2 loaves of bread

i heard somewhere that a loaf of bread represents the volume of weight you lose when you lose 5 pounds. double this and you get what i've lost in 5 weeks.

i imagine tacking on these slices of bread all over my body. that's what i used to look like? pretty interesting visual, no?

this week, i played things differently. i upped my calories to 1780 daily. at first i had a problem eating so much, but my pms cravings took care of that by the middle of the week. upping my calories kept me sane and i've been able to at least maintain at a steady 183. i'm definitely considering that a victory. my exercise has decreased this week by virtue of the rain and my overall crappy sluggishness. but things should turn around this weekend in terms of weather and mood. the forecast says we'll have sun until tuesday so i have to make the most of the next four days.

i need to eat much more cleanly next week. this week i let myself eat more in the way of processed food and i can feel the difference, specifically in that my body craves it more once i've eaten it. i don't want to go down that slippery slope again. i'd started to tire of my routine of healthy food which is another reason for "letting myself go", so my goal this weekend is to try a couple of new recipes to get me through this week before the weddingmoon. but all in all, i'm pretty pleased that i was still able to eat more "cheat" foods but not go totally overboard.

my goal for april is to "do" a 5k. at this point i'm practically walking a full 5k at lunch and another by the time you add up my walking to the bus time in the morning and evening. so by "do" a 5k i mean finish in under 50 minutes which would require some running in there at some point.

another goal i have for after the wedding is to add yoga. like at a real studio. for now i think we might only be able to afford for me to go once a week, but that's better than nothing. if i'm smart i'll supplement it with another day at home with a DVD, but you know me and doing workouts on DVD. yeah, they never get done.

looking even further out, i do want to start running more. i definitely feel "the clock" ticking and i'd like to run another marathon before i get pregnant. but i also don't want to get all stressed about it. and i'd like to shed more weight to make it easier on my body. this creates a nice, naturally slow progression back into running. instead of my past efforts which usually include me being too eager for my own good. even at this pace, i still think it's safe to say that a half marathon could be in the cards for this year.

11 days

til we leave for st. lucia. the scale is back to normal. and my dress fits like a dream...

not much else on the blogging front. eating is well. i've doubled my walking mileage by getting off at a bus stop further away from my office.

i've bought some cute new dress and summery clothes for the caribbean, even a new bikini. i'm definitely not a hot bod in it yet, but i don't care. we spent too much money to go to too beautiful of a place for me to care. the beach will feel awesome either way! and my soon-to-be hubby thinks i look hot either way.

yay! yay! yay!

naked weigh in: week 5: WTF?

2/14: 184.6
2/15: 185.0
2/16: 185.6
2/17: 184.0
2/18: 183.6
2/19: 182.4
2/20: 182.8
2/21: 185.0
(bonus) 2/22: 185.4)

net week: +.4
net total: -8.5
ave week: 184.1

how the hell did i GAIN 3 pounds in 3 days, or 2 practically overnight!? i'm so very confused.

hell yeah!

182.4

full moon

i am trying my very, very best NOT to have a second glass of cabernet.

better now than later

i upped my daily calories from 1200 to 1500. i've been soo hungry lately on 1200 calorie days, especially now that i've increased my daily walking mileage from 3 to 6. i'm hoping this is the smart thing to do. the scale is not being kind, but in my mind i know it's hormonal. it's better that i retain the water now than the week i'm on vacay and the day i get married, right?

naked weigh in : week 4

2/7: 185.8
2/8:185.0
2/9: 184.6
2/10:185.6
2/11: 184.8
2/12:183.6
2/13: 184.0
2/14: 184.6

week loss: 1.2
net loss: 8.9
ave weight: 184.75

it KILLS me that i was down to 183.6, just barely over a 10 pound weight loss. i of course 'screw it up' over the weekend. BUT! perhaps it's those weekends that keep me sane and going in the right direction :)

Regardless, i have 3 weeks until we leave for st. lucia for our wedding and i have to tighten things up. my dress fit like a glove! so i have to buy myself some insurance for the week we will be at the resort before the wedding. i could easily gain 5 pounds over those 5 days!

i will most likely lose the .6 today (if history repeats itself). i want to lose at least 8 more lbs, if not an even 10 in 3 weeks. it certainly doesn't help that it's raining this week and i will have little, if no, opportunity to walk outside today. i might have to cave in and find a gym. boo.

thank god for tomorrow

i have been riding the high of 8lb weight loss all week. but as physics dictates, what goes up must go down. i made the mistake of going to target on my lunch break friday afternoon to try on dresses and shorts. ugh. sausage city. while i've made great strides, it's just not enough yet.

it was enough to make me yearn for my favorite security blanket: kettle chips. i felt like a baby who needed to suck their thumb. wah wah. i got back to my desk and had my jicama slices instead. when i was hungry again i had another hot cocoa. and finally on my way to the bus i stopped at the gas station to get a small back of kettle chips. luckily, even after all that, i was still within my calorie budget.

that night i continued the shopping torture and tried on bathing suits. why i thought that would help the matter i don't know. all i can say is, luckily cute shoes still fit. i somehow managed to not veer into the mcdonalds at the mall and make my way home with my tail between my legs. i whined enough to patrick at home that he had to leave the room. boo.

