...shouldn't have left you, without a dope beat to step to.
Just kidding.
Anyway, sorry I've been MIA for the last few days. I've been super-busy, and also sick and injured. Both knees were jacked up by Friday, then I got my monthly visitor and had to recoup from that, then I caught a crucial cold that I still can't shake.
Right now, I just want to go to sleep. But I can't because I'm at work. I'm not looking forward to my 4-mile run this afternoon, nor to Zumba later on, nor to P90X. This is rare for me because usually I'm all about working out. Today I'm just not feeling it.
I was supposed to go grocery shopping and do laundry yesterday. That so didn't happen. I have to do it at some point this week, because I start Dr. Ian's cleanse on Thursday. Great.
I've put on two pounds, because I didn't feel like cooking or working out this weekend. I've been eating fast food, and have not been counting points.
I'm going to get back on track somehow. Hopefully I get back into writing every day. We'll see.
Yesterday's weight: 192.5
Total pounds down: 31.5
To 165: 27.5
To 139: 53.5
Monday, March 22, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Humpty Dumpty
I'm very proud of myself for staying off my leg yesterday and giving it a chance to heal. Like I've said many times before, I have an all-or-nothing type of personality sometimes, especially when it comes to dieting or exercise. This has been my Achilles' heel, and the reason that I've never experienced success like this before.
Yesterday, I didn't even go to Zumba like I said I would, and that's a major step for me. Usually, I end up doing something stupid like pushing through the pain, and injuring myself even more. When I don't try to do this, I end up beating myself up for thinking I could have done more. That's usually a by-product of weighing in daily, and not seeing the numbers going in the direction I want.
With the Weight Watchers, I'm getting used to not weighing in every day. As long as I stick to my points, I trust that I will lose weight over the course of a week. This is a huge burden lifted off my shoulders, because I know that having an off-day here or there will not jeopardize six days of progress.
My leg feels good as new. That heat pack that my mom got me was excellent. I came to find out that it was knee pain that I was experiencing, not thigh pain. When pain is shooting through your leg, it's sometimes hard to identify the exact source.
The thigh pain was wishful thinking. I'd much rather pull a muscle than have knee issues. I know so many folks that can no longer run, or have had to have surgery to correct knee issues. At best, they have to wrap their knees or run with a knee brace. I better take it easy. Thankfully, today I'm running on a treadmill for the hilly course again. I don't have time to tackle the hilly monster outside my door before dark today. So, I'll hit the treadmill on my lunch break, and that will absorb most of the stress on my knee.
Later: Zumba, P90X (Day 3, although I skipped Days 1 and 2), One Hundred Pushups (Day 2). Great.
Yesterday, I didn't even go to Zumba like I said I would, and that's a major step for me. Usually, I end up doing something stupid like pushing through the pain, and injuring myself even more. When I don't try to do this, I end up beating myself up for thinking I could have done more. That's usually a by-product of weighing in daily, and not seeing the numbers going in the direction I want.
With the Weight Watchers, I'm getting used to not weighing in every day. As long as I stick to my points, I trust that I will lose weight over the course of a week. This is a huge burden lifted off my shoulders, because I know that having an off-day here or there will not jeopardize six days of progress.
My leg feels good as new. That heat pack that my mom got me was excellent. I came to find out that it was knee pain that I was experiencing, not thigh pain. When pain is shooting through your leg, it's sometimes hard to identify the exact source.
The thigh pain was wishful thinking. I'd much rather pull a muscle than have knee issues. I know so many folks that can no longer run, or have had to have surgery to correct knee issues. At best, they have to wrap their knees or run with a knee brace. I better take it easy. Thankfully, today I'm running on a treadmill for the hilly course again. I don't have time to tackle the hilly monster outside my door before dark today. So, I'll hit the treadmill on my lunch break, and that will absorb most of the stress on my knee.
Later: Zumba, P90X (Day 3, although I skipped Days 1 and 2), One Hundred Pushups (Day 2). Great.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Jeans
I'm happy to announce that I am in the clear of my old size 16s. They are all too big, they all sag, they're all about to fall down, and they all make me look like I have no rear end, even with The Magic Button. So, I must now rotate between my two pairs of size 14s. Hopefully I will soon be in my 12s, so I have a third pair to use. I tried them on this morning, and they got a little higher up my thighs. I know getting past the booty will be no problem, since I have none anymore. I'm gonna keep crossing my fingers that it happens soon.
Ow! I Feel Bad! (aka Left Thigh, Cuz the Thigh is Right)
Aaaargh my leg is in pain! Yesterday was too much, with the running, then the sprinting, then like 5 minutes of P90X, then Zumba. This is the second time in two weeks my thigh is having issues. I'm about to bring my heat pack to work, and stay off it (except for Zumba, which won't hurt it too badly).
Today on the schedule, like I said, is just Zumba. I would do Powerflex but classes are back in session. If my leg feels up to it, I may try some P90X, but I have like no time today. So it would have to be on my lunch break.
Gotta run (no, not literally). I have 6 minutes to get out of this house, because where I live, Tuesdays are the days with the worst traffic.
Today on the schedule, like I said, is just Zumba. I would do Powerflex but classes are back in session. If my leg feels up to it, I may try some P90X, but I have like no time today. So it would have to be on my lunch break.
Gotta run (no, not literally). I have 6 minutes to get out of this house, because where I live, Tuesdays are the days with the worst traffic.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Confessions of the Newly Buttless
Have you ever met a 190 pound woman with no butt?
If not, nice to meet you. You can call me Janexx.
*sighs* What a blow. The boys won't be happy.
If not, nice to meet you. You can call me Janexx.
*sighs* What a blow. The boys won't be happy.
Update
This is gonna be a quickie.
Weighed myself yesterday, don't wanna do it again today. I shouldn't be weighing myself every day, because if I happen to have gained like half a pound or something stupid like that, then it will frustrate me and likely take me off my course.
Yesterday was good. I was a little bad again, but meh, whatever. I went over to my parents' house and had some good food, including my new favorite, General Tso's Tofu. I also had a tiny sliver of carrot cake, a small scoop of ice cream, and 2 chocolate chip cookies. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I did restrain myself.
Yoga was pretty cool. At first, I didn't get it, and it felt weird for me to do the stuff the instructor was asking. But by the end, I was so relaxed! I'm definitely doing it again next week.
Today on the agenda, running 3 miles on the track, then 600m of speed work, then Zumba. It's going to be a busy day, because I also have some reading to do for class tomorrow. I wish Spring Break were two weeks lol.
Yesterday's weight: 190.5
Total pounds down: 33.5
To 165: 25.5
To 139: 51.5
Waist: 39
Hips: 44
Thighs (average): 27.5
Dress size: 14
Bust: 41.5
Arms (average): 15
Weighed myself yesterday, don't wanna do it again today. I shouldn't be weighing myself every day, because if I happen to have gained like half a pound or something stupid like that, then it will frustrate me and likely take me off my course.
Yesterday was good. I was a little bad again, but meh, whatever. I went over to my parents' house and had some good food, including my new favorite, General Tso's Tofu. I also had a tiny sliver of carrot cake, a small scoop of ice cream, and 2 chocolate chip cookies. It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I did restrain myself.
Yoga was pretty cool. At first, I didn't get it, and it felt weird for me to do the stuff the instructor was asking. But by the end, I was so relaxed! I'm definitely doing it again next week.
Today on the agenda, running 3 miles on the track, then 600m of speed work, then Zumba. It's going to be a busy day, because I also have some reading to do for class tomorrow. I wish Spring Break were two weeks lol.
Yesterday's weight: 190.5
Total pounds down: 33.5
To 165: 25.5
To 139: 51.5
Waist: 39
Hips: 44
Thighs (average): 27.5
Dress size: 14
Bust: 41.5
Arms (average): 15
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Daylight Savings Sucks!!!!
I hate Daylight Savings Time.
Yesterday, I was bad. Horribly bad. Everything was going well at first in terms of diet and exercise. That is, until I realized that this entire week, I'd been tracking my points wrong. I had listed Zumba under salsa dancing, when it should have been listed under hip hop dancing. After an internet search, I learned that Zumba burns 9.5 points an hour, instead of 2.5, as I had originally thought. When I corrected my mistake, I was left with 50 extra points. This was both a blessing and a curse. I went buckwild.
First was lunch at Red Lobster. Instead of getting a salad and one piece of cheesy bread like I had planned, I got an order of mozzarella sticks, two pieces of cheesy bread, and a baked potato. It was good, but the mozzarella sticks alone ate up the 19 points I had burned from double Zumba.
Next was the first party. I was being so good, logging my points, drinking my diet drinks, and not eating too much of the delicious mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese, and cornbread. It was difficult, but I made it through.
Around 12, my best friend and I left for my cousin's birthday party. This is where the trouble began.
When we got there, the party was jumping. My family is not originally from the US, and at a typical party of our culture, there is always BOMB food!!! Since I rarely get to eat it, I kept going back for more and more. There was rice, more mac and cheese, and fried okra. Then there was cake. At this point, I reverted to typical bad behavior, and swore I'd restart Weight Watchers on Monday.
I was going to stay at my best friend's house for the night, but I was wide awake. I got in around 5 am with the stupid Daylight Savings. I ate some toaster strudel and a hot pocket and went to sleep around 6.
My stupid alarm woke me up at 9. It was time for spinning. Hooray. I tried to go back to sleep, but I felt so guilty about the pigging out the night before, especially when I logged everything I ate and found that it was over 100 points. I was going to skip spinning until I cheated and got on the scale. You won't believe what I saw...
I'm gonna keep you in suspense. Scroll down.
Further.
A little more.
Almost there.
Ok here goes...
I wasn't supposed to get on the scale until tomorrow. Now I wish I hadn't.
When I got on that freaking scale, my jaw dropped when I realized that I lost five pounds in six days, even after yesterday's pigging out. What the bleep? THAT'S AWESOME!!!!!
I wish I hadn't gotten on the scale, so that I would have had the wonderful surprise when I was supposed to. Oh well, six days off the scale is still a major accomplishment for me. Anyway, I decided to challenge myself, to see if I can get into the 180s by tomorrow. If not, no biggie. But this challenge was enough to inspire me to get my sleepy booty into spinning class and work my hardest.
In about an hour and forty five minutes, I'm going to go and try yoga with one of my buddies. I hope there aren't too many "Down Dog" poses, since my wrist sucks. Tomorrow, my work twin is letting me borrow her P90X DVDs. That should be fun >:(
I'll let you all know how it goes. I WANNA GET RIPPED! Speaking of that, Powerflex is the bomb. I'm really starting to shape up, especially in the legs and derrière region :-D
See you guys tomorrow!
Yesterday, I was bad. Horribly bad. Everything was going well at first in terms of diet and exercise. That is, until I realized that this entire week, I'd been tracking my points wrong. I had listed Zumba under salsa dancing, when it should have been listed under hip hop dancing. After an internet search, I learned that Zumba burns 9.5 points an hour, instead of 2.5, as I had originally thought. When I corrected my mistake, I was left with 50 extra points. This was both a blessing and a curse. I went buckwild.
First was lunch at Red Lobster. Instead of getting a salad and one piece of cheesy bread like I had planned, I got an order of mozzarella sticks, two pieces of cheesy bread, and a baked potato. It was good, but the mozzarella sticks alone ate up the 19 points I had burned from double Zumba.
Next was the first party. I was being so good, logging my points, drinking my diet drinks, and not eating too much of the delicious mozzarella sticks, mac and cheese, and cornbread. It was difficult, but I made it through.
