My Weekly Food Routine & 1st Group Fitness Class!

I am just beyond words excited for the changes that have been happening in my life lately.

No major life change has happened, but my point of view, focus, determination, and thought process has completely changed. I am stepping out of my comfort zone, I am beginning to be able to visualize the person I will become and the body I will have, I am gaining the control that I so desperately wanted to have over my food choices and impulses- in short: I AM BECOMING THE PERSON GOD CREATED ME TO BE in so many different ways. Not that God wasn't happy or didn't love me at 352lbs but I know that I wasn't glorifying Him with the choices I was making, nor was I a good reflection of a life that has been completely satisfied by Him. More on that another time.

Here are some Highlights & Updates from the last week:

• FOOD: One of the most VITAL keys to my success has been food preparation. Becasue it is hard for me to control myself when eating out (although I still do it quite often) as well as it being expensive, I usually bring my lunch to work every week (M-F). However, because I don't have time in the mornings to cook and pack a lunch everyday, I do ALL of my food prep and packing on Sundays. Luckily, I don't have a hard time eating the same thing for lunch everyday, but if I don't like what I'm eating then it becomes difficult to do that week in and week out- so, I usually try and cook a brand new lunch recipe at least every other week. Some common lunch reoccurences: Turkey Chili, Tuna or Chicken Salad Sandwhiches, or Pasta; and this past week PIZZA joined the ranks of my lunch favorites! The pic above is the pizza I made this past week and it was seriously the BEST thing I have EVER made- I could prob eat it for lunch every day for the rest of the month! I used: Trader Joe's rustic ciabbata pizza crust, Trader Joe's basil marinara spaghetti sauce, reduced fat part skim mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, spinach, red onion, garlic, and chicken. So. freaking. delicious. Next time I make it I will be more careful to calculate the exact nutritional info but if I had to guess, I believe for 2 slices it was about 350 calories and with 4 servings coming out of each pizza, I'm good for lunch for almost the entire week! You all will be seeing more pizza creations from me in the future, no doubt. Anyone have any good recipe suggestions that are easy to make & pack for the week in advance?
• My weigh in this week was pretty much exactly what I expected: At last week's weigh in I had a 7lb loss so my goal for this week was pretty much to just maintain that loss (something that is hard for me to do for some reason); however, I was able to do just that and weighed in at 270lbs this Thursday. My goal for next week's weigh in? A 2lb loss, total loss of 84lbs, at 268lbs.

• One of my goals for the month of February was to check out a group fitness class- this is something I've wanted to do for a while for a couple of reasons: 1) I can feel myself beginning to get a bit bored with doing 45 min on the elliptical 4x's a week and was in need of some variety, 2) I don't want my body to get used to using the same muscles at the same amount of resistance, and 3) I am ALL about not allowing fear to keep me from doing ANYTHING and working out with a group of people who may be more fit than I am and might judge me if I'm not able to keep up w/the class is pretty scary to me. WELL...this past Wednesday I had my first group fitness class experience through my local YMCA and I attended Zumba. Prior to going I had heard really good things about the class from some co-workers (mostly that it was fun and a really good workout) and it seemed to be the least intimidating option; when I arrived I was suprised to see that I was one of the 5 people there under the age of 50, which immediately calmed my nerves but made me suspicious about how much of a good workout I would actually be getting. My final evaluation? While it was a nice break from the old elliptical, there were numerous times throughout the class that I found myself wondering why I was finding it so easy and if I was wasting my precious workout time. I had to constantly make the moves more challenging and continue marching while everyone else took water breaks after every song, but when I checked my calorie burn on my heart rate monitor, it did show I had burned 592 calories in the 50 minute class session AND my butt and legs are freaking killing me- perhaps it was a better workout than I thought! In the end, I probably will be attending the class on more of a bi-weekly basis than weekly (for variety), I am glad that I went and proud of myself for not allowing fear to hold me back from something I had no reason to be afraid of. My next step of kicking fear in the face? Spin. I am by no means confident in my ability to even make it through a class but I am going to try. I'm hoping that it will have the challenging aspect that I'm looking for and that I may end up being passionate about it. I'm not gonna lie- I'm truly nervous about it, but that's not gonna stop me. I plan to take my first class next week if not this weekend. What has your experience with Zumba been? Did you like or dislike it? Also, should I be afraid to try spinning?

