Fat Woman on the Mountain

Back to Class

2011-08-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

Since I've returned from Mount Kilimanjaro my workouts have been, well, lackluster. There is a bit of a let down after accomplishing a goal so grand, something that you've been training for and dreaming of for more than a year.

I love having a grand adventure to visualize while I exercise. Otherwise, I find myself bored and unmotivated. I just spin my wheels on the bike or go through the motions on the elliptical trainer for a quick 28-minute workout.

I'm still deciding what my next Big Fat Adventure will be. Other items on my life list include a rim-to-rim Grand Canyon hike, a trek up Machu Picchu or another one of the world's Seven Summits (Aconcagua, perhaps). Since I've just barely unpacked after this last trip (and then again after Irene), I decided to give myself a little while to decide what my 2012 challenge will be.

In the meantime, I decided to shake things up by heading back to class -- exercise class that is. I love the positive peer pressure of an exercise class. You have to keep up, and people expect you to return.

I grabbed the group exercise schedule at the Summit YMCA to find some fun, challenging activities here at home. I started circling Zumba, Spinning Out Loud (where singing is encouraged) and others that can keep me motivated and working hard.

Since it is nice to have a familiar face in class, I started with my personal trainer Heather Worthy's class -- Cardio, Cuts & Core. She kept us sweating for an hour with a mix of kickboxing, strength training and more. What an incredible workout (I'm still sore).

So with the back-to-school season upon us, think about shaking up your exercise routine. Is there something you've always wanted to try? Get out there and try something new!

Made it to the top!

2011-08-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note that I have made it to the top of Kilimanjaro and back down.

A lot of the porters and guides doubted that I could make it to the top. This challenge was as much a mental one as it was a physical one. I had to calm feelings of doubt along the way. I used mantras such as "Strong, Steady, smooth" and "I believe in me" with each step to squash negative feelings and continue on this journey.

I am so grateful for your support along this long, hard journey. Hope your summer has been full of awesome adventures.

Wish I Was Fat Like You....

2011-08-01T20:37:00.001-07:00

Today a woman in the Kibera Slum, in Nairobi, Kenya asked me, how can I be fat like you....

Kibera is one of the largest slums in the world, home to as many as 1 million people. It is some of the most vast poverty I have ever seen. A visit like that has made me appreciate everything I have including my fat.

Altitude and Attitude Training in Telluride

2011-07-23T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am spending the week in Telluride, Colorado to get a taste of thin air before heading off to conquer Africa's highest peak -- Mount Kilimanjaro.

I am here with Stacey Pratt, who is also hiking Kilimanjaro for Global Alliance for Africa, and Sydney Clover, who is helping me document my journey. My 3-year-old daughter also joined us and is attending day camp while I'm hiking way up high but it is a wonderful way for us to spend quality time before I take off for two weeks to Africa.

Our home away from home is an amazing condo at Mountain Lodge in Mountain Village. We sleep at about 10,000 feet. Just being here is altitude and attitude training. There is 73 percent as much oxygen here compared to home. (At the top of Kilimanjaro there will be half as much as home!)We often wake up with a smidge of a headache and a dry mouth. The key is to stay hydrated. I've been downing at least four liters of water each day to stay ahead of altitude sickness.

Each day we hike -- often trying to reach 12,000 feet. That will give us a head start before taking on Kilimanjaro's 19,343 feet. Our ulitmate goal while in town is to conquer Ajax Peak.

I am also using this week as a wellness retreat. BistoMD was kind enough to provide our healthy meals (ranging from 1,100 to 1,400 calories a day)so we could stay on track and could focus on our training. They are so easy to prepare, just a few minutes in the microwave and diner is served. So far, my favorites have been the Shrimp Burrito Bowl and the Chicken Breast Stuffed with Broccoli & Cheddar.

There is a little relaxation built in here... Yesterday we headed to Moab to visit Arches National Park (only 1.5 miles of hiking because of the 108 degree heat). I am heading to a Monsoon Yoga Class on Wednesday at Telluride Yoga Center and will hit Mountain Lodge's tub as often as possible to keep my legs feeling happy for the big challenge ahead. (We will summit Kilimanjaro two weeks from today!)

Packing to travel from the Equator to glaciers

2011-07-23T06:13:00.001-07:00

I wanted to share two videos with you as I prepare for my trek up Kilimanjaro. The packing list for this adventure is about two pages long, as we make our way from the equator to glaciers.

Here is a trip to Bill's Army Navy Outdoors in Millburn:

and a packing confession about my second ill-fated trek up Kilimanjaro:

Hope you are having a wonderful summer filled with great adventures!
www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Breaking a Sweat!

2011-07-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

I have been working out with my trainer, Heather Worthy, to prepare for Mount Kilimanjaro. I can't believe there are less than six weeks before the summit!

Here is a video of our training session this week. If you want to learn more about Heather, please check out her website, www.worthyfitness.com or her book, Worthy Workouts!

20 Pounds of Sugar on My Back

2011-06-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

The more I have sugar around, the more I want it.
I have been doing really well in my training. I keep hiking higher and higher mountains as well as longer and longer trails but I am not dropping pounds. The only time that I have been truly successful in losing weight was when I drop refined sugar.
On Sunday I decided to walk to my friends' house, which happens to be eight miles away, as a training exercise and get together. It was my responsibility to bring the bagels -- a baker's dozen -- to the gathering so I loaded them in my backpack and away I went. The weight of the pack was significant and it got me thinking about all the food I've been carrying around with me all this time.
The following day, when I suited up to hike Mount Tammany, one of New Jersey's best training mountains, I decided to bring along sugar -- 20 pounds of it to carry along, as I would like to drop that many pounds (or more) before I take on the mountain itself. Here's how it went:

The experience made me really think about what I really want to carry with me on the journey ahead.
Read more about my story at: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Birthday Hike Video

2011-06-09T13:14:00.001-07:00

Thought you would love to see this video from my birthday hike. My biggest question to resolve in this 37th year of life is why am I again hanging on to this baggage, this weight. Once I let it go, it will be a lot easier to do the things I want to do.

Be sure to check out my website, www.fatwomanonthemountain.com
Happy trails!
Kara

Celebrating My Birthday on the Trail of Life

2011-06-08T03:51:00.000-07:00

I have hiked on my birthday every year since I turned 31, and conquered Camel's Hump, Vermont's second highest peak, after years of feeling stuck in obesity. Today, on my 37th birthday, will be no different.

My weight chart looks like a mountain range with ups and downs. But the most important thing that I can do is to keep moving forward. And though I have struggled to get the scale to move down these past couple of years, I know I have the power to move upward and onward.

Hiking is my favorite way to celebrate life and all my body can do. This year will be a test of strength, stamina and spirit as I take on Kilimanjaro a third time. My goal is to raise $1 per foot of the mountain -- $19,343 -- for Global Alliance for Africa's AIDS orphans programs.

It is my greatest hope that my journey inspires others to better health and a better world.

Click here to make a donation to Global Alliance for Africa on behalf of my next trek.

Visit my website, http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Asante Sana for a great event!

2011-06-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to all those who supported me Saturday at the Kilimanjaro Spinning Challenge. I was able to raise more than $1,000 for Global Alliance for Africa and garner lots of great energy to bring on the journey ahead. You will all be my rock on the mountain.

Here is a video from the event, which was created by Sydney Clover:

A big thanks to the Summit YMCA, and for Spinning instructors Monica and Joe who picked the most amazing music for the very uphill ride. I'm now absolutely in love with Afro Celt Sound System. Here's one of Afro Celt Sound System's songs, featuring Peter Gabriel, that they played on the ride.

Asante sana (Swahili for Thank You) for your support!
This is my fundraising website. My goal is to raise $19,343 -- $1 per foot of Kilimanjaro -- for Global Alliance for Africa!

http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

Spinning My Wheels on June 4

2011-05-25T18:58:00.000-07:00

I would like to invite you to a very special event:

Kilimanjaro Spinning (Indoor Cycling) Challenge and Online Silent Auction
10 a.m. June 4 at the Summit YMCA, 67 Maple St., Summit, NJ

Here's a link with more info.

The online auction -- with some absolutely fabulous items -- will be right here on the blog. Bidding starts May 26.

I decided to host a special Spinning class (with the fabulous instructors Monica & Joe) fundraiser for Global Alliance for Africa because indoor cycling is a major part of my training for my upcoming Kilimanjaro trek.

I love Spinning because it creates less pressure on my knees. I get great anaerobic training in each class. Proper Spinning posture helps you tighten your core. Great music helps propel you forward. Most of all, the ride, is in the mind.

During the Special Event we'll be emulating my next journey up Mount Kilimanjaro, to the very top and then down again... Be prepared for a fabulous ride -- Kilimanjaro is like climbing the side of the globe -- from the equator to glacier.

Hope to have you there! You can sign up by sending me a note at Kara@fatwomanonthemountain.com. A pledge of at least a $50 donation to Global Alliance for Africa will reserve a bike for you with a souvenir license plate!

Atlantis: Plus-Sized Paradise

2011-05-11T03:26:00.000-07:00

As I am preparing for Kilimanjaro, I am feeling stronger, leaner and more adventurous.

When it came time for my husband and I to book our first family vacation with our 3-year-old daughter, we decided on Atlantis in the Bahamas. It seemed like the right mix of fun and relaxation for our vacation-starved family.

I was excited about the trip but harbored a trepidation that I think a lot of people who are overweight or obese do.... Even though I have been working harder over the past few months, I am still very much a plus-sized adventurer, especially around my hips. I worried that I'd get stuck down the water slides, sink the intertubes, or I would have to sit out the dolphin experience simply because I couldn't squeeze my rear into the wetsuit. Of course, there was the annoying anxiety of walking around in a bathing suit for four days.

My first move was to pick out swimming gear that I could feel comfortable playing in. For me, that was a pair ofLane Bryant swim shorts (because seriously, why should men be the only ones who get to cover their thighs with active swimming gear?) to go along with a cute swimming top.

I made a deal that I would just do the best I could, and if I had to sit something out, at least I'd be doing it on Paradise Island with sand between my toes.

The Atlantis was everything I hoped it would be -- and more. It was luxurious, fun and the swankiest place I've ever been (I usually spend my days off sweating up a mountain). I never once felt uncomfortable in my own skin.

When I first arrived at the Atlantis, I let my husband do all the crazy stuff (aka Leap of Faith and Abyss straight-down water slides). Each day I got a little braver. It started with me taking my first-ever water slide -- a tiny little one my daughter did before me. Whoosh. Down I went to the pool below.

It was a vacation for a lot of firsts -- such as my first time hanging out with a dolphin (while wearing a wet suit that fit). I don't remember ever saying I said whee, wahoo and yippeee so much in one week.

My husband nudged me into trying the Serpent Slide, an intertube ride that swirls through darkness before emering into a slow journey through the (glass-enclosed) shark tank. I laughed and shrieked my way through the Current, an intertube "river" ride that includes rapids, with an optional trip down the Falls.

I seriously don't remember saying whee, wahoo and yippee so much in a four-day period.

I should mention the Atlantis had lots of healthy eating choices (such as egg white omlettes as part of the OMG breakfast buffet at SeaGrapes) to stay somewhat on track (minus the frozen drinks of course). There was also a fitness center, though walking between the Beach Tower and Royal Tower was a nice hike, to keep up activity between the lounging.

I finished my day with a lovely morning beach walk truly felt I was on the path to a life full of more adventures.

Kids tease me, a mother, at the playground

2011-04-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

The first teasing my 3-year-old daughter experienced on the playground was seeing a little boy barrage me with questions: "Why are you so big? Your bottom needs exercise."

He kept on until his father called him over and gave the little boy a good talking to, "You don't say those kinds of things to strangers. You don't know their story."

I was mortified, at a loss for words. I was so embarrassed in front of my daughter. She's only 3, but I'm sure she recognized it in some form.

Still, I have to admit, I am terribly frustrated by my pear shape, especially because it seems to drop weight last in the places that need it most.

It is frustrating when I know I am making great progress, but you wouldn't know it by my hips. I melt from the top down, so even though I can finally notice my cheek bones again. I feel like sand bags are straped to my thighs, making it even harder to do the heavy-duty workouts required to drop pounds.

I needed to remind myself that even a month ago, I couldn't do the kind of rocking interval training that I do to get in shape for Kilimanjaro. My hikes are now a breeze, when last July I was huffing and puffing my way up the shortest trails. Every day is a step forward.

Working out and active play with my daughter is the most important thing that I can do. So there is no way I'm backing down...

The truth is, I probably won't see any noticible difference in my hips until June or July. I need to be OK with that and respect my body for all it has done for me over the years. I need to remind my daughter that it is important to be healthy and strong -- and I am headed in that direction.

Next time I will come up with a better response, because kid, I am exercising this bottom EVERY.SINGLE.DAY to make it up Kilimanjaro a third time.

To learn more about my story, visit: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Assumption Trail

2011-04-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

I needed to step up my hiking pace so I am prepared for my Kilimanjaro trek in August. When I hike by myself (something I will never do again after seeing 127 Hours) I am a bit of meanderer... taking my time to smell the roses, the pine, the brook...

I've wanted to join a hiking club for a long time but doing any kind of new activity can be intimidating for any plus-sized person. I am not immune to the insecurity that not fitting the mold can bring. After all, when I started hiking at more than 360 pounds, the only thing I could buy at the local outfitter was a water bottle or fancy pair of sunglasses.

On Sunday, when I got out of my car, I could see a few "what the heck is she doing here" glances. When I approached the sign up sheet, the leader asked, "Have you ever been hiking before?"

Now I realize that this was probably a safety question, one asked to anyone new to the group, as I'm sure they've had lots of people bite off more they can chew on the trail... but the tone left me feeling miffed. It felt condescening, like he was judging a book (or Fat Woman on the Mountain) by its lumpy cover. I mean, really, have I ever been hiking before?

