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Monday, August 31, 2009

Motivational Mondays: Me?!


Michelle, from Secrets of a Former Fat Girl, bestowed upon me the "Former Fat Girl of the Week" title! I couldn't be more excited to be called that! :)

Check out my interview questions/answers in it's original form here or below:

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(copied and pasted from Secrets of a Former Fat Girl)

Name: Annie
Age: 26
Occupation: Personnel Officer a.k.a. sit-at-a-desk-all-day-long
Blog: The Amazing Shrinking Girl

Annie, September 2008. 176+ lbs


How often do you exercise?

Six ays/week. Three of those days consist of weight-training (circuit training or free weights) and some form of cardio is done on all six days. After my weight training session, I usually get in 15 - 20 minutes of HIIT or I run home from the gym. On my cardio-only days, I rotate monthly between the treadmill, elliptical, stairmill, and bike to keep my body guessing and to keep me from getting bored. Once in a while I'll do an exercise dvd as my cardio (P90X plyometrics is the BOMB!) just to keep things different.

What is your favorite workout?

Circuit training/boot camp style workouts by far! At my gym, they have monthly boot-camp sessions that you sign up for, but the trainers actually call me to let me know when they are because I love them so much! The mix of cardio and weight resistance is totally my thing but don't get me wrong, I love a good and heavy weight-only session too! I totally believe that you need both cardio and strength to be the healthiest.

Annie, October 2008. 172 lbs



What 5 food items are "must haves" in your kitchen?

In no particular order:

  • eggs

  • baby spinach

  • protein powder

  • chicken breast

  • Shakeology

Please tell us what your nutrition program is like ... what would a typical day's meal plan look like?

I try to eat a "clean diet" so I try to stay away from pre-packed and processed foods as much as possible, but that gets hard. A typical day for me would be:
Breakfast: Chocolate Shakeology, 1 banana, 2 cups spinach, flaxseeds, and soymilk blended

Snack 1: steel cut oats, honey, cinnamon, and a fruit
Lunch: Lean Cuisine (so not clean eating, I know) and a salad
Snack 2: post-workout protein powder and soy milk
Dinner: brown rice, chicken or fish, side of veggies, and a salad
Snack 3: protein powder and water

As far as the types of fruits and veggies I eat, I try to get different kinds every week: bananas, apples, sweet potato, carrots, peas one week and peachs, berries, romaine lettuce, broccoli the next.

Annie, December 2008. 159 lbs.
Annie is most certainly the amazing shrinking girl!


What is your favorite motivational/inspirational quote?

"The future is not some place we're going, but one we create. The path's are not found, but made, and the activity of making them changes both the maker and the destination."

I found this quote on the exact day I decided to get healthy and it's stuck with me every since. It's so amazingly true. If you think you're stuck with the body you have, think again! WE are the ones that change our future! WE are the ones that get stronger every time we fall! WE are the ones that change in the process!

Another one I like that helps me get through food cravings, "A little bit of crap is STILL crap!"

Annie, April 2009. 145 lbs.
Annie says, "This entire hike is made out of steps...
talk about stair master from hell!"


How do you find balance in your life?

Exercise in itself has become one of my biggest stress-relievers. As much as I hate doing it some days, I know that when I finish working out, I'll feel like a million bucks... and I always do! A sweaty and tired million bucks, but a million bucks none the less.

But actually for me, setting goals has been the biggest contributor to keeping me sane and balanced! I always make sure to have short-term goals and long-term goals in place because it's hard to achieve either of them without the other. Short-term goals keep me focused on the "now" - what I need to do today, this meal, this workout - to get me where I want to be. Long-term goals actually let me see the end result, which in turn pushes me to do good with my short-term goals. It's a catch 22!

Last 5 songs listened to you on your iPod/mp3 player:

None! Is it weird that I don't listen to music when I workout? I started my weight-loss journey doing exercise dvd's so not much room there to listen to music. When I 'graduated' from dvd's (I still do them and love them today!) I bought an elliptical and watched t.v. when I worked out... again no room for music. And since I have joined a gym a couple of months ago, I'm still a newbie and still absolutely LOVE the environment there! All the other people working out around you, the noise of the machines, and the big screen tv's don't hurt either. In fact that's where I catch up on the news that's happening around the world... on the treadmill at my gym!

