ALMOST 20 pounds down!

I am just 1.5 pounds shy away from 20 total pounds lost. Which happens to be 3.5 pounds away from my second goal!!
I am glad I took my April break for my birthday, my boyfriend's birthday, our anniversary, easter candy (i really didn't have that much), etc etc... I really have come back into this re-energized and ready to get this done.

Taking a break isn't always bad. Giving up is bad. Breaks are sometimes necessary. If you push yourself too hard, you might just fall. But in this case, it was what I needed. I didn't want to make excuses. I just wanted to hit pause. I didn't gain any weight during my break. In fact, I might have lost a pound or two without trying.

Priscilla, i might already be close to a size 6, so wipe that smirk off your prissy priscilla face!

...I'm back. And I'm deluded.

Blogging took up a ton of time (which I am already short on) but it was so great for support and helpful to keep everyone looped in. I can't commit to blogging every day, but I am back.

What prompted it?

I did something a little crrrazy this weekend. I bought a bridesmaid dress in a size 4.

I am currently a size 8.

This is a big deal at Priscilla of Boston. They have documents--legal documents-- where you have to initial several times and sign at the bottom to indicate that you realize you have a fat ass and you realize you're ordering a size that will not fit your fat ass right now, but you are deluded enough to think you will fit into this size in a few short months.

To fit into a size four, I have to lose... 25 pounds. That's one pound per week until the beginning of October. And the wedding is in October. I don't have a day to spare.

The dress size doesn't keep me going so much as the smirk on the saleslady's face when she heard that I wanted not one size smaller but two sizes smaller.

Well, watch this, Saleslady!

The key is small portions frequently.

I have a few friends who have jumped on the bandwagon and are also trying this "strange new way of life." My friend, D, yesterday was asking about portioning an avocado and wanted to know how I eat it. I was going to email her a picture of my dinner last night, but then decided to share it with everyone.

A piece of lean protein (in this case lean pork) with a slice of avocado on top and alllll the green veggies I want! P.S. I had already had a few bites of the meat when I had the brilliant idea, that's why it's a bit small.

I was also telling D, I try to eat carbs for my first three meals and fats for my last two (sometimes three). So nuts and avocado are usually consumed with dinner.

I have stopped counting my green veggies... Normally the calories are so insignificant, that it's pointless to weigh and spend time doing additional math. Vegetables are not how I got fat!

Happy dieting, friends!

too busy to chew!

...or to capitalize. so you can only imagine my meals today.

got up early to go to the gym (l worked out legs) and afterwards had a protein shake...

QUICK RECIPE!
1 scoop Gold Standard vanilla ice cream flavor (120 cal)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (40 cal)
1 medium banana (100 cal)
half cup ice
(TOTAL CALS: 260)

and then a couple of hours ago i had my amaaaazing Fage Greek Yogurt. Since I buy the 0% Fage (no fat; less sugar), it is really very plain (although the creamy texture is still scrumptious). To boost the flavor, here's what i do:

QUICK RECIPE!
1 6oz cup fage 0% greek yogurt (90 cal)
6 chopped up strawberries (13 calories)
half tablespoon honey (32 calories) (You can also add vanilla or cinnamon for flavor).
(TOTAL CALS: 135)

In any case, it's just about time for another meal, but in the 3 minutes it's taken me to type this I've gotten emails to answer. ACK! Here's to busy days!!

Cheesecake Factory HELL!!

In this last week of goal 1, I was confronted with an ugly situation: a working lunch from Cheesecake Factory (take out).

In preparation for the moment of truth (aka "what do you want to eat?") I did some research. Here's the UGLY truth:

http://calorielab.com/news/2007/07/28/calorie-pusher-comes-to-town-the-cheesecake-factory-hits-rochester/

Go ahead, find your favorite cheesecake factory dish. Everyone has one. Mine? The Navajo Grilled Chicken Sandwich. It's got grilled chicken, avocado, lettuce, tomato... healthy right? WRONG! At ONE-THOUSAND-TWO-HUNDRED-AND-SEVENTY-EIGHT CALORIES? That's my entire daily amount of calories-- NOT COUNTING THE FRENCH FRIES. Holy Fat Cow!

