Friday, July 31, 2009
Happy Friday!
My EA Active trainer is giving me the day off, and boy, do I need it! Yesterday’s workout was full of painful surprises – lots o’ lunges, squats, a little tennis and way too much running on the track. I have never been a good runner, or great at sports for that matter. Flashback to the 90’s: I couldn’t dribble a ball without staring a hole through it, much less make a jumpshot, yet I thought I was good enough to make the basketball team in middle school. (I was quickly humbled when the names were called out. Ha!) In ninth grade, I tried out for cheerleading and completely forgot the dance. I was just standing there, hands on hips, while three bewildered judges stared at me. Talk about mortified! I did play volleyball for three of my high school years, but most of my time was sitting on the bench, leering at my unforgiving coach, or gossiping with my best friend, Laura Rose. But hey, you can’t shame a girl for trying! So back to the present: I was really proud of myself for finishing all 18 exercises, and earning a new trophy for completing an hour of training in two days. Go Meg!
I did well on my food plan, despite several temptations. Usually, Thursdays at work are what my friends Jessica, Lori and I like to call, “Chicken Wrap Day.” Our cafeteria makes the absolute BEST wraps – a handful of tasty fried chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, banana peppers and jalapenos, topped off with sweet honey mustard dressing. DROOL. But, I stuck with my Lean Cuisine pasta and cup of peas. Not the greatest lunch ever, but my thighs thanked me for it. (My stomach, however, was pissed.)
I also had a “first” yesterday: a professional massage. The wonderful Katherine helped me relax and calmed my crabby muscles down. There are numerous health benefits from massage therapy. Not only does a little rub get rid of pesky aches and pains, but also helps you get better Zzzzzs, improves alertness and even wards off colds. Check out this article from CNN.com for more info about it.
On a very important side note, I’d like to wish my niece, Presley Kate, a happy birthday! She turns 2 today. She is such a blessing to me and to our family, and I can’t wait to celebrate with her tomorrow. I only hope I can refrain from eating too much cake. :)
I did well on my food plan, despite several temptations. Usually, Thursdays at work are what my friends Jessica, Lori and I like to call, “Chicken Wrap Day.” Our cafeteria makes the absolute BEST wraps – a handful of tasty fried chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, banana peppers and jalapenos, topped off with sweet honey mustard dressing. DROOL. But, I stuck with my Lean Cuisine pasta and cup of peas. Not the greatest lunch ever, but my thighs thanked me for it. (My stomach, however, was pissed.)
I also had a “first” yesterday: a professional massage. The wonderful Katherine helped me relax and calmed my crabby muscles down. There are numerous health benefits from massage therapy. Not only does a little rub get rid of pesky aches and pains, but also helps you get better Zzzzzs, improves alertness and even wards off colds. Check out this article from CNN.com for more info about it.
On a very important side note, I’d like to wish my niece, Presley Kate, a happy birthday! She turns 2 today. She is such a blessing to me and to our family, and I can’t wait to celebrate with her tomorrow. I only hope I can refrain from eating too much cake. :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Late-night Snack
You're more likely to be hungry when you're cold. -- "Fun Food Facts," Nutritional Managment Services
I heart food.
I have never been one of those girls who eat two bites of salad and claim to be stuffed. I really do love food – Mexican, Italian, Thai (my supreme favorite these days). I luckily love fruits and veggies too, (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and rarely fry anything, but sometimes a big bowl of chips and cheese is mandatory after a rough day!
In my earlier years, I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. I remember in high school, my best friend and I used to go to Arby’s and get the five for $5 sandwiches and eat all five between us. (Which is, gulp, more than 2,000 cals just for one meal. I would NEVER do that now without feeling deeply guilty). Even my first year of college while most of my counterparts were battling the inevitable “Freshman 15,” I actually lost weight, thanks to walking all over campus instead of driving, while still eating pretty much what I wanted to. Then the weight came pouring down….
