Good morning everyone!
It's Wednesday, that means weigh-in day! Current weight = 300.0.
Down 1.8 pounds! I am very excited to have lost 7.8 lbs in the last three weeks! :) I am a tad disappointed to have just barely missed being back in the 200s, but the good news is that I can look forward to reaching that milestone this time next week! I was just telling my husband that I was so nervous about my weigh-in this morning that I had an awful dream that I gained 3 pounds! (He called that a "first world" problem! haha!). Luckily, my dream was misleading and I'm still on the downward slope.
Wednesday also means Zumba night, which is also exciting! I am especially looking forward to this class because I had to miss my Saturday morning class because of medical records training for my practicum site. It's been 5 days since my last Zumba and I've certainly got a craving! :)
On a side note, I just want to say a big "thank you" to everyone who has been reading. In my opinion, weight loss is an endeavor that requires social support and a LOT of encouragement. You all have been very supportive and encouraging to me as I've been losing and I've been lucky enough to offer some of you my support and encouragement as well! I really, truly appreciate it! I am by NO means an expert on weight loss; I am still learning and have a long way to go, but it's nice to be able to give advice/tips to others as they push forward on this weight loss journey along with me. I also love receiving advice/tips from others, so please fill me in on what works best for you (or a magical low-cal snack you've fallen in love with).
Until next time,
BK
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Spaghetti Squash Adventure
Hello all!
Two things:
(1) I swam a mile today! I know it might not seem like that big of an accomplishment to some people, but to me swimming 32 laps (which equals a mile) is a reason to be proud! :)
(2) I cooked spaghetti squash for the first time tonight for dinner. I've had it at restaurants and seen many pinterest recipes using it. I must admit, I WAS a bit nervous to cook it because it seemed complicated. It was decidedly NOT that complicated and my first attempt was a success.
Since I've conquered the spaghetti squash beast, I thought I'd share what I did. It was fairly simple, delicious, and points friendly.
We start with a spaghetti squash which looks like this:
I got mine for 79 cents/pound at a local produce market, but you can get them anywhere produce is sold. I also procured some "fixins" to go WITH my spaghetti squash. I used tuna, peas, sauteed onions, Brummel and Brown spread (my fave), and Parmesan cheese blend.
I pre-heated the oven to 350 and cooked the spaghetti squash for 45 minutes. I poked a few holes in mine with a knife because I had read some horror stories about squashes blowing up in microwaves and ovens. After 45 minutes, it wasn't soft at all. So I upped the temp to 375, cooked it for about another 30 minutes and it as very soft (my knife went straight through).
While the squash was baking, I sauteed the onions until they were soft-ish then added the peas and tuna until all was well blended and warm. I also used a little Tabasco for taste.
After taking my squash out of the oven and testing it to be sure it was soft, I promptly cut my squash in half, mine looked like this.
You need to remove the seeds and middle pulp. Don't start scraping the sides yet (that's where you'll get the nice noodle shaped strands).
After you remove the pulp you can start scraping out the strands with a regular old fork. It should look like the pictures above when you start scraping. I sprayed the same skillet I used earlier with cooking spray and sauteed the spaghetti strands for a few minutes. Mine turned out a little crunchy, so I might try sauteeing longer next time.
After sauteeing it, I added 2-3 tablespoons of Brummel and Brown and about a quarter of a cup grated Parmesan cheese. Then I mixed in the mixture of tuna, peas, and onions that I had cooked earlier.
Finished product! It was truly delicious. I ate two big bowls and did not feel guilty at all! I even have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! :) Like I said before, mine was a little crunchy (still delicious), but other than that I consider my first effort a success!
Until next time!
BK
Two things:
(1) I swam a mile today! I know it might not seem like that big of an accomplishment to some people, but to me swimming 32 laps (which equals a mile) is a reason to be proud! :)
(2) I cooked spaghetti squash for the first time tonight for dinner. I've had it at restaurants and seen many pinterest recipes using it. I must admit, I WAS a bit nervous to cook it because it seemed complicated. It was decidedly NOT that complicated and my first attempt was a success.
