215 -The Test

Alright I'm going off the Belly Fat Cure diet today through the weekend. I found out that you really need to space your meals pretty evenly or you don't lose the weight-- that's why I didn't lose last weekend-- because my meals were crazy all over the board.

This weekend I'm going to start eating the things I missed like yogurt and fruits and as aforementioned partake in an apple dumpling ala mode and/ or an apple fritter-- I'm a little concerned that since this diet keeps my insulin level even-- and thus losing weight-- if I go back to eating normal where I'll get a spike in insulin-- that I might just gain everything back. Better to find out now than when I'm down 30lbs and devastated to lose it all back.

I'll let you know how things transpire. Incidentally I didn't post yesterday but I actually weighed 215 yesterday-- yes I dropped 1 lb overnight where I had been losing .5lbs overnight-- BUT everything in the end evens out because I'm not down any lbs today.

Happy Friday Everyone!

216- That's One Mean Colon!

Well guys, I'm still on the Belly Fat Cure diet. I seemed to hit a plateau on Saturday Sunday and Monday-- but on Tuesday I started to lose weight again-- Both Monday and Tuesday I dropped an additional .5 lbs / day. In retrospect I think this has a lot to do with my hectic schedule on the weekends-- it makes it hard to space your meals/ snacks out evenly and therefore I didn't do a good job on keeping my insulin level the same-- which in turn is why I don't think I saw the same results.

I was a bit upset that on this diet you're supposed to lose between 3-9 lbs a week and I lost the bare minimum @ 3lbs-- I was so strict too! Then I thought back to the fact that no matter what I do it's a struggle to lose weight with my Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome and my slow metabolism.. so the fact that I was able to lose 3lbs from diet alone-- should be celebrated!

One thing I have noticed however is that-- with the lack of fruits and yogurt on this diet I seem to going to the bathroom a lot less-- once every 3 days or so-- and when I do go my intestine/ colon gets so mad.. that sort of cramping burning sensation that lasts for an hour afterward-- I guess it's a small price to pay for the quick weight loss.

I plan to be on the diet for 1 more day and then I'm taking Friday, Saturday and Sunday off-- my schedule is way too hectic-- AND I want to partake of an apple fritter and an apple dumpling @ Applefest this weekend in my hometown. Depending on how much willpower I have left.. lol I will probably try to start up again on Monday.

217.5 I'm a believer

Since starting my new "fad" diet on Monday I have dropped 2.5lbs-- this is a week by week diet-- so I'm going to do it until next Friday (my schedule is crazy busy next weekend so it's really going to be too difficult to keep it going then) however depending on how I feel that Friday --which honestly is dependent on my total weight loss and my will power at that point-- I might try another week or two. I'm not hungry, I've lost weight, the food is healthy and pretty good the only down/ upside is that I'm not eating enough calories to go and do an intense workout. -- so I'm losing weight with my diet alone. I know that's not the best tactic-- but for a short term gratification it's working :o) I'm a believer!

Happy Friday everyone!

219? progress?

Ok Guys! Day 3 of the diet. I'm down 1 lb since Monday-- the thing is though I weighed 219 about 2 weeks ago.. so now the question is.. did I gain weight and now lose it because of this diet OR did I just drop some water weight? I guess we shall soon find out!

Boy let me tell you.. YESTERDAY was a challenge. This diet is very regimented. He tells you exactly what to eat and how much of it-- SO imagine my agony when I remember it was a girl at work's Birthday-- what this normally means is there will be homemade cake.. well not only was there a homemade cake.. there was also Cinnamon Crunch Bagels from Panera (my favorite!) AND HUGE delicious looking cinnamon muffins with a hint of drizzled icing. That was not at all what I was wanting to face on day 2 of a strict diet! BUT I made it through.. without cheating. I really want to give this a whirl and see if I really can see some results this week. If I feel good about the diet I will try for a second week and then probably take a break from it. I only have so much will power-- but big weight loss numbers is strong motivation for me to stick to it!

How are you guys doing on your weight loss?

