March Madness Weigh-In: Week 11

It’s March! Which means that the weather is unpredictable – sunny one day, rainy the next – but that just makes life more exciting. This year March is going to be incredibly lucky for me – a time when I will absolutely achieve my pre-surgery weight loss requirement, my pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. (Although luck will have nothing to do with it – it will be all about HARD work and motivation). Sunday weigh-ins will keep me accountable through the weekend, and will give me a positive goal to begin each new week. March means that spring is around the corner, and I’m going to use this season to refresh my outlook, because I’m embarking on more than just a diet plan, I’m going to establish a lifestyle. My Sunday progress updates will be called March Madness Weigh-Ins.

Week 11 was mixed – I stayed on plan, got in some fantastic workouts, but was lacking in water and movement on the scale.

Hmmmm…. So, what did the scale show?!

This morning I weighed in at 290.8, which is up 1.4 pounds from last week. Which means I have just less than 5 pounds to go before I can call in to Kaiser and meet the next big weight loss requirement. I’m not too worried about this gain because I’m confident that it’s going to come off quickly. I know it’s water weight – I struggled to get enough water in this week, for some reason, and I’m also experiencing some constipation (sorry if that’s TMI). I’m also really sore from my workouts the last couple of days. All of which adds up to the fact that I’ll be back to losing in no time.

The other big thing that I need to be more vigilant about is letting junky carbs creep into my diet. I’ve been having PopChips or ChipIns at lunch and/or in the afternoons for a snack, and I need to cut them out. They don’t add any nutritional value, and I know they’re not helping my weight loss. But they taste so damn good! It’s back to bell peppers and cucumbers with Bolthouse yogurt dressing for me: they add the perfect combo of savory and crunch that any snack needs.

On the plus side, my clothes are all fitting me looser and I’ve been able to get into more of my smaller clothes, so I know I’m losing inches. All my workouts are adding up, and I’m so proud of how I’ve made them part of my daily life.

Here’s this week’s workout plan:

Sunday: Wii Tennis & Just Dance 4 + long walk with Sofi
Monday: rest day
Tuesday: Wii Tennis & Just Dance 4 + walk with Sofi
Wednesday: elliptical + recumbent bike + walk with Sofi
Thursday: U-Jam Fitness
Friday: elliptical + recumbent bike + walk with Sofi
Saturday: Zumba + walk with Sofi

In short, it’s time to get serious. I have less than 5 lbs to go, and I want to get there as soon as possible.

Until next Sunday, my friends. I hope the scale treats you well, and that you have a wonderful week!

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Friday Five: Another 3-Day Weekend

1. This weekend is another long one for me – I have a furlough day on Monday. Even though I hate the fact that we had to have budget cuts this year, I have to admit, having another day off of school so soon is nice. I’m going to use the extra day to get in a great workout at the gym and get some home organization and cleaning done.

2. Yesterday I put together what I think was an adorable outfit for work, featuring a “new” blazer that I found in my closet. I got several compliments from students, which is always a good sign. Better yet, I felt great in the outfit, which is really the most important thing, don’t you think?

Since the weather has been in the high 60s, I thought it was high time for a flower in my hair to add a touch of spring to the last day of February.

3. I’m way overdue for a pedi (I never ended up getting one a few weekends ago), and I think I’m in the mood for green toes, in honor of St. Patty’s Day and the beginning of spring. Plus, I’m teaching The Great Gatsby right now in class, and green is a very symbolic color in that novel, so it works on a lot of levels:

Essie’s Mojito Madness

4. My weekend plans include going for a bike ride with my sister, shopping for my niece’s Easter baskets with my mom and sister (we do things EARLY in my family), and going to the movies. I’m not sure which movie we’ll end up seeing – any suggestions? What’s the last movie you saw that you enjoyed?

5. I saw this a few weeks ago, and loved it:

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NSV: Shopping in My Closet!

Time for another great NSV to share with you guys!

With all of my progress in my weight loss, one of the big benefits is that my clothes are getting a lot looser on me.  Over the weekend I wore a shirt that I’d purchased because I loved the print, but never wore because the 18/20 was always just a bit too snug.  It finally fits, and it looked adorable, if I do say so myself.  A couple of pairs of work pants are getting almost too big to wear (slouchy crotch is not a good look on anyone).  That’s especially exciting, because pants are always the last thing to change on me.

