Powered By Blogger

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

October Losses

A pattern I've seen over the months is that many times even though only a few pounds were lost, quite a few inches are lost.  The weird thing is that I haven't lost anything in my waist in a couple months.  I keep getting straighter and straighter because my hips, butt, and bust keep shrinking. 

The RFL really threw me for a loop this month getting my weight down and then having it shoot back up.  I'm just glad I had any loss at all.

I'm kind of just planning on maintaining through the end of the year.  If I lose a few pounds, great, if not it's ok.

October Losses
-3.6 pounds
-6.5 total inches lost
-1.9% body fat

Inches broken down:
Neck -0
Upper Arm -0 ea.
Middle Arm -.25 ea.
Lower Arm -0
Bust -.5
Chest @ Armpits -.5
Under Bust -0
Natural Waist -0
Waist @ Belly Button -.5
Hips -1.25
Butt -.75
Upper Thighs -.75 ea.
Middle Legs -.25 ea.
Upper Calves -0 ea.
Middle Calves -.25 ea.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Things that have helped

I'm a far cry from being an expert on, well, on anything really.  But I do get asked a lot about what things I do, or use, that have helped me out with my weight loss, and related things.  So I thought I'd compile a list of things that have worked for me, or at the very least have helped me out.

3FC.  My home away from home.  Full of the most wonderful and supportive people ever.  I've never ever come across a forum with people like this.  I've been a member of this site since '05, and even though I've come and gone and come back again, it remains the same.  Good people, good advice, people don't shoot you down if you see things differently; it's just a great place.

Dry skin brushing!  This has nothing to do with weight loss, but it does have to do with helping the appearance of stretch marks, cellulite, spider veins, and loose skin.  It is NOT a quick cure, or a cure at all really.  I'm certain people have different experiences with it, but it also has other benefits besides the ones I just mentioned.  It leaves your skin feeling incredibly soft, if nothing else.  I linked to one site, but I did quite a bit of reading on it to make sure I got the right brush, and brushed the right way etc.  I suggest you do the same if it's something you are interested in.  I got my brush at Sprouts, but you can get them on Amazon as well.  They aren't expensive.  It takes several months to notice any significant difference (aside from the smoother skin, which happens right away), and of course you have to do it regularly.  I've been dry skin brushing since the beginning of July, before I bathe, every single day.  If I shower in the morning and then take a bath at night (which I often do), then I do it twice.  I find it to be a nice part of my "beauty" routine, and it only takes a couple minutes.  It is supposed to help your lymph system as well, so I figure for the price, and amount of time it takes, at the very least I have much softer and smoother skin.  I have noticed a difference in the appearance of some patches of spider veins I've had since high school, and I've also noticed a decrease in cellulite (although that could very well have to do with my weight loss and workouts).

My Fitness Pal.  I've used several calorie tracking sites over the years: Fit Day, Spark People, and I'm sure others as well.  I like MFP the best.  I've found their database to be much more extensive than the others.  I've only had to input 2 things since I started logging over there, and both were custom ordered food, so there would have been no way for their database to have it.  I also like that I can add recipes, and the 'most used' and 'recent' foods lists make it very quick to add the foods you eat often.

Lyle McDonald.  I love his articles!  I have spent hours reading and rereading his stuff.

The New Rules of Lifting.  Yes, I just started this program, but the New Rules of Lifting for Women book is just awesome.  Too many women are afraid of lifting, especially of lifting heavy and getting bulky (**CRINGE**).  I LOVE that this book sets things straight and gives a bad ass program to follow.  There are several New Rules books, and while I've only read one of them, I'm certain they are all great!  Obviously you don't have to follow the program to appreciate the book any way it goes.  I've seen on some forums that people have been able to check the book out at their local library.  It's worth the read!

Blender Bottle - Love these things.  We have two, one I got at Target, the other at Fry's Marketplace.  Mixes the crap out of protein shakes!

