HAVE YOU SEEN MY WEIGHT?

Weigh Day

2011-05-09T13:23:00.001-05:00

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A Weekend of Firsts

2011-05-08T20:02:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was my & the BF's 3 year anniversary ♥. We ended up waiting to really celebrate it until yesterday. It was our "first" date since Baby was born, and - despite the fact that I cried as we were driving away from dropping him off at his grandma's - it was a lot of fun! We ate at Cheddar's and I had my first legal drink (I turned 21 in September but was pregnant!).

Strawberry Swirl frozen margarita.. I took probably five whole drinks lol. Really strong! Afterwards we played putt putt and then went to pick up our sweet baby. It was really good to get some alone time with my boyfriend :).

Today is my first mother's day! It's been wonderful! I am so lucky and grateful to be a mom to such an amazing little boy. After sleeping in, we went grocery shopping and then hung out with my mom and little sister for a little bit. We made a pizza for lunch - boyfriend wanted pepperoni and black olives and I wanted spinach and onion, so we made half and half.

Sooooo good! Other than that, we've just been veggin out and I've been getting spoiled. Heh :) Tomorrow is weigh day and the start to FINALS week. I'm going to school this summer so my break is only like a week, but I'll take it!

Happy Mother's Day!

-Carissa

Down a size!

2011-05-04T21:28:00.001-05:00

I meant to wait until 159 to try on a size 12, but today i had to buy a blazer (ended up getting a size 10 stretch) for a scholarship banquet i'm going to tomorrow, and i found a super cute leopard print pencil skirt on sale in a size 12, so i had to try it on. It fit!

Unfortunately my eating has been a little (okay, a LOT) out of control this past week so its kinda put a rain cloud over my smaller-size celebration. I guess its always going to be a struggle.

-Carissa

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Weigh Day

2011-05-02T09:28:00.002-05:00

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Weigh Day v. AWESOME

2011-04-25T14:55:00.002-05:00

Goodbye 170s, hello 160s!!! I have never been this small (6th grade maybe?). 20 more pounds until goal- hooooray! Now if only i can convince myself that i don't want any leftover Easter/birthday (bf just turned 23!) goodies......

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Yum!

2011-04-20T18:40:00.001-05:00

Had to share - fire roasted vegetable soup & grilled chicken wrap. Add McAlisters sweet tea (which i haven't had since the beg. of my pregnancy) and you've got one deeelish supper!

I love McAlisters. They have so many healthy options and its a really fun atmosphere. Where do you guys like to eat out when on a" calorie budget"?

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I dont know how they do it.

2011-04-18T20:28:00.001-05:00

Moms who work out are seriously super heroes as far as im concerned (actually ALL moms are- but working-out-moms are like super SUPER heroes). With laundry, dishes, feedings, diaper changes, cleaning, snuggles, and all the other mommy duties, where is the time to work out?! I know that's such a cliche excuse, but really. When do you fit it in????

Add homework to that list and it makes for one busy super hero. Luckily bfing helps me burn some bonus calories, but i still hope i can learn how to balance everything and start exercising on the regular again.

Any tips from seasoned mamas out there? How do you fit in those fitness minutes, and what kind of exercises do you do (im thinking along the lines of fast and effective)?

Hope you're week is starting off right! If not, don't worry- tomorrow is a new day, a blank canvas, a fresh start!

---Carissa

PS. Tonight we're having stuffed mushrooms and ice cream :) a girls got to live a little!

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Weigh Day

2011-04-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

I fully expect to be out of the 170s by next week!!!

Hope you guys are staying healthy and enjoying some wonderful spring weather!

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Weigh Day

2011-04-04T08:19:00.001-05:00

Finally-a little drop! I was in Supermom mode all weekend.... i got a ton of stuff done & I think keeping busy helped me stay on track a little better. It was prob one of the best weekends food wise that I've had thus far.

Lets hope all that gettin stuff done business carries over into the work week. Happy Monday!

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Review: Jamba Strawberry Lemonade Swirl bars

2011-04-03T14:45:00.000-05:00

It's such a hot day here today.... 86! Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40s... sheesh. Anyway, I decided to try one of these new Jamba bars we got at the store on Friday (we don't have a Jamba Juice here, but they have them in OKC and I loved to get smoothies there when I lived there!).

TALK. ABOUT. DELISH. They're really creamy - not icy at all - and not too sour or too sweet. They're like a mix between a strawberry smoothie and sherbert icecream. I can't believe these things are only 70 calories!

(I couldn't even wait to take the picture before I took a little taste. ha!)

Definitely recommend!

Self truths

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000-05:00

I feel better when I work out. Even though I dread it most days, afterwards I feel really great.

I have to eat enough calories to produce milk, but that's not an excuse to eat more than I should. It also means I can't over-resctrict. Throughout my journey I've realized that I am either very strict about what I eat and how much of it (I felt good if I didn't go over 1000 calories - that's not healthy for ANYONE) or I abandon my goals altogether and eat everything I can think of (also completely unhealthy). I have to find some kind of happy balance.

Chips, crackers, trail mix, and other things of the like that can be had in large quantities are dangerous around me. Even the healthy versions are bad in mass amounts. I'm just going to have to settle for substituting them with things like grapes, carrots (don't love em, but I can deal), etc.

I'm lazy. I planplanplan and never actactact. I need to make a conscious effort to change this part of my life.

Weight loss means being uncomfortable sometimes. Whether it's during a tough workout or resisting that new yogurt shop you pass on the way home, sometimes there will be things that you wont like doing and you just have to suck it up and do it anyway. I'm not a very happy camper when I don't get what I want - particularly with food. It's sad, but I get very jealous when I see other people eating things that I "can't" have because I know how unhealthy it is. Like I said, I'm gonna have to get rid of my pouty-pants and deal.

These are my self truths... what are yours?

Back to school, baby shots, and weight watchin'

2011-03-21T15:45:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh, what a wonderful week Spring Break was. I got a tiny glimpse of what life-after-college is going to be like... I can't wait until I don't have to worry about homework or exams anymore! But for now, it's back to ~~studying, writing papers, and taking tests~~ trying not to procrastinate (HA).

Bentley had his second doctor's appointment today, during which he received three shots in his legs and one oral vaccine. Poor thing :( He's so tough though! He only cried for a few seconds and then he was fine! My sister said he has been a little fussy today... and if I touch his legs he gets upset :(. His cry isn't really like an "I'm hungry" scream or an "I'm poopy" wail... it's just like... "Ouch :(". He finally fell asleep; I'm typing this while he rests... soon he'll be eating and then we'll be on our way to the gym.

I still haven't lost any weight. Right now, I'm only thinking about right now. What can I do to make myself healthier today, in this moment? My eating's been a little crazy and I haven't worked out as much as I'd hoped to, but I'm working hard at making improvements, even if they're small ones.

I feel so bad taking LittleButt out while he doesn't feel good... but his grandma is going to be with him at the gym so if he starts feeling too crummy, I'll only be a few seconds away. Let's hope this week brings big pound losses!

xo,
Carissa, a wishinIcouldmakeitbettermomma

PHOTO SUNDAY!

2011-03-20T13:47:00.000-05:00

current weight: 177 lbs

First pictures after baby!

If you're craving...

2011-03-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

Something Italian, eat this:

Fazolis Kids Meal Meat Lasagna + 1 Breadstick

[410 calories, 20 g fat]

Something quick, eat this:

McDonald's Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Snack Wrap
+ Snack size Fruit and Walnut Salad

[470 calories, 17 g fat]

Something hearty, eat this:

McAlister's bowl of Country Potato Soup, in a bread bowl

[313 calories, 9 g fat]

Something sweet, eat this:

Sonic Jr. Oreo Sundae

[180 calories, 9 g fat]

Something grilled, eat this:

Applebee's Grilled Shrimp & Spinach Salad

[250 calories, 14 g fat]

Sonic: http://fast-food-nutrition.findthebest.com/compare/98-1327/Vanilla-Reduced-Fat-Ice-Cream-Cone-vs-Jr-Oreo-Sundae

McDonalds: http://keepittightfitness.com/2010/12/dine-out-dish-mcdonalds-2/

Applebees: http://supernaturalbotanicals.com/blog/applebees

McAlister's: http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSSE/WesternCarolina/Locations/McAlistersDeli.htm

Fazoli's: http://mojosavings.com/2011/02/24/fazolis-free-spaghetti-entree-2/

Well crap.

2011-03-16T22:13:00.001-05:00

Today... i ate... way. too. much. Im so miserable! An entire pint of ice cream, and that was AFTER my unreasonably portioned supper. Siiiiigh. Tomorrows a new day.

I HAVE exercised the past three days! 30 day shred yesterday and Monday, and today my boyfriend and i went walking at the gym. Hes so great! It was really nice to spend that time with him : ). Tomorrow my mom and i have plans to go to zumba again, so that should be fun.

Just a quick update while my sweet baby sleeps on my chest :). Im planning on getting into my photo friday routine again, either every friday or maybe just the first friday of each month- i haven't decided yet. Either way, ill be posting pictures this friday, so be sure to check back!

Have a great night!
~Carissa

PS-the high for tomorrow is 89 here!!!! Its not even officially spring yet!!!!!!

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Weigh Day

2011-03-14T15:17:00.001-05:00

Woke up late so I forgt to take a picture, but im at 177.

Its spring break, so hopefully i can get some good exercise time in.

Ahhhhh.

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Did you know?

2011-03-11T20:52:00.000-06:00

Working out - to the point of sweating - increases

the size of the basal ganglia, a part of the brain that

controls attention and the ability to coordinate

actions and thoughts.

Just another benefit to getting active!

Source: Family Circle magazine, April 1, 2011 Issue, pg. 90

Zumba Zumba!

2011-03-11T15:22:00.000-06:00

Who's tried it? That sexy, sweaty, aerobic dance/exercise class... my mom and I tried it for the first time yesterday... whew! Talk about hard! It's very fast paced, but not impossible. And it's a great workout! The hour seemed to go by so fast! We had a lot of fun :) I think I'll go again!

That class being ony the second workout I've done since Baby was born, I'm not sure how this week's weigh in will go. I'm doing fairly well food-wise, still not counting every calorie though.

What are your favorite workout classes?

If love burned calories....

2011-03-07T20:01:00.001-06:00

I'd have lost a trillion pounds by now! I am seriously so crazy about this little boy :)))))))

No workouts since monday... its hard to get there before 5 since i get home at 230. My boyfriends mom works at the gym but leaves at 5 so i have to get there well before that and most days it just ain't ha'nin. Ha ha. I also think im suffering from separation anxiety or something.... i hate it when hes not close. I feel like after being at work for 6 hours, the last thing i should do is spend ANOTHER hour away from him, even if it is to work out... it makes me feel like a bad mom :(. Not saying that moms who workout are bad mothers at all-its just how it makes me feel. I don't want to miss a single breath, smile, cry, coo, or second that i don't have to. Has anyone else felt this way? :(

Anyway, did you guys see the weigh in this morning? I believe that's 2 lbs down... pretty good for no gym! I've been trying really hard to watch what i eat. Now, time to put in another week of honest effort... and hopefully some exercise.

xo
Carissa

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Weigh in

2011-03-07T07:01:00.002-06:00

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This is the last thing I expected to feel after working out.

2011-02-28T19:50:00.002-06:00

Guilt. Guilty for leaving him with his grandma (she works at the gym) while i walked for 30 mins..... after being away from him all day, i just wanted to hug and kiss and snuggle my little boy. I also know that its time to get in shape (that walk taught me a lesson today!). I know, i know- being healthy is one of the best things i can do for myself and my family, but i just cant help wishing that i would've spent that time with him instead :(.

It was so hard to leave this morning. Work went by fairly quickly though, and it wad SOOO good to see him when i got home. My sister answered the door with Bentley in her arms and i almost cried tears of joy at the sight of his sweet little self!

Anyway... weighed 177.8 this morning. So there's that.

Im off to finish feeding and spending time with baby! Oh, and homework.... ugh.

-Carissa, a jugglin mama

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What size am I?!

