212.5 this morning! Yay ^_^

I'm down to 214 now, yay! =)

Me and two of my friends started C25K yesterday.  We're planning to do it on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, since that's when we could all match up our schedules.  I'm used to jogging in place because of the Wii Fit (I can do the Island Lap on that no problem now), but actual jogging is a little different =P  I thought my lungs were gonna explode yesterday, mostly because I was trying to catch up to my other 2 friends, who apparently have longer strides or something.  It wasn't too terrible, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's workout =)  We also decided to jog at the park, which was a bad idea because there was no track, so we were constantly jogging over uneven terrain (sometimes over muddy grass, sometimes over rocky, inclined pavement...it sucked!).  We're probably gonna go to a local school and run on their track next time.

I love Trader Joe's  =)  I originally went there to try and find low sodium jerky, but I ended up buying other things!  A huge bag of baby spinach ran me 2 bucks, and I also got a bag of 100% whole wheat pasta ($1), a bag of Edamame ($1.49), and - the best of all - some honey flavored greek yogurt for $1.20.  The price isn't exceptional, but the flavor is amazing!  I bought some vanilla flavored greek yogurt from Wal Mart a couple of weeks ago, and it was absolutely awful!  I threw it away immediately and swore to never buy any ever again.  Well, I saw this at Trader Joe's and I just had to give it a try, because honey yogurt just sounded so delicious.  I wonder how good their pomegranate and blueberry flavored ones are...I wanted to get pomegranate too, but I didn't want to buy 2 containers of it if it ended up not tasting good =P  Also, the problem that I had with the greek yogurt from Wal Mart was that it was far too acidic and tangy to even be considered edible, and I was afraid that, because pomegranate is naturally acidic, it would make it taste even worse >_<  If it's anything like this honey one, though, I will definitely love it =)

Now I'm off to make a grilled tilapia and spinach salad...hope everyone has a good night =D

The fajitas I made tonight were not only extra delicious, but only 350 calories.  I had 6 oz. of chicken breast and about a full cup of bell peppers/onions split between two pita halves, and I was so full afterwards =O  I have enough bell pepper/onion mixture to make probably 3 more servings, and I have way more bell peppers in my fridge than necessary (but they were on sale 3/$1 so I couldn't pass that up!).  I used to hate bell peppers, and now I think they rock so much!  It's just a matter of cooking them the right way...I absolutely hate them raw because they're far too bitter, but cooking them makes them nice and sweet  =)

I've also rediscovered my love for milk tea, and that has become my one indulgence while at work.  We get to have as much free tea as we want, and I usually mix the steeped breakfast tea with about 4oz. of 2% milk and one packet of turbinado, and it is perfectly sweet and creamy.  I usually only have 1 cup during my shift, but sometimes I will have 2 if I take a double shift or if it gets particularly busy (and stressful!). 

My weight has stayed the same, but my clothes feel a bit looser.  The jeans I just bought from Old Navy's $12 sale the other week are already a little bit loose (I actually don't even need to unbutton them to put them on, but I don't really have hips, so I guess that makes sense).  I think I'm ok with my weight staying the same for now, as long as I notice measurement changes.

School is still going well...Circuit Weight Training class is still kicking my ass.  I feel so great during and afterwards, though, because sweating profusely makes me ecstatic for some reason.  I love working out on all of the weight machines, the treadmill and the elliptical machine, but I hate hate hate the stationary bike!  My vajayjay area gets so sore afterwards =/  That part makes me glad that it's only twice a week =P

I think it's bed time for me now...Hope everyone had a splendid weekend =)

I've gained back 1.5lbs, which I'm not upset about.  Not sure if it's water weight or what, but I haven't noticed any physical changes, so it's hardly something to freak out about =)

WiiFit has been great!  I have been doing some form of exercise on it every day since I got it.  I remember when I started it, 10 lunges used to kill me, but now I can do 20 no problem =D

