Month: July 2016

Humble and Kind – July 31, 2016

There’s a Tim McGraw song out right now that pretty much sums up how I was brought up and how we try to raise our children.

“Go to church ’cause your momma says to

Visit grandpa every chance that you can

It won’t be wasted time

Always stay humble and kind


Hold the door, say please, say thank you

Don’t steal, don’t cheat, and don’t lie

I know you got mountains to climb but

Always stay humble and kind

When the dreams you’re dreamin’ come to you

When the work you put in is realized

Let yourself feel the pride but

Always stay humble and kind”
Those are just some of the lyrics.  
In case you don’t know this about me, I lost my dad to cancer when I was just 19, and he was just 53.  But in those 19 years that I had him in my life, he instilled a lot of values.  
I remember my sister’s friend coming over and she left her car unlocked, windows down, and purse in the car.  She came inside just for a moment.  It was long enough however for the neighbor boys to steal her purse.  My dad was home working on building our basement.  He heard what happened and proceeded to walk to the neighbor boys house and retrieve the purse.  Then he offered the boys a job so they could earn money instead of feeling like they had to steal.  That was my dad.  That’s how we were raised.
I try to be kind to all I meet.  The ladies at the Wal-Mart deli counter always seem over worked and under paid.  I made it my mission every week to brighten their day.  So it turns out one of the ladies is a regular at Golds.  She goes to the water arrobic class and she was there last Monday when I was pretty upset that I hadn’t lost any weight.  
I think she could sense that I wasn’t all right and she began to tell me how she’s been coming for a year but hasn’t seen any weight change, but she does feel much better.  She told me how much I inspired her and how she was going to come more often and try harder.  This may sound silly, but I never really thought anyone was taking notice of me.  
That Monday was a difficult day yet again the next day an older gentleman who comes most every day stopped me and asked me if I was okay because I didn’t seem happy the past two days.  We talked for awhile and he was very encouraging.  
It made me realize that people are watching and I want to be a better example.  I just tend to wear my emotions on my face so I want to be better at manifesting the good.  And I always want to be humble and kind.

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Blood Tests Don’t Lie

The following is a letter I wrote to the manager of our local Gold’s gym on July 18, 2016.

Today marks 6 months since I began the 12 week challenge.  I have lost 48.5 pounds in total so far.  I injured my knee during the challenge and I had to slow down my activity in the gym since then – but I never stopped; I just did less.
I wanted to let you know of something I believe is far greater than the number of pounds lost on a scale.  I’m not sure how many people know this about me, but about 4 ½ years ago I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Literally one week before the challenge began I was given a blood test called the Vectra DA to measure the level of activity of the disease (the rheumatoid arthritis).
The results came back with a 39 – which if you look at the chart below you will see that is in the moderate range teetering towards high.  I was crushed with this result because I hadn’t had any “symptoms” of the arthritis for a few years and I thought I would be in the low range.
Fast forward to today – I repeated this blood test just last week (6 months and negative 48 pounds later).  My result was a 16.  I hung up the phone after receiving the results and jumped out of my chair and screamed with excitement.  Good thing everyone was upstairs and I didn’t scare anyone.
  

  



I have been a fan of Gold’s Gym Clifton since before these doors opened and we were in the office space nearby.  But I cannot say enough about Ryan and Mana and how they have taught me so much about nutrition, weight training, muscle groups, goal setting, goal crushing, etc.   And they have always, always believed in me.  That is huge.
Huge accolades to those two for helping me improve the quality of my life.  My family is so thankful as am I. 

Essay Written For 12 Week Challenge

As promised in the previous post here is the essay I submitted as a finalist for the 12 week challenge.