2011-02-27T22:01:00.001-06:00

Went shopping for some back-to-work outfits... I was pregnant when I started this job, so everything I had to wear was maternity! I can prob still wear a good majority of it, but it was nice to get some pants with no elastic in the waist and some new shirts :).

I walked into the first store and just kinda stood there, staring at all the different aisles, clueless as to where to even start. I had no idea what size of ANYTHING that i would fit into. I finally just went to an area i was familiar with-plus size. I picked out some shirts in 1X and went to try them on.... and wouldn't ya know it, they were all too big! I had no idea where the "regular" sizes were so i just got a cardigan and tshirt in XL that i'd found & we headed to old navy. There, i tried on larges and had much better luck. I also got my pants there.... tried 16s, too big! :O. 14s are a little snug around the waist, but i figure my body is still changing from a home for two to room for one!

So im ready for tomorrow as far as wardrobe goes... just not in any other way. I've been so sad today because i don't want to leave my little baby boy :((. On the bright side, at least i can work out tomorrow.

*sigh* .... see you at tomorrow morning's weigh in.

~Carissa

PS-follow me on twitter (@kuhrisuh) to get the weigh in results first each week!

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Goals of the aggressive variety

2011-02-23T22:28:00.001-06:00

Again, posting from my phone in the middle of the night. You'll prob get lots of these, ha ha!

Ive got some goals that require announcing for accountability's sake. I'm cleared to exercise starting Monday, and im ready to get after it! Hopefully this enthusiasm lasts. I remember when i first started this journey, i wanted to lose 100 lbs in one year. Pregnancy put a (very worthwhile) hold on that, and now my 2 yr anniversary is approaching in July. Id like to make my dream a reality and finally reach that 100 lbs lost mark this July. That's 30 lbs in 4 months. A hair over 7 lbs a month, which makes just about 2 lbs a week. I realize that those last pounds are often thrmost difficult to drop, but im gonna keep at it until i get there. Who's with me? What are your goals for summer?

I also need to say this: another goal is to complete ALL my assignments for ALL of my classes. Im so close to finishing, and i've gotta finish strong. Stay on my case about this!!

Here's to a busy, positive, goal gettin future!
xo,
-Carissa

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Baby weight & Breastfeeding

2011-02-21T09:12:00.005-06:00

Okay, let's just get right to it. When I found out I was pregnant, I weighed 174. Thanks to morning sickness (more like all day sickness), I was 170 at one point. But that didn't last long! At my last doctor appt before King Bent arrived I weighed in at 211. So I gained right around 40 lbs - half of what I'd lost! Boy was it rough seeing that "2" on the scale again....

Fast forward 5 wks, and I'm sitting right around 180. You can't imagine my relief when I saw that number. I was really scared that it was going to take me another 5 months to lose that weight again. I haven't been counting calories or dieting really.... baby has honestly been my number one focus. Funny how your priorites can change in an instant!

I have been attempting to make a conscious effort to make healthy choices, though they often have to be very quick to both cook and eat. Im sure lots of you moms understand. Doctor released me to work out starting Feb 28th... I'm really excited! It's gonna take effort to fit school, baby, work, home, and the gym in, but I have to be determined to make the time for it.

One thing that has helped me drop the "baby weight" so quickly is definitely breast feeding. I've read that you can burn anywhere from 300-500 calories per day producing milk - now THAT'S what I call a workout! ;) It's one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I love breastfeeding for many reasons:

•Gives me a really unique bonding time w/baby. Being able to provide for your child so fully & naturally is one of the most beautiful things a woman's body was designed to do.

•Health benefits for baby. I've read and heard that one of the many health benefits your baby receives from bf'ing is in his brain development. CLICK HERE for a complete list of all that breast feeding goodness!

•Health benefits for mommy, including but not limited to that awesome calorie burn!

I know this post is all over the place... bear with me. Im running on minimal amounts of sleep here! Ha ha

Hope you're having a great start to your week!
-Caaaarissa

Introducing... Baby Bentley!

2011-02-19T18:52:00.007-06:00

Hello, from a brand new momma & her sweet baby BOY! Thank you for all your comments - you are all so sweet! I had such an incredible pregnancy and delivery (though I might not have described them in such kind terms at the time, ha ha), and I really want to share it all with you! So, here goes...

Pregnancy was, well, pregnancy. I was sick, hungry (mostly for potatoes), tired, energetic, happy, sad, nervous, excited, annoyed, round, glowy, busy, and all those other pretty and notsopretty things that come along with growing a little person.

37 weeks

By the time January rolled around, I was so ready to meet our little angel that I could hardly stand it - while at the same time being really nervous to be new parents. I'm so thankful for how well my pregnancy went, and I can tell you now that I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Now, onto the birth...

Due date was January 14th. I went to the doctor on the 11th, and to my dismay, I was not dilated and he had only moved down just a bit. Don't get me wrong, I wanted him to come when he was ready, but I was pretty ready myself! My doctor said that if I hadn't delivered by my next appointment (the 18th), we would schedule an induction for the 21st. I was happy that there was an end in sight!

I worked throughout my pregnancy, and that last week I was feeling SO tired, and was going to bed at like 8pm every night! The day before my due date, I guess I must've looked as crummy as I felt, because all day at work people were asking me if I felt okay and telling me that I could go home if I needed to. My boss made a joke, saying, "I hope I don't see you tomorrow!" I just laughed and told him I was sure I'd be there - I honestly thought I was going to have to be induced! But wouldn't ya know it, around 11pm that night I started having contractions! At first, the thought of contractions didn't even cross my mind. They just felt like really bad back pains. My boyfriend was the one who actually suggested that maybe I was going into labor... and I was reluctant to believe it. I had contractions alllllll night long... 3-8 mins apart. The next morning we got up and ate, and they started letting up a little... prob around 15 mins apart.

I hadn't felt baby move since before the contractions started, so my mom suggested we call the hospital just in case. They told me to come in so they could monitor the baby. Turns out I was dilated to a 3! My doctor had me walk around the maternity floor for about an hour, and by then my contractions had started up again pretty strong. They admitted me around 4 pm. Contractions were.... painful. I had asked so many people what they would feel like, but it really is something you can't explain. They started in my back, but then radiated throughout my whole middle. They didn't really feel like cramps to me... more just like... CONTRACTIONS. Ha ha!

Anyway, I did get an epidural. I'm so happy that I did! I had contractions all through that night and the next day. At one point, because of baby's heartbeat's time to recover after each contraction, they thought that I was going to have to have a c-section, to the point that they were preparing me for surgery. I was freaking out... the doctor was saying things about the cord possibly being wrapped around him, and I was starting to panic. Thankfully, I had a great doctor and she stayed in the room to monitor us most of the time. I had to sit in the most uncomfortable, straight up position, because that's what baby liked best. Eventually, I started feeling the contractions again, and it was time to start pushing. The doctor said we really had to give it a good try, because baby wasn't going to deal with the stress for very long. After just 20 minutes of pushing (and 27 hours of labor!), our beautiful, sweet, perfect, wonderful little boy was born!

January 15th, 2011

2:44 am, 6 lbs 15.9 oz, 20 in. long

It was the most amazing experience of my entire life. I cannot describe the love I have in my heart for my little baby son... there are just no words. And to be able to share that experience with my boyfriend... the look on his face the first time he held his son was indescribable.

I could see the love flowing from him. Our love has not only grown stronger, but our love for this sweet boy - who we named Bentley - grows more and more every day. He was so supportive throughout the entire pregnancy & all throughout labor and birth... I really could not dream up someone better than him to share this with. ♥

After he finally took his first pee pee, we got to go home. It was around 9 pm... and now, here we are, one month and four days later. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, but every sleepless night has been worth it. He is absolutely perfect in every way... his smiles, his newfound "coos" and his snuggles are my favorite things in the entire world. :)

I am the happiest momma in the universe, I'm sure of it!!

He was a little jaundiced, but luckily nothing that required any treatment and it went away on its own. He's growing wonderfully! At his first check up, he had gained 1 lb and grown 2 inches! My tiny man :)

I still can't believe he went from this little seed...

...to this perfect baby :).

He was born on Saturday, and school started Monday. Needless to say, I've been overwhelmingly busy. I go back to work in one week (SOB!), so I'm trying to get in all the snuggle time I can with my little lovebug. I'm hoping I can keep up with school - which I should probably be working on right now. I'll post about my weight gain and where I am now soon... for now, my little heartthrob needs some lovins :)

xoxo!

-Carissa, a proud mommy

Big News!!!

2010-06-03T16:13:00.001-05:00

Hello there strangers :)

I haven't been around in awhile, but I promise I have a very good, exciting, wonderful reason!

My boyfriend & I are having a baby!!!!

We found out a couple of weeks ago... I had taken 3 at-home tests (lol), all positive, so we made an appointment and it was confirmed! It's really such a miracle because I had been told previously that my body wasn't ovulating, so we were under the impression that I couldn't get pregnant. I felt like we'd end up adopting for sure. But then, SURPRISE!! A little baby that we made all on our own :).

Today was our first actual doctor's appointment, and it went well! Estimated due date is January 4th, but we'll get a definite one at our first sonogram NEXT FRIDAY!! :) Our doctor told us that a big reason why we were able to conceive is because I'd lost so much weight. She said that estrogen is stored in fat cells, and when you have a lot of fat your body has too much estrogen, so everything was out of wack and my ovaries weren't doing their thing. After losing weight, everything started evening out & my ovaries started working! I did have 2 periods in a row, and then got pregnant, so it makes sense! It's just so crazy how much your weight can affect every part of your life, and how much losing weight can change everything.

So after 10 months and 74 lbs lost, my focus is shifting. Instead of working on my health to lose weight, I'm now working on staying healthy for our baby (that still feels so crazy to say!). I've been thinking about how much weight I should or shouldn't gain, how much I should eat, how much I should exercise, etc. The nurse gave us some info so I've been looking at that and reading a little online. I've been pretty sick lately so I haven't been able to eat much... I've been weighing randomly and last at-home weight was 170.4. Today at the doctor it was 174 even. So I haven't gained any weight so far. The doctor told me that a healthy amount of weight to gain over the entire pregnancy is 20 - 25 lbs, so that's my goal.

Sooo I don't know how often I'll be around. I think once I start feeling better on a daily basis I'll be up to computering more... and I'll def. keep you all updated! I know lots of you have kids... so I look forward to hearing any advice you have! I'm so excited (and nervous!) that we're going to be parents :)

with all my love,

Carissa

Slowly Getting There...

2010-05-17T22:16:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling a little better today. I wrote some in my journal yesterday and had a date with my hunny tonight, and I think both really helped. My eating yesterday and today has been okay - not perfect, but definitely better than it has been.

I got my first paycheck today, which was awesome! Tomorrow after work I'm going to see about getting a gym membership set up. I called the gym I'm interested in earlier today for the pricing and all that. I'm soooo excited!!!!! I can't wait to start making progress again. Even though I'm probably gonna have to FORCE myself for awhile, I know being able to go workout is going to help my moods A LOT.

Sorry my posts are so bare!... I'm updating from my phone. I seem more inclined to post from my phone rather than at the computer, who knows why! Thank you ALL for your unending support and for all the comments on my last post. You have no idea how much each and every one of them helped. After posting it I kind of regretted it and almost just deleted it all together. But your comments made me realize that there is no shame in honesty and that there are people who are going through/have been through the same things.

Now I'm relaxing and watching some playoff basketball. I'm so disappointed that the Cavs lost to Boston! I don't even care who wins anymore.... as long as its not the Lakers ;P

xo

I Don't Know What to Do

2010-05-15T19:40:00.001-05:00

I've barely been out of bed in 3 days, except to eat. And when I say eat, I mean binge. :( Everything is so overwhelming. Every second I have to fight back tears. I don't know what it is, but something in me snapped and its like I've lost all care and control over my body. Its really scary for me.

