The (Revised) Gym Plan, and an NSV!

Everything is moving along quite nicely. When I left you on Thursday, I was stoked at my 3rd loss in a row. I did end up being able to get in all of the planned meals that day, but I did have to force myself to eat a bit, since I really wasn't feeling well.

I went to the doc on Friday, and thankfully got lotsa different meds, which have me feeling so much better. I feel HUMAN again. After my doc's appt, I met with my trainer for our first session. He warmed me up on the treadmill for a while, which I didn't really like (I feel like it's a waste of the session), then we went and did some strength work (triceps and glutes, both of which I'd really like to get toned). I decided to go ahead and buy a package of 12 sessions with him, and plan to meet once a week. Next week, I told him I'll come in a bit before our session and warm up on my own so we can spend the entire session on strength. He thought this was a great idea, which I was relieved by. I definitely want someone who is on the same page as I am. He's cute too, which doesn't hurt ;-)

I've refined my exercise plan a bit. Once I (hopefully) start working again, I'll probably need to shuffle it around, but this should be good for now.

Sunday - Pilates session (55 minutes) and Cardio (45 minutes)
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Cardio (going to shoot for an hour, but 45 minutes at the minimum)
Wednesday - Pilates session (55 minutes)
Thursday - Rest
Friday - Cardio (30-45 minutes) and Personal Training (1 hour)
Saturday - Rest

I may try a few different classes out on Saturday afternoon if I'm in the mood (Zumba, etc). For right now, I'm still sticking with the treadmill for my cardio, but have started adding incline which ups the calorie burn pretty significantly (same pace/time as before, but working up to 5% incline brought me from 340 calories to 470 calories according to the machine). Once I've done this for a month or two, I'm going to try a spin class.

I also did a bit of shopping online tonight, and got myself lots of fun accessories - all in pink, my favorite color. I got a HRM finally, so I can accurately track the calories out (I went with the Polar FT4F), a new water bottle to replace the one my sister got me for Christmas that has already gotten ruined in the dishwasher, and a new pair of sneakers. I'll be all matchy matchy in th gym, and my OCD likes that for sure.

I have a really fun NSV last night - lots of people have been commenting that my face is looking really thin, which is nice....but I got a great compliment from a surprise person! As I've mentioned, I work at a comedy club. Last night, none other than C*h*r*i*s R*o*c*k came in. Now, I've known him for years, but haven't seen him in a while. It took him a few minutes to recognize me, and when he did, his face got all surprised and he said "Hi! Shit, I didn't realize that was you!" So I smiled and said hi back, and he came over and said to me quietly "You got so skinny! You look great!" It made me smile a whole lot :)

I'll leave you with 2 pics from Friday night. Went out with the BFF and decided to rock the new boots, along with a cute new denim miniskirt. I was trying to get a cute pic, but decided to take a goofy one first:



Doncha love how I look deformed? The way my shirt is falling, it looks like I have a pointy rib cage, and one leg looks way smaller than the other because of how I'm standing. The face is pretty silly, too..



This one is better :)

Have a great week, everyone!!!

xoxo

A Loss 3 Weeks in a Row!

Woo! This morning's weigh in was 222.2 - down 1.4 from last week, almost 8 from the start of my little re-commitment 3 weeks ago, and 52.8 overall. Yeah!!! Honestly, I was hoping for more, but I guess it's at the point where the dramatic weight loss settles down a bit to a comfy pace. Pus I've been faithfully going to the gym every other day, so I'm sure I'm gaining muscle/retaining water from muscle soreness...whatever that theory is, haha.

Speaking of the gym, I AM SO IN LOVE WITH PILATES. I went ahead and bought a package of 24 sessions. I originally had a comp session, and then I bought 2 more, so that brings me to 27. I'm planning on going twice a week, so that brings me to May. I found a quote that I love: "In ten sessions, you will feel the difference, in twenty you will see the difference, and in thirty you'll have a whole new body"(Joseph H. Pilates). Well, I am only 2 in, and I already notice a difference. I feel different, and I'm moving differently. My core is already getting stronger.

