Today, I've felt more beautiful (inside AND out), than I have in a really, really long time. And it's even that time of the month- how do ya like them apples?! I look forward to feeling this way more in the future. Since today was the initial moment of clarity though, I felt the need to dedicate a post to it. With a soundtrack courtesy of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, even:
In terms of my everyday life, nothing has changed; still have the same job, same [more awesome than thou] Doug, same rented house with its ridiculous wood paneling on the walls. But in the past 24 hours, I'm just, dare I say it, feelin' the love.
Part of what contributed to this awakening was a well-deserved and much-needed clothes shopping trip. Thrift stores are the bee's knees, as some of you may well know. I basically bought half a wardrobe for a little over 20 bucks. I noticed I was falling into that frumpy phase again where I was dressing as basic and plain as possible. It's a terrible habit from my heavier days and unsurprisingly, eventually makes me feel kinda terrible. Not only did this trip boost my self-esteem, but I think I may be starting a love-affair with the color green (both wearing it and spending hardly any of it; a shirt for 99 cents is love, people).
Also found some cheap lipstick in some fun shades (I tend to rely on neutral colors that basically match my own tones, thus defeating the purpose of buying and wearing lipstick), thanks to New York Color. Now, don't get me wrong- I appreciate the ability to rock the natural look too, but sometimes it's just fun to doll it up a bit a feel like a sexy broad. I've never been overtly feminine, but I still get a kick out of playing around with my girly side from time to time.
Geez, all this talk about clothes and make-up... Guess I'll have to pose for a pic soon, heh.
Anywho, yes, this post had pretty much nothing to do with food or fitness, but I feel all of this still relates to my health. Very much so. I can't help but close with one of my favorite lines from "Kids in the Hall": Life's a pretty sweet fruit!
The rest of the day includes spending time with beloved friends (and possibly beer) at Geeks Who Drink. Again, love. Ok, that's enough with the love. Can't have this blog turnin' into a movie starring Drew Barrymore. I mean, I guess it could, but Mama needs to see the money first.
Showing posts with label clothes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label clothes. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Friday, November 6, 2009
Weigh-in Day.
Today's weight: 151. A loss of 5.8 pounds. Now, don't get me wrong; this is totally cool and all, but my weight has fluctuated like crazy the past few weeks, so it's hard to believe that this number will last. Let's take a look at some previous weigh-ins, shall we?
-10/30/09: 156.8
-10/23/09: 157.4
-10/16/09: 153.8
-10/9/09: 152.4
-10/2/09: 156.6
Insane. But, it also kinda makes sense. Those past weeks included a few extreme binge days, followed by extreme workout days, so my body didn't know what the hell to do. I really don't want to repeat a cycle like that again. Weekends are always a battle for me, so all I want to achieve over the next few days is balance. And, with the exception of Halloween, I managed to achieve some pretty damn good balance this week. I've been eating just the right amount of food (and enjoying it!) and I've been keeping my workouts in check by not overdoing it and being more aware of certain cues (muscle soreness, feelings of sluggishness versus feeling energized, etc.).
One thing that has probably helped is not having my regular heart rate monitor that tells me how many calories I burn. I had to send it away to be serviced this week, so I've had to go back to doing estimates on calories burned during workouts. Not my preferred method, obviously, but it has taken some of the underlying pressure off. It's allowed me to just be more in tune with my heart rate and breathing patterns on my own, instead of a monitor telling me where I'm at. I think it just forced me to work out smarter, as opposed to just doing whatever it takes to burn 700 calories at a time.
ANYWHO, in more exciting news, I can now fit comfortably into some size 7/8 jeans I bought a couple of months ago. I think I was more excited about that than seeing 151 on the scale. And a size 7/8 is pretty much where I wanted to end up anyway. Hooray!
Although I'm trying to move away from the numbers game, I can't help but point out that today's weight puts me at 97 pounds lost. Three pounds away from that elusive 100 pound mark. Sigh. I'm just going to take things one pound (and one day) at a time. I think changing up my fitness routine and being more aware of my diet this week really helped to move me in a new direction where I might possibly reach 148 without having to kill myself with stress.
Overall though, 3 pounds isn't going to change the way I look at this point and since I'm finally coming around and sort of loving the way I look now (especially in these jeans), I'm more concerned with just being happy with myself and feeling good.