What is your greatest accomplishment?

Well if I had to pick just one, it would be one that I seriously NEVER thought I'd accomplish... running and finishing my first 13K. Ask me a year ago if I would walk a 5K and I would tell you HECK NO! Ask me today to run a 13K and I'll do it!

I signed up for my 13K in November of 2008 and the race was held in February 2009 which meant not too much time for a 'fat girl' to train! I really think I completed the race because my boyfriend signed up and trained with me. We completed the race in one hour and 40 minutes, which comes out to 12-minute miles... not bad but I'll do better next time!

What do you love most about your body?

My legs! Even though they're beat up and scarred from a detergent allergy (another story all by itself!), they are so strong! They get me to where I need to be and right now, with 30% body fat on them, they are the most defined set of muscles on my body. I love shaving them because the muscles just pop out everywhere!

Are you working towards a particular goal we can support you in?

My next 13K is February 15, 2010 and I want to bring down my miles to 10-minute miles. I better start training now!

Any words of advice you'd like to share with someone sitting at home, reading your interview, wishing/hoping/wanting to change?

One step at a time. Like the quote says, "Rome wasn't built in a day" and neither is your body so don't try to change all of your unhealthy habits at once. Doing that will only set you up for failure.

Instead, change one thing, and ONLY one thing, today. When I started my weight-loss journey the first thing I changed was my water intake. I made sure to get at least eight 8-oz cups of water a day and when I could do that daily without even thinking about it, I 'took another step' and upped my fiber intake to 30g/day.

When I could do that with no problem, I starting watching my calories, then upping my protein amounts, then lowering my sodium intake, and so on and so on. The same thing can be applied to exercise. Increase the amount of steps you walk today, then when you have that down, change something else that will get you moving even more.

Annie today. What an inspiration!

One more piece of advice: do it for yourself and no one else. Not your doctor, not your significant other, not your family... no one! Sure, your doctor, significant other and family can be reasons for you to get healthy, but it'll be hard to succeed if you don't want to do it for yourself.

And last but not least, as corny as it may sound, if I can do it, anyone can! REALLY!!!


Thursday, August 27, 2009

Updated picture...

Finally got around to doing an updated photo. I know I look weird in the 'now' picture, but check out my collar bone!! I CAN SEE IT!!!


Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Weigh-in Wednesdays: 137.4

Last Wed. weight: 139.0
Today's weight: 137.4
Loss: -1.6

That's quite a loss and it's kinda unusual.... Unusual because I ate like crap this weekend! I mean like well over my calorie amounts, eating all kinds of junk food, and eating late at night. Here's a rundown of my eating:
Thursday night: country fried steak, fried rice, onion rings, McDonalds vanilla cone and cinnamon melts, beer, beer, beer, french fries, beer
Saturday night: pesto pasta with a fried chicken breast
Sunday: cream puff, chinese food for lunch, frozen yogurt, steak, ceasar salad, sausage, WHITE rice, huge lemon cake slice
Monday night: beef chimichanga, sour cream, guac, salsa, cheesey potatoes, jolly ranchers, and bag of chips

This is by far the WORSE I have eaten in over a year so I don't know how I managed a loss this week. I did get in all my exercise plus some, but still... I'll take it!

As for my promise to myself... I made it! I made sure I got in and pushed my cardio workouts for at least the past 12/14 days.

Mon: 30 min run after my PT session 1/1
Tue: 55 min interval run on the treadmill 2/2
Wed: 60 min PT session + 15 min run home 3/3
Thu: OFF 3/4
Fri: 60 min PT session + 15 min elliptical 4/5
Sat: 75 min elliptical 5/6
Sun: 25 min stairmill + 20 min elliptical 6/7
Mon: 60 min PT session + 20 min walk home + 15 min elliptical 7/8
Tue: 25 min elliptical + 30 min elliptical HIIT 8/9
Wed: 60 min PT session + 20 elliptical 9/10
Thu: OFF 9/11
Fri: 125 min hike + 60 min PT session + 30 min elliptical 10/12
Sat: 25 min stairmill + 20 min treadmill 11/13
Sun: 60 min hike 12/14

So what am I gonna do now? I'm gonna do it again! I'm gonna set up weekly and monthly goals for the month of September so check back soon for them!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

My little 'ole blog won an award!