Around 12, my best friend and I left for my cousin's birthday party. This is where the trouble began.
When we got there, the party was jumping. My family is not originally from the US, and at a typical party of our culture, there is always BOMB food!!! Since I rarely get to eat it, I kept going back for more and more. There was rice, more mac and cheese, and fried okra. Then there was cake. At this point, I reverted to typical bad behavior, and swore I'd restart Weight Watchers on Monday.
I was going to stay at my best friend's house for the night, but I was wide awake. I got in around 5 am with the stupid Daylight Savings. I ate some toaster strudel and a hot pocket and went to sleep around 6.
My stupid alarm woke me up at 9. It was time for spinning. Hooray. I tried to go back to sleep, but I felt so guilty about the pigging out the night before, especially when I logged everything I ate and found that it was over 100 points. I was going to skip spinning until I cheated and got on the scale. You won't believe what I saw...
I'm gonna keep you in suspense. Scroll down.
Further.
A little more.
Almost there.
Ok here goes...
I wasn't supposed to get on the scale until tomorrow. Now I wish I hadn't.
When I got on that freaking scale, my jaw dropped when I realized that I lost five pounds in six days, even after yesterday's pigging out. What the bleep? THAT'S AWESOME!!!!!
I wish I hadn't gotten on the scale, so that I would have had the wonderful surprise when I was supposed to. Oh well, six days off the scale is still a major accomplishment for me. Anyway, I decided to challenge myself, to see if I can get into the 180s by tomorrow. If not, no biggie. But this challenge was enough to inspire me to get my sleepy booty into spinning class and work my hardest.
In about an hour and forty five minutes, I'm going to go and try yoga with one of my buddies. I hope there aren't too many "Down Dog" poses, since my wrist sucks. Tomorrow, my work twin is letting me borrow her P90X DVDs. That should be fun >:(
I'll let you all know how it goes. I WANNA GET RIPPED! Speaking of that, Powerflex is the bomb. I'm really starting to shape up, especially in the legs and derrière region :-D
See you guys tomorrow!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Watch out, She-Ra!
Yesterday felt so suckish, but today I woke up feeling like the Princess of Power. I did end up sticking to my guns yesterday and resisting the second donut. I also did my four mile run on hills. There's a monster of a hill right outside my door that I wanted to tackle, but it was raining. The last time I ran four miles in the rain, I wound up with a crucial cold that put me out of commission for a few days. It was too risky, so I just went to the gym and went on the treadmill.
While running four miles on a flat track was getting to be easy, the four mile hill course on the treadmill was extremely hard, mentally and physically. The hills made my legs burn. By the time I was done, my shirt was drenched with sweat for the first time ever, and I could barely make it up the stairs. But I felt awesome that I had completed the workout.
Afterwards, I had a reasonable dinner of soup and English muffins, with a Weight Watcher ice cream bar. I went out briefly to check out the venue for my upcoming musical gig, then I came home and crashed.
This morning, I woke up feeling awesome! My body feels so much more toned, although that could be my imagination. But anyway, today on the agenda, I have Powerflex and Zumba coming up. I may do two Zumbas and dip out early from the second one, because I have a meeting with a potential client at 4 to do audio for her singing group. We're meeting up at Red Lobster. Since I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, there's nothing for me to eat there except mozzarella sticks, salad, and cheesy bread. The mozzarella sticks would probably be 10 or 15 points, so I'll be going with a 2 point salad and one or two pieces of cheesy bread at 4 points each.
Later, I have to go to a party. If I'm not careful, today could really mess up my diet. I'll be tracking everything I eat and drink. I was going to bring a bottle of rum for the hostess, and I'll also bring along some diet coke for good measure. I'm not saying I'm going to drink alcohol, but FYI - rum and diet coke is only 1.5 Weight Watchers points. I'll see if I can also bring some chips and salsa to munch on.
Alright, it's 9:53. Time for me to hop in the shower for 11:00 Powerflex. I'll see you guys later :-D
While running four miles on a flat track was getting to be easy, the four mile hill course on the treadmill was extremely hard, mentally and physically. The hills made my legs burn. By the time I was done, my shirt was drenched with sweat for the first time ever, and I could barely make it up the stairs. But I felt awesome that I had completed the workout.
Afterwards, I had a reasonable dinner of soup and English muffins, with a Weight Watcher ice cream bar. I went out briefly to check out the venue for my upcoming musical gig, then I came home and crashed.
This morning, I woke up feeling awesome! My body feels so much more toned, although that could be my imagination. But anyway, today on the agenda, I have Powerflex and Zumba coming up. I may do two Zumbas and dip out early from the second one, because I have a meeting with a potential client at 4 to do audio for her singing group. We're meeting up at Red Lobster. Since I'm an ovo-lacto vegetarian, there's nothing for me to eat there except mozzarella sticks, salad, and cheesy bread. The mozzarella sticks would probably be 10 or 15 points, so I'll be going with a 2 point salad and one or two pieces of cheesy bread at 4 points each.
Later, I have to go to a party. If I'm not careful, today could really mess up my diet. I'll be tracking everything I eat and drink. I was going to bring a bottle of rum for the hostess, and I'll also bring along some diet coke for good measure. I'm not saying I'm going to drink alcohol, but FYI - rum and diet coke is only 1.5 Weight Watchers points. I'll see if I can also bring some chips and salsa to munch on.
Alright, it's 9:53. Time for me to hop in the shower for 11:00 Powerflex. I'll see you guys later :-D
Friday, March 12, 2010
Hard Day
Right now, I want to eat. This Weight Watchers Plan is really good, in terms of allowing for lots of cheating, but what happens when you run out of room for cheating?
As you guys know, I have 25 points a day that I'm allowed to eat. There's an additional 35 points a week that I can use to splurge any way I wish. There's also an activity points aspect that you earn from working out.
Last night, I went to Salsa dancing and had a blast. I kept track of everything I consumed. When I ran out of points around 11:45, I waited until 12 to add whatever I ate after that time, so that my points could reset (sneaky!).
I was mad hungry when I got home, so I had a Hot Pocket. When I woke up at 6:30 and ate breakfast, I had already used 11 of my points.
My co-worker brought donuts for everyone, so I took a plain donut for four points. Lasagna was six, and I had a whole rack of Keebler Club Crackers. Now, I find myself in a situation where I have used all my food points, I have used all my activity points, and I have used all my splurge points. I want another freaking donut.
Now, I find myself at a crossroad. I'm a grown woman. I know right from wrong. But I freaking want a donut!!!! I'm trying my very best to stick to my plan, which is to go home, run my 4 miles uphill, and rack up a crazy number of activity points. Then I'll finish eating my soup with my English muffin and butter. If I have enough points left over, I'll have some Weight Watchers ice cream too.
I'm not going to try and rationalize this time by saying that I can have the donut and run it off later. I'm already at -.5 points left over. I really want to skip the run, and if I give myself the donut now, I won't have any incentive. Nope. Gotta stick to my guns.
As you guys know, I have 25 points a day that I'm allowed to eat. There's an additional 35 points a week that I can use to splurge any way I wish. There's also an activity points aspect that you earn from working out.
Last night, I went to Salsa dancing and had a blast. I kept track of everything I consumed. When I ran out of points around 11:45, I waited until 12 to add whatever I ate after that time, so that my points could reset (sneaky!).
I was mad hungry when I got home, so I had a Hot Pocket. When I woke up at 6:30 and ate breakfast, I had already used 11 of my points.
My co-worker brought donuts for everyone, so I took a plain donut for four points. Lasagna was six, and I had a whole rack of Keebler Club Crackers. Now, I find myself in a situation where I have used all my food points, I have used all my activity points, and I have used all my splurge points. I want another freaking donut.
Now, I find myself at a crossroad. I'm a grown woman. I know right from wrong. But I freaking want a donut!!!! I'm trying my very best to stick to my plan, which is to go home, run my 4 miles uphill, and rack up a crazy number of activity points. Then I'll finish eating my soup with my English muffin and butter. If I have enough points left over, I'll have some Weight Watchers ice cream too.
I'm not going to try and rationalize this time by saying that I can have the donut and run it off later. I'm already at -.5 points left over. I really want to skip the run, and if I give myself the donut now, I won't have any incentive. Nope. Gotta stick to my guns.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Financial Cleanse
I know this is a health and fitness oriented blog, but financial fitness is just as important. Please forgive the digression.
Last month, when I was doing the cleanse, my Running Buddy had also sent information about a financial cleanse that she was following. Although I tried to restrain my finances, I wasn't as serious about this as I was about the food.
From what I have heard, tomorrow I'll be getting my refunds for both my federal and state income tax returns. It would be so easy and so natural for me to blow it like I usually do, since it's not a large sum of money; however, this time, I want to hold onto it, and try to break bad habits that I have in this area too.
I'm 28 years old. While it was acceptable to be perpetually broke in my early 20s, it's no longer cute. It's an embarrassment. I'm not always broke, but it happens more often than it should.
Five years ago, when I started on my career path, I'd spend money like water. I lived with my parents, had no mortgage, no rent, no car note, and hardly any bills. It was the good life. I'd spend the bulk of my check on gadgets, and going out to clubs and bars with my friends. This is when I should have been saving my money, like my parents told me, but I was too hard-headed to listen.
Two years ago, I bought my first and only home, as of yet (down the line, I plan to buy several investment properties). I had barely any money in my bank account, but I did have some money put away for retirement.
Anyway, three weeks after buying the place and decking it out with IKEA furniture, my car decided to die on the highway. This was the worst timing EVER!!! I sucked it up and bought my first car. In the past, my parents had been so kind as to let me drive family cars. But when my car died this time, I was on an independence kick. My parents were with me to give me advice when I bought my brand new car (with a sunroof! Hee!). I decided not to go with a co-signer, and ended up getting my own insurance.
Anyway, to make a long story...long, I now had all these new expenses, and could no longer party and gadget it up like I used to.
At first, I adjusted semi-ok. It wasn't a smooth transition, but it wasn't horrible. Things didn't get horrible until a year later, when I quit my part-time job. It was about an hour away from my new home, and I was spending about half of my check on gas, after pulling a 10-hour shift. Also, I had started getting into running, and races took place mainly on the weekends.
When I quit my part-time job, things got rough. The income there was small, but it counted for a lot. To make matters worse, at my full-time job, we didn't get our yearly step increase due to budget cuts.
I had to readjust once more. Now, taxes have recently gone up, and I find myself in a situation where one check barely covers my mortgage.
This weekend, I made the decision to use some of the gadgets I bought when I was ballin' to make some supplemental income. I did end up with some unexpected money on Sunday, so I upgraded here and there where I needed to and got some business cards made. Bye bye, extra money. But it's paying off. So far, I have two solid commitments booked, two strong possibles (one of them recurring), and I'm in talks for another one down the line. So it was a good gamble, that apparently paid off.
Now that that's out of the way, I can focus on saving my money and building a cushion. I plan to save half of my extra money, i.e. whatever is beyond my paycheck, such as bonuses, tuition reimbursements, etc. Emphasis on the word "plan." There are some things that may cut into this, such as repairs and unexpected expenses.
I'm so ready for this 21-day financial cleanse. I'm starting Sunday, because I have a tentative commitment Friday night, and I have to go out to lunch with a prospective client on Saturday, as well as attend a party later that night.
The stipulations of the cleanse are that you can spend money on food, gas, and bills, but that's it. I'm going to modify it a little bit, because my best friend's birthday is next week, and I really want to take her out (I already got her a gift). Other than that, there will be no splurging until April 5.
