An inspiration like no other

Throughout my weight loss journey I have come across people that have greatly inspired and influenced me.  While my drive and motivation to lose weight is my responsibility,  these people are what helps me to push a little harder....to go a little further....to stay the course.  These inspirational people have come into my life at random times and through many different ways.   Sometimes it is a virtual influence....I might read  an article about someone’s weight loss success online  and it inspires me.  The inspiration sometimes may come from my friends who double as accountability partners.  I have even received inspiration from people that I call angels...random steangers that make comments and compliments...for me this is usually while out running.  Such as the touchy guy and the safelite guy. Inspiration is awesome!

The other morning when I was out running a song started to play in my headphones. It was a song that we  used in Zumba. Immediately memories started to flood  through  my mind. I remembered my first night at Zumba  and how I hid in the back room. I remembered the emotionally battered woman that I was when I started. I remember how I had to exert my independence and wishes within my marriage just to  attend Zumba. I looked back and could clearly see how my independence and confidence grew each and every week of Zumba. Zumba, was a life saver and a life changer for me.  My fitness level skyrocketed and I was inspired almost weekly with each and every class I attended. It wasn’t just the hour of exercise that changed my life and inspired me. It was one lady… The instructor.... Anita. (And yes, I was indeed crying while I was running and reminiscing... it was from the incredible onslaught of memories. Doesn’t everybody cry while they run?)

Anita. I don’t even know where to begin. This lady is just all around incredible.

Anita  is my mothers age, but don’t let that fool you. This lady can out exercise most people. I remember after one class talking to a group of people and we mentioned how the hour long class had been a real tough workout. We were blown away when we realized that Anita had already taught four such classes just like the one that had wiped us out....that day alone. Anita is constantly searching, learning and bringing new techniques and exercises to her classes.    She also practices what she preaches. When you talk to her or glance at her Facebook page you will quickly see and hear that she take the steps to secure her own fitness levels. She doesn’t just rely on the 20 some classes that she teaches to stay in shape...she works out on TOP of leading multiple classes. (I think at one point she told us she was teaching over 20 classes a week… but I could be wrong on the number.).  She leads her classes in a way that all levels of fitness are reached and made to feel welcome and pours herself into these classes.   She reaches everyone in that room, in spite of how she is feeling personally.  And we all work harder because of her example!  This lady is a true dynamo!!

Anita is inspiration like no other. I have seen this lady push through tiredness, pain and sickness to still lead a kick butt exercise class.  I have seen her dancing and exercising with what she suspected was a broken toe… She still stomped her feet in time with the beat!   Surgery/ Procedure on her hand earlier in the day that required her to keep her hand elevated? Anita didn’t cancel the class that day! She arrived, got on stage and lead that class with the same energy level that she always did. She did it all while  keeping her hand elevated for the whole hour. I even saw her lead a class with a case of stomach bug. What an incredible inspiration. She truly leads by example. It’s easier to push through the pain of a hard workout when you see your leader push through her pain.  ‘If she can do it...so can I!’ When you have a leader like that, it makes you realize that you can push through and accomplish so much.

Have I mentioned how fun Anita is?  She makes her classes smile.  Holidays are always celebrated... She dresses for each holiday!!!

Yes, those are indeed her legs!!!

Last but not least, I want to talk about the compassion that Anita shows. She is very passionate about making sure that the attendees in her class get a good workout. But what really sets her apart from any other leader, is her compassion for each and every person in her classes. I can’t tell you how many times I arrived for my hour of exercise and received a hug and words of encouragement about life issues I was  facing.  One of the  best examples of her compassion was the last week before I announced my pending divorce in 2014. I was an emotional wreck and could barely hold it together. Anita took one look at me and gave me a long hug but didn’t say a word...just gave me her silent support. A week later  when I announced  that I was getting a divorce, Anita made this comment, “I could see the turmoil within you last week.   I could see that you were barely holding it together. And I knew the only thing I could do was hug you to let you know you weren’t alone and that whatever you were dealing with was something you had to wrestle with on your own.”  Once I made it public,  she was right there continuing to offer her support for me as I went through that difficult change.  How’s that for compassion?  But the compassion doesn’t end there,   I had to stop attending zumba due to schedule changes that prohibited me from attending her classes. Yet, three years after I stopped attending,  she arrived at the viewing when my father died. (I’m sorry for sobbing all over you when you hugged me that night… I was working hard to hold it together, seeing you and feeling your compassion gave me the much needed release for all that pent-up emotion.). Anita is the real deal.    If I can have half the compassion that she  displays, I will consider myself lucky.

This lady is the complete package.  Incredibly fit, tough as nails,fun and compassionate!  I have been blessed to have her in my life.  

A few years ago the local newspaper did an article about me and Zumba. It alluded to and talked about how Zumba had change my life and it even mentioned lightly the inspiration that Anita had on me.  But the article didn’t make it clear enough.   Anita has inspired me in so many ways.  I want to be her age and in the physical shape that she is in.   I push myself through aches and pains when I exercise because of her long lasting influence.   And I try to show the compassion and love toward others....the same behavior she has continually shown toward me.  She really is my inspiration.  And Anita, I thank  you from the bottom of my heart!

Top O’ The World

I was going to start running when we moved… Really I was! But let me backtrack and talk about the move and how  my back was aching so bad, and Jason’s knee with kicking  something fierce. We had some choices to make, so we kind of just grabbed the necessary things. My brother and his family helped and they got everything of mine with the exception of maybe five or six boxes and bins. So I woke up on Saturday morning thinking this is the day I’m going to go run. Until I remembered that my running clothes and gear was in one of the boxes that was still at my mothers house. Oops!  I have that stuff in my possession now so there should be no excuses for this week.

Food wise I am doing OK actually, for the most part. Jason and I are making a conscious effort to beef up the amounts of vegetables and fruit we have in the house. And we are eating them and loving them. We are eating at home and doing pretty good with that.  Of course that first sentence of this paragraph included the words for the most part… So there is a negative.  For Christmas I gave Jason a VW bus cookie cutter and a VW bug cookie cutter.  It came with a ‘lifetime supply of cookies. Now that we are together it was time for me to start keeping my part of that lifetime supply!  I made cookies this weekend… They are delicious and I ate too many yesterday. 

They are not pretty...the cake decorating icing bag  I was using popped a seam and well...I stopped caring about ‘pretty’ after that happened.

