September 28, 2015

Baby Steps Back to Fitness


Guest Post by Dee

Hey Cranketeers, Crabby here! I'm all excited to introduce Dee from Break out the Skinny Girl with an in-the-trenches perspective on getting back into fitness when it feels anything but "easy" and "fun."

So why am I so excited to introduce Dee?  Well, first off, she's very funny.  And secondly, she blogs with an adorable British accent.  And thirdly, she's just started a new blog which looks to be the sort Cranky Fitness readers might enjoy.  New blogs need encouragement! So please, if you like this guest post (I know I did), think about clicking over to her blog and offering some support. Thanks, and enjoy!--Crabby

So when Crabby very graciously extended her invitation to guest-blog a few words, I jumped at the opportunity – I wasn’t put off at all by the hoots of hysterical laughter which the prospect of me writing an article relating to fitness drew from a handful of people (ok, from pretty much everyone I’ve mentioned it to). In my skinny girl blog, I talk about my own battle of the bulge and whilst admittedly the content is a bit light on theory, as someone who’s dieted back and forth with varying degrees of success over more years than I’m ready to admit, I’m at least a tiny bit qualified to offer an opinion.

Where exercise is concerned, I’m speaking from somewhat less than a position of strength.

I would hazard a guess that the most consistently well-developed muscle in my entire body is the one that operates my jaw – it’s definitely the one that’s had the most exercise. Don’t let the fact that it’s currently buried under a couple of extra chins fool you - if it was visible I’m sure it would look very toned indeed.


You will see from the photo at the top of the post that diet and exercise have been alien concepts to me from the earliest possible age. My mum (who ironically has never been a particularly large lady) believed that all babies should look like the Michelin man so in terms of learning about balanced eating, the odds were stacked against me from the get go.

As I moved up the year groups in school, I flirted with physical activity from time to time. I remember joining the gym club, which looked like fun and the added bonus was that the gym teacher was quite dishy. I especially remember loving my royal blue leotard – despite its tendency to get butt-munched I felt like I was in with the in-crowd you know? If ‘selfies’ had been a thing in the 70’s I’d have been all over that…I just don’t recall doing much actual gym stuff. I think I left under a cloud after yelling a naughty word when I got my head wedged between the vault and the crash mat, having changed my mind about how committed I was to the game of leap-frog once I’d already left the springboard…it wasn’t my finest hour.

And therein lies the pattern which pretty much underpins my relationship with exercise – it starts with me feeling that I should do it, then realising I don’t want to do it, but doing it anyway because everyone else seems to enjoy it. Then realising it’s more difficult than I’d thought it was going to be and giving up after the first achy muscle. Over the years I would say that’s been true of every single activity I’ve tried, with the exception of riding a bike.



Exhibit number two – proof that miracles have indeed happened in the past. This photo was taken of me around 7 years ago. I’d somehow managed to lose around 140 lbs. Excuse me a moment whilst I weep for the skinny girl who emerged for about ten minutes, only to be buried again under every single one of those lost pounds, and then some.

I had been dating a guy who was a bit of a fitness fanatic (yeah, not exactly a match made in heaven, surprisingly it didn’t last ) and he’d arranged to hire a couple of bikes and have a day out cycling. I was dreading it, in fact I worried it might kill me off. But much to my astonishment I actually really enjoyed it – I wasn’t fit, but neither was I lugging around masses of extra weight and it felt good being out in the sunshine and the fresh air. So when we came home, although the romance with Mr Muscle came to a sticky end when he nobbled my love of cake, I bought a bike, and got really into it. It didn’t feel like exercise, it just felt like fun and it’s the first time in my life I’ve ever really enjoyed doing something physical.

You want to know where my bike is now? It’s at the back of my garden shed, probably covered in spiders.

I stopped riding it when I piled all the weight back on again. The voice in my head (excuse my language but I refer to him as the asshole because…well, he is) kept telling me how ridiculous I looked as a fat lady balancing on two wheels and how much people would point and stare and laugh when they saw Shamu setting off for a spin, so I put it away temporarily till I lost the weight again, and it hasn’t seen the light of day in the five or so years since.


