Happy New Year and Interval Training

I just wanted to wish all of our readers a very happy transition into 2011. I hope all your dreams come true, all of your health goals are met, and you have a fabulous year!

Now, I want to ask you all something. What do you think of interval training? I got some info about it in my WebMD newsletter and being the busy mom that I am, I'm intrigued. This is the first paragraph of the article I read: 

Looking for a challenge? How about a way to drop extra pounds and get in rockin’ shape -- in a minimum amount of time? It’s called interval training and it’s long been the secret of top athletes and their coaches. But, with a little know-how, you can do it, too.

Sounds great, right? Is it too good to be true? Has anyone else ever done something like this?


This has more in-depth descriptions of the exercises that need to be done. I'm really thinking of starting this plan. I have all the tools I need at work (treadmill, bikes, free weights, a separate exercise room, etc.) and can do it at the end of the day when few, if any, people are in the gym (otherwise, I'd feel like a dork doing those jump-squats).

So, let me know what you think. And feel free to list your 2011 health/fitness goals in the comments. We want to know what YOU'RE doing this year!

Resolutions = Goals

Why hello there fellow Twitter to Get Fitter ladies! I am indeed still alive and still doing well! I am however, horrible at remembering to blog. I need to start making it a daily habit over on my personal blog. I think that will be my New Year's Resolution, er- goal... we'll see. I think goal has a much more positive connotation than resolution. Resolutions mean failure for millions of Americans. Goals have promise and hope all wrapped into them, so speaking of New Year's goals, I have a few health-wise that I'd like to implement!

1. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. I simply don't drink enough water. I drink \juice and a TON of diet soda. (Which I'm not ready to cut out of my diet quite yet.) I need more milk, but that goes into #2.
2. Balance the food groups. I seem to get plenty of carbs and protein, but not enough dairy or fruits and veggies. I'm adding more veggies to dinner and trying to keep fresh fruit in the house. It's helping. I wish grapes were on sale more often and strawberries were perpetually in season!
3. Get to the gym. I will get to the gym twice a week. Every week. If I feel like going more, I will. But I will go for at least 45 minutes, twice a week. I think I can find time for that. Even if it's only on the weekends. Besides, Will goes every day for 45 minutes. I really only need to join him once a week and find another time to go on my own. We each use his gym time as some "alone" time. Even happily married newly weds need time apart. That's for my mental health! :-)
4. Quit sweating the small stuff. So I just ate a cookie. Or maybe two. I don't do this ALL the time. And most of the time I choose a few crackers, a glass of water or juice, or handful of tortilla chips and salsa. (I consider this a wash. A serving of salsa, 1/4 cup, is one serving of vegetables. And I drown my chips.) Overall, I do a good job choosing decent snacks when I have access to them. I need to find more "on the go" snacks to take to campus. Any suggestions?

So there are my four health related resolutions. They are all reasonable and attainable. And I can measure all of them, for the most part. I think that's important for me. I need to be able to measure my goals and make progress towards them. Now, excuse me while I go pour a glass of water!

What are you doing to get healthy in the New Year?

New Years!

New Years, New Years! A time for making resolutions…and, if you’re like me, breaking them just as fast.

It’s funny, I was walking in Fred Meyer, and they have their seasonal section, which typically goes from Halloween to Christmas. Well, Christmas is on its way out, only the crappiest candy (those fake chocolate candies in the foil that really have no flavor other than the foil) and the tackiest decorations are left. Valentine’s way is creeping in (is it really time to start thinking about red hearts and roses already?), but lo and behold, there’s one aisle standing between the two holidays: New Years.

But what qualifies as a seasonal New Year’s item, you ask? Champagne glasses? Confetti? Noisemakers? All good guesses, but alas, you’re off the mark.

No, the entire aisle is filled with workout equipment. Yoga balls, free weights, elliptical machines, jump ropes, kettle balls… and then you have the sketchier, as-seen-on-TV stuff. I think we’ve all seen the Shake Weight commercial, no? With it’s oddly…um…inappropriate movement? Or how about the electric waistbelt that supposedly shocks your way to a six-pack? What about the hazmat-looking sweatsuits that help you burn weight in twice the time (but the instant you drink a bottle of water it comes right back)?

New Years is all about the resolutions, and evidently we all have the same one: We all want to lose weight.

Which is funny, in and of itself, right? There’s an entire market out there designed to come up with the latest creepy gadget designed to “help” people lose weight, and this time of year is like tax season for accountants. Put it on the market and someone will try it, and then right around Valentine’s Day, it’ll be collecting dust in the back of the closet.

(I’m a little cynical, aren’t I?)

What’s the weirdest, most off-the-wall weight loss trend or gadget that you’ve seen? (Don’t worry, I won’t ask you if you’ve tried it) Here’s a little inspiration to get you started: The Most Ridiculous, Absurd, and Over-Hyped Diets of 2010

how bout that challenge?

remember the challenge/contest that was mentioned, well, in october??

i've got something for ya now. the new year is coming. and you know what that means. fresh starts. new you. attempts that fail after a month, if you're lucky. two weeks if you're an average american.
i made those stats up. but i believe most of us fail our resolutions soon after we make them.

well, how about more of a participation thing, than an actual resolution? it's not an easy one. but nothing worth it ever is.

i got some free martha stewart magazines thanks to my darling mother-in-law. well, it seems included with this are some issues of whole living, a martha stewart production. it's neat. better than something limited like shape magazine, it seems to encourage general healthy living.

there's a challenge in the january issue-- if you can find this magazine, feel free to get it so you can participate!-- that doesn't look easy. but i'm going to try it, and i am inviting all of you to join it also. i'll start it every monday starting in january, and i'll tell you what the magazine says to do for that week, or you can look at it online here. it is sort of a cleanse, limiting when you eat things like processed foods and sugar and meat. here's the run down of what it will cover:

week 1: pare down and purify
eating lots of smoothies, beans, veggies, millet. fresh fruits, lots of water. avoiding things like added sugar, alcohol, caffeine, wheat, eggs, dairy...
using yoga to detox your body and clearing clutter to detox your mind.

week 2: lay a wholesome foundation
gradually add in some avoided foods like wheat, dairy, soy. i can't wait to try the avocado dressing on the creamy kale salad this week. also get to have oily fish. continue to avoid sugar, processed foods.
continue yoga, focusing on core strength. focus on positive emotions.

week 3: gain momentum
explore spices in your diet. this week's menu includes things like roasted tomatoes, roasted chickpeas, and creamy broccoli-white bean soup. also something that looks like a cookie, but i don't know what amaranth is.
exercise is more cardio and invigorating workouts

week 4: a new you-- for good
increase the plant-to-animal ratio in your diet. the chipotle-avocado sandwich looks delicious. so does the linguine with toasted almonds, lemon, and romano cheese. yum.
continue the workout from week 3.

so. it's not easy. it's also not a crash diet. more of a see-what-you-can-live-without-in-your-diet regime. like sugar, which is a HUGE problem for me. it shouldn't be a daily addition, but more of a fancy treat, you know? i'm not saying that i'm going to follow this all the way. i have some things that will be hard to live without. like a whole week with just smoothies? we'll see how i do. but i thought it would be fun, and i know that when i eat better, and DO remove those certain items from my diet, i feel so much better. so i'm going to really try to show myself i can do this.

use this week to prepare for week 1. log on to the site, and click on the "food and recipes" tab. i've already got the menu pretty much planned out for next week, and it definitely doesn't look like i'll be starving!

