Let's go back. Way back. Back to mid-January 2005. My weight was 209 lbs. It had been my heaviest weight to date. I had a Mexico vacation planned for Spring Break. There was no way that I was risking being mistaken for a beached whale. I had a little over two months to lose as much weight as possible.
I knew the weight wasn't going to fall off on its own so some drastic measures had to be taken. My bestie, Lauren, and I decided to try The South Beach Diet since her roommate had the book. I also decided to go to the gym on a regular basis.
I went all in. I became a hardcore gym rat to the point that 4-5 times a week wasn't enough and I ended up going to the gym for 21 days straight; I would alternate days of just doing one hour on the elliptical and the other days doing one hour on the elliptical plus about 60-90 minutes of weight-lifting. Like I said, I was hardcore.
Two months of living at the gym and not allowing a single carb enter my mouth paid off. I was down to 179 lbs by the time Spring Break rolled around in March.
But the weight loss didn't last. I came back from vacay and a series of events got me to the point I am today: I fell off the diet, got pregnant (which of course was an excuse to eat anything and everything), gained the 30 lbs that I had lost, and gained another 30 lbs of baby weight.
And here we are today.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, because I am going back on The South Beach Diet as of Monday. For the entire month of February, I will be on Phase One; this is the toughest phase because it is the most restricitive. In this phase, there are absolutely no carbs or sugars allowed, which means no fruit!
My hope is that I will lose 20 lbs by the time March rolls around and I have to go shop for a bridesmaid dress. I have enough knowledge about this diet to be very careful once I enter Phase Two. I am hoping that I will gain and maintain some better eating habits.
Wish me luck on my SBD Challenge 2010!
I was so excited about my six pounds lost yesterday that I treated myself with a glazed donut with sprinkles of coconut on top. Mmm! Yes, I know that it is this kind of reward system that probably got me to my obscene BMI that it is today, but whatever, that's not what this post is about!
So, there I am enjoying my yummy coconut donut while I am working at my desk. About an hour after I was done, I had to deliver a file to my boss (who seems to be a nice man, but I wouldn't really know seeing as how he intimidates the hell out of me and I have just recently gotten over breaking out into a cold sweat when he would ask to talk to me about something). As I open my mouth to talk to him, I notice that there is this sticky feeling on the right corner of my mouth. I raise my hand to my mouth as I am talking to Mr. Boss Man and whaddya know - the entire lower part of my mouth is covered in glaze! In a split second I had to decide to either:
A.) Leave it there and allow it to crackle and flake off onto my shirt with every word I spoke
B.) Try to lick it off and risk getting a sexual harrassment complaint filed against me
C.) Try to inconspiciously wipe the glaze off with my hand
Nothing could get me out of this embarrassing situation, so I went with option C. It appeared to be the safest option. But just for good measure, I reflexively flung the excess dried glaze onto the floor of his office. Well, it was better than eating it, right?
Oh happy day! After all my posts on setbacks, I finally have a post in which I can write about some progress! Since last Wednesday, I have lost -
Drum roll please!
SIX POUNDS!
Can you believe it?!
The reason that this weight loss is so surprising is because I didn't go to the gym this past week (I was sick!) and because I was at another birthday party with endless amounts of pizza! However, I did an hour of cardio at the gym last night and for the first time in months, I walked around the neighborhood during my lunch break at work. But the main reason that I think I lost weight is because I did some major cleaning while I was home from work due to swollen eyelids on Monday.
So, my weight-loss tip for you is to clean your house! I am pretty sure I lost the majority of the six pounds by vacuuming my entire house, mopping the kitchen and scrubbing the toilets all while doing the laundry.
Here are my stats thus far:
Weight: 211.8 lbs
Weight-Loss Reason #3: I recently found out that bridesmaid dress sizes are one size smaller than what you regularly wear. Terrific. Even if I lose a dress size, I will have to order a dress size bigger anyway.
Every girl, at some point or another, learns the true meaning of the statement "Beauty Is Pain". For me, it was when I first did any kind of facial waxing. I can't say for sure, but I imagine that waxing your upper lip (eww, no, I am not the bearded lady. Just, you know, a little dusting of peach fuzz) is the equivalent of a man getting socked in the genitalia. It hurts!
But that first lesson of pain is just the beginning because the waxing and the tweezing and working out and all that jazz is never-ending.
I am saying all of this because today was another lesson learned.
I use St. Ives Apricot Scrub about two to three times a week. I have been using this product for several years without any problems.
