Shanah Tovah everyone! It feels good to start a new year. Unfortunately, it's been CONSUMED with over-eating lots of luscious food. So in true new year fashion, "the diet starts tomorrow."
However, I am thinking of it differently - "taking care of my body" instead of denying myself things. So here's to eating well and exercising...tomorrow. (I am currently eating some challah - it's just too good)
I bought a digital scale at Bed, Bath, and Beyond for $25, but I probably should have just bought the regular scale for $10, because Alice is convinced that mine is kind of funky. (It told her she lost five pounds, then gained ten, all in one day or something). She could very well be right. I weighed myself this morning because I was bored, and it said I weighed 146 lb, but I don't know if I trust it. (Plus, I weighed myself at a different time of day than my previous "weigh-in" so that's always a bad idea). So I'm going to go ahead and say I'm 149, just to be safe. And I'll weigh myself at my parent's when I go home for the holidays.
I'm about to go to a pizza party for work. I was going to restrict myself to one slice (i.e. "Girls on diets don't eat more than one slice of pizza") but I think I would just end up eating four million cookies to compensate. So I think I'm just going to tell myself: Eat slowly. Enjoy your food. Drink a lot in between bites. Don't get stressed out that all the food will be gone. 1 slice is fine, if you have two, so be it.
UPDATE: FAILURE!!!
Oh man, I was AWFUL at this (wonderfully fun) party. I binged like none other, in a truly compulsive way. "There are still a few slices of pizza left," said my friend, "so don't be afraid to have seconds or thirds or fourths." So pushing any intelligence away from my brain, I went to have my third slice. And now I feel sick. It doesn't feel good to binge eat - why can't I remember that?
I saw this on a blog: "Eat With Dignity." I need to keep that phrase in mind. I also have to remember that I didn't gain all this weight in one day - I'm not going to lose it in one day. So I shouldn't get discouraged with slip-ups, but should keep going strong.
BREAKFAST (late, more like brunch)
1 cup oatmeal 1 plum 1 piece of cheese
LUNCH:
Broccoli & sesame seeds Diet Coke
DINNER:
THREE slices of pizza 1 glass of wine 2 beers 1 root beer float
Another rainy weekend day. I spent the morning cozy in bed with the New York Times, my computer, a bowl of oatmeal, and a candle that says it's mulberry scented, but I can't vouch for that because I have no sense of smell.
Then I took a glorious walk to the Brooklyn Academy of Music, supposedly to see "The Big Sleep." It was a long, windy, sometimes ugly, sometimes pretty walk that culminated in me getting a bit lost and then deciding to just skip the movie and come home. By the time I backtracked, I only had ten minutes until the film started and I am very anal retentive when it comes to seeing the beginning of movies. Regardless, I walked from Queensboro Plaza in Long Island City to Fort Greene, Brooklyn in the gray mist. The walk was a little less than six miles.
When I got home, I watched "Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room" , which was pretty fascinating, then downed some Rum & Diet Cherry Pepsi and went out on the town for a bit.
Lastly, this post is dedicated to Aebra (I'm so happy you liked Fat Rant!), who has the kind of body I've envied since the day we met. Unfortunately, I don't see a lot of gymnastics/rugby/weight-training in my future, but if I ever somehow get a figure half as toned, fit, and beautiful as hers, I'll be happy. You're hot! Keep it up!
BREAKFAST:
1 cup of oatmeal 1 plum
LUNCH:
Protein bar (230 cals) Baby carrots 1/2 cup beans
DINNER:
Cous-cous 1 package of brussel sprouts (See, I'm a glutton, but a healthy glutton) 1 plum
Ah, what a rainy, glum day. Although I did have a fun day at work, and some yummy (if rushed) pizza. I made the mistake of ordering it with mushrooms. In my mind, mushroom pizza = mushrooms EMBEDDED in the pizza. Every single slice of pizza I've ordered in the borough of Queens has just canned mushrooms plopped ontop of the slice. It's not enticing. Right? Am I crazy?
Fat Rant
Even though I do think we have a bit of an obesity problem in the U.S. and personally I am trying to lose weight, I'll always have a lot of love for Joy Nash. Every time I watch her video, I like it even more. There's a lot of truth in there, especially when it comes to using fatness as an excuse. Plus, she is just beautiful!
