Somehow, some way, the weight is finally coming off. I've lost another 2.5 pounds since last week and that included going WAY off track with french fries, fried fish, a blue cheese burger and an amazing and crazy filling Greek dinner last night. I think (aside from the fried food last Friday), I'm finally making an effort daily (or almost daily) to make great choices with food. And since I've put myself on a crazy budget for money, I'm eating out less and eating lunch out next to not at all. Because of this, I've been bringing super healthy salads with tuna or chicken and apples to snack on. And instead of drinking coffee with half and half out every morning, I'm drinking lots more tea again. Green tea, which is supposed to help promote weight loss!
Overall, life is going so great now that this weight loss is just an added bonus. I may even reach my goal before the end of the year!
A concern I talked to my dear friend Meredith about the other night was as I am reaching my goal (less than 9 pounds away now!), I am realizing that weighing 184 pounds, having a healthy BMI for the first time in my adult life...well, it doesn't mean that I am going to be magically happy with my body at 184 pounds. I might try to keep losing weight. I might come up with a new goal. I might not be happy with my body if I someday weigh 160 pounds! I can't IMAGINE that, but I can imagine that somethings on my body would still sag and be droopy and my thighs would still look too big when I sit down, and all that kind of stuff.
What I need to focus on is all the GOOD I do for my body and all the good it does for me. That's what's important to me right now. Not starving myself into reaching my goals, but eating for health and eating to sustain my energy and working out consistently to make sure my muscles and heart stay in good shape. Sculpting a new body and getting rid of that jiggly bit under my arms...well that's secondary. And the important thing I'm also trying to keep in mind- I can buy new clothes that fit my body better, and make me look great everyday even if I don't feel like I always look great naked :)
So to wrap for today, here are the stats:
Weight- 192.8lbs
30 Min. Run- 2.60 (steady and strong at 5.0 mph - no walking! AGAIN.)
Pounds from goal- 8.8lbs
Friday, September 21, 2012
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Life is kicking along...in a good way.
I'm going a little crazy today. I don't know why. I'm just having trouble focusing. I guess you can't help that sometimes. Mostly, things are going really well. I really have very few complaints about my life, even though I bought a car without thinking and am living on a crazy budget all of a sudden. It's kind of an adventure...surviving without money. I'm digging it so far, but it's only been 2 weeks. Talk to me about it in 2 months.
My main goal is to keep putting money in savings and NOT rack up crazy credit card debt by doing so. If I can get to my bonus and tax return doing these two things (and that means making it past Atlantic City, DC, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas), I will be a champion in my own eyes.
Oh yeah, and while doing that, I'm trying to lose even more weight and take on a new role at my company while simultaneously doing the job I do now. Holy wow, it seems like I'm taking on a lot. I read on facebook the other day "If it scares you, you might want to think about doing it" or some such stuff. (That's not verbatim.) I believe that's what I'm doing with the second half of this year.
It's been a pretty awesome year with Dylan and reveling in all that being in love stuff, but I guess I was finally ready for new challenges, so I'm taking on the world. On top of the financial goals, the health goals and the work goals, I also want to volunteer! And organize my house, getting rid of things I don't need anymore. I'm supposed to tackle clothing tomorrow. I think it'll make getting dressed in the morning a lot easier if I'm not sifting through a million things to get to the clothes that fit and look good. It's the borderline stuff - the stuff you can pair with other things and have it look alright - that is going to be tough to deal with. I don't want to pare my wardrobe down so much that I only have a few outfits. But at the same time, if it doesn't fit, I've got to get rid of it and get a new one! Or get something else that's even better. Either way, I've got a lot of work ahead of me.
And maybe once all that money is saved up, and my credit card is free and clear, I can go on a little shopping spree and get myself some nice new clothes that fit well and are good quality. I'm thinking good stores + sales rack = the way to go.
Not even thinking of all the things I want to get for my house. I just wish Dylan was done with school sooner so we could start our dual income life. It's going to be a lot easier to afford things like vacuum cleaners and ironing boards and Dutch ovens, when I'm not the only one paying rent and utilities. I know it won't be perfect, and I know life will be an adjustment no matter what, but I'm really looking forward to building my life with him.
