Thoughts: 12.28.09

I have to confess that I’ve been lazy the past 4 or 5 days… eating whatever, getting activity, but not ‘exercising’ or ‘training’ like I normally do. I hit 206lbs on Christmas Eve morning, and was hoping to get below 200 before 2010, but I don’t think that’ll happen now. It’ll be close… as long as I get get there within the first week or two of January, I’ll be psyched. I think letting myself eat crappy and not exercise regularly for a few days is a great wake-up call. I did a 45 minute cardio workout last night and felt like total ass – like I had sludge running through my veins. Then, instantly, my resolve came back full force and I was ready to keep trekking along.

When I went to my Dad’s house for Christmas and saw family I hadn’t seen in a month or two, everyone said something about how I looked – like suddenly it was more obvious that I’ve lost 49lbs… it felt good but I didn’t want to make it a big deal. I have 36 lbs more to go to hit my initial goal. And then I’ll reevaluate and decide if I want to keep going or not. I weighed 170 lbs senior year in highschool and I always felt like I could lose a few pounds, but I actually feel like I’m in better shape now [more muscle] so who knows. The more weight I lose, the less the number on the scale means to me.

It’s only December 28th and I’m already longing for Spring to get back outside for hikes, walks, runs and to try new activities like kayaking, or to take up old favs like cycling. I love my workout DVDs, but I do enjoy the variety of pushing myself outdoors as well. Today it’s a toasty 37º and it’s been raining all day. Bleh…

Anyway, it’s okay to take a few days off, relax, be lazy and eat crappy food. I know I’ll jump right back in the saddle and keep going. My body bugg is charged up, and I’m on vacation all week this week on furlough, so I’m going to take advantage by eating better and getting more exercise, establishing a proper routine of sleep and workouts so come next Monday, it’ll be like clockwork. Alternating weights & abs in the mornings, and doing cardio at night, so that I burn my calories by 11pm – by the time I hit the sack. No more going to bed at 1am or 2am… time to grow up and accept that fact that I need more sleep and I also need to maximize my time during the day and it starts with waking up earlier and getting some exercise in.

2010 is going to be a great year. I can feel it. Hopefully my family will get healthy – no more strokes – and I can just focus on myself, continuing my quest to get fit and healthy, a well as focusing on paying off my debt so we can start a family. I’m almost ready for that next step in our lives. Almost…  ;)

Counting Calories at Week 10…

Still on track, though my weightloss has slowed a bit due to the holidays and all the eating out. I’m happy to say I’m still losing – not GAINING – through this year’s season! I’ve lost enough weight now that a lot of people are coming forward and saying something to me [or to others about me] – people I see every day at work, family members, friends, even people I see periodically, like the girl that does my laser hair removal treatments [underarms - I hate shaving them. My gift to myself!]. Now everyone is asking me ‘what’s your secret!!??” Most people’s face falls when I tell them hard work, exercise and counting calories. A lot of people, at one time myself included, want to hear about a magic pill or diet. But  here are a few that are impressed and inspired when I tell them what I’m doing. It really isn’t hard anymore, it just takes consistent work, but once it becomes part of your life, it’s the same as brushing your teeth before bed or balancing your checkbook – necessary, but also beneficial.

To date, I’ve lost 45 lbs! I’m about halfway to my goal now. I started out at 255lbs. I’m now 210lbs and for some reason, no longer embarrassed to say what my weight actually is. Most people don’t believe me when I tell them my weight now. I’m tall [5'7"] and I do have an athletic frame, so I tend to run heavy anyway. I’d like to get to 170lbs and then decide if I need to lose more or not, but I think that’s a good intial goal to have. That’s what I weighed the end of highschool and I was a size 10. I can probably go lower – 148-155, but I’m not sure I want to go too low with the body fat. I have no desire to look like a skinned rabit, or look 10 years older than I am because there’s no fat left on my face to fill in the ‘cracks’. lol… I’m still taking it one step at a time, one day at a time.

I’m also happy to say that I’m now a real size 14 and my days of shopping at the ‘big girl’ store are behind me. I can buy regular clothes in regular sizes, which has been so much fun. I always thought I hated shopping. Nope. I just hated shopping when nothing looked good on me. Now, it’s dangerous already! I started out at a stretchy 18 – if I was honest with myself at the time, I was probably more like a 20 or a 22, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy anything that went beyond 18, so I’d stuff myself into jeans and I’d have horrendous ‘muffin top’. I was so wrapped up in the numbers. Not anymore. I have a dress I bought last year that’s a size 18 – it finally fits me now and looks great and the size doesn’t bother me. It’s just cut differently from the majority of brands and styles I tend to buy – no biggie. The only problem is, it’s a very lightweight dress that’s more suited to Spring or Summer, so by then it’ll probably be too big and I’ll never get a single use out of it. Unless we go to Florida in the next month or two to visit my mother – then I’ll bring it with me and wear it one night when we go out for dinner.  =)

I’m still using my body bugg – without it, I’d be lost. It really has made the difference for me – a person that had no concept of calories or potion size – or how much I was eating on a daily basis, for that matter. I never wanted to count calories because it never made any sense to me – why count what goes in if you have no idea what you’re burning? Now I know what I’m burning, and it’s made it not only easy, but it motivates me to stick within a certain calorie range so that I stick to a certain calorie burn each day. I shoot to create a calorie deficit of between 1,000-1,250 calories a day. Most days I make it, here and there I don’t, but I always burn more than I consume – even if it’s only by 250 calories.