220- Belly Fat Cure

Hi Everyone! so I got super tired of dieting and completely unmotivated-- I had been down to 218.5 but have put back on a couple of pounds. Two friends at work have been trying the "Belly Fat Cure" diet by Jorge Cruise. -- they both lost 5 lbs their first week so I thought I would give it a try even though you know how I feel about dieting. I'm hoping I'll lose some weight and this will get me back to being motivated to "finish the job" I'm in a rush this morning to head to work but i wanted to put it out there- I will blog later about my day on the diet and more about what it entails.-- since I'm supposed to lose between 3-9lbs this week and get ride of some bulge I'm going to try and update daily on my progress: today's stats 220lbs 35" waist and my lower bellow (bellow my belly button at it's widest part without being "hips" is 42"

Smooth out the Start of your Day 229.5

As promised here is the first of a few "diet" foods I find utterly delicious. Every morning for the past 4 weeks or so I've been having a smoothie for breakfast. I've been using Yoplait Smoothie blends-- I especially like the strawberry, mango and pineapple -- The directions call for the entire bag and 1 cup of skim milk (this is 2 servings). Since I'm a single gal I only make half the bag and put 1 cup of Light Vanilla soy milk (I've been switching around brands but find that the Silk brand *with the vanilla taste* to be the best)-- by using a whole cup of soy milk I'm making my smoothie thin enough to drink directly from the cup -- and to be honest if you only used half a cup of milk or *given liquid* you can barely get it to come out of the blender. Now for an added diet boost I've been putting a shot of Acai Berry juice (I use Genesis-- a little pricey around $7.00/ bottle-- BUT I'm still on my first bottle and I've been making these for a month) it-- all in all this works out to be exactly 16oz and around 200 calories.

Now my brother is also on a diet and he actually buys the individual frozen fruits-- he's trying to stick with fruits high in anti-oxidants such as blueberries -- he'll blend about 4 fruits (all in 4 oz increments *he actually bought a digital scale to weigh it out*-- he also uses soy milk and a shot of Acai or pomegranate juice-- his is less expensive to make overall (and since it's twice the size of mine ends up being 400 calories)-- I found that I like the yoplait for the chunks of yogurt they have in there already-- it just takes less effort and in my opinion tastes better. -- honestly the yoplait smoothie is not that expensive. The 2 serving bag runs about $2.60-- soy milk runs around $3.00 so for a daily cost it's about $1.75.

What's great about a smoothie in the morning is it's less mess, I can drink it while I'm getting ready for work.. takes literally 1 minute to prepare-- AND boosts my metabolism with the fruit. Next post will be what my AM snack is.. and it's super yummy! Stay tuned. :o)

OH update on the biggest loser-- even though I've "Gained" 1.4 pounds this week (which honestly I think is water weight) I'm still in 1st place! that's 1st place 3 weeks in a row! Yay!

Moving Down the Scale -248.5

YAY! I'm excited to have moved down! I've officially dropped a notch on the dreaded "doctor's scale". All I can say is I really needed this after yesterday! This is a great achievement and can't wait for the day when I get to move that notch down once more!

I WANT CUPCAKES! 256

The Spread - 256

I hit the gym last night-- same old workout but actually did some weights-- today I fell asleep and slept past the time the gym was open (7pm) so I'm going to either have to fight the possessed treadmill in the basement or walk up and down the stairs-- or something to get in some exercise yet tonight (I'll let you know tomorrow how that works out)

Anyway I did want to share with you my grocery shopping experience today! I was so excited about all of these nutritional finds/ choices I made--- I also want to share my own *special* recipe on how to make tuna salad (what I had for lunch today).

Here's a pictures of the spread-- this is literally everything I bought-- (well sans 24 rolls of tp)
HOLD UP LET ME CALL A TIME OUT TO TALK ABOUT THIS!!Has anyone ever thought about how undignified it feels to buy toilet paper--- you always have to buy at least 6 rolls-- sometimes 12 or 24-- of course the double roll kind-- today I bought the 24 rolls because I absolutely hate buying tp. 24 rolls though-- man you have to lug that into the house all by itself-- freaking huge. Especially when you're a single gal--it's like announcing to the world "hey I spend a lot of time in the bathroom". *stepping off soap box*

