April 13th and 14th--The Bodyweight Exercises

I have decided to use my weekends to take things easy and also plan on what I am going to share with you during the rest of the week. However, I don't want to leave anyone hangin' with no information, etc.

So, here is an awesome website that is helping me do some bodyweight exercises (no gym required)!!

Here is the link to these exercises: 50 Bodyweight Exercises.

April 12th--Metabolism Shmabolism...

OK today's post is part two of what I have learned about weight loss. And it goes like this…(can't help but think of a Maroon Five song when I wrote that…I got the moves like Jagger…sorry I hope that didn't give you an ear worm).

Some women find him hot…so I put the Maroon 5 guy on here for you...

Anyway…I have recently learned that when you go about dieting, like I have been doing, which is eating a lot less calories than I have been, you actually won't lose weight at a rapid pace. In fact, decreasing my calories to such an extant has caused fat storing hormones to be released and has not only increased my appetite, but it also has decreased the amount of calories I am burning. In other words, my metabolism is slowing down. It basically thinks my body is experiencing a famine.

When I googled the words "Famine" and "Humor" this is an image I got…probably needed a better searching technique (nothing is really funny about famine)

Moreover, not only am I causing my metabolism to be all "hey, we don't food have food in our area...we better hold onto our fat," but I am losing lean muscle mass. Considering lean muscle is what burns fat the best…well…my plan is probably not such a good idea…

Apparently one of the best ways to lose weight is to eat the same amount of food, but make sure 80% is healthy whole foods (meats, veggies, and fruit) and not processed foods, during my first week of dieting. This way my body is becoming conditioned to a new calorie intake instead of shocking the crap out of it. 

When I googled "shocking fat humor" this is what I got…she looks shocked…I dunno…It's Friday cut me a break...

Once I have finished the initial week I should cut calories down by about 500 calories  a week. I should continue to do this until I reach the amount of calories that is effective for my body. Mine is 1,100-1,200 calories a day.

I have also learned that my exercise habits have not been the best. I read that ellipticals and treadmills can make you lose lean muscle mass, especially if you are doing it for a long period of time. Since this kind of cardio won't build muscle, I need to think/do (probably going to just end up me thinking about) more weight training exercises. Why, again, muscle burns FAT!  

The increase in lean muscle mass will also speed up my metabolism. YAYYYYY!! So my new plan of exercise action is to do shorter workouts, around twenty minutes, and do interval training. Basically, this means exercises that are 30 seconds on and then 15 seconds off. Most of these exercises will use my own body weight (like calisthenics) instead of machines. 

I couldn't help myself…poor little gingerbread man…this is for all the short gals out there...

April 11th--Time For Some Knowledge Gettin'

While I have been losing weight slowly and gradually, my husband seems to lose fast and it's just not fair. I know he is taller and he probably has a better metabolism, but for my sanity I just needed to research this phenomenon. So, this post is "part one" of some of the interesting ideas that I have gathered so far today about fat loss and genders.

First of all, women and men have different kind of fat cells. I want to share a picture with you about this…

That's just not fair if you ask me...

Not only that, but a woman's fat cells are also larger and the fat enzymes have a hard time getting rid of our big chunky cells. I watched one video that said fat enzymes are like a pacman eating away at our big ol' fat cells…

Nom nom nom…I'm a fat enzyme eatin' away your fat…The only problem is the little circles are the size of the pacman and the pacman is the size of the circles. So think in reverse and also how ridiculous this is…

OK…now as a woman ages she loses the little pacman so there are fewer guys to eat up our fat cells. Just great!! Not only that, but evolution designed us to be fatter creatures. Why you ask? Well, back in the days of the cavemen, men were naturally designed to be hunters and so their bodies were built to be agile, muscular, thinner…blah, blah, blah

And women were designed to carry around some fat so that we could still care for our children while in time of famine, as well as to keep up our estrogen so that we can breed strong broods of babies.

She should be gathering, but I like that she's not only chunky but a hunter…what a rebel!

Tomorrow I plan on learning more about fat enzymes and how to improve the quality of my little pacman, but I'm far too tired contemplating my ancestors and how my body wants me to be meaty. I am leaving you with my opinion about my role as a gatherer though…

Heck yeah!

April 10th--Forget About It

On the way to the gym I saw this dreaded sign--"DQ is coming to town." Great, after years of not having any food in my area they are now putting my favorite fast food one mile from my house. Stupid diet and stupid harsh reality… I am just left with the rhetorical questions: Really?? Seriously?? 

I wants to eat you...

Lately the commercials on television have also been tempting me to step out the door and hand some person in a tiny window some money…I miss greasy bags. My solution, or my attempted solution: FORGET ABOUT IT.

Easier said than done, but I find it helps to curve the temptation when I do something good for myself while watching TV. Sooooo…I have been doing sit down exercises. 

Very much the truth…In this case he wants to eat me…arrrgghhh…where's a T-Rex when you need one?

