Mini-post #9/10

I'm so sorry about skipping last week's weigh in! I got too caught up in school and work that by the time I remembered that I should have weighed myself it was already Sunday!


*** Today, I also am announcing a little friendly competition between me and my weight loss buddy! We will be partaking in an 8-week "Biggest Loser" style competition against each other. We decided to do this as a way to "kick-start" our momentum again! So, starting next week, we will put on on this blog, BOTH of our weigh loss numbers, and percentage lost (this is a more accurate way to compare 2 people, since the actual number of pounds lost and its impact varies on gender and total weight -  this is the numbers they use on Biggest Loser). Keep an eye out- the weigh-in day will still be thursday! ***




Today's weigh-in!:

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs

Last week's weigh-in: 216 lbs

Today's weigh-in: 215 lbs.
Weight loss for the week:  1 lbs.

Weight loss to date: 17.5  lbs

Last week's goals:

1. Lose 4 pounds -  I feel really frustrated. I have been really busy and not sleeping and not exercising as much as I should have. This is just more of a wake-up call that I really need to have a "kick start" to my motivation. 

2.  Climb the stairs again, at least once. - I did this twice, once for each week. I still am huffing and puffing when i get towards the top, but I feel so great when i finish! I feel like I have climbed to the highest mountain and the only place to go upwards is towards the stars. 

3. Start getting back into daily exercise, with a small minimum goal of 30 minutes a day. - I have been walking at least 30 minutes a day, but I have had only two or three days when I was able to do any cardio or weight exercise.


LONG-TERM GOAL UPDATE:  Reach 200 lbs by February 27th.
- Im really upset that I didn't make my goal. Realistically, at least I didn't gain weight. But on the other hand, I am feeling pretty stuck and bored, and even more so im feeling stressed about school.
- my next long-term goal is to be 180 by August 15th, but I think that I'm going to aim to lose that stubborn 15 pounds and be under 200 by mid-April.

 Next Week, stay tuned for the first weigh-in of Just Another Whale's "Biggest Loser" competition!

Tip 25: don't get too saucy!

I love ketchup. I used to eat ketchup everyday, and on everything. I'm exaggerating less than you might think. I would use ketchup as pasta sauce, put it on toast instead of butter, top my pizza with it, and drown everything from chicken nuggets to shrimp in it before i would eat them. I used to go through a bottle (approx 64 ounces) every two weeks or less. Thats a TON of ketchup!


Tip 25: keep the condiments and sauces to a minimum


As innocent as it seems, condiments can be sneaky little additions to your diet, and before you know it, you've eaten 100 calories more than you intended.


Click "read more" to see some common condiment calorie counts, and some easy switches to cut calories!

Tip 24: You get out what you put in

If you're always looking for the easiest meals, your diet could easily get into trouble.

How did you gain the weight in the first place? McDonalds? Frozen meals? Easy microwaveable Mac N' Cheese? Take out? Fast food? It may have been a quick meal at the time, but looking back don't you wish you would have taken the extra time to boil some vegetables and whole wheat pasta with tomato sauce? how about switching McDonalds with a salad? Gaining weight can happen easy and fast, but losing is a difficult and long journey.

In many aspects of life, the general thinking is that the effort you give directly shows the results you earned.

Tip 24: The more time you invest in your food, the more you'll get from it

If you take a half hour to prepare you meals the day before, they become a quick and easy grab! Making things easier for your healthy lifestyle doesn't mean slaving for an hour over a pan before every meal of the day.

Click "read more" to see some easy advice for effortlessly putting effort into your meals!

Tip 23: Clean Out Your Pantry!

A healthy diet starts by having healthy low-calorie food available. But before you go shopping, shouldn't you do some cleaning? Cleaning out your kitchen and throwing out (or donating) unhealthy food you shouldn't eat, can be a big step towards forcing yourself to eat healthy. It also can free up space for healthier foods!

Think about it this way, if you're hungry for something sweet and you have both peanut butter with celery and a milk chocolate bar in your house, which are you more likely to grab? If you're like most with a weak will, it'll probably end up being the chocolate!

