I'm late! I'm late!

But wanted to wish everyone a great Holiday Season!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas and hope you have a Happy New Year!

Very exciting things are happening and I'll be back blogging more but here's a small hint...

(source)

How's your Holidays going?

WOW!!! It's been a while but still trying to push along. Logging and exercise hasn't been on-point but still trying to log as much as I can. Here's what I got so far...

Nov: 1,527 min. of exercise/9,291 cal deficit

12/01: / +84 cals
12/02: 61 min circuit training / 512 cal def
12/03: 75 min walk + elliptical / 583 cal def
12/04: 52 min stair running / 311 cal def

12/05: 121 min walk + circuit training / 610 cal def
12/06: OFF / +274 cals
12/07: 62 min PT session / 247 cal def
12/08: / 470 cal def
12/09: / 222 cal def

TOTALS:
1,898/4000 minutes of exercise
11,888/30,500 calorie deficit

I now there's still 22 days left in December (counting today) but I think it's safe to say that I won't make my calorie deficit goal BUT that doesn't mean I'm giving up. Oh no... in fact it makes me push even harder! So if I want to make both my goals by January 1, I need to...

workout for 95 minutes a day till the end of the year
have a 892 calorie deficit everyday until the end of the year

Both doable but I don't want to kill myself either. I will try my best and we'll see what happens. I figure aiming to get in 95 minutes of exercise should get me close to the 892 calorie deficit but I don't think that almost-1000-calorie-deficit-a-day is healthy for me.  Will aim for the exercise minutes and just listen to my body about the food.

And the second winner is...

Jen said... blogged it here http://jen-getlucky.blogspot.com/2010/11/get-enough-fiber.html

Congrats Jen! I will be emailing you soon!

And the winner is...

Heather & Chaos said...

"I LOVE soup!!! =)"

 Heather, please email me your contact info so I can get your Progresso Soup winnings on their way. 

I'm still here kinda making it :)

Don't forget to check out my blog giveaways and enter to win: here and here!

Happy Tuesday!

I'm still full of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes from last week!  Who else?!

Here is an update to my goals as of now and let's just say last week was TOUGH:

11/01: DAY OFF; 353 calorie deficit
11/02: 90 min kayaking; -169 calories over
11/03: 0 exercise; 30 calorie def.
11/04: 79 min cardio mix; 938 calorie def.
11/05: 66 min cardio; 669 calorie def.
11/06: 73 min gym time; 655 calorie def.

11/07: 131 min hike; 652 calorie def.
11/08: DAY OFF; 325 calorie def.
11/09: 62 min circuit training; 424 cal def.
11/10: 0 exercise; 53 cal def.
11/11: 45 min elliptical; 527 cal def.
11/12: 60 min cardio + lower body weights; 982 cal def.
11/13: 120 min hike + upper body weights; 1025 cal def.

11/14: 125 min treadmill + lower body weights; 923 cal def.
11/15: DAY OFF; 218 cal def.
11/16: 0 exercise; 64 cal def.
11/17: 60 min circuit training; 261 cal def.
11/18: 70 min elliptical; 524 cal def.
11/19: 53 min walk;
11/20: 82 min elliptical;

11/21: 0 exercise;
11/22: 0 exercise;
11/23: 62 min circuit training;
11/24: DAY OFF; 207 cal def.
11/25: 0 exercise;+609 cal def.
11/26: 96 min walk;+90 cal def.
11/27: 95 min hike;231 cal def.
11/28: 85 min elliptical; 853 cal def.

11/29: DAY OFF; 245 cal def.
11/30:73 min circuit training;

TOTALS:
          1,527/4,000 exercise minutes
          9,291/31,500 calorie deficit

(Those blank calorie def. up there for the 19 - 23 is because I didn't track calories those days)

So as you can see I'm not even half-way to my goals and there is only half the time left in 2010! I realize I may not be able to reach my exercise minutes and calorie deficits BUT that's not gonna stop me from trying!  I have two weeks off in December so hoping I can use that time to do some major make-up work.

Blog Giveaway II: Fiber One + $25 Safeway GC!

Another blog giveaway in less than 24 hours!

As many of you know, I've been changing my lifestyle to a healthier one  for the past two years and yes, I've gained some weight back, but I haven't given up.  For me, it was all about making small changes and sticking to them.  Two of the easiest changes I've been able to keep: upping my water and fiber intake.

FIBER!  It's good for your system and keeps you feeling full longer.  And anything that keeps me full between meals is a plus! 

And this giveaway is all about the fiber. For a short time, Fiber One is have an amazing giveaway which includes coupons to try a box of their cereal, a box of their fiber bars, and a $25 Safeway gift card (which can also be used at Dominick's, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Vons, and Genuardi's).

These are the two that I picked up with my coupons and I gotta say, I'm a big fan now:

To enter:
Leave a comment on this post with your favorite way to get in fiber and be sure to leave a contact email (email will only be used for this giveaway). This giveaway will be open until 11:59 p.m. Thursday, December 2. A winner will be chosen at random and announced the next day.

