Saturday, June 29, 2013

Yesterday in bullet form.


  • I resisted office donuts yesterday morning.


    I just liked this picture. It reminded me of my friend HD Jones.

  • I went to the company fitness center and ran. I RAN. This is huge. I haven't run in... god, since elementary school maybe? I have always HATED running. It is hell to me. But I pushed myself and while doing a treadmill interval workout, I did a few spurts (like 2-3 minutes) (heh "spurts") of running at 4.2 to 4.5 mph. I know, that's slow as molasses, but whatevs, I'm proud. #notamotherrunner hahahaha. I'm going to attempt to work up to more, but for now, I am really happy with that.


  • I got a killer chicken souvlaki pita from The Pita Pit, which was holy hell amazing. Sorry I didn't take pictures, I was too busy stuffing it into my face. It was a wheat pita with marinated chicken, tzatziki sauce, spinach, tomatoes, red onion, feta, sprouts, and hummus. I think I am going to go get another one, seriously. It was THAT GOOD.


    My actual Pita Pit where I plan to visit again today because YUM.
  • I went out with the bf and a girl from work + her bf, and had a fantastic time. I drank two beers which was more than enough, then drank a ton of water and only feel a teensy bit dehydrated today. We trolled the bar by playing stuff like the theme from "Knight Rider" and "Flight of the Valkyries". I am so happy I met this girl from work, because she is an awesome liberal feminist nerd like me and just yaaay new friends.


    It was very tasty. Also: mustaches.

  • My darling Holly from Mama Bear Blogs posted an entry about ME and omg I literally welled up. She is such a good friend to me, and I adore her ginger babby child. Holly and I have been friends for a good... 6? 7? 8? years, something like that, I just love her to pieces. Every year we have a cookiepalooza where we bake a shit-ton of Christmas cookies and it is just the best. GOD I LOVE HER.

    Ginger babby is coming for your soul.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Gymmy gym gym and MFP.

We finally moved offices, and I got to use the company fitness center this week.

Monday, I went in and it was COMPLETELY empty. I was so surprised, because we easily have over a thousand people at my office. I ended up having the place totally to myself for an entire hour and a half, which was awesome. I didn't feel like anyone was looking at my like "Oh look at the fat girl who doesn't know what she's doing."


Anyway, I did a 45-minute interval workout on the treadmill (with a few tweaks just for my level) and then did some weights. Then I did the same thing again yesterday, and boy, do I feel it today. I am sore all over, and I love it.

I tried to take some pictures of my thigh gap for y'all, but I guess I was having a fat day. OH WAIT THAT'S EVERY DAY. HAHAHAHA. (Dude, I'm fat. I get it. I am getting less fat. I am okay with that.)

#BEASTMODE #PROOF #FATFLUENTIAL #SELFIE

No but seriously, this is totally staged and my pants are practically falling off and I need new ones.

I have also jumped on the My Fitness Pal bandwagon. I was doing WW and counting points, and I may go back to it, but it turns out that I am eating comparably calorie-wise, so I'm going to give MFP a little bit of a go and see what kind of progress I make on it.





Saturday, June 22, 2013

Some survey thing.

Fancy popular bloggers are doing this. And since I am that wannabe that wants to sit at the cool kids' table, I'm going to do it too.




1. What did you eat for breakfast?
Nothing. I had a cup of coffee. I don't usually eat breakfast on weekends. Haters gonna hate.
2. How much water do you drink a day?
At least two liters.
3. What is your current favorite workout?
Zumba toning. 
4. How many calories do you eat a day?
Not sure, since I've stopped tracking my WW points and am trying to do it intuitively or whatever rather than logging (so far it's working). I'd say I have about 1500-1800 a day?
5. What are your favorite healthy snacks?
I'm not a huge snacker because it's very much a triggery sort of thing for me, but when I want to eat something and it's not mealtime, I try to have a piece of fruit.

