It’s Spring!

Yippee!  Spring has finally arrived!  The daffodils are in bloom!  The days are getting longer!  And the sun is shining (most of the time)!  It’s time to lace up your shoes and hit the walking trails.  This is an amazing time of year!  Winter seemed to be especially gloomy and cold and everyone is excited about the chance to get outside and enjoy the fresh air.

Hopkins County has a variety of walking trails available for those ready to say good-bye to winter and embrace the bright and sunny days of spring.

• Dawson Springs City Park: This is a nice shaded, quiet trail.
• Dr. Festus Claybon Park: A relatively flat trail with the playground visible from the entire circuit.   
• Earlington City Park: This trail is also known as the Stewart Creek Walking Trail.  This is the trail I use the most.  It’s simple and provides plenty of shade.  I also feel safe walking it alone in the rare occasion I must walk without a partner (which for safety sake, I don’t recommend!) 
• Madisonville City Park: This is by far one of the most popular trails in Hopkins County.  Yet it is my least favorite.  My issues—traffic, safety, and snakes.
• Nortonville City Park: This path offers a pleasant but challenging walk. 
• Trover Wellness Park:  This trail is relatively new.  I haven’t had a chance to try it out, but those I’ve talked to describe it as enjoyable and tell me they felt safe walking here.  
• White Plains City Park:  I’m sorry, but I’ve never walked this path and haven’t even looked at it.  If you have tried this trail and have an opinion on it, please post it in the comments.  

Walking is America’s favorite form of exercise.  It’s cheap, easy, and convenient.  Studies have found that people are more likely to keep walking for exercise throughout their life.  And walking boasts the highest adherence rate and lowest dropout rate of any physical activity.    

Before you take off, consider a few pointers that can help make your walk safe, effective and enjoyable!

• Warm-Up: Aim for 5 minutes of slow walking or other warm-up exercises before setting out.
• Use proper form and technique:  Good posture prevents post-walk aches and pains and enables you to go faster.  You may have been walking from a young age, but here are a few tips that can help you get more results from each step:

1. Keep your gaze forward, not down.
2. Maintain an upright but comfortable posture with your neck, upper back and shoulders relaxed.
3. Bend your arms to about 90 degrees and make a loose, relaxed fist.  This turns your arms into shorter, more compact pendulums.  You’ll be able to swing them faster and thus help your legs and feet move faster. (Have you ever tried running with straight arms?)
4. Front hand should rise no higher than chest level.  Rear hand rises just to hip height.
5. Gently pull in your abdominal muscles.  This helps strengthen your abs while reducing lower-back pain.
6. Resist the urge to squeeze your glutes as you walk, as it can throw off your form.  To increase backside sculpting, increase the incline.
7. Avoid locking your front knee.
8. Land on your heel, roll through the ball of your foot, and push off with your toes.
9. Keep your stride moderate in length, allowing your knees to be slightly flexed as your legs swing forward and your feet strike the ground. 

• Breathe: It’s important to breathe deeply and evenly through your nose and mouth as you walk. 
• Cool-down: After your walking workout, start to slow down gradually.  Keep walking, but slow your pace to a stroll.  The cool-down phase is an excellent time to do stretching exercises.  

Hands down, walking is the easiest, no excuses, put-on-your-shoes-and-go cardio workout.  It’s popular, the risk of injury is low, and you get to be outside.  It’s the best way to get back into shape, especially for people who are overweight, have been sedentary a long time, or are over sixty.  In my next post I’ll discuss more of the health benefits derived from a walking routine, tips for staying safe during your walk and ways to have fun and boost the calorie burn while you walk. 

Until then, Stay Well and Be Fit,

Mel  

[Via http://mx2fitness.wordpress.com]

Watch this nerd shrink!!!

Hey blog-world!

This is day number one of my new life.

I don’t expect anyone to read this. I’m not under the impression that I will become an internet sensation and end up writing books about my story; signing books for throngs of admiring fans who hope to accomplish what I have.  Naturally, the narcissistic part of everyone secretly hopes that their blog will somehow be an overnight internet phenomenon.

I’m okay with this being a private recounting of a struggling girl trying to lose weight.

I am a 21-year-old University student. I grew up in a broken family that tried to quell awkwardness with fatty food.  Getting second helpings of food at supper guaranteed me a “Good girl!!” from dad.  By the time I was 13, my food options were almost entirely up to me.  Lets just say that I didn’t always make the best choices.

I was always big, I was 190 when i graduated from high school.  University  and late night pizza and beer, along with a long-term relationship where I got quite comfortable ballooned me up to 275 over two years.  (Working at McDonald’s didn’t help either!)

My relationship ended and I moved across the country and have been slowing losing weight for two years; I lived with athletes in residence at school and my fear of judgement overwhelmed my desire to eat an entire pizza, shoving it in my mouth, right out of the box, growling like a deranged animal.

This fear style dieting lost me some weight.

But let’s face it, it’s time for a complete overhaul!  I’m up to it.

Although it might be the most cliché thing ever, today is the first day of the rest of my life!
Here are the measurements I have been dreading taking. Ughhhh!

Bust:42
Waist:36.5
Hips:51 (oh me, oh my!)

Weight: 242
Height: 5′6″

Yeahhhhhhh….. How about that! Ugh.

[Via http://kathleenschange.wordpress.com]

Day 47, March 19th, 2010

I need to stop slacking. Seriously. Bah.

EXERCISE

Did a different workout on my wii fit… lots of boxing, step dancing and hoola hooping. The best I could describe it as was aerobics, and my internet research led me to believe I burned 173 calories. I can’t really argue it, and I guess it makes sense since it’s mostly cardio.

DIET

Went over again with late night snacking and doing a few shots with my bff, not to mention eating popcorn, and then pudding, in celebration of her being a kick ass photographer and taking new pictures for my business website

Oh yeah, who's the best? ME.

So I’m at 1800 calories for the day, with about 4 glasses of water I guess again…

MEASUREMENTS

195.2lbs… one day it will go down….

[Via http://wiislim.wordpress.com]

232 Days Till The Wedding

Dearest Supporters:

Not much to report today.  I slept later than I wanted, but when I got up, amazingly, I didn’t feel any pain in any part of my body.  As I think about it, I can’t even remember the last time I felt so… normal.  It’s fabulous though.  I wonder if taking Advil before going to bed helped or maybe it was the yoga stretches I did in bed to fight off the insomnia I was suffering from.  Whatever it was, it worked.

I made it into the gym today.  This marks three whole days in a row that I’ve exercised.  Wow!  Give me a gold star.  I think I’m settling into a routine.  I still haven’t seen any changes in my body and my pants and tops are still too snug.  Even though I know very well from experience that losing weight takes time, I still wish I could be surprised when I  pull those skinny jeans over my fatty thighs.  Sigh!

While I’m proud of the fact that I’m remaining so regimented, the thought crossed my mind today that being a week on vacation has certainly helped me to remain focused.  But what happens come Monday when I have to be up at 5am, into work at 7:30 and then I spend the rest of the day getting totally lost in my work?  When my day finally ends, I will have to endure an hour commute home, and it’s during that period of time when I talk myself out of exercising.  You see, this is ultimately what happens.  This is the pattern. I get cozy in the car and realize that I’m just too tired to do anything but go directly home to eat and relax.  Then before you know it, five months have gone by, I’ve forgotten where the gym is located and I’ve gained a few pounds.  Sound familiar?

So, how do I stay focused and motivated at the end of the day?  That’s the question I’m going to have to ponder and when I figure out the answer, I’m sure millions of overweight, Americans will want to know it.  Maybe it’s this blog that will keep me accountable as well as my followers, which as of right now, I apparently don’t have any.  I know there are still 232 days left until I have to squeeze into the Maid of Honor gown, but really, if I’m going to make my goal of losing twenty-five pounds, I don’t have much wiggle-room to mess up.

Time to snuggle up in bed with a good book.  I think I’ll pop some Advils and stretch a bit first.

VTY,

Thy Maid of Honor

[Via http://thymaidofhonor.wordpress.com]

Diet Friday

It’s a late post for Diet Friday; in fact it’s an extremely late post as I missed last week!  Thanks for your inquiries, all is well.  I’m working on some big projects at work (yes, I have a real job) which will take some more of my attention for the next month or so.  But enough about me, I know that what you’re really curious about is The Diet, so I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.

Another pound down!  I am pleased to report that the slow but steady downward trend continues with almost no effort on my part. Here is what I’m doing”

•  I limit the amount of sugar I eat, and try to focus on “good carbs” without actually counting carbs.
• I focus on foods with high nutritional value
• I allow indulgences of really good artisanal cheese, very dark chocolate and red wine. (in moderation)
• During the week, I eat smaller, more frequent mini-meals
• On the weekends, I adapt to the situation. 
• If I’m eating out on the weekend and want to have bread (only the really good kind) I take a starch-blocker made from white bean extract.  (Only on weekends, I don’t make a habit of it)
• Exercise is 30 minutes total body program on elliptical trainer at least 4x per week, crunches 3x per week.

Now please don’t think that I’m advising anyone to eat cheese as a health food; I happen to love it and it takes the place of a sugar-laden dessert for me.  I also don’t tout the health benefits of taking a starch-blocker.  Although the ones made from white bean extract are supposed to be free from any known side effects, certainly check with your health care provider to make sure it’s OK for you.  I only use it a few times a week when I want to enjoy a piece of fresh bread and although it works for me without any side effects, I wouldn’t use it on a regular basis.  The good carbs that I eat regularly are high in nutrition and I wouldn’t want them to be “blocked”.

For me, limiting sugar intake is key.  I don’t avoid it completely.  Originally I was keeping my sugar intake under 15 grams per day.  I no longer keep track,  as choosing low sugar foods has become second nature.  I really (truly) have no cravings.  My hunger and appetite is under control, and I occasionally lose track of time and forget to eat.  (For those of you new to the blog, this has really never happened before!)  I’m not going for drastic weight loss, and if I lose only a few ounces every week I am quite pleased with the  steady progress. 

If you have any more specific questions, feel free to ask and I will be happy to anwer.

To all my blogging friends out there, I’m still reading; keep up the good work.  I hope to participate more actively when things slow down a bit!

[Via http://kitchrn.wordpress.com]

AWOL!

