SOF (on Monday again)

OK I know I am late but I have a good excuse. The first is that I am a new aunt to a beautiful baby boy who was born a little before 2am on Friday morning and I was there for that so I was really tired all day Friday. Also Lil O and I have been sick all week which was not fun.  Then to top it all off I have had a very busy weekend, we ran around all day on Saturday and then Sunday was my mom’s birthday. So all of the excuses above are why I waited until today to do SOF. But I do have some Shout Outs!!! LaToya has really been on it she has lost 4 more pounds and for the first time she added some running to her walk, you go girl! Next is Ella, she has joined Brandon in his Nike Challenge and started running/ walking. On her first day she did almost 3 miles in less than an hour Congratulations Lady!  Randy has lost another 3lbs which gives him a total of 52.4lbs lost so far, keep up the fantastic work you are an inspiration. As usual I saved my best for last MH, he is down to 236lbs and might I say he looks GOOOOOD real Good! Way to go Ba! On to my part of SOF, my weigh in: I am kind of in maintenance mode but I really wanted to meet one last goal. When I set up the My Fitness Pal app it asked my goal weight and I put in 145lbs. I am happy to say that when I got on the scale Friday morning it read 145.6 which is 1.8lbs lost in the past week and 52.2lbs total. I am so happy that I met both the goal on Noom as well as the goal on My Fitness Pal before my birthday which was a really big deal to me. Speaking of my birthday it is this Thursday, November 10 and I am happy to say I will not be THICK and 30!

Maintenance

So I read this tweet the other day that was a link to an article. The article was about how more than 80 per cent of obese dieters don’t maintain their reduced weight after one year of initial weight loss. Apparently there are some types of hormonal changes that take place after you lose weight that slow down your metabolism but increase your hunger. This is like the perfect storm for weight regain. There was a study done and the participants in the study were given a maintenance diet to follow after they lost the initial desired amount of weight and most if not all of them regained at least half of their weight back within a year. The participants reported feeling hungrier after 1 year of maintenance than they did before they lost the weight. As I was reading this article I got a little discouraged because I am basically in maintenance mode right now and gaining the weight back is not an option for me. However I read another article that helped me refocus, the more recent article stated that the findings were true but that the weight regain can be prevented. I always said that this was going to be something that I did for the rest of my life. This meaning, counting calories, eating healthier, and exercising at least 4 to 5 times a week. I knew that after this weight loss I could not just go back to life as it was before. The recent article gave some tips on how to make sure you don’t regain. Some were like having a diet rich in proteins like lean meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Plus a diet which contains low glycemic-index (GI) carbohydrates, which are foods like; beans, lentils, nuts, pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes. Meals that contain low GI foods are believed to cause changes to hormones and metabolism that can decrease hunger and help you avoid overeating. The other tip it gave seems really simple, like a no brainer; weigh yourself regularly. The thought behind this is simply that if you weigh yourself at least once a week you can see and immediately correct any small increases in weight. You bought the scale so you might as well get your money’s worth even after you meet your goal. I am happy I came across both of these articles because I needed to have that seed planted that weight regain is possible and that I must prevent it at all cost. I know those articles helped me and I hope this post will help some of you.

SOF, 50, and 5

This is a Great day and time for Shout out Friday. Today we have a new person to add to SOF, B Stout. He has started his journey and we are very proud of him he has lost 5.5lbs so far on My Fitness Pal and has started a challenge to keep himself and some of his friends motivated. Aunt Renee has logged onto My Fitness Pal for 25 days straight, and I can tell that she is getting more fit by the amount of time she is exercising and the calories she is burning. LaToya is really committed and she is doing a great job being consistent with her exercises and staying within her caloric intake goal. I just want to take this time to say congratulations and GREAT JOB to all the Shout Outs for today, I am very proud of each and every one of you! Now for my weigh in….I got on the scale this morning and it read 147.4. This means that it is official, I have lost 50lbs total. I started off at 197.8 back in April and I did it and I am very thankful to each one of you for all of your kind words and support as well as your stories and accomplishments which have really kept me motivated. Now I have done SOF, and that was the 50, now to the 5. I am very thankful for my number one supporter, MH. He has always been there for me he even encouraged me to write this blog, and today we celebrate an important milestone in our life together. Today is our 5 year anniversary, and I am so happy and blessed that we have made it to this point and I am ready for many more years to come. I am also very happy that we both started this weight loss journey so that we could be fit and healthy for each other so that we can really enjoy this life we have together.

Revelation

The reason I decided to hold off my weigh in until today is because I always want SOF to be about positive experiences. However my news is not positive, when I woke up yesterday and got on the scale it read 152.8lbs as you know last Friday I was only 149.6. So needless to say I am not happy, but I have no one to blame but myself. I know some of it has to do with bloating but that is still a gain of 3.2lbs. I also know I have not been eating as well as I should so regardless of the bloat this was a wakeup call. I have been eating things that I know I shouldn’t eat and I think it is because I feel like I am where I want to be so it’s ok to splurge, which it is every now and then, but not every day.  Right now we are in the middle of a move and we have been eating out every day. That is killer on my waistline as well as our bottom-line. But I do know that there are healthy options for eating out and since we are going to have to wait a few more weeks until we can move into our new place I must find them NOW. I think that being at a place, weight wise that I am comfortable has made me say yes to some food choices I may have said no to before. I just want to be in the 140’s and I will be happy so then I will go into maintenance mode, where my goal is to just maintain the weight loss that I have worked so hard for over the past 6 months. I did not change my life to succeed in this journey just so that I can be right back in the same place I was a few months ago. I think that seeing that number on the scale really made it hit home to me how important it is for me not to go back to eating the way I use to. Not only so that I won’t gain the weight back but also so that I can be healthier and a good role model for Lil O. When I got up this morning I was 150.6 which is better but in a way I am grateful for the 152.8 because it knocked me back into reality.

SOF (on Monday)

The last few weeks have been crazy. I have been looking for apartments, celebrating Lil O’s birthday, helping MH get ready for his first day at his new job, and hanging with friends and family that I have not seen in a while. For those and a few other reasons I have not been blogging, I guess life is just keeping me busy. However MH went to work this morning and Lil O is still asleep so I have a few mins of down time. Now to the Shout Outs! The first is LaToya she is really staying committed. We talked last week, (she is one of the friends I have been hanging with) and I suggested that she try working out outside and she went and walked a mile around her subdivision. She said she really enjoyed it better than just being at home on the machine. Then on Friday I walked over to her house and we did Zumba, which she also enjoyed and has decided to buy. Next is Ella she has lost a total of 4lbs since last Friday, you go girl! She has been doing a detox for the past 15 days but she has stayed on it. (Even though I did not make it easy for her) Today is her first day off and we are going to go do some Zumba today! (and hopefully get something good and good for us to eat) Then we have our regular Randy, he has lost 2.8lbs in the past week for a total of 48.8lbs total lost. He is really doing a great job and I can’t wait to see him and all his progress. The last Shout out is MH he has lost 3lbs, he has also made running a permanent part of his daily routine no matter how bad the weather or mosquitoes are. Well Lil O is waking up so that is it for me today. P.S. I left my info off for a reason check out tomorrows post to find out why.

