#FatChick is On the Road to a Healthy LIfestyle

I'm happy to report I've gone back to my old stomping grounds on Sparkpeople.com to help me on my journey to regain my health. For those of you who don't know about it, Sparkpeople.com is a FREE site that offers all you need in order to find a healthier you. There are trackers for your weight, food, exercise, water intake and so much more. You can join groups for support and you can be as active in them as you wish, or stay on lurker status. It's all up to you. They have free videos you can watch to help with your exercise program, inspiration, recipes...and so much more.

All for free.

I found the site in 2008 after joining BiggestLoser.com. I had to pay for that one but found everything I needed and more on Sparkpeople for free. I could use their meal plans or simply enter my own food as I went. I didn't have to purchase any special equipment or join a gym. Everything I need to workout is already in my home. Of course I did get some new videos, body bands and weights to change things up a bit, but it was a small investment and I have everything with me now.

It's been five years since I was on Sparkpeople full time and I really missed it. I was worried that I would have issue with my crazy schedule getting everything I did and ate during the day into my trackers before I went to bed. Lucky for me, they have a free app for my phone. I can enter everything I do throughout the day and keep up with my progress.

I'm happy to report after two weeks I'm down 16 pounds. While that seems like a lot for two weeks, most of it came off because I cut down the snacking and junk food and cut out soda/pop for the first week. I did have one small bottle of coke yesterday but it took me several hours to drink it. LOL! Only a month ago I would have downed four of those small bottles in the same time period.

I had a flareup of gout arthritis in my big toe so I hadn't been able to jump right into the cardio workouts I picked out, but this week I'm gearing up to start again. I love the Walk Away the Pounds work outs and the free videos on the website. I have so many things to choose from that I know I'll be able to change things up and not get bored.

I've learned that if I go to fast and furious with the workouts in the beginning, I burn out on them later when I need them the most. I'm determined to make this lifestyle change a permanent part of my routine. I'm not stupid. I know there will be bumps in the road again, but with my husband's help, I'll get through those and keep on the right path. We have so much we want to do together and I for one can't wait to get rolling!

See you all around next time,

~The Fat Chick

The #FatChick Gets a Grip On One of Her Fears #anxietyattack #MyWANA

Hi Ho! The Fat Chick is back and ready to share more of her crazy ass journey through life after forty. For those of you just joining us, thank you! This is a little feature where I share my journey through all the bumps and briars of my life now that I'm in my late forties. Don't get me wrong. I love my age but there are some things that happen to all women in this age bracket that are just too damn funny to pass up talking about. Of course there are some things hard to get through for all of us and I hope that by sharing my story, the journey of others is a little bit lighter.

This time I'd like to talk about conquering long held fears. I have many and some are pretty mild. This one is quite debilitating. I have a fear of drowning. I can swim, fish from a boat and go over short little bridges without a problem but put me on a long spanning suspension bridge or on a...ferry...and I turn into a blubbering bag of flesh and bones.

Part of my job requires that I travel throughout the Seattle region to work at various veterinary hospitals. The best routes to one of them require a ride on one of the Washington ferries or drive 90 miles around. The first time I worked there, I did drive around. I wasn't ready to get on that ferry no matter what anyone said to me. Last week, I tackled it with my husband at the wheel.

It wasn't pretty.

I shook and cried and yes tossed my cookies. So many people offered me remedies for my nausea and sea sickness. Problem is, I don't suffer from sea sickness and the nausea had nothing to do with being around the water. What they were witnessing me experience was a full blown anxiety attack.

Dramamine doesn't help that. Meditation doesn't help me for it. Getting drunk off my ass doesn't help either although it would be perfect if it did. Just kidding! (maybe) The only tried and true way for me to get through it is to experience it over and over again. This is a process called flooding.

By going through it repeatedly, step by step, my brain can process it all and analyze it. The unknown is held at bay and my mind is occupied with getting through each step. The thoughts of the ferry going down and me being trapped in my car in the center of it, unable to get out stop running on a loop in my brain. The return trip only set me shaking. No vomiting. Yay me!