9 Exercises That Are a Waste of Time

 I hope everyone's having a wonderful Christmas Eve and not going overboard with the holiday cookies. I went ahead and pre-programmed this post in case anyone is reading this week. It's short and sweet. So, here goes...

I get an email newsletter from WebMD and I found one of the links quite interesting.

9 Exercises That Are a Waste of Time

This link showcases popular exercises that are done incorrectly and then gives a picture of the correct way to do those exercises. I guess I never really think about the fact that if you're doing the exercise wrong, it can be ineffective and all your hard work goes to waste. So, take a look and check out the other slideshows they have available on the site.

And MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What I'm Doing Right and Other Stuff

So, I got to thinking the other day (this post has been in the works for going on 3 weeks now) that I always get down on myself about what I'm NOT doing right, that I rarely pat myself on the back for what I do get right. Therefore, I will give you a list of things that I do to make my life a little healthier. There are definitely things I could be doing differently and if you have any suggestions on things I could incorporate into my life that won't take too much time or money, I'm all ears.

Cooking lots of lean meats -- I try to broil pork and fish as much as possible; broiling takes less than 10 minutes in most cases, so it's really good for my time-strapped schedule. I never fry anything because not only is it unhealthy, it's really time-consuming. I'm a poor excuse for a Southern girl, but that's just the way it is. We don't own a Fry-Daddy (although my husband would love if we did) and if I get a hankering for fried chicken, I just do Shake and Bake. Okay, that's actually pretty fattening, but at least we're not getting all the grease and oil.

Not cooking with salt -- Much to my husband's dismay, I do not salt as I cook. My mom never really did and I never "learned" to eat food with lots of salt. I occasionally put different seasonings in veggies when I cook them but I let MK salt his own food. I can't stand something that's been oversalted and my definition of "oversalted" is usually different than everyone else's.

Buying whole grain bread -- Our favorite bread is actually Nature's Own Multi-Grain bread and our Walmart is out of it every other time I go grocery shopping. So, I have to get the 100% whole grain, which is more bitter than the multi-grain. The multi-grain has a nuttier flavor and isn't as bitter to the taste. I actually would rather experiment with different grains than eat white bread.

Eating fiber-rich cereals -- No Cocoa Puffs for me! Although the sugary cereals are tasty, they sure don't go very far. I'm hungry an hour later whenever I eat unhealthy cereal. But if I eat a healthier cereal or oatmeal, I stay satisfied longer. I also drink nothing but skim milk. I wish I had more time to cook a proper breakfast, because I'd love to eat eggs in the mornings for an added boost of protein.

Not buying the sweet stuff that I love -- If I don't have it in the house, I don't crave it much. If MK wants me to buy him some cookies or sweets, I try to get the stuff that I'm not that into. Like chocolate. I get something without chocolate because if chocolate is in the house, I will eat it.

Now, none of this includes activity. But, my office is a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG way from the parking lot. Like 10 minutes from the parking lot and it's all walking. I sit on my rear all day at work, but the bathrooms are quite a ways down the hall and once I get home, I don't get to sit down for very long until after the baby goes to bed. And even then, if I'm doing things like loading/unloading the dishwasher or laundry, then I might not sit down until 10:00 PM. It's too cold to take the baby on walks right now in the evenings and I wouldn't have much time to do that anyway since I have to prepare supper. Also, we have hardwoods so if I do any kind of activity inside the house, I'll accidentally wake the baby up. Once the holidays die down, I'm going to try to do more walking at work. I've said it before...we have a gym and I need to utilize it.

And, none of this is helping me lose weight but at least I'm not gaining. I went clothes shopping the other day and it was SO depressing. I am two sizes bigger than I was pre-pregnancy and holding steady at 15 pounds of baby weight. My brother gets married in April, so I would really like to drop this 15 pounds by then and need to figure out something that works with my new life.

Sticks and Stones

Something happened to me this week that honestly, I’m finding hard to talk about. Nonetheless, it’s in the vein of this blog, and it’s something I’m dealing with as part of my healthiness journey, so I thought it was important to talk about here.

I was having a really good week. Not working out as much as I should be, but avoiding holiday bad-eating for the most part. I was even starting to feel a bit festive, having finally gotten the Christmas tree and the lights up outside. My roommate and I were both sick at home, and decided to spend a day curled up in our pjs, watching Christmas movies. Despite the pain in my head and sinuses, I was in a fairly decent mood.

That is, until I logged into my Facebook and saw the following commentary on one of my recent photos.

“you are really fat girls…have a good time, but how to loose these pounds? I got weight too lately and I’m panic because I can’t fit into my favourite trousers which I bought 3 years ago…I guess metabolism doesn’t work as good when people are in their 40 tys. But you are not in 40tys yet, what is going on, fatzos?”

I was shocked. I gasped so loudly that the roommate turned and looked at me. For about 45 seconds, I couldn’t even formulate a single word. Afterwhich, I simply passed her my laptop and let her read the hateful commentary. (She was the other person in the photo, and the reason for the plural.) We both started crying moments later.

The woman who wrote the comment was my aunt, which honestly, makes it hurt that much worse than if it had been a stranger or an acquaintance. This is family, someone who’s supposed to see through the weight on my hips and see who I am inside.

I feel like I’ve been kicked in the (admittedly chubby) stomach. As easy as it is to say that I’m not going to let someone’s ignorance and hate effect me or bring me down, it’s really, really hard not to feel the pain. As I’m writing this, I’m actually tearing up.

It’s frustrating, because…why do people say things like this? Don’t they think I know that I’m heavy? I’m WORKING on it. I’m losing weight. I’m sorry that it’s not fast enough for everyone else’s standards, but dammit, you can’t drop 40-50 pounds overnight, no matter HOW good you’re eating, or how much you’re working out. Weight comes off slowly, it’s just the way it is.