So I have been a bit absent from my blog lately but in my defense I have had a few things going on!

1. Jason and I got engaged! I am so excited and already having fun with wedding planning!

2. I’m taking the Praxis test next week so that I can go back to school and get my teaching certificate!

3. Work has been SO stressful lately that I feel like I am treading water and just trying to stay afloat.

I fell off the wagon last week and pretty much ate anything I wanted. It wasn’t pretty but I did continue to work out and watch my portion sizes. So I skipped last weeks weigh in and tried to get back on track this week. I weighed in today and lost .4 pounds! Woo Hoo! I was happy for any loss!

This week I am recommiting to stay on track and hopefully get into the 170’s next week! When I started WW’s this time 170’s seemed so far away but now it is just around the corner and then the 160’s will be here before I know it! I really can’t wait! I am so excited and so committed this time around!

[Via http://dawnm3513.wordpress.com]

Damn Girl Scouts

So, the last couple weeks, I am clicking away the days, watching my diet, discovering good foods and low point snacks to chase away the cravings of sweet or salty, oh, and let me give a quick shout out to the people at Jello, the sugar-free chocolate mousse, its awesome and only 60 calories per serving.

Anyways, doing good on the diet until the doorbell rings. I find this strange since being in my new home, far removed from my old neighborhood, no one comes to visit yet.  Low and behold, there is the sweet little girl scout who sold me cookies over a month ago, the cookies I swore I was going to give to my kids or bring into work to be devoured by my co-workers. I smiled and thanked her, closed the door, opened the bag and saw the 3 boxes of cookies. Not even completely sure of what I ordered.  There they were. One box of thin mints, a Girl Scout staple of course, Trefoils, luscious shortbread, and a box of Samoa’s, a little slice of caramel and coconut heaven.

I close the bag quickly, actually feeling a lump build in my throat, from the stress of knowing I really can’t eat them.  I opened up the freezer and threw the bag in. Bad mistake, it just reminded me how good thin mints taste frozen. My kids came upstairs due to the door bell and saw the cookies. The jig was up, and now they had to be opened. Dammit.

I wanted to eat them row by row as I had mindlessly done in years past. But I am trying to be a forward thinker regarding all things food. I heard all my excuses and rationalizations in my head, and then I had one of each cookie.

The rest I had my son hide until the next day where I split up the balance of the cookies, giving one half to my oldest son to be shared with his Lacrosse buddies and the balance was brought to my son’s daycare and divided accordingly.

Myself, I feel as if I need an anti-anxiety pill and hope the cookie sales are no longer happening at the local grocery stores.  I can do this, I think, I hope.

Damn Girl Scouts.

[Via http://curveygirl.wordpress.com]

SUN!

How glorious today was! I truly did not believe it would actually hit the 60s AND be sunny, but boy, it sure as heck did! I got a somewhat rough and premature start to the day thanks to this little cutie:

Looks so innocent, hm? Well, around 6am this morning I happened to notice turning a momentary wake-up, that she wasn’t on the bed. It’s a very odd occurrence, because she’s normally either curled up on a pillow near my feet, or somewhere next to my body. Especially since it’s chilly at night and HTB isn’t home. But I couldn’t find her! I totally freaked out! I turned on all the lights, I checked the closet, I started pulling out storage bins from under the bed, all the while shouting: CHLOE CHLOE!

I thought, God, what if she somehow suffocated? But where was she? Freaking out I tell you. I was nearing my wit’s end, and was about to get on the phone and call… ANYONE, and then I looked at the bed again. I took my hand and ran it over the mattress and felt a solid bump. I flung back the covers, and lo and behold, there was the little minx, all sleepy-eyed, giving a little stretch in my direction. I totally yelled at her, but only because I was so relieved she was alive. But honestly, what’s her problem? Couldn’t she tell I was upset? Why didn’t she stir or make a noise or something? God.

So anyway, that kinda threw me off. Then I went into the tiny second bedroom and laid out my yoga mat and pumped up the space heater. After taking the pups for a quick walk, I did a bit of yoga with the heater on, and while it was no Hot Yoga class, it was actually really nice! I think I’ll do that again tomorrow.

Today was so boss that I couldn’t stay inside. I had tons and tons of reading to do, so me and the kids took blankets outside, pretty much right in front of the condo steps, and laid out. They loved it. It felt amazing to have that sun all warm and delicious on our skin! Later on I took them to the school to run around in the grass football field and chase geese (only Sam chases, Chloe just watches with an air of snottiness), and then I hit up Derby Street Shoppes for some walking and window-shopping. I definitely got my retail therapy on, and it was awesome, because guess what?

I am ONE JEAN SIZE SMALLER.

Take that… whomever.

So that was cool. Obviously I had to buy the jeans, in that smaller size. Out of my hands(into my closet).

I’ve been so remiss with the picture-taking lately, but I promise to be better, especially this weekend at my Wedding Shower!

I definitely didn’t wear green OR celebrate with boozey today, but Happy St. Patty’s Day to you! I’m sure you’re in the thick of it right now, so be safe and pop a couple Advils before you hit the pillow

PS – Do you like the new header? I made it myself.

dfgdfg

[Via http://mrssturgis.wordpress.com]

Week 7

Let the weightwatching update commence.

• Kickoff on Jan 25th. Realized that I am a whopping 52 lbs over my wedding weight. Owwee, that smarts.
• Week 1 – feeling all motivated & shit. Lost 6.4 lbs.
• Week 2 – Badbadverybad week. Lots of emotional face-stuffing. Gained 1.2 lbs.
• Week 3 – tried to make good decisions without being psycho. Lost 3.0 lbs.
• Week 4 – Week o’ Funk, complete with much crying, gnashing of teeth, & bad food decisions. Skipped my mtg. No weigh-in.
• Week 5 – Trip to Charleston instead of WW mtg. No weigh-in again. Followed by Bobby’s birthday fiesta & lots of alcohol. Yeehaw.
• Week 6 – Forced myself to attend my WW mtg after 2 weeks of gluttony. Gained 1.2 lbs.
• Week 7 – Back in the saddle again. Lost 3.8 lbs, for a grand total of 10.8 lbs… YIPPEE!! Got a big snazzy star sticker to decorate the cover of my little WW book — and since I’m a dork, this makes me happy

Up. And down. And up. And then down. I think this is what they call yoyo weight loss. But whatever… I’ll take it.

[Via http://stillthinkingagain.wordpress.com]

disappointment.

After being so super psyched about the cruise, today, we found out that we can’t go. The leader in charge of the whole thing made it sound like the whole thing was a definite when in fact she had not even called to make sure it would work out. So, we can’t go. Because people our age are notorious for tearing up the ship.

I’m pretty upset to be honest. I’ve always dreamed about going on a cruise, and now, it’s just plain not going to happen. At least until I’m older and can afford it again.

The cruise was the inspiration for my weight loss, and now I just.. don’t feel inspired. I went to my kickboxing class today after hearing the news, and I found myself just completely uninspired to work myself. I did all the motions, but I just didn’t put that oomph behind them. I even left before the cool down stretches at the end. I know that I still have summer to look forward to and hopefully whatever replacement trip we take, but the cruise was just the ultimate inspiration.

I’m just insanely disappointed.

[Via http://itsmekatie.wordpress.com]

204

So close to being out of the 200 pound chunk on the scale.  I can’t believe it, my goal is the next chunk!!!

I weigh myself on a doctor’s office type scale at the gym.  Those 20 pound chunks are really chunks of time.  How long does it take to lose 20 pounds?  I’ve done it in a month and I’ve done it in 4 months.  Believe me, those 4 months can feel like a lifetime.

It truly is a long term commitment to lose a lot of weight.  It’s a lot longer than a season of The Biggest Loser.  It would not make for very good TV.  Life doesn’t stop when you try to lose weight.

I’ve been at this for 14 months and I’ve lost 83 pounds.  That’s 290,500 more calories burned than consumed.  No wonder people get frustrated!  And some people have hundreds of pounds to lose.  My heart goes out to them.  Trying to lose about 100 pounds has been hard enough.  I can’t imagine doing it two, three, four or more times.  But it CAN be done!

I see people all the time on SparkPeople who have done it.  They are real people.  There’s a woman who was so heavy she couldn’t get out of bed.  So when she started, she did the hand bike. You just have to do what you can, even if that’s just a little bit.  Something is always better than nothing.

It is so worth it.

[Via http://notsobigk.wordpress.com]

Why Cardio Doesn't Work for Fat Loss

TurbulenceTraining

Cardio exercise is such a strange thing. In theory, it should work
so perfectly well for all men and women, but as anyone who has
tried it knows, the practicality of it just doesn’t add up.

After all, some men and women do cardio 6 hours, 9 hours, or more per week, and still have belly fat to burn. On the other hand, it works just fine for others.

British researchers wanted to get more insight into this paradox, and studied 35 overweight men and women, who weren’t previously exercising.

(Reference: International Journal of Obesity 32: 177-184, 2008).

Subjects exercised 5 times per week for 12 weeks. That’s a lot of
exercise, but it helped the subjects lose an average of 8.2 pounds, which is great – I was positively surprised by the results.

So cardio will work for some people, however, in my experience, it works best in young men, who need the help the least!

Back to the study, the variance in fat loss between individuals was huge. Check this out…

The best subject lost a staggering 32.3 pounds in 12 weeks, while the worst subject actually GAINED 3.74 pounds.

The scientists think they know where things went sour. They
classified the subjects into 2 groups, called the “Compensators”
and the “Non-compensators”.

The Compensators were hungrier, and as a result consumed an extra 268 calories per day, all but wiping out their cardio efforts.

Therefore, the Compensators lost the least amount of weight, and scientists believe that was due to the huge “compensatory” increase in appetite experienced by this group.

Does your appetite increase when you do slow cardio? If it does,
research shows it will ruin your cardio efforts.

So if your cardio program is not working for you, check your
appetite and calorie intake to see if you are “compensating” for
your efforts. If you are, you might be better off using a program
of high-intensity resistance and interval training (i.e. Turbulence Training) for your weight loss efforts.

As Australian Professor Steve Boucher has shown in research,
interval training increases hormones called catecholamines. And
increased catecholamines can reduce appetite, among other fat
burning benefits.

