A Great Find & Some Tips for the Weekend

 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

My New Plan

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

Battle of the Sexes

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 :).

Non-Scale Victory FTW!!!!

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

Have Some Honey, Honey!

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.

Stickk.com

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!

Crunch Challenge

There's no prize and it's mostly for myself.. but feel free to join if you want to do it with me :).

My plan is to complete 1500 crunches within the next 30 days. That's 100 crunches every other day. I have an ab ball that I'll use, and I'm also going to do other types that I've found on sparkpeople.com & other websites. I'll post before/after pictures & measurements after I've completed it, and I'll keep you guys updated with the number I've completed by adding a new "box" over to the right ->.

Now - just to be clear - I know that targeting one specific area will not necessarily make you lose weight in that area. I'll still do cardio and all my normal stuff.. I just want to get a good stomach workout in and see how my body can (hopefully!) change.

Hereeeeee we go!


PS. If you would like to do the challenge with me, I can put a link to your site in the sidebar along with my stats. Just let me know! ;)

NSV!

I guess I'm post-happy today!! But I really wanted to share this non scale victory with y'all. I was on 3Fc and I came across a thread talking about BMI - what were you/are you now, that type of thing - and I realized I haven't calculated mine since I started. So, I did. ANDDD... (drum roll please).. I've gone from a 37.9 to a 34.5! That still puts me in the "obese" category, but only about 5 more points or whatever until I drop down to "overweight." I'm on my way!!!

Dinner/Sparkpeople

Ate a BIG salad.. with some fruit and pickled okra. OMGGG it was good :).

I wanted to let you guys know about a website that someone from 3FC recommended.. it's www.sparkpeople.com, and it is the most helpful resource to lose weight! On it you can track your calories and activities, talk to people in your area and all over that are trying to lose weight, and more. I just can't say enough good things about it!

The site also builds meal plans for your eating style, and gives you strength training workouts and cardio ideas to try. I LOVE it. Here's my page if you wanna take a look.

Anyway, I think that's all for now :). I'm full! And I'm gonna go comment on your blogs now!

xo, Carissa

She lost 100 lbs!

One of the members of the 3FC forum I belong to posted her before & after pictures in the goal photo album.. she looks SO good! Def. very inspiring; she's lost 100 pounds so far. Seeing as how that's the same amount I hope I'm going to lose, this gives me motivation! You can look at her pictures here.

What do you think??

Always,
B ♥

3 Fat Chicks

About a week or so ago I joined this forum called "3 Fat Chicks on a Diet". I can't tell you how much these girls/guys have helped me just in the past 7 days. There is a topic for pretty much EVERY situation, and there are so many wonderful people there that are trying to lose weight, too. They're all so nice and very helpful when it comes to questions about dieting or exercise. There's also women and men there who have reached their goal weight, and seeing those pictures and reading their stories is just more motivation and hope that I, too, will one day reach Skinny. Just thought I'd let you guys know, and welcome you to check it out! Click hereeee :) if you wanna lurk around/ join the forum.