Untitled

Being around family and friends that you have not seen in a long time can be really interesting whenever you have made or are going through a big life change. No matter if you have changed your hair, your style of dress, gained or lost a companion, or in my case a little weight. People can really be positive and supportive or than can be inappropriate and a little hurtful. However the most important thing is that you feel comfortable and confident in yourself.  You will always have people that are in your corner no matter what you are doing in life. By the same token you will also always have people that will find the negative in all of your positives. All you can do is appreciate the ones that are there for you and pray for the others. You must do what is right for yourself, and your family. People get comfortable with you in the role that you have always played in their life and it can be hard for them to support you in making a change. That maybe because it threatens the relationship you have with them and they are afraid of the change in your concord.  But it can also be because they have placed themselves above you and whatever changes you are making evens out the field or shifts the balance of power in their eyes. This can be demonstrated in many ways, such as downplaying the significance of the changes you have or are making, being unsupportive, or trying to sabotage you and what you are doing. The most significant thing you can do in this situation is recognize it and make sure it does not knock you off balance where your goals are concerned. You must understand that everyone is not going to support you in everything you do, but in THIS journey it is imperative that you have a great support system. There will be days when you want to give up and give in and you need that person that will help you refocus and give you the strength to keep going on. If you need it I will gladly be a part of your support system because it has meant the world to me to have so many of you be a part of mine. THANK YOU!

Friday

This week we have a lot of shout outs. The first is my Aunt Renee she has lost 3lbs so far and she is doing very good, keep up the good work. The next is LaToya she has lost 2.5 lbs and is committed to making a change, way to go Toya. The last person for the week is doing it big, Miss Ella. She has lost 4.2lbs which gives her a total of 15.6lbs lost since she has been on My Fitness Pal, you go girl! Now as for me when I stepped on the scale this morning it read 149.6lbs. That means that I have lost 3lbs since last Friday with a total weight loss of about 48lbs. I am so happy with my progress so far. Today MH and I were trying on clothes that we have not worn in at least 8 months, because we are getting ready to move so we are taking the things we can’t fit to Good Will. Out of all the clothes we tried on MH is keeping 2 shirts and a pair of shorts. As for me I am keeping 3 dresses that I have not been able to fit since before I had Olivia. One of which I had not put on since before we got married, over 5 years ago. Now the Good Will pile is considerably bigger, 3 garbage bags full to be exact. One thing that no matter if I can fit or not I will not give away but I am excited to try on is my wedding dress. I don’t know how that will fit me because I am not sure how much I weighed when we got married. However looking back at the pictures I think I am smaller now.  MH told me that if I can fit it I better wear it at least once a week to get our money’s worth. Can’t you just see me know vacuuming in my wedding dress with the 6ft train? MEN!

What worked for me

I have lost about 47lbs and when people see me that have not seen me in the last 6 months they always ask me what I did to lose the weight. Honestly here is what I did: 1) I decided that I wanted to lose weight so I set a goal. 2) I started walking 3 times a week. 3) I tried a quick fix that didn’t work for me (HCG) 4) I didn’t give up. 5) I got Noom on my phone and really started working out like I meant it, walking at a good pace for at least an hour a day. Now many people have a problem with this because they say they don’t have time to exercise for an hour a day 5 days a week. Ok then I guess you don’t have time to lose weight the way I did, so ask someone else. Everyone does not lose weight the same way and everyone cannot do what I did and get the results I got. 6) I cut out all fried foods, burgers, and sodas. I eventually let the burgers back in, on rare occasions. But I still don’t eat fried foods, well except the out of the ordinary French fries with my occasional burger. 7) I yielded not into temptation.  Now I don’t live alone so there were times that I was around foods that I use to enjoy but because I am on this journey I have chose to forgo. My temptation often comes when MH and I go out to eat and he can have this huge meal with fried this and Bar-B-Q that, and I am sitting across from him with my salad or my grilled chicken. However I have had people tell me that they get tempted by the cookies, chips, and other junk foods they have at home. My question to them is why are they in your home. To which they often reply well I have kids and I just can’t take those types of snacks from them just because I am trying to lose weight. To which my verbal response is OH! But what I want to say is why are you feeding your kids something on a regular basis that you know is not helping them; do you want them to be in the same place you are when they are your age? There are healthier options out there as far as chips and cookies so you could buy those once a month and when they are gone that is it for the junk food for that month. What you should be doing is pushing fruits and veggies make them readily available so that when they are ready for a snack the fruits and veggies are the easiest choice. Trust me it will help you out as well. 8) I got my fitness pal on my phone and got on, and stuck to, a strict 1200 calorie a day diet. So the only time I eat more than 1200 calories a day is when I exercise so I replace however many calories I burned working out. 9) The only food related thing I did on a regular basis was to eat a ½ package of flavored tuna on top of some raw spinach as a salad either for lunch or dinner. No dressing just tuna and spinach.  The reason I did this is because it is a filling meal that is only about 120 calories so if I wanted a big lunch or dinner I never had to worry about going over my calories. Again when I tell people this they feel that they would have a problem doing it but as I said before, if you feel you can’t do something I did to help me lose weight than you can’t lose weight the way I did. 10)When the exercises I was doing got easy I pushed myself to do more challenging workouts. I always want to be sweating and panting when I get done with a work out. Now like I have said a few times in this post if you feel you can’t do something I did than you can’t lose weight MY way. Now that is not a dig or a smart remark it just means you need to find what works for you. Maybe a little bit of what I did and a little bit of what someone else did will be the perfect combination for you. With that being said if you are constantly finding excuses why you can’t lose than maybe you are not ready. I say that because when you are ready, you’ll do it.

SOF (Shout Out Friday) is back!

Hay! It is Shout Out Friday and I have a few people I need to Shout Out. The first today is new to SOF, she is my Aunt Renee. She saw me and asked what I was doing so I told her about My Fitness Pal. That was about a month ago and she has been on ever since. I am so proud of her and her determination; I know that she will reach her goal. Keep up the good work! Next is Randy, he is a regular to SOF and he has lost 2.5lbs which brings him to 43.5 total pounds lost. Whenever I get the update on My Fitness Pal about how many calories he has burned it makes me want to go back outside and do something else, way to go dude. The last is MH, he has been doing such a great job. He started at about 280lbs and his goal was to be in the 230s. This week he realized that goal and got to 239, he is doing wonderful. I am overjoyed with all the progress he has made. Now as for me I am no longer stalled, I am in drive and I plan to do my best to keep going forward. When I got on the scale this morning it said…….152.2! I was just so happy that I was back to losing and that I was no longer stuck between 156 and 155. So that means that I have lost 3.4 lbs since last Friday which brings my total lost to 45lbs. Way to go me!