Alright, I think this post has gotten long enough (this posting only one time a week thing usually leaves me with lots to talk about!), but I've got to say- there's absolutely nothing like doing something you never thought you could do before and becoming a person you never even thought you could become. I love it.

Have a good weekend :)

Inspiration: The Biggest Loser!

Happy Thursday!

Well friends, today is my weigh in day and I am pretty. stinkin'. stoked. b/c FINALLY after MONTHS of floating around between losing 1lb one week, gaining 2lbs the next, losing 3lbs the next, gaining 1lbs the following week (which was probably more due to my lack of commitment than a plateu), my newfound determination has tangibly shown on the scale this week:

Last Weeks Weigh In: 277lbs

This Weeks Weigh In: 270lbs (-7lbs!!!)

For a Total Journey Loss of: 82lbs!!!

Seeing this # on the scale this morning was honestly a pretty big shock as my goal was to be 275lbs this week and 273lbs by the end of the month- so YAY!

Lately I have found some newfound commitment, focus, and determination in myself and when I thought about where this has come from I can undoubtedly say that a BIG source of it has been from watching The Biggest Loser. I know it is obviously not shocking to hear that I'm inspired by TBL, I'm sure ALL of us are, and although I've been watching for seasons none has seem to have the effect on me that this season has. First of all, it's just great tv- the addition of 2 new trainers has definitely stepped up the drama and I love it- but besides that, here are some of the ways the show has been truly inspiring me and helping me on this journey lately:

• The girl above has one of the BEST attitudes about weight loss that I have ever seen. Every time she steps on the scale she can do it with confidence because she KNOWS that she has given everything she has that week. And when the scale doesn't necessarily show a number that she feels is equivalent to how hard she's worked that week, she just shrugs it off and keeps on moving becuase she knows that sooner or later- she'll get there. I would like to believe that I have adopted her attitude on this journey- I will give my BEST every day so that when I weigh in I will know I've done everything I possibly can and allow that to determine my progress and success and not a number on the scale. I truly hope Courtney goes all the freaking way!

• The BIGGEST thing I have gotten from watching TBL is help in the form of the way I think. There were NUMEROUS times this past week that I didn't want to workout (I had a cold) or I wanted to eat cookie cake like everyone else in my office did and right in the middle of me rationalizing these thoughts in mind as to why I could just skip a workout or have that piece of cake I thought to myself, "What would I do in this situation if I was on The Biggest Loser right now?" or "What would I think of a contestant (aka Arthur) if they were eating a piece of cookie cake right now?" And suddenly it all becomes very clear in my mind- and I make the right decision. When I'm watching TBL I realize how serious it is for these contestants and just how desperately they need this and how determined they will have to be to change their lives and even though there aren't TV cameras following me around, a televised weigh in coming up, or the chance to win half a million dollars, I still HAVE to be just as intense, just as focused, and just as determined because the very same things are up for stake.

