Goal!!!

I hit my goal today!!!! 164.6!!! I am officially 30 pounds lighter! Holy cow!!! I am SO proud of myself! I'm thinking I want to get another 5- 10 pounds down, that way I'm at the weight that is suggested for my height. 155 is the weight I should be for my BMI to be healthy. I guess I'll just keep doing what I've been doing and see where it gets me. I would LOVE to be in a size 8 pant size. I started lifting weights and swing dancing and this next week I'll be biking the trails with my friend, Heather. Hopefully by my Europe trip I'll be 155 and then in Europe I hope to lose even more weight. I was considering doing strength training and being in a body building contest just for fun. I'll have to check into it, but it most definitely could be fun.

So, in conclusion: My new goal is to get another 10 pounds off this body. I am 165 right now and want to be 155. Let's do it!!!

Slow....

Man, these last 5 pounds have been a pain in the butt! This morning, according to my trusty scale, I only have 1.4 more to go!! I'm sitting pretty at 166.4 which is 28.6 pounds lost. I don't know how accurate that is but I'll find out tomorrow at weigh-in. I think I haven't been eating enough so I upped my calories the last couple days and BAM! Weight loss. Hopefully I can reach my goal by the end of the week so I can get my reward! I've been waiting for it for too long!

Sliding back at the moment

I've backtracked with my weight loss the last couple days. I got a hint of a cold which I found was related to mold (too disgusting of a story to tell). It's the end of the semester so everyone wants to go out and drink and eat. And with exams I rarely sleep so I'm sure that's super healthy for me. I have gotten back to my vitamins though. I ordered a plethora of new pills that will actually take my 9 pills and make it 11, but I'll be getting the recommended daily dose of all my vitamins for women without even having to eat correctly (which won't excuse me eating correctly, just to make sure I am getting what I should be).

I'll have:
1 Flax Seed Oil
2 Acai Berry
2 Vita C
1 Fruit and Veg
1 Calcium, Mag, and Vita D
2 Vita E
1 Omega 3
1 Theanine
1 Multivitamin

I have one exam today at 6 and then a paper due Thursday at 6 plus some make-up work for my German class that is due Friday. After tonight, my week will slow down immensely. I would love to get my essay done tomorrow and my German finished Thursday so I can have three days off to work out and relax before I start work on Monday. I'll be back on track and 5 pounds lighter in no time. Then it's off with my buddy Lee to the tattoo parlor for my 30 pound reward!!

25 pounds!!

I officially hit 25 pounds today!!! It's been about a week and a half since I worked out, but the last two days I've gone to the gym and done my running like I should've been doing. I guess it paid off! I had to do a double-take on the scale this morning. It felt absolutely amazing to see 170.0 come up!! I can't wait to see the 160s. Only five more pounds before my goal is complete and I can get my reward! Who knows, maybe I'll shoot for 35 pounds... 5 pounds at a time everyone. At 2 pounds a week loss, I should be my goal weight of 165 by the 13th of May. That's about 2 and a half weeks from now. And I can only imagine how quick it'll come off if I can keep working out. I want to be able to do a yoga headstand by the time I'm done. THAT would be amazing...

Almost 83% complete

I finally had the chance to work out today. It felt great. I almost wanted to go for longer than I did. I was 170.7 this morning so we'll see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully I'll have hit my 5 pounds-to-go mark. That would feel fantastic!

Just weighed in for the day...

...and it was 171.1. That's 23.9 pounds down!!! 6.1 more to go til my reward!! That puts me at May 12th now for my goal achievement date. Bring it on!

Measurements

Here are my new measurements:

Arms: 12.25
Chest: 33.75
Bust: 37.25
Waist: 33.25
Stomach: 37.50
Hips: 42
Thigh: 24.50

That means I've lost 21.50 inches overall! Whoot whoot!!

I've done a little research today on just how much body fat I should have for my height. According to one site, The body should be about 22% fat. Currently, I have 54.6 pounds of fat, compared to the 69.9 when I started. That puts me around 32%. Little high. Hopefully when I get down to 165 that percentage will be around 25.