Until last night.
I hop in the shower and squeeze a little more than a dime-sized portion in the palm of my hand. I scrub away. I scrub my cheeks, my temples, my nose, my forhead, my glabella (how is that for vocabulary?), and even my lips. Then I did something I have never done with this scrub - I used it, ever so gently, on my eyes to slough off some rough patches.
NOWHERE on the back of the bottle does it say anything about avoiding the eye area! Per the back of the tube:
Directions: Moisten face, apply with wet fingertips and massage into skin for about one minute. Rinse well and pat dry. Store at room temperature.
As with most facial cleasners, if product gets into the eyes flush thoroughly with water.
That's it. That's all it says on the back of the product. Ok then - let me be the one to tell you: DO NOT use on the DELICATE eye area!!!
This morning, I woke up and BOTH of my eyelids were swollen! I had to call in today at work and I was horribly embarrassed to say that I wasn't coming in due to two swollen eyelids. My boss must think that I get beaten at home.
Short post today. I just had to share that having stuck to 1500 calories yesterday, I am at 216.3 today. Yay me!
Let me first disclose, that weight-loss is a struggle - in every sense of the word. If it wasn't such a struggle for me, personally, then I would look like an Olsen Twin. But here I am, the Olsen Twins times four.
Having said that, I stuck to my 1,500 calorie per day diet pretty well for three days. Then the weekend hit. Then a party on Sunday. Where I ate. And ate. And, yes, ate some more. Obviously, included in my weight struggle is my lack of self-control. Food was there, so I ate.
But I won't let this get me down. Every day is a new day and every meal is a new opportunity for me to be healthy. If I eat a chocolate pancake for breakfast, then I will have a piece of fruit for lunch. I am getting rid of that mentality that I failed on a diet, so why bother trying to be good? It is a new year and my self control will be tested every step of the way. Sometimes I will succeed (like the first three days) and sometimes I will fail (like this past weekend).
And here is why I wrote the big spiel above...
Weight: 217.8 (Yes, I gained four pounds in a week!)
Weight-Loss Reason #2: I am planning on enrolling my daughter in swimming lessons this summer. I don't want to have to wear a scuba suit to cover up.
First and foremost, here is my weight-loss plan:
1.) Up my gym days to four days per week instead of three
2.) Only consuming 1,500 calories per day
3.) List a reason each week that I need to lose weight
4.) Post my weight on my blog (EEK!)
Yesterday was Day One of only consuming 1,500 calories per day. It was surprisingly easy - until I got home. I am a receptionist. I sit at my desk all day and snack. Luckily, it was a busy day, so I was too busy to put stuff in my mouth. At home, there is too much temptation! But I managed to stick to 1,500 calories. I am not too excited to have to keep track of everything I eat, but drastic times call for drastic measures!
I also did one hour of cardio at the gym and I am pleased to report that I have lost 1.6 pounds in one day! Which brings me to No. 4 on my weight-loss plan. Let me remind you that I am terrified of sharing this number. But maybe having it posted will make me more accountable to lose the weight and to prove that I can do anything that I set my mind to. Plus, I already posted my picture and all 213.4 pounds of me is gloriously visible for everyone to see - oops! Did I just let my weight slip? Just like that? Well, that wasn't too bad, just like ripping off a Band-Aid!
If Jenn of the Ex-Hot Girl blog can be open enough about posting her weight, then I believe I can too!
So here is my new Weigh-In Wednesday round-up:
Weight: Ok, I already said it once for the entire internet to see, don't make me say it again!
Reason No. 1: I will be a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding in June. Fat is not a good accessory for a dress.
I played Scrabble for the first time. I suck at it.
When I was little, my parents used to play it all the time. Recently, on a Saturday night, my mom randomly suggested we play. Ok. I am game, I love Game Night!
My mom went first. She laid down the word "maze". Nice, 22 points right off the bat.
My turn. I don't even remember what I laid down, something with an R in it, but it was worth like four points. My mom said, "Why don't you just put the 'R' at the end of my word and make it 'mazer'?"
I scoffed at her. Mazer?! Oh silly foreign mom of mine, there is absolutely no such word mazer!
"Look it up. You never know." She said calmly.
I go to http://www.m-w.com/. With a smug look on my face, I typed M-A-Z-E-R. I waited for the "no such word found" page to pop up. Only...
Main Entry: ma·zer
Pronunciation: \ˈmā-zər\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German masar gnarled excrescence on a tree
Date: 14th century
: a large drinking bowl originally of a hard wood
Oh.