BREAKFAST:
1 cup of oatmeal 1 small hunk of cheese (Note to self: BUY OWN CHEESE)
Today was a pretty good day for me, despite giving in to my two absolute favorite things:
- Free Food - Bread
At work they were having a professional development day for teachers, and my boss ordered food from Panera. Afterwards there were all these yummy baguettes left over and a couple of us went up to the break room to be scavengers. You can probably tell where this story is going. Two-ish delicious thick soft pieces of bread later, I sort of stopped myself.
But! I think I made up for it because later in the day, I walked from the U.N. (I went to a Darfur rally) up to 125th Street, and then took the bus to Astoria. That's four miles! I tried to figure out how many calories that is, but the internet made it seem pretty confusing. Anybody know?
On my way home, I started to feel like I was getting sick (chapped lips, stuffy nose) plus I was getting noshy, so I stopped at a place called Healthalicious and got some matzah ball soup to go. I just finished eating it now and it was only okay. Not like my mom or grandma makes, and it wasn't particularly cheap either. But soup is soup, it usually does the trick.
BREAKFAST
1 cup of oatmeal 1 slice of cheese (Full disclosure: Alice, I ate a piece of your cheese)
LUNCH
Bread Green Apple
(I know that's a really pathetic lunch, I didn't plan my day very well)
DINNER
Matzah Ball Soup Salad Diet Coke
Tomorrow is the last day of work for two of my co-workers, both of whom I like very much. So I am sad about that, but happy because we are going for pizza tomorrow for a farewell lunch and I have been craving pizza for so long! So, I will report back on my exciting Friday! Au revoir, everyone.
...travel down the road and back again. Your heart is true, you're a pal and a confidante!
Thanks so much for the comments, ladies! The support is great. I think you are right about snacks, Rischa (and Aebra, who mentioned it as well). I just have to portion them out to myself - because I have been known to eat a bag of baby carrots/box of Wheat Things/loaf of bread in one sitting.I am going to try your method of counting things out - because I do want to stick with this!
I avoided temptation today, which was good. I walked home from work down Steinway Street, in Astoria. If you've ever traveled down that road (and back againnnn), it's basically the United Nations of food. Besides your typical line-up of pizza places, diners, bakeries, and fast food, there's also Czech, Spanish, Mexican, Thai, Egyptian, and Greek. Yum. I was strong, however, and it didn't just affect my diet, but also my wallet. Eating out can really deplenish my bank account - and remember, I'm going to need that money to help bail out Wall Street!
Today:
BREAKFAST
1 cup of oatmeal
LUNCH
1/2 cup beans 1/2 cup (?) whole-grain spaghetti Baby carrots Diet Coke
Truthfully, that wasn't enough and I'm currently hungry. I'm going to eat an early dinner of salad and chicken, but I think when I come back later tonight (I'm going to a dance performance), I'm going to have to break my "no eating after dinner" rule and eat something else as well, because it'll be pretty late by then.
EXERCISE:
Walked home from work - 1 mile
(Plus, I plan on doing some walking in the city - possibly across the bridge)
I'll finish this post later! Thanks everyone!
EDIT:
So,
DINNER
1 Chicken Leg 1 Salad White Beans/Tomato thing
DESSERT/SNACK
1 Orange juice soda thing (Pellegrino, fancy Organgina, I think - 180 cals) 1 small cone of nonfat vanilla yogurt from Baskin Robbins
Also, I walked from Union Square to 55th Street, which is about two miles (according to Google Maps). So I did 3 miles of leisurely walking today, which isn't terrible. Tomorrow I need to do some more hard-core walking and get my heart beating a little bit.
I was feeling pretty good today, but got struck with a bolt of anxiety eating a few minutes ago, so I figured I'd write down what I ate today so far, in order to curb this feeding frenzy.
(My anxiety basically stems from trying to find a full-time, semi-interesting job during a time of economic collapse/recession)
BREAKFAST
1 cup oatmeal
LUNCH
Green peas 1/2 cup chicken/cous-cous
SNACK
Carrots 1/2 cup of chicken/cous-cous (this was meant for lunch tomorrow, but I was like, must eat now!)
