Welcome to my blog! I'm not quite sure what I'm going to make of this yet, but my original plan is to use this as a place for me to keep track of my eating and working out habits to try to nip these last few pounds in the bud. I'll probably throw in a few things about my life along the way, and we'll see where this goes.
I read blogs. I enjoy hearing what other people have to say, and I've always found an interest in writing one. But I could never come up with one good reason why anyone would "listen" to me. I am a jack of all trades, if you will. I sing in an a capella group, I am learning how to play guitar, I am a conference planner by day, adjunct professor by night. I love food (especially all the stuff I shouldn't eat), and I love nights out drinking with my friends. I'm not married, I don't have kids, and I'm in my 30s.
So what do I talk about?
I'm not an expert in anything really, so I don't feel like if you play guitar you should follow me, or if you like to sing that I'm the person to go to, or if you run, that I know exactly what to do. I'm just hopeful that if you're like me, fumbling through this world trying to be the best person you can be, you might find reading this a comfort, knowing you're not alone.
The reason this all started:
I had always been rail-thin. In college, I even said "Oh, I know it's going to catch up to me", having no idea that it actually would. I ate whatever I wanted, drank whenever I wanted, and never gained a pound. I ended up moving to Boston, and I don't know...the food got better, the drinks multiplied, and I started to slowly gain weight. The first 5lbs weren't that bad...I mean, I was rail thin, right? 5lbs and I probably looked BETTER. Gaining weight slowly is the WORST way to gain weight. You don't really notice it...and pretty soon, you're like me: 6 years later and 25lbs heavier.
Fast forward 5 years:
This past winter I weighed in at a weight I didn't think I'd see unless I was pregnant, and I had been accused of being pregnant twice the year before. Something had to be done. Here's the deal: I wasn't OVERWEIGHT...but I was unhealthy. I was 154lbs of mostly squish (I hate the word "fat"), and I hated how I looked unless I was in an oversized sweatshirt and jeans. Tank tops accented by muffin top, my arms felt flabby, and I generally felt lethargic and useless. You see, 154 is still (BMI-wise) within "normal" for my 5'8'' height. But that didn't make me feel better. I felt like a blimp.
Groupon:
Groupon might be my favorite site ever. They offer so many discounts on such amazing things. In February, they offered a Groupon for the Quincy Athletic Club (very near me) and my roommates and I snatched it up. We went to the gym for a while...I loved the treadmill because I was able to train for a 20-mile walk I was planning on doing in May. I was terrified of the weights, but the treadmill and I were best friends.
Me? Running?
I started challenging myself more on the treadmill by running. I am not a runner, I was never a runner. But I knew running was a great way to burn calories fast, and I'm always about the shortest way to get to a goal. I have running friends, and they all talk about this "runner's high", that I was all excited to experience. I started thinking I could run 5Ks, getting all these ideas in my head about running a 5K a month until Thanksgiving...I was on a mission. For the record, I have yet to experience this "runner's high". I HATE running.
Special K:
Special K and I had a two-week relationship that had its ups and downs. I dropped 6lbs (as promised) and I felt SKINNY again! But that kind of diet is SO hard to keep up. I did the two weeks, and then "sort of" maintained it for a bit. The cereal is great, the protein shakes are awesome, and the recipes they have on their website are SO good. It's just a lot of work, and the allure of summer barbecues just was too much.
Plateau:
The good news is, I haven't GAINED much back since I went off that diet (I still run between 1-2 miles a few times a week), but the bad news is, I haven't lost any more either. So here I am, I've lost 14lbs, but I still want to drop 5-10 more.
Why?
Good-looking bodies are wasted on the young. I know this because I think I did have a great body, but I never realized it. I didn't realize it until I didn't have it anymore.
And I won't lie...I'm single. I'm not thinking that being skinny will land me a man, but I do think that if I feel good about myself, that confidence will be attractive.
I want to fit into the clothes I used to fit into (that I haven't thrown away). I want to like what I see in the mirror. I want to wear the bikini I wore 4 years ago that I'm still in love with (and feel confident in it).
How do I do this?
I need to go to the gym more. I need to get my ass out of bed before work and hit the gym. I need to get over my insecurities with the weights, and I need to not care if people are watching me work out. I need to run more, and I need to eat better. I also need motivation. I think it's easier if you have a partner...someone to push you...or a rock-hard reason to work so hard. That's how I am, anyway. Luckily, I have a friend who has done amazing things with his weight loss and muscle gain, and he's pushing me to be responsible about logging my workouts and calorie intake.
My goal:
My realistic goal is to lose 5lbs by 10/1. I want to lose 5 more by Thanksgiving. So, I'd be 130 by 11/24. I can do that.
So what are your tricks? What sort of things do you do to keep the weight off or help yourself hit your weight goals?