Want another entry? How about 4 more entries?!

1. Mention this giveaway on your blog and be sure to link back to this post then leave a comment saying you did so (with the link)
2. Follow my blog and leave a comment saying you did so. Already a follower? That's one more entry for you!
3. Post this giveaway on Facebook or twitter, linking back to this post and leave a comment saying you did so (with the link)
4. Email 2 other people about this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did so

Still not enough? Just visit Fiber One's website for coupons on a variety of their yogurts, cereals, and bars!

 Fine print: Open to US and Canada residents only. Fiber One provided me with the free products, information, and gift pack through MyBlogSpark.

Blog Giveaway: Progresso Soup Deal!

I don't know about where you live, but where I live it's been a little cold! It's a chilly low-60's here in Hawaii and that's cold for us (I can feel the eye's rolling from the rest of you)!

But whether your chilly in Hawaii or somewhere else, it's perfect weather for...

SOUP!

And this giveaway is all about the soup. For a short time, Progresso is have an amazing giveaway which includes a sampling of their low-sodium soups, a 'souper' cute soup mug, and an inflatable exercise ball (including pump and carry bag)!

To enter:
Leave a comment on this post with your favorite soup - any brand or homemade! - and be sure to leave a contact email (email will only be used for this giveaway). This giveaway will be open until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, December 1. A winner will be choosen at random and announced the next day.

Want another entry? How about 4 more entries?!

1. Mention this giveaway on your blog and be sure to link back to this post then leave a comment saying you did so (with the link)
2. Follow my blog and leave a comment saying you did so. Already a follower? That's one more entry for you!
3. Post this giveaway on Facebook or twitter, linking back to this post and leave a comment saying you did so (with the link)
4. Email 2 other people about this giveaway and leave a comment saying you did so

Still not enough? Just visit Progresso's website for coupons on a variety of their soups!Fine print: Open to US and Canada residents only. Progresso provided me with the free products, information, and gift pack through MyBlogSpark.

Should I get a car?

Happy Monday!

Had an amazing weekend with lots of activity time! Here is an update to my goals as of now:

11/01: 0 exercise; 353 calorie deficit
11/02: 90 min kayaking; -169 calories over
11/03: 0 exercise; 30 calorie def.
11/04: 79 min cardio mix; 938 calorie def.
11/05: 66 min cardio; 669 calorie def.
11/06: 73 min gym time; 655 calorie def.
11/07: 131 min hike; 652 calorie def

TOTALS:
          439/4,000 exercise minutes
          3,123/31,500 calorie deficit

What really helped was having a car available to me when the boyfriend was working. Long story short, we got a stick-shift car earlier this year and I still haven't taken the time to learn to drive it so...  I have no car when the boyfriend works at nights and on the weekends.  As much as I love our Infiniti, I want my freedom back, too!

(source)

But this past week my parents were out of town so I used their car. I got to the gym Saturday night and did a nice treadmill-elliptical-stairmaster cycle and Sunday I went on a hike by myself which was really nice!

So now I'm wondering if it's worth it for me to get my own car.  Not just for the gym factor, but think it's just time for me to get my own.  We've shared a car for a while since I work days and he works nights but before we had a manual car, I would use the car a lot to go gym at night before I pick up my boyfriend from work.  Right now I calculated that our $30 monthly gym membership costs us $5 each gym session since we only make it about 6 times a month! So NOT worth it! It's something I'm thinking about so we'll see... 

New month! New goals!

So the weekend challenge was a flop BUT I'm gonna keep on keeping on!

New month! New goals! New motivation!

Some of my goals for the remainder of the year:

0/4000 minutes of exercise
0/31,500 calorie deficit

This breaks down to 66 minutes of exercise and having a 517 calorie deficit everyday for the rest of the year! Even with the holidays coming up I know I can do this.

I also want to start refocusing on what I eat, not just how much I eat because for the last three or four weeks I've been back in this game: eating and exercise.  But I have yet to see the scale move.  And I know we're not suppose to focus on the scale, but when your considered "obese" and no where near a healthy weight for your height, something isn't right.

A majority of people underestimate their calories but I've been at this game for a while now and know "guesstimating" doesn't always work when you're trying to lose weight.  I'm a strict measuring cup/spoon user so I know my calorie counts are pretty accurate.  I've been eating mostly prepacked/processed food to keep it simple but I think that is what's hurting my weight.  When I first lost the weight I focused on absolutely NO processed foods and the weight came off easily.

So another goal for the last two months of 2010 will be to start reincorporating REAL foods.  Hoping that will get the scale moving again...

Failing!!

Okay the whole point of having these Weekend Challenges is to keep me accountable but it's not working!! I have two days to try and make up for bad choices the past several days but pretty sure my calorie deficit goal is down the drain already.

