1Year4Days: 2011 Recap

Hey Folks!!!  I know you thought I had given up on the whole 50 pound weight loss journey.  But I am still here and will continue to work toward reaching my goal of losing 50 pounds.

+20lbs Dec2010

-20lbs Dec 2011

Well lets recap all the different diets and exercise programs I attempted to incorporate into my lifestyle.

1. The How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days from the book "The 4 Hour Body"
• Lost 8lbs and didn't seem like something I would consider doing continuously
2. Counting Calories
• Lost additional 4 pounds for the couple of months I focused on calorie counting.  I think this works for me, but you have to stay focused and make sure you track everything
3. Roller Skating
• I really enjoyed roller skating and think if I did this at least twice a week it would make a huge difference with losing weight and keeping the weight off.  This is something I think I could continue to do and add to my lifestyle
4. Salsa Dancing
• Salsa dancing was fun, but it requires you to have a partner.  Currently I am single, so it really doesn't fit into my lifestyle as something I can depend on doing throughout the week.  But who knows, maybe in 2012 I might find that special someone who is game for going out and doing the latin 2step!
5. Going to the Gym
• SMH...I think I went to Golds Gym maybe 3 times this year.  I know not working out is the major reason why I haven't dropped as much weight as I have hoped for.  I recognize that I am just lazy and trying to find the easy answer to losing weight and keeping it off.  
6. P90 X
• P90 X is made for someone who is already dedicated to working out on a regular basis.  For someone like me, I think it is a little to much to soon.  It is difficult to go from no exercise to 6 days a week worth of exercise(avg 60 mins per workout).  I believe I would have had better luck with 30 minute workouts 3 times a week.
• After the first month of P90X I was burn out and think I averaged 1 workout per week during second month.  The last month I didn't even do 1 workout.
7. Phentermine (appetite suppressant)
• Phentermine is appetite suppressant that can be prescribe by your doctor.  It is great if you need a little jump start to help kick those food cravings that occur when you decrease your food intake.  When I take phentermine I am to get through the day without feeling like I am starving, which usually leads to over eating.  
• I am currently only taking phentermine when I feel I need it.  This month I actually have not taken it because I no longer feel like I am starving between meals.  I rarely crave unhealthy food now and noticed that I crave healthier foods (fruit and veggies)
8. Weight Watchers(WW)
• WW worked really well for me and I am still participating in the program.  When I finally joined WW in June I had put on weight about 6 pounds and felt myself slipping back into old habits.  I lost close to 18 pounds while on WW, bringing me very close to 25 pounds total.  Unfortunately November 2011 I fell of track and let the holiday dinners and desserts get the best of me.  By the time December rolled around I had gained about 6 pounds.
• WW is great for the support and if you attend the weekly meetings will encourage you to be more accountable for what you eat.

I didn't reach my 50lb weight loss goal, but I am happy to say that this time last year I was 20lbs heavier.  When I look at my weight loss compared to my starting weight in Jan 2011 I feel pleased with the progress I have made.  

I will continue to share my weight loss journey with all of you until I reach my goal.  For my next post I will share some of the new exciting things I will be doing to help me reach my goal.  

Looking forward to a happy and healthy 2012!!!

+20lbs Dec2010

-20lbs Dec 2011

DAY 123: Losing Weight at 30 Years and Older

Yeah Mon!!  I got back from Jamaica last week and I maintained my weight.  Well I gained about 2 pounds but I was able to knock those pounds off by the end of the week.

For some reason I feel like it has been a lot harder to loose weight since I started in January compared to when I lost weight several years ago.  Is it true that when you get older it is harder to lose weight?  I am not sure, but I do know that I will be turning 34 next week and I am still very far away from my goals.

I am starting to get a little frustrated from the lack of results.  I just feel like if I am making an effort then I should see better results than what I am seeing on the scale.  At a minimum 5 pounds a month would be nice but instead the scale just sits there at the same number.