All in all, not terrible, but I can see myself going on a bender, so...I'll go for a walk later and hopefully even myself out.
EDIT: I ended up just taking a nap - am I getting sick? Why am I so listless? I awoke unpleasantly, to this Bach song my dad listens to that includes a really loud German choir. Blach. I applied to a job, so that made me feel good.
DINNER:
1 chicken leg Lettuce Diet Coke
I think that it IS possible that I haven't been eating enough...? I'm feeling noshy and might eat some oatmeal. Comfort food!
What a day! So, I did complete my goal of a truly epic walk in Manhattan. I took the bus to 125th and 2nd, then walked through Harlem until around 110th and Columbus, walked south until about 70th street, then walked through the park all the way to the East Side, on 61st and 1st. I was hoping to do a straight shot through Central Park, but it's a maze in there! It was a beautiful day for looking at brownstones and interesting people and cute kids in the park.
Finally, I reached my destination: Bed, Bath, and Beyond. By this time, I was tired and a little light-headed from not eating enough (you are correct, my lovely Jewish mother, Aebra!), although I had stopped to get an apple along the way. So I found BB&B terribly overwhelming, which is probably good because it meant I went in, bought a scale, a cheap bath towel, and a Luna bar and got the hell out of there.
Then I came home, ate too much because I was hungry, and then cooked up some things for the week. Now I need to go online and continue my search for a full-time job. Argh.
BREAKFAST
2 whole-grain waffles 1 piece of low-fat cheese
LUNCH (sort of)
1 Apple 1 Luna Bar
SNACK
100-calorie pack of pretzels 1 slice of whole-grain bread
DINNER Salad with red pepper/feta cheese Diced tomatoes & white bean thing (yes, Freya, I do like those white cannelini beans!)
And lastly, a good reason for me to lose weight? So I can prettify myself up and go in search of Michael Cera, who WILL be my boyfriend. In the meantime, I'll just see his new flick, which Grant so kindly instant-message-yelled at me about. ("OMG I WANT TO SEE NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST SO BAD")
I'd seen ads up around the city, but the trailer is better than I expected.
I had a good night's sleep, and now it's off to Larchmont to return my dad's car and use their exercise equipment. I'm going to write out my work-out plan for the day, in order to actually complete it.
PLAN: 30 minutes on the treadmill 30 minutes on the bicycle Lift some weights.
Indeed, an hour of working out isn't going to break any records - but I know myself and I know that I detest exercise, so this is probably the best I'll do right now.
So far today:
LUNCH-ISH MEAL (I slept until 11 am)
1 cup of oatmeal Some leftover roasted cauliflower
EDIT:
SNACK:
Grapes 2 pieces of cheese Pretzels (100 Calorie Pack)
DINNER:
Big salad Green peas Crackers
DESSERT:
Weight Watchers chocolate-y thing
EXERCISE:
Biked two miles 30 Minutes on stationary bike 15 Minutes on treadmill
I'm glad I exercised like I said I would - it probably came to an hour in total, including my bike ride down to the water. Tomorrow I plan on walking around Manhattan quite a bit.
Yesterday I had work in Queens, then Brooklyn, then home to eat dinner, then the train to Larchmont to get my dad's car, then back to Queens. Got up at 7:30 and Alice and I drove to Philadelphia to register voters and hopefully convince a couple people to vote for Obama. I'd say we were fairly successful, although not as much as I had hoped.
Then we went into Philadelphia for a little, which is surprisingly great! Historic, beautiful, poor in some areas and upscale in others, old Boston-y architecture, and a pretty hopping tourist-y area full of families and goth teenagers.
Considering it was a day trip/road trip thing, my day was NOT healthy.
BREAKFAST:
Cheddar cheese squares, grapes, carrots (box bought at rest stop)
LUNCH:
Granola bar Diet Coke
DINNER:
Philly Cheese-Steak!
Granted, we did walk a lot as part of our day, but still, tomorrow when I return my dad's car I'm going to run on the treadmill for a bit. In honor of the day we had, I shall post a photograph of Barack Obama, who is super hot.
