Food, glorious food!  To  carb or not to carb, that is the question.  Do ever wish that you just didn't have to eat?  Sometimes I wish that when I am as hungry as one can be and not sure what to eat. I then try to have some fruit or almonds while I decide. 

Went to SoulCycle two days ago as part of a six day continuous spin cycle. I started Wednesday night. I missed Monday night as I had to work late and my normal instructor was on vaca. Have you ever noticed how much your fitness instructor really matters. It is the difference between a heart-pounding 45 minutes to the rhythm of the music or a boring looking at the clock never getting your heart rate up kind of class. I have my favorite instructors that really motivate me to take it to the next level.  

Today is day 5 of the six classes. I rewarded myself with an Yves Saint Laurent lipstick I had been waiting for. It made meeting my goal pretty special.  Now every time I wear it I know I kept a promise myself.  That premise in itself is special to me as I've made so many past promises regarding diet/fitness only to fail miserably.  Maybe my next goal should be 20 classes for the month of December. This way there won't be any holiday weight gain, only a guaranteed loss. 

This coming week should be pretty low key with plenty of time for the gym which is great. I enjoy weeks with no business travel adhering to a regular schedule. I'm working up to a double spin class maybe next weekend.  We'll see if I am ready for that.  Have a great week!

Starting out the weekend right for a change. Hard-boiled egg, apple, a few grapes and a tablespoon of Justin's honey peanut butter blend and spin class. I love getting my workout done first thing in the morning. There is nothing more invigorating. I am also feeling motivated again to get fit and lose the rest of the weight. What has changed?

I spent a lot of time this week reading fitness blogs written by others and checking out some websites. I also changed the way I was eating and cut down on my portion sizes. In addition I tried some new combinations. I put sliced pear with my grilled chicken breast and some hummus. It was delish and it helped to fuel that day's workout. I also had green apple with spinach, cranberries and walnuts for a dinner salad. They have this place called "Chopped" in the city. They now have it in Rye, NY and because the rent is cheaper for the franchise the prices are great. You can get an organic salad with protein and a drink for under $10. At that price it is almost as cheap as making your own salad. I've been getting dinner there with the girls post workout. It beats coming home at 8pm not having planned and eating crap which is a scenario that I can fall into quite easily after working a ten hour day.

Post spin I'm feeling good like I can get to my goal. That is what matters. If you think you can you will.

It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving and I'm in CT today. The top is down on my convertible and I'm listening to some holiday music. I just drove by some new restaurants and started to think a lot more about regarding my preoccupation with food. I think about the subject way too much. Why am I so enamored by the idea of trying a new restaurant. It is like I think that I am going to find some miracle food that is both delicious and calorie free and that never happens :)

Thanksgiving was very pleasant this year with lots of quality family time and an overabundance of food of course. In addition to the usual turkey and sides our family put a Jewish spin on things with a bagels and lox brunch. That was one thing I didn't eat and instead had egg whites. I did participate in all the other meals but skipped cake and pie. I got an hour long spin class in on the morning of the actual holiday which was helpful.

My instructor was Ted, an older man who is a local fire fighter. He plays very cool rock and screams at you to pick up the pace. It is a huge class of 60 which is extra motivating. I burn around 400-500 calories in his classes. After class he told us we could now eat/drink and not worry about it. My other spin instructor Kelly who is my all time favorite was much more realistic and said we could have one extra item now after spin class. You don't burn 2000 calories in spin which is the average caloric intake during a thanksgiving type dinner. I also think it can be dangerous to start that line of thinking so I try to accurately track calories burned versus what I eat. The other crazy fact I read was what eating a huge meal does to your body. Some researchers say that continuously eating like that can cause certain types of cancer. Another reason out of a slew of others to eat healthy and in moderation.

I have started to get my fitness back on track to pre-traveling levels. Now to get my eating on the same track.

I was so busy getting ready for the holidays last weekend that I didn't get a chance to write my blog.  Right now I have a brief interlude between cooking and picking up family so I escaped to Starbucks for an hour, my favorite reprieve from the craziness at home. 

I would give myself a C+ for the last few weeks. I went to spin class but again for the second week in a row that was all I did. Thanksgiving is now upon us. My strategy is I will taste things and not limit what I can have.  I know myself pretty well in the sense that if I say I can't have an item at all I'll end up having that same item the next day, week or month. It is just how it works with me. 

