Update...and help me pick a dress for my bday!

Weight still coming down. Sometimes faster sometimes at SNAIL pace. But I'm not giving up! My bday is coming up. I have some pics of dresses...Help me pick one.

diet pilld and weight loss

Hey

Still counting cals and exercising. Question for everybody out there. Have you taken diet pills. I'm considering Xenical, orlistat, or reductil

Rolling out of bed

Hey guys,

So I literally just rolled out of bed and thought I would snap some pics. My period started yesterday so I'm a bit bloated but you can definately see the difference. 15 pounds down! Let me know what you think.

Back in the states

OK so because of the political unrest in Bangkok we are back in the states. I am taking it all in stride and making sure that I continue to count EVERYTHING. I don't have my scale so I haven't weighed myself. But I have been using my calculations to help me determine how much weight I am losing. Hopefully when I get back to Thailand I will have lost the weight that I set out to lose. I am just glad that I am being accountable and not using my being back in the states to get loose on my goals. How are you guys doing out there?

In my window seat

So Im on my way back to Thailand......This trip has been very rewarding for me. Primarily I am aware that emotional issues cause me to eat. However this time I couldn't eat when I was stressed and sad. I actually felt nauseous and could not eat myself to comfort myself. Not filling myself with food really let me deal with what I was feeling. Through this trip I've learned something about myself and relationships in general.

1. People either love you or they don't. No sense trying to convince them that you are worthy because if they love you it isn't necessary and if they dont your trying to show them won't work.

2. It is sometimes better to love the person that loves you back, even if you don't love them they same amount they love you. You definately shouldn't waste your time on the person that doesn't love you. Love yourself enough to let them go. Love them enough to allow them to love whom they were going to love anyway. Be friend enough to let them. Through the letting go you honor yourself. You set the price of your worth.

Sorry to get so much into relationships you guys but at the bottom of our overeating are trends. I am trying to see what those trends are for me and reset the trigger points. I haven't weighed myself this week but I am certain the weight has gone down. I will weigh myself after my period goes off.

I hope this day finds you loved...That's the single thing that everyone deserves and I am sure most at least hope for.

In the states.....

So I am back in the states and really liked being back home. No one stared at my hips as if they dont understand why they are so curvy (sidebar- I live in Thailand- they dont have hips there).

I am doing work and staying busy but I'm stressed and therefore am not eating. Normally when Im stressed i want to curl up in a place where I feel safe and EAT!

Not this time. The idea of eating makes me feel more sick. Honestly I ate breakfast and then did not try to eat again until 2pm. When I tried to take a bite of the apple I felt nauseous. I ended up throwing the apple in the trash. It is now 6:30 and if I didn't eat again today it wouldn't bother me at all.

So this is the place in am in for now. The good thing is that all of this non eating should really be good for my weight loss lol.

Sidebar 2- Have you ever wanted something that was just out of your reach? It would be something you definatly deserve but just on a shelf too high for you to reach(ok not a cookie...I'm being serious). Did you have the courage to just leave it on the shelf and walk away (one of the hardest things I had to do but did this week). Or shared your real self with someone (the things you cant even tell your momma or best friend) only to wish you hadnt done it? Have you ever gotten everything you thought you wanted only to just want to give it all back and start over? I am in that place lately. I pushed so hard for my job, career, and family. Outiside of my daughters I would be happy just to go back to Maryland where I was 2 years ago. I wish I could feel rage. Rage would give me energy to workout. lol. Plus who should I be pissed at? Myself! I made all the decisions that have me in this shitty place (exc my french). I'm just sad and numb. That makes me want to just go for a long walk by myself and figure out how to dig myself out of this low point. I miss my dog. She would lick my face and bark (her way of telling me everything will be ok). Do you guys ever feel like this?

Weigh in and 2 quick questions

OK so at least the scale is moving from when I went on my two week haitus. I am now down to a respectful 159.4. According to my spreadsheet last week I am on point. for next week my goal is 156.8. That means I have to get in all 6 workouts and have a daily caloric average of 1371.

After that I will be going back to the states for two weeks. I plan on doing only 3 workouts per week and have a daily caloric average of 1550. So my goal for when I come back to Bangkok is to be a slim and trim 155.4. My goal is to try to make my plan and then see if the results at the end of the week equal my output.

Has anyone else used the Harris Benedict formula or the Katch-McArdle formula for weight loss purposes?

Also I've noticed that in order to keep my weight going down I HAVE to count my calories. Like really really specifically. So for lunch for example I ordered a sandwich and fries from a deli. I literally counted out the steak fries to 10 (I think I received 18) and counted them on fitday along with the rest of the meal. Afterwards I had to throw out the other 8 fries. Now my mother NEVER let me throw away food. As an adult I would always clean my plate. Now I find that I have to throw out the extras because 1) I don't want to count the calories and 2) if I don't throw it away I will end up eating it later.

Do you guys throw out food now and if so does it make you feel guilty?