In the real world, few people lose 33 pounds after 12 weeks of
cardio. Heck, few even achieve an average weight loss of 8 pounds with aerobic exercise.

So again, check your appetite, and consider giving high-intensity
exercise a go for your next workout program.

Beat the curse of cardio with high-intensity Turbulence Training.

Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
Author, Turbulence Training

[Via http://weightloss4u2.wordpress.com]

A Good Trainer Is Hard To Find

Finding an effective, qualified trainer will make all of the difference in an individuals training regimen.  I think, too many people find this out the hard way!  We’ve all seen a great deal of trainers who don’t practice what they preach; advising their clients on one thing and doing another.  Now, I’m not saying that every trainer should be an elite athlete and complete specimen of perfect health, but they should be able to back up their talk with results!  That’s what it’s all about and nothing more.  Proper training and guidance is priceless, especially when you get the results you were looking for.
How can a trainer help you achieve your goals, if they can’t reach their own? Chances are, they can’t!
Keeping goals in mind is a huge step towards forward progress.  Sometimes the trick is finding the proper tools necessary to achieve them.  There are numerous ways to to make progress; strength, endurance, cardio, flexibility, body composition, etc… What are you’re goals and can your trainer help you reach them? The results speak for themselves at Rad Boot Camp.
Location: Kinetic Edge Performance, Inc Tamarack Hills 683 Bielenberg Drive Suite 203 Woodbury, MN 55125 Pages: kegym.com http://www.kineticedgeperformance.com/contact.php http://radbootcamp.com/ Any Questions????

[Via http://kettlebellkurt.wordpress.com]

Tough time losing weight

Dear Dr. I WannaWanna,

What kinds of questions should I ask my doctor? I am having a tough time losing weight?

Dear Wanting Doctor’s Support,

Congratulations on your willingness to address your battle with weight loss and to seek medical counsel from your physician. If this is your first reading of my blog, Welcome. As you will see, I am direct and clear.

I start out by calling your Excess Weight: Fat!

So we start again.

Congratulations on your willingness to accept that you Got Fat!      

And 

That you are willing to admit it publicly, here on this blog and hopefully elsewhere,     

And 

that you are also looking for help to rid yourself of your Excess Fat!

Tell your doctor, that you are serious about losing weight and want his/her help. Some doctors have a weight loss plan that they help their patients follow, others don’t.

Regardless, they can provide trusted support as you begin to follow a plan.

The primary questions to ask and have answered are:

Is there anything else going on with my health other than my poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and or stress that is responsible for my Excess Fat?

If there is, Get It Treated!

For many the answer is no. The problem lies in the previously mentioned areas. For sure your physician can monitor your weight, blood pressure, blood and urine.  They can help you determine if there is any physiological or hormonal reason for your Excess Fat.

They can prescribe appropriate medications or treatments to help you balance any imbalances.

They can advise you against any things you shouldn’t do.

Once you begin this conversation with your physician, allow them to suggest their best recommendations. Many know exactly what to do to help you.

That’s it for now.

To your willing development and DOing of Your WannaWanna Fat Fight Plan!

Gary

a.k.a.

Dr. I WannaWanna

www.UGotFat.com

www.com means WannaWannaWellness.com

Please send questions to Gary@UGotFat.com.

[Via http://drwannawanna.wordpress.com]

A rhythm nation is Walking It Out

Watch your back, Just Dance.  A new challenger is ambling toward the title of sleeper video game hit of 2010, or more accurately, “the game the gamers love to hate and everyone else is finding irresistable”.

Of course we’re talking about Walk It Out, which was released 2 months ago and didn’t make much initial noise other than guffawing from game critics.  In WIO, you just walk (or jog or jump) through a cartoony fantasy land called Rhythm Island, using a DDR mat (an Active Life mat also works), balance board or just the remote/nunchuck.  With each step recognized by the game, you get a point, and you spend those points furnishing the nearly-barren island with trees, buildings, fountains and even bridges to other islands, as well as gaining new songs and a daily rainbow.

That’s all there is to it: walk, point and shoot at prize capsules.  Even I thought it sounded a little dumb at first.  But it got some good reviews out of the gate at Amazon, so when they put it up as a one-day special for $10 off, I bit.  And like a growing number of fans – here, here, here and here – I got sucked into the happy little world (Bob Ross would’ve loved it) of Rhythm Island.

Happy little trees! (courtesy of Gamespot)

As with other addicting casual games like Bejeweled and Tetris, simplicity is key.  The easy, monotonous gameplay lets you while away hours, only with Walk It Out, you’re on your feet and burning calories while whiling away.  And while the soundtrack isn’t as party-in-a-box as Just Dance or We Cheer, it is huge (120 songs) and has a variety of both genres and tempos.

Wii often gets criticized for being standard-def in a high-def world, but Rhythm Island has terrific detail for its graphical limitations, from drifting clouds to shifting shadows in breeze-blown cherry blossom trees.  Cows moo and streams whisper as you stroll past.  And depending on the time of day, the island changes from sunny days to starry nights, or you can unlock the “magical” clock and warp to whatever time you choose.  Most of the time, though, I stick to real-life time, whether it’s a mid-morning walk in the blazing sun (no need for sunscreen or bug spray), an after-dinner sunset stroll, or a late-night walk in lieu of Jay or SNL – or a midnight raiding of the fridge.

Walk It Out is also very well-designed as a fitness game, with enough profiles for 6 people to track BMI, calories, steps and distance.  I’ll go into those record screens in detail in a future post.  Two can play, and it’s ideal for families.  My 8-year-old has been enthusiastically playing the game nearly every day.

This game combines pick-up-and-play simplicity, the fantasy-world attraction of  Animal Crossing or Farmville, mostly-good tunes, and a healthy angle into a can’t-miss package.  It also has much less of a learning curve than DDR, and superior workout record-keeping.  (I just got DDR Hottest Party 3, which I’ll review in another post; it’s improved over previous editions, but workout mode is still lame.)  With Walk It Out and/or Just Dance for cardio plus Wii Fit and/or EA Sports Active for strength and flexibility, you could have yourself a very well-rounded exercise program on the Wii.

[Via http://arrowdynamicmom.wordpress.com]

Weighty

My weight has been a source of problem since I started puberty.  My body was growing at a rapid rate, and I did not know what to do with it.  Plus, there was this implied prohibition against the activities I enjoyed prior to my entry into womanhood.   As a child, I was quite active.  I enjoyed rigorous activities that burned many, many calories.  I ran, I jumped, I competed against the other kids in the neighborhood.  That all stopped after my first period.  It seemed that all the tomboyish activities I enjoyed so much were now forbidden to me.  Entering puberty meant the end of the games.  I had to be a lady now.  I had to behave with decorum, not get dirt on my clothes, or play with boys.  Immediately, I started to gain weight.  My body was no longer active, thus I was unable to use all the calories I was consuming.  Simply put, I was gaining weight.

As I became more and more housebound, I gained more and more weight.  I couldn’t break the cycle.  My parents made matters worse by ridiculing me for my weight gain.  I was even nicknamed “pig.”  This habit of teasing me and taunting me about my weight continued for years.  Throughout middle school I gained more weight.  I became more withdrawn and I lived in a dream world where I was thin and popular.  In high school, I retreated into my dream world nearly full time.  I had elaborate fantasies about my alternate life, which was always much more exciting and wonderful than my reality. 

My senior year in college I started to exercise regularly.  I lived in Morrison Hall, which had a workout room on the first level.  I would get up and exercise for an hour or so before going to breakfast.  This routine was wonderful.  I was able to maintain, then lose some weight.  In fact, I went down to about 150 pounds.  That was probably the lowest I weight since before my weight gain. 

After graduation, I moved back in with my parents, and tried to maintain a regular exercise routine, but I never quite managed it as I did the year before.  I slowly, but surely gained weight.  It was noticeable by the spring of 2003.  My arms were tight in the sleeves of blouses that were loose in the fall of 2002.  By the time I moved to Los Angeles, I was about 165. 

In 2003, I joined the faculty at a middle in South Los Angeles.  I gained and lost the same 10 pounds every semester.  I was mildly depressed the whole time I worked at that school.  The stress level was much higher than I had ever experienced in my whole life.  I took comfort in food.

I tried several times to lose enough weight to get to the recommended range for my height.  I’m 5′2″ and I should weigh between 100 and 135.

At my heaviest I was 186 pounds.  This was right before my trip to China.  I lost about 5 pounds in China.  This was mostly due to the fact that I was sick and the food wasn’t very good.  However, I noticed the weight loss and the I noticed the way my clothes were fitting differently on my body.  I decided then that I must put in a determined effort to get to a healthy weight.

Upon my return I looked into gym membership, but was not satisfied with any of them.  So, I put off signing up for gym membership.  I found a treadmill on Costco.com that was on sale, so I decided after a couple of days to buy the treadmill.  I have not been totally committed to an exercise routine as I was in college, but I am more active than I have been for over a year.  I am now about 176.

Having spent some time thinking about my weight and the reasons why I couldn’t stick to a diet plan or an exercise plan, I’ve come to the realization that my weight is symptomatic of my unhappiness with my life.  Knowing this, and acknowledging it is helping me to deal with my weight and my attempts to lose some of it.  I hope to lost about 20 pounds by my 30th birthday; if I lose more than that, so much the better.

[Via http://randomlypersonal.wordpress.com]

*Cough*

Oh, what a week! I have been stressing so thoroughly over my fitness and my cruise that I have developed a beyond-pesky stuffy nose. I sniffle twenty-four/seven, I keep getting dizzy and I have a really hard time sleeping because I can hardly breathe. It blows. But I currently have no insurance so seeing a doctor is out of the question. *Sigh and Shrug* I am just going to have to try to treat myself with liberal amounts of Dayquil and Dimetapp and pray I get over it before our cruise.

Sadly, though, I do not think I am going to be able to utilize my elliptical again today. I simply cannot risk it with my center of gravity in the toilet. However, I can do some strength training, since it is close to the floor. It may not burn as many calories but it is better than nothing, right? *Shrug* I was planning on just doing some strength training next week so my muscles could rid themselves of any swelling. Maybe I am just getting started early. I am going without exercise completely two or three days before the trip so I am properly rested. I am still planning on dieting so I sincerely hope that taking it easy does not set me back. *Another Shrug* Please pray for me. I really, really want to feel good about the way I look while we are on vacation. I will be terribly stressed if I don’t, as shallow as that might sound. *Sigh* Okay,well I have no statistics or anything so that is truly all for now. Adios, mi bonitas!

