Mini-Post #6

So before today's weigh-in, I figured I would share a little something with you all. Last weekend, I was walking around the mall- a common event on a boring day. Usually I avoid the clothing stores, or at least stick to looking and dreaming instead of trying things on or buying. This was especially true for the past year or so, when I literally felt so bad about the way I looked that I refused to buy any clothes outside of a Walmart. Well anyway, last weekend I got the urge to try on jeans- something I usually dread and avoid as much as possible. Trying on jeans has always been an embarrassing and depressing event- where i try on 50 pairs and end up with none that fit the right way. Inevitably i end up with jeans another size bigger, and my self confidence another size smaller. 


But not that day! :D


I walked out of the store with size 15 (yes- FIFTEEN) jeans that actually fit pretty well (they buttoned and were really flattering, although a little bit snug). It also helped that while I was trying on jeans my boyfriend (and weight-loss buddy) was there, and the jaw-dropping expression on his face was priceless! :D I feel so accomplished and proud of myself to see my hard work showing up, not only on the scale or in the mirror, but in my clothes! My size 20 jeans are practically falling off of me! I needed a new pair anyway! Hahaha. :)


Speaking of my weight-loss buddy, I'd like to send out a HUGE congratulations to him on achieving his first big goal! He's under 300 pounds for the first time since 11th grade. I'm so proud of you!

Today's weigh-in!:

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs

Last week's weigh-in: 216 lbs

Today's weigh-in: 214 lbs.
Weight loss for the week: 2  lbs.

Weight loss to date: 15 lbs

Last week's goals:

1. Lose 4 pounds.- i was sick this week (with the stomach flu), and therefore i drank alot of liquids that werent water (chicken soup, apple juice). I was curious to see my weight fluctuate throughout the week, and believe it or not, my lowest weight this week was 212.5 pounds! That was very unhealthy and signaled to me that i was probably dehydrated, so i drank alot of water and juice to make up for it.

2. exercise for at least 60 minutes on 4 days, and 30 minutes on 2 days.- this was not accomplished. I was very sick and weak all week. I needed my rest. Because i'm still sick, I'm going to temporarily skip making this a goal for next week.

3.  organize the food i have in my room, and make sure it is ALL out of sight so i don't get tempted to snack when i'm not hungry. - done. :) out of sight, out of mind. it's also helped me cut cravings, especially for peanut butter!


Next week's goals:
1. Lose 4 pounds
2. Write at least 3 blogs for you this week :)


Thanks for all the support guys! Make sure you spread the word, and don't forget to become a fan on Facebook (click HERE to become a fan!).

Tip 17: Keep a Food Diary

Sorry for the delay everyone! This post was very time-consuming to type up! 

Tracking your calories can be really intimidating. I know it is for me. Measuring everything that enters my mouth seems tedious. Counting (and keeping track) of every calorie I consume is not only boring, but seems rather like an inconvenience than something that helps me watch what I eat.

To be honest, as a permanent part of my healthy lifestyle (something I do every day of every week of every month for the rest of my life) it is not something that i would choose to do. But everyone is different.

For some people, counting calories and measuring portions according to serving size works for them. There are many people who (once they get the hang of it) become naturally good at keeping their portions the correct size. There are also many people who can recall the calorie count of the meals they eat most often (which makes keeping track of calories eaten much easier). Calorie counting is a skill, and a good one!

No matter your interest in counting calories, it is a very important part of a diet! For a good weight-loss diet you should eat between 1200-1600 calories (or more) depending on your workout intensity, activity level, etc.

Whether you want to count calories every day to keep yourself in line, or one week every few months to make sure youre keeping yourself in check, here's today's tip-

Tip 17: Keep a food diary!


First, Im going to give you 5 easy tips to making a food diary as painless as possible, then I will provide you with my food diary from last week (complete with the calorie counts), my best and worst meals, my best and worst days, other analysis of my week and ways to improve for next week.

Tip 16: get some sleep!

I apologize in advance for the shortness of this post, but i'm sick. :(

So, I've been doing a lot of sleeping.... and today's tip is therefore:

Tip 16: Get some Sleep!

