Week 15

My lunch at work today was Trader Joe's plain Greek yogurt, pomegranate seeds and banana. So yum and only 3 points. And I was full afterward. The serving size is a cup.

So, on to the weekly weigh-in. Meh. I ate a lot this week. I'd like to say I stayed within points, but considering I used all daily and weekly points, and neglected to track the three brownies, one cookie and multiple candies I had, I'd say I went a little over. Here it is:

Week 15:
4/28/11
Weight: 179.8
+/-: +.6

Again, meh. I was a little bummed. Not surprised, but bummed. I've been pretty steady on my working out, but my eating is slowly but surely getting worse. The good news is I think it kind of kicked me back into gear a little. On the way home from my meeting I went to Trader Joe's and picked up some good lunchish food so maybe I'll make some better choices this week.
I'm kind of wondering if the fact that I didn't sleep before my meeting had any bearing on the gain.. Usually I come home from work, sleep a few hours and then go to my meeting. Also, immediately before my meeting I worked out at the gym. Whether those are the reasons or (more likely) my pig-out fest all week was the reason, .6 isn't so bad. But I broke my losing streak, boo!

I'll end this post with some exciting news. I finally decided to get some use out of the gym we have been paying for forever, I loved it! It's nice to have so many different options. But that's not even the best part- one of the employees came up and introduced herself and said they're offering two complimentary sessions with a trainer. Um, sign me up?! That's awesome! So my first meeting with her is tomorrow, I'm super excited. Plus, she's going to take my body fat percentage, which I've never had done before. I'm interested to see where I'm at.
Wish me luck! Anyone else have anything fun planned?

You never know what you'll find in the desk drawers

I have found many things useful and ridiculous in the drawers at work. Useful? Scrap paper, magazines, medical dictionary, scissors. Ridiculous? The used chapstick comes to mind. (we don't have designated desks, we switch every day. So leaving your chapstick for someone else is gross.)
But something ridiculously useful? (okay, so I only used that phrase to tie in my first paragraph.)
A weight!






10 lbs is more than I usually do, I'm more of a five pound girl at this point. But the tens felt really good, I just did less and had to go a lot slower. Makes me think I might need to purchase something bigger than my fivers for home.





Does anybody want tickets to the gun show? Pow pow!

Big smiles and sunshine to everyone today! I'm going to try to be back tomorrow with my weekly weigh-in.

*muah*

The incredible edible egg...

Part of a well balanced diet you know... I need to stock up tomorrow before they take them away! Cadbury mini eggs are my favorite candy in the WHOLE WORLD. 5 pointsPlus for 12 eggs is sooo worth it.

Week 13 & 14 and a broken pattern

First, a picture of my snack at work today. I am obsessed with mandarin oranges. Yum-o. I got these from Trader Joe's. TJ is such a hard store to go into because I want to buy EVERYTHING. And hiding behind the mandarins is a little Hershey's special dark. It keeps me sane.

(sidenote: you will probably be seeing many more cellphone photos because a. I got a new phone, b. I am too lazy to pull out the DSLR, and c. my brother has my point and shoot. So basically it's all my brother's fault. But hopefully the cell pictures won't be as awful as before. Newer phone=better camera? We can hope.)

Week 13:
4/15/11
Weight: 180.8
+/-: -.6
I zeroed out my gain from last week and I like that. It felt good to get that taken care of so I can move on.
Also this week? I bought my first (2) pair(s) of size 14 jeans in like, oh I don't know, 15 years!! (I don't really know if it's been that long, but it's been a looooong time.) I almost screamed in the dressing room when I buttoned them up. I decided to try on some jeans just to see where I was, and was going to try the 16's, but at the Gap outlet the ankle (short) sizes only go up to 14. So I thought, what the heck, I'll see how close I am. When I started WW I was in size 18/20, so it was fun to see the concrete evidence of my last few months work.

Week 14:
4/21/12
Weight: 179.2
+/-: -1.6

This week was a huge week for so many reasons:
-I hit the 25lb mark and got my medal. (it goes on my sweet 10% keychain.)



-I'm in the 170s. I've been so focused on pounds lost that I haven't really paid attention to what the actual numbers of my weight are, but in the 170's is so exciting! I think my next mini-goal will be in the 160's, because it sounds so small to me. Making the small goals is really helping to keep me motivated. I know that sounds cliche, but getting to do a mini celebration every once in awhile helps keep me going.
-I ate all but 2 of my weekly points. While I really try to eat all of my daily points, I mostly shy away from my weekly points, just because I want everything to happen faster. This week held a lot of temptations and I decided I would give in. (if it was still within the weekly points) I think what helped me come out on top was the fact that I was still getting activity in almost every day.
-I broke my lose/gain/lose/gain pattern!
Two losses in a row, can she go for a third?

shopping in my own closet

Last year I was shopping with my mom and she bought me a jacket at the Columbia outlet.  I really needed a rain jacket, and this one was so cute that I couldn't pass it up, even though I could barely zip it up.  I've actually only wore it a few times because everytime I put it on I just felt gross, knowing I couldn't even wear it zipped up because it was too tight.  (and if it's the type of weather you need a rain jacket for, do you really want to be walking around in a jacket that's not zipped? I think not.)
Today I came across it and decided to try it on...

