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This blog is going to hit on a few different health & fitness topics I’ve come upon during my personal weight loss journey.

Lately I’ve felt like everything I am working isn’t making a difference. I’ve been working out and eating under my calorie goal but I don’t physically see a difference.

Saturdays are my weigh-in/measure day. Last Saturday hadn’t been very good nor the week before. Two weeks ago I had gained weight (about a pound, I know… it’s not much but it was still tough to see). Last week I lost the weight I had gained the previous week. I felt crappy all week. I have a pinched nerve and sore back and didn’t really work out but kept under my calories. I got on the scale this morning and lost another pound. I felt such relief. I also took my measurements. Most were the same or went down but for some reason I gained in my boobs, not complaining there. 😉

This morning helped me renew my faith that what I am doing is working; it is just working very slowly. I think it is hard for me because the site I use to track calories has a forum. Many people post their success stories on there and I see people who are losing 20 pounds quickly. Well, I need to remember I don’t have a lot to lose. I am just slightly overweight and the people who are losing quickly are considered obese. I cannot compare myself to them or anyone else. Everyone’s weight loss journey is different.

I am noticing clothes are fitting better and I am looking better in them. Time. It takes time. I was feeling quite down this week but seeing the scale and measurements today really helped me see that I am losing and making changes for the best.

On a less personal note I have a couple of things that I have noticed while trying to lose weight. One is about eating out, the other about overweight women’s obsession with Marilyn Monroe.

First, eating out… I know eating out isn’t the best thing but sometimes it has to be done and we need to learn how to eat out and stay in shape. It still amazes me when I look up calorie content for some places. Last weekend the boyfriend and I were going to go out for breakfast before the Cardinals/Eagles game. I thought, “oh, black bear dinner sounds good”. Once on their website I realized it was not a place I can eat at anymore. Most meals were almost my entire days worth of calories! They had three “light” options. And for breakfast light apparently means egg whites. *sigh*

Another thing I’ve noticed about eating out is the sodium count. I don’t need to really watch this for health reasons but it is interesting. On days when I eat homemade or whole foods my sodium is WAY under the recommended 2,300 mg. On days when I eat out? I get at least 3,000+mg. Wow.

I cannot believe that chains cannot possible find ways to make healthy, tasty options with lower sodium. I have actually started getting kids meals at places again. It’s smaller portions and thus fewer calories. Plus at McDonald’s I get apple slices. LOL

And lastly, the boyfriend and I like to eat at non-chain or local places. It gets hard to know what the calorie counts are. I just have to guess. I wish more places would publish this information.

The topic of clothing size/vanity sizing is quite interesting. On the forum it led to people bringing up Marilyn Monroe. This is always a fascinating topic. I have known women who make themselves feel better about their weight by saying, “Marilyn was a size 10/12/14″ well, what they seem to ignore is the fact that sizes were labeled differently back then. You can look at any picture of Marilyn and tell she is not the same size as today’s 10/12/14.

Sizes have gotten bigger. If you are a current size 12, tack on 2-3 sizes to get what you would be when there was standardized sizing (think pre-1980s). When you go to buy vintage do you fit into the same size as you wear in current clothing? I would guess the answer is no. In today’s sizing Marilyn would be a 4/6/8.

Don’t believe me? Marilyn had a 22″ waist. How big is yours? Mine is 31” (at the narrowest) and I wear a size 12. Here is a couple of articles for you to read more about her measurements and sizes:

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/04/marilyn-monroe-was-not-even-close-to-a-size-12-16/

http://jezebel.com/5299793/for-the-last-time-what-size-was-marilyn-monroe

So, in closing, why do plus-size women look to Marilyn as their plus size icon? Even when she was at her heaviest she still was not that big. She was my height and at her heaviest 140 pounds. 5’5 can look good at 140. I know. I’ve been 140 and looked great. Her measurements were kicking! I would love to have them. LOL

My oh my… I haven’t written in quite some time!

I recently went on a trip to San Diego. I want to write a post about that but I need to go through & pick out the best pictures to go with it. I only took 400 pictures while there. 😉 So be on the look out for this post in the near future.

I am planning on really focusing on my running and working out. I have some races planned for the near future. I will update more on this soon too.

I have some product reviews to type up for BzzAgent. Products include gum (I am addicted to gum in general so this was a great product for me), a new kind of candy and new products from Glade.

I also feel I am going through a 1/3 life crisis. I will go into much detail later.

I should be getting my new car soon so of course expect much pictures then. I have a trip home planned for Thanksgiving. I will also be getting the new Kindle Fire HD 8.9″ around this time. I am so excited for a tablet! And I am working on two books. And by working on I mean I have two ideas. LOL Details maybe to follow. 🙂

I started doing P90X last weekend and what it has forced me to realize is how bad I have let myself get. I have been working on my stretching and running at the gym but with P90X I have been forced to see how weak I am, how not flexible, how mushy my core had become and how little balance I have.

