Weigh In: Grim to Great!

I almost didn't make my Monday Weigh In. But I'm here! And here we go.

Sept: Ice cream craving month!

The month of September marks the month I fell a part. I stopped calorie counting. My workouts were inconsistent. Zero energy. Sugar binges. It wasn't great. My weight shows it.

Current weight: 200.4 lbs (+1 lb from last week and up 3 lbs from the beginning of the month)

I'm un-doing my hard work! I finally woke up today realizing that I was in a funk and I finally forced enough energy to do something about it. Today was a really good change. I feel better already.

Achievements:

Giant funnel cake last weekend.

I attempted to re-start calorie counting. I only did three days, all of them ended up being over 2,000 calories. Isn't it amazing how easily you can just over eat. Three dates here, one latte there and suddenly you're 700 calories over. Hell.

As for work outs. I have been working out. Mainly short walks, stretches and bike rides. Most of them added up to 150-300 calories per day. Not a lot. It starting to get clear how I gained so much weight huh?

SOUNDS PRETTY GRIM HUH?

BUT WAIT! THERE'S GOOD STUFF TOO!

The main reason I started indulging so much is because this month I had visitors! The first two weeks of September I had one guest and I showed him to all the eateries. This third week of September I visited my family, AND I had a visitor waiting for me when I returned to the mountain. A lot of fun as well as a lot of calories.

I went to the LA county fair when I visited home. I've always loved visiting that fair. It's held in my home town so it's easy. There are so many eateries there and over priced carnival rides that I don't even look twice at. I'm there for the exhibits! My favorite this year is the animation exhibit. Called something like "From pencil to digital: Animation through the years." It was amazing! From the first Disney cartoons to Pixar, to Anime, to Stop motion animation. It was great. I got to hang out with Kung Fu Panda. They also had interactive sections for the new "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" movie.

One thing that I consumed a lot more than I usually do this month is... BEER.

I am NOT a big beer drinker. I never liked it. I live near Mammoth Lakes and their microbrewery has been the only brew I actually like. So I've been consuming it more. When my friend visited this weekend we actually experimented with different beers. And lo and behold I liked ALL of them. Good for my beer taste buds, bad for my calorie count.


 Like I mentioned, today was a good day. Light at the end of the sugar coma induced tunnel so far.

 The first snowfall of the season happened Saturday night! I had my day off today so I zoomed up to Yosemite National Park (remember I live at the entrance to the park this season) and witnessed the left overs of the snow before it melts. It was gorgeous. I didn't take a lot of pictures of it. I wanted to just enjoy it. But I did take this one. This is in Tuolumne meadows this morning. Enough snow still on the ground. It was beautiful. This picture of me isn't. LOL

One last thing I found last night was Alisa Vitti's website floliving.com  and decided to order her book Womancode. The point of Vitti's program is to help women with PCOS and other hormonal/ menstrual problems heal themselves using food and etc. This is very specific toward my problems. I've been dying to get some sort of guide for my disorder since I can't see an endocrinologist right now. This seemed like the next best thing. I don't trust "3 month programs" especially if they lay out a specific pre-made plan to help you lose weight-- you know what kind of diet programs I'm talking about-- because they're expensive and I never follow them. I HATE people telling me exactly what to eat. I rebel instantly. That's why I like taking suggestions and learning the science behind things before trying it out. I'm not just going to eat a glass of orange juice and one hard boiled egg for breakfast because it's in your plan. Sorry.  But I liked the background Vitti detailed when I saw her on TED talks so I thought I'd give her a chance and get her book.

Check it out. It's pretty interesting. If you can appreciate (or tolerate) her "self loving" humor what she says is pretty interesting and it makes sense to me. *shrugs* We'll see.

Goals:
I need to re-lose the 3 pounds I gained! I'm going to attempt to lose the 3 lbs in two weeks. Short notice I know but if I can get back on the wagon and work on it I'm SURE I can lose 1.5 lbs a week. That's not too much to ask.
Re-start calorie counting and stick around 1200-1400 calories
Consistent work outs. Making excuses about my hip hurting is not going to cut it anymore. There are plenty of activities I could be doing that won't affect it; like cycling and strength training and pilates.
Drink more water!
Read Vitti's book and do my best to find more information on my condition. The more I learn about PCOS the more I can do to help myself!

Have a great week! I'm so glad I've regained my drive to continue on my weight loss journey! Good luck!