-10/30/09: 156.8
-10/23/09: 157.4
-10/16/09: 153.8
-10/9/09: 152.4
-10/2/09: 156.6
Insane. But, it also kinda makes sense. Those past weeks included a few extreme binge days, followed by extreme workout days, so my body didn't know what the hell to do. I really don't want to repeat a cycle like that again. Weekends are always a battle for me, so all I want to achieve over the next few days is balance. And, with the exception of Halloween, I managed to achieve some pretty damn good balance this week. I've been eating just the right amount of food (and enjoying it!) and I've been keeping my workouts in check by not overdoing it and being more aware of certain cues (muscle soreness, feelings of sluggishness versus feeling energized, etc.).
One thing that has probably helped is not having my regular heart rate monitor that tells me how many calories I burn. I had to send it away to be serviced this week, so I've had to go back to doing estimates on calories burned during workouts. Not my preferred method, obviously, but it has taken some of the underlying pressure off. It's allowed me to just be more in tune with my heart rate and breathing patterns on my own, instead of a monitor telling me where I'm at. I think it just forced me to work out smarter, as opposed to just doing whatever it takes to burn 700 calories at a time.
ANYWHO, in more exciting news, I can now fit comfortably into some size 7/8 jeans I bought a couple of months ago. I think I was more excited about that than seeing 151 on the scale. And a size 7/8 is pretty much where I wanted to end up anyway. Hooray!
Although I'm trying to move away from the numbers game, I can't help but point out that today's weight puts me at 97 pounds lost. Three pounds away from that elusive 100 pound mark. Sigh. I'm just going to take things one pound (and one day) at a time. I think changing up my fitness routine and being more aware of my diet this week really helped to move me in a new direction where I might possibly reach 148 without having to kill myself with stress.
Overall though, 3 pounds isn't going to change the way I look at this point and since I'm finally coming around and sort of loving the way I look now (especially in these jeans), I'm more concerned with just being happy with myself and feeling good.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Weigh-in Day.
Today's weight: 158.8. A loss of 4.2 pounds! Happy to see this, obviously. Though, it's hard to say how much of that was lost period bloat from the week before and how much was lost by eating more healthy fats (or, eating more in general, thanks to Saturday's party) AND starting my HIIT workout routine. Lots of different factors to consider, so I can't say for sure what, specifically, led to such a big loss. Ah well. I don't want to over-think it too much because it takes from the thrill of being in the 150s!
Yesterday, I decided against getting my free 11-point noodle bowl from Pei Wei and opted for cooking dinner at home (I e-mailed them last night for nutritional info since it's a new item and wasn't on their website; got a response this morning and it turns out I can get it prepared with vegetable stock instead of oil and save a couple of points). I just figured the bowl would probably have loads of sodium (and it does), which isn't the best choice the night before a weigh-in. However, I really don't feel like cooking tonight, so I think a big, free bowl of noodles will be appropriate for a Friday night.
I also made some Hungry Girl Pumpkin Bread. God, I love that stuff. I froze half of the loaf in hopes that I won't eat it all in one weekend, but we'll see how long I last, haha. It's such a great recipe because the slices are a generous size and make me feel like I truly am indulging. Plus, being damn tasty and only 2 points per slice doesn't hurt either. I had to go to 3 different stores to find the canned pumpkin though. Wal-mart and Safeway were out, so I finally went to King Soopers as a last resort and luckily they had some cans of the store-brand stuff. I remember reading in Hungry Girl that Libby (the main canned pumpkin company) had some crop issues this year, so they've been out of stock for a while.
On a different note, I also went shopping at Plato's Closet and picked up four tops and a pair of jeans for $23. I'm a total broke-ass these days, so it was exciting to snag a few new things on the cheap. I've been wearing the same 4 or 5 shirts for a few months now (all of my old clothes are too big, obviously) and it was driving me nuts. It's so weird (and awesome) to be able to shop off of a clearance rack for smaller sizes. Most tops I can just hold up to me and tell that they'll fit. All the tops I got were size medium. The jeans were size 8, but also kinda stretchy, so I consider them a generous size 8. Being a size 8 was my goal, but I don't consider myself a size 8 right now because most brands I've tried don't quite fit yet. I more of a 9, I guess. Anywho, definitely going back there to shop after I get paid again at the end of the month.