I guess I've lost a lot of the motivation I had the first few months. I need to find a way to get that back. Exactly how I'm going to that I'm not sure. Maybe the first step should be to read through all the blogs I wrote while I lost the 38 pounds.  Maybe I should do another juice fast to cleanse so I can eat clean again. I'll think about it and let you know how and what I decide to do. 

I want to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all. Try to make the holiday about special time with family and not about the food :)

Everyday is a new day. We wake up each morning to a new set of challenges and circumstance. Will I stay on my plan today or will I be tempted by some random starchy carb. Some of my weekly readers may have noticed that I stopped posting my weight loss the last few weeks. It is because I haven't lost anymore, just maintained my past losses.

As of this morning, I have no more business trips planned for the rest of 2011. I am happy about this and looking forward to truly getting back on track. Traveling especially out of the country presents a unique set of challenges for the dieter sometimes being stuck with few healthy options.

I started my first day home ready to rock and roll. Coffee with skim milk, a hard-boiled egg and some apple slices. I'm dressed for the gym and plan on getting a bunch of cardio in. I am hoping I'll have a proper weight loss to report next week.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. As a little side note this week I was quite proud of myself. I didn't consume any Halloween candy whatsoever in the period leading up to the holiday or on the actual day. This was a first for me.

Getting back now to my blog from last week and my unfortunate trip to LA... As a little refresher I was shocked when I realized the travel agency from work had booked me in the wrong hotel in the wrong city of Hollywood when I was supposed to be in downtown LA. Hollywood is near LA except with the traffic in the LA area being possibly the worst in the country it makes a huge difference.

Of course there was a conference and some event at the Staples Center so most hotels in LA were sold out. I was finally able to get a room at some crazy hotel for a mere $500 a night. This hotel coincidentally turned out to be the most disgusting hotel I've ever stayed in. It smelled of mold and most items in the actual room were broken. I was just disgusted. I was going out in Beverly Hills that night and told myself it was only one night changed and left.

I was definitely stressed at dinner. I over indulged and even insisted on dessert. My actual dinner was extremely healthy so it wasn't a huge deal but definitely an example of emotional eating. The rest of my trip I soothed myself with herbal tea and returned to NY a few days later after checking in to a very nice hotel for the duration of my LA stint.

I'm off to Toronto this coming week and then I hope to get back to my normal routine of going to the gym.

This past week was an insane week in every way. The craziness started on Tuesday morning when I was picked up at work at around 10:30am to catch a Virgin America flight to LA. I got dropped off at a terminal I've never been to which is rare as I've flown all over the world from JFK. It was really quite strange and a little deserted. What was even stranger was there was no curbside check in and I couldn't even find the Virgin counter to check in. There were just rows of closed counters for airlines I've never heard of. My destination ended up being around a corner so I was finally able to get my boarding pass.

I then proceeded down some stairs to some kind of shopping mall but no security line. I aimlessly wandered for a bit inhaled a piece of pizza as I was getting aggravated. Always a bad idea in any situation. With a little investigating you can always find a nice salad. I then proceeded to walk for a while to attempt to find the security line for wherever the gates were as this seemed to be a big mystery consisting of construction and long empty corridors. Finally, voila I had arrived at the empty security line.

I made it through and stopped for an iced Peet's coffee with plenty of skim milk. I've read a lot of research about the relationship between adequate amounts of calcium and weight-loss. I try to include some in my diet whenever possible.

As I boarded the plane the interior was accented with purple lights and there were pink headphones aligned perfectly in front of the seats in my row. I noticed a computer screen which I began to explore. You could order drinks and snacks to be delivered right to your seat as well as foreign films, chat and games. The five hour flight went by pretty quickly. I had some cheese and fruit with a glass of wine to pass the time.

When I arrived in LA I was met by a driver who said we were going to a hotel in Hollywood but that wasn't my intended destination. Stay tuned next week for my LA adventure.

I've read a lot of magazine articles recently that say you can get a decent calorie burn from chores around the house. I decided to test that theory out today.  I cleaned my kitchen for about four hours.  I put some tunes on and got ready.  I emptied all the cabinets and fridge.  I vacuumed out all the cabinets, scrubbed them down and cleaned all the items before putting them back. I followed the same process with the refrigerator. I also threw some old stuff out. I kept the garbage bag on the floor on purpose so that I had to use those core muscles each time I threw an item out. 