So, of course, I had to find an alternative. The weight management salads are o....kay, but not great. Plus, add dressing calories (if you notice, they are separate). So I settled on the grilled mahi mahi with broccoli (sans potato side). At 466 calories, I only ate half to get my 233 calorie meal. With their giant portions, half a dish is definitely filling at the Cheesecake Factory, but the gross majority of these dishes are over 1,000 and TWO-THOUSAND calories. And by gross I mean, GROSS!!!

The average American shouldn't be eating more than 2,000 calories a day. Time to open our eyes. Or the little slits on our fat faces!! Ugh...

Week 6: 10 pounds lighter, one hunny dolla-dolla richer!

I know I've been absent. It's because I've been working so hard at my tenth pound! And I'm here with good news!

I have achieved the first goal of ten pounds in six weeks. I thought I could do it in 4, but 6 isn't so bad!
BF in the meantime is at -5.5. That's about a pound a week, which isn't so bad either-- but the fluctuation's not so good. I mean, he had lost 4.5 the first week alone. And then wildly roller-coastered for the next weeks that followed.

My weight has consistently been crawling down at a snail's pace. But it only went in one direction.
Consistency is key, I know.

How I did it: I've been to the gym 5-7 times a week (usually 6 times a week) and eaten 4 to 5 250- to 300-calorie meals a day. Sure, I've had my cheats and my moments of weakness, but for the most part, I've made very, very good decisions.

For the second goal, I have to buckle down and behave even better: I have to lose 12 pounds this time-- My goal is to lose it by end of April.

In the meantime, with his lag, BF now needs to lose 23 (and a quarter) pounds. That's twice as much. Can he do it in 10 weeks? That's more than 2 pounds per week.

Anyone starting to think BF actually stands for Bunny Foofoo? Slow and steady wins the race!!!

A diet haiku.

Diets are no fun.
I want chocolate cake bad.
But my jeans don't fit.

Week 5 results: Karina -7 / BF -5.5

Ugh... not much progress this week. Makes me wonder what would've happened if I'd had a better weekend...

The next two weeks I have to be extra good. If I am extra good, I can lose up to 1.5 per week. 1.5 per week is my max. But that would bring me to ten pounds.

What's not helping is, I'm starting to feel sick... that throat ache you get right before it gets to a full-blown cold. If I can't work out, I'm done for. Even though BF still has 7 pounds to go, that boy can drop it faster than the stock market.

For breakfast, I squeezed oranges for juice, had some strawberries (higher in Vitamin-C than even an orange) and 0% fat Greek Yogurt with honey (great for the throat). Hoping all this stuff will do the trick. Oh, and my brother gave me some magic garlic pills that have yet to perform their magic, but I am hopeful.

So, now I just have to not get sick and eat super clean 5 times a day for the next 14 days. May the force be with me. And the immunity, and the antioxidants, and the self-control, and the time,......................

....TGIM?!

Weekends are bad for dieting. Not because I did anything crazy or wild this weekend. BF and I basically had parents' weekend... Went to his parents' for dinner on Saturday and spent yesterday at my parents'.

Luckily both of us have parents who cook / eat healthy, so it wasn't like we were confronted with heavy cooking or anything. The tough thing is getting all 5 meals in each day. Saturday I only ate four meals. Sunday... three. Eek. I literally had breakfast, lunch, dinner-- which I haven't in a while. My mom had a birthday lunch and I only had time for one meal before that. After her celebration, BF and I had to jet off to do a chore, and by the time I was home, I could only cram one more meal in.

I also had my weekly cheat this weekend. Not planned though... but luckily I behaved very well the rest of the week. It's pointless to cheat on a weekday-- I am so on-routine, it's just a wasted indulgence. Since it was my mom's birthday, she had cookies and pie. So after a wholesome meal of salad and protein, I had a bite from BF's pie and had part of a (large) cookie. But did not have an entire cookie nor a whole piece of pie. That is a big no-no. It's just a small cheat.

