Down Since Monday

After the incident this weekend, Sunday was a rough one for me. I did go for a walk but not much else. Ate at the Vortex in midtown with my bro and his girlfriend where we had pretzels dipped in cheese dip, a buffalo chicken wrap and french fries. Other than that, I was lazy as can be.

Which led to me starting my week at 174.8 lbs.

I am happy to report, because of a lot of you guys, I did get my butt in gear on Monday. This week, I have gone to the gym 5 times, played kickball and softball and eaten pretty well for me. I have another gym time session planned for today at lunch. I am hopeful that Saturday morning I can drag my ass out of bed early enough to beat the rain for a run. Sunday I plan on doing some kind of workout dvd (I have several) and keeping it pretty low key.

I just had to turn in a story for Blush Magazine* in Chattanooga about losing weight for the wedding and I came across a few things I needed to be reminded of so I thought I would share them below:

• Write out concrete goals. For example, I want to lose 15 lbs by May 7th. This gives you a measurable goal so you can track your progress.
• Join a Weightloss Community. Or running community. Or whatever it is you need to keep you on track. Thanks to you guys I have this in the bag.
• Mix up your workouts. It fights boredom and challenges your body.
• Buddy Up. I do not do this at all. I might be a bit to competitive for that. Or lazy. Either way.
• Eat healthy in the long term. I'm working on this!

I did indulge in some moose tracks last night. I put it in a coffee mug to keep my portion in check (for me anyway). I'm sure it was more than a serving size but at least it wasn't the entire 1.5 quarts. Baby steps people.


As of this morning, I weigh 170.8. I am down 4 lbs in this week alone. I didn't starve myself. I just stopped eating like crap and made use of my lunch breaks for gym time. Hopefully I continue the trend.

As for Saturday's incident, I didn't really address it in this post but I will do so in a future post. Thanks to everyone on facebook, dailymile, twitter, this blog, other blogs and everywhere else who were so supportive!

*Click the link to see this month's stories: pg 14 on sensual workouts and pg 25 for 5 great fitness blogs you should be following! Oh! And my tips (from a non expert of course) for training for a marathon can be found on pg 30! Not that I've run one...just read about them!

You Have To Do Things You Don't Like

My little sister is a competitive swimmer. She specializes in backstroke and travels around the southeast competing against other phenomenal swimmers. One of her teammates is now at UGA swimming for the olympic coach. He has swam against Michael Phelps and traveled to Ireland to compete. My sister would like to do the same.

Unfortunately, my sister is the opposite of me. She is too tiny and struggles to gain weight.

This past weekend she had a meet at the University of Tennessee and she didn't do as well as she hoped. She still made a state cut for an event that she doesn't specialize in and she stayed on top of her best times (side note: they don't know what a pr is. I have to explain it to them every time I go to a meet. It's best times in their world). My mom and I were talking about what she will have to do to get to the next level.

Basically, a lot of things she doesn't like. Eating six meals a day of foods she doesn't like. Stocking up on protein. Drinking shakes throughout the day. Doing extra workouts to strengthen up.

Talk turned to my little brother. He is 24 and finishing up school while working at a sporting goods store. Like me, he is overweight. His blood pressure might as well say, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE ANY DAY NOW. On top of that, Friday, he was diagnosed with Colitis. They've given him a ridiculously high-priced medication and he'll have to adjust his diet. Eat more veggies and fruits. Steer clear of dairy products. No more junk food. In essence, a lot of things he doesn't like.

And a light bulb went on. I may not like what I'm eating. I will not enjoy seeing other people eat junk while I eat fruits, veggies, proteins....while I only eat fist-sized servings and they eat everything in sight. I have to stop comparing my results to others. I am not the same as the skinny bitch eating a large pizza by herself. I am me and it will take something different to get healthy and get to a healthy weight.

