single digit denim

Jan 05 2013

Size 18

Dub Dub

So I have rejoined the cult that is Weight Watchers. A.K.A. W. W.. A.K.A. Dub Dub. I started January 1st, inspired by commercials of Jessica Simpson, whom I love for being a Texan girl, first and foremost, and then for being a blonde. Secondary to that, Jennifer Hudson, whom I can relate to for topping out at a size 24 before losing a lot of weight prior to her Dream Girls performance, and now looks AH-MAZING in her dub dub commercials.

Of course, I joined for myself. My cousin’s wedding is quickly approaching and I’d like to be in better shape for it – looking better. Specifically, smaller arms and belly! Maybe better looking legs, as it will be a short bridesmaids dress.

My boyfriend is a little concerned, yet supportive about it all. He’s already asking me things like “how many points do you have left today,” but he’s made it pretty clear he doesn’t want to know the PointsPlus values of his own food (for reasons we won’t get into on the internet ).

So far, I’m pretty happy with the program. PointsPlus values are calculated by “rewarding” a food for having protein and fiber, while “punishing” it for having fat and carbs. Fruits and vegetables are zero points (for the majority of them), so long as you don’t have a banana fest or something (eating zero-points food without being hungry).

The online and mobile tools are making the program kick off to a great start. I decided not to do meetings, even though I believe I’d get some value out of them. I’m just so busy as it is, and would rather spend that time doing something else.

I will keep you all posted on progress!

I will keep you posted on how it goes.

Tagged accomplishment, confession, Goals, plans, weightloss

Jan 02 2013

3 Comments

Goals

Stairs

My goal for the upcoming week: take the stairs at work every. single. day. I work on the 3rd floor and currently take the elevator. I used to make the excuses of “oh, I went to boot camp this morning and my quads are sore” or “I have too much to carry” or “I’m wearing heels.”

No more!

For the next week (January 2nd – 11th) I will take the stairs every day, every time. If I have too much stuff to carry, I take a 2nd trip.

Tagged Goals

Dec 27 2012

2 Comments

Confession

Thinkng Thinking Thinking

Today, I think. I think about why my \blog has dropped off (I let it expire in fact). I wonder why the weight is creeping back on. I wonder why I lost it and what motivated it.

I think about the old coworker of mine, who indicated on Facebook she had lost 70 lbs in 6 months. I have lost 30 pounds in a year and a half, with lots to go.

I think that boot camp did wonders for me, even though I lost interest, and that the weight loss haulted when I stopped going as often. I think I’d like to start back up again, and think there are some hiccups with doing that.

I think I joined a gym for some ease and variety, and ended up not going. Ever.

I think about the bloggers I followed, who I no longer follow, but still think about (thinking about you, one twenty five).

I think about fashion and the clothes I tried on today. I think about how my current “fat” jeans are still big, but that they are so worn, my belly hangs over at times, or shows when i lift my arms.

I think I over use pinterest, but I don’t plan to stop.

I think I gave up cable to give myself more time and money, which worked, until I really discovered hulu+, and then it was pointless.

I think about a long commute to work, and what it will bring to my life, and what it might take away from my life. I think about what inspirational podcasts I could introduce to my life.

I forever think about the big areas of my life (of anyone’s life) and how to keep them all front of mind – spirituality, relationships, finances, fitness, career. Which one should I be thinking about the most.

I think about my future, what it entails, how it will change me.

I think about my boyfriends best friend, being induced to bring her baby boy into the world tonight. Her first.

I think about my pal, Suzanne, out in Atlanta and how I can’t wait to see her annual (belated) Christmas Card that showcases her cute little Atlantan cottage bungalow, and maybe her cat Peeves.

I think about Devin out in Cape Cod, and how she introduces traditions into her family of four.

I think about my cousin Dixie, starting nursing school in just a few days (whoop!).

I think about my blog readers, who have likely all left me, regretably.

And right now, I’m thinking about how to get back on track. How to start dropping the pounds with little motivation. I wish doing it for my own health was enough for me. I wonder how many people do it for their health, vs. doing it for their appearance? I wonder, of the people who do it for appearance, if they do it for how they feel about themselves, or for the reactions of those around them.

In any case, I’m thinking.

