It’s easy to poke fun at treadmills since they are the classic piece of exercise equipment that people bring home when they’re “serious” about losing weight. Like me, I’m sure a lot of folks purchase in-home exercise equipment because they total up the hours in the day and realize that they will use it early in the morning or late at night. Sure, gyms are open at those times but they generally don’t offer child care for babies in the middle of the night.

And to be clear, I asked for the treadmill and was tickled pink to get it setup and ready to go.

For the first few months that I had the treadmill I made good use of it a few times a week. As predicted, I enjoyed using it and felt great, and my pants got a little looser around the middle. But life, as it does sometimes, got the best of me and my extra room with the treadmill became cluttered with the boxes leftover from our last move, items from an older relative’s estate and a stack of potential yard sale items that I’ll probably end up dropping off at Goodwill. The treadmill is in the corner and I spent the rest of last year clearing my way to it once a week or so, sometimes less.

Last year came and went and I still wore the same size jeans, and my treadmill looked nearly new.

Not far into 2009 I decided to walk in the Monument Avenue 10k and told my mother that she was walking, too. We both needed some motivation and the annual walker-friendly race seemed like a good reason to make using my treadmill and cleaning out my spare bedroom priorities.

In addition to the 10k I signed up for the weight loss challenge so I’ve had a couple of reasons to get moving on my treadmill.

It has proven essential to my home workouts. Sometimes I jog, other times I walk real fast, but regardless I always get my heart rate up and my body warm for strength training, which is something that I started doing as part of the weight loss challenge.

I have purchased a couple of other pieces of exercise equipment in the last month that combined with the treadmill give me variety and a good workout. Most importantly, they’re easier to hide in the closet when I am done.

Not that I have the spare bedroom cleared out and functioning as the guest quarters/home office/home gym that it needs to be (small condo = identity crisis), but like embracing a healthy lifestyle it’s a work in progress. I’ll keep working on the room and making more time for the treadmill, and hopefully when I get around to spring cleaning sometime early this summer I’ll add clothes that no longer fit to the yard sale/Goodwill pile.

What I’m using:
• Treadmill: I tested treadmills in the store and the one that I decided on felt sturdy, unlike the other smaller versions. It’s big and clunky but I don’t feel like it’s going to break under my feet if I start jogging and increase the impact. I think it folds up and can be more compact, but I haven’t tried out that feature. And as a bonus there’s a dock for my iPod and decent built-in speakers.

• Hand weights: I’m using 5-pound hand weights for strength training exercises, but I should upgrade to 8-pound weights for more impact. I also have 1.5-pound hand weights with handles that I use when I’m on the treadmill. They get my heart rate up faster and add a punch when I’m in a hurry.

• Stability ball: I finally purchased a stability ball after thinking for years that they’re kind of silly. I admit that they do work and, when used correctly, can engage core muscles on most any other targeted exercise.

Julia has my food diary and since she took it on Tuesday night I’ve been uneasy knowing that she will read it, analyze it and get to know me in a way that I have only recently begun to know myself.

Scan the pages and you’ll learn that I like cheese and bread, that I drink a lot of coffee and that some days I just can’t write it all down. You’ll see spurts of energy and immense dedication followed by days of partial entries and random notes.

She’ll learn that last Saturday I ate a slice of cake on my husband’s birthday. It was a cookie dough ice cream cake from Cold Stone that I am sure accounted for every calorie and fat gram I needed during the day, so going back and recording that I only had a small garden salad for dinner just didn’t seem to matter.

Will she know that the bagels I like for breakfast are 100 percent whole wheat, and that the cheese that accompanies my salads and snacks is from the loved skinny cow? Will she believe me when I say that all of my lattes are made with skim milk?

In some cases yes, because I wrote it down. But the details are not recorded in every case, and without me by her side to discuss each meal, each missed journal entry and each food decision, Julia may come to her own conclusion about me and my eating habits.

There’s potential for the analysis to be harsh.

