Week 11 & 12 - Guess Who Lost 30lbs???

Me! Me! I did!
32.8 pounds actually

Week 11 Weigh in was 212.8
Week 12 Weigh In was 209.2

Basically - I achieved my 30 by Thirty goal, 2 weeks ahead of schedule.

Ok - I took some pictures.

I probably should've cleaned my mirror first.

NSVs (Non Scale Victories)
Size 18 jeans to Size 14 now
Size 1x/2x Shirt to L Shirt now
I dropped significantly in bra size as well but I'd prefer not to highlight those depressing stats.
I regularly hit the treadmill twice a day, and it's not even the worst thing ever.

Measurement Changes
Bust: -4.5 inches
Waist: -4.5 inches
Hips: -6.5 inches
Thighs: -3 inches

So, what now?
Well... Based on my BMI, I'm still obese.  202 is the magic number that puts me in the overweight category, and that's awful close to ONEderland (199) so next up on the goal list:

202 - (No longer obese)
199 by New Years Day
189.9 at some point (my lowest weight I can remember as an adult where I felt damn fine)
Size 12 Jeans one day

I'm not sure how this is going to go with all the holidays and birthday binge drinking.  I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and see what happens.

Maybe if I keep this up I could be a healthy weight (168.5) by summer. We'll just have to see.  I'll just be happy to get to 199 and then decide from there how much further I want to go.

Work Weigh Loss Competition
Laura won - by a fraction of a percentage.
BUT
Laura is a really nice person - she insisted on splitting the prize money 50/50.
Laura is way nicer than me.
Thanks Laura and good job!

I might keep writing here and there, just to keep myself accountable.  Obviously I'm not so good at weekly updates so that won't be happening.
Thanks to all who have read and supported me!

Cat

Week 11 Weigh In

Did anyone think I'd make it 11 weeks into this diet lifestyle change?  I sure didn't.  I don't think I see any signs of stopping either.

After a less than inspiring week
Today's Weight: 213.0

It's pure miracle that I lost weight last week.  I think God is smiling down upon me because I took food to the homeless shelter Friday.  They need those calories more than I do.  You know it - I could have eaten half of that sandwich tray by myself.

Someone Said I Looked Skinny In My Halloween Costume!

Hipster Ariel
You know "I wanna be where the people are"
but PBR...because hipsters drink PBR.
No, I don't like PBR.

Speaking of Eating
Say it with me: NO MORE BAGELS at least till next Wednesday. Next Tuesday is the final weigh in for this work challenge and there's $168.75 on the line that I'm taking to Tunica! buying Christmas presents with! taking to Tunica! 

Next Mondays Dinner Menu
Water & Ex-Lax - dinner of champions; Weigh Loss Champions that is!
I'm kidding of course... probably kidding....
Either way I'm going to pretend I'm kidding and never admit to actually doing it if I decide to do so.

Maybe I'll schedule a nice cleansing colonic for Monday morning.  I'm kidding of course...

That's enough of that shit. (Get it? Shit? ha!)

If I Lose One More Pound I've Hit My 30 by Thirty Goal!
Can I do it? Meh - I hope so.
My new hiking shoes will be at my house this week.  Maybe I'll walk up that mountain this weekend?
or
Maybe I'll drink all the beer this weekend?
Maybe I'll do both.

Stay tuned next week to see what happens...
Cat

Week 10 Weigh In

Week 10 Weigh In: 214.8

Not The Most Inspiring Week
I'm now 2.8 pounds away from my 30 by Thirty goal of 212.

I'm still ahead in the competition at work but not by much.  I really want to hit 212 by Monday but I find my level of motivation is faltering.  I had made a really good habit of not eating back my exercise calories but last week I ate them ALL back almost every day. I ate some of them back Monday but held it together yesterday.

I Wrote A Whole Thing About All The Events I Have Going On This Week And How Hard It Will Be To Stay On Track With Calories And It Made Me Miserable So I Deleted All Of It

Let's talk about anything else.

I was so motivated the other day I walked in the wind/rain.  Apparently it was humorous to watch me fighting to keep my umbrella from flying away.

The wind even blew me right over sideways:

Yep, I'm going to pretend this in on purpose.  Sideways is SUCH a flattering angle!

I Decided To Go Hiking Around Three Caves Sunday

I've lived in Huntsville all my life and always made it a point to ride down random streets I've never been down because I'm a curious person.  Somehow I've never in my life laid eyes on Three Caves.  I woke up ungodly early and decided to remedy this.