I've done okay so far today food-wise.... but I can feel it. That itch to eat until I don't feel sad anymore. which can take a lot. for example, let me tell you what I ate last night:

peanut butter cup ice cream
some of my boyfriends ice cream
a frozen pizza
sour cream & onion chips
2 dark chocolate reeses pb cups
cup of milk
grilled cheese

the night before was worse. more chips and sandwiches than a person should eat in an entire day. its really embarassing and sickening to me that I eat so much. But even after saying that, I know that if I had any $ I'd be out getting chinese food right freaking now. its an endless cycle.

I wish I could just tell myself no. Without it being followed by a panic attack.

Some Thoughts on Emotional Eating

2010-05-12T00:04:00.001-05:00

A wonderful woman I know through blogging, Coley, posted a comment to my last post and it's something I'd really like to share with all of you - if I can sort my thoughts enough to get it all out. WARNING: I'll probably ramble, but it should be good to talk about nonetheless. Anyway, here's the comment:

"Hey girl, have you done a post recently about how you're "feeling" differently about food and overeating? I've been really intrigued and looking within myself and observing others in the hopes of better undersatnding myself - the emotional side of staying fat, the 'numbing out' habit/using food as a drug, tendency - and I'm wondering how you're feeling about that, have you replaced those emotional habits? Stuff like that - how are you feeling towards your body - or have you noticed this transformation mostly in your head?

I also, being a bigger girl for as long as I can remember, am a bit worried about what I'll think when I see a smaller person in the mirror...

thought?"

Ohhh gosh. Coley, I've been reading your posts on this topic and a lot of your thoughts are really eye opening for me. I am most definitely an emotional eater, as I've admitted before, though I didn't realize it until well into my weight loss journey. It's so obvious to me now - the sneaking food, eating to feel better, getting unreasonably upset when I can't eat, etc. It's been going on as long as I can remember. Initially I just considered myself someone who loved food (which I do) and just enjoyed eating unhealthy things. But recently I realized that it is seriously more than that. Yeah, I love food, but not just because it's delicious and part of tradition and a "feel good" thing for me. I love it because it's my crutch. It's my way to "cope" with things I don't really want to cope with. Honestly, I haven't made much progress besides just REALIZING that I have this problem, but to me that's a big step in itself. "Numbing" is the perfect way to describe what I use food for... anytime I feel stressed or sad or mad or angry or upset or depressed, I want to eat. I want to think about nothing but the food and how it tastes and the calm that I know will come when I'm eating it. I get overwhelming sad and angry when I can't or don't. Now that I've realized that I do this, I'm trying to consciously talk myself through it and make myself realize that eating wont make it better, and the freedom of mind that comes with ~~high calorie binges~~ wont last. The problems will still be there after the food has gone. It's scary to me, really. I feel like I'm out on this flimsy limb and it's a 10,000 foot drop to the ground. It's like, if I can't use food to make myself feel better, what do I use? How do I deal? So no - I haven't found something to replace these habits, but I'm working on it.

There are still plenty of times when I get so down that I just don't care and I make the conscious decision to let go & eat whatever I want & however much of it. It's so crazy to me that FOOD, something that our bodies NEED, can be abused in such a way. I hate that out of control feeling I get when the urges are really strong. I hate that it feels so good - at least in the moment - to give in. I hate that it feels so bad afterwords.

That's at least a summary or of the beginnings of my feelings and thoughts on emotional eating. I'm doing better, but I know I have a lengthy road ahead of me. I think it's something I may need to talk to someone professionally about. Just depression, overeating, and feelings in general. I dunno, I think it could help...

Moving on...

I've been overweight my entire life as well. While it would be a lie to say that I don't notice that I'm getting smaller, it's also a lie to say that I don't still feel HUGE. And I don't mean in the cliche "I'm sooo fat" way, I mean, I look at my body in the mirror and I still see the overweight, round, double chinned, big bellied person. Now that I've missed almost a week of working out, it's worse, and probably only because I FEEL worse from not having moved my body at all.

That being said - I have days and times when I look in the mirror and think, "Wow, I'm actually getting thin!" And it feels good :). I feel accomplished, and a little more confident. When I'm eating healthy foods and exercising consistently, these good days come more often. And it's only now, that I'm putting all of this into words, that I realize this. Hmmm, I need to remember that. I have more GOOD days when I'm being good to my body. To be happy and feel good about myself and about life in general, I need to take care of myself physically.

Sometimes looking at my reflection feels weird - like it's not really me.... I just don't recognize myself. But it's not necessarily a bad feeling. It's something that I definitely think is going to get better over time. The more comfortable I get, the more like "me" I'll start feeling.

Sorry if this all sounds jumbled and crazy. Hope some of you can relate!

Carissa

P.S. - Did I tell you all that I got a JOB?! YAYYYY!!! I started the Monday after finals (IT'S FINALLY SUMMER WOOOO!!!!) so today was my second day. I really like it! :) I'm so thankful and happy to have found it and to have been hired!

xo!

Weigh Day

2010-05-02T21:40:00.000-05:00

F I N A L L Y busted through that plateau!! I guess this calorie cycling thing - even though this week wasn't exactly as planned - is really working! I know it will get easier and better as the weeks go on. I'm really, really excited to have gotten past 179... gotta keep this downward train movin' (cheesy?)! Only 2 lbs until hair rollers!

Keepin this one short and simple. Happy Losing!

Did you know?

2010-04-29T12:37:00.001-05:00

Frozen fruits and vegetables are NOT necessarily bad for you. In fact, they can even have more of the food's natural nutrients than if the food was bought fresh. How? The foods are flash frozen quickly after being picked, which preserves all the good stuff! Fresh foods often have a lonnng way to travel before they reach our grocery stores, and they can lose a lot of nutrients over the trip.

A Great Find & Some Tips for the Weekend

2010-04-29T12:35:00.000-05:00

I recently bought some frozen fruits and vegetables (Great Value brand... only about $2 for a bag!!). The veggies were the ones I posted with the rice a couple of days ago... and I thawed some fruit to have with breakfast this morning.

DELICIOUS! I'm definitely going to keep buying these!

And yes, that's a Domino's pizza box under there in the 2nd pic LOL, and YES their new pizza is amazing!!

I've really been worrying about this day "off" that I have planned for Saturdays. I know that I need it to keep me sane during the week, but I DO NOT want to ruin my entire week's work on one day. Someone on 3fc posted THIS article, which has tips for staying in control over the weekend. The tips I'm going to try this weekend:

Track all my food METICULOUSLY
Workout
Eat breakfast & weigh in before and after (already do these)

Thoughts on the article? What helps YOU stay on track over the weekend?

Today I'm getting the 2nd bedroom all cleaned out. The BF's best friend is coming to stay with us over the summer. I think I'll go ahead and clean the whole house while I'm at it! Have a good weekend everyone! :)

as always,

Carissa

The Goings On

2010-04-29T01:59:00.000-05:00

Heeeeey everyone :)

I'm just finishing up my 200 calorie grilled cheese sandwich that the bf made me. Yummm. Today is the highest calorie day of the week (1800), and I'm actually struggling to eat that many. When I'm seriously counting, it's hard for me to make myself eat any more than fourteen or fifteen hundred. But I really want to try this calorie cycling thing, so I'm doing my best. I think I'll also have to really try to keep my portions under control on Saturday so I don't ruin the entire week's deficit.

Tonight I went to an awards banquet for the College of Business and received a generous scholarship :). There was sooo much DELICIOUS looking food there.. but I did SUCH a great job! I had a few grapes, chunks of cantaloupe, a strawberry, and one jalapeno popper. I also might have snuck a bite of this ridiculously indulgent cheesecake - and I don't regret it! ;) But I'm really proud that I didn't over do it and that I was able to stay in control.

Tomorrow is clean house day, and then I'll be spending the rest of the weekend studying for finals!! Wish me luck! :)

♥ you ALL!
CARISSA

So good I had to share :)

2010-04-27T16:58:00.001-05:00

It's a pretty starchy meal, but I loved it. It was a brown rice minute cup with soy sauce and some steamed snow peas, potatoes and red peppers. Total calorie count.... 409! :)

Alsoooo.... I've had a twitter for awhile but never used it. I'm starting to use it to post pictures/info on my meals and workouts and everything else that's going on! The most recent updates will be to the left, so even if you don't have a twitter you can still stay updated :). If you DO have a twitter account, my username is kuhrisuh!

My New Plan

2010-04-26T19:39:00.001-05:00

After losing nothing for an entire month, and after taking a short break and stepping back to look at everything again, I've decided that I need a new plan. One that's different from what helped me lose the first 70 lbs, and one that's aggressive enough to help me lose the last 30.

I did a little research, and I came up with a new strategy to try: calorie cycling. I used this calculator to get a general idea of the zig-zagging, but I ended up coming up with a completely different cycle. Basically, I'll eat anywhere from 1200-1800 calories on a rotating basis. The days that I do cardio and lift weights will be the days that I eat more; the days where I'm only doing cardio will be lower calorie days. The theory behind this cycling idea is that it keeps your body and your metabolism guessing, so as to never let your body become accustomed to any one calorie level and start storing fat/eating muscle.

Something else that is different about this strategy is that I've given myself one day to be "off" from calorie counting (if I feel like using it - if not, I'll eat 1200 cals). My hope is that having that one day each week will help me resist urges to overeat throughout the rest of the week. It will most likely lower my calorie deficit for the week, but it's what I think I need to be able to stick with this cycling thing and stay sane, lol.

Here's the game plan!:

(open in a new window to see the whole thing :])

I think I'll actually change Sundays to 1200 calories. And the L1, L2, L3's all stand for what level of the 30DS I had planned on doing, but I think I'm going to wait to start that until this summer, since I wont be able to use the gym during that time. I know that calorie cycling is going to take a lot of effort and persistence on my part, but that's what it takes to reach goals of any kind. Continuous commitment and a strong will to succeed. My goal is to be 169 lbs by the end of may, which is VERY bold, but seeing as how I haven't lost anything in quite awhile, I feel like it's possible.

Have any of you ever tried calorie cycling? What did you like or dislike about it? Any tips?

Love you all!

Caaaaaarissa

Today's an "Off" Day I Guess (WARNING: CRYBABY RANT)

2010-04-16T19:35:00.001-05:00

Time to start being upfront and 100% honest. One day I can feel really positive and motivated, and the next I feel completely hopeless and depressed. I'm already over my calories for today, and it's only 7pm. I guess now I'm off to the gym for a long workout... which my mind says will make up for the garbage (Sonic, to be exact) I ate, but in reality, I know the damage has already been done. It's been such a frustrating week and a half... working so hard and losing NOTHING. It makes me not even want to TRY anymore, because I feel like no matter what I do, I won't lose any more. I wish I was already done with this whole stupid weight loss thing and was onto maintaining and just living a happy, fun life. Somedays, it seems like I still have so far to go... I know that patience is the key, but what if I just. don't. want. to. do. it. anymore??? I'm sorta feeling that way about school too. I need to learn that when things are hard, that's when I have to push harder. I hope I have it in me.

UGH, everything is just so FRUSTRATING. I can't lose weight, I can't figure out my classes for next year, I can't file for my financial aid, I can't afford enough healthy groceries, I can't afford clothes that fit me, I can't make any friends, .....

I should be focusing on what I CAN do, but as of now, Pessimistic Me is throwing a temper tantrum. I've been trying to make myself go workout for a minute now, and I just don't feel like it. I will though. I guess I can't afford not to.

Hopefully I didn't ruin Sunday's weigh in.

/rant

*Edit*

okay... I'm back from the gym and I'm feeling a little better. It's crazy how exercise really is a mood lifter. I realize that I was a bit melodramatic in this post, but these are literally the thoughts that swarm through my head most days. I struggle with making decisions.. I'll agonize over it for quite awhile and then either end up giving in or not. Today, I gave in. Next time, I will do my best not to.

Now I'm going to re-look at the "I can't"s that I listed earlier and turn them into "I can"s, just to make myself look at things with a more positive mindset. Some of it might be forced... but ahh well.

"I can't lose weight" ... The only way that I can't lose weight is if I quit completely and go back to my old lifestyle, which I will not do. So as long as I keep trying my best and taking it one choice at a time, I can lose weight.