I have also found out that according to the Body Mass Index, I should be 155 at my height to not be considered overweight. For my body type, I think that might be a little too light but I'll have to see how I feel after I reach 165 (hopefully in only 3 more weeks.. EEEEEE!!) The point of this weight-loss is to feel better and be healthy, but to look healthy too. I don't want to be healthy according to the numbers and look sickly. Currently I am about 5 pounds lighter than I was in high school and I look weird and feel a bit weird when I see myself in the mirror. I want to be comfortable, but look and feel healthy at the same time. I have about 7-8 more pounds and I think that will be a healthy look for my body-type and size. We'll have to see though...

I plan on taking pictures when I reach 170 and doing another side-by-side between the beginning and now, and the last picture I took, which was 178, and now. I want to see how much I've changed the last 8 pounds.

Something I realized today..

I always used to be an emotional eater. When my mental state was at it's worst, I was my heaviest, topping the scales at 202 at one point. I think now that I have squashed my insecurities, my over-eating has been squashed as well. The problem with that is I buy low-calorie food and fruit, so it has become difficult for me to eat the amount of food that I should be eating, which is around 1,200 calories a day. I stopped counting my calories because I thought I had fixed my eating. I realized tonight that even when I am emotional, I don't eat, compared to before where I would eat everything. I've started counting my calories again as well as my fiber and protein. It seems I need to eat a lot more than I am. So far today I've only pulled 600 calories and I haven't been hungry at all today. Looks like I will be eating a second dinner...

I have also realized that, according to my handy-dandy Loseit! program, if I lose 2 pounds a week, I will reach my weight goal of 165 by May 13th. That's a mere 3 weeks away. I just have to get my eating under control; the opposite way this time. It's nice telling myself I have to eat more. Let's hope it doesn't get out of control again. I don't think it will as long as I'm in the state I am in currently. Happy, content, understanding that shit happens and you can't let it get you down. Don't sweat the small stuff. The secret? IT'S ALL SMALL STUFF!

Loose ends...

I realize after reading old posts that I haven't tied up some stories for you.

The duel with my buddy: I lost 18, he lost 16. I won. I still have yet to collect on those tickets...

The duel with my brother: I lost 12. He lost 15. Percentage-wise, I still won. He took me out to a nice fattening dinner. It was delicious. The victory for both of us was delicious as well.

New Pic!

I've been holding steady at 21 pounds. Haven't had too much time to blog or workout recently. Went window shopping and tried on this beauty.



Can't wait to lose 9 more!! I'm already down 4 sizes!! I'm fitting into a 12 when I was a 16. Gosh, that feels good to see. I couldn't believe it! I've donated all my old clothes from high school because they no longer fit. I had to go buy new jeans just to get me through the next 9 pounds. I'm going to have to go through my shirts soon and get rid of what I can't alter. I talked to my mom about the clothes situation and she told me I would get 100 bucks if I made it to 30 pounds. Once I get on the treadmill again, I'm hoping it'll come off quick. At least I'm holding steady at 21 pounds. It makes me happy to know that not exercising, I can still hold my weight steady.

This just in: Because of *cough* mother nature, I seem to have been holding on to some extra water. I just weighed myself in at 171.8. Which means *drum roll* I am down 23.2 pounds!!! I had to step off the scale and re-weigh myself because I thought it was a mistake! If that reading is in fact correct, that means I only have 6.8 more pounds to go! Can you tell I'm excited?!

2/3 there!!

Been awhile but I weighed myself today after restarting my 5k training and I've met my 20 pound goal!!!! I'm going to call the massage place tomorrow and make an appointment for next week. now I just need to lose another 10 pounds to meet my goal for my Europe trip. A friend of mine just bought P90X so that should help out :)

Pics from 195- 178

New Weigh in

I haven't been doing much, but I'm still watching what I eat. I'm down 17.8 pounds now. Only a couple more pounds before I can go get my massage. I can't wait.