Later in the day I went for a walk into town. I was definitely tired and my muscles were even a little sore.  I would say it worked.   I don't think it can replace navy seals or anything to that extent but it is a great feeling to know I got a lot accomplished in my apartment and burned some calories at the same time. 

I fasted this past weekend for Yom Kippur and then proceeded to eat a ton on Saturday night. The next day I did about an hour of cardio at the gym. Did this make up for the extra 1000 calories I consumed?  

I had made a mental note of what I had eaten.  Of course I don't normally just eat with no regard for the calorie count.  As I started to record what I inhaled I realized that it didn't matter that I hadn't eaten in 24 hours. One bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon was 14 points. So one item was more than I normally eat in two meals.  I definitely ate more than one item too!  Pretty disturbing. What would I do. 

On Sunday I did the only thing I knew. I went to the gym and tried to work some of it off.  Maybe I burned off a quarter of it. That is the thing. You can eat something that is so fattening and it is literally impossible to burn it off in one gym session.  I think that is why it is so important not to eat it in the first place. Also one eat crap it is that much harder to get back on track and stop eating crap. I am definitely waiting a few days to weigh myself. 

L'shana tova to those that celebrated the Jewish New Year last week.

As it's the new year it seems like the perfect time to focus on some recent observations I've made since I've lost my first 38 pounds. If I count down from my heaviest and not just since I've started this blog I've lost a total of 68 pounds. Now that is a lot of weight to lose so there are some differences in my every day life.

During my travels the last few weeks I stayed in three different hotels with three different types of towels and bathrobes. This is very embarrassing but at my heaviest no standard towel or one size fits all bathrobe would fit me. I am happy to report that now they all do with extra room.

Then there were the airplane seats, seat belts and even movie theater seats. I used to be so uncomfortable never getting into quite a good position. The seat belt on the airplane not digging in but it certainly was never loose where I could fit two of me in it like I can now :)

There is also the walking. I could never really walk around. After about 30 minutes my legs and my back would always start to ache. I successfully walked miles and miles all over Chicago and San Francisco without any pain. I realized how much I love to walk. No more taxis for this girl!

It is the little things in life that bring happiness and contentment. I still have a long way to go but in the interim I am just so comfy in my new body.

This past week was a very difficult week for me emotionally and with my diet. Aren't those two items always linked for us one way or the other? I literally flew all over the country the last few days. New York to Chicago on Monday. Chicago to New York Thursday night not getting home until 1am because of flight delays and then New York to San Francisco yesterday morning.

I enjoy traveling to a certain extent but I can honestly say I would have been happier at home going to spin class and navy seals. All these trips played havoc on my hunger, stress levels and time for the gym. I was able to get three workouts in but they were only maybe 40 minutes of cardio each and some abs. Nothing compared to what I normally do in a week. I also consumed many more calories this week so no weight loss but I managed to maintain which is van actual miracle.

In San Francisco there is a Crunch Fitness close by the hotel so just maybe I can get a free week pass and get some spin classes in. There are also some great organic restaurants to try. The issue will be not to overindulge which is still tough for me. I have learned however if I mess up at one meal the whole day doesn't have to be a wash. I can do an extra workout and eat healthy the rest of the day.

My saga of weight loss continues another week. Some weeks like this past one are much harder to get through. Experience and learning about being healthy now will only make the rest of my life that much richer in the future.

38 pounds loss this week. I tried something new this week which was a three day juice cleanse. I had gotten a tad off track with my travels consuming just a bit too much alcohol and sugar. I thought this would be the perfect plan to get me back on track and feeling extra healthy. Little did I know how hard it would be.

My friends sent me the instructions and warned me to eat healthy the day before I started. To prepare for the juice cleanse you are supposed to only eat fruit and vegetables the day before. I don't think any of us adhered to that goal unfortunately. Maybe it would have been easier. For day one I was at work. I started my day with a large iced green tea and water with lemon. I thought this would keep my tummy semi full as my normal coffee with skim milk actually does. I was wrong but still ok. I drank my juices every two hours. I had a slight headache the whole day and was hungry. It was kind of like Yom Kippur but for three days. I didn't know how I was going to sleep being starving but your last juice of the day is a cashew with cinnamon drink and it is actually filling. The spices seem to relax you. I slept well and woke up feeling great.