The Damsel

[Via http://damselindasweats.wordpress.com]

How Can I Lose Belly Fat Fast and Get Slim and Smart

In order to lose your belly fat and get lean you must concentrate on two important factors i.e your diet and your schedule of work outs. You need to increase your physical activity and eat less. There is no sole solution to lose belly fat. You can lose belly fat by altering your eating habits and follow an effective schedule of workouts.

Include more of cardio exercises in your daily schedule, but you must perform those workouts by the highest intensity level then only you will notice the outcome. You need to have some interval between workouts as it gives your body time to recover and to let you work at the optimum intensity repeatedly. Always try to modify your work outs, if you continue to perform those same exercises, your body will get accustomed to. Then it does not affect your body. Performing cardio work outs at the same speed means lowering the rate of metabolism; this may result in loss of muscles.

In order to burn your stomach fat fast you need to follow the interval training routines.

Do not just initiate interval training directly. First and the foremost thing is to complete the aerobic exercises for around thirty minutes at a slow pace. In order to build stamina, start performing cardio at a low intensity. You can include some walks or running at a slow speed for fifteen minutes. After this when you have built sufficient stamina, work up for more time. When you accomplish till this level, now you are prepared to do some strenuous workouts.

Gold Level: In this level, you are required to do some warm ups for around five minutes which includes running or jogging in an average speed and then run for say, one minute, start jogging at slow speed for one minute, walk for a minute, repeat these till you have finished twenty minutes in total. Do not involve warm ups in twenty minutes. Cool down and stretch.

Platinum Level: Here you also require initiating warm up for five minutes or slight jogging. Jog at a slow pace and run for half minute, slow down jogging for a minute again run for half minute and repeat till you have finished 9-10 sets of jogging and running. You must involve at least fifteen minutes in total. Do not involve warm ups in this process. Cool down and stretch. Here your heart rate must be ninety five percent at the time of high intensity running intervals and it must be sixty to sixty five percent or less at the time of low intensity jogging intervals.

You must perform cardio work outs in the morning hours, it is much effective. The most important thing is that you must be consistent and you will observe the results by using an outstanding method of losing belly fat interval training.

If you continue working at high intensity level, you would promote the release of your muscle building and fat burning hormones. It helps in increasing your metabolic rate to get rid of extra calories after your workout is completed.

Find information on How to Lose Belly Fat and Get a Flat Stomach. Read effective ways to Get Rid of Belly Fat naturally.

[Via http://homeremediesblog.wordpress.com]

An Unexpected Glimpse in the Mirror

Has this ever happened to you? You unexpectedly catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror. Because you weren’t intentionally looking, some new fact about yourself sneaks up on you. You don’t recognize something about yourself.

I had that experience yesterday in spin class. I was wearing a sleeveless technical shirt. I caught a reflection of myself in a side mirror. And there it was. Something I thought I might never see, but always hoped I would. I saw my tricep muscle.

I was so proud and stoked, this morning I woke up before my 4:05 alarm, ready to hit the gym. I hope I’ll do the same tomorrow.

All because my tricep was showing.

[Via http://482gr8.wordpress.com]

The hardest days...

are the ones when you just don’t want to get out there.  You have the time and you have your running clothes on and you just don’t want to go.  Today was one of those types of days.  I’m happy to say I still made myself run, but it was definitely a mental struggle.

On a happier note, however, I saw the boy last night for the first time in a couple of weeks; and it went exceedingly well.  And I still found time to run yesterday.

I’m worried about weighing in Friday because two weeks ago I was .8 lbs over my goal weight and last week I was (sigh) 2.2 lbs over my goal weight.  And, quite frankly, I’m pretty sure there’s no way I lost 3.2 lbs this week to put me back on track.  But if I lost more than my one-pound-per-week goal, I’ll live with that because I’ll know that eventually I’ll make up that 3.2 lbs.

But now it’s time for me to call it an evening because I’m utterly exhausted.  More tomorrow….

[Via http://theplumpvegan.wordpress.com]

Speaking out about anorexia

Inga's story appears in the current issue of Reveal magazine

Magazines and newspapers are always interested in hearing from women (and men) who’ve overcome eating disorders and this week, Reveal magazine featured our client Inga Radziejewski.

Inga is a successful model who has battled anorexia. At the height of her illness, despite being a size 00, was still deemed too ‘fat’ for the catwalk by a number of fashion brands.

Inga now fronts a campaign called ‘Models of Diversity’ run by Sinclair Model Management, and the article was a great way of raising awareness of the campaign as well as inspiring other women who are currently suffering from anorexia.

If you’ve experienced an eating disorder and would like to share your story of recovery with a newspaper or magazine, email us on message@talktothepress.com. Perhaps, like Inga, your dress size stopped you from pursuing your dream? Whatever your eating disorder story, we would like to hear from you. You can also get in touch with us by completing the sell story form on our website.

[Via http://sellmystory.wordpress.com]

Super-size Me.

If you haven’t watched the documentary “super size me” you should. I know, it’s old and everyone has adleast heard about it but last night was the first time that I actually sat through the whole thing.

OMG

In case you haven’t seen it let me give you a little run down; a middle aged something young male decides that he will eat McDonalds and only Mcdonalds for breakfast, lunch and dinner for 30 days. Here are some of the things that happpened to his body;

1. In one month he gains about 25 pounds and it takes him about 5 months to lose it all
2. His liver started to shut down. Infact his liver looked the same way that an achocolic liver looks
3. His sex drive went from normal to non-existant.
4. He had breathing problems, headachs when he did not eat Mcdonalds.
5. He showed the same signs as a person addicted to herion

Now granted that he went to the extreme; but eating fast food is bad for you, horrible for you it can be argued that Mcdonalds and other fast food chains like it will be responsible for the deaths of millions of people around the world……………..

and yet……

ba, ba, ba, I’m lovin’ it??????

Makes you think….
Cheers,
Janet

[Via http://5lbsatatime.wordpress.com]

Clean Sheets

Today was a day that had molasses in the middle.  I started out well, think I ended okay, but man, I was working so hard today and didn’t dodge the 8-ball whatsoever.

Yesterday was the start of a vent.  I kind of feel like I need to keep talking but I feel like I’ve said everything I’m comfortable saying.  Like I know the root is still down in the ground, but I don’t want to keep digging in case I hit a power line.  I don’t know what questions are obvious or left hanging.  I don’t want to be the person of yesterday’s post and because this IS the year of change, of tygers burning bright, I decided not to be today.

Today was a little breath of air.  Huge workload I fell under like a suffragette under a horse-drawn carriage, but I didn’t sit around expelling emo and self-pity.   Maybe I was grumpier than was called for at times, but I kept my bootstraps well and truly strapped and I ate like a human being.  I ate for nourishment and not for perfection.   I didn’t throw myself into A++ behavior.  I have C+ behavior today.  I haven’t exercised, but I’m not at home…instead, I’m doing laundry which needed doing in the extreme.  I’m going to get it in tomorrow.  Kind of craving that movement. 

I drank water and had chicken and salad and peppers and shakes and I’m kind of trying to target one thing – perfectionism.  If yesterday’s entry told me anything, it’s that everything revolves around this issue for me.  I am so tightly bound by my internal judgement that I literally am frozen to the spot.   I make these posts about what I didn’t get right, or in my head, I tell myself that if I can just force myself into this mold, I can achieve this supposed greatness.  And that wasn’t what this project was about and it isn’t what was working for me when I started it. 

Kindness towards the self.   The journey.  Bein’ cool with myself for just trying.  Realizing that I do handle a lot of stuff in my life.  That I’m not unhappy.  That  I like trying and I like what I see as results and that’s why I’m doing this, not to become Claudia Schiffer (dated!hotness!reference!) or to dazzle people or to make them suddenly get me.   This is not a project to fix myself and the multitude of flaws that make up who I am.   This is not a pass/fail course.  I fell down and I got back up, even if I only pulled myself to my knees.

This is a girl in process.  Learning.  Becoming. Transmogrifying and challenging her own expectations.  Seeing what she can do and that isn’t always what everyone else can or would want her to do.  I’m already astonished that I’ve been able to keep this record going since January.  I love the fact that everyday, I was here, I was able to manage it.  It means that my will can make a way.

[Via http://lustrata.wordpress.com]

10k swings- 23 days

Ok- others can do better but I feel proud of myself because I hit some personal bests during this challenge. Yesterday I managed 1200 swings and followed that by another 720 today despite the fatigue.

I swung an extra 120 just in case I miscounted somewhere along the line. Then I re-counted on kettlebell inc and discovered an extra 100 swings. So the final total is 10,220 swings in 23 days.The last 100 was with the 20kg and then I wanted to swing the 24kg just to show off- some guy gave me a disparaging look whilst I was doing warm up swings with the 12kg, so I did 20 with 24kg just to show  could.

[Via http://kettlebellqueen.wordpress.com]

You Haven't Been to the Gym in a While, Have You?

Well, she did it. She went back to The Damned Gym.

Since it had been a while, it took some planning.

First, where’s the gym bag?

Found it! So much for that excuse. Great! OK, let’s see what’s inside. Two pair of stretchy pants and a T-shirt. Not sure how long they’ve been rolled up in there, and not wanting to show up at the gym in wrinkly pants that are too small, Bunny tossed them in the laundry and threw in a fresh T-shirt and a pair of nice, friendly, loose black pants she knew would work. Bunny is too big and way too old for those cute little stretchy haltery toppy things.

Shoes? Check.

Socks? There’s one. hmmm…where did she put the little white socks? hmmm…. oh, there’s one. OK, unfortunately we have everything we need.

Gym bag and workout routine safely in the car, off she went to work. It was a pretty difficult day, and Bunny toyed with the possibility of skipping the workout. Maybe she could do it tomorrow instead? To keep to the every-other-day schedule her physical therapist had threatened her with strongly recommended, she would have to do it again on Saturday. No, she knew she would kick herself if she had to go to the gym after work Friday night. Friday night is for going out to dinner, not exercising. It was bad enough she had to ruin her blessed Saturday.