Disappointment

It has been a looonnnngggg time since I have blogged and honestly it is because I have been stuck. As you may have noticed I have not been able to break through to the low 150’s. For the past 3 weeks I have been about the same weight. This Friday was the first time since I started to blog that I have just completely omitted Shout Out Friday.  However my weight on Friday was 155.6. So needless to say I have been very disappointed in myself as well as my recent progress or lack thereof. The past week has brought about a few changes as well that have kept me busy, but normally I would have made the time to blog. After getting a nudge via twitter from Ella last night I decided that is was time for me to get back on it and blog. The best part about it is that when I got up this morning I got on the scale and it read 154.2lbs. I was sooooo happy to get down past 155; the scale might as well have read 130. Also I went to see my sister for her birthday Sunday and she had some clothes that she couldn’t fit anymore so she gave them to me. In the lot was a pair of size 8 dress pants, I took them hoping to get in them by November or December. However when I got home and tried on all the clothes I found out that I could fit them J WoooHoo! Now don’t get me wrong I am not saying that I am in a size 8. I am just saying I could fit those size 8s, I am comfortably fitting in my 10s for right now. Another reason I wanted to go ahead and get to 154 was because when I first started Noom back in May I was 184lbs and my goal weight was 154.5lbs. I was so excited when I realized 3 weeks ago that I was less than 2lbs from my goal. The excitement started to fade however when I got stuck and then even more when I went back up to 156 from 155. I am happy to say however that my excitement is renewed now that I have reached my goal. Also I am even happier because my goal on My Fitness Pal is 145lbs and I am less than 10lbs from reaching that one. I have learned from my mistakes so I will not be putting a time frame on when I would like to meet that goal but I am determined to make sure that I do. It is amazing to me when I think back to the person I was when I set these goals and I can’t say that I actually knew that it was possible then. But having met one and being less then 10lbs away from meeting the other I now know that anything is possible.

Serving size

I have always talked about calories and how many calories different foods have. However one thing that I have not talked about is serving size. Therefore as promised in an earlier post here it is…I was talking to someone a few weeks ago and they told me they had tried the Special K diet. You know the one where you eat Special K two times a day and then a sensible dinner. But she told me that she didn’t lose any weight, that in fact she had gained some ounces. At first I could not understand it but then she told me that she would make two big bowls of cereal every day. I then asked her if she knew that a serving of Special K was only about 1 cup; she said she didn’t know that. Then the other day I had a 6in sub and I buy the Special K cracker chips to eat with my sandwiches. So MH saw me counting out the chips as I put them on my plate and he said are you really counting your chips. So I said yes these chips are only 110 calories but that is per serving and a serving is like 30 chips. About that time is when he realized that his serving size for a bag of chips was how mine use to be for a pint of ice cream, he’d just eat them until they were gone. I think when I first started to try to lose this weight; serving size was the first thing I noticed on the box after calories. If you are eating something that is 90 calories per serving but you are eating more like 2 or 3 servings that may not be good. Now everyone does not have the same caloric intake requirements so some people may need to have a bigger bowl of cereal than others. Then again caloric intake is not the only reason to pay attention to the suggested serving size. There are other important factors to take into consideration also. For instance sodium, cholesterol, fat, and carbohydrate percentages are also based on serving size. This information could impact you if you have diabetes, high blood pressure and or high cholesterol. So for health and weight loss purposes you should always pay attention to what is considered to be a serving of the foods you eat. Because if you don’t you could be setting yourself up for failure if you’re not failing already.

Hay everyone,
I know I have been MIA again but today is Friday so I guess better late than never. Right now I am blogging from the backseat of the car on bthe way to a football game. Anyway to the shout out for the day. MH has lost 7lbs in the past two weeks. :-D He is doing very good and I am so happy for him. Next is Randy, he has lost 6.8lbs since the last time I gave him a shout out for a total of 41lbs:-D. Way to go guys, y'all are doing a great job. As for me I made it back from down from last week. When I got on the scale this morning it said 155.0. I am so happy to be back down and I am ready to be in the 140's within the next 3 weeks. I feel like the HIIT is really working because I can run faster and further than i could before . The only thing is that i noticed that i need running shoes. The shoes i have now were fine for the walking and light running i was doing before . But now that i am really running i had to go buy new shoes. I got them yesterday and they are cute.

Exciting Day?!

Today was a very exciting day. I am alternating my exercises now, one week I will ride the bike 3 days and run 2 days and the next week I will run 3 days and ride the bike 2 days. I hope that someone (who shall remain nameless) will send me their Zumba for the Wii that they are not using. If or when they do I will add that into my rotation as well. As I was watching Dr. Oz the other day I found out that if you change up your work out you will keep your muscles confused which will burn more fat. Anyway back to the subject, today was a bike day and because MH has been getting home from work so late I have changed my workouts to in the morning while Lil O is still sleep and before MH goes to work. However I was so tired this morning that I couldn’t get out of bed so I only got to do 30 mins but it’s better than nothing right. Now to the exciting part, as I started to ride I wanted to get a good speed going so I stood up on the bike and peddled for 1 min. I know that may not seem like a big deal to you but when I first started riding I could not stand up and peddle at all, not to mention for a whole min. When I was younger I took that for granted and today I was happy I could do it again. Every week something happens to let me know that I am getting farther away from fat and closer to fit. It’s always something small but I notice that I can do something this week that I couldn’t do the week before or even the month before. I never noticed how much my fat kept me from being able to enjoy the little things in life and now that I see what I have been missing I refuse to go back.

Friday

I know I have been MIA but this weekend we are celebrating my father in laws 18^th Pastoral anniversary. Needless to say we have all been doing our part to help out. So that is why I have not blogged since Sunday. I have been exercising though; I don’t want to fall back into that rut of not exercising. Anyway I know what today is and I do have two Shout Outs; the first is for Tiffany she has made it to 153 and we are soooo happy for her. You Go Girl. The next is for MH he has made it to 244lbs which is a big deal. As a matter of fact we had to go shopping last weekend for some new pants because all his are way too big. He is in a size 38 now and he said he doesn’t remember the last time he was in a 38, maybe freshmen year of college. OK now to my part… On Tuesday and Wednesday I was about 155.6lbs and then when I woke up on Thursday I had company, 2 pounds. I ate well all week and I didn’t go over my calories but I am having the bloat issue again. When I got up this morning I was 156.4 which is down over a pound from yesterday but not to where I was on Wednesday. Hopefully I will be back down in the right direction by Monday or Tuesday, I will keep you all posted. Congrats to Tiffany, MH, and all our other fit chicks/dudes for all your progress this week.

HIIT HIIT He!!