Influence of the Blog World

My darling friend and former editor, Ellen of Fired N Fabulous, is a faithful reader of a healthy living blog. That blog was featured in Marie Claire along with five others collectively known as the "Big 6" of healthy living blogs. They hosted a Healthy Living Summit and out of it came an article focusing on the negative aspects of these blogs.

In it, the writer claimed the blogs were full of pictures of emaciated women who ran miles upon miles to end their days claiming to be "so hungry".

As you can imagine there was quite an uproar when their loyal followers heard about this (because they featured the article on their blogs with rebuttals).

I bring this up because the article implies (sometimes flat out states) that because these women detail their workouts, food intake and other "healthy" aspects of their lives on a public forum like a blog that they have eating disorders. That food sabotaging is a problem (hell, I should do it more often in my humble opinion) and these sites are breeding grounds for eating disorders.

I don't personally read the sites though I have added them to my google reader so I can check them out but it got me to thinking about my own blog. Am I both narcissistic and suffering from a low self-esteem because I let you in on my own trials and tribulations while on my weight loss quest? Do I promote unhealthy habits? Am I creating little women with eating disorders because after indulging I think to myself, I'm going to regret that when I get on the scale tomorrow?

My personal opinion is no. I struggle daily with my weight. But I want to get healthy for the right reasons- 1. I want to be healthy for a long time 2. I want to feel great about myself. Do I think I will have a better life if I am skinnier? No. I believe that by getting healthy I will be more focused, have a more positive outlook, be able to do more things and generally just enjoy life more. 3. Yes, I want to feel good about myself. Yes, I think if I lost some weight I would enjoy wearing my clothing (or not) a little more. No, I don't think this is bad.I think overall my goals combine into just being a better version of myself.

And, if when you read my blog you take the wrong thing from it...well, I think that's on you. If something I say triggers a negative reaction in you than it is up to you to remove the temptation (well, I'll miss you as a reader if the case is that you can't read this anymore) and cope with it in a healthy way. Your actions after you read my blog are not my (or any other bloggers) responsibility. However, this article really got my thinking so I want to clear a few things up:

1. My BMI is overweight. My weight is "above average" (not in a good way).You might not think it is fat, but my doctor and I agree it is. Deal with it.
2. I'm not a doctor. A trainer. A dietician. A nutritionist. I can only share with you what is working or not working for me. I can only share with you things I read that spoke to me (or didn't). It's up to you what you make of it.
3. I condone loving yourself and being the best YOU. I hope that I help you in some way.I do not condone eating disorders. I do not condone over exercising. I do not condone feeling badly about yourself because you are too fat, too thin, too whatever for the rest of the world. If I don't then I hope you have a good laugh at me (with me since I'm laughing at myself 90% of the time).

What is your opinion of blogs out there? Have you ever read someone's blog and thought they've gone overboard? How have you reacted to that? Do you ever read something that you wrote and think, gosh I sound like I have a problem (my daily weigh-in to some people leads them to think I am obsessed with my weight more so than is healthy). This article and rebuttal really got me thinking and I would love to know all your thoughts. I think its an important conversation to have!

*The blog in question is Healthy Tipping Point. The rebuttal in question can be found here along with the article it responds to. Check them out and let me know what you think!

Sidelined by a sinus infection

Soooo...I meant to run Monday. Really I did. I woke up in the morning and heard the rain and decided 5 am might not go well with rain. One or the other is fine, but both? I'm not in training yo. Then by the time I got home from work, I had a sinus infection that was not only in my left nostril but had migrated to my left eye as well. And it was pouring with thunder and lightning. Soooo running was out of the question. I worked my arms and abs while watching tv and took some medication and passed out.

Woke up this morning with both eyes watering and my right nostril stuffed up. The idea of running made me want to cry. I decided sleep might be a better choice for me and am hoping that this afternoon I will feel a little better and want to run.

Feel sorry for me yet? I wish I looked this cute while sick.