Aww... thanks to Kat - at secrets... to losing... 100 lbs. - for the One Lovely Blog Award! Kat is an amazing person and has done so well with her weight-loss. Be sure to check out her blog too!

So to make this award "official", I need to 1.) recognize the person who gave it to me (Kat) and 2.) I need to give it away to 15 other bloggers who I think are just lovely. Only 15 is tough as there are so many good blogs out there, but I narrowed it down... check them out for some AWESOME weight-losing inspiration and motivation:

Monday, August 24, 2009

It's Christmas in August

Sorry for no post the past couple days but I've been busy... BUSY SHOPPING! Where to start... where to start...

Thursday
Thursday night the BF and I went out to dinner, went shopping, and met up with some friends who we haven't seen in YEARS. It was so much fun but there were so many calories involved! Food, beer, food, beer, beer, beer, food... and more food. I felt so gross the next morning I can't believe this used to be a typical weekend for me.

So anyway, after dinner, I went to the mall specifically to buy new (and smaller!), shall we say, "personal items". Okay, okay, to be clearer, bras and underwear... I love GAP stuff so that's where I went. When I got to GAP, I found out that they were having a really good deal on all kinds of clothes... $20 off all denim... buy-one-get-one-free tops... Stock Up and Save event in Gap Body... and on top of all of that, 15% off your total! All these specials were going on because GAP was having a launch party so there was food and live music, too. I used to work at this GAP location so I got to see a ton of old coworkers because they all came out for the party. Can't forget to mention that one of my old high classmates was in the band playing at GAP! I haven't seen him since graduation, which was over 8 years ago so it was really nice to catch up with him.

Anyway, time was running out (the store was closing in about 30 minutes) so I quickly picked out all the underwear I needed, checked out the tops that were BOGO free but didn't find anything, and then headed to the denim. I love GAP denim but since I've been losing weight, I haven't bought any because it's kinda expensive... especially if the denim is only going to last me a couple of months (hopefully!). But since it was $20 off, I decided to get a pair of jeans... and look:
SIZE 6!! Oh happy day!




Friday
Friday was a holiday for some of us peeps in Hawaii (50 years since Hawaii became a State) so we hit a new hiking trail in the morning then in the afternoon I had my PT session at the gym. Sometimes I walk home from the gym after my workouts, which is what I did this time. On my route home is one of my favorite running stores, which I normally avoid so I don't spend money, but today I decided to check out their sale items. Didn't find anything I liked, but on my way out I saw a shoe bag.

Let me first say that I've been looking for a shoe bag for months!

It seems like no one makes them because Sports Authority, Footlocker, and every where else I checked don't carry them anymore.

Well, there it was, just sitting on a counter near the door. There was only one, so I asked the worker if they were gonna be getting more in and he said no, this is their last one... EVER! So I bought it... on sale for $8, original price $32! Oh happy day again:


Saturday
I went back to the mall because I heard Old Navy was having a really good sale on their denim... all denim for $19! Well I didn't find anything I liked, BUT they had all their active clothes on sale plus shirts/tanks for $3 each! So I picked up some workout capris, two cami tops, and two shirts for the BF... total was $27!


I wanted to go to Macy's too because they were having a one-day sale and I've been looking to upgrade mine for a while, but didn't make it to Macy's. The BF thinks we can find a better price on Amazon or something. Anyway, that's the weekend shopping recap!

Motivational Mondays: My Boyfriend

It's been a long and productive 3-day weekend for me, which is why I didn't have time to post much. I'll have a catch-up post tonight with lots of pictures! Now back to our regular scheduled program... Motivational Mondays!

______________________________________________

My boyfriend Anthony is great!

And just the other week he became my new source of motivation: He decided to quit smoking.

