Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Weighing In on Weighing In

This is my very first blog entry, so be a sport and leave a comment, ok?

Health experts opine that once she hits her mid-20's, the average U.S. woman can expect to put on about a pound of body weight per year. I'm afraid they got those stats right in my case. Yup, that's me - 25 pounds in 25 years! But I am not a person who has struggled with weight issues throughout my life, to be honest.  I've stayed pretty active, remained pretty slim, and ate pretty much whatever I wanted to for many years. Then I turned forty. Fifty. Fifty-something, and....let's just say it's not very pretty!

I confess to exaggerating just a tiny bit.  I am not as "svelte" as I'd like to be, but I'm clearly within the healthy BMI (body mass index) range for my age and height. I exercise. I don't expect to look like I did in my mid-20's.  Most of the time, I just try and behave myself, nutritionally speaking, and I don't sweat it. But in the last year and a half, I seem to be cruising dangerously close to the outer realms of healthy weight. The weight creep seems to have begun after a back injury in 2010 and picked up a little with the tornado that ripped through my state (and my neighborhood) on April 27, 2011. That's another story entirely.

For the first time in my life, I have a belly.  A belly!  On the plus side of things, my pants stay up a lot better these days. You may be surprised to learn that keeping pants up properly on one's waist is a struggle for slender people. "I love these slacks, but the crotch falls to my knees. If only I had a belly!". My friends who DO have life-long struggles with their weight are now ready to slap me up-side my head.  "This is why we hate skinny people," they might say. "Why is it that all you skinny people are the ones who watch 'The Biggest Loser' every week? Give us a BREAK! You're not fat! You're....ridiculous!"  Maybe.  But I don't like having a belly!  At least not this much of one.

About three weeks ago, I decided it was time to "belly up" to some weight loss efforts. Now I don't need to lose pounds by the double-digits, but I do have some clothes I would like to get back into without the aid of a shoe horn.  I have friends who sell Vemma products, so I decided to give their Bod-e Burn product line a try. I'm actually taking their 12-week Bod-e Transformation Challenge. They show you how to eat, when to eat, (when to drink their product, of course) and they encourage you to exercise every day and be sure and drink more water than a camel. As an added bonus, a really perky fitness coach will encourage you by way of online video to "lose one for the zipper."  Ok, not really, but I that's what I'd tell you, if it was up to me.

A few days ago I made a brief comment on my FaceBook wall about the program.  Oh my goodness, folks came out of the woodwork to either comment or to find out a little more!  Weight loss is obviously a hot topic, whether you're a "boomer" like me or a younger person. I know, too, that trying to lose and then keep extra pounds off is a source of painful frustration for many. So in the interest of the public good, I'll let you know how I'm progressing. I'll post some brief updates on my FB wall, and fill in a few more details in this blog.  Do not expect to see any "before" shots of me posing in compression sports wear, however.  It ain't gonna happen. No way Jose, Renee, Mel Torme, or whatever you call yourself.

And for this hot and muggy Tuesday afternoon, that's all she wrote.

Lynn

P.S. You can read about Vemma's 12-Week Bod-e Transformation Challenge by copying this link and pasting into your browser:

http://vemma.com/?referrer=207433606

I think the Vemma products taste pretty good. The primary antioxidant ingredient in all their product is mangosteen. The fact that it's a liquid means that your little cells gets the nutrition faster - most of it actually goes into your body instead of the john.  But if you don't like mango or orange flavor, you might not like Vemma. 

Here's Dr. Oz talking about getting a "protein punch" in your diet. He's a fan of Vemma's Verve healthy energy drink:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-protein-punch-day