Taking a look at what I have and have not been doing I have considered the following:
1.)  I might not be eating enough.  There are some days that I don't have 1000 calories or more.   Losing weight by eating a reduced amount of food contributes to a decrease in your metabolism, the rate at which your body burns calories.  A lower metabolism results in a decrease in the amount of calories burned.  I think I might need to ensure that I eat at least 1500-1600 calories a week, which should result in 1.5 pounds weight loss per week.  I also need to look into other ways to increase my metabolism.  Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/290277-not-eating-enough-calories-weight-loss/#ixzz1LLNqg9Hy
2.)  I need to get active.  I have been basically BS'ing around with doing some real exercise consistently through the week.  The roller skating is great...but I didn't go the past 3 weekends (vacation, other plans).  The last time I went skating was on April 13th and didn't do anything since then.  If I did exercise I most likely would have lost 5 pounds or more for the month of April.  This month I have decided not to drive to my job in the city and instead take public transportation (bus and metro), which requires me to do a lot more walking during the day.  It will also save me $200 or more each month :-D  I have also got some of my coworkers to agree to walking during lunch.  A lot of folks have been taking Zumba classes and I have got a couple invites out.  The funny thing is that I have filled my schedule with so many other activities like guitar and vocal lessons, that they always fall on the days that I am invited to the exercise classes :-/  I do know that weight loss is at the top of my list, so I will make an effort to fit exercise into my week.

The bottom line is that I need to exercise and I DON'T like to Exercise!  I like to have FUN!!!!

DAY 91: I Am SOOO HAPPY!!!

Happy Friday Folks!!!

Besides the fact that it is Friday, there is a lot more for me to be happy about.

I am Happy because I can now groove and glide on roller skates, instead of "groove/scoot/glide a little/wobble".  When I went roller skating on Sunday I decided to rent skates instead of using my old skates.  Well who would have guessed that my old skates were "Jacked UP".  All this time I was working overtime trying to get around the rink because my wheels on my skates didn't spin as fast or as long as other skates.  When I put on the rented skates I couldn't believe how great I was skating...I think I am actually close to skating on beat for most of the song!!!!!!

I am Happy because my Alma mater VCU is in the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.  GO RAMS!!!

I am SOOOO HAPPY because I lost TWO pounds !!! 
The dancing, roller skating and staying more active is paying off!!!!  I have added several other activities into my schedule, which keep me busy and my mind focused on other things besides EATING.  This is my current weekly schedule: 

Monday...Group guitar lessons

Wednesday...Vocal lessons

Thursday...Salsa dancing at clubs and restaurants that give lessons

Sunday...Roller Skating

Now if I can just maintain that level of activity and stay around 1200 - 1400 calories a day, then I believe I will continue to lose weight.  I will admit that my appetite has increased with the added activity.  I am strongly considering getting a prescription for Phentermine, which is an appetite suppressant.  In the past I have used Phentermine for about 4 months and it helped me lose around 30 pounds.  It just made it easier to not focus on being hungry and concentrate on eating healthy and exercise.  I know that for me being "Hungry" is at least 75% mental.  When I took phentermine I felt like it turned my hunger thoughts OFF.  This time around I wanted to try to lose the weight without taking any type of medication.  Even though it is taken for a short time, I just didn't want to feel dependant on something.  But when I look at the scale and it isn't moving for months because I keep falling victim to my overwhelming cravings more often than not, well it makes me reconsider my options.  I would rather get a little help from meds now instead of having my weight get out of control and end up needing to have surgery in the future. 

