Weigh In 2/28/11

Feburary 28 2011 Weight: 160.4lbs (-2.2) Body Fat: 32% (+1) Bust: 37.75" (-.25) Waist: 30" (-.75) Hips: 40.50" (-.50) Bicep: 11.75" (-.25) Thigh: 23.75" (+.25) Calf: 15" (0)

Overall a good weigh in I think. A few goofy +'s in odd places, obviously I don't really trust the body fat calculator on my scale, since I can be 32% and drink a cup of water then be 34% so I don't mind that + and the thigh addition is also odd, but it could be a measuring issue. The important thing for me is I was able to lose what I gained over vacation and some! Too bad I couldn't break through my 159 barrier.

I think it is important for me not to build that number up, I mean it has been that number that I just couldn't seem to budge past, but being only 1.4 lbs away, I am almost positive I can get it next week or by the next. Now this does mean that my goal of 150lbs by March 12th (my girlfriends wedding) isn't looking so hot. I mean 10 lbs in 14 days - maybe for a biggest loser contestant but seeing as it has taken me 2 months to lose 10 lbs I just don't think that is an appropriate goal for me to set for myself. Instead I am going to shoot for simply breaking through my 159 barrier. Maybe... just maybe I will be 155 for the wedding which would be just peachy for me.

Since it is the end of the month (my goodness where the heck did February go?!?!) I think it is important for me to remind myself of how far I have come. Here is a summary for the month of February:

	January 31 2011	February 28 2011
Weight:	167.6 lbs	160.4 lbs	(-7.2)
Body Fat:	33 %	32%	(-1)
Bust:	38"	37.75"	(-.25)
Waist:	30.5"	30"	(-.5)
Hips:	40.75"	40.5"	(-.25)
Bicep:	12"	11.75"	(-.25)
Thigh:	23.75"	23.75"	(0)
Calf:	15"	15"	(0)

And my overall journey from the beginning of this blog:

	January 1 2011	February 28 2011
Weight:	171.6 lbs	160.4 lbs	(-11.2)
Body Fat:	36 %	32%	(-4)
Bust:	38.5"	37.75"	(-.75)
Waist:	32"	30"	(-2)
Hips:	43"	40.5"	(-2.5)
Bicep:	12.75"	11.75"	(-1)
Thigh:	24"	23.75"	(-.25)
Calf:	15.5"	15"	(-.5)

I am really happy to see mostly greens for February. Its a bit odd that I can lose 7.2 lbs in one month ( 64% of my total weight loss) and not see as much reduction in my measurements as I did in my first month. It seems like your measurements should also decrease proportionate to your weight. I wish I could have some expert explain this to me, but I guess I will see them go down eventually. I just can't give up hope, I love the progress I see in my pictures. My tummy is getting flatter, and all of those skin folds are starting to disappear. I think my very favorite part are those cute little dimples above my bum that are starting to poke out - I never knew I had those!

I can't wait to see what March brings!

Moving On

Still working on recovering from my 1.8lb gain over the weekend. I know I have been eating right and exercising (well I could be doing more but the weather is just so gross out side). I was pretty positive about the scale reading, not so positive about it being a gain, but positive about getting back on track, because I was able to reduce my vacation gain from 5+ lbs to less then 2 lbs. So that is good - and a goal for the future would be to reduce any gain on a vacation to 0lbs.

Ever since my friction-ful thighs rubbed a hole in my favorite pair of jeans I have been on a dress and leggings kick. Never mind me rubbing a hole in the thigh of my leggings the other day. At least leggings are inexpensive.... But anyways I used some gift money I had left over from x-mas to order some shiny new clothes. Cute little t-shirt dresses. I love how comfortable they are, but they still look a bit fancy and yet effortless. 

I was really excited to pull them out and toss them on. I foresee them getting a lot of wear this season. NSV: That grey dress is a MEDIUM!!!! I can't believe I fit in a medium. Granted the black dress is still a large but it feels great to feel like I'm getting back to a normal size.