Been Awhile

Well... it's official. I have officially lost 15 pounds!! I hope to be down another 10 pounds by the time my boyfriend flies in from England. I have 4 weeks. 3 pounds a week sounds doable to me. Let's hope things go well. In another 5 pounds I'll put up new pics!

Two hard days

The last two days I've gone to the gym I've gone for an hour plus my yoga stretches and crunches. It's actually really relieving. I have to go home for the weekend so hopefully I don't gain all that weight back eating my mom's delicious home-cooked meals.

Rough Couple of Days

Things have not been as great as I'd like them to be the last two days. I used to feel wonderful after working out which is why I wanted to do it so much. Yesterday I worked out a bit too much I think. I did 45 minutes of yoga plus 25 minutes on the treadmill doing my 5K training, then 20 minutes on the elliptical. Today I was so sore when I woke up, which I guess could be a good thing since it means I'm working muscles I haven't been by just running. I'm having roommate problems on top of me being sore which makes me stressed and not wanting to work out. Because of this mixture, I'm finding it difficult to tap into my work-out mojo. Not cool. I hope to see the effects on the scale still though. I am still only eating 1,000 calories a day so I should still be losing weight no matter how much exercise I'm doing. We shall see. Only 3.1 more pounds to go to meet my goal by Thursday. Will I make it???

I have also noticed that my skin is saggy because of the weight loss. I'm going to have to look into some toning lotion or gel to get my skin to tighten up. I don't want to be a saggy skinny gal. Two things that don't go together for me. I'll see if I can't find some toning creme.

Side-by-sides

Here are some side-by-sides I did. At least this way I can see what my progress has been throughout.





The last two I can't really tell too much difference except for the front view. I seem much tighter and sportier in the far right than the middle picture. I'll have to take some more when I meet my 15 pound goal. It's nice being able to see them right next to each other though. The ratios might be off because I can't figure out how to size landscape photos into the constraints of the page. Lame.

New Pictures

Yesterday and today's workouts kicked my ass. I'm not feeling great like I usually do. I'm going to keep plugging away, maybe take a slow day tomorrow. I'll see how things go. In the meantime, here are some new pics from me at around 184. I can finally feel the difference in my stomach. Dunno if you can see it though.





I've lost two pounds in the last two days and a total of 17 inches overall. I'm down 11.5 pounds for the 3 week and 6 day mark. We'll see what it is tomorrow morning. At least I'm happy that I am still losing weight, but I would prefer to feel better after my workouts. I need to work on that.

Still plugging away

I got my ear pierced last night as my reward. It looks great! It was totally worth waiting til I lost weight to get. My friend went with me and we ended up stopping at a resale store and I bought a cute dress and some fancy shoes for cheap. I realized yesterday that the clothes in my closet no longer reflect who I am. My style was built around my weight and now that my weight has changed, I have no style to call my own. This weight loss has become much more than I originally intended. It was merely the next step for me in a lengthy path of self-discovery but I didn't realize that until yesterday.

...hello 10 pounds weight loss

It's in!!! I'm officially rid of 10 pounds of fat! My reward is to get my ear pierced. Thursday night, baby!!

I'll get some new pictures posted. I can finally see some major difference around my stomach. Yay!

Bye-bye plateau

The change did show on the scales!! I'm back down from 190 to 187.1. I knew I'd lost weight because of how my stomach felt this morning. It's amazing when I know I've lost weight. Awesome! I've been waiting to see 187 the last week. I actually did a little dance off the scale this morning. Perseverance has paid off. :D The fiber and change in exercise did the trick. I did some ab exercises, push-ups, and yoga and strength training. I'll have to kick up the weight training though. I'm not doing enough. I also started back on my 5k training last night. It went surprisingly well after not having done it all week. I've been on the elliptical all week so at least I didn't feel like I was going to pass out starting back up like I did. I even ran more than the schedule said to which is awesome. I'm right on target. Only 5 more weeks before I should be able to run 3 miles in 30 minutes; something I have never been able to do before.