My weight seems to be hovering in a 2-3 pound range.  . It was low on Saturday morning and high this morning.  And the same all last week..up, down, up, down.   No surprise… Considering I just talked about the cookies.

We finally got out on our  bikes! Yup, we went out this weekend!  First time this year. I was sore… Really sore. But we have to start somewhere it’ll only get better the more I do it.

Which brings me to what has been on my mind a lot lately. Fitness levels. How quickly they go away… Well it seems quick to me. So I’m going to take a little walk through history…because it shows how it happened.

Fall of 2014. I weighed 220 pounds, and I was  dropping.  (I actually think I saw 215 at one point, maybe lower). I was going to Zumba three nights a week and sometimes doing back to back classes. I was running 3 to 4 times a week, most of those runs were  between three and 6 miles. I felt fabulous. Physically and emotionally because I was beating this food addiction and curse.

In 2015… I divorced and moved in with my parents. Eating healthy was no longer an easy option, and as my mother bakes for two markets there was always delicious baked goods at my disposal. I gained 20 pounds. I continued my heavy load of Zumba and running. The extra weight slowed down my running pace but I was still really active and in pretty good shape. 

2016, and Zumba ended. I was sad on many levels… Zumba have been a social outlet, and emotional crutch through my divorce, and a huge portion of my fitness activity. Jason and I hiked a lot that year! Like a lot of miles! Our schedules also allowed us to go for long walks every evening, or at least most evenings. It was nothing that summer for us to walk five or 6 miles in the evening (and I usually ran 2-4 times a week in the morning).  Every evening. Yes hiking hurt a little bit sometimes… Like up some mad Mountain or vicious trail, but it was good. That fall Jason and I added breaking into our repertoire of activity. Our first ride was sore but not buffalo … We were still pretty active and that fitness level showed when we picked up biking. 

2017… And here is where it all started to go to pot. It took about a year for me to see physical signs that my fitness levels from Zumba we’re starting to fade. Little things flexibility, strength, balance, Etc. We were still active on the weekends and evenings. At least the first couple months of the year. And then we made some changes in our work, which changed our schedules. We stopped walking at night… Or if we did we were lucky to get in 1 mile. I couldn’t fit runs it to my daily routine I was already waking up at 5 AM and not getting home until 8 PM, and I was constantly exhausted (3 to 4 hours in a car a day is way. Too much). We still did active things on the weekend, and I did walk on my lunch breaks, but it just wasn’t enough.

So now it’s 2018 and here I am sitting in the worst physical shape I have been in in probably 10 years.   And I don’t like it!!!!   I don’t look forward to the aches and pains of rebuilding my fitness level...nor do I look forward to the dread of starting each day knowing how ‘bad’ it may feel.  But, I do look forward to that ‘Top O’ the World’ feeling I get from being active and conquering this food addiction. 

I’ve got this!!!!!!

The effects are starting to make themselves known

My weekly weigh in was fabulous!  It showed me down 3.1 pounds from last week!  Amazing.  I don't know how.  But I am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth!     That said my food has been somewhat more in line.....kinda.  I am still tracking and while I've been over I've not been fantastically and miserably over my caloric goal!  Except for today....I was WAY over today.  It was the Dairy Queen Blizzard that I was craving.   I wanted it while I was driving up the road from Charleston on Sunday and I didn't get it due to long lines......and I held it off all week.  But tonight I just knew I wanted it.  I knew that it was going to get to the point that I would eat everything else under the sun in attempt to satisfy that craving...so instead of doing that and then STILL end up eating what I really want...I just went and got the pesky blizzard.   LOTS of calories...but I don't regret it at all and I'm ready to move on to healthier options now!

I got a nice hike in yesterday..  Went up the Thurston Griggs trail to the Appalachian trail.  (I did this section about two weeks ago) and then this week we went north on the A.T.

  My legs were SORE when I got back to the car.   This morning I woke up quite stiff.  I walked it out but I could tell I worked it!

So my revelation of the last few days/weeks?    The absence of zumba in my life has made a HUGE difference to my overall level of fitness.    I can tell a difference!   Im NOT happy with this!  The organized class kept me on track.  On my own it's just very difficult to be consistent.  I could say go to the gym and take classes (and that's an option for sure) but it's not the same as 'MY CLASS'.  You see, my zumba peeps and the friendship with the instructor is what drove me to the class week after week....class after class...and even to some nights in the past where I did back to back classes!   Without that pull, I have floundered!

I have made the realization....now I just have to figure out how to fix it!

Exercise Thoughts

I am still reeling over the loss of my beloved Zumba class.   I am starting to nose around to see what options I can find for another class.  I have to admit that in a moment of insanity I actually looked at the available training classes for me to be certified to teach a class.  Yeah, certifiably insane!    Not sure if that is the option for me at this point though.  But it's starting to sink in that something that has been such a HUGE part of my life for so long is over.  Ok, maybe not 'over'  but over in that format.   It's ok....life is change and how we roll with the changes really does make the difference in what kind of person that we are.   I will find something to replace my beloved class and if I'm lucky.....a lot of the other gals that are also reeling from the loss of the class will follow along and I will have my support group back!!!

I am getting antsy to run.  Yes, it kind of shocked me too if you want to know the truth!   Who is this woman and where did you put MaryFran?????????    I am forcing myself to take this slow.  I have been  forcing myself to rest the stupid ankle.  But dangit....I want to run.  I want that feeling of clarity as I run up and down the alleys near where I live.  I want to feel the wind in my face.  I want to feel the awesome sense of accomplishment when I walk into the house after a good run!  I want!!!!!!!!  Maybe this weekend!!!!!

 The only run/race that I know for sure is on my schedule is the Cooper River Bridge Run in the beginning of April.  Yes, I am registered and the check for my portion of the hotel room has been signed (waiting for an address so I can mail it though!)  

After that....well, Paws on the Pavement is a possiblity. I have done this race for three years now.   2014, and the second year I did it was not a great year as I ran this with a very sore back!   In 2015 I ran it with virtually no training.     However, this race will always hold a special place in my heart because of my efforts in 2013!   I followed through and did that one on my own AND managed to set a PR (that still holds to this day!)   I fear for this run though.   Why?  This past year that paricipation was SLIM.   VERY slim!!!!!   I will be very shocked if they do it again!

There is also Krumpes Donut Alley Rally which I have done for a few years running.  In 2013  I ran this with a few friends.   In 2014 I ran it by myself with my then husband cheering me on.   I was totally on my own in 2015 for this run.  (Although my parents were there at one point on the course cheering me on!)  Yes, I think I will have to do this one again!  :-)

I am toying with the 10K Over the Bay.    A Turkey Trot?????  Who knows...the sky is the limit!!!!