I also am loving the fact that my knees are hurting less and I can wear all my cute heels to work again. The past year has been haunted with loafers, and ugg boots.I can't wait to keep on going because the more weight I lose the more I enjoy dressing up and looking nice. People have started to notice too!

I'm super excited for monday, more so then most other weigh-ins I have had in the past 159 here I come! I can't wait to visit, but please know 159 that I fully intend to leave you in the dust for a number that is more supportive. (In case you didn't know 159 is the lowest weight I have been in at least 5 years, and that dreaded number I can't seem to bust through).

Have a great weekend everyone!

Weigh In 2/21/11

Well, I'm back from vacation and I have sad news to report:

February 21 2011 Weight: 162.6 lbs (+1.8) Body Fat: 31% (-3) Bust: 38" (0) Waist: 30.75" (+.25) Hips: 41" (+.25) Bicep: 12" (+.25) Thigh: 23.5" (0) Calf: 15" (0)

I can't say I am surprised by these results. Fitting with my last post-vacation weigh in I gained weight. A 1.8 lb gain is much more manageable then the previous 4.6 lb gain of last vacation. I approached this vacation with damage mitigation in mind. My hopes were not only to maintain my weight but to lose weight in the process. Unfortunently the opposite happened despite my efforts.

I can't be to hard on myself because this time around I am pretty sure I know the reason for my gain, and that was mostly the unpredictability of my schedule. I was unable to plan and eat 3 meals a day and those meals that I did eat were the best I could manage off of resaturates menus that don't necessarily cater to my needs. Sometimes I used snacks like raw nuts (high in fat and calories) or beef jerkey (high in sodium) to keep my hunger at bay while I waited for my next meal, at the time I thought they were good choices (because they were the best I could make given availability) but in retrospect I could have done without them. I also cannot say I did sufficient exercise during the 4 days. And most importantly I did not properly hydrate myself, you can see that in the 3% loss in body fat.

Again my scale is not very accurate about bodyfat because body hydration really effects it, so since I gained weight but lost body mass the only explanation is that over the weekend I had been dehydrating my body.

My pictures are eeeh... I look bloated and puffy, partly because I gained 2 lbs and partly because I didn't pull my bottoms up high enough. But this is not the right direction for things to be going in and they are a sore reminder that I really need to learn how I can maintain my weight loss and lifestyle while on vacation. It just isn't acceptable to expect a gain while you are on vacation. This week is going to be about damage control. I need to be extremely strict about my food and water intake. I know I can lose weight when I do things the right way.

It is important for me to get past 159 because it has been one of those numbers for me where every time I get it, I can't scoot past it. I am ready to not only scoot past it, but leave it in the dust.

I'm ready for a kick-butt rebound week.

Vacation

Just wanted to stop in and say that I won't have a chance to read and comment on everyone's blogs because I am on vacation from yesterday to Sunday. I have a really packed schedule but hopefully I will have plenty of time to make good decisions about food. So far so good, it is costing me a lot extra to make those good decisions, (like having to order room service for breakfast) but i'm trying my dangest not to have a repeat of my last vacation.

I am so close to some personal milestones for me, like I mentioned on Monday I'm less than 2 lbs from my lowest weight in 5 years. I also realized that my it will be the lowest weight my current (live-in) boyfriend will have ever seen me as - which is so exciting. That each pound I lose from here on out will be new territory for him, and for me, since let's face it - I have completely forgotten the girl from 5 years ago.

Hope everyone is doing well, will check in on Monday with my weekly weigh in. Fingers crossed for good numbers!

Weigh In 2/14/11

First off: Happy Valentines Day to everyone! I hope it is filled with love and sweets - but only sugar free ones!

Now down to business:

February 14 2011 Weight: 160.8 lbs (-3.2) Body Fat: 34% (-1) Bust: 38" (0) Waist: 30.5" (0) Hips: 40.75" (0) Bicep: 11.75" (-.25) Thigh: 23.5" (-.25) Calf: 15" (0)

I would call this weigh in a great success! Firstly 3.2lb lost, following a previous week of 3.6lb lost. That is fan-freaking-tastic! I am also really excited that I can see some differences in my pictures now, like the bulge on my hips is smaller as well as around the string on my back. I am starting to see a clear definition of my waist, and my tummy is flatter.