Why is weight the only thing that it’s appropriate to comment on these days? I mean, commenting on someone’s race, sexuality, religion..these are all taboo topics. Calling someone fat, however, and making painfully cruel comments is still acceptable. You only have to pick up any cheesy entertainment magazine to see the harsh criticism that’s socially acceptable. “Best and Worst Swimsuit Bodies”, “Starlet is putting on the holiday pounds!” “Daytime Talk Show Host is off her diet, again!” Honestly, I’d take any of those “worst” swimsuit bodies any day of the week.

Why is it that everything else goes to the side if someone is overweight? Suddenly, that’s all I’m worth to my aunt. Never mind the work I do, the volunteerism I do, the blogs I write for, the life I live, the smile on my face in that photograph…all I am is just overweight.

And then the other part of me just wants to rebel and shout at the world, screw you for not taking me seriously as a heavy girl! Why should I have to conform to skinny girl standards in order for my life to have some meaning and the words I say to be considered important!

This is where I am this week.

But as one of the wisest women I know said, fat is fixable. I can always diet and get skinny. Coldheartedly cruel, well, my aunt is stuck being THAT woman forever.

getting PAID to lose weight??

it's true. and it's not a scam. or an infomercial.

i work at one of the biggest and best research institutes in the US. So I have had the opportunity to participate in some research studies. well, i also am a member (is that what it's called?) of research match, where i receive emails for studies that i could potentially participate in. i recently got an email about a study. i'll just paste it here:

Erin,

Shortness of Breath During Exertion in Obesity

 

Our research study investigates the effect of exercise training and weight loss on breathlessness during exercise in obese individuals.  This study requires commitment and dedication, but is very rewarding.  You will learn more about your body composition, lung function, exercise capacity and will have the opportunity to work with a trainer.  You will also receive an individualized diet plan.  This will be at no cost to you. 

 

The visits, tests and payments are:

 

Visit 1:

• Consent & HIPAA – review and sign
• Review of Medical History
• Pulmonary Function Tests
• Underwater Weighing
• Pays you $50
• Time commitment:  3hrs.

 

Visit 2:

• Constant Load Cycle Test – you are resting a stationary bicycle for the most part and will cycle for 6 minutes at an easy work rate.
• Maximal exercise Test – You will start cycling at an easy work rate.  Each minute we will increase the work load, until you are “maxed” – where you don’t feel like you can cycle any longer.
• For your safety, we will monitor your oxygen, heart and blood pressure.  We always have a doctor in the building (easily accessible).
• Pays you $60
• Time commitment:  2hrs.

 

Visit 3:

• We look at your “oxygen cost of breathing”.  This involves several different breathing maneuvers.  We will coach you on your breathing.
• Pays you $100
• Time commitment:  3hrs. – 3.5hrs

 

Visit 4

• MRI – images will be of the upper body (from the hips to below the neck)
• Pays you $50
• Time commitment:  1hr

 

Training Program:

 

You will be in the resistive training (weight loss) program.  You will require to train 3 times per week depending on which group you fall into.  This is a 12 week program.  Once you complete your 12 week program, we will repeat all the above tests.  Exact same payment and time commitment.  This will be at no cost to you.

 

so yeah, it's definitely something i'm interested in. even if they didn't pay, i'd be excited to participate-- because, dude, you get meal planning help and a trainer. the money is just like an extra bonus! i had my phone interview to see if i qualify all the way, and there's one issue they're concerned with. i have to take steroids for an adrenal problem, and that might affect the study. i will find out tomorrow if i've been accepted-- keep your fingers crossed!

 

now, how does this help you? easy. go to research match. register. investigate at your local hospital or med school.  there's stuff going on like this all the time! you're doing good for the general public in helping these investigators learn more about their studies. you could be doing good for yourself, as it appears this study will be!

 

ps, all other people participating in this study are losing 25 pounds in their 12 weeks. woah. that is JUST the jump start i need!! 

Truth

Well, what can I say? Another week, another 2lbs of weight gain... presumably healthy weight gain, but with the chocolate I eat... how can I be sure? 6 weeks left till baby... and I'm not going to lie... I'm getting nervous. Aaaand when I'm nervous... I eat. It's a truth that I don't even really like to admit to myself. Sad? Eat. Angry? Eat. Scared? Eat. BORED? Eat.

Last time I had a baby, I had a breakdown. It wasn't pretty... it was emotional, and scary... and life changing. It was full of sadness, confusion, self-doubt and, you guessed it, food. It was a vicious cycle... cry, eat, gain weight, hate the weight, cry and then eat. I am not entirely sure if being aware of this cycle (or the causes of the cycle in the first place, which I now understand) can stop me from going through them again... I'm hoping that I'm stronger... that I've accepted more of my faults, and excelled in more of my strengths. I hope that my baby feels the same love that Ky felt, and that he grows to be the same kind of child that I created last time... (in spite of myself).

I'm driven by self-awareness, and an understanding that I didn't have before... but in saying that, I'm also aware that there is very little "reason" involved in mental health issues, and hormonal imbalance. I need to be careful. I need to be positive. I need to ensure that I feel good about me... whatever weight I am.

SO - this week, I just want us all to remember that we are beautiful in spite of our weight. That we try hard, that we work hard, that we play hard, that we love hard.... and that we eat what we need to continue doing those things. Yes we can make better choices. Yes we can exercise and help ourselves, (and our families in the long run!) but we are beautiful.

YOU are beautiful.

Are you falling for these tricks?

I'm not going to lie. I'm eating like a horse. And I'm not exercising. And I'm gaining weight madly. In the best interest of staying positive, and helping you all keep fit and have fun (!) I'm just going to enclose an article that I thought was really helpful, and wish you all a great FIT week!!!

Tamara

What You See is What You Eat

By Erik on Dec 03, 2010 10:00 AM in Dieting & You

As we’ve talked about in the past, enormousserving sizes and the deeply-ingrainedmentality we have to “clean” our larger-than-average plates are some of the subconscious factors responsible for our overeating habits. New research shows that there are additional visual cues which affect our sense of hunger and likelihood to gorge. These subtle visual “tricks” used by restaurants and food manufacturers are leading us to buy (and eat) more and more without even realizing it. Have you fallen into these traps?

The Photo Says it All

Snack foods often show a representative sample photo prominently on the front of the packaging. For example, a box of cookies might show a photo of five cookies and a bag of pretzels might show an image with fifteen pretzels. A recent study found that the number of items shown in these product photos affects how we judge an appropriate serving size, how we evaluate the number of items in the entire package, and ultimately, how much we eat.

The study, published in October’s Journal of Consumer Psychology, showed that people given a package of cookies with more cookies shown on the front would assume there are more total cookies in the entire package and more in the appropriate serving size than those given the exact same package with fewer cookies shown in the photo. Since they assumed the serving size to be larger, the people given the package with a greater number of cookies shown ended up eating more.

