Lindsey Weigh In, August 22

Previous weight: 179 (last week, no post)
Current weight: 179

Nothing lost, but I'm okay with that. I had two indulgent weekends and I'm glad they didn't show up on the scale.

I'm still aiming to exercise 4 times a week; I figure if I miss it and get only 3, that's still pretty good. I'm still doing South Beach and it's getting a little annoying--hard to find mid-day meals that don't include carbs. But I find that if I keep my carb servings down to only 3 or 4 per day, it makes a pretty big difference.

I also noticed on those two weekends of eating crappy food, I really felt it. My stomach was not happy with so much sugar and fat at the same time. I hope I can remember that next time I'm tempted to indulge--unless the treat is high-quality, it's simply not worth it.

Holly Weigh-In: 8-22-11

Weighed in the last few days at 175! For some reason that feels like legit weight-loss finally. It is definitely more motivating and makes me want to be even better about watching what I eat and how active I am! 12 pounds down, only ten to go to my Christmas mini-goal, which is perfect since I will also be a bridesmaid at Sarah's wedding then. Ten totally seems more and more achievable now that I've lost as much as I have. I've noticed a few of my clothes fit better, all of my jeans are too big except the size 12 pair I bought in California and my legs and face look thinner (Gary agrees!)

Holly Weigh-In: 8-12-11

This morning I weighed in at 176.6. One pound down, only 11 to go to reach my Christmas mini-goal! I've really only been taking in less calories (mostly because we are flat broke and can't buy fast food, ha!) but I've also cut way back on my soda intake so I'm hoping that really helps boost how much I start losing. Ideally I would like to be done with soda other than at social events but I usually drink water when we go out to eat anyway...

This week's goal: survive. With a teething baby, two parties to plan, school starting up and no financial aid coming in at the moment I am super stressed out and just trying to get through each day. All I want to do is eat so it's a good thing that we can't afford groceries because all I would buy is chips and soda and little debbie swiss cake rolls. Geesh.

Lindsey Weigh In, August 8

Previous weight: 182 (last Monday, even though I didn't post it)
Current weight: 180

I only exercised twice last week, and we ate like crazy women the weekend you were here, so I think 2 pounds lost is a great success!

This week: I'll exercise at least three times--I'm coming off being sick, and it's always hard for me to workout when I already feel like crap. I'll definitely stick to south beach--I'm still pretty bored with it, but I can't deny the results. I'm eating two servings of whole grain carbs and one or two servings of fruit per day, but the rest of my food is all lean meats and veggies. I honestly believe I should be eating that way in REAL LIFE as a sustainable way to eat for long-term, I just really find it difficult to maintain momentum. I like the sweets too much!

Holly Weigh-In: 8-3-11

This is going to be a quick post since Babycakes is waking up, but I weighed in at 177.7 this morning. So after the dust has settled from being sick and then eating without discretion in California I still came out ahead (the one good thing about throwing up my guts I guess?) Overall that is only 6ish pounds lost which is annoying but not surprising. I think I need to get back to logging my calories and exercising. Duh. Still...only 32 more pounds to go and only 12 to lose before Christmas (mini goal of 165 by then) which feels MUCH more achievable. Now that things have settled down here at the house and the construction is done I'm hoping it gets a little more easy to get Jillian playing on a regular basis. If nothing else, with school (maybe) starting I will have to institute a proper routine and exercise WILL have a place in it.

Lindsey Weigh in, July 25

Previous weight: 185
Current weight: 183

So I'm definitely going down again--whew! I went back and looked--we've only been doing this for 7.5 weeks and I've already lost 10 pounds. That's pretty cool! I would love for it to be closer to 2 pounds a week, but 1 pound per week is at least something!

Last week I did South Beach except for Saturday--went out with my girlfriends and I had a slice of pie for dessert. I picked the one with the least calories at least, but I still indulged. I'm not real worried about it. I also worked out 4 times, like I've been trying to do forever! I did have to do two of those workouts at night--I'm finding that as much as I hate spending my free time that way, at least it gets done.

This weeks goals: I'm still doing South Beach, but getting to the point where it feels really boring. Vegetables... again?! But I'll persevere. Maybe I just need to find some fresh recipes to get me interested again. And I'll aim for working out 3 times... we have a play date every morning this week, and you'll be here all weekend (YAAAAAAY!!), so I don't know if I can commit to 4 times. But I think walking around the quilt fair should count for something! ;)

Sweet, sweet progress!!

I weighed myself this morning (after breakfast) and the scale said 182. Yay!!! Finally, the number reflects how I feel in my clothes. I can tell I'm getting thinner and I love it. LOVE IT!! I know it doesn't mean I've lost 3 pounds since Wednesday... maybe I was just having a heavy day? Anyway, whatever the reason, I'm pumped! I just hope Monday looks just as good, if not better!

