I'm doing well -- except for the cow

Two weeks ago I re-defined my specific weight loss goals.  I'm doing well.  If I were to give myself a grade in all areas...

1.)  I want to lose 25 pounds 

Grade:  C

Explanation:  I've hovered around the 3 pound loss for two weeks.  Nonetheless, I'm seeing good changes in my body --- i.e. my waistline is coming back!  I'm making better food choices and overall eating more veggies and fruits daily.  I'm also participating in a pedometer challenge at work which keeps me focused on walking to get my daily steps up!

2.)  I want to complete a half-marathon 

 B

Started training.  Need to kick up my training and be more consistent with my workout plan. 

3.)  I want to build muscle and lose fat  

F

It's simple - to gain muscle I need to work my muscles.  Got in one session of weight lifting.  Need to do it regularly.

4.)  I want to complete a 10-day juice cleanse 

B+

Had to reschedule my initial plan because of travel plans-- changed the start date to September 1st, but have gotten more organized.  I'm reaching out to people who have juiced for tips/advice.  Keep the suggestions coming!  I've been warned Day 1 I'll be crabby.  Day 2 will be worse.  But if I can make it past those two days I will feel fabulous.

5.) I want to complete a winter time 5K  

A

This is well on it's way.  Found a race to run and a friend to join me.  After the half-marathon running this will be a breeze! 

6.)  I want to save refined sugar treats for special occasions.

 A+  

Saying no to sweets except special occassions is difficult.  I've had cravings like crazy but NO means no.  That means saying no to free office cookies and morning pastries.  I have more energy without so much sugar in my diet.  It's amazing!  I also find I'm able to enjoy sweets more when it's once in a while instead of every day.  I recently traveled to Nashville and went to an Jeni's ice cream shop.  It was glorious and I didn't feel one bit guilty indulging.

 7.)  I want to go to the gym three times a week 

D

Have been making it to the gym 1-2 times/week because of traveling.  This is changing this week as I don't have any upcoming travel plans for a while.  Otherwise have been doing a LOT of walking!

8.)  I want to eat no more than one dead cow a week.  

 F

I tried this and failed because of steak dinners two days in a row.  Plus, while traveling I splurged on a jr. bacon cheesburger from Wendy's and a cheeseburger from Dairy Queen.  To make up for it, I'm trying to avoid beef for the next month --- as i've used up my allotted "one dead cow a week" and need to make up for what I ate.   The one glorious decision I made while traveling was to do eat fake ground meat soy tacos.  I couldn't tell the difference between the soy mean and beef.  I'll have to try more fake options when I crave the dead cow.

Drum roll...

my current weight loss GPA = 2.16 or C-

OVERALL: I need to step it up.  I will have a higher weight loss GPA in two weeks!   Aiming for at least a 3.0!

I will reach my goals

I'm a "fan" of Bob Harper on Facebook and today in a status update he wrote, "Make it a point to be more active today.. Get a workout in! Today is the first day of the rest of your life and you are worth it!"

 I like that goal.  That's doable.   No matter how my schedule looks before or after work, I can always fit in a 15 to 30 min walk during my lunch break.  Any day.  Everyday.  That's what I'll do today.  Done!

Goals keep me focused.  In the past they've helped me accomplish great tasks.   It's time to jot down some August 2011 - December 2011 goals to keep me focused.

Wikihow says STEP ONE in reaching a goal is to Set a realistic but challenging/inspiring goal.

"Take a big dream, like "I want to be famous", and break it down into smaller, more manageable steps, like "I want to star in ascience fiction movie", "I want to go to three auditions a week", "I want to move to another city" and "I want to save $5000 so I can move." Make the goal big enough to challenge and excite you, but not so big that you hesitate to take the first steps."

Here's my break-down.  

My big dream:  "I want to be thin" which is girl talk for "My extra weight is interfering with how I feel about myself.  It needs to go!"  Specifically for me, being "thin" means losing the 50 extra pounds I have stored on my frame.

My big dream broken down into smaller, more manageable steps: 

 1.)  I want to lose 25 pounds and then take it from there.  Only a year ago, in August 2010, I weighed 20 pounds less than I do now.  Over a year's time I let stress from new life changes make me eat with reckless abandon and focus less on exercise.   Losing 25 pounds betwen August and December will get me half way to my goal of losing 50 pounds and getting thin!

2.)  I want to complete a half-marathon I've signed up for one in October!  I have a buddy and a training schedule (that's gotten off to a rocky start) but I will do it!