Small, Medium, Large?

Another recent study in the similarly-named Journal of Consumer Research found that consumer behavior is greatly influenced by how manufacturers name their serving sizes, such as “small,” “medium,” and “large.”

In this study, testers were offered the exact same packages with different size labels. People offered a large item with a “small” label ate more than those given larger size labels. Additionally, it made these people feel less guilty about overindulging, an effect which the researchers call “guiltless gluttony.”

Hungry Colors

Finally, something as simple as the colors in a logo, product packaging, or on the walls of a restaurant can change the way we eat. Have you ever noticed that almost every fast-food franchise is decked out in bright reds and yellows? It should be no surprise that these colors attract our attention, make us excited, increase our heart rate, and stimulate hunger.

Your thoughts…

Have you been fooled into overeating with these visual tricks?

Welcome to December!

Okay okay, nasty gritty stuff out of the way. Weight: 210. Down from 215. Exactly 50 pounds from my goal of 160.

Side note - Does anyone else have a hard time looking at the YAY, FIVE POUNDS LOST! because all they can see is the OMG, FIFTY MORE POUNDS TO GO! ? (Feel free to substitute your own numbers) I swear, I don't know whether I'm more elated or frustrated.

In other news, Happy December! May whatever holiday you and yours celebrate be happy, merry, and bright. Not only is it the season for holiday cheer, it's also the season for Good Holiday Eats, is it not?



I always go into the holiday season with the best of intention, armed with all of the holiday tips and tricks that I've picked up along the way. We all know the tricks; drink a glass of water before a meal so you feel fuller, sample a little bit of everything, but only a couple bites, watch portions, don't mindlessly graze from the M&M bowl (but the holiday mint M&Ms are SO GOOD!!)... But, at least in my world, when I have a friend standing in front of me with her homemade sweet potato pie/grandma's secret stuffing recipe/fluffy sugar cookies her kid's made, it's really, really hard to say no.

I think it's because I'm from a culture where food is caring. You don't turn down food that someone is offering because it's rude. If someone takes the time to prep you a plate or bake you a treat, they're offering you something out of their own heart, and it's only respectful to be gracious about their gift. If you walk into my house, the first thing I'm going to do is offer you something to eat. It's just the way I was raised.

So, yeah, I know it's not likely that I'm going to be shirking away from the holiday dishes at my friend's festivities, and I think if I go into it with that mentality, I'm just going to disappoint myself. But what about fighting a little bit of fire with fire? Bringing a healthy recipe to the gathering and offering it in my own home?

I think we all know that there are some holiday goodies that are just too good to pass up, right? Even when you're dieting, even if your resolve is sound, there are still a few things that get through the cracks. 

I propose something: Let's share a healthy recipe with eachother. Let's create a healthier choice for each of us; our very own little "I don't have to feel guilty for enjoying this" cookbook. There are healthier versions of traditional holiday recipes everywhere, I've found more than a few at Food Network's Holidays Made Healthy.


I'll start: How about that holiday favorite of cookies and milk?

 

Lighter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Courtesy of Food Network Kitchens

Notes

These crispy cookies will give your old, full fat recipe, a run for their money. By adding some ground oats to whole wheat pastry flour, cutting the butter and adding some agave nectar, we cut the fat and calories without sacrificing flavor.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rolled oats (not quick-cooking)
• 1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 2/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons agave nectar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped, or 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a food processor and pulse until the oats are finely ground. Set aside.


2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, sugar and agave nectar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until smooth and glossy. Reduce mixer speed to the lowest setting and gradually add the flour mixture until just incorporated; stir in the chocolate.


3. Drop level tablespoons of the dough onto silicone mat lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (12 cookies per sheet). Transfer the sheets to the refrigerator and chill the cookies until solid, about 30 minutes. Bake until lightly golden around edges, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let cool on the sheets for 1 minute; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.


Cook's Note: These cookies like to spread. If you are bothered by them touching, bake on 3 pans.

Copyright 2010 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved


Nutritional analysis per cookie (based on 2 dozen, serving size 2 cookies)
Calories 200; Total Fat 7g (Sat Fat 4g, Mono Fat 1g, Poly Fat 0g); Protein 3g; Carb 32g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 28mg; Sodium 56mg

how to not gain weight this holiday season

my post is not nearly as detailed as kyrstin's.
it's also not as serious.

how to not gain weight this holiday season:
1) get sick. there's a virus going around the office that i'm pretty sure i caught. if so, the coming-out-both-ends will surely lose me a couple pounds, no?
2) don't cook. just scavenge for whatever you can find in the fridge. related, don't cook a feast for any holiday. eat out. less fatty leftovers this way.
3) avoid the scale. because, if you don't weigh yourself, you don't gain weight. isn't that how it works? plus, i have a 24-lb cast on my leg (it must weigh that much in order for the scale to be correct).

that's it! three simple steps to staying slim this season.

Happy Thanksgiving! (And an extra few pounds)

Yup! You guessed right! I woke up this morning and weigh 3 more pounds than I did a week ago. And I know why! I've had fast food once this week and haven't gotten to the gym at all. And today is Thanksgiving! One of my favorite holidays! (Besides 4th of July and New Year's... I really like fireworks... haha!)

Anyway, how will I manage to eat all the delicious food and not gain weight? Well, luckily, we are hitting the in-laws today and while there will be two kinds of meat the side dishes will be more limited because there aren't as many people bringing food. I'm bring dessert (apple crisp) and my SIL is bringing potatoes. Chances are, they are just mashed and not anything cheesy or creamy, woot! And the vegetables will also most likely just be steamed or the like. So, this is good news. Maybe I can fill up on green beans and white meat turkey and stay away from the *gasp!* dressing( or stuffing as we call it here, or maybe that's just me?). Or at least only have a few forkfuls.

Also, this morning in my inbox, I found an e-mail from Real Simple. (Have you heard of this magazine? I LOVE it!) Anyway, they included 9 tips to healthy eating for the holidays! Enjoy and have a great holiday if you're in the U.S. or a wonderful Thursday to my Canadian friends!

At a family gathering:
1. Eat the best-for-you offerings first. For example, hot soup as a first course―especially when it's broth-based, not cream-based―can help you avoid eating too much during the main course.


 Stand more than an arm's length away from munchies, like a bowl of nuts or chips, while you chat so you're not tempted to raise your hand to your mouth every few seconds.


 Concentrate on your meal while you're eating it. Focus on chewing your food well and enjoying the smell, taste, and texture of each item. Research shows that mealtime multitasking (whether at home or at a party) can make you pop mindless calories into your mouth. Of course, dinner-party conversation is only natural, but try to set your food down until you're finished chatting so you are more aware of what you're taking in.