I also have a personal training session tomorrow - it was supposed to be Monday after my fitness assessment, but the trainer asked if we could reschedule so he could have time to design a program. I didn't mind, so the comp session is tomorrow. I'll decide after that if I want to buy a few sessions for that, to round out my fitness plan a bit more. All I need to do now is work up the nerve to try a spin class. I'm thinking 2 Pilates classes, 2 days of cardio, and 1 trainer session a week should be the major push I need.

After my trainer session tomorrow, I am treating myself to a massge, and adding on a paraffin hand/foot wrap. I can't wait - my body is definitely feeling the effects of all of my activity and it'll be a nice escape for a while.

I've got a lot going on for someone who isn't working a day job at the moment - between the gym, obsessing over my daily tracking, mounting a job search, and then my newest addition, prepping to go back to school...I'm a busy bee! I'm also still sick, which is getting pretty annoying that it's lingered for so long...finally going to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully I'll get some drugs.

Because of the sickies, my appetite hasn't been that great, but I AM trying to eat enough calories to keep my metabolism up and running, especially since I haven't cut out the gym (I've felt good enough to go). Here's a screenshot of my "plan" for today:



Unfortunately, as of 5:15PM, all I've made it through is the 2 cups of tea (that's what the half and half entry is - I only input the things that have calories) and the Kashi hot cereal. I have a lot to eat before this day is done!!! Oy.

Hope everyone is having a good week!

Lazy Sunday, Sickies and NYC Brunch!

Well, my cold from last week is hovering on the brink of full blown bronchitis (I describe it this way because last night I would have said full blown, but today I strangely feel better?) Either way, I'm feeling run down and crappy, so I slept until 3 this afternoon (!!!) and don't plan on taking off my PJ's at all today.

We had the NYC brunch yesterday, and it was great! A lot of people weren't able to make it because of the snow, so it was Catherine, Monika (a non-blogger), Jacquie and her adorable two girls, and myself. We had a lovely time just chatting about band issues, life, etc over a yummy yummy brunch for a few hours. I hope we didn't bore Jacquie's girls too much :) We somehow did not take any pictures, but hopefully we'll do another brunch again soon and we'll remedy that. Even though it was snowing, I was bound and determined to wear my boots, so I wore my snow boots to/from the restaurant, and changed once I got there into my new smokin' boots.

After brunch, Monika and I took a cab uptown, and since she sometimes goes to the gym I just joined, I may have a sometime gym buddy! It'd be nice to have someone to work out with every now and then. Since I was sick, and had had to go into work every night this week, I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do so last night. Luckily I got the call that I had the night off, and instead of taking a nap like I planned, I hauled my butt down the block to the gym for some quality treadmill time.

All is well on the tracking front. I had a planned no-track day yesterday, and went off the rails a bit, but I am back on my best behavior today (will probably come in way under calories/protein as I don't feel much like eating).

It's going to be a busy week - tomorrow I have my fitness assessment and complimentary personal training session in the morning, then an orientation for the outplacement company that my former employer provided access to as part of my severance package. Then I'll head to the Bronx for some hang time with mama, sister and the kitties. Tuesday I'll run some errands around the Bronx, then mama and I are going to get some spa pedicures (what a hardship, I know!) Wednesday is a planned gym day (most likely just treadmill) then work at night, Thursday is a work night, and then Friday I'm hoping to do another Pilates session, followed by some treadmill time, and I'm going to treat myself to some time in the sauna and a massage :) I also have tentative plans to go out with my BFF Friday night so it'll be another planned no-track day (I'm allowing myself one a week, as long as it's worth it!)

Hope everyone had a great weekend, and has a lovely week!

xo

3 More Gone, and My First Pilates Session!

Let's start with my happy news of the day: weigh in was 223.6, down 3 pounds from last week, and the lowest weight I've seen in more than 10 years! I'm down almost 6 pounds since I started tracking and working out 2 weeks ago. Coincidence? I think not. Less than 40 pounds to go before maintenance for a few months, then plastics.