3.)  I want to build muscle and lose fat  I can do this through stepping up my weight training...which is actually part of my half-marathon training plan. 

4.)  I want to complete a 10-day juice cleanse I have researched juicers and watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  Unless I hear better suggestions, I plan to get an inexpensive Black and Decker juicer from Wal-Mart to stay in my $50 juicer range. I have recipes for drinks.  I scheduled my cleanse dates in my calendar for August 15th thru August 24.

5.) I want to complete a winter time 5K  Working on getting this set-up. The last winter outdoors race I did was in 2002: The Jingle Bell Run in Champaign, IL. It was cold and it was glorious.   Perhaps it's time to do it again!  

6.)  I want to eat less refined sugar.  Ok this one's a lie.  More like I know I should eat less fined sugar.  I want to work on minimizing the consumption of donuts and candy at work.  I want to avoid Starbuck's sugary drinks.  I want to say "no" to ice cream treats on sale at Jewel and only enjoy them on special occassions -- birthdays, parties, weddings.  Revised:  I want to save refined sugar treats for special occasions.

 7.)  I want to go to the gym three times a week I have a Groupon pass for one class at Flirty Girl Fitness and a gym membership at the Y.  The Y location is literally a 4-min walk from my apartment.  It opens at 5 a.m. weekdays and doesn't close until 10 p.m.  Morning workouts may be what I need to complete this mini goal.  No excuses.

8.)  I want to eat no more than one dead cow a week.  Let me explain.  Last July, when I started this blog I made up my "One cow a week" rule.  It stuck then so it's time to bring it back.  I wrote, Cheeseburgers were doing me in so I made up a rule that I can only eat one serving of dead cow a week.  Max.  Not daily.  This means, once I have my ONE cheeseburger or Chipotle steak burrito, it's time to switch to Boca Burgers, Black Bean burgers, veggie-based meals and other non-four legged friends.  Veggies, you should be very scared.  I'm going to devour you like no other.

At this point I've made my  August 2011 - December 2011 goals big enough to challenge and excite me, but not so big that I don't hesitate to take the first steps.   8 goals.  Sweet!  

Trim the Fat

After a weekend of camping at the Warren Dunes in Michigan where I pigged out on processed snacks, hot dogs, burgers, brats, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup S'mores and donuts, I have some detoxing to do. Besides my unhealthy camping feast, the day I left camping grounds, I headed to Jewel-Osco and found boxes of Choco Tacos on sale for $2.99.  Still high on camp nostalgia, I bought a box because they reminded me of camping at Blue Lake Fine Arts camp when I 15.  It's funny how so much of my "bad" food choices are governed by emotional eating, particularly sugary and saturated fat-laden foods.  Yes, I'm speaking directly to you Cheez-Its. 

Post-camping and one Choco Taco later, the scale said I'd gained 3 pounds!  My notion that eating BIG Cheez-Its, grilled sausage and Donettes would help me maintain my weight, let alone put me closer to 50-pounds of weight loss, was false.  I'm sure the scale number would've been higher had it not been for the exhausting hike to and from the campsite to the beach.   Walking uphill in hot sand while carrying beach gear is no joke.  The first 10 minutes walking were lovely.  We walked through woodsy areas with beautiful lighting.  Then we arrived at the sandy hills and it was terrible.  I felt like I was walking to the Promised Land.
While on the beach at the Warren Dunes, I watched toned women prance around in tiny bikinis while I sat feeling like a whale in my snug one-piece.  Of course, not everyone who wore a bikini was toned and gazelle like, but most were.  As I work toward my weight loss goals, I dream of wearing a bikini and joining them. My dream bikini color: Zebra!

Four days later, I'm finally back to my pre-camping weight, and I have a loooooong ways to go to meet my 50 pound loss.  Training for the upcoming half-marathon will help but I'd also like to lose inches by beefing up my muscles.  After all, 5 pounds of fat compared to the same amount of muscle looks drastically different.  I want to focus on decreasing my body fat percentage in addition to overall weight loss.

Me (blue shirt) - Age 15 - Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
In between flute and piano rehearsals, I remember pigging out
on Choco Tacos during camp free time.

I'm still buzzing from watching Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix.   The weight loss results in that movie were insane and after watching the doc I've watched my fair share juicing before and afters on YouTube.  Bottom line:  Juicing makes you lose weight --- but if you don't change your lifestyle you'll end up gaining all the weight back.

