In the time since this site (in its previous incarnation) existed, I went on Weight Watchers, and started rowing an hour a day, and between those two things I’ve lost over forty pounds in fifteen months. I know that’s slow, but I like to eat, and I’m not getting too hung up on the number because I know my weight has been on a downward trajectory overall.
However…
…for the past couple of months I’ve been stuck in a particular ten-pound corridor; I’ll lose two pounds one week and then go up a pound and then down a pound, and while I’m not gaining in any significant way, it’s frustrating to be stalled. I’m over the halfway mark in terms of my goal, but now I have a specific end date in mind by which I want to reach it: in a few months, I’ll be officiating a wedding (seriously), and since I’ll be in pictures and stuff, I want to look good and feel confident and buy a cute dress and all that.
So in order to kick-start my weight-loss regimen, I’ve decided to add hot yoga to the rowing and couple-of-times-a-week long walks. My sister and I have talked about doing yoga for ages, only our coversations have always been like this:
Me: It’s low-impact.
Toque: And it makes your muscles look amazing. I could have arms like Madonna’s!
Me: We should totally take a class.
Toque: Totally.
Me: We’re not actually going to, though.
Toque: No, obviously not.
Me: I’m going to go make popcorn.
Toque: Bring me some cookies.
Toque has some kind of crazy metabolism (she may have a tapeworm — I’m not joking), so she basically never exercises. So when I decided to do this and told her I was going to, I figured she’d be like, “Cool! When are you going? Why am I asking, I’ll be here watching Big Brother.” But she said she really wanted to do it, for real this time, and so does Glark, so I found a studio in Toronto that’s recommended by a credible source, and we’re going to start next week.
I’m not going to lie; a lot of my excitement about this is because I got to buy new workout clothes to do it.
So, yoga will be good, right? I’m still chubby but I’m deceptively bendy.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Is “Yoga” a codename for “Dairy Queen”? The story still makes sense to me that way.
By “hot yoga” do you mean Bikram? I’m wondering if he doesn’t have the copyright up in Canada. I love Bikram, even though the first five minutes of deep breathing makes you think, “I’ve been hoodwinked and hornswaggled and that sweaty old man in the Speedo in front of me is making me woozy.”
Don’t forget your own mat and towel. I haven’t gone back to the studio near my house since someone convinced me it was the origin of the staph infection.
(And you will be beautiful in the pictures.)
Shut up, Glark.
Pam, it is bikram yoga. The review says, “Industrial-strength ventilation and air purification keep the environment impeccably clean; maintenance staff spend more than four hours a day disinfecting the school.” They also make you shower beforehand so you don’t funk it up. But the review backs you up on the mat and towel front, and says you should bring a washcloth as well.
The washcloth is so when you have to hold your sweatified foot in your hand, it doesn’t slip out of your grip.
Bring a bottle of water. You will need it. Also, they will tell you that you have to take the class seven days in a row. This is because after the first day you will feel like you’re dying, and you have to go back a second day or you’ll never, ever try it again. Then the third day you finally feel like you understand what you’re doing. The fourth day… I’ve never tried four days in a row because the class is expensive. I’d try twice the first week and then once a week after that to see if you like the style.
Do you actually go to the Weight Wtachers meetings? I do the points but don’t go to the meetings and am only semi-successful – and usually for the short-term. I’m unsure about going to the meeting because while I feel I need to lose 30 pounds to be healthier, I know I’m not obese. I’m afraid people will look at me as if to say, “You’re not fat; why are you here?” Plus, I’m not sure I can deal with the up-with-people mentality of a meeting, although I’ve never been so I’m just assuming on that one. How do you like the program?
I don’t go to meetings; what I like about doing it online is that I don’t have to go anywhere or talk to anyone to keep up with it.
Congratulations on the weight loss!! I too did WW and lost about 60 pounds. It has been about a year since I have been “active” and I have only gained back about 10 pounds. I’m constantly going back and forth on that last few and I’ve found that drinking water is a big part of it for me. As for the meetings, I started going to meetings with a lot of people I knew and they really helped. When I moved six months ago I started going to meetings again but I didn’t feel connected to the group and I stopped going pretty quickly. I think they can help if you feel comfortable, whether or not you participate is up to you.