You September 5, 2007

Next Year’s Goal – Diabetes Step Up
I want to do the Diabetes Step Up challenge for next year. Obviously, I’m not going to be able to raise $1000 by October 20. If you think you might want to join me, let me know. I would love the physical challenge and I have diabetes in my family so it’s personal. It’s kind of cool. It’s 10 miles and 1000 stairs. Think about the shape you would be in. I’m doing the AIDS Walk which is 8 miles but this is even more difficult but worth it.

Personal note
One of our You and A Diet members has some sick kitties. Keep her in your thoughts this weekJ

Walking/Training

Did I mention I need team members for the AIDS walk as well as training partners? The AIDS Walk is Sunday October 21st. If you just want to donate, please go to:
http://www.aidswalkphilly.org/Donate.aspx?Key=000000136869

Checks can be made out to AIDS Fund and you can email me for my address. Even if you don't want to walk or donate, I would love some walking companions, maybe a few times a week or at least on Sunday. I was planning on walking for an hour at least once a week. Here's a proposed schedule for training in general (I'm not doing a 10 mile bike ride or swim, you have to be kidding me.) I do need to build stamina though

Building Stamina
This was an interesting article on how to build stamina. I love pick something you love and play with others. Next I really need to work on that diet especially if I'm getting into that Morticia outfit.

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted
Speaking of working out, I'm travelling to beautiful Indiana and to the lady I'm visiting - be prepared to watch me work out. It's pretty hilarious. See you all Wednesday.

Dude Yoga

So I needed to stretch out after my 20 minutes of intense cardio so I choose “Cardio Yoga” on ondemand. This guy appears with basketball shorts and matching shorts. He holds the stretches for 2 seconds and then says stuff like, “Breath like Darth Vader.” So this is clearly this is not for me. Yoga for me is stress release (although laughing at his poor cueing and bad hair was a release, I suppose.) Some stuff to check out that’s better is the AM and PM yoga sessions on exercisetv.tv. It’s free too.

The Great Chocolate War

I cannot stop eating sweets lately that’s why I’m working out so much lately. Even after reading that daily deserts bring colon cancer back (I don’t have colon cancer but what I’m saying is, it’s not healthy.) But at least I’m not the only one. Check out this article.


I’m Just an Inbetweener

I’ve lost some weight but I’m between sizes. I’m a 13 which is nearly impossible to find. The solution is to go to the weirdest stores in Philadelphia. My favorite thing is sometimes I’m a 14 or a 12. I hate clothing manufacturers. Why can’t they make clothes for women like they do for men, by waist size? I like to shop sometimes but not when I’m exhausted after work. I want to go in, find my size and go the heck home. Here are some tips on finding the almost impossible perfect pair of jeans – I bought one to wear with heels clearly since apparently they design all jeans for buttless 6 foot 14-year-olds:

You 08/08/07

Posts on the blog

I started posting non-newsletter posts on the crystalandyouonadiet.blogspot.com website. If you would like to share your own tips, I can give you administrative privileges.

What to eat and drink before and after exercise.

I was looking for info on what to eat after exercise but there are some really great hints on how much water to drink during and after exercise. I have to admit that I like to work out on an empty stomach in the morning if it’s going to be a short period (for instance I did 20 minutes of intense cardio this morning. ) I’m going to have to invest in snacks.
http://www.tpan.com/publications/positively_aware/jul_aug_02/eating_for_exercise.html

Trying new exercise On Demand

I tried Amazing Tone with Moira Merrithew. I never thought about using weights with stretching but it was very effective. She recommends these little weight balls but I substituted it with 3 pound weights and yoga blocks. Some of them are a little difficult to maneuver. Also Rob Glick offers some great, quick back stretches and yoga moves that you might want to try.
You can view these Comcast on demand or for free at exercisetv.tv

Get Down on Your Knees and Pray

All Hail the Hard Workout

I've been trying to get back into shape (mostly because I'm vain and want to look o.k. on the beach. I bought a man's small pair of shorts so I don't want to horrify all the other beach goers.) I tried an old workout, Cardio Kick Butt, on On Demand. Good lord, Violet Zaki kicked my rear. But it's effective.

Does the heat make you less hungry?

Are you all less hungry too? I usually eat like a horse when I'm working out this hot but I've been living on fruit, brie and bread. Yes, I'm slowly turning French. Maybe it's due to the fact that I'm taking Ambien and getting more sleep.

UV in Shampoo

I've been trying to sunscreen in shampoo to give myself extra protection when I'm exercising outside. But according Wikipedia, there isn't enough UV in any of these products to help:(

Best Sunscreens in the World

This is pretty good list. Of course, I own none of these but I find the Coppertone Hypoallergenic is great. I use the 45 SPF and doesn't cause me to break out.

You on a Diet August 2, 2007

Nap Power

I take one (about 20-25 minutes) before my Monday night class. It really helps. My friend calls it a disco nap.

I Did It

I bought my first bathing suit top in 16 years. Body image be damned.

The Acupuncture Continues.

Yesterday it was for iron which I had a major reaction to it. I broke out in hives and was all itchy. I couldn’t have beer or anything with grains, most fruit etc., etc. So I had a pretzel for breakfast and juice and yogurt for lunch. I’m on the Nicole Ritchie diet. Just a note, don’t have a conversation with your mother right before the treatment. It screws up your energy fields or something. I will say that I’ve managed not to get sick in the office so maybe it’s working out after all.

A Healthier Planet = A Healthier You

So lately, I’ve been taking small steps to try and make the earth a happier place. For instance, I never take receipts from the ATM and I don’t ask for plastic bags. I carry my big bag. However, I have to be extra vigilant in getting the salespeople not give me one. It’s bad for our marine animal friends and
“To make 100 billion plastic checkout bags per year, which is how many we use in the U.S. each year, it takes 12 million barrels of oil.”

That’s crazy right? I try to reuse my plastic bags if I do get them for groceries etc.