We'll see how I do, because money tends to burn a hole in my pocket. Hopefully this cleanse will help me to reform my bad habits. Thanks Running Buddy!
Last month, when I was doing the cleanse, my Running Buddy had also sent information about a financial cleanse that she was following. Although I tried to restrain my finances, I wasn't as serious about this as I was about the food.
From what I have heard, tomorrow I'll be getting my refunds for both my federal and state income tax returns. It would be so easy and so natural for me to blow it like I usually do, since it's not a large sum of money; however, this time, I want to hold onto it, and try to break bad habits that I have in this area too.
I'm 28 years old. While it was acceptable to be perpetually broke in my early 20s, it's no longer cute. It's an embarrassment. I'm not always broke, but it happens more often than it should.
Five years ago, when I started on my career path, I'd spend money like water. I lived with my parents, had no mortgage, no rent, no car note, and hardly any bills. It was the good life. I'd spend the bulk of my check on gadgets, and going out to clubs and bars with my friends. This is when I should have been saving my money, like my parents told me, but I was too hard-headed to listen.
Two years ago, I bought my first and only home, as of yet (down the line, I plan to buy several investment properties). I had barely any money in my bank account, but I did have some money put away for retirement.
Anyway, three weeks after buying the place and decking it out with IKEA furniture, my car decided to die on the highway. This was the worst timing EVER!!! I sucked it up and bought my first car. In the past, my parents had been so kind as to let me drive family cars. But when my car died this time, I was on an independence kick. My parents were with me to give me advice when I bought my brand new car (with a sunroof! Hee!). I decided not to go with a co-signer, and ended up getting my own insurance.
Anyway, to make a long story...long, I now had all these new expenses, and could no longer party and gadget it up like I used to.
At first, I adjusted semi-ok. It wasn't a smooth transition, but it wasn't horrible. Things didn't get horrible until a year later, when I quit my part-time job. It was about an hour away from my new home, and I was spending about half of my check on gas, after pulling a 10-hour shift. Also, I had started getting into running, and races took place mainly on the weekends.
When I quit my part-time job, things got rough. The income there was small, but it counted for a lot. To make matters worse, at my full-time job, we didn't get our yearly step increase due to budget cuts.
I had to readjust once more. Now, taxes have recently gone up, and I find myself in a situation where one check barely covers my mortgage.
This weekend, I made the decision to use some of the gadgets I bought when I was ballin' to make some supplemental income. I did end up with some unexpected money on Sunday, so I upgraded here and there where I needed to and got some business cards made. Bye bye, extra money. But it's paying off. So far, I have two solid commitments booked, two strong possibles (one of them recurring), and I'm in talks for another one down the line. So it was a good gamble, that apparently paid off.
Now that that's out of the way, I can focus on saving my money and building a cushion. I plan to save half of my extra money, i.e. whatever is beyond my paycheck, such as bonuses, tuition reimbursements, etc. Emphasis on the word "plan." There are some things that may cut into this, such as repairs and unexpected expenses.
I'm so ready for this 21-day financial cleanse. I'm starting Sunday, because I have a tentative commitment Friday night, and I have to go out to lunch with a prospective client on Saturday, as well as attend a party later that night.
The stipulations of the cleanse are that you can spend money on food, gas, and bills, but that's it. I'm going to modify it a little bit, because my best friend's birthday is next week, and I really want to take her out (I already got her a gift). Other than that, there will be no splurging until April 5.
We'll see how I do, because money tends to burn a hole in my pocket. Hopefully this cleanse will help me to reform my bad habits. Thanks Running Buddy!
Feel the Burn!
Today, I'm feeling the burn! When I woke up, I felt like I got hit by a Mack truck, but in a good way. Yesterday, I ran four miles, then did double Zumba. When I got home, my inner thigh was hurting, but I put a heat pack on it, and this morning, I'm good as new.
I'm so happy. I feel my body getting toned. Last night after dancing, my legs were like steel! They're not quite so hard this morning, but they're still extremely firm.
Right now, I can tell that I've lost some of the weight I've gained back. I'm happier not getting on the scale in the mornings, because usually the scale ends up ruining my day before it starts. My next weigh-in is Monday, which I'm loving/dreading at the same time.
Here's my detailed review of yesterday's progress:
Eating
Yesterday was a crappy day in terms of diet. After giving a standardized test to the kids at work, I was very hungry, and pigged out on some King Hawaiian rolls left by my coworker. I had four of them, which counted for 8 Weight Watchers points. Then, I had some Girl Scout cookies. I was done with my points for the day by 2 pm.
For dinner, I was still on Carb Monster mode, so I had a Hot Pocket and two toaster strudels, which took away the remainder of my splurge points for the week. D'oh! But then, I realized that I could use my activity points. Muhahaha. This made me feel better about pigging out, so I stopped there (when I ordinarily would have felt very disappointed, carbed it up some more, and skipped my workout to carb it up even more). The Weight Watchers plan seems to be working well to help me break my usual cycle of disappointment. I can probably stick to it.
Running
Boy, am I glad I ate those carbs! Yesterday, I did four miles on the middle school track. It went so much better than Monday! I tuned everyone else out, and kept doing my thing. Even though I went further than Monday, I felt much better, and less tired afterwards.
I had a system, while listening to songs. I'd shuffle along (about 4 mph) during the verses, and speed up (about 5 mph) during the choruses. This worked well for maybe the first two miles, but then I was too tired to speed up effectively. I had an awesome time for the first half (I don't remember what it is off the top of my head), but the last half really sucked.
Sometimes it's hard for me to catch my breath after the runs. It never happens anymore during the runs, only afterwards. I had to take my asthma inhaler, but other than that, the run was good.
Zumba
Ok I'm going to need to wrap this up, because I was supposed to be out of the house four minutes ago.
Zumba yesterday was fun! Two of my friends were there for the first session, my running buddy and this other girl I'll call my Zumba Buddy #1 (ZB1 for short). She's ZB1, because she was there with me doing Zumba for the month when everybody else was either fasting or sick or injured.
So Running Buddy, ZB1, and I were doing Zumba, and it was pretty intense. I gave it pretty much all I had left after the run, thinking that the second class would be light, because I assumed it would be taught by the easiest instructor. (*buzzer*)
Instead, the second Zumba class was taught by the hardest instructor. I love her, because she really challenges us, and she does it with a smile. But I'd be lying if I said that I was happy to see her yesterday. My New Workout Friend (NWF) was there with me, and we had so much fun. I was so exhausted, but managed to get through it, especially after getting my second wind while dancing to a song I like called "Shots."
After Zumba, I went home, showered, and went to bed. I woke up this morning and had breakfast, and blogged, and now I'm running late lol. I'll catch you guys later. Today on the workout schedule is Body Pump, then most likely a dual Zumba, then a little salsa dancing. I'll be home around midnight. TTFN!
I'm so happy. I feel my body getting toned. Last night after dancing, my legs were like steel! They're not quite so hard this morning, but they're still extremely firm.
Right now, I can tell that I've lost some of the weight I've gained back. I'm happier not getting on the scale in the mornings, because usually the scale ends up ruining my day before it starts. My next weigh-in is Monday, which I'm loving/dreading at the same time.
Here's my detailed review of yesterday's progress:
Eating
Yesterday was a crappy day in terms of diet. After giving a standardized test to the kids at work, I was very hungry, and pigged out on some King Hawaiian rolls left by my coworker. I had four of them, which counted for 8 Weight Watchers points. Then, I had some Girl Scout cookies. I was done with my points for the day by 2 pm.
For dinner, I was still on Carb Monster mode, so I had a Hot Pocket and two toaster strudels, which took away the remainder of my splurge points for the week. D'oh! But then, I realized that I could use my activity points. Muhahaha. This made me feel better about pigging out, so I stopped there (when I ordinarily would have felt very disappointed, carbed it up some more, and skipped my workout to carb it up even more). The Weight Watchers plan seems to be working well to help me break my usual cycle of disappointment. I can probably stick to it.
Running
Boy, am I glad I ate those carbs! Yesterday, I did four miles on the middle school track. It went so much better than Monday! I tuned everyone else out, and kept doing my thing. Even though I went further than Monday, I felt much better, and less tired afterwards.
I had a system, while listening to songs. I'd shuffle along (about 4 mph) during the verses, and speed up (about 5 mph) during the choruses. This worked well for maybe the first two miles, but then I was too tired to speed up effectively. I had an awesome time for the first half (I don't remember what it is off the top of my head), but the last half really sucked.
Sometimes it's hard for me to catch my breath after the runs. It never happens anymore during the runs, only afterwards. I had to take my asthma inhaler, but other than that, the run was good.
Zumba
Ok I'm going to need to wrap this up, because I was supposed to be out of the house four minutes ago.
Zumba yesterday was fun! Two of my friends were there for the first session, my running buddy and this other girl I'll call my Zumba Buddy #1 (ZB1 for short). She's ZB1, because she was there with me doing Zumba for the month when everybody else was either fasting or sick or injured.
So Running Buddy, ZB1, and I were doing Zumba, and it was pretty intense. I gave it pretty much all I had left after the run, thinking that the second class would be light, because I assumed it would be taught by the easiest instructor. (*buzzer*)
Instead, the second Zumba class was taught by the hardest instructor. I love her, because she really challenges us, and she does it with a smile. But I'd be lying if I said that I was happy to see her yesterday. My New Workout Friend (NWF) was there with me, and we had so much fun. I was so exhausted, but managed to get through it, especially after getting my second wind while dancing to a song I like called "Shots."
After Zumba, I went home, showered, and went to bed. I woke up this morning and had breakfast, and blogged, and now I'm running late lol. I'll catch you guys later. Today on the workout schedule is Body Pump, then most likely a dual Zumba, then a little salsa dancing. I'll be home around midnight. TTFN!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Short and Sweet
I don't really feel like talking/blogging much today. I'm not in a bad mood, just sleepy. On the schedule is 4 miles of running, and Zumba. Fun fun. I might post more later if I'm more chatty.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Ow! I Feel Good! (aka The Emotional Rollercoaster)
It's really late, like 7:00. Generally, I like to get my blogging done before 7, so I can shower and get dressed and be out the door at 7:30 for work. Lucky for me, I took a shower last night (***edit...before, it sounded like I was saying that I don't shower every day lol***), so I wouldn't have to rush this morning. But I still have to throw on my clothes and make the bed. So please forgive me if this post is really unfocused.
Today I woke up feeling amazing. I can't really put it into words, but the Weight Watchers seems to be doing the trick. You know that feeling you get the day after you've pushed yourself, and your body responds the way you want it to? Yeah, that was it.
Last night was a little rough, because I was so exhausted and so hungry. I burned about 1000 calories between the run and Zumba, if my estimations are correct. My body was screaming, "FEED MEEEEEE," and ordinarily, I would have listened, but it was midnight. Way too late to eat. I started getting the same feeling I got on Day 11 of the cleanse, with the nausea and the weakness, but I slept it off and felt great when I woke up.
This morning, I felt the burn, but this is the first time I didn't go running to the scale to see how much weight I lost. Nope, I'm going to stick this Weight Watchers plan out, and weigh in on Monday.
Like I said yesterday, not weighing in is probably going to be the most difficult part of the program for me. To fight this temptation, I have to eat as soon as I wake up, which is a good deterrent. I have to eat anyway, so why not do it before I have the overwhelming urge to hop on the scale?