I also couldn't help but notice my shrinking legs while I was shaving this morning. I'm very excited about these results. Sort of odd (again same observation as last week) that I have now lost 6.8lbs in 2 weeks and have effectively only lost inches on my bicep and thigh... I really think that is just so odd. But there is no looking back this week.

I am 1.8lb away from my lowest weight in 5 years, and that is so awesome to me. I can't wait to bust through 159 and keep on trucking down to my goal weight. It also means that I reached my Hate Loss Goal of losing 10 lbs in 41 days the healthy way (technically I lost 10.8 lbs in 45 days). And that I am 10.8 lbs away from my March 12th goal of 150lbs.

Stepping back I am not sure 150lbs by march 12 (which is 26 days away)  is such a good goal for me as it has taken me 45 days to lose 10.8 lbs, but if I aim high and fail at least I will have still made significant progress toward my overall goal of 130lbs which I would like to hit around August (167 days away) for bathing suit season.

I'm feeling spectacular, now I just have to resist all these sweets people keep throwing at me today. PLEASE SHOW ME YOUR LOVE SOME OTHER WAY THEN FOOD! At least my boyfriend knows not to get me chocolates or candy - we are cooking a lovely low-carb feast for dinner tonight. I can't wait!

Skinny Jeans!

So I have been pretty convinced I was going to lose a massive amount of weight for over a couple of years now and as such I have purposefully not bought myself jeans. Since they are expensive and I *expect* to be too small to wear them any time now.

Well ever since I busted through my only pair of jeans I have purposefully avoided wearing pants. I have worn skirts, dresses and leggings for the past week and a half. It has been one of the most comfortable weeks I have ever had! But all good things must come to an end and today I finally ran out of clean clothes.

I have been feeling pretty "skinny" this week so rather then rewearing something dirty I decided to dig into the deep abscess of my closet and excavate a pair of skinny jeans I stowed away many moons ago. I bought these jeans over a year ago as a reward for breaking into the 150s (I was 159.6!). They were a pair of fairly pricy designer jeans (I already told you all about my fashion addiction) cut skinny all the way down the leg.

I wore them happily for a few months before holiday eating and general lack of resolve helped me balloon back up to my original 170 weight. My body seems pretty comfy at 170, I would prefer that number to be around 140 honestly... I tried to wear the jeans a few times at 170, but it was always a battle to put them on in the morning and they ALWAYS cut into my tummy. I could hear the jeans crying out in pain every time I sat down. When a co-worker commented on how they were surprised I wasn't cutting off my circulation by wearing the jeans (how rude is that?!?!) I locked them away in my closet to rot.

But like I mentioned, with a lack of clean pants-less outfits and destroyed "comfy" jeans I dug into my closet to rescue the dreaded "skinny jeans". Mostly as a test, to see how well I was really doing and to my surprise THEY FIT. They fit perfectly, not too snug (well maybe a tad in the thigh but I can't name one piece of clothing other then sweatpants that aren't). I'd have to call this a NSV (Non Scale Victory). I'm excited to fit my skinny jeans from over a year ago, and excited to wear my normal wardrobe again.

Hopefully I will be too skinny for these jeans before I wear a hole in them to. Getting excited for my monday weigh-in. Hope it concurs with my skinny jeans.

Superbowl Pizza

So last weekend was the Superbowl, with all the high cal cheesy, greasy, sugary, sweet, and delicious snacks tumbling out of bags and bowls across the nation I had to arm myself with something to ward off the cravings to indulge.

I was super lucky to run into Lyn's at "Escape from Obesity" reciepe for cauliflower pizza. Not only is it a great stand in for popular party snacks, but it is low carb so it fits my diet perfectly. I had to cook some up, here is how it went:

Cauliflower Pizza

 1 cup of mashed cauliflower
 1 cup mozzarella cheese
 1 egg
 Pizza spices (parsley, oregano, garlic, basil, red pepper and marjorum)

 1/4 cup marinara sauce
 1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
 1/8 cup onion
 1/4 cup mushrooms
 10 turkey pepperonis

 First you should boil or steam some cauliflower. I used frozen cauliflower because it was convenient.