Since I've conquered the spaghetti squash beast, I thought I'd share what I did. It was fairly simple, delicious, and points friendly.
We start with a spaghetti squash which looks like this:
I pre-heated the oven to 350 and cooked the spaghetti squash for 45 minutes. I poked a few holes in mine with a knife because I had read some horror stories about squashes blowing up in microwaves and ovens. After 45 minutes, it wasn't soft at all. So I upped the temp to 375, cooked it for about another 30 minutes and it as very soft (my knife went straight through).
While the squash was baking, I sauteed the onions until they were soft-ish then added the peas and tuna until all was well blended and warm. I also used a little Tabasco for taste.
After taking my squash out of the oven and testing it to be sure it was soft, I promptly cut my squash in half, mine looked like this.
You need to remove the seeds and middle pulp. Don't start scraping the sides yet (that's where you'll get the nice noodle shaped strands).
Until next time!
BK
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Snack of the Week: Cream Cheese Fruit Dip
Hello all!
In an effort to blog more regularly, in addition to other posts, I'm going to start doing a "Snack of the Week" post on Sundays where basically I'll just share a favorite low-points snack/side dish/food. I know when I attended Weight Watchers meetings, I LOVED to get recommendations of new foods/snacks to try. I was just telling Kyle (the hubs) yesterday that success in weight loss starts in the grocery store. You must buy foods that prepare you for success, not failure.
So for today, the snack of the week (that I just deliciously enjoyed) is Cream Cheese Fruit Dip:
As you can tell, my fruit of choice for tonight is raspberries. Honestly you can use any fruit you want (fruits are 0 pointsplus on Weight Watchers). The dip is delicious! It has a very cheesecake-y taste, so with the raspberries, it's like having raspberry cheesecake! I've also used it with strawberries, and it is equally as delicious! Don't forget to rinse your fruit before eating it!
The picture above shows the serving size for the dip (2 tablespoons) with a random amount of raspberries (what I consider a "serving"). Total points plus value? 2 pointsplus for this snack! The dip is 1 pointplus per tablespoon, which is NOT bad considering how delicious it is!
So go grab some fruit and dip (I got mine at Wal-Mart) and enjoy! :)
Until next time,
BK
In an effort to blog more regularly, in addition to other posts, I'm going to start doing a "Snack of the Week" post on Sundays where basically I'll just share a favorite low-points snack/side dish/food. I know when I attended Weight Watchers meetings, I LOVED to get recommendations of new foods/snacks to try. I was just telling Kyle (the hubs) yesterday that success in weight loss starts in the grocery store. You must buy foods that prepare you for success, not failure.
So for today, the snack of the week (that I just deliciously enjoyed) is Cream Cheese Fruit Dip:
The picture above shows the serving size for the dip (2 tablespoons) with a random amount of raspberries (what I consider a "serving"). Total points plus value? 2 pointsplus for this snack! The dip is 1 pointplus per tablespoon, which is NOT bad considering how delicious it is!
So go grab some fruit and dip (I got mine at Wal-Mart) and enjoy! :)
Until next time,
BK
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Perplexing Situation
Hello all!
Had an interesting experience today involving purchasing plus-size exercise clothes. My good good friend Sara (who is a fitness enthusiast and has lost quite a bit of weight) and I were just talking about this topic. She had a plus-sized friend send her information for exercises for plus-size women, including places to buy exercise clothes. I'll attach the article about the clothes here:
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=dress_for_success_your_guide_to_plussized_workout_clothes
Feel free to check it out!
On a related note, I need some new workout clothes. When I was exercising pretty regularly last summer in SC, I had two pairs of sweatpants-style shorts and two pairs of sweat-pants style capris that I cycled through during my workouts. My FAVORITE pair of workout capris (which I incidentally got from Wal-Mart) ended up with a hole in the back from what I think was a combination of my brother's dog and an aggressive washing machine cycle. Now I'm back down to one pair of capris and two shorts and I just don't like doing Zumba in shorts. I have the classic "my shorts roll up my thighs" problem that most plus-size ladies deal with. I don't want to be thinking about pulling my shorts down when I'm trying to bust a move!
