Hey I lost a toddler!

My good friend christine said I inspired her to finally go on a diet, so she went with the diet she knew would work for her "Atkins" all meat, cheese, eggs.....no carbs! She has lost 26 pounds and I am so proud of her dedication and even more proud that I inspired her!

To date I have lost 24 pounds ; Christine tells me" between the both of us we've lost a toddler! lol at this point its more like a 3rd grader.

My diet approach has been much different than christine's; cutting out sugar completely( I am now a splenda girl, never thought that would happen!) And cutting out bread the first month, and then allowing myself 1-2 pieces of bread a week which is usually a piece of naan when my mom and I go to have indian food. Lemme tell you, THAT is discipline! I havent ate a bagel in 6 months. wow. I still miss them......

I do eat carbs, there are good carbs and bad carbs , and it is all about portion control and how much you eat. I feel as if i did not eat pasta, or things like that i would fall off my diet wagon from denying myself. I workout 5 days a week, and the weight is coming off a lot slower than it was, but bu June of next year(when i started my diet) I am confident I will have reached my goal weight.

keep on moving and dont give up and maybe Christine and i will lose an adult.....

Never give up

So it has been a few months now being on this diet and I have lost about 15 pounds. I have slowly added bread back to my diet and do not eat it more than once a week. I have decided to stick with the no sugar in my diet thing, but let me tell you the offering of no sugar items out there is thin. My choices are : sugar free ice cream, carb smart sugar free fudge bars, and sugar free frozen yogurt. Now don't get me wrong I like all of those choices but it is hard to find the good stuff out there!

And stay the hell away from sugar free candy. I tried some sugar free taffy my boyfriend got me at the beach.....ooof lets just say due to all the sugar alcohols its like taking a couple laxatives. ew.

I have been averaging either a pound a week, or inches. I have to admit, some days id rather run naked in the street than work out, it is really hard to keep motivating yourself, but im keeping it up.

now lets see where is my sugar free treats.......

A new me is emerging...

So it has been a month and a half since starting my diet and I am about 11 1/2 pounds lighter! For all the whining and moaning I have done about not seeing a physical change in myself, my boyfriend deserves a medal, but then again so do I:)

About 16 days ago I started working out to a video called"3o days to shred" with Jillian Micheals. It is 3 30 minute circuit training sessions, level 1,2 and 3. I decided to do level 1 for 10 days, 2 for 10 days and so on. Well let me tell ya, this women means business. No resting in between sets, hearing the phrase " I want you to feel like your gurgling your heart!!!" is something that keeps me going! I am on level 2 now, and some of the cardio exercises I just could not do like jump rope( jumping with an invisible jump rope) and the oblique twist( jumping while twisting your upper body). my lower half was so heavy i just did not have the strength to do it. Well I am hear to tell you that for the past 2 days I can do BOTH of those!! I also no longer struggle through the sets of jumping jacks. there are a few weight sets that i have to pause 5 seconds on but when i first started this i could barely get through the 30 minutes.

I really am proud of myself...and dare I say that i am...beautiful? no that is not a question, I am beautiful and really shaping up.

feels good to be loved, but amazing to love yourself.....

Happy anniversary Erin

Well, here I am a month into my diet and exercise routine. Happy anniversary to me! Funny how I had such a torrid relationship with food before, and i decided to "break up" with it! I started a new relationship with food and am pretty happy with it.

I have lost roughly 8.5 lbs so far, and that is not to bad for the first month. I know it may slow down a bit; possibly to a lb a week,that's 4 lbs a month. It is normal for your body to get used to the routine you are doing , so I just keep stepping it up. I have found having a scale is not the best most accurate way to determine how I am doing. Muscle weighs more than fat, so while I am building muscle it is replaces my fat but the scale does not know the difference. I was really obsessed in the first several weeks with weighing myself 2-4 times a day...yes I know crazy. And the fact that our weight fluctuates daily made me even more crazy. Food we eat, water weight, that will all make your weight fluctuate somewhat. I have settled for weighing myself once a day which may also seem a bit excessive, but it is better than 4 times a day. Measuring is also a telltale sign that you are toning. I have lost a few inches in my waist, but i only measure myself every couple weeks or so.