HI HO HI HO It's off to work I go

My eating has been totally spot on the last few days.  I feel so proud of myself.  It really is crazy that the 'high' I get from that sense of pride.  It is a feeling that is so much more long lasting and pleasant than the high I get from eating.  The high I get from eating is a fleeting feeling...this empowering prideful high totally feels me with a sense of happiness.  It just feels good to be in control!   And no, being spot on does not mean that I am not eating or just eating one thing.  I'm eating nice quantities of food.  It's amazing that when you are choosing healthy options that you can eat a decent quantity.   It reminds me of the book that used to be a big hit..'this or that'. You see, I can have one serving of chips for 140 calories (give or take) OR I could have a serving of applesauce, grapes AND a string cheese for roughly the same amount of calories.  I'm not saying that I won't have the chips...some days are just 'chip days'....but if I'm choosing the correct foods, I don't have to eat 'less'.

And just to prove that I'm still eating normally and not depriving myself...YET still staying in the correct zone of calories..... why yes, that is the biggest loser on the tv,...and why yes, I have cats that LOVE ice cream!  

Ethel (right) and Desi (left) both eyeball my ice cream

On Monday the bank was closed so I was off work. Hip hip hurray!   Todd didn't have to work until 2, so we headed up to town,  What did we do?  Why we went to the gym!  I spent a half hour on the treadmill running.  I then moved to the upright bike for thirty minutes on a hill climber program.  I was sweaty but feeling great when I was done. 

From the gym, Todd and I headed out to lunch.  We went to a small eatery called Cafe Del Sol.  I got a turkey wrap (no cheese, the calorie buster is the flavored mayo on the sandwich....but OHHH so worth it) and the field greens with a balsamic vinaigrette instead of their homemade chips.    Not bad in terms of calories.   I was happy with my choices.  I felt satisfied with the food I ate and proud of myself.  

After a quick trip to the store, we went home and Todd almost immediately left for work.  I sat down and did some work on my computer, worked on some laundry and did some things around the house.  I contemplated working on some scrapbook stuff, but when I looked at the clock I realized that by the time I got it set up I would be heading out the door.  

Where would I be heading???  Well Monday night is my normal zumba night.  Since I was home and feeling so awesome, I decided that if one hour of zumba sounded fun than two hours would send me into total rapture.  Yes, I headed out to a double session of zumba. I have fun at zumba, I wasn't thinking about the exercise...I was just thinking about the fun and camaraderie that the extra hour would give me!!!

The first hour of class I was on fire!!  I had a pep in my step and I was pushing myself hard.   I was feeling GOOD.  The fifteen minute break came and I stopped moving to talk to my friends and get some extra water before starting round two.  (Technically round three of exercise for the day.)  I don't know if  if was just that my legs were about shot by then or if it was that minimal 15 minute break but the second hour was ROUGH.  The natural pep had totally disappeared from my step.  I had to mentally tell myself to jump and move.  I had to make a concerted effort to push myself.  Even then, I allowed my body to work at the level that I was comfortable with, afterall, I was working on three plus hours of exercise for the day.  I was just having fun.    

I came home from zumba, had dinner and took a shower.   Some nights after zumba (or a really hard workout) I get home and I am totally freezing.....shivering cold.  I stayed in the living room for a few minutes but then decided that I was just COLD.  I decided to go to bed and read!   I curled up under my blankets, petting my cats (they took turns visiting me) and read for a bit.  By the time Todd got home, I was sound asleep!

Today was the big day of the projected snow.  I woke up and it was just starting to fall. I am supposed to be at work until 10.  I know for a fact that we are open for business, so I'll be heading out the door for work in a bit.  I'm only hoping that they realize that the snow is coming down steadily and that it is only going to get worse and thusly send us home at a decent hour.  Like noon....(the news is saying get out in the morning if you MUST go out, but be home by noon). .....however, I have my serious doubts as to getting released early today....

Carbolicious

Bread oh yummy bread!  Why do you have such a delicious hold upon me.   Your crusty edges and soft insides make my heart melt with a taste bud orgasm!  Add a little butter on your warm fluffiness and it’s absolute rapture!.  Pasta…ohhh yummy pasta!!!!   Corkscrews, spaghetti, ziti and penne.  So delicious!

Yes, I am a carb-o-holic!  I love bread, I love pasta.  I love dough.  I love it!  Man CAN live on bread alone.  I know this in my heart to be true. Ha ha ha However, I also know that man (or woman in this case) needs to have the nutrients of other foods, but it is an enticing thought! 

So after those two paragraphs I think it’s fairly obvious that I like bread and would be happy with having a serving of bread or pasta with each meal….or maybe more than one serving, if I want to be honest…because we all know that bread is a wonderful accompaniment to a pasta dish.  I can work a my breads (carbohydrates) into my eating budget.  It’s completely doable to still get my nutrients and still eat my much loved bread and pasta. I’ve done it.  I’ve been healthy while I’ve done it.  However, it’s just not possible for me to lose weight while I’m eating so many carbohydrates, isn’t that sad?  Lets have a moment of silence to mourn this fact………..  

So this week the breads and pastas have crept into my diet. I’ve managed to hold onto my weight…or not....but I’m definitely not dropping.  I know what that means.  And it makes me sad.   Limiting my carbs

That said……being fat makes me sadder.   Being obese makes me downright depressed.  I’ll give up a serving or two of bread or pasta for the time being.  I know that when I’m maintaining I can have more carbs (as long as I am, still getting my base nutrients) and be ok.  But for right now……well I will enjoy the bread and the pasta oh so much more when I do indulge!  (And at least I will still have that one carbolicious meal!) 

On a different note….a few months back I opened myself up to have an article written about me in the local paper.  It took a leap…because I let it all hang out.  I was brutally honest with where I was…where I’ve been….my weight.  EVERYTHING.  I heard some positive responses but then it died down.   Mondy night Zumba started for the year the classes were packed.  I went to the second class and some gals that had helped and were there greeting people came up to me and said, “Thank you for being open in that article.  There were at least 8 new people that tried zumba that  that when we asked them about how they came to try it, they quoted you and your article. “   I guess I should feel honored that sharing my struggles had that impact. 