A few things:

1. I don't know where my good tennis shoes are.  Also - "tennis shoes" looks really stupid when you write it out.  The word "sneakers" is terrible, as is the  term "athletic shoes". Whatever - tennis shoes it is.

2. I'm clumsy.  WTF was I thinking doing any kind of mountain activity alone.

So I drive over there, park the car, and head off into the woods.

Luckily if you just want to look at Three Caves (from above) it's not a bad little uphill walk on slightly rocky terrain.  It's honestly easy.

SPOILER ALERT
I made it...

The view from atop Three Caves
I didn't take this picture because I'm a dumbass and didn't take my phone.
Good thing I didn't die.

BUT...

I fell down.

3 times.

Just on the way up.

Mountain not to scale.

I can't emphasize enough how short and simple the walk just to look over top the cave is. I'm just that talented.

I decided after that I should probably go back to the car and stay away from mountains when I'm alone.


Since I'm Finishing This Up On Thursday
I should probably be honest about the fact that I ate fucking everything yesterday.  I had a plan, a plan for how not to suck at calories.

But we all know what they say about the best laid plans - they don't taste as good as meatballs, crackers/cream cheese/pepper jelly, banana pudding and chicken & dumplings, and 3 beers.


Since I'm Finishing This Up For Real on Friday
I sucked last night too - not as bad though.

Based on my weigh in this morning for my r/loseit challenge I gained 1.2lbs.


I'm off to fix that before Monday's super official weigh in.

Till then,
Cat

Week 8 & 9 Weigh Ins

Week 8 Weigh In: 219.8
Monday's Weigh in: 215.8

ALMOST THERE
3.8lbs away from my 30 by Thirty goal of 212.

I'm also FINALLY in the lead in the competition at work, by 0.17%.
EAT IT LAURA! NO REALLY, EAT IT. EAT THE DAMN BAGEL!

MEASUREMENTS
Bust: -3 inches
Waist: -3.5 inches
Hips: -5 inches
Thigh: -2.5 inches

What Am I Eating?

Seriously - whatever I want for the most part.  The key for me is everything in moderation.  I make a real effort to stay within my calorie goal (currently 1240/day) just about every day.  At least once every 2 weeks I screw it up and go over.  Occasionally I screw up once a week.  It's that simple.

The harder part - learn what portions look like.  I started with measuring a lot, but after a while of doing that you can eyeball it.

Here's a snapshot of a day this week. My goal is 1240 but I got an extra 130 calories from exercise on those day.

What Am I Doing for Exercise
I started lifting.
Well... I carried two boxes yesterday when I worked at the Special Olympics. Doesn't that count?

Seriously though, I walk.  That's about it.
My FitBit told me it loved me the other day, so you can say things are getting pretty serious.

I have a goal to walk 7,000 steps a day.  I park far from my office, take quick walks throughout the day when I can, and add in a walk after work sometimes with the kids when I get home.
MFP activity is set to sedentary and it calculates my daily calories by that.  If I'm more active than that my FitBit and MFP work together and I get exercise calories added back in

I'd like to hike up the mountain that my neighborhood backs up to.  Maybe I'll do that this weekend.

That should make for an interesting story next week.

Till then,
Cat

Bend Over to the Front & Touch Your Toes

On Monday at approximately 9:06pm CST I sent the same exact text message to 3 or 4 different people:

a text message that caused a slight panic in some

Every one of them responded that they can in fact touch their toes without bending their knees.

Why did I ask this question?  Let's back up about 14 minutes.

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On Monday at approximately 8:52pm CST I started thinking about the ability to touch one's toes without bending one's knees.

I did not have this ability.  I don't know that I've ever been able to touch my toes without bending my knees.  Surely I could as a child, but I think I could say with 90% certainty that I hadn't had that ability in the past 15 years.

This is a reenactment (with bonus scoliosis) 

That day I vowed to myself to fix it.

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I began where any reasonable person would: Google

Good to know I'm not the only one

I expected to find some instructions along the lines of "do these stretches every other day for 2wks and then you'll be able to touch your toes".  Instead I found this LIFE CHANGING blog entry containing a LIFE CHANGING VIDEO.

If you are like I was and cannot touch your toes - these two frat boys, a pillow and a Nerf gun are about to change your life.

Apparently I'd been doing it wrong my whole life.