In any case, I am nervous for my weigh-in tomorrow. I am so close to the first goal, I can't afford to F anything up right now!

So as crazy as it sounds. I'm glad it's Monday. Weekdays are a refuge from fun and indulgence!

My jeans are more honest than my scale.

Kind of sad, but my biggest pair of jeans (aka fat jeans) are still tight (wearing them right now, right out of the dryer). Still got a long ways to go...

It's ridiculous how many pairs of jeans I have. And the sizes they range in, 27 to 30 and everything in between. So it will be exciting to go down the ladder of sizes. Obviously I'm in the size 30 right now (I only have one pair of fat jeans), I will let you know how many pounds it takes to fit the next size down.

My jeans are more honest than my scale, so when I am able to fit my skinniest pair of jeans (even if it means using a shoe-horn), I will be happy. I don't care if the scale reads 150 pounds!!

Food Nightmares!

No, I'm not being chased by a Giant Cheeseburger... These dreams are super realistic. I am gorging on cheesecake and I wake up, sweating. Now, here's the thing, if you know me, this is the one dessert I will pass on. I mean, if it were chocolate cake, it might be a food dream. But cheesecake?! What a waste of calories... And in the nightmare, I'm not enjoying the cheesecake at all. I'm just feeling the very real guilt of eating it... and even when I wake up, I continue to feel gross. It's that real.

I find some comfort knowing that I'm not the only one this happens to... My brother also has these food nightmares.

Are we crazy? Anyone else haunted by food?

Excuses, excuses...

Time to vent. And probably offend a few readers...

From random girl to one of my friends: "I wish I had time to go to the gym!"

Seriously? Seriously??? That is gonna be your excuse? Lack of time???

How about you get yer lazy dimpled ass off the couch and give up all that reality TV you're watching? How about you shop less? Play less video games? Go out less? Drink less so you're not hungover the next day. Wake up early. Sleep less, we all do.

So next time how about you just be honest with yourself and everyone else. Let's get a, "I'd rather go home from work and continue to be stagnant on my couch." Then at least we can say you're an honest fatty.

Just don't make it like you're busier than the rest of us. We all have shit going on in our lives. If anyone ever hears me use such a lame excuse, please, you have license to slap me FULL-ON across the face. The kind of 3-Stooges-slap where my entire body spins around a few times from the force.

The only people I will not judge are working mothers. ................And still, I'd like to think that my baby-daddy / mom / friend could watch my kid(s) for an hour. There are also mommy and me workout classes where you use your kid as a dumbbell and shit. Also, tons of gyms have a daycare/play area for kids-- I know mine (24 hour fitness) does. Even if I am an orphaned, friendless, single mother who can't afford the gym or classes, I will stick that kid in a baby-jogger and go for a run. The kids love it too. So I hate to be the childless chick who doesn't get it, but I'd like to think I'm gonna find a way when I have kids.

There are people with all sort of disabilities. And they still manage to find a way. I swear to god, I have seen a one-handed man on a wheelchair do a 5K.

So Ima gonna call BULLSHIT.

FOOD SCALE + CALORIEKING.COM = SKINNY!

Holy Mother of God, I've hit the MOTHERLOAD! Got myself a food scale, and now I can obsess even more about everything that goes in my fat face! WOOT WOOT!

No. Dude. I am SERIOUSLY excited. I found it online a while ago, at the beginning of my dieting, but it took fooooreeever to arrive. When it finally did (last week), it sat, uncelebrated. But... Oh. My. God. I've missed out on joyous days, hours! of weighing everything! This handy little device can weigh dry AND liquid measurements. It can account for grams! milliliters! pounds! aaand!!! fluid ounces!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The thing is, the majority of the stuff I'm eating doesn't come with nutrition facts. Meats, avocado, sweet potatoes... I have to roughly estimate and god only knows how many times I've over-/under-estimated. Those days are long gone. I had fish tonight (80 grams, 102 cals), avocado (70g, 84 cals), and a whole grain / oat crispbread (60 cals, acc to box).