Now that I’ve been doing this for a while [I started using the body bugg and tracking my calories on 9/27], I also know my body’s cycle, so fluctuations on the scale don’t freak me out. Take today, for instance. I’m about to get my “.” any minute now and I’m up 2lbs from yesterday. I know I’ll hang on to that 2 extra lbs until my “.” is over, and then I’ll drop the 2 lbs over night, and the next day or two I’ll drop 2 more lbs.. My body is funny like that. But it’s okay because overall I’m still losing 1-2lbs per week, which is a good pace for me. In 9 weeks I’ve lost 18 lbs. Woo-hoo! If I can stick to this pace I’l be at my goal weight in the Spring and if I want to keep going, I’ll get to what I call my ‘ultimate weight’ in the summer – in time for our Anniversary in September. The last 2 years we went to Bermuda that week. I’m already dreaming of the cute sundresses and bikinis I’m going to wear next time.  =)

I still have plenty of room for improvement, though. Once the holidays are over I do need to refocus and start getting more of the sugar out of my diet. I live within my calories, but not all calories are equal. My New Year’s resolution will be to clean up my diet and finally ditch the ‘white stuff’ – refined sugar & flour. I still eat a lot of chocolate and I rely on a lot of bars – they’re all natural, but they also have a decent amount of calories and because of that I tend ot eat less fruits and veggies that I otherwise would. I also need to get back to planning my meals better so I maximize my fresh groceries.

I’m still bouncing away on my ball when I watch TV which is both the gift and the curse – it’s a gift because it makes it easy to hit my calorie target for the day, but the curse because it also gives me an out to be lazy and skip a workout BECAUSE I can still hit my target as long as I watch TV on my ball. lol… I need to get back to working out in the mornings again, so that if I feel like skipping an evening workout, it’s not so bad. Or if I feel like just relaxing on the couch or reading, I wont’ miss hitting my target because I hadn’t exercised yet.

Anyway… I know that if I can tweak and tune up my routine, I can increase my weightloss from 1-2lbs per week to 2-3lbs per week, which would be great, but I also think I’ll feel that much better, too. I’m going to be 36 in February – but I feel like I’m going on 16 physically. It’s hard ot believe how old and tired I felt just 2 years ago. I was 34 going on 64 with all my aches and pains, fatigue, shortness of breath when I’d go up some stairs. It was horrible. I could never go back to feeling that way…

The most interesting thing for me now is, when I reach one of my smaller goals – whether it’s hitting a target on the scale, or fitting into an old pair of jeans or a dress, it’s great, but not a big deal. Because I know I’m not stopping here, I’ve got more to do, so if some old piece of clothing fits, but I know I won’t wear it because it’s out of style or not the best quality [because I bought it YEARS ago and it never fit and I always hung onto it hoping it would some day], I just donate it right away and look for the next ‘benchmark’ to shoot for. I’m running out of them, though – I have nothing below a size 12 anymore so once all my old size 12 clothes fit, I’ll have to start buying 10s and 8s to have something to work toward. I actually bought a pair of size 12 jeans last week, and because they have a more than usual amount of stretch to them, they fit me pretty nicely – snug, but not tight. I knew they would because I have the 14s in the same style and they’re already too big in the waste and I have to wear a belt with them. Ironically the black version fo the same jeans in a 14 are still snug – they hardly have any stretch to them, but they’re definitely wearable. If I had a choice, I’d never buy anything stretchy ever again. Not only do they lose their shape too easily, but the also make it too easy to fool yourself into thinking your’e not gaining weight right away. Kind of like not updating your checkbook for a while. You think you’re good until you finally check it and realize you’re broke!

Since my last batch of measurements I’ve lost another 1/2-inch off my chest and off my calves, but the rest are the same. Though my middle is smaller, it isn’t around my waist or hips where I actually measure. It’s almost like the areas above and below my waist are shrinking and tightening up, but I wont’ see a change in my waist measurement until it becomes one, cohesive unit again. lol… I almost don’t have ‘rolls’ anymore and my tummy is ‘this close’ to being flat – still a bit thick, but I’ll take it!

Are Plateaus Inevitable?

I’m starting to think the answer to that question is ‘no.’ Not if you have a body bugg. Plateaus happen when you body doesn’t need as many calories to function [as in after losing some weight], so unless you up your activity level, you’ll end up taking in the same amount of calories you’re burning. Also, if you’re on a very restrictive plan already, your metabolism will eventually slow down so that you reach an equilibrium of sorts. But… it’ll be interesting to see if I run into this problem knowing how many calories I’m burning each day vs. what I’m taking in. I have a feeling the answer is ‘no’…

I eat anywhere from 1,500 to 2,200 calories a day, depending on the circumstances, my choices, and my appetite. But I also burn at least 1,000 calories more than I take in, so I’m always in a caloric deficit. If people pick an arbitrary number – like 1,200 calories and stick to that, eventually it’ll either be too much, or not enough, theoretically…

So, I’ll keep you posted on that aspect of using a body bugg – IF the dreaded plateau does strike. lol… so far, so good. I did have no weightloss for about 2 weeks, but I think it had more to do with my monthly cycle than anything else. Once my period was over, I dropped over 4lbs, seemingly overnight. That’s just how my body works, I guess. As long as it’s temporary and I immediately catch up to the pace I’m going for [2-2.5lbs/wk], I don’t care.