What’s the World’s Healthiest Bean?

My absolute favorite bean – the black bean.

Day 3040

I'm going through my archives to put posts that I sent via newsletter up here but be patient:)

I did it!

I actually practice hitting tennis balls for a 1/2 hour. Oh, I sucked but at least I did it. I also did a 9 minutes of warmup and 25 minutes of yoga with 10 minutes of meditation. I really want to investigate meditation more.

Trying to get back on track

Bought tons of veggies and fruit. I have to look good for my trip to Indiana and my uh, ice cream party. I was watching Getting Fresh with Sara Snow the other day and they were talking about the impact of how far your food has to travel and it's nutritional value.

Check out this quiz on your ecological footprint


This could be totally evil

Nutritional info on beer and booze (including serving sizes and calorie count) - yikes!


Let me know how you're doing

With all the Spencer drama, I've been really lax with food and exercise but I'm slowly easing into it. I'm afraid to step on that scale and do the waist measurement, but it has to be done. If you would like to measured or weighed let me know. I still have my goal to be the smalliest Morticia I can be for Halloween and drop my cholesterol by 10 points.

Day 91

Before I begin - these may be less frequent as the film festival starts tomorrow but I'll try to email when I can.

90 day check in.

So far I've lost 17 pounds, 3 3/4 inches off my waist and probably some dress sizes. I'm the exact weight I was when I met the bf over 3 years ago but I think I'm actually more muscular. I will say that my allergies are much better since I eat more organic food and started taking vitamins. In order to avoid the plateau, I've ramped up my workouts with 30 minutes of yoga, 30-40 minutes of weight/circuit training and at least one or two 30 minute cardio sessions. I've also tried to stay below 1600 calories (that's 100 lower than what I have been eating.) Yes it's hard but in the long run, I hope to be healthier and happier.

Not so organic - sugar substitutes
So just as sugar contributes to our need for more sugar, sugar substitutes (I use splenda) apparently do the same - rats!

All about why we sleep

So far I'm forcing myself to sleep at least 7 hours I'm only 3 days in. I usually reset my internal patterns in 7. Try it for a week (ask for Ambien -which will be generic soon or take the OTC melatonin

Different reasons for eating breakfast

I would like to add that this info was apparently on the minute maid website but it is consistent with actual medical advice. I was reading that athletes (which I don't think applies to most of us) should eat 500 calories at breakfast. I try to eat at least 300 by lunchtime.

Some more websites about with general overall good weight loss

This one contains a map of how obese each state is, PA is 24.6 on the BMI scale which means we're overweight but not obese on average but we're just below Texas in the rankings.

All weight loss blogs - who knew such a thing existed

Day 88

Monthly weigh in went o.k.

2 pounds which means I’m one pound from my first fitness goal (oh frustrating but it will just make me work harder.) My fitness goals for the next few weeks are to record in my food diary everyday, no matter what. Increase the amount of cardio and decrease the amount of chocolate I’ve been eating. Finally, get more sleep. I’m starting my week sleep regimen this week. This article talks about that you can’t expect to lose dozens of pounds in 2 weeks (it’s unrealistic but I can’t help thinking how unfair life is.

Strength Training

This is a really good article on the basics of strength training and a sample routine. I strength train 4 times a week now (usually for about 20 minutes but Friday I did almost an hour– I’m working towards a “boy” pushup.)

Exercise while on vacation or business travel

Since many of you are going to be traveling in the next few weeks (or at least going on vacation in a couple of months) here are some tips to stay healthy and not get too far of the exercise path. With the film festival coming up, I’ll have to squeeze in some kind of cardio or do longer workouts on my days off. I will try stick to around 1500 calories a day and carry snacks. I can go very long periods without eating – not so good. Also, in this vein, I have a jump rope that I’m giving away if any of you would like it.

Day 85

Hypnotherapy to lose weight? My great uncle was a hynotherapist. I’ve been thinking of trying sometime in the summer for any possible plateaus I might hit.

or perhaps Acupuncture (which is sometimes covered by insurance)

BTW, if you’re looking to use the Healthy Benefits Lifestyle program for the discount (and you have Healthplan East and probably the Blue Cross PC) you can call a list of providers for the discounts on acupuncture, massage therapy and nutritionists at 877-335-2746)

Best time to Exercise


I hear that you're not supposed to exercise 2 hours before bed but I don't seem to have a problem. This article contains the best times and some general guidelines to exercise.

Men’s DVDS
What’s up with the lack of DVDS geared towards men. I did a small search and I found
one that kept coming up was pilates for men, tai chi and of course any of the Rodney Yee DVDs (especially the back and strength ones.) I’ve tried Budokon which is pretty manly so you might take a look at those.

Oh please someone buy the

Day 83

Personal Best

Despite having two beers and celebrating 2 birthdays yesterday, I managed to walk 24,000 + steps (that’s 11 miles) yesterday and go home and do 15 minutes of yoga. I ate almost 2400 calories but burned almost 700 which I think is pretty good.

Speaking of alcohol:
Beer can be better than wine for protecting you against heart disease

But neither is so great if you have high blood pressure

But wine drinkers have a healthier diet

Lab Tests
When I read this, I was confused. Last year, I came up with a 204 cholesterol score – you want to aim for below 200. Some say you have to fast for 12 hours and others say no. But here’s what to expect if you haven’t gotten your cholesterol checked.

Two tasty treats

Finally, I found microwave popcorn that I can have that isn’t full of yucky and tastes good too. It’s the whole foods organic kids popcorn. It is much lower in fat and doesn’t have that weird chemical aftertaste

Stonyfield Frozen Yogurt
I’m not a huge fan of frozen yogurt but I swear to you, this stuff is very taste and low in fat.

Training for a Race
I thought this was an interesting article. I do the AIDS Walk every year so maybe I’ll try using some of these tips. I would like to start my spring walks again, maybe a little walk/jog action.