F: 222 cal deficit / 77 min elliptical
Sa: -362 cal deficit / 116 min hike + upper body
Su: -233 cal deficit / 0 min exercise

-373/2500 calorie deficit
193/350 exercise minutes

P.S.
Several people have emailed me about the "holiday" I had mentioned earlier.  Tomorrow is a holiday for some State of Hawaii workers and I'm included in that bunch!

MFD: Weekend Challenge IV

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

_________________________________________

Weekend Challenge IV

I'm extending my normal 3-day challenge to a 5-day challenge since it's a holiday on Tuesday (for some of us).

So here are my goals:

0/500 exercise minutes
0/2500 calorie deficit

MFD: Weekend Challenge III: FAIL!

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

_________________________________________

Wow... that Challenge blew!

Didn't make either of my goals but still got in some serious exercise.

10/22: 75 min elliptical and -66 cal deficit (which means no deficit; 66 OVER)
10/23: 53 min elliptical and -167 cal deficit
10/24: 115 min hike and 508 cal deficit

TOTALS: 
243/250 exercise minutes
275/1500 calorie deficit

Friday
The day was pretty much perfect... until it wasn't. :(
I had my entire day planned out: meals and exercise.  When the boyfriend picked me from work, we went home like normal and I got changed into my workout clothes.  He then tells me that he took the night off of work (which I'm super happy about!) but that threw a wrench in my plans.  I told him no matter what, I HAVE to get in my workout... which I did.  But then my friend texted me.

See, the boyfriend works at a restaurant and my friend so happened to be eating there on Friday night. So she texted me that she didn't see my boyfriend working and I told her he took the night off.  So she asked if we wanted to go out later... you know, grab a few drinks have a late night dinner.  So I said yes since I never see her anymore.

We went to this cute little French restaurant. The boyfriend and I ordered dinner (I had the yummiest grilled fish with shrimp and beet salad) since we didn't eat yet but my friend ordered the restaurant's famed cheese and salami platter.  That's all I have to say about that right?  That alone killed any hope of a calorie deficit.  :(

Saturday
Buffet wedding lunch with hardly anything healthy... pesto pasta, white rice, Caesar salad soaked with dressing, sauteed veggies swimming in butter, garlic mashed potatoes, prime rib, and fried fish.  And of course chocolate wedding that wasn't even yummy, but I ate it all anyway.  GREAT!

Dinner out with my family landed us at a Japanese restaurant, so nothing super unhealthy but still not the best.  I made the best choices I could but after logging everything into MFD, I came out with a 2200 calorie day.

THE GOOD NEWS: After I got home from dinner, I rested a bit and jumped on the elliptical at 9:30 at night! :)

Sunday
Felt really bloated and disgusting from the previous couple of days so went on a nice long hike all by myself.  It was nice to just be out there in nature and in my own thoughts but kinda scary too.

Anyway, had a really good day except for choosing fried spring rolls at dinner tonight but you win some and you lose some.

Here's to a much better week!

Weekend Challenge III

Another Friday means another Weekend Challenge!

This weekend is going to be a little harder cause I have a lunch wedding and a family dinner tomorrow.  I'm still aiming for my 500+ calorie deficit every day so that means trying to get in extra exercise today and Sunday.

Here are my goals for the Weekend Challenge III:

0/250 exercise minutes
0/1500 calorie deficit

MFD: Weigh-in and nothing!

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

_________________________________________

Starting weight: 176.4
Last week weight: 150.0
Current weight: 150.0
Current loss: 0.0

TOTAL LOSS: -26.40

On the weight-loss front, NADA! Which is pretty amazing since I pulled a 3,224 calorie deficit last week. To be honest I'm not surprised because once I jumped on the scale at the gym, I felt like I had actually gained weight. .  But luckily that wasn't the case.

Anyway, thanks to my friend Jay, I've looked over more of my MFD charts and think I know the culprit: sodium. It has been off the charts this week! I need to tame that down and hopefully the scale will start moving again.

These are just some of the charts that MFD can create and it's nothing interesting to share with the blog world, but wanted them here for my reference:

 

No Appetite...

This Weekend Challenge was a success... I'm loving them cause they keep me accountable on the three toughest days of the week for me: Friday, Saturday and Sunday!

10/15: 448 calorie deficit and 86 min elliptical + upper body
10/16: 772 calorie deficit and 81 min hike
10/17: 629 calorie deficit and 150 min walk + elliptical

TOTALS:
1849/1800+ calorie deficit
317/300 minutes

Next weekend I have to do the same or more but it's gonna be tough cause I have a wedding to go to and we all know what that means... FOOD and DRINKS for everyone!! 

____________________________________________________________

On another note, the past couple of days I haven't had a real appetite which is VERY unusual but I think it's because I've been stressing about work.  Like, stressing like I never have before!  I know it'll pass and what really helps are my daily exercise sessions... not trying to sound cliche but exercise really does relieve stress!

Don't let this happen to you...

(source)

On yet another note, I made a new fave food discovery: Yoplait light yogurt in all the yummy dessert flavors!