I spent last night thinking about what my rewards should be for each 10 pound mark I hit. I'm 2.1 pounds from my 10 pound mark. So far, the only two rewards I can think of are the new ear piercing I want and the tattoo I've wanted for three years. The tattoo is the one I'm most nervous about so that's going to be the 30 pound reward. If I hit 165, I'll go get my tat. I think 10 pounds should be my piercing. I've been wanting my ear pierced again for about a year now so that's something that will come up quick with the new track I'm on. But what to do for the 20 pound mark... (15 minutes later) The only thing I can think of is a nice vintage piece of Jewelry. I was thinking maybe a Victoria Secret bra, but I want to get to the 30 pound mark and 10 extra pounds loss is only going to make that bra useless to me; and they aren't cheap. Any suggestions?

....

I smiled while running on the treadmill tonight.

Really starting to see results

When I first started this project, I didn't want to put pictures up of myself. I've decided to go against that decision to show you all some of the result that I'm seeing.


I'm on the left. That's my gorgeous friend who is perfect the way she is.

Me on the right with a dear friend of mine. The difference in my face is astounding!!!

I woke up this morning and worked out. It felt great! I've been taking my fiber and been paying more attention to the grams of fiber I have a day. I can feel the difference in how flabby my stomach is between now and what it was last week. Apparently fiber is the key for me losing weight. I'll know for sure tomorrow morning when I weigh in.

I don't think I've mentioned this at all but I've been using an iPod app call Lose it! to track my calories and nutrition information. What's great is I can now check all my nutrients at the touch of a button. Three days ago I only ate 9 grams of fiber. The recommended is around 30. Today, I have eaten 26.3. What's also nice is that I have an average for each week and from what I can see, my weight loss is directly correlated with how much fiber I eat, not the amount of protein.

Tonight I went to Marshalls and tried on some new clothes. I'm down 2 pant sizes already! It's such a good feeling! And I didn't look half bad in the pencil skirt I tried on if I do say so myself. I'm looking forward to new clothes after 15 pounds.

A new discovery

After doing some research, I've discovered a possible reason for the plateau I've hit with my weight loss. It would seem from my records of what I eat that I am not getting near enough the amount of fiber I should be. I've been eating an average of 9 grams of fiber a day when I should be eating around 25. I also think I need to kick up my weight training exercise. Running and doing the elliptical are not enough. I'm going to get some supplements and some legumes and hit the gym.

The Inches are Falling Off

It's been a couple days since I measured myself so here are the new numbers:

Arms: 13
Chest: 35.5 (-3/4)
Bust: 38.75 (-3/4)
Waist: 34 (-1)
Stomach: 39
Hips: 44.5 (-1/4)
Thigh: 25.75 (-3/4)

Total inches lost in the last two days: 3.5!
Total inches lost: 12.25!!! HOLY COW!! In just 15 days!

I didn't even work out today but I still feel really proud of myself. I can't wait to weight in tomorrow and see what the scale says! Hopefully it's good news!

I'm going to have to work on my tire I have going. I've only lost an inch and a quarter off my stomach so something is going to have to be done about that.

New Pics!

The new pics are in! I took pics of dinner last night because it just looked that good that I wanted to share it with everyone who reads this. Dinner was a 4 oz filet of salmon on a bed of spinach topped with sauteed zucchini, squash, and roma tomatoes. The sides were steamed carrots and broccoli and 1/4C cottage cheese. The calories topped in at 233. We were so full after! I couldn't believe it!





These are at 188. I ditched the sign as I have no talent for writing backwards.





I don't know if the 8 inches I've lost is that noticeable. What do you think? I'll have to do a side by side sometime soon to see the difference better. I can definitely notice the difference in the arms and the stomach. I'm already becoming more shapely. Can't wait to have the hourglass figure hiding beneath all this fat.

Tonight is going to be another hour on the elliptical. I can't wait!

After a few days, great success!

