My BodyBlog

My goal in this challenge is to lose around 30lbs. Tomorrow is the half way point and I think I am doing pretty well. I have been slacking with the exercise (strength) but I do cardio pretty much everyday I can. It has just been walking, but I think once I am back from my trip to Toronto I will be ready for running. I feel ready at least. I am now 178lbs, though of course it may go up or down depending on how much I eat to much, or forget to eat becuase i am studying for exams. So, thats is about a 12lb loss. I am happy with this. I am sure once I bring things up a notch my weight loss will speed up a bit. But I am not too worried. It is coming off slowly, and will hopefully stay off. 

but I am doing pretty well. I am down to 181lb. That is down 9lbs. Which is really good becuase I gained most of the weight back during a two week period around the holidays and my body recovered and drop a lb. Anyway, I just started a new approach to eating as well.

I know everyone say you should have ‘x’ amount of calories, but I am just going for the eat when you are hungry. Mainly cause I tend to eat out of boredom a lot and I emotional eat. I really need to break that trend. It is going very well. Also, sadly my egg intolerence came back.

I don’t understand why for a two week period I could eat it. Anyway, I ate an egg white the other day with a meal and I was very ill again. It is also back to where if I eat foods with eggs in it I feel horrible. So something to consider. Also, not that I am eating properly sugar doesn’t sit as great. But I am not complaining, I should be eating cookies anyway. They aren’t really worth it…never really thought I would say that either!

Anyway, so the process is really slow, but going well. At least it is going to keep off. At least I believe so. Isn’t that the first step, believing it? Next I need to work on visualization. I need to picture myself slim.

Oh, and walking everyday has been helping it all. I always find an excuse to walk even if my schedule is super tight like it has been lately.

So, a few things to report. My hips have finally gone down another inch. My waist isn’t losing as fast as it was, but thats ok I guess. I know it need to come of slow and steady. Just wish things would speed up. I was hoping that by some god given miracle I would be a full size ten by the end of the month. Like a real ten, in something like BCBG. Not like I can squeeze into a ten that fits big. Say, like Chicos where I am a size ten (or 1.5) when I should be a 12, like I am at Banana Republic. Black Friday is coming at the end of the month so that is where my goal is.

But it is my fault. I am exercising regularly for the past week…kind of not soon enough. And My diet isn’t always clean though I have my calories still always under 1800. But oh well.

So overall, I am still losing and I am well on my way. Oh, I am also really enjoying learning the Ballet stuff from my DVD. Though its not like a real class I am sure, its great. And doing all those piles and such is working my legs out nicely!

Anyway, back to the point:

Exercising on a regular basis: yes (though need to bring up the intensity a few times a week)

Diet: Calorie count, yes. Cleaning eating…half the time

Still losing weight and inches: yes, slowly, but its happening.

 On one final note..just thought of this. If I lose ten lbs each month (which would mean only 2lbs left for this month) that could add up to 30lbs in three months. That would be a big deal for me. So maybe I am doing alright after all…hmmmm…. 

So my first goal is completed. Many of my clothes don’t fit right because my body shape is different then it was in May 20O8 when I bought all these clothes, but they fit. I can get them up, and they aren’t unfortable. Also, my tops are starting to look big. They just look funny on my new shape. Before I had started working out in 2008 I was more of an apple shape, when I drop weight it gets closer to an hour glass, so makes sense. Anyway, I think it is kind of funny I have reached my goal already because I have only dropped 7lbs. When I fit these clothes because I was 172, not 183. But anyway, I am just glad that they fit, its a big relief. Today I wore those jeans that were too tight on me when I bought them just to keep me motivated, mainly becuase I can’t believe I fit into them already I guess. They were a designer 12, which fit smaller then a lot of stores where I get 12’s (think Bongo, Old Navy etc). So I am guessing I’d be or almost be a size ten in those brands again.

As much as I find this encouraging, I am also terrifed I am going to wake up and be a size 14 again. I just think being an 10/12 in 18 days seems a bit fast, considering I have only been dieting mainly, eating better….

I don’t know why it makes me feel uncomfortable when I should be jumping up and down. Anyway, I need to go do my leg workout for today, and go for my second walk for the day before it gets dark. So that is my report for day 18… fitting my old clothes and feeling unsure about it.

it is hard to believe it has been 17 days already!

Unfortunately I don’t have any more drops to report. Though, it would be totally my fault as I haven’t drank the lemon water with honey since Friday (which I drink for my poor digestion first thing in the morning), and I am only drinking half the water I did last week because I forget to drink and don’t want to drink 3L before bedtime. Mainly I lost my water botter so I never think about going to get a glass of water.

Diet has been ok, I try not to go above 1,500 cals. I think I did once this week and ate around 1,900 cals (yesteday) which made me feel uncomfortably full and stuffed though it was good!

I walk a lot more but haven’t been totally consistent with working out with weights and doing instense cardio. On average I am only doing weights once a week. Aiming to up it to two times per area this week (arms, legs, back/abs) 

However, I did have a great workout today. I did my arms, and abs. Then I did NYC Ballet because a friend said it would really help my back and posture. I also went on a 45 minute brisk walk. I know I really need to up the cardio and I will get there at some point.

Anyway, overall things are still going well. Sure I would have like to have seen more results but it is more about adjusting and creating life style habbits. My stomach is looking quite a bit flatter, and clothing is generally looking better. The other day I noticed because my lower abs area is shrinking its giving me a sort of ‘S’ shape to my body.

It was really neat, and made me feel more feminine and sexy, lol. I don’t think I have ever had anything remote to a ’s’ looking shape in my body. Today its not as noticable, but then again, I had a whole wheat bread sandwhich at 4 and normal pasta at 7pm last night..I try not to eat after 5, and not to have startchy carbs after 2.