(source)

Don't get me wrong, these are not the healthiest things on earth (sugar, people!) but they beat eating a bowl of ice cream before bed.  I know these have been around forever but I normally stay far away from them - Fage Greek yogurt is still my fave - but since my local grocery store had them on sale 10 for $7, I picked some up.  They are yummy and they definitely fix my sweet tooth for the night. YUM!

MFD: Another Weeken Challenge! BRING IT!

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

_________________________________________

Well I'm doing another weekend challenge!

Goal for this weekend (Friday - Sunday):

0/300 minutes
0/1800+ calorie deficit

As of this evening, Saturday 6:40 pm (I'm thinking of jumping on the elliptical for a quick and dirty session):


10/15: 448 calorie deficit and 86 min elliptical + upper body
10/16: 772 calorie deficit and 81 min hike

TOTALS: 1220/1800+ calorie deficit
               167/300 minutes

MFD: Oops!

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

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Wow... I was suppose to be back on Wednesday to report weight-in but look at what day it is... FRIDAY!

It's been a long week and I'm just glad it's over.

I'm happy to report that I'm down 1.5 lbs since last week so I'm sitting at 150 exactly. I'm happy to be losing the weight again, but I can't believe I'm here (in the 150's) when last year I was fighting it in the 130's.

It's okay, baby steps and as long as it's baby steps in the right direction, it's okay by me!

TBL makes time fly!

**Finally updated my current monthly goals for October!**

Yesterday was another great day.  Got in an amazing elliptical session while catching up on The Biggest Loser.

I haven't watched TBL for a couple of seasons now so while I was watching it on-line (I have my computer hooked up to my big screen tv) I forgot that each episode is like two hours long.  So I'm over there on the elliptical and time is flying by and before I know it, I'm over my 45 minute goal of exercise! In fact I'm creeping up on the 75-minute mark.

I slow my pace, cool down for a few minutes, and gladly get off.  I wish all exercise sessions were like this!

Later today I have gym time with my trainer so that's another awesome exercise day under my belt.  Will be back tomorrow with a weight update *biting fingernails*.

MFD: Weekend Challenge update

WHAT A WEEKEND!

Had so much to do but when the boyfriend and I got up on Saturday morning, we completely changed our minds and did non-planned things all weekend.

Saturday we got up early to take the dogs walking... a good hour-long power walk in the morning sun get's everyone tired and sweaty. After the walk, the puppers were happy to lay around the house for the rest of the day while the boyfriend and I ran errands. COSTCO RUN!! I fricken love Costco! Stocked up on so much good food: whole wheat bread, fresh fruits and veggies, frozen fruits and veggies, milk, eggs, yogurt, healthy tv dinners, and best of all WORKOUT CLOTHES!!! My local Costco had my favorite favorite Nike shorts on sale for under $18. This suckers normally run about $25 each on sale, so I picked up two. They also had Nike workout tank tops on sale and I picked up three of those.

(source)

It's funny how buying workout clothes is more exciting to me than buying regular, going-out clothes. Loves it!

Sunday I woke up early again to take the puppies for a short jog. Our short (30 minute max) jog turned out to be a longer (60+ minutes) jog/walk and it was amazing! Got home before 9:30 then got ready to spend the day with my mom. She had to go to Costco so while there I picked up more workout clothes. Then we headed out to lunch and tried a new Mexican place that just opened up.

(source)

Grilled Cajun fish tacos Baha style, no cheese/sour cream, and cajun white/black beans are so good!! And good for you according to MFD.

Got home pretty early and jumped on the elliptical while I caught up on the newest season of The Biggest Loser. Don't get me wrong, I think the show represents something good (the fact that as a country, we really need to start taking our health seriously) but is it now a requirement to be obese AND have a heart-felt, tear-jerking story to be on TBL?

Anyway, we ended the evening last night with a dinner of bell peppers, onions, and some chicken sausage I picked up at Costco. Best/most simple/cheapest/healthiest meal ever! The sausage is low fat and low sodium so for a big plate of peppers and onions and one huge chicken sausage, it's only 175 cals!  Have a side of whole wheat pasta to round out the meal and it's perfect!

 And the whole point of this post was to update you on my Weekend Challenges.  Well I did good:

261/250 exercise minutes
1038/1000 calorie deficit

The calories could have been higher and I barley made it yesterday.  If it weren't for my double workouts yesterday, my deficit would have been much less.  Next weekend (and probably every weekend after that) I'll be doing these Challenges so feel free to join in.

MFD: Weekend Challenges! Bring it on!

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

_________________________________________

YAY... TGIF!!!

Weekends usually sabotage any good work I've done the previous week so to keep me on track, a friend and I are doing a "Weekend Minute Challenge".

My goal: 250 minutes over Saturday and Sunday

I have a nice 2 hour-ish long hike planned for tomorrow but the weather is suppose to get wet this weekend. If I can't get in the hike, my friend may just win this challenge.