I have been working out to this video called : 30 days to shred: Jillian Micheals. It is a 30 min curcuit training video that literally kicks my derriere big time. Jillian trained all the "Biggest Loser" people on tv and she means business. You hear her throughout the video saying things like " you DON'T get to workout out for 20-30 min and take a rest, there are NO rests in this routine!!!, or "If your looking for a modified version of a jumping jack, look elsewhere, Iv'e got 400lb people that can do a Jumping Jack so can you". She's an exercise drill sergeant and EXACTLY what I need to keep me in line and not let me give up. I read up on amazon about this video with great feedback of great results. So no matter how hard it is I am going to keep up with it!!!!!!

Sayonara, and happy sweating!

When will the new me emerge?

So far I have been on this diet exercise plan for 3 weeks and have lost 7 1/2 pounds. My boyfriend, family and friends have all said they are beginning to see a change in my ; i.e. more defined jaw, smaller waist.

The problem is I look in the mirror and still see my chubby overweight self and it can be quite a downer. I can't tell if my clothes are looser and I still have that nasty roll in my stomach i just want to go away.It makes me wonder when I will finally look in the mirror and be pleased with what is staring back at me.

I often wonder in my mind "what would happen if i ate one piece of bread, or candy, or skipped to days of exercise." Then I think of the tears rolling down my face when I stepped on the scale 3 weeks ago and how angry I was at myself for getting this way. So I think of this quote everytime I am tempted to give up:
"Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can." I was always giving the great advice of not future-scoping how my life"might" be. So instead I am going to decide right here and now what it WILL be, and that means not giving up, going the extra mile, and realizing what you ARE capable of, not what you are not.


Smile and the world smiles with you....

Hey ! Weight! Go away and never come back!!

If you have ever been on a regular diet with exercise than you may have stepped on the scale one day to find that you have lost weight, and then the next day have gained weight! You also may find that you may find that you lose NO weight! And you ask yourself"Tell me why again I am eating this healthy and working my ass off only to have nothing in return?!?!"

There is this little thing called the "Plateau effect". It seems to be what I am experiencing now.Sometimes your overworked muscles need time to rest and rebuild. Take time off from your exercise routine by slowing it down, and going for leisurely walks or doing yoga. Also make sure that you are constantly changing up your workout routine: Maybe one day you go for a fast walk in your neighborhood, and the next day you workout to your favorite kickboxing video. I am blessed with the fact that on my cable i have a "fitness channel" i can record workouts from on my dvr!

It has been hard for me with this fluctuating weight and a bit of a downer, but i know if i keep working hard it will keep coming off.............

"A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,
As much or more we should ourselves complain.
William Shakespeare"

Slow slow slowwwww the weight comes off....

Why does one have to exercise all the time and eat like I am eating to take off one pound a week? This will take forever!

I have been feeling a little better about not eating sugar ,bread, and pretty much eating rabbit food. I have found a lot of sugar free options but and it has been quit do not want to go to crazy on that either.

My boyfriends kids are here this week from Minnesota and it has been quite a feat to keep the regular eating habits in order, but I am doing well. I have finally lost another pound, and it brings me that much closer to my goal.....

Keep on truckin Erin, and be your own best cheerleader....

cry baby cry...

So the other day my boyfriend and I went out to eat middle-eastern food. As I perused the menu , there seemed to be many options of what I could eat. we settled on the mezza platter which consists of hummus, grape leaves, falafel, and we also go basmati rice and chunks of grilled chicken. All was well until the brought the freak-in PITA BREAD!