Several weeks ago I wrote about how I would be performing at Blues Alley on 3/22/2011.  I was very excited to be performing, but felt a little discouraged because I had nothing to wear.  I couldn’t find anything in the stores and all the dresses in my closet no longer fit, so I was having a really bad FAT moment.  But I decided to say “F   IT” and threw on a pair of black pants, shirt and called it a day.  I was so surprised at how many of my friends and family came out to see me.  It felt great to have so much love and support, which made my wardrobe drama a distant memory.  In fact, I decided to make my attire a little more comfy by I kicking off my shoes before taking the stage for my debut as a Jazz Singer!  I wanted to share with all of you one of the jazz tunes I performed at the show. 

Enjoy Folks!!!

DAY 84: Curbside Cupcakes are Crackcakes...Just Say NOOOO!!!

Yesterday when I woke up and got on the scale I had actually lost a pound!  But I try to only record my weight at the end of the week, so I wanted to wait.  Last night I did 2 hours of salsa dancing lessons and then about 1 more hour of dancing before I left. Today I have totally blown my diet and I know that one lost pound is no longer missing :-/  Curbside Cupcakes decided to drop by my place of work today.  For those who don't know...Curbside Cupcakes is Washington DC's first mobile cupcake company.  They drive around in big pink trucks and post messages on Facebook and Twitter when they are arriving at each location.  I heard folks mention them before, but never tried the cupcakes because they didn't deliver to the Rosslyn area.  Well they just recently added Rosslyn Va to their list of locations and when I looked on the site and saw that they would be driving through today, I just couldn't resist giving them a try.  I didn't have any cash on me so I was going to use my credit card.  And guess what?  You have to spend at least $15 to use credit, which meant I had to buy half a dozen...SMH.  I ate one cupcake and gave another to a coworker.  Now I have 4 cupcakes sitting next to me whispering "come on and take a little bite, just one little taste, you know you want me, I will taste sooo good".  DAMN those Curbside Cupcakes...they should be banned from driving around pushing those Crackcakes.  You should have seen the line of folks out there waiting to get a fix of the sweet stuff!!!

(My four remaining cupcakes that keep harassing me today)

DAY 80: Roller Skating for Weight Loss

Hey Folks!!!

So guess what?  I have discovered how to maintain my current weight...WOOO HOOO!!!!  Yeah I know that isn't something I really want to cheer about since I have like 40 more pounds to lose.  But I felt like celebrating something so WOO HOO for me because I didn't gain any weight this month.  Ok, so I need to really step my game up.

This past week I have added salsa dancing and roller skating into my weekly exercise routine.  I took Salsa lessons on Thursday, which lasted for about 2 hours.  After the lessons I continued to dance for about another 2 hours.  The next day I was moving around like I needed a walker.  I couldn't believe how sore my legs were.  I plan on going every Thursday, so I will update you on my dancing skills as I get better :-)

I found a roller skating rink close to my home and they host an adult skating night on Sundays.  So I called up my Aunt who was known for living on roller skates in her youth and asked if she wanted to try her luck at skating again.  We both decided that we would start roller skating for fun and for the weight loss.  You can burn 500-800 calories skating for 60 mins and the time goes by so fast when you are laughing at yourself and having fun.  The last time I went roller skating was at this rink in Maryland and these folks were No Joke.  I mean they were moving, grooving and gliding on wheels.  Take a look at what I am talking about!

(skip ahead to about 00.50 seconds in)

Me on the other hand, I was just skating...no grooving or gliding on my wheels.  I was happy if I could skate on the beat of the song 70% of the time. 

Well this past Sunday I pulled out my old roller skates I got back when I was in high school and headed out to the rink in hopes of Uping my game to skating on beat at least 75% of the time :-)  I am hoping to look a little more like the folks above in the next couple of months.  As you can see from the video below, I have a long long way to go :-D
Enjoy!!!!

DAY 63: I LOVE TO EAT FOOD!!!!!