And because we all know nutrition is 80% of the weight-loss equation, I'm aiming for a deficit of 1000+ for the weekend. I think I'm gonna throw this "Weekend Deficit Challenge" out to my friend Polly.

So here goes...

0/250 minutes
0/1000 deficit

MFD: Rough day but well needed

This post was copied from my forum entry on My Food Diary (MFD) where I journal my daily thoughts/feelings about weight-loss.  Although this blog is suppose to do that, MFD is more of my diary and I wanted to include my entire journey in one place.

_________________________________________

Rough day yesterday and I won't go into details but lets just say I'm so OVER my current job! I found out something that's been going on at work and it's just time for me to get the hell outta there.

I've been looking and applying for other jobs since last month so hopefully I can find something comparable (salary-wise).

Also I lost my necklace yesterday that had two rings on it: one from my boyfriend when we first started dating and another from my parents.

I was so stressed out by the end of the day, I was ecstatic when my friend called to see if I wanted to go out and grab dinner and a drink. So I did. I had a burger, fries and two beers... not the best choices in the world for weight-loss but awesome for relieving stress and keeping me sane!

To make up for yesterday I already have all my meals planned out today so I'll be back on track in no time.

Who is this?!

If you were to meet me right now you'd think I was a totally new person than who I was a month ago.  Something has rekindled my desire to lose the weight (again!) and as much as I hate talking all big and saying stuff like "I'm back and can't wait to do this" than completely flaking out a few days later...

I truly am back!

I have been consistent with exercise and eating for the last month and my body is finally responding to the healthy changes... I'm down 5 lbs from my heaviest since I gained the weight back.  And I'm not gonna lie. I still don't like exercise as much as I used to but I know what needs to be done and it's just a matter of time before my body starts liking it again... RIGHT?!

And I can't remember if it was ever mentioned here but since we're being honest lets just get it all out there.  Since May I have gained a total of: 20 lbs!!  Yup, 20 extra pounds in 5 months on my short 5'0" frame is a very visible difference and I hate it.  Hate it like I've never hated anything before.

So my official re-starting weight is 155.  But right now I'm at 150.2 so moving in the right direction!

Last month I was so bitter and disgusted with myself for letting my weight get that high but today I can't wait till I hit the gym or bust out a workout dvd... again, not cause I like it, but I know that's the only thing that works.

So I've gone back to true basics and started using the wonderful world of My Food Diary again.  I have no idea how I found it back in 2008 but it has been the BEST food tracking website I have come across (I've tried many paid and free sites).  And yes it has a monthly fee of $9 but seriously,  I'll skip my daily Starbucks three times a month to have the money to pay for it!  It's much more than just a food tracker... it tracks totals for sodium, saturated fat, protein, sugar, fiber, etc. for a really well balanced eating style.  Right now they have a 7 day free trial (and no, I don't work for them or make any type of commission. I'm just one weight-loser trying to spread the word) so check it out if you're interested.

So this blog should be getting updated more often because I will be posting my daily diary/journaling from MFD here, just to keep my entire journey in one place.

Project Post-It

Hey Bloggies,

Still here going STRONG!  It seems my motivation is slowly making it's way back.  Although when you hit rock bottom, there really isn't anywhere else to go but up!

One of the main reasons I'm so motivated right now is cause my good friend Polly inspired me with one of the simplest but most motivating items: post-its!

(source)

Yup! Post-its... Polly is reading a book right now (you Sparkpeople should recognize it) and she shared a part of the book with me that talked about how the author got started exercising.

"So one of the first things the author did was he decided that he needed to work out at least 10 min every day - his corporate life was killing him with fast food lunches - etc.. So one day he mentioned that he had worked out 50 days in a row - he was so proud - every time he felt like sleeping in he said "no Chris you're on a streak!" So he told others at work and one very heavy set lady joked about how she sat 50 days on the couch. But one day she put a post it note up with a large 1 on the outside of her cubicle. He asked he was it was and she very smartly replied "I worked out today!" "

Simple right?!

I get that this might not work for all people, but I'm super competitive - even with myself - so welcome to Project Post-it!  Keeping track of how many days I've worked out in a row (including one rest day a week) is awesome cause I'm in a competition with myself... restarting at post-it #1 means I lost.  So far I'm on day 7 and even though that doesn't seem like a lot, it is considering I'm coming from a once-a-week-and-only-once-a-week exercise program (LAME).

So for now... it's safe to say I'm back fighting my body to get healthy again!

P.S.
Check out Polly's vision board made with custom post-it areas... genius and super AWESOME!

FINALLY!!!

OMG it feels so good to be sweating again.  In the last week, I got my booty handed to me by Jillian Micheals, my elliptical at home, and my PT:

T: 40 min 30-day Shred + elliptical
F: 45 min 30-day Shred + elliptical
S: 60 min PT session
S: OFF
M: 30 min 30-day Shred
T: 80 min PT session + elliptical

LOVE IT!  I know it's still early on and it hasn't even been a week since I got started again but FINALLY I feel like am back to being me.  I'm still Bugging and that's been a huge motivator when it comes to my nutrition intake.  This weekend was a little tough with a Saturday-night party and I could have done better but on the other hand I could have done a lot worse too!

