Weigh-In Wednesday #22!

Starting Weight: 225
Last Week's Weight: 197
Current Weight: 197 (same!)
Total Weight Loss: 28 pounds

Goal Weight: 145
Weight Remaining: 52

I don't know how it's possible... but I apparently did not gain any weight while I was on vacation.  There are many reasons for this.  I would hope that by this time I've boosted my metabolism, which would have helped process the additional calories.  My weight-training has probably added some muscle to my body, which helps burn calories as well.  Also, I've become used to eating small portions of food, and in turn, it took smaller amounts of food to fill me up, even though I was allowing myself to eat whatever I wanted.  Finally, I walked everywhere.   The trip was practically constant-walking.  I think the longest time I sat down beyond meals was for the Broadway play.

I'm very pleased with not having gained any weight, if a little dumbfounded.  I haven't even been able to exercise since I got back because my schedule has been so hectic.  It's also Thanksgiving tomorrow (!) so there's a lot to do in preparation.  I'm making about 80% of the meal for my entire family, so I'm a bit stressed.  But!  After this holiday, I'm going to get right back into it. 

I'm actually looking forward to getting back on track.  I don't like not exercising anymore--it makes me feel tired and lazy. 

I'm back!

Picture from the great blog Hyperbole and a Half

Hello everyone!  I have returned from my super awesome trip to New York City!  I had never been there before, so it was really amazing to see all the city has to offer.  I made the trip with my best friend who I don't get to see but a few times a year, so that made the trip even better.  What did I do, you ask?

Well, I got to see a Broadway play!

Not only did I get to see it, I won rush tickets!!  Which means my ticket only cost $27.00!  And I still had really good seats.  The play was really good--funny and touching all at the same time.  I highly recommend it.

Naturally, I had to visit Chinatown!

Jing Fong Dim Sum Restaurant

I bought a lot in Chinatown.  Everything is so cheap!  And they have these knock-offs of a brand of purse called Tokidoki, which I've always loved but have never been able to afford... until now >.>

My hotel was right next to Times Square, so I spent a lot of time there:

And of course... I ate.  Lots. Of. Food.  It was all delicious.  I was able to visit The Russian Tea Room, which is a place I've dreamed of going to for many years now.  I ate French macarons from Laduree and various mysterious dumplings in Chinatown.  There were breads and delicate pastries from Takahachi bakery and sticks of meat from street vendors.  For a girl who has been dieting and exercising steadily for 22+ weeks, it was absolute Heaven.  I took pictures of all the food I ate, but since this is a weight-loss blog, I think it would be kinda cruel to post them.

For my sanity, I haven't weighed myself yet.  I'm sure I've gained weight, though I did walk almost constantly, so hopefully that helped a bit.  Life was very busy as soon as I stepped off the plane, with work-related trips, Church dinners, and frantic grocery shopping, so I'm still very sleep deprived.  I have to work at my third job this weekend, too, so I'm not sure when I'll have a chance to finally catch up on my sleep. 

Even with gained weight and severe lack of sleep, it was totally worth it.  I had a blast and can't wait to go again!

Weigh-In Wednesday #21!

Starting Weight: 225
Last Week's Weight: 196
Current Weight: 197 (+1)
Total Weight Loss: 28 pounds

Goal Weight: 145
Weight Remaining: 50

Bah!  Wrong way, scale!  Honestly though, I think this gain is a retaining-water issue.  The ladies will understand.  /cough

Also, I do want to say that this Friday I'm going on vacation to New York City!  I'm very excited because I've never been there before.  I'm also going to probably be eating very terribly.  I fully accept this.  Hopefully, I'll walk most of it off, but if I gain weight, I'll just have to deal with it.  NYC isn't an everyday thing for me, and I will enjoy my Chinatown dim sum.  :)  

Operation October Overview

So, how did it go?

Operation October, which was my pledge to myself to incorporate at least 10 minutes of activity into my day, every day of October is all done now.  During the month I was a happy, aggravated, motivated, frustrated, and I'm sure a whole bunch of other emotions shoved in there, too.  The point is, it was a challenge.  But of course it was supposed to be.  Some days, getting that 10 minutes in was hard.  I literally was doing 10 minute YouTube videos right before bed some nights just to squeeze it in.

Still, as stressful as it was sometimes, I'm glad I did it.  I think it helped me break through my horrible plateau so now I'm finally losing weight again.  On the other hand, it's really nice to not have to worry so much about making sure I get that 10 minutes in on days when I'm really busy.  Overall, it was a good experience and definitely taught me a lot about time management and priorities. 

Weigh-In Wednesday #20!

Starting Weight: 225
Last Week's Weight: 198
Current Weight: 196 (-2)
Total Weight Loss: 29 pounds

Goal Weight: 145
Weight Remaining: 51

Wow, I can't believe that it's my 20th week.  I don't know if I'm more shocked by how quickly the time went or the fact that I've actually stuck with this for once in my life.  But look!  Down 2 pounds!  One more pound and I'll be at 30 pounds lost.  30 pounds!  I honestly barely believe it myself.  Even better, I only have 6 more pounds to go until I reach my next mini-goal of 190! :)

I really tried to beef up my exercising this week.  I ran a lot and also did work out videos when I was stuck in the rain.  In the near future, I plan on writing a post about all the various Internet resources I've personally found to be helpful for weight-loss or fitness, so stay tuned!