His smoking has been a huge issue for the both of us from the start because I don't date smokers - lies, fights, trust issues... but that's a WHOLE different story in itself - so when he told me he was quitting I couldn't believe it! I have nothing against smokers, in act most of my friends smoke, I just wouldn't date one. Anyway, he's been a smoker for the last 10 years of his life but for the past three weeks he's been smoke-free.

Now, I've never smoked before so I don't understand what he's going through, but from what others have said, trying to quit is as hard and painful as going through labor. Our government spends tax-payer dollars on free services to help people quit so it must be hard. Anthony has told me he's been going through mood-swings since quitting, and dealing with stress is much harder now because he doesn't have a "stress-reliever" to fall back on... but he's doing it!

If he can do this for his health, I can push myself to get through an hour at the gym for my health!

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Weigh-in Wednesday: 139.0

Last Wed. weight: 139.2
Today's weight: 139.0
Loss: -0.2

So I'm still holding steady in the 130's, barley, but I'm having a hard time believing that I left the dreaded decade of 140. I'm just gonna take it day by day and see how it goes... keep on keeping on!
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So over the last week, I've had not one, not two, but three comments thrown my way about my weight-loss from co-workers. They were all good comments (having someone ask you if your sick because you've lost so much weight is a compliment, right?) but what surprised me was the fact that it came from people who see me everyday at work. This tells me one of two things:
1.) 37+ lbs. gone doesn't make a big difference on my 5'0" frame or
2.) I don't get noticed that often at work

For my mental-sake, I'm hoping it's #2!

I've just been thrown off a little by these all-of-a-sudden comments. Why now? And if losing that weight hasn't made a difference on me, then I have a WAYS more to go... damn it!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Updates, updates, and more updates

50 followers?! WOW!! Where did you all come from? Thank you so much for your support! I hope that what I'm doing here can inspire others in any way!


This post is going to be all about updates: PT session updates, calorie counting (or not-counting) updates, and my promise to myself updates.

PT session updates
I started my personal trainer sessions in the beginning of June, mainly to get proper form/execution of exercises down, so this makes about 2.5 months since I've been seeing him. I actually just started my second round of sessions a couple of weeks ago (the first round of 20 sessions FLEW BY!) and this time I bought 30 sessions total. Currently I've been seeing my PT 3x/week on M, W, and F, but after next week that all changes.

Next week I start to see him only 2x/week on Tu and F because he believes my form and execution of the exercises are pretty damn near to perfect - yea! So Tu and F will be our regular weight training sessions and Sunday's I'll do a 60-min weight training session on my own - this is on top of the six days of cardio I do too. I'm so excited! Does this mean I can get back to P90X? Or at least alternate between some of the dvd's? HOPE SO!

Anyway, the sessions are still going really good... just last week my PT turned the intensity up a notch (or 10!!) and we are now doing full-blown circuit/boot camp style training and I love it!!

I'll try to get up a sampling of the pain workout he puts me through in the next couple of weeks. I used to play sports back in the day, which my PT knows about and is taking advantage of, so he's putting me through a mix of all the different types of sports conditionings: burpees, volleyball blocks, tires, ladders, jump squats, suicides, shuffles, back-pedals, and even jump roping. Alternate those 1-minute moves with a weight resistance move and repeat for 60 minutes and that = T.O.U.G.H!

Welcome to good hurt!
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Calorie counting update
Still not counting calories as I eat them (rather logging them after a week of just measuring out food) and this is how I did for the past week:
M, 8/10: 1527 kcals, 19% fat, 53% carbs, 28% protein
T, 8/11: 1382 kcals, 17% fat, 51% carbs, 32% protein
W, 8/12: 2055 kcals, 29% fat, 47% carbs, 24% protein
Th, 8/13: 1483 kcals, 16% fat, 64% carbs, 20% protein
F, 8/14: 1557 kcals, 24% fat, 60% carbs, 17% protein
S, 8/15: 1573 kcals, 36% fat, 46% carbs, 18% protein
Su, 8/16: 1080 kcals, 18% fat, 62% carbs, 20% protein

Looks like I need to watch the carbs and up the protein by a lot. Good to know and we'll see how this week goes.
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Promise to myself update
Still bringing it just like I promised! And with the higher intensity of my PT sessions, it should keep me in the 130's! Cross them fingers for me 'cause tomorrow is Weigh-in Wednesday!