I also started school on Tuesday.  My classes are all awesome!  I really thought I'd find Poli Sci to be completely boring, but it's not so bad so far.  I'd originally had my Circuit Weight Training class scheduled right before lunch, but I was getting super hungry by the time class started =/  Besides, the instructor for that time period is a crazy old dude who kept preaching about the importance of staying fit your whole life, as he paced back and forth with his beer belly sticking out.  Kind of reminded me of a salty old sailor, beard and everything.  I switched my lunch period and my weight training class, and now I'm not hungry when I go to work out =P  My new instructor is pretty cool, and it was nice of him to let me switch classes after the term started.  We did the treadmill, elliptical trainer and biking today, as well as the plank.  I honestly thought I wouldn't do so well with the plank, but I was able to hold it the whole time, even after we shifted to our left and right sides.  I dunno if my butt was sticking in the air or not, but it didn't feel like it =P  I was sweating like crazy though, so I'm pretty sure I got a decent workout ^_^

My college is only 2 miles away from me, but parking is absolutely atrocious, so I ride the bus to school.  It's kind of annoying to have to leave my apartment to get to the bus stop at 8:15, ride the bus for half an hour, and then wait until my 9am class starts when I can just drive not even 5 minutes to get there =/  Ideally I'd love to invest in a bike to ride to school and back, but I didn't get financial aid this year, so that might have to wait until another semester.  Even bikes on Craig's List are $50 or more, which seems so exhorbitant to me (but I've never actually bought a bike in my life, so I dunno).

Well, time for work.  Hope everyone has a great day =)

I am now down to 215.5 =D

That might change this afternoon, as I'm going to the Jelly Belly factory with one of my best friends =X

My boyfriend came home with Wii Fit yesterday.  I was completely surprised.  I didn't get a chance to play it yesterday as we had plans all day, but I played it for about half an hour today and I really felt like I got a workout!  The hula hoop game is my favorite =)

Also, we went grocery shopping last night and I decided to buy some protein powder.  I wanted to recreate my new favorite drink at Starbucks, the Banana Chocolate Vivanno, so I bought this chocolate whey protein made by Body Fortress.  I made my Vivanno knockoff this morning with 2% milk (which I accidentally bought instead of skim =/), a banana, a bit of crushed ice and one scoop of the protein powder, and it tasted great!  Also, the powder has 26g of protein per scoop (as opposed to 21g that the Vivanno has) and the overall cost is cheaper than buying the starbucks equivalent every time I want to enjoy one (a 2lb. container of the protein powder was only 13 bucks...which is like half the price of normal protein powders =D).  I will definitely be making shakes for when I am just too lazy to cook =P  Also, I hope to discover a way to freeze one so that I can have it after my circuit training class when school starts next week.  I just made a shake and put it in the freezer, and I will be taking it out tomorrow morning to see how long it takes to unfreeze it.

Otherwise, weight loss is slow.  Still at the same weight since my last post, which I understand because I had a pretty bad weekend eating wise (watched Pineapple Express on Friday with some friends, where I engorged in some major snackage at the theater, and yesterday we threw a taco party for my friend Erik, and I had a couple of tacos with full fat everything >_<).  Oh well, I'm not too worried =)

I stuck to eating between 1300-1500 calories per day for about three weeks, and coupled with working out pretty frequently, my weight hardly budged in that whole time (just one measly pound!).  I was also completely fatigued both physically and mentally.  This past Saturday, I was having cravings something awful (since Aunt Flo is gonna be here soon) so I caved in and had about 2300 calories.  I felt sooooooooo much better!  And my cravings have continued throughout the week, so I've been eating in the range of 1850 calories each day, and my fatigue has pretty much gone away.  Not only that, but...

I weigh 218.5 now =D =D =D

I've been reading up a lot on protein, fat and muscle, and how the former affect the latter.  I'm certain my body went into starvation mode sometime in those three weeks, which is why I couldn't drop any weight.  Also, more muscle burns more fat, but you need to eat more calories in the form of protein to rebuild and retain the broken down muscle tissue after a workout, which is why I think I dropped the weight after I increased my caloric intake.