3 minutes later I was touching my toes without bending my knees as if I'd been doing it my whole life.

I couldn't stop, it changed my whole range of motion.  I was SO EXCITED that I needed to share the gospel!

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On Monday at approximately 9:06pm CST I sent the same exact text message to 3 or 4 different people:

a text message that caused a slight panic in some

Apparently none of my friends had this problem, but that doesn't take away from my level of excitement.

3 days later here's a super unflattering picture of me - you guessed it - touching my toes without bending my knees.

I know what you're thinking - and yes - that is a beer on the table, it was delicious.

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In closing - If you or someone you know is affected by the inability to touch their toes without bending their knees - there is help.  Send them this link, share the wealth.

If we continue to spread the good news - we can live in a world where all people can touch their toes without bending their knees.

Good Luck and Good Toe-touching,
Cat

Week 8 Weigh In (Major Milestone Inside!)

Monday's Weigh In: 222.0

20lbs down!

I hate to brag, but I'm really frickin proud of myself - so I will.  Yay me!!

Measurement Changes

Bust: -2.5 inches

Waist: -3 inches

Hips: -4 inches

Thigh: -2 inches

I rewarded myself by eating a whole pizza

Mouse for scale
I don't know why these damn pictures are sideways and I give up.

Work Challenge

12 Weeks - Winner based on % of Weight Lost. 

Start Date: 8/17

Finish: 11/9

We are half way through and I'm in 2nd place. 

DAMNIT LAURA GIVE IT UP YOU'RE SKINNY AND GORGEOUS ALREADY STOP LOSING WEIGHT SO I CAN WIN

I have a super noble reason for wanting to win this money: I want to go to Tunica and piss it all away into slot machines.  All I want for my birthday is money that I can throw away gambling.

r/LoseIt Fall Challenge

10 Weeks

Start Date: 8/31

Finish: 11/9 (I think?)

My goal by the end is 220. I'm still not totally sure when it ends but it seems like I'll hit this goal unless I screw up and drink all the beers and eat all the pizza.

30 by Thirty

14ish Weeks

Start Date: 8/13

Finish: 11/25 

I'm killing this one! 10lbs to go and 7 weeks to do it.  

If I play my cards right I might just get down to 200 by the end of the year and be able to wear this dress for New Years Eve (to the party that doesn't exist that I've invited myself to that I don't have a babysitter for).

Yes, I know it's sideways
let it go already

 Anywho...

Stay tuned for a bonus post this week that reveals a major victory I had this week that will probably seem totally ridiculous.

Till then,
Cat

Week 7 Weigh In

Monday's Weigh In: 224

Down 18 frickin pounds! 12 more to go.


I really am super proud of myself, but I'm always scared that I'll be too proud, become complacent and lose momentum.  Let's talk positives anyway.

NSV (Non-Scale Victories)
1. I fit back into a pair of jeans that I bought over a year ago.  I'm certain of the timing because I bought them after I landed a fairly attractive man who was pretty buff. Uhg, what a fucking bastard... I digress.  The point is, I'm in some pants that I couldn't wear 2 months ago.

2. This past weekend someone told me I was incredibly beautiful. I'm not saying no one ever says that but this was a stranger who wasn't even hitting on me and it just seemed so genuine.  It could have been a joke for all I know but it just felt genuine and really nice. It may have had nothing to do with weight loss but I'm counting it.

3. I feel like I look better.  I feel more confident. I feel down-right fabulous today, must be the jeans.

My official 224lbs picture

I feel less fabulous now that I have a picture of it.  I also feel like the picture in my first post that I said was 242ish might not actually be 242ish.

This picture of my mom and I has got to be 242ish. I feel like I look the same - but these pants don't lie, so whatever I guess.

What Will I Look Like?

I found a link to this website on Reddit.  You pick your sex, height and weigh range and it shows you real before & after photos so that you can get an idea of what weight loss looks like on different body types.

I did not find this as encouraging as I believe it was intended to be.  I started at 242 and plan to be 212 by 11/25/15.  I think I looked pretty good at 212 and I think I looked DAMN FINE at 189.9.

The first example that pops up is a girl that's 5'9 (same as me) and went from 245-120.

120? 120?? You've got to be kidding me right? My left leg weighs 120 all by itself.  The logical person inside of me understands that people are built differently and blah blah fucking blah.

