Work It Out!

It hurts to type this post. Actually, typing is okay, lifting the laptop is the hard part. Needless to say, I've been doing some hard workouts this past week. I met with my new trainer on Wednesday. Thinking it was going to be a sit-down and let's talk about your plan meeting, I threw on some shorts so she could measure me easily. Little did I know, we did a full-blown workout for the first 45 minutes and did a little talking (well, huffing for me) at the end. I didn't realize how strength training and weights could affect a person. Situps, squats, crunches, planks, triceps dips, bicycle kicks and the list continues. Immediately after she left, I drank a quart of water and passed out on the couch. The next day I could not sit down without a scrunched up face and wobbly knees.

Now, I knew I was getting someone who was going to push me and make me do things I never wanted to or even thought I could, but let me tell you I am in P-A-I-N. We also worked out on Friday. Friday was the worst. I met my trainer at the gym not really knowing what to expect. Once we got in, it was straight to an elliptical. Ok cool, not so bad. Then we went to a weight bench or some contraption that looks like a weight bench, but you do situps on it. TONS of situps and crunches and more situps with weights and more crunches with weights. I wanted to DIE. Then we moved to some machine where you hold yourself up on your forearms, then lift your legs in front of you. And of course, more planks and side planks and treadmill inclines of 8 and above. I wanted to puke by the time we got on the elliptical for a "cool down." Of course I recognize that all exercises I described are not ground-breaking or innovative, but to a body that has never done them with any real effort before, it is more than tough.

With all that said, I have to be honest. I have not met my goal of 30 minutes of exercise per day. I physically could not move on Thursday and again yesterday. Today though, I am jumping back on the bandwagon. Obviously, a walk is in order. So even though I have not been on point with my goal of 30/30, I have successfully completed 6 consecutive days of food tracking (today will make 7)! I have more to say on the nutrition front, but I'm saving that for another post to come. Anyway, it's a lazy Sunday, so I am going to be just that, lazy. Enjoy your day people!

ps. TRUE BLOOD premieres tonight! WOHOOO!

Let's Get It Started!

Well hello world :)

I have so much to say and so little time! Today was a busy day as Monday's usually are, but I didn't let that stop me from starting my weight loss journey(for the last time). As you may know from recent posts, I have been teetering back and forth between calorie-counting or Weight Watchers PointsPlus plan. Well, the DECISION (taking ques from LBJ) is made!.......

CALORIE-COUNTING wins! I thought long and hard about this and though I wanted to do WW again, I thought that is exactly why I shouldn't do it. I got too comfortable. I knew how I could eat just little bites without tracking, I knew I could just "eat right" for a couple days before the weigh-in and be fine. I wasn't making healthy decisions because it was good for me, but because it was good for the weigh-in and I am so done with that. Now, that's not to say I won't be doing something like a weigh-in on my calorie-counting plan, its just that this time I have the bigger picture in mind. I say all this with conviction, but I know living it will be a little different-harder I mean.

So now that I know WHAT I am doing, let's talk about HOW I am doing it. I took Nadine's advice (hey girl) and signed up for MyFitnessPal.com . So far so good. They give you badges and weight loss tickers and all kinds of fun things that I'll eventually link to this blog after a few weeks of playing with it. Not to mention they literally have a TON of foods listed in their database. I can also add my own recipes and pretty much calculate calories for anything. Now, with the nutrition portion handled (well, on track I should say) I am going to up the ante with the exercise.

I have a personal trainer now. Expensive. I know. But, I am saving money by not going to WW meetings or using their Website and also being sucked into buying any of their yummy treats that are always "on-sale" during a meeting. Yep, even THEY want you to eat a little processed food. I am also saving money in the long run from buying plus-sized clothes (heck YES they cost more!), paying for more gas (it costs to haul a heavier me around), and even cutting back on eating out so much. Overall, I think its going to be worth it.

Finally, I have been right on track with my exercise everyday. Now, has the past 7 days of exercise been particularly challenging? No, but I have managed to do it. Mostly walks around the track at the school and even walking a new grocery store my friend and I found for about 2 hours with a cart full of fresh and nutritious goodies. However, I know I need to do better. Any my trainer comes tomorrow. Great. I'll let you know how that goes! I have so much more to say, but I'll save it for another day because as much as I thought I wasn't writing, this sure is a long post :) See ya soon!

Willing and Able...but Ready?

That's me looking frumpy in Roma!