My conversation with fatty

Hey you,

It's me. Yeah we've been together for like 11 years now. You snuck up on me. Attached yourself to me. Said we were in a committed relationship (although I told you I wasn't interested). You seduced me with chocolate, and chinese food and then redisguised yourself in healthy food like peanuts and low fat potato chips. You know exactly how to get what you want.

But I've had enough of you. Other members of your entourage tried to get at my mom, my sister, my cousins, my friends. One by one they are realizing your kind are just no good for us. We deserve better.

In fact there is something you should know. I kissed a healthy lifestyle....AND I LIKED IT!

No offense to you or anything. I mean it's me. Really. I'm sure somebody will want you. Therefore you can take your stuff (i.e. the fat on my hips/thighs, family history of hypertension, diabetes, etc) and GO!

Don't worry about me calling you wishing for our long lost days together. I'm sure I won't want you back.

Love you no more,

Mandy

My update

OK so the scale really isn't budging in the past week. I've been back from vacation and haven't been logging my calories as usual. I haven't been drinking any water (ANY) and so I've been bloated like crazy. It doesn't help that my period is coming so my weight is swinging. Here is what has happened....

Weight before vacation- 154 BF 40.6% (62.52 pounds fat 91.47 pounds muscle/water)

Weight after vacation- 162 BF 41% (66.66 pounds fat 95.93 pounds muscle/water)

Weight this morning- 160.2 BF 41.3% (66.16 pounds fat 94.03 pounds muscle/water)

So it seems overall that I've gained 3.64 pounds fat and 2.56 of muscle water)

I think I may have gained some of the 3 pounds but I really don't think I gained that much in two weeks. Bother Bother....But I came up with a plan

8 week get-it-over-with-already-plan

To do:

1) Keep my current 3 days a week workouts with my trainer but add 3 additional workouts to increase my exercise output from 1.55 to 1.725

2) Eat 1300 calories per day on average (I like to have a range that way if I eat more on one day I can just eat less on the next)and blog what I eat on each of those 56 days.

3) Calculate the calories in a food BEFORE I eat it. This keeps me even more accountable.

4) Blog my weigh ins on youtube each Monday for the 8 weeks.

5) Plan to drink 8-10 oz for breakfast, 20 ounces while at work, and another 8-10 when I get home (although not the recommended 80 ounces it is a start and will at least curb the bloating).

Goal:

I plan to lose 16 pounds during this period. According to my calculation (Harris Benedict Formula)

BMR*activity-eats

1426*1.725-1300=1159

with a spread of 1159*7=8118.95/3500 ( I should lose 2.3 pounds per week). I underestimated the number of calories that I burn per day (BMI) to make sure that if my metabolism slowed down a little the calculation should still be on par.

OK so I'm starting Monday. I'll post my first youtube video then (Sunday in the states).

I enjoyed the journey but sometimes you just have to get it done. I am now ready to just get it done. This will at least get me to 139.

Mandy

In Need of your opinion

OK so I plan on starting to do video blogs and posting them on my youtube account about my weight loss journey with weekly weigh-ins. What do you guys think? If I started one would you watch. And another question. Should I wait until my period passes before I start one. I am soooo bloated right now. LMAO.

BTW I just wanted to add a question to you guys.

What is the maximum amount of weight that you lost in one week? (I'm not talking about that first week when what you've lost is water weight. I'm talking about the pounds that you lost in one week after you had an established program.)

i'm Back

Really enjoyed vacation. Didn't count calories or work out last week except for one workout with my personal trainer last Monday.

Really looking forward to my workout with my personal trainer on Tuesday.

I've been reading the Secret lately and have a question.

Does anyone out there think that obsessing about weight and having "fat thoughts" led (even partially) to their becoming overweight?

154; Still going down

On vacay this week in Pattaya. Really enjoying myself. Weight still coming down. Life is good!

155; Coming down Coming down

Hi guys,

Just wanting to let you know that I weighed in at 155. Yippee.

Same day; Different perception

I've been thinking a lot about gratitude and there are so many things I have to be grateful for.

1) My book that will come out of this process.
2) The fact that I know what to do.
3) The fact that I have the courage to do something about my weight.
4) The fact that once the weight is gone it won't come back because I understand all of these things.
5) I have a healthy body! My blood pressure is low, I don't have high cholesterol. I am blessed!

What do you have to be grateful for?

Nothing new

I moved out of my old apartment building so I don't have access to my old scale. The one that I have has me at 158 but I know that can't be the case. I'm still on my period so perhaps it is just water weight but I look at myself and I can see that I'm thinner. Plus my clothes have me looking great. They fit me loose. I don't know. But I'm still pushing. I got a personal trainer last week. I worked out for 3 sessions. I learned that for the most part I am pushing myself as hard as a personal trainer could but this person basically holds me accountable for the workouts. For a girl in the 150's my waist is great. I can even see the beginnings of a six pack. He does have me lifting weights so perhaps some of it is water but maybe some of it is muscle. I feel smaller and I think I look a lot better in my clothes but the 158 thing HAS ME BLOWN!!! But I can't stop now. I ordered 9 more sessions from this guy so I might as well keep counting, KEEP CONSISTENTLY EATING LESS AND INVENTING LOW CALORIE SUBSTITUTIONS, keep PRAYING, and keep pushing through the workouts.