Day 81

These are some tips for dealing with PMS through diet and exercise.

For the men on this list, you can choose to ignore this part (or just stay out of our way - grrr, just kidding.) I'm going to try the more calcium thing to see if that works.

An interesting article on online weight loss services (and how to choose one if it's right for you.)

I use http://www.calorieking.com/ just to see how many calories are in the food I'm eating when I'm writing in my food diary. You'll never eat anything fried again. It also has list of fast food chains and ethnic foods that help me pre-plan my meals before I go out. I give props to Cosi for listing all their foods.

Jogging - ha ha

I actually tried In home jogging (I know this sounds weird but go with me on this one.) Leslie Sansome has an indoor jogging workout (available on demand or here .)
Yes I felt like an idiot but it did work. This is weigh in week so I'm trying to keep off the weight as much as possible. I don't get my 10,000 steps in very often on the weekend so I do the walking videos sometimes. I have many embarrassing workout dvds so feel free to borrow some or email me for recommendations.

Day 78

Upping my game

Elle Fitness Glam Total Toning - yes it's a dumb name but it kicked my rear literally. It's available on demand under "stress relievers" in Exercise TV. Also try some of the Gaiam workouts. They are great for stretching out after doing 30 lunges.

Eating out while losing weight

The eternal struggle - you want to be part of the in crowd but you don't want to get super http://health.discovery.com/tools/calculators/activity/activity.html http://www.caloriesperhour.com/index_burn.html

Reviewing the basics How many steps in a mile? about 2640 -3000 depending on your strideHow many calories do you need to burn to lose a pound? 3500 baby

An article on basic weight loss:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/WT00001

Have a good weekend and stay dry.

Day 76

Hello all:

I'm back. Thanks for all your emails of concern. I just wanted a week when I wasn't a slave to my diet journal and I could eat french fries and pizza. It's out of my system now. Although, I didn't go overboard really and I kept exercising every day.

Ab work:

Lady S let me borrow her stability ball. It's been very interesting. One - I'm not very stable at all (but you all already knew that.) Two - my cats are terrified of the ball. Three - it's great for ab work but I had a hard time trying to do all the fancy pants plank work etc. There's an excellent on demand yoga stability ball workout that was more my speed. I may buy a stability work out dvd and then my own stability ball when Ms. S wants it back.Also, I've started to place a weight on my abs to hold my spine down to the ground. Also, I put a weight in my hand when I twist for oblique workouts. That seems to be working. I learned that from my Kathy Smith dvd which whooping my butt. However, she does show proper form and I appreciate that.

Lunges are the devil:

I don't know why every trainer and dvd demands lunges. I will tell you that doing lunges from front to back (rear lunge) rather than back to front (front lunge) is better for the knees. I kind of like the curtsy lunge. They do work but I still hate them Here's a general Honey Kalaria's workout is sold out on overstock but check amazon.

Day 64

Hello all:

Two inches to go . .

I'm down to 32 inches which is pretty darn good from 35 ½. But man, is it going slowly. I guess it's time to step up the exercise again (sigh) and lower the food intake. I tell you that working full-time, tutoring and taking a class really does save you money but makes you more stressed. Let me know how you are doing and if you need me to measure you.

Speaking of stress

Stress can make you fat. I've been trying to, depending on what time I get home, do some form of yoga or exercise. Like tonight I won't get home until 10 but I'll at least do 10 minutes of stretching and I usually walk home. Also, I try to take at least a 10 minute walk at lunch every day. I've been walking a lot and very briskly (the 15 degree weather at night is a great motivator.)
Also, I'm on Ambien for the week. What a difference an entire week of 7 hours+ sleep makes. Although the dreams, I'm having, are wicked weird. I'm taking myself off on Friday. I've never done a prescribed sleeping med before and it does seem to really help my mood and concentration.

Exercise TV is back!

My favorite exercise program with Violet Zaki is back on my on demand. In the meantime, I'm going through my old DVDS. CardioSculpt (which markets for about $10) is well worth it as well as the Biggest Loser which I actually customized to suit my workout routine. BL is good for both men and women. I don't know why the exercise industry doesn't really make DVDs for men's needs. I still have my Bollywood dance workout DVD to try. I'll let you know if it sucks.

You Day 62

Correctly measuring your waist

Women, your goal is to have your waist under 30 inches while men, your goal is under 35 inches. These are the steps we follow for measuring waist circumference from a nutritionist acquaintance of mine:
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and weight evenly distributed.
Relax your abdomen
Mark the point at the top of the right pelvic bone and the bottom of the right rib cage, directly over the pelvic bone, measure and mark the mid-point between the two marks.
Place the measuring tape in a horizontal plane around the abdomen at the level of the mid-point mark.
Record measurement at the end of a normal expiration.
The tape measure should be pulled to the proper tension without pinching the skin.


Weight loss compliments and insults

I don’t tell anyone unless they ask, that I’ve lost weight. I think this is a good article on how to handle the compliments and the insults.

60 day + Depression

This is usually around the time I get depressed. I’m 1/3 towards my goal and I’m tired of exercising and eating right. I hope that in the next few weeks, I’ll finally not be sore from doing a 1000 lunges and squats. When that is, I don’t know. Also, I don’t know when I’m allowed French fries again. I just had my first hard-boiled egg in two months today. I feel trapped in a diet box but I just have to keep pushing through. It’s still freakin’ hard. Hope you guys are doing well. I'm here for you:)

Day 61

Sneaking in Veggies

When I was in Weight Watchers, many moons ago, I discovered that I didn’t like vegetables (I’m a little better now.) I started putting them in pasta or having a salad at lunch and dinner (it’s supposed to cut down on what you eat during dinner.) Also, if you want, I can share with you the a really good garlic braised broccoli recipe from my favorite Vegan cookbook, The Voluptuous Vegan. Speaking of vegan cookbooks, they help make vegetables a lot more interesting than the boiled madness of our past. I have used this particular one hundreds of time to spice up a meal. The Rachel Ray vegetarian one is pretty good. I made an excellent eggplant curry from there.