Stormageddon

I'm sure you've heard of the monster storm attacking the East Coast by now.  Here's a visual aid:

AHHHHHHHHHH

That, my friends, is currently what I'm experiencing.  Somewhere under all that white is my state.  You wouldn't believe the rain and wind!  My job closed for the day, so at least I didn't have to drive in it.  There's a high likelihood that it'll be closed tomorrow, too. 

While I truly do appreciate the day off from work (but still getting paid, woo!), it does put a damper on my exercising.  I've run in a bit of rain before, but running in a hurricane?  I don't think so.  But it's still Operation October, and more importantly I've been basically laying around doing nothing all day, so I really needed to get some sort of movement in.  Enter, the workout DVD!

So envious of that body!

Personally, I'm a huge fan of all of Ellen Barrett's DVDs.  This one in particular, called Skinny Sculpt, is one I have done many times.  It's fairly easy for beginners and offers modifications in case you aren't able to do the full workout quite yet.  In the beginning, I used all the modifications and no weights.  Now, I do the full thing, weights and all.

What I really like about her DVD's is how she somehow makes you feel pretty while you're sweating your butt off.  She talks about elongating your lines and using foot positions from ballet.  And she's very encouraging in a way that doesn't feel fake to me, which is something that really bothers me on other workout DVDs.  To help distract you while you're exercising, she also talks a good bit all the way through.  Sometimes it'll be explaining why a certain move is good for your or exactly what muscles you're targeting; it's all very interesting.

So, if you're in the market for some DVDs to try whilst being kept inside due to Frankenstorm, I do recommend Skinny Sculpt.  Her DVD's aren't that expensive either, which is definitely a bonus.

*Once again,  I was not asked to endorse this product, nor was I given anything to do so.  This is a review of my own free will**

The Book That Started It All...

Half-Assed: A Weight Loss Memoir by Jennette Fulda

If you've been reading this blog from the start or went back and read all the entries, you know that I started this blog in April of 2011.  By Winter of 2011, I was done.  I had a lot of issues going on last year that depressed me.  Keeping up with a new diet and exercise plan wasn't something I thought I could spend time on.  Which was stupid, because in the end I just ate and ate and ate to cover my feelings but all I ended up doing was gaining more weight and getting more depressed.  So stupid.


In May of this year, I posted my first entry of starting to live a healthier lifestyle again.  I never said it at the time, but one of the biggest motivators for this was reading the book pictured above.  Half-Assed: A Weight-Loss Memoir is an autobiography that covers the journey of the author, Jennette Fulda as she goes from weighing 372 pounds to being within 15 pounds of her goal weight (160 lbs). 

But this is not your typical weight-loss book.  What really amazed me as I read was that while this book was about losing weight, very little of it was focused specifically on food.  She never mentions what specific diet she is following.  She rarely mentions meals she prepared.  There's a good bit about figuring out what's good and what's not-so-good and how to navigate the supermarket, but even then I wouldn't say it's the majority of the book.  Instead, she focuses a lot on her physical activity and her mental health.  This was not a manual for how to lose weight, but a true autobiography about the strength and will-power it takes to accomplish a mighty goal.  And what really got me was how much I related to the things she wrote about.  Literally, there were moments where I wondered if the author somehow knew me.  She talks about playing the "Am I Fatter Than Her?" Game, which I play way too much.  Or how she pretended to forget her swimsuit at a party, which I've done more than once.

And she was forceful in her beliefs, which can be rare in overweight women who are often plagued by low self-esteem.

For example, "And even if I had been the laziest, weakest-willed person on the planet, being fat did not make me a bad person. Fat wasn't good or bad. It wasn't a scarlet F of shame written on my elbow. It was just fat. I deserved as much respect as any thin person and I shouldn't have to live under a cloud of shame." (pg. 48).

Exactly!!  I am fat, yes, but that does not and should not define me.  I am more than the fat on my body, it just happens to be that that's what you see first.  But if you take the time, you might find that I am so much more.

The author writes in such a way that I delighted in her triumphs and was saddened by her lows.  Her book truly touched me with it's wit and blunt honesty.  Before I even finished the book, I was inspired to start exercising and eating better myself.  This blog and the successes it has chronicled is directly a result of reading that book.  I'll think, "Man, I really want to just sit on the couch and watch TV," or, "I can have that doughnut covered in chocolate and sprinkles, right?"  But then I remember the blog and how much I really don't want to have to report weight-gain.  It keeps me on track.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that this is a good book!  A really good book!  And I definitely recommend you purchase a copy if you're looking for a new read.

**I would like to note that I was in no way asked or paid to say these things.  I have never met or spoken to the author.  I gave this review of my own free-will and received nothing for it.**