Good news- Yesterday I was weighing in at a hefty (for me, using negative words like that is going to keep me from eating shit today) 162.4. Slowly creeping back up to 175. Today, I weigh in at 160.4. Might have something to do with my food choices yesterday but also the weight work I did.


So tell me what you do when you're feeling sickly but need/want to run? Do you give it a shot? Do you walk? Do you take a rest day?

It's a New Week...damnit.

Inside some of us is a thin person struggling to get out, but they can usually be sedated with a few pieces of chocolate cake. ~Author Unknown

Or chinese, Natty light, burgers, chips and salsa, turkey sandwiches, jack and diet.... Football Weekends (starting Thursday) SLAY ME. But it's a new week...DAMNIT. So here goes. I'm putting it out there in hopes that the plan will be what gets me going in the right direction (nothing else has worked yet- clearly I need gym crush in my life).

Monday: Well, I planned to get up and run today but it's raining. If it is raining tonight, that's cool- I just don't want to be running at 5 am in the rain. One or the other my friends. The plan is 4 miles.

Tuesday: 2 miles, weights

Wednesday: 4 miles

Thursday: 2 miles, weights

Friday: 4 miles

Saturday: Walk (cause I'll be hung over I'm sure), exercise video of some sort

Sunday: Bike Ride, Pilates

So there it is... Foodwise, well...one step at a time my friends. What are your goals for this week?

Daily Weighins?

If only the scale told me what to eat.

How often do you weigh yourself?

I ask this because I weigh myself on a daily basis and people are always appalled by this. Reactions vary from “Wow, you’re anal” to ohmygodshehasaneatingdisorderwhoamigoingtotell?

Here’s why I do it I used to weigh 175 lbs at my heaviest. To get there I wasn’t weighing myself at all (clearly) nor was I using my clothing as an indicator of my weight gain. In fact, I just bought new clothes anytime an event came up so I didn’t have to worry about mine no longer fitting. Why wasn’t the size I was buying an indicator? Because like He’s Just Not That Into You I made excuses for my clothes.

Oh the sizes here run small.

Oh it’s the cut of this design.

Oh it’s just because this fabric is so revealing I have to go up a size.

I would go through health kicks that generally lasted a month or two during which I would weigh in once a week and write the weight down.

Then I would bounce right back to 175.

Weighing myself daily holds ME accountable for MY actions. Like keeping a training log, keeping track of my weight allows me to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s a good measure of my life. Weight goes hand in hand not only with what you’re eating but also with how much sleep you’re getting, if you’re exercising and whether you are stressed or not. So, to me, when I get up in the morning and weigh myself I am seeing a true indication of where I am at currently. Before the day has begun and I’ve eaten or worked out or even had time to stress about something, I can see how I’m feeling.

The past two weeks have been stressful and I’ve abandoned my weigh ins. I’m back up to 157 because of it (and the eating and exercise, too). This morning I woke up weighed myself, went on a run, came home and showered and turned on the TV. Dr. Oz was on and he gave 4 tips for easing off 10 lbs. One of which was to weigh in daily! He said you needed to do this so you can pat yourself on the back when you’re doing well and see when you are doing wrong and make the change.

Tell me, what are your thoughts? I know this isn’t for everyone but I’ve found it works for me personally along with how far or how fast I’m running and a number of other metrics. It’s one of the tools I utilize to keep myself on track. Do you weigh yourself at all or use another method to gauge where you are at?

Things I Dislike About Losing Weight

I never thought I would write that but the fact is, there are some downsides to losing weight. So, here they are in case you were considering tightening up.