Ahhhh

Eating went well yesterday.  I didn't cave and indulge in the myriad of snacks that are always laying around my work. That victory is even sweeter because my coworkers were indulging around me!   I ate more for dinner but then dropped my planned ice cream snack.  All was good.

I've already got today's food planned out.  Just need to stick with the plan!!!  I've got this!!!   No more sitting at the same weight!  No more wasting time!!!  

My run went well yesterday.   My legs hurt and my mind screamed at me to stop, but I kept going and had a nice fast (for me) run with and average mile pace of 12:47. Awesome!!  It was stinking cold though...  32 degrees with a windchill of 20.  Brrrrrrr.     Oh well...it's only the first few steps....the first tenth of a mile that's truly horrible in terms of being cold.   After I get running I'm comfortable!     I don't have 'cold weather' running clothes either...it's a layer game.  It works...and I'm planning on dropping weight and needing new clothes soon....I'm not wasting my money...layers work just fine.  When I get to my goal weight, I will revisit the possibility of investing money in winter running /exercise gear.

Zumba was fun, as usual.  I was a bit sore, tired and achy all day (after my run).  I was concerned about completing Zumba...but once there and started, I was fine and was able to kick it!   

Tonight is marked a Zumba night, however I'm going to ride the exercise bike today instead.  My foot was bothering me a bit yesterday.....so I'm going to give it a rest from high impact activities......and I have a run scheduled tomorrow.  :-).   (No worries, my health is more important than my workout schedule...if the foot be ones an issue, I will rework the whole blasted schedule to remove running and admit temporary defeat on the running front as I move to lower impact activities!)

Some days

Tuesday night I went to Zumba and I was on fire.  My body felt good.  I had energy.  I pushed myself and jumped more and higher and harder.  It was an awesome hour!

Last night, Wednesday I did another hour of Zumba and it was night and day different from the previous night.  I was tired before I began.  I just wanted to pay down.   The difference was apparent almost instantaneously as I began to sweat profusely.  My clothes felt heavy on my body.  My legs felt like dead weight.   Part of me wanted to quit.  I wasn't sure if I could even make it.  My movements became more slow and sluggish.  But I told myself that this was all in my head and I ramped up my movements.

I powered through the workout.  It wasn't a killer workout but I did my best.  I jumped and moved as much as my body would accommodate.  I wasn't stopping because of a little discomfort (some of which I know was from a mental block!). 

I'm sore today.  My legs feel as if they have been through a war.   Am I happy that I pushed through?  Absolutely!

Some days exercise will be more of a struggle and and I wont do a good, go as far or push myself as much.  Some days the victory is just in finishing!   Some days  our strength and determination is challenged.  I accept the challenge!  

Here it is!

Well well well.  Another week down.  My weight stayed exactly the same.  I’m not exactly pleased with that.  But at least it didn’t go up.   My weekend wasn’t the greatest eating wise, I will freely admit it.  I know where I went wrong and I know how to fix it.

I worked to add exercise back into my routine last week.  I got 2 zumba classes and 2 runs into my schedule.  I also went out for a bike ride with my brother and his family yesterday.  That’s improvement.  I’m moving in the right direction.

The article was in the paper today.   I feel really ‘out there’.  But I’m good with it. 

http://www.heraldmailmedia.com/life/health/dancing-away-the-pounds/article_ded948e6-27bb-11e3-808a-0019bb30f31a.html

In case you don’t want to follow the link…here is the story.

SHARPSBURG — MaryFran Stotler can identify with people in the weight-loss trenches.

She understands the struggle of trying to lose a few pounds only to see them return almost overnight.

She knows about the health problems that slowly creep into your life, such as high cholesterol and arthritis.

And then there are the physical challenges.

“Almost everything you do is altered in some way,” the Sharpsburg resident said. “Simple things that the average person takes for granted are not the same for someone who is obese. Things like not being able to ride on a roller coaster because you have to fit in the seat AND be able to buckle the belt. Or trying to walk up a flight of stairs without feeling like your lungs are going to collapse or explode. Even being able to cross your legs like a lady.”

Stotler can relate because she’s been there.

Her highest weight, she said, was 315 pounds. She lost about 135 of those pounds from 2006 to 2008 and weighed 180.

But by 2010, she was beginning to gain again.

Despite positive changes in her eating habits, Stotler said something was missing.

In order to lose weight, she knew she had to hit the gym — or at least do some form of exercise.

The problem?

“I dreaded exercise with an unrivaled passion,” she admitted.

For a few years, Stotler had been hearing about Zumba, a dance fitness program.

“A friend of mine religiously attended a class and kept telling me that I should try it,” Stotler said. “I was having nothing to do with that. I was too embarrassed about my size. I was too scared to walk into a room of strangers. I couldn’t find a class that worked into my schedule. My gym didn’t offer a Zumba class. I can look back now and see that these were excuses. And, eventually, there came a day when my excuses ran out.”

Maybe, she thought, she should give Zumba a try.

When Stotler heard about a Zumba class that was being offered at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Lappans, she adjusted her schedule to attend a 6:45class offered on Tuesday nights.

“I won’t lie. I was scared and made myself do it,” she said.

That decision would mark a turning point in her weight loss journey.

Today, Stotler said she has whittled away the pounds and is “currently sitting at around 213.”

It’s an accomplishment, however, that didn’t happen overnight.

Even after starting Zumba classes, her weight loss continued to be an up and down battle, she noted, shedding pounds only to fall into bad eating habits and gaining everything back. Discouraged, she would skip classes and wasn’t focused on losing weight.

“At the end of last year,” she noted, “I turned the big 4-0 and I took a look at where I was in all aspects of my life. I thought about my weight. I liked the freedom that came with the lower weight that I had found during those ‘thin’ years. I liked how I felt and wanted that again.”

So she started watching her food intake “and I started to really push myself to my personal max in my Zumba classes. I stopped skipping classes and went to every one I could.”

This year, alone, she has dropped 40 pounds, she said.

Overweight for most of her adult life, Stotler said she wasn’t greatly affected emotionally by her obesity.

“I simply saw myself as MaryFran,” she said. “This comes from having a family that has always loved me no matter what I weighed. It’s easy to be secure and emotionally unaffected when you have that support.”

However, the physical toll was another story.

“By the age of 28, I was having problems with my knees and my doctor informed me that I had arthritis,” she said. “Yes, arthritis at 28, all self induced from too much weight on my body I also was diagnosed with high cholesterol in my early 30s.”

Then there were the restrictions caused by being obese, she said, things like not being able to use a normal towel to wrap around your body or becoming out of breath in just five minutes from shoveling snow or gardening.

