Hump Day

Happy Hump Day, everyone!! I have almost made it through my first week of p90x and I gotta say this might be the best purchase I ever made. Tony Horton is a god. He really knows what he's talking about and I look forward to the hour I spend with him everyday. Do I have any readers who have tried p90x or are thinking about it? Let's share & discuss!

p90x weekend!

Hello, readers!

I started p90x this weekend and I gotta tell you--I love it! I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a good, healthy ass-whooping. Tony Horton, keep up the good work, my friend. You are an inspiration and I love your positive energy. It's so motivating.

Hope everyone had a good week!

Day Before Weigh In

Hello, all! So far I have had quite the successful day. Aside from over sleeping by an hour. I ate healthy all day. After work, I ran some errands. When I got home, I wanted SO BADLY to nap. I sat on the couch for almost an hour debating whether or not I would take this nap. In the end, I went to the gym. Now I feel energized and ready for the rest of my night. Now if I could just keep convincing myself that I will feel more awake after going to the gym than after taking a nap, I'd be in good shape. Literally.

Boot Camp Recommendations?

I'm interested in starting a boot camp exercise program to really whip my butt into shape. Does anyone have any suggestions on websites, videos, etc that I can check out? PLEASE HELP!!!

Getting Back to Business

Hello, readers!! I haven't written in what feels like ages (I said that in my last blog too). I apologize! Rather than catching you up since my last post, I'll start with today.

I was feeling rather sluggish this morning. Read: I didn't want to do anything. It's cloudy with a chance of pure laziness out here. Then, I remembered that I wanted to go somewhere nice and warm for vacation. Where is that place? I don't know yet, but I know I want to wear a bathing suit when I get there. So what did I do? I got up and went to the gym. I rode the stationary bike for 35 minutes and hit the treadmill for 25, doing random intensities/inclines on both. I left the gym sweating like you wouldn't believe. It felt amazing. For lunch, I made myself a delicious lean cuisine pesto chicken panini (6 points) and microwaved a can of soup. I love soup. I firmly believe in its healing qualities. Before devouring it, I put it into my handy dandy points calculator. One can of this delicious Progresso Broccoli Cheddar Potato soup is 10 points. I expected it to be high. I ate half of it and put it back in the fridge. Hooray for will power! Now I'm ready for the rest of my afternoon.

Weigh Day!

I know I haven't blogged in what feels like ages, but I've been working so hard on life in general that I haven't gotten around to it. I promise to be more dedicated to the blog. However, I LOST 4 POUNDS THIS WEEK! Weight Watchers, you rock! I am THRILLED! Now I just need to keep going. I'm motivated to continue losing. I miss being skinny!!!!!! SO MUCH!

I started having coffee a few times a week, but I'm not drinking it everyday. I'm alternating between coffee and tea, and I'm still cutting back on soda. It probably helped with the loss this week, but I'm not ready to give it up entirely. I know I'm an extreme person, and if I give something up completely, the second I go back to it, I have much more than I should. Like most women my age, I struggle with moderation.

Have a good week everyone!

Zumba/Pilates/Yoga

I'd like to get into Zumba, Pilates, or Yoga. Does anyone have any recommendations for a DVD they really like? All of the Zumba DVDs I've seen don't seem appealing, and I haven't found any at Borders or Barnes & Noble, but everyone that does it RAVES about it!

I've had two VERY healthy days in a row. 5 servings of fruits & veggies yesterday, 4 servings today. Only drinking tea so far this week. I'm feeling pretty good! I didn't even need an afternoon nap today! I skipped the nap to go shopping instead. :) I'm hoping for a BIG LOSS this week! I need it.

Forgot to Weigh In

I forgot to hop on that scale before I ate breakfast. Yikes. I'll do it tomorrow.

To start the week off right, I am having two egg whites with low fat cheese, a slice of Weight Watchers whole grain bread, a banana, and a cup of tea. That's right, I'm still having tea instead of coffee. I had a cup of coffee mid-morning on Friday, and a cup Saturday afternoon, but other than that it's been strictly tea.

