So, after being away for several months, going through a divorce, and gaining back 15 pounds, I’m back in the ballgame!!!  A week or so ago, I started visiting 3FC again.  I haven’t been posting regularly, but have been reading most of the posts on the Calorie Counters Valentine’s Day challenge.  And, of course, some of the GOAL thread posts to try and get me back in the game!!!  The people there are so motivational and I can’t believe I let myself lose connection with the site!!! 

I’ve joined a gym this go around.  It’s called Urban Active.  I decided to give it a try because you can pay month to month and it’s only $14.95!!!  They also have a TON of cardio machines!  I signed up last Thursday, 1/13/2011, and had my first workout the following day.  Then, took the weekend off, and was back in the grind of things today!  I feel so much better when I work out!  Now, if I can just get back in the mindset of saying NO to bad, high calorie foods, and only allowing myself a “cheat” day only once in a while.  

I don’t want to make excuses or blame someone else, but the divorce really did a number on my eating habits!  Not because I was eating my emotions away (because the Big D was my decision and I’m happy I was able to stand up for myself and take action to be happy!), but because I moved out of my house to live with some friends and started EATING OUT every day!!  Some times 2 meals a day!  But also, in actuality, I have been a “slacker” when it comes to my lifestyle change since Summer.  When I hit that 170lb mark, my mind said, “I’m Done!”, even though I knew I wanted to get to 150.  So, now I’m back up to 185 and determined NOT to gain anymore!!!  That’s where the gym comes into play…

Instead of laying in bed from the time I wake up til it’s time to go to work, I’m making myself get up and go to the gym!!!  Come February 2nd, I will change shifts and move to day shift, 730a-4p.  Since the gym will be 5min down the road from my new apartment (Moving in next week), my plan is to wake up early and go to the gym BEFORE work at 730.  Not sure how well this will work out considering I LOVE MY SLEEP, but I’m hoping it’ll be better than trying to go after work when I’m tired, hungry, and want to watch TV!!!! LoL

The next thing I need to do to fully get back on track is start logging my calories!!! I read somewhere that if you take your current weight and mulitply it by 13, that’s the number of calories you can eat to maintain your current weight.   185×13=2405.  So, if I decrease every day by 500 (1905cal/day), then I should lose 1lb/week, with NO exercise.  HOWEVER, I don’t want to eat 1900 cal/day, so I’m going to aim for 1600-1800.  AND if I’m exercising, then I’m burning more calories and could maybe lose 2lbs/wk — WHICH WOULD BE AWESOME!!!  I’ll be happy to lose just 1/week considering that’s how it happened for so long, but I’ve always longed for bigger losses each week!

Sorry to write a book, but it’s been so long!! LoL 

WOW!  It’s been well over a month since I’ve visited 3FC!!!  I am truly sorry!!!  Alot has been going on, not only with work but with my personal life too.  I am pleased to say that my weight is still under 175 and I’m back on track as of Monday, 10/18/2010.  I WILL LOSE THIS LAST 25LBS!!!  I’m still in my size 12 jeans and size L tops.  I feel if I get back to visiting the site daily, I can get back on track with losing!!!  3FC has really helped me lose and helps keep me accountable!!!  Now, I’m off to find my CC Holiday Challenge!!!

Well, I have survived my first week away from home while counting calories!  I did not count calories due to eating dinner at local restaurants and not being able to look up the nutritional values.  However, for the most part, I made decent choices that I would NOT have made a year ago!  For example, at lunch I chose a 6″ sub with a side of yogurt at Subway, instead of the 12″ and a bag of chips.  The only horrible day I had was Friday when we had left over pizza in the fridge and I ate 3 pieces for lunch, then took 2 more with me for the drive home!!!  Then had a baked potato for dinner and a huge cupcake for a late night snack!!!  So needless to say, I did not weigh on Saturday, but rather chugged the water and ate very low calories.  Then, I stepped on the scale today and was super scared that I would be up 4-5lbs, but rather, I’m only up 1.6lbs from my all time low!!!  This is such a relief!!!