I used to be a dance. My whole world was flexibility and balance. It really hit home today while doing the Yoga X routine. At one point I had tears in my eyes. I was so sad but I persevered and made it through the 90 minute yoga session (with some modifications).

I have a lot of work ahead of me and I am trying to be patient. Sometimes patience isn’t my strong suit. So what does it take to really lose weight and get back in shape?

• Time – it took me about a year to put this weight on, it’s going to take at least a year to take it off
• Patience – it isn’t going to happen over night. I know this. This is a big one for me. I need to remember patience is a virtue.
• Hard work – being lazy during workouts isn’t going to get me anywhere. I need to put in the energy to really see results.
• Pushing boundaries doing P90X half assed or relaxing on the treadmill isn’t the way to go about it. I need to make sure I go all out and then some. P90X isn’t easy and is a challenge in and of itself but I can’t let myself not push through it.
• Diligent – diet is a huge part of losing the weight and keeping it off. Not that I can’t treat myself once in a while but this is truly a “lifestyle change”, as they say. It’s hard but it can be done.
• Reward – there are milestones we hit. Pounds lost, inches lost, muscle gain. I plan to weigh/measure myself every Saturday morning. When I reach 24 pounds down (1/2 way to goal) I am going to buy myself a tablet. When I reach goal, a dslr. But I do little rewards as I go. A good workout? Have a small treat (dessert or dinner out). 10 pounds gone? Maybe a new dress. A much smaller waist/hip/bust measurement? Maybe a new bra. You get the idea.

These are my ideas of getting it done. What do you do to make sure you get it done? How do you push yourself? Do you reward yourself?

 

Today I made a list of all the workouts/exercise I like or want to try.

• Running
• Dance (ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip hop)
• Biking
• Rollerblading
• Pilates
• P90X
• Boxing
• Kickboxing
• MMA
• Weight lifting
• Hockey
• Basketball
• Volleyball
• Hiking

I think that pretty much covers it. In the past I was a dancer. Now I am a runner. I want to get back to biking and rollerblading (when it’s not over 100 degrees out!) I hike occasionally but would love to do it more. I randomly do pilates and kickboxing, when I take a class or do a dvd. I would love to play volleyball again. I was once very sought after to join the team. It’s been a long time since I played basketball and I only did hockey in gym class so it might be fun to really learn. But I am not a fan of ice skating so maybe not. :

One of my running goals is to run a 5k, 10k and half marathon. I am not sold on a marathon but who knows… maybe after I hit those three goals I will want to accomplish that too.

Currently I am focusing on my running and losing weight. Once I have lost my 48 or so pounds I want to focus on strength and lifting again. Currently I don’t have enough time at the gym (got to catch a bus) so I am focusing on cardio and dropping weight.

I have always wanted to learn how to box. Those workouts are intense and such a great workout. Then my BF got me into watching UFC and Strikeforce and now I wanna learn mma. I have a pass for two free classes at the gym Ben Henderson trains at so once I am a little more fit I will take advantage of those.

What do you do to keep in shape? Do you have any workout goals you’d like to reach? What workouts do you like to do? What do you want to try?

To 3.6 pounds lost! Also my measurements have gone down also!

Measurement            Before (July)            Now (August)
Neck                               13.5                           13.25
Waist                              38.0                           37.0
Natural Waist                  36.0                           34.0
Hips                                 43.0                           42.5
Bust (fullest)                    41.0                           40.0
Bust (under)                    38.0                           36.0

I also looked into my frame. According to my wrist measurement (5.5), I have a small frame. Good to know because I should weigh between 117 and 130. 130 is my goal. 🙂

I have never been a fan of weighing daily (I’m more a fan of how clothes fit/look & how you feel) but I am aiming for at least once a month or maybe weekly. Weighing yourself does have some benefits. I finally bought a scale so I should be able to do so. We will see.

I can also tell the difference in my clothes. Items are starting to get looser. I’m not feeling “stuffed” into skirts or pants. And I moved over a hook set on my bras! 🙂

I also feel full more often with this new diet. And I am also not craving junk. I feel so much happier already.

I am also running again! Not as fast or as far as I was but it will come in time. Yesterday I did a mile without walking. I then walked two minutes and ran another half mile. I might have been able to go farther but I have time restrictions at my current gym.

I am setting goals, both small and big. I want to lose five pounds by labor day, 30 by Halloween. I want to be able to run a 5k in a month from now. If I make them, I will reward myself with a treat (that shirt I want at anthro or something for the home). If not, I’ve at least made progress and can set a new goal.

