What are you still doing here?

In case you missed it, I have a new blog address...

Come check me out at Bringin' Becky Back.  :)

IMPORTANT!

Hello, hello!

Now that I have been doing this blogging thing for a few months, I feel like I've gotten to know what I want out of my blogging.  Originally, I had just decided to use blogger as a private diary of sorts where I would talk to "invisible" people that really didn't exist just so I could clear my thoughts.  But then a funny thing happened.  People started reading my blog and I *liked* it.  I gained new friends from across the country that I would've never found otherwise.  I found an amazing amount of motivation in a place I hadn't expected.  Since when is the internet nice to heavy girls?

When I created the domain name, I was overwhelmed with how many fitness blog names were taken.  Did anyone else have this problem?  Either way, I just wanted to make a quick blog and figured since no one was reading it it wouldn't matter what the title was.

Flash forward to today.

I'm unhappy with my current domain.  I like it, but I don't love it.  I want a domain name that I feel fits me, so I have moved my blog to Bringin' Becky Back.  In this journey I am bringing my old self back--my old weight, my happiness level, etc.  I look back at the girl from 2004 and she was happy, healthy, outgoing, adventurous, and secure with herself.  I would like to bring her back, and I would like you to come along for the journey.

Please update your blogrolls and come follow me on the new site.  I do not want to lose ANY of my readers!  You have no idea how much you  mean to me!  :)

So please follow me over to the new site (especially because I have no idea how to redirect yet!).


And any advice you have to offer on moving to new blogger sites would be appreciated!  :)

Weekends are Scary

Oh that's right...I torched all the progress I made earlier in the week by mindlessly eating!

Does anyone else dread the temptation of the weekend?  I look forward to weekends pretty much the entire week, but I definitely do not look forward to the ample amounts of spare time where I am not able to properly distract myself from the food in my fridge.  Also, since my husband and I are social creatures, we tend to go out with friends for dinner on the weekends.  Unfortunately, being on a 1200 calorie diet does not allow for much eating out especially when I have no idea how to calculate the calorie content in Indian food (which I am having tonight with friends).  There is also that whole "doing what my peers do" thing where my stupid mind says "Well, she's eating that much food and she looks phenomenal so I can too...."  BAD MIND!  Does anyone else struggle with this?

Confession--I love lolcats.

I feel like I am perfect at calorie counting and exercising throughout the week, but when Friday hits it all goes out the window.  You could look at my food diary on My Fitness Pal for confirmation of this.  The 3 days of the weekend completely undue any hard work I did Monday through Thursday.  This is exactly why I have been maintaining my weight for the last month rather than finally breaking into the healthy BMI range.  

HELP!  I can already see it is going to happen this weekend.  I have dinner plans tonight and dinner plans tomorrow.  How do I participate in these activities and still keep the eating in control?  I've thought about skipping lunch but that always backfires because then by the time I hit dinner I am STARVING and think I should eat everything on the table.  I don't drink alcohol so that's in my favor, but calories still sneak up on me.  

Basically, I need advice...What gets you through the weekends?

We Meet Again, Jillian...

About two years ago I decided it was time to do something about the scale. At that point in my life it was hovering around 178-180 which is the most I had ever weighed. Being a fan of the Biggest Loser, I chose Jillian Michaels to help me out with this.  I went to the store and bought a couple of her books.  I chose this one to start with:

She has a program in there that is very similar to her 30 Day Shred video, except that it isn't the same workout every day (she switches up the muscle groups so you don't over train the same muscles) and instead of being a 20 minute work out, it ends up being about 60-80 minutes.  Basically, it rocks your socks off.  It was probably the hardest workout I've ever done.  I followed the plan for 8 weeks and lost about 25 lbs.  The only reason I stopped the workout was because my local gym was overcrowded and it drove me crazy.  Okay, admittedly that's more of an excuse than a reason but it is what it is.  This particular program of hers (unlike the Shred) requires access to a gym and equipment.  

I haven't worked out with Jillian since.  I hovered comfortable around 155 lbs after those 8 weeks, went to Hawaii to celebrate my workout success, and got complacent.  I thought I could stay at 155 lbs and stop working out and counting calories without gaining weight.  I thought I knew portion size and calorie content in items to be able to continue making the correct choices so that the weight would stay off.

I was very wrong.

Flash forward to July.  The portion sizes I was eating had increased along with my backside.  I found myself once again looking at the 170s and wondering how I had gotten there after all my hard work.  So the process began again, although this time without a gym membership.  Running has always been the fastest (and most hated) way for me to trim up so I decided that I wanted to begin there.  I have asthma so running for me is difficult--every breath sometimes feels like I'm suffocating.  This is a big reason why I want to run.  Strange...but let me explain.  The more I run, the less I struggle with asthma.  If I can push through and get the mileage in, my asthma fades to the background and doesn't bother me as much.  That in itself is a HUGE reward for me.  So I chose running over Jillian.