Long story short, I'm in the market for new workout clothes and I have both a gift certificate and a coupon to Lane Bryant (my FAVORITE plus-size store). The article even mentioned Lane Bryant as a good place to get some well-fitting exercise clothes! So today I thought I'd stop in on my way home from practicum and pick up some new work-out duds. I've both seen active wear in an LB store before and have even bought some on one occasion; however, this branch of Lane Bryant had NO workout clothes and the sales lady looked at me with a rather perplexed expression. I was surprised, but asked if any of the other branches in Baton Rouge would have some and she replied that she didn't think so. I turned to head to my car and a fellow patron beside me commented, "Why would they have workout clothes HERE?" After laughing, she went on to say "Surely they don't want us to workout, they want us to keep coming back." I smiled and walked out of the store, but the comment stuck with me.
Is is supposed to be strange for a plus-size woman to seek out exercise clothes? I certainly don't think so. I'm under the impression that I need exercise desperately, probably more than the average woman because of my size. Don't we deserve to have properly fitting and somewhat stylish plus size workout gear? I certainly would not feel comfortable in the gym with a sports bra and some spandex shorts (the thought actually makes me laugh because of my modesty and lingering body insecurities). So I guess it's back to the drawing board for me. I'm going to call my go-to Lane Bryant branch to see if they carry activewear (I think I remember seeing some that last time I was there). I've considered ordering online, but styles/sizes are limited and sometimes the sizes are different than the size charts, which concerns me. We'll see!
So anyway, I was a little surprised and even somewhat discouraged by the attitude of my fellow patron today. I just thought I'd share and see if anyone else had opinions/advice on the subject!
Until next time,
BK
Had an interesting experience today involving purchasing plus-size exercise clothes. My good good friend Sara (who is a fitness enthusiast and has lost quite a bit of weight) and I were just talking about this topic. She had a plus-sized friend send her information for exercises for plus-size women, including places to buy exercise clothes. I'll attach the article about the clothes here:
http://www.dailyspark.com/blog.asp?post=dress_for_success_your_guide_to_plussized_workout_clothes
Feel free to check it out!
On a related note, I need some new workout clothes. When I was exercising pretty regularly last summer in SC, I had two pairs of sweatpants-style shorts and two pairs of sweat-pants style capris that I cycled through during my workouts. My FAVORITE pair of workout capris (which I incidentally got from Wal-Mart) ended up with a hole in the back from what I think was a combination of my brother's dog and an aggressive washing machine cycle. Now I'm back down to one pair of capris and two shorts and I just don't like doing Zumba in shorts. I have the classic "my shorts roll up my thighs" problem that most plus-size ladies deal with. I don't want to be thinking about pulling my shorts down when I'm trying to bust a move!
Long story short, I'm in the market for new workout clothes and I have both a gift certificate and a coupon to Lane Bryant (my FAVORITE plus-size store). The article even mentioned Lane Bryant as a good place to get some well-fitting exercise clothes! So today I thought I'd stop in on my way home from practicum and pick up some new work-out duds. I've both seen active wear in an LB store before and have even bought some on one occasion; however, this branch of Lane Bryant had NO workout clothes and the sales lady looked at me with a rather perplexed expression. I was surprised, but asked if any of the other branches in Baton Rouge would have some and she replied that she didn't think so. I turned to head to my car and a fellow patron beside me commented, "Why would they have workout clothes HERE?" After laughing, she went on to say "Surely they don't want us to workout, they want us to keep coming back." I smiled and walked out of the store, but the comment stuck with me.
Is is supposed to be strange for a plus-size woman to seek out exercise clothes? I certainly don't think so. I'm under the impression that I need exercise desperately, probably more than the average woman because of my size. Don't we deserve to have properly fitting and somewhat stylish plus size workout gear? I certainly would not feel comfortable in the gym with a sports bra and some spandex shorts (the thought actually makes me laugh because of my modesty and lingering body insecurities). So I guess it's back to the drawing board for me. I'm going to call my go-to Lane Bryant branch to see if they carry activewear (I think I remember seeing some that last time I was there). I've considered ordering online, but styles/sizes are limited and sometimes the sizes are different than the size charts, which concerns me. We'll see!