So if any of you lovely people have accidentally wandered into my blog, you’ll know that I’m a woman on a mission – under all this lumpy topsoil lurks a pair of skinny knees which I am determined to rediscover. I am filled with optimism – the diet’s going well, I’m in the sweet spot right now where my willpower is holding fast and I’m very focused on getting the weight off again. Everyone talks about how it’s important to tackle diet and exercise at the same time, but just how does an out of shape fat girl catch the fitness bug and get fit?

I’ve got to be honest, I’m starting from a really low base here…I’ve got the equivalent of a whole extra person squeezed into this body. All the moving parts work ok although some of them creak a bit and most of them hurt like hell. I’ve got a red-hot poker which resides in my knee, a back which aches constantly and feet which swell up like balloons whenever I stand for too long. Not to mention the asshole voice in my head, who’s really good at reminding me just how big of a mountain I have to climb, and constantly chews my ear about whether all the effort is really worth it.

I’m thinking yes..? Which is why I’m really trying. I try and walk the dog further every time we go out, much to his delight. I’ve stopped choosing the flat route every time - it might take me a bit longer to climb up through the nature trail to the point where we can admire the view (and I might have a face like a bulldog chewing a wasp whilst I’m doing it) but I’m sure it will start to get easier. Baby steps, but steps nonetheless. It’s going to be a fair old while before I’m ready to break out the lycra, but watch out skinny girl, I’m coming to get ya!

Dee is a soon-to-be 50 year old lady who is looking forward to a fully blown mid-life crisis and descending into eccentricity as a skinny girl. Her blog can be found at Break Out the Skinny Girl. She live in Yorkshire, England and works full time; most of her writing is done in the kitchen with the dog at her feet. (The dog has also lost weight since she started blogging/dieting/exercising and is looking forward to getting back into his favourite collar).

27 comments:

  1. I love this post, Dee - clicking over to your blog right now!

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    1. Thanks so much I'm glad you enjoyed it - I look forward to seeing you over at BOTSG. Apologies if I seem to have replied twice, I'm not losing the plot but my words seem to have disappeared up the spout somewhere!! Dee x

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  2. Great post....going to check out her blog! :-)

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    1. Hi Mary Fran, I'm happy you enjoyed the post and we'd love to see you over at Skinny Girl HQ...rumour has it there's a bit of a party going on there this afternoon :) D x

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  3. Signing up for a weigh-loss webinar sounds like a good idea? Then what are you waiting for? Try this link for a hands-on experience: http://global.info4allstar.com/10

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  4. I am sort of the opposite - I usually do okay at exercise but I am terrible at the diet part. But I keep on trying, that's something, right?

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    1. Course it is - any hole's a goal :) When I imagine life as a skinny girl, I like to imagine that I'll just kind of be fit as part of the skinny package you know? No effort...I now life isn't really like that though. I'm steeling myself for the pain one muscle at a time!

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  5. Excellent post. To me, exercise is punishment. The only time i even remotely enjoyed it was for the few months i was able to afford the gym and went to all the different dance type classes, as well as Pilates and yoga. For once, i was smiling during exercise, not gritting my teeth and enduring it.

    Baby steps are the only way to get back into it. In fact, they are about the only way i get anything done.

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  6. Thanks! You know once in a very impulsive skinny moment I did go to a dance-type class with my friend but I have no dance moves at all, I mean I do dad-dancing...these days I'd be a youtube sensation I'm sure...back then the lady at the front just shook her head sadly and put me way off to the side where I at least couldn't hurt myself. Cringe!

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  7. Dee, I really enjoyed your post (Crabby has a knack for finding the funny everywhere - bless her bones!) and have just started biking again myself - until my husband overinflated the rear tire - not just a little either - it was like the Hindenberg and blew up after I ran to a safe place. Sabotage, anyone? Will add your blog to my list!

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    1. Hi Gigi, thanks so much, I'm quite overwhelmed with all the love! I've had a steady stream of visitors over to skinny towers and it's fair to say my grin this evening is almost as wide as my backside! I'm chuckling at the vision of your exploding tyre, thank goodness you managed to run away...mind you in my experience, the bigger the injury, the bigger the diamond. Just sayin' :) D x

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  8. I invite you to read my health and fitness site. Perhaps it will be useful to you.
    Dr. J

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  9. Hi Dee,
    It's lovely to see you, and I enjoyed your story. Along with your stellar wit, it also shows some key fitness preventers.