I took some measurements today and was pleasantly surprised. Especially when compared to my original measurements when I started this journey almost 2 years ago:

Here are my inches lost to date:

Chest: 7.5″
Waist: 10″
Hips: 10″
Thighs: 8″ [ea]
Calves: 2.5″ [ea]
Arms: 3.5″ [ea]
Neck: 3″

That last measurement blows me away – 3 inches off my neck! lol… I’ve lost 40lbs so far [40.2 if you want to get technical], and I’m shooting for another 55 lbs to get to my goal weight. At the pace I’m going now, if I can keep it up, I should get there by early to mid April, 2010 – a mere 5 months. That’s just amazing to me. I lost all of 7lbs all of last year because I wasn’t tracking what I was eating. I did drop a dress size from exercising and my body comp changing for the better, but then my weight just stayed the same for months and months until I got frustrated enough to look for something that would work for me – I found clean-eating, Tosca Reno, Oxygen Magazine and Chalene Johnson… and on Chalene’s recommendation – the body bugg. It’s been a slow but steady progression to figuring this all out for myself, but now that everything is clicking, it really does seem pretty easy. If you told me even 6 month ago that it could be this simple, I wouldn’t have believed you…

I’ve tried keeping a food journal in the past  but I was always tracking too many things – carbs, fat grams, protein, etc. And then I’d judge myself, or if I wanted something ‘bad’, I didn’t want to write it down – because that would make it real, disturbing my delicate state of denial. So I’d give up. All I track now are calories, and I eat whatever I want, but because I track calories, and because I like how I feel when I make healthier choices, I tend to want healthier foods 9 times out of 10. I do have chocolate almost every day. I do have snacks like crackers and cheese. Trackign calories has helped me to understand portion sizes. I see what I eat now and compare it to how I WAS eating – even while ‘dieting’ – and it’s no wonder I either gained weight or didn’t lose anything. When they say a food journal is key for most people to reach their weightloss goals and to sustain them, they’re not joking.

I don’t know if I’ll ever get comfortable enough to intuitively know approximately what I’m taking in vs. burning each day after I get to my goal weight. I suspect I’ll continue to use a food journal… even if I stop using the body bug. It’s pretty easy to remember about how many calories you burn during certain activities… and I would think once I don’t have anymore fat to lose, as long as I burn what I’m taking in, I won’t gain anything back. I’ll either be able to eat more, or have less daily activity. Right now I shoot for an hour and a half of ‘activity’ and 10,000 steps, 3,000-3,250 calories burned… yesterday I beat all my targets and didn’t even workout – I tend to do more around the house because I have more energy [and because I know it burns calories] and by bouncing on my stability ball while watching TV. So I gave my body a break from weight lifting and the 45 minutes of cardio I usually do, and today I feel fantastic, and ready to tackle the 2-3 hours of raking and bagging leaves that we have to do.

Losing weight isn’t the rocket science the diet industry will have you believe. It’s in their best interest to give you a taste of success only to take it away, so you keep coming back for more – buying their books, products, ’systems’, etc… It’s such a sham. If your goal is to lose weight only, then you don’t care that the diet your on doesn’t make nutritional sense as long as the number on the scale moves down. If your goal is to get healthy and fit, nutrition is everything – it affects your performance in everything you do. Which sounds more intelligent?  [It only took 25 years to become obvious for me]. ;)

Thoughts: 11.1.09

This is beginning of week 5 for me with the body bugg, and I’m down 11 lbs. It does what it says it does if you track your calories. I’m finally a believer. After dieting and FAILING miserably for so many years, I finally feel like I’m going to do this and make it to my goals. It’s very new, very awesome sensation. lol…

I would have figured I’d get bored with tracking calories, but I haven’t. I actually love knowing how many calories I’m consuming because I love hitting all my daily targets for calorie burning, steps, activity duration, etc. I’m a body bugg-a-holic if there is such a thing. lol

I’ve also discovered a great trick to making sure I burn up all my calories for the day. I love TV and I watch too much of it, but I bought myself a stability ball, and now I bounce on it while I watch TV – it works so well that I know I burn 350 calories while watching 45 minutes of news! If I know we have a lot of shows ot catch up on and will be in front of the TV for 2-3 hours [I know, it's a lot...], at least now I know I can burn 1,000 calories or more doing it. It doesn’t replace my daily workouts but it does mean I can just do ONE workout a day and then burn off the rest of my calories while watching TV vs. doing 2 workouts a day like I was doing before, which felt like too much. Bouncing isn’t that hard on the body, but working out twice a day can be.

