Weighing In - Week Nine

I'll take what I can get. In last week's weigh in I had incredible results. Results of hard work, regular exercise. This week's one pound loss is purely the result of adhering to my diet and the residual effects of a metabolism in overdrive from my previous month's workouts. As I said, I'll take what I can get.
Last Sunday, after writing my weekly blog, I decided to spend some time working in the garden. The weather was beautiful and I had loads of energy. My tiny patio garden was lost beneath six months of winter debris and neglect. After an hour of vigorous weeding, raking, and scrubbing of the patio furniture, I was ready to start hauling away the bags of clippings. In my characteristically ungraceful nature, I managed to tear my groin muscle trying to step over the numerous bags of garden waste on the ground. From previous experience with muscle pulls, I knew instantly this wasn't a normal strain. This was serious. Twelve hours of ice and a regular regimen of ibuprofen enabled me to hobble into work the next day but exercising was out of the question. In fact I haven't been able to exercise at all this past week. Not one single time.
I've literally been going a little bit insane from the lack of sweat. It's a sickness, I know. But after contemplating pushing myself and exercising through the pain, my better judgment (OK, the better judgment of my friends and family, who regularly checked to make sure I wasn't trying to over do it) took over and I decided against it. My poor elliptical, sitting alone in the corner, gather dust from disused. It's truly depressing. But now, one week later my leg is feeling better. I am no longer limping around. I'm ready to get back in the saddle and start burning off those calories. I look forward to this next week. I really can't wait to get back to work and start shedding those pounds again. More than one pound per week.
Thank you to everyone who scolded me this week when I complained about being so sedentary. Thank you to those who encouraged me to wait and rest. You helped keep me smart and from going completely insane. Check back in next Sunday and let's see if I've reached the 20-pounds-lost milestone. Until then, thanks!

Weekly weight loss: One pound
Overall weight loss: 19 pounds

Weighing In - Week Eight

Heck yeah! A four pound week! Four pounds!

I'm incredibly happy with my results this week. Can you tell?
If I could climb through the computer screen and hug each and everyone one of you, I would! I have to thank all of my followers. You guys are awesome! I get the best tips and encouragement from you all, so please, keep it coming!

And then I'd have to thank myself. I have almost never been able to stick with any kind of restricted diet. For what ever reason, this time, I am able to. I don't crave drive-thru, I'm not sneaking unhealthy snacks and most shocking to me of all, my sweet tooth seems to have mellowed out considerably! Th past few weeks, I have been living surrounded by buckets of Easter candy, tubs of ice cream in the freezer,and a huge bowl of "Ambrosia" salad in the fridge. Except for one little blip on Thursday at school when I let myself have one too many jelly beans. I've been able to ignore the rest for weeks! Yeah for me!

Now, a new food I tried this week that I should mention 1% Low Fat Cottage Cheese with No Salt Added. I will admit, I hesitated buying this when I read how the amount of sodium per serving compared to my regular 1% cottage cheese. Well, to say the least, I've been pleasantly surprised! My regular cottage cheese listed over 400 mg of sodium per serving where as the 'No Salt Added' only lists about 120 mg. To be honest, I have yet to be able to eat this new cottage cheese without adding a bit of salt (between 1/16 and 1/8 a teaspoon) and a whole lot of black pepper. Maybe I'll be able to wean myself off the added salt altogether but for now, I'll be happy with the significant drop in sodium my diet will be taking.

Another happy food find this week was a 210 calorie pre-assembled salad offered at my grocery store. First off, it isn't made with iceberg lettuce, it's made with a nice spicy greens mix. It's has chicken breast meat, walnuts, a bit of feta cheese and dried cranberries, to be topped with a low calorie cranberry vinaigrette dressing. Yummy! I'm making my self hungry writing about it, and it's only about 8:30 in the morning! I found the chicken meat to not be fatty or over salted. And the amount of dressing provided is in good proportion to the actual salad. This is important if you don't like your salads too dry or soggy. When I'm too behind schedule to pack a good lunch at home, I can swing by the store and pick up one of these delicious and good for my diet salads.

On a final note, I feel compelled to remind every one to start drinking more water. As the weather warms up it's very important to stay properly hydrated. I really noticed a difference in my water intake this week. I've gone from about 80-90 ounces a day, to 115-130 per day. I think this is really helping me stay on track with the diet and just feel healthier overall. Try it!
Well, it's 8:45 AM and I've got to go make my kiddo's some breakfast. I just want to thank everyone, one more time. Thank you! See you next week!