So anyway, I have committed to a new weight loss journey and to blog about it...Now where do I start? I have read so many blogs, books, magazines, and listened to so many stories it's hard to decide how I will begin to conquer this journey. For example, I went to a conference this past weekend and there were two sessions (I attended both of course) that illustrated a Student Affairs officer's journey to their goal weight. One person did Weight Watchers, another person had gastric bypass. Bypass is not an option for me for many personal reasons, but also financially, I just can't. So, Weight Watchers...though I have done it before, I am nervous that I may not be able to commit. However, I don't think it's the WW plan that makes me hesitant. I read or heard somewhere that it takes about 7 times for someone with an eating disorder to be successful in their recovery (ok calm down, I am not saying I have a disorder). I just find that highly interesting because although a person wanting to lose weight may not be disordered, it still takes many tries to be "successful" i.e. keep the weight off for good. I guess this is about the 6th try, hopefully the last!

At this point whether it's try 6 or 8 or 29 I have to ask myself, why didn't I continue on the last time I lost weight? Whatever way I choose to do this journey can I stay the path long enough to get to my goal? I think this time the answer is yes, but I need to KNOW it. And that's where I need to change what I have done all the times before. That's where my "obsession" with all things weight-loss related is going to help me. I've learned so much and though I still have plenty of questions, I know some of the things I've done wrong in the past...

I never set small attainable goals along the major journey. I rewarded myself with food whenever I had a good weigh-in. I took "breaks" from my "diet" on vacations, weekends away, and any other time I did any little thing outside of my routine. I basically set myself up to fail. Naturally, I want to be super-dramatic and awe-inspiring here and say "THIS TIME I WILL NOT FAIL!" However, I also want to keep my realist perspective. So, I will say that this time I know I will have days that I will feel like a failure. I will have days I just want to quit and I will have a day that I will believe I have failed. However, I will not fail to keep believing in myself this time. I will not fail to recognize a bad day or bad couple days and persevere. And thankfully, you all will be here to help me :)

With all that ^ being said, what will I do to make this journey work for me this time? I'll list a few things I plan on trying...

1. 30 days of 30 minutes of physical activity - I saw this challenge on another site and I think it's a good way to get in a routine, but still be able to adjust between a 30 minute walk and 30 minutes of straight cardio without any days off in the schedule.

2. Calorie-counting of some sort (I haven't decided officially, but I am leaning toward Weight Watchers again...if anyone else has suggestions please comment and let me know)

3. Hold myself accountable here by tracking my exercise minutes...and yes my weight too..with at LEAST 2 posts per week.

I am going to try the above three things for the next 30 days. I'll then evaluate and decide my next courses of action. Good news already-I started my 30 days of physical activity today with a walk around the track.

So, in the next few days I will be posting a few pics, adding an exercise ticker, and yes, putting my weight on this site. I need some time to prepare for all that. You know, grocery shopping, organizing all the information I have gathered in the past couple months as well as taking a mental holiday to prepare myself. I'll see you again soon!

Baby, I Was Born This Way!

I have been thinking of writing a weight loss blog for such a long time and I am finally putting my fingertips to the keyboard and doing it… I think. Recently, my significant other has mentioned my obsession for all things weight-loss-related and has challenged me to stop thinking about it, reading about it, obsessing about it and to just DO IT. The thing is, as much as I think he just wants me to just shut up about “getting thin,” I know he wants me to go back to the way I got healthier about a year ago.

In April of 2010 I found myself at one of my heaviest points (not THE heaviest, I’m not exactly sure what the ACTUAL heaviest number I ever was, so I go with the following) 261 pounds. Now, I’d love to say I just felt sick of being that size, or that I was totally unhappy, but those things alone couldn’t motivate me then. However, it was a small bet between my boo and I that sparked my original interest in all things weight-loss oriented. I joined a gym, started cooking healthier, and eating out less and I kicked his but and took his name! Ok, that was super corny ☺ Anyway, I worked very hard with a great nutritionist (Yey Sharleen!) and eventually did WeightWatchers for a little while. I got down to about 220 pounds. Unfortunately though, life happened after the bet was completed and I collected my winnings. I moved to a new apartment, the cold weather set in, you know 1000 more excuses as to why I have not continued this journey to my ultimate goal… a size 10 (more to come on that later).

So, was I born this way as I so proudly proclaim in my best GAGA voice? Maybe, but probably not. I have never been a “thin” or “skinny” person, but let’s be realistic here—Nobody comes out of the womb obese, but people do learn “fat” habits quickly. In fact, I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t at least “husky.” I have always been a fat kid, fat girl, fat teen, fat college student, and now a fat adult. And yes, I have lost some weight, but not enough to lose that “fat” title in my opinion. Now I know I am going to hit some nerves by using the “fat” term, but I have to be honest with myself and I think getting all the negative energy and negative connotation out in the open with the term is going to help me on this journey. I think I can and I WANT to change the way I feel about saying “fat” and hopefully my journey outlined here will help someone else (yes I know that is a bit lofty, but I’m ok with that). And finally, I need someone or something, even if it just a blip on the World Wide Web to help keep me accountable.