I don't need to deny it, in fact I am going to start embracing it.  Embracing the fact that I love to eat food.  The problem with eating food is that if you eat to much of it you will BLOW uP!!!  So how do I eat all the food that I love and not BLOW UP!  Well for starters I am watching how many calories I eat.  At this point in order for me to loose weight I am only allowing myself 1200 calories a day.  Once I hit a goal weight I will be able to increase my calories so that I can maintain my weight.   But for now I am stuck with only 1200 a day.  I know you might think that 1200 isn't enough and almost impossible to do.  Well it is possible but I need to be creative sometimes and be on the look out to find new things to satisfy my LOVE for food. 

My latest and greatest find are those 99 cent bags of Funyuns.  First let me tell you that my junk food of choice are chips, Fritos and tortilla chips with some sort of cheese dip.  I don't even buy large bags of chips because I know I will eat the whole thing in one night.  The calories are so VERY high in the chip department and make it difficult for me to fit it into my 1200 calories a day routine.  So when I saw a bag of Funyuns and it said 220 calories for 1 serving and the serving was the whole bag...I felt a tear come to my eye.  I made sure I purchased some sugar free gum so that I wouldn't make anyone else tear up also :-)

The other night I decided to try out a couple of low calorie recipes.  I had a friend over and he got to try out the appetizers I prepared.  He didn't think they lacked anything in the taste department considering they were low calorie.  I will post the full recipes and directions in the near future.

Onion Rings (155 Calories a serving)

Baked with batter made from Fiber One Bran cereal and Fat Free Liquid Egg Beater.  One large onion is a serving so you get a lot to eat with this recipe.  The one down fall is that it was difficult to make the breading batter stick to the onion.  Oh and make sure you have plenty of mints on stand by :-D

Wonton Tacos (191 per serving...4 Tacos)

Made with square wonton wrappers, BBQ shredded chicken, Sesame Ginger coleslaw mix with cilantro.  I had a little trouble with making the wonton wrappers wide enough to hold the filling.  Next time I know exactly how wide they need to be.  I loved the Sesame Ginger coleslaw mix, it created a tangy bite and complimented the spicy BBQ chicken well.  And they were so cute!!!

Chicken Taquitos (197 Calories per serving...3 Taquitos)

Made with yellow corn tortillas, canned fat-free white chicken breast, salsa (I used spicy hot salsa), taco seasoning and shredded fat-free cheddar cheese.  Ok well this recipe didn't work out for me so I switched it up.  I must have purchased the wrong yellow corn tortilla because I couldn't get it to soften up in the microwave, so I trashed the tortillas and used wonton wrappers instead.  They were crispy, spicy and very tasty treats!!!

And That's All Folks!!!


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DAY 59: Caught in Middle of Drive-By While Counting Calories

Hey Folks I am still here!

Well lots of things to update you all on.  My DGW day on 02/19/2011 ended up being a 4 day long food binge.  I don't know what happened...well actually I know what happened, I ate whatever I wanted for four days straight because I had a long weekend and didn't have to go back to work until Wednesday.  I feel like I am a drug addict.  I mean I was doing fine but once I got a little taste of the good stuff then I just wanted to taste a little more.  I even felt like I was doing a secret drive-by.  I had my dark clothes on, hoodie pulled low over my face and made sure no one I knew was looking as I slowly drove up to the window and placed my order..."Can I get a #5.  And make sure you SuPerSiZe it".  Yep it was a sad site to see.

So I have been in detox for the past week.  Sticking to my my 1200 calories a day and the cravings are finally gone.  I think if I don't have anymore long weekends I will be OK and not fall off the wagon again.  I have a miniature pinscher dog and she is also on a little diet.  One evening she wanted a dog treat so bad that she just kept barking at me.  It was so hilarious that I had to video tape her.  So hope you get a good laugh from it.

I am still stuck at around 10 to 11 pounds lost.  And I know it is because I am not getting up off this butt of mine and exercising.  I just can't seem to talk myself into making that trip to the gym.  What would make me go to the gym?  Maybe if I would get $100 dollars every time I went to the gym.  Or maybe if I was guaranteed to loose 5 pounds a week if I go 5 times a week.  But I know that won't happen...or will it?