One month into the weight loss challenge and I already have a good week of poor food journaling under my belt. I haven’t won a weekly challenge yet and there is documented proof as to why I’m not walking away with the prize.

I’ve got all the right excuses; time-consuming sedentary job, young child who needs time and attention, husband who is supportive but still carried Girl Scout cookies over the threshold into our home; but what I am struggling with is the motivation to get over those humps.

Yes, I want to be healthier and lose weight, but last night I just wanted to eat dinner, put on my pajamas and go to bed. After a long day it was just all that I had left in me to do.

I haven’t explained away my mistakes in my food journal and have let it serve, at its best, as a just-the-facts account of my eating and exercise habits. Ultimately that’s how the cookie crumbles, so to speak.

Words aside, if your pants are big, your pants are big. Cake simply has more calories and fat than celery. End of story.

Perhaps the perception comes from too many eighties films with gym scenes complete with leotards, big hair and very little exercise, or perhaps I’m putting my own spin on the hours spent as a kid sitting against the wall at Hardbodies while my mom and her friends worked hard to achieve that ideal eighties look. Regardless, if one month ago you had offered me the choice of participating in group exercise or working six days in a row at the office I would have picked the office.

I have changed my opinion on group exercise since working out with Julia at Endorphin Fitness and think that there may be hope for me to build healthy relationships with people who become workout buddies. Walking on the treadmill in the extra bedroom at my house is convenient, but there’s no one to push me further and harder and I’m not always my best coach.

Julia is nothing like the classic exercise class instructor. She’s worn camouflage pants at least twice and isn’t afraid to tell you that you’re not working hard enough on any particular exercise. Come to think of it, she may be the nicest drill instructor I have ever met.

The key it seems are the variety of exercises that we are doing each week. Twice a week the weight loss challenge group meets for group circuit training. We’re encouraged to pick a different partner each class and sometimes in the middle of the class and we workout together doing crunches, using resistance bands, doing jumping jacks and running stairs, amongst other exercises.

Yes, we ran up and down the single flight of stairs at the gym, something that I haven’t done in more than a decade.

The combination of classic exercises and recently popular tools, such as stability balls and exercise bands, makes for a nice mix and serves as a reminder that you don’t need a gym membership and $100 sneakers do stop and do some jumping jacks.

Changing the exercises from class to class keeps us guessing and on our toes, which is good for someone like me who bores easily and is ready to move on.

Working out with a partner is another way of keeping it fresh and getting to know fellow challengers along the way. Not that there’s a lot of time for chit chat, but having someone struggling with you to get in more crunches helps build camaraderie not normally found at step classes (at least in my experience).

My partner last Thursday night participated in the previous weight loss challenge and lost 25 pounds. She’s back for more and I can see why.

Unlike a month ago when I would have elected to spend more time at the office instead of exercising with people who I hardly know, I was disappointed earlier this week when a project at work got the best of me and I missed our Tuesday night workout. I was surprised at how deflated I felt when 6:30 rolled around and I was not at the gym.

That’s a quick turnaround in mindset for me and recognizing the shift propels me to work harder hoping that in another two months I will be even more committed to a healthier lifestyle. Not that I’ll have more time to be committed to the lifestyle - there will always be a project at work - but at least I will be motivated to work harder the next time I get a chance. 

I will take it a step further and say that this process has opened my eyes to how my habits also affect my bank account, energy level and overall outlook on life. Let’s begin, though, with the first test on the scales.

According to an e-mail from our energetic leader Julia Bardrof, the group lost a total of 50 pounds during the first week with an average of 2.7 pounds per person. I lost 3.8 pounds and have given myself permission to round that up to four pounds. The early weight loss has given me additional motivation to keep up the changes and push myself harder to achieve more weight loss.

More importantly than the number of pounds lost is that this feels like a healthy change. We lost the weight by exercising, counting calories and making a genuine effort to consider healthy decisions. Some challengers even brought in recipes and food labels from healthy options that they tried during the week (we get extra points for sharing this information with the group) and we all seem to be facing similar challenges.