So overall I am glad how things are going. Especially when I don’t cheat on my set of rules and see how things are firming up (I wish my arms would do the same, they haven’t lost anything, and still look flabby, so increased the weight and plan on doing it at least twice a week).

Anyway, I still have quite a bit to go before Feburary hits, but I am progressing slowly, but with satifaction!  I am hoping I keep this new shape to my side profile, and really need to come to terms with my cardio. Walking daily helps, but is it really enough?

So, I have questions to ask myself for these up coming weeks and understand that pushing yourself (at least in weights) makes you feel great after, like today.

Anyway, enough babbling…

Cheers!

So I took this body fat test method online, that is apparently used by the US Navy and the YMCA. You put in your measurements, weight and height and it calculated it. It said I had a body fat percentage of 36.42 percent for the US Navy formula and 36.92% with the YMCA formula. Could these methods be correct? If so, I am in trouble. When I do the standard BMI (height, weight) it says I am 28.8 percent, over weight. But 36.6% bodyfat? Would that not tell me I am like, severly obese for my body? I would have never had thought so. Sure I am a size 12, but I don’t shop in plus-sized clothing. I know I was curvy, and was over-weight….but severly obese? That changes things and puts me in a whole new ball game!

I don’t know, I am wondering about how accurate it is, but if it is the Formula the US Navy uses, then I am sure it can’t be that far off. Anyway, if it is true, and I am severly obese based on my body fat percentage, rather then my weight putting me at over-weight that makes things a lot more serious. Not only for my vanity but also for my health. It worries me, and I think maybe I should be more strict in how I approach things as I don’t want to be severly obese for my body and put myself a major health risks I never knew I was at.

I am def going to get my body fat measured at a Gym when I go to Toronto in December to see what they say for comparsion. However, this did provide some food for thought about myself, my goals and my body. It changes my outlook on everything, it just got a lot more serious.

So not much is new, I went above the calorie range I gave myself yesterday, but I don’t mind. It wasn’t like I ate 3,000 calories. I had about 1,800. I am not sure if I am down any more weight but even if I am not, 6 lbs in 15 days is good too me. As for inches, I am now 40-34-43. I think seeing inches drop is more important then weight dropping. Anyway, I didn’t really exercise enough this week, so that is my goal for this week. To do some sort of cardio at least 5 days. And do strength trainging 3 times. I know I can do it, I want to see the best results I can by the end of Jan.

Today was great diet wise, though I haven’t worked out yet. Which means no cardio today, though the kids took turns having me chase them. That was about twenty minutes non-stop jogging. So it was something. Anyway, I am trying to debate what the best way for me to go about that is. Also, I decided I really need to work on my legs, I posted some pictures. That is all i really have to report.

P.S I found out the kids had played with the scale and it was a bit off. I am actually 183.5 lbs now. So yay! Even better!

After the pervious post I got curious to see how I was doing in general, even though I had told myself not to check myself until Sunday becuase I had just ate too much sugar, and liqour on the weekend. Turns out I am doing ok. I am down 4lbs. I am now 40.5-35-43.5 (down 0.5-1-0.5). I am glad to see my waist is going down a bit faster.

Anyway, I want to do the whole, report every 7 days thing, so I might still report on Sunday anyway, cheeers.

So the rest of the day went fairly well. It turned into one of those super long work days. I started at 8:30am, ended at midnight. So I didn’t get anything major in workout wise. Diet, I was pretty good with the exception of a cupcake.

My aunt brought home 4 of these amazing cupcakes. At first I was really firm in my decision that I did not want one. She kept saying, that she didn’t have the birthday cupcakes on friday and so it shouldn’t count against my plan because I had promised to try it. I had kept firm, and she kept bugging me. After about an hour I just gave up as I got a bit annoyed with being asked and just ate it. It was good, probably the best cupcake I have ever had.

However, then I had to pay the consequences I knew I would have. Once I eat flour, or sugar I want more. This is why I am trying to get them out of my diet. I guess its almost like an addiction, and I tend to over do it then slack on everything else. It was hard, really hard. After that I wanted the chips when I gave the kids some of the left over Halloween candy, suprisingly I didn’t want the chocolate. So, I had a few chips and was done. I reminded myself I had it, so there you go. You had your taste, you are done.

After that moment of weakness cuase by the fact I ate carbs I didn’t want in the first place I did good. I didn’t go hey, I messed up, might as well blow the rest of the day! That is a horrible trait of mine. Rather, I reamined firm and was back on track. I had vegetable and lamb soup for dinner. No restricted carbs there. And I drank lots of hot lemon water with honey. The honey is raw, and unprocessed and helps my digestion so I figured I’d keep the honey. My digestion has been poor lately, so it helps!

Thankfully this morning I don’t feel bloated anymore. I felt so bloated yesterday it was awful. Anyway, so today I have been up again by 6:30. I went to bed around one am. And I couldn’t sleep. I laid in bed until 8am trying to go back to sleep becuase I felt so exhausted. I still do. It has been one week of sleeping 4-6 hours instead of my normal 8-10. It is catching up with me, but I heard it takes about two weeks to get use to a certain sleeping schedule so I am hoping next week I won’t feel so tired all the time.

Today should be ok. I have an assignment due tonight so my Aunt knows I cannot work tonight. OR rather, she decided that to make sure I get it done well since I have been working a lot. It will give me a chance to exercise.

I was going to do my walk this morning as well, but it really looks like its about to rain. And when it rains, it pours. And usually thunderstorms, not to smart for walking around a golf course. So that is out of the picture for today at least. So I am thinking of belly dancing today, or maybe the stair master if I perk up at bit. And weights, I really need to pump the muscles, lol.