"Um, yeah.... In fact, I was just featured in American Hiker magazine," I replied with a little bit of a smirk. "And I'm in training for my third trek up Kilimanjaro."

It was probably an over-cocky response but two-thirds of Americans are in my shoes as overweight or obese. I am trying to pave the way to help others become active.

Every once in a while when I am working hard on the treadmill, I get an, "Oh my, she's probably about to have a heart attack" glance. But rather, I am being active and taking care of my heart.

The hike leader still seemed a little nervous about me joining the group. I worked to gain the respect of the group with each step. I was a solid mid-pack hiker, keeping up. I know it surprised some people, even me, as I hadn't realized how strong I had become in my last few weeks of training. The five-mile trek by Bear Rock, Whale Head Rock and Tripod Rock was a breeze.

I had a few things to learn as well, like a "separation", means pee break. The group ended up being really welcoming. I met some great people, had a wonderful workout and left knowing I would join them again.

As I returned to the trail head, I asked the leader, "So, how did I do?"

He said, "Anyone who makes it back does great. You did a great job."

Strength. Stamina. Spirit.

2011-03-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm just about 20 weeks away from my third trek up Kilimanjaro, a lot of people have been asking me about my training routine. Getting fit is my life's work but with this upcoming challenge I have kicked it into high gear.

Getting to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak at 19,343 feet, takes a mix of strength, stamina and spirit.

First, I need the strength to support my body. Somehow, this is the first thing I omit from my workouts. I favor cardio in all forms than strength training. However, when I add it in twice a week (as per my trainer Heather Worthy, http://www.worthyfitness.com/), I feel able to support my body better.

Second, I need stamina. The journey up Kilimanjaro is five and a half days up and one and a half days down (you walk up slowly so your body can acclimatize, you race down because you really want a hot shower and a cold beer). Summit day alone is 12 to 15 hours of hiking, which begins at midnight, takes you to Uhuru Peak and half-way back down the mountain. So each week I include some endurance activities such as Spinning class and a long hike. I mix in lower impact cardio (such as walking or the elliptical trainer) because of my size.

Third, I need spirit. I work with my yoga instructor Reina Tendler to train my inner-self for the journey ahead. I love yoga for a lot of reasons. First, it helps me focus on my goal (or intention) by visualizing it. I gain flexibility and strength in yoga. There is a tremendous amount of breath work, which at 19,343 feet (where there is half as much oxygen as there is at sea level), it is important to feel like you are in control of your breath (so it doesn't control you). For me, the real power in yoga is how I realize I have everything in my body to succeed.

Each week, I try to up the intensity or duration of each activity so I'll be ready for Kilimanjaro in August. Also, I'll be "checking-in" on Facebook to hold my self accountable for my workouts. (Click here to add me as a Facebook friend)

Here's a look at my current routine:

Monday: Low impact cardio + strength circuit

Tuesday: Interval training (2 minutes walking up hill, 2 minutes jogging, repeat)

Wednesday: Low impact cardio + yoga

Thursday: Spinning

Friday: Rolling staircase/uphill walk + strength circuit

Saturday or Sunday: Long hike

Off to the gym I go!

(This is Kara's personal routine. Be sure to consult with a doctor before taking on a physical activity.)

Spring into a BetterU

2011-03-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

I decided to use the first day of Spring to sign up for the American Heart Association's free 12-week BetterU! I have about 20 weeks until my next trek up Kilimanjaro and I figured it would be great to have an awesome online health coach along the way.

Want to BetterU with me? Tell me after you sign up at www.goredforwomen.org/BetterU and you could win some great prizes along the journey.

BetterMe Coaching Tool: "The Go Red BetterMe Coaching Tool is the perfect companion to the Go Red BetterU 12-week program. Every day, you'll get tips, reminders, and more sent directly to your tool. You'll also be able to chat directly with other members of the program on the “Wall” share tips, motivational quotes, and work through barriers with others. You can also access and edit your journal entries directly from the tool."

3.20.11: Tribute to U2

2011-03-19T07:44:00.000-07:00

Last night my husband and I had a great time seeing A Beautiful Day, which is a New York-based U2 tribute band.... I thought it was due time that I give my own tribute to U2, especially to frontman Bono.

I had used hiking as my path to wellness for many years. I started with flat trails, then moved to molehills, mountains that once left me winded and even down (and thankfully up) the Grand Canyon. However, after conquering the Grand Canyon, my I started to feel a little lost in my training.

I started going to the gym and do a 28-minute fat burning cycle on the elliptical trainer (without breaking a sweat), or skip my strength training sessions for yummy yoga. I decided I needed a new challenge and it had to be Mount Kilimanjaro.

Mount Kilimanjaro is the epitome of hiking challenges. It is Africa's highest peak and it is the largest mountain that you can hike to the top of. In other words no ice axes, ropes or supplemental oxygen are required. However, it is still an arduous task -- a grueling 5 and a half journey to the top, as you are stripped away from most of you comforts (your warm bed, your loved ones -- and a shower!)

I decided if I was going to take on this challenge, I was going to do it for a cause bigger than myself. It was because of Bono's use of his voice -- for not only his music -- that I learned about the AIDS crisis in Africa.

I was particularly taken by the plight of AIDS orphans in subsaharan Africa -- healthy children who have had a generation of parents, leaders and teachers stripped away from them by the deadly disease. To give you an idea about how many AIDS orphans there are in sub-Saharan Africa, prior to my first Kilimanjaro hike in 2007 there were 13 million. As I am about to take on my third hike, there are 18 million.

I found Global Alliance for Africa, a Chicago-based organization devoted to helping AIDS orphans through empowering programs such as education and microfinance. I signed up to date have raised more than $15,000 for their programs. I will raise $1 per foot of the mountain -- $19,343 -- through my next trip up Kilimanjaro. Click here to learn how to make a donation.

Now, as I gain some spotlight for my endeavors, I try to use it for good as well. Here is my latest live television interview and essay in Self magazine talking about my journey to wellness, hoping to inspire others to be active with their bodies and in their communities.

So thank you Bono for making me aware, inspiring me to do better and teaching me to use my voice in a positive way.

I'll be speaking 7 p.m. Tuesday (March 22) at Interweave in Summit, NJ about how to take Action Steps.

You can find my book on Amazon or on my website.

Hiker gains lofty mountaintops while losing weight - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

2011-03-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the clip from my live interview Friday before the Vermont Women's Expo!

Heading to Hike THE Hill

2011-02-08T18:50:00.001-08:00

On Monday (Feb. 14), I will join trail advocates and hiking enthusiasts in Washington, DC for the American Hiking Society's 2nd annual Hike the Hill.

I am so excited to join the trek which will begin 9 a.m. Monday at the Lincoln Memorial and will end at the U.S. Capitol. For me, this Valentine's Day event is all about showing my love for hiking. After all, it was those trails that set me on the path to wellness.

If you're in the Washington, DC area, I do hope you'll join me. Here's a link with all the details. Hike the Hill

Happy Trails,

Kara

Other upcoming appearances:

March 12 Vermont Women's Expo, Burlington, VT

March 22 Interweave, Summit, NJ

March 24 Moms & More, Summit, NJ

April 15 Somerset County United Way Women's Initiative Breakfast, Basking Ridge, NJ

1.25.11: Wear Your Watermelon Sneakers

2011-01-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

I got a letter last weekend from H&R Block with some sad news:
I am sorry to share with you that your tax professional, William Sommer, has passed away. William's professionalism, knowledge and friendship will be missed by clients and colleages alike.

Here's the remarkable thing about Mr. Sommer, who died in September from complications following a heart attack: Getting your taxes done with him was actually kind of enjoyable. Yes, it probably took twice as long because of his long anecdotes about the tax code and how they relate to real life, but it was fun.

Before I even met him, I knew he was a quirky character, and I had great admiration for how he walked his own path in his Watermelon Sneakers. In fact, he had been featured in the New York Times City Room blog, "Must Be the Shoes (Those Watermelon Sneakers)."

(Photo by Corey Kilgannon/New York Times)

Corey Kilgannon interviewed Mr. Sommer about his unusual shoes.

Mr. Sommer told the reporter that he found the shoes at a shop at Chelsea and decided he must have them. At first he was afraid to wear them, worried they would get ruined.

Then, he decided he would wear them 13 times a year -- on "Watermelon Days" to mark obscure holidays such as Red Ruffing Day and Bloomsday. They were meant to be conversation starters, he said.

Even without the shoes, you would have wanted to talk to Mr. Sommer. He was interesting, informative and brought delight to drudgery, even taxes.

My challenge to you today is to add bring delight to others' days and to walk your own path (even if you don't have a pair of Watermelon Sneakers).

Here is a link to the New York Times City Room Blog

1.22.11: A Mysterious Photo

2011-01-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

My brother Bryan had a surpise for me when I visited him last weekend in Vermont. He just bought a new house so he has been spending time at garage sales and Burlington's Recycle North trying to find things to furnish and fix it. In his search, he came across a real gem for me. It was an old photo of Kilimanjaro, which came along with a mystery. The date on the bottom is 6/10. I am not sure if that means June 10 or June 1910. According to Climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the first documented attempt at the summit was made by Baron von der Decken and Charles New in 1861. Hans Meyer reached the top in 1889 (it was his third attempt). So 1910 would not be out of the question.

The photo, by Dr. Michael Weidman, is inscribed to Betty Bandel, "who has known many heights." I will spend some time in the coming weeks trying to find out who they were and what connected them to the mountain that I love so much.

My favorite part of the photo (other than the plentiful snow on Kilimanjaro) is the silhouette of a hiker, embarking on this great adventure. It makes me think of the possibilities for the dozen hikers who will be joining me up the mountain August for the docu-series. What a wonderful journey we have ahead of us!

Hope you can join me at my upcoming appearances:

Jan. 28-29 at the Chicago Travel Expo, Chicago, IL

March 12 at the Vermont Women's Expo, Burlington, VT

March 22 Interweave, Summit, NJ

April 15 Somerset County United Way Women's Initiative Luncheon, Bridgewater, NJ

Happy Trails!

Kara

Where have you been, Kara?

2011-01-22T06:38:00.000-08:00

Please forgive my absense for much of these past few months... I have been in cyberspace, just not here.

I wanted to share a few places I visited on my Blog Tour, as well as some awesome awards that have come my way:

Top 30 Mountain Climbing Blogs

Outside Magazine's 127 Defining Moments Finalist.

Here are some of many Blog stops on my tour... I am so grateful for the online hospitality for my book:

Roni's Weigh

About.com's Calorie Count

Diets In Review

Climbing 4 Health

Fit Bottom Girls

Chubby Mommy's Running Club

Treadmill Diaries

And of course, my television debut on NJN News.

I hope to see you around here more often!

1.1.11: A Clean Start

2011-01-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

I admit it. I got a little naughty when it came to holiday eating.

I had a stressful November and December. There were so many special parties with wonderful friends between Thanksgiving and New Year's. The leftover hot cocoa from my gingerbread decorating party snuck into my coffee each day. I even used extra candy canes as stirrers! I even volunteerily picked up and ate a slice of a Natale's Bakery Yule Log at my friend Suzanne's Solistice Party. Christmas cookies appeared on my stoop!

I kept up with my workouts but I needed a clean start for the New Year. It is a great time for new beginnings and with my next Kilimanjaro trek coming in August 2011, I needed to get back on track

I decided to let my refrigerator inventory dwindle right before we left for our Christmas long weekend. Then I cleaned the whole thing out, letting go of every last little high-caloric crumb.

When I returned I made sure to fill it back up again with healthy foods -- salmon, salad, fat-free milk and more. I gave myself a clean start for health success in the New Year.

What can you do to give yourself a clean start this year?

Remembering Denise Cramsey

2010-12-07T19:21:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the most power gift you can give another person is to believe in them. That's what Denise Cramsey did for me.

Denise died suddenly Nov. 23 after suffering a brain aneurysm. She was 41.

It is hard for me to put into words how much I appreciated her integrity and commitment to help others in every project she did from Extreme Makeover Home Edition to School Pride.

Denise and I were in the midst of developing my celebrity weight loss trek up Kilimanjaro into a television docu-series. Denise was kind, funny and a delight to know. Our last conversation, which was a week before she died, was laughing about one network's rejection because the project was "too earnest" for them. We took it as a compliment.

I attended Denise's wake on Dec. 1 in Allentown, Pa. It was an opportunity to thank her for all she did, for believing in me and my vision. That meant the world to me. There were so many people touched by her life. I feel blessed for having been one of them. The world is a better place because of her.

I decided to continue the Kilimanjaro project in Denise's memory -- to help others who feel stuck in their weight loss journey. My fellow hikers and I decided to postpone our trek from February to July 30-Aug. 14, 2011 so we can do it the right way.

Another memorial for Denise will be held 3:30 p.m. Dec. 15 at the Academy of Television Arts and Science in Los Angeles, CA.

Scott Farquharson, Denise’s fiance, is collecting notes to Denise that will ultimately buried in a place that she would love -- near the summit of Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the 48 contiguous states at over 14,490 feet.
It is a fitting tribute for a woman who moved mountains.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to the Denise Cramsey Memorial fund, through Wells Fargo acct. # 6708486094. Contributions will help pay for the memorial and will be donated to Expedition Inspiration fund for breast cancer research. Checks for the memorial fund or notes may be sent to Scott Farquharson at 686 Camino Manzanas, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360.

Hiking Confession

2010-10-24T11:56:00.001-07:00

I have a confession to make. Two weeks I posted on Facebook that I had bagged Mount Frissell, Connecticut's highest point. When my husband and daughter got up to where we thought was the summit, we ate snacks, snapped photos and headed home.

That night, when Chris was reading more about the mountain, he discovered we made a mistake that many do -- stopping on the top of Round Mountain, instead of continuing on to the south slope of Mount Frissell. Oops.