6. What do you usually eat for lunch?
A frozen meal, a string cheese, and Greek yogurt. Or a huge salad.
7. What is your favorite body part to strength train?
Arms.
8. What is your least favorite body part to strength train?
Core. Ugh, I hate planks.
9. What are your “bad” food cravings?
*insert obligatory "FOOD IS NOT GOOD OR BAD" answer here* But in all honesty? Pizza. And brownies.
10. Do you take vitamins or supplements?
Yep, I take gummy vitamins and alpha lipoic acid daily.
11. How often do you eat out?
A couple times a week.
12. Do you eat fast food?
Occasionally. Usually it's Subway, but I also hit up Arby's when the bf wants it. I switch out the fries for a salad and get a roast beef or turkey sandwich.
13. Who is your biggest supporter?
My parents. My bf.
14. Do you have a gym membership?
Not in a traditional sense. I have an 8-week Zumba series I paid for, a 10-class punch card at a Zumba studio, and my work has an onsite gym that I am excited to start using.
15. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
Usually about 6-7, and then like, 11 on weekends, haha.
16. Do you have a “cheat” day?
Nah. I just try to make good choices.
17. Do you drink alcohol?
Very rarely. Too many calories, it makes me crave shit I don't need to eat, and it dehydrates me and makes me hold onto water weight. I honestly can't remember the last time I had a drink. A couple months ago, I guess.
18. Do you have a workout buddy?
Yes! I have two friends who I can always text and see if they are up for some kind of a workout. I also have a few friends that I email regularly who help keep me on track.
19. What is the best thing that has changed about your life since committing to a healthy lifestyle?
My ass is shrinking. Seriously, that's awesome. Also, it's really nice that I can walk four miles and not die the next day, or go up stairs and not need to recover afterward.
20. What was the last healthy thing you did?
Didn't go apeshit at the frozen yogurt place this afternoon.

Friday, June 21, 2013

On (not) eating my feelings.

This was a rough week for me. On Monday, I got some pretty crappy news that was a major letdown. I missed Zumba that evening because reasons. Then on Tuesday, I got some more bad news that probably seemed worse because of Monday's bad news.

All I wanted to do was eat my feelings. I wanted to binge, badly. Pizza, slightly underbaked brownies, carbs and sugar.

COME HERE, FEELINGS. I'M GOING TO EAT YOU.


But I didn't. I ate some strawberries instead. I have been going NUTS on strawberries and can put away a quart a week by myself. Well, my dog helps. She looooooooooooves strawberries. And cucumbers. And green beans. She's strange.

I had to stay a bit late at work on Tuesday, and it stormed off and on all day. I almost nixed the walk I had planned after work, but at the last minute the rain let up, and I decided to go anyway. Boy, am I glad I did.

I went to the local Rail Trail park and pounded out four miles of frustration. I let the rhythm of my steps and the quiet of nature melt away all my stress and felt fantastic after I was done. I would never have been able to walk four miles six months ago, but now I can not only do it, but I could walk afterwards. Seriously. I thought I was going to be in pain the next day, but nope, I was fine. No soreness in my shins or feet, just a little tightness in my hips, but nothing to write home about.

A completely not creepy tunnel.

Then I worked a total of 26 hours between Wednesday and Thursday, and somehow, I made it through. And today? Today was a great day. It's my last "off" Friday, and I enjoyed it to the fullest. My man and I got to spend some time together doing some of our favorite stuff: yard sale-ing (sailing?) and going to our favorite local orchard/market. I scored some delicious strawberry seconds for $3.50, and we just had a great day together.

They were seconds because they were funny conjoined strawberries.

This entry has no point. I just wanted to write something about my life. I missed Zumba on Thursday night because I had to work until 9pm (yes, 9pm, and I was there at 7am...), but that's okay. Life happens and if I don't get a workout in, it's not the end of the world. I'm not going to balloon back up 50 pounds because of it.

Speaking of exercise, my team at work got moved back to our main office this weekend, and there is a gym there. I am planning on hitting the treadmill there at LEAST twice a week. *nods*

Next week's workout plan.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Saturday routines and progress picture!

I am really loving my Saturday routine lately. I get up, throw on workout clothes, and start my day with a Zumba Toning class. It wakes me up and gets me off to a good start, even if I do have to drag myself out of bed (like this morning).


But by the time it's over, I feel awake, refreshed, and ready to take on the day.

I take the back roads, maybe stop at some yard sales, and get cleaned up back at home. Then it's off to the farmer's market for lunch, to see my family (my brother runs a restaurant there, and my mom also works there), and do some shopping.


It's small, but the food is AWESOME. And I swear I'm not just saying that because my brother owns the place.

Oh hello strawberry and cream cheese stuffed french toast.

I spend some time with my parents and brother, and do a bit of shopping.

(Can you believe my parents are 72 and almost 77? I hope I look at as good as my mom does at her age.)

Then I come home, spend time with my boyfriend and dog, take a nap, make dinner, etc. It's just such a nice way to spend a Saturday.

OH. And I forgot to post this month's progress picture. SILLY ME.

Here we go.


Annnnnnnnnd here's the gif version.





Thursday, June 13, 2013

"Have you lost weight?"

This morning, I had two separate people ask me if I've lost weight, and one other told me she could see my weight loss (she knew I was actively trying to lose weight).


The scale has finally kept moving (228.4 this morning, woohoo!) and I am feeling good.

However, I have a confession to make.