• Some of you may know that running is something I have always wanted to do but felt extremely intimidated by. I have had multiple DREAMS (like literal sleeping dreams) about running and every time I'm running in my dream I always have the same thought: "I love this, I could do this forever." How crazy is that? Anyways, I have been trying to figure out when I should begin running and I just keep wondering if I'm too large to start running now or if I should wait until I lose some more weight- it's truly a thought that's been plaguing me. And THEN, I saw Rulon (one of my absolute FAVORITE players this season) running 12mph with his 400+lb frame and I KNEW I could do it to. Furthermore, even Arthur has been running on the treadmill. If they can do it, I CAN DO IT. Plain and simple. It may take me a little longer, but I will become a runner. Who had been placing these limitations on me? No one but myself! I have recently made a pact with myself, every time I go into the gym I want to think about something I currently don't think I can do, and then do it! I need to stop putting limitations on myself, the sky is the limit for me and I need to start living that! And yesterday was the 1st step in doing that: I went to the gym (even though I stayed home from work for being sick! ...haha) and after doing the elliptical I decided to jump on the treadmill and start running. At first I though I would probably be able to do 30 seconds one time...well, by the time I was finished I had jogged for 1 minute, twice! If it weren't for me having seen Rulon and Arthur running on the treadmill weighing almost 150lbs more than me, I would never have done that yesterday.

I am doing this and it feels great. I have new goals and am experiencing some really cool things with my weight loss and I'm truthfully enjoying the journey of transforming into the person I was created to be. I am going to give it my all, every day and destroy any fear or impossibility along the way.

Has anything from this season of BL inspired anyone else? If so, I'd like to hear about it!



Poppin' In for a Weigh In!

Hey friends-

Just poppin' in real quick to share my weigh in results:

Last Week: 279

This Week: 277

Meaning an OFFICIAL 75LB loss!!! Whoo freaking hoo :)

Movin' forward, movin' forward :) 

An Update in Pictures!

Hi!!!

With me only blogging weekly (*cough* and sometimes bi-weekly *cough*), I always have SO much that I want to share with you all! Ahhh, where to start....how about an update in pictures? Yes.

Well, one good thing that came out of my 3 weeks of veganism is that I began to learn to cook with new foods (primarily vegetables) and I'm no longer afraid to encorporate them into my diet! The pasta below (while it may may not look appetizing due to having taken the pic w/ my cell phone and it being in a plastic container), it was truly yummy. I used ww ronzoni healthy harvest pasta, 1 can of stewed tomatoes, lots of fresh spinach leaves, reduced fat feta, evoo, lemon juice, artichokes, shrimp, and mushrooms. YUM. Aren't you proud of me? This may have been the most creative thing I have ever cooked! haha Sad, I know :)

 I have also become newly obsessed with making omelets for dinner, lunch, breakfast- shoot, I'll eat one wherever and whenever! Can you believe this WHOLE plate of food was only 200 calories???!? LOVE IT. To be specific, I used egg beaters, spinach, red onion, and reduced fat colby shredded cheese and 2 slices of turkey bacon. I wouldn't be surprised if I eat this meal a few more times this week.

 As you all know, I live in Pittsburgh and this past weekend was a BIG weekend for us Steeler fans which ultimately lead to a BIG disappointment. Ahh...oh well, although it was agonizing, it was pretty amazing to live in the city of Pittsburgh during this time and get to experience just how crazy dedicated Pittsburgh fans truly are. Below is a picture of me (not a super great one obviously! lol) and my dear friend this Sunday at church- obviously rockin' our Steelers gear! Next year...next year... ;)

 A new love has entered my life- his name? Cinnamon Burst Cheerios. For real- these things are AMAZING. I have always had a dilemma with Cheerios as I really like the honey nut ones, but think the regular (and consequently more healthy) regular Cheerios taste like cardboard. Discovering the Cinnamon Burst Cheerios has officially restored my love for the brand as they honestly taste creepily (in a good way) like Cinnamon Toast Crunch- and I'm sorry, but who doesn't love them some cinnamon toast crunch? Paired with some UVAB (unsweetened vanilla almond breeze) it is kind of out of this world! It has more fiber than the original cereal and doesn't make me want to pour sugar on it- super sweat, super decadent. Wonder if they could ditch the Bee and make me their new spokesperson??? ;)

Ok, enough pictures for today.