So here's to me hopefully strictly keeping it up!

Awesomeness!

It's amazing how an awesome workout will get you remotivated!

Thank you, reactivated gym membership!

And for even sadder news...

Nothing weight-related but probably a lot more important than my contributions to this blog:

Today, September 1, marks the start of the annual dolphin slaughters in Taiji, Japan.  Thousands and thousands of dolphins will be rounded up, killed inhumanely, slaughtered and sold for meat.  If you watch Animal Planet of Discovery Channel, they broadcasted the Academy Award Nominee, The Cove, this past weekend and let's just say I was sick and heart-broken watching the entire movie (which was the first movie to bring this horrible slaughter to the public's eye).

Probably the most f*cked up part (besides the slaughter itself) is that before the killings take place, dolphin trainers from aquariums/ocean parks come down and take the best/strongest specimens for their tanks and basically turn a blind eye to what's going to happen to the rest of the dolphins.  WTF?!

Anyway, here's a celebrity-filled commercial for The Cove:

Sitting at work right now...

... and my favorite pair of jeans are cutting off circulation to the lower half of my body.

Tight clothes are very humbling and really shows me how much work I have to do to just get to my "overweight" status of 135 lbs. 

WOW!

So I've seriously made it a goal to exercise everyday for the next six days starting from today: day 1.

Nutrition-wise that's what's been KILLING me but I really don't know how to stop.  I did start by cooking a home-made meal this week and brining it for lunch so at least it's something.  And just last night I restocked some frozen dinners cause even though they aren't that great for you, it's better than me grabbing some other crap like ice cream... so not a good choice but defenitely a better one.  Plus frozen dinners are PORTION CONTROLED... something I know nothing about these days.

AAAUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!! (That's how I feel)

Today I start! (and some updates)

I can't believe it's Monday already and the weekend is gone! Fortunately for me we a State holiday on Friday so I had another long weekend!  Plenty of activity went on and I'm glad to say eating is getting under control and I've decided to get bugged again... Bodybugg that is.  Today was my first day wearing it and I'm looking at a 600 calorie deficit... YAY!

Regarding my last post about cutting my addiction to food, I've learned that not only do you need a really good reason to do it but you also need to keep busy.  Not necessarily in the physical sense but busy in the sense that you need to keep your mind busy and not always on the thing you're trying to get over.

In other words find another "addiction"!

I've noticed that the times I mindlessly eat is when I'm home... alone... sitting in front of the TV. Surprise, right?  The boyfriend and I have opposite schedules so he works nights while I work days so I have so much free time in the evenings!  Well I've decided that I need to invest my time a little more wisely so I'm looking into a few different things:

• Guinea Piggie Pies - I used to run a small (but successful) website that specialize in custom guinea pigs made out of polymer clay and if I can get back into it, it would make good side money as well.  I had to shut down the site because I was getting too many orders and had no time to work on them. 

• Go back to school - Yup... never thought the day would come where I'd wanna go back to school but I think I do!  Plus I work for a university so the classes would be free.  HELLO!!!

• Work from home - This is something I really would like to do so if you know of any legit work-from-home programs, send the recommendations my way!

UPDATES

Remember how excited I was to hit up Bed, Bath and Beyond the other weekend? Well, lets just say I don't think I'll be going back any time soon.  WAY too crowded and it really isn't anything that great.  Everything in Hawaii is more expensive than the Mainland so we don't get the cheap prices like up there... in fact our Target is more expensive than our K-Mart/Walmart. WTH?  Good news is I bought my shoe organizer and look...

Before: Shoes in a box and shoe boxes everywhere

 After: So neat and organized!

This was mid-fill... the rack is actually completely filled and I need more space!

Yay! The shoe organizer is actually an over-the-door kind of rack but our only door that this would fit on is like 9 feet tall so wouldn't make sense to hang it... I'm short and wouldn't be able to reach it.

AND another huge update I didn't even realize I missed was the new addition to our family!

This is Beans, Poki's second best friend!

We adopted Beans back in June from the local Humane Society and she has just been such an awesome dog.  Super mellow and such a cuddler.  And the best part is she likes the ocean! Poki hates the water and never goes in but Beans loves it!  So now I have one more reason to get up off the couch and move outside!

All talk...

... and no walk.

So sorry I fell short on my promise of an update over this last weekend - since I know you were all waiting on the edge of your seat for it - but this is the first chance I've had to get on the computer (and I'm at work... go figure). 