-w0rld

A story: I Finished my Food LAST!

Yesterday, my boss took me and my co-worker out to lunch.

It was a way to say goodbye to my co-worker since she's moving on to another position and a way to have a constructive feedback meeting on how the season has gone for all three of us. All over lunch. Not bad.

He drove us to a fancy mountain resort (there are a lot of these around here) that I hadn't been to before. The place was nearly empty and very beautiful. We sat next to a window looking at an outside patio that was meant for weddings and other such events. I wouldn't mind getting married there let me tell you. LOL

Looking at the menu the first thing I noticed was that they had a Reuben sandwich. Ever since a Nebraskan introduced me to the wonders of sauerkraut I have loved reuben sandwiches. I tried to look at the rest of the menu but my mind was set.

The boss ordered a beef burrito and my co-worker a tuna melt. I ordered my reuben. We started our little meeting and then the food arrived. The burrito was huge with a red sauce poured over it. The tuna sandwich was fully loaded with tuna and a giant side of thin fries. My reuben was the thinnest of the bunch but no less filling and my side of fries rivaled my co-workers.

I started eating and from the start I noticed that the sandwich was delicious but that my co-worker and boss were devouring their food. I actually felt like I had to hurry to catch up to them. This was an odd feeling because I'm the fastest eater I know and now I felt like I was too slow. The boss man took some fries from both our plates (which I was happy to give up) and I was still eating slower than both of them. Before I knew it the server had taken the other two, completely empty plates and I still had a quarter of a sandwich left and a small handful of fries.

I felt like I was taking too long but I didn't want to rush it. I KNEW that I was eating at an ok pace and I was happily surprised that I have slowed down my eating even if it was a little bit. I wanted to enjoy my food.  I didn't really want the fries anymore. I realized fries don't really taste good without ketchup and that was another revealing fact. I shouldn't eat fries if they don't taste good by themselves.

I purposely took my time eating the last bit of my sandwich and left some of the fries behind. The second I finished the boss paid for our meals (thank you boss) and we left.

As we were leaving I felt elated. As if I had somehow reached a new threshold. I was no longer a speedy eater. I now can eat at a pace where I can enjoy my food. I was able to say no to fries. I can definitely work on eating slower and leaving more food behind when I'm full. I kind of forced myself to eat the last bit of reuben even though I would have been fine without it. But one step at a time.

I didn't care that my co-workers were in a rush to get out of there. Why? It was such a beautiful place with the wooden cabin feel and good food. They both knew the server so why not chit chat with him in the few minutes it would take me to finish my meal? We were there to have a meeting so why not continue it? Let me eat. Thank you.

I felt great. I finished my food last. I need to work on this. This is good. Have a good week everyone!

-w0rld

Weigh In: It's official--I can't run anymore

Happy Monday everyone,

With meals like these...

Yes, I've been gone for a few weeks. I admit I hadn't been counting calories and I've been doing random workouts but not tracking them as seriously as I usually do. It kind of shows in my weigh in this morning.

Current Weight: 199.4 lbs

Eeek. It's not that bad really. I've been going back and forth between 199-197 lbs. My measurements are pretty much the same. So I'm not as worried as I have been before. But I don't like that I'm so close to 200 lbs. I need to make sure to stay in ONE-derland. I'm hoping I can get close to 195 by the end of the month.

Achievements: 

Again, I haven't calorie counted and I haven't been tracking my work outs. One thing that I tried to do last week is go for a very short run.

I ran for 0.9 mile in a little under 12 minutes. Short distance and a steady pace. What happened afterwards, and all the day later? My right hip was in complete pain. I couldn't walk without pain. I,
sadly can't go to a doctor right now. Thank god for Ibuprofen and anti-inflammatorys. I took a few and I feel much better now. However, the second I try to run again it'll come back. This sucks. It also happens if I do a long hike but not as badly as a half mile run.

I need to figure out the best way to continue working out without agitating my right leg. That poor leg is the plantar fasciitis foot, the one with a horrible hip and a sensitive knee. Talk about needed to get that checked huh. Sigh

Goals: 

I need to start calorie counting again
I've been skimping on my water drinking.  I need to make sure I drink a ton.
My main goal right now is to get to 195 lbs by the end of the month.
I need to find a cardio work out that won't affect my legs as much. I need them for work and for life. I want to make sure I have them in working order for as long as possible.