Seriously, I don't know what I'll do if he loses the election. I talked to a couple kids (well, 18-36 year olds, not really "kids") who felt like there was no point in voting. "Who cares? They'll just do what they want anyway." The truth is, I feel like they're right. In 2000, it didn't seem to matter what the popular vote said. The Electoral College is incredibly confusing (can SOMEONE explain what its purpose is to me?) So the only thing I could tell them was, "I do think THIS election IS important and that you should vote." But...I dunno.
So it seems as though beans have won the great debate of 2008 (it rhymes!) Thanks, Aebra and Freya...I am glad to incorporate them back into my diet in healthy amounts.
Today was pretty good in terms of the food choices I made, although I did go a bit overboard at the end of the day.
In terms of exercise, I walked home from work, which is about a mile, and I walked from Queensboro Plaza to Freya's house across the bridge, which in total is 2 miles. So I walked 3 miles today, albeit in a leisurely fashion.
I also think I might try a tactic my sister's friend Eliza used to lose weight. (Successfully, I might add, she looks great). She made 4 guidelines for herself.
1. Don't take second helpings at meals 2. Some form of exercise every day 3. No snacking 4. You may break one rule a day
I love the fourth rule because it gives you flexibility and choices! Today I pretty much followed it, because I didn't snack between meals, I did some form of exercise (my walk), and since I had done those two things, I allowed myself to have two fajitas instead of just one. (These fajitas were pretty healthy, by the way, just chicken and vegetables in a whole-wheat flour tortilla).
I know the recommendations I've gotten are that I SHOULD snack healthfully during the day. Maybe that's the way to go. But I just find that once I start eating, it's really difficult for me to put the kabosh on it. I think that's why I lost weight sophomore year of college - the three, healthy, square meals a day (and rarely eating at night - Aebra, remember our perpetually empty mini-fridge?) worked pretty well for me. But we shall see.
On a positive note, when I came back from dinner, I tried on Alice's clothing and had a mini-fashion show in which she greatly complimented my hourglass figure. It was wonderful for the old self-esteem. Thanks, Alice.
And lastly, for my birthday (which I know is far away), I think I might ask my parents for membership to a local gym. I am eating better, but I think exercise will work wonders.
Thanks again for the support, everybody! Here's an interview with Jennette Fulda, the woman who inspired me to start this blog.
So I got my period today, which was kind of a bummer, since the first day always makes me feel really ill. Luckily Alice gave me some sort of super-strength pain reliever and once I was at work, my personal hell lifted and I was able to act like a normal human being. In the afternoon I felt sick again, and when it subsided I suddenly felt very hungry. So I ate a healthy-but-big dinner. In general, today:
BREAKFAST
1/2 cup oatmeal
LUNCH
Bean/corn/onion salad Chicken and veggies
DINNER
Essentially the same as lunch Diet Coke
Exercise? Nope, not a chance, I was feeling very fetal-position-y. Tomorrow I really need to step it up. And I've announced it here, on this very blog, so I must follow through!
Other disappointments for me: 1. Portion control! Notice the healthy foods above? I need to measure them out so I'm not eating the equivalent of three people's meals 2. Alice informed me that beans are very high in carbs. Hm. I guess I have to eat them more sparingly.
Thanks for the wonderful comments, Rischa & Freya! I had the same reaction when I saw the 90210 pictures. And in terms of eating after dinner, it's definitely been dangerous for me, with that "Last Meal" mentality. However, I do have some portion control issues - if I don't cut myself off after dinner, my evening becomes one never-ending snack. So I think that I'm going to try it for now.
I still haven't bought a scale. Dumb question - where does one buy one? I miss Meijer , which has everything under the sun. I went to Rite Aid, but that didn't seem so promising.
And lastly, on a positive note, I would like to pictorially convey what I am excited about when I DO actually lose this weight:
Bikinis! I have never owned a bikini in my life. The last time I wore one, I was two years old. (It was polka-dotted and very cute). It would be pretty thrilling to be able to wear even the most conservative bikini at some point in my life. And I think if I work a little bit harder, it's definitely a possibility...
Well, it hasn't stormed today necessarily, but all day it felt like it was supposed to.