I haven't been tracking my points. As you can see by my what I eat post, I eat almost the same thing every day. So I figure I would give myself a break from tracking points and obsessing over that, and lo and behold, it's been a good thing for me so far. I am still trying to make good choices and still eating pretty much the same stuff.

I'm exercising on average for an hour three times a week; usually two Zumbas and maybe a walk or something, but sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. I am extremely proud of myself for getting through the "arms" song on Monday at Zumba without having to take a break once. Despite gritting my teeth and looking AWFUL and cursing the instructor under my breath, I did it.



I've gotten into a great routine on Saturday mornings of going to Zumba, coming home to get cleaned up, and then going to the farmer's market and visiting with my mom and brother who work there and having lunch. Then I pick up some fresh fruit and veggies and meats and come home for a nap.

In fact, I'm very much looking forward to that nap on Saturday.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Running For The Bullies and more goals.

Yesterday morning, I went to a local park to participate in a 1-mile fun walk to benefit my local animal shelter.



It was really fun and I found myself being completely jealous of the people who have the ability to run an entire 5K and have given myself the goal of being able to run the 5K next year.


I came in third place for fundraising! Thank you so much to those of you who donated!

(Note, I am really not too thrilled with this photo. I cropped it because my gut was sticking out under the shirt, and I am really not happy with my jawline. I cannot imagine how pudgy my face must have looked at 275 pounds.)

I made my first smoothie EVER this morning.
- strawberries
- a very ripe banana
- ice
- unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- two big handfuls of spring mix
- 2 tbsp of PB2 + chocolate
- one contained of nonfat banana yogurt

It was AWESOME and very filling. I will definitely be making more smoothies in my future. Maybe I will use them as a breakfast when I get tired of my usual breakfast burrito. Which I don't see happening anytime in the near future.


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

What I Eat... almost every day.

So it's trendy with bloggers to participate in "What I Ate Wednesdays". I love seeing what other people eat, but I don't participate in it because, after the first time I tried to document my daily intake, I realized that my diet looks the same almost every day.


Here's a rundown of my usual daily eats. It should be noted that I am doing Weight Watchers on my own, using an app that calculates and tracks my points for me. I've been to enough meetings and being a lifelong fat girl, I know all the tips and tricks that are often talked about at meetings. Protein rich snacks! Drink lots of water! Substitute this for that! I don't see the value added by paying $20-$40 a month to weigh in at a location and share my tips and tricks. That's what I have the internet for.


In the morning, I take my pills with water: an antidepressant (holla at my fellow people with depression!), alpha-lipoic acid, and a gummy multivitamin.

Once I get to work, I have breakfast:
- a homemade breakfast burrito consisting of a low-carb tortilla, reduced fat cheese, egg substitute, ham, green peppers, onions, and lots of hot sauce.
- coffee with Splenda and sugar-free flavored creamer.


Lifeblood. (that I can't get centered for some reason, wtf)

Lunch is usually either a can of soup or a frozen Healthy Choice meal, a Laughing Cow wedge or a light string cheese, and a cup of nonfat yogurt (Greek or regular). Maybe once a week I will make a killer salad, and if I do, I shift the yogurt to my afternoon snack and nix the cheese because I will almost always put some sort of cheese on my salad.

Except that meal sucked and so now I eat one of three other meals. Yes, I am a creature of habit.

Snack is a banana or pear, sometimes with PB2, but usually not.

Dinner is 6-8 oz. of lean meat, a serving of a starch (potatoes usually because I love them), and a shitload of vegetables, usually a head of broccoli or a bunch of asparagus, but sometimes green beans or zucchini. Once or twice a week I will make a huge salad with protein on it, tons of vegetables, blue or feta cheese, and light dressing.


Looks boring, tastes amazing.


About once a week I will get a Subway footlong for dinner, but I only do that after exercising. My footlong of choice is 9-grain wheat, oven-roasted chicken, provolone cheese, lettuce, onion, tomato, spinach, pickles, black olives, green pepper, sweet peppers, and honey mustard sauce. I know that this is 21 PP, but it's SO filling and so tasty, and it's not a daily occurrence, so I go with it.

Me when they don't put enough olives on.



I almost always have some sort of dessert unless I am just too stuffed, usually a preportioned light ice cream dessert, because I suck at moderation.


Throughout the day, I drink at least 2 liters of water, and then water all evening when I'm at home. I have a can of diet soda with lunch.

So that's what I usually eat. On weekends, I rarely track what I'm eating because I normally sleep in late (like almost until lunchtime), so I will dawdle over a cup or two of coffee and then have something really good for dinner... Steak, pizza, sushi. Maybe have some self-serve frozen yogurt if I'm in the mood. I try to keep up with drinking water on weekends, but I am a lot more lax with it then.