I had a good L-O-N-G five-day weekend this past week and kept pretty busy but not as active as I wished.  Food is still kicking my ass and it's so hard for other people to understand how imprisoning food can be.  Someone left me a comment the other day that really hit it on the head for me:

LRS said...
Annie - I came to your site to read as much as I could about an honest review regarding Shakeology. I'm leaving your site even more convinced that food is more addictive than cigarettes. I quit smoking 1 year and 10 months ago and have no desire to ever start again (I’d hate to have to go through the quitting a second time ; ). I smoked for nearly 10 years and it was absolutely my favorite pastime. I used to say it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but that was until a year after I quit that I decided I needed to get my binge eating under control. I'm still working on it and sometimes during moments of weakness I worry that I will never have a healthy relationship with food. That being said, I refuse to quit my efforts. Even though we aren’t there yet, we are still closer than we were yesterday. To quote Jimmy Dugan, “If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great.”

The point in me sharing this with you is to help you to feel you are not alone. Every single person out there can say there have been times in their life where after many steps forward they have unfortunately taken a few steps back. Therefore; Honey, you fell off the wagon. Dust yourself off, hop back on and don't look back! I’m rooting for you :)

Food being more addictive than cigarettes?  Wild claim but I think there's some truth to that.  Food has some powerful associations with it and it differs with each person but in the end food is addicting... at least to me.  I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I say a certain food makes me feel good or it can take me back to my childhood or it can remind of grandma's house.  With happy associations like that, who wouldn't want to food around?

Unfortunately most of those foods are what we would consider "comfort foods"... fatty, sugary, holiday-treaty types of food.  For me it's ice cream.  Growing up my parents never really kept sweets around in the house.  We were more of beef-jerkey, chips and crackers kind of snackers but the one sweet that we always had around: ICE CREAM!

Yup, even to this day I only eat salty/savory snacks and pretty much stay away from the sweets.  No candy, pastries, baked goods or even soda but there is a permanent space reserved for ICE CREAM in my freezer.  Ice cream just takes me back to everything good!  Not the best thing to be "addicted" to when you're trying to get healthy.

So how do I get over this?

Pretty much the same any addict would get over their drug of choice: rehab.  I've tried the cold-turkey way but that only makes me go crazy and binge like a starving person.  So I'm approaching this addictive habit as if I were a true addict*.  Will do some light reading on the topic and see if I can come up with a substituted method or plan for getting me off the ice (cream)! (Oh come on, it's a joke!)

*I do not mean to offend anyone with a true addiction problem but I seriously need to find something that works for me.  If food is addicting (and many professionals will say it is) I think treating it like an actual addiction may help me.

So how's it going?

So much for regular posting, huh?

Well I've been back at it, slowly, with lots of walks and a rare elliptical workout, but nothing too strenous cause I seriously feel like my fitness level is below a zero now!  Gonna go through all my workout dvd's this weekend and pull out some of the ones that I first started out with.  Think Jillian, The Firm, even the Wii Fit! Anything to just get me back to my P90X-status!

Food has still been a real struggle for me but I've noticed I've cut down on the amount of food of been eating.  Meaning it's still crappy food but at least I'm eating less of it.  Right now I'm aiming to get in no more than 1300 calories (which is actually maintenance level for me) plus an extra 100 - 200 calories depending on my physical activity level for that day.

Next week I took off on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for an extended weekend - which I need - so hoping to keep busy everyday! Already have several hikes planned out with the boyfriend, a beach day, and a shoping day.  As sad as it sounds, I'm super thrilled to be hitting up Bed, Bath and Beyond this weekend! Hawaii just got our first store that opened the other week so can't wait to check it out. I need a shoe rack cause right now all my shoes are just thrown into a big moving box... no kidding! It can take me a minute to find two matching pairs.

Will be back later this weekend with updates and pictures to help keep my accountable!

It's the thought that counts, right?

Hey Blooggies,

Long time no talk, err... is it read?

Anyway, this is my attempt at a meaningful blog post.  I have been MIA for the last month or two not because I wanted to, but because I didn't feel like I had anything to say. I have gained about 15 pounds from my lowest of 128ish back in May so I'm sitting at a not-so-comfortable 145sih... and the number is just getting higher.

My blog title, The Amazing Shrinking Girl, would make a mockery of me every time I logged on and I felt like it should be changed to The Not-So-Amazing Expanding Girl.  For the last month I've avoided my personal trainer's phone calls because he wants me to come in and get my stats taken (as a refresher, since May, I put a freeze on my gym membership for 4 months so I haven't seen my trainer since April).  I just cannot face him right now and I'm almost too embarrassed to be seen at the gym.  The extra 15+ lbs. has made a HUGE difference in my self-confidence and self-esteem and what makes it worse is that I keep gaining even though I feel like shit.

All intense exercise has come to a stop... haven't done any type of strength training/weight resistance since May and I'm scared to even attempt one push-up in fear that I cannot do it. 

I've still been walking and hiking kinda regularly but even that cannot stop the weight gain when you're eating 2500+ calories a day!

But I've finally had enough!