In the last week I have regained my focus. I never "fell off the wagon" but I definitely was struggling in my mind to do anything related to weight loss/fitness last week: I didn't want to exercise, eat anything green, or even think about goal setting and then I turned to old faithful (AKA- The Biggest Loser) to put things into perspective and give me the motivation and focus I needed to get back to being the committed person I am.

Here's something odd that I'm realizing: Because I am currently the smallest that I can ever remember being in the last...well, a long time, and I'm not experiencing a lot of the discomfort that I was when I weighed 352lbs, that I don't feel the need to loose weight to be as pressing and urgent as I once did. Obviously this is not true- I still have 100lbs to lose, but I've always had a hard time being disatisfied with the way I look (I know that may sound crazy), but I've always just dealt with what I had and made due.

Right now I am focused as a laser beam running right toward what I want: To become the healthy, fit person I was created to and want to be.

I am:
* Staying within my 1700 calorie budget (that will gradually decrease over time).
* Counting/Writing down my calories.
* Exercising 4x's per week (75% Cardio 25% Strenth Training).

So that I can:
* Weigh 265lbs by March 26th (1st Wedding I'm in for 2011).
* Lose 100lbs by May 15th (losing an avg. of 2lbs per week)
* Begin running by April/May of 2011.

Keep moving forward friends, because IT is worth it and YOU are worth it!

p.s. Tomorrow's Weigh In Day... hoping to see 277lbs on the scale (a 75lb weight loss!)

Veganism: Week 2 & Weigh In

Hola amigos!

As you know, it's weigh in day- and I'm smack dab in the middle of my vegan fast sooo check it out:

Weigh In Prior to Fast: 282lbs
Weigh In Last Week (1 Week Into Fast): 278lbs (-4lbs)
Weigh In This Week (2 Weeks Info Fast): 279lbs (+1lbs)

Hmmm. I'm a little annoyed but emphasis on the LITTLE b/c I'm not quite sure how this happened- I've been clocking good workouts, haven't been eating all that much, and blah blah blah. I've come to the conclusion (especially from reading the amount of weigh in blog posts I have) that there are a million different reasons as to why we get on the scale and our efforts don't seem to compute into a loss that we want to see, and to try and speculate what the reason was when I know I've done well is just...well, a waste of time. All I know is I'll get to where I want to go, I will succeed, and I am on no one's clock but mine. In fact, I am only 2lbs away from my January 31st goal of weighing no more than 277lbs- so I'm doing juuuuuust fine.

If you're beating yourself up over a 1 or 2lb gain coming off of a week where you KNOW that you've done your BEST (emphasis on doing your best, not continually chomping on candy and loaves of bread and then sulking when you don't a loss on the scale- oops, did I just say that out loud???) then hold your head high and keep on running towards what you know you will accomplish.

Ok, I'm off my soap box (I swear I have a vacation home up there!) and thought I'd share what it is I'm eating during this vegan fast- remember, I keep things simple so it's nothing fancy shmancy:

Breakfast: Amy's Vegan Honey Bunny Rabit Cereal (apparently, I'm 5 years old) w/ Unsweetend Almond Milk.
Snacks: Apples, Oranges, and Raw Trail Mix from Trader Joe's.
Lunch: An Asian Stir Fry made with: Organic brown rice, zucchini, squash, red onion, carrots, reduced-sodium soy sauce (which maybe cheating- not completely sure), and pine nuts.
Dinner: Salad (red onion, sliced almonds, & tomatoes) w/ homeade dressing & Amy's Organic Tomato Bisque Soup.
Dessert: 6 oz. glass of 100% Cranberry/Raspberry juice (I know, the sugar is a bit much but it's my only form of sweetness right now).

So yea- I'm ready for some meat and soda in my life but I am considering making soda somethig I only drink on special occasions or when I go out to eat (aka- not one for lunch every day) but who knows- this fast has definitely helped me to tie up any loose ends with compulsive eating.