Today on the agenda are BodyPump (like Powerflex, but my other gym) and Zumba aka Kazaxe. I'll be sticking to my Weight Watchers plan. Friday is my splurge day (they build one in per week for you). Hasta la vista.
Today I woke up feeling amazing. I can't really put it into words, but the Weight Watchers seems to be doing the trick. You know that feeling you get the day after you've pushed yourself, and your body responds the way you want it to? Yeah, that was it.
Last night was a little rough, because I was so exhausted and so hungry. I burned about 1000 calories between the run and Zumba, if my estimations are correct. My body was screaming, "FEED MEEEEEE," and ordinarily, I would have listened, but it was midnight. Way too late to eat. I started getting the same feeling I got on Day 11 of the cleanse, with the nausea and the weakness, but I slept it off and felt great when I woke up.
This morning, I felt the burn, but this is the first time I didn't go running to the scale to see how much weight I lost. Nope, I'm going to stick this Weight Watchers plan out, and weigh in on Monday.
Like I said yesterday, not weighing in is probably going to be the most difficult part of the program for me. To fight this temptation, I have to eat as soon as I wake up, which is a good deterrent. I have to eat anyway, so why not do it before I have the overwhelming urge to hop on the scale?
Today on the agenda are BodyPump (like Powerflex, but my other gym) and Zumba aka Kazaxe. I'll be sticking to my Weight Watchers plan. Friday is my splurge day (they build one in per week for you). Hasta la vista.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Emotional Blogging
Today, after my run, I wanted to come home and spill my guts about everything that was on my mind. That probably wouldn't have been a good idea, because it would have all been negative. I was feeling pretty down on myself for a while today, but I was able to turn it around with some Zumba, which always puts me in a good mood. I still think it's important for me to share my feelings with you, and now I think I can do so with a cool head (sorta).
This morning, when I got on the scale to see that I had gained 4.5 pounds since Wednesday, I was extremely disappointed. I may act as if I don't care, and crack jokes about it, but it really affects me. You guys have seen the tip of the iceberg, in my blog postings here. Well, now let's get a little deeper into the 'berg...it's still not too far down because I have a lot buried under the surface, but it will give you an idea of where my head was. I usually don't share exactly how horrible I feel, because I want to keep things as positive as possible. But if I gain half a pound or a pound between weigh-ins, it usually puts me in a funk until I correct the problem. So you can imagine what 4.5 pounds did.
Today, I tried to laugh and smile and get my mind off of my weight gain. It didn't work. There was only one thing on my mind the entire day. I literally felt like I was being strangled by the fat around my neck. I thought my clothes looked horrible, and changed my outfit three times before I gave up. You probably noticed that I didn't post a picture today. I procrastinated so much that I forgot.
For a while, I was excited to go on my run this afternoon. My running buddy and I were supposed to go there together. I had been excited to show her my running progress since the fall when we last ran together, but today I was very reluctant to see her. I felt huge and bloated. I seemed to have forgotten that months ago, I felt comfortable in my own skin, while being much heavier. Today, I just felt uncomfortable and weird.
While I was running, I was very uneasy, both mentally and physically. I felt like I was dragging around 30 extra pounds all over again. I couldn't get my breathing right. I wanted to quit. I also felt all eyes on me, as if people were thinking, "the fat girl's so slow." I consciously got in the far lane, so I could tell myself that I had a longer way to go around the track, and try not to notice them passing me. It didn't work. Even on the straightaways, people were smoking me. Paradoxically, this made me slow down.
I was a little relieved to get in the car, without running into my running buddy, for fear that I looked a mess. I really didn't want her to see me like this. I checked my voicemail to find that she had been stuck in traffic. When I called her back, she said she was going to Zumba, and that she'd save me a spot. I tried to mentally prepare her, to see me in all my bloated glory.
I felt horrible. She was surprised when I told her that I'd gained almost all the weight back that I'd lost on the cleanse. I lied and said that I had it under control. Really, I thought to myself, I don't. I was trippin', because now I realize that I DO, but this idea really hit me hard.
I was very emotional while driving home to grab my sweatshirt. I haven't gotten emotional about my weight in a very long time. I've been disappointed very recently, but not emotional.
On my way to Zumba, I got on Twitter, and posted something to the effect that I was frustrated in my journey, feeling like it wasn't going anywhere, and that I was tempted to throw in the towel. The outpouring of encouragement was extremely touching, and made me emotional all over again.
When I got to Zumba, I was still in a little bit of a foul mood. I was very nervous as to what my Zumba buddies, many of whom I haven't seen in a month due to various injuries and cleanses, would say. I know the way nice people operate, because I try to be nice myself. Sometimes.
Anyway, if they thought I looked good, they'd be quick to congratulate me. If they thought I looked horrible, they wouldn't say anything. I was very surprised that my running buddy said I looked good, but she looked amazing, having lost (and kept off) about 10 pounds.
After the class, I felt so much better. Now I'm home, and about to hop in the shower and go to sleep. Thank you again to everyone for your encouragement and your resources. Have a wonderful night. I'll blog tomorrow. Muah.
This morning, when I got on the scale to see that I had gained 4.5 pounds since Wednesday, I was extremely disappointed. I may act as if I don't care, and crack jokes about it, but it really affects me. You guys have seen the tip of the iceberg, in my blog postings here. Well, now let's get a little deeper into the 'berg...it's still not too far down because I have a lot buried under the surface, but it will give you an idea of where my head was. I usually don't share exactly how horrible I feel, because I want to keep things as positive as possible. But if I gain half a pound or a pound between weigh-ins, it usually puts me in a funk until I correct the problem. So you can imagine what 4.5 pounds did.
Today, I tried to laugh and smile and get my mind off of my weight gain. It didn't work. There was only one thing on my mind the entire day. I literally felt like I was being strangled by the fat around my neck. I thought my clothes looked horrible, and changed my outfit three times before I gave up. You probably noticed that I didn't post a picture today. I procrastinated so much that I forgot.
For a while, I was excited to go on my run this afternoon. My running buddy and I were supposed to go there together. I had been excited to show her my running progress since the fall when we last ran together, but today I was very reluctant to see her. I felt huge and bloated. I seemed to have forgotten that months ago, I felt comfortable in my own skin, while being much heavier. Today, I just felt uncomfortable and weird.
While I was running, I was very uneasy, both mentally and physically. I felt like I was dragging around 30 extra pounds all over again. I couldn't get my breathing right. I wanted to quit. I also felt all eyes on me, as if people were thinking, "the fat girl's so slow." I consciously got in the far lane, so I could tell myself that I had a longer way to go around the track, and try not to notice them passing me. It didn't work. Even on the straightaways, people were smoking me. Paradoxically, this made me slow down.
I was a little relieved to get in the car, without running into my running buddy, for fear that I looked a mess. I really didn't want her to see me like this. I checked my voicemail to find that she had been stuck in traffic. When I called her back, she said she was going to Zumba, and that she'd save me a spot. I tried to mentally prepare her, to see me in all my bloated glory.
I felt horrible. She was surprised when I told her that I'd gained almost all the weight back that I'd lost on the cleanse. I lied and said that I had it under control. Really, I thought to myself, I don't. I was trippin', because now I realize that I DO, but this idea really hit me hard.
I was very emotional while driving home to grab my sweatshirt. I haven't gotten emotional about my weight in a very long time. I've been disappointed very recently, but not emotional.
On my way to Zumba, I got on Twitter, and posted something to the effect that I was frustrated in my journey, feeling like it wasn't going anywhere, and that I was tempted to throw in the towel. The outpouring of encouragement was extremely touching, and made me emotional all over again.
When I got to Zumba, I was still in a little bit of a foul mood. I was very nervous as to what my Zumba buddies, many of whom I haven't seen in a month due to various injuries and cleanses, would say. I know the way nice people operate, because I try to be nice myself. Sometimes.
Anyway, if they thought I looked good, they'd be quick to congratulate me. If they thought I looked horrible, they wouldn't say anything. I was very surprised that my running buddy said I looked good, but she looked amazing, having lost (and kept off) about 10 pounds.
After the class, I felt so much better. Now I'm home, and about to hop in the shower and go to sleep. Thank you again to everyone for your encouragement and your resources. Have a wonderful night. I'll blog tomorrow. Muah.
Shame on Me
I didn't blog at all yesterday. There was kind of a reason for that. This weekend was one big party after another. Staff outing. Karaoke. House party. No workouts. I was on my worst behavior, and was terrified of getting on the scale today, for good reason. 5.5 pounds up since Monday.
I have gained 10.5 pounds in two weeks. Shame on me. I can't keep going in this direction. I'm 3.5 pounds away from where I originally started on the cleanse.
Now that I have that out of the way, let me tell you where I went wrong. Saturday, I was supposed to start on the Weight Watchers point system. Everything was all well and good at first. But then, I got to Zumba and it was crowded like sardines, so I left.
My parents and I were supposed to go out to lunch after Zumba in the shopping center in the area. Since I was done an hour earlier than I anticipated, I decided to pick up the food instead and bring it to their house. I had worked out what to eat in advance, so that I would only use 10 of my 25 points on lunch. I was looking forward to having some good samosas, naan, and frozen yogurt.
When I got to the stupid restaurant, the stupid samosa-maker wasn't there, so I couldn't get them. Being a vegetarian, there was pretty much nothing else on the menu that I could eat. I couldn't really go to any other Indian restaurant in the area, since I didn't want to go too far out of my way, and was afraid the frozen yogurt would drip all over my car.
I examined my local options. There was a Mexican restaurant, a Pizza Hut, a KFC, a Subway, and a Chinese restaurant. Subway would have been the obvious choice, but in my previous calculations, I found the sub I wanted would cost me 9 points alone. Since I had to save a lot of points for the party later on, I was at a loss.
Out of frustration, I tried the Chinese restaurant. They had General Tso's tofu. I didn't even want to know how many points that would cost. I figured I'd start over on Monday. I ordered that, and threw in some fries for good measure.
When I got to the frozen yogurt place, I splurged and got a Blendini, instead of the low-fat yogurt I had originally planned to get. It was delicious, but I'm sure it was horrible.
Later, at the party, all night I ate and drank a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. I went to bed around 4 am, woke up at 7, did some work, went back to sleep around 11, and woke up at 6.
As soon as I got up, I went to the grocery store and stocked my fridge with healthy and semi-healthy food. I got a lot of Weight Watchers items, so that it would be easy to stick to my plan.
This weekend taught me that eating at home is way better than eating out. I plan to stay away from eating out for a while. I also need to work on not throwing in the towel as soon as I run into a snag.
I feel huge and bloated, although I don't look like it. It's all mental, I suppose. I feel like I'm thicker around the middle, my forearms are chunkier, and my face doesn't have that same definition that I briefly attained. But I'll get it back.
At this point, I'm putting all of my eggs in one basket with this Weight Watchers plan. I'll see it through until next Monday. If I could do the cleanse, I'm sure I can do this.
Part of that includes not weighing in again until next week. This is the hardest part for me. I feel like if I had gotten on that scale Saturday and Sunday morning, as I had said I would, that would have shocked me enough to get back on track as it usually does. But whatever.
Doing 3 miles today, maybe some Pumpaxe, and Zumba. I'll throw on a picture later to show you guys how these new 10 pounds look :(
Weight: 195.5
Total weight lost: 37.5
To 165: 35.5
To 139: 56.5
Next weigh-in: Monday morning (gasp!!!!)
I have gained 10.5 pounds in two weeks. Shame on me. I can't keep going in this direction. I'm 3.5 pounds away from where I originally started on the cleanse.
