Guest Blogger - @iheartreading

Hi, I’m Jenn and I’ve been following the wonderful ladies here at Twitloss and jumped at the chance to join in with my story. For those who might not know me, I am @iheartreading on Twitter and I food blog my weight loss at http://agirlwholovescupcakes.com.

I wanted to talk about one thing that is constantly foiling my attempts at eating healthy and how I combat it and that’s emotional eating. Growing up, every celebration, reward, loss, or happy moment surrounded food. I come from a large Italian family and no matter what holiday it was or what kind of social event was held, there was always tons of super delicious food and we were allowed to eat whatever we wanted and drink as much pop as we wanted any time of the day. So, for me, food equaled happiness. I remember some of my happiest memories were summer picnics full of really fattening food. It took me a really long time to realize that I was using food as a source of comfort and as a reward anytime I had an accomplishment. I began using food as an excuse and it wasn’t until I got control of it, that I was able to lose weight.

I started with weight watchers, two years ago. I lost around 65lbs and I finally learned what eating healthy and having a balanced diet really meant. I measured my food and counted my points religiously. I started being active and I tried all sorts of activities I never thought I could have done…. And then all the sudden I lost motivation. I stopped going to the gym, I stopped eating right, and I went directly back to those habits which had me topping the scale at 300lbs. The weight came back so quickly it was frightening, it felt like one day I woke up and 30 of those pounds were back, but it didn’t happen overnight and I only had one choice and that was get back on the wagon and start over.

This time, instead of concentrating on just eating healthy, I’m really working on controlling my emotional eating and finding a healthy balance in life. Yes, I will always eat cupcakes and ice cream so how can I balance that with healthy choices? That’s the journey I’m on. Here are some of the things that really help me.

• A support system. I have a great set of people who cheer me on and help me stay on track. From my husband, my mom, my coworkers, and my blogging friends, I always have someone to talk to, and they are always there to cheer me on.

• My Blog. Every day I post pictures of the food I ate the previous day. This has REALLY helped me stay on track. When I’m tempted to eat a 19 point piece of chocolate cake from the grocery store I stop and think that I’m going to have to put a picture of that on my blog, and I don’t want to be that person anymore! I also LOVE reading other healthy blogs like TJ’s Test Kitchen and Loser for Life.

• The YMCA. We joined the YMCA almost a year ago and it’s been of the best decisions I’ve made for myself. I was one of those people who didn’t want to join a gym, and I didn’t want people to see the fat girl working out. Well, I quickly got over that when I realized, nobody cared. I joined classes like Jammin’ Cardio and Cardio Funk. I started walking on the indoor track and even started jogging. It continues to kick my butt, but now I never want to miss an exercise class because I really ENJOY it. It’s fun and that’s what keeps me going back.

• Cupcakes. I’ve learned that I won’t stick with a plan if I can’t eat the food I want to eat. I don’t eat diet food. I don’t eat sugar free stuff. I eat real food, just less of it than I used to and I save my splurges for REALLY special occasions not just because I felt like eating cake that day. I still eat cupcakes, just low fat ones I made myself instead of a dozen from the grocery store.

• Don’t give up! Even if you do splurge on something and go over your calories or points, just jump back on the wagon. Eat a salad for dinner if you splurged at lunch, but don’t deny yourself the things you really want. Don't look at it like a diet; look at it as a commitment to take care of yourself.

Getting back into the routine (and not killing myself in the process)

Hi everyone! The wonderfully awesome girls here at Twitloss have allowed me to join the team. Gang? Group? You know what I mean. *waves* I’m MamaKitty. But… you knew that.

After working my butt off, dropping almost 50 pounds, and going a little crazy in the process, I took a little break from working out. I told myself that I’d continue to eat right, and it was only going to be until the end of finals. As soon as I was on my two week break, I’d hit the gym again, I’d read all the books I’d been meaning to read, and I’d do it all with a smile on my face.

Well, that obviously didn’t happen.