I had what I thought to be a rough week which turns out to be quite a good one. I had trouble doing my 5K training on Thursday so Friday wasn't very fun in the gym. I felt demoralized and defeated. A great Saturday workout reinstated my hope in ellipticals though so I've found a new routine that works better for me. I'm now on the treadmill three times a week doing the 5K training and then on the elliptical for a half hour after. On the days I'm not doing my 5K training I'm on the elliptical for an hour. I've thought about taking a day or two off but I enjoy the internal clean feeling I get afterwards. And then, after a hot shower and a cup of tea? There is nothing that beats that feeling.

Looking back on my old posts and the pictures I took (Yes, I know I need to post new ones) I can't believe I was okay with looking like that. I'm missing the glow. I'm starting to get it back, or so I'm told. That's comforting. I also realize how much I really didn't want to work out. I just wanted to play sports. I'm working out almost every day now without too much of a problem. I've also dragged a couple more people to the gym with me and have an offer to play racquetball. I've gotten more people on board and that makes me feel great! That's the whole point of this entire thing, including this blog: to inspire people to make a life-changing decision and help them accept their bodies and fix what they would like to fix. It's really the most delicious thing I've ever done. For example, tonight for dinner I cooked for a good friend of mine. We had salmon on a bed of spinach covered with sautéed zucchini, squash and roma tomatoes, with a side of steamed broccoli and carrots and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. The meal totaled at 233 calories. I was stuffed! And it was delicious! I used to have a box of stuffing for dinner. So long to those days. I don't ever want to eat like that again.

I had a fantastic day today which started with me working out for an hour. Ate wonderful food all day long and didn't even come close to my calorie allotment. My weight measurement shocked the hell out of me today. I lost 2.4 pounds the last two days!! That brings my total up to 6.6 pounds!! And I have my new measurements:

Arms: 13 (-1)
Chest: 36.5" (-1.75)
Bust: 39.5 (-2)
Waist: 35
Stomach: 39 (-1.25)
Hips: 44.75 (-1)
Thigh: 26.25 (-1.75)

That's a total of 8.75 inches! Holy cow!! Today is the two-week mark. My, has it gone by quickly. I didn't realize that I could be the weight I want already had I started sooner. But I try not to dwell on that. I feel great and people are noticing. That's a good thing. I'm ahead of schedule by 2.6 pounds. I can't believe how easy this is!

After a poor weekend, a good day

Everyday I feel better and better. I have more energy, I sleep less, and my body is really starting to show some progress. I have lost around 4 inches in the last five days which is astounding to me. I didn't expect for the weight to fall off so quickly. The amount of weight I have on my body still is equivalent to 268 sticks of butter. I feel disgusting knowing that. But what's different than before is that I say that with self-confidence, not self-consciousness. For the first time in my life I know that any little headway I make is just another notch on me becoming physically healthy.

I have a special scale that tells me my body fat as well. I forgot it had this nice little addition until I almost fell off the scale and pushed the button with my toe. Last Thursday my poundage of body fat was 69.9. How gross is that. I weighed 193.5. That means without fat I weigh 123.6. I think 160 is going to be a healthy goal for me. Healthy and über sexy.

On a light note, I finally challenged my brother to a weight-loss duel. I think he's going to start next week with his. It's going to be the same challenge; 6 weeks in length and whoever has the highest percentage of body fat lost wins. The loser has to cook a very nice and healthy dinner for the winner and himself. I say himself because I'm going to kick his ass.

Today's measurements:
Arms: 13 1/4" (-3/4")
Chest: 37 1/2" (-1/2")
Bust: 41 1/2"
Waist: 35"
Stomach: 38" (-5 3/4) Note: I'm pretty sure I measured in the wrong place the first time. I don't think that amount is possible :P
Hips: 45 1/4" (-1/2")
Thigh: 27 1/2" (-3/4)

Total inches lost so far (excluding stomach)= 2 1/2"
I know I've lost some off my stomach so, including stomach (although inaccurate): 8 1/4"
That just a feel good number purely for my own enjoyment.