So, last night I got home from work and decided it was time to take a shopping trip in the  closet of my guest bedroom.  If you guys remember, my friend Meghann sent me boxes of clothes that had become too big for her once she was  shedding pounds after VSG surgery.  Up to this point, I’d only been able to wear a few of the items that she sent me.  Not anymore!

I was able to pull out 3 blazers, 2  sweaters, and 3 tops, and a dress.  This is perfect timing because I need to supplement my wardrobe now that quite a few of the items in my own closet are getting a bit too large to wear.  It’s so exciting to actually be able to type that last sentence!

I love using clothes to indicate just how much progress I’m making, because it seems more accessible than just a number on a scale. I can visually see how much smaller I’m getting as clothes skim over my hips or no longer tug across my rear.  My bras are getting so big that it’s becoming almost indecent, so I think a trip to a lingerie store is going to be in my near future.

And I still have lots of jeans, pants, and dresses of Meghann’s waiting for me, all ranging in sizes from 22-16. Tinkerbell also said she’d give me some of her clothes once they no longer fit her, so that will help me get through a few more sizes, too.  Anything I can do to stay fashionable and spend as little money as possible is great.

Don’t get me wrong, I love clothes, and I have no problem spending money (well, except for being able to pay for them on a tight budget), but I’d rather not invest in transitional clothing.  Of course I’ll buy a few key pieces at each size as I’m on my way down the scale.  But in terms of a true fashion frenzy, I want to wait until I’m closer to my goal weight and then really spend money on pieces I’ll have for a long time.

For now, I had the best time putting new outfits together with some of my other clothes and a few items I had bought and never been able to wear.  The best part is that I got to play around with fashion without having to spend a dime!  As I wear each of these new outfits, I’ll take photos and include them in future Friday Fashion posts.

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February 13 in 13 Update (Much Overdue!)

Let’s see, it’s February 12th… more than a month has passed since my first 13 in 13 post, and I figured it was time (well past time) for me to give a little update on how things are going. I really like taking a look at how I’ve been doing with these goals, because it puts them at the forefront of my mind and makes me more aware of my priorities.

I’m going to take a page out of Rebecca’s book and organize this post into what’s going well, what’s mediocre/unstarted, and what I need to work on.

What’s going well… 

#1 – I’m 7 lbs away from my WLS goal, which means I’m going to be way ahead of my original goal, which was to qualify for WLS by mid-March.  If all goes as I am striving for, I will make my goal by mid-February.  Woot, woot!!

#3 & #4 – I haven’t had tons of grading to do, so I haven’t really needed to stay at school until 4pm on B days, but that’s going to change tomorrow, when book reports come pouring in. (And then again at the end end of February when two sets of Realism essays come my way).  I have been excellent on A days – I’ve hit the gym every single time (unless it was deemed a rest day).  I’ve come to really enjoy those early days at the gym.

#5, #6, & #9 – I’ve made it to Zumba and Lululemon yoga most weekends.  I’m so glad that my plantar fasciitis has subsided enough that I can go resume Zumba and yoga.  It’s nice to be able to keep the workouts full of fun and variety.  I’ve also made it a point to bring friends to both Zumba and the Lululemon yoga, which helps with #9, because we usually spend time afterward catching up over coffee.  As for the second part of #6, as I said above, I haven’t needed to spend any time grading yet, but that’s going to change at the end of the month.  In an odd way, I’m looking forward to spending time at Starbucks grading, because it’s a good way to get out of the house and possibly meet new people.

#12 – My sister has been kind enough to take monthly photos of me in January and February, so this one is going well. Once I have three months’ worth of photos, I’ll post them here.

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What I haven’t started yet, or what’s been mediocre…

#7 – I haven’t started any Pinterest crafts yet, but I have two that I’m planning on working on next week, while I have the week off.  More on those as I complete them.

#8 – I haven’t kept up with my Google reader on a daily basis, but I do try to keep up on the weekends.  I also comment on as many blogs as I can think of things to write.

#9 – I’ve done some fun things with friends, but not often enough.  Some of that is because of not having extra money go out, but I have made an effort to incorporate coffee dates or workout buddy dates as much as I can.

#11 – I’m not planning on doing any research on health education until the summer.

#13 – As stated in the goal itself, this one won’t be happening until late October 2013, at the earliest.