My goal for the month of June, or rather the 4th of July CC Holiday Challenge, is to MAINTAIN!  I knew at the beginning of the challenge that I’d be going to the conference this past week….staying in a dorm room and eating out every day for every meal!  Then, going to the beach for a week at the end of the month and once again, eating out alot.  SOOO, if I weigh in on July 4th at 170.x, I’ll be extremely happy!  Even happier if it’s in the 160’s, but I’ll take maintenance at 170!!!

First of all, I’d like to update you on my trip home to WV….IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!  I was nervous for nothing!

Second of all, since the end of the CC Arbor Day Challenge, I’ve sabotaged my weight loss!  The challenge ended on a Friday and that weekend I hit a low of 170.6.  I really thought I’d be in a new decade by now, but I’m not!  I’ve been really off-plan the past few weeks.  Eating off plan while traveling is a given…atleast for me….so I’m not too upset about those 4 days.  However, every other day this month I’ve been a bad girl!  I can’t seem to say NO!  And even on the days I think I’m gonna be On Plan, I go home after work and eat.  I had set a challenge of “No Eating 3hrs Before Bed” for Memorial Day, and I have failed miserably. 

I’ve read other people’s posts about self sabotage when they hit a min-goal or new milestone.  I’m beginning to think I’m one of those people.  If I remember correctly, I’ve done this everytime I reach a new “decade”. Mind you TOM was all messed up this month, and that may have a slight effect on my hormone levels, but c’mon now!  It’s been 3wks and I can’t seem to get back on track!  My LoseIt! application on the iTouch says for me to lose 2lbs/week, I should eat 1227 calories.  This was my new goal starting this past Monday…well the closest I came to that was 1257 and then yesterday & today were WAY over!

I think a part of me feels I’ve met my initial goal, which is true.  When I reached my highest of 230, I told myself I wanted to be a size 12 and 170lbs.  Well, I’m in size 12 in alot of different brands AND I reached 170 at the beginning of the month.  But since joining 3FC and learning how to be healthy, I really would like to be in the “healthy” BMI range…therefore, I changed my final goal weight to 154.5…just inside the “healthy” range.  I’m really aiming for 150 and then to have my normal weight range/fluctuation set for 150-155.  So I still have 20 or so pounds to go and I can’t seem to get back on track!

However, then there’s this part of me that feels it’s summer and I’m at a good weight, why don’t I just try to maintain for the summer & then continue my journey this fall?!?!?  I have alot of traveling to do (atleast one trip per month through September) and for me to maintain all summer would be awesome.  I could still exercise 3-5x per week and ATTEMPT to stay in my calorie range…and just see what happens.  I should be happy with my WL thus far, but it’s really hard to be happy when I’ve been struggling these past few weeks!!!

On a final, more positive note, I’ve been doing 30 Day Shred since the last week in April and I love it!  Well, I don’t love Level 2, but the WO is awesome and JM is not too too irritating! LoL  I took my measurements the day I started and will again the day after I finish.  Maybe the numbers on the tape measure will cheer me up since the numbers on the scale are being so RUDE!?!?!  haha  I could be gaining a little bit of muscle, but I also know I’ve been over on my calories…oh well…9 more days of L3 til we find out!

So, I’m going home to West Virginia tomorrow and I’m nervous!  I haven’t been home since Mid-December and I’ve lost almost 20lbs.  This was not a big deal when I was heavier…a 20lb loss wasn’t that noticable.  Heck, most people didn’t notice any difference until closer to 40lbs down.  But these last 20lbs have really changed my body!  I’m in a size 12…still not my Gap jeans, but everything else!  The Gap jeans pull on AND zip all the way, but are still too tight in the legs/butt for me to be comfortable.  BUT I’M NERVOUS!!  I guess part of it is because I’ve lost so much since being home when all last year I was going home every 3months.  For example, went home in September right before I joined 3FC and got OP….I was right at 202lbs.  Then I went home again in December and had lost almost 12-15lbs…noticable, but it wasn’t a drastic change.  I got compliments and it was very motivational.  But this time…something is different.  I’m just scared that I’m not going to look right in my clothes or something??  Is this normal??? IDK!