Now that I have that out of the way, let me tell you where I went wrong. Saturday, I was supposed to start on the Weight Watchers point system. Everything was all well and good at first. But then, I got to Zumba and it was crowded like sardines, so I left.
My parents and I were supposed to go out to lunch after Zumba in the shopping center in the area. Since I was done an hour earlier than I anticipated, I decided to pick up the food instead and bring it to their house. I had worked out what to eat in advance, so that I would only use 10 of my 25 points on lunch. I was looking forward to having some good samosas, naan, and frozen yogurt.
When I got to the stupid restaurant, the stupid samosa-maker wasn't there, so I couldn't get them. Being a vegetarian, there was pretty much nothing else on the menu that I could eat. I couldn't really go to any other Indian restaurant in the area, since I didn't want to go too far out of my way, and was afraid the frozen yogurt would drip all over my car.
I examined my local options. There was a Mexican restaurant, a Pizza Hut, a KFC, a Subway, and a Chinese restaurant. Subway would have been the obvious choice, but in my previous calculations, I found the sub I wanted would cost me 9 points alone. Since I had to save a lot of points for the party later on, I was at a loss.
Out of frustration, I tried the Chinese restaurant. They had General Tso's tofu. I didn't even want to know how many points that would cost. I figured I'd start over on Monday. I ordered that, and threw in some fries for good measure.
When I got to the frozen yogurt place, I splurged and got a Blendini, instead of the low-fat yogurt I had originally planned to get. It was delicious, but I'm sure it was horrible.
Later, at the party, all night I ate and drank a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. I went to bed around 4 am, woke up at 7, did some work, went back to sleep around 11, and woke up at 6.
As soon as I got up, I went to the grocery store and stocked my fridge with healthy and semi-healthy food. I got a lot of Weight Watchers items, so that it would be easy to stick to my plan.
This weekend taught me that eating at home is way better than eating out. I plan to stay away from eating out for a while. I also need to work on not throwing in the towel as soon as I run into a snag.
I feel huge and bloated, although I don't look like it. It's all mental, I suppose. I feel like I'm thicker around the middle, my forearms are chunkier, and my face doesn't have that same definition that I briefly attained. But I'll get it back.
At this point, I'm putting all of my eggs in one basket with this Weight Watchers plan. I'll see it through until next Monday. If I could do the cleanse, I'm sure I can do this.
Part of that includes not weighing in again until next week. This is the hardest part for me. I feel like if I had gotten on that scale Saturday and Sunday morning, as I had said I would, that would have shocked me enough to get back on track as it usually does. But whatever.
Doing 3 miles today, maybe some Pumpaxe, and Zumba. I'll throw on a picture later to show you guys how these new 10 pounds look :(
Weight: 195.5
Total weight lost: 37.5
To 165: 35.5
To 139: 56.5
Next weigh-in: Monday morning (gasp!!!!)
Saturday, March 6, 2010
I love this...
I borrowed this from another blog that I just started following today. This is like one of those Myspace surveys, but not really. It's questions to ask yourself about weight loss. So I'm plugging in my answers to some of the questions (it's sorta redundant, so all 100 would be overkill). You should try it too!
1. Do you want to lose weight? Yup.
10. Have you reconciled yourself to the fact that this is a lifetime pursuit? Absolutely. That's what's scared me away in the past.
15. If you’re almost done, do you realize just how easy it would be to yo-yo back? Seeing that now.
17. Have you gone through it before? Not to this extent.
19. Like me, are you making a pledge to never let that happen again? Absotoodleootly.
20. Do you eat more than normal right after a weigh-in? LOL! Yes.
23-24. If you’re cheating, do you realize that nobody really cares? That you’re only cheating yourself? But of course.
26. Have you really committed yourself to this journey? Si.
33. Got health problems? Nothing besides a lil asthma, that's under control.
36. Do you like the way you look? Liking it better now, but still not 100% satisfied.
37. Like the way clothes fit on you? I'll like it better when I'm in a size 8 lol.
38. Aren’t you ready to start loving the way you look and being proud of the way clothes fit on you? I already do.
39. Ready to get a kick out of shopping again? Hell yes
40. Have you exercised today? I blew off the Powerflex, and I'm planning to blow off the 12:50 Zumba. I'm going for the 2:00.
41. Have you soaked your shirt with sweat? Um no...I don't sweat that much.
42. Will you work out tomorrow? Yup. 10 am spinning class (if I can get up that early after DJing a party tonight).
43. Do you sleep better when you’re exercising regularly? Actually no.
44. Is your stress more manageable? The stress disappears during my workouts.
53. How many situps can you do? Probably 100 at once.
58. How many pushups? Zero good ones. I have a bum wrist, so I have to do them on my knuckles, and that hurts. I'm going to try and work up to doing a good one. It will probably be easier, the more weight I lose.
63. Do you eat out a lot? Sometimes.
65. Do you tell yourself that you’re a terrible cook? I'm not great, but I'm definitely not terrible.
71. How are you doing this week? Doing well in the workouts, not so well on the dieting. So I joined Weight Watchers online for an extra boost.
73. Doing solid work or slipping and sliding? Lol this week is rough.
74. Looking forward to your next weigh-in or dreading it? Dreading it. Too many social functions this weekend.
80. Do you sabotage yourself? I may have a small fear of success sometimes.
82. Why do you suppose that is? I'm not sure. I guess I'm just nervous about change, even when it's positive.
83. Does this blogging stuff help you as much as it does me? YES! Full disclosure helps, and so does all of the encouragement.
89. Are you confident that this is the time when it’s really going to happen for you? God I hope so.
97. Would you believe me if I told you that you’re so much stronger than you think you are? I found out that I have a lot more willpower than I had ever imagined.
Whew! That was fun lol.
I signed up today for Weight Watchers online. Going to the meetings is mad expensive, and I think it would cut into my gym time, which is counterproductive. So this online thing is great, where I can count points. It worked for me in the past, and I think it's just the boost I need to get me over this hurdle. I also like it because I can eat pretty much whatever I want, as long as I stay in my points range. Points are based on calories, fat, and fiber. I dunno how they get to the magic number, but it works!
I'm so frustrated because everything I want to eat is like 15 points, and I only have 25 for the day. I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, which was 2 points. I'll see what I have here at home that I can eat for like 6 more points. Then I'm going to Zumba, so I can earn extra points. I feel like a little kid who's earning gold stars. Haha.
After Zumba, my parents and I are going to eat at this Indian/Pakistani place. I'm planning on having 2 samosas (3 points each) and some naan (4 points), and for dessert, some frozen yogurt from Ritas (3 more points). That will bring me to 18, minus the three I burned in Zumba.
I'm going to a party tonight, where I suspect I'll use my final 10 points on chips, dips, and whatever else there is. I'm going to try and be good, even though today is technically the day I set aside to be bad. If I run out of points, I can use any of my extra 35 points they give you for the week, JUST NOT ALL OF THEM AT ONCE! Lol I've done that before on a couple of occasions, but I was younger and not as disciplined.
I'm pushing off tomorrow's weigh-in until Monday, where it's technically supposed to be. I'm not too concerned about this weigh-in, but I'll find out next week if the Weight Watchers online program is worth the $18 a month.
1. Do you want to lose weight? Yup.
10. Have you reconciled yourself to the fact that this is a lifetime pursuit? Absolutely. That's what's scared me away in the past.
15. If you’re almost done, do you realize just how easy it would be to yo-yo back? Seeing that now.
17. Have you gone through it before? Not to this extent.
19. Like me, are you making a pledge to never let that happen again? Absotoodleootly.
20. Do you eat more than normal right after a weigh-in? LOL! Yes.
23-24. If you’re cheating, do you realize that nobody really cares? That you’re only cheating yourself? But of course.
26. Have you really committed yourself to this journey? Si.
33. Got health problems? Nothing besides a lil asthma, that's under control.
36. Do you like the way you look? Liking it better now, but still not 100% satisfied.
37. Like the way clothes fit on you? I'll like it better when I'm in a size 8 lol.
38. Aren’t you ready to start loving the way you look and being proud of the way clothes fit on you? I already do.
39. Ready to get a kick out of shopping again? Hell yes
40. Have you exercised today? I blew off the Powerflex, and I'm planning to blow off the 12:50 Zumba. I'm going for the 2:00.
41. Have you soaked your shirt with sweat? Um no...I don't sweat that much.
42. Will you work out tomorrow? Yup. 10 am spinning class (if I can get up that early after DJing a party tonight).
43. Do you sleep better when you’re exercising regularly? Actually no.
44. Is your stress more manageable? The stress disappears during my workouts.
53. How many situps can you do? Probably 100 at once.
58. How many pushups? Zero good ones. I have a bum wrist, so I have to do them on my knuckles, and that hurts. I'm going to try and work up to doing a good one. It will probably be easier, the more weight I lose.
63. Do you eat out a lot? Sometimes.
65. Do you tell yourself that you’re a terrible cook? I'm not great, but I'm definitely not terrible.
71. How are you doing this week? Doing well in the workouts, not so well on the dieting. So I joined Weight Watchers online for an extra boost.
73. Doing solid work or slipping and sliding? Lol this week is rough.
74. Looking forward to your next weigh-in or dreading it? Dreading it. Too many social functions this weekend.
80. Do you sabotage yourself? I may have a small fear of success sometimes.
82. Why do you suppose that is? I'm not sure. I guess I'm just nervous about change, even when it's positive.
83. Does this blogging stuff help you as much as it does me? YES! Full disclosure helps, and so does all of the encouragement.
89. Are you confident that this is the time when it’s really going to happen for you? God I hope so.
97. Would you believe me if I told you that you’re so much stronger than you think you are? I found out that I have a lot more willpower than I had ever imagined.
Whew! That was fun lol.
I signed up today for Weight Watchers online. Going to the meetings is mad expensive, and I think it would cut into my gym time, which is counterproductive. So this online thing is great, where I can count points. It worked for me in the past, and I think it's just the boost I need to get me over this hurdle. I also like it because I can eat pretty much whatever I want, as long as I stay in my points range. Points are based on calories, fat, and fiber. I dunno how they get to the magic number, but it works!
I'm so frustrated because everything I want to eat is like 15 points, and I only have 25 for the day. I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast, which was 2 points. I'll see what I have here at home that I can eat for like 6 more points. Then I'm going to Zumba, so I can earn extra points. I feel like a little kid who's earning gold stars. Haha.
After Zumba, my parents and I are going to eat at this Indian/Pakistani place. I'm planning on having 2 samosas (3 points each) and some naan (4 points), and for dessert, some frozen yogurt from Ritas (3 more points). That will bring me to 18, minus the three I burned in Zumba.
I'm going to a party tonight, where I suspect I'll use my final 10 points on chips, dips, and whatever else there is. I'm going to try and be good, even though today is technically the day I set aside to be bad. If I run out of points, I can use any of my extra 35 points they give you for the week, JUST NOT ALL OF THEM AT ONCE! Lol I've done that before on a couple of occasions, but I was younger and not as disciplined.
I'm pushing off tomorrow's weigh-in until Monday, where it's technically supposed to be. I'm not too concerned about this weigh-in, but I'll find out next week if the Weight Watchers online program is worth the $18 a month.
Thanks!