Too much fiber?

Make sure to drink lots of water, especially at your high fiber meal. I had nearly 28 grams of fiber by lunch time between my high fiber Trader Joe’s cereal and my Amy’s soup with 9 grams of fiber per serving!

This article by the NIH is pretty interesting. Peeling decreases your fiber while cooking increases it (which makes sense for food like Spinach.)

Article - Day 59

These are actually pretty good tips provided by Yahoo and Prevention. I might have print these out and post them somewhere in my cube.

Resolutions

I'm looking at my resolutions and I'm doing so so right now. I won't know about the cholesterol until October but the ridding myself of clutter and cooking more is actually true. But trying to get my fat cat to diet is hard. That reminds me that my vet offers an email program to help with reducing kitty waists. I guess it's time to get in touch with her. Poor baby. They say that fat owners also tend to have fat pets. Sigh.

You Day 58

Hello everyone! Let me know how you are doing. Still recovering from the Oscar party. Was totally hungover but at least this time I ate something before I started drinking:) Just a quick couple of notes today:

I'm almost there for my goal #1

My first goal was to lose 10% of my body weight on Jan 1. I lost 15 pounds and 3 1/2 inches so go me:) I dropped 1.6 on my bmi too:)I hope you all are doing as well. I am grateful that I only weigh myself once a month because I gained four pounds from last night. Most of that will be gone by the end of this week. I hope to reach my first goal by next month.

Less is more
One of my main goals is not only make my body smaller but my clutter smaller. This has also been successful. Just like my weight, it's not perfect but it's getting there. I'm trying to make my life more streamlined.

Exercise no matter what
I think my key to my current success is that I write everything down and I find a way to exercise no matter what. A 10 minute walk at lunch, a lame exercise dvd. Whatever it takes at least 30 minutes every day. It's been hard with the bad weather but I allow myself no excuses:) I like weights but I hate anything cardio but I do at least one hour straight, once a week and I think it's finally paying off.

Give yourself a break
Speaking of one hour of cardio, I was so sore from thursday that I gave myself a break and just went for a walk. I now know to listen to my body.

You Day 52

Hope everyone is enjoying this nice weather.

Vitamins - which are the right ones?

I take a B complex, a multi-vitamin, garlic and calcium so I'm good. Every diet guru says take a multi-vitamin so I guess I have too and especially calcium for women. For more info, I found this article on webmd

One of my favorite food websites - The World's Best Foods.
I love all the nutritional facts and all the health benefits. Except for some reason they don't list blackberries or cherries. I've written them. There's a book out that I hope I get for my birthday.

Flossing

I've finally started flossing every day (you're supposed to do it twice a day but I don't see that happening.) Anyway, here's a whole article on that too. Apparently, gum disease can indicate diabetes and heart problems

I miss my pedometer and my Ipod. Sigh.

Also, Smart Dogs are awesome.

You Day 51

God Bless Amy's Kitchen

I very rarely buy frozen meals as they have wicked awful chemicals in them but not Amy's. Her cheese enchiladas are unbelievable and they are 480 calories. They also have 25% of your daily vitamins A, C and Calcium.

Also, a shout out to Kashi's Heart to Heart Honey toasted cereal. It doesn't get soggy in milk and it has 5 grams of fiber in a serving.

Back on Track

I went to the grocery story and bought lunch for the rest of the week. It saves money and the waist line. Speaking of which, I lost another 1/2 inch so I'm down to 32 1/2 inches. I started at 35 1/2. So I'm 2 1/2 inches away from my first goal. I weigh myself on Sunday morning.

Hung Over = Leslie Sansone

I was hung over on Monday but knew I had to exercise. LS came to the rescue. I did 45 minutes her Walk Away series (available on DVD and On Demand) and it was very effective. Then I used a 10 minute yoga stretch. I felt a lot better.

You Day 50

Hello all, I've fallen way behind on my entries but it's been a crazy week.

Unhappy Birthday
It was the bf and the boss's birthdays this week. I did o.k. for the week (even with all the cupcakes) but the bf, not so much. I committed the cardinal sin. I had a bowl of cereal (166 calories) and then started drinking when we got the bowling alley. Pitchers of beer keep magically appearing. I did manage to eat and apparently bowling burns 450 calories in 90 minutes which isn't too bad. But oy vey. There's an Oscar Party next weekend. I'm going to try not to overindulge with that.

Resolution Solution

So I took the 5 day challenge from the on demand exercise TV. It did seem to really work and it was challenging. Saturday was an entire hour of cardio. I thought I was going to pass out. I really like the Kimberly Spreen and Violet Zaki workouts. Both these ladies have DVD workouts. I like Spreen's interval training. No bloody V steps. I don't understand why all these workout videos use almost the exact same footwork - mambo, v and L step. They are boring.

Spreen does some interesting things with weights that frankly I've never seen before. So that was kind of cool. The dudes on there were a little annoying particularly Rob Glick. Oy, he needs to just shut up and stop talking about our freakin' "Cardio Party." I, thank god, do not have to do the L step when I dance at parties. Overall, the fact that trainers sweat like pigs is a little disturbing. Lunges are evil but they work. I hate that.

The Secret

So Oprah helped launched "The Secret" last week. It's like a collaboration of those hokey self help guys (like the Chicken Soup for the Soul dude.) It's like too come to Jesus for me to follow. But they talked a lot about self-fulfilling prophesy which is actually something I learned in Communications classes in college. So basically, if you say you're going to fail to yourself all the time, then you're going to fail. It's as simple as that.

The other thing is the kind of energy you project. If you come off mean and hostile, you going to attract mean and hostile so it kind of make sense. So I've decided to try and keep a positive outlook and know that even though my diet went way off the rails this weekend, not to beat myself up and fall back into old patterns.