SO- it has been a while since I've shared some NSV's (Non-Scale Victories) and they've become more frequent (yayyyyy!) so I thought I'd share some:

#1) How about I can totally begin to feel bones and muscles in my body that I never knew I had. Like for real- as I mentioned before, I'm mildly obsessed with my collar bone and yesterday at the gym I could actually feel the muscles in my legs contracting instead of just believing they were hidden under the fat somewhere. I love it! Same thing with my forearms!
#2) I've had numerous people at church come up to me and finally say, "Um...have you been losing weight....like, a lot of weight?" haha this is rather comforting as I've been wondering why I've lost 73lbs and some of my closest comrads haven't said anything but now I guess the cats out of the bag- and I guess it just takes longer to notice weight loss the bigger you are (at least that's what I'm hoping!) Thoughts on that?
#3) I had one of my clients ask me if I was losing weight because my pants looked like they were about to fall off...haha oh dear. Have I mentioned I'm a welfare caseworker and my clients are extremely blunt and honest? lol Either way, I definitely took it as a compliment :)

Ok, I think this post has gotten long enough, but now that I'm only writing once a week I have a lot to share :) I'm also enjoying catching up on all of your blogs (and enjoying some new readers blogs as well) so keep it coming!

Adios!

21 Days of Veganism= Oh Boy!

Howdy partners!

Thanks for all the positive feedback on my 2011 goals- this is going to be a great year and I'm looking forward to seeing many of you accomplish your goals as well!

It has become the practice of many Christians recently to begin the new year by fasting in some sort of way in order to get focused on God and de-clutter life for a while. Many believers choose to fast food completely (and only drink water or juice), others may choose to stop eating only certain things (fast food), while others choose to abstain from some form of media. I really enjoy and regularly participate in fasting as it really does help me focus on God while keeping various aspects of my life "in check."

While I typically lean towards doing a water only/juice only fast, this year I felt that I should do something different and as of Monday I've embarked on a 21 day "Daniel Fast" which is for all intensive purposes a variation of a VEGAN diet (or at least what I understand to be one). Now, anyone that knows me (or has even read my blog for any period of time) knows that I pretty much eat Chicken at every meal (excluding breakfast) and the idea of becoming a vegetarian/vegan has never been something I would ever/have ever considered doing; however, I've taken the plunge and for this 21 day period I will be:

Abstaining From All:

- Meat

- Dairy

- Eggs

- Soda

- Candy
- Anything made from White Flour
- Anything containing salt or sugar (in the ingredients list)
- Eating out (yikes!!!!)

My Diet Consists Of:

- Fruits

- Vegetables

- Whole Grain/Whole Wheat items

- Water

- Beans

And that's about it folks. Truthfully, this has been easier in some ways as I'm used to not being able to eat at all during fasting, but on the other hand I'm quite the veggie-virgin and have never abstained from meat or dairy IN MY LIFE. While I have absolutely no intentions of maintaining this lifestyle after these 3 weeks, I am learning a lot and think this can only be a good thing for my weight loss journey as well as my relationship with God.

Having to work with foods that I've never tried before (and with such a limited number of options) has definitely caused me to get creative in the kitchen- here are some of my latest food endeavours:

I created this semi-delicious "dessert" when I began having cravings for something sweet. It's a whole-wheat cinnamon raisin english muffin topped with a mashed up banana, vanilla, and cinnamon. It wasn't great but it did the job. 

Now this was delicious! I picked up some brown rice tortillas at Trader Joes (which I was a little afraid of at first but are def decent) and threw them in the oven to create some "tortilla chips", and topped with it with Trader Joe's garlic hummus, a tomato slice, and some balsamic vinegar. I do believe I will be having 3-4 more of these tonight with a nice side salad.

I am interested to see what my weigh in will be like tomorrow- particularly with cutting out soda- I usually onl y drink diet anyways but I know my sodium levels have definitely gone down. I guess we'll have to see!

Anyways, I'll be sharing more of my adventures as a temporary vegan throughout the next few weeks, enjoy at my expense :)

Peace out girl (and boy) scouts!