We had unfinished high pointing business in Connecticut.

So when we had to cancel our Mount Hunger Mountain hike due to snow up there, we decided to head back to Salsbury, CT to reach the true high point -- and then some.

Chris found an 11-mile trail that would take us to Bear Mountain, the highest peak in the state, back up to Round Mountain and on to the south slope of Mount Frissell. Because really, why do one mountain when you can do three.

We left our house at 6:30 a.m. to meet Chris's cousin Stacey (and fellow Kili hiker http://www.climbing4health.com/) and her friend Shannon at the Under Mountain trail head.

The first trek up Bear Mountain felt easy. We reached the top within two hours... the harder part was heading down the steep sections of the mountain. We had to be patient and scoot down a number of the more treacherous rocks.

Then on to Round Mountain (again!) where we had lunch to celebrate being five miles into the journey. I didn't bother to snap photos there...

From there, Chris thought it would take another hour and a half to the high point at Mount Frissell and then back down again. Tired legs and leaf-covered slope made this part of the journey even more difficult but I soldiered on -- because I really ddin't want to have to come back yet another time!

I was glad I did because I found the marker on the southern slope next to a large cairn. It was a bit anticlimatic as far as markers go -- but I was so grateful to see it because that meant I could head back.

We did soon as Chris signed the log book: "We came, we saw, we conquered three mountains and a high point."

We didn't make it down until 3:30 p.m. The sun was sinking so we had to hurry through our last three miles of the hike back to our vehicles. Thankfully, after heading up and down three mountains, the last part was pretty flat. That allowed us to zoom through the last bit. We actually had to switch on our headlamps for the last little bit.

It was a long day on the trail, but it really was a high point in my hiking history.

Fat Woman on the Mountain is available on www.fatwomanonthemountain.com and Amazon.com.

Not conquering Mount Hunger... yet.

2010-10-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

I have decided to postpone my journey up Mount Hunger... Vermont had some early snowfall last week and I am worried about hiking conditions up there. (Mount Mansfield had 3-foot drifts on top!) To quote my dear friend Robin Simon: I may be crazy but I'm not stupid.

So instead, I will hike in Massachussetts... joined by Stacey (http://climbing4health.com) , Chris' cousin and fellow Kili hiker. We have our sandwiches (and gloves!) made for the six-hour hike.

Great Day on the Way

2010-10-16T06:41:00.000-07:00

It's windy outside but I am heading out to Watchung Reservation for a quick jaunt in the woods. I have a big hike to prepare for next weekend -- Mount Hunger, Vt. -- so I want to make sure that I keep my legs moving but don't overtax them.

That, plus I did a killer Spinning class plus workout with Heather Worthy (www.worthyfitness.com) yesterday. Yowzah!

Then I'm heading to Readington Buffalo Farm to go pumpkin picking. This is a real patch where we get to trip over the vines and tug our favorite pumpkin off the plant.

Biggest Losers Ed and Heba talk about joining me up Mount Kilimanjaro!

2010-10-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at Biggest Losers Heba and Ed talking about joining me up Mount Kilimanjaro. They are incredible people and I am so grateful to have them along on the journey!

Ed and Heba Co-Host My Carolina Today My Carolina Today

Don't forget to meet up with me at an upcoming book signing or hike:

Please join me 7 p.m. tonight (10/12)at REI, 280 Route 10, East Hanover, NJ for an inspirational talk and book signing.

Other book events:
7 p.m. Nov. 9 Bridgewater Library, 1 Vogt Drive, Bridgewater
6:30 p.m. Nov. 17, MediaBistro Book Club, location TBD, NYC
7 p.m. Dec. 8, REI, Norwalk, CT
Upcoming hikes:
10 a.m. Oct. 16, Watchung Res., NJ
11 a.m. Oct. 23, Mount Hunger, VT
10 a.m. Oct. 31, Jockey Hollow, NJ
(Halloween Hike fund raiser w/healthy lunch to follow. Bring ghost stories if you dare!)
Please email me or call me at 973-452-7620 if you would like to join me!
If I have to cancel, I will post it here on my blog, www.fatwomanonthemountain.blogspot.com

Fat Woman on the Mountain - NJN News Healthwatch Report

2010-10-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Noticing Nature

2010-09-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

One of the things I love most about hiking is that every step, every turn brings a whole new scene. There are so many things to admire out in the woods.

Some of of my colleagues (past and present) also have taken notice of nature and captured it. I wanted to share their amazing projects with you.

The first is Courier News Managing Editor/Digital Editor Loren Fisher's What's Good Blog. He started this project because:

"There is plenty of coverage of what's wrong with the world. I'm glad others are keeping an eye on things that could be better, but I want to show what is good around me."

So what's good? A cat in the arch of the courthouse. A bear in his neighborhood. A storm rolling in after sunset. And so much more. Check it out at: What's Good Blog

Second, we have Courier News photographer Andrew Miller. Here is an amazing piece of music he composed himself. Andrew then made a video using photos he took from his cell phone. Awesome. Brilliant. Creative. See for yourself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxosKtLNouw

You should also check out his amazing Hit the Trail images on Full Frame.

Finally, we have Star-Ledger Deputy Managing Editor Steve Liebman. His amazing photos inspired me to go down the Grand Canyon (and back up again). I still carry his hiking tips (such as cut your toenails short or you will lose them) with me on the trail!

Here's a look at his Flickr Stream: http://www.flickr.com/people/sliebman/

So get out there and notice nature on your own adventures. Happy trails!

p.s. The book, Fat Woman on the Mountain, comes out next week! Keep an eye on my website, http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/, for more information!

He also has some great stuff on the Courier News photo blog.

Cleaning My Plate

2010-08-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to trim down for third trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. My workouts have been on track, but, as always, I was struggling with food. I could come home from the grocery store with the same old stuff -- quick, but not exactly quality. I hadn't been paying attention to portions.

Even though I had stepped up my workouts, the scale wasn't moving down.

While I was visiting my mother, she handed me The Eating Well Diet Cookbook. She used it to help get her and my step-father on a healthy track. She also issued me a challenge: If I drop 60 more pounds (which is my goal) she will donate $200 to Global Alliance for Africa on behalf of my trek.

I got home and got right to work on, well, Eating Well. So far, so good. The pounds have been peeling off as I have been following (more or less) the 28-day plan in the book.

Most of the recipes are simple and beautiful healthy concoctions. Sometimes my kitchen is like some scenes in Julie & Julia -- with me cursing through a recipe that is taking me too long to prepare (ehem, Chicken Divan!).

Cooking more has helped me be more mindful about what I am eating. For example, the egg recipes for breakfast sustain me longer than the Blueberry-Coconut Macadamia Nut Muffins (though they are damn good). I am not rushing through a super-sized bowl of cereal anymore.

I am happy to report I have dropped 20 pounds since that July Vermont visit just by cleaning up my plate.

Fat Woman on the Mountain, the story of my 120-pound weight loss and quest to hike Kilimanjaro, will be available Sept. 14 on my website, http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/.

The Hardest Part of My Story

2010-08-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

"The ax forgets, the tree remembers." -- African Proverb

One of the hardest but most important things for me to write about in Fat Woman on the Mountain was about being sexually assaulted at age 12.

The story about my 120-pound weight loss and quest to hike Mount Kilimanjaro, which will be released Sept. 14, also details my journey up the scale.

I gained 40 pounds the summer after after I was molested. I am not alone, several studies have shown a strong link between survivors of childhood sexual abuse and obesity.

"Abuse also is a form of control by adults over the child victims, and overeating may be a way for abused children to gain some control of their own... Others have argued that being overweight is a way to make oneself unattractive and ward off undesired attention," according to a 2007 issue of Psychiatric News.

I have spent years in therapy trying to sort out the aftermath of what amounted to a few afternoons as a pre-teen.

Perhaps I struggle with food because it was a comfort, a protection. (I wrote about how heading to the pantry actually saved me from one incident). Then, it became a "weigh" of life for me. While the abuse may be a distant memory the eating habits gained after it still gnaw at me.

Still, I do my best to move forward with strength and purpose. I hope to inspire others to do the same.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

How to Hug A Tree

2010-08-21T17:46:00.001-07:00

My neighbor was cleaning out some of her daughter's things that she had outgrown and invited my daughter to pick through the stash. (A great form of recycling!).

My daughter is a bit of a book worm like her mom and took every book she had to offer. When we went home and sorted through the pile. There, I found gold: Hug A Tree (and Other Things to Do Outdoors With Young Children).

I am looking for ways to encourage my daughter (who is now 2) to explore. Now we can Take a Bird To Lunch, be Texture Collectors, make Water Clocks and more...

Kids could use some encouragement to get outside... according to a Bay Area Wilderness Training newsletter, the average child gets less than 10 minutes of outside play time versus 120 minutes of screen time. (If you didn't know Bay Area Wilderness Training helps get at-risk youth out of the city and into the wild for life-changing adventures.)

Don't forget, Fat Woman on the Mountain, the book, comes out Sept. 14. Get your copy at www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

08.20.10: Newest Adventure!

2010-08-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

I have some incredible news....I am heading up Mount Kilimanjaro a third time! This time, I am going with a group of celebrities who have also struggled with their weight. Each one of us is using the trek to get in shape and raise money for charity.

I have former Biggest Losers Heba Salama and Ed Brantle y coming, Muhammad Ali's daughter Khaliah Ali, Top Chef contestant Andrea Beaman and others on board thus far.

We will begin filming the training this fall. We will leave for the Kilimanjaro trek on Feb. 12.

We are thrilled to be joined by Emmy-winning Producer Denise Cramsey and Director Scott Farquharson to make a television series on the project. Denise is now working on NBC's School Pride.

I promise to share details as I can... but I just can't wait to share this journey with my fellow hikers and the world.

Fat Woman on the Mountain, the book, will be available Sept. 14 on www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

01.13.10: Help Haiti

2010-01-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

As I write millions in Haiti are awaiting help after a devastating earthquake rocked the region. Countless are dead.

Please take a moment to Donate to the Red Cross International Relief Fund to get aid to Haiti, takes less time than buying coffee. https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?4306.donation=form1&idb=991405240&df_id=4306

Happy New Year!

2010-01-07T13:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

I just wanted to share that I finished 2009 with a trek up Kilimanjaro for AIDS orphans. It was an amazing finish to my year of taking on a physical event for charity each month.

I raised more than $10,000 for charities and dropped several pounds. Most importantly, I feel more empowered about me and the world around me.

I wanted to share that my story will be featured in the February edition of Redbook (out the last week of January).

Also I would like to invite you to my upcoming speaking engagements:
7 p.m. Jan. 14 at REI in East Hanover, NJ
7 p.m. Feb. 19 at Green Mountain Club Headquarters, Waterbury Center, VT

So what's up for 2010? I will be taking on just one challenge for charity -- The Warrior Dash Sept. 18 at Windham Resort, NY (Charity TBA) so I may focus on my family and my book project.

Wishing you an incredible and inspiring year to come!
www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Successful Trek Up and Down Kili

2009-12-18T22:45:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you know I made it up to Hans Meyer Cave on Kilimanjaro -- and back down safely. I will leave Africa tonight. It was a successful hike, having raised more than $5,000 for AIDS orphans....

12/13/09: A Year in the Making

2009-12-12T20:53:00.000-08:00

I started to get nervous -- really nervous -- about the challenge ahead of me. Five and a half days up, one and a half days down Mount Kilimanjaro. While there is a greater cause at hand -- Global Alliance for Africa's AIDS orphans programs -- it is still going to be crazy hard.

Then I started to think about how every moment of this year -- all the other 11 Save the World Diet challenges have prepared me for this moment.
-- January: The Midnight Run For UNICEF, which was held on a night with 40-mile-an-hour wind gusts prepared me to brave the elements.
-- February: The Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics Vermont taught me to be a little crazy, and how to survive when cold and wet.
-- March: Walk MS taught me courage as I participated in honor of my friend Marilyn's brave journey back after a massive MS episode.
-- April: The Revolution Run for the National Parks Foundation allowed me to appreciate and honor nature at Valley Forge, Pa.
-- May: The Flying Pig Marathon, which benefited dozens of charity, taught me to put one foot in front of the other no matter what.
-- June: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Shenandoah hike, which I hiked in honor of a friend who had Hodgkin's Lymphoma, taught me humility as I took a tumble off the trail, and had to pull myself back up to hike with the group.
-- July: The Mount Trashmore YMCA 5K, taught me that I have a terrific family behind me. My daughter participated in her first Tot Trot.
-- August: The 5K Beach Challenge Austism Speaks taught me that sometimes it is good to get out and relax.
-- September: The American Heart Association's Start Heart Walk reminded me it is never too late to get going in the direction of good health.
-- October: The Tour De Pink showed me the strength of survival as I rode alongside young breast cancer survivors.
-- November: The Goodwill Rescue Mission 5K taught me to share with my neighbors.
And so now, on Dec. 13, I am indeed ready for the challenge ahead of me. It has been a year in the making.

Please make a donation on behalf of my effort at:
www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet
Thank you!

12.12.09: Almost there

2009-12-12T01:11:00.000-08:00

I started out this year saying I would take on a physical event for charity each month of 2009. I have done 11 challenges so far.

Tomorrow I start #12 -- the Kilimanjaro hike for Global Alliance for Africa's AIDS orphans programs.

In a way, I have already had a successful climb. I have raised funds more than $5,000 to date and awareness for the issue of AIDS orphans. I have shared the needs of these 18 million kids who need fresh water, a chance.

So Twende! (Swahili for "Let's Go!)

11.21.09: Slowly, Slowly

2009-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Weight loss is kind of like hiking up a mountain. It is hard, slow-going but if you keep moving forward eventually you'll get there.

In fact, when I am hiking up Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, to benefit AIDS orphans, the slower, the better.