Sleep is very important for many reasons. Our bodies NEED sleep in order to ward off stress, avoid premature aging, along with many weight-related reasons...

Mini-Post # 5

Hey everyone! I just created a Facebook page for this blog! You can find it  HERE. I figured that since very few people have a google account to follow, it would be easier for those of you without an account to become a fan. I will post updates every time I update the blog. :)

Also, I added several new Polls to the bottom of this page. If you have a spare minute, I'd really appreciate your input on my blog. Thanks in advance! :)

Now for today's weigh-in!:

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs

Last week's weigh-in: 220 lbs

Today's weigh-in: 216 lbs.
Weight loss for the week: 4  lbs.

Weight loss to date: 13 lbs

Last week's goals broken down:

1. Lose 4 pounds-  ohmygosh! I did it! woohoo! I guess last week was that dreaded "second week" like they have on the biggest loser- where they dont lose very much or gain some. Im so happy! omg! :) I can't even describe it!

2. exercise for at least 60 minutes on 4 days, and 30 minutes on 2 days-  I came VERY close to completing this goal. I worked out for 60 minutes on 3 days, and 30 minutes on 3 days.

3.  get organized, in school, and in my schedule.  figure out a way to incorporate both my meals and daily exercise in to my busy class schedule-  I seem to have completed this goal. I wrote workouts and meals into my student schedule. 

I'm happy I accomplished goals #1 and #3, they were most important to me. Im soooooooooooo happy I lost 4 pounds this week! It motivates me to keep going! :)

Goals for next week:

1. Lose 4 pounds.

2. exercise for at least 60 minutes on 4 days, and 30 minutes on 2 days.

3.  organize the food i have in my room, and make sure it is ALL out of sight so i don't get tempted to snack when i'm not hungry.

Tip 15: dump the drive-thru!

Sorry about the delay in posting- I had a very busy weekend! I was running around for almost 4 days straight! Speaking of running around, and having to eat on-the-go, that brings us to today's short tip!

Tip 15: Dump the Drive-thru Habit!

We all know fast food is bad for us, but none of us realize exactly how bad the habit is...

Mini-Post #4

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs
Last week's weigh-in: 217.8.0
Today's weigh-in: 220 lbs.
Weight loss for the week: +2.2 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 9 lbs

Last week's goals broken down:
1.  lose 4 lbs:  theres many things this week that went wrong. first, i switched scales (which believe it or not can effect your number), i didn't exercise as much as i had been, and i had the stress of adjusting to being back in my dorm. i make no excuse- i know i didn't work as hard as i should have, and im disappointed, but next week im going to work harder. and try to get back into the swing of things.
2. exercise 65 min a day for the 7 days: i failed at this goal. but that was my own fault- i picked a week where i was not only too busy to exercise, but one that was filled with running around and hectic college first-week-of-the-new-semester craziness! I managed to only get two workouts in this week- one on saturday (when i went snowboarding), and one on tuesday.
3. food diary: success! see the post about food logs- coming up either friday or monday. :)


overall i had a bad week. but i probably put goals that were unreachable- especially in a week where i was experiencing so much stress to begin with.


goals for next week:
1. Lose 4 pounds.
2. exercise for at least 60 minutes on 4 days, and 30 minutes on 2 days.
3.  get organized- in school, and in my schedule.  figure out a way to incorporate both my meals and daily exercise in to my busy class schedule.


Overall i had a really tough and stressful week, and even though my numbers don't show it- i worked very hard with my diet. I am happy that i did not give into emotional eating during this week- something i would have done usually in the first week of a new semester.  I am also happy that despite the change of location (from home to my dorm) i did not resort to my old bad habits of overeating and not exercising. 


Thanks for all the support guys! It means so much to me! :)

Tip 14: Exercise is essential

In a perfect world nobody would have to diet or exercise. But this isn't a perfect world.

Diet AND exercise- TOGETHER - are the keys to losing weight. One without the other is like only having half of the puzzle pieces in front of you- you can get part of the weight off, but not all of it.


Tip 14: Exercise is essential to both losing weight and maintaining your weight loss. 

Tip 13: Confronting Emotional Eating

"What causes weight gain?"