1. WHERE THE HELL ARE MY BREASTS? No, seriously, the only socially "acceptable" place to have fat is the very first place you will lose it. Now, I think boobs are rather annoying and they get in the way of a lot of shit I try to do BUT when it's time to go out (or stay in wink wink) I rather enjoy having breasts. So if someone could talk to the big guy upstairs about saving the ol tatas from breast cancer and weight loss that would be stellar. Clearly, he should work on the first one first but if he has some time...
2. Also weird, MY SHOE SIZE WENT DOWN. Why didn't someone warn me of this? Because when I was 25 lbs heavier and in a funk I didn't rush out to buy clothes. I rushed out to buy fucking shoes because I figured no matter my size, they'd fit. It's so busch league that I can't wear my favorite fuck me pumps anymore.
3. NOT ALL ATTENTION IS GOOD ATTENTION. Trust me on this one. Because I get some weird shit at the gym from some weird shits.
4. YOUR CLOTHES DON'T FIT. Okay, this is a great thing for the most part. Except when you make $13.50 at a job you hate and can't get an interview for a new job despite your effort. Plus, even if you got an interview, your fucking suit doesn't fit anymore. I get so tired of having coworkers come up to me and tell me I need new pants. Especially if it's the ol boss and owner. Ummm hello? If you paid me more, I would buy some pants.

It's a Saturday Post...

BECAUSE....

I

JUST

WEIGHED

IN

AT

150 LBS!!!!!

I've lost 25 lbs since January!

Atlanta radio loves diet pills...

I know I do not make a debut on this blog as often as I should and when I do I vent or talk about something that irks me and well... here is another one. Atlanta radio and their promotion of a diet pill called Healthee Trim. For God's sake, Healthy isn't even spelled right.

But lets talk about this real fast. I have boycotted The Bert Show. Not because of their love for the diet pills but because they are obnoxiously annoying. And after 2 weeks of not hearing them and getting to try out other stations I have found that they all have 1 thing in common. Healthy Trim. They all promote it and praise it and talk about how they have lost 35 lbs on it and that they recommend it to all their friends and their wives are on it ... blah blah blah. What ever happened to promoting an active lifestyle and eating well. Yes, working out and changing your diet is a hard change and the results come at a slower pace, but don't you want to take care of your body. Sure, you can weigh 114 lbs but if you eat McDonalds every stinking day YOU ARE NOT HEALTHY! Why are we letting the world and the younger generations continue to be lazy and unhealthy?

Why not tell people to eat from the outside of the grocery store? Recommend taking a bike ride with their child? Walk the dog for 30 minutes rather than just put the dog out back to play and roam on their own. Tell the people to get off their ass and get active. Don't recommend a pill that says "eat what you want and drop the pounds".

And they say it is healthy? Well, it isn't healthy to drop that much weight that quickly. And I am pretty sure other diet pills claimed to be "healthy" and "better than the others for you" when they first came out but it takes months sometimes year to see the real effects. So do we have to wait till people start talking about peeing neon yellow and liver problems and kidney failure before the FDA steps in?! I mean Hydroxycut advertised that it was healthy for you and it has been recalled. The whole idea of taking a cure all pill just is dumb. Cardio & working out is what builds and strengthens your heart and makes you both look younger and live longer ... a pill cannot and will not do that.

I just think the whole thing is utterly disgusting and I am tired of hearing everyone rant & rave about how great it is and how you should get on it if you want to be high school skinny. I so badly want to send a mass email to ALL the radio stations to ask WHY they want to promote the product so so so much. I know it is advertising dollars, but we live in a lazy world of video games and diet pills, why do we want to pass that onto our children?! What happened to playing outside all day long and having to be dragged inside by our parents?!

...But for now, I will get off my soap box.

Cassandra's Nutrition Guidelines

Each meal you consume daily, be it in solid form (meat, starch, fruit/veg) or liquid (blended), should consist of a complex carb (energy source), protein (feeds the muscle, assist in burning fat & helps u feel full a little longer) & a fruit &/or vegetable (fiber, minerals & vitamins). This constitutes a well balanced meal.

Fibrous carbohydrates are complex carbohydrates that come mostly from green vegetables. These carbohydrates are rich in fiber and help the digestive process run smoothly.
Vegetables such as cucumbers, broccoli, red and green peppers, green beans, cauliflower, mushrooms, carrots and spinach are good examples of fibrous carbohydrates.
Your fruits, are considered a complex carb, but is not an energy source. This also where you get your fiber, vitamins & minerals.