However... it just put me in a mood.  It probably didn't help that I was eating the last half of my coworkers Doritos as I looked at this website.  Don't worry - I logged all 11 chips (140 calories by the way - for 11 frickin chips).

I guess I'd better take a walk break.

Till next week,
Cat

Thank you Facebook Timehop

There's a lot of passionate language in this post.

I mentioned in my last post that Facebook Timehop was kind enough to remind me of my last weight loss journey years ago.

While that picture is a great reminder that I was successful at this before, and am still a long way from how fat I was before - the picture on the left is incredibly upsetting.  I fucking hate that picture.

The story of the picture of the fat girl on the left

I was going to a concert that night.  I can't even remember who the headliner was but I was really excited to see Adelita's Way.  I'd seen them open at several other shows and had grown to love them.  I was particularly hot for the semi-nerdy-ish guitarist.  To my delight - they were having a free meet & greet after the show.

I remember getting dressed and putting on that green shirt.  I looked in the mirror and confirmed to myself "damn, I look pretty good!".

Holy shit.  Seriously girl?  WTF were you thinking.  

1. Why the hell would you get that haircut?  I'm ashamed to admit that haircut started as the Kate Gosselin haircut. In this picture it actually looks 187% better than it did initially.  No wonder my husband-at-the-time looked at me crazy when I came home with that haircut.  For all his faults, at least he was too nice to tell me I looked fucking ridiculous.

2. I'm not sure why I was wearing glasses.  Maybe I was out of contacts?  There's several pictures of me at this weight in glasses.  I can only assume my fingers were too fat to reach into the contact holder and get them out.

3. Look at my arm.  I had cropped out just my arm to post here but it was too graphic.

But I digress...

Back to that night.  The guys from Adelita's Way were out after the show meeting fans.  I looked "damn good" and was about to meet that cute guitarist.

Here's the whole picture:

He looks like he's afraid I'm going to eat him.

I was so proud of this picture.

I hate this fucking picture.  I used keep it on my phone to remind me to stop fucking eating but deleted it when I couldn't stand to look at it any longer.

Well then, I think that's enough of that. 

-Cat

P.S.

Feel free to post comments, share my posts and subscribe to updates.  I'm much more likely to keep this weight loss up if I think people might accidentally read this.

Week 6 Weigh In (a little late)

Monday's Weigh In: 228

Down 14bs, 16 to go

It was a shitty not my most inspiring week.

What Happened?

That's what happened.

A super nice new guy started at work. On Tuesday, he brought bagels for everyone.  These weren't just any bagels, they were delicious bagels, complete with Honey Walnut Cream Cheese.

Have you ever had Honey Walnut Cream Cheese?  It's the stuff dreams are made of (big fat chunky dreams). I started with a bite...and another bite...and another bite...and so on and so forth.

Then I went to The Boot for dinner - and had Prosciutto Bread and beers...and then 2 slices of pizza and beers.

Wednesday I felt so defeated from Tuesday that I went and ate ALL THE MEXICAN FOOD.  It was good too.

I did better throughout the rest of the week, and that was the only thing that got me a loss of .6lbs.  It doesn't feel like it counts nearly enough.

I think I probably underestimated the amount of beer I drank Saturday night.  I had free tickets to the Biergarten at Oktoberfest and unlimited samples in a 5.25oz glass.  I like to think I made up for it on Sunday because I was working there all day, standing on my feet pouring beer.  

This week is going much better other than a slip on Tuesday. I am kid-free this weekend though, and we all know that's the real test.

Also worth noting

Check out what Facebook Timehop showed me Sunday

talk about deja vu

Three years ago I was in the midst of a weight loss journey.  This was a snapshot of 265lbs to 219lbs.  I remember feeling pretty good at 219 and I'm only about 9lbs from there.  I sure do hate that fat girl on the left though.  I started to write about her and decided I better save that for another post, so be on the lookout for another post that promises to be entertaining in the most self-deprecating way.

More on that later.

-Cat

The Struggle...The Oh-So-Tasty Struggle

It's Tuesday, 8:32am.

Mitch's husband made that ham/croissant/cream cheese/whatever-the-hell-else-is-in-it deliciousness.

It was so good.

I ate a small piece.  Hopefully everyone else in the office will eat the rest, quickly.

I'm wearing pants that haven't fit in a year.  My ass looks kinda good in them.