It FITS!

I heart my wii

Excuse me while I dork out a little.

Can I be honest? I am in love with my wii. Okay, so it's not the most intense workout in the world. Sometimes I'm all about being serious and pumping out a couch to 5k workout, or shredding myself up with a Jillian Michaels video, but then other times, I know I need to work out and I just want to have fun. That was definitely me yesterday. After my week long sicky break from exercising I was ready to get back into it, but anything to do with Jillian Michaels did not seem appealing (cue whiny voice: it's so hard!) and my honey was sleeping so the treadmill was out. (It's in another room, but it's old and LOUD.) And I just really wanted to play my wii.  Some of the kids in my mom's daycare showed me how to unlock new paths in the Basic Run on Wii Fit Plus. (Kids these days- so smart!) I liked Basic Run already, (all it is is running in place) but I was getting bored with it because it's only 3 minutes long, and it's the same every time... Or so I thought. 

With my new found knowledge I unlocked all of the short and long runs and one of the Island Runs (I think there's two). I haven't run the Island lap one yet, I'm saving the excitement for another day. :)

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Wow, I totally am a dork. But you guys like it, right?

What do you like to do for a lazy-ish workout day?

It's a great day to be alive...

Have you ever heard that Travis Tritt song? It came on the radio this morning as I was driving to work and I was BELTING it out. (Later I switched to Casting Crowns, which I was also belting out. I'm such a superstar in my car.  anywhoo...)

I am definitely feeling great today. I woke up early last night and was unable to fall back to sleep, so I decided to just get up early. I'm finally feeling almost back to my normal self after about a week of bleh, so I was excited to work out. (I only worked out twice last week.) I'm still amazed at how energized I feel even after a simple workout. Our bodies are so amazing. I was telling a friend the other day, sometimes when I'm on the treadmill I just praise God for the things my body can do. Granted, 3 minutes of running is not much to some people, but to me? AH-MAZE-ING. Slowly but surely I'm finding small changes in my strength, endurance, and energy level.  A lot of times it's not as fast as I'd like, but I keep trying to focus on how far I've come, not how far I have to go. (boy do I have a long way to go...)

Anyway, on to the weekly updates.

Someday, when I grow up, weekly updates will actually be weekly, as opposed to bi weekly, monthly or quarterly. :)

Week 11:

3/31/11

Weight: 180.8

+/-: -1.8

Yay! I was a little nervous that after last week's big loss my body would freak and try to hold onto weight. I really tried to wise up this week about food, making my snacks more whole foods (mostly fruit) than processed. In the beginning I did okay with this, but the last few weeks have been a lot of not-so-bad-but-not-so-great foods. I am still not a perfect eater by any means, I still have a lot of changes to make, but I like that I am being much more healthy than I was before. Feels like progress! :)

Week 12:

4/7/11

Weight: 181.4

+/-: +.6

Well, apparently I'm trying to start a pattern, lose one week, gain one week, lather, rinse, repeat.  This last week I was "out sick" from working out most of the week, between a tooth getting pulled, a nasty cold and whatever else came my way, I just took a break from working out some days. I did get two days in, but it didn't hold up to the weeks before where I was getting activity in 5-6 times a week. The cool thing about this (cool being a very relative term here, okay?) is that I got to see very clearly how much working out is beneficial to my weight loss goals. I think sometimes, when I'm tired, I just wonder if it's even worth it to work out, and this week shows very clearly that yes, it is worth it.

Here's a picture of me at my mom's last week, after 30 day shred. I'll say it, I'm loving the red-faced, sweaty, crazy hair, just-worked-out look. That's the face of ACCOMPLISHMENT BABY! This was one of the 2 days I worked out last week and it felt GOOD! :)

Do you guys have a contingency plan for sicky weeks? I'm trying to figure out what I should do the next time this situation comes around.

Hope everyone else had a good week!!

a pressing question

Do I need to calculate the PointsPlus value of cough drops?I'm eating these things like candy today.

concerning green lake and accomplishments

Last Monday I got to stroll Green Lake in Seattle with a friend. It was lovely.

Via Seattle Parks and Recreation

I'm a dork and didn't even so much as take out my phone and get a picture. I need to get a better blogger brain!