I just wanted to say hey to all the subscribers, both newcomers and veterans (well...relatively speaking, since I only started this blog last month lol). Thanks a lot for reading and subscribing, as well as your feedback. This is the first time I've come so close to my goals, and your encouragement plays a big role. You guys rock :-D
Today Was a Good Day
Today I consciously didn't count calories, for a change...nor will I tomorrow. I'm tired of basing my happiness on how much weight I have gained or lost, especially since my body is so unpredictable. Thursday, I stuck to my guns in terms of calorie consumption and exercise, and I still managed to gain a pound. When I found out this morning, I was very disappointed. But I decided not to let a number destroy my good mood. Today was actually one of the best days I've had in a month or so.
I had my longest run thus far, and was able to shave a minute off my 5K time from Wednesday. Any runner knows this is an accomplishment. It took me two months to run five minutes faster, so to improve by a minute in two days made me very happy.
After work, we had the staff fitness club. It was great to run and work out with my coworkers. I hate running suicide drills (basketball players should know about these), but while we were doing them, I was surprised to find that I was one of the fastest women in the club. I'm the youngest, but I was also probably the heaviest person in the room at the time, so that's a major accomplishment. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others. This is one area where I need to mature.
Prior to the workout, I borrowed the gym teacher's gadget to measure my body fat percentage. I went from 40.1% last month, to 39.5% last week, to 38.0% today. This made me very happy, because I see that even though I gained 6 pounds since last Monday, it was mainly muscle weight.
After fitness club, we had an impromptu happy hour at Outback across the street. It was good to cut loose with my coworkers. Afterwards, I went to a friend's house nearby, and sang karaoke with her and another of our friends at a local restaurant. It was so much fun.
It's now 2:35 am. I don't know if I'm going to blog tomorrow morning (which would require me to wake up around 8:30), or sleep in and wake up just for Powerflex at 10:30, or sleep in and wake up for Zumba around noon. Hmmm. We'll see.
Hasta la manana. Carpe diem.
(P.S. Not even setting the alarm. Que sera, sera.)
I had my longest run thus far, and was able to shave a minute off my 5K time from Wednesday. Any runner knows this is an accomplishment. It took me two months to run five minutes faster, so to improve by a minute in two days made me very happy.
After work, we had the staff fitness club. It was great to run and work out with my coworkers. I hate running suicide drills (basketball players should know about these), but while we were doing them, I was surprised to find that I was one of the fastest women in the club. I'm the youngest, but I was also probably the heaviest person in the room at the time, so that's a major accomplishment. I know I shouldn't compare myself to others. This is one area where I need to mature.
Prior to the workout, I borrowed the gym teacher's gadget to measure my body fat percentage. I went from 40.1% last month, to 39.5% last week, to 38.0% today. This made me very happy, because I see that even though I gained 6 pounds since last Monday, it was mainly muscle weight.
After fitness club, we had an impromptu happy hour at Outback across the street. It was good to cut loose with my coworkers. Afterwards, I went to a friend's house nearby, and sang karaoke with her and another of our friends at a local restaurant. It was so much fun.
It's now 2:35 am. I don't know if I'm going to blog tomorrow morning (which would require me to wake up around 8:30), or sleep in and wake up just for Powerflex at 10:30, or sleep in and wake up for Zumba around noon. Hmmm. We'll see.
Hasta la manana. Carpe diem.
(P.S. Not even setting the alarm. Que sera, sera.)
Friday, March 5, 2010
Weight Loss OCD?
What is with me, with all of these strange rituals I seem to impose on myself on this journey?
Exhibit A:
Refusing to post a picture until I'm under 185.
Exhibit B:
Planning to weigh in daily, until I'm under 190, every other day until I'm under 180, every THIRD day until I'm under 170, yadda yadda yadda...
Exhibit C:
Having to start my running playlist with the exact song I left off with the previous day.
Seriously, what's with that? Am I just a super-Virgo, or do I have issues? That is the question. Oh well, as in other aspects of my life, I'm content in my weirdness :-D
Exhibit A:
Refusing to post a picture until I'm under 185.
Exhibit B:
Planning to weigh in daily, until I'm under 190, every other day until I'm under 180, every THIRD day until I'm under 170, yadda yadda yadda...
Exhibit C:
Having to start my running playlist with the exact song I left off with the previous day.
Seriously, what's with that? Am I just a super-Virgo, or do I have issues? That is the question. Oh well, as in other aspects of my life, I'm content in my weirdness :-D
Recent pic
I'm getting sick of not posting pics because I'm not under 185. I think I still look the same, 6 pounds heavier. Here is a pic of me from last night at 190.
The Kid...Will Be Right Back!
Today wasn't such a good day for me on the scales. I gained a pound from yesterday, despite being under my calorie limit and working out. I have no idea what happened. This morning, I "accidentally" left my iPhone at home, with the calorie counting app. I also had a donut for breakfast. This is a bad beginning. Musicow2 gave me the advice not to weigh myself every day. I think I should listen lol. So no weigh-in tomorrow.
I'm also very lethargic. I'm tempted to skip out on my run, but I can't. Once I start missing runs, I fall off the wagon and have to start from scratch. Running is the foundation to my weight loss. So, 4 miles it is. I'm wondering if I should run on my break at 10, to just get it over with, or put my head down at 10 for a few minutes and run around 2:30. Hmmmm. Let me see.
Option 1: Running at 10 am
Pros:
It's early
I can get it over with
There will be less congestion in the bus circle
Less people will be watching me, so I'll be less uncomfortable
Cons:
Too cold
I'm tired
High school kids cutting class will laugh at me
My muscles won't be as warm for the after-school workout group
Option 2: Running at 2:30
Pros:
I may be more awake
High school kids won't be around to laugh at me
It's warmer
Cons
The longer I wait, the more likely I'll blow it off
Congested bus loop
Cars
Co-workers will be looking at me, so I may be embarrassed
People are always trying to talk to me, which throws off my focus
Decision: I'll drink my coffee and Red Bull until 10, and run then.
I'm going to weigh in Sunday, but I'm not expecting a big loss, since I'm not counting calories today and tomorrow. Today, there's an impromptu happy hour at my job, plus a Haiti fundraiser, and maybe salsa dancing. Tomorrow, my co-worker is having a party. Hopefully my 4 miles and working out covers today, and my Powerflex and double Zumba covers me for tomorrow.
Gotta go teach. I'm sure I'll write more later.
Weight: 191
Total weight lost: 33
To 165: 26
To 139: 52
Next weigh-in: Sunday, bright and early (It's probably not going to be pretty!)
Update: I left my iPhone at home today, so I went to get it, so I could make sure I ran exactly 4 miles. I'm pushing the run to 2:30.
I'm also very lethargic. I'm tempted to skip out on my run, but I can't. Once I start missing runs, I fall off the wagon and have to start from scratch. Running is the foundation to my weight loss. So, 4 miles it is. I'm wondering if I should run on my break at 10, to just get it over with, or put my head down at 10 for a few minutes and run around 2:30. Hmmmm. Let me see.
Option 1: Running at 10 am
Pros:
It's early
I can get it over with
There will be less congestion in the bus circle
Less people will be watching me, so I'll be less uncomfortable
Cons:
Too cold
I'm tired
High school kids cutting class will laugh at me
My muscles won't be as warm for the after-school workout group
Option 2: Running at 2:30
Pros:
I may be more awake
High school kids won't be around to laugh at me
It's warmer
Cons
The longer I wait, the more likely I'll blow it off
Congested bus loop
Cars
Co-workers will be looking at me, so I may be embarrassed
People are always trying to talk to me, which throws off my focus
Decision: I'll drink my coffee and Red Bull until 10, and run then.
I'm going to weigh in Sunday, but I'm not expecting a big loss, since I'm not counting calories today and tomorrow. Today, there's an impromptu happy hour at my job, plus a Haiti fundraiser, and maybe salsa dancing. Tomorrow, my co-worker is having a party. Hopefully my 4 miles and working out covers today, and my Powerflex and double Zumba covers me for tomorrow.
Gotta go teach. I'm sure I'll write more later.
Weight: 191
Total weight lost: 33
To 165: 26
To 139: 52
Next weigh-in: Sunday, bright and early (It's probably not going to be pretty!)
Update: I left my iPhone at home today, so I went to get it, so I could make sure I ran exactly 4 miles. I'm pushing the run to 2:30.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
The Kid is Back
I usually like to post right when I wake up, but today, I'm doing it from work. I woke up about an hour later today, which was fine because I usually give myself an extra hour to blog and watch TV. I still left at the same time, and arrived at work early.
The kid is back! This morning when I got on the scale, I found that I lost two pounds since yesterday. That's hot. It means that my metabolism is picking back up. I think the running really helped, and tomorrow I get to crank it up even more, with four miles.
Today, I'm planning on doing one or two Zumba sessions. It really helps me to lose weight when I work out at the end of the day, and make sure to get my eating done way beforehand. After Zumba tonight, I'm probably going to go to a local salsa club for a little while with my friends. I'll be home by 11ish at the latest, which gives me 7 hours to sleep.
Now I see why not to post at work lol. Today is very busy, and I'm getting pulled in several directions. I'll post later or tomorrow. TTFN.
Weight: 190
Total weight lost: 34
To 165: 25
To 139: 51
The kid is back! This morning when I got on the scale, I found that I lost two pounds since yesterday. That's hot. It means that my metabolism is picking back up. I think the running really helped, and tomorrow I get to crank it up even more, with four miles.
Today, I'm planning on doing one or two Zumba sessions. It really helps me to lose weight when I work out at the end of the day, and make sure to get my eating done way beforehand. After Zumba tonight, I'm probably going to go to a local salsa club for a little while with my friends. I'll be home by 11ish at the latest, which gives me 7 hours to sleep.
Now I see why not to post at work lol. Today is very busy, and I'm getting pulled in several directions. I'll post later or tomorrow. TTFN.
Weight: 190
Total weight lost: 34
To 165: 25
To 139: 51
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Run, Forrest, Run (part II)
Today, I ran 3.1 miles, something I have never done before. 3.1 miles is a 5K. Don't get me wrong...I've participated in a couple of 5K races, but I've never run the entire way...until today!
I completed my first 5K in August 2009, with a time of 53 minutes. I ran a little and walked a lot.
The second 5K was in October 2009, and I completed that in 48 minutes. I ran a little more, but still walked a whole lot.
Today, I wasn't competing in a race. My Nike+ training program told me to run 3 miles, so I just added on the extra tenth of a mile, to try and compare it to my prior efforts.
My time was still sucky, but now I'm down to 43 minutes! That's 5 mins off my last race. I'm so happy, especially knowing that I didn't push myself. I'm sure by the end of the 12 weeks, I should be able to finish in under 40. I'll probably be able to do that way sooner than that.
My sister-in-law is my racing role model. She was the one who started me out in the whole running thing, and she also got me to join the running club back in September (if only the club folks could see me now!). I think now I'm physically ready to re-join the club, but I'm not mentally ready yet. It takes a lot for someone like me to be able to run with others. I hate running at other peoples' pace. It drives me nuts, because it's always either too fast or too slow. So until I start being more patient, I'll be running by myself.
I do want to do a 5K at the end of this training program, to check my progress. Technically, I'll be ready for a 10K, after running 7 miles in one day at one point. But baby steps, people, baby steps.
Friday, I tack one more mile on. Last time I walk/ran 4 miles in one day, it took me about an hour and a half. This time I'll be shooting for under an hour. I'll have the whole weekend to recover.
I completed my first 5K in August 2009, with a time of 53 minutes. I ran a little and walked a lot.
The second 5K was in October 2009, and I completed that in 48 minutes. I ran a little more, but still walked a whole lot.