My second semester of my freshman year, I met a boy we will call "the Germ" (a name my family lovingly --ah hem, sarcasm -- gave this guy.) It was the only day it snowed, so I wanted to take full advantage of the crisp, white blanket that covered the entire campus. I called my roommate, who was at her boyfriend’s fraternity house, and she asked me to come over and enjoy the snow with them. That’s where I met the Germ. He was very charismatic, handsome, funny…we talked the entire night and went on our first date the next day. He really did seem perfect – buying me flowers, cards, introducing me to his friends the first week we met, you get the picture. But things began to rapidly change when my body started to also. I was taking a medication at the time that my doctor didn’t inform me would cause weight gain, and I packed on quite a bit over the course of several months. Rather than encourage me, he ridiculed me. We would be out somewhere and he’d point at an attractive, thin woman and say, “See her, she has the perfect body. You should look like that.” I remember another time I was so excited about a cute skirt I had bought that day at Gap, and I put it on for our date that night. The first thing he said to me was, “Your hips look big in that. You need to take it back.” I would exercise and exercise, but he’d always say it wasn’t good enough…I should run a little further, do a few more crunches, etc. And the comments continued until I finally wised up (a lot later than I should have) and broke up with him. You can’t break up with pain though. I felt horrible about my body, and my self-esteem was so low, my friend, M, suggested that I see a counselor. So I did. I’m not ashamed to admit that either because emotional abuse can be just as lethal as physical, in my opinion.
But to this day, I don’t regret being in that relationship, because I believe that God guides your life in every way. I met M through the Germ, and she and I became fast friends and roommates my last two years of school. She is a wonderful person, and even served as a bridesmaid in my wedding. Not to mention, being in a relationship with someone that toxic only makes me appreciate my amazing husband even more, who makes me feel beautiful every day. But more than anything, it helped me to see that you can’t let someone dictate how you feel about yourself, you can’t do a food plan for someone else, or exercise for someone else. It has to be solely for you.
But, I digress…for the past several years, I have gained weight, lost weight, and gained weight again. Somewhat of a yo-yo girl I guess. I dropped 25 pounds in 2003, and I felt amazing! I did a little plan you may have heard of – Weight Watchers. Basically, you have a certain number of points per day, and you have a guide to tell you what the point values are of different foods. (i.e. one of my favorite snacks, fresh cherries, are only 1 point for a whole cup.) You keep a food journal, and track everything you eat and drink (don't forget to record those margaritas!) during the day and how many points it is. You can also earn points for exercise, and have 35 extra flex points to use throughout the week. I am currently doing this plan again, which I have tried several times since my initial 2003 success. The hard part for me about this plan is staying in my points range, especially on days when I feel like I could eat my arm if it had a little bbq on it. Ha! But, it is all about making good choices I guess. Like, instead of having the 7-point Snickers bar, have the 1-point bag of popcorn.
So, in summary of my LOOOONNNG blog post (I promise I won’t get this lengthy in the future), I am putting my past behind me, and looking forward to a healthy, and hopefully, leaner future. Cheers to two pounds lost by next week…I’ll drink some H2o to that!
In my earlier years, I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. I remember in high school, my best friend and I used to go to Arby’s and get the five for $5 sandwiches and eat all five between us. (Which is, gulp, more than 2,000 cals just for one meal. I would NEVER do that now without feeling deeply guilty). Even my first year of college while most of my counterparts were battling the inevitable “Freshman 15,” I actually lost weight, thanks to walking all over campus instead of driving, while still eating pretty much what I wanted to. Then the weight came pouring down….
My second semester of my freshman year, I met a boy we will call "the Germ" (a name my family lovingly --ah hem, sarcasm -- gave this guy.) It was the only day it snowed, so I wanted to take full advantage of the crisp, white blanket that covered the entire campus. I called my roommate, who was at her boyfriend’s fraternity house, and she asked me to come over and enjoy the snow with them. That’s where I met the Germ. He was very charismatic, handsome, funny…we talked the entire night and went on our first date the next day. He really did seem perfect – buying me flowers, cards, introducing me to his friends the first week we met, you get the picture. But things began to rapidly change when my body started to also. I was taking a medication at the time that my doctor didn’t inform me would cause weight gain, and I packed on quite a bit over the course of several months. Rather than encourage me, he ridiculed me. We would be out somewhere and he’d point at an attractive, thin woman and say, “See her, she has the perfect body. You should look like that.” I remember another time I was so excited about a cute skirt I had bought that day at Gap, and I put it on for our date that night. The first thing he said to me was, “Your hips look big in that. You need to take it back.” I would exercise and exercise, but he’d always say it wasn’t good enough…I should run a little further, do a few more crunches, etc. And the comments continued until I finally wised up (a lot later than I should have) and broke up with him. You can’t break up with pain though. I felt horrible about my body, and my self-esteem was so low, my friend, M, suggested that I see a counselor. So I did. I’m not ashamed to admit that either because emotional abuse can be just as lethal as physical, in my opinion.