Mon: 30 min run after my PT session 1/1
Tue: 55 min interval run on the treadmill 2/2
Wed: 60 min PT session + 15 min run home 3/3
Thu: OFF 3/4
Fri: 60 min PT session + 15 min elliptical 4/5
Sat: 75 min elliptical 5/6
Sun: 25 min stairmill + 20 min elliptical 6/7
Mon: 60 min PT session + 20 min walk home + 15 min elliptical 7/8
Tue: 25 min elliptical + 30 min elliptical HIIT 8/9
Wed: 60 min PT session + 20 min run home
Thu: OFF
Fri: 60 min PT session + 30 min elliptical
Sat: 60 min run
Sun: 60 min hike

Monday, August 17, 2009

Motivational Mondays: Crazy Guy on the Treadmill

So I went to the gym yesterday and decided to end my cardio session by doing some interval training on the treadmill. I thought I'd push myself to a higher level of endurance and intensity by upping the level, incline, and time. I normally do a 1:2 interval ration: 1 minute of "rest" at level 3 and no incline, and 2 minutes of "intensity" at level 5.8 and incline 2.

But I was totally feeling the vibe of the gym so decided to do 2:4 intervals; 2 minutes of "rest" at level 3 and incline 2, and 4 minutes of intensity at level 5.8 and incline 3.5.

I was halfway through my 30 minutes when this guy gets on the treadmill next to me.

He starts out at a brisk walk but within 5 minutes, he was PUSHING himself!!

He would full on sprint at some ridiculous two-digit level for a minute or two, then slam on the big red "STOP" button on the machine (presumable so he wouldn't fly off the treadmill), then walk it for two minutes and repeat the madness.

Besides keeping me distracted and not thinking about how much time I had left on the treadmill, he was actually a really good source of motivation. I figured if this crazy guy can sprint it full speed, I can definitely push myself to do the 4 minutes of jogging. Anyway I finished off my 30 minutes on the treadmill soaked in sweat, heart pumping, and feeling awesome. That was definitely the most intense cardio workout I have done in a L-O-N-G time!

So thank you, Crazy Guy on the treadmill... you allowed me to push beyond my comfort zone and burn a few extra calories!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Just 5 more minutes, just 5 more minutes...

Just focusing on the next 5 minutes... then the next 5 minutes.... then the next 5 minutes on the elliptical got me to 75 minutes when I only shot for 45!!

Go me!

Friday, August 14, 2009

Quickie weight and promise update

TGIF!

Super quick post to update everyone on my cardio-goals for the week and a weight update. Weight is still holding steady in the 130's but I'm not going to make it official until I weigh-in next Wednesday... cross your fingers!

As far as my cardio-goals and promise to myself, I need to hit cardio hard for the next 12 out of 14 (12/14) days:

Mon: 60 min PT session + 30 min run 1/1
Tue: 55 min treadmill intervals 2/2
Wed: 60 min PT session + 15 min run 3/3
Thu: OFF 3/4
Fri: 60 min PT session + 20 min elliptical 4/5
Sat: 20 min treadmill + 20 min elliptical + 20 min stair-mill
Sun: 60 min P90X plyo + 45 min brisk walk
Mon: 60 min PT session + 15 min stair-mill
Tue: 25 min treadmill intervals + 25 min elliptical
Wed: 60 min PT session + 20 min run home
Thu: OFF
Fri: 60 min PT session + 30 min elliptical
Sat: 60 min run
Sun: 60 min hike

HAVE AN AWESOME WEEKEND!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Lights a little slow, but it's on now


So I know this is only day four of my promise to myself, but guess what... I've learned something already.

In order to get to the future, you have to live in the present.

So common sense and so NOT profound.

Why didn't I know this before? Well it's not that I didn't know it, I just didn't listen to it. I mean the main quote of my blog is "one step at a time..."