Today, I wasn't competing in a race. My Nike+ training program told me to run 3 miles, so I just added on the extra tenth of a mile, to try and compare it to my prior efforts.
My time was still sucky, but now I'm down to 43 minutes! That's 5 mins off my last race. I'm so happy, especially knowing that I didn't push myself. I'm sure by the end of the 12 weeks, I should be able to finish in under 40. I'll probably be able to do that way sooner than that.
My sister-in-law is my racing role model. She was the one who started me out in the whole running thing, and she also got me to join the running club back in September (if only the club folks could see me now!). I think now I'm physically ready to re-join the club, but I'm not mentally ready yet. It takes a lot for someone like me to be able to run with others. I hate running at other peoples' pace. It drives me nuts, because it's always either too fast or too slow. So until I start being more patient, I'll be running by myself.
I do want to do a 5K at the end of this training program, to check my progress. Technically, I'll be ready for a 10K, after running 7 miles in one day at one point. But baby steps, people, baby steps.
Friday, I tack one more mile on. Last time I walk/ran 4 miles in one day, it took me about an hour and a half. This time I'll be shooting for under an hour. I'll have the whole weekend to recover.
The New Plan
This morning, I'm wearing the jeans that I had put in the space bag. But it's not such a bad thing that I'm back in the size 16s. My dad is always hip to new gadgets, and he got me The Perfect Fit Button. This way, I don't have to constantly buy new clothes while I'm losing weight. I can just adjust my old clothes. So I took all my 16s and 18s out of the space bag, adjusted the waist band, and now I have like 8 pairs of jeans that I can wear, ranging from a size 12 (almost there! I think I can, I think I can!) to 18.
Today I got on the scale, and I have gained back exactly half (7 pounds)of what I lost during the cleanse. This stops today. I'm trying to put on a happy face, but this has been depressing me. Today will be the day when I turn it around.
First of all, I need to start getting on the scale again every morning. This works for me. This probably doesn't work for most people. But I have to know. I need that immediate feedback. I'm not the type of person that can wait for several days or a week. When I do this, I start getting lazy and unmotivated. So forget it. I'll be back on that damn scale first thing tomorrow morning.
Secondly, I'm going to work out, and complete all of my scheduled workouts for the day. Although I prefer working out with other people I know, if they cancel on me then I'm STILL going. I need to stop letting other people control my damn workouts. Today I AM going to run 3 miles, I AM going to Powerflex, and I AM going to Zumba.
Which brings me to Zumba. My third point is tied in with my second point. I'm going to restart going to the 7:40 Zumba class. By 8:50 I'm almost ready for bed. So I'm going to the 7:40, and if somebody needs me to meet them at the 8:50, I'll do that TOO if I'm not too tired. There's no way I'm going to sit up in my house, getting all sleepy, to accommodate someone else's schedule. Then, when they cancel out on me, I go to bed. Not going to happen anymore. It's already happened twice this week.
Some days, I will plan to go to both the 7:40 and 8:50 classes. For example, some nights they have other classes going on at 7:40. So I'll do the kickboxing or whatever, then I'll go do Zumba at 8:50 afterwards.
Last but not least (because I'm running late for work), I'm not going to factor my workouts into how many calories per meal I should have. Why? Because every time I eat extra calories to get me through my workouts, something happens where I can't/don't want to work out, and I gain weight. I don't want to eat too few calories so my body goes into starvation mode, and I don't want to eat too many so I gain weight, so I'm going to take my mom's advice. To paraphrase her, just eat what I feel I need to. I'm going to stop forcing myself to eat more than I normally would, and I'm not going to eat like a freaking bird. I'll still count calories for the hell of it, but I won't be as obsessed with it as I once was.
I'm late for work. I'll weigh in tomorrow. I can't wait to get to 184 so I can start taking pictures again. That's 8 whole pounds away.
Weight: 192
Total weight lost: 32
To 165: 27
To 139: 53
(P.S. I really hate posting my stats when I gain weight, but whatever, it's making me accountable.)
(P.P.S. Woo hoo! 500 hits :-D Thanks guys.)
Today I got on the scale, and I have gained back exactly half (7 pounds)of what I lost during the cleanse. This stops today. I'm trying to put on a happy face, but this has been depressing me. Today will be the day when I turn it around.
First of all, I need to start getting on the scale again every morning. This works for me. This probably doesn't work for most people. But I have to know. I need that immediate feedback. I'm not the type of person that can wait for several days or a week. When I do this, I start getting lazy and unmotivated. So forget it. I'll be back on that damn scale first thing tomorrow morning.
Secondly, I'm going to work out, and complete all of my scheduled workouts for the day. Although I prefer working out with other people I know, if they cancel on me then I'm STILL going. I need to stop letting other people control my damn workouts. Today I AM going to run 3 miles, I AM going to Powerflex, and I AM going to Zumba.
Which brings me to Zumba. My third point is tied in with my second point. I'm going to restart going to the 7:40 Zumba class. By 8:50 I'm almost ready for bed. So I'm going to the 7:40, and if somebody needs me to meet them at the 8:50, I'll do that TOO if I'm not too tired. There's no way I'm going to sit up in my house, getting all sleepy, to accommodate someone else's schedule. Then, when they cancel out on me, I go to bed. Not going to happen anymore. It's already happened twice this week.
Some days, I will plan to go to both the 7:40 and 8:50 classes. For example, some nights they have other classes going on at 7:40. So I'll do the kickboxing or whatever, then I'll go do Zumba at 8:50 afterwards.
Last but not least (because I'm running late for work), I'm not going to factor my workouts into how many calories per meal I should have. Why? Because every time I eat extra calories to get me through my workouts, something happens where I can't/don't want to work out, and I gain weight. I don't want to eat too few calories so my body goes into starvation mode, and I don't want to eat too many so I gain weight, so I'm going to take my mom's advice. To paraphrase her, just eat what I feel I need to. I'm going to stop forcing myself to eat more than I normally would, and I'm not going to eat like a freaking bird. I'll still count calories for the hell of it, but I won't be as obsessed with it as I once was.
I'm late for work. I'll weigh in tomorrow. I can't wait to get to 184 so I can start taking pictures again. That's 8 whole pounds away.
Weight: 192
Total weight lost: 32
To 165: 27
To 139: 53
(P.S. I really hate posting my stats when I gain weight, but whatever, it's making me accountable.)
(P.P.S. Woo hoo! 500 hits :-D Thanks guys.)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Untitled
Today is not a good day. I'm in a foul mood that I haven't been able to shake since I woke up. I'm very pessimistic today, for some unknown reason, but it feels like everything is going wrong. It's a mini-funk.
I really hope I can snap out of it soon. I don't want to do anything except sleep, and eat Girl Scout cookies. I definitely don't want to work out. I keep thinking that my weight is spiraling out of control. I know it's not, but the way I'm going now, it may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The hardest thing I've had to do was to stay away from those damn Jillian Michaels pills. I feel like my body isn't responding the way I want it to quickly enough, and it needs a little boost. It's a vicious cycle. I eat a good number of calories throughout the day, to sustain me for my workouts. Then, something happens where I don't get to/don't want to do my workout, so I skip it, and I eat something I shouldn't, vowing to be good tomorrow. Then I wake up the next morning disappointed, and this happens all over again.
I'm not feeling very good about myself today. Yesterday I skipped Zumba. Today, I may skip it again...I really really really don't want to go because I'm so blown. I need to find some way to snap out of this without touching those damn pills. At the same time I don't want to get rid of them, because they worked so well.
I'm really trying to do this the healthy way. I may need to get that ballerina tea that my friend told me about that helped him lose 89 pounds. Maybe that's a good enough compromise.
Right now I'm in the mood where I don't care about losing weight or exercising. I hope tomorrow won't be like this. I'm going to play some Rock Band. Maybe I can pound my frustration away on the virtual drums.
I really hope I can snap out of it soon. I don't want to do anything except sleep, and eat Girl Scout cookies. I definitely don't want to work out. I keep thinking that my weight is spiraling out of control. I know it's not, but the way I'm going now, it may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The hardest thing I've had to do was to stay away from those damn Jillian Michaels pills. I feel like my body isn't responding the way I want it to quickly enough, and it needs a little boost. It's a vicious cycle. I eat a good number of calories throughout the day, to sustain me for my workouts. Then, something happens where I don't get to/don't want to do my workout, so I skip it, and I eat something I shouldn't, vowing to be good tomorrow. Then I wake up the next morning disappointed, and this happens all over again.
I'm not feeling very good about myself today. Yesterday I skipped Zumba. Today, I may skip it again...I really really really don't want to go because I'm so blown. I need to find some way to snap out of this without touching those damn pills. At the same time I don't want to get rid of them, because they worked so well.
I'm really trying to do this the healthy way. I may need to get that ballerina tea that my friend told me about that helped him lose 89 pounds. Maybe that's a good enough compromise.
Right now I'm in the mood where I don't care about losing weight or exercising. I hope tomorrow won't be like this. I'm going to play some Rock Band. Maybe I can pound my frustration away on the virtual drums.
Magic Pills
After careful reflection, I've decided not to do the Jillian Michaels cleanse for several reasons. Although the product apparently did what it said, I'm going to try to make a conscious effort to lose weight the way I have been doing, through diet and exercise.
I've been searching for a magic pill my entire life. I've tried all the fads, and have spent several thousands of dollars trying to lose weight. I've rarely found anything that was effective, and if anything was, the results were only temporary.
This time is different. This is the time I'm really going to get down to where I need to be. Although a magic pill (that seemingly works) may take me there quickly, what happens when I stop taking it? The same thing. I'll gain all the weight back and then some, faster than I took it off in the first place.
I'm so tired of yo-yoing. When I get down to where I want to be, there will be no going back up to where I came from. To do so would be physically and psychologically devastating. So I'll stick with what I'm doing. Hopefully it will continue to pay off.
This is not to say that I'll never do a cleanse again. I think cleanses are great. I'm planning on doing Dr. Ian's cleanse from April-June, but that's different. Raw foods for the first nine days, then adding in protein, then starches, etc., etc., etc. This way is safer. It's hard work, but it will pay off. It is not a quick fix. Having to work hard for something makes me less likely to go back to old habits once I'm done. If success is handed to me, then I won't appreciate it as much. So for March, I'm gonna stick with counting calories, and then in April, Dr. Ian's cleanse it is.
I should throw away the bottle of magic pills, but I'm not ready to do so yet. I'll do it when I'm 100% confident. Right now, I'm honestly reluctant in stopping the Jillian Michaels pills, since my weight seems to be steadily rising after the first cleanse, despite my hardcore workouts. But I know if I'm patient, my weight will start coming back off. Throwing away the bottle is the right thing to do.
Biggest Loser comes back tonight. Woooooooo!
I've been searching for a magic pill my entire life. I've tried all the fads, and have spent several thousands of dollars trying to lose weight. I've rarely found anything that was effective, and if anything was, the results were only temporary.
This time is different. This is the time I'm really going to get down to where I need to be. Although a magic pill (that seemingly works) may take me there quickly, what happens when I stop taking it? The same thing. I'll gain all the weight back and then some, faster than I took it off in the first place.
I'm so tired of yo-yoing. When I get down to where I want to be, there will be no going back up to where I came from. To do so would be physically and psychologically devastating. So I'll stick with what I'm doing. Hopefully it will continue to pay off.