How are you coming toward your goals? Have you set both short and long term goals?

With this weeks excessive heat warning and me running all over the place (in & out, in & out), I didn’t get to the gym much at all. I did get in a few short walks while running around for work. I feel bad but this heat is truly affecting me. I know I work out in a gym but being in and out all day, standing in humid buildings has made me completely exhausted. And I feel quite dehydrated today. I think this is the hottest August I’ve had in my six years here. I usually enjoy the summers but this year has been rough.

For the last two weeks or so I have been focusing on my diet. I have worked really hard to start eating right and so far so good! I haven’t been as hungry between meals because I am eating better foods at meals. Who knew that adding two tablespoons of hummus to your sandwich, instead of mustard, would keep you full all afternoon? And I’ve always loved fresh fruit and veggies so eating more of those is not hard. And plain oatmeal with fruit is actually tasty.

Thankfully I haven’t had any temptations to go off or eat badly. I was at training a couple of weeks ago and got a full size milky way (my favorite candy bar) and it is still sitting in my desk drawer. I haven’t wanted to eat it, even though I see it everyday. I am guessing at some point I will have a chocolate emergency and break down but it’s ok once in a while to treat yourself. 🙂

There is also two different things of ice cream in my freezer thanks to J. I couldn’t even tell you the flavor. I don’t even want the ice cream. It doesn’t sound good to me. If I have some extra calories after dinner, I might have a coconut fruit bar from Dreyers. Have you tried those yet? If not, I highly suggest you do. I’ve had the lime also but coconut is my favorite. It is creamy and has actual coconut in it!

Yesterday I broke down and had a diet pepsi. I’d rather not drink pop but I desperately needed a caffeine fix or I was going to crawl under my desk and nap, a la George on Seinfeld. I didn’t want to make hot coffee and had already walked a mile in the heat so wasn’t really feeling another walk. Vending machine here I come. I figured at least diet has no calories, right? And it got me through the rest of the work day. I actually powered through a lot of stuff.

I am working hard to get healthy and lose weight. I’m not sure if it is paying off yet but I feel better, so that is all that matters. I committed to a challenge on my fitness pal to lose 30 pounds by Halloween. Do I think it can be done? Maybe. Do I like the idea of a goal having a deadline? Yes. Will I care if I don’t lose the full 30? No, as long as I lose some weight and feel better I will be happy. I will re-evaluate at Halloween and set a new goal. Maybe I should use holidays as my goal evaluations. By labor day I’d like to be down three pounds (I’m aiming for a pound a week, I tried two but the calories were too low for what my body needed).

What are your healthy lifestyle goals? Are you looking to get in shape, lose weight, fit in that old pair of jeans? How are you going about reaching your goals? Do you find smaller changes help you succeed better? Let’s share because we all need support and if we don’t always get it at home, we can at least get it online. I hope everyone who devotes themselves to changing their bad habits and getting healthy achieves their goal and if we can help each other out on the way, why not?

 

I had a weird experience at the gym last night. I was doing my normal routine (warm up 5 minutes, run 3 walk 2) and had reached the 18 minute mark. I suddenly started to feel lightheaded/dizzy and it felt like all the heat was trapped in my body. I slowed to a slow walk but had to stop after 2 minutes. I just wasn’t feeling better. I went and sat down for about 10 minutes and felt better. Obviously I went home after that but it was such a strange thing. I have never felt like that before.

I think it is a combination of starting my extremely healthy and the heat/humidity. It’s been over 100 degrees here and super humid. Normally the heat hasn’t bothered me but it just seems like my body is trapping the heat and not letting it out. I noticed when I was walking to the gym tonight my head was getting really warm and slightly lightheaded. Once inside the air conditioned gym, I started to feel normal again. I also have had the same feeling walking from the bus stop to my car.

Tonight I took it easy and did an easy 2.31 miles in 40 minutes. I got warm but I didn’t seem to let out a lot of the heat. I don’t know. It’s very odd.

So, as you can tell from the blog… I have been working out. I got off track for about a week and a half due to vacation. But I am back and on track. I also went to the store and bought a whole bunch of healthy foods again. I love fruits and veggies but I didn’t have any in the house for a few weeks. My schedule doesn’t always work with the BF’s to get us both to the store. LOL

I have been eating my fruits and veggies, based off a recommended menu from the gym. I feel fuller and sometimes don’t eat at all the same times I used to. Snacks aren’t every two hours now. Now I just wait patiently for the weight to start to come off. 🙂

I have also decided the gym I am currently using has the most disgusting members. I have never seen a locker room be so gross. One day there was a pair of underwear just laying on the floor. And it stayed there for like two days. Today? I went to use a bathroom stall and I saw a small puddle near the door. I avoided it and sat on the toilet. Then I realized the puddle was yellow. The only thing I can figure is they thought the stall was out of toilet paper (but if you slid the little door over, there was a whole other roll) and got up to go get toilet paper?? It was so gross. I have belonged to several gyms and have never seen anything as gross as here. So glad I wore flip-flops the one time I used the shower. And bring my own towels. Ewwww.

