Habits

Man oh man is it ever easy to fall out of good habits and slip back into bad habits.  A relative has been staying for the past two weeks and I stopped walking and running, stopped doing push-ups, stopped meditating.  I started eating cheese and breads, gained 2-5 lbs in 5 days, and now its going to be a struggle to get back to good habits.

At first I was eating the same as I have been to lose weight.  Until we spent whole days together, then I wanted her to feel comfortable so I let her choose when and where to eat while we gadded about driving and shopping.  At first I was careful choosing on omelet with no cheese and tap water,  but even eating at a restaurant instead of bringing a lunch of an apple and baby carrots is a big difference.  Then we went to a Mexican restaurant where I had a margarita and chips with my tostada, cheese enchilada, and beans plate.  My choices changed. I became less careful.

Luckily I'm participating in a weight loss challenge, so I'm highly motivated to lose those 2-5 pounds or MORE as quickly as possible!!!   I have to pay $1 for every pound I gain at the weekly weigh-in so I have to be super careful to exercise this weekend.  Will return to the vegan gluten-free diet.  I even started an herbal detox cleanse to help.   Fingers crossed I will be ok on weigh-in day.

Two books arrived during the visit of my houseguest that will hopefully help  with my exercise efforts, "Escape Your Shape" by Jackowski  and "The Body Shape Solution" by Savard.

I have an apple shape and the Jackowski book prescribes an exercise plan to help my figure look more fit and balanced; whereas the Savard book will explain the physiological reasons for my shape and offer dietary tips.  I plan to use them to start a new plan of action.  The Jackowski book recommends jumping rope but I might get a mini trampoline instead, as it would be more practical indoors, to avoid breaking ceiling fixtures with the rope.

One more update, at stores I pretty well fit into size Large (12-14) tops now, they are tight but they usually fit,  so squeezing into size 14 tops and size 12 pants and skirts.  Skirts. I miss wearing skirts.  I love skirts.

That is hard for me to believe since I weigh 175 and struggle to squeeze into a 40DD bra, but at least in stores, size 12 fits best on bottom.  That doesn't make sense, does it?  So I started trying on a bunch of old clothes from before I gained the first 60 pounds; from 1997 when I weighed 135 and a size 36DD bra.   I discovered in my old clothes I'm a size 14 bottom and top.  So the modern size 12 must be the same as an old size 14; that's the only thing that makes sense at least. Hmmmm?

Anyway weight loss is weird, in high school I got down from a size 34D to a size 34B bra when I lost 10 pounds to weigh 125 pounds. 

Stones

Well I am very pleased that I am down to 173 today.  That means according to my BMI, I am finally, finally, finally below obesity.  I am only overweight. That is wonderful!

Next milestone will be to reach 171, that will be my half way point, minus 50 pounds out of a total 100 pound weight loss goal.

The next milestone after that will be to reach 169 because then I'll finally be under 170; and it was my goal for August 2011.

And the next milestone after that is 165 the goal for September 2011.

And the milestone after that is 161 the goal for October 2011.

And the milestone after that is 159 becuase then I'll finally be under 160.

And the milestone after that is 156 because that is the goal for November 2011.

Goal weight for December 2011 is 151 pounds.  Please dear God help me get back on track to meeting my monthly goals of the original 2-year plan before January 2012.

The next milestone in 2012 will be to reach less than 144 pounds in February 2012, then I will no longer be overweight, but within AVERAGE weight!  That will be very exciting!!

Choices

I weigh 174 today, so I've finally met my goal for July 2011.  That leaves me 3 months behind in my goals, but if I can get down to 169 by the end of this month then I'll be catching up. According to my 2-year plan this is where I should have been for the past few months:
June 2011 = 178 lbs
July 2011 = 174 lbs
August 2011 - 169 lbs ++
September 2011 = 165 lbs
October 2011 = 161 lbs.
November 2011 = 156 lbs.

I have started doing my 10 girl push-ups everyday.  Man, do they leave me tired, it takes several minutes to recover. 

I've been craving pie and coffee like crazy lately.  So I looked up recipes for gluten-free pie crust and I think I'll make myself an apple pie or custard pie today.  I've been craving eggs too, so maybe the custard pie would be the best choice, otherwise an apple crumble.