This is not to say that I'll never do a cleanse again. I think cleanses are great. I'm planning on doing Dr. Ian's cleanse from April-June, but that's different. Raw foods for the first nine days, then adding in protein, then starches, etc., etc., etc. This way is safer. It's hard work, but it will pay off. It is not a quick fix. Having to work hard for something makes me less likely to go back to old habits once I'm done. If success is handed to me, then I won't appreciate it as much. So for March, I'm gonna stick with counting calories, and then in April, Dr. Ian's cleanse it is.
I should throw away the bottle of magic pills, but I'm not ready to do so yet. I'll do it when I'm 100% confident. Right now, I'm honestly reluctant in stopping the Jillian Michaels pills, since my weight seems to be steadily rising after the first cleanse, despite my hardcore workouts. But I know if I'm patient, my weight will start coming back off. Throwing away the bottle is the right thing to do.
Biggest Loser comes back tonight. Woooooooo!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Jillian Michaels Cleanse
Update: I started doing the Jillian Michaels cleanse earlier today, and I'm now a believer. I can see why people would lose five pounds in a week without dieting or exercise...it's because you can't eat! Lol. Taking these pills 15 minutes prior to a meal makes it hard to finish eating, thus reducing your calorie intake. But that's kind of scary, given my recent metabolism experience. We'll see what happens. Hopefully I don't drop a crazy amount of weight, and put it back on just as fast when I stop doing the cleanse. That would really suck.
Disclaimer: Tales of a Big Girl represents my thoughts and opinions, and those of others. I am not a doctor. Please consult a physician before undertaking a diet or exercise routine.
Disclaimer: Tales of a Big Girl represents my thoughts and opinions, and those of others. I am not a doctor. Please consult a physician before undertaking a diet or exercise routine.
Post-Cleanse
When I hopped, no...stood, on the scale this morning, I got some semi-bad news. It seems that I had put on another 2.5 pounds since my last weigh-in. I'm not all that shocked, though, for reasons that I explained in Twisted Statistics. I'm just glad it's not worse. And big picture, so what? I still lost 9 total on the cleanse.
Today is a day of many firsts.
(1) Today, for the first time EVER, I walked into a CVS, looked up at their security feed from their monitor, and wasn't disappointed in what I saw. That says a lot, coming from me. I know I still have a long way to go, but I now feel a new sense of encouragement.
(2) Today is the first day I'm using the Jillian Michael's cleanse, hence the trip to CVS. I'll let you guys know how it works in fourteen days. My Facebook friend recommended it to me, saying that her sister lost five pounds in a week without dieting or exercise. I'm very skeptical of these magic pill fads, but I'll give it the old college try.
And now, for the main event...
(3) Today is the first time I've made it through an entire cleanse. Well...sorta. I did cheat A LOT! But that's beside the point. Baby steps, people.
Anyway, as promised, here is my assessment:
Overall, the cleanse was a positive experience. As with anything, it did have its strengths and weaknesses. One of its major strengths is that, if applied correctly, it forces the individual to realize his or her inner strength and willpower. In addition, it cleanses the body, and forces people to reexamine their former food choices, while possibly reintroducing individuals to healthy alternatives.
Regarding weaknesses, the cleanse may have the adverse effect of lowering metabolism, while causing side-effects such as lethargy and lightheadedness during strenuous exercise. Once solid food is reintroduced on the 15th day, the body will likely reject it. However, this is only temporary.
Wow, those two paragraphs were written like a term paper. Spring Break can't come soon enough :-D
Let me now turn my attention to the various phases. I need to keep this brief because I'm going to be late to work.
Day 1 and 2 were super-hard for me, because I wasn't used to eating healthy at all. So it was difficult for me to cut out all my junk food and soda, in favor of salad, fruit, and brown rice. However, Day 3-7 were mentally easier for me, although I did experience stronger cravings for junk food during this time. It helped me to write a list of the junk food that I could eat when I was finished with the cleanse. By the way, that list means nothing to me now...all I needed were my croissants and hash browns this morning. I'd be fine with doing it again if I needed to!
Anyway, back to my assessment. Day 8-10 were hard, because (1) I hate cranberry juice and (2) I felt like I was never going to eat again! I remember that every single day, I was thinking, dag, there's no way I'm going to last. Look how far I have to go! Sometimes your brain can be your own worst enemy. But my rational mind kept me on track, so I made it through unscathed. I was surprised how easy it was to survive on juice and water alone. I even made it through my workouts just fine.
That is, until Day 11. I made it through the day just fine, since mentally, I knew that after this point I'd be able to start adding in things instead of taking this way. I felt fine, and my spirits were high, so I worked out, hardcore. DO NOT DO THIS!!! I repeat, DO NOT WORK OUT ON DAY 11! When I got home, I was exhausted, so I went to bed. I woke up 2 hours later, feeling like I was gonna die! Lol. Of course I'm exaggerating, but it was not a pleasant experience. Trust me on this one.
If I had to pick the toughest week, it would definitely be the third one. Even the second one was a walk in the park, compared to this week. After having put my body through hell, I just wanted to eat something that tasted good. I don't think there was a single day that week, where I was entirely faithful to the cleanse. I started eating tofu off the break. I was supposed to save veggie proteins for the last day of the cleanse. Maybe that's what made me so sick!
If it wasn't tofu, it was garlic bread. If it wasn't garlic bread, it was a veggie patty. If it wasn't a veggie patty, it was 2 hot pockets, 4 toaster strudels, a nibble of quiche, and some pudding (all within 4 hours). It even got to the point where I drank a diet coke or two, while at a club with my friend. *GASP!!!!* So yeah, I was bad. I shouldn't be surprised that I gained this weight back. But now I'm going to cut that stuff right back out. Tomorrow.
It takes someone with a lot of determination to see the cleanse all the way through, without cheating. Like my mom told me, next time I'll know what to expect. It was definitely a learning experience. If I had to do it over again I'd (1) not cheat, (2) put day 15 on a weekend, so I could run to the bathroom as often as I'd like, and (3) not weigh myself the entire time, so I don't get disappointed when I inevitably start gaining weight back.
In terms of next steps, I'm going to continue to count my calories, I'm gonna do Jillian Michael's cleanse, and I'm gonna work out. Next month, I'm going to start doing Dr. Ian's Fat Smash Diet, through the end of June. I've tried it before, but I never lasted past Day 1. I think I now have the inner strength to stick with it.
Today, on the schedule, I have 2 miles, Powerflex, and Zumba to tackle. I'm excited to start running again after my week off. I get to test out my new shoes. Yay!
I'm weighing in on Saturday, because I want that day to pig out. My work twin is having a graduation party, and it's no fun to count calories at parties! I'm super-late. Gotta go. I'll see you all tomorrow, or later on.
Weight: 190.0
Total weight lost: 34
To 165: 25
To 139: 51
Days left on Jillian Michaels' cleanse: 14
Next scheduled weigh-in: Saturday
Today is a day of many firsts.
(1) Today, for the first time EVER, I walked into a CVS, looked up at their security feed from their monitor, and wasn't disappointed in what I saw. That says a lot, coming from me. I know I still have a long way to go, but I now feel a new sense of encouragement.
(2) Today is the first day I'm using the Jillian Michael's cleanse, hence the trip to CVS. I'll let you guys know how it works in fourteen days. My Facebook friend recommended it to me, saying that her sister lost five pounds in a week without dieting or exercise. I'm very skeptical of these magic pill fads, but I'll give it the old college try.
And now, for the main event...
(3) Today is the first time I've made it through an entire cleanse. Well...sorta. I did cheat A LOT! But that's beside the point. Baby steps, people.
Anyway, as promised, here is my assessment:
Overall, the cleanse was a positive experience. As with anything, it did have its strengths and weaknesses. One of its major strengths is that, if applied correctly, it forces the individual to realize his or her inner strength and willpower. In addition, it cleanses the body, and forces people to reexamine their former food choices, while possibly reintroducing individuals to healthy alternatives.
Regarding weaknesses, the cleanse may have the adverse effect of lowering metabolism, while causing side-effects such as lethargy and lightheadedness during strenuous exercise. Once solid food is reintroduced on the 15th day, the body will likely reject it. However, this is only temporary.
Wow, those two paragraphs were written like a term paper. Spring Break can't come soon enough :-D
Let me now turn my attention to the various phases. I need to keep this brief because I'm going to be late to work.
Day 1 and 2 were super-hard for me, because I wasn't used to eating healthy at all. So it was difficult for me to cut out all my junk food and soda, in favor of salad, fruit, and brown rice. However, Day 3-7 were mentally easier for me, although I did experience stronger cravings for junk food during this time. It helped me to write a list of the junk food that I could eat when I was finished with the cleanse. By the way, that list means nothing to me now...all I needed were my croissants and hash browns this morning. I'd be fine with doing it again if I needed to!
Anyway, back to my assessment. Day 8-10 were hard, because (1) I hate cranberry juice and (2) I felt like I was never going to eat again! I remember that every single day, I was thinking, dag, there's no way I'm going to last. Look how far I have to go! Sometimes your brain can be your own worst enemy. But my rational mind kept me on track, so I made it through unscathed. I was surprised how easy it was to survive on juice and water alone. I even made it through my workouts just fine.
That is, until Day 11. I made it through the day just fine, since mentally, I knew that after this point I'd be able to start adding in things instead of taking this way. I felt fine, and my spirits were high, so I worked out, hardcore. DO NOT DO THIS!!! I repeat, DO NOT WORK OUT ON DAY 11! When I got home, I was exhausted, so I went to bed. I woke up 2 hours later, feeling like I was gonna die! Lol. Of course I'm exaggerating, but it was not a pleasant experience. Trust me on this one.
If I had to pick the toughest week, it would definitely be the third one. Even the second one was a walk in the park, compared to this week. After having put my body through hell, I just wanted to eat something that tasted good. I don't think there was a single day that week, where I was entirely faithful to the cleanse. I started eating tofu off the break. I was supposed to save veggie proteins for the last day of the cleanse. Maybe that's what made me so sick!
If it wasn't tofu, it was garlic bread. If it wasn't garlic bread, it was a veggie patty. If it wasn't a veggie patty, it was 2 hot pockets, 4 toaster strudels, a nibble of quiche, and some pudding (all within 4 hours). It even got to the point where I drank a diet coke or two, while at a club with my friend. *GASP!!!!* So yeah, I was bad. I shouldn't be surprised that I gained this weight back. But now I'm going to cut that stuff right back out. Tomorrow.
It takes someone with a lot of determination to see the cleanse all the way through, without cheating. Like my mom told me, next time I'll know what to expect. It was definitely a learning experience. If I had to do it over again I'd (1) not cheat, (2) put day 15 on a weekend, so I could run to the bathroom as often as I'd like, and (3) not weigh myself the entire time, so I don't get disappointed when I inevitably start gaining weight back.
In terms of next steps, I'm going to continue to count my calories, I'm gonna do Jillian Michael's cleanse, and I'm gonna work out. Next month, I'm going to start doing Dr. Ian's Fat Smash Diet, through the end of June. I've tried it before, but I never lasted past Day 1. I think I now have the inner strength to stick with it.
Today, on the schedule, I have 2 miles, Powerflex, and Zumba to tackle. I'm excited to start running again after my week off. I get to test out my new shoes. Yay!
I'm weighing in on Saturday, because I want that day to pig out. My work twin is having a graduation party, and it's no fun to count calories at parties! I'm super-late. Gotta go. I'll see you all tomorrow, or later on.
Weight: 190.0
Total weight lost: 34
To 165: 25
To 139: 51
Days left on Jillian Michaels' cleanse: 14
Next scheduled weigh-in: Saturday
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