Step 1. place food on scale
Step 2. enter weight on www.calorieking.com and...

Voilá! 246 calories to the T! Like magic right? Right???

Calorie King is also amaaaazing. For example, tonight I was able to choose between California and Florida avocados (super different in consistency and therefore, nutrition). Try it. It's amazing!

Food Scale: Takes away doubt, questions, mistakes. It's a must.

Gotta go find something to weigh now.......

Fourth week's results: Karina -6.5 / BF -6

Happy one month of dieting! I've lost six-and-a-half pounds. (I remember being able to lose 10 pounds in a month, I must be getting older...) BF is trailing behind at negative six (he's also not dieting though, evidenced by the empty bag of McDonald's and pizza at work-- no, I still haven't forgotten two days of burger and fry dinners in a row last weekend). But enough about him though. This blog is about ME!!

Let me take this opportunity to apologize for my week-long absence. I took Friday off from work to prepare for a huge orchid show last weekend (shame on you if you missed it!). I volunteered to help my society put together an exhibit, which took ALL DAY FRIDAY (worth it, we won grand champion!). Friday night I could not move from the venue, I had to judge (I am studying to become an American Orchid Society Judge), was with the judges till late and got home straight to bed and early up the next morning. Saturday I volunteered all day (9am to 8pm) to help my favorite vendor. Sunday, I helped the vendor again-- but was able to get in an intense workout in the morning.

The workout all thanks to my friend J, who had RSVPd weeks earlier to get us into an amazing hour-long spinning class at the Mondrian with instructor Lisa. Highly recommended.

In any case, long story short, the weekend was a bit of a mess. I packed lunches in the mornings, but wasn't necessary able to eat them. On Saturday, I had arrived at 9am, but didn't have a chance to look at the time again until GASP! 12:56. I hadn't eaten for almost 5 hours. The majority of the weekend went a little bit like that. Too busy to even notice the passing of time. I think that explains my measly half a pound lost last week.

Needless to say, as exhausted as I was, I was happy when Monday hit me with the weekday routine. Working out every day, monitoring my gallon-a-day water intake, eating properly every 3 hours or so and remembering to take my vitamins. I plan to make this week an awesome one. Shooting to get to negative 8 lbs by week 5.

Keep a close eye on my blog, I will be reporting very efficiently this week. Keep calling me out-- really appreciate those who have been doing so-- you know who you are. XO

I went run-- jogging... I went jogging this morning.

My friend, L, invited me to come along for her early (early) morning jog. I hesitated not only because of the ungodly wake-up time, but also because I stopped running due to a knee injury. But L promised she keeps a slow pace.

So, pretending I'm hardcore, I went to bed last night after my cardio work-out and woke up this morning to another. L and I met up at Kennedy Park, and I have to admit it was totally worth it! First off, the jogging path is now covered in mulch (used to be asphalt) so it was really easy on the ol' knees. No sign of pain after the 5K. And then BONUS! It was a gorgeous dawn and we got to watch the sun rising over the bay (I know it was so romantic, I thought about proposing to L).

In any case, it feels great to have my daily workout out of the way for the day and especially to know I can still run-- or at least, jog. For about 15 years I would really pride myself on my runs. Ever since the 6th grade (no, for real) when I got the Most Improved award and the MVP on the cross country team! Like I had something to prove to my slimmer 12-year old self. Running was the only sport I could really commit to and I was hardcore. I would run every day and in any weather. Most of my runs ended with me gasping for air, like the world's supply was running out and someone had punched me in the gut. I was totally addicted to the high. Until my knee started to act up from overuse. I had to find new work outs, especially those that were easier on my knees.

The positive thing is what I learned: those types of workouts, (you know the ones; where you can't talk while working out, let alone BREATHE at the end), aren't necessarily the most beneficial to fat burning. Slower, more controlled exercise is the best way to burn fat. The elliptical is great, but can get old. So it's good to have spinning, kickboxing, and now I have jogging... again. :)

Big Brother is watching.

No, literally, my big brother.