So, headache and all, after work, Bunny headed for the gym. After some discussion at the front desk about her membership, what an old keycard she had, and wow, she must not have been here in a while, Bunny headed off to the locker room.

Bunny is just not comfortable at the gym. We know that if she would just get into a routine, she would be, but the fact is that she is not. She’s intimidated. Everyone is thinner and fitter than her. It’s a fact that every single person in there goes to the gym every single day. They’re all looking at her wondering what she’s doing here, how she got in that condition, and why she’s even bothering. She’s sure of it.

So, she meekly puts on her workout clothes. Pulling the T-shirt out of her bag, she discovers that her nice, sedate, don’t-look-at-me black Virgin Islands T-shirt has a huge orange fish on the back.

How embarrassing.

Something else for people to mock her about.

Maybe she should just go home?

No, she would have to hide it as best she could. She grabbed a towel and tossed it not so casually over her shoulder, making every attempt to hold the towel in a way that covered the monstrous orange fish.

Bunny went to the room where she knew the treadmills were. There they were. OK, the recumbent bikes must be here too. hmmm… ellipticals. Those Stair-Stepper things. No bikes? What the heck?

Maybe she should just go home?

She went to the front desk. Feeling like an idiot, she asked the 20-year-old size-zero blonde where she could find the recumbent bikes.

Oh, you haven’t been here in a while, have you?  The bikes are in the next building, just outside the spin room.

Bunny’s gym is in an office complex that has three buildings. It wasn’t designed to be a gym, and as they have expanded, they have opened rooms in other buildings. You have to go outside. So, she did. She found the next building. She tried to open the door. Locked. She walked around the building. No entry. No lights on.

Is this a trick?

Maybe she should just go home?

Feeling like even more of an idiot, she walked back to the front desk and asked Ms. Size Zero what she was missing.

Oh, we’re so sorry! It’s up one level. Just go outside and up the stairs, then turn left and there you are.  You haven’t been here in a while, have you?

So, Bunny finally found the recumbent bikes. There were eight of them. She chose one far away from two women who were chatting on neighboring bikes, but not so far away that it was obvious she was trying to stay away from them. She didn’t want any trouble.

She hopped on, adjusted the seat, put her feet under the straps on the pedals, started to pedal, decided that she wasn’t comfortable with the position her feet were in, put her feet on top of the straps instead, and pushed the button.

It asked her how long she wanted to ride.

10 minutes, thank you.

What level?

One. Definitely one.

Then it asked her how much she weighs.

EXCUSE ME?????

This is a warm-up! She’s supposed to pedal slowly so as not to hurt her not-quite-recovered knee, for 10 minutes, and not worry about how fast she goes. She wasn’t about to type in her weight. The guy on the Stair-Steppy thing in the row behind her is watching every move the fat old lady with the big orange fish on her back is making, and she’s not going to tell him her weight. No way!

Maybe she should just go home?

She managed to cancel the request, and the nosy bike allowed her to proceed with her warm-up.

She pedaled for ten minutes. She looked around to see who was watching her. They were being sneaky about it. The two women were still chatting, and a guy a few machines away kept saying “SHHHH!” They kept chatting. She hoped there wasn’t a rumble.

Pedaling reasonably happily, Bunny flipped through the channels on the TV mounted atop her bike (nice!), making a mental note to bring earphones next time.

She kept adjusting her towel to make sure it was covering the stupid fish.

As she progressed toward the end of her 10-minute warm-up, she looked around to see where she could go to find a mat for the next part of her routine. She saw three mats. All were in use.

Maybe she should just go home?

She stepped off the bike and walked outside and back to the front desk in building one. Giving up on feeling idiotic, now she was just annoyed. She asked the skinny bitch her helpful new friend where she could find a mat on which to do her floor exercises.

Oh, sure! There are mats in the room with the bikes, outside the spinning room, some more in the room upstairs in this building, just go up the stairs, turn left and kind of look to the right, or there are more in the room downstairs in the basement, but it’s the second room on the right, not the third room on the left, which does have mats, but there’s going to be a yoga class in there soon, so don’t go in there.

You haven’t been here in a while, have you?

Maybe she should just go home.

[Via http://bmarisol.wordpress.com]

WIN Natural Health Supplements - Testimonials and Success Stories

Top of Their Game 
Professional athletes and weekend warriors alike enjoy WIN’s high-quality products because they help them experience incredible results and achieve their goals.

Fitness Competitor Excels
“After one month of taking WIN’s products, I saw an amazing change with dancing, weight training, and even focusing in class!” says Nez.

Achieving the Big Win!
“Thanks to the products I had my first outright career win. To this day I am convinced these products helped me perform beyond expectations,” shares Michael, race-car driver.

Ronald- Marathon Runner at 65
At 65 years of age, Ronald is an accomplished marathon runner and has no intentions of slowing down thanks to WIN’s products!

Increased Endurance on the Slopes
Snowboarding is Doug’s passion and now he’s enjoying it more than ever with improved endurance and stamina.

Ellen Lost 33 Pounds
As a stay-at-home mother of four, Ellen enjoys everything motherhood has to offer. That is, except for the weight she gained after having her children.

Eliëtte Lost 50 Pounds
“For more than 25 years I was very frustrated with being overweight and, in spite of my best efforts trying to lose weight, my weight kept increasing.”

Carla Lost 64 Pounds
Carla tried losing weight time after time, with no results. She finally came to the point where she accepted that she would always be overweight.

Nathalie Lost 80 Pounds!
With the help of WIN’s products, she lost 80 pounds and is feeling happy and confident with herself.

A New Life – 100 lbs Later
This 40-year-old mother of three feels she truly has a new lease on life.

A New Perspective
Graduating from college and a bright future are in the cards for this student.

A Clear Mind
This wife and mother finds victory over her tiresome life and is spending time with family again.

Improving Family Life
This couple is busy enjoying life the way they’ve always wanted to and are sharing their results with everyone.

Discovering a New Complexion
For 20 years Irene, of Wijchen, Netherlands, has suffered with a condition that would make people stop and stare.

SEE MORE TESTIMONIALS OR PRODUCT SUCCESS STORIES

CONTACT US TO GET DISCOUNTS WITH THESE WIN NATURAL HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS.

[Via http://healthymeandyou.wordpress.com]

The Monkey May Be Off My Back, But...

“The monkey may be off my back, but the circus is still in town.”

I heard that today in a recovery meeting. It’s one of those little nuggets I’ll never forget. And it’s so true.

I had another opportunity to thank my boss for letting me work from home yesterday afternoon. She knows I work a program of recovery and while she’s supportive, it’s not something we need to discuss very often. Today I told her that because I was feeling so overwhelmed yesterday, I found myself wanting to use sugar to take the edge off, but that for me there is no such thing as “one time use to take the edge off.” I told her I only have a daily reprieve and I guard my recovery as if my life depends on it…because it does.

I’m glad that yesterday my Higher Power gave me the wisdom to know that it wasn’t sugar, or alcohol, or pills I needed. What I needed was time alone to work on projects, cross things off my list, and feel accomplished.

Today I was back in the office and completed a writing/desktop publishing assignment by 11 a.m. I felt great the rest of the day. Even though I didn’t feel like I needed to go to a lunch hour meeting, I did so anyway. I’m glad I did because I learned that for me, the circus is still in town.

[Via http://482gr8.wordpress.com]

I Hate My Scale Today!

me and my scale

I’m becoming obsessed with my scale and I hate it! Today I gained a pound, it’s frustrating because I’m so good with my diet and exercise. I mean you should have seen me in the living room with Turbo Jam, I really brought it! I keep telling myself you really started exercising for two months, give it time but it’s been TWO WHOLE MONTH! I don’t understand what’s taking so long…Forgive me I’m really pissed.

I feel a little better writing about it. I just have to punch and kick the air harder in my next workout. I’m so impatient when it comes to weight loss.

[Via http://wesoslim.wordpress.com]

Count Down To New Life On Earth

At 51.5 years old I can say that I have pretty much lived my life, for better or worse,  any way I wanted to. And it shows. I am over 200 lbs over weight. My body is riddled with arthritis and other physical ailments. I have blood pressure issues. I have sleep apnea and use a Bi-PAP machine that I cannot live without. (I have literally died and self resuscitated myself over 100 times). All this for the sake of living the high life. 

What is the high life? For many years I was a recreational drug user. I smoked a lot of pot. Hit some of the hard stuff every now and again. Stayed up way too late and partied way too often. I ate whatever I wanted and sometimes ate when I really didn’t want anything. My life has been filled with poor choices over everything that has to do with my body. 

Now, after all of these years of self-abuse, a change is on the horizon. It is a self-inflicted change that there is no going back from. And it will change the way I manage my body, and my life,  from now until the day I die an earthly death. 

Proverbs 3:5 (New International Version)

 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
       and lean not on your own understanding; 

Colossians 1:10 (New International Version)

10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 

Psalm 18:46 (New International Version)

 46 The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock!
       Exalted be God my Savior! I am renewing myself before God. I am cleansing myself of some of the horrible temptations of gluttony I have faced on this earth and rejuvenating my body that I might live a physical life more pleasing to God. The Holy Spirit is with me, the one who as part of the Trinity, and is the doorway of communication with God on this earth. I am reconciled before him. I lift up this entire process in the name of Jesus Christ. I am yours oh Lord. 

Thursday, March 5th, marks the first day of my preparation for weight-loss surgery. On March 19th I will undergo surgery to place a lap-band inside my earthly body to restrict what I can put in it because I cannot control it on my own. This entire process I lay at the feet of Jesus. I ask that Jesus use me in whatever way he sees fit as a living testimony of my will to commit long-term to serving him. May this become a ministry tool to help others change their lives for the Glory of God. 

Where we go from here is yet to be determined. But the pathway has been laid. What will you give up to better be able to serve and honor God? Welcome to the journey!