Weekly Weight-loss: 4 lbs
Overall Total Weight-loss: 18 lbs

Weighing In - Week Seven

Sweet! Finally below 180 pounds! Double Sweet! Finally a new pair of shoes! This past week has been pretty good to me. I was able to really stay on track with my diet and got in a number of great workouts despite a bum left knee/hamstring. I think the scale shows how hard I've worked. So far, on my weight loss journey, I've managed to lose 14 pounds!
The trick, I've discovered, is to fill up on "good" foods and make sure that I get in at least one, if not two, push-it-to-the-limit workouts each day. I've become a firm believer in the miracle of 'Low Sodium V-8.' It's amazing, the little kick of energy I get from just a half glass before and after each workout. Not to mention that it's incredibly filling and full of good stuff.
I'm still eating a half cup of 1% cottage cheese twice a day. I loved cottage cheese before I started this diet so I've really had no difficulty keeping it a regular meal choice.
I've had to 'up' my salad eating since I've not been known for consistent veggie eating. With a few good low fat / low calorie dressings in my fridge I'm able to sell myself on eating more leafy greens than I'm used to. One of my favorite dressings is still the 'Eating Right Blueberry and Pomegranate Vinaigrette.'
And when I have a munchy attack, just about every day around 3PM, I reach for either the RyKrisp Natural crackers or I make a package of Orville Redenbacher's Natural Simply Salted 50% Less Fat popcorn. Both are crunchy (part of my munchy craving needs) and full of fiber so they are actually quite filling when paired with an ice cold bottle of water.
And of course, I'm still making other non-dietary foods such as last Monday it was Split Pea & Ham soup and just yesterday another pot of Spicy Jambalaya. I've learned to serve half my usual serving (a half cup instead of a whole cup), cutting my calorie intake but still allowing me the more filling and flavorful dishes.
And finally, I've pretty much stopped eating sweets. I'm serious! I may have one or two jelly beans out of the kids Easter baskets (the Easter Bunny knew I was on a diet) but any more than that I can actually feel ill. The only 'sweet treat' I have a few times a week are the low sugar, 10 calorie jell-o cups. It's amazing how much better I feel now that I'm not eating all the donuts, cupcakes, cookies and ice cream that is available to me.
As for exercise, I've had to modified most of the 'cardio' parts to the workouts I follow. This means that jumping jacks are all arms and little bounces with my feet together. The jump-roping is much the same. Since I'm not able to go-all-out on the cardio during the actual workouts, I've reconnected with my elliptical and have been practicing sprinting through the level one sections (75+ revolutions per minute) after each 'Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and Fat Banishing: Metabolism Boosting' sessions. It helps that I changed my workout play-list a little after a friend of mine introduced me some songs off the 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' Soundtracks (Thanks Chase!). By adding a few new songs with really up beat tempos, I find myself able to go faster and further on the elliptical (Thanks Muse, Paramore, The Killers & The Black Ghosts).
Well, it's about 10:20AM now, and I hear my elliptical calling me. So, thanks for checking in! See you next week!

Weight loss this week: 3.8 lbs.
Total Weight loss to date: 14 lbs.

Weighing In - Week Six

So far, so good! I've reached my first 10 pound milestone on my journey of weight loss.
It's taken a bit longer than I had originally expected but I'm thrilled none the less. If you're anything like me, adhering to your diet will difficult today. Traditionally, in our family we eat sweets, sweets, and more sweets with a bit of ham and potato salad on the side.
I'm not sure I will actually eat the potatoes. I know, sounds crazy coming from this potato-aholic, doesn't it? I gave up potatoes for Lent but am thinking that for the sake of this diet, I might just keep off them for a bit longer. If not give them up all together, at least keep them to an absolute minimum. No point in undoing all the hard work I'm put in so far.
Well, I'm sorry to say that I don't have anything else witty to write for this week's blog. I've got some egg hunting to duties to perform with my children this morning followed by preparing a breakfast with none other than, hard boiled eggs! Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate; Happy Sunday to those of you who don't!
Total weight loss to date: 10.2 lbs