See below for examples of each of the sources: protein, complex carb, fruit & veg.
Protein (fat burning source) feeds & help repair muscle, helps you to feel fuller longer:
skinless chicken breast
skinless turkey breast
cod
flounder
haddock
halibut
orange roughy
salmon
sardines
milk (excluding whole milk)
scallops
shrimp
yogurt (light or fat free)
swordfish
tuna (in water if canned)
no-fat/low fat cottage cheese
egg whites
egg subssubstitutes
soy burger
tofu
protein powder
beans
Complex Carb (energy source):
Breads (pumpernickel, rye, 100% whole wheat)
dry cereal (bran or whole grain)
oatmeal
whole wheat or multi-grain pasta
brown rice
sweet potatoes
banana
dried fruit
white baking potatoes
cornbeans
Fruits(fiber, minerals & vitamins):
apples
apple sauce
apricots
berries
cantaloupe
cherries
grapefruit
grapes
honeydew
melon
kiwi
nectarine
oranges
peaches
pears
pineapple
plum
tangerine
watermelon
Vegetables (fiber, minerals & vitamins):
carrots
green peas
squash
asparagus
broccili
cauliflower
green beans
cabbage
celery
cucumber
lettuce
onions
peppers
spinach
tomatoes
zucchini
*******If vegetables are eaten raw, unlimited servings (except 4 tomatoes) because they are all water based. If cooked, 1/2c portion size.*******

No fruit after 4:00pm

Meals should be eaten every 2 1/2 - 3 hrs. The 1st meal should be eaten within the 1st hour of waking up. Again, each meal must consist of a protein, complex carb & a vegetable/fruit. Only eat the foods you like. There is no need to start eating anything you don't like.

READ YOUR FOOD LABELS - Look for low fat grams & specific protein & carb grams. Ladies, every meal, must contain at least 15 grams of protein or more. Guys, at least 20 grams or more.
Eating healthy, YOU MUST PLAN AHEAD. Once yu get your foods & portion sizes under control, your meals will become simplier. Know prepping & eating on the fly will have you consuming more calories & fat grams than ur body needs.

You are the only 1 in control of what you put in your mouth, not me, not your spouse or your co-worker(s). Your food choices controls what you look like. It doesn't matter how long or how often you workout. Your eating tells the true story. You can have what you consider to be the best workout in the world. If you are making the wrong food choice, that great workout means nothing.

Consistency means every day all day, not 3 hours during any given day, 4 days out of the week or when it is convenient with your work schedule. Its what the body needs, not whats convenient for you.
So to recap, when you are preparing your meals, make a check list. Do I have 1 of the following:
1)protein
2)complex carb
3)fruit &/or
4)vegetable

If you don't, you do not have a complete meal.

***Don't forget about the Fitness Magazine giveaway! LAST DAY IS TODAY!

Back Below 160

Whew. That oatmeal for breakfast- I'm- a- broke- ass- for-lunch and whatever-I-can-find-for-dinner is really paying off. Best Diet EVER.

Current weight: 158.7

I will take anything below 160 at this point. Ideally, my new shortened goal is to be at 156 by April 30.

In other news, I am at 80% of my goal for Team Challenge and CCFA. For those of you just joining, you can read about it here and once I tug at your heart strings with my love for my father you can donate whatever dollar you might find crumpled in you pocket by clicking here.

As for my training, doing a lot of crosstraining this week because the shins gave me the big f you the other day on a 30 minute jog. So, I said I hear ya guys and stopped. Which sucks because an 8 mile run is on the books for this week and it won't be happening.

A New LOW!

Weight that is!

WHOOO-FUCKING-HOO BITCHES!