It was a beautiful day; a tiny bit of sun, but overcast so it wasn't too hot. Pretty much perfect for a walk in my opinion. The loop around Green Lake is about 2.8 miles, all paved. There are so many people there! It's a fun place to people watch. People are walking their dogs, with friends, with babies, rollerblading, biking, jogging... I even saw a guy walking with what looked to be 25 pound weights in each hand. (his arms were HUGE)

I've been to Green Lake one other time with some other friends, a few years ago. I remember we got about a third of the way around and I had to ask them to turn around instead of finishing the loop. I blamed my flip-flops, (they were pretty uncomfortable) but the main reason was that I was hot, sweaty, and just plain wore out. I remember feeling so defeated because both of my friends at the time would have had no problem whatsoever finishing the loop, even on a hot day. I was so out of shape.

The other day I was talking to my brother and telling him that one of my goals was to be able to hike with my honey and keep up this summer. Last summer we didn't hike at all because I didn't even want to try. Before we were married we hiked a few times and my short legs (compared to his very long ones) and extra pounds meant I was seriously lagging behind. I love the outdoors, but dreaded every time he would suggest going somewhere because it might mean a trail, and me trying to keep up. I started making excuses or coming up with other things to do just so I could avoid the situation. That panic that would hit me when my husband suggested outings is the same panic I used to get when I would get together with certain friends, because they were so in shape and athletic, I knew even if our meet-up wasn't activity oriented, that it would probably still involve a good amount of walking. (to and from restaurant, around the city, so on and so forth...)  So one of the things I mentioned to my bro was that I don't want to have to have that hesitation when people ask me to do things, just because I'm worried about my physical inabilities. How many things have I missed out on because of my limitations?

Well, as luck would have it, I was planning on getting together with my friend and she suggested going to Green Lake. I remember my first thought after she asked was "how do I get out of this?!" because my mind was so used to trying to avoid these types of situations and the embarrassment/defeat they might bring.  I looked away and then looked back at her and thought, no- I'm doing it. I have been working out, eating better... I'm 22.4 pounds down for goodness sake! That's got to count for something, right? I can do this.

We had such an amazing day! Of course the company was awesome and the walk felt sooo good. (anything feels better than running, right? this couch to 5k is going to kill me.) I felt so accomplished when we got in the car that I had conquered the defeat that had been haunting me for years. It wasn't walking the 2.8 miles, it was more the fact that I was actually excited for the walk and finished it without that 'i'm-dying-when-will-this-be-over-can-someone-get-me-some-water-and-a-ride-back-to-the-car-please' kind of feeling. It felt... invigorating, if that's not too cliche of a word to use.

I'm loving these little, tiny, unexpected victories. Do you have any tiny or unexpected victories that keep you going?

treadmill inspiration

 Just thought I'd show you my little treadmill set up.  Unpredictable weather here in the northwest and one too many sex offender notifications in the mail means I will be doing the bulk of my running indoors for the time being. Because my bland wall isn't the most motivating sight to see when I'm huffing and puffing away, I decided to make myself a little inspiration wall. I wanted to make a more elaborate collage-type thing, but the other day I was wanting to get my workout in and sorely needed the motivation, so I ripped a few pages out of my magazines and taped 'em on up.  When I'm in a running part of the workout and just wanting to quit, I pretend I'm the girl second in from the left. Doesn't she make running look easy? Someday, someday...
And of course, on the far left, Miranda Lambert. I just love her.  Her looks, her voice, her attitude. She's the whole package.
Do you keep visual cues or motivators for yourself? I'm constantly pulling stuff out of magazines and sticking them in my planner. (pictures, quotes, etc..) Or perusing clothing websites and dreaming of all the choices there are in regular (non-plus) sizes.
Or staring in the mirror and realizing if you squint and turn your head to the side, you can see the beginnings of what might actually be a waist...

perfect 10

Week 10:
3/24/11
Weight: 182.6
+/-: -5.2
This week, I feel like I kicked butt. I worked out every day this week, a couple of days even going for an hour or hour and a half. The best part? I’m starting to crave activity. I thought it would take me a long time to get to that point, because I have never been an active person. Working out is still a challenge, I’m still very out of shape, but I can feel it get a tiny bit easier each time. (and when I feel discouraged I just feel my biceps, haha) I also learned that variety helps me with staying motivated. I always thought that was just something people said but that didn't apply to me: “oh, just throw some variety in there, don’t let yourself get bored.” Instead of getting on my Wii every day, or only doing the treadmill, I’m trying to mix it up a little. I’m finding that on days I do the c25k program, I kind of miss my Wii, so I’m excited about it the next day. And then the next day, I’m excited about the treadmill when I go back to it. (Excited being a relative term here. Come on folks, I’m not one of those people.)(Yet.) And then other days, when I'm feeling like a glutton for punishment, I put in a Jillian Michaels DVD. Ugh, she's so tough!
Another motivator for me this week was the fact that, as of week 9’s weigh in, I was 3.3 lbs away from losing 10% of my body weight. (FYI for those of you not in Weight Watchers: 10% of your body weight is one of the first goals they have you go for, so that if you have a lot to lose you don’t get overwhelmed by a huge goal.)  Remember in my first post, on my way to a new me,  when I mentioned how bad I wanted that 10% so that I could get the key chain?

key chain, baby!

sorry for the crappy iphone photo.