I'm hoping that at 180 I'll be in some size 14 stuff... we'll soon see. :)

Lindsey Weigh in, July 18

Previous weight: 185
Current weight: 185

Aaaaaand I'm officially annoyed, discouraged, frustrated... What's the point of eating so well if I don't see any progress?! Grrrrr!

This week I'll still eat well. I'll still exercise. If I don't see a lower number on the scale on Monday, I reserve the right to be truly pissed off. And then I'll have to re-evaluate my process... but if it means I'll have to work even harder, I don't know what I'm gonna do...

Monday's weigh in... a little late!

Current weight: 185

I weighed in on Monday morning. I didn't lose anything from the previous week which is annoying, but I also didn't do Jillian--I did exercise 3 times, but it was walking, not anything hard core. I followed South Beach 95% of the time, splurged once on some Oreos. But honestly, I doubt that three oreos could derail everything. I've come to believe that weight loss stalls out sometime but that's no reason to stop trying. Besides, some of my pants are fitting better already and Malcom says he's noticed my weight loss. :)

This week: I'll exercise four times--yes still a goal of four, I KNOW I can do it--and stick to South Beach. I hope to see progress again on Monday!

Holly Weigh-In: 7-14-11

Before I forget (because you know I will)I weighed in this morning at 180.4. Soooo glad my weight is done bouncing around from post-San Diego sunburn trauma. I'm back to eating smaller (or maybe just appropriate?) portions though I'm not logging every single calorie I put in my mouth. Some days I do, but usually I just try to eat healthier meals or if we eat out I get a kids meal, or no fries/soda, etc.... I think that snacking is my biggest pitfall. I know that a lot of people swear that a bunch of small meals is better than 3, but that just leads me to over-snacking so I'm more or less sticking with 3 normal meals and the occasional little snack in between.

I am just the worst when it comes to exercise but I have been moving around a lot more than normal because of all the home improvements we have been doing. This week my goal is to Jillian 3 times and anything else is just gravy :) Only 35 pounds to lose! I'm hoping to get to 160 by Christmas so that is 20 ish weeks to lose 20 pounds! Woot!

Lindsey Weigh In, July 4

I'm switching to a Monday weigh-in because my brain works better that way.

Starting weight: 193
Current weight: 185

I am very happy with my progress so far! I can tell I'm getting thinner because my clothes fit better and my stomach doesn't stick out as much. I only exercised two times last week and I hate that. The Jillian stuff is only 20 minutes, so I should be able to make time for it, but life sometimes gets in the way. I was perfectly faithful to the South Beach Diet though, so that's good. I got to add back in some carbs, so I'm pretty happy! I do feel a little sick of vegetables, but as soon as I eat them and they taste so good and they keep me full for so long, I remember why I like eating them.

This week's goals:
DIET: Stick to South Beach. I get to add back in another carb every day, so now I'll have three servings a day. I think I could stay there for a while. It includes cereal as long as it has lots of fiber and low sugar, plus I get to have a serving of fruit every day. And I can now have dark chocolate "occasionally;" I don't know what they mean by occasionally, so I'm trying once every three days. I don't think that'll make me gain back too much weight, especially since it's only one ounce, which is SIX hershey's kisses... that sounds like so few, but it's really a lot!

EXERCISE: I really want to work out four times this week. I know I can do it--maybe if it gets to Friday and I haven't done enough, I'll have to give up on my evenings of tv-watching and sewing to get all four workouts in. I really like the 30-day Shred and I feel like I'm getting better at it, so that's pretty motivating. I just have to focus on those size ten jeans hanging up in my room... I really want to fit back into those, so bad!! I'm hoping I can do it before 2012, but as long as I keep progressing, I'm okay with it taking a little longer. Maybe next Spring I can be skinny for a while before getting pregnant again! :p

Holly Weigh-In: 6-23-11

Starting Weight: 180.3
This Week: 180.0
Weight Lost: 0.3 lbs

Dear Birthday Weekend:
You suck. How dare you be filled with delicious high-calorie brisket, sushi, macadamia nut chicken, pie, strawberry shortcake and pulled pork sammies!! Don't you know that I am trying to lose weight?! WTF?!

Eff' you.

Sincerely,
The Fatty resentfully snacking on raw vegetables


I did not exercise. It is too hot. And I am tired. And it was my birthday week. So there.