Ok so I tried the HIIT cardio which stands for High Intensity Interval Training, that I talked about during this past Wisdom Wednesday. All I have to say is you guys are not my friends. If any one of you were my friend you would have left a comment or in boxed me or something. This is a reminder of what all it entailed:
1.     2-3 Minutes of medium pace running
2.     1-2 minutes of high pace running (push yourself here)
3.     2-3 minutes of fast walking
4.     1 minute of sprinting
5.     2-3 minutes of medium pace running
6.     2-3 minutes of high pace running
7.     2-3 minutes of walking
So my plan was to do it nonstop twice. During the break between the afternoon and the evening games I stretched really good and asked MH to help. I had him come outside and time me so I would know when to stop and so I would not quit. Number 1 I was suppose to run for 2 mins medium pace, ok not so bad. I mean I was breathing hard and I was tired but I did it. Number 2 however, the high pace running. That was murder, I did the 1 min and then my throat started to hurt and I had to take a 2 min break just to catch my breath. At that point MH decided that maybe I should get at least a 1 min break after each running set and then I decided that we should work our way up to the recommended amount of mins. So I told MH that from then on I would do half of the shortest amount of time, ex: if it says to walk fast for 2-3 mins I would walk fast for 1 min. The fast walking was not the problem; the problem was the high pace running and the sprinting. After today I am convinced that the only sprint I want to hear about is Usain Bolt and the cell phone company. I know I said that I was going to try it for 5 days and so I will to see if there is any type of change in my belly. I know that some of you are in better shape than I am so I am going to try it for you. If it works for me than you guys can try it, but if it doesn’t than I will just have killed myself for nothing. (It better work) I also want to see how long it would take me to work my way up to the recommended amount of mins. I mean it has to get easier right? I resolve to keep trying for as long as I can because I want to reach my goal of looking good in a two piece and I also resolve to keep you posted on my progress. Pray for me!

It's Friday again and we have a lot of shout outs this week. First is Ella, she has lost 3lbs this week and is less than 15lbs from her goal. We are so proud of her. She has really been working hard and it is paying off. Next is Randy he has lost 5.4lbs as of my last update. He is very commited and we can see a big change in him. Last is MH, as of this morning he has lost 3lbs this week. He comes home from work and runs everyday. We are extreamely proud of all our shout out recipients . They have really put their heart and soul in this and they are reaping the benefits. Ella sent me this picture so that I can see her progress. Doesn't she look good! Now to may part of the day. I did it I made it to the 40lbs lost mark. This morning when I got on the scale it said I weigh 156lbs. So I not only reached that marker but I surpassed it. I am so happy I really feel like I am on my way. If you would have told me 5 months ago that I would have lost 40lbs, I wouldnt have believed it.

Whatever makes you happy

I have been seeing this commercial which is basically saying don't worry about the size of the jeans but rather about how you look in them. That made me start to think a little. I wanted to be 138 pounds because that is within the weight range THEY say I should be for my height. However I like the way my body is now. I have more energy, I like the way my clothes fit, I feel confident, and not to mention sexy. There are only two things I want to work on my belly and my thighs. I really want to be in a two piece for my birthday even if I am just walking around the house in one. Doing the dishes, dusting, cooking, I know it’s no Caribbean cruise but I bet MH would like it. Now if it takes me loosing 20 more pounds to reach those goals than I will be in the 130's but if it only takes 10 to 15 more pounds than I may end up in the 140's and either one of those is alright with me. I think that we should all be happy and feel good in our bodies. If you feel healthy and good about yourself it doesn’t matter the exact number that is on the scale. A wise woman always tells me “if we were all the same then some of us would not be necessary”. Could you imagine if everyone that is a certain height was the same weight? That would be boring. Especially for me because I like my man tall and filled out in all the right places, nothing against the skinny men but that is just not my type. I know that a lot of men and women out there are the same way. You like what you like and it doesn’t matter what someone says that person should weight you like them the way they are. And that is how you should feel about yourself, if you like the way you are and there is no medical reason for you to lose more weight than don’t. It’s just that simple, you should do and be whatever makes you happy.

Wisdom Wednesday

I know I have been lacking on Wisdom Wednesday but as they say in the MBC charge it to my head and not my heart. However I did want to share this info that I found about Aerobics.  I read an article that stated that Aerobic exercise is the most successful way to burn belly fat. Belly fat is associated with increased risks for heart disease, cancers and diabetes. So besides looking great in a two piece you may be able to prevent certain diseases. Apparently there was a study done for 8 month at Duke University in which they had adults participate in aerobics, weight training or a mixture of both. Aerobic activity had a better benefit in many areas that resistance training had little effect on. That is good news to me because I don’t want to be a body builder I just want to look good in a knee length skirt and a tank. The training programs were demanding but the study stated that the same results could be gotten with moderate activity. According to my research HIIT cardio which stands for High Intensity Interval Training is the best for losing belly fat. An example of HIIT that I got from BurnmybellyFat.com is to do the following:

1. 2-3 Minutes of medium pace running
2. 1-2 minutes of high pace running (push yourself here)
3. 2-3 minutes of fast walking
4. 1 minute of sprinting
5. 2-3 minutes of medium pace running
6. 2-3 minutes of high pace running
7. 2-3 minutes of walking

So just doing the above mentioned will only take at the least 12 mins so you can do it twice plus some light stretching and be done in 30mins. In addition to running; cycling, swimming, jump roping, kickboxing, and walking/hiking are also good ways to burn that belly fat. Starting Sunday I am going to try the above exercise regimen and I will let you know how I feel and if I see or feel any kind of difference in my belly on next Thursdays post. I will measure myself just so it will be accurate.

Gateway Foods

Now don’t go looking up this phrase on Google because it is one that I made up. I got it from the theory of gateway drugs which is the hypothesis that the use of less lethal drugs may lead to a future risk of using more dangerous hard drugs. Now since I am a recovering addict and food is my addiction I deemed it only fitting to equate the two. You see I think that there are some foods that once you eat them they are diet suicide. You feel like oh it’s ok for me to eat this one serving of chips (a blog about serving sizes will soon follow) because I have been good all week and I have the calories. So you eat it and then, it’s another serving of chips, a bag of popcorn, and maybe some other salty snack and before you know it you have blown your calories and your waist line. And you are left there wondering how this binge started. I’ll tell you how it started… With your Gateway Food. The one unhealthy food that if you eat it, it will open the flood gates for all the other unhealthy foods that you love. Hello My Name is Patrice and my gateway food is Snickers candy. (This is where you say Hi Patrice) For years Snickers have satisfied my hunger and I was happy to let it do so. But now that I am on this journey to fit hood I have found that even if I try to reward myself with a mini snickers at the end of a long hard week it just makes me want more and more and more. Then I find myself craving more chocolaty things. Things like cupcakes, chocolate cakes even Italian cream cakes, and then my cravings extend to anything that maybe considered a dessert. Now I know you are wondering how a self proclaimed burger lover has chocolate candy as her gateway food. All I have to say to that is YOU CANT PICK YOUR GATEWAY FOOD. This is something that I have realized after months of being on this journey and looking back at all the times I have tried to lose weight in the past and failed. Every time I failed at a diet that food was the culprit however the difference between those times and this one is that I am committed and I refused to fail. Soooo what is your gateway food?