    Of course, one is that people who find that exercise suits them immediately (I'm afraid that I'm sort of like that) think that everyone else should have an easy time, and are just lazy if they don't do it. In fact, there are many factors that make exercise difficult even for those who are motivated, and easy exercisers have no idea. Examples of difficulties would include thyroid issues or trigger points, for instance.

    And shaming may motivate some people, but for everyone else it's mostly abuse, IMO.

    Thanks, and welcome, we're chuffed to see you. ;)
    Dave

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    1. Hi Dave, good to meet you, and thank you and the rest of Crabby's gang for making me feel so welcome. You're right, some people can be very dismissive. I have thyroid issues although I've never blamed that for my weight or lack of fitness…it might account for a little bit of it but the skinny Dee in the photo had the same condition and managed to be both skinny and fit, so it's totally down to the twisted relationship I have with food. But I'm on it! D x

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  10. Dee, I love your post and will be clicking over to your blog shortly. I recently lost 82 lbs and cycling was one of the keys to my success. I JUST started riding this year, so I'm a new cyclist. Tell the @$$hole in your head to shut the "F" up and get out there and ride. Honestly, it's a fantastic way to burn calories without a lot of damage to your body. I love it and highly recommend it. Good luck and I look forward to a good read.

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    1. Wow 82lbs, you go girl! Well done that's amazing Tracey. And I see you've already made it over the road to visit my blog, thanks so much for the support, which is much appreciated! D x

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    2. Not sure what happened - I can't seem to get to the regular comment section - only seem to have the "Reply" option these days. But I was thinking about your loving bicycling so I guess Tracey's comment is as good a place as any. I began my (relatively minor, 25% of my then-weight) weight loss with a stationary recumbent bike, which avoids many of the, er, comfort issues that can be associated with upright bikes. One thing led to another, and I am now pretty much obsessed with cycling. I have even acquired a taste for a bit of running. Oh - and I was 51 the first time I got on a road bike. While my challenge was not as tough as yours, I was really happy to learn that activity let me control my weight easily. I've been right where I want to be for about 12 years now. So if you love cycling, you have a head start! It's so much fun, I even brought my bike with me when I was in Yorkshire (Harrowgate) a few years back, and I saw much more of your lovely area than I would have any other way. I hope you can find the same pleasure in it!

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    3. Hello there…Harrogate isn't far from me at all, maybe 40 minutes up the road and you're right it's a lovely place. I'm determined to get there on the bike one day! Dee x

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  11. For those Cranketeers trying to get through to my blog tonight, it seems the host server is down so please don't give up! It's been lovely to see you all visiting and thanks for all your lovely comments...hopefully they'll resolve the issue sooner than later! D x

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  12. Greetings Dee! Thoroughly enjoyed your post and now I want another cuppa. LOL! I have a similar tale…lost 136 pounds, regained more, but I am back down 90 so far. Yay me!

    I enjoy exercise, so all I can suggest is find something you LOVE and do it! I love to swim, hike and yoga is my favourite thing in the world…second favourite actually.

    Nice to see you over here as a guest and I will swing by your blog for a peek!

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    1. Hiya Kimberley, lovely to meet you and I see you've already popped into skinny towers to say hello - you're very welcome! Congratulations on getting back into the game, 90lbs is an amazing achievement, well done you. Hope to head back there myself :)

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  13. Great post - coming to sign on!

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  14. Hi Cherie, thank you and you'll be very welcome!

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  15. I've been reading up on Dee's blog, we are (though she doesn't know it) sisters under the skin, sharing the same designer lard and both working hard to shed it. She's kept very quiet so far on just how well she's doing, almost certainly better than me, I'd wager she didn't buy two tubs of Ben & Jerry's yesterday, not to eat of course, but because they were half price and I can't resist a bargain ;o)

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    1. Hey sister! I'm glad you've been over to have a nose around, you're very welcome. You're right, I've so far resisted the urge to buy two tubs of Ben & Jerry's although I'm salivating at the thought now it's in my head. And I'm not trying to be mysterious about how well I'm doing…I'm about a dress size smaller than when I started but I avoid the BITB (code you'll understand if you've been reading!) so I don't know exactly what I weighed when I started. I know, I'm odd. Hope you come back and see us again soon :) Dee x

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