[Via http://suthrn1.wordpress.com]

1 : Marie Claire's Four Week Routine

Hey guys, Lydia here. 130 pounds today, with 133 pounds two weeks ago. It’s a great start, but I guess it’s probably because of puberty. Unfortunately, I’ll have to be a procrascinator and say that I’ll begin my workouts tommorow – after all, I have a Chem 11 test this Friday, and I haven’t even studied yet due to a long Law exam this morning. I’m not really worried though; after all, tommorow’s a great day to start – I have Phys. ed, guaranteeing me a good half hour in the weight room. In other words, a great start to my long weight loss journey. [Not to mention, today a classmate joked about my overweightness. It was somewhat of a stab at my self-esteem, but hey. All the more reasons to lose the weight!]

So recently, I’ve discovered a great weight loss site – Marie Claire. It’s for adult women, but nonetheless with some editing, I think it’ll fit my schedule and my needs. Here it goes:

SUNDAY
Target your butt, legs, and abs.

What to do:

30 minutes of cardio activity

20 squats

20 lunges

25 dead lifts

40 crunches

1 minute of skipping rope jumps

40 alternating lunges

20 bicycle crunches

40 reverse curls

MONDAY
Target your arms and chest

What to do:

30 minutes of cardio activity

20 chest presses

20 chair dips

40 biceps curls (20 per arm) holding a five- to eight-pound weight

20 dumbells

20 rows

60 karate kicks

TUESDAY
Target your back and shoulders

What to do:

30 minutes of cardio activity

25 jumping jacks holding one- to three-pound weights in each hand

20 lateral raises

40 front raises (20 per arm)

20 shoulder presses
WEDNESDAY
Target your butt, legs, and abs

What to do:

30 minutes of cardio activity

30 donkeys (15 per leg)

15 squats

20 pelvic lifts

40 oblique twists (20 per side)

1 minute of lift-ups

1 minute of leg kicks

1 minute of leg lifts

1 minute of leg holds

1 minute of leg ups

THURSDAY

What to do:

Repeat Monday’s workout

60 Ab stretches

FRIDAY

What to do:

Repeat Tuesday’s workout

SATURDAY

What to do:

Repeat Wednesday’s workout

1 minute of Alternating lunges

1 minute of plank-lunge pushups

Seeing this schedule gives me a sense of guidance. Who knows? Maybe it’ll work. I’ll see how much progress I make after 4 weeks.

Anyway, catch you guys later! Time to get working on that chemistry…

Created by MyFitnessPal – Nutrition Facts For Foods

[Via http://lyliaepiphany.wordpress.com]

Shangri La

I’ve had a lot of friends email or message me about the Shangri La Diet (SLD) which is convenient because I was already planning to write about it today!  Way to be on the same page, guys!

I first read about SLD in a book called, ‘Freakonomics’, by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt.  The SLD was discovered by Seth Roberts, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California at Berkley.  He was not happy with several things in his life, insomnia, acne, being overweight, etc…and decided to do something about it.  Relying on self-experimentation and using the scientific method, he researched and put into practice several different theories until he finally, one by one, was able to change the things in his life that he was unhappy with.  When it came to weight loss, he dubbed his new eating style the Shangri La Diet.

In a nutshell, SLD is based on the theory that, our world and our brains have progressed, basically, we’re all still cavemen when it comes to food.  When there is an abundance of food and lots of variety, our bodies tell us, “Eat, eat, eat!!  There will be famine later, let’s stock up your fat supply now so that we can live on it when we need to!” and, when there isn’t a lot of food, very bland food, or not a lot of variety it, our bodies say, “Whoa, whoa, whoa!  Let’s slow that metabolism down, we’re obviously in a famine and we’ll supplement with your fat reserve.”  When there’s less food available, your body actually makes you less hungry and, when there’s tons of food, your body tells you to binge.  Doesn’t make much sense today in our modern world, does it.  I’m very blessed to live in a time and place where, if I’m hungry, I can run to the grocery store and choose from thousands of food items from all around the world.  Basically, my body has had 32 years of prepping for famine and, guess what, it’s not happening in my life anytime soon!

So, what are your options if you want to short-circuit this caveman program?  You can’t starve yourself, that will just lead to your body hoarding your body fat.  You could eat bland, boring food all the time to trick your body but, really, who is going to be able to sustain that kind of diet?  In no time at all, you’ll be bingeing on cake and ice cream!  Seth Roberts’ theory is that, if you give yourself ‘falvorless’ calories once or twice a day, that will be enough to trick your body and then you can eat whatever you want the rest of the time.  The flavorless calories he suggests are, 1-4 TBSP of Extra Light Olive Oil (ELOO) or sugar-water per day.  The flavorless calories actually cause appetite suppression which leads to eating less (obviously) but without triggering the ‘I’m starving!’ alarms that cause your body to hoard its fat reserves.

Sounds pretty easy, doesn’t it?  Well, like anything else, it does have stumbling blocks.  For me, it’s the texture of the oil as I take that quick shot in the morning.  It doesn’t taste bad at all but, that .o5 seconds where the oil is actually in my mouth is enough to trigger my gag reflex most days.  Most people would, if they had a problem with the oil, switch to the sugar-water but, since I have PCOS and I’m pre-diabetic, I really am supposed to limit my carbs and my brain just kind of rebels at the thought of drinking plain sugar-water as horribly unhealthy, even though I’m fine drinking juice or soda.  When you think about it, soda could be hundreds of times worse, with all those chemicals and dyes!  Another thing to watch out for is making sure you eat only when you’re hungry, not just because it’s dinner time or you’re going to be hungry later, it defeats the whole purpose!

In my experience, I’ve discovered a lot of unexpected benefits to SLD that totally outweigh the gag factor.  Besides the fact that I started experiencing appetite suppression the very first day, I’ve also linked the ELOO to better and easier sleep, my skin clearing up, my hair being healthier and less pain in my joints.  An awesome side-effect for me is that, when I am hungry, I’m craving lighter foods like fruits and vegetables and I’m thirsty for water all the time!

That being said, I haven’t been perfect in taking it.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve taken it for a week and I need to get back on the horse!  If you do decide to try the SLD, I would suggest reading the book, The Shangri La Diet by Seth Roberts.  Barnes & Noble has it for about $4.  If you’re too eager and you want to try it right away, the least you need to know is, make sure to take your flavorless calories in the middle of a two-hour window so as not to cause your brain to associate the calories with the other flavors.  I usually take it right when I wake up in the morning and hold off breakfast for at least an hour though, usually, I’m not hungry until lunch time.  conversely, you could take it at bedtime as long as you haven’t eaten for at least an hour before.  Also, unless you have over 50lbs to lose, start at 1 TBSP per day and see how you feel.  If 1 TBSP doesn’t really change your appetite, slowly work your way up, never exceeding 4 TBSP per day.

I hope that answers all your questions!  If you have any others that weren’t covered, please post them in the comments and I’ll be happy to answer them!  Also, if you try SLD, let us know what you think and about your experiences!

[Via http://homecanbeheaven.wordpress.com]

1 . Order your free, miracle prayer cloth right now!

Our building’s fitness center is outfitted with ellipticals, weight machines and treadmills. There are three televisions, and the good treadmill has one placed directly above it. That’s what makes it the good one, and today I got up early enough to beat my neighbors to it. Channel surfing twice as fast as I was walking, an infomercial for a blood of Jesus prayer cloth caught my attention. The messenger, a curious man who probably burns more calories in thirty minutes of peddling than I did on the treadmill, promised all kinds of miracles from healing to wealth. But you had to act quickly and order, right now!

I wouldn’t mind a miracle. You see, thirty two pounds ago (or, exactly one year, if you prefer time measures) I was finally nearing my ideal weight. The year before that, I had transitioned from a sedentary, overeating lifestyle to one of daily exercise and sensible eating. I was very happy. I bought sexy jeans and pointy shoes. I felt like a new person. And when my birthday came along, I decided to celebrate big by indulging in my favorite food, veggieburgers! I was exercising so much and eating so well, that I lost weight even while eating 31 veggieburgers in 31 days.  A couple of months later, though, I found myself lapsing back into my old, lazy ways. Tons of other fun and happy things were happening around me; I got distracted, and now I’m back where I started.

There will be no 31 veggieburgers sequel. Instead, I intend to celebrate my 32nd birthmonth (birthdays are for sissies) by kick starting my weight loss journey. And I know just the thing to do…it’s a bit of ancient wisdom, a twofold key to being fit and healthy, and the only tried and true way: eat less and exercise more. To accomplish this, I will be using the Weight Watchers system and exercising one to two hours a day. You might say, “What’s the big deal? Tons of people do that.” Yeah, but I hate, double-hate, exercise and I love, double-love, eating. “Oh yeah, you and half the world.” Okay, but I’m going to blog about it. “Yeah, ‘cause what the world needs now is just one more weight loss blog!” Okay, now you’re just being rude.

As I laughed at the man peddling the miracle cloth on TV this morning, I thought, “wouldn’t it be nice if that really worked?!” First thing I would do is pray for a faster metabolism, like that of my friend in college who lived on a diet of Sonic and Dr. Pepper and was thin as a rail.  I picked up my phone to write down the number (just for laughs, seriously!) and then I realized I already had a miracle cloth, sitting in front of me: it’s called a gym towel.

Have any tips, advice, questions or jokes? Leave a comment!

Today’s Numbers

WW Points: 27.5 (of 32)

Treadmill: 60 mins (3.5% incline, 3.5 speed)

Pilates: 20 mins

Pushups: 12

[Via http://32poundsago.wordpress.com]

Today's Gratitude

I have a Facebook friend who recently posted something about how no one wants to hear about your daily gratitude journal. I happen to disagree with that. Not only would I enjoy reading other people’s daily gratitudes, but I think I’m going to start posting some. Because it’s my freaking blog and I can do whatever I want. I don’t care if anyone reads it or not. It’s more for my own documentary purposes.

My therapist has suggested I do the daily gratitude thing to break the habit of negative thinking. I”m not sure that’s going to be a remedy for all my craziness, but I’m willing to try. She said to shoot for two things per day and that they don’t have to be huge things. Maybe just that the sun is shining.

Today I am grateful for:

Jack Johnson

I’ve lost four pounds since becoming a vegetarian recently. Yay!

[Via http://meggitymegs.wordpress.com]

Tacky, Trashy and Frumpy=Fat Girl Fashion

Designers have no clue. Really, they don’t.  Herein is my conundrum and the conundrum of every woman of size.