I had my first thoughts of being fat back when I was just 8 years old in 1969.  Sister Mary Mercy, our 3rd grade teacher, sent us home each day with a warning, “Beware of the Zodiac killer.”  We would then walk a mile home scared to death.  I remember thinking “Well I’m not skinny enough.  He would probably want one of the skinny girls.” 
In high school, I was a cheerleader but I was always at the bottom of the pyramid because at 120 pounds I was 20-25 pounds heavier than my girlfriends.  In college my swim team nicknamed me “Cutey Curves” because at 145 I was 40 pounds heavier than the other swimmers.  And so it went from there.  I have always believed I was fat (even when I wasn’t).
I had my last child when I was 40 years old and then the metabolism began to slow down.  I have put on weight for the past 15 years despite all my attempts to lose weight.  Inching closer and closer to 300 pounds, I was desperate for change; for help revving up my metabolism.  
Over the years I had tried many different weight loss methods with no long lasting results.  I was feeling out of options when the NLP Program at Gold’s Gym was made available to me. It was through this program that I met this young man who would become my trainer.  And YES, I was skeptical when he said he would help me if I wanted to sign up for the 12 week challenge.  I had a hard time believing anything would work for me.
I am no stranger to hard work, so I pushed hard with my workouts.  That was really the easier part for me.  But when he asked me to eat more, all those insecurities and fears of “eating = being fat” came to the surface.  I could not reconcile eating more in my mind and I fought it for five weeks.  It got to the point where my trainer asked my husband to get rid of the scale(s) in the house and only weigh myself once a week with him.  (You see, I would eat more at the beginning of the week, but then weigh myself.  If my weight hadn’t changed, I would eat less the rest of the week.) Once the scales were gone and I conformed to weighing only once a week with my trainer, the results followed.  
Another huge way my trainer helped me was with my self-worth.  I remember early on doing some exercise where when facing the mirror, I called myself the Pillsbury dough boy.  He immediately said, “Don’t talk about yourself that way.”  Any time I got discouraged and called myself gross or fat, he just did not allow that kind of talk.  This is another weak area for me — believing in myself, but I am getting better at it.
My journey was not without setbacks.  There were many times he needed to adjust the food and/or the workouts due to illness, Mother Nature, and injury.  He made the adjustments, I followed the plan and the results always followed.  A major victory came two days after the challenge ended and my rheumatologist called and left a message with much surprise in her voice that my blood work (which is done quarterly) came back “surprisingly good!”  (This was not the case just four months previous – before the challenge began.)
Although my results may not seem as visible as others, what is happening on the inside is just as vital as what is happening on the outside.  I honestly believe the hard work on the part of my trainer as well as my determination to see this through has added years to my life.  For that I will be eternally grateful.  This is only the beginning of my weight loss journey and I am thankful to be continuing it with Ryan (my trainer) at Gold’s Gym.
Patty Deters  – 4/28/2016

It Always Seems to Come Down to This – July 28, 2016

My official “weigh in” day is Monday.  I have been wanting to write that I have lost 50 pounds for weeks now.  And yet, here it is another week and nope – not 50 pounds yet.  In fact despite this pictorial representation of calories in versus calories out – my weight stayed exactly the same.

To say that I was frustrated, would be an understatement.  It all came down to I was not eating enough.  That statement makes me crazy.  This would probably be a good place to insert my 12 week challenge essay that I wrote so you can understand why it makes me crazy.  Anyway Ryan offered to meet with me to come up with a game plan.

That meeting was today.  Now for the record I ate more yesterday like I was asked/told to do.  It also ended up being the first day in several weeks that I didn’t take an afternoon nap.  I was like, uh oh, I think they may be right.  But I didn’t want to lead with that.  Instead I kind of tossed my notebook down and exclaimed, “Why can I lose 33 pounds in 12 weeks, and then THIS!”  So Professor Teal (my new name for him) says, “So let me get this right, you are upset that in 15 weeks, you have lost 15 pounds?”  (Long Pause for Effect)  I hadn’t realized that.  He kind of took the wind right out of my sails.

Well it turns out that Professor Shigematsu happened to be in the room and thought it necessary to draw me the average weight loss graph.

This was not what I really wanted to hear or see, but that doesn’t really matter does it?