I've been a little AWOL but I'm still here

Two weeks with a visitor pretty much my calorie counting out the window. This week has been no different. I have been weighing myself and my lack of discipline is starting to show. I'll make a proper weigh in on Monday but just know I'm here. Struggling a little bit but here.

I did have amazing adventure after adventure last week and was able to play tourist to this gorgeous area I currently live in. I have tons of pictures to share and I'll start by sharing one now:

This is me at Rainbow Falls, this beautiful water fall just outside of Mammoth Lakes. The mist actually did make multiple rainbows. What a beautiful day that was.

Anyway. Real update later. For now I'll do my best to regain my self respect and walk away from un-needed "snacks". *Shakes head*

Also... I've been contemplating graduate school a lot lately. I'm still reluctant to return to school but the idea keeps popping up. Who knows, I might end up becoming a student again. Eeek!

Until later,

-w0rld

Quicky Update: Yosemite Smoke

Having a good week and I've been mindful of my food in take although I have a guest right now and I always think of all the eateries I can take people to. I'm turning in to my grandmother; going on vacation? Where's the best food? *Shakes head*

But I did a mid week weigh in and I'm still in ONE-derland and going down. Yay!

We've been doing a lot of little hikes and walks and staying active.

This picture is one of the little walks we took just a quarter mile away from the east Yosemite entrance. You can see smoke covering the view of Mt. Dana in the background. Call us horrible people but we both thought the area smelled great, like a campfire.

Going to keep my promise to myself and lose that one pound to stay in ONE-derland. No one can stop me but me.

Have a great rest of the week/weekend!

-w0rld

Weigh In: Surviving Binge Week and reaching ONE-derland!

Happy Monday everyone! I woke this morning feeling more normal than I had most of last week. Reason being that last week was a VERY heaving eating week. I was overindulging left and right and it didn't help that the group I was working with were these awesome men with big appetites for meat and sugar.. just like me. Eeek! BUT I tried my best to at least stay active and here are the results:

Current Weight: 198.4 lbs (-1.6 lbs)

I DID IT! Despite my heavy eating I reached ONE-derland! I was so worried that I had ruined everything this week and yet I still managed to lose weight! I honestly think that all the work I did the week before just cascaded over to this week but I don't mind! This is awesome. My measurements showed that my thigh flab is still going down slightly although I did gain a bit on my waist. It really shows you what was going on. I don't mind though because my hips went down a fraction of an inch! Woop!

Achievements: 

Here's where I have to fess up how much I ate last week. Meat, tortillas, ice cream, cheese and bread. It all added up.

How can you say no to a catered baby shower like this one?

Mon: 1575
Tues: 1597
Wed: 1514
Thurs: 2129
Fri: 2184
Sat: 2050
Sun: 1659

You can easily see the days that I ate with the group. I did it myself and I was noticing my self sabotaging behavior. I don't even feel bad about it anymore. I almost expect it to happen; every time I get close to reaching a new threshold I suddenly can't control my cravings. I know my behavior. I noticed what I was doing. I told myself, "Fine, if you're going to overindulge because you're scared than do it right and eat things you love and not things just because they're there." I'm not proud of this behavior and I am not planning on going on binge fests for fun but I knew what I was doing and I had to own up to it. If I restrained myself too much I knew that I would throw in the towel and that's not allowed right now. I'm too close to my goals!

Kayaking here. A gorgeous place to work out.

Now work outs.

Mon: Strength training
Tues: 3.8 mile Bike ride
Wed: zilch
Thurs: 2 mile walk
Fri: strength training/ 1 mile hike/ 2 mile walk
Sat: Kayaking/ 2 mile hike
Sun: 3.9 mile bike ride

I definitely varied my work outs this week. I went kayaking this weekend! The last time I went kayaking I tried it in the ocean and I was very frustrated because the guy didn't take the time to teach me how to steer the damn thing so I kept going in the wrong direction. This time, since I had been teaching kids how to paddle canoes forever I knew what to do. It was a great feeling. :)

Goals: 

Can I just say it again: I MADE IT TO ONE-derland! I did it! Which means that from now on the main goal is... to STAY in ONE-derland.
I need to drink more water.
It's time to go back to my calorie in take of 1200-1400 calories.
I need to vary my workouts more and continue to strength train more often and longer reps.
I have a guest these next couple of weeks and I have a tendency of over eating and eating out a lot when I'm hosting so I need to watch that this week too.
Now the main goal is to reach the 60 lbs loss mark. I have 7.4 lbs to lose in order to get there. It can be done!! I'm hoping to reach the 60 lbs mark by October.
My more immediate goal is to reach 197 lbs by next Monday.