I’m going to try dropping my calories from 1,850 to 1,750 and burning 3,000 a day vs. 2,850 to see if I can increase my weekly weightloss from 2lbs to 2.5lbs. If it’s too much I’ll go back to what I was doing before [1,000 calorie deficit per day instead of 1,250]. By kicking my routine up a notch, the body bugg software claims I’ll reach my goal by April 9th. Which is great because it gives me time to settle into my new size [whatever that ends up being] and gives me time to do a little shopping – we have a few weddings to go to in May. If/when I reach my goal it’ll mean I’ve lost a total of 95lbs. How crazy is that? I’m almost halfway there – I’ve lost 39 lbs so far since I started this journey. I’m still not 100% sure my goal weight of 159 lbs is correct or not, but I weighed 160 at the end of highschool and again when I lost the weight I gained after my first year of college, so my ‘ideal’ weight is probably around that number. I can always reevaluate once I get there if I think I can lose a few more lbs… and if my body stops at 165 or 170 and I look and feel great, I’m fine with that, too.  =)

The best part of counting calories and living this way is, nothing is off limits. I eat mostly healthy, but now and then I can splurge if I plan for it. Last night my husband took me out for a delicious lobster dinner. I had a 1.5 lb lobster and I dunked every piece in butter – I also made sure to let most of it drip off, and in the end I probably ate about a tablespoon total of the butter, which is about 105 calories. Not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. When we got home I had enough calories left over to have some popcorn while we watched a movie and a few squares of chocolate. That whole thing about some people being able to eat whatever they want is true – as long as it doesn’t mean their taking in more calories than they burn.

I used to think maintaining a big weightloss would be tough, but if you exercise, it really doesn’t need to be. If I’m burning 1,250 calories more than I’m taking in now, to lose the weight, it means I either keep up the activity level and I get to eat a LOT more, or I can eat about the same amount of food and I don’t have to worry about being SO active every day [right now I do about 10,000 steps and get in about an hour and a half of activity per day, at a minimum]. It’ll mean I can take a couple of days off each week and really let my body recover fully before pushing it again.

This whole experience has been such an eye-opener. I know I won’t ever have the same issues with weight gain again. I know I’ll be ready to move on with the rest of my life when I reach my goals. This will be the toughest thing I’ve ever done. But once I figured out what works for me it stopped being an uphill battle, and turned into a happy journey.  =)  I’m enjoying it every step of the way.

In case you’re wondering about the stability ball, this is the one I have. It’s made to withstand 1,200 lbs – it’s made more rugged for weightlifting. I’ll be getting another as we finish off part of our basement as a gym so I can use it in place of a weight bench: Rhino Skin Stability Ball [image courtesy of amazon.com]

Counting Calories – 3 Weeks In…

It’s been 3 weeks since I started counting my calories, keeping a food journal and using the Body Bugg. I have to say, it’s been easy, almost fun, but only because of the Body Bugg. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t stick to it with the enthusiasm I have if I didn’t get the 2nd half of the story. Counting calories is one thing, but if you have no idea how much you’re burning, there’s a whole world of motivation that’s missing from the equation – at least for me. I know myself too well. I think the Body Bugg satisfies my ‘inner scientist’ – it’s taken the dieting out of it for me – now everything is an experiment. Everything is measured and counted – which was unfathomable for me before – but now it serves a purpose. It gives me the information I need to know approximately how big a caloric deficit I create each day. It takes the guess work out. Food has finally become what it should be for me – FUEL. 

So, how am I doing 3 weeks in? Well, I’ve lost 8.4 lbs. My goal is a 1,000 calorie deficit each day, which should equal an approximate 2 lb fatloss each week. I’m a little ahead of the curve right now, and am curious to see if it slows down to the 2lb/wk pace or if it’s a little more random than that. As long as it’s steady in the right direction, I’ll be happy. At 2 lbs/wk I’ll reach my goal weight by late May/early June. 

I still have that pinch of fear in the back of my mind that I might fail. That it’s too good to be true, that weightloss is NEVER this easy and it’ll suddenly stop working for me. Because every other ‘diet’ I’ve done in the past 25 years has let me down in some form [or was too crazy to maintain realistically and as a result I let myself down in giving up]. But the other side of that mentality is slowly gaining strength. That feeling of, not only hope, but confidence that it WILL work, that I WILL reach my goal, that it WILL continue to be easy and fun and that I’ve truly changed my lifestyle for the better and I’ll be rid of the ‘weight-monkey’ that’s been riding on my back almost my whole life once and for all! 

I did something last week that was a little scary for me. It’s going to sound silly, I’m sure, but it was a big deal. I’ve always wanted a pair of knee-high leather boots with some sort of heel. The only problem was, my calves were always too big to fit into even the ‘wide calf’ style boots. Well, I found a pair on zappos that sounded great and according to the description, were maybe a 1/2 inch smaller than my calf measurement. But they were a great price and had so many great reviews for comfort and style that I went for it, figuring they’d fit soon and if I waited until they did, they wouldn’t be available anymore. The came in, I tried them on and the damn things FIT!!! And they looked HOT! It was a very unusual feeling for me to finally achieve something like that. It’s trivial, but until now, was always unattainable, and that made it momentous to me. I love them, and I’ll be wearing them all winter with skirts and I’ll feel great about it. 