And of course, it has a hell of a lot more to do with waking up next to him each day and snuggling up to him each night than it does to do with splitting expenses. It's just a nice bonus, and I think once we're both working, we can have a really good life together. I'm excited for that day to come.
I have always had a hard time coming up with a 5 year plan, but I think I'm close to finally being able to come up with one! With work, my relationship, my goals...the stars are aligning, and I feel like the road in front of me is actually clearing up a little bit and I can see where it is that I'm going. That is, instead of just going day by day, week by week, and hoping I end up somewhere I want to be. Not that that hasn't worked out well for me these past few years! Nonetheless, I'm happy to say I'm in a good place, and working on making it even better. Here I go :)
My main goal is to keep putting money in savings and NOT rack up crazy credit card debt by doing so. If I can get to my bonus and tax return doing these two things (and that means making it past Atlantic City, DC, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas), I will be a champion in my own eyes.
Oh yeah, and while doing that, I'm trying to lose even more weight and take on a new role at my company while simultaneously doing the job I do now. Holy wow, it seems like I'm taking on a lot. I read on facebook the other day "If it scares you, you might want to think about doing it" or some such stuff. (That's not verbatim.) I believe that's what I'm doing with the second half of this year.
It's been a pretty awesome year with Dylan and reveling in all that being in love stuff, but I guess I was finally ready for new challenges, so I'm taking on the world. On top of the financial goals, the health goals and the work goals, I also want to volunteer! And organize my house, getting rid of things I don't need anymore. I'm supposed to tackle clothing tomorrow. I think it'll make getting dressed in the morning a lot easier if I'm not sifting through a million things to get to the clothes that fit and look good. It's the borderline stuff - the stuff you can pair with other things and have it look alright - that is going to be tough to deal with. I don't want to pare my wardrobe down so much that I only have a few outfits. But at the same time, if it doesn't fit, I've got to get rid of it and get a new one! Or get something else that's even better. Either way, I've got a lot of work ahead of me.
And maybe once all that money is saved up, and my credit card is free and clear, I can go on a little shopping spree and get myself some nice new clothes that fit well and are good quality. I'm thinking good stores + sales rack = the way to go.
Not even thinking of all the things I want to get for my house. I just wish Dylan was done with school sooner so we could start our dual income life. It's going to be a lot easier to afford things like vacuum cleaners and ironing boards and Dutch ovens, when I'm not the only one paying rent and utilities. I know it won't be perfect, and I know life will be an adjustment no matter what, but I'm really looking forward to building my life with him.
And of course, it has a hell of a lot more to do with waking up next to him each day and snuggling up to him each night than it does to do with splitting expenses. It's just a nice bonus, and I think once we're both working, we can have a really good life together. I'm excited for that day to come.
I have always had a hard time coming up with a 5 year plan, but I think I'm close to finally being able to come up with one! With work, my relationship, my goals...the stars are aligning, and I feel like the road in front of me is actually clearing up a little bit and I can see where it is that I'm going. That is, instead of just going day by day, week by week, and hoping I end up somewhere I want to be. Not that that hasn't worked out well for me these past few years! Nonetheless, I'm happy to say I'm in a good place, and working on making it even better. Here I go :)
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Weeks 33 - 37?!!!!
Yes, it's been forever since I've posted and even longer since I posted about my fitness journey. The past month has been a lot of travel, a lot of partying and dining out with friends and because of that , a lot of eating. I did great at working out in August, but September has only seen ONE day at the gym so far. BAD RECORD. Luckily, I did some swimming over Labor Day Weekend, played tons on a playground with some 5 year olds last Tuesday and walked a 5K on Saturday, so I haven't been completely without activity. I did however, just get a car, so I don't want to let myself get too lazy and drive to the train everyday! I will still be walking in the city and going to the gym everyday I can; I'm also looking to get another pair of running shoes and a sports bra to be able to run in the evenings at home in addition to working out at the gym. How's that for dedicated!?
Since I've been really trying to watch what I eat (with lots of splurges, of course), I've managed to lose another 1.5 pounds in the past month, down from 197 on August 10.