So here is a list of what I bought
*tuna* *propel (I like to buy the 1 liter in mixed berry flavor--- I always drink one of these at work-- and the best part is at Walmart the 1 liter sells for $1.00)*
*cherries, blueberries, green grapes* *baby spinach and Caesar salad mix* *fat free italian dressing* *light balsamic dressing* *guacamole* *tostitos chips* *pico de gallo* *greek salad mix (basically feta, onions and tomatoes)* *eggs**acai and pomegrante juice* *cottage cheese**skinny cow icecream cones (only 150 calories)**go lean cereal* *just bunches cereal* *35 calorie whole wheat bread*--- all of this came to a grand total of $71.00 ouch-- but I have to say I'm very happy with all of my choices-- (although mildly disappointed with the tostitos-- I'm having problems controlling myself to eat those in moderation)

I should mention that before I talked about using Bistro MD as my meal plan-- but I haven't really used that since about Thanksgiving-- it's making choices like those I made today--- and choosing smaller portions -- or alternatives which has really helped me succeed.

Now on to the TUNA SALAD. Incidentally for lunch @ work I've basically been buying just tuna salad for lunch (no bread)-- the tuna salad they make is awesome with cut up little red onions and celery-- very little mayo and lots of good spices-- I just fill up on that and fruit for lunches. I decided this weekend to make my own tuna salad which has had rave reviews by some friends. I want to share it with you!
The ingredients-- light miracle whip, tuna, dill pickles, guacamole, two slices of 35 calorie whole wheat bread, dill weed, seasoned salt, paprika and onion powder-- typically I also like a slice of lettuce and tomato to accompany this sandwich but the tomatoes didn't look great @ the store-- so I made due with a side of pico.

Ok so it's pretty self explanatory-- I do everything to taste--but one secret I will tell you is that you should take a tablespoon of pickle juice (yes the dill pickle juice) and add it to the tuna salad mixture-- (this is a secret from my Grandma)

I was a little disappointed with my salad today-- it's been a while since I made mine with miracle whip (sometimes I just go without it all together and add in all the spices to the tuna)-- basically I put in too much miracle whip and had to add another can of tuna-- but it still wasn't the best tuna salad I've ever made.

ANYWAY-- moving on-- I toasted the bread and slapped on some guacamole on one side-- tuna salad on the other and some pickles to the top. I want to let you know that I know guacamole isn't the BEST food -- but it does have a lot of *good fat* in it-- and this particular guacamole is 50 calories for 2 tbs and 1 gram of fat per 2 tbs-- so in perspective it's not that bad.

So here is the final product. I did add some grape tomatoes and pico on the side (but didn't take a photo). If you try it let me know what you think!!!! If I wasn't really watching what I eat I'd probably add a slice of provolone to this sandwich and call it a day!Incidentally did you notice I'm down to 256 today (yesterday I was thinking while working out-- tomorrow I'm going to weight 255-- well I didnt' get what I was hoping for but I'll still take it :o))

Chasing the Babe --264

So I bet you thought since I didn't post yesterday-- I didn't work out-- well if you thought that shame on you-- I DID work out yesterday and today-- in fact I've been working out straight since Sunday-- and I plan to go right on through Sunday. Yesterday I did 35 minutes on the treadmill and an intense lifting regimen-- hitting abs, thighs, back, shoulders, triceps and biceps. Today I hit the treadmill for 50 minutes (I found a machine @ the gym they hadn't manipulated to only allow for a 30 minutes work out) -- ok so I felt a little bit guilty hogging the treadmill for 50 minutes-- but I figured I was up for it and after this week deserved an few extra minutes! -- I also did a few weights (only about 10 minutes worth-- but proud of it nonetheless)-- note to self-- second treadmill from the door is now my perfered machine!

When I was walking for those 50 minutes-- I remembered a conversation I had with my oil painting professor a few years ago. He told me to work out he likes to run-- and how he motivates himself is he imagines himself in his prime-- the best he could ever look-- all muscular and suave--- well his "perfect" self is running in front of him-- and all he has to do is catch up to become that person--- I have to admit I laughed at the thought of this--- chasing myself in unbelievable shape--- the kind of shape that turns even the girls heads--- but I can't help but think how effective that strategy is! I often think (since I've always been overweight) how easy my journey would be if I just knew what I would look like @ 175 lbs-- if I knew what I was working for-- how I'd look-- how I'd feel--- I would be so much motivated since I wouldn't be able to stand the wait! I think at this point it's such a foreign thought I have a hard time picturing myself in it for the long haul-- especially when I start plateauing like I have these past two weeks.