In fact, I took the two week break to stay in bed and do absolutely nothing. I ate fast food (a lot of it). I drank soda, coffee (lots of cream & sugar, thanks!), alcohol… whatever I felt like. Hey, I was on vacation. Why not? I made another promise to myself: As soon as I get back in school, I’ll get back into the gym. I’ll eat right again. I won’t gain any of that pesky weight back.

That sound you’re hearing? It’s my palm smacking my forehead and the accompanying D’oh!

I went to the gym once in the first 5 week session of school. I was taking 3 classes at once, and trying to keep my head above water in the rest of my life. I didn’t have time or energy to go to the gym. And cooking right? Pfft. Who has time to cook? Pizza, Chinese, Italian, burgers, subs… they’re all easily delivered to my door.

I gained 5 pounds back. I’m sitting at 195 and hating myself for it. My jeans aren’t fitting me the way they were 2 months ago. I’m hating what I see in the mirror. I’d fallen into a pretty serious depression and hadn’t realized it. Ok, maybe I realized it, but I allowed myself to believe that I was ok. Because I didn’t want to be That Person again.

I went back to the gym this week.

Monday, my first day back in the gym, I knew I was going to hurt. A lot. I decided to do cardio instead of hitting the machines. I did 35 minutes on the elliptical and burned just under 500 calories. Then I limped to the group exercise room (it’s empty at the time I go) and stretched for 20 minutes because my legs hurt so bad I didn’t think I’d be able to move.

Tuesday, I was feeling better, so I decided that I could do 40 minutes on the elliptical. 7 minutes into it, I was ready to give up. My knee was aching, I was out of breath, and I just knew I was going to pass out. I jumped on Twitter, begged for my cheerleading section, and dropped the time down to 10 minutes. Don’t judge. I was hurting. When the timer got to 9:30, I decided I could go for 2 more minutes. When the timer got to 11:30, I moved it up 2 more minutes. I ended up tricking myself into staying on that damned thing for 45 entire minutes. After I left the gym, I felt GREAT. My endorphins were kicked into high gear and I was on an exercise high (I can totally see how people get addicted to this stuff). I almost wanted to go back to the gym and work out some more! I didn’t though, cause I knew I’d pay for it Wednesday.

Wednesday, I could only do 13 minutes on the elliptical. I wanted to do at least 15, but my legs couldn’t do it. So, I did what I should’ve done anyway and worked on upper body. While I was doing so, Jose saw me and we talked for a few minutes. He gave me a free session because he was so happy to see me back in the gym, if that gives you an indication of how long it’s been since I’ve been in the gym.

Yesterday, I did 12 minutes on the elliptical (10 minutes + 2 minute cooldown) and hit the lower body and core HARD. I’m going to be sore as hell today, but it will be worth every single minute.

I feel amazing and I’m seriously wondering why on earth it took me so long to get back into the gym. This is one of the best forms of stress relief in the world! Like the fabulous Elle said in Legally Blonde: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy…”

See? Happy.

Because I hit the weights so hard yesterday, I’m going to take it easy (ish). I’m going to go to the pool and swim a few (dozen) laps first thing in the morning. Then, I’m going to take my daughter to the clinic so we can go get *shudders* shots for school.

I can do this. I want to be healthy again, and allowing myself to stay in bed for a month or more is not the way to do it.

Summer is halfway over... how are you doing?

 Summer seems to be flying by... we are in the second half of July already and I feel entirely unprepared for the rest of it! With summer I made a lot of promises to myself...:
1. Read more.... (ugh! I have so not followed through)
2. Get to the gym daily as it gives me and the kids a break from the heat (ugh, double ugh!)
3. Drink more water (ok a bit better at this one).

I hate to admit it, but I have been in a sort of funk this summer so far. Hermitting myself away from friends and just moping about the house. Ironically, I've lost more weight than any other time so far...but I think that has more to do with a smaller appetite because of the heat and lack of sleep I have been getting.

I need to take advantage and get back on the horse for these last 5 weeks or so. I need a routine, a habit. If I go into the school year without being set in my ways on a few certain things, I will fail. This fall I have 15 credits I am taking, both kids will be in school all day.... busy is probably an understatement!