Day two was easier but by Saturday afternoon I was starving again and my juices kept me less and less full. The headache from the day before continued. I tried to go about my day but the only thing that distracted me from the hunger was playing angry birds on my iPad. I spent a lot of this weekend playing angry birds and catching up on my dvr shows to try not to think about the cleanse.

Day three is ending as I write this. I have my cashew cinnamon drink to consume and I am done :). Would I do this again? Yes but for one day or two days max. Three was a bit much. We did the Blueprint Cleanse which I've been told is the best. The juice is light and blended well so you can drink it with a straw. Aside from my headache and feeling very hungry I feel good. My skin looks and feels great, I'm not bloated and I'm glad that I did it. I'll let you know next week how I fare for my first meal after the cleanse. It will be at the airport so we'll see how I do!

I am 35 pounds down. The biggest change in myself that I've noticed is how I've learned to deal with my emotions. Instead of letting myself feel my emotions in the past I would stuff them away by stuffing myself with food.  

 A recurring example of this was when I would have a bad day at work. When that occurred I would take a trip to Taco Bell which isn't necessarily a problem in itself. You see if I just grabbed a taco no big deal.  Aside from the fact it is junk food and has lots of chemicals one taco isn't the end of the world.  Would I eat just one taco? Of course not :(

My experience at Taco Bell would be one of total disregard for normal portion sizes. I would eat a days worth of calories in one sitting.  I felt disgusting and stuffed each time I did this but I guess I got exactly what I was looking for-to feel stuffed!  Did it solve the days problems? Not at all. It was a way to just not deal with things and ignore them. 

Now if I have a bad day, I have a bad day. I go to the gym or relax with a great book. Most importantly I let myself get upset and then move on. I don't use food as a substitute for feeling my emotions. Not anymore and never again. 

Happy Labor Day to all. I was at the US Open the last few days. What a great tournament and so much fun to attend. Seeing the athletes compete was such great motivation for my workout this morning. As I become more fit I am excited to try new things each week.

I also noticed at the US Open that they now really cater to the health conscious fan. There are so many great choices for cuisine. Several years ago the choices were only hot dogs and greasy french fries. Now they have sushi, great salads and even yogurt with fresh fruit.

I find more and more as I go to concerts, sporting events and even restaurants that it is easy to eat healthy and stay on my plan as the venues offer so many options. Additionally, I find that after an intense workout I don't want to eat junk food so that helps. There are those times when I do have strong cravings. To combat this, I keep a list of reasons why not to eat junk food on my iPhone. I try to read it when I really want something. It usually works!

Have a great week and be healthy :) zoftig princess

Getting back to my unfortunate pancake experience from last Sunday I felt extra hungry all day long. In addition the pancakes didn't even taste that great. I guess my body is so used to not having any type of real sugar it didn’t know what to do.

This weekend there is an impending hurricane. I will admit I am a little nervous about the power going out for several days. I've become quite addicted to my electronics as well as having running water not to mention what the power outage will do for my diet. I have fruit and veggies but wouldn't be able to cook anything and that scares me. Will I have enough self control even if I feel hungry not knowing when I will have a normal meal? Time will tell. Hopefully the power won't go out but no one knows.

I also think that the feelings of being a little nervous makes you feel more hungry. It isn't real hunger. It is just like last Sunday when I was feeling sad and reacted by eating two pancakes. This time I recognize the feelings and won't make the same mistake twice.

To all my friends and family on the East Coast: I hope you are safe and make it through the storm unharmed with no incident.
xoxo zoftig princess

Still down 34 pounds this week. Had another hectic week. However, I did manage to go to several spin classes. It was definitely a stressful week and I will admit that I ate some food today that was not on my plan. I was very upset about a bunch of things going on in my life and I had two pancakes at the diner with my breakfast this morning. It was totally an example of emotional eating. The food didn't really help and I was still upset afterwards. The pancakes didn't even taste that good and it definitely wasn't worth it. There are so many things I could have done instead of eating such as getting a pedicure or just going to the gym.

There have many days these past few months that I've been upset or sad and I know that going to the gym always helps. For some reason today I didn't go to the gym and I ate something instead. Now the rest of the week I am going to have to eat a little bit less and workout a little bit more to make up for it. I guess I wouldn't be human if I was perfect 24/7. I won't lie, I am disappointed in myself. The key though is to forgive myself and make sure it doesn't happen again or become a habit. I definitely do not want to go back to my old unhealthy habits.

