The Patch Takes It Off weight loss challenge continues, and in this installment we consider dieting from a less physical perspective. Does that even make sense? Losing weight by definition is about the physical—it's about reducing the body's very size. However, much more goes into the pursuit than mere physical action. I'm at a plateau of 19 down so far and am finding my struggle to be an all-encompassing effort, involving not just working out (mostly walking due to the fractured hand) or by choosing to avoid destructive nutritional choices. Getting through the challenge is forcing me to …

The Patch Takes It Off campaign is still underway. So far, your fearless editor has good news: Having started Jan. 3, as of Jan. 25, I've dropped 17 pounds. All of my clothes are getting looser. And I can dance Gangnam Style without getting winded. Oppan! But your humble correspondent is feeling a little less fearless right about now. Last week, a fall left me with a fractured hand and at least eight weeks of recovery (and no guitar playing, alas). Which means, at least for a while, I have to put off strenuous workouts. My workaround has been to walk and to consume even fewer calories. So far…

"That's it—I'm going to lose weight."  I hear that every year in early January. Heck, I say it every time the big ball in Times Square drops. There's a reason "lose weight" is a perennial part of New Year's resolution lists. More than 60 percent of the nation's population is classified as overweight or obese. And being overweight can lead to a host of potentially deadly maladies ranging from stroke to heart disease to Type 2 diabetes.   While it's easy to state the problem, solving it—taking off the pounds—is anything but simple, especially when one takes on the challenge alone. Resolve fails…

One of my goals for this Patch Takes It Off Challenge is to take part in the New York City Susan G. Komen Run for the Cure on Sept. 18. I'm serious about that, and it has little to do with weight loss. Really, the idea came about because two dear friends of mine have been battling breast cancer over the past few months. PTIO or no, I would do this anyway, but with the challenge pushing me, perhaps I can do the Komen event with greater strength and endurance.To that end, I promised to focus on the running aspect of my training. With my schedule, time is not readily available for this and a …

While I did fairly well with eating and exercise on vacation, the week that followed is another story.  After a few days of non-stop snacking, I decided it was time for a major decision.  I had to break up with an old friend (that really was becoming a foe).  It was time.  It was long overdue.  I decided a “Dear John” letter was the best way to handle the situation.  It went something like this: Dear Nutella, I'm terribly sorry I had to do this through a letter; this is not easy for me at all, honestly. This note will be the last memory you'll ever have of me. I’m done with you and I’m not …

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. That's certainly my experience in the Patch Takes It Off challenge. Give me a repetitive physical movement to do and five minutes later, I will be bored by it.  Many health and fitness experts say I am not all that uncommon. Fitness author Mark Sisson, who wrote weight-loss tome The Primal Blueprint, said changing one's exercise routine is "pretty darn integral" to losing weight, "both in terms of keeping your mind engaged in the activity at hand and ensuring that your dedication to exercise continues to pay off, be it in gains of physical strength, …

Wow!  What a difference a week (and a major change in mindset) can make.  Have I made progress?  Absolutely!  Have I attained perfection?  Not even close!  But overall, I am really pleased (thrilled, actually) with how things have gone since last Wednesday.  When I stepped on the scale this morning, I was down two pounds from last week. The freedom of breaking free from the confines of a strict diet is exhilarating!  Instead of telling myself “no, you can’t eat this, it’s not on your diet”, I allowed myself to eat what I want in a reasonable portion as long as I sit down and am not distracted…

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Just thinking about this most important daily repast sets my heart alight: creamy scrambled eggs, spicy sausage, crisp bacon strips, scrumptious scrapple, buttery waffles drenched in maple syrup, schmeared bagels and lox, mmm... Sorry, I'm getting lost in my rise-and-shine reverie. But you get my point: Breakfast rocks. Problem is, most of my early-morning faves, if eaten regularly, are likely to expedite one's launch to the afterlife. While there is nothing wrong with indulging in, say, a dish of cholesterol-laden Eggs Benedict now and then--or even …

Okay, I am going to be 100 percent brutally honest.  My first week embarking on the Patch Takes it Off challenge was a train wreck.  I only got to the gym twice.  While I did make some successful attempts to eat healthy, I snacked.  A lot.  And I did it while watching television, working on the computer or just being distracted by life in general.  The only thing I can say for myself is that I wasn’t as mentally ready as I thought to take on this challenge.  But I have learned something from this past week.  A lot of my crummy lifestyle behaviors come from years and years of my “all or …