The sudden realization the I could not dip the warm hot pita bread in the creamy hummus and shove the plethora of flavors in my mouth instantly made me burst into tears. Yes I messily cried in front of my boyfriend and whimpered like a baby. It is funny how being without these things is like going through the 12 steps of not drinking alcohol.

I never realized how much I depended on my favorite foods and ate them like there was no care in the world. It was only when faced with being WITHOUT them did I realize what I was facing. Who knew food could have such power over me?

I now know that I can never go back to eating the way I used too, because I would rather have the power over myself.

:)

Do it for yourself and no one else........

I have come too several realizations: 1 no one really reads this, and 2 it shouldn't matter. When I first created this weight loss blog, I wanted the support of all my friends and family; too join the blog comment and encourage. I made daily posts to my facebook that I had posted a new blogs asking people to "follow and comment" ...Well I eventually got 3 followers and several encouraging words on my first post.

It is funny the biggest answer i get on facebook is : I have been really busy I will follow it when I can. Oh ok, so you have time to be on facebook making this comment but not 2 seconds to go follow my blog? It literally takes seconds to follow and comment on a blog.

Well I was pissed for a bit. But now I do not care, I need to be doing this for me and nobody else, so no more pressuring people insistently, it does not matter, do it for you and no one else. So basically this is like my diary, but open if people want to see. I am no longer going to let this rent space in my head and upset me, this weight loss is for my well being and I am the only one who should care.

Peace, Love, and happiness.

AND ONE! AND TWO! MOVE THAT BUTT!

So I have been working out to these videos I really enjoy on the fitness channel with "Gilad" He is this oiled up Italian grease monkey that looks like he stepped out of a flock of seagalls video. However his videos are GREAT! lots of energy, encouraging words" you can do it!" " keep it up!"

I find it pretty pathetic though that as we are on the floor working our inner things and he's saying "cmon just 10 more" My burning legs fall to the floor as I am gasping for oxygen.I immediately pick it back up telling myself not to be a quitter.

Yesterday was the first day after 6 days in a row that i did not work out, due to being out all day. I was cleaning a house, so I guess i did get SOME exercise, but it was strange how this guilt set in that i wasn't able to workout with my grease buddy "Gilad". It is strange how when you are NOT on a diet and telling yourself to workout 3 times a week you can barely muster the energy to do it. But when you ARE on a diet, and working out every day, you actually MISS working out if you miss a day! Who ever thought I would miss flailing my arms in the air in a frantic aerobicising way, while sweating like a pig! Guess I really am getting into this health nut thing, and let me tell you it feels great!...Now if only there was no stiff joint afterward...ooof.

I really just ate enough food to put "The Blob" to shame?

When one is going out to eat I am certain that the last thing they think of as there tummy is growling and their saliva glands erupting is : "Gosh golly I better make sure I only eat one portion and measure out my food"!

No, you eat what is given to you like your parents always ingrained in your brain , you eat EVERYTHING on your plate , even if you feel as if you may explode. And there of course is the famous "Are you gonna eat that"? You either hear it from someone you are with or say it yourself! It hardly matters if you are full, you just greedily reach for the kill. Of course it seems very practical to ask for a doggy bag, but if we had smaller portions would we really need to be asking in the first place?
Then comes dessert. As your stomach is in pains, bloated, grumbling and moaning, your waitress/waiter asks you if you'd like to see the dessert menu. How often do you find yourself saying " I'm sorry, I'm just too full" Or worse" Well I could split a dessert, I saved a little crack in my stomach for something sweet", when you are already full! If we were eating the correct portion sizes, these issues would not be arising. Then of course there is the ever-present doom of fast food chains. What was once a 1 ounce burger patty about 10 fries and a small soda, is now "BIGGIE SIZE ME"! The consumer is talked into doing this by hearing "Would you like to biggie size that, it is only .25 more"... The consumer thinks" Well .25 is nothing, and I AM pretty hungry", and afterwords has not stopped to think the following effects on their bodies:

McDonald's biggie Fries

Calories: 650
Fat 45 grams
Sodium 800mg
Carbs 80grams

Bet you wish you didn't know that right? I suggest watching "Super-size me" and you may never eat another french fry again.

