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