Speaking of plateauing-- I remember when I hit a plateau before for about 3 weeks-- and then over night I lost 12 lbs-- literally overnight I did-- I was so amazed and thought "where did all that weight go while I was sleeping?" Our bodies really are incredible! I find solace in the fact that I know I'm doing all I can -- and since I'm doing all I can -- regardless of what the scale is saying I know it's paying off.

Relentlessly chasing the Babe-- one day at a time.

261.5 -- I swallowed my guilt whole.

Thinking back on how I actually gained 56lbs in the past 2 years-- I think it really had a lot to do with the guilt I had surrounding my relationship. I think when you start to bury feelings and thoughts deep down inside--- it starts to grow roots into all aspects of your life. -- it's as if I had a redwood protruding out of my chest-- just so vast and immensely unfathomable to deal with. Once I started swallowing that guilt whole-- it just festered in my gut. I think that's why I'm feeling so liberated discussing things like my weight so openly now --- it's something that's always been there lurking in the shadows-- but there's no need to do that anymore. When you stop fearing the monster under the bed enough to actually lift up the covers and look him in the eye-- you realize you've been fearing an old sneaker and waded up sweater from 1982.

Does anyone else see a similar correlation in their life?

Today was my first day back @ work (after having been laid off for 3 months) -- I'm incredibly sore from yesterday's work out and almost decided not to go the gym tonight. Instead I decided to work through the pain-- I convinced myself to do just 35 minutes on the treadmill--- I walked slower today @ 3.7 mph but with an inclination that I started @ 4.5 and moved up to 6-- it was tough! After that I did convince myself to do some weights as well.. sometimes it's so hard to motivate myself.. but if I tackle it one item at a time-- I can often convince myself to do "just one more" exercise or "just 5 more minutes" -- I think this is a lot like how I have to approach my weight loss-- one calorie-- one day-- one pound at a time.

263 - the treadclimber kicked my ass!

Have you seen the commercials for the Treadclimber? They describe that it feels like you're walking in sand-- well I have no idea how to describe how it feels other than awkward and challenging! I tried the treadclimber about a month ago when 4 first arrived @ my gym-- interestingly enough only 1 of the 4 were in working condition when received (not good odds if you're looking to purchase one).

As previously discussed when I hop on the treadmill I always walk at about a pace of 4.2 mph. I started up the treadclimber (which incidentally takes a while to respond to the commands you give it) I kept hitting the speed up control until I hit about 4.2--- all the sudden I almost fell off... (since the machine took so long to respond) I had to keep adjusting the speed down until I was confident I wasn't going to embarrass myself by taking a face plant -- this occurred at about 2.8 mph.

I must admit that I did feel like I was getting a work out-- in fact I've never sweated so much in my entire life. I did have difficulty with the "pedals" mainly because I don't walk evenly--- with one of my legs I take a much shorter stride-- I had to make adjustments for this but once I got that figured out things went more smoothly. The system does monitor your heart rate while on the treadclimber (which mine was incredibly high-- so high in fact it kept telling me "find the right pace-- no need to rush this is twice the work out" --- seeing that flash about 98% of the time while I was working out was distracting). The machine does give a lot of suggestions; "slow down" "take longer strides" " even out your strides" but I found it to be a little too eager to help! At the end of the work out (20 minutes) I had burned much fewer calories than I do on the traditional treadmill-- and with a lot more effort. I haven't gone back to try the treadclimber yet-- but I think it does really do a good job of targeting a lot of muscles you don't normally hit as well.

This is my humble take on the treadclimber.. let me know what you think? It's ok to disagree!

In other news I did just get home from the gym-- all 30 treadmills (and treadclimber) were taken up when I got there-- the air was thick and humid with the stench of sweat in the air-- can't wait for mid February when everyone jumps off the New Years Resolution trek---

my workout consisted of inner and outer thigh abduction machines 120 lbs (while waiting on a machine to open up)-- I snagged a treadmill and walked 35 minutes @ an inclination that maxed out @ 4.5--- after which I did the ab machine @ 95lbs the triceps @ 50lbs and this other exercise that targets your back and your gut @ 120lbs. Then for good measure I hopped back on the treadmill and got another 20 minutes in--- from the treadmill standpoint I burned 550 calories-- all in all a pretty decent work out-- I'm already a little sore on my outer thighs (definitely feeling that more tomorrow) -- love knowing I "did some work son".