Today was the big test. I had to make the trip alone. I have to work at this hospital again tomorrow and by traveling over tonight, I stay at a local hotel so I can be there ready to rock and roll at 7am. My dislike of mornings is topic for another day, let's just say there was no way in hell I would make it up and over here in time if I had to drive in the morning for this shift.

What happened? Nothing but a little stomach butterflies. I purchased my ticket and parked in the waiting area. Within fifteen minutes we were moving. They directed me where to go and I ended up in full few of the front and the water. So cool! I waited a few minutes to be sure I wasn't going to go postal and then got out of the car. I made my way to the galley and got myself a hot pretzel and a Dr. Pepper to celebrate.

I did it! I made it through the whole process without any freaking out. No vomiting. No visions of the water rushing around me and into my car while I struggle to fill my lungs with enough air to be able to swim to the surface...

ohhhhhh...damn it...Just kidding! None of that happened today. Whew!

Here I sit on my little Netbook writing this post and smiling. I made it through one more trip and survived. Day after tomorrow I have to make the return trip bright and early so I can be back in time for a 9am shift at another hospital. As long as I have my plan of action, I think I'll be fine. Just in case, I'm going to take the advice of one of my friends.

Since my fear is being in the middle of the ferry, trapped in my car while the thing sinks, she told me to get my butt to the top of the ferry. Let the insurance replace the car. If the ferry goes down, I'll be on the sun deck and the first off that bad boy!

Until next time,
~The Fat Chick

Ode to the Forty Something Year Old Bladder of This #FatChick #MyWANA #ASMSG

Welcome to this week's edition of Memoirs of a Forty Something Fat Chick. I'm Tammy..."the fat chick" and each week I'm detailing my journey through finding my way to better health. This week I thought I'd fill you in on part of my life I'm sure many women can relate to...the inability to go without a bathroom for more than a few hours, if that.

That's right. I'm talking about the good old bladder control issues, squirting when you sneeze or laugh too hard, or just take a deep breath. It's bad enough my bladder shrank by 50% the INSTANT I turned 40, but now at 46 with diabetes AND a diuretic on board I can't be more than 100 yards from a bathroom at any given moment!

My friends and family used to make a joke that we couldn't pass a rest area without me having to ask to stop. Before I turned forty, it really wasn't much of an issue. Scratch that. I have to say it started in my late thirties...sort of like peri-menopause (topic for another post!). Before the actual bladder shrinkage and leakage age, my body thought it would give me practice having to always know the nearest bathroom location wherever I happened to be.

Now here I am at a point in my life where I already own stock in the Poise Pads company and my trips to the loo have more than doubled. I drank plenty of water before diabetes entered my life. Combine that with having to take the diuretic for my blood pressure and you see my dilemma.

The commercials on television, although funny as hell don't help matters. For one, laughing during them usually brings on a "little" accident. LOL! Come to think about it, I bet those companies do those commercials on purpose. Bastards! LOL  Here's one that used to get me giggling all the time.

Hopefully, as my weight loss plan continues on it's merry way, I'll get more control over my bladder. My goal is to be able to stop taking the diuretic and get my blood sugar regulated back to normal. That would mean no insulin injections in my future..bonus! It also means I'll stop chugging so much water. I swear my back teeth are floating most of the time. ;)

I do have good news. I've lost a total of ten pounds so far in these two weeks since I got my ass in gear. I've been checking my blood every morning and can tell if I had too many carbs the night before. There's no hiding the fact when the numbers pop up on the One Touch.

Tomorrow I have my Diabetes Management class. Hubby informed me he took the day off to be able to go with me. Wow. I didn't expect that but that's just one more reason why I love the man. He said, "I got to be there for my boo. I want to be sure she's with me for another 50 years."

Me too, honey. Me too.

Until next time,

~Tammy