While I haven’t interviewed every member of the group, the overall theme is that we are a busy bunch of men and women and are challenged to work healthy eating habits into our busy days. The concept of six mini meals is great, but most of us just don’t have time to snack. I for one have a hard time working in lunch some days, much less two additional snacks at work. (Sorry I didn’t make it to the meeting. I was eating an orange because I’m trying to kick start my metabolism.)

We’re also struggling with drinking enough water, managing the desire for late-night grazing and working in additional time for exercise. We currently meet twice a week for group exercise and I am in favor of meeting three nights if we could. I love the exercises that Julia selects (OK, maybe I don’t love every exercise) and enjoy the camaraderie.

Life has a tendency to challenge our priorities and agendas and one common conversation topic is the life events that get in the way of sticking 100 percent to an eating plan. We’ve talked about children’s birthday parties, business lunches and vacations. To eat the cupcake, have desert with colleagues or drink the wine - those are the questions.  We’re an eating culture, hence the need for a weight loss challenge.

In addition to dropping a few pounds I have saved about $35 on lunches that I didn’t purchase from the restaurants around my office. I hate to not support local business, but taking my lunch has enabled me to account for the calories and portion size and the additional cash in my bank account is just one more perk.

And after a few days of headaches and low to moderate energy I am beginning to feel great and energized in a way that I haven’t felt in a while. I’m allowing myself to think past all of the healthy, life-changing, positive role model benefits of the challenge and to consider the possibilities of wearing a couple of dresses I pushed to the back of my closet a couple of years ago. Motivation comes in many forms and I’m open to all of the options, even if some are vainer than others.

Confronting the bad eating habits that I have incorporated into everyday life has been a challenge this past week as I journal my caloric intake for the weight loss challenge.

Not only have I been hungry at times since I reduced the amount of food I am eating at each sitting, I have had a headache for days and I think it’s because I am simply not eating as many sugary snacks and drinks. 

My issues are not just with sugar. I have, to be clear, been doing just about everything wrong.

Large portions? Yes.

Eating late at night? Check.

Not enough water, mini meals and healthy snacks? Yep. 

Fatty, fried and salty foods? Most definitely.

Sugar in the morning, sugar at night? Oh yeah.

While keeping a food journal and committing to record the state of my eating habits has been eye-opening, I cannot pretend to be surprised. I didn’t gain weight by eating spinach salads spritzed with low-fat red wine vinaigrette.

What’s missing from the journal, though, is what I would have been eating if I had not been participating in this challenge.

Let’s just put it this way: there was a moment one afternoon last week when I was tired, frustrated and hungry so I offered my co-workers $4 for one Reese’s Cup or Hershey Kiss. My reasoning was that if I only had one embargoed chocolate treat then I would only eat one, as opposed to the two or more I could get for less money from the snack machine.

Luckily no one took me up on my offer. In fact, someone offered me grapes instead.

My moment of 3 p.m. weakness aside, I have made some changes in the past week that I hope to not only keep but build upon for better habits moving forward. Counting calories has resulted in me getting back to basics with meals and being forced to make healthier decisions when I am out of the house.

I spent a typical Saturday running errands around town and made a point to eat lunch before I left home and to return to the house for dinner instead of eating those two meals out, which is something that I would have done prior to this week.

After Saturday I caution anyone who is watching what they eat on shopping at Whole Foods. Do not enter the store hungry as they have an unlimited number of tasting stations throughout the store and those happy store employees are not handing out samples of whole wheat bread and fat-free cheese. This is exactly the type of pass-by noshing that is impossible to accurately measure, a challenge to record and wouldn’t usually by included in a recap of what one eats throughout the day.

I found myself at Whole Foods this past weekend. Let’s just say that I learned my lesson.