Weighing In - Week Five

At times, I really could use a personal trainer following me around yelling things like, "Get up off your *ss, FatGirl, and exercise! No excuses!" Or how about, "Don't you dare eat that [enter delicious, mouth-watering food here] FatGirl! Here, eat this salad that smells like (and probably tastes just as good as) lawnmower clippings!"
This week was not a good week in the world of OneLessFatGirl's diet. I had great intentions and started the week off with a trip to the local produce market. I stocked up on wonderfully crisp Pink Lady Apples, a few heads of romaine lettuce, some bell peppers in a variety of colors, and some carrots. But instead of salad for lunch on Monday, I ate an entire box of gluten-free sesame and flax seed crackers and an apple. The box of crackers alone were about 700 calories! To top it off, I had already splurged that morning with a trip to the coffee shop and probably had about 300 calories in my morning mocha. Oops!
The rest of the week was pretty much the same! I'd eat a smart breakfast and then ruin it with a trip to Starbucks or I'd eat a salad for lunch and then have a bag of Frito's from the school vending machine. I did eat quite a few salads this week but there were way too many bobbles off the wagon, so to speak, which is obvious in this week's weigh in. Two ounces!?!
Now I must confess, on Wednesday I forgot to pack a lunch and found myself in a maze of drive-thru restaurants trying desperately to find a "diet friendly" meal. I was surprised - Taco Bell came through for me. They advertise a "Drive-Thru Diet" menu which was a shock to me since I hadn't been to a Taco Bell since my days working in Alameda (Spring 2009). I ordered the two "Fresco Grilled Steak Soft Tacos" and a drink. According to Taco Bell's website, each one of those soft tacos has 160 calories each (4.5 total grams of fat) and is made up of Fiesta Salsa (basically freshly cut tomatoes, onions and cilantro), lettuce, steak, more tomato, all on a flour tortilla. There wasn't a single fatty re-fried bean or dollop of sour cream to be found anywhere on there! I was impressed! But since then, I've Googled the location of a local Subway sandwich shop. I think that next time I forget my lunch, a 6" Turkey sandwich will be easier on my conscience.
The honest truth is that even if I had made wise (OK, mildly better) food choices, I still didn't work out half as much as I needed to this past week. I still could use an evil little whip-wielding Jiminy Crickett on my shoulder harassing me into working out more. Anyone want the job? Just kidding. I'm going to have to dig down deep within myself and find my own motivation. No excuses! In a Yoda-like voice I vow, "This week, there is no try, only do!"
As always, thanks for the awesome support. Some of you have found me on Facebook, others on Twitter and even a few on MySpace, so thank you all for the words of encouragement and tips! This is OneLessFatGirl signing out.

Weighing In - Week Four

Yippee! I must be totally honest here, I seriously doubted that I had lost any weight this week. Actually, I was so nervous, I "cheated" and weighed myself last night after dinner (photo on left) so that I could better brace myself for the bad news. You can imagine how shocked I was when the scale said 187.2 lbs. In fact, I didn't believe it. So when I got up at 6:30 this morning and weighed myself AGAIN (photo on right), and AGAIN it stated 187.2 lbs, I was pretty stoked!
With my schedule being thrown so far out of whack by going back to school and developing an upper respiratory infection due to allergies, I didn't have much time (or energy) to get in those daily workouts. The only thing keeping me losing instead of gaining weight at this point would have to be my restricted diet and constant movement during the day. I'm not "exercising" exactly but I am trying to get mini-walks in at school. Also, I've been really trying to make sure what I eat is healthy and not excessive in calories. Now, I'll admit to having had corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day (no potatoes) and I even had a slice of pizza in class on Friday (only one small slice) but most of the week I was sticking to salads, cottage cheese, smoked chicken and veggie sandwiches and simply salted popcorn. Oh and of course, water, water and more water.
I am hoping, once I kick this infection, I'll have a little more energy to get back into some sort of doable exercise routine. The weather is really getting nice so I fully intend to start getting outside more often. Also, as I get more and more used to these 10 hour school days, I think I'll be able to better plan my before and after school workouts.
In the meantime, today shall prove a bit of a challenge, I'm sure. I'm going out for lunch at The Cliff House in San Francisco today and then heading over to the Tutankhamun Exhibit at the De Young Museum. If you've ever eaten at the Cliff House, then you know their food is superb but definitely NOT low calorie or low fat, in any way. And I'm fairly sure the same can be said for the Cafe at the De Young. My best bet will be to eat a healthy meal at home first so that I'm not starving once we hit the city and to pack water bottles in the car so that I'm not pay $4 a bottle at the museum.
Now my little tip for the week: Altoids! I've found that if I get a hunger pang or food craving (my fellow students like to bring delicious smelling foods into the class room) then if I suck on two Altoids at once and drink some water I'm usually able to go an additional 45 minutes to an hour before I get hungry again. Also, if I have one right before I eat a meal or snack, I tend to eat less for that meal. I believe the can says it's 5 calories for every two Altoids so for the amount of assistance they give me, those 5 calories are A-OK with me.
Now it's 7:20AM and I must go do some laundry before heading to San Francisco. Happy Sunday everyone! Until next time, thanks again for all the feedback and support.