“Things just don’t happen easily when you have so many excess pounds,” she said.

Stotler said realized a healthy eating plan was conducive to weight loss, but she also needed to be physically active.

Without exercise, she said, the weight stopped coming off.

Stotler can still remember the first night she walked into the Zumba class.

With some apprehension, she opened the door and did what came instinctively.

She headed to a corner in the back of the room, where she hoped no one would notice her.

When the music started, “I found myself following the steps as well as I could,” Stotler said. “OK. Maybe I just moved as best as I could; but that’s OK, too. Suddenly, the music shifted and we started to cool down. Before I knew what end was up, the class was over. Holy cow. Seriously? That was an hour of exercise? I barely had time to blink. There was no question about me returning the next week. I was hooked. I had finally found an exercise that I actually enjoyed.”

Stotler gives credit to her class instructor, Anita Binder, who, she said, inspires and encourages class participants every week.

“She pushes through her own rough days, like when she had a case of the flu, and her own injuries, never missing a step,” Stotler said. “It makes me push just a bit harder because if she can do it, then so can I.”

Since Stotler has been attending the Zumba classes, “I have stopped being worried about what I look like. I no longer try to hide in the back row. I like to stand front and center. I’m having fun and that’s what matters.”

Stotler said Zumba “gives me what I put into it. I can tone up my movements or tweak them down according to my levels, my mood and my exercise threshold. There are days and weeks where I’m not totally in the zone of losing weight. However, there are also days when I am 100 percent focused on my weight loss efforts and I push it as far as my body will allow. The benefits those days are amazing Zumba allows me to be me.”

While Zumba has helped Stotler lose weight, “I really didn’t notice the difference in my body at first,” she said. “I never have been able to see the changes as they happen. However, everyone else was saying that they could see it. I will say that when your pants literally fall off your body and you don’t have to button them up to put them on or take them off, it’s pretty obvious that it’s working.”

Also, she add, “the more I exercise and lose weight, the more energy I have.”

In addition to exercise, Stotler said she monitors her food intake through a web site and app for her phone called myfitnesspal .com

“I practice a diet of calorie restriction,” she said. “I try to steer myself toward healthier foods, but nothing is taboo if it fits into my caloric budget. I find that when my eating is spot on, my exercise follows along and vice versa. It really is a two-handed approach.

“I also know, though, and my experience proves it, that weight is lost in the kitchen and exercise is just the icing on the cake.”

In the last few months, Stotler said “I have discovered that exercise really isn’t that bad and I have added some variety to my exercise routine,” including running and bike riding.”

In addition to losing weight and toning her body, Stotler said there are other rewards to attending the Zumba classes.

“I’ve made some great friends,” she said. “It’s a very open and friendly community that adds to the attraction. It’s the fun and the social aspects that keep me coming to the class even as I’m struggling with my weight loss efforts.”

A few months ago, Stotler said, “I was with my brother and his three young kids and was playing soccer. I could never have done that at 315. I would have been the fat aunt — albeit much loved and lots of fun to be around — sitting on the sidelines cheering them on and just happy to be with my family.”

“The rewards are in everyday life when you realize what you were previously incapable of doing is now normal activity,” she said. “Life opens up when you lose weight.”

Stotler said she would like to get back to 180 pounds.

After 180?

“Well, we shall see how my body responds,” she said “I’m in this to be healthy, whatever weight that ends up being. I will say this: ‘I’ve come a long way from the decidedly unhealthy 315 pounds.’”

Go big or go home

I started this interview for the paper without really thinking about what I was doing and committing to. I wrote a short synopsis of my weight loss journey and sent it via email to the reporter without any real thought.   By the time the next round of questions came flying back to me I had started to seriously think about this. Wow….I’m putting myself out there BIG TIME.  Uhhh yeah, like my highest weight and my current weight and my goal weights.  My failure of regaining…my original success, it was all there.   I need to admit, I panicked a bit about the prospect about putting it all out there on the line.  Weight loss is such a personal subject.  Then I reminded myself of a vow I made on my blog many many years ago. I vowed to myself that I would be true, raw and open about my struggles, my journey and my efforts.  I’d like to think that I have maintained that promise of integrity with this blog.  Once I remembered that promise that I made to myself, I went forward with answering the deeply personal questions.

I’m not going to say that I haven’t had moments of misgiving about it, but I’ve been comfortable with everything.  That is I was comfortable with it UNTIL it really hit me that I had agreed to not only a story but a photograph.  Uhhh this won’t be too bad will it?   I waited for the call to set up the appointment and finally it came.  I don’t know why I was such a num-nut and didn’t realize that they would want a picture of me actually at zumba (since the tie in was zumba)…but of course that’s what they wanted.  And that is where my next big decision came in.  Dress in baggy clothes or in my tighter fitting (albeit absolutely comfortable) workout clothes.  I go back and forth at zumba in what I wear but typically running I wear the tighter clothes.   Decisions decisions decisions…..I hate them!  Most of my baggy shirts are logo teeshirts that I’ve picked up here and there so I decided to go with real workout gear…..even though it is form fitting.   Go big or go home.  Nervous wreck, but it is done. Photographer showed up and took the pictures and for better or worse it’s done.  Now I just need to wait for the story to be published (if it gets published and not pushed by something else).

Go big or go home.   Shouldn’t that be my goal in life? Shouldn’t we always be aiming for the biggest and best??  Pushing ourselves to our max in an effort to get the most out of life?   I want to live big and have no regrets!

So last night at Zumba I made a colossal error.  I didn’t realize it until this morning when I tried to get out of bed.  What was the error?  Well in a fit of vanity, I decided to forego taping my foot.  Yes, it was vanity because I KNEW I was going to be photographed and I didn’t want the KT tape showing in the picture.  Pure vanity, I know!  In the past months since this plantars fasciitis thing has reared it’s ugly head in my life, I’ve questioned the validity of the KT tape.  I will question no more. Zumba without taping my foot came back to haunt me this morning.    I could barely step on that heel so I quickly taped the foot and while it didn’t take the pain away, it eased it up a bit so I could walk somewhat normally.  (That is without a hobble that Todd says makes me look like I’m doing the hokey pokey AND without groaning with each step).

My calories have been right around the range of calories that I set up as my budget (1200-1300 daily).  I’m not anal about being exactly spot on.  I just aim to be close. (close as within 100 calories is good for me).