It is a wedding march pace to the 19,343 foot peak and if you start to break stride, the guides will tell you, "Pole, Pole." Swahili for "Slowly, Slowly." That is because the air is so thin that you have hike slow, to let your body adjust to the altitude.

I have been swallowing a lot of self doubt this week, wishing I had lost more weight this year to prepare for my Kilimanjaro trip. (If only I had cut out those cookies!)

But then I realized, I just have to keep moving forward, and stay focused on the bigger picture. I had a great training hike up Mount Tammany at the Delaware Water Gap with my family. I really do feel stronger with each step.

Slowly, slowly and eventually I will get there.

Please help me support AIDS orphans. My goal is to raise $10K for Global Alliance for Africa's AIDS orphans programs by World AIDS Day:

http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet
(We are about 1/3 there -- checks and pledges don't show up on the website)
Thank you!

11.18.09: Labor Of Love

2009-11-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

When I hiked up Kilimanjaro in 2007, a fellow climber had said to me that climbing the mountain is like childbirth. You don't remember how painful it is until you are actually doing the hike a second, or third time.

Two climbers, who had reached the summit during their first climb, didn't make it up the second or the third time.

Then there is the altitude. You could be in terrific shape but succumb to altitude sickness, even it didn't cause a whiff of trouble the first time around.

Unlike my other Save the World Diet challenges, there will be no sweep bus, no sag wagon to pick me up if I can't make it to the top. It is just me and my feet.

So I am pushing hard -- in this labor of love -- training as much as possible to make it up the mountain a second time for kids who need help.

Please help me raise $10K for AIDS orphans by World AIDS Day (Dec. 1)

http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

11.10.09: Kenyan Tea Time

2009-11-10T05:17:00.000-08:00

Each morning I drink a cup of Kenyan tea.

I fell in love with this tea two years ago on Mount Kilimanjaro. It was the way we started our day, sipping it while still snug in our sleeping bags. It was a way to wake up for the work ahead.

I drink the tea each morning, thinking about the trek to come -- which is now less than two months away. The tea helps me put my mind back on the mountain.

When facing a task so awesome, it is important to have gentle, positive mental reminders that make you think of success. What little things can you add to your routine to help you on the road to achieving great things?

Speaking of great things. Please help me raise $10K for AIDS orphans in Africa by World AIDS Day (Dec. 1) Every donation makes great change:
http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

11.08.09: How Hiking As a Family Makes You Stronger

2009-11-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have done some of my training hikes with my family -- such as the awesome Halloween hike at Jockey Hollow and today's two-hour trek at Pyramid Mountain.

I love taking my daughter outdoors -- she loves finding leaves and naming all that she sees: tree, leaves, rock, plane (OK, so this is hiking in New Jersey). Today she got to see a real live bear, and fortunately he was a kind bruin and let us live to tell about it.

Sometimes our daughter likes to walk, jumping off little rocks and logs on the trail, crunching her feet down in the leaves. Most of the time, we carry her in a hiking backpack. Hiking with a child on your back makes the going a bit slower -- but there is some added weight resistance in there. You have to work harder for every step. Fortunately, I get to share the load with my husband.

Whenever I gave him the backpack, I would marvel at how much faster I could move, and how much more comfortable I was without 30 extra pounds on my back. Oh yeah, that is exactly the point. The more I exercise, the more weight I will lose, and the better I will feel.

Only eight more weeks until it is time to trek up Kilimanjaro, here is how you can help:
http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

11.03.09: Exercise Your Right To Vote

2009-11-03T12:16:00.000-08:00

In a few minutes I am heading out on a hill walk to do a little Kilimanjaro training, and will end it with one of the best exercises of all: voting.

Election Day is always a busy (and late) day for a newspaper reporter like me but it is important for me to both get my exercise, and to cast my own vote.

So get out there, get moving and having your say in your community. Vote!

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com
www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

11.01.09: Tune In For Inspiration

2009-11-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

While I was at the gym this morning, I looked up from my treadmill panel to find live coverage of the ING New York Marathon. It was two hours into the race and a pack of women were well on their way to the finish line.

I found myself punching up the speed on my own treadmill, working a little harder. If they can do 26.2 miles, the least I can do is sweat in their honor.

I admit I workout harder after watching the Biggest Loser. My grandest athletic aspirations are set when the Olympics are on. Who can come away from an episode of Ruby and not want to follow her path of good health?

Tune in to inspiration where ever you can find it.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

10.19.09: Enjoying Exercise

2009-10-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

As I was making my way up Oak Ridge Road, a man doing yard work said to me, "It's a long hill, isn't it?"

"The longer, the better," I said, after walking a few blocks of up. "I am training to go up Kilimanjaro in a few months.

He pointed to another hill just around the corner. "That one over there is terrible."

I looked down what felt like a ski jump and said, "It looks like a good workout."

As I walked away it occurred to me that my perspective has changed dramatically over the last several months. I am not just enduring exercise, I am enjoying it.

Instead of just slogging through a workout, I enjoy the crunch of leaves under my shoe while out on a walk. I actually want the treadmill to go a little faster, because I can go a little faster. Tomorrow I will head out on a hike -- and I can't wait to get out there in the woods.

www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

10.10.09: Nothing But Stairs

2009-10-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

Now that I have the Tour De Pink under my belt, it's time to focus on my final Save the World Diet Challenge: A Kilimanjaro climb to benefit Global Alliance for Africa's AIDS orphans programs.

I have done it before, so I know that the next three months are going to be hard and heavy with trainings. Everything I do from this moment will affect my trek up the mountain. So if it's a choice of an elevator or stairs, I better choose the stairs. My diet is getting more streamlined because every extra pound on my body is a pound I have to carry to 19,343 feet. I've even started to ween myself from coffee.

But it's all worth it. I am doing this for kids in Africa left behind by the AIDS crisis. Who am I to back down when they need fresh water, an education, a chance.

So the coming months will be hard -- juggling my schedule with fundraisers and training, and eventually my trek up the mountain -- but it is so worth it.

Come hike with me:

Fundraising Halloween Hike, 10 a.m. 10/31 Jockey Hollow, (Harding, NJ)

Support my climb:

www.globalallianceafrica.org/personal/savetheworlddiet

10.04.09: Small Favors on a Big Ride

2009-10-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

I parked my bicycle next to another one this morning on the train. I wasn't sure if it would stay up on the ride from Metro Park to Trenton, but it was the only way I could figure how to get down to the Tour De Pink, a charity ride for young breast cancer survivors.

Then a guy said, do you have a bungee cord for that? I turned around to see the owner of the other bike, as he pulled a spare cord from his small bag containing many bike things.

I said no, and explained that I was rather new to this bicycle thing, and was feeling ill-prepared and ill-equiped. In fact, until I was on the train that morning I wasn't quite sure I was going. But I told the guy, who later introduced himself as Steve, that I was heading to a charity ride for young breast cancer survivors and that I had to go.

He looked down and said, "My mother had breast cancer." His voice trailed off at the end.

He fastened my bike to his, and told me to keep the cord as he exited in New Brunswick.

These small random acts of kindness kept me going during what was a great day for cycling. Whether it was people on the SAG bus filling up a water bottle for me, or a fellow rider pushing me up a hill. Throughout the day women -- especially those from the Giant For Women team -- gave me tips to keep going en route from Trenton to Bridgewater.

The Tour De Pink was a challenge, but a terrific experience. My heartfelt thanks to all those who helped me along the way for such a great cause.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

09.23.09: The Power Underfoot

2009-09-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

The idea behind my Save the World Diet is we have the power to change the world with our own bodies. Our bodies are not just clothing hangers, but vehicles to do our life's work. Every step we take can be an action step.

This weekend I will be taking my own action steps -- as I participate in and speak at the American Heart Association's Start! Heart Walk in Bridgewater, N.J. The Start! walks-- more than 400 nationwide -- are held all over the country are about encouraging people to become up and active.

Walking has the lowest dropout rate of any physical activity and has multiple health benefits. It is also a very Green way to get from point A to point B.

For me, walking has been an empowering activity. It has taken me to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, for AIDS orphans, and to the finish line of my first marathon, which I walked in May on behalf of the American Heart Association and other charities.

So join me 10 a.m. Sunday at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater at the Start! Walk. If you are just starting an exercise routine, or if you are well on the path to great health -- we all have the power to change the world underfoot.

Please Click below to join my team or to support the American Heart Association on behalf of my walk:
http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=300942&lis=1&kntae300942=D66923C22FFA426DBDDB8472A056D1EC&supId=0&team=3429656&cj=Y

Thank you!

9.22.09: Hard Rides to Make Life Easier for Young Breast Cancer Survivors

2009-09-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

As I took a quick 8-mile bicycle ride through a neighboring town, I came to a stop right in front of a crossing guard. He had a bright orange vest, and gave me a "What are you doing on a bicycle look.

All he came out with was, "Looks like that's hard on your back."
"It's hard on a lot of things," I said, trying to get my balance after pushing off the curb. "But it is good for you in the long run."

And good for lots of people. I am training for day three of the Hershey's Tour de Pink, a ride to benefit the Young Survival Coalition. This organization helps young women affected by breast cancer.

I have to admit, it has taken me some time to get out on the road. I love indoor cycling classes, and while those who ride on the road say being on a bicycle is easier, it was difficult for me to get out there because of fear.

Being on a bicycle feels very exposed. I hike in the woods. I walk on the sidewalk. On a bicycle you hope those driving motor vehicles decide to share the road with you.

Being visible isn't my issue. When I ordered my bicycle shorts, I thought they should have read "Wide Load" with yellow striping on the back.

With each ride I gain a little more confidence and comfort on the bicycle. So, even if it is a little hard on me, hopefully it will make the lives of young women affected by breast cancer a little easier.

Here is the link to my YSC fundraising page: http://www.active.com/donate/tourdepink/KRichar342

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

I want to give a special thank you to Rick at Verve in Somerville, host of a terrific fund raiser for Young Survival Coalition. We had great food and pink drinks -- and a great time.

Upcoming Events:
Join me at the Start! Heart Walk 10 a.m. Sept. 27 at Duke Island Park, Bridgewater. Click to sign up for my Action Steps Team.

World Obesity Congress, Speaker, Oct. 1

9.06.09: Walk With Me!

2009-09-06T18:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to invite you to join my Action Steps team at the Start! Heart Walk 10 Sept. 27 at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater, N.J. I am a team captain for the event which benefits the American Heart Association and I would love to have your support, either as a fellow walker or as a sponsor.

Here's the link to sign up for or make a donation to the Save the World Diet's Action Steps team:
http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/search/searchTeamPart.asp?ievent=300942&lis=1&kntae300942=D66923C22FFA426DBDDB8472A056D1EC&supId=0&team=3429656&cj=Y

8.16.09: Running/Walking on the Ocean for Autism

2009-08-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

My August Challenge was a day at the Beach, the 5K Beach Challenge for Autism Speaks, which was held Aug. 15 in Ocean City, N.J.

This was an extremely personal cause for me. I spent three years as a nanny for a boy named Joe with Autism. Joe was a mystery -- able to do math that would make my head spin, a genius when it came to Star Trek trivia but had trouble with some of the most simple social interactions like when to shake someone's hand. Attending festivals, which were too loud and overstimulating, or shopping at a mall were enough for a meltdown. At the core, he is sweet and good even if he is often misunderstood.

Autism Speaks (http://www.autismspeaks.org/) is committed to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society, and to giving hope to all who deal with the hardships. The organization hopes to raise $30 million for autism research and programs this year, a spokeswoman at the event said.

It is a growing issue. One in 150 children are diagnosed with Autism nation wide. In my home state, New Jersey, the Autism rate is especially high: 1 in 94.

Katie Kohler plans the beach run/walk event around low tide, which leaves a sturdy hard-packed sand for the runners. The added bonus is the ocean's gallery of seashells, crabs and other sea-things left behind by the waves.

Kohler's sister is a special education teacher. Her friend has an Autistic child. Mostly, Kohler -- a marathoner -- plans the event each year to give back to the community. This was the third event, and attendance has more than tripled to 360 participants since she started it.

I went alone, but ended up walking with a woman named Carolyn, who also struggles with her weight. She has a grandson with Autism. She walked for him. I walked for Joe.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

What is the Weight of the Nation?

2009-07-27T11:16:00.001-07:00

What is the Weight of the Nation?

With the average American carrying 23 extra pounds, collectively that is 4.6 billion extra pounds, according to Thomas Frieden, the CDC's director who has been on the job for about six weeks.

Frieden has been at the helm of the Weight of the Nation conference, which has drawn about 1,000 leaders in the health and wellness community to talk about the issue of obesity.

Monday's Keynote speaker was former President Bill Clinton. The CDC honored Clinton with a Pioneering Innovation Award for his work with Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Clinton said, for him, childhood obesity is an obsession.

"This is a social issue, we are trying to turn the Titanic before it hits the iceberg. It is very much worth the effort," Clinton said.

When it comes to policy arguments, Clinton said most people get caught up in the how are you going to do something and much is this going to cost questions. The most important question, he said, is, "How do you propose to turn good intentions into positive changes?"

The CDC also honored Sen. Tom Harkin, who has been instrumental in initiatives such as the FDA's fresh fruits and vegetables program. Harkin talked about the importance for us to recreate society as a genuine wellness community.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Presidential Surprise At Weight of the Nation

2009-07-26T20:06:00.000-07:00

I popped open the agenda to the CDC's Weight of the Nation Conference and got a great surprise. Tomorrow's Keynote Speaker: President Bill Clinton.

I have long wanted to meet President Clinton. I feel my Save the World Diet initiative, encouraging people to take on physical events (from 5Ks to mountain climbs) for charity as fitness and weight loss goals, is in line with his work. Of course, President Clinton's healthy lifestyle changes made news after his heart episode. Plus he penned a terrific book, "Giving" about how we can all make a difference.