On the other hand, I’M SUPER EXCITED!  I get to see my one & only niece who I hear is growing like a weed and has entered the “Terrible 2’s”.  My best friend also had a baby in November and I’ll get to see him also!  I get to see my mom graduate with her Bachelor of Nursing degree (she’s been an RN for 28yrs now but only had an associate’s and couldn’t get promoted into management!).  I also get to see my brother marry his baby’s momma/the girl he’s been in love with for over 10yrs now!  It’s going to be a great weekend…if I can just get over the fear of “not looking right”!!!  I’ve been super stressed about what to wear and I’m SOOO not that type of girl!!!  Am I a freak?  Or is this normal???

On a lighter note, I’m still fighting through 30 Day Shred.  I just completed Day 5 of Level 2 today.  it’s unbelievalbe how much harder L2 is than L1.  But surprisingly, even tho it’s harder, I haven’t been sore the following day.  I’m mostly following Natalie with only sometimes doing what Anita does.  I’ve read about Level 3, so I’m thinking I’ll advance on after 10 completed WO’s on L2…just follow the DVD how it was made.  Then, my plan (as of today) will be do 3-5 days of 30DS with added 30min of cardio on those days.  This may change, but right now, that’s what I’m planning

Well, it’s now May and my April experiment was a success!!!  I went 30 days with NO BREAD, NO POTATOES, NO RICE, NO PASTA, NO CHOCOLATE CANDY, NO DONUTS,  and WEIGHING ONLY ONCE A WEEK!!!  It was hard at times, and at other times, it was like second nature! LoL  My biggest complaint was not being able to weigh when I wanted to.  I think I lucked out with my WI days because I lost atleast 1lb per week and never had an “up day”.  I had initially decided to do this to “kickstart” my WL again, but that was not the case.  However, I did figure out I can live without those things!  AND I can say NO to those things when tempted!  I’ve decided to continue on with the NO CHOCOLATE CANDY since it seems to be readily available at the office.  I’m going to see how long I can go without it…33 days now, what’s a few more?!?!?! 

I also started Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred last Sunday and LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!  It is such a great WO!  I thought I was gonna wimp out and have to take rest days every other day, but that is not the case.  I’m sore following the WO, but not sore enough the following day to have to take a day off.  I did 4 days straight, then took a day off because my calves of all things were sore!  I probably could have did it anyways, but I also wanted to have a “rest day” before WI on Friday.  Sooo, today I did my 7th WO for Level 1 and will hopefully be able to do it every day until Level 2.  I’m getting scared about Level 2, but will fight that demon when I get there! LoL  I’ve worked out regularly for the past 7 months and 30DS is the best I’ve found.  Once I’m complete with 10 workouts at each level, I plan to continue doing 30 DS atleast 3x per week.

And as of today, I’m officially at my first real goal I had set for myself.  170.6   When I began this journey to a healthier me, I set my eyes on 170.  The lowest I had ever been was 188-89 and thought 170 was going to be a good weight.  I also thought I’d be in a size 12.  While I am a 12 in some brands, not all size 12 pants I try on fit.  Since joining 3FC and learning more about being healthy, I changed my final goal so that I would be at a healthy BMI.  I now plan to continue losing to reach 150-154.  This will put me in the high end of the healthy range, but at least it’s healthy! :)  I still can’t believe the scale says 170!!!  It has taken forever, but I’m here now and don’t plan to stay long!!!  My goal was to be 170 by June for when I go to the beach…Goal Achieved Early! YAY!

Next goal: 167.0 by Memorial Day (5/31)

Well, I’m half-way done….with my April Experiment that is!  It’s actually not as hard as I thought it would be…I’ve been very very tempted for some of the chocolate around the office, but I’ve held strong!!!  One of the ladies in the front office made this snack mix that was puffed corn covered in white chocolate and I had 2 pieces…I thought I better try it because who knew if they’d ever make it again! lol  So I guess you can say I cheated, just a little :)  But Dunkin Donuts were in the break room for 3 days AND I did not cave!!!

I’m really excited about my weigh-in tomorrow…C’mon another 2.6lbs lost!!!  I’ll be happy with 1lb, but 2 or more would be AWESOME!!!