Technically, 10% for me is 20.5 lbs and right now I am at 22.4 pounds lost! Even more exciting than the pounds lost and the key chain (I know, I know, what could be more exciting?) is the way I’m feeling right now.  In on my way to a new me I talked about how I’ve never really been a goal setter or a go getter. Part of it was laziness, part of it was just thinking I’d probably never get there, so why try? This week I had an epiphany. Since starting weight watchers one of my goals was to run a 5k. I kind of enjoy running (or, the way I do it, slow jogging, with a lot of walking, haha) and I think it would be fun to get out there in a real race with other people. My epiphany this week? I don’t want to just run one, I want to win one. I want a picture of me, hands in the air, medal around my neck. Why not? Other people do it all the time. What’s stopping me?
Okay, so I may never win a medal, and if I don’t I won’t be heartbroken, but I’m sure gonna try. I’m tired of making ‘just’ goals.
-oh, I just want to be able to run a 5k, I don’t care if I’m last
-I just want to be able to shop somewhere other than the plus sizes
-I just want to eat better.


No, no more. I can do this! I am not less than anyone else unless I let myself be that way. I want to do big things!
-I want to win a 5k. and maybe a 10k.
-I want to be a single digit size proportionate to my height. (I would love to be a size 2, those jeans would never be too long! Too long jeans, the bane of my existence, sigh…)
-I want to eat healthy, and when I have kids, I want to be a great example.

This week wasn’t just exciting mentally, but physically. I’m feeling strong, and energized. (remember my biceps? I’m not going to let you forget, haha) I work at a 911 center, so I am chained to a desk for 10 hours. (Literally, our headsets are connected to the desk. If you’re not on break, you’re not going anywhere.) We have adjustable desks, so they can be set to your height, or even raised so you can stand at your desk if you’d like. Before 2 weeks ago, I’d maybe raised my desk twice at the most. These past two weeks I’ve been standing at my desk more than I’ve been sitting. Like, probably 08/20. (granted, I do lean on the desk sometimes) I’m not feeling bounce-off-the-walls energetic, but I can definitely tell a difference in my energy levels, which is so exciting!

I realize this post and the last are very rose-colored-glassesish, I hope it’s not too over the top. (blame the anti-depressants, haha) With all of positives I've been experiencing I'm trying to prepare my mind for the inevitable plateaus and possible negatives.  Just running 'what-if' scenarios through my head, like, 'what if I have a 12 week plateau?' I was reading on the Weight Watchers forums about a lady who had a crazy long plateau like that. That would be so frustrating! So I'm trying to make sure I'm keeping non-pound goals in mind as well, so that I have other things to strive for and to gauge my success if (and when) the scale stops moving.  Things that I'm trying to focus on other than the pounds are: how my clothes are fitting (getting a little looser!), my energy levels, and my progress on the couch to 5k program (week 3 is hard!!).
Have you ever had a plateau, or a run of gains? How did you keep motivated?

it's been too long: a recap

via Fetch Dickson

I’m back! I hate that I’ve been gone so long, the past few months have been crazy.  Forgive me?
As for my time away, there were some low points, but overall it’s been very, very good. And not just weight good, (oh, we’ll get to that) but just… good. No- great, I’ll say it.

So, to make a long story short, the reason for my silence started because I had some anxiety/panic issues.  This has been simmering under the surface for awhile, but it finally came to a head resulting in me going to the doctor and getting some anti-depressants. I knew things weren't perfect, but until I'd been on the meds for awhile I didn't realize how bad things had gotten. Now? I feel awesome. I keep walking around the house telling my husband, "I feel so... normal. I'm like a normal person again! I love it!" I took for granted how amazing it feels to be able to think clearly without the fog of depression hanging over me. Meds + husband/family/friend support + lots (and lots) of prayer have made me feel like a whole new girl.  God is always good, but I'm feeling especially blessed right now.

So, without further ado, the long awaited week-by-week recap of my time away:
 
Week 3:
2/3/11
Weight: 193.8
+/-: -5.4 lbs
I lost 5.4 lbs because I pretty much wasn’t eating. (Probably on average 10 out of my 29 daily points) This weigh in was the day after my anxiety issues peaked, so for most of that week, I was too nervous/nauseous to really think about eating.  So, while not the greatest reason for (or healthiest) weight loss, I'm not complaining. I'll keep that 5.4 loss, thankyouverymuch!