Favor

Now here's something that you all can for me. Go get a physical and get your cholesterol checked. Also, if you know anyone who is under 25, they are eligible for the HPV vaccine, encourage them to get it:) I'm assuming men can get this too but I've only seen it marketed towards women.

Day 46

Day 2 of the ten pound workout on exercise tv was very tough but I liked it better than the first day with Kendall. But what are trainers' obsession with lunges. It's a sickness I tell you. I do see it actually working though. I hate cardio but I know it's good for the heart and it makes feel good throughout the day. I really like the B-Complex I'm taking too.

I did find a way to make a zesty veggie dish. I try to eat a tablespoon on olive oil a day (not cooked, it's better just drizzled.) Any, so I put some in some frozen veggies and feta cheese. It's very good, trust me.

Tomorrow, I'm trying to take a small break and do only some weights when I get home.

Day 45

Pilates - what is it good for - absolutely nothing?

I've now attempted pilates three times now. I don't get it, Mr. Joseph Pilates. I hear it's supposed to strengthen back muscles etc. but I can't really get into it. Then there are all these strange Cronenbergeque accessories you can buy with it man. The only thing I've ever tried and liked was Pilates Sculpt, a dvd that combines weights and pilates. I'm sticking to Yoga.

Exercise TV

This is an on demand feature that I really like. On their website, they actually have a workout plan and the order to the certain videos in. I'm trying it their 5 day plan the week before the Oscars because that's when I do my first weigh in after a month. I really like Violet Zaki. She's Australian and does really interesting combinations. Plus, she's got a body to die for.

Rich Food = Happy Crystal, well sort of

Today is the bf's birthday so we went and had lunch. I had a macadamia nut brownie Sunday (split it of course) to die for but the bastards put some sort of additive in the Caesar salad - I suspect MSG but I can't tell. So I have a really bad headache but it was worth it for the brownie, it's a little slice of heaven. But it was a nice splurge and I'm starting to really appreciate the taste of food again instead of just hoovering it in my mouth:) Happy V-Day everyone:)

Day 44

Temple University Weight Loss Center

I used to be in this study at University of Penn. Essentially, it was comparing calorie restricted diets (think something like Weight Watchers) to low carb diets (aka Atkins etc.) I lost 35 pounds during the course of 2 years. What happened, life. But I've been going back to the same skills that I learned. Dr. Foster and his team have moved to Temple but if you haven't had a chance, you should check out his programs and writing. They are doing a study on an almond enriched diet which is actually a little experiment I'm trying on my own.

I lost a 1/4" of my waist, not as much as I hope but at least it's a loss and not a gain. I'm going to try and put a little more cardio back in my life. I go back in October to get my full blood work up done again. I hope that the garlic, the olive oil and the almonds all work to help my reach my goal of lowering my cholesterol by 10 points and get under 200.

SAFE

One thing that was hammered in our heads was SAFE --
Self Care
Adherence
Food Diary
Exercise

I try to do this once a week. I have been very good. I actually went out, to a restaurant, last night and indulged a little but didn't go way overboard. The food diary, as much as I feel a little burdened by it, really does work. I use the Ultimate Pocket Diet Journal by Alex Lluch - ISBN:1-887169-56-3

I even went home and did 20 minutes of strength training. The On Demand Comcast Exercise TV section has something called, I think, ResolutionSolution. Anyway, there's an Australian woman who is really excellent. I used to own her Crunch CardioSculpt VHS tape but that's been tossed.

Day 43

I have one chin!

I looked in the mirror yesterday and discovered I am down to one chin. That was very exciting.

What do you do when your pedometer leaves you

Well, you have to actually learn to watch how long and how much exertion you're using when you walk. I found a bunch of stuff on itunes. Podrunner is pretty good if you like to walk or run with just instrumental tracks. Exercise Radio had a really good mix (Cardio Mix #12) to be exact. It has music with words it's gay, gay dance music so some of you aren't going to like it.) BTW, those 53 minutes were a much better workout than the almost two hours I was doing walking about. Plus, less exposure to the elements. Fitpod is pretty good.I also downloaded some meditation and yoga video podcasts. This comes in handy when your boyfriend is watching Lost and you just want to do yoga upstairs.

Calcium = Kidney Stones?

So I'm upping my calcium because I've got osteoporosis in our family and I don't want to be 3 feet tall like my grandma when I'm 80. Apparently, too much calcium and eating too much meat (which is not a problem out there for me but basically limit it to a hamburger a day or a 7 ounce steak a week) I'm only consuming about 1000mg a day with high calcium food so I should be cool and I take B6. I LOVE salt though so I'm going to have to watch out for that. But it's so fargin' tasty. 1 in 10 people suffer kidney stones - ouch!

Journaling

I actually starting writing in an actual diary lately. It's very beneficial. I wrote my goal this year is to treat myself better and find inspiration in well, me. I've looked for others to sort of fill that void. Man, I sound like an Oprah episode.

Day 40

Hope all is well. I had to tear myself from reading all the Anna Nicole drama. Man, is it pointless and juicy.

The Couch:

After my major therapy breakthrough yesterday, I didn't feel like doing much but I did go home and do my 45 minutes of Kathy Smith's kickboxing.

DVD recommendations:

In case you find this weather unbearable, try ordering the NYC Ballet DVD (you'll need the space) or the biggest loser workouts. Also, I like anything with Kathy Smith, she's perky but not annoying.

Lindt's Dark Chocolate

Dark Chocolate is good for you but it has be 70% or more cocoa. My choice is Lindt's. Try some - it's delicious.

Class makes me invigorated

My first class, despite my fears, went well. I was at the very least, better than the woman who asked "what is this thing - the blog?" Wow, this really is UNI 101. What I figure is when my mind is stimulate, my body is stimulated and therefore I'm happy. Plus, I just bought my first Flash Drive. I feel so high tech now. BTW, Calorieking is still the best site to check how many calories are in things.