My 2011 Goals!

Well, 2011 is officially underway and so far so GREAT but boy (oh boy) has it been a busy week! Some highlights from this week: 

- I officially hit 282lbs this morning making for a 70lb loss!
- I took my new Polar HRM that I got for Christmas to the gym yesterday for its first test run and I love it! I really think it's going to help keep me challenged to work out at a high intensity level and allow me to leave with a sense of accomplishment (which I sometimes lack) because I'll know exactly how hard I worked out and how many calories I burned. For example, yesterday I burned 560 calories! Woot Woot! I would say that's a pretty decent number for a workout, right?

- I measured myself this week for the first time since July or so and it was cool to see some of the changes that have taken place. I had a major weight loss stall there for a few months (like four!) but I am definitely in my groove again!
- I have been fighting off some major junk food cravings that have made me feel like a bottomless pit; I'm hoping that this is due to some stressful/dramatic/depressing events that have happened recently with a friend and that as the situation continues to blow over that these wacky food cravings will subside but regardless, I've been fighting like a champ and have done pretty dang well.
- I sat down and thought about what it is I really want out of 2011 and set some goals not only for the month of January (which I'll continue to do every month), but also some weight loss AND fitness goals for the year. I am a bit of a goal-freak so this has me pretty excited!

And now I'd like to officially put my goals out there and share them with you all! I'm really looking forward to being able to encourage my bloggy friends as your goals are pursued and know that I'll be getting the same encouragment and accountability back :)

January 2011 Goals:

#1) Join a Group Fitness Class at my gym- Honestly, this is something I'm mildly terrified of. In my mind I have been able to convince myself that I'm doing pretty well fitness wise and I'm afraid my bubble is going to be burst in a major way that will result in major embarassment but I've decided I'm not living in FEAR and will be checking out one of these classes this month (probably Zumba) in order to get some variety in my workout routine.

#2) Continue my Workout Routine: I joined the YMCA in my community a few months back and have set a goal for myself of working out 4x's per week. My routine includes cardio on the elliptical, free weights, weighted balls (not sure what they are called), and lots of ab work.

#3) Weigh no more than 277lbs by January 31st: This will bring me to a total loss of 75lbs by the end of the month. I know some people do not like setting goals in the form of pounds lost but having a specific goal to work towards helps keep me focused and determined.

My Goals for 2011:

#1) I really want to leave any trace of me being an obese person behind in 2011. My current "goal weight" is set at 180lbs but for me, being in the 100's is like a DREAM. So while I'm not ready to set a specific goal # just yet, my goal is to at least have a 1 in front of my weight by December 31st. Perhaps when the time draws nearer I'll set an actual numeric goal. I have set a few different "benchmark" weights that you can see on the right sidebar- my first: To have lost 100lbs my March 26th (the date of a wedding I am in).

#2) To begin running. Even at my heaviest, I have always envied runners and wanted to be one. Truthfully, I don't know that I can even take myself seriously when I say that I'm going to one day be one but there's something inside of me telling me I will and that I'll find a lot of joy and fulfillment in it. No joke- I've even been having MULTIPLE dreams at night lately where I'm running and just absolutely love it (how weird is that???). Anyways, I'd like to say my goal is to run a 5k but that pretty much freaks me out and feels overwhelming; I will say; however, that my goal is to be able to run a full mile by the end of the year. I don't think I've EVER run a mile before ... like... ever in my life. Right now, I'm thinking that I'll begin encorporating running sometime in March.

So- there you have it. I know that I've done well but I not even halfway there yet so I'm prepared to run full steam ahead throughout this year. I realize how unique this part of my life is- I'm single and don't have any kids- although my life is crazy busy now, it will be even harder when I'm having to share my life with someone else or in charge of the lives of others and I need to take advantage of this time now while I can.

I can give two years of my life to this- one down, one to go. Here's to accomplishing things I never thought possible!