So with that, I am renewing my summer promises. I will get to the gym 5 days a week, I will drink more water. I will make a stronger attempt to sleep more than 5 hours a day. I will finish a book! ;)

On the good side: I am down another 2 lbs since my last post. At least things are still going in the right direction, tho it frustrates me to think how much better they could be going if I could get a handle on things!

Created by MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter

So, how is your summer going? Have you made any changes because of the heat and how are you doing with them?

Men vs. Women in the Battle of the Bulge

Men SUCK! There I said it. I hate that my hubby decides he wants to lose weight and then a few weeks later he looks better. Hell, I hate that the only place he gains weight is his belly! Not fair. And then he looks at me and says: “You need to get off the couch more and worry about what you eat less.”

Really? Have you looked at my ass lately? It says different.

This reoccurring conversation, which we had AGAIN this weekend, led me to the question why? Why is it sssoooo easy for them to lose weight and so hard for us? I am sad to report back that…well…my husband is half right. Dear god, did I just type those words for all the world to see? Yes. Yes I did. Here is what I learned after a quick, highly unscientific, and totally depressing search of the internet.

First, men have more muscle than women. We naturally have more fat on our bodies for various physiological reasons but mostly because WE ARE THE GIVERS OF LIFE! That’s right they plant the seed but we make it happen. As a result we get a little extra padding and a slower metabolism.

Second, men are more active. What? I feel like I go all day long! Well, studies show that they tend to move more and do more. They also tend to weight lift and do interval training. All of that means they burn fat and calories more readily than women. (Yes, this is where my hubby is right…damn that kills me!)

Now here is the result…we just have to live more like men. We have to get up and move more. We have to do more manly exercise. No I don’t mean become a body builder, but strength training is a more efficient fat burner than cardio alone. Keep making good diet choices and eventually you will start to lose weight and hopefully speed up that metabolism. So, I guess I am going to have to get my butt up off the couch a little more often and maybe try a nice walk at work during the day on top of my regular exercise program to help get things moving.

Articles:

Weight Management: Men vs Women

http://www.netwellness.org/question.cfm/74646.htm

Why Men Lose Faster than Women http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/art/index_art.aspx?tabnum=1&art_id=37981&sc=801

The Guys' Guide to Dieting

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56860

Weight-Loss Wars: Men vs. Women

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=55707

And just cause you got to the end of this post, here is a little reward. LOL!

Get your groove on

Well, yesterday Lynette distracted us with her adorable kids.





I don't have kids. So, I started wracking my brain for things to distract you. I finally settled on a few of my favorite workout tunes in honor of me getting back on the workout wagon. I don't have any *news* to report, maybe that will come next week. But, I can't wait to hear what YOUR favorite workout songs are. I need new ones.









Classic cardio song


Another classic cardio song


Marc!


Aguanile! (If you haven't seen this movie, btw, you MUST!)

What'cha Looking At?

This is Queen and the Chunk. The Chunk is terrorizing his big sister. Did you know that a one year old and a six year old could fight? I didn't. But let me scold them. Then all of a sudden I am the bad guy who is picking on their only reason for living! 

What does this have to do with TwitLoss. Not a darn thing. But I figure you'd get more entertainment out of me pimping my kids out than me just saying, not a darn thing is going on with me in the weightloss/exercise front huh?

Health wise, I have a couple more test scheduled. Home front wise, the hubster started a new job today, and getting ready for that has turned our homefront into chaos, including finding a babysitter at the last minute that would even make it worthwhile for him to even go back to work. Really, if it wouldn't drive me bat crazy, I'd start a daycare. Daycares are the only places left now adays who don't seem to care that the economy is in the toliet. LOL!

So, I'm hoping I have better news next week!

How do you US people do this & Sweet Potato Fries are the DEVIL!

First I must apologize for the second time for forgetting my post last week and I am afraid that the coming weeks posting my #twitloss blogposts are going to be challenging as I have a lot of books to read for review and reviews to write and I have a houseguest coming week and will also be going to London for 2 days. Busy much?