This week I plan to go to four spin classes, navy seals, zumba and have two personal training sessions. Wish me luck! Until next week.
-zoftigprincess

34 pounds lost as of this morning. Time has been my biggest issue this week in the sense that there isn't enough time in the day, the week, the month... I had to bring my blackberry to spin class. I had to go back down to my desk to do more work after navy seals. Today is Saturday and a sampling of my to do list is as follows:  I need to write my blog, go to the gym, do laundry, grocery shopping, manicure, pedicure, car wash, dry cleaning as a sampling of tasks...

I work in the financial industry so I am up at 6am and at my desk by 7:30am most mornings.  I work until at least  5pm or later with barely five minutes to myself all day to even make a personal call. Then most days I go to the gym before arriving home close to 8pm each night. 

So how during these times do you fit everything including all your workouts and eating healthy. It certainly is quite challenging but you have to prioritize and decide what is most important to you. There are many weeks where not all my laundry gets done or I'm not with my friends as much as I want  but I make sure to get my workouts in. 

As of this morning I am down 31 pounds. It seems that I hit a mini plateau there for a bit but I am happy to report I am back on the down slope of the curve. I worked a lot this week and did miss some of my workouts due to working around 60 hours. Somehow I still lost weight. The body is a funny thing.

My clothes are getting bigger and bigger each week but I still see myself as "fat" and still say to myself that I can't do certain things until I lose more weight. I am definitely proud of myself for all my hard work but some days still don't feel smaller. I also don't see a difference in the mirror but all my friends and family keep telling me I'm shrinking.

As far as delaying life until I lose more weight, people of all sizes go jogging, fall in love and make their dreams become reality. Being on the road to my goal weight shouldn't stop me from doing anything and if I'm honest with myself it isn't the weight that is stopping me. It's my own fear and insecurities. I will get to my goal weight. I know that but being healthy isn't just about being fit and thin. It isn't just the number on the scale. It is also about having a healthy mindset. That is what I need to spend some time and effort on.

The last few weeks I've really upped the intensity of my workouts. This is wonderful but it also means that my hunger levels have increased as well. I've had to learn how to balance my hunger levels much more effectively.  This has not been easy. I've also had a ton of client events recently. I end up leaving the office early to travel into the city, missing my snack which leads to finding a healthy dinner option more challenging because I end up absolutely starving. 

What have I done to counteract this increase in hunger you may ask?  I've resorted to such tricks as eating frozen grapes as an example. They are zero points and very juicy so they fill me up. You just have to learn to fill up on foods that are zero points and drink lots of liquids.  It's kind of like shopping and getting the most for your money. For those that know me it is quite typical for me to relate anything to shopping, one of my favorite activities :) This new way of eating isn't easy but I continue to fight the fight!

Below are a few extra tips to deal with business dinners, cocktail parties and just not feeling motivated. 

Find polite ways to refuse fattening cocktails and passed hor deuvres. After a few occasions these methods will become ingrained and natural responses. 

Keep some inspirational quotes or music on your phone or at your desk for days you don't want to work out. 

Sometimes I feel absolutely ravenous like I could eat three meals in one. When this occurs I eat my planned meal and wait 20 minutes to see if I am still hungry. 99% of the time I am satisfied-it really works! (Note:  I didn't use the word "full" because I haven't felt "full" since I started this plan :))

Back to work these past two weeks after my wonderful vacation in California. As I mentioned last week I saw lots of plastic surgery even on the nannies. The thing with plastic surgery is unless you go to a top surgeon you usually end up looking worse afterwards. I am not saying I would never have plastic surgery but I believe in trying diet and exercise before you resort to those measures. 

The other great thing about California is the weather and the beauty of nature all around. It is impossible not go hiking, camping, cycling and swim because it is just too beautiful to stay inside. People have much more active lifestyles out on the West Coast. 