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What’s not going well/what I need to put more effort into…

#2 – I haven’t made great progress on my goal of reading 35 books in a year.  In fact, I’ve read 1 book and I have two others started.  For someone who loves reading as much as I do, I’m surprised that I’m not doing better at this goal.  It will be easy enough to pick this up beginning now.  I just need to set aside the time, especially on the weekends.

#10 – I think I made it to bed by 10pm for about a week or so.  Since this is not a part of my nature, it’s something I’ve got to put more of an effort into.  So, I’ve decided to make this my Lenten goal:

Beginning tomorrow, Ash Wednesday, I’m going to get to bed by 10pm every non-vacation weeknight for the next 40 days.  To give myself more accountability, I’m going to check in on this Lenten goal every Wednesday.

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MLK Weekend Wrap-Up

I love that I’m writing my weekend wrap-up on a Tuesday! Don’t you just love short weeks like this one?

I had a fantastic weekend! It was a perfect mix of fun, obligations, and down time. If you follow me on Instagram (bellablogger), you’ve seen many of these photos already, but most of them are good enough to view more than once.

Saturday Scenes

Sofi & I started off with a late-morning walk around our neighborhood. I’m happy to report that I was able to walk at my pre-plantar fasciitis speed. Sofi was as relieved as I was that I’m back to normal.

Later in the afternoon, I met up with Tinkerbell, her hubby, and two of their friends for a “biker gang” bike ride. I’ve never ridden with 4 other people before. I’m sure we were a funny site, since we all have beach cruisers. It as a gorgeous day, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than riding my bike on a sunny Saturday.

This week marks the end of my amaryllis. A student had given me the bulbs as a thank you for a letter of recommendation that I wrote for her, and I’ve enjoyed watching it grow and bloom since November.

Sunday Scenes

Sunday morning I headed out bright and early to take yoga at my local Lululemon store. I love that local instructors from all sorts of studios take turns leading these classes. It’s always a form of vinyasa, and since that’s the type of yoga I’m least familiar with, I’m really enjoying trying it. Plus, I woke up the next day sore all over, which is always a great sign.

Ani had met me at yoga, and afterward we grabbed tea and basked in the sunshine. It was a great way to begin the day.

Sunday afternoon my 49ers came back from a 17-point deficit to secure their spot in the Superbowl!!! As a lifelong 9ers fan, I can’t tell you how excited I am that they’re returning to the glory days of the 80s and early 90s. It’s been a long time in coming, but it just feels like this year is our time.

After the game, my friend Di and I met up for iced tea (Passion tea for me)and “catch up” time. Yes, that does make two trips to Starbucks in one day, but at least both of my drinks were calorie-free and counted towards my water intake.

Scenes from Monday

After skipping the aqua aerobics class I’d planned on because it was way too chilly out, I was sure to make my date with the elliptical. Again, I’m seeing progress in my heel, because just a few weeks ago I wasn’t able to stand on the elliptical for 30 minutes. I also want to note that I actually burned 605 calories.

A post-wrokout, post-grocery store shot of me driving with the convertible top down. It was in the high 60s all weekend, and you know when it gets anywhere near a warm temp like that, my Beetle goes topless. (It also helped that I was so warm after my workout that the breeze didn’t bother me one bit).

Finally, a shot of the roasted broccoli I made last night. I’m not a huge fan of broccoli (one of the only veggies I don’t really like), but I do like it roasted. I added a bit of olive oil, sea salt, and quite a bit of cayenne pepper. I popped it in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes. Delish! (I make cauliflower the same way, but at 425 for 25-30 minutes).

The rest of the day and evening on Monday was spent cleaning and getting ready for the week ahead.

All in all, I had a really fun, productive weekend.  I’m proud of myself for working out each day, seeing several friends, and getting everything else accomplished.  If only all weekends could last 3 days!

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Wordless Wednesday: 2 of 52 in 2013: On Fire

(images above gathered from Pinterest search: on fire)

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The Best Kind of Buddy

I feel so totally and completely motivated today! I mean, I feel invincible, and it’s completely fantastic. I’ve been eating completely on plan, drinking lots of water, and got back to the gym today. Part of it is that everyone else is in a healthy mode, but the main thing is that I have a new buddy.