Friday

It’s Shout out Friday again!!! The first shout out today goes to Randy who has lost 5.4 lbs which gives him a total of 34.2lbs lost. He is doing so well, and he is very consistent with his weight loss. Next is Ella, she only has 3 more pounds to go until she reaches a big milestone in her journey. And as you all know I always save the best for last, and that is MH (I maybe a little biased). He had a setback at the end of last week but he has made up for that setback and is back on the right track. So congrats to all of our Shout out recipients for this week, now to my part of Shout out and Weight loss Friday.  As of this morning I was 159.8 lbs, I didn’t lose a pound I only lost 6 oz but I am happy that I am out of the 160’s. I knew that it was a chance that I wouldn’t lose much this week because MH and Lil O were both sick so I didn’t work out much. I did think that I would at least have lost 1 lb but I guess not since I only worked out two days this week. However now that everyone in the house is feeling better, I am setting a goal for myself. I plan to be 157lbs by next Friday and to do that I have to lose at the least 1.9lbs. I am really ready to reach the 40lbs lost level. That is all I have to say and in response to Ella’s post on Twitter. What do you call a person who loves chicken…….. A chicken chicken head. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA that is still funny to me!

Accountability

I was reading an article this morning about how your friends can either help or sabotage your weight loss. The article stated that if your friends share your good intentions that they could be very beneficial to you meeting your goals. However if your friends do not they can really make it impossible for you to succeed. It also stated that if your friends are not like minded maybe you should find someone who is to go through this with. I am not saying ditch all your skinny friends and neither was the article. (Once you reach your goal you will need someone to shop with) But maybe you shouldn’t make your meetings with them centered on eating. Try to find things to do with them that have nothing to do with food. It also reminded me about a conversation I had with FTTB (friend to the blog) Tim earlier in the week about accountability. I think we all need someone who is also on this journey that can relate to us and what we are going through. It doesn’t matter if you meet an exercise buddy at the gym, join weight watchers, or elicit the support of a coworker, family member, or friend. We are all more likely to do what we need to do if someone is watching and holding us accountable. I have heard of people putting money in a pot and whoever loses the most weight by a certain date wins the pot. With Weight watchers you go to meetings and weigh yourself in front of a group.  Some people have co works that they exercise with before, during, or after work and they all make sure the others stick to it. No matter where it comes from it is important that you have support on this journey as well as someone who will say, “Get your thick self up so we can go work out”. Or that will remind you when you are on the verge of a major setback, that you can gain one pound in one meal but it takes burning 3500 calories to lose it again. Also someone who will understand and listen as you rant about  the ice cream cake you had to pitch in on for your coworkers birthday but that you couldn’t get a piece of because it is your gateway food. (Check out Saturdays post for more info on Gateway Foods) That is why I started this blog because I needed a place to express my thoughts, fears, triumphs, and failures. The times that make me laugh and those that make me want to cry. I also feel like if I don’t exercise and I end up gaining weight or not losing any weight, that I than have to go on the internet and tell the readers of my blog what I weigh and why. There have also been occasions where I had not logged my food or exercise on My Fitness Pal for a week and FTTB (friend to the blog) Ella will send me a message and ask me what is going on. That lets me know that someone out there is keeping track of what I am doing and it causes me to make sure I do whatever it is I need to do to reach my goal. This is a journey and it’s no fun travelling alone, so invite someone to go with you.

Sidetracked

This weekend I was talking to friend of the blog Tim, and we were talking about how easy it is to get sidetracked. (This was my first time seeing him since he has lost his weight and he looked gooooood! You go boyJ) Tim was here visiting his family for the weekend so he was away from his daily life and routine. He talked about the lack of healthy eating options as well as being unable to exercise like he does at home. I really understood where he was coming from because I am so dedicated to my routine that I am not sure how I would keep it up being in a new environment for a long period of time. That worried me a little because I am planning a trip back home to see my family and friends for two weeks in September. The first thing I thought of was all my favorite restaurants at home the second was, how am I going to stay on track. I think that when people are use to us being a certain way it is hard for them to change their perception of us. I also think that when we are around family or friends we have known for a long time it is easy to fall back into being the person they have always known. The fat me, whom I had been for over 6 years, use to go out to eat all the time and loved all things fried, smothered in cheese, frozen or on the rocks, a la mode, and with a plethora of sauce options. However the fit me really enjoys cooking and eating at home, grilled meats, fresh fruits and veggies, water, and let’s keep it real I still love stuff a la mode. Never the less I think that it is important that we remain resolute in our quest for fitness. No matter if we are faced with that friend that we have bonded with over a love for all foods Mexican, or a mother that can fry some fish with a side of spaghetti and 2 pieces of garlic Texas toast so good that you want to slap her. We must do two things, one make sure they understand the importance of this journey that we are on. Maybe they will support you, join you on this journey, or at least add something green to the menu. The second is not to revert back to the way you were before. It’s ok to go out to eat with your friends but you just can’t order the same thing you use to. Most restaurants have healthy meal options and some have special parts of the menu where all the foods are under a certain number of calories. Also something Tim said that rang true was yes it is OK to eat what you want but you cannot eat what you want at every meal. So you CAN fix yourself a plate with a piece of fried fish a bit of spaghetti and one slice of garlic toast, but you must remember that plate when you work out so you can burn those calories. Fit is a lifestyle not a destination so you can’t deprive yourself of all the things you like. But unless you LIKE being fat you better learn when to say no and when it’s ok to say yes.

Friday

I know it is late but I was out of town so I didn't get to post the Friday shout out and weight loss blog. As a matter of fact I am writing this post on my phone while I am on the go. Anyway I would like to Shout out Randy because he has past the 30lb mark. He has lost over 30lbs and is still going so congrats to him for that! I have had a long week and I know I haven't blogged since Monday and I haven't worked out since Monday either. I was able however to eat right and stay within my 1200 calories. So I got on the scale Friday morning and it said 160.6. Oh Yeah yeah yeah! That means I lost 2lbs in the past week and I only worked out once. I love that! It just goes to show you that you don't have to spend hours at the gym to drop the pounds. Just get a handle on your eating, make sure you eat right and that you take in the right amount of calories. I will however be back out on it working out today if I can find the time because I did miss it. It just makes me feel better.