5 pounds of fat vs. 5 pounds of MUSCLE.  Huge difference!


My plan: In August I will try a 10-day juicing detox.  I'll monitor my progress and share the results.   For me it'll be a way to jumpstart progress.   Feel free to share any tips.  As for developing more muscle mass, I'm staying motivated with the above photo.

In Search of the Perfect Half Marathon Shoe

In about 12 weeks I will run13.1 miles.  I'm nervous because I'm not in tip-top shape now.  Luckily a lot can change in 3 months!  This race - Rock N Roll Half in St. Louis - will be my second half-marathon.  My first was in 2009 when I was also 15 pounds lighter than I am now.  My time then: 3:07:12.  I anticipate that over the next week the running will inevitably shed pounds -- it always does for me when I keep it consistent.  I'm following Hal Higdon's training plan for novices.  My goal time:  Under 2:50

Now ladies, mama needs new half-marathon shoes!  Last race I ended up with blisters after I rocked some pretty generic Reeboks -- which I think were technically "walking" shoes.  I'm going to a local running store next week to get fitted but before I go -- any shoe suggestions for a flat-footed runner?  I've been curious about those toe shoes ....yanno, these: 
 

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead - It's on Netflix!

Right now most Netflix subscribers are buzzing with rage over Netflix's recent price hike.   My personal solution-- swap your Stream + 1 DVD package for Streaming Only and you'll actually save yourself $2/month.

If you move to streaming only, your viewing options will decrease especially when it comes to newer content.  But as an avid streamer, who's streaming past includes the entire seasons of Skins (UK Version), Teen Mom, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, Weeds and other random British tv, I say live with it.  Streaming is the future of television.

I've explored my fair share of indi docs through streaming -- most recently, one about juicing to boost health and weight loss.  If you subscribe to Netflix go home right now and check it out --- Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  It will make you want to juice, lose weight...or at least think, "Wow, another non-American telling Americans how we can fight obesity".  

P.S. My main question after watching this was "What recipes are being used".  Google to the rescue.  Find juicing recipes here.  If you're a novice to streaming via your tv, Wii or whatever, click here.

"Fat people will take anything if you tell them it's gonna make them lose weight." -Roseanne

Roseanne Barr on the diet industry...and such.


I'm a true Roseanne fan.  I love her housewife and diet jokes.  I like her take on the diet industry and weight loss.   I couldn't get enough of the working class Illinois family she created in the 80s/90s.  I loved watching her show on Nick at Night and now stream it on Netflix.

This month Roseanne returns to tv via a new Lifetime show titled, Roseanne's Nuts.  This reality show will follow Roseanne as she runs a nut farm in Hawaii.

Here's the preview

It's July! Time to Watch Teen Mom

It's July and I'm feeling better about fitness.  I joined my local Y and am LOVING it.  Sometimes a change of scenery just helps.  My old gym just wasn't working for me anymore --- mostly because it was only open M-F, was a 45-min commute from my home, I had to pack a huge gym bag with shower stuff and the gym has no windows.

I upgraded to the Y where they have windows and an indoor pool.  Although I don't consider myself a "swimmer", it's nice to know I have a pool.  My commute to the gym is only 5 mins.  I can get changed at home and show up with only the clothes on my back.  Also, my Y's ellipticals have tvs!  Last Thursday I hopped on the elliptical.  Someone left CNN on and I stared at Eliot Spitzer as he interviewed a familiar face about US immigration reform.  I knew why Mr. Spitzer looked familiar but I couldn't figure out why the guy he was interviewing looked so familiar.  Within minutes I figured it out:  Jose Antonio Vargas is an award-winning journalist who interviewed me back in 2004, when he had just begun his career with the Washington Post.  I was in D.C. for a journalism conference --- UNITY 2004.   My quotes didn't make it in the final story, but it's still cool to say that such a stellar writer wanted my input and gave me his business card, which I held onto up until last year when I figured if 6 years had gone by and I hadn't yet contacted him for career support, it was about time to get rid of it.   Back in '04, Vargas asked me how I felt about the representation of minority journalists. Did lighter-skinned black journalists get hired over darker skinned?  Did Latinos who sounded like native speakers get preference over those who did not?  And here he was in 2011, right before my elliptical, being interviewed by Eliot Spitzer about his undocumented immigrant status.    It's a funny thing to realize you met someone before they became BIG.

Tonight's Agenda:  Watch the premiere of Teen Mom whilst I elliptical.   I need to workout and I don't have cable.  It's a win-win situation.