I hope you guys will forgive me, if I don't get around to posting my weekly post now and then...I promise to do my utter best to try and keep it up, but sometimes other stuff take precedence...

But this week I didn't forget and I found a free moment so I can catch you guys up on how I'm doing. As announced I went on vacation to L.A. and had a BLAST!

Met with Dara (dyromance) and I was sorry I couldn't chat more with her. We did talk a little bit about #twitloss and I expressed to her how much I admired you guys in the US for dieting and trying to lose weight. I was in L.A. for 2 weeks and gained 4 lbs!!!!! How do you guys resist the churros, the subway sandwiches, the bagels, the pancakes, the lemon squares....yes these are all things I stuffed in my mouth during my vacation and early on in the vacation I discovered the bane of my dieting existence. I call them THE DEVIL: Sweet Potatoe Fries!!!!! OMG I am so happy this is not common here in the Netherlands because I would never be able to stick to my diet if they were. You know what I told hubby? "As soon as I'm done dieting and I've reached my goal weight I am having home-made Sweet Potato Fries (notice how I capitalize the words...that's how I show my adoration of this DEVIL FOOD!)

So I gained during the vacation and this is the first time EVER I  have gained weight on a vacation. I always, always lose weight on vacation. But ah well, shit happens...so when I got back I knew I had to get my behind in gear again because I was already behind on the schedule before I left and now I had gained weight. I must say it wasn't too difficult to get back in the game of dieting and when I went to the acupuncturist the first time after I came back I'd already lost the 4 lbs and even lost another lbs...So compared to before L.A. I'd lost lbs in total. Me being me I started thinking that if I had stuck to the diet on vacation it could have been so much more but I soon kicked myself for that. One has to be happy with small achievements and not always crave more/better/bigger...yeah, working on that people.

Yesterday I went for my bi-weekly weigh-in again and lo and behold, another 4 pounds, which meant I have dived under the 160 lbs mark. It's been years and years since I weighed under 160 lbs so I must say I am happy. If I keep this up I might reach my goal weight somewhere in September/October...but for now let's focus on taking and enjoying this with babysteps.

And now for the stats:

Starting Weight: 192 lbs

Goal Weight: 132 lbs

Last Time’s Weight: 163 lbs (6 weeks ago)

This Time’s Weight: 158 lbs

This Time’s Loss: 5 lbs (+4, -5, -4)

Total Loss: 34 lbs

This Week’s Hours of Zumba: 0

Last Week’s Hours of Zumba: 0

Total Hours of Zumba: 10.5

As you can see in the stats...I don't want to talk about exercise...Not.A.Word...

Hugs, 

Pearl

I Interrupt This Diet Blog...

To do a little PSA about Diabetes...

Image via Wikipedia

*Climbs up on Soap Box* First, I want to share. My Dad is a type 1 diabetic and I have been Hypoglycemic all my life. I just recently finished serving on the Board of Directors for my local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). I have to tell you that even type 1 is not just a kids disease anymore. More and more adults are being diagnosed with it, and then there is type 2 that looms out there for many of us.

I noticed lately on the blog an influx of comments relating to blood sugars and being pre-diabetic so I wanted to stop and share some info with everyone. I am robbing this data from the JDRF website so you can go there for a ton more info!

Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) is the most common and most dangerous condition for many people with type 1 diabetes. Very low blood sugar may lead to insulin shock, which can be life threatening if not promptly treated. Low blood sugar occurs when the body has too little food/glucose or too much insulin.