My weekend

I took this weekend off from working out; I didn’t do anything Saturday or Sunday. I usually work out at least once on the weekend but I just couldn’t find the time this weekend. I think it is really important that I don’t go longer than two days without working out because I don’t want it to become easy for me to choose not to do it. Usually when I miss a day during the week for whatever reason I feel bad and I make sure I make up for it over the weekend and I like that. I just know it was so hard and it took a couple of weeks to make working out a habit so I definitely don’t want to get back to where I was before. So yesterday I got busy and it was after 7:20 pm by the time I went to work out so it was already getting dark. I could have just said no I will just do it tomorrow but I just felt like I had to get out there and do something so I rode the bike for 20 mins so I could get some kind of work out in. I had planned on doing 30 mins but we live in the country and the street lights are few and far between. After 20 mins I could barely see the house so I just decided to come in. Reflectors are useless when there is no light for them to reflect off of. Anyway I had an exciting weekend I cooked two things that I had never made before. Saturday for dinner I made some Eggplant parmesan, it came out pretty good. I was really surprised that MH liked it because he only likes what he likes. He very rarely tries new things so just the fact that he tried it was a surprise to me. Then Sunday on the way home from church he asked me to fry some fish. Since I am trying to stay away from fried food I decided that I would fry some for him and bake some for me. However I have never baked fish at home so I went on Foodnetwork.com to see how long to bake it. It was really good also, I put it over some rice with broccoli and I had a great meal with less calories. I think that this lifestyle change just might be easier than I thought.

Size 12

Since I have lost 35 pounds all of my clothes are waaayyy too big. However I have just been wearing my workout clothes instead of buying new ones. After all I can pull the drawstring tight and they fit, and what’s the point of buying clothes in a size I don’t plan on being for long. On the other hand it makes getting ready for church interesting because all my dresses are literally falling off me. Well last Sunday MH got tired of it and said that I had to go and get at least one new dress for church because it was getting ridiculous. So we decided that we would go this past Monday, I was excited but nervous because I was not sure what size I would be. The last dress I bought was a size 18 bridesmaid dress for my friend’s wedding. Needless to say I was not too sad when out trip to the store kept getting pushed back. Finally Friday came and MH, Lil O, and I were out to eat and he said that we could go look for a dress after we finished. So we get to the store (by the way did I mention that I am cheap) and they are having a huge sale plus, card holders get an extra 15% off, for this I am excited. I am looking and looking and I finally find a dress that I like the look and the price but they only have it in a size 12 or a size 18. Well I know I am not a 18, so I decide to try on the 12. I was walking to the dressing room with a feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach because that room has been like the depths of HELL to me for the past 4 years. I use to go in with hope and come out with lower self esteem, I never liked the way I looked and I usually left whatever I tried on with the dressing room attendant as I walked out of the store. So I went in the dressing room and close the door behind me, turn my back to the mirror and got undressed. I pulled the dress up and put my arms in and zipped it up, IT FITS YEESS!!!!!!! I was so excited and happy and not only does it fit; I liked the way I looked in it and so did MH. Then to make it even better, the discounted price for the dress was $19.99, plus the 30% off sale and the 15% off for having a store card. I got that dress for $9.09 after tax, not bad for a less than $10 dress, right.

Friday

Happy Friday to all! This week we have 3 Shouts outs. The first is Ella, for the past week she has been weight training with her new trainer.  She has lost 1 pound and gained a lot of pain, soreness, and some muscle so it’s worth it. The next Shout out is for our friend Randy, he is on a roll and has lost 3.3 more pounds. Last but definitely not least in my eyes we have our final Shout out for the day MH. I started making the cinnamon concoction for him and he has been drinking it since Sunday. He has lost a little more than 4 pounds in the past 6 days and he is only 8 pounds away from his primary goal. So I want to say congratulations to all of our Shout out recipients for all the changes they are making and their commitment to the fit cause. As for me I now weigh 162.4 pounds which means that I have lost 3.2 pound since last Friday. I am really excited about my progress and I hope to be out of the 160’s and into the 150’s in the next two weeks. Once I get to 157, I plan on taking another picture since that will bring me a total loss of 40 pounds.

Wednesday‘s Wisdom

I have decided that every Wednesday I am going to give little nuggets of wisdom that I find on weight loss. After all someone should benefit from all this seemingly useless information. While watching Dr. Oz the other day I heard that there is a correlation between obesity especially belly fat and sleep deprivation. That made me want to know more so I went online and found out more. The recommended amount of sleep that you should get every night is 7 to 8 hours. If you get 6 hours of sleep a night you are 20% more likely to be obese. With 5 hours you have a 50% chance of being obese, and with 4 hours or less you have a 70% chance. This is because of a hormone Grehlin and a protein Leptin. A reduction in sleep increases Grehlin which basically makes you want to eat more food. Leptin and Grehlin go hand in hand because Leptin suppresses you appetite. However when the levels are low it increases your appetite and creates a phony hunger which is not related to a real need for food. So when you are staying up late at night and not getting enough sleep, it can not only make you want to eat late at night while you are up but it can also make you eat more during the day as well. It is also very interesting to me the amount of calories you can burn while doing everyday things. I don’t know who all has twitter but a week or so ago I twitted something else I found out on Dr. Oz. 30 mins of sex burns 85 calories, now I know that 30 mins of kissing burns 36 calories. Sooo……. You do the math. Below are more everyday things I found.

·         Pushing a cart up and down the supermarket aisles for an hour will burn 243 calories

·          Dentists recommend brushing your teeth for at least two minutes. In that time, you'll burn 5.7 calories.

·         Burn 76.5 calories with 30 minutes of ironing

·         30 minutes of folding clothes will burn 72 calories.

·         One hour of pushing the lawn mower around the yard burns 324 calories. (a riding mower doesn’t count)

·         Three hours of playing cards burns 351 calories but don't load up on high-calorie chips and dip

·         You'll burn 74 calories during the 30 minutes you spend preparing dinner.

·          Every hour of moving furniture burns 504 calories. Trust I will be using this as a pro when I ask you all to help me move

·          Moving a broom back and forth for ten minutes will burn 28 calories. 20 minutes of vacuuming will burn 56 calories. I guess I am going to have to start doing floors

·         20 minutes of washing the car will burn 102 calories.

What would do for a Steak?

If you are on My Fitness Pal you know that it gives you a certain amount of calories that you can consume a day. Well mine is 1200, plus however many I burn off by exercising that day. Well Saturday MH, Lil O and I all went to McDonalds for lunch. (It was Lil O’s idea because since I have been trying to lose weight I hate McDonalds. They never have any good food that is low in calories, you know how I feel about wraps and their salads are not good at all.) So I got a grilled chicken sandwich and fries because they don’t substitute a side salad like Wendy’s does. I ate the sandwich but I couldn’t drink the drink because I couldn’t afford the extra calories. (Yes sodas and juices do have calories)  I only ate half the fries because if I would have eaten them all I would have had less than 100 calories left for the day. To top things off I was still a little hungry after I ate because since I have been working out my metabolism has increased and it takes quite a bit just to get me satisfied. This is why I try to find foods that are low in calories, so I can eat enough to satisfy me. Another trick I have is taking my own bottle of water in my purse when we go out to eat because I don’t enjoy tap water. Some places either don’t have bottled water or they will not let you substitute bottled water for the drink that comes with your meal. Anyway back to the subject at hand, needless to say after we left there I was trying to think of what I could eat for dinner since I only had about 130 calories left for the day. I had decided that I could eat some raw spinach topped with some 90 calorie tuna and I would be fine because together that would be 110 calories. Then later that day my father in law tells us that he is going to grill some steaks and asks if we want some. I love a good steak and trust me my father in law can make a good steak. I look on my fitness pal to see how many calories are in a homemade grilled ribeye and I find out it is about 350.  So now I am scrambling trying to figure out how I am going to eat this steak with only 130 calories left for the day. Then I think, I can ride the bike 5 miles in 30 mins and that should give me enough calories. So I hopped on the bike not TD (he still has a flat) but the other one and I ride almost 6 miles in a little less than 30 mins which burns about 250 calories. I was so happy; I didn’t even take a shower after my ride because within mins of walking in the door the steaks were ready. I fixed my plate just steak no sides, I really didn’t have enough calories for them and I didn’t need them anyway. I sat down to eat and as I took the first bite of that steak I realized that it had all been worth it.