So anyway, I was a little surprised and even somewhat discouraged by the attitude of my fellow patron today. I just thought I'd share and see if anyone else had opinions/advice on the subject!
Until next time,
BK
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
New (and Renewed) Strategies
Hello all! Welcome to July! :) It's hard to believe that 2012 is over halfway through!
Let me fill you in on the past month:
My sweet and loving long-distance husband came to visit, which COMPLETELY threw off my dieting (not his fault!). Ergo I had gained some weight since my last entry. "Vacation mode" is an evil way to function because it makes you take less notice of the amount of food/calories you are eating.
Despite this, I remained firm in my resolve to "get it right" and attended my very first Zumba class the Friday after he left. They were offering a free class at my church and I had heard so many wonderful things about Zumba from friends back home. Let me tell you: Zumba is so much fun! It's tough work, but you almost forget that you are exercising. I took dance lessons/classes in my childhood and adolescence and have always loved to dance, but you do not need to come to the classes with any pre-existing dance abilities. After getting to know the instructor and some of the girls/women in the class, I decided to take a big step and join a gym here in Baton Rouge. It's an idea I had entertained for many months now, but couldn't find a gym that fit mine and Kyle's budget, offered Group Exercise classes, and didn't have a long contract.
My instructor teaches 3 Zumba classes a week at a YMCA close to my apartment. The start-up costs were low, the monthly fee was reasonable, and the contract was month-to-month. Needless to say, I signed up almost immediately. So for the past two weeks, I've been keeping track of my Weight Watchers Points Plus values religiously and exercising 3-4 times a week. Here's my current workout schedule:
Mondays: Swim laps for at least 30 minutes at YMCA pool.
Wednesdays: One-hour Zumba class after work.
Fridays: One-hour Zumba class after work.
Saturdays: One-hour Zumba class first thing in the morning, followed by a one-hour Pilates class (with my same instructor; she's the best!)
Since it's summer and the best laid plans always seem to fall apart, I have yet to complete this full schedule for one week. Last week the gym was closed on Wednesday July 4th, so I didn't have Zumba class, but went and did 30 minutes of cardio on Thursday via treadmill and the elliptical machines. So I still exercised 4 times, just not the four times I would have preferred. This week will be a little hinky as well because one of my summer practicum sites has medical records training this Saturday morning (yuck) so I have to miss Zumba AND Pilates (so bummed!). As a result, I'll probably head for a swim Saturday afternoon for about an hour to compensate (or try to) for the loss of my two awesome group x classes.
The point of my story is that over the last two weeks doing WW and Zumba, I've lost 6 pounds! I lost 3.8 during Week 1 and 2.2 during Week 2. As always, it would be nice if it were more, but as for now, I'm stoked with 6. :)
Current weight: 301.8
Maybe by next week I'll be back to Two-terville (in the 200s). That would be awesome. I must admit I'm a bit nervous about this upcoming week. Years of dieting/exercising tell me that when you have 1 or 2 good weeks (like 6 pounds total) the third week can get a bit rough in terms of weight loss. I'd love to lose at least 2 more pounds, but we'll see what happens.
Until next time,
BK
Let me fill you in on the past month:
My sweet and loving long-distance husband came to visit, which COMPLETELY threw off my dieting (not his fault!). Ergo I had gained some weight since my last entry. "Vacation mode" is an evil way to function because it makes you take less notice of the amount of food/calories you are eating.
Despite this, I remained firm in my resolve to "get it right" and attended my very first Zumba class the Friday after he left. They were offering a free class at my church and I had heard so many wonderful things about Zumba from friends back home. Let me tell you: Zumba is so much fun! It's tough work, but you almost forget that you are exercising. I took dance lessons/classes in my childhood and adolescence and have always loved to dance, but you do not need to come to the classes with any pre-existing dance abilities. After getting to know the instructor and some of the girls/women in the class, I decided to take a big step and join a gym here in Baton Rouge. It's an idea I had entertained for many months now, but couldn't find a gym that fit mine and Kyle's budget, offered Group Exercise classes, and didn't have a long contract.