I’m a bit of a perfectionist. The best example is my attempt to knit. I nearly went off the deep end. About five years ago, I attended a class at the Parsippany Adult and Community Education program to learn how to knit.  The teacher was patient and used enormous knitting needles so that we all could see her demonstration easily.  Under her tutelage, I started a sampler.   While at home, I Googled scarf patterns online. While knitting a scarf and after finishing a length, I made a mistake--which meant unravelling and starting all over again. Needless to say, this happened again and again, …

Third week down and I lost nothing. Gained nothing, either, but I lost no weight. There was a big mitigating factor: work, which left me no free time to do much more than walk (usually late at night, with the spouse) or exercise with heavy cans. There was also the heat wave. I am a 50-degree person, happiest in a sweater and when there is a tiny nip in the air. The last week was nothing less than a nightmare for me. By Thursday, my body had had it, between 100-degree-temperature-fueled headaches and sheer exhaustion. When Friday came around, I started having serious breathing issues that …

I am the best bet LA Fitness ever made. They didn’t have to wipe a drop of my sweat off the machines last week. I didn’t take up an iota of floor space in the aerobics studio, either. When I do plug my activities into Spark People, my exercises are not listed. On a daily basis I throw one 26-pound toddler under one arm while holding a 17-pound baby and climb the stairs. Or I move that same load into and out of the car numerous times each day or onto the bar stools in our kitchen. I could make the toddler walk, but we would spend our days milling around rather than getting out the door (and I …

I have a mommy confession to make.  When it comes to my daily list of priorities, I put myself dead last.  In regard to eating well and working out, most days come to an end without me giving thought to either. Here’s a little bit about me (aside from the fact that I do not make myself a priority).  I am a working mom of 2-year-old twins.  Ten months out of the year I have the pleasure of teaching second grade at what I believe to be is the best school in town: Lake Parsippany Elementary School.  When I am not teaching, I am a wife, mom and household CEO.  I am also involved in Alpha Delta …

Houston, we have a problem.  I am running into a difficulty that plagues many people traveling the weight loss road: no time to get to the gym. Let's take the last week as a for instance. As editor of this august local news site, my time really is not my own. My day can begin as early as 5:00 a.m. and continue until early the next morning. Sleep, for me, is a luxury. And now that I am eschewing all even remotely junklike foods, so is mealtime.  That's just reality. In the last week, swamped with work and with dealing with my teenage son's football practices, doctor visit and travel plans (he …

I am fully aware that a commitment to weight loss has two parts--a proper diet and exercise. In my previous blog I noted that I was going to go back into my old Spark People account and record what I was eating.  I didn’t.  I’m going to be honest here, it was a tough week.  When I’m not working on freelance writing for Patch or some other project, then I’m caring for my two kids.  On top of that, it’s summer and there are family commitments on the weekends, which is when my husband is more available to help with the kids. I’m not making excuses, I’m just telling it like it is.   I’ve decided …

My eyes hurt. I am so sore from Friday's visit to my new gym. Literally everything hurts. Including my eyes. But I am going back tomorrow. And if you don't mind my saying so, this girl is going to kick butt. Early in the week, my get-up-and-at-'em activity was limited to walking: Walking around the track at Parsippany Hills High. Parking at the far ends of lots to maximize my walk into buildings. Walking around the pond near my home. Walking up and down the island of Manhattan (well, between Bleecker and West 72 streets and back) and every flight of stairs I could find. Learned something: I …

The day is here! Today, we officially start the Patch Takes It Off Campaign. From now through Labor Day, I am working to shed pounds, gain strength and become healthier. This will be accomplished by cutting calories within a healthy, whole-grain-focused diet that cuts out most carbs, white flour and sugar and bad fats. (No fried food!)  Additionally, I will investigate different options for getting fit within the Parsippany area—gyms and fitness centers, martial arts studios, dance classes and what have you. For the official launch, I spent this day hiking in the humidity—a mile around the …

If you haven't heard yet, Patch is launching a weight-loss/get-fit adventure on Monday, and I get to be Parsippany's poster girl for taking it off. Am I nervous? You bet. But I really need to lose some ugly fat--my mother-in-law has taken to calling me Fattie to my face--so this public exercise will force me to do it. I have several goals here: to lose 50 pounds, to run in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5K in New York City this September and to get the aforementioned mother-in-law to find another way to abuse me emotionally. In an effort to get off to a good start, I started early, doing a …

I will admit it: I could stand to lose a few. Isn't that what everyone always says? There's a reason "lose weight" is always at the top or near to the top on people's New Year's resolution lists. But, those lists are fleeting. What about real change? That is what "Patch Takes it Off" is going to be all about. Starting July 4, participating Patch editors throughout the state (including myself) will begin chronicling their fitness exploits in their coverage areas. Expect profiles on local businesses whose goal is to get people in shape. Expect your editors' accounts on what they are doing to …