What is Attractive

 I think we all have this image of how we would like to look. Whether it is like a certain famous person or the way we looked before we gained the weight. We have this image in our minds and we think about how great our life will be if or when we look like that. We think about all the perks that come along with being that person. I know that one of those perks is being attractive to our mates and or other people. But I think we sometimes forget that how we carry ourselves and how we feel about ourselves can make us attractive or unattractive as well. The other night MH told me that he finds me more attractive now that I have lost the weight. After he said that I didn’t know how to react so I just sat there quietly as he continued. He then went on to explain why that is. I know that the slimmed down physique has something to do with it, but he said that it was because I am more confident. He also said that he can tell that I am more comfortable with my body. Also I am not always trying to hide my body by covering myself up when he comes in the room or getting dressed in the bathroom. Because of all that I respond to and interact with him differently and he likes the confident and comfortable me. The reason I would do all that was because I was afraid that he would not find me attractive if he saw how big I was and how I looked with no clothes on. Before I became that fat chick I was super flirty with my husband and I was really free with him. I teased and talked to him in a way that I could only do if I felt confident and comfortable within myself. By no longer being that person, because I was afraid of him not thinking I was attractive I made him un-attracted to me. I just felt that the only way he would find me attractive was if I looked the way I did before and that I had to get back to that person. We can’t wait until we become that person to be comfortable or happy with ourselves. We have to find a way to be happy and comfortable with the person we are right now. I said happy and comfortable not satisfied, it’s ok not to be satisfied with how you look or feel. It’s ok to want to change something, be thinner, healthier, more muscular, and even fit. Because not being satisfied can be what it takes for us to make that change to become the person we want to be. But remember becoming that person does not guarantee happiness; you have to find that for yourself.

FRIDAY

We are blessed to see another Friday! This Friday I have an extra special shout out, TIM! This morning follower Randy sent me a message telling me that I should do a Shout Out about our friend Tim.  He went on to tell me that Tim has been putting up some amazing weight loss numbers. So I contacted Tim and he said that he would be honored to be today’s Shout out. The reason Tim decided to start out on this journey was so he could set an example for his family. He also told me that he wanted to lose weight so that he could feel better about himself. So far he has lost 60lbs which blows me away, that is GREAT. His goal is to lose 100lbs by the end of the year, but he has a stretch goal of 120lbs. So we are optimistically cheering for that 120! He is working very hard to get in shape and as we all know it is a war between who we are and who we want to be. But everyday he chooses to work out and/or eat right he has won that battle. I love what he is doing and I am very proud of him. Hopefully he will become a follower of the blog but I told him to keep me posted and I promise that I will keep all of you posted with his progress. I appreciate every single one of my followers because we all keep each other motivated. Weigh In: As you all know last week I had gained 2lbs and I didn’t have a good week. As I said on Monday, the fat chick won that battle. However I am happy to say that this morning when I got on the scale I was 165.6, so now I am back on the right track. This fit chick is back on top! I also want to thank Ella for calling me out on My Fitness Pal about not logging my food and my work outs. It really helps me to know that I am being held accountable. So this week I have been logging my food and my work outs and as you can see it makes a difference. When I log I am aware of the amount of calories I take in and I am more likely to eat the right quantity. So I am going to keep making the right choices so that I can get the best outcome. GO TEAM FIT CHICK/DUDE!

The BFH strikes again

I have been riding the BFH for a while now, so I decided maybe it’s not as bad as I had thought, maybe we just got off on the wrong peddle. I have ridden it 10 miles once or twice and 6 to 8 miles many times. So I was really considering giving it a new nick name because it seemed to no longer be evil. However I now know that this was just a malicious ploy set up by this despicable bicycle to lull me into a false sense of security. I have been trying to change up my exercise routine, so I decided that some days I would run/walk and other days I would ride the BFH. It had been going fine until … I got on the BFH and I decided that I would do 10 miles again because I felt so good after the last time I did it. So I start peddling and I am listening to Pandora, singing along with some song on my Donald Lawrence station, and tracking my workout on Noom. Then I hear my update from Noom, one mile 6 mins, I am feeling good. The next updates 2 miles 12 mins, 3 miles 18 mins and I am waving to the people as I pass them by. Four miles 24 mins, it’s getting a little harder but I know I can do this because I have done it before. But man why is it so hard to peddle, this is crazy I have never had this hard of a time. Something must be wrong. So I get off the bike to see what is going on and I see that this BFH has gotten a Flat on the back tire and I know I didn’t run over anything. I am now on some back road with no shoulder and I have to walk that bike all the way home. Needless to say I was not happy. As I am walking I try not to get too mad at the bike and just leave it on the side of the road, but it is tough. Then I hear on Noom 5 miles 40 mins, I took  my phone out and I wanted to throw it but cooler heads prevailed and I just turned Noom off and walked the rest of the way home in silence. For this reason I have decided to stick with the idea about giving the bike a new nick name. Not because it is so wonderful, but rather because it is more evil than I ever knew possible. So from now on that bike will now be known as The Devil. (TD for short)

BAD

The fat and fit sides of me are fighting a continuous war. The battle from this past week was definitely won by that Fat chick. I didn't want to exercise or blog for that matter and all the food I was craving were the worse foods for me. All I wanted to do was lie around all day. I have just been in a bad place for the past week and I have really been feeling guilty, but I just wasn't doing anything about it. I knew that I should be tracking my food on my fitness pal and that I should be outside running/walking/riding the BFH,  but I just wasn't. It really reminded me of all those years when I was 197lbs and I knew I wanted to lose weight and I was unhappy being fat but for years I never did anything about it. That is exactly where I was this past week. I let the three days we had of the extreme heat warning not only keep me from working out outside but just keep me from working out at all. My mind was just not in the right place, because of the excuses I had for not working out I gained another pound, I was 167.2 this morning. Nevertheless like I said this is a war and one battle lost is not going to make me give up. I prayed this morning and asked God to give me the desire I had before and the strength to get up and do what I know needs to be done. Then I rallied that fit chick and let her know that I will not be content with 30 lbs when I have 30 more to go. We will not lose this war, we are the champions and that Fat chick better pack her saddlebags because she has been given notice. She is no longer on my lease and she is not invited to my 30's so she has got to go. Viva la FIT Chick!