Say it with me:
These pants feel better than that ham/croissant/cream cheese/whatever-the-hell-else-is-in-it deliciousness.
These pants feel better than that ham/croissant/cream cheese/whatever-the-hell-else-is-in-it deliciousness.
These pants feel better than that ham/croissant/cream cheese/whatever-the-hell-else-is-in-it deliciousness.


I Shall Overcome

Today was supposed to be the first day back on track after a 2-day series of failures.

Tuesday - 
Bagels with honey walnut cream cheese spread
Prosciutto cheese bread, 3 beers, 2 slices of cheese pizza

Wednesday - 
Sushi that was a good idea except I tried something else that ended up being pretty high in calories.  It was covered in avocado - surely that's a redeeming quality.
Mexican - steak/rice/cheese/chips.  Normally this meal isn't so bad.  I limit my chips and eat half the plate.  Last night - SO MANY CHIPS.

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It's Tuesday, 8:46am.

I'm eating another piece of that ham/croissant/cream cheese/whatever-the-hell-else-is-in-it deliciousness.

Say it with me:
These pants feel better than that ham/croissant/cream cheese/whatever-the-hell-else-is-in-it deliciousness.
These pants feel better than....



h...e...l...p...

Week 5 Weigh In

Today's Weigh In: 228.4

Down 13.6lbs, 16.4 to go

Let's Talk Exercise

I'd be lying if I said I workout a lot.  

I have the Fitbit One and I love it.  I keep it clipped to my bra and when I get home I just clip it to my tank top (because y'all know the bra comes off as soon as I hit the door).

The Fitbit tracks steps taken and floors of stairs climbed.  It also connects with MFP.  I have MFP set to a sedentary activity level and as my Fitbit tracks my day and see's that I'm being more active than sedentary it adds cardio calories burned to MFP log.

I try to walk 7,000 steps a day - 10,000 if I'm feeling froggy that day.

It also allows you to have daily/weekly/weekend challenges with your Fitbit friends.  I usually have 2 different challenges going on: one with work peeps and one with my super awesome cousin.  I find it motivating to be able to see what they're doing.  

If I'm in last place at the end of the night I'll walk circles around my dining room table/kitchen for half an hour until I catch up (seriously).

Hey now - it works.

I slipped some this weekend.  I inevitably drank some beers and ate some prosciutto bread and exceeded my calories on Saturday.  Then I forgot my Fitbit for a good 3 hours which just about murders any motivation I may have had when I woke up.

Despite the weekend I'm still getting there.

-Cat

It's Goin Down Fo Real

My weight that is...

Today's Official Weigh in - 232.  That's TEN POUNDS down.

whoop whoop

Measurement Changes

Bust: -1 inch

Waist: -1.5 inches

Hips: -2 inches

Thigh: -2 inches

SO MANY OFFICIAL WEIGH-INS

I've got a few different things going on to keep me motivated.

Work Challenge

12 Weeks - Winner based on % of Weight Lost. 

Start Date: 8/17

Finish: 11/9

Weigh-In: Every Monday (at work with my clothes on)

*There's money involved here.  The buy-in was $25.

First Prize is around $190, Second Prize is around $60

r/LoseIt Fall Challenge

10 Weeks

Start Date: 8/31

Finish: 11/9 (I think?)

Weigh In: Every Friday

This on is just for fun and another source of support.  Shout out to Team Jack O'Lantern!

30 by Thirty

14ish Weeks

Start Date: 8/13

Finish: 11/25 

Weigh In: Every Monday (newd in the morning, post-poop, pre-shower)

I think you guys are familiar with this one.  This is the one that counts.

I'm right on target so far.  I'll write some later this week on how I'm getting there.

-Cat

A Tale of Beer & Bacon

 

I Sucked Yesterday 

  

That's not even counting the after midnight waffle house binge that I counted as today's breakfast (more on that later).

 

The day started off so good.  This is my first Saturday without the kids since I started this adventure.  When I woke up I did my daily workout.  I'm doing the Free 5 Day Workout Challenge for Busy People from Fitness Blender.  This was day 2.  I dropped the kids off and then went to the gym.  I spend 30 minutes on the treadmill walking at a pace of 3.5 on a 4 incline.  It was a tough workout.

 

Lunch 

My gym is behind Third Base Grill. Leaving the gym I could feel a grilled cheese and a beer calling my name.  I responsibly-ish gave in.  I'll log these calories and eat in moderation the rest of the day, it will be fine.