So I sheepishly pipe in, “Well I ate more yesterday and I didn’t take a nap?”  Of course, I hadn’t told them that I had been back to taking naps in the afternoon.  Well, that went over well.  (smile)

So we came up with a new plan of eating more.  I come home and begin working on some things and all of a sudden, I’m like, “I think I’ll take a nap.  Just a little nap.”  And then I looked at the time.  It was 1:30 p.m.  and I hadn’t eaten lunch yet.  So I decided perhaps I would eat lunch first and see if I still felt like I needed to lay down.  Well, the answer to that is No.  After I ate, I had energy again.

I write this with humor, but believe me eating more is a challenge for me and I am sure this will not be the last time we visit this subject.

I will post my 12 week challenge essay in the next post.

July 18, 2016 – 6 month progress photo

6 months – 48.5 pounds gone. Thanks to Ryan and Mana for helping me to set goals and then to reach those goals. Thanks to the girls in the morning who don’t let me get away with anything – snitches! ❤ And thanks to all the people I have met at Gold’s Gym Clifton who encourage me daily – from a 9 year old boy, Triston to the 80 year old lady I swim with and everyone in between. And especially thanks to Dave and Joe for working out with me from the beginning. ‪#‎itneverwasjustfor12weeks‬
Patty Deters's photo.
Feb 2016                   July 18, 2016

Morning Crew with Mana – this dynamic will soon be changing.

July 1, 2016

After our trip to Alaska, I was in a lot of knee pain and a lot of emotional pain and when I am like that, I forego writing.  When you take a cruise, you often climb a lot of stairs.  This would normally be fine, but I didn’t think about it much until the pain was almost unbearable.  Then I was like, “Oh yeah, there’s a reason I do not do the stair machine at the gym.  This is not good for my knee.”

While I was still on the cruise, I scheduled a massage.  This would really be my first massage ever.  I told her about the pain I was having in my knee.  In fact when we were in Victoria, BC I couldn’t keep up with everyone during the walk into town and Dave and I just headed back to the ship.  The day after we returned home, I went to the massage.  Well the massage just seemed to aggravate the knee even more.  I could barely move for the next 7 days.  Now yes that is exaggerating some, but it was extremely painful.  I could not touch my knees without it hurting.  I would try to do the classes at the gym and I couldn’t get into a squat anymore.  I was super frustrated.  It was then that Ryan suggested it was time to see the doctor.  I agreed and started the process.  I got an appointment about 10 days later because I was waiting for my doctor to be in the office.

Meanwhile emotionally I was kind of beat up because I found out that I had actually been voted the first place winner in my age group for the Gold’s gyms in the region.  But then Corporate Gold’s gym liked the girl who had got second place better and gave her a national ranking of 4th.  Because she finished higher than me nationally, the Region rules are to place her ahead of me.  So she got 1st and I got 2nd.

I don’t know why it got to me so much, but it did.  Probably coupled with the pain, it was just a bad combination. I just felt awkward when I got back. I felt stupid for ever thinking I could have won.  I felt the worst about opening up with my essay and writing the things I did.  I get personal with family, but not so much with others.

I never did the competition for the money, so that wasn’t it at all.  And I feel like if I had been beaten fair and square, I could have taken that.  But for a corporaton to look at pictures and pick a winner without considering the local gyms input was to me unfair.

I feel like there are so many more people like me in the world (extremely overweight) than there are this woman they voted into first (fit and now fitter).  Why would they not want to try and reach the people like me.

It has taken me quite a while to process this all in my head.  I have continued to lose weight.  My trainer and I have a goal of 100 pounds in one year.

A few family members really helped me through those down days and reminded me that in the end I was doing this for me.  Once I realized that again, I started to heal.  I still felt very vulnerable for having opened up so much, and I definitely closed myself off for awhile.  I continued to go to the gym, but I was not as happy (if you will.)

But while I was still on the cruise, these pictures were posted on the Gold’s Gym Grand Junciton Facebook page.  (I go to Gold’s Gym Clifton.)

 They posted that I was in 1st place and in 2nd place.  So I wrote the manager of the gym and he said he would talk to me in person when I got home.  That is when he explained, I was in first place, but corporate had picked her to be a national winner, so they had to bump me to 2nd.