The following are all potential reasons that a person with diabetes might have low blood sugar:

* Too much insulin taken
* Eating less than usual
* Eating later than usual
* Insulin was injected at a site on the body where the absorption rate is faster than usual
* Injecting extra insulin after forgetting about a previous dose
* More exercise than normal
* Illness or injury
* Other hormones
* Medication interaction

The following is a list of general symptoms that indicate low blood sugar (the person with type 1 diabetes may exhibit one or more of these):

* Dizziness
* Nervousness
* Personality change/irrational behavior
* Blurry vision
* Shakiness
* Nausea
* Crying
* Sluggishness
* Sweating
* Poor coordination
* Hunger
* Lightheadedness
* Irritability
* Drowsiness
* Erratic response to questions
* Inability to concentrate

Severe symptoms (symptoms as listed above, plus):

* Convulsions
* Unconsciousness

High blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, occurs when the body has too much food or glucose, or too little insulin. The following are all potential reasons that a person with type 1 diabetes might have high blood sugar:

* Not enough insulin taken
* Eating more than usual
* Eating earlier than usual
* Eating food with higher glucose content without injecting extra insulin
* Injecting insulin at a site on the body where the absorption rate is slower
* Missing or skipping an insulin dose
* A clog in insulin pump tubing
* Less exercise than normal
* Stress
* Illness or injury
* Other hormones
* Medications


High blood sugar generally does not immediately put the person with type 1 diabetes in danger. However, high blood sugar levels over long periods of time can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and amputation.

Very high blood sugar levels can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), or a "diabetic coma." DKA occurs when the cells can't get the energy they need from glucose, and the body begins to burn fat and body tissue for energy. This causes the release of byproducts called ketones, which are dangerous when released at high levels. Ketones become like poison to the body and are passed in the urine as they build up in the blood.

A person with type 1 diabetes and high blood sugar may exhibit one or more of the following symptoms:

* Thirst (dehydration)
* Frequent urination
* Blurry vision
* Stomach pain
* Increased hunger
* Nausea
* Drowsiness, lethargy, exhaustion
* Confusion
* Sweating
* Fruity, sweet, or wine-like odor on breath
* Vomiting
* Inability to concentrate
* Weight loss (a longer-term symptom) that eventually leads to coma

Now, whether you have type 1 or type 2 the symptoms are similar. How you address the issue may differ. If you do or don't take insulin, etc. I am offering no medical advice here...just sharing some information and reminding everyone that if you are at risk, you need to deal with this issue.

I am lucky, my dad has been diabetic for over 5o years, and is still in relatively good shape. Not all diabetics fare so well. His secrets? He is proactive in his medical care. He eats right, exercises, and pays attention to advances in diabetes care. At the age of 70 he has a continuous glucose monitor and an insulin pump, but he hasn't always had those. I can't stress how important diet and exercise is. And I don't mean losing weight as much as I mean eating healthy. Take care of yourselves! *climbs down off soap box*

You can follow the international organization on twitter.

and they're off (again)

You must believe me when I say that I did NOT want to use this video. Not today. Not ever. But, when I jumped in the car this morning, this was on the radio. I thought I could shake it, but it is STILL IN MY HEAD. So, now, it gets to be in your head. Don't blame me. The radio hates us.



Okay, now that that is out of the way, there is okay news, good news, and lazy ass news. Which do you want first? Lazy ass news it is!

I haven't worked out in a week. That's right. I have done absolutely NOTHING for the past week! Nothing. No treadmill. No DVDs. No gym. No weights. No walking around the parking lot. No crunches. No push ups. No thing. How do I feel? Um... kinda weak and lethargic. Exhausted. Getting back on the workout wagon will help, but I can't manage it. I'm blaming PMS, who's with me? (You people are enablers, the lot of you!)

The okay news is that, even though I've been a lazy ass all week, I've still lost 3.2lbs. This really is sending the wrong message. Don't workout and lose weight? Yeah, I'm pretty sure that is like the anti message. But, I'm sure there is a direct connection between lack of cupcakes and lack of 3.2 lbs. Hmmm....

The GOOD news is that I got a silver star (or a B+) on my doctor appointment last week. She was impressed with my weight loss efforts. My blood sugar, which is high but not high enough to be on insulin (Thank GOD) is lower. And, she said, if it is just a teeny tiny bit lower when I go back in December, I won't have to take any medicine at all anymore. How is THAT for a Christmas present?! So, with that motivation......maybe I can make it back to the gym. :-) Happy Tuesday!

The Doctor is In!