Tip 23: Clean Out Your Pantry!

When you start a diet, you aim to start with a clean slate, a fresh start. Start this fresh slate with an abundance of healthy food choices, and a lack of bad food choices available at arm's length.

Click "read more" to see some tips for cleaning up your food supply.

Tip 22: Don't let others get you down!

Going to the gym can be really intimidating, especially if you're overweight or have never been to a gym before.

I personally have a huge fear of going to the gym at my school for one big reason: college girls (and boys) can be cruelly judgmental. Girls likes twigs taunt and snicker at people like me. Last semester, I witnessed two girls snicker at a heavyset man running outside as he passed by. Despite the iPod buds in his ears, I could tell he noticed. And I could see him clench his teeth. Poor guy. If I could go back now, I would chase him down and tell him that I'm jealous of the courage he has- the courage to go outside and run in public, surrounded by his thin peers who have never understood his struggle.

But I know that even outside a college environment, gyms can sometimes be intimidating and scary places- instead of the health fostering friendly place most of us ideally hope for.

Being new to a gym can also cause alot of nervousness. Getting a tour of the gym, and maybe joining with a friend can help ease the nerves.

Luckily, most gyms are friendly and pleasant places to be. So...


Tip 22: Don't let others get you down!

Click read more for some great tips on how to deal with mean-spirited people at the gym.

Tip 21: A Trick of The Eyes

People in the 50's could anything they wanted. Fries, shakes, soda, ice cream, cheeseburgers. But they were not as obese as we are today. Why?

A study showed that our increasing waistlines are directly correlated with our increase in portion size- and plate size! Our plate size has doubled in the past 50 years or so! Yikes!

So today's dieting "trick" is really a trick of the mind...


Tip 21: Eat on smaller plates and you'll eat less!


Besides the obvious reason that smaller plates can't fit larger portions, theres a few other reasons why eating on smaller plates can help you lose weight. Read about the scientific study behind this "trick" and other reasons why smaller bowls can mean a smaller waistline by clicking "read more."

Mini-Post #8

So i've been doing this for 8 weeks now. And as of last week, i lost 13 pounds, an average of 1.65 pounds per week. 

Today's weigh-in!:

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs

Last week's weigh-in: 216 lbs

Today's weigh-in: 212.5 lbs.
Weight loss for the week:   3.5 lbs.

Weight loss to date: 16.5  lbs

As of this week, the 8th week, I've lost 16.5 pounds, an average of 2.06 pounds per week! Thats not bad, considering how little time I have in my busy schedule to exercise. And also not bad considering I live on a college campus surrounded with fast food and fried foods, and they rarely offer salad in the place closest to my dorm (it's a once a week thing, and sometimes not even once a week! I have to go to the store and buy veggies every few days if I want to stay healthy).

Last week's goals:

1. Lose 4 pounds.- close but not 4 pounds. oh well, as they'd say on the Biggest Loser- "I'll take it!"

2. Climb all 8 flights of stairs in my dorm at least once. -  I did it! It took me like 20 minutes, huffing and puffing, but I did it! I was so happy nobody came into the staircase- that would have been embarrassing. haha

3. Write 2 blogs for you. - They are written in my notebook and just need to be typed and posted. My computer has been acting funny so unfortunately I didn't get a chance to post them last night like I intended. sorry guys! I promise they'll be up by Friday night!

Next Weeks Goals:
1. Lose 4 pounds
2.  Climb the stairs again, at least once.
3. Start getting back into daily exercise, with a small minimum goal of 30 minutes a day.

I also wanted to remind everyone to become a fan on facebook! Even if you're not a follower on blogspot, you'll receive notifications every time I write a new post, and additional updates on my progress!

Mini-Post #7

This is going to be a short post because I have a very busy day ahead of me today. :)

For those of you in the northeast (like I am) I hope you all drive safely and have a fun super bowl weekend! (Keep your party munching on this day healthy and the least destructive to your diet by reading Tip #20 regarding  parties here!) LETS GO STEELERS!