Taking it Easy

I'm experimenting to see if my taking it easy is actually going to make me lose more weight. I hear stress actually makes you gain weight.

Sportline taketh and then throwth away.

My pedometer just broke. However, after much research, I found their customer service help desk and I just have to send it in today and I get it back soon. No fuss, no muss. I like that.

Finally Philadelphia is less fat.

We are trying to get rid of trans fats with the passage of the ban (which is really an education initiative but that's better than nothing) and I read this. We're #9 for healthiest cities.

You Day 39

It was like I lost a 1000 pounds

I go therapy. I had abandoned it for many years but started back last August. I have a weird relationship with food, one I think many people have. I love to cook and eat. I love to cry and eat. I love to laugh and eat. Eating is central to my enjoyment (at least for as long as I remember.)

Exercise - I love to hate but I also really turn to it and obsess over it. When I'm stressed out or upset, I tend to either eat an entire bag of potato chips or workout for three hours. It's a strange parallel. I realized, I've been doing this again. I haven't been overeating, I've been trying to fill my current emotional state with 19,000 steps followed by an hour of yoga. I need to find a balance.

I, sometimes, say I want to be thin so I can disappear. I feel like sometimes thinner people are either treated better or at least left alone. Conversely, very heavy people are almost invisible. I think that's why I like being in both of those extreme states. I need to find a balance.

This is what I finally figured out today and I think it will be life changing. I want to be able to eat and not feel guilty about it. I want to know I'm beautiful rather than having someone tell me or wait to tell me that I'm beautiful.

You Day 38

I hope all is well and please feel free to share

They are trying to kill me:

I was nauseous from the thoughts of my first class tonight but now I'm actually nauseous. They decided to clean the outside of our cubicles with some sort of solution that I'm highly allergic too. I'm going to have to take a Silkwood Shower when I get home.

Brazil Nuts

Man are these things good. One ounce is 186 calories so beware.

Slowing Down:

I'm giving myself a tiny break on the 110 sit-ups etc. and just doing my Total Fix and Yoga DVDs. Just sort of an experiment to see if I fluctuate between high intensity workouts one week and low intensity workouts, if it will make a difference.

My reward

So I've decided if I reach my first goal of losing 10% of my current weight or getting to 30 inches for my waist, I'm treating myself to this: a facial and massage.
http://www.termediaroma.com/docs/specials.html

Eating is a pain in the arse:

I keep doing this thing where I eat 400 calories throughout the day and then I have to make 1000 calories at night. I'm working on it. BTW, I don't think I like frozen fruit for smoothies. It takes too long to defrost, particularly this tropical blend I got. But I do love the chocolate Rice Dream.

A product shoutout - Vaseline Intensive Care Lotion.

This has kept me from turning into a lizard in this freezing fargin' weather. I have the fake CVS kind that also works really well too.

Mall Walking Day 37

OMG, I felt like I was in George Romero's Dawn of the Dead. I had (sigh) to do the dreaded mall walk today. It was freakin' cold and I really wanted to get the hell out of office. BTW, did you there are whole clubs devoted to this. I had heard about this in Minnesota, people getting up at 7 a.m. and doing laps around the mall. Help me if you see me in a (gasp) sweatsuit and a fanny pack doing this. But I did get some exercise and picked up Brazil nuts (which are 915 calories a cup) and bananas in the process. I can't wait for it to hit a balmy 30 so I can go outside.

I had my weekly waist measurement done and I'm at 33 (2 1/2 inches down from when I started) so yeah for me.

Also, my soup tip of the day. Whole foods makes an organic lentil soup with 18 grams of fiber. Geez. That's a lot fiber.

Day 36

I hope to have the pictures I took on Sunday up on the site as soon as I figure out how to do it.


Ice Cream Headache

Man, it's so cold outside I have an ice cream headache. I think it's colder than yesterday. My solutions, two scarves. No really, it works. Also, Eucerin for those of you have to brave the elements. But it's like NINE degrees outside. I love winter but when it's too cold for me, there's problems. I've lost my favorite mittens too:(

I would walk 19,000 steps

Friday, I walked like 19,000 steps (which is something obscene like 13 miles.) I had my first glass of wine in a month. One was fine. Weird. Sam and I split the veggies and cheese thing at Sisters. He hates olives and brocolli and I hate celery so we swap veggies. This is why we are friends:)

Cholesterol countdown

So besides the olive oil and garlic tablets I've been taking, I discovered that Primrose is supposed to help in that area too. It's also great, in particular, for women for PMS and to help prevent breast cancer. However, it doesn't work for everyone but I'll try it for 3 or 4 months. The evidence is still a bit sketchy. I may try some vitamin B and E which is supposed to help with "women's" issues.


Exercise Overload

I've been trying to channel all my work frustrations into exercise but that just makes me tired and more grumpy. So I'm going to ease off a bit. I don't need to do kickboxing more than once or twice a week and especially do like an hour of yoga after I've done 15,000 steps. BTW, I do feel better this morning. I would suggest the Burt's Bees therapeutic bath crystals. I was so achy from stress and the cold and it works wonders!

You Day 35 Super Bowl Sunday- No touchdown for me:)

I'm sure everyone right now is biting down on something creamy and fatty while I'm here writing this. Strangely enough Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day where Americans eat the most (Thanksgiving is #1) I went for a walk in Fairmount Park. I took my camera to a) practice with it and b) give me more motivation. I'll include a link when I figure out how to upload them. It was quiet and peaceful. I don't feel like being around people much these days anyway:)

This has been a crappy week so I listened to Korn's Life is Peachy album. I know it's a bit of a surprise coming from someone who has one of the largest Pet Shop Boys collections but it helps. It helps me scream internally. On the way home however, I listened to my winter mix II. It helps to calm me down. I've included the track list below. That Jennifer Hudson track has really gotten me through this week for some reason and Al Green too. I think I'm going to burn my podrunner podcasts for the next walk (my ipod is still broken) to help pick up the pace.