My main exercise while sitting in the chair has been arm weight exercises. I am following this program:

I am not sure how sexy my arms are going to be, but it does prevent my arms from reaching into a bag of chips. I will leave you with a very deep thought and she's holding dumbbells too!!!!

April 9th: Tasty Tuesday

I have decided that every Tuesday I will provide a few recipes that I have tried that are low in calorie and delicious. Since I have classes that are on Tuesday nights, I plan on making these posts short and sweet (kinda like the recipes).

The first one is a Weight Watchers recipe called Mexican Chicken Breasts. They are four points a piece, which is pretty darn good. The recipe is super easy and contains few ingredients…gotta love that!!

See it even looks yummy. Here is the link to the recipe: Mexican Chicken.

My other suggestion, if you just aren't into poultry, is a pork chop recipe called Original Ranch Pork Chops. Not sure what the WW points would be for this, but a 4 oz. pork chop with the seasoning is around 145 calories (SCORE!!).

The directions for this one is as easy as the chicken recipe and I kinda, honestly, like the flavor a little more. Here is the link: Ranch Pork Chop.

Hope you enjoy these and I'll be back next week with even more choices.

April 8th: Just don't think about it...

I am now at the almost one week mark for my diet, which is usually the point where I say: "Boy, a burger with fries sounds good." Usually, I give into my temptation, but today I soldiered on. Not that I wasn't thinking about the burger and fries almost every second.

My solution to this torture was to just get up and get moving. I did some crafts, worked on my papers, and went to the dreaded gym. When it came time to eat my oatmeal, that nasty pasty slimy stuff, the kinda food that makes you think of that classic line from Oliver, "please sir, I want some more," I just shoved it down my throat and moved on. I do feel a little like this though…

Or maybe more like this…

No, I'm JK, I'm not into cannibalism, yet.

Just have to keep telling myself that it will be worth it in the end and as a reward I have decided that when I reach 130 lbs I will allow myself one cheat food a week. A little motivation...

April 7th: Big Girls Don't Cry...

Well sometimes adult girls do cry and today was one of those days. I stepped on the scale and I had gained two pounds. "How is that possible," I yelled. Actually, that is not exactly how I worded it and my husband was there to restrain my tears. Then it got worse when I went to my closet and realized there are only two pairs of pants that my big ol' butt will fit into. My options are: wash every day, wear dirty pants, or buy new pants.

Since I have been saving clothes pretty much since high school, dreaming I would get back into them someday, I decided that buying new pants will only make me less motivated. Therefore, it looks like just two pants for me for awhile. I'm kickin' it colonial style, or puritan, or whatever old age where people didn't have any clothes. To add more salt to the wound, I realized the dress I had been making was way too small for me. Yeah, just great…

According to my husband all I need to do is have a good poop, but that's also his answer to anytime I feel ill or whenever anything bad is going on. Not sure that a 30 pound poop is my problem.

Sad poop…sorry this is immature, but I have the humor of a 12 year old boy.

Sooooo….I need to reevaluate my eating habits. First, I have not been counting every time I put creamer into my coffee, etc. The thought here is that these small 35-70 calories doses won't add up to the big picture of the day. However, I can see how this could contribute. Also, I eat around 100 calories after 6:00, which I feel needs to be cut down. Lastly, I have been working out. I doubt I have gained two whole pounds of muscle, but I do need to measure myself and not only depend on the scales.

I plan on weighing myself again next Sunday, giving myself an entire week. If I am not down to 145 by then I may cry harder and louder. Hopefully that doesn't happen, but my determination is not going to wane!! I am woman--hear my roar.

Shera Princess of Power! What? She's awesome and fit!

April 6th: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I titled the post this way because that is how I feel when I approach any recipe/food item that reads healthy, or diet on it. I have already experienced two 'very' ugly recipes thus far. The first was a Weight Watchers Banana Peach Smoothie. 

Looks good right?

Despite the alluring picture and high reviews I was sorely mistaken. It tasted like water and milk only at first, but after you swallowed it you got a banana taste in the back of your throat coupled with peach fibers that get stuck in your teeth. Yuck! If you want to give it a try go here: WW Banana Peach Smoothie. Maybe you can find a way to make it taste better and report back to me.

The second thing I tried was this diet free drink called SANS. I chose the orange flavored one and thought it would be better for me because it used a natural artificial sweetener. As soon as it hit my lips I knew it… I had been hit with the bad and ugly. It tasted like mineral water with a hint of citrus. Nope, no, this will not do. I like my diet drinks strong and vibrant. 

Just put a gigantic X over this drink

However, not all the food has been bad. I ate some pasta primavera last night and it was very tasty. If you go to my tab titled, "Top Weight Loss Recipes," you can try it for yourself. My sisters also told me that the food network has a whole section of healthy recipes that are worth a go. They made a Chicken Rollatini and said it was very good. So, I am going to do that this week. If you want to beat me to that creation, here is the recipe: Chicken Rollatini.