Today at the gym, I went to my complimentary Pilates session. I FREAKING LOVED IT. It was a different type of workout than I've ever experienced. What I always tell trainers, gym people, etc is that I don't want to build any more muscle (except my core), just tone and define what I already have. Some of the ab work was really really hard, and I am already feeling sore, but such a good sore. I'm going to buy a package of sessions in a few weeks. My complimentary fitness assessment and personal training session is Monday, and while I don't anticipate purchasing any sessions of that, I'll see how it goes. Otherwise, I'm really enjoying my workouts. I want to buy a heart rate monitor - anyone have one they love that they can recommend?

I'm excited about the brunch on Saturday! I will indeed be wearing the boots, and during a successful shopping trip the other day, picked up a cute outfit to go with them. I also got another pair of workout pants and a dress for my friend's wedding in a few months.

Keeping It Up

I'm still on track with my tracking. I've successfully logged everything I've put in my mouth for the last 6 of 7 days (not including today and tomorrow, which are already built out on MFP). I went over calories one of those tracking days (Thursday), which was semi-planned - my goal there was to just track, whatever the outcome was.

I feel comfortable enough to stop listing everything out here (unless some people find it helpful to see what others are eating). I get into a groove and start eating the same things over and over, just because it's easy.

I also went to the gym yesterday. Did 45 minutes (not including warm up and cool down) at 3.8 mph. I attempted 4.0, and did so for the first 10 minutes or so, but it was too much to keep up for the entire time I wanted. So I knocked it back a little. It' still faster than my usual of 3.5mph. My butt is killing me today though!!! I guess it's been a while since my glutes got a workout - maybe it'll help lift them a little :)

Overall, I feel fantastic. Not only am I fueling my body properly (and am therefore never hungry), but I'm MOVING. While I'm walking on the treadmill, I'm enjoying feeling everything coming together. Yay me!

I also had some NSV's - a guy I was semi-involved with a few years ago was at the club on Friday night when I got there to start my shift, and when I took my coat off, his jaw literally dropped. He just kept repeating "You look great!" and talking about how we should hang out. He's generally full of talk, so I'm not expecting anything, but it was still nice to see his reaction. Later that night, my best friend's husband came in (he's a comic) and he hadn't seen me in a few weeks. He came over to say hello, and whispered in my ear "Lizzie, you are dropping so much weight!" Now, I haven't actually lost more than the 2 pounds from this past week since the last time I've seen him, but I guess things are starting to catch up.

I've also got some leads on day jobs - a friend works in HR at a company I'm interested in, and has promised to pass my resume onto the recruiter if I see any positions that interest me. I went onto their site last night and actually did find a few, so I'll be emailing him soon. My company is providing outplacement services, so I have an info session with them next week to get started. I definitely want to take advantage of that, because I need to generalize my resume (it's been geared toward the pharma industry for quite a few years now, so I need to change that up a bit). Hopefully something comes up soon!

That's all for me for now - back to my tracking (thank God for OCD). One more night of work for now, then off to Mom's (and my kittens!) for a few days. Gym again on Tuesday night.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

<3

Whaddya Know??

Tracking works. Today's weigh in was.....*drum roll please*

226.6!

Down 2.4 lb from the last few weeks. YESSSSS!

I'll be a bit more relaxed today (aka, allowing myself some treats), but guess what? They're all getting tracked. Even if I go over on calories, don't meet my protein goal....it's all getting tracked. Then posted. Accountability seems to be working. So I ain't gonna mess with it.

Food Tracking 1/10 & 1/11, Gym and THE BOOTS!

I've had a really good few days, sticking to my plan and tracking everything that went into my mouth. I slipped up a little bit last night and had a snack after I'd eaten all of my planned calories for the day (finished eating a bit too early, so I was hungry later on) - but I tracked it, and it's all good.