While shopping:
2. Plan your shopping route so you don’t pass the Cinnabon stand a dozen times. The obvious reason? Both sights and smells can coax you to eat, and with some vendors purposefully wafting their aromas your way, saying no can feel impossible.


Choose a proper restaurant over the grab-and-go food court whenever you can. And request a table away from loud sounds and distractions, which can cause you to eat more. The bright lights and noisy hard surfaces can speed up the rate at which you eat and lead to overeating.


Avoid fast-food places that emphasize red in their color schemes. Red has been shown to stimulate the appetite more than many other colors, and many restaurants add it to their decor, in everything from the flowers on the table to the squiggles on the plates.


Everyday: 
3. Weigh yourself daily and use that number to guide your actions. (Food diaries are helpful, but only if you’re totally honest and diligent about recording every morsel you eat.) Research has shown that women who step on the scale every day and then act accordingly, either increasing their exercise or being stricter about their eating, are 82 percent less likely to regain lost weight than those who don’t weigh in as often.


Zip yourself into your favorite pair of slim-fitting pants once a week and note how they fit. Too tight? Adjust your eating and exercise habits. Just right? Keep up the good work.


Before a party:
4. Eat breakfast. This has been shown to prevent overeating later in the day.

Limit the number of high-calorie foods on your party plate. Research has shown that when faced with a variety of foods with different tastes, textures, smells, shapes, and colors, people eat more―regardless of their true hunger level. Cutting down on your personal smorgasbord can decrease what you end up eating by 20 to 40 percent.

Choose foods wisely, filling your plate with low-calorie items, such as leafy green salads, vegetable dishes, and lean proteins, and taking smaller portions of the richer ones. That way, you can eat a larger amount of food for fewer calories and not feel deprived.

Pop a sugar-free mint in your mouth. When you’ve had enough (and don’t want to eat more), the feeling of a fresh palate can curb additional noshing.

At work:

5. Try to keep communal office goodies out of view, either in an area that isn’t as highly trafficked as the kitchen or the break room, or in dark containers or covered dishes. In one study, people ate 26 percent more Hershey’s Kisses when the candies were in clear dishes versus white ones. And when the chocolates were placed six feet away, the average person ate only four a day, as opposed to nine a day when they were within arm’s reach.

Before you allow yourself a splurge, do something healthy, like eating a piece of fruit, walking around the office for five minutes, or climbing a few flights of stairs.

Plan on taking whatever tempts you home, and delay the daily indulgence until just before bedtime. At that point, you’re less likely to crave another treat immediately than you would during your afternoon coffee break, especially if the whole box is no longer around.

On portion sizes:

6. Use smaller plates and serving utensils. Try a salad or dessert plate for the main course and a teaspoon to serve yourself. What looks like a normal portion on a 12-inch plate or a troughlike bowl can, in fact, be sinfully huge. In one study conducted at the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University, even nutrition experts served themselves 31 percent more ice cream when using oversize bowls compared with smaller bowls. The size of the serving utensil mattered, too: Subjects served themselves 57 percent more when they used a three-ounce scoop versus a smaller scoop.

Pour drinks into tall, skinny glasses, not the fat, wide kind. Other studies at Cornell have shown that people are more likely to pour 30 percent more liquid into squatter vessels.

To help you along:

7. Eat with a small group when you can. One study found that dining with six or more people can cause you to eat 76 percent more, most likely because the meal can last so long. (After an hour of staring at the stuffing, you’re more likely to have seconds.) At a big sit-down supper, be the last one to start and the second one to stop eating.

Sit next to a fellow healthy eater(there’s strength in numbers). Or sidle up to that uncle who eats slowly, so his pace can slow yours.

Wait for all the food to be on the table before making your selections. People who make their choices all at once eat about 14 percent less than do those who keep refilling when each plate is passed.

Keep visual evidence around of what you’ve consumed so you don’t forget. Leave an empty bottle of wine or beer in view and you’ll be less tempted to drink more.

Keep up on exercise:

8. Break it up. If you don’t have time for your daily four-mile walk, do a few 10- or 15-minute spurts of exercise throughout the day (to accumulate the surgeon general’s recommendation of 30 minutes a day). They can be just as effective at maintaining overall fitness as one continuous workout.

Tell yourself that all the running around you’re doing (cleaning for houseguests, dashing through a million stores to find the perfect presents) can help keep your weight in check. In one Harvard study, people who were simply told that they did enough in their daily lives to meet the surgeon general’s recommendations lost weight and body fat without consciously changing a thing. A possible reason? Believing that what they were doing was having a positive effect may have led to subtle changes in their overall health behaviors.

Choose your indulgences:

9. Plan in advance to eat a little more and be a little more flexible at this time of year, when you face daily temptations. That way, you can savor the culinary joys of the holidays a little more often and you'll be less likely to binge. For instance, rather than inhaling four sugar cookies on your cheat day, allow yourself one as a dessert when the mood strikes. Then make one little switch during the day to account for those calories―maybe skipping that morning latte or cutting out an afternoon snack.

Choose your indulgences wisely. Instead of wasting calories on foods that you can have at any time of the year, pick items that are truly special and unique to the season, like your grandmother's candied yams or your daughter's first batch of Christmas cookies.

So, which tip did you like the most or will you be trying? 

I'm going to be avoiding restaurants who have a lot of red (McDonald's!) and working out more, along with trying the mint or piece of gum.

hindrances

as if i wasn't having a hard enough time getting active...
this weekend, i went and broke my leg. a tendon pulled off my tibia, bringing some bone off with it. i'm still waiting for more instructions, as the urgent care visit was only yesterday-- hoping i can actually walk in the next few days. because BOY do i hate feeling helpless.

so anyways, no update. besides my non-activities.

good news? i walked a LOT before it happened. yay!

I remembered it was Thursday!

Usually, I have a problem with Thursdays. I am in class from 11:30-4 without breaks on Thursday. I leave my apartment around 10:30 and return at 5. I also have started coaching from 6:30-8 four days a week. So on Thursdays, when I get home from class I usually forget to blog. But this week, I remembered! (Woot!)

I don't have a lot of positive to report or any real changes except, I'm not eating fast food. I've had fast food maybe twice since I last posted 3 (THREE???) weeks ago. I've been to the gym at least once a week for those last few weeks and continue to park my car in a way that maximizes the amount of walking I do on campus.

Additionally, I've cut down on the amount of juice and regular pop I drink. I drink only diet now or water. I've been drinking more water than I was, but not as much as I "should" be. I haven't lost any weight, but I'm feeling better. I'm not as sluggish or tired and I have more energy. So that is a definite plus!