Here's what J had to say (copying and pasting):
"You never posted on what happend during happy hour you are a bad blogger you can't keep your readers wondering what happend"

(I know, his lack of punctuation drives me nuts too-- but anyway...)

What J really wants to know is if I'd drank...

I did. But there is more to the story:

I left to Happy Hour with only 4 of my 5 daily meals under my belt. I was planning to be out for an hour or two and come back home to my last late meal, probably a quick protein shake before going to bed. Then, the night turned into a much longer night than I'd anticipated and without my car, I couldn't leave. I was fading fast. I still had 300 calories to spare. And I also hadn't had my weekly cheat at that point. My options were to eat fried bar food, or get a drink. I went with a vodka tonic, the lowest calorie, least sugary, least carby drink I could think of (a quick look up on my HTC Evo confirmed it). It was the only alcohol I consumed that week-- HECK, this whole month.

So I feel okay about it. During Phase 1, there is a bit more leniency than in the later phases. I need to learn how to handle these types of events and prepare better for them in the future.

Third week's results: Karina -6 / BF -3.5

Yessss!! I am past the halfway mark to the first goal. That's right, only 4 more pounds to go. And the Rabbit sleeps (and by "sleeps" I mean, eats cheeseburgers and french fries).

It's amazing how much more manageable losing 35 pounds is when you break it up into smaller goals and focus on that. Although losing 35 pounds seems like a big feat, 10 pounds is doable. It doesn't intimidate the crap out of me.

I am really excited to reach this first goal, and I can be there by February if I keep eating right and working out every day.

Please help keep me in line by reading and commenting on my blog. You guys have no idea how helpful it has been already. xoxo

I. Hate. Math.

And dieting/exercise involves lots of math. It's not just the calorie-counting either. It's the number of daily meals. The fiber grams, protein grams, fat grams, sodium content, sugar. The heart rate formula. Cups of water. The number of reps, sets. The body fat percentage... The pounds on the scale. I'm always seeing numbers, and it really never ends. And it's probably the part of dieting that makes it so dreadful for me.

But I will do lots of math for about 6 months until I reach goal. Maybe I'll even get good at math (!!). And then I can take it a bit easier.

In the meantime, you'll see lots of numbers here (and surely, any of my math involved will be speckled with lots of errors)...

Let's start with the number 1500...
5 meals a day. 300 calories per meal.

People have been asking, so here it is-- an example of my daily menu:

MEAL 1: (aka breakfast) Steel-cut oats with cinnamon and a touch of honey. (I should be having more protein in this meal, but unless I am having eggs-- which i get sick of every morning-- I find it hard to. Greek yogurt (one that is low in sugar and high in protein) might be okay, I have been meaning to check with my broth--errr, nutritionist).

MEAL 2: half a whole wheat pita with protein (Boar's Head low-sodium turkey from the deli is best) and I stuff it with any veggies that fit... spinach, broccoli sprouts, etc. Mustard too. Yum.
To make it to 300 calories, I also get a handful of veggies on the side. I like baby carrots-- easy to eat and I love the crunch.

MEAL 3: grilled chicken breast and half a sweet potato. Side of steamed broccoli.

MEAL 4: Protein Shake: if I am having it after a work out, whey protein, add carbs (i.e. a banana). If I'm having it as a last meal before bed, Casein, mixed with flaxseed oil.

MEAL 5: Salad and tuna (canned in water): My favorite salad contents are spinach, lettuce, beets, garbanzo beans, edamame (soy beans)... Sky's the limit on veggies-- just don't overdo it on the high-calorie veggies, spec legumes like garbanzo and soy beans. Add 2 tablespoons of homemade dressing (you can also replace the olive oil with flaxseed oil).

I also drink a gallon of water a day. I keep a gallon container at my desk at work to monitor my intake. The only other liquid I consume is TEA. Lots of green tea. I try to drink it between every meal.

My daily menu changes, of course, I try to keep it varied because I do get sick of foods easily. I try to keep fats separate from carbs, but every meal should have protein.