Total Weight-loss So Far: 5.8lbs!

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses - Part Four

I'm fat because I was married. This is one excuse I think many people can relate to. But first I must say, Yikes! Where has the time gone? I know I promised this final installment of my Excuses blog long ago and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to get this up on the web. As some of you may know, I recently went back to school and that has been more tiring than I originally anticipated. So, now that I'm getting in the swing of things at school and I've recovered a bit from the recent time change I've managed to scrape together sometime to blog.

OK, as I was saying. Getting married made me fat. Whoa! Before you blow me off, hear me out! When I found that special someone and said "I do", the hunt was over. As with so many people, once we're married the need to attract a "mate" is no longer an issue and we get comfortable. Slowly we replace trips to the gym for afternoons grilling steaks with our other married friends. Instead of worrying about fitting into our skinny jeans, us girls think to ourselves, "He loves me even in my ratty old sweats... isn't that sweet." Well, it's not. Now that we're feeling "unconditionally loved" we don't stress about looking "hot" all the time. Heck, we don't worry about being hot but maybe once a month! The more time we spend in our stretchy yoga pants (and less time in our skinny jeans) the wider our yoga pants stretch!

If that isn't enough, as a newlywed we become obsessed with being "domestic goddesses" and find ourselves watching the Food Network trying to "out do" our last meal. Next thing you know, you're making filet mignon with Bearnaise sauce or fettuccine with prosciutto cream sauce for the spouse, serving five different deliciously fattening appetizers for your hubby and his friends on game day and don't even get me started about cooking for the in-laws! Let's just say that we all tap into our inner Julia Child or Emeril Lagasse, neither of whom are known for their low-fat recipes. Now is just about the time those yoga pants are starting to really pull at the seams. Time to buy some new clothes but wait... what is this I see?

Oh yes! So, we've been married for a while- six months, maybe six years; either way, at some point many of us decide to expand our families. Now this one is a doozie. Do you know how many people offered me seconds, even thirds, when I was pregnant? All of them saying, "Come on now! You're eating for two!" Yeah, more like two football teams! It was insane the amount of food pushed on me by well meaning family and friends. Now as with many pregancies, the further along I got, the less active I became. I gained 60 lbs during my first pregnancy and although I was eventually able to lose about 45 of those, the damage had already been done. I gained all 45 lbs back during my second pregnancy, only losing about 25 before getting pregnant with my last child. During that third pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes at around eight weeks and was placed on a restricted diet. I only gained 18 lbs that last time around. It took me two years to lose all 18 of those. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to notice the my weight gain far out weighed my weight loss over the course of those nine years. Unfortunately, my story is not just mine but that of so many women. It gave, new meaning for the term "baby fat."

Now, this next part might be uncomfortable for some to read and I apologize ahead of time but this is a REAL blog about MY real life. It's not all pretty and I understand that it is not true for everyone but statistically speaking it's becoming the story for more and more people When a marriage falls apart people often turn to food (smoking, alcohol, shopping... enter your addiction here) as a means of escape and comfort. I did. Did you know some people believe that it is physically impossible to be sad while you're eating? Believe it. I lived it. I ate because I was stressed. I ate because I was lonely. I toiled in the kitchen to avoid my problems (and my spouse). You know where this is going, don't you? Someone needed to eat all those goodies I'd slaved over all day! Who better than the person desperately in need of canceling out the unhappiness. After a while, it becomes "we're fat because we're unhappy because we're fat." The vicious cycle goes round and round, snowballing until one day you wake up a miserable butterball. (Insert my picture here)

I think it's pretty obvious that I don't truly blame my weight problem on my marriage but just in case you thought I was completely serious. I don't. That being said, I do recognize the strange effects it had on my decision making process. Basically- I got married, went a bit nuts, and became a psycho Betty Crocker with a habit of overeating. Now I'm a single parent who traded in her cake pans for a veggie steamer and is on a calorie reduced diet. Oh and I guess I'm still a bit nuts... but in the fun, happy way. I hope you enjoyed my long overdue final Excuses blog. As always, I love comments from the peanut gallery and you can always reach me on Facebook and Twitter. Until Sunday's weigh in, have a wonderful week! Thanks again to all my fans!