On one of my recent flights I sat next to someone very overweight. So heavy that in fact I was physically uncomfortable because her arms and legs went into my seat on the plane. Then she ordered the most fattening foods possible on the menu times two. This didn't make me angry though. Instead I could relate. I was never over 300 pounds but I probably ate like I was and I was certainly uncomfortable in confined spaces.  I had a long talk with my neighbor on the plane and she gave me some great advice on some things I was struggling with and I also feel that I helped her with her food issues. We exchanged contact info and have been corresponding about our different goals relating to weight loss. What I learned from the experience was that you never know when you will make a difference in someone's outlook or when someone unexpected will inspire you. 

This week I am blogging from my vacation in beautiful Newport Coast, California. It is so beautiful in fact that I am considering moving to the West Coast. More on that next week though. When trying to lose weight vacations can pose some very serious obstacles. Those obstacles and how I overcame them this week is what I'd like to talk about today.

I am lucky in the fact that I am vacationing with friends that are extremely fitness oriented. The first night I arrived my friends downloaded a two week free pass for me to their gym and we went everyday except for one. Obstacle number one of not exercising on vacation was avoided. Additionally, the great thing about being at a different gym was that I switched up my cardio routine for the whole week. I even tried another new class called Zumba. One of my girlfriends is a Zumba instructor and now looks like she could be a Playboy model so it is a pretty grueling workout. It is a combination of high-impact cardio with tons of lunges and core work set to Hip-Hop and Latin music. I loved it but was extremely sore the next day in all the right places. I now understand why my friend looks the way she does.

Another obstacle of vacationing can be eating out a lot and being in unfamiliar places. For the first time in my life I had a great vacation with my friends and didn't focus the whole trip on what disgusting fattening food I was going to eat. I ate healthy local produce in conjunction with fresh seafood and meats and was 100% satisfied with my healthy choices. Go me :). I also kept skim milk, almonds and a few Larabars around just in case starvation set in. You see I planned ahead so there were no pitfalls.

I will have to wait until I get home to weigh myself but no matter what the scale says I know I had a very successful week. Next time I'd like to discuss all the plastic surgery I saw (huge fake breasts everywhere I looked but mine were still bigger :)) and a very interesting plane ride I experienced.

As of this morning I have lost 25 pounds.  I am very excited as I have met my first goal and surpassed it.  I think I might have mentioned the importance of small measurable goals.  You shouldn't say to yourself I am going to lose 50 pounds by such and such date. Life and weight-loss unfortunately don't work like that.  You don't want to set yourself up for disappointment because that could trigger feelings of failure. A better way to set-up your mini-goals would be to say I am going to lose 20 pounds but with no specific deadline or if you are the type of person who needs deadlines to function or get motivated make them about exercise. 

An example of this would be an exercise goal I set for myself for the month of June. I promised myself I would workout at least five times per week.  I also said I would track my exercise and my food intake.  More on food tracking later.  Each day I recorded my workouts, what I did and for how long.  Now when I look back at the month and see the classes and hours of exercise I've logged it is incredibly motivating.  This will be something I continue to do. 

I also diligently tracked my food intake. Anything that went into my mouth was recorded, portion sizes, quantity and time of day. I've realized from past failed attempts to lose weight that this element is essential.  When you measure or weigh your food and try to eyeball it or write it down later you are always eating more quantity wise. Tracking my food will also be key to meeting my next set of goals. 

Remember, it only takes 30 days to form a healthy new habit :)

As of this morning, I have lost 16 pounds. I had another successful week and even tried a new class at the gym by accident. Don't worry, I will fully explain...

It was this past Thursday which is usually one of my spin nights. It is a 45 minute class and a good way to gear up towards Friday. I had a very long busy day at work and didn't even have time to eat my pre-gym snack or drink my eight glasses of water. I told myself it is only 45 minutes and I can get in a few glasses of water during spin class. I changed and showed up to class with some friends from work. The gym manager was in the studio and upon arrival tells us that our instructor is stuck in traffic and that they are having a bootcamp class instead.

I have seen this bootcamp class at the gym while on the elliptical and it is the scariest thing I've seen in a gym. One of the trainers who is a Marine teaches it. He wears a whistle and blows it every 45 seconds. There is a circle of equipment with labels next to each station. Things I would never think of doing on my own because they would induce way too much pain and suffering.

Anyway, once it was announced that bootcamp would be replacing spin I looked at one of my girl friends and started to walk out of the studio to go do the elliptical. The instructor with the whistle told us to try it. I thought to myself great-I had no snack and not enough water today. How the hell am I going to do exercises as if I'm training to be in the army. Then I said to myself each station is only 45 seconds and I can do anything for only 45 seconds. That phrase no pain no gain also circulated through my brain. So I stayed and convinced a third friend to stay as well. Was I crazy?