So my mom, out of the kindness of her heart, gets me ahead in points.
Throughout the game, my brother (a.k.a The Cheater) kept coming up with some wacky words and I would just start challenging them all.
At one point, on my turn, I couldn't find a word with the letters that I had because they were mostly vowels. The only consonant I had was a T. Where can I put this T?
Is there such a word as 'eet'? Nope
How about 'det'?
'Adt'?
My next statement is where the dumb-ass in me comes in.
"I can't make a word, Mom!" I spit at her (now I know where Bella gets it from!). "I mean, is there anything I can make with these letters?" *shows opponent her tiles* "Like, is M-E-T even a word?!"
...
Oh, snap. My brain seriously couldn't register whether or not 'met' was a word.
Again, I would like to say that playing Scrabble makes you stoopid.
I am sad to report that I am not one of the five finalists of Nathan Bransford's contest. I am even sadder to admit that I didn't deserve to.
I concentrated so much on a topic that would stand out that I had totally lost the point of the contest. I read the finalists' entries, and I agree with the selections. They wrote exactly what Mr. Bransford had asked for. He had asked for a diary entry/unsent letter written in the voice of a teenager. What did I give him? I gave him a scandalous story, hoping to catch his attention because how risque my teen voice was.
Yeah, nowhere did it say anything about the juicier the better. But that's what I concentrated on.
Although it sucks to have been so wrong in writing the piece I submitted, I like to believe I didn't walk away from this contest empty-handed; I learned that I need to pay attention to exactly what is being asked of me and not to over-analyze everything.
You know that interview question where they ask what is your weakest trait? My answer was always that I am constantly over-analyzing everything. Apparently this weakness holds true in my writing as well. Well, at least I can add consistency to my list of pros (or cons?).
Nathan Bransford is an agent.
Nathan Bransford has a blog.
Nathan Bransford has an awesome contest going on right now.
Yes, I entered.
Did you?
Time is ticking.
Deadline is 01/06/10, 4:00 PM Pacific.
Just chop off a foot of your hair!
I literally had five pounds of hair cut off.
Here is my before:
"Eww! look at all thos split ends!"
I don't have to much of an attachment to my long hair. I am pretty sure I am ready for "mom hair." The only problem is that I need to lose weight before I can have such short hair. A former co-worker of mine, who was on the heavier side, had gotten her hair cut a little too short and hated it. She told me that she looked like a tick. I didn't really get it at first so I had her elaborate, "You know - small head, large body?" I busted up laughing! So yes, the "mom hair" will have to wait in order for me to avoid resembling a tick.
Anyhoo, I have this issue where I get a haircut, then don't get one for another year. It is pure laziness. However, getting such infrequent cuts has its qualities; want to always have a great haircut? Get it cut once a year! Just don't go too drastic. See, when your hair is long and flat and blah, any haircut is a great cut!
So, here it is! My yearly haircut, actually this one was six months between cuts - not bad for me!
I finished L.A. Candy. It took me under a week to finish the book. Suffice it to say, I really enjoyed it. Which is a little embarrassing considering that just days ago I had said that my book is better!
After finishing the book, I had found out that L.A. Candy is the first in a series. Damn! Had I known that, I would've waited to read it until all the books were out. Yes, I now that means that I would be waiting years before I could read the books, but now I have to wait until February to read book number two! When I get into a series, I am super impatient and want to read all the books right then and there! Case in point, the Twilight series. I read three of the four books in just under three weeks!
Ok, so here is my overall review of L.A. Candy. It was really interesting to read about how the taping of a "reality" show was done. I wasn't expecting much from Miss Lauren Conrad, but I thought the writing was good and the conflict between the characters was really engrossing and well thought out.
I very much recommend this book. I wouldn't say that it is the best I have ever read, but it is definitely worth a read.
January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
It is that time of year again. Time to make those resolutions with the best of intentions. I think everything from my first post still stands, but the main one I am looking to accomplish before 2011 is to lose weight. Sadly, this holiday season has really kicked my ass and I have gained four effing pounds. So, my total weight loss is only 13 pounds. All that hard work, gone!
Yesterday, I posted that that New Year's eve was my favorite holiday. Although the partying is over and done with, I still love the idea of New Year's day. I love that you can just say goodbye to the year before and chose to start over. Twenty-ten is a nice round number, sound like it will be a nice (NOT round!) year for me. I can, I can, I can!
What are your 2010 New Year's resolutions?