And that's pretty much it-- For Phase 1, that is... More on the number of phases to come... Yay Math!

Is it Happy Hour if you're not...happy?

So I'm going to Happy Hour with my friends tonight. I can't give up a social life just because I'm dieting...

It's gonna be tough not to drink. Not sure how to handle. Will holding a glass full of water avoid questions? I could tell them I'm preggers...

Any other suggestions (other than giving up my social life?)

No rest for the weary.

Thursday was another nutty day... Aside from work, I had plans to run to the gym during lunch and then I was supposed to do dinner at my mom's (don't worry she's not a food-pushing mom, she is great-- totally caters to dietary needs deliciously). In any case, my mom cancels at like 11am. I should've still gone to the gym during lunch but instead I procrastinate and think, "well, i can just hit the gym after work now."

3pm rolls around. Mom calls. Reinstates dinner plans. Have not gone to the gym yet. And work is insane (hence my miserably short posts). But I can do everything! I tell myself. I rushed out of work at 7 and to the gym for a 45-minute cardio workout. Then rushed to my mom's and had a sweaty dinner. Home to shower and to bed. Phew!

i'm really proud for squeezing workouts in every day, even when it would be easier to just say fuck it.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
Robert Collier

Sleep, eat, work, eat, gym, eat...

Seems like that's my entire life these days. Not much time for much else. It's not just the eating either, it's the food preparation and the clean-up, too. Really exhausting. Feeling kinda blah these days. I need some scale encouragement. And some sleep... and when I wake up, more food... eat! eat! eat!

Second week's results: Karina -4.5 / BF -7

Sorry for the break, guys... had the long weekend off. Back to blogging and with a halfway mark update...

Both BF and I have 5.5 pounds to reach our respective first goals... BUT (BIG but(t)-- no pun intended) BF is shedding the pounds not only much faster, but also much more easily.

While I've kept to a very stringent routine of health foods and a daily workout routine, I've seen him eat ribs, drink beer, and work out a total of three times to my 10. Maybe there's a method to his madness... HA!

But, don't fret, Dear Reader! While he has the numerical advantage, I do feel like I've got quite a bit more discipline. You see, dear reader, we are like The Tortoise and the Hare... He thinks he's got this in the bag and is taking liberties he shouldn't be.

Upon the start of the race, the hare quickly leaves the beautiful tortoise behind and, confident of winning, decides to take a nap midway through. When he awakes, however, he finds that his beautiful competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, has arrived before him.

Today, while the hare, errr, BF is going to a wine tasting, I will be at the gym. And while I woke up early this morning to cook my chicken and make my salad, BF did not.

Here is to perseverance!!

Official Rules.

Below are the rules that my super smart lawyer BF wrote up for our competition. I'm glad he revised the weight milestones. The weight really is coming off so much faster on him and I am doing everything I can to keep up, to no avail.

Anyway, here are the rules... so fun:

1. K and BF, hereinafter "the competitors,"
wishing to be bound by these terms and conditions, have entered into
this binding agreement.

2. Terms: Arbiter: rules in cases of disputes between the parties.
Weigh-in: designated time at which weight will be measured. Weight
loss milestone: a designated weight loss point that the competitors
have agreed entails a cash prize. Payout weight: when a weigh-in
results in one of the competitors acheiving a weight loss milestone,
that will constitute a payout weight.

3. The designated arbiter will be J.

4. Weigh-ins will take place Tuesdays and Saturdays first thing in the
morning. In the event of a weight loss milestone being recorded, the
competitor claiming the weight loss milestone will be weighed three
times. The average of the three weigh ins is the official weight of
that day. An unofficial weight will never be considered a weight loss
milestone and will never constitute the basis for a payout weight.

5. Weight loss milestones are set at 10, 22, and 35 pounds for Karina.
Weight loss milestones are set at 12.5, 28.75, and 43.75 pounds for
Bart.

6. Payout weights will payout on the order of: first milestone: $100,
second milestone: $200, third milestone: $500. Competitors need not
acheive one milestone to be eligible for a subsequent milestone. In
other words, a competitor could lose the first milestone, win the
second milestone, and lose the third milestone. Or the competitor
could lose the first two milestones but still win the third milestone.