156.6 LBS

Read it and weep! I am obviously pumped about this turn of events. I had been in a slump and while it is only a lb change it is still a change and I am happy. The plateau has been broken. Man, I feel good.

Couple of other great things:

1. One guy whistled at me when I walked out of the locker room. And basically had an entire gym of people at 7 am checking me out. I felt like a MILLION BUCKS.
2. A chic at the desk got mad when the guy she was talking to tried to include me in the conversation. This chic is pumped up- she pays for a personal trainer and has some guns I am majorly jealous of. So the fact that she behaved like I was hot shit made me smile a little more.
3. My gym hottie rolled the window down of his car as he was leaving to tell me I should show off my legs more often. THANK YOU RUNNING...and 4 inch heels. And little black dress. Having a hot guy tell you how good your legs are looking when the first time he met you, you had no calf muscles to speak of and fat was jiggling everywhere. Yeah I have a long way to go but I'm making progress.
4. The guy at the counter of Gold's Gym said a thank you to Mother Nature for changing the weather when he saw my dress. He's not my type but three guys in a row talked about how good I was looking. I'm digging it and I don't care how vain it is!
5. Clothing that did not previously fit- DOES! My wardrobe is expanding without me having to pay a dime (and my stomach is not following suit!)

I'm nervous because I'm heading to Vegas tomorrow and there will be booze and food involved in copious amounts. I'm bringing gym clothing and running shoes because I pay 17 bucks a day for resort fees including use of the gym so I might as well use it! Praying that I continue to make good decisions while still having fun.

This balancing shit is hard! How bout the rest of you? When you hit a plateau what do you do to stay motivated? Is it numbers on a scale? Clothing fitting better? Or (gasp) a love of working out?

Progress!

So far, I have lost 10 lbs during this trek to get fit. While weight loss is not the ultimate goal, it certainly is something I pay close attention to with daily weigh ins to give me an idea of how various exercise and food is affecting my body. I can definitely feel a difference in my workouts as I can go farther, faster and longer than I could before. And muscles are slowly starting to peek out from beneath the fat. In fact, I went from squeezing into a size 12 and stretching the hell out of it in denial of the fact that I actually was a size 14 to comfortably wearing a size 10 in about 2 months time.

I feel much smarter about my choices. I’m less likely to beat myself up than I once was about overindulging or sleeping in instead of hitting the gym. Of course, that could be because for two months that has rarely happened. This is the longest amount of time I have been consistent about working out. Some days I even do two a days!

But even with all that progress that I can personally see, I am essentially a vain creature and I need validation from other sources. One night I went out with friends and every guy I am friends with made a point to mention to me how great I looked that night. I know only a few of them had a clue how hard I was working to lose weight. The others genuinely thought I looked good that night. And a friend of mine who is exotically hot and just started working out herself mentioned how great I looked and what an inspiration I was in her own decision to get bikini ready.

But none of them compare to this morning when my gym crush stopped to talk to me on his way out the door. First off, he knew my name. I have never once mentioned it to him so someone had to have told him because Travis (the only other person I talk to at the gym) never actually says my name. Second, he made it a point to tell me how he could see my hard work was paying off and how this was the best he had seen me looking since I started at the gym. Ummmm HOLY SHIT HE NOTICES ME! Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! Anyway, there is absolutely nothing like someone attractive from the opposite sex complimenting you. It’s like a drug so you keep working hard in order to get more. You need that fix. While gym crush is in a monogamous relationship currently, I have hope that more attractive guys are going to start noticing what I’ve got going on!

Apologies

I have no idea what is going on with my sidebar but it freezes every time I try to edit it and adds all this space so that you have to scroll FOREVER to get to my training log and past entries. Not that I think a ton of people are reading the blog but whatever I'm trying!

Anyway, Saturday and today I weight in at 159.8- whoo! Two consecutive days below 160. Although I had some booze last night and some cookies today at a fundraiser I had so I'll probably be back up there tomorrow.