With the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays and all the extra food that gets passed around, I am grateful my Thanksgiving with my family was almost two weeks before the Thanksgiving at my in-laws. This spreads out the large caloric intake instead of doing back-to-back giant meals.

I'm in charge of dessert at my in-laws this Thursday. I'll be taking apple crisp and pretending it's good for you because it has apples in it and try to choose the white meat turkey rather than the ham my SIL loves. But that turkey is a treat. It comes on dry ice from Virginia and we only get it twice a year. Christmas and Thanksgiving. I'm sure MIL would serve it for Easter as well, but we don't usually get together for Easter. Anyway, I'm going to try to freeze some of our ham to enjoy over time rather than pig out on it all in a few days. I only wish there was a way to hide it from the hubby... he'll probably eat it all before any left-overs make it to the freezer.

But aside from watching what I eat and walking, I have another tidbit I'd like to share: everything in moderation. Go ahead and have that piece of pie, but make it a smaller one. Eat stuffing, but make it a smaller serving. Snack on olives, but fewer than half the can. Enjoy the holiday, enjoy your family, and don't beat yourself up over it. Thanksgiving only comes once a year. (...Thankfully!)

Banishing the Can't

Wow, I spent more than a week without internet access and missed two weeks of posts, sorry guys!

I've been in Alaska for a week, and some of you have heard all about my hike from hell. Now, I'm a curvy girl, but I've never really considered myself inactive. I go on hikes, and it's not a big deal to do 5 miles or so. I just prefer not to go for severe elevation climbs, and I'm careful of the terrain due to an old knee injury. But, I was visiting a friend whom I've known since we were in kindergarten, and he's not exactly a health nut either, so I didn't really think to question what I was getting myself into when he suggested that we hike into the backcountry.

Now, the first mile was heavenly. Beautiful, just like you'd expect Alaska to be. Hiking's a little different when you have the extra weight of a rifle on your shoulder (have to watch out for the bears, you know!), but it was still wonderful. Mile two was...well...challenging. We went from trail to boardwalk (and by boardwalk, I literally mean a board about 16" wide, laying across the soggy ground), ICY boardwalk, across a soggy, marshy, series of meadows. I was freaked out. I'm not even going to lie, I was terrified of slipping and falling into the water and freezing. But, I did it, and I was so proud of myself for overcoming my fear that I kept right on trekkiing another mile into horrible, uphill, narrow, rocky sludge that only marginally qualified as a trail.

And then I fell. Completely rolled my left ankle on a nasty, rocky hillside. I could feel it was swelling inside of my boot, but I just didn't want to stop. My friend knew that I was hurt, and asked at several points if I wanted to turn back, but I didn't want to. I was so proud that I'd made it this far, climbing uphill, on horrible terrain, and I didn't want to give up, knowing what I could have done. I had my friend relace my boot for me (super-tight to hold in the swelling) and I moved onward. 


Now, here's the deal. I know how to hike. I know the rules. I know that you pack food, water, and the 10 Essentials with you whenever you go out. But, I was in another state without my gear, and I didn't know where we were heading, so when I saw my friend leaving out without a pack or anything, I figured we were going out on a little day trip, basic public trail, nothing to worry about. I couldn't have been more wrong.

The sun started to set at about mile 3.5...did I mention this was a 7 mile hike? And all those treacherous icy paths I'd come across now had to be recrossed...in the dark? With zero light? Or water? Or food? With a swollen ankle screaming at me with every twist and turn of the wretched trail?

The only light we had between us was my cellphone, which I always keep on me when I remember it. (Call me morbid, but I know that the GPS in my phone can act as a locator, even if I have no cell service, and if I'm in trouble, I want someone knowing where I'm at. ) I was sobbing, in pain, and angry as hell, and nearly passed out when we finally made our way off the hill and go to the truck. It was, overall, a horrific nightmare.

Okay, okay, I hear you now "this is Twitter to get Fitter, where the heck is the fitter part of your rambling"?I'm getting there, I promise.

The whole experience was the worst thing I'd been through in a long time. I was honestly worried that we weren't going to get out of there that night, that I would be hurt beyond what I could walk on and rescue wouldn't be able to make it in... If there had been an option to sit down and wait for someone to come help, I would have leaped at the chance. If there were an option to do anything other than continue hiking in the dark, wounded and sobbing, I would have done it. But there wasn't. I had no choice, so I kept on going.

And I learned something in the process. I am capable of so much more than I had thought.

How many times have I sat down in Zumba, because I was too tired and "needed a break"? How many times did I cut short a walk or hike with Vegas because I wasn't "feeling up to it"? How many times have I sold myself short when in actuality, I had it in me all along?

How many times do we tell ourselves we CAN'T do something when what we really mean is 'I don't want to'? I can't work out today, I'm too tired. I can't cook a meal at home, I don't have the time. I can't take the dog for a walk, I have to do laundry. I'm guilty of every one of these, and more. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one.

This week, I'm going to be focusing on all the times where I sell myself short and don't give myself a chance to do more. I'm going to focus on every time I say that I can't, when what I really mean is 'I don't want to'. And then I'm going to make myself get up and do it anyway. 'Can't' is a word that is far too overused in my world. I plan on changing that.

Thoughts?

frustration

remember hannah's post last week? when she said she was below her goal, and how she's skinny and all? well, she is. it's sickening, really. two gorgeous boys and she looks like she did in college. i was lucky enough to spend part of this weekend with her when she visited dallas. so on sunday morning we all went out to breakfast together, and i got what i always order (the pancake combo, hashbrowns, sausage, no eggs with fruit instead-- *hangs head*) know what hannah ordered? the same thing. only she had eggs instead of fruit. well, with all her weight loss, i'm positive she's going to be that girl that picks at half of the items, nibbles on the bacon, and that's it.

nope.

she ate it all.
so did i.

but she looks so much better than me! so i have decided that genetics sucks, and also that she usually drinks water for breakfast and lunch, and only ate pancakes to make me feel like not so much of a pig.

right?

*sigh*

but anyways, i'm on the boat with leann. there are so many places in my life that i've lost control, so soon as i get them all under control, i'll feel like i have better control over my fitness and weight and dieting. wow, i just said control three times in one sentence. sorry about that.

Reasons to stay Fit!

I had a great plan. I was gonna come in here, all serious like, with my serious cap on, and tell you all why you should stay fit. And then I was going to tell myself that I should do the same. It was a great plan.

I'm still going to tell you, but it's not going to be as well thought out as I had hoped. However, that doesn't mean it's not just as serious, and just as devastating.