Stormy Weather - Judy Garland

Let's do it -Ella Fitzgerald

This Must Be the Place I've Waited Years to Leave - Human Drama

Death Of A Disco Dancer -The Smiths

Untogether - Lush

The Actor - Robbie Williams

LoveStoned / I Think She Knows Interlude - Justin Timberlake

You And I Are A Gang Of Losers - The Dears

The Town I Live - Jackie Lee

Dhanno Ki Aankhon (In Dhanno's Eyes) - Kronos Quartet

On The Radio - Regina Spektor

November Rain - Guns and Roses

My October Symphony - Pet Shop Boys

Catch -The Cure

Unchained Melody - Al Green

And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going (Highlights Version) -Jennifer Hudson

You Day 33

Sucktastic

Yesterday was a very bad day emotionally but instead of running to an entire plate of fries, I did 110 sit-ups and 60 sit-ups and watched pre-taped episodes of American Idol. People were pushing me around at work but after a good cry and a talk with my boss this morning, everything is cool.

Birthday Bonanza

Besides my bad day, there was a birthday party. I had a 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt and fruit. See how good I was. I didn't really feel like eating anyway.

Kathy Smith kickboxing my butt

Geez, I thought I could it again which I can but I kind of suck. It's good cardiovascular though and I'm going to try and do her dvd twice a week or order the budokon.

Tonight I drink!

It's weird, I could drink but I'm on so many sleepy meds, I'm afraid too. Plus, I'm kind of getting used to not drinking. The side effects of the meds are also giving me ocd which is absolutely hilarious for those of you who know messy I am.:)

Hope you all have a nice weekend.

You Day 31

Slap Shot

Going to a hockey game, surrounded by booze and pretzels was a bit of a torture for me. Once we were out of the long hall of food and into the stadium, I was fine. Except for the Utz ads. Those are my favorite potato chips. I brought my own small container of almonds and drank enough water to float a boat. Cara, who was with me, was my witness. I worked out my food frustration when I got home with 30 minutes of yoga.

The month results

Well at day 31, I'm an inch and 1/2 smaller in the waist. I haven't weighed myself and won't do so for a month. I'm still trying to go without booze for a few more weeks (maybe until Mike's birthday.) I've been trying the whole eating a tablespoon of almonds and drinking a glass of water trick before meals. It works o.k.

Next Month's Goals

Stop eating two hours before bedtime. I cannot stop doing this.

Do 60 minutes of cardiovascular a week (in addition to the walking.) I guess I'm going to start popping in my Biggest Loser DVDs or using my jump rope more often.

Drink 64 ounces of water a day. Water just taste like, well, water. We'll see how it goes.

Start taking B vitamins. I'm freaking tired all the time.

You Day 29

Tis the Winter of My Discontent

So I go to the doctor to get one of umpteenth prescriptions refilled. My blood pressure's low 100/60 (almost vampiric.) However, I'm now .5 pounds heavier. WTF? Everyone keeps saying it's water weight, muscle weighs more than 4, I'm PMSing but it still doesn't make me feel better. Thank God, Sam has my scale because I would have thrown it out the window.

Now Be Rationale
I will say that I do feel better and that weight is only a number. I'm up to 105 situps and 50 pushups 3 times a week and whatever strength exercises are included in the you book. The invisible chair is getting slightly easier. I am also doing at least 1/2 of yoga twice a week so hopefully that will catch up. In addition, I'll averaging 1500 calories a day. No cheating. Not a chip, not a cooking, not a french fry, not a drop of wine.

Food 911

I love salt and chocolate. The salt has been easy. I have a constant supply of pickles and olives close at hand. For the chocolate, I keep a bag of hershey semi-sweet chocolate chips (yes the kind for baking.) I tbsp is 70 calories so I drizzle it on my fruit of choice, usually bananas. It was a big hit with the bf. Surprisingly, their garden harvest soup recipe is pretty good. I had to add jalepenos because it was a bit bland and I added whole wheat to it for texture.So without the pasta it's 246 calories for 3 cups (the book has enough for 10 cups but I scaled it down.) I have the recipe if you want it. I also started eating raw almonds (just a half ounce.) It's supposed to be good for you and I take the multi-vitamins.

Every Sunday, I still take my walk, usually around Fairmount Park at 3 p.m. This week my special guest stars were Sam and Janet.

In Conclusion I'm done with my pity party. This is still my goal - to be Morticia. No one wants to see a fat Morticia. Won't Mike make a great Gomez though:) So that's about 40 pounds by October.

You Day 26

Scale, scale go away

This was my last weigh in for the month. I haven't lost or gained in a week. I gave it to Sam to hold for a month as I KNOW that I've lost inches. I'm actually going to the doctor on monday so it will be my official number for the month.

Rocky ain't got nothing on me

I'm still doing my 100 situps and 50 pushups 3 times a week. I've added at least 1/2 hour of yoga once a week. I tried jump roping for extra cardio. I do three minutes and then rest for a minute and then 3 more etc. I read that's what boxers do to train. I do think that I am getting stronger and I'm looking a little less potbellish. I really wish, however, that the cats didn't pull my hair or play with my feet during yoga. It's most distracting. I swear I'm not an Olsen sister By 9 p.m. at night, I realized that I had only eaten 400 calories. I had been pre-cleaning all day for my maid interviews (2 out of the 5 showed up. I hired one so yeah.) I had to 900 calories of food to make sure I wasn't go to pass out.

My weapon, olive oil.

I've been reading that we tend to heat it
too high and it loses it's nutrients. So I usually use cooking spray for veggies and then put one or two tablespoons of oil in a bowl. Whenever I finish cooking, I either use my pastry brush to spread it in the food or dump the bowl in. It's good for your digestion. Also, I was craving a chocolatey desert so I melted chocolate chips and drizzled it on bananas. Delicious and pretty low cal.