I had a ton of carbs tonight, but that run really took it out of me and even though I ate some turkey chili before coming home, I still felt ravenous. Here's hoping a dedicated rest of the week and a responsible weekend will earn me another pound down next week...closing in on the 10 pounds left mark!!!
Weight- 195.4lbs
30 Min. Run- 2.60 (steady and strong at 5.0 mph - no walking!)
Pounds from goal- 11.4lbs
Since I've been really trying to watch what I eat (with lots of splurges, of course), I've managed to lose another 1.5 pounds in the past month, down from 197 on August 10.
I had a ton of carbs tonight, but that run really took it out of me and even though I ate some turkey chili before coming home, I still felt ravenous. Here's hoping a dedicated rest of the week and a responsible weekend will earn me another pound down next week...closing in on the 10 pounds left mark!!!
Weight- 195.4lbs
30 Min. Run- 2.60 (steady and strong at 5.0 mph - no walking!)
Pounds from goal- 11.4lbs
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Is it August already?
It's been a long time since I've written, and I feel like I miss writing so much. I really want to get doing this again every day, but it's so hard when you're not in the rhythm to make it a priority. I'll try for September's challenge I suppose. Though, we're going to the shore Labor Day weekend, so I don't know how that will go (if we'll have wifi or not).
Life is going quite well. Things with Dylan are great, I've been having fun with friends and coworkers, I'm actually genuinely excited to try new things at work, and I'm about to go see my family for the third time this summer. I've decided to stay in my place for another year or so, even though Dylan got into the University of Pennsylvania. Both cats have been to the vet and are healthy. And I've been great with going to the gym and have even dipped below 200 pounds, though with eating a half a pizza last night, we'll see how I fare on the scale today!
So all these good things ought to make me the happiest girl in the world, right? Well, for the most part I am. But I still feel really anxious some days (usually Mondays), and I had a day on Saturday where all I wanted to do was sleep and sleep and sleep some more. I didn't want to watch shows or do things, I just wanted to nap. Dylan gave me kind of a hard time about it, and I don't know if it was from exhaustion or from a minor bought of depression, but it was hard for me to snap out of it. This upcoming weekend, going home for the summer picnic, is going to be more busy and crazy, so I won't have time to sleep the day away, but when we come back, I want to make an effort to get up by 9AM on the weekend and maybe do some light exercise to get my body going. Maybe write! Wink wink nudge nudge. I'd love to get into more of a routine on the weekend and maybe get stuff accomplished, but it's hard when Dylan's there and there's not much for him to do at my house except watch TV.
Anyhow, other than my anxious days and the occasional super sleepy day, life has been good. As I said, Dylan got into Penn and I couldn't be happier for him. He's already invested in lots of Penn gear - 2 sweatshirts, a polo and a cute sporty T-shirt for me! We decided to put off moving in together for the time being, since he doesn't have a job aside from tutoring and it could put a strain on us for him not to have an income and us having all sorts of expenses. I think it's smart, but there's still part of me that's yearning to come home from work each night and get to see him. Even if we don't hang out all night, just to be able to give him a kiss or make him dinner would be lovely. But all good things come in time. So I'm sure whenever it does happen, it'll be worth the wait. And by then, we'll be even more sure that it's right.
Work has been pretty exciting, as I said. I've been spending lots of time after work with other coworkers as well as investigating new avenues of work itself. I rented a car and took a trip up to Morristown to meet with our resident social media expert on Monday. She told me a lot about what it is she does - profiling and auditing clients social media presence, sometimes in a crisis, to find out what people are saying (good and bad) and then making recommendations based upon this to help them engage with their customers or investors, whoever their audience might be. It's all incredibly interesting to me, and it's in a space I feel very comfortable in, since I've been involved in social media for the better part of 10 years on some level. I'm going to have one other chat today, with someone else in a different department. But I'm actually getting excited about new opportunities to learn and grow and work with different people!
I'm about to dive into my last full work day before my trip, and there's a lot to do, but I'm glad I could take a few minutes to write. I've owed it to myself, at the very least :)
Life is going quite well. Things with Dylan are great, I've been having fun with friends and coworkers, I'm actually genuinely excited to try new things at work, and I'm about to go see my family for the third time this summer. I've decided to stay in my place for another year or so, even though Dylan got into the University of Pennsylvania. Both cats have been to the vet and are healthy. And I've been great with going to the gym and have even dipped below 200 pounds, though with eating a half a pizza last night, we'll see how I fare on the scale today!