WISH ME LUCK AND FOR THOSE THAT CAN PLEASE PRAY FOR MY SUCCESS THIS WEEK.

What is on your IPOD

Need workout music people

Send me your playlists.....I'm downloading on amazon now and can't think of anything upbeat to download to my mp3

So Far I've got

Nina Simone- Feeling Good 2:57 (Warmup)
Janet Jackson- I Get Lonely 5:17
Jay-Z- Empire State of Mind 4:37
Jay-Z- Run This Town 4:34
Jay-Z- 99 Problems 3:54
Kelly Clarkson- Since You've Been Gone 3:09
The Black Eyed Peas- I Gotta Feeling 3:49
The Black Eyed Peas-- Boom Boom Pow 4:11
Monica- Love all over me- 3:50 (Cool Down)
Rageem Devaughn- Believe 5:12(Cool Down)

Approximately 42 minutes.. I'm pushing for another 15 minutes. Help???



Mandy

My nominations

Happy Tuesday everybody,

Not much to discuss as far as weight loss goes but I thought I would let you guys know that I've been doing fine. I weighed in last week at 155 but refused to weigh in this week. My period is coming and rather than be stressed out about my water weight gain I thought I would allow myself one and a half weeks off so that I don't stress and ...eat!

I just wanted to post a thank you to two people that nominated me on their blogs for being supportive.

Julie @ the accidental fat chick blog- really good read and posts information that is really thought provoking.

MissHaneefa@ blackgirlgetsfit- a member of my 10 pound weight loss challenge and a lady that I know will reach her weight loss goals.

Thank you guys for mentioning me on your blogs. Keep pushing and I know that you both will reach your goals (weight loss and otherwise)

Mandy

Stages of Weight Loss

OK so I've been deep in thought about this. There are stages of grief right. For me there are stages of weight loss. Let me know if you think I am right on this.

1) Starter- This is what you are going through on the first couple of weeks. You are on a "weight loss high". You just started and you are making all of your workouts. You are eating EXACTLY on plan. This is the stage where you are buying all the weight loss books and dvds that you can afford. You are googling weight loss at your lunch break and doing all of your research. You are looking at inspiring stories on youtube. You had your first week and you lost an amazing amount of weight (mostly due to water) and you know that this is the best decision that you have ever made.

2) Settling in- This is the stage where you've been losing weight for a couple of weeks and you begin to miss workouts. You get used to losing weight and you relax a little on your eating habits. You may have a bad week this week as you realize that you didn't lose weight (or worse YOU GAINED) and you don't know why.

3) Toddler stage- I call this the, "I am on a diet and I DON"T LIKE IT!" stage. You are doing what you HAVE to do to lose weight instead of focusing on the journey. At this point you try to realize how soon you will be done. You are focusing on exactly how many workouts that YOU HAVE TO DO this week in order to make goal. You loathe the fact that you can't eat the old foods that you like but you know if you give in that you won't make your weight goal this week. This is the week where you are mean to your loved ones and you can't wait for this to be over.

4) Mature- If you make it beyond the toddler stage this is the stage where you "just keep your head down" and do what you need to do to lose weight. You've accepted that this is a journey and you don't focus on each pound lost (or at least you don't focus as much as you did during the toddler stage). You just focus on doing what you must do to continue the weight loss. This journey isn't something that is wonderful/fantastic or horrible. It just is.

5) You reach your goal. It is either your Sweet Dream or a Beautiful Nightmare. This is the stage where you reach your initial goal and you are on cloud nine or you realize more work needs to be done (i.e. either toning or more weight loss). This is the stage where you realize that your weight loss doesn't fix all of your woes. Actually it just creates more. In fact you find that you are the same person in a lot of ways. Yes you are a thinner person but you still have insecurities. You are human. If you relax during this stage you stand to gain all of your weight back plus some. The point in this phase is to realize what made you gain weight in the first place and make the necessary changes that will allow you to remain at your current weight (food choices/habits and exercise that you can maintain over a lifetime).

Am I right on this one guys? Any other stages I should prepare myself for?

Does anyone else do this?

After dinner I usually want a nice dessert. Something I can eat slowly and really savor. Instead this has become my routine.

I eat my meal.

I usually have diet coke in a glass with a few pieces of ice. After my meal I slowly sip the ice while I talk with my daughter about her day. It is kinda the same feel as having a drink with a friend sans the alcohol.

For the past week I've been able to keep from sending my daughter to the corner grocery store to get mommy her snickers.

Does anybody else do this. What else have you done to keep from eating dessert.

Exercise DVD Haul!!!

Ok I plan on going on amazon today and buying 5 exercise dvd's to do at home. Sometimes I just don't feel like going to the park or to the gym. Any ideas on some exercise tapes. Here is what I am looking for:

1) Difficulty- OK guys I really want to sweat here. I want some really fast movements, choreography etc that keeps my heart rate up and keeps me sweating. I really like to dance so either that or aerobics.

2) Good Music

3) Not too cheesy.