"I can't figure out my classes for next year" ... Hmmm. Still not sure what to do about this... but I'll figure it out. I just need to do more looking, I guess.

"I can't file for my financial aid" ... I will call my dad on Sunday (when I know he's off) and ask him to help me, since I have to have all his info off of his w2, because I'm still considered a "dependent" (which is annoying in itself, but nothing I can do about it).

"I can't afford enough healthy groceries" ... I will work with the boo to try to make sure that buying groceries is closer to the top of our "to-do" list when he gets paid. He's such a sweetheart for taking care of me! :)

"I can't afford clothes that fit me" ... I will start applying for jobs. I DID end up selling some of my old jeans, and with that money I bought a pair of dress pants (all my old ones are too big) that I will be able to wear to an interview. Then, I'll be able to help with the bills, the groceries, and be able to save for new, fitting clothes.

"I can't make any friends" ... This I have no solution for. I'm kind of a hermit.. for a variety of reasons. One of my hopes throughout this process is that I can gain confidence and will be able to be more social and enjoy my life more. Sometimes I feel so lonely... but I'm very lucky to have the people in my life that I DO have, and I wouldn't trade them for the world!

Whew. I believe I just put Pessimistic Me in her place. Thanks for letting me say anything & everything I need to say. It feels a lot better just being able to get it OUT of my head and into words.

Have a good rest of the night :)

A Possible Plateau and Other Ramblings

2010-04-13T20:45:00.000-05:00

Today is the seventh day in a row that I've weighed 179 lbs. Buuut, I'm not too worried about it, seeing as how I didn't work out much over those past 7 days. I did get a good workout in today, though, so I guess tomorrow morning we'll see what Mr. Scale has to say about that! ;)

Yesterday for dinner I tried the Smart Ones Ham and Cheese Scramble. It's made with egg whites, ham, potatoes and reduced fat cheese - which totals 220 calories & 9 g of fat.

I put salsa and salt/pepper to taste on mine, but it didn't help a whole lot. It got cold really fast and a lot of the chunks of ham were rough and not edible (for me anyway)... the potatoes were the best part. The meal overall just wasn't very good. I didn't even end up eating the whole thing... so, I probably wouldn't recommend it.

I also wanted to give props to all you real-life runners out there... on Sunday, I went to the park to walk around with my hand weights. Now - at the gym I've worked my way up to being able to run anywhere from 5-10 minutes @ 5.5 pace. But when I ran at the park, I could hardly go for a minute or two (granted I wasn't timing myself, but yeah)!! I was really surprised! I thought at the time that maybe since I hadn't run in a few days my stamina had gone down (ha), but today at the gym I ran for 7 mins! The treadmill moving does a lot more work than I initially thought, lol! And different muscles in my legs were sore than usual - it's so crazy. Sooo yeah, all you athletic people who walk/run outside, I admire you!!

Today for breakfast I had cereal + cinnamon sugar toast (yum!), and for lunch I had the Smart Ones 3 cheese ziti marinara + corn. For supper I was planning on having a Velveeta Shells & Cheese bowl (another yum) + beans, but I actually FEEL LIKE EATING SALAD AND VEGGIES. UH, WHO IS THIS CRAZY PERSON AND WHAT HAS SHE DONE WITH MY CRAVINGS??!! HAHA! Seems like while I was trying to go gluten free my body got used to eating more whole foods and less frozen meals, which I'm totally okay with :). I will say, though, that there's nothing better than a Smart Ones lasagna/pizza/dessert when I get a hankering for one! What changes have you noticed in your appetite/cravings since you started your WL journey??

Hmmm... guess that's it for this update :). Love you all!

-Carissa

I DID IT!!! (+ weigh in)

2010-04-11T13:33:00.001-05:00

HOLY CRAP. For the first time in... well probably for the first time EVER, I made it the entire weekend without going over my calories! I can hardly believe it. Every week its always the same thing... do great until Thursday, try really hard on Friday, give in and go up a few (or 5) lbs by Sunday. BUT I'M FINALLY BREAKING THAT CYCLE!!! I didn't work out Fri or Sat, but that's okay. One step at a time. I'm so proud of myself!! :) :) :)

Now, time for the weigh in:

A new decade, woo hoo!!! Just barely, but I'm there! :) I've actually been seeing 178-179 on the scale since Wed, but the fact that I've maintained it - even through the weekend - feels awesome. It feels so surreal to be in the 170s... I can't remember ever stepping on a scale and seeing a # that low. To be honest, saying that I'm working on getting into the 160s is kind of intimidating. I guess because it's still so new to me... I'll get used to it in no time, I'm sure! ha!

So even though it took me a bit, I'm down 6 lbs from the last weigh in (that was after a binge, so most of it came off pretty quickly) and that puts me at a total of 70 pounds lost. Wow.

174 is my next mile marker - that means 75 lbs lost, 3/4 way to goal, and my 3rd reward: hair rollers!!! :))

Hope you all had a FANTASTIC weekend! Let's make this a STRONG week. We are in control and we are capable of doing what it takes to get healthy and feel great in our bodies. Remember to drink your water, watch your portions, and move a little! You CAN do this!

Love!!

The Botanical Gardens :)

2010-04-10T17:03:00.000-05:00

Today my hunny & I went to the Botanical Gardens. It was sooo beautiful! I can't wait to go back in May when everything is in full bloom!! :) Just wanted to share the beauty with you!

What does 100 calories look like?

2010-04-07T15:56:00.000-05:00

Check out this quiz someone of 3fc found...

http://www.menshealth.com/100calories/

I got 15 out of 24.. which apparently makes me a smart snacker, lol! How did you do??

She A Busy Body

2010-04-06T20:29:00.000-05:00

Wow. I don't know how I let my posts become so sparse. It seems like there aren't enough hours in the day to do all of the things I want to do. I've been busy, but with the same things over and over again, day after day, week after week. I've been doing great on weekdays... eating right, exercising... but then come those weekends that, as you know, have been so hard for me throughout this entire journey. All I know it that I have to keep making an effort. One or two days off track is WAY better than no days on track.

I want to start posting interesting stuff again. Things that will help & inspire both me AND you. Maybe I need to set a specific time to post (assuming I'm home) each night. Hmm.

Anyway, I'm huuuuuuuuuuuuuuungry. Time to make some eats :).

Cravings pt. 2

2010-03-30T22:34:00.001-05:00

My last post was about emotional eating. And while there are times when my "cravings" are a symptom of something more, I also simply have straight-up CRAVINGS! I've been trying to pay attention to those cravings and the different stages that I go through. Here's what I came up with:

THE CRAVING CYCLE

[1] Thought enters mind
    An example I'm going to use is chili dogs. The other night my boyfriend had made some for himself and I was having one of my usual meals. As soon as I smelled the chili and saw the melty cheese, I knew I wanted one. And BAD.

[2] Try to rationalize eating it
     I tried to tell myself that I'd have just ONE and THAT'S IT. And that will fit into my calories. Plus, I should give into my cravings every once in awhile so that I don't over-do it later. So it's okay, right?

[3] "Screw it" mentality
    Well, if I'm being honest, I know that just one chili dog wont fill me up. And I'll probably crave another anyways... and they'll be SOOO good. I mine as well just eat however much I want and enjoy it.

(and if I get this far...)

[4] Desperate need to give in
    At this point I feel like I absolutely, without a doubt NEED TO EAT A CHILI DOG. I can't think of what will happen if I don't... and I honestly feel like I can't stop myself from giving in.

[5] Resist. Resist. Resist.
    I think that says it all. It's literally a mental war... I have to use every trick I have up my sleeve to convince my head not to have any chili dogs. I literally sit, doing nothing but going back & forth in my head - okay I'll eat it; WAIT. NO. YOU DON'T NEED IT; and so on.

[6] Finally, either proud that I didn't eat it or guilty for giving in
    This is the end of the craving cycle for me and it's either 100% good or 100% bad. I've either given in or I haven't. I'm proud to say that I DID NOT eat a single chili cheese dog that day :).

This is just an example of what I personally go through when I'm having one of those flat out cravings. Does this sound like what you guys have experienced, or is it completely different for you?

Cravings pt. 1

2010-03-30T01:12:00.000-05:00

There are plenty of reasons that I'm overweight. My absolute love of food is one. My habit of eating when I'm bored, to celebrate, while I watch TV, etc is another. I've always assumed emotional eating was part of it as well.. but this past week I realized that it's a much bigger part of my weight problem than I ever realized.

Some really crappy news surfaced on Thursday in regards to my family. It's really way too complicated and lonnnnnng to get into, but it was shocking and hurtful and it made me mad and sad and confused and more. Thursday I did ok - I talk to the boo about it and had a good cry and stayed within calories. Friday morning I woke up feeling miserable. I didn't have anything necessarily healthy to eat for breakfast, but I was able to keep it within my calorie limit. I ran a couple of errands after that and picked up some Long John Silvers for my honey. That's when I wrote the previous post... I was feeling overwhelmingly PISSED because I wanted to eat. Or at least that's what I thought it was.

I used all the willpower I had and decided to take a nap rather than eat. When I woke up I still felt as sad and mad as I had been. I was hungry (it WAS lunchtime). At that point I decided I was going to have chicken strips from Braums.. and it was like I instantly felt better. I hadn't even eaten it yet and I already felt the calm of the calories coming over me.

Eating makes me forget about all the things that are wrong; it makes me feel content, happy, calm... at least until the food is gone. Then comes that horrifying guilt that so many of us are all too familiar with. I knew it was coming, but it didn't matter. Those chicken strips and fries and chocolate chip shake were my way to get rid of the emotions that are inside me - even if it was just temporary.

It seems like everyday I keep hearing more hurtful things. Earlier today I had almost convinced myself to have pizza tonight... just so I could stop feeling sad for a little bit. But I know food isn't going to fix anything. I need to face it and DEAL with the emotions instead of shoving them into my mouth. It's just hard.

Hi, my name is Carissa and I am an emotional eater.

I want to eat.

2010-03-26T14:44:00.000-05:00

And I'm pissed because I can't or shouldn't or whatever. Why should it make me so genuinely mad to not be able to eat what the people around me do? UUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH :(.

Mid-week Weigh In

2010-03-25T11:03:00.000-05:00

Since I didn't post a weigh in on Sunday (I'm getting really bad about that, I know), I decided to most a mid-week update :).I'm down to 185, five pounds from my last weigh in a little over 2 weeks ago. I'm happy with that!!! Especially considering the amount of off plan eating I've done over that time. But I'm still truckin' along, doin' my losin' thing!!! ;) Hope you are all staying healthy & happy! xo!

~Carissa

Am I Dreaming?

2010-03-19T17:14:00.000-05:00

Do you know what size those jeans are?? 14s. FOURTEENS. My mom and sisters went on vacation and she brought me back a shirt, earrings, necklace, and these jeans. I was so scared to try them on... I was going to wait until I got to 179 to buy new jeans... but THEY FIT! I can't believe it.. I'm so happy! :) What a great motivation to get me back in the gym! I'm sick right now (blah!).. but the gym opens again on Monday so I hope I'll be better by then! We're also under a winter storm watch here in the Texas panhandle, so we're just waiting to see if/how much it's going to snow.

Seeing as how it's so cold outside... I think it's time to get my snuggle on :). Hasta!

~Carissa

Gluten Free is Me

2010-03-17T22:53:00.001-05:00

Even after having my gallbladder out, I'm still having problems with my stomach. It runs in my family, so I assume it's something I'll probably always have to deal with to some degree. But after doing some research and talking to my mom & boyfriend, I've decided to try going gluten free and see if it helps. The restrictions are kind of a bummer, but not something I can't at least try. I'm avoiding anything made with wheat or processed with any kind of wheat product. To start out with, I got potatoes, rice, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, corn tortillas, and veggies & fruit. Even if it doesn't end up helping, I think this is going to be good for my overall health. It's forcing me to eat fresh rather than frozen and cook more actual meals rather than putting a frozen dinner in the microwave. Sooo we'll see how it goes! :)

Today's dinner: baked potato & zucchini, corn, and onion medley

I haven't been doing well the past week or so... but I'm trying really hard to get back to where I was.. eating right, working out. I'm on spring break this week, so I'm getting the house clean and just trying to relax and hang out. Hope you guys get a chance to do the same :).

as always,

Carissa

Selling my jeans!