So all these good things ought to make me the happiest girl in the world, right? Well, for the most part I am. But I still feel really anxious some days (usually Mondays), and I had a day on Saturday where all I wanted to do was sleep and sleep and sleep some more. I didn't want to watch shows or do things, I just wanted to nap. Dylan gave me kind of a hard time about it, and I don't know if it was from exhaustion or from a minor bought of depression, but it was hard for me to snap out of it. This upcoming weekend, going home for the summer picnic, is going to be more busy and crazy, so I won't have time to sleep the day away, but when we come back, I want to make an effort to get up by 9AM on the weekend and maybe do some light exercise to get my body going. Maybe write! Wink wink nudge nudge. I'd love to get into more of a routine on the weekend and maybe get stuff accomplished, but it's hard when Dylan's there and there's not much for him to do at my house except watch TV.
Anyhow, other than my anxious days and the occasional super sleepy day, life has been good. As I said, Dylan got into Penn and I couldn't be happier for him. He's already invested in lots of Penn gear - 2 sweatshirts, a polo and a cute sporty T-shirt for me! We decided to put off moving in together for the time being, since he doesn't have a job aside from tutoring and it could put a strain on us for him not to have an income and us having all sorts of expenses. I think it's smart, but there's still part of me that's yearning to come home from work each night and get to see him. Even if we don't hang out all night, just to be able to give him a kiss or make him dinner would be lovely. But all good things come in time. So I'm sure whenever it does happen, it'll be worth the wait. And by then, we'll be even more sure that it's right.
Work has been pretty exciting, as I said. I've been spending lots of time after work with other coworkers as well as investigating new avenues of work itself. I rented a car and took a trip up to Morristown to meet with our resident social media expert on Monday. She told me a lot about what it is she does - profiling and auditing clients social media presence, sometimes in a crisis, to find out what people are saying (good and bad) and then making recommendations based upon this to help them engage with their customers or investors, whoever their audience might be. It's all incredibly interesting to me, and it's in a space I feel very comfortable in, since I've been involved in social media for the better part of 10 years on some level. I'm going to have one other chat today, with someone else in a different department. But I'm actually getting excited about new opportunities to learn and grow and work with different people!
I'm about to dive into my last full work day before my trip, and there's a lot to do, but I'm glad I could take a few minutes to write. I've owed it to myself, at the very least :)
Friday, August 10, 2012
Week 32
Got to the gym FIVE TIMES THIS WEEK. AND going to body combat Sunday. Hopefully that makes up for the fact that my 30 minute run on Monday consisted of 19 odd minutes of walking and jogging. Oh well. Lots of good things happening- dinner out for Kate's last day Thursday night and another dinner out to celebrate Dylan's getting into school Sunday night.
I also met with the fitness manager this week, Artis, who not only was shocked at my weigh-in, but told me that my body fat has gone from 31.8% to 26.9%! I was amazed.
So I'll try not to ruin this over the next couple of weeks by eating too much, and keep up the gym workouts. Here's hoping for more success!
Weight- 197lbs
30 Min. Run- None! :(
Pounds from goal- 13lbs
I also met with the fitness manager this week, Artis, who not only was shocked at my weigh-in, but told me that my body fat has gone from 31.8% to 26.9%! I was amazed.
So I'll try not to ruin this over the next couple of weeks by eating too much, and keep up the gym workouts. Here's hoping for more success!
Weight- 197lbs
30 Min. Run- None! :(
Pounds from goal- 13lbs
Friday, August 3, 2012
Week 31
Only got to the gym twice this week, but one was a great 30 min. run- getting back into the swing of things- and the other was an awesome and ass-kicking session with my trainer. I had a trip to NY Thursday and a very sleepy Amanda on my hands today (Friday), so hoping to get some activity in over the weekend (circuit on Saturday, dancing at a concert Saturday night, maybe body combat or treadmill at Dylan's on Sunday), and keep up my healthy eating habits. ASIDE, of course, for our plans to have ice cream and wine tonight.