Nov 06 2012

Accutane – Another Update

So, I’m taking a break (perhaps permanantely) from Accutane / Claravis. During my mid-October visit, I listed some mild side effects I was having (headaches, lower back pain, dry skin), and of those, my physician was most worried about my headaches.

The headaches I’ve had are pretty bad, and they will not easily go away with some ibuprofen. I will want to go to sleep, as watching TV or eating makes it worse. The headaches are strange, too. They are on one side of my head, and feel like they are going through it (where as most headaches are usually on the forehead). Think if someone shot an arrow through your head, right above your eye, and it came out the other side. That’s where the pain is…. through.

So, the dermatologist asked that I continue to take the medicine, but let her know if I continued to have any headaches that did not go away with 3-4 ibuprofen tablets. The next one I had, I took 3 tablets and it was helped, but it didn’t go away completely. That’s when the doctor said to stop the medicines for now. And so I have, as of about Halloween. I have had one additional headache since then, but it went away with 4 tablets.

I go back to the doctor November 19th, so I’m curious to see if (1) I get any more headaches – perhaps they are not caused by the meds and (2) if the doctor has me continue the medication, having taken it three and a half months.

Tagged Accutane, acne, Claravis, doctor

Nov 05 2012

1 Comment

Size 18

Doing it at the Gym

And by “it” I don’t mean “IT.”
Today was my first experiment with getting ready for work at the gym, instead of driving to the gym, then driving back home to get ready. It went something like this:

Woke up around 6:00
Got dressed for the gym
Ate breakfast
Took the dog out
Left for the gym: 6:35?
Arrived at gym: 6:55 (though I have a difficult time thinking it took me 20 minutes to get there.
Did a short workout (the real trial today was getting ready there)
Started getting ready at 7:30ish
Left the gym at 8:00

A big help was packing my bag last night. Had I had to pick out what I was wearing this morning, it would not have gone as smoothly.

So, wake up to being ready to head to work was about 2 hours. I think that is alright, though I will have to work on my timing and efficiency moving forward to make this a very viable solution.

As for the experience, it was exactly pleasant. My gym has zero privacy for getting ready. If you want to change out of your underwear (or into it) in private, you either have to do it in the shower stall where it’s wet, or in the bathroom stall where (a) it is cramped and (b) you run the risk of dropping something in the commode. So, if you’re me, you do it sort of half covered in the open area, using the strength of your arm pits to hold a towel around you, mostly unsuccessfully.

A few things I need to try:

If I’m just doing cardio, there is no reason to go to the gym – there is a cardio studio in my apartment complex that, at the very very least, has working treadmills. I save travel time and hassle that way.
I need to keep my wet stuff (shampoo, conditioner, face wash, etc.) in a separate, hangable contraption, so I’m not schlepping my makeup and makeup brushes into the shower area.
I need to bring a hanger with me so that I can hang my bath towel up in the car to dry during the day (so it’s not mildewing in the trunk of my car).
Must purchase a shower cap.
Must remember my lock next time. It was no big deal – I just left my stuff in the car until I was done with the workout, but I also had to schlep that stuff to the shower area (clothes and all).

Overall, the main annoyance was the privacy issue. I’m just not comfortable getting dressed out in the open (yet?). Maybe it will take time, or being more comfortable with my body. Though I will say some women there are very comfortable with themselves, and will prance around naked. I’ve heard stories about women doing everything naked – from blow drying hair to finishing off their make-up, and THEN get dressed. No, thank you. But on that note, I also felt in a rush to put clothes on, where at home I would air out a little more.

Tomorrow, I’m arriving earlier and going for a longer work out. There is a Body Pump class at 6am, which means (1) packing my bag again tonight, (2) waking up earlier – perhaps 5:15 with one opportunity to snooze.

Tagged accomplishment, inspiration, pushing, weightloss, workout

Oct 25 2012

1 Comment

Size 18, Uncategorized

Time Efficiency

So this has been on mind. It all started with a recent episode of The Office. Daryl wants to talk to Andy about productivity, as he’s been reading Getting Things Done.
Quick aside about the book – I once purchased it and had it sitting on my desk at the office. I hadn’t gotten to it, and so a coworker asked to borrow it. Simultaneously, a 2nd coworker had purchased her own copy. About six weeks later, non of us had read about getting things done. Get it?
Anyway, Daryl talks about some part of the book (I haven’t read it, so I don’t really know). He starts brushing his teeth in the shower, saving X amount of minutes he otherwise would have “lost.”
This also stems out of a conversation with a friend who challenged me to rethink my “gym time.”

