E-Book Review: Tugboat: My Voyage Out of Obesity

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this e-book with the expectation that a review would be done and posted to a fitness blog. It has taken me quite some time to finish reading the book for a couple of reasons: 1) We've been moving to a new house, and that has taken quite a bit of my time away from the screen, 2) on top of moving, home schooling is back. in. session. - which means any time I spend on my screen seems to equal open season for the kids to slack off (!), and 3) I am discovering that I really do prefer bound books, the paper-and-ink sort of books, that I can hold in my hands to the digital variety, so I read more slowly on the digital sort.

The Reason: Tugboat: My Voyage Out of Obesity, is an e-book that I discovered through a home schooling group that I am part of. She was looking for people to review the book and spread the word, I am always on the look out for media regarding the struggle people have with being obese, and how they kicked the extra weight to the curb in a safe manner.

Work Out Review - T-Tapp "More" Rehab Program

I have had this DVD ... well, for about a month! Yikes - a long time to go without even cracking the seal to look it over. BUT I finally got around to it and here is what I think.

T-Tapp MORE Rehab Program ($56): 

Created for Those Who Have MORE to Lose, MORE Health Issues to Overcome or MORE Birthday Candles on the Cake

The Reason: I bought this DVD to review for others in my life who are struggling to lose "more." Well, that's only partly true - I looked up T-Tapp because of a glowing recommendation on another blog. My fellow stay-at-home-mom blogger really raved about Teresa Tapp's system of strengthening and weight loss. So I looked it up and for a week or so, I followed the try-it-free workout clips she has on her site. Then I bought the "More" DVD to pass on to a friend who is really working hard to get in shape and lost "more."

Let me say that Teresa Tapp is one of those perky, happy people that are irritating - in the same way that Richard Simmons is irritating. Perky but - more importantly - memorable. That is: I remember her face, actions and admonitions, even when I'm not watching her videos. When it comes to overall weight loss, that can be a helpful. And for the record, I am a huge Richard Simmons fan because he has helped so many people in his lifetime!

27 Pounds Later ...

That's me, back in September 2010, in Bath, at the Jane Austen House. No specific reason for the picture, I just wanted to share it!

I read in a running magazine that if you do something for six months, it becomes a routine, like brushing your teeth or remembering to floss.  I started jogging at the end of August last year. Not quite six months, but close. And I am still jogging, that almost-six months later. I've lost 27 pounds, gone down two sizes, and I still can't run 2 miles without stopping to walk some of it ... but I keep working towards it! By May, I hope to be there. I'm learning a lot about fitness and nutrition on the way. By August of this year, I hope to have settled at a new, healthy weight to go with my new, healthy cholesterol levels!

I mentioned a few posts ago about a fitness challenge at my workplace. It's in week three now, and my team was 26th out of 92 the first week, and 22nd out of 92 the next week. Stay tuned to see how we do!

We Weigh Eleventy-Eleven Pounds!

Or, 79 stones...

The fitness complex at my workplace has issued a challenge to the workforce. A 10-week fitness challenge. The rules are simple: form teams of 2 - 10, weigh in every week for 10 weeks, and lose weight! There are prizes for the percentages lost: the highest percentage lost wins $500, the 2nd place is $250, and the 3rd place is $100 (per team). There is an entry fee, which is where the prize money comes from. At the end, you get a t-shirt, and possibly a financial reward. It runs from the end of this month through the end of March.

My team (Team Guiness) is six people, two males and four females, ranging in age from about mid-thirties  through 48 (I don't know one person's age), and I have to say we're not slackers in the physical fitness department. We have two Zumba-freaks, three runners, and me. I jog, but I'm not at all at the level of my teammates. I've already lost approximately 25 lbs, so I've proven I can do it...

We weighed in today, as a team (not on a big giant scale, that would have been funny, though). Together, we weigh 1,111.6 lbs. Oh, we range in height from 5'1 to 6'2 or so (and those two are married to one another, LOL!) I am going to install a weight loss ticker on this website, so we can track our progress.

Team Guiness is eager to get started on the challenge. We've all set our exercise and food-related goals (my food goals: cut back on sugar in coffee, and chocolate ... sigh. The two things I love most!)

The challenge has been issued, the scales tipped ... let the games begin!

An Uphill Run