I don't want to become one of those statistics... you know, the one that says this-much-percentage-of-people-who-lose-weight-gain-it-back.  That's so not me and I'm making sure I don't break into another decade of weight-gain.  I have one more month before my gym membership starts up again and I have to face my trainer, so I need to pull in everything tight: nutrition and exercise.  So here's to my new beginning... getting back to basics of tracking food, exercising, and bogging!  The three things that helped me so much in the past!

BOO! This sucks.

I have completely forgotten what it feels like to be hungry.

I haven't stepped foot in my local grocery store in over a month and a half.

I definitely know what fried foods taste like.

And my clothes are starting to feel like this every morning...

WOW!

It's been over two weeks since my last post!  I'm still here, alive, and well.  Had a lot happen in the last couple weeks but I'm still in it to win it.

Haven't given up and holding my weight steady at 135ish without counting a single calorie.  I'm not really being strict about what I eat but seriously, just enjoying my summer!

Will be back to regular posting soon... I promise! Have a great weekend!

Weigh-in Wednesdays: 135.6

Starting weight: 176.4
Last week weight: 132.2
Current weight: 135.0
Current loss: +2.8

TOTAL LOSS: -41.4

And I totally feel it too!  I'm not even gonna try and sugar coat it (mmmmm... sugar coating!) cause I honestly believe it was possible that I ate 9800+ extra calories in the last week!  The weekend was horrible with homemade desserts, Chinese food, steak and seafood, and a little alcohol in honor of my dad.  :)  Last week I can remember an ice cream party at work, two late night fast-food runs, and no home lunch what so ever.  So 9800+ extra calories was so easy!  Man, I'm losing my low-130 status and all I can ask myself is:

What am I gonna do about it?

Who gives a crap?!

So... remember last week when I said I was going to be back over the weekend to update everyone about what I've been doing?

FAIL!

This weekend I was busy and barely had time to get on the computer so that's my excuse for no update.  As far as being M.I.A. this month... that's a different story.  I was trying to stay busy - mentally and physically - and not think about anything related to weight-loss.  Well it's been working... sorta.

The good news: Although I'm out of the 120's and back in the 130's, I've been maintaining low 130-status for the entire month of June and that's with low-intensity workouts (Insanity gets thrown in every so often for a change) and not being crazy strict about my nutrition.  I haven't counted a single calorie since May and instead of putting all my focus on eating this much protein, this much carbs, and this much fat, I just ate.  ANYTHING! Focusing on portion control was the most important thing to me and it worked well.

The bad news: I just don't care anymore!  I don't know what it is, if I've hit some type of wall, but I just don't care about this "life-style change".  I'm not completely happy with my body but looking back at where I started from... I'll take it damn it!  I've lost 25% of my starting weight... a fricken quarter of myself... which comes out to almost 45 lbs.  45 lbs. is a pretty big deal!

Like I said, I'm not 100% happy with myself, but I'm sick of making exercise and proper nutrition my LIFE!  Not just sick... SSSSOOOOOOOO  SICK!

I'm sick of waking up every morning and feeling anxiety about making today a good day.

I'm sick of looking at everything that goes in my mouth as good or evil. 

I'm sick of seeing lists of things I can/cannot do to be healthy.

I'm sick of talking about weight-loss.

I'm sick of writing about weight-loss.

I'm sick of reading about weight-loss.

I'm sick of feeling like shit for not reaching my goals!

I'm sick of stressing about who I'm becoming with these compulsive natures!

I can't even remember who I was before starting to lose weight!

What did I talk about?

What did I think about?

What did I do before all this started?

Besides the obvious answers to the last question (some obvious answers: eat like a pig, sit on my ass all day, not give a damn about how I looked or felt) I seriously can't remember what my life was like pre-life-style change.  How sad is that?

Don't take this post the wrong way... it's not a pity post and I'm not giving up in any way, shape or form, but something needs to change.  I'm beginning to resent food, exercise, and people who have reached and surpassed their health goals.  To tell you the truth, even the bogs I follow are losing their inspiration NOT because the people writing them are not inspiring (OMG they are!) but because I'm losing my motivation for this whole thing.  Something needs to change... and quickly, too!

Weigh-in Thursday: 132.2

Starting weight: 176.4
Last week weight: ??

Current weight: 132.2
Current loss: ??

TOTAL LOSS: -44.2

OMG!! Only my fourth post in June and the month is half-way done! Don't worry, there is a reason behind the lack of posting and it has nothing to do with being too busy.  :)  

It's just something I was trying for this month and it seems to working in my favor... my weight is holding pretty steady in the low 130's and nutrition and exercise aren't the only things I'm focusing on.

I'll be back on the weekend for a real post and update.

Power to me!

In case anyone is wondering, there's a  non-biten sugar cookie in my desk trash can.  

Picked up one of these from the office kitchen:

But threw it away and replaced it with one of these:

Yay me!!!

___________________________________________________

 An no weigh-in today... I'm in no place to be stepping on that scale right now so we'll leave it at that!