Week 4:
2/10/11
Weight: 193.2
+/-: -.6
Because of the issues from the week before, I decided I was going to be a little more lax in my eating, just to “get back into it.” Happily, because I was still in the ‘points’ mindset, I still lost .6 lbs, even though I was hardly tracking and not eating as great as the weeks before. I thought I was going to gain, so a .6 loss was awesome! The end of this week was also when the medicine started taking affect, so I think this new found ‘normal’ was good for my weight loss.

Week 5:
2/17/11
I totally skipped this meeting. My birthday was the 15th which I spent at my mom and dad’s. I ate out 3 times in two days, and my mom cooked me some amazing food. I tried to be reasonable, but come on, it was my birthday! All I wanted was a Three Rivers burger, Pacific Pizza, and my mom’s mashed potatoes. Obviously I don’t know because I didn’t weigh in, but I'm sure I gained. 
Plus I was exhausted from the trip (Thursdays are my 'Monday', so on meeting days my sleep schedule is a little wonky) so I figured it was better to get some sleep.
Um… and my honey got me a Wii and Wii Fit for my birthday, and I just really wanted to set it up and play. Okay, there, I said it- I just wanted to play with my birthday present!

Week 6:
2/24/11
Weight: 188.8
+/-: -4.4 lbs
LOSER! I couldn't believe that even with my birthday binge, I was able to get it back together for a loss. This was exciting for me because it showed me that even when I had 'birthday week'-type situations that I had the power to get myself back on track. I’ve felt pretty positive through this whole process, but that was definitely a high point. Kind of a ‘nothing can stop me!’ feeling.

Week 7:
3/3/11
Weight: 189.4
+/-: + .6 lbs
Loser has a totally different meaning this time, haha. I wasn’t happy with the gain, of course, but I handled it pretty well. I kind of decided I was just going to forget about it and move on. Honestly, 4 months ago I was not like that at all. I was the queen of not letting it go. Changes, changes everywhere!
I think part of the reason for the gain was that I wasn’t eating great foods. I was staying within my points, but ate out a few times and ate generally crappy at home. Also, 1)it was that time of the month, (I totally whispered that in case there are any men around or reading...) and 2) this was the week that I started working out more. My leader (who weighed me in that week) said sometimes when you start working out you gain.
Or it could be the fact that I wanted to eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT that week. (see #1 above)
Others have excuses, I have my reasons why. (If you can name that song you’ll be my favorite.)

Week 8:
3/10/11
Weight: 187.6
+/-: -1.8
There we go, that’s more like it. I tried to be a little better about my food this week. I'm sure not craving chocolate and salt and every bad thing ever made really helps with that.

Week 9:
3/17/11
Weight: 187.8
+/-: +.2
Uh, oops. Another gain. I’d love to say it’s because I started the Couch-to-5k program (I did, can you believe it? And I love it… when I’m done running. During the running? not so much) and I gained all sorts of crazy muscle, but I’m pretty sure it’s because I wasn’t very disciplined with my eating. (Are we noticing a pattern here?) On a positive note, I spoke during the “how’d your week go?” portion of the meeting for the first time. I had to share the fact that on Monday of that week I had discovered a small line of muscle definition on my arm!! I’ve never had muscle before, this is so exciting!! (<- note the overuse of exclamation points, this is a big deal people.)
I made my husband take a picture of my unflexed and flexed arms.
And I also make him feel my biceps like, every day.



Does anybody want tickets to the gun show?
Oh yeah- I just went there.
I went there and I bought property.

Whew, that's a lot of ground for one little post. This week's weigh in totally deserves it's own post, so stay tuned!

me? oh stop, I'm blushing...

I'm a little excited about this. (umm, really I'm a lot excited) Bethany from B getting hot! bestowed the 'Stylish Blogger Award' on little (big, haha) ol' me! Being in this community of bloggers who are going through a lot of the same things as me has been incredibly inspiring. Bethany's blog is really great, she has such a positive attitude and is running full force in making healthier choices in her life. (Read this post, all of the stairs made me tired just reading it. This girl is hard core, she's not doing anything halfway, that's for sure.) You must go check her out.
Okay, so for the blog award we are supposed to:

1. Link back to the person who gave the award to you
2. Share seven things about yourself
3. Pass the award on to 15 recently discovered great bloggers (or as many as you can).
4. Contact those bloggers and tell them they’ve won.

Seven things about myself, let's see...