 

Afternoon Snack

Around 2pm it seemed like a good idea to go over to chips for ONE BEER.  I went to Chips, had one beer and left.  Success! How's that for will power bitches!

 

Dinner

I want prosciutto bread from The Boot so bad.  That's it - I don't care! I'm having prosciutto bread from The Boot and a beer to go with it of course!



2nd Afternoon Snack
I'll have ONE BEER with my homie.  Everything in moderation?  Except there ended up being several friends there and then *poof* the beers were flowing.  Enter a gentleman friend of mine and I leave for the night after 3 beers.

3rd Afternoon Snack
Let's have a beer on the porch with my neighbor! 

2nd Dinner AKA After Midnight Waffle House Binge
(Actually I decided to count it as today's breakfast since it was after midnight.)
The aforementioned gentleman friend kidnapped me and took me to Waffle House.  It was a harrowing experience.  It's hard to talk about so I've created this artistic rendering of the event:

I'll Do Better Today
615 Calories are already gone from my After Midnight Waffle House Binge.  I'm heading out for lunch - Mexican - grilled chicken and grilled veggies.

Tomorrow is weigh in for the challenge at work.  Here's hoping to a couple pounds lost in spite of Saturdays' shenanigans.

Eleven Days

Eleven days - officially the longest I've lasted on a diet lifestyle change in probably over a year.

I've said before that I know how to lose weight I just have to be in the right mindset.  It looks like I'm finally in that mindset.  Last week wasn't bad - it was easy in fact, which makes me a little nervous. Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landsl....

Back to what I was saying - will this motivated mindset stick?

The first weigh in at work for our competition was Monday and I'm down almost 10 pounds.  I know that's just what happens at the beginning of a diet so I'm not too excited, I know that's not a realistic week.  I made the mistake of googling "what happens when you lose 10 pounds in a week?" and learned quite a bit. You can read the whole article here.

What are you really losing?

Water Weight: We've all heard this before, "It's just water weight".  Looks like there's some truth to that.
Glycogen: It's basically stored glucose, or sugar.  "when you crash diet, glycogen is the easiest way for your body to get some energy"
Muscle & Bone: That doesn't sound so good.

What I'm gathering is that your body is flipping out because it's not getting what it needs and starts eating away at what you have stored.

BUT this article is also talking about how all of this happens because you're not eating enough calories. Women are not supposed to eat less than 1200 calories a day.

I'm eating about 1200 - 1350 every day - so I think I'm okay.  I'm getting the recommended number of calories and I'm not starving by any means.  I'm eating a lot more protein and drinking a lot more water.  I'm happy to report that's keeping me sated.  If I'm hungrier I'll eat more.

I'm also moving a lot more.  I'm working for 7000-8000 steps a day.

It helps that some co-workers also have fitbits and we use the daily challenges to watch each other.

Also my home scale said I lost 5 pounds - in my book that's the one that counts.

-Cat

Eat Less, Move More

Relevant

2 Days Down, 98 To Go

I did googled the math.

Monday was weigh in at work and the scale said 248.2 - which is upsetting because the scale at home says 242. Whatever.

Also worth noting - the much-taller-than-me-not-so-in-shape-male director in my building weighed in at 240.2 and he's rubbing it in that he's lighter than me.  

New short-term goal: weigh less than him.

So far it's been a  successful two days. Confession - I had 3 beers for dinner last night (plus some bites of a friends pizza calzone something).  HOWEVER COMMA it was trivia night and I had a sitter for the first time in forever.  I still had room in my daily calorie limit for food but I wasn't really hungry for maybe the first time ever.  I'm calling it a win.

I never said I'd get healthy - I said I'd lose weight.

Serious Time Below This Point

(because you should take weight loss advice from a fat person)

5000 Steps/Day & 10 floors climbed each day

This is really hard when you work an office job tied to your phone & computer all day.  Solution?  I started taking smoke breaks again.  I quit smoking a while ago, but I started going back out with them throughout the day.  That's more steps taken, not to mention the added bonus of taking the stares up/down 3 floors each time.

I'm using a Fit Bit to track my steps and floors climbed.  I would have no motivation without it.  It gives me bonus exercise points when I go above my typical Sedentary (code for lazy ass) activity level.

Drink Water All F'n Day

It's pretty simple - if my cup is empty I refill it - and then I drink it. Rinse. Repeat.

BONUS - Extra steps to walk to the bathroom!