I was thinking about the Crunch: Fat Burning Blast DVD but am looking for others.

Send me your ideas.

10 Pound Challengers

Hey Challengers,

Update me on your progress! I wanna know how you are doing.

155; Yippee Lost Two pounds last week

See you can entirely go out 2 nights in a week and have a few drinks and still meet your weight loss goals for the week.! Yippee.

Worked out last night. 30 minutes on the elliptical. Can't wait for my ipod to be shipped this song I will def. add to my cool downs.

Raheem Devaughn (Believe)

With affection like a dreamer
with patience and understanding
like a teacher with a student, vice versa
promise not to hurt you, not to leave
not to lie, not to cheat, not to fuss
not to stress, like the rest in your past

Believe me I ain't like most men
I ain't like them others
you done dealt with in your past
just have some faith
that is all I ask, believe in me (repeat)

why go searching, else where lurking
when you been hurtin for the real thing
since I'm here before your eyes
lets make love till sunrise.

I be something like the rebirth
of love with a twist
it started with a simple kiss
what could be more precious
then the rebirth of love

Chours (repeat)
Believe in me
Believe in me, just try...try
believe in me
Chours (repeat)

I got another way I want to tell you

lately I have been thinking
about this crazy world,
being one step away from war
So tonight baby,
I want to make love to you
Like this world is coming to an end
and if we should die tonight,
In the next life
I'm gonna love you the same
Ain't nothin gonna change


What's on your ipod?

My week.....My week

I have only ran once this week bc I've had a rollercoaster of a week. Hopefully I'll feel better tonight after a long run. Then all I need is another workout on Friday and I'll be all better.

So ok so I know this is not the point of my blog. But why do people always want what they can't have. If they could have it would they even want it. Shut up Mandy and run your two damn miles on the treadmill. After about 27 minutes....you'll feel so much better. lmao

Happy running,

Mandy

157.0; HYAA Take that Scale!

Lost 1.8 last week. Now I'm at 157.0. Really worked out some kinks in my calcs and my activity level.

I already shared this once but I thought I would share with you guys again in case you would like to try it.

Harris Benedict Formula= BMR*Activity-calories in=weight loss

Activity is as follows:

0-1 workouts= 1.2
2-3 workouts=1.375
4-5 workouts= 1.55
5-6 workouts 1.6
6-7 workouts 1.725
Hardass=1.9

I had 5 workouts last week so I'll take 1.6
My average caloric intake was 1539.

So plug the numbers

(1490*1.6-1496)*7=1.78 (i.e my weight loss for the week!)

It works you guys. Try it. If you are a little confused with the formula you can send it to me and I'll send you my spreadsheet for you to plug the numbers.

Next week I want to up the weight loss a little so I think I'll try to watch my intake of bread, pasta, and rice. I think this will only eat those before noon and see if my weight loss accelerates to 2.5. They say as long as the weight loss is under 3 pounds per week that you aren't losing muscle. How are you guys doing?

Day 4

I went out last night and did not go to the gym so I will update you guys on my calorie count and my activity on Monday. I will do a full update on Monday with weight, calorie count, and activity, plus a review on my calorie count spreadsheet and its effectiveness. I hope you all are doing well!

Mandy

Anyone else getting by on sugarless gum and diet coke

As it seems gum can actually cause you to snack less after lunch and minimize cavaties see below:

http://caloriecount.about.com/blog/partners/chewing-gum-conundrum-b397664

I also think that drinking diet coke as a zero calorie drink is bad bc it isn't water but it is better than drinking a high calorie drink. I even drink diet coke instead of regular when I order mixed drinks (i.e. diet coke and rum). I figure that ever less calorie helps me to get to my goal.

What do you guys think?

My weight loss over time

Some people have asked about my weight loss over time.

To the side I have posted the dates and my weights so people can see how fast I lost the 50 or so pounds over time.

I guess you can see that the weight was up and down. This has definately been a journey for me. I've learned some very good things along the way.

1) I can't get comfortable.
2) Calorie counting has become a way of life for me.
3) Once I reach my goal I cannot get comfortable.
4) I can gain weight easily/quickly if I stop counting and stop exercising.

5) Although life gets stressful I cannot say that I will worry about weight later. That only leads to a bigger problem to fix later (see the jump from 142 to 161 only 4 months later. It looks like a lot of weight but it is only 5 pounds a month aka 583 calories over maintenance per day). I have to stay present and I have to remain vigilent about my health and especially about my weight. For me my health is tied to my weight. I have a family history of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. I don't currently have any of these problems thanks to God and my exercise and my eating habits. However I cannot let that allow me to become comfortable with my weight. Yes I can still run at my current weight but I know that I could run a lot faster, a lot farther, and a lot easier if I was 30 pounds lighter.

Yesterday I went to my doctor for my monthly checkup and she actually told me that my cholesterol and blood pressure levels are something that you just don't see with people of African desent. I can only attribute that to running a lot and really pushing myself. That is something that cannot stop once I reach 130. Although I will be at goal the only way to keep these health problems at bay is to continue the cardiovascular exercise.