1. I grew up in Forks, WA. Yes, that Forks. No, I don't know any vampires. (I did, however, work at the Miller Tree Inn for years, which is now the 'Cullen house' on the Twilight tour.)
2. I'm 4'10" and my husband is 6'4". That's a foot and a half difference. Comes in handy when I need things from the top shelf or the bottom of the washing machine.
3. I used to be able to quote the movie Maverick from beginning to end.
4. My favorite magazines, in no particular order are: Martha Stewart Weddings, Glamour, National Geographic, Self and Real Simple.
5. If I could go to any consert in the world, it would be Alabama. I'm hoping against hope for a reunion tour. (pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease)
6. I love reading about Siberia, Antarctica, Iceland and Alaska. And also clicking around on google maps. I'll always be a small town girl at heart, (hence the blog name) and have never really loved living in the city, after being in the city for 3 years, I'm swinging way over to the other end of the spectrum and craving some isolation. (Although, it is nice to have mall 10 minutes away. Growing up the closest mall was 3 hours away, so that's still a little exciting for this small town girl.)
7. If it comes in pink, that's the one I'm buying.

I know it says 15 blogs, but I need to get off the computer and get ready for work, so I'm going to leave you with the first person who came to mind when I was thinking of who I'd list here: Nicole at The Woman in Training. Her blog is about her 'adventures on the bumpy road to womanhood'.  Her posts are so fun and she's a really great photographer. When I see a new post from her in my reader it's always one of the first I click on.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed learning a little about me. I think I could stand to be a tad more interesting, because it was really hard coming up with stuff, haha. Have a good rest of your weekend!

week two overview

See that, the blue star? I've officially hit 5 lbs lost!



For my weigh-in this week I lost 1.6 lbs, bringing my total to 5.8. That's only 4.2 lbs away from my 5% goal. The day of I was a little discouraged because I had been weighing myself incessantly at home (I know, it's a no-no) so I was a little confused as to what I would read at the meeting. Actually, I kind of figured I'd maintain or gain, so I was pretty worried. As I was telling my mom about this I realized that even if I did gain, I wasn't ready to give up. I would not be ordering a pizza out of sheer frustration or drop it altogether because it just wasn't working fast enoungh. Although I'm very anxious to see results (thank you captain obvious, like I'm the only one) I felt like I was also just enjoying the changes I was making. I love that I'm eating healthier than I was, and that I'm moving more. And even if I never lose a pound, those choices can still make me healthier. I guess it goes with what I said before about being ready. This time it's not just about looking good or clothes shopping, (still on the goal list, don't get me wrong) I'm actually becoming more open to a whole lifestyle change. As one who has always been pretty resistant to change it's feeling progress! :)

And sweet B from B getting hot! gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. Ahh, I'm so excited and honored!! B's is one of the first blogs I found when I started WW and was looking for some inspirational blogs. I am in love with her blog! So check back tomorrow for my Stylish Blogger Award post!

the answer

So I just discovered Lifehacker.  Great, yet another way to mindlessly wile away the hours on the internet, just what I needed, haha. On the front page the other day was an article called Guilt, Shame and Weight Loss, so I thought, alright, sure, I'll take the bait. Lately I'm loving reading a bunch of different health, fitness, weight loss stuff, just to see if I pick up any little tidbits, you know? The article was pretty cool, the author Tim Grahl talked about how he lost about 50 lbs in 5 months. Before this weight loss he said he'd tried many different diets (WW included) to no avail. His method was to pick a diet (his was basically whole foods, no meat except fish and some other stipulations), a time frame (as opposed to a lbs goal) and then proceed to tell the whole world about it. His theory was, if everyone knows I'm doing this, then it's going to be pretty embarrassing if I screw up, so maybe that will keep me in line. Obviously it worked. He ends with:

I had tried all the diets and none of them worked for me. I used to think it was because I was lazy and lacked willpower. What I realized is that everyone is lazy and lacks willpower. The trick is to leverage things like guilt and shame to keep you focused on the end goal and lose that weight.

While I totally agree with him (obviously- hello weight loss blog.) the article got me thinking. I've read many magazine articles, blog posts and so on and so forth before finding weight watchers and since, and  the point a lot of them are trying to make is that they've found THE ANSWER. And not even in a self-righteous kind of way. Heck, I'm kind of proclaiming that myself with my undying love for Weight Watchers, right? It's because I'm so excited something is working and I want to share it with whoever will listen. But I'm kind of thinking that Weight Watchers isn't 'the answer', just like Atkins isn't, or nutrisystem, or any other diets that have worked for so many people. I'm discovering that the answer is finally being ready. Ready to change, commit, work hard. Weight Watchers is definitely making the process a lot easier for me than say, counting calories on my own would be. But for most people, myself included, it's not so much the type of vehicle that gets us there, but the fact that we finally got in, ready for a long ride.

What about you, are you ready?

review: Billy Blanks Jr: Dance With Me Cardio Fit

I never thought I'd say this: I had fun doing a workout video.