Back in March when we first began Twitloss, I made an appointment with my doctor's office for a physical. The appointment was scheduled a month later but I didn't end up going. The appointment ended up coinciding with our vacation, so I missed it and didn't reschedule. Then we hosted a blood drive at my office and since I arranged it, I figured it would be hypocritical of me if I didn't donate blood as well. They turned me down, because they said my iron was too low. I always knew I had low iron and that I should be taking iron pills, but have you seen those freaking iron pills! They're awfully big and nasty looking and let's not even talk about how constipated they make you. So, I always avoided taking them. Getting turned away from donating blood, did make me decided to reschedule my doctor's appointment. So I did.


My first clue that something was wrong was when I was speaking with the scheduler on the phone, telling her why I wanted the physical and she suggested that I go to the lab and get some blood work beforehand. So I did.

My second clue that something was wrong was when I was speaking with my doctor's assistant and she asked me if I wanted to have him do my pelvic exam and stuff. I knew I was due for one, but ummm . . . my doctor is a man . . .. A very handsome, distinguished older black man from the islands who happens to be very good looking in a distinguished older gentleman type way. LOL! Call me vain, but there was no way that I wanted him looking down there. So I told her I would just go back to my OBGYN for that portion. She said okay and then we started talking about why I was there and certain things that I had concerns about and during that discussion it became very clear that it would be in my best interest if I had my doctor do my pelvic stuff. UGGGH!


I really like my doctor despite the fact of how he became my doctor. I found my doctor because my mother-in-law used to be his assistant. And I can tell you, nothing says uncomfortable as having your mother-in-law being your doctor's assistant. Though to give her credit, when she used to work there, she would have one of her colleagues come in and ask me all the personal crap (though I didn't see the point because it's not like she couldn't just pull up my medical record if she wanted to). Of course, when I needed shots, she made sure she was the one who gave them to me. LOL! Despite my mother-in-law working for my doctor, I still went to him because it was convenient, and he has one of the best private practices in the area. He's very anal, and no offense, I want a doctor with that type of personality. I don't want to be friends with my doctor, I want someone who knows what he's doing and is not floundering when something is wrong with me. That's what I get with my doctor. Though, I must admit I was very happy when my mother-in-law changed jobs. Though she still has friends that work there, it's kinda nice still but without that ewww, my MIL works there feel!

Anyhoo. It's never a good thing when your doctor looks at you in amazement and shakes his head like you’re a freaking medical miracle. Seriously, he exclaimed several times that he was shocked that with all the crap wrong with me that I didn't weigh more than I did. SERIOUSLY, several times. And he shook his head!

Basically, I'm tore up from the floor up. Not only is my iron literally non-existent, I'm pre-diabetic, my fibroids are jacked up, and theirs something up with my triglycerides whatever those are. Because he's anal, he's scheduled a bunch of testing for me. The first is today in a couple hours.

And he also told me that I really needed to start exercising in addition to watching what I eat, which as you know, I've been really slacking in the exercising department. The hubster and I joined the local athletic club, but we haven't gone yet. Today is going to be my first day!

Wish me luck!

My body aches. Send help.

Weight wise, not much to report. I am down about half a pound this week.. not much but I took 3-4 days off of cardio. The last two days I have been back at it. Pushing myself to run more of my time and my body is complaining about it. Who says that we are supposed to feel all refreshed after activity?!?! I think they lied. I am drained. My legs and feet ache. I need a hot tub or a full body massage... yet I have neither. sigh.

I am struggling food wise this week... its getting hot, no one wants to cook. I don't even like to cook when it isn't hot! Naturally this means I am floundering trying to feed myself and the troops. Waffles and peanut butter sandwiches are not a well rounded meal .... shocking i know!

So I am looking for easy, healthy, hot weather dinners.... any ideas? This is what i have found so far:

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken  - looks yummy and would be great on a roll with some cut up veggies or a nice salad

Honey Chicken Kabobs - these just look delicious with some rice maybe?
 
Taco Salad - I am going to alter this quite a bit.. no salad dressing, make the beans from dried, no avacado or corn chips. But I love taco salads!


So... what's on our menu now that the heat is rising?

Twitloss Wants YOU!