Food I always have on hand: 
Greek yogurt - I like the big tubs of plain (usually either Fage or Chobani depending what's on sale, sometimes 0% sometimes 2%, again depending on sales) to mix with things like protein powder or to use in place of sour cream.  I also LOVE the flavored Chobani single serving cups, especially Blood Orange and Apple Cinnamon, YUM!  Plus my kids love them too, Win/Win.
Cheese - String Cheese (whatever brand is on sale), The Laughing Cow Mini Babybel, The Laughing Cow Wedges (I've just recently found a generic for these, but just in the swiss flavor), American Cheese (ya, I admitted it).  Fat free cream cheese.
Almonds - Raw
Peanut Butter - I've really really really tried to get into the natural PB, but I can't stand having to refrigerate it or having it be all soupy if you don't.  So I've kind of found a compromise in Jiffy Natural PB.  Obviously it really isn't "natural" as there are added ingredients, but close enough.
Eggs and Bacon and Sausage - A given!  I have an egg sandwich every single morning (with very few exceptions).  I either have 1 egg, or 1 egg and 1 egg white, on either a Thomas's Everything Bagel Thin, whole wheat bread (usually Nature's Own), or one of those sandwich thins (whole wheat), with a slice of American Cheese (don't care it's not "healthy") or a serving of fat free cream cheese, and either 3 slices of microwave bacon (Oscar Mayer or store brand, whatever is on sale that week) or 2 Farmer John's sausage links (maple or regular).  I love it, it may not be what many would consider whole food, or clean food, but it has worked for me!
Protein Powder - Whatever is on sale, but I don't really like Pure Protein's powder.  I much prefer the Target brand (Market Pantry), it mixes way better.  Recently we got a brand at Walmart (I think it's called Muscle Tech), and it's not bad actually.  I really really really like the Gaspari Nutrition powder, but it's a little spendy.
Protein Bars -  Pure Protein on these all the way.  Cheap, decent amount of protein per bar, and they taste decent.  I really like the Kind bars as well, but they aren't really protein bars so much as just like nut bars, they taste great though, especially the coconut one, or the dark chocolate one, YUM!
Canned and Dry Beans
Rice - I actually like brown rice, but Jason isn't a fan, so we usually just have instant white.  I really don't care either way.  I like mixing rice and beans with some chicken.  Super easy and a very nutritious and filling meal.  Especially with some salsa or hot sauce, maybe a sprinkle of cheese and a dab of Greek yogurt.
Popcorn - I got an air popper, and I have some of those Kernel Seasonings, along with some butter spray it's a very low cal but tasty snack (plus a good source of fiber).  I do still love the quick convenience of the 100 calorie mini microwave bags.
Pretzel Sticks - I just like 'em.  Especially with some fat free cream cheese.
Chicken breasts, lean ground turkey, Tilapia, lean ground beef, canned chicken, canned tuna, lunch meat
Splenda/Generic Sucralose Equivalent
Pam/Butter Spray - I will use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, or even butter sometimes, but I most often just use the spray and save some calories for more substantial food.

As you can see, I don't eat anything fancy at all.  I go through stages of trying to eat more whole foods but when it comes down to it, I fall back on the old standbys, and luckily a lot of what I eat is pretty healthy.  I struggle with getting in my vegetables, and even my fruit.  I do try to remember to take a multi and I've recently started taking Omega 3s.  I'm not huge on supplements, but I do think protein powder, a multi and some Omega 3s are worth taking.

Obviously this is all just what has worked for ME.


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Boring update

Today was my first full day not using the scale.  And I only weighed myself ONCE yesterday.  This is a big deal for me.  It was not nearly as hard as I thought it would be!  I ate well yesterday; hit my macros and set calories for the day, and I was right on today as well.  With the New Rules program I get to eat A LOT more than I have been.  On a workout day right at 2000, on a rest day right around 1700.  I'm used to eating so much less, it's so weird to be able to eat so much!  Good weird!  Anyway, it was a relief not weighing myself, but since I'm tracking my calories, and getting my workouts in, I'm not stressed about it.  It's really nice to just be trying to focus on the health and fitness rather than the scale.