Watched the documentary Food Matters recently and its really been affecting my thoughts about health.  The documentary advised that 51% of daily food intake should be raw food.  As much food as possible should be organic so that you're taking in fewer toxins each day.  Lots of vitamins are safe, in fact two handfuls of cashews a day will provide enough niacin to keep depression away.  And daily physical activity as well as at least 2 liters of water a day is necessary to remove toxins each day.

Remembered  last year when I came up with my 2-year plan I wanted to start out easy, just dieting, not adding exercise because I knew I'd add exercise naturally as I became slimmer. I remembered how a workmate was taken off pain medicine and told to exercise. So she thought she would lose weight that way, I suspected she would not. So now a year later, I am much slimmer but she is not. I have tried exercise alone too and been so frustrated when it did not lead to any substantial or even noticable weight loss. I've read when people start exercising they start eating more to compensate. I think that's the danger that I have to be aware of as I start exercising more.


I'm pleased to be losing weight again. I feel so happy with my recent weight loss, but I do need to protect against muscle loss more than ever now. So lots of vitamins and lots of exercise, but also continueing to eat less. Just smarter choices, more organic, more superfoods. And more water to help with elimination of toxins.

Couples

Well since last week I weigh 175 lbs.  I've lost another pound this week, even though I'm eating very little and exercising about the same or maybe slightly more.  I am having trouble with constipation, so I'll have to see what I can do about that.

I am slipping into size large tops instead of extra large.  That's good.  And I forced myself into one of my two size 40DD bras, instead of my old 42DD. That's good too.  So maybe its time I start taking my measurements for measuring progress now, since weight loss seems to have slowed again.

I also really have to start exercising.  Trying on clothes, which I do when I start to feel like I might be moving down in size, gets me looking at my naked body in the store changing rooms.  My new mantra is "naked naked look good naked"  because I don't, but do feel closer to somewhat achievable now, as if its almost possible to hope for.  I mean I'm still 175 lbs, (my goal for July 2011 so I'm still 3 months behind), and lookng good naked is still a long ways away. But I like having that desire for it.  That can almost taste it, anticipation for it.

I keep reading how couples who exercise together are more likely to stay together.  So that's another goal, if I have a boyfriend I want to be sure we exercise together.  Its super important to me for getting fit and staying fit, and especially for my goal of looking good naked.  That's just super, super important.  I'm not sure why.

Shape

I wrote a simpler post about body types in March.  Do you know how much fat you're carrying, compared to how much muscle?  The more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns.

Do you know where you tend to gain weight -- upper body, lower body, or around the middle?  Understanding your body is the first step to reaching your best shape.  Shapes are personal and go beyond the usual apple and pear.  Women can have three typical body shapes -- upper body fat, lower body fat, and upper and lower body fat.  Men usually only get upper body fat.

Hip to Waist Ratio Calculator to determine if you are an apple or a pear shape.