7. In the event of a challenge, the arbiter's decisions are final.

First week's results: Karina -3.5 / BF -4.5

Today is the first full week scale report. I am down by 3.5 and BF is down by 4.5.
Overall, it went pretty well, although there are things I could definitely improve on...

Here are the things I need to keep doing:
- Eating clean meals with high protein and brown carbs or good fats.
- Drinking a gallon of water a day.
- Drinking green tea.
- Staying away from alcohol.
- Working out every day.

Here are the things I need to work on:
- Eating a full 300 calories per meal. Sometimes it's hard to eat all 300.
- Eating 5 times a day. On several days, I have been one meal short.
- Taking ALL my vitamins-- I forget!!
- Getting down on myself if I'm not losing the weight as fast as BF.
- No chocolate cake. Regardless of how fudgy and delicious it is.

On the downside, the first week of any diet is the most successful in terms of pounds lost, so I won't see this number again. But, on the upside, I am really getting into the swing of things and I will only continue to improve the error of my ways moving forward, which will be very big success.

Weekend Report

Overall, weekend dieting went well. I did exactly as I planned: I avoided alcohol at all costs, I ate 5 meals a day, and even had a full gallon of water yesterday. I also went to the gym and had a really hard workout.

I did somehow manage to gain one pound over the weekend. But I really did behave, so it might just be a weight fluctuation. As of now, the bf is in the lead and it's looking like he'll get to ten before me. Ugh. It's especially upsetting because not only do I not agree with his diet (which allows limitless calories of any type of food found in the paleolithic era) but also, he's not even following it precisely!! Unless they had diet coke, rum, and other such delicious beverages thousands of years back... Basically what really gets to me is, that if he were to truly behave, then he'd be losing even more weight.

But in any case, I can't focus on that.

I gotta focus on how tight my jeans are. And oh boy, are they tight... I'm wearing the only jeans left that fit-- and I'm using that term loosely..... wondering how many people would notice if I just unsnapped my jeans......

Tomorrow BF and I have our first official weeklong weight in. I will update you on total pounds lost on tomorrow's blog.

TGIF ...or is it?

During the workweek, it's easy to get into a routine of waking up, going to the gym, eating every 3 hours or so, and constantly drinking water and green tea...

But when the weekend strikes, things change. You sleep in, you make plans with friends, you lose track of time... It's much, much harder to plan a meal when you are out and about. Which is good when you're tying to distract yourself from food, but this diet is centered around eating small meals frequently. So, needless to say, I'm trying to plan for the weekend ahead to avoid making mistakes.

Tomorrow during the day, my bf and I are going to visit his parents-- because it's a long drive, regardless of how long we are there, there is going to be at least one meal involved. Maybe two. So I gotta pack easy food-- a turkey wrap, some finger-friendly veggies.... And of course, water. I drink a gallon of water a day, so packing water is essential.

Weekend nights suck even more... Going to a friend's party tomorrow and I cannot drink a drop of alcohol (big sigh) or have any of the food provided. And packing food for that is impossible-- or just really socially awkward. So, I have to make time before the party to eat a filling meal and I will definitely take a giant water bottle in one of my giant purses. I'll pack some emergency nuts (unsalted and raw) for the ride home, but only eat them if we're there too long and I'm having hunger pains.

In any case, this is what my social life will be fore the next 6 months and you can imagine why watching a movie at home or gardening becomes so appealing. Keep it close to the food and water supplies.

I will let you know how it goes... have a good weekend everyone!

MUST...work........out............

So here I am, it's after 9pm and I am stuck at the office... But I WILL go work out now. I will! And I will blog about it so that if any of you ask me tomorrow, I can say, YES! I DID work out yesterday.

Even if it's a quick weights routine.

My work out plan you ask? A total of 7 weekly sessions separated into 4 sessions of cardio and 3 sessions of weights.