My workout yesterday went really well!  It's a pretty simple workout, 5 exercises, 2 sets each, some supersets, and this portion of the program takes about a half hour (not bad!).  It's a fairly intense workout though, the weights are heavy (of course 'heavy' is relative), and I'm sore!  Feels good though.  I have the 2nd workout of the 1st program tomorrow (the 2 workouts to be alternated throughout the first 6 weeks), and I'm looking forward to it!  It is meant to be done 3 days a week, which is very realistic.  I just did some moderate walking afterwards yesterday.  I'm headed to the gym again tonight for some cardio too.  I love that my mom is my gym buddy!

Monday, October 22, 2012

Perspective

Back in April I wrote a letter to my 23 year old self.  I just went back and read it.  It's funny the perspective you can lose in just a couple of months.  First off, I was wrong, I don't have those jeans anymore, AND I was wrong that I'd never fit into that size again, in fact I can.  I was wrong, also, that I had this all figured out.  I seriously hope that no one reading this blog thinks that just because I’ve lost as much as I have that I have things figured out – actually I would be surprised if anyone thinks I’m anything but a nutcase really.  I don’t mean that in a self-deprecating way, I mean it in a reality kind of way; and I’m okay with being a little nuts.

I don’t know at what point I decided nothing I do is good enough.  I’ve reverted to a lot of old bad habits.  I was naïve to think those wouldn’t come back to haunt me; old habits die hard and all that.  I’m going to start the NROLFW program today, and I’m going to follow their calorie intake guidelines, which are substantially higher than I’ve eaten in a long while.  Aside from that I’m going to start working on some things that I’ve lost sight of, some things I was really good about in the beginning – being kind to myself and working on my body for health and fitness (not just for a smaller waistline), stopping the negative self talk and all of the self punishment.  I’m seriously considering only weighing in once a week, but it’s hard for me to give up that control.  I think it would be good for me though.  As long as I’m counting calories I know exactly how much I’m eating and that it would be impossible for me to gain fat at that level.  If I’m going to take the stance that the scale isn’t as important as my fitness and health, especially since I’m a normal weight now, I need to actually put that into practice.  The scale does drive me crazy, and some days it does really effect my mood, and that isn’t good.

So that's my new and improved plan.  In summary: be less crazy, workout more, take care of myself.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Brutal, it's just brutal

Alright, honesty.

This Rapid Fat Loss diet is ridiculous for me, and I'm not doing it anymore.  Have been talking myself into it for 8 days because I'm loving see the weight melt off this far in!  It's very odd to have lost as much as I have, be at a "normal" weight, and be able to drop nearly 7 pounds in a week.  Even though it's obviously a lot of water weight, I've been dieting a long time and to me it was unexpected.  But I've felt like shit the entire time I've been doing this plan, it's just been masked my by happiness with the scale.  I've literally felt like I'm going to pass out every time I stand up.  And I thought to myself well it's a trade off for losing weight so fast and I like that.  But I'm very edgy and anxious and just can't physically do ANYTHING.  That's insane!  And of course I know this, but the weight loss is almost like a drug, and I'm totally addicted.  The more I lose the more I want to lose.  But when will it be enough?  I'm afraid it won't ever be.  I have a lot of fear about that actually.  Will I ever be happy?  Am I already one of those people who complains they're fat but really they aren't?  I don't know!  I know I look good compared to how I USED to look, which should make me feel great all the time.  And I DO feel great a lot of the time, but then I hit these moments, sometimes many moments, where I feel so disgusting still.  I put on my new size 8 jeans this morning and they make me feel fat because they are tight, not TOO tight, but form fitting.  How the hell can I feel fat still?!  I took them off and put on a pair of size 10s, which were much looser and thus more comfortable.  Now, to many thin people a 10 is probably enormous, but what the hell do I care what other people think!?  I know I do look good, so why is it not good enough yet?  Today I am not counting calories, I'm going to eat what sounds good, be reasonable, not pig out but eat like a normal person, and try my hardest not to feel guilty. 