ALSO…if you didn’t notice, I put some updated pics on here…click on Progression Pics at the top to see me at 195 and now at 175. 

Well, I’m doing it!  This “new plan” or “experiment” or whatever you want to call this “thing” I’m doing for the month of April…I’m doing it!  The hardest part is NOT WEIGHING EVERY DAY!!  Especially since I “FEEL” like I’m at a new low, but I won’t know until Friday (if then).  It’s really gonna suck if I step on that scale and it’s not 176.somthin! (or lower)  If Friday is an “up” day, I’m gonna scream!!!  TOM is still here, but I’ve been between 1200 and 1500 calories every day since LAST Tuesday!!!  The scale better be down! HAHA  I didn’t even eat Candy on Easter!!  But I’ll be honest, it was only easy because I was home alone with no kiddies’ Easter baskets around!!! LoL

As I posted on the CC Arbor Day Challenge forum, I had a “sort-of slip-up” on Monday.  When I thought up this new “idea” to try for the month of April, and when I said “No Chocolate”, I was meaning chocolate candy and cake…soooo, Monday, I went to Wendy’s and ordered a 4pc nugget and small Frosty for lunch.  I was half way through with the Frosty when I realized, “Hey, this is Chocolate!!!” HAHA  But I finished the frosty because in my head I was giving up candy & cake for this “experiment”…but, I won’t let it happen again!  Even with that as my lunch, my calories were 1365 at the end of the day…well below my projected 1500/day!!!  This “No Carb” thing at dinner is really saving me a TON of calories!  And I feel like I’m eating a TON of food! 

**Hoping for a good number on Friday**

Sooo, I recently read an article in Fitness Magazine regarding yogurt.  A study has proven that if you eat 3 servings of yogurt a day (18oz), alongside your reduced calorie diet, you can increase your fat loss…up to 61% more fat loss than those who don’t add the yogurt!!  A HUGE DIFFERENCE!!! 

KNOXVILLE — Adding three daily servings of yogurt to a reduced calorie diet can greatly increase fat loss, a University of Tennessee nutrition professor said Monday.

Dr. Michael Zemel presented findings from a recent study at the Experimental Biology Meeting today in San Diego. Zemel-s research over the past decade has established a clear link between calcium intake and the ability of the body to burn fat. He has documented that increased calcium levels in the diet signal fat cells to stop storing fat and to start burning it.

“When we put people on diets that include three servings of yogurt a day, we-re able to nearly double the amount of fat that-s lost, compared to people on a low-dairy diet,” Zemel said.

Zemel and his colleagues at the University of Tennessee studied 34 healthy obese adults who were divided into two groups and placed on 12-week diet plans that provided 500 fewer calories per day than their usual intake.

One group ate 1,100 milligrams of calcium each day, including three servings of light yogurt. The low calcium control group ate only 500 milligrams of calcium per day.

Participants on the increased calcium diet lost 22 percent more weight and 61 percent more body fat than others who merely reduced their caloric intake.

The study was funded by General Mills, and subjects ate the company-s Yoplait Light yogurt.

“We have one more tool to combat the obesity epidemic,” Zemel said. “People shoot themselves in the foot by jettisoning dairy when they go on diets. What they need to do is maintain or increase the dairy intake for a host of health-related reasons, and here-s one more: it-s going to help you burn fat.”

From: http://www.utk.edu/tntoday/2003/04/14/yogurt-increases-fat-loss-ut-study-shows/

Sooo, I’ve added increased yogurt intake to my “New & Updated Plan” (see previous post).  Since I found this out at the end of my 1st day of the “experiement”, I only got 12oz that day, but every day since, I’ve had 18oz!  It helps that I recently (about 2months ago) fell in love with Dannon Light & Fit yogurt!  At Wal-Mart, you can get a 4pk of the 6oz containers for less than $2….so this habit will not be an expensive habit to form!  They have a Wal-Mart Great Value brand that I MIGHT try, but I’m scared it won’t be as good!  I could live on the Peach Flavored Light & Fit!!!! 