Heyyyy! I'm Back Y'all!

I know it’s been such a long time since I’ve been here. So much has happened, I hardly know where to begin. I think the main thing that has happened though is that I have accepted my new location and have begun to, well no, I am enjoying a lot of the perks and great little jewels that New York City holds. Now don’t get me wrong, I am still a suburban princess; I love a good driveway, a nice parking lot, and of course a yard, though I don’t have any of the above to call my own. Well, except the parking lot I share with my fellow STJ co-workers. I think it’s safe to say I have adjusted, and that in itself is another New York “first.”

So, a few details about what’s new with me. I changed jobs from a Judicial Coordinator to a Residence Director (interesting, I know). I got a two-bedroom apartment (not that important to some, but in NY space is VALUABLE) and I have a wonderful man in my life. I met this person soon after I re-located to New York. We had a couple dates and literally, we have been together ever since. So far, we have survived a couple family outings, a disastrous Christmas vacation and a long summer vacation and we didn't kill each other. Overall, I think it's going well…and that’s the last I’ll say about him. I am sure he will hate that he is even mentioned here, but in an upcoming post I’ll let him know why ☺

I guess that leaves only one more thing to discuss. I am turning my New York “Firsts” blog into a blog about the first time I am documenting make my struggle, no actually my success with my weight loss goals public. I have read so many blogs over the past couple months that have really inspired me. I hope they won’t mind me mentioning them here: www.alltheweigh.com and www.blackgirlsguidetoweightloss.com and www.mindingmyweigh.blogspot.com and many more that I’ll put on a list.

Wow. I said it. Now, I guess it’s just time to live it. I hope I will keep my two documented followers (hey Brit and Ry Ry ☺ ) and maybe a couple more people will join. Ok, now I am scared…

I Need Some Advice, and other randomness...

Oh, Hi. Today, I have a mishmash of things to talk about. No real "firsts," but just some general things on my mind.

First and foremost. To job search or not to search? I am going to make a list of pros and cons and hopefully one of y'all or a lot of you (if you consider my mom and a couple other readers "a lot") can help me decide what I should do. Now, don't get all gung ho on me about how I shouldn't have been so hasty in deciding to take the job-- you stay on your parent's couch in a one-room ranch style home with two puff wagons, and a psychotic father, then we can talk "hasty decisions." With that said, here we go:

Pros:

1. Rent/Utility-Free living

2. Free Parking (This is only a perk because its NY, its an expectation elsewhere)

3. Work in Walking Distance to Home (across the path, literally).

4. Oh yeah, I guess I live near NYC (Queens is NOT a part of the city--don't let that borough stuff fool you..)

5. I really enjoy my position in Judicial Affairs (I get to investigate A LOT and I love that part of it, although I do not even have the power to suspend anyone)

6. The pay is decent for me to be living rent-free

7. I like my supervisor and other people in the department and see potential for mobility--possibly, but not friendship because I am the youngest, single, only ethnic person

8. I am 5 minutes from the airport

9. People (not NY people, who wants to visit a dorm? -see cons) love to come visit me

10. I mean I'm struggling here... Uhh.. I save money on gas??? Well no, in truth, I have the potential to save a lot of money and get a head start on my student loans

Cons:

1. I live in a dorm

2. I have on-call duties for Residence Life--pretty much can't stand that part

3. I am not allowed to have Barney--he can't even visit

4. Can't really stand this region; I fear for my life daily because of the crime and I generally can't stand the "East Coast" attitude.

5. I have to travel significant distance out onto Long Island to get to anything remotely familiar to me as far as a normal grocery or a Wal-Mart. (Yes I live in the shopping capital, but it doesn't really matter to me because I don't wear or I should say can't fit most of the things they sell and I really don't care about "fashion.")

6. I am a driver by nature; its almost impossible to do that here without paying enough to fund a small child's livelihood in a 3rd world country.

7. I am alone. I know about 2.5 people and since I live in a dorm, its not like I can host people, and because they live in apartments, its not like I can drive over to their house and park in their driveway to visit them.

8. I hate using public transportation--I mean its NYC, you pretty much have limited to no other choices AND I don't even live close to it. I have to walk to a bus stop to even get to a train.

9. I am not in the financial, entertainment, fashion, or computer tech industry so living here is really irrelevant to my career success

10. I'm ready to start my adult life and in this position, living arrangement, and lifestyle, I'm nothing more than a glorified grad student. I might as well be an undergrad-- I live, work, and interact with them the majority of the time and people are a product of their environment, I'm scared I am blending in with them.