My instructor teaches 3 Zumba classes a week at a YMCA close to my apartment. The start-up costs were low, the monthly fee was reasonable, and the contract was month-to-month. Needless to say, I signed up almost immediately. So for the past two weeks, I've been keeping track of my Weight Watchers Points Plus values religiously and exercising 3-4 times a week. Here's my current workout schedule:
Mondays: Swim laps for at least 30 minutes at YMCA pool.
Wednesdays: One-hour Zumba class after work.
Fridays: One-hour Zumba class after work.
Saturdays: One-hour Zumba class first thing in the morning, followed by a one-hour Pilates class (with my same instructor; she's the best!)
Since it's summer and the best laid plans always seem to fall apart, I have yet to complete this full schedule for one week. Last week the gym was closed on Wednesday July 4th, so I didn't have Zumba class, but went and did 30 minutes of cardio on Thursday via treadmill and the elliptical machines. So I still exercised 4 times, just not the four times I would have preferred. This week will be a little hinky as well because one of my summer practicum sites has medical records training this Saturday morning (yuck) so I have to miss Zumba AND Pilates (so bummed!). As a result, I'll probably head for a swim Saturday afternoon for about an hour to compensate (or try to) for the loss of my two awesome group x classes.
The point of my story is that over the last two weeks doing WW and Zumba, I've lost 6 pounds! I lost 3.8 during Week 1 and 2.2 during Week 2. As always, it would be nice if it were more, but as for now, I'm stoked with 6. :)
Current weight: 301.8
Maybe by next week I'll be back to Two-terville (in the 200s). That would be awesome. I must admit I'm a bit nervous about this upcoming week. Years of dieting/exercising tell me that when you have 1 or 2 good weeks (like 6 pounds total) the third week can get a bit rough in terms of weight loss. I'd love to lose at least 2 more pounds, but we'll see what happens.
Until next time,
BK
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Back in the Saddle (again)
Well... as we all know weight loss is a lifelong journey whether you've reached your goal weight yet or not. A lot has happened since I last blogged:
The last time I blogged I cited one of my main reasons to want to lose weight (aside from my health) was because I didn't want to be a "fat bride." When Kyle and I married my weight was 284 (the lowest it has been in years!). I was still "fat," but I felt wonderful about myself having lost 69 pounds from my heaviest weight! I will look back at my GORGEOUS wedding photos and remember the best day of my life with no regrets.
Since the wedding, life has sunk back in and today, as I blog I'm at 303.1. :( I'm sad about that. I know, I know, I'm still 50 pounds down, but I'm 19 pounds up from my wedding day. 19 pounds in 6 months is NOT where I want to be right now. So I'm strengthening my resolve. It's time to start back getting SERIOUS about my weight loss....and I have a new motivator. Now that Kyle and I are married, I want us to start our marriage off healthy. He's gained some weight over the almost 4 1/2 years of us being together and we both need to be healthier. Also, in a few years we'd like to start a family and I want to be a healthy weight for pregnancy and childbirth. What better time to start than now!
So here I am, holding myself accountable again to the entire internet world. Wish me luck!
Until next time,
BK (Since I'm married, I'm a K now!)
- Kyle and I got engaged! (6/10/11)
- I was accepted into Louisiana State University's Clinical Child Psychology PhD program, moved to Baton Rouge (August 2011) and began my doctoral work.
- Kyle and I got married! (12/17/11) Thus, we started a long distance marriage. He'll move to Baton Rouge in August or September of this year.
- I reached my lowest weight in years and then gained some back (booo)
The last time I blogged I cited one of my main reasons to want to lose weight (aside from my health) was because I didn't want to be a "fat bride." When Kyle and I married my weight was 284 (the lowest it has been in years!). I was still "fat," but I felt wonderful about myself having lost 69 pounds from my heaviest weight! I will look back at my GORGEOUS wedding photos and remember the best day of my life with no regrets.
