I've blogged about my foray back into diet and exercise world on Petit Fours & Hot Tamales. You can read about my ongoing rebellion and submission here. So here's the deal: I've decided to share my ongoing mission because I need to be held accountable. I've got lots of reasons to get back into shape, but the primary one is sheer vanity. I want to look good in my clothes. I especially want to look good in my clothes at the RWA National Conference being held in New York City this year. I'm a Golden Heart Finalist's date (how cool is that two of the people I've critiqued are in the Golden Heart Circle of Finalists???? Very!). I don't want to embarrass my good and dear friend, Sharon Wray. She deserves a date who looks great in her dress.
My Darling Hubby has joined me on my adventure. And my Darling Teen is also watching her calories. We're not an obese family, but we are a little on the, shall we say, "fluffy" side. And I am tired of being fluffy. I decided to share my journey with my blog world because I hope it will make me more accountable. Plus, I think it will be fun! I'm not posting my weight (ugh--scale is so demoralizing so I avoid it). But I will post my inches. Inches? Well, that is the total amount of inches around my thighs, my navel area, my hips, and my left bicep (which is getting pretty buff).
In my PFHT blog about my ongoing love/hate relationship with the scale, I revealed my total inches and diet plan. I confess that I didn't add the numbers correctly so I think I wrote something like 114 (I wish!). Actually, I started at 145 inches. Sigh. But the good news is that I'm already seeing results. I had been searching for a plan that would suit my lifestyle and my personality. I'd pretty much tried everything as far as diets are concerned. I knew I didn't want to give up wine, hated counted calories, and hated the very thought of starting a diet then being invited somewhere to eat where NONE of my "allowed foods" were an option. I'm also lousy at counting points (hey, I have trouble adding inches!).
Then a friend of mine told me about the 4 Hour Body diet. She said, "You'll like it Christine because you can drink wine." Sold! Well not totally, first I researched it and then I bought the book. I liked it for three reasons: wine was allowed, no calories counted and one full day of not worrying about what you eat or how much you eat. Yay!! I can do anything for 6 days if I can cheat for 1 day!!
I started my foray back into "diet world" very slowly. First I incorporated a new exercise program. Then I made two changes: no more food in the bedroom (I confess a certain penchant for a snack at bedtime while I am reading), and no carbs till dinner. Then we went to Disney World and I didn't worry about the carbs or the plan after breakfast. I also walked a lot. I had a great time and didn't regain any lost inches. When we returned from our fabulous anniversary trip, Darling Hubby and I began the plan.
We're on week two. So far it hasn't been awful. We aren't hungry. We like the foods we're eating (lots of beans, greens and meat), and we're seeing results. Darling Hubby does miss his grain alcohol, but I let him cheat a bit on Friday night last week when we went out with friends so he was okay. We already had our first cheat day. Ate anything we wanted. We got super stuffed super fast and we were eager to start again on Sunday (we picked Saturday as our Cheat Day for now).
So, now for today's blog, I'll share my stats so far:
Start Date of Modified Plan: 3/3/11
Total Inches: 145
4/1/11--Day 11 of Full Plan
Total Inches: 140.5
Total Lost Inches (darn I have to do math): 4.5 inches!
Favorite go-to food when desperate for something sweet? Pistachios, macadamia nuts, and sun dried tomatoes. Oh, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm eyeing the sugar free Jello!
Favorite new recipe? Salmon on a cedar plank. We dust the salmon with hot chili powder, red peppers, a bit of coarse salt. We place it on a soaked cedar plank and grill it till done. We squeeze fresh lime juice over the salmon as we grill. It is delicious over a bed of lettuce with a legume side salad.
Favorite exercise? Zumba!!! At the local YMCA.
What shall I have for Cheat Day? Oh, not sure, but I can assure there will be cookies, dark chocolate, cheese, and more than the allowed amount of wine :-)
Are you on a plan? Is it working for you? Share your stats with me. Let's get skinny for the summer!!
12 comments:
I'm not on a plan but I am trying to be good - my jeans are all pinching the tops of my thighs, which is slightly painful but it's a great reminder!
Starting today, I'm cutting out takeaway food, and reducing the chocolate. I'll be having a sweet treat with my mum on Sunday (it's mother's day over here!) but apart from that, I'm being good until my pants fit again!
Annoyingly, I noticed last night that my butt looks good when I'm at this weight, but the rest of my doesn't. Why must my butt be such a rebel? Does anyone else have a rebellious butt?