But to this day, I don’t regret being in that relationship, because I believe that God guides your life in every way. I met M through the Germ, and she and I became fast friends and roommates my last two years of school. She is a wonderful person, and even served as a bridesmaid in my wedding. Not to mention, being in a relationship with someone that toxic only makes me appreciate my amazing husband even more, who makes me feel beautiful every day. But more than anything, it helped me to see that you can’t let someone dictate how you feel about yourself, you can’t do a food plan for someone else, or exercise for someone else. It has to be solely for you.
But, I digress…for the past several years, I have gained weight, lost weight, and gained weight again. Somewhat of a yo-yo girl I guess. I dropped 25 pounds in 2003, and I felt amazing! I did a little plan you may have heard of – Weight Watchers. Basically, you have a certain number of points per day, and you have a guide to tell you what the point values are of different foods. (i.e. one of my favorite snacks, fresh cherries, are only 1 point for a whole cup.) You keep a food journal, and track everything you eat and drink (don't forget to record those margaritas!) during the day and how many points it is. You can also earn points for exercise, and have 35 extra flex points to use throughout the week. I am currently doing this plan again, which I have tried several times since my initial 2003 success. The hard part for me about this plan is staying in my points range, especially on days when I feel like I could eat my arm if it had a little bbq on it. Ha! But, it is all about making good choices I guess. Like, instead of having the 7-point Snickers bar, have the 1-point bag of popcorn.
So, in summary of my LOOOONNNG blog post (I promise I won’t get this lengthy in the future), I am putting my past behind me, and looking forward to a healthy, and hopefully, leaner future. Cheers to two pounds lost by next week…I’ll drink some H2o to that!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Oh my goodness...
...I just got my butt kicked! My hubs, JD, and I purchased the EA Active fitness game for Wii last night, and tonight, I decided to take it for a test run. Little did I know that run was what I would be doing! When you get started, they let you pick your "character," complete with outfit, shoes and even sunglasses and a hat if you like. Love the pink sneaks mine is sporting! :) Then you can pick what intensity level you want to work at (mine is a nice medium -- too scared to try the hard just yet) and whether you want to create your own program or go with Bob Green's 30-day Challenge. In case you don't know who Bob Green is, think trainer for Oprah. I decided to go with the 30-day challenge. For 27 long minutes, I walked, ran, did bicep curls, squats, punched at targets and even did a little inline skating. Now 27 minutes may not sound like a long time, but by the time I was done, my legs were shaking like my husband's shoulders as he laughed watching me do all these crazy moves. (With me -- not at me. The hubs is my greatest cheerleader.) It was a great workout, and despite being hard, it was a lot of fun. I really liked the variation in the exercises, and it is like having your own personal trainer right there with you. The game also tracks the calories you burn, your goals and gives you cute little trophies when you excel at the exercises. The only problem I had was getting the sensors to pick up properly, but I think that is just something you have to adjust to. Along with a brisk walk with our baby dog, Tex, I think I did pretty good today. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow's workout -- the game tells me I get to do a lot of lunges, and even play some tennis :) Check in tomorrow to see what food plan (remember, no mention of the "d" word) I'm trying this week!
Welcome to my Blog!
So, I never thought I would be a blogger. I know plenty of people that do, and I love reading about their careers, babies, weddings and other happenings they pen (a.k.a. type) about. But I could never muster the time or subject to actually write one. That is until a few days ago...when I stepped on the scale. Yes, like millions of Americans, I need to lose a few p-o-u-n-d-s. My goal is 25 to be exact. And like the name of my blog, I hope to shed about 2 pounds per week to reach my skinny jeans destination. I thought writing about my experience would not only keep me on track (and hopefully running around a track) but maybe help others who want to slim down their own muffin tops. I plan to try different food plans (p.s. I hate the word, "diet") exercise routines, helpful wellness tips and quirky tricks to reach my goal of the big 2-5 by (hopefully) November. I will also delve a bit into why I want to lose weight, my past hurts and happinesses related to weight and what has and has NOT worked for me. So grab a carrot stick and enjoy the read! :)
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