Tuesday:

Breakfast
2 cups of tea with splenda and each ~2 tbsp half and half
Kashi hot cereal
Yogurt

Cal: 370
Carbs: 50
Fat: 8
Protein: 24

Lunch
McD's chicken McBites snack size (holy hell are these good)
2 string cheese

Cal: 429
Carbs: 16
Fat: 26
Protein: 27

Dinner
Turkey wrap w/pepper jack cheese and chipotle cheddar dressing

Cal: 400
Carbs: 26
Fat: 26
Protein: 26

Snacks
Edamame
Honey Nut Cheerios, dry
Kashi Golden Goodness, dry

Cal: 570
Carbs: 85
Fat: 12
Protein: 30

Total for Day
Cal: 1769
Carbs: 177
Fat: 72
Protein: 107

A bit higher in fat and calories than I would have liked but not too terrible. Good on carbs and great on protein.

Before I move on to today's food, lemme tell you about some new food finds (some you may find helpful, some you may bitch slap me for..)

OK, bad first. My sister and I were running errands yesterday and she wanted a coffee from McD's. I was going to be strong and not get anything since my day was planned out already. As soon as we walked in there, I saw a sign for Chicken McBites. Ladies and gents, McD's now has popcorn chicken. Holy shizzle. I love me some popcorn chicken. All willpower crumbled, and I ordered the smallest size. It was amazing. In fact, I planned on having it for dinner tonight but forgot to go get it after the gym. It's already in the MyFitnessPal db, so I whipped my phone out in line and changed around my day to accomodate it :) Now, I warned everyone...so please don't blame me once you taste this deliciousness and want it every day.

These others will hopefully be helpful. I had a Flat Out wrap yesterday (honey wheat). Low in cal (100), high in fiber and protein (9 and 8, respectively, I believe). YUMMY! A tiny bit thicker than a regular wrap, it's kinda like a thin pita. I also found some yummy Chipotle Cheddar dressing in my mom's fridge, made by Brianna's. SOOO GOOD. I don't have the nutritionals in front of me, but they weren't bad. I paired these with some deli turkey and pepper jack, and it made a yummy yummy wrap.

OK, onto today..

Breakfast
2 cups of tea with splenda and each ~2 tbsp half and half
Kashi hot cereal
Yogurt

Cal: 370
Carbs: 50
Fat: 8
Protein: 24
(Are you starting to see the pattern yet?)

Lunch
Turkey, provolone and roasted pepper roll ups

Cal: 270
Carbs: 1
Fat: 17
Protein: 26

Dinner
Chili w/sour cream and shredded cheddar

Cal: 477
Carbs: 19
Fat: 35
Protein: 21

Snacks
Sbux chai
Protein shake (CIB)

Cal: 515
Carbs: 100
Fat: 1
Protein: 34

Total for Day
Cal: 1632
Carbs: 170
Fat: 61
Protein: 105

I was under calories and carbs, just over fat, and great with protein. I got extra calories because I (dun dun dun...!) went to the gym! I started slow, and walked for 45 min on the treadmill at 3.5mph (not including warm up and cool down). I also set up my fitness assessment and free personal training sessions (Fri and Sun, respectively), and my free private Pilates class (next Thursday). For the first few weeks, I am shooting for every other day. Sometime next week, I'm going to start trying out classes. This is a fancy schmancy gym, and it has a lot to offer.

I'm hoping that my really good week reflects on the scale tomorrow morning. If not, I won't get discouraged, because I just FEEL GOOD.

Let's end on a high note...my boots came! Woo! Here's a silly pic of me wearing them (don't mind the cuffed sweats or the shitty quality, my phone was being wonky).



I will definitely be wearing them to the NYC brunch (that may be their inaugural outing, actually)...no decision on the black dress yet. Think it might be a bit much for daytime.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Another Good Day, Gym, and NYC Brunch!