Last I checked at the gym, I had lost another .2 pounds. Not much to speak of, but it wasn't a gain and MAN, I've lost a ton in a month and a half, I don't want to get greedy.
Thanks to all my facebook workout friends for their support and my other awesome facebook friends for cheering me on as I hit 100 pounds lost and beyond!
Weight- 198lbs
30 Min. Run- 2.62 (only .13 away from my highest this year!)
Pounds from goal- 14lbs
Last I checked at the gym, I had lost another .2 pounds. Not much to speak of, but it wasn't a gain and MAN, I've lost a ton in a month and a half, I don't want to get greedy.
Thanks to all my facebook workout friends for their support and my other awesome facebook friends for cheering me on as I hit 100 pounds lost and beyond!
Weight- 198lbs
30 Min. Run- 2.62 (only .13 away from my highest this year!)
Pounds from goal- 14lbs
Friday, July 27, 2012
Week 30
Hard to believe it's been 30 weeks since this year began. I'm a bit nostalgic for the beginning of the year. I feel even back then, things were a little simpler in my life. But it's all part of growing up, and I'm doing the best I can with everything. I actually discovered on Friday last week that I CAN, in fact, work out in the morning. Glory be! I get to the office around 7:20, drop off my laptop and grab my gym bag. I can do a run, 30 minutes of other cardio, a weight circuit, pretty much any of my standard solo workouts. I think this is a great alternative to doing these solo jobbies at lunch. And then I can save my precious lunch workouts for classes. Same with after work. Now the real kicker will be if I ever find it in myself to run in the morning and go to a class after work. We'll see if I ever get there.
More good news this week! I had a big eating weekend at home last weekend, but somehow, some way, I got back on track Sunday and by the time I stepped on the scale yesterday- BAM! Under 200 pounds for the first time...ever? I mean, I was a baby once. I know I weighed under 200 pounds. And I know in fourth grade, I weighed 132. So somewhere in there, I GOT to 200 pounds. I just never left. Even when working out 2-4 hours a day in crew. Even when running and working 2 jobs when I was 21. This is what they refer to as a BFD. I'm proud of this. I haven't reached my goal, but this has been a life goal much longer than I knew what BMI or my body fat percentage was. This is about feeling like a girl and not like a giant. This shot my self esteem up 10 points.
I know they say not to base your progress on a number on the scale, but it was a great number to see. Didn't work out last weekend, but I plan on walking NYC tomorrow, and hitting up body combat on Sunday if I can make it. And I got to the gym FOUR WHOLE TIMES this week. M/W/F at 7:30AM, and yesterday for cardio jam class at lunch. ROCKING. Happy weekend all!
Weight- 198.2lbs (18.8lbs lost since 1/4/12)
30 Min. Run- 2.51 (I got a long way to get back to where I was!)
Pounds from goal- 14.2lbs (eep!)
More good news this week! I had a big eating weekend at home last weekend, but somehow, some way, I got back on track Sunday and by the time I stepped on the scale yesterday- BAM! Under 200 pounds for the first time...ever? I mean, I was a baby once. I know I weighed under 200 pounds. And I know in fourth grade, I weighed 132. So somewhere in there, I GOT to 200 pounds. I just never left. Even when working out 2-4 hours a day in crew. Even when running and working 2 jobs when I was 21. This is what they refer to as a BFD. I'm proud of this. I haven't reached my goal, but this has been a life goal much longer than I knew what BMI or my body fat percentage was. This is about feeling like a girl and not like a giant. This shot my self esteem up 10 points.
I know they say not to base your progress on a number on the scale, but it was a great number to see. Didn't work out last weekend, but I plan on walking NYC tomorrow, and hitting up body combat on Sunday if I can make it. And I got to the gym FOUR WHOLE TIMES this week. M/W/F at 7:30AM, and yesterday for cardio jam class at lunch. ROCKING. Happy weekend all!
Weight- 198.2lbs (18.8lbs lost since 1/4/12)
30 Min. Run- 2.51 (I got a long way to get back to where I was!)
Pounds from goal- 14.2lbs (eep!)
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