2010-03-14T12:12:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago I tried on every pair of pants I own. I expected some of them to be too big, but never did I ever think that they would ALL be too big!

As it turns out, only ONE pair fits!! ^ those are all the ones that don't! ^ So I'm selling them on ebay to try & get some moolah to buy some new pants. Cheeeeck 'em out!

SIZE 20 BLACK PENCIL SKIRT

SIZE 18 REGULAR HIGH RISE JEANS

SIZE 18 LONG JEANS

SIZE 18W BLACK & GRAY DRESS PANTS

SIZE 20 REGULAR JEANS

SIZE 20M LEVIS

60 calorie treat :)

2010-03-10T18:14:00.000-06:00

During our most recent trip to the grocery store, the boyfriend picked out these Jello Mousse Temptations cups.

Now, let me just say, I don't really like these as they are. It's pretty much a foamy jello chocolate pudding... I think it's the texture that gets me. HOWEVER, if you freeze these bad boys, the morph into a 60 calorie cup of deliciousness.

You have to make sure that you let them freeze all the way through, but once they're frozen they taste like chocolate ice cream. No joke.

Perfect for those chocolate cravings, especially for an ice cream lover like me :).

Did you know?

2010-03-09T22:06:00.000-06:00

Stretching can reduce stress. According to this site (there is lots of other info about this on the web as well), stretching exercises stimulate receptors in the nervous system that decrease the production of stress hormones.

...more stretching for me!

Weigh Day

2010-03-07T12:33:00.000-06:00

Well, 4 lbs in 2 weeks! And only ONE POUND until the 180s!! :) :) :)

I know I haven't been posting AT ALL... it's a combination of being busy & just not really feeling like it :/. Sorry yall. I hope you're all doing well! I have a stats test, a marketing assignment, and a management quiz to take today. Procrastination = FAIL!

Love you guys! (I know it may not feel like I do right now, but believe me, I do. I'm still reading blogs and getting inspiration from all of you! Thank you for the support!)

-Carissa

Health NSV?

2010-02-22T16:10:00.000-06:00

I haven't really spent much time blogging about the health issues that go along with being overweight. I thank God every day for my & my loved one's health. I don't think I've ever mentioned this, because it's kind of uncomfortable to talk about, but I figure I might as well just in case anyone else is going through the same thing.

I started my period in the 6th grade (and cried because I didn't want to have to become a "woman" - heck, I still wanna be a kid forever! lol). It has never been normal as far as having monthly cycles goes; I usually have about 2 a year. I've been to the doctor for it a few times, and at the most recent visit the Dr. told me that as long as the tests came back good (they did!) then I don't have anything to worry about. She told me that some women just don't have monthly periods. I was also told at a different appointment that it's likely my body isn't ovulating, which made me sad because I would like to have children in the future. Annnnyyyyyyway.. last month I got my period on the 17th. This month, around the 18th/19th, my tummy started cramping and FEELING like I was going to start.. and in the days since I've been WAY emotional. Then, today... I started! For me, it's both a happy thing (I feel much more at ease when my body does what it's supposed to) and a sad thing (simply because I don't enjoy being on my period, lol).

I wanted to share this because I've read/heard from different sources that being overweight can cause irregularities in the menstrual cycle. Now that I'm eating better, moving more, and losing weight, maybe my body is adjusting and starting to become more regular?? I'm not sure if I will start having one every month now or not, but I'm glad that I'm having one for the 2nd month in a row :).

Sorry if that was too much! If anyone else is going through problems with health issues related to weight, I think this should give us hope that if we work hard, we can turn it all around and become TRULY healthy.

-C a R i S s A ;]

Weigh Day

2010-02-21T11:53:00.000-06:00

I'm happy to say that I've been 100% on plan this weekend and though it's up a little from the lowest weight I saw this week (at one point it was as low as 192.8) it's still a 4 pound loss for the week! I worked REALLY hard everyday at the gym (yep, completed my 300 minutes! And I did my comment minutes on Friday) and despite all the temptations that surrounded me, I did not cheat once. I came very, very close, but I didn't :). I've been thinking about food constantly and using every ounce of willpower I have to deny those cravings. I feel drained. But if I keep this up, it's got to get easier. Right? :/

We won't be able to buy groceries until Monday (hopefully. if not then, it will have to wait until next week :[ ) and I'm out of anything that could be considered healthy. This morning I had bread w/peanut butter and a glass of water. Bleh. Looks like it will probably be Ramen noodles for lunch and hopefully something light for dinner. Who knows. It's frustrating to not have control over things like this.

OH YEAH, how could I forget? According to my BMI, I am NO LONGER CONSIDERED "OBESE"!! Now just "overweight" :). 30 lbs until "normal"!!

I guess that's it for now.. I have an incredibly ridiculous amount of homework to finish by midnight tonight. Hope everyone had a great week, and hope you're all ready to make this one EVEN BETTER!!!

as always,

Carissa

OMG!!! :)

2010-02-16T21:16:00.001-06:00

I've heard people talking about the percentage of their body weight they've lost, so I decided I would see how much I've lost...

I'VE LOST JUST A LITTLE OVER

20% OF MY BODY WEIGHT!

I was SO shocked! I had no idea that it was that much.. but I'm so happy! It's just another way to measure my progress :). Once I reach my goal of -100 lbs, I'll have lost a bit more than 41% of my body weight.. WOW!

I haven't been keeping measurements from the beginning, but at the end of December I did measure my calf, thigh, arm, wait, hips, and neck. I just measured again to compare, and there was either no difference or a very, very small one (I'm talking like half of an inch). So that's kind of a bummer, but I keep reminding myself that I can't fail if I don't quit. Someone posted that saying on 3fc and I really like it! I printed it out to hang up on the fridge:

What sayings or quotes do you use to keep yourself motivated?? And have you checked out the % of your body weight you've lost? That could be motivation in itself!

xo, Carissa

Nothing Important, Really.

2010-02-16T14:37:00.000-06:00

I just got home from my only class today... trying to decide what to have for lunch. I know I didn't post it, but yesterday I didn't go over on calories (was under, actually) and as far as a workout goes I did: 40 mins on treadmill, 20 mins on elliptical, 20 mins weights. It felt pretty good! I didn't want to leave the gym - haha! When I get goin' like that, I always feel like I could do more. I actually felt guilty leaving because I didn't feel like I'd done enough. But my sweaty exterior told me otherwise, ha! Anyway, after lunch I'm heading to the gym for another workout. I think I might try to get a membership at Anytime Fitness once school is out for the summer. Until then I'll probably just keep working out at school... the only reason it's hard to do that is because I live 30 mins away from my college so it can get pretty expensive gas-wise if I drive there every single day.

Nothing much else to say really... just wanted to give a quick update. Now for some comida :). Love you all!

-Carissa

Nutrition Report

2010-02-14T22:54:00.001-06:00

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal w/milk

L - Healthy Choice General Tso's Chicken

D - Reduced fat Velveeta Shells & Cheese bowl, honey baked beans

(Isn't it funny how easy it is to tell I'm a college student? Styrofoam dishes and microwavable meals - LOL!)

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,340 - 1,690
Today: 1,056

Carb goal: 179 - 258

Today: 199

Fat goal: 35 - 62

Today: 11

Protein goal: 60 - 139

Today: 50

V-Day Weigh In

2010-02-14T17:25:00.003-06:00

Just like every other morning, today I got up, went potty, and stepped on the scale. 198.0. One pound's better than no pounds, right? So I get my camera and step on the scale again, only to see 198.8 this time. Huh? I figure it must be the camera, so I ask my boyfriend to come take a picture of the scale (lol, i know) and he does. The difference? .2. So I guess 198.6 is the official weight. Obviously the 1/10ths of a pound change by a lot and sometimes for no reason at all, so I've never counted them before and I'm not going to stress over it now.

My goal for next week is 2 lbs.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T17:16:00.000-06:00

Haaaaappy ♥ Love ♥ Day everyone! What a perfect way to end the weekend! I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE Valentine's day :).

I did really well on my calories until Thursday night.. Saturday I did OKAY. We went to eat at our favorite restaurant with my boyfriend's parents. I had a small salad w/fat free dressing and potato soup. I ate the leftover potato soup for dinner with some pita bread:

The rest of our Saturday was spent running around & doing a little shopping :). Today the honey had to work :(. I put together this little Valentine's thing for him:

He LOOVEEEED it! I burnt all the cookies and brownies :( - but he still ate one! He's so sweet!! There is still some dough so we're gonna make some & decorate them for our families tonight! After our candlelit dinner of course (his idea! what a perfect valentine I have!).

I hope all of you - whether you have a SO or not - have an amazing Valentine's Day!!

Love always,

Carissa

P.S. I HAVE YET TO EAT ONE SINGLE COOKIE OR BROWNIE. COME OOOOONNNNNN WILLPOWER!

Battle of the Sexes

2010-02-12T19:22:00.002-06:00

I read an article today on sparkpeople.com about women vs men as far as weight loss goes. I've heard so many different things from so many different people I really wasn't sure what was true and what wasn't. There were some pretty interesting facts! Here are a few highlights:

* "As a general rule, visceral fat (located in the upper body cavity) represents a greater health risk, but is easier to lose than peripheral fat (located in the hips, thighs, and limbs)." (pg. 2)

* While there are differences in the quantity of muscle between men and women (mostly because of testosterone levels), there is no difference in the quality of the muscle or the ability to benefit from weight training/cardio exercise. (pg. 3)

* "The maximum intensity and duration women can achieve during aerobic exercise is typically 5-10% less than their male counterparts. This is because women typically have 5-10% less hemoglobin (an iron-containing protein in red blood cells that helps deliver oxygen to working muscles)." (pg 4)

Read the full article here :).

Thanks for the workout everyone!

2010-02-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

Thanks to your comments, I had 30 minutes of exercise to do today. I did 20 mins on the treadmill & 15 on the elliptical. I'm fixing to do the 30 DS just to top it off! :) I forgot to take a picture of the machines showing the mins.. sorry! I'll try to remember next Friday!

Minutes start over right now!!

F&N Report for 2/11/10

2010-02-12T12:52:00.001-06:00

MENU:

B - wheat bread w/peanut butter

milk

banana

L - two 3 cheese tortilla calzones (recipe soon)

D - brown rice & egg roll

S - Fiber One dark chocolate almond bar w/peanut butter

milk

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,340 - 1,690
Today: 1,443

Carb goal: 179 - 258

Today: 195

Fat goal: 35 - 62

Today: 42

Protein goal: 60 - 139

Today: 61

I am on a ROLLLL ladies and gentlemen!!

EXERCISE:

30 mins on treadmill (ran/jogged @ 4.7 for 2!!)

30 mins on elliptical

My workout was so good! I pushed hard and felt really great afterwords. Hope today's goes just as well! :)

Nutrition slash Fitness Report for 2/10/10

2010-02-11T10:07:00.001-06:00

MENU:

B - peanut butter on bread, yogurt, grapes

L - Subway

D - Smart Ones Three Cheese Ziti Marinara, corn

S - Fiber One Dark Chocolate Almond Bar

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,340 - 1,690
Today: 1,309

Carb goal: 179 - 258

Today: 222

Fat goal: 35 - 62

Today: 33

Protein goal: 60 - 139

Today: 53

EXERCISE:

Jillian Michael's 30 DS (20 mins)

Biggest Loser 2 DVD (40 mins)

Exercise Shmexercise

2010-02-10T17:56:00.001-06:00

Ughh.. I do NOT want to work out. But I'm going to make myself. sigh. be back to update in a bit.

........

Done. I couldn't find my copy of Leslie Sansone's 5 mile walk, so I just did the Biggest Loser 2 workout. I did parts of it that I've never done before... it was really hard! Most of it I couldn't even do (especially since I had just killed my muscles doing the 30 DS), so I just marched/kicked/walked in place.