Tip for portion controlling: If you must go out to eat, when you order your food immediately ask for a to go box,and wrap up half your food when you get it. This will prevent you from over eating when you feel tempted to eat all of what's on your plate. Also look for the "Lite options" or weight watcher options" on menus.Ask that your chicken be baked now fried, ask them to use pam instead of heavy oils if needed. Ask for steamed veggies instead of fries, ask for your butter and sour cream on the side of your potato, and your dressing on the side of your salad. Put no more that one tablespoon of dressing on your salad, ask if they have a light option.

All of these tips with a little exercise ill keep you healthy and lean.......................

Where did that muscle come from....

So I am on the 5th day of my diet, and after working out every day I am pretty sure I have muscles in places I did not know about...My friggin toes are sore! But if my payoff is hot toes, then hey I must be doing something right.

I had a headache in my eyeball( yes IN my eyeball) for three days because of eating no sugar which has finally went away.I am pleased to say that after 4 days I have lost 3 1/2 lbs. Now I know they say the weight comes off fast, then slower, so I am trying to find different workout routines than sticking with just one. One day i may do the elliptical, one day I may do a kickboxing video, and yesterday i did an aerobic workout video with some crazy happy guy who dressed like he was an 80's reject. But, he did give me sore toes so he must be good at something..........

The journey is so daunting

You ever watch those movies where someone is trekking across the desert , panting and sweating , ready to drop dead from exhaustion? Yes that is me when I exercise which is why I have avoided it for so long. Let me start back a little earlier: I grew up carefree and happy, no concern for food and what I ate (don't all kids?) and was skinny and lovely well into my teens. I will never forget being 17, 120lbs and slipping on my bikini to go to the river with my girlfriends. I had not a care in the world as I flaunted my flat tummy and thin thighs and scarfed down Doritos & gulped down coke and root-beer. Fast forward 15 years: I now pant when I walk up the stairs and struggle helplessly to fit into my "skinny jeans" I haven't worn a bikini in public since I was 17...well I take that back. Multiple trips to a Fiji resort I could not help but swim, but with so many old people there I hardly cared what they thought. I figured " I will never see you again so why does it matter if you see my thighs flap in the wind"?
Let's back track a little to the tender age of 27. I was married at the time and very overweight. I was depressed about how I looked and my self worth had diminished to such a low point I knew if I did not grasp it back it would be gone forever. I immediately cut all my bad eating habits" no fast food, no soda, and i stopped eating red meat or pork. I joined a womens gym called "Curves" and within 6 months I had lost 40 lbs. Fast forward to now: I am divorced and living with my wonderful, supportive boyfriend. Over the last 5 years I stopped exercising, but stuck with the food I had cut out. However my eating habits were not always so great. Large portions, ice cream 3 times a week...I figured since I cut the other stuff out "I deserved it". Well last week I met a friend for coffee, and after browsed the antique mall connected to the coffee shop.As I was browsing I came across it. yes it. the evil. the succubus.A scale. It sat there staring at me dauntingly " Come on Erin step on me, you KNOW you want to know your weight" After sweating it out for a few minutes I decided to climb aboard.Sigh. Let's just say the rest of the day was spent sobbing woefully about what I had gained back and how could I do this to myself....That's when I decided to buck up: "I am the boss of me" I thought; I am going to FIGHT THE DAMN SUCCUBUS! I am going to show it who's boss. I decided to cut sugar and bread out of my diet and exercise 5 days a week. I am keeping a food journal to track what I eat. I have a goal weight, and when I reach it I plan on buying a bikini and posting pics of me on face-book! I know SHAMELESS PLUG of myself! But I don't care ok!?!?! When I set out to do something i win....and I am shooting for the finish line. Stay tuned for daily posts of my progress! Ok, back to daydreaming of bagels and chocolate..........