I also got the information about the Turkey Trot in Hagerstown.  I’m in!  I need to round up my peeps to see who I can convince to join me!  This will help motivate me to run regularly.  Maybe I can knock some time and set a PR!!!  (We shall see about that!)

LOVED IT!

It was a busy day.  I was so excited for it to hit.  This was my four hour work day, so i was free by noon.  I made plans.  I was excited!

I woke up early and laid out the different outfits I would need throughout the day all in a row on the bed.  I knew that there was a very good chance that time could be tight and that by the time I got home at the end of the day that I wouldn't want to have to dig around looking for clothes.  What outfits were laid out?

Work........bicycling......zumba......clothes to sleep in.

I got off work and headed home.  Todd had picked up lunch and we ate that.  I caught up on the dishes and we headed out.  We decided to ride on the Western Maryland Rail Trail today.  It was fun.  I took my road bike again.  I figure to strip down the pain levels...so nice and flat, another great chance to get used to the differences of my road bike.  My arms still took a beating but it's getting better.

On the bike ride I wiped out.  I saw something I wanted to stop and see (I wanted to read a wayside...a bit about the history of that particular spot). I slammed on the breaks.  I got my one foot out of the clip but the rush stop had thrown my balance off and I hopped across the path in a desperate attempt to remain upright.  Duh, I was still clipped in on the left foot.  In that moment I KNEW what was happening, but I just couldn't get my foot free!  Down I went.  My brother had told me to wear gloves all the time, for the padding, for the grip on the bike and to protect my hands.   I have to say.....I was thankful that I had the gloves on.  My hands landed on the pavement and there was no ill effect.  I was fine.  No injuries whatsoever.   I picked myself back up and grinned back at Todd who was standing there with a dumbstruck look on his face.  He quickly realized that I was ok and then proceeded to tell me that he wished he'd have caught that on video.....I have to say...too bad, it would have been a great addition to this blog!

We got to the car and headed home. We had to make  quick stop at a store, but I was home in plenty of time.  I quickly changed my clothes and with only a few moments of rest I headed back out.  Why?  Tonight was a zumbathon to raise money for a breast cancer organization.  2.5 hours of zumba!  What fun! 

Now I'm home and I will be the first to admit...I'm TIRED!    But you know what...I SHOULD be tired.  4 hours of exercise is quite a bit of activity!  That's not including the normal stuff like walking through a store, house work, etc etc etc!

I will stay away from the scales tomorrow.  It was such a crazy day with excess exercise, excess water, etc etc etc.  I don't want to see it.  I will wait until it regulates! 

What a FUN FUN FUN day!

RIP

I got out on my bike for my first ride of the season.   It started a bit rough.  I was checking tire pressure and my tire blew.  I'd rather have it blow at home versus while out on a ride.   So I had the pleasure of changing the tube on my bike.   All good.  :-)     We laugh at our house.   As limited as I am with mechanical stuff, I am the repair person for our bikes.  I change out the flat tires and do the really basic stuff.  My only problem with the tire change?  When I finally got on the bike I realized that I had forgotten to hook the brakes back up.  Oops.  It's all good, I figured it out before I picked up too much speed. 

 It felt GREAT!  Normally I take that first ride and feel like hell on wheels.  It usually hurts I'm panting for breath and I'm well.. feeling horrible.  I am always anxious to get out to ride but dread those first few rides.  So today it was with some fear and trepidation that I set out.   It was GREAT!   I couldn't get over how good it felt.  The main difference is the advent of  running in my life .  In the last few years I've been doing zumba and took my first ride...but still felt the pain of the first ride.  This year the main difference is running.  It really made  difference!  WEEEE



I had to say goodbye to a good friend after my ride.  I have had my red helmet for a few years. Inside the helmet there is a plastic system for holding the helmet in place on your head.  Last year the plastic system started to crack on my helmet.  I limped along with it...yeah, bad I know.  Today I went out and all that was left was the shell of my helmet...uhhhh that is barely better than not wearing a helmet at all.  So I had to say goodbye to my red helmet.  RIP.



We left the canal (where we were riding) and I headed across the river into Shepherdstown and went into the bike shop.  I bought a new tube for my bike.  There is nothing worse than needing a tube for a bike and not having one!  I also bought a shiny new helmet!  I'm gonna look 'styling' in my nice white helmet.  Yes, like I always do, I have the bike shop guys fit it to my head to make sure that I have it set to be positioned correctly and tight enough.  No use wearing a helmet that is not fitted properly....won't help you when you need it!

I got my zumba in last night also.  It was stinkin' hot in that room!  But I pushed through.  I'm going to exercise this weight right off my body!

I leave you with a cat......because every good post should have a gorgeous cat! Meet Ethel.  She is my 13 year old sweetheart!

Priorities

Working out.  I do so much better with working out when I schedule it.   Simply saying "Ohhh, I have to run 3 times this week" Is not enough.  I tend to push off the exercise until it's too late and I just throw in the towel.  Luckily for me it is enough right now for me to simply schedule the DAY of my runs.  Saying that I will run on such and such day is enough for now. But I have to keep telling myself that working out is something that should be on the top of my list in priorities. (Being healthy is number one...and notice when I was getting sick I DID skip a zumba and have done so on more than one occasion).  It's making ME a priority! I am a priority!
I was talking to a friend last night after zumba (OK, part of the conversation was before zumba).  We were talking about priorities.  We both want this thin healthy thing with every fiber of our being and consequentially we are pushing ourselves to do it.  She has had to change up her zumba nights a few times in the past two weeks.  Life (in the form of two adorable young girls) has thrown some curve balls at her......girl scouts, basketball, soccer, sickness...you name it.   She has had it thrown at her.  She sacrifices her time for the family that she loves.  In the past she put them first and let her needs fall further down on the list of priorities. Not this time.  She is keeping herself up there at the top of the list amongst those other important things!  She  is striving forth.  She is finding the time to run (she's my running co-conspiritor) and to walk and to get to zumba.  She's finding time to plan her eating and track her food.  She's doing it, on top of all the things she does for the family that she loves..  She has made her health a priority and she will reap the rewards of those choices (she is already reaping them...she's running something she couldn't have done a few short weeks ago....she's dropping pounds....she is DOING IT).  The rewards are not just for her though.  She was watching the Biggest Loser with her one daughter.  Her daughter looked at her and expressed her thoughts on her mothers sacrifices.  "You are my inspiration mom".   Her daughter can see the sacrifices and the results that her mother is enacting upon her life.  And what that little girl is seeing and learning from her mother right now, just in observation will stay with her forever. She is learning to take care of herself. She is learning the art of showing love to not only family but also toward herself and making both coexist together.    Talk about huge rewards and benefits that my friend is reaping for her new found behaviors!