I really wasn't into this workout today. But I guess the important thing is I did it. I'm gonna try to keep busy for the rest of tonight... maybe cleaning or something... just to try to burn some extra calories since my workout wasn't as intense as it could have been.

Hope you're all getting some type of exercise in.. I bet most of us regret NOT working out a lot more than we regret just doing it.. even if we're miserable the entire time!

xo, Carissa

Fitness & Nutrition Rpt

2010-02-09T22:28:00.002-06:00

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal w/nonfat milk

L - Healthy Choice Grilled Basil Chicken (review coming soon)

D - Grilled chicken salad

Dessert - Cool whip w/dark chocolate chips & strawberries

Guess you can't really tell... but it was SO GOOD! :)

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,340 - 1,690
Today: 1,428

Carb goal: 179 - 258

Today: 200

Fat goal: 35 - 62

Today: 35

Protein goal: 60 - 139

Today: 96

2nd day in a row to meet all my goals! Holla! I felt bad eating the dessert.. it's not very healthy, but it did fit into my calories. I try not to beat myself up over eating, but it seems like I'm either outofcontrolovereating or stressingovereverysinglecalorie. Ahh well.

EXERCISE:

30 mins on treadmill

30 mins on eliptical

Quoteage

2010-02-09T20:59:00.001-06:00

You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there. ~Anonymous

"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are."
~Adelle Davis

"You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind."
~Author Unknown

"Nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose--
a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye."
~Mary Shelley

"Your mistakes do not define you now; they tell you who you're not."
~3 Doors Down

"I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies, for the hardest victory is over self."
~Aristotle

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
~Helen Keller

"Each day is a new canvas to paint upon. Make sure your picture is full of life and happiness, and at the end of the day you don't look at it and wish you had painted something different."
~Author Unknown

Fitness + Nutrition Report

2010-02-08T22:10:00.002-06:00

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal (read the review here) w/nonfat milk

L - Subway ham & cheese 6 in on 9 grain honey oat

S - Apple w/crunchy peanut butter

D - brown rice & egg roll

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,340 - 1,690
Today: 1,496

Carb goal: 179 - 258

Today: 237

Fat goal: 35 - 62

Today: 52

Protein goal: 60 - 139

Today: 62

I think this is the first time I've met ALL ~~four~~ make that FIVE (see below! :]) of my main goals! waaaahooooo!

EXERCISE:
Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred (20 mins)
Biggest Loser workout DVD (40 mins)

Exercise

2010-02-07T12:12:00.000-06:00

I've challenged myself to complete 300 minutes per week of exercise. That's 1 hour per day, Sunday - Thursday. I feel like it's a realistic goal; it's what I was doing before my surgery and I'll still have Saturday off to relax! And what about Friday, you ask? Well, on another blog I follow the author does 1 minute of exercise for every comment left. So, from now on, for every comment I get I'll do 1 minute of exercise on Friday. So it's kinda up to you to get me in shape, too ;) ha ha. I'll put up a counter somewhere on my blog so everyone can see how many minutes have been added so far and I'll restart it every Friday. I'll also start reporting what exercise I did for the day on my nutrition reports.. so look out for that.

What are your fitness goals & what's your plan to reach them?

Better Yourself Tip

2010-02-05T14:25:00.000-06:00

I've been chewing so much gum lately to keep me from eating when I'm not hungry... and Extra's doing this Biggest Loser contest giveaway type thing, so I went on their site and entered & looked around.. they have weekly healthy living tips that are really good! In part of today's tip was something I hadn't thought of before:

BYT #13: If using cans isn't heavy enough, try filling

up milk jugs with water and using those as weights.

Low-fat Cheeseburger Pie

2010-02-04T18:44:00.000-06:00

Low-fat Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients:

1 lb extra lean ground turkey
1 cup Nonfat Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Clove Garlic (chopped)
3/4 Cup Kraft 2% Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup of Heart Smart Bisquick (mix only)
4 Slices of Tomato

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Brown Turkey Onion & Garlic in a pan. While turkey is browning mix Bisquick and water to form a dough. (add water gradually as needed for dough)Roll dough flat enough to cover a pie pan with rolling pin. (may have extra dough). Place dough in pie pan.

Mix Worcestershire Sauce in with turkey mixture. In a separate bowl, mix cottage cheese with egg. Pour turkey mixture into pie pan.

Pour Cottage Cheese mixture over turkey.

Top with Shredded Cheddar Cheese.

Then place Tomato Slices on top and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Makes 8 servings, 164 calories each.

I MADE THESE CHANGES:

*Substituted 1 lb turkey with 1 lb 97/3 hamburger

*Left the onion out because we forgot to get some.. but onions definitely would have been good in it!

*Substituted Bisquick with 1 roll Pilsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls

*Left out the tomato

*Added seasoning to the meat.. actually could have used a little more, so we're remembering that for next time! :)

***The changes we made added about 30 calories & 2g of fat per serving.

Since it was the only thing I ate for supper, I had more than just one serving. The meat was a little too much for me but probably would've been better with more seasoning & onions. Otherwise I really liked it! The boo loveeed it :). It's very easy to make and doesn't need a WHOLE lot of crazy ingredients.. so yeah, a winner for sure!

Source: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=458851

Oh, the irony

2010-02-03T17:53:00.001-06:00

You know how Subway's main advertising theme is the fresh fit subs, and how Jared's always telling us how he lost weight eating there? Weeelllll the boo & I went to Subway for lunch today, and check out what I saw at the register:

Uh, yeah, ONE WILL HURT! At least me anyway, ha ha. Just found it kind of ironic that they advertise being a healthy option, but once you're there they try to convince you to buy all the unhealthy things too! Ah well... I still love my 6 inch subs.

Reevaluating

2010-02-03T12:18:00.001-06:00

Obstacles are what you see when

you take your eye off the goal.

I've needed to write this post for a long time, but I'm still not sure exactly what to say. It feels as if I'm at this crossroads in my life. It's time to reevaluate not only my weight loss but just my life in general.

I lost a whopping 3 pounds in January and am sitting at 199, my first plateau since starting this WL journey. I don't even know if I can really call it a plateau because I've been eating terribly and not exercising at all. I've been discouraged, lazy, out of control, unhappy, lost... it seems as though all the things that led me to being overweight will never go away. I'm sure a lot of you have gone through this... just being TIRED of thinking about food and exercise and calories and muffin tops and just ready to LIVE. However, I know that I can't live the life I imagine until I am happy with myself. So this week I sucked it up and have been putting forth an honest effort. I still feel overwhelmed.. but refuse to allow a couple of months off plan to turn into a couple of years.

As far as everything else goes.. I can't even put it into words. It's like... ugh, idk. I want to make a difference in the world. I want things to be better because I've lived. Right now it feels like I'm doing the same things day after day and not getting any satisfaction from it. I don't like the thought of just getting by every day... inside, I know there has to be something more. God? Charity? Traveling? Friends? Family? Career? I don't know what it is, but something is missing. A lot of these feelings are feelings I've always had, but they're of this new intensity that makes them hard to push to the back of my mind. It's like time is ticking and my life is just passing me by. I want to change it, but I'm afraid. I've lived like this for so long that I don't really know how to change it or how I would emotionally handle it (geez, it all sounds really crazy when put into words like this... I hope this makes some kind of sense).

Writing all of this brings me to tears.. I'm so thankful and appreciative of the life I live and the wonderful, amazing people in it, and in no way am I saying that they're not enough; I simply feel lonely and lost. Maybe I'm just growing up and starting to realize there could be so much more to life... or maybe it's just a phase. I don't know.

I'm pretty sure I'm rambling so I guess I'll end this... I'm already behind on reading for my classes so I need to get to that! I'm back though, for sure. Want proof? Check out this sweat I worked up doing the 30DS a little bit ago:

I don't think you get the full effect from the picture (I was seriously drenched), but there you have it! If anyone else is going through a hard time right now, let's do this together. Get back on track, get back to being healthy, and get back to reaching our goals. No more ~~excuses~~ - only actions. :)

as always,

Carissa

Crispy Ranch Chicken

2010-01-26T23:27:00.001-06:00

Crispy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 oz pkg ranch dressing mix
2 cups crispy rice cereal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites (beaten)
2 tablespoons light butter (optional)

Directions:

Mix rice cereal, ranch mix and Parmesan cheese together in bowl. Dip chicken in egg whites, then in the cereal mixture to coat evenly. Arrange chicken on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F until golden - 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Okay, not kidding, this chicken is delicious!! It's crunchy and has plenty of flavor... yummmmm.

Each serving has 245 calories, so you can add a veggie and maybe some potatoes like I did (yeahhh, I love pepper, haha) or bread and you've got a full, low calorie meal! :)

Source: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=447376

30DS Giveaway Winner!!

2010-01-26T00:46:00.000-06:00

Congratulations

redhotlips101

!!!!

Woooo! Just send me an email (thegetfitgirl@yahoo.com or haveyouseenmyweight@gmail.com) with your info & I'll send you the prizes!!

If you want to see the video of me drawing for the winner, goooooo here :).

Thanks for entering everyone!

xo!

SURPRISE!! It's a GIVEAWAY!!! :) - CLOSED

2010-01-20T01:30:00.001-06:00

GIVEAWAY RULES:
~MUST BE A SUBSCRIBER/FOLLOWER

~TO ENTER, LEAVE A COMMENT WITH YOUR NAME & "GIVEAWAY ENTRY" ON THIS POST!

~YOU MAY ENTER TWICE, ONCE ON THIS & ONCE ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL (make sure to comment on the video titled "* G I V E A W A Y ! ! ! *")

~MUST RESIDE IN US

~YOU MAY ENTER FROM JANUARY 20-JANUARY 24, 2010. WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2019.

~WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM

~WINNER MUST EMAIL ME AT thegetfitgirl@yahoo.com BY FEBRUARY 1, 2010 WITH NAME & ADDRESS WHERE PRIZE SHOULD BE MAILED. IF I DO NOT RECEIVE AN EMAIL BY THIS DATE, I WILL RANDOMLY CHOOSE ANOTHER WINNER

Nutrition Report!

2010-01-14T22:09:00.001-06:00

Hey yall, I'm still here! Just like every semester, the beginning of this one has been chaotic and busy. But fear not - you know I will get my groove back soon. I have so many posts that I'm excited about writing so be expecting some soon (I hope)!

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal w/nonfat milk (read the review I did on it here)

L - Smart Ones Chicken Quesadilla & mixed fruit

D - Cheesy Jalapeno Pizza (recipe coming soon!!)

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,200-1,550
Today: 848

Carb goal: 163-236

Today: 151

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 17

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 42

Okay.. so apparently I need to eat a lil somethin. Probably will before the night is over seeing as how supper was pretty small... Thanks to everyone who has been commenting/emailing me.. your support has kept me going and I promise I'll get back to my regular blog reading soon!

Updatin'

2010-01-12T20:33:00.001-06:00

Well it's been another loooong day in the Land of Carissa. Still haven't found a way to get my keys out of my car. My boyfriend dropped me off at school before he went to work, so I was there about 3 hours early. I spent that time doing homework and such.. so it actually worked out. My sister came to pick me up after class and I went with her to get her ticket taken care of. That was a long process in itself. There was about 8 hours between breakfast and lunch.. and I still haven't fully recovered from that energy low. My meals today have been pretty much exactly the same as yesterday... cereal, smart ones, and most likely a salad for supper.. I can't wait to go grocery shopping!

Today I did one mile of Leslie Sansone's 5 Mile Walk (you can read the review I did on it here). It was only 12 minutes, but it was kinda hard! It's crazy how easy it is for your body can get out of shape. I think I'm going to work my way up to where I was before - getting in about an hour workout for at least 4 days/wk - before I start Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. From what I've read it's pretty difficult, and I just wanna be in a little better shape before I embark on that journey.. ha.