Yesterday, I tackled another evil: soda. I LOVE SODA, in all of its bubbly goodness. I love it. However, it kills my hydration level. Yesterday, I was having too many yummy juices, glasses of iced tea, and buckets (practically) of water to even want a can of soda. Can I do it again today? Perhaps. Do I want to? Hmmm...

Today, I'll be hitting the gym after work. I'd like to mix up my workout. Does anyone have any suggestions or workouts they love? I want something that really breaks a sweat! Even if your suggestion is not gym-related. Maybe you have a workout DVD you love. Tell me about it! Please! I need a new routine!

Healthy Foods

Hello, all! Sorry I haven't posted in so long! It has been so hectic here. I barely had time to go on the computer, but I hit the gym plenty of times!

Today I went to the grocery store and made so many healthy choices to eat this week. I bought fresh grapes and bananas, Sargento Light string cheese, Weight Watchers whole grain bread, Dannon Light-N-Fit yogurt, and diet green tea. Aside from counting points, I am trying to change my entire diet. I can eat 2 points worth of potato chips or 2 points worth of a potassium-filled banana, or a cup of grapes.

What types of foods do you stock up on when you're working on your health? Please comment!

Biggest Loser

Watching The Biggest Loser ALWAYS puts me in the mindset to continue my weight loss journey. I haven't watched this show in a few weeks, and seeing the changes these people have made is just so inspiring. I'm so happy for them, and I am reminded of how I used to feel when I got on the scale/looked in the mirror/tried on a cute outfit and felt like I was walking on sunshine. I know I can do this. I've done it before.

I took a break from the gym today, and I'm totally ready to go tomorrow. I can't wait for tomorrow afternoon! I'm starting to love the gym again, which is a great feeling in itself. For a while, I was hating the gym. We were dire enemies. And when I would face my enemy and actually go, I didn't put any energy into my workout.

I've been walking in place or jogging between the rooms in my house during the commercial breaks to make up for not going to the gym. I kmnow it's not a complete replacement, but at least I'm not sitting around all night.

Week 2 Weigh In

Oh Geez! I gained a pound! A whole pound! But guess what, my friends? I'm thrilled about it. Why would I be so happy about a gain, you ask? Because I'm paying attention to my gain, for once, and I'm analyzing everything I did over the past week. Whether it was good or bad, I'm looking at it.

The Not-so-Great Things I Did
-Ordering two meals for myself at delicious Taco Bell
-Snacking on too many M & Ms
-Eating the slices of cheese rather than putting them on my sandwich, omelette, homemade pizza, and then putting it away
-Ordering an high-points meal at TGI Friday's AFTER eating an appetizer

Fabulous and Awesome Things I Did
-Increased water intake
-Triumphed over the bagel store by staying out of there 6 days in a row
-Ate more vegetables. Ate vegetables, period. I'm not good at getting my five-a-day by any means, but at least having one a day is a start, right?
-Didn't eat late
-Dusted off my running sneakers and went back to the gym
-Tried diet green tea for the first time (I hear it boosts metabolism!)

So overall, I was productive in terms of trying to build healthy habits again. Truthfully, I'm not HAPPY I gained weight. Who, in their efforts to lose, really wants to gain? But I am thankful that I can look at it as something positive and turn it around.

Sunday Triumphs

Today was the first day I went to the bagel store after I promised myself on Monday that I wouldn't go. The goal was: No bagel store until Saturday. I made it all the way to SUNDAY!! So proud of myself. I enjoyed a delicious bacon, egg, and cheese. So tasty. This heavenly sandwich was not consumed, however, until after I woke up an hour early to go to the gym. I went on the elliptical, burned my cals, and then off to the delicious Carb Castle I went.

Now that I got it out of my system, I am ready for the rest of the day. I have to treat my decadent breakfast sandwich as a reward for a good week rather than a daily meal. Walk the dog, clean up around the house, etc. Starting the day off with a trip to the gym definitely prepared me for an active day rather than a day of sitting around doing nothing. Tomorrow is my weigh-in so I need to make sure I did everything I could to see a loss. I think I did. We'll see! I will report more later.

Eating like a bulldozer!