Anyway, I am going to try to figure out the sidebar thing or delete it and try putting a new one in ASAP. Thanks!

Day 27- Sunday Funday

I behaved, don't worry. I was definitely surprised to see the scale read 160.6 when I woke up this morning. After all I drank last night and ate chicken wings. But thanks to Brian's grilling, the wings were healthier than normal (no frying= good!). And I cut myself off which I think is saying something about my self control these days. Definitely still have days where I make less than stellar choices but they are getting to be fewer than in the past. Wanted to hit the gym but didn't realize it closed at 6pm. So I took it outside and ran in 40 degree weather for 47 minutes. It was incredible and I felt so good- the cross training is really making a difference. Also, hit the grocery store today. List is below my food diary.

breakfast I wanted Einstein's so bad. But I controlled myself and hit the grocery store. Came home and made a two egg omelet with pepperjack cheese and a honey wheat english muffin. Glass of cranberry juice rounded it out.

lunch Bourbon chicken with pepperjack cheese and mayo in a pita with skim milk.

snack hummus and crackers

dinner 1/2 of a turkey sandwich with tomato, lettuce and mayo on multigrain bread. With that I had half of a BBQ Chopped Chicken Salad. According to Panera's nutrition calculator I ingested 530 calories, 20g of fat, 57g of carbs, and 32 g of protein. Not too shabby for eating out. Paired this with a glass of skim milk

Today's grocery list:

• Skim Milk
• Hummus
• Bourbon Chicken (slices from the deli- it was cheaper than the turkey)
• Bananas
• Turkey Bacon
• Lettuce
• Pepperjack Cheese
• Tomatoes
• Navel Oranges
• Eggs
• Kraft Ranch Dressing- low fat
• Kraft Asian Vinagrette
• Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian Dressing
• Pears
• Pretzels
• Pita Bread
• Chocolate Chips
• Wheat Thins

JANUARY RECAP

Okay, Soooooo...January is over. It's still cold. That's kind of a bummer. But whatever, I think January was a rocking month if I do say so myself and I have prepared a list of why. Actually, it's not prepared. I'm winging it but whatever. Don't hate.

• First, let's focus on the weight loss. As of today, I have lost 6.4 lbs. I was hoping for 10 but I am so close to being below 160 I can taste it. And boy does it taste good. Better than ice cream actually. 10 lbs was my goal but 6.4 lbs is nothing to sneeze at. I feel good about it. I will, however, be sad if I wake up tomorrow and weigh 162. It's like my body naturally gravitates toward it. Hello body, that is NOT my comfy weight. Nice try though.


• Cross Training is Heaven. I know most of my workout buddies are runners thanks to Daily Mile but since it is cold and I hate the cold, treadmills have become my friends. But they are ridiculously boring. So I have incorporated the elliptical and bike into my routine until training for the Boston 13.1 officially begins.


• Zumba, Zumba, Zumba. I love it. I am rhythmically challenged and still enjoy the class. I like that they turn the lights off so I feel less self-conscious. I like the idea of being able to dance. And I like that I am doing something to change up the routine. Check it out for yourself.


• Support system has been key. Through Twitter, facebook and dailymile, I have gained a ton of friends who are like minded. Some run EVERY DAY (kudos to you- that ain't me!). Some are new to it. But all have suggestions and ideas that help me get through every workout. They all commend each run even if it's not the best. And they are FUNNY. I will probably do a post soon about people I think you should follow on Twitter.


• Having a plan has saved my life. No joke. Every Sunday, I map out my week for both exercise and food. Do I stray from my plan? Yes. But I have found that having it written down somewhere makes me more accountable for what I am doing. So have a plan but be flexible with it.


• I haven't beat myself up. Any workout is a good workout in 2010. And rest days are necessary. I've really started to listen to my body. Which is awesome in itself. Sometimes, I tell it no. Yes, I am now talking to my body.