But now I am training for a half marathon and as part of the training program I am on, I need to do some strength training 1-2 times a week.  So last night after a 3.75 mile run, I busted out my dusty old 30 Day Shred video and caught up with my friend Jillian.

I think I might hate her.  :)

I am happy to say that it wasn't as difficult for me as it was the first time I did the video.  I distinctly remember not being able to walk for a week and wondering how 20 minutes could possibly make someone so sore.  I was pleasantly surprised that the things I dreaded in the training program in the past (butt kicks, etc.) weren't nearly as difficult as they were before.  I was not surprised by how hard the ab workout was for me.  Helloooo neglected muscles.  Either way, I will definitely be adding this video to my go-to exercises because for being only 20 minutes long, it most assuredly gets the sweat going.  

A lot of you are doing Sly's Challenge of doing the Shred every day in October.  To you brave (and perhaps crazy? :) ) souls...I salute you.  Jillian doesn't mess around and she makes you work for results.  I can't wait to see your progress at the end of this challenge!

Also, I want to say hello to my new followers!  Thank you for checking me out!  I can't wait to get to know you!

Two Posts in a Row! Wednesday Weigh In!

I almost forgot the weekly weigh-in!  Forgive me!  :)


This week was a slow mover for me.  As you know, I was sick from Wednesday-Sunday of last week.  That meant little exercise for me (although I did get that awesome 1 miler in with my dad!).  Also, I've mentioned in the past how well stocked my dad's house is with everything you shouldn't eat and nothing that you should.  However, I tried my best to abstain from these bad items.  I did have (2) mountain dews and a box of junior mints, but other than that I was pretty good.  Yay for progress.


With that said...I lost a bit of weight!  Yay!  I'm hoping this continues throughout October.  I've got goals, baby, and I want to meet them!  

Since I've been doing this for 11 weeks (!!) this chart was getting a bit lengthy and hard to read so I have cut out the in-between weeks for these posts.  You can still see my week-to-week progress in the Stats section of my blog.  You'll have to let me know which way you like better!


Also, I want to extend a thank you to my readers and followers.  You don't have any clue how much you help me out.  How do I know this?  Well, because I'm on week 11 of my journey and I show no signs of stopping.  I hate to admit this, but in the past all my other attempts stopped around week 8.  Somehow I lost all my motivation around that time and would just quit.  This time?  It feels different.  It IS different.  The proof is in the progress.  With your support and encouraging words I have finally broken the cycle.


THANK YOU!

Muscles (pronounced Musk-les...just because its fun)...

:)

As you all know, I've been struggling with a self-inflicted weight plateau as of late.  Anyone that has experienced that knows how frustrating it can be, as well as dangerously discouraging.  However, thanks to the support of this wonderful community and some new-found willpower (yay!) I have kept going without letting the hurdles stop my progress.  But you know what else has kept me going?

Muscles.

Awww yeah.

I can't even remember what I was doing, but sometime within the last two weeks I felt my leg and was shocked. Instead of being soft and squishy, there was a serious muscle hanging out on my thighs.  Rock solid even.  Does it still have a layer of fat covering up its definition?  Sure.  But do my leg muscles feel awesome before, during, and after a run?  Heck yes they do!  It was such a huge NSV for me!

Yay for musk-les!

My calves have changed a bunch too, even though they haven't lost any inches.  They are showing tone and definition!  Before I wouldn't consider wearing shorts or skirts because I was embarrassed of my unshapely legs.  Now I might just have to add those to my wardrobe!  Just in time for it to snow...hahahaha!

I would like to give a big thanks to running.  You make me feel strong and sexy.



What makes you feel strong and sexy?

It's the Little Things

Today I am super excited for the packed lunch I made for myself.  Usually, I eat leftovers that I cooked on Sunday or I go out to a close food joint for my lunch hour at work.  But today I woke up and decided I wanted to bring my own lunch that was packed especially for my food today.

Yes, I realize that this is pretty standard for almost everyone losing weight out there but somehow I hadn't really added this to my program.  Oops!  :)

Anyway, I am super excited to eat my lunch!  It isn't anything special, but I know that I will be getting a balanced meal that will be filling AND delicious.  I know that when I am done eating I will be satisfied and can walk away from my meal guilt-free, which is something I've been striving for lately.

So...what did I make for myself?

• A turkey sandwich on a whole-wheat English Muffin with a little bit of miracle whip, some colby jack cheese, and some sweet pickles.
• A 1/2 cup of applesauce
• Several fresh-from-the-garden carrots

It will be delicious!  And low-calorie!  Just perfect for getting back on track to see some weight loss in October.  

I have no idea what this picture has to do with applesauce other than the caption...but I like it.

So in the interest of adding new menu items to my new "Get It Guilt-Free" lunch special, I would like to know what you pack for lunch to keep it healthy but maintain the variety.  

Tell me--what foods do you pack for lunch?