On the road ... again!

Hi--

I've been spending lots of time in airports over the last couple of weeks—a lot more than I'd planned, actually. I will spare you the nasty details--I'm sure any of you who has tried to fly anywhere this summer has stories of her own. I should be sleeping right now to catch up from getting in at 11 p.m. insted of 7 p.m. on Wednesday from a trip to Las Vegas (for work, not fun!), but I was lying awake and thinking about blogging, so I got up. Anyway, all this travel got me thinking about how hard it can be to manage staying healthy on the road, so I thought I'd share what I do (and I'm hoping you have some secrets I can learn from too!).

What I pack:
--Always, always workout clothes and shoes. I have gotten to the point where I never check bags unless absolutely necessary, and even then, I put a workout outfit and sneakers in my carry on. I don't want my workouts to be a the mercy of the airlines!
--My Pilates DVD. The one I like is called the Rael System 17--there's a System 7 for beginners and a System 27 that's really hard--too hard for me. I usually have my laptop with me if I'm going away for work, so I can just pop that in at night in my hotel room and get a great strength workout. The thing about Pilates is that it's hard and all that, but you don't need a mat (lay a towel down on your nasty hotel carpet, please!), you don't sweat, and you get a workout that can really change your body very quickly. When I do this DVD consistently, I can see my posture changing and feel my body toning up in about 3 sessions. And it's such a small item--takes up zero space in your bag.
--Sometimes my jump rope, or my swimsuit, goggles, and cap. The jump rope has saved me--I can get a great workout really quickly and not have to count on a hotel having a great gym or anything. And I love to swim laps--if the hotel where I'm going has a lap-swimming pool, I'm there. I've also done water running on occasion if the pool isn't big enough for lap swimming.

What about snacks?
I believe in being prepared when I travel--I bring healthy foods in self-defense, just in case I'm stuck somewhere starving and all that's available is Sbarro's greasy pizza. (There's a time and a place for Sbarro's, but I want to have a choice!) First, I try to have a good, healthy meal BEFORE I leave. Sometimes, I'm tempted to wait, thinking that I will have something great when I get to wherever I'm going. But I've been burned by flight delays and everything too many times, and ended up trying to find something decent in an airport (and you know what a challenge that can be!). I choose really filling, super healthy things like oatmeal (for breakfast), or a big salad at lunch or dinner. I figure it's the last time before I leave that I will really have control over what I eat, so I should do the healthiest thing possible. And then, I stash lots of snacks. I always have an energy bar with me ... the Zone Peanut Butter/Chocolate bars are the best. They're 220 calories, so they're really not a snack--but I've eaten them for lunch on long flights or breakfast on short ones. I also bring things like 100 calorie packs and Fig Newtons, but I don't put too many of them in easy reach, or I'll end up eating them whether I'm hungry or not. For instance, I flew to Las Vegas the other day (a 3+ hour flight) with a Zone Bar and a 100 calorie pack of Chips Ahoy in my purse, with extras in my carry on. That's not much--I didn't even eat the Zone bar--but I did have two of those little bags of cocktail peanuts (60 calories each), which I knew I wouldn't be able to resist. See, that's the thing: I have to learn from my experiences here. I KNOW that I will want those peanuts, and will be tempted to eat whatever's in my purse whether I'm hungry or not. So why load up on goodies if I'm going to have to spend the whole flight arguing with my inner whiner ("But I'm sooooo bored ... and those snacks look soooo yummy. Can I just have a little?")?