***4 days down, 26 to go!  This isn’t as bad as I thought…just going crazy not having my daily weigh-in!!!

I’ve come up with just a few changes to my current calorie counting lifestyle :D  I’m hoping this will kickstart my weight loss again AND help me in the long run!!!

Starting Thursday, April 1st, the following changes will take place for atleast 30 days:

1. No More Daily Weigh-Ins - I will only weigh on Fridays.  I used to have Mondays as my official WI, buuut, since I’m in the CC Arbor Day Challenge (April 30) and that falls on a Friday, I decided to change my official days…atleast for the month of April.  This may be good or bad.  Good, being that I’m not running to the scale every day and freaking out because it’s only going up and not down for no apparent reason.  Bad, being that on my official WI days, my weight could be up and discourage me…making me think I’m not losing, when in actuality, I am but it’s just an “up day”.  As you can see from my Weekly Stat postings, my weight is all over the place, all the time!  It seems that I’ll reach a new low and then it’ll slowly creep up for a few days, maybe plateau 2-3 lbs above that low, and then slowly creep back down a few days and usually reach another new low.  This happens not only around my TOM, but throughout the month even if I had an OP day with calories and exercise the previous day.  SOOO, I’m gonna give Weekly Weigh-Ins a try!!!  Wish me luck!
2. No More Carbs - Refined Carbs that is!  I can’t give them all up because I’m such a picky eater…however, I can make a small difference by saying NO potatoes (reg. or sweet), NO rice (white, brown, yellow, or mexican), NO pasta (reg. or whole grain), and NO bread (white, wheat, or whole grain).  This is going to be hard for me considering I maybe eat 3-4 different types of veggies!  However, I LOVE FRUIT and will start incorporating fruit into my dinner.  I know fruit is filled with sugar, but it’s better than a baked potato or cup of rcie or side of pasta!!! This is only for the month of April to give me a “KickStart” to my weight loss again.  Come May 1st, I’d like to incorporate these “white carbs” back into my diet, but at a very limited amount.  Maybe allow myself carbs every other day or something…I haven’t though that far ahead.  PLUS, along side the “weight loss kickstart”, hopefully will be some belly fat disappearance!!!
3. No More Chocolate or Donuts - Excluding my FiberOne Bars! This is mainly a challenge when I’m at work…which is 40+ hours a week, so it’s a big challenge! LoL  There are several candy bowls at work and if chocolate is present in any of them, I may grab up to 5-6 pieces throughout my 8.5hr shift.  It wouldn’t be such a problem if I could limit myself to 1 piece, but it’s always more!!!  AND, I never count those calories!!  Could be the culprit of why I’m only losing 1lb/week on average with restricted calories & increased exercise.  Another demon at work arrives every Friday morning and that would be Dunkin Donuts!  I can pass up the glazed, but the crullers, chocolate filled or covered, or even the spiced cake ones are a soft spot with me!  The donuts arrive by 8am, so by the time I arrive at 3, most of the good ones are gone.  But if I make the mistake of opening that box and seeing one of the good ones, I can’t resist!!!  However, the difference here is I actually count these calories in my daily tracking!   I guess I think, “Well, the donut is ALOT of calories, so I better track it” or “This little piece of chocolate is only 30-60 calories, so I don’t need to track it”.  Buuuut, 5-6 pieces equals 150-360 calories!  BIG DIFFERENCE!

So there you have it…My new and improved plan!  It’s only for 30 days and then we’ll go from there!  My goal for the CC Arbor Day Challenge is to be at 172.4, which is only 5lbs below my lowest.  Since the start of the challenge, 3/18, my weight has been up…the highest reaching I think 180.4…but today I was at 178.6.  This is surprising considering the week I just had (Cheesesteak, Mexican, Fried Food), but maybe the exercise I did helped counter those extra calories just a little. :D  I also plan to exercise atleast 5x per week, not repeating the same routine 2 days in a row.   I will also post updated pics at 175 in the same outfit and same poses as I did at 195lbs.  If anyone has any other ideas or suggestions as to how I could tweak my plan, please, PLEASE, comment or private message me on 3FC (username: kdm322)!!!