After your cauliflower is soft (you may want to over cook it a touch to make sure the stalks are soft too) you can use a potato masher, food processor or potato ricer to mash the cauliflower. 2 cups of non mashed cauliflower is about equal to 1 cup of mashed cauliflower.

.

You want it to be coarsely mashed to small pieces not mashed to mush

To the cup of mashed cauliflower add 1 egg and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. I used low fat to cut out some calories.

Mix it up and add your pizza spices to flavor.

 Spread your mixture thin onto a greased pan. You can use something like pam, or I just used a piece of parchment paper (NOT WAX PAPER).

If you want a thin crispy crust spread your mixture very thin, the thicker the mixture is the softer and more pillowy your crust will be.




Bake your crust in a 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes. You want it to get a little toasted and brown around the edges to make sure it is crispy.

Add your toppings. Remember there is already 1 cup of cheese in your crust, so go easy on the cheese on top of the pizza.

Then set the oven to broil and place your pizza back in the oven until the cheese melts.

You can also bake it however that will make the crust softer, if you only broil it you will have a more crispy crust. You can eat the pizza with a fork if you want, but if you cook the crust right you can also hold it up like a real piece of pizza.

Talk about the perfect snack for the Superbowl. Here's the calorie rundown:

Whole Pizza:

1 cup cauliflower (62.5 cal)
1 egg (54 cal)
1 1/3 cup low fat mozz (273.3 cal)
1/4 cup marinara sauce (35 cal)
1/8 cup onion ( 7 cal)
1/4 cup mushroom ( 7 cal)
10 turkey pepperonies ( 41.2 cal)
Total : 480 cal

WOW. Most a personal pan pizza at Pizza Hut or almost any other pizza joint will be at least 590 calories, and it would only be 6". I have a whole 12" of personal pan pizza I can enjoy and not regret the next day. Now it wasn't 100% the same as digging into a deep dish delivery pizza, but it was pretty dang close - close enough to enjoy at least. There is something completely satisfying with making something you like and being
able to enjoy it because you know its good for you.

Weigh in 2/7/11

February 7 2011 Weight: 164.0 lbs (-3.6) Body Fat: 35% (+2) Bust: 38" (0) Waist: 30.5" (0) Hips: 40.75" (0) Bicep: 12" (0) Thigh: 23.75" (0) Calf: 15" (0)

Well I don't really know how to take my weigh in this week. I am super excited that I lost 3.6 lbs, thats awesome. For one week?!?! That puts me 4lbs away from my March 12 goal... but I can't help but doubt my results.

I am not too worried about the gain in body fat because I know my scale isn't very accurate and changes in ambient humidity, or my own body hydration changes that number significantly. I am however, curious how I can lose 3.6 lbs in one week and loose no inches anywhere when I lost at least 4" over a month I only lost 4 lbs total. My picture is pretty inconclusive for having lost 3.6 lbs - I feel like that is a big enough number I should notice.

I also ended up taking some of my measurements a couple of times because they ended up being higher then last week (how does that even make sense?!?). I am sure now that I haven't been measuring myself the same way every time. I now marked the exact location of each measurement so I can track my losses better (for instance my calf measurement is at about 4" below my knee).

I mean don't get me wrong I am completely happy with the number I saw today, and can't wait to continue my game plan for this week. But I can't help but be confused as to what exactly is going on in my body when I see data like this. I guess weight loss isn't as cut and dry as people make it out to be.

Goals Part 2

In an earlier post I wrote:

"I want to treat myself and my body with the love and respect they deserve. I want to feel worthy of that respect. I want to be happy with myself, and to love myself, for who I am and what I look like."


I still hold that this is my ultimate goal in life. I also realize that to meet such a huge goal I need to start small and work my way up.