The mental part of losing weight is much much much more exhausting to me than the exercise and calorie deficit.  I feel like a total head case.  The thing about being fat is that you can kind of blame your short comings and faults on it.  Even though I know that none of my issues, other than being fat itself, had to do with being fat -- it was easy to blame all of my self esteem, body image, and confidence issues on the fat.  Once you strip that away and are left to look at yourself and you still see all that crap it just makes you feel like you don't know anything about yourself anymore.  I look in the mirror and focus on the faults in my body to try and distract myself from my other faults.  Logically, I know this.  I guess that's something.

I'll tell you what though, my 85 pound heavier self would be pissed at my 85 pound lighter self for being unhappy about my body still.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

YAY!!! (And RFL - Day 8)

Got off work a little early and went and tried on clothes for fun (I do that now!), and I officially fit into a size 8 in women's, size 9 in juniors (holy crap I can fit into juniors clothes!?  I haven't tried on juniors clothes in years!).  I went to two stores and tried on several different brands of jeans, dress pants, dresses, and skirts; I needed to ensure it wasn't a fluke of a brand that runs big, fooling me into thinking I'm a size I'm not.  The only ones that simply would not fit were a pair of size 9s that I didn't realize until I was struggling to pull them past my child bearing hips that they were labeled "straight hip straight leg", of which I am neither.  I have me some thighs and some hips, I doubt I will ever fit into anything clothing labeled "straight".

Feeling pretty damn good about fitting into single digit clothing!



***************************************************

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4
Day 3 weight: 154.4
Day 4 weight: 153.2
Day 5 weight: 152.6
Day 6 weight: 151.8
Day 7 weight: 151
Day 8 weight: 150.4


FREE MEAL DAY.  It was glorious.  I had just what I planned and got right back on track. 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

RFL - Day 7

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4
Day 3 weight: 154.4
Day 4 weight: 153.2
Day 5 weight: 152.6
Day 6 weight: 151.8
Day 7 weight: 151

Crazy crazy crazy!  I've dropped a pant size in 7 days (granted I was teetering anyway). Free meal tomorrow, doing it in the morning.  Been dreaming about it, and planning it!  I've been craving a McDonald's hot Caramel Mocha for DAYS.  You know, I love the Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha, and it's probably blasphemous on some level, but I like the McDonald's one more (and it has less calories).  See how obsessed I am!?  Anyway, I'm looking very forward to my free meal.  It'll be interesting to see how much the scale goes up on Day 9 -- of course I'm hoping not much and that having the free meal in the morning will offset any gain, but realistically because of how low my carbs have been, it's kind of inevitable the scale will shoot up with water weight.  I will still keep my calories low, so I know I will be in a deficit, no chance of fat gain that way.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Another mini-goal met & RFL - Day 6

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4
Day 3 weight: 154.4
Day 4 weight: 153.2
Day 5 weight: 152.6
Day 6 weight: 151.8

Struggled with some hunger today which wasn't helped by there being cookies and donuts in the house (thanks to "treats" for the kids from Nana).  I resisted, but I was a little cranky about it.  I don't like junk food in the house, not only because of my weight loss, but because then that's what Emma wants to eat.

Only 1 full day till a free meal.  I'm looking forward to it!


********************************************

Mini goals:
1st mini goal: 199.8, get under 200! 


2nd mini goal: 193, my pre-pregnancy weight.

3rd mini goal: 185.8, no longer considered obese.

4th mini goal: 175, which I got down to in January 2011, a few months before I got pregnant with Luke.