So I'm going to stick to my original set of percentages, but I'm going to make a point to never eat under 1800 calories if I can help it.  1800 is my BMR, and I work out and move around often enough that I don't think I need a deficit to lose weight (if anything, I might up my caloric intake if I work out more than usual in any given day).

I'm just glad that I'm not starving myself anymore, and that I can actually focus at work now =P

Of course, two days after I post that my weight hasn't budged, I officially weighed in at 220 this morning =)  I think I was eating too many carbs and too much fat with too little protein in the past week for my weight to fluctuate any (Between 20-25% fat, 55-60% carbs and only 20% protein =X) .  Back on the 30% protein/20% fat/50% carb train!  Choo choo!

Also, I've been thinking about rewarding myself.  I have decided that I want to get a tattoo when I hit the 200 pound mark (which I haven't weighed since high school, so it might be a while *frowny face*).  I think I'll have plenty of time to decide on which tattoo I'll be getting =P

I really like this site: http://www.caloriesperhour.com.  I have been reading their tutorials, and I realized that consuming a higher amount of protein and a lower amount of fat is important because of the Thermal Effect of Food.  I'd explain it, but it can get long, so if you're interested then you can just go to the Thermal Effect of Food tutorial on the website =D  My weight loss in the first month of my diet totally makes sense now, since I was eating soooooo much more protein then ^_^

When I sit around doing nothing on my days off from work, I notice that I tend to eat more.  I don't think it's out of boredom, because I actually feel hungry when I get the urge to eat something.  I usually eat around 1800-1900 calories when I do that.  However, when I workout during the day, I notice that I'm not usually hungry for a long while afterwards.  On my days off, I typically wake up, eat breakfast, sit and catch up on stuff online for a couple of hours while I drink some water, eat a piece of fruit, wait about half an hour, workout for about an hour, and then eat a high protein meal about half an hour after working out.  It seriously gives me energy throughout the rest of the day, which I love.  I totally went out with some friends last night, got home around 5:30 am, and woke up around noon feeling a little bit sluggish, but not super tired like I usually feel when I haven't gotten a full 8 hours of sleep.  I did my workout routine today and I am pretty energetic right now.  I'm gonna go to the mall with one of my best friends and I'm guessing we'll probably end up walking around for a bit, and I'm looking forward to it =)

My weight hasn't budged, but I had to go eventually go down a notch on my belt this past week because my pants were kinda falling off at work =X  I've also compared some pictures that were taken last night to my starting face pics, and I notice a small difference.  That makes me happy and totally keeps me motivated ^_^

I was pretty depressed when I found out that Randy Pausch died during the week, because he was a very inspirational person to me.  I think that, subconsciously, he motivated me to go on the diet in the first place.  If you don't know who he is, you should look up his name plus the phrase "The Last Lecture" on YouTube.  He talked about the fact that, although he had incurable pancreatic cancer and was given merely 3-6 months to live (although he went on to live for much longer), he wasn't afraid to die because he had achieved all of his childhood dreams.  I dunno, I guess it just made me realize that I shouldn't be wasting my time being afraid of achieving things in my life.

Well, my friend is here now, so I gotta go.  Hope everyone has a good rest of the day, and stay strong =D

Drive me crazy!  My ex was 6'3" and around 145 (yeah, he was lanky) and my current boyfriend is 5'8" and probably hovering around the 130 mark.  I dunno if I'm crazy or what, but skinny boys really do something for me.  I just hate how they can eat like twice as much as I do and not even gain an ounce ;_;  I'm not exactly thrilled by how I look next to my skinnier SO's in pictures because they look like they weigh a normal amount and I just look like Jabba or something.  Wait, no - Jabba is super fat.  He is also an alien, and probably male.  I suppose that's not a good example at all.  Nonetheless, I hate how much skinnier they look than me >_<