Zumba rocks on!  Anita is a fun instructor.  You just smile in her classes.  My eyes are automatically drawn to her socks.  Last night was wearing St. Patricks day socks.  Who knows what it will be tonight. I've tried other leaders....and I've just been spoiled with Anita.  She is top notch!  I worry about the fact that she has hinted about retiring.  :-(     Yes, she is in her mid 60's  And yes, she KICKS MY BUTT every time!

Zumba Socks

What am I beconing????

Friday was my day or rest from exercise.  I had actually also planned on taking off on Saturday.  However, I got toward the end of the day and dang, if I didn't just simply want to eat some ice cream.  I thought about it.  I knew that eating 1/2 cup of ice cream (fat free 90 calories) and being over by those 90 calories would not break me.  But I didn't want to.  So I got on the exercise bike for a really light 30 minute ride to earn myself some calories.  Day of rest?  Yeah, I still call it a day of rest.   (Friday was still a total day of rest...much needed and well deserved.)

Today started my new week of exercise.  I started it off with a bang.  The alarm went off early and I headed to the battlefield where I met up with Sherry.  Both of us struggled with the run today.  We think part of the issue is that both of us have this desire to run...but both of us have a bit of a mental block to running.  Because of this we are cheating on our workouts...I run on Sunday and I'm on a high so I rush through my three runs and then don't do anything.....Sherry does the opposite..pushes the runs toward the end of the week and then has them all bunched together.  Both approaches are not helping us.  (OK, they are helping because we are getting a workout...but it's not helping in terms of training to run...we need consistency.  We talked about it...and we have committed to running on Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week.  Schedule wise it's not possible for us to run together this week...but we are going to be virtually working out together....getting the runs in on the same day!

Anyway, this morning at the battlefield, we ran...we walked.  And if that wasn't enough, we then headed up to the outlets.....the Reebok store in particular.   Why in the world did we head to the Reebok store at 9AM on a Sunday morning before the store was even open?   Well, let me tell you.  My zumba instructor was holding an hour of zumba at the store.  FREE!   As if an hour of free zumba isn't enough, if you attended the hour of zumba you were given the employee discount for your purchases in the store.  40% off!   I have been needing new shoes for zumba. I had purchased running shoes a few weeks back, but really needed new shoes for zumba. 

Holy cow, have I become some exercise demon?   I'm 40 years ago and up until recently I would have never assumed that there was a need for different types of tennis shoes for different activities.  I was under the belief that if you had a pair of tennis shoes, you were good.  Now I have everyday tennis shoes, running tennis shoes AND zumba tennis shoes.  What am I becoming????? 

The sneak peak (and weigh in for a Sunday challenge) was good....can't wait until tomorrow to see the official weigh in!!!

I have a friend that has her cosmetology licence.  She's had it for a while (20 years) but always hated working in a salon.  So she just does friends and family.  Just recently she decided that she has always hated her job and that she has always wanted to follow her dreams.  She is in the process of putting a salon into her home...and she is planning on going into business for herself. She has been doing makeovers of her friends to build up a portfolio that she can show prospective clients.  She also knows that the free ones she is doing now will (and already has) create referrals for her.  So she asked me if I would be a guinea pig.  I decided to roll with it and I gave her free reign......So this is my 'before picture'.  This picture was taken within the last few weeks.  And the end results is as follows............

These two are of course the after pictures.  I very rarely take the time to dry my hair straight and NEVER take the time to pull out the flatiron (I think I dont' even have one anymore...so my hair will be back to it's normal curly state).   I'm not a makeup girl either....but hey, it was fun!  I'm not sure..but I think that I look older after my makeover. 

Too costly?

Today I'm paying the price.  Yesterday morning Todd and I headed to the gym.  I worked out....pushing myself. My heart rate was up there and I felt good.  It was  good workout.  I put in about an hour at the gym.   Being as yesterday was a bank holiday I had off work.  Todd and I came back to the house after the gym and we relaxed a bit throughout the afternoon, just watching TV and hanging out.   Typically on days off of work, I do a double session (two straight one hour classes versus the one class that I typically can work into my schedule).  I thought about it all afternoon.  A double session?  Or should I take into account that I had already had a pretty intense workout in the morning?   Decisions decisions decisions.

I had stuck to pretty much straight cardio at the gym in the morning.  I KNEW I was going to go to the second zumba session with is actually zumba sentao.  That is usually a pretty good upper body workout (lots of tricep dips and pushups...amongst other torturous moves)  So I knew that pushing my body on the weight machines wouldn't be a good thing...I didn't want to head into that session of sentao with aching arms.  So my decision wasn't based around the second class...that class was never in debate.  My debate was for the first class.  That class was zumba with some zumba toning songs included into the rotation of songs.  Todd kept asking me throughout the afternoon what my plans were.  I kept saying I didn't know.  I didn't know for sure until about an hour before the class...and then I knew.


I was going to go for broke.  What's the worst that would happen? If my body couldn't handle it, I would just stop.   I headed into the first session and I felt really good.  My legs were responding and I felt pretty good.  It was almost as if I hadn't worked out in the morning.  My foot started hurting pretty badly toward the end of that session.  I just ignored it.  You see, my foot has been bothering me for about a year now.  I just push through it.  :-)  Pretty soon the first hour was done.  I got my chair ready and in position for the sentao hour.  It started.  I was moving but about half way into that hour I felt myself totally run out of steam.  My legs felt like they were dead weight.  I pushed through it.  I was NOT going to give up.  I was whipped, but I was NOT going to let it win.  I focused.  I moved.  I constantly thought about my exercise motto... "mind over matter."  I knew that I was tired, but I knew that my body was not in danger....while my intensity level had  threatened to waver, I knew that I was technically OK. I forced myself to maintain my intensity level.   Quitting was NOT an option.   Praying for it to end WAS an option.  haa haa haa.   I persevered.  I made it!  I conquered something that I would have thought impossible for me.  Will I do it again?  Probably not...it's a bit extreme...but I DID IT!