I also have had a really cool fitted leather jacket for years, that I bought when it was on clearance at the end of the season and it never fit. AT the time it ALMOST fit – and then I gained more weight and it ended up at the back of my closet and I completely forgot about it – until last week – when I cleaned out my closet and all of my drawers and got rid of clothes that were either too big now, or stuff I knew I’d never wear even if it did fit. When I saw the jacket, I didn’t have much hope of it fitting and if it didn’t, I probably would have gotten rid of it. I put it on – it was LOOSE on the arms [there was a time I couldn't get my arms in without cutting off circulation], and I was able to zip it up and I could still breathe! lol… It was slightly snug across the chest, but it had wiggle room around the waist, and the way it’s cut, it actually is very slimming. I wore it to work for the first time the other day and everyone noticed it and complimented me on it. When I told them I’d had it for probably 10 years now and have never been able to wear it, a few people were really supportive and said congrats. It was a small win, but a win nonetheless, so I’ll take it! 

It’s these little things that keep me going now – not so much the number on the scale or even the number of my clothing size… I’m all about the next little apparel goal. Next up is to go to a regular clothing store – not plus size – and buy a regular pair of jeans that have absolutely NO STRETCH to them at all. I’m sick of stretch unless it’s fitness gear. I gained a lot of weight and was able to stay in denial of it because my clothes were stretchy. From now on, if it doesn’t have a button and zipper, I’m not buying it. And if it has any sort of ’spandex’ listed as a material… forget it!

This week I was able to fit into the next size down in my jeans. They’re the smallest size you can get at a lane bryant – a size 1. They fit pretty perfectly but because they have stretch in them, they’re not 100% flattering around the hips. They look worlds better than my older jeans – that are loose enough that they remind me of elephant skin. Not flattering at all… I’m conflicted, though. Do I go get a few more pairs in different rinses and lengths, or so I wait another month or so and try my luck at a regular store… hmmm… decisions. I live in jeans for work – we’re a casual place, so 1 pair of jeans isn’t going to cut it. I keep throwing my older jeans in the wash in the hottest water setting and in the dryer extra long in an attempt to shrink them, but I think at this point I can’t get them any smaller. lol… I never thought I’d have this dilemma.

Body Bugg & Counting Calories…

Update: Just found out the sale [free digital readout with armband purchase] ends Wednesday [9/30/09]. Fyi…  =)

This has been a pretty fluid and interesting journey so far… things seem to be happening at a decent progression. I’m figuring things out, getting stronger and smarter about health and fitness with each passing month. I’m at the point fitness-wise where I feel confident trying new sports like kayaking [just have to make the time!], but I haven’t lost any weight in the past few months. I finally had to accept the fact that it was time to track calories burned vs. calories consumed. I watch Biggest Loser and have always found inspiration in the show, but they tend to be vague on the specifics of the program they have the contestants on – until this year. I know they use the Body Bugg to track calories burned, and I now know they put them on a 1.200 calorie a day diet. What I didn’t know until last week was that they expect the women to burn 6,000 calories a day, and the men, 8,000. That is CRAZY!!! I suppose if you didn’t have to work and had all day, it’s easily doable, but not for people with full time jobs, houses, families, responsibilities, etc. But it was good to know. There’s no magic behind their incredible weekly losses – they literally work their asses off!

So… I found a coupon and 24 hour fitness was running a special – buy the Body Bugg, get the digital display for free [here a link to the product page if you're interested], so I went ahead and ordered it – with apprehension. I’ve never counted calories before and I was worried it would be $224 wasted. Not so at all! It’s incredibly easy to use and really informative. It told me  that in order to lose 2lbs per week to meet my weightloss goal by mid-May, I need to consume 1,850 calories a day and burn 2,850 calories a day. The first night I put the bugg on, it told me I burned 700 calories in my sleep alone! Pretty awesome. Weightlifting is paying off in that department. I absolutely LOVE the Body Bugg. Chalene Johnson, the creator of Turbo Jam and her ChaLEAN Extreme strength training program also fell in love with it and contacted 24hr fitness to be able to offer a coupon special for her followers: bbgcj24

Counting calories is time consuming when you make most of your food from scratch, but I think as long as I measure and write it all down with calculations made, it’ll be a lot easier to make the same dish the next time without taking so much time to figure out all the calories, etc. I made a great minestrone-style soup the other night that turned out to be only 165 calories for a 300g serving [a pretty decent sized bowlful] so I added in a tbsp of parmasan cheese for another 20 calories and it was amazingly delicious and satisfying. It’s definitely been a huge eye-opener the past few days, seeing what has how many calories. I was blown away by how many calories nuts have. I had made a trail mix and I was eating it in 1/2 cup servings – turns out it’s 355 calories, which can throw me off if I’m not careful. 

It’s too soon to report any real weightloss, but I will as I go along. I did lose 2lbs from yesterday, but it doesn’t mean anything. It’s that time of the month so I think it was just bloat going away… I’ll be interested to see where I’m at in a week, in a month and in a few months, to see if I can turn this program into steady, healthy fat loss. I decided that as a reward for making my goal by May [just in time for 2 weddings, which means SHOPPING for some sexy party dresses], I’m treating myself to a trip and some shopping in London. I’ve always wanted to go, since I was a kid, so it’s been a long time coming – and celebrating an achievement this momentous in London with my husband is the perfect ‘reward.’  =)