Honestly I had my hopes really high and thought I would be down 20 pounds by the time March 16th rolled around.  March 16th I will be singing some jazz tunes at the infamous Blues Alley located in Georgetown Washington DC.  Despite me not being 20 pounds lighter when I step onto the stage, I am pleased that I am 10 pounds lighter and a step closer to a healthier me.

DAY 45: My Before Pictures/Video and No Chocolates for me on Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day and I will make sure I eat a 100 calorie chocolate brownie bite for you.  Actually I will dedicate ALL SIX nickel size brownie bites to all you folks trying to remove those unwanted pounds from your life!!!!!

I did NOT like making this video or editing it while looking at my swollen figure :-)  So I hope all of you readers enjoy because I needed to throw back a few Vodka tonics (diet tonic) in order to get through this video.

And That's All Folks!!!

DAY 36...10 Pounds Lighter and Counting My Calories

Woo Hoo!!!! I finally hit 10 pounds down. I've been keeping track of my calories with the My Fitness application I downloaded on my android phone.  It's great because I can just quickly input what I am eating.  Below I added my diet journal for Friday.

So I am still slacking off on the exercise department.  I said I would work out twice a week and the week is basically over and I haven't worked out once.  Although I did break a light sweat cleaning my house :-) I don't know about you but sometimes a good house cleaning is a great workout.  I still haven't made it too the gym, which is going on over a year since I have used my membership.  I know, its pretty sad huh?  I guess there is no excuse except that I am possibly LAZY!!!

I have been drinking a lot more water, which I am not a big fan of.  I have found that if I drink it with a lot of ice then I can chug down a couple of glasses at a time.  I drink a lot of crystal light and sugar free type of liquids.  I am working toward just drinking water and only having other drinks on special occasions.

I am working on taking photos.  I don't know if I should take the all black leotard type of photo or take a photo in a pair of jeans that were my favorite pair but I can no longer button.  What do you think...black leotard or jeans?

What should I wear for my before photo?

Well That's All Folks!

DAY 31: How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days...1200 Calories per Day

Hey Folks!
So guess what....I didn't loose any extra weight this last week.  So I only lost 8 pounds for the month.  Isn't that a bunch of crocket :-/  But what do you expect when you don't do any exercise.  Basically my take on the 4-Hour Body slow carb diet is that it isn't for me :-)   But I wanted to finish the diet out for the full 30 days.  Towards the end I really missed not being able to have some yogurt and an apple in the morning for breakfast.  And  I just missed having a balanced diet all together.  I feel like I need to do exercise, but i wanted to stay true to what was mentioned in the book, so I did not do much exercise during the month. 

For the month of February I will be going back to what works for me, which is counting calories and exercise.  I will consuming 1200 calories a day and working out at least 2 days a week.  I don't want to start out with some crazy workout schedule that I know I won't be able to stick with and then feel guilty about it in the end.  I am going to keep the DGW day because I think it really helps prevent you from cheating throughout the week when you know there is a day set aside just for that.


In the past when i counted calories I used the DietMinder Personal Food & Fitness journal.  I wrote everything I ate in that book.  I recorded how much water I drank, exercise for the day and daily vitamins I took.  It has an area where you can also write little notes in it about how you feel.  I sometimes look at my old DietMinder books just to see what my weight was or what I was eating ect...
This time I am going to use an application I downloaded on my phone called MyFitness.  MyFitness allows you to track your calories, water intake, exercise, weight and add notes.  You can also access MyFitness on the web @ http://www.myfitnesspal.com/

So when I leave work today I will go buy light yogurt, apples and a cart full of frozen meals.  Since I only cook for myself I am able to get away with living off of frozen meals.  It makes life so much easier...the calories are printed right on the box and takes less than 5 minutes to cook :-)

And That's All Folks!!!

   

MyFitnessPal - Free Calorie Counter