Also, my boyfriend keeps eating the food that I make for myself  =/  I don't normally mind if it's shared food, but I almost have to buy a second set of groceries for myself because I'm so strict with what I put in my mouth.  When he eats it, it gives me less options to choose from =(  I don't want to be a jerk and tell him not to eat it, though, because he buys most of the groceries =X  Today he ate some of my grilled chicken and the buns I use for my veggie burgers, and I kinda brought it up in a non-accusatory way, but I don't think it really sunk in how important it is to not eat my food when there's plenty of fattening crap around the house that he can eat.  I even made him a huge batch of one of his favorite dishes, adobo (with both pork AND chicken in it!) with plenty of rice on Monday, and he's still eating my food -_-;;  Oh well, I will just have to put potatoes, pickles and cottage cheese into all of my food, since he hates those so much (and is therefore officially insane...seriously, who doesn't frickin like potatoes?!) =P

Oh man, I had the WORST craving for pizza today.  I was about to get one for dinner too.  Papa Murphy's BBQ Chicken DeLite, to be exact.  I was thisclose to ordering one when my craving just passed all of a sudden  I think subconsciously I just didn't want to pay $13 for half the pizza I'd normally get at that price (since the crust is smaller and the toppings are fewer).   I think I also examined my allotted calories for the day and just convinced myself that it wasn't worth it .  Maybe I'll get one sometime this weekend if the craving ends up coming back =)

I went to the WEAVE store today and it was buy one get one item free day, so I replaced my old analog scale and sorta broken food scale (I have to tape it all funky for it to work, and even then the measurement is off by 2 ounces) with a digital scale and much better food scale, all for only $6.50.  Man, I love the WEAVE store so much <3

Hopped on the scale this morning, and I'm down to 221!  Yay! ^_^

I absolutely love Quaker rice cakes.  I have about 5 different flavored ones right now, and they have become the best things to snack on ^_^  My favorite flavor so far is the Honey Vanilla one, followed by the White Cheddar (which replaces chips) and Chocolate Chip (which replaces cookies).  They are between 45 and 60 calories a cake, so I can eat 2 of them and feel more satisfied than eating one of those 100 calorie packs, and they are made from brown rice, so they're relatively healthy too =D  I used to hate them before because the only one I had ever tried was the apple cinnamon (which is waaaaaaaay too cinnamon-y for my taste =/), but I think they will be part of my diet for the long run =)

In the realm of exercise, I didn't keep up with my fitness goal of working out for 30 minutes at least 4 times a week.  Actually, aside from the workout I get at work, I didn't do any extra exercising >_<  I use my period as an excuse, which is terrible, but I get so lethargic when I'm on it that I don't feel like doing anything but sitting or laying all day =(  Luckily today was my last day, and I had plenty of energy to burn, so I did one of my aerobics videos and I also played the boxing game in Wii Sports for about an hour.  I think I had only burned about 350 calories total, but that is better than no calories burned ^_^

I really can't wait to go grocery shopping.  Not that we're running out of food or anything; there are some new products that I want to try, but I have to wait until I get paid on Thursday before we can go.  I saw some fruity Skinny Cow bars on the back of my fudge bar box, and they look sooooooooo good =O~~~~  I also wanna get some imitation crab to have around in case I get the urge to snack on something with protein.  I want to try brown rice again, even though I absolutely love white rice (I'll still be buying some because I simply can't live without it).  Last time I ate brown rice, I didn't much care for it (I cooked it forever and it still came out a bit more toothsome than I cared for), but I also used to hate cottage cheese, so I'm willing to give it a try again =P  Also, the vegan Boca burgers were pretty delicious!  I still prefer the texture of the all American flame grilled ones, but these are a fine substitute =D

The weight has stayed pretty much the same (no big surprise) and I've been eating roughly 1600 cals/day (give or take 100 calories).  I kinda went crazy on Saturday and ate about 2000 calories for the day, but I didn't beat myself up over it or anything.  It was all still healthy, low fat stuff...I just had a period moment, hehe.  I will be working an 8 hour shift with only a lunch break tomorrow, so hopefully that will get my butt back in workout mode.  I won't be able to eat between my meals, so I'm hoping I don't have the urge to just eat everything in sight when I get home after work -_-;;

After a month, I am down to 224 from 235.  Not too shabby =)  I don't think I'm gonna take any body measurements until next month though, because I just took some about a week ago and I want to give my body SOME time to change, hehe.