Type 1 Diabetes is prevalent in my family. We are not obese, however this type of diabetes is as unfortunate as it's relative, and just as uncomfortable and deadly. My grandmother died of this last year. Genetically speaking, I'm very aware that there is a good chance I could also have this disease at some point... in thinking of this, and passing (luckily) my gestational glucose screening test last week, I started thinking about a type of diabetes that we CAN try to keep ourselves from getting... Type 2 Diabetes. Although this type is also genetic, there are ways that we can help ourselves, to avoid this unfortunate disease. And for those that try and cannot avoid it, I apologize for making this post seem like I have all the answers.

Now, ideally, I would have researched this all week, learning and sharing with you my findings. Unfortunately my life doesn't always allow for this luxury and this week, I couldn't quite get the ball rolling. (There was ALOT of tweeting to do people... do you know how much time that takes up?)

Instead, I will link you to the wikipedia page, so that you may have a read through, and remember why it is that it's important for us to eat healthy, and stay fit. Why it is important that we teach our children how to do the same, and why it is important that we nag the heck out of our husbands to lay off the crap.

And thank you. Without this blog, and my thoughts on an idea to help us stay fit, I would have never really thought as hard, or read up as much, on this disease. I really needed this reminder.

Type 2 Diabetes Information

Changing My Mindset

I've had a huge problem getting into the grove lately in regards to fitness. I've been beating myself up for not going to the gym and for eating more mini-chocolate donuts than I should. It's starting to wear on me. But, it's not just my weight and eating that needs a tune-up. As Hannah mentioned the other day, this is Twitter to Get Fitter, not "Thinner" or "Skinnier." And my spiritual fitness needs to be in check, along with my finances. I just need a complete overhaul. For me, that starts with my spiritual life. If things are going well with my spirit and faith, then everything else falls in to place. So, here are the changes I plan on making (I know, I know. I tell you every week what I'm going to do differently and then I don't do it. But I'm REALLY gonna try).

• Start reading my Bible every day. I've already started this with Erin. We're doing a daily plan of some of the books in the New Testament. If you want to join us, feel free (this is the plan). If that's not your thing, then at least spend some time in solitude, praying or meditating or even reading. We often neglect our spirit but that's a huge part of who we are; it needs to be refreshed every now and then.
  
• Use Mom's elliptical on the days when my son is at her house (three days a week, usually). It's just too much to expect me to block out extra time at the gym every day right now. I'm just too busy with my commute, working, and trying to get back into town to pick my son up before it gets too dark. He's started going to bed earlier with the time change and getting dark early, so I feel like I don't need to spend any more time away from him than necessary because then I won't have supper fixed until after he goes to bed and that's just too late. I could possibly do some workouts at home after his bedtime but we have hardwoods and don't know how loud I'd end up being after he goes to bed. Using her elliptical will help me start slow with not as much pressure to use all the equipment at the gym.
  
• Drink more water and replace my bad food habits with more reasonable ones. Instead of coffee with the sugary vanilla creamer, I will use just plain CoffeeMate. Or the fat free vanilla latte cream I bought yesterday. It's not as tasty as the full-fat versions, but it's better than black. I'm going to try to drink more hot tea as well. We have free green tea bags here at work, so I'm going to take advantage of that. We also have cold water, so I need to buy a stainless steel water bottle so it will stay cold and I don't have to constantly buy bottled water. I am going to try to avoid sweets as much as possible. I know that will be difficult with the holidays, but if I can just cut down, that will be a major improvement rather than feeling guilty when I have half a sleeve of Chips Ahoy.

So, those are my changes. I think baby steps are key and doing a complete assessment of my life, rather than just trying to change one aspect of it. Often, these things overlap and if you have problems in one area, it may stem from another.

Debate

I did it... I am at (actually a few lbs BELOW) the goal I set for myself when this blog was started. In the beginning I had about 25 lbs to lose to get to my goal, and back into some pre-baby clothes. I am now there, consistently there after a month, not just having a good couple days on the scale. In addition I am back into the "normal" range for BMI.

This is where my internal debate comes in, do I still have anything to contribute to this blog? My answer so far is that this blog is called "Twitter to get Fitter" not Twitter to get thinner, or Twitter to lose weight. And, though I am now happy with my weight I am still not happy with my body and far from "Fit." I have areas that could use toning and I can't climb the stairs at the mall without being short of breath. My contributions will have to change, I need to start focusing more on maintaining, toning, working out - cardio and weights rather than fat burning. Finding more healthy recipes to incorporate into our everyday meals. Try to just live healthy in general. That will be a challenge for me as much as the actual weight loss was. I hate to exercise. I found every excuse in the book to stop doing the C25K thing. In the end I hated running and hated running in the dark even more.

So I am still here, I am just trying to collect my thoughts and change directions a bit.

ouch.

remember leann's woe-is-me post? expect something similar from me.
my weight this morning? i don't want to talk about it. seriously.
because i'm pretty sure my breakfast didn't weigh 10 lbs.
so i can't blame it on that.
could it be the four meals i had yesterday?
or maybe the lack of activity i've been participating in.

but anyways, i'm all talk. i know what i should do, and i know that i should do it. but i don't.
i also don't sew anymore, but that's beside the issue.
sort of.
see, it all stems down to me not having time.
i don't have ANY time to myself. i have time to cook and to do homework and to grade tests. my life is, quite simply put, miserable--
with no time.
but honest? my life is great. i have a loving husband who helps with dishes (which i don't have time to wash), helps clean (which i don't have time to do), and lets the dog out early (which i don't like to do).
i have a beautiful home.
i have enough food to keep me healthy (obviously).
i just don't have time.

i hope to at least start my wii back up, but i make no promises. i get to bed late because i do homework, so i don't like waking up earlier than i have to.
i could walk, but i would be cutting into school time.
the easiest thing will be to eat better, so that i can promise to do. and i've been doing really well with having veggies in every meal, like i mentioned in a previous post.

the good news is that my clothes are still fitting well. once i get to where they're not fitting, i think i would cry. so i'll get to working so that i can go back into my skinny jeans (which are, yes, still hanging in my closet). don't get all excited. my "skinny" jeans are a size 16.

My butt has a butt

See above: that, because I know you can't tell, is my elliptical. That beautiful piece of $500.00 equipment I bought right about the same time we started this blog? Yep.

I was never good at using it. I think I got on the thing about 6 times... Never quite made it past 8 minutes and just about died each time... with the success I was having using my Wii, I could never bring myself to want to bust my lungs that way... and boy does it bust my lungs.

With all that being said, I looked in the mirror today. I saw a pregnant woman... and I'm ok with that... what I'm NOT ok with, is the fact that my butt had a butt. I kid you not, right below my butt is another butt. Okay, okay... it's not quite a butt, but it's like... all hangy and stuff. When did this happen? Now is NOT the time for saggy butt issues. I'm 2 months away from 30 with enough image issues to fill 47 blog posts.