6) I will never stop pushing until I reach 130 so I might as well focus and get there.

7) For me I cannot say I won't eat this or eat that. That only leads me to binge. Calorie counting allows me to eat anything I want within a specified caloric number per day. This freedom allows me to feel like I can have anything that I want and that makes it a lot easier to continue a weight loss regiment. I also don't mandate my exercise I simply know that I get a higher burn rate and lose more weight if I exercise more. For me this is the motivation that gets me to the gym when I'd rather just watch TV.

What lessons have you learned as you've lost weight?

Mandy

Day 3

Ran 2 miles in 27:42. Felt really hard bc I actually counted the two minute warmup. Faster than when I did it last week at 28 minutes. Here are my eats for day 3 of the competition.

BF
1 pc bread 70
1 fried egg 90
1 tsp butter 102
1 tsp jam 40
coffee 180
1/8 pineapple

Snack
1 full bar 160

Lunch
3 cabbage rolls 300
1/2 cup pad thai 172
1/8 pineapple 29

Snack
3 cookies 144 (I hate it how 3 cookies was similar in cals as a whole fillet of sea bass that I ate for dinner)

Dinner
6 tbsp rice 78
1/2c greens 19
1 sea bass fillet 125

Dessert
5 tamarinds 25

Total 1563

Challenge Day 2

Feeling pretty good. I have worked out every day since last Thursday. I'm really trying to push that scale this week. Yesterday I went to the Sizzler with a co-worker. I tried going to the site before I went to figure out what I was going to eat and did ok:] Here are my cals for the day.

BF
1 pc bread- 70
1 fried egg- 90
1 tsp butter 102
1 tsp jam
coffee 180
1/8 pineapple 29

Snack
1 cup pineapple 78

Lunch
1 hamburger (only beef, tomato, lettuce, onion)- 507 (happy I said no to mayo and cheese)
french fries 286
1 mini snicker 80 (the old me would have ordered a dessert- small changes)

Dinner
3 cabbage rolls (2 tbsp rice and 0.5 oz pork ea) 300
1/3 potato 92

Total cals 1954

Workout- Before dinner I turned on some reggae and did aerobics for 30 minutes (really pushed myself) then did a 5 minute abs and cool down.

My Account Day 1 of Challenge`

Hey challengers,

Please email me with your weight for day 1 of the challenge. If you decided that you don't want to participate please email me at mparham-seotsanyana@usaid.gov so that I don't send you any unnecessary emails.

I felt a little sluggish on my first day of the challenge. I had worked out every day since Thursday of last week so Monday was my fourth workout in four days. I jogged to Lumpini Park where they had an aerobics class. I did the aerobics class for 35 minutes and then returned home. Total workout time: 60 minutes

As far as eating I tried to measure everything as well as possible. Here is what I actually ate.

Meal Food Calories
Breakfast- 1 pc toast 70
1 egg fried 90
1 tsp butter 102
coffee 180

Snack Full Bar 160

Lunch 1/2 mango 68
3 oz fish 119
1 rose apple 25
4 tsp rice 52

Dinner 1 cup pad thai 344

Total Calories 1210

YIPPEE!!! My caloric goal for each day of the challenge was 1300 (If I do this and my starting calories burned per day is 1426 (low-balling) plus exercise at 1.725 (6-7 workouts per week) my new spread is (1426*1.725)-1300= 1159 or 2.3 pounds per week.

Question: Does anyone else out there calculate their spread like this to figure out how many pounds they should lose in a week?

Mandy

10 pound weight loss challenge starts today!

Ok everybody. We have 5 challengers including me! I weighed in at 158.6 this morning 3/8/2010. It seems I am at a bit of a standstill so I am glad that this competition will get me back in the game. When you get a chance sometime today let me know what your start weight was for the competition.

If you find yourself at a standstill with your weight loss here are some tactics to get the scale back moving in the right direction.

1) Start writing down everything that you are eating. I started looking at my writings and noticed that I was getting a little slack with the serving sizes and amounts. For instance I would write down that I had 2 slices of watermelon without weighing the watermelon or trying to figure out the EXACT quantity. Without the exact quantity it is impossible to know the exact number of calories that you are eating. Without being sure about the quantity you can never know if your anticipated spread is correct.

2) Write down what you are going to eat and its associated calories BEFORE eating it and not afterwards. Sometimes the numbers will make you eat less and/or help you make better choices. This is especially a good idea before going out to eat.throught the competition I am going to blog my calories each day so you guys can see what I'm eating.

3) More exercise. Not my favorite thing but if your body is used to what you are doing you have to change up the intensity or the length of time spent exercising if you want to get your body to release more fat. I started jogging on Saturday. Although it was hard I think my body needed it and I think that this will continue to allow my body to push towards the final goal.

What have you done when your weight loss stalls? Any ideas are greatly appreciated!

Mandy

10 pound weight loss challenge

THE WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGE STARTS ON MONDAY. All of the contestants have been contacted. It's gonna be a blast! Really looking forward to it.

Mandy

10 pound weight loss challenge

OK guys lets keep it interesting.