Since the wedding, life has sunk back in and today, as I blog I'm at 303.1. :( I'm sad about that. I know, I know, I'm still 50 pounds down, but I'm 19 pounds up from my wedding day. 19 pounds in 6 months is NOT where I want to be right now. So I'm strengthening my resolve. It's time to start back getting SERIOUS about my weight loss....and I have a new motivator. Now that Kyle and I are married, I want us to start our marriage off healthy. He's gained some weight over the almost 4 1/2 years of us being together and we both need to be healthier. Also, in a few years we'd like to start a family and I want to be a healthy weight for pregnancy and childbirth. What better time to start than now!
So here I am, holding myself accountable again to the entire internet world. Wish me luck!
Until next time,
BK (Since I'm married, I'm a K now!)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Wow. I've been really really slack-tastic.
Hello all!
I apologize for not blogging in... well, really forever. I have been so swamped with my new job (and thus, so OFF my points-counting). I haven't been to the gym in two weeks, but Kyle and I are starting back today. My biggest issue with the gym is that sometimes I let it carry all my weight (literally). I will work out and then think "It's okay if I eat a cheeseburger, because I worked out this week." WRONG. It's not. But with Halloween candy abounding and my scheulde being crazy and Kyle and I eating out a lot, I've been really bad. Like gained five pounds back bad.
Weight on Monday of this week: 324.5 BAH!
I hate gaining weight back. It feels like all that hard work I did to lose pound by pound was undone by cheeseburgers and chocolate bars.
So my Mom and I said enough is enough, time to get serious again. And what is more serious than: THE THREE DAY DIET. Yes, folks, it's back again. I'm on day three now (almost over!) and miracle beyond miracles I weighed myself this morning and....
317.4!
YAY! I know, I know, I have to keep up my exercise and count my points to keep it off, but that's the lowest number I've seen in years! A total weight loss of 27 pounds so far! I was excited. As always, I wish I could have gotten this number a month ago and be even lower now, but I'll take what I can get. My mom and I are planning (fingers crossed) to do the three day diet again next week Monday-Wednesday, but with our schedules, we'll have to wait and see.
My newest weight loss goal is to be under 300 by the new year (2011). Even if that means I'm 299, I'll still be happy! That will mean 54 pounds of weight loss since my heaviest weight and 45 pounds since I started in June. Amazing! It's step-by-step. And it is becoming more and more evident that this will be a fighting struggle for the rest of my life. But that's okay. I think I'm up to it.
Until next time,
BB
I apologize for not blogging in... well, really forever. I have been so swamped with my new job (and thus, so OFF my points-counting). I haven't been to the gym in two weeks, but Kyle and I are starting back today. My biggest issue with the gym is that sometimes I let it carry all my weight (literally). I will work out and then think "It's okay if I eat a cheeseburger, because I worked out this week." WRONG. It's not. But with Halloween candy abounding and my scheulde being crazy and Kyle and I eating out a lot, I've been really bad. Like gained five pounds back bad.
Weight on Monday of this week: 324.5 BAH!
I hate gaining weight back. It feels like all that hard work I did to lose pound by pound was undone by cheeseburgers and chocolate bars.
So my Mom and I said enough is enough, time to get serious again. And what is more serious than: THE THREE DAY DIET. Yes, folks, it's back again. I'm on day three now (almost over!) and miracle beyond miracles I weighed myself this morning and....
317.4!
YAY! I know, I know, I have to keep up my exercise and count my points to keep it off, but that's the lowest number I've seen in years! A total weight loss of 27 pounds so far! I was excited. As always, I wish I could have gotten this number a month ago and be even lower now, but I'll take what I can get. My mom and I are planning (fingers crossed) to do the three day diet again next week Monday-Wednesday, but with our schedules, we'll have to wait and see.
My newest weight loss goal is to be under 300 by the new year (2011). Even if that means I'm 299, I'll still be happy! That will mean 54 pounds of weight loss since my heaviest weight and 45 pounds since I started in June. Amazing! It's step-by-step. And it is becoming more and more evident that this will be a fighting struggle for the rest of my life. But that's okay. I think I'm up to it.
Until next time,
BB
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