I'll start with the gym. As promised, I did go join the gym today. It's really expensive, but it's a gorgeous place, right down the block from my apartment, with a ton of classes, really nice facilities, and even an in house spa. I'm going to go tomorrow for my first workout, my fitness assessment on Friday, and my complimentary personal training session on Sunday. Hopefully between this and tracking my food, it'll give my weight loss the kick in the damn ass it needs!

Today's Food:

Breakfast:
2 cups of tea w/Splenda & 2 tbsp half and half each
Kashi hot cereal
Starbucks chai

Cal: 488
Carbs: 85
Fat: 9
Protein: 19

Lunch:
Turkey, provolone and roasted pepper roll-ups

Cal: 270
Carbs: 1
Fat: 17
Protein: 26

Dinner:
London broil, roasted potatoes and onions (teeny tiny portions of each, hence the really low numbers below)

Cal: 107
Carbs: 12
Fat: 3
Protein: 9

Snacks:
2 string cheese
Greek yogurt
Protein bar

Cal: 480
Carbs: 36
Fat: 13
Protein: 50

Total for Day:
Cal: 1345
Carbs: 134
Fat: 42
Protein: 104

Pretty good all around, yes? Under in every category except protein, which was right on point. Go me! :)

Finally, just wanted remind anyone in NYC or nearby that there's a brunch being planned for January 21st and we'd love to see all of your beautiful faces! Let me know if you're interested and I'll add you to the list!

The Wagon Done Run Me Over.

Interesting how I fell off so quickly...I think there was some kind of psychology involved...I had such a good day on Saturday, that I felt compelled to destroy it yesterday? Either that or trying to track the popcorn for the movie, and knowing there was no way I could actually do so accurately, I decided to blow the day. It led to eating half a bag of chips (the big bag to boot), popcorn at the movies and a bottle of wine later at home. If I added it all up, I'd probably find that the damage wasn't as bad as I am thinking but I'd rather move forward.

SO. Today is planned out for the most part, and healthy meals are prepared. I have to see about sides for dinner (I know what they'll be but have to figure out portions, etc). I'm heading to my mom's for the night and am bringing my lunch, snacks and food scale with me. Later tonight when the picture is more complete I'll post about it. It's looking like a good day.

On my way to mom's, I'm biting the bullet and joining the gym. More on that later as well.

Saturday was a Good Day

I decided to plan and track my foods for yesterday (using My.Fitness.Pal). The apps for the iPhone and iPad are really helpful (I'm always near the phone, tablet or my computer so I have no excuses).

Breakfast/Lunch:
2 cups of tea (each w/2 Splenda and ~2 tbsp half and half)
1 packet of Kashi Honey & Cinnamon hot cereal
1 Chobani peach yogurt

Cal: 370
Carbs: 48
Fat: 8
Protein: 24

Dinner:
1 bowl of chili
3 tbsp sour cream
1/4 cup shredded cheddar

Cal: 447
Carbs: 19
Fat: 31
Protein: 23

Snacks:
2 string cheese
Protein shake (1.5 cup Skim Plus milk, Instant Breakfast, protein powder)
~1/2 cup steamed edamame in pods

Cal: 575
Carbs: 57
Fat: 15
Protein: 69

Totals for Day:

Cal: 1392
Carbs: 124
Fat: 54
Protein: 116

I was under calories by a bit, way under carbs, a tiny bit over fat, and wayyy over protein (but the free membership doesn't allow you to customize specific nutritional values - otherwise I'd be officially aiming for 100g). I also drank just under 3 liters of water. At the end of the day, it felt great to know that I made a plan and stuck to it. At work, I'm surrounded by tempting things (nachos, fries, popcorn, chinese food, drinks, etc) and it felt good to make the conscious choice to JUST SAY NO.

I'm working on my plan for today and tomorrow. Gotta go food shopping, and pick up some groceries. I'm going to a movie with a friend tonight, so I have to either work my beloved movie theater popcorn into the plan for the day, go without (unlikely), or bring my own.

