Reporter hopes to break her yo-yo dieting trend
I've always been a yo-yo, bouncing through life from one extreme to another.
On occasion, my flirtation with extremes has made life more interesting. I've jumped out of a plane. I've explored underwater shipwrecks in cold waters and conducted dives under ice. I ate dinner at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, stood inside the emperor's box at the Colosseum in Rome and haggled over the price of pottery at a flea market in Mexico.
Once, while falling headfirst from a bridge with a bungee cord tied around my ankles, I promised myself that I'd never smoke, drink or sin again - only to chug down a shot of tequila immediately afterward.
Unfortunately, my affection for extremes applies to my eating and exercise habits.
Last week, I went to the gym for three consecutive days and ate somewhat healthy. On the fourth day, I decided to spend my free time lounging around in bed - munching on potato chips while watching a "Sons of Anarchy" marathon on TV.
The next day, I convinced myself that I was "too busy" to visit the gym or cook a healthy dinner. I put my car in drive and let the road guide me. Somehow, I ended up at a Burger King drive-through. Feeling a bit guilty, I then forced myself to eat rabbit food for the next few days.
It's a vicious cycle. While I've managed to maintain my weight between 135 to 145 pounds for most of my life, it has been climbing for the past three years. My first unofficial weigh-in for the "Fittest Loser Challenge" placed me at 163 pounds. This is the most I've ever weighed in my entire life. I'd love to blame it on a variety of circumstances. But let's face it, most of it is pure laziness. I've cut back on my activities and my eating habits need serious tweaking.
In the next 12 weeks, I hope to break as many bad habits as possible. My personal trainer, Joshua Steckler, owner of Push Fitness in Schaumburg, has already shed some light on the liability of my yo-yo lifestyle. While I expect the physical training to be rigorous and the change in diet taxing, my biggest challenge will be consistency. Eating six times a day, sleeping at regular intervals and sticking to a schedule is going to require considerable mental effort.
I've asked each of the five contestants participating in the challenge what they hope to accomplish in the next three months. What's the one thing that they can't do now that they'd like to be able to do by the end of the competition? Each contestant had a major goal. That made me question myself as well.
While covering this competition is a job for which I'm paid, I've accepted the challenge because I feel that it will change my life. Compared to some of the other contestants, I don't have any major health issues to overcome and I don't need to shed as many pounds. However, I've come to realize that I'm not as healthy as I'd like and that I really don't know much about nutrition.
My goal is to learn how to eat healthier and how to optimize my workouts. In the past, going to the gym usually meant spending some time on the treadmill and the elliptical machine - with an occasional swim
in the pool. Once in a great while, I'd attempt to lift weights. But I'd quickly give up, realizing that I had no idea what I was doing.
In a nutshell, my goal is to develop a leaner and healthier body - and to be able to fit into my size 7 jeans again. I know it won't be easy. Outside of work, it's a huge time commitment. I'll be sweating at "boot camp" every Saturday morning along with all the contestants. I'm expected to work out with my trainer three times a week, as well as on my own on other days. In addition, I have to completely change my diet.
Bad habits are tough to break. But I'm very motivated and excited about this challenge. If something doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you. Personally, I'm ready for a change.
• Kat Zeman is a freelance journalist who's never been on a diet. She finds it easier to jump out of a plane then to work out at the gym on a regular basis. Committing to a regular schedule and giving up pasta gives her serious anxiety issues. She currently lives in Darien.
By the numbers
<span class="fact box text bold">Kat Zeman</span>, 40, Darien
<span class="fact box text bold">Height:</span> 5 feet, 5 inches
<span class="fact box text bold">BMI:</span> 27.1
<span class="fact box text bold">Body fat:</span> 39 percent
<span class="fact box text bold">Body age</span>: 49
<span class="fact box text bold">Starting weight</span>: 163
<span class="fact box text bold">Current weight</span>: 160
<span class="fact box text bold">Weight lost:</span> 3 pounds, 1.8 percent