When some people start out losing weight (like me), they get into this super-motivated-I-can-do-anything mode especially when the first 5 lbs. are lost because those are always the easiest. They (I) set up goals and picture themselves as what they want to look like at the end of the journey but they forget about the journey itself.

It's like planning a trip. You decide you wanna go to Fitville and you plan all these must-do-activities for when you get there: where to eat, where to stay, what to visit, what to do but without even planning on how to get to Fitville, you'll never get there. Without knowing how you're going to get from your house to the airport, then from the airport to the hotel in Fitville, your goal is already impossible to accomplish.

This is exactly the same thing with weight loss.

It's awesome to know what you want your body to look like and do when you're at the end of the journey (btw, a weight-loss journey never ends... takes you straight to Maintenance Land!) but you also have to know how to get there. Going back to when I started out, I knew what my goal destination was but getting there was going to be the tricky part. I set weekly and monthly goals to help me along the way but that's like only planning the airplane ride then the car ride from the airport to Fitville. What about how to get from my house to the airport?!

The past four days have made me realize that my weekly/monthly goals are way more attainable if I break them down even further... into daily goals.

BRILLIANT!!

It's as simple as telling myself I just need to get through today - eat clean TODAY and get in a good workout TODAY. Don't worry about tomorrow today, worry about tomorrow when it gets here. By breaking down my goals to the smallest amounts possible not only makes the goal seem that much more achievable, but it also lets me see the goal... I mean really see it!

Currently my weight goal is about 20 lbs away. Instead of focusing on the entire 20 lbs. I'll focus on just the next two lbs., then the next two, then the next two and so on and so on. But instead of just focusing on the two lbs. I'll focus on what I need to do to get rid of those two lbs. I'll focus on my workouts each day and break it down even further and focus on pushing myself during the workouts.

Just get through the next 5 minutes of running and when I've done that, I'll focus on the next 5 minutes. If I'm able to really give it my all for each 5 minute increment and just repeat it, my workout will go by in no time and I'll probably have pushed myself harder than normal. It's a win-win situation.

Applying the same idea to my nutrition each day - hell, each meal - and I should kick those 20 lbs. in no time! Amazing it's taken me this long to really realize and apply this to my life.


Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Weigh-in Wednesdays: 139.2

Last Wed. weight: 140.4
Today's weight: 139.2
Loss: -1.2

Hmmm... not counting calories has put me into the 130's. I'm not going to say much about this week's weigh-in because I don't wanna scare the 130's away!

Every time I catch a glimpse of this elusive decade, it runs away like a scared little mouse, hiding and shaking under the bed, never to be seen again! So that's all I have to say about that.

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Today is day three of my "do-cardio-and-bring-it-hard" promise to myself. I'm going for intense cardio workouts 12 out of the next 14 days (12/14)I didn't do my workout out for today yet, so I won't count today, but as of yesterday I'm 2/2!

Mon: 30 min run after my PT session 1/1
Tue: 55 min interval run on the treadmill 2/2

And here is the rest of my schedule for the next 12 days:

Wed: 60 min PT session + 15 min run
Thu: OFF
Fri: 60 min PT session + 15 min elliptical
Sat: 20 min treadmill + 20 min elliptical + 20 min stair-mill
Sun: 60 min P90X plyo + 45 min brisk walk
Mon: 60 min PT session + 15 min stair-mill
Tue: 25 min treadmill intervals + 25 min elliptical
Wed: 60 min PT session + 20 min run home
Thu: OFF
Fri: 60 min PT session + 30 min elliptical
Sat: 60 min run
Sun: 60 min hike

Monday, August 10, 2009

Operation Fat Blaster: Awesome group to join!

Last week, I joined an awesome group called Operation Fat Blaster, or OFB for short. The group is very supportive and basically they are your cheerleaders for a healthier YOU. Every week OFB creater, Michelle, issues 'missions' for the members to complete with the potential to win some cool prizes. Anyway, since I just started the group, I jumped in right at Mission #3.

Check it out below!

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Operation Fat Blaster
Special Ops Missions #3: I See You!

"Here is your mission, should you choose to accept it ...
Experts say nutrition plays 80 - 90% of your weight loss (and maintenance) success. A sound nutrition program begins at home - after all, what's more important than what you're doing when no one's looking (or reading your blog?)