April 5--Slow and Steady

As suggested by my sister, I should take things slow and steady with my new life plan. What I have done, however, is take things fast and tottery. I say tottery because at the moment that is how my legs feel…shaky, quivering and in need of an ice bath. 

Here's the breakdown for the cause of this predicament. Two days ago I went to the gym for the first time in months and rode the bike for 10 minutes, proceeding to the lift machines where I used 70 lb weights on both the inner and outer thigh machines. Yesterday I was fine, but today when I got up I had sharp pain radiating all the way from my thighs to my feet. I liken the feeling to a terrible toothache.

Yet, I decided that I would not let this pain get in the way and went to the gym today despite this radiating tremor. This is how I entered the gym…

Just imagine a girl and smaller muscles...

Then I exited the gym with a smile on my face. So I looked kinda like this…

WOO HOOOO!!

Why was I so happy, because the pain was completely gone. I admit while doing the leg machines they did shake quite a bit and the whole spreading my legs apart was not as usual…meaning I could barely part them. But I was relieved as I walked to the car, noticing my legs were now moving at a normal rate (unlike this morning).

On the car ride home, though, I felt a slight pain returning. Well, I thought, "you have not been beaten into submission muscles!" Therefore, I went ahead and pressure washed my house and washed my cars. So far, so good…

I let my sisters know of my eliminated pain and their response was: "just wait." Of course, I tried to dismiss this comment, but they are marathon runners and I had a sneaky suspicion they may know what they are talking about.

I went to take my shower and sat down on the couch. For an hour all was well, but now I am feeling what can only be comparable to a thousand wasp stings on my legs. Now I look a bit like this…

Ouchie!!

I have a terrible premonition that when I wake up in the morning I will look a bit like this…

Bleeechhh…

So my word for advice is to take things, as suggested to me, slow and steady...

April 4th: Fat Be Gone You Rigid Beast!!

Well hellooooooo everyone!

This is officially day one of my dieting adventure. This, by the way, is not my first time dieting. In fact, you could call me an addict dieter, trying just about every fad there has been and failed (epically) at most of them. This time, though, I am not going to involve myself with any shortcuts--mainly because these fads do not work!! I am doing the old-fashioned, crawl on the floor into the fetal position, way of dieting: the right way. They call it 'die' t for a reason…if it was easy everyone would be at their goal weight and there wouldn't be fads to begin with…

Here's a little more about me:

I am a 5' 4" girl who woke up yesterday morning and stood on the scale and then almost fell off of it from a pseudo heart attack. I was 147.5 lbs. Now to many this may not seem like a lot, but it has now taken me into the overweight category for my BMI (body mass index). I have never been a skinny girl (and I don't plan on it--a woman should have some curves), but weight gain is a slippery slope. 

This last comment now leads me into the acknowledgement section of my blog. I would like to blame my fat on the following:

First and foremost I want to thank the "Almighty Doritos"…

Thank you Chili's Monterey Chicken with a side of Baked Potato Soup…

Thank you Pei Wei's Sweet and Sour Chicken...

Thank you Buffalo Wild Wings…

And last but not least, I want to thank you Starbuck's White Chocolate Mocha…

Now I can't just blame these food. I mean no one forced me to eat them. Therefore, the true praise for my weight gain should be…

Meeeeee…for eating all this food and all the time!

By no means do I think myself a nasty bug, but I do think that I was blissfully ignorant of my eating habits. Plus, I spend most of my day on the couch writing and grading (letting the fat settle into my lower regions…namely my butt).

At this point in time I think it is customary to provide the audience with a plan of my weight loss. First, I am doing a hybrid approach, using both basic calorie counting and Weight Watchers. This way I can get a feel as to which program is best for my lifestyle. Second, I am going to try to do one active thing a day, whether that's the gym or some other 'moving' activity. I will provide my calorie counting and food intake on my blog page under the tab…daily food calculations. My overall goal is to be 125 by the first week of August 2013…a healthy and respectable weight!

Now it's time to give you my before pose. You know the one where I feel all chunky and bad about myself…

Here's my booty shot…See how bulbous it is...

Here's another one that makes my head look like the exorcist…Love it!

I bet you were hoping for the whole wear the bikini and show my fat rolls pic. I believe that some things should be kept private and my rolls are one of them. I am also wearing black so as to disguise my weight. I don't think anyone would lie about being 147.5 and so I trust you will believe that I am doing my best to conceal 'said' fat. However, when I'm all done and at my goal weight I will be pulling out the bikini shot like no one's business. OK…that's all for now… please visit my other tabs/links on my blog homepage for other information.

Best to all and for those dieting…keep trekking (the meaning of which is "a long, adventurous journey undertaken on foot in areas where common means of transport are generally not available") That's how I feel about dieting...