Monday, August 30, 2010

Bittersweet - and not chocolate

So here it is. The BIG announcement (well in my head anyways). I thought that I would be really excited to share this with y'all - and I am - but I wasn't expecting to also be kind of sad.
See, I'm going to be taking a break from Fat Girl Slim for a while. I love writing here. I do. It's just that, well, lately there hasn't been much to write about in the weight loss - fitness world. At least as it pertains to me.
No, I haven't given up. Far from it. I still have about 30 more pounds to lose. Paradoxically, stepping away from the blog for a while has revved up my enthusiasm for the actual work of losing weight rather than the just talking about losing weight. Quite frankly I have been focusing too much on the latter and not enough on the former for way too long. So I'm back in the gym, back to pounding the pavement, and back to all around better eating. I just won't get to tell you about all the everyday details.
And now for the second, BETTER, part of the announcement. No I have not given up writing. How could I? I will now be writing for a new website/online magazine/blog called Bit of the Bluegrass. It's a brand new site devoted to showing the ups and downs of living in the Bluegrass State. Most publications are devoted to a, shall we say, somewhat older and more affluent populations of Kentuckians. That is not what Bit of the Bluegrass is about. It's about the everyday life of actually living your life here and the simple joys that can be found here. We're starting out small for now, but as interest grows I would like to add more features and even bring in some different points of view with some other writers.
So if you're even a tiny bit interested, go on over and check it out. There are several ways to follow and/or subscribe to the site. And hey, today's the launch date so maybe you'll be the first. I will definitely miss Fat Girl, but I am way excited to share the Bluegrass. Hope you join me!
http://www.bitofthebluegrass.com/

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Calories, Anyone?

Ever wonder how many calories you burned rearranging your living room furniture? Cooking dinner for your kids? What about sex? Just how many calories does that burn? Well, wonder no more. I have found the best calorie calculator in the world. All you do is plug in your weight. Then go down the list plugging in how many minutes you spent doing each activity on the (very comprehensive) list during the past 24 hours. Be sure to do this at the same time every day if you are seriously counting and keeping track of calories.
Sure one of those Body Bugg things will do the same thing, but they cost something like $250 and they are, quite frankly, not all that attractive. I mean I suppose that you could tell everyone that that ugly black arm band is your new court ordered alcohol monitoring bracelet, but you should probably save that excuse for when you really need it. Besides this site is free.
I found out that a day spent shopping, doing general housework, raking grass in my yard, and washing and folding laundry burned nearly 1600 calories. Not to mention the 400 I burned at the gym. Sadly no sex was involved. It just goes to show you that you don't have to go to the gym to get in a decent workout. And let's just be honest - I'm much more likely to run my vacuum every day if I know that I can burn up to 250 calories/ 30 minutes of doing it. Clean house and a workout = SCORE!
So check it out and surprise yourself by just how much (or how little) your daily life fires off those calories. You might, like me, find yourself wanting to walk the dog just to see how many calories you burned.

p.s. Don't forget that the next post will bring The Big Announcement! It's kind of a big deal!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Break On Through to the Other Side

Lately I've been pondering motivation. Like why is it such an easy concept to understand and so difficult to actually implement. I know I need to lose weight. I want to lose weight. No, I mean I REALLY want to lose weight. Not like "my diet starts first thing Monday morning." More like "I am losing weight because I am sick of living like this."
For some people motivation to lose weight comes when they see a picture of themselves and it forces them to see themselves as others do. Or worse, someone actually makes a hurtful comment. Or maybe they get an earful from their doctor, or their clothes just simply don't fit anymore.
When I first started on this journey my motivation was more of an epiphany. I simply realized that I would be turning 30 soon and I didn't want to waste any more time "going to" lose weight. Maybe the weight wouldn't come off right away, but at least I would be doing something about it.
And for me the biggest motivation is success. For every pound I lose it motivates me to lose another one. It's a good feeling to see the number on the scale going down. And like most things in life, when something feels good we want more of it.
But what happens when the scale just stops moving. True, it's not going up - and that is a very good thing. But neither is it going down. While that's not very good in and of itself, it's down right catastrophic for my motivation.
Finally, though, progress. I finally decided to buckle down and get down to business. You know what? It worked. Surprise! Surprise! I cut calories to 1200/day and upped they exercise. Way upped. I've been putting in hard circuits at the gym - pushing myself a little more each session. Also I've reintroduced walking, not just on the treadmill (which as you know is the most boring thing in the world), but outside with actual fresh air and crap.
Isn't it funny how we know the right things to do, but somehow never get around to doing them. Why is that. do you suppose? They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. If that is true, then perhaps the opposite is true as well. The road to paradise must be paved with fresh fruit and vegetables.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