I should mention that President Clinton has been at this venue, the Omni Shoreham Hotel, before. There is a placard in the hotel's lobby with a photo of him delighting guests at his 2003 Inaugural Ball here when he broke out the saxophone for an impromptu performance.

So, saxophone or not, I hope to have the opportunity to at least shake his hand. In fact, at the conference, which actually continues until Wednesday, I look forward to meeting so many people committed to the cause of curbing the obesity epidemic.

I'm just here Monday and hope to have a chance to meet you! By way of introducing myself, I thought I would include this little write-up about me from a recent news story...

So far in 2009, Kara Richardson Whitely has run in Central Park at midnight for UNICEF, jumped in icy Lake Champlain , Vt. for Special Olympics, walked amid monkeys and alligators for the MS Society, walked/jogged where Washington slept for National Parks and walked the Flying Pig Marathon course to benefit the American Heart Association.

She is taking on a physical event for charity each month of the year -- an initiative she calls the Save the World Diet.

This Save the World Diet movement -- of taking action steps toward better health and a better world -- was inspired by her 2007 trek up Mount Kilimanjaro . The journey to Africa's highest peak was not only a celebration of her 120-pound weight loss, it was a fundraiser for Global Alliance for Africa 's AIDS orphans programs. She couldn't justify not getting out of bed to train when a child needed fresh water, an education, a chance.

After the birth of her daughter a year later, she was left with about 50 pounds of baby weight to lose all over again. She remembered how motivating it was to be working for a cause as well as a fitness goal. She signed up for an event each month of 2009, knowing that it would allow her to go from feeling helpless about her weight and the problems in the world to feeling empowered and strong.

So far this year, she's down several pounds, feeling great and has raised thousands of dollars for charities.

By the year's end her treks up mountains and down the scale will help AIDS orphans and those with Leukemia & Lymphoma. She will also run on the beach for Autism research, dance for food at a Cancan for Hunger, and bicycle 220 miles from Hershey, Pa. (away from all of that chocolate) to New York City for young Breast Cancer survivors. The year will end with another Kilimanjaro climb for AIDS orphans.

Kara is the founder of www.fatwomanonthemountain.com, a website to inform and inspire others on their weight loss journey, and a contributor on www.raisedpath.com. She is an American Heart Association spokeswoman, sharing her story to inspire others make healthy life changes, and a finalist in the American Heart Association's Go Red for Women Casting Call competition.

That's all for now, tomorrow starts with morning exercise at 6:30 a.m.!

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Fat Woman Goes to Washington

2009-07-22T11:46:00.000-07:00

There is a giant disconnect in the obesity epidemic conversation. Often when I attend conferences and seminars about obesity, I am surrounded by skinny people. It seems folks who struggle with obesity don't come into the conversation until it's about about weight loss or dieting.

We as a nation are spending billions on weight loss products, programs and supplements, and yet we're getting fatter and fatter. My mission in life is to help bridge the gap between intention and action on this issue.

So I am heading to the CDC's Inaugural Conference on Obesity Prevention and Control next week. The event, called Weight of the Nation, is designed to highlight policy and environmental strategies in communities, medical care, schools, and workplaces.

While I am not a speaker at the event itself, I hope to be able to share my story with those heavily involved in the obesity epidemic. I want to talk about my Save the World Diet mission, and 120-pound weight loss journey so that somehow we can help get the country moving in the right direction when it comes to weight.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

July's Save the World Diet Challenge: Running the Family

2009-07-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

The July Save The World Diet Challenge was all about family so my husband and I packed up the car and headed to the beach -- Virginia Beach.

We were heading to the Mount Trashmore YMCA's July 4 event to support their We Build People Campaign. Each one of us got to participate somehow. I was signed up to jog/walk the 5K. My husband took a run during the one-mile event. My daughter -- now 17 months old -- was going to do the Tot Trot.

YMCAs are collectively the nation’s largest providers of health and well-being programs, according to YMCA.net. If you didn't already know, the YMCA serves people, regardless of their ability to pay.

I selected the Mount Trashmore YMCA event in Virginia Beach because my friend Bridget works there. In fact, she works non-stop for this awesome organization that does so much for its surrounding community.

I am a YMCA member in my hometown. To me, the place is a godsend. It's an affordable facility with free childcare while I workout. Having a break to be healthy makes me a better parent.
They have family events, and swim time. This summer our YMCA is helping me step up my weight loss routine with an outdoor boot camp and other benefits such as personal training and nutritional counseling. These are just a part of the YMCA's mission, and work.

But back to the race -- I had a great run/walk in the hot Virginia sun (even at 8 a.m.!). I didn't finish last, which was a big victory. Chris had a good run. Then we all went to the starting line of the Tot Trot for our daughter's first race. There were a few stumbles, and a few times when she had to be redirected toward the finish line. But she finished, and clapped as we all yelled, "Yeah!"

(She finished last, but with no other kids under two years old, I suppose she won her age division.)

Like all the other runners, she received a Tot Trot ribbon, a red fabric badge that she watched flap in the breeze, as she proudly held onto its string. She seemed to know that ribbon meant achieving something great.

For me, this event was so special because it symbolized our committment to staying active as a family. We know doing so is fun, and it builds community and character. I'm so happy that the the nation's 2,686 YMCAs are there for so many other individuals and families.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

07.05.09: Catch Up With Ruby

2009-07-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Since Ruby's docu-series first aired last year on The Style Network, thousands of people have contacted her, telling her her journey has given them the courage to get started on a path to better health.

So, to celebrate her second season (which debuts 8 pm. tonight -- Sunday, July 5-- on The Style Network) she hosted walks in cities across the country including New York, Philadelphia and Savannah. (The Los Angeles event is July 11).

I caught up with Ruby during the New York Walk With Ruby on June 26.

As the walk began, it was clear Ruby has stepped up her workouts from her first few days huffing and puffing on the treadmill. One of her trainers, Drew Edmonds, led a cardio workout mid-way through the walk. And then, Ruby, who began her television series at about 500 pounds, was off to lead the pack again.

It was clear what an impact she had made as she walked and talked with her followers in the not-quite-a-mile circle around the South Street Seaport piers in lower Manhattan.

Thomas DaCunha and Yoandi Interian of Wethersfield, Conn., left their homes at 3 a.m. that day to make sure they first in line to get the dozens of hugs and kisses Ruby gave her fans.

"She is just so amazing," DaCunha said. The two gave her a "R" they had decorated themselves to cheer Ruby on her journey, and to thank her for the inspiration she gave them.

Ruby has had her own setbacks, even 100 pounds into her journey, as viewers will see in tonight's season premiere. Her father dies unexpectedly. Meanwhile, her exboyfriend Denny returns to the picture, trying to woo Ruby ad her friends with Rascal Flatts tickets. (Ruby is friends with Rascal Flatts band member Jay DeMarcus).

You can catch up with Ruby too. The second season of Ruby debuts 8 p.m. tonight (Sunday) on The Style Network.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

Donate To A Great Cause, Get A Chance to Win Inpiring Items from Biggest Loser Trainer & Weight Loss Star Ruby

2009-06-28T09:52:00.000-07:00

I had the most amazing day Saturday. I spent the morning walking and talking with Weight Loss Reality Star Ruby at the South Street Seaport in NYC and then drove down to Atlantic City to meet Biggest Loser Trainer Bob Harper.

I came away from the day totally inspired. The great news for you is I also came away with some terrific things from Bob and Ruby to raffle off in this final week of fundraising for my Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Shenandoah Hike! See below for details!

For a donation of $50 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely, you will be entered to win an autographed copy of Bob Harper's "Are You Ready?" Bob sends his good wishes to you with a message, "To your health... XO, Bob Harper."

For a $25 donation at http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely, you will be entered to win an inspirational hand-written note from Weight Loss Reality Star Ruby, plus a Style pedometer. Put this amazing message on your refridgerator, on your mirror, or wherever it will give you a boost in your own weight loss journey. Ruby has lost more than 100 pounds and the second season of her show on Style begins again on July 5.

Each month of 2009, I am taking on a physical event for charity. I call it the Save the World Diet.The Leukemia & Lymphoma Socety's Shenandoah Hike was my June Challenge, and I hiked in honor of my friend who was diagnosed last year with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

You can make a difference right now, and have a chance to win some awesome, inspiring prizes, by making a donation at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely

Donations are tax deductible. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training fundraising pages are secure websites.

The rules of the contest are:

-- Those who make $25 donations are entered in the contest to win the Ruby note and pedometer.

-- Those who make $50 donations are entered in the contest to win for signed Bob Harper book.

-- You may make multiple donations to increase your chance of winning.

-- Donations must be made online at: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely and must be done so by midnight Friday, July 3.

-- The names of the winners will be picked at random from the list of online donors.
-- The winners will be posted on the LL&S Fundraising Website and on this Blog July 5. Winners will also be contacted that day.

Good luck and thanks, as always, for your support!

06.08.09: Giving Blood Cancers the Boot for My Birthday

2009-06-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Every time my birthday comes around, I find some time to hike. It's a tradition I started when turned 31, after I lost about 100 pounds and returned to and conquered Camel's Hump, a Vermont mountain that had left me winded and ashamed years before. Hiking is my way of celebrating life.

This year as I was about to turn 35, I took on a very special outdoors challenge: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Shenandoah Hike. I chose this event in honor of my friend Jen's battle with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

An estimated 138,530 people in the United States were diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma in 2008. Jen, who has a son just about the same age as my daughter (16 months old now!), learned she was sick when she felt a lump in her neck on Halloween 2008.

Jen's body is doing the healing. I did the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's fund raising Shenandoah hike. You can make a difference right now in the battle against blood cancers by making a donation the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely

A $500 donation could provide treatment to a patient. A $100 donation could mean transportation to treatments for someone without a ride. A $75 donation could provide bone marrow testing. A $50 donation could give provide resources and information to someon who just got a devastating diagnosis. Every dollar of your tax-deductible donation makes a difference.

So please help me celebrate life and give Blood Cancer the boot by making a donation on behalf of my effort. The easiest way to do so is online at, http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely

Thank you, as always, for your support. I wish you good health and happiness in the year ahead.

5.21.09: Vigil for Laura Ling & Euna Lee

2009-05-21T21:03:00.000-07:00

You can be active while you are still.

This year has been about doing physical challenges for charity -- a movement for movement -- but today, I attended a vigil praying for the safe return of two female journalists being held captive in North Korea. They are Laura Ling and Euna Lee.

As a fellow journalist, I can't help but be touched by their story. My biggest risk on the job is getting heckled at a Borough Council meeting. These women were facing greater risk than I have ever known near the border of North Korea, were captured and have been detained for 10 weeks. 10 weeks. I can't even imagine what that must be for them, for their families.

So with the NBC studios behind us, we stood and hoped. We talked to each other about how we were connected to the cause, as five other groups did in vigils across the country for Laura and Euna. Laura's cousin Angie read a letter from Laura, received May 15. Tourists bustled around us, snapping photos of where the Today Show broadcasts, but our group of 20 or so was still and hoped. I stood and felt the wind rustling my skirt, the wax from my candle dripping on my finger, and glad to take a moment to hope for their safe return.

You can be active and be still.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

05.20.09: Glowing With Inspiration & Information -- Go Red!

2009-05-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

(Me, Joetta Clark Diggs and Mary Tricario at the Garden State Go Red for Women Luncheon.
Photo Courtesy of the Courier News)

I am still glowing with information and inspiration from Monday's Garden State Go Red for Women Luncheon. If you've never been to one of these events, which serve as a fundraiser for the American Heart Association's campaign to empower women about their own health, go -- and bring every woman you know.

I was there as a speaker, to talk about the lifestyle changes I have made and how they led me to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro and across the finish line of my first marathon, which I did to benefit the American Heart Association. I had the honor of introducing Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs, a true inspiration who is actively inspiring women across the globe through her Joetta Clark Diggs foundation. NBC Chief Medical Editor Nancy Snyderman was a knock-your-socks-off-incredible keynote during the luncheon at The Palace in the Somerset section of Franklin.

The event raised more than $200,000 for the cause, but more importantly left hundreds of women on the path to great heart health.

So my heartfelt thanks to the American Heart Association, especially to Courtney and June, for putting on such an amazing event. Can't wait for next year -- hope to see you all there in Red too!

http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

05.18.09: Going Red For Women!

2009-05-17T19:36:00.000-07:00

Today (5/18), I will introduce Joetta Clark Diggs at the Go Red for Women Luncheon! I am so honored to be part of such an amazing event, to be surrounded by such amazing women.

In addition to Joetta, NBC News Chief Medical Editor Dr. Nancy L. Snyderman will be there to give the keynote address. It's all about taking care of ourselves, as women. Afterall, heart disease is the number one killer of women.

I'll take lots of photos and will post more later. In the meantime, remember to Love Your Heart!

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

05.05.09: Finishing With Heart

2009-05-05T07:04:00.000-07:00

I walked the Flying Pig Marathon in about 8 hours (after 2.5 hours sleep) Sunday... my results don't show up on the website because they officially close the course in 7 hours, but I was beyond grateful that they kept the Finish Swine open for me, the last participant on the course. It was such an awesome moment to have a guy there waiting for me with a medal!

I walked the event, which happens to be a giant fundraiser itself for dozens of charities, on behalf of the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association encourages people to love their heart. I have to tell you, I absolutely love my heart for keeping up with me on the course. I didn't give it the heart-pounding workout that some of the participants of the race had, but it kept me moving, even when I felt I couldn't move any more!

I get a few days to relax, but I have to finish training for my June challenge, Shanandoah Hike for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and more to come this year.

To contribute to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on behalf of my upcoming hike (and please do), go to: http://pages.teamintraining.org/nnj/shenhke09/kwhitely I am hiking on behalf of my friend's brave battle against Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

04.30.09: Coming in Last

2009-04-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the Flying Pig Marathon, my May Save the World Diet challenge, I hope to come in last.