WHEN I reach my goal in May, it will have been about 2 1/2 years since I decided it was time to do something about my health. If you had told me at the time that it would take that long I would have been disappointed. One thing I’ve learned through this whole process is good things are worth working for. And I have no doubt I’ll get there. In the meantime, I can’t wait until I can do 10 full pushups – not having to go to my knees after 5. It’s the smaller goals inbetween the big ones that keep me motivated.  =)

This is my menu for today. I’m going to put it in this post as an example, but also for my own reference:

• Protein shake [made into 2 meals, before and after workout]: 375
• 2 eggs over easy, 1 tsp oil, 1 slice whole grain bread: 350
• 1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt with agave, vanilla, lemon zest and 1 cup berries: 170
• Homemade minestrone soup with 1 Tbsp parmesan: 185
• Veggie sticks [carrot, celery, cuke & red pepper] with 1/4 C hommus: 160
• 4oz Roasted chicken breast, 1/4 C [dry - not sure what that'll end up being cooked...?] Brown Rice
& 3 oz garlic sauteed asparagus [including oil]: 360
• 8oz black seedless grapes & 1 light mini baby bell cheese: 195
—————-
Total calories: 1,795

[Image courtesy of 24hourfitness.com]

Thoughts: 9.1.09

I just got back from visiting my mother in Florida. She lost 25lbs and that was my bargain – for every 25lbs she lost, I’d go visit again. I’ve been there 3 times in the past year, which is a record. She’s doing well considering she had a stroke in March. Since then she’s completely changed her diet. Now, she eats fairly healthy, but in my opinion, she doesn’t eat enough – and definitely not enough protein. But I think the stroke and the subsequent Diabetes diagnosis has actually given her a fear of eating. Being around her just made me realize yet again why it’s so important I take care of myself now and forever and not get complacent about diet and exercise. But here I sit at 8:28pm trying to conjure up the motivation to go workout [since I wasn't able to this morning]. I guess I just really don’t like working out in the evenings. I much prefer mornings. I know once I go upstairs and start my warmup, I’ll be energized and I’ll have a great workout, and feel like a million bucks afterward. I’m even sitting in my workout gear. I’m thinking the disruption in my routine the past several weeks isn’t helping between travelling and my husband working crazy hours – he gets home late, we eat late, we stop watching TV late and get to bed WAY too late… part of me wants to be ’selfish’ by eating at a normal hour, watching TV on my own and going to bed at a reasonable hour – about the time he gets home, but the other part of me wants to be selfish and stay up and spend time with him because I miss him. Hence why I’m conflicted about every little thing lately. Someone moved my cheese… 

I’m also trying to stay away from wheat products because while I was in Florida for 5 days I didn’t eat any wheat and my tummy flattened out nicely – I forget how badly wheat [gluten] makes me bloated. But without wheat, it limits my quick meals – I love making wraps with whole grain, omega-3 infused lavash, stuffing them with veggies and lean protein to take on the go. I also love using half a wrap, lining it with all-natural peanut butter and rolling it up around half a banana as a quick on-the-go breakfast. I adore pasta – whole grain – tossed with plenty of veggies and – you guessed it – lean protein. Without those quick meal options I have to be more creative. What’s sad is, I have plenty of fruit and veggies around, and plenty of protein in the freezer – I just never remember to take anything out in time to make a fast meal. Lame, I know. I really need to get back to meal planning on Sundays so I know what to take out when during the week – take the guesswork out of it. 

Anyway, I’ve only lost a few more pounds so I’m up to 33lbs lost. I set a goal last night – I want to lose another 25lbs by January 1st, and the LAST [I hope] 25lbs by May 21st – because we have 2 weddings to go to in the Spring – the first of which is on May 21st, the second one is a week after in Chicago, where we’ll see my husband’s relatives for the first time in almost 3 years. It would be fun to knock there socks off and say I’ve lost 80lbs since they’ve seen me. lol… Oh – I said ‘I hope’ to the last 25lbs because of the whole ‘I don’t know what my ideal weight is’ thing. Some days I think I’d be perfectly happy at 175 and other days I want to go for 150 – which I haven’t weighed since I was 14, so I’m not sure that’s realistic [I really am an athletic build - I'm not petite]. I figure I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it, see how I look and feel at 175 and decide then if I feel like moving on or maintaining from there. 

I’m definitely procrastinating. But I’m also picturing myself working out, which is helping me feel the need to cut this post short and get off my butt! Seeing a Cirque Du Soleil show on Sunday also is HUGE motivation to exercise, too. I think there will always be a part of me that wishes I could be one of the performers in those shows. I especially love the contortionists… Maybe it’s time to dig out some of those DVDs to keep around and watch from time to time as a reminder. 

Image courtesy of About.com:Montreal

Mini Meals… Follow Up.