What's in a Number? --261.5

Well-- what exactly is in a number anyway-- well I'm going to tell you! Each blog title is going to be my weight the day I blog-- this helps keep me accountable!-- I've been slowly tracking my weight and keeping record. I think this is a good thing to do to help track progress and keep yourself motivated-- plus you can always see how different things effect your weight and actively progress your situation.

Now I know EVERYONE says do not weigh yourself... or only weigh yourself once a week-- I weigh myself pretty much every day. Why do I do this? Well I think it's important. Think about it -- if your bladder is full or you're retaining water (as women especially tend to do) and you only weigh yourself once a week--- it may appear that you have gained 5 pounds in the past week-- that only puts you in a downward spiral-- this is why I choose to weigh myself pretty much every day-- I can account for fluctuation and really keep track of where I'm at. Another thing I do is I always weigh myself when I get up in the morning (after I've gone to the bathroom and before I've ate or drank anything) this ensures that I have a constant of time-- my stomach is empty--so I don't have to worry about how much the food or water I just drank weighed (yes I am that anal).

So let me share some numbers with you!

11/14 269
11/15 267
11/16 268.5
11/17 269.5
11/18 269
11/19 269
11/20 267.5
11/21 267
11/22 265.5
11/30 266
12/01 267
12/02 265.5
12/03 266
12/06 264
12/20 263.5
12/28 261.5

On 10/13 my measurements were: bust 48 natural waist 43 and hips 54 weight 289
On 1/03 my measurements are: bust 45 natural waist 39 and hips 52 weight 261.5

Boy typing this is making me think twice about sharing---

So what have I been doing to lose weight?

When I hit the gym I go to the treadmill--- I'm not built for running so I just walk fast-- about 4.2 mph --- I do one of two things-- I either walk for a half hour (with 5 minute cool down)-- which typically burns about 350 calories (more depending on how much I mess with the inclination) --and then I'll lift weights for about a half hour after that-- focusing on my thighs, abs, triceps and biceps --- or I will walk for about 70 minutes (that is two 30 minute sessions with 2 five minute cool downs) On the second session I normally drop my pace to keep my heart rate up but not burn myself out--- I should mention my first session is much more intense where every 3 - 5 minutes I will increase the inclination and sometimes adjust the speed up-- I want to really hit it for the first 35---

Naturally our bodies don't go into fat burning mode until after you've been working out for at least 20 minutes-- so logically speaking keeping your heart rate up for at least an hour (whether by more walking or weights) is what allows me to get the max out of my work out.

Food wise I've been eating BistroMD-- which has been quite a challenge-- considering it is gourmet food but EVERY meal consists of a meat and two vegetables--- since I've never been a hardy meat eater-- it's difficult to have it EVERY day-- I find myself missing pastas and especially salads.

When I lost 30 lbs before I did use nutrisystem-- but I have to warn you the food is not nearly as good and when I ended up doing was ordering items ala cart to get the items I liked--- I really enjoyed the chicken cacciatori for lunch-- my biggest suggestion with nutrisystem is to avoid anything that is primarily meat-- because a lot of times it looks or smells like cat food (sometimes even tastes like it)--- the muffins they had made me throw up because they were so dry--- so when I ordered my food I stuck to lunch and dinner items then had fruit for breakfast-- or a cup of a cereal like "honey nut clusters"--- one thing I highly recommend from nutrisystem is the chocolates--- those were the best snack and really the only snack I ever ordered.

I'm not really a fan of any sort of diet pills-- it always comes out years later that it causes birth defects or cancer or liver or kidney failure--- I have recently invested in some "women's health" pills from GNC-- that claims to help digest the fat-- and I have noticed that it does help with the weight loss. I have considered maybe trying that acai pills-- but as afore mentioned I'm not a big fan of diet pills or fads-- it's always safest to do things the natural and right way.