I hope everyone's weekend was awesome and I hope everyone has a great last week of August! Good Luck!

-w0rld

Weigh In: Too much scale and a birthday weekend

End of the bday night's bonfire

Yesterday I spent the day in "civilization". It takes me three hours to get to the nearest city and I was craving it like mad. All I wanted the morning after my birthday was to go to a Barnes n Nobles, read a book while I sipped a mocha frapuccino from Starbucks and people watch a little. I could have done that in the town that's only 30 minutes away. They even have a Starbucks. But that's not what I wanted. I wanted to get away. So I did. I drove those 3 hours and I had Starbucks coffee and food inside a BnN. I people watched. I ate a sandwich from Subway. I grocery shopped. And I didn't work out at all. I was so paranoid about gaining weight when I finally returned home around 10pm, that although I was exhausted from a long day, although I had been paying super close attention to my food in take I brought out the scale to see how I did and I couldn't sleep knowing that I didn't work out at all.

I realized that for the last week I had been weighing myself multiples times a day. A day! I need to take a step back from the scale. But this morning I woke up and weighed myself one last time, nervous and sure that venti frap had made me gain 5 pounds. Here are the results.

Current Weight: 200.0 lbs (-2 lbs from last Monday)

I was able to maintain my birthday weight! After two nights of decadent food I made it! I lost 2 pounds since last week. I made it to 50 lbs lost. I am one pound away from ONE-derland! All in perfect timing for my 27th birthday! Last week was a BIG week for me. So is it surprising that I was super paranoid about my weight and my measurements? Does it make sense now why I was watching the scale, my calories and my activity like a hawk? I wanted to get to my birthday goal. I was DETERMINED to make it. And I did.

Now I'm incredibly tired of the scale. But I'm not done yet.

Made myself a birthday salad. Yum!

Achievements:

Before I go on about my next goals let's see how my vigilance looks like. Calories first.

Mon: 1378
Tue: 1474
Wed: 1500
Thurs: 1407
Fri: 1370
Sat: 2565 (Birthday)
Sun: 1395

Most of the week I was able to stay within my 1200-1400 scale. I obviously went over on my birthday and I realized it was all mainly alcohol. Who knew that one glass of wine, one bottle of beer and a thin slice of birthday cheese cake would add up to so much? It was worth it though. And I danced like crazy afterwards to make up for it. LOL

Starting my birthday hike :)

Now work outs.

Mon: 4 mile hike
Tues: 15 minute bike ride
Wed: 15 minute bike ride and toning work out
Thurs: 5 mile walk
Fri: 20 minute bike ride, toning and pilates work out
Sat: 3.5 steep hike and dancing :)
Sun: zilch

Steep hike view

As you can see I've been changing my workouts a little bit and adding mileage to my walks, using the bike a lot more and I'm seriously trying to do more strength training and toning work outs.

Gaylor lake view

Gaylor lake

On Saturday I decided to celebrate my birthday by going up to Yosemite National park and do a short but steep hike I'd heard about. It definitely was steep but no less gorgeous. I never tire of uphill hikes that end by a lake. I've done many now around here and each one is breathtaking every time.

Continuing the hike

Goals:

Even though I need a break from the scale I can't slow down just yet. I have one week to lose at least one pound and finally reach ONE-derland. I then have to continue to lose some weight in order to STAY in ONE-derland. Next Monday is my deadline. I need to get away from the 200's by then.

Awesome morning to turn 27!

I am going to continue to vary my workouts and do a lot more toning and strength exercises. My measurements this morning showed a significant lose to fat in my arms, my waist and my thighs-- the three biggest problem areas I have. I need to keep going.

I need more fiber in my diet. Why? Why does anyone need more fiber in their diet? Thought of it? Know you know why. LOL

Party house has multiple green houses

I went to Trader Joes and bought a couple of new things that might help me stay on track on the specific diet I need to be eating: whole grain foods, more fish and veggies. I plan to cook a lot today and store things so I don't have to stray from the food I should be eating.

Finally the main goal right now is to get to ONE-derland by next Monday. It can and will be done!

Great night!