5th mini goal:  163, was my Labor Day goal, (reached a few days late).

6th mini goal: 154.8, no longer considered overweight.

7th mini-goal: 152, how much I weighed when I met Jason.

8th mini-goal: 149.8, because it's the 140s!  Holy crap!

9th mini-goal: 145, drivers license weight.

10th mini-goal: 142, lowest weight I've seen as an adult, maybe even as a teen, and my wedding day weight.

11th mini-goal: 139.8, because it's the 130s!  OMG!

12th mini-goal: 135, my original goal weight.

13th mini-goal: 130, my new goal weight.

(Secret 14th mini-goal: 125, so I have a fluctuation buffer of 125-130 for maintenance.)

Sunday, October 14, 2012

RFL - Day 5

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4
Day 3 weight: 154.4
Day 4 weight: 153.2
Day 5 weight: 152.6

Doing great today.  Feeling so incredibly good about myself.  The only thing I'm struggling with is a bit of lightheadedness.  I'm taking supplements to ensure my electrolytes aren't depleted, so I can only guess it's from the low calories.  Hoping it'll let up soon, but I have a free meal Wednesday to look forward to, so I can persevere; I just have to make sure not to stand up too fast!

*PICS* Bored and Pretty

I'm feeling rather chipper about myself today, 1 kid is at grandma's house, the other is napping, I'm bored, and I have already lost a decent amount of weight since the last so-far pic I posted.  So here are a couple more.  Simply because I'm avoiding cleaning, and feeling pretty.


Poor quality pics in a heavily finger-printed mirror, and obviously I need some variety in my posing, but you catch the general drift of my hotness!  That's right, I said it, HOTNESS!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

RFL - Day 4

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4
Day 3 weight: 154.4
Day 4 weight: 153.2

Feeling better today, at least for the most part.  Hanging in there.  

Friday, October 12, 2012

RFL - Day 3

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4
Day 3 weight: 154.4

I'm quite pleased with the results on the scale so far.  Felt pretty crappy all day today, physically.  Really hoping that tomorrow will bring a symptomless day.  If I remember correctly, usually the low carb symptoms subside around day 4.  My only fear is that it isn't solely the low carb, but the low calories in combination, that are causing the physical symptoms.  If that ends up being the case, I will just have to up the calories -- easy solution.  I won't know until the carb flu passes; I think I'll give it through day 5 before I start modifying anything.  I'd like to follow the diet exactly as it is intended to be followed.

I'm Normal

The title of this post may confuse those of you who read my recent post "The Crazies" in which I declared my insanity.  I speak not of mental normalcy, but rather of weight normalcy.

BMI (Body Mass Index) is an outdated, and pretty inaccurate, tool which measures height to weight ratio (for any of you who don't know).  You get a number based on your height and weight which lets you know if you are underweight (<18.5), normal (18.5-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), obese (30+), morbidly obese, take-your-wall-down-to-leave-the-house obese (you get the idea).  It was invented by a mathematician who never intended it to be used the way it has ended up being used.  Now, while I will readily argue that BMI is a ridiculous way to still be measuring people's health as it takes into no account body composition, I still don't want to be considered overweight by its standards!  Hypocrisy?  Perhaps.

At my heaviest and most pregnant my BMI was 38.1; at my heaviest not pregnant my BMI was 35.5 -- which would put me in the obese II category.  I don't care which standard of measuring a healthy body weight you use, I was obese!  And NOW I am normal!  I'm a normal weight!  WOO HOO!

I've also lost over 80 pounds now!  When I started I honestly didn't think I'd EVER make it this far.  I figured however far I got was fine as long as I was not as big as I was then.  At some point along the way I decided I didn't need to put limitations on myself and that I could succeed and reach any goal I wanted to.  That was very freeing!  I came to the conclusion that I was allowed to strive for the body I TRULY wanted, not just a body that was "meh".  Back in March I had hoped I would be a normal weight by Halloween: GOAL MET!