Our clothing sucks!

Seriously. It truly sucks. Not only does it suck the life out you, but we look like shit wearing it.  There I said it.

Being in my mid-30’s, I don’t feel I can pull of the uber-hip clothing at Torrid, but I sure as hell am not lusting over the Mu mu section at “FatGalsRUs”.

That being said, I have been combing the internet. Looking in every store in my town that carries my sizes and for what? Nada.  Oh, don’t get me wrong, if I want to  look tacky, trashy and/or frumpy, I can find what I am looking for.   Where is the sophisticated elegance?  The fantastic career clothes? The quality fabrics?

Let me tell you where they are.

In my imagination.

I don’t expect to look like a supermodel. I just want to look like me. The transition I am going through is hard enough, but to have to deal with it while looking like a Haus Frau just isn’t going to work.

Why am I being so picky?  Well, I am going to be on tv. Not a long sketch, but anywhere from 5-7 minutes. I have to feel confident about myself so that I don’t go up there and totally fuck it up.  What I would love to do is for to wear a nice, boring black outfit–which will totally make me look like ass. Let’s face it, my metalhead phase is long gone and I am none worse for the wear.

However, I do know what suits me. It is not what I am finding. A swing top? Gorgeous, forget it. I look pregnant. Turtleneck. Sure, I want to look like my boobs go all the way up to my chin. Skinny pants? Listen, I want to balance my ass out, not make it look like something you are supposed to orbit around.

Aaack!

After weeks of searching, worrying and fretting more than a hypochondriac in a doctors office, I found a dress. Wait, listen for the trumpets heralding with joy.  Located in San Francisco is a nice little operation called Igigi. They make clothes for plus-sized women and it looks great!  It’s a relief actually. I don’t look like a beached whale coming up for air and tempting people to stab me in my blowhole.

Quite literally. It’s time for designers to throw us a bone, there are more of us than the models on the runway.

[Via http://fatgalonamission.wordpress.com]

Day 4 - Learned a Very Important Lesson Today.

Oh, my goodness!!

I am going to start by saying I am not going to even post what I ate today cause if I do I will cry. I did journal and keep track today, it’s not that I didn’t cause I swear I did. Before I continue let me tell you the story that made me decide why I will not post my food count for today.

So, every once in a while my parent like to have chicken pot pies from Boston Market. Since, I myself don’t have Boston Market regularly because there is not one near where I live I figured..”:Hey, Why not?” I realize that pot pies are high in caloric value but I assumed that it wouldn’t be to high. Boy was I wrong!! I ate it then checked the calories and ugh!! 800 CALORIES!!! Now granted I did not eat the outer pie shell (which is the best part) so, it probably was not as many calories as it actually was, but still it was a lot.

Now I can not stress this enough. People before you put it in your mouth make sure you know how many calories it contains. Knowledge is Power and if I would have known maybe I would not have done it.

I have just had a “FOOD” day I haven’t eaten anything not healthy we aside from the pot pie, but everything  else was high in calories so it REALLY ADDED UP!!

Well, I already told ya the worst so I might as well just post it lol.

So here it is:

Day 4

Breakfast

Homemade Western Omelet – 271 calories
Blueberry Coffee Cake – 240 calories
Grapes (1 cup) 62 calories
Coffee with milk & sugar – 145 calories

Lunch

Salad – 32 calories
(containing lettuce, tomato, & cucumber only, no dressing)
Salisbury Steak on a bun 212 (steak) 130 (bun)

Dinner

Chicken Pot Pie (of death) 800 calories, (probably less since I didn’t eat the pie shell.)

Snack

1 fiber plus bar – 120 calories
tea – 70 calories

Total = 2,082  yikes!!!  NO MORE BOSTON MARKET POT PIES!!!

PLEASE PEOPLE CHECK THE CALORIES BEFORE YOU PUT IT IN YOUR MOUTH.

[Via http://theskinny2010.wordpress.com]

It's a new beginning...kind of

It was just this past week that I really started getting serious, really serious about losing my pregnancy weight.  For a couple of weeks, maybe a month I have cut my calorie intake and saw at one point a 5 lbs. weight loss in a week, to only learn that I gained it back over a weekend.  Nobody I’ve asked can figure out why it happened, maybe too much sodium intake, no idea.  At any rate, it was at that point that I decided I needed to get serious about this weight loss or I was going to keep this weight on for the rest of my life.

3 days old

But let me back it up a bit.  Almost 16 months ago, January 31, 2008 I found out I was pregnant for the third time with our first child.  I had two miscarriages before this pregnancy and so though I was elated to be pregnant, there was still some anxiety as to whether I would actually get to experience pregnancy this time.  8 months later, at 35 weeks (due to preeclampsia) I gave birth to Sawyer James, 5 lbs. 3oz. and 19 in. long. He was and is still perfect.  I was able to breastfeed him for the first 5 months of his life.  I was told around that time that due to my preeclampsia my body was just not going to produce anymore milk and I was going to have to give it up.  I had such mixed emotions about not breastfeeding anymore, I didn’t want to lost out on that time nursing my son because it was so precious to me, but I knew that this may mean a chance to start losing the weight that I thought would have come off from breastfeeding.  As you are probably already guessing, I am not one of those new mom’s who lost my weight within the next few months because I was breastfeeding my child.  When I got pregnant with Sawyer I weighed in at my doctor’s office around 135 lbs. (Height 5′41/2″)  It was more than I had wanted to weight when I got pregnant with my first baby, but it was what it was. Since I had to be induced and didn’t get to my next doctor’s appointment my best guess at how much I weighed when I delivered is somewhere around 170 lbs.  I thought I was doing okay weight wise because I had only gained about 35 lbs, and my doctor told me to stay in the 25-35 lbs range and it should come right off.  Well, with my preeclampsia I am not completely sure that was true.

So now my son is almost 7 months (March 6) and I am, as of a weigh-in yesterday, 145.8.  I am determined to do whatever it takes to lose this weight and get fit again.  Now you may be thinking, well, you only have 10 more lbs to go to be at your pre-pregnancy weight.  True.  However, I’d like to be fit and trim as well, so my goal is 125.  I know when I am at that weight I tend to feel best about myself, I am working out and eating healthy to stay there, and I like the way I feel in my clothes.  That’s really what this is all about isn’t it…feeling good about who you are in what you have to wear.  So I have twenty pounds to lose and I am hoping to do it by May if possible.

So here is my plan and what I hope to blog about each day.  I realized and embraced the reality that the only time I have to work out is in the morning before I feed my son, feed my dogs, and get myself off to work. So this past week I have been getting up at 5:00am and using Exercise TV as my means to exercise.  For those of you who do not know what  Exercise TV is, if you have cable on-demand you may want to check out the channels to find out if it is available to you. (In my local area, the channel is 426)  Since we are currently on one income, I didn’t have money to work out at a gym and the thought of doing the same exercises over and over again from a DVD just didn’t seem appealing, I like variety.  Exercise TV offers a wide variety of options and tells you exactly how long each workout is going to take.  And, for the most part, it is exact.  I say for the most part, because earlier this week I chose a workout and it said 22 minutes but the countdown clock said 42 and I didn’t quite have the time to finish a 42 minute workout.  At any rate, my plan for the next 30 days, if not longer,  is to workout each day taking one day off to rest.  I will blog about the workout that I chose, share how I am feeling, what the exercise felt like to go through, maybe comment on the trainer, and share my food intake, etc.

Thus far I have seen some great benefits to working out.  Since about my first trimester I have had sciatic nerve issues.  I thought it would go away after I had the baby but it didn’t which is why I have been putting off working out for so long and why I stopped working out during my pregnancy.  However, I have done cardio strength workouts, yoga, Pilates, and ab exercises and I have to say, except for the day that I did yoga, which increased the pain, I have had little to no pain since. I think the stretching and poses done during a yoga exercise, aggravated it a bit, but also helped to heal it. I also feel much better about myself already, I can feel some of my muscles again, especially in my abdomen and I am starting to feel stronger. I feel better about what I am putting in my body.  I had found some recipes on food network this past Sunday and made a few of them throughout the week.  I found them to be healthy, though some were lacking in flavor so I’ll have to tweak them for next time around.

Starting today, you’ll begin to read what I do throughout my day, what food I eat (how I liked it or didn’t like it), my mind-set, how my body feels, etc.  I hope that this blog will speak to women who felt the same way I did about their pregnancy weight, but hopefully my actions will encourage them to do what it takes to take it off.  The reality is only I can choose to take off this weight, no one can do it for me and thinking that it’s going to come off on its own or that it will come off later, will not get me anywhere.  The time is now and so I am ceasing the moment and embracing a mantra a close friend once said to me, “I eat to live, not live to eat.” I get one body and it’s my responsibility while I am here on this earth to keep it healthy.

[Via http://sawyersmom.wordpress.com]

Oops.

Oh, hi blog. Forgot about you for a bit. It has been a crazy month. Between sick kids, sleepless nights, and the husband traveling for work I’ve had little to no time to myself. Meaning no time to blog.

What has happened since last entry….lets see. Oh Biggest Loser Challenge, yeah screwed up my last weigh in by eating pizza and beer the Saturday before. Bad! I’ve moved to phase 2 of my plan though. Joined 24 hour fitness, which is perfect for me. Do something productive with those days I’m awake at 4am for no reason whatsoever. My tour guide told me it isn’t busy then, which is good. I don’t go to the gym to socialize. I’m in my own little world. And by that I mean concentrating so I don’t fall off the treadmill.

Work also is offering Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University for employees. So far I like it, so far he’s called me out on several things and it has been kind of an eye opener. For someone who pays bills and does accounting for a living, I’ve not carried that over to my real life. Time to change that….i’ve got things to I want to do, and I’m not gonna get to if I keep going the way we have. Scary wake up call.

Why do I feel like I should re-name this blog “Extreme Makeover Traci Addition” ?

[Via http://strangegirl76.wordpress.com]

Belly Fat Diets

If you spend enough time any time at all on the internet or watching late-night infomercials, you’ll probably hear about the so called belly fat diets.

It’s a very popular way to get you to spend money because the belly and/or love handles are an area that most of us are self-conscious about. Surely if we can take a magic pill to target just our trouble spot and make it all go away, it’s worth every penny right?