I need to be more careful of typos when I post – my last post was chalk FULL of typos! I didn’t sleep much last night and I guess wasn’t paying as close attention as I normally do… 

Anyway – I wanted to follow up on my post about trying the 5-8 mini meals a day vs. 3 squares. I have to say, it’s almost a no-brainer. I feel so much better when I eat more frequently. I tend to eat just enough – I hardly ever overeat anymore, because I know I’m eating in another 2-3 hours. The only real problem I was having was transporting 4 mini-meals to work each day. My lunch bag wasn’t big enough, so I finally found one that I absolutely LOVE and is perfect when you use those square ziplock plastic storage containers:

Quiksilver Beach Trip Bag

$51 is more than I expected to pay, but it’s so well made that I know it’ll last me for years, and it makes my life a lot easier, so it’s definitely worth it. It has a nice, thick plastic inner liner that’s easily wipeable, and there’s no PVC in any part of the bag. It’s also tall and relatively thin for a large insulated bag, so it’s a lot easier to transport along with a purse and laptop bag to haul around – that was important, too. It has an inner zippered mess pocket under the lid for cuttlery, etc. and a padded, rubberized shoulder pad on the strap to prevent slipping. I highly recommend it. It can easily fit 4 of the 4-cup sized square ziplock containers or 8 of the 2-cup square containers AND still have room for a water bottle and fresh fruit on top of the containers without crushing them. It’s also great for trips to the beach, travel, picnics, etc. 

So back to mini-meals. Here’s a sampling of how I eat in a day:

1) Wakeup/pre-workout: pineapple-banana smoothie made with unsweetened vanilla almond milk
2) Post workout: Veggie & Egg scramble in 1/2 slice whole grain lavash wrap
3) Greek yogurt with lemon zest, vanilla & agave nectar and fresh berries
4) Chicken salad made with Greek Yogurt, fresh herbs & dijon mustard dressing, grapes, celery, onion & walnuts on a bed of spring greens
5) Apple with all-natural peanut butter
6) Veggie sticks with garlic bean dip
7) Pan seared salmon filet with broccoli and rosemary roasted baby potatoes 
8) Handful of nuts if I get hungry before bed [optional]

On my rest days, my appetite may not be as strong and I may just eat 5 or 6 meals in a day – I go with the flow… What’s funny is, on the days I work from home, I tend to eat less because I don’t pre-package my meals in the morning, and then I eat too much at main meals because I didn’t have enough throughout the day. The solution to that is packing up my meals in the morning like it’s a regular drive-75-miles-to-work day, which is something I’m going to do this week.

So, this way of eating works well for me and I’m sticking to it!  

Photo credit: Zappos.com

Inspiration? =)

I went out with a friend last week. She just had a baby girl in April and has decided she’s ready to start working out and eating healthier. She was somewhat overweight before she got pregnant, and she said she really felt how out of shape she was through her pregnancy and wanted to make sure she never felt that way again – pregnant or otherwise! Her husband paid for a personal trainer 2x/week for 6 weeks to help her get started and she told me when we were at dinner, that I was a big part of her inspiration! Nobody has EVER told me I was their inspiration  - at least not for fitness. I still have a ways to go myself, but I’ve also come a long way in how I look and feel and apparently it’s more obvious than I had thought. I’ve lost 32 lbs and 2 dress sizes since January, and I have another 48 lbs to go and maybe 2 or 3 more dress sizes [I'm a 14/16 now, I'd like to get to a 10/12] to reach my goal – and if I need to lose more, sobeit, but gotta start somewhere! lol… 

One surprising thing about being told you’re someone’s inspiration is it turned out to be the ultimate motivation to keep going and start being more vigilant about eating healthy. I’m not a die-hard dieter anymore. I eat healthy 80% of the time, but I do still have bad habits that need breaking – like eating in front of the TV, craving not-so-good for me snacks while watching TV after dinner. I know if I could just kick that habit and get MORE sleep [the never ending battle for me], the pounds would start flying off instead of crawling. Each week I learn more, find new tricks and get better organized. It’s definitely been a journey and now I’m excited to share all the things I’ve learned with a dear friend who has similar goals, which is really satisfying. 

I’m a graphic designer by trade and I’m good at what I do, but lately I’ve been feeling unchallenged and unsatisfied with it. I could totally see myself switching gears and getting certified to be a personal trainer. I’m not there yet, and it might be something I tackle after having kids, but I definitely have the confidence to do it. And I think having that ‘before’ picture to show my someday clients will only help motivate them more, knowing their trainer has ‘been there’ and ‘done that’ and knows what they’re going through. The idea of helping people transform their health and their lives for the better gets me excited [I originally wanted to be a doctor, but couldn't afford the schooling]. It’s like what Mike Myers’ ‘Middle Aged Man’ used to say when asked ‘why he does it’: “I want to share my knowledge!” lol… 

I spent 6 hours yesterday going through all the boxes in the basement, dumping old stuff, moving furniture, heavy boxes and then walking it all up our bulkhead stairs [short and very steap] with my husband, and then single-handedly packing a 12′x8′x4′ dumpster – using my ‘mad layout skillz’ to utilize EVERY SQUARE INCH of space. My husband was astounded that I was able to fit EVERYTHING we wanted to get rid of in there [we had a lot of old stuff that we just don't use, including furniture and then all the crap the previous own was nice enough to leave for us like old, broken air conditioners, cinder blocks, old broken cast-iron water pumps, a giant water tank, etc.]. When the dumpster was delivered yesterday morning he was convinced we’d need to get a 2nd one after they hauled the first one away. Needless to say he’s very happy we can save the $300+ AND we got it all done in a day instead of a whole weekend. It was tough, and by the end of the day I was so tired, sore and RAVENOUS, but I was also giddy. Giddy from getting it all done, from feeling how powerful I felt for doing so much heavy labor for so long without injury, for packing that dumpster so tightly my dad would have been proud… I even used space inside an old microwave, inside an old dresser and all the drawers, filing cabinet drawers. Everything fit perfectly. And now it’s gone, along with all the baggage of having so much crap lingering in the basement. 