I haven't bought a scale yet, but it's on my to-do list - so I don't know how I've been doing in pounds, just in terms of food and exercise.
And how HAVE I been doing? Okay. Not great, not terrible. I tend to eat so well during the day, but by the setting of the sun, it just deteriorates. Last night I cooked a lot of delicious stuff for the week, so obviously I was tasting the food and snacking a bit as I did that. Today I came home really hungry and had dinner - but I was still wanting food, so I ate another small portion of the food that I originally had saved for snack. So now, per usual, I feel uncomfortably full.
Today I had:
BREAKFAST 1 cup of oatmeal Some bites of chicken
LUNCH Chicken & veggie stir-fry String beans
DINNER Salad Brown rice & beans with some chicken. (And a LOT of it...probably the equivalent 2 or 2.5 portions, after I ate the contents of the other tupperware)
Jeez, I have a very chicken-heavy diet right now...I can't help it, I like chicken. In terms of exercise, I haven't really done anything. Maybe later tonight I'll go for a walk/jog, but right now I feel so tired, it's hard to motivate myself. My goal tonight (and I'm starting small) is not to eat anything for the rest of the evening. And go to bed early.
Lastly, I wanted to share with you all a great thing I saw on Jezebel.com. As Aebra rightly pointed out (I miss you, by the way, and yes my address is the same!), this blog is about feeling GOOD about myself and getting healthy - NOT conforming to our society's twisted view on what it means to be attractive.
What do I mean by "twisted"? Ah, so glad you asked! You see, a while back there was an amazing television show called "Beverly Hills 90210." Oh, the drama, the heartache, the time Brenda lost her virginity to Dylan in a hotel room at their prom. Well, they're making a new "90210" and you only have to glance at the photos below to see a pretty striking difference in the new cast and the old.
Try to ignore the unfashionable outfits, and focus instead on the healthy, positively hot bodies of the original show's stars. The new cast? I feel sorry for the girls growing up today thinking they have to adhere to that ridiculous standard. I'd rather look like a 1991-era Brenda Walsh anyday.
I've done some things so far that have made me feel good - like last night, I got home late and obviously wanted a snack. I was even pretty hungry! But I said to myself, "Maggie, you had dinner. Now the kitchen is closed. You get to eat again tomorrow." And it worked, and I was pleased with myself.
Today for breakfast I had:
- 1.5 cup of oatmeal - 1 green apple
I did some minor exercise, sort of, by going to drop off my laundry, coming back, going to switch it to the dryer, coming back, going to Staples to drop off this printing stuff I need, coming back, going to pick up the Staples stuff and finding out it's not ready, coming back, etc etc. Nothing too strenuous, but a lot of walking.
I also went food shopping and I actually looked at a cookbook before going, so I would get stuff that went together, as opposed to my usual haphazard shop. Tonight I shall COOK FOR THE WEEK. THRILLING! If I end up cooking good things, I'll post the recipes.
I wanted to post another photo of America Ferrara, who I think is beautiful, but I will alternate. Today is Marilyn Monroe day.
And lastly, Alice is back! She is taking a nap. I'm glad she's here so I am no longer alone, talking to myself like a crazy old lady. In celebration, I'll post this wonderful video about cake. Some of you might have seen it already. My favorite part is when he talks about what you think about during the song "Happy Birthday." Enjoy!
The idea for this blog came from a Seal Press Podcast highlighting the writings of a woman named Jeanette Fulda. She wrote a book about her weight loss and her blog, "Pasta Queen." (Plus you can see her lose 192 pounds in 7 seconds here!) Pretty rad.
Anyway, I was inspired and I decided to combine my narcissism and my desire to lose weight into one fantastic blog. I think it will help me because it will keep me accountable. I've been at my parent's house all weekend while they're gone, just binge-binge-binging on food, and I came to the realization (like I've done many times before) that I really need to change my ways.
So here I am, Day 1. I'm not sure exactly how I need to eat, but I do know I need to stop eating late at night, or at least not after dinner. And I'm really going to try hard to write down what I eat. And I need to tend to myself like a garden.
Today:
- 2 whole-grain waffles with syrup - 1 green apple - 2 pieces of cheese - 1 Diet Coke - 2 cookies - 1 Ginger Ale