• I am sleeping so much better. I'm also napping sometimes but it's okay I think. For now, I'm liking where I'm at for the first time in a long time. Am I my skinniest? No. My healthiest? No. My happiest? Probably not. But I'm working on it and that puts a smile on my face.

Thanks to everyone who has followed or commented on the blog! I would not be able to do this without you. And if you have stories you want to share or a blog you think I should read, definitely share it with me. I want to support you as much as you have supported me!

Day 18- January 21, 2010

Today's schedule got all out of whack and really threw me for a loop (score one for the morning workout since had I done that...well, let's not go there). Anyway, I managed to do 1/2 of my stength training and then threw some cardio in after dinner. Remember, any workout is better than no work out. In other news, my weight started dropping again though I might have cured that convenience with ice cream today.

breakfast Einstein's Bagels. It was delicious but a horrendous experience so maybe God is trying to tell me something. then I remember that one of the diet plans in Fitness included a bagel with cream cheese. Damn. I hate when things conflict. Anyway, I had a sun dried tomato bagel with jalapeno salsa cream cheese.

lunch banana and a BLT. I made it myself on pita bread and threw a sprinkling of cheese on it but it really didn't work so well when I carried it around in the bag. Or it did since none of the cheese was on it. But the BLT was delicious. I wanted to have chips and diet coke but the vending room was closed. God really is looking out for me.

snack Well, I polled the people of Twitter and the few votes I had were divided (thanks Tweeps!) so I went with both of my choices. Hummus with crackers and chips and salsa. I know. Whatever. Also, follow me on Twitter @fromfat2fit2010.

dinner I went to my mom's for dinner and stuck with water (she was havign a vodka cranberry and her friend was having wine so it's impressive that I steered clear of booze). She made a delicious potato soup- I only had one serving- and a salad- I had two servings. The salad had cucumber, tomato and pepers as well as feta cheese. I went with reduced fat ranch (she suggested it) but I wish I had gone after my first choice of balsalmic vinaigrette. Then her friend mentioned dessert and I was toast...

dessert I refuse to even look up the calories in brownie moose track ice cream. I don't want to know.

I've lost SIX lbs!

So my highest weight in September was 168.6. I am currently weighing in at 161.4!I am very excited about this and even though you didn't ask I will tell you how I did it: Watched what I ate and worked out LESS. I know it sounds crazy but the fact is it worked! Yesterday's food diary:

breakfast coffee and YoCrunch

snack banana

lunch Luna bar

snack hummus with feta cheese and roasted red peppers and pita bread

dinner one crab cake with a side of 4 cheese rice

workout 30 minutes on the bike

So, now that we are on a downward trend- I need more advice! What are some of your weight loss tips? Any great workouts you've tried and want to share?

Booze does a body good...

Weight: 162.2
Workout: Walking 30 minutes
Food Diary:
Breakfast: Egg and Cheese on a bagel, hashbrowns
Snack: Crackers with cheese and pepperoni
Lunch: Chips and salsa and cheese dip with Empanadas and a salad from On the Border
Desert: Skinny Cow dipper

So apparently the obscene amount of drinking I did in Athens somehow allowed me to lose about a lb. I am not sure how this works except that the lesson I learned was the more I drink the less I weigh. Which I'm pretty sure is not correct, nor is it the lesson I should have taken away from this. Though now that I think about it, the skinniest I was in college was senior year when I drank 7 nights a week. Perhaps my initial thought was true: I cannot survive without booze. I think this makes me an alcoholic. Or pre-alcoholic. Is that possible? Is alcoholism a disease you develop or are you born with it? Is this a nature vs. nurture argument? This weight loss blog just got way to deep for me ( I desperately wanted to write "weigh too deep" but thought that was a pathetic attempt at injecting humor into a thus far humorless blog.) Also, I noticed that the day after I booze all I want is junk thus leading me to believe that in order for this to work, I would need to be drunk 24/7 so as not to eat every fast food joint in town.