My boyfriend is making ~~Hamburger Helper~~ right now... it smells sooooo good. But if I try to eat some, I have a feeling I'll eat a lot. So I'm going to have my salad and maybe some 100 calorie kettle corn and be happy. I have a really exciting post coming up tomorrow... so check back ;)!

Love you all!

-Carissa

Nutrition Report

2010-01-11T23:11:00.000-06:00

Today has been such a rough day... I'm so stressed out! School started, and it already feels like it's in full swing. I locked my keys in my car at my moms and still haven't been able to get them out. Awesome.

MENU:

B - cheerios w/nonfat milk

banana

L - WW Smart Ones Mini Vegetable Pizzas

S - banana

D - wrap (included lettuce, cheese, ranch, and bacon bits)

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,200-1,550
Today: 1,089

Carb goal: 163-236

Today: 156

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 39

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 40

WEIGH DAY! A BIG ONE!!

2010-01-10T10:50:00.000-06:00

Please allow me one second to toot my own horn:

TOOOOOOOOOOOT TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!

I MADE IT!! This is such a huge turning point. Not only have I met my 2nd mini goal, but I'm also OUT OF THE 200s AND I've reached my halfway point! So that's -5 lbs in the last 2 weeks (I guess some of that "weight" I gained was water weight?) and 50 lbs lost to date!! I honestly don't even know what to do with myself right now, haha.

There were so many temptations to resist this weekend. We went out to eat with my boyfriends mom, and I had NONE of the appetizer (loaded potato boats) even though I love them. I ordered a grilled chicken salad which came with this delicious honey-butter croissant but I didn't eat that either!

Yesterday my boyfriend and I also ordered Chili's.. and even though they have 10000 other things that I would have loved to chow down on, I got the 350 calorie grilled chicken breast on a bed of rice & steamed veggies. Afterwards I was still hungry (didn't eat the veggies.. I'm not big on cooked broccoli) and I was craving something sweet... so I had a chocolate chip muffin that I had avoided the night before, which was approx 180 calories, so not too bad!

Today is the last day of Christmas break :(! This next semester looks like it could be a tough one, but I'm committed to sticking with it and being successful scholastically and fitness-ly, ha. I know I say this alot, but seriously, THANK YOU. You are all such a big part of why I'm here, at my half way mark, and why I'm motivated to keep going. Feel free to give your own horns a good toot ;)!

xoxoxox,

Carissa

PHOTO FRIDAY!!

2010-01-08T18:55:00.000-06:00

Just doin' somethin a little different...

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Non-Scale Victory FTW!!!!

2010-01-07T18:46:00.001-06:00

I posted this on 3fc, but I also wanted to share it with my favorite followers in the world!! :)

So I got up this morning (uh, afternoon ) and after putting on my jeans decided I would wear the one belt that I own.

I bought this belt awhile back.. way before I started losing weight. I bought it from torrid in their size 3.. which = 47 inches from the beginning of the belt to the center hole.

When I bought it I had to wear it on the first or second hole... today when I put it on, I realized there were NO MORE HOLES LEFT. The belt is too big. I never expected that!!! I made a new hole in it, still too big. So I made another and it fits perfectly!

Here's a pic of the belt on me today in the 2nd hole, where I USED to have to wear it:

... I didn't know there was a hole in this shirt haha

Here's one of the belt on the last hole it was made with:

And here's one with me in the belt on the new hole that I made!:

wowwww. I definitely do not feel like I've shrunk that much??!! I keep making excuses, like "you were probably wearing it loose before" and "belts are made different so it looks like a bigger difference than it really is." Do you guys do that? I find myself making excuses like that ALOT about any change I see or comment somebody makes. But really, I know I just need to enjoy this.. soo

always,

Carissa

Report de Nutrition

2010-01-06T21:54:00.002-06:00

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal w/nonfat milk

L - PB&J and Smart Pop 100 calorie bag kettle corn

(there is actually much more in one

bag.. but I didn't let it pop long enough

on accident! whoops)

D - brown rice w/1 egg, and soy sauce

I know my meals are getting a little boring.. but I have lots of new recipes to show you when I'm able to go grocery shopping!

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,200-1,550
Today: 1,272

Carb goal: 163-236

Today: 233

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 29

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 46

I still feel kinda hungry.. but I'm gonna let my rice settle and then if I'm still hungry I'll try to find a light snack...
xo

Have Some Honey, Honey!

2010-01-05T13:31:00.000-06:00

There is an article today on sparkpeople.com that talks about the new findings in honey - it has some nutrients as well as antioxidants. Liza Barnes writes, "Generally, the highest levels of antioxidants come from the darkest colored honey." Honey can be used as a sweetener or in tons of different recipes.. I don't know why I don't have any! Apparently it's also really good for your skin and hair. The article does mention certain people who should AVOID honey, like those with diabetes or babies under 1 year of age. But for those of us who can, it may be beneficial to have a little honey here & there :)!

Read the full article here.

here we go again: nutrition report

2010-01-04T22:23:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who commented on my last post. Each and every one of you (and all my other followers!) are my reasons for trying again. It means so much to me that you care! And that I'm able to tell you anything - good or bad - and know you'll be there. So THANKKKKKK YOUUUUUUU again!!! I really hope that I can be someone to support you and encourage you as well :).

MENU:
B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal (read the review I did on it here) w/nonfat milk
L - apple
mini blueberry bagel w/crunchy peanut butter
D - whole grain pasta and zucchini in tomato sauce (pictured)

STATS:
Calorie goal: 1,200-1,550

Today: 1,067

Carb goal: 163-236

Today: 213

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 18

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 43

I'm sorry, to you and to myself.

2010-01-04T11:23:00.001-06:00

The last 3 days have been.. mixed. My boyfriend and I just hung out and played cards and board games and he spoiled me with time together. It really was fun! But my eating was SO OFF. Seriously, it was like a 72 hour binge. I'm mad at myself because school starts next week; I'm mad at myself because I was so close to 199; I'm mad at myself because I wasted three entire days that could have been put to good, healthy use.

I obviously didn't post a weigh in on Sunday and I probably wont until next Sunday. I know it's important to face it, and I did weigh, but I don't want to record it because it's ridiculously high and I feel it's a direct result from all the food I've shoved in my mouth since Friday. But I will be honest with you and say that this morning I was 210 lbs (ugh). The terrible truth is that I know my body so well from past binges (like, every night this weekend I predicted exactly what my weight would be the next morning and I was always right - pathetic) and so hopefully I will drop this gained weight fairly quickly. I'll record it next Sunday and if it's still up, well then I guess it's still up.

I'm so reluctant to write this because I don't want to disappoint anybody. I'm embarrassed that despite my positive attitude, I still did exactly what got me to this overweight state. Honestly, this is so genuinely hard for me. I don't always eat perfectly. I have before, did this weekend, and could again lose my way. I still feel lost. I should be able to go grocery shopping sometime this week and get stocked up on all my regular foods.. until then I'll be going with what I've got and trying my best to move out of this slump and get back to where I was.

It's a lot easier for me to act positively on my blog than it is in real life. That's what's gotten me this far - trying so hard to be positive and doing my best to listen to myself. So, I guess that's what I should do? I know I will come out of this, and it might be hard right now, but hopefully this time I'll have learned a lesson and I wont have set myself back too far.

Thank you for always listening and being so understanding,
Carissa

PHOTO FRIDAY! v. 2010

2010-01-01T12:08:00.000-06:00

*DON'T FORGET WEIGH INS CHANGED

TO SUNDAY, SO CHECK BACK!*

Sorry they're so dark! All of the lightbulbs in our room burned out except one ;) heh. I'm already having trouble keeping with my New Years Resolution :ugh:! But I will say NOTHING NEGATIVE about these pictures and just be HAPPY that I'm documenting my journey :)!

Last night's dinner was D E L I C I O U S. I had a grilled chicken salad (favorite), chips & queso, and some of a roll. My tummy wasn't too happy with me afterward, but I'm feeling much better this morning :). Hope everyone had a SAFE and HAPPY new year. IT'S 2010 Y'ALL!!!!!

Blizzard, Date night, Elbows, & My New Year's Resolution

2009-12-31T11:01:00.000-06:00

I don't think I've ever made a New Year's Resolution, besides the every-year-nonchalant-i-want-to-lose-weight-this-year one. This year, though, I've already lost weight and I already know I'm going to keep at it. So, I have a NEW New Year's Resolution: to stop saying negative things about myself. And hopefully to get to a point where I stop thinking them, too. I'm learning more and more that the relationship I have with myself is one of the most important. If I get to goal and I don't already love myself, nothing is going to change. I'll gain all the weight back and end up still being miserable. So I plan to work very hard this year on learning about myself, trusting myself, being honest with myself, and loving myself EXACTLY AS I AM. One thing that I plan on doing to help achieve this resolution is talking to a counselor. I've been trying to find one that I am comfortable with for a very long time, but I need to make a better effort, so I am going to. This will definitely be as hard - probably harder - than losing weight, but I'm up for the challenge. I'm ready to start living my life.

Yesterday was my & my honey's 1 year 8 month anniversary ♥♥♥. We're celebrating tonight (hopefully, if the weather allows!) by going to see a movie and eat at our favorite restaurant :). I'm so excited!! I love you boo!

Ooohhh, and I also wanted to tell you something else - I think my elbows are getting smaller! Last night I was laying in bed with my arms over my eyes, and I realized that I could reach further across and that my elbows are growing bones :O! Woooooooh!

It's seriously a blizzard here right now. I took pictures, but they look pretty much the same as the last snow pictures I posted and you can't really tell how hard it's coming down. I live in Texas, so we don't always get a lot of snow in the winter (or in any of the other seasons, hmph). This winter, thought, is a different story. It seems like it's snowing every other day! And I don't mean a light flurry; it's full-on, windy, big-flaked, sticking to everything, inches-thick snow. This particular storm started sometime last night and it still going strong; apparently it's not supposed to stop until 6pm! I just hope we can still go on our date! Other than that, I LOVEEEEEEE it :).

Have you made a New Year's Resolution this year? What are you planning to do to make sure & stick with it?

I hope you ALL have a PERFECT New Year and I will talk to you in 2010 ;)!

xo,

Carissa

Is this getting annoyingly repetitive??

2009-12-30T23:56:00.000-06:00

.............................................

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal w/nonfat milk (read the review I did on it here)

L - Smart Ones Artisan Creations Chicken Marinara w/Mozzarella Cheese Grilled Flatbread (WOW - YUMMMMMY!)

S - apple

D - large baked potato w/a little butter, cheese, and bacon bits

STATS:

Calories goal: 1,200-1,550

Today: 1,195 (close!)

Carbs goal: 163-236

Today: 192

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 32

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 51

.............................................

I know, I know. I need to get back to more personal posts every once in awhile! I will. Do you guys enjoy these daily nutrition reports?? If you have any suggestions, I'm always open to hearing them :)!

REVIEW: Fiber One Honesy Clusters Cereal

2009-12-30T16:43:00.000-06:00

If you like Raisin Bran, you'd probably like Fiber One Honey Clusters cereal. It tastes alot like Raisin Bran, just without the raisins ;).

I LOVE it and it's such an easy & delicious way to get in fiber with 13g per serving!

The first few bowls I had didn't have very many honey clusters, but now that I'm getting to the bottom half of the box there are plenty! I like to eat it plain as a snack, or with nonfat milk as breakfast (sometimes lunch or dinner, heh!). Try it out! :)

N u t r i t i o n R e p o r t & a thank you :]

2009-12-29T23:11:00.002-06:00

MENU:

B - breakfast burrito made with eggs, cheese, salsa, and a wheat tortilla

L - PB&J and yoplait strawberry and banana yogurt

D - brown rice with soy sauce & a vegetable egg roll (SO GOOD!)