I came home and boy was I tired.  But the real consequences didn't hit until this morning when I went to get out of bed. Eii yii yii!   My body has this weird feeling of heaviness and achiness.  Three hours of intense exercise worked my muscles!   The cost of my three hours.....soreness! So was that too costly????   No....I did something I never thought I would do!!!! There were also some good aspects!  I got to eat extra food (I normally don't eat many of my earned exercise calories....I ate about 400-500 earned calories....not quite even one workout worth of earned calories).  Ohh...and with the pain I wanted to see what happened on the scales.  One more pound off my body.  :-)  (That's not an official weight loss...just a sneak peak).

So what's my plan for today?   Well...lets just say I'm packing my gym bag to take to work....zumba tonight after work! 

Charming myself

I have been toying with various rewards for myself.  I've thought about this and that.  I've thought about just saying that with each ten pounds I lose that I will then set the next reward.  I've gone back and forth with this for so long. And then I remembered a reward system that I had heard someone else a long time ago use.  This girl (sorry, I have NO clue who it was...I read this probably 5 years ago... on a blog) bought a charm bracelet.  Her rewards were new charms signifying her loss.  I remember thinking how awesome that idea was.  I remember being saddened because I was already more than halfway through my weight loss and didn't feel like it would be right to retroactively reward myself for all the previous pounds lost.   But the idea stuck in my head.  It resurfaced today.

You see, today I had my official weigh in for the week.  I lost 3.1 pounds.  That is 11.8 pounds since the beginning of my restart which was at the beginning of this month.  Time for a reward!!!!

I decided to roll with this as my reward system. I'm NEVER going to have another chance to reward myself this way and it will be a great reminder for me to be able to look down at my bracelet and remember my accomplishments.   I decided on stepping away from the typical charm bracelet that we all remember from growing up.  I went with a pandora style charm bead bracelet.  I didn't want to spend a ton of money to start this process...so I shopped around and bought a relatively cheap one.  I figure I can purchase a better bracelet down the line when money is not so tight.

I have decided to get a new charm for every ten pounds that I lose.  I have also decided to be open to getting a charm to signify big weight loss/healthy lifestyle events.  For example, a 5K that I actually RUN.  My first century bike ride, fitting in my engagement ring again (I had it resized smaller when I was at my low weight and have never had it resized up again).  In this vein, I got a charm to signify my starting this journey again.  I thought that what I chose was perfect because I lived in regret and doubt for so long that I never really put my all into restarting this journey.  And that just caused the regret to grow larger in my mind.  I saw this and knew that it was a perfect charm to signify the beginning of this FINAL mission to lose weight!


In case that second paragraph was overlooked, I will repeat....I LOST 3.1 pounds this week bringing my total to 11.8 since I recommitted myself!   That would mean that I am due 10 pound charm.  I chose something relatively simple.  I chose a charm that simply said "Dream"  These first 10 pounds have happened simply because I allowed myself to dream about the possibilities that lie before me if I just put my nose to the grindstone and DO IT!   I started to dream and 4 weeks later I'm down 11.8 pounds.   Dreams are what keep me motivated.   :-)


Yesterday I wrote a bit about Masala Bhangra, the new exercise dance class that I had the opportunity to try yesterday.   Miscellaneous Mom asked me how I could compare Masala Bhangra to zumba.  I figured I would explain it on here, since Masala Bhangra is not a very well known class...YET.     Basically these are two classes that are both centered around dance.  While Zumba focuses primarily on music and dance steps that are Latin in flavor.....Salsa, Meringue, etc etc etc.   Masala Bhangra uses an Indian music and the dance steps are derived from the Indian Bhangra style dancing.  So very similar in concept, but very different in beat and style.   Zumba seems to incoroporate more fitness moves and masala Bhangra focuses more on the dance. (however that could simply be due to the fact that this was an introductory class for everyone)  However, that said, my muscles were just as sore from Masala Bhangra as they are from a killer Anita zumba class.   My arms got a better workout with Masala Bhangra yesterday....they were SORE last night.  Why is this?   The Bhangra dance apparently has lots more arm movements, as in most of the hour my arms were either over my head or held out at shoulder length.  Uhhhhhh arms get heavy after a while!   The class is just as fun as zumba...basically just a different beat pulsating through the room and my body!  It's just as fast paced as Zumba. Just like a good zumba instructor, the Masala Bhangra instructor yesterday showed modifications for moves that were above some participants levels.  So the class is easily adaptable for all fitness levels. The time flew by!  I hope that there was a LOT of interest in the class for the upcoming training in March.  If there is, I will be very hopeful that a class begins near me at a time that I can attend!  On that note, my mind tells me that I'm not in shape enough to become an instructor......I know that's a crock.  However, it's on a weekend I work and I don't have the money to pay for the class.  Yes, it was that much fun!  :-)

Masala Bhangra

Today was the day that they offered a Masters Class for Masala Bhangra at the place that I go for zumba.  I went in and didn't have too much information other than watching one video and knowing that it was Indian dance based.  Seriously, I knew nothing else.  I arranged my day around the class and I arrived early so that I could get a spot in the front (I like the front, it allows me to see the instructor and thus have a better idea about what I am supposed to be doing.)  The introduced the class and the style dance and then they began.  Oh my word.  It was a workout!  Fun!   I at one point thought that I was going to have to sit down because I was pushing it so hard.  I just drank a LOT of water and pushed onward.  Fun fun fun!  I was BEAT red during the workout.  In fact, I talked after the session for a few minutes, we took a group photo, I put on my sweatshirt and jacket and gathered my stuff and walked to my car and THEN I took that picture.  You can see my face is BEAT red, even after a good 5-10 minute recovery.

As I walked into the building they were collecting money as this was a paid event for us that we couldn't use our punch cards (we buy a punch card and each class we attend we punch..when we run out of punches we buy a new card...works like a charm).  One of the regular zumba instructors (Kelsey) was there sitting with a fellow zumba girl (Karen) taking the money.  (The attendee has recently received her zumba certification).   Karen looked at me and said "Soooo, I'm dying to know.  How much weight have you lost."   Now I've been going to zumba for upwards to three years.  This girl has NEVER asked me that before.  I didn't think anything of it though and told her my results thus far (took a sneak peak and it SHOULD be good tomorrow).     She went on to say, "You came back after the winter break on fire.  You are pushing yourself and I knew that it meant that you were probably doing the whole thing."   She was tickled with my results.  She and I talked about deprivation versus eating healthy.  They are truly two different things!     It was really good to receive confirmation of my efforts.  (Sherry noticed my increased drive the first time she saw me at zumba after the winter zumba break and told me about it immediately!  :-)