Every overweight person has had this question in mind at one point or another. Its a short question with an infinitely long answer. The answer is unique for every person. However, many people suffer from common problems (not being physically active enough, poor eating habits).

Today I'm going to talk about my biggest problem- emotional eating.

Tip 13: Confront emotional eating.

Tip 12: go to your doctor!

So i went to the doctor on friday, and it reminded me how much weight I had gained since last year, and was more motivation for me to lose.

My doctor and i talked for a while about my weight, and she might come check out my blog! Cool! :)

Tip 12: Go see a doctor, regularly, and especially before beginning a diet and exercise program.

Mini-Post #3

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs
Last week's weigh-in: 220.0
Today's weigh-in: 217.8 lbs.
Weight loss for the week: 2.2 lbs.
Weight loss to date: 11.2

Okay, so i only made it halfway to my goal of 4 pounds, but thats just a part of life. I experimented alot with different foods this week, tried to focus on little portions that were high in protein. I did not watch my calories so much as i watched my portion size. I also had the unfortunate mishap of feelings reallllllly thirsty last night, and as a result i drank a TON of water! Its probably a pound or two off because of all that water, but 2.2 pounds is still great. :) After all, its been three-ish weeks since i started, and ive lost almost 12 pounds! Thats an average of 4 pounds a week. And people are already noticing. :) Plus, i notice it not only in my jeans, but in the mirror on my face.

Next week I have three goals:

1. Lose 4 pounds.
2. Exercise every day until next weigh in for at least 65 minutes (increasing my exercise, and not taking my usual "day off" on sunday).
3. Starting tomorrow, write down everything i eat and drink in a food diary [there will be a post about this next week! :) ]

Tip 11: Once a Week!

did you know that your weight fluctuates naturally from day to day, and throughout the day, by up to 3 pounds?!

That means that on monday you could be 198, and on tuesday you can be 201, and on wed you could be 197! Thats so confusing! Which number do you believe? If youre on a diet, these changing numbers might discourage you, and make you feel hopeless.

Don't feel hopeless! The change from day to day is useless...you need to compare week to week.

Tip 11: Weigh yourself once a week, at the same time, on the same day.

Tip 10: Eat smarter- NOT less- in 10 easy steps!

when someone says diet, what do we think?

restriction, denial, being hungry, starving, and other ideas surrounding eating less.

diets suck. they're hard to stick to in today's fast-moving world. and they can be even harder if you like desserts, which is my downfall!

most people can't stick with a new "diet" for a week, let alone the rest of thier lives!

losing weight is about making lifestyle changes, changes you will stick to- for life.

starving yourself, or following a super-restrictive diet will only lead to failure.

Tip 10: Eat smarter, not less!

for once, more can really lead to less. but you can't stuff cheetos in your mouth for every meal and hope for results. here's my 10-step process to making over your diet:

Tip 9: Mini-Goals

we all dream of that day when we peek down at the scale beneath our feet, and we practically jump off in excitement-- that day when all those months of hard work, and eating well, and sweating in the gym instead of watching tv finally concludes in seeing our goal weight's beautiful numbers.

and that day WILL come....but not yet. we still have a long way to go to that day.

but how do we keep ourselves motivated? how do we stay engaged and focused?

how do we feel like winners, even though our scales are still reading 30 pounds off of our goal?

Mini-Goals!

Tip 9: Make smaller, specific, "mini-goals," instead of larger, more vague goals.

Tip 8: Do What You CAN

happy new years everyone!
I know that this time of year is a time of starting over for people. and for many people, that means trying to lose some weight. (see my last post, with Tip #7 for why this is a bad idea, and ways to stick with it anyway) but anyway youve made a choice to change, and...
thats great! congrats on taking the first step towards a new you in this new year! :)
this past weekend, i went to the mall several times, and i noticed a trend: many places were  selling fitness equipment- shoes, clothes, weights, bands, balance boards, core balls, trimmer belts, etc. this selection can be very overwhelming. so what do you do? if you're like me, my first instinct is to pick up anything i don't have. which is both good and bad. its good because i have variety, but it's bad because i can select things that i'm physically not ready to use. with that said, heres tip number eight-
Tip 8: Work within your ability.