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,200 - 1,550

Today: 1,271

Carbs goal: 163 - 236

Today: 171

Fat goal: 32 - 56

Today: 44

Protein goal: 60 - 127

Today: 50

(woot woot! 3 out of 4 is pretty good! :])

I just want to say thank you to everyone who has commented/emailed me and all of my followers... it means so much to me and you all are a big part of the reason I've made it to this point. So THANK YOU & I love you ALL!!

always,
Carissa

Stickk.com

2009-12-29T17:22:00.000-06:00

This website is pretty cool! Basically, you pick your goals (they don't have to be weight loss or health related, it can be absolutely ANYTHING) and put a contract on yourself to meet your goals. The goal I picked is to lose weight (obviously) at a minimum rate of 1.1 lbs/wk for 55 weeks. You have the option of putting $$$$ at stake (I didn't). You have to report each week, and for each week that you don't meet your goal, you have to pay up. When you set up your account you can choose to have your off-week payments go to your choice of a charity or anti-charity (a group whose views you disagree with)... if that's not motivation, I don't know what is!

I hope this all makes sense.. I had to look around the website and get set up before I fully understood everything (then again, I'm kinda slow sometimes ;]). But check it out! My username there is kuhrisuh, so add me if you'd like a supporter!

Nutrition Report

2009-12-28T22:12:00.001-06:00

MENU:

B - Smart Ones Stuffed Breakfast Sandwich (read the review I did on it here)

L - Healthy Choice Country Breaded Chicken meal

(I would not recommend this.. I ate the mashed potatoes and chicken & that's it, and the chicken made me feel so nauseous and weird until I finally made myself eat something for supper.)

D - Fiber One cereal w/nonfat milk (1 cup of each)

1 mini blueberry bagel w/1 tbs crunchy peanut butter

^what can i say, i love breakfast!! :)

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1200-1550

Today: 1020

Carbs goal: 163-236

Today: 156

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 26

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 51

10 Most Ineffective Exercises

2009-12-28T18:11:00.002-06:00

This was really shocking to me - I used to do some of these exercises at the gym! Well, not anymore!! I decided to post the entire article as it's all good information:

~~~~~

10 Most Ineffective Exercises
By Raphael Calzadilla, B.A., CPT, ACE
Glee Contributor
Updated: Sunday, April 9, 2006

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." -Albert Einstein

What if you suddenly found out that every workout you’ve been doing for months and months was unsafe, inefficient and graphically illustrated in the imaginary encyclopedia of bone head exercises?

We tend to look at certain areas on our body with disgust and anxiety. We look for quick fixes and the magical exercise that will solve all of our problems. That’s why infomercials sell “5 minute exercise solutions,” and love to prey on our weak emotional states and lack of knowledge related to physiology. Let’s get to the point: There are exercises that just plain stink. They’re inefficient, have a high injury risk and provide practically zero benefit.

The following list of exercises may surprise you. Consider your surprised reaction a step in the right direction. Here’s my top 10 most ineffective exercises list: This is by no means an exhaustive list - there are a lot more.

1. Adductor Machine -- The adductor machine is the exercise unit that you sit in while placing the inner part of your legs against a pad. You then push the legs toward each other, with the goal of reducing your inner thighs. Maybe you perform 20, 30 or even more reps to affect the area. This exercise will not reduce your inner thighs. You’d need enough resistance to create an impact on the muscle, so more than 15 reps aren’t going to accomplish anything. More importantly, it’s not the best range or plane of motion (direction) to affect the inner thigh.

2. Abductor Machine -- The abductor machine is the opposite of the adductor. In this case, you sit in the machine and place the outer part of your legs against a pad. You then push your legs away from each other, in the hopes of reducing your outer thigh area. Pushing the legs outward accomplishes very little for the outer thigh. Again, the plane of motion is ineffective. You say you can feel this machine? I can also feel my chest muscles if I perform a dumbbell press very slowly with a pair of five pound dumbbells, but that doesn’t mean it’s accomplishing my goal. There’s more to the puzzle than just feeling it.

3. Standing or Bent Over Twist -- Ever see someone in the gym with a broomstick behind their head twisting endlessly from left to right? The person mistakenly assumes that twisting for hundreds of reps will shrink the waist and decrease the size of the oblique muscles (love handles). This movement inefficiently affects the spinal erectors and places stress on ligaments. It provides no slimming effect on the “love handles”.

4. Upright Rows -- In this exercise, one grasps a barbell with hands approximately four inches apart, with palms facing the body. Standing in an upright position, the bar is pulled all the way up to the neck. The objective is to strengthen the upper trapezius muscles (the muscles at the base of the neck).

Internationally known research scientist, Michael Colgan, refers to this as a “bone head exercise,” in his book, The New Power Program, and I totally agree. The exercise puts undue stress on the very sensitive rotator cuff muscles of the shoulder and can easily cause injury.

5. Side Bends -- Grasping dumbbells and bending side to side in the hopes that the oblique muscles (love handles) will shrink, may actually make the area larger if you use heavy enough dumbbells. Is that what you want? Toss this exercise out the window. The only thing that’s going to get those ‘love handles” smaller is reducing overall body fat through cardiovascular exercise, brisk weight training and last but not least, a calorie reduced diet.

6. Behind The Neck Lat Pulldowns for the Back -- Performing this cable pulldown movement puts unnecessary stress on the rotator cuff muscles of the shoulders. I can’t begin to count the number of people who’ve experienced injuries from this and any behind the neck movement.

7. Shoulder Press Behind Neck -- Not only is this an unstable position, but it can lead to inflammation, pain in the shoulder and major rotator cuff injuries. The shoulder joint is extremely complex and much like the knee joint, easily prone to injuries. Lifting an object over the head while it sits behind the neck isn’t even a functional (every day) movement.

8. Straight Legged Sit Ups -- Performing straight legged sit ups (knees locked and extended) puts a lot of stress on the lower spine, and the jerky type movement required to lift from the floor can result in injury. According to Wayne Westcott, PhD., Fitness Research Director at the South Shore YMCA in Boston, "in a routine where any abdominal exercise movement places stress on the back, the risks outweigh the potential benefits.”

9. Seated Rotation Machine --These machines are found in gyms and people use them in the hopes of shrinking the waist line. In fact, you’ll usually see people rotating left and right on these machines for hundreds of repetitions. It does not shrink the waist and can place a great deal of pressure upon the ligaments of the spine.

10. Cardiovascular Exercise: More than 60 Minutes -- I realize you want to lose the most amount of fat in the least amount of time. I can understand that, but if the body can only lose up to two pounds of fat per week before it begins destroying muscle, why are you working out as if you’re attempting to lose five pounds per week? I generally recommend working at a capacity of 70 to 80 percent of your target heart rate. If you’re performing cardio more than 60 minutes at this level of intensity, you’re on a collision course for muscle loss. If you think it’s not important, you may want to re-consider.

I’ve seen people lose well over 100 pounds and lose it very, very fast. They did everything possible to lose weight (fat and muscle), as opposed to losing only fat and sparing muscle. The result is a soft and flabby looking body. Yes, they lost the 100 pounds, but did it in the most inefficient manner possible. The key to your success is not searching for an exercise that will reduce a trouble spot. It’s finding the most efficient exercises that will strengthen the area. Then, the combination of reduced calories, cardiovascular exercise and consistency does the rest of the work.

Raphael Calzadilla has over 14 years of experience as a personal trainer and bodybuilder, earned his B.A. in Communications from Southern Connecticut State University; is certified with ACE, APEX and successfully completed the RTS1 program based on biomechanics.

~~~~~

(Here is the link to the actual article.)

REVIEW: Smart Ones Stuffed Breakfast Sandwich

2009-12-28T13:15:00.001-06:00

This was definitely something different for breakfast. It was really good, except for the turkey bacon. If you like turkey bacon, though, I'd definitely recommend it. When I have a problem with one of the Smart Ones meals, it's usually because of the meat. I'm not exactly a vegetarian - but if you've been following my blog you know that I pretty much eat boneless chicken and that's it.

Anyway, I still like it. I just did my best to pick out the biggest chunks of meat. It also has eggs, cheese, and peppers.. yum!

Overview:

PROS:

Lower calorie than similar breakfast sandwiches
Comes with 2 per box
16g of protein

CONS:

Turkey meat
Not as filling as other breakfast options (but I still wasn't left hungry)

nutrition repizzort

2009-12-27T22:27:00.000-06:00

MENU:

B - Fiber One Honest Clusters cereal w/nonfat milk

L - Weight Watcher's Smart One's Pepperoni Pizza Minis

a few pieces of cantaloupe and grapes

D - bean & cheese burrito on a wheat tortilla (made w/fat free refried beans) w/salsa

1 serving of Baked Tostitos Scoops tortilla chips w/salsa

STATS:

Calorie goal: 1,200-1,550

Today: 1,221

Carbs goal: 163-236

Today: 205

Fat goal: 32-56

Today: 27

Protein goal: 60-127

Today: 56

So close to my protein goal! And going under on the fat isn't a particularly bad thing.. so I'll consider today a success! :)

xo, Carissa

Weigh Day

2009-12-27T11:25:00.001-06:00

current weight: 204 lbs

pounds lost this week: 4

pounds lost to date: 45

um, wow. totally unexpected, especially after a holiday. let me just say:

I'm sure once I start working out again the loss will slow down. Which will happen next week... I can't believe there is only one week left of Christmas break :(! For whatever reason this semester starts wayyyy earlier than it did last year. Oh wellllll, at least I'll get to use the gym sooner!

My wounds are pretty much all the way healed up :)! I'm having some really bad pain in the lower part of my chest.. I talked about it with the boo & my mom and we came to the conclusion that my body is trying to get used to not having a gallbladder, so I might not be completely pain free for another couple of weeks or so. So there's the update on that.

I had a REALLY great Christmas. I hope you did too!!

always,

Carissa

PS - Yesterday Old Navy was having a sale on jeans ($15!!) so I went to try to find some as mine are getting a tiny bit too loose. Aaaannnndd... I fit into 16s!! :) I didn't end up buying any, but the fact that I fit into them was enough. I'm gettin' there!

A pic of some of the Christmas lights we saw! :)

2009-12-26T20:03:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas!

Nutrition Report

2009-12-23T23:10:00.000-06:00

Sorry I missed yesterdays.. I was too sleepy to post I guess! I've decided to shorten this post to my daily menu and the stats of the 4 nutrients I focus on the most. Hopefully now it will be to-the-point and quicker for you to read & me to do! :)

MENU:

B - cheerios w/milk & bananas

L - salad

D - pb&j w/a couple of bites of green beans (they tasted weird)

10 quakers mini rice cakes, the ranch flavor

I'm doing everything I can to not eat the ~~leftover chips & queso~~ from our dinner last night. I had some then (it fit into my calories) and DON'T NEED ANY NOW. It's not like if I don't eat any tonight, I wont ever be able to again, right? Just gotta keep repeating these things to myself.. !

STATS:

*Nutrition goals are calculated for when I'm working out 5-6 days/week. So I will be aiming for below these goals until I start again (I should be able to around Jan. 8th).

Calorie goal: 1,340-1,690

Today: 1,119

Carbs goal: 179-258

Today: 150

Fat goal: 35-62

Today: 46

Protein goal: 60-139

Today: 41

I'm planning on trying out a protein shake mix (what do you recommend?) since I never eat much meat.. and I'm working on getting my calories back up! This has been my 9th day in a row to stay within calories.. I don't know if I've done that since I started. WOOO! I'm gonna make it 10, and then 11, and then 100000000000000000000000000000000000000!! Haha.

Anywayyyy, love you all!

-Carissa

WOW.

2009-12-23T21:41:00.000-06:00

Did you know?

2009-12-23T20:46:00.001-06:00

According to this CNN article, which discusses the accuracy of the 'calories burned' counters on workout machines, "the number of calories the machine indicates that you have burned is not exact...More often than not, the machines will overestimate by as much as 30 percent, though an overestimation of 10 percent to 15 percent is more likely."

Check out the article for good ways to get a more accurate estimate :).

Better Yourself Tip

2009-12-22T14:39:00.001-06:00

BYT #12: If the amount of weight you have to lose is

overwhelming you, try thinking of it in time rather than

pounds. "I am going to lose 1 year.".."One month down,

11 to go!" If you are eating less and moving more throughout

that year, then you will definitely see a difference when

you've reached your 12 month goal.

(This tip came via 3FC. Cheeeeecccck it out :])