What if we had a 10 pound weight loss challenge?

We could all promise to send $10 to the winner. So either you have to send the winner $10 or you win the winnings.

How does that sound. Race to the 10 pound finish. If you wanna do it leave a comment in this blog (mention it to your fellow friends on blogspot) and we can have a small competition.

Oh and one more thing. I live in Bangkok so I thought I would add a little something to really keep it interesting. The winner will also be sent an authentic Thai elephant made out of Thai teakwood.

Picture enclosed at the top of the post. Or a set of authentic Thai pillows (I can buy in the market next to my apartment so I'll choose whatever color you like and send to you for free- that is if you beat me).

Just trying to keep it interesting. Let me know if you would like to participate in the challenge.

Still Logging. Still Blogging

Waiting for my period. Still bloated. Pre-men worries. But pushing through. Sometimes it feels harder than others. I feel like " I JUST WANT TO BE THERE ALREADY". I'm looking forward to seeing what life is like for me when I don't have to worry about this weight anymore. What will be on my mind? What sort of projects will come to the forefront of my mind when the thought of weight loss isn't there? Just keeping it real. It's not always a journey where I'm clicking my heels and enjoying every moment. It's not that I want to eat something or that I feel like I'm withholding from myself you know. I just feel like I want to move on to the next level. For now I'm keeping my head down and pushing forward. That is what separates those from finishing from those that don't. We all start off excited and enjoying the process. It's what I do in this moment that matters. What's important is that I don't quit. That I keep pushing. That I keep leaning forward when someone else would lean back.

Here's to leaning forward!

Mandy

The Importance of Goal Setting

I weighed in today at 157.1. I know it seems like I gained weight over the past week. I assure you that isn't the case. My period actually comes on next week and I gain 2-3 pounds of water weight before my period. The reason I told you guys this is so that I can be accountable but also to show you that at times the scale won't reflect the work that you are putting in. The important thing to remember is that you can push through, you can reach your goals, and the scale will lie at times.

I will weigh in next week and it will probably say something in the neighborhood of 152-154. This will lead you guys to think I lost 5 pounds in a week. That is also not the case. But once the water weight is gone we can see my progress.

Anyhoo on to the importance of goal setting.It is important to have something to look at when you are pushing through. This is to will yourself to continue. To remind yourself why you take the long walks for exercise, why you deny yourself a donut or two, why you at times avoid going out to eat at a restaurant with friends. The count has to be right. Exercise - calories in = weight loss. The count is your friend. It is what will make sure you lose weight each week. The count is the reason you keep pushing on. For the sake of being funny I added a picture of my friend "The Count" By the way your motivation should be someone that is close to your height and a weight that can be attained (i.e. no supermodels unless you are 5'10).

What is your goal? What person (i.e. actress/singer etc) is your motivation?

From 201 to 155- Pics Uploaded

Here are some shots to show you guys how far I've come.

The first one is when I was nine months(about to pop) pregnant with my 2nd daughter Zuri. I was near 201 at this point.

The 2nd one is in my office taken about two weeks ago (around 158).

What to do while you are losing

Okay so you've been losing weight for the past couple of weeks and the clothes that are starting to get loose and feel comfortable are starting to get too loose. What do you do. You don't want to go and buy new clothes because you don't want to spend money on clothes that you won't be able to wear in a month. But you can't wear the same clothes to work because now they are falling off of you:) What a great problem to have right.

There are several options for you:

1) Go to the thrift store. This is really fun. My daughter and I googled thrift store in our home town and found several stores. They are fun. You can try on various clothes and for a low amount buy clothes that you can wear as you continue to lose.

2) Go shopping in your own closet. If you are like me you have several sizes in your closet. Go looking in those boxes and find the clothes that you promised yourself you would wear when you lose weight. By now they will fit.

3) Go shopping in someone else's closet. This step is really fun. Go shopping in a girlfriends closet, relatives closets (if they allow you), your husbands closet (if he was smaller than you some of his shirts may fit you, and lastly your children. Seriously now that I've lost weight my daughters shirts now fit me.

4) Time yourself and go shopping for expensive clothes at sizes you think you may be for a while. For me when I started (over a year ago) I was a size 14/16. I could wear 14's for about two months. Same thing for the size 12's. Had I not had any clothes in size 12 I would have bought 2-3 pairs of pants with the mindset that I could wear them for about two months.

5) Have your oversized clothes taken in. This can be pricey but if you have a favorite item that you can't do without have them taken in once or twice as you lose.

Happy losing,

Mandy

Pushing through adversity

OK So last week I was sick, my two daughters were sick, and one of them went into the hospital because of dehydration. But I didn't go off my plan. Don't get me wrong I am no saint but the reason that this diet works is because you can literally eat anything you want as long as you log the calories. If you log the calories it keeps you from overeating because you are aware.

Long story short I am down to 156.8 (1 1b loss from last week) even though my week was really hard. Let's keep going!

Where weight comes from question

Weight comes from

a) genetics
b) choices you make (i.e. food choices)
c) luck

What do you think?