I have won a couple of food battles to date including the Girl Scout cookies that I have not eaten, even though I know my husband has them hidden in plain sight on top of the refrigerator. The significant decrease in sugar intake alone is long overdue, and something that’s important to me since I have a family history of diabetes.

I also have a family history of making bad decisions when it comes to eating well. The aforementioned diabetics liked nothing more than a sweet or salty snack after dinner each night, and that’s a hard tradition to break.

The point of the challenge is to lose weight and change bad habits, but the changes have to be practical in order to stick. And the reality is that I like coffee, especially iced coffee during the warmer months. The mornings that I arrive at work without having at least two shots of espresso never go well.

Instead of ordering an iced Americano this morning and topping it with half -n-half, I ordered a grande iced nonfat latte instead. It was yummy and it did the trick.

I checked the nutritional information online at Starbucks.com and my morning latte has 90 calories and two cups of milk. We’ll see how it goes over the long term, but it looks to me like this is an opportunity for me to make a healthier choice that works with my lifestyle.

I made not of Julia’s reminder that coffee can cause dehydration and have big cup of water on my desk as well.

I simply don’t wake up every day and take the time to stress out about my size. The decision to accept who I am, flaws and all, has had positive and negative effects on my life.

Am I generally happy? Yes. Healthy? Not as much as I could be. Am I setting a good example for my young daughter? No, when matters of nutrition and fitness are concerned.

With this in mind I have agreed to a three-month weight loss challenge. But after talking with the program coordinator Julia Bardrof at Endorphin Fitness I realized that this is a lifestyle challenge, too. Or as the flyer says,”Health. Fitness. Life Change. Losing weight is just the cherry on top.”

In return for participating in the weight loss challenge I have agreed to blog about my journey to plus-size catalog shopping, my experiences in the program and the life changes that I make over the next three months. The challenge begins tonight when I meet the other participants for introductions, a weigh-in and group photo.

Bardrof took my measurements last week when I met her at Endorphin Fitness’ Patterson Avenue location in Richmond. And as I suspected I officially do not have a waist.

As much as I look forward to dropping a few pounds and again embracing a more physically active lifestyle, I’m scared of not being successful in the program. Or as I explained it to my boss recently, I would rather learn new software instead of tackling weight loss. My weight is truly the one thing in my life where I have not achieved my goals.

But my inability to maintain a healthy weight has led to a certain level of self acceptance with who I am; I have grown into a happy and successful 33-year-old woman who happens to avoid mini skirts and clingy knits. I’m not finding my bliss through physician or self-prescribed medications. On a daily basis, there’s just something to be said for not hating yourself. (By success I mean employed. Employed is a good thing these days.)

But my “I am who I am” attitude has snowballed and allowed me to overlook the details that keep me in my Pretty Plus jeans. I’ve been so content not stressing out about my weight that I’ve climbed yet another dress size and am possibly letting my personal Zen mask a level of laziness that I didn’t aspire to achieve.

I enjoy a nice meal with my family, as well as dessert. I like cream in my coffee. I like to snuggle on the couch with my husband and watch movies instead of walking on my treadmill in the other room.

I tend to work long hours and my job supplies an unlimited amount of stress, so I look for opportunities to take mental breaks which turn out to be physical breaks as well. I spent the money on a comfortable couch a few years back and make good use of it on a regular basis.

I used to ride my bike for an hour or so three or more days a week. I used to go for walks around Byrd Park and in general have more energy.

And while I have a good time chasing my 18-month-old daughter around the house and the playground, she’s the only one getting a real workout when we play.

I recognize that change is needed and it begins tonight. Not sweeping change that I cannot maintain and will learn to hate, but concepts that I can work into my daily life.

I’m approaching the weight-loss challenge with realistic goals and expectations. I will declare myself a success if I make positive changes to my eating habits and find activities and exercises that work with my life. I do not have two hours a day to exercise, but I need to make good use of the 45 minutes that I have.

And like the flyer says, any weight loss that I achieve is “just the cherry on top.”