This week, your Special Ops Mission is to post photos on your blog of your kitchen - show us your refrigerator, your freezer, and/or your cupboards/pantry ... resist temptation to tidy things up or get rid of the "evidence" before you post your photos."

MISSION COMPLETED: Here are the picts of my kitchen. Feel free to let me know what you see and what could be changed. FYI: My boyfriend and I are not wine drinkers. That bottle of wine in my frig is unopened and has been there for over 3 months now!

This is my counter: whole wheat bread, bananas, honey dew melon, sweet potato,
my BF's gummy vitamins, and my bag of Shakeology.


My frig
Top shelf: leftover penne pasta, fresh blueberries, almond butter, bottle of salsa, bag of flaxseeds, bottle of unopened wine, Fage yogurt, and apples and Laughing Cow wedges in the drawer
Middle shelf: fresh eggs, sweet potatoes in a steamer, leftover lemon herb chicken breast, protein shakes, baking soda, butter
Bottom shelf: chicken breast in the bag, prunes, dried fruit, carton of oj, carton of 1% milk, soy milk, water
Bottom drawer: two heads of romaine lettuce, carrots, peaches, bok choi, cuccumber, spinach
Frig door: capers. salad dressings, mayo, mustard, jellies, relish, more flaxseeds, almonds, and natural beauty products that need to be refrigerated to extend the shelf-life


Freezer
Top shelf: plain ice cream cones, frozen sliced peaches, frozen bananas on the plate, bags of frozen spinach and broccoli, whole wheat bread, cheese, Kashi frozen waffles, Morning Star burgers
Bottom shelf: ice trays, bags of peas, Lean Cuisins, bag of mixed berries, ground turkey, chicken breasts, Popsicles



Freezer door
Top: butter, whole wheat crackers, mixed beans, veggie chicken soup, goldfish food, Laughing Cow wedges, Ricola
Bottom: half-cup servings of blueberries, mixed berries, and cherries (for easy smoothie making), ginger, soy beans


Pantry #1
Top and second shelves: spices and seasonings, cans of tuna, cans of veggie/chicken/beef broth, peanut butter and honey
Third and fourth shelves: cans of tomato paste/sauces, balsmic vinegar, light mayo, dry beans, bag of epsom salt for sore muscles, salad dressing, more seasoning/spices, whole wheat pasta, wheat germ, brown rice
Bottom shelf: brown rice, canola oil, olive oil, corn starch, flour, vinegar



Pantry #2
Top shelf: Stove Top stuffing, powdered Arizona Tea, plain oatmeal, protein bars, stevia, Truvia, and a lot of gum
Second shelf: Ziploc baggies, foil, saran wrap, napkins, food scale, smoked salmon, powdered sports drink mixes (never used and still there), almonds
Third shelf: Honey nut cheerios, Kashi Honey Sunshine, more almonds
Bottom two shelves: reserved for my dog's stuff


In case you needed proof it's for my doggie! :)


And this is in case anyone thought I was hiding cookies in that cookie jar: it's full of unsalted, raw almonds!

Results of not counting...

For the last three days I haven't counted calories and I'm really surprised at the results (read here for why):

Friday: 1556 kcals, 16% fat, 58% carbs, 25% protein
Saturday: 2135 kcals, 17% fat, 58%% carbs, 24% protein (I ate out)
Sunday: 1611 kcals, 25% fat, 49% carbs, 27% protein

(I usually pre-log my food so I know I'm hitting 1600 cals, but the last several days I only measured my food... no logging it to see the calorie totals.)

In a way I'm happy because I accurately ate the amount of cals I'm suppose to (1600 - 1750), except for Saturday, but on the other hand, I thought I was under estimating total calories... if I had eaten up to what I thought was 1600 cals, I would have been over everyday! Good to know...

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On another note, I've had several people email me about my weight, mainly to see how I'm doing because it's been almost two weeks since my last update. And before that, sometimes I can go weeks, sometimes a MONTH, without an update!

Let me explain...