Don’t fall for it. Conventional wisdom, and my own personal experience back up the fact that there is no such thing as targeted weight loss. Plain and simple, you don’t get to choose where your body loses weight from, it gets to choose.

“But my buddy started the belly fat diet and it worked like magic!”

I don’t doubt it! Your buddy probably has a problem with visceral fat and that is exactly the type of fat that will almost always come off first. It’s not a special diet that’s creating success, that’s how the body is designed to work.

Visceral fat is the fat that exists under the abdominal muscles, among your internal organs — the so-called “pot belly”. This is the fat that doctors are so worried about because it’s collecting in places it really has no business collecting in. Fortunately it only takes minor dieting and exercise to start losing this dangerous fat because it’s been shown to be one of the first fat stores to come off during weight loss.

On the other hand if you have a problem with subcutaneous fat, you’re gonna need to do a lot more work. Subcutaneous fat is the fat that exists above the muscle, but under the skin — the so-called flabby tummy. Crunches and sit-ups aren’t going to help you here either. The best way to get rid of this is to reduce your overall body fat % through decreased calorie consumption and increased cardio exercise. Remember, you don’t get to choose where it comes from, so the only way to ensure less fat in your trouble spot is to have less fat overall.

I never had much of a problem with visceral fat, it was always subcutaneous for me, which I thought I needed to do tons of sit-ups and crunches for. I did an ab workout at least 2-4 times per week, every week for 6 months before I gave up on it because I wasn’t seeing any results. As soon as I started focusing more on cardio, my tummy problems got much better almost instantly.

Lastly, I have read lots of convincing information about consuming healthy fats to fight tummy fat. The so called “Mediterranean Diet”, rich in healthy fats such as olive oil is thought to decrease tummy size. While I can’t say for certain one way or another, it sounds like a yummy experiment!

[Via http://bnelson333.wordpress.com]

Health and Wellness Update

Where to begin, where to begin…

First off, I have maintained my weight range for 8 weeks now without counting a single Weight Watchers Point.  I think I finally found my health groove.  I’m running more consistently, and am signed up for an 8k in April and a 10k in May.

Truth be told, I’m a little skeered.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do it, but Dave is a constant source of support and I have a team of amazing women (over at The Sisterhood) behind me, cheering me on every step of the way.

Speaking of The Sisterhood, we started a new challenge yesterday.

This challenge will run from Wednesday, February 24th until Wednesday, April 21st. That’s EIGHT weeks to shrink, shrink, shrink, and shrink some more! This is another team challenge, and I am proud to be a member of Team Fabulous!

Also, the last couple of weeks, The Sisterhood sponsored the Shrinking Jeans Olympics.  I am proud to report that I brought home two medals!  I won the gold as part of a 4×1 mile relay team (35:46 combined time), and I snagged a silver in the 2 mile fast walk (26:12 time).

That’s all for now!  Happy Shrinking…or maintaining!

[Via http://imadramamama.wordpress.com]

Absent

I just found out the my dearly beloved husband has taken the entire day off tomorrow in order to go to his Air Force interview so I will not be getting online tomorrow in order to post. Therefore, I am going to go ahead and list my stats for today so I cannot be accused of being a slacker again. Adios, mi bonitas!

The Damsel

Workout:

• Elliptical – Resistance One and 25 Degree Incline – Three Thirty-Minute Sessions -> 776 calories burned.
• 3 Sets of 15 Calf Raises.
• 3 Sets of 10 Butt Crunches.
• 3 Sets of 6 Thigh Crunches.
• 3 Sets of 15 Side Kicks.
• 3 Sets of 25 Toe Points.

[Via http://damselindasweats.wordpress.com]

the smorgasbord.

There’s a lot that’s been floating around in my head, and I figured I’d just throw them in this one post. Good deal.

- First of all, I have some very good advice. Amazing advice. Follow it.

1. Don’t ever try to eat pizza while driving. Even 200 Calorie Digiorno pizza. Even though it looks so cute and portable.
2. Buy a Tide-To-Go pen. I just bought another one a couple days ago, and it has already saved me.. yea, from the pizza.
3. A garlic clove is one little piece of the whole garlic bulb. Not the whole thing. I did not know this until today.

- Right now, I am completely obsessed with The Weepies and Kate Nash. They are amazing and addicting and fun and comforting and great and all kinds of wonderful. Just listen to a couple songs. You will not regret it.

- I’m started trying to lose a few pounds again as well as get healthy, and I’m going to start using this blog to keep myself accountable so I basically cannot just ditch my plans without giving some sort of explanation. I think I’m going to jump on Kerri’s “Work It Out Weekends” thing.. maybe possibly so I can use the adorable banner..

- My happiness thing has been going pretty swell. I did a pretty bad job for a couple hours today, but then something happened that just completely brightened up my day which wasss..

- I applied at Old Navy today, and they called me two hours later to set up an interview! Ahhhh!! I’m so pumped.. I love Old Navy, and you get a sweet employee discount as well as apparently a 50% discount to Gap! Um, yes please. Right now. I’m insanely excited and nervous. I’ve been needing a job forever, and I just want this to work out so badly.

- I’m really happy with where I’m going with my life right now. I’ve been working on this whole being happy thing. I’ve been consistently doing my devotions at night. I’ve worked out everyday this week. I’ve been cutting down my junk food and sugar. I just feel so calm and happy right now. My muscles feel worked, and I feel content. I just hope I can keep this up.. all the work is definitely worth the feeling.

[Via http://itsmekatie.wordpress.com]

So, I went to a "Herbalife" meeting...

Hey Mom,

This weekend I was dragged to an Herbalife meeting. The girl in charge had this story to tell:

“I was over weight, depressed, and eating chocolate like it was nobody’s business. I wasn’t working out, and I slept a lot. BLAH BLAH BLAH. Then I starting taking these supplements and shakes. I started working out at least an hour a day and I am now on a roller derby team. I ditched the daily visit to Sees Candy and started eating right. I have lost 30 pounds in 6 months-all because of Herbalife!”

Did you catch that, Mom? All because of Herbalife? Really? So the change in diet and exercise and no longer eating Sees Candy every night wasn’t the reason for weight loss? My (real) Mom shares Nutrilite with people and they have supplements and shakes, but eating that stuff without a proper diet and exercise will only make your grocery bill larger! Even she will tell you that! It drives me nuts to hear people give their entire weight loss success to a product other than hard work and discipline. (See the Taco Bell Diet, because everyone wants to be as thin as Charles Barkley)

Mom, you don’t need a product to help you lose weight- you need a commitment. I’ll sell you that for free. A commitment to get moving and eat right is all you need. I love you!

Trainer James

[Via http://trainerjames.com]

Day 5: 100cals

134.0

Failed. I’m moving on to day 6. I’ll repeat this whole thing again. Today was just a horrible day. It’s going to be a horrible week.

I won’t fail again. I’m really sorry.

I’ll probably gain. I’m sorry for that too.

On the other hand, my readers are going down. I’m sorry for failing you guys. I’ll try harder.

God I’m such a fucking fat failure.

[Via http://starvinggirl.wordpress.com]

withdrawal schmwithdrawal

OK SO update.

Well I’ve given up wheat now for 5 days and a weird thing has been happening.

I find that it’s like I don’t even look forward to eating anymore. It’s as if my body is reconditioning itself to not even want to pass down that aisle in the supermarket/ the food court in the mall anymore because I know there is no point! No cake, no pastries, no cake, no bread, no cake, no patties!! I mean is there any reason to live anymore?!?!

And then the weird part comes…I don’t seem to miss it just yet  :s

It feels weird, like I’m being rewired, retrained. My body has only put up passive resistance so far [thank God], hopefully it doesn’t get to the point where I feel I have to give in OR ELSE!!

You ever feel like this: You’re just taking a little stroll, la de da da, and then BOOM! It’s like your cravings jump you, corner you in some dark alley and force you to fulfill them at gun point!!

Well compared to that, it hasn’t been bad at all so far, there was banana bread in the house but it’s done so that temptation is gone. I never noticed how much I looked forward to eating. I mean I really did. I used to plan out my meals especially because I knew they were going to be delicious and I’d spend quite a bit of time thinking up new combos etc. but now, I feel like what’s the point of that. I can’t eat it so why bother torture myself thinking about what I could be eating? I’m not making much sense here, let me try to rephrase:

I never noticed how much time I spent thinking up ‘food’. Now that I’m off wheat and therefore not thinking up foods in that way, I see how much time I actually spent doing that!! Now I have to find other things to fill up that time and that’s proving to be the hardest part of it all!

I think I’m enjoying this though. Refraining from wheat, 5 days in, isn’t feeling half bad. I’m thinking, i may not even want to quit come April 1st! hehe stay tuned.

22-Feb Breakfast 2 eggs 4 Snack 1/2 cup oatmeal 3 Lunch 1/2 cup rice and peas 2 white fish 2 Snack 1/2 cup oatmeal 3 1 pk yogurt 3 Dinner 1 corn on the cob 1 1 cup sweet and sour chicken stir fry 6 Snack 2 1.3 less fat turkey sausages 6 Remaining Points 1 Total 30

[Via http://lilylosinit.wordpress.com]

Sexy by Summer (Day 6)

Day 6 Sat. February 20th,              (Weighing March 1st)

I had a family event to go to today. So I didn’t have time to eat breakfast because I slept too late. I was so surprised when I woke up. I couldn’t believe it! My waist actually looked smaller to my eyes. And it felt smaller too! I had to show off to my husband and he agreed I did look smaller.

At the family event I ate Ham, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, mayo and pickles. It was good.  I drank a coffee also. They also had eclairs. It was pure torture! I love eclairs.

When I came home I exercised. This is the first time I’ve exercised without it being the first thing I do in the beginning of the day. It didn’t feel any harder.

For lunch I ate roast beef with steamed brocoli covered in cheese with a salad. It was delicious! 

I went to bed early. Right after I ate my dinner. I don’t know what it was I just couldn’t stay awake. But I woke up with a huge craving for something sweet in the middle of the night. I didn’t find anything to eat as far as fruit goes. So I just drank some water.

Note to self: You need to eat more fish. Even though you don’t like it.

[Via http://sexybysummer.wordpress.com]