utah.  I figure, even if I don’t make that goal, at least I will have lost something.  And 90%, or 85% of a goal is better than 0% of a goal, right?

My long term plan is to, as a reward to myself when I reach my goal weight, buy myself a pair of new boobs.

Hey–they say pick a non food-based reward, right?

The P.J. Weight Reduction Challenge actually began almost three weeks ago, with the arrival of my brand new Treadclimber (which was a present from my husband).  In that time, I’ve worked out fairly consistently, averaging about five days per week.  And this is what I’ve experienced so far:

Sweat.  Sweat like you’ve never seen sweat before.  Buckets of sweat.  Every time I get off that thing, I feel like I’ve gone swimming.  I’d like to be doing 45 minutes per day, but at this point that has turned out to be too ambitious so I’m averaging more like 30.  Which is rough for someone who once climbed Mt. Washington.  I was also, as it turns out, in serious denial about just how out of shape I’d gotten.  But honestly…I’ve done a few different workouts in my day and nothing, absolutely nothing, has given me a workout like this.  It’s the kind of bracing, invigorating workout where you enter your cool down period feeling a little like a hollowed-out gourd.  My pro tip, though, is to wait a few minutes between finishing your stretches and getting in the shower; getting out of the shower and still sweating is super gross.
Flatulence.  It turns out that runner’s trots aren’t just for in shape people.  I’m told by my (legitimate, they get paid to do this for a living) athlete friends that this is completely normal and especially common when you’re working out your abs a lot.  Which…this Treadclimber works out your abs like nothing else on the planet.  My husband has been…unhappy about this turn of events, and my cat has been making airplane ears at me every night for a week.  So why am I sharing this?  Because the level of misery, and embarrassment-induced misery could conceivably be enough to discourage one.  Don’t be discouraged!  This too shall pass.  And if it doesn’t, you’ll hear about it in my updates and that’ll encourage you to keep going.  If nothing else, then so you can make fun of me.
A tightening of the pants.  A problem I’ve always had, and that’s less common for women but still a common enough issue, is a tendency to gain muscle quicker than I lose fat.  Which has meant that my butt has (I hope temporarily) gotten bigger.  Again, this might also discourage one.  After all, weight reduction is also supposed to be about size reduction.  But I’m operating on the principle that this is a long term thing and pushing through it.
A loosening of the pants.  My waist has, on the other hand, shrunk.  Which is a good thing, believe me.
Exhaustion.  Because going from “I do nothing” even to “I’m working out a marginal amount” is a huge transition.  I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been sleeping like a log.  I get jealous when my toddler takes naps.

Overall, though, one thing that my experience so far has reminded me of is that we don’t just move around to lose weight.  We also do it to feel good–about ourselves, not just on the outside but on the inside.  And I really do feel better already.  My energy levels may have temporarily taken a nose dive and I might be kind of smelly, but I feel way more alert and focused when I’m writing.  I’ve also found that I just plain feel…better.  It’s hard to put into words.  All this sweating is doing wonders for my skin, too.

I’ve lost a few pounds.  There are varying opinions within my family on where this weight has come from, with different body parts being suggested at Sunday dinners.  And yes, extended family Sunday dinners are a thing with us.  A lot of people who write pretty subversive stuff are, in real life, offensively wholesome.  We get together, pray, talk about the kinds of boring things that families talk about, and eat enchiladas fish tacos chocolate chicken the best Mexican food you’ve ever had.

So that’s the news this week.