Weight In Day

- Weight: 157.8
Right where my calcs said I should be! Onward and downward:)

Creative Workout!

OK so I really did not want to go to the gym after a long day at work. But I had promised myself 4 workouts this week and as of yesterday I had only done 1. So I got creative, REALLY CREATIVE!

I walked from the office home - about 1 mile. But I walked really, really fast and jogged as I crossed the streets.

Then once I got to the hotel I walked up the stairs to my apartment. I actually walked a little past my apartment floor. A total of 18 floors.

When I got back to the apartment I was drenched in sweat. Total time for workout- 40 minutes. Only 5 minutes shy of my 45 minute goal. My legs are still sore from all those stairs.

Sometimes you have to get a little creative in your weight loss journey.

Cheer's to creativity.

21 tips to set yourself up for success

Ok I thought of things that I have done and am doing in order to set myself up for success. This is what I came up with. Feel free to add some in the comment section if you think I left some out.

1) I write down everything I eat and the caloric content. This keeps me honest.

2) I make exercise a daily part of my life. (I actually put a pair of sneakers near my bedroom door. When I wake up in the morning I have to step over them if I decide that I am not going to the gym)

3) I remove all tempting foods out of my house.

4) I have one cheat meal per week (normally on Friday night or lunch Saturday I order out. Whatever is left over is thrown out immediately) This takes off pressure and allows me to feel that I am not punishing myself.

5) I have my weekly weigh in on Monday. This means that if I gorge on Saturday and Sunday that the scale will show it on Monday. This keeps me from overeating on the weekends.

6) I set mini goals (70 pounds is a lot to lose. I break it up into 10 pound increments).

7) I celebrate when I reach my mini goals (but not with food). Example: when I get to 149 I am totally getting a mani-pedi:)

8) I tell others what I am doing. Therefore I have to keep going to "save face". Works especially good at work because I can't go to McDonalds and bring it back to the office. All my co workers would notice that I am falling off the wagon. This keeps me honest.

9) I keep motivational pictures around me. (Each month I buy the oxygen magazine and I look every week at the bodybuilding.com website to see the success of others. It reminds me that I am not the only one out there getting my body together. I even compete with by fellow weight loss friends on youtube. This way I have a motivation to go to the gym).

10) I refuse to buy any clothes my current size or bigger. In fact I buy size 6 clothes (that I can't even fit into yet). According to the law of attraction if I buy clothes in my current size I am telling the universe that I am content where I am. By buying smaller clothes for myself I am telling the universe that I am serious!

11) I keep some cheat foods around so that if I fall I don't fall too far. (Ex: At work I keep diet coke, raisins, apples, peanuts). These are foods that I probably would not eat everyday but I keep them so that I don't gorge on candy and cake.

12) I keep it simple. For the most part I eat the same kinds of food and exercise the same time each day. I don't have to think about it and therefore risk talking myself out of being healthy. It is just a part of life.

13) I drink water. This allows me to not confuse hunger with thirst.

14) When trying to hit a mini goal I won't eat out at all. Normally I allow myself to eat whatever I want as long as I write it down. But on the weeks that I have a mini-goal I try not to even drive past the McDonalds so that I am not even tempted.

15) I talk to myself as if I am a child. "Mandy no you cannot have a hamburger! You had one yesterday. If you want a hamburger today you first have to go to the gym and run on the treadmill for 30 minutes. You choose!"

16) When that doesn't work I talk to myself with compassion. "Mandy you know what the goal is that you are trying to reach for this week. If you want this goal press forward today. If you still want the "insert bad food here" you can have it but wait until tomorrow. Normally by tomorrow you aren't even thinking about it anymore:)

17) Keep a picture of a skinny chick on your refrigerator at home. I keep a photo of a totally ripped skinny chick on my refrigerator. I tell myself that when I get to 130 I'll post a picture of myself. I absolutely hate the fact that my husband gets to look at another woman everday on my refrigerator but I tell myself that he sees that all day long. If I want to remove the picture I have to reach my goal weight. Believe it or not I sometimes work harder just to get that damn picture off my refrigerator.

18) I set mini-deadlines. For example: I have mini-deadlines set for March 1, April 1and so on. This keeps me on target so that I don't get "lost in the sauce".

19) I keep picture of my slimmer self around. Then I tell myself, "I weighed this before, I can weigh this again."

20) I don't take drugs. Most of these weigt-loss pills only have caffeine and an appetite suppressant. Relying on these really don't help you lose weight faster. They are only a crutch. You can get the same results with two cups of strong black coffee and a fiber pill. Not impressive.

21) I keep my head down and keep pushing.

Keep pushing guys. I'll see ya at the finish line.

What the skinny chicks won't tell you

Ok I like to people watch...

I find that normally a person is too shy to tell you at times how they are successful (they don't want to boast) so I people watch.

The skinny chicks have ways of keeping themselves slim.

Rather than ask I just watch a few of my skinny friends and their habits vs my thick friends. This is what I've found.

Eating Out

Skinny chicks like to eat out like the next person, but they don't allow it to ruin their bodies. Here are some things that I've noticed.