Other stuff
I could go on forever about this. But I'll just mention a couple more things and then open it up to you to share your tips.
--I always work out the first morning of a business trip. Even if I have to get up super-early, it's better to do it then, because in my experience, I'm only going to get more tired and run down as the trip goes on. Also, I feel like it gives me a little ego boost if I've got a big meeting or something.
--I'm boring at breakfast and lunch. You're away, and you don't have much control over your meals ... eating at restaurants and all that. But I really try to stick with the same healthy breakfasts and lunches I have at home, with the idea that I will let myself go a little at dinner. So breakfast is usually cereal or oatmeal, or maybe fruit and yogurt and a piece of whole wheat toast. Lunch is almost always a salad--filling, and good insurance that you'll get all your veggies for the day in that meal.
--When I'm staying at hotels, I always try to find out what kind of fitness facilities there are. If I can choose the place, I will choose a hotel with a great gym ... with the idea that I might actually look forward to going there if it seems to have new and different machines or classes or whatever. I'm also really loyal to hotel chains that have a commitment to health and wellness (and there are some, believe it or not!). Westin is one of the best--they typically have huge gyms, and some nice light food on their restaurant and room service menus. Hilton and Hyatt are coming up too, and many smaller chains as well. Do a little research before you choose ... and if it's not up to you where you stay, or you're on a budget, at least know what you're getting into so you can plan accordingly.
--Don't freak out. It's just plain hard to stick to a healthy routine when you're away. And even though I know I can do it (and that you can too!), stuff happens. You get tired and can't bear to work out. You stumble on a gelato shop you just have to try (and must! because you're away and you deserve some fun!). You're stuck on the tarmac for three hours and manage to go through your entire snack stash (and thank God you had it, right?). One of the hardest things for FFGs and Future FFGs is to FORGIVE yourself when you slip up. It's that damn perfectionism, that all-or-nothing thinking that has us feeling like complete failures for one digression ... and that, I KNOW, was one of the reasons I never could seem to lose weight in the past. ("I gave in and ate BOTH the rolls the room service guy brought ... so I might as well hit the minibar for an all-out binge!"). Just remember, it's ONE DAY. ONE DAY in this journey, this long journey that has peaks and valleys that balance each other out. So you hit a valley? There's a peak just around the corner. Trust me.

OK, that's enough musing. I want to hear about your travels ... your secrets for staying healthy (and I could use some lessons in keeping your cool when you get bumped, if you have those too!).

Lisa D

Big Fat Bullies

Hi, everyone--

I have been traveling much over the last couple of weeks--just got back from Los Angeles and Chicago, where I signed some books and met lots of great FFGs and Future FFGs! Welcome to all you newcomers!

I have a lot to catch you up on, but I've been thinking so much about a report that came out earlier this week on childhood obesity that I have to write about it. The newspaper pieces I read said that overweight kids as young as age 3 suffer discrimination and bullying, and that ADULTS are a major source of the abuse.

That is, of course, OUTRAGEOUS--but not surprising in the least. Many of us FFGs and Future FFGs who were chubby growing up suffered the occasional comment from a clueless adult. What strikes me about this report is that someone is finally exposing the issue so we can start figuring out why it is that adults somehow feel free to bully kids--not their own, necessarily, I might add--just because they don't fit that adult's vision of what a kid should look like.

I am struggling, even as I write this, to understand. I know someone who has a bit of this in her. I have heard her talk with distain about overweight kids, distain, I think, at their lack of self-control, at their parents' inability to assert control. For her, I think it's more about her fear of anyone who is DIFFERENT than anything else. She isn't exactly accepting of racial differences, of political differences, of any kind of variation from what she sees as the norm. She has a good heart in many ways--she would do anything for a friend--but sometimes, I admit, it's hard to BE her friend because of her intolerance.

So maybe it's the classic fear of our differences that plays a part in this horrible phenomenon. But I don't think that's the whole of it. I think these Big Fat Bullies see a bit of themselves in those chubby kids. Maybe THEY were overweight as children, and somehow feel as if, now that they've moved past that stage, they have the right to a little payback. Because they're higher on the food chain, they can turn around and stick it to someone who was once as powerless as they were. You see this all the time in the business world, on the playground, among siblings, even--the victims looking for someone to victimize, so maybe they can feel a little better about themselves.

Part of it could be, too, that these kids are seen as symbols of our own gluttony and excess, our own drive to consume, consume, consume. And I'm not just talking about food--things, money, cars, status. Maybe these kids are like a mirror that exposes us for what we really are, people living in a constant state of WANT. Not exactly how a good, faithful, upstanding citizen wants to think about herself, is it? So in lashing out at these kids, we're somehow lashing out at our own failings.