Today's weigh-in!:

FIRST weigh-in: 229 lbs

Last week's weigh-in: 214 lbs

Today's weigh-in: 216 lbs.
Weight loss for the week: +2  lbs.

Weight loss to date: 13 lbs

Last week's goals:
1. Lose 4 pounds- im really disappointed, but i guess the reason for this was that last week's weight loss was mostly due to me being sick and not me working hard. im also still trying to get back into the swing of things. Now i know i just need to work harder.
2. Write at least 3 blogs for you- done :D read the party one, stairs one, and the don't skip meals one by clicking on the links. :)


Next week's goals:
1. Lose 4 pounds (for the record, this is always my goal because I like to aim high. I also still have 16 pounds to lose before my first deadline of February 27th!)
2. Climb all 8 flights of stairs in my dorm at least once. (This is something I've been thinking about doing ever since I saw the Biggest Loser episode last season where they exercised and competed on stairs. I'm a little nervous about it because climbing stairs has never been my strong suit- I always huff and puff after 3 or 4 flights. But recently I've been pretending the elevator doesn't exist. I live on the first floor so it's only one flight, but i do that anywhere between 8 and 10 times every day. My goal is mostly to just attempt this feat of climbing all the way to the top. I want to accomplish it, no matter how slowly i have to go.)
3. Write 2 blogs for you! :)


Keep up your good work everyone! Wish me strength this week! :)

Tip 20: Party Smart!

With the super bowl coming up this weekend, I figured I would post some party tips for anyone on a diet.

Parties can be a diet-destroying disaster for someone who is trying to eat healthy. Fatty dips, cheese-drenched appetizers, greasy finger food,  all nutritionally empty and calorie overloaded foods tend to be the norm at parties. Football parties especially tend to have high calorie beer and stuff like potato chips (which are easy to overeat because they are not filling), and also have the added disadvantage of being a party where everyone sits around the TV instead of walking around and mingling.

Tip 20: Party Smart!


Going to a party doesn't have to mean a destruction of all your hard work! Click "read more" for smarter snack foods, what snacks you should never reach for, some important things to remember, and superbowl specific party advice!

Tip 19: take the stairs!

When you're trying to lose weight, every step counts. You can burn extra calories every day without ever hitting the gym. Of course, this has limits, but this approach is a great start for those new to physical activity, or those who lead an extremely busy lifestyle.

Tip 19: take the stairs!


Taking the stairs is a simple way to up your daily calorie output (calories you burn). Click "read more" for other everyday activities you can do to burn extra calories!

Tip 18: Don't Skip Meals!

It sounds simple enough, eat less and you'll weigh less. But how far do you go to eat less? We've already learned counting calories is a valuable way of getting yourself to eat less, but don't ever skip a meal to do so! It may sound good in theory, but in the end you will end up sabotaging your hard work.


Tip 18: don't skip meals!

You should never skip meals, ever. What happens when you skip a meal, whether on a diet or not? You get hungry. Hungry is enemy number one for the person set out to lose weight! You want to avoid feeling hungry as much as possible.

If you feel the desire to "save" some extra calories within your day to allot to a dessert or a treat, the worst way you can do so is by skipping a meal. You can "save" calories by only eating 3/4ths of your normal meals, skipping a snack (not a meal! snacks are under 200 calories), or opting for a green salad over your regular turkey sandwich.

You especially shouldn't skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day! A good breakfast kick-starts your metabolism and makes you feel less hungry throughout the day. Some great, filling, low-calorie breakfast options are whole grain cereal, oatmeal, and fruit.

A good dinner is also important, it can ward off evening munching and midnight snacking (which can lead to weight gain). Dinner is optimally a moderately filling but light meal. A small portion of protein (such as grilled or boiled chicken with spices) combined with a filling but light salad (with a light dressing, vinaigrette, or no dressing at all) is perfect! Avoid any high-calorie carb based foods, such as heavy pastas. You want to eat something you will "burn off" before bedtime.

Just Another Whale,
MyzzLyzz