Yesterday seemed to drag on forever. When I got home from work, I napped and woke up STARVING. I didn't feel like cooking, so I went out to get fast food. Now I know what I can order off of practically any fast food menu to stay within my points. Did I do that last night? No frickin way. Not only did I choose an unhealthy sandwich. I chose TWO unhealthy sandwiches. It was awful. Remember when I said my will power muscles were weak? There's your example.

I wanted to beat myself up over these poor choices, but that wouldn't do any good. Negativity never helps any situation. What I am proud of is the fact that I made those bad choices, but didn't then decide to raid the cabinets for everything (100 calorie packs are the only thing I have in my cabinets right now, but I could eat 12 of them easily when I get into attack mode). That old I-already-ruined-my-diet-for-today-so-I-can-keep-eating-whatever-I-want. Now I know what you're thinking. "This chick is great. She can control her urges." Well, my friends, this was just out of sheer luck I think. I didn't tell myself not to eat anything else. I didn't tell myself to stay planted on the couch and have some self control. I don't know how I managed to exert my desire to be skinny over my desire to eat chocolate.

Sometimes I feel like there's a shovel attached to my face instead of a mouth. Who knows what I'm talking about? Does anyone have any strategies to beat crazy bulldozer eating?

Bagel store?

A coworker of mine found me on my break today. "Bagel store?" she asked excitedly. Yes? No? Yes! NO!! I wanted to go SO BAD! I'm a carb junkie. I wanted a bagel. Give me a porkroll, egg, and cheese on a bagel AND an egg bagel with veggie cream cheese. Stat! "You swore to yourself you wouldn't go to the bagel store until Saturday," I reminded myself. So what did I do? I stayed in the building and ate my reduced fat cheez-its. Was I miserable? At the time, yes. When I got home and added my points, I was elated. For me, eating is like impulse shopping. I see it. I eat it. I am so satisfied with the delicious fattening carbohydrates I could burst. And then I see that my pants are actually bursting...at the buttons...and I realize that it was a terrible idea. When I start to get into extreme shopping mode, I need to leave the store for 30 minutes and decide if I really want/need/can afford desired item. I guess it's a similar concept with food, and I'll have to employ that strategy on a regular basis.

I THINK I CAN! I THINK I CAN!

Good morning! I weighed myself today and I've lost 0.8 pounds since my Monday weigh-in. YAYYY!!!!! Feeling fantastic! My goal is to lose 15 by June. I'm dreaming big! I know!

Rapid weight loss can often take a toll on the body, so 15 by June may seem like a lot, but that would be an average of 2-3 pounds a week, which is a healthy rate. I'll just have to push myself.

Click here to read more about the negative effects of rapid weight loss: http://women.webmd.com/pharmacist-drugs-medication-9/rapid-weight-loss

Survey on the Side

There's a survey on the sidebar about what diet works for you. Those of you selecting other, could you please comment somewhere on the blog what DOES work for you? We're all in this together! This is a battle! We need each other! You can post anonymously if you want! No one's judging.

Daily Updates 4/20/10

Hello, losers! Weight losers, that is!

Had a good day. No bagel store! YAY! Still working on the water. Snacked on a few too many M & Ms, but I counted the points for it so I'm not beating myself up over it. Seeing all the bikinis at department stores made me crave being skinny again, so I took a few extra laps around the department store. The sales had nothing to do with it. I SWEAR!!

Anyway, let me know how you're all doing! Catch me on twitter @skinnythoughts

To the gym I go

I am incredibly tired this morning, running on a mere 4 hours of sleep, which I know is terribly unhealthy for the body, but sometimes life happens and you can't go to bed at 8 pm.

I did not go for a walk in the shower this morning (see yesterday's blog if you don't understand) because I was afraid if I tried to walk in place I would fall over and bang my head on some ceramic tile. Sacrificing calorie-burning to prevent head injury. Sounds like a good idea!

Yesterday, I reached my goals of drinking all my necessary water and then some, and I didn't have a bagel at all. Or anything from the bagel store. In fact, no fast food, processed food, etc. all day. Wait! No! That's a lie! I ate leftovers from Cheesecake factory for dinner! Dammit. I tried. I didn't get home until 11 pm so I needed something quick to eat. It was portion-controlled so I guess that justifies it a little further, right?