I've been walking on my lunch at work, but wasn't really feeling it because I hate coming back into the building all flushed and sweaty. gross. So I was thinking maybe some days I'd just workout with a video at home. I have one workout video at home, 30 Day Shred, and it's a good one, but let's be honest- it's really hard. I wanted something that would break up the monotony and thought a dance video would be just the ticket. Enter Billy Blanks Jr.: Dance With Me Cardio Fit. There were a few dancing workout videos at Target, but I chose this one because of the reviews on Amazon and because he's Billy Blank's kid, you know, the Tae Bo guy? He's got to know his stuff if he's Billy Blank's son. (I tried Tae Bo once. Once being the operative word, it's intense.)
I'm so glad I picked this one! There are 3 different workouts, Hip-Hop, Country and Bollywood, all 12 minutes long, and then a warm-up and cool-down. The basic premise (at least for Hip-Hop and Country, I haven't done Bollywood yet) is that he shows you the moves individually, slowly if needed, then puts a few moves together, and then by the end strings them all together. Even when he's showing you the moves though, you're still trucking along at a pretty good pace. I was able to do all of the moves okay and keep up fine, though my complete lack of rhythm meant it wasn't very pretty at times. :) I most certainly wouldn't do this workout in front of anyone, because I looked like a fool, but Billy said to get into it, so I did. I was kind of grinning like an idiot because I knew I looked ridiculous, but it was really fun just letting loose like that, trying moves I never would have before. (and probably couldn't pull off in public.) It kind of felt like I was standing around with a bunch of friends goofing off, but getting a killer work out at the same time. I definitely felt it in my legs, and next time I'll use my arms more when I'm 'getting my groove on' so I feel it there as well.
I'm obviously not an exercise expert, like I said, this is only the second workout video I've really done. (Unless you count Sweatin' to the Oldies when I was a kid. haha, I love Richard Simmons.) Is this the same level as 30 Day Shred? Probably not. But I worked up a good sweat, and I'm excited to do it again. Anything that gets me excited about working out gets an A+ in my book, because it's a rare occasion. I'm not sure what more physically advanced people will think of this, but if you're anywhere near starting out, I say get it.

week one overview

This week has been so up and down. My first few days on Weight Watchers were practically euphoric, but the past few days have been a little less than spectacular. Not horrible, but I was a little blue, and it was reflected in some not-so-stellar food choices. Still in my points, but pizza rolls? Not exactly a power food...
But let's talk good news!

• My first weigh-in was Thursday night. I'm down 4.2 lbs!
• Tracked my points every day
• I stayed within my points every day while still feeling satisfied.
• Incorporated a lot more fruits and vegetables in my menus than I used to. Go me!
• Bumped up my activity level
• Drank my six 8 oz glasses of water (tea, milk) every day but one.

I'm pretty excited about last week now that I'm coming out of my 'funk'. I didn't do perfectly, but I made some major changes from my normal lifestyle.  There were a few difficult points last week though:

• I set myself up for disappointment with the weight loss. I really wanted to hit 5 lbs and kind of thought I was there, so when I saw the 4.2 my first reaction wasn't excitement or accomplishment, it was disappointment. I hate that because I know 4.2 is something to be proud of, which I am. This week I'm working on my expectations, and trying to focus more on my actions than the end result.
• My activity level was not where it should be. I started out pretty good, but then it was downhill from there. Yesterday? I did nothing. (That's all changing though with my new workout video, I lovelove it. Love it.)
• I'm still having trouble fitting all of my fruit/vegetable/healthy oils/dairy servings in all in one day. I also find it kind of hard to eat all 29 points some days. I think shift work may be to blame for that though. A big lunch isn't always appealing at 8am.
• I was a little more moody than usual. (i.e. spent half of Wednesday crying, without being able to figure out why.) I don't know if that is normal, I'm-a-girl-and-I-can-cry-if-I-want-to, or if it has something to do with working out/eating better/hormone levels stabilizing? Who knows. I can only hope next week is better. (My honey hopes too.)

All in all, it was not a bad beginning to my Weight Watchers journey. I'm proud of what I accomplished, but ready to do even better next week. (read: get off my butt a little more.)
I'll leave you with my goals for the week:

1. 30 minutes of activity every day
2. better food planning to get all my veggies, water, etc and to hit my daily points.
3. Focus on the positive! I'm making healthy choices, darnit! I deserve a gold star.

(oh, and try to blog better so I'm not fitting a weeks worth of blabbing in one post, eh?)

Even my shopping sprees are healthier...

Went on a little shopping trip on my lunch today because I really wanted a new workout video, preferably a dance one. (love that target is open at 8am!) I found this Billy Blanks Jr. one that looked good, and when I checked amazon there weren't a lot of reviews, but they were all 4 or 5 stars, so I was sold. I'm excited to go home and try it!
And I had to get a Self magazine, because I lovelove Self. I'm thinking I need to get a subscription again, it's one of those magazines you just want to read cover to cover.
Speaking of subscriptions, did you see the little note in the lower left hand corner of the DVD? Free subscription to Fitness magazine, score! While Self is and always will be my number one healthish magazine, I won't say no to free!
I'm hoping to get my week one update (and first weigh-in results!) up later today, so come back soon, ya hear?