I'm also trying to decide how I am going to get fitness into my life. Since I'm not working during the day at the moment, I have PLENTY of time to add it in. I don't belong to a gym, though. Gyms around here are sooo expensive, and I don't really think it's the best time to add an extra monthly expense to the tune of $150....but I also think I just need to make the commitment to myself to find the $$. If it means an extra few shifts at the club, then that's what it means. So that's on my list for this week. I was planning on starting Bikram today, but I'm just not ready. If I bite the bullet and join the gym, and actually GO, then maybe in 2 months by the time my free month of Bikram voucher expires, I'll be ready to give it a try.

So that's my story for now. I'm probably going to post my "food diary" for a bit, just to have a measure of accountability. I'll either do a separate post for it, or put it at the bottom of my regular posts so if you don't want to read it, you can skip over :)

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

<3

NSVs Over the Past Few Months

Since I was absent from blog-world for a while, and have been acting like I didn't have a band, I thought to keep my head in the game I'd share some random NSVs over the past few months (and some pictures to boot!)

*In early October I went to Atlanta for a show (my fave musician who I've mentioned before). I have a lot of friends there who I hadn't seen in a year and a half. I decided to wear a dress, and when I got to the venue (our little group of crazies meets early in the day to all hang out before the show) - everyone freaked out, and no fewer than 10 people told me I looked incredible.

*Later that month, the afore-mentioned fave musician was doing a book signing. I had him sign my book, and after chatting for a few minutes, I started to scamper off. As I was running away, he called after me "Liz! Liz!" So I turned around, and he said "You look so great!" It made my night. It didn't hurt that my book was signed like this:



*I was out running a few errands in early December and was passing by H&M on my way home. I have never shopped there bc I always assumed their clothes were not made for us bigger gals. I realized that I could probably fit into something from there these days, and decided to go in to look for a dress for my night job's Christmas party. I ended up finding one. In a size L. For $20. And it was hot. (Ironically, I didn't go to the party. I do have an amazing dress hanging in my closet now.) Hard to tell from pic, but the dress has ruching down each side.



*Finally, on Wednesday night at the support group, the PS who presented was wearing a par of killer boots. They were tall boots, and she had skinny legs, but the boots looked loose enough around her calves that it caught my attention. I asked her later on what brand they were, and they were Nine West. I have one around the corner from my apartment, so I went in today, and THEY FIT MY CALVES!! Pull on knee high boots NOT designated as extended calf fit. (If I'm being completely honest they were a teeny bit tight at the top, but they're suede, so they'll stretch after one wearing or so.) How hot are these???



I'm thinking they'd look pretty damn good with my dress, mmm? Now if I only had somewhere to wear this outfit...sigh.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Starting the Year Off Right...

Hello all of my lovies! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and Happy New Year to you all! There have been a lot of "re-committing" posts over the past few days, and I'm definitely no different.

I had my first appointment with Dr. K in a few months, and I was expecting a stern lecture (both for my absence and for my lack of weight loss in that absence). Last night, I also got an email reminder from the Patient Liason at my practice that there would be a plastic surgeon presenting at all of the different support groups this month. I hadn't attended one to date since they're always on Wednesdays, which is one of my nights to work. I figured it was fate that I already had an appt, so I decided to move it to later in the day and attend both.

I'm so glad I did! As anyone who's met other bandsters, it's so nice to have people who understand exactly what you're going through to talk to about everything. The plastic surgeon was also really great, and she specializes in recontouring after massive weight loss, so she has a great understanding of the unique challenges we face. I'll definitely be scheduling a consultation with her when I'm ready.

Dr. K did give me a small fill, because or told her I feel like I can eat huge quantities of food. I know I need to rely on self control to NOT eat as much as I can, but I was just looking for a tiny bit more help. I'm hoping it'll help me break the looong plateau I've been in.

I downloaded the Blogger app on my iPad, so I'll be able to blog on the go :) here's hoping it gets me writing more often!

<3