The instructor turned the music way up. Some of my favorite songs to workout to by Katy Perry and Rihanna pumped through the speakers. I got excited and felt good. For the next fifteen minutes I did push-ups, squats, lunges and cardio all with weights and got through the first round. My heart was pumping at well above the normal 150 I usually maintain during spin, I could feel it. I was sweating like an eskimo in a sauna. I slirped some water down and we started round two and I somehow made it through that as well but I was deteriorating fast. I had some more water and really wanted to walk out but of course I didn't. I pushed through the pain and exhaustion and completed the third round.

The instructor complimented my efforts and told me I should try his Navy Seals class the following week. I replied that maybe I would. How much harder can Navy Seals be? Ha Ha, I'm sure a lot harder but maybe that saying no pain no gain is really true. I was very sore the next day but for each time I moved and felt one of my sore muscles I was that much prouder of myself. The human body is a miraculous thing and if we push ourselves we really are much more capable then we think. I learned that this week.

This week I’d like to discuss enablers. You know who I’m talking about. Those friends and family members who exhibit the following behaviors. Let me set the scene. You are out at a trendy restaurant all dressed up. You have had a great meal of salad maybe some grilled fish. Also, you have just communicated to your friend all about your five workouts and successful eating plan for the past week and the waiter plops down the dessert menu. Your friend looks at you and asks if you want to share a brownie sundae. My normal response a few weeks ago would have been of course :) But lately my response has been that if I am going to have anything it is going to be some plain fruit.

I have learned some valuable lessons the last few weeks. Your loved ones and friends aren't going to change and you shouldn't expect them to. Your transformation is about you not them. They didn't make you fat or put the food in your mouth all those times you overate and ate the wrong things. They also don't mean to harm you when they offer fattening desserts or food. That is how they show their love at times. So it will be you that has to change. What I mean when I say that is you will need to change how you respond in certain situations. Instead of getting angry just explain that you are trying to make positive changes with your health and leave it at that. The funny thing is that your good habits might start rubbing off on them. If they don't that is perfectly fine as well as long as you do the right thing for you.

I think it is very healthy to love others don't get me wrong but sometimes it is healthier for you to not be so engaged in their behavior. Women especially are guilty of this. The constant advice giving and worrying about others. It is our nature to care too much at times. I know I have been guilty of this. I tend to focus on other's problems so I don't have to focus on my own. That is one of the reasons I gained so much weight. Then I gained more when I got angry and frustrated that my friends and family wouldn't take my advice and didn't even seem to appreciate all those suggestions I constantly gave.

I have tried to just "let go"! I still love everyone just as much as I always have but I am getting less involved in their drama. I think my relationships are improving because of this lesson. I know my relationship with myself has improved and isn't that the most important relationship of them all? Fin
-zoftig princess

Happy Sunday to all my friends and family. I was in the city for a good portion of this past week staying in a hotel and more importantly eating hotel food. I did get my five workouts in and more and managed to stick to my food plan all week. This week was particularly hard not only because of my lack of sleep, being on my feet all day but when I am at work events there is food every where and all day long. I am not speaking of healthy food either. There is always a large spread of cake, cookies and brownies. Mayonaise filled salads and sandwiches are also always abundant at these events. I brought my protein bars and bananas with me and planned out all my meals accordingly so I wouldn't be hungry and wouldn't eat non-healthy food.

For anyone who knows me well over the years I've never been able to successfully eat healthy during one of these conferences or being away from home. I always make excuses or let my hunger and exhaustion rule what gets put in my mouth. The fact that I was able to eat healthy all week was amazing. It also taught me that if I could do it once I can always do it. When you are exhausted eating crap doesn't give you more energy. In fact, it makes you feel worse in many ways.

To reward myself I went to the mall today and got myself a brand new pair of sneakers with new technology. They are so much lighter as well. I feel like walking/running will be that much easier. Now when I am at the gym wearing my new sneakers they will also remind me what I've accomplished and how I met my goal. Those feelings will only motivate me to workout more this week. I will report in later this week and let everyone know how it goes.