So anyway, now we have been home for about one month.  I am happy again and ready to rock the weight loss again.  I’m having fun in the gym again and my workout partners have been awesome.

It has taken this long to also find out what is up with my knee.  I found out last week that I tore my medial meniscus.  This happened at the beginning of Week 10 of the 12 Week challenge (so roughly March 20).  I was jump roping and I heard a loud pop and then my leg buckled.  I was in bad pain for three or four days and then manageable pain after that.  I certainly did not want to quit the challenge so I kept going.

I think after the Alaska cruise and the stairs, I about had done myself in.  I go on Thursday, July 7 to an Orthopedic doctor to see what my options are.  I just want to get back to where I can do all of every workout.  I have been able to swim for cardio and I am getting much stronger there.  I am actually having Ryan time me in 1000 yard free tomorrow.  I haven’t swam that distance on purpose since I was 20.  I have a couple of swim meets, I could swim in August if I want to.  But first I need to see if I need a knee surgery or not.

I am not asking for any sympathy here.  I just like to get my thoughts down and move on.  We have had lots of great things happening in our lives too and I just haven’t wanted to write at all.  So the fact that I am back to writing is a healthy sign.

During the challenge I was steadily losing 2 pounds a week.  After the Alaska cruise and my melt down, the trainers put me on a “rehab” schedule with way fewer workouts, very little cardio, and rehab exercises for the knee.  My weight loss has continued but it’s just at one pound a week instead of two.  So far since January 18, I have never had a week where I gained.  So today at 24 weeks in, I am down 47.5 pounds.

I have been told over and over that I write too much or I over communicate, so hopefully you were able to make it through all of this and now you can say, “Phew, I made it.”

You Can Lose on a Cruise – June 6, 2016

You can lose on a cruise! Down 2 more pounds for a total of 44 pounds gone since January 18. I am thankful for all of you who continually encourage me. Extremely thankful for all at Gold’s Gym Clifton and Next Level Performance Clifton. I know I’ve been more serious lately but I’m just determined! Deep inside I’m smiling!

Flying High over Denver Glacier – Another thank you to Ryan – May 27, 2016

To say that I was nervous would be a gross understatement.   Some things you do because you know your children will love them.  Ben loves to fly and has already co-piloted a Cessna twice.  When I first told him about this excursion, he was telling me all about the helicopter.  And Joe loves animals, so I knew he would love the dog sledding portion.  
It was the number one rated excursion.  The only problem was when I was signing us up (back in January), I was 26 pounds over the weight limit allowed on the helicopter.
My habit is to send everyone else while I stay behind.  Through the years, I’ve missed out on zip lining (twice), white water rafting (numerous times), para sailing, hiking, etc.  Sometimes due to weight and sometimes due to poor health.  
When I signed up for the helicopter excursion was about the same time Ryan from the gym was saying he could help me.  I talked to Dave and told him I was tired of passing on everything.  Could I buy myself a ticket also and if by May, I hadn’t lost the weight, we could see about getting our money back for that ticket.  Dave was 100% for this as he wanted us all to do things together. 
It was the last week of March when I hit that 25 pounds lost!  And by the time of the trip I had lost 16 pounds more securing my spot on that helicopter!
Today they bussed us a short distance and then asked us all our weights.  Joe, one other lady and I were weighed also.  Apparently my weight was the “jackpot” number as I was given the co-pilots seat.  Me, the one who was slightly terrified of the whole helicopter ride was now front and center.
It was the most amazing thing I have ever done and if this is an indication of the joy my life will have in the years to come because of my continued fitness goals, then I have MUCH to look forward to.
Our pilots name was Ryan and he was the youngest pilot working for the company.  He had to be mid-20s.  
We were also blessed with great weather and we were the only cruise ship in Skagway today (4 ships were in Juneau yesterday).  Our pilot gave us an extra long ride because they were not very busy today.  

You could push these intercom buttons to talk to the pilot but since I was praying fervently I couldn’t talk.  But Dave did.  
And yes, I would do it again!