You Day 24

The Scale.

I'm giving this to Sam to hold for a month. I'm obviously weighing myself and it's just making me frustrated.

Asparagus is awesome.

Cardiovascular stuff is hard
I am adding jump rope tonight (apparently 10 minutes = 30 minutes of hard core walking.) Also if you're in a pinch and have On Demand - go to Exercise TV and think Walking for fitness. Leslie Sansome has a bunch of walking programs that help you work up a sweat without feeling like you're going to die.She's annoying but it works. I have some of her DVDs if you want to try. Last night was a bad night The jerkoff weirdo tried to follow me home after finished tutoring at the free library on 19th and Vine. Luckily my student saw him and started walking behind me and basically saved my life. My friend Kate is organizing self defense classes in late February or March. Think about coming along. I went home and did yoga rather than pig out. I did however, treat myself to a homemade smoothie (237 calories of goodness.) I'm adding more yoga. It makes me less likely to kill people

Sunday Walks
I've tried to get a good walk in on Sundays around 3 if anyone ever wants to join me.

You Day 22

The housewarming party I went to my first party since the beginning of this thing and didn't have one sip of booze and 2 cheese cubes ( I usually have 15:) I also am glad not to live in the suburbs.

Everyone seemed pregnant and I felt thinner than most people in the room. I didn't feel bad for not being married like I thought I would. Go non-breeders! That said, I don't feel comfortable with compliments
>about my body (that will never change whether I'm 200 or 120.)

Pedometer by the dashboard lights

They say that if you do something 20 - 25 times in a row (like exercise) it becomes routine. This seems true. >I will say proudly that I did 100 situps and 50 (although slightly pathetic pushups.) I still don't like exercise except yoga. My pedometer kept resetting itself on Sunday which was wholy frustrating. The smoothie report I'm doing smoothie trials. So far bananas are a must and orange juice makes it a little better. Also roasted asparagus is delicious especially with hot pepper flakes. Oy yeah, 10 more days to go before I can have wine.

Transfat petition

Here's something that Edmund sent me about a transfats petition:http://takeaction.cspinet.org/campaign/phillytransfat?rk=w7S9Nlp1mfbKW

Happy eating:)

You Day 19

Here's my progress report:

I went to my first concert this week sans alcohol. It was actually surprisingly enjoyable. My scale said last night I lost 3 pounds but this morning it said 6 pounds but I'm going with the 3 to be conservative. I'm under the 180 mark.

I'm up to 80 situps now. My next goal is 100 situps and I've selected the appropriate goal pants. I'm
going to try and incorporate one 1/2 session of yoga next week into my schedule.

I splurged yesterday and went to amazon (it's my first fast food adventure since You began.) I just got a garden wrap and the lowest calorie smoothie I could find. It was a nice treat.

I've added garlic supplements back into my vitamin fold.

Anyone know of any good dance nights? I now feel like dancing again:)

Here's my progress report:

I went to my first concert this week sans alcohol. It was actually surprisingly enjoyable. My scale said last night I lost 3 pounds but this morning it said 6 pounds but I'm going with the 3 to be conservative. I'm under the 180 mark.

I'm up to 80 situps now. My next goal is 100 situps and I've selected the appropriate goal pants. I'm
going to try and incorporate one 1/2 session of yoga next week into my schedule.

I splurged yesterday and went to amazon (it's my first fast food adventure since You began.) I just got a garden wrap and the lowest calorie smoothie I could find. It was a nice treat.

I've added garlic supplements back into my vitamin fold.

Anyone know of any good dance nights? I now feel like dancing again:)

You Day 15

The night eating still continues. I've finally stop eating full meals after 8 just snacks (1 block of 85% dark chocolate and a cup of reduced fat hot cocoa.)

The exercise is going fine. I'm averaging about 11,000 steps a day. I write in my food diary too.

I actually made one of the recipes from the book last night, an avocado tomato salsa. I didn't have the lime or the cilantro so I improvised but I did have tons of jalepeno and garlic. I even hauled out
the food processor. I brought the rest into work today. I've also discovered smoothies.

I did read an interesting fact - people who automate one meal a day - example I eat the same breakfast every day - tend to lose more weight. Just some food for thought.

Happy eating.

You on a Diet 13

O.k. explain this to me. I've been eating right, exercising and my pants are loose by waist size is the same. O.k. maybe I should have done it before I ate the pasta so I'll try tomorrow morning. I did lose 9 pounds since January 1 so that's something.

I guess I'm going to have to give up the movie popcorn (sigh.) I'll try not to eat after 8:30 but
it's so hard with my schedule.

You on a Diet Day 10

And now the cranky pants no sugar stage has set in. When you haven't consumed real trans fats or a healthy dose of chocolate truffles in over a week, it begins to wear on you.

I was at my therapist's office today and the staff is eating pizza. I don't even like pizza that much but I could have a killed a baby seal for one. I'm not hungry, I'm just grieving. I do allow myself two "cheat" foods, movie theater popcorn and reduced fat hot chocolate.

That said, my winter pants feel better and I've started reintroducing yoga and vitamins back into my
life. I walked something like 16,000 steps on tuesday.

It's now 10 days with no booze too which hasn't been as hard really.

You on a Diet Day 7

Hello all:

How are you doing with your general weight loss or life efforts?
I took my first waist measurement - 36 1/2 inches ugh. I can help measure you if you wish. Well I'll
see what it is next week. I will say that my pants it better and I've managed to walk 10,000 steps every day this week. Walked around Lemon Hill area at Fairmount Park, it was beautiful.

Plus, I've stuck to my healthy eating stuff - no cookies, potato chips, french fries, booze nothing. I even started my daily vitamin. I will say that I'm mighty cranky though.

My goal is either lose 10% of whatever my weight is tomorrow after my doctor's appointment or to get below a 30" waist, whatever comes first. My reward is a professional massage.