At this point I can say that I like the way I look for the most part, but there's still some work to do.  I still have a hard time really feeling 80+ pounds smaller -- my mind hasn't quite caught up with my body.  Sometimes I still turn sideways to get through a small space, even though as I go through I realize I could have walked straight through with room to spare.   Sometimes I look at an article of clothing and think it will fit me, but when I put it on it's huge; and on the other side of it, I know logically I'll fit into a certain size but it looks small to me, but then when I put it on it fits!  I had size 18s that were too tight to even wear, and now I fit into a 10 comfortably!  I'd like to wear a 6, so that's my goal.  I've found that the smaller I've gotten, the less weight it takes to go down a size.  I think probably around 130 I'll fit into a 6, but we will see -- if it's sooner, great, if it's less than 130 that's ok too, it's just an estimate.


***************************************************************************
Revised mini-goals.

Mini goals:
1st mini goal: 199.8, get under 200! 


2nd mini goal: 193, my pre-pregnancy weight.

3rd mini goal: 185.8, no longer considered obese.

4th mini goal: 175, which I got down to in January 2011, a few months before I got pregnant with Luke.

5th mini goal:  163, was my Labor Day goal, (reached a few days late).

6th mini goal: 154.8, no longer considered overweight.

7th mini-goal: 152, how much I weighed when I met Jason.

8th mini-goal: 149.8, because it's the 140s!  Holy crap!

9th mini-goal: 145, drivers license weight.

10th mini-goal: 142, lowest weight I've seen as an adult, maybe even as a teen, and my wedding day weight.

11th mini-goal: 139.8, because it's the 130s!  OMG!

12th mini-goal: 135, my original goal weight.

13th mini-goal: 130, my new goal weight.

(Secret 14th mini-goal: 125, so I have a fluctuation buffer of 125-130 for maintenance.)

Thursday, October 11, 2012

RFL - Day 2

Day 1 weight: 157
Day 2 weight: 155.4

Feeling the effects of low carb today.  I feel a little crappy, probably should feel better by day 4.  Surviving though.  Finding I'm not at all hungry, so far, which is a pleasant surprise. 

Really, REALLY, hoping to get below 155 soon so I can finally say I'm a normal weight.  It's so annoying to be like a half pound over weight!  Stupid!

That's all for today, just wanted to check in.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Rapid Fat Loss (RFL) - Day 1

I'm getting impatient.  I know what you're thinking (or maybe not), you're thinking "you've come this far, what's a few more months?".  I don't want to hear that!  I want the rest of this fat off.  Sooooooo. . . I have decided to put off starting NROLFW for a little bit (few more weeks, a month, not 100% sure) and have decided to do Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Diet for a while.  It is hardcore, and I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone who wasn't going to follow it exactly!  Or to anyone who was a total dieting novice.  Basically it's a low carb, low fat, high protein, low calorie, short term diet with specific guidelines to follow in regards to just about everything, including refeeds, supplements (no, not ones they sell, ones you can get anywhere -- like a multi-vit, fish oil, calcium, things like that), transition back to normal eating, all that to ensure safety and health during the process.  I'm at that point. I want a good 20 pounds (or more) off, and I want it off, like, now.  If you want to know the specific details of the diet, I suggest going to the website I linked above.  You can get a good synopsis there, and then decide if it's something you would be interested in purchasing (no I make no $ off it, and I don't know the author).

Day 1 today.  Not so bad, not nearly as bad as I thought.  Usually the beginning of any low carb is rough, but it's only day 1, it could get worse.  Starting weight: 157 (up from 155.6 two days ago -- no good reason either).  The longest period of time a person, with my stats, is supposed to do this diet is 6 weeks, then  you're supposed to take a diet break.  You can repeat if you want to.  So we will see how it goes.  I'm hoping for a good solid WHOOSH of water weight from the low carb.  That would just make my day!