I am back on track for my calorie counting, and I generally do really well until C goes to sleep...then I get my second wind for the day and I stay up doing homework or watching a little tv and I want to snack. I know that I'm not hungry but I am so used to snacking and eating at night that it is crazy hard to break that habit. I'm going to try to stop eating after 9 pm this week and while I'm at the beach this weekend I am going to keep to my calories as best as I can (the girls want to go to some famous hamburger bar and a gelato place too...psh) and I'm planning on taking my running shoes so that I can get in some jogging/power walking in the morning on the sand. I'm not PROMISING that will happen, but I'm going to try. I'm also going to do Jillian's video at least twice. That feels doable to me, but seriously it is just soooo hot here that it sucks all of the motivation right out of me. I just want to lay around in my underwear until the sun goes down.

Lindsey Weigh In, June 22

Starting Weight: 193
Current Weight: 190

Finally, some progress. I was getting a bit annoyed that the scale wasn't showing what I could see/feel. My clothes are fitting looser and I feel a tiny bit less jiggly, so I know I'm losing weight and toning up. Glad the numbers finally reflect that.

I did stick to the diet this week. The temptations were a little stronger on Father's Day and while I've been sick--hard to eat so strictly when there are good, comforting foods about. But I was strong. :) I also worked out 4 times, all with Jillian. She's hard core.

This week: Finish phase 1 of South Beach on Monday, start phase 2 on Tuesday--hooray for oatmeal for breakfast!! And exercising, I'll stick to 4 times a week. I think that's a good amount for me for now. I know it should be 5 or 6 times a week, but I can't commit to that yet. It's just not realistic to squeeze it in every day, ya know?

Okay, here's to hopefully more weight loss this week. I hope to see at least another 3 pounds drop before the next weigh in. Otherwise I'll feel like Phase 1 was a waste of time!

Holly weigh in 6-15-11

Last week: 182.1
This week: 180.3
Weight lost: 1.8

I'm typing this from my phone so I'll have to come back later and edit/add more. I'm not stories I didn't lose more because I had a couple days where I definitely blew my calorie limit out off the water, but I didn't gain so that's something positive! This week I want to try and do something active 4 times for at least 30 minutes. I have an exercise ball for crunches, a jump rope for cardio, free weights and my jillian michaels video. I think I'm set!

Lindsey Weigh In, June 15

Starting Weight: 193
Current Weight: 192

Honestly, for spending a weekend eating whatever I wanted, that's pretty good!

Last week's goals: I kept to my 1500 calories until Friday just like I had planned. I did workout 2 times, but I didn't do crunches on non-workout days.

This week's goals:
FOOD = SOUTH BEACH: I started South Beach yesterday and it's honestly not bad at all. Since I don't have to limit how much I eat, I don't ever go hungry. I only miss the carbs a little so far. I'll keep on phase one for two weeks, then switch to phase two and slowly reintroduce good carbs.

EXERCISE: I'm doing Jillian's 30-day shred. I've done two days so far and it's HARD. But since it's only 20 minutes, it's doable. I'm going to do 4 days of exercise this week, probably all 4 with Jillian, but maybe one day of walking around the zoo instead.

Lindsey Weigh In, June 8

Blarg.

Starting weight: 193
Current weight: 193

Lame.

I'm definitely following the 1500 calories every day. I can tell it's getting a LITTLE easier. But I still want to manage my stress with food. And sometimes I just estimate what I'm eating. That's not bad once in a while, but when I do it for the whole day, I bet I'm off by 100 calories or so and that's no good. I don't see my stagnant weight as a reflection of my efforts this week because I know I did good. I just think my body responds slowly. But that makes it hard... I always wane in motivation when I can't see progress.

This week's goals:
*Girls' weekend in Flagstaff, I won't be counting calories. Not even gonna apologize for that.
*Do 100 crunches on any day I don't exercise.
*Exercise! The weekend's gonna be hard, but I'll set the goal to at least work out TWICE for 30 minutes each time before next Wednesday. There, it's in print. Now I have to.
*Start South Beach on June 14th. That's going to be hard core. But I'm looking forward to the quick weight loss and getting away from the carb cravings.

Holly Weigh-In: 6-8-2011

Previous weight: 184.6
Current weight: 182.1
Total weight loss:  2.5 lbs

I'm not going to lie...I'm a wee bit skeptical of this new number. I weighed myself on my mom's digital scale to begin, and weighed myself on my new weight watchers digital scale today. So, digital must mean that it is accurate, right? I have been doing pretty well with my calorie count (at the very least I am definitely eating less than before, even if I don't stay at or under my goal caloric intake each day) but thanks to this crazy summer class and the fact that C has been going to bed much later than normal, I haven't made time to exercise like, at all. BUT I did exchange my too-heavy weights for some nice 5 pounders so that I can get through more than the warm-up of the 30 day crunch video. So...that's something. Right?

As soon as I get this paper turned in then I should have a *little* more time for exercise, at least enough for the 40 minute video. 

P.S. We should really get some pictures up on here...