My husband is running the race, which is Sunday, May 3. He hopes to finish in four hours. My aim is to finish walking the 26.2-mile course in the seven hours that it will be open. Sure, you can finish later than that, sticking to the sidewalks with a map at your side, but I want to cross the finish when there are still spectators to cheer me on in those last few steps of the race. I want someone there to drape a pig medal around my neck the moment I cross the finish line.

To finish a marathon in 7 hours means keeping up a 16-minute-mile pace, which is quite a clip. Actually, I trained at a 15-mile pace, but we'll see how fast I'm going at mile 20 or so. To train while being a full-time journalist, a full-time mom and running a blog, meant getting in workouts here and there. I often broke them up into two-hour stints, but the miles added up. The most I did in one day was 20 miles. I'm hoping toting a nearly 30-pound baby all around counted as training too.

I'm walking this event on behalf of the American Heart Association, a way to recognize the strongest muscle in my body -- my heart. The aim on race day is to finish, to just keep going and going, no matter how tired I get and push myself to the finish line, no matter how far back in line I am.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

03.12.09: Crumbs on the Floor Mean So Much More.

2009-03-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

I used to lament about how many times, as a new mom, I would have to sweep my floor. Cheerios seem to multiply. And after just about every meal, it feels like there is another one on the floor in crumbs!

I realized just last week that I should be grateful and feel blessed that we have so much, especially in these tough economic times. There isn't an urgency to dive after the food on the tile. I thought about the poverty I've seen around the world in places like India, Brazil and Thailand, and thought how the amount that gets tossed could probably sustain another life.

There was a terrific show on Oprah a week or so back about Simplicity -- and how we can strive to live better with less. A moment that struck a chord with me was a woman who was tossing pounds and pounds of food from her fridge each week. I have been known to Costco overload myself, which is not good for me -- or my budget.

While we try not to waste (which is difficult when your 13-month-old plays the "Uh-oh" game, flinging whatever is in her hand and looking down at it with dismay and a cute little, "Uh-oh"), the crumbs on the floor mean we have enough, we are blessed and we make good use of the broom.

return: to www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

3.08.09: Getting the Word Out

2009-03-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend, readers of the Tampa Tribune got a glimpse of what I'm up to these days. The newspaper featured my story to preview walkMS, an event I'm doing in honor of my friend and colleague, Marilyn Dillon. The walk falls on the two year anniversary of a massive MS episode that had us worried that we would lose her. She has had a courageous and inspiring journey back to her feet.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/mar/04/together-we-can-get-healthy-and-change-the-world/life/

Earlier in the week, I was featured on Marguerite Dunne's radio show on WTBQ, a radio station serving the Hudson Valley. Marguerite heard my story heard about my Save the World Diet initiative at a MediaBistro workshop and wanted to share it with her Urban Herbalist listeners.

So, I'm getting the word out about the Save the World Diet, and I'm hoping to pass on some inspiration along the way. Stay tuned!

By the way, if you're interested in joining me on my next trek up Kilimanjaro to benefit AIDS orphans, I am going again in late December. I'll have an information session about it at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 5 at the Summit Friends (Quaker) Meeting House, 158 Southern Blvd., Chatham. Global Alliance for Africa's executive director, Tom Derdak, will be there to talk about his organization's AIDS orphans programs. I will talk about my Save the World Diet initiative. Kenyan tea and snacks will be served. The event is free, through please RSVP by sending an email to info@fatwomanonthemountain.com

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

02.19.09: The World At My Feet

2009-02-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

The World At My Feet.
As I train to run/walk the Flying Pig Marathon – my May challenge for the American Heart Association – I have to cover a lot of ground.

So far I’m up to 11 miles on my long run day, and that means going beyond my neighborhood and into neighboring towns. It is neat discovering new side streets and occasionally getting lost. (I typically carry a little map with me to I know how to get back home).

Life on my feet allows me to connect to the world around me. I get to see the tracks of other animals that have traveled the path before me.

Sure, sometimes it can be a bit unnerving sharing the street with vehicles not used to seeing someone trotting along the side of the road. But it keeps me on my feet, alert and aware of everything around me.

To read more about my Save the World Diet, and about my story go to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

2.08.09: In and Out of the Cold

2009-02-08T18:58:00.000-08:00

The greatest thing about the Penguin Plunge? Running out of the water and getting a towel from one of the Special Olympics athletes.

Sure it was cold (bone-chilling doesn't begin to describe it) but it was so much fun. The staging area, the tent where you wait for your number to be called, was filled with people pumped and ready to take the plunge. The Vermont Rugby Team -- the largest contingent there -- had bagpipes playing to usher them in the water in formation.

My plunge wasn't so organized, I made it to about my armpits, when a rush of my fellow plungers started heading back in to dry land. So I turned around and got out, got a towel as a jogged back to the changing tent.

A few moments of my time, a bit of discomfort, and a lot of fun for a great cause, Special Olympics Vermont. Many, many thanks to my supporters, who allowed me to take a long walk off a short pier and reminded me that sometimes you just have to jump in.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

02.07.09: Plunge Day

2009-02-07T05:06:00.000-08:00

It's the morning of the Penguin Plunge, a dip in the icy waters of Burlington, Vt., to benefit Special Olympics Vermont. It's kind of a tradition around here -- and everyone seems to know someone who is going under for a good cause.

Most people who aren't doing it just commend you saying you're brave, courageous (read: Crazy). Last night, I went to workout at a local gym and membership coordinator told me that he had to cross a cold river once when he was out hiking. He couldn't breathe until he made it to dry land. Even now, he has trouble going in pools that are too cold. Yikes.

I'm trying to think of it as an invigorating experience -- one of those things that if you let the fear build up, you'll never do it. But once you do it, it will be done before you know it.

I've handed in my donations -- about $200 in total, have a "3" on my hand to indicate that I'm in one of the first "waves" going in the water, and I'm ready to take the plunge.

Like all of my Save the World Diet challenges, this one has a theme for me. It's all about jumping in and having fun. I'm glad to be supporting an organization that allows so many special athletes to do just that.

www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet
www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

1.30.09: Make Up Classes

2009-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a hectic week. Work is nutty. My husband is away on business. Snow and ice have closed my daughter's morning child care twice this week. All the while, I needed to stay on schedule with my workouts -- I have a lot to do this year!

On Tuesday, I wasn't able to attend my usual get-your-rear-in-gear morning Spinning class. So in the early evening, when things quieted down, I took my daughter to the gym childcare (a very important part of my membership at Can Do in Short Hills) and headed to the Spinning room with my iPod Shuffle. I had downloaded a mix (called Diana's Famous Remix Ride) that one of my favorite instructors, Diana Cirillo, had made. I closed my eyes and and pretended to be in class in the empty room. I tightened the resistance to make hills, and sped up to race along with the music. It was a great ride, even though it was a solo one.

On Thursday, again, I was swamped and missed my morning yoga class. Yoga is what holds me together in this crazy life. In the afternoon, as my daughter played, I popped in my Yoga Conditioning for Athletes video, and unrolled my yoga mat amid my daughters plastic shapes that were strewn across the floor. Sure I had to do a few downward facing dogs over her, to corral her, and make sure she didn't stick her hand in the VCR, but I got through some bends and stretches and felt better for having done something for myself.

I wanted to remind you about some upcoming events...

10 a.m. TOMORROW (Sat. Jan. 31) Save the World Diet Workshop

Meta Center, 214 W. 29th St. (Btwn 7 & 8), NYC. The cost is $29, a portion of the proceeds go to my Save the World Diet effort. No need to preregister just come on down.

8 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 5) Icebreaker Fundraiser for Special Olympics Vermont86 St. Paul St., Burlington, Vt. Cost: A $20 suggested donation to Special Olympics Vermont. There will be drink specials including a Penguin's Plunge Martini, complete with a gummy penguin garnish. Draft beer $3.The DJ starts at 9:30 p.m.

11 a.m. Saturday Feb. 7 The Penguin Plunge. Come on down to the Burlington Waterfront to see me and about 1,000 other lunatics dip into Lake Champlain for Special Olympics Vermont.

2 p.m. Feb. 7 Save the World Diet Workshop

Burlington Courtyard Marriott, 25 Cherry St., Burlington, Vt. Cost $29, a portion of the proceeds go to my Save the World Diet effort.

Hope to see you at one or all of the events!

Kara

http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

01.24.09: Taking The Plunge

2009-01-24T06:16:00.000-08:00

Taking the Plunge: My next Save the World Diet challenge is the Penguin Plunge -- a dip Feb. 7 in Lake Champlain to benefit Special Olympics. This challenge may not be as grueling as the Flying Pig Marathon (which is my May challenge for the American Heart Association) but it may just be the craziest. But it's all about jumping in -- and participating, which is what Special Olympics Vermont allows so many wonderful athletes to do.

No matter what it's going to be great fun -- and I hope you'll support Special Olympics by donating (www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet) or coming to my fundraising party 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at the Green Room, 86 St. Paul St., Burlington, Vt. A $20 suggested donation to Special Olympics gets you in the door for the party, which will have a raffle. The kind folks at the Green Room are making a special martini, the Penguin's Plunge, in honor of my effort. The Penguin's Plunge (which comes with a gummy penguin garnish) will be just $6 and draft beers will be $3 at the event.

I've been spending the last few weeks trying to figure out what to wear for this jump in the water. I'm not ready to wear a bathing suit in front of the throngs of onlookers and more than 1,000 fellow plungers. Wearing long pants and a t-shirt won't matter much because they're going to get wet and stuck to my body anyway. No, sadly, wet suits arent's allowed. Let's face it, no matter what I'm going to be cold.

The Plunge is at 11 a.m. Feb. 7 -- which will be followed by my 2 p.m. Feb. 7 workshop, at the Courtyard Marriot Hotel, 25 Cherry St., Burlington. I will talk about my Save the World Diet and how we can all get healthy and make the world a better place. To register for the program, which costs $29, go to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/burlingtonsempage.html

There is also a workshop 10 a.m. Jan. 31, at the Meta Center, 214 W. 29th St. (between 7 &8 Aves) in NYC. The cost is also $29. To register, go to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

01.12.09: The No-No Drawer

2009-01-12T19:26:00.000-08:00

The No-No Drawer: I should never be left alone with chocolate. I know better than that.

But I decided to put some Hershey’s Kisses in little baggies for my daughter’s caregivers’ holiday gifts (Yes, I know it is mid-January). I started to put some in my mouth. It started with just three, and soon the wad of the Kisses tinfoil wrappers was getting bigger and bigger. Those little paper flags that shoot out of the top of the candies were all over my desk.

It takes nine Kisses to equal a serving. That’s 200 calories a pop. When I was approaching the 400-calorie mark, I needed to cut myself off, something that wasn’t going to happen with the bag in front of me, so I put it in the No-No Drawer.

My No-No Drawer is my husband’s top dresser drawer, where he keeps his personal stash of treats. (There’s a candy cane in there from Christmas ’08). Anywhere else in the house is fair game for me, but that’s his private place.

I made the mistake of venturing in it – to swipe mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups that I had bought him. I actually tried to replace them and got busted. It was a huge breach of trust and an indicator that I was truly off track. I’ll never do that again, the drawer is strictly off limits.

So the Kisses are safe in the No-No Drawer for my husband’s consumption.

1.10.09: In the Snow, In My Shorts

2009-01-10T14:57:00.001-08:00

Today is the kind of day most people head to the store, buy a bunch of bread and milk and hurry home to seek shelter from the approaching winter storm.

Today, I looked through my summer clothes, put on a short-sleeved shirt, a pair of capri pants and my winter boots. I showed my husband my outfit. He looked me up and down and said, "Don't you have any shorter shorts?"

I rolled the denim material up over my knees and headed out for a mix of "training" and fundraising for my upcoming Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics. I went door-to-door on a street where I used to live, telling people about my mission and handing out information about how to support my plunge, a dunk in Lake Champlain in Vermont on February 7, to raise money for Special Olympics.

A lot of people were interested, and asked me to tell them more as I shivered on their door step. I got $20 from a nice teen named Julian, who took a break from his piano practice, to support my cause.

Cars, and the city's fleet of snow plows slowed as they passed. About a dozen houses later, when I had to keep dusting the snow off my sponsorship sheet, I decided I was heading into frostbite danger and the possibility of someone calling the police to report someone under the influence.

One my way down the road, a SUV pulled up, "Can we give you a ride?"

This lovely couple, the McCarthys, had seen me in my summer gear and worried about me so they turned around and offered to take me home. I explained my mission and told them that I wasn't far - and not to worry. I wasn't crazy.

With all the people who need help in this world, it's crazy not to help others.

To support my Penguin Plunge, go to: www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

1.08.09: The Art of the Start

2009-01-08T11:36:00.000-08:00

I began 2009 in motion at the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, a 4-mile loop in Central Park -- moving toward better health and a better world.This was the first event in my Save the World Diet, a quest to get healthy and make the world a better place.

As the race began, despite my months of training, I felt a bit like a stone stuck in the sand of a beach as the other runners raced out like the tide around me. My pace was slow -- 1 hour and 9 minutes slow -- but at least I was moving. It was a start.

I am using the event as a barometer of where I need to go in the coming year. I raised some money for UNICEF and I finished.

I've been watching Oprah talk about falling off the wagon. I, too, felt like 2008 was a year of feeling in the dumps about myself. The baby weight -- more than 50 pounds of it -- made me act and feel fat again. I was lost in my own body as I tried to balance my life as a new mom, my job and my old adventurer self (who didn't get much further than the local CVS on most days). I really think I spent a good portion in the year depressed.

So this new year is a new start, of moving on the path to wellness, about feeling good about my body, treating it with the gratitude it deserves. This year is in motion, to make good choices for my health, and the world around me.