What Your Shape Means: Upper You carry fat in your upper body: face, neck, chest and waist. Includes women and almost all men. Upper-body fat is usually caused by diet and lack of exercise. Fat around the abdomen, narrow hips, larger breasts, and a relatively large waist; due to having higher androgen levels. Fat around the waist usually means that there is also internal fat (visceral fat surrounding the organs), which may cause serious health problems. Internal fat decreases insulin sensativity, raises blood pressure, and decreases levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, contributes to chronic inflammation and increase in blood sugar insulin.  These are key indicators of heart disease risk (heart attack, hardening of the arteries) and diabetes risk and breast cancer risk.  They are more likely to have anxiety, depression, menstrual irregularities, and fertility problems. Reducing internal fat can dramatically improve your health.   Cutting calories alone will not eliminate upper body fat. To lose this weight, remodel your percentage of lean body mass with calorie management, protein and exercise. The upper body stores fat in times of stress and some people can lose and gain weight rapidly in the upper body.  In times of stress the "fight or flight" mechanism of the body releases the hormone cortisol and stores this fat and glucose gland close to the liver where it can quickly convert the chemicals and hormones into energy. Women with more upper body fat tend to have more muscle than women with lower body fat.   A low carbohydrate program is recommended, with more protein in the diet to help control hunger, and high fiber to slow digestion of sugars and lower insulin and choleterol levels. Aerobic exercise for 15-30 minutes before breakfast is important to use more fat.  Then wait until you are hungry and eat a high protein, low carbohydrate breakfast to replenish muscle tissue.  Avoid snacking between meals because this raises  the insulin level and reduces the fat burning hormones. The medical benefits of losing upper body fat are great than losing lower body fat.  Losing weight around your neck, face, chest, and waist usually goes along with losing fat on the inside as well.  So as you look better, you are also improving your health tremendously. Lower You carry fat in your lower body: hips and thighs. Predominately women. Lower-body fat is partially inherited, partially a result of diet. Fat around the hips, thighs and buttocks, a smaller upper body and breasts, and a heavier lower body. This type of fat does not cause specific health problems. More susceptible to osteoporosis, cellulite and varicose veins, and eating disorders due to body image problems caused by unrealistic pressure by popular culture's obsession with rail-thin women. Cutting calories and increasing exercise may not be sufficient to reduce lower-body fat. Eat more protein and include lower-body exercises in your workout. The lower body fat in women responds to female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone and stores fat for breastfeeding a newborn baby. Losing weight is harder if you have lower body fat rather than upper body fat.  Resistence training will strengthen bones. Due to low metabolism, many women with lower body fat can't lose weight just by cutting calories.  These lower body fat cells are resistent to both exercise and diet.   A low fat program is recommended while making sure you get enough protein to control cravings and build or maintain lean muscle. Proportional When you put on weight, it is spread proportionately throughout your body. You may not notice weight gain because it’s spread throughout. Suggest overall body conditioning. Women who have both upper and lower body fat will lose their upper body fat first. A pear shape can turn into an apple shape due to weight gain, this is the hourglass shape; but can lose weight and return to the pear shape. Finally, there are two more body shapes to consider:  the shape you can chnage and the shape you can't change.  It is important to know the difference and work on the shape you can change, while adjusting your wardrobe and attitudes to the shape you cannot change. Remember you need a certain amount of fat for good health.  It stores energy your muscles need and serves as your body's shock absorber.  Too little body fat can be as unhealthy as too much.

Wear

More pictures of active wear that is attractive.  I like soft pastel colors best.  Soft blue, green, rose and purple, and gray.  Like best: zipped hooded sweatshirt, long sleeve t's for cool weather and short sleeve t's for warm but both with interesting activewear cut with lots of panels, skorts, cropped sweatpants that hit mid calf, those cute 70s running shorts with different color binding.

Shoes that are mostly gray or white with details in one or two shades of the same color.  Its important to me to feel as if I'm dressed as attractively as I can when I exercise because I don't really feel very attractive when I'm exercising.

Style

I'm interested in the clothes that people wear when they work out.  So I found a bunch of pictures of Pippa Middleton where she wears the same pair of New Balance 860 running shoes, and different outfits.  Will post pictures of other fashion-conscious regular fitness style icons in future.

Tuck

Well today feels significant becuase I have tucked my shirt into my new skinny jeans and am wearing a beaded American Indian-style belt.  This is probably the first time I've worn my shirt tucked in since 1996.  I feel well proud of myself.

According to my 2-year plan this is where I should have been for the past few months:
March 2011 = 191 lbs
April 2011 = 186 lbs  ++
May 2011 = 182 lbs
June 2011 = 178 lbs
July 2011 = 174 lbs
August 2011 = 169 lbs  ++
September 2011 = 165 lbs
October 2011 = 161 lbs

I weigh 177 today.  That is a relief too, that I have made it under 180, that my weight is headed down again. So I am where I should have been in June, but oh well.  I'm trying to make up for it.  When I reach 173 lbs I'll be able to celebrate being merely Overweight instead of Obese according to my BMI.  Then I will be super, super happy.

The other significant thing is that when I started the weight loss in August 2010 I weighed 221 and wore a 42DD bra.  Ok?  Well now I weigh 177 and I wear a 42DD bra.  It is so frustrating.  I refuse to buy any new bras in this size.  I have two size 40DD bras jsut waiting for me to lose enough weight  to be able to wear them.   Maybe pretty soon. Maybe when I get down to 173, fingers crossed.

I have to say, though, that walking around in my skinny jeans with shirt tucked in, it feels like I'm finally myself again.  I feel thoroughly and utterly myself.