*Sigh* Tomorrow, I will pull the clothes off the eliptical (I'm not going to lie, I probably won't hang them up) and I'm going to slooooowly and carefully walk on it. That is the goal. For my butt's sake.

If I go into labour before next week, I promise it'll make for an awesome Sunday blog post... ;)

Accountability

This is an accountability check. That's progress, right?

Well, I have basically nothing to report this week other than I am lazy and eat too many cookies. I want to lose weight without having to get off my tush to go to the gym or quit eating sweets; I didn't win the genetic lottery, to borrow a phrase from Kyrstin. Leftover Halloween candy haunts me (luckily, it's almost gone) and Husband must have cookies in the house at all times. I'm going to start buying ones that I don't like (Pecan Sandies, Double-stuffed Oreos, Nutter Butters, etc.) so I won't eat them. Pretty much nothing that has chocolate in them. Can't. Resist. Chocolate.

I could attend Zumba once a week (it's only $5 a sesson here in town) but I don't have the time. Class starts at 7 and I start getting the baby ready for bed around 7:30. UGH! Does it ever get better? Before I had a kid, I just thought I was busy. I had no idea.

All this is compounded by the fact that Thanksgiving is coming. I loooooooooove Thanksgiving food. And I'm sorry, but yes, I'm going to overdo it. Sweet potato casserole, corn bread dressing, buttery rolls. Nothing is healthy about any of that. Thanksgiving comes but once a year and I will partake.
In more positive news, I did sign up for the American Heart Association walking program but I haven't even started. I signed up Monday and it generated a program for me that will start out slow and gradually increase in intensity for weight loss. I haven't done a thing all week. Maybe it will get better. But I have motivation...my brother is getting married in April and I don't want to be the fat sister.

I believe Kyrstin signed up. Does anyone else want to join us?

LeLe, out.

we have a new start!

check it out, ladies! we have a new starting point!

as i was on south campus, eating lunch with a friend (chinese. i don't wanna talk about it), i saw a poster and thought i'd look into it a little more.

so there's this national start eating healthy day, sponsored by the american heart association. you can get more information by going to the walking site, which i don't get, because i couldn't find much more information (well, my computer is loading the internet really really slow for some reason. that's probably it). but anyways, we all have until this wednesday to eat junk food. but seriously, think of the timing. right after halloween, so you can devour all that candy you didn't give out (or that you stole from your little ones).

but then...
(insert scary music here)
it's the holidays.

you know what that means.
sweets.
potlucks.
food.
food.
fooooooood.

so here's what i need to work on over the next, well, forever, but i'll start with it over the holidays. eating less. if i want to try some of everything, grab a BITE. that's right, just a bite. and when i'm making things, i'll continue to make them healthier. like, adding applesauce instead of oil when i'm baking. and using seasonings to make things flavorful instead of salt.

i'll make it through this, no problem. i got it. and, i'm going to follow the AHA and start eating healthy.
on wednesday.

#fatbytwitter

So, obviously from my absence, you can tell that I was REEEAAAALLLLYYY trying to ignore the whole weight gain associated with pregnancy. My head definitely knows that weight gain is essential (and healthy!) when pregnant, but after fighting and fighting to lose 30 lbs right before I got pregnant, it has been a bit of a depressing jaunt to the scale in the morning... and yes... I look at the scale every morning.

In my last pregnancy, I gained 50 lbs... I also gained stretch makes, varicose veins, love handles, and a couple chins I didn't need. Luckily I gained one awesome child, or I wouldn't be looking back on it with much glee. Frankly, I did not want that to happen this time and so far, I'm succeeding. I've gained 13 pounds, and so far, 2lbs and 4oz are baby! Healthy baby :)

With that all being said, I'm not going to lie and say I am eating well... I'm not. I eat terribly for the most part... the only difference is that I force disgusting vegetables in my mouth in between each kitkat :) It's clear that the boy gets his preference for veggies from me.

Also... I don't want to have one of those "baked-goods-free" houses. I like to bake and I like Ky to eat it... I enjoy eating making fresh breads and chocolatey cookies. I guess the key, for me, is moderation... oh, ya, right, and... uh.... exercise.

I intend on getting back into some serious weight loss in a few months... until then I hope to learn the secret of fat-free baking. They have that, right?

Feeling Lumpy

Warning: this will be a "poor-pitiful-me" post. A rant, if-you-will. If you're not into that sort of thing, just ignore me. I apologize. But I'm just not feeling good about myself lately.

Have I worked out at all this week? No. Have I eaten right? Nope. Did I devour the chocolate chip cookies my mom sent home with me on Monday? You betcha. I have had a gnarly sweet-tooth lately (maybe it's due to Halloween or something) and I consumed more Coke in the last few days than I did all last month. I've got to get a grip.

I am meeting my husband's co-workers for the first time this afternoon and I have nothing to wear that I feel "cute" in. My wardrobe consists of sloppy long-sleeved tee shirts and I have two pairs of jeans that fit. One of them isn't the slightest bit comfortable and the zipper is messed up on it. *sigh* All of my cute autumn transition clothes are too small because I can't fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes still. And I only have a few items of clothing I can actually wear because clothes cost money and this year has been...well, despite having a baby and loving being a mom, it's been a really, really hard year on all of us in more areas than one. Sometimes I don't get to eat until after 8:00 p.m., if the baby is having an extra fussy evening. Yesterday, I chowed down on a greasy chicken sandwich and fries from our cafeteria at work. Today, we are having a pizza party.

Must. Get. a. Grip.

I picked out the cutest thing I have, which is a short-sleeved cardigan with a black cami underneath and my "good" pair of jeans and a pair of black boots. Maybe that will do. It's a bit oversized, but at least it will hide my flab. It's in the car and I'll change at my mom's when I go to pick up the boy. I just don't want people thinking my husband is married to a slob. But, tomorrow, I'll probably wear a long-sleeved tee shirt and PJ pants. And Sunday, I'll wear one of the two church outfits I have that fits. Luckily, I don't have to dress up for work. But I feel sloppy and uncomfortable every single day.

Unlike Kyrstin, I don't feel comfortable with my body right now. I am soft and babies love soft. But, I think I'm too soft. My stomach has always been my problem area and now it's even worse. Throw in extra hip and butt fat. MK says that I still look good, but I don't believe him. I don't like who I see in the mirror.

I have to do this for me. I don't want to be one of those women who has "let herself go." True, I had a baby 6 months ago, but I know all kinds of women who look...not as bad as I do...after having a kid.

Not sure what the point of this post was, other than to just vent my feelings. I'm not really adding any nuggets of goodness to the blog today. And for that, I apologize. Maybe I'll feel better next week. And maybe I'll be desperate enough to haul my butt to the gym on Monday. We'll see...