I found my food scale, so now I can easily measure out my meat portions =D  Also, I grilled a bunch of chicken today to have for the next week or so.  It turned out so well!  I can eat it on a salad, or with bbq sauce, or with hot sauce, or with cranberry sauce, or with honey...so many possibilities!

Also, I have rediscovered my love for cherries.  I remember when I was still living with my parents in the old house many years ago, and we had a cherry tree in the back yard.  I always ate sooooooo many cherries when they finally started growing.  I think I got sick of them eventually  =(  But I just bought some yesterday and ate some for my midday snack today, and they were just as sweet and satisfying as ever.  Glad I bought em  ^_^

Wal Mart doesn't carry the normal Boca burgers that I eat, so I had to buy the original vegan kind.  I'm a little scared =/  But hopefully they will taste delicious (or at least I can cover up their taste with all of the condiments that I plan on using =X).

I hate being on my period (yeah I know, no one else in written history has ever hated their period =P).  I don't know what's wrong with my body, but I get so lethargic on my heavier flow days.  When I was about 11, my dad took me to the doctor because I was feeling very sleepy and just generally meh for a couple of days.  The doctor prescribed me some iron pills, which I took once or twice.  I was fine after that, so I figured I didn't need to worry about it anymore.  Good thing I don't have to work until Tuesday, and my period should be over by then (it better be - I'm working an 8 hour shift on my feet all day!).

I totally didn't do anything Independence Day-related for the 4th.  Woke up, did laundry, worked out, and then the boy and I went over to hang out with our friends at their apartment the whole afternoon/evening.  We watched a movie called Nightwatch, played some Wii games and just had random discussions throughout the night.  We arrived at 6pm and didn't leave until about 1am O_O  It was fun though, and I stayed within my normal allotted calories (even though I planned on eating more, since it was the 4th and all).  Went out again with the same friends today and actually did splurge calorie wise.  Ate breakfast and lunch normal, but then we all went to Strings Italian Cafe for dinner and I had some pesto alfredo pasta with chicken, some salad with Italian dressing and some awesome garlic bread.  Right after that, we went to Coldstone, where I tried out their blueberry muffin top ice cream with pecans, which was so rich and delicious.  The food all tasted good, but I was soooooooooo sick to my stomach (and later to my intestines >_<) when we got back to the apartment to hang out.  I know not to have that much dairy in such a short amount of time ever again =X  Overall, I went about 500 calories over my normal intake, which is so much less than I thought I would, so I'm pretty proud, hehe.  I know I won't want to eat very much tomorrow because of all my tummy trouble, so hopefully it will balance out a little more.  Also, aunt flo is gonna be visiting soon, so I expect the scale not to fluctuate very much in the next week or so =/

Hope everyone had a great 4th ^_^

I started my diet on June 13th, and since then I have lost what I'm going to guess is 10 pounds.  I actually didn't weigh myself on that date because I didn't have my scale, but I'm sure I was floating around 235, since that was the weight I was at when I moved into my apartment 2 months ago (the number might even be higher, who knows?).  I stepped on the scale this morning and am now at 225.  Of course it might just be water weight, as I'm not as hydrated in the morning as I am later in the day, but even if it accounts for about 5 pounds, that's still 5 pounds lost in 2 weeks, which is just fine for me =)  Now that I have my scale, it will be easier for me to keep track of what exactly I've lost so far =P

I threw a Battlestar Galactica themed birthday party for my boyfriend this weekend.  I was pretty proud of myself; I had probably 2 or 3 cookies and probably about a 1/4 cup of spinach dip, but for the most part I ate pretty well =)  I had a breakfast of cottage cheese and a peach, and aside from the aforementioned snacking, I didn't eat another meal until about 8pm (grilled chicken breast with no fat added and some potato salad...I absolutely cannot resist potato salad, especially when I make it myself!).  Of course I also had a piece of his cake, but I probably consumed my normal amount of calories for a day, considering I all but skipped lunch.  I was absolutely awful Sunday - I hadn't slept much and I guess all of that lack of eating from Saturday carried over.  I ended up eating probably twice the amount of calories I would normally eat in a day.  I'm not too mad about it; I just figure I will work out a little harder and lower my daily calorie limit for the whole week.  No biggie =D