So far so good this week. Two of my five workouts completed. Spin Monday night and then an hour with the trainer tonight. Tomorrow I am going to a 7am spin class before work, then into the city for an event. Back with the trainer on Friday and then hopefully swimming laps and a run/walk on Saturday. My eating has been spot on as well this week, journaling and keeping track of my weight watcher's points online.

Over the weekend I was in Westport to do some errands and noticed some nice sales at the Gap and Ann Taylor Loft. Two brands that I frequently wear because the lines of the brand flatter my fuller sized figure. One of my biggest challenges being overweight is finding clothes that are fashionable but also look cute on me. There were so many sexy dresses at Loft that I would have loved to buy but between the current state of my arms and core I can't yet. However, I am working very hard to rectify the situation. I am very much looking forward to the day when I can wear whatever style I want and not being able to won't be an option any longer. It will be so wonderful when I can get up in the morning and throw on a pair of designer jeans in a size 6 and tuck my shirt in to them like it is no big deal :)

I also love to wear heels and have a huge shoe collection of all the best designers. I rarely wear my beautiful shoes because with all the extra weight my feet hurt after a few hours in heels. So the other big fashion item I am looking forward to is wearing all my gorgeous sexy shoes minus the pain. Once I get to my goal weight I might even treat myself to a pair of Louboutins. I've been told they are actually comfortable. I feel many wonderful things are in store for my future and they aren't just shoes and clothes.

zoftigprincess

For so long now I feel like I've talked the talk but haven't walked the walk with my weight loss. It is so important to me for my family, friends and boyfriend to finally be proud of me and not just think, here she goes again with no results to portray. That is why I am now trying so hard to do this once and for all.

It is going to take me months of hard work and commitment to lose all the weight I want to lose. So what will keep me motivated? For starters, I have some pictures of how I used to look and of some of my fashion icons like Megan Fox on my bedroom mirror. I have numerous free apps on my iPhone and computers like weight watchers and other diary type apps where I can not only log my food and exercise but more importantly log my feelings and behaviors. I think that behavior modification is a large part of weight loss and it takes 30 days to form a new habit researchers say so writing will be key so I can look back and read what I wrote on good and bad days.

So far so good. I have enjoyed all the healthy food I am eating and feel satisfied. I don't feel as though I am missing anything. I eat slowly and enjoy what I am having. When you eat fresh organic vegetable and fruit you don't even need salad dressing. The items themselves are so flavorful without anything added. Sometimes I will have some fresh squeezed lemon juice over greens if I get bored but that is it.

Until next time...
zoftig princess

My last blog referenced a major success in my journey. I am pleased to report I had three more this week as follows. I ran outside this morning for the first time since playing tennis and soccer in high school and I ran on the treadmill this past week with my trainer doing interval training. For my time on the treadmill it was only in one minute intervals opposite walking in one minute intervals on an incline of 9.0. I don't know which is harder the running or the hills :). I normally do spin class which is non-impact so any impact exercise is very hard as I'm not used to it all so I am proud of myself.

I also made it through the week being sick and having the usual female issues staying on my food plan. I've never been able to do this before. As soon as I don't feel well I usually reach for some type of carb to satiate me. Sometimes when I don't feel well I am just plain lazy and that doesn't work either. When you have healthy snacks always available this pre-empts that behavior I find and that is exactly what I did. I now always have bananas, healthy protein bars, berries, carrot sticks and almonds at work, at home and sometimes in my purse.

I had another meal out recently also where I had a good but on plan meal with plain fruit at the end and enjoyed the company instead of focusing on the food.  So the week has ended and I am down 6.3 pounds, not too shabby. More importantly I am proud of myself and feel confident that I will be successful in terminating the bad habits once and for all.  It won't be easy but I am starting to build my toolbox for the future.

-Zoftig Princess

I still have issues each and every single day with my weight.  I start a plan only to fail every time. I lose a few pounds and then I cheat. What about my new plan will be different? What will be the catalyst to my finally being motivated to drop the pounds once and for all? What will be the game changer? How unhappy do I have to become to instill change in myself? These are questions I've been asking myself the last few days. However, I did have a very big success this weekend that I should share.  I was able to go out to eat and eat on plan despite what my company ate in front of me. I've had tremendous difficulty with this in the past.  I ate a salad with grilled salmon, dressing on the side and ended my meal with fresh berries. I was finally successful. Could this time be actually different? Stay tuned...