in my head i knew i would get over it tomorrow. and i am over it. and not just because the scale is moving in the right direction this morning. i am where i am. i am who i am. and being thinner now wouldn't necessarily make me happier. so i can be happy as me now.

my wedding dress is finally in and i get to try it on today! and THAT makes me super happy! :)

hungry hungry hippo

dude. i can't stop eating today. so frickin' hungry. could it be because i doubled my walking mileage?

nothing comes between me and my calvins

i weighed myself when i got home and as i suspected i was less than my weight this morning. 185.2. not a huge deal, since i hope the 'real net loss' will show up this week. i chalk it up to water retention from my saltier than average super bowl sunday food. i made sure to drink a boat load of water today. it appears to have helped!

i had two major non-scale victories on sunday.

1. i was able to fit into a pair of jeans that i haven't worn in about a year! woot! now when i say fit into i mean literally fit into. there is definite muffin top spillage. i wore them on sunday just because i was so stoaked, but i stealthily wore a loose t-shirt. these jeans have now become my new benchmark.
   
2. one of the first things my cousin said to me at the superbowl party was "you've lost weight". best three words to hear besides "i love you". it's awesome to see the numbers on the scale go down, but even more awesome to know there is physical evidence that other people can notice. just the other day i was noticing that the watch pattycakes got me for christmas was getting loose, and it didn't dawn on me that it could be from me losing weight because i didn't think i had lost that much. apparently, i have.
   

there are 27 more days until we leave for our weddingmoon. that's 4 more weeks. in those 4 weeks i'd like to lose 10 more pounds. mainly, i'd like to lose as much of my double chin as possible. i know there's not much to be done for my abs or whatever, but i'd like for my face to at least be slimmer. i'd like for my new benchmark jeans to fit comfortably. losing 10 more pounds will also put me squarely in the 170s, a place i haven't been in a long time. i want to do my best to get off as much weight now as possible knowing that on vacation i'll gain some of it back.

i think my eating has been really good. as i've said in a previous post, i love how i can still eat food i love. and i feel much more in control. planning in advance what days i can eat more make the days of eating less much easier.

as for exercise, the great weather we've been having lately has definitely helped. i walk every day at lunch that i can (usually 3-4 days) and today i learned of a longer way to the bus stop that will add another mile onto my walk, capping me off at 5 miles a day! i know i should add some resistance training in somehow, but with all the time i'm commuting it's hard to stomach adding more time.

but all in all, i'm pretty much on fire about how things are going!

naked weigh-in: week 3

1/31: 188.4
2/1: 187.2
2/2: 186.6
2/3:186.6
2/4: 186.2
2/5: 185.8
2/6: 184.8
2/7: 185.8

week loss: 2.2
net loss: 7.3

i seriously LOVE this diet

i have had a pretty great last couple of days.

on thursday, my office threw a surprise baby shower for one of my co-workers. she was totally surprised and on the verge of tears on several occasions. granted she's hormonal, but it was still great to see how thankful and happy she was! plus we had yummy goodies. we catered from our fave mediterranean restaurant and we got her favorite cake: tres leches! any diet that lets me eat my fill of lamb gyros, cake and baklava (2 pieces!) is my kind of diet.

avoiding the leftovers the next day was very hard. but doable. i had a little lamb (haha) the next day but loaded up on the veggies more. and had no. more. sweets. i was very cognizant of stepping up the veggie intake on friday so i would keep my calories down yet wouldn't feel hungry. friday i also got in 2 walks: one at lunch and one after work while the sun was still out.

saturday brought sunny skies and temps near 70! it would have been a crime not to go hiking. so we did! we spent about an hour and a half at skyline park:








then we had lunch at one of patrick's fave spots in downtown napa. i had caesar salad and calamari, which i have been craving for weeks for whatever reason. we spent the rest of the afternoon checking out tyler florence's new store and morimoto's restaurant.

today brings another sunny day! i weighed myself this morning, like i do every morning and the scale is being good to me. i'm considering walking the mile to my pharmacy to pick up my rx and get some exercise. i'm also making guacamole today! hopefully all of it won't get eaten at the superbowl party today so i can have some during the week too! i hope y'all have a great sunday!

daylight

not only did i get 3.25 miles in today at lunch, but i thought i would take advantage of the longer days and get a walk in after work too! i'm not sure how far i walked, but i did so for an hour, at a more leisurely pace than i do at lunch. i'm gonna guess between all of that and my walks to and from the bus that i logged in 6 miles :)

yippee!

toot! toot!

beans + whole grains + lentils + broccoli = whoa, nelly!

aren't you glad your desk isn't next to mine?

fiber! fiber! fiber!

today was definitely good on the eating front. by the way, i'm typing this while pattycakes eats mcdonalds in front of me.

breakfast: smoked salmon and cream cheese on a bagel thin
am snack: veggie patty
am snack: bean salad
lunch: curry chicken and lentils
pm snack: haagen dazs coffee ice cream
pm snack: edamame
pm snack: cranberry and nut luna bar
dinner: baked southern greens and hot chocolate

all within my calorie allotment! :)

i also got in another 3 miles at lunch.

and the scale rewarded me when i got home. yippee!