Also, I hate tap water.  Hate hate HATE it.  I have been trying to force myself to drink it because it's super cheap compared to bottled water, but the aftertaste is just terrible >_<.  I just wish it didn't taste so terrible so I wouldn't have to spend so much money on delicious water with minerals in it - I'm poor enough as it is ;_;

So I've been pretty good at the calorie counting for the past few days, and I have to say that using the FitDay app makes it so much easier.  I've even planned out my meals for the rest of the week, so that I don't have to worry about what I'm gonna eat for any given day.  Also, if I eat something that I didn't plan, I can just rearrange my meals for the rest of the day, or the next day.  So far I have managed to plan meals that are satisfying and actually something I'd want to eat (I work at a Mexican restaurant and get meals for free, so of course I wanna eat their food!). 

I can't believe I hadn't gotten skim milk sooner!  I love it, and it has only a trace of fat and a good amount of protein in each serving.  I guess I won't have to worry about my calcium intake =P  Speaking of which, I really should be incorporating a vitamin supplement into my diet, but I'll need to wait for next paycheck to pick some up, as I'm completely broke at the moment =( 

Also, Boca Burgers are so wonderful.  I had one a long time ago and it tasted sort of fake and plastic-y, so I didn't want to eat more of them after that.  However, I saw some on sale a couple of weeks ago and figured I'd try them again.  I ate one today and I swear I could hardly tell the difference between it and a real meat patty.  Also, it's so much lower in fat and calories than a regular patty with nearly as much protein, and it's almost the same amount, so I think I will keep buying them =D

Well, here I go!  I am hoping that being accountable for my eating habits will help me see just how many calories I've been consuming lately.  Ever since I started my 2nd job last year (a full time position in an office), I have steadily been putting on some weight.  I think it may have been stress combined with the delicious food that they serve in huge portions in their cafeteria!  I'm a waitress part time as well, so you'd think that the constant moving would keep me in shape, but I am also guilty of indulging in a lot of their food as well.  I think I really let go once I started dating my current boyfriend (who, btw, has told me that he loves me and would love me at any weight, but that he supports whatever decision I make in terms of my body...what an awesome fella =D).  He has a super fast metabolism which keeps him on the skinny side (you can't even begin to understand how frustrating that is! =P) so I try to compensate by cooking hearty meals.  Of course, I eat them too, and they really are just calorie bombs (mostly comfort foods and meaty Asian cuisine).  We also "graze" all of the time - we sit at out computers and do whatever while we just inhale snacks like cookies, peanuts, popcorn, ice cream, and - the worst offender - candy.  We always keep a bag of peanut M&Ms around because we both love them, and there's usually about 10 different kinds of candy within reach.  I wonder why I've gained so much weight... =)

I started keeping track of what I ate yesterday.  It came in at around 2200 calories, which is on the higher side for a diet, but that is a whole lot less than I've been eating in the past few months.  I think if I can stick to around that much, I'll be good to go for the first few weeks.  Maybe I will drop the caloric intake once 2200 makes me satiated throughout the day (because honestly, I was still hungry during some parts yesterday).  I plan on incorporating lots of protein into my diet (not Atkins...I've tried it before and couldn't stick with it) and will likely restrict my fat intake to under 20%.  I will also be incorporating more exercise into my diet.  I am a geek, so I love things like Dance Dance Revolution and WiiFit.  I may also try walking around the mall that I work at before or after my shifts at my waitress job (if I have the time, of course).  I'm not going to focus too much on the exercise part because I already walk around so much while I'm serving.

Well, hopefully I can do this.  I know I will slip up once in a while, and I don't mind if I have a little something here and there since I know I have to treat myself once in a while for this "diet" to work.  For anyone reading this, wish me luck! ^_^