Here’s where I need to get to: getting ready for work at the gym. This means I don’t run home after the gym, thus sitting in traffic both ways. And, because I hate getting ready at the gym, I will be fast. No time to get distracted with chores, radio, pets, extra sleep. If I want the level of activity & exercise I want (dates, church activities, etc.), then I have to add it back in. My spiritual health is important to me, but it is also strong.

And for anyone else trying to squeeze in more time for exercise, check out this article from Mens Health Magazine.

Oct 24 2012

1 Comment

Size 18

Back to the Gym

Back to the gym.
Yesterday, I made my way back. I should point out that when I go to the gym, I go with a specific goal in mind – distance, calories or time. Sometimes, I go for intensity, but this is rare. Occasionally, I have a secondary goal, but I’m allowed to let go of that if I’m just feeling beat.

Yesterday, my goal was 60 minutes of whatever I happened to do (be it treadmill, elliptical, whatever). I got on one of those treadmills where you can set a goal, only for some reason i set a distance goal of 3.8 miles. I could see that given the pace I wanted to go, it would take me OVER an hour to wrap up.

So I ran.

Go me, right? Sure. Only, true to past experience, this caused some serious pain. My hip started going all out of whack – similar to the motion if you were wearing a heel on one foot, and a flat on the other. My foot cramps and calf cramps of months past were there too unfortunately.

As it was my second gym visit in a month, I cut myself some slack and stopped at 30 minutes. I hate doing this, as I don’t get that solid accomplished feeling I like so much, but I’m glad I showed up.

Oct 23 2012

3 Comments

Size 18

An Update

Hello again. I have once again abandoned my readers for what feels like too-long of a time. I’m sorry!
My weight: it went up, but it’s come back down in the past three weeks. It steadily dropped due primarily to tennis and healthy eating decisions. I’m not quite back in the 230s, but I am confident I will get there!

Me eating: Well, making better decisions, as mentioned within “weight,” has helped, but consistency is key for me. And balance. If I have a heavy breakfast, I lighten up lunch and dinner. It seems intuitive, but it’s still challenging after years of bad habits.

My skin: Looking good! I saw the dermatologist last week and she prescribed my last month of Accutane. I have about 14 days of pills I missed over the first three months, so about 6 total weeks to go. My skin is silky smooth and I have the added bonus of not having to wash my hair every day (unless I work out of course)!

I would like to get back to a place of near daily workouts, as well as calorie counting. I have the time, but I am still tempted to pack my schedule with social and church events, not to mention dates with the man.

And of course I would like to find time to blog.
Oh, did I mention I’m doing a 36+ week Bible study with nightly homework (well, 6 nights with a day of rest ), and weekly group study? Yep.

Oct 07 2012

7 Comments

Size 18

Inspiring Day

Today was good. It was my third day in a row of activity. And, it was an early morning of tennis, in the cold. I’ve heard very unofficially that working out in the cold is good (better?) than non-cold because your body works harder to warm up.

Anyway, I just felt amazing after. It was very inspiring. I kept thinking about what other work outs I want to do this week – to get better at tennis, one, but to feel this good more often.

I even – gasp – found a tennis skirt today that doesn’t make me totally self conscious (albeit while cursing Academy’s name while shopping their stores/site for not carrying anything above an XL, or anything that covers more of my thighs).

Just had my first broccoli in months. Yum.

Tagged accomplishment, inspiration, tennis, weight_loss

Sep 26 2012

efficiency

don’t know what is up with me. I’ve been irritable and blah for a few days now, despite eating slightly better and working out. mostly, just been thinking ALOT about work/life balance.

i’m not a mom, I am single. it is just me and the animals and I still complain about not being able to find time for workouts.

I think I really appreciate the leisure pace I have outside of work. some colleagues were telling me they are practically to work within 30 minutes of waking up, where as I need three times that. this won’t fly.

so i’m thinking about more efficiency and planning in my unplanned time. working on getting ready faster, so that I have more time for workouts.

for now, time to sleep! it is my goal to take a brisk walk in the morning AND get to work early.

night

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