Kinda Sorta Mostly Plan Meals in Advance-ish To Meet My Calorie Goal

I'm using MyFitnessPal. In order to lose the 30 by Thirty my daily calories are set to 1360. I'm packing lunches at work and eating reasonable dinners at home.  

There's nothing crazy - add me on MFP as a friend if you want to see specifics.

My username is "Redcarpetwifey".  (old username).

That's all for now.

-Cat

Cheers to Gluttony!

What do you do the weekend before you start a diet lifestyle change? You eat everything, obviously.

Friday
Lunch: My last grilled cheese with bacon & tomato and my last cheese fries with ranch.
Dinner: My last Salisbury steak and macaroni and cheese.

Saturday
Breakfast: My last maple donut.
Lunch: My last chicken nachos from Chips & Salsa & several beers
Dinner: Sushi? and more beers.

Sunday
Lunch: Mexican - everything covered in queso.
Dinner: Little Caesars Deep Dish & 2 cans of coke.

In summary - I had only one thought when it came to this weekend:

The food...get your mind out of the gutter, pervert.

I'm being a bit dramatic, I'll absolutely eat those foods, but rarely.

I logged my food anyway - today's impressive tally: 2,818 calories.  Drop the mic, my work here is done.

Tomorrow is a new day.

-Cat-

My First Hashing Experience

I'll tell the short version of the story with an original poem:

They said let's go hashing,
They said it'd be fun.
OK, let's go hashing.
We'll drink beer and run.

They said we would pre-lube,
I overachieved.
I chose to PRE-pre-lube,
and collapsed under a tree.

An old friend of mine is in a hashing club and invited me to come with them a few weeks ago.  It sounds like exactly the kind of thing I'd be into: really cool people, beer, plenty of sexual innuendo with exercise as an added bonus. If you're not sure what hashing is check out this article on Wikipedia.

I learned that it is right up my alley, but it's a really bad plan to drink several stout beers before walking/running 3-5 miles it's 100 degrees outside.  (I left my common sense in bed that morning). I was a little tipsy and dehydrated and did NOT make it to the end.

I didn't make it to the first stop.

I made it to a tree, where I laid down and insisted they go on without me.  It was not my proudest moment.

Rough sketch of the event

Luckily these people are awesome, someone picked me up in a car, and let me "auto-hash" the rest of the way.

I definitely have plans to go back and redeem myself.

I'll let you guys know how that goes.

A Totally Reasonable Weight Loss Plan

How to Lose Weight 101

Let's think about the options:

Anorexia - I'm too hungry for that shit.

Bulimia -  I'm too lazy to go pee when I need to.  You think I'm going to go throw up all the time? Yeah right.

Lemonade Cleanse -  Did I mention I'm hungry?

No/Low Carb -  Seriously? No f*cking way. Have you ever had bread? Pasta? It's delicious. Life without bread and pasta is not a life I want to live.

How about making reasonably better food choices and effort to add some extra activity in my life?  I've done it before and it worked, I can do it again.

I really like beer, I drink too much of it.  Let's set the record straight now - it's not an alcoholic thing - it's a BEER IS F*CKING DELICIOUS thing. Obviously I'll cut back on that.

The plan:
1. Use MFP to track calories, and FitBit to track daily activity.
2. Make a real effort to meet my goals.  That means I can have all the beer I want - I just have to sacrifice food for it or drag my lazy ass up and down the stairs once and a while to burn the calories in preparation.

Remember that time I lost 70lbs? Surely I can lose 30....

Till next time,
Cat

30lbs by 30th Birthday - An Introduction

189.9 (that whole day)

265

I’ll be 30 at the end of November - seems like a good deadline for weight loss. After the birth of my daughter (almost 4 years ago) I weighed in at 265 - a hefty honey for sure.  About a year later after some health issues, a better diet and more exercise I lost a TON of weight and was down to 189.9 at one point.  

242ish

I started a new job last year and gained just about all of it back. 

I’d like to be back at 200, but 43 by Thirty wasn't nearly as catchy.

I work full time, have two kids full time and have little babysitting help.  I've used that as an excuse to use the little free time I have either being lazy or drinking beer.  Did I mention I love beer? It's delicious.

Join me as I struggle a lot, fail sometimes and hopefully succeed in the end.  The journey is certain to be filled with sarcasm, too much beer and self-deprecating humor. 

Today the scale said 243.  This picture is not from today - but it's mostly what I look like and will have to do.