1) They will share appetizers and desserts. This allows them to split the calories between themselves.

2) They drink! Rather than focus on the foods served at parties, skinny chicks like to have a drink in their hands and focus on conversation with people. Although alcohol has calories they tend to have one or two drinks and very little to eat. Normally they will eat before they leave home so that they are not hungry at the party.

At work

1) They drink! Go by any skinny chicks desk and you will find beverages (water, tea, coffee, diet soda). The secret behind this is that they tend to snack less if they have liquids in their stomachs. According to wikipedia you actually will think you are hungry when you are really thirsty. To curb hunger pangs try having something to drink first. A majority of the time you weren't actually hungry but thirsty.

They do the same thing when people at work have a party. Rather than load up on chips, dip, and cake they will have a drink (soda) in their hand. This way they don't look anit-social and they don't have to worry about someone handing them a plate of food.

2)They bring their lunch. Look at a skinny girls lunch. Normally it is something they made at home or one of those Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, or Smart Ones. Another thing I have seen are cans of soup. It is really simple, cheap, and because of the water content very filling. Just watch the sodium content if you are prone to high blood pressure.

3) When they do go out for lunch they normally get a salad or they have half of their entree boxed up (which they eat for dinner that night or lunch the next day).

Exercise

1) They play sports. Skinny chicks actually make their exercise fun! They are a part of hiking groups, or on the neighborhood volleyball or tennis team. Calories burned but you didn't even realize it.

2) They exercise together. Rather than panting on the treadmill alone skinny chicks get together and go hiking or walking and chat about their day as a stress reliever. Thick chicks normally get together and go to the restaurant or they actually go hiking but stop by McDonalds on the way home:) (I can only say this because I've been a thick chick and I've done it.)

3) They play with their kids. Thick chicks and skinny chicks both take their kids to the park to play but I noticed something. A lot of skinny chicks play with their kids at the park. They actually get on the swing and run around a little. I take my kids to the park and while they play I either chase them or do my own park workout (I'll share that with you in another post).

Follow some or all of these and you might find your inner skinny chick.


Coming up...How to set yourself up for success!

Some important websites

Ok so the last time I did this I needed a lot of motivation. Here were some sites that I went to that were really helpful. If you know of others please let me know.

You tube-
A) Smile2DayTears2Morro
B) BeautifulBrwnBabyDol

Both women lost weight and talked about how they did it. Their process was very similar to mines.

Other websites

a) www.bodybuilding.com- Great website to learn about losing weight, lifting weights, diet, post baby weight loss, and they even have a few videos about these topics. Search for Absolute Ava, Body Tranformation Video Trainer, The Fit Show, and War for the Worlds for great motivation. Also see their transformation articles they are very motivational!

b) www.caloriecount.com and www.fitday.com- I used both of these to figure out how much I was eating and either website can help you figure out how many calories to eat if you want to reach a certain weight by a certain date. This is a cheat to doing the formula that I showed you earlier:)

c) Google HerMuscleFetish. It is a great blog about the day to day of losing weight and gaining muscle. This woman was a pear shape before and has totally transformed her shape into a figure competitor!

Magazines

Oxygen- the best mag for motivational pictures and other related data.

Happy info hunting!

How I did it!

Ok. This post will answer the following questions about my weight loss the first time and how I plan to lose it over the next few weeks/months.

1) How did you do it
2) What did you eat
3) How much did you exercise
4) Did you take anything

For me weight loss was more interesting when I used science to aid me in the process. I decided to use the Harris Benedict formula to lose weight. First you find out the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This formula is calcuated as follows:
BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )

It looks really complicated but here is an example

me:

my weight in pounds: 158
my height in inches: 62 (I'm 5'2)
age: 29

Plug: 655+ (4.35*158)+(4.7*62)-(4.7*29) = 1497

Then you take this number and multiply that times your activity

stationary (you sat on your ass all week)= 1.2
lightly active (you worked out 1-2 times)= 1.375
moderate (you worked out 3-5 times)= 1.55
very active (you worked out 6-7 times for 45-60 mins)=1.725
hard active (twice a day at least 5 times a week)=1.9

Ok so I really struggle with the working out. First because I am the mother of two rug rats. Two because It is just not my favorite thing to do. But this is a normal week.

BMR*activity (1497*1.55= 2320)

This is the number of calories that you burn per day.

Subtract the number that you eat per day (calories) and you have what I call a spread.

The spread needs to be 1000 per day to lose 2 pounds a week. TRUST ME. If you follow the calculation it really works. Each week as you lose weight you change up the formula accordingly and you NEVER hit a plateau.

Example

2320-1300 (calories eaten)= 1020 (spread or 2 pound weight loss)

Activity

Ok so my activity is usually an exercise tape or the treadmill or the elliptical. Not glamourous but it works. I try to do 30-45 minutes 4 times a week.

Did I take anything?- Nope. I couldn't take anything because I was breastfeeding. Anything and everything I ate would go right to the baby. I'll blog next week with my weight and we can talk about my calories eaten over the course of the week and my workouts and you'll see. See ya soon!