Friday!

I need to give a BIG shout out to Randy. He has lost an additional 4.3 lbs which gives him a total of 26.2 lbs lost. WAY TO GO Randy!!!! Also our friend LaToya has lost 3lbs this week; I guess that elliptical machine is really working. Keep up the GREAT work you guys and to all of you who are seeing and feeling progress Congratulations. I know that this journey is a choice that you have to make every day you get up, to work out or choose a salad over a burger and I want you to know that I am so proud of each and every one of you guys. You don’t know how often I think about the people that read this blog when I don’t feel like getting out there or I am tired and it keeps me going so thanks for your support. Now because of my visitor this week I am a little bloated. When I weighed myself Monday I was 169lbs and this morning I had gone back down but not all the way, this morning I was 166.2 lbs. Hopefully the rest of the bloat will go away tomorrow or Sunday and I will let you know where I stand then. If I missed you on Shout outs this week, email me or facebook or twitter me and I will make sure I get your shout out on the blog. Thanks everyone and enjoy your weekend.

Wiggle, Jiggle, and ride-up

No, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth nor did I give up on my journey. I did however have a cohort accompanying me for the past few days which made it impossible for me to have the desire to get up and do anything. I still found the strength to do a little Hip Hop Abs on Saturday and as usual I took Sunday as my day of rest. Tuesday I just did some resistance training, upper and lower body because we are under an extreme heat warning, and they advised against working and exercising outdoors until today at 7pm. Yesterday coming back from Kroger at 4:50 it was still over 100 degrees outside and at almost 8pm it was still about 95 degrees. Monday was a nice day so I decided to make that my first day to really do 4 miles for my walk/run. It was going well, however when I started to run I felt some drag behind me. That is when I realized that in spite of the fact that I have lost 30 lbs my butt still wiggles when I run. I don’t think I noticed it before because so much other stuff was wiggling as well.  Running with a wiggly butt is like running dragging someone behind you that is holding on to both of your cheeks. I usually walk after I run and as I walk I try to keep up a good pace, like marathon power walking, arms pumping, stomach sucked in, and legs moving as fast as I can. I don’t know if it was because I had just started to notice the wiggle but all of a sudden the jiggle of my thighs became very evident to me. I normally ware yoga pants when I work out and maybe I get better support in those pants, but I wore some basketball shorts instead on Monday. (I needed to wash) Well anyone who has thick thighs know that certain types of shorts are not for us. I was power walking along listening to my Donald Lawrence Pandora station when my shorts started dancing to the music also but instead of moving side to side they were riding up the center of my thighs. I hate having to pull my shorts down every ½ mile or so, I felt like that guy on the commercial, “I’m tired of my thighs rubbing together” So from now until I get to 138 I will be sticking to my yoga pants, hopefully that will cut down on the wiggle, the jiggle, and the riding up.

Weight loss and Shout Outs

Its Friday again WhooooHoooo! I have two Shout Outs this week. The first you heard a little about yesterday, but it is Ella! She started drinking the Cinnamon concoction on top of working out and lowering her caloric intake and she has lost 5.5 lbs in the last 5 days. She has also noticed a loss of inches because her pants are starting to fit differently, Way to go Ella. The next Shout Out is a special one. It is for Tiffany and her husband Kenny; yesterday they celebrated their 4 year wedding anniversary. They also started working out together this week. I am so proud of both of you guys; it is always better when you have a work out partner to help hold you accountable, and when that person just happens to be your partner in life that is even better. Tiffany is now less than 160lbs, Congratulations you guys and keep helping each other out. I love FIT LOVE! Now on to my part of the day, I got on the scale this morning and I was 165.8lbs. That is a 3 pound 2 oz loss from last Friday. It is all so a 1lb loss from Sunday when I made it to my halfway mark, as well as a total weight loss of 31.2lbs. I am well on my way to being fine as wine before birthday time. I am happy for all of our Shout Out recipients and for those of you that are on your own private journey as well. Remember if all you have is the will to lose the weight that may just be enough because where there is a will there is a way, so get on your way.

The weight loss concoction

Remember that post when I told you some of the benefits of cinnamon? Well I found a recipe online for a drink that you can make at home to help you lose weight. It is just Cinnamon, honey, and water but it works. I started drinking it on July 17 and I lost about 8lbs in 10 days. However you know I have been changing up my workout so when I first started doing it I didn’t know if the weight loss was because of the drink or the change in my work out. So in order to make sure I asked a follower, Ella to take it also. She has been taking it for 5 days and she has lost a little over 5lbs. So based on both of our results I think it works. Now this is not something that you drink and just eat whatever you want and don’t exercise and lose weight with. You still have to eat sensibly and exercise or it won’t work. Now I am not a doctor or anything so don’t let my opinion take the place of a medical recommendation. Nevertheless it did work for Ella and I and we are still using it. To make this concoction you will need ground cinnamon; make sure it is not cinnamon sugar, and raw unpasteurized honey, be sure it says RAW on the label. The directions are as follows: Bring 1 cup (8oz) of water to a boil. Get a container with a lid or top and put ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon in the container. Once the water starts boiling add the water to the cinnamon and place the lid on the container and let it sit for 30 mins. After at least 30 mins, add 1 teaspoon of the raw honey to the cinnamon and water. You should start at night, drink ½ cup (4oz) of the mixture 30 mins before you go to bed and make sure you take it on an empty stomach so at least 1 ½  to 2 hours after your last meal. Refrigerate the remaining ½ cup (4oz) and drink it the next morning as soon as you wake up, don’t eat anything for 30 mins after you drink the mixture. It is important to remember at night take it on an empty stomach and wait 30 mins before laying down and in the morning wait 30 mins after you take it to eat. You also have to remember to still watch what you eat and try to do some form of exercise. If you decide to try it comment to this post with any questions or if you want to keep me posted with any results you may have. It worked for me I hope it works for you.

Halfway There

I know I usually only give weight updates on Fridays, however today is a big day for me. Today I got on the scale and I was 166.8lbs which puts me to the half way mark to my goal weight. My goal is to be between 135 to 137 lbs which is within my weight height ratio. For my height I should weight anywhere from 123 to 138 pounds. I really don’t want to get to much smaller than 137 because MH likes a woman with a little meat on her bones. Anyway I am so excited because I have lost 30 lbs and I have 30 more to go. Also I started trying to lose weight at the end of March so it has been 4 months and I have a little less than 4 months until my 30^th birthday. I really wanted to be down to 137 by my birthday so I feel like I am on the right track. In recognition of this occasion I have decided to post a picture of my progress, so that everyone can see how far I have come. Nevertheless I still have a long way to go but anything less than 30 seems doable.