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday: CARDIO! (Always a mix, but I like... kickboxing, spinning, the elliptical, and an occasional run if my knee is up to it.)

Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday: WEIGHTS! (Alternate lower body and upper body. Weights are a GREAT way to speed up your metabolism and tone up-- I always hear women stupidly say, "But I don't want to be muscular!" Trust me, you will know if this is happening.)

I've never had a problem working out, really have been doing it all my life, usually my issue will be lack of time (or lack of better planning). But now I really cannot afford to miss a single session and will have to plan viciously to get them all in.

It's also more enjoyable when I do something different every day, so it doesn't get boring (and also I am toning different muscle groups every day). It's just so easy to quickly fall out of love with a routine workout.

And yes, dear reader, I am slowly overcoming yesterday's cake catastrophe and I'm actually using it as motivation to eat clean (4 PRISTINE meals down today, and one to go) and also, to go work out. Which I will do...... NOW!!

I Fudged Up. That's Fudge with a capital F.

No, I literally Fudged up. It was my boss's birthday and she loves chocolate (doesn't everyone?!). So I got her my favorite: fudge-y chocolate cake. And yeah, I cracked.

The thing about chocolate is, it doesn't matter if I'm hungry or not, I ALWAYS want chocolate. Not sure where my resolve went. Maybe it was this morning...

Flashback to 10 hours earlier...
I know you're not supposed to, but I like to weigh myself every morning. So I woke up and immediately got on the scale and saw that I lost half a pound... Yay! Normally reason for celebration-- until my boyfriend followed my lead and got on the scale too: 3.5 pounds down for him.

W

T

F

Seriously?! I know there are a lot of factors involved with weighing oneself (and understand that's why you do it once a week) but AAHHHHH!!!!!!

Anyway, so I've been all BLAH! today. And it's not like eating chocolate cake is going to help me to get there any faster. But I did it. I ate it.

And now I have to get over it and move on. Sometimes I do this, I make one mistake, and suddenly, for some reason, I continue to make mistakes. Like once that mistake barrier has been broken, there's no point to be good again.

But here's my plan for tonight and I'm sticking to it: First, I'm going spinning (right now, actually). Then, I'm having a protein shake. If I am still hungry later, chicken and vegetables. End of story.

Tomorrow is a new day and I will have to remind myself how I feel right now to avoid making more mistakes.

Neither do I condemn thee: Go and sin no more.

Challenge Extended...

My boyfriend is dieting, too. And so, we decided to make it interesting:

First person to shed 10 lbs gets $100 dollars.
First person to shed a total of 25 lbs gets $200.
First person to shed a total of 35 lbs gets $500.

The first marker is what I'm focusing on: 10 El-Bees. Bring it.

Some people might think percentage loss is more fair since he's a guy and he's got more to lose, but hell, I like a good challenge.

So the question remains: What will I do with the $800 dollars?! I'd say get a new wardrobe but the exciting part about losing this weight is that I have my entire (old) wardrobe that doesn't fit waiting for me.

Maybe I should front the money and get a personal trainer now since I know I'm going to win anyway... I could get guidance from him once a week and work out the other days on my own...

Any other suggestions?

Hello, Accountability.

I'm not fat.

And that's not according to my grandma's standards or the size of the average American. That is according to the National Institute of Health. Looking at the Body Mass Index chart, I am in the "healthy range." But...

...my jeans won't button. And that's a problem. In the last couple of years, I have gained more weight than I care to admit. But in the spirit of full disclosure. thirty-five miserable pounds.

Yikes.

I am not here for affirmation that I still look okay (so please, none of that); I want something to hold me accountable. If (at least, I think) readers are tracking my process, then I won't give up. I am looking not only to share my achievements, but also to confess the error of my ways. I think that by blogging about it, FULL DISCLOSURE, I will be more successful in my quest to get those pants back on. And I hope that maybe my quest will help some of the readers, as well.

GOAL 1: shed a total of 10 pounds by January 31 (the beginning is easiest)
GOAL 2: shed a total of 30 pounds before the summer, June 22 (total of 6 months).