11. Professionally, it will look "bad" on my resume to leave after just months of being here (though I disagree, I think anyone NOT in the NYC area would understand why I would want to leave, especially if I were applying in places like the South or Midwest, hint hint).

Ookay. So let me know, via comments, messages, email what you guys think I should do. I need all the opinions I can get and y'all know how I am!

Now with those pros and cons out of the way, some other interesting points about my life lately. I recently saw the movie Precious. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It made me laugh and cry and I thought the plot was amazing. Interestingly though, I was reading a web site where a viewer was upset that all the characters with a positive impact in the film were of a lighter skin tone than the "antagonists" if you will. I found that interesting considering PRECIOUS was the main protagonist and was the most positive character of all of them. I also challenge that notion because Ms. Rain's assistant was not "light skinned" and neither were the majority of Precious' friends at her alternative school. Additionally, not all the "light-skinned" characters were the same "types" of minorities. I am not arguing or saying that the other viewer is wrong, but I think maybe on the sensitive side--especially because they wrote off the film based on that alone. Anyway, if you did not have the opportunity to see Precious, as it was only released in 18 theaters nationwide so far, please take the opportunity to see it. There is something in it for everyone!

I'm kinda dating someone (I know its a miracle), but I am hesitant to say much here about him, but lets just say he is slowly changing my mind about the "men" of NY. Wow, its hard not to say more, but I don't to blow up anything too soon.

I am looking forward to New Year's in NYC. I guess I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, maybe I will do the Macy's parade because I doubt I am going home for that weekend. Its an expensive flight and I don't get much time off so, still thinking on it right now...

okay. I think that's all I have. I know this blog is kinda long, and random. I just had a hard time putting my fingertips to the keyboard today. Actually writing the pros and cons took a lot out of me. So, don't let me down y'all let me know your thoughts please!! Miss all of you that I know are reading :)

xo,
C.

Halloweeners NYC vs. ATHENS

Ahh, here I am again. Soon, I hope to be writing about my "firsts" in other regions, but for now, another NY experience.

Halloween 2009. I don't even need to discuss, explain, or offer any insight to what this means to my OU people, but on the slight, whimsical chance that I might have someone not familiar reading, Halloween is the biggest and most infamous time of the year. People from miles around, I'm talking book a flight, get a hotel type traveling to get to OU for Halloween. Court Street officially closes to non-foot traffic and the bars open their doors for an extra hour, and who knows how much more money. Well, its actually very similar in NYC.

New York City, sad to say, simply outdoes Athens in the Halloween party mash-up. I hate to say it, but the sheer volume of people and actual organization into a "parade" featuring more than 50 bands kinda took it over the top. The parade in the "East Village," of the Manhattan borrough of course, continues along several blocks. I would even venture to say that the parade is miles (maybe 2, lets be real were talking about an island) long and there are literally THOUSANDS of people. Their costumes range from sexy-anything to full blown pirate ships, to someone walking around as an actual restaurant-serving food from her costume. It really was a sight to see.

The best part about this particular NYC Village Halloween Parade was the Michael Jackson, THRILLER Tribute Dancers. I kid you not, that's really a group. Every couple of blocks, they would crank up Thriller and do the entire zombie dance sequence, with all the Michael Jackson impersonators upfront in the crowd. These people were TRUE fans--especially when it began raining and they kept going. However, the costumes and debauchery did not stop or for that fact, even start there.

Every bus and train I saw had people dressed in costumes riding them. Face paint, ruffles, feathers, leather and lace filled the streets, subways, buses and taxis of NYC, whether they were attached to someone or just the remains of a costume gone wrong. I did love it, but I was NOT inclined to participate. These people were REALLY into it. Usually Halloweeners at OU use the night time to dress scandalously, if they are a man they dress up in drag (a secret fantasy they can let emerge for one night of the year) and its an excuse to drink away the quarter. And, if you're heading to Baker Center, dance your costume off, and that extra 15lbs you've accumulated from that pizza and beer every week for the past 8 weeks. Now New Yorkers, its a whole different kind of party...

Halloween is really the celebration of the dead- All Hallows Eve the day before All Saints Day, I'll leave it to you to learn the history. Many people take it seriously though. Their costumes cost money and time. I'm not talking order it off the internet and go costumes, I am talking hand-crafted, professional make-up and props costumes. Some people have clearly "budgeted" Halloween into their Fiscal year. To each his own right? Did I mention they even show the parade on television? Yeah, its that serious. If you are in the city and not doing SOMETHING for Halloween, its almost the equivalent to being alone on Christmas, or New Years (if you even care).

Halloween 2009, a site to remember. Will I experience it NYC style again? I hope not. But it was good, better than Athens street-walking, but I can't speak for any Halloween "parties." Whoa nelly, another pseudo-positive first. later lovies.