I’m a little banged up and bruised, but I’m hardly sore at all, which is shocking to me. I’m amazed at how fast and far my body has come in just 4-5 months of switching to lifting heavy weights 3x/week [vs lighter weights and more reps, which I always hated doing]. Working my core 2-3 x/week has also made a huge difference… but the best part about yesterday is, now we have so much more space open in the basement… that now it’s time to kick up the exercise routine another notch by getting a treadmill for uphill power walking and sprint work, as well as being able to jump around without shaking the house [like I would if I tried doing plyometrics in my little upstairs yoga room]. And I’ve always wanted a heavy bag – to beat the bag out of after a 2 hour commute home like I had on Friday. 

I found myself day dreaming last night about all the sports I’ve wanted to try – or go back to doing – but never felt I could because I was so overweight and out of shape. Things I used to tell myself I’d only do or try WHEN I lost ALL the weight. Now I realize that’s dumb. I’m in the best shape of my life right now and it’s only going to get better and easier as I lose the rest of the weight. There’s no reason to wait forever. I want to go kayaking this summer. I have a friend who has 2 kayaks and lives on a little Island on the North Shore, so I’m going to take her up on her offer to go with her sometime soon before the summer is over! I also think I’d LOVE rock-climbing. I’ll have to find a place that has a decent indoor wall to start with, but once I’m confident, I think I’d love to do the real thing outside even more. I already love hiking and now that I have the lower body power to do it at a much faster pace, I’m going to add sprints on the not so rocky parts of the trails. 

I never thought of myself as the ‘outdoorsy type’ but now I know that we’re all inherently ‘outdoorsy’, we just stop enjoying the outdoors and being active when life gets too busy and we get too tired… and we forget how great it can be!  =)  I also thought that feeling tired and old came with age and there was nothing you can do about it – boy am I GLAD I was so wrong about that! I feel younger and stronger now than I did at 18! Muscle is a miracle, especially combined with clean, whole fuel. I used to think it was hard and complicated to get healthy. It’s not. It requires a little work and planning but the rewards are so worth it!

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail…

That saying gets more and more true as I get older. I’m realizing that if I don’t rough out a menu plan on the weekend, it’s too easy to get tired, bored and uncreative and that leads to eating crappy. I also realize that I need to keep things simple, no matter how much I love to create new recipes, there’s a time for that, and there’s a time for sticking to simple, easy to throw together meals. 

I actually used this blog for it’s original intended purpose. I went back and reread what I was doing while in Florida where 8 lbs fell off me in 2 weeks. I’ve made things too complicated since then and it’s time to dial it back. My fridge is too full at the moment – all healthy stuff, but there’s only so much fruit you can eat in a week before it all goes bad… I got a little over-excited about making smoothies and juices. Lesson learned! I think I’d rather go the market a few times per week than buy too much at once and HOPE to finish it all – especially without a meal plan. I hate wasting food, too. 

So, here’s the back to basics plan: 

Upon waking up, before working out [6:30 AM]: smoothie with a little protein powder, some fruit and almond milk.

After working out/’breakfast’ [8:00 AM]: either 2 eggs scrambled with herbs and veggies, or over easy on top of veggies… or fruit with low-fat greek yogurt. 

Mid-morning snack [10:30 AM]: If I’m hungry I’ll go for a piece of fruit with a small handful of nuts, or fruit with greek yogurt if I didn’t have that already for breakfast.

Lunch [1:00 PM]: Salad with some sort of protein thrown in [leftover roasted chicken, shrimp, fish, tuna salad, etc.] or leftovers from dinner the night before of some kind of lean protein, steamed veggies and some whole grain like brown rice, quinoa, millet, etc. 

Snack 1 [3:00 PM]: Switch to veggies… either plain, raw veggies or dipped in some sort of healthy dip [hommus, or a 'ranch' dip made with low fat greek yogurt & fresh herbs]

Snack 2 [4:45 PM]: I need one before I hit the road – my commute is over an hour each way… so it’s a good time for some bean salad, or some soup, or even just an apple and a handful of roasted almonds

Dinner [ideally,7:00 PM]: Salad with a leftover protein, freshly made protein with salad or steamed veggies, or even a soup, depending on my appetite.

Snack [9:00 PM]: If we actually eat dinner at a decent hour I might get hungry again before bed… normally some tea with almond milk does the trick. I don’t like eating too close to bedtime… but sometimes I do get ravenous again, in which case make a small protein smoothie might do the trick, or a few veggies with dip or hommus. I want to try to avoid sweet stuff like fruit before bed if I can help it.

The goal is to get into bed by 11:00 pm, so that I get a good 7 1/2 hours when I wake up at 6:30… I honestly just need more discipline. And I’m capable of it, I just need to make it habit. I’ve been able to change so many bad habits over the past several years, but getting enough sleep is not one of them. I’m off and on and that needs to change. The older I get, the tougher it is to function without plenty of sleep… and I know it only slows my metabolism down to be sleep deprived all the time. It’s something I CAN control, too, so it’s time to grow up and go to bed on time! lol