Fit to Fat to Fit

Is anyone else watching Fit to Fat to Fit on A&E?  I was intrigued by the concept from the very beginning and now, four-and-a-half episodes (I'm watching one right now) in, I’m definitely hooked.  Here’s the basic idea:

A trainer in amazing shape has four months to gain a certain amount of weight (we’re talking about 40, 50, 60 pounds here) and then he (so far, they’ve all been men) will work alongside their client/partner who is looking to lose at least that much weight.  They will work together for four months and then we’ll see their transformations.

The idea is that the trainers get to see how they feel eating a bunch of crappy food and not exercising and carrying the extra pounds so they can gain an understanding of where their client is mentally and physically.  The trainer and clients meet up after the initial four months and they get started right away with a workout.  The trainer puts the client through his/her paces, then the tables turn and the trainer does the workout.  So far, all the trainers have suffered and struggled through that workout but I have to wonder if some of that is for the audience (us watching and their client).  Not all of it; I'm sure they are still feeling the workout, but it seems like they could possibly be exaggerating their reactions for the show.

I like the focus on the trainer at the beginning, but I don't feel like the focus shifts enough to the client in the second half of the show.  I want to see more of that person working hard to lose weight while they adjust to their new lifestyle within their old lives.  Have their families changed their eating habits too?  When are they getting in their exercise?  Did anything knock them off course?  How do they deal with cravings and social situations?

One thing that isn't clear is how much the trainers are working out once they are allowed to exercise again.  Since they go to a gym for work, it's easier for them to get in anywhere from a "normal" amount of exercise to what most people would consider an excessive amount.  I'd like to see them roughly match their client's schedule.  Sure, they can do their training of people as their job, but they can't use any more than an hour (comparable to a lunch hour for most people) during a normal work day for exercise and even then they have to remember that they need to be presentable and ready to get back to work an hour after they start so they don't actually have 60 minutes to work out.  Before and after work, they can exercise as much as their life allows as long as it doesn't vary greatly from what their client is able to do.

Real life for most people doesn't mean working in a gym and exercising for a living.  it doesn't mean taking care of only yourself.  It doesn't allow for specialized meals for one.  I think the show should work a little harder to truly put the trainers in the shoes of their clients.  They need to know how truly difficult it can be to lose a lot of weight when it isn't your job, and your actual job and commute takes up 10 or more hours of your day.

Even though I think there's room for improvement in the show, I think the concept is a really good one.  Not only does it help the trainer see how the client may be feeling, but the client has that much more appreciation for the trainer and what he is willing to do to help.

And on that note, I'm going to get back to this episode and see how this pair does together.

My baby is 2!

I’m starting this post on Friday the 12^th.  Two years ago exactly I went to my last weekly check-up at the doctor before embarking on a five-hour drive home through snow and ice.  Thank goodness Connor didn’t decide to come a little early because he would’ve been on the news as a roadside birth since it took me less time to actually HAVE him, from the time real contractions started to his arrival, than it took me to drive home.

I could go on and on about this toddler of mine.  He is funny, sweet, talkative, curious, smart, and every other adjective you want your two-year-old to be.  He loves washing cars with the McHusband, watching Mickey Mouse and Chuggington, reading books, and putting his puzzles together.  We bathe him every other night but he loves baths so much that he asks for one every night.  I think we’ll definitely have to get him a pool for the backyard this summer.

Connor is still a good eater and has been loving oatmeal lately.  Broccoli too!  The one thing I know he isn’t a big fan of is chicken nuggets.  When I mentioned that to friends, they asked, “Has he had Chick-Fil-A nuggets before?”  Because, come on, who doesn’t like those?!  Yes, he’s had them and they just aren’t his favorite.  Dipping sauces, however, are a different story.  He loves them all.

It amazes me how much he takes in from the world around him.  One day recently the McHusband was out of town for work and I said so and said, “Daddy is on an airplane.”  Now when I tell Connor, “Dada has to work,” he says, “Airplane!”  I love when my little sponge wrings himself out and I get to see everything he’s absorbed from us and school.

Speaking of…  Connor will move up to the next classroom in March so he’s been spending a little time over there just to get acclimated to the new room, people, and teachers.  On the first day, the assistant teacher told me that he was the only one who didn’t cry and that he was one of the best listeners.  #proudmom  I wasn’t really surprised.  He’s fairly “go-with-the-flow” in general although he certainly has his terrorist toddler moments.

Luckily Connor is still happy to go for long walks in the stroller, and I hope he continues to be content as the weather improves.  We will also have to get the bike and…I don’t know what that kid-carrying-pull-behind thing is called but you know what I’m talking about.  Anyway, we’ll have to get that out so we can ride through the neighborhood across the street.

Connor still sleeps in his crib in a sleep sack.  That keeps him from climbing out, should he decide to try, but also keeps him warm.  Anyone who knows us in real life knows the McHusband and I like the house pretty cool for sleeping.  Connor actually asks to get into his bed to hang out with toys or books and in the mornings, he doesn’t want to get out right away…or for an hour after waking up.  So weekday mornings can be a bit of a struggle if he wakes up later, but it works out great for us on the weekends. He still has his two blankies and a pacifier and his stuffed dog – and yes, if he has one of those, he has to have them all.  He has started calling his paci a “pal.”  So it’s going to be that much harder to make him give it up since he’ll be asking for his pal.  We should probably do that sooner than later before this friendship gets even stronger…

We won’t go to the doctor for his two-year check-up and shots until the 26^th, but my at-home measurements have him weighing 34 pounds and standing 35” tall.  So he’s petite just like me.

I am so proud of Connor and what a wonderful kid he is.  And I’m proud of the McHusband and me for doing a good job with him for two whole years!  I have several friends with new babies and when I think back to that time, it’s amazing how short it was in the scheme of things.  Not at the time, of course.  Some days I thought we just weren’t going to survive.  But we did!  Not only survived, but we flourished!  I sometimes miss those snuggly infant days, but I mostly love Connor being this age.  He makes me smile and laugh every day and, as trite as it sounds, I love seeing the world through his eyes.

Unfortunately Connor is spending his birthday at home with me (my office is closed today) because he has pink eye.  He woke up yesterday with his right eye swollen and red.  As time passed, both eyes got kinda watery and by the end of the day they were, to use a very scientific term, "gooky."  He acted okay yesterday so fingers crossed he doesn't get a bad cold or an ear infection, which would be his first, to go along with case of conjunctivitis. 

Happy Birthday, Connor!  We love you more than you can imagine and we can’t wait to see what this next year has in store for you.