A Really Big Show!

Today is my 97th post on this blog. The big 100 is right around the corner and I think that I should mark it by some really big changes to the way I share info with you. I don't want to spoil the surprise, but I will say that the change is for the better. I can't wait to share all this with you. For now just hang tight.
Moving right along to the subject matter at hand - The diet/lifestyle change is finally back on track. I hate that my kids have to go back to school so early, but I'm not at all sorry to be back on schedule. I'm back in the gym 3-4 days a week, and I'm eating regular meals at regular times. Boring, yes, but undeniably good for the body.
I have to travel to the lake house again at the end of September for Dad's 50th birthday (insert big whoo-hoo here). That is exactly six weeks from now and I would like to be down 10 pounds by then. That is a totally reasonable goal. That's 1.66 pounds per week and if I can't do that after setting stagnant all summer, well then, I just need to throw in the towel.
One last thing. Part of the Big Surprise has to do with food. (what doesn't?) Anyways, if anyone has any absolutely fabulous (original - meaning yours or a friend or family members, not previously published) recipes, healthy or otherwise, that you would like to share then please do so. Just send the recipe name and origin, recipe, and your name to keila_mb@myway.com. It really is going to be awesome!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Back to School and I'm the Fool

My babies went back to school yesterday and yes, it is ridiculously early. I would so much rather them go to school all through May and then not go back until the end of August. Like so many other things, it would be so much better if I ran the world. So I am sad that the summer, at least for this family, is officially over. On the other hand, I will be glad to get back on some sort of schedule. My healthy lifestyle has gone woefully off course this summer and it would seem that while my kids pack up their little pencils and crayons, I will be packing up my protein bars and free weights.
Seems like there are a few lessons I need to brush up on. Like, how to get motivated to workout every morning. No choice, no options, just routine. Oh, it's a weekday? Then it's a workout day. (Weekends are still optional/light days)
I also need to relearn how to order off of a menu. . .and enjoy it. I have admittedly eaten some stuff this summer that probably won't be gracing the pages of Clean Eating magazine. Yes, that food was delicious. And I know that they strategically place such things on the menu, usually with big glossy pictures, just to lure you in. But I also know that the same restaurant that offers the delicious chicken Parmesan with all the ooey gooey melty cheesy goodness, also offers a really  fresh and tasty salad with crunchy greens, juicy tomatoes, fresh mushrooms, and other vegis, all topped by a really savory piece of lemon grilled salmon. I just forget about it because it's buried at the bottom of the menu. So I guess I'll be spending more time at the bottom of the menu.
Likewise, a lesson I have never learned, is how to dine out with friends without feeling like the weirdo dieter friend. My friends are amateur foodies in the sense that maybe we don't have our own food network show, but we can definitely compete in the food Olympics. So when we go to a restaurant and I order a salad or some version of grilled chicken for the umpteenth time, they notice. "Oh, she's being good," they coo. Not sure if they are trying to be supportive, but the effect is the opposite in fact. I wind up feeling conspicuous and judged.
I guess I have my work cut out for me. I guess, like most things, that I will just have to knuckle down and do it. I am much better at avoiding, but that is no longer an option. Now maybe my daughter can explain long division to me so I will have a better time of dividing the calories in a restaurant dish.