It's a big mission, but this is just the beginning.

www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

1.01.09: The Save the World Diet Challenge for '09

2009-01-01T09:45:00.000-08:00

What do you want to do in 2009?
The Save the World Diet is all about picking a physical challenge for charity as a fitness goal. Of course you should first check with your doctor, and assess your own capabilities, but find something that care about and you would like to work toward in the coming year -- a charity walk, a fundraising bike race, and so on. There are really so many fun things out there, and many charities in need of your support.
A physical challenge for charity doesn't have to be an organized event, it can be feeling strong and energetic enough to shovel your elderly neighbor's driveway.
Think about what you want to do, not what you want to lose. Think about how best to fuel your body to get there. (For example, each time you eat today ask yourself if what you're about to put in your mouth will help you tackle your life's work and your exercise goals.)
I'm feeling fantastic after my first physical challenge of the year (I'm doing one a month in 2009). I did the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park on behalf of UNICEF. (http://apps.facebook.com/causes/170340?m=8c3a5226&recruiter_id=18302539)It was crazy cold out there but not so bad once we started running the four-mile course, which happened to have a non-alcoholic champagne stop at the half-way point! My next event will be the Penguin Plunge for Special Olympics Feb. 7 in Burlington, Vt. (http://www.firstgiving.com/savetheworlddiet)

I started a discussion group on The Save the World Diet Group Facebook.com page so you can share inspiration and ideas about events in the coming year. You can also check out my website, http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/.

So what will you do in 2009? The world is waiting for you.
All the best for a wonderful New Year, Kara

12.31.08: Stone Cold Resolve

2008-12-31T15:00:00.000-08:00

As evening falls on this New Year's Eve, I can hear the wind blustering more and more by the minute but I am heading out into the cold and happy to do so.

In about an hour, I'll take the train to NYC to take on the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run, a 4-mile fun run in Central Park at the first moment of 2009. I'm doing this run on behalf of UNICEF, an organization helping kids across the globe.

This is the first of my Save the World Diet challenges. I'm so thrilled this year of taking on a physcial challenge each month for charity is finally here. I'm sick of sitting on my rear -- worrying about the state of the world and my weight.

So I hope you'll join me this year, by focusing on what you can do to help yourself and help the world by taking on physical challenges for charity.

There are 5Ks, bike rides, swims and so on, but it doesn't have to be so formal. Getting healthy and helping the world can eating and exercising so you feel energetic enough to shovel your elderly neighbor's driveway. Please post your aspirations for the coming year... I'm so happy to have you along for the journey!

Running is the least I can do and I hope you'll support me by making a donation on my Facebook Causes page: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/170340?m=8c3a5226&recruiter_id=18302539

12.30.08: What Not to Wear -- Maternity Clothes

2008-12-30T18:08:00.001-08:00

As I was preparing for interview with What Not To Wear Co-Host Clinton Kelly, it occurred to me that the majority of my tops were maternity wear.

I haven’t been pregnant since February.

My closet was mix of hopeful hangers full of things that fit me when I returned from Kilimanjaro, when I felt great about my weight. They haven’t moved for more than a year.

The only thing that I could come up with was a purple maternity sweater, something I picked up at Target when my belly started to grow. My daughter is 10 months old and it still fits.

The truth is, I have been feeling downright frumpy these last few months. I work from home so I don’t have to dress up. There have been days – with the balance of baby and work -- when I’ve been lucky to get a shower. There are days that moments after I put on a fresh shirt, it’s full of baby something. Baby spitup. Baby food. Baby snot. I stopped bothering to change my shirt when it gets a spot, figuring it will be the canvas for that day’s baby happenings.

In fact, when it came to my interview with Clinton, who was appearing at the Bridgewater Borders to sign his book Freakin’ Fabulous, I couldn’t remove my parka because my shoulder was smudged with my concealer. (Note to self: Don’t trying applying makeup while holding daughter).

Clinton was a nice guy – and was used to being asked what to wear – and What Not to Wear. I didn’t bother asking his opinion on my outfit, but when he started talking about the frumpy women on his show, I took note.

He said many mothers who come on the show put themselves last on their priority lists, and feel they are being better mothers because of it. He said actually they are doing a disservice to themselves and their children, by showing a lack of respect for themselves.

Looking frumpy, for me, is a consequence of feeling frumpy on the inside. So I decided it was time for a bit of a makeover, starting with ditching all my maternity clothing. It was my own little intervention.

I took an afternoon to myself, something I hadn’t had in a long time and hit the post-Christmas sales, armed with something to return – an ill-fitting boxy jacket with the tags still on it, a gift card and a few of my own dollars. I spent about two hours in the mall, just trying thing on – making sure to search deep in the clearance items as my budget wasn’t big. I looked for things that made me feel good and could be easily tailored. I took his advice about buying a good-fitting bra, a structured jacket and other feminine tops (as recommended on the show).

You might say, why not just wait until you're well into this year's Save The World Diet challenges, when your old clothes will fit again?

Well, I’m sick of feeling frumpy – and feeling good about myself starts now.

What kind of wardrobe makeover can you do – whether revisiting old clothes or shopping the sales – can you do to make yourself feel good at this moment?

12.28.08: Can't Wait for the Start

2008-12-28T19:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I learned my friend who wanted to do the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run in Central Park is not going to be able to do it with me. I could hear the disappointment in her voice as she backed out from the event because of an injury with less than a week to go.

I could have let this be an excuse to also back out. Afterall, this midnight run was her idea and one of the biggest challenges will be staying awake that late! But my husband and I decided to go on and do it anyway. While we were excited about having our friend along, this is about our wellbeing -- and the good of others (I'm using the run to raise money for UNICEF). We're not going to back off from this mission, The Save the World Diet where I take on a physical challenge each month for charity.

I'm not in perfect shape by any means. I've got 40 pounds of baby weight, wiggling when I run. But I'm going for it anyway -- even if I need to walk part of it.

The midnight race -- at the first moment of 2009 -- will be the beginning of something incredible. I just can't wait to start.

Return to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

12.19.08: Getting Beyond Fear

2008-12-19T10:26:00.001-08:00

I've been feeling a little pang of fear these days as I announce my intentions to do my Save the World Diet -- a physical challenge for charity each month of 2009. It's scary putting it all out there, telling the world what you want to do -- I mean, what if you fail?

I wash away the fear with the knowledge that it would be much worse to not do anything, to just sit here and waste my life away. The longer I wait to drop these excess pounds, the higher my risk for diabetes, heart disease and oh so many ailments, not to mention a dearth of energy and exciteement about life in general. Now that's a scary thought.

I want to use my body to the best of it's potential. I want to spend my year helping others, and feeling an amazing sense of accomplishment -- knowing that Doing Good is Good for You.

So just a few weeks to go. I'm over my cold. I'm back on the treadmill. I'm really going to do this.

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

12.15.08: Stepping Into Something New

2008-12-15T18:48:00.000-08:00

Last week was one of those weeks. My 10-month-old daughter was under the weather. The weather stunk. Then I was under the weather. With all of these excuses, I didn't get to the gym much.

I know that I am at my best when I am eating well and exercising regularily but sometimes weeks worth of working out can slip away in just a few days. Once the workout schedule crumbles, good eating habits often also disappear.

By Saturday I felt terrible. I was crankier than my daughter, stressed that none of these extra holiday-time tasks were done and in tears as I tried to venture to Costco. I turned back from the big box retailers to spend the afternoon chilling out, realizing that hadn't done much lately to care for myself.

It is so incredibly important to take time to care for myself everyday. My workouts are my break. Without them, even for a few days, my world is off kilter and the stress builds up and up.

So today, after I finished my work, I loaded Anna in the car and we headed to the gym. I had been meaning to try a Step Interval class. I had often watched through the window and saw what looked like a group of people having fun.

Today, I am happy to report I was one of them.

Return to www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

12.10.08: Oprah's Weight -- Heavy Struggles

2008-12-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of talk in these past few days about Oprah's weight gain.

In an article for O magazine, Oprah wrote that she used her Thyroid condition as a crutch and then allowed weight to pile on. I did the same thing during my pregnancy. Oprah, I feel your pain.

I don't know what it is about those of us who struggle with weight. It's like there's this switch for when we're doing well to stay in the zone, but once our old habits are triggered it's so incredibly hard to stop, like a frozen computer that you just can't reboot.

The promising message from Oprah's story is she is going to focus on her health, not getting skinny. This is the right path. I always do better on any weight loss journey when I focus on what I want to do, not how many pounds I lose.

If I said I want to lose 20 pounds, it doesn't mean anything. If I say I am going to do a marathon (which, by the way is the May challenge in my Save the World Diet plan,) well then I better get running and fuel my body so that I can make it (even if it means walking) to the finish line.

Return to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

12.02.08: New Feature -- Tuesday Tunes

2008-12-02T06:37:00.000-08:00

So many of us listen to music while training -- I'm often plugged in to my club's audio system or toting my husband's iPod shuffle. So here's a fun mental trick to let music motivate you. Dedicate a song to your weight!

This is something I did during my Kilimanjaro climb training. It helped me focus and stay connected to my body while working out. I used break up songs to bid adieu to lost pounds. My favorite was Kelly Clarkson's 'Since You've Been Gone', which I'd sing to previous pounds "Since you've been gone, I can breathe for the first time." The song details an unhealthy relationship which I'd equate to my past with food. I'd sing love songs -- such as John Mayer's "Your Body is a Wonderland" -- to my newfound healthy body.

Each week, I'll bring you Tuesday Tunes that we can all dedicate to our weight, to help motivate us along our journey. There might even be a playlist along the way.

This week's tune: What Goes Around Comes Around -- Justin Timberlake

This song, which is in the Club Com rotation at my gym, Can Do in Short Hills, reminds me that what I do to my body today will come back to haunt or hurt me somewhere down the line.

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

12.01.08: Coffee for a Cause

2008-12-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

Today is World AIDS Day and to mark the event, Starbucks decided to donate 5 cents from the purchase of certain beverages to help fight AIDS and support those afflicted with or affected by the disease.

When I posted the event on my Facebook account, I got some flack saying that 5 cents is a puny amount compared to the amount of profit the company makes. Even though those nickels do add up when it comes to the millions of Starbucks customers, it's not so much about the money raised as it is the awareness.

Companies such as the Gap and Apple have taken part in the Product (RED) Campaign, making it hip to wear clothing or get gear that also goes for a good cause. If it weren't for these campaigns, and Bono behind them, some people may not take time to think about the global epidemic of AIDS.

It's the little things that add up -- whether trying to lose weight or help the world -- that lead to big change.

So, kudos to Starbucks for raising funds and awareness for the cause. I picked up my Grande Gingersnap Non-Fat Latte this morning and drank to hope for all those living with the effects of HIV/AIDS, especially the more than 13 million AIDS orphans in Africa.

And if you want to do more than sip coffee, join me on my Kilimanjaro climb to benefit AIDS orphans departing in December 2009. To make a donation on behalf of my journey or in honor of World AIDS Day, go to: http://www.globalallianceafrica.org/.

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

11.29.08: Attitude of Gratitude

2008-11-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

In this long Thanksgiving weekend, I am grateful for my family, for my health and for the world around me.

There is something wonderful to be said about the power of gratitude. Feeling grateful can make us feel stronger, even when life isn’t so easy going.

I started a tradition that I continue today in my training. Each time I finished a hike, I thanked the mountain for being strong under my feet and my feet for being strong on the mountain.

It’s little things like that – focusing on what you can do and what you have – versus all the things you can’t do and what you don’t have – that will make you successful.

You have the tools, the ability to get healthier and to make the world a better place and for that I am grateful.

Thanksgiving Blessings to You and Your Friends & Family….
Kara Richardson Whitely
Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

11.25.08: Ruby's Journey

2008-11-25T13:45:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the new reality weight loss show called Ruby?

It's on Style -- and it follows the journey of a more-than-400-pound woman "in the fight for her life." This isn't the Biggest Loser kind of spectacle, but it shows the real, gritty challenges of a person trying to make good, healthy lifestyle changes -- from the re-appearance of an old flame -- who tried to take her off track to ordering a smoothie while with her friends at a restaurant.

I've cringed along with her (especially during her visit to a candy store when she realized that she shouldn't go there any more). I applaud her honesty as she shares her story.

We're three episodes in and she's already lost more than 60 pounds -- with the help of a personal trainer, an obesity specialist and pre-packaged meals. I'm cheering her on along the way to well being.

So catch it if you can -- it airs 8 p.m. on Sundays on Style.

Return to http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

11.21.08: The Summit Will Wait For You, Ann Curry

2008-11-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

I hope by now Ann Curry and her team has made her way down Mount Kilimanjaro safely.

For those of you who haven't been following her journey on The Today Show's spectacular Ends of the Earth broadcasts, she and her team turned back on the trail to the summit of the world's tallest freestanding mountain. The altitude sickness and the approaching weather proved too daunting and they made a group decision not to make the last push to the 19,343-foot summit.

During my trek there in 2007, one of the members of our team did not summit. She had been sick just before the climb and was going through some tough personal stuff. It was heartbreaking for her, for all of us. The environment on Kilimanjaro is rough -- really rough.

During one of Ann Curry's reports, she said it was a struggle even to get out of the tent. It's true. You walk painstakingly slow to get to the top of the mountain. It's a way to let your body adjust to the altitude -- but really, if your body isn't used to the altitude, it's all you can manage.

I've read that Ann had three weeks to prepare for the journey, something that may have set her up for failure. It was wonderful for the Today Show to highlight the disappearing glaciers on the mountain -- and important cause for the world to care about -- but it may have been unrealistic to expert Ann and her five-person team to summit.

That person in my team who didn't summit is returning to the mountain this February to give it another go. I'm sure this time she'll make it -- her strength on the first attempt was astounding and she's been thinking and preparing for the top of the mountain for two years now.

Pole, Pole (slowly, slowly) Ann. I loved what one of the porters said to Ann during her trek. To paraphase, the summit will wait and she's smiling at you.

