Sunday, January 13, 2013

Admitting My Addiction (Diet Fad's/As Seen on TV)


I think the first step in any addiction is admitting you have a problem . . . well I know I have a problem and I guess it is time to admit it!! My addiction is Diet Fad’s and As Seen on TV exercise video’s. For as long as I can remember I always wanted that quick fix to losing weight and I would try almost anything.

Below are some of the As seen on TV purchases I have made, some I still have and others I have retired. The ab roller was my first purchase that I had made. I don’t know if I ever really used it but I can recall trying it and never got those rock hard abs they promised me I would get! The next was the abs shocker – I bought it when it first came out (this was the only picture I could find). That thing was miserable, but I thought hey, I can wear it while watching TV or doing homework . . . you would place this gel on your stomach and turn it on. I think I tried it once or twice and then retired it by selling it at a garage sale!!



  
I went through an ab workout fad for awhile next buying the ab chair. Yes I wanted to be lazy, lay in a chair and do “sit-ups” to gain amazing abs again! But the catch was I am only 5’ tall and couldn’t reach the bar with my feet!  So I sold it to a family friend. I think my next couple purchases are all a blur, I bought the Windsor Pilates Video that came with a circle thing that was suppose to help tone your arms and have you focus on your abs while you worked out. I don’t think I even have to say anything about the shake weight. . . I never took it out of the box or used it. I knew when I bought it that I was making a mistake but addictions take over right???

Well I have had my fair share of videos as well . . .



It started with the misc videos above, walk away the pounds, power yoga, Pilates for dummies (bought it my sophomore year of college and my roommate Carrie and I would try to work out in our dorm room). The addiction continued when Wii came out with the balance board, I just had to get it. I then got the eactive video game and biggest loser a couple Christmases ago. I would try them for a few weeks, get bored and then move onto something else.

P90X was also a Christmas present I had convinced my brother in law to purchase. The infomercials would suck me in thinking, wow I want to look like that! Then as you start the videos or read the pamphlets, you really should be in shape BEFORE you do P90X! Well I did ok for maybe 45 days and then didn’t like working out for an hour and a half, so I moved onto Tony’s 10 minute trainer. WHAT – I have to do three 10 minute videos – that was a scam!

My most recent purchase was the KettleWorX videos, it was a groupon special and my itch to buy it kicked in. I tried it for three weeks, took a break, tried it again, took another break and then finally gave it up. It now is being used by my husband and since my kettlebell was only 10 pounds I bought him a 20 pound bell for Christmas.

Now it is not like I don’t have the space or some equipment to workout I just don’t have the motivation to do it at home:


Our workout bench is so dusty you can obviously tell that it doesn’t get used! Our treadmill has seen better days. We used it when we lived in our apartment in Binghamton 8 years ago and gave it back to my parents when we moved to Albany. We just didn’t have the space in our apartment. 3 years ago when I tried to start running we brought it back up here and pieces were missing. We managed to get it to work but it is so loud you can’t hear yourself think. Right now our stationary bike is being used to hold up empty boxes and I can’t even remember the last time I actually used it . . . I think it might have been when I was starting to watch Dexter on Netflix 4 years ago!

Now we all know that exercising is only a part of the weight loss process . . . Diet is very important!


O yes, I have plenty of magazines and books that have only fueled my addiction. Women’s Worlds are the worst for me  . . . every week there is some new miracle diet that I just have to try. Recently I threw a bunch of them out as I am trying to Detox my life from this addiction! I have tried them all: weight watchers, acia berry supplements, atkins, flat belly diet, south beach, some blueberry drink diet . . . none of them satisfied me and I never see the results that I thought I would! The cookbooks never had recipes that I would want to try or have ingredients I had never heard of them.

I have had my fair share of gym memberships too . . . I have been back and forth to Gold’s, tried the YMCA, Sport-time and even the Duanesburg Area Community Center. None of them were structured enough for me and when I didn’t go no one seemed to care. This is very different than my experience at Albany CrossFit. During bootcamp I was eager to learn new things and I always knew who was going to be there. It was like this family that I didn’t know existed! Now that I am a member (and doing the 90 day challenge) I still have my bootcamp buddies that keep me going. I also feel that I want to make progress during the 90 days so I need to stay motivated to see the results at the end of 90 days (and possibly win something)!

So I am packing away all of these unneeded items, focusing on going to 4 WOD’s a week and trying to do a combo of the Zone/Paleo diet. No more Hot Pants, Flat Belly Diet or pretending to workout in the basement! Now I am replacing my addiction to diet fad's to becoming addicted to CrossFit! 

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