I'm on the same journey, and although I expect to look better for RWA this year, my journey will probably last a good year. Achieved my first major loss this week after three weeks of 1/2 to 3/4 lb. losses! To do this, I hired a personal trainer (2xweek), slowly ramped my aerobic exercise up to 3x week (going for 4+), and obsessively track what's going into my mouth. My eating plan was developed with the help of a nutritionist that my doctor sent me to a couple of months ago. I've modified it slightly, but interestingly enough, I use the eggbeaters/spinach breakfast from the 4 hour diet. But I put it with a Thomas's light english muffin. The whole cheat/eat day doesn't work for my diabetes :)
Good luck, Christine. Hopefully we will see a lot less of each other at RWA :))
Hi Ellen: I know what you mean about certain parts looking better than others when we are at different weights. I'm glad you're making an effort to cut the sweets. That will make a huge difference! I want you to check in and let me know how you are doing. At the end of the three months, we should post pictures of our new bodies!
Happy Mother's Day to you!! Enjoy your time with your mom. I suggest at least one day where cheating is allowed. And this is a great day to cheat!
:-)
HI Debbie: I am so excited that you are losing weight and working out, too! I shoot for 5 times a week, but I do different exercises so my body is tricked. I did a workout on Wednesday that actually hurt my shoulder (the instructor is tough!), but the Zumba class on Thursday shook the pain away. I love the spinach/egg breakfast as well. And you're smart to follow a diet that is for diabetics. Everyone has to do what works best for them.
I bet we'll be smokin' hot at the national conference. Keep me posted about your progress!!
:-)
Good luck with the new diet plan, Christine. I'll be checking back to hear about your progress.
Hubby and I did the Body for Life plan some years back and boy did it work. Specific exercise plan and diet 6 days a week. I ended up getting into some of my skinny daughter's jeans! Of course, she wouldn't let me wear them, but it was nice to know I fit them. :D
It also had a cheat day, but we found that if we cheated too badly, the next day of exercise we were very sluggish and that made it harder to lose. The longer we stayed on the plan, the less we enjoyed being really 'bad' on the cheat day.
I need to lose about 15 lbs so it doesn't look like there's a whale lying next to my pool this summer. ;)
Hi Carol: I've looked at Body for Life--but for some reason that one didn't click with me. I love that you could fit into your daughter's skinny jeans after you finished the plan. My goal here is to have a lifetime of being at my best weight for my age. I am sick and tired of gaining and losing the same poundage.
Check in with me next week. Keep me posted and let me know how it goes.
As far as the cheat day--last week we couldn't eat everything we had wanted to eat LOL. I was so happy to be back on the "plan," on Sunday. I usually don't work out on Sundays--but I can imagine all the extra carbs and blechy stuff would impact the workout.
Stay with me on my journey. Let's cheer each other on!
:-)
Christine,
I'm in. I finally decided that I'm going to have to share to be accountable. I'm not going to weigh but once a month. I'm going to go by my clothes fit. I will excierce 4 days a week and eat smaller portions.
I will not diet again, I will change how I eat. I will eat at a table for every meal not standing up at the counter.
Susan
Hi Susan: I love your plan! That is so smart. I started my plan by making small changes that I could live with. THe fact that you're committed to sitting to ENJOY your meal is fabulous. I've been doing that with darling hubby now for dinner -- we used to sit at the counter-- and I think it makes a huge difference. I will be cheering you on!!
You can do this!!!
:-)
Christine-
I am so excited for you and Chuck to embark on this crazy journey! You will be amazed at how great you feel! The cheat days are fun, but I usually look forward to getting back to eating the program foods as I feel so crummy after the binge! The wine helps!!! Let's share some recipes! Nikki
I can usually eat what I want in moderation as long as I exercise. I haven't been doing that since I've been dealing with these migraines. But hubby and I discussed this and we have a plan to exercise every night during one of our favorite shows. That should make it more desirable, if that's possible. LOL!
Good luck with your plan, Christine! I started eating more fruits and vegies too. ;)
Hi Kathy: I'm so glad you're exercising with your hubby. I think that doing the 4Hour Body with my hubby is helping me stay on track. A support system is important.
And enjoy some fruits for me. I'm only allowed fruit on my cheat day :-)
Hi Nikki: Thanks for sharing the diet with me! I agree with you about the cheat days. I actually look forward to getting back on track the following day. I do have a great recipe for salmon and for pork loin and beans. We definitely need to exchange recipes. I can't wait to see you this summer--we'll be svelte and slim together :-)
Post a Comment