Measurements

Today I took my measurements. Here they are:
Arms: 14"
Chest: 38"
Breast: 41.5"
Waist: 35"
Stomach: 40.25"
Hips: 45.75"
Thigh: 28.25"

Over the next five and a half weeks I hope to see a dramatic decrease in these measurements. I didn't realize this before but my breast to waist to hip ratio is huge. I have 41.5-35-45.75. I'm one curvy girl!! I can't wait to actually be able to show it off!

Wow, Do I Feel Amazing

I feel fantastic. It's only my second day and I already feel great. I ate a lot today, but ate mostly fruit so I stayed within my limit of 1,300 calories. I can't help but imagine how wonderful I'm going to feel after I drop 5 pounds and then 10, 15, and so on... I'll be even happier when my thighs no longer touch.

I have drug a friend of mine to participate in my weight-loss experience. She worked out with me tonight and I found it fun. For the first time in my life, running was a fun experience. That's something I've never felt before. I usually just hop on the elliptical for a half hour, but I've decided to train for a 5K run. I have no idea where I got that idea because I've always been a horrible runner, but somehow I got the idea. Today was merely 30 minutes of mixed jogging and running and was immensely refreshing, especially after I took a nice hot shower. Two more days of working out this week before I can move on to the next stage of my training.

I realized tonight after discussing how to eat healthy with my friend today that I could be onto something life-changing. After all I've been through the last two and a half years, I deserve this. I deserve to feel wonderful about my looks, not to be just accepting of them. I've sorted out my mind, my emotions, and my amazing ability to be a pack-rat. Now all that's really left is my body. It's been a long two and a half years and now I should have a reward.

I deserve this, damnit. And I also deserve the movie tickets I bet my friend, John. The bet is that I can lose a higher percentage of weight than he can in six weeks. Men have an easier time with this so I'm looking forward to buying tickets for two skinnier people the day the bet is over. Come March 8th, I will know for sure. (I'm going to take him though.)

It's on.

The Beginning

I've started my weight-loss challenge today.  It wasn't as rough as my past tries have been.  Usually I'm starving at this point in time.  I feel just fine though; almost better.  I didn't think about blogging about my journey until I took a shower tonight.  It's amazing how many ideas happen while people are bathing.  I've always tried to lose weight for other people.  For my mom, for my sister, for my friends.  I'm not going to tell them about this though.  This is all about me.

I've just recently become accustomed to my body.  I've learned to love it this past year for every dimple, mole, and imperfection.  A lot of that has to do with my boyfriend, Francis.  He loved me for who I was even when I didn't.  That's the first step in my journey.  Finally being comfortable with who I am.  At least now, if I lose a few pounds I'll be happy whereas before it would never have been good enough.  I think that's the most important thing.

Above all else, I'm going to do something I didn't think I'd ever really do: I'm going to post pictures of myself.  I don't even like a one-piece bathing suit.  However, I'm doing this as encouragement for myself and hopefully to inspire the rest of you reading this to love yourself, not necessarily to lose weight.

Now, the run-down.  I am 21, female, and weigh 195 pounds.  I've been at that weight for about a year and a half and I'm sick of it.  My personality no longer matches my outward appearance.  The catalyst for all this was the planning of my trip to Europe this summer.  I realized I would have to be in a bathing suit for part of the trip.  As much as I am comfortable with my body, a bathing suit is something I still can't do confidently, especially in front of Francis.  It's strange, I can be naked in front of him and have no shame but I don't want to be in a bathing suit.  (Perhaps I should just swim naked then.)  If only swimming naked were an option; his father and step-mother will be around and I'm guessing they wouldn't be too fond of such an act.

The How:  Basically, I hate working out unless I'm playing sports.  I'm going to try working out a few times a week and see how it goes.  This will at least prepare me for long walks all over Europe.  If it doesn't work out well (pun intended), I will continue just to eat healthy and lose weight that way.

So bring on the change.


Ahh!!! No face!! (for obvious reasons, I hope)


Should probably fix the sign...