The Bear Cage

So.  Tomorrow at 8am I weigh in for my gym’s version of the Biggest Loser.

It’s not like fitness and weight loss is a new thing for me.  Since September 2010, I’ve been working out once-twice a week with a trainer and once or twice a week on my own with a program she put together for me.  I’ve lost over 50lbs on my own.

Unfortunately, I broke my foot (stress fracture) and derailed myself for the last 6 months or so.  I’ve gained back 10 or 15lbs and… well.  I need competition to get myself motivated.  I lost the weight before because a co-worker and I were competing (though she didn’t know it). 

This program kicks it up another level.  Three sessions a week with my trainer (though it’s with a small group) for 90 minutes each time, plus at least one more 90 minute cardio workout on my own.  I also take a riding lesson once a week and do yoga once or twice a week.  In order to win, I need to lose just over 1% of my body weight each week.  That’s 3-4 lbs a week.  Yikes.

I have my BodyMedia Fit, my Garmin Forerunner heart rate monitor, a foot pod for tracking distance inside (because I live in the frigid north and refuse to run in -30C outside).  I have the gadgets, but I’m paranoid I don’t have the know-how for the eating and nutrition bit. I’m planning to eat 1800 calories per day and to track my food using a scale, etc.  I have an online membership to Weight Watchers and plenty of healthy cookbooks.

What am I missing? What do I need to get started? Can any of you fitness and nutrition people out there give me some good sites and resources to keep me on track? I know the fitness bit it something I can do.  It’s the nutrition I’m worried about.

If I win this thing (and I do have a chance; my numbers were good enough to win last time they offered the program), I get prizes worth over $5,000 - a year’s membership to my gym, a personal training package, fitness gear, etc, etc.  So I just have to do it now.

Clearly you can see I’m nervous about this, hence my rambling on and on and on… I’m mostly just thinking aloud and psyching myself up to be awesome at this.

Education people on my list - I apologize ahead of time; I might be talking a lot about fitness/nutrition for the next little while.

So - do any of you have any suggestions or tips for me? Please?