Food Withdrawals

Oh man, I am officially having food withdrawals. I miss snacks...not the full feeling I get from them, but I miss the tastes of my favorite snacks. Do you struggle with that? I miss the taste of milky cream cheese and the sharp bite of chives spread on a buttery ritz cracker. I miss the nirvana that is the Ruben sandwich at Sacks on campus--did I ever tell you about this sandwich? It is warm pastrami on toasted marble rye and melty gooey swiss, thousand island dressing and, instead of stinky sauerkraut, they put CREAMY fresh coleslaw!! Nir. Van. A.

I love food. I don't want to be one of those people who "eat because they have to". I hate those people. How do you balance a love of taste/texture with a restricted caloric intake?

I'm doing better today, but I'm definitely cranky. It will be worth it when I come visit in July and I'm a few pounds lighter though, right?

Late Night Temptations

I was thinking about what you said about eating when you're up late at night.

First, for me I think it's mostly a bad habit. I THINK I need food to stay awake, but I really don't.

Then again, being awake for more hours in the day means you might legitimately need a little more fuel to keep you body going. I don't think 100 extra calories is going to derail you. So here are my suggestions (not that you asked!):

Start with drinking lots of water or crystal light--I've heard cold water helps your body feel awake.
Chew gum.
Try sugar-free jello or popsicles.
Go for a low-cal snack that has protein which stays in your system longer--light yogurt, beef jerky, cheese, nuts, etc.
Try just a few pieces of candy--starbursts only have 15 calories per chew; sometimes I need a little sugar and I don't overindulge on those like I would on chocolate.

When you do give in and eat too much and regret it, just remember that you get to try again tomorrow and a previous mistake doesn't have to ruin the next day too.

Day One... hello reality.

I definitely won't be writing every day, but I have to say that after one day of counting calories, I was forcibly reminded of what it's like to actually WORK HARD at losing weight. It sucks. I don't remember it sucking for the whole time; I think every time I've tried, I've eventually gotten used to it. But the first day, as well as the first week, is hard. Makes me cranky. Makes me crave foods I haven't thought of in months (mostly carbs, big surprise!). Makes me realize how poorly I've been eating which makes me feel embarrassed at my lack of discipline.

Then again, at least the first day is over and all I can do from here is lose weight. Hopefully!

Starting Stats-Lindsey

Starting weight: 193
Pounds left to lose: 33
Goal date: December 31 (roughly 5 pounds per month)

Current workout plan: I'm doing 100 crunches a day on any day I don't do a workout or exercise of some kind. The part I hate most on myself right now is my flabby tummy so hopefully that will start sucking in soon. I will be attempting workouts every morning during Jacob's first nap, aiming for 4 workouts of 40 minutes each per week. I'd love to start running too but it's getting too warm. But I'm planning on running the Santa Monica Christmas 5K in December, so I'll start running again in the Fall.

Current eating plan: I'm not eating after 8pm and I'm simply trying to make good choices. Heaven knows I need more restriction than that! So I'll stick to 1500 calories per day until I start South Beach on June 14th. Then I won't count calories, just follow their plan.

At least Summer is a little easier without crazy food-eating holidays. And the motivation to not be flabby in my swimsuit is pretty strong since Bekah wants to go to the pool EVERY DAY!

I think I want to decide on some intermediate completion dates and some "prizes" for myself, like I'm on a reality show. I think that might help. And yes, I'll do pictures of myself... eventually.

Starting Stats-Holly

starting weight: 184 (oh dear...)
pounds left to lose: 39
waist: 40"
hips: 44"
upper arm: 13"
thigh: 23"

According to the MyFitnessPal app I have on my phone, in order to reach my goal weight I need to restrict myself to 1440 calories a day. WHAT THE HELL?!! Lame.

Today I actually did pretty well and ended the day with 1420 calories. I fully expect to wake up starving and pissed, but I guess if that is what it takes... I also did a whopping 10 minutes of Jillians 30 day crunch. It was brutal. I am so very, very out of shape. I didn't even make it out of the "warm up". I'm going to go ahead and blame it on the fact that I am using 8 pound weights when I should be using 5 pound weights. Did you know that when I met Gary I was doing my curls and tricep dips with 20 pound weights?! No wonder I had such rockin' arms!

And so it begins...

P.S. If you don't want to keep track of the waist/arms/hips/etc measurements then that is totally cool. I'm just hoping to slim down in these areas so I want to know where I'm at. Also, I'm going to try and post my victories and concerns here, but I will try to only weigh in/measure once a week...apparently on Wednesdays? What do you think...anything else you want to do with this blog? I really just need a workout buddy that I can be accountable to so I'm down for whatever! Oh, and I'm going to be super brave and take pictures to post on here...not tonight because I am super gross right now (like covered in sawdust and grime gross) but tomorrow I will get a picture up. Want to do that too? Please?