B aka Tinkerbell is a kindred spirit that I met at the hair salon that I go to. She’s the manicurist, and I have to say, I am so glad I indulged in that mani over the summer, because I knew she and I would become fast friends. She’s also enrolled in the Kaiser WLS program, waiting to get VSG, and has 20ish more pounds to go to meet the surgeon’s goal. She actually has the same surgeon I do. Besides the fact that she’s fabulous and fun and we have a ton in common. It all just feels like kismet.

Tink reached out to me on Sunday, checking in after the holidaze, and as were chatting and comparing notes, I suggested that we workout together, and we set up a session for this afternoon.

I can tell you that after two busy days at school beginning the new semester and preparing to be gone for 5 days as I work from home, the last place I would have found myself is at the gym. Especially since I stopped home first to change into gym clothes, grab water, and eat a quick pre-gym snack. The pull of the couch might’ve overtaken me, had it not been for the fact that we had our workout date, and I knew Tinkerbell was waiting for me.

She doesn’t belong to 24 Hour (although I wish she did), but she got a pass, so we were able to try a few things out together. I started off on the treadmill, just to see how my foot/heel did, and I lasted about 10 minutes at 2.5 mph. I think working up to walking faster and longer is going to help in my recovery. Afterward, we hit the recumbent bike. All told, we worked out for a bit more than 30 minutes and I burned 418 calories. I left the gym feeling tired, but amazing.

We made plans to try to workout together at least once a week. Tink lives in my neighborhood (I didn’t realize this until today, since I usually see her at the salon), and has a bike, so we’re going to ride bikes as often as the weather permits. We’re also going to go to the WLS support groups together. I haven’t been attending because the one that I went to was “meh,” but Tink says that she likes the meeting at another location, so I’m willing to try it out. I’m open to all the support I can get.

I’m so excited that Tinkerbell and I are really getting to know each other and becoming great friends. We have SO much in common, and I love that she’s another strong woman. I know that we’re going to cheer each other through these 20 pounds, and I have a feeling we’re going to get to our surgeries very close to each other. How cool would it be if we were in the hospital at the same time? In any case, we’re going to be “sleeve sisters,” and I couldn’t be happier to have someone so close whom I can share this experience with.

Side note: the buddy workout was so fun that Ani and I are going to go to Zumba together this Saturday.

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#Reverb12, Day 20: What Was Lost and What Was Found?

Throughout the month of December, I’ll be participating in #reverb12: celebrating the successes of 2012, honoring the challenges of 2012, and planting the seeds for a rich and rewarding 2013. December is the perfect time to reflect on the year that has passed and start to manifest dreams for the new year.

Day 20 – What was lost in 2012? What do you intend to find in 2013?

2012 was the first time in years that I saw success on the scale.  I finally got my dieting mojo back, and with it my willpower.  I gained confidence and a will to succeed.

In 2013 I hope to find more healthy habits, especially about leading an active lifestyle.  Now I “workout,” but it hasn’t gotten to the point where I feel like something is missing if I’m not active.  I want that find true fitness in 2013.

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#Reverb12, Day 19: How Did You Nourish Yourself?

Throughout the month of December, I’ll be participating in #reverb12: celebrating the successes of 2012, honoring the challenges of 2012, and planting the seeds for a rich and rewarding 2013. December is the perfect time to reflect on the year that has passed and start to manifest dreams for the new year.

Day 19 – How did you nourish your beautiful body in 2012? What self-care practices will you take with you into 2013?

I continued my weight loss quest, which you can read more about throughout the many, many posts on this blog.  I will continue to lose weight by eating healthy and moving my body in 2013.

 

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#Reverb12, Day 14: The Path That Brought You Here?

Throughout the month of December, I’ll be participating in #reverb12: celebrating the successes of 2012, honoring the challenges of 2012, and planting the seeds for a rich and rewarding 2013. December is the perfect time to reflect on the year that has passed and start to manifest dreams for the new year.

Day 14 – What was the most important thing you learned in 2012? How does this learning shape the path going forward?

 

I learned that I can succeed at my weight loss goals.  In September, after following Jenny Craig very strictly, I regained my willpower, saw success on the scale, and am confident in the knowledge that I will hit my mini weight loss goal (and all of the subsequent mini goals that will follow the first one).

This shapes my path because I will not be deterred, by myself or an injury or any other obstacle, real or imagined, that gets in my way.  My road to success is a clear one, but it’s taken many a windy, rocky detour to get here.  Now it’s just one foot in front of the other until the end.

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