You know, I'm around a ton of kids everyday, as I drop off my son at daycare, or take him to the zoo, or shuttle him to birthday parties at the local kids' science museum (where we will be hanging out most of the morning today). And I see kids who are overweight, some of them obese. I live in a state--Alabama--that ranks near the worst in the country for obesity. When I look at these kids, I see ME. I see all those things I was struggling with at their age. And it is, literally, heartbreaking. You know, I wouldn't change anything about my childhood, because all of it--good and bad--added up to who I am now. But it's hard to see these kids and know what they're going through, what they will go through. I don't wish it on anyone. And it's completely reprehensible that adults, who are supposed to know better, are only making it worse.

These are all just theories, just musings (very philosophical ones at that--I promise I'll post something more fun in a couple of days!). And I obviously don't have it all figured out. I would love to hear from you--have you seen examples of this adult-on-kid bullying? Were you ever a victim of it? And why do you think it happens? Let's talk about it.

Lisa D

What You Girls Want

Hi, everyone--

So it's been about a week since I vowed to STOP saying how tired and busy I am ... and I have to say, I've only slipped a few times. And I do feel pretty good ... a little more in control ... a little calmer about what's going on in my life right now. I have this way of giving into that overwhelming feeling that makes it a chore to do ANYTHING. But ever since I've said "no" to "tired" and "busy," I've started to feel like I have the energy to tackle some things on my list that I've been putting off. Which brings me to ...

This site. I've been thinking about making some changes to make the site more interactive, more useful and inspiring to you ... and I wanted to get your input. Here's a couple of things I've been thinking about:

A message board: I love the Guest Book ... probably because it's full of fabulous messages about how wonderful the book is (with the exception of a few). But ... I think we need a place where we can talk to each other more easily--where you guys can share, argue, advise, etc. so it's not always just ME. Obviously, this isn't revolutionary, but let me know what you think. I'm not sure if I would keep the guestbook or replace it with a message board ... I'll have to talk with my amazing web guy for advice about that.

Blogs: I'm thinking about giving you all opportunities on this site to blog too. So I would keep my "Secrets" blog and the Ask A Former Fat Girl area (If you want me to!), but would add a function that allows whoever wants to to create and keep a blog here. I love the idea of hearing other Former Fat Girls' journeys and learning from them.

Groups: OK, here's a big one. I want to know what you think about creating in-the-flesh Former Fat Girl groups. I would ask leaders to apply, post guidelines, offer some kind of perks to members, and make myself available monthly for chats or something ... this idea is still taking shape but I would love to hear if any of you would want to meet with a group of other Former Fat Girls and Future FFGs for support.

Jump-Start Weekends: I'm in the process of organizing at least one FFG Jump-Start Weekend at a spa (can't name names right now). The weekend would be full of fitness activities, healthy foods, discussion time, plenty of fun FFG activities, and (of course) spa treatments!

I would love to know what you think about these ideas ... and whether there are any other functions you would like to see on the site (or beyond!). Thanks for your input and your support. You know, you all keep telling me how I've inspired you, but your messages are inspiring me ... to keep living healthy, to keep believing, to keep ME on my own to-do list. I can't thank you all enough for being open to me and my message.

Lisa D

A New Mantra

My last post, I went off on a little tangent about how I'm always saying, "I'm tired," and how I'm NOT going to say it any more. I've been thinking a lot about that this week (as a few "I'm tireds" have slipped out my mouth). You know, I write in my book about my inner whiner, the one who tries to talk me out of getting up for my morning runs ("But it's so earrrrly!"), the one that tries to sabotage my diet ("Can't I have just one more little piece . . . pleeeeze?"). Well, I'm realizing that I've been letting the whiner take over lately. "I'm tired . . . I'm busy . . ." over, and over, and over again.

I think part of it is because it's summer, and on some level I don't feel like I should be busy. I still expect things to slow down, to be easier (doesn't that song say "Summertime, and the livin' is easy"?). But things AREN'T slow, they're NOT easier . . . and they may not be anytime soon. Somehow, I've let my head slip into "what if" and "I wish" and all that . . . and forgotten to just be here now. To take what I have--this day, this life, this busy and tiring life--and make the best of it.

Now that I know this, I have to figure out what to do about it. I do think I was on to something when I vowed, last post, to STOP saying "I'm busy . . . I'm tired." Maybe I SHOULD be saying, "I JUST AM."

Words are powerful things to me. If you've read the book, you know about INO . . . you know about "Whatever it takes." I'm going to try out "I Just Am." I'll let you know how it goes.

Lisa D