I'm looking for an eight-person team to join me on my trek up the Kilimanjaro in December 2009, as the finale of my Save the World Diet effort (one physical challenge each month for charity). I'd be honored to have Ann -- or any of the members of her crew -- along with with me for the journey.

Return to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

11.21.08: Have a Heart

2008-11-21T08:15:00.000-08:00

I am happy to report that I will be serving as an American Heart Association spokeswoman -- telling my story throughout New Jersey, helping to inspire others to make healthy lifestyle changes.

This is a perfect partnership for me as the American Heart Association provides great guidance for those on their path to wellbeing. And if you're considering making some positive changes in your exercise and eating habits, here are some motivating facts. According to the American Heart Association: Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. Each year Americans suffer 1.2 million heart attacks. Of all the women who died suddenly from heart disease, 64 percent had no previous symptoms.

I think one of the association's most important and touching messages is to "Love Your Heart." If you follow me on this path to wellness-- by eating healthy foods and exercising -- you'll do just that.

Return to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

11.20.08: On the Radio tonight

2008-11-19T18:51:00.000-08:00

I'll be a guest on the http://www.weightlosscoaches.com online radio show tonight (Thursday) evening, so tune in if you can!

The show airs at 10:30 p.m. EST.

Here's info about the show:

· Visit http://theweightlosscoaches.com/wls_radio
· Be our friend on the following networks:
o MySpace: http://www.myspace.comthebariatricmind/
o Facebook: Bariatric Mind

About the hosts:
· Visit http://theweightlosscoaches.com/about_us
· PeggyG’s RCRN Profile http://rcrn.info/profile/PeggyG
· DeAnne’s RCRN Profile http://rcrn.info/profile/DeAnneBrownHirsch

Check out the coaching radio network:
· Visit http://www.realcoachingradio.com/
· You may listen to any show, anytime – the widget/window is on the front page – easy!
· Anyone can listen and chat in the room – users show up as “Guest####”
· Register at http://www.nowlive.com/ to gain a user name and ability to use a web cam in the chat room

11.17.08: Go, Ann Curry, Go!

2008-11-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

Think good thoughts for Ann Curry. I just read that Ann Curry had three weeks to train for her trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. While it may be hard going at least she's giving it a go.

She's there for the Today Show's fabulous Ends of the Earth special (today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21487444 ) where the anchors are sent to report on challenges facing our globe. Matt Lauer is in Belize, Al Roker is in Iceland, Meredith Vieira and Ann Curry is in one of my favorite places on the planet -- Kilimanjaro.

She's on her way up to have a look at the glaciers, which I'm sure you know, are disappearing. Actually one of my climbing companions in 2007 had also been up there in 2005. She said there was a dramatic difference in the size of the the massive ice blocks that cover the mountain, which is pretty darn close to the Equator.

So, here's to seeing things and doing things while you can. Ann Curry could have backed out and said, "No way, I won't be ready for the challenge." She went for it. Whether she summits or not, you have to admire her ability to broadcast -- even as the air is getting thinner with each step she makes up the mountain.

It's so fun to see images of Kilimanjaro and know that I've been there. I want to again -- and I will.

In fact, I'm planning a Global Alliance for Africa trip for the last week of December 2009 -- hoping to summit on New Year's Day 2010. This will be the finale of my Save the World Diet -- a physical challenge each month for a good cause.

Let me know if you'd like to come along!

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

11.12.08: Back In My Britches

2008-11-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

I've been working out so hard these days and it feels wonderful.

The scale isn't budging as fast as I'd like but yesterday I noticed a new pep in my step. Actually, as I set foot on the paver-stone path in front of me, I felt inclined to jog. I haven't been this perky since my pre-pregnancy days.

It occured to me as the cold days have settled in that I was wearing a fleece that I wore up Kilimanjaro. These things are starting to fit again. Hooray!

So onword to many more healthy and hearty workouts. I'm so on my way to new adventures.

Return to: www.fatwomanonthemountain.com

11.10.08: The half-hour mark

2008-11-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to report that I'm up to 30 minutes of running on the treadmill. I am rebuilding strength after my pregnancy and to prepare for the adventures ahead. Each time I run I get a little better, and more enthusiastic about doing it.

I might be up for a marathon after all.

My plan for this week it to do two additional running sessions, two strength workouts and two stints on the eliptical or walks around the neighborhood. I'll be up to 35 minutes on the treadmill by Sunday.

Another task on my to-do list this week: Get new shoes.

Return to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

11.03.08: Sweets Are A Sour Note

2008-11-03T09:36:00.000-08:00

I hate that so many food-related things that should be fun get so complicated for me.

On Halloween, I felt silly standing in the background as my husband Chris wore our daughter in the Baby Bjorn from house to house. She wore a perky flower costume, and delighted those who opened the door when they saw her able to pluck out a candy from the bowl of treats.

Of course at nearly nine months old, she can't eat the candy but you could tell she was having a blast as she waved the little pieces back and forth. She in it for the crinkly wrapper. The mini box of Dots became her new rattle.

I wondered it all those parents thought I was the one who was going to eat all those candies, which went in a spare diaper bag slung over my shoulder. I should have been enjoying this first trick-or-treating experience with my daughter but instead I was wallowing in my own self-humiliation. I felt compelled to tell everyone they were for "Daddy" not me.

Sweets took on a sour note for me again on Sunday when Chris wanted a pumpkin doughnut. A pumpkin doughnut sounded like such a sweet way to celebrate fall, with some apple cider on the side. But since I'm back in training mode, my choice at Dunkin Donuts was limited to an egg white flatbread sandwich, a new offering with less than 300 calories.

It's moments like these -- crunching down on a breakfast sandwich that was a bit dry in flavor and sentiment-- that I wished I hadn't snuck out to get pumpkin scones and other treats so many times without him. That way, I could enjoy treats with him.

The key from now on is balance -- finding the right mix of exercise and eating so I can enjoy the sweet life with those I love.

Return to: http://www.fatwomanonthemountain.com/

10.31.08: Halloween Junk In My Trunk

2008-10-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have to be honest here. Halloween candy scares me so much that I have to hide it in the trunk of my car.

Candy is one of my greatest weaknesses. In year's past Halloween was the beginning of the deluge of overindulgence. This year, as I'm training for a four-mile run on New Year's Day, I'm not going down that path.

I know Halloween candy is wrapped in those cute little individual servings, but as I was chewing one piece of candy, I was unwrapping another. I'd pop one aafter another in my mouth until the jumbo bag was gone. I used to buy candy corn as soon as it started showing up on the shelves in the fall -- but the bag would never last until Halloween. Sometimes I'd be lucky if it would last a day.

So there it is. I fear Halloween, not because of the ghouls that will come to my door, but because of the candy.

So until it's time for the trick-or-treaters to come ringing my doorbell, I'm keeping that junk in my trunk, so it doesn't become junk on my trunk.

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10.28.08: Running Comes In Handy

2008-10-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm now up to 20 minutes of running on the treadmill (plus some hill walking) and I'm feeling strong. So when it started to downpour during the Halloween Parade around Summit on Saturday, I didn't think twice about double stepping it -- or more like sprinting -- back house.

This running is really coming in handy.

Anna was nominated for cutest costume. Even though we didn't stick around to claim her prize, I think she won.

By the way, I'm working on something big for 2009 -- so stay tuned.

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10.22.08: My Martha Stewart Moment

2008-10-22T07:02:00.001-07:00

I was an hour and a half early for Martha Stewart's booksigning event yesterday at the Short Hills Mall. Still, I was about 100 people back in line. By the time the signing started (after wild applause when Martha arrived) the line stretched from Williams-Sonoma to beyond Bloomingdale's -- I'd say that's about a quarter mile.

Since Martha Stewart is a fellow Kilimanjaro climber, I wanted to share my story from the October issue of Self magazine with her in hopes of eventually being a guest on her show. But also to have the opportunity to tell her how much I admired her strength and courage as a person.

When I told her I also reached Uhuru Peak of Kilimanjaro, she asked when I went. As she signed the front page of her new book, "Martha Stewart's Cooking School", I told her I summited a year ago February.

She looked at me, smiled and asked, "Didn't you just love it?"

I did.

I'm so glad that I took the time to see Martha -- this woman I truly admire -- to share my story with her. I believe in taking a chances - enjoying all of life's opportunities -- because you never know what can happen.

By the way, forget all the negative things you hear about Martha. The three times I've seen her -- at two tapings of The Martha Show and at this booksigning -- she was gracious and sweet. And yes, she's just as beautiful (inside and out) in person as she is on television or in her books and magazines. (My pictures didn't turn out great as we weren't allowed to used flash in the store. My flash went off, and I got in trouble with the Williams-Sonoma staff. I'll try to post something tonight.)

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10.21.08: Martha Stewart: A Good Thing

2008-10-21T08:54:00.001-07:00

marthafoto, originally uploaded by fat woman on the mountain.

Today I’m going to meet fellow Kilimanjaro climber Martha Stewart during her “ Martha Stewart's Cooking School” book signing at the Short Hills Mall.

Martha Stewart had a harrowing Kilimanjaro climb. She shared the details in her business book, “The Martha Rules.” As she neared the summit, her guide started to show severe signs of altitude sickness and had to go down the mountain for his own safety. Martha was faced with a choice, return with her guide or press on alone.

She decided to continue on even though her guide had forgotten to bring food and water for the summit attempt. She ate snow and followed the trail to its pinnacle.

I’ve always admired Martha’s great tenacity, creativity, enterprise and love for all Good Things. As someone who has also reached Uhuru Peak at 19,343 feet, the story of Martha's Kilimanjaro climb just reinforces my great respect for her as a person of great courage and strength.

I’ve been to two Martha Show tapings (which are great fun if you’re ever in the New York City area) but I’ve never had a chance to meet her personally. I feel lucky to have one of the 350 tickets made available for the signing.

It may be a blip of a moment in front of Martha but I hope to get a chance to tell her about my 120-pound weight loss. It would be so much fun to swap mountain climbing adventures.

What I’d really love is to be a guest on The Martha Show in the New Year. We could make a healthy dish together and I could talk about using great adventures to inspire weight loss!

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10.20.08: Running My Own Race

2008-10-20T14:37:00.000-07:00

I signed up for the Summit YMCA 5K/2-mile Walk last Saturday. Now, since I just started this running program, I opted to do the 2-mile course.

I had been told that 5K began at 1 p.m. but the 2-mile folks were set to start at 1:10 p.m. So I waited, and of course after getting my 8-month-old daughter Anna ready, I arrived at about 1:12 p.m.

When I showed up I learned everyone had already left about 10 minutes earlier! So just started on the course with a quick, warm-up walk and turned it into a jog.

I had a number affixed to my fleece, but no other runners or walkers around me. I was indeed running my own race. I passed a few walkers, which felt nice. In all, I jogged about 1.5 miles and finished close to last but that will not be my last race. I'm just getting started again.

What felt great was feeling strong. These past few weeks of doing light, short jogs have made me feel stronger and leaner. The scale is finally moving down, after a two-month plateau -- and I am moving forward.

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10.16.08: Keeping Up With the Treadmill

2008-10-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

It had been a long time since I ran on the treadmill -- in fact it hasn't been since my Kilimanjaro training nearly two years ago. I did a jog outside the other day, but the treadmill makes you keep going as fast as it's going.

You know how much I love to exercise in the great outdoors, but the treadmill is a great alternative. It allows you to track your speed and progress. It's all right there on the display panel. Plus, you don't have to worry about getting your sneakers wet if it's raining outside.

Today's workout was a challenge but now I feel great. I'm well on my way to that four-mile race on Jan. 1 in Central Park!

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10.14.08: Stop Tripping Yourself

2008-10-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

I developed a nasty habit on my maternity leave. I'd take a walk and when I was finished, I'd swing by Starbucks, or any other open place where I could find a snack, which almost always topped the amount of calories I just burned during my jaunt.

After Anna was born, I kept doing the same thing.

I was lonely during my maternity leave. Instead of spending my days with some great, and very chatty coworkers, I was home waiting for the next episode of Clean House or Baby Story. My trip to Starbucks was a chance to see familiar people, some even knew my name. (Insert Cheers theme song here).

But the comraderie was momentary. After paying far too much for a decaf coffee drink loaded with calories and a pastry to go along with it, I was back at home feeling lonely again, and worse.

I knew I needed to stop tripping myself. It was defeating any intention of dropping baby weight, and being the healthiest I could be.

To do that, I needed to make sure I fulfilled my needs for company -- and replaced the action.

The first thing I did was remove the means by prohibiting myself from bringing my wallet, or any form of currency on my walks.

Then, I filled the need. I joined a new mother's group, which met each Wednesday. That way I could get out of the house each week. Within a few weeks, we knew each others' stories. Our new job was being a mother -- so in a way, they were coworkers.

How do you trip yourself up? What things do you do that prevent your progress? What can and will you do to change?

10.09.09: Ten minutes today -- four miles on New Year's Day!

2008-10-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

I started my new running routine today. In addition to my regular one-hour walk, I added in 10 minutes of running. Well maybe it was a jog.

Either way, I'm following David Kuehl's advice in his book "4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon." Kuehl talks about building a base before taking on an endeavor such as a marathon. In week one, he suggests starting with 10 minutes of running, three times a week.

For now, I'm training for a four-mile run at the stroke of midnight on 2009. I'm building up to something spectacular in 2009 -- perhaps another mountain climb, or yes, maybe even a marathon.

I'm in decent shape. I exercise at least five times a week but running has been off the training log since my Kilimanjaro Climb preparation. So, I'm starting slow, and building strength.

I was strong -- and actually did about 20 minutes of jogging. I felt rusty but I know that if I stick with it, within a few workouts I'll gain speed, ability -- and shed some more baby weight as I prepare for this race.

I feel good after the run -- and glad that I started.

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