I want to be happy with my body again. I want to love the person I see in the mirror and be able to confidently say that I am sexy. But deeper then that, I want my body to act the way a body should. 
I love sports and have always been very active. I have been playing soccer 2-3 time a week, and I go jogging 1-2 times a week. I have terrible pain in my knees on a daily basis, when I go to play soccer I do so knowing that I will only aggravate my knees. Stairs are a pain, sitting in cars/planes/in chairs for long periods of time is a pain, heck even sitting down to go to the rest room is a pain. I am 24, and I hobble up stairs, and complain about pain in my knees. My mom does the same things... what does this say about where I will be in another 24 years?


At the very base of things, I started this blog to be held accountable for my weight loss, but I am finding that I want to be held accountable for many more things. I want to be accountable for changing my life.


I am trying to tackle things one step at a time. If I wrote a long list of things in my life I wanted to change, like being able to go boot shopping with out worrying about the boots zipping up, being able to walk up and down stairs without pain, being able to look at myself in the mirror and know that I am happy, I can point to one thing that could help it all, and that is my weight.


That is why I have been so focused on weight loss in this blog. In terms of weight loss I want to slowly work my way back down to 150lbs. I can't really remember the last time I was less then 150lbs, I'm sure it was some time in high school but I don't really know for sure. I would like to reach this goal by March 12th, which  about 2 months away. That would mean I need to lose a little over 2 lbs a week to reach that goal. I think that is a very reasonable goal. Why March 12th? My girlfriend is getting married and asked me to be a bridesmaid for her. I know she will post the pictures all over her home and I don't want to look back at pictures of the happiest day of her life and see sadness in my face. 


Beyond that my ultimate goal is to reach a healthy BMI. For my height a good BMI is between 110lbs and 150lbs. I would like to be able to fall right in between there at a healthy 130lbs, hopefully right around bathing suit season in August.


150 by March and 130 by August. This is doable!

Shrimp Stir-Fry

I'm not going to lie, I work 8 hours a day, and commute 30 minutes each way. When I get home from work standing in the kitchen chopping, slicing and preparing food just doesn't sound like the way I'd like to spend my evening. In the past hamburger helper, prepared foods, and fast foods were the solution. High sodium, high carb, high fat, but - highly convenient.

It's unfortunent that eating good food ends up being such a hassle for the normal every day person (or at least for me). Not to mention I have a lot of extra curriculars that keep me from a "normal" schedule, and I never know when work is going to run late or any of that other business so it makes it hard to plan meals.

I go to the grocery about 2 or 3 times a month (who has time to do it more often?!?!) and I always end up buying a ton of fresh veggies and fruits, and then life happens and before I know it $40 worth of food is spoiled. I needed a solution that allowed me to eat healthy, but on my own *hectic* schedule.

Thank goodness for my weight loss crutch this past month - frozen food!

I am starting to adore frozen food. I know it isn't as nice as fresh food, but honestly it has been working well. Here is a meal I made just the other day:

Shrimp Stir - Fry

1 Bag Peeled and Devaned Raw Shrimp
1 Bag Frozen Veggies (this bag has mushrooms, carrots, onions, and sugar snap peas)
1 Bag Frozen Edamame
Sesame Oil
Soy Sauce
Stir-Fry Sauce

Note: This is a low-carb recipe. If desired you can add rice or noodles.

Prep Time : 15 minutes

1. Put a tablespoon of sesame oil in a heated skillet.
2. Add 3 cups of shrimp and cook until pink.
3. Remove shrimp from the pan and add the Frozen veggies and Edamame. Cook until veggies are thawed and warmed to the center.
4. Add the shrimp back to the pan, add some stir-fry sauce, soy sauce, and pepper.

Makes 4 Servings

Just doing some rough calculations from the nutritional information on the bags:

Shrimp ~ 60 cal
Veggie Medley ~ 45 cal
Edamame ~ 85 cal
Oil and Sauces ~ 30 cal
 ~ 220 cal

Not to shabby for something I whipped up in 15 min.



The best part (other then it tasting great) is I can keep all of these things in my freezer/pantry at any time and they won't spoil. So even if it's a late night and I'm starving I don't have an excuse to eat poorly because good food is readily available and takes only a few short minutes to prepare, and tastes great. Well worth it I think!