I tried this new Bic razor out last week and let me just say, wow! I was impressed. So impressed I yelled out to the BF, “THIS RAZOR IS SO SMOOTH!”. His reaction wasn’t quite as enthusiastic as mine. He basically asked, “Aren’t all new razors smooth?” Men, they just don’t get it. 😉

This was the smoothest, new razor I have ever used. It also didn’t feel like I would nick my skin as happens sometimes with new razors. It glided over all areas smoothly, including the knee and bikini line. I am sure you know how difficult those areas can be to de-hair. I was pretty much as happy as the lady in the above picture.

Click above to purchase on Amazon. 

The razor felt comfortable in my hand. I didn’t feel like I need a tight grip. It seemed to be fairly ergonomically correct (although I am not an ergo expert). I also liked the slight bend in the head (you can see it in the side view in the above picture). I feel like the angle made it easier to hold and go over the knees and bikini area. Apparently the angle is the pivoting head. I guess I didn’t realize it was pivoting. Either way, I like it.

The Bic Soleil Savvy is a disposable razor. It comes with a set of blades that you can change out once you wear one down. They do not sell just the blades. Once you use all your blades, you just buy a new razor and blades set. It is a hybrid of reusable blades and disposable razors. Is this the best of both worlds? Sometimes the reusable razors get grungy from leaving them in the shower. With the Soleil Savvy, you use the razor for a while and by the time it starts to get gross, you can toss it and buy a new one. Interesting concept.

Other features: two lubricating strips on the razor with vitamin E and three flexible blades. Overall, I will continue to use this razor. It is replacing the Target brand disposables that I currently use, which funnily enough are the “copy” of the original Bic Soleil razor, which I also like. I think Bic got it right with the Soleil brand.

Disclaimer: I received a free Bic Soleil Savvy razor from BzzAgent. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I would not promote a product if I didn’t believe in it. If I didn’t like it, I would tell you. Since I do like this product, I will Bzz positively about it and to everyone I know. 🙂

This week I took a step in the right direction. I haven’t been feeling fully happy with myself lately and realized I haven’t worked out seriously and consistently in about a year. A gym will be opening up across the street from my house but not until fall/winter.

I kept contemplating what to do until then. I thought about working out outside but where I live you pretty much need to go at 4am to avoid the heat. Me? Get up at 4am? AHAHAHAHAHA. Then I thought what about work out dvds at home? Great idea, right? Well I did that for a couple of days and it drove the dogs crazy and was not a conducive environment for working out. Ok then, what else…?

Work was starting a discount with the local Y’s. $24 a month. Not bad. So I look at the locations, nothing close to home. There is one close to work that I could walk to. I mentioned my contemplation on Facebook and someone recommend I check out Gold’s Gym, also within walking distance from work.

After looking into both options, I have decided to go with Gold’s. It is about a 5 minute walk and there is a bus stop right outside it. The Y would mean I would have to walk back to work to get to the bus stop and the area isn’t necessarily the best.

I went and spoke to Gold’s on Friday and took a tour. It is a really nice gym and I can run on the treadmill and look over downtown. I then activated my free 7 day trial membership and went yesterday to work out. I will go this week after work and then purchase the basic membership. I was debating which membership level and realized I don’t do enough classes to justify paying more. I will get the basic just to run and lift. Besides, they don’t offer cardio kickboxing which is my fav class.

I also don’t plan to stay at this gym once the one by my house opens. I may use it for about 6 months so why pay for more than I need? But, I am going to purchase the overnight locker use ($15/month) because I don’t want to always be toting my stuff on the bus. I think that is an amazing option! I have never belonged to a gym that allowed overnight use.

After working out yesterday, I felt so much more like myself. I felt happy and strong and like I had accomplished something. I forget how good working out feels. I would love to lose some weight. I feel I could fit better in my clothes, be happier and, most importantly, healthy. I have other goals too. I want to be in shape so when I eventually get pregnant, I can remain active throughout and after. It is what would be best for me and baby.

Have you made any major life changes recently? Do you feel you need to get back into something you love and miss? Speaking of getting back into something, I know I have been absent from blogging for a while. I haven’t felt inspired or creative lately and I think that also has been weighing on me. I am going to try to get better. Exercise and creativity help reduce the stress in my life. 🙂