Because I've been in this "plateau" for so long, I'm unmotivated to post weight-updates, eat clean, and get in good cardio sessions. And because I've been slacking on the cardio, the scale, body fat calculations, and measurements haven't been moving.

It's a catch 22! How do I make it stop?!

Like I was telling my friend Chris, I'm lucky to have my PT sessions because at least that's three days a week I get a good intense workout in. Yes, strength training is key to building a toned body but cardio is the key to get rid of the layer of fat that's hiding that toned body.

For the next two weeks, I made a promise to myself to bring it!
Bring it hard, on my cardio days... and while I'm at it... GET IN my cardio days! In the last two and a half weeks, I've only gotten a handful of cardio sessions in. I promise to do some type of cardio (gym equipment, home dvd's, outdoor activities, whatever!) 12 out of the next 14 days starting from today!

As far as my current weight, I've decided to make every Wednesday a weigh-in day. I'll be posting my current weight and any loss/gain from the previous week.

Be sure to check back to make sure I'm doing it! I know if I can do this for the next two weeks, I should definitely see some progress!

Friday, August 7, 2009

No more counting calories!


Counting calories has gotten me to where I am today... 35 lbs. lighter and 4 sizes smaller. Sure, the first month or two of tracking were the hardest and counting calories was like the most tedious thing in the world, but it works! For me, it's almost been a year since I started tracking my daily caloric intake and it's actually become a part of my lifestyle. If someone told me that counting calories for the rest of my life would give me my dream body, I probably could do it... But 'could do it' is different than 'would do it'.

When I first started out losing weight, I knew I wouldn't want to count calories for the rest of my life so I thought now would be good time to see how well I do without logging my food into a calorie counter. I'm still going to write down what I eat everyday but after a couple of days of not counting the calories as I eat them, I'll log them into MFD to see how on it (or off it) I am.

It just so happens that my PT wants me to do this too!

Because he knows I'm working hard at the gym, he thinks I may be under estimating my calorie intake on days I eat out or burn off a lot of calories, because my fat-loss has come to a screeching halt.

Besides possibly logging my food incorrectly, I figured this is good practice to see how well I do with my guesstimated portion sizes. Will be back tomorrow to report how well I did with the calorie estimations.

Wish me luck!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Having to Say 'Goodbye'


One of me dear blogger friends, Jen, a.k.a. Prior Fat Girl, recently lost her mom.

I 'met' Jen through my weight-loss journey and she has become one of my biggest inspirations. Jen is an amazing person and there is no doubt that Jen and her mother were the best of friends.

Jen's mom, Kim, was just as much apart of Jen's blog as she was... always reading her daughter's posts and leaving cute, funny, and supportive comments... sharing the spotlight in many of Jen's blogs as her gym buddy or her kicking-the-bad-habit-snacks buddy. As another blogger put it, Kim was like "our on-line mom too".

Jen, you and your family are in my thoughts and your mom will be truly missed. Stay strong!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Attack of the Green Monster!

It's the attack of the Green Monster... and it is delicious!

Don't let the green slime-color fool you!

In the blog/health world, a Green Monster is a shake made with spinach. Yup, spinach! The recipes and ingredients differ from person to person, but one of the main components has to be spinach.

I made it for the first time the other day and LOVED IT! So what's in mine:

1 cup soy milk
1 frozen banana
1.5 cups of spinach
0.5 cups blueberries
1 tbs. flaxseeds

You can't even taste the spinach and the shake tasted like some frosty banana dessert!

According to others who drink these little monsters daily, you can add up to 2 cups of fresh spinach without getting any "grassy" flavor and they're right. I've made Green Monsters almost daily since I've tried this one, and not once have I ever tasted the spinach. I drink Shakeology (Greenberry or Chocolate) most mornings and now throw in two handfuls of spinach... such an easy way to get in more veggies and nutrients.

After my workout sessions, I normally have a protein shake, so I've been throwing in handfuls of spinach into those as well. Just be sure to blend it all up and I promise you won't be disappointed.

I even tried just plan soy milk blended with about a cup of spinach and you can't taste it. SERIOUSLY!

Don't knock it till you try it!