FOOD:
breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ blueberries- 2
pumpkin bread- 2
snack:
pear- 1
carrot sticks- 0
PB2- 1
lunch:
sandwich thin- 1
ham slices- 1
r.f. colby jack -1
2 cups progresso WW soup- 2
snack:
special K protein water- 0
popcorn ball- 1
pumpkin bread- 3
dinner:
pei wei japanese chile beef ramen- 11
fortune cookie- 1
post-dinner:
popcorn- 3
s.f. pudding- 1
pumpkin bread- 3
ice cream- 5
kashi bar- 2
total points used: 41/22
activity points: Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD- 4
net points: 37
WAPs: 20/35 remaining
EXERCISE:
Did a Jillian Michaels DVD this morning. God, I still hate those jumping scissor kicks she makes you do. I hadn't done that DVD in a while, so I forgot how rough some of those moves were. Oh well. They got my heart pumping, so I won't complain.
As for tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'm doing for exercise. I think the weather's gonna be crappy, so I may have to opt for the gym if I want to run. We'll see. I wouldn't mind going to the gym; weekends are always a nice time to go. And if I do go, I'll probably spend some extra time on the weight machines too.
Ok, I think I've rambled enough. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!
Yesterday, I decided against getting my free 11-point noodle bowl from Pei Wei and opted for cooking dinner at home (I e-mailed them last night for nutritional info since it's a new item and wasn't on their website; got a response this morning and it turns out I can get it prepared with vegetable stock instead of oil and save a couple of points). I just figured the bowl would probably have loads of sodium (and it does), which isn't the best choice the night before a weigh-in. However, I really don't feel like cooking tonight, so I think a big, free bowl of noodles will be appropriate for a Friday night.
I also made some Hungry Girl Pumpkin Bread. God, I love that stuff. I froze half of the loaf in hopes that I won't eat it all in one weekend, but we'll see how long I last, haha. It's such a great recipe because the slices are a generous size and make me feel like I truly am indulging. Plus, being damn tasty and only 2 points per slice doesn't hurt either. I had to go to 3 different stores to find the canned pumpkin though. Wal-mart and Safeway were out, so I finally went to King Soopers as a last resort and luckily they had some cans of the store-brand stuff. I remember reading in Hungry Girl that Libby (the main canned pumpkin company) had some crop issues this year, so they've been out of stock for a while.
On a different note, I also went shopping at Plato's Closet and picked up four tops and a pair of jeans for $23. I'm a total broke-ass these days, so it was exciting to snag a few new things on the cheap. I've been wearing the same 4 or 5 shirts for a few months now (all of my old clothes are too big, obviously) and it was driving me nuts. It's so weird (and awesome) to be able to shop off of a clearance rack for smaller sizes. Most tops I can just hold up to me and tell that they'll fit. All the tops I got were size medium. The jeans were size 8, but also kinda stretchy, so I consider them a generous size 8. Being a size 8 was my goal, but I don't consider myself a size 8 right now because most brands I've tried don't quite fit yet. I more of a 9, I guess. Anywho, definitely going back there to shop after I get paid again at the end of the month.
FOOD:
breakfast:
f.f. greek yogurt w/ blueberries- 2
pumpkin bread- 2
snack:
pear- 1
carrot sticks- 0
PB2- 1
lunch:
sandwich thin- 1
ham slices- 1
r.f. colby jack -1
2 cups progresso WW soup- 2
snack:
special K protein water- 0
popcorn ball- 1
pumpkin bread- 3
dinner:
pei wei japanese chile beef ramen- 11
fortune cookie- 1
post-dinner:
popcorn- 3
s.f. pudding- 1
pumpkin bread- 3
ice cream- 5
kashi bar- 2
total points used: 41/22
activity points: Jillian Michaels' Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD- 4
net points: 37
WAPs: 20/35 remaining
EXERCISE:
Did a Jillian Michaels DVD this morning. God, I still hate those jumping scissor kicks she makes you do. I hadn't done that DVD in a while, so I forgot how rough some of those moves were. Oh well. They got my heart pumping, so I won't complain.
As for tomorrow, I'm not sure what I'm doing for exercise. I think the weather's gonna be crappy, so I may have to opt for the gym if I want to run. We'll see. I wouldn't mind going to the gym; weekends are always a nice time to go. And if I do go, I'll probably spend some extra time on the weight machines too.
Ok, I think I've rambled enough. Hope everyone has a nice weekend!
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