It's me vs. The stairs

We're supposed to work out/be active every day, per WW suggestion. They define it in 'points' but it basically works out to about 30 minutes of moderate activity or 20 minutes of intense. (I think later they want us to build up to more.) So, my plan is to work out on my lunch on work days, that way if I'm too tired when I get home at least I've done the minimum. On day one I walked 20 minutes and yesterday I walked 30. (woo-hoo!)
Today on my way to work it was a little icky and rainy, and seeing as my mascara is not waterproof, I decided to walk the stairs inside. They hardly ever get used and have a door on both ends, so they're in their own little room. Easy-peasy-lemon-sqeezy. I had heard that stairstepping/climbing is supposed to be super good for the heart (that's never bad), plus, it would be considered 'intense' so only 20 minutes required. Heart healthy, time saver and no racoon eyes? Sign me up!

I almost passed out after TWO MINUTES. I'm not even kidding a little bit, those stairs are so freakin' HARD! Is there a level above intense? Because I got there- and I OWNED it. My heart was pounding so hard I almost couldn't get an in focus picture with my phone. I didn't make my original goal of 20 minutes, but I went 10. That's 8 minutes past seeing the stars and birdies circling my head. I'd call that a small victory. I might have went longer, but dizziness + cement stairs do not equal good times. So I finished out the last 10 minutes with a walk around the building. (never fear, the rain had slowed a bit, so there was no mascara runnage) Added bonus of the walk is it was sooo nice to get out in the breeze after all my huffing and puffing.
Although they kicked my butt, I think the stairs are here to stay.

on my way to a new me!

 

Does that post sound too optimistic? I'm feeling pretty optimistic, I'm not gonna lie. Today is my second day on Weight Watchers.  Although I know it's not going to be a walk in the park, I can't help but feel excited about the changes I'm making. I've half-heartedly tried to be healthy and lose weight before, only to give up after a few days because I was overwhelmeld, confused or, let's face it, just plain lazy. This time it feels different though. (cliche after cliche, please bear with me.) I was telling my mom the other night, I think the reason it feels different this time is because it's not just that I want to lose weight or that I'm super motivated, because I've been there before. It's that I actually feel like I can lose weight. Even after 2 days I already feel like I have the tools and knowledge I need to do this. I feel like I'm in control of the results, instead of wondering if what I'm doing will even work.

 

My Stats:
height: 4'10" (If you have a short joke, I've heard it before.)
starting weight: 205lbs
(as of 1/13, my first meeting)
immediate goal: 195lbs
end goal: 105lbs

 

the end goal I'm not set in stone on, but 100lbs to lose seemed like a nice round number. For my height the ideal weight is between 96-120lbs, so 105 is middle-ish. I don't think I want to set it at 120 and be teetering on the edge of an 'unhealthy' BMI. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do this. But I can reevaluate when I get closer, maybe check and see what the doctor says I should be.

 

I've always been heavy, not very active and an unhealthy eater to boot. I wish I could say that it was genetics, or a health condition, or a super busy lifestyle that got (and kept) me where I am, but it's not. Here's the truth: I am one of the laziest people I know. Honestly. And not just couch potato lazy, but lazy about dreams and goals. I didn't make a lot because I was afraid of bailing out or failing. Another problem was when I did make goals, or want to change, I would always be of the all-or-nothing, go-big-or-go-home mentality. I get easily overwhelmed anyway, so I'd take on too many changes only to drop them after a short while because I couldn't process it.
Weight Watchers has everyone start out with a small goal, 5-10%. So the all-or-nothing, go-big-or-go-home part of me sort of balked at that. 5%? come on! But the other part of me, the part that's dying to hike with her husband, shop in normal stores, not worry about health issues? She's a little excited about it. 5% of my weight is 10 lbs, which, although I have a lot more to lose, is no small feat. I know that small goals (which equals victories more often) will be super helpful. I'm already looking forward to hitting that 10 pound mark. and after that is the 10% (20lbs) mark, and when you hit that Weight Watchers gives you a key chain. Can I just tell you I love keychains? When I was a kid I had handfuls of them before I even had any keys to put on them. I've slimmed down my keychain collection considerably, so I'm definitely open to adding some bling. And from the pictures I saw online, it's pretty cute. The really cool thing is anytime you hit big milestones, they give you a charm to put on it. LOVE IT! Who wouldn't love it?

I'll leave you with some reasons I want to lose weight:

• reduce risk of certain diseases
• prepare my body for when we decide to have kids
• have more energy
• fight depression
• be able to participate in sports and outdoor activities
• shop in normal stores for CUTE clothes
• confidence
• better mood
• the keychain, obviously