My goal, in addition to yesterday's goals, is to go to the gym after work today, or do some form of exercise. Does anyone have a goal for today that they'd like to reach? How about a goal they successfully (or almost successfully) reached recently? Please share! The more we support each other in our journey, the more we'll see results!

Daily Updates 4/19/10 Part 1

11:00. Only 4 more hours of work today.

Breakfast
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
2 slices of whole grain toast
coffee (12 oz)
water (16 oz)

Mid-morning snack
Reduced fat cheez-itzs
100 calorie pack: chocolate covered pretzels (deeeeeeeeeelish!)
water (16 oz)
can of coke zero (12 oz)

Lunch
97% fat free bologna sandwich on whole grain bread
94% fat free popcorn
100 calorie pack
can of coke zero (12 oz)


Feeling good so far. A coworker went to the yummy bagel store and I didn't order anything. First time in two weeks I haven't eaten anything from the bagel store on a work day! I'm proud of myself because my will power is my enemy. My will power skills are weak because they're like untrained muscles. I need to work on that!

Week 1 Weigh In

Today was the first weigh-in for the blog. For pride and anonymity's sake, I will not reveal the numbers. Not yet, anyway. I'm embarrassed. I can say, however, that my hydration level was 44.3% and needs to be at 45%, which is no quick fix, but definitely attainable if I drink water and cut back on soda. Those of you who are joining me on this journey, GET A SCALE THAT MEASURES YOUR HYDRATION LEVEL. You'd be surprised how dehydrated your body can be. I love water. I drink it constantly throughout the day. More than the recommended 8 glasses a day. But when I first bought this scale, I learned that my hydration level was lower than the norm and I needed to boost it up. Having a normal hydration level improves so many functions of your body. I can't even begin to tell you. Better digestion, healthier looking skin and hair (I'm telling you your face will be glowing and your hair will be so shiny), and flatter looking abs. These are just a few to wet your whistle. By the way, I meant what I said about flatter looking abs. Carbonated bevs, although I heart them so much, make you look and feel bloated, ere go big belly.

I had my first walk of the day...in the shower. I don't have time to exercise in the morning, but when I get home from work my body is begging for a nap. "Why not walk in place in the shower?" I asked myself. So that's what I did. I walked 800 steps (yes, I counted), which for me works out to be 0.33 miles. I know my stride length is 26 inches so I just converted that into miles and voila! Now, I don't know if this actually has any exercise value at all. My thinking is how could it not? I'm walking, aren't I? But I'm no expert. I can say that it keeps me awake in the shower and gets me moving quicker throughout the rest of the morning.

That's all I have for now! I will post later! Have a healthy day!

To a size 6, and beyond!

Starting My Journey...Tomorrow

Don't let the title fool you. I've been on this journey for a while now. Here's some background before I begin:
I am a mid 20s female blessed with a love-hate relationship with food. I love to eat, but my body hates it. I graduated college rounding out at over 200 pounds and then successfully lost 80 pounds (yay), but then managed to gain almost all of it back over the past year. I, like many young females, know exactly what I need to do to lose weight and keep it off. I can implement a successful weight loss strategy with the best of them, but being consistent, sticking with a plan, that is my perpetual challenge. My Achilles Heel, if you will.

I have been following Weight Watchers, which I know in the past has worked for me. I'm always awesome the first few days after my weigh-in. I count points, I go to the gym, I don't eat past 8 pm, you get the idea. When Saturday hits, I'm so burnt out from the week that I just want greasy fast food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I mean, who doesn't? Can I get an Amen?

Today was my moment of truth. I looked in the mirror (without sucking in my stomach), and couldn't believe just how fat I've become. I decided that I would start a blog chronicling (spell check said it was correct) my journey back to happiness, confidence, and flat abs. My hope is that through my blog, I can provide inspiration to those in need, and those in need can inspire me in return. Please feel free to vent, share your thoughts, words of encouragement, and anything else. If you've ever struggled with losing weight, you know how challenging it can be.

To a size 6, and beyond!