Yes! We want you! Have you been following #Twitloss since the beginning? Maybe you found us recently? We don't care! We are looking for guest bloggers to share their weight loss experience. You can do a guest post about anything. Maybe tell us where you started, where you are today, and where you want to be. You can talk about the secret to your success. You can talk about your favorite diet recipe. It's all fair game.

As you know we are goal oriented ladies, so our goal is to have one or two guest bloggers each week. We can schedule way out so everyone will get a chance to join in the fun! Just leave a comment with your email address and/or your Twitter handle so we can find you and make arrangements. We can schedule you to post soon or if you need a few weeks that's okay too! And if you want to tell us what you'll blog about that would be great!

Now on to my own status...bleh. I rode the stationary bike for an hour and five minutes last night. I forced myself to do it. Today I have to go to a retirement ceremony...that means cake. I have already decided I don't want any. I will not eat any. I won't. If you are on Twitter around 11am PDT I may need moral support...so keep an eye on the #Twitloss hash tag.

Weight wise...I am not talking about it. I got on the scale on Thursday last week and well - it wasn't good. So I started thinking about why I keep failing at this weight loss thing. I am a Type A, goal driven, successful woman. Why the HELL can't I lose weight?! I came across a few blog sites and other diet related websites with articles on willpower. One of them really struck a cord for me...the benefit has yet to outweigh the consequences. Loosing weight just isn't important enough for me to give up foods that I love. I wasn't making it important. Now there are all kinds of implications here...I don't feel worthy of the weight loss, I am scared of failure, emotional eating...

I think I have to decide that I love myself enough to do this. I am worth the effort. This post feels like an echo of my Digging Deep post, but honestly I think it is another layer of the onion. The more I recognize the emotions around my weight gain and inability to loose the better chance I will have of succeeding. So there it is. I will remind myself of my promises and in the end I will fake it until I can make it. That means baby steps...

not THAT much wiggle....

If you knew who did this song, you get a gold star! I could barely remember the refrain.

Anyway, Happy Wednesday people! Yes, I know that it was supposed to be Happy Tuesday, but right about now I can barely remember what my name is, much less what day I'm supposed to post! But, I *DO* remember that I am supposed to post measurements this week instead of weight loss (or gain). Let me hit you with some numbers:

Chest: Starting 45 (really?!) Today: 42
Waist: Starting 46.75 Today: 38
Hips: Starting 47 Today: 42
Thigh: Starting 27 Today: 25

Okay, since I am a primarily lower body exerciser (walking, jogging, lower body strength training) WHY hasn't that thigh measurement decreased more than that?! What is really cool is that I can feel the line between the muscle and all that extra stuff that needs to go away. Sometimes, when I stand just right, the moon is in Venus, and I flex, I can actually SEE that line too.

That waist measurement is still out of control. OUT. OF. CONTROL. Less cupcakes, more.....gym. The ab strength is there, crunches are the only part of my gym health assessment that I kicked ass on in January. But, still.

We can't even talk about that chest measurement. Have I mentioned that they've ALREADY been reduced? Yes. They have. And, compared to what they used to be, they certainly look manageable now. But DAMN. :-)

So, overall, 18.5 inches lost. And the more important number, I had ZERO (0!) cupcakes this week.

Happy Wednesday!

PS: Seriously, no more than five minutes after I hit 'publish post', does this show up on Yahoo: 4 Reasons Diets Fail. It's all info you've heard before, but nice to hear it again. Don't expect miracles.....blah blah blah.

Maybe I finally have the hang of this...

I have been trying to figure out what to post all day, but I really have nothing substantial to say. I am happy to report just under 2lbs lost this week (1.8!) so I am about 13 lbs down. woo, go me!

My food has been eh this week but I have hitting the cardio like no one's business. When i started this walking 30 minutes bored me to tears. At this point I am doing 30 minutes of an walk on incline with another 30 minutes where i alternate